Once Upon a Time....Happily Everafter
The End...
Continues~!??
23. Bite-sized treats: DONUT HOLES* - Holes, the book
37. Wide-eyed awe: CHILDLIKE WONDER - Wonder, the book
52. Cares: GIVES A HOOT* - Hoot, the book
61. Perfect resolution, or a feature of 17-, 23-, 37-, and 52-Across: STORYBOOK ENDING - the four theme fills END with the title of a story/book - yet the fill itself was in a crossword 30yrs ago. BTW, I "wrote" the "book" that is the title of this blog post, so don't make me enforce ©opywright infringement 😁
And Away We Go~!
1. Play mates?: CAST - I do the Down clues first, and I never saw my errors here in the NW . . . .Sigh
5. "31 Days of Oscar" cable network: TCM - Turner Classic Movies
8. Electric current unit: AMPERE
The "naughty" version on my blog page
14. "The Traitors" host Cumming: ALAN- name #1
16. Folk medicine figure: HEALER - I had _ E A _ _R, pondered "REAPER" - hey, technically, death is a "medical" thing
20. Punk subgenre: EMO - seems like every week now we get this fill
21. Debate topic: ISSUE
22. Obi-Wan portrayer Guinness: ALEC - name #3
26. Took a dip: SWAM
28. Former Russian ruler: TSAR - music interlude; here's an instrumental from Black Sabbath
They would open their show with "Supertzar" playing in the background
29. Bout ruling, briefly: TKO - Technical Knock-Out
31. Dug-out material?: ORE - yeah, I figured this was the common O-R-E fill, trying a different approach on the cluing - I'll admit, it's not bad
32. Overture follower: ACT I
35. Sign of things to come: OMEN
36. Go (for): OPT
42. Protein in a Monte Cristo: HAM
Now I'm in the mood for a sa'mich
44. Analogy phrase: IS TO
45. Afore: ERE
46. "Your point?": "AND....~?"
47. Tried to buzz: RANG - a bit Meh.
50. Onetime Volvo rival: SAAB - two Swedish automakers
59. "Barbie" director Gerwig: GRETA - name #4
60. Lucy of "Elementary": LIU - name #5
64. Sore: TENDER - my feet are sore - I have walked my neighborhood every day but one since I joined the gym; I need to get me some comfortable hiking footwear - suggestions~?
66. "Diana" singer Paul: ANKA - name #6
67. "Voilà!": "PRESTO~!"
68. Hosp. workers: MDs
69. Outperform: BEST
DOWN:
1. Imitated a crow: CAWED - bleery-eyed, I read this as "imitated a COW", so I put in MOOED; that didn't work with "Waltzing...", so I switched to LOWED, and never checked my Across; hence my black marks in the grid below....
3. Place to find high rollers?: SALON - high on one's head kind of rollers
5. "How Do I Live" singer Yearwood: TRISHA - I did recall this was spelled "SHA", not "CIA" - still, name #7
6. One who may remove a curse?: CENSOR - Think bloopers
7. Tycoon: MOGUL
8. "Now I've got it!": "A-HA~!"
9. Social media parent company: META - 'they' own Facebook and other social media outlets, I think, and the company is going with "Social Technology" for a title, promoting "virtual reality" goggles - I have tried a set with a model I built in Revit of a church pipe organ; I was impressed, but it made my modeling skills look lame by comparison. The webpage
Methinks this is called "cheating"
