Money Makes the World Go Round. Today we travel with world with various currencies of four different countries.
18-Across. Was victorious in the ring, but not by a knockout: WON ON POINTS. The Won is the official currency of South Korea. One Won is approximately 0.00072 US Dollars, or put another way, $1 is approximately 1390.17 South Korean Won. I was not familiar with this currency.
27-Across. Drawn from actual events: REAL WORLD. The Real is the official currency of Brazil. One Real is approximately 0.18 US Dollars, or put another way, $1 is approximately 5.43 Brazil Real.
41-Across. Dessert made with equal parts sugar, eggs, butter, and flour: POUND CAKE. The Pound is the official currency of the United Kingdom. One Pound is approximately 1.34 US Dollars, or put another way, $1 is approximately .74 Pounds. Until recently, Queen Elizabeth II was on the Pound, but now it's Charlie.
54-Across. Big name in map publishing: RAND MCNALLY. The Rand is the official currency of South Africa. One Rand is approximately 0.056 US Dollars, or put another way, $1 is approximately 17.76 South African Rands.
35-Across. Demand for payment prior to service, or what 18-, 27-, 41-, and 54-Across all have: CASH UP FRONT. The first, or "FRONT" word of each theme answer a the name of a monetary unit.
Across:
1. Gift of __: GAB.
4. Inaudible on Zoom, perhaps: MUTED.
9. Durango automaker: DODGE.
14. Org. concerned with mental health: APA. As in the American Psychological Association.
15. __-3 fatty acid: OMEGA.
16. Orchestral woodwinds: OBOES.
17. FIFA zero: NIL. FIFA is the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, or as we say in the Untied States, Soccer.
20. Shows to be false: DEBUNKS.
22. Small roles for big stars: CAMEOS.
23. Supply-and-demand subj.: ECON. As in Economics.
24. Raise a hem, e.g.: SEW.
25. Informal "I've heard enough!": TMI. Textspeak for Too Much Information.
31. Spike on a shoe bottom: CLEAT.
33. "You'll definitely pass" course: EASY A.
34. Patterns on shoe bottoms: TREADS.
37. Ancient Greek city-state: SPARTA.
39. Comes to a crawl: SLOWS.
40. Tube-shaped pasta: PENNE. Penne is a type of pasta with a cylinder shape and angled ends, often with ridges.
45. "You're a tough __ to follow!": ACT.
46. B+, but not A+: ION. B+ is an ion of Boron.
47. Former soccer pro Morgan: ALEX. Alexandra Morgan (b. July 2, 1989) played for several soccer teams between 2008 and 2024 when she retired. Her last team was with the San Diego Wave.
48. Prone protests: LIE INS. It's like a Sit-In, but instead of sitting, the protesters lie down.
51. "Acupuncture is a jab well done" et al.: BAD PUNS. This could also be called a Dad Joke.
56. Bon __: witty remark: MOT. Today's French lesson.
57. Yoga pose: ASANA.
58. Site with an RSVP tracker: E-VITE.
59. Nikola Jokic's org.: NBA. Nikola Jokić (b. Feb. 19, 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player. He currently plays as a center for the Denver Nuggets.
60. History assignment: ESSAY.
61. Some towed autos: REPOS. Repo Man was a 1984 film about repossessing cars.
62. Put on TV: AIR.
Down:
1. Male goose: GANDER.
2. Each: APIECE.
3. Movie boxer Rocky: BALBOA.
4. Like freshly cut grass: MOWN.
5. "Uh, whatever": UM, OK.
6. Till bills: TENS.
7. Narcissist's problem: EGO.
8. Did the mambo: DANCED.
9. __ and gloom: DOOM.
10. Off-Broadway award: OBIE.
11. Label on toy food: DO NOT EAT.
12. Sees red: GETS MAD.
13. Curvy letter: ESS.
19. What a dog gives to "shake": PAW.
21. Break, as a bad habit: UNLEARN.
24. Applies carelessly: SLAPS ON.
26. Part of TGIF: IT'S. Thank Goodness It's Friday.
28. "__ not, want not": WASTE.
29. Workplace std. setter: OSHA. As in Occupational Safety and Health Administration. We see this governmental entity quite often in the puzzles.
30. Street Fighter fighter: RYU. Apparently Ryu is a character in a Japanese game.
37. Place where the cucumbers aren't for eating?: SPA.
38. HS gym session: PE CLASS. As in Physical Education class.
41. "Cooler Than Me" singer Mike: POSNER. I am not familiar with Mike Posner (né Michael Robert Henrion Posner; b. Feb. 12, 1988).
