Saturday Themeless by C.C. Burnikel
Our friend C.C. gave us a fun puzzle for today but left me flummoxed at the bottom right as you see here where my two empty cells were. I made the right guess for someone named NASIM but had no shot at the name for the nesting Russian figurines. I knew of their existence but could not come up with the correct vowel. I also had no shot at the tofu dish. I'll take one bad cell and soldier on. I had a very nice lunch with inanehiker [see picture at bottom of write-up] on Wednesday and showed her this SE corner and she laughed at seeing that trouble spot early.
Across:1. Sweet drink with a velvety texture: MANGO LASSI.
11. Go-to docs: PCPS - My Primary Care Physician is a former student who referred me to another former student for my surgery.
15. "Seems unlikely": I DOUBT THAT.
16. Smoothie option: ALOE - Colorful drinks today
17. Walk of Style locale: RODEO DRIVE.
1
18. One on Charon's ferry: SOUL
19. Remove all traces of: ERASE.
20. Hostile territory: ENEMY TURF - In Westside Story, if the Sharks or Jets invaded ENEMY TURF, they either danced or had a fight
20. Hostile territory: ENEMY TURF - In Westside Story, if the Sharks or Jets invaded ENEMY TURF, they either danced or had a fight
22. Groups of reps: SETS.
23. Long-running CBS drama: CSI - Crime Scene Investigation
24. Growing needs: SEEDS - Burpee SEEDS are a sure sign of spring
25. Doctor: ALTER - My lovely bride always doctors up a "boughten" pizza
27. Banks at Wrigley Field: ERNIE - ERNIE did it all but never got to play in a World Series
29. Sound cranky: WHINE.
32. Versailles figure: ROI.
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| The Dream Of A King |
34. Evening, in promos: NITE.
35. Jules who pioneered the art of trapeze: LEOTARD - A puzzle I recently blogged had "bloomers" that were named for Amelia Bloomer.
37. Language close to Portugués: ESPAÑOL - Welp, Spain and Portugal do share the Iberian Peninsula so...
39. Liberal follower: ARTS.
40. Brewery vessel: KEG.
42. Draw a parallel: LIKEN.
43. Canyonlands formations: MESAS.
40. Brewery vessel: KEG.
42. Draw a parallel: LIKEN.
43. Canyonlands formations: MESAS.
45. Country with a red dragon on its flag: WALES.
47. Salk contemporary: SABIN.
49. Guitar legend Paul: LES - This is the LES Paul #1 he built in 1952.
50. Diplomatic achievement: PACT.
54. Souvenirs caught by fans: FOUL BALLS - An unbelievable one in this year's World Series
56. Actress Ringwald: MOLLY - MOLLY traced her roots to a small house in Arlington, NE which is my hometown and where I sub. When she and a film crew showed up, these kid recognized her and had a picture taken.
57. Mammal on the Vancouver Canucks logo: ORCA.
58. Mollusk native to the northwest Atlantic: SEA SCALLOP.
60. Mount Olympus figure: ARES.
61. Spiritual calm: INNER PEACE.
62. Video game whose fifth and final sequel was End of Ages: MYST ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
63. Nesting Russian figurine: MATRYOSHKA - muh tree OWSH kuh) As I said, I knew of the nesting dolls but the name of this set ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Down:
1. Gets good and stuck: MIRES - I got MIRED down in the SE corner but I still love C.C.! 💗
2. Treasure: ADORE.
3. Signal to: NOD AT.
4. Wild thing?: GUESS 😀 Also an occasional crossword strategy.
5. Woodwind with a Viennese variety: OBOE.
6. Old Ford: LTD.
7. Phrase in Newton's first law: AT REST - I have done this demo, and had kids do it, hundreds of times. Object AT REST want to remain AT REST.
8. More polished: SHINIER.
9. File menu choice: SAVE.
10. Agenda bullets: ITEMS.
11. "Doctor Zhivago" author: PASTERNAK.
12. Seventh heaven: CLOUD NINE.
13. Spares no effort: POURS IT ON - In sports, this is can be known as running up the score
14. __-care: SELF.
