Happy Monday, everyone. Christmas came early in the form of a puzzle by none other than our talented blogmistress, Zhouqin Burnikel.
Theme: 
We'll kick things off with the reveal:
We'll kick things off with the reveal:
35 Across. "We've made some progress," and what one might say about the answer to each starred clue: IT'S A START.
Each of the starred clues is a START to something. We have:
1 Across. *With 65-Across, faceoff in a hockey game: PUCK. and 65 Across. See 1-Across: DROP.
In hockey, a PUCK DROP STARTs play.
18 Across. *Ceremonial toss made memorable by Simone Biles at the 2019 World Series: FIRST PITCH.
In baseball, it is common to invite a celebrity to throw a FIRST (unofficial) PITCH at the START of a game.
23 Across. *TV show pilot, typically: EPISODE I.
In TV-land, the first EPISODE at the START of a TV series is called a pilot.
54 Across. *Auction action: OPENING BID.
48. Ballpoint alternative: GEL PEN.
52. "Zoolander" actor Wilson: OWEN.
53. __ Coors: MOLSON. This one was ESP for me. I did know of Coors beer but I did not know that in 2005 Molson of Canada merged with Coors of the U.S. to form Molson Coors Brewing Co. (now Molson Coors Beverage Co.).
57. Joint protected by a patella: KNEE. A patella is a KNEEcap.
60. Spanakopita dough: FILO. The Greeks deserve a Nobel Prize for inventing such a delicious pie with spinach as a main ingredient.
61. Ludicrous display: FARCE. Def.: (noun) an empty or patently ridiculous act, proceeding, or situation.
62. Unagi Day fish: EELS. Mark your calendars. The next Unagi Day will be July 19, 2025.
63. Hand puppet material: FELT. FELT is believed to be the world's oldest fabric. more about FELT
64. Support one's team, in a way: CHEER.
Down:
1. Knob on a viola: PEG.
2. The ACC's Cavaliers: UVA. Atlantic Coast Conference and University of Virginia
3. Fahrenheit counterpart: CELSIUS.
4. Bluegrass-country singer Alison: KRAUSS. (b. July 23, 1971 in Decatur, IL)
5. Ravenous, probably: UNFED.
6. Bête __: NOIRE. Def.: (noun) a person or thing strongly detested or avoided.
8. Dumbbell abbr.: LBS. pounds
9. Superlative suffix: -EST. This is the bestest suffix.
10. Make small talk: CHITCHAT. Have you heard of ablaut reduplication? It is why CHITCHAT sounds natural to native English speakers but chatchit does not. We had a puzzle containing several of these terms on Nov. 6, 2024.
11. Homes for pet rabbits: HUTCHES.
12. Newsroom stars: ANCHORS. Cue Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004):
13. Unspecified degree: NTH. not to be confused with the degrees in 3-Down
19. __-up demand: PENT. According to Investopedia, this describes a rapid increase in demand for a service or product, usually following a period of subdued spending.
21. Theorize: POSIT. Perhaps potentially perky people pencil positive POSITs on Post-its.
24. Full-time athlete: PRO. Last week 17-year old golfer Blades Brown announced he was skipping college to turn PRO. ESPN article
25. Direct toward: AIM AT.
28. Bowlers and fedoras: HATS.
31. Colorado skiing mecca: ASPEN.
32. Snickers producer: MARS. This was the candy bar -- not snickers as in "hee hee".
33. NNW reversal: SSE.
35. "That would be terrible!": I HOPE NOT.
36. Sounds like a lion: ROARS.
37. 1990s collectible disc: POG. We've had this one a few times lately. I hope everyone remembered it this time. in case you forgot
38. Creamy dessert made with cookies: OREO PIE.
39. Derrick setting: OIL WELL.
41. Real knockout: STUNNER. Something that is stunning to see can be a STUNNER.
42. Miss a cue: ERR.
43. "__ betide our enemies": WOE. This time of year we say, "Glad tidings!" but here is a darker use.
