Sounds Like ... Today we will study Homophones. Homophones are words that sound exactly the same when pronounced but have different meanings and spellings. The word comes from the Greek homos (meaning same) and phone (meaning sound).
17-Across. Shampoo for horses as well as humans: MANE N TAIL. This horse shampoo was originally developed in the 1970s for show horses. It became a cross-over product for humans and is purported to promote stronger, fuller, and longer-looking hair without stripping natural oils.
24-Across. Meatless Chinese noodle dish: VEGETABLE LO MEIN. Yummers!
36-Across. "The Theory of Everything" Best Actor Oscar winner: EDDIE REDMAYNE. Eddie Redmayne (né Edward John David Redmayne; b. Jan. 6, 1982) went to Eton and was a classmate of Prince William (b. June 21, 1982). The Theory of Everything was a bio-pic about Stephen Hawking (Jan. 8, 1942 ~ Mar. 14, 2018).
52-Across. Tender salad greens: HEARTS OF ROMAINE.
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| Too soon? |
61-Across. Principal draw on fight night, or an apt title for this puzzle: MAIN EVENT. Also the title of a terrible1979 Barbra Streisand movie.
Here's the Grid:
And now for the true Main Event ~ the rest of the puzzle ...
Across:
1. Prattles on: YAPS.
5. Bay Area sch.: UCSF. As in the University of California, San Francisco.
9. Uninspiring: VAPID.
14. Mapa of "Ugly Betty": ALEC. I never watched Ugly Betty, so was unfamiliar with Alec (né Alejandro Mapa; b. July 10, 1965).
15. "New Rules" and "New Love" singer Dua: LIPA. Dua Lipa (b. Aug. 22, 1995) is a British-Albanian singer and songwriter. She makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.
16. Twisted humor: IRONY.
19. Honeycomb units: CELLS.
20. Neither partner: NOR. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night ...
21. Future atty.'s exam: LSAT. As in the Law School Admission Test.
23. Southeast Asian language: LAO. Lao is the official language of Laos, however, it is also spoken in some parts of northeastern Thailand.
29. Hullabaloo: ADO.
30. Light __ feather: AS A.
31. Product labels: BRANDS.
32. Private aid gp.: NGO. As in a Non-Governmental Organization.
33. Sure winner: SHOO IN.
42. Not asea: ON LAND.
43. Poem of praise: ODE. A crossword staple.
45. Former House Speaker Nancy: PELOSI. Nancy Pelosi (née Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro; b. Mar. 26, 1940) served as the 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
48. Due-in hr.: ETA. As in Estimated Time of Arrival.
51. Crank (up): REV.
56. "The Lord of the Rings" beast: ORC.
57. Move for one's co., say: RE-LO. As in Relocate.
58. Olive extract: OIL. Everything you ever wanted to know about Olive Oil, but didn't know to ask.
59. Capone cohort Frank: NITTI. I learned about Frank Nitti (né Francesco Raffaele Nitto; Jan. 27, 1886 ~ Mar. 19, 1943) from doing the crossword puzzles. He makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.
66. "OK, that was dishonest": I LIED.
67. Ritz-Carlton competitor: OMNI. I am not sure I could consider these hotel chains to be competitors. I view the Ritz-Carlton as a very high-end luxury hotel, whereas Omni is more family-oriented.
68. Tops with frosting: ICES.
69. Ride a bike: CYCLE.
70. "Auld Lang __": SYNE.
71. Every __ and cranny: NOOK.
Down:
1. Thanksgiving tuber: YAM.
2. __ carte menu: À LA. Today's French lesson.
3. Writing tool: PEN.
4. All-too-public argument: SCENE.
5. Marathons longer than 26.2 miles, familiarly: ULTRAS. An ultra marathon is a footrace that exceeds the traditional marathon distance of 26.2 miles. Ultra marathon distances vary greatly but typically range from 31 miles (50 km) to 100 miles (160 km).
6. U.S. intel org.: CIA.
7. Tell all, as gossip: SPILL.
8. Untrue: FALSE.
9. Beckham also known as Posh Spice: VICTORIA. Victoria, Lady Beckham (née Victoria Caroline Adams; b. Apr. 17, 1974) is probably the best known Spice Girl. The band was big in the 1990s.
10. "__ we there yet?": ARE.
11. Wind-borne allergen: POLLEN.
12. Embedded, as tiles: INLAID.
13. High-end vacuum cleaners: DYSONS. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Dyson Vacuum Cleaner.
18. The "N" of N.B.: NOTA. Today's Latin Lesson. N.B. is the abbreviation for the Latin phrase nota bene, which which means "note well" or "pay attention."
22. "Tuesdays With Morrie" writer Mitch: ALBOM. Mitch Albom (né Mitchell David Albom; b. May 23, 1958) has written many books, but is probably best known for Tuesdays With Morrie. That book is memoir about a series of interviews and visits Albom made with his former Brandeis University sociology professor, Morrie Schwartz, as Schwartz was dying from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. I have never read this book.
