Saturday Themeless by Zhouqin Burnikel
The coded grid shows that C.C. had a lot of fresh fill that included delicious looking Asian cuisine. She also seems to have a Kentucky Derby mini-theme on this first Saturday in May. As usual her cluing was amusing without being "too far out there".
Here's what she had to say when I asked her about a mini-theme and American, where she excels, and Chinese slang.
Hi Gary,
Yes, there's a mini theme on the Saturday grid.
Chinese works quite differently. Much of its richness comes from characters and tonal nuances rather than the kind of wordplay we often use in English puzzles. Mandarin has four tones, while Cantonese has nine, which adds another layer to how meaning is conveyed.
C.C.
The horses are in the chute and ready to run, so let's go!
Across:
1. Branch of Islam that includes Zaydism: SHIA - I only know SHIA and SUNNI so...
5. KJ of "Riverdale": APA - I recognized Riverdale as being the high school from Archie comics which I read in my misspent yute. KJ plays Archie in a CW series.
8. Growing concern?: FARM.
12. Brand with TV ads featuring Garfield: IAMS.
13. Half of all integers: EVENS - This got a chuckle from this math teacher
15. "2 funny": LMAO.
16. Galileo Galilei Airport city: PISA.
17. Place for fans to show support: MERCH BOOTH - Taylor Swift MERCH booths usually set up days before her concerts. It is estimated that her MERCH sales were over $400 M while tickets generated over a billion dollars.
19. Kentucky Derby moniker: RUN FOR THE ROSES and 50. Racetrack with twin spires: CHURCHILL DOWNS This is always decided today, the first Saturday in May
21. Narrow passages: STRAITS - One particular one has been in the news a lot lately
22. Feature of thioacetone: ODOR.
 |
| Yikes! |
23. Do groundbreaking work?: HOE.
24. Intake plans: DIETS.
26. "He has my whole heart": I'M HIS - The Spanish version: 62. Part of a basic Spanish conjugation: ERES - ERES el amor de mi vida. (You are the love of my life.)
30. Brian who scored "The Lovely Bones": ENO.
31. Crumb: IOTA.
32. Patronizing person: CLIENT.
33. APR reducer: REFI.
35. Heading up?: NORTH - On most maps
37. Pop singer Alessia: CARA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
38. Figures in quotes: PRICES.
40. Corner: TRAP.
42. "Corduroy" writer/illustrator Freeman: DON ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
43. Bloom in a fall bouquet: ASTER.
44. Anne who had a recurring role on "The King of Queens": MEARA - Anne is shown after being reunited with her longtime husband and comedy partner, Jerry Stiller.
45. Post __: HOC - A clever example (1:27)
46. Grammy winner Winans: CECE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
48. "My guess is ... ": I ASSUME.
55. GPS listings: ETAS.
57. Bean sprout?: IDEA.
58. Stalking cats: PUMAS.
59. Skillful: DEFT.
60. Stretch in office: TERM.
61. Go out for a bit?: NAP 😀
58. Stalking cats: PUMAS.
59. Skillful: DEFT.
60. Stretch in office: TERM.
61. Go out for a bit?: NAP 😀
Down:
1. Bit of suction: SIP.
2. Treatments for locks: HAIR TONERS.
3. Positive thinker's comment?: I'M SURE OF IT - A famous example: QB Joe Namath guaranteed his underdog NY Jets would win Super Bowl III over the heavily favored Colts and everyone thought he was crazy. Check out the score.
5. Not a fan of: AVERSE TO.
6. Smart-alecky: PERT.
7. Pozole peppers: ANCHOS.
8. Amplifier for tap dancers, perhaps: FLOOR MIC.
9. "Spark" singer Tori: AMOS.
10. Put on a scale, say: RATE - example 11. Scale name: MOHS - A mineral hardness scale seen here often.
13. Pride and joy: EMOTIONS.
14. Storage unit: SHED.
18. Use a salamander: BROIL ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
20. Wall Street's nabe: FIDI.
21. Himalayan ethnic group: SHERPA.
25. __ Tatin: TARTE.
27. Specialist in executive orders?: HEAD HUNTER - If an executive orders you to find a certain employee, "Who Ya Gonna Call?"
28. Temporary repository: IN ROOM SAFE.
32. Guessing game: CHARADES - You've got to have some miles on your tires to remember this 50's TV show.
34. Frappe ingredient: ICECREAM.
36. National Park Service handout: TRAIL MAP.
39. Standing upright: ERECT.
41. __ Robles, California: PASO - A GPS can tell the correct RTE to PASO Robles using the right 56. GPS listings: STS. and even your ETA.