12. Place to see stars: RED CARPET - the kind of stars whose NAMES appear too often in crosswords these days...
18. Comic strip about a teenager: ZITS - name(ish)
24. Gas or elec.: UTILity - there's no gas lines in my area; I have to buy oil this week; my water heater is on the furnace
Don McMillan, Technically funny
30. Creative mind behind the Imagine Peace Tower: ONO - name #9
32. Feels yesterday's workout: ACHES - just in my legs
33. Thespian's role: CHARACTER - ah, good fill
34. Chance for an introvert to recharge: TIME ALONE - I am all for time alone - my ex-wife once called me "anti-social", which was a bonus - it meant I was diagnosed with a disability, and didn't have to participate - 😜
38. Genetic material in Rosalind Franklin's "Photo 51": DNA - a "pivotal diffraction X-ray image" of the strand in 1952 - the story here
40. Rainbow band: INDIGO - I toyed with "ROY G BIV", but once I had some crossings, I see it was just ONE band of color
41. Nearby: NIGH - Ah, that kind of nearby, like the end is NIGH~!
( the second guy's sign has the definition of nigh )
47. Made a big stink?: REEKED - I once managed a nightclub that had live bands on the weekends, and one of the groups was called "REEKING HAVOC" - I tried to explain that it's WREAKING, but they're heavy metal, so their name was "better" 🤘
48. Daisylike blooms: ASTERS
49. Side with tandoori chicken: NAAN
51. Medieval poets: BARDS
53. Revved engine sound: VROOM
54. QB protectors, in football lingo: O-LINE - The offensive group of five (~) guys in front of the quarterback in the NFL
55. Pen sounds: OINKS - That kind of pen
56. Gently pull on: TUG AT
61. Valvoline rival: STP - another common crossword fill
62. "Dude ... ": "BRO..."
63. Smidgen: DAB - hey, at least it was not 'A DAB'
Splynter
Here's a picture of me with Picard at the UCONN sign, a mere five mins from my home in CT.
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46 comments:
I had a pretty good idea
about the gimmick from the first themed solve. And though there were a number of “?” clues, they weren’t particularly hard to suss out. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Managed to get through this namefest in short order. Read the reveal clue [yay], but never did get the theme [boo]. The stacked 9's were nice. Thanx, Dylan and Splynter. (If you want "walking" rather than "hiking" shoes, I'd recommend the New Balance 608 -- about $65.)
FIR without erasure. But I was tempted to answer "made a big stink" with FARTED, but couldn't remember seeing it as fill before.
If STP is a rival of Valvoline, then Tabasco is a rival of Campbell's Soup.
The only book in the theme I've heard of is Hiaasen's HOOT. I've read all his books, except the ones that are too new to have shown up in my favorite used bookstore.
Not knowing most of the book titles, combined with the overabundance of names, sucked most of the pleasure out of this one for me.
Thanks to Splynter for the fun review. But shovels pail by comparison to buckets. (My boiler also provides domestic hot water, but is gas fired. I changed from fuel oil to gas when the Obama administration offered big incentives on high efficiency devices. This one is so efficient that the exhaust pipe is made of PVC, and the exhaust is only slightly warm to the touch.)
I'll try to comment a bit more later on Dylan's puzzle, but I just wanted to mention the haunting "Waltzing Matilda." I love this song about the jolly swagman, and I understand that Dylan is using it in the puzzle because of the children's book "Matilda." Nevertheless, it is darkly delicious to see "Waltzing Matilda" juxtaposed anywhere in the vicinity of "story-book endings" or a "perfect resolution." Why? Because at the end of the song the swagman drowns himself in the billabong!
"And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong; you'll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me." Intriguing, to say the least.
David Alfred Bywaters is in today's Wall Street Journal with his puzzle titled Sad to Say. I also discovered three of his puzzles on his own web site that I haven't attempted. Guess I've been too caught up in my health challenges to pay attention to one of my favorite sites.
I'm glad Splynter figured out what STORYBOK ENDING was all about because I certainly didn't. I wasn't familiar with of any of those books. But the puzzle was easy, with the usual spattering of unknown proper names.
TCM- I just guessed; didn't really know.
Lucy-ARNAZ was too long so it had to be LIU
TRISHA Yearwood- don't know the song but know she's married to Garth Brooks.
GRETA, ELLE WOODS, ALAN- perps for those fills.
