61. 1985 novelty hit for the Bears, with "The," or an apt title for this puzzle?: SUPER BOWL SHUFFLE. In 1985, the Chicago Bears were riding high when this song came out to benefit hungry families in the area. They went on to win the Super Bowl, having lost only one game* all season. For our purposes here, however, these BOWLs are the classic college football championship games - with their letters SHUFFLEd.
18. Ina Garten franchise: BAREFOOT CONTESSA. COTTON BOWL. Ina is famous for her dinner parties. Here she is preparing wine for the evening.
24. Video game series based on Dungeons & Dragons: BALDUR'S GATE. SUGAR BOWL. BALDUR'S GATE is a series of role-playing video games set in the Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. I guess you've got to be into D&D to make sense of this.
38. Tomie dePaola book whose title evokes the Italian for "Grandma Witch": STREGA NONA. ORANGE BOWL. STREGA NONA is a 1976 Caldecott Honor-winning children's book about a kind "Grandma Witch" in a Calabrian town who uses a magical, ever-full pasta pot to help her community.
55. Cry after a triumphant return: WE ARE SO BACK. ROSE BOWL. WE ARE SO BACK is a popular phrase used to signal a comeback or relaunch.
Normally you don't see circles this late in the week, but in this case they are needed. I'm not great at anagrams, and without the heads-up, I never would've found them, or even understood what the revealer was trying to say. Luckily, COTTON popped out at me early on, but then I started looking for textiles until I got down to the revealer.
Well, I was bowled over, all right. BALDUR"S GATE and STREGA NONA were either "know them or you don't." They mostly filled in by perps, but where they both crossed another name (ARIE) left me scratching my head for the intersecting letters. That's always the problem with too many names.
The rest of this was more up my alley.
Across:
1. Mensa stats: IQS. Intelligence QuotientS are used in Mensa statistics. I don't mean to brag, but I'm a perfect 10...is that good?
4. Deprive (of): STRIP. I once went to a poor joint where the women were deprived of clothes. I left them a few dollars so they could buy some.
9. T's, in Morse code: DASHES. "T" in Morse code is simply ( – ) because it represents one of the most frequently used letters in the English language. You guessed it, "E" is just ( • ).
15. "Is the Pope Catholic?": DUH. A classic rhetorical question.
16. Hawaiian letter that resembles an apostrophe: OKINA. The ʻOKINA ( ʻ ) is a consonant letter in the Hawaiian language representing a glottal stop, similar to the pause between the sounds in "oh-oh". It is distinct from an apostrophe or reversed comma.
17. "In my view ... ": I THINK.
18. [theme]
21. Director Kurosawa: AKIRA. AKIRA Kurosawa was a Japanese writer-director and filmmaker known for his innovative storytelling and cinematic techniques.
22. Species known as the Evolution Pokémon: EEVEE. EEVEE evolves into eight distinct forms ("Eeveelutions") based on stones, friendship, time of day, or location. Crazy!
23. Sanskrit for "goddess": DEVI. DEVI is the term for "divine female," representing the supreme feminine energy in Hinduism.
24. [theme]
30. Receptionist, often: GREETER.
32. Reasons: MOTIVES. Why do you ask?
33. YMCA class: ESL. English as a Second Language class at a Young Men's Christian Association facility.
34. Sam of "Peaky Blinders": NEILL. Sir Nigel John Dermot “Sam” NEILL is an actor with dual New Zealand and British citizenship. He is also well know for his role in the Jurassic Park movies.
37. On deck: NEXT.
 |
| On deck at the DMV. |
42. "Not cool!": DUDE. Not, "That's not cool, DUDE," but "DUDE! That's not cool!"
45. Investment: STAKE. Investment: STEAK. Kobe Beef is the most expensive meat in the world due to its extremely high marbling and limited availability.
46. So-so, slangily: MID. Why not? We used to call this MOR, an abbreviation of Middle-Of-the-Road.
49. Cut without permission?: FAN EDIT. They tried to fool us with TRUANCY, but FAN EDITs are essentially unauthorized alternative versions of films made by fans.They may remove, reorder or add material in order to create a new interpretation of the source material.
