Theme: Addition can sometimes be better than subtraction ... OR ... am I adding or losing some (L)B's?
Puzzling thoughts:
First, this is my last recap/blog of 2025. Second, since we are one week before Christmas, my recap today will be more brief than usual
Now, with regards to today's puzzle, this is not the first Samantha Podos Nowak puzzle I've blogged. One of her earlier efforts was a collaboration with LAT assistant editor, Katie Hale. Samantha, like I, came into constructing puzzles after/during the Covid pandemic. In fact, she and I both had a puzzle that ran the same day (her's at WSJ and mine at LAT) but that's just a coincidence ...
Today's puzzle has an interesting theme, based on a famous line in a Shakespeare play:
36-across. Soliloquy dilemma, and a phonetic hint to 17-, 25-, 51-, and 61-Across: TO BE OR NOT TO BE. I checked a few sources, and surprisingly this entry has not been seen in a published xword puzzle in almost a decade, and obviously, not used with this set of entries:
17-across. "Pencils, down!" for one: TIMBERLINE. The "Be(B)" or Not to Be(B") is highlighted in the entry. Use the B and the entry means - literally - the upper limit of tree growth (usually in mountainous regions). Such as this:
But if you eliminate the B the clue fits the "not to be(B)" meaning. Think of when you were taking a timed test in school and the proctor calls out: "Pencils, down!" I guess (stretching one's imagination) that this would be a TIMER "LINE"
25-across. "What I did last summer" essay penned by a lifeguard?: POOL TABLE. A pool table should not be mistaken for a billiards table. Likewise, if you are working a summer part-time job as a lifeguard, you probably don't want to go off telling pool tales or this might happen:
51-across. Ice cream truck jingle, e.g.?: SUGAR CUBE. When was the last time you saw a sugar cube served in a restaurant?
Now lose the B and you get a semi-ridiculous answer that fits another semi-ridiculous clue ... I never thought of the jingle from an ice cream truck as a sugar CUE. You can thank me later for the earworm I am about to inject you with, once you click on the "play" button on the video below:
61-across. Fee for a reunion dinner?: ALBUM COVER. With the B you get this:
 |
| IMO, the best ALBUM, ever |
Without the B you get a goofy answer to a goofy clue. At my latest HS reunion, the "ALUM COVER" was $50 which included the cost of renting the venue and what turned out to be a pretty good buffet dinner. Here is a picture from mine this past September:
So, Moe, if you didn't like SUGAR CUBE entry, what would you have suggested, instead? Ok, here:
51-across. Preserves made by artisans from Wisconsin resort county? DOOR JAMBS - but alas, this one would be cut as the B in JAMBS is silent ...
How about: Comment from a Jewish kid when he realizes spring break is over? SCHOOLBOY
The Grid:
I will address the words I disliked or stumbled with in the other clues/answers, below
1. "Black Widow" singer Rita: ORA. She is not a singer that I listen to, so this one sat for a while before the perps appeared
4. Oodles: STACKS. Another that took some time to fill
10. Harvest: CROP. REAP also fits
14. Loonie currency, briefly: CAD. For some reason I thought CND would be the answer; but come on, even for a Friday the clue for cad should've been for a noun, not an abbreviation
15. Prestige: CACHET. It's interesting to note that when I asked the Thesaurusaurus for a synonym for cachet it provided me with prestige - but when I asked for a synonym for prestige it gave me this:
16. Lentil pancake: DOSA. This word has been used somewhat often @ both Universal Crosswords and USA Today. Mostly since 2020. Was this a food item that was introduced during COVID that C-Moe possibly ignored? I don't think I have ever had one (or two)
And of course, my puerile brain had to think of a Moe-ku:
Do Indian chef's
Like Square Dancing? They must. They
Do the DOSA-dough
[theme entry]
19. Scattered: SOWN. I originally spelled this SEWN; then, realized my mistake (which left me in stitches)
20. More than half of the world's population: ASIANS.
21. Courtroom figs.: D.A.s. Again, a clue for an abbreviation, when the clue could have been: German article (DER, DIE, and DAS) and have been just as difficult (IMO)