42. College fundraising source: ALUMNA. Today's Latin lesson. This targets female graduates.
43. Obi-Wan __: KENOBI. A fictional character from the Star Wars movie series.
44. Washed-up celeb: EX-STAR.
46. Bus. card letters: INC.
49. "Show Boat" novelist Ferber: EDNA. Show Boat was a 1926 novel by Edna Ferber (Aug. 15, 1885 to April. 16, 1968) that spanned three generations of performers on a steamboat that traveled along the Mississippi River from the 1880s to the 1920s. The story moves from the Reconstruction Era to Gilded Age to Roaring Twenties. The novel was later adapted to a musical.
50. "Still considering it": I MAY.
51. Radar screen dot: BLIP.
52. Sax type: ALTO.
53. Goes green?: DYES.
54. Singer Carly __ Jepsen: RAE. Carly Rae Jepson (b. Nov. 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and actress.
This puzzle seemed to me to take forever to solve, but actually it took less than 20 minutes. Still, it wasn’t the easiest Tuesday puzzle I have ever seen. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Despite thinking the NBA guy was a tennis player and NYQUIL was a sleep aid, this one came together quickly -- far, far quicker than Sub's 20 minutes. RYU and POSNER were total unknowns. PE CLASS was the bane of my ute. I managed to break my wrist twice in two different years. Thanx, Jared and Hahtoolah.
FIR, but alumni->ALUMNA, and kenobe->KENOBI. At least we finally got a Star Wars character that I recognized.
I am the proud owner of a RAND MCNALLY 2025 Deluxe Motor Carriers' Road Atlas. Among other things, it identifies roads where federal, not state, regulations apply for things like weight and length. It also lists all the vertical clearance limitations along those routes. The pages are laminated, so routes can be marked with a grease pencil then erased after the trip. The atlas is spiral bound, so it lies flat on a table.
Is it kosher to use the clue "off broadway award" for OBIE, when the "OB" stands for "off broadway?" (Or does it?)
Do you really UNLEARN when you break a bad habit? I don't drink, smoke or mingle with women of negotiable morals any longer, but I still know how.
Although we English speakers get sloppy when it comes to terms with similar but distinct meanings, "workplace reg. setter" for OSHA would have been better. "Regulation" is generally used when issued and enforced by a government entity, while "standard" is used when issued (and sometimes enforced) by a body outside of government.
Thanks to Jared for the fun Tuesday challenge. My favorite was "shot blocker" for LENS CAP. My least-favorite was the "any port in a storm" c/a "Street Fighter fighter" for RYU. And thanks to Ha2la for another fun review, especially for the cat/dog domestication lesson.
Good Morning, Crossword friends. The South Korean WON was unknown to me, as was RYU. At least Won looks like a word. Ryu just looks like random letters.
QOD: With a pencil, you can always erase. ~ Sue Monk Kidd (b. Aug. 12, 1948), American novelist
This was a Tuesday puzzle from a theme standpoint but not from a fill standpoint, i.e., Ryu, Alex, and Posner and the greenest paint entry ever, Ex Star. On the positive side, the perps were fair and the themers were all solid phrases. I enjoyed the solve and the well-hidden, to me, theme, but Ex Star dampened the experience greatly.
Thanks, Jared, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the detailed explanation of the currencies and for the overall review. I enjoyed the dance and vocal videos and the cute comics, especially the Dog vs Cat domestic transitions, and the cute Cameo Roll.
FIR, but for me this had some bite to it. Considering it's Tuesday I find this surprising. Once again a bunch of obscure proper names was annoying, but the perps were a life saver. Even after the reveal it took a little while to get the theme. The currencies were unusual except for pound. So overall this was not an enjoyable puzzle.
"Ryo" and "Posner" were complete unknowns. This Edna was only vaguely familiar, but I knew today's Spanish lesson (cantinas). I knew "won" from watching Squid Games.
Nikola Jokic is an incredible basketball player. He's won the MVP award 3 times already, won an NBA championship, and - most impressively (at least to me) - he lead his Serbian basketball team to a very near upset of the USA men's basketball team in the 2024 Olympics. Not bad for the 41st pick in the 2014 NBA draft.
