Theme: YOWSA! (It hurts my eyes!)
CrossEyedDave here, and I am still trying to erase the after image of this puzzle out of my mind... most of the puzzle played out well, except the SW Corner, which took some sussing. The theme? Well, at first I couldn't see anything. So I asked Daughter #1 for help. She was as nonplussed as I... so I emailed CC for help. As I was typing, I realized that Lunch, Play, Couples, and Up, could all be preceded by the word "Power." But I could not understand how power lunch hour/power play station etc, had anything to do with clashing. CC replied Both words can follow "power", hence it's clashing.
So...
17 Across. Midday break from work: LUNCH HOUR. (Power Lunch / Power Hour)
26 Across. Sony game console: PLAY STATION. (Power Play / Power Station)
52 Across. Vacation with friends and their significant others: COUPLES TRIP. (Power Couples / Power Trip)
62 Across. Artistically repurposing, as trash: UPCYCLING. And... even though it is one word,,, (Power Up / Power Cycling)
And the Reveal:
36 Across. Fashion trend that embraces a bold mix of patterns and colors, or what can be found in 17-, 26-, 52-, and 62-Across?: POWER CLASHING.
Across:
1. Enjoyable: NICE. ( a devious start, as this start is just a deception. )
5. Not bad, not great: SO SO. (No comment )
9. Amazon smart speakers: ECHOS. (That's the name on the box, but everyone calls them Alexa's.)
14. Pedal pusher: FOOT.😀
15. Rocky outcrop: CRAG.
16. Barely detectable amount: TRACE.
17. Theme.
19. Ninja Turtle home: SEWER. Ok, I'm supposed to splain things that may not be understood about the puzzle. How do I explain to the crossword solving breakfast club all about radioactive mutant turtles that live in the Sewer? That have Italian Renaissance names, and love pizza?
20. Shoe designer Jimmy: CHOO.
21. Corp. VIP: CEO. Chief Executive Officer
23. Word with garage or yard: SALE.
24. Low card in gin rummy: ACE.
26. Theme.
29. Ithaca Ivy: CORNELL.
31. Like some staff retreats: ONSITE. (Or On-Site)
32. Pledge drive gift: TOTE.
33. Little piece of land: ISLET. What is the difference between an islet, and a cay? The A.I. Overview
36. Theme Reveal.
42. Swerves: VEERS.
43. Paper chain segment: LOOP. (I wanted Link.)
45. Equilibrium: STASIS. (The beginning of the difficult SW corner...)
49. Matures, in a way: EVOLVES. I was thinking ripens, but it wouldn't fit. You would think evolution is an ongoing process, and maturation is an end result. But they did say "in a way," so, anything goes...
52. Theme.
55. Historical period: ERA.
56. Scheme: RUSE. Or plot, plan, ploy, scam...
57. Tiny terrier, e.g.: TOY.
58. "Tulsa King" actor McDonough: NEAL.
60. __ Park, Colorado: ESTES. Familiar to any model rocketeer...
62. Theme.
66. Gloss over, in speech: ELIDE. (Forgive me for skipping over the details...)
67. Barking marine mammal: SEAL.
68. Lost, metaphorically: ASEA.
69. Like pound cake: DENSE. But nowhere near as dense as a fruit cake, I mean, I've seen fruit cakes you can literally use as a door stop!
70. Contributes: ADDS.
71. Blended family prefix: STEP. Hmm, interesting clueing...
Down:
1. Org. with Lions and Bears, but not Tigers: NFL. National Football League League. Lions=Detroit, Bears= Chicago, Tigers= MLB (Major League Baseball)
2. Short note?: IOU.😀
3. Composition for soloist and orchestra: CONCERTO. There a whole book on it, just ask Daughter#3 who had to study it for Her Music Degree.
4. Engrave: ETCH.
5. Podiatrist with a namesake orthopedic brand: SCHOLL.
7. Pert: SAUCY. Could have been sassy, but the Constructor was being Pert...
8. Folklore brutes: OGRES.
9. UFO pilots, presumably: ETS. Extra Terrestrials.
10. Distinctive features of cockatoos: CRESTS.
11. The Big Island: HAWAII.
12. Spotted wildcat: OCELOT.
13. Peaceful: SERENE.
18. Dream: HOPE.
22. Central Plains people: OTOES. Another crossword staple. Could use some fresh clueing, perhaps "Ode to lower digits?"
24. "__ your age!": ACT. (Ok, maybe I'll delete the 22 down commentary...)
25. Henhouse: COOP.
27. Wonderland visitor who uses a flamingo as a croquet mallet: ALICE.
28. Scholarly collection: Abbr.: ANTH. Anthology is a curated collection of literary works, such as poems, short stories, plays, or songs.
