E
N
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STRIKE
The previous LA Times "Z-D-L" puzzle was one I blogged on Wednesday back in November - the Monty Python and the Holy Grail "just a flesh wound" masterpiece - if you happen to be a fan . . . Today Mr. Levy's construction features four themers that have a synonym for "speak" going UP the Down fills, but defined as its homonym; I was perplexed as to why I could not get the answer for 9D to gibe with the crossings, until - the V-8 can. Not too difficult for a Friday, IMO, but we get a bit bogged down with the names again; a standard 15 x 15 grid, more than double the number of four-letter words to 3LWs, no circles, and missing only the "Q" for a pangram *. The themers and reveal;
4. Fast service: SSERPXE MAIL - Express is spelled "up" in the grid
9. Seize-the-day type: OG GETTER - here's where I sussed the theme, as I knew it had to be "GO"
27. Many a land-grant university: ETATS SCHOOL - State, going "up"
40. Hogwash: RETTU ROT - Utter, going "up"
25. Comment to a low talker, or what is found in 4-, 9-, 27-, and 40-Down: SPEAK UP - here's the collection of scenes from the "low talker" episode of Seinfeld
She appeared in court for the finale, too
e
t r e
t i e r
u a h o
B W T M
ACROSS:
1. Sticks (out): JUTS - AND it's crossing - 1D. Talked and talked: JAWED ( and a theme Easter Egg )
Now there's a juts/jawed combo
5. Site of an 1836 siege: ALAMO - starting with a geo name, #1
10. Got 100% on: ACED
14. Latin 101 word: AMAS
15. Enter again, as data: RELOG - a bit meh
16. Opera star: DIVA
17. Rouse: WAKE
18. Greg Maddux's record 18: GOLD GLOVES - I know so little about baseball, I started with NO HITTERS, but it didn't fit - name #2
20. "Self-Reliance" essayist: EMERSON - ah - Ralph Waldo; learning moment; more here - name #3
22. __ urchin: SEA
23. Sorta: "ISH" - many crossword clues/answers of late have drifted too far towards "ish"
24. Challenges, as a credit card charge: DISPUTES
26. Neutrogena product: T-GEL
It "appears" you need glasses to use the product
28. Crosses (out): X'ES - to "E" or not to "E"; that is the question - "X's" looks correct to me; but then again, "X'ed" seems OK
29. Stone fruit center: PIT - I've never eaten a stone - are they any good~? Sounds crunchy
31. Lean: TILT
34. Department with direct marketing campaigns: SALES
37. __ noire: BETE - Frawnche, literally "black beast"; i.e., one's bane or bugbear
38. Côte d'__: AZUR - plus Frawnche; "azure ( blue ) coast" = French Riviera
39. Teen dance: PROM
40. Put on again: RE-AIR - pump in again; re-air
Now how's she gonna pedal in those shoes~?
41. Actress Garr: TERI - I liked her in "Young Frankestein" - name #4
Now listen very carefully . . .
