In keeping with MalMan's second-in-a-row from Sala and Dena yesterday, I raise him a Jeffery Wechsler. This is his third Thursday puzzle that I've reviewed. People are starting to talk!
No reveal, just answers that start with CHE plus one letter in an alphabet run: V, W, X, Y and Z. Why CHE? Maybe Jeffrey was trying to be revolutionary! He certainly revolved through some letters.
17. Car named for a California beach city: CHEVROLET MALIBU. For a while there, Chevy named several of its models after trendy places on or near the ocean: Laguna [Beach], Biscayne [Bay], and Bel Air (upscale coastal neighborhood).
23. Carefully considering something: CHEWING IT OVER. This idiom may have derived from how farm animals like cows "ruminate" by bringing up food and chewing it a second time.
35. Cereal-based snack: CHEX MIX. An old friend in Kansas sends us a batch every Christmas so we can get our annual CHEX MIX fix.
46. Home of the Frontier Days rodeo: CHEYENNE WYOMING. The capital city of Wyoming.
55. California restaurant opened by Alice Waters in 1971: CHEZ PANISSE. The Berkley restaurant lost it Michelin star years ago, but apparently, it's still pretty good.
The solve went smoothly with only one monkey wrench - I'm looking at you, TITI. The mirror image symmetry and extra-tall grid made for an interesting visual. Is that CHE's face?
Let's CHEck out the rest:
Across:
1. Thompson of "Creed": TESSA. She played Bianca Taylor in 3 Creed movies that spun off from the Rocky franchise.
6. One crunch, e.g.: REP. A single REPetition.
9. Accord, for one: SEDAN. It's also available as a 2-door coupe.
14. Dined on, quaintly: ATE OF.
15. Big bird: EMU.
16. Año Nuevo month: ENERO. ENERO is January en español, the beginning of a New Year.
17. [theme]
20. South American monkey: TITI. TIL that TITIs are small furry primates also known as "jumping monkeys" because of how the leap from branch to branch.
21. In and of itself: PER SE. I found PER SE hard to PARSE.
22. Toolbar image: ICON. Tool ICONs prior to personal computers:
23. [theme]
26. Alien-seeking field: Abbr.: SETI. The Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence. They didn't find any down here, so they started looking elsewhere.
27. Pin number?: TEN. Fun clue, as in bowling pins.
28. Loch with a legend: NESS. Lock with a legend: ELVIS. A lock from his pompadour sold for $115,000 at an auction in 2002!
29. Mach 1 breaker: SST. SuperSonic Transports are jets that exceed the speed of sound (approx. 767mph = 1 Mach).
31. Author Rand: AYN. Her novel, Atlas Shrugged, constantly ranks near the top in reader's polls. I read it but it wasn't my cup of tea.
32. Catch a few winks: NAP.
35. [theme]
39. With 59-Down, "Tommy" band: THE. THE? THE who?
42. Land measure: ACRE.
44. Strong suit?: ARMOR.
45. Due, as an apology: OWED.
46. [theme]
49. "__ hoping!": HERE'S.
50. Nav. rank: ENS. Naval ranks in xwords are always ENS (Ensign) or ADM (Admiral), which is odd because Ensigns are the lowest ranking officers in the Navy, while Admirals are the highest.
51. __-nez: PINCE. When I first start wearing reading glasses, I found them uncomfortable when using headphones. I briefly tried PINCE-nez that "pinch the nose", but they were even more annoying and kept falling off. Growing old is no fun.
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| Besides, I didn't look cool like Morpheus. |
52. West Texas city: ODESSA.
54. Having raised surfaces, as teeth: CUSPED. Cuspids have one point (aka canine teeth) while bicuspids have two.
55. [theme]
59. "Hold your horses!": WHOA.
