Theme: "Cold Shoulders"
The circled "shoulders" (or edges) of each theme answer spell out something icy cold.
My search of the L.A.Times Crossword Corner archives suggests that Emma Oxford has published six crossword puzzles in the L.A. Times during the last two years, the last of which also had circles in the grid. Today's puzzle is her first Sunday offering.
The theme clues and answers (all Across) are:
23. *Summertime activity that may precede piemaking: BERRY PICKING. The circles spell out BERG.
36. *Fictional space force satirized in John Scalzi's "Redshirts": STARFLEET. Redshirts is a 2012 novel by John Scalzi that satirizes Star Trek. The circles spell out SLEET.
43. *Casper, for one: FRIENDLY GHOST. The circles spell out FROST.
62. *Span needed for a system to return to equilibrium: RELAXATION TIME. The circles spell out RIME. Rime is a type of ice that forms when the moisture in fog freezes suddenly on an object.
69. *Nickname for a hotel in the middle of Lake Pichola: FLOATING PALACE. Lake Palace (AKA Floating Palace) is a former royal residence, now turned into a hotel, on an island in Lake Pichola, Udaipur, India. Popularly described as the Venice of the East, Lake Palace is made out of white marble. The circles spell out FLOE, a sheet of floating ice.
90. *Charming rogue: HANDSOME DEVIL. The circles spell out HAIL.
98. *"Take it slow": STEADY NOW. The circles spell out SNOW.
111. Starts a conversation, or what the answer to each starred clue does to its circled letters: BREAKS THE ICE.
Having broken the ice, let's skate through the rest of the clues and answers.
Across:1. Reveal: UNVEIL.
7. Antagonist of Rocky and Bullwinkle: BORIS.
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| Boris Badenov, from the cartoon TV series, "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show" |
12. Check in point?: ATM. You can deposit checks at an Automated Teller Machine.
15. 43,560 square feet: ACRE.
19. "Angel" singer Jon: SECADA. Jon Secada is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter and record producer. He has won two Grammy Awards and sold 15 million records, and recorded "Angel" in both English and Spanish. Beautiful song!
15. 43,560 square feet: ACRE.
19. "Angel" singer Jon: SECADA. Jon Secada is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter and record producer. He has won two Grammy Awards and sold 15 million records, and recorded "Angel" in both English and Spanish. Beautiful song!
20. See 56-Down: A-RONI. Rice-A-Roni is a boxed mix that includes rice, pasta, and seasonings. Those of us who watched television in the 1960s have "The San Franciso Treat" jingle burned into our brains.
21. Cons: SWINDLES.
23. [Theme clue]
25. Emerges: COMES OUT.
26. Expressionless: BLANK.
27. Reigning: IN POWER.
29. Federal loan agcy.: SBA. The Small Business Administration is an agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses.
30. Coily hairstyle: AFRO.
33. Letters with a green check mark at the airport: TSA PRE. The TSA PreCheck program expedites traveler screening through airport security checkpoints.
36. [Theme clue]
38. Tilts: LEANS.
40. Missouri River Native: OTOE.
41. "Piece of cake!": EASY.
42. Eclectic online digest: UTNE.
43. [Theme clue]
46. "Spider-Man: __ the Spider-Verse": ACROSS. A 2023 animated film.
38. Tilts: LEANS.
40. Missouri River Native: OTOE.
41. "Piece of cake!": EASY.
42. Eclectic online digest: UTNE.
43. [Theme clue]
46. "Spider-Man: __ the Spider-Verse": ACROSS. A 2023 animated film.
48. __ Arbor, Michigan: ANN.
49. Vicinity: AREA.
50. Fermi paradox subjs.: ETs. The Fermi paradox is the discrepancy between the lack of conclusive evidence of advanced ExtraTerrestrial life and the high likelihood of its existence.
51. "No probs!": ALL OK.
53. Corp. money managers: CFOs. Chief Financial Officers.
54. Word said when pointing to a map: HERE.
55. Impetuous: RASH.
56. Grenadine: RED. Grenadine syrup was originally prepared from pomegranate juice, sugar, and water, but today it's made from all kinds of drek. It's also become a color name: "Grenadine is a deep, muted, candy apple red with a ruby undertone."
