Theme: "THE ROAD TO SELF-DISCOVERY" - One letter is dropped from the first word of each theme entry, resulting in I in the end.
23. Part of an executive job offer: STARTING SALARY.
30. Game lost in the blink of an eye: STARING CONTEST. Losing T.
45. Chamber group: STRING QUARTET. Losing A.
63. Undercover setups: STING OPERATIONS. Losing R.
76. Tell all to the police: SING LIKE A CANARY. Losing T.
94. Break divine law: SIN AGAINST GOD. Losing G.
107. Having celebrity status: IN THE PUBLIC EYE. Losing S.
120. Backstreet Boys hit: I WANT IT THAT WAY. Losing N.
I bet Sam thought of STARTLING REVELATION, but could not make a workable set.
Great to see Sam back! He is a witty law professor and wrote some of the most incisive posts on Amy's blog.
Across:
1. Finishes: WRAPS UP.
8. Mercedes line: E CLASS.
14. One on girth control?: DIETER. I can picture smile on Sam's face when he thought of this clue.
20. San Diego neighbor: TIJUANA.
21. Twain of note: SHANIA. "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!"
22. Cheaper than usual: ON SALE.
25. One of the seven kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England: WESSEX. Learning moment for me. Three Exes: Essex, Sussex and Wessex.
26. Rest __: AREA.
27. Worry: FRET.
28. Louvre Pyramid architect: PEI.
29. Campus org. for wannabe ensigns: NROTC. Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps. Also 113. Employee rts. agency: NLRB. The National Labor Relations Board.
34. List-ending abbr.: ETC.
36. Thai money: BAHT.
39. Negroni need: GIN.
40. Bucko: PAL.
41. Comparatively damp: SOGGIER.
43. Big whoop: ADO.
44. Resource in Minecraft and Catan: ORE.
48. Sets as a goal: ASPIRES TO.
51. Phillipa of "Hamilton": SOO. Her dad is Chinese American.
52. LAX checkers: TSA.
53. Plié joint: KNEE.
54. Lummoxes: OAFS.
57. Sound of an air-kiss: MWAH.
59. Minor dustup: SPAT.
67. Wolfgang Puck's flagship eatery: SPAGO.
68. Teapot Dome commodity: OIL. Wikipedia says "Before the
Watergate scandal, Teapot Dome was regarded as the "greatest and most
sensational scandal in the history of American politics". Happened
during the Harding administration.
69. Opening number?: ONE. Not song.
70. Snag: NAB.
71. Sort of: ISH.
73. Was published: RAN.
74. Ghanaian with a Nobel Peace Prize: ANNAN. He graduated from Macalester College here in MN.
82. "Not interested": PASS.
83. Audio giant: BOSE.
84. Sub text?: EDIT. OK, verb sub, substitute.
85. Classic Monopoly token: IRON.
86. To be, in Toledo: SER.
88. AC meas.: BTU.
90. Casually mentions a famous friend: NAME-DROPS. Confession time: Do any of you have a famous friend you've ever name-dropped?
100. Tennis center?: ENS. Tennis.
101. Marker: IOU.
102. Soft cloth: CHAMOIS. Traditionally made from sheepskin or lambskin.
103. Bruins great Bobby: ORR.
104. Three-pointer's path: ARC.
105. Holes: GAPS.
106. Over 100, say: HOT. Degree-wise.
112. Co. that makes Secret and Scope: P AND G.
114. Former NPR host Shapiro: ARI.
115. Hebrides isle: IONA.
116. Grandson of Adam: ENOS.
119. "Daddy, Papa, and Me" writer Newman: LESLEA. She also wrote "Heather Has Two Mommies".
124. Guru's residence: ASHRAM.
125. Musical liability: TIN EAR.
126. Term paper starting point: OUTLINE.
127. Not too difficult: DOABLE.
128. Cobbler's part: INSOLE.
129. Gives a new tournament ranking to: RE-SEEDS.
Down:
1. Lb. and oz.: WTS. Weights.
2. Actress Hayworth: RITA.
3. Somewhat open: AJAR. You know what she would say!
4. Least contaminated: PUREST.
5. Pulled a chair up to: SAT AT.
6. Sea urchin, at a sushi bar: UNI. Salty, creamy roe.
7. Cooks in a skillet: PAN FRIES.
8. German steel city: ESSEN.
9. OpenAI bot since 2022: CHATGPT.
10. Luka Doncic's team, on scoreboards: LAL. Los Angeles Lakers.
11. Brazilian city that sounds like Maryland's capital: ANAPOLIS. City of Ana.
12. Homer's rock singer: SIREN.
13. "Come on, tell us!": SAY IT.
