Saturday Themeless by Dan Kammann & Zhouqin Burnikel
Today C.C. is joined by her hiking friend Dan Kammann and she sent me this short but very impressive bio of him:
Dan Kammann "Ironman Dan" is based in Champlin, MN. He's an avid runner and biker. He has run 5 official marathons and over 50 unofficial ones. He did the Century Ride 10 years ago amid mountain climbing. He visited the Antarctic in 2022 which is the picture he shared with us below.
Across:
1. Plays for laughs: SKITS - SNL is famous for these. Here is part of my favorite:
6. "Phooey!": AW HECK.
12. AMC model whose passenger's side door was longer than its driver's side door: PACER.
13. Herb also known as dragon's wort: TARRAGON.
15. Some geometry products: AREAS.
16. "Save your breath": DON'T ARGUE.
17. One looking for a deal?: NARC - Maybe not the best shirt to wear as an undercover NARC
18. Baroness address: LADY - Past Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher received the title of Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven.
19. Ready for a massage, say: PRONE.
20. White noise machine option: STEADY RAIN - Here is some for you
23. Like some MIA flights: INTL.
24. Barely gets wet?: SKINNY DIPS.
26. Speed's mysterious rival, in cartoons: RACER X ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
28. Hawk: SELL.
29. Reunion gp.: FAM.
32. Tickle: AMUSE.
33. Org. impersonated in some scams: SSA - We're smart enough around here not to give out our number to anyone saying they are from the Social Security Administration
34. Broadcasting: ON AIR.
36. Take care of a gray area, perhaps: DYE 😀
37. Bloke: CHAP.
39. Lives (in): DWELLS.
40. Concert workers: STAGE CREWS - The vehicles needed by then STAGE CREWS for Taylor Swift's ERA Tour.
42. Faucet handle: MOEN 😀
45. Runner-up: SECOND BEST and 55. Admits defeat, informally: TAKES AN L. It can be very close!
48. Navel type: INNIE.
50. Home of the Imiloa Astronomy Center: HILO - It is at 14,000 ft. above sea level on an island and so the skies are very clear.
51. "In __ of gifts ... ": LIEU.
52. Road warning: STOP AHEAD.
54. Monument to Balzac sculptor: RODIN - At 136 Bd Raspail, 75006 Paris, France
57. __-sense: SPIDEY.
58. Was unproductive: IDLED.
Down:
1. Part of BASE jumping: SPANS.
2. Gold standard: KARAT.
3. Answer to a cold call?: ICE RESCUE - A useful device they use
4. Treats with a cuppa: TEA CAKES.
5. SAT takers: SRS - There is a strong correlation between SAT scores and graduation rates.
6. Frame works?: ART 😀
7. Close on a set: WRAP - Or at a graduation
7. Close on a set: WRAP - Or at a graduation
8. Country rock great Emmylou: HARRIS.
9. Push: EGG ON.
10. Run the numbers?: COUNT 😀
11. Prepare for camel pose: KNEEL.
13. Heading on a sidewalk chalkboard: TODAY'S SPECIAL - I love this one
14. "Got a clue?": ANY IDEA.
16. Make whole, in a way: DARN 😀 🧦
18. Minnesota team with four championships: LYNX.
21. Set the scene?: DIRECT - Five famous ones
22. Nothing at all: NIL.
25. Worked in the fields, say: PLOWED - Plows are not seen much any more. Minimum or No Till are are very common around here to save water and fuel.
26. "Wicked!": RAD.
27. Evanescence lead singer Lee: AMY ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
29. Object of worship in Exodus: FALSE IDOL.
30. French for garlic: AIL - Cette salade a besoin de plus d'ail. (This salad needs more garlic.)
31. Miss after a wedding: MRS 😀
33. Female grouse: SAGE HEN.
35. Recent recruits: NEW BLOOD.
38. Owns: HAS.
39. Bond villain with prosthetic hands: DR. NO.
40. Outbid at the last moment: SNIPED.
41. Like pizza for breakfast, often: COLD.
42. Rainforest phenomena: MISTS.
43. Eligible to be drafted?: ON TAP 😀
44. Mushroom in ramen: ENOKI.
46. Commandeer: SEIZE.
47. Ready to play: TUNED - A chore to perform every time before I played my guitar
49. Effortlessness: EASE.
53. Something that's cut and dried: HAY.
54. Squeeze bunt result: RBI.
27 comments:
When I saw C.C.’s name
as one of the two constructors, I thought I had a good chance of solving this, and I was right. Not too many obscurities (although , as is usual on a Saturday, quite a lot of fun misdirection) just a lot of good, solid cluing which led to good, solid answers. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Tried gAmE HEN, but doubted that many scam victims would be taken in by the GSA (Girl Scouts of America). Wite-Out, please. FALSE IDOL seemed too generic -- goLdEn caLf was working..until I ran out of room. Kids at our H.S. took the ACT rather than the SAT, and we still had to drive 30 miles to another town to take it. Wasn't familiar with SNIPED in a bidding context. Still, it all came together nicely. Thanx, Dan, C.C., and Husker.