59. Revolt: RISE UP.
62. [Theme clue]
65. Scent: ODOR.
66. Battery size: AAA.
67. Free (of): RID.
68. High point: ACME. We always need perpendicular entries to know if it will be ACME or APEX.
69. [Theme clue]
75. Wail: SCREAM.
77. Permit: LET.
78. Kitchen extension?: ETTE. As in kitchenette, a very small cooking area.
79. Woven silk projects: WEBS. Spiders produce silk and use it to make webs to trap prey, and to build cocoons for their offspring, among other uses.
80. Ventimiglia of "Gilmore Girls": MILO. While Milo Ventimiglia has had a successful acting career for almost 30 years, many of us here in the Corner sat up and took notice when, beginning in 2016, he starred opposite Mandy Moore in the NBC drama series "This Is Us," playing Jack Pearson, the patriarch of a middle-class family in late 1980s/early 1990s America.
49. Vicinity: AREA.
50. Fermi paradox subjs.: ETs. The Fermi paradox is the discrepancy between the lack of conclusive evidence of advanced ExtraTerrestrial life and the high likelihood of its existence.
51. "No probs!": ALL OK.
53. Corp. money managers: CFOs. Chief Financial Officers.
54. Word said when pointing to a map: HERE.
55. Impetuous: RASH.
56. Grenadine: RED. Grenadine syrup was originally prepared from pomegranate juice, sugar, and water, but today it's made from all kinds of drek. It's also become a color name: "Grenadine is a deep, muted, candy apple red with a ruby undertone."
59. Revolt: RISE UP.
62. [Theme clue]
65. Scent: ODOR.
66. Battery size: AAA.
67. Free (of): RID.
68. High point: ACME. We always need perpendicular entries to know if it will be ACME or APEX.
69. [Theme clue]
75. Wail: SCREAM.
77. Permit: LET.
78. Kitchen extension?: ETTE. As in kitchenette, a very small cooking area.
79. Woven silk projects: WEBS. Spiders produce silk and use it to make webs to trap prey, and to build cocoons for their offspring, among other uses.
80. Ventimiglia of "Gilmore Girls": MILO. While Milo Ventimiglia has had a successful acting career for almost 30 years, many of us here in the Corner sat up and took notice when, beginning in 2016, he starred opposite Mandy Moore in the NBC drama series "This Is Us," playing Jack Pearson, the patriarch of a middle-class family in late 1980s/early 1990s America.
 |
| Milo Ventimiglia |
81. Like $2 bills, compared to most bills: RARER.
82. [I'm a cow!]: MOO.
83. One on a quest: HERO. The hero's quest is a common template of stories involving a hero who goes on an adventure, is victorious in a decisive crisis, and comes home changed or transformed. A classic example is Odysseus in The Odyssey. The same story structure is used in modern novels and films.
84. "Waterfalls" trio: TLC. "Waterfalls" is a song by American hip-hop trio TLC, released in 1995. The song was an international hit, and spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. I'm more into "rock en español," but even I recognize this song!
87. Wages: SALARY.
90. [Theme clue]
93. Pub offerings: ALES.
94. Country where Farsi is spoken: IRAN.
96. Prefix with -plasm: ECTO. Ectoplasm is the thin, watery outer layer of a cell. Unless you're into ghosts, in which case, ectoplasm is a substance that comes from the body of someone communicating with the spirit of a dead person, allowing the spirit to have a form. In the Ghostbusters movies, it's called slime.
97. Brazilian dance: SAMBA.
98. [Theme clue]
101. If nothing changes: AS IT IS.
103. Sign of shock: GASP.
104. Bros: HEs. Bros are hes as in male persons? Sisters are shes?
105. One who asks too much: IMPOSER.
107. Helvetica alternative: ARIAL. Fonts.
109. Biometric security measure: IRIS SCAN. We had TSA PreCheck at 33 Across. Another expedited screening program at airports is the CLEAR program, which uses iris-scanning, fingerprint-checking, and facial recognition.
111. [Theme clue]
117. Government health program: MEDICARE.
118. Carried: BORNE.
119. Acela operator: AMTRAK. Crossword favorite Acela is Amtrak's passenger train service between Washington, DC and Boston, via 13 intermediate stops, including Baltimore, New York City and Philadelphia.
