Theme: Taking a dive
Puzzling thoughts:
Thankfully I was on my "A" game today while solving this puzzle. Unlike my last blog attempt, when I was completely stumped, this clever puzzle collaboration between Ms Rapp and Mr Eisenberg was a breeze
The reveal (63-across. Avian that plunges for prey, or what can be found in 14-, 28-, 52-, and 60-Across: DIVING BIRD) tells us all we need to know to solve the theme. As the clue indicates, each of the 4 entries has a diving bird featured once you realize that the actual bird of prey "dives" at a 90° angle. How? Well, let's take a deep dive and explain
14-across. "Frasier" brother: NILES C and 15-down. Hoisting device: CRANE - As you look at the entire grid (see image below) you will notice that the character's name Niles Crane is highlighted by the perpendicular position of the diving bird
 |
The filled grid |
28-across. "All I Wanna Do" singer-songwriter: SHERYL C and 30-down. Brag: CROW. Just as in the first entry, Sheryl Crow is revealed when the bird species, crow, is added in the down position of her last name's initial. As I scanned the website about crows I really didn't see how it fits as a diving bird. This may have been the weakest of the flock, but it also inspired a Moe-ku (missing element from last blog):
Singer Sheryl was
Fearful of the Oz straw man;
Did he just scare Crow?
52-across. Time's Person of the Year in 2023: TAYLOR S and 55-down. Rapid: SWIFT. Check out its feeding habits to see how the swift fits the diving bird category. And of course, the 2023 Time Magazine's Person of the Year, Taylor Swift, is perhaps the most popular singer on the planet. According to Spotify the song featured in the video below is her most popular song
60-across. Pro skater of the Pro Skater video game franchise: TONY H and 62-down. Sell: HAWK. This one I had trouble with. In the first go 'round of solving (before I figured out the theme) I put Apolo (erstwhile Olympic speedskater) in this spot, as I had no idea about the video game "franchise"
What I further liked about this puzzle was how the constructors clued the entries. The acrosses (14, 28, 52, and 60) all gave a straightforward representation of the person (Niles Crane was in Frasier; et al) while the downs all gave a completely different meaning of the word that depicted a bird of prey. This must have been a really difficult puzzle to create let alone think up. As I take a further "deep dive" into the remainder of the clues/answers I will identify those that were borderline green paint; but in the case of this puzzle, I am pretty sure that Patti allowed a few outliers to make sure it all came together
1. Nobel winner Niels: BOHR. This guy
5. "Moon and Half Dome" photographer: ADAMS. The photographer's first name, Ansel, also fit the space but usually it's the last name the constructor is after
 |
| In Yosemite National Park |
10. Starbucks seasonal drink with pie flavors, for short: PSL. Pumpkin Spice Latte
13. Specialty: AREA.
[partial theme entry]
16. Pi follower: RHO. 16th letter (π) followed by 17th letter (ρ). The next in the series are: ς, ⲧ, υ, φ, ᵪ, ᴪ, and ѡ? Not clear? Is it all Greek to you? [sigma, tau, upsilon, phi, chi, psi, and omega, all in lower case]
17. Harvest: REAP.
18. Chain with Two Buck Chuck wine: TRADER JOE'S. As the resident sommelier, I will attest that the Two Buck Chuck series of wine (which now sells for $3.99 per bottle, I think) is pretty ordinary. But there are many "diamonds in the rough" at TJ's and the Chairman is quite fond of them. Send me an email if you're wanting some advice as what to buy at this iconic supermarket chain
20. Flourless cake: TORTE. Which reminded me of this spoonerism/riddle:
What is the difference between a heavy weight and guests at a party avoiding a rich cake? One is a SHORT TON, while the other is a TORTE SHUN
22. Uni- + bi-: TRI. Just the opposite order of numeric prefixes used by most cyclists. Start out on a TRIcycle, advance to a BIcycle, and if you're really coordinated you graduate to a UNIcycle
22. Uni- + bi-: TRI. Just the opposite order of numeric prefixes used by most cyclists. Start out on a TRIcycle, advance to a BIcycle, and if you're really coordinated you graduate to a UNIcycle
23. "Emmy in the Key of Code" author Lucido: AIMEE. I will admit to asking Siri to provide this answer. I had a couple of the letters but was too impatient to wait for the perps. She is also a crossword puzzle constructor
24. Airplane __: MODE. Funny fact: on the day I solved this I had just returned home from my trip to my 55th HS reunion. I was on board a Delta flight and of course had to set my phone to Airplane Mode. Why use that setting? See the video for some answers ...
