Elizabeth Duker-Gold premiered here just last month, and Devon Moffat joins her for his debut today.
20. Herbal medicines?: THYME CAPSULES. TIME CAPSULES. The U.S. recently buried a massive 900-pound cylinder near Independence Hall in Philadelphia, packed with artifacts from all 50 states and territories to mark our 250th anniversary, and is scheduled to be opened in 2276. I can hardly wait to see what's inside!
30. Veggie dogs?: BEET BOXERS. BEATBOXERS. Beatboxing is the art of mimicking drum machines and other musical instruments using only the human mouth. It has evolved into a highly competitive art form.
40. Green new deal?: PEAS TREATY. A play on PEACE TREATY, but PEAS and PEACE aren't homophones. And I'm not sure why the deal is "new"? Because it's green? The New Deal was a series of economic programs and public works projects, not a treaty.
52. Unexceptional, or an apt description of 20-, 30-, and 40-Across?: GARDEN VARIETY. I hate to be contrary like Mary, but this theme didn't totally land for me. These are all plant varieties found in gardens, I suppose, but one is herbal and the other two are vegetables. One is pronounced differently than the veggie it's replacing. And they are mixed singular and plural. So, "unexceptional" is an apt description of this puzzle as well.
On the plus side, I did like the puns in the clues. And I liked certain answer pairings such as "ITSY, bitsy, TEENY, weenie," like a yellow, polka dot bikini! Elizabeth and Devon are in the right field, and with a little nurturing, will grow into fine constructors.
Let's see what else we can reap from this.
Across:
1. Kiddie pool filler: HOSE. I wanted KIDS, but it was already part of the clue. Kidding!
5. Admin. aide: ASST. An administrative assistant.
9. General feelings: VIBES. I love the VIBES I get from listening to jazz:
14. The big screen?: IMAX. Watching movies specially formatted for huge IMAX screens can be very immersive...just don't arrive late and have to look straight up at a five-story screen from the front row. Don't ask me how I know.
15. Burrowing rodent: VOLE. I wrote MOLE, which made California's fruit hard to discern until I fixed it..
16. Vinegary sauce: ADOBO.
17. Southern region of South America: PATAGONIA. PATAGONIA is a vast geographic region shared by Argentina and Chile. It is renowned for its vast, windswept steppe, spectacular Andean glaciers, and rugged granite peaks that are very popular with trekkers.
19. Puts up for sale: LISTS.
20. [theme]
22. Crew blade: OAR. Kelsey Pfendler just made history by solo rowing 2,400 miles from California to Hawaii, breaking both men's and women's speed records. It took her 44 days!
23. Covers in goo: TARS. I don't think of TAR as goo, but I guess it is.
24. Obscure to protect privacy, perhaps: REDACT. As a bonus to all our loyal followers, I'm publishing the Crossword Corner's bank account #■■■■■■■■■■■■ so you may withdraw as much as you want!
27. Amer. capital: USD. Your bonus is in U.S. Dollars, of course. You're welcome.
28. Affectionate text: ILY. I Love You. Back in the days of beepers, we'd send 143 as an affectionate page. It represents the number of letters in each word.
29. Glasgow refusal: NAE.
30. [theme]
35. Lost: GONE. Kinda sorta the same.
36. Chabert of the "Crossword Mysteries" series: LACEY. LACEY Chabert starred as crossword editor Tess Harper in five Crossword Mysteries that aired on the Hallmark Channel.
37. Hosp. scan: MRI. Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a hospital.
38. Dancer and choreographer Ailey: ALVIN.
39. Olympic archer?: EROS. From Mount Olympus, not currently one of the participating nations.
40. [theme]
42. NLE rival of NYM: ATL. A National League East rival of the New York Mets is the Atlanta Braves.
43. Any of the Tetons: Abbr.: MTN. Short for Mountain. Tall for mountain is Everest.
44. Arabic for "son of": IBN. A possible Natick where it's first letter crosses TISANES.
45. The "T" of T.S. Eliot: THOMAS. THOMAS Sterns Eliot, Nobel Prize-winning poet, essayist, and playwright.
47. Not great: SO SO. Very great: ZOSO!
49. System of connected PCs, for short: LAN. Personal Computers communicate via a Local Area Network.
52. [theme]
55. Energy-channeling healing technique: REIKI. REIKI is a Japanese energy healing therapy that involves a practitioner lightly placing their hands on or just above a person's body. It aims to channel universal life force energy to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and support the body's natural healing abilities.
