From the NYT: "Joe Marquez is a puzzle constructor. He likes words..." He deserves more than that; it sounds like my biography! But he's young, and we'll soon have pages about him. He co-authored one here back in May, and this is his (free) solo debut. I'm sure we'll see many more.
17. *Pointless task: FOOL'S ERRAND. A FOOL'S ERRAND is a pointless, futile, or impossible task that wastes time and effort. Like when RightBrain gives me a grocery list expecting all the right brands and sizes.
21. *Climb without ropes: FREE SOLO. A FREE SOLO is a form of rock climbing where the climber (free soloist) climbs without ropes or any form of protective equipment. One man's quest on El Capitan in Yosemite Park became an Oscar winning documentary film.
38. *Craftsman kit: TOOL SET. I've bought many Craftsman™ TOOL SETs from Sears over the years, one piece at a time. I used to be fascinated by their catalog pages showing massive sets, like a kid with a Wish Book. Their hand tools have a lifetime warranty - solid as Sears! Until a few years ago, anyway.
55. *Squeaker: CLOSE ONE. An idiom describing a narrowly avoided loss in a tight competition. It is commonly used to express relief after an evenly matched game. That's a CLOSE ONE!
And what do all these answers have in common? Nothing, so it seems, until the revealer ties them together:
62. Collection found under sofa cushions, or what can be found in the answers to the starred clues?: LOOSE CHANGE. In addition to coins, one can find keys and hopefully, my lost remote control. Anyone seen it?
The letters that spell "LOOSE" are CHANGED (scrambled) as highlighted above. We've seen this before, but I thought finding phrases with five letters in a row was a neat trick. And because it's later in the week, no circles! The rest of the grid filled in rather easily for a Thursday, so smooth sailing.
Let's tie up the rest of the LOOSE ends:
Across:
1. Winter X Games host city: ASPEN. Although the Winter Olympics are now in progress, here we have their wild little brother, the X Games. X for eXtreme.
6. "Hey, c'mere!": PSST.
10. Park place?: LOT. You can rent a space for $35, which seems like a LOT.
13. __ Doone cookies: LORNA. Introduced in 1912, these shortbread cookies were named after the titular character in a 1869 historical romance novel, but nobody knows why.
14. Navel type: OUTIE. Is this an innie or an OUTIE?
16. Janelle's "Abbott Elementary" role: AVA. Everyone said this is a great show, so I watched a few episodes. Unfortunately, I was annoyed by Janelle James' over-the-top portrayal of the principal. I guess I'm in the minority as she won an Emmy.
17. [theme]
19. Derisive cry: BAH. "BAH!" said no one ever (except Scrooge).
20. Chances to swing: AT BATS.
21. [theme]
23. Like the most yellow banana on the tree: RIPEST. When they get soft and brown, RightBrain freezes them to make banana bread. Now we can't fit anything else in the freezer and I'm still waiting! I jest, she's a great cook! (She made me say that.) Lately her passion has turned to making sourdough, which is quite a process but there's nothing like warm bread from the oven.
25. Urgent care employee: NURSE.
26. Chemical synthesis need: REAGENT. After Sean Connery's stellar turn as James Bond, Roger Moore became REAGENT 007.
29. Not on solid ground: ASEA.
30. Desert refuges: OASES.
31. Messy pile: HEAP.
34. Goblet part: STEM.
37. Telethon VIPs: MCS. The Master of Ceremonies is a "Very Important Person" at many events. I'm not sure why they called out telethons in particular.
38. [theme]
41. Prospector's find: ORE. Where prospectors found it: ORE. The Oregon gold rush brought miners north just a few years after discovering it in California.
42. Sigh of relief: PHEW. That was a CLOSE ONE!
44. "You sure of that?": IS IT.
45. Pieces of the heart: ATRIA.
47. Noble title: EARL. The most famous EARL is noted for his sandwich. Genius! Before him, people just stacked stuff on top of bread. Animals!
49. Had a great time at: ENJOYED.
51. Quickly get through a season: BINGE. We cut the cord years ago, and now have enough subscriptions that we're paying about the same as cable! However, we often wait until an entire season has dropped before we BINGE watch it. No more forgetting about what happened last week as networks dribble out a show. And if your brain is as rusty as mine, that's a plus!
53. Gets out of Dodge: SCRAMS. Gets out of a Dodge: AMBLES
55. [theme]
57. Swashbuckler's sword: RAPIER. Named after my wit! RightBrain says that's half right.
61. Downside: CON.
62. [theme]
64. N.J. winter hrs.: EST. New Jersey uses Eastern Standard Time during winter hours.
65. Bunch of flowers: SPRAY.
67. Software engineer, for short: DEV. They called me a DEVELOPER for short, but not for long!
68. Exceedingly dry: SERE.
69. __ of all: LEAST.
Down:
1. A in communications?: ALFA. Beginning of the NATO alphabet. It is intentionally spelled with an "f"' rather than "ph" to ensure consistent pronunciation across different languages, as non-English speakers might not intuitively know to pronounce "ph" as "f."
2. Chimney buildup: SOOT.
3. "Not my __": PROB. "Not my PROBLEM." When people say this, it PROBably is.
4. Blow up: ENLARGE.
5. Most unpleasant: NASTIEST.
6. "¿__ qué?": POR. "Why" is this in Spanish?
