Let Them Eat Cake! Although this phrase is attributed to Marie Antoinette, there is no historical evidence that she actually said this. Today's puzzle was Easy as Pie.
20-Across. Indonesian archipelago now known as the Moluccas: SPICE ISLANDS. Spice Islands is also name of a company that sells spices and herbs. The Spice Islands are also known as Malaku or the Moluccas.
27-Across. Thorny garden flowers: TEA ROSES. Tea roses are named for the fragrance of their flowers. They are said to smell like a cup of freshly brewed tea.
35-Across. Shake, rattle, and roll at a concert: ROCK OUT.
45-Across. Absorb, as spilled milk: SPONGE UP.
And the unifier:
51-Across. "Nothing to it!," and what each circled letter literally is?: A PIECE OF CAKE. Each circle is a Piece of the word CAKE. We get SpiCe Cake, TeA Cake, RocK Cake, and SpongE Cake. I think Rock Cakes are more like cookies.
Here's the Grid so you can see all the Pieces of Cake scattered about the puzzle.
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| Scottish Rock Cakes |
There were a lot of names in today's puzzle, but they were all pretty easy to suss out.
Across:
1. Marx brother known for silent gags: HARPO. The comedic Marx brothers make occasional appearances in the puzzles. There were five brothers known for their vaudeville acts and movies. Harpo Marx (né Adolph Marx; Nov. 23, 1988 ~ Sept. 28, 1964) was the second-oldest brother and rarely spoke but was known for blowing a horn. He also was known for playing the harp, hence, his name. [Name # 1.]
6. Laborious process: SLOG.
10. In style: CHIC.
14. "Rush Rush" singer Paula: ABDUL. Paula Julie Abdul (b. June 19, 1962) got her start as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers. [Name # 2.]
15. Uncontaminated: PURE.
16. Walesa of Poland's Solidarity movement: LECH. In the late 1970s, Lech Wałęsa (b. Sept. 29, 1943) co-founded the Solidarity trade-union in Poland. He later served as the President of Poland from December 1990 to December 1995. He was award the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983. [Name # 3.]
17. Burn with steam: SCALD.
18. Recedes slowly: EBBS.
19. __ Day vitamins: ONE-A-.
23. "Fiddlesticks!": OH, DARN!
26. Targeted, with "at": TOOK AIM.
30. Mardi Gras, for one: FEST. Mardi Gras is early next year. It falls on February 17, 2026.
31. Alpo rival: IAMS. It is pet food for dogs, cats, rabbits, etc.
32. Tire inflation abbr.: PSI. As in Pounds per Square Inch.
33. Currency of Montreal and Toronto: Abbr.: CAD. As in the Canadian Dollar. As of this writing, the Canadian Dollar is worth $0.73 US Dollars. It is very colorful money. Hi, Canadian, Eh!
34. Fuel additive brand: STP.
37. Six-pack in a gym: ABs. Abdominal Muscles are a crossword staple.
40. Vietnamese New Year: TET. In 2026, the Vietnamese New Year falls on February 17. It just happens to coincide with Mardi Gras. It, too, would be considered a FEST.
41. Move like a kangaroo: HOP.
42. "Enchanted" girl in a fantasy comedy: ELLA. [Name # 4, Fictional.]
43. Lab container: VIAL.
47. Blown sign of affection: AIR KISS.
50. Hybrid big cats: LIGERS. A Liger is the offspring of a male lion and a female tiger. Did you know that if the mother is a lion and the father is a tiger, the offspring is known as a Tigon?
54. Egg container: NEST.
55. Soon, to Shakespeare: ANON.
56. Most suitable: IDEAL.
60. Teen sleuth Nancy: DREW. Nancy Drew has been around since 1930. I read a lot of Nancy Drew mysteries when I was a kid. [Name # 5, fictional.]
61. Diet-friendly, on labels: LITE. // And 22-Down. Diet-friendly, on labels: LO-FAT.
62. Sculpture trunk: TORSO.
63. Canadian gas brand: ESSO. Everything you wanted to know about Esso, but didn't know to ask. Another shout out to Canadian, Eh!