24. Vehicle for movers: VAN.
25. Microsoft web browser: EDGE.
26. Yummy: GOOD.
27. Iraq port city: BASRA.
28. Plenty of: MANY.
34. __ of the woods mushrooms: HEN. Hen of the woods is a mushroom that grows at the base of trees, particularly old growth oaks or maples. It is native to China, Europe, and North America.
35. More quirky: ODDER.
37. Entryway: DOOR.
38. Without losing one's cool: IN STRIDE.
39. Renée __ Goldsberry of "Girls5eva": ELISE. Renée Elise Goldsberry (b. Jan. 2, 1971) is probably best known for her portrayal of Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway musical Hamilton. She has also starred in a number of Broadway plays.
40. Sushi seaweed: NORI.
41. Biblical garden: EDEN. // And 44-Down: 41-Down woman: EVE.
45. Relating to sound: PHONIC.
46. In a creepy way: EERILY.
47. Acid type built up during high-intensity exercise: LACTIC.
49. Nickname for Canada's $2 coin: TOONIE. The Canadian $1 coin is called a Loonie.
50. French friend: AMIE. More of today's French lesson. This is the female friend.
53. "Battlestar Galactica" actor Edward James __: OLMOS. Edward James Olmos (b. Feb. 24, 1947) is an American actor who has starred in dozens of films and television shows.
54. Like hand soap: FOAMY.
55. Singing brother of Simon and Theodore: ALVIN. A reference to The Chipmunks.
60. No. on a resume: TEL. As in Telephone Number.
62. Airbnb alternative: INN.
63. __-friendly: ECO.
64. Opposite of paleo-: NEO.
65. Sound of disapproval: TSK.
Many thanks to Tony who filled in for me for the past three months.
חתולה
It wasn’t TOO hard,
ReplyDeletealthough there were a few obscurities.
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, Hahtoolah! Your signature style was on full display this morning. Frank NITTI always evokes Kevin Costner throwing Frank off the roof of a multi-story building, crashing through the roof of an automobile. When asked, "Where's Nitti?" Costner replies, "He's in the car." We march through the 'hood daily, but on weekends we try to CYCLE. My only mistake today was W instead of that first O in TOONIE. I would've sworn it was a TWO-NIE. Nice diversion this morning. Thanx, Kinan and Hahtoolah.
I'm off this morning for my quarterly dental poking and prodding. Fun day. Once again, they'll try to sell me a $100 panoramic xray. Once again, I'll pass. Can anybody here tell me why I should need a panoramic?
I figure that if the cheap bastards at my Medicare Advantage insurance pay for it, they must have figures that indicate that the cost of providing the panoramic is exceeded by the cost savings of future dental work. IIRC, I get one every other year.
DeleteI have regular Medicare plus a supplemental. Routine dental isn't covered. That $100 would be out of my pocket.
DeleteThen it's just a decision of risk tolerance. Are you willing to shell out $100 every year or two to catch dental problems before they become more costly and potentially invasive? Or as I look at it, a round of golf and a hamburger afterwards. Or 1/5 of a tank of diesel for the RV.
DeleteJinx, my dental problems are already severe and costly. I view my teeth like spies trapped behind enemy lines. They're just waiting for extraction.
DeleteDentists love giving as many X-rays as possible because they are a billable service. I HATE being used as a piggie bank and left my last dentist when he insisted on full-mouth X-rays (AKA panoramas) on every visit. Read the ADA recommendations for X-rays: a full set for a new patient and then NO X-rays unless there is a dental problem that requires a bite X-ray. I found a dentist that agrees with and follows this recommendation. As a bonus, he is very close to my house, ~3 minute drive. Also, on my first visit, he just got a copy of the last X-rays taken by my last dentist. They are digital now, so easily transferred.
DeleteGot through the ordeal with nary a mention of a panoramic xray. Probably because the hygienist found a loose bone chip and some infection at the gumline of #9. She was excited to tell me that I probably need another extraction -- #9 is one of the upper front teeth. Yay. I'm off to see an oral surgeon next week for a second opinion. With my luck, he'll probably tell me that both #8 and #9 need to come out.
DeleteFIR, getting both SWAGS @ EDDIE REDMAYNE x HEN and ELISE.
ReplyDeleteFour-letter fill for "blah, blah, blah Dua" is gonna be LIPA.
I knew MANE N TAIL from buying it for my DW.
Everyone probably knows this already, but the reason CELL phones got that name is that the architecture of the network was patterned after honeycomb CELLS. That concept enhances scalability - as an area grows, a single high-power cell can be replaced with several lower-power cells, increasing the capacity of that part of the network with minimum expense.
I wish PELOSI would take the keys away from Paul. They can certainly afford a chauffeur for him. And if he manages to kill someone on the road, even his riches and his wife's power won't keep him out of jail.
I'm familiar with Michelob ULTRAS, but not a footrace by that name.
I wanted "Kirby" to be the high-end vacuum.
The only reason I know TOONIE is from C-Eh! 'splainin' it. Thanks, and CSO!
Okay, I had