Theme: "Sultans of Swing" - The last word of each theme entry is Major League Baseball team player. The first word are all synonyms of "great".
22. Massive, luminous body larger than the sun: SUPER GIANT.
28. Mighty Morphin figure of 1990s television: POWER RANGER.
42. Senior position at a taproom: MASTER BREWER.
68. Pickpocket in "Oliver Twist": THE ARTFUL DODGER.
96. Easy charge for a babysitter: PERFECT ANGEL.
112. High-voltage fish: ELECTRIC RAY.
122. Athlete in the Midsummer Classic, or what can be found six times in this puzzle?: MLB ALL- STAR.
We've seen many baseball themes in the past. None with such tightness, hallmark of Rebecca's puzzles. Three from each league, nicely balanced.
The fill are also outstanding. We don't often see pair of 13s as fill.
Across:
1. Call back?: ECHO.
5. Fake gems: PASTE. It's a type of glass used to imitate gemstones, especially diamonds. Learning moment for me.
10. Sorts: ILKS.
14. __ white: espresso bar order: FLAT.
18. Lose: DROP.
19. Ramadan faith: ISLAM.
20. Hi-fi sound: MONO.
21. Turn red in the face: BLUSH.
24. Futurist: SEER.
25. Salary bump: RAISE.
26. Eat by candlelight, maybe: DINE.
27. Show that celebrated 50 seasons in 2025, for short: SNL.
30. __ Geo Wild: NAT.
32. Nepal neighbor: TIBET. Momos are popular there. Steamed dumplings.
34. Chemical in pretzel-making: LYE.
35. Evening, in ads: NITE.
36. Colorful pattern: TIE DYE.
39. Tuna roll seaweed: NORI.
40. Wasting time: IDLE.
44. Final stretches of a race: LAST LEGS. Also loved: 94. "Love that!": VERY COOL. 10. Words said with a yawn: I'M SO TIRED. 13. "Well, excu-use me!": SORRY I ASKED 14. Warm button-ups with checkered patterns: FLANNEL SHIRTS. 43. Source of some dirt: RUMOR MILL. 44. Big wheel on the Thames: LONDON EYE. 54. Lucky numbers, maybe: LOTTERY TICKET.
48. Reddit Q&A: AMA.
49. __ Dhabi: ABU.
50. Six in a million?: ZEROS. 1,000,000.
52. Makeup mogul Lauder: ESTEE.
53. Area: REALM.
56. Urban haze: SMOG.
59. Musty: DANK.
60. Maui's __ Highway: HANA.
61. Selling points?: AD COPY. Ah, OK, selling points of a product.
63. Cincinnati's state: OHIO.
65. Thought: IDEA.
67. Article: ITEM.
72. Hoist: HEFT.
75. Sneaker brand named for a big cat: PUMA. Loving my Asics Versablast. Light and comfy.
76. Typical college applicant: TEEN.
77. Groups of eight: OCTETS.
81. Merriness: GLEE.
82. Force: DINT.
84. Double Stuf cookie: OREO.
86. Actor Davis: OSSIE.
87. Princess topper: TIARA.
89. Homeric epic: ILIAD.
91. Decade's 10: Abbr.: YRS.
93. St. known for spuds: IDA.
101. Oven setting, briefly: TEMP.
102. Airline whose name comes from the Book of Hosea: EL AL. Didn't know this trivia.
103. New York PWHL team: SIRENS. Professional Women's Hockey League. Our team is Minnesota Frost, the champion last year.
104. __-glace: rich sauce: DEMI.
107. Clicking sound?: AHA. 129. Class struggle?: TEST. Won't mislead our regulars.
109. Grannies: NANAS.
111. Lip: RIM.
115. Sir McKellen: IAN.
117. Ages and ages: AEON.
120. Common sound at Oktoberfest: POLKA.
121. Main role: LEAD.
125. Decided: OPTED.
126. "You are something __!": ELSE.
127. "__ beaucoup": MERCI.
128. Sports commentator Andrews: ERIN.
130. Depletes: SAPS.
131. "25" and "30" singer: ADELE.
132. Den fixture: SOFA.
Down:
1. MS reviewers: EDS.
2. Gunk: CRUD.
3. Arizona Natives: HOPI.
4. Opportunity to score: OPEN NET.
5. "Some __": message in "Charlotte's Web": PIG. From Wikipedia: When Wilbur
is in danger of being slaughtered, Charlotte writes messages in her web
praising him, such as "Some Pig", "Terrific", "Radiant", and "Humble", to persuade the farmer to spare his life. Some Pig, Splynter!