23. Brief read?: MAG. What's with all of the abbreviations? Sheesh
24. Curriculum __: VITAE. After watching this video, I am perfectly happy being retired!
[theme entry]
28. USN rank: ENS. Maybe I should have started counting abbr's ...
29. Hotel bar: SOAP. My mind immediately thought "MINI"
31. Burrito option: ASADA. As in "carne asada". Asada translates to the English "grilled". Personally, I prefer El Pastor burritos
32. Alien-seeking org.: SETI. Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence - and the abbr's continue
34. Bind: TIE.
35. Class with pastels: ART.
[reveal of the theme]
41. Sculpture medium: ICE. Phil Conners was quite the ice sculptor, as depicted in this movie by (54-across. "Groundhog Day" writer/director) Harold RAMIS.
42. Bygone JFK carrier: TWA. I'm done panning all of the abbreviations ... if I see another one, I will ignore it and move on, FWIW
43. Silver State city: RENO. Silver State = Nevada
45. Fountain spot, perhaps: PLAZA.
48. Staffer: AIDE.
50. Keebler baker: ELF. Moe-ku:
Michael Bloomberg's one
Of the shortest billionaires
He's an ELF-made-man
[theme entry]
56. Slip: ERR.
57. __ Quixote: DON.
58. From the beginning: DE NOVO. Our Latin word-of-the-day
59. Luau strings: UKES.
[theme entry]
64. Bambi, for one: DEER. FAWN also fits
65. Afternoon trayful: TEA SET. SCONES also fits
66. QB mistake: INT.
67. Ish: OR SO. Ballpark estimate might have worked as a clue, too
68. Knight mares: STEEDS. While this definition doesn't specify, a steed can be either a stallion or a mare - and since it can be a female horse, it allowed Samantha (or maybe Patti) to use this witty clue
69. Season opener?: ESS. For those who don't "get" the wordplay, season opener usually refers to the first MLB game of the new year - but here, it's the starting letter in the word, season
Down:
1. So-so ranges?: OCTAVES. Sometimes clues go too far ... but I am guessing that whoever came up with this one was referring to the "do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do" range, which is also an octave
9. Take the wrong way?: STEAL. This word (steal) is among the more popular starting words for the online game, Wordle
10. Common PC inserts, once: CDS.
11. Floor model?: ROOMBA. Model, as in which model Roomba would you purchase for cleaning your floor. The one on the left below looks pretty functional, to me
12. The Penguin's first name: OSWALD. Seriously?
13. Supercontinent of the late Paleozoic Era: PANGEA. And if you just got over the previous clue/answer ...
18. Sheepish remark: BAA.
22. Tee off: START. As in the start of a golf hole
25. Two of a kind: PAIR. What's your favorite pair? These?
26. Bill with round numbers?: OPEN TAB. More wordplay in this clue ...
27. Mary of "The Maltese Falcon": ASTOR. Also known as Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke
30. Oklahoma Natives: OTOE. So, Otoe is also the plural?
33. Island near Majorca: IBIZA. Okay. I've been pretty lenient about the obscurity of many of today's words. And honestly, a couple of "odd" words for a Friday are OK if the puzzle venue specifies that. But the LA Times Friday puzzles lately have been anything but consistent. IBIZA, PANGEA, OSWALD, ROOMBA, KENDO, RAISINET, SETI, VITAE, DOSA (and I still have a few more words to recap ...)
35. Little bit: A TAD. You think I am a tad frustrated by today's puzzle? I don't think I will be the only one
37. Digital greeting: E-CARD.
38. Tot's bruise: OWIE.
39. Animated film in which Renée Zellweger voices a florist named Vanessa Bloome: BEE MOVIE. I wonder if one of the possible titles for this film was "To Bee or Not to Bee"?
40. Spices up: ENLIVENS. I suppose you could say that Moe-kus enlivens my recaps (44-down. In a way:) OF SORTS.
45. Ersatz: PSEUDO. Don't believe this answer; it's fake
46. Forum visitor who never posts: LURKER. How many lurkers do we have at this forum? I'm guessing it's in the hundreds - maybe more
47. Sees eye to eye: AGREES.
49. Raises: ERECTS.
52. Checked garments: COATS. Do restaurants still have coat check rooms?
53. Still in need of tenants: UNLET. Can we add unlet to the list of weird words today?
55. "That's __-brainer!": A NO. [see above] - maybe not
58. Contacted privately, briefly: DM'ED.
60. B'way sign: SRO.
62. Honeybunny: BAE.
63. Capitalize on: USE. Did anyone keep a count of how many abbreviated words there were today? Does anyone use many of these in their normal conversations, written or oral?
