The Main Squeeze. The answer to each theme clue is something that can be squeezed.
18-Across. Iced tea garnish: LEMON WEDGE.
23-Across. Art class staple with a bovine logo: ELMER'S GLUE. So why the bovine logo? Well, Elmer's Glue first came onto the scene in the late 1940s by the Bordon Company, which was dairy company. Well, when you consider that the first formula of the glue was casein, a protein in milk, it makes sense that the dairy company developed and sold glue.
52-Across. Handheld tension reliever: STRESS BALL.
58-Across. Bathtime floater: RUBBER DUCK.
37-Across. Coerce, or what can be done to 18-, 23-, 52-, and 58-Across: PUT THE SQUEEZE ON.
There is a juice bar near me called The Big Squeezy, a pun on The Big Easy, one of the nicknames of New Orleans. I have never been there, so can't attest to their cold-pressed (squeezed) juices.
Across:
1. Mount Etna outflow: LAVA. This volcano on Sicily frequently erupts.
5. Some Dropbox files, informally: DOCs. As in Documents.
9. After-dinner coffee choice: DECAF.
14. Atop: UPON. Once UPON a time ... // And 66-Across. "... and they all lived happily __ after": EVER.
15. Whack, as a fly: SWAT.
16. Express a view: OPINE.
17. Jell-O shaper: MOLD.
20. Book jacket summary: BLURB.
22. Classical form of poetry: EPODE.
26. Clean air org.: EPA. As in the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA is the AQI monitor (See 5-Down in last Friday's puzzle). The EPA was formally created 54 years ago this month.
29. Fish eggs: ROE.
30. Soccer match chant: OLÉ. A crossword staple.
31. Trudged: PLODDED. You can PLOD through the Presidents and learn lots of interesting facts about American presidents in this podcast.
34. Vodka brand, for short: STOLI. It's formal name is Stolichnaya.
36. Bump in the night, e.g.: NOISE.
42. Japanese cartoon genre: ANIME.
43. Flair: STYLE.
44. "That's a lie!": NOT TRUE!
47. Once named: NEÉ. Today's French lesson. The French née is the feminine past participle of naitre, "to be born." Né is the masculine version of the word.
48. Place to luxuriate: SPA.
51. That, in Toledo: ESO. Toledo, Spain, not Toledo, Ohio. Don Quixote began his travels in Toledo.
 |
| Picasso's interpretation of Don Quixote. |
55. Magazine edition: ISSUE. Many magazines have both print and on-line versions of their issues.
57. Leafy starter: SALAD. We had many tasty SALADs featured in a puzzle last week.
63. Cry from a forgetful performer: LINE.
64. Shake hands (on): AGREE.
65. Actor Morales: ESAI. Esai Manuel Morales Jr. (b. Oct. 1, 1962) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.
67. "__ for dinner?": WHAT'S.
68. Email button: SEND.
69. "Phooey!": RATS.
Down:
1. Wood planks: LUMBER.
2. Moon program of the 1960s and 1970s: APOLLO.
3. Remote control adjustment: VOLUME.
4. Braugher of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine": ANDRE. Andre Braugher (né Andre Keith Braugher; July 1, 1962 ~ Dec. 11, 2023) also portrayed Detective Frank Pembleton on the Homicide: Life on the Street, which aired in the 1990. That drama series was a far cry from his portrayal as Captain Raymond Holt in the police comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Sadly, Braugher died a year ago of lung cancer at age 61.
5. Broadband initials: DSL. As in Digital Subscriber Line.
6. Run a tab: OWE.
7. Desert beast: CAMEL.
8. Clog: STOP UP.
9. Pulitzer-winning columnist Maureen: DOWD. Maureen Dowd (née Maureen Brigid Dowd; b. Jan. 14, 1952) is an opinion columnist for the New York Times.
10. Fencing sword: ÉPÉE. Another crossword staple.
11. Legendary Spanish knight El __: CID. Everything you wanted to know about El Cid but never thought to ask.
12. Director Lee: ANG. Ang Lee (b. Oct. 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. The 1994 film, Eat Drink Man Woman, was the first Ang Lee film I saw.
