Numerology
I believe that today's constructor Boaz Moser is making his debut on the Corner about a year and two months after first appearing in the New York Times. His theme is about numerology, the meaning behind numbers. We'll start with the reveal ...58. "You're not fooling me!," or what 18-, 28-, and 43-Across might say?: I'VE GOT YOUR NUMBER. and here are the theme clues ...
18A. Physician who specializes in perioperative care: ANESTHESIOLOGIST. Right off the bat I missed the meaning of this number. I fell for the old silent B in NUMBER trick, i.e. "I've got the stuff that numbs you". A tip of the hat to C.C. for the life raft (Teri also suggested that perhaps the anesthesiologist was saying "Count to 10 ..." after giving you a shot of propofol!).
28A. One who never draws a blank?: BINGO CALLER. The guy who calls out the next "B 12". He never draws a blank because he doesn't need to -- every card has a built-in wild space in the center. If you're interested in a part time gig as a bingo caller here are the qualifications.
43A. Tribute act: COVER ARTIST. And for their next number here are the Fab Four playing the first Beatles song I ever heard -- I Wanna Hold Your Hand ...
Here's the grid ...
I hope that has primed you for the rest of the review 😀 ...
Across:1. At the stern: AFT.
4. Revolutionary tool?: LATHE. The LATHE was certainly revolutionary when it was invented, circa 1300 BC, most likely in Egypt. A lathe is a machine tool that rotates a wood or metal workpiece about an axis of rotation to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, deformation, facing, threading and turning, with tools that are applied to the workpiece to create an object with symmetry about that axis. Teri's dad was a machinist who used a lathe in the creation of prototypes for Black and Decker electric tools.
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| A modern metal lathe |
9. Ebbs: ABATES.
15. Place to pick up trinkets and tchotchkes: CURIO SHOP. Not all CURIO SHOPS sell cheap goods: e.g. this Curio Shop is selling this18th Century Compagnie Des Indes Porcelain Tureen for only $2,200 ...
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| Porcelain Tureen 18th Century |
18. [Theme clue]
20. Use one's gray matter: IDEATE. The construction, solving, and reviewing of crossword puzzles takes a lot of IDEATION, as does the extensive commenting on them that occurs after the fact.
21. Change: ALTER.
22. Start of a protestor's cry, perhaps: BUT.
23. Pair: TWO.
24. Pretzel shape: KNOT. According to this article, legend has it that the pretzel was invented by a monk experimenting with leftover bread dough in or around the year 610 AD and was presented to little children as a reward for learning their prayers. This one is really just a loose overhand knot.
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| Pretzel |
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| Hurricane Helene devastation |
26. Prefix with thermal: GEO. Here are some basics of geothermal energy. This geothermal power station in Iceland shown below produces approximately 120 MW of electrical power; it also delivers around 1,100 litres (290 US gal) of hot water per second, around half of the space heating and hot water needs of the capital city of Reykjavík.
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| Geothermal Power Station Nesjavellir, Iceland |
31. Fried turnovers: EMPANADAS. Here's a recipe for beef empanadas.
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| Beef Empanadas |
34. Taking after: A LA. E.g. Apple Pie A LA Mode. Today's French lesson: "In fashion"
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| Apple Pie a la Mode |
35. Seafood paella option: MUSSELS. Here's Yvette's recipe. I think adding some scallops would be a nice touch ...
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| Seafood Paella |
36. Supports: TRUSSES. Here are some general synonyms for TRUSS ...
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| Truss components |
41. Genre with retrofuturistic technology: STEAM PUNK. Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the Victorian era or the American frontier, where steam power remains in mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power.
And of course it has spawned its own genre of music. Here's the steampunk band Abney Park with their video Airship Pirates ... 43. [Theme clue]
47. __ latte: SOY.
48. Toss, slangily: YEET. Some definitions from the Urban Dictionary.
49. Big stretches: EONS.
50. Not awesome: MEH. meh.
52. Convent figure: NUN. Some of them sing ...
53. Like some orange juice: PULPY.
55. Tricolor cat: CALICO. Here are two of the cats that own my grandchildren: a bicolor and a tricolor calico cat. I believe they're litter mates ...