64. Glaswegian, e.g.: SCOT. Someone from Glasgow, Scotland is called a Glaswegian.
65. Feeling of dread: ANGST.
Down:
1. "Everything __ Changed": Taylor Swift song: HAS.
2. Alphabet starter: ABC.
3. Food stat: RDA. As in Recommended Dietary Allowance.
4. Some neutron stars and analog watches: PULSARS. What exactly are Pulsars?
5. Seasoned vet: OLD PRO.
6. Architectural detail, for short: SPEC.
7. Jiffy __: chain that specializes in oil changes: LUBE.
8. Once around the world: ORBIT.
9. Artist's primer: GESSO. Not a Tuesday word. Gesso prepares the surface for painting, making the surface slightly textured and ready to accept acrylic paint. Without gesso, the paint would soak into the weave of the canvas.
10. Concealed: CLOAKED.
11. Reddish brown dyes used in body art: HENNAS.
12. Clinched the win: ICED IT.
13. Deep divide: CHASM.
21. Trendy place: IN SPOT.
23. R&B legend Redding: OTIS. Otis Ray Redding, Jr. (Sept. 9, 1941 ~ Dec. 10, 1967) tragically died at age 26 in a plane crash. [Name # 6.]
24. Frozen food directive: HEAT.
25. Like clothes put out to dry: DAMP.
28. Key near F1: ESC.
29. Many Punjabis: SIKHS. A religion primarily practiced in the Punjab region of Southeast Asia.
33. Rounded roof: CUPOLA.
35. Artifact: RELIC.
36. Alley-__ pass: OOP.
37. Not aweather: ALEE.
38. Hazy shape: BLUR.
39. Drains: SAPS.
40. Second try on a movie set: TAKE TWO.
42. Encouraged: EGGED ON.
43. Venomous snakes: VIPERS.
44. Spring blooms with beards: IRISES.
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| Vincent Van Gogh was famous for his paintings of Irises. |
46. Soviet premier Khrushchev: NIKITA. Nikita Khrushchev (Apr. 15, 1894 ~ Sept. 11, 19971) was the first Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He served from 1953 to 1964. Did he really bang a shoe on a desk at the United Nations? [Name # 7.]
47. "Hoarders" airer: A AND E. Usually depicted as A&E.
48. Aquatic barkers: SEALS.
49. Hedgehog mascot of Sega: SONIC.
52. Picture, informally: FOTO.
53. Gadget review site: C-NET.
57. Unit of energy: ERG.
58. Biblical beast: ASS. You can read about of Balaam and his talking donkey in the Book of Numbers (Chapters 22-24).
59. Valet's milieu: LOT.
חתולה
25 comments:
Some might say that
this puzzle was easier than yesterday’s. I wouldn’t argue the point, yet how many people remember Khrushchev’s first name? Other than that, though, I think I might agree. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Hand up for remembering Khrushchev's first name -- just not how to spell his last name. Same problem with SIKH; does the H come before or after the K? D-o was familiar with SPICE, TEA, and SPONGE cakes, but ROCK? LIU and apparently it's a thing. Thanx, Dr. Ed and Hahtoolah. (Loved the irons, ice cube trays, and valet parking.)
FIR without erasure.
I knew NIKITA and ALEE without perp, I also knew SPICE ISLANDS, but not the Moluccas. I'm reading about the early days of man, and how we got to those regions. (Short answer - double-outrigger sailing dugout canoes.)
So I guess that a penny loafer made in Glasgow would be a Glasweejun.
TAKE TWO is fine, but can't compare to one of the greatest jazz songs ever, Take Five.
Thanks to Dr. Ed for the fun, easy puzzle. And thanks to Ha2la for the fine review.
D-O: The Rock Cake is an obscure reference. They are more like little cookies and can be found in Scotland.
FIR. I really don't see the point of the circles, what a totally superfluous waste of time. They weren't needed for the solve at all.
I guess I'm old enough to remember Khrushchev and his banging his shoe on the desk at the UN. It was quite a news story back then.
