Howdy! It''s RustyBrain and we've made it halfway through sumdaze's absence. I sure miss her!
Taylor Johnson is playing with his food today, despite his mom's scolding.
16A. *"Neato!": COOL BEANS.
38A. *Mensch: GOOD EGG.
9D. *Head honcho: TOP BANANA.
63A. Marketing term for nutrient-rich fare, or what the answers to the starred clues are: SUPERFOOD. SUPERFOODs are nutrient-dense foods such as berries, leafy greens, nuts, whole grains and legumes. It's the good stuff we should eat more of.
AWESOME theme; BAD fill. Too many proper names are a DRAG, and one of them sank me. I had "Wiener" instead of WEENIE and fixed the ending to IE, but left the I in place for iLIA. Grrr. Another possible Natick (in red on grid) was at the cross of KENDI and TALENTI, but I guessed right with an N. It didn't feel like Monday material.
On the plus side, I really liked the theme. Five common phrases, and they went in all directions. No wonder the rest relied on [im]proper answers. As I went through, I thought the reveal would have something to do with paleo. Many SUPERFOODS are part of a paleo diet, and all these happen to be ones in common.
So, it's a mixed grocery bag. Let's continue shopping:
Across:
1. Hushed "Hey, over here!": PSST. Be quiet! I'm getting PSST!
5. "What __ I supposed to do?": WAS. Past tense of my first try: AM I.
8. The Beehive State: UTAH. Here's how you can tell if a girl is from UTAH:
12. Flour for chapati and roti: ATTA.
13. Director Kazan: ELIA. Name #1 (using the "Splynter Convention").
15. Love, in Italian: AMORE.
16. [theme]
18. Tangy bud in a piccata recipe: CAPER. Yummers!
19. Multiplex array: SCREENS. Multiplex array: CANDIES. Fun Fact: Movie candies often come in small boxes because they are quieter and make sharing easier, reducing spillage.
20. "Sorta": ISH.
22. Spoiled: BAD.
23. "How To Be an Antiracist" author Ibram X. __: KENDI. Name #2. Unknown, but he's a National Book Award winner and an important voice in anti-racism.
24. Indigenous name of Mount Rainier: TAHOMA. Name #3. "Sorta" knew.
26. Those people's: THEIR.
28. Bar purchases: ROUNDS.
31. Italian model on the cover of many romance novels: FABIO. Name #4. Here he is about to be smacked in the face by a goose while riding a roller coaster at my old haunt, Busch Gardens Williamsburg. He should have honked.
34. Spiritual guide: GURU.
36. Move suddenly: DART. Was FABIO quicker than a goose? Alas, no. He required a few stitches on his nose.
37. Comedian Wong: ALI. Name #5. There's something funny about this one.
38. [theme].
41. Opposing vote: NAY.
42. Fireplace stack: LOGS.
44. Hankering: URGE.
45. Utility bill info: USAGE.
47. Pendant with a photo: LOCKET.
49. "Hamilton" actress Renée __ Goldsberry: ELISE. Name #6. NAY. Another unknown. I need to get out more.
51. Zedonk or zorse: HYBRID. A zedonk is a sterile hybrid offspring of a female donkey and a male zebra. The much rarer reverse cross—a male donkey and a female zebra—is called a "zonkey." Even though they look alike, please don't confuse them. They are very sensitive.
53. Loses, as fur: SHEDS. Zebroids (the general term for HYBRIDs above) shed their thin summer coats in the fall and grow a thicker, shaggier winter coat. When spring arrives and daylight hours increase, they shed their striped pajamas to prepare for warmer weather.
56. "__ willikers!": GEE.
58. Spanish sun: SOL. That's odd. I always thought we shared the same sun.
59. "Gnarly!": AWESOME.
61. One-named "Skyfall" singer: ADELE. Name #7. I knew this because she only has one name to remember.
63. [theme]
65. Yellowstone grazer: BISON. Yellowstone gazer: TOURIST.
66. Sailing: ASEA.
67. Like water surrounding a startled cuttlefish, maybe: INKY. This one's very scared.
68. Slow-cooker dish: STEW.
69. Burnable data-storage medium, for short: CD-R. CD-R stands for Compact Disc Recordable, and they can only be written on once. CD-RW is the Read/Write version that allows multiple recordings.
