CAT'S EYE
EYE believe we are looking at a debut puzzle for both constructors - congrats~! In a strange semi-duplicate of my previous blog, and a reflection of yesterday's puzzle, we have several repeat clues/answers and the dreaded circles, but in this puzzle, they appear in five Down fills and enclose four gems, or "rocks", and rise, or "climb" up the answers. Four out of five fills are unique to crosswords, two of them being 15-letter spanners ( which, in the past, I actually called "climbers" when vertical ). Contrarily, the names came back, but not too badly, and we had 22 3LWs as well. The themers;
3. Meatless barbecue patties: SOY BURGERS - RUBY - this was what EYE expected the answer to be, but "VEGGIE" was too long
5. Light punishment: A SLAP ON THE WRIST - OPAL - EYE figured this one out, too
9. "Au revoir": TILL WE MEET AGAIN - AGATE - Knew we were looking for a phrase for "Good B-EYE"
17. Athlete who might have a "belayed" reaction, and what 3-, 5-, 9-, and 30-Down each contain?: ROCK CLIMBER - belaying is how one runs a rope (line) around a cleat, pin, rock - or perhaps through an EYE hook
30. Former Samsung smartphone with a stylus: GALAXY NOTE - ONYX - My choice of smart device is an Android S22 - not an EYE-phone
17. Athlete who might have a "belayed" reaction, and what 3-, 5-, 9-, and 30-Down each contain?: ROCK CLIMBER - belaying is how one runs a rope (line) around a cleat, pin, rock - or perhaps through an EYE hook
And Away We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Broad views: VISTAS - During which Windows version was your kid born~?
Don McMillan, tehnically funny
7. Metaphor for a wearying work routine: RAT RACE - can't seem to JOG in the human race
Spinal Tap - the embedded lyrics don't reflect the intent of the song - or the band
14. Person who's self-obsessed: EGOIST
15. Frequent flyer: AVIATOR
16. "Casino __": Bond film: ROYALE - one of the best Bond films, IMHO, and THE best theme song
Chris Cornell, You Know My Name
17. Live, as footage: REAL TIME
18. Texter's "Just a moment": BRB - Be Right Back
19. Nerf darts, e.g.: AMMO - Nerf appeared last Wednesday, too; EYE was down on Long Island last weekend, and my buddy's son takes archery lessons; gave it "a shot", found my bow arm to be weaker than my drawing one - not what I expected
21. Cuts in a pie crust: SLITS
22. MLB official: UMPire - MLB abbr, answer abbr
24. Play part after the first intermission: ACT TWO - usually fills as "ACT II" - with two EYES
26. Super __ Bros.: MARIO - easy enough, but still a name, #1
28. Ring victory, for short: TKO - Technical Knock-Out; based on the decision that a boxer is in no condition to continue the bout