45. Heidi Klum's model daughter: LENI. Leni Olumi Klum (b. May 4, 2004) is Heidi's oldest child. Seal adopted her in 2009.
47. Really psyched: STOKED. The first known use of this slang word was in 1965. M-W
49. Color technique with a blended effect: OMBRE.
50. Alto or soprano: VOICE.
51. Revered tribal figure: ELDER.
54. Like weird vibes: OFF.
55. Org. with Cardinals and Saints: NFC. I had to make a trade from the National Football League to the National Football Conference.
At auctions, the OPENING BID STARTs the bidding process.
49. *Musical introduction: OVERTURE.
In theater, an OVERTURE is an orchestral piece played at the START of an opera, play, ballet, etc.
I like the range of STARTS in this puzzle. Also impressive is the placement of a two-part themer in the top-left and bottom-right corners. Let's look at that now. 
Across:
5. "I give up!": UNCLE. I tried to find the reason we say UNCLE to mean "I give up!" but I could find no definitive answer -- only speculation. After reading a few sources, I cried UNCLE.
10. "Eternals" star Gemma: CHAN. (b. Nov. 29, 1982 in London) Eternals is a 2021 fantasy/action film.
14. "__ yours": affectionate sign-off: EVER.
15. Gaming rookies: NOOBS. N00BS (spelled with zeros instead of Os) is an example of leet. Basically, leet is a gamer's writing system that replaces letters with numbers or other characters. Some say it is derived from the word elite. 1337
5. "I give up!": UNCLE. I tried to find the reason we say UNCLE to mean "I give up!" but I could find no definitive answer -- only speculation. After reading a few sources, I cried UNCLE.
10. "Eternals" star Gemma: CHAN. (b. Nov. 29, 1982 in London) Eternals is a 2021 fantasy/action film.
 |
| CHAN as Sersi in Eternals |
14. "__ yours": affectionate sign-off: EVER.
15. Gaming rookies: NOOBS. N00BS (spelled with zeros instead of Os) is an example of leet. Basically, leet is a gamer's writing system that replaces letters with numbers or other characters. Some say it is derived from the word elite. 1337
16. Search for wild game: HUNT. 
17. Fancy fundraiser: GALA. and 26 Down. Broadway background: SET.
17. Fancy fundraiser: GALA. and 26 Down. Broadway background: SET.
I liked the alliteration in these two clues, as well as in the 54-Across themer.
20. Alpine event: SUPER-G. It stands for Super Giant Slalom.
22. __ A Sketch: ETCH.
25. Dried poblano peppers: ANCHOS.
27. Bridge support: TRUSS. waseeley gave told us about "trusses" last Thursday so today I'll point you towards The World's 10 Longest Continuous TRUSS bridges. (I have ridden my bike across #5 many times.)
28. "Nice to see you!": HI THERE.
29. Square root of cuatro: DOS. matemáticas españolas
30. 2001 film with a Seussian title: I AM SAM. I did not hesitate on this one because the soundtrack for this Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer movie is on my Top 5 Soundtracks of All Time list. Every song is a Beatles cover. It is difficult to choose just one. Here is Sarah McLachlan with Blackbird.
34. Mgr.'s helper: ASST. manager and assistant
37. "Hunny" bear: POOH.
40. "Abracadabra!": PRESTO. I like the parity between the clue and answer.
41. Take up or take in: SEW. A tailor might take up a hem or take in a suit that is too large.
44. Baltimore baseballers: ORIOLES. CSO to waseeley!
46. Houston baseballer: ASTRO. CSO to -T!
20. Alpine event: SUPER-G. It stands for Super Giant Slalom.
This is Mikaela Shiffrin winning the Bronze for the Women's Super-G
at the 2021 FIX World Alpine Ski Championships. (1:13 min.)
22. __ A Sketch: ETCH.