42. "Casablanca" role: ILSA - name #5
44. London's neighboring county: ESSEX - geo name #6
45. Terse denial: "NOT I."
46. Letter after sigma: TAU
47. __ Technica: tech news website: ARS - filled via perps and a WAG
48. Stick together: CLOT
50. Conveyances also known as tricycle rickshaws: PEDICABS
The Deluxe Model
55. Energizer size: AAA - ooof; not AAs
57. Run smoothly: HUM
59. Magenta kin: FUCHSIA - spelling moment for me - I had FUSCHIA
60. Spaceflight company based in Kent, Washington: BLUE ORIGIN
63. Stalwart trees: OAKS - I could argue that all trees are "stalwart", by definition
64. In case: LEST
I like this
65. Eye-shaped windows: OCULI - most of what I find online is round, not "eye" shaped; the Wiki
When I hear 'oculus', I think of the Pantheon
66. Possessive pronoun: ONE'S - e.g. "gird one's loins"
67. Org chart topper: EXECutive
68. Fundamental principle: TENET
69. Countess's title: LADY - Here's Tom Jones, now 85yrs old, married for 59(~!) years until the passing of his wife and lifetime love Melinda in 2016; I grew up listening to his baritone voice, as my parents were born & raised in England - more on Tom from Wiki here
"Never Had A Lady Before"
from "Rescue Me", his 1979 "disco" album; so many great songs
DOWN:
2. Savory quality: UMAMI
3. Views: TAKES - Friday cluing; as in "what's your ___ on this~?" but pluralized, meh
5. Jargons: ARGOTS - the "lingo" of a (usually secret) social group - the plural is again a bit 'meh'
6. Sierra __, Africa: LEONE - geo name #7
7. "__ set": ALL - vague; Friday
8. Online admins: MODS - moderators
10. Fuss: ADO
11. Makes more sophisticated: CIVILIZES - a weapon from a more "civilized age"
Your father's lightsaber
12. Festive nights: EVES - what are festive days~? Adams~?
13. Run without saying goodbye, perhaps: DASH
19. Gamer's woe: LAG - think online gaming ( or someone taking too long to play a word in Scrabble )
21. Goes after, in a sense: SUES
30. Terse confirmation: "IT IS."
32. Entice: LURE
33. Cereal coveted by a silly rabbit: TRIX - name(ish) . . .
. . . are for kids~!
34. Whirl: SPIN
35. Folk singer Guthrie: ARLO - name #8, crossword staple
36. Fruitless endeavor: LOST CAUSE - stone fruitless = LOST QUARTZ 😜
37. Dracula player Lugosi: BELA - Here's Bella - one of the other trainers at the gym, wearing the shirt I made for my trainer Brett - that's him on the shirt; he and some of the other members are always mocking me for calling the gym equipment "tools" - hey, I do "work"(out) with them . . . name #9
44. Writer/illustrator Carle: ERIC - Didn't recognize the name - #10 - filled via perps - but I do recognize his work; I see he passed in 2021 at age 91. His website
47. Marketing space: AD UNIT - I tossed in AD PAGE
49. "What do we have here?": "O-HO~!"
51. IRS convenience: eFILE
52. Mat position: ASANA - yoga~! yoga~! yoga~!
Animal House announces toga party
53. Trained for part of a triathlon: BIKED - good WAG; running and swimming are the other two events
54. Not very respectful: SASSY
55. Up to the task: ABLE
56. Ken's "Jeopardy!" predecessor: ALEX - I watched Mr. Trebek growing up; have not watched any Jennings episodes - name #11
58. Maze runners: MICE - Dah~! I put in RATS
61. Brief "Blah, blah, blah": etc.
62. Squirt __: GUN - I bought a pair that actually have a pretend, Glock-like "slide"
You lock the slide back to expose the fill hole, thus "loading" it
Splynter
32 comments:
When something
doesn’t make sense, I’m enough of an “old hand” at crosswords to try looking at it backwards. That led me to my “Aha!” moment with the first themer and it was off to the races from there, although I did have a little trouble spelling “fuchsia.”
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
FIR, but amat->AMAS, rekey->RELOG (ick,) and floor->ASANA. Needed the reveal to finish the theme clues, and the rest came easily (for a Friday.)
The key to Greg Maddux's excellence as a fielder was how he finished his delivery. Most pitchers finish their follow-through with their side toward the plate. Maddux finished with his front square to the plate, much like any other infielder.
Never heard of AD UNIT. Looks like it has to do with the annoying crap that gets in the way of the web page we actually want to see. Maybe if I had heard of ARS Technica I would have known that.
Thanks to ZDL for another fun puzzle. And thanks to Splynter for another fine review. Yeah, I don't think that comely lass will be pedaling her, er, bike all over town in those shoes. Or that skirt, for that matter.
Good morning!