29. NBC foreign correspondent Richard: ENGEL - no clue, filled via perps, name #2
33. Skin and bones: ORGANS - yes, the skin is an organ, so this is a very clever clue
35. Pre-exam session: CRAM
37. __ carte: À LA - saw this Tuesday
38. Informal clothing option: TEE - Just got this one
Never Say Die~! Black Sabbath
39. Slogan: TAGLINE
41. Claiborne of fashion: LIZ - name #3; her clothing website
42. Sticky roadway substance: TAR
43. Colorful Hindu spring observance: HOLI - more here
Vibrant, and messy
44. Match wits with: DEBATE
46. "Jungle Fever" actor Davis: OSSIE - name #4
48. Long-legged bird: EMU
50. Formal options, informally: TUXES
51. Nerds: DWEEBS - Two weeks in a row; it's not on the chart . . .
53. "__ takers?": ANY
54. Middle Eastern leaders: EMIRS
56. Vaping device: eCIG
58. "Planet Money" producer: NPR
61. Coin collector?: CREDITOR - Har-har; I don't recall seeing a Coinstar in my Big Y store
63. Seaside city in Italia: NAPOLI - the EYE-talian spelling of Italy and Naples; name #5
65. "Let me look!": "CAN I SEE~?" - This REVEAL is EYE Catching
mesmer-EYE-zing
66. Best of the best: TIP-TOP
67. Move like an old jalopy: STUTTER - meh. Move like a stick shift in the hands of a new driver = more better-er - we had MANUAL yesterday for "car with a clutch"
68. Odin feature: ONE EYE - Went onl-EYE-ne to see if in fact, he had one EYE, not just one "i" as in o - d - I - n - and yesterday we had ONE BAR
DOWN:
1. Action word: VERB
2. Fictional lab assistant: IGOR - "No, EYE gor"
4. Aunt, in Mexico: TIA
6. Part of a winesap or a wineglass: STEM
7. "Hair Love" voice actress Issa: RAE - just about every other puzzle these days; name #6
8. Nautical "Halt!": "AVAST~!" - p-EYE-rate speak falls on Friday, September 19th this year
10. Mete out: RATION
11. Toiling away: AT IT
12. Rom-, dot-, or sit- enders: COMS
13. Prior to, poetically: ERE
20. Yoga roll: MAT - SUSHI didn't fit 😜
23. "Mamma __!": MIA - name(ish), but a crossword staple, and this song appeared last week
25. "Silent All These Years" singer Amos: TORI - name #7
26. Slogan: MOTTO - twice in two weeks, also, so "lather, rinse, repeat" is m-EYE motto
27. Fields of study: AREAS
31. Best of the best: ELITE - Dah~! Not 'A-TEAM' . . . there's no EYE in TEAM, but one in e-l-i-t-e
32. Lounges (about): LAZES
34. __ Paulo, Brazil: SAO - name #8
36. "On top of that ... ": AND . . . . another thing~!
That's no misprint - it is the sixth book in the trilogy
40. "Squee!" feeling: GLEE - Have to admit to never feeling the feeling "squee" 😝
45. Hairdo for General Leia: BUN - semi-meh; more like "bunS"
First driving lesson in the T-EYE Fighter
47. Words following a great accomplishment: "I DID IT~!" - EYE did a thing~!
Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear & Clarkson's Farm
49. The Trojans of the NCAA: USC - Don't follow college sports; filled via perps
52. First name in cosmetics: ESTÉE - Lauder - her Wiki, name #9
54. QED part: ERAT - Quod... Demonstrandum - Latin-speak "that which was to be shown"
55. Host's handout: MENU
57. Really digging: INTO
59. Devious maneuver: PLOY
60. __ for the picking: RIPE
61. Adds to an email chain: CCs - C.C.'s involved in the crossword, again
62. Above, in poetry: O'ER
64. Safety gear for hosp. workers: PPE - OSHA-speak; Personal Protective Equipment; the long way to describe "mask & gloves" - maybe some goggles for the EYEs
EYE goggles
Splynter
51 comments:
Although it looked
daunting at first; in the end, I didn’t find it all that difficult. The theme was obvious with the first themed solve, and after that everything pretty much fell into place. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
D-o failed to notice the circles and the reveal, too. D'oh. That didn't keep this one from turning into a quickee. Fastest of the week, so far. Thanx, Jeffrey, Evan, and Splynter.
ROCK CLIMBER: In the Navy "belay" has a different meaning. "Belay my last" instructs you to forget the previous order.
PPE: Yesterday the dental hygienist wore both a surgical mask and a plastic splash mask. Started during covid, never stopped.
TILL WE MEET AGAIN: Methinks that was a song the congregation always sang at the end of the service, but it's been many decades, so I may be misremembering.
There's Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing "Happy Trails to You" "until we meet again". Nostalgia inducing.
FIR, but "a list"->ELITE and deke->PLOY.
I learned today that bone is classified as a rigid organ. Who gnu?
MiLB teams can challenge ball/strike calls this year. Each team gets three challenges, and overturned calls don't count against the three. In a recent Norfolk Tides game, the visitors had nine challenges, all overturning the UMP's calls. Maybe it IS time to automate that task.
SOY BURGERS? Oh, the humanity. Why oh why would this be uttered in a family-friendly context?
