Theme: "CELL DIVISION" - One word is inserted into a cellphone-related terms, breaking them apart and turning them into wacky new phrases.
22. Part of the hiring process for stenographers?: TOUCH TYPE SCREEN. Touch screen.
36. Stage production about the lives of autoworkers?: CARMAKERS PLAY. CarPlay.
47. Need for the queen of hearts to get past security?: FACE CARD ID. Face ID.
68. Picture-perfect brioche?: CAMERA READY ROLL. Camera roll.
94. Escape capsules for rent?: AIRBNB PODS. AirPods.
102. Investigation into how E.T. got away?: PHONE HOME CASE. Phone case.
Reveal:
123. Silicon Valley game changers, or an alternate title for this puzzle: TECH DISRUPTIONS.
What a great title!
The
base phrases are all familiar cellphone terms, with a few distinctly
iPhone: CarPlay, Face ID, and AirPods. Each term is "interrupted" by the
insertion of an extra word. That added word isn't random of course. It
pairs with the first word to form another common phrase.
Across:
1. Plant with edible sprouts: ALFALFA.
8. Bouldering spot: CLIFF. Also 19. Homes for the higher-ups?: AERIES. Nests that might well be found on a cliff.
13. Kemper of "The Office": ELLIE. She played Erin Hannon.
18. Pointed beards: GOATEES.
21. Eerie haunted hayride sounds: MOANS.
24. Take illegally: USURP.
25. Brings together: UNITES.
26. Horror film subjects, maybe: EVILS.
27. Brit's bathroom: LOO.
29. Three-pointer: TREY. Basketball shot.
30. Supermodel Beckford: TYSON. I recognized his face but not his
name. He's Jamaican-American model. Did you know that women earn much
more than men in the modeling industry?
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31. Blather on and on: PRATE.
32. Like some jeans: LOW-RISE.
34. Party hard: RAGE.
40. Wire service co.: UPI.
43. Chest muscle, briefly: PEC.
45. Swindle: CON.
46. Kitchen set: DINETTE.
52. Candy from a novelty dispenser: PEZ.
54. Waxy compound: STEROL. Wikipedia says sterols are a subgroup of the steroids
55. "Aida," for one: OPERA.
56. Sherbet serving: SCOOP.
58. Way in: DOOR.
60. PC maker: DELL.
61. Glossy fabrics: SATINS.
63. Antihistamine target, perhaps: WELT.
65. Fair-hiring org.: EEOC.
67. Overhead trains: ELS.
73. Make calls?: UMP. Balls/strikes calls.
76. Corporate symbol: LOGO.
77. "Eh, __ difference": SAME.
78. Fixes, as loose ends: TIES UP.
82. Stain on Santa's suit: SOOT.
84. King of cinema: KONG.
86. Sound of impact: SPLAT.
89. Heavenly food: MANNA. Tasted like honey wafers. I could eat it daily for 40 years too.
90. Bleak: MOROSE.
92. "__ we good?": ARE.
96. Word on some film awards: ACTRESS. Jessie Buckley this year!
98. Clairvoyance, e.g.: ESP.
100. White lie: FIB.
101. Spam sender: BOT.
106. "Well, shoot!": RATS.
109. English noble title: BARONET.
110. Did a fall chore: RAKED.
112. Poetic feet: IAMBI.
116. Molt: SHED.
118. Armed conflict: WAR. 4. Greek goddess of 118-Across: ATHENA.
119. Do the dishes?: CATER. Literally.
120. Release: UNMOOR.
121. Eagle's claw: TALON.
126. Back street: ALLEY.
127. More pale: ASHIER.
128. Stepped inside: ENTERED.
129. Silly one: GOOSE.
130. Razz: TEASE.
131. Whatsits: DOODADS.
Down:
1. Anguish: AGONY.
2. Name of many French kings: LOUIS. Ludwig in German.
3. Consideration: FACTOR.
5. "We should!": LET'S.
