SHHH~!
TurkiSHHH Delight
My first time covering a crossword from Mr. Marangell. His first LA Times was here, back in November 2024. Yes, circles, two days in a row, but very few names, and chunky triple sevens in all four of the Down corners; I think that's why my solve time was higher than usual - I got slowed up because I start with the Down clues. Overall, a tight group of four unspoken ways to express joy, anger, approval and indifference, "quietly" hiding in the circles;
17. Credit card promotion for frequent fliers: BONUS MILES - SMILE 😁 - I don't have any credit card with frequent flyer bonus miles - travel for me was always covered by the company; the pipe organ company did not take full advantage of this perk, go figure 🤔
Smile - it looks like it might a good trip; I should become a frequent flyer
24. Etsy purchase, perhaps: CUSTOM PRINT - STOMP 😡 - I don't make prints, but I do build wood furniture - I can see myself selling some pieces through etsy
This one is SOLD already, but I could make one just like it
34. Key partnership?: PIANO DUET - NOD 😉 - The internet says a piano duet is TWO pianos, not just two piano players, this "duet" is hysterical...and then there's this one;
Heart & Soul - "chopsticks"
50. Handwoven products at Istanbul's Grand Bazaar: TURKISH RUGS - SHRUG ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Colorful; I have an abstract-patterned one waiting for a place in my home
58. "Is that so?," or a hint to the communication methods found in this puzzle's circled letters: YOU DON'T SAY - tacit, non-verbal means of expressing one's response
And Away We Go~!
Across:
1. Tree with papery bark: BIRCH
6. Opera set in Memphis: AIDA - crossword staple
10. Part of a Cape Cod, familiarly: CRAN - "A" Cape Cod is a vodka cocktail with cranberry and a slice of lime; I noted that if one is not careful, when buying the Ocean Spray cranberry "cocktail", the amount of "added" sugar is insane; I buy the "diet" version ( ironic ) that has 1g of 'natural' sugar
14. Japanese lager brand: ASAHI - AND - 47D. Japanese dogs: AKITAS - our constructor must have an affinity for things "A" Japan, as AKIRA was in his first LA Times
15. Ignore: SNUB
16. Main character: HERO
19. Simplicity: EASE
20. Explosive sound: BLAM - I usually wait on perps, as there are dozens of "sounds" this could be
21. Blackjack card: ACE
22. Elizabeth __ cosmetics: ARDEN - the website
23. Hor. map line: LATitude
27. Latin catchall: Et Alii - and others, typically seen as "et al."
29. Annually: PER YEAR
30. Checkout option: DEBIT - I get 5% cash back/points with my Discover & Amazon credit cards - I use my debit card at the gas pump because credit is usually higher priced.
