Hello Cruciverbalists! CrossEyedDave here to fill in for the irreplaceable Hahtoolah, who could not be here today. This is my first time trying this, (on an Ipad no less...) so bear with me. I hope I don't drive you further askew with my slant on things.
Ready to see if we can learn something new? Here we go!
First Themer:
20A. Output of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions: PARTY NOMINEES.
(Um, no politics... So I can't describe how i feel about the above are running.)
Second Themer:
29A. Hose that may have a seam up the back: NYLON STOCKINGS.
(Hmm, maybe Splynter should have Blogged this puzzle...)
Third Themer:
46A. Common conveyances between suburbs and cities: COMMUTER TRAINS.
(Now we are getting somewhere...)
And, The Reveal:
56A. "Three Blind Mice" line, or what can be said of 20-, 29-, and 46-Across: SEE HOW THEY RUN.
Across:
1. Sound from an angry cat: HISS.
5. Veil material: LACE. (What are you trying to hide?)
9. Venom-dispensing tooth: FANG. (Or, Phyllis Dillers Husband...)
13. Like draft beer: ONTAP.
15. Division d'une nation: ETAT. French, it is in my "do not discuss file." Like Religion & Politics.
16. Simpson kid who plays the sax: LISA. My fav episode:
17. Small egg: OVULE. Hmm, seems to be getting bigger. Didn't it used to be Ova?
18. Claptrap: BOSH. One of the rarer synonyms, along with blather, blether, tripe, but its all hogwash to me...
19. Face-to-face exam: ORAL. Reminds me i have a dentist appt.
20. [Themer]
23. Punk musician Vicious: SID.
24. Pull from behind: TOW. Pull from behind means something completely different to me:
25. Soccer score: NIL.
26. Apple mobile platform: IOS. I'm working on one. It would be nice if they didn't change everything with every update...
29. [Themer]
33. Ramen mushroom: ENOKI. My Sushi place has them wrapped in bacon!
34. Sassy: SMART. (I am not... :(
35. Blast from the __: PAST.
38. Sounds of regret: SIGHS.
41. Baked desserts: PIES.
42. Group of ships: FLEET.
44. Instruction on a Wonderland cake: EATME.
46. [Themer]
51. Twice tre: SEI. Now, here you guys are going to have to help "me" out... I thought it might be French, but Google is not helping. And why don't they have "twice" in its foreign language anyway? Sheesh, I have enough trouble with English...
52. Pt. of USNA: NAV. Not Uni, Stat, or Aca, but "navy." Although, while it's commonly United States Naval Academy, some definitions have this as United States National Army. (Just be glad its not in French.)
53. Prince, to a king: SON. (Or a smaller idol to Elvis?)
54. Flamenco shout: OLE.
56. [Theme Reveal]
60. Hardware store purchase: TOOL. (I wanted nail...)
62. World's largest furniture retailer: IKEA. Four letters, what else could it be...
63. Skittish: TIMID. Reminds me of this PSA
64. Radio switch letters: AMFM. Clock switch letters AMPM Did you change your clocks Sunday?
65. Cousin of a gull: TERN. (Why does this sound like an insult?)
66. Wiggle room: SPACE. (I need all i can get.)
67. Analogy part: IS TO. (Apropos of...)
68. Named, informally: IDED. Now, I am supposed to space out words when they are crammed together. Like IsTo above. But when i space this one, it comes out "Id Ed'?
69. Winter transport: SLED. (Perfect Segway to slide into the Downs...)
Down:
1. Some round earrings: HOOPS.
2. Fruitlessly: IN VAIN.
3. Built to last: STURDY.
4. Sidewalk ice melter: SALT. Magnesium chloride is considered the least toxic, but a Google search reveals vinegar will work! Or if you want to track it through the house, cat litter, coffee grounds, sand, and, wait? What's this? Beet Juice??? (Imagine tracking that thru the house...)
5. "Big" name in the Coen brothers' filmography: LEBOWSKI.
