Theme: Hey, where'd you find the neat horns?
Constructor Emma Oxford has favored us with her creations a few times already, and was published on this exact date last year! This time, she is looking for a few good horns.
The theme clues and answers, symmetrically arranged in rows Across, are:
17. Place to find a pointy horn: RHINOCEROS.
23. Place to find many horns: FULL ORCHESTRA.
53. Place to find a loud horn: STEERING WHEEL.
63. Place to find a geographical horn: EAST AFRICA.
Let's grab the rest of the puzzle by the horns ...
1. 1975 thriller filmed largely on Martha's Vineyard: JAWS. No horns, but big teeth!
5. Comedian Black: LEWIS. No horns, but steam coming out of his ears!
 |
| Lewis Black |
10. Store: MART.
14. Smoothie berry: ACAI.
15. Balderdash: TRIPE. Rubbish, nonsense, baloney, hogwash ...
16. __ vera: ALOE.
17. [Theme clue]
19. Sizable barrels: KEGS.
20. Ready: SET.
21. Zip: NONE.
22. "__ the thing ... ": HERE'S. Uh oh! Some of our solvers hate conversational prompts.
23. [Theme clue]
27. Budget prefix: ECONO.
14. Smoothie berry: ACAI.
15. Balderdash: TRIPE. Rubbish, nonsense, baloney, hogwash ...
16. __ vera: ALOE.
17. [Theme clue]
19. Sizable barrels: KEGS.
20. Ready: SET.
21. Zip: NONE.
22. "__ the thing ... ": HERE'S. Uh oh! Some of our solvers hate conversational prompts.
23. [Theme clue]
27. Budget prefix: ECONO.
 |
| ... as an example. |
29. "The __ and I": song from "Wicked": WIZARD. I am going to have to watch Wicked. It is becoming a cultural touchstone.
30. Carey known as the "Queen of Christmas": MARIAH. Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas" is a holiday staple. In 2021, Carey filed a petition to trademark the title "Queen of Christmas," meaning that no one else would be able to use it. Other Christmas minded music makers filed opposing motions, and in 2022, the Trial Trademark and Appeal Board ruled against Carey. Old news, but news to me.
32. __ de mer: MAL. Adopted into English, meaning "seasickness," the original French is "illness of the sea."
33. "Klutzy me!": OOPS. D'oh is too short.
37. Diagnostic scan: Abbr.: MRI. Magnetic Resonance Imaging uses a magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves to create detailed images of the organs and tissues in your body.
38. Composer Rorem: NED. Ned Rorem (1923 - 2022) was an American composer of contemporary classical music and a writer.
 |
| Ned Rorem |
40. Symbol of Aries: RAM. Astrology.
42. "The Jungle Book" python: KAA. A character from The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, adapted various times for the silver screen.
43. Italian wine region: ASTI. Asti is in Piedmont, a region of Italy surrounded on three sides by the Alps. Asti is the source of sparkling Asti wine, also called Asti Spumante. The wine is sweet and low in alcohol, and is made solely from the moscato bianco (white muscat) grape.
45. Rapper Lil __ X: NAS. Lil Nas X, born Montero Lamar Hill, is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter who became famous for his 2018 song "Old Town Road." The song became the longest-running number-one song in the history of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Lil Nas X has won multiple awards, including two Grammys, five Billboard Music Awards, and five MTV Video Music Awards.
 |
| Lil Nas X (My grandchildren *loved* Old Town Road.) |
47. Lines at a karaoke bar: LYRICS. The lines you sing.
49. __ crab: HERMIT.
52. Ones always underfoot?: SOLES.
53. [Theme clue]
57. Some campus buildings: HALLS.
58. Carol: NOEL.
59. Gp. with badges: BSA. Boy Scouts of America.
62. Chain that sells Mexican Tres Leches Pancakes: IHOP. The first International House of Pancakes opened in Burbank, California, in 1958. The *third* one opened on Stocker Street in the Baldwin Hills of Los Angeles, near my neighborhood, and is still in operation. IHOP Corporation purchased Applebee's restaurants in 2007. Clearly their cuisine is selling like hotcakes.