25. Dried poblano peppers: ANCHOS.
 |
| The ANCHO is on the left. |
27. Bridge support: TRUSS. waseeley gave told us about "trusses" last Thursday so today I'll point you towards The World's 10 Longest Continuous TRUSS bridges. (I have ridden my bike across #5 many times.)
28. "Nice to see you!": HI THERE.
29. Square root of cuatro: DOS. matemáticas españolas
 |
| The square root of a negative number is an imaginary number, denoted by i. The answer should be 2i. The answer "lost an i". |
30. 2001 film with a Seussian title: I AM SAM. I did not hesitate on this one because the soundtrack for this Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer movie is on my Top 5 Soundtracks of All Time list. Every song is a Beatles cover. It is difficult to choose just one. Here is Sarah McLachlan with Blackbird.
34. Mgr.'s helper: ASST. manager and assistant
37. "Hunny" bear: POOH.
40. "Abracadabra!": PRESTO. I like the parity between the clue and answer.
41. Take up or take in: SEW. A tailor might take up a hem or take in a suit that is too large.
44. Baltimore baseballers: ORIOLES. CSO to waseeley!
46. Houston baseballer: ASTRO. CSO to -T!
 |
| I liked that these two answers were on the same line. |
48. Ballpoint alternative: GEL PEN.
 |
| I 💙 these pens! |
52. "Zoolander" actor Wilson: OWEN.
 |
| Owen (right) starred with Ben Stiller (left) in this 2001 comedy. |
53. __ Coors: MOLSON. This one was ESP for me. I did know of Coors beer but I did not know that in 2005 Molson of Canada merged with Coors of the U.S. to form Molson Coors Brewing Co. (now Molson Coors Beverage Co.).
57. Joint protected by a patella: KNEE. A patella is a KNEEcap.
60. Spanakopita dough: FILO. The Greeks deserve a Nobel Prize for inventing such a delicious pie with spinach as a main ingredient.
61. Ludicrous display: FARCE. Def.: (noun) an empty or patently ridiculous act, proceeding, or situation.
62. Unagi Day fish: EELS. Mark your calendars. The next Unagi Day will be July 19, 2025.
63. Hand puppet material: FELT. FELT is believed to be the world's oldest fabric. more about FELT
64. Support one's team, in a way: CHEER.
Down:
1. Knob on a viola: PEG.
 |
| A viola has four strings so it needs four PEGs. |
2. The ACC's Cavaliers: UVA. Atlantic Coast Conference and University of Virginia
3. Fahrenheit counterpart: CELSIUS.
4. Bluegrass-country singer Alison: KRAUSS. (b. July 23, 1971 in Decatur, IL)
Sawing on the Strings (2008)
5. Ravenous, probably: UNFED.
6. Bête __: NOIRE. Def.: (noun) a person or thing strongly detested or avoided.
 |
| This translates from French to black beast. |
7. Short-legged canine: CORGI. The Pembroke Welsh Corgi was #11 on the American Kennel Club's most popular dogs of 2023 list. Here is a collection of cute CORGI actions (2:18 min.):
8. Dumbbell abbr.: LBS. pounds
9. Superlative suffix: -EST. This is the bestest suffix.
10. Make small talk: CHITCHAT. Have you heard of ablaut reduplication? It is why CHITCHAT sounds natural to native English speakers but chatchit does not. We had a puzzle containing several of these terms on Nov. 6, 2024.
11. Homes for pet rabbits: HUTCHES.
12. Newsroom stars: ANCHORS. Cue Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004):
13. Unspecified degree: NTH. not to be confused with the degrees in 3-Down
19. __-up demand: PENT. According to Investopedia, this describes a rapid increase in demand for a service or product, usually following a period of subdued spending.
