IT'S A TRAP~!
Star Wars, The Return of the Jedi, It's a trap #1
17. Potentially awkward encounter: BLIND DATE - I was "threatened" with a blind date the last time I was on Long Island; my friend's wife "really thought I should get together with this friend of hers."
26. Deceptive undercover ploy: STING OPERATION - this is the "poster song" for any "STING"
The Entertainer - Scott Joplin
43. "American Ninja Warrior" feature: OBSTACLE COURSE - I've been diligent in the month of May - went to the gym every other day, then walked 30-40mins in my neighborhood on the off days - and I would love to get into shape just be able to attempt this . . . .
59. "We've been fooled!," or what can be said about 17-, 26-, or 43-Across: "IT'S A SET-UP~!" - I certainly feel like I've been "had"
Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, "It's a trap" #2
ACROSS:
1. Move from the freezer to the sink, perhaps: THAW
5. Pod that may be pickled: OKRA
9. Barbershop sharpening tool: STROP
14. Hall of Fame golfer Isao: AOKI - name #1 - a crossword staple, with all those vowels - I only knew this name because I learned who he is by doing crosswords; he's the same age as the man who started the Pipe Organ company
15. Some summer babies, astrologically: LEOS - a bit 'meh' in the plural
16. "Defying Gravity" singer Cynthia: ERIVO - name #2, got me - see the little black triangle in the grid solution below. Natick. Pure. And. Simple. Period. Her web page - I do like the album cover
19. Come-ons: LURES - not RUSES; I was 60% correct
20. Burned a bit: SINGED - I once sing-ed a song for karaoke . . . .
21. Stimulant in some soft drinks: CAFFEINE
I'm fine, no really, I'm good, I just need a cup of coffee
23. Jumbo suffix: TRON - as in Jumbotron, the big screen at sports arenas, etc.; I'm feeling 'meh' about this, too
25. Cooling systs.: A/Cs
33. Coffee mug defect: CHIP
Yup, definitely "chipped"
34. Square-jawed canine: BOXER
35. Supersecretive org.: NSA - Dah~! Not CIA; 33% correct
36. Chicago airport code: ORD - due to O'Hare originally being Orchard Field - the Wiki
37. Gallivant: TRAIPSE - now here are good $2 words for clue/answer
39. Beanie, e.g.: CAP
40. Pool stick: CUE - had this Monday, too
41. Pay bump: RAISE
42. Sheet in a book: PAGE - at least it's not a name; i.e., Jimmy PAGE
47. "C'est la __!": VIE
48. Adjust the pitch of: TUNE
49. Musical place for a partridge: PEAR TREE - another good clue/answer
54. Tennessee NFL team: TITANS
58. Frowned upon: TABOO
61. Shady garden area: ARBOR
62. "Shoot": "DANG."
63. Connecting point: NODE
64. Bombards with texts, say: SPAMS - again, in the plural, a bit 'meh'.
65. Michigan's __ Royale National Park: ISLE - I'm betting Jazzbumpa knew this one
66. Chatted privately, briefly: DMed - Direct Messaged
DOWN:
1. Guitar player's aid: TABS - short for tabulature, which shows the fret number you hold with your finger(s) on the "lines" representing the strings on the neck; it's how I learned to play, but lately, I have gotten better with the actual note names
"Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love" - Van Halen
2. Colorful Hindu festival: HOLI - I had this back on Apr 16th
3. Related (to): AKIN
4. Shape of some eyeliner applications: WINGTIP - this makeup detail
At least it wasn't the shoes
5. One who's past the age of learning, in a saying: OLD DOG - that is, you can't teach an - - - new tricks
6. Hawaii's Mauna __: KEA - geographic name - LOA, or KEA~?
7. Campus mil. group: ROTC - Reserve Officers' Training Corps - more here
8. Offshore: ASEA - yeah, but meh.
9. Focus of a "me day": SELF CARE - I figured it was something like "SPA - - -"
10. Most authentic: TRUEST
11. "SOS" singer, to fans: RiRi - OK, I get it, I'm old.... The artist Rihanna; the song, which samples MY generation's "Tainted Love" from Soft Cell, this 80s one-hit-wonder. RiRi's Wiki; name #3