21. "Way Up" host Angela: YEE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
23. Court figure: CLERK.
25. Gasteyer of "Mean Girls": ANA - ANA was one of several SNL alums to be in this movie where she played Lindsay Lohan's mother.
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| ANA Lindsay |
26. Eggs on top of toast Skagen: ROE - Common fill with an exotic clue.
28. Fish in unagi musubi: EEL - This musubi has both EEL and Spam. See comment above.
29. "Please forgive us": WE'RE SORRY.
30. What might really put a fire in one's belly?: HOT SAUCES.
31. Part of a rave review: IT'S A BLAST.
33. Key chains?: ISLES 😀
35. On the __: LAM.
36. Drops in the yard: DEW 😀
38. Film noir figures, briefly: PI'S - Bogie as Sam Spade leaped to my mind
41. Chivalrous: GALLANT - GAL ent or archaic Guh LAHNT
44. Part of the fam: SIB.
46. Not as important: LESSER.
48. "Chad" star Pedrad: NASIM ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
50. Ends of the earth: POLES 😀
51. The Almighty, to most Uyghurs: ALLAH.
52. Second place?: CLOCK 😀 - Also minutes and hours
53. Strong personality: TYPE-A.
54. Head: FOAM.
55. Headey of "White House Plumbers": LENA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
56. __ tofu: spicy Sichuan dish: MAPO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
59. Noise on a baby monitor: CRY.
This is picture of inanehiker (Dr. Nina Kiekhaefer - nee Miller 😊), her friend Marla and me having lunch at The Venue in Lincoln on Wednesday. My grandfather emigrated to America from Switzerland with his sister named Nina (NY nuh) and he and grandma named their firstborn Nina. I wondered if our Nina pronounced her name that way or as NEE nuh. She uses my great aunt's pronunciation said she tells people to think of eight-uh, nine-uh, ten-uh. Very cool 😀
Nina is a lovely person and we had a great visit on personal and crossword topics! BTW, I really enjoyed my turkey ciabatta.
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| Nina Me Marla I'm the thorn midst two roses. |
35 comments:
C.C. has today's Los Angeles Times crossword: No title today. It is a themeless.
Sorry, but I just could not get “matryoshka.” Too many Naticks and possible Naticks on the way, including “Nasim” and “mapo.” So, close, but no cigar. I’m not happy about that, but I am happy to be here with you friends and see if you did better than I did!
Good morning!
Lately I've been skipping the Saturday puzzles, but since C.C. wrote this one, I gave it a shot. Got stuck on the same two squares as H-G, and guessed both of 'em wrong with K and U. Bzzzzzzt. Thanks for playing. Those horizontal stacked tens and vertical stacked nines are quite an accomplishment, but proved too tough for d-o. Thanx, C.C. and H.G. (I'm not sure I'd trust a former student to perform surgery on me.)
ALTER: D-w altered a "boughten" pizza last night. She moved all the pepperoni to my side and added pantry ingredients to both sides.
MAPO: Didn't get it in the puzzle, but seeing it made me think of, "I want my Maypo" -- a maple-flavored oatmeal cereal. Remember that from days gone by?
Got about 90% filled correctly, but had to resort to alphabet runs to get ‘er done. And yes DO, I remember Mayo. It’s something I ate in the morning after bathing in Mr. Bubble.
A good Saturday themeless should be ridiculously hard, and this one fit that bill for me. First pass only yielded 6 or 8 unconnected fills and I had to work from there. Wasn’t very confident encountering clues like “Jules who pioneered the art of trapeze”. DNKs were a majority of the puzzle, but I was able to WAG and perp my way to a FIR w/out help in 31:57. MANGOLASSI was a new one. I knew MATRYOSHKA cuz a Russian friend gave me a set of the nesting dolls when she was here on a work visa, I couldn’t remember quite how to spell it but knew it started with an M, which perped me NASIM. RODEO DRIVE may be a gimme for our SoCal Cornerites (I do know how it’s pronounced though). I’ve been to Digby, Nova Scotia which is known as the SEA SCALLOP capital of the world. C.C. and Patti ~ you really made me think today, thanks for the challenge!
