Happy Monday-before-Thanksgiving, everyone! sumdaze here with a puzzle to whet your appetite. Theme:
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| I had intended to insert the Norman Rockwell painting but this one caught my eye. |
Constructor Joseph A. Gangi serves up these five themed answers:
17 Across. "Gee willikers!": GOOD GRAVY. Both of these expressions of astonishment are generally associated with older generations and regional dialects.
25 Across. Lists of top students: HONOR ROLLS.
37 Across. Folks who do a lot of binge-watching: COUCH POTATOES.
48 Across. Get down to brass tacks: TALK TURKEY. another idiom clued with an idiom
60 Across. Extremely simple: EASY AS PIE.
GRAVY, ROLLS, POTATOES, TURKEY, and PIE are all parts of a traditional Thanksgiving holiday feast. However, instead of merely listing menu items, the foods are plated in our grid via non-food, in-the-language phrases. Bonus points for ending with dessert!
Next we will partake of the remaining clues & answers:
Across:
54. Wyatt of the Old West: EARP.
55. Bread often brushed with ghee: NAAN. Ghee is clarified butter and is often used in Indian cooking. In this clue, ghee is a hint that we are looking for a food in Indian cuisine.
57. Class that may send one back to the drawing board: ART. and 51-Down. Support for a drawing board: EASEL.
58. Lose strength: ABATE.
62. Washroom fixture: BASIN. We do not see this answer in XWDs as much as we see its semi-synonym: nsync.
52. "Huzzah!": YAY. Merriam-Webster lists huzzah as a noun that is often used interjectionally to express joy or approval.
56. Short snoozes: NAPS.
58. Old hoops gp.: ABA. The American Basketball Association was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. more about the relaunch
59. "Hello, ewe!": BAA. Cute clue.
60. Startled cry: EEK.
61. Watery expanse: SEA. About 71% of the Earth's surface is water-covered. That's quite expansive!
1. Music genre known for four-on-the-floor beats: DISCO. Good start! I like a 1-A clue that takes a little sussing -- but not in a discouraging way.
Four-on-the-floor is drummer lingo for using a foot pedal to hit the bass drum on each of the four quarter beats in 4/4 timing. In other words, the drum just thuds 1-2-3-4. It is commonly used in dance music genres. Example: Dancing Queen by ABBA (released 1976)
6. "__ we there yet?": ARE.
9. Double-reed woodwinds: OBOES. "Double-read" means an oboe uses a single, double-reed -- not two reeds.
14. Rack up, as expenses: INCUR.
15. Young chap: LAD. Both chap and LAD are more commonly used in British English.
16. All smiles: HAPPY. and 22 Down. Flash a smile toward: GRIN AT. 😀
19. Pet pests: FLEAS. and 23 Across. Pet pest: TICK.
20. Road trip option: INN.
21. "I'm totally with you": SAME.
22. "Keep talking": GO ON.
29. Prepare, as bao buns: STEAM.
31. Sizable: BIG.
32. Tire filler: AIR. Unlike bao buns, one should refrain from filling tires with a pork mixture.
33. Insta post: PIC. Instagram is a PICure-sharing app.
35. Kitchen nooks: DINETTES.
40. Food storage rooms: PANTRIES. I love an organized pantry. Today I found a can of olives in my pantry that expired two years ago.
41. Meadows of "Peacemaker": TIM. his IMDb page
42. Land between Can. and Mex.: USA.
43. Zero's counterpart, in binary code: ONE. It is time for today's math lesson. Binary code uses two digits, 0 and 1. This is handy for situations with only two states, such as ON or OFF with electricity. Another code with which you might be familiar is hexadecimal code. Hex gives us 6 and decimal gives us 10 so this code requires 6+10=16 digits. We have to be creative because we normally only have ten digits, 0-9. The solution is to use letters as digits. A hexadecimal code uses 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, a, b, c, d, e, and f. So a=10, b=11, c=12, d=13, e=14, and f=15. This saves a lot of space when dealing with really large numbers. One place you might have seen this is in Box d. Control number on a Form W-2. Here is an example:
44. Give height to, as hair: TEASE. This is a method of backcombing hair to make it puffier. It can also make knots that are difficult to comb out later.
53. Clever notion: IDEA.
6. "__ we there yet?": ARE.
