Broken Noses. Today's puzzle is brought to us by our blog hostess C.C. and Dan Kammann. A Beak is an informal term used to describe a nose, often a large nose. Each theme answer begins with the letter B and ends with the letters EAK, thus the word BEAK is "nosing" around the answer.
18-Across. Fast talker's torrent: BLUE STREAK.
24-Across. Short mental rest: BRAIN BREAK.
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| My idea of the perfect brain break. |
38-Across. British dish named for frying sounds: BUBBLE AND SQUEAK. Bubble and squeak is a hearty, one-pan recipe that makes the left over potatoes, vegetables, and meat.
54-Across. Lean red meat choice: BISON STEAK.
And the unifier:
60-Across. Do some snooping, and a feature of 18-, 24-, 38-, and 54-Across: NOSE AROUND. A Nosey Parker is one who noses around.
What else can we nose around and find?
Across:
1. Horse hoof sound: CLOP.
5. Chore: TASK.
9. Shade-tolerant plant with broad leaves: HOSTA.
14. Great __: big dog: DANE. Is it also a Top Dog?
15. Amazon berry enjoyed by toucans: ACAI. This berry is becoming a crossword staple.
16. Yarns: TALES.
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| There is some tale in that yarn. |
17. The "S" of GPS: Abbr.: SYST. Global Positioning System
20. Raison d'__: ÊTRE. Today's French lesson.
22. Mouse catcher: TRAP.
23. Earthbound Australian bird: EMU.
27. Come to a halt: STOP.
28. Actor Cariou: LEN. I didn't recognize the name, but I do recognize the face of this Canadian actor. Len Cariou (né Leonard Joseph Cariou; b. Sept. 30, 1939) often appeared along side Angela Lansbury (Oct. 16, 1925 ~ Oct. 11, 2022) in Murder She Wrote.
29. "That hits the spot": AAH!
30. Dorky sort: NERD.
32. Hit "+" on a calculator: ADD.
33. Activist/filmmaker Newsome: BREE. Bree Newsome (née Brittany Ann Byuarm Newsome; b. May 13, 1985) is best known for her act of civil disobedience when she removed a Confederate flag from the South Carolina state house in 2015.
35. Founded: Abbr.: ESTD. As in Established.
43. Combustible heap in a funeral rite: PYRE.
44. God, in Notre-Dame: DIEU. More of today's French lesson.
45. "Single Lady" comic Wong: ALI. Ali Wong (née Alexandra Dawn Wong; Apr. 19,1982) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.
46. Sale caveat: AS IS.
49. Word before a maiden name: NÉE. A continuation of today's French lesson.
50. Utah's cap.: SLC. This was my head-scratcher until I realized that the capital of Utah is Salt Lake City.
51. Beer ingredient: MALT. To make beer, you need four basic ingredients: water, malted grains, hops, and yeast. Malt is a cereal grain, most often barley, that has been steeped in water, allowed to germinate, and then dried, a process called malting. Malting converts the grain's starches into sugars, making it a key ingredient in beer.
57. Org. on tubes of toothpaste: ADA. As in the American Dental Association.
58. Bonnet-sporting Berenstain Bear: MAMA.
59. Reseals, as a road: TARS.
64. Completely destroy: RAZE.
66. Cook on a barbecue: GRILL.
67. Campus sports gp.: NCAA. As in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Congratulations to the LSU baseball team the 2025 NCAA National Champions! Geaux Tigers!
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| Geaux Tigers! |
68. Smell: ODOR.
69. Lower leg joint: ANKLE.
70. Watched warily: EYED.
71. General __ chicken: TSO'S. One version of the origin of General Tso's Chicken.
Down:
1. LP successors: CDs.
2. Wore a hoodie over a sweater over a shirt, e.g.: LAYERED UP.
3. Ready when needed: ON STAND BY.
4. __ dish: shallow lab container: PETRI.
5. Soda can opener: TAB.
6. Oft-torn knee pt.: ACL. As in the Anterior Cruciate Ligament, which is one of the major ligaments in the knee. This injury appears often in the puzzles.
7. Fry in a pan: SAUTÉ.
8. "A Real Pain" Oscar winner Culkin: KIERAN. I recognized Kieran Culkin (né Kieran Kyle Culkin; b. Sept. 30, 1982) from his portrayal of Roman Roy in Succession.
9. URL starter: HTTP. HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol.
10. Rower's blade: OAR.
11. Icy rain: SLEET.
12. "I love you," in Spanish: TE AMO. Today's Spanish lesson.
