17 A. Put in the fridge to warm up: DEFROSTED, as from the freezer, and --
20 A. Common laundry no-show: SOCK, a piece of clothing worn on the foot and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Sometimes lost in the wash.
Across:
1. Pre-weekend shout: TGIF. Thank [Deity of your choice] it's Friday.
5. Spot for a hoop: LOBE. Ear ring location
9. Subsided: EBBED. Receded or declined.
14. Pro __: gratis: BONO. Pro bono is a Latin phrase that means "for the public good" and refers to professional work done voluntarily and without payment.
15. Unanswered, as a question: OPEN. Refers to a matter or problem that is being discussed but to which the answer is not yet known.
16. Eternal City fountain: TREVI. The Trevi Fountain is an 18th-century fountain in the Trevi district in Rome, Italy, designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini in 1762.
21. Puny pencil: STUB. Writing remnant.
24. Word with green or silver: SCREEN. A green screen is a large green backdrop that makes it possible to add any background to the subject of your photo or video. Cf 10 D. "Silver screen" is a term that refers to the movie industry or to a type of projection screen used in early film:
26. Hall of Fame coach Summitt: PAT. Patricia Susan Summitt was an American women's college basketball head coach and college basketball player. As a coach at the University of Tennessee, she acquired 1,098 career wins, the most in college basketball history at the time of her retirement.
28. Part of 1-Across: IT'S. It is. But, alas, now it's only Wednesday. And I have 2 [!] rehearsals tonight.
29. Fluffy dog, familiarly: POM. The Pomeranian is a breed of dog of the Spitz type that is named for the Pomerania region in north-west Poland and north-east Germany in Central Europe. Classed as a toy dog breed because of its small size, the Pomeranian is descended from larger Spitz-type dogs, specifically the German Spitz.
30. Stag or doe: DEER. A deer or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae. Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae and Capreolinae. Male deer of almost all species, as well as female reindeer, grow and shed new antlers each year.
33. Burns a bit: CHARS. Partially burn an object so as to blacken its surface.
35. Rode an enchanted broomstick, maybe: FLEW. Move or be hurled quickly through the air, no matter witch way.
37. Tow truck: WRECKER. Slangy mis-application of the word.
43. "Soup's on!": LET'S EAT. It's meal time.
44. Scene scenes: SETS. Arrangements of props and other background items in a segment of a movie or play.
46. D.C. subway: METRO. Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas.
48. "Remixing Since Forever" ice cream brand: EDY'S. Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, Inc., is an American ice cream company, founded in 1928 in Oakland, California. The company's two signature brands, Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream and Edy's Grand Ice Cream, are named after its founders, William Dreyer and Joseph Edy
50. Blubber: CRY. Weep, sob.
51. Student carrier: BUS. A large motor vehicle carrying passengers by road, typically one serving the public on a fixed route and for a fare.
52. French pal: AMI. Literal
54. Garlicky sauces: AIOLIS. A mayonnaise flavored with garlic and sometimes other ingredients, such as red pepper.
58. First name in jazz: ETTA. Jamesetta Hawkins [1938-2012] known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer and songwriter who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul.
67. Luminous vibes: AURAE. In spiritualism and some forms of alternative medicine, a supposed emanation surrounding the body of a living creature and regarded as an essential part of the individual.
68. "U slay me!": LMAO. Laughing My Appendages* Off.
* So to speak.
69. "Actually, I disagree": UH--NO. Nope!
70. Hint at: IMPLY. Strongly suggest the truth or existence of something not expressly stated.
71. Site built with two cents?: YELP. Yelp Inc. is an American company that develops the Yelp.com website and the Yelp mobile app, which publishes crowd-sourced reviews about businesses. It also operates Yelp Guest Manager, a table reservation service. It is headquartered in San Francisco. Unless the clue is referring to users putting in their 2 cents worth, I don't know what it means.
72. Ping-Pong table dividers: NETS. A six inch high mesh barrier that separates a ping pong table into two equal halves:
Down:
1. Sked abbr.: TBD. To be determined, referring to an item in a schedule,
2. Offers no more clues, as a trail: GOES COLD. Becomes ineffective or unproductive,
3. Snitch: INFORMER. A person who informs on another person to the police or other authority. Tattle tale.
4. Compel: FORCE. Oblige someone to do something, regardless of their willingness.
5. __ Angeles Sparks: LOS. The Los Angeles Sparks are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began.
