Theme: I'm on top of this!
Puzzling thoughts:
What an interesting puzzle. Five 9-letter phrases (four entries and a reveal) and four sets of circles, all containing the letters "n" and "o". After solving the puzzle, each of the five phrases could stand alone: BE THE BALL; RIGHT TIME; WHO'S FIRST; GET WITH IT; and MOVIN ON UP
But the reveal (movin' on up) gives the true meaning for the circled "no": it's not "no", it's "ON". And since the word "ON" is only discerned if you read it going "up", it adds another dimension to these phrases:
17-across. Stay vigilant: BE [ON] THE BALL. The word "on" is moved up (above) the phrase "be the ball" to make it fit the clue ... as opposed to this snippet from the movie "Caddyshack":
21-across. Punctual: RIGHT [ON] TIME. As opposed to the Beach Boys single:
39-across. Comedy routine with peculiar names: WHO'S [ON] FIRST. "Who's first" might be a question asked of a clerk to a group of customers - especially when there is no numbered ticket system in place. But certainly, the only video clip worthy of inserting here is the eponymous comedy routine of Abbott and Costello:
60-across. "Pick up the pace!": GET [ON] WITH IT. Once again, I was able to find a song with the title: "Get With It" (before my time ...)
And of course, the reveal:
66-across. "The Jeffersons" theme song, and an apt title for this puzzle: MOVIN' ON UP.
Today's constructor, Joe Marangell, could be celebrating his debut puzzle; perhaps not just @ the LA Times, but perhaps @ any major publication. If so, congratulations are in order! This one rates a solid, ⭐⭐⭐ + 1/2⭐
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The Grid - note my mistakes |
Here are the rest of the answers:
5. Literary captain who inspired Captain Hook: AHAB.
9. App with pics: INSTA. Short for Instagram
14. Radish, e.g.: ROOT. Here is a fun fact about the radish capital of the world
15. Spa treatment, briefly: PEDI. Did anyone try MANI before pedi? I did
16. Approaches: NEARS.
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| That's about as NEAR as this guy could get!! |
19. "Blonde" writer Joyce Carol __: OATES. The only "Oates" I knew was this half of a famous performing duo
20. Trailing: IN TOW. This one was kind of a drag ...
23. Balanced states: STASES. Plural of stasis
25. Co-star of Betty, Rue, and Estelle: BEA. Bea Arthur of The Golden Girls
26. Spoil: ROT. Go bad
27. Gp.: ORG. Abbr. 3LW
28. Go the wrong way?: SIN. Nice clue; Joe's or Patti's? I would guess Patti
30. Some Summer Olympians: DIVERS. The Chinese divers won all of the gold medals at this year's Paris Olympics
33. Russian refusal: NYET. Moe-ku #1:
Broadway musical
35. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" writer Anita: LOOS. Her biography
38. Uno y uno: DOS. Uno, dos, tres, quattro ...
42. Hyundai rival: KIA. Hyundai vs Kia
43. Rhetorical question from Caesar: ET TU. "Really, Brutus? You, too??"
44. God of love: EROS.
48. Small lifeboat: DINGHY. "Hey Smails! My dinghy is bigger than your whole boat!"
51. "Let me think ... ": HMM. Don't overthink this ...
53. Best of "House of the Dragon": EVE. Ahh ... this is the actor's name, Eve Best - "Game of Thrones"
54. Altar answer: I DO. We just attended a Catholic wedding last week, and the bride and groom responded "I will" when asked the questions by the priest ...
55. Corn unit: EAR. Cob also fit, but I didn't err here
58. Annoy: PESTER. And a related clue/answer: (65-across. Bother continually): EAT AT.
64. Kurosawa who received an Academy Honorary Award in 1990: AKIRA. These proper names are getting more difficult for me ... Japanese filmmaker
68. Vessel opener: STENT. This helps to get the blood flowing
69. Slightly open: AJAR. When is a door not a door? When it is ajar
70. Word with sugar or gold: RUSH. My "sugar rush" is eating an apple fritter
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| Publix Supermarkets (SE US chain) make the best ones, IMO |
71. Stuffed bear: TEDDY. There are other clues/images for this word, but I will refrain from showing an example
72. June honorees: DADS. And IMO, MOMS should be "honored" all the time; not just on the second Sunday in May
73. Casual tops: TEES. "Wooden golf pegs" is not a difficult enough clue for a Friday puzzle
Down:
2. Sign outside a restricted area: NO ENTRY.
3. Vrbo category: COTTAGE. Moe-ku #2:
In the rental world,
4. Shared culture: ETHOS. One of my mistakes ... I tried ETHIC before ethos
5. BOLO kin: APB. All Points Bulletin / Be On The Lookout
6. Listen to: HEAR. I think it's time to hear (Listen to) more music! Enjoy
7. Improv technique: ADLIB. For me, I feel like my recaps are totally adlib ... no script for this blogger!!
8. Complete nonsense: BILGE. The Thesaurussaurus agrees
9. Playing past the fourth qtr., say: IN OT. In "Overtime"
10. "Cool!": NEAT. My first thought when I see the word "neat": (CSO to our dear, departed Tinbeni)
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| My first "toast" of the evening is to you, sir |
11. Some sketches: SATIRES. Too many to choose from, but this might get a grin or two:
12. Vibration: TREMOR. When a tremor was measured at a football game
13. Good qualities: ASSETS. Moe-ku #3:
18. Farm females: EWES. Cows also fit
22. Possessed: HAD. As in, the devil had me??
24. Farm structure: SILO. I kept going round and round with this one ... barn fits, too, ya know
29. Bouquet: NOSE. CSO to yours, truly. The resident Crossword Corner sommelier whose nose knows the difference between a Cab and a Syrah
31. Cards with pics: IDS. My Global Entry card has proven to be well worth the $ I spent when I have to go through security at airports
32. Primary action: VOTE. As a registered "independent", this is one action I cannot take
34. Nest element: TWIG.
36. Frequently found in poems?: OFT. Here is an example:
37. "Star Wars" antagonists: SITH. All of them
40. "Take that!": HAH.
41. Butcher's cut: RUMP. Loin and ribs fit
42. Tangled: KNOTTED. "Tied up", would've been a good clue, too
45. Entourage: RETINUE. Not the most popular word among the major publications
46. Possible reason for a dead phone battery: OVERUSE. Not my first thought, but the perps helped
47. Highest-order angels: SERAPHS. Another error as I spelt it incorrectly (had an "e" where the "a" should've been)
48. Process, in a way: DIGEST. This could apply to both thoughts (brain) and food (stomach)
49. Brainstorm: IDEATE. What happened when Idy consumed a meal?
50. As of now: YET. To date
52. Have in mind: MEAN. Nary a mean thought in this blogger's mind
56. Sportscaster Rashad: AHMAD. I am a sports nut, but I like this Ahmad better:
57. Dry Spanish wine: RIOJA. Well ... technically ... Rioja is a wine region in northern Spain
59. Golf garment: SKORT. A portmanteau of "skirt" and "short". Not to be confused with a "spork" (combination of a spoon and a fork) This:
61. Mascara applicator: WAND. I tried "swab" at first, but that gave me a black eye ... 😉
62. __-bitty: ITTY. It was either itty or itsy
63. Commercial spot: TV AD. So glad that all of the political tv ads are gone
67. Agcy. that investigates tax fraud: IRS.
32 comments:
With the first themed answer I understood the gimmick, and that helped me solve the rest of this (not too challenging) puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Tried ON THE BALL at 17a before I sussed the theme. The verticals in the southwest were daunting, but the perps brought it home. Enjoyed your debut, Joe. Let's see more from you. Thanx for leading the band, C-Moe.
ROOT: Mom prepared a radish plate for company, and sister Joan carried it through the room -- "Would you like a reddish or a white one?"
VOTE: Here in bright red Texas the primaries matter more than the general election. Anyone can vote in either party's primary, regardless of affiliation, but one primary only, please.
I got ON with it after changing HEED to HEAR. BE THE BELL didn't make sense and neither did DIGHT. The V8 hit and I noticed the circles. Bam!! RIGHT ON TIME. Easy puzzle for a Friday.
EVE Best- only unknown today
Moe-The only "Oates" I knew was this half of a famous performing duo." Did you ever see the movie 'Stripes' with Warren Oates and Bill Murray. And that's enough BILGE from me today.
