Theme? To finish this puzzle, you must climb the MESA, or BUTTE, or PLATEAU, to arrive at the TABLELAND.
4 Down. One who switches sides: TURNCOAT.
Turn table
11 Down. Basic flotation device: POOL NOODLE.
Pool Table
21 Down. Brewery vessel?: COFFEE POT. (Maybe in Starbucks, but the clue seems out of place in your kitchen...)
Coffee Table
29 Down. Purse at a boxing match: PRIZE MONEY.
Prize Table
40 Down. Soccer pitch boundary: SIDELINE.
Side Table
55 Across. Like some game night games, or a feature of 4-, 11-, 21-, 29-, and 40-Down: TABLE TOP
Because all the themers were Downs, the reveal indicates that the tables can be found on top...
Across:1. Sticky and stinky sealant: TAR. ( for turncoats, add feathers...)
4. Yank (on): TUG.
Carol Burnett
7. Agrees to: ACCEPTS.
14. Purple yam from the Philippines: UBE.
The Ube.
15. Game with red, yellow, blue, and green cards: UNO. And purple Ube chips on side for snacks...
16. Steel mill material: IRON ORE.
17. Barbecue choice: BEEF RIB. I wanted Baby or Back, but that would be Pork.
19. Find and remove: ROOT OUT.
20. "Across the pond" pond: ATLANTIC. A British euphemism for The Atlantic Ocean, because they would not want to make a tempest out of a teapot...
22. __ in comparison: PALES.
23. Hotel amenity: ICE.
24. Chooses to participate: OPTS IN.
27. Help desk techs: I.T. PROS. Stands for information Technology Professional, This field covers the development, maintenance, and use of computer systems, software, and networks for processing and distributing data.
30. Bank charge: FEE. Do not cross go, Do not collect $200-
31. Got the highest score in golf, say: LOST. The average par for a standard 18-hole golf course is 72 strokes, which consists of a combination of par-3, par-4, and par-5 holes. For most newbies playing whack-a-mole, breaking 100 would be a good day...
34. Jazz pianist Chick: COREA.
Chick Corea
35. Execs focused on the bottom line: CFOS. Chief Financial Officers
36. 10th grader, briefly: SOPH. Sophomore. As opposed to Freshman, or Senior.
37. Singer-songwriter DiFranco: ANI. Name #2
38. Special skills: TALENTS.
41. Kaitlin's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" role: DEE. Technically names #3 and #4, because to know this, you must know one is real, and the other fictional... The A.I. Overview
42. Totally dismantle: RAZE.
44. California-based candy company: SEES. This name #5 must have been filled in by kind perpage, because if I saw it, I am sure I would have complained it was too regional. Unless you tossed me a candy...
(I can be swayed easily...) Another A.I. Overview
45. Five Pillars religion: ISLAM. The 5 core acts are Faith, Prayer, Alms, Fasting, and Pilgrimage.
47. Grade sch.: ELEM. Elementary,
48. Alternative to sparkling: TAP. (As in water, as in restaurants.)
49. Stick: ADHERE.
50. Fine wool: MERINO.
52. Summer sign: LEO.
53. Love, in Firenze: AMORE.
55. Theme Reveal
60. Some park employees: RANGERS.
63. Common oatmeal cookie ingredient: RAISINS.
64. First Amendment word: FREEDOM.
65. Place to spend the night: INN. (This could also have been out, as opposed to in...)
66. One-on-one chats on soc. media: DMS. DM stands for Direct Message...
67. Agrees: SAYS YES.
68. Easter egg need: DYE. (And rabbits for some strange reason...)
69. Up to now: YET.
Down:
1. Bulky horn: TUBA. Bulkier horn: Sousaphone
2. Stand watch for, say: ABET. Yeah, but as a grandparent, watching a grandchild, would you say I was abetting?
3. Instagram feed feature: REEL. Not familiar with this...
4. Theme
5. Fuses together: UNITES. Strange clue for Unites. You would think unites would be a voluntary thing, where fuses, sounds kinda forceful...
6. Mongolian for "waterless place": GOBI.
7. Atmosphere: AIR.
8. __-Magnon: CRO.
9. Henhouses: COOPS.
10. Necessitates: ENTAILS.
11. Theme
12. "Good point": TRUE.