63. [Theme clue]
66. Bishop of Rome: POPE.
67. Rose: STOOD. To rise is to stand *up*. He rose = he stood. Of course, stood could also be the past tense of stand. He just stood there.
68. Provo's state: UTAH.
69. Plant-to-be: SEED.
70. Rescuee in "The Rescuers": PENNY. I loved the 1959 novel The Rescuers written by Margery Sharp and illustrated by Garth Williams. Penny is a character in Disney's 1977 animated adaptation.
71. Beauts: GEMS. Beaut is an informal word meaning something beautiful, remarkable, or amazing. That horn is a beaut! Oh yes, it's a gem.
Down:
Down:
1. Canning array: JARS. Preservation of foods in airtight containers started with glass CANisters, and was called canning. Later, factories introduced tin cans. Today, when folks preserve foods at home using glass jars, they still call it canning.
2. Feel yesterday's workout: ACHE.
3. "Keep watching ... ": WAIT FOR IT.
4. Do bad: SIN.
5. Rank for Sen. Tammy Duckworth: LT COL. Tammy Duckworth is an American politician, retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel, and combat veteran of the Iraq War. She has served as a United States senator from Illinois since 2017.
 |
| Senator Tammy Duckworth |
6. Heretofore: ERE NOW.
7. Feature of some glasses: WIRE RIM.
8. Wall St. debut: IPO. An Initial Public Offering is when a private company offers its shares for sale to the public for the first time.
9. French possessive: SES. Plural his/her/its. "Ses amis" means his/her/its friends. It is plural to match the modified noun, amis (friends). "Son ami" means his/her/its friend, singular.
10. Gets by: MAKES DO.
11. On edge: ALERT. I've been gathering photos and videos from the neighbors following a burglary on the block, and sharing the evidence with the Sheriff.
12. "Man Fire Food" host Mooking: ROGER. Roger Mooking is a Trinidadian-Canadian chef, musician, and television host. He has hosted the television series Man Fire Food since 2012, and is also the host of Everyday Exotic on the Cooking Channel and Food Network Canada.
 |
| Check out his featured recipes at rogermooking.com |
13. Thompson of "Thor: Ragnarok": TESSA. Tessa Thompson began her professional acting career with the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company while studying at Santa Monica College. Since 2005, she's appeared in many TV series and movies, including Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).
 |
| Tessa Thompson in "Thor: Ragnarok" |
18. Like some exhibition pieces: ON LOAN. My brother's wife manages private art collections, and sometimes travels internationally with paintings to be displayed in exhibitions overseas.
 |
| Amazing S-I-L, NaomiZ, and DH |
22. "That woman?": HER.
24. College abroad?: UNI. In England, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, "uni" is commonly used as a shorthand for "university."
25. Policy setter: CZAR.
26. Kosher : Judaism :: __ : Islam: HALAL. Dietary rules. Jews eat kosher food; Muslims eat halal food. The rules have to do with what foods may be eaten, but also how they must be prepared.
27. Stone with two Oscars: EMMA. Emma Stone won two Academy Awards for Best Actress for her roles as an aspiring actress in the romantic musical La La Land (2016) and as a resurrected suicide victim in the comic fantasy Poor Things (2023).
 |
| Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in "La La Land." DH watched this movie dozens of times. |
28. Train units: CARS.
31. Painter Matisse: HENRI.
34. "Fine, tell me": OK, I'LL BITE.
35. Trot or gallop: PACE.
36. Fresh answers: SASS.
39. Curse: DAMN. Verbs: to condemn to a punishment or fate.
41. "If I do say so __": MYSELF.
44. "Give me some credit!": I HELPED.
46. Joins the team: SIGNS ON.
48. Fish-to-be: ROE.
50. Hosp. areas: ERs. Emergency Rooms.
51. Weighing 4,000 pounds: TWO TON.
53. Roots for romantically, in slang: SHIPS. In the context of transporting goods, "ship" means to send something from one place to another. In the context of fan culture, "ship" means to hope that two people will become romantically involved. When we watched The Office, we were all shipping for Jim and Pam. Thank you, Emma Oxford, for teaching me this through today's puzzle!
31. Painter Matisse: HENRI.
34. "Fine, tell me": OK, I'LL BITE.