6. Small building block: ATOM. Aren't you glad they don't hurt when you step on them, like Legos...
7. House of cards?: CASINO. Now this was a clever clue
8. Sharing a common culture: ETHNIC.
9. Sheet of ice: FLOE. Kinda sounds like when you slip on it. Yes/no?
10. Cairo-based carrier from 1982 to 2021: AIR SINAI. I guess El Al wouldn't fit...
11. Govt. intel org.: NSA. (Shhhh...)
12. Actress Gadot: GAL. If you say so?
14. Reed who directed three "Ant-Man" films: PEYTON. (Also if you say so...)
21. Forbidden acts: NONOS. Not putting a spaces between words are No Nos on the Blog
22. Edmonton CFL team: ELKS. ( i really wanted Oilers, its the only Canadian team i know.)
27. Shrek, for one: OGRE. (With three, count em, three movies!)
28. Phased-out fast planes, for short: SSTS. (Because they weren't shhhh...)
30. Casual "They can do what they want": LETEM. Ok, now this one I'm not sure. Do I put in a space or what?
31. Princeton athlete: TIGER. I dunno, the way they change team names these days, tomorrow it might be something else.
32. Hong Kong's Bank of China Tower architect: I.M. PEI.
35. Sarge's charges: PFCS. Private First Class
36. Soothing additive in some cosmetics: ALOE. No. I am "NOT" posting "that" pic...
37. Like Muenster and Monterey Jack: SEMISOFT.
39. Spot for a bowler to hang: HAT STAND. Hmm, see "the dude abides" above...
40. Detroit beer baron Bernhard: STROH. New too me, I tried to research what their beer was called, but all i got was the trivia that they were known as The Lion Brewing Company from 1875 to 1885. After all that Googling, i could really use a brewsky...
59. Sounds in pounds: YIPS. (Not Arfs...)
60. __ chi: martial art: TAI.
61. Meditation sounds: OMS.
5. Veil material: LACE. (What are you trying to hide?)
9. Venom-dispensing tooth: FANG. (Or, Phyllis Dillers Husband...)
13. Like draft beer: ONTAP.
Did you know you can get one for your home?
It's called a Kegerator!
(Get one & I'll come visit you...)
15. Division d'une nation: ETAT. French, it is in my "do not discuss file." Like Religion & Politics.
16. Simpson kid who plays the sax: LISA. My fav episode:
17. Small egg: OVULE. Hmm, seems to be getting bigger. Didn't it used to be Ova?
18. Claptrap: BOSH. One of the rarer synonyms, along with blather, blether, tripe, but its all hogwash to me...
19. Face-to-face exam: ORAL. Reminds me i have a dentist appt.
20. [Themer]
23. Punk musician Vicious: SID.
I'm only familiar with this Sid...
24. Pull from behind: TOW. Pull from behind means something completely different to me:
25. Soccer score: NIL.
26. Apple mobile platform: IOS. I'm working on one. It would be nice if they didn't change everything with every update...
29. [Themer]
33. Ramen mushroom: ENOKI. My Sushi place has them wrapped in bacon!
Yummers!
34. Sassy: SMART. (I am not... :(
35. Blast from the __: PAST.
38. Sounds of regret: SIGHS.
41. Baked desserts: PIES.
42. Group of ships: FLEET.
44. Instruction on a Wonderland cake: EATME.
Or an Animal House Parade Float
51. Twice tre: SEI. Now, here you guys are going to have to help "me" out... I thought it might be French, but Google is not helping. And why don't they have "twice" in its foreign language anyway? Sheesh, I have enough trouble with English...
52. Pt. of USNA: NAV. Not Uni, Stat, or Aca, but "navy." Although, while it's commonly United States Naval Academy, some definitions have this as United States National Army. (Just be glad its not in French.)
53. Prince, to a king: SON. (Or a smaller idol to Elvis?)
54. Flamenco shout: OLE.
56. [Theme Reveal]
60. Hardware store purchase: TOOL. (I wanted nail...)
62. World's largest furniture retailer: IKEA. Four letters, what else could it be...
63. Skittish: TIMID. Reminds me of this PSA
64. Radio switch letters: AMFM. Clock switch letters AMPM Did you change your clocks Sunday?
65. Cousin of a gull: TERN. (Why does this sound like an insult?)
66. Wiggle room: SPACE. (I need all i can get.)
67. Analogy part: IS TO. (Apropos of...)
68. Named, informally: IDED. Now, I am supposed to space out words when they are crammed together. Like IsTo above. But when i space this one, it comes out "Id Ed'?