At one time not so long ago, DW juggled offices in Dallas, Coral Gables (FL) and SAO Paulo. Now she occasionally remembers my name.
Thanks to Jeffrey and Evan for the fun, easy-ish hump day exercise. And thanks to Splynter for the fun review. Eye won't soon forget that GIF.
Easy enough to complete the puzzle; understand the theme, not so much.
I solved this fine puzzle as a themeless. I needed the circles to see the climbing gems. The circles did not distract , but added to the fun.
My favorite clue was frequent flyer-aviator.
Richard Engel has been a fearless on the scene war correspondent for many years. He has won numerus prizes for his reporting. I like his clear and concise style.
Ossie Davis is also a favorite of mine.
Jinx, I whole heartedly empathize with you. My mother also experienced the long decline of Alzheimer's. Have you read Patti Davis's "The Long Goodbye" or "Still Alice" by Lisa Genova? They are both so true and relatable.
C.C. has today's Universal puzzle at:
https://syndication.andrewsmcmeel.com/puzzles/crosswords
E nded this one in 4:25 today.
D id I know today's (and nearly every day's) actress (Rae)? Yes.
O h joy, circles!
E ntered "Naples" before it gave way to "Napoli."
G otta go!
Thank you Jeffrey and Evan and congrats on your debuts. To borrow a phrase from our friend Jayce, "I liked this puzzle", despite an FIW due to carelessness. It was a real "cliff hanger" until I got to the reveal and saw the climbing "rocks", which are technically all minerals -- varieties of crypto-crystalline quartz.
And thank you Splynter for another signature review (i.e. 65A 💕).
Not my FAV: DNK 29A ENGEL, which led me astray in the middle east with no EMIR to lead me back -- so I swagged ENGAL. ALIST at 31D seemed to make sense but that implied 44A DEBASE and 50A TUXTS which didn't.
FAVS:
33A ORGANS. Skin is actually the largest organ in the body and if you don't take care of which you can get into trouble with carcinomas, which I now have under control with regular visits to my dermatologist.
51A DWEEBS. Both this and NERDS imply someone with no fashion sense. I'll own up to this, but I consider myself more of a GEEK, someone who is really 57D INTO something, e.g. crossword puzzles.
68A ODIN. Also called WOTAN. Here's WOTAN's farewell to his Valkyrie daughter Brünhilde from Wagner's The Ring of Nibelungs sung by Baltimore boy James Morris.
6D STEM. I believe we had this on Monday as the acronym for Science Technology Engineering and Math.
8D AVAST. Remember this one for International Talk Like a Pirate Day this coming September 19th.
54D ERAT. So says the speaker, but it ain't necessarily so. 🙃
Cheers,
Bill
Well, not bad at all. I too saw the theme right away, liked the clues, many names I didn’t know, in fact OSSIE was the only one, kind perps rescued me, but all in all, I too will quote Jayce, I liked this puzzle.
DH was á USC Trojan. He still has the little statue of Tommy Trojan they gave him when he graduated.
Thank you Splynter for the nice review. I’ll have to go back and watch the videos when I have more time.
Thank you for the book suggestions. I've read The 36 Hour Day which was very helpful, but not the two you mentioned. I've added those to my list. BTW, we lost my mother to Alzheimer's as well. My grandmother on my father's side died of it also, and having history on both sides of my heritage causes me to worry when I think about it. Right now I'm too busy to dwell on such matters.
In my ute we were trying to come up with names for our neighborhood corkball teams. Dad, always helpful, suggested we could be the Sheiks or Trojans.
Because rock is slang for gem I don't have a nit with its use here.
These days the terms geek and nerd can be neutral or even positive, depending on the context. Best Buy proudly calls its techs the Geek Squad. Dork and dweeb are almost always derogatory.
FIR. Not too difficult at all, but this is Wednesday after all. I knew skin was an organ, but I didn't know bones were considered organs as well. Learning moment for me.
I didn't need the circles, or the theme, to finish this puzzle. When I found the reveal, only then did I see the gimmick.
So overall I found this to be a fun puzzle.
Odin…. Wotan… Woden… Wodnesdaeg …. Wednesday.