13. Invite to the roof deck, say: ASK UP. // And 31-Down. Ask for: REQUEST.
19. "For Pete's __!": SAKE.
21. Makes possible: ENABLES.
24. Spill the beans: BLAB.
25. Like many trees in winter: BARE.
26. Actress Perlman: RHEA. Rhea Perlman (b. Mar. 31, 1948) is best known for her portrayal of Carla on Cheers.
27. SoCal home of the Aztecs: SDSU. As in San Diego State University.
34. Put the kibosh on: END. Kibosh is a fun word.
36. Promos intended to spark curiosity: TEASER ADS.
37. Texas attraction with lions and tigers: DALLAS ZOO.
39. Rotten kid: BRAT.
40. Purple pet on "The Flintstones": DINO.
41. Caught in the act: SEEN.
42. Field goal attempt: KICK.
47. Letter-shaped girder: I-BAR.
48. Gymnastics great Biles: SIMONE. Simone biles (b. Mar. 14, 1997) has 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals.
51. "Tokyo Ghoul" genre: MANGA.
52. Deck out: ADORN.
53. Vision-improving surgery: LASIK.
55. Pert: SAUCY.
56. Deck with a Lovers card: TAROT.
58. Like brothers: MALE.
61. Building wing: ELL.
62. "Sorry, lassie": NAE. Today's lesson in Scottish dialect.
63. Father: DAD. We celebrated Father's Day earlier this month.
65. Hosp. triage areas: ERS. As in Emergency Rooms.
Here's the grid:
חתולה
32 comments:
I looked at the reveal,
then at “blue streak.” I thought, “Ah ha! Blue nose!” But that didn’t fit the rest of the themed answers. Then the V-8 can hit, and I saw the “beak” it was really all about. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Forgive me but who is Dan Kamman?
Good morning!
Never noticed the broken noses, but also failed to notice the reveal, so all's fair. Was solving with the across clues, misspelled HOSTA with two A's and never looked at the down answer. Bzzzzzt. It hurts to take a loss on a Tuesday. Thanx, Dan, Zhouqin, and Hahtoolah. (The bee cartoon was the cutest.)
How nice to see a C.C. involved puzzle on Tuesday. This effort shows the gridding skill of our fearless leader with a grid spanning fill in the exact middle of the puzzle. I have read enough British mysteries to make BUBBLEANDSQUEAK come to mind immediately. Along with a theme splitting a four-letter word BEAK recognizes there are millions of theme possibilities. Add that to our Louisiana reviewer getting to show pride in the LSU college baseball team make this a perfect Tuesday. Thank you all.
FIR without erasure.
Before LASIK there was Radial Keratotomy (RK) and I was a patient in those early days (circa 1980.) As a result, I have good uncorrected vision in my right eye, but they kept repeating the procedure on my left eye until my vision was really messed up. Glasses and soft contacts don't work, but rigid gas-permeable (RGP) contact lenses bring my left eye to about 20-30 or 20-35. Could be worse, but I wish I had waited for LASIK.
Never made it over to the DALLAS ZOO. After visiting the San Diego Zoo and wild animal park several times, as well as the underrated Los Angeles Zoo, the only ones on my bucket list are Zoo Tampa and the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo.
Thanks to Dan and CC for the nice, easy early-week puzzle. It would have been more fun for me had there been less A&E dross, but at least the perps made those fairly easy. And thanks to Ha2la for the entertaining review. Hand up for liking the bee cartoon the best. My DIL is highly allergic to bee stings, and will love it.)
Jinx, when I was about 12, I was stung by three bees at the same time and went into anaphylactic shock. I was lucky, my uncle was a doctor, and he gave me a shot of adrenaline. This was before EpiPens. Bees still make me nervous.
Nice to see you, Lemonade. We have missed you and hope you are doing well.
FIR. There were a few too many proper names for my liking, but the perps were kind.
The theme eluded me especially when I looked at blue streak and sussed out blue nose and thought I had it. Blue brain proved me wrong. I had to come here to have it explained to me.
But fortunately the theme wasn't needed for the solve.
And overall I enjoyed this puzzle.
YIKES! DIL always carries an EpiPen. (She's also allergic to down pillows, among many other things.)
Took 5:39 today for me to BE A Keen solver.
Didn't see the theme. Didn't know of "bubble and squeak."
Entertaining review.
Jinx, I've been to the Columbus Zoo. It's been about 10-12 years, but it was great.
