Guilherme Gilioli is a Brazilian constructor who mostly creates puzzles in Portuguese. I'm always impressed by people who can do this when English is not their mother tongue (hi CC!). As you know, crosswords involve many idioms and word-play, and that's hard enough to do even when being born here!
16A. *Wham! hit on "Make It Big": CARELESS WHISPER. Written by George Michael, this song sold more than eleven million copies so I've probably heard it.
26A. *No Doubt hit on "Tragic Kingdom": DON'T SPEAK. This one was big in 1996 for the alternative/indie/punk rock band. It didn't sell as well as the Wham song, but at least I recognize the title.
50A. *The Beatles hit on "Please Please Me": TWIST AND SHOUT. The only one of the three that I knew right off the bat. What I didn't know was that it originally was recorded by The Top Notes, and later covered by the Isley Brothers before the Fab Four got a hold of it. It's the only Top Ten Beatles song not written by them.
39D. NBC singing competition that completed its 29th season in 2026, or what appears to get louder at the ends of the answers to the starred clues?: THE VOICE. The theme answers all contain a tone of VOICE that build to a crescendo: WHISPER, SPEAK, then SHOUT. And since THE VOICE is a music competition, song titles are very appropriate.
It's interesting that Guilherme chose left-right symmetry with a downward reveal. And even if you didn't know the songs, this still was a pretty straightforward puzzle. BTW, I rarely include external links to things like these songs because I feel they take you away from the core of what's happening here. I like to pick a fun fact or two, and if that piques your interest, then Google is just a click away.
Let's see what else he's talking about:
Across:
1. "Shoot!": ASK.
4. Greek vowel: ALPHA. Part of a complete breakfast!
9. Watermelon keg need: TAP. I didn't know about watermelon kegs, but they are simply a hollowed out watermelon with the top sliced off to use as a dispenser. You can buy a special TAP made for these.
12. Wander: ROAM. Had to wait to see if it could be ROVE.
14. __ butter: COCOA.
15. Greek vowel: IOTA. They're in that cereal bowl somewhere.
16. [theme]
4. Greek vowel: ALPHA. Part of a complete breakfast!
9. Watermelon keg need: TAP. I didn't know about watermelon kegs, but they are simply a hollowed out watermelon with the top sliced off to use as a dispenser. You can buy a special TAP made for these.
12. Wander: ROAM. Had to wait to see if it could be ROVE.
14. __ butter: COCOA.
15. Greek vowel: IOTA. They're in that cereal bowl somewhere.
16. [theme]
19. Hockey gear: SKATES.
20. Get testy with: SNAP AT.
21. Flute part: STEM. A little misdirect. Not the instrument but a tall, narrow champagne glass.
22. Blue area on a map: SEA. The blue used to go right to the edge where you'd fall off.
25. Go the distance: LAST.
26. [theme]
29. "Shark Tank" airer: ABC. The American Broadcasting Company. Shark Tank is a reality TV series where panelists decide whether to invest in products being pitched by contestant entrepreneurs. It is the American franchise for BBC's Dragons' Den, which itself is a remake of the Japanese television show The Tigers of Money.
32. __ rhyme: NURSERY.
33. __ worker: GIG. Many in the labor force don't work full time, or augment their regular job with a GIG. A GIG economy is a labor market characterized by short-term contracts, freelance work, and independent contracting rather than permanent, traditional employment. Unfortunately, that also means no benefits.
36. Foot-to-thigh yoga pose: TREE. Occasionally, the arms are held upward like branches.
38. Angels and Devils: TEAMS. Baseball's Los Angeles Angels vs. hockey's New Jersey Devils would be an epic battle of biblical proportions!
39. Big addition to a to-be-read pile: TOME. Now that's heavy reading.
40. Food from heaven: MANNA.
42. Potato spot: EYE.
43. Self-storage and self-moving company based in Phoenix, Arizona: UHAUL. I once helped a cousin move from Arkansas to Florida. Our old UHAUL van had an early version of cruise control - a brick on the accelerator. We rarely reached 55 mph. except downhill with a tail wind.