53. Composer parodied in "Rabbit of Seville": ROSSINI. Gioachino Antonio ROSSINI not only composed the Barber of Seville opera, he was a friend and supporter of many of the greatest French chefs of his time, inspiring many dishes in his name. He was also believed to be an incredible cook and possess exquisite taste. Just like me! Not.
 |
| Beef Rossini - investment grade |
55. [theme]
58. Burnt __: ENDS. Now, this is more my style!
 |
| Burnt Ends - ingestion grade |
59. Comedy legend Burnett: CAROL. CAROL made a guest appearance a few years ago in Better Call Saul, and suddenly she's in demand again. She's presently starring in the Apple series Palm Royale, a period piece about the haves and have-nots in 1969 Palm Beach high society.
60. Toyota hybrid: PRIUS.
61. [theme]
67. Main dish: ENTREE. Like Beef ROSSINI or Burnt ENDS.
68. App for foodies: EATER. This puzzle is making me hungry!
69. Game review site: IGN. "In-Game Name" describes a player's identity in virtual worlds. IGN is a leading online destination for video game and entertainment news, reviews, and guides.
70. Untrustworthy sort: WEASEL.
71. Run for fun, say: RHYME. This one took a moment to jog my memory.
72. Receive: GET.
Down:
1. Workplace accessibility issue?: ID BADGE. IDentification BADGE. In the abbreviation, I stands for I, and D stands for -dentification. Doesn't seem fair.
2. Society of Friends: QUAKERS. The Religious Society of Friends, or QUAKERS, is a 17th-century English-originated tradition focusing on direct, personal experience of God (the "Light Within") rather than rigid doctrines. They believe everyone has capacity for divine access. Core beliefs include spiritual equality, peace (pacifism), simple living, and social justice. These seem like tenets that more of us should espouse, even if we don't eat oatmeal.
3. Dry (up): SHRIVEL.
4. Porch party fixture: SOFA. I guess porch parties are a thing now, building community support and generating momentum about local causes. Part of it is providing comfortable outdoor seating for potential prospects and donors, hence a SOFA.
5. Match stopper, briefly: TKO. Technical KnockOut.
6. Former Portuguese Royal Court city: RIO. From 1808 to 1821, RIO de Janeiro served as the capital of Brazil.
 |
| The Royal Palace in Rio de Janeiro today |
7. Dirt from a bug, perhaps: INTEL. Basic spycraft.
8. Walked the floor: PACED. Worked the floor: MIXED, and mingled.
9. Mexican cheddar?: DINERO. "We're having queso (cheese) for DINERO (dinner)." Wait! That's not right. DINERO means money in $panish, as you remember from watching Westerns over the years.
10. Swear (to): ATTEST. Yes, I can ATTEST that DINERO means money.
11. __/her pronouns: SHE.
12. Casual hellos: HIS. Not him/HIS.
13. Outskirts of New Haven?: ENS. A letteral clue. New Haven starts and ends with ENS.
14. Reggae kin: SKA.
19. Canal that runs 351 miles: ERIE. That's scary long.
20. Egg cell: OVUM.
24. Taproom pour: BEER. Taproom poor: BROKE.
 |
| "Maybe you should get the next round." |
25. "Acoustic Soul" singer India.__: ARIE. India ARIE is an American singer and songwriter.
26. "Jane the Virgin" star Rodriguez: GINA. GINA Rodriguez is an American actress and producer.
27. "__ Maria": AVE. It's just down the road from Hallelujah Court.
28. __-Mex cuisine: TEX.
29. Contractor's no.: EST. An ESTimate is a price quoted for a job. If it's too high, the contractor gets a "No."
31. Explosive stuff: TNT. We've blown this up many times before, so I won't spell it out.
35. Some kitchen appliances: LGS. LG uses the tagline, "Life's Good," but the Korean company's name is actually Lucky-Goldstar. Good marketing because otherwise it sounds like a Chinese restaurant.
36. Long. counterpart: LAT. Longitude and LATitude. My geography teacher helped us keep them straight by saying that LONGitudes are the LONG ones that go from pole to pole.