26. Central parking facility: MAIN LOT. My first entry that felt like green paint
[partial theme entry]
31. Divisive feature of some racket sports?: NET. The net divides the two sides of the tennis court as well as pickleball, et al
32. Try to win over: WOO. Moe-ku #2:
Owl and Pussycat
Had love language. The cat purred;
The owl? A WOO Hoo
33. Woven poncho: SERAPE.
33. Woven poncho: SERAPE.
36. Mlle., in Spain: SRTA. I almost Miss'd this
40. Sun Devils sch.: ASU. CSO to both me and Lucina. Arizona State University has two campuses in our area: Tempe and Phoenix. My partner's son is an instructor there
41. Use crayons: COLOR. I thought this was a cute clue.
Fun fact: The Chairman's crayon box (as a kid) had just 8 colors - and speaking of colo(u)rs here is one of my favorite tracks in the YouTube video below. Terry Kath sang vocals; Robert Lamm was on keyboards; Walter Parazaider played the flute solo; and trombonist James Pankow wrote and composed the song. Enjoy!
42. Eternity: EON.
43. Cold-weather cryptid: YETI. Helps to know what the word cryptid means. Interesting that the first use of the word was in 1983. Moe-ku #3:
Cryptid is a word
I don't know. I looked it up,
YETI'm still perplexed
45. Nestling chirps: TWEETS. Cheeps also fit
47. Get weepy: CRY. Sob also fits
48. First-aid subj.: CPR. A tip of the hat to our first responders/emergency medical technicians
50. Herbal infusion: MINT TEA. The entry isn't green paint; the clue seemed to be, though, IMO
[partial theme entry]
56. Audio brand: AIWA. Sony also fits
57. Former "Top Chef" host Lakshmi: PADMA. Her website
58. Be in debt: OWE. My only OWEment is for the house in which we reside. All else is paid off, month-to-month
[partial theme entry]
[reveal]
45. Nestling chirps: TWEETS. Cheeps also fit
47. Get weepy: CRY. Sob also fits
48. First-aid subj.: CPR. A tip of the hat to our first responders/emergency medical technicians
50. Herbal infusion: MINT TEA. The entry isn't green paint; the clue seemed to be, though, IMO
[partial theme entry]
56. Audio brand: AIWA. Sony also fits
57. Former "Top Chef" host Lakshmi: PADMA. Her website
58. Be in debt: OWE. My only OWEment is for the house in which we reside. All else is paid off, month-to-month
[partial theme entry]
[reveal]
66. __ fresca: AGUA. Translation is either "cool water" or "fresh water". Water from the ocean (aka, seawater) in Spanish is Agua de Mar
67. Singer DiFranco: ANI.
68. Low-speed personal iPhone video: SLOFIE. I am sure this was one that Patti let slip by but maybe it is a real thing; too lazy to google it and insert one
69. Part of a plushie-stocked arcade game: CLAW. When I put in claw and found it correct, I was gobsmacked. I don't think the odds are your favor when playing this "game"
67. Singer DiFranco: ANI.
68. Low-speed personal iPhone video: SLOFIE. I am sure this was one that Patti let slip by but maybe it is a real thing; too lazy to google it and insert one
69. Part of a plushie-stocked arcade game: CLAW. When I put in claw and found it correct, I was gobsmacked. I don't think the odds are your favor when playing this "game"
I also found a video about Claw machines that, while almost 10 years old, gives some good info
70. WashU's city: STL. Washington University is located in St Louis, MO
71. Abalone eater: OTTER.
72. Many a charity run: TEN K. For those who are metrically challenged, a ten-kilometer race is about 6.2 miles in length. In my youth I could run one of these in about 40-45 minutes. Now I could walk one in about one hour and 40-45 minutes
Down:
1. Simpson who says, "Eat my shorts!": BART. I thought this cartoon was funny
2. Cookie with a blueberry pie flavor: OREO. There are so many random clues out there with regards to an Oreo cookie. I rarely buy them but if/when I do I usually go for the double-stuffed version
3. "I promise it's not as weird as it sounds ... ": HEAR ME OUT.