57. Cloudburst: RAINSTORM. Perfect for watering one's garden.
58. "WandaVision" star Elizabeth: OLSEN. This miniseries had a clever conceit - each episode was a decade newer than the last, starting in '50s black & white through modern color.
59. "Dibs!": MINE.
60. Shorten, in a way: SNIP.
61. Our, in French: NOTRE. "Il faut cultiver NOTRE jardin". Coined by the philosopher Voltaire, it translates to "We must cultivate our garden." He means, "Mind you own business!"
62. Some cold brews: ALES.
63. "What is it?": YEAH. As in, "YEAH? Whaddaya want?"
Down:
1. In on: HIP TO. Again, not quite the same. HIP TO means to be aware of, while "in on" means to be a participant to a secret or plan.
2. Nebraska home of the College World Series: OMAHA.
3. Forest figure of myth: SATYR.
4. Skills assessment: EXAM.
5. State fruit of California: AVOCADO.
6. Ocean waves?: SONAR. Fun clue.
7. Ignores a "wet floor" sign, maybe: SLIPS. "It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt...then it's hilarious!" (from a popular meme)
8. Steeped brews: TEAS. Or TISANES, per 41D.
9. Silicon __: VALLEY.
10. "Could not stop laughing!": I DIED. This happens when a comedian slays his audience.
11. Brazilian music genre: BOSSA NOVA.
12. SNAP system: EBT. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides food assistance benefits to low-income individuals and families via a reloadable Electronic Benefits Transfer card.
13. "Mayday!" letters: SOS.
18. Manages: GETS BY.
21. Browser links: URLS. Universal Resource Locators are web addresses.
25. "Quiet, you": CAN IT. Wanted ZIP IT first.
26. Wee: TEENY. Clecho of 54D.
27. Four Corners Natives: UTES. Four wheel drives: UTES.
28. Colorful ring: IRIS.
30. Sheepish cry?: BLEAT.
31. Mars neighbor: EARTH. Except in the candy aisle...
32. Many a climate change expert: ECOLOGIST.
33. Wolverine's cohort: X-MEN. Is just one an X-MAN?
34. Historical period: ERA.
35. "Wichita Lineman" singer Campbell: GLEN. GLEN fell in love with a demo of this song, and rushed to record it despite the 3rd verse not being written yet. He filled in the part with an improvised melodic lead using a bass guitar instead, and the rest is history.
38. Shady areas: ARBORS.
40. Condition that may be treated with SSRIs: PTSD. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors are widely considered a first-line medication for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
41. Medicinal 8-Down: TISANES. TISANES (pronounced ti-zahn) are herbal infusions made from the leaves, roots, berries, and spices of plants other than tea leaves. New to me, and I stumbled at the I crossing IBN.
43. Of the sea: MARINE. Like SpongeBob.
46. Word with peace or pace: MAKER. If four letters, it would've been KEEP.
47. SpongeBob's pet, for one: SNAIL.
48. Just like ewe: OVINE. Ha ha!
49. Currency in West Africa: LEONE. The currency of Sierra LEONE.
50. Interior courtyards: ATRIA.
51. Forest figure of myth: NYMPH.
53. Humorist Bombeck: ERMA. She achieved great popularity for her newspaper column describing suburban home life, which she later turned into books. Her insights were always funny.
54. Wee: ITSY. Clecho of 26D.
55. "This Is Us" Emmy winner __ Cephas Jones: RON. RON played Randall Pearson's real father, William Hill.
56. "Evil Woman" rock gp.: ELO. The Electric Light Orchestra. A "light orchestra" is an ensemble that has smaller string, woodwind, brass, and percussion sections. Add electric guitar and voilà! ELO.
* SLEUTH (see pic at 36A)
Be good. RB
Let's see what else we can reap from this.
Across:
1. Kiddie pool filler: HOSE. I wanted KIDS, but it was already part of the clue. Kidding!
5. Admin. aide: ASST. An administrative assistant.
9. General feelings: VIBES. I love the VIBES I get from listening to jazz:
 |
| Vibraphone master Lionel Hampton |
14. The big screen?: IMAX. Watching movies specially formatted for huge IMAX screens can be very immersive...just don't arrive late and have to look straight up at a five-story screen from the front row. Don't ask me how I know.