My WSJ is in the driveway at 6:00am but I usually read it in the evening. Better than looking at idiotic TV shows and 'news' channels.
With benevolent perps I was able to overcome the unknowns for a FIR in 11:54. DNK ELLE WOODS or GRETA (as clued, Garbo, Thunberg or Van Susteren I would have known). Any 3 letter Lucy is going to be LIU no matter how she’s referenced. I thought INDIGO must refer to a musical group before reading the blog 🤷♂️. Not being very well read, I can’t say I’m familiar with any of the STORY BOOKs, but it didn’t hinder the solve. Thank you Dylan for the puzzle and to Splynter for the recap. Nice pic of you and Picard, and speaking of him, is he on hiatus from the Corner, he’s been absent awhile?
The above is Yooper Phil
FIR. In keeping with this week's pattern, today's puzzle had some bite to it. The NW gave me fits until cast fell into place. A good WAG at the proper name Alan and it all filled in.
The theme remains a mystery to me as I am unfamiliar with all those books. Fortunately knowing the theme wasn't critical to the solve.
But overall this was not an enjoyable puzzle for me.
Took 7:24 today to cut through this like a Hatchet, or rock through it like Molly Hatchet.
I knew today's actress (Liu) without needing to LIU.
Spelling her name and tsar/tzar/czar isn't so easy.
I didn't know today's foreign language lesson (da/nyet).
I am familiar with all of the book titles, though I didn't pay attention to the theme while solving. I suspect that most of the books are read/assigned in schools because I recognize some of them from my children's assignments, when they were young.
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Dylan and Splynter.
I FIRed in good time, but the theme was a puzzle, as I was not familiar with the book titles (but I assumed from the reveal).
Two inkblots.
My Monte Cristo was Egg-dipped, but HAM (out of that PEN) was the protein today.
My folk medicine figure was a Shaman before a HEALER.
Unknown-to-me names all perped fairly.
Canadians call DONUT HOLES Timbits.
CSO to Lucina with NUNS.
A plethora of O endings today - REO, PRESTO, ONO, IS TO, BRO, INDIGO.
We were taken to the theatre today with CAST, CHARACTER and ACT I, (plus some Shakespearean words like ERE, BARDS, O’ER, NIGH). We even had the RED CARPET to celebrate.
Favourite today was the clue for CENSOR.
Wishing you all a great day.
YP- I finally had a chance to check the Saturday CW, and saw your post about Manitoulin, the Chi-Cheemaun and Tobermory. That is a beautiful ferry ride and area when the weather is good. I hope you are enjoying your time in Canada.
Since I knew none of the book titles, the reveal meant nothing to me. Upon reflection however, I figured these four words at the end of the long answers had to be books, but I missed the satisfaction of á discovery.
I agree too many names. I didn’t know ALAN as clued, ELLE WOODS, TRISHA and GRETA as clued.
Now I understand what my grand nephew, who’s crazy about mine craft, was talking about when he kept saying Red block. I thought he was saying road block.
At first I entered shaman for HEALER. I started á new exercise class at the gym yesterday that left me with ACHES and TENDER.
So, this CW left me downCAST.
Thank you Splynter for the nice review and the photo of you and Picard.
YP here ~ I always enjoy your comments, as you see all these connections which I fail to notice, nice catch on the theatrical sub theme today! PS - I really like Timbits, but my favorite pastry from there is the Walnut Crunch, which is like a specialty item which they don’t always have, and their hash browns are pretty good too 😋.
Just read your comments from above. Yes, enjoying Tobermory till this coming Friday, had to come open the summer home DW’s family has had since 1951 on Dunks Bay overlooking Georgian Bay. Still kinda quiet here as tourist season hasn’t really kicked off yet, easy to get a table at the restaurants. But alas, the nearest Tim Hortons is an hour away 🇨🇦😊
Good Morning:
This was a pretty easy solve but the theme escaped me until the reveal. I’m familiar with Matilda and Holes as movies, not books, but Wonder and Hoot are completely unfamiliar. There were no unknowns and only one w/o, Shaman/Healer. Elle Woods evokes the fun memories of Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blond, and especially her tiny chihuahua named Bruiser!