61. Yank at: TUG ON. How my dentist removed my bicuspid. Note to self: get better dental insurance.
62. Pet food brand: IAMS. This is as good a place as any to pander to the crowd:
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| Buster and his cuspids |
65. Like some cheese: HARD.
66. Revise, as prose: EMEND.
67. Gumbo vegetable: OKRA.
68. Shoppe adjective: OLDE. It could've been a MALT shoppe.
69. "Mighty" batter who strikes out in a classic poem: CASEY. As a high school English project, I made an 8mm movie of this poem starring several classmates. I narrated over the edited film and got an A. Watch out Spielberg!
70. Tiny amt. of time: NSEC. A Nanosecond is one billionth of a second. In that time, light travels one foot!
Down:
1. Social finesse: TACT.
2. Standards of right and wrong: ETHICS.
3. Stew: SEETHE. SEETHE seems a lot stronger than stew, but I SEE THE ire.
4. Sputnik launchers: SOVIETS. I thought of ROCKETS at first, but dismissed it while waiting for the Russian equivalent. Turns out he wanted the people who launched it, not the vehicle.
5. Chad's continent: Abbr.: AFR. Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central AFRICA.
6. Cave: RELENT. Ah, cave as a verb, not a NOUN.
7. Come to light: EMERGE.
8. Antes up: PUTS IN. "You put your right chip in, you take your right chip out"...wait, that's Hokey Poker.
9. Zooplankton habitat: SEA. Zooplankton are tiny, drifting animals in oceans, but they are also found in lakes and rivers.
10. Jazz up: ENLIVEN.
11. Frees of frost: DEICES. Frees of Frost: NIXON. Richard Nixon rued the day in 1977, three years after the Watergate scandal brought him down, when he selected British TV personality David Frost to conduct a series of interviews believing it will be easy to mislead Frost and rehab his image. It didn't turn out well for Tricky Dick when he publicly admitted abusing power and obstructing justice.
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| Frost vs. Nixon |
12. Leafy retreats: ARBORS.
13. Gin or tonic: NOUN. NOUN for me, thanks.
18. Nail polish brand: OPI. It's taken years, but I finally wrote this in without hesitation. What can I say, my brain is rusty.
19. Came together: MET. This couple MET at the Met.
24. Cheesehead's st.: WISC. Wisconsin is the largest cheese-producing state, so I guess residents there are born this way.
25. Semiprecious stone with black-and-white bands: ONYX.
30. Holier-__-thou: THAN.
31. Well-ventilated: AIRY.
32. __ cheese: NACHO. In Wisconsin, they say, "It's NACHO cheese, it's mine."
33. Was sore: ACHED.
34. Prepare for later broadcast: PRERECORD.
36. Coastal raptor: ERNE.
37. Marvel Comics mutants: X-MEN. And as we've recently learned, X-Men are a cohort.
38. Does lawn work: MOWS.
39. Cult classic of 1990s TV: TWIN PEAKS. I missed this quirky crime-drama when it first aired on ABC, but have seen it since. I liked the surreal aspects of it.
40. Therefore: HENCE.
41. "O, turn thy __ sword another way; / Strike those that hurt, and hurt not those that help": "Henry VI, Part 1": EDGED. Your daily dose of Shakespeare.
43. Sun visor: EYESHADE. Turns out that OPI only makes nail shades, not eyeshades.
45. Sin of __: OMISSION. I could've done without this one.
47. To be, in Latin: ESSE.
48. Cataloged work: OPUS.
53. Pyramid builders of Mexico: AZTEC. I'm hoping to visit these or the Mayan ones this fall.
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| Aztec (L) and Mayan (R) |
54. Supermodel Crawford: CINDY. How can it be that she just turned 60? I guess it's time to take down her poster.
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| Cindy with her daughter Kaia Gerber |
56. Big cat: PUMA.
57. Seemingly forever: AGES. That's when Crawford first appeared on poster.
58. Zip: NONE.
59. See 39-Across: WHO. Oh, THE WHO!
60. Shakespearean prince: HAL. "I'm Henry the Fifth, but you can call me HAL." Prince HAL is William Shakespeare's dramatic name for the young Henry V of England. Not to be confused with Henry VI quoted above.