14. Where snowbirds flock in winter: DOWN SOUTH. And 15. Xenon, e.g.: INERT GAS. Their symmetrical partners are 83. Activity that may improve problem-solving skills: BRAIN GAME. And
87. Best version of oneself, in psych-speak: EGO IDEAL. Four great fill.
16. Brand on some Canadian pumps: ESSO.
17. "I think you'll find this yummy!": TASTE IT. I want that egg tart.
18. Winning candidate: ELECTEE.
19. Pet name fit for a king?: REX.
24. Expression that might be evil or silly: GRIN.
31. Mutually approve: AGREE ON.
32. Item on a Dollar menu?: CAR. Dollar Car Rental.
33. ABA member's title: ESQ.
35. Early PC monitor: CRT.
36. Whatever ewe say?: BAA.
37. YouTube annoyances: ADS.
38. Oasts: HOP KILNS.
42. Fully understand: GRASP.
44. The Beaver State: OREGON.
45. Skyrocket: SOAR.
46. Hideo who threw no-hitters in 1996 and 2001: NOMO. He opened for the door for Ichiro and Shohei Ohtani.
47. Ball purchase: GOWN. 50. Lowest digit: TOE. Liked both clues.
49. Bucolic lodging: INN.
55. Canine's canine: FANG.
56. Like a day-old bagel: STALE.
58. Home of Jordan and Georgia: ASIA.
60. Irrational fear of persecution: PARANOIA.
61. Vegan gelatin substitute: AGAR. Seaweed-based. Widely used in Japanese desserts.
62. Best Play, for one: TONY.
63. Daytime drama: SOAP.
64. Bassist Weymouth of Talking Heads: TINA.
65. Dinero unit: PESO.
66. Footnote space saver: IBID. Short for ibidem, meaning "in the same place".
67. Glass bits: SHARDS.
72. Bill Nye's field: SCIENCE.
75. State bordering Bhutan: ASSAM.
77. Publication ID: ISBN. Sigh, someone said my book was too easy. The title is Easy Mini Crosswords.
78. Clears after taxes: NETS.
79. Healthy Grains snackmaker: KIND.
80. GPS guess: ETA.
81. Neither partner: NOR.
89. Visionaries: UTOPIANS.
91. Early proponent of a flat Earth?: MERCATOR. Mercator is a conformal cylindrical map projection originally created to display accurate compass bearings for sea travel. Presented by Gerardus Mercator in 1569. Learning moment for me. We also have 99. Revolutionary?: ORBITAL.Witty clues.
92. Dua Lipa genre: POP.
93. Questionable, in slang: SUS. Suspicious.
94. NYU or MIT: SCH.
95. "Fingers crossed!": I HOPE SO.
96. Lyonne of "Poker Face": NATASHA.
97. Believer's ending: IST.
98. "Despicable Me" antihero: GRU.
104. "Say it __ so!": AIN'T.
105. Lenient: GENTLE.
108. Part of Hispaniola: HAITI.
109. Physicist Schrödinger: ERWIN. Schrödinger's cat.
110. French wine region: LOIRE.
111. "Sailing to Byzantium" poet: YEATS.
117. Boo-boo: OWIE.
118. Unwanted beach souvenir, often: SAND.
119. Wee fella: LAD.
121. Red pill consumer of film: NEO.
122. Shade: HUE.
123. Triumphant shout: YES.
C.C.
I know it's hard to completely stay away from politics and religion. I myself touch on them from time to time. But persistent comments in those areas, as well as personal attacks, can be upsetting. Let's stay focused on crosswords and keep the Corner welcoming and enjoyable for everyone.
C.C.
13 comments:
I don’t remember the
“title” of this puzzle but, even if I knew it, it probably wouldn’t have helped me figure out the theme, which I must admit was beyond me until C.C. explained it.
Other than that, I didn’t have too much trouble with this puzzle.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Caught the gimmick when STRING showed up. The SW corner was the toughest with PANDG, NATASHA, and LESLEA messing up my grid. But it the end it was the S_O/N_MO cross that did me in. I knew it had to be a vowel, but guessed the wrong one. Bzzzzzt. Thanx, Samuel and C.C.
FIW, missing ANNiN (UNTIE!) x iSSAM.
I don't share CC's enthusiasm for EGO IDEAL and BRAIN GAME. I also didn't like MWAH, and the cross of NATASHA x LESLEA, especially with the unusual speling of LESLEA (as if I didn't already have enough trouble with speling.)
Three Dog Night declared that ONE is the loneliest number.
DOABLE is also an adjective used in singles bars.
Although it isn't a tournament, the AP top 25 men's basketball team rankings will have to be RESEEDed tomorrow. Yesterday 9 of the top 25 were upset by underdogs. I hated the concept of easy transfers from one school to another, but it seems to have added parity among schools, which is a good thing.
Probably should have added "lady's" to "ball purchase." A gentleman's ball purchase would be a jock, which also fit the puzzle.
"Visionaries" these days implies positive views of the future. But aren't folks who see only doom and gloom ahead also "visionaries?"