35. Trot or gallop: PACE.
36. Fresh answers: SASS.
39. Curse: DAMN. Verbs: to condemn to a punishment or fate.
41. "If I do say so __": MYSELF.
44. "Give me some credit!": I HELPED.
46. Joins the team: SIGNS ON.
48. Fish-to-be: ROE.
50. Hosp. areas: ERs. Emergency Rooms.
51. Weighing 4,000 pounds: TWO TON.
53. Roots for romantically, in slang: SHIPS. In the context of transporting goods, "ship" means to send something from one place to another. In the context of fan culture, "ship" means to hope that two people will become romantically involved. When we watched The Office, we were all shipping for Jim and Pam. Thank you, Emma Oxford, for teaching me this through today's puzzle!
 |
| Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski as Pam and Jim in "The Office" |
54. Chevy SUV since 1994: TAHOE.
55. Skip the wedding planning: ELOPE.
56. Intoxicating: HEADY.
60. Offer that seems too good to be true, probably: SCAM.
61. Oohs and __: AAHS. How the crowd reacts to fireworks.
63. Clairvoyance, e.g.: ESP. Extrasensory perception.
64. Broke a fast: ATE. Speaking of kosher and halal dietary restrictions, sometimes we cannot eat at all!
65. Throw __: RUG.
Here's the grid:
If you Finished It Right (FIR), you can toot your own HORN in the comments!
Otherwise, please horn in with your objections.
NaomiZ
36 comments:
One of my favorite kinds
of puzzles: one word with multiple meanings. And I zipped through this one without too much trouble. FIR, so I’m happy.
FIR, but nada->NONE, dorm->HALL, manages, then makes it->MAKES DO, and gait->PACE.
This one was Thursday-tough for me, especially around Michigan. It would have been much easier had I known LEWIS Black, or how to spel RHINOCEROS.
There isn't a horn on the STEERING WHEEL. The horn is under the hood, and today's cars don't have especially loud ones. Kinda like saying the headlights are on the turn signal stick.
I've always wished that the rich and famous host of Let's Make a Deal would have left an endowment to his favorite UNI. The UNI could have then erected Monte HALL in his honor.
Nearby William and Mary UNI currently has an exhibit “Michelangelo: The Genesis of the Sistine,” featuring 25 drawings ON LOAN from Italy and the Vatican.
How the heck did SHIP become "root for romantically?" Acronym for Single Horney Intimate People, maybe?
Thanks to EMMA (I see what you did there) for the fun Thursday challenge, and to NaomiZ for another great start to the morning.
Good morning!
And thus endeth the easy puzzles of this week. Of the four themers, I only think of EAST AFRICA as a "place." SHIPS was a learning moment, soon to be forgotten. When to use SES and when to use MES? Dunno. Since an MRI uses magnets and radio waves, why is it so darned loud? It sounds like somebody inside hammering to get out. Didn't need the Wite-Out this morning, so the perps must've been kind. Thanx, Emma and NaomiZ. (Wicked is now streaming on Peacock. We tried to watch it -- made it through one hour.)
"Ship" comes from "relationship". It can be used both as a noun (referring to the relationship that fans would like to see) or a verb (as clued).
You can tell we are approaching the end of the week …. obscure proper names.
I had hornrim glasses which fit both the space and the theme. Stuck with it too long but nothing would perp. I kept wracking my brain for LEWIS Black’s first name. Eventually changed to WIRE
Other Inkovers: SIGNED up/ON,
Why the obscure use of SHIPS, more of a Saturday ruse.
Busy day off,
Oh …. MRI knocking sound is an interaction of a component of the scanner working with the primary magnetic field making them expand and contract and vibrate . At least that’s what the physicists tell me. Always wear the headphones offered they’re not just for listening to your favorite music genre.
Took 8:54 today to get honked off.
I knew today's actress (Tessa), but not the foreign language tests (ses & mal) and not the cook (Roger). I also struggled in the top-center area, and have ... erenow never heard of "ships" like that.
Good morning. Looking back I noticed EMMA Oxford managed to get EMMA Stone on the grid. My first thought on the theme was a herd of some type of
cows. The HORN OF AFRICA was a gimme. ORCHESTRA let me fill the unknowns Roger and Tessa.