6. Declines, with "out": OPTS. Chooses not to participate in something.
7. Vegetable used in some red dyes: BEET. The edible dark red spherical root of a a herbaceous plant, eaten as a vegetable.
8. Become, eventually: END UP. To reach or come to a place, condition, or situation that was not planned or expected.
9. "And more" abbr.: ETC. Abbreviation for et cetera: and other similar things. It is used to avoid giving a complete list.
10. 2024 Charli XCX hit album whose cover became a meme: BRAT. Charlotte Emma Aitchison [b. 1992] known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery by a promoter who invited her to perform at warehouse raves. Charli XCX "Brat" Cover Parodies refers to exploitable edits of English singer and songwriter Charli XCX's sixth studio album cover, known as brat. The cover features a vibrant lime-green background with the title "brat" disproportionately imposed on it, which received some criticism in February 2024 but was later turned into a source for green-screen edits and memes, as the cover could be easily photoshopped and parodied on social media by fans of the singer and also several companies, especially in Brazil.
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11. "No playing favorites!": BE FAIR. Impartial and just, without favoritism or discrimination.
12. Happenings: EVENTS. Planned public or social occasions.
13. Hockey pucks, e.g.: DISKS. Flat, thin, round objects.
18. Approved: OKED. As defined
22. "Likewise," informally: BACK AT YA. Whatever you just said to the person saying it, that person is saying the same thing back to you.
24. Letters on a Coppertone bottle: SPF. Solar Protection Factor. A sunscreen’s SPF is a measure of how many harmful ultraviolet rays it absorbs or reflects away from your skin. Must be reapplied ever couple of hours.
25. "I had no idea!": NEWS TO ME. Said of newly received knowledge.
27. Nonbinary pronoun: THEY. Non-binary pronouns are pronouns that are not gender specific and are often used by people who identify outside of the gender binary. The most common non-binary pronouns are "they/them/their".
31. Greek goddess of discord: ERIS. Eris is the goddess of strife, discord, and rivalry. She is known for starting the Trojan War by throwing a golden apple inscribed "For the most beautiful" among the guests at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. Eris was not invited to the wedding, and her actions led to a quarrel among the goddesses. Her Roman equivalent is Discordia.
32. Soprano Fleming: RENEE. Renée Lynn Fleming [b. 1959] is an American soprano and actress, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nominated for 18 Grammy Awards and has won five times.
34. Greek god of war: ARES. Ares was the ancient Greek god of war or, more properly, the spirit of battle. He represented the distasteful aspects of brutal warfare and slaughter. Ares was never very popular, and his worship was not extensive in Greece.
36. Allergic reaction, perhaps: WELT. A raised red mark on the skin where something has hit or rubbed you, or from an allergic reaction.
38. Not naked: CLAD. Clothed or covered. Cf 41 A/
40. Lab liquids: SERA. Liquids that are injected into someone's blood to protect them against a poison or disease, or the the watery, pale yellow part of blood.
41. Provide with a wardrobe change: RECLOTHE. Provide a change of clothing.
42. Loud and grating: STRIDENT. Said of a harsh voice or sound.
45. Pt. of GPS: SYStem.
46. Art house?: MUSEUM. Typically, a movie theater that specializes in films that are artistic or experimental rather than merely entertaining. But here - a more literal meaning of a building that houses works of art.
47. F equivalent, in music: E SHARP. Note that are spelt differently, but sound the same are known as enharmonic equivalents.
49. "Absolutamente!": SI,SI. Enthusiastic affirmation.
51. Faith whose oldest standing temple is in Wilmette, Illinois: BAHAI. A monotheistic religion founded in the 19th century as a development of Babism, emphasizing the essential oneness of humankind and of all religions and seeking world peace. The Baha'i faith was founded by the Persian Baha'ullah (1817–92) and his son Abdul Baha (1844–1921). Babism isa religion founded in 1844 by the Persian Mirza Ali Muhammad of Shiraz (1819–50) who taught that a new prophet would follow Muhammad.
53. Home of the Eternal City: ITALY. Rome, of course.
55. "Riveting," sarcastically: OH, FUN. Might be spoken through gritted teeth.
