Redecorating. The first word of each theme answer is a type of window dressing.
17-Across. Driver's concern when merging: BLIND SPOT.
24-Across. Hairstyle that frames the face: CURTAIN BANGS. I wasn't familiar with the term Curtain Bangs, but apparently it's a thing. Curtain bangs are a type of bang that's parted in the center and styled to sweep outwards, framing the face like a curtain.
51-Across. Exposure-determining setting, in photography: SHUTTER SPEED.
63-Across. Mature growth in a backyard: SHADE TREE.
And the unifier:
38-Across. Storefront merchandise displays, or what the starts of 17-, 24-, 51-, and 63-Across are: WINDOW DRESSINGS.
Across:
1. Bandmate of Crosby and Stills: NASH. The band was known as Crosby, Stills and Nash until Neil Young, joined, then they became known as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
5. On a cruise: ASEA.
9. Lunch and dinner: MEALS.
14. Eight, in combinations: OCTO-.
15. Brief moments: SECs. As in Seconds.
16. God of Islam: ALLAH.
19. Nary a soul: NO ONE.
20. "So are we!": US, TOO!
21. Fibber's confession: I LIED.
23. Actor Beatty: NED. Ned Beatty (né Ned Thomas Beatty; July 6, 1937 ~ June 13, 2021) was primarily a character actor and appeared in more than 160 films. He is probably best remembered for his role in Deliverance.
27. Full of school spirit: RAH! RAH!
29. Rain-__ gum: BLO.
30. Oscar winner Mahershala: ALI. Ali Mahershala (né Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore; b. Feb. 16, 1974) is an American actor who has appeared in numerous films. He won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as a drug dealer in Moonlight and as Don Shirley in Green Book (2018).
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| Ali Mahershala on the left; Don Shirley on the right. |
31. Prayer ending: AMEN.
35. Diva's piece: ARIA. You knew I was going to include this piece from Carmen.
43. Brief "Almost done with this week!": TGIF. As in Thank Goodness It's Friday.
44. Pants, briefly: TROU. Do college boys still Drop Trou?
45. Pop singer Rita: ORA. Rita Ora (née Rita Sahatçiu Ora; b. Nov. 26, 1990) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.
46. Pilot's approx.: ETA. As in Estimated Time of Arrival.
48. Country singer Tim whose father pitched in the MLB for 19 seasons: McGRAW. Tim McGraw (né Samuel Timothy McGraw; b. May 1, 1967), just celebrated his 58th birthday. He is married to singer Faith Hill (née Audrey Faith Perry; b. Sept. 21, 1957). Tim didn't know his father was baseball star, Tug McGraw (1944 ~ 2004) until he was about 11 years old.
56. IRS form expert: CPA. As in a Certified Public Accountant.
57. Spur to action: IMPEL.
58. Filmmakers Ethan and Joel: COENS. The Coen brothers, Joel (b. Nov. 29, 1954) and Ethan (b. Sept. 21, 1957) have made numerous off-beat indie films, including cult classic, The Big Lebowski.
61. Vinyl collectible: ALBUM.
65. Salary increase: RAISE.
66. __ of office: OATH.
67. Gillette razor: ATRA.
68. Memory units: BYTES.
69. U.K. awards: MBEs. // And 4-Down. Pay homage to, to a Brit: HONOUR. Becoming a Member of the Order of the British Empire is an Honour.
70. "Tell me more!": GO ON. Parsed differently, the answer becomes a Goon.
Down:
1. Fusion restaurant chain co-owned by Robert De Niro: NOBU. This restaurant has appeared often on Tuesdays in the past year. Technically, De Niro is a co-owner of Nobu Hospitality, LLC, the company behind the restaurant chain. The restaurant is named after Nobu Matshuisha (né Nobuyuki Matsuhisa; b. Mar. 10, 1949). A Nobu restaurant just opened in New Orleans.
