Haute Couture, or the creation of exclusive high-end fashion. The letters in the circles spell out sewing terms. Seams and Hems can be found in just about all clothing, high fashion or not. Darts are found in women's dresses, blouses, and many styles of pants.
20-Across. Studio co-founded by Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and others: UNITED ARTISTS. DARTs are folds (tucks coming to a point) sewn into fabric to take in ease and provide shape to a garment, especially for a woman's bust. United Artists was founded in February 1919.
24-Across. Like Vera Wang and I.M. Pei: CHINESE AMERICAN. A SEAM is the joining of two or more layers of fabric held together with stitches. Vera Wang (née Vera Ellen Wang; b. June 27, 1949) is an American fashion designer, so she is quite familiar with the sewing terms in this puzzle. I. M. Pei (né Ioeh Ming Pei; Apr. 26, 1917 ~ May 16, 2019) was an especially creative architect. Two of his iconic designs are the Kennedy Library in Boston, Massachusetts and the Dallas City Hall. was born in Guangzhou, China. He moved to the United States when he was 17 to attend college. He became a naturalized citizen in 1954. He was
43-Across. Completely unplanned: SPUR OF THE MOMENT. In sewing, a HEM is the finished edge of a piece of cloth. It often refers to the bottom of a skirt or the legs of pants.
And the unifier:
49-Across. Social groups that work on embroidery projects, or what can be found three times in this puzzle?: SEWING CIRCLES. The circles in the puzzle are necessary for this clue and answer to fully make sense. Additionally, an embroidery CIRCLE is a necessity for embroidery projects.
Across:
1. Taken __: surprised: ABACK.
6. Oscar winner Guinness: ALEC. That's Sir Alec to you. Alec Guinness (né Alec Guinness de Cuffe; Apr. 2, 1914 ~ Aug. 5, 2000) was an English actor. He began his stage career in 1934, then made the transition to a film career. He is best known to me as portraying Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars movies.
10. Think (over): MULL.
14. Heartless: CRUEL.
15. Showroom sample: DEMO.
16. Length x width: AREA.
17. Soup scoop: LADLE.
18. "Sunflowers" and "Water Lilies": PAINTINGS. Vincent Van Gogh (né Vincent Willem van Gogh; Mar. 30, 1853 ~ July 29, 1890) made numerous paintings of sunflowers. Claude Monet (né Oscar-Claude Monet; Nov. 14, 1840 ~ Dec. 5, 1926) was fond of painting the water lilies in his garden in Givenry, France.
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| Some of Van Gogh's Sunflowers |
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| Monet's Water Lilies |
22. Eggy holiday drink: NOG.
23. Air traffic org.: FAA. As in the Federal Aviation Administration.
33. Luxury watch brand: ROLEX.
34. The red planet: MARS. Did you know that Mars named after the Roman god of war because its red color reminded them of blood?
36. Numbered musical composition: OPUS.
37. Manicure targets: NAILS.
39. Fencer's handful: HILT.
40. Telluride or Escalade: SUV. Both are Sports Utility Vehicles. The Telluride is made by Kia and the Escalade is made by Cadillac.
41. Fireplace stack: LOGS.
42. Muscular strength: SINEW.
47. Always, poetically: EER.
48. Soak (up), as gravy: SOP.
56. Careful examination: CLOSE LOOK.
58. __ and kicking: ALIVE.
59. Assistant: AIDE.
60. Folk tales: LORE.
61. Gymnast Comaneci: NADIA. Nadia Elena Comăneci (b. Nov. 12, 1961) is a five-time Olympic gold medalist, all in individual events. In 1976, at the age of 14, Comăneci was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10.0 at the Olympic Games. In 1996, she married fellow gymnast Bart Conner (b. Mar. 28, 1958).
62. Paella vegetables: PEAS. Yummers!
63. Absolut rival: SKYY. There are lots of brands of vodkas out there. Here is one man's review of many vodka brands.
64. Beginning stage: ONSET. This is becoming a crossword staple.
Down:
1. First Amendment advocacy gp.: ACLU. As in the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU was founded on Jan. 19, 1920.