15. Burrowing rodent: VOLE. I wrote MOLE, which made California's fruit hard to discern until I fixed it..
16. Vinegary sauce: ADOBO.
17. Southern region of South America: PATAGONIA. PATAGONIA is a vast geographic region shared by Argentina and Chile. It is renowned for its vast, windswept steppe, spectacular Andean glaciers, and rugged granite peaks that are very popular with trekkers.
19. Puts up for sale: LISTS.
20. [theme]
22. Crew blade: OAR. Kelsey Pfendler just made history by solo rowing 2,400 miles from California to Hawaii, breaking both men's and women's speed records. It took her 44 days!
 |
| Honolulu OAR bust! |
23. Covers in goo: TARS. I don't think of TAR as goo, but I guess it is.
24. Obscure to protect privacy, perhaps: REDACT. As a bonus to all our loyal followers, I'm publishing the Crossword Corner's bank account #■■■■■■■■■■■■ so you may withdraw as much as you want!
27. Amer. capital: USD. Your bonus is in U.S. Dollars, of course. You're welcome.
28. Affectionate text: ILY. I Love You. Back in the days of beepers, we'd send 143 as an affectionate page. It represents the number of letters in each word.
29. Glasgow refusal: NAE.
30. [theme]
35. Lost: GONE. Kinda sorta the same.
36. Chabert of the "Crossword Mysteries" series: LACEY. LACEY Chabert starred as crossword editor Tess Harper in five Crossword Mysteries that aired on the Hallmark Channel.
 |
| What's a six letter word for "crime-solver"? * |
37. Hosp. scan: MRI. Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a hospital.
38. Dancer and choreographer Ailey: ALVIN.
39. Olympic archer?: EROS. From Mount Olympus, not currently one of the participating nations.
40. [theme]
42. NLE rival of NYM: ATL. A National League East rival of the New York Mets is the Atlanta Braves.
43. Any of the Tetons: Abbr.: MTN. Short for Mountain. Tall for mountain is Everest.
44. Arabic for "son of": IBN. A possible Natick where it's first letter crosses TISANES.
45. The "T" of T.S. Eliot: THOMAS. THOMAS Sterns Eliot, Nobel Prize-winning poet, essayist, and playwright.
47. Not great: SO SO. Very great: ZOSO!
 |
| Led Zeppelin's untitled 4th album, nicknamed ZoSo |
49. System of connected PCs, for short: LAN. Personal Computers communicate via a Local Area Network.
52. [theme]
55. Energy-channeling healing technique: REIKI. REIKI is a Japanese energy healing therapy that involves a practitioner lightly placing their hands on or just above a person's body. It aims to channel universal life force energy to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and support the body's natural healing abilities.
57. Cloudburst: RAINSTORM. Perfect for watering one's garden.
58. "WandaVision" star Elizabeth: OLSEN. This miniseries had a clever conceit - each episode was a decade newer than the last, starting in '50s black & white through modern color.
59. "Dibs!": MINE.
60. Shorten, in a way: SNIP.
61. Our, in French: NOTRE. "Il faut cultiver NOTRE jardin". Coined by the philosopher Voltaire, it translates to "We must cultivate our garden." He means, "Mind you own business!"
62. Some cold brews: ALES.
63. "What is it?": YEAH. As in, "YEAH? Whaddaya want?"
Down:
1. In on: HIP TO. Again, not quite the same. HIP TO means to be aware of, while "in on" means to be a participant to a secret or plan.
2. Nebraska home of the College World Series: OMAHA.
3. Forest figure of myth: SATYR.
4. Skills assessment: EXAM.
5. State fruit of California: AVOCADO.
6. Ocean waves?: SONAR. Fun clue.
7. Ignores a "wet floor" sign, maybe: SLIPS. "It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt...then it's hilarious!" (from a popular meme)
8. Steeped brews: TEAS. Or TISANES, per 41D.
9. Silicon __: VALLEY.
10. "Could not stop laughing!": I DIED. This happens when a comedian slays his audience.
11. Brazilian music genre: BOSSA NOVA.
 |
| Great VIBES from Lionel on this one as well! |
12. SNAP system: EBT. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides food assistance benefits to low-income individuals and families via a reloadable Electronic Benefits Transfer card.