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| Brooksie and Winchester |
61. Haitian language: CREOLE. To be clear Haitians do not speak a language called CREOLE. In this case the term is used as an adjective. They speak creole languages, a linguistic term for stable natural languages that develop from the process of different languages mixing and simplifying into a new form (often a pidgin). The new forms then expand and elaborate into a full-fledged language with native speakers, all within a fairly brief period. At present there are 3 main dialects of the Haitian creole.
I would be remiss here if I didn't include a creole dish -- here's Lauren's recipe for Shrimp Creole made from a mix of shrimp, tomatoes, spices, and rice ...
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| Shrimp Creole |
63. "__ you right!": SERVES.
64. Darts about: FLITS.
65. Speed Wagon maker: REO. The initials for early auto designer Ransom E. Olds and an eponym for the band REO Speed Wagon. Here's their poignant video of Can't Fight This Feeling ... Down:
1. Amazon berry: ACAI.
2. Slush __: FUND. "Slush fund" was originally a nautical term for the cash that a ship's crew raised by selling fat (slush) scraped from cooking pots to tallow makers. This cash was kept separate from the ship's accounts and used to make small purchases for the crew.
Nowadays a slush fund is an account used for miscellaneous income and expenses, particularly when these are corrupt or illegal. I'm really glad that none of that goes on today in the US. 😁
3. Canopy makeup: TREE TOPS. In forest ecology, the canopy is the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and including other biological organisms (epiphytes, lianas, arboreal animals, etc.). The communities that inhabit the canopy layer are thought to be involved in maintaining forest diversity, resilience, and functioning. Shade trees normally have a dense canopy that blocks light from lower growing plants.
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| Forest canopy Andaman Islands, Myanmar |
5. Tennis great Arthur: ASHE. Here's his story ...
6. English article: THE.
7. Church cry of praise: HOSANNA. These folks have really got the spirit! ... 8. Postscripts: EPILOGS.
9. Fit: ABLE.
10. Classless one: BOOR. Even a high-class aristocrat can be a BOOR.
11. Summer mo.: AUG.
12. Like some elders: TRIBAL. Elders, in Indigenous North American cultures, are repositories of cultural and philosophical knowledge within their tribal communities, as well as the transmitters of this storehouse of information. They are regarded as living libraries, with information on a wide variety of practical, spiritual and ceremonial topics, including "basic beliefs and teachings, encouraging...faith in the Great Spirit, the Creator". Here's an example of Indigenous Elders helping archeologists decode ancient rock art.
13. Secure: ENSURE.
14. Dog for pheasant hunters: SETTER. Both Irish setters and English setters are used for hunting pheasants. The hunters in this video prefer English setters. Trigger warning: some pheasants were harmed in the making of this video ...
16. "That didn't escape my attention": I SAW. My DIL has a plaque in her kitchen that says "I SAW THAT! -- God".
19. Director Preminger: OTTO. Otto Ludwig Preminger (5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian-American theatre and film director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the theatre. He first gained attention for film noir mysteries such as Laura (1944) and Fallen Angel (1945), while in the 1950s and 1960s, he directed high-profile adaptations of popular novels and stage works. Several of these later films pushed the boundaries of censorship by dealing with themes which were then taboo in Hollywood, such as drug addiction (The Man with the Golden Arm, 1955), rape (Anatomy of a Murder, 1959) and homosexuality (Advise & Consent, 1962). He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director. He also had several acting roles.
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| Otto Preminger |
25. Fastener: CLASP. Often to attach 26Ds.
26. Glam rock?: GEM. One of the more glam rocks in the world is the Hope Diamond in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History's gem and minerals wing in D.C.. This storied blue gem weighs 45.52 carats and is worth an estimated $350 million.
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| The Hope Diamond |
27. Australian avian: EMU.
28. Light wood: BALSA. The balsa tree, Ochroma pyramidale, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. The tree is famous for its wide usage in woodworking, due to its softness and its high strength compared to its low density. The name balsa is the Spanish word for "raft" and the Portuguese word for "ferry". Balsa wood played a historical role in Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki expedition where it was used to build the raft used to cross the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands.