13. Broker's charge: FEE.
19. Christmas carol: NOEL. 'Tis the Season.
21. Epson competitor: BROTHER. Both are companies that manufacture printers.
24. Plumlike fruit: SLOE.
25. Comes together well: GELS.
26. Actress Falco: EDIE. Edie Falco (née Edith Falco; b. July 5, 1963) is probably best known for portraying Carmela Soprano on the Sopranos.
27. Colombian currency: PESO. Did you know that there are 8 countries that use the Peso as their monetary unit? *
28. Yemen coastal city: ADEN. We visit this city often in the puzzles.
32. Almost as many: ONE LESS.
33. Catch some z's: DOZE.
34. Acct. summary: STMT. As in Statement. I am not sure I have ever seen this abbreviation before.
35. Brainpower nos.: IQs. As in Intelligence Quotient.
 |
| The sign on the door says "Pull to Open." |
37. Window section: PANE.
38. Deep-dish pizza chain, informally: UNO'S. Yummers! We ate at the original Uno's restaurant when we were in Chicago last summer.
39. Mambo legend Puente: TITO. His full name was Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (Apr. 20, 1923 ~ June 1, 2000). He was also known as “El Rey de los Timbales, ” or “The King of the Timbales."
40. Alternative magazine name: UTNE. Its issues (55-Across) are now all online.
41. Peepers: EYES.
45. Letters on outdated maps: USSR. In Russian, "USSR" is written as "СССР" which is an abbreviation for "Союз Советских Социалистических Республик" (Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik), meaning "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" in English.
46. Many Chopin piano pieces: ÉTUDES. More of today's French lesson.
48. Mouth moistener: SALIVA.
49. Mars or Mercury: PLANET. Alternatively, a candy and a car.
50. Birch family trees: ALDERS. Alders are trees and shrubs in the birch family and are native to the north temperate zone and some parts of Central America and the Andes. They are known for their distinctive woody fruiting bodies that look like small, brown pinecones.
53. Find a new purpose for: REUSE.
54. Hay bundle maker: BALER.
55. "Yeah, sure!": I BET.
56. Observes: SEES.
58. Uncooked: RAW.
59. "Yuck!": UGH.
60. Bali garment: BRA. Nice misdirection. Bali is a company that makes lingerie.
61. Soup holder: CAN.
62. Jest: KID.
Here's the Grid:
* The countries that use the Peso are: Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, the Philippines, and Uruguay.
חתולה
I will be taking a brief travel hiatus. Happy Chanukkah and Merry Christmas. This year the two holidays converge. I wish you all a Happy New Year and will "see" you in 2025.
38 comments:
Kind of a fun puzzle, especially when I got to the reveal, and not tremendously difficult. FIR, so I’m happy.
Pretty average, theme-wise and fill-wise. But STMT? And EPODE x DOWD?
I will never understand the appeal of brand-ifying normal words like BROTHER when there are a million different cluing angles that could be way more interesting.
FIR, but cups->CANS. (Either cups or CANS could be evoked by BRA.)
Big morning ahead - First stop the DMV, then to my ophthalmologist for a membrane procedure. Unless the DMV visit turns me into that guy in the Kingston Trio's big hit MTA.
Fun puzzle and review. Ha2la, hope you have a safe and fun travel.
Good morning!
Started my day be attempting the wrong puzzle. Rats. This one proved very easy and straight-forward. DSL isn't very "broad" among the broadband options. Back in the day we were taught if items could be counted, use FEWER, otherwise, use LESS. No longer true? Thanx to Susan and Susan (Hahtoolah) for a terrific Tuesday. (I hope your holiday travels are enjoyable.)
Thank you, Susan, and thank you, Hahtoolah. S²=fun.
I compressed the solve to below average time.
Aloe? Jello? I laughed at your find.
We've got the flu. Some things shouldn't be shared. Going back to bed.