44. Thingamabob: GADGET. I had WIDGET at first, but that was NO HELP.
46. Totally useless: NO HELP. Like a WIDGET.
48. Countdown start: TEN.
49. Spacious ride: SUV. I still prefer a station wagon over a Sport Utility Vehicle, but that class of vehicle has been virtually wiped out by families who also need to traverse a canyon on the way to soccer practice.
50. [theme]
57. Appear to be: SEEM.
58. Smiling face with heart-eyes, for one: EMOJI. This one expresses feelings of love.
59. Fruity frozen treats: ICES.
61. Iron-rich vegetable: KALE.
62. "Judy" star Zellweger: RENEE. She won the 2020 Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Judy Garland. RENEE also sang all the songs. Quite a talent!
63. Pat-a-cake motion: CLAP.
64. Part of MMA: ARTS. Mixed Martial Arts is a fighting sport akin to boxing.
65. Glum: SAD.
66. "Child's play!": EASY. This puzzle was EASY peasy.
Down:
1. Story trajectories: ARCS.
2. Long baths: SOAKS.
3. Gold standard: KARAT. A KARAT is a unit used to measure the purity of gold. It is measured on a 24-part scale, meaning 1 karat represents 1/24 of pure gold in alloy. Thus 24 KARAT is 100% pure.
4. High cards in bridge: ACES.
5. __ Angeles Dodgers: LOS. As much as the LOS Angeles Angels love to fight the Devil, it's more likely they will face the Dodgers in a Freeway Series.
6. Some HPs: PCS. Hewlett-Packard was founded in 1939 in a Palo Alto garage. They make Personal Computers, among many other electronics.
7. "By what means?": HOW. HOW did a multi-billion dollar corporation rise from this garage?
8. Satisfied sighs: AAHS.
9. Big name in trading cards: TOPPS.
10. Seriously annoyed: ATE AT. This one ATE AT me.
11. Divide: PART.
13. Dished (out): METED.
15. "Stuck in the Middle" actor Presley: ISAAK. He's no Elvis, apparently, just a Middle-of-the-road actor. If you're his agent, then I meant he's really great. Really.
17. Dish soap scent: LEMON.
18. Dental filling: INLAY. It may be 16 KARAT gold (24 KARAT is too soft).
22. Wall in Manhattan, e.g.: STREET.
23. Writing assignment: ESSAY.
24. Primitive bipeds, informally: APEMEN. Unlike modern humans who are obligate (permanent) bipeds. That's why your mom told you to stand up straight.
27. Snack mix morsel: NUT.
28. Backpedaling sounds: ERS.
29. PIN point?: ATM. Winner: Best Clue. You may enter your Personal Identification Number at an Automate Teller Machine.
30. Toot one's own horn: BRAG.
31. John of "Peacemaker": CENA. I like John CENA because he isn't afraid to poke fun at himself, in spite of all his accomplishments in wrestling and movies.
33. Striker's target: GOAL.
34. "My turn!": I'M UP. Last Thursday, this was the answer to, "Are you awake?" This clue fits better.
35. Product often used to create a wet look: GEL.
37. Meeting scheduler's concerns: END TIMES. In spite of this, meetings always run long.
39. [theme]
41. Matures, as whiskey: AGES.
43. "Forget about it": UH UH.
45. Host's invitation: ENTER. UH OH. This sounds rather ominous.
47. Davis of "Grumpy Old Men": OSSIE. OSSIE Davis was an award-winning actor and activist. He appeared in over 50 movies, 50 TV shows and 30 plays. Quite the career.
50. Sign of sorrow: TEAR.
51. Paintball injury: WELT.
52. Home of Iowa State: AMES. A common crossword town populated with useful letters.
53. Deca- minus one: NONA. Greek numerical prefixes. Deca (10) -1 = NONA (9).
54. Worked a wedding reception, say: DJED. This abbreviation for Disc Jockeyed looks wrong somehow.
55. Campus near Sunset Blvd.: UCLA. The University of California at Los Angeles was originally called the Southern Branch. The first UC campus was in Oakland before moving to Berkeley.
56. Socials with cucumber sandwiches: TEAS.
57. Reggae kin: SKA.
60. Intelligence agent: SPY.
Be good. RB
2. Long baths: SOAKS.
3. Gold standard: KARAT. A KARAT is a unit used to measure the purity of gold. It is measured on a 24-part scale, meaning 1 karat represents 1/24 of pure gold in alloy. Thus 24 KARAT is 100% pure.