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| Balsa Tree Costa Rica |
30. Classless one?: ALUM. A clecho to 10D.
32. To date: AS YET.
33. Approach: NEAR.
36. Crime novelist Gerritsen: TESS. Terry ("Tess") Gerritsen (born June 12, 1953) is the child of a Chinese immigrant and a Chinese-American seafood chef. While growing up in San Diego she longed to be a writer, but her family had reservations about the sustainability of a writing career, prompting Gerritsen to choose a career in medicine. She received her medical degree from UCSF in 1979 and started work as a physician in Honolulu, Hawaii. While on maternity leave she submitted a short story to a statewide fiction contest in the magazine Honolulu and won first prize. She pursued writing part time and eventually wrote several romantic novels, medical thrillers, and crime thrillers. She is probably best known for her Rizzoli and Isles series of crime novels, which were eventually adapted into a popular TV series of the same name.
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| Tess Gerritsen |
37. Place to order rolls: SUSHI BAR. My favorite is the Rainbow Roll ...
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| Rainbow Roll |
38. "Music for Airports" composer Brian: ENO. Here is the first 4:34 min of the 48:39 min album. If you want to relax for a while, here's the whole album.
39. Big __ Country: SKY. Big Sky Country is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter and guitarist, Chris Whitley. It was the second single to be released from his 1991 début album, Living with the Law, and became a hit single in the United States.
41. Visit on the way: STOP OFF.
42. Link-shortening service: TINY URL. TinyURL is a URL shortening web service, which provides short aliases for redirection of long URLs. Kevin Gilbertson, a web developer, launched the service in January 2002 as a way to post links in newsgroup postings which frequently had long, cumbersome addresses.
43. Critics of good-faith efforts: CYNICS. Modern cynicism has been defined as an attitude of distrust toward claimed ethical and social values and a rejection of the need to be socially involved. It is pessimistic about the capacity of human beings to make correct ethical choices. IMO this is a form of psychological projection -- attributing to others characteristics that cynics have themselves.
44. Canon: OEUVRE. The Dinosaur isn't buying it ...
46. Depend (on): RELY.
50. Heavy hammers: MAULS. Here's a maul for splitting logs ...
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| Splitting Maul |
51. Red Muppet: ELMO. ELMO is the Muppet who always refers to himself in the 3rd person. Here he teaches Elmo's Song to other Muppets ...
53. Propulsion aid: POLE. A POLE is used to propel a flat bottom boat called "skiff" in shallow waters. Here's how it's done ...
54. Versatile vehicles, for short: UTES. And a versatile bit of crosswordese -- not only are UTES short for Sports Utility Vehicles, but sports fans will know them as the University of Utah football team, and they are also the oldest residents of Colorado, and their vehicles are horses ...
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| Southern Ute Indian Tribe |
55. Tech review site acquired by Ziff Davis in 2024: CNET. CNET is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts and videos on global technology and consumer electronics. CNET has the highest readership among web news sites. It has over 200 million readers per month. It was among the 200 most visited websites globally in 2015.
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57. Ish: OR SO.
59. End of a congressional address: GOV. Mercifully short!
60. Retailer that sells crampons and chalk bags: REI. Recreational Equipment, Inc., doing business as REI, is an American retail and outdoor recreation services corporation founded in 1938. It was formerly governed, and continues to brand itself, as a consumers' co-operative. REI sells camping gear, hiking, climbing, cycling, water, running, fitness, snow, travel equipment, and men, women and kids clothing. It also offers services such as outdoor-oriented vacations and courses. Unlike other outdoor sports stores, it does not sell hunting or fishing equipment.
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
And we wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy Hannukah to all those who celebrate them!