9. Double-reed woodwinds: OBOES. "Double-read" means an oboe uses a single, double-reed -- not two reeds.
14. Rack up, as expenses: INCUR.
16. All smiles: HAPPY. and 22 Down. Flash a smile toward: GRIN AT. 😀
19. Pet pests: FLEAS. and 23 Across. Pet pest: TICK.
21. "I'm totally with you": SAME.
22. "Keep talking": GO ON.
29. Prepare, as bao buns: STEAM.
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| They can be made with a variety of sweet or savory fillings. A pork mixture is a common choice. |
32. Tire filler: AIR. Unlike bao buns, one should refrain from filling tires with a pork mixture.
33. Insta post: PIC. Instagram is a PICure-sharing app.
35. Kitchen nooks: DINETTES.
40. Food storage rooms: PANTRIES. I love an organized pantry. Today I found a can of olives in my pantry that expired two years ago.
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| This is not my pantry ... but wouldn't it be nice? |
42. Land between Can. and Mex.: USA.
43. Zero's counterpart, in binary code: ONE. It is time for today's math lesson. Binary code uses two digits, 0 and 1. This is handy for situations with only two states, such as ON or OFF with electricity. Another code with which you might be familiar is hexadecimal code. Hex gives us 6 and decimal gives us 10 so this code requires 6+10=16 digits. We have to be creative because we normally only have ten digits, 0-9. The solution is to use letters as digits. A hexadecimal code uses 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, a, b, c, d, e, and f. So a=10, b=11, c=12, d=13, e=14, and f=15. This saves a lot of space when dealing with really large numbers. One place you might have seen this is in Box d. Control number on a Form W-2. Here is an example:
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A1B2 is (2X160) + (11X161) + (1X162) + (10X163) = 2+ 176 + 256 + 40,960 = 41,394 |
44. Give height to, as hair: TEASE. This is a method of backcombing hair to make it puffier. It can also make knots that are difficult to comb out later.
Rock the Boat ~ The Hues Corporation ~ 1973
"So I'd like to know, where you got the notion" 🎵🎵
54. Wyatt of the Old West: EARP.
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| Earp's tombstone -- not the movie, Tombstone |
55. Bread often brushed with ghee: NAAN. Ghee is clarified butter and is often used in Indian cooking. In this clue, ghee is a hint that we are looking for a food in Indian cuisine.
57. Class that may send one back to the drawing board: ART. and 51-Down. Support for a drawing board: EASEL.
58. Lose strength: ABATE.
62. Washroom fixture: BASIN. We do not see this answer in XWDs as much as we see its semi-synonym: nsync.
63. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day, e.g.: EVE. an apt Easter egg
64. Actor Dinklage: PETER. [b. June 11, 1969] He has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work in Game of Thrones.
65. Oohed and __: AAHED.
66. "Kenan & __": former Nickelodeon sitcom: KEL. IMDb link
67. Full of attitude: SASSY.
Down:
64. Actor Dinklage: PETER. [b. June 11, 1969] He has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work in Game of Thrones.
66. "Kenan & __": former Nickelodeon sitcom: KEL. IMDb link
Down:
1. Fingers and toes: DIGITS.
2. Party to the conspiracy: IN ON IT. Here we have an example of solver-friendly clue writing/editing. IN ON = "Party to" but the "IT" was aided by a noun object in the clue.
3. Wall-mounted light: SCONCE.
4. Cow's chew: CUD. If you have ever observed the contented faces of cows chewing their CUD, you would be like me and wish humans could do that, too. Alas, we only have one stomach.
5. Assns.: ORGS. Associations and ORGanizationS
6. San Antonio mission: ALAMO.
7. Bird in a Poe poem: RAVEN. Precisely:
8. Name in the ice cream aisle: EDY.
9. "Ugh, never mind!": OH FORGET IT.
10. "The Jungle Book" bear: BALOO.
11. Welcome sign for a hungry night owl: OPEN LATE. In this case, the night owl is not a bird but a person who often stays up late. Do we have any night owls on The Corner?
12. Ecol. monitor: EPA. Ecology and Environmental Protection Agency
13. Method: Abbr.: SYS. SYStem
18. Pep squad cheer: RAH.
24. Out of order: KAPUT. This is a fun word. It comes to us from the French word capot, via the German word kaputt. I was surprised to see that Merriam-Webster does not classify it as a slang term.
