Made of STEEL
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| Hot Stuff |
Hi All!
Today, Amanda & Amie collaborate on a rugged theme. From what I've found, these two have joined forces at the LAT twice as Amie & Amanda [12 JUN & 08 OCT 2025]. They've had a Wednesday & a Thursday, so this will be their first Tuesday together.
Let's ROCK & Roll:
17. Cocktail poured with a heavy hand: STIFF DRINK.
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| Looks like a strong pour to me. |
29. Honest amount of reliable work: SOLID EFFORT.
45. Resilient person: TOUGH COOKIE.
60. Social media debut of a romantic relationship, or what 17-, 29-, and 45-Across have: HARD LAUNCH.
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| STIFF is 18th on the list... |
DW & I met when #SocialMedia consisted of messages on BBS (Bulletin Board System). So, to me, HARD LAUNCH means "no turning back now." As for Social Media, we had to tell our friends to be at the Judge's house Sunday, IRL (In Real Life).
Across:
1. Wig makeup: HAIR. I soooo wanted talc in the barrister's wig he waggled.I Waggled Me Wig
5. Food that might be served alla vodka: PASTA. Pene alla Vodka is a simple dish that will put you into a happy coma.
10. Diamond experts?: UMPS. Baseball! And an Easter Egg as diamonds are rock HARD.
14. "KPop Demon Hunters" bandmate of Mira and Zoey: RUMI. KPop Demon Hunters blew up so big last year, they dropped in on SLN:
Feat. Bad Bunny
15. Fuel-carrying ship: OILER. So many stuck in the Strait of Hormuz - did no one really NOT see that coming?
16. Go past a simmer: BOIL. Warm, heat, simmer, rapid simmer, BOIL.
17. [See: Theme]
19. Teeny bit: IOTA.
20. Norway's capital: OSLO.
21. Texting format, briefly: SMS. Short Message Service. It's a crime carriers charged us $0.10 for piggybacking a message on mobile to tower control-channel pings. Jinx, care to comment?
22. School composition: ESSAY. Not a crappy-production play put on by 3rd graders ;-)
23. "As __ on TV": SEEN. This c/a screams Weird Al...
Mr. Popeil
25. Dessert that quivers: JELLO. Oasis came to mind until I saw the clue's second S.
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| An Oasis |
27. Chopping tool: AXE.
29. [See: Theme]
34. Young chap: LAD.
35. Male cat: TOM.
36. Some church donations: TITHES. I attended Catholic school on and off [depending on parental custody], and, what Pop appreciated, one only paid according to means. Pop tithed ~10% and we got a SOLID education at St. Joe's.
37. Frosty: ICY.
38. Grasped: GOT.
39. __ and yang: YIN.
40. Hoppy beer letters: IPA. Indian Pale Ale.
41. Like plagiarized text: STOLEN.
43. Delt neighbor: LAT.
44. La Brea __ Pits: TAR.
45. [See: Theme]
48. Method: Abbr.: SYS.
49. Sportscaster Musburger: BRENT. The answerer would have filled faster if clued "Light, sweet crude."
50. "Another thing ... ": ALSO.
52. Like steaks with a lot of marbling: FATTY. Don't fat-shame your dinner ;-)
55. Mermaid's realm: SEA.
57. Singular: LONE.
59. Baghdad locale: IRAQ.
60. [See: Theme]
63. iPhone virtual assistant: SIRI.
64. Skip, as a syllable: ELIDE.
65. Passed-down tales: LORE.
66. "Ciao!": TATA. I waited for the perp b/f not filling Tigger's TTFN.
67. Breadmaking need: YEAST. If it's unleavened, you don't kneed naan :-)
68. Like some Olympic races: SWUM. Time out! Is this really a word? Yes, swim, swam, and the past participle, SWUM. It's one of a few non-Germanic words I know that's got a Triple-U.* Swung, wuss, Kuwait, and wurst [admit it, that German word is so borrowed it's English :-)] are the others.
Down:
1. Time sheet figs.: HRS. When my team was on the clock for multiple clients, I created the "Bing sheet." Every 6 minutes, a clock would go "Bing," and you'd quickly scribble down the client you're currently working with / billing. //My buddy's dad was a lawyer - that's where the 6 min. came from :-)2. Car: AUTO.
3. "So happy to be back together!": I MISSED YOU. I say nothing, just hugs & kisses.
4. Rummage (through): RIFLE.
5. "Love Is Blind" personal space: POD. No clue.
