Theme: Let's make some NOISE!
Prolific constructor Sean Ziebarth is a high school English teacher, surfer, and DJ. In today's puzzle, he gives us a push in the right direction with some good advice, and suggests we make some noise in the process, hearing a little snap, crackle, and pop in common English phrases. The theme clues and answers are:
17-Across. "Turn that frown upside down": CRACK A SMILE.
30-Across. "Get your head on straight": SNAP OUT OF IT.
45-Across. "Get on that stage and wow the crowd": KNOCK 'EM DEAD.
61-Across. Words of wisdom, and what 17-, 30-, and 45-Across could be called?: SOUND ADVICE.
In addition to giving these phrases a fresh hearing, Sean has placed the theme entries in symmetrical rows Across. Neato! I'll bet it's fun to be in his class.
What else can we learn from Sean today? Let's look at the rest of the clues and answers.
Across:1. Best effort: A GAME. One's highest level of play or performance.
6. Fools: CLODS. I wasn't fond of this one, thinking that a clod is an oaf. When I looked up synonyms of FOOL and of CLOD for today's blog, neither word listed the other. But idiot is listed as a synonym for both clod and fool, so I suppose that if A=C and B=C, then A=B.
11. Make a mend: SEW.
14. Like much of central Illinois: RURAL.
15. "The Raven" writer, briefly: E A POE. Edgar Allan Poe.
16. "Better. Guaranteed." gadget brand: OXO. Favorite crossword utensils.
17. [Theme clue]
19. Whopper: LIE.
20. Luau performance: HULA.
21. Medium ability: ESP. Extrasensory perception is an ability claimed by persons who say they are mediums, able to facilitate communication between the living and the dead.
22. Notes equivalent to C sharps: D FLATS. These notes are the same black key on the piano (between the white keys C and D), and produce the same pitch. The note will be written one way or the other depending on the key of a musical composition.
24. Immediately following: UPON. "Upon hearing the news, she burst into tears."
26. Earlier: PRIOR.
27. Word with shell or shore: SEA.
30. [Theme clue]
34. Late: TARDY.
36. Sleep acronym: REM. Rapid eye movement sleep is the stage of sleep where most dreams happen.
37. Peel: PARE.
38. Naan flour: ATTA. If we ever have a Crossword Corner party, we are going to make naan with ATTA. And eat many varieties of Oreos. What else should be on the menu?
39. Addresses timeline errors, perhaps: EDITS.
41. Timeline units: ERAS.
42. Like much 1980s fashion: NEON.
43. "C'est la __!": VIE. French for "That's life!"
44. Fess up (to): ADMIT.
45. [Theme clue]
49. __ as a fox: SLY.
50. Brand of riding mowers: DEERE.
51. YouTube journal: VLOG. Video blog.
53. Too: OVERLY.
55. Needlework on a sleeve, for short: TAT. A tattoo sleeve.
56. Turkey neighbor: IRAN.
60. Burrito option: WET. A "wet burrito" is served covered in sauce, and must be eaten with a fork and knife.
61. [Theme clue]
64. Melissa of "The Fighter": LEO. Melissa Leo is an American actress, and the recipient of a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and two Critics' Choice Awards. In 2010, she won several awards for her performance in the film The Fighter, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. DNK.
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| Melissa Leo |
65. Come next: ENSUE.
66. Moves closer: NEARS.
67. Cheap tix option: SRO. Standing Room Only. No seat for you!
68. "The Wild Swans at Coole" writer: YEATS. "The Wild Swans at Coole" is a poem by Irish poet William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), first published in 1917.
The first stanza of the poem:
The trees are in their autumn beauty,The woodland paths are dry,Under the October twilight the waterMirrors a still sky;Upon the brimming water among the stonesAre nine-and-fifty swans.
69. Selling point: ASSET.
Down:
1. Foot part: ARCH.
2. Hindu teacher: GURU.
3. North __ Sea: Central Asian lake: ARAL. The Aral Sea was once the world’s third largest lake. It started shrinking in the 1960s when the Soviet government diverted two of its main inlet rivers, the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya, to irrigate the surrounding desert region. The North Aral Sea was separated from the South Aral Sea in 1987-88 as water levels dropped. Independent Kazakhstan has addressed environmental degradation by again allowing the Syr Darya River to flow into the lake.
