THE HOLY GALE
Pope Francis, 2018 - Daily Mail
59. "This may come as a shock," or an apt title for this puzzle: HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT - each theme answer "holds" ( within the circles ) a type of hat
17. Gym shorts, yoga pants, tank tops, and the like: ATHLETIC APPAREL - a CAP is a piece of athletic apparel, too
35. Raise doubts: CALL INTO QUESTION - a chef's TOQUE
45. Concept in modern morality: CYBER ETHICS - Le Frawnche Beret
Oui~!
And Away We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Work Extra?: CHEW - clever start; Extra, the chewing gum
5. "Surely, you __!": JEST
9. Coral habitats: REEFS
14. Greek vowel: IOTA
15. Duel tool: EPEE
16. Heart chambers: ATRIA - my only goof; I had ETAS, but changed this to AORTA - yet I was already correct. I went down to Long Island this past weekend to see my younger brother, who just had a scare - he was lying down with chest pains last week, and thank God he has a concerned fiancée - she insisted it was more than just a "pulled muscle" and it turned out to be cardiomyopathy - but I also discovered he takes a LOT of medications, and that's scary. . . .
I did get to see my buddy Cooper - no luck yet on finding my own four-legged friend, Irish Miss
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20. Spotted wildcat: OCELOT
21. Butter squares: PATS
22. Distress signal: SOS
24. Mineral and metal mixtures: ORES - I like this alliterative alternative clue - I had to think about it
25. Alley-__: OOP
26. "Cut that out!": "STOP~!"
27. Served right?: ACED - an unreturnable serve is an ACE
32. Feathered neckwear: BOA - ah, the BOA shows itself this week - AND - 62D. Word of agreement: YES - Oh, so this week, it's yeS and not yeA
33. Unpleasant person: PILL - my mom was good for using this 'slang'
34. Name that means "my God": ELI - clued differently this past Monday
42. Neuro scan: EEG - ElectroEncephaloGram
43. __ snuff: UP TO
44. Mexican Mrs.: SRA
50. James of "Misery": CAAN
51. Accomplishes: DOES
52. Humble abode: HUT
Marching to the Jabba the Hutt hut
53. Fine feathered friends: FOWL
54. Tofu protein: SOY
55. Hieroglyphic bird: IBIS
57. Successful in a critical situation: CLUTCH - typically describing people in "athletic apparel"
63. Vegetable that may be white, yellow, green, or purple: ONION
64. Told tales: LIED
65. Fruity pastry: TART
66. In a weird way: ODDLY
67. "What __ is new?": ELSE
68. Put one's foot down: STEP
DOWN:
1. "Adiós": CIAO
2. Mugful with marshmallows, maybe: HOT COCOA
3. Exquisitely delicate: ETHEREAL
4. Like some ancient cities: WALLED
Do you recognize this WALLED city~? Answer below
5. The Godmother of Punk Joan: JETT
6. Prefix with pen or gram: EPI - EPIpen, EPIgram
7. Triple __ liqueur: SEC - I'm all too familiar with the "Kamikaze" shot
BONZAI~!
8. Service center?: TEAPOT - clever; the "central" element in a teas service set
9. Spellbound: RAPT
10. Airline stats: ETAs
11. Slip up: ERR
12. __ Bowl: annual game in Arizona sponsored by Vrbo: FIESTA
13. Watering hole with swinging doors: SALOON
18. Goddess of the dawn: EOS
19. Potato, in Spanish: PAPA
23. Place for a massage: SPA
25. Norway's capital: OSLO - OK, another name, but this one's a crossword staple
26. Hissy fit: SNIT
27. Block letters: A B C
28. Door opener: HINGE - my only nit; the knob/handle/lockset opens, the hinge "hangs" the door
29. Ctrl-__-Del: ALT
30. Track competitions: MEETS
31. Too: ALSO
33. Spot for a long walk on the beach?: PIER - funnier would have been to clue this "A SHORT spot for a long walk" . . . .
36. Wine bottle sediment: LEES
37. Throw in the towel: QUIT
38. Inventory tracking aid, briefly: UPC - Universal Product Code - and the 21st century QR code
39. "Nothing gets past me": "I SAW THAT."