[theme entry]
56. Slip: ERR.
57. __ Quixote: DON.
58. From the beginning: DE NOVO. Our Latin word-of-the-day
59. Luau strings: UKES.
[theme entry]
64. Bambi, for one: DEER. FAWN also fits
65. Afternoon trayful: TEA SET. SCONES also fits
66. QB mistake: INT.
67. Ish: OR SO. Ballpark estimate might have worked as a clue, too
68. Knight mares: STEEDS. While this definition doesn't specify, a steed can be either a stallion or a mare - and since it can be a female horse, it allowed Samantha (or maybe Patti) to use this witty clue
69. Season opener?: ESS. For those who don't "get" the wordplay, season opener usually refers to the first MLB game of the new year - but here, it's the starting letter in the word, season
Down:
1. So-so ranges?: OCTAVES. Sometimes clues go too far ... but I am guessing that whoever came up with this one was referring to the "do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do" range, which is also an octave
And for anyone here who learned/played their first scale (octave) on the piano - with "do" being middle C - I trust that you will "get" this Moe-ku:
"So-so ranges" was
The clue. I knew where to start.
Gee, I'm one sharp guy
2. Chocolate-covered bite: RAISINET. Did anyone else think that this chocolate-covered candy was spelled Raisinette?
3. Comes clean about: ADMITS TO. See 2-down for MY confession
4. Tantrums: SCENES. Having just returned from spending time with a 5-1/2 year old grandson, I endured more scenes than a Shakespeare play
5. Works on the road: TARS. Or, sailors on a ship
6. Knee pt.: ACL.
7. Home of the Cubbies and the Bears: CHI.
8. Martial art that began as sword exercises practiced by samurai: KENDO. In Japan, I hear that toy stores are selling a figurine by the same name (Kendo) that's equipped with a sword, a convertible, and a girlfriend named Barbie
2. Chocolate-covered bite: RAISINET. Did anyone else think that this chocolate-covered candy was spelled Raisinette?
3. Comes clean about: ADMITS TO. See 2-down for MY confession
4. Tantrums: SCENES. Having just returned from spending time with a 5-1/2 year old grandson, I endured more scenes than a Shakespeare play
5. Works on the road: TARS. Or, sailors on a ship
6. Knee pt.: ACL.
7. Home of the Cubbies and the Bears: CHI.
8. Martial art that began as sword exercises practiced by samurai: KENDO. In Japan, I hear that toy stores are selling a figurine by the same name (Kendo) that's equipped with a sword, a convertible, and a girlfriend named Barbie
9. Take the wrong way?: STEAL. This word (steal) is among the more popular starting words for the online game, Wordle
10. Common PC inserts, once: CDS.
11. Floor model?: ROOMBA. Model, as in which model Roomba would you purchase for cleaning your floor. The one on the left below looks pretty functional, to me
12. The Penguin's first name: OSWALD. Seriously?
13. Supercontinent of the late Paleozoic Era: PANGEA. And if you just got over the previous clue/answer ...
18. Sheepish remark: BAA.
22. Tee off: START. As in the start of a golf hole
25. Two of a kind: PAIR. What's your favorite pair? These?
26. Bill with round numbers?: OPEN TAB. More wordplay in this clue ...
27. Mary of "The Maltese Falcon": ASTOR. Also known as Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke
30. Oklahoma Natives: OTOE. So, Otoe is also the plural?
33. Island near Majorca: IBIZA. Okay. I've been pretty lenient about the obscurity of many of today's words. And honestly, a couple of "odd" words for a Friday are OK if the puzzle venue specifies that. But the LA Times Friday puzzles lately have been anything but consistent. IBIZA, PANGEA, OSWALD, ROOMBA, KENDO, RAISINET, SETI, VITAE, DOSA (and I still have a few more words to recap ...)