Thanks, Dylan, and thanks, Splynter, for the commentary and the nice photos of you and Picard and Merlie. Glad you all got to meet and visit.
Have a great day.
Thank you, Dylan. I liked your puzzle.
The squares for the theme answers and the reveal were shaded light gray so I read those first. Unlike yesterday, I didn't get any of them today. Even after reading the reveal, I could only guess at the theme; I don't know any of those books.
Still solved it without any ISSUEs. Didn't notice the names. I usually just take the count of names by unclefred and divide by 2 to get an idea of how many there are. When Splynter blogs, I notice his count, but it really doesn't matter to me.
Splynter, I'm with Desper-otto on the walking shoes. New Balance 608 V5. I have two pair now. The previous 2 pair were also 608 V5s, and it was a 608 V3 before that. I used to wear the NB 623s, but I haven't found them in years. They are all marketed as cross trainers, but they are comfortable walking shoes.
Also Splynter, "Rainbow band"? Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio... You know what I'm talking about.
Jinx, FLN. In the 90's, the marketing side had more latitude when it came to entertaining clients. However, after successfully presenting our region's ISO programs to the review board - in place of my boss, the next week he called me for a meeting for an all day meeting. I thought, "Oh no, the reward for good work is more work." He wanted to meet half way, and then told me to bring my clubs. We played 27 holes that day.
Gotta run. See all y'all later n'at!
I am a Tehachapi Trail Angel. Bear with me briefly as I take a detour back to today's puzzle.
The Pacific Crest Trail extends from Canada to Mexico, and goes through Tehachapi. There is an organized group of "Angels" here (including me) who help hikers when they re-energize and resupply here. The hikers are from around the world, as the PCT is high on many adventurers' lists.
As I was writing my earlier comment this morning focusing on the Australian folk song "Waltzing Matilda," I got a text from a hiker who needed a lift back to the PCT. So I picked him up, and guess where he's from? (Drum roll) Yep-- Australia. So just minutes after I was writing about "Waltzing Matilda," I was singing it with an Aussie this morning.
OK--the puzzle. Overall I think it was Wednesday-appropriate, and handsomely constructed with three grid-spanners. The theme itself was to me mildly interesting, I guess. As always, I appreciated Dylan's clever misdirections; I wish there'd been more.
So thanks, Dylan, for a fulfilling and enjoyable challenge today, and thanks, Splynter, for another useful and entertaining recap. Happy organ pipes!
NW “play mates” confused me for a bit… had CA_S cuz “play mates” is plural (maybe CATS? Like in the musical?). Didn’t know “Minecraft” and “The traitors “ guy so no perp aid there … CAST as a collective noun eventually hit me for the finish.
Didn’t recognize all the titles.
To pick a nit: a body part is TENDER if pain is elicited when palpated. (TENDER to the touch) “Sore” is unsolicited pain.
“Source of inspiration”: had muse first, clever clue but actually it’s the diaphragm not lungs that is the “source”
Wonder if anyone remembers a decades old nuclear war disaster movie “On the Beach” that takes place in Australia. “WALTZING MATILDA” was the theme.
Suns out, no rain forecast …. finally
I breezed thru this puzzle, because things like Waltzing Matilda were as easy for me as "sisters of habit." Just on my wavelength I guess, even tho I never heard of the books that weren't made into movies...
As far as storybook endings, right now I just don't see it coming, and I am even at a loss for finding anything humorous.
The Chinese curse is upon us, may you live in interesting times...
Musings
-I try my best to not do the reveal until I try to get it myself. Today I didn’t really get it but knew MATILDA and HOLES
-I finally saw Ford vs. Ferrari on TCM this weekend. I record the movie and then have found that pushing the 30 second fast forward button 9 times gets me past the commercials.
