Theme: Tea for two and two for tea ... 🎵🫖
Constructor Rena Cohen has a wealth of experience, although she is only a sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis. At age 9, Rena heard Will Shortz (crossword editor at the New York Times) speak at Indiana University, and began sending him original crossword puzzles for review and comment. In high school, she was published by the Los Angeles Times and by USA Today. In 2023, she received mentoring through a New York Times crossword fellowship and has since been published at the NY Times, LA Times, and elsewhere. She runs a daily mini crossword through her school's newspaper at games.studlife.com. And she's here today for Monday funday!
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| Rena Cohen, wordsmith wunderkind |
Today's theme is Truly Terrific, with the big reveal here:
37-Across. Collections with cups and saucers, or a phonetic description of 16-, 22-, 49-, and 60-Across: TEA SETS. Sets of Ts ...
The other theme clues and answers are:
16-Across. Nickname for Hollywood: TINSELTOWN.
22-Across. Sanction for running a red light: TRAFFIC TICKET.
49-Across. "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers," e.g.: TONGUE TWISTER.
60-Across. "Magic Tree House" subject: TIME TRAVEL. A series of books for young readers (second grade "chapter books") by Mary Pope Osborne. Unknown to yours truly.
Symmetrically placed theme answers, a reveal smack in the middle of the puzzle ... well done! But now, let's talk turkey about the rest of the grid.
Across:1. Scouting mission, briefly: RECON.
6. Assent nonverbally: NOD.
9. Blue-green hue: AQUA.
13. Greeting at a luau: ALOHA.
14. Identical: SAME.
15. Organ with bronchioles: LUNG.
16. [Theme clue]
18. Meaty spread: PÂTÉ. Ground meat with butter or cream and herbs.
19. Meh: SO-SO.
20. "Tastes great!": YUM.
21. __ to go: full of enthusiasm: RARIN. When you are RARING to go, you are eager, like a horse impatiently REARING on its hind legs. When you are RARIN' to go, you are an eager hillbilly. I wish the clue would have given us some further hint about the subject.
22. [Theme clue]
26. Hopelessly stuck: IN A RUT.
28. Peruvian capital: LIMA. Not dinero, but the capital city.
29. One-named "Dancing on My Own" singer: ROBYN. The critically acclaimed "Dancing on My Own" was composed by Swedish singer-songwriter Robyn and released in 2010.
30. Astonish: STUN.
32. Pepper partner: SALT.
36. Comm. used by many CODAs: ASL. CODAs are Children Of Deaf Adults. They may learn to communicate with American Sign Language.
37. [Theme clue]
40. Fish eggs: ROE.
41. Require: NEED.
43. Tears: RIPS. My brain wanted to read "tears" as the droplets that leak out of our eyes when we weep.
Here's a set of Ts that form the crying emoticon: T_T
Can you see the closed eyes with tears streaming down?
The emoji version looks like this:
44. Secures with a key: LOCKS.
46. King of the Norse pantheon: ODIN. Odin is the father of the gods and also the god of war.
48. Many a chart-topping song: POP HIT. All songs that reach the #1 spot on a recognized music ranking are chart toppers, but not all of them are pop hits because they could be metal or country songs. And many pop hits never reach #1, so not all pop hits are chart toppers. But *many* chart toppers *are* pop hits, just as our clue suggests.
49. [Theme clue]
54. Express feelings: EMOTE.
55. Approves: OKS.
56. Like a plump red strawberry: RIPE.
59. Org. with a phonetic alphabet: NATO. The NATO phonetic alphabet is an internationally recognized set of names for the letters of the Latin alphabet and the Arabic digits. It is most commonly used in radio communication, where the usual names of the letters are likely to be misunderstood. I don't know why we don't all learn it. It would be so helpful when spellling out our names and addresses to people on the phone!
| Alfa | November |
| Bravo | Oscar |
| Charlie | Papa |
| Delta | Quebec |
| Echo | Romeo |
| Foxtrot | Sierra |
| Golf | Tango |
| Hotel | Uniform |
| India | Victor |
| Juliett | Whiskey |
| Kilo | Xray |
| Lima | Yankee |
| Mike | Zulu |
| One | Six |
| Two | Seven |
| Three ('tree') | Eight |
| Four ('fower') | Nine ('niner') |
| Five ('fife') | Zero |
60. [Theme clue]
63. Gender-neutral pronoun: THEY.
64. Zone: AREA.
65. Gaming giant: ATARI.
66. Back talk: SASS.
67. Frying vessel: PAN.
68. Gets soupy, as ice cream: MELTS. When Darling Daughter was a tiny tot, she called her soupy ice cream "root stew." Who knows why? Nowadays she is much more likely to eat actual root stew than ice cream.