HG ~ nice that you got to meet up with inanehiker (I just noticed that the first four letters of that name are the same as her real name, transposed). I’ve never personally met anyone from the Corner, but I’m sure it would be fun and interesting.
MAPO reminded me of Maypo also, used to eat it as a kid, it’s still being made but I haven’t had it in years.
Meeting fellow Cornerites is very cool. This was a bit too hard for me but I guessed right on most unknowns. HG, you look like you have lost weight lately. I didn't know Miss YEE but that perped, as did LEOTARD. I also never heard of a VIENNESE OBOE but how may 4 letter instruments are there. Thank you Gary and C.C.
The preceding was me; I was signed in and then I wasn't
Took 7:55 today for me to guess incorrectly at the intersection of mapo & matryoshka. I take solace in knowing that I wasn't the only one to bite it there.
I'm pleased that I guess correctly at the intersection of Sabin & Nasim, having never heard of "Chad" or Nasim Pedrad/Pedrad Nasim. I also have never heard of mango lassi, but those perps were fair.
I didn't know today's writer (Pasternak), but I knew the remaining actresses of today (Ana, Lena, & Molly), and even today's foreign language lessons (Espanol & roi).
In my humble opinion, the inclusion of obscure food and drink do not make for a good puzzle. Even on Saturday.
But, speaking of food and drink, it looks like a lovely (and tasty) get-together among some of our Corner residents. It's great that you were able to meet-up.
FIW, missing my WAG @ NASIf x fATRYOSHKA. But I got my WAGS at LENA and MAPO x fATRYOSHKA, so I got that goin' for me. acai->ALOE, land->TURF, and leonard->LEOTARD.
It took me wayyyy too long to get how head=FOAM. Thanks for nuttin' damned sobriety. Ten years ago I would have gotten that without hesitation, then I would have had a cold one in celebration. Hey, it's five o'clock somewhere!
Thanks to CC for the fun toughie. And thanks to H.Gary for another fine review. Glad you were able to meet up with Nina and friend.
C.C., where did you come up with some of those fills I've never seen? I managed to get YEE and MANGO LASSI but I was dead in the water with three PN unknowns in the SE. That Russian figurine could have been FAT, RAT, BAT___, and I have a friend with the name NASIR. The M in NASIM was unknown, as was the show. And then you added some tofu dish- MAPO- that was unknown. I
t was a DNF with two blanks left. __ATR--SHKA was 63A on my newspaper. It was a rare Saturday puzzle that I worked NW to SE, only to fail on the last fill.
PCPS made no sense to my until Gary's explanation. I don't have a PCP because I have all the rest- gastro, cardio, derm, ortho, Neuro, Uro,--just add ologist.
PCP (phencyclidine)is what the drug addicts call Angel Dust.
FIW. The SE did me in because I couldn't get inner peace. I'm afraid I still don't get clock as second place? And the Russian dolls would just not come to me. Total brain fog!
But despite all that, the rest of the puzzle filled in, albeit slowly.
Overall a fun puzzle.
second, as in fraction of a minute.
Slow going until the bottom where it started Russian! Unfortunately, I can't spell long Russian words (no surprise as I can't spell many English words either). As many others have noted, that was a bad place to cross a weird name.
One reason I enjoy Xwords is learning something new. Today's fun fact was LEOTARD.
Musings
-Meeting inanehiker made for a wonderful visit. Her friend graciously listened as Dr. Nina and I carried on about our crossword experiences and fellow contributors.
-A recurring theme of our discussion was singing the praises of C.C. to each other and to Marla.
-I wrote C.C. about the exotic foods in the puzzle and she assured me that they were all her entries and said, “Sorry about that.” :-)
-I looked up MAPO thinking it was my childhood cereal of MAYPO and got a kick out of revisiting their TV ads of the 50’s.
-Second place/CLOCK: I looked at that entry for a while wondering if I should add more info and I chose not to.
