TRAVELING RIVERSIDE BLUES
A "red" version of the Led Zeppelin cover
I have not had the pleasure of blogging a puzzle from Tim - this is his fifth construction for the LA Times - his last grid was almost a year ago. An impressive collection of triple sevens in each corner, without being "Saturday" level difficult - and that's hard to do midweek. I sailed though this one and I enjoyed it. We have twelve seven-letter words, 18 fivers, 20 4LW, and 21 3LWs; a handful of names, but none that were too obscure, IMHO. My first thought was we were looking at some "double letter" fills for a theme ( e.g. the Y-Y in 17A., and the R-R in 25A. ), but no - instead we have four places described by a shade of BLUE. Three of the five themers are unique to crosswords, and the other two have only appeared one other time. The themers & reveal;
17. Sites for shipbuilding: NAVY YARDS - navAL yards sounds more natural
25. Spots for guests to freshen up: POWDER ROOMS - there's only one bathroom in my house, and it's my yellow/orange/red "dragon" room - see 1 Down
39. Metropolitan area at the junction of three rivers, familiarly: STEEL CITY - officially known as Pittsburgh - but I found this list of several others ( not at a three-river junction )
55. Home for a king and queen: ROYAL PALACE
66. Geographic regions known for the longevity of their residents, and what 17-, 25-, 39-, and 55-Across are?: BLUE ZONES - the Wiki
And Away We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Oscar winner Sorvino: MIRA - her Wiki, name #1
5. __ moss: PEAT - what do you call a man in a bog~? see 22D.
9. Italian luxury brand: PRADA - name(ish)
14. Eden resident: ADAM - We've had similar three times this week now - it sucks when you're only one of two 'renters', and you get evicted . . . name #2
15. Bit of baby talk: DADA
16. Narrow margins of victory: HAIRS - semi-meh; I don't care for the plural in this instance - one does not win by hairS, but by 'A' hair
19. Fairy tale monsters: OGRES
20. Frito pie topper: CHILI
21. Itinerary approx.: ETA
23. "Yes," in Tokyo: "HAI."
30. Flying geese formation: VEE
31. Venue for wraps and scrubs: SPA
32. Laptop alternative: TABLET - I now have three laptops, and one tower - the latest laptop is to be kept in the "music room" for playing songs and recording - see 1 Down
33. Feminine Italian pronoun: ESSA - sort of like contESSA
35. Early Peruvian: INCA - I'd like to see the ruins
38. Potential jurors: PEERS
42. Ferret relative: STOAT
45. Come across as: SEEM
46. Rogen of "Kung Fu Panda": SETH - name #3
50. "Shoulda listened to me!": "TOLD YA~!"
52. Bio class: LAB - I skipped Biology in high school
54. Once known as: NÉE
58. "Step away from my kibble": GRR - Dogspeak
59. Sofa headrest, for a napper: ARM
60. Classic record label: EMI
61. Racket: NOISE - how 'bout this Racket Noise~?
Alexander Bublik
63. View from Everest: NEPAL
69. Investment profits: GAINS
70. Doesn't keep pace: LAGS
71. Bits in citrus sorbet: ZEST - learned from doing crosswords
72. Spanish folk hero: EL CID - name #4 - Happy travels, Naomi~! My parents honeymooned in Spain in 1966 - and attended a bullfight, no less
73. Fifth letter of the NATO alphabet: ECHO - We were challenged about this last Friday - I caught your Unicorn~!
74. "Salus populi suprema lex __": Missouri motto: ESTO - Latin; "Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law" - shout-out to inanehiker~!
DOWN:
1. Sanctuary in the basement, maybe: MAN-CAVE - When I first told my coworkers at my last NY job that I was going to make the basement of my new CT home a "man-cave", they said the WHOLE house would be a man-cave - and this turned out to be quite true~!
My living room is my "blue" room - the office is the "green" room, ....