6. Broadcasts: AIRS. Something you can also put on for puffery.
7. Car-unlocking tool: SLIM JIM. This is in my lane - Eldest & I enjoy picking locks.
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| Eldest with her first picks and beginner's lock. |
8. Grew anxious: TENSED.
9. Torah holder: ARK.
10. Assassin's Creed game company: UBISOFT. I never played the game but I know of the company. Their origin story is interesting.
11. Sounds from cows: MOOS. Where is Gary Larson when the world needs him?
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| [See also: 39-down] |
12. Pocket bread: PITA.
13. Defeat, as a dragon: SLAY. Roll a 17 or better on a d20 and you're heralded the hero.
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| A d20 for the uninitiated ;-) |
18. Enemies: FOES.
22. Pixieish: ELFIN. Are we still playing D&D?
24. Never: NOT ONCE.
26. Wright of "Black Panther": LETITIA.
.jpg) |
| Letitia Wright |
27. Red carpet celebs: A-LIST.
28. Precision knife brand: X-ACTO.
30. "Thanks a __!": LOT.
31. "You asked for a fight, you'll get one!": OH, IT'S ON NOW. "TOUGH words," said The Dragon.
32. Square up with: REPAY.
33. Former Russian rulers: TSARS.
38. Walt Disney Concert Hall designer Frank: GEHRY.
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| Frank Gehry's WikiP |
39. Shaggy ox: YAK.
42. Letters on some Pride merch: LGBTQIA+. Click here for an explanation.
43. Traditional Mexican game of chance: LOTERIA. Lottery in Spanish.
46. At a reduced price: ON SALE.
47. Jazz icon Fitzgerald: ELLA.
51. All __ Day: November 2: SOULS.
52. Black Power symbol: FIST.
53. Song that might end on a high note: ARIA. Cute.
54. Like a cranberry, or a dessert that might contain cranberries: TART.
56. Does some math: ADDS.
58. Very light brown: ECRU.
60. "Wait just a minute!": HEY. Did you just say, "Heads I win; tails you lose?"
61. Permit: LET.
62. Dress edge: HEM. If mumbling while sewing, are you hawing your hem?
The Grid:
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| The Grid |
WOs: N/A
ESPs: BRENT, LETITIA, GEHRY
Fav: OH, IT'S ON NOW
Cheers, -T
*W is Double-U, ergo SWUM can be written as sUUUm -- with a Triple-U :-)
28 comments:
At first, I thought this
was going to be another simple Tuesday puzzle, but the “Pride” letters, among other obscurities, soon dissuaded me from this notion.
So, it wasn’t always easy. But at least, it turned out to be doable.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Immediately inked in PENNE at 5a. Only the P was correct. That M in RUMI was the final fill. I thought that vertical answer would begin IT IS. Nope. GOBI was too short, SAHARA too long. Oh, JELLO. Despite my stumbles, I liked this one. Thanx, Amanda, Amie, and Dash-T.
FIR, but stout drink->STIFF DRINK, and leticia->LETITIA.
I MISSED YOU. I guess a little practice at the RIFLE range is in order.
NOT ONCE evoked memories of an intern's blue dress.
I've heard of soft launch / HARD LAUNCH in business, especially restaurants. But I've never heard of relationships using the term. Maybe treating relationships so transactionally is why so many younger people complain about the difficulty of sustaining them.
I've given up on keeping track of the ever-evolving LGBTQSDFCJGOUEFPIUMLCMKLWXYZ+ acronym.
Thanks to Amanda and Amie for letting me try this one that was clearly designed for younger minds. I enjoyed the challenge. And thanks to Bayou Tony for another great review. Always loves me some Weird Al. BTW - My teams were mainly chartered to provide the service and weren't involved in pricing components. We did provide input to bean counters so they could guess how much it cost to provide the service. BTW Part II - You scared me when you included "LETINTIA" as an ESP. Made me double-check both of our work.
Thanks Jinx! I fixed the ESP. -T
Loved the Far Side reference!
FIR but didn't care for this puzzle
FIR. This had more than a little crunch to it for a Tuesday. Ubisoft, Rumi, and loteria for example, complete unknowns.
And the crossing of two proper names, Brent and Gehry, is a no-no for crosswords.
And trying to remember all the many, many pride letters is above my pay grade.
I get the theme, but fail to see that "hard launch" as a romantic relationship thing.
Overall a very unenjoyable puzzle.
Musings
-RUMI was an “any port in a storm” obscurity
-Reading adolescent ESSAYS can be HARD to do
-BRENT was stopped by Lincoln police 21 years ago and had an open Budweiser in the car. $144 fine.
