VANNA B's
You would wannabe her if you got paid $10mil to turn letters
"G" ( gee ), I vonder vhere LA Times Crossvord editor Patti VVVarol got the idea for this theme . . . and a packed theme it is, too - six, count 'em, SIX, themers today, for a total of 66 squares, or 35% of the total puzzle - I have not tracked this info, but I am curious about it in future puzzles. "V" replaces "W" in common phrases, a sort of German accent-type of sound which results in some humorous changes. Standard 15x15 grid, the triple-sixes and double-eights in the corners giving us a whopping 28 3LWs, no circles, too many names, four( ish ) Twurds, two stray "V"s, but overall, a typical Friday-level solve. The 6 themers;
17. Encouragement to a writer who shows an early penchant for rhyme?:
"YOU COULD DO VERSE~!" - "You could do WORSE", an additional spelling change with the "O" going to "E"
24. Carefully evaluate pasta?: VET NOODLES - Wet Noodles
31. Gardener who only plants the most exquisite ivy?: VINE SNOB - Wine Snob - too similar, less humorous
41. Anthem for a Colorado ski resort?: VAIL SONG - Whale Song; a bigger alteration, with the "H" dropped and the synonymous spelling
47. Weapon wielded by a particularly dangerous snake?: VIPER BLADE - Wiper Blade
Far Side snakes at "Vail"
54. Safes made in the Volunteer State?: TENNESSEE VAULTS - the biggest spelling change, Tennessee WALTZ. Learn more from this blue-highlighted web link and hear the song from another Patti, ( Page ) - lately, there seems to be some confusion from anon types in their comments indicating a lack of info regarding the clues & answers, and their connections - may I suggest checking the phrases and/or words highlighted in 🠆 blue 🠄 for web links to more; a ( PSA ) Public Service Announcement from your Friday fact-finding blogger 😁
But Vait, There's More~!
ACROSS:
1. Unaccounted-for period: GAP
4. Six-time WNBA All-Star Thomas: ALYSSA - name #1
10. Textspeak qualifier: IMHO - Text-speak, In My Humble Opinion
14. Timetable abbr.: ARRival
15. Talked up: TOUTED - think sales/advertising
16. Lion's "I'm going to eat you!": ROAR - at least it wasn't "RAWR"
20. Singer Jason with the album "Love Is a Four Letter Word": MRAZ - name #2 - the Wiki
21. Core muscles: ABs
Medieval workouts
22. Ga. capital: ATLanta, Georgia
23. Shadow: TAIL - think spies, cops & P.I.s
28. Quartz suffix: ITE - quartzite - I bought grey Kraftmaid cabinets to upgrade the original 1955 kitchen in my home; now I am looking for a purple-toned countertop to compliment my dishes, pots, pans and utensils - I like the look of this, called "tempest"
29. Much sitar music: RAGAS
Spinal Tap - "you don't wanna go raga . . . "
30. Actress Russo: RENE - name #3
33. Pop duo __ & Him: SHE - I have heard of them; Zooey Deschanel is "she"
She played Trillian in "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", too
35. Scale intervals: OCTAVES - stray "V" #1
36. Cry of frustration: "BLAST IT~!"
Biggs had a larger, but edited, role in the first Star Wars movie
40. Waze tech: GPS - Waze, the app for getting you there . . .
42. Taylor, to Swifties: IDOL - Taylor Swift's fanatics are called Swifties
45. Actor Vaughn: VINCE - stray "V" #2, name #4
46. Compass dir.: ESE - I had ENE, couldn't parse the crossing Down; Inniston~? see 38D.
About as good as TV Weather reporters . . .
51. Individual: ONE
52. Small battery: AAA
53. Experts: PROS
60. Lake into which the Cuyahoga empties: ERIE - the most poular lake in crosswordom, geo name #6
61. "A Real Pain" Oscar winner Culkin: KIERAN - half a WAG on my part; name #7 - his Wiki
62. Mama deer: DOE
63. Heap affection (on): DOTE
64. Has disdain for: SCORNS - "feet hath no fury like a woman's corns" 😜
65. 1975 TV debut, familiarly: SNL - Saturday Night Live
Star Wars casting spoof
1. Writer/editor Roxane who co-owns the online literary magazine The Rumpus: GAY - name #8
2. Like basmati rice: AROMATIC - I have not had this rice, so I have not smelled it . . .
3. Appealing to one's baser nature: PRURIENT - $2 eight-letter fill
4. Encyclopedic in range: A TO Z - Amazon's logo, implied by the arrow
Everything from A to Z
5. Reed of the Velvet Underground: LOU - I knew who this was, name #9
Venus in Furs, a cover of the Velvet Underground by Monster Magnet
6. Actor Brynner: YUL - #10
7. Time zone wd.: STD - meh. An abbr in an abbr clue/answer; from November 2nd (ish) through March 8th (ish), I live in EST, or "Eastern Standard Time"
8. Some cars: SEDANS
9. Vinegary marinade: ADOBO - Español for 'marinade' - more here
10. Choler: IRE
11. Spirits: MORALE - LIQUOR fit, too - so you know where my mind is . . .
12. Hurry: HASTEN
13. "... if you know what's good for you!": "OR ELSE~!"