-Lemon’s mentioning my appearance of weight loss prompts me to ask for some advice. A woman at school has obviously lost a lot weight that really complements her lovely face. My quandary is if I compliment her on her new appearance will that be a good thing or will she take offense that I must have thought she was really heavy before?
Husker, there's a rule that states that whether you do, or don't, the guy is always wrong.
About 35 years ago we were going to a large family gathering. My son picked up his then girlfriend, who was about 10 pounds overweight. When she mentioned that she had lost 15 pounds, my wife's spinster great aunt said:
"You lost 15 pounds? Girl, you must have been really fat."
The room was dead silent for a while. We still laugh about it.
Good Morning:
Not only did I finish but my time was well below a normal Saturday. This feat, however, was only achieved by a successful guess at the M for Nasim and Matryoshka. I knew of the nesting dolls, but not the name and Ms. Nasim was a total unknown. Other unknowns were Yee, Leotard, and Mapo but guesses or perps saved the day. CC has a knack for creating challenging but doable puzzles and today’s was a perfect example. I’m always impressed with her lively, interesting, and solid fill, e.g., I Doubt That, We’re Sorry, Cloud Nine, Pours It On, Inner Peace, It’s A Blast, Hot Sauces, etc.
Thanks, CC, for another enjoyable solve and thanks, HG, for another breezy and sparkling review, the highlight being the picture and comments of your meeting with Nina and friend. Thanks for sharing and for all of the other photos and illustrations in your review, especially the Type A and B contrast.
Have a great day.
All the bloggers here are very careful to refrain from any comments regarding politics, religion, race, ethnicity or LGBQ+ issues, and I appreciate that show of respect. However, some bloggers often post pictures of scantily-clad, sexualized, objectified women. How could one think that women don't deserve the same treatment as all others? This is incredibly disrespectful and hurtful to women! Please cease and desist starting now.
I remember Maypo - expensive for my mom but she used it to tempt my very picky brother. Didn’t work. It and Log Cabin syrup … hints of true maple flavor … Maple syrup (70yrs later) - to me still a special treat 😊
I too struggled with SE corner. And, elsewhere, w/ a few letters of a few unknown names. And - I did manage to finish w/o help - H’rray for me & Sat puzzle. Thanks! My Russian-German-Nebraskan (to CA during dustbowl) grandmother coveted Matryoshka dolls, but she never got any. So I’ve (?quirky-ly - my dtrs think so) acquired three sets over the years - two red (slender & tall-ish), one blue (pot-bellied & squat). Sill-illy fond of them, I am.
I agree with you on this one! It's very jarring to me in view of how considerate most messages are.
I’m so proud of myself. I aced this one in spite of the few unknowns like MANGO LASSI, MAPO, NASIM, LENA. But I’ve said before, CC always manages to subtly guide the solver to the right answers. It’s a talent.
I knew MATRYOSHKA since I gave á set I bought in Germany many years ago. I love sea scallops but they have gotten very expensive. I read “Dr Zhivago“ many years ago when it came out in English, then I saw the movie with Omar Sharif.
Thank you HG for a nice recap and loved that picture of you and inanehiker.
Wow, C.C. on a Saturday! I knew we were in for a difficult treat, and battened down the hatches accordingly, somehow completing the puzzle FIR.
C.C.'s puzzles are always such a pleasure, and a good bit of today's puzzle hit me where I live. For instance, when I went to the Soviet Union decades ago, I picked up several nesting dolls, as did my folks on their trips to the USSR. So my granddaughters are now immersed in matryoshkas when they visit!
And baseball, of course. Today we had the sweetest guy, Ernie (Let's play two!) Banks, ambassador and lover of baseball. Oh--and member of the Hall of Fame. C.C also included catching foul balls in the stands, and one of her misdirected clues sounded like baseball ("Second place?"). Nope, it was CLOCK.
I love misdirected clues. Yes, they can be maddening at times, but usually they're inherently clever. We were exposed to several today by C.C., including "Growing needs" (SEEDS), and a couple that looked like nouns but turned out to be verbs: "Treasure" (ADORE) and "Doctor" (ALTER). And C.C. may have given us the sneakiest clue for LEOTARD ever; evidently the chap who pioneered the art of trapeze was Jules Leotard.