40. Dental hygiene: ORAL CARE
41. Granny, to some: NAN
45. Music format stored in wallets: CDs
46. "Hello there!": "YOO-HOO~!"
47. Out of reach of: BEYOND - some Don McMillan comedy
"Beyond " @ 1:15
48. Slim: THIN
49. Shake a leg: HUSTLE
50. Legal arenas: COURTS
53. Bug often observed in winter: FLU - Ah, that kind of "bug"
55. Adored one: IDOL
56. All elbows: BONY
57. Key for a smart lock: CODE - I have this Schlage smart lockset on my sunroom door
58. URL opening: HTTP
60. Pot topper: LID
A "theme" oriented repeat from Monday, too
ANSWER:
When the first clue
ReplyDeletehas a “?” after it, I thought to myself
“Uh-0h. Looks like a toughie.” But actually, that was misleading. It wasn’t so bad, and after I got “toque” I figured out what the gimmick had to be, so I inserted “ beret” before I had even read the clue. Anyway, long story short, FIR, so I’m happy.
Actually, “ has” should be “had.” But you folks probably already knew that.
DeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteD-o immediately inked in PERK at 1a. (Have I ever mentioned....?) My only other misstep was in parsing the clue for 5d, wondering who Punk Joan could be. JETT appeared, though. Thanx for the outing, Rebecca, and for the explication, Splynter.
FIR without erasure.
ReplyDelete"Unpleasant person" could have been "Jinx," but it wouldn't perp.
TEAPOT reminded me of this great bit from Caddyshack.
DNK that Joan JETT was punk-related, let alone its Godmother. I did know that she loved rock 'n' roll, and always seemed to have another dime for the jukebox, baby.
We always called those purple onions "red" onions. Kinda like dog people never see a grey greyhound. When they are born grey, their color is called "blue."
Thanks to Rebecca for another fun puzzle. And thanks to Splynter for the fine review, especially for the comedy math.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteJinx--
DeleteI'll throw my hat in the ring for the lapel pin, if no one else has. I was born and raised in Baltimore, and have spent a lot of time in Annapolis. I love the local history--the Lords Baltimore, Queen Anne, rhe Calverts, etc.
You can reach me by email at: kenbuxton11@gmail.com.
Thanks, Jinx, and VIXI LIBER ET MORIAR!
Took 5:36 today to get on TOP of this one.
ReplyDeleteI passed today's foreign language lessons (ciao and hasta manana).
I've not heard Joan Jett called that before. Jinx, well played.
Oh joy, circles!
Considering the circled letters, finding HAT wasn't too difficult- if you looked for it. I didn't. Just want to finish. I've never heard of CYBER ETHICS.
ReplyDeleteELI- I thought it was short for Elisha; perps for the religious meaning.
I had no idea about Punk Joan but after filling JEST and EPEE, JETT was easy to guess.
PIER only got there by perps; I wouldn't consider a pier is long.
OIL and 'story of Hanukkah- no idea about that one.
Maybe the Temptations' "PAPA was a Rolling Stone" was really a Potato.
CODE for a smart lock. They are wonderful but a few times my smart 'hotel key' doesn't work and I have to get a new one at the at the desk. Technology innovations are wonderful- until they don't work.
I thought of the old "why don't you take a long walk off a short pier?" Insult.
DeleteWell, Jessica Goldstein, aka "Ms. 16 x 15," is back with us, with another one of her 16-wide puzzles. I found this one pretty straightforward, uncluttered with obscure proper names, and featuring a diverse headwear theme.
ReplyDeleteSome overused staples, like EPEE, CIAO, and SPA, did make an appearance, presumably spit out by some entity like Crossword Compiler.
But all in all, Rebecca, this was a worthy and fun Wednesday-appropriate challenge that was satisfying in the solve.
And thanks, Splynter, for guiding us with your usual enjoyable recap. I do have a couple queries for you: 1) I read the other day about some entity that was planning to "pull out all the stops" in some undertaking. I thought of you, and I've always liked this idiom, because it makes me think of a pipe organ. Am I correct, that the idiom is based on an organist pulling all the knobs to create a mighty sound from the pipes? 2) Why do you misspell "French"?