44. Rice vermicelli: MEI FUN.
47. Do some kitchen prep: CHOP.
49. Nobel, for one: SWEDE - His final home
50. Brief review: CRITique or CRITIcism
51. "Take cover!": HIDE - We lived pretty close to SAC Air Base and so we did this drill in the 1950's
52. __ error: USER.
53. Priest in "Lost Horizon": LAMA. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The versatility of our
ReplyDeleteown dear C.C. - she can do Saturday or Sunday or just any day of the week- is admirable.
That said, the crossing of
“Meara” and “meifun” was pretty cruel but I got through it.
FIR, so I’m happy.
A very fitting puzzle for the first Saturday in May. Like SubG, I think Zhouqin’s versatility and prolificacy are most impressive! As for today’s offering, I found it a bit of a struggle, stayed too long with a couple wrong entries (status instead of STANCE, and palo instead of the unknown PASO. Took a break after 25 minutes, came back and perped and WAGed my way to a FIR w/out help in 32:44. Managed to overcome the triple stack of DNKs, CARA, DON, and HOC. Also never heard of TARTE or MEI FUN. It took a lot of thought and work, but I always enjoy the challenge, thanks Zhouqin for that. And thanks to HG for another stellar review and keeping your long streak of Saturday blogs alive!
ReplyDeleteAnd speaking of C.C.’s versatility and prolificacy, she also has the byline in USA Today.
DeleteFIW, missing my WAGs @ tiARA x TARTi and tEIFUN. I know Ann MEARA, but having never watched The King of Queens, nor eaten rice vermicelli or any kind of tatin, my chances were slim. Unlike my waistline.
ReplyDeleteDan Fogelberg sang RUN FOR THE ROSES. (Great trivia question - how many horses have won multiple Kentucky Derbys?*)
I just mentioned yesterday that one of my two favorite movie score writers was Henry Mancini, and today we get CHARADE(s) as fill.
I've seen what I now know as a salamander in use in Mexican restaurants. Now I know why I can't finish dishes like they can.
Thanks to CC for a fine puzzle, where only my lack of TV viewing kept me from solving. And thanks to H.Gary for another fine review.
* Answer - zero. All horses that run in the Kentucky Derby are three-year-olds, and for the purposes of racing, all their birthdays are January 1. So an entry born on (crossword favorite ) NYE turns 1 the day after being foaled, while an entry born in early January is nearly a year older on race day. Makes a difference in stamina on such a long race, and is something most casual bettors don't consider.
Slow going slog and mystifying Carolinas but finally FIR. Tough Saturday puzzle
ReplyDeleteI almost ran out of "bean sprouts" on this one. CC really made me think (which is hard when you're me)!
ReplyDelete"My guess is..." wrong, at first, and that didn't help. Like I had the W from CHURCHILL DOWNS, so Nobel was an aWard, which crossed AVES instead of ETAS etc. I essentially rewrote the whole SE corner. So I solved a different puzzle! LOL
I got BROIL because it was the only thing that fit, but looked up a salamander - a high-heat appliance for rapid searing and finishing dishes. It is named after the mythical creature—a lizard-like amphibian—believed in ancient and medieval legends to be fireproof and capable of thriving in intense heat.
Thanks HG, for your insightful review.
I had the same struggle in the SE corner for a long while. Along with a blank NE corner, I was sure I was done in by CC’s amazing talents! Then, my mind suddenly shifted, and the whole puzzle fell into place.
DeleteFIW. Like SubG, I found the crossing of Meara and mei fun as cruel, but my attempt at it was wrong.
ReplyDeleteThe long answers surrounding the Kentucky Derby were easy, but the short answers were brutal.
Overall for me a so-so puzzle.
Took 19:43 to cross the finish line.
ReplyDeleteThis was not my favorite C.C. puzzle, as I struggled with the Saturday staple obscure food (meifun, tarte, & anchos) and the Actress of the Day (Meara) & Actor of the Day (Apa). I didn't know the place in CA (Paso Robles), the writer (Don), or what "Lost Horizons" is. For some reason, I thought "Garfield" commercials had him in a hotel.
I have about two dozen "trail maps" from our National Parks.
"Commandment" then "Danon Bourbon" are my predictions for a perfecta today.
SS, a professional handicapper picked Danon Bourbon as one of two long shots capable of winning the Derby.
DeleteI don't know anything about horse racing or betting on those weird exactas, trifectas, daily doubles, win, place, and show but as always, the winners will be all the bookies who take their cut of the action.
DeleteI am the rare solver who welcomes proper names and "A&E" fill because I watch a lot of TV, play a lot of pub trivia, and have a knack for locking in names and faces.
ReplyDeleteBut the only names I knew today were Tori Amos and Anne Meara, and the clue for the latter would be lost on folks who didn't watch King of Queens ( one of my favorite shows). She aappeared in just 25 of the 207 episodes.