18. Berkeley, familiarly: CAL - As I said @ 7D, I am an East coaster; I tried USC
19. Brandy letters: VSO - meh. Very Special/Superior Old ( Pale ) - I couldn't find a link to just V.S.O.
23. DVR option: TiVo
24. Wind instruments?: VANES - Now this is clever clue/answer
25. Big personalities: EGOS
26. Word often seen under a tilde?: TAB - TAB is beneath the keyboard [~ `] key
27. __ code: DRESS - Dah~! Not MORSE
29. Say "I'll be there," say: RSVP - meh - IMHO, you don't SAY an RSVP, you WRITE an RSVP
Old Quarterback
33. Cake serving: SLICE - I eat nothing less than a SLAB in my house
34. In fine fettle: HALE
36. Kansas or Alabama: BAND - name(s) #11; "band" was my first guess; I know KANSAS ( and HuskerG linked Dust in the Wind last Saturday ); I am not familiar with the music of Alabama - their website
37. Climbers' supports: TOEHOLDS
38. Demand: INSIST ON - Ah - not the town of Inniston, UK
39. Neutrogena shampoo: T-GEL - name(ish)
41. Passing through: VIA - meh. "I got to my brother's house via I-495" does not mean I was 'passing through' the asphalt 😜
42. November sticker: I VOTED - Twurd; did you hear that Apple has come out with a new device for finding leprechauns~? It's called the "iRish"
Hi Irish Miss~!
43. Bread: DINERO - I figured this was slang for 'money', waited on perps; the Wiki for US words
44. "I can't wait to see what's inside!": "OPEN IT~!" - Twurd
45. Pickle brand: VLASIC
48. "Hair Love" voice actress Issa: RAE - name #12, a crossword staple
49. Soaks up the sun: BASKS - TANS was a bit "light"
50. Newark-based insurer, on stock tickers: PRU - I shoulda known this - the NJ Devils of the National Hockey League play at the "Prudential Center"
Their logo can almost be seen on the sign
53. Kitchen array: PANS
55. Once called: NÉE
56. Job listing letters: EEO - Equal Employment Opportunity - I always make the mistake of filling in EOE ( thinking employeR ), and mess up that section of the puzzle
57. Make a blunder: ERR
58. Many an airport shuttle: VAN
59. Salt, in French: SEL - and our last 3-Letter Word
Splynter
Grid Flow a Wery Low 18.4
9 comments:
I had some trouble
spelling “prurient.” But one thing that helped me solve this Friday-worthy puzzle was figuring out the gimmick early on.
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Couldn't figure out WAIL SONG -- I pronounce wail and whale differently. Inked in PENAL before DRESS perped in. After coming here, I learned that I'd screwed up right out of the gate. With _AP crossing _AY, my unaccounted period was a NAP and the woman's last name was NAY. Bzzzzzzt. Thanx, Patti and Splynter. (Your "Irish" comment reminded me that if Apple had purchased Dollar Tree, it'd be I-Dollar Tree.)
FIR, but alyson->ALYSSA, aioli->ADOBO, and vsp=>VSO. I've only heard "VSOP," and erred while guessing which letter to drop.
Patti accidentally allowed three A&E entries that I actually knew - RENE, LOU and YUL. I know RAE from crossword recursion, but I couldn't pick him/her out of a lineup, and thought VINCE Vaughn was a country music star. We could have had a couple of more my-era A&E fills with Billy IDOL, PHIL Collins, and VAN Halen (or Morrison.)
I always put my I VOTED sticker on Zoё's collar. Even though we pass about a hundred people a day, few notice (or at least few comment on) the sticker.
Thanks to Patti for the puzzle that was Friday-tough but sans Naticks. And thanks to Splynter for another fun review.
Right in the trash, nothing but names
I give up. What does twurd mean?
FIR. I took a WAG at Mraz, being almost certain I was wrong only to be surprised at being right.
Once again we've had a plethora of unknown proper names. I expect Friday puzzles to be difficult but with all those proper names it makes it a pot shot.
Fortunately I figured out the theme and that greatly helped with the solve.
But overall not an enjoyable puzzle.
Good Morning:
I was almost halfway through the solve before I noticed Patti as the author. I was a little surprised because I remember liking Patti’s early work which was clever and exhibited true word play. Changing letters/sounds may be a form of talent, but it’s one of the least interesting type of themes, IMO. I wish Patti would return to her early roots, theme wise.
Thanks, Patti, and thanks, Splynter, for your honest and fair review. You point out a lot of pluses, but you’re just as honest about the shortcomings, the hallmark of a good critic. Thanks for the CSO. The mention of Leprechauns prompts me to retell this cute story. My niece (maybe 6 or 7 at the time) and her fellow classmates were asked what nationality they were, by a nun on St. Patrick’s Day. Her immediate reply was “I’m half Lebanese and half Leprechaun.” 😂
Have a great day.
I believe it means "two-word" as the answer consists of two words
Indeed, quite a theme. I figured it out pretty quickly. I didn’t even get caught filling a V at the beginning of all of them when I got to the last one. I had fun with it.
However I didn’t have fun with all the names of people I’ve never heard of including ALYSSA, MRZ, SHE (as clued), KIEREN, GAY, LOU, RAE. I did know RENE, VINCE, and YUL. That’s too many names IMHO.
I VOTED and EAGLE were clever. Patti’s efforts for cleverness all went to the gimmick, since as Splynter pointed, there were quite a few to come up,with.
Thank you Splynter for your fair and informative review.
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