4. High cards in bridge: ACES.
5. __ Angeles Dodgers: LOS. As much as the LOS Angeles Angels love to fight the Devil, it's more likely they will face the Dodgers in a Freeway Series.
6. Some HPs: PCS. Hewlett-Packard was founded in 1939 in a Palo Alto garage. They make Personal Computers, among many other electronics.
7. "By what means?": HOW. HOW did a multi-billion dollar corporation rise from this garage?
8. Satisfied sighs: AAHS.
9. Big name in trading cards: TOPPS.
10. Seriously annoyed: ATE AT. This one ATE AT me.
11. Divide: PART.
13. Dished (out): METED.
15. "Stuck in the Middle" actor Presley: ISAAK. He's no Elvis, apparently, just a Middle-of-the-road actor. If you're his agent, then I meant he's really great. Really.
17. Dish soap scent: LEMON.
18. Dental filling: INLAY. It may be 16 KARAT gold (24 KARAT is too soft).
22. Wall in Manhattan, e.g.: STREET.
23. Writing assignment: ESSAY.
24. Primitive bipeds, informally: APEMEN. Unlike modern humans who are obligate (permanent) bipeds. That's why your mom told you to stand up straight.
27. Snack mix morsel: NUT.
28. Backpedaling sounds: ERS.
29. PIN point?: ATM. Winner: Best Clue. You may enter your Personal Identification Number at an Automate Teller Machine.
30. Toot one's own horn: BRAG.
31. John of "Peacemaker": CENA. I like John CENA because he isn't afraid to poke fun at himself, in spite of all his accomplishments in wrestling and movies.
33. Striker's target: GOAL.
34. "My turn!": I'M UP. Last Thursday, this was the answer to, "Are you awake?" This clue fits better.
35. Product often used to create a wet look: GEL.
37. Meeting scheduler's concerns: END TIMES. In spite of this, meetings always run long.
39. [theme]
41. Matures, as whiskey: AGES.
43. "Forget about it": UH UH.
45. Host's invitation: ENTER. UH OH. This sounds rather ominous.
 |
| You may ENTER... |
47. Davis of "Grumpy Old Men": OSSIE. OSSIE Davis was an award-winning actor and activist. He appeared in over 50 movies, 50 TV shows and 30 plays. Quite the career.
50. Sign of sorrow: TEAR.
51. Paintball injury: WELT.
52. Home of Iowa State: AMES. A common crossword town populated with useful letters.
53. Deca- minus one: NONA. Greek numerical prefixes. Deca (10) -1 = NONA (9).
54. Worked a wedding reception, say: DJED. This abbreviation for Disc Jockeyed looks wrong somehow.
55. Campus near Sunset Blvd.: UCLA. The University of California at Los Angeles was originally called the Southern Branch. The first UC campus was in Oakland before moving to Berkeley.
56. Socials with cucumber sandwiches: TEAS.
57. Reggae kin: SKA.
60. Intelligence agent: SPY.
Be good. RB
It didn’t seem too
ReplyDeletedifficult to me. I was familiar with the “songs” and the talent show, so that made it easier.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteThe first two bands/hits were unknown to this oldster. I remember Twist and Shout, but it evokes the Isley Brothers. INLAY beside ISAAK called for some perp help, but it filled OK. Thanks Guilherme and Rusty.
FIR, but slap->CLAP, uh no->UHUH, isaac->ISAAK, and nursrey->NURSERY (bad spelars of the world, UNTIE!)
ReplyDeleteNever heard of No Doubt nor their song, but knew the others.
I would love to see a free-for-all fight between an NHL team and a MLB team. The Dodgers would think that a Hurricane just hit them.
When I decided to move my stuff to Ocala, I originally reserved a UHAUL truck. Then I found out that all the UHAUL trucks are gas-powered, and changed to a diesel Penske. Plenty of torque to get my stuff down I-95 with the cruise control set on 70.
APE MEN, or what sports announcers call "offensive linemen."
Thanks to Guilherme for the fun outing. I'm also in awe of your ability to create a crossword puzzle in other than your native language. My Spanish teacher advised the class to work on Spanish language crosswords to increase our vocabulary. (In our area, you could frequently find free Spanish newspapers in Mexican restaurants.) Creating a crossword must be an order of magnitude better. And thanks to Rusty Brain for another fine narrative, except that you have a typo (UH oH) in your write up.