FIW, missing MOEt x StIPED. MOEt was careless, and although it's the way I bid, never heard of SNIPED.
Clearing customs in MIA is a PITA. Whenever practical, I clear in San Juan. Ironically, I filed for a new passport yesterday.
I was certain that "Close on a set" was GLEN, until it wasn't. And in retrospect, that one is GLENN anyway. And I thought I couldn't spel.
I would have gotten AMY Lee immediately had the clue been "Coral Reefer Band's Lee." That AMY Lee is known as a saxophonist and vocalist, and the one in the puzzle is known as a songwriter/singer.
FLN - C-Eh!, Lucina - I've heard "long drink of water" and "tall drink of water" too.
Thanks to CC and Dan for letting me play with the smart kids today. My favorite was "barely gets wet" for SKINNY DIPS. And thanks to H.Gary for another 24K review.
FIW. The crossing of Racer X and Lynx got me as I didn't know either. Personally I find this crossing to be unfair because it involves two very specific proper names.
But aside from that this was somewhat easier than a lot of Saturday presentations. The long answers were fun and cleverly clued.
Overall an enjoyable puzzle.
Took 14:38 today to 'wrap' this one.
I didn't know sage hen, this Amy (but I remember her band from about 20 years ago), and Intl. I thought more Jrs than Srs took the SAT and ACT.
Good Saturday puzzle. The dragon's wort clue is much friendlier than the usual Saturday obscure foreign food clues/answers we've been fed.
Before "Pacer," I entered "Le Car", which sprung the "ice rescue".
So, sometimes even a wrong answer can be helpful. Who knew?
A doable Saturday, thank you!
Although, I was puzzled as to who Dan might be, thinking it was some ones real name behind all the Blog avatars...
Good Morning:
I really enjoyed this solve because of the top-notch cluing and the fresh and lively fill. The lack of obscure entries and a clean grid were frosting on the cake. Sniped and Pacer, as clued, Amy, Racer X, and Sage Hen all needed the helpful perps, but I was held up for a while thinking Treats with a cuppa needed a verb answer and that MIA meant Missing in Action. The solve wasn’t as difficult as some Saturdays, but it had enough of a challenge to provide a satisfying and rewarding exercise.
Thanks, Dan and C.C., and thanks, HG, for the usual astute analysis and summary. Enjoyed the brief bio of Dan’s other talents.
Have a great day.
But as long as Patti is editor, it will be likely that a WNBA team will be crowbarred in. You don't have to actually watch, but you should at least scan the names of the teams to help with future Naticks.
Congratulations Dan and C.C. He's a tough guy, wearing a SHORT-SLEEVE shirt in Antarctica. If he hikes with C.C., It's more than a marathon from NY to Minnesota.
I came one letter short today. I had no idea what BASE jumping, and still don't after seeing the picture. I should have known NARC; "one looking for a deal" didn't have any abbr. It was a slow start and got the rest done in about 30 minutes.
TODAY'S SPECIAL made me change TAKE A NO to AN L.
Squeeze bunt 3-letter could be RUN, HIT, or RBI. Waited for a perps.
DARN and HECK. Ya darn tootin'' I knew those. Heck yeah.
DW once drove a PACER before we had met.
AMY, RACER X, SNIPED,- complete unknowns today.
A little bit faster than a usual Saturday - but had a few gimmes and the unknowns perped well
RODIN was my ektorp today: Blah, blah, blah sculptor who is French
My alma mater had a RODIN sculpture garden and I was a campus tour guide so included it on my tours (time and weather permitting)
https://museum.stanford.edu/exhibitions/b-gerald-cantor-rodin-sculpture-garden
The Minnesota LYNX was also a gimme, as 2 of their all time best players grew up in Jefferson City : Maya Moore and Napheesa Collier
Like IM - MIA took me immediately to Missing in Action. When I was a middle schooler, I faithfully wore my POW/MIA bracelet. The name on my bracelet was a downed Air Force pilot who was MIA . He was never found and much later I found his name on the Vietnam Memorial on the National Mall in DC- a somber moment
Congrats to Dan on his debut and CC for the puzzle - and HG for the fun blog!