My WAGs were not golden today. I was right there with Jinx on AMAT and REKEY. And I'm such a sports fan I thought GOLD GLOVES were awarded for boxing. We do watch Jeopardy! nightly at 5:20 so we can watch the 5:30 news via DVR without commercials. Speaking of Jeopardy!, here's a moment that Ken will never live down. I enjoyed ZDL's uplifting puzzle and Splynter's expo.
FIR. I first entered amat because the sequence of 4D starting with "ss" seemed unlikely at that moment. Confusion set in and I needed the reveal to have it make sense. But it took a while for me to see that the second part of the long answers was the opposite, going down not up. Very tricky, but very clever.
Overall an enjoyable puzzle.
K ept going for 13:05 today until I got the "Congratulations".
L ooked wrong for a while, until the gimmick revealed itself.
A ctress of the Day was a familiar one (Teri).
T GIF!
Good Morning:
Sorry, folks, but I’ll defer to my good friend Thumper this morning.
Splynter, you did a fine job explaining the theme and pointing out the pluses and minuses. Thanks for your time and effort.
Have a great day.
I thought, “Oh, this is easy for a Friday”, until I started stumbling all over the up and down tricks making my head SPIN. I finally figured out the gimmick, but 9D didn’t make any sense even thought the perps said so.
I thought someone had forgotten the -en on GOLD. I’m only familiar with the boxing term.
My one error was leaving MeaL for MAIL because I entered ILSe not ILSA. Bummer. Yes, FUCHSIA is not easy to spell.
Thank you Splynter for your fine review and keeping track of the various proper names.
Nice job, ZDL, on today's puzzle--I thought it was clever and well-constructed.
The Atlanta Braves had perhaps the most fearsome starting pitching rotation in history: 18-Across's Greg Maddux, plus John Smoltz and Tom Glavine. All three are now in the Hall of Fame. A generation earlier, when the team was the Boston Braves, for a time their starting pitching staff was mediocre, with the exception of two outstanding pitchers, Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain. So wags came up with what the pitching rotation should be for a particular series: "Spahn and Sain, and then pray for rain."
Thanks, ZDL, for a pleasant Friday diversion, and Splynter for your usual entertaining and helpful guidance.
99% a really fun puzzle with a couple challenging sections, but it has to be said: "Utter Rot" is the stretch of all stretches, just a complete gibberish answer. I liked the puzzle but that's a rough one for a themer. Like my general rule of thumb is that if you google an adage like that and 3 of the top 5 responses are "crossword clue" then you might need to go back to the lab haha. In any case it was a 12 minute FIR so maybe I should just stop complaining and enjoy an enjoyable solve ^_^
After trying to fill 4D, starting with either STERPX or even SSERPX, I thought it was a LOST CAUSE today. I knew the cross perps, except AMAS or AMAT, were solid.
9D, OG GETTER, was my last fill. I knew ALAMO and GOLD GLOVES were solid but REKEY and SOAP wouldn't allow it, and T-GEL opened it up. MODS? I thought those guys were in the 60's.
ERIC was an unknown proper name today. No other problems.
AD UNIT- an unknown term but an easy after ALL the perps were done.
BLUE ORIGIN- I remember them from my Kennedy Space Center visit last year.
The fill on this one was horrible.
The way they play ball now, I doubt you will see any pitcher approach the number of wins that Warren Spahn, Maddux, or Clemens recorded. There probably won't be another 300 game winner either.
Musings
-Seeing “had to be” ALAMO and GO GETTER fighting each other should have tipped me off sooner! :-)
-Also, wanting EXPRESS MEAL instead of MAIL had to be rectified
-That low talker got Jerry to agree to wear the pirate shirt
-Katy Perry’s 11 minute “flight” into space via BLUE ORIGIN generated controversy
-AD UNIT/ARS gave me one bad cell in this fun exercise
-Greg Maddux was a crafty pitcher not a flame thrower and his exceptional fielding helped him to become #8 on the all-time win list
-Our never-miss-a-payment track record helps settle any DISPUTES in our favor
-I can’t remember our last telemarketer call. Have they become non-productive?