31. Sharp-witted: KEEN
33. Wily: SLY
38. HS exams for coll. credit: APs - Meh. I don't care for the plural abbrs in crosswords
41. Hit or __: MISS
42. Athlete who may run four laps: MILER - Ah- I was just a week too early with this fill . . . .
46. Takes a turn: ROTATES - Literally - not 'your move', during a game
49. Second-most-populated city in Oregon: EUGENE - behind Portland, I am guessing
53. Contribute: ADD
54. Amazon biz: eTAIL
55. U.K. constituent: ENGland - Nottingham was the place both my parents grew up
This image can be purchased on etsy
56. Upper hand: EDGE
57. Prime condition: MINT - I tried BEST
61. Actress Swenson: INGA - I knew her from "Soap" and "Benson" - her IMDb. My buddy's ex-wife chose this name for their second daughter, so that she could be nicknamed "Iggy"
62. "How __ can I put this ... ": ELSE
63. "Dragon Ball" genre: ANIME
64. Goes out with: SEES
65. Counterpart: PEER - KEEN, SEES and PEER today
66. Subsides: WANES
DOWN:
1. Talked excitedly: BABBLED
2. Keep away from others: ISOLATE - I prefer "solitude" to crowds; I am an introvert
3. Accumulated charges: RAN A TAB
4. Buddy: CHUM
5. That fella's: HIS
6. Nike competitor: ASICS
7. Shore recess: INLET - yeah, but meh; I grew up on Long Island, and the "inlets" were channels to the Great South Bay
8. Expected: DUE
9. Situp muscles: ABs - I do not work on the ABdominals at the gym yet - my trainer "Brett" says my "keg" is in the way - har-har....that's WHY I am going to the gym 😜
10. Manhattan garnish: CHERRY - Manhattan, the rye/vermouth cocktail
11. Prepares: READIES
12. Premier League club known as the Gunners: ARSENAL - oh, my dad would be so disappointed I did not know this immediately - he ate, breathed and slept "European" football - soccer
13. "Stay out": NO ENTRY - we had this identical entry also in the Down in his debut LA Times puzzle
18. Home of Haleakala National Park: MAUI - figured it was Hawai'i, I tried OAHU
22. Start of Q2: APR - The second quarter of the year is April, May, June
24. __ Field: home of the Mets: CITI - Knew this because I grew up on Long Island - but it was Shea back then
25. Sides of a paper?: OP-EDS
26. Restaurant offering: MENU - I WAGed this
28. Body part used in kissing and telling: LIP - cute
31. Kosher deli snack: KNISH - pronounced "Kuh - nish"
Looks tasty
32. Greek goddess of the dawn: EOS
35. City near the geographic center of Iowa: AMES
36. Big birds: EMUS
38. NASA moon exploration program since 2017: ARTEMIS
39. Dish with fries and gravy: POUTINE - Fries topped with cheese curds and hot gravy
I made my own hash browns in the air-fryer this weekend
40. Offbeat: STRANGE
43. Shows through the door: LEADS IN
44. Checkmate phase: END GAME - Not "YOU LOSE"
45. Flights that may serve dinner and breakfast: RED-EYES
48. Shorthand for sharing a new realization: TIL - I was thinking in terms of text messages, like "FYI". Meh. I found this, so it's legit
49. Waffle choice: EGGO
51. Second word in an ecological mantra: REUSE - Reduce, - - -, Recycle
52. Working for: UNDER
56. Italian volcano: ETNA - Had this Monday. Etsy plus Etna today
58. "Uh-huh": YEP - AND - 60D. "Uh-uh": NAW - Slangy verbal communications
59. Flamenco cheer: OLÉ
Splynter
32 comments:
I wouldn’t say this was
the easiest puzzle in the world; it took some thought to solve. But the theme was pretty clear from the first, and that helped solve this fun puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
The puzzle was a fair midweek offering on the easy side. My unknown was TIG NOTARO who sounds like an interesting person. Potato knishes have always been my favorite variety, but I am a bread and potato lover. My son who is the statewide rep for a foreign liquor distribution company has me hooked on Premier League football, he even promoted a couple of Liverpool jerseys for Oo and I and they brought home the championship, so it is great. Who doesn't love fish and chips. Despite growing up surrounded by French Canadians, I am not a fan of poutine. Splynter, well done and keep sneaking those legs in, and thanks Joe.
Good morning!
Crunchy Wednesday. Didn't realize a CAPE COD was a drink -- thought it might be a sandwich. Thus, CRAB. Fixed. Misread "Checkmate phase" as "phrase." EN GARDE fit nicely...until it didn't. Had to look up T-I-L to verify that answer -- "Today I Learned." In the end, d-o messed up with YES instead of YEP. Looked sideways at SEER, but gave a SHRUG and let it stand. Bzzzzzzt. Thanx for the exercise, Joe, and for the guided tour, Splynter.
Asahi, Akitas and Anime too
FIR, but lead->HERO, et alia->ET ALII, and eases->WANES. I've not tried any of the food or drink in the grid.