13. "Mayday!" letters: SOS.
18. Manages: GETS BY.
21. Browser links: URLS. Universal Resource Locators are web addresses.
25. "Quiet, you": CAN IT. Wanted ZIP IT first.
26. Wee: TEENY. Clecho of 54D.
27. Four Corners Natives: UTES. Four wheel drives: UTES.
28. Colorful ring: IRIS.
30. Sheepish cry?: BLEAT.
31. Mars neighbor: EARTH. Except in the candy aisle...
32. Many a climate change expert: ECOLOGIST.
33. Wolverine's cohort: X-MEN. Is just one an X-MAN?
34. Historical period: ERA.
35. "Wichita Lineman" singer Campbell: GLEN. GLEN fell in love with a demo of this song, and rushed to record it despite the 3rd verse not being written yet. He filled in the part with an improvised melodic lead using a bass guitar instead, and the rest is history.
38. Shady areas: ARBORS.
40. Condition that may be treated with SSRIs: PTSD. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors are widely considered a first-line medication for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
41. Medicinal 8-Down: TISANES. TISANES (pronounced ti-zahn) are herbal infusions made from the leaves, roots, berries, and spices of plants other than tea leaves. New to me, and I stumbled at the I crossing IBN.
43. Of the sea: MARINE. Like SpongeBob.
46. Word with peace or pace: MAKER. If four letters, it would've been KEEP.
47. SpongeBob's pet, for one: SNAIL.
 |
| SpongeBob with Gary the SNAIL |
48. Just like ewe: OVINE. Ha ha!
49. Currency in West Africa: LEONE. The currency of Sierra LEONE.
50. Interior courtyards: ATRIA.
51. Forest figure of myth: NYMPH.
53. Humorist Bombeck: ERMA. She achieved great popularity for her newspaper column describing suburban home life, which she later turned into books. Her insights were always funny.
54. Wee: ITSY. Clecho of 26D.
55. "This Is Us" Emmy winner __ Cephas Jones: RON. RON played Randall Pearson's real father, William Hill.
 |
| Actors Sterling K. Brown (L) and Ron Cephas Jones (R) |
56. "Evil Woman" rock gp.: ELO. The Electric Light Orchestra. A "light orchestra" is an ensemble that has smaller string, woodwind, brass, and percussion sections. Add electric guitar and voilà! ELO.
* SLEUTH (see pic at 36A)
Be good. RB
Kind of tough, as befits a
ReplyDeleteThursday. Lots of obscure proper names and lots of “?” clues. Nevertheless, I got through it.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteIt took an alphabet run to get that R at the REIKI/RON cross. And then it was done. The theme was SO-SO, not really tripping my trigger. I blame it on the BOSSA NOVA. Thanx, Devon, Elizabeth, and Rusty.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Devon, Elizabeth, and Rusty Brian.
Sailed right along until the lower left.
Along the way, ALVIN (Ailey) perped in. The clue left me clueless. Ditto with LACEY. Don't think I ever saw an episode or any part of "This Is Us"
The Mars neighbor clue struck me as cute.
I didn't have the problem with the I in the unknown TISANES because Arabic "son of" is always either going to be IBN or BIN. ARBORS made the choice IBN.
However, I turfed it at the intersection of REIKI and RON. I went with Don instead of Jon. To quote Desper-otto, "Bzzzt"
FIW, missing my guesses @ EneLOGIST (shyster wouldn't fit) x LAnEY and aReS, as well as tOm x tEILI and mOTRE. As the late John Prine wrote, "And it was twelve o'clock before I realized that I was havin', no fun." Actually, it was seven o'clock when I realized that I was havin' no fun. So I threw a few letters on the paper and called it a day. (In the song, Prine's way of coping was to smoke marijuana. I don't do that. Any longer.)
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why "cohort" needed the plural XMEN, but I never got into those "super" comics (except for Superman.) But I do know that wolverines are fierce, from watching Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet.
The 1-4-3 sequence was picked up by mariners transiting the waters around Minot’s Ledge Light, a historic beacon off Scituate, Massachusetts. Can't go to a boat show without someone trying to sell you a 1-4-3 necklace to take home to the one who allowed you to go to the show, albeit sans checkbook.