6. "Take it or leave it" warning: AS IS.
7. Tilt: SLANT.
8. Beach body feature?: TAN LINE. Another great clue.
9. AED user: EMT.
11. Cinematic surname: LOEW.
12. Use a prayer mat, e.g.: KNEEL.
15. Mario's brother: LUIGI.
16. Plus: ASSET.
17. Word after a final touch: THERE.
21. Wireless support, maybe: BRA.
23. Apt surname for a librarian: READE.
28. Rosie of "The Flight Attendant": PEREZ.
29. Wine menu heading: REDS.
31. Supermodel Banks: TYRA.
33. Acknowledge a standing ovation, maybe: BOW.
36. Under control: TAMED.
37. Designer Mizrahi: ISAAC. He had some great collections with Target for a few years.
38. Falls back: EBBS.
41. Wireless std.: LTE.
42. Rooney of "Carol": MARA.
45. Coup d'__: ETAT.
46. Chromosome unit: GENE.
47. Jeans line: SEAM.
51. Las Vegas athlete: RAIDER.
55. Highway letters: MPH.
57. Two-way player nicknamed "Shotime": OHTANI. Boomer had his rookie card.
58. Many a moving meme: GIF.
62. "Mm-hmm": YEP.
64. One of six in an inning: OUT.
66. A long time __: AGO.
69. Good listeners?: AUDIOPHILES. Great fill/clue also.
70. Virgo preceder: LEO.
71. Prefix with tourism: ECO.
72. "Property Brothers" network: HGTV.
73. Nobelist Wiesel: ELIE.
74. Dread: FEAR.
78. Endorse digitally: E-SIGN.
79. Water ways?: TIDES.
80. Shut tight: SEAL.
83. Some tapas spreads: TAPENADES. Never had this.
85. Middle-earth monsters: ORCS.
88. King topper: ACE.
90. Hold up: DELAY.
92. Mix: STIR.
95. Actor Epps: OMAR.
97. Took off: RAN.
98. Moved like an inflatable air dancer: FLAILED.
99. Standard font: ARIAL.
100. Sworn rivals: NEMESES.
104. Bus base: DEPOT.
105. Complete a private merger?: ELOPE.
106. Cheesy sandwiches: MELTS.
108. Amtrak option: ACELA.
110. Buffalo skater: SABRE.
113. Skosh: TAD.
114. Croak: RASP.
116. Chemist's salt: NACL.
118. Other, in Spanish: OTRO.
119. Inexperienced sort: NAIF.
122. UFC sport: MMA.
123. Tell tales: LIE.
124. Molecule in some vaccines: RNA.
C.C.
I saw the baseball teams,
ReplyDeletebut I didn’t get the meaning of the rest of the phrases until I came onto this site. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteD-o was enjoying the game right up to the point where he was sliding into home. That air dancer FLAIRED. That gave me the revealer: MR. BALL STAR. Bzzzzzt. Hey, I could'a been a contendah. Thanx, Rebecca and C.C.
FIW, missing my WAGs @ DIre x OHTArI and eAPENADE. DNK any of the three, even after reviewing CCs completed grid.
ReplyDeleteWasn't Deion Sanders nicknamed SHOTIME? How can an MLBer be a 2-way -player? Neon Deion not only played offense (when they would let him) and defense in the NFL, he also played MLB.
I think of TIE DYE as being a technique, not a pattern.
We could have had a wireless support DEMI BRA today.
If your beach body features TAN LINES, you and I go to different types of beaches.
The only A&E Rooney I know of is Andy.
ADELE has become the "singing oreo" of crosswords.
For those who have yet to become hockey fans, an OPEN NET happens when the action on one side of the goaltender gets him (or her) to go to that side of the net, so that a quick pass to a player on the other side results in an OPEN NET until the goalie can react. Not to be confused with an empty NET, which happens near the end of the game when the team behind removes their goaltender so they can have another offensive player on the ice.
FLAILED reminded me of the dance style of Elaine Benes in Seinfeld.
C/A like "mm-hmm" for YUP just suck the joy right out of an otherwise fun puzzle for me. Thanks to CC for the fun review.