120. Inkling: IDEA.
121. Sow's spot: STY.
122. Brings around: SWAYS.
123. Used bookstore transaction: RESALE.
Down:
1. Computer connection letters: USB. Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard which allows data exchange and delivery of power between many types of electronics.
 |
| How do I connect thee? Let me count the ways. |
2. Formerly known as: NÉE. The French word née is a feminine adjective that means "born" and is used to indicate a woman's maiden name.
3. Old tape player: VCR.
4. Hammer or anvil: EAR BONE.
5. Pastoral poem: IDYL.
6. Drink like a cat: LAP AT.
7. Slangy term of agreement: BACK AT YA.
8. Mork's home: ORK. "Mork & Mindy" was a television sitcom that aired on ABC from 1978 to 1982. It starred Robin Williams as Mork, an extraterrestrial from the planet Ork, and Pam Dawber as Mindy, his human friend.
3. Old tape player: VCR.
4. Hammer or anvil: EAR BONE.
5. Pastoral poem: IDYL.
6. Drink like a cat: LAP AT.
7. Slangy term of agreement: BACK AT YA.
8. Mork's home: ORK. "Mork & Mindy" was a television sitcom that aired on ABC from 1978 to 1982. It starred Robin Williams as Mork, an extraterrestrial from the planet Ork, and Pam Dawber as Mindy, his human friend.
9. King of France: ROI.
10. Belly button type: INNIE.
11. Catcher's gesture to a pitcher: SIGN.
12. Broad ties: ASCOTS.
13. Bidirectional: TWO WAY.
14. One acting out?: MIMER.
15. Vlogger's revenue source: ADS. A vlog is a blog in video format. Both formats can be supported by advertising.
16. Not far from: CLOSE TO.
17. Corned beef sandwiches: REUBENS.
18. Pemberley and Mansfield Park: ESTATES. Pemberley is the fictional estate of Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." Mansfield Park is an estate in Jane Austen's novel of the same name.
22. Brand for indoor sports: NERF.
24. Shoe pads: INSOLES.
28. Hurdle for college-bound sophs: PSAT. Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test -- a trial run for the SAT that high school seniors take.
30. The "A" of NATO?: ALFA.
31. "Charlotte's Web" girl: FERN. Fern is a little girl in the novel "Charlotte's Web" by E. B. White. She pleads for the life of the runt of a litter of piglets, whom she names Wilbur. When Wilbur grows, he is destined for slaughter until a spider named Charlotte spells out praises of the pig in her web above his pen.
10. Belly button type: INNIE.
11. Catcher's gesture to a pitcher: SIGN.
12. Broad ties: ASCOTS.
13. Bidirectional: TWO WAY.
14. One acting out?: MIMER.
15. Vlogger's revenue source: ADS. A vlog is a blog in video format. Both formats can be supported by advertising.
16. Not far from: CLOSE TO.
17. Corned beef sandwiches: REUBENS.
18. Pemberley and Mansfield Park: ESTATES. Pemberley is the fictional estate of Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." Mansfield Park is an estate in Jane Austen's novel of the same name.
22. Brand for indoor sports: NERF.
24. Shoe pads: INSOLES.
28. Hurdle for college-bound sophs: PSAT. Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test -- a trial run for the SAT that high school seniors take.
30. The "A" of NATO?: ALFA.
31. "Charlotte's Web" girl: FERN. Fern is a little girl in the novel "Charlotte's Web" by E. B. White. She pleads for the life of the runt of a litter of piglets, whom she names Wilbur. When Wilbur grows, he is destined for slaughter until a spider named Charlotte spells out praises of the pig in her web above his pen.
32. Beach bummer: RAIN.
34. 1990s fad item: POG. My daughter played with pogs (flat cardboard milk bottle caps) in the '90s. The game involved stacking the discs face-down, and dropping a heavier object onto the pile. The player would keep face-up caps, and restack the face-down caps. Taking turns, eventually one player had more caps and would win.