57. "And others" abbr.: ET. AL. Like ETC [Cf 9 A] but used when the list is of people, such as co-authors, rather than things.
59. Clock display: TIME. The current hours and minutes. Will you come back for seconds?
60. North __ Sea: Kazakh lake: ARAL. The Aral Sea was an endorheic lake lying between Kazakhstan to its north and Uzbekistan to its south, which began shrinking in the 1960s and largely dried up by the 2010s.
63. Cry for attention?: HEY. Pay attention, now!
65. Prune: LOP. Cut off or prune, as branches.
66. Uno y uno: DOS. Zwie, kettő, deux, två, two, in any language.
Well, that wraps up [so to speak] another Wednesday. Hope you are enjoying your autumn. Don't forget to layer up.
20 A. Common laundry no-show: SOCK, a piece of clothing worn on the foot and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Sometimes lost in the wash.
But the target word here is FROCK, an unfitted, comfortable garment for wear in the house, or (later) a light overdress worn with a slip or underdress.
19 A. Bistros: CAFES for casual dining, and --
23 A. Lose on purpose: TANK, make no effort to win.
Here we are looking for a CAFTAN, often worn as a coat or as an overdress, usually having long sleeves and reaching to the ankles.
56 A. Legendary Arthur: ASHE. Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. [1943-1993] was an American professional tennis player. He won three Grand Slam titles in singles and two in doubles. Ashe was the first black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team, and the only black man ever to win the singles titles at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open, and --
62 A. Shrubby landscape: HEATH, an area of open uncultivated land, especially in Britain, with characteristic vegetation of heather, gorse, and coarse grasses.
This item is a SHEATH. Sheath dresses fit tightly from bodice to hem, and emphasize the shape of an hourglass figure, while shift dresses [vide infra] are shapeless and conceal the body shape.
61 A. Like Puss in Boots: SHOD, wearing shoes, and --
64 A. Delivered by plane, as emergency supplies: AIRLIFTED, as defined.
A SHIFT is a dress in which the cloth falls straight from the shoulders and has darts around the bust. It frequently features a high scoop or boat neck.
And the unifier - 39 A. Autumn-weather advice for staying comfortable, or a description of each set of circled letters: DRESS IN LAYERS. Perhaps wear an undershirt, overshirt, sweater and jacket. If you get too warm, you can remove a layer.
Or just don one of the layerable garments described above. I suppose for some of these, the layering is implied, or even optional. But we'll just let that go.
Hi, Gang, it's JazzBumpa here in the dressing room. Since the theme clues each span a pair of across lines, I had to layer these clues to dress this puzzle up properly. Hope you got the circles, or this material would be hard to see through. Let's find out what other fashions Laura has designed for us
Across:
1. Pre-weekend shout: TGIF. Thank [Deity of your choice] it's Friday.
5. Spot for a hoop: LOBE. Ear ring location
9. Subsided: EBBED. Receded or declined.
14. Pro __: gratis: BONO. Pro bono is a Latin phrase that means "for the public good" and refers to professional work done voluntarily and without payment.
15. Unanswered, as a question: OPEN. Refers to a matter or problem that is being discussed but to which the answer is not yet known.
16. Eternal City fountain: TREVI. The Trevi Fountain is an 18th-century fountain in the Trevi district in Rome, Italy, designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini in 1762.
21. Puny pencil: STUB. Writing remnant.
24. Word with green or silver: SCREEN. A green screen is a large green backdrop that makes it possible to add any background to the subject of your photo or video. Cf 10 D. "Silver screen" is a term that refers to the movie industry or to a type of projection screen used in early film:
26. Hall of Fame coach Summitt: PAT. Patricia Susan Summitt was an American women's college basketball head coach and college basketball player. As a coach at the University of Tennessee, she acquired 1,098 career wins, the most in college basketball history at the time of her retirement.
28. Part of 1-Across: IT'S. It is. But, alas, now it's only Wednesday. And I have 2 [!] rehearsals tonight.
29. Fluffy dog, familiarly: POM. The Pomeranian is a breed of dog of the Spitz type that is named for the Pomerania region in north-west Poland and north-east Germany in Central Europe. Classed as a toy dog breed because of its small size, the Pomeranian is descended from larger Spitz-type dogs, specifically the German Spitz.