Happy Odin’s Day
Musings
-Burger King’s Impossible Burger is meatless and uses SOY but cooks the patty on the same grill as it meat products
-That engineer comedian really cracks
-We caught our boat ride to CAPRI in NAPOLI during a garbage strike
-SPUTTER seemed better or at least perfectly fine for old jalopy movement
-We did not realize that McDonald’s is trying to go completely to Kiosk ordering. We saw no MENU posted and no one at the counter. Someone finally showed up and when we asked where the MENU board was, she rolled her eyes and pulled out a three-foot-long piece of cardboard. We had the same situation at a Taco Bell two days later.
-I have no history of Alzheimer’s in my family tree but I did order four Air Tags yesterday.
-Fore!
WDOS @ 5:33: "Fastest of the week". This CW seemed to be EXACTLY on my wavelength. I was quite surprised to see it too me 12 to FIR: seemed much faster. 14 names but only 1 DNK: ENGEL. Which I should have known. I even got the theme early on, which may have helped a bit, Thanx JM & EP, for this fun CW. Congratulations on getting it published, and I hope to see many more, I really enjoyed it. "Frequent flyer" my favorite clue, but there are many good clues. Thanx Splynter for the terrific write-up, and the nice legs pic. I posted a comment yesterday, but when I came back later it had disappeared w/o a trace. Don't know what's up with that.
At least he didn't suggest a name on par with the Reservoir Dogs - the mighty Reservoir Tips.
Good Morning:
I think the solve would have been more challenging without the circles, especially since the reveal C/A was so obvious. The themers were all strong but I really liked the grid-spanning A Slap on the Wrist and Till We Meet Again.
Galaxy Note needed perps and Naples was replaced by Napoli, which was indicated by, but overlooked, Italia in the clue. Not surprisingly, Squee brought no glee.
Thanks, Jeffrey and Evan, and thanks, Splynter, for a fun commentary and review.
Have a great day.
You probably haven't visited a Sheetz store before unless you've visited the East, but they have yummy, prepared to order food to go, although some have outdoor seating. They have had kiosk only ordering for as long as I can remember, which is all the way to pre-COVID-19. And, as minimum wages go up, the number of minimum wage positions go down.
Not a bad mid-weeker Am I allowed to say I don’t mind ⚪️’s ?
Inkovers: too/AND ,
The ROCKettes provide “broad views” No, No not like that. DW’s cousin was a Rockette and when we chatted at a family reunion she had “wide-ranging prospectives”
“Metaphor for a wearying work routine” to a rat : human race . Technically Leia had two BUNs
EYE-talian? C’mon Splynt.
EGOIST not EGOTIST (the four award people?) … STUTTER not SpUTTER? “like an old jalopy” …. Lead apron wouldn’t fit for “Safety gear for hospital workers.”
I’m a “winesap” know nothing about the vintages. Not like my show-off BIL (“We’ll have a “cab” but only one from the Loire Valley” 🙄)
Poetic for paddle …. OER
”Marked down”… TAGLINE
LATIN for “I love guns” …. AMMO
April 16 with a gusty snowfall. I’m not dreaming of a White Easter. ☃️
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Jeffrey and Evan, and Splynter.
I completed this CW in good time, and saw the ROCK CLIMBER theme, but actually had a FIW at the SE corner. I ran out of time to correct my errors there.
I entered PPa instead of E, PLOt instead of PLOY, and couldn’t remember Odin’s feature - ONaEtE mad no sense.
In Person changed to REAL TIME, Ern to EMU.
Interesting that the Jumble today was about a car engine that SPUddERed.
Wishing you all a great day.
Yes, “God Be With You Til We Meet Again”
Yeah, sorry - my brother keeps telling me it's disrespectful, too
Saw a YouTube yesterday where a guy created and buried a time capsule, to be opened in ten years, and included an AirTag. I didn't have the heart to tell him the battery will be dead in one year, but, I wonder what kind of AirTags we will have in ten years... oh, 1 more thing, the AirTag helped me find my car keys, and it will tell you when the battery is low. But surprisingly the 3 volt battery is actually 3-1/2 volts, and when it gets near 3 volts, the dang thingie just shuts down. I feel like I'm throwing away a half dead battery that could be used to power something less demanding.