6. Tina of "Only Murders in the Building": FEY.
7. According to: ASPER.
8. House in "Encanto": CASITA. Also appears in Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show.
9. Ferrari Formula One driver Charles: LECLERC. Learning moment for me. He was born in Monte Carlo and has won eight Grands Prix.
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10. Bargain basket items, for short: IRRS. Irregulars.
11. Old-timey "Darn you!": FIE.
12. "You doing all right?": FEEL OK.
13. Flightless Australian bird: EMU.
14. Slowed down: LOST SPEED.
15. Bay leaf source: LAUREL TREE. Can't survive the Minnesota winter.
16. Memo phrase: IN RE.
17. Best Championship Performance, e.g.: ESPY.
20. Covered in white, in a way: SNOWED.
22. Disapproving sound: TUT.
23. Storm rescue op: EVAC. Evacuation.
28. Potpourri ingredient: ORRIS ROOT. We had this before.
31. House of Lords members: PEERS.
32. Like bowling alleys: LANED.
33. "__ that precious?": ISN'T.
35. College app datum: GPA.
37. Bucket partner: MOP.
38. Coral island: ATOLL.
39. Shouts: YELLS.
40. Sci-fi craft: UFOS.
41. Family nickname: PAPA. Baba in Chinese.
42. "Law & Order: SVU" co-star: ICE-T.
44. Atlanta-based govt. agency: CDC.
48. Actor Bana: ERIC. He played Hector in "Troy".
49. Lock setting: CANAL.
50. Sioux City state: IOWA.
51. Self-starters: DOERS.
53. Rapper of "KPop Demon Hunters": ZOEY. One more learning moment.
57. Court statements: PLEAS.
59. Above, poetically: OER.
62. Exceptionally attractive person, slangily: SMOKESHOW. Learned this slang from a previous LAT grid.
64. Bay on Florida's west coast: TAMPA.
66. Ascend: CLIMB.
69. Teamwork inhibitor: EGO.
70. Novelist Jaffe: RONA.
71. Cold cuts counter: DELI.
72. Jump: LEAP.
73. Graphic that typically has two insets: US MAP.
74. Sponge: MOOCH.
75. Mushroom that can be a burger: PORTOBELLO.
79. Snooty one: SNOB.
80. Click a backward arrow, maybe: UNDO.
81. Erstwhile: PAST.
83. Twisters: TORNADOES.
85. Say hello to: GREET.
87. "Woof": ARF.
88. Car in a Beach Boys song: T BIRD.
91. Oracle: SEER.
93. F1 neighbor: ESC.
95. Org. with Bulls and Bucks: NBA.
97. Beethoven composition: SONATA.
99. St. Patrick's Day events: PARADES.
103. Least: MEREST.
104. Much political humor: SATIRE.
105. Scrapes (out): EKES.
107. Like some car windows: TINTED.
108. Wiley of "The Handmaid's Tale": SAMIRA.
111. Scored an own goal: ERRED.
113. Called on a dairy farm: MOOED.
114. Stocks partner: BONDS.
115. Org. with a big returns department: IRS.
116. Alone: STAG.
117. Nativity headgear: HALO.
119. Seed in some healthy smoothies: CHIA.
120. "What are you __?": UP TO.
122. Dec. 31: NYE.
124. Michael of "SNL": CHE.
125. Low Spanish number: UNO.
C.C.
25 comments:
Some of the themed fill
made sense to me; some of it didn’t.
Even though I have an iPhone (an older model) I wasn’t familiar with such terms as “CarPlay.” But now, thanks to C.C., it all makes sense.
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
As SubG noted, CARPLAY was unfamiliar, as were some of the names. (LECLERC and SAMIRA, I'm lookin' at you.) D-o noticed that the first plus second word of the themers made sense, as did the first plus third words. Didn't notice the cell phone connection, though. D'oh. There was nothing too arcane in this one, and it came together quickly. Nice. Thanx, Matt, Katie, and C.C.
Took 17:15 today to call the ITPro.
The Actresses of the Day were a challenge. I knew, well, "actress," but not "Samira," and I hardly consider "Fey" to be part of "Only Murders in the Building," but technically it's valid.
