Double Double, Boil and Trouble ... Does food with a double name taste better?
17-Across. * Japanese hot-pot meal: SHABU SHABU. Shabu-shabu is a Japanese hot pot dish featuring thinly sliced meat and vegetables boiled in water, served with dipping sauces, and cooked tableside, similar to fondue. The name "shabu-shabu" means "swish-swish" in Japanese, referring to the sound of the ingredients being stirred in the pot. Although I have never heard of Shabu Shabu, it sounds very similar to Chinese Hot Pot, which I have enjoyed.
26-Across. * French chocolate confection: BONBON. Bonbon is a French chocolate candy which is round on top, flat at the bottom. The outside shell is harder and made of chocolate, with few decorations. Inside is a softer filling. I am familiar with Bonbons.
28-Across. * North African dish made with semolina: COUSCOUS. Couscous is a traditional North African dish made small steamed granules of semolina that's typically steamed and served with stews or as a side dish. It's a staple food in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and countries in the Middle East. I am familiar with, and eaten, couscous.
48-Across. * Portuguese hot pepper sauce: PERI PERI. The term "Peri Peri" refers to a type of chili pepper used in these sauces, originating from Portuguese-African culinary traditions, especially in Mozambique and Angola. The primary ingredient in these sauces is the Peri Peri chili, also known as the African bird's eye chili. This is not a food I am familiar with.
50-Across. * Sichuan noodles: DAN DAN. "Dan Dan" refers to Dan Dan Noodles, a spicy Sichuan noodle dish that translates to "carrying-pole noodles" because of the street vendors who once sold it from poles balanced on their shoulders. I am not familiar with this dish.
And the unifier:
64. Event with two headliners, or a description of a restaurant check that includes any of the answers to the starred clues?: DOUBLE BILL.
I found today's puzzle had some extra crunch for a Tuesday.
Across:
1. Seven Sisters attendees, historically: WOMEN. The Seven Sisters are a consortium of seven prestigious, historically women's colleges in the northeastern United States: Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Smith, Vassar, Radcliffe, and Wellesley. The Seven Sisters were formed in 1926 to address the difficulties in women's colleges faced in raising endowment money and to served as female counterparts to the male Ivy League colleges. the name, Seven Sisters, refers to the Pleiades, a constellation of seven sisters from Greek mythology. Barnard College is affiliated with Columbia University. Vassar College became co-ed in 1969. Radcliffe College merged with Harvard University in 1999.
6. A third of the UAE?: ARAB. As in the United Arab Emirates.
10. Rock blasters: AMPS.
14. Fast Amtrak train: ACELA. This train (or 49-Down) appears with some frequency in the puzzles. // 68.-Across Philadelphia commuter org.: SEPTA. The latter stands for SouthEastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. // And 49-Down. 14-Across line: RAIL.
15. Song for a single voice: SOLO.
 |
| She should sing SOLO that no one can hear her. |
16. Bruise: HURT.
19. Gobi Desert locale: ASIA. The Gobi Desert is in northern China and southern Mongolia. It's known for its dunes, mountains and rare animals such as snow leopards and Bactrian camels. The sand dunes are said to sing when the wind blows. Many dinosaur fossils have been found in the Gobi.
20. Hash brown base: POTATO.
21. Planet simulated by NASA on Mauna Loa: MARS. Everything you wanted to know about Life on Mars while still on earth.
23. Brief "Spare me the details": TMI. Textspeak for Too Much Information.
24. "Sorta": -ISH. This i also becoming a crossword staple.
33. Bassoon cousin: OBOE.
34. Sleep lab study: APNEA. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by repeated pauses in breathing during sleep. These pauses, called apneas, can last for several seconds to minutes.
35. Subj. for a business major: ECON. As in Economics. This is becoming a crossword staple.
37. Like a swaddled baby: SNUG.
40. Window sticker: DECAL.
41. Pledge: VOW.
42. Grace under pressure: POISE.
43. Minor issue: SNAG.
44. Bit of good fortune: BOON.
45. One who is often on track?: RACER.
46. Nabe in L.A. and NYC: NOHO. If you are in Los Angeles, the Neighborhood is North of Hollywood. If you are in New York City, the neighborhood is North of Houston (Street).