Ahmad Rashad aka Bobby Moore
I thought this was an easy but entertaining Friday. I was in college in the the late 60's and JOYCE CAROL OATES was a very popular writer. HYUNDAI bought 50% of KIA and is now the third largest automaker in the world behind only TOYOTA and VOLKSWAGEN. I also do not know EVE BEST . Welcome Joe and thanks Moe.
Anon 6:53, I think it would be Ahmad Rashad f/k/a Bobby Moore.
Good Morning! I enjoyed the theme once I caught on at 9D, then had to return to fix 2D & 17A. After that, smooth sailing.
Perps for ORBISON (as clued) RIOJA, AKIRA (spelling).
I wanted my bouquet to have extra boxes after NOSE to become NOSEGAY..
Thanks, C.Moe for the fun and commentary. Your Moe-kus and the groaner are the best!!
FLN: TTP, I made it through 5 of the 9-minute video…. Just glad I’m not a kid… but thanks for the eye-opener. Still, it did not seem to address the reason for my concern and fortified my reason to steer clear.
P.S. Congratulations to Joe on your debut. Hope to see more of your puzzles on the Corner.
Took 5:50 for me to get on with it.
I didn't care for this puzzle. I'm sure the constructing was tricky, but the juice was not worth the squeeze. Once again, I feel the LA Times has elevated gimmicks over a good solving experience/substance.
I didn't know Akira or either of the "Blonde" writers (Oates and Loos); knew one of today's actresses (Bea, not Best); and, managed to pass the Russian, Latin, and Spanish foreign language lessons (nyet, et tu, & dos).
Oh joy, circles!
And on a Friday!
FIR. Circles, yuk. Compounded with proper names. I was not expecting this puzzle to be so easy given that it's Friday and it had the aforementioned things. But it was almost Tuesday fare. What a surprise!
I was lost in the NW for a little while and decided to check out the reveal. Then the light bulb went on. From there it was clear going.
Despite my initial resistance, I found this to be an enjoyable puzzle.
Big Easy - yes, I saw "Stripes". Was Warren Oates the guy who played the sergeant?
DNF, running out of P&P in the Southeast. C'mon, crossing EVE and AKIRA with RETINUE and SERAPHS? At this point, the Penny/Dell puzzle is a lot more fun.
D-O, Virginia also doesn't ask your party affiliation when you VOTE on the primary, just which ballot you want this time around. The risk is that if one party has a shoo-in candidate at the top of the ticket, voters from that party might vote for the easiest to beat opponent of the other party. Can't say that I've ever seen that actually happen. The only organized effort to do something similar that I recall was when Rush Limbaugh tried to get Republicans to drag out the Democratic nomination by voting for Hilary, thereby delaying (crossword favorite) Obama from wrapping up the primary, keeping the mudslinging going between the two. Don't think that worked out too well.
Good Morning:
I agree with every word in SS’s second paragraph. I now defer to Thumper.
Thanks, Moe, for the entertaining review.
Have a great day.
Liked the clever trick of inserting vertical ON above or ON top of the horizontal clue answers. To all Trypophobes ⛔️ without the circles not sure I woulda figger’d it out. Plus all the circled answers were automatically ON, no guesswork. Ergo kinda easy for a Friday. Although some make stand-alone sense like GETWITHIT others don’t BETHEBALL (ah this does mean something?)
Inkovers: heater/PESTER, satyre/SATIRE
But I DIGEST….
Who thought that a comical Captain Hook was inspired by an unlikely dour AHAB?. A Treasure island/ pirate of the Caribbean type would seem a more cogent choice.
Altar answer “and with your spirit” too long. Seraphim also too long. SERAPHS are the main winged guys not the Archangels: Michael, Gabriel, and myself 😇
In college a favorite watering hole: “The DINGHY Bar” a semi rundown fun place we affectionately called “The Dingy Bar” 🍻
Shouted to start a game of tag…. KNOTTED
One with a figure like a “stuffed bear” should avoid wearing a ____ …. TEDDY
Cupid, Roman god of love, carries a bow and ____ EROS.
TGIF, what a week 😅
Surprised to see ⭕️ ‘s on a Friday, (I’m ambivalent about them), but it did help with the solve, which I deemed easier than most Fridays. FIR in about 15. A little pause in the SE as I didn’t know EVE and never heard the term RETINUE used by anyone. We’ve occasionally had AKIRA, I just haven’t committed it to memory, maybe now. ORBISON and the rest of the Wilburys, what a collection of great talent! Always liked their tune “End Of the Line” among others. Thank you Joe for the puzzle, and C-Moe for your expo, your Moe-kus always elicit a grin.