I dunno bout Splynter, but to me, "Frawnch" is the sound one makes when French leaves a bad taste in your mouth...
DeleteFIR. I wasn't pleased when I saw the circles, but they easily could be ignored. I did however see the theme early on with the first long answer.
ReplyDeleteFor a Wednesday this was pretty easy. When I got to the bottom and saw "put one's foot down " I began to suspect a redundancy with "stop" appearing above. Oral care solved my dilemma.
Overall an enjoyable puzzle.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was a pleasant offering, with a fun reveal, although I think the circles were unnecessary and detracted from the challenge of the overall solve. The grid was clean, there were no unknowns, and the fill was solid and Wednesday appropriate.
Thanks, Rebecca, and thanks, Splynter, for an enjoyable commentary and several cute comics, i.e. the over-sized Toque and the upgraded Zebra! The Comedy Math was hilarious with its spot-on take on today’s world of technology. Cooper is quite handsome and should be a powerful nudge for you to ramp up your search for your own cuddly canine. Glad your brother is doing better.
Have a great day.
Easy Wednesday. Humpday puzzles can go either way. This one was helped along by obvious wall-to-wall theme answers.
ReplyDeleteInkovers: lore/LIES,
Didn’t understand the clue for CLUTCH….“Yoo-hoo” and “adios” both CIAO in Rome
The TEAPOT is the center of the tea service, clever!
Ms. Booth, you want to play a maid named Hazel on TV? Shirley you ___! … JEST
“Long live the potato or the pope!!” to a SRA …”Viva el ___ !!” …PAPA
What listeners did on the Car Talk Radio show … CALL IN TO QUESTION
I’ve never been to the Emerald City though I visit the land of ____ … OCELOT.
By executive order the use of the common clue Enola Gay may soon be eliminated from CWs!
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna195344
With March Madness starting next week, there'll be an instance where a team will be behind by a point or two with a few seconds left to play, and a player will make a tough shot or make free throws under tremendous pressure with millions watching on TV, and the announcers will say "and Mr. CLUTCH comes through again as the mighty Acorn Heights Ferrets advance to the next round." (BTW - the Penny/Dell crossword today has "hatch of eggs" for CLUTCH.)
DeleteI'll bet you $100 that if the Enola Gay story turns out to be true, it will turn out to be some AI bot that searched for keywords associated with the anti-DEI order. Another $100 says that Enola Gay pictures will stay on or return to DOD web sites.
DeleteNice CW today. I saw the hat theme at TOQUE. Actually we didn’t need the circles, but this being only Wednesday, maybe de rigueur. The rest flowed right on. Just á couple of names I DNK, but no problem.
ReplyDeleteSplynter, thank you for the fine review. I laughed at the math lesson. So true. Ice CAP? LOL.
Why HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT? The circled (!) letters are simply hats. Seems to be missing something.
ReplyDeleteGot off on the wrong foot because Extra was a food store in Florida, so entered "shop" which worked well with HOT COCOA but not much else.
I agree with Splynter that a HINGE is definitely not a door opener.
I thought it was gratuitous to add "sponsored by Vrbo" to the FIESTA Bowl clue. Especially when it's sponsorship changes every couple of years (Tostitos, IBM and Sunkist to name a few). It's been a college football classic for over 50 years. "Annual bowl game in Arizona" is enough, today's sponsor doesn't help.
A little compassion from Rebecca today, a lot of her creations are downright devious, but this was an enjoyable solve which I managed to put a LID on in 13:47. (LID also being an Easter egg). Having taken my kids to a few “Warped Tour” festivals years ago, Joan JETT was a gimme for me. I think I could have found the HATs sans circles, the letters being consecutive. Thanks Rebecca for taking it easy on us today, and to Splynter for your fine review.
ReplyDeleteHG ~ glad to hear your round went well the other day, playing a course tomorrow that’s new to me. What I’ve found about these Florida courses is that what they lack in hazards like woods, they make up for with plenty of sand and water.
Not to mention alligators and fire ants!
DeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-An Alley OOP pass for a dunk can bring a crowd to its feet
-Except for the appearance, texture and taste, I might like TOFU :-)
-CLUTCH – There will be players who will be shooting free throws to win a game at the State Championships this weekend
-My son-in-law always dedicates the song to me when his band plays Green Onions
-The Huskers’ crushing Steve Spurrier's cocky Florida team by 33 points in the 1996 FIESTA Bowl is a great memory
-We just bought a “bookshelf stereo system” so DW can play her big collection of CD’S
-Don McMillan’s comedy is great for us math geeks
-Not messing with keys for my side garage door and car ignitions is so cool.
-Yooper, when the water in our streams dry up in the summer, you can fish out all the golf balls you will ever need.
-Well done, Splynter!
Rebecca Goldstein's puzzle was fast and fun this morning, and was a good example of why we all enjoy crossword puzzles. I would never have seen the HAT theme without the helpful circles, so I liked those. Splynter's review was another delight, with cartoons including the tiny swinging saloon doors for a cat, and the UPC zebra. Don McMillan's comedy was also very welcome.
ReplyDeleteSplynter and RustyBrain object to HINGE as a door opener, and for sure, it was not my first thought! But then, how would you open a door without a hinge? Push it back, lift it up, and set it to one side?
All in all, a very nice way to start the day. Now on to less pleasant tasks. Work!
Pocket door, or sliding patio door? (-Or Paddy O'Door on Monday!)
DeleteOh! Forgot to mention. PAPA is potato in Latin America. PATATA is potato in Spain.
ReplyDeleteOur very reliable TU newspaper had these clues today: 1D “Adi—s” and 28A “Adi-s, amigo” What! I thought, “Oh, no one is going to like this”. Ignoring the —-‘s I FIR and came to the blog for an explanation. Just a misprint!
ReplyDeleteMy friendJerry West was known as “Mr. CLUTCH” for pulling out wins at the ends of basketball games. It is generally accepted that broadcaster Chick Hearn of the Lakers gave him that name.
Thank you Naomi Z for the potato-palata-PAPA explanation. New to me.
FLN - Misty - you chose your name for the happy memories it evokes, as did I with Paris and San Francisco.
Enjoyed your puzzle RG once I got past the misprint. Splynter, informative and funny, as usual.
Happy day, all..
A fun, enjoyable Wednesday puzzle, with a great write-up from Splynter. I didn't grok CHEW until he 'splained it. ( I had forgotten about the gum.)
ReplyDeleteOnce again, thanks to yooz guys, opening the puzzle immediately brought to mind "oh joy!" (I used to like circles...)
ReplyDelete1 across, how do I hate thee, let me count the ways... I thought a had a major nit as the "W" in chew caused a really long alphabet run to finish. But it did lead me to this site which gave me dozens of better clues for the answer "chew." Unfortunately, I did all this work before reading Splynters Splainin, now all I have left to chew on is my own cud. hmm, I wonder if this gadget will work on crosswords...
I can't help but connect that saloon cartoon to the door opener clue debacle, don't the hinges kinda open the doors when it comes to saloons? and close them again?
Honorary mention re: smart locks...
Lastly, why does it seem like everyone is talking thru their hats these days?
I enjoyed this one. Circles weren't needed to solve but fun. My favorite was "Work Extra". Good one.
ReplyDeleteSplynter Thank you for the BERET lady and for the flying CAP photos of the PAPA (Pope in Latin) and the HANUKKAH people.
ReplyDeleteOn Sunday I was privileged to interview this lady with her FINE FEATHERED FRIENDS at our Orchid Show
RayOSunshine Thank you for highlighting some of the insanity. "Move fast and break things" can work during research, design and development. Not good when applied to things that millions of people depend on for their lives and livelihoods.
Hola! We came home earlier than expected and since I cancelled my newspaper, I had to find one to print. Thanks to Rebecca Goldstein for the fun headgear. I know of Joan JETT only because I saw her on "Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley". She features many celebrities and near-celebrities which keeps me up to date on them.
ReplyDeleteHOT COCOA sounds like a good antidote for today's cool weather but coffee is my choice. i believe we could agree that the door would not open without a HINGE so in a sense it is a door opener.
Thank you, Splynter, for your timely and terrific analysis.
Have a happy day, everyone! I hope you all have been well.