4. Blue of "Jurassic World," for one: RAPTOR.
5. Leafcutter __: insect whose colony grows a fungus garden: ANT.
6. Stuff in a vacuum: DIRT. Dust also fits
7. Dream disrupter: ALARM. Cute clue
8. Film and television: MEDIA.
9. Minneapolis-to-70-Across dir.: SSE. At first this didn't seem correct to me, as I mistakenly put SEA in as WashU's location. The U of Wash is located in SEAttle; Wash U is in ST Louis. Fun fact: there is another pair of universities with a similar outcome: Miami University is in Oxford, OH whilst University of Miami is in Coral Gables, FL
10. Teaser ad: PROMO.
11. Word with rock and music: SHEET. This clue was pretty clever. Sheet rock is a nickname for Gypsum Board - the panels used by home builders for interior walls; Sheet music is the name for written songs/lyrics presented in a paper format
12. Come up short: LOSE.
[partial theme entry]
19. Leaves painfully: JILTS.
21. Extra Caramel Churro brand: EDYS.
25. Spider-Man foe who was struck by lightning: ELECTRO. A description of Electro is in here somewhere
27. Subject of Newton's first law: INERTIA. A few real life examples
28. Pull: SWAY. While the thesaurussaurus may not agree, when the word "pull" is defined as a noun (meaning "the ability to exercise influence) the word sway fits
Thesaurussaurus was thinking of the verb definition of "pull"
29. Vacuum part: HOSE.
[partial theme entry]
34. Tavern quaff: ALE. Whilst visiting the area nearby my hometown (for my HS reunion) I found a really good brewpub and an equally good taproom where I had several quaffs. Ale, Porter, Stout, and a Lager
35. Cinquain, e.g.: POEM. In 43 across I confessed that I didn't know the word "cryptid" - the clue for YETI. I didn't know the definition of cinquain either. And for someone who has been given the power of Moetic Justice you'd think I'd know this ... should I try my hand at a "Moe-quain"?? Why not! The "rules" for writing a cinquain are in the hyperlink above
Puzzles
I can solve them
And can also blog them
When I construct them, I provide
Cross words
37. Colorado or Wyoming, but not Utah: RECTANGLE. Interesting "Friday-like" clue. It is referring to the state's approximate shape - Colorado and Wyoming are rectangular - but so is Utah. Count the number of sides ... it's four, just like the other two. Strange ...
 |
Every google for "the shape of Utah" said "Rectangle" |
38. Broke bread, say?: TORE.
39. Chess grand master Corke: ANYA. Seriously? Any hands up for recognizing this person? Not I. Here is some information about her
44. "Don't overlook this news" letters: ICYMI. In Case You Missed It
46. Tizzy: SNIT. I am still in a snit about the clue for 37 across
49. Schemes: PLANS.
51. Like many plays: TWO ACT. ONE ACT also fits - and it was what Moe entered, initially
52. Contaminate: TAINT. I am not going to touch this one ...
53. Ibuprofen brand: ADVIL. Do you recall when I said that for 70 across my first answer was SEA? Well, guess what that did for 53 down? I literally swallowed three Ibuprofen caplets to calm my headache when I tried to figure out which brand of that pain reliever ended in an "A"
54. Captcha target: ROBOT. Hah! Yup, Captchas are still being used to prove that you're a human
[partial theme entry]
57. Shared intimacies, briefly: PDAS. Another entry that sparkled of green paint. Wouldn't you commonly say Public DisplayS of Affection? Not public display affections. This is why you shouldn't pluralize an abbreviation
59. City on a lake with the same name: ERIE. Easiest clue/solve today
61. Dough used for bao?: YUAN. This clue/solve had some real punch to it! For those who saw this and scratched their head: A bao is a type of yeast-leavened filled bun that is seen in several Chinese cuisines. The play-on-word in the clue refers not to the starch, but to a nickname for currency - which in China is the Yuan
39. Chess grand master Corke: ANYA. Seriously? Any hands up for recognizing this person? Not I. Here is some information about her