Á lot of this CW was easy for me. I got the theme when I reached WHOSFIRST, and although I didn’t know the “The Jeffersons” song, it was easy to guess. Didn’t know ORBISON as clued although he is a favorite of DH.
Joyce Carol OATES has been a very prolific writer her whole life, so I knew her name as well as that of LOOS.
HMM, I was PESTERed in the SE. I held on to PURE sugar or gold too long and I didn’t know EVE as clued, but I finally got it sorted out.
BE on THE BALL is a familiar idiom and just 2 days ago I had a jeweler tell me it comes from the name of Ball timepieces created by Webb C Ball. After a train head on collision in Ohio caused by an engineer’s defective watch, “in order to make train rides safer for travelers and employees of the railroads, Webb C. Ball was designated "Chief Time Inspector" and set up tests and standards for all watches used on the trains. Ball’s criteria for accuracy and reliability were so strict that they later inspired others like the Swiss Official Testing Institute.”
Thank you Chairman. Nice review as always.
I have solved my browser problem. I am using MS Edge. Others, Duck Duck Go, Opera and Chrome had issues. Edge gives the correct display and allows me to use my Google account to enter comments.
Today's puzzle was a good one. I caught the theme and it helped in the solve. The only issue was the SE until OVERUSE popped in.
We finally got some rain in the Northeast last night. Everyone was praying.
Memories are best when swallowed whole.
Believe.
I was surprised to see so many negative comments about the theme. I am in awe of the construction effort that must have gone into this. Perhaps people are not appreciating the full complexity of the theme. My only gripe was cross of EV? and S?RAPHS. WAG to FIR.
Here my MIT lady friend was about to take me sailing in an MIT Tech DINGHY.
She was an expert competitive sailor and I ended up soaked as she did some tricky moves out on the Charles River.
This Independent voter registered with one of the major parties and DW registered with the other one so that we could vote in the primary.
I'll just Echo IM & SS this morning. Too much A & E for my taste. Loved the "Who's on First" clip. As many times as I hear it, it still cracks me up.
Musings
-I am subbing today in the same building where I was 61 years ago on this date. I will go stand on that spot at 12:30.
-Trying to put ON above the reveal at moviNg slowed me and made the solve that much more fun when I saw what was going, uh, going ON with the reveal.
-I love this meme!
-My ITTY bitty neighbor is always IN TOW when walking her 100 lb. dog
-Trillions of those EARS were picked this fall and their kernels have filled up SILOs and some have had to be put on the ground and covered.
-This huge fan of ORBISON still thinks his version of Blue Bayou is the best one
-APB’s were issued by Dragnet, while NCIS uses BOLO’s
-Is “Everyone should VOTE” true for uniformed and/or disinterested people?
-I was so proud I knew RETINUE
-My lumberyard clerk was surprised when I knew how to pronounce his name AJARI
-Federal law prevents stations from editing the content of political TV ADS no matter how false they are
I found today's puzzle quite enjoyable, and it was constructed by someone making his LAT debut, Joe Marangell. Where have you been? I vote for your making many return engagements.
The puzzle was fair (I frankly have little sympathy with those who didn't like the puzzle because they had never heard of literary greats like Joyce Carol Oates or Anita Loos, or one of the greatest directors in history, Akira Kurosawa), it was cleverly constructed and straightforward, and in all respects, Friday-appropriate. The circles I found useful to help with the theme. Assuming we played our cards right, we dutifully had those ONs moving up. And above all, Joe by and large did not insult us with obscure names.
I liked several clues, such as "Frequently found in poems" (OFT), which cleverly uses "frequently" in two different ways. Or "Brainstorm" (IDEATE), which we might assume to be a noun. Nope, not here; it's a verb. Or a nice misdirection like "Former union members?" (EXES).
It was pleasant to see Abbott & Costello as well as Ahmad Rashad in the puzzle. Son Jim (Arizona Jim to you all) memorizeed the entire "Who's on First?" routine when he was about 10. And Ahmad Rashad is one of those truly great athletes (as a wide receiver for the Vikings), who made a successful transition to TV.
