I'm Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band. If you can read backwards, you will see the circles spell out the name of a rock band, hence "back-up" bands.
17-Across. "This could've been a lot worse": IT'S NOT SO BAD. BOSTON. The American band Boston was formed in 1975 in Boston. What an original name.
31-Across. Jewel boxes: CD CASES. AC/DC. AC/DC is Australian rock band and was formed in Sydney in 1973, although the founding brothers, Angus (b. Mar. 31, 1955) and Malcolm Young (Jan. 6, 1953 ~ Nov. 18, 2017) were both Scottish.
37-Across. Antiwar gathering of world leaders: PEACE SUMMIT. MUSE. Muse is an English band that was formed in 1994. It's the youngster in this quartet.
44-Across. Hit that may go out of the park: HOME RUN. R.E.M. R.E.M. is an American rock band formed in 1980.
And the unifier:
59. Supporting musicians, or what can be found in 17-, 31-, 37-, and 44-Across: BACK-UP BANDS.
You can see the Backup Bands in the circles below.
Across:
1. Pantry platform: SHELF.
6. Contrail, essentially: VAPOR. A contrail, also known as a condensation trial, it is the line-shaped cloud formed by aircraft engine exhaust mixing with the cold, humid air at high altitudes.
11. Auction offer: BID.
14. Humped beast at a desert oasis: CAMEL. One hump or two? One-humped camels are Dromedaries. They are the ones that live in the Sahara desert. The two-humped camels are Bactrians. They can be found in the colder Central Asian steppes. The primary difference is their habitat. Both store fat in their humps for energy, not water, and have closeable nostrils to keep the sand out of their noses.
15. "Go me!": I RULE!
16. Eggs, to a biologist: OVA.
19. __ or nothing: ALL.
20. Draped dresses in Hindi films: SARIs. A brief history of the Sari.
21. Paleontologist's find: FOSSIL.
23. Tire gauge meas.: PSI. As in Pounds per Square Inch.
26. Schleps: TOTES. Anyone watch Elsbeth? She is always carrying tons of tote bags.
28. High point of a trip to Sicily?: ETNA. This volcano has become a crossword staple.
29. Play with, as a trampoline: JUMP ON.
34. Reject: SPURN.
35. Confident about: SURE OF.
40. "Women Talking" novelist Toews: MIRIAM. Women Talking is a 2018 novel by Miriam Toews (b. May 21, 1964). The book is based on actual events in a remote Mennonite community where women were drugged and sexually assaulted by men.
41. CNN journalist Hill: ERICA. Erica Ruth Hill (b. July 20, 1976) is a television journalist and has worked for CNN, CBS and NBC.
47. Alternative to "Yours truly": AS EVER. I think this phrase is now associated with Meghan Markle.
48. Extremely dry: ARID. In the arid desert, where you will find a one-humped camel.
49. Finish by: END AT.
52. "That's gotta hurt": OOF!
53. Sentra automaker: NISSAN.
56. Archer's projectile: ARROW.
58. Distress signal: SOS.
64. Tree with serrated leaves: ELM. I understand that street is a real nightmare.
65. Remove a wooden pin from: UNPEG.
66. Listless feeling: ENNUI. A word seen only in the crossword puzzles.
67. Filmmaker Ang: LEE. Ang Lee (b. Oct. 23, 1954) often makes guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.
68. Warty hoppers: TOADS.
69. 28 of the cards in a Monopoly set: DEEDS.
Down:
1. __-fi: SCI.
2. Topper: HAT.
3. 911 responders, briefly: EMS. As in Emergency Medical Services.
4. Periscope part: LENS.
5. Experience elation: FLOAT ON AIR.
6. Pop in on: VISIT.
7. Came up: AROSE.
8. Trivia night venue: PUB.
9. "Frozen" snowman: OLAF.