2. Knee parts, for short: ACLs. As in the Anterior Cruciate Ligament. It is commonly injured by a tear.
3. Red lines on a baseball, e.g.: STITCHING.
5. Donkey: ASS.
6. Retro photo effect: SEPIA. Everything you wanted to know about Sepia but didn't know to ask.
7. Gut bacteria: E. COLI. E. coli is short for Escherichia coli, a gram-negative bacterium. It is commonly found in the lower intestine. Most E. coli are harmless and aid in the digestion of food and protect us from harmful germs, but some can make you sick. This bacterium appears often in the puzzles.
9. Geometric designs used as meditative aids: MANDALAs. The meaning behind the mandala.
10. "Evil Woman" gp.: ELO. The formal name of the band is Electric Light Orchestra.
11. "Moving right __ ... ": ALONG.
12. Bowling alley divisions: LANES. Shout out to Boomer!
 |
| Chumbawamba anyone? |
13. Backyard building: SHED.
18. Young explorer in "The Lost City of Gold": DORA. Dora the Explorer.
22. __ and flow: EBB.
25. Spring melt: THAW.
26. Sushi seaweed: NORI. Another crossword staple. Yummers!
27. Uncooked: RAW.
28. Disembarked: ALIT.
32. Utah summer hrs.: MDT. As in Mountain Daylight Time.
33. __ on the side of caution: ERR.
34. Paleo- opposite: NEO-.
36. So that one may: IN ORDER TO.
37. Taj Mahal city: AGRA. The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592 ~ 1666) in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal (1593 ~ 1631). She died at age 38 giving birth to her 14th child. The Taj Mahal is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Construction began in 1632 and took 22 years to complete, employing around 20,000 laborers and artisans. The Taj Mahal is known for its intricate designs and, because it is embedded with precious gems and stones, its color changes throughout the day as the sun moves across the building.
39. God, in Paris: DIEU. Today's French lesson.
40. Frequently: OFT TIMES.
41. __ pump: drainage aid in a basement: SUMP.
42. Witnessed: SAW.
47. Cash dispenser: ATM.
49. Gospel singer Winans: CECE. CeCe Winans (née Priscilla Marie Winans; b. Oct. 8, 1964) has won 17 Grammy Awards, the most for any female gospel singer.
50. Digital photo's location stamp: GEOTAG.
51. Spread out, as fingers: SPLAY.
52. Nun's attire: HABIT.
53. __ salts: foot-soaking stuff: EPSOM.
54. Post-injury regimen: REHAB.
55. Roofing stone: SLATE.
56. Keto no-no: CARB. If you are on a Keto diet, you shouldn't drink carbonated water because it's full of of Carbs.
59. Fictional sleuth Wolfe: NERO. Nero Wolfe was the creation of Rex Stout (né Rex Todhunter Stout; Dec. 1, 1886 ~ Oct. 27, 1975), who wrote a series of detective fiction staring Wolfe. Nero Wolfe was also a television series adopted from Stout's books. The television series starred William Conrad (né John Willian Cann, Jr.; Sept. 27, 1920 ~ Feb. 11, 1994).
60. With 8-Down, Samwise Gamgee player in "The Lord of the Rings": SEAN. // 8-Down. See 60-Down: ASTIN. Sean Patrick Astin (b. Feb. 25, 1971) is the son of Patty Duke (Dec. 14, 1946 ~ Mar. 29, 2016).
62. Put to work: USE.
64. Players who only bat, briefly: DHs. Think baseball and the Designated Hitters.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
I will be taking a brief hiatus for the next few weeks. I know you will be in good/better hands during my absence.
38 comments:
This puzzle was, to me, a
little thornier than the usual Tuesday puzzle. However, the theme was clear from the beginning, and that helped me get such answers as “curtain bangs.” Also, I wonder how many of us are familiar with the Hindu practice of “mandalas”? Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Janice is a pro, and today's offering puts her talents on full display. Very nice. Thanx for the expo, Hahtoolah. Enjoy your time off. (I wondered about GOON, too. Shades of NOICE.)
MANDALA: Some of you may remember this oldie from Peter, Paul and Mary
FIR without erasure for a change. Ditto Subgenius.