69. Winter transport: SLED. (Perfect Segway to slide into the Downs...)
Down:
1. Some round earrings: HOOPS.
2. Fruitlessly: IN VAIN.
3. Built to last: STURDY.
4. Sidewalk ice melter: SALT. Magnesium chloride is considered the least toxic, but a Google search reveals vinegar will work! Or if you want to track it through the house, cat litter, coffee grounds, sand, and, wait? What's this? Beet Juice??? (Imagine tracking that thru the house...)
5. "Big" name in the Coen brothers' filmography: LEBOWSKI.
The Dude Abides
6. Small building block: ATOM. Aren't you glad they don't hurt when you step on them, like Legos...
7. House of cards?: CASINO. Now this was a clever clue
8. Sharing a common culture: ETHNIC.
9. Sheet of ice: FLOE. Kinda sounds like when you slip on it. Yes/no?
10. Cairo-based carrier from 1982 to 2021: AIR SINAI. I guess El Al wouldn't fit...
11. Govt. intel org.: NSA. (Shhhh...)
12. Actress Gadot: GAL. If you say so?
14. Reed who directed three "Ant-Man" films: PEYTON. (Also if you say so...)
21. Forbidden acts: NONOS. Not putting a spaces between words are No Nos on the Blog
22. Edmonton CFL team: ELKS. ( i really wanted Oilers, its the only Canadian team i know.)
27. Shrek, for one: OGRE. (With three, count em, three movies!)
28. Phased-out fast planes, for short: SSTS. (Because they weren't shhhh...)
30. Casual "They can do what they want": LETEM. Ok, now this one I'm not sure. Do I put in a space or what?
31. Princeton athlete: TIGER. I dunno, the way they change team names these days, tomorrow it might be something else.
32. Hong Kong's Bank of China Tower architect: I.M. PEI.
35. Sarge's charges: PFCS. Private First Class
36. Soothing additive in some cosmetics: ALOE. No. I am "NOT" posting "that" pic...
37. Like Muenster and Monterey Jack: SEMISOFT.
39. Spot for a bowler to hang: HAT STAND. Hmm, see "the dude abides" above...
40. Detroit beer baron Bernhard: STROH. New too me, I tried to research what their beer was called, but all i got was the trivia that they were known as The Lion Brewing Company from 1875 to 1885. After all that Googling, i could really use a brewsky...
P.S. auto correct changed brewsky to brew sky. I think the universe is telling me to cut out the space in the words jokes...
43. Prepare to play, as a piano: TUNE. This could have been a lot of things, but did you know that in order to tune a piano, you need a hammer? How to videos available upon request...
45. Some French Impressionist works: MANETS. (Not Monets.) and not what spellcheck wanted either. Monteys? Really?
47. Island in French Polynesia: TAHITI. Ahhh yes, perfectly cozy for a winter puzzler...
48. Conjured up: EVOKED. Tahiti evoked me in a hammock, sipping cocktails on the beach.
49. Unexceptional: NORMAL. What me? Never!
50. Artificial water channel: SLUICE. There are a lot of images to choose from, but this little one saves a lot of work when panning for gold
55. Shut down: ENDED. Nope, not yet...
57. Patron saint of sailors: ELMO. This was before the cuddly toy, see St.Elmos fire:
58. "Where __ we?": WERE.
43. Prepare to play, as a piano: TUNE. This could have been a lot of things, but did you know that in order to tune a piano, you need a hammer? How to videos available upon request...
45. Some French Impressionist works: MANETS. (Not Monets.) and not what spellcheck wanted either. Monteys? Really?
47. Island in French Polynesia: TAHITI. Ahhh yes, perfectly cozy for a winter puzzler...
48. Conjured up: EVOKED. Tahiti evoked me in a hammock, sipping cocktails on the beach.
49. Unexceptional: NORMAL. What me? Never!
50. Artificial water channel: SLUICE. There are a lot of images to choose from, but this little one saves a lot of work when panning for gold
55. Shut down: ENDED. Nope, not yet...
57. Patron saint of sailors: ELMO. This was before the cuddly toy, see St.Elmos fire:
58. "Where __ we?": WERE.
