When our mistress of ceremonies sent out the call for RustyBrain, I was
sleeping and missed the spotlight in the sky. But she has mysterious
ways, and when I awoke, I remembered part of a dream, "Must call C.C.
Must call C.C..."
Rafael Musa and Rebecca Goldstein have collaborated before with great success, but this time they may have thought a little too hard to find gemstones whose letters are the only ones used in quasi-anagrams of the answers. These precious gems proved oddly worthless as this solved as a theme-less. Here's the revealer to help explain:
117. Cold-hearted, or an apt description of the answers to the starred clues: MADE OF STONE. Nobody says someone's heart is MADE OF STONE. They simply say someone has a "heart of stone." But it does describe what is happening here. The letters of each gemstone (and only these letters) are required to spell out the answers to the clues.
22. *Kitchen gadget fashioned from pearl?: APPLE PEELER. The letters P, E, A, R, L, are needed to spell the answer. Note some letters are reused.
24. *Orange jam produced with emerald?: MARMALADE. Similarly, the letters E, M, E, R, A, L, D, are mixed to spell MARMALADE. What threw me is that there are 2 "E"s in emerald and only one in the answer.
36. *Latin cornerstone phrase etched by diamond?: ANNO DOMINI. Same thing happened here, where "diamond" has 2 "D"s. So, some letters of the gems must be repeated and others dropped.
45. *Approach bearing garnet?: GET NEAR. This one is the closest match of stone to answer.
68. *Knockout competition formed with tourmaline?: ELIMINATION TOURNAMENT. I'm sure it was hard to find a gemstone for a grid-spanner. Tourmaline was new to me but is apparently popular for its electrical and spiritual properties. It comes in many colors to suit any mood.
90. *Gym amenity filled with opal?: LAP POOL. Not to be confused with the German car, although it can have a fancy paint job.
100. *Newspaper figure who works with peridot?: OP-ED EDITOR. A gem that's fairly common, in crosswords anyway.
115. *Hockey puck drop spot composed of citrine?: CENTER ICE. A gemstone with the color of citrus.
I'm not sure what the title "Think Hard" refers to. The gems are "hard," as all stones are, but they are not in any order of hardness (as "diamond" is in the third position, yet is obviously the hardest). And they didn't make the answers harder. Clever over all, but something that was probably more exciting for the constructors than the solvers. Please let me know if I need to Think Harder about this.
Some more gems:
Across:
1. Corrupt payoff: BRIBE.
6. Courts: WOOS.
10. Contract detail, for short: SPEC. SPECification.
14. Laura of "Marriage Story": DERN.
18. Alternative to finger pointing: LASER. The modern way to accuse someone.
19. Polo or tee: SHIRT. Or tea after polo!
20. Dynamic opening?: AERO.
21. Peppa Pig's baby sister: EVIE. Peppa Pig is a British preschool animated children's television series. I had to binge-watch an entire season so I'd be able to comment on it. You're welcome.
22. [theme]
24. [theme]
26. Texter's "Speak soon": TTYL. Talk To You Later.
27. Paramore's "__ It Fun": AIN'T. No it AIN'T.
28. Primatology focus: APES. Primatology is the scientific study of non-human primates, such as my brother (I hope he isn't reading this). Can you spot him in this old family photo?
30. __ oneself on: PRIDED.
31. Big pigs: HOGS. Nothing like Peppa Pig.
33. __ Ababa: ADDIS.
35. Mulligans: DO OVERS.
36. [theme]
40. Enjoys a fine meal: DINES. Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!
42. Start to stop?: ESS. A letteral clue.
43. Played on repeat: LOOPED. Played on repeat: LOOPED. Played on repeat: LOOPED...
44. Bout-ending letters: TKO. Technical KnockOut.
45. [theme]
47. Sphere: ORB.
48. Heads south?: SAGS. I wanted a Spanish word bathroom or one's skull, but it simply equates to "droops."
50. Text scam portmanteau: SMISH. Unfamiliar term for SMS phishing, a type of cyberattack seeking personal information or downloading malware. The middle "I" crossed PIDGIN in an unfortunate spot.