26. Somber bio: OBIT. biography and OBITuary
27. Falsehoods: LIES. When I Googled "OBIT" and "LIES" I learned about hoaxer Alan Abel who died for real in 2018 but in 1980 he persuaded the New York Times to report his death.
28. Former jrs.: SRS. juniors and SenioRS
30. Fleeting fad: MICROTREND. I could not find this word in Crossword Tracker. It might be a first-time use.
2. Party to the conspiracy: IN ON IT. Here we have an example of solver-friendly clue writing/editing. IN ON = "Party to" but the "IT" was aided by a noun object in the clue.
3. Wall-mounted light: SCONCE.
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| Pro tip: They can sometimes be used to open a secret door. |
4. Cow's chew: CUD. If you have ever observed the contented faces of cows chewing their CUD, you would be like me and wish humans could do that, too. Alas, we only have one stomach.
5. Assns.: ORGS. Associations and ORGanizationS
6. San Antonio mission: ALAMO.
7. Bird in a Poe poem: RAVEN. Precisely:
8. Name in the ice cream aisle: EDY.
10. "The Jungle Book" bear: BALOO.
11. Welcome sign for a hungry night owl: OPEN LATE. In this case, the night owl is not a bird but a person who often stays up late. Do we have any night owls on The Corner?
12. Ecol. monitor: EPA. Ecology and Environmental Protection Agency
13. Method: Abbr.: SYS. SYStem
18. Pep squad cheer: RAH.
24. Out of order: KAPUT. This is a fun word. It comes to us from the French word capot, via the German word kaputt. I was surprised to see that Merriam-Webster does not classify it as a slang term.
26. Somber bio: OBIT. biography and OBITuary
27. Falsehoods: LIES. When I Googled "OBIT" and "LIES" I learned about hoaxer Alan Abel who died for real in 2018 but in 1980 he persuaded the New York Times to report his death.
28. Former jrs.: SRS. juniors and SenioRS
30. Fleeting fad: MICROTREND. I could not find this word in Crossword Tracker. It might be a first-time use.
A MICROTREND is "a niche or industry specific consumer behavioral trend which is mass market ready and actionable." Some attribute the rise in MICROTRENDs to social media and especially, to influencer marketing posts. Another article said this has led to overconsuming in order to "keep up".
34. Body-lifting exercise that may be done in a doorway: CHIN-UP. 
35. Buns, bobs, and beehives: DOS. I am pretty sure you have to 44-Across your hair to make a beehive hairDO.
36. "My Cousin Vinny" Oscar winner Marisa: TOMEI.
37. Spanish house: CASA. Casa translates to "house" in Spanish. Also, kasa translates to "umbrella" in Japanese. My memory trick for this was that they both provided a 'roof' over one's head. You can see it in the kanji.
38. Tethered: ON A LEASH.
39. __ pressure: PEER. This happens when a group hug is too tight.
40. "To __ it mildly": PUT. The mechanic said, "To PUT it mildly, your engine is KAPUT."
45. Changes with the times: ADAPTS.
46. Story told in installments: SERIES. For example, David Copperfield was published as a serial from May 1849 through November 1850. Then it was published in book format in 1850.
47. Bistro, e.g.: EATERY.
49. Olympic swimmer Ledecky: KATIE. [b. March 17, 1997]
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| Tomato Girl Summer is now oh, so last season. 😀 |
35. Buns, bobs, and beehives: DOS. I am pretty sure you have to 44-Across your hair to make a beehive hairDO.
36. "My Cousin Vinny" Oscar winner Marisa: TOMEI.
37. Spanish house: CASA. Casa translates to "house" in Spanish. Also, kasa translates to "umbrella" in Japanese. My memory trick for this was that they both provided a 'roof' over one's head. You can see it in the kanji.
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| There is no "c" in Romanji (English letters for Japanese words). |
38. Tethered: ON A LEASH.
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| Resident Alien fans will recognize this from the handbook. |
40. "To __ it mildly": PUT. The mechanic said, "To PUT it mildly, your engine is KAPUT."
45. Changes with the times: ADAPTS.
46. Story told in installments: SERIES. For example, David Copperfield was published as a serial from May 1849 through November 1850. Then it was published in book format in 1850.