12. Tandoor, for one: OVEN - More here
13. Sit (for): POSE
18. "Marriage Story" Oscar winner Laura: DERN - name #4
22. Kayak listing: FARES - Tried HOTEL; the website - Kayak choice would have been more deceptive
24. Goal of some criminal justice reform efforts: NO BAIL - had N, O, L via perps, so a WAG on my part
26. Hedge element: SHRUB - a shrubbery~!
MP and the Holy Grail
27. Gravitational phenomena: TIDES
28. Composure: POISE
29. Anticipate: EXPECT
30. Quechua speakers: INCAS - name(ish)
31. "August: __ County": Meryl Streep film: OSAGE - no clue, so I'm calling name #5
32. Area hidden by a turtleneck: NAPE - could not be "neck" because it was in the clue
33. American tennis phenom Gauff: COCO - the Frawnche Open is this week; like the British open, known as "Wimbledon", the offical name of this tennis championship is Roland-Garros - name #6
37. Turncoats: TRAITORS
38. 5K participant: RACER - I knew we were looking for a "runner", which didn't fit; I tried MILER
42. Make believe: PRETEND
44. Den: TV ROOM - mancave didn't fit
45. Power interruption: OUTAGE - a nuisance, if you're watching a movie in your 44D.
46. Colleges, to Aussies: UNIversitieS
49. School fundraising orgs.: PTAs - again, the plural is a bit 'meh'
50. "Tombstone" character Wyatt: EARP - even if I know this, it's still a name, #7
51. "SOS" singers: ABBA - the "other" SOS song - still a name, #8
52. Cash gift given on Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha: EIDI - Islamic holidays - more here. Really~? on Wednesday~? Sheesh. The Wiki
53. Waze figs.: ETAs - Waze, the driving app, a cute play on "WAYS"
55. Basic particle: ATOM
56. Like a streaker: NUDE
57. Stepped on the gas: SPED
60. Marcello Hernández's show, for short: SNL - his IMDb - name #9
Splynter
35 comments:
I didn’t find this puzzle
too tough, in spite of the unknowns of “Erivo” and “Eidi.” Other than that, I don’t have too much to say about this puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
At 1A d-o thought perhaps one would CRAB from the freezer to the sink. Have I ever mentioned...? RIRI crossing ERIVO was just cruel. And EIDI further down was no better. Got 'er done, but in retrospect, this wasn't a fun Wednesday outing. Thanx, Sala, Emily, and Splynter. (Cute "Dang" cartoon.)
FIR without erasure, thanks to wild guesses at ERIVO x RIRI and OVEN, and ISLE x EIDI. I didn't think this one was worth the squeeze.
Kentucky's Jean Thomas, nee Jeanette Mary Francis de Assisi Aloysius Marcissum Garfield Bell, was known as "The TRAIPSin' Woman." Among other successes, she was responsible for the American Folk Song Festival held annually from 1932 until her failing health caused her to retire in 1972.
She is still famous in my little rural home county. She met a blind fiddle player there and made him famous, including playing London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Thanks to Splynter for creating an interesting review of this one.
Good morning. I didn't notice the set up but I had filled all of 59A by perps except the first letter-I- for the unknown EIDI The cross of ERIVO & RIRI was a guess for this OLD DOG. No idea about either. I knew SOS was by ABBA and 51D confirmed it. "August OSAGE County" is another movie I know nothing about.
DMED- can't leave out those 'text-speak" abbrs.
TABS was all perps. I'm glad I knew Isao AOKI.
NO BAIL- what a joke. There's always been "release on recognizance" for those who can be trusted to show up in court. As the jailbirds say, " if you can't do the time, don't do the crime". If burglars and shoplifters are let out with 'no bail', they go right back to their regular jobs- burglarizing and shoplifting.
COCO- about 5 years ago she came to NOLA and hit some practice games against the best juniors. My grandson (who is three years younger) played two games against her, won a couple of points, and ran down a shot and hit a 'tweener" (backwards between the legs) to get the ball back over the net.
WAZE is a Google app but their Google's Android Car Play used Google Maps. I've used them both, but if I am going to some new place I always print a map from Google that lists the turns and exit numbers.
Took 4:34 to frame this one.
I join the chorus of others who dislike the inclusion of "eidi" and the intersection of "RiRi" & "Erivo".
On the bright side, I knew the Actress of the Day (Dern) and even today's foreign language lesson (vie). It helped that I saw some of "August: Osage County," though I don't remember much of it.
Seems like a long time since we've had Aoki Isao/Isao Aoki.
DNF. I got caught by the crossing of ERIVO and RIRI, and EIDI and ISLE.
I did sensed the theme at BLIND DATE and STING OPERATION. I thought there were too many names in this CW. Not my cup of tea.
Many moons ago I met my DH on á BLIND DATE.
Thank you Splynter for that nice review.
Solve was quick today and my time was exactly 1 second longer than yesterday's - I've never had that before
I thought Cynthia ERIVO did a fantastic job as Elphaba in the movie version of Wicked this past year as well as playing Harriet Tubman in the biopic of her life - I would get used to seeing her in Crosswords because lots of vowels as Boomer would often note.
I remembered RI RI for Rihanna's nickname as that was my daughter's nickname when she was little
FIW. Proper names brought me down, especially since they were crossing, which is a giant NO-NO. Riri and Erivo was just nasty. We might as well have clues like "what is my pet's name" in the puzzle!
