RustyBrain again, back by popular (?) demand. Actually,
I fooled Hahtoolah into thinking I have everything under control. Shhh!
Our constructors, Amie Walker and Jess Shulman, have teamed up before, most
recently in March with their TRASH TALK theme. Let’s see if they’ve cleaned up
their act:
3D. Quick way to meet a bunch of people: SPEED
DATING. Sitting across from someone for several minutes is a better way to judge personal chemistry than simply looking at pictures swiping left or right on an app.
7D. Right this second: HERE AND NOW. Really? How do you expect me to find a pic of HERE AND NOW that does justice to an instantaneous moment on the infinite time continuum? Dear Amie and Jess, please change this clue so I have an easier time. Thank you.
21D. Gotham City searchlight: BAT SIGNAL.
For nights when he forgets his Bat Beeper.
29D. Spot for doodling: SCRATCH PAD. “Doodlepuff better not doodle on her new scratch pad!”
And the Unifier:
25D “Anything fun on the agenda today?” or a hint to the starts of 3-, 7-, 21-, and 29-Down: WHATCHA UP TO. Are you UP TO SPEED? I’ve had it UP TO HERE! Next, is UP TO BAT. And finally, it’s UP TO SCRATCH. The first and last are adjective phrases, while the middle two are idioms, but they all sound legit. The themers are vertical, which seems to be the case lately. It makes them a little harder to process, which can add to difficulty. Since it’s a Tuesday, and we don’t want to get too befuddled, we have a nice hint where to look, and UP TO which also leads us up to the top of each stack. Two chances to win!
Okay, we’re now UP TO date.
Across:
1. Core muscles worked by crunches: ABS. Never see this clued as Anti-lock Braking System.
4. Sign between Cancer and Virgo: LEO. Hint: it’s the 3 letter one.
7. Assistant: HELPER.
13. Mario Kart circuit: LAP. I drive on I-95 everyday, so I don't need a video game to get my thrills.
13. Mario Kart circuit: LAP. I drive on I-95 everyday, so I don't need a video game to get my thrills.
14. Italian mountain: ALP. In the singular, an ALP is a high mountain
pasture, like can be found in the Alps.
15. Accept as true: BELIEVE.
16. Shiver with fear: TREMBLE. Thunder claps cause our dog, FuzzyBrain, to TREMBLE. Unfortunately, we live in Florida, the lightning capital of the US, averaging 1.2 million strikes per year! We play soothing music during storms and that helps a little, but don’t get me started about the 4th of July…
18. Put up, as a building: ERECTED. I loved my Erector Set as a boy. Pictured is young Otis, coming up (and down) with an idea.
15. Accept as true: BELIEVE.
16. Shiver with fear: TREMBLE. Thunder claps cause our dog, FuzzyBrain, to TREMBLE. Unfortunately, we live in Florida, the lightning capital of the US, averaging 1.2 million strikes per year! We play soothing music during storms and that helps a little, but don’t get me started about the 4th of July…
18. Put up, as a building: ERECTED. I loved my Erector Set as a boy. Pictured is young Otis, coming up (and down) with an idea.
19. Cookie with a Coca-Cola variety: OREO. When will these snack
companies learn that nothing beats the original flavor? Except Doritos, of
course, when they came up with Cool Ranch.
20. Podcast pause: AD BREAK.
22. "The Incredibles" supersuit designer Mode: EDNA. Pixar denied EDNA was modeled after the great (8 Oscars!) costume designer, Edith Head. Years later, the studio admitted, “Well, maybe...”
24. Like some solstice traditions: PAGAN. Many of our Christian holidays
were originally part of ancient PAGAN rituals and festivals. Christianity was
an easier sell to pagans by adapting their celebrations rather than tossing them
out. “And you still get to decorate the tree.”
25. "SmackDown" org.: WWE. World Wrestling Entertainment – not my cuppa tea.
28. Took care of a friend's pup, say: DOGSAT. This seems like a good place to insert a pic of FuzzyBrain, sitting.
25. "SmackDown" org.: WWE. World Wrestling Entertainment – not my cuppa tea.