35. Do a cobbler's job: RE-HEEL.
37. Read but never post: LURK. Welcome, lurkers! We are here for you.
39. Major mess-up: SNAFU. "Situation Normal: All Fouled Up," or stronger language to that effect.
41. Thames Estuary county: ESSEX.
44. Release, as new music: DROP.
45. Spanish "other": OTRA. Otra modifies feminine nouns. And another thing ... ! ¡Y otra cosa...! The masculine form is Otro.
46. "Another thing ... ": ALSO. Hey, I just said that.
47. ESPN anchor Linda: COHN. Linda Cohn is an American sportscaster who has anchored ESPN's SportsCenter since 1992. That's a long run!
 |
| Linda Cohn |
51. Saul Rubinek's "Warehouse 13" role: ARTIE. "Warehouse 13" was a science fiction TV series that ran from 2009 to 2014 on the Syfy network. Saul Rubinek as Artie Nielsen was the Special Agent in Charge at Warehouse 13, a storehouse for artifacts that have become charged with energy that can give them dangerous powers if misused. Seems quite obscure! Any fans here?
52. Set, as a table: LAID. Brits are more likely to say "lay the table." Americans usually say "set the table."
53. Michael of "Sacramento": CERA. "Sacramento" is a 2024 comedy film starring Michael Angarano, Michael Cera, Kristen Stewart and Maya Erskine. It's about a couple of guys who take an impromtu road trip from Los Angeles to Sacramento. Has it even hit the theaters yet?
54. Pile: HEAP.
56. With 20-Across, "The San Francisco Treat": RICE. See 20 Across.
57. Actress Thompson: EMMA.
58. Believe: DEEM.
59. "Ur 2 funny!": ROFL. Texting abbreviation for Rolling On Floor Laughing.
52. Set, as a table: LAID. Brits are more likely to say "lay the table." Americans usually say "set the table."
53. Michael of "Sacramento": CERA. "Sacramento" is a 2024 comedy film starring Michael Angarano, Michael Cera, Kristen Stewart and Maya Erskine. It's about a couple of guys who take an impromtu road trip from Los Angeles to Sacramento. Has it even hit the theaters yet?
54. Pile: HEAP.
56. With 20-Across, "The San Francisco Treat": RICE. See 20 Across.
57. Actress Thompson: EMMA.
58. Believe: DEEM.
59. "Ur 2 funny!": ROFL. Texting abbreviation for Rolling On Floor Laughing.
 |
| Emoticon for ROFL |
60. Not doing much: IDLE.
61. Flue dust: SOOT.
62. Killer party: RAGER.
63. Rainbows, e.g.: ARCS.
64. Staple in the Pacific Islands: TARO. Taro is a root vegetable, and is a food staple in African, Oceanic, East Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian cultures.
66. Penny-__: ANTE.
70. Little rip: TEAR.
71. "All in a day's work": I TRY.
72. "That's disappointing!": AW MAN.
73. R&B singer Bridges: LEON. Todd Michael "Leon" Bridges is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His work has been nominated for four Grammy awards, and he won the most recent in 2019 for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song "Bet Ain't Worth the Hand."
61. Flue dust: SOOT.
62. Killer party: RAGER.
63. Rainbows, e.g.: ARCS.
64. Staple in the Pacific Islands: TARO. Taro is a root vegetable, and is a food staple in African, Oceanic, East Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian cultures.
66. Penny-__: ANTE.
70. Little rip: TEAR.
71. "All in a day's work": I TRY.
72. "That's disappointing!": AW MAN.
73. R&B singer Bridges: LEON. Todd Michael "Leon" Bridges is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His work has been nominated for four Grammy awards, and he won the most recent in 2019 for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song "Bet Ain't Worth the Hand."
 |
| Leon Bridges |
74. Domiciles: ABODES.
75. King's address: SIRE.
76. Lumps of earth: CLODS.
80. Personal accounts: MEMOIRS.
81. Tabula __: RASA. Latin phrase that means "blank slate" or "smooth or erased tablet."
83. Thrown-together bits of commentary: HOT TAKES.
84. "Better Call Saul" rating: TV-MA. Mature Audience; may be unsuitable for children under 17.