52. Entered an election: RAN.
53. Medical pen prefix: EPI-. Another crossword staple.
54. Antarctic floater: BERG.
57. Son of Daedalus: ICARUS. He's Greek to me. Icarus famous for his tragic death after flying too close to the sun on wax-and-feather wings, ignoring his father's warnings.
62. Baloney: LIES. I think of the term Baloney as meaning more of foolishness than of lies.
66. Duty: TASK.
67. Crowd sound: ROAR.
69. Opposed to: ANTI.
70. JCC alternative: YMCA. The Jewish Community Center might an alternative to the Young Men's Christian Association.
71. Kettle emanation: STEAM.
Down:
1. Ant-Man partner: WASP. Comic super-heroes.
2. Diez menos dos: OCHO. Spanish math. 10 - 2 = 8.
3. Charcuterie staple: MEAT. Charcuterie is a branch of French cuisine devoted to prepared meat products, such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, galantines, ballotines, pâtés, and confit, primarily from pork. It's really just a fancy word for cold cuts.
4. Idris of "The Wire": ELBA. Idris Elba (né Idrissa Akuna Elba; b. Sept. 6, 1972) is a British actor who portrayed Stringer Bell in The Wire.
5. Like sextants and tide charts: NAUTICAL.
6. Bonfire residue: ASH.
7. Wander freely: ROAM.
8. Actress Jessica who co-founded The Honest Company: ALBA. The Honest Company is known for its safe, eco-friendly products, particularly for babies. The company was founded in 2012. Jessica Alba (née Jessica Marie Alba; b. Apr. 28, 1981) was one of the co-founders.
9. Mint julep liquor: BOURBON. Yummers!
10. "That's the answer!": AHA!
11. "How lovely for you": MUST BE NICE. Said sarcastically.
12. Of the utmost quality: PRIMO. This makes me think of Primo Levy (July 31, 1919 ~ Apr. 11, 1987), a Jewish-Italian chemist and Holocaust survivor. He also wrote The Periodic Table, a collection of short stories based on elements in the periodic table.
13. Darken, as wood: STAIN.
18. Meh-worthy: SO-SO. Another Double, but not a food.
22. Bawl: SOB.
25. Egg, in Ecuador: HUEVO. More of today's Spanish lesson, but this time in the kitchen, not the math lab.
27. "Out of the question": NO SOAP. I think of this as being an old-timey expression, although its origin is not clear.
28. Scoundrels: CADS.
29. Kick off: OPEN.
30. Most mysterious: UNCANNIEST.
31. Poseidon, for one: SEAGOD.
32. Rocky road serving: SCOOP.
36. Pet's human: OWNER. It's actually the other way around. The Pet is the human owner.
38. Library patron, e.g.: USER. I couldn't live without my fabulous public library.
39. Mel B and Mel C bandmate: GERI. Members of The Spice Girls.
42. Leia Organa title: PRINCESS. Hand up if you knew Princess Leia's surname.
44. More than parched: BONE DRY.
47. Montreal NHLer, to fans: HAB. The Montreal Canadiens, a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League, are also known as the "Habs", which is short for "Habitants".
50. Follower of Charlie?: DELTA. Letters in the NATO Alphabet.
51. Bee-related: APIAN.
55. Word with bed or head: ROOM. Anyone remember Max Headroom?
56. Tostada topping, briefly: GUAC. Yummers!
58. Plan a getaway for, perhaps: ABET.
59. Malodorous: RIPE.
60. Skin and hair care chain: ULTA.
61. Shut loudly: SLAM.
63. Enjoy Vail: SKI.
65. Bikini top: BRA.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
46 comments:
For a Tuesday, this was, to me, a somewhat tougher
puzzle than usual. For one thing, I was unfamiliar with all but two of the “dishes.” And there were a number of other obscurities, besides. But I got through it. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
SEPTA? HAB? (Thanx for 'splainin' them, Hahtoolah.) Michael put a little crunch in our morning cereal, and Hahtoolah did a good job spicing it up. Nice.
ASH: FIL didn't burn his junk mail -- he stuffed it into prepaid political envelopes and mailed it off.
SKI: That cartoon reminds me of Sonny Bono. He should've known better than to go skiing at the Heavenly Ski Resort.
MUST BE NICE: Here in the southland folks say, "Bless your heart."
FIW with aLTA x ICARaS. In my defence (for the HABS,) my interest in this puzzle had expired by the time I got to the southeast corner.