30. Stag or doe: DEER. A deer or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae. Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae and Capreolinae. Male deer of almost all species, as well as female reindeer, grow and shed new antlers each year.
33. Burns a bit: CHARS. Partially burn an object so as to blacken its surface.
35. Rode an enchanted broomstick, maybe: FLEW. Move or be hurled quickly through the air, no matter witch way.
37. Tow truck: WRECKER. Slangy mis-application of the word.
43. "Soup's on!": LET'S EAT. It's meal time.
44. Scene scenes: SETS. Arrangements of props and other background items in a segment of a movie or play.
46. D.C. subway: METRO. Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas.
48. "Remixing Since Forever" ice cream brand: EDY'S. Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, Inc., is an American ice cream company, founded in 1928 in Oakland, California. The company's two signature brands, Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream and Edy's Grand Ice Cream, are named after its founders, William Dreyer and Joseph Edy
50. Blubber: CRY. Weep, sob.
51. Student carrier: BUS. A large motor vehicle carrying passengers by road, typically one serving the public on a fixed route and for a fare.
52. French pal: AMI. Literal
54. Garlicky sauces: AIOLIS. A mayonnaise flavored with garlic and sometimes other ingredients, such as red pepper.
58. First name in jazz: ETTA. Jamesetta Hawkins [1938-2012] known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer and songwriter who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul.
67. Luminous vibes: AURAE. In spiritualism and some forms of alternative medicine, a supposed emanation surrounding the body of a living creature and regarded as an essential part of the individual.
68. "U slay me!": LMAO. Laughing My Appendages* Off.
* So to speak.
69. "Actually, I disagree": UH--NO. Nope!
70. Hint at: IMPLY. Strongly suggest the truth or existence of something not expressly stated.
71. Site built with two cents?: YELP. Yelp Inc. is an American company that develops the Yelp.com website and the Yelp mobile app, which publishes crowd-sourced reviews about businesses. It also operates Yelp Guest Manager, a table reservation service. It is headquartered in San Francisco. Unless the clue is referring to users putting in their 2 cents worth, I don't know what it means.
72. Ping-Pong table dividers: NETS. A six inch high mesh barrier that separates a ping pong table into two equal halves:
Down:
1. Sked abbr.: TBD. To be determined, referring to an item in a schedule,
2. Offers no more clues, as a trail: GOES COLD. Becomes ineffective or unproductive,
3. Snitch: INFORMER. A person who informs on another person to the police or other authority. Tattle tale.
4. Compel: FORCE. Oblige someone to do something, regardless of their willingness.
5. __ Angeles Sparks: LOS. The Los Angeles Sparks are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began.
6. Declines, with "out": OPTS. Chooses not to participate in something.
7. Vegetable used in some red dyes: BEET. The edible dark red spherical root of a a herbaceous plant, eaten as a vegetable.
8. Become, eventually: END UP. To reach or come to a place, condition, or situation that was not planned or expected.
9. "And more" abbr.: ETC. Abbreviation for et cetera: and other similar things. It is used to avoid giving a complete list.
10. 2024 Charli XCX hit album whose cover became a meme: BRAT. Charlotte Emma Aitchison [b. 1992] known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery by a promoter who invited her to perform at warehouse raves. Charli XCX "Brat" Cover Parodies refers to exploitable edits of English singer and songwriter Charli XCX's sixth studio album cover, known as brat. The cover features a vibrant lime-green background with the title "brat" disproportionately imposed on it, which received some criticism in February 2024 but was later turned into a source for green-screen edits and memes, as the cover could be easily photoshopped and parodied on social media by fans of the singer and also several companies, especially in Brazil.
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11. "No playing favorites!": BE FAIR. Impartial and just, without favoritism or discrimination.
12. Happenings: EVENTS. Planned public or social occasions.
13. Hockey pucks, e.g.: DISKS. Flat, thin, round objects.
18. Approved: OKED. As defined
22. "Likewise," informally: BACK AT YA. Whatever you just said to the person saying it, that person is saying the same thing back to you.
24. Letters on a Coppertone bottle: SPF. Solar Protection Factor. A sunscreen’s SPF is a measure of how many harmful ultraviolet rays it absorbs or reflects away from your skin. Must be reapplied ever couple of hours.
25. "I had no idea!": NEWS TO ME. Said of newly received knowledge.