Get that Token Ring crap away from my LAN! We're an Ethernet shop around here!
Huey Lewis knew that It's Hip to be Square.
Thanks to Rusty Brain for making sense of this thing.
A cohort is a group. Members of one would be plural.
DeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-Some unique cluing made this a bit of a challenge and I was really surprised when I got the online Congratulations message for filling in YEAH at the bottom. Huh?
-Aha, the HOSE that fills the pool not what the pool contains.
-The expansive IMAX vision of a liftoff of the space shuttle accompanied by HUGE speakers stunned me!
-Captain Hastings’ description of Poirot’s TISANES
-OMAHA reaps a $150M benefit from the CWS and this year had perfect weather for it.
-My colleague had one blue and one brown IRIS
Whenever I see that word, I hear David Suchet's voice.
DeleteFIR. Definitely a very hard puzzle, maybe a bit more than what can be expected on a Thursday. Seemed more like Saturday fare.
ReplyDeleteIt took a WAG with the crossing of reiki and Ron to get the win. I didn't know either. And there were many other unknowns throughout.
The theme I understood without the reveal, which definitely helped.
But overall not an enjoyable puzzle.
Thank you for explaining YEAH. I winced and filled it in but had no idea what it was referring to.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteI liked the theme but don’t think it was a Thursday level, even though the fill was. Beet Boxers was unfamiliar, as was Lacey, Tisanes and Leone, as clued. IMO, any shortcomings with the theme, however, were excused by the impressive fill, such as: Patagonia, Rainstorm, Bossa Nova, Ecologist, etc. Overall, it was a pleasant and enjoyable solve.
Thanks, Elizabeth and Devon and congrats on your debut, Devon, and thanks, RB, for the succinct analysis and commentary. Ron Cephas Jones has passed away but his character was an integral part of This Is Us, a favorite show of mine.
Have a great day.
A bomb DNF today. After THYME was filled by perps. I was expecting other herbs or spices, not a GARDEN VARIETY. Too many unknowns as clued. ERIKI, RON, XMAN, ILY. I'd never heard of REIKI or TISANES (I did fill). A&E and text abbr, fills are usually perps.
ReplyDeleteLACEY Charbert- I know of her because DW (not me) watched a lot of Hallmark movies.
REIKI- I guess they also have faith healers and snake oil is Japan. TISANES & REIKI.
OMAHA- with the NIL payments, transfers, and ca$h going to college players, the whole ball game is changing. The College World Series will become a version of a Minor League Championship, except players will not be drafted; they'll just play for the highest bidder. But at least it's in the open, unlike in the past.
Was ready to TITT till IDIED which ironically revived me revealing ADOBO (only seen on CWs) providing the unknown EBT for the win.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of a BEET BOXER (is he finally ready for the TKO?)
Got IMAX quickly, lately on my mind since I’ve heard the new “Odyssey” movie will be playing on the giant screen in a few days.
“Of” the seas not off
What do you “fill a kiddie pool” with besides water? Had be the same Mole/VOLE issue (what’s an amocado taste like?)
Our driveway was reTARred Monday.
We all know what “Tetons” mean 🫣
🤭 but had MTStill X-MEN fixed that
Canada Eh: Thanks for the gorgeous orange skies. Is it a send-up to your like-coifed tormentor? 🤭
Sorry! We are suffering through all that smoke too - staying inside. Very scary for all those northern communities that are being burned out. Wind change should clear the skies for us tomorrow, but the fires are nowhere near being controlled. ECOLOGISTs have been warning us.
DeleteIt is also insufferable outside here in Chicagoland. I just rolled the garbage bins out to the street. It took maybe a minute and a half to get them out and then walk back in. My eyes started to water and I had to hold my breath. The air is hazy and full of smoke particulates from the fires in Canada and Minnesota.
DeleteFor perspective, the Air Quality report lists a range of 151 to 200 as Unhealhy, 201 to 300 as Very Unhealthy, and 301 to 500 as Hazardous. Chicago is at 248, and in Waukegan near the Wisconsin state line, the reading is 558. That is off the charts. Where I am at it is 165 and that is terrible enough. Also staying inside.