My engineering group had a budget and financial reporting guru named Wanda NOONE.
My 111 year old house still has its original TILE roof.
CSO to Lucina @ HABIT.
Thanks to Janice for the fun run, and to Ha2La for another fine review. Enjoy your time off. (I was gonna link Elvis' big hit Don't Be Accrual, but I couldn't find it on YouTube.)
Remember Alice the GOON from Popeye? She was Sea Hag's minion.
Took 3:40 today for me to black-out at the Venetian hotel.
With apologies to SubG, I'd call this one a WITP.
There were more than a few clues today I didn't even read, as the perps filled them in, including today's foreign language lesson (dieu & honour).
Ora resting on McGraw, which crossed CeCe, which crossed Coens seemed a bit too much condensed A&E. But overall, I was happy with no circles.
FIR, but this was a little crunchy for a Tuesday. Nobu and mandalas are an example of this. And the crossing of two proper names, Cece and Coens, is definitely a no-no.
However the theme was clearly Tuesday worthy and helped a great deal with the solve.
But overall this was not as fun as a Tuesday puzzle should be.
Hi All!
Fell asleep at 10:30 last night and was up at 4ish so I got an early crack at Janice's puzzle while eating breakfast and reading my email.
Thanks Janice for the fine puzzle. Names I didn't know (CeCe, Ali, et.al.) perped easily.
Another bang-up expo, Hahtoolah. Enjoy your vacation!
WOs: N/A
ESPs: CECE, ALI, MANDALAS (I was going for Mandelbrot as my meditative geometry.
Fav: BYTES made me think of a story.
//Story: I was using 'net send <<machinename> <message>' to chat with a buddy. He msg'd me to get off the phone and back to work. I accidentally sent back 'net send * Byte me' - that * made "Byte me" pop up on all 100+ computers on the floor. Ooops!
Also fun were ALBUMs of C,S, & NASH and ELO. Not a Country fan, but McGraw is not bad.
Jinx - I too thought Alice from Popeye would have been a great 70a clue.
//Security at Defcon is provided by GOONs. They are just volunteers that help keep the event orderly. And they're good -- during a bomb threat two years ago, they cleared the venue in less than 10 minutes (and this was after-hours with parties going on!). LVPD & FD gave them props.
There are other volunteers that keep speakers on schedule, etc. They are also called GOONs. I have a sticker on my water bottle that says, "Support your Local Defcon GOON." I know ~6 of them from our Houston DC groups.
Hand up thinking of Lucina @HABIT.
Cheers, -T
I found this CW super easy and smooth. Á few tiny unknowns like BLO, ALI, and á twofer SEAN ASTIN. I remembered TROU and NOBU from previous CWs, so no problem.
I detected the theme quickly and had fun with it. All good.
However I don’t know why since my IOS system updated, the puzzle reviews appear in huge size so in Safari I select Reader view to it. The comments however are in normal size. If I use Chrome, the review appears in TINY print. Progress!!!!
Thank you Hahtoolah for this great recap. I loved that last one. That happens to me all the time.
In the American League, the designated hitter bats in place of the pitcher. Normally the DH bats just as frequently as other batting line up members.
Good Morning:
I agree with Subgenius that this had a few thorns, i.e., Curtain Bangs, Mandalars, and Geotag, all unknowns to me, but the perps were fair and, in true
Janice fashion, the theme was clever and well-executed and the solve was enjoyable and satisfactory.
Thanks, Janice, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for all the facts and fun in your review. My favorite comics were the ones for CPA, Asea, and Stitching and, of course, your favorite aria is always a listening pleasure. Have a wonderful and safe trip.
Have a great day.
I was thinking that CURTAIN BANGS were akin to The Rachel.
All the themers fit the unifier, so I'm a happy camper.
For years, I drove a utility van without side windows that had a huge blind spot at certain angles, even with mirrors. You really have to pay attention to what's going on around you.