Down:
1. Sewer scurriers: RATS. DH wants me to eliminate the two rats that are eating fallen seed under the bird feeder, but he participates in the lavish feeding of the squirrels.
2. Pixar film about a boy who meets aliens: ELIO. In this 2025 animated film produced by Pixar for Walt Disney Pictures, eleven-year-old Elio is mistaken for the intergalactic ambassador of Earth after being beamed up to the Communiverse by aliens.
3. British police officer: CONSTABLE.
4. "Whoops, my bad": OH SORRY.
5. Scottish denial: NAE.
6. Tennis star Osaka: NAOMI. What is nationality, anyway? Wikipedia says that Naomi Osaka is a Japanese professional tennis player, who is the first Asian to hold the top ranking in singles, and the first Japanese player to win a major singles title. Naomi was born in Japan to a Haitian-American father and a Japanese mother, and has lived and trained in the United States since age three. Her income has been record breaking for a female athlete, based on many corporate sponsorships. She is well known for activism on behalf of the African American community.
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| Naomi Osaka |
7. Texter's "Coming!": OMW. On My Way. Have never used nor received this one.
8. Cozy room: DEN.
9. Pack animals known for spitting: ALPACAS. Darling Daughter visited an alpaca farm last month and told me this is a thing.
10. Elementary subatomic particle: QUARK. Advanced imaging systems have confirmed the existence of hierarchies of elements of atoms that are all constituents of matter. At some level, I have been given to understand, everything that exists is just energy vibrating at various frequencies. Hold on tight! Or let go. We are all just passing through here.
11. Loosen, as a knot: UNTIE.
12. Representative: AGENT.
14. Double __ Oreo: STUF. Once every couple of years, I lose all restraint and purchase a package of Oreos, and not just because they are the most popular cookie in crosswords. I plan to eat them. Then I find DH standing over the kitchen trash bin, scraping the STUF out with a knife, and eating the plain chocolate wafers. I complain bitterly. If you don't like STUF, stay out of the Oreos! Who's with me?
8. Cozy room: DEN.
9. Pack animals known for spitting: ALPACAS. Darling Daughter visited an alpaca farm last month and told me this is a thing.
10. Elementary subatomic particle: QUARK. Advanced imaging systems have confirmed the existence of hierarchies of elements of atoms that are all constituents of matter. At some level, I have been given to understand, everything that exists is just energy vibrating at various frequencies. Hold on tight! Or let go. We are all just passing through here.
11. Loosen, as a knot: UNTIE.
12. Representative: AGENT.
14. Double __ Oreo: STUF. Once every couple of years, I lose all restraint and purchase a package of Oreos, and not just because they are the most popular cookie in crosswords. I plan to eat them. Then I find DH standing over the kitchen trash bin, scraping the STUF out with a knife, and eating the plain chocolate wafers. I complain bitterly. If you don't like STUF, stay out of the Oreos! Who's with me?
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| Sacrilege! |
17. Uber competitor: LYFT.
21. Outer edge: RIM.
23. Mom's sister: AUNT.
24. "Blue's __": Nick Jr. show: CLUES. This Nickelodeon childrens' program ran from 1996 to 2006. (There was also a 2019 reboot.) The show followed an animated dog named Blue as she left a trail of paw prints for the host and the viewer to figure out her plans for the day. Based on research in early childhood education, Blue's Clues presented material in a narrative format, used repetition for reinforcement, structured every episode the same way, and invited the viewers' involvement. It had a novel look, using construction paper shapes to create the animation. Sounds like something good to stream for the grandchildren.