27. Nonbinary pronoun: THEY. Non-binary pronouns are pronouns that are not gender specific and are often used by people who identify outside of the gender binary. The most common non-binary pronouns are "they/them/their".
31. Greek goddess of discord: ERIS. Eris is the goddess of strife, discord, and rivalry. She is known for starting the Trojan War by throwing a golden apple inscribed "For the most beautiful" among the guests at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. Eris was not invited to the wedding, and her actions led to a quarrel among the goddesses. Her Roman equivalent is Discordia.
32. Soprano Fleming: RENEE. Renée Lynn Fleming [b. 1959] is an American soprano and actress, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nominated for 18 Grammy Awards and has won five times.
34. Greek god of war: ARES. Ares was the ancient Greek god of war or, more properly, the spirit of battle. He represented the distasteful aspects of brutal warfare and slaughter. Ares was never very popular, and his worship was not extensive in Greece.
36. Allergic reaction, perhaps: WELT. A raised red mark on the skin where something has hit or rubbed you, or from an allergic reaction.
38. Not naked: CLAD. Clothed or covered. Cf 41 A/
40. Lab liquids: SERA. Liquids that are injected into someone's blood to protect them against a poison or disease, or the the watery, pale yellow part of blood.
41. Provide with a wardrobe change: RECLOTHE. Provide a change of clothing.
42. Loud and grating: STRIDENT. Said of a harsh voice or sound.
45. Pt. of GPS: SYStem.
46. Art house?: MUSEUM. Typically, a movie theater that specializes in films that are artistic or experimental rather than merely entertaining. But here - a more literal meaning of a building that houses works of art.
47. F equivalent, in music: E SHARP. Note that are spelt differently, but sound the same are known as enharmonic equivalents.
49. "Absolutamente!": SI,SI. Enthusiastic affirmation.
51. Faith whose oldest standing temple is in Wilmette, Illinois: BAHAI. A monotheistic religion founded in the 19th century as a development of Babism, emphasizing the essential oneness of humankind and of all religions and seeking world peace. The Baha'i faith was founded by the Persian Baha'ullah (1817–92) and his son Abdul Baha (1844–1921). Babism isa religion founded in 1844 by the Persian Mirza Ali Muhammad of Shiraz (1819–50) who taught that a new prophet would follow Muhammad.
53. Home of the Eternal City: ITALY. Rome, of course.
55. "Riveting," sarcastically: OH, FUN. Might be spoken through gritted teeth.
57. "And others" abbr.: ET. AL. Like ETC [Cf 9 A] but used when the list is of people, such as co-authors, rather than things.
59. Clock display: TIME. The current hours and minutes. Will you come back for seconds?
60. North __ Sea: Kazakh lake: ARAL. The Aral Sea was an endorheic lake lying between Kazakhstan to its north and Uzbekistan to its south, which began shrinking in the 1960s and largely dried up by the 2010s.
63. Cry for attention?: HEY. Pay attention, now!
65. Prune: LOP. Cut off or prune, as branches.
66. Uno y uno: DOS. Zwie, kettő, deux, två, two, in any language.
Well, that wraps up [so to speak] another Wednesday. Hope you are enjoying your autumn. Don't forget to layer up.
Cool regards!
JzB
32 comments:
I didn’t think this puzzle was terribly difficult. And in spite of what SS and some others may so. I found the circles helpful. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Soddenlink is on hiatus again this morning. No idea why, but d-o is back on the hotspot, racking up the data fees. Tachus can't complete their installation fast enough for moi.
Saw the highlighted layers, but don't think I've ever worn any of them. No problem with the solve, though; thanx, Laura. Thanx, too, to JzB for the sterling expo.
POM: Gimme. Ancestors on Mom's side hailed from Pomerania. Grandma arrived in America back in 1880.
FIW, missing with AURAs x HsY and ERoS x DRESS oN LAYERS. I thought that "on layers" might be a Northeast term, like being "on line" instead of "in line" and "regular coffee" meaning "with cream and sugar" instead of not decaf. DNK ERES, but should have fixed HsY.
I tried using a paper ticket left over from riding the Caracas METRO on the DC one. Looked the same, but didn't work.
The only individual I'll be referring to as THEY will have been diagnosed with multiple personality disorder.
Thanks to Laura for the fun, and to JzB for another fine write-up. 'Cept that you have DISc x TANc on your crib sheet.
