Saturday Themeless by Joe Marangell
Joe Marangell is the social studies instructional leader for East Haven Public Schools in East Haven, Connecticut, where he has worked since 2001 focused on inquiry-based learning, literacy, and student engagement. He has an EdD in Curriculum and Instruction and is a Crossword puzzle constructor!I made what I think is an intelligent mistake at 64. Across. I thought Melodramatic movie scenes might have LENTO MUSIC and MOIRA ROLE (no idea) and TANS (they end at cuffs and sleeves sometimes), but not so much. Couple that with some "new to me" fill, and it made for some skating around to finish.
Joe was nice enough to tell me this: My name is pronounced with a soft g, like Mare-an-jell. My favorite entries in the puzzle were VIBE CODING and MOIRA ROSE. I was in a meeting about artificial intelligence at school, and the tech director told us about vibe coding, which I had never heard of before at that point. I made a note of the phrase since I thought it was an interesting-sounding one. Moira Rose is the hilarious character portrayed by Catherine O'Hara on the TV show Schitt's Creek, so when I saw that fit in the grid, I had to keep it.
My favorite clues were [Cave man?] for Plato and [Pop of vibrant color?] for ORANGE SODA. (The clues in the actual puzzle may have been changed from these since that happens with some of them during the editing process.) Also, I completely agree with Malaika Handa's advice of "It's a game not a test!"! I look up things all the time when I do crosswords, and I have no shame in doing that!
1. "Cav/Pag" opera combination, notably: DOUBLE BILL - What a start!
"Cav/Pag" is the common pairing of two Italian
operas: Mascagni's Cavallerie Rusticana and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, presented together as a "double bill". The tradition began in 1893 at the Metropolitan Opera and continues today because the two operas, despite being by different composers, share a similar style of intense, realistic, and often violent, stories about common people. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Going to one opera would be hard enough for me, so two, I don't think so but I did suss this out.
11. Electrical carriers: IONS.
15. Indignant denial: IT'S ALL A LIE.
16. Surface crack: CHAP - Like on your lips
17. App development using A.I. and natural language: VIBE CODING ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
18. New Age singer from Donegal: ENYA - A hit song by an Irish girl that has a South American River in the title. Enjoy:
19. Braying animal: ASS.
20. Cave man?: PLATO - Explanation
20. Cave man?: PLATO - Explanation
21. Designer Hugo: BOSS.
22. Cookie with 90 ridges per wafer: OREO.
24. Title for a fictional rabbit: BRER.
26. Limited offer: PROMO.
29. Way of checking lines after they're cast?: TABLE READ - The cast of Seinfeld goes through a TABLE READ for the next script
34. Two-wheel carriage: HANSOM.
36. Sporting phrase: GOOD GAME.
 |
| good game, good game, good game good game, good game, good game... |
37. Loving poem: ODE.
38. Taylor Swift, typically: SOLO ACT - She is a SOLO ACT, but it takes a huge crew and a convoy of semis to set her up.
41. Comparatively cozy: TOASTIER.
43. Seijin-shiki garment: KIMONO - Seijin-shiki is a "coming of age" ceremony in Japan
45. Traveling: ON THE ROAD - Didn't you think of this?
47. Generous one: DONOR.
48. Atmosphere: AURA - Not VIBE this time
49. Steve of "Peacemaker": AGEE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
51. Power unit: WATT.
53. Expression of probability: RATIO.
56. __ name: PET.
59. Drama honor: OBIE - This is what our frequent cwd award visitor looks like
60. Pop of vibrant color?: ORANGE SODA - My fav drink 70 years ago
63. "Ratatouille" culinary genius: REMY.
64. Like melodramatic movie scenes: SET TO MUSIC.
65. "Twittering Machine" artist: KLEE.
66. "Annie" song that's a counterpoint to "It's the Hard-Knock Life": EASY STREET.
Down:
1. Demanding star: DIVA.
2. Los Angeles Times co-founder Eliza Ann __: OTIS. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
2. Los Angeles Times co-founder Eliza Ann __: OTIS. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
3. Some PC ports: USB'S.
4. Boo: BAE - Not a fan of either term of endearment
5. Business letters: LLC.
6. Participate in a secret exchange: ELOPE 😀 - I learned that this is the term nursing homes use for residents leaving without permission.
7. Scoundrel: BAD LOT -
"He's a bad lot" means he is a bad, untrustworthy or unpleasant person.
The phrase is often used in British English and is considered old-fashioned. It describes someone who is morally bad, a troublemaker, or unreliable. You're Welcome. 8. Pelvic bones: ILIA.
9. __ roller: LINT - We cat owners have a supply!
10. Construction piece: LEGO BLOCK 😀
11. Wedge salad base: ICEBERG - A crunchy offering made with ICEBERG lettuce
12. "Just curious": OH NO REASON - Yeah, right!
13. Votes against: NAYS.
14. Restorative sites: SPAS.
22. Chanting syllables: OMS.
23. Low-tech alarm: ROOSTER 😀
25. Harmful algal bloom: RED TIDE.
26. Common ID component: PHOTO.
27. Element considered in a home inspection: RADON.
28. Admonishment to waiters: ONE AT A TIME - For people waiting in line
30. Ancient assembly space: AGORA.
31. Drag strip?: BOA 😀
32. __ acids: AMINO.
33. Home magazine topic: DECOR.
35. "Schitt's Creek" character who tells her son to "stop acting like a disgruntled pelican": MOIRA ROSE. We had her in the 11/21/25 puzzle by Emet Ozar. There's even merch!
39. Summer sign: LEO - Astrology: Leo is a summer sign. Astronomy: Leo is a winter constellation. Guess which one I give the most credence?
42. Rest: SHUT EYE.
44. Springfield barkeep: MOE - Another member of the Simpson cast.
46. Delicate: DAINTY.
50. "Our Lips Are Sealed" band: GOGOS - A hit from 44 years ago.
51. Succeed: WORK.
52. Second son of Adam and Eve: ABEL.
54. Field of study: AREA.
55. Some sleeves and cuffs: TATS - These are $13.95 online
56. Put forward: POSE.
57. Actress/model Sedgwick: EDIE. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
61. Defib expert: EMT - Here an EMT is training to use an Automated External Defibrillator
1 comment:
I was surprised - it wasn’t
that tough - especially for a Saturday. Everything eventually fell into place. There weren’t too many obscure names or terms, and, when there were, the perps were kind.
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
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