7. Sees the sites: SURFS. I wanted TOURS at first.
8. Kick off: START. I STARTED when they asked me for a ticket I didn't have, and then was kicked off the train.
9. Prong: TINE.
10. Place for experiments: LABORATORY.
11. Shapes formed by spotlights: OVALS. Of course, more interesting shapes are possible.
12. Lake in the Sierra Nevada: TAHOE.
15. Utopias: EDENS.
18. "30 for 30" network: ESPN. "30 for 30" refers to Entertainment and Sports Programming Network's documentary series celebrating its 30th anniversary with 30 films on sports history.
22. Takes to court: SUES.
24. Shared belief system: ETHOS.
26. Easy win: ROMP. Not a CLOSE ONE!
27. Per person: EACH. A pop.
28. Product line?: AS SEEN ON TV. Winner - best clue. And you know if you saw it on TV, it has to be crappy.
29. Primatology subject: APE.
32. Pharmaceutical giant __ Lilly: ELI.
33. Daisy kin: ASTER. Daisy kin: ABNER.
35. Maumee River endpoint: ERIE. A new way to clue an old fav.
36. Honey brew: MEAD.
39. Canola __: OIL.
40. Mausoleum on the Yamuna River: TAJ MAHAL. A new way to clue an old fav, but it's also like 35A. So, a new old way?
43. Happy dog's movements: WAGS. Who's a good boy? FuzzyBrain (aka Buster)!
46. In reserve: TO SPARE.
48. Film rolls: REELS.
50. Drug cop: NARC. NARCOTICS agent.
51. Secretly looped in: BCCED. Blind Carbon Copied. A feature that lets you send an email to multiple recipients without revealing their addresses to each other, protecting privacy.
52. "No prize for me this time": I LOSE. Well, maybe a booby prize...
53. Nap noisily: SNORE.
54. Labor leader Chavez: CESAR.
56. Unwelcome sound from a barber: OOPS.
58. Actress Swenson: INGA. Although her name sounds Scandinavian, she from Omaha.
59. Impediments to effective teamwork: EGOS. It's tough to l'eggo one's EGOS.
60. Monopoly payment: RENT. RENT to own! Now you can be a homeowner for the low, low price of $200! First four callers get a free hotel stay. Call now!!
63. Needle part: EYE. I like Ken Follett, and Eye of the Needle was his first breakthrough book, earning him the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America.
Be good. RB
It wasn’t too hard.
ReplyDeleteUnlike yesterday, I didn’t see a lot of obscure names.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Insomnia night here in Tucson. Stopped in to say that Lil ABNER, good in its time, is hayseed compared to Zits, Garfield, Shoes, and many more. IMHO.
ReplyDeleteYou can add "Pearls Before Swine", one of my faves.
DeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteEasiest of the week, so far. Zipped right through, only needing the Wite-Out to correct PREZ to PROB. If this is Joe's solo premier, it's a good one. Let's see some more. Thanx for the expo, RB. ("Reagent 007" -- cute. With all the numbers available, why did they have to recycle them?)
Not worthy of a Thursday . More like a Modany puzzle.
ReplyDeleteFIR. This was uncharacteristically easy for a Thursday. So much so that I didn't even bother to notice the theme and didn't even think about it till I came here and had it explained.
ReplyDeleteSo overall an enjoyable puzzle.
10 names, DNK 3. Two W/Os: MILAN/ASPEN, TOOLKIT/TOOLSET. FIR in 12.
ReplyDeleteA mention of Sears always makes me think whoever was CEO in the '90's should be jailed for incompetence. If Sears had taken its famous "Sears Catalog" and put it online, they would be today's Amazon, instead of bankrupt.
RB, all that bread looks good. I tried making sourdough many years ago, but did not manage to properly maintain the starter pot. The first couple of loaves were good, then.... In my defense, my job had me travelling all over the country.
Rent makes me think of the guy behind me building a three story house which he now rents for $14,000/month. Oy. To my mind, what a waste of money. The renter should buy a house for that money.
I liked this CW, easy for a Thursday. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that once again I forgot to look for the theme. When RB 'spained it, I appreciated how clever it is, and how difficult it must have been to construct.
Thanx, JM, I look forward to more CWs from you. Please continue to keep the name count as low as you can.
RB, excellent write-up, thanx. All your time and effort for our entertainment is very much appreciated.
Young people must wonder where some of these common expressions come from, like "carbon copy", or "hang up the phone". There's a lot more that must be mystifying if you are a teen today.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was on the easy side for a Thursday, but the theme was well-hidden until the reveal and that’s always a plus for me. The grid was clean and tight with some fresh fill, e.g., Taj Mahal, Laboratory, As Seen On TV, Rapier, etc. The themers were all solid and the reveal was spot on.
Thanks, Joe, and congrats on your solo debut and thanks, RB, for a fun and factual expo. Your humor is an extra bonus! Loved the kitty photo and also the adorable Buster. I agree with you on Janelle James’s character being over the top. I think the show itself runs hot and cold but I do enjoy Janine, Gregory, and Jacob.
Have a great day.
FIR, but arid->SERE, labortory->LABRATORY (UNTIE!) and astor->ASTER (UNTIE!)
ReplyDeleteI loves me some LORNA Doone cookies.
Craftsman is now the property of Stanley / Black & Decker.
Or as Jed Clampett often said, "you sure about that Jethro?"
ARGON could have been clued as "state between California and Washington."
Thanks to Joe for the fun Thursday offering. And thanks to Rusty Brain for the fine review.