This CW took more effort than yesterday’s. I got the theme only after some reflection because I kept looking at the first long fill and I couldn’t find the money. Finally I looked farther and recognized the REAL, the POUND, and the RAND.
I encountered several unknowns like RAE, RYU, ALEX, POSNER, but perps were kind.
I read PEC LASS, then reset the answer. Other than that, smooth fills.
Thank you Hahtoolah for the great recap. I always like dog/cat comparison jokes.
another puzzle where being younger than the average crowd on this site (mid 30s) was a big advantage because I was very familiar with all the names that seemed to trip people up today hahaha
Testing Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Jared and Hahtoolah (loved that Dog/Cat cartoon). Not exactly a WITP today. In fact I arrived here to discover that I FIWed in 2 places, plus forgot to go back and see the CASH UP FRONT (after not recognizing WON and REAL as currencies).
My cake was rOUND not POUND (is all coin currency round?). Like Monkey, I did not parse PE CLASS correctly and filled that cross with ASANA with a T (thinking of the gym and Pec/Lat workout). I should have known ASANA.
ALEX and RYU were unknown to me. ION perped but had me scratching my head. K+ or H+ would be more common than B+ since Boron doesn’t readily form simple B+ cations.
Great new clue for SPA. I have a surplus of cucumbers in the garden. I have done 2 batches of Bread and Butter pickles, made cold cucumber soup, and given many away to neighbours and friends. Maybe I should contact the local spa.
Nice to see fellow-Canadian Carly RAE Jepson here again. GANDER made me think of the town in Newfoundland that welcomed the stranded passengers on 9-11. The story is now immortalized in the play Come From Away.
A typical Tuesday, 10 minutes to FIR. And I evenremembered to take the time to look for...and find...the clever theme. Well done, JC, and even the 15 names only included 4 DNKs, all sussed with perps. Thanx too to Hahtoolah for the fine write-up and good cartoons. Jinx, your comment at 7:02 made me smile twice: "women with negotiable morals" is a good one, and "unlearn" also, you nailed it. I don't drink nearly as much as I used to, but still know how to overindulge. Speaking of which, my BFF has a band, "The Stray Dawgs", that has recorded many really terrific songs, including "Realcoholity": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffgRd1o_OJk. Worth a listen. That same album has a song called "Siren" based on a poem I wrote called "The Siren Sea". They changed the words a bit, but still a decent song.
Definitely had some bite to it for a Tuesday, but a fun solve. My favorite clue, "Shot blocker". I was thinking of everything but a camera. I always enjoy the recap Hahtoolah.
Hola! Unlike others I found this puzzle easily doable though some of the fill is obscure to me, RYU, POSSNER and ION. But I managed to finish in very good time even before coffee. Thank you, Jared, for the challenge and thank you, Hahtoolah, for clearing up those unknowns. The only CASH I recognized is the RAND and the POUND. I had not heard of the WON. It's great fun reading all your comments. Have a lovely day, all!
I enjoyed today's puzzle and FIR, although Nikola Jokic and the "Street Fighter fighter" were unknown to me. POUND CAKE is DH's favorite dessert, and his favorite jargon for quick denial of a request is "pound sand!" Neither one of those having to do with CASH UP FRONT, of course.
Jinx has come up with a memorable rebuff to the concept of UNLEARNing a bad habit.
Many thanks to Jared for the puzzle, and to Hahtoolah for helping us understand the specific value(s) of it all -- and for the lesson in pet domestication!
Thanks to Jared! Your puzzle was money! Hand up for liking the clue for LENS CAP. I also noticed we had EASY A and ESSAY. Thanks to Hahtoolah for your research on the various currencies and the funnies! You made Edna' novel sound interesting so I tried to add it to my library list but it was not in my library's collection. Hmmm....
Another fun Tuesday puzzle, many thanks, Jared. And your commentary, and especially your pictures, were once again a real treat, Hahtoolah, thanks for all that too.
Well, when I saw MUTED at the top of the puzzle, I figured that everything would be obscure and I'd have to DODGE most of the answers. And when I saw the sign that said DO NOT EAT, I figured I'd best go to one of the CANTINAS in town, and get a POUND CAKE for lunch there, because that's a place that offers a lot of MUSIC. I'd get to hear an ALTO melody playing on the OBOES, and we could even DANCE to that and have a lot of fun. No WASTE this morning, and hope I get another EVITE tomorrow, so I can do all this again. An apology for any BAD PUNS. Now it's time for me to head to the SPA.