13. Hardens, as concrete: SETS.
18. Word with laissez or savoir: FAIRE. (Frawnch...) Should not be in an English puzzle, maybe a better clue would be Olde English Festivities.
21. Theme
25. Low-level workers: PEONS. A.I. Overview (of course, A.I. is not one of those...)
26. Trial: TEST.
27. "You matter to me": I CARE. (If A.I. ever says this to you,,, RUN!)
28. Like many Chinese dialects: TONAL.
29. Theme
32. Piece of fishing gear: SPEAR. Hmm, singular, 5 letter, could have been creel. But I find this unfair, because who ever heard of a singular piece of fishing gear...
33. Motif: THEME.
35. G-rated: CLEAN. (In the eyes of "who.")
39. Prosecco kin: ASTI. Sparkling wine that cannot be called Champagne...
40. Theme
43. Pops up: EMERGES.
46. Vans or Crocs: SHOES. Crocs I knew, Vans? Not so much,
49. Empire State capital: ALBANY.
51. Like a clarinet's sound: REEDY. (Really?)
53. Pet sounds: ARFS. (Or a great Beach Boys Album...)
54. Rooney of "Women Talking": MARA. (Name #,,, I dunno, I lost track...)
56. Like the 6-Down: ARID. (6 down was Gobi Desert, if you lost track...)
57. Spruce (up): TIDY.
58. "I'm buying!": ON ME.
59. Hushed summons: PSST.
61. Blini topping: ROE. Apparently, a Blini is some sort of crepe, or thin pancake, that you could top with practically anything. So, why not Roe? Hmm, what would you top your thin pancake with? I'm thinking cream cheese, bacon, scallions, and jalapeño, but I have an iron stomach...
62. Texting format initials: SMS. Short Message Service (limited to 160 characters) useful in customer service responses where they don't want you to complain too much...
45. Five Pillars religion: ISLAM. The 5 core acts are Faith, Prayer, Alms, Fasting, and Pilgrimage.
47. Grade sch.: ELEM. Elementary,
Apparently, that's as far as Watson got...
48. Alternative to sparkling: TAP. (As in water, as in restaurants.)
49. Stick: ADHERE.
50. Fine wool: MERINO.
No comment
52. Summer sign: LEO.
53. Love, in Firenze: AMORE.
55. Theme Reveal
60. Some park employees: RANGERS.
63. Common oatmeal cookie ingredient: RAISINS.
64. First Amendment word: FREEDOM.
65. Place to spend the night: INN. (This could also have been out, as opposed to in...)
66. One-on-one chats on soc. media: DMS. DM stands for Direct Message...
67. Agrees: SAYS YES.
68. Easter egg need: DYE. (And rabbits for some strange reason...)
69. Up to now: YET.
Down:
1. Bulky horn: TUBA. Bulkier horn: Sousaphone
Yep, definitely bulkier...
2. Stand watch for, say: ABET. Yeah, but as a grandparent, watching a grandchild, would you say I was abetting?
3. Instagram feed feature: REEL. Not familiar with this...
4. Theme
5. Fuses together: UNITES. Strange clue for Unites. You would think unites would be a voluntary thing, where fuses, sounds kinda forceful...
6. Mongolian for "waterless place": GOBI.
7. Atmosphere: AIR.
8. __-Magnon: CRO.
9. Henhouses: COOPS.
10. Necessitates: ENTAILS.
11. Theme
12. "Good point": TRUE.
13. Hardens, as concrete: SETS.
18. Word with laissez or savoir: FAIRE. (Frawnch...) Should not be in an English puzzle, maybe a better clue would be Olde English Festivities.
21. Theme
25. Low-level workers: PEONS. A.I. Overview (of course, A.I. is not one of those...)
26. Trial: TEST.
27. "You matter to me": I CARE. (If A.I. ever says this to you,,, RUN!)
28. Like many Chinese dialects: TONAL.
29. Theme
32. Piece of fishing gear: SPEAR. Hmm, singular, 5 letter, could have been creel. But I find this unfair, because who ever heard of a singular piece of fishing gear...
33. Motif: THEME.
35. G-rated: CLEAN. (In the eyes of "who.")
39. Prosecco kin: ASTI. Sparkling wine that cannot be called Champagne...
40. Theme
43. Pops up: EMERGES.
46. Vans or Crocs: SHOES. Crocs I knew, Vans? Not so much,
Apparently, these things I used to call "boat shoes."