Took 5:37 today to finish with a Rebel Yell.
ReplyDeleteI knew the Actress of the Day (Renee), and one of the two actors (Cena, not this Isaak or his show/movie). Wasn't a fan of the clue for "ices".
I wondered while solving how many here would not know the first two songs. I thought "Careless Whisper" would be known by almost all, but I was skeptical of "Don't Speak".
I remember Rebel Yell as a bourbon. Yeehaw!
DeleteFIR. I'm not fond of vertical puzzles, but this one was not that bad. The first two songs were a mystery to me, but I picked up on the theme from them. I had no problem with the Beatles song as that age-wise is more in my wheelhouse.
ReplyDeleteAs a kid I collected baseball cards but I couldn't remember the company name for the life of me. The perps helped. I can almost taste the bubble gum that came with them. Fond memories!
Overall an enjoyable puzzle.
Songs were no problem. One letter wrong. On 3 down had carat instead of karat. My fault for not checking when I finished as the puzzle seemed pretty easy to me. Me too with the baseball cards and the bubble gum.
DeleteI knew all three songs, but probably because of my kids. Finished this one (a Thursday, no less!) with no Witeout. This almost never happens on any day.
ReplyDeleteFIR in spite of not knowing any of the songs, but the reveal confirmed my suspicions that some sort of vocal sound was needed.
ReplyDeleteCENA and ISAAK were the only unknown people. And what else but UHAUL could fit. So all in all á fine and easy enough puzzle.
Thank you RB for you explanations. All good.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteHand up for being ignorant of the first two songs and the bands, to boot. However, I found the overall solve on the easy side for a Thursday. Issak and Nona needed perps but everything else filled in smoothly. I, too, liked the PIN point=ATM combo.
Thanks, Guilherme, and thanks, RB, for the expo and commentary. Enjoyed all of the relevant photos, too.
Have a great day.
Smooth ride from top to bottom, finishing in 7:49.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's just me, but the Wed/Th puzzles were both easier than the Mon/Tue offerings this week.
WMOS: Monday on a Thursday in spite of not knowing two of the bands or their songs. By my expansive count 14 names (I included the songs as they are the NAMES of the songs) DNK 5. W/O: NBC/ABC. I thought Shark Tank is on CNBC, no? Apparently not. FIR in 12, excellent Thursday time for me.
ReplyDeleteLos Angeles but Las Vegas. Hmmm.
Thanx for the fun CW GG, and I agree that it is very impressive to be able to create a CW in a language that is not your native language. Wow.
Thanx too to RB for the terrific write-up. That "Tree" pose looks like a good way for me to fall on my face. Maybe I coulda done it 30 years ago. Cool pic of MLB vs NHL. AI generated no doubt including a few errors, but cool none-the-less.
46a totally useless=no help sent me down a rabbit hole, because my mind works in mysterious ways. (It's always interesting to see where a crossword clue might send me.) I was reminded of the original Star Trek, where Kirk was called Captain Dunsel by another captain. more here re: Dunsel definition. I wanted to attach a short clip here, but as you know, since Friday, IPads can no longer easily save or share youtube videos. Today I found out why... through major jumping of hurdles, I discovered I can still share if I use a back door to get to a different share button. Today when I used it, I get a pop up stating " welcome to YouTube direct messaging." "You can now share videos without leaving the app."
ReplyDeleteWell, Is'nt that convenient, and totally useless, because the pop up freezes my iPad, and I have to leave the app to regain control of my device! And I can no longer share anything!
It's like we are being led by complete morons...
I wish they would stop trying to fix things that ain't broken!
Musings
ReplyDelete-Shoot/ASK took a couple of heartbeats to suss out.
-RB, I loved the Alpha Bits cereal with Greek letters.
-I try not to SNAP AT anyone as that reaction becomes the issue and not the original discourse
-Name the movie with this scene: Go the Distance (:41)
-As our daughters were constantly “movin’ on up” in Lincoln, we got to know every U-HAUL rental place in Lincoln
-Prize fights are called “the sweet science”. MMA seems more like a bar brawl.