And we wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy Hannukah to all those who celebrate them!
waseeley
14 comments:
Fortunately, I was able to spell “anesthesiologist” correctly. And we see our old “friend” (enemy?) “yeet” once again. So this puzzle had some challenges. But I got through them. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
This one was mostly fun, but the word "TRUSSES" gives me a queasy feeling. Got "A LA" immediately, but still have to wonder, who was Mode? CALICO cats are almost always female. Enjoyed your efforts, Boaz. Come back soon. Enjoyed your efforts, too, waseeley and Teri.
FIW. I was certain that the glam rock was "ice" (for diamond) and was measured in CARATs. I was also certain that isothermal was right. I wanted MUSSELS, but couldn't bring myself to give up one iso and ice.
Erased not for BUT (both weak, IMO) ape for ALA, french for CREOLE, and i see for I SAW (read the clue, dummy!)
I have a friend who dumped her ANESTHESIOLOGIST boyfriend. She felt nothing.
In Jackson Browne's You Love the Thunder he sings:
You love the thunder, you love the rain
You know your hunger like you know your name
I got your number if it's still the same
And you can dream
But you can never go back the way you came
Thanks to Boaz for the challenge, and to Bill 'n' Teri for the fine tour.
42 D, had. "tinyurl" but couldn't understand the meaning
Good morning all. Only 6 shopping days left before Christmas.
I was hearing Tracey Chapman singing "Baby 'I' GOT YOU NUMBER before
I managed to FIR. The bottom half was a struggle. OEUVRE, STEAM PUNK, and TINY URL were unknowns. TESS, and YAS joined it. YAS sounds like a Jamaican plural of 'ya mon'.
YEET as a word? IMHO, it can be tossed with the trash.
Did anyone notice TWO next tying KNOT with CARE in the 5th row?
GEOthermal energy is great, unless the volcano under it blows.
As we near the end of the work week our puzzles and write-ups become more challenging and our reactions reflect more of our own experiences. I found this a mostly fun effort that reminded me of my years as the BINGO CALLER at the condo where we live. Growing up with my uncle a doctor and my mother a nurse, my first thought was for the use of a TRUSS as a medical device to deal with hernias. Bill's picture of the metal lathe gave me visions of such devices from various movies and tv shows. NUN brought back my childhood where the nuns would get their exercise walking past our house, or stopping to admire my father's flower gardens or play with our male Dachshund who adored the robed ladies who loved to pet him. STEAM PUNK and YEET will never be easy for me, and I want you all to CHECK the picture of Otto Preminger. I recently saw JOSH BROLIN on a late night talk show talking about doing LSD starting at 13, and who later along with Marlon Brando who told him stories of setting up an online account to meet females where Brando presented himself as a 14 year old boy. And they say you can't learn from TV. Thank you Bill and I would like to add my wishes for a safe and happy holiday season for all including the already celebrated DIWALI and Loy Krathong
(ลอยกระทง), KWANZAA and the oft ignored FESTIVUS .
YAS! I FIR in 17:39 with some perp help for the unknowns TESS, TINY URL, and OEUVRE (which I would have known had the clue been Hors d’ _____). I know CNET, but bonus points to anyone that knew of Ziff Davis. I failed to see how ANESTHESIOLOGIST fit the theme till Bill explained the silent “B”. First thought for ‘False front’ was facade. I thought STEAM PUNK was a music genre 🤷♂️. YEET = what some people do with the LAT CW on an impossible Saturday. If you order a Bloody Mary 🍹 in the airport lounge at SRQ, it comes with an EMPANADA on the side. As far as OTTO Preminger, “Anatomy of a Murder” is based on a true incident that happened at the Lumberjack Tavern in 1952 in the small UP town I live in, which I’ve had several stints as a part time bartender. The courtroom drama has an all-star cast and was nominated for best picture but lost out to Ben Hur. Thank you Boaz for the Thursday treat, and to Bill and Teri for another educational and entertaining write-up, your thorough blogs are much appreciated!
Thursday puzzle. Think of a number from one to ten…I give up!
Greet the day.
