Theme: So many greens!
I sit beside the fire and think of how the world will beWhen winter comes without a spring that I shall ever see.For still there are so many things that I have never seen:In every wood, in every spring, there is a different green.
-- Bilbo Baggins in Book II, Chapter 3 of The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien.
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| Glacier National Park -- photo by NaomiZ |
Zachary Edward-Brown is back and this time he's contemplating the many shades of green in the theme clues and answers, which are:
16-Across. *University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina: WAKE FOREST.
24-Across. *Hall of Fame wide receiver who was drafted by the Vikings in 1998: RANDY MOSS.
49-Across. *Person looking for employment: JOB HUNTER.
60-Across. *Major coin producer in Colorado: DENVER MINT.
And the big reveal, smack in the middle of the grid:
37-Across. Strive to reduce one's carbon footprint, or what the answers to the starred clues do?: GO GREEN.
Forest green, moss green, hunter green, mint green ... here are samples:
Hopefully these green hues put you in a relaxed mood to explore the rest of the clues and answers.
Across:1. Tapioca pearls in some tea: BOBA. Boba tea is a choking hazard! Remove the tapioca pearls for young children and serve them in a bowl with a spoon. You can remove mine, too! Blech!
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| Boba tea |
5. Trades jabs in the ring: SPARS.
10. WNBA stat: Abbr.: PTS. NBA players also earn PTS.
13. Forget to mention: OMIT.
14. Cut equally: HALVE.
15. Spoiled kid: BRAT.
16. [Theme clue]
18. Norse god of mischief: LOKI. All I know about Loki, I learned from watching Vikings on the History Channel.
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| Travis Fimmel as Ragnar Lothbrok in Vikings |
19. "That's all __ wrote": SHE. "That's All She Wrote" is a song written by Jerry Fuller, and recorded by various artists including Ernest Tubb, Johnny Mathis, and Ray Price.
Dearest baby may I thank you for being a friend of mineAnd while you're reading these words I'll be gone like a bird in the winter timeAnd I'm taking with me the few sweet memories we made as my souvenirsAnd it's a shame that the laughter couldn't outweigh all the tearsThat's all she wroteEverything that I own in a small envelopeLeaving me so alone that I wanted to dieThe momеnt that I read her noteThat's all shе wrote
20. Mountaintop: APEX.
21. Forty-__: NINER. A prospector in the California gold rush of 1849, or a member of the San Francisco Forty-Niners, a professional football team.
22. Dry as a bone: ARID.
24. [Theme clue]
27. Name of 12 popes: PIUS.
29. Production amount: OUTPUT.
30. Nearly five billion people: ASIANS.
33. Rugged ride, briefly: ATV. All-terrain vehicles have agricultural, military, and recreational uses.
21. Forty-__: NINER. A prospector in the California gold rush of 1849, or a member of the San Francisco Forty-Niners, a professional football team.
22. Dry as a bone: ARID.
24. [Theme clue]
27. Name of 12 popes: PIUS.
29. Production amount: OUTPUT.
30. Nearly five billion people: ASIANS.
33. Rugged ride, briefly: ATV. All-terrain vehicles have agricultural, military, and recreational uses.
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| ATVs |
34. Stanley Cup org.: NHL. The championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoff champion.
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| Evolution of the Stanley Cup |
36. Yoga roll: MAT.
37. [Theme clue]
40. Corp. head: CEO. Chief Executive Officer.
41. "Thx" counterpart: PLS. "Thanks" and "please" in text-speak.
42. Cherry center: PIT.
43. Handouts at a spa: TOWELS.
45. Nonreflective finishes: MATTES.
48. "Hey, over here!": PSST.
49. [Theme clue]
51. "Othello" villain: IAGO. In Shakespeare's play, Iago is a soldier under Othello's command, and is very much trusted by Othello. Iago is jealous when he is passed over for promotion and manipulates Othello into killing Othello's wife and commiting suicide. Nasty guy.
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| Othello and Iago |
54. Like new candles: UNLIT.
55. Italy's capital: ROME.
57. Astonishment: AWE.
59. __ queen: DRAG. A drag queen uses extravagant clothing, wigs, and makeup to celebrate and exaggerate female gender attributes.
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| A drag queen in and out of a green costume |
60. [Theme clue]
63. Talk effusively: GUSH.
64. Fire sign of spring: ARIES. As the first sign of the astrological year, Aries represents creative spark, passion and initiative. Isn't fire more destructive than creative? Anyway, astrology ...