GOON is sometimes clued as an enforcer in hockey, while NOONE is Peter from Herman's Hermits.
Don't think I'll ever like TROU. And why is it a pair of pants? Is one leg a pant?
Nice write-up Hahtoolah. Have a great vacation!
Did your house built in 1914 originally have electricity? I worked as an electrician in Virginia and saw a lot of knob and tube wiring.
Delightful puzzle! Thanks, Janice! The only real unknown for me was CECE. I enjoyed the WINDOW DRESSINGS and found everything very fresh. My daughter and and millions of other young women have worn CURTAIN BANGS for years.
Hahtoolah, your blog posts are always a delight! I hope you share photos of your upcoming adventure with us upon your return. Bon voyage!
Janice provided us today with another of her clever and enjoyable puzzles. She knows how to construct with the best interests of the solver in mind.
I liked the theme, and I always applaud grid-spanning Reveals at the Equator. There were a few obscure (to me) names, and I almost got tangled in a Natick in the NE, with ELO, MANDALAS, NORI, and BLO in close proximity. But perps rescued things.
Thanks, Janice, for a fun solve that I thought was Tuesday-appropriate. And thanks, Hahtoolah, for your amusing and informative recap. Enjoy your time off!
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Janice and Hahtoolah (best wishes on your hiatus).
I FIRed in good time and filled in WINDOW DRESSING theme after the first two themers. Then I merrily entered SHADE at 51A, but had to relo to 63A.
I guessed the L correctly at the almost Natick-to-me cross of BLO and MANDALAS.
TROU did not require the final S that I reflexly entered when I saw Pants.
I started 17A as A LANE SPOT thinking of drivers who don’t move over to allow you to merge easily. But then LANES (RIP Boomer) made me revamp.
You all know that I smiled broadly at the British HONOUR. US Canadians TOO.
Wishing you all a great day.
This puzzle was mostly at the usual Tuesday level, with the exception of McGraw crossing CeCe and Geotag. I wagged McGraw. Wagging Coen from
--en helped. Finally it came together. Otherwise the perps were easy.
In my experience it was always mooning, not dropping trou. I didn't hear that until I was middle aged.
College men and women still moon and streak.
The fields of fashion, textiles and design often use pant for a pair of pants. The Grammarphobia Blog doesn't like it, but acknowledges that the sungular is used in the "rag" trade. These trades also use jean, trouser, pajama, legging, brief, tight and panty. Spell Check didn't flag this.
I was a virtual scheduler for a construction company. They specialized in roofs, but hated repairing SLATE roofs. The repair is challenging and expensive.
I recognized mandala only after it was fully perped.
I will miss your amusing blogs, Susan. Enjoy your hiatus.
RustyBrain, that's because you need a pair of scissors to turn them into cutoffs.
Window dressing? Rem8nds me of Went With The Wind
Earlier I mentioned I had á problem viewing the blog review because it appeared in Zoom format. I posed that problem to CHATGPT and the bot helped me fix the problem in no time.
In the National League as well.
I enjoyed this Janice Luttrell puzzle.
My house was built in 1950, and I took great care of the booktile original roof when I bought it in 1984. Three years ago termites got into the rafters, and I had to replace the entire roof: $53,000!! The roofer could scarcely believe it was the original roof from 1950, 73 years old at that point. 111 year old roof is amazing. Down here in FLL the average roof lasts 20-30 years.
Hola! Nice puzzle, thank you, Janice. I enjoyed seeing all the WINDOW DRESSINGS. And I even remembered Tim MCGRAW though I'm not a country music fan. Rita ORA has become a CWD staple.
Mark's birthday is coming up, Thursday, so I need to get going and do some shopping. And I have an appointment for a shingles shot at 2:30.
Susan, enjoy your time off! Have a great day, everyone!