10. Try again: REDO. A crossword staple.
11. Sings one's own praises: BOASTS.
12. Means to administer medication: IV LINE.
13. Texas city with the Cowboys and the Wings: DALLAS. The Dallas Wings are a professional basketball team in the WNBA.
18. Sci-fi franchise with "Legacy" and "Ares" installments: TRON.
22. Bioluminescence produced by marine microorganisms: SEAFIRE. Everything you wanted to know about marine microbes.
23. Garments that might have feet, familiarly: PJs.
24. Dine, quaintly: SUP.
25. Grumble from the recently roused: I'M UP.
27. Rugby play with tight formation: SCRUM.
30. Some organic chemistry students: PRE-MEDS.
32. Blue pol: DEM. As in Democrat. Enough said. No politics.
33. Joins one's partner in retirement?: COMES TO BED.
35. River through Paris: SEINE.
36. Mex. neighbor: USA.
38. Grand __: French wine classification: CRU. The term Grand Cru, which is French for "great growth", denotes the highest tier of vineyard classification for superior French wines.
39. DVR pioneer: TiVo. An archaic line of digital video recorders.
42. Corp. leader: CEO. As in Chief Executive Order.
43. Dog park sound: ARF.
44. Gretel's brother: HANSEL. In case you are unfamiliar with the German folktale, here is a brief history of of the story as depicted by the Brothers Grimm.
45. Baltimore ballplayer: ORIOLE.
46. "Did you notice I was gone?": MISS ME?
47. Org. working against age discrimination: AARP. As in the American Association of Retired People.
50. Unclothed: NAKED.
51. Pharmacy offerings: DRUGS.
54. Sit alongside: ABUT.
55. Billionth: Pref.: NANO-.
57. Taper off: WANE.
60. Tax prep pro: CPA. As in Certified Public Accountant. Tax season will be gearing up for these professionals.
61. SSW's opposite: NNE.
62. Disappointing firecracker: DUD.
63. Female sib: SIS. As in Sister.
That's all for this first Tuesday of 2026. Wishing you all a healthy and happy 2026.
חתולה
25 comments:
I saw all the
“backwards” bands (although I’m not familiar with “Muse”) and had a pretty good idea about what the reveal would be.
And I was right!
FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
After the first themer, d-o was expecting cities spelled backwards. Nope. No problem. Forgot to look at the rest of the circles. Zip-zip-done. Thanx Robert and Hahtoolah. (That pharmacy cartoon was too close to the truth.)
FIR. I ignored the circles as usual, but it was painfully obvious that there were bands involved when I noticed ACDC backwards.
This was fairly easy Tuesday fare, nothing too tricky.
Overall a so-so puzzle.
Musings
-MUSE as a band and REED as a college are two recent gimmicks foreign to me
-A lyric from Cole Porter’s I Get A Kick Out Of You: “When I'm out on a quiet spree, fighting vainly the old ENNUI. And I suddenly turn and see your fabulous face”
-Cataracts have put me in the market for an artificial LENS
-“Finish by”, my OCD DW adds a half hour to putting away groceries by writing “Best If Used By” dates on every item.
Even though I missed the theme for lack of attention on my part, but I enjoyed this puzzle anyway. The few names I didn’t know were filled by perps. So to quote sub-genius “I’m happy”.
My goodness, Hahtoolah, so many funny cartoons. I plan to go back and review them. What a nice day.
No but necessary above.
Good Morning:
Hand up for being Muse-less, but the reveal brought it into the fold. Miriam was an unknown and Sea Fire needed perps (my first thought was sea foam), and Ennui was a gimme, a favorite word but one never used in conversation. Overall, a typical Tuesday solve: easy, quick, and enjoyable.
Thanks, Robert, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the usual mixture of fun and facts. Your comic choices this morning were outstanding and, in the case of the toadstool, laugh out loud funny. Others that tickled my fancy were the SOS, Suspender Dorothy autocorrect, the Monoply dragons, the puppy Trivia night, the Dog Park, and the Lady Godiva wannabe. Hilarious! Thanks for adding some chuckles to my morning!
Have a great day.
Sounds a lot like my DW Gary, she thinks cold or frozen items are going to rot on the ride home from the grocery store so we always have lug a cooler along, and she’s a stickler for those “Use By” dates, myself, PAH.
🙋♂️ for thinking the theme was gonna be cities after filling the top one, and for never having heard of MUSE. Also unknown were MIRIAM and SEA FIRE, but they easily perped and I FIR in 9. I’ve always liked AC⚡️DC, about as raw as Rock and Roll gets. Even though politics is verboten on here (as it should be), it’s not hard to detect the leanings of a lot of the regulars on the Corner. Thanks to Robert for your fine work, and to Hahtoolah for another sparkling review!