21. Theorize: POSIT. Perhaps potentially perky people pencil positive POSITs on Post-its.
23. Flight takeoff hr.: ETD. "Hour" is abbreviated, so is "Estimated Time of Departure".
24. Full-time athlete: PRO. Last week 17-year old golfer Blades Brown announced he was skipping college to turn PRO. ESPN article
25. Direct toward: AIM AT.
28. Bowlers and fedoras: HATS.
 |
| Bowlers (l.) and fedoras (r.) are often made of FELT. |
31. Colorado skiing mecca: ASPEN.
32. Snickers producer: MARS. This was the candy bar -- not snickers as in "hee hee".
33. NNW reversal: SSE.
35. "That would be terrible!": I HOPE NOT.
"Christmas is cancelled" scene from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
36. Sounds like a lion: ROARS.
37. 1990s collectible disc: POG. We've had this one a few times lately. I hope everyone remembered it this time. in case you forgot
38. Creamy dessert made with cookies: OREO PIE.
39. Derrick setting: OIL WELL.
41. Real knockout: STUNNER. Something that is stunning to see can be a STUNNER.
42. Miss a cue: ERR.
43. "__ betide our enemies": WOE. This time of year we say, "Glad tidings!" but here is a darker use.
45. Heidi Klum's model daughter: LENI. Leni Olumi Klum (b. May 4, 2004) is Heidi's oldest child. Seal adopted her in 2009.
 |
| Seal, Leni, and Heidi |
47. Really psyched: STOKED. The first known use of this slang word was in 1965. M-W
49. Color technique with a blended effect: OMBRE.
51. Revered tribal figure: ELDER.
54. Like weird vibes: OFF.
 |
| This one is for Jayce. |
55. Org. with Cardinals and Saints: NFC. I had to make a trade from the National Football League to the National Football Conference.
FYI, The AFC + The NFC = The NFL
56. "So frustrating!": GAH.
58. "Strange Magic" rock gp.: ELO.
59. Precognition letters: ESP. Precognition is a noun meaning "clairvoyance relating to an event or state not yet experienced". So, the opposite of déjà vu???
56. "So frustrating!": GAH.
58. "Strange Magic" rock gp.: ELO.
59. Precognition letters: ESP. Precognition is a noun meaning "clairvoyance relating to an event or state not yet experienced". So, the opposite of déjà vu???
Happy Holidays to everyone! 🎄I will be away for a few days but I will be back before the START of the new year.
Note from C.C.:
Happy 80th birthday to Margot, our caring and loving Misty. Here is a picture of Misty and her
husband Rowland celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary in 2009.
27 comments:
One crossing makes me a little reluctant to give this puzzle the “coveted” title of “a walk in the park.” That is “ombré” crossing “Molson.” Other than that, I had no trouble with this puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
Oh , and Happy Birthday, Misty. I always enjoy your little “stories”!
Good morning!
Tried to spell CELSIUS with two Cs and wondered what a CUPERG could be. D'oh. Also needed to swap my NFL for NFC, and RANGE for VOICE. It was an unusually heavy Wite-Out Monday. Thanx for the puzzle, C.C., and for the tour, sumdaze. (Loved the caribou cartoon and the explication of ablaut reduplication.)
TRUSS: The only one of the ten that I've driven across is #10 over the Mississippi.
GEL PEN: I was working this puzzle with my trusty Pilot G2 -- the same one pictured by sumdaze.
HBD, Misty.
I don’t know why that “duplicated.” I think there is way to get rid of unwanted “comments” but I don’t remember what that is..
Monday puzzle. Start up the week……C.C. Mixed up on her days? Couple more sticklers than usual but very intertaining and doable.
Greet the day.
Pretty crunchy for a Monday.
Gah????
FIR, but hand up for nfl->NFC.
TRUSS is becoming an Ektorp, joining ELO, OREO, et al.
I once knew a woman who wore a tee shirt declaring "You can't be first, but you could be next." (It wasn't directed at me.)
DNK (as clued): I AM SAM, CHAN, WOE, LENI, and OMBRE. OMBRE looks like how the Spanish word for "man" sounds.
Thanks to CC for the delightful puzzle, and to sumdaze for another dazzling review.