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| Aries |
65. Load to bear: ONUS.
66. Middle-earth's Treebeard, for one: ENT. J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings again! Ents are giants who resemble trees, and Treebeard is their leader.
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| Treebeard in the green woods |
67. Put on clothes: DRESS.
68. Athletic award: ESPY. Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards produced by ESPN.
Down:
1. Gift toppers: BOWS.
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| A green bow |
2. Nebraska city: OMAHA.
3. Motorcyclist: BIKER.
4. Grabbed a bite: ATE.
5. Boutique: SHOP.
6. Small kitchen knives: PARERS.
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| The paring knife is the little one at bottom. |
7. Apple : Siri :: Amazon : __: ALEXA.
8. Motor homes, for short: RVS. Recreational vehicles. Jinx, is your rig moving with you?
9. Tennis match part: SET.
10. Sound out, as a word: PRONOUNCE.
11. Admits defeat, informally: TAKES THE L. "Take the L" means to accept a LOSS. I'm glad I solved 34-Across. Stanley Cup org.: NHL, because I would have had to take the L on this answer otherwise. "Cup" in the Across clue had me thinking about sailing competitions instead of hockey. Nearly sunk me!
12. Keeps from sticking to the pot, perhaps: STIRS.
15. Goodyear airship: BLIMP.
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| I took this photo from my front garden! |
17. Growing dim: FADING.
21. Empire St. paper: NYT. New York Times. Famous for challenging crossword puzzles.
23. Hoppy beer letters: IPA. India Pale Ale.
25. Post-it __: NOTE.
26. Bed covers: DUVETS. I grew up ignorant of duvets. Now I spend a good part of my life underneath one.
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| This duvet is ready for its cover. |
28. Last Grand Slam event of the year: US OPEN. Tennis tournament.
30. Concert device: AMP. Amplifier. Rusty, show us yours!
31. Upstream migration that feeds grizzly bears: SALMON RUN.
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| Unlucky leap |
32. "This party rocks!": IT'S A BLAST.
33. Museum display: ART.
35. __ Angeles: LOS. I had the home team advantage on this one.
38. Main point: GIST.
39. More meddlesome: NOSIER.
44. Tour gp. for Coco Gauff: WTA. Cori "Coco" Gauff is an American professional tennis player. She made her Women's Tennis Association Tour debut in 2019.
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| Coco Gauff on a green court |
46. Quadriceps locale: THIGH.
47. "Tsk!" kin: TUT. Clicking tongue sounds of reproof.
48. Shows beyond doubt: PROVES.
49. Courtroom decision-maker: JUDGE.
50. Orange Muppet who sings "When Bert's Not Here": ERNIE.
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| Bert and Ernie with a green background |
52. Obtains: GAINS.
53. Admit (to): OWN UP. Take the L, perhaps?
56. State of disarray: MESS.
58. Site with vintage items: ETSY. Known for handmade items, you'll find some vintage things as well.
60. Stereotypical teller of terrible jokes: DAD.
61. Make a goof: ERR.
62. Barkeeper who is a frequent target of Bart's prank calls: MOE.
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| Bart Simpson loves to prank call Moe. |
Here's the grid:
Solvers,
Did you ERR anywhere? Did you find yourself FADING? Did you throw in the TOWEL?
Or would you say of this puzzle that IT'S A BLAST and your flawless grid PROVES it?
GUSH all about it in the comments!
-- NaomiZ
A nice easy puzzle, as befits a Monday.
ReplyDeleteNo problem.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Note: It’s SO HARD to log on with my avatar these days! It takes me, like, five minutes! Can anybody help??
DeleteI've decided to skip going blue - too much trouble.
DeleteI totally agree, pretty much a perfect Monday puzzle, interesting and just the right difficulty. Several recent Mondays have been harder than they should be.
DeleteOne issue, not happy about “taking the L.”
Here’s what happens.
ReplyDeleteI try to get to the “ log in” screen the first time, and the “type” is so small and faint, it’s incredibly difficult! Then, even if I succeed, it makes me “loop around” a couple more times before it will let me in!
(I may not be explaining this terribly well, but then, I’m no tech expert). Once again I say “help!”