44. "Don't overlook this news" letters: ICYMI. In Case You Missed It
46. Tizzy: SNIT. I am still in a snit about the clue for 37 across
49. Schemes: PLANS.
51. Like many plays: TWO ACT. ONE ACT also fits - and it was what Moe entered, initially
52. Contaminate: TAINT. I am not going to touch this one ...
53. Ibuprofen brand: ADVIL. Do you recall when I said that for 70 across my first answer was SEA? Well, guess what that did for 53 down? I literally swallowed three Ibuprofen caplets to calm my headache when I tried to figure out which brand of that pain reliever ended in an "A"
54. Captcha target: ROBOT. Hah! Yup, Captchas are still being used to prove that you're a human
[partial theme entry]
57. Shared intimacies, briefly: PDAS. Another entry that sparkled of green paint. Wouldn't you commonly say Public DisplayS of Affection? Not public display affections. This is why you shouldn't pluralize an abbreviation
59. City on a lake with the same name: ERIE. Easiest clue/solve today
61. Dough used for bao?: YUAN. This clue/solve had some real punch to it! For those who saw this and scratched their head: A bao is a type of yeast-leavened filled bun that is seen in several Chinese cuisines. The play-on-word in the clue refers not to the starch, but to a nickname for currency - which in China is the Yuan
[partial theme entry]
64. __ Worm: 1980s bedtime toy: GLO. I don't recall my daughter having one of these; she is a 1980's kid. I'll have to call her and ask
 |
| Sleeping with this would give me nightmares |
65. German article: DER. Ich habe Deutsch in beide Hochschule und Universität studiert. Mein Spitzname war "Chris der Grosse" 🤣
Ist alles gut? Ausgezeichnet! Bitte, unten kommentieren. Bis später; tschüss!
Ps: If you want to know what I said the last few lines, here is a link to a German/English translation tool
34 comments:
It came down to a bogus
texting abbreviation “ICYMI” and a fairly obscure name “Padma.” I WAGed an “M,” eventually, and got the win, but it was a close one!
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
The only LAKSHMI d-o is familiar with is an NPR news anchor. SERAPE immediately evokes images of Clint in one of those spaghetti westerns. ICYMI was a mystery; thanx for 'splainin', C-Moe, I'd missed it. Cute theme. The birds don't need to be actual diving birds, they dive off the end of the first names. Thanx, Shannon, Will, and C-Moe. (Was the reunion worth the trip?)
OWE: We paid off our house in the early '90s and haven't carried debt since.
ADVIL: This is my son ADVIL and my daughter Tylenol.
YUAN: When I visited China in the '80s you had to be careful converting currency to YUAN. You needed it for local purchases, but weren't allowed to take it out of the country, and you couldn't convert it back to dollars upon departure.
Well, I kept hitting dead ends in this cleverly constructed maze, but I eventually found my way out of it w/out help for a FIR in 19:45. Last fill was a WAG at the M in the PADMA/ICYMI cross (I know a lot of textese but that’s a new one for me). Took all perps to get author AIMEE. I’ve had iPhones since the 3, but I’ve never heard of a SLOFIE. Easter eggs would be RAPTOR, TWEETS, and CLAW. 3 of the themers are real people, the outlier being NILES. Captchas seemed to have gone by the wayside as far as the Corner is concerned, I used to have to prove daily that I wasn’t a ROBOT. Thank you Shannon and Will for a most enjoyable solve. C-Moe ~ just when I think you can’t outdo yourself, here ya go, today’s write-up is a gem!
CEh! 🇨🇦 ~ if you haven’t heard yet, there are plans to replace the 110yo one-lane swinging bridge from the mainland to Manitoulin, Doug Ford was on the island yesterday to make the announcement. There’s a very good article about it on the FB page “What’s doin’ on the Manitoulin”.
Sheetrock is a registered trade name of the US Gypsum corporation for the dry wall panel they produced in 1917. It has become the Kleenix of the construction trade.
Took 8:26 today to sink this like a Larry Bird three-pointer.
I disliked agua crossing yuan, which was my last square to fill. I didn't know this "Aimee" author, this "Anya" chess master (another worst clue of the month candidate), or how to spell the chef (Padma). I really hope we can improve on using "German article" for a clue, any Greek alphabet clues, and Spanish abbreviations.
My original 5-letter word starting with "a" for "dream disrupter was", "apnea," but it slowly gave way to "alarm." Haven't seen "aiwa" in real life (or crosswords) in a long time.
FIW. The crossing of Padme and ICYMI (?), which I'd never heard of, did me in. I had to take a WAG at the crossing of PSL and sheet as well, but there I guessed right.
The only part of this puzzle that was enjoyable was the theme. It was clever and fun to solve.
I very much dislike puzzles where guessing is required, as in this one, so overall not an enjoyable puzzle.
I’m surprised we didn’t see “Dutch-American historian, journalist, and children’s book author” Hendrik Willem van L
O
O
N
after all, it is Friday.
Musings
-I got the oh so clever gimmick after the reveal and ICY_I/PAD_A on the second guess.
-Of course, I knew NILES and was confused by NILESC. Just like golf on a small course, you have to look in every direction!