47. Bistro, e.g.: EATERY.
49. Olympic swimmer Ledecky: KATIE. [b. March 17, 1997]
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| There just are not enough superlatives for this athlete. |
50. Ye olde rascal: KNAVE.
52. "Huzzah!": YAY. Merriam-Webster lists huzzah as a noun that is often used interjectionally to express joy or approval.
56. Short snoozes: NAPS.
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| Scott Metzger creates the best pet comics. |
58. Old hoops gp.: ABA. The American Basketball Association was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. more about the relaunch
59. "Hello, ewe!": BAA. Cute clue.
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| Translation: Hi mom! |
61. Watery expanse: SEA. About 71% of the Earth's surface is water-covered. That's quite expansive!
The grid:
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| Joseph did not have a lot of wiggle room constructing this grid. Ending with PIE meant the only two themers he could switch around were the two 10-letter answers. Well done! |
Now it is time to clean up the dishes. Have a great-ful week, everyone!
17 comments:
This very timely
and “delicious” puzzle was “easy as pie” and needed no reveal whatsoever.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Good GRIEF, KATEY Ledecky, and SERIAL were blemishes on my Monday morning grid. D-o did notice all the groceries. No night owl here, but I'm always up before 5 AM -- does that count? Thanx for the meal, Ganji, and for the expo, sumdaze. (Are you telling me that the ABA is gone?)
FIR without erasure and sans WAGs. Caught on to the Thanksgiving feast theme right away at GOOD (not lumpy) GRAVY.
DNK TIM, PETER, KEL, and BALOO, but the perps made them easy to fill.
MICROTREND, or what we flintlock rifle shooters call "a flash in the pan."
Thanks to Joseph for the fun Monday puzzle, appearing on Monday for a change. And thanks to sumdaze for another fun review. I always thought that KAPUT must be Yiddish. Zoe and I are off to Ashland (VA) this morning for Thanksgiving week. (More than half our states have a town named Ashland.)
Took 3:52 today to feast on this puzzle.
I knew the Actress of the Day (Tomei), but often question the orientation of the last two letters. Otherwise, I'd call this a walk in the park - if our friend SubG approves.
FIR. Typical Monday, easy as pie!
I got the theme early on when rolls appeared and I knew then and there that it was a Thanksgiving theme.
Overall a very enjoyable puzzle.
An appropriate and fun puzzle. I too liked that the list ended with the dessert. We are having our Thanksgiving meal at my oldest’s house and he is one of the organized ones whose pantry looks like the picture. He also sent out a spreadsheet to all attendees to show what they are bringing and we are up to 7 desserts.
I really enjoyed this Monday puzzle.
Caching up on last week’s puzzles, Irish Miss, I watched season 2 of man on the inside and enjoyed it but was surprised by the character played by Ted Danson’s real life wife, Mary Sternbergen. I also was disappointed to learn that Netflix has changed its mind and will not have a new season of Resident Alien.
My newest grandchild came nine weeks early but she is a feisty little girl and the doctors say she is doing well. She will be in NICU for at least 4 more weeks
Thanks all
Great early Thanksgiving feast, and we even had a PANTRy to store it in, and a DINETTE where to eat it.
TIM, PETER, and KEL, were the only unknowns this morning, but no problem. I’m not familiar with MICRO TREND, but easy to guess.
Thank you sumdaze for a HAPPY review.
Good Morning:
As Jinx said, it was nice to have a true Monday puzzle on a Monday. Tim and Kel were unknown but well-perped and the theme made the solve as easy as pie, or a piece of cake, depending on your dessert of choice. Oh, Micro Trend was in that unknown territory, too, but, again, generous perps to the rescue. This puzzle would surely delight and entice some newbies to the wonderful, sometimes wacky word of crossword solving, so welcome aboard!
Thanks, Joseph, for a fun, early Thanksgiving culinary feast, and thanks, sumdaze, for the fun and facts, especially the infectious ABBA offering.
Lemonade, congratulation on your newest grandchild. Truthfully, I was disappointed in Season 2 of AMOTI for a couple of reasons. Number one was the weakness of the premise, compared to the first season and, secondly, the nastiness of some of the characters, particularly the agency owner’s treatment of her mother. I did enjoy the natural chemistry between Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen.
Have a great day.
Fast and furious, no errors and with a Thanksgiving Day fixin’s theme. Loved the Peanuts riff on the famous Norman Rockwell painting “Freedom from Want” part of his “Four Freedoms” series. More than ever we need to remain vigilant.