-107F heat index this afternoon means only 9 holes this morning.
Took 5:24 today, ironically, without much difficulty.
I didn't know the Actress of the Day (Letitia), the Mexican game (loteria), and the last few letters of "lgbtqia". So, turns out it was a rough day for "L" answers of down clues. I "also" didn't know "Gehry" or "Rumi."
Not a HARD challenge. Odd but gettable theme.
Thought tankers carried oil so filled liners fit but wrong … strong drink was too long (STIFF = “heavy hand” ?
ITS SO ON NOW sez the TOUGH COOKIE raising a FIST 👊🏾 … why IOTA!!
Almost a pangram with those high count scrabble tiles Q Z J but no V,Z
Inkovers: Elvin/ELFIN
Thought LOTERIA was just Spanish for “lottery” but it’s actually a bingo like game says Señor Google
Cobbler’s time off: ALL SOULS DAY
“Can you supply any bread ingredients”? “It’s the ____ I can do”… YEAST
Hamilton’s last words… “I MISSED YOU”
Have a SOLID day 😊
Am I misremembering? I thought it was All Saints Day.
FIR, but lots of unknowns like RUMI as clued, UBISOFT, LETITIA, BRENT, and HARD LAUNCH. Somehow that reveal was a let down. OH IT’S ON NOW was all perps, I have no idea who would say that. And I know SWUM is correct, but not very pretty.
Each time I say the word “series” out loud, SIRI pops up with a comment like yes, what do you want. DH is not happy that SIRI is eaves dropping on us.
Thank you A-t for your neat review.
November 1st is All Saints’ Day.
I managed to eke out a FIR with only Liner/Oiler as my wite-out moment.
I didn’t know Loteria but the perps helped fill it in correctly.
Years ago I locked my keys in the car and called a tow truck company.
The driver used a slim jim and popped open the lock in 5 seconds.
But still charged me $50 for the service call.
Thank you, Amanda, Amie and Dash T. It was a quick solve. Nothing really difficult about it. I have never heard of HARD LAUNCH in terms of a relationship. More so in terms of marketing, such as soft launch and hard launch for new products.
Ah, young people and their redefining of traditional phrases and terms. I guess that a hard launch would also be known as a "Boyfriend (or girlfriend) reveal."
Never saw the 14A clue or answer RUMI until the review. Ditto 54D for TART. Nor for POD. Like you, I don't understand that one either.
True for me, Dash T. Never:NOT ONCE have I ever played the DnD game (unless it meant Do not Disturb).
I can understand why you would have wanted "Light, sweet crude" for BRENT. :>) BTW, it was down 1.49% yesterday.
I use the word puffery more in the marketing hype sense. Here's an article that explains it better than I can: Harvard Business Review: Marketing - The Powers and Perils of Puffery
A pretty SOLID EFFORT from Amanda and Amie today. Like others here, I've not heard HARD LAUNCH for the social media announcement of a romantic relationship, but it makes sense. The list of sexual preference initialisms grows along with new pronoun options. Love is love; I don't need everyone to know and honor my favorite position! Anyway, FIR and enjoyed it. Dash T made it even more entertaining. Thanks!
Hard Launch?
I didn't care for Brent crossing Ghery, but when my first WAG of "R" finished the puzzle, I guess I couldn't complain. (Actually, would any other letter work there?)
Slim Jim?
Rented a car in Florida back when those keyless FOBS were a new thing, left it on the seat, and the dang car locked itself! (I never expected a car to lock itself!) rental company sent a locksmith, and he opened it in two minutes by sticking an inflatable bladder into the window edge. Inflating it bent the window just enough to fit a tool that could reach the recessed door switches. Company didn't charge us after they discovered how pissed off I was...
Hola! Quick and easy is how I would describe this puzzle. Thank you, Amanda and Amie and thank you, Tony, for your entertaining review.
RUMI is also the name of an ancient east Indian philosopher. I have a book of his quotations.
I like the juxtaposition of PASTA at the top and YEAST at the bottom.
i guess I don't appreciate fine art but when I see that building designed by GEHRY, I see a mish mash that looks disorganized.
STOLEN Village is a fascinating book about how an Irish village was raided and all the women and children kidnapped.
Have a lovely day, everyone!
Interesting Tuesday puzzle, many thanks, Amanda and Amie. And thanks for your helpful commentary and pictures, Dash T--appreciated those too.