-Today I learned the Edmonton Eskimos changed their CFL team name to the Elks in 2020 due to a mascot controversy
-Does anyone else think of this story when they hear NOT I?
-a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5e/5f/8e/5e5f8edfdfacd4c1683ec7b2b92d7864.png"> A quote about CIVILIZING and a LOST CAUSE from an unlikely source<
-Ken Jennings recently decided to SPEAK UP about his political opinions which made the network EXECS unhappy.
It was easy to see that OGGETTER ought to be “go-getter,” and the rest fell into place.
Greg Maddux was the best-fielding major league pitcher in modern memory. GOLD GLOVES should not be confused with amateur boxing’s Golden Gloves competition.
I finally learned how to spell FUCHSIA when I realized it was named after someone named Fuchs.
I liked the “deluxe model” PEDICAB, but I find it amazing enough that even four people can be transported in more typical versions.
The ELKS were the Edmonton Eskimos for most of my life.
“So, let this be a warning. Come early in the morning, LEST you ever rue the day. . .” is a lyric from a mildly ribald song our octet sings about a “Polynesian princess.”
I didn’t like MODS and the two “meh” plurals Splynter cited, but BLUE ORIGIN was just about the only unknown. All in all, it was a lot easier than I expected when I saw the constructor’s name.
Thank you, Zachary and Splynter.
No sweat. REAIR is the exact center from north to south, and SPEAK UP is the exact center from east to west. Because I usually start in the middle, I was clued in to the theme. I knew that I would be looking for synonyms of speak - spelled upwards.
But that didn't spoil the solve. It just made the solve quicker than it otherwise might have been.
It was always a pleasure to watch Greg Maddux not only pitch with pinpoint control and accuracy, but also to watch him field his position, cover first base when he had to, and always be in the proper position to backup the catcher or third baseman on throws from the outfield.
OAK - Last year I bought one of those metal wire rolling baskets to pick up all of the acorns that fall into my yard. My neighbor's oak has some fairly large branches that overhang into my backyard. I was all set to pick up a couple of five gallon buckets worth of acorns. And then? Nothing happened. No acorns at all. Perhaps 2026 will be a mast year.
Yesterday morning I had to abbreviate my comments. It was garbage and recycling pickup day. I forgot until it was too late. Just missed getting the bins out to the street in time. I'm not concerned about the garbage bin reeking. It's colder outside than in my freezer. And now it has just started to snow again. S far, this winter has been the PITs.
Another DNF for me today. Just couldn't suss the gimmick, and wound up TITT. I well remember the Spahn, Sain, and pray for rain mantra. Saw Spahn pitch many times after the move to Milwaukee. He was my favorite player, back when I still cared about baseball. Didn't have the blinding fastball anymore, but still had the craft and guile for a few more 20 game seasons. Back then, pitchers were expected to pitch full games. Today's MLB is a sad shadow of what baseball once was. Oh, and nice recap, Splynter!
Ah - I see what you did there - well done~!
15 names, but only 3 DNKs helped me to FIR. Still, it took 18 minutes, due to how long it took me to suss the theme. And then I thought 36D would be a theme fill, and puzzled over it, until I looked more carefully at the reveal clue.
As others, W/O FUSCHIA/FUCHSIA.
UTTERROT made me think of Bag Balm, but that's for udder rot. Good stuff though, for dry skin problems.
Thanx ZDL for this clever, entertaining CW. Too many names though, please try to construct future CWs with fewer names.
Thanx Splynter for the fine write-up. As others said, that lass with the stiletto heels and tight skirt is gonna struggle to ride that bike. Nice legs though! I've always said if I was a woman I would not wear high heels: to destructive for feet, ankles, knees and hips. I have several female friends with bunions and other problems that would NOW (too late) agree with me.
It seemed a bit easy until my “Amat” wouldn’t sync with the others.
But the OG -Getters put things into the proper perspective and the solve flowed from there.
Nice to give CanadianEh a gimme with the Edmonton Elks.