Enjoy your travels, Hahtoolah
FIR. Several proper names i didn't know, like Andre and Dowd, but fortunately the perps helped me through.
The reveal iced the theme for me and made the bottom of the puzzle happen easily. Only misstep for me was throwing down aspens before alders.
But overall an enjoyable puzzle.
Tuesday puzzle. “My old romantic partner “
Greet the day.
I actually remember a short period where I answered the telephone "Jello" but that was long before cell phones. I did not recall the definition of EPODE but like seeing the word in a puzzle that also had ÉTUDES . I also loved the lemonade stand cartoon for obvious reasons. I think the soup can should have been Mushroom Soup which is very big from Thanksgiving through Christmas, and BORDEN is the milk/cheese company. UNO'S opened walking distance from where I was living and I enjoyed the change for a while, but it did not last and was replaced by an OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE which had the best bloomin' onion, but it too recently closed.
I loved many of the cartoons with the "no cook fish chowder" my favorite. As always Hahtoolah delivers, as does Uno's now. My multicultural grandchildren expect to celebrate all holidays so they get more treats and presents. Who wouldn't . TTFN
Good Morning:
Well, this was a nice, smooth solve, very Tuesday-ish. I loved the reveal and the themers were a nice mixture of “squeezeables.” Stmt looks odd and incorrect, but according to Mr. G, it’s widely used in financial circles. I found the fill pretty straightforward and encountered no unknowns or stumbling blocks. My viewing experience with Edie Falco was enjoying her tour de force performance in Nurse Jackie. I never saw The Sopranos and have no desire to do so, although the cast, headed by James Gandolfini, was stellar.
Thanks, Susan, for a delightful solve, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for another outstanding review and visual feast. The winning comics today, for me, were the “Jello?” greeting, so reminiscent of “Aloe?”, the dining Termites, the “fencers”, and the no-cook fish chowder! Enjoy your holidays and your travel plans.
Have a great day.
A nice combo from the two Susans today, an enjoyable solve followed by an entertaining and informative blog, thank you both for your efforts! About a Tuesday level feel as I FIR in under 10, perps helped with the unknowns, TITO for one, ANDRE and BRA I didn’t see till the review. NÉE is sort of a SO to our Corner ReNEE (minus the diacritical mark above the E. Be safe in your travels Hahtoolah!
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Susan and Hahtoolah.
I FIRed in very good time and saw the SQUEEZE theme.
One inkblot to change my LEMON slice to WEDGE.
Perps were fair for my unknowns - ANDRÉ, DIWD, TITO, UNOS.
STMT caused a nose-wrinkle, but I will defer to IM re its use in financial circles.
Wishing you all a great day.
Today's puzzle by Susan Gelfand was for the most part straightforward and fun Tuesday fare. The theme was clever, and the puzzle was well-constructed. So why did it bring out the curmudgeon in me nonetheless?
For one thing, there were too many proper names, some of which were rather obscure. Incidentally, what is the obsession with ESAI (Morales)? He is appearing in LA Times crosswords at almost the rate of OREO and EPEE!
There were a couple troublesome Natick situations, both easily avoidable. The first was EPODE colliding with DOWD. Perps took care of that one. But the other one was a real Natick mess for me, the left central region. There we had a mix of: some Mambo figure; an abbreviation for "statement" that was STMT (huh?); a nickname for some pizza place; a Spanish word; and finally, a vodka! It was as if this murky left central area of the puzzle had been overlooked at final edit.
But I appreciated the theme and the myriad ways of squeezing. Thanks, Susan, for your work here that was by and large enjoyable.and satisfying in the solve.
Fun walk in the park appropriate for a Tuesday which didn't PUT THE SQUEEZE ON
I would opt for Giordano's over UNO's for a chain deep dish but when I'm in Chicago I like to go for a local mom and pop eatery- haven't been there since COVID but would like to get back there now that I'm retired
https://chicago.eater.com/maps/best-deep-dish-pizza-restaurants-chicago
I've always enjoyed reading Maureen DOWD when the paper I took had her as a columnist- a real wit
Thanks to the Susans for a fun day solving!