A clue that I was not fond of, though, was "Strong personality" (TYPE A). That implies that Type Bs are weak, which is not true.
As a resident of southern California, "Walk of Style locale" was a piece of cake. Remember, folks, that Rodeo in this instance is pronounced ro-DAY-oh.
Husker Greg, thanks for skillfully leading us through the review this morning. I am guessing you will be watching the Nebraska-USC game this afternoon, as will I. This is a matchup of two of the most successful football programs ever, and both now striving to return to a semblance of respectability and perhaps dodge something like the Roto-Rooter Bowl.
Thanks again, C.C. (and Patti) for providing us with such a compelling and lively Saturday diversion. I found the puzzle well-constructed and clever, and enjoyable to solve.
First and foremost, I want to respond to Leigh at 9:47 AM and to BusterBrown at 10:25 AM. I could not agree more. When I discovered the L.A.Times Crossword Corner, I was searching, not for answers to the puzzle, but for *reasons* for the answers, which were not always clear to me. Luckily for me, I bumped into the Corner on a day that the blog post was suitable for readers of all genders and ages, and I have returned almost daily to what was then known as the friendliest place on the internet. More recently, we've had to put up with pictures of "scantily-clad, sexualized, objectified women," as Leigh wrote. If I had seen such a post on my first visit, I might not have returned. To be fair, most of the garbage we see is *advertising* inserted into the blog post. You will certainly *never* see today's blogger, Husker Gary, posting pornography. But to the extent that some other solvers have posted objectifying images, I have pushed back, and I'm glad you're pushing back, too.
And now, the puzzle! It was an awesome feat of construction, and very challenging. I had a lot of blank space in the southwest for a long while. As a vegetarian, I know MAPO tofu (but your Maypo cereal is a mystery to me). Ultimately, I missed a square where NASI_ met _ATRYOSHKA. C.C., you got me! I enjoyed learning the origin of LEOTARD and laughed at FOAM. Husker Gary, you did a beautiful job explaining and illustrating, and it was a pleasure for all of us to share a bit in your visit with inanehiker.
BTW, I usually read the blog and comment using my "smart" phone. For some reason, the blog is littered with crazy ads there, but not on my PC. I think I'll try the PC more often, and see how that goes!
I don't post much anymore, partly due to format changes, ads, and a lack of serendipity in finding anything funny to post. But to see a CC puzzle, I knew I had to take a whack at it. Surprisingly, I had an enjoyable time considering that Saturday Stumpers usually suck the fun out of solving. This was tough, yet solvable (with red letters on) after much sussing and perping, ending up with several one letter alphabet runs to the finish...
Nesting Russian dolls crossing an unknown name was the final alpha run, which made me wonder the origin of "tchotchke".. Just "x" out of the annoying "sign up" crap if you want to see this link.
Speaking of annoying crap, the Blog was headlined today with a large ad begging the question, "why you should put a toilet paper roll core under your toilet seat." I can tell you that if in a public facility that is out of toilet paper, then this would be a kindness to the next victim. However if you click on this clickbait garbage that headlines the Blog, you will go down a rabbithole of useless junk, and never get your curiosity answered.
Sorry for the cranky rant, but I'm afraid the only thing that might cheer me up is one of Splynters leggy photos... tasteful art IMHO...
Oh, one thing did bring a smile, the map of The Florida Keys. Just back from my third trip there. Be sure to wave at "Fred" the tree, on the 7 mile bridge, and you must stop in Islamorada for lunch at Pierres outdoor cafe.
Here's a hello from a several years ago trip. that me and DW in front, and our neighbors who own Layla the Husky in the rear.
So, being serious for a moment (from my [pro] psychologist self) - HG, context and relationship are everything. I’d say - given how fraught weight is [to me it seems there’s so much ignorance about physiology and what’s personal (im)morality and not, about weight/size] in our culture — doing a one-on-one with care, appreciation and curiosity would likely to evoke a positive response (unless there’s some painful history). So, my long and vague thoughts. Hope it goes well - whatever you choose❣️
The MATRYuSHKA/MAPu Natick meant an FIW for me. I’m not sure that spoiled the solve, though. If DW had been home, I/we would have gotten the FIR, because she knew MAPO. As Gary aptly put it, “I'll take one bad cell and soldier on.”