28. Took care of a friend's pup, say: DOGSAT. This seems like a good place to insert a pic of FuzzyBrain, sitting.
30. Laconic reply to 25-Down, perhaps: NOTHIN. Laconic means terse or
concise, thus a one-word answer. But when I noticed that this answer (dropped
the G), and the referenced Revealer (WHATCHA for What are you) were both elided,
I thought that would figure into the theme. Figured wrong.
32. "It just clicked!": AHA. Oho!
34. Heart charts, for short: ECGS. ElectroCardioGramS aka EKGs (from the German spelling).
35. Hates the thought of: DREADS.
36. Head, in French: TETE. French lesson du jour.
38. Era in power: REIGN.
40. Latin "Not you too!?": ET TU. Spoken by Julius Caesar in Shakespeare's play as he is being assassinated and sees his friend Brutus among the conspirators. Little did he know his last words would become crosswordese.
41. Challenging riddle: ENIGMA. To Churchill in 1939, Russia was “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” Nowadays, their motives are much more transparent.
43. "Money doesn't __ on trees": GROW. I can’t wait until fall when I’ll rake it in.
32. "It just clicked!": AHA. Oho!
34. Heart charts, for short: ECGS. ElectroCardioGramS aka EKGs (from the German spelling).
35. Hates the thought of: DREADS.
36. Head, in French: TETE. French lesson du jour.
38. Era in power: REIGN.
40. Latin "Not you too!?": ET TU. Spoken by Julius Caesar in Shakespeare's play as he is being assassinated and sees his friend Brutus among the conspirators. Little did he know his last words would become crosswordese.
41. Challenging riddle: ENIGMA. To Churchill in 1939, Russia was “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” Nowadays, their motives are much more transparent.
43. "Money doesn't __ on trees": GROW. I can’t wait until fall when I’ll rake it in.
45. Revolutionary Guevara: CHE. Much more than just a face on a TEE shirt.
46. California burger joint: IN-N-OUT. Watch out Golden Arches, the Golden Archers are aiming for you.
46. California burger joint: IN-N-OUT. Watch out Golden Arches, the Golden Archers are aiming for you.
47. Fairly recent: NEWISH.
49. Pester: NAG. NAG pesterers are horse flies.
50. "Get off my lawn!": SCRAM. “Please, mister, I just wanna get my Frisbee back.”
52. Kid-lit's "Frog and __ Together": TOAD. "But they'll look sweet, upon the seat, of a bicycle built for TOAD."
49. Pester: NAG. NAG pesterers are horse flies.
50. "Get off my lawn!": SCRAM. “Please, mister, I just wanna get my Frisbee back.”
52. Kid-lit's "Frog and __ Together": TOAD. "But they'll look sweet, upon the seat, of a bicycle built for TOAD."
54. Surprised greeting: OH HELLO. “OH, HELLO, Othello.”
56. Wait in hiding: LURK. I LURKed on this blog for several years, enjoying everyone’s take on the daily puzzle, before finally deciding to join in on the conversation. I’m glad I did! And if you haven’t made the leap yet, please do. All the best people are here!
58. Rumormongers: GOSSIPS.
61. "Come on in!": IT’S OPEN.
56. Wait in hiding: LURK. I LURKed on this blog for several years, enjoying everyone’s take on the daily puzzle, before finally deciding to join in on the conversation. I’m glad I did! And if you haven’t made the leap yet, please do. All the best people are here!
58. Rumormongers: GOSSIPS.
61. "Come on in!": IT’S OPEN.
63. Warm up before cooking: PREHEAT. Here’s my new “smart” oven either telling
me it’s 10:11pm or time to change the oil.
64. To the __ degree: NTH.
65. "__ Te Ching": TAO. The Tao Te Ching is classic Chinese text that guides adherents in finding wholeness and inner tranquility in harmony with Tao. The three main beliefs of Taoism are compassion, frugality, and humility. We could all use more of that in this world.
66. Secretary of state who negotiated the Alaska Purchase: SEWARD. William Seward served under Lincoln. Although his purchase of Alaska from Russia was derided as a “folly” at the time, the US has reaped many benefits from the land, more than covering the 2 cents per acre we paid (understatement of the year).