DEBIT isn't a good option in most cases. Although many financial institutions have policies that protect their customers from fraud, credit card protections are covered by federal law. (My Costco credit card rebates 4% cash on gas purchases, more than offsetting the extra charge some gas stations charge.)
Looks like crossword-favorite ETNA has been acting up lately.
Big Easy - Do I remember correctly that there were bars in (crossword favorite) NOLA that have PIANOs specifically made for DUETs? Can't remember the details, but it might have been a piano with keyboards on the front and back sides, with the players facing each other. I drank a bit back in those days, so I may very well be misremembering it.
TIL is textspeak crapola for "Today I Learned." You're welcome.
Thanks to Joe for the mostly-fun puzzle. I never like clues like uh-huh and uh-uh, and the clue for TIL has to make the worst clue top ten list, but at least perps were fair. And thanks to Splynter for another all-fun review. Just a tip from an older and wizened traveler, you might want to avoid spending a weekend with those two pilots. You might find your pipe organ reduced to a mere piccolo.
I had trouble in a few places due to unknowns. I didn't notice the non-verbal communication. The NE took a few minutes. Not a soccer fan or bar fly. I tried CELERY and CRAB, and my "Main character" went from LEAD to HEAD and ended up a HERO. That gave me ARSENAL. I guess that Cape Code is a Cosmopolitan with the berry and the juice.
I don't have a DEBIT card: credit cards only. My Sam's Wholesale card returns 5% on gas anywhere, plus Sam's has the cheapest gas and is not out of my way. AMEX, two Visas, and another MC. All have their specific rewards, no yearly fees and are for different things and are set for automatic payment.
I only knew ARTEMIS because we visited the Houston Space Center. I tried POUTINE-once, but it took perps to spell it correctly.
TIG, INGA, KNISH, TIL- did I know those? NAW, but the perps took care of them.
Did I manage to FIR? YEP, g'day mates.
Took 7:29 today -- nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
I didn't know today's actress (Inga), that Cape Cod was a drink, or whatever "til" means.
Haleakala National Park is spectacular. I can't recommend it enough to try to see the sunrise from the peak (you'll have to be up even earlier than SubGenius though). I also love the hike that starts near Hana (which means you have to drive about 1/2 of the "Road to Hana") that takes you through a bamboo forest to a wonderful waterfall.
Oh joy, circles! And back-to-back!
FIR. Once again I pretended the circles weren't there. As I've said before, circles belong in Jumbles, not crosswords. And as far as the theme goes, how is stomp on par with smile, nod, or shrug? Enough rant!
I too puzzled over Cape Cod, wanting crab before cran. I'm not a drinker so this i thought might be a sandwich of some kind.
But beyond all that, I really didn't have much trouble with this one. For a Wednesday it was not disappointing.
But overall not my most favorite puzzle.
Good Morning:
This was a very pleasant solve, with a clever and well executed theme. I wonder if we could have discerned the theme answers w/o the circles, though, thereby upping the challenge of the solve? Perhaps not and perhaps the circles lend a visual strength with the emphasis on You don’t Say. The absence of pop culture overload was noted and appreciated. One small nit is Cran, which to me is a wobbly stand alone. I also wonder if Miler above Eugene, famous for its Track and Field history, was a coincidence or deliberate.
Thanks, Joe, for a Wednesday treat and thanks, Splynter, for the great expo and for rounding out the tightness of the theme by pointing out the distinct different expressions in the themers. That piece of furniture is very handsome. Are you still canine searching?
FLN
Jinx, I hope your problem has been solved and that you’re back in good health.
Have a great day.
FIR, thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle, yet I had lots of unknowns, CRAN, INGA, as clued, ASAHI, ASICS, ARSENAL, as clued, TIG and TIL. What must have helped , of course were the perps, but also I saw the silent communications right away, so the long fills showed quickly.
However i didn’t like YEP and NAW.
Thank you Splynter for that nice review and lovely woodworking.
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Joe and Splynter.
I FIRed in good time, and saw the non-verbal communication methods.