I didn't know "orris tree" or "sterol," so that "s" was a guess.
FIR after STEROL popped into my head to finish off the unknown ORRISROOT. I have never ever in my entire life stopped to consider where a bayleaf comes from!
Managed even the “only seen in crosswords” ASHIER. Theme was thoroughly unhelpful, especially to those of us who live in an android world, and even at that, pretty lame IMO. And this border-line OCD sufferer felt that TBIRD should have been clued as an abbr., although I grant the lyrics literally use the word. Overall, decent except for the theme.
FIR, but only by some miracle at best. Did not know car play, and most of the proper names. I really struggled with today's puzzle and relied on several WAG's to make it through.
It took a while for the theme to make sense and when it did I was not impressed.
Overall not an enjoyable puzzle.
Musings
-I was not all that familiar with some of the tech terms but I enjoyed the solve
-The antihistamine/WELT connection, SAMIRA and ORRIS ROOT were learning for me
-King of cinema was fun
-IAMBS did not cut it for the requested plural
-I had to UNMOOR from UNHOOK
-LECLERC resided somewhere in the recesses of my feeble memory
-My bowling lanes were first OILED and my first smoothie seed was ACAI
I went back and forth filling in and suddenly I noticed the grid was all filled. I knew none of the proper names except FEY, but perps took care of them. I was familiar with ORRIS ROOT from the days when potpourri was a fad. Having an iPhone, I’m familiar with CAR PLAY.
It took me a while to notice the theme, but I really enjoyed this puzzle.
Thank you CC for the recap.
Good Morning:
Even though I didn’t understand the theme completely until CC’s explanation, and I struggled with many unknowns, I enjoyed the solve because I felt the cluing was fair and not show-offy and, most importantly, I had a rare FIR after a few days of angst and frustration with FIWs. Car Play and Camera Roll are still a mystery, though, as I’m an Android user.
Thanks, Matt and Katie, for restoring my solving confidence and for a satisfying Sunday solve and, thanks, CC, for the clear and much appreciated explanation of the theme and its execution. Your tech savvy puts me to shame!
Charlie Echo, perhaps you missed my late post to you yesterday.
Have a great day. (BTW, welcome to another late poster, Nephew!
FIR, getting my WAG @ STEROL x ORRIS. Waited for acer/DELL and eriq/erik/ERIC. Too many erasures to list.
It's bad enough that we are supposed to know rap performers, but cartoon rappers too? I want to party like it's 1999, to paraphrase Prince.
Our First Son used to be a BARONETte, but now he's a full-grown BARON.
LAUREL TREEs grew all around my home in Atlanta, but I don't think they were the bay leaf type.
Norfolk is holding its St. Pat's PARADE next Saturday. I plan to go to see the wonderful Irish Wolfhounds march. (I tell people that Zoё the greyhound is my small dog, and compared to my Irish Wolfhounds she certainly is.)
Thanks to Matt and Katie for most of the puzzle, and to CC for all of your review.
FIW. Died at the Natick intersection of ORRISROOT/STEROL with a wrong WAG. A fairly enjoyable outing, despite many unknowns (to me, at least) Never heard SMOKEHOUSE used this way, and the F1 driver was not familiar. The perps were fair, and my WAGS were lucky. (With one exception!) Never did figure out the theme "til CC 'sprained it, though.
This puzzle gave me the MEREST amount of enjoyment in recent memory (see how awkward that sounds?)
Actually, it was an ok puzzle with a few exceptions, such as the lame theme, the worst-ever clue for AERIES, and the aforementioned MEREST.
I give it a 5/10.
Living the iPhone life, I recognized all the themers in the CELL DIVISIONS. Needed perps for ORRIS ROOT, LECLERC, SAMIRA, ZOEY, ERIC, and LAUREL TREE (like John M, I’ve never given a thought to where a bay leaf came from). I thought an antihistamine was used to treat nasal issues, but it also relieves hives which I guess are considered welts. Not familiar with SMOKE SHOW, but I may add it to my vocabulary. FIR in 28:29, better than I thought I would do on a puzzle coauthored by Katie. Thanks to both constructors for the enjoyable solve, and to C.C. for the expo.