Took 4:28 today, but I can't say it was a puzzle I lOVED.
I didn't know the writer (Miriam), nor did I pay attention to those pesky circular things, thus I did not notice the theme.
Oh joy, circles!
Thank you Hahtoolah! Loved the visuals, but I am torn for a favorite...
(I can't decide between Dorothy, or Spock...)
I had a couple of hiccups, but they were mostly me reading the clues wrong. Usually not seeing an "s" for plural, or missing the tense. EMT b/4 EMS, etc...
These days I wouldn't dare perform without backup...
(SOS backwards, LOL!)
Wait, is it upside down?
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Robert and Hahtoolah.
Quick solve today.
Hand up for thinking the them was going to be backward cities (with DALLAS as an Easter Egg city.) But I was greeted with BACKWARD BANDS, and since I only recognized AC DC, I was left underwhelmed. (Rush, I would have recognized.)
I knew the M in MIRIAM but needed a few perps to remember. This Canadian thought it might be Anita, but ERICA perped.
Serious nose-wrinkle that clue for 18D included the SCI answer for 1D. That used to be a CW No-No.
I smiled at PSI close to FLOATING ON AIR.
And FLOATING was ON top of AIR. (Could this be a basis for a theme in another CW?)
Wishing you all a great day.
Hahtoolah, many thanks for the CAMEL 🐫 lesson! That was interesting.
DNK the novelist, the journalist, the bioluminescence, or MUSE, but FIR and enjoyed it. "Joins one's partner in retirement?" was a cute clue. Nice work, Robert and Hahtoolah.
Zipped through to a fast FIR, but zipped past the backwards bands gimmick. Just couldn't find the reverse gear. I had the same problem in my teens, driving a friend's car with a manual tranny and a custom shift knob with no diagram. Had to get a couple of people to push me back out of the parking space. Pretty embarrassing for a 17 year old! Ha2la...loved the toadstool, the Twister-playing dinosaurs, and the Wicked Witch with auto-correct, but Chief Executive ORDER?
I was aMUSEd by the theme. Can anyone name a song they know by MUSE?
Fun CW, clever theme. FIR in 9 and got the theme. 14 names, 4 DNK, but perps to the rescue. Best clue 33D. Thanx RSG. I don't mind the circles. Thanx too to Hahtoolah for the terrific write-up, and great cartoons. I do believe CEO stands for Chief Executive Officer, though, not Chief Executive Order. As others said, I knew the bands except MUSE.
In one episode of Mom, Bonnie and Adam go to a rock concert to see their favorite group - now geriatric - from back in the day. During the concert, one of the other concert goers nudges Bonnie and offers her a hit off a joint. She says "Can't - sober." He replies "Have to - cancer."
Hi All!
Today's puzzle was easy as COUCH SURFING [12]
Thanks for the Rockin' puzzle, Robert. Thanks for the chock-full o' chuckles expo, Hahootah!
WO: for[e]VER
ESPs: MIRIAM, ERICA
Fav: VAPOR [Trails] [See: opening sentence :-)]
Back to work. Cheers!
-T
You did it (all be it by spreading the letters over 2 words)! I was trying to no avail to find a word that ended in HSUR. LOL!
H-Gary@9:54. Please tell Joann that I keep a roll of painter's tape and a sharpie pen next to my fridge so I can label produce as either being "washed" or "not washed".
"CoucH SURfing". Well done, -T ~!
Thanks to Robert for the Tues. fun. Smooth solve except when I read "trampoline" I pictured a "tambourine" and wondered why you would JUMP ON it. D'oh!
I noticed I RULE near BOASTS.
Thanks to Hahtoolah! I always look forward to your Tues. posts because I know you will have found some good chuckles for us. Today's FAV was the Spock comic and your own joke for ELM.
Loved it.
An easy and enjoyable Tuesday. Loved the “Suspender Dorothy” cartoon. Thanks Robert and Hahtoolah! And thank you, NaomiZ for welcoming a little Anarkie to the Corner!
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