35. Little bit: A TAD. You think I am a tad frustrated by today's puzzle? I don't think I will be the only one
37. Digital greeting: E-CARD.
38. Tot's bruise: OWIE.
39. Animated film in which Renée Zellweger voices a florist named Vanessa Bloome: BEE MOVIE. I wonder if one of the possible titles for this film was "To Bee or Not to Bee"?
40. Spices up: ENLIVENS. I suppose you could say that Moe-kus enlivens my recaps (44-down. In a way:) OF SORTS.
45. Ersatz: PSEUDO. Don't believe this answer; it's fake
46. Forum visitor who never posts: LURKER. How many lurkers do we have at this forum? I'm guessing it's in the hundreds - maybe more
47. Sees eye to eye: AGREES.
49. Raises: ERECTS.
52. Checked garments: COATS. Do restaurants still have coat check rooms?
53. Still in need of tenants: UNLET. Can we add unlet to the list of weird words today?
55. "That's __-brainer!": A NO. [see above] - maybe not
58. Contacted privately, briefly: DM'ED.
60. B'way sign: SRO.
62. Honeybunny: BAE.
63. Capitalize on: USE. Did anyone keep a count of how many abbreviated words there were today? Does anyone use many of these in their normal conversations, written or oral?
I hoped my last puzzle to recap this year could've been more fun. But I have enjoyed doing these; hard to believe it's been 5-1/2 years since I volunteered to blog on C.C.'s LATCC site
Wishing everyone a safe and blessed holiday season - see you next year!
I actually understood
ReplyDeletethe reveal this time, so that’s a good thing. And this puzzle, though intricate, was not that difficult.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteNever got beyond "Soliloquy dilemma..." Wondered at those theme entries until ALbUM COVER appeared. I don't know if my H.S. class still reunes. My last reunion notification arrived in '83. DOSA was the my only total unknown on this one, and the S was easy enough to suss. I enjoyed your offereing, Samatha. Thanx for the recap, C-Moe.
How come the always-intrusive otto-correct didn't fix "offereing?"
Delete“Offereing” - Ha-Ha!
DeleteSleepin’ on the job is it?
I hate aut’correct!
(Bad haiku! Bad girl!🤪😊)
Sophia @ 10:53 ==> very good. These haikus are addictive, yes?
DeleteOui❣️Wee❣️
DeleteCute attempt at a misdirection in 1-D, but it misfired for me. The fifth note in the solfeggio (do-re-mi) system is spelled SOL, not SO.
ReplyDeleteKen@6:55 ==> I thought sol too, but what do I know? I do know that SO/SOL in the key of C is G(ee), and the key of G is written with one # - and that's how MY weird brain works ...
DeleteA so-so vocal range is one OCTAVE. Many singers can do multiple octaves with some like Mariah Carey hitting five!
DeleteTOMAYTO-TOMAHTO?! I also thot she might be playing a bit loose with “so”-“sol”, as the “L” often gets elided when an octave is spoken or sung, especially since next comes “la”. So, it sounds “so-l-a”, and maybe most folks don’t know … “Sol”? And, sol to sol IS an octave “range” … oui? (Huh - 🤔😕 what is “yes” in Italian; how can I not know?) Anyway, so sol.
DeleteSO/SOL has been a problem at least since “The Sound of Music” said it was “a needle pulling thread”
DeleteSO, a needle pulling thread
DeleteEnjoyed all your comments about so/sol. The do-re-mi system is about 1000 years old, and the fifth note got its name from a Latin word whose first syllable is "sol."
DeleteI have a personal anecdote about "The Sound of Music" and that impertinent needle pulling thread, penned by Oscar Hammerstein. I knew his widow Dorothy, and one time she actually brought up with me the "Do-Re-Mi" song. When she first saw the lyrics she informed her husband, "Ockie, 'sew' doesn't rhyme with 'sol'." [I think she was not crazy about "far" pinch-hitting for "fa," either]. He was a bit abashed, but it was too late to change the song.
Anyway, the so/sol mistake is frequently (usually?) made; I guess I was taken aback to see the error in a crossword puzzle.