Don’t know what “bao buns” are but the CWs always instruct me to STEAM them. Always thought DINETTE referred to the kitchen table and chairs… Wrong! (Usually the “kids table” at holiday meals)
🛋️🥔 on Thanksgiving comes after eating. Watching football 🏈
There was also a “Cat BALOu”
The best Bao Buns … HONOR ROLES
if you wanna __ off a sheep put ___ in their ____ TICK , FLEAS
“Ye olde rascal” was hiding in the church ____ KNAVE
Gobble____ TALK TURKEY
Minimalism —— MICROTREND
Last night I watched “The Roses” with Olivia Coleman and Benjamin Cabbagepatch (😃) on Hulu. Great film. A “modern” version of the 1989 black comedy “The War of the Roses” (Michael Douglas/Kathleen Turner) 👍👍
Have a nice week
Congrats on the new granddaughter!
Monkey- you beat me to the Easter Eggs (and sumdaze found EVE).
Gobble- TALK TURKEY was the best today!
Pretty much EASY AS PIE, even with the paraphrase non-clues sucking some of the enjoyment out. Fortunately, there's sumdaze to pump the fun back in!
Musings
-How easy was this puzzle? The theme was as obvious as a brick in a punch bowl, and no reveal was needed!
-I would better know Tim as The Ladies Man on SNL
-Next year I will be 101000 years old in binary code
-How many books have been written about JFK’s assassination, and who was IN ON IT?
-Show me a movie as entertaining as My Cousin Vinny, and I’ll get out my $10 to see it.
-Off to sub for an hour and a half for $85
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Joseph and sumdaze.
I FIRed and saw the Thanksgiving theme in very good time. A perfect Monday level CW. Unknown-to-me names, KEL and TIM, perped easily.
We had our Canadian Thanksgiving back in October, not in November as in the USA.
And we have HonoUr ROLLS!
This CW had some ethnic food too - NAAN and BAO buns.
I had SERIal before perps corrected to SERIES.
I wanted to Slice those BAO buns, but needed to STEAM them. I learned about them from C.C’s Sunday blogs.
SAucY was replaced by SASSY. (I was fixated on the food theme LOL.)
For some reason, I had CHI and added tai. Perps corrected me to CHIN UP and correct parsing. (Besides it is tai chi)
Wishing you all a great day.
I, too, saw this CW has an appropriate TG slant to it early on. I very much enjoyed it, only nits = names crossing at 41A&36D, and again at 54A&49D, and 46D should be SERIAL, IMO, not series. That was my only W/O. 10 names, DNK 5, but they perped easy enough to get me to be able to FIR in 7 minutes, which is an all time record for me, even for a Monday. "Clever notion" = IDEA, but sometimes ideas turn out to be less clever than initially thought. "COUCH POTATOES" should be called "Sofa spuds". With all the TG food, I was waiting to see if GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE" could somehow be squeezed in. Learned today that oboes do not have two single reeds, which I thought they did, but instead a double single reed. Wait, WHAT? Now I hafta look up what that is! Thanx JAG for this terrific CW, and for making me hungry! Thanx too to Sumdaze for the, as always, terrific, fun and informative, write-up.
I must have been on a different wavelength, as I found some of the fill quite "chewy." Having to think about a Monday puzzle to finish it has left me out of sorts... for instance:
I never really thought about oboe reeds before. Why are they (and how are they) double? So I went looking, and, for the love of TMI, there is a plethora of TMI out there. From how to replace (not easy), what to do when it's sharp, what to do when it's flat, how to recycle, and on and on it goes. Do not google oboe reeds (or heaven forbid, YouTube.) if you want a quick answer....
The "chin up" reminded me of when I stopped trying to do these. It was in a narrow hallway, I put a broom stick over two open closet doors and did the classic pull up with legs extended straight out, when something went awry. I can still remember the feeling of the floor striking my butt, and one second later the back of my head slamming into the hallways folded table...
Which also reminded me that I searched for my go to out of order words, and they were not in the thesaurus. Scrinched: when the screwdriver doesn't drive, and discabooberated, when you can't fix the dang thingie because you scrinched the screw... sometimes the word kaput just does not cover all the emotions...
Having a difficult time choosing a silly theme link, I am torn between this, and how sometimes you get a relative that hogs all the stuffing...
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