Another super easy puzzle this morning. I agree STMT looks wrong, but supposedly correct.
I read clue #60 as “ball garment” and was shocked when the answer was BRA.
ANDRÉ was my father’s name.
Thank you Hahtoolah and have a pleasant hiatus.
Easier than yesterday. Obvious theme.
LEMON WEDGE, was gonna try mint leaves but the FEE perp ended that idea.
Inkover: sash/PANE,
Why do ELMER’S old horse friends keep disappearing? 😳
Knew ANDRÉ from the TV series.
STMT? really? Only know UTNE from here. Didn’t know BRA (well I know what a BRA is just not that “Bali” made ‘em)
His ___ pain caused him to ____ when he ambulated…. LUMBER
There are a lot of Christmas Carols that I ___ …. NOËL
Fly swarm foe: ____ team…SWAT
Mae West: “Why dontcha _____ and see me sometime?”… STOP UP
Abet go with …. ADEN
Monday, Monday 🎶
Took 3:17 today for me to get my accordion file.
Unos crossing esos and Dowd crossing epode aren't ideal, but I knew today's actress (Edie).
Hola! This was a Tuesday tale of two Susans! Thank you both for the fun! it was mostly a smooth solve except, like CanadianEh!, I had to change SLICE for WEDGE but then it all came together nicely.
El CID is well known to me as I read the book for my Spanish lit class. I laugh at Sancho Panza's name which suggests a man with a large belly since "pansa" means belly and Sancho evokes "ancho" meaning wide. I believe Cervantes had a great sense of humor.
Time marches on and I must get on with my continued holiday preparations with one more trip to finish shopping for my great-grandson. He has grown so much and I'm told he needs all new clothes.
Have a wondrous day, everyone and safe travels, Hahtoolah!
I used to enjoy reading Maureen DOWD'S column when it was included in our newspaper but, alas, there is such a large conservative bloc here that it finally was discontinued.
And “jockstrap” didn’t fit for the fill 🤣
Musings
-I got it in 5:30 and can’t imagine how I could have gone faster
-You may have to dial back on your flair/STYLE if you want to get a job
-Saying “WHAT’S for dinner?” around here can get the reply of, “I don’t know, what are you making?”
-Whether you like her or not, when DOWD OPINES it makes for very engaging reading
-A car in Mexico City will run you around MXN200,000 (PESOS)
-Putin’s delusion of reforming the U.S.S.R. is bankrupting his country
-A _ _ E _ S can be either of two types of trees
Cute theme, but I needed the reveal to see it. Most names were gimmes, or needed just a perp or two to remember. Andre and Tito were guessable with a perp or two. Thanks for a fun puzzle Susan, and a fun review, Susan.
"Yes, while traditionally considered incorrect, using "less" instead of "fewer" is becoming increasingly accepted in certain situations, especially when referring to countable nouns that are perceived as a quantity or amount rather than distinct individual items, like saying "10 items or less" instead of "10 items or fewer."
For my master's thesis in the 1980's I purchased a Brother word processor typewriter with diskettes. I couldn't afford a computer and printer at that time. Our professor wanted paper copies of our theses turned in weekly to show our progress. She returned them with suggestions. I loved the editing and saving capabilities of my Brother. The problem came years down the line when I was ditching it and the diskettes could no longer be read. I still had my final print copy. I love word processing on my computer. I can be exacting because editing is so easy.
Among the many things I have to do for Christmas and square dance club, I am using today as a mental health day, reading and taking it easy. Tomorrow I will bake will my family's generations old recipe for sand tarts. They are loaded with butter and rolled paper thin. They take patiencd and years of practice.
Enjoyable start for a Tuesday morning. Helpful perps for the most part. My after-dinner coffee choice was IRISH. WiteOut please! STMT?
Fun theme with no obscure crossings. Loved the review. FIR.