63. Army fare, briefly: MRE. A Meal, Ready-to-Eat is a self-contained individual U.S. military ration.
64. Cul-de-__: SAC. And we've reached the end of the road.
Be good. RB
I didn’t know if the theme
ReplyDeletewas anything but “v w x y z” so I came to this site to see if I could be further enlightened. I see I was right, with the vital addition that “che” started each theme phrase. I thought it was novel and fun.
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know if the theme was anything but "CHE", but then I noticed that the next letters were V-W-X-Y-Z in order. Neat. Very Wechslerian. Hand up for ROCKETS before SOVIETS elbowed in. Same with HONDA/SEDAN -- we drove an '89 2-door manual transmission Accord for about 15 years. This Cheesehead will take a CSO at WISC. Our WISC neighbors added stick pretzels to their CHEX MIX, and called 'em "Nuts 'n' Bolts." This puzzle was an enjoyable stroll down memory lane. CUSPID, reminding me of tomorrow's appt., not so enjoyable. Thanx, Jeffrey and Mal-Man.
Oops, sorry Rusty for the misattribution. I did enjoy your expo.
DeleteFIR, but eons->AGES, honda->SEDAN, and cheyanne->CHEYENNE (bad spelars of the world, UNTIE!
ReplyDeleteI love AYN Rand's Atlas Shrugged, but not Fountainhead.
It seems odd to see ODESSA without Midland. Kinda like seeing Ft. Worth mentioned sans Dallas, or St Paul devoid of Minneapolis.
I'm no gym rat, but it seems to me that the second crunch would be the first REPetition.
No puns from me for TITI. Too easy.
When I saw that today's puzzle was by JefWech I knew it would be fun, and I wasn't disappointed. And thanks to Rusty Brain for another barrel of chuckles.
Fairly easy for a large weekend. Panisse was all perps.
ReplyDeletelate weeker. damn auto correct
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw JW's name, I expected a great puzzle and he never disappoints. The first four CHE fills were gimmes but CHEZ PANISSE was 100% perps. I live in a foodie town with Emeril's, Galitoires, Antoines, and a host of others tourist stops. And a few years ago, a Hooters copycat opened a few miles away named TWIN PEAKS, and it wasn't referring to the TV show. They are called "breastaurants".
ReplyDeleteI didn't notice VWXYZ run after the murderer CHE beginnings.
TESSA Thompson and PINCE-nez were unknowns.
TEN for "Pin number" - I understood AFTER the perps filled it.
NOUN- if I hadn't filled the crosses, it would still be blank.
Thought I missed 21 across. I had the right letters but it looked wrong to me. I did not even think to separate it into 2 parts. In the write up, cute kid with the cheesehead and chubby cheeks.
ReplyDeleteTook 5:51 today to (not) cheat.
ReplyDeleteI knew the Actress of the Day (Tessa), but I didn't know "titi" and I didn't care for the intersection of the Latin (esse) with the California restaurant (Chez Panisse). Otherwise, it was smooth sailing.
Growing up, we owned a bowling alley, so "ten" was one of my first entries. Enjoyed the puzzle, and it was the first one I completed all week without any errors.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw JW’s name I knew I would like this puzzle, and I did. Easy and satisfying at once. I would have been more impressed if I had noticed what RB pointed out, that’s why we have smart reviewers, there was more to this CW than CHE, but also VWXYZ sequence. Impressive.
ReplyDeleteTESSA was my only unknown. SETI, I know from doing these puzzles. And just above it we had TITI, a name I’ve known since I was a child. Doesn’t it sound like something a child would like?
I remember the brouhaha over TWIN PEAKS. I was drawn in at first, then got bored.
Thank you RB for a fine review. Buster looks almost menacing showing his CUSPids.
We sometimes wonder if other dogs may be put off by Buster's underbite, thinking his exposed teeth are a snarl. He need doggy orthodontia!
DeleteMonkey, I still like the soundtrack from Twin Peaks. I'm listening to it right now.
DeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteI was so enthralled (bewildered, too) by the obvious V W X Y Z run that I completely overlooked the Che beginnings. Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees! Leave it to the word wizard, Mr. W., to come up with such a unique and fun theme. There is an entry that may or may not have been a hidden trick. Per Se is also the name of Thomas Keller’s renowned NYC restaurant and is as famous and well-regarded as Chez Panisse.
Thanks, JW, for the entertaining, if offbeat, challenge and thanks, RB, for the humor and enlightening commentary. Your expo of the theme was spot on, especially to this solver who was slightly perplexed. Thanks, also, for including your sidekick. Buster adds another layer of enjoyment to your narrative.
Have a great day.
Musings
ReplyDelete-Seeing Jeffrey’s byline is always good new. We are guaranteed a clever gimmick, great fill and some Shakespeare, even thought that quote and prince were new to me.
-I thought I went by the unnecessary reveal
-I can’t remember the last SEDAN I have ridden in. It’s all pickups and SUV around here.
-Having a SETI career seems like having one looking for a YETI
-Last year, my dentist had to TUG ON a CUSPED tooth of mine, HENCE, I lost the first tooth I was born with
-A Mexican eatery in Omaha claims to be “NACHO typical restaurant”
-MOWING in our recent hot/humid weather has put me in the mind to hire it done
-CINDY offers many choices of where, and how many places, to put the Y and the I
-SAC is a big deal around here
-Thanks Jeffrey and RB!
Terrific Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Jeffery and RB.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed and saw the CHE and vowel progression theme early in the solve. Great work
One inkblot to change mSEC to NSEC.
TITI and CUSPED perped. The N in PANISSE required an alphabet run until NONE made sense.
We had no U in ARBOR or ARMOR (favourite clue).
We visited two states, WISCONSIN and WYOMING.
I smiled at the TEN pin. RIP Boomer.
Wishing you all a great day.
We're getting spoiled: two straight days of first-rate puzzles by proficient constructors. Today's was a clever job by Jeffrey, with CHE + the last five letters of the alphabet, in sequence.
ReplyDeleteHe even gave us a double dose of Shakespeare, with Henry V along with his son Henry VI. Incidentally, Henry V as king did not go by "Hal." Anyone who called him that would have ended up in the Tower. But the clue by Jeffrey (or Patti), "Shakespearean prince, " is correct. He was known as Hal when a youthful Prince of Wales.
I'm with RB on being a bit puzzled by why Jeffrey chose "Che" as the prefix for all five theme answers. It may just be that "Che" is one of the few prefixes available in front of v, w, x, y, and z, to form five non-gibberish words and phrases.
Thanks to both Jeffrey and RB for providing us with a delightful and rich Thursday diversion.
A very fine Thursday puzzle from Mr. Wechsler. FIR and enjoyed it, but totally missed the V W X Y Z progression. Thanks for the enlightenment, Ruster and Buster!
ReplyDeleteGood morning--Misty here, ready to comment on this interesting puzzle, that had references to a few different places here and there. I'm glad we started in California with MALIBU, but then we went on to a place I've never been to--CHEYENNE, WYOMING--and to that place of the AZTECS, which turned out to be in MEXICO, and even the Chad's continent of AFR ( I assume AFRICA). All those places made me hungry and I started to wish for some food, since the puzzle early on mentioned dining, with the hope that we'd get something to munch on, like that CHEX MIX, or even a gumbo vegetable like OKRA. Well, all this talk about food really urges me to get to the kitchen and see what I can find for a great morning snack. Have a good day, everybody.
ReplyDeleteThis is Jayce. I liked this puzzle a lot. Reading the write-up and all your comments increased my understanding and enjoyment of it.
ReplyDeleteWe have eaten at CHEZ PANISSE a number of times. My son and his wife just had dinner there 3 weeks ago. They tell me it's still good.
HONDA-->SEDAN.
NACHO reminds me of a cute dog that Ol' Man Keith used to own.
PRERECORD is an interesting-looking word. As is EYESHADE.
Good reading all your comments.