I didn't know Sen Duckworth's rank, but after LEWIS and TRIPE were filled I went with LT. COL instead of the three-star rank. I had the misfortune of having to sit through listening to off-key MARIAH Carey a few years ago when she opened for a Lionel Richie concert. She must have been drunk or stoned. Brought her kids on the stage. Half the audience went to the concession stands while she was singing.
The IHOP close to me needs to shut down. No workers, slow service.
HERE'S the thing- he lost.
If you SET the table, it's ready. If you on the track, it's "ready, set, go" - ready and set are not the same.
DNK as clued TESSA, ROGER, PENNY, SES. SHIPS-unknown.
FIR. It took a bit to get through today's puzzle, but it is Thursday after all, and that's to be expected.
The only true mystery for me was ship. I had no idea this was a thing. I guess I am dating myself, no pun intended.
But overall this was an enjoyable puzzle.
I had a hang up in the NE. Finally WIZARD unlocked it all.
Roger, Tessa, and Lewis needed a perp or two and a wag.
SHIP was totally new to me. It's slang, but fair game.
Just two perps suggested LT COL.
Mal de mer has become standard English. Google says, "Yes, you can use "mal de mer" in writing, especially in contexts where you want to emphasize a nautical or French-sounding phrase."
We say, "Are you ready?" "I'm all set."
Obscure means not common knowledge , not widely known. So, for instance, we would not call a famous person obscure, even if we have never heard of them.
I find erm, uh huh, tsk and other spelled out vocalizations in novels. They are a necessary part of written dialogue and are also heard in everyday conversation.
From last night, I like to savor my puzzle, not speed solve. Why gulp a glass of fine wine in three seconds flat?
I like this type of theme.
I really liked the theme. I too enjoy themes that deal with multiple meanings or uses of words. The rest of the CW filled slowly but surely. Names i didn’t know like LEWIS filled with perps. So I’ll toot my HORN, I FIR. SHIP did baffle me.
Thank you NaomiZ for the review. Nice pic.
Welcome to full time Naomi and I hope your matzo balls are fluffy. The theme was fair, and my unknowns all filled but I am geographically challenged so I did not know Cape of Africa - Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn are all I got. Also, chef ROGER MOOKING still means nothing to me. As far as Shipping it is a term I hope quickly disappears. Thank you EO and Naomi
TESSA THOMPSON has done much more than Marvel movies, having started out as a regular on VERONICA MARS and showing she is an accomplished singer as well as a tough guy. I think she has a family history of performance.
Terrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Emma
(I too saw that CSO) and NaomiZ.
Officially a DNF as I had to Google LEWIS and Sen. Duckworth (there is Zach also!) to get a toehold in Michigan like Jinx.
CZAR today, not Tsar.
MAKES IT changed to MAKES DO.
Mes, Les, to SES
I almost had to use “Call a friend” for the Wicked clue. Granddaughter would have given me WIZARD, but it perped.
I still can’t, but not as much as ERE NOW. I have excess JARS.
Wishing you all a great day.
CEh! (I can’t get my Google account to activate in Comments on my iPhone. It goes back to Anonymous??)
I still Can. Curse Autocorrect
Anon @ 9:38
I’ve noticed at least for the LAT puzzles when referring to the Russian autocrat it’s usually spelled TSAR but the “executive branch policy center leader” was always spelled CZAR. So the current autocratic executive branch policy leaders can be spelt either way.
Thank you Emma for a devil😈 of a Thursday puzzle, which after much wailing and gnashing of fangs I managed to FIR.
And thank you Naomi for your informative and entertaining review!
FAVS:
5A LEWIS. JACK was too short.
23A FULL ORCHESTRA. Or how about a SHORT FRENCH lesson?
28A NED. Here's the piano accompaniment to ROREM's song O you whom I often and silently come
49A HERMIT. My son had a hermit crab he called HERMES when he was little.
66A POPE. The current one is named Francis. I suspect that we'll have a new one soon.😒
1D JARS. We've canned a lot of vegetables over the years. High acid foods like tomatoes can be canned with only a big stew pot and JARS taken hot from the oven. Low acid fruits like beans or peaches require a pressure cookier.
5D. LT COL. There are still some heroes left in the legislature and Tammy Duckworth is one of them.