Good morning. Thank you, Dan and C.C. The solve was easy enough, but I didn't see the theme. Got distracted by the TV.
Thank you, Hahtoolah. I wasn't familiar with the phrase "Nosey Parkers." I inferred what it meant, but also searched that phrase. I learned that the phrase "sticky BEAK" is used in Australia and New Zealand to mean the same thing.
A few notes:
- Fast talker's torrent: BLUE STREAK. My dear niece does that. She also has an incredible ability to recall minutiae.
- Spill the beans: BLAB. Compare and contrast to babble.
- Lower leg joint: ANKLE. I can relate to the cartoon. Rolled mine on May 1st. On May 13th, I found out it was worse than a sprain. I had avulsion fractures on the dorsal aspect of the talus and lateral aspect of the cuboid.
- Ray-O and inanehiker can readily interpret that information. I had to look it up.
- To quote Matt Groening, "I know all those words, but that sentence makes no sense to me.”
- I used the RICE method before finally going on the 13th, and wore an ortho walking boot afterwards.
- See above. My dear niece comes by it honestly.
From Wikipedia: "In 1884, an American BISON was born at the zoo, reportedly the first of its species to be born in captivity. At this time, the species had been hunted almost to extinction in the wild. In 1896, the United States government purchased one bull and seven cows from the Zoo's bison herd to send to Yellowstone National Park to assist in the species' revival."
It's Tuesday. That means Matthew Luter published another of his puzzles at his site, Lutercross Crosswords. I started solving them after he was first published here, and have now solved all 210 of them from June 15, 2021 to June 24, 2025. Today is #211.
Jinx, my mother had Radial Keratotomy in 79 or 80. At the time, I was fascinated by the story that a Russian ophthalmologist had used radial incisions to remove glass shards from the eyes of a boy injured in an accident, and then found after recovery that his vision had improved dramatically. I was concerned that my mother was going to have this new surgery, but supposedly her doctor had been in the tutelage of that Russian doctor. My mother was so pleased after the surgery.
Lemonade, you may want to look into Neffy -- a recently approved epinephrine nasal spray. I got mine late last year -- two doses for $200 (GoodRx). Better than jabbing a needle into your leg.Neffy
Good Morning:
As always, a CC puzzle, either a solo effort or a collaboration, gives us a cute theme to decipher and this one, surprisingly, (thank you, Patti) respected the solver’s ability and omitted the unnecessary circles. Even though the Beaks were easily discernible, the reveal was still amusing. Bree and Manga were unknown but easily perped, and no w/os and a clean grid made for a quick and easy solve.
Thanks, CC and Dan, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the fun, facts, and chuckles. All of the cartoons were funny, but I agree that the Bee Hive wins the day. Kieran Culkin was very good in A Real Pain, but his portrayal of Roman Roy in Succession was a tour de force, IMO. Len Cariou, to me, will always be Tom Selleck’s Pop on Blue Bloods.
Stay cool everyone.
I messed up á Tuesday CW. TSK, TSK.
I detected the theme pretty quickly. Loved it. Where my downfall occurred was in, first misreading the clue for BRAIN BREAK. I got that right but couldn’t figure it out since I read test instead of rest.
Second, not knowing that British dish, I blithely entered BUBBLE Air SQUEAK, since I had rINO instead of DINO and didn’t know BREE.
Regardless, I thought this was á fine Puzzle and fun to solve.
I happened to read last night that in 1964, Canada tried to introduce BISONs on Burnette Island, Newfoundland. The experiment was not very successful.
Thank you Hahtoolah for your usual great review. I liked that phone cartoon.
D'oh! The BISON was born at the nation's second oldest ZOO. The Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, founded in 1868. It still has free admission.
Nice Tuesday outing. The only names I knew was Rhea, the rest were ESPs. My first thought at 5 down was "church key", but that obviously didn't fit. Guess that shows my age! "I BAR" just sounds wrong to me. I BEAM seems better. Never did see the theme until Ha2la clued me in!
Just the right amount of Tuesday crunch for me. Nicely done CC and Dan. I read where CC has "hit for the cycle" in crossword construction difficulty several times. So far, 87 constructors have hit for the cycle, meaning they have at least one puzzle for each day of the week. CC has had 82 puzzles published in papers. Well done.