59. Sounds in pounds: YIPS. (Not Arfs...)
60. __ chi: martial art: TAI.
61. Meditation sounds: OMS.
And here's the Grid:
Hope to see you in the comments section.
CE:D out...
Notes from C.C.:
1) Welcome aboard, dear Dave! Thank you for sticking with it and learning the ropes on the iPad. Your persistence really shows.
2) Inanehiker and her husband Mark visited me on Sunday. Such a joy to finally meet Nina in person and share stories beyond the blog. We were also joined by my crossword collaborator and friend Tom Pepper.
 |
| Left to Right: Tom, Mark, Nina and C.C. |
20 comments:
Well, I started off on the
wrong foot, confidently laying down “party platform.” However, when none of the perps seemed to jibe, I soon corrected myself and finished this, as it turned out, not very difficult puzzle in style.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
That SLED at 69a also has runners. Mine was a Flexible Flyer. This was an easy romp. Thanx, Jeff. Congrats on your debut, C-E-D -- excellent. Methinks something's changed with blogger; once again, none of the embedded videos worked with FireFox.
Off for my last of three dental "distractions" this morning. I'm sorry to see 'em go.
Enjoyed the puzzle and the review. Thx, C-E-D (or should it be C-E D, maybe C E D. Oh, enuf CED).
FIR. This was definitely a Tuesday puzzle, fast and easy fill. I had no problems at all. The theme was fun and the reveal completed it for me.
My only error was stupidly throwing down party nominate at 20A instead of party nominees. The perps quickly corrected me. What was I thinking?
So overall a most enjoyable puzzle.
Loved Jeff's perfect-for-Tuesday puzzle with a clever reveal. Congratulations to CED for his debut blog post. Thx for helping out a fellow blogger in need! Great to see InaneHiker dropping in on C.C. Gotta run. Moving Mom to California today.
strohs ! didn't really care for it!
FIR without erasure. I thought this one was an easy puzzle disguised as a difficult one. Having OVULE ETAT, BOSH and ENOKI up north made it a little hard to get a foothold, but suddenly everything fell into place.
I think TOW would have been better clued as "pull behind" without the "from."
IOS is driving be crazy. My first iPhone (17) "forgets" appointments on its calendar. Restarting the phone causes it to "remember." I have to remember that I have the appointment to notice that the iPhone has forgotten it.
SEE HOW THEY RUN evoked The Beatles' Lady Madonna.
I guess from comments so far that STROHs is a regional brand. Can't remember any of their jingles, but I know that I drank my share (and probably yours) back in the day.
I can't find a link to this scene, but in Casey's Shadow Walter Matthew tells a cohort that he'll get so rich he can "retire to TAHITI, where the women don't wear no tops." (I found the movie trailer with that line near the end, but I'm too lazy to edit it down.)
Thanks to Jeff for the fun, Tuesday level puzzle. And thanks to CED for the nice job of pinch hitting.
What on Earth did your mom do to deserve such harsh punishment?
This Tuesday puzzle was more Wednesday like for me. Only LGTEM was impossible to guess, all perps needed. LGTM without the E is "Looks Good To Me." I was expecting an acronym. OH! LETEM is let them.
TRE is Italian for three. Twice TRE is SEI, Italian for six.
I remember the old time Stroh's beer. ST perps suggested it. Stroh's is not so popular these days.
Although, I am definitely not a fan, Sid Vicious is such an awful name, it sticks in my mind.
I like enoki mushrooms, but can' imagine them with bacon. I prefer to wrap bacon around scallops or water chestnuts.
To all you vets, thank you for your service.
Good Morning:
This was a fresh idea for a theme and execution and an enjoyable one at that. The themers were all solid phrases and the fill, even with familiar words, required some thought. Peyton was unknown and I was looking for an actor’s name, not a character’s name for the Coen brother’s clue, but fair perps led to a smooth and rapid solve.