85. Ad __: improvises: LIBS.
86. Thunder sound: CLAP.
87. Sushi kin: SASHIMI. Sashimi is raw fish or meat sliced into thin pieces. By contrast, sushi is made with seasoned rice, either shaped into mounds and topped with items such as raw or cooked seafood, or rolled in sheets of seaweed called nori around fillings of seafood, vegetables and other items. The essential difference is that sushi always includes rice, whereas sashimi is simply animal flesh.
 |
| Sashimi vs Sushi |
88. Changed: ALTERED.
89. Sheltered place: LEE SIDE.
90. Hems and __: HAWS.
91. Physics dept.: SCI.
92. Aerie hatchlings: EAGLETS. Aerie (a variant of eyrie) is the nest of an eagle, falcon, hawk, or other bird of prey.
 |
| I photographed this osprey on its huge nest atop a post in the middle of a Minnesota highway in 2023. |
94. Sort of: IN PART.
95. "Normal People" author Sally: ROONEY. Sally Rooney is an Irish author who has published four novels: Conversations with Friends (2017), Normal People (2018), Beautiful World, Where Are You (2021), and Intermezzo (2024). The first two were adapted into television miniseries.
99. 34-Down, for one: DISC. Ah, yes, pogs.
100. Some workout spots: YMCAs.
101. Turn-only lane symbol: ARROW.
102. Indian lute: SITAR.
106. Falls back: EBBS.
108. Wistful sigh: AH ME.
110. "Breathe Me" singer: SIA. "Breathe Me" is a 2004 song by Australian singer Sia featured on the album "Colour the Small One." All I can say is, thank goodness for perpendicular entries.
112. Regency, for "Bridgerton": ERA. Any Bridgerton fans here? I prefer my historical dramas to be a little more historical.
113. "__ luck?": ANY.
114. 401(k) kin: IRA.
115. Ripken of baseball: CAL.
116. __ out a victory: EKE.
95. "Normal People" author Sally: ROONEY. Sally Rooney is an Irish author who has published four novels: Conversations with Friends (2017), Normal People (2018), Beautiful World, Where Are You (2021), and Intermezzo (2024). The first two were adapted into television miniseries.
99. 34-Down, for one: DISC. Ah, yes, pogs.
100. Some workout spots: YMCAs.
101. Turn-only lane symbol: ARROW.
102. Indian lute: SITAR.
106. Falls back: EBBS.
108. Wistful sigh: AH ME.
110. "Breathe Me" singer: SIA. "Breathe Me" is a 2004 song by Australian singer Sia featured on the album "Colour the Small One." All I can say is, thank goodness for perpendicular entries.
112. Regency, for "Bridgerton": ERA. Any Bridgerton fans here? I prefer my historical dramas to be a little more historical.
113. "__ luck?": ANY.
114. 401(k) kin: IRA.
115. Ripken of baseball: CAL.
116. __ out a victory: EKE.
Here's the grid:
Did you love it? Or did you give it the Cold Shoulder?
NaomiZ
I guess it’s starting to be the season for a puzzle like this. (Although where I live, it’s a little hard to tell so far.) I figured out the gimmick early on, and that helped me solve this (not too difficult) puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteGuess who failed to "fall back?" Eyes wide open at 4AM -- formerly 5AM.
This one came together under 20. d-o saw the icy objects and even remembered to read the title. Yay. Thanx, Emma. Excellent expo, Naomiz; thanx for filling in today.
My daily count of political "send money" emails now exceeds 200. I can't wait for this election to be over, though I have trepidation as to what the result will be.
I've been lucky as I have managed to avoid the emails but get about 20 daily SPAM texts to my phone. Can you imagine the scams. Sending money to some unknown entity that will take the money and run? Only for a fool.
DeleteFIW. Changed oh man to the equally wrong ah man, not knowing a thing about woven silk projects. Is a WEB a project? I guess it is to a spider. It has a beginning, and end, and produces a unique product - the minimal definition of a project.
ReplyDeleteThe late Tin wouldn't have liked this puzzle, with his aversion to ICE.
Yesterday we had I TRIED and today we have I TRY.
SASHIMI, because "bait" didn't have enough letters.
REUBEN is my favorite sandwich, but I can never remember how to spell it.
My K through 12 school was on a university campus. The university's mascot was eagles, and ours was the EAGLETS.