Here's the bi-weekly DAB puzzle. Here's what David has to say about it ...
t’s a 1972 Academy-Award-winning song! It’s a Supreme-Court-case-worthy pill! It’s an episode of the 60s British spy series “The Avengers” (but after Diana Rigg left)! It’s also a 1937 song that didn’t win any awards, and (I’m consulting Wikipedia here) three other songs, and six record albums, and a radio show, and a web series. Isn’t it time it was a crossword puzzle? I’ve tried to fill this void while learning from the mistakes of the mornings-after of the past. I hope my “Morning After” does not quite sink to the banality of the award-winning song. I’m pretty sure it can’t be accused of arousing the heated political conflicts of the pill. And I have included Diana Rigg!
Took 7:19 for me to be next up at the deli counter.
I had a similar solving experience as some others here with these unknowns: Tess, oeuvre, spelling anesthesiologist, and anyone named Ziff.
Yas & yeet not only don't belong in the same puzzle, they don't belong in any puzzle.
I remember enjoying "Anatomy of a Murder", although it must be 25-30 years ago that I watched it.
After this puzzle, I'm pretty sure our dear Uncle Fred will be jamming to Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb".
FIW. Never heard of steam punk, spelled carat with an e, and guessed sreel punk, not getting alum at all.
I'm not pleased with "yas", I've never heard anyone say that.
The theme was easy and I had no trouble with it at all.
But overall, even though it's Thursday, I found this puzzle to be " meh"!
I commend Boaz for his cleverness in this puzzle, about which I'll amplify. But first a few reservations.
The puzzle seemed to me bipartite, with the northern half straightforward and well-clued, but the southern half something of a minefield in many places. It started halfway down with the horizontal answers YAS and STEAMPUNK side-by-side. Just underneath them was COVERARTIST, which seems a peculiar answer for "Tribute act." And then just underneath came YEET, which along with YAS are two abominations that need to be introduced to the inside of a garbage can.
Two verticals contributed to this Natick mess, TESS and TINYURL. For "Tess," I would have thought of, say, Tess Harper or Tess of the d'Urbervilles as being fairer clues for the solver.
Nonetheless, I thought Boaz's work here in the whole was a satisfying and fun Thursday challenge. Boaz fed my appetite for misdirected clues, such as "Canopy makeup," or "Secure," which looks like an adjective. Nope--it's a verb.
With such a creative and enjoyable puzzle overall, Boaz, you need to make a return engagement.
Good Morning:
If ever a theme was well-hidden, today’s was one. Props to the constructor for originality and imagination for not only the clever reveal, but the unusual but spot-on themers, especially the grid-spanning Anesthesiologist. I needed perps for Steam Punk and Tiny URL and my Maces morphed into Mauls. Yas and Yeet were both nose-wrinklers in an otherwise impressive grid.
Thanks, Boaz, come back soon and thanks, Bill, for the entertaining and informative review. I always learn something of value from your vast breadth of knowledge and experience. Today’s musical interludes and culinary photo/recipes took center stage. Thanks, also, to Teri.
FLN
sumdaze, I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed Ted Lasso.
Thanks, everyone, for the well-wishes. I’m hoping this bout will be short-lived!
Have a great day.
DNF. About 75% done. Not enough time with unexpected procedures popping up all AM. A good excuse anyhoo.
Inkovers: need/RELY,
How do we know AÇAÍ is an “Amazing” berry? What? Oh, …. never mind
Haven’t seen our tennis champ ASHE in a while. “Ziff Davis”? “Gerritson”? Wanted to try con “latte” but wouldn’t perp. “False front” isn’t padded bra either 🤭
YEET should be tossed, only encounter it in CWs. STEAMPUNK? TINY URL? OUEVRE (work in Fr.)/ “canon”? …TREE TOPS: not a safe place to rock babies.
We call that MAUL a “go-devil”
Not a KNOT? …It’s said that the “Pretzel shape” represents praying hands crossed over the heart 🥨(turn it upside down). Given as prizes pretiole by monks to religious students.
Thought CREOLE was a N’Orleans thing, and Haitians spoke French (and won’t be eating your pets next year)
“Classless one” a HS dropout?
OK ‘nuff nonsense. Have a great Thursday.
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