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.
21 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.
FIR, but weiner->WEENIE, and dunne->DOONE.
Hand up for correctly guessing TALENTI x KENDI. Methinks that there is something in our subconscious that rings a bell for one of these, since we've all guessed the same way so far. But I have no idea which word tolls.
Remember Hughes Air West, top BANANAin the west?
I ran into Buddy EBSEN at Boys Market in Marina del Rey once during his Barnaby Jones days. I was surprised that he was doing his own shopping (alone,) and that he looked to be 100 years old without his Max Factor.
I loved The Buckinghams' big hit Kind of a DRAG. Upbeat, cheery music, with very sad lyrics.
"WAITER! This coffee tastes like MUD!" "Sir, what did you expect? It was ground this morning."
Thanks to Taylor for the mostly-fun puzzle, even though Patti ran it on the wrong day. And thanks to Rusty Brain for the fun review.
FIR. I had to really work at this and it's a Monday puzzle!
So many things about today's puzzle that seem wrong. The crossing of Talenti and Kendi (who?) for one. Not to mention all the proper names sprinkled throughout. Even the theme seemed a stretch. I got the foods in the starred answers, I just don't think of thrm as super foods. That seems odd to me.
Overall not an enjoyable puzzle.
I agree, this was not Monday-level...more like a Wednesday, but that's not the responsibilty of the constructor.
The puzzle itself was a mixed bag of cleverness, obscurities, and too-easy clues.
I give it a 6/10.
Good Morning:
With fill such as Kendi, Talenti, Tahoma, Elise, and Fabio, plus the questionable clue for Ebsen, this was definitely not a Monday puzzle. I suppose the editing staff’s reasoning was that the perps were fair enough, but some of you have proved that theory wrong. However, the theme was quite clever, with the added layer of the first word of the themers being closely, if not strongly, synonymous with Super. Nits aside, I enjoyed the solve.
Thanks, Taylor, and thanks, RB, for a humorous and informative commentary. Thanks, also, for subbing for sumdaze. All of your photos were great, but the ones depicting the theme foods were outstanding! 👏
Have a great day.
Love your blogs, RB. The picture of the startled cuttlefish (67A) is simply amazing!
DNF this morning. TALENTI crossing KENDI. Although as Jinx points out it would have been an easy guess, I just didn’t go back to it.
That many names in a CW spoils things for me, even if perps are of help or I know them. I’ve never liked trivia games.
Thank you RB for the fine review and the pics, unfortunately the cuttlefish is just black. Is that your little joke?
Took 4:43 today to for me to almost eat humble pie.
I was spared by a lucky guess of "N" at the inexcusable intersection of "Kendi" & "Talenti".
I knew half of the Actresses of the Day (Uma, not somebody Elise somebody) and the Italian (amore), but not the Indigenous (Tahoma).
Too many names.
Doesn't a "bed hog" hog the bed, and a "blanket stealer" steal the blanket?
Wees, whatever to say about the puzzle, has already been said.
(Except, maybe, that it was a fun 15 minute distraction with a few curves).
About the write up?
"I loved it!"
And while I loved the write up, I do have some questions...
But first, "loved bunk bed hog!" (And many other too numerous to mention)
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. Um... what spin doctor gave you this info?
Everyone knows they come in small boxes to charge higher prices for less goods to captive audiences...
Something about the Fabio pics is bothering me.
(Maybe I've been doing to many of those "find the 6 differences in pics puzzles.") but, those two pics are completely identical, except the bird is replaced with a bloody nose. The background things and people should have moved somewhat between takes, and yet they are identical? Soemth8ng is off.
I liked the simple theme. I saw the foods right away, but not that they were super foods. I am looking forward to Misty's write up today
IMO Some parts of this were not Monday friendly. TALENTI and KENDI needed all perps and a wagged N because they were not on my radar, not in my wheelhouse. However, they were definitely not obscure. KENDI was one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in 2020 . TALENTI is sold on Amazon and at ShopRite and Target, among other stores. I take cases like this as an opportunity to learn more.
TAHOMA was new to me.
LOL, photo of startled cuttlefish. Thanks for your interesting subbing RB.
I am beginning to remember ATTA. NJ is one of the most diverse states in the country with an abundance of ethnic eateries.
I pondered whether it was WIENIE or WEENIE, but the cross had to be ELIA.
Musings
-I had some self-correcting option errors but enjoyed the exercise
-My first Italian model ending in an “O” was a LAMBO :-)
-NY Giant rookie QB Jaxson DART had an auspicious debut yesterday
-The Hamilton cast has a permanent home in Patti’s cwds
-I was very happy to learn the very logical OUTRO doing cwds a few months ago
-I was told what a classic Breakfast At Tiffany’s was but I hated everything about it, including the uber-racist role Mickey Rooney played. YRMV.
-Yeah, Irish said what I was thinking too!!
I agree with what IM said!
The theme was cute and I did enjoy the solve. A bit more challenging than I expect on a Monday, but fun for me nonetheless. Young Frankenstein is one of my favorite films, and IGOR is such a great character ("What hump?"), so the puzzle entry and the picture from Rusty Brain each brought me a smile.
Thanks Taylor and Rusty Brain for a nice start to the week.
Loved the puzzle and FIR. As Irish Miss pointed out, the foods are SUPER because they are COOL, GOOD, TOP, and BIG. And they happen to be nutritious foods, too. I guess I didn't notice the Naticks because Talenti is a favored brand in my family. Many thanks to Taylor for the fun, and to RustyBrain for even more fun, even though he struggled with the solve. BTW, FABIO says the goose broke a video camera, and a piece of metal flew into his nose and cut it.
LOL Monkey, I thought the same at first, until I realized that the cuttlefish was VERY scared and made a totally INKY pic.
I agree about “bed hog”
Monday menu. Thanks for the fun Taylor and RustyBrain.
I FIRed eventually, but agree with others on the non-Monday level of clueing and possible Natick crosses.
Hand up for WAGging the N in KENDI and TALENTI. (Actually now I see that I FIWed since I had KENDe - I forgot to correct the E to I in my switch from WIENer to WEENIE. Ach!
I did get the SUPER FOOD theme as my consolation prize.
Molts changed to SHEDS.
Hand up for thinking of Am before WAS.
ELISE used to be clued after Fur (Beethoven).
SIN had a Monday clue today.
Canadians are celebrating the Toronto Blue Jays as AL EAST Champions. On to October!
Wishing you all a great day.
Some people on this blog have a wicked sense of humor. That’s one of the things I like about it.
I didn’t think this puzzle was all that hard till I read RB’s review and saw all the unknowns that I got by perps. To nobody’s surprise by now, my last fill was a correct WAG at the KENDI/TALENTI cross for a 10:03 FIR. Never saw Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but EBSEN is the only 5 letter actor I know named Buddy. (He also played a bum in an episode of Andy Griffith in 1961which would be an even more obscure clue). DKN CDR, or what a zedonk or zorse is. Why is the city named Tacoma and not TAHOMA? Surprised that some are not familiar with ELIA Kazan, directed a bunch of famous movies and also had to testify before the House during the Red Scare of the 1950’s, where he kinda spilled the BEANS about other peoples activities, not COOL according to many. Thanks Taylor for the fun, nicely themed puzzle, and to RB for your time and effort on the review, you’re doing a fine job in sumdaz’s absence!
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