2. High-fiber cereal ingredient: BRAN.
3. German auto: AUDI. A history of the Audi. This car manufacturer also makes SUVs.
4. Gael, for one: CELT.
5. Facial tissue brand: KLEENEX. Kleenex is a registered trademark of Kimberly-Clark Corporation. The generic term for Kleenex is facial tissue. "Kleenex" has become so commonly used that it's now considered interchangeable with the generic term "tissue".
6. Newspaper income source: AD PAGE.
7. Shakespearean king with three daughters: LEAR. King Lear is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. As King Lear approached his old age, he divides his power and land between his daughters Goneril and Regan, who pay homage to gain favor, feigning love. Our friend, Old Man Keith could have told us a lot about this Shakespearian play.
8. Give off: EMIT.
9. Many Christmas trees: CONIFERS. Conifers produce cones instead of flowers or fruit. The name "conifer" comes from the cones that produce seeds.
10. Rum and Curaçao cocktail: MAI TAI. Yummers! One version of how the drink came into being.
11. Large coffee dispensers: URNS.
12. Table support: LEG.
13. __ Vegas: LAS. Las Vegas, Nevada was founded in 1905 as a railroad stop in the desert between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. It wasn't until the 1940s that it became the gambling mecca that it is known for today.
19. Former Russian rulers: TSARs. The term tsar, a form of the ancient Roman imperial title caesar. The title was first used by Ivan IV, (b. Aug. 25, 1530 ~ Mar. 1584) when he proclaimed himself as Tsar. He was also known as Ivan the Terrible.
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| Tsar Ivan IV |
21. Spanish two: DOS. Today's Spanish lesson.
24. Symbol of Christianity: CROSS. Apparently there are various versions of the cross and its history pre-dates Christianity.
25. Invitation to a dog while patting the bed, perhaps: HOP UP.
26. Candy heart words: I LUV U.
27. Super Mario Bros. console: NES.
28. Barn-raising sect: AMISH.
29. "Bad" prefix: MAL-.
30. "Alfie" star Michael: CAINE. That's Sir Michael to you. His given name is actually Maurice Joseph Micklewhite (b. Mar. 14, 1933).
31. "The Bear" Emmy winner Jeremy __ White: ALLEN. Jeremy Allen White (b. Feb. 17, 1991) portrays Carmy Berzatto, a chef inherits his family's Italian beef sandwich shop after the death of his older brother. He is left to deal with his brother's unresolved debts, a rundown kitchen, and an unruly staff, while dealing with his own pain and family trauma. The Bear is considered a "psychological comedy-drama."
32. Food package abbr.: NET WT. As in Net Weight.
37. Without any extras: NO FRILLS.
38. Simon Cowell's competition show, briefly: AGT. As in America's Got Talent.
39. He/__ pronouns: HIM.
41. "My Fair Lady" composer Frederick: LOEWE. Frederick Loewe (né Friedrich "Fritz" Löwe; June 10, 1901 ~ Feb. 14, 1988) was an American composer. He collaborated with lyricist Alan Jay Lerner (Aug. 311, 1918 ~ June 14, 1986) on many of Broadway musicals, including Brigadoon and Camelot, as well as My Fair Lady.
42. Opera heroine, often: SOPRANO.
44. Big name in peanut butter candy: REESES. Yummers!
45. "Get me outta here" button: ESC KEY.
46. "Pretentious? __?": MOI.
49. Fountain drink: SODA.
50. Alcove: NOOK.
51. Unpleasant, as details: GORY. Cartoonist Edward Gorey (Feb. 22, 1925 ~ Apr. 15, 2000) often created gory cartoons. His name was very appropriate.
52. Family: CLAN.
53. Tupperware toppers: LIDS. Tupperware containers were invented in the 1940s by Earl Tupper (né Earl Silas Supper; July 28, 1907 ~ Oct. 5, 1983).