Took 5:49 today for me to kick-off the week.
Seemed tougher than the more recent Mondays, as I had many of the unknowns already identified here. Until today, I never heard "ever yours".
I understand that math is the universal language, but I hope doing math in foreign languages doesn't become a trend here.
I was cruising along with C.C.'s puzzle until after her baseball fills and stumbled. Unlike Sumdaze, I didn't remember POG and had no idea who LENI was. But her second letter had to be a vowel after L__N__. My brain was slow getting GEL PEN (unlike d-o, I hate them). The OPENING BID was late due to the unknown OMBRE and the seldom heard GAH, which I haven't heard since Gomer Pyle would said 'well gah lee' back in the 60's. That took care of the unknown LENI.
Liz TRUZZ was the British PM who didn't last as long as a head of cabbage. They are changing PMs like patients in a hospital.
"Eternals" and Gemma CHAN were both unknowns.
FIR. I found this to be more than a bit crunchy for a Monday, more Thursday fare.
Proper names like Krauss and Chan along with answers like filo and ombre made this puzzle more difficult than it needed to be.
But it's done, so there's that.
This puzzle is a perfect example of why C.C. is one the most published and successful crossword setters of all time. I have had the pleasure of working with her on a few ideas that I had that became LAT puzzles and her mind immediately organizes everything into the perfect presentation. I have always been impressed by her skill as a non-English speaking person, but it is her instincts that are awesome. As others have already said there are some speed bumps but I enjoyed this one immensely.
She blends in a little bit of Christmas, some baseball , one of her passions (?) and fashion and food. Sumdaze sparkles as as our guide. Thank you both and I am afraid you are going to need to spend extra to overnight your holiday gifts to me in Florida. Yes, Chanukah and Christmas are the same day this year.
Yes, my hand is up, but the NFL is an organization. The NFC is a conference. Bad clueing.
Happy birthday to Misty! What a lovely photo. I always look forward to your clever stories. Thank you for posting them each day.
Now I really must be on my way....
I’m embarrassed to admit I DNF. The NW got me. Also I struggled with the many sports references, my weak area. However, I still enjoyed this puzzle. The theme is clever and fun.
Thank you sumdaze for á nice review and that video of the CORGIs is worth the price of admission to this blog. LOL.
Happy birthday, Misty. 80 is quite á milestone. Enjoy your day. 🎉🎂🎊
GAH! 😖 C C you gave me a run for my money, this “bête” NOIRE not exactly a Monday easy level puzzle. My first 100% sure answer was ETCH “A SKETCH.” Plus, not a fan of jump around clues and this one started (and ended) right off with one. Using letters for numbers EPISODEI always seems kinda wrong too (We are not in Rome so don’t hafta you-know-what) actually did know it was N00BS
Afrear’d I might FIW with a guess at KRAUSS x SUPERG but now now see I ended up with a FIR 😅.
Stopped warrens for “rabbit homes” when perps didn’t work. Did the same with chatter, too short
PRESTO: Italian for quickly or early. “I try to do the puzzle presto nella mattina early or right away in the morning. (not necessarily quickly 😌)
OMBRÉ : no idea till it perped…Gemma? GELPEN? LENI? Nope, didn’t remember POG,
Winnie the POOH was told he could attend last week’s CW Teddy Bear Picnic but he hadda wear pants.
Home for a pet donkey: …. ASPEN
He’s that Spanish ____ with streaked hair …. OMBRÉ
“Newsroom stars” who dry pablano peppers : ANCHORS
Temp got down to minus 16 CELSIUS last night. 🥶
Happy 80th Misty
EVER yours
We know we are in reliable hands when our mentor, C.C., steps up to the plate. Her puzzles are always well-constructed and fair (and fun and clever to boot).