I attended a triple BILL concert on the eve of a Kentucky Derby. The Marshall Tucker Band opened, then Charlie Daniels, capped off by Wet Willie (they had just released Keep On Smiling.) I almost didn't go because tickets cost an astronomical $17.
I knew BONBON. My health nut niece made me try her COUSCOUS when we dined at Don Shula's restaurant. The steak was better.
Dogs have owners, cats have attendants.
I'm planning a getaway. I recently learned that DWs hospice care includes brief respite breaks for caregivers, so I'll get 5 days of SOLO camping next month.
CSO to our fine flippered friend at "malodorous."
I thought that the best thing about this one was that Michael worked in a meta BERG fill. Very clever. And, of course, reading a Ha2la recap is always a treat. Thanks to both.
Sometimes memory doesn't serve. I looked it up: That Derby Eve concert cost the princely sum of $5.50. Charlie Daniels Opened, then Wet Willie, followed by The Marshall Tucker Band. Charlie Daniels came back out to join the Marshall Tucker Band, which I had totally forgotten. Hard to believe it was nearly a half century ago, May 2, 1975. I had hair then.
A double entree.
FIW. The crossing of Noho and Hab did me in. I knew neither of them. Also a correct WAG at Septa and ripe saved the SE for me.
For a Tuesday this had a little bite to it. Not to mention all the double answers were a mystery to me, except bon bon.
Overall not an enjoyable puzzle.
Good Morning, Crossword friends. I thought today's puzzle was more challenging than usual for a Tuesday. As others have noted, most of the double foods were unfamiliar. Couscous is a staple in our family, and of course, now that I am retired, I just sit around eating bonbons. NOT!
QOD: There’s many a best-seller that could have been prevented by a good teacher. ~ Flannery O’Connor (née Mary Flannery O’Connor; Mar. 25, 1925 ~ Aug. 3, 1964), Southern writer
Took 6:37 today for me to get a side of tartar sauce.
This wasn't a great puzzle. Obscure foods, a foreign math question, and "no soap". Noho crossing Hab. But, on the bright side, I knew today's actress (Alba).
I heard a comedian make a joke years ago about how sometimes he doesn't even have to finish reading a crossword clue to know that he will never get it, then he says, "Portuguese...." Today, we got "Portuguese hot pepper sauce."
"No soap?" I will sign over the deed to my house to the first person I meet who uses that phrase.
Today's puzzle felt Thursday-level to me, and the only gimmick answer I had heard of was COUSCOUS.
But hey, at least there was no Issa Rae entry today, so there's that.
Musings
-Quite a test - the most help came from the gimmick of double phrases I there were completely, uh, foreign to me.
-Poise is a valuable asset for a teacher: Never let them see you sweat!
-We are Lily’s OWNERS but she seems particularly annoyed if she had to remind us when her food is five minutes late
-Our town library has just undergone a $10M expansion mostly funded by private donations
-The BONE-DRY Atacama Desert is also used by NASA to simulate conditions of Mars
-I love cartoons like “This guy is falling” that take just a heartbeat or so to decipher. It immediately got sent to my language teacher colleagues.
A double boiler! My, is it Thursday already? FIR only because I caught on to the repeated words, and that let me fill in blanks ahead of time. That's the only way I could chose between ROve & ROAM; PRIMe & PRIMO, and even HaRm & HURT.
My first word with bed or head was "Rest". Well, the R worked anyway. That's a lot of confusion for a Tuesday!
Was this puzzle easy to fill? Yes. Had anybody really heard of SHABU-SHABU, PERI-PERI, or DAN-DAN? Unknowns but easy fills thanks to the perps.
54A- BERG. Puzzle constructor-Berg. How convenient.
ALBA & ELBA in the same puzzle. Missing Dua, Lipa, Ora, Ott, Orr and a few others.
SOHO or NOHO- UNCANNIEST took care of that one. Uncanniest, APIIAN and BONE DRY let me FIR with the crossing of two unknowns-DANDAN and HAB.
BONBON decided PRIME or PRIMO for me.
I had to chance NO DICE to the unknown NO SOAP (never heard that expression)
Now, if there were a food called WALLA-WALLA?
Outta here.
I enjoyed Michael Berg's puzzle down to the last bite! DNK PERI PERI, NO SOAP, or HAB, but perps and the repeating pattern helped me out. Also helpful that our favorite restaurant introduced DAN DAN noodles this month.