-MM’s summative paragraph in his fine write-up works for me.
-My AREA does not include opinions on wine or Taylor Swift songs (although I really liked this one)
-I read that most “real” bikers do not respect these TRIKES
-INERTIA demos blew kids away. Having a nervous kid pull a piece of paper quickly out from under a beaker of water was a hoot.
-Omaha has a double swing bridge
--Quite a coincidence, the great TV series, stars this ANYA (Taylor-Joy)
FIR, but bors->BOHR, slowie->SLOFIE, dust->DIRT, electra->ELECTRO, and naan->YUAN.
I've read that modern aircraft and modern consumer devices don't interfere with one another. But airline passengers are rowdy enough already without hearing someone else's one-sided conversation, beeps, and dings from devices, so it's in everyone's best interest that they go into airplane MODE. But would such a kindly, experienced pilot such as the one C-Moe linked repeat that old (from yesterday) SAW? I would if I were sitting in the left seat.
It still makes no sense to me that there is a woman's grandmaster of chess. Is it really that much harder for a woman to move a chess piece?
I'm getting fiber optic internet this morning. The cost is only two-thirds of the cost for cable internet of the same speed.
I thought this one was Friday tough with the perps fair, but still didn't like all the names. Got the theme after fretting that SHERYL was too short and CROW was too long, and noodled on it 'til the sun came up over Santa Monica Boulevard. After that one, the rest fell into place fairly easily.
Thanks to Shannon and Will for the challenge, and to C-Moe for the entertaining review replete with kus.
Forgot to add - I thought that the Kardashians' plastic surgeon was PADMA Cann.
Unfortunately I couldn’t get into this puzzle. When I noticed all those names, I quit, I’m embarrassed to admit. Kudos to all of you who solved this successfully.
C-Moe, I really enjoyed your review and your M-kus. Fun, fun.
Good Morning:
This was a very clever and well-executed theme. However, because the theme was obvious from the get go, it was not Friday level difficulty, nor was the majority of the cluing and fill, IMO. PSL, ICYMI, and Slofie were nose wrinklers, while Electro, Anya, and Poem were perp-dependent. Despite any shortcomings I enjoyed the solve.
Thanks, Shannon and Will, and thanks, Moe, for the detailed expo and commentary. Your Moe-kus were all A+
Have a great day.
9:34 is my comment. Google Blogger is becoming just as annoying as Autocorrect.
At first, I thought I had forgotten how to spell Nigel. It was in trying to spell Sheryl that it occurred to me to look ahead for the reveal, which resulted in a "well, Duh..." sort of aha moment. Clever theme, enjoyable, up until the right side fill enigma that kept leaving me one letter short. Alphabet runs are a very
Annoying way to finish a puzzle .
Silly theme link?
how the theme felt...
how the one letter Naticks felt...
Printed the CW and went through counting the names and decided to go online where I could turn on red-letter help. 21 names in this namefest, 7 DNKs among them. This is a clever theme and clever construction, overall a fun CW except for all the names. It took 18 minutes to FIR online with red-letter help. I say an EON is a long time but NOT an eternity. Vacuums have NOTHING in them; and they don't have hoses. (Yes, I do know the clues refer to vacuum CLEANERS). Woulda been W/Os: ALEVE/ADVIL, APNEA/ALARM, had I been doing this pen/paper. Thanx for the clever CW, SR&WE. And thanx too for the great write-up, C.Moe. Enjoyed your Moe-kus, too.
The sixth letter in NILES set me off quickly, so I knew early on that the theme wasn’t terribly complicated.
But en route to the other theme entries and the unifier, I encountered three creepy food items. I don’t want caramel in my churros; I prefer not having chunks of anything in my ice cream (although I can’t eat ice cream anyway); and I am no fan of pumpkin spice, latte, or ridiculous abbreviations of the combination.
I also needed perps for ICYMI and SLOFIE, and I had to come to grips with the notion that episodes of public affection can be quantified – in four letters, yet.
I did like the clue for JILT, seeing SERAPE in a puzzle, and the YUAN misdirection. CINQUAIN provided a learning moment. Congrats to C-MOE for putting knowledge to use.
And I enjoyed seeing my favorite SHERYL CROW song referenced. She and I have a single degree of separation, our vocal instructor at Mizzou. We weren’t at Mizzou simultaneously, of course. Other show biz celebrities from Mizzou: actors Brad Pitt, Jon Hamm, Kate Capshaw, and Chris Cooper. Capshaw and Cooper were there when I was.