The reveal made the theme clear but was not a significant help with the solve.
Overall not an enjoyable puzzle by any stretch of the imagination.
The clue to 35 across is superficially ironic. Super secretive but it appears in a crossword puzzle.
A fairly easy puzzle tarnished by the inclusion of EIDI. The themers filled in quickly and with zero degree of difficulty. I knew ERIVO from watching the Oscars, and RIRI is familiar enough that it was obvious (to me) once STROP and ERIVO gave me the first two letters.
I had some problems with Sala and Emily's puzzle today, but am reluctant to weigh in with guns blazing. For one thing, as solvers we don't know who wrote many of the clues, the constructors or the editorial staff. For example, at 4 Down, WINGTIP, the constructors' clue might have been something like "style of men's shoes," which was then edited out to something relating to cosmetics.
I'm also beholden to Splynter's comments in today's recap, where he reminded us of the value of honesty in our appraisals, to perhaps help constructors improve their crosswords. As he said, "Keep trying, ladies."
In that light, I feel that today's puzzle fell a bit short, by losing sight of what is in the best interests of the solvers. There was presumably a niche of satisfied solvers today--those who are comfortable with names, pop culture, cosmetics, female singers, and the like--but for perhaps most of the rest of us, we were largely left out.
Thanks, Splynter, for the amusing--and candid!--recap.
Good Morning:
Eidi was the only unknown but perps solved that stumbling block. I agree that the theme was not that exciting and that there were a lot of proper names. The fill was fine, Eidi and the several forced plurals excepted.
Thanks, Sala and Emily, and thanks, Splynter, for an honest and fair analysis.
Have a great day.
When I started solving crossword puzzles some 50 years ago they were mostly a test of one's vocabulary. I was delighted to learn new words as a result. Now the puzzles are more about pop-culture and trivia, two areas of which I have little interest. However, I still enjoy the daily diversion and occasionally learn something worth remembering.
Musings
-The toughest Wednesday I can recall but I got a well-earned “got ‘er done!”
-Yeah, ERIVO/RIRI bordered on unfair. I only knew RIRI from here and I doubt her SOS was anywhere near as good as ABBA’s.
-I just looked at her video and it did not feature her, uh, musical abilities.
-I would have gone with Patti PAGE :-)
-I “proof” puzzles for my constructor friend in Lincoln. He had OILERS for Houston football team but I had to tell him they are now the Tennessee TITANS.
-The bathroom cartoon was a hoot, Splynter. I was eating lunch at school with five women and the superintendent seeing the women’s bathroom occupied stepped right into the men’s facility without any hesitation. Would most women do that?
-HOLI is finally entrenched in my brain
-This OLD DOG is always willing to learn new tricks
-Our March 3-day power OUTAGE made us improvise, like warming up pizza on our BBQ grill
Thank you, Sala and Amy IT'S A SETUP! I was framed! Actually, I very much enjoyed the puzzle, and got lucky by guessing the I at the intersection of ERIVO and RIRI, FTW!
Bombards with texts: SPAMS. In the world of Blogger, the same word is used for inapplicable comments sent by bots to blogspots, like the Crossword Corner. There are 22 of them in the Corner's spam filter this morning.
Although I get the gist, I don't equate TRAIPSE and gallivant. Both may suggest wandering around, but in my book, TRAIPSING generally suggests a downtrodden trudging along, often aimless. A saddened person TRAIPSES or trudges along, such as at a funeral. Gallivant suggests a more purposed, light footed and spirited manner in pursuit of something or someone. e.g., The lady's man gallivanted into the ballroom, in search of his next conquest.
Shape of some eyeliner applications - WINGTIP. "The street thug was arrested shortly after the incident, and the evidence was pointed. Little did he know that the businessman was a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, but the WINGTIP impression around his ocular socket left no doubt that he was the perp. It was a dark and stormy night..."
BLIND DATE - The wife of one of my coworkers in Houston wanted me to take her Atlanta sister out while I was there for business. She thought we'd be perfect for each other. I reluctantly agreed, but quickly changed my mind when I picked her up at the door. Our conversation was light on the way to the small night club where Paul Davis was performing. As we sat at the small table waiting for him to perform, she let on that she and her long time boyfriend had recently called it quits. Then Paul Davis starts to perform, and a song or two in he sings I Go Crazy. That song brought her to the edge of tears, and the date was soon over.
Enough of all of that.
EIDI was all easy perps, so I didn't have to "know it." And I learned something new.
Thanks, Splynter! You should have guessed an I. With R_RI in place, walking the vowels might have struck a bell.
I don't think the theme totally landed. A BLIND DATE is a SET-UP. A STING OPERATION is a SET-UP. An OBSTACLE COURSE is simply SET-UP, I guess, like a camp site or something.