49. Empire State capital: ALBANY.
51. Like a clarinet's sound: REEDY. (Really?)
53. Pet sounds: ARFS. (Or a great Beach Boys Album...)
54. Rooney of "Women Talking": MARA. (Name #,,, I dunno, I lost track...)
56. Like the 6-Down: ARID. (6 down was Gobi Desert, if you lost track...)
57. Spruce (up): TIDY.
58. "I'm buying!": ON ME.
59. Hushed summons: PSST.
61. Blini topping: ROE. Apparently, a Blini is some sort of crepe, or thin pancake, that you could top with practically anything. So, why not Roe? Hmm, what would you top your thin pancake with? I'm thinking cream cheese, bacon, scallions, and jalapeño, but I have an iron stomach...
62. Texting format initials: SMS. Short Message Service (limited to 160 characters) useful in customer service responses where they don't want you to complain too much...
And here's the Grid.
CE:D out...
≽(•⩊ •マ≼
36 comments:
Some “tables” were
better known to me than others, but they all made sense. And I didn’t think this puzzle was all that tough, in the long run.
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
As expected, d-o failed to notice the tables on his travels through the grid. Wanted PRIZEPURSE at 29d, but 'twas not to be. Thanx, Ricky and CE:D. (In answer to your GOBI question: Adlerbrau, Schlitz, Blatz, to name a few.)
FIR, but accedes->ACCEPTS, brisket->BEEF RIB, and aced->LOST (read the whole clue, Jinx.)
I think of Texas and Oklahoma when I see BEEF RIB BBQ. I think that generally, the rest of the country leans toward pork BBQ.
Vans and Crocs started out as cheap footwear, but got spendy once they got popular.
Thanks to Rocket J. Sirois for the fun Wednesday challenge, and to CED for another fun review. Like you, I was thinking of the Beach Boys @ Pet Sounds.
Falstaff beer - gone by the wayside.
I'm in a slump because got stumped on hump day. I kept reading Prosecco as Prosciutto and not knowing SEES sunk me.
I listen to a lot of jazz, and one of my best seeds on Spotify is Chick COREA because over the years he's played with everybody. Makes a nice varied channel.
I wasn't quite sure what a PRIZE TABLE was until Dave turned on the light.
FIW. Not being someone who drinks l did not know what prosecco was. I took a WAG and was wrong. Likewise with the candy company which I'd never heard of.
I didn't bother with the theme as the fill seemed to flow easily. No real stumbling blocks, except as previously noted.
Overall an enjoyable puzzle.
Super easy CW for a Wednesday. REEL crossing UBE was my only pure WAG. My other two unknowns MARA and DEE were taken care of by perps.
I respectfully disagree with you CED about laissez-FAIRE. It appears in English language dictionaries; it refers to a system of government which advocates for minimum intervention.
I still have several ChIck COREA CDs. The theme was neat, but I needed the reveal to figure it out. Blinis being Russian fare, it’s logical that one would expect roe (caviar) to top them.
Thank you CED for the review. I like the cartoon of the poor pig out of work.
Re CED's defunct beers challenge:
--Ballantine. I believe they merged with--or were acquired by--Falstaff. Now both are just memories.
--Anchor. A San Francisco establishment. My go-to has always been Anchor Steam Beer, until Anchor closed shop a couple years ago.
Thank you. I was unaware of laissez-FAIRE's definition in English dictionaries, and stand corrected... I blame my aversion of foreign languages to my High School Spanish Teacher (2nd year) who was a cruel and demanding. When I could not keep up with an all Spanish, No English spoken rule, I was forced to stand in front of the entire class, and repeat No Se Nada repeatedly.
How awful that a teacher would do that. Learning a foreign language is extremely difficult for some through no fault of their own. DH who for 62 years has been living with a French speaker, has never been able to pick up the language. He’s not made that way, and I love him anyway.
Fun puzzle - didn't figure out the theme clues until the reveal
My California cousins would debate who had the best chocolate : theirSEE'S or KC's Russell Stover's with us
Several beers are still around that used to be independent but are now owned by Pabst like Schlitz in Milwaukee and Ranier in the PNW. My dad was a Schlitz fan
Thanks CED for the blog and Ricky for the puzzle
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Ricky and CED.