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteZEB created a nice diversion for today. Green is a tough color for me -- the four samples NaomiZ posted range from tan to dark brown to my eyes. NHL was perped; I can never remember which award goes with what sport. That photo of the BLIMP reminded me that Goodyear used to maintain a BLIMP base north of Houston. I can't remember if that airship was moved elsewhere or retired. At any rate, the BLIMP base is no more. Thanx, ZEB and NaomiZ.
d-o, about one in 12 men has some degree of color-blindness (it's pretty rare in women.) EnChroma makes coated eyeglasses that compensate to some extent - I can only explain that the green exit signs on the interstate look "dirty'" without mine compared to when I put them on.
Deletebillocohoes at 8:29 AM, replying to desper-otto at 5:32 AM: I had no idea that EnChroma glasses existed! Thank you for sharing the information. As one who loves wilderness, parks, and gardens, it seems very sad to me for green to appear brown.
DeleteFIR without erasure. I even got WAKE FOREST (Deamon Deacons) without benefit of perp. I used to work with a guy who wore a WF polo shirt. As his loyal and supportive coworkers, we used to say that it stood for "Worthless [Fellow]."
ReplyDeleteMy favorite aspect of Lord Stanley's Cup is that every player on the winning team is listed on the trophy.
Yes, NaomiZ, my motor home is going with me. Right now it functions as a getaway cabin on the Chowan River. Soon it will become my home after my estate sale, while tradesmen paint and refinish the hardwood floors in my sticks 'n' bricks home. Then this home will go on the market, and the RV will be my Florida home until my Norfolk home sells. After that I'll start looking for a home to buy in the Ocala area. Once I find the right home, I'll have the RV to call home during escrow, and if there are improvements or repairs I need to make before moving in. I'll probably keep the RV for a year or two longer after that. (Never ask me what time it is - I'll tell you how to make a watch!)
Thanks to ZEB for the fun Monday romp. As you probably know, ZEBCO (Zero Hour Bomb Company) was a pioneer in petroleum fracking nearly 100 years ago, but is better known as an innovative fishing reel company. And thanks to NaomiZ for yet another fine review.
“The Stanley Cup's barrel has space for five bands, with each band holding 13 championship teams. Every 13 years, when the bottom band is full, the oldest band is permanently removed and retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto”. You can see in NaomiZ’s illustration that it was redesigned and shortened in 1948.
Delete“The Stanley Cup's barrel has space for five bands, with each band holding 13 championship teams. Every 13 years, when the bottom band is full, the oldest band is permanently removed and retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto”. You can see in NaomiZ’s illustration that it was redesigned and shortened in 1948.
DeleteI see that I was too impatient, hit Publish twice and created a duplicate comment. And it looks like there is no longer a delete button. Watch what you say!
DeleteCanadianEh, my post has a delete button.
DeleteAnd my reply just above (4:14PM) also has a delete button.
DeleteJinx at 7:00 AM: With such a good plan in place, things should go smoothly for you. I am somehow reminded of my old pet tortoises, who carried their homes on their backs. (Which isn't correct, of course, but still.)
DeleteFIR. Easy Monday presentation. No problems with this solve.
ReplyDeleteI got the theme with the reveal, which helped with the wide receiver, Randy Moss, whom I did not know. I guess not being a football fan doesn't help.
Overall an enjoyable puzzle.
-A six minute exercise.
ReplyDelete-Tee time is at 9am as the heat index will be way over 100 later.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was a nice, easy Monday romp. I saw the theme after Forest and Moss filled in, but the reveal was a cute surprise. I think this theme has been done before, but this offering has a more current vibe. It also has some sparkling fill with It’s a Blast, Salmon Run, Pronounce, US Open, Takes The L, etc.
Thanks, ZEB, and thanks, Naomi, for a wonderful recap. Your photos are quite striking.
Have a great day.
Thanks for noticing my photos, Irish Miss!
DeleteNo need to TAKE(s) THE L, this morning. IT was A BLAST. My real unknown was RANDY MOSS, but that was easy to guess thanks to the GREEN theme.
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago the Goodyear BLIMP was in town and I reserved a spot for DH to ride on it for his birthday.
Thank you NaomiZ.for the fun and informative review. Lovely photo of Glacier Park.
Wow, Monkey, your DH must have had A BLAST on the BLIMP. Lucky guy!
DeleteThanks for noticing my photo of Glacier National Park.
I love it when you play along with the questions I pose using words from the grid.