I spent way too much time trying to get a four-letter abbreviation for Atlantic. Finally moved on, and by the time I returned, ALFA had nestled in.
Thanks to Emma for the fun puzzle. I especially like that you worked FALL BACK into it. And thanks to NaomiZ for another fine review. I really like seeing CC updates, but it is also nice to have a review that has a little more meat on the bones.
FIR. I found this to have a little bite to it. And circles to boot!
ReplyDeletei got the theme very early and had no problem with the long answers. But the cluing was difficult at times.
Last to fall was the SW. And mostly because I insisted on sashumi rather than the correct spelling sashimi. That made iris scan almost impossible for a while. But an aha moment saved the day.
Overall a mostly pleasant puzzle. And it's done, so there's that!
A lot of standard CW cluing today made for a fairly quick solve, FIR in 23:35. Sussing the theme after filling the first couple entries, plus seeing the puzzle title allowed me to key in some letters before reading the clue. Of course it took perps to get the unknown names SECADA, MILO, FERN, CERA, LEON, ARTIE and ROONEY, but that’s typical of a Patti edited grid. All in all, a fine puzzle with a solid theme, thank you Emma! If I’m not mistaken, Emma coined the term “Ektorp”, which is now frequently seen here on the Corner.
ReplyDeleteNaomiZ ~ thank you for your in depth report today, you’ve embraced your role as #1 blogger sub very well! I thought I was reading C.C.till the end of your write-up (there were no confounding sports clues that you had to address 🤣). Not to nitpick, but that laughing face is an emoji and not an emoticon, which would be made of keyboard characters, like HG uses for 🤷♂️.
YooperPhil at 8:12 AM: you're so right -- my mistake! I used an image of an emoji for ROFL and labeled it as an emoticon. Now I'm searching for an actual emoticon for ROFL without luck. Thanks for catching that!
DeleteX marks the spot...where I went wrong. Had ESSEN for the county and couldn't parse RELAXATION with an N in the middle so FIW :(
ReplyDeleteI liked that all the cold things were different so I had to figure them out one by one instead of filling them all in as sometimes happens. Perfect Sunday diversion.
It's never good to be wearing a REDSHIRT when out exploring a new planet!
Cold shoulder? No, as I never pay attention to circles. But it gets the Entertainment Tonight award for unknown proper names that would be impossible to even WAG. It was easy to FIR even though I'd never heard of RELAXATION TIME used the way the clue stated. Lake Pichola was unknown and it took a lot of perps to get FLOATING PALACE.
ReplyDeletePOG and ETS were other unknowns.
SECADA, ACROSS, MILO, TLC, FERN, COHN, ARTIE, CERA, LEON, ROONEY, SIA- tough for me to get, as I don't watch TV and rarely go to the movies.
TSA PRE- I have it. I think it costs about $80. Well worth the money.
FLOATING PALACE would describe some of those huge cruise ships that can now accommodate over 5,000 paying passengers with over 2,000 crew members.
Despite today's puzzle being a crossNAME puzzle more than a true crossword, I found the frigidity theme interesting, as well as some of the other clues. There were voluminous names; I'll leave the exact count to others.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of counting, though, isn't the Sunday grid usually 22 x 22? Today's is 21 x 21.
My master's thesis was "The International Implications of Contact with Extraterrestrial Life," which I wrote about ten years before Carl Sagan's best-seller "Contact." So Fermi's Paradox (50 Across) was inherent to both of our works.
Anyone who was born during World War II, like me, is the same age as the word SNAFU. It was a fairly common expression originating in the military, and it was short for "Situation Normal: All F'ed Up."
Is the ALFA solution for "NATO" (30 Down) the phonetic equivalent of alpha (for the letter A)?
Thanks, Emma and Patti, for a clever, instructive, and satisfying Sunday challenge.
Musings
ReplyDelete-HAIL has given new roofs to almost all our neighborhood ABODES this year
-Are there other FRIENDLY GHOSTS? :-)
-You need your PIN at an ATM, not your PIN number at an ATM machine
-I can remember news shows that defied you to see how they LEANED
-MILO is a crop grown in Nebraska on land with very little access to ground water for irrigation
-NEE: I saw FKA in today’s real estate transactions for Formerly Known As
--When cats and dogs LAP AT water, they curl their tongues backwards
-Catchers and coaches no longer give pitchers a SIGN with fingers. They now use these devices to signal the pitcher who has the same device.