Thx for your Hammerstein & wife anecdote. I was a bit surprised by her “mis”-use of “so”, and also got her (likely) intended misdirection (wordplay): “so-so” = “meh”, “middling”. And I’m just so in awe of constructors …. Y’all do amazing things with words & information❣️
DeleteWell, I got 96% right but the NE did me in for a DNF, too many blanks to WAG. I stuck with reap, even knowing that the PC inserts were most likely CDS. DNK DOSA, had Arnold which should have been OSWALD, and I flat out didn’t know PANGEA, ‘to let’ became UNLET, I vaguely remember IBIZA, but that perped along with DE NOVO. Thanks Samantha for the Friday challenge, and to C-Moe for your honest opinion and recap of the puzzle. Where are you in the class photo?
ReplyDeleteYooperPhil @ 7:34 ==> third row; 4th from the left
DeleteThanks - nice to have a face w a name! Which might have kept me from confusing Chairman Moe & Husker Gary in my mind as to who blogged today's puzzle, sorry 😊🤦🏼♀️
DeleteTook 10:22 today to begotten done with this one.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know the Actress of the Day (Astor), "dosa," and a few others.
Oddly enough, I mentioned Pangea yesterday when talking with a friend.
I was eventually able to recall "Oswald" from having watched the limited tv series "The Penguin," which was surprisingly great. The lead actor (Colin Farrell) did an incredible transformation. I still haven't seen whichever Batman movie it relates to, but as a standalone series, it's very well done.
Mr. Chairman, strong choice, but I'll take "Whole Lotta Love."
Anonymous @ 8:23 ==> "Whole Lotta Love" is a great song but not on the "Unnamed" (aka, Led Zeppelin IV) album. The first two cuts from LZ IV are epic
DeleteThe ZOSO album is truly a classic, and I play several songs from it, but I was into progressive rock even more: Yes, ELP, Pink Floyd etc.
DeleteFIR, thanks to getting my SWAG @ DOSA x PANGEA. (Scientific, because P_NGEA had to be a vowel, right? A and i looked nearly equally feasible, but A seemed more likely.) Also, scads->STACKS, reap->CROP, seta->SETI, pre->ESS, imed->DMED, and erased, then reentered, CHI.
ReplyDeleteCSO to our C-Eh! at CAD.
The ice cream truck ear worm I can't forget is It's Small World.
SETI - i guess they gave up on finding intelligent life on Earth. Can't say as I blame them.
The parent company of ROOMBA just filed for bankruptcy. That sucks.
OK C Moe, I'll play. My favorite pair is Sydney Sweeney. (Get it? She has a pair of esses in her name. That's what I meant. Honest.)
The Penguin's first name had to be Jack, last name Nicholson. But Jack was too short.
I guess I'm a contrarian, but I really enjoyed this puzzle. Felt like a Bywaters special. Thanks to Samantha for the Friday-worthy challenge. Favorites included "hotel bar" for SOAP, and so-so ranges for OCTAVES. Guess my ignorance of music allowed the moment of bliss. And thanks to our Chairman for another fun review, except that Google is acting cranky and not allowing some of the visuals. It claims that all will be well later. Hope you enjoy the holidays.
Jinx @ 8:30 ==> I just googled Sydney Sweeney and apparently, she recently took a lie detector test to answer whether or not her pair were real or enhanced. Made me think of the Seinfeld episode when Jerry had Elaine check out his new girlfriend Sidra (played by Teri Hatcher) ... "They're real, and they're spectacular"
DeleteWhich brings to mind one of the many mysteries of life: If someone tells you a vacuum cleaner really sucks, is it a good vacuum cleaner or a bad one?
DeleteThe Electrolux slogan used to be "nothing sucks like an Electrolux." And ours was a really good vacuum. My aunt used to sell them door-to-door.
DeleteFIR. This had more than a little bite to it. I managed to get the theme early on and that helped a lot.
ReplyDeleteThe NE was a bear for me. I insisted on going with reap at 10A instead of crop, and that really had me flummoxed. I knew Pangea, but roomba just didn't want to show itself. But the aha moment finally did happen.
Overall an enjoyable puzzle.