FIR - I normally enjoy it when our deconstructor shades the constructors for iffy clues and items that don’t quite come together, but it is very normal for a garden to have both veggies and herbs in them! And while a small stretch, peas for peace I think I’ve seen before and wasn’t difficult to fit the theme…? If I was going to shade them, it would certainly be for ‘yeah’, which, even with your explanation, seems like a bridge too far; and X-men certainly should have been clued as cohorts, and using a clue from The Hallmark Channel? Seriously?
ReplyDeleteOh yeah - didn’t like ebt either. One of those clue’s where I assume the constructors have no clue and just look up to see if there is such a thing or acronym as EBT. Last ditch effort to save a puzzle.
DeleteYou might consider looking up the word cohort. You may have a misunderstanding of what it means.
DeleteTIL that "cohort" also may refer to a group of people.
DeleteTesting Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Elizabeth and Devon (congrats on your debut), and RB.
ReplyDeleteI saw the GARDEN VARIETY theme early in the solve. I have THYME and PEAS but no BEETs in my garden. But the BEans are starting to pick. Yummers.
Officially a FIW today, as I was trying to use CW favourite AiOli as my vinegary sauce. And since I had no clue about EBT, perps were not helpful. Even I DIED did not register.
Multiple other unknowns like RON, LACEY, ALVIN perped.
YEAH clue was meh!
I noted a dupe PEAS and the 46D clue using “peace”.
I smiled at BLEAT and OVINE.
RAINSTORM under GARDEN VARIETY was cute, but a gentler rain is better for the garden.
IMAX is so realistic that I get motion sickness if the camera is flying over the scenery.
Wishing you all a great day.
Yeah, I still don't get it...
ReplyDeleteOops. DNF. The BEET BOXER got me. For one thing I had GETS on, not BY, so no LACEY, I erroneously entered MTs, so no X-MEN; why I didn’t see ECOLOGIST, I don’t know, probably because the SW was dry, EmO instead of ELO, and I didn’t know OLSEN or RON.
ReplyDeleteI too had mOLE but the AVOCADO changed that. I DIED gave me pause. Who would say that?TISANE was my mother’s remedy for any little tummy ache.
Thank you RB. I liked the SLEUTH quiz.
I had never heard of beatboxing so I watched a couple of videos. Amazing. I wonder if I could take it up and be the newest sensation. Imagine an almost 80-year-old beatboxing.
ReplyDeleteFIR. Easy one this morning.
ReplyDeleteNothing truly bugged me; BIN being anagrammed to IBN made me rage a bit.
Nonetheless, big ups to Elizabeth, Devon, & RB!
See you tomorrow.
Took 9:37 for me to weed things out.
ReplyDeleteI knew the Actresses of the Day (Olsen & Lacey), but I had to guess at the intersection of "tisanes" & "ibn". I didn't know the dancer/choreographer (Alvin). I also tried a singular, "xman," until "peas" dictated plural.
"Humorist" = "Erma". Still one of only a very few people referred to by that term.
Coincidentally, I'll be seeing "The Odyssey" in a few hours on an ... Imax screen.
A challenging Thursday offering from Elizabeth and Devon.
ReplyDeleteI FIR but my wite-out sure got used a lot. I had mole before vole and that took a while to fill in correctly.
Sometimes I surprise myself with my solving.
Patagonia filled right in. Then I asked myself how in the world did I know that?
I took a level one and two Reiki certification class in the 1990s . I use it everyday as part on my meditation 🧘♀️ and thankfulness for life.
Thanks RB for the insightful recap.
I made the mistake of trying pen-on-paper. This is a very difficult CW, and I really struggled. I finally switched to online version and turned on red letter help, then filled what I had on paper, only to watch the fill turn red. Oy.
ReplyDelete16 names, DNK 7, plus DNK TISANES. The SW finally sunk my boat: crossing DNKs. I got MARINE and eventually MAKER filled, but DNK REIKI, OLSEN or NOTRE. Alphabet runs means by my way of judging a DNF.
I object to crossing names and obscure REIKI all in the same area of the CW. And TISANES: never heard of it. Also DNK EBT. BIN/IBN. Never heard of BEATBOXERS so when perps gave me BEETBOXERS I was left scratching my head.
I DID manage to fill the two mythical figures, so there's that.
I always need perps for ERMA/IRMA. Can never seem to remember.
I spent 25 minutes struggling with this monster. ED-G&DM, you really beat me to a pulp.