30. Unfamiliar: NEW.
34. Camera type, for short: SLR. Single Lens Reflex
37. Downright rotten: EVIL.
38. Go back to zero: RESET.
39. __-at-ease: ILL.
40. Jane Austen, for one: NOVELIST.
41. Opera ending?: GOER. (Erm?) according to the Internet: Operagoer is a common nine letter word that fits the clue "Opera ending" in crosswords... (Common nine letter word?) Maybe when the fat lady sings...
44. Awareness-raising TV spot: PSA. Public Service Announcment
45. Lengthy diatribe: SCREED. This is the word to use to describe my unhappiness with the SW corner...
46. Muss: TOUSLE. The result of much head scratching, again in the SW corner...
47. "Keep __ Weird": motto of a Texas city: AUSTIN. (That SW corner again, really weird!)
48. Podcast playback options: SPEEDS. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
50. Audiophile's collection: VINYLS. (I wanted Albums)
51. Oil cartel acronym: OPEC. Organization of Oil Exporting Countries.
53. March composer John Philip __: SOUSA. Inventor of the Sousaphone
54. Not handwritten: TYPED.
59. "Sad to say ... ": ALAS.
61. "Catch my drift?": SEE.
63. Currency with toonies, briefly: CAD. Yikes! This takes some splainin'. First of all, the Loonie, is the Colloquial name for the Canadian One Dollar Coin. Ergo, the Toonie refers to the two dollar coin...(simple.) but what is the "A" in CAD? No one knows, and it doesn't matter, because the official ISO code for the Canadian Dollar is CAD, differentiating it from other dollars (like the U.S. Dollar). Who or what is this ISO you ask? More info here...
64. Formerly named: NEE.
65. Hiatus: GAP.
I am looking forward to hearing from you in the comments. Because I am still not sure if I am missing something in this clash of words puzzle...
It wasn’t too hard.
ReplyDeleteAnd I saw all the “power” phrases.
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteDang. Two days in a row. The H never occurred to me, so it had to be CLASSING. Wasn't sure what literary ANTS could be, but it got to stand. Bzzzzzt. Also learned today that d-o doesn't know how to spell VINYLS -- knew there was a Y, just not where it went. Not my finest moment. Didn't realize there was a reveal...nor a theme, for that matter. Oh, well. Thanx, Amanda and CE:D.
FIR, but sholls then school->SCHOLL, link->LOOP, sassy->SAUCY, and tossle->TOUSLE (bad spelars of the world UNTIE!)
ReplyDeleteI knew Jimmy CHOO without benefit of perp. Where do I surrender my man card?
I also knew STASIS without perp, mainly from teaching that Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs consists of homeoSTASIS components as its base.
Politicians often use the phrase "I've evolved on that issue." It poll-tests much better than "I've changed my mind on that issue after reviewing the latest polls."
Wonderland visitor blah, blah, blah uses the same obfuscation technique as the old "as I was walking to St. Ives" riddle. When I was preparing students for certification tests, I would advise them to determine what the question was actually asking before considering the answer candidates.
Thanks, I think, to Amanda for the thought-provoking puzzle. We've gotten into a cycle where the Tuesday puzzle is easier than the Monday offering, but I'm not sure that was the case this week. I liked the gimmick, but POWER CLASHING not so much. And thanks to CED for another solid review. I've gotten into the habit of looking for just superficial ties between theme fills and the unifier, so on that level the POWER COUPLE didn't bother me.
FIR. Maybe it's just me but today didn't seem much like a Tuesday puzzle as much as a Wednesday or Thursday maybe.
ReplyDeleteI missed half of the theme by only seeing the power in the second part of each long answer.
So overall a so-so puzzle.
Everything went south for me south of the equator. I have ABLUMS, hundreds of them, but never called them VINYLS. NEAL McDonough was a familiar face but an unfamiliar name. And I wanted my paper chain to be a LINK instead of a LOOP, so it was messed up for a while down there.
ReplyDeleteAside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play? I like these type of double themers, that's a lot of word pairing. Nice job Amanda.
CED, you hit all the POWER points. I could only imagine CLASHING until you pictured it. Now it know it means looking like a clown.
FIR, but couldn’t figure out the theme. I don’t think I tried hard enough. I was satisfied that everything I entered fit.
ReplyDeleteMy only hesitation was entering operaGOER. Wow! That’s a word, CED tells us.
Thank you CED for your candid and NICE review.
Nice smooth puzzle solve - CED I couldn't think of another layer on the theme.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteRest easy, CED, if there were another layer, CC would have advised you of such.
I didn’t see the second word as part of the theme until you explained it and was, therefore, puzzled by the Power Clashing reveal. Actually, I still think it’s a stretch and weak, to boot. I did enjoy the clever cluing and some fresh fill, i.e., Stasis, Concerto, Screed, etc.