“Best actress” academy award went to Julianne Moore for her role in the 2014 film version of “Still Alice” A great movie, that may interest you.
And a fun time was had by all... (unless you slipped and fell...)
Seriously, fun puzzle, but I flew thru it and missed looking for the last gemstone. Saw it on the blog, and went, "oh nuts." Circles! There were circles! Who says you don't need them! I'm blind even with them!,!!
Anywho, I recent learned that in Australia, they are called "Boulderers."
I'm not a boulderer, but I have found using a carabiner very useful for carrying car keys etc around. Unfortunately the little ones break easily, and I always used to just throw them away and buy a new one. But it turns out they a really easy to fix! but I don't know why a two second fix takes an 8 minute video to explain...
In the "very exciting to me" dept. (But probably boring as hell for others...)
Climbing rope knots have been an amazing boon to me when camping. I won't bore you with the dozens of useful knots, but since we are rock climbing today, I thought the Prusik Knot might be helpful.
I wish I knew this in high school gym class when you had to climb a rope to pass...
The same knot can be indispensable when trying to erect a tarp. Most cheap plastic tarps would just rip apart if tied directly to the rope. So you erect a ridge line (using a bow line/truckers hitch combo) and add theses prusik knots and toggles super helpful site if interested...
Hmm, linkage screwup, (I should have tied a rope to it...)
Here goes again:
tarp prusik knot
And super useful site
Yes, it was potato powered. 🥔
Hola! No RAT RACE today. I finished smoothly and slowly while sipping coffee. Thank you, Jeffrey and Evan for the ROCK CLIMBing which I would never do in REAL TIME.
Although most of the puzzle was fairly easy, the SE corner was a pure guess. Finally NAPOLI emerged as did TIPTOP and ONE EYE. I had no idea about Odin's lack of an eye!
Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!
ParSan
This was such a fun puzzle to do, even without the clever theme and the circles, JM & EP. Your detailed and extensive review was appreciated Splynter. Thanks for explaining PPE and “belayed”, for I always thought it meant stop.
Last to complete the SE, because like others I had Naples too long so nothing fit. Finally, NAPOLI and the NOTE in GALAXY made sense.
Every time I see the word CRAM a long ago memory comes to mind and makes me smile. A hot spring morning with windows open, dawn rising, robins and wrens singing, and many up all night studying for exams. Total silence until from the Frat house next door a loud shout, “Shut up you d*** birds”. Hysterical, loud and tension relieving laughter from both houses.
TILL WE MEET AGAIN immediately brings to mind the comforting song by Vera Lynn, “We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when, but I know we’ll meet again some sunny day”.
Happy day, all!
I enjoyed this one so much, and was so happy to get to a fast FIR that I never looked for the hidden gems. Oh, well. Splynter was nice enough to point them out to me!
In deference to Splynter, my favorite Casino ROYALE theme song comes from the 1967 star-studded spoof with David Niven as 007 (also Peter Sellers, Woody Allen, Orson Welles, and Ursula Andress to name a few). Written by Burt Bacharach and performed Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass - now that's a classic!
Most people know of these two Casino Royale movies, but very few know of the original made-for-TV movie from 1954. This is the first time Bond appeared on film, only a year after Fleming's debut novel of the same name. While primary filmed in the US, setting shots were done in Cuba before borders were closed for this sort of thing. Watching now, one is struck by the resemblance to today. Everything looks the same, even the 1950's cars on the streets, except in black and white.
Thank you.
"Technically Leia had two BUNs." If we wanted to be technically correct, wouldn't that be "two sets of buns?"
Fun Wednesday puzzle, many thanks, Jeffrey and Evan. And always glad to see you helping us with the solving process, Splynter--thanks for that help.