-Back when Paul Simon used to talk to Art Garfunkel, he called him ARTIE
-Andy, Art and Mickey ROONEY did not make Emma or Patti’s cut.
-Omen? My snowblower started on the second pull last week.
Hi everyone! Constructor here. Some replies and BTS for you:
ReplyDelete@Tehachapi Ken - Sunday puzzles are almost always 21x21. Where are you seeing 22x22? Just in general puzzles with an odd number of rows and columns are easier to work with, but sometimes, for some themes, an extra row or column in one direction is helpful, so you might occasionally see 21x22.
@Husker Gray - ROONEY was actually not in the final version of the puzzle that I sent to Patti and that she approved. Fun fact, the LAT often makes changes to what constructors send them, and the LAT does not send constructors a final proof of their puzzle before publication. The vast majority of those changes are to the clues, but if there's a grid area that's easy to rework they might change that too. The version of the puzzle I sent had IMON, IMPALER, STD, HOWL, and MOANED where you now see IRAN, IMPOSER, STY, HAWS, and ROONEY. If I had put ROONEY in the grid, I probably would've clued it with a Mickey Rooney reference. :)
@Jinx in Norfolk - I just checked and [Falls back] for EBBS was indeed my original clue, but I submitted this puzzle to the LAT back in July and had no way of knowing when (or if) it would run, so the timeliness is pure coincidence!
Thanks everyone for solving!
Emma O.
I will occasionally criticize a puzzle but not the constructor. We all have our likes and dislikes. Some people don't like circles. With hundreds of TV networks available to watch, I don't like proper names of A&E personalities who are in shows I've never heard of. But it's a puzzle and it's designed to 'puzzle' you.
DeleteSo nice to hear from Emma. I enjoyed this puzzle in spite of the number of names i didn’t know like SECADA, FERN, COHN, MILO, CERA, TLC, LEON (I know LEON Redbone), ROONEY, SIA. Yet I managed to FIR, so good perps and WAGs.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to look at the title of this CW, but I didn’t need it.
I would love to go to that FLOATING PALACE. I had never heard of it, so thank you NaomiZ for the picture and the rest of your nice recap.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteSunday solves don't get any better than this! Thank you, Emma Oxford. As usual, it's a slow but STEADY solve and allows for some RELAXATION TIME while I am sipping my coffee.
When we visited Hong Kong we went to a FLOATING PALACE but, sadly, I don't recall much about it except that we had dinner there. I just remember that the whole trip was fascinating.
RICE-ARONI is a good side dish.
My AAA membership is worth the price when I need it. CSO to my nephew, ARTIE.
I don't have TSA PRE but because of my age I can skip the line and of course, don't remove my shoes.
We used to enjoy playing MAD LIBS when we traveled across the country.
On our trip to Canada my sisters and I traveled on AMTRAK from Vancouver to Seattle. On that trip we flew on a plane, sailed in a ferry, toured by bus, and finally went by train. We also had fun on the "duck" boat.
Time to go. Have a sensational Sunday, everyone!
As a fourth grade teacher, of course, I knew FERN from Charlotte's Web.
ReplyDeleteEmma, thanks so much for checking in with us. I think it is more likely that Patti saw "falls back" and earmarked the puzzle for today. I'm quick to complain about her editing that I don't like, I should give her credit when it is due. She was spooky last week in honor of Halloween.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the interesting and insightful feedback Emma. Always nice to hear how things really work. i enjoyed this one. The circles definitely helped the solve. The "A" of NATO got me. Great misdirection. Alfa, Bravo, Charlie. Never crossed my mind, until ...duh. I knew nothing about "Pog". Thanks Naomi for explaining. GC
ReplyDeleteYikes! LAT editors can make changes w/o constructor’s knowledge?! Must be in the fine print. Very frustrating for us all.
ReplyDeleteHe who pays the piper calls the tune.