A tough Wednesday puzzle, which took 8:15 today.
LINE by line I filled it in though.
I didn't know Eris, Renee, Trevi, and ami.
My last stop was the intersection of Bahai and heath.
Oh joy, circles!
FIR. Once again I saw circles and groaned, but in the end this was an easy Wednesday puzzle. The circles were unnecessary.
After solving it I went back and saw the theme answers in the circles and saw the light. Not that I will like circles any time soon in the future, but it was sort of clever.
Overall an enjoyable midweek puzzle.
There are a lot of reasons why I enjoyed Laura's puzzle today, even beyond the interesting layered-garments theme. Incidentally, I don't mind circles; they are actually often useful to the solver, as they are today.
How refreshing it is to see Renee Fleming and Arthur Ashe in the puzzle! So often the folks chosen to be in the LAT puzzle seem to be borderline and obscure "celebrities." Today, however, we have two honorable people whose contributions have gone beyond the field in which they excelled, opera and tennis. I can use the present tense for Fleming; she is still philanthropically active, among other things being an ambassador for the World Health Organization.
Some other things I liked in this puzzle:
--5 Across, "Spot for a hoop." Being a sports nut I'm thinking basketball (because of "hoop"). Nope; it's a hoop earring.
--Laura managed to get "Eternal City" (Rome, a wonderful city) into two clues.
---Two crossword stalwarts, ET AL and ETC, both made it as answers today.
Musings
-AH NO, OH NO or UH NO was a speed bump for me in this lovely puzzle
-Good advice for me today as I will be playing in 52F weather
-An orphan sock has been sitting on my nightstand for a week now
-The enormous and amazing barricade SET got a round of applause as it was brought in for Les Miz with the curtain up
-Cameras on school BUSES help solve problems
-Pluralizing AURA is always a coin flip
-I love BEETS but my lovely bride despises them as she was forced to eat them growing up
-Knowing that definition of BRAT? In the words of Robert Zimmerman, “It Ain’t Me Babe”
-BE FAIR. Some FB fans are saying the KC Chiefs are being favored by the officials
-Using THEY as a singular pronoun will clang on my ear and confuse me the rest of my life
-OH FUN (or joy Anonymous) will be the thoughts of some of cwd family when they see circles this morning :-)
-HEY, HEY, you, you get off of my cloud!
-Now where did I store my sweatshirts last May?
This was a fun and creative theme with the different types of dresses in symmetrical stacks. I'm glad you haven't worn any of them D-O - vaguely remember seeing men in caftans in the late '60s - but it is dress du jour any many countries.
I've been on the grounds of the US Bahai temple in Wilmette - close to the headquarters offices in Evanston, IL - has a look similar to the Taj Mahal
https://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/buildings/bahai-eric-rogers-004.jpg
PAT Summitt was surpassed by Tara Vanderveer of Stanford a few years ago but Tara attained the most wins by women or men's NCAA Div 1 basketball coaches this past year- but will soon be passed by Geno Auriemma of UConn as she has retired and he is still actively coaching. The top five are rounded out by Coach K from Duke and Jim Boeheim of Syracuse
Thanks JazzB for an interesting blog and to Laura for the creative puzzle!
FIR, regular Wed time. Only Pat was unknown to me. I will call her unknown to me, not obscure. She is obviously well know to others.
The interesting theme needed circles to see the layers if clothing.
I know that caftan and frock are sometimes layers, but not always. "This is where some of the caftan's inherent versatility comes in—you can substitute a caftan for a dress in most contexts. "Caftans are a great pool or beach coverup. They can also be fabulous for an event, styled with great shoes and jewelry." I often hear of the party type.
A frock can be simply a dress as I see in many novels. In real life I see it as a fancy or formal party dress with a hem higher than floor length. It can also be a frock coat or robe worn by some religious figures.
I forgot that I have read of a shift as a layer. I know it as a dress to be worn on its own. I now remember that it can also be an old fashioned undergarment worn next too skin with another garment worn on top of it.
I thought this was relatively easy although it did take me 14:39 for the FIR. I was familiar with FROCK and CHAFTAN but not SHEATH and SHIFT as articles of clothing, Smock would’ve worked too. DNK Charli XCX so BRAT was perped, my knowledge of opera being minimal, I didn’t know RENEE (but if she’d been clued as a certain Corner blogger…). E Sharp may be the equivalent of F, just as F Flat is the equivalent of E, but you never see those signatures. Thank you Laura for the grid and JzB for the expo! PS - the grid in the blog has an S where there should be an E in the AURAE/HEY cross.