But for a Tuesday puzzle, this was Monday easy. No real difficulty anywhere
Overall an enjoyable puzzle.
I think the circles were just for fun to spell out the theme C-A-K-E
Took 5:32 today to take the cheese.
"Gesso"? Well, I guess so.
Otherwise, I'd call it a WITP.
Oh joy, circles!
Another fast solve, appropriate for Tuesday, from a master constructor Ed Sessa
When I was growing up we had these kiosks in strip mall parking lots called FOTO-mat where you could drive thru and leave your film to be developed
Did you all have those too?
My sister read a lot of Nancy DREW, I was more of a Trixie Belden mystery fan
Another fun blog from Hatoolah - chuckled at the sign for VALET parking
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Ed and Hahtoolah.
This was a CAKEwalk in the park today.
I am not familiar with ROCK CAKE.
I’ll take both those Canadian CSOs..I’m happy to share them with any other Canadians reading this, but my fellow-Canadians seem shy to post.
We love our coloured bills - no confusion in grabbing one from your wallet.
I noted ONE A and TAKE TWO for our math lesion. ABC and A AND E for learning our alphabet.
We had LITE and LO FAT for our health lesson.
My Nancy DREW books were passed down to my daughter.
Hand up for remembering NIKITA.
ICED IT today not Aced it.
I like the sound of the word ANGST.
Wishing you all a great day.
No Foto-mat in our little town (pop. 1100). Folks dropped off their exposed film at the local drug store. The photo lab was in a city about 50 miles away. An employee would drive his route, picking up film and dropping off printed photos. You could get expect a one-day turnaround. Reasonably priced, too.
Good Morning:
I found this theme a little different from Dr. Ed’s usual style, but enjoyed it, nevertheless. I remembered Nikita but never heard of Rock Cake. Rock Out and Sponge Up barely qualify for solid, in-the-language phrases, IMO, but this “rule” and some others, seem to be slowly but surely relaxed by today’s editorial staffs.
Thanks, Dr. Ed, and thanks, Hahtoolah for the fun, facts, and musical treats. Favorite comics were the Kangaroo AirBNB and the Spilled Milk. I, too, was a huge Nancy Drew fan.
FLN
CED, I may not have mentioned it, but you’re still the blog’s reigning Imp, followed closely by Ray O.
Have a great day.
IH, I was an avid fan of both Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden.
Easy as ABC this morning but not LO FAT. I’m not familiar with ROCK cake, the rest were tasty.
I had adder before VIPER, but that was corrected without ANGST.
NIKITA was á gimme. Yes, I’m that old.
Thank you Hahtoolah for the funny cartoons and the OTIS Redding audio. When that song first came out I used to play it repeatedly.
I can remember NIKITA and LEONID - it's the Khrushchev and Brezhnev that I can't remember how to spell when I do Sporcle quizzes
Today's puzzle is from that OLD PRO, Dr. Ed. I've heard of SPICE, TEA, and SPONGE CAKEs, but ROCK cake is new to me. I like Ed's puzzle because they aren't filled with A AND E C-list 'celebs' and unknown authors of unknown books, movies, and tv shows. The only unknown today was the Swift song and HAS was an easy guess after two A-listers- HARPO & ABDUL. (Cold Hearted Snake)
Mardi Gras- I wouldn't call it a FEST. It's a little more than that. Parades, balls, and other things happening in different locations.
PSI-DW called me saying the PSI reading on one of her tires was low again. I had gone to get it repaired about a month ago and a screw was pulled out where the sidewall and tread meet. They said a patch wouldn't work in that location and I told them to plug it. Looks like it's slowly leaking I'll be getting a new tire.
When I was in graduate school studying international relations, my mentor, Fred Warner Neal, instilled in us the most critical factor in decision-making by a policymaker: rationality.
It does not matter if the title of the policymaker happens to be Prime Minister, or President, or First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
The reason I bring this up is the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, the closest we've ever come to World War III. The policymakers who proved then that they could be rational when push came to shove, were Nikita Khrushchev and John F. Kennedy. Both their minds were swayed by MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction). And in the case of Khrushchev, he had the added handicap of a loose cannon named Fidel Castro who kept pushing him toward irrationality: to not only install Soviet missiles in Cuba, but to USE them against the U.S.!