64. To the __ degree: NTH.
65. "__ Te Ching": TAO. The Tao Te Ching is classic Chinese text that guides adherents in finding wholeness and inner tranquility in harmony with Tao. The three main beliefs of Taoism are compassion, frugality, and humility. We could all use more of that in this world.
66. Secretary of state who negotiated the Alaska Purchase: SEWARD. William Seward served under Lincoln. Although his purchase of Alaska from Russia was derided as a “folly” at the time, the US has reaped many benefits from the land, more than covering the 2 cents per acre we paid (understatement of the year).
68. Texter's "I'll be there soon!": OMW. On My Way, a continuation of last week’s textspeak theme.
Down:
1. Choir voice: ALTO. To sing higher than that, you'll need a riser.
2. Support for a ballerina: BARRE. "National Endowment for the Arts" didn’t
fit.
3. [Theme]
4. Research setting: LAB. "Come up to the LAB and see what's on the slab."
3. [Theme]
4. Research setting: LAB. "Come up to the LAB and see what's on the slab."
5. Jazz legend Fitzgerald: ELLA.
6. Newspaper section with views: OP-ED PAGE. I thought OP-ED was short for “Opinions & Editorials” but just learned it’s “Opposite the Editorial Page.”
7. [Theme]
8. "The Luminaries" Booker Prize winner Catton: ELEANOR. Unknown ELEANOR – her award-winning novel falls under “theater-fiction,” a genre that incorporates people, practices and settings from the stage.
6. Newspaper section with views: OP-ED PAGE. I thought OP-ED was short for “Opinions & Editorials” but just learned it’s “Opposite the Editorial Page.”
7. [Theme]
8. "The Luminaries" Booker Prize winner Catton: ELEANOR. Unknown ELEANOR – her award-winning novel falls under “theater-fiction,” a genre that incorporates people, practices and settings from the stage.
9. Kiss from a 10-Down: LICK.
10. Fur baby: PET.
11. Night before: EVE. The anticipation is killing me!
12. "Colorful" Taylor Swift era: RED. One of her 16 (!) eras highlighted on tour. They correspond to her 11 albums plus some additional errors, er, eras.
15. Icy nautical hazard: BERG. Like with many other things, it’s the part you can’t see that gets you.
11. Night before: EVE. The anticipation is killing me!
12. "Colorful" Taylor Swift era: RED. One of her 16 (!) eras highlighted on tour. They correspond to her 11 albums plus some additional errors, er, eras.
15. Icy nautical hazard: BERG. Like with many other things, it’s the part you can’t see that gets you.
17. Prefix with chrome or tone: MONO. I prefer stereo. Especially one for $1 million.
21. [Theme]
23. Get older: AGE.
25. [Theme]
26. Area component: WIDTH. When multiplied by the height or length of a rectangular object. If the object is not rectangular? Well, then you’re on your own.
27. Come after: ENSUE. Reviews of my favorite movies often include, “Hilarity ENSUEs when…”
29. [Theme]
31. Casual top: TEE. TEE, which is short for T-shirt, which is short for TEE shirt, or something like that. Anyway, you can make your own by coloring this one in, then cutting it out. Probably should enlarge it first, though. Money saving tips from yours truly.
21. [Theme]
23. Get older: AGE.
25. [Theme]
26. Area component: WIDTH. When multiplied by the height or length of a rectangular object. If the object is not rectangular? Well, then you’re on your own.
27. Come after: ENSUE. Reviews of my favorite movies often include, “Hilarity ENSUEs when…”
29. [Theme]
31. Casual top: TEE. TEE, which is short for T-shirt, which is short for TEE shirt, or something like that. Anyway, you can make your own by coloring this one in, then cutting it out. Probably should enlarge it first, though. Money saving tips from yours truly.
32. Had food at home: ATE IN.
33. Body dye in some wedding traditions: HENNA. A
natural reddish dye derived from the dried and powdered leaves of the henna
tree. It’s used to make intricate and beautiful temporary tattoos.