Good Morning:
This was a cute theme with a clever (and timely) reveal and, in fairness to the constructor, the circles were necessary to illustrate the theme reveal. There were no unknowns, although I opted for Ella before Etta and Them before They, and reluctantly accepted Reclothed. That said, am I the only one who found the guessing game of conversational clue/answers not only annoying but overshadowing the usual crossword pattern of one word fill or common, well-known phrases.
“Soup’s on!” = Let’s Eat
“U slay me!” = LMAO
“Actually, I disagree” = Uh no
“No playing favorites!” = Be fair
“Likewise,” informally = Back at ya
“I had no idea!” = News to me
“Absolutamente!” = Si si
“Riveting,” sarcastically = How fun
One or two of these is tolerable, but eight? Crossword puzzles are meant to challenge our knowledge and logical thinking ability, not require us to be Chatty Cathy’s.
Thanks, Laura, and thanks, JazzB, for the usual detailed and enlightening expo. The Sock Field trip comic was a hoot!
Have a great day.
C' mon, Yellowrocks, you do know that DRESS IN LAYERS refers to the fact that the name of the dress was formed by letters in two layers, or lines of the puzzle. It did not refer to using the garment as a layer of an outfit.
Nice little puzzle, Laura. Great recap, JzB. Easy peasy today.
Once in a lifetime is all you need if it is right.
Waver.
I really liked the timeliness of the theme. I don’t mind circles, needed in this CW.
I too had Ella before ETTA and INFORM on before switching to ED.
Unfortunately I never went back to change fat to SOB, so missed the RECLOTHED and STRIDENT.
LMAO, not in my repertoire.
All in all a satisfying CW, though I agree with IM☘️ about the “Chatty Cathy” expressions being too numerous.
Thank you Jazbumpa for a nice recap.
IM, I believe that the appetite for crossword puzzles has caused the proliferation people creating them AZ well as the number of puzzles they create which has caused a diminishing in the quality of the end product.
My kids bought me a small book with 60 13X13 puzzles. I have done a number of them. Most take only 5 minutes or so to finish. They are very simple. Only one or two have esoteric entries.
My newspaper also prints the NEA 13X14 puzzle. It had really gone down in quality about a year ago since whoever was producing them began to run out of ideas (my conjecture). Soon a new source was found and it picked up. New long word started to appear. Great, but also a lot more 3 letter words were included to counter the longer answers.
Not being a constructor myself, I have only my opinion, but probably those inclusions are a result of necessity.
I have never heard of Charli XCX which would have been a problem without the easy perps. JzB, 23 across is TANK with a K not a C. I thought there were many cute longer fill like AIRLIFTED ; DRESS IN LAYERS ; GOES COLD ; NEWS TO ME . Circles make the world go round. Thank you Ron and Laura
FIR, but I have to Echo IM (and probably Jayce, as well!) on the profusion of paraphrases. One of my pet peeves, and a real fun sponge in an otherwise enjoyable puzzle.
I enjoy circles but finished this puzzle without paying any attention to them. Any unknowns perped right out. At any rate, that's my "two cents".
Lee, of course I know that. I was pointing out that there is an extra dimension to this. I think that the other layer of meaning is a fine add on. One meaning of these garments refers to the fact that they can be layers, as well as "stand alones."
Greetings! I guessed the theme at FROCK but I can’t say I used it to fill any of the circles, but it did help with the reveal. Nicely done, I took another tack on the theme - not “layers” as in topping off with a sweater, but “layers” as the in position of letter(s), one set on top of the corresponding letters to make a type of dress.
The north filled in quite quickly. Then I jumped to the south, a little slower, then the middle was my trickiest. A bunch of WO throughout to backtrack my first try, e.g. OTOH to UH, NO and enCLOTHE to RECLOTHE, probably never uttered, but apt for a CW.
FAV: clue for YELP.
I missed an error of tense (and spelling) at DEFROST(e)S instead of -ED which I perped with ENSUE instead of ENDS UP leaving me with the unknown coach eAT 🤣 instead of PAT.