And it was Khrushchev who had startled the party faithful a few years before by denouncing Stalin at the 20th Party Congress, and decrying the "cult of personality." Shortly thereafter, Khrushchev saw to it that Stalin's body was unceremoniously removed from the Lenin/Stalin Tomb.
I say, let's hear it for Nikita Khrushchev, who, by the way, was also the head of the Ukrainian Communist Party. As for the spelling of his last name, just keep throwing an "h" in there when in doubt. First, just somehow remember the first two letters, "Kh". The middle four letters are our English word "rush". And finally, the final four letters, "chev," are pretty common in Russian names--and yes, one more "h."
Et voila, there you have it. Bob's your uncle!
How nice to see a puzzle by Dr. Ed! As Big Easy said, I don't so much mind names of people who are anything but obscure. My sister had all the Nancy Drew books, and my brother and I had the Bobbsey Twins.
No Hardy Boys fan in your family?
Easier than yesterday, FIR in 10 in spite of 16 names, possibly because I only DNK 4. This CW was indeed a piece of cake! I think I have finally got it into my head that they are SIKHs, not SIHKs. I liked the theme and got it early, though I'm not sure that speeded up the solve. Thanx ES for a fun and very doable CW. Too many names, but they are WELL KNOWN not obscure. Thanx too too Hahtoolah for the terrific write-up, with, as always, great cartoons and videos. I really liked the Lech Walesa comment. We're all still waiting. You mention a liger and a tigon: no fair! Why does the male get top billing in these pairings, when the female does most of bringing the cats into the world? You do have a typo though on Harpo's DOB, should say 1888, not 1988.
Delightful Tuesday puzzle, many thanks, Ed. And your commentary is always pleasant and helpful, thanks for that too, Hahtoolah.
Well, what a positive cluster of puzzle words we were given this morning. Not sure we should call it A PIECE OF CAKE close to being IDEAL, but it was certainly LITE and worthy of an AIR KISS. Many of the clues were CHIC and PURE, and TOOK AIM at lovely objects like those TEA ROSES at the FEST, all collected in that lovely VIAL. With no ANGST at all, we're probably ready for a LITE shower with a bit of HEAT. And after that we can have the breakfast we were EGGED ON to enjoy. Sounds good, doesn't it?
Have a pleasant, cheerful, lovely day, everyone!
This puzzle was a cakewalk, but I didn't see the big picture. I thought that spelling out C-A-K-E was no big deal, until Hahtoolah called my attention to the SPICE, TEA, and SPONGE cakes! Honestly, if I had seen them, I would have discounted them, not knowing that ROCK cake is also a thing. So ... good Tuesday fun from Dr. Ed, made much better by Hahtoolah's explanations and cartoons. Onward!
Hola! Thanks to Dr. Ed for a fun and easy puzzle today and thanks to Hahtoolah for the amusing interpretation. It certainly was a PIECE OF CAKE.
As soon as I learned to read, I was like a SPONGE, soaking up any and all books I could find. Nancy Drew was always on my list.
LECH Walesa and NIKITA Khruschev really created a splash of attention in their day but for different reasons. Each one found a prominent place on the world stage.
Oprah Winfrey has said that her surname is HARPO spelled backwards.
PURE Life (pura vida) is the motto of Costa Rica.
Phoenix had FOTO booths in the past, but I don't know if they still exist. They might be RELICs of the past.
I hope you all are enjoying a beautiful, relaxing day!
I liked this puzzle.
In a few weeks I plan to catch Lech Walesa on his speaking tour. He is doing something like 25 American cities and 3 Canadian (Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver). Not bad for an octogenarian.
In the pantheon of memorable twentieth- century figures, there are the familiar ones like Churchill, Lenin, FDR, etc. But Lucina brought up two names side-by-side--Nikita Khrushchev and Lech Walesa--whose names I believe posterity will also look kindly upon, and not just as mere footnotes in the story of that century.
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