Theme: "WHIRLWIND TOUR" - Popular bands appear backwards in the theme entries.
22. Sign on rural roads: DEER CROSSING. Creed.
28. Stays with a series of friends: COUCH SURFS. Rush.
47. "I've seen worse": IT'S NOT SO BAD. Boston.
50. Savory potato patties in Indian cuisine: ALOO TIKKI. Tool.
61. Find common ground: SEEK A COMPROMISE. Cake.
79. "How rude!": EXCUSE YOU. Yes.
81. Project that kindergartners need to use their noodles for: MACARONI ART. Train.
Reveal:
98. With 107-Across, reunite a musical group, or a hint to this puzzle's circled letters: GET THE BAND.
107. See 98-Across: BACK TOGETHER.
Perfect reveal, which also works as a perfect title. I think they're all rock bands, right?
We also have a bonus fill: 67. Product of Chicago?: ROCK ANTHEM.
Across:
1. Two-headed muscle, informally: BICEP.
6. Witchy words: SPELL.
11. Kinney who writes the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books: JEFF. He also illustrated the books.
15. Singular pronoun: SHE.
18. Earthy colour: OCHRE. We use ocher.
19. Sugar substitute?: DEARIE.
20. R&B's India.__: ARIE.
21. Dory mover: OAR.
24. University of Montana's home: MISSOULA. Looks like a beautiful place to visit.
26. Key hit in panic: ESC.
27. Was more consuming?: OUT-ATE.
30. Six-time NBA MVP Abdul-Jabbar: KAREEM.
32. Juice option: PULP.
33. College Park athlete, for short: TERP.
34. Instruments in string quartets: CELLI. Cellos are more common outside the orchestra world.
36. Many a beach scavenger: SEABIRD.
39. In the left lane, say: PASSING.
42. Vegetables that may be chopped while wearing goggles: ONIONS. I've never needed the goggles.
44. Actress Jessica: BIEL.
45. Curved line: ARC.
46. Bronco or Mustang: CAR.
53. Lavish celebration: FETE.
54. Flatbreads served with saag paneer: ROTIS. Saag paneer traditionally uses mustard greens, while palak paneer uses spinach.
55. Spun records: DJED.
56. Sat around: IDLED.
57. Almost-grads: SRS.
58. Drive or park: GEAR.
59. Semana seventh: DIA.
60. Race: SPEED.
66. Put pen to paper, say: PRINT.
68. Contains: HAS.
69. Thread-bearing?: ROPY. Oh, having threadlike fibers.
70. "Breaking Bad" org.: DEA.
73. Living space?: BIOME. Ecological space. We also have 95. Safe spaces?: BANKS.
74. Hilarious human: RIOT.
76. Crunchy salad bits: BACOS.
78. Shade source: TREE.
83. Startled syllable: EEK.
84. Kyoto currency: YEN.
85. Dance that tells a story: HULA.
86. Bean: NOGGIN.
87. Bursts of light: FLASHES.
90. Sleepover duds: JAMMIES.
93. Site of a Herculean task: NEMEA. The Nemean Lion.
94. Digital extension?: NAIL. Also loved these clues: 3. Task managers?: CHECKLISTS. 31. Peerless?: ALONE.34. Bobs and weaves?: COIFS. 43. Drive way?: STREET.
95. Makes illegal: BANS.
96. Mexican bucks: DINERO.
101. "Foundation" trilogy novelist Isaac: ASIMOV.
103. LAX gatekeepers: TSA.
106. Blissful: IN HEAVEN.
110. Compete: VIE.
111. Water-resistant wood: TEAK.
112. Rights activist Hernandez: AILEEN. Learning moment for me. She served as the president of NOW from 1970 to 1971.
113. Fun aunt's movie date, maybe: NIECE.
114. The Oilers, on sports crawls: EDM. Edmonton.
115. Some 35mm cameras: SLRS.
116. Fastened, in a way: GLUED.
117. Small pastries: TARTS.
Down:
1. Portend: BODE.
2. Keeps cold: ICES.
4. "I'd rather __ on the side of caution": ERR.