Here is my short video of my friends and their Ducky Derby RUBBER DUCK Solstice ensemble.
Lucina I read Maureen DOWD free online at the New York Times site. Our local library provides this service for free. See if your library does, too?
From Yesterday:
Monkey Thanks for the kind words about my GOATs on parade video!
Interesting Tuesday puzzle, many thanks, Susan. And thank you for all those neat pictures to go with your commentary this morning, Hahtoolah. And enjoy a good vacation coming up.
Well, DECAF is always my morning coffee--much better than iced tea with a LEMON WEDGE, so that got me off to a good start. But we didn't get much else for breakfast, since I'm not into ROE, and it's still a little early for me to have a SALAD. But no problem and no STRESS. Only the ending was a little depressing with UGH and RATS. But I think I'll just plan to enjoy some NOEL while I have my breakfast, and end up by shouting OLE!
Have a good day, everybody.
Hi All!
Susan G gave us a fun and, even with the names, easy puzzle. Hahtoolah gave us a great review.* I loved the comics.
WOs: N/A
ESPs: TITO | ESO, ANDRE, probably others that filled from perps.
Fav: APOLLO. Happened before I was born but still some of the coolest engineering ever. //Space-X's self-landing rockets are pretty neat too.
FLN - Great expo sumdaze. I enjoyed it & reading everyone. I just ran out of time to post.
WEES re: Maureen DOWD's opinion pieces. Sure, they're a bit slanted, but you know that going in.
Inanehiker - Though I grew up in IL, I agree with Jon Stewart [10:16 - TVMA] re: pizza :-)
Y'all have a great day! -T
*I'm filling in for you next week - but don't let that spoil your trip ;-)
Excellent Tuesday level CW, FIR in 10, about the same as yesterday. Not thrilled with 14 names, but only 2 DNKs. Like KS @ 6:55, had ASPENS before ALDERS. EPODE was another DNK; ETUDE is a regular visitor. DOH! Forgot to figure out the theme, although I am sure I would have sussed it had I remembered to look. Thanx SG for the fun CW. Hahtoolah, you never disappoint with your fabulous write-ups, complete with always terrific cartoons. Vegetable soup: I have been universally disappointed in canned vegetable soup. No matter which I chose, it had too much sodium, or beef broth (so not really vegetable soup), or filled with pasta for some reason, or some other aspect I did not want. I finally tried the following: pour a 11.5 oz can (What happened to 12 oz???? What a rip!!) of "lower sodium" V-8 juice (STILL too much salt) into a kettle, rinse the can with water and add that to the kettle, bring it to a boil, add 1 cup of frozen mixed vegetables, bring it back JUST to a boil, stir, turn off heat, wait two minutes, then eat. BEST veggie soup you can make!! Oh, almost forgot to wish Susan a good vacation, wherever she is off to.
Thanks to Susan for a fast & fun solve! I liked the sparkly themed clues.
It was a complete coincidence that I said OTTO was a bit of a SQUEEZE yesterday.
Thanks to Hahtoolah for continuing the fun. Today's FAVs were the processed food; the new Jello? (It's a keeper.); and learning more about ELMER'S GLUE. The milky white color fits the backstory.
I enjoyed this puzzle.
If you are interested, there's an excellent episode on Apollo 11 on Modern Marvels. First-hand interviews with the engineers and astronauts as the lunar module was descending but overshooting the targeted landing area, and the onboard warning systems beeping and spitting out codes. Neal and Buzz got it landed ok, and found the failure after stepping out onto the lunar surface. Fluid in a line froze. Fortunately, in due time, the heat from the lunar module thawed the line.
It was a really good program. If you have time to pull it up On Demand on one of your streaming services, I'd recommend it. I didn't catch all of it as I was wrestling with the flu symptoms, so I'm going to have to pull it up again.
Thank you, Susans! This puzzle was so much fun (across, down, across, down, as fast as I could go) with Mr Braugher being the only real unknown. (I use the abbreviation "stmt" in many of our clients' file names, for various accounts they own). As usual, Hahtoolah tickled my funny bone. Loved the fencing cartoon!