2. Some spuds: IDAHOES - sssss, close - I had IDAHOAN
3. Steep-sided gorges: RAVINES - I had CANYONS
4. __ acetate: banana-scented compound: AMYL - no clue, filled via perps - the Wiki - some interesting facts in this short article
5. Shared intimacy, briefly: PDA - Public Display of Affection
6. Musician's gift: EAR - I play by tablature - but I am getting better and knowing my guitar notes by name now, rather than positions, which means I am growing as a musician
Can anyone tell me what song this intro is from~?
7. Tossed in: ADDED
8. Personal style: TASTE
9. Soup with rice noodles: PHO - we've seen this before; I needed P_O to recall what it's called
10. New use for an old T-shirt: RAG - yup
11. Pet carrier opening: AIR HOLE - sounds like a soft insult - don't call me an air-hole~!
No new four-legged friend yet, but I'm a(n)- - - next clue/answer
12. Idealist: DREAMER
13. Hockey stat: ASSISTS - the fast pace of the game results in TWO players getting points for assists
The Broadway Blueshirts failed to make the 2025 playoffs
18. High-pitched barks: YIPS - and golfer woes, too
22. Work on the wall?: ART - Ah. Now that I see the answer ( filled via perps ), I get it. Reminds me of names-that-can-be-nouns/verbs jokes - a list here
26. Andy Taylor's son, on classic TV: OPIE - speaking of funny names . . . .#5
27. Opposite of waxes: WANES - like the phases of the moon
Nice shade of background blue - and there's a "BLUE" moon, too - more here
28. Intensely focused: RAPT
29. Falls into line: OBEYS
34. Carne __: taco option: ASADA
36. The Browns, on scoreboards: CLEveland - hardcore NFL rivals to Pittsburgh
37. Amtrak's fast service: ACELA - Here's a B1M construction channel clip as to why the service cannot get to European/Asian "bullet" speeds (name(ish))
40. Brief "Bye for now!": TTYL - textspeak, Talk To You Later
41. Apple variety: IMAC - not fooled by the fruit / computer ambiguity
42. Bizarre: STRANGE
43. "Scary how lifelike that is!": "TOO REAL~!"
44. Washington's __ National Park: OLYMPIC - I had to wait for crossings before I recalled this
47. "Start your __!": ENGINES - here's another YouTube clip about the facts behind the Ford vs. Ferrari movie - which I thought was a great film
48. Most succinct: TERSEST
49. Toast opening: "HERE'S TO..." - I better start thinking of something to say at my brother's wedding in July....
51. Mimic: APE
53. Auto pioneer Karl: BENZ - Dah~! I put in OTTO, and should have known better; name #6
56. Stroll: AMBLE
57. Fragrant purple bloom: LILAC
62. Move like honey: OOZE
64. Singer DiFranco: ANI - crossword staple, name #7
65. Psychedelic initials: LSD - Not "L D S"
Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home
67. "I hate it": "UGH~!" - I keep a daily journal ( a "captain's log", if you will ) and UGH makes frequent appearances, usually when I don't care for something, some statement, or some outcome
68. Spanish "that": ESO
Splynter
Splynter
39 comments:
I didn’t find this puzzle
puzzle all that difficult, although I will admit I didn’t know what all the themers had in common until the reveal. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
I’ll fess up. That double “puzzle” was my mistake, not spellcheck or anything else!
FIR, but chele->CHILI to save me from ravenes and yeps.
The Norfolk NAVal shipYARD is in Portsmouth, VA. Not to be confused with the Portsmouth NAVal shipYARD, which is in Kittering, NH. The NNSY was built in 1767, then rebuilt after the Redcoats burned it down in the Revolutionary War, then again after the Yankees burned it down in 1861. The PNS is relatively new, opening in 1800.
BLUE ZONES is a new term to me. So are diet, fasting, and exercise.
Thanks to Tim for the fun Wednesday romp, and to Splynter for another fine review. I saw the joke for a nickname for Peter, but didn't see any for a nickname for Richard. Too easy?