25. Add color to: TINT.
26. Tehran's country: IRAN.
27. Rudolph's red body part: NOSE.
30. Exceptionally kind person: SAINT.
31. Baking qty.: TSP.
33. Biggest competitor: ARCHRIVAL.
34. Trickster of the Norse pantheon: LOKI. Loki is Odin's blood brother, and thanks to that, when his mischief causes the death of Odin's son, he cannot be killed -- but he can be gruesomely punished until the end of the world (AKA Ragnarök).
35. Midterm, e.g.: TEST.
38. Shallowest Great Lake: ERIE.
39. Opening in a spatula: SLOT. Some of us watching TV in 1989 enjoyed this pretend advertisement for Spatula City. I can hardly hear the word "spatula" without thinking of it. Obviously.
26. Tehran's country: IRAN.
27. Rudolph's red body part: NOSE.
30. Exceptionally kind person: SAINT.
31. Baking qty.: TSP.
33. Biggest competitor: ARCHRIVAL.
34. Trickster of the Norse pantheon: LOKI. Loki is Odin's blood brother, and thanks to that, when his mischief causes the death of Odin's son, he cannot be killed -- but he can be gruesomely punished until the end of the world (AKA Ragnarök).
35. Midterm, e.g.: TEST.
38. Shallowest Great Lake: ERIE.
39. Opening in a spatula: SLOT. Some of us watching TV in 1989 enjoyed this pretend advertisement for Spatula City. I can hardly hear the word "spatula" without thinking of it. Obviously.
42. Nylabones, squeak balls, and the like: DOG TOYS. Love hearing the dogs squeak their toys.
45. Do surgery: OPERATE.
47. Payable now: DUE.
48. Soft "Hey, you!": PSST.
49. Camp shelters: TENTS.
50. Biggest city in the Cornhusker State: OMAHA.
51. Parts of a scale: NOTES.
52. People celebrated internationally every March 8: WOMEN. International Women's Day is celebrated globally on March 8 every year. I was not even aware of this special date until my daughter moved to Italy and experienced significant celebrations of Women's Day annually. Her husband gave her a mimosa tree on Women's Day and they planted it in the front yard.
53. Furniture chain founded in Sweden: IKEA.
57. Cheeky: PERT.
58. Yale students: ELIS. Yale students are called ELIS for the university's early benefactor, Elihu Yale.
60. Alternative to bottled, in a restaurant: TAP. Another thing I learned in Italy: always order bottled water. Admittedly, here, I am back to the finest local tap.
61. Golden yrs. fund: IRA. Individual Retirement Account.
62. Aries animal: RAM. Seems like I just used this image on June 29th:
45. Do surgery: OPERATE.
47. Payable now: DUE.
48. Soft "Hey, you!": PSST.
49. Camp shelters: TENTS.
50. Biggest city in the Cornhusker State: OMAHA.
51. Parts of a scale: NOTES.
52. People celebrated internationally every March 8: WOMEN. International Women's Day is celebrated globally on March 8 every year. I was not even aware of this special date until my daughter moved to Italy and experienced significant celebrations of Women's Day annually. Her husband gave her a mimosa tree on Women's Day and they planted it in the front yard.
53. Furniture chain founded in Sweden: IKEA.
57. Cheeky: PERT.
58. Yale students: ELIS. Yale students are called ELIS for the university's early benefactor, Elihu Yale.
60. Alternative to bottled, in a restaurant: TAP. Another thing I learned in Italy: always order bottled water. Admittedly, here, I am back to the finest local tap.
61. Golden yrs. fund: IRA. Individual Retirement Account.
62. Aries animal: RAM. Seems like I just used this image on June 29th:
Here's the grid:
Solvers,
Were you RARIN to go on this Monday marvel?
Did you TAP into the theme right away?
Use the comments section to opine on the CLUES!
-- NaomiZ
A nice easy puzzle, as
ReplyDeletebefits a Monday.
And, considering some of the “doozies” we’ve had lately, we deserved it!
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
By the way, the site is not making me go through so many “hoops” to print out my comments as it used to. I can only hope this keeps up!