One large inkblot. Hand up for Oahu before MAUI.
This Canadian knew BIRCH (it brought back memories of singing “Land of the Silver Birch” in early school days.)
POUTINE was a given as well (although it is too heavy and rich for my taste).
YR and Jayce had an advantage on those two Japanese clues.
TIG was all perps, as was TIL. (I think I figured out from Splynter’s link that it is a Twitter shorthand for “ this was unknown to me until now”. Meh! OK now I read d’o and Jinx - Today I Learned.)
Favourites today were the clues for PIANO DUET and OPEDS.
Wishing you all a great day.
Joe's puzzle has a striking appearance with all four corners being solid white, thanks to all the sandwiched 7's therein.
Nicely done, Joe.
ETNA appears quite often in crosswords, but never when the volcano is actually erupting!
I note all the "a" words in the grid that are not exactly everyday words: ASAHI, ASICS, AKITAS, and ANIME.
Like others, I went for CRAB on the Cape Cod clue, until I realized the B had to go. I'm not a mixed drink person, so Cape Cod crossing with Manhattan--which itself was crossing with a cosmetics clue--created a momentary Natick situation for me.
For the record, I like circles.
Thanks, Joe, for an enjoyable and clever Wednesday-appropriate puzzle. And thanks, Splynter, for the entertaining recap.
Got 'er done, but kinda meh this morning. I thought a lot of the clues were a bit of a stretch, but that's just me. On the other hand, Splynters recap really hit the spot, as usual!
A puzzle containing EUGENE (accent on second syllable!) directly below MILER – a product for which Eugene is famous (as I.M. astutely noticed) – in the context of Eugene’s long neck-and-neck battle with Salem for second-most-populated city in Oregon, can’t be all bad. We even got a CSO to Salem, the CHERRY City.
I also enjoyed the TIG Notaro entry, ARSENAL (which I sussed immediately), the Japan CSOs, the flashback to our 2003 bike ride from Haleakala to the sea, and the slow realization that “a Cape Cod” is a mixed drink containing CRANberry.
But there was a lot of meh in the puzzle otherwise. There was too much Saturday-vagueness to clues like the one for UNDER, the flatness of the ENG entry and RE-USE, and the labored, somewhat inaccurate clue for OP-EDS. And circles, which I usually don’t mind as much as some of you but did mind today.
And don’t get me started on my increasing distaste for the word HERO (especially within the context of “superhero”), which has adversely affected both filmdom and politics. Literary authorities who prize the “hero’s journey” archetype need to reassess the whole concept. Infer what you will.
Yes, the HERO clue grated on me. In many stories, the main character is an outright villain. LEAD would have been a more accurate answer.
Delightful Wednesday puzzle, Joe--many thanks for that. And your commentary is always a pleasure, Splynter, many thanks for that too.
Well, the puzzle brought a possible work of fiction to mind about an ISOLATED woman we might call AIDA, who finally no longer felt STRANGE and stopped POUTING. She RAN up A TAB, so we gave her some money so she could pay bills that were DUE, and so she could buy a bit of CHERRY and some of that KNISH on the MENU, along with some drops for her RED EYES. But her favorite time every day was listening to that PIANO DUET. That made her happy, and she's now a pleasant CHUM to all of us.
Have a happy healthy day, everybody.
Got 'er done, FIR in 15. 17 names, DNK 6. Hand up for OAHU/MAUI, but only thought about it, so no W/O. Abs were mentioned: I'm so proud of my 6-pack abs I protect them behind 4" of fat. Splynter mentioned all the sugar added to cranberry juice. The sugar free "Cranberry Juice Only" is available. A bit sour, but I got used to it and now much prefer it to the blends, which are too sweet. I knew POUTINE but took a bit to remember how to spell it. As mentioned, very calorically dense. Good for a Canadian winter, way too heavy for SOFLO. Thanx JM for the clever and fun CW. Thanx too to Splynter for the excellent write-up. I was reminded it was a Splynter day when the two sets of fine legs showed up. Outstanding!!