DeleteThis is not just the LAT, this is true for any crossword publishing outlet. In recent years, there has been a push not necessarily for them to stop doing this but for them to at least run the final version of the puzzle by the constructor before it appears in print. Some outlets do this now, but the LAT still does not. Most of the time, I don't have a problem with the editorial changes, and often the clues they add are more clever or more timely than what I had originally (Patti's clue for STARFLEET is way more interesting than what I had, which was just [Captain Kirk's employer]). One of the functions of the editor is, in theory, to make the constructor look better, so if they want to add clever clues to my puzzle and make me look smart then they are more than welcome to. But every once in a while, there is a change that, if given the option, I would've objected to. I didn't seen any that I would've flagged in this puzzle though.
DeleteSuper Sunday. Thanks for the fun, Emma (thanks for dropping by) and NaomiZ.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed online, and had seen the frigid theme by about the halfway mark.
I did smile at the appropriate FALLS BACK.
Hand up for ATLA before ALFA.
Another hand up for needing perps for all the names in Yooper Phil’s list (except CERA). I did know SIA. We have had her here before.
We have had POGs here previously, but I also remember them because my sons had them. In fact, they are still in the game cupboard. Any value now as vintage items.
Emma gave us ECTO not EKTORP today.
Of course, this Canadian needed a few perps for TSA PRE. And $2 bills are much RARER here since we have had Toonies since 1996.
I have finally remembered Acela from doing CWs; today the tables are turned and I had to remember AMTRAK.
I am more familiar with LAP up than AT.
I smiled at FERN from Charlotte’s WEB.
Wishing you all a great day.
Challenging but still fun Sunday puzzle--so, many thanks, Emma, and thanks for checking in with us. And thank you too for your very helpful commentary, Naomi--much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteLots of human activity in this puzzle, and seeing UNVEILS and SWINDLES near the beginning had me a little worried that we were going to get allusions to persons IN POWER who might have a HANDSOME DEVIL who was really an IMPOSER working for them who might RISE UP and COME OUT as a FRIENDLY GHOST.
But that didn't happen, and instead we got a much happier world, where people might have their own ABODES or even own ESTATES they could RESALE if they had too, and were able to live on a SALARY and have MEDICARE if they needed it. And how great if they even had time to be a bit IDLE and enjoy some RELAXATION TIME, and go to the YMCA for some exercise and then go home and listen to some SITAR music on the radio, or adopt an EAGLET or two, and then write a MEMOIR. Now that would be a good life, wouldn't it?
Hope you're all enjoying something like that already!
Cheers, Misty
Musings 2
ReplyDelete-What a lovely note to complement your equally lovely puzzle.
-Patti’s editing on clues and gridding has been a constant source of discussion here for years. A first-time constructor once told me that Patti had changed 80% of her clues.
-A puzzle I co-constructed was published when I when I did not know it was happening. I worked a chunk of the puzzle before I realized the fill was very familiar and finally realized it was our puzzle that Patti had edited the cluing beyond recognition.
Yes, it is quite jarring! I don't necessarily mind most of the changes - sometimes the clues are a definite improvement over what I had - but it would at least be nice to see them so that I knew what my name was being attached to *before* it went to print.
DeleteThanks to Emma for an enjoyable Sunday solve! Such a nice collection of themed answers! Thanks, ALSO, for stopping by to say hello!
ReplyDeleteFAVs: Check in point?; John Scalzi; FRIENDLY GHOST; and Falls back (perfect for today!)
Thanks to NaomiZ for not just one but TWO terrific reviews this week! I appreciate your time and interesting contributions. FAVs: Osprey pic and your message to LURKers.
= )
Eggs Actly what sumdaze said!
DeleteThere were things about this puzzle that I liked and things about this puzzle that I disliked, which I guess is true for most puzzles. It's late in the day so I won't take the time to list them. Good reading you all.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great puzzle, and a great exposition❣️ And, for the comments from all❣️I have a pic of a masterly (mistress-ly?) web-of-art that I couldn’t upload (tried) - she (a fuzzy brown spider, about 0.5 inch diam + legs) wove and rewove a 6’x6’ web each night for a week on our front porch last summer. Astoundingly beautiful❣️ We’ve lived in our house for 39 years, and this has happened this only once.) TTFN
ReplyDeleteText speak should be banned
ReplyDelete