ReplyDeleteIt is not the site. It is your browser (or phone)
DeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteSix minutes well spent. I was familiar with codas in the musical sense, but not in relation to ASL. Failed to note the reveal, and didn't notice the theme on my scoot through the grid. Thanx, Rena and NaomiZ. (You didn't acknowledge your SO at 6d.)
FIR, sans erasure.
ReplyDeleteI knew that ALPACAS spit from watching The Incredible Doctor Pol. So do their close relatives, camels.
Four letter fill for "blah, blah, blah Great Lake" is gonna be ERIE.
Okay, I've got it on my calendar. Next March 8th I'll show my appreciation of women by spreading some cash around to them at my local gentlemen's club.
Our local NBC TV affiliate still uses THEY as the singular pronoun in every local news story. I think it makes the newscasters sound illiterate.
I'll take a CSO @ UNTIE!
Off to a design consultation at our local Lowes. I'm replacing my kitchen sink and associated cabinets and countertop in preparation for selling the house. Any hints or warnings would be appreciated.
Thanks to Rena for the fun Monday puzzle that ran, of all days, on a Monday! I know that we'll be seeing a lot more of your work here. And thanks to NaomiZ for another great review. BTW - I've always heard that squirrels are just bushy rats. Also BTW - I actually am an eager hillbilly. Never heard "raring" to go.
I love the white Corian countertops I had installed when I remodeled many years ago. Stain? Pour a little bleach on it. Scratch? A little sandpaper. It is very durable and heat resistant. They have great resale value, too.
DeleteWas AQUA on top of LUNG too elementary for a Jethro Tull reference? I had money on you.
DeleteFIR. Nice and easy Monday presentation, as should be expected given the day.
ReplyDeleteI got the theme early on and the center reveal confirmed it. That helped with the bottom half.
Overall a very enjoyable puzzle.
Easy and pleasant puzzle this morning. Just a few unknowns like ROBYN, ELIO, Blues CLUES was an easy guess. The TT theme showed up quickly.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you NaomiZ, removing the STUF from an Oreo is a crime. And CSO to you at NAOMI. I was hoping you were going to be the reviewer this morning. Thanks for the info on CODA, learning moment for me.
I enjoyed today’s engaging puzzle with four fun theme entries and some lively fill as well: ALPACAS, ARCHRIVAL, DOGTOYS.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Rena for the Monday entertainment and to Naomi for the delightful recap. Loved the Mediocrates cartoon!
Kat, I think I may have posed for that drawing.
DeleteHa ha ha! :o)
DeleteThis was super fast even for a Monday! I didn't even know all the answers until coming to the blog since they filled by perp. The TT theme made it easy to guess the themers
ReplyDeleteBlue's CLUES was my youngest's favorite when he was 3 or 4 - he even wanted a Blue's Clues themed birthday party.
Thanks Naomi for the blog and Rena for the puzzle - and SO to another WU-grad
Classic easy Monday. Thought maybe the theme was “tongue twisters” with PETER PIPER the reveal but the other theme answers aren’t really tongue twisted enough .
ReplyDeleteRena started sending in CWs at 9 years old 😳yikes.
ODIN is father (king) of the gods but not the god of war, Týr (where we get Tuesday) is god of war. Same as Mars is the Roman god of war (Tuesday in Romance languages like Mardi in French)
I saw the movie “CODA” but didn’t make the connection
“Blue green” not teal but AQUA
OMW is a new one for
me but autocorrect knew it and autofilled “On my way” when I just typed the initials
Do sugary? Nope Do “surgery”
Nylabones?
Enjoy the day🙂
Musings
ReplyDelete-After some RECON, I discovered Rena’s adorable letter
-School will start soon and I’m RARIN’ to go for another year of subbing at 80-years-old
-ROBYN is not in my one-name celebrity memory bank
-We recently had these French partners: sel et poivre
-Seinfeld’s deaf lip reader mistakenly interpreted “We swept together” for “We slept together”
-“THEY just left” will never replace “She (or He) just left” in my vocab.
-MELTS: The heat index today will be near 110F with high humidity. The corn is not complaining
-Recently, Disney movies have been losing big money but ELIO about broke even.