4. Hong Kong neighbor: MACAU. Macau is an autonomous region on the south coast of China, across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong. A Portuguese territory until 1999, it is said to be the most densely populated region in the world. Its giant casinos and malls have earned it the nickname, "Las Vegas of Asia."
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5. Utah's state animal: ELK.
6. General aviation company owned by Textron: CESSNA. Textron Aviation sells Beechcraft and Cessna-branded aircraft, and supports older Hawker aircraft with parts and service.
7. Lava __: LAMP. Lava lamps have been manufactured since 1963.
6. General aviation company owned by Textron: CESSNA. Textron Aviation sells Beechcraft and Cessna-branded aircraft, and supports older Hawker aircraft with parts and service.
7. Lava __: LAMP. Lava lamps have been manufactured since 1963.
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| Cool array next to your water bed. |
8. Maker of Talk to the Hand press-on nails: OPI. OPI is a popular brand of nail polish, so this was an easy guess.
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| Hard to see, but the package says TALK TO THE HAND in the upper left corner. |
9. Blues: DOLDRUMS.
10. Find appropriate: SEE FIT.
11. Green energy sources in some desert regions: SOLAR FARMS.
12. Way out: EXIT.
13. Heartaches: WOES.
18. Very long time: AEON. Aeon is the more popular spelling in Britain. On our side of the pond, a very long time is usually an eon.
23. Like a lasso: LOOPED.
25. Therapist's maj.: PSY. A therapist's major course of study is psychology.
26. 68-Across, for one: POET. Ah, yes, YEATS again.
27. Performed terribly: STANK. Past tense of stink. "The place stank like a sewer." Or in slang, to be very bad at something. "He stank at golf."
28. All gone: EATEN.
29. Luke Skywalker's loyal droid: ARTOO-DETOO. Also written as R2-D2.
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| This vehicle with R2-D2 on the back was seen regularly in our neighborhood of Westchester, Los Angeles, when the kids were growing up. |
31. Snooped around: PRIED.
32. Letter-shaped beam: I-RAIL. An I-shaped rail. Apparently used for things from curtains to trains.
33. On edge: TESTY.
35. Wearer of tap shoes: DANCER.
39. With no exceptions: EVERYONE.
40. Small coin: DIME.
44. Scene: ADO.
46. Plum who was the WNBA All-Star Game MVP in 2022: KELSEY. Kelsey Plum is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. She is a four-time WNBA All-Star and was named the WNBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 2022.
35. Wearer of tap shoes: DANCER.
39. With no exceptions: EVERYONE.
40. Small coin: DIME.
44. Scene: ADO.
46. Plum who was the WNBA All-Star Game MVP in 2022: KELSEY. Kelsey Plum is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. She is a four-time WNBA All-Star and was named the WNBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 2022.
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| Kelsey Plum |
47. Sidesteps: EVADES.
48. Baja's opposite: ALTA. Spanish low and high.
52. Caves in: GIVES.
53. Parliament birds: OWLS. A group of owls is called a parliament, reflecting their perceived wisdom.
54. Suddenly shift direction: VEER.
55. Letter-shaped fastener: T-NUT. T-nuts are threaded fasteners with prongs that dig into the material when tightened. First I-rail, now this! What am I, a gearhead?
48. Baja's opposite: ALTA. Spanish low and high.
52. Caves in: GIVES.
53. Parliament birds: OWLS. A group of owls is called a parliament, reflecting their perceived wisdom.
54. Suddenly shift direction: VEER.
55. Letter-shaped fastener: T-NUT. T-nuts are threaded fasteners with prongs that dig into the material when tightened. First I-rail, now this! What am I, a gearhead?
57. Coastal inlets: RIAS.
58. Part of a plot: ACRE.
59. Small tree house: NEST.
62. Jenny Thompson's team: USA. Jenny Thompson is a former competitive swimmer. She is one of the most decorated Olympians in history, with twelve medals, including eight gold medals, earned in the 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 Summer Olympics.
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| Jenny Thompson |
63. Genetic blueprint: DNA.
Here's the grid:
How did EVERYONE do today?
Did you SNAP OUT OF your DOLDRUMS and KNOCK 'EM DEAD?
Or was the puzzle OVERLY difficult, so that success EVADEd you?
Let us know in the comments.