Musings
ReplyDelete-Samantha’s article about why people turn to crosswords in times of trouble
-So many fun obstacles that eventually yielded to persistence
-TIM(B)ER LINE made me smile and gave me the gimmick
-DO_A/O_WALD eventually had to be filled with an “ESS”
-This 20’ tall SOWER stands atop Nebraska’s capital building
-Guess where you get these SOAP bars
-I’d wager you’ve heard Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole sing a wonderful of version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow accompanied by his UKE
-Patrick Mahomes’ ACL became a big NFL topic last Sunday
-When I taught a unit of Earth Science, PANGEA was the starting point
-LURKER – Recently a Saturday blog of mine had over 3,500 views and only 47 comments
-The Empire State Building averages about 5% of UNLET space
-Loved your moe-ku infused write-up, Chairman!
Gary @ 10:12 ==> the Chairman is a bit down in the dumps this morning after last night's beat down. I know you and every Nebraskan who's not a Creighton fan was disappointed last Sunday night, and now I and every Pitt fan feel your pain. Five straight Final Fours and five straight times losing the semifinals. Ugh
DeleteIsn’t there a person named Samantha BEE?
DeleteYes there is. She had a talk show on TBS from 2015-2022. Hope that helps.
DeleteTO BE OR NOT TO BE? Well, it wasn't meant TO BE for me today. The NE was a washout, even though I have purchased two ROOMAS. I was stuck on "Harvest" as a verb thought, writing REAP, and kept thinking Read Only Memory. DROP never 'cropped up' in my mind. Duh! The R in REAP wouldn't let CDS appear, but anyway, DOSA and OSWALD were total strangers in my vocabulary. PANGEA or GONDWANA supercontinents would be gimmes if you had studied a lot of geology.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of the puzzle was easy, with DE NOVO and BEE MOVIE as the only other complete unknowns, but at least the perps were solid. Changed BCCD to DMED. The only BAE I know of is Bae's Bakery on Lafayette Street in Gretna, LA. It's as Vietnamese bakery down the street from my granddaughter's house.
Yes, I figured out the trick. But can someone please explain exactly how the theme reveal explains that trick? It is driving me crazy.
ReplyDeleteTo "B" or not to "B". For the answer to match the clue, the offending "B" must be removed.
DeleteThe theme still makes no sense to me. Thanks for trying, desper-otto. Can someone else take a stab at explaining exactly how TO BE OR NOT TO BE is a "phonetic hint" to removing the letter B? NOT TO BE would fit. But how does that full phrase work?
DeleteDNF. The NE got me, although I did guess ROOMBA, but OSWALD, PANGEA and MAG just wouldn’t come.
ReplyDeleteThe SW quickly fell into place once I changed fawn to DEER. 🦌
I got the theme reveal right off, but struggled with the theme entries, especially the SUGAR CUBE one.
Oh, I just noticed I had rENOVO crossing rMED. Bummer.
Thank you C-Moe. You always ENLIVEN your posts with fun Moe-kus.
Friday Failure. Thanks for the workout Samantha, and your honest recap, CMoe.
ReplyDeleteOfficially a DNF as I TITT after several trips to Google in my attempt to finish the NE nightmare corner.
I had Reap which threw me off totally. But DOSA (I found Puda when I Googled “lentil pancake” !??) crossing OSWALD ( as clued) and PANGEA was inhumane IMHO.
But I did get the Hamlet soliloquy theme (great catch on the Easter Egg BEE MOVIE, CMoe).
This Canadian will take a CSO at CAD. (In a previous CW, I entered CDN.)
I spell RAISINET with the “te” ending.
It took a few moments for the Aha with OCTAVES. I use Sol not So in “Doh a deer”.
Wishing you all a great day.
From a real "loon-atic", eh!
DeleteAfter several passes, this puzzle finally backfilled itself with perpage. Not an easy task, but wholly expected after the Wordle that kicked my butt today.
ReplyDeleteHotel bar immediately made me think "butter," which would not fit, and led down the ways to spell oleo... one of several pleasant "aha's" today.
Penguins first name immediately made me think of Batman, but I had no idea. Otoe being clued plural had me wondering, I thought it was "fishy," and "sheepishly" penciled it in. But it turns out, otoe(s) are plural just like fish(es) and sheep(ses...).
Waiting forever for a bus on 2nd avenue, for which there are never any, my friend announced, look! Here comes a herd of beese!