54. Pop singer Sands: EVIE. Evie Sands (b. July 18, 1946) is probably best known for her 1967 song, Angel of the Morning.
55. Airplane assignment: SEAT.
56. Ballplayer's hat: CAP.
57. Fib: LIE.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
Many thanks to Anon-T and Naomi Z for filling in on Tuesdays while I was away down under.
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| Businesses closed due to Snow! |
Notes from C.C.:
1) Welcome back, Hahtoolah!
2)
Happy 77th birthday to Madame DeFarge! Hope you're doing well, Janice, we miss your presence on the blog.
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| From L To R: Abejo, WikWak and Madame DeFarge |
3)
Happy birthday to sumdaze, our creative and loving Monday Sherpa. Renee
is also a triathlete, who runs, bikes and swims long distance.
 |
4) Happy 17th birthday to our blog! Thank you so much for visiting and commenting.
10 comments:
If it were possible, Tuesday’s puzzle seems even easier than Monday’s, and that was easy enough. Are we ever going to have a truly challenging puzzle again? They say “Be careful what you ask for” but I say “Bring it on!”
And Happy Birthday to you, Sumdaze! I enjoy your Monday commentary!
Good morning!
Everything is closed here in the southland due to a dusting of snow overnight. It snows so seldom that cities don't invest in snow removal equipment -- just wait until it all melts.
Janice served up a nice, easy romp this morning. Didn't notice the circles until after I'd finished. Alec Guiness, as Col. Nicholson, led his group of British war prisoners to build the Bridge On The River Kwai back in the '50s. No Wite-Out was required for today's evolution. Thanx for 'splainin' it all, sumdaze, and happy birthday to you, Mme DeFarge, and the blog.
Back in the Rich Norris days, I opined that the order of difficulty was Tuesday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday, Friday and Saturday. I think that Patti is less predictable, but sorta follows suit.
That would be Ha2la to you, sir.
FIR, but erased skor to SKYY. In my defense, I don't allow myself either product.
Since January 1, I also don't allow myself SODA. I told myself that I could always have unsweetened tea if I wanted, but so far it's just been water for me. Problem was I was drinking way too much Diet Pepsi and store brand clones. Probably three liters a day or so. That's proof that I can abuse even non-addictive substances!
Was GORY and Easter egg? "Both darts and gores are shaping the garment by taking off excess of fabric following the silhouette," sez Fashion-Flats.com. Maybe not - it's not my ox to be gored.
Thanks to Janice for another fun and easy puzzle. It took every ounce of determination to write LADLE; my speling-challenged self wanted "ladel." And thanks to Ha2La for another fine review. I liked the vodka rankings, except that I don't think that many people can tell what brand of vodka is in mixed drinks. And happy birthday to MdF and the Corner!
Oops. Yesterday was so horrible that I erased it from my memory. Apologies to both Hahtoolah and sumdaze.
Good Morning, Crossword friends. I hope everyone is safe and warm. I awoke to a light coating of snow covering my backyard. School, businesses and doctor's offices are all closed here today and tomorrow!
Happy Birthday, Sumdaze.
Thank you, Janice, and thank you, Hahtoolah. Welcome back.
Happy Birthday to sumdaze, Madame DeFarge, and the blog.
Another easy to solve puzzle followed by another wonderful review.
Can we get some some of those SEWING CIRCLES to make some quilts?
BRRR!
FIR, despite all the proper names. Luckily well placed perps made it happen. And circles to boot. Why ruin a nice puzzle with circles?
But the theme and the puzzle were extremely easy so I finished rapidly.
Overall an OK puzzle.
Took 4:10 today to stitch this one up.
I didn't know the composer (Loewe), the singer (Evie), and I was thrown by "esckey", having first entered "escape".
Happy Birthday to Hahtoolah, and thank you for your whimsical reviews.
Congratulations to The Ohio State University Buckeyes for running the gauntlet to become national champions last night.
Oh joy, circles!
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