-- NaomiZ
I figured out the theme
ReplyDeleteearly on, and that helped me solve this fun puzzle. And I note we had both “Opi” and “Oxo”, two names I know only through doing cw puzzles. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteNice that Sean was able to find 4 11-letter themers -- elegant. My Wite-Out came out to play for cAke/LAMP and STuNK/STANK. IRAIL seems green-painty. Still, this one went faster than yesterday. I enjoyed it. Thanx, Sean and NaomiZ. (A T-nut may be installed by "wrenching" it into place with the mating screw, or the impetuous can simply bang it into place with a hammer.)
FIR. This was rather easy for a Thursday. The only trouble I had was in the SW. Fortunately that corner was all perps. Wet and Leo were total unknowns.
ReplyDeleteThe theme was very clever. When I threw down the reveal it "cracked" a smile for me.
Overall an enjoyable puzzle.
FIW, missing with ARTOODETwO x LEw. I even erased the "O" for "W," thinking that LEO wouldn't be an actress's last name. Wouldn't it be great if she was a police officer - Officer LEO is fun, if redundant. I also changed reset->EDITS, lama->GURU, empty->EATEN, and bays->RIAS.
ReplyDeleteI misread "tix" as "fix." and thought about the times I have tried a DIY fix that was more costly than having it done by someone who does it for a living.
If we have a Cornerite's Party, let's feature taco, agua (from lake ERIE,) and if Ms. Varol will attend, hamburger (so that we can grill Patti on some of her editing choices.)
Thanks to Sean for the fun Thursday. Just the right level of difficulty, IMO. But you do know that there isn't an EWSPN, right? A swimmer who last won nearly a quarter century ago, and a bballer who was a star in the pre-Caitlin days? Few know, fewer care. And thanks to NaomiZ for another fun tour.
I enjoyed this clever puzzle and ultimately FIR, despite a few non-clever first takes on my part: I couldn't see how SO(li)D ADVICE related to the theme entries, and since I wasn't familiar with the poem I guessed (k)EATS, which left the awkward-sounding name KELSE(k). But the perps eventually got me there!
ReplyDeleteI got a chuckle out of "small tree house" = NEST, and "medium ability" = ESP. Nice.
We are off to Central Illinois for a family party on DH's side this weekend and I can confirm that it is, indeed, rural.
I do not miss 80's fashion!
Thanks to Sean for the fun start to the morning, and to NaomiZ for the lively review!
Wham, bam, thank you Sean and NaomiZ. Took 6:12 today to finish.
ReplyDeleteThe Actress of the Day (Leo) was unknown, and the last square to fill. Like Jinx, I find it odd that R2-D2" is spelled with "toos" instead of "twos."
Our Corner meal must have oleo, and if it is held on a Saturday, then we should have some obscure foreign food too.
Musings
ReplyDelete-A just right level of difficulty for a Thursday offering
-Did anyone else have a fleeting idea of SNAP, CRACK(LE) and POP at first?
-When I was growing up here in a RURAL area, farms were either green (John DEERE) or red (Farmall)
-I’ve never seen a WET burrito on a menu but we do get smothered enchiladas at our fav Mexican restaurant
-I had many lava LAMPS (not soap it turns out) on my desk and they attracted a lot of attention and served as a great way to teach convection
-KEATS had to be exchanged for a one-letter substitution
-All gone/EATEN – Try putting free donuts in a teacher’s lounge
deranged way to clue WET imo. The party would def have to include some sushi so we could get both eel and nori in there
ReplyDeleteLearning moment: Macau
ReplyDeleteHad a tough time with matching up answers to various clues today. Can't put my finger on why exactly, maybe because I'm a clod instead of a fool...
The only thing I can complain about, is that there were so many silly links for the theme, that (I thought) I would just hot link the site they came from. But they wanted me to accept cookies, and when I said no, the only option was manage preferences, which results in a ridiculously long list of declining stuff I didn't even know or think they were tracking. When I finally got thru that, there were so many ads the site slowed to a crawl. So rather than inflict that kind of torture on you, here are some quick honorable mentions, that you can choose to ignore...
exhibit A
exhibit B
exhibit C
And finally, to ensure comfortable dreams...
Seemed pretty easy today, thanks to generous perps. I'm with Jinx on the pageant of extremely obscure people who showed up in the clues this morning!
ReplyDelete