Thanks to Sam for the mostly-fun workout. And thanks to CC for another solid review.
Well, I scraped by with a FIR in 32:39, slowed down in the SW by the likes of EGO IDEAL, BRAIN GAME, and LESLEA crossing NATASHA, which I had to change from Natalie. Perps got me UNI, SOO, SER, and ERWIN. I saw the puzzle title pre start but forgot to look for the theme when complete, and it probably would have eluded me anyway. I don’t know any famous people to NAME DROP, but Zhouqin is probably fairly well known. Thanks to Samuel for the fine puzzle and to C.C. for the recap.
Took 17:27 today to ... find myself.
I knew the Actresses of the Day (Rita & Natasha), but I didn't know today's writer (Leslea), Wessex, Mercator, Tina, Anapolis, Baht, and NROTC.
There's a cool restaurant/bar/brewery near Sandusky, Ohio called "Twin Oasts". It's a great place to enjoy a cold one on a hot summer day, and has lots of outdoor space for weddings and concerts.
One of these Sundays, I'm going to remember to look for the title of the puzzle before solving it. Considering I didn't today and I didn't sense what was going on, I was pleased with yet another themeless puzzle this week.
Good Morning:
What a nice change of pace from the usual drop/add a letter gimmick. This had a point as evidenced by the title. It also had very solid, in the language phrases leading up to the final and key denouement. The solve was enjoyable and satisfying, thanks to a clean grid, no dreck, no obscurities and some clever cluing and fresh fill. Mwah didn’t bother me as it’s used frequently outside of the crossword world and is very evocative (onomatopoeia?), but Sus irks me, as does most of the current penchant for shortening common words.
Well done, Sam, thank you and thank you, CC, for explaining Sam’s theme so well and for the insider’s viewpoint on the execution. Thank you, also, for the gentle but firm reminder about unacceptable discourse by Cornerites. Let’s hope everyone abides by your request.
Have a great day.
TITT. Woke up on a snowy Sunday morning and thought that maybe I added a day somewhere and it was Saturday, at least in the bottom half anyway. The theme, while maybe “clever,” just added to the hot mess, as the pattern of s- words ending in ing suddenly disappeared in the toughest part of the puzzle. Hey, my spell checker says ing in not a word. Maybe we’ll see it in next week’s puzzle.
DNF. The SW did me in completely and I crashed and burned there. I did not know Natasha and couldn't remember NLRB to save my life. I brain faded on the rest and gave up.
At first I thought the theme was something to do with starting each clue with the letter "S". And I was proven wrong there with the last long answer.
But despite the poor finish for me, this was an enjoyable puzzle.
Also a DNF, also a failure in the SW corner, and also a failure to grok the gimmick. Strangely enough, having said that, I somehow found the effort pretty enjoyable despite all of that! Go figure.
I’ll join the crowd that was defeated by the SW corner. I didn’t know NLRB, NATASHA, LESLEA, although she’s been in CW recently. At first I had old for 100. LOL. I also missed NOMO crossing SOO.
Otherwise all went well. I caught on to the theme quickly and enjoyed the fills, however I forgot to tie it in to the title. Very clever.
We had ASSAM and ASHRAM. Does this count for NAME DROPping? Good friends of ours in California were friends/partners with Wolfgang Puck early in his developing of SPAGO.
I love music, of all kinds, but sadly, I have a TIN EAR.
Thank you CC for the informative recap.
My grand nephew sent pictures of the little bit of snow in their yard in Pensacola, but it quickly melted in the sun.
Sure was a lot of three letter fill and crossing names. Still don't get the theme
Drop a letter until I is the only one. Okay, didn't notice; just wanted to FIR, which I managed to do. The fills were mostly DOABLE today with the usual smattering on proper names and unknowns filled by perps. SOO, LESLEA, UNI, TINA, SUS, NATASHA, NEO, and LAL. I never knew the English kingdoms but knew of WESSEX. Like others here, the SW was the hardest and last to fall. Four changes today. KEATS to YEATS, NATALIE to NATASHA, EEOC to NLRB, and CRU to GRU.
OIL- Teapot Dome and Watergate were no different than all the others before them or since them. They just got caught. Just look at all those lobbyists trying to get favors through legislation for certain people or companies.
NAME DROPS- Confession time? I've known a few. I've known former Buffalo Bills QB Joe Ferguson since Jr. High and Steelers' QB Terry Bradshaw since HS (they both went to the same HS). ALL the Mannings belonged to our tennis club. My favorite 'acquaintance' was Gennifer Flowers of Bill Clinton fame, who lived a couple of blocks from me for about ten years (no I don't know her but it's fun to throw that in). I've met a few others- Hota Kotb, Harry Connick Jr.and even played golf with John Goodman (he was horrible and after 6 holes he told me to play ahead because he was slowing me down)
11:36. All around UGH from me. WAY too easy and not interesting at all.
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