@Jinx - I don't think Patti as editor has anything to do the increasing inclusion of the WNBA in puzzles- any editor would have increasing mentions as the leagues popularity has increased. Any puzzle solver has to learn about areas in which they have no expertise. I've never seen The Simpsons but have most of the main characters memorized. The non-sports buffs have to learn about sports teams as you have mentioned
Great CW this morning. I loved the many misdirections like SKINNY DIPS, ICE RESCUE, BOOZE. I would have gotten TARRAGON right away had I remembered it had 2 rs.
There were the head-scratchers like TAKES AN L, MOEN, (?) and SNIPED. Or the un faire LYNx crossing RACERx. I left the y off HAY and SPIDEY, i didn’t know the latter but should have guessed HAY, another great clue.
I too IM☘️ thought MIA was missing in action.
So this was truly á TODAY(S) SPECIAL with great review and fun puzzle.
inanehiker, I don't keep stats, but heuristically I would say that Patti's puzzles have 5 or 10 times the mentions of the WNBA as do the other two dailies I work. Yes, the others have them occasionally, but not nearly as frequently. Could be that Patti gravitates toward accepting constructors who are into the WNBA (but for unrelated reasons,) and that the frequent mentions are coincidental. Guess it ain't funny if you have to explain it.
Always exciting to see C.C.'s name at the top, this time joined by Dan, who seems to be quite the adventurer.
I jump around a lot on a Saturday, filling in bits and pieces until I get some traction. Fortunately, there was no junk in the gird and it played out well.
Favorite clues were "Faucet handle" and "Barely gets wet."
Had to do an alphabet run to fill in the final letter at the cross of SSA & SAGE HEN. It wasn't the Boy Scouts, or the Confederate States...
Nice write-up Gary. Do you find that even with a guitar TUNER, you still tweak it by ear?
A nice, relaxing Saturday crossword, with clever cluing and fun fill. Thank you, Dan, C.C., and Husker Gary.
Dan and C.C. also constructed the Monday, May 5th USA Today crossword "Top Speed".
Speed Racer was the first manga I watched. It was in the 60s. It was on Sunday morning when most of the channels were airing religious programs. It was unlike any other cartoon, and I got hooked. Speed Racer somehow managed to win every race. His rival, RACER X, was his brother, hidden in disguise by a mask. It was an answer that perperd in, but with the X from LYNX, I was certain.
That guy hawking hot dogs at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum is none other than Hal Gordon. He's originally from Chicagoland. He's also vended at the Cubs, White Sox and Blackhawk games in Chicago, and Nats games in Washington, before moving to the Bay Area. There, he sold hot dogs at the Giants games, as well as the A's and Raiders games (before they moved to Vegas). Ironically, he's a vegetarian.
PACER - Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) drove one in the Wayne's World movie, singing "Bohemian Rhapsody". Rick Harrison of Pawn Stars bought it. It recently sold at a Barrett Jackson auction for $65K.
Speaking of Harrison, here's a recipe for GROUSE A'LA HARRISON that uses a pinch or two of TARRAGON.
Evanescence - Amy Lee - "Bring Me to Life"
I'm with Jinx on this one as far as Patti's pushing of the WNBA is concerned, but the Lynx are (is?) probably faves of our Minnesota constructor duo, so . . .
CC’s presence provided a sense of security and sort of helped me figure things out quickly, and I’m betting she came up with the “barely gets wet” clue for SKINNYDIPPING.
Proper nouns got me going though, as usual. LYNX was my first fill. They’re one of those franchises that flies under the radar (which is no longer true of the WNBA overall). Then Emmylou HARRIS opened up the NE quickly. I grokked the WRAP clue right away, which led to PRONE (another great clue). Pretty soon, TARRAGON and TODAY’S SPECIAL came to me, and I was on my way to a no-sweat FIR.
The biggest bumps in the road were RacerX, SNIPED, and AMY Lee. I also felt the “wicked” clue, while easy to figure out, didn’t represent the Boston origins of that entry. Things are wicked good, wicked cool, wicked funny, etc., rather than simply wicked. SPIDEY sense was a perfectly good entry, but it has become overused in office jargon.
Still, the good far outweighed any objections.
My second-favorite entry was the AMC trivia question. I pictured two ugly cars but couldn’t remember the names right away. I also thought of LeCar (an AMC-Renault collaboration) before finally remembering PACER. The Pacer was weird, but not repulsive like the Gremlin.