18D ON LOAN. Thanks for LOANING us that beautiful family portrait Naomi!
Cheers,
Bill
Yes Ray-o- that seems to be the rule to remember
Fun puzzle, but I kept starting each themer with a "B" thinking "brass" had to be in there somewhere...
However, if you asked an engineer...
Good Afternoon:
I echo Subgenius’s vote for this type of theme and, IMO, this particular offering was very well executed. The grid was clean and the fill was varied and fresh. I was unfamiliar with Kaa and Ere Now took a bit of pondering, which might have been avoided by a qualifier in the clue, such as, Archaic, Old fashioned, etc. My other small nit is cluing a common word such as Ships with a pop culture reference, unknown to many solvers. Any and all obstacles were overcome by the fair perps, so I was rewarded by a smooth and enjoyable solve.
Thanks, Emma, for a Thursday treat and thanks, Naomi, for an informative and entertaining review. Lovely picture and I share your DH’s fondness for La La Land, although I’ve only seen it twice.
Have a great day.
This was fun and easy to do for me, which is not always the case on Thursday. Thank you E.O. Naomi, your thoughtful and detailed reviews are now a standard. SHIP unknown, signs up/SIGNS ON, nada/NONE
PENNY, astar on The Big Bang Theory was on the episode with LEWIS Black when he was so funny.
La La Land with EMMA and Ryan was a happy sad movie. IMHO, his performance was outstanding, singing, dancing, and learning to play the piano for the role. I thought she was not as good, but she won the Academy Award. Perhaps that was the film message, the best do not always get the recognition they deserve but the less talented become stars. Talent does not always win out. But I loved her in The Help.
Happy day, all!
I did manage to FIR in 16, but struggled with the North Central. DNK LEWIS, and ERENOW was a long time coming. Too many names (17) for my taste, and I especially despise putting two names right beside each other (ROGER/TESSA). DNK 6 names, including LEWIS, ROGER, and TESSA, plus never heard of "SHIP" being used this way. All that being said, the theme was clever, especially since they are all very different types of horns. This was definitely a Thursday struggle for me, but got the theme and in the end, got 'er done. Thanx EO for the fun. Please try to NOT to put so many names in a CW, and DEFINITELY please avoid putting them right next to each other. Thanx NaomiZ for the terrific write-up. All your time and effort is appreciated.
Anonymous at 5:31 AM, that is helpful!
So fluffy, Lemonade at 9:31 AM! Happy Passover!
A good Thursday puzzle IMO, but it took me 16:48 to FIR, having to work through the unknowns, ROGER, LEWIS, KAA, PENNY and TESSA (first thought was Sadie 🤷♂️). Tense became ALERT. Hard to think that Jaws came out 50 years ago, surprised they haven’t remade it with today’s CGI. I agree with Bill’s endorsement of LT COL Duckworth, we need more like her in Congress. Thanks Emma for the fine construction today (and also for coining the term “Ektorp”, which wasn’t applicable for me today, but it is quite often).
Naomi Z ~ thanks for the informative post today, always a pleasure to read! Nice photo also. DW watched “Wicked” while I was out golfing, not my kind of movie. Being Easter/Passover week, last night our movie selection was “The Ten Commandments” from 1956, 3 hours 39 minutes long so we only made it through half 😂.
Took a while, but my ship finally came in. Not bad for a Thursday offering, and NaomiZ added the icing on the cake. Never heard of Lewis Black, and I see many others haven't, either. That would put him squarely in the "obscure" column for me. A "famous" column would contain the likes of Prior, Williams, Leno, etc. Pretty hard to be a famous comic in this day and age, as all comedy is sure to upset someone somewhere, and no, no, no, we cannot allow any of that! R.I.P., Comedy.
Hola! Though I finished the puzzle early before I left for errands, I did not have time to post until now. I found it easier than most of you, it seems. And I echo the chorus for liking this kind of puzzle; even obscurities were helped by kind perps. The cluing in SHIPS was mysterious to me so thank you for elucidating that though I'm sure I'll never use it. ROGER can be clued in so many ways but this one was really obscure. Again, thank you, perps.
And thank you, NaomiZ; your informative narrative was very helpful.