Could be just sour grapes at leaving a blank at the now infamous collision of two singers, one of whom is a rising actress that I should learn, and the other is already famous by her nickname? Can you Belieber it?
And to think that it all started out so nice with a guitar clue, then slowly went out of TUNE. Thanks Splynter for your fair assessment.
Erivo/RiRi was a natnick… Agreed
Eidi was easily solved with perps.
Me thinks some solvers doth protest too much.
Awesome and honest recap Splyner.
Hola! I partially agree with some of the complaints about this puzzle but I managed to finish it so I'm pleased about that. There were enough recognizable fill so that it wasn't entirely frustrating. We've seen ERIVO several times and though I know Laura DERN's name, I did not know that particular movie. AOKI has appeared in many previous puzzles. EIDI is an unknown for me, but it emerged nicely.
Thank you, Splynter, for an amusing narrative! Have a great day, everyone!
Ironically, when there's an OUTAGE the power company e-mails a message!
Thank you - I was going to hold the editor accountable on this one, myself; like I said, I think I am "older" now . . . .
Delightful Wednesday puzzle, many thanks, Sala and Emily. And I always appreciate your commentary, Splynter, thanks for that too.
Well, today's puzzle posed no major OBSTACLE COURSE, even though it gave out a series of warnings. We seem to be warned that maybe what we have here IT'S A SET-UP and a STING OPERATION constructed by some TRAITORS. Maybe we should consider everything TABOO and EXPECT no help at all. But in spite of all these warning, I thought it was nice to have a visit to that ARBOR with a lovely PEAR TREE. And maybe we'd hear a piano playing a TUNE, and be able to enjoy some CHIPS and a cup of CAFFEINE in the TV ROOM. A pretty pleasant morning, I'd say.
Have a great day, everybody.
Meh. FIW at the Natick. I think what the reformers were looking for was "no CASH bail". After all, if you make the poor crooks pay to be released, they'll just have to steal more to make it up. Nice job on the recap Splynter! Enjoyed today's tunes & 'toons.
I tried rOri, then gave up in disgust . . . .
Splynter, I loved the Yogi Berra quote to kick things off. No, riri I did.
WEES re Naticks. Just no fair. I needed red letter help due to the 14 names, including 7 DNKs and two Naticks. Again, where there's a Natick, I'm gonna give myself mulligans and declare a FIR in 15 in spite of using red letter help. Thanx SW&EB, not my favorite CW, but far better than I could create myself, so.... Thanx too to Splynter for the terrific write-up, and the double-duty sexy legs pics. Never heard of Cynthia Erivo, but will give her a listen in a bit w/ my Apple Music app. Agree, great album cover. Her dark skin contrasted with the white angel wings is quite the picture. Not much more to say about the CW. Wednesday is my day for the local Cajun restaurant, Shuck N Dive, fortunately just a few blocks from my house. $1.50 oysters today. Plus I'm gonna get a bucket of crawfish, which are a pain in the neck to crack open to get such a small amount of meat, but oh, so tasty!
Thanks to Sala and Emily! Hand up for falling into the trap in the NE. I added to my own confusion by thinking the come-ons were pick-up LinES so I had no chance at RIRI. I also fell for the KAYAK trick so FARES was ESP.
FAV was TRAIPSE.
We had POSE & POISE as well as NODE crossing NUDE.
When I teach myself a new song I usually start with chords then use the TABS to fill in some notes.
Thanks for your review today, Splynter! I loved your theme video and I always enjoy hearing the Sting theme song.
I feel the same way as many of you about this puzzle.
I scratched my head at EIDI what with Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha being in the clue.
I do like the following words: STROP, CAFFEINE, Gallivant, and TRAIPSE.
I also liked the clues for PEAR TREE and OLD DOG.
Good reading you all.
FY: You are welcome, Misty.
The jewel case reference was to the clue at 37A - DVD holder. Several commenters said they first entered “case” thinking of the common name “jewel case” for the plastic device used to store a DVD/CD. The correct fill was TRAY.
Um, late to the party, did the puzzle early, what was the theme again?
oh yes, it's a set up...
Which lead to a public service announcement...
Thanks to Kelly Clark for your favorable rating on that other site!
We used to do that at The LA Music Center when the lines were too long. Startled the men of course!
Late today but I have to have to say Splynter you are right on the money about this puzzle. I agree with you on all aspects. I really hate Naticks. Come on, "Eidi"!
You think it's a pain in your neck, imagine the crawfish's before you suck the head ;-)
Two Star Wars and one Python? Nice job, Splynter!
WEES about the NE corner / names - DNF. At least I knew EIDI.
Cheers, -T
FIR by wagging the Natick. Editors should not let those through.
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