I can't be as dramatic as Hamlets soliloquy, (maybe,) except when riding in a cab home from the airport. You see, you can take one of two exits off the highway, one thru town, (exit 7A) and the other more highway, less town.
Both take exactly 11 minutes to get home. So this would always cause me to ask the driver, exit 2B or not 2B...
CED @ 11:27 ==> my exact words (2B or not 2B) whenever I see an exit sign with that number and letter! Also, today's Wordle was solved by C-Moe in 4 steps. SATYR and PYREX were my key word guesses
DeleteI enjoyed this puzzle, and the elaborations here❣️ Thanks, Samantha and Husker. And, I also always enjoy reading everyone’s comments. But the NE corner kept me from a clean and quick finish. I couldn’t let go verbs “reap” (yes, even tho I too was pretty sure 10D was “CDs”) nor “reads” 🤦🏼♀️; and I didn’t know “Oswald”/“Penguin”. So(l) DNF — well, I finished after help with “crop” and “Oswald”.
ReplyDeleteI went to my 55th HS reunion in 2023; after helping my friend a bit with the planning. I brought along my copies of yearbooks; some folks (including my 30-something daughters) were surprised I’d kept them. It was fun, and a surprise to me was that I connected for the first time with some who had been in very different cliques from mine way back when; so now I have some new (old) Friends❣️ As ever, I wish you all joy & peace in the days (& years) ahead.
Sophia@ 11:28 ==> 'twas I, Chairman Moe (not Husker) writing the blog today. Look for Gary's excellent recap tomorrow. Regarding the 55th HS reunion, the memorabilia included, of course, yearbooks but also a copy of the "Code of Conduct". I had to laugh when I read about what we could and could not wear to school. Our grandkids would just laugh at us
DeleteSophia, I was a year behind you. My little El-Hi only graduated about 30 people per year, so we hold all-year reunions in years that end in "0" and "5". Covid caused the 2020 version to be cancelled, and this year my wife had been in hospice care for 8 months, and I didn't feel like I could travel to attend. I remember that the girls were not allowed to wear jeans to school. I also remember that Home Economics students (all girls) had to wear tacky clothes for a day, and wore signs around their necks saying something like "I'm not dressed OK for school," then the next day they arrived nattily attired and wore signs declaring "I'm dressed appropriately for school."
DeleteThanks, CM, for catching my mistake. I did too, just before seeing this. And thanks for that shout out on my haiku attempt. And, for the pic - I’d love to know each of you by face😊 And, Jinx, I think all-school reunions would be fun; tho, my graduating Class was nearly 800 big; don’t know how many of us.are left, but there were 100+ of us at the last gig. Yeh, even in high school (1965-68), we girls had to wear dresses or skirts; not even nice slacks were allowed. AND, the skirts had to hit mid-knee or longer!! And, socks with closed-toe shoes only. Tho, in 1995, my then 15yo dtr was sent home for wearing “pajama” bottoms to school! And, my grandkids now wear uniforms in public school that we saw only on Catholic-school kids in the 1950-60s. Aren’t we humans just so very strange?!
DeleteHola! This was the perfect level for a Friday. it took just enough time to finish my coffee. CROP replaced REAP and ALEXA helped me with OSWALD, which otherwise I would not have known. PANGEA emerged in the fourth-grade curriculum. Have a lovely day, everyone!
ReplyDeleteSamantha's puzzle had a big DOSA tricky clues that made for a fun challenge! Especially in the NE where I couldn't remember the lentil pancakes - told you my brain was rusty! But it was a bit confusing with the ...NOT TO BE part. I thought some answers would be missing a 'B' instead of creating an odd phrase that fit a wacky clue.
ReplyDeleteSuper way to close out the year, Moe! I'm just getting started, but you are an exemplar of how to do it right. I always love your insights (clever tie-in with the ICE sculptor and Ground Hog Day) and even those Moe-kus!
Good puzzling, Samantha! FIR on paper, no cheating, and enjoyed it. Like others, I changed reaP to CROP in the northeast. The "B" or not to "B" slowly dawned on me in the theme answers, which were helpfully enumerated in the reveal clue. Moe, enjoy your holidays, and thanks for all the answers!
ReplyDeleteI caught onto the theme early on, so that helped with the solve, which was slow-going due to several unknowns: Oswald, Pangea, Kendo, Denovo, etc.