If there is one drawback to Joe's handiwork, for me it is answers like GRR, HMM, and HAH. Yuck!
Thanks again, Joe, for providing us with a most interesting and fresh solve. Hope to see you back here often.
Lee I just switched to Edge as well. My computer kept freezing up and it seemed to involve Chrome. But I could never figure out the exact problem. I was consulting with a computer guru about building a new custom computer for me.
Switching to Edge seems to have solved all the problems. It has required some getting used to, but it seems OK. Most reviews claim Edge is actually more efficient with resources than Chrome.
That’s how Wednesday puzzles ought to be!
It wasn’t terribly challenging for a Friday and the theme was so-so, but there were several delightful entries and only three or four annoyances.
I enjoyed seeing STASES (and I noticed the plural immediately), Anita LOOS, Joyce Carol OATES (who definitely is a name author), DINGHY, PESTER, AKIRA, BILGE, the clever OFT clue, RETINUE, and RIOJA (which appears frequently enough to be sussable). Was TEDDY a CSO to our Splynter?
Wait: There’s more. AHMAD Rashad was Bobby Moore at Oregon, where he still is regarded as the Ducks’ best receiver ever. Oddly, he seemed very militant and scary back then but seemed less so with the Muslim name. Around Michael Jordan, Ahmad was a sycophant. . . .I was in a combo that covered the Wilburys’ “Handle With Care” and I sang Roy ORBISON’s part. . . . I’m a connoisseur of TV theme songs, and I like joining the backup gospel singers when MOVIN’ ON UP is on the air.
Great comment post.
Picked up the theme right away. Easy but fun Friday puzzle. Nice recap Moe. I mean "uno and uno", "corn unit" "spoil" "slightly open", "June honoree", etal for a Friday?
When I teach in this building, I always walk the very long halls when I don’t have kids. Today during that walk, I asked about 25 adults what happened on Friday November 22, 61 years ago. The superintendent and assistant principal were the only ones who came up with an answer.
Hola!
No, I won't join the gripe chorus because I liked this puzzle. Thank you, Joe Marangell. I hope we see more of your puzzling works in the future.
PBS has a wonderful film on Roy ORBISON which I've watched a few times.
When I was in Spain I bought a bottle of RIOJA wine which I enjoyed after I came home. I did not find it very dry and as I recall, it was good.
I agree that Anita LOOS is/was a prolific writer but did not know that she wrote "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes".
What a great clue for OFT! EVE Best is not the one I know best!
I enjoyed reading all your comments, so thank you, everyone, for those. It's balmy here at 73 degrees but will get warmer by this afternoon. Some people from Montana have been sunning themselves and enjoying our warm November weather. Have a fabulous Friday, everyone!
Tough, but still fun, Friday puzzle--many thanks, Joe. And thanks for your commentary too, Chairman Moe--always a pleasure.
ONCE, at what we thought was the RIGHT TIME, we BET our ASSETS on THE BALL, and got a TREMOR when we ended up losing our COTTAGE. We were devastated but we had to GET on WITH IT. So we sold our EWES and wrote some SATIRES and AD LIB jokes and sold pet food from our SILO and did our best to IDEATE how we might make an ITTY bit more money.
In the end we took our TEDDY bears and moved in with our DADS, hoping that with their help we might be MOVING ON UP again in the future. Wish us well (even though we sure don't deserve it).
Have a lovely weekend, everybody.
I was watching my hometown Thanksgiving parade with my mom and dad when we learned that the president had been shot. When the radio announced that he had been given his last rites, my dad turned off the radio. (One of the few times my parents were both away from our business. My sister was a baton-twirling college freshman majorette in the parade, and they were fawning parents.)
This year a local TV station had a local newscast segment to detect falsehoods in candidates' ads. One candidate accused her opponent of arranging for a local golf course to pay no property taxes. The owner of the course produced property tax bills he had paid. She was confronted with the evidence and was asked if she would pull her ad. She declined, even in the face of proof. The ads continued to run on that station. Fortunately, she lost.
Au contraire mon frere. IMO, this puzzle doesn't hold a candle to Bywaters offering. Like comparing a KIA to a Toyota.
I join Jink’s extolling of David Bywater’s style of crossword. The LAT crossword should consider him as the editor.
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