Jinx, I'm glad you'll get a break, and hope your rolling mansion is in PRIMO condition to make your life easier.
Hahtoolah, thanks for the explanations and Tuesday funnies. Loved Chicken Little.
Hola! WEES. I agree with most of the comments. This was especially challenging for a Tuesday. In fact, I had to assure my self that today is, in fact, Tuesday. But I persevered and made it to the end though NOHO/HAB stumped me. However, I enjoyed the double whammy which greatly helped with the solve. Thank you, Michael B. Berg.
Have terrific Tuesday, everyone!
Jinx, I, too, am happy for you that you'll have a break. Enjoy it and relax.
Good Morning:
Sorry, but the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze today. I went astray at Floe/Berg and Rank/Ripe, both of which were soon corrected. Slam didn’t fill in easily as I read the clue as Shout Loudly, instead of Shut Loudly. There was a bit of crunch for a Tuesday, but perps were fair. But the themers and reveal were lacking in interest and pizazz, IMO.
Thanks, Michael, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the fun and facts and the usual array of cute comics. Favorites today were Hashtag (Potato) and “This guy is falling.”
Have a great day.
IM, d-o also misread "shut" as "shout." Great minds...? Maybe not.
WEES about the level of difficulty being above a typical Tuesday, took me 14:08 for the FIR, perps rescued three of the five themers I DNK, I have eaten COUSCOUS and BONBONs but not the others. NOHO was unfamiliar, in NYC it means “north of Houston Street”, in LA I assume “North Hollywood”? I knew HAB right off and I bet C Eh🇨🇦 did too. The window DECAL reminded me of a bumper sticker I once saw which would be apropos for a vehicle in the news a lot these days “Honk if you see parts falling off”. Thank you Michael for the puzzle, and to Hahtoolah for another sparkling review!
Mr. Berg, nice job today. Well-constructed with a clever theme, and I had to smile at your managing to get BERG in.
I think many of the comments have tended toward the "thou protesteth too much" and insignicant. In that spirit, I'll add mine. It's UNCANNIEST. That was a nose-wrinkler, a word that I have never used and never will. The word uncanny by itself goes beyond, say, weird or eerie, in that its meaning already has a superhuman or supernatural connotation, so that making it a superlative serves little purpose, I believe.
I enjoyed the double bill theme, my favorite being couscous. I lived in Paris for a few years, and when I first
moved there, I lived on Algerian-style couscous.
Thanks, Michael, for an enjoyable, fresh, and Tuesday-appropriate challenge. And thanks, Hahtoolah, for the funny cartoons and indispensable recap.
Managed to FIR after figuring out the "double" gimmick, but it took a while. The middle east slowed things down for a bit, until the V-8 can finally hit. Seemed crunchy for a Tuesday, but all's well that ends well. Another enjoyable expo from Ha2la...going back for some more "Dry Bones"!
Ooh! DNF. I missed HAB and NOHO. I didn’t fill the theme answers until I got the reveal. I did know BONBON and COUSCOUS, but it was not enough to let me know I could just repeat the first word. YMCA was á WAG.
Hahtoolah thank you for all the delightful funnies, as well as that O’Connor quote. Yes, I do remember Max Headroom. I loved it.
Is it Thursday? The puzzle was a little crunchy for a Tuesday. Like others, my downfall was LAB for Hab. I should have known NOHO, we've had it before. Habitants seems like a very strange name for a team.
My Japanese DIL makes delicious Shabu shabu. Sussing that, I guessed that there would be syllable repeating foods.
I have tried couscous. Meh.
Peri peri and dan dan are new to me, but perps and wags from both halves sufficed.
My mom used to say NO SOAP. Anonymous, can I expect the deed soon?
I know QUAC but seldom hear or use it. It takes me a while to dredge it up. I love guacamole.
I have heard of Septa, but needed a few perps to recall it.
HG, I agree with never let them see you sweat, Never act unsure or at a loss, even if you are.
I really enjoyed this "not a Tuesday" puzzle.
A challenging menu at todays food court but most of the perps were helpful.
I am sure that even the locals know “ Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority” 🫤Meh!!
I’d give this puzzle a 4/5 but NO SOAP… it gets 2/4.
Please explain the joke.