FIR in 9:03, not too puzzling although I wasn’t familiar with WON and REAL being currencies (rial from Iran, yes.) EX STAR was odd, ‘has been’ didn’t fit. Last fill was a WAG at the O in the ION/POSNER cross. RYU was perped. Good Tuesday puzzle, thanks Jared. And to Hahtoolah for another always entertaining write-up.
18 comments:
This puzzle seemed to me
to take forever to solve, but actually it took less than 20 minutes. Still, it wasn’t the easiest Tuesday puzzle I have ever seen. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Despite thinking the NBA guy was a tennis player and NYQUIL was a sleep aid, this one came together quickly -- far, far quicker than Sub's 20 minutes. RYU and POSNER were total unknowns. PE CLASS was the bane of my ute. I managed to break my wrist twice in two different years. Thanx, Jared and Hahtoolah.
FIR, but alumni->ALUMNA, and kenobe->KENOBI. At least we finally got a Star Wars character that I recognized.
I am the proud owner of a RAND MCNALLY 2025 Deluxe Motor Carriers' Road Atlas. Among other things, it identifies roads where federal, not state, regulations apply for things like weight and length. It also lists all the vertical clearance limitations along those routes. The pages are laminated, so routes can be marked with a grease pencil then erased after the trip. The atlas is spiral bound, so it lies flat on a table.
Is it kosher to use the clue "off broadway award" for OBIE, when the "OB" stands for "off broadway?" (Or does it?)
Do you really UNLEARN when you break a bad habit? I don't drink, smoke or mingle with women of negotiable morals any longer, but I still know how.
Although we English speakers get sloppy when it comes to terms with similar but distinct meanings, "workplace reg. setter" for OSHA would have been better. "Regulation" is generally used when issued and enforced by a government entity, while "standard" is used when issued (and sometimes enforced) by a body outside of government.
Thanks to Jared for the fun Tuesday challenge. My favorite was "shot blocker" for LENS CAP. My least-favorite was the "any port in a storm" c/a "Street Fighter fighter" for RYU. And thanks to Ha2la for another fun review, especially for the cat/dog domestication lesson.
Good Morning, Crossword friends. The South Korean WON was unknown to me, as was RYU. At least Won looks like a word. Ryu just looks like random letters.
QOD: With a pencil, you can always erase. ~ Sue Monk Kidd (b. Aug. 12, 1948), American novelist
Good Morning:
This was a Tuesday puzzle from a theme standpoint but not from a fill standpoint, i.e., Ryu, Alex, and Posner and the greenest paint entry ever, Ex Star. On the positive side, the perps were fair and the themers were all solid phrases. I enjoyed the solve and the well-hidden, to me, theme, but Ex Star dampened the experience greatly.
Thanks, Jared, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the detailed explanation of the currencies and for the overall review. I enjoyed the dance and vocal videos and the cute comics, especially the Dog vs Cat domestic transitions, and the cute Cameo Roll.
Have a great day.
FIR, but for me this had some bite to it. Considering it's Tuesday I find this surprising.
Once again a bunch of obscure proper names was annoying, but the perps were a life saver.
Even after the reveal it took a little while to get the theme. The currencies were unusual except for pound.
So overall this was not an enjoyable puzzle.
Sterling effort today, which took 4:18 to finish.
"Ryo" and "Posner" were complete unknowns. This Edna was only vaguely familiar, but I knew today's Spanish lesson (cantinas). I knew "won" from watching Squid Games.
Nikola Jokic is an incredible basketball player. He's won the MVP award 3 times already, won an NBA championship, and - most impressively (at least to me) - he lead his Serbian basketball team to a very near upset of the USA men's basketball team in the 2024 Olympics. Not bad for the 41st pick in the 2014 NBA draft.
This CW took more effort than yesterday’s. I got the theme only after some reflection because I kept looking at the first long fill and I couldn’t find the money. Finally I looked farther and recognized the REAL, the POUND, and the RAND.
I encountered several unknowns like RAE, RYU, ALEX, POSNER, but perps were kind.
I read PEC LASS, then reset the answer. Other than that, smooth fills.
Thank you Hahtoolah for the great recap. I always like dog/cat comparison jokes.
another puzzle where being younger than the average crowd on this site (mid 30s) was a big advantage because I was very familiar with all the names that seemed to trip people up today hahaha
Testing Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Jared and Hahtoolah (loved that Dog/Cat cartoon).