Enjoy your day, everyone!
I have just realized that all the names as fill do not seem to bother others as much as myself. IMO, even perpped they are a banal excuse for puzzle design.
Jinx@5:29AM, Slang isn’t what it used to be.
I guess I am one of the few that had no delay in filling in both ROGER (Mooking) and LEWIS (Black).
I've watched enough episodes of "Man Fire Food" that it was as common for me as knowing Food Television's Ree Drummond for "Pioneer Woman" or Alton Brown for "Good Eats."
Anonymous T has linked clips of Lewis Black a number of times (along with warnings about content). I've watched a few of his shows on cable. He's funny in an angry kind of delivery, but his brand of humor may not be for everyone.
For a more G rated type of comic, I'd suggest Nate Bargatze. Funny guy with observations and humor that I can relate to.
Unlike NaomiZ, I had no idea on Penny, but the perps made the name easily deduced.
Thank you, Emma and NaomiZ
Here's a more detailed look at what crossword puzzles test:
1. Vocabulary and Word Knowledge:
- Crossword puzzles require you to know a wide range of words and their meanings.
- You need to be able to recall words quickly and accurately, even when the clues are not straightforward.
- Clues often involve wordplay, idioms, and other types of verbal reasoning
2. Memory and Recall:
- Crossword puzzles challenge your memory as you need to remember clues, letters, and previously entered words.
- You often need to recall frequently used words and common patterns.
- Solving a puzzle involves piecing together information and making connections, which strengthens memory
3. Problem-Solving and Deductive Reasoning:
- Crossword puzzles require you to use deductive reasoning to deduce the answers based on the clues and the letters you already have.
- You need to be able to identify patterns, relationships, and constraints to solve the puzzle.
- Solving a puzzle involves breaking down a complex problem into smaller steps and finding a solution.
4. Cognitive Flexibility and Creativity:
- Crossword puzzles can encourage flexible thinking as you need to consider multiple possibilities and adjust your approach.
- You may need to think "outside the box" to solve clues that use wordplay or metaphors.
- Solving a puzzle can be a creative process as you explore different combinations of letters and words to find the right answers
5. Cultural Literacy and General Knowledge:
- Crossword puzzles often incorporate clues that test your knowledge of history, literature, pop culture, and other areas.
- You may need to recognize famous people, places, or events to solve the clues.
- Solving puzzles can expand your knowledge and appreciation for different aspects of culture
Even though I may dislike some of the cluing and/or fill, I am too dedicated to CW puzzle solving to give up. Once in a great while I may find a Saturday one too difficult to finish, but I will always persevere and I'm so grateful for this Blog to help me with the uncertainties when they occur.
I'm with you, TTP. ROGER and LEWIS are as common for me as Drummond and Brown. Meaning I don't know any of them from Adam.
Musings
-I had a nice day playing golf on a breezy day 60 miles north of here.
-Severe weather just an hour ago has set off sirens and HORNS off here in Eastern Nebraska but we were spared.
-Fun puzzle
My wife graduated from William & Mary back in the girl-power 70s. The first t-shirt I saw her in said "Mary & William".
Enjoyed this puzzle - started faster and then slowed a bit at the end
Doing the puzzle late as we are out in Colorado visiting one of our sons and his family. After playing all day with a 9 month old and a 3 year old, I can barely stay awake to get to the puzzle
Lil NAS X has a fun mixture of country and rap- we used that song for our cardio dance class and it was fun- his music video that goes with this is amusing.
IHOP was and Ektorp - four letter restaurant with pancakes
Only and hour or less left for today's Wordle word - so not likely spoiler to say what a coincidence with today's puzzle
Thanks Naomi for the blog and Emma for the puzzle
Thanks to Emma for the surprise FIR! Wisconsin was tricky. I'm happy to see inanehiker found and Ektorp in your puzzle with IHOP.
A while back Grammar Girl explained why "The WIZARD and I" was not a grammar error. It is a Right Dislocated Sentence.
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/articles/wicked-movie-grammar-wizard-and-i/
I like TTP's @4:56 list (especially #3&4) and NaomiZ's review! Thanks for explaining SHIPS. Hand up for wanting Pam & Jim to hook up back in the day. Nice pic of the fam!
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