Jinx, years ago after I went on a beach vacation a female co-worker remarked "wow, you got a lot of sun." I said "wanna see my tan lines?" (This was back in the 1990s.) After she cringed, I deftly raised my watch band. Yeah, I was nerd enough to wear a watch on the beach. It wasn't your kind of beach of course.
DeleteJinx. No tan lines? then you must go to the kyna beach where wasting money on a bathing suit is not required. 🫣
DeleteFIR. There were several obscure proper names that I didn't much care for, but the perps were there to help.
ReplyDeleteI raced through this Sunday puzzle so fast that I failed to see the baseball teams. What a surprise for me to finally learn that aspect of the theme by coming here. And ironically I'm a big baseball fan!
But overall a most enjoyable puzzle.
Took 11:38 today for me to be a Guardian of the Galaxy.
ReplyDeleteI didn't have any sense of the theme until finishing.
A 2-way player in baseball is one that pitches and bats. Ohtani is dominant at both, when healthy.
Had a few unknowns today, such as "flat," "paste," "demi," and the designer (Isaac). But, I knew the Actress of the Day (Perez) and even managed to pass today's French lesson (merci).
Thanks. My divorce from MLB was finalized before the NL succumbed to the DH folly, and I've never followed the AL. But Don Gullett of the Big Red Machine was frequently used as a pinch hitter on days he wasn't pitching. IIRC his batting average was around 250, and he could hit a dinger occasionally. He was also a great bunter, which was very important in the pre-DH days.
DeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-Between the title, the time of year and the first fill, the theme stood out like a brick in a punch bowl
-Some reasonable options (e.g. VOILA/THERE) slowed down some areas (not REALMS) but the puzzle was enjoyable
-That FLAT White (huh?) coffee will run you $8+
-Some people have to verbalize every thought/IDEA that comes into their heads
-OMAR and OSSIE are not in the OREO class of frequency but they are pretty high
-AS IS: I tried my best to tell the Hispanic gentleman that the electric mower I was giving away at a garage sale only worked for 10 minutes at a time and needed a $350 battery but he just smiled and took it anyway.
-I should have gotten this off Google Translate: Esta cortadora de césped solo funciona durante diez minutos y necesita una baterÃa nueva.
-I best remember ROSIE as a Jeopardy expert in White Men Can’t Jump
-Despite his short tenure in America, some think OHTANI is the best man to ever play MLB
-Floated, flitted, flaired, FLAILED.
Although I filled most of this puzzle, I missed the theme. I know practically nothing about sports, so i didn’t get the MLB of the reveal. When I looked at the title of this puzzle, at first I thought there would be á musical theme, then I switched to á golf theme. So I was lost.
ReplyDeleteNemeses is á symbol of retribution and vengeance, not á simple rival.
Regardless, there were quite á few VERY COOL clues.
Thank you CC for your recap and deciphering the theme for us.
An enjoyable puzzle today. Despite the annoying "paraphrase" non-clues, there were a lot more "aha!" moments than WTFs. Definitely some crunch, but it left me with a nice sense of accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteI really liked the theme and was even more impressed by CC’s observation of the synonymous first words, which I hadn’t noticed. The fill was pretty straightforward and free of the obscurities and rampant pop culture references of a lot of Sunday grids. It was a smooth pleasant solve, but I was a tad disappointed by the underwhelming revealer. I’m not sure what I expected, but it was not something that meh.
Thanks, Rebecca, and thanks, CC, for pointing out so much that the lay person tends to overlook, or misses seeing at all.
Have a great day.
FIR without too much trouble, despite the too-cute-by-half cluing for AHA, THERE and TEST (since I was confused by those, I guess I'm not "regular" :)). I too missed the first part of the theme, but I would argue that THE ARTFUL as two words kind of doesn't fit. And I'm clearly not the right demographic for FLAT coffee.
ReplyDeleteNice job by Rebecca on this one. No problems or complaints. However, I did not know that lye was used to make pretzels. Actually never gave it much thought. Its food grade lye, properly diluted. Thanks for the recap CC.
ReplyDeleteJust finished the “Adirondack Express” CW, (roughly LAT Thursday level). One last clue bugged me cuz it was in a recent LAT puzzle: “ ___ Rachel Wood”. While ruminating my phone buzzed. A text message but first a blurb for an article showed up “Why Evan Rachel Wood isn’t returning for ‘Practical Magic 2’ 😳
ReplyDelete