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. 🫣
DeleteYeah, I got started on that in the late 70's while I lived in LA. I fell on the Redondo Beach Breakwater coming back from watching the 4th of July fireworks. I went to the doctor, who asked me about my work, which included occasional trips up a 14 foot ladder. He told me that I couldn't do that for a month or two, and since I didn't have enough seniority to get on a shift where that work wasn't essential, they put me on medical leave.
DeleteI recuperated largely at the closest beach to my place, which was on the Palos Verdes Peninsula close to where the ruins of Marineland of the Pacific were. Turns out that the beach was clothing optional. After a few days I noticed that those of us who remained clothed pretty much kept to ourselves, while the nekked folks were all sharing stories and laughing together. I finally got the nerve to try it, and I've tried to avoid textiles while tanning ever since.
Good for you. Liberal minded . There were secluded/ hidden beaches like that between Sanibel and Captiva Island in FL. Or so I heard 😉
DeleteJinx, I sure hope you used SPF 90 on your nether regions…. 🤣
Delete====> Darren
More libertarian than liberal. We had to watch out for the sheriffs, who would come by occasionally but mostly handed out tickets except for drug possession. Part of my real-life education was that liberal doesn't equal laissez-faire.
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.
Gary, he probably took it because he knew he could buy a new battery on eBay for $85… 😎
Delete====> Darren
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’ 😳
ReplyDeleteI echo what Charlie Echo said.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteVery clever and interesting Sunday puzzle--many, many thanks, Rebecca. And your Sunday commentaries and photos are always a pleasure and a treat, C.C.--many thanks for those too.
ReplyDeleteWell, in this puzzle we got that POWERFUL RANGER who was on his LAST LEG and could no longer really work in his REALM. Fortunately, he was an ARTFUL DODGER and was still able to do some of his work as a PERFECT ANGEL, and still managed an OPEN NET pretty well. Some critics called him VERY COOL, and there was a chance he might get a LEAD as an MBA ALL STAR. He thanked everyone with "MERCI beaucoup" and got a great round of applause, which
made him BLUSH. So all ended well.
Have a lovely Sunday, everyone.
(P.S. I don't know anything about baseball, so please forgive whatever errors I suspect are everywhere in my comments)
A major league challenge for the sports averse, but FIR after a couple of time-outs. DNK what PWHL was, ADELE as clued, Rooney of "Carol," or Buffalo skater, but a few WAGs solved it. I saw the MLB team players, but missed the similarity of SUPER, POWER, MASTER, etc., so I'm glad C.C. pointed that out. Many thanks to Rebecca and C.C. for the Sunday entertainment!
ReplyDeleteThanks to Rebecca and C.C.! Hand up for seeing the team names but not the synonyms. FAVs were clues for ZEROS and TIDES.
ReplyDeletePretty fun puzzle from Ms. Goldstein, with just enough crunch to fire the synapses. The Sultans of Swing title should’ve been the Big Clue…but did dumm bass here grok that? Of course not! So I FLAILED through the entire cw until I read the reveal clue at 122A; no, I still haven’t learned to find it before starting the puzzle 😖. so things would click and I’d go “AHA!” a helluva lot sooner… But in spite of that, it was a fun trek to a FIR, so no complaints warranted (tho DINT is a new one to me!).
ReplyDeleteFilling MERCI made me think all the way back to a buddy in high school whose mum had forced him to take French for some unknown reason — and he absolutely hated it! In revolt, he would say “Mercy buckup” when his mum would give him a snack or something, just to drive her bonkers. His mantra: “French?? No thanks — the entire language has been misspelled!”. I must admit to sharing his view; I mean, a language that pronounces it “Ghee Ay-bear” for a guy named Guy Herbert has something far amiss, imho…
Thanks to Rebecca for a VERY COOL Sunday challenge, and to C.C. for the guided tour.
====> Darren / L.A.
The puzzle title is á big clue, but It depends on where your mind is. That’s why for me my mind was on music since "Sultans of Swing" was recorded by Dire Straits in 1978. Sports was not on the horizon for me.
DeleteThat was Monkey above.
DeleteA friend of mine once told me he knew 2 words of French: “Chevrolet Coupé”.
Delete