The other names were complete unknowns to me.
Overall, a decent puzzle, but not my favorite C.C. offering. Some clever cluing, and some too-clever cluing ("bean sprout/idea?")
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteCC’s Saturday offerings are becoming much more difficult and today’s was an example of this progression. The cluing certainly was a factor, but the fill was the main culprit. The numerous unknowns led to a FWH in a shamefully lengthy solve time. On the plus side, though, it was nice to see the two Kentucky Derby references on this Derby Day!
Thanks, dear CC, you stymied me once again and thanks, dear HG, for enlightening, entertaining, and educating us, once again. I was one of the few believers of Broadway Joe’s hubris and was rewarded by a $100.00 winning wager. Sometimes naïveté beats common sense! 😂
Have a great day. May the best horse win!
There was a bit of unfairness in the mix. (K.J.) APA and MEI FUN topped that list, and CARA Alessia was on it. ANCHOS was my first thought for the pozole pepper, but I imagine teaming that with MERCH BOOTH was a Natick for some. The ERES clue threw me, because it wasn’t clear the answer would be a conjugated word instead of grammatical term. Happy baby was too obscure a clue for ASANA if you’re not into yoga
ReplyDeleteThe two Kentucky Derby entries were helpful, though. I liked LMAO. I liked the CLIENT clue even more. And the “bean sprouts.” Anne MEARA was a tough trivia get if you never saw King of Queens (I didn’t).
I might have had an easier time if I weren’t perpetually rebelling against MIC, as opposed to “mike.” I’m happy to say The New Yorker’s style is still the latter. It’s a losing battle, though. Sound engineers and technicians are married to mic, which still looks like it should be pronounced "mick."
The first paragraph of my comment seems to have disappeared. Here it is: It took me a solid hour to FIR. It was a difficult but rewarding puzzle. C.C. never fails, it seems.
DeleteI hate to write this, but I am not a fan of this puzzle. Unlike Anonymous @ 8:59, I don’t watch TV therefore trivia names are usually unknowns, and there were quite a few here to stump me. My other pet peeve is paraphrases, like he has my whole heart, etc.
ReplyDeleteThen there were the obscure, to me, clues, like happy baby, for one. I’ve done yoga most of my life, but this ASANA is new to me.
Thank you HG for your great review, I certainly needed it.
The only ASANAs I know are cobra and cat back. The Happy Baby looks like something that would be in an X-Rated movie.
DeleteAlthough there were several I didn’t know, CC gave me enough to work with to FIR. This Saturday went quicker than most and I appreciated not having too many obscure crosses - but there were some! Thx
ReplyDeleteI could have done an easier puzzle, but since it was a CC, I had to try...
ReplyDeleteI think I got four acrosses, and an equal number of downs on the first pass. From there it was a whack a vowel red letter climb from bottom to top.
Never heard of Mei Fun, or The Financial District being called FIDI...
But it all made sense in the end.
Fav=Bean Sprout=idea!
Congratulations C.C. for your banner week starting with last Saturday's WSJ, puzzle, followed by Sunday's Universal Crossword puzzle, followed by Monday's WSJ puzzle, and bookended by today's LA Times puzzle. And YooperPhil let us know the USA puzzle today was hers.
ReplyDeleteThe Carolina seaboard was my undoing today with three stacks 3-letter unknowns. CARA, DON, HOC and a wrong guess with the CA town PALO (not PASO) Robles. ASSUME never made it.
The rest took some grinding it out to complete with APA, MEARA, FIDI, and TARTE tatin coming via perps and WAGS.
Salamander as a BROILer was an unheard of unknown; thank you perps.
MEI FUN- no idea about that food but the perps were solid.
I don't drink coffee and really didn't know a frappe had ICE CREAM but there were enough perps filled to guess the answer.
And any 'Brian' musical clue with a 3-letter fill is an automatic ENO.
We won't be going to CHURCHILL DOWNS today but will be watching the RUN FOR THE ROSES at our friends catered party, complete with the women's hats and a band.
LOVED today’s puzzle❣️ Thx for it, and the commentary❣️ And — for this “foodie” - mastering Julia Child’s Tarte Tatin recipe and owning a salamander were life goals☺️ I succeeded with the pie😉☺️ And, no longer feel the need for that consummate browning device🤨 Curious - because it’s the (no salamander needed) browning/caramelizing of the sugar&BUTTER from the long bake-time of a Tarte Tatin that makes it such a VERY special dessert 🤤😋🤩
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I have recently enrolled in a “therapeutic” yoga class and Happy Baby is one of our poses. We have guide dog in in our class, he’s really good at Downward Dog LOL
ReplyDelete