On the positive side, ADOBO reminded me of my Filipina GFs tasty cooking.
Thanx to RB for the write-up, the best part of this experience (grump, grump!).
One of the fills is RAINSTORM. We could sure use some here in SOFLO: every day it clouds up, gets all black-sky, then doesn't rain. Not only do I hafta run my sprinkler system and fill my pool, but my solar system doesn't make as much electricity due to the cloudiness.
At least it's not as hot (low 90s down here) as up north, oddly enough.
DeleteOh, I meant to say: My Very Earthy Mother Just Said, "You're Not Pluto!" My way of remembering the planets: Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto.
ReplyDeleteJinx: What would count as evidence of CLIMATE CHANGE for you?
ReplyDeleteClue had nothing to do with whether there is climate change, it had to do with climate change experts. Human nature being human nature, there are plenty of people in government, academia and industry who have vested financial and/or power interests in their idea of what to do about it. If there is big money available, bad guys will come out of the woodwork to feed like Pacmen. We sometimes end up pursuing cures that actually make the problem worse, or have serious unconsidered side effects. Example is my new central air system, which uses propane for a refrigerant. Can't buy the R-410 systems anymore, because we are pursuing a trivial improvement in potential global warming at the expense of using a heavier-than-air explosive gas that, if it should leak, can collect in my basement and blow my house to Mars. BTW - Neither R-410 nor propane have any effect on the ozone layer. (BTW - for similar reasons, R-134a systems in cars are out. The new systems use a less-flammable refrigerant than propane, but best guess is that the propane systems will be required soon. R-134a is not flammable.)
DeleteOnce Pluto was demoted, I learned the mnemonic “Mary’s Virgin Explanation Makes Joseph Suspect Upstairs Neighbor”.
ReplyDeleteEasy to remember, but I don’t mean to offend anyone!
That’s brilliant!! (and very funny, too 😆)
Delete====> Darren
Stumped half way through, then MOLE became VOLE; that gave me AVOCADO, the rest was easy peasy.
ReplyDeleteThis has to be one of the ugliest clued puzzles this year.
ReplyDeleteNot a fan
I enjoyed this offering from Elizabeth and Devon, and FIR. Not particulary difficult and the theme worked for me. Admittedly, I was stumped for a while about the kiddie pool filler, but it turned out to be innocent. I also changed mOLE to VOLE, and biN to IBN (both are correct).
ReplyDeleteAs for TISANE, that's the proper term for what everyone calls "herbal tea." Tea is tea. I can't drink it after 10:30 in the morning if I plan to sleep at night. So evening brews are TISANEs.
Cohort is a group of people! Wolverine's cohort is the XMEN -- a group of people who share some common characteristics. Nothing wrong with that clue and answer. I'm not a Marvel Comics follower, but this made sense to me.
YEAH was the hardest answer to understand, but then I pictured the typical DH/DW interaction, yelling between rooms: "Hey, honey?" "YEAH?"
So thanks, Elizabeth and Devon, and thanks, Rusty!
All so very well stated, NaomiZ. And YEAH, we also yell YEAH between rooms.
DeleteIn other news, Chicago's AQI went to 597 (an all time record), and Waukegan's to 622. I wore an N95 mask to get the mail and retrieve the garbage and recycling bins. YEAH, it is that bad outside.
I feel for the people that are getting it worse,
"The kiddie pool filler...turned out to be innocent." LOL
DeleteIs it Saturday already? No middle ground with this one. Either ya got it or ya didn’t. I didn’t. Agreed about the previous comment re the cluing.
ReplyDeleteI cheated.
ReplyDeleteProf M, last night you said, ""More proof that the editors couldn’t care less about solvers’ input here."
DeleteI am not so sure that this venue is a direct input to the editors. Possibly. Maybe. But surely not to be assumed.
TTP, I agree. If I were Patti, there's no chance I would be reading The Corner. I would rely on CC to make me aware of anything important that I need to know.
DeleteMen, in particular, tend to put things in boxes. They compartmentalize. So we have:
Delete1) A crossword puzzle provided by the LA Times, and,
2) A crossword review site that reviews LA Times crossword puzzles,
that have the same general subject matter, so they tend to get compartmentalized together.