Good morning!
I would've caught the theme at the reveal, if I'd read the whole clue and realized that it was a reveal. Hey, I'm counting it. The Wite-Out got a rest today; nary a stumble in sight. Thanx, Tim and Splynter.
LAB: Guess who managed to get kicked out of Biology for the rest of the year on my first day as a sophomore? The only other class offered at that hour was business typing. I've never regretted taking it.
The prof is holding early office hours in his MAN CAVE this morning. Final exams approaching and expecting a lot of questions about promissory estoppel and res ipsa loquitur. The prof will tackle the CW as time permits.
it’s 3:40 AM here in Tucson. No callers yet.
It's Kittery.
Took 4:52 today to see the Sky at Midnight from Carolina.
I knew today's actress (Mira), but struggled mightily with the foreign language words: the Italian brand, the feminine Italian pronoun, Spanish that, the Tokyo hi, and the Latin motto word. At least I knew asada, although I think it could be asado too.
I also had no idea whatsoever about the banana-scented compound, which makes a very late, but very strong case for worst clue of the month.
CLE!
FIR. This was quite easy for a Wednesday. No real off-the-wall names and the clues were solid.
I picked up on the "blue" theme half way through and that actually helped me with the reveal, though i was unfamiliar with the phrase "blue zones".
So overall a very enjoyable puzzle.
Wow! I do believe my only true unknown was AMYL. So I sailed right on through. The only hesitation was entering Gucci before PRADA and I guessed at STEEL CITY. I knew about the BLUE ZONES and quickly saw the BLUE shades, one of my favorite colors.
Thank you Splynter for this nice review.
I
Musings
-Today is a sub’s worst nightmare: The guy left no plans and said the kids can have a study hall all day. Today’s salvation: The kids are great and they all have cell phones! Yay!
-BLUE ZONE?
-An aptly chosen shade of blue
-GRR – One website recently had a debate on whether it is best to return a dog’s growl and move toward it, stand still or run.
-I really like the ZEST in orange marmalade.
-The waxing crescent moon was very pretty in the west sky this morning
-CLE’s NFL move last week is the big topic in sports talk shows this week.
Good Morning:
I saw the Blue theme right after filling in Navy and Powder, but the reveal was a surprise, especially as I’ve never heard of Blue Zones. The solve was smooth and quick, with the only unknown being Amyl. Needed perps for a few of the foreign words, which were a few too many, IMO.
Thanks, Tim, and thanks, Splynter, for the concise review.
Have a great day.
Prof M, I have been binge-watching The Practice and last night’s episode mentioned res ipsa loquitur several times.
Blue Zones?
Fast and furious, not too many hiccups. Was overthinking the theme but it was simply variants of blue. My first summer vacation college job was in the last textile mill in town. There was an entire room of spools of just subtle color variations of NAVY Blue thread.
WEES re: BLUE ZONES
Inkover: TTFN/TTYL,
Fowl humor: “When geese migrate in a VEE formation why is one side longer than the other”? (Ans. More geese on that side 😄).
Assumed we were talkin‘ ‘bout Pittsburgh PA…. UGH, I thought it was ich.
ESSA, (or “Ella” but most common is “Lei”) a pronoun that can be used for a female or feminine object. “Lei” is also the polite form of “you” outlawed during Fascism as a foreign affectation, replaced by the older form “voi” (like “vous” in French) Confused?
“Narrow margins of victory”: NOSES is close, HAIRS, closer, NOSE HAIRS, closest!! 😀
Wasn’t sure if the “view” was of Tibet or NEPAL? and it took LSD to decide 😵💫
Happy Humpday
Great puzzle today, Tim, and a very fine review from Mr. Splynter as well! Thanks for the good wishes. In my youth, I attended a bullfight in Mexico, thinking it would be an important cultural experience. It probably contributed to my later vegetarianism and animal activism.