Irish Miss...I went back and saw your late post, but alas, I have no E-mail. Gave it up for Lent many years ago, and never went back!
Well,
Puzzle was pleasant enough, but this is the reason I frequent the Blog regularly.
I had no idea what the theme was referring to, and would still have no idea if it were not explained to me. Makes perfect sense in retrospect, but then again, so does my online name, CrossEyedDave...
Orris root was a learning experience. I also had no idea. curiously, this video does not explain why it is called Orris Root, when it is actually is Iris Rhizome. The video says Google it if you want an answer, so I did. Google says it is a corruption!
I would also like to comment on what I believe (in my head:) to be a conspiracy!
Lately, I have noticed when reading the comics, (hey, if you only read the news, you are going to get depressed.) that the authors of these comics seem to be stealing ideas from Our Blog! Time and again, we discuss something, and a few days later, it pops up in a comic!
Here is a glaring case in point. coincidence? I think not...
Hola!
Ay! It's great to be back and solving puzzles! I had a wonderful time visiting my friend, Claire, and she looks good for 96. We had a nice party for her and two other friends came, as well. But it's so nice to once again sleep in my own bed although the hotel beds are lovely. We had to be CAMERA READY at all times because our photo could be snapped at any moment. We'll get a book later.
I finished the puzzle in good time without a MOROSE thought. Thank you, Matt and Katie. Though I have been out of practice for a week, it came back easily. Seeing CLIFF over AERIES was fun. I hope everyone of you has been well and will continue to do so.
Sorry to hear that, CE, but thanks for responding.
Surprised you didn't acknowledge your CSO: UNTIE!
This is the MEREST number of comments here in sometime.
That is just despicable. Off with their heads says the Queen.
Like Charlie Echo at 10:39 AM, I "died at the Natick intersection of ORRIS ROOT/STEROL." I left that space blank to earn the uncoveted DNF. For the rest of my comments, ditto desper-otto at 5:35 AM! I still enjoyed the puzzle, and enjoyed CC's easy breezy review.
I enjoyed this puzzle.
VAN DYKES wouldn't fit in the space for GOATEES.
ALAN was not the King of cinema after all.
We had bowling alleys and a back street ALLEY today.
Sometimes, when I'm feeling particularly ornery, if someone asks me, "What are you UP TO?" I'll answer, "Almost 6 foot 2."
My wife and I used to enjoy picking a couple of leaves from a Bay Laurel tree in a city park nearby. She would dry them and they actually worked in cooking. Much stronger flavor than store-bought bay leaves.
Good reading all your comments.
I just remembered that our trees were mountain laurel, and Mr. Google says its leaves are not suitable for human consumption.
“Fun, fun, fun, ‘til Daddy took the TBIRD away!”
Being an Apple guy (with the capital A from yesterday 😎) I grokked the theme after getting CARMAKERSPLAY. Pretty snazzy if one is an iPhone-er, maybe not so hot if not — although most of the themers were fairly cross-platform. Some great clues, too, like for USMAP, UMP and CANAL; but the “F1 neighbor” escaped me (arr, arr!) until the perps gave up ESC — I was stuck on thinking F1 as in racing after filling in LECLERC, (a name I at least know well for a change! 🏎️).
Never heard of a looker being termed a SMOKESHOW; my first try was SMOKinhot, which made more sense to me (again, racing got in the way, as a “smoke show” is what one puts on after winning, by doing burnouts and donuts) but perps soon killed that fill. I also agree that the clues for MEREST and a couple of others were kinda “meh”…but overall, I enjoyed today’s toodle through the squares from Katie and Matt, as expected. Thanks to them both, as well as to C.C. for the guided tour afterwards.
====> Darren / L.A.
Finally got around to solve - down visiting my sis and extended family down in Ft Worth and Temple TX area while DH is still off in Africa
A nice steady, amusing solve
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