U HAUL
This is my third installment blogging an LA Times crossword from Daniel - the one I reviewed almost a year ago had a similar symmetry, being mirrored on the Y-axis. I have a mixed opinion about this one; on the one hand, it's clever, with a meta-clue reveal, but then I seem to think that either the "shape" of the puzzle's symmetry needed to somehow 'reflect' the "U" shape as well - OR - perhaps more than just three "U" entries~? It feels as though the answers to 22- and 42A., 9- & 11-letter fills, might have been part of the theme as well. YMMV. I count eight names, NINE abbrs, with twenty-three 3LWs but no circles in a standard-sized grid. The themers and reveal;
17. *Device whose poles are close together: HORSESHOE MAGNET
31. Ed Sheeran hit, and a phonetic hint to the answers to the starred clues: SHAPE OF YOU - Not my "thing" - all I know about this artist is that at one time he was the biggest name in music - here in the 21st century - with a #1 album and singles ( his Wiki ), but I can't listen to most of the material coming from "musicians" lately; it all sounds digitized and just lacking depth, IMHO. Here's the video, which happens to mention "magnet";
the "attraction" @ 0:59
And Away U Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Deep purple berry: ACAI - Deep Purple "Blackmore" berry
Closer to my "thing"
5. Worker with lots to attend to?: VALET - parking lots, har-har
10. Actor Guinness: ALEC - name #1, but "U" know he portrayed "Obi Wan"
14. Primer, e.g.: COAT - paint, not reading
15. "Who gives a hoot?" response: "I CARE."
"What do U think of her~?" - Luke's respone to Princess Leia
16. "De __": "Gracias" response: NADA - Espaniol #1, translates to "Of Nothing" = U R Welcome
20. Rio Grande city: EL PASO - name #2
21. Fusses with feathers: PREENS
22. Find a valuable deposit underground: STRIKE OIL - Great fill, but how 'bout BIKE LOCKS~?
26. Rage: MANIA
29. Actress Long: NIA - name #3, this actress
30. Compact __: DISCS - CDs
34. "You said it!": "AMEN~!" - "U" said it~?
35. Once-__: quick studies: OVERS
37. Spiced tea: CHAI
38. Snap: PIC
39. Lattice for vines: TRELLIS
41. Starter course, informally: APPetizer - not going smart phone this week
42. Chess piece on f1 or f8: KING'S BISHOP - another great fill, just not what U'd expect
45. Home __: DEPOT - HD is like my second home . . . .
47. Khaki kin: TAN
48. The Most Stuf cookies: OREOS - and there U are, in a crossword again
51. Actor/director Ken: OLIN - name #4
52. Misplaces: LOSES
54. NYSE listing: CORPoration
55. 128 oz.: GALLon - could have saved an abbr here and gone with
a GAL in turkey socks~!
56. Wipe data from: ERASE - Are U sure~?
57. Medication-approving gp.: FDA - Food and Drug Administration
58. Exercise similar to yoga: PILATES
61. Floofy canine breed: SAMOYED - Not sure I would have understood "floofy", but I do the Down clues first, had most of the crossings, and the rest was easy to fill out on this one
I will be seeing my buddy Cooper tomorrow~!
Still no luck with a pet of my own, but I am not giving up
64. Battery terminals: ANODES
65. Spanish title: SENORA - Espaniol #2
66. Cry after a successful team effort: "WE WON~!" - there's no "U" in TEAM . . .
67. Plain awful: LOUSY - probably how the other team feels . . . .
1. Tooth trouble: ACHE
2. "Sweet!": "COOL~!"
3. Lobby group for seniors: AARP - American Association of Retired Peoples - I qualified in February four years ago, at least in terms of age - but - I am a looooong way from being able to retire.