Well, HAIR suggested a woman making a SOLID EFFORT to keep her hair strong by eating PASTA, followed by a TOUGH COOKIE accompanied by a STIFF DRINK. She can't do much better than that, and I hope it works out for her and keeps her from getting FATTY. I'm guessing she gets all this advice from her boyfriend, SLIM JIM. He's so sweet, sending her a note saying I MISSED YOU when he returns from his trip to help her maintain her HARD LAUNCH. It worked out because she followed all the directions on her A LIST, and has NOT ONCE departed from it. In return, Jim rented a boat and plans to take her out to SEA for a lovely trip. And if it works out well and she maintains a healthy diet, they're going to get married.
Have a good middle of the week, everybody.
I had a similar experience. I tow my Honda CRV behind my RV, and part of preparing the Honda for towing is to let it idle in neutral for three minutes, then turn the key off. I got distracted while making final preparations and forgot to turn off the ignition. Turns out that the Honda locks the doors when the engine is on and the car goes above 5 mph. So I get to my destination and can't open the door, and the car is still idling. I had a spare key, safely locked up at home. It took a locksmith nearly an hour to get to the boondocks where the campground was located, and then about a minute to open the door. (He used wedges and a hook to pull the door handle rather than a SLIM JIM.) Don't know how much he charged, because my CoachNet membership (AAA for RVs) paid for it, but I'm sure it wasn't cheap.
This is exactly what happened to my wife when she left the fob inside our rental Equinox SUV and locked it. (I was surprised you could lock the car with the fob inside.) Called AAA and that was precisely what the service guy did. The bladder and tool. I told him I assumed he’d have a “universal fob”, he laughed and said that’s what everybody thinks . Only problem was it was past 11pm and the jimmying technique set off the car’s alarm. We were in the parking lot of our Florida condo rental and some people awoke and came out to make sure it wasn’t their car. 🙈
Its 7 letters dawg, thats less than your SSN
This was fun and fast - some of my unknowns were solved by perps before I ever got to them like LOTERIA
I had heard before of HARD LAUNCH - when something becomes public - sometimes called Instagram official when announcing a new relationship.
The one I remember was when Taylor Swift came to her first Chiefs' game after she was dating Travis Kelce. Some people thought that was their first date and she was like that would be crazy to HARD LAUNCH on a first date
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/06/entertainment/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-first-date
Fortunately for me , with cars after maybe 2018 or so, you can't lock your FOB in the car
Thanks Tony and Amanda & Amie
I have seen several GEHRY buildings - all distinctive. Still want to see the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Bilbao, Spain
My son at one point was stationed in Biloxi, MS and the Ohr- Okeefe Museum there was a GEHRY design. When I visited him, they had their regular exhibits but also had a special exhibit for the 10 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina which hit land at Biloxi before it made it's way down to New Orleans
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohr%E2%80%93O%27Keefe_Museum_of_Art
Thursday come on a Tuesday this week. I did FIR in 13, but found this pretty tough for a Tuesday. And I HATED crossing two names, GEHRY and BRENT, two names I DNK. A lucky WAG with the "R" saved the day. Only 11 names total, but DNK 5. Overall, not my favorite Tuesday CW by a long shot.
At 15A DashT you commented "did no one really see that coming?" re the closing of the SOH. I would say EVERYONE saw that coming ... except one ridiculously orange faced individual. Thanx for the terrific write-up, Dach-T, and for including a Weird Al song. I like Weird Al, especially his food album. Give a listen to "Lasagna", a take-off on "La-Bamba". Someone once asked him how he ended up making comedy songs, and he said he actually wanted to play in a rock-and-roll band, but couldn't find one that was looking for an accordion player.
A few comments about key fobs and car locks. My 2017 Jeep Renegade won't let you lock the door with the key fob inside the car. I've got two key fobs, so one day I tested it: I put the key fob in the pocket in the drivers door, locked the door, stepped out and closed the door. The lock immediately unlocked. I took the key fob OUT of the car, locked the door and held the key fob up against the door directly outside of the pocket in the door as I closed the door, like two inches from where it was INSIDE the car, and the door stayed locked! How can the car tell that 2" difference? Wow, I was mightily impressed. In fact, I love my Jeep Renegade, one of my favorite cars. Made in Italy, but they send it to Mexico and put the wing mirrors on in Mexico so they can say the final assembly was in Mexico to get the benefit of the USMCA tax.
Have a good week, everyone!
Not true. My SSN has zero letters.
I took the hard launch to mean a solid relationship. Tee Hee!
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