5. Cheese with a Romano variety: PECORINO.
6. Bagel variety: SESAME.
7. History: PAST.
8. Canal in upstate New York: ERIE.
9. "Encanto" songwriter __-Manuel Miranda: LIN.
10. Hamstring exercise: LEG CURL.
11. Obstruct: JAM UP.
12. Celebrity chef Adjepong: ERIC. New name to me. He's of Ghanaian heritage.
13. Tilapia-and-tortilla dish: FISH TACO.
14. Admits, with "up": FESSES.
15. Deli spear: SOUR PICKLE. Claussen is the way to go.
16. Soccer period: HALF.
17. History chapters: ERAS.
19. Loves (on): DOTES.
23. Regret: RUE.
25. Plural pronoun: OURS.
29. Not new: OLD.
32. Splotchy: PIED.
35. Head in: ENTER.
37. Jacobson of "Long Story Short": ABBI.
38. Cut on the __: BIAS.
39. Poke: PROD.
40. Undressed: NAKED.
41. Crossword diagram: GRID. This is a 21x21 grid.
45. Pint glass serving: ALE.
48. Linger in the tub: SOAK.
49. Other, in Spanish: OTRA.
50. Not entirely open: AJAR. And
51. Not entirely sober: TIPSY.
52. Nice concept?: IDEE. Nice the French city.
55. Party bowlful: DIP.
58. Chromosome units: GENES.
59. Private convos: DMS.
60. Nurses: SIPS ON.
61. Actor Liu: SIMU.
62. French cabbage: CHOU. Napa cabbage is called "chou chinois". Chinese cabbage.
63. Cereal grain: OAT.
64. Swimmer with a saddle patch: ORCA.
65. "Wuthering Heights" setting: MOOR.
66. Google phone: PIXEL.
70. Parental figure for a queen: DRAG MOTHER, who mentors a DRAG DAUGHTER.
71. Unsettling: EERIE.
72. Cigna competitor: AETNA.
73. Feud: BEEF.
74. Some seeded loaves: RYES.
75. Particle in a stellar wind: ION.
76. Salve: BALM.
77. Puree in a breakfast bowl: ACAI.
78. Striped big cat: TIGER.
80. Where one may set their sights: EYE LEVEL.
81. "__ the word!": MUM'S.
82. Insignificant occurrence: NON-EVENT.
85. Fanny pack alternative: HANDBAG.
88. Fill up: SATE.
89. Drummer's cymbals: HI-HATS.
90. Stan and __ Berenstain of kid-lit: JAN. Stan and Jan created the Berenstain Bears.
91. Provided clarity, in a way: EDITED.
92. Alvin and Theodore's brother: SIMON. Alvin and the Chipmunks.
97. Eggy drink: NOG.
98. Donate: GIVE.
99. Oklahoma city: ENID.
100. Winter hibernator: BEAR.
101. Anti-censorship org.: ACLU.
102. __-Ball: arcade game: SKEE.
104. Breakaway group: SECT.
105. Trojan War god: ARES.
108. Need a sick day, say: AIL.
109. Argentine aunt: TIA.
C.C.
I won’t go into all the
ReplyDeletereasons why this was a very tough Sunday puzzle. But just to mention two:
(1) the number of “?” clues
(2) the number of times two (or more!) proper names crossed
Nevertheless, FIR, so I’m happy.
what is FIR?
DeleteFinished It Right
DeleteThis is under "Olio" on the side bar when in web view.
Deletehttp://crosswordcorner.blogspot.com/2009/02/comments-section-abbreviations.html
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteDAM UP beside URIC yielded DUFF where JEFF needed to go. Hey, it could'a been. Bzzzzzt. Those were my only missteps. D-o saw the circles, read the backward words, and figured out they must be bands. Didn't recognize YES, CAKE, TRAIN, nor TOOL. Are/were they popular? Thanx, Rebecca and C.C.
YES was very big in the early 70s, with their album "Fragile" ("Roundabout", "Long Distance Runaround"} They're still together
ReplyDeleteLike D-otto I didn't recognize a number of the bands, but they filled in okay. My favorite answer was Drag Mother. And since I had BACON instead of BACOS, my last fill was SIps ON crossed with ROpY. Fun Sunday.