37. Alter __: EGO. RustyBrain is my alterEGO, kinda like Batman except I don't wear a cape.
39. Movie creatures that multiply if they get wet: GREMLINS. And remember, kids, never refuel them after midnight!
42. More sentimental: MUSHIER. Think any Hallmark Channel movie.
44. Cleverness: WIT. Brevity is the soul of WIT, so
48. Alone: SOLO. Han SOLO, alone.
37. Alter __: EGO. RustyBrain is my alterEGO, kinda like Batman except I don't wear a cape.
39. Movie creatures that multiply if they get wet: GREMLINS. And remember, kids, never refuel them after midnight!
42. More sentimental: MUSHIER. Think any Hallmark Channel movie.
44. Cleverness: WIT. Brevity is the soul of WIT, so
48. Alone: SOLO. Han SOLO, alone.
51. Chill: REST. I usually think of “chill” to mean relax or remain calm,
but not because you are tired and need a REST.
53. Atlanta WNBA team: DREAM. The name of this Women's National Basketball Association team was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech.
54. Job inspection org.: OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. I'm a contractor (where I puzzle things out every day), and I hope funding cuts don’t have a negative impact on worker safety.
55. Director Preminger: OTTO. The influential director never won an Academy Award.
57. Not just guess: KNOW. I guess I already KNOW this.
58. Rte. provider: GPS. Global Positioning Satellite. So many satellites have been launched over the years that they are falling back to earth at the rate of a dozen per day. They mostly burn up in the atmosphere, but that still seems like an incredible number.
59. Mine find: ORE.
60. Use a needle and thread: SEW. This clue is so-so.
62. Timid: SHY.
Stay tuned for Hahtoolah’s triumphant return next week. Same bat-time; same bat-channel.
53. Atlanta WNBA team: DREAM. The name of this Women's National Basketball Association team was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech.
54. Job inspection org.: OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. I'm a contractor (where I puzzle things out every day), and I hope funding cuts don’t have a negative impact on worker safety.
55. Director Preminger: OTTO. The influential director never won an Academy Award.
57. Not just guess: KNOW. I guess I already KNOW this.
58. Rte. provider: GPS. Global Positioning Satellite. So many satellites have been launched over the years that they are falling back to earth at the rate of a dozen per day. They mostly burn up in the atmosphere, but that still seems like an incredible number.
59. Mine find: ORE.
60. Use a needle and thread: SEW. This clue is so-so.
62. Timid: SHY.
Stay tuned for Hahtoolah’s triumphant return next week. Same bat-time; same bat-channel.
24 comments:
This was a pretty easy
puzzle, but you folks would probably be surprised how long it took me to figure out what the constructor was “up to” with the reveal. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
If d-o had realized that 25d was a reveal, he probably wouldn't have tried WHATCHA DOIN. Elsewhere Wite-Out came in handy for OTW and WWF. (Oops, that's World Wildlife Foundation.) Thanx, Amie, Jeff, and R-B. (You must be of a "certain age" for remembering "Same bat time, same bat channel.")
SCRAM: R-B's Frisbee comment reminded me. When nosy people ask my religion, I tell them I'm a Frisbeetarian. We believe that when you die, your soul flies up on the roof and gets stuck there.
FIR without erasure.
Eight letter "cookie with blah, blah, blah" is OREO. I have to say that I like the lemon variety better than the original.
DNK that they used HENNA for decoration in wedding traditions. I thought it might be to add instructions, like "this side up."
When I worked in Santa Monica, GTE bought a bunch of GREMLINS. Our parking facility was under our 21-story building, and the cars had to drive up several ramps to reach daylight. The GREMLINS had to be allowed to warm up before taking on the ramps. Otherwise, the engine would cough once then die on the ramp.
Thanks to Amy and Jess for the enjoyable puzzle, and to Rusty Brain for the pinch-hit triple.
S olved this in 4:58 today.
N ot familiar with Taylor Swift's color, or much else of her.
U nknowns today included the author (Eleanor).
F oreign language lessons weren't too bad (Latin, French, & Chinese).
F IR, so I'm happy too.
FIR. I didn't need the proper names, or the theme to finish today's puzzle, just well placed perps. Some of the cluing was iffy in my opinion, and up to scratch, although I've heard this phrase, is not in my typical usage.
Overall not a very fun puzzle.