Another crossNAME puzzle. (Sigh) I also went the red letter and alphabet route to finish this one. I thought the theme was clever, but the obscure names (I only knew Ansel Adam's and Bohr as clued) spark no "D'oh!" or "aha!" V-8 can moments. You either know them or you don't, and for most of them, you don't care. Vacuums the joy right out of the puzzle. Thankfully, C-Moe was able to pump some joy back into my morning!
Sheryl Crow got me started on the theme. Made several WAGs like the M in Padma and the unheard of ICYMI. Didn't like the clue, broke bread, "tore". Otherwise I give this one a B. Always enjoy the recap Moe.
d-o @ 5:49 => yes, the reunion was worth the trip. We had 60+ alums attend out of a graduating class of 325. At last count I think about 1/3 of them have passed on. Was fun to reconnect with some of my old "buddies" despite the detachment of time and distance. Now I am reconsidering going to the 60th
YooperPhil @ 7:11 => thanks for the kind words. It is my pleasure to provide a bit of fun and knowledge to the recaps
HG @ 9:06 => twas my "tern" today to blog - not our partner-in-crime, MalMan ;^)
CopyEditor @ 11:01 => today's might have been my first and last CINQUAIN! ;^)
More puzzling thoughts:
Another Moe-ku that appeared on my Facebook Memories page this morning:
Elmo dolls are both
Genders. The male ones, though, will
Get two test tickles
[groan]
As of 2024, the acronym ICYMI, meaning "in case you missed it," remains popular and is widely used across social media, newsletters, and other digital content. Its use is particularly strong in contexts where brands and creators want to recirculate key content for audiences who may have missed it the first time.
Very challenging, but delightful Friday puzzle, Shannon and Will--many thanks for that. And thank you too, Moe, for your always helpful and interesting commentary.
Well, this puzzle began with some names that appeared not to be especially related, but I bet they all visited TRADER JOE'S every now and then, to get that TWO BUCK CHUCK WINE. I'm not sure I'd want to try one of those myself, but I'd certainly get in line to get a taste of that delicious TORTE. Growing up in Austria, we had a TORTE for dessert every Sunday, which was a huge treat. Here in the States all I get on Sunday is some MINT TEA, or something like that, so I'd better start revising my Sunday menu. But this Sunday I might go down to the beach, and check out those DIVING BIRDS. Wouldn't that be fun?
Have a lovely weekend coming up, everybody.
Hola! Friday? This puzzle seemed more like a mid-week one. the names, of course, are well known, to me anyway. My daughter has some prints by ANSEL ADAMS hanging in the hallway. The birds "hanging" downward were clever.
I have a beautiful SERAPE stowed away in the closet.
Since my computer is an ACER that's what I had until AIWA emerged with SNIT.
SLOFIE? Really? Is that a real thing?
I've heard PADMA Lakshmi on NPR.
Thank you, Moe. I'll take that CSO at ASU.
I have to admit I've never had a drink at Starbucks, so those clues are always challenging.
Thank you, Moe for the snappy analysis! Have a lovely day, everyone!
When I look at Utah, I see a concave hexagon. The state has six sides. So it isn't a rectangle.
I agree with Tony Express at 2:56 PM -- the borders of the state of Utah by no means form a rectangle! Shannon and Will got that right. I was pressed for time this morning, doing the baby's laundry, minding my daughter's dog, finishing up in the office, so that I could head out to LAX in a timely fashion to go visit my mom. I did not quite finish, and was stumped by NILES C and SHERYL C, especially when the rest of the themers did not end in C. It would have helped if I had finished the fill for the reveal. Anyway, I'm grateful for Moe's review, which showed me the beauty of the DIVING BIRDs. It's been a while since we saw a puzzle take a turn like that! Thanks to everyone involved for the fun.
I thought this was super easy for a friday, finished in under 10 minutes. It is very funny that Taylor Swift makes extremely normal music and has a fanbase that requires a dedicated department of defense task force haha
I enjoyed this puzzle in spite of the few nose-wrinklers mentioned above.
At first, I was confused by the odd letter at the end of clued names. Then I realized that Shannon & Will had flipped the bird!
After a UNIcycle, you may become a dad and ride a POPcycle.
C-Moe, you earned your German appellation today. Really great work!
Sorry Chairman!
Agree, but clue read "but NOT Utah" implying Utah does not share what Texas and Wyoming have in common. In this case their shape.
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