ReplyDeleteI hope today's FIFA soccer final is as crazy wild as yesterday's France vs. England match for 3rd place. (No spoiler here).
FIW, with CELLO x the totally unknown PECORoNO. It might help if I paid attention to the number (instruments) in the clue. I should try it sometime.
ReplyDeleteDNK bands CAKE and TOOL. Whatever happened to the band names that made sense, like Led Zepplin, Beatles, Strawberry Alarm Clock, and Procol Harum?
I was certain that it had to be BACOn instead of BACOS, but by that time I had tired of the puzzle. After I found out BACOS was right, I Googled it. Turns out it was a brand of fake BACOn bits discontinued by Quaker Oats ten years ago.
CHECKLISTS and templates are great tools to facilitate efficiency and quality. I still use them, 25 years into retirement.
The only Alvin and the Chipmunks songs I remember are Christmas-themed. In fact, I just remember
The ACLU used to be champions of free speech, regardless of its popularity, tastefulness or political leaning. They have strayed from that noble origin.
Thanks to Rebecca for the Sunday challenge, and to CC for another concise review.
I haven’t noticed the ACLU straying. Example?
DeleteI just remember this one.
ReplyDeleteFIR. Once again circles, a waste of time in any puzzle. And if there could be any more proper names than this puzzle had I don't think I've seen it. There were even several crossing each other.
ReplyDeleteI got the theme but I'm unimpressed.
Overall the farthest thing from an enjoyable puzzle in quite some time.
FIR but no fun (FIRBNF?). Some lesser known bands and lots of other frustrating cluing. I agree with SG on all the proper names and ? clues. Add in a fair number of foreign words and I’d have to say this puzzle would not be a good clue for 47 across. The appearance of DRAGMOTHER even had me gun shy as to whether I had the simple pronouns right.
ReplyDeleteTook 15:14 today to rock out.
ReplyDeleteI know all of the bands, but it didn't do me any good at all as I didn't pay any attention to the theme while solving.
I didn't know the voice Actress of the Day (Abbi), the Indian potato dish (aloo tikki), the French cabbage (chou), the so-called celebrity chef (Eric), or how to spell "pecorino." Luckily, I knew the Argentinian aunt (tia), the Mexican bucks (dinero), and the other (otra) Spanish.
Oh joy, circles!
I’ll echo Subgenius’ comments. Except I DNF, nor did I know the majority of the bands, so the theme meant nothing to me.
ReplyDeleteThank you CC for the recap.
16:01. Puzzle was fine but nothing special. Knew all of the bands. Only thing is that it'd be much more impressive if most of the bands weren't just very short names.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one who had no idea about CUT ON THE BIAS? What does it even mean? Put BRAS and BREL. And who knew that ABBI? And is a BEEF really a FEUD?
ReplyDeleteWhen sewing, if you cut the material on the bias, you cut diagonally.
DeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-I immediately saw that the circles harbored common reversed words and then the idea of their being bands occurred to me although RUSH was the only one I recognized outright
-It was a fun exercise as I watched the British Open at the same time
-Obscure, forgettable names are de rigueur on weekend puzzles.
-Our uncle made an odd film choice when he took my brother and me to see In Cold Blood when we were 10 and 11
-The aforementioned uncle only had two 45’s for us to play on his phonograph - The Chipmunks Christmas Sons and Tom Dooley
I like Rebecca Goldstein's puzzles, so i worked my way to FIR, but it wasn't my favorite solving experience. I'm not good at scrambles, so I pretty much ignored the circles. Counted 5 names I DNK, but perps were fair. housE -> BIOME, pAjamaS -> JAMMIES. Fair to say IT'S NOT SO BAD.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who sews knows what it is to cut on the BIAS. Woven fabrics have warp and weft --- threads arranged at right angles to each other to create the fabric. Sometimes, to get a garment to drape properly, we cut it not along those straight lines, but askew -- on the bias. I'm sure there's a better way to describe the geometry, but I've been under the weather and suffering brain fog. Still, a concept that any garment maker is unlikely to forget.
Thanks for blogging, C.C.! You certainly beat me at the bands!
Hola! As one who sewed many, many items years ago, CUT ON THE BIAS made perfect sense to me. And the rest of the puzzle filled in fits and starts as Sunday puzzles always do, being so long. One thing I have finally remembered is that ALOO means potato.