-OMW: I wonder if Rena knew this or found a lifeboat for this horrible but necessary fill
-Scraping the Oreo “Stuf”? How taking the B out of a BLT? :-)
-Naomi, I loved your write-up, your name in the puzzle and Spatula City
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteAlthough the theme was pretty basic, it fit the Monday mode and was well-executed due to the very solid themers, IMO. Robyn, Elio, and Clues needed perp help but otherwise the solve was fast and enjoyable. I echo Kate’s appreciation for the Mediocrates cartoon!
Thanks, Rena, and congrats on your impressive track record and thanks, Naomi, for a most informative summary and amusing personal tidbits.
Have a great day.
Thank you, Rena and thank you, NaomiZ.
ReplyDeleteThat was quick and fun. I did not sense the theme until reading the reveal clue at 37A. Then I looked back at the first two.
TIME TRAVEL - I woke up in the early morning and couldn't sleep. Turned on the TV and tuned to the Miramax channel. The 2002 remake of H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine" was on. Solvers know of both the ELOI and the MORLOCKS from that book or one of the movies. The movie itself was MEH/
TEA SETS - In the 90's and the aughts, my side hustle hobby was to go to auctions sales, estate sales and antique shops buying antique collector's items, furniture and early American primitives for my dad's antique shop. When the garage bay was full, I'd rent a U-Haul and tow it down to Texas. I couldn't tell you the number of times that I bought antique chocolate sets that were being sold as common tea sets. Both could be valuable, but nicer antique chocolate sets were a hot selling item and coveted in some social circles for a period of time, so I was always on the lookout for them. The profit that could be made was jaw dropping.
NaomiZ, your musings of your husband's OREO eating habits amused me, NaomiZ. It does seem like sacrilege to me too. As a past lover of OREOs, it was my opinion that there is no wrong way to eat an Oreo. Dunk 'em in milk, or just eat them as is. Or twist off the wafer, and eat the stuf or the wafers first. But now I'm not so sure. Ditch the stuf? Never. Even though they are my favorite snack cookie, I gave them up about 5 or 6 years ago and haven't had any since. Ditto, Chips Ahoy. Not sure why. I just quit them.
FLN, thank you, NaomiZ and Lucina. I thought of another case where the item is frequently cut on the bias. Some dinner rolls in the bread baskets at some restaurants, baguettes and unsliced bread rolls at home. I buy unsliced French bread and Italian bread rolls, and slice on the bias when making a panini or bruschetta. Or just for throwing in the toaster.
Sorry, Kat, autocorrect strikes again!
ReplyDeleteToday Took 3:56.
ReplyDelete"Robyn" was unknown, and I debated "slit v. slot". Otherwise, uneventful solve.
I can understand removing the Stuf, but throwing that away to eat the wafer?
Blasphemy!
Congratulations to Spain on winning the World Cup.
Fun romp from Rena today. Tea for two, and two for tea...
ReplyDeleteI liked the two visits to the Norse pantheon.
Re: MELTS. My youngest went on a Boy Scout field trip to the local newspaper printing facility. Afterwards, the guide offer everyone broccoli. After boos, she said just kidding and served ice cream. My son raised his hand. "But I wanted broccoli."
I'm gonna start misquoting Mediocrates! It's all Greek to me anyway.
Naomi, how did you get your name in the puzzle? Great work!
9 to FIR: I love Monday CWs, and this one especially. 12 names, DNK 2. Also DNK ASL as clued, as "CODAs" made me think it must have something to do with computers. Also DNK 60A.
ReplyDeleteWhen I type OMW in a text on my iPhone, it is automatically changed to "On my way".
I thought of CAMELS first, but too short. I had to wait on a few perps.
I saw the TT theme early, which helped. Fun CW RC, thanx. Thanx too for minimizing obscure names.
Terrific write-up, too, NaomiZ, thanx. Your "Mediocrates" reminded me of Hippocrates, huge boxes to ship hippos. I always thought "pop hits" meant "popular hits". If a song becomes #1 on the charts, doesn't that mean it is a popular hit? Why should it matter if it's a country song, ballad, folk song, hard rock, or whatever? If it is #1, it is a popular hit!