Thank you, Amie and Jess, and thank you, Rusty Brain. When it comes to blogging, you are UP TO the task.
BTW, FuzzyBrain looks rapt, ready for a walk, ready for some good loving, or ready for a treat!
ETTU - I chuckled at the crosswordese comment.
"Get off my lawn!": SCRAM. “Please, mister, I just wanna get my Frisbee back.” That comment brought the memories back. We'd often play whiffle ball or kick ball in my neighbor's back yard when we were about 10. If the ball went over their neighbor's fence to the left, we left it. One, he didn't want any kids in his garden. Two, he had a bulldog. He'd throw the balls back over the fence after a few days.
Tom Pepper and C.C. have today's USA Today crossword puzzle, Blanket Term
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Amie and Jess, and RustyBrain (thanks for filling in - your HELPER, FuzzyBrain is adorable!).
I FIRed in very good time, but failed to see how SPEED, HERE, BAT and SCRATCH fit any kind of theme. AHA moment when RustyBrain explained.
Unknowns (to me) EDNA and ELEANOR perped.
Two inkblots to change SOLe to SOLO, and WATCHA doing to UP TO. (Hi d’o’)
I waited for perps to decide between ECG or EKG; the Canadian usage ECG won today.
I am unfamiliar with INNOUT, but it makes sense when parsed properly.
I noted LAB and LAP, SOLO and ALTO, BELIEVE crossing EVE. Also the trio of PET SAT, DOG and LUCK.
Wishing you all a great day.
I have mentioned here previously about having a henna design created on my hands at my DIL’s wedding shower. The young lady who inked it was a very creative artist. The custom is prevalent in Indian culture.
Good Morning:
I had to think a few seconds to come up with the theme after reading the reveal clue, not an unusual issue with vertical themers. I thought the difficulty level was above a typical Tuesday, but fair and plentiful perps solved any stumbling blocks, such as the unknown, as clued, Edna and Eleanor. There were too many TLWs (25) for my taste, but the overall fill was fine, excluding the annoying text speak, OMW.
Thanks, Amie and Jess, and thanks, RB, for the fun and facts. You’ve taken to blogging like a duck to water, so many congrats! Loved the photos of Doodlepuff and FuzzyBrain. Do they get along?
Have a great day.
FIR but didn’t catch on to the theme. (Up to SCRATCH?)
Inkovers: pup/PET, sketchbook/SCRATCHPAD/, wry/WIT
A four letter “cookie” is always OREO.
ERECTED cuz apparently “put” is plural. Although they would like to consistently cREAM their opponents I went with DREAM.
Near where I grew up there was a two block street. The street sign said ELEANOR Place on one end and Elenor Place on the other.
EKGS are more of a graph than a “chart” Amazing that after over a 100 years the 12 leads still have to be applied separately to chest and limbs . The tracing itself now takes seconds.
Rasta do …. DREADS
Recent Hebrew convert …. NEWISH
It usually comes in red not just ____ color ….. HENNA
Have a nice day. 😊
Musings
-Slangy NOTHIN, weird cluing for TAO and OMW crossing the slangy reveal took some of the pleasure out of the solve for me even though I finished. YMMV.
-Most of those AD BREAKS come with a Skip option after a few seconds
-Of course, WWE is just theater but injuries are real and pose real health risks
-Saturnalia is a PAGAN festival and why Christmas is celebrated around the winter solstice
-Almost everything I DREAD turns out just fine once I confront them
-An obscure ELEANOR takes the place of America’s most influential first lady
-American football fields were set at 360’ in length by 160’ in WIDTH before yds were used. 160’ converts to odd 53 1/3 yds.
-Two days of very welcome rain cancelled golf for today.
Got the FIR today, but I wasn't UP TO figuring out the gimmick until arriving at RustyBrains excellent review. A pretty clever puzzle, mostly, spoiled by the paraphrase non-clues, obscure author, and not-a-real-word (NOTHIN, WHATCHA).
An enjoyable and witty contribution today from Amie and Jess. Great fun, and I appreciated your straying outside the box by constructing all-vertical theme answers and reveal.