ReplyDeleteUnlet is awkward and Bee Movie sort of stands out like a sore thumb. I’m surprised it was allowed, considering the theme. Overall, I wasn’t thrilled with the theme nor the execution, but that’s a personal reaction.
Thanks, Samantha, and thanks, Moe, for the candid review and the many chuckles at the Moe-kus.
Have a great day.
Thanks for your always entertaining work Moe. Lots of obscurity here but I finally got on track by changing "reap" to "crop". Not knowing "dosa" didn't help. I did manage to WAG it all together. It was a good Friday workout.
ReplyDeleteFinished without help, but not without scorn.
ReplyDeleteThe theme was weak, and there were too many unclever clues that someone thought were clever. “Round” numbers was my least favorite. OWIE and the icky-poo CHI clue were nauseating.
I didn’t feel secure about KENDO and DE NOVO, but the rest came together despite the difficulty of parsing most of the answers while the squares were blank. Harold RAMIS and several three-letter entries gave me my toeholds. Mary ASTOR and IBIZA also required a couple of letters from perps.
I liked 1D and 2D. A one-OCTAVE range is really small for a singer, though it’s common for non-singers. Mel Brooks, in his 1975 Playboy Interview, kept offering the interviewer a RAISINET. Or was it a RAISINETte?
I shared that quandary with Moe, as well as my doubt that a MARE could be a steed (it can). I struggled with PSEUDO, but that’s the kind of crossword struggle I enjoy.
WEES: REAP/CROP. Other W/Os: CAP/ACL, TWIN/PAIR. 11 names, DNK 5, including OSWALD. Also did not know you could make pancakes from lentils, let alone what they are called. So like many others the NE was last to fill. Finally did manage to FIR in 15, not bad time (for me) for a Friday. I did get the clever theme. I've never heard anyone say BAE, only place I see it or hear of it is CWs. And, yes, I too thought they were RAISINETTES. Anyway, fun CW that I did FIR on a Friday, so that's a good thing. Thanx SPN for the fun. And thanx to C.Moe for the terrific write-up, and the always enjoyable Moe Kus.
ReplyDeleteHands up for lurking. Or was that a CSO? While I do tend to latibulate, that's because I usually come to the party late and my observations would have already been voiced by others.
ReplyDeleteDNF. I, too, was done in by the NE corner. Some good clues, but many obscure/poor ones. Really wanted ICE for 32 across, but it didn't fit. I'd give the puzzle 2 out of 5 today.
ReplyDelete"Really wanted ICE for 32 across, but it didn't fit." Ha! Besides, ICE was needed two rows down.
DeleteChallenging but delightful puzzle, Samantha--many thanks for that end of the week pleasure. And your commentary and pictures are always a help, Moe--many thanks for that too.
ReplyDeleteWell, the opening of this puzzle has us thinking we might be on a farm where STACKS OF CROP are piling up, and a TIMELINE makes people waiting to get some SOWN food to enjoy while playing at the POOL TABLE.
After that we'd need to wash our hands with SOAP and put on a TIE before we head to the ART museum at the PLAZA in RENO. There they serve you a SUGAR CUBE or two to help you not to ERR. And if you win the game, you'll be a picture on an ALBUM COVER while hearing UKES play in the background.
And then you'll get a DEER and a TEA SET as a gift to take home, where you can spend some time hanging out with your STEEDS. Sounds like a busy but interesting day, doesn't it?
Have a delightful and healthy weekend, everybody.
DNF; plethora of unknowns; will never find the “puzzle within the puzzle” feature enjoyable or helpful; not enjoyable at all today
ReplyDeleteNot a lot to add - but it was a challenging but eventually solvable puzzle - glad that PANGEA finally had some use
ReplyDeleteI thought of a second meaning with TIMBER LINE as the pencils were made of wood
I waited for perps with DEER vs FAWN. LEarning moment was that STEEDS can be male or female
I just like the clue word ersatz
Thanks CM for the fun blog and Samantha for the interesting puzzle
NO FUN !!!
ReplyDeleteI required several lookups to solve this puzzle. Didn't love it but didn't hate it either; it kinda left me giving a shrug and coming here to read all your comments.
ReplyDelete