52. Conductor Zubin: MEHTA. He may be internationally renowned, but I still can't spell his name.
56. Scale button: TARE.
58. Wise biblical king: SOLOMON.
60. Soaked up the sun, say: LAID OUT.
62. Captain's band location: ARM. A sergeant's band location is among the flowers.
64. Outdoor dining spot: PATIO. Some outdoor dining spots are hard to clean.
65. Asian ethnic group in "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down": HMONG. This 1997 book chronicles the struggles of a HMONG refugee family from Laos and their interactions with the health care system in California.
67. Noninvasive 3D scan: MRI. Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
68. [theme]
73. Shouted advice in a horror film: RUN.
74. Snoops (around): NOSES.
75. En __: MASSE.
76. Auto that may have large blind spots: SUV. Sport Utility Vehicles generally have larger blind spots than cars, particularly in the front and rear, due to their size, higher hoods, and wider pillars.
77. Was humiliated: ATE DIRT. I had ATE CROW at first.
79. Body art sacred in Maori culture, briefly: FACE TAT. A New Zealand facial tattoo, known as a Tā moko, is seen as a sacred marker of their heritage and lineage. Men often cover their whole face.
81. Fashion house in "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris": DIOR.
84. Blood component: SERUM.
85. With 96-Down, "My Way" singer: FRANK. With 96D, SINATRA.
87. Jeans cut: SLIM.
89. Cold open?: SNO.
90. [theme]
93. GPS heading: SSE. I actually like this versa traveling between two cities I've never heard of. Just pick a direction.
95. Blue-green Muppet who plays the guitar: ROSITA.
97. Stage name of Park Jae-sang: PSY. The South Korean singer does it "Gangnam Style." Op, op,op, op!
99. Cookies with a Golden variety: OREOS. A travesty!
100. [theme]
102. Quietly: FAINTLY.
104. Pooh's creator: MILNE. A. A. MILNE was primarily a poet and a playwright until a fateful visit to the London Zoo with his son, Christopher Robin. Christopher became enamored with a tame and amiable bear named Winnipeg that provided inspiration to his father.
106. Genesis location: EDEN. Genesis location: HYUNDAI dealership.
107. Soft wool: ANGORA.
108. Seller of Poäng chairs: IKEA. Because when you sit on one, it goes, "Poäng!"
109. Red Muppet who plays the piano: ELMO. He can play along with ROSITA!
111. Border on: ABUT.
115. [theme]
117. [theme]
120. Plant with a trunk: TREE. Animal with a trunk: ELEPHANT.
121. Jet-black: INKY.
122. Many Wix sites: BLOGS. Wix is a cloud-based website builder platform that makes it easy (?) to build you own website.
123. Wear down: ERODE.
124. HS safety gp.: SADD. Students Against Destructive Decisions is a High School safety group that began as Students Against Driving Drunk, but now encompasses everything from drug abuse to suicide.
125. Utters: SAYS.
126. Lip: SASS.
127. Official and authentic content: CANON. CANON is the official and authentic camera of the Olympics.
Down:
1. Harsh trumpet note: BLAT. Even the word BLAT sounds harsh.
2. Transfixed: RAPT.
3. Car trip game: I SPY. I SPY with my little eye...
4. Someone dealing with a lot of baggage?: BELLHOP. Here's a young actor's first on-screen role in 1966 as “uncredited bellhop” in Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round. It's 23-year-old Harrison Ford, seven years before American Graffiti.
5. Poetic preposition: ERE.
6. A question of time: WHEN.
7. Fuel storage option: OIL TANK.
8. Subject of a miner dispute, maybe: ORE. Fun clue.
9. Prized violin, familiarly: STRAD. A violin by Antonio Stradivarius fetches over $10 million nowadays. The bow is extra.
10. "OMG, twins!": SAMESIES.