-Cinderella’s story ARC is “Rags to Riches”, “Riches to Rags” and “Rags to Riches’.
-Steve Wozniak pitched his personal computer idea to his H-P bosses and they passed on it five times. He partnered with Steve Jobs and Apple was born.
-Our ATM’s keep “upgrading” and then I have to learn a new procedure with the same PIN.
-Me too, Irish!
Answer to "Go the Distance" is one of my favorites, "Field of Dreams."
DeleteBack in the late 70's I told my chemistry PhD sister that I was going to buy an Apple II. Her response - "why would anyone want a computer in their home?"
DeleteA smooth and clever Thursday offering from Guilherme.
ReplyDeleteAs an actor I think John Cena is underrated and should garner more media attention.
His performance in the 2024 comedy 🎭
Ricky Stanicky was brilliant.
In his personal life he has worked with the Make A Wish Foundation to fulfill the dreams of dozens of ailing children.
Thanks for the educational recap RB.
Good times in crossword land! I knew the bands, the songs, and THE VOICE, so that made life easy. Just had to change ISAAc to ISAAK. Many thanks, Guilherme! Clever illustrations, Rusty, especially the Angels vs the Devils. That's a game that would sell out quickly.
ReplyDeleteTerrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Guilherme and RB (great hockey/baseball picture - AI I assume).
ReplyDeleteI almost FIRed but chose the wrong vowel (u instead of e) in that cross of TREE and CENA. I should have known CW regular CENA.
I got the theme early which helped with the themer ending words.
Several inkblots. I had the E and thought the invitation was an Evite. ENTER finally perped.
Hand up for UH oH before UH UH.
I had ICEe before ICES.
Cavity was too long, then I had the AY and entered decAY. INLAY perped.
I did know the two American universities, UCLA and Iowa State in AMES.
I’m with RB at not liking the clue for ATE AT. I wanted Irked. And I was definitely not happy to see the dupe crossing of ATE AT and SNAP AT.
UK started Dragons’ Den in 2005 and Canada followed in 2006 on the CBC. Great program, and has boosted many a fledgling business. Shark Tank on ABC for you Americans.
Wishing you all a great day.
Question. Were the clues album names? The only clue name I recognized was "Please, Please Me'. As for 26A "No Doubt, Tragic Kingdom" and DON'T SPEAK- all three were unknowns and SPEAK crossing the unknown ISAAK Presley was the only EASY guess I had to make.
ReplyDelete9A- I've never heard of a Watermelon keg
APE MEN- I've seen quite a few in my time.
END TIMES- perps for me, as I was lucky to never have to attend one (I was in charge of the place from age 21 and never scheduled one).
Hola! Fairly EASY puzzle. Thank you, Guliherme; i certainly admire anyone who can create a puzzle in a language not his native one!
ReplyDeleteAs for the songs, I know only TWIST AND SHOUT. The others were lucky guesses and good perps. TOPPS is very familiar to me as my nieces' husband works for them and must have original signatures on each one.
TAP on a watermelon is new learning for me. i prefer the watermelon itself.
Thank you, RB, for a fine delivery. Enjoy your day, everyone!
I enjoyed this puzzle. I enjoyed Rusty Brain's write-up and all your comments better.
ReplyDeleteDid anyone else think SPACIOUS RIDE was a UFO? It would be a cool clue?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Guilherme and Rusty Brain.
ReplyDeleteNice theme. Knew 2 of the three songs based only on the clue and letter count.
I did know the Isley brothers recorded it before The Beatles, but DNK of The Top Notes.
I've heard of No Doubt. I think the singer is Gwen Stefani, but I didn't recognize the song.
I liked the reveal. Nice clue.
DNK that background on Shark Tank.
I'd have zero chance of holding the TREE asana for more than a few seconds.
I've never had a cucumber sandwich.
My most difficult spelling challenge of the day was the constructor's first name. Guilherme is William in English.
The storms continue to roll into Chicagoland. Heavy rains and thunderstorms. 70+ MPH winds. Downed trees. Nearly 200K without power. High temps and dew point in the 70s. Were in a bit of a lull right now, but the next 12 hours are supposed to as potentially bad as the last 24. Spent three hours this morning cleaning up the debris in the yard.