-Muhammad Ali was beating up Jerry Quarry badly and told the referee to stop the fight and award Ali a TKO
-My wife’s first cousin, Monte C(h)risto played QB for the Huskers and, of course, he got the nickname The Count.
-A documentary I watched showed the points that mark the huge size of the ALAMO in downtown San Antonio where only the tiny chapel remains
-MEET ME: We will meet our daughters at 6:45 tomorrow night for what has become a Father’s Day tradition of attending a Lincoln Salt Dogs game
-SKEW data: Either Benjamin Disraeli or Mark Twain coined the phrase “Lies, damn lies and statistics”
-Neil deGrasse Tyson says there is no INDIGO in the rainbow. Newton just liked the number 7 and thus Sir Issac gave us ROY G BIV
-Nice pic and write-up, Splynter.
testing image size
Too many names, 15, 6 DNKs. The North Central is a particularly irritating cross of TCM, REO, TRISHA and an adjacent ZITS. I knew REO and ZITS, but the rest was a struggle. Also DNK TNT (ORE/TNT W/O mess) because I don't know anything about Minecraft. Eventually I did FIR in 13, but never did get the theme, even after staring at the CW and dredging the depths (or maybe the shallows) of my remaining brain cells, no V-8 can. I needed Splynter to 'splain it. "Tried to buzz" = "RANG". Wait, what? I don't get it. Anyone? Anyway, thanx to DS for this challenging CW. Curses upon you for that North Central snarl of names, but I did eventually prevail, so shouldn't complain too much I guess. Thanx too to Splynter for 'splainin' the theme and the rest of his terrific write-up, complete with a lovely pair of legs. "NUNS" at 43A reminds me that it is O.K. to fondle a nun, just don't get into the habit. (Hardy-Har-Har!)
Another splendid masterpiece by Splynter. The puzzle? Meh, but FIR, so there's that. Jinx...nice analogy re: Tabasco>tomato soup!
For some reason I figured out the long answers early which made the rest easier. How can you not like a puzzle with Donut Holes in it. My favorite, "One who may remove a curse". Thanks Splynter for the explanation.
Splynter Thank you for the puzzle review and thank you for sharing the photos of us together two weeks ago. It was a pleasure to meet up with you and to show you a bit of my childhood world at UConn (where my father once taught biology) while you showed us your world. You are a good man of many talents.
The UConn Dairy serves up the creamiest, freshest ice cream I have ever had. From the cows you can see right outside.
CC Thank you for sharing the photo of Merlie and me at Splynter's house while we were still on the road.
Anon at 8:17AM Thank you for asking. Yes, hiatus. I need to feel some sanity in the country/world before I am back. But I read Crossword Corner every day. Perhaps I will pop in occasionally if I feel a glimmer of hope.
Our three week 1200 mile road trip went from Kentucky (Merlie's sister) to DC (where I mostly grew up) to Boston (MIT reunion) with many stops along the way. Immersion in US history all along the way. A good reality check. Our country has seen worse and better times.
As for today's puzzle, FIR but I was utterly mystified by the theme. I never heard of any of those STORY BOOK titles.
A delight to see you here, Picard, in photos and in print!
I liked Dylan's puzzle, but the theme was beyond me as I did not recognize the book titles. Many thanks to Splynter for explaining. Like others, I had "shaman" before HEALER and TRICIA before TRISHA.
Hola! What a nice, doable puzzle from Dylan Schiff. Thank you. Of course, I did not see the theme but enjoyed the solve. I will take a CSO at NUNS even though it was so very long ago.
I always pause before filling TSAR. it could be CZAR or CSAR or even TZAR.
I'm also unfamiliar with those STORY BOOK titles. My reading preferences are very different.
At 38D, genetic material could have been the clue without the rest, which is unknown to me, anyway.
Thank you, Splynter. Nice photos.