Thanks ZDL for a fun and clever puzzle.
The recap was entertaining and informative.
I'd like to recant my statement that this winter is the pits. My smartphone beeped. I checked it, and among other things, it had a notice of a picture I took exactly 7 years ago. It is currently 37 °F warmer than it was on Jan 30, 2019.
The first picture is the temperature on the analog thermometer outside the kitchen window.
The second picture is the display on my digital weather station that day.
Today isn't so bad after all...
I usually don't pay attention to the gimmicks unless they make the fill messy.
So, today I paid attention.
Hola! Of course I didn't see upside down! it's too early for me and not enough coffee. However, I finished most of the puzzle except RELOG, LAG and T-GEL.
I also thought of GOLDen GLOVES as my late DH was an avid boxing fan having been a young boxer in his teens.
I agree that FUCHSIA is difficult to spell but I love the color!
Many years ago, we saw BIKERS training in Hawaii, the big island. They were cycling on some rough terrain.
I love crosswords but I can do without this kind of theme.
Have a fine Friday, everyone!
Well, starting backwards from where I started taking notes, TTP, you start crosswords in the middle? Fascinating! I must try this, it has never occurred to me! This would add a while new dimension to puzzle solving! (But, where to start...) oh, in the middle, of course! Hmm, watching a puzzle reveal itself from the inside out! I can't wait to try this!
The puzzle? I love gimmicky puzzles, but I hate anything vertical. (Probably because I am mostly atilt myself...) but to have vertical, combined with reversed, ouch! But it revealed itself quite nicely, so I can't complain.
(Wait a sec, yes I can...)
There were one or clues I felt were "below the belt," I can't remember them, except views=takes. I really disliked this, and was going to Thumper all over it, until Splynter's amazing explanation! Thank you Splynter, I understand it now!
Speaking of which, Splynter, I am in awe of your ability to come up with a review theme! Strike drone! With comic! Excellent!
Silly theme link: i'm afraid my take (view) would be kinda lame...
Im also kinda negative...
Lastly, ah yes, I remember now the other"meh" I couldn't remember...
Enter again, as data=relog
If it were me as a constructor, (and you can be glad I am not,) I would have clued it more towards the sport of "Roleo." (Or is it rolleo) anywho, as you can see for this video, getting in a log again is not for senior citizen crossword solvers like us... Watch til the end for an in your face LOL!..
RE: FUCHSIA, luckily, I know of ERIC Carle and loved to read those books to my daughter and grands so that gave me a headstart on spelling FUCHSIA.
We're evidently of the same vintage, because I saw Spahn pitch often with Milwaukee. When I lived in Pittsburgh, I had a friend, Pete, who had moved there from Milwaukee, and was still a diehard Braves fan. Whenever the Braves came to town, we'd head to good old Forbes Field. At the end of the Star Spangled Banner, Pete would always sing "....and the home of the BRAVES."
Thank you for that CED - I think this was my third or fourth attempt at a clever title - as the week progresses, I reread my write-up and find the original titles are usually pretty weak . . .
I knew it had to be "go getter" so that helped suss out the vertical misdirections. Greg Maddox didn't overpower you he just outsmarted you. He was a great competitor. I agree with many that this started out as an easy Friday until the answers weren't lining up. Thanks for the fine recap Splynter.
DNK BLUE ORIGIN (though I should have, because I was pretty tickled about William Shatner experiencing space flight), so that slowed me down with UTTER ROT. Even so, FIR and enjoyed the challenge. Thanks, ZDL! Splynter's review was helpful, and I'm grateful to CrossEyedDave at 12:08 PM for highlighting Splynter's review title. Until I read CED's comment, I failed to appreciate that DRONE is another synonym for SPEAK. Great job!
RIP Catherine O’Hara
ZDL is one of my favorite constructors so I enjoyed today's solve as well as today's write-up. I did need the theme to go back and fix the areas that were not CLOTting properly.
But for a Q a pangram was lost.
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