Well, this puzzle got off to a bit of a negative start with that early SLAP ON THE WRIST. Not too terrible but still pretty mean. Is it some EGOIST who is supported by the ELITE or some EMIRS or some CREDITORS who would threaten something like this? Well, hopefully he has no AMMO and will leave us alone--I don't think any of us want to be around TILL WE MEET AGAIN. Maybe he should just take off and do some ROCK CLIMBING. Then he could come back and send everyone a message saying I DID IT. Or maybe he should hire an AVIATOR and go fly to the moon. He probably won't be able to slap anybody on the wrist up there. Maybe he should just stay up there?
We're getting a little sunshine, so I hope you too all have a nice sunny day.
I liked this puzzle. It provided me with much pleasure.
Narcissist wouldn't fit in the space for EGOIST.
A good friend and I would drink tea and eat popcorn together late into the night as we CRAMmed for a test the next day.
NAPOLI is right at the base of Monte Vesuvio. Some people speculate it could very well meet the same fate that ancient Pompeii did.
Waseely, thank you for that video of Wotan singing that wonderful song to his beloved daughter. The opera has two love songs; the first one is in Act 1, Siegmund singing to Sieglinde. Wagner's most beautiful and heartwarming.
Good reading you all.
My commentaries don't get much sillier than this last one. Sorry about that.
Remember that your old-fashioned 12 volt car battery is fully charged at 12.8 volts, but only 40% charged at 12 volts.
Silly, but funny.
In a new book titled Naples:1944, Keith Lowe describes the absolute horrors that befell NAPOLI the most bombed city in Italy during WWII. The book covers the period from 1943 to 1946. It’s amazing the city recovered.
General Leia (as in the clue) wore a single BUN in "The Last Jedi." Y'all seem to be thinking of the youthful Princess Leia and her two buns.
Good puzzle today!
Ah, true, thanks for the correction. She had at various times two buns, one bun, and a 3 buns in the oven 😄
Auf wiedersehen, sweetheart…until we meet again. (WWII nostalgia.)
Just remember that without a prompt here, I forget to check for new masterpieces by David Alfred Bywaters (DavidAlfredBywaters.com.) I'm at least four puzzles behind. Here's what David says about his #325, Pulling Ahead:
In a few days some people will gather for an annual event in which they try to solve crosswords faster than each other. As I’ve said before (see Crossword 070), I prefer to solve crosswords at a speed that allows me to ponder their nuances and ramifications. Lately I’ve wondered whether, like many of my personal preferences, this one is actually based on universal, objective truth.
Doing something faster than somebody else is all well and good when the thing done is otherwise of little value or interest, like progressing along an oval track on foot or on a horse or in a car. Such is not the case with savoring a cup of tea or a glass of wine, say, or strolling along a scenic lane, or solving a crossword. But as crossword speed contests have proliferated, as crossword apps and web sites have added timers, crosswords have come to seem mere grid-shaped racing venues, equivalent to so many miles or meters of oval track, the view from which must be resolutely ignored by the committed competitor.
The crosswords on this web site will always provide, for those who will take the time, profound insight into the rich variety of human experience. Solve them slowly.
He could have just linked the Pointer Sisters' scorching love song Slow Hand.
Hi All!
Congrats Jeffrey & Evan on the LAT debut. I can't wait to solve yous again what, with the clean fill, fun theme, and bits of sparkle. Nice job on the two spanners, too.
Great expo, Splynter - love me some Spinal Tap.
WO: aLIst -> ELITE
ESPs: ENGEL, OSSIE, SAn -> SAu -> SAO (whew!)
Fav: TAG LINE | MOTTO clecho
I listen to NPR's Planet Money / How I Built This hour every Sat at 9am.
Nice GEODE, SS.
LOL Boulderers, CED.
TILL WE MEET AGAIN [Van Halen - 1m]
Cheers, -T
I am in full agreement with Sir DAB
Thanks & Congrats to Jeffrey and Evan! I enjoyed your clever theme.
FAVs were Skin and bones and Planet Money.
Thanks for the tour, Splynter! Nice touch with the colored rock names.
Jinx at 6:08 PM, your quote of David Bywaters above is wonderful. Thank you!
Thanks for passing that along, Jinx. I agree with him.
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