Thanks for solving my puzzle, everyone! Misty, I enjoyed the story you made from some of the answers!
I had "best" which messed me up for awhile. i tried some hash browns in the air fryer last night and they came out pretty good. Crispy and not greasy. Nice furniture Splynter, well done.
TIL - just like D-O said before me. I blame decaf.
In honor of ETNA, here's Jimmy Buffett's Volcano.
This one felt Wednesday appropriate and the revealer actually revealed something! Nice job, Joe.
Like Unclefred (who I always seem to parse as "unclef red" for some reason) I live in S Fla, although I think he lives "out west" which in Florida-speak is the gulf coast. I remember years ago telling one of my brothers from up north that I was heading to the west coast for the weekend, and he was amazed I could drive there in that time. But I digress. Like unclefred, we find a flock of Canadian snowbirds in the area every winter. Some restaurants cater to them so POUTINE is easy to find (but hard to swallow?). Actually it's fine, but as others have mentioned, the combination of cheese curds and brown gravy over French fries is very rich, so it's only an occasional treat.
That's a beautiful dresser, Splynter. Your skills at woodworking are right up there with your reviewing! Makes me wonder which part of organs you repair, the pipes (some of which are wooden) or the consoles? Probably both. Sounds fascinating, I'll have to talk to you about it sometime.
RB, I'm on the East side of Fort Lauderdale. Where are you?
NW Broward
Hi All!
Joe's puzzle wasn't all SMILES but for some extra ink, FIR. Thanks for the grid and swinging by The Corner.
Another expo with legs, Splynter. WEES about that dresser - fantastic! I haven't heard that version on Istanbul, I'm only familiar with The Four Lads' and TMBG's [w/ Tiny Toons!]
WO: LEtsout -> LEADS IN
ESPs: AISA, ARDEN, TIL
Fav: TIG - her standup is funny.
I have a debit card but only use it at the ATM when it's time to refill my wallet.
I tried POUTAINE once - the curds squeaked too much on my teeth. It was like rubbing Styrofoam together *shiver*
I didn't know it was a Cape Cod but vodka & CRAN is Sis's goto.
Back to work. Cheers, -T
Splynter, if you do ever make that dresser, please be sure to share a picture.
I feel the same way about this puzzle as Splynter and many of you felt about it.
What an incredibly kind response to my always silly comment, Joe! You've made my day! Many thanks!
Have a good day, everybody!
Musings
-Lovely furniture and write-up, Splynter.
-Local boy Juan Gonzales is one of the best MILERS in the nation and is close to breaking the 4-minute mile barrier. He also has a full-ride to run in EUGENE for the fabled Oregon track team this fall.
-Clint Eastwood is the first name that comes to mind when I see antiHERO
-Most all teachers work on “PER YEAR” contracts. My first was for $5,800
-MLB teams usually have a four- or five-man ROTATION
-POUTINE?
-Apollo got us to the moon 56 years ago. Yes, we DID go!
Thanks to Joe for today's puzzle and for stopping by The Corner! FAV was the clue for PIANO DUET.
Thanks to Splynter for the recap! TIL you can make a beautiful credenza!
If I counted right there are 15 answers that started with an "a". Is it unusual to have that many answers start with the same letter? I guess this puzzle gets an " A+".
Wow, that definitely wasn't intentional with 15 answers starting with A! Sumdaze, the PIANO DUET clue was my favorite one, too!
This puzzle went through a couple of iterations after I initially submitted it. I was asked to rework the NW corner to remove a preposition pair and to change one of the theme entries. An original theme entry was NEW AVENGERS, with WAVE hidden inside it, but since the fictional group is really called The New Avengers, it would have needed an awkward clue. I like TURKISH RUGS much better, and I really appreciated the thoughtful feedback from Patti and Katie to make the theme set stronger.
Thanks again for your comments, everyone, and for the nice review, Splynter!
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