Thanks, JazzB, for the fun and info in your blog today.
Lee @ 10:47 ~ Before I step off my bandwagon, I respectfully disagree with your last sentence. “Necessity”, in many instances, is cloaked in the less acceptable “”expediency.” Personal opinion, of course, but one I feel strongly about from many years of solving crosswords.
Clever, fun, fast fill to FIR, good clues...I even got the theme! What's not to like? 14 names, DNK 4. Thanx, LD. JzB thanx to you too for all the time and effort you always put into your write-ups for our benefit.
Very simple to FIR today. Didn't look for the dresses.
Charli XCX and BRAT- no idea about that. Myspace- that's ancient, a place you could make unverified claims about yourself.
BACK AT YA- it was filled but never knew as meaning "Likewise". That's NEWS TO ME. I don't say it but most people who say it around here say it meaning "I'll get back to you".
On a side note, NOLA will be crazy for a few days this week. Taylor Swift is holding THREE concerts and over 150,000 people are expected to be in town. As a joke, I told DW we should rent our house out for a few thousand. She said no way Jose.
Fun Wednesday puzzle, many thanks for this treat, Laura. And, as always, your commentary was a pleasure, JazzB, thanks for that too.
Well, to BE FAIR, those winter EVENTS could have been a WRECKER for that poor model and made her CRY. She always GOES COLD with all that snow, and even though she was CLAD in warm clothes and had to DRESS IN LAYERS, she worried that she would get sick. That's NEWS TO ME, her boyfriend said, when he heard about all this, and he FLEW to her home right away and had her AIR-LIFTED to a hospital where they RE-CLOTHED her in even warmer outfits to make sure she was okay. So, in her boyfriend's arms, she happily survived all this, and said LET'S EAT, and took him to get some supper.
Have a good, warm day, everybody.
Is there a usage difference between DISK and “disc?”
Thanks to Laura for a puzzle with some fun fill (NEWS TO ME, BACK AT YA, ETC)! FAV clue was "Scene scenes".
If you google BRAT Charli XCX [and a certain presidential candidate], you will likely be reminded of a recent news story that ties all that together.
SS@8:14. I see what you did there with the A-LINE dress. Nice!
Thanks to YP@9:37 for the CSO!
Thanks to JzB for today's tour! When you say you have 2 rehearsals, I am wondering if you are starting to prepare for your holiday concert. I hope you will share a link again this year.
IM, I liked those phrases as answers . I thought they were common.
The theme just missed being multi-layers deep. Started out with FROCK layered over a SOCK. Then CAFTAN layered over TANK [top]. So far, so good. An article of clothing in 2 layers layered on another piece of clothing. Very cool! THEN...
The last 2 simply feature 1 article layered in circles - no corresponding 2nd piece. I delayed filling in HEATH & SHOD thinking I was missing something. They had to be pieces of clothing. Nope, just a missed opportunity by the constructor to create a truly 3D layered puzzle. She could've had a masterpiece - instead meh.
Wearable Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Laura and JzB.
I saw the DRESS IN LAYERS theme, but arrived here to see that I FIRed. I neglected to fix the tense in 2D and had Gone COLD instead of GOES COLD (That’s an Easter Egg as the reason for the theme!) (RECLOTHE and CLAD may be secondary Easter Eggs too.)
Several inkblots to change Ensue to END UP, Sear to CHAR, Ella to ETTA, Sank to TANK, Auras to AURAE. I see that others erred similarly.
I noted ERIS and ARES, CRY and YELP.
Wishing you all a great day.
Thank you, sumdaze. I just remembered to come back to check if anyone noticed/commented on the crossword-friendly "A Line" dress.
Agreed, expediency is a better descriptor.
I have nothing to add to what you all have already said. IM @ 9:37 AM, I'm with you about the guessing game of conversational clue/answers being annoying and I have said so numerous times. Thank you for listing them because if you hadn't, I would have.
I liked the clues for SOCK, OPEN, SCREEN, BUS, and GOES COLD. I disliked the clue for BRAT. I wonder why the clue for HEY has a question mark.
WANED --> EBBED
MOOT --> OPEN
DOLLAR --> SCREEN
SEARS --> CHARS
and THEM --> THEY.
JzB, I enjoyed, and learned from, your write-up. Thanks.
Good reading you all.
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