Thanks, Amanda, and thanks, CED, for the humorous and thought-provoking review. Your voice is a pleasant and enjoyable addition to the Blog, even when you’re slightly confused. 😂
Have a great day. Mine is not so great thanks to a non-working A/C in our present heat wave. My cleaning lady will not be happy, nor am I as I can’t even reach the A/C service dept. I’ve been trying since 8:45.
Above is a very disgruntled Irish Miss.
DeleteI feel your pain IM. We went from a Frost Warning last week to a Heat Warning for yesterday and today. Crazy shift in weather. After all the complaining we did about the cold spring, I hesitated to say anything. But the AC may go on today! And the winter clothes will be switched for summer ones in my closet.
DeleteGood luck, Irish Miss☘️. I feel your frustration.
DeleteHope you are soon … gruntled and cool.
DeleteNational Grid showed up at our summer camp last week to cut off power claiming we hadn’t paid the bill nice last November. Luckily DW had sent our cleaning lady there to tidy up after we opened for the season otherwise no one there for a week. She told them to please give us a day to correct the problem plus she needed the power on. I called and for no rational reason they had suddenly started sending the bill to the wrong home address. We hadn’t noticed with all the mail DW gets plus being in Florida for two months. They had our phone number but never called to tell us the bill was unpaid or that the power would be immediately cut off. 🙄
Tricky Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Amanda and CED (I loved the O TOES ode!)
ReplyDeleteI finished in somewhat more than the usual Tuesday time but arrived here to discover that I should pedal with my FOOT, not my bOOT.
(I thought NBL was wrong but never corrected.)
Hand up for that SW corner being the last to fall.
I wracked my brain to figure out a theme to no avail. But I can see C.C.’s explanation. One definition of Clash is “ Schedule Overlap: When two events happen at the exact same time.” The words are “clashing” when they both follow POWER (a SOSO stretch for theme!).
Some minor Canadian disadvantage today with. NFL, CORNELL, but I do have toonies in my wallet. I’ll take the CSO with CAD. The A is part of the ISO Alpha-2 two letter code for countries ( CA=Canada, US=United States).
Wishing you all a great day.
Thank you CanadianEh, your theme explanation is the best I have heard so far...
DeleteI could just not see the clashing, but I attributed that to being blinded by the outrageous wardrobe.
I enjoyed Amanda's puzzle and FIR but did not understand the theme at all. CED did far better than I. Now that I see it, I suppose having two types of power on the same line is "clashing." I *am* familiar with POWER CLASHING as a fashion trend. It takes real skill and a certain type of wardrobe to put patterns together and have them work. We common folk had best stick to solid pieces with our patterns. Many thanks to Amanda and CED.
ReplyDeleteWednesday came on a Monday yesterday, and Thursday came on Tuesday today. What a messed up week. Or maybe it's just me that's a mess.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, it was smooth sailing for the theme, passing right over my head without leaving a ripple. It took CED to 'splain it, and even then the clashing part must be on that sailboat, by now in the far distance.
I count 14 names, 3 DNKs among them. I count "MENLO" as a name. Why is it NOT a name? Anyway, I'm having to do all my CWs online now, since my e-newspaper now gives me a CW I cannot print. I called technical help, and they couldn't find a solution either. (Grump, Grump). Tried FEET for FOOT; wanted SHOO for CHOO, and SASSY for SAUCY. Eventually FIR in 16 minutes.
AC, this was a tough Tuesday, but still fun to (eventually) fill. Thanx for your creation. Maybe you will stop at the Corner and 'splain your "clashing" bit.
Thanx too to CED for the terrific Tuesday write-up, and the enlightenment re the theme.
Not the NICEst most “enjoyable“ Tuesday but fair. Took a few moments to suss out the POWER scheme/RUSE. Never heard of POWERCLASHING or UPCYCLING though. (What I don’t learn doing these CW’s!!) When I tried to dress myself for school the first time I learnt a new word, CLASH, from Mom
ReplyDeleteInkovers: link/LOOP, tirade/SCREED, south/ESTES, Neil/NEAL ATLS(atlas?/ANTH(Tony?)
So a CONCERTO has to include a soloist 😲🎶
Did A.B. Bell consider suing John Philip over the Sousaphone?
An ISLET/eyelet is where you thread a shoelace.. speaking of ”Jimmy”… Sounds like the start of a limerick:
There once was a man named Choo
known for designing a shoe….
“insert the laces in all the right places
And do it correctly if Eyelet … you”
😖
Sorry, enjoy the day 😊
Took 5:13 today to fight the power.
ReplyDeleteSeemed like a themeless while solving (which is fine with me), and after reading the fine review and comments (clashing?), I think I'll continue to tell myself that it was themeless.
I didn't know the Actor of the Day (Neal).