11. Pod veggies: PEAS.
12. __ on the side of caution: ERR.
13. Write music: COMPOSE. Erase music: DECOMPOSE.
14. iMessage status: DELIVERED.
15. Gets around: EVADES. Gets around: TREATS.
16. Bus customers: RIDERS. Bus customers: SCHOOLS.
17. Deems essential: NEEDS.
19. Big shake: SEISM. A less common name for an earthquake, the term comes from the Greek word seismos, meaning "to shake".
23. Tiered temples: PAGODAS.
25. Unlikely to catch feelings, informally: ARO. As we cruciverbalists are learning, ARO is short for aromantic, meaning a person who experiences little to no romantic attraction.
29. Simplified speech: PIDGIN. It's often seen as PIDGIN English and has it's own unique grammar. I initially wanted an "O" at the cross of this with 50A SMISH.
32. Praising poetry: ODES.
34. Spanish "My god!": DIOS MIO. Luckily, the Almighty also speaks Spanish.
35. Cozy spot: DEN.
36. Often: A LOT.
37. Filmmaker Ephron: NORA. NORA Ephron was an American journalist, screenwriter, director, producer, novelist, and blogger. She was a key figure in the New Journalism movement of the 1960s, and became known for her sharp wit and social observations.
38. Choice that requires little thought: NO BRAINER. Also something my dear RightBrain calls me.
39. "I should get going": IT'S LATE.
41. For the __ time: NTH. I'd prefer "umpteenth" here.
46. Compañeras: AMIGAS. Compañeras are girlfriends en español, thus AMIGAS has the feminine "A" ending.
49. Exceed: GO PAST.
51. VMA figure: MOONMAN. MTV's Video Music Award features an astronaut known as MOONMAN.
53. House call: HOME VISIT.
54. Time to roll the dice, maybe: TURN.
55. Working hard: AT IT.
57. Vocal stumble: ERM. "ERM," said no one, ever.
59. Elevator innovator: OTIS. His career had its ups and downs.
60. "Because you're worth it" brand: L'OREAL.
61. Basketball Hall of Famer Meyers: ANN. She was a standout player in high school, at UCLA, and the Olympic Games.
63. Low points: MINIMA. The opposite of maxima.
65. Water way?: HOSE. Another fun clue.
66. Like can't-miss attractions: MUST SEE.
68. Taylor Swift's "The __ Tour": ERAS. All I know about Taylor Swift is the name of this tour.
69. Guitarlike instrument: LUTE.
70. Conjunction used in logic: NOR. NOR is a logical operator that outputs a 1 (true) only when all of its inputs are 0 (false).
71. Adds to: TACKS ON.
72. Contents of some inedible cakes: MUD. I've only had MUD pies.
78. "Roger that": DULY NOTED.
79. Synthetic lash strip: FALSIE. I was surprised when I discovered that a girl I was dating in high school was wearing FALSIEs, but she didn't bat an eye.
80. Done with: TIRED OF.
82. "__ the next!": ONTO.
83. Lion's share?: ROAR. I guess he's sharing his vocalization with you.
85. Enemy: FOE.
86. Check-in items: ROOM KEYS. These have mostly been replaced by key cards.
88. Eco or sport, in some cars: MODE.
91. Ursa Minor star: POLARIS. Ursa Minor (the Little Dipper) features Polaris (the North Star) which appears stationary above the North Pole. Used for millennia as a navigation aide in the northern hemisphere, there is no equivalent star in the south.
92. Ask for details about a breakup, say: PRY.
94. Swimwear in Fire Island Pines, often: SPEEDOS. Fire Island Pines is a small, gay-friendly community on a barrier beach island located near Long Island, New York, and is accessible by ferry.