When (some) men are young and sharp and thinking clearly, the box is opened and distinctions are clear. Some become subject matter experts of all things in the box, and all things associated with a box, but the separations are clear.
When (some) men get older and less mentally active, things get foggy. Things associated with the box become part of what is is the box, and distinctions are lost. Blurred lines.
As (some) men age, they sense that things are changing, and that they'll never have their young selves back. When (some) men age, they get crabby. In fact, bitchy.
Which is part of the reason the "Old Man Yells at Cloud" cartoon shown the other day is so funny. The sun is the source of sunshine and brightness. Part of it, perhaps a very small part of it, is being blocked by the cloud, an omen of darkness and harbinger of rain. There's nothing that can be done about it, but it doesn't stop the old man from yelling at the cloud, because they are in the same compartmentalized box. The sky. No distinctions are made, other than sun is good, cloud is bad. So yell.
The yelling isn't actually about the cloud, just the bitching about some crossword clues and answers isn't actually about their definitions. In some cases, certainly. In others, not so much.
Rather, yelling at the cloud is an expression of deep, existential powerlessness. The old man cannot stop the cloud, and he cannot stop his own cognitive decline. Yelling at the cloud is a desperate, roaring protest against a changing world and a changing self that the old man is powerless to fix.
Some solvers reach to crosswords to help slow the cognitive decline. But crossword puzzles clues and answers are often a reflection of current language and trivia. For some solvers, if a clue feels too modern or unfamiliar or is wrong by their standards, it isn't just a tough clue anymore; it becomes part of a broader, cloudy grievance against the puzzle world, or specifically against the constructor and/or editor. It sparks defensiveness, and sometimes results in mean-spirited comments here at the Corner about the editing, as if the Corners is a direct hotline to the editors.
It is not. If an individual feels so strongly that a given clue and answer is so bad, then write directly to the editors. Don't assume that they read this blog spot. Possibly. Maybe. But surely not to be assumed. Also don't assume that this blog spot has any responsibility to contact the editor for any grievances.
I had to do a "Reveal word" at ECOLOGIST in order to fill the SW corner.
ReplyDeleteSeveral times I thought I should just throw in the towel, but little by little it came together. When I got “garden variety”, it started to be fun. Learning moment to know that cohort can be plural. Thanks Elizabeth, Devon and RB!
ReplyDeleteHola! Wow! I don't know when I've seen so many comments! And I'm late because I went to a funeral then promptly took a nap when I came home. I have to agree, this puzzle was a bit more challenging than usual, but I managed to finish with only two blanks at BEET BOXERS which seems odd. XMEN never occurred to me but then, I'm not a fan of either one. The R in REIKI was also a pure guess.
ReplyDeleteLast night we had a dust STORM, not a RAINSTORM. And I've seen TISANE at the grocery store but have never tried it. I hope you are all well. Funerals always make me think of my mortality, so I'm happy to be here now.
My favorite TISANE is "Good Earth sweet & spicy caffeine free flavored herbal tea." But it's *not* tea. There is no tea in it. It's a TISANE. But we can all say herbal tea; that's fine.
ReplyDeletePretty snazzy bit from Elizabeth and Devon — except for that ugly SW corner noted by @Uncle Fred. Two foreign words crossed by three A&E names?? To file in your crossword builders’ guidelines book, my friends: NO-NO!! That’s a very unpopular thing to do, per comments here and in other solver blogs. Proper names are messy enough without adding the complication of a cross, just fyi. (Sorry to rag on that issue, but it’s something that really irritates crossword aficionados).
ReplyDeleteNow back to the fun stuff: the GARDENVARIETY theme was very tasty and entertaining, and although the clueing was tough for a Thursday-level puzzle, for the most part it was decipherable stuff; hand up for pulling the 50/50 on bin > IBN, but the perps got it settled in the end and the FIR light illuminated. Props for putting this together!
Another extravaganza from Rusty Brain, thanks dude! A couple of notes for you: In our ‘hood, a) if you’re “in” on it, you’re HIPTO it, and b) yeah, tar is goo — just ask the mammoths, dire wolves and saber-tooth tigers at the La Brea Tar Pits… 😎
====> Darren / L.A.
Ojai Guy. Never heard of Beat Boxers or Tisanes, but the crossers were solid enough. Knew many of the names which helped for the solve. All in all a good Thursday workout.
ReplyDelete