38. Oracle: SEER. I divined this answer.
39. Rat (on): NARC.
40. "Enough, I get it": OK OK.
41. Old console letters: NES. The Nintendo Entertainment System has a library of 1370 officially licensed games. I think I played Super Mario Bros. once.
42. Texas airport letters: DFW. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is the 2nd busiest in the U.S. behind Hartsfield–Jackson in Atlanta.
43. Abu Dhabi's fed.: UAE. Abu Dhabi's federation is the United Arab Emirates.
44. Tiny twisted molecule: DNA. Though this clue is twisted, the answer is straightforward.
46. Lego character, informally: MINIFIG. Short for a MINIFIGure, it's a little plastic figurine that snaps onto Lego bricks. These guys look familiar, but I can't quite place them.
47. Humor: INDULGE.
48. Voice opposition: DISSENT.
50. Proclamation: DECREE.
51. "Violeta" novelist Allende: ISABEL.
Violeta
(2022) is a sweeping historical novel by Chilean author ISABEL Allende.
52. Fatty tuna: TORO. TORO doesn't refer to the fish itself – just the fatty meat from the belly prized in sushi and sashimi for its buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture and rich marbling. To me, TORO tuna sounds like a surf & turf entree - investment grade!
54. Vassal: SERF.
56. Shady garden spot: BOWER. New to me. Unlike a long, arched arbor, it's more akin to a covered garden seat.
57. God of Islam: ALLAH.
60. Unadulterated: PURE.
61. Use a Singer: SEW. Or HEM.
62. French article: UNE.
63. Book fair gp.: PTA. A Parent Teacher Association is a group that may run a book fair as a fundraiser. Maybe they should try a Porch Party!
64. Hesitant sounds: ERS.
65. Pigpen: STY.
66. Make shorter, maybe: HEM. Or SEW.
* The Bears only loss in 1985 was to Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins in an epic Monday Night Football showdown. I was there in the old ORANGE Bowl and was so hoarse from shouting that I could barely talk the next day. The thunderous noise from the fans created unheard of game stoppages when Chicago had the ball. The more the refs tried to quiet the crowd, the louder we got (with our players encouragement) and helped preserve the 1972 Dolphin's perfect season - a feat no other major American league team in any sport has equaled.
Be good. RB
16 comments:
Nope. Couldn’t get it.
With such terms as “Baldur’s Gate” and “Strega Nona” plus various obscure and nonsensical abbreviations, I didn’t have a chance.
Basically, I found this puzzle irritating and no fun.
Obviously, FIW.
I actually enjoyed this puzzle because while there were many unknowns like OKINA and BALDUR'S
GATE they all filled for me because of all the short, gettable peeps. It also does not rely on a single interest except the football aspect of the theme. I too was in attendance at the game at the old Orange Bowl where Miami ended Chicago's bid to go undefeated. I was thereafter the guest of a mortgage guy who got the tickets for free. It was a no lose situation for me as I grew up a Bears fan but was converted Dolphins fan, awed by Dan Marino who sadly never won a Sper Bowl. I also enjoyed the stream of consciousness look into Brian's brain. Thank you Shannon and Will, spring is coming Saturday despite the relatively cold weather here.
Good morning! (Ufda!)
It all came down to two empty squares and one wrong one. D-o had BALDUR STATE -- Tina instead of Gina. Bzzzzzt. Thought of MINIFIG, but it meant nothing, so I left the M and final I blank. This one was a perfect storm for a guy who knows nothing about sports, online gaming, or Lego. Figured the circled letters were jumbled player names. Nope. No chance. Thanx, Shannon, Will, and Rusty.
Tough puzzle for me but enjoyable. One example, I was thrown by the period in the clue "India." Couldn't figure out what that meant.
What Sub said, except that I gave up without much of a struggle. Far too much A&E crapola for my taste, and I don't enjoy anagrams. I did, however, like SHE next door to HIS. Overall, I wish I could be like those members of congress who are fond of saying "reclaiming my time."