96. See 85-Across: SINATRA. Old blue eyes.
97. Franchise with a Crème Brûlée Latte: PANERA.
98. Name dropped?: SIGNED. Sorta, but not very clear.
101. Expo presentations, perhaps: DEMOS.
102. Trivia fodder: FACTS.
103. Uno, due, __: TRE.
105. "The Silence of the __": LAMBS. I like to sit down and watch this with some fava beans and a nice chianti,
108. Nasty: ICKY.
110. Chair supports: LEGS.
112. Lucky break: BOON.
113. __ send: handy feature on some email platforms: UNDO.
114. Ump's following?: TEEN. Maybe this is why they didn't use it for 41D.
116. "Barefoot Contessa" host Garten: INA.
118. __ plancha: A LA. In Spanish cooking, "A LA plancha" means "grilled on a metal plate," and is often served sizzling hot.
119. Quick moment: SEC. It's just half a second.
24 comments:
I wanted “ most” for
“lion’s share” but it didn’t turn out that way.
And what is this “ samesies” nonsense ?Other than that, I didn’t have too much trouble with this puzzle, although it did take me forty minutes to solve.
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Managed to finish it wrong fifteen minutes quicker than Sub-g. Got the theme when APPLE PEELER became apparent. Got SMISH, even with no hint as to what VMA could be. That illustration for ALA PLANCHA made me hungry for fajitas. But my "Jeans cut" was a SLIT. Never looked at the down clue, because that word was already filled. Bzzzzzzt. And so it goes...
I do like that my SUV displays a bright arrow in the side mirror when there's a vehicle in the blind spot. Excellent feature.
FIR, but isn't->AIN'T, spies->NOSES, van->SUV, rte->SSE, and sia->PSY.
I LIU, and "captain's band" is soccer wear. You're welcome.
Blind spots in an SUV? Try driving a 40 foot motorhome pulling a CRV! One either quickly learns to rely on mirrors and cameras, or one learns how high insurance rates can go.
The Charms had a big hit back in the '50s with Heart MADE OF STONE.
In Venezuela they call the BELL HOP "senor botones," or Mr. Buttons.
ITS LATE - but baby it's cold outside
Thanks to Rebecca and Rafael for the fun, doable Sunday challenge. Lots of clever cluing, but the theme left me wanting more. I like Sunday themes that either makes the theme fills easier, makes them make sense, or that twists their meanings in some way. And thanks to trusty Rusty for another fun adventure.
Was a fun Sunday solve. Blogger a bit grouchy this morning? So what if we didn’t need gemstone letters to solve—which ultimately we did—it was clever in many ways. Loved “samesies.”
Good Morning:
I am not a fan of anagrams, so this theme was unappealing to me. I solved it but, more or less, as a themeless. Some of the cluing was either too vague or just beyond my knowledge, e.g., Smish, Samesies, Moon Man, etc. I imagine this was a difficult construction feat, so props to the authors for their efforts.
Thanks, Rafael and Rebecca, and thanks, RB, for answering CC’s distress call. Your humor and asides add an extra layer to your interesting and informative commentary. Your candid analysis of the puzzle is refreshing, as well.
Have a great day.
Well, I PRIDED myself on the FIR in 42:23, but never saw the STONE anagrams in the themers, maybe if I’d have kept AT IT a little longer I would have been more successful in that aspect. Had to mess around with the letters for about 10 minutes to get DIOS MIO/MOON MAN/SMISH/PIDGIN. Has anyone ever heard someone say SAMESIES? There’s that pesky ERM again. DNK that FALSIE referred to a faux eyelash. DW is a shirttail relative of the MILNE family, I’ve met one of them as they own property in Tobermory Ontario where we also have a place. Thanks Rafael and Rebecca for your fine construction, and to RB for taking the blog reins today!
FIW. One square did me in. I took a WAG at the crossing of smish and moonman, not knowing either, and place a "w" there. And as I did it I was sure it was probably wrong.
For me this puzzle had some bite to it, uncommon for a Sunday.
Overall not an enjoyable puzzle.
Took 14:27. Puzzle was fine. Just a little boring.