Have a wonderful day, everyone!
This was a fast solve - but I am a fan of good YA novels and read them with my kids. Sometimes we even read a YA with my book club which was the case with "Wonder" written by RJ Palacio and made into a well done movie in 2017 with Julia Roberts as the mom, Owen Wilson as the dad, and Jacob Tremblay as the main character nicknamed "Wonder" as he navigates entry into middle school after being homeschooled as he has had to undergo 27 surgeries in his young life for Treacher Collins Syndrome. I would recommend both.
Coincidence this week we had "Pet Sounds" written and produced by the Beach Boys Genius Brian Wilson - and it was announced that he died today at the age of 82 RIP
Hiaasen's books, including HOOT, are set in Florida. They feature over-the-top characters and improbable plots, but somehow they are enormously entertaining. The underlying themes are that inept and/or state officials team up to enrich already rich people, at the expense of the environment. Sounds like something I would hate, but Hiaasen pulls it off without being preachy.
Fun Wednesday puzzle, many thanks, Dylan. And thanks too for your always helpful commentary and pictures, Splynter--much appreciated.
Well, this puzzle felt to me as though it was set in a theater, with a RED CARPET leading up to the stage, where the CAST would begin playing the CHARACTERS in ACT I. The most interesting one to me was that HEALER who took care of a young person who was a bit of a CHILD-LIKE WONDER, but who had LUNG problems and many ACHES, and needed a lot of TENDER care in his SALON. The doctor thankfully GIVES A HOOT for the young person's problems, and as a result the young woman heals and gives him a lovely gift of blooming ASTERS in thanks. And so the play ends with a cheerful STORY-BOOK ENDING.
Have a pleasant, happy day, everybody.
This is one where I liked the cluing better than the overall puzzle: Play mates? Dug-out material? Place to see stars? Source of inspiration? All fun, the rest, not so much.
Knew "Matilda" and "Holes" but not the other two. Came here and was reminded that "Hoot" was a Hiaasen novel that I enjoyed reading. Was thinking they're all Kid Lit titles.
Splynter, I think you captured this one pretty well.
Yes, Jinx, I am familiar with Hiaasen’s books but haven’t read any. Having lived in Florida for 17 years, I’m sure I’d appreciate his themes and humor. 😉
Ken, I’ve been playing Words With Friends for 10+years with a young Aussie woman. Although we’ve never met, we communicate through the game’s message feature. About 7-8 years ago, she became a mom and named her beautiful little girl, Matilda, aka, Tillie. 😉
Thanks YP. Enjoy your time in Canada.
Crossword Purity Score (CWPS) non-name fils/total fills = 81.33% (61/75) B-
Timbits ?
From The Bristol Mercury and Daily Post, Monday, October 19, 1891: "Sir Charles Dilke [1843–1911] was saying the other day that false statements might be arranged according to their degree under three heads, fibs, lies, and statistics."
I remember that movie “On the Beach”.
I liked this puzzle but liked Splynter's write-up and the photos of him with Mr. and Mrs. Picard better.
Thank you. Never give up hope!!
“ Timbits is the name of a bite-sized dough confection sold at the Canadian-based franchise Tim Hortons.Timbits are almost an exact equivalent to the American "donut hole", however, they are baked, rather than fried. They were introduced in April 1976.” Wikipedia
Tim Hortons also sponsors local soccer and hockey teams for kids age 3 to 8. They are called Timbits!
I remember studying the novel, On the Beach, (by Nevil Shute) in high school.
Puzzling thoughts:
Several months ago I submitted a similar "theme" that was rejected. The reveal was "FAIRY TALE ENDING" and hidden within the entries were the letters that spelled HAPPILY EVER AFTER. Another version had HAPPILY EVER AFTER as the reveal (16 letters) and the words FAIRY TALE ENDING hidden in the entries. It was not accepted [sigh]
Guess I will just have to be more creative ...
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