4. "What a terrible thing to do": IT'S A SIN - It's A Song - from Pet Shop Boys, classic 80s, which is more my "thing" - but even better, here's Ghost doing a metal-style cover
5. Helmet attachment: VISOR - I tried SPIKE - hey, it's attached, too...and it's called a pickelhaube
6. German cry of dismay: ACH - Ach~! I put my helmet on upside down~!
7. Southeast Asian language: LAO - spoken in, uh, Laos . . .name(ish)
8. Before, in ballads: ERE
9. Arrangement speed: TEMPO - not how fast U can deliver flowers . . . .
10. Remarkably well-behaved: ANGELIC - I do not recall being referred to as this when growing up
11. Bowling assignment: LANE
12. Garden that needs no improvement: EDEN - Perhaps the fruit should have been kept out of reach~?
13. Pets with toe beans: CATS - I tried DOGS
18. Spanish pronoun: ESTA - Espaniol #3
19. Very dry: ARID - like my humor
23. Wall Street figures: INVESTORS - I was thinking BROKERS
25. Tendency of an eager beaver, maybe: EARLINESS - I'll get up at 4am on Black Friday for these
26. Poster on a subway wall: MAP - my first thought was ADS
27. Friend who likely celebrates Bastille Day: AMI - that friend would be Frawnche
32. Topper in a Super Mario costume: CAP
33. Taste: SIP - don't overdo the spirits this weekend
35. Alternative to com: ORG - internet domains; COMpany and ORGanization
36. Member of the fam: SIS - based on its location in the grid, I figured it was SISter
39. Blast letters: TNT
40. Cable TV abbr.: SHOwtime - abbr #10
43. Cyclotron particle: ION
44. Lumbering Tolkien creature: ORC - or ENT~? name(ish) #5
45. Apt tattoo for a lover of pooches: DOG PAW - I see so many twenty- and thirty-something girls at the gym, covered in tats - legs, arms, whole sleeves - looks "dirty" to me . . . . just my humble opinion
Subtle, and more appealing
46. "Seinfeld" role for Julia: ELAINE - yada yada yada name #6
49. Calls for takeout: ORDERS - I caved in and got General Tso's chicken last Friday
50. "Me time" outing: SPA DAY - I figure my gym trainer is gonna let me slide this weekend 😜
52. Winery discard: LEES
53. Sail the seven __: SEAS - Rhyming answers, LEES and SEAS
59. "Without further __ ... ": ADO - "Let us, tomato . . . . "
60. Decimal base: TEN
62. Voice artist Blanc: MEL - name #7 - Pork Pig's history
Well, not quite . . . . ono more clue
63. Singer Yoko: ONO - name #8
Splynter
Today's puzzle has a "Grid Flow" of 41.8 - by comparison, the Holy Grail puzzle two weeks ago was low - only 15.9 - basically, it's the crossings that give you connectivity to a section with more than a single letter . . . .
And the solution with low Flow:
Just a curiosity
HAPPY THANKSGIVING~!
Well, I got it. And that’s
ReplyDeletefine. But what I didn’t get was the theme - I didn’t get that at all until I came on this site. Oh well, FIR, so I’m happy.
FIR, but strap->VISOR, and earlyness->EARLINESS (bad spelars of the world UNTIE!) Gotta be a good puzzle if it contains CATS and DOGs.
ReplyDeleteIn Loggins and Messina’s big hit Your Mama Don’t Dance there’s a lyric “If you're out on a date and you bring it home late IT'S A SIN."
In the Eurythmics big hit Sweet Dreams, they travel the world and the seven SEAS.
Thanks to Daniel for the fun puzzle. My favorite was the fresh clue for the stale AMI. And thanks to Splynter for another fun tour. Like you, I’m pretty sure that ANGELIC is an adjective that’s never been used with my name. Just a reminder - while it's true that there is no "U" in TEAM, there is an "M" and an "E".
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteFailed to notice that there was a theme...or a reveal, for that matter. [Sigh] Still, it was an enjoyable exercise. Hand up for that helmet STRAP, and with "Lumbering" in the clue, d-o immediately inked in ENT -- the tree creature. Wite-Out, please. Thanx, Daniel and Splynter.
It’s always nice to see a puzzle from a fellow “NICK” especially if Splynter is providing the commentary. I obviously forgot to hit send on my birthday wish to Picard, bout you all did well. I agree the theme seems unnecessary but it must have appealed to Daniel and the editors. My unknown is what is a toe bean?
ReplyDeleteI agree about tattoos but my sons and their wives could care less what I think. Of course I was taught that you shouldn’t mess with a divine creation.
Thanks Daniel and Richard