Cycle Level is noted for constructors who have cycled more than once, that is, have a minimum of two puzzles for each day
Hola! Fairly easy puzzle today, thanks to Dan and C.C. Like Irish Miss, I know of LEN Cariou from Blue Bloods. And I have not been to the DALLAS ZOO, but the Phoenix Zoo is well populated with exotic animals. It was a yearly event to take my class on a field trip there as well as to the Botanical Garden.
One of the best things I've ever done is LASIK surgery and though I don't need glasses for distance I use non-prescription readers for seeing close.
My guests have now departed, and we had a lovely time visiting with promises of my going to visit them in the fall.
Have a great day, everyone!
Despite the 14 names, 4 DNKs among them, I still managed to FIR in 12, about average time for me for a Tuesday. Forgot to look for the theme (again!) but would not have discovered it had I looked. In addition to the 4 names I DNK, also DNK HASTA or MANGA. Last letter filled was the T in HASTA, as I was not sure of 12D either; "T" was an educated guess. Only W/O = SASSY:SAUCY. Thanx DK&CC for the fun. NYT yesterday was another enjoyable CC CW. I agree it is an I-BEAM. Never heard it called an I-BAR except in CWs. Thanx Hahtoolah for the terrific write-up and the as always great selection of appropriate cartoons.
Glad to see you are back! As all others here I'm sure, I hope you are doing well.
Delightful puzzle, many thanks, Dan and C.C. And your commentary and pictures were a pleasure, as always, Hahtoolah, thanks for those too.
Well, this puzzle started by mentioning a TASK which pretty soon warned us about a possible BRAIN BREAK if we were going to NOSE AROUND and ASK UP for help. This was clearly going to require some friends ON STAND BY to give us some assistance. We were lucky they agreed but in return we had to fund them a visit to the DALLAS ZOO. And when they came back they requested some MALT and a steak from the GRILL. Their help was very successful, and so in the end we rewarded them by giving them a great DANE as a pet, and they were delighted and all ended well.
Have a lovely, delightful day, everybody.
Aces, to clarify, CC has had 82 puzzles published in The New York Times alone. Additionally, she has had numerous others published in the LA Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and several other venues. I’m sure she could tell us the exact number but, knowing CC, she’s too modest to do so. Thanks for reminding us of her outstanding achievements. 😉
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Dan and C.C.
I FIRed in very good time, but searched in vain for the theme. (I should have had circles LOL,).
I had noted that STREAK and SQUEAK are pronounced with the Long E sound, while BREAK and STEAK are pronounced with the Long A sound. But when EAK is after B, it is the Long E sound. Crazy English language.
Two inkblots to change LASer to LASIK, and SAssY to SAUCY (hi unclefred).
I noticed a slight dupe with LAYERED UP and ASK UP.
We had END and STOP, DAD and MAMA.
TIL that the hole in the pop can tab is meant to be a straw holder!
Wishing you all a great day.
Musings
-Back from 18 holes 20 miles west of here. We got no rain on the course but over 2” here.
-Puzzle mistake was because the 0 and O are so close together and I have fat fingers
-Omaha’s fabulous Botanical Gardens started with a modest HOSTA club decades ago.
-A local farmer grows acres of Aronia berries
-Familiar cwd fill LEN Deighton gets the day off
-This very attractive player was a place kicker in high school.
-Me too, TTP. One golfer in our teacher group can talk on and on with an incredible recall of details.
-Tatanka is the Lakota name for BISON and there is a beautiful golf course in northern Nebraska where actual BISON are in huge pens around the course. https://golftatanka.com/photo-gallery/
-The cartoons were great, Susan, but the non-Alexander Fleming panel was great because it takes some effort to “get it”.
I very much enjoyed solving this puzzle and reading all your comments.
That BEAK flew right over my head! The rest worked for me. Thanks, C.C., Dan, and Hahtoolah!
Delightful commentary, CanadianEh! I really enjoyed reading it, many thanks.
Interesting learning moment that the ring on the tab is a straw holder!
Not that anyone cares at this point, including me, but isn’t it University of California at San Diego (UCSD), not San Diego State University (SDSU).
Traveling today so late to the party. Never heard of a BRAIN BREAK but it sounds right up my alley! That alone was worth the price of admission. Nice job C.C. and your pal Dan!
Dishes like BUBBLE AND SQUEAK are the reason there are very few English restaurants in the US. When asked what you want for dinner, no one says "I'm thinking British food."
Hahtoolah, you came up with the perfect title for this puzzle, and the rest of your review followed suit.
Anonymous@7:37
I'm quite sure it is California State university at San Diego.
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