70. Golf pegs: TEES.
Down:
1. Campaign support gps.: PACS. Political Action CommitteeS.
2. Soup base: STOCK.
3. One of 500+ in the Mall of America: STORE. Because "screaming kids" didn't fit.
4. Gelato brand in clear jars with brown screw-top lids: TALENTI. Name #8. I don't STOCK up on this.
5. Hot dog, casually: WEENIE.
6. "Sadly ... ": ALAS.
7. Sloth, for one: SIN. "What did I do to deserve this distinction?"
8. Actress Thurman: UMA. Name #9. She's tall, but famous around here for her short fill.
9. [theme]
10. Vicinity: AREA.
11. Group of buffalo: HERD. Unlike BISON who are seen but not HERD.
14. Nepal's continent: ASIA.
15. "Gesundheit" elicitor: ACHOO. Technically, the answer should be "hatschi," which is German onomatopoeia for the sneezing sound.
17. Sleeper who takes all the blankets: BED HOG. Here's double trouble; a bunk BED HOG!
21. "I dunno" gesture: SHRUG.
24. Plodded: TRUDGED.
25. Coffee, slangily: MUD. Of all the slang expressions for
coffee, MUD is the worst. It evokes stale coffee at work that's been
sitting in the pot all day.
27. "Young Frankenstein" assistant: IGOR. Name #10. Finally a fun one!
29. "What a __!": DRAG. Not sure why this has an exclamation point. I doubt anyone gets very excited about something that is tiresome. Unless, of course, they mean you're racing in a Top Fuel Funny Car!
30. Eyelid affliction: STYE.
31. Autumn: FALL.
32. Potatoes, in Indian cuisine: ALOO. Bench warmer "Potatoes" ALOO is the black sheep of the famous baseball family.
33. [theme]
35. Instagram video: REEL.
39. Closing section of a song: OUTRO. As you suspected, it's at the opposite end of the intro.
40. Productive oil well: GUSHER.
43. Pie in the __: SKY. Pie in the FACE - because it's funnier!
46. Deems appropriate: SEES FIT.
48. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" actor Buddy: EBSEN. Name #11. Well known actor, but not from this 1961 film. "Let's see, it's Monday so I'll clue a minor role for a famous actor." I remember the movie, but not his immortal turn as Doc Golightly.
50. "Cross my heart!": I SWEAR.
52. "Casablanca" heroine: ILSA. Name #12. Common crossword fill, but still...
54. Lorna __ cookies: DOONE. Name #13. The cookies are named after the protagonist in the romance novel from 1869 because she loved shortbread cookies. I think. I confess I haven't read it.
55. Chimney output: SMOKE.
56. Chats on and on: GABS.It's a gift.
57. Revise a manuscript: EDIT.
59. Mimicked: APED.
60. "Grand" ice cream: EDY'S. Name #14. It's delicious but still a proper name.
62. Burner setting: LOW.
64. L.A. school: USC. University of Southern California.
4 comments:
There are so many
reasons why this puzzle was NOT a “walk in the park”! The crossing of “Talenti” and “Kendi” was just one of a host of obscurities! I honestly thought I was going to end up with a FIW for the first time on a Monday crossword EVER but somehow I escaped that fate by the skin of my teeth! FIR, and I’m happy about that, but, overall, I am NOT happy about this puzzle!
Subgenius out!
Hi there~!
Thanks for recognition, Rusty, and yes, I got Naticked by the "N" in those two names as well - I knew Elia from previous puzzles, but that doesn't change this crossname construction - but I was following the lead from Hahtoolah for the name numbering format~!
Good morning!
RustyBrain took the ink right out of my pen: "Too many proper names are a DRAG, and one of them sank me. I had "Wiener" instead of WEENIE and fixed the ending to IE, but left the I in place for iLIA. Grrr. Another possible Natick (in red on grid) was at the cross of KENDI and TALENTI, but I guessed right with an N." I hate it when I score a DNF on a Monday. Sheesh. Thanx, Taylor and RustyBrain. (Loved the photo of the startled cuttlefish.)
UMA: She's also a talented narrator of nature programs.
GUSHER: It's not what you're hoping for -- it's an indication that somebody screwed up. Badly.
Reminded me of a TV Guide crossword.
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