A couple examples: C.C.'s few obscure answers, which for me included LENI, OMBRE, ANCHOS, CHAN, and ELO, were scattered all aound the grid, thus avoiding any Natick situations. So each obscure word was surrounded by friendly perps. Then at 55 Down, two answers are correct: the Saints and Cardinals belong to both the NFC and the NFL. So the third letter--C or L--which was the first letter of 64 Across, was critical. That clue had to be doable--and it was.
Thanks to both C.C., for getting the crossword week off to a pleasant start, and to Sundaze, for guiding C.C.'s puzzle for us today.
Very good puzzle. The only nit I would pick is in the clue for 18A. I do not think Simone Biles made the concept of the ceremonial first pitch memorable. A Google search revealed that she did a backflip in front of the mound prior to throwing her first pitch, so I suppose some might view her first pitch as memorable. But I do not think we can credit Ms. Biles with making memorable a ceremony that has occurred in professional baseball for more than a century.
Enjoyed the symmetry of the puzzle - amusing to have PUCK DROP as theme answers - and their placement had the PUCK.....DROP
I now have 2 of the 3 kids and their family home - so probably won't be chiming in for awhile
But wanted to wish Misty a happy birthday
Thanks Renee for the blog and CC for the puzzle
I liked the theme of this Thursday-like puzzle. I sussed ombre crossing Molson easily, but it is not Monday fare. Much other fill was somewhat crunchy, too. My problem was KRAUSS crossing SUPERG, new to me. I should have wagged the U. Maybe my mind is too scattered. I am busy cooking, baking and organizing. Everything takes longer these last few years.
I passed on Saturday's puzzle. It was not that it was too clever or tricky. It was just above my pay grade.
Fine puzzle today, CC. The editor published it on the wrong day of the week.
GAH. The paraphrases managed to suck out most of the enjoyment I usually get from one of CCs puzzles. Oh, well. Happy Birthday, Misty!
Good Morning:
I’m always happy to see CC’s byline, but this is not a Monday-level puzzle, even with the helpful perps. I made the same missteps as DO, i.e., spelling Celsius incorrectly and having Range before Voice. The unknowns were Chan, Molson, Leni, UVA, Ombré, and Gah. The theme and reveal were clever enough but it was published on the wrong day, IMO.
Thanks, CC, for always challenging us and thanks, sumdaze, for your usual sparkling and informative review. Loved the Corgis and the Seismology comic.
Happy 80th, dear Misty! 🎂🎈🎊🎁💕
Have a great day.
Happy Birthday Misty!
Yes, cry uncle is a curious phrase. Wiki guesses at its origin seem plausible:
"Due to heavy Irish immigration in eastern Canada and New England in the19th century, it is likely an anglicization of the Irish 'anacal', meaning deliverance or quarter."
A quick way to approximate Fahrenheit from Celsius is to double it and add 30...
This morn8ng, DW opened a cupboard and found a shopping bag full of 9 x 9" felt swatches of different colors. Having no idea where it came from, or who put it there, she was about to throw it out. Anywho, I'm a pack rat and can't throw anything away in case I can find a use for it later, so now I have a shopping bag full of felt pieces that I have no idea what to do with....
Lastly, it seem that YouTube does not care if bots watch videos about Corgis...
Oil drilling Derrick reminds me, The best of intentions, what could possibly go wrong?
Like desper-otto at 5:58 AM, I "tried to spell CELSIUS with two Cs and wondered what a CUPERG could be." One bad cell! Not too bad for a crunchy Monday. I was STOKED to see C.C.'s byline, and want to VOICE a CHEER for sumdaze, who highlighted the symmetry of the puzzle for us. So long, and thanks for all the corgis!
Happy birthday, Misty! You bring so much sunshine into the Corner.
Which also reminds me,
A YouTube site called reasontv has a playlist of 17 videos titled
"Unintended consequences." here is episode one for your amusement.
It seems there is plenty of fodder for future episodes, and would be highly amusing if it wasn't so doggone sad...
C.C. also has today's USA Today crossword, called "Squeeze In" You can find it online at https://puzzles.usatoday.com/.
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