It was a satisfying achievement to even come close in the SE corner, with LENA and NASIM being educated guesses, although I thought I did well to come up with SEA SCALLOP, INNER PEACE, and GALLANT. Speaking of the latter, has anyone ever encountered “Goofus” in a crossword puzzle?
The most satisfying moment, though, was coming up with MANGO LASSI at 1A, with RODEO DRIVE a close second, given that the clue was no help.
This wasn’t exactly the fairest puzzle of C.C.’s career, although unknowns like MYST and YEE were perpable. The notion that a clock is a “second place” is a big stretch. Hand up for acai before ALOE, which I don’t generally ingest. And I’ve written my share of rave reviews without ever saying IT’S A BLAST.
But I enjoyed this puzzle more than most. I know others hate names and places, but I was happy to see WALES, SABIN, PASTERNAK, and MOLLY Ringwald in the mix.
Thanks, C.C. And thank you, Gary, for the analysis and for the show-me photo of inanehiker.
BTW - Robert Sapolsky takes up in a beginning way neuroscience and (over)weight near end of his recent book “Determined”. Highly recommend whole book.
Great puzzle but the southwest corner kicked my butt. Me putting down "baseball" sealed my fate. Didn't know the names, the god or the video game. Also "second place" got me. I figured it was "close", but knew "inner peace" was right. "Clock" never came to me. Duh. I couldn't think of the doll to save me. Still, an excellent puzzle CC. Nice recap Gary. GC
Hola!
I can't believe I finished a Saturday stumper! Thank you, C.C., for constructing a solvable puzzle. I started right in the center with CSI, one of my all time favorite shows, then proceeded onward. ROI and ESPANOL, of course, were quick to fill. Actually, Portuguese is only geographically close to Spanish. The languages are of a far different origin.
I knew MATRYOSHKA but had to ask ALEXA for the spelling. I bought two small ones in Russia and wish I had bought more. They were at the time ridiculously inexpensive. One is Christmas themed so it only comes out in December with the ornaments.
CLOUD NINE should bring INNER PEACE and I hope it does to everyone.
SEA food is not something I look for so I've never tasted SEA SCALLOPS. But HOT SAUCES are near and dear to me! I often make my own so that it will have the right amount of heat. Chile petin does the trick.
Today is Book Club meeting day so my driving partner will be here soon. Have a sensational Saturday, everyone! Thank ;you, Gary, for today's informative Blog and congratulations to both you and Nina on your meeting.
How exciting to get a Saturday C.C. puzzle! Perfect weekend offering-- challenging and tough in spots but with so many delightful items everywhere that it was still a pleasure--many thanks, C.C. And loved seeing that sweet picture of you at the end, Husker Gary, thanks for that too.
Well, when I saw ADORE right at the beginning, I was hoping for some romance coming up, but wasn't sure if CLOUD NINE was a good place or a bad place. But we were sure going to need some help to get through that ENEMY TURF which could soon make us WHINE and say WE'RE SORRY. But, hey, it was fun to have to GUESS at things here and there, and things soon got SHINIER when we were in a field of ARTS with an OBOE playing and folks wearing LEOTARDS and making PACTS to help each other. In the end, everybody enjoyed some SEA SCALLOPS and finished up calm and happy with pleasant INNER PEACE.
So thanks again for this pleasure, C.C. and enjoy a lovely weekend, everybody.
I knew MATRYOSHKA, but had to WAG the P in PCPS x PASTERNAK. I wasn't even sure whether the PCPS clue wanted DOCtors or DOCuments.
I'm familiar with "doctor" meaning ALTER from cryptics using it as an anagram indicator.
Around here (medical complex consisting of Norfolk General (Level 1 trauma center,) Eastern Virginia Medical School, and Children's Hospital) the term has gone from PCP to "primary," as in "who's your primary?"
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