ReplyDeleteThe "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series was a favorite with my granddaughters, but I couldn't recall the author. Now I know. But who knows how long I'll remember since they are now grown.
Using MACARONI or other foods for art is distasteful to me because I hate to see food wasted in that way. Having experienced hunger as a child will do that.
The circles meant nothing to me as I'm unfamiliar with those bands, but they were not essential to finishing the puzzle. Thank you, Rebecca and C.C. for today's entertainment. Have a beautiful day, everyone!
FIR in 40 minutes, somewhat of a slog but I didn’t dislike it. The circles were no help to the solve as I wasn’t familiar with the bands RUSH, TRAIN, or CAKE. I know there are a couple of huge RUSH fans that frequent the Corner, and they’ll like the inclusion of them. Rebecca can be tough, especially on a themeless, but this one wasn’t as difficult as some of hers. PECORINO was all perps as were ABBI, CHOU, and BIAS (thanks for explaining Naomi). I’ve memorized ALOO as an Indian potato dish, TIKKI was a new addition to that. Why is BICEP ‘informally’? Anybody else remember a song called “JAM UP and Jelly Tight? Thanks Rebecca for the Sunday challenge, and to C.C. for the recap!
ReplyDeleteCorrection - I’m very familiar with RUSH, the other band I didn’t know was TOOL.
DeleteThank you, Rebecca and C.C.
ReplyDeleteNo real issues.
The theme became obvious pretty quickly. I know of each of the bands except for CAKE and TOOL. I might recognize one of their songs if I heard it.
DASH T is definitely going to recognize RUSH.
There were 4 or 5 people I didn't know by their names, but the perps made the answers obvious.
What does FIR mean? It's probably a jokester that keeps asking that question.
Not Happy at 10:21, yes, you are probably the only one that does not know what "Cut on the BIAS" means.
In addition to what NaomiZ wrote as in the sewing context , it's an often used term in food prep. Have you ever bought a can of French Cut green beans? How about diagonally cut carrots? Or zucchini, asparagus, cucumbers ? Chefs and sous chefs know it's not just to make some food items more appealing, cutting on the bias makes some foods both easier to cook evenly and easier to eat, and for some foods mainly easier to eat after cooking. Consider flank steak, skirt steak, and beef briskets. They can each be tough and chewy unless cut across the grain and on a bias.
It's not a term just in a sewing or in a culinary context. Woodworkers cut on the bias for various reasons. Especially in fine woodworking. Marquetry in particular.
I like those culinary and woodworking examples of cutting on the BIAS, TTP!
DeleteWhen I saw Rebecca’s name on this Sunday’s puzzle, I figured it’d be a fun challenge — and it was! I knew all the rock groups…but didn’t catch them until after I’d run across the reveal clue (one of these days I’ll remember to look for it before starting the solve 😖). Pretty snazzy hook! Plus I thought the clueing was quite brilliant — great one for TEAK; “Safe spaces” > BANKS; “Digital extension” > NAIL; and “Feud” > BEEF (I knew that one from living in Hawai’i; irritate one of the locals, they’ll get in your face: “You wanna beef?!?” 😆) — so I had a pile of fun doing this one (despite the usual raft of A&E names ==sigh== )
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks, C.C., for unraveling all the threads without BIAS!
====> Darren / L.A.
TTP, thank you for expanding on the various meanings of "cut on the bias". I didn't even think about it other than with cloth, though I'm familiar with some of the others. This is such a place for learning new things!
ReplyDeleteMy wife used pinking shears to cut on the bias.
ReplyDeleteI mostly enjoyed doing this puzzle.
Don't know why BICEP is clued as "informally." Maybe because the "real" term is biceps?
I remember Baco-Bits. They were horrible.
EXCUSE YOU makes me think of Steve Martin. AILEEN makes me think of a certain judge in southern Florida.
PAJAMAS-->JAMMIES. BILLINGS-->MISSOULA. ALBA-->BIEL. WRITE-->PAINT-->PRINT.
My wife could never pass up buying a HANDBAG. She accumulated at least 15 of them.
Good reading all your comments.