On your Oreos, a suggestion for domestic tranquilities: take half of the Oreos out of the original package and put them in a Ziplock bag marked "Naomi" and half in another Ziplock bag with your DH's name. BTW, a trick I learned from my aunt: when you use a Ziplock bag, before sealing put a straw in the corner, seal it up to the straw, then suck all the air out of the bag before quickly withdrawing the straw and sealing the last 1/4". Stuff keeps longer.
I really enjoyed the FIFA matches. Now I need to wait for the Pack's first pre-season game at the Steelers, on Aug 18.The NFL is right on the edge of me saying, "The hell with them", though, by putting some games on broadcast TV, some on NFL Channel, some on YouTube, some on Apple TV, some on Amazon Prime, etc. I cannot, or WILL not, subscribe to five or ten places just to watch their games. (grump, grump!)
First, thanks for the feedback on Corian. I'll mention it to my daughter/style coordinator.
DeleteI'm with you on the plethora of outlets for NFL games. It's bad enough that the nearby Washington Deadskins preempt my Cowboys when both are playing at the same time.
Ojai Guy. I'm with DH on the OREO scrape. Nabisco used to make a tasty chocolate wafer that needed no filler. An alternative is to put ice cream between the wafers.
DeleteVery happy with this puzzle. Rena must have worked very hard to make this so easy for us. Sean: I also noticed AQUA/LUNG and thought of Jethro Tull.
ReplyDeleteI was "Not Happy" yesterday and Happy today to see that Anon posted at 2:01AM today they also were Not Happy. That cluster of ABBI/BIEL/BIAS spoiled an otherwise brilliant construction.
Hola! and ALOHA! I enjoyed this quick and easy puzzle from Rena Cowen. All the Ts were obvious and did not STUN me.
ReplyDeleteEven though I don't drink TEA, I have some lovely TEA SETS in my China cabinet.
I wonder if TIME TRAVEL will ever be possible?
BLUES CLUES certainly brings back memories of my granddaughter growing up; she loved that program.
NAOMI, how nice to see your name in the puzzle!
YUM! OREOS are now forbidden to me, but how I love them! And I would never remove the creme. Sacrilege indeed! Enjoy your day, everyone!
Time travel will never be possible (except through memory of the past.)
DeleteIn our home, we play “Bruise Clues” trying to figure out what we bumped into that causes new bruise marks
ReplyDeleteMarvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Rena and NAOMI (CSO).
ReplyDeleteI FIRed in very good time and saw the double Ts.
I have several TEA SETS and a plethora of TEA cups.
Two inkblots to change Teak to AQUA, and top To Pop (when forced by PSST).
I thought about llamas but ALPACAS fit the spot. A friend has alpacas and most of them are not very friendly.
Perps were needed for the unknown-to-me ROBYN, ELIO and ASL ( as clued with CODASs).
The grands loved Blues CLUES.
Our air is clear of smoke today, which is much better for our LUNGs.
Wishing you all a great day.
I meant to mention: time travel reminds me of a Pearls Before Swine cartoon:
ReplyDeleteFirst panel: Pig says he has invented a time machine, but is afraid to use it because he is not sure if it will take them backward in time or forward in time.
Second panel: Rat says, "So? What's wrong with going forward in time?"
Third panel: a drawing showing two graves, one marked "Pig", one marked "Rat".
I liked this puzzle, Naomi's write-up, and all your comments.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Rena! TEASETS was Totally Terrific. FAV was the "Magic Treehouse" clue. Terrific books. Each book sends siblings Jack and Annie to a historical event such as the sinking of the Titanic, Japanese ninja era, the first Thanksgiving, etc. History is taught through an engaging story. There are 100+ books.
ReplyDeleteThanks to NAOMIz! Fun to see your CSO on a Monday. Hand up for liking MEDiocrates.
Enjoyed this puzzle. I have several antique cups and saucers. Collected them as a child. I also have two chocolate sets. As you might have guessed, I have lots of antiques. I’m later than usual today, I visited a goat farm in Pescadero, ate at Duartes and stopped at Pescadero State Beach. Beautiful day with family! Thanks Rena and NaomiZ! Fun to see your name in the puzzle!
ReplyDelete