My favorite entry: SAGE HEN. It brought to mind the old Henry Weinhard’s ad campaign that featured 19th-century pioneers, presumably in Oregon. One of these popular beer ads featured the chuckwagon, where “Cookie” was reading off the (aforementioned) daily specials. “Tonight there’s a few things that aren’t on our regular menu,” he drawled, yuppie-style, but with a rural Northwest accent. “The desert sage hen is especially good . . .”
Thanks, C.C. and for the WSJ puzzle, also!
I enjoyed this puzzle.
After a week of rain the spider was finally able to climb up the water spout. Sunny, warm and a bit soggy but lots of stuff to do. Not enuff time so I’ll take a DNF. But a fair Saturday challenge.
DARN : make a whole hole whole again? ICERESCUE? didn’t know there was an official term. Great idea but must take a while to find or even secure one of those devices near a frozen lake to expedite a rescue.
POSE? …I’ve hear of “camel” toe 🤭
Faucet handle: MOEN, great clue as well as barely/SKINNY (I started with hardly damp)… Forget the tea, lemme at those cakes, oh and a cuppa joe would be nice ☕️
INNIE, then there’s the German car “AUDI”… BASE jumping? Never remember when 🥕is spelt with a C or a K even tho’ ‘splained many times here.
“Like some MIA flights”, late fit … “Still waters” vodka (means little water)… . Margaret, Baroness Thatcher of Get Even? Didn’t know the Manga RACER
“Dexter, NEW BLOOD” probably the least popular of the series. “Original Sin” one of the best.
RODAN trouble was he wouldn’t hold still long enough to make a decent sculpture!
The “SAGE” HEN wisely told the farmer “If you eat me for dinner you won’t have my expensive eggs to sell.”🐓
The use of the WNBA in clueing is mitigated by no famous female directors appearing in the picture.
I just looked up MOEN. I thought maybe it was the name of á Hip Hop star, but it’s á faucet manufacturer. I had never heard of them.
Fortunately, I knew of Moen (and other plumbing fixture brand names). What took a bit of time was sussing out the "handle" was being used as a substitute for "name" and not as a part of the faucet.
Fun Saturday puzzle, many thanks Dan and our dear C.C. . And your commentary and pictures are also a help, many thanks for those too, Gary.
Well, I suppose when we have a STEADY RAIN, we won't have anyone who SKINNY DIPS, especially if the weather is COLD because that would require an ICE RESCUE with people yelling "STOP AHEAD." After a trauma like that we'd want to come back home and WRAP ourselves in some warm clothes, and have some lunch. How about we order TODAY'S SPECIAL along with some TEA CAKES and some ENOKI along with some BOOZE? Sounds good to me!
Have a pleasant, cheerful Saturday, everybody.
Barely gets wet? first filled for me as SKIps DrIPS. Ha!
Aside from my brain being MIA on my first runthrough, I really enjoyed doing today’s puzzle. C.C. has a knack for creating something with just enough chewiness in it to qualify for a Saturday entry without hangin’ ya out to dry. Also loved the “Faucet handle” and “Barely gets wet?” clues, but “Still waters?” gets the Kewpie doll today 😎 Props to her and Mr. Dan for a great solve.
When I was growing up in the early ‘60s here in Smogopolis, “wicked” was used alone to denote something that was, by ‘90s idiom, RAD; it wasn’t a modifier as the Bostonians like to use it.
Carat denotes weight; KARAT is a measurement of purity. At least, that’s the only way I can keep the two of ‘em straight…
Thanks for another erudite recap, @Husker Gary — nice added cheap entertainment after the cw!
Oh — to reply to @RustyBrain’s query: yes, it will always need a tweak or two after being TUNED electronically; my usual m.o. is to cross-check using harmonics on the 5th>7th fret positions. YMMV
====> Darren / L.A.
Hola! Fun and fairly doable Saturday puzzle from our fearless leader. Thank you, C.C.! interesting to have fill like RACER X and TAKES AN L. For some reason I easily recalled Emmy Lou HARRIS and that was my first fill.
DARN brings back many memories from long ago when I was required to DARN my stockings if a hole appeared. Luckily I was accustomed to sewing but many of my companions were not and found it difficult.
PRONE crossing KNEEL is interesting.
I don't know about SAGE HEN but recently while driving by the park I saw some geese that were at least four feet tall with enormously long legs. I wish I had stopped for a better look and maybe take a photo.
Best clue was for BOOZE, IMO. I hope your day has been wonderful.
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