My experience with the puzzle today was much like Monkey's. AMYL was the only real unknown, and although I know BLUE ZONES, it took me a couple of minutes to see the BLUE tones. Some surprises are nice.
Darn it! NaomiZ at 10:55 AM.
Today's puzzle by Tim struck me as straightforward and smooth, with an interesting theme. I was impressed by all those stacked 7's in each corner. Nice work, Tim! That takes some work.
I had no problem with NAVY yard, if for no other reason than the fact that my father was posted at the Philadelphia Navy Yard during World War II, and I grew up in Philly with that Navy Yard. I believe the name has not changed to this day.
I knew there were areas around the world where people lived longer, but I didn't know they were known as Blue Zones. So I learned something today! There is one near me, in Loma Linda CA.
Thanks, Tim, for an enjoyable and even relaxing Wednesday-appropriate challenge. And thanks, Splynter, for your usual amusing and informative recap.
Zipped right on through to the FIR. Only nits were HAIRS, GRR, & TOLDYA. Pretty straightforward for a midweek puzzle, capped by another enjoyable Splynter recap. On to the rest of the day! Historical note: 125 years ago today, John L. "Casey" Jones "took his Fairweather trip to the Promised Land."
As an aside, those folks in Loma Linda are long lived because they are vegetarian! There's a large Seventh Day Adventist community there.
FAREWELL trip. Thanks, Otto-incorrect!
Well I got the BLUES, but the BLUE ZONES was filled by perps.
The NW was the only 'semi'-trouble zone; I DNK of the AON Center, AMYL acetate as the banana smell, ESSA, and initially wrote IDAHOAN instead of IDAHOES. Did I really know ESTO as part of Missouri's? No. Do state mottos mottos that really mean anything. I remember Oro y Plata but that's about it. One other change; TADA to TTYL.
ESSA, ESTO, ESO, HAI, AMYL for today's foreign language exam.
My Sofa headrest for a nap is a pillow.
I call it "auto car wreck" because it wrecks what you are trying to write.
I liked most of this puzzle.
Hola! Thanks to Tim and Splynter for the enjoyment today! The Devil Wears PRADA comes to mind and MIRA Sorvino in MIGHTY APHRODITE, so funny. My sister lives near Redlands, CA which is also one of the BLUE ZONES.
i remember many years ago reading the back of a cereal box where the use of HAI was promoted as a greeting and it seems to have worked though we shortened it to HI. I prefer HELLO or good morning, good afternoon or good evening.
My sisters and I rode the ACELA from Vancouver, Canada to Seattle, WA. and met some nice people on the trip.
I liked BENZ and ENGINES crossed by NOISE.
Have a beautiful day, everyone!
Thanks to Tim! The good clueing really stood out today.
Saw the CSO to C-ECHO.
Thanks to Splynter for the fun recap! I read all of the name verbs. Tracy was maybe my FAV. Do tennis players get fined for the behavior we saw in 61-A ?
Interesting Wednesday puzzle, many thanks, Tim. And always like your commentary and pictures, thanks for that too, Splynter.
Well, this puzzle had a lot of focus on locations, like the ROYAL PALACE, and STEEL CITY, and NEPAL, the site of the 2024 OLYMPICS, is that right? And are there really spuds that come from IDAHO? There were also more general places, like RAVINES, and MAN CAVES, and those BLUE ZONES--maybe for DREAMERS? Do folks wear LILAC outfits there? When I saw TASTE, I hoped we'd get some food, as we do pretty much every day in a puzzle. And we did get some CHILI and that CARNE ASADA, which I suppose has some ZEST--so actually a pretty good lunch. Now lets finish that and then go to a museum and check out some ART.
Have a pleasant, cheerful day, everybody.
Hi all. This is Linda from long ago....I recognize only Lucina and Splynter from my long ago time with you. Anyone know how, Jeannie, Dennis ( " Dummy") and Windhover are doing? What about the lawyer from South Central FL who blogged once a week?