Thanks, Jeff, and thanks, CED, and congrats on your impressive debut as a Blogger. You did a great job of pinch hitting and your quirky humor was an added touch. I enjoyed the videos but the highlight was the various cute kitties.
Great photos, CC, of your visit with Nina, Mark, and Tom. I’m always happy to see fellow blog members meet in person.
I’m back online, thankfully. Several days without use of my iPad were not pleasant.
Have a great day.
This was a perfect a Monday puzzle IMHO. I ran through this in no time. Although I didn’t know PEYTON as clued, it filled easily with perps.
Thank you CED, a great debut. I really liked the bear-cat video. That was more than just a HISS from that fearless cat.
Oops one a too many,
Took 4:38 today to finish the sprint.
I didn't know the French (etat), the Italian (sei), the Egyptian airline (Air Sinai), or this "Peyton." But, I knew the Actress of the Day (Gal). "Bosh"?
Thank you to all the veterans out there. I appreciate all of your service and sacrifice.
Thanks for all the kind words!
I did the puzzle almost two weeks ago, and learned the hard way how much work it is to write one of these reviews. I have a new appreciation for all that our Bloggers do. I do not have my computer with me at the moment, so it was an interesting Helen Keller routine trying to cut and paste (more like whack a mole) on an iPad. Not to mention screenshots, and videos. ( haven't figured out GIFs yet...) but I love all that you can learn on this Blog, and so I am happy to help out in any way I can.
Speaking of learning, I did this puzzle almost two weeks ago,,,
(Did I say that already. I don't remember...)
And the scariest thing is I did the puzzle again this morning, and there were parts i actually had to work on! I also FIW'd! (But it was a fat fingered typo, phew...)
I meant I can't imagine them with bacon, not can' imagine. It seems I have to tap the T key harder than the others.
Dave, great pinch hitting. Thanks for your patience and your wonderful humor.
Just an addendum to yesterday's puzzle, (more of a curiosity really.) I wonder if the constructor was more witty than we knew, or if it was just a coincidence...
It wasn't discussed, (and I can understand why) but the clue:
48. Suits found on many a beach bum?: THONGS.
Everyone took beach bum to mean :
A "beach bum" is a person who spends a lot of time at the beach, enjoying a carefree and laid-back lifestyle. While it can refer to a person who is a devoted beachgoer, it can also mean a homeless person who lives on the coast or a surfer who spends much of their time by the water. The term is sometimes associated with a "do-nothing" attitude and has been featured in popular culture, most notably in the 2019 film The Beach Bum.
Now, all your dictionary's state the above meaning, but in Australia, your "bum" is something you sit on... taken in this context, the clue is quite the double entendre...
I think its Tuesday.
Musings
-What a pleasure to be on board the initial voyage of the USS CED!
-I saw the “run” gimmick before the reveal which I thought was very clever
-When I take kids to the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, KS, we also visit the 650’ deep salt mine there that sells its product for cities to use to melt ice.
-Some ETHNIC beliefs and practices have to be subordinated to achieve “E Pluribus Unum”.
-PEYTON Manning and Place got kicked to the back of the line
-What a great picture of you, Nina, Nina's husband and Tom. I had lunch with Nina in Lincoln last year and enjoyed her company immensely!
-I am up to a modest 67-day streak in Wordle and that now EVOKES some trepidation each day to keep the streak alive. BTW, Dave, I have not used your strategy. :-)
-We are out the door to put out Christmas wreaths at the cemeteries. Doing it now is the earliest we have ever done so but the ground will not be frozen!
Is there a term for a puzzle that is easier than a "walk in the park?" This might have been my easiest solve ever.
But....last (and every) time I saw a car or trailer being towed, it was being pulled from the front. 🤔
I really liked this puzzle. It had quite a few unknowns, (at least to me!) But perps were fair and the V-8 cans and D'ohs! outnumbered the WTFs. Great job on the recap, CED! To all the Veterans out there, thanks! - From a former soldier...E Co. 2/35th Inf., 4th inf. Div. And C Troop, 2/17th Cavalry, 101st Airborne Div.
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