FIW. I also couldn’t WAG SMISH/PIDGIN. (SMESH-SMISH…meh, both non-words and don’t see PIDGIN enough to know how it’s spelled.) Managed to get some other WAGged non-words, but not that one. Nonsense theme. No RB, you don’t have to think harder. Second Sunday in a row with some odd clueing.
I ran out of steam by the time I got to the SW and left it blank. I was able to get the theme with the first STONE, but my eyes just kind of blurred over the others. I had a few unknowns like EVIE, ROSITA, ANN but perps and WAGS took care of them. I long hesitated at ONESIES.
I wanted phish for the unknown SMISH especially not knowing MOON MAN, but I was certain of DIOS MIO, so it eventually showed up. I also held on to Nadia’s before yielding to MINIMA.
Oh! No, more OREOS.
Thank you Rusty Brain for your clever and thorough review. Yep! When CC calls you had better answer.
Not NADIA Mr spell-check, nadirs.
Finished, but had to go to red letters. Too many "look how clever I am" clues for my taste. SMISH? Even Otto Correct doesn't like that one. VMA? Virginia Military Academy? And so on, ad nauseum. I'll Echo Irish Miss on anagrams, and the theme left me SNO cold. Meh.
Unlike SubGenius, I am not happy... I prefer my puzzles to be fun.
Of course, you cannot fault the constructors for what I think is fun. Actually the incomprehensible theme was a few (h)airs above genius, but was it a fun solve? No!
Thank you RustyBrain for splainin', I never would have thunk it in a million years. (Fav: the repeating loop...)
Adding a final kick me while I'm down, was the alphabet run Natick I needed to finish that accidentally filled itself in because it didn't make any sense to me...
this
was like
passing a
kidney
stone...
I usually like Rebecca's creations. Not this one. Agree with Rusty Brain that a theme that is no help with the solve is not a theme. OK if they were real anagrams. Reusing letters?
And cross of utterly impossible VMA thing and text thing?
FALSIES has only one meaning for me and it doesn't involve eyes. Just me?
Agree with most. Not fun just OK. Thanks Rusty for explaining. I refused to spend any more time finding the theme. I did like, "contents of an inedible pie" and "heads south". Not a fan of "samesies" or "smish" or "pidgin"! I hope no one over ate, much.
FIW or DNF, you pick. It became another RLD with ~5% left.
RLD = Red Letter Day
Nope. Me too!
Did anyone figure out what the title refers to?
Think Hard, Hard refers to STONE, I think.
Sunday puzzles are always a bit tough but also often a pleasure, and this one had many interesting moments. So many thanks, Rebecca and Rafael. And thanks for your commentary and pictures on this Sunday, Rusty--also very helpful.
Well, the beginning of this puzzle makes you think it might BRIBE you in some way, but instead it just WOOS you with lots of interesting comments and clues. I bet APPLE PEELER and MARMALADE made some of us a bit hungry, along with those OREOS. Then there were nice clothes, like that ANGORA you might have bought at IKEA. None of this stuff is MADE of STONE, so it can easily be mailed or DELIVERED to your home, and that's pretty much a NO BRAINER.
On the down side, we get some very different solutions, with people having to work on an OIL TANK or mining some ORE--not exactly everyday needs for a BELL HOP. But I bet they could help you erect a PAGODA or build a LAP POOL on your PATIO. For that you'd have to get your SPEEDOS on and maybe listen to some SINATRA music. Just don't forget your ROOM KEY so that you can go back and change your clothes and go out to a diner before IT'S too LATE.
Hey, that's a pretty good set of Sunday activities all around, isn't it?
Have a healthy and delightful Sunday, everybody, and a great week ahead.
Cheap shot to put in “eat dirt” so the down “duly noted” could work☹️ Eat crow is long established or eat my hat but eat dirt is when one slides into a base!
Anon at 2:23PM agree that ATE CROW is the correct answer for that clue. It shows humiliation. ATE DIRT implies something more violent.
Anon 12:21 - Well I can't be sure, but I suspect I've stared at a few of them at some point.
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