My EX-husband used to ask, WHAT'S for dinner? DH knows the right question is, "How can I help with dinner?"
John Stewart is just plain wrong. Or he was pandering for the ratings.
We've had deep dish or stuffed at Pizzeria Uno (everyone just says Uno's), Pizzeria Due, Lou Malnati's, Nancy's, Giordono's, and Gino's East. There's many more to try, and I like it, but it's an every-once-in-a-while type of deal. It's good, but usually too much for just a couple of people, and it's not my go to.
John Stewart is wrong. First, he equates deep dish and stuffed pizza as the same, and they are not. Similar, but not the same. He, like so many other non-Chicagoans, seems to believe that "Chicago-style pizza" means only deep dish. Wrong again.
Chicago style pizza is more than deep dish or stuffed. There's the "tavern style" pizzas that are popular all over the city and the burbs. Super thin "cracker" crust or regular crust. The regular crust pizzas are special here. They are our favorites now, and as inanehiker intimated, the best come from the local mom and pop shops. They don't cut corners. They use the best ingredients and toppings, and they use real cheese.
In Chicagoland, your pizzas are going to be cut into squares unless you specify "pie cut." If you do order it pie cut, you can hold the slice with just your thumb underneath, with two fingers on the edge of the crust, and it won't fold down or flop over like a big limp noodle.
I've been on business trips and to conferences in NY. The first time I flew in to Stewart International, the concierge told me if I wanted the best, authentic NY style pizza, to go to such and such place. I did. It was ok, and I was very hungry, so I ate it. I couldn't get over the crust. There was nothing special about the sausage or pepperoni. Same thing on the next trip to a different pizzeria that came highly recommended for authentic NY pizza. It was better, but not by much. I gave up.
It was only later that I learned that there's a special technique for eating NY style pizzza. You are supposed either use two hands to keep it from flopping, or you are supposed to fold it so it doesn't flop around after you take a bite. How the heck are you supposed to hold a slice of pizza loaded with big chunks of sausage, pepperoni, long sliced onions, chunks of tomatoes? NY style pizza is not pizza. It's a floppy slice of bread with some Ragu brand of poorly seasoned sauce, topped with inexpensive pepperoni and bland sausage, and then covered with artificial cheese.
Give me a Chicago style pizza any day.
Oops, I forgot that I wanted to wish Hahtoolah a safe and fun trip!
Lemon: I have missed you. I hope you are well.
TTP:
Growing up downstate, I didn't consider "tavern" pizza Chicago-style as we had the same "tavern" pizza. When we go to SPI, we always get Gabatoni's or Dillon's.
The last time I had a deep dish (Uno's) one slice was too much and the sauce overpowers the "toppings." IMHO.
To your pandering point, Stewart does shoot in front of a NYC crowd :-)
When I was in NYC, we didn't get pizza (too many great restaurants!), so I've only had NY-style from places like Grimaldi's.
Thanks for the Modern Marvels recommendation!
I'll counter.
Tavern style (thin crispy crust) pizza originated in Chicago, although Milwaukee claims the same. No doubt that other places and major companies around the country glomed on to the term. But it's not the same. It would be like saying that Olive Garden is a fine local Italian restaurant. It's ok, but doesn't compare.
My point is that too many pundits only think of Chicago Style as only deep dish, and that's wrong. Pure and simple.
Similar to smoked brisket in Texas. The best pizza is in Chicagoland, and the best smoked brisket is to be had in Central Texas. End of story. It is what it is. IMHO.
Lucky for me, I am not a big pizza fan!
Lucina, it's like homemade vs store bought tamales. No comparison.
TTP: I get that! I do enjoy a pizza once in a while but it's not my first choice. Maybe because I haven't had a really great one. I don't know. Once in a while my mother would make one and it was very good, but then she was a marvel when it came to cooking. Wishing you all a good night.
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