Kinda hard for so early in the week. Last to fill was the second part of PERI …. (Mel B and Mel C bandmate: not Mel D)
“Seven sisters”: alums?, coeds? Nope WOMEN. (Seems my mom had a rose bush 🌹 she said was called “seven sisters” … they bloomed in clusters). If it’s BONBON it can’t be PRIMe.
Other inkover: reek/RIPE
The most enormous tomato … …UNCANNIEST.
“Silas Marner” girl …. EPI
Part of LA without a red light district … NOHO 🤭
Michael B ___ … BERG (a CSO to himself!!)
In keeping with the theme: Mork’s Orkian greeting to all : “Nanu Nanu”
(Like “aloha” and “ciao” both “hello” and “goodbye”) 😀
Nice recap Hahtoolah. I only knew 2 of the foods but everything came together when the repeat words appeared. Some of the obscurities made things harder for Tuesday, but that's Ok with me.
"...and at the same time
a great she-bear, coming down the street,
pops its head into the shop.
What! NO SOAP?
So he died,"
And she very imprudently married the barber...
FIR but it took BON BON and COUSCOUS for me to get the theme , SoHo, NOHO, nuts/ LIES and I thought UNCANNIEST meant most amazing or hard to believe, not mysterious. Rank/RIPE was a problem, not knowing SEPTA.
There was a lot of slang used in the ‘40’s and ‘50’s and “NO SOAP” was often heard where I grew up, along with “nothin’ doin’ and “fat chance”.
Enjoyed the challenge MBB , and the cartoons were funny Hah2Lah, especially the wedding and jury duty.
Happy day, all!
NO SOAP was common s
Jinx, A respite well deserved. Enjoy!
I hope our LA contingent chime in on this one. Never heard of NOHO there, and looking it up it seems like NOHO Arts District is an area of North Hollywood, but NOHO isn't used except for that. When I lived in LA, North Hollywood was a seedy area. Apparently, it has seen a revival.
Send your deed via UPS overnight.
During the four years I lived in Santa Fe I learned to make some mean HUEVOs Rancheros.
IIRC there is ( or was) a WALLA WALLA apple variety.
Being a hockey fan, I knew HAB right away. I've read that HAB is French Canadian short for Farmers. Also the Montreal Canadians logo is a large "C" with an "H" in the middle for the HAB nickname.
Chicken little was yelling “This guy is falling” misunderstood as “the sky is falling.
Please give me your email address so we can discuss getting the deed to me.
"No soap" is a common expression (idiom?) that I have used my whole life.
Walla Walla Sweets are a sweet onion like vidalias named after the town near where they grow. Their minor league baseball team is named after them
I don't personally refer to North Hollywood as NOHO, but it's not my nabe.
Ray-O-Sunshine at 11:30 AM has the best use for the abbreviation:
"Part of LA without a red light district … NOHO." Genius.
I enjoyed this puzzle once I grokked the gimmick. I have eaten and enjoyed SHABU SHABU (Chinese HotPot, as Hahtoolah said), a BONBON or three, COUSCOUS, and DAN DAN mien. Did not know of PERI PERI.
I had already entered SOHO but changing it to NOHO because of that UNCANNwhatever was fine with me even though apart from "North of Houston" it meant nothing to me.
Ah, the ROAR of the greasepaint and the smell of the crowd!
My dad sometimes used to say NO SOAP, meaning "Well, that didn't work out right."
Late to the party these days and couldn't make it here yesterday. Taking care of DW is a lot of work and takes a lot of time. I'm happy to do it.
Good reading you all.
Charo said, "cuchi cuchi", whatever that means.
Big Easy: according to my English/Spanish Larousse dictionary, cuchi, ;cuchi means "pig." I heard Charo say it many times but never realized the meaning and still don't know how to interpret her meaning.
Lucina, my research discovered that Charo’s dog, part St. Bernard, part Pit Bull, was named Cuchillo. Charo came up with Cuchi Cuchi because his rear legs shimmied from side to side when he ran. Strange, but true. 😉
Yes, YooperPhil, I knew HAB right away. For once, I had Canadian advantage. I did this CW while travelling this morning, but didn’t get a chance to get here until late this evening.
Irish Miss: Thank you! Since cuchillo means knife I find it a strange name for a dog! But there may be another meaning for it in Spain which is her country, I believe.
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