Very nice, fun CW, good theme, a few too many names for my liking, 17, DNK 7. Also not a fan of names next to each other or crossing. But other than that a fun, doable Tuesday: FIR in 11. Names slowed me down a bit. 52D "Nun's attire", HABIT, reminded me that it is said to be O.K. to occasionally fondle a nun, as long as you don't get into the habit. The mention of CSN(Y) brings back good memories: great songs, great harmony. I also really liked and still listen to ELO. Thanx JL for this fun creation. And thanx too to Hahtoolah for the terrific write-up and (as always) great cartoons. I especially smiled at REHAB PREHAB. Enjoy your vacay.
Janice gave me a walk in the park today, unlike Saturday's when my eyes glaze over and I'm in awe of those here who finish correctly. Will take Irish Miss's suggestion, and use my YouTube alias identity: starboy288, here as well. Always enjoyed and miss Boomer. Hahtoolah, have a real fine time away. Really appreciate all the Corner blogger guides here for the efforts to enlighten and amuse us after spending so much time finding facts, cartoons, and songs. I used some of my Kentucky Derby winnings to order some Maine lobsters! Jinx, you've had such varied experiences, and can remember them!
Rusty, I still have some knob and tube, but I'm not sure it's energized. The house originally had coal fireplace heat, and gas lighting. Some of the valves for the gas lights are still in place. Most of the AC outlets are two prongs without the safety ground conductor.
U.Fred, my roof is Windsor slate tile, named for the area about 50 miles from here where it was mined. When I changed homeowners insurance, the agent asked me the age of the roof. When I told him it was about 100 years ago, he replied "oh, slate huh?" Having a designed life of 200 years doesn't mean no mainyenance for that time. Every year there is a little work to be done to mitigate rust in hangers and reattach any slates that have become dislodged. Also, the flashings and valleys tend to need attention occasionally.
Ok, ok, so why is "bra" singular?
Delightful Tuesday puzzle, many thanks, Janet. And your commentaries and pictures are always a pleasure, Hahtoolah, thanks for your today's contributions too.
Well, it looked as though we might have a fellow in REHAB in this puzzle. He's clearly glad to be out and getting healthy MEALS at his new center, and new clothes including a neat pair of TROUS. And he's back to practicing the religion he first learned from the nuns wearing HABITS back in his school days, who did IMPEL him to pray and say a sacred OATH when he was done and finish with AMEN. All this has now helped to ELATE him and RAISE his spirits, as he plays an ALBUM of sacred music and listens to an ARIA on the radio, grateful for his new life.
Have a lovely rest of the day, everyone.
I love that Carol Burnett skit. It has to be one of her funniest!
Musings
-Five days in a row of “San Diego” weather!
-ASTIN cluing was the only obscurity for me but went quietly.
-Great baseball hitters are said to be able to read the STITICHES on a pitched ball
-Constructing a MANDALA on House Of Cards. They then destroy to the meticulously built work of art to demonstrate the impermanence of life.
Welcome, Starboy288. I think you used some of your Derby winnings wisely and I hope those Maine Lobsters prove me right! I have many happy memories of Maine living and many of them include lobster, especially baked stuffed! Enjoy!
Well done, Monkey!!
I do not know how you come up with these, Misty. Always a fun surprise!
Thanks to Janice for another winner!
Thanks, also to Hahtoolah! FAVs were the Singles Cruise, MANDALA article, and Chumbawamba. That was my go-to karaoke song for a while but it's pretty long so it's difficult to keep up the energy towards the end. Safe & happy travels!!
LOL Jinx!
Pop's house was built when Lincoln lived in SPI. Knob and tube upgrades at one point in the 20's(?). Pop ripped all that out (imagine cloth insulation on the wires!) and made it right. He also replaced the coal fire heat and lead pipes with copper (and copious shutoff valves).
Here's the front porch setup for Spring and cigars. -T
In the early 70's I hitchhiked from NYS to Maine, befriended a lobsterman who took me out on his boat (at 4:30 a.m. start!) and ended up with 3 lobsters for my efforts. People I was staying with were three days late returning & I ate all of three lobsters 🦞. I bought a '53 Buick Roadmaster from them and ended up driving it all the way San Francisco later on. Youthful adventures!
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