One of the theme answers, HEREANDNOW, made me think of the worthy NPR program of the same name, hosted by Scott Tong and others.
Actually, there were several grid fillers that served as pleasant reminders for me: 14Across "Italian mountain" (ALP): the Dolomite Alpine region of Italy is majestic.
Another happy memory for me was triggered by 41Across "Challenging riddle" (ENIGMA). Sir Edward Elgar's "Enigma Variations" is one of my favorite orchestral pieces.
CanadianEh--yes, In-n-Out's name looks odd in a crossword, INNOUT. Its name is "In and Out," but they abbreviated "and" to 'n'. Their hamburgers are quite tasty, incidentally.
"And nowww, pinch-hitting for the LAT Cornerites, Rusty Brain!" Great job, RB. I found your recap informative and colorful.
Thanks!
Hola! Fun today provided by Amie Walker and Jess Shulman. Thank you both!
There is an IN 'N OUT not too far from me but the one and only time I went I was turned off by the impersonality of it.
Many of my former ESL students were from Sudan and frequently had HENNA designs on their hands.
I did not KNOW that about GREMLINS. Live and learn!
ECGS gave me pause but SCRATCH PAD solved that dilemma.
Thank you, Rusty Brain, for your part in today's entertainment! Have a great day, everyone!
It has often been remarked how some enjoy the same CW others don't. KS@7:58 found this to be "...not a very fun puzzle", but I really enjoyed it! FIR in 10ish, no W/Os. Although there are 14 names, only 4 DNKs among them. I often forget to look for the theme, but today I took the time after completing the CW, and after quite a bit of head scratching, finally the V-8 can hit. Clever! I really enjoyed this CW, thanx AW&JS. Rustybrain, thanx for the outstanding write-up. I love Susan's cartoons, but you have your own equally enjoyable style, and I do appreciate all the time and effort you put into your write-ups.
What unclefred said.
Trying out a new iPad, so just testing some silly links I found while researching the theme:
is this working?
Dang! all the link procedures are totally different
I gotta click diffferent buttons to copy links?
I dunno, this new shit is like moving the furniture around in Helen Kellers house
Meme - How you doing - Viral Viral Videos
No, I don't like this new iPad at all.
Interesting Tuesday puzzle--many thanks, Amie and Jess. And also enjoyed your commentary, Rusty Brain, thanks for that too.
OH HELLO! Always fun to get a nice greeting in a puzzle. The HELPER in this one ERECTED a lot of interesting ENIGMAS, that were going to LURK there until I figured them out. But lets start with the fun part which is that we saw we were going to get a PET at the beginning, and it turned that our DOG SAT on the LAP of our HELPER. Hope he (and the dog) got an OREO as a treat for their efforts, and hope the DOG enjoyed his SCRATCH PAD for a nap, not for doodling. Well, time to get some REST before the SPEED DATING starts in the afternoon.
So, have a good rest of the day, everybody.
Thanks to Amie and Jess for their clever and fun contribution! FAV: BAT SIGNAL
We have an IN-N-OUT but I've never tried it.
Thanks to RustyBrain for a fun review! You are UP the job (TTP got there first but that's just because he's 2 hrs. ahead of me.) 18A "Young Otis". Good one!
Cute pics of Doodlepuff & FuzzyBrain! My condolences with the thunder. I know how that goes....
Sitting in the Burbank airport waiting for our connecting flight to KC
Fun, creative theme today
I agree with IM that RB is doing a good job with the blog
"The Henna Artist" by Alka Joshi is an excellent novel - set in the 50s during the beginning of independence of India from the UK
I like In N Out - the closest one to us is near my sister's in Texas
Thanks Amie and Jess for the the puzzle
Desper-otto at 5:44 AM gave me a good laugh with his Frisbeetarianism. And while I can't play the puzzle here, I can see that RustyBrain writes a great blog post, and that FuzzyBrain is a very cute dog. See you all sooner rather than later!
Unfortunately, Doodlepuff is a figment of my imagination. However, FuzzyBrain can't wait to appear again the next time C.C. calls!
Thanks everyone for the comments. You've created a monster!
C.C. I appreciate the opportunity you've given me. I hope your treatments went well today.
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