Not exactly a WITP today. In fact I arrived here to discover that I FIWed in 2 places, plus forgot to go back and see the CASH UP FRONT (after not recognizing WON and REAL as currencies).
My cake was rOUND not POUND (is all coin currency round?).
Like Monkey, I did not parse PE CLASS correctly and filled that cross with ASANA with a T (thinking of the gym and Pec/Lat workout). I should have known ASANA.
ALEX and RYU were unknown to me.
ION perped but had me scratching my head. K+ or H+ would be more common than B+ since Boron doesn’t readily form simple B+ cations.
Great new clue for SPA. I have a surplus of cucumbers in the garden. I have done 2 batches of Bread and Butter pickles, made cold cucumber soup, and given many away to neighbours and friends. Maybe I should contact the local spa.
Nice to see fellow-Canadian Carly RAE Jepson here again.
GANDER made me think of the town in Newfoundland that welcomed the stranded passengers on 9-11. The story is now immortalized in the play Come From Away.
Wishing you all a great day.
A typical Tuesday, 10 minutes to FIR. And I evenremembered to take the time to look for...and find...the clever theme. Well done, JC, and even the 15 names only included 4 DNKs, all sussed with perps. Thanx too to Hahtoolah for the fine write-up and good cartoons. Jinx, your comment at 7:02 made me smile twice: "women with negotiable morals" is a good one, and "unlearn" also, you nailed it. I don't drink nearly as much as I used to, but still know how to overindulge. Speaking of which, my BFF has a band, "The Stray Dawgs", that has recorded many really terrific songs, including "Realcoholity": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffgRd1o_OJk. Worth a listen. That same album has a song called "Siren" based on a poem I wrote called "The Siren Sea". They changed the words a bit, but still a decent song.
Definitely had some bite to it for a Tuesday, but a fun solve. My favorite clue, "Shot blocker". I was thinking of everything but a camera. I always enjoy the recap Hahtoolah.
Hola! Unlike others I found this puzzle easily doable though some of the fill is obscure to me, RYU, POSSNER and ION. But I managed to finish in very good time even before coffee. Thank you, Jared, for the challenge and thank you, Hahtoolah, for clearing up those unknowns. The only CASH I recognized is the RAND and the POUND. I had not heard of the WON.
It's great fun reading all your comments. Have a lovely day, all!
You're 15 years younger than I was when I tried to work a crossword puzzle for the first time. Wish I had taken it (and golf) up earlier.
I enjoyed today's puzzle and FIR, although Nikola Jokic and the "Street Fighter fighter" were unknown to me. POUND CAKE is DH's favorite dessert, and his favorite jargon for quick denial of a request is "pound sand!" Neither one of those having to do with CASH UP FRONT, of course.
Jinx has come up with a memorable rebuff to the concept of UNLEARNing a bad habit.
Many thanks to Jared for the puzzle, and to Hahtoolah for helping us understand the specific value(s) of it all -- and for the lesson in pet domestication!
Thanks to Jared! Your puzzle was money!
Hand up for liking the clue for LENS CAP. I also noticed we had EASY A and ESSAY.
Thanks to Hahtoolah for your research on the various currencies and the funnies! You made Edna' novel sound interesting so I tried to add it to my library list but it was not in my library's collection. Hmmm....
Another fun Tuesday puzzle, many thanks, Jared. And your commentary, and especially your pictures, were once again a real treat, Hahtoolah, thanks for all that too.
Well, when I saw MUTED at the top of the puzzle, I figured that everything would be obscure and I'd have to DODGE most of the answers. And when I saw the sign that said DO NOT EAT, I figured I'd best go to one of the CANTINAS in town, and get a POUND CAKE for lunch there, because that's a place that offers a lot of MUSIC. I'd get to hear an ALTO melody playing on the OBOES, and we could even DANCE to that and have a lot of fun. No WASTE this morning, and hope I get another EVITE tomorrow, so I can do all this again. An apology for any BAD PUNS. Now it's time for me to head to the SPA.
Have a cheerful afternoon and evening, everybody.
FIR in 9:03, not too puzzling although I wasn’t familiar with WON and REAL being currencies (rial from Iran, yes.) EX STAR was odd, ‘has been’ didn’t fit. Last fill was a WAG at the O in the ION/POSNER cross. RYU was perped. Good Tuesday puzzle, thanks Jared. And to Hahtoolah for another always entertaining write-up.
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