I FIRed in very good time, but the theme was a mystery that I did not take the time to unravel. All through the solve I kept seeing the compound words or two word answers (16A, 16A, 19A, 24A, 27A, 27d, 55A, 67A, 4D, 11D, 21D, 29D, 49D) and that threw me off the THEME. D’uh!
Two inkblots as TUsk changed to TUBA (different kind of horn), and COFFEE urn changed to the smaller POT.
Hand up for not knowing SEES. That S was my only pause.
I noted TAP (opposite of sparkling) crossing ASTI (Proseccos kin) (both sparkling).
Wishing you all a great day.
Musings
-I had some problems in the center by not knowing MERINO or Prosecco. Coupled with my crude typing skills made for a bad cell but I enjoyed the puzzle.
-A _ _ I turned out to not be our old friend ACAI. :-(
-Warren Buffet has owned Nebraska Furniture Mart and SEE’S Candies for years. NFM features that candy in their huge furniture store.
-Oatmeal raisin cookies are my favorites!
-$.25 Falstaff (now defunct) long neck beers brewed in Omaha were a big part of my alcoholic father’s diet, not TAP water.
-I am much more likely to be lassiez FAIRE than my lovely bride!
-Roofers are working here and the foreman Manuel and I have had some good conversations with his broken English and my non-existent Spanish. He is very patient.
-My school fired a Spanish teacher in January because she was very rude to kids. They also fired a Shop teacher because he was drinking something much more potent than TAP water on the job.
-Nice job, CED!
My morning South Florida SunSentinel would not allow me to print the CW. After 30 minutes or so talking to someone on tech support, on an audio connection that sounded the auditory equivalent to a blurry picture, and going through several hoops, still no dice. I went to LA Times website and printed it.
So I spent longer trying to print the CW than filling it: FIR in 12. 10 names, DNK 4, including SEES. I never saw the theme. CED had to 'splain it. CW seems easier than most Wednesdays.
Thanx RJS for the fun. Thanx too to CED for the terrific write-up.
Having grown up in Milwaukee, I remember the wonderful smell around breweries. I worked for Schlitz one year as a summer job; both my maternal grandparents worked for Schlitz. Sadly, most of the multitude of breweries that were once in Milwaukee have closed. Miller still brews beer there, I'm not sure if there is even a second brewery still in operation there. Me, I moved to Florida in '68 to get away from the snow and cold.
Back in my college days, the local beer was Fauerbach. It wasn't popular. The story went that when a sample was sent to the Wisconsin Dept. of Agriculture for purity testing, the report came back, "We regret to inform you that your horse has diabetes."
Russell Stover's is usually sold in Walgreen's, CVS, etc here in my East Bay (CA) town, and is pretty cheap.
Do people actually try to compare it to See's?
Good Morning:
As is usual, a vertically themed puzzle left me in the dark about the theme and themers themselves until the very clever reveal. I actually smiled when I filled in Table Top; it ‘s so perfect and so well-executed, it really pleased and impressed me. The solve itself was smooth and effortless, except for two stumbles, i.e., Urn/Pot and Accedes/Accepts. Ube is becoming as ubiquitous as Yam, but purple in the clue is a dead giveaway. Albany was a gimme, as was Sees, a company I’ve ordered gifts from several times, although never for myself.
Thanks, Ricky, for a delightful Wednesday solve and thanks, CED, for a detailed and enlightening review. I, too, liked the poor little piggy comic. Your cruel Spanish teacher reminds me of my fourth grade teacher (a nun) who constantly referred to me as Pale Face. Both chose the wrong profession, it seems.
I watched an offbeat movie last night, “Remarkably Bright Creatures” starring Sally Fields and Bill Pullman’s son, Lewis. It’s element of fantasy isn’t for everyone, but I found the story mesmerizing due to Alfred Molina’s narration as Marcellus, the ailing octopus longing to escape his aquarium confines and return to his ocean home. Give it a try, if only to revel in Sally Field’s talents. The underlying and poignant circumstances that brings the characters together is the crux of the story.
Have a great day.
Autocorrect has little to no knowledge of the Its vs It’s usage. It’s annoying when its corrections are always incorrect.
In upstate NY I remember a popular candy company “Fanny Farmer”. Must be defunct
E ased my way across the finish line in 4:56 today.
N eeded perps for "Sees" and "Dee".