Enjoyed the Monday puzzle and especially the write-up. Thanks for the song reference. I listened to the Ray Price version after I got past the rap song brought up by the browser.
ReplyDelete16 names, DNK 5, but still managed to FIR in 10. I would call this a typical Monday level in difficulty. Sometimes I can sort of remember a name, but need a perp or two to complete it. I got RANDY but couldn't remember MOSS but the M from BLIMP jogged it into place.
ReplyDeleteClever CW, good theme, thanx ZE-B for the fun.
Thanx too to NaomiZ for the fine write-up. Also for the color patches. The MOSS GREEN doesn't look like the color of the moss growing beside my house on the north side, but does seem to be a popular color for cars lately. I've looked at them and thought, "Hmm. I wonder what they call that color?" Thanx to you, now I know.
Well, poop-de-doo. I took a picture of those green shades and went out to compare the colors to the moss growing on the ground on the north side of my house, and guess what, the "MOSS GREEN" shade is EXACTLY the color of the moss. In my mind it was greener, but I was wrong.
ReplyDeleteTook 3:45 today to become green with envy.
ReplyDeleteI thought "WNBA stat: Abbr." was an unusual clue, as the "Abbr." seemed unnecessary/redundant.
Glacier National Park has many strikingly beautiful locations.
No actresses and no dreaded circles, made for a fine Monday.
SubG's problems were a bummer, but I was amused by our dead unclefred's "poop-de-poop".
Dead Uncle Fred????
DeleteDear, I hope!
DeleteQuick finish but got too busy to go back to work the theme. 4 not 50 shades of green. ✅
ReplyDeleteInkover: duvée/DUVET
“Yoga roll” sounds like an ASIAN restaurant menu item
SALMON RUN? How? they have no legs 🤔
“Coco Gauff”?
Woodsy setting for an open air funeral … WAKE FOREST
Set to watch Netflix … ATV
“she”, ”these” and ”mine” ” … PRONOUNCE
Mr. Damon’s non reflective yoga roll … Matt’s MATTE MAT
Matchmaker … PARER
Gotta run
Have a nice week. Gonna be a scorcher ☀️
Delightful Monday puzzle, many thanks, Zachary. And thank you too, Naomi, for your always delightful commentary and pictures--also much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteWell, it looks as though in this puzzle SHE SPARS with someone in the rink, but we shouldn't consider her a BRAT and OMIT her for that effort or HALVE her rewards for that. What if she has a couple young siblings to support and so had to become a JOB HUNTER so she can then try to provide SALMON lunches and some products from DENVER MINTS to get them a good lunch. Supper will unfortunately require a lot more help than that. So we'll hope she can get a good new job and get the kids to DRESS in some better clothes, and celebrate ARIES with some new treats. If she could do that she'd be delighted and say "IT'S A BLAST" and ask us to advise her on how she can GO GREEN in her next phase. That would be helpful advice to her and her group, wouldn't it?
Have a delightful week coming up, everybody.
Took me 5 minutes to find the one spelling error that kept the puzzle open: ALEXi x RiNDY. Duh!
ReplyDeleteMarvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Zachary and NaomiZ.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed in very good time, and saw the GREEN theme.
No inkblots
This Canadian did not know the NC university or the Vikings player, but perps were fair.
I did know the NHL. Our Toronto Maple Leafs have not won that Stanley Cup since 1967.
I noted MAT and MATTES.
DRESS crossing MESS was interesting.
I will see IAGO in Othello at the Stratford Festival next weekend.
Wishing you all a great day.
Enjoyed this puzzle. Took me a minute to parse “takes the L”. Boba tea is popular around my neighborhood. Randy Moss came easily. I watch a lot of football with my football coach husband.
ReplyDeleteThanks ZEB and NaomiZ!
I enjoyed this puzzle. At first I put ETSY where ESPY belonged and discovered the proper location for ETSY later. Or maybe it was the other way around.
ReplyDeletePEAK-->APEX. (A mountaintop is a peak. Peak is even a verb!)
Has anyone ever seen a MATTE MAT?
Good reading all your comments.
Don't know if I'll have time or energy to do the puzzle on Wednesday; I'm going in for a "nuclear stress test" to check my cardiovascular system. Part of the process is lying flat on my back for a half hour in a "gamma gun." Sounds scary.
Sorry, it's called a "gamma camera."
Delete