DNF. Didn't even get close. What a ridiculous amount of proper names! And song and book titles few would know. I threw in the towel and decided this wasn't worth my time. I'm surprised one of the clues wasn't " my babysitter's mother's middle name".
Overall not just unenjoyable, but probably one of the worst puzzles I've ever encountered.
Thank you, Shannon, Will and RustyBrain.
Whoa. Thursday toughie. FIR FTW but it was 4 minutes over an hour. I refused to give up.
OKINA, EEVEE BALDURS GATE, STREGA NONA, and IGN were totally unknown.
Ref to TKO.
Ales to IPAs to BEER.
Meh to MID.
Endulge to INDULGE. (duh!)
Tell to talk to name to NARC.
Okay to OK OK
Lassini to Massini to Rassini to ROSSINI. (That last was a name I recognized)
Arbor to BOWER
Idabel to ISABEL (duh!)
Les to UNE
If it weren't for the theme and the circles, I wouldn't have been able to solve it. I was 100% certain of both BAREFOOT CONTESSA and SUPERBOWL SHUFFLE. I shuffled the letters to get COTTON. Then SUGAR. So NCAA BOWL games.
The third had to be ORANGE, so I ditched the T from talk in favor of N. The fourth was clearly ROSE. No prob. That led to WE ARE SO BAey which couldn't be correct. BACK made sense, so name to NARC and okay to OK OK for the hard fought win.
I loved the challenge and figuring it all out. Had this been published 3 months ago, the timing would have been better... but I'm not complaining.
Speaking of timing, I spent so much time on the puzzle that I'm going to have to carve out time to read RustyBrain's review sometime later today.
Shannon and Will, you two should collaborate more often. Keep them coming! Excellent puzzle and a great challenge!
I agree
What a dumb place for a trivia test. Also, what are the LAT editors thinking? Jeez, even the theme is tenuous at best. The Super Bowl is the best teams left standing after a long, arduous grind. College bowl games are an incentive to schedule pay-to-slay opponents in an attempt to stumble to a winning record. What a joke.
FIR but didn't like this one. Pairing NFL with NCAA was a stretch
I'm a fan of video games, especially Nintendo. I'm also an amateur constructor, and I like to include a few gaming references per puzzle in my clues. I knew EEVEE, BALDUR'S GATE and IGN, but I realized that would be too much for some solvers. I appreciate the modern/colloquial stuff (FAN EDIT, WE ARE SO BACK), but FAN EDIT can be rough to even parse correctly if you've never seen that term, AND it has a "?" clue.
Also, I hope you know your airport codes! DFW crosses FAN EDIT, and "RUDE!" is as valid an answer as "DUDE!" at 42A.
You have to parse it as super bowl. It is a play on words. Those are usually the four biggest bowl games of the college football season. They are the "super" bowl games.
Questionable cluing combined with an unreasonable amount of trivia. A big thumbs down.
Good Morning:
What a difference a day makes! Yesterday, I had to restrain my admiration and appreciation for that outstanding solve, but today’s offering warrants no such praise, IMO. There were too many unknowns, too many niche references, and way too many 3LWs, 28 by my count. In addition, neither the theme nor the reveal were Thursday level difficulty, circles or no circles. I finished w/o help in 43 minutes, but also w/o any satisfaction or enjoyment, sorry to say.
Thanks, RB, for your very entertaining and cheerful commentary and review. I enjoyed your wit and punny humor, as usual.
A local school, Siena University (College) is #16 Seed going up against Goliath Duke University #1 Seed tonight in the Big Dance Tournament. The Saints vs the (Blue) Devils! And on St. Joseph’s Feast Day, to boot! (Hey, MalMan!).
Have a great day.
I like the word BOWER. For one thing, a bower is a pleasant place--an arbor--to just relax and enjoy the outdoors.
And it's a term used in an enjoyable card game named euchre. In playing cards, the German word for the jack is bauer, which in euchre--at least in the English-speaking world--is spelled bower. The highest ranking cards in euchre are two jacks of the same color, called the right bower and the left bower.
Not my kind of puzzle.
Thank you RB for a fine review which revealed a world I do not inhabit.
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