CC, I recently found out you lost Boomer. I'm so sorry. My own husband is a semi- invalid now...
I still puzzle every day...just not this one.
Very nice CW, clever cluing and theme, WEOS re stacked 7s, 15 names by my expansive count, DNK 5. FIR in 11, very good time (for me) for a Wednesday. No W/Os. Thanx TD'A for the entertainment. Thanx too to Splynter for the (as always) outstanding write-up. I thought you had forgotten the legs, but at the end... That video you linked re the ACELA: I can scarcely believe how interesting it was, or that I watched the entire 38 minutes. Let's hope the Biden infrastructure action doesn't get chain-sawed; as the video points out, we are WAAAAY behind where we should be with infrastructure. I urge others to take the time to watch the video. Thanx for linking it Splynter. Anon @ 8:00, as a many-years-ago H.S. Chem teacher, I disagree that AMYL (nitrate) is a bad clue. Esters, as a class of organic compounds, provide the smells and flavors of many products. I have to admit, I had to dredge my brainbox to come up with AMYL; it's been over 50 years since I taught organic chemistry. Lots of iron oxide in the old brainbox at this point.
Indeed. My wife worked at the Loma Linda University Medical Center. In their restaurant--as a token to their many non-SDA customers--some of their vegetarian dishes were made to look like meat. For instance, their "protein strips" resembled bacon.
BTW, as a copy editing tip, the SDA church is written "Seventh-day Adventist." Gotta have that hyphen and the small d.
“Oughta correct?”
Got into a fender bender with my new car. A stone pylon jumped outta nowhere!!! Hoping the boys at the body shop “autocorrect” my vehicle soon.
I forgot to mention in my above response to Naomi a couple things re the SDA church. First, I seem to often find myself in SDA territory. First the Blue Zone of Loma Linda CA, and now Tehachapi CA. Our hospital here is the Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley Hospital.
Am I an SDA? Nope--not particularly religious; and I love meat.
Second, the former conductor of the San Francisco Symphony, an Adventist, Herbert Blomstedt, was born in 1927. Drum roll here....He is not only still alive, but he remains active. Next week, for instance, he is conducting the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven's Seventh Symphony. Do the math; he turns 98 this year.
Prof M, I was going to ask a question about res ipsa loquitur, but the thing speaks for itself.
IM, The Practice is an excellent series. I have used clips from it to illustrate some topics in my classes.
Ha!
Hello Linda! It's good to hear from you. I can tell you only that I occasionally e-mail Windhover who is still farming in Kentucky. You might know that a few people have died. Right now my mind is blank but I'll try to recall the names. Dennis moved to Florida and presumably is alive and well.
Lemonade now and then chimes in. Stay in touch and let us know how you are doing.
How did you skip Biology in High School? If that was a thing back in 1975, I would have done it in a heartbeat. And the frogs would have thanked me. Speaking of Biology, the first episode of AP Bio, is the absolute funniest 30 minutes of television I’ve ever seen.
Hi All!
Thanks for the puzzle, Tim. With the exception of the NW corner, it was a fairly easy solve with a nice theme that didn't turn me BLUE.
Great expo, Splynter. I enjoyed the Chicago skyline and Trek clip.
WOs: TTFN, OLYMPIa
ESPs: MIRA, ESSA, HAI, ANI
Fav: I'll go w/ Lucina at the crosses of NOISE w/ BENZ & ENGINE
I did know AMYL (after a two perps). In the Army that's what the NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) Sgt would use to test the seal on our gas masks. The first time I smelled it, I exclaimed "Banana Laffy Taffy!" (isoamyl acetate is used to make banana flavored stuff).
Hi Linda! Nice to know you're still out there. Lucina beat me to Cornerite updates.
Cheers, -T
Changed school districts in 8th grade - the second school science curriculum was "off" the first, so I asked to advance to Chemistry to be back on track
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