D on't think for a second that I remembered this "Ani" today.
Easy Humpday YET took me a few to figure out that TABLE was part of the appropriate vertical clues. Although not right on the TOP of the answer
Inkovers: accedes/ACCEPTS
As a lifelong fisherman I have never used a SPEAR 🎣… so REEL used that way is also unknown. Only see SOPH in CW’s
Diandra “Sweet DEE” Reynolds played by Kaitlin Olsen who is excellent as a single mom with incredible powers of perception helping solve police crimes in the ongoing series “High Potential”
“Man overboard!!” Find the basic flotation device! Where’s the POOLENOODLE!! 😳
Final entries in a anthology… ENTAILS
Buckets are ____ in comparison… PALES
Words on a blank billboard … ADHERE
Construct “places to stay the night” … RAISINS
Dedunct beers: Fort Schuyler (1930s- 1970s) “the beer drinkers beer” whatever that means? Brewed here at the West End Brewing Co.
I read the book Remarkably Bright Creatures. I loved it. I hope I can catch the movie. Octupuses are indeed remarkable creatures.
Hola! thanks to Ricky J. Sirois for a nice challenge today. The long vertical fills are a good change and nothing too difficult. I did hesitate a long time at UBE; I believe we've seen it before, but I could not exactly recall it. I've also seen those at the grocery store.
I, too, had ACCEDES before POOL NOODLE forced me to change to ACCEPTS.
SEES is considered the epitome of candy out here in the West. I hate to say it, but I had some chocolate in Switzerland that would rival SEES.
Thank you, CED, for leading us through the mire today. Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!
Not being a beer drinker, I can't speak to the challenge.
I recently watched “Hail Mary” and “Remarkably Bright Creatures” after reading the books. Both movies were very well done. Sally Field, at age 79, was the perfect as Tova. On a side note, a 1 pound box of Sees Chocolate is $33.00
CrossEyedDave: Thanks for the cookie cartoon! Yes, oatmeal raisin cookies are an evil fake version of real chocolate chip cookies! Thanks!
I tried posting this on Sunday's blog, but it was too late to be posted:
===
Anon at 12:18AM Thank you for the POUND PUPPIES explanation. It is annoying when people answer when they don't actually know the answer. Thanks for the correct answer!
I'm testing a new CD reader on an old laptop and among the icons on my screen was one for the Crossword Corner. I thought I'd check in and see what's up. Glad to see so many of the old Cornerites.
Cheers everybody,
Bill
p.s. I'd stick around but Teri insists that I need a new suit. One of my granddaughters is getting married in a couple of month and she (Teri) insists that I be presentable. It'll be tough! 😊
Falls City (which also brewed Billy Beer during the Carter administration,) and Frog Light from the Satisfied Frog restaurant and brewery in beautiful downtown Cave Creek, AZ.
Delightful Wednesday puzzle, many thanks, Ricky. And your commentary and pictures were also a real pleasure, thanks for those too, Dave.
Well, the word ACCEPTS right on the first line of the puzzle makes us hope for a very positive mood here today. But when you then notice that TURNCOAT going down right away, things become more troublesome and you start wondering who or what are they going to ROOT OUT, or what UNITES people, or ABETS their thoughts in that conflict here? I suppose the answer could be that there will be PRIZE MONEY as we start getting things going down further on, maybe after we take a TEST that confirms our TALENTS and supports that what we really want is just some FREEDOM here.
But I want to stop for a minute and go back to that BEEF RIB at the beginning, in the hope that maybe we can picture ourselves relaxing at an INN where they will serve us a lovely lunch, with some ICE cream and some RAISINS for dessert. Oh yes, that hot COFFEE POT on the TABLE TOP will help cheer us up too. And if we had some music in the background, like that TUBA playing very low and gently, we can watch them CLEAN and TIDY up the place before we go home. So, someone SAYS YES (not YET) at the end of this puzzle, and that turned out to be me.
Have a lovely rest of the day, everybody.
Hey Bill! Welcome back!
Kentucky's Ruth Hunt chocolates are very good, but not very well known outside of the state.
Hi Bill, nice to hear from you. Don’t be a stranger, though, I miss all of those learning moments you provided.
Good to read you.
I also saw it last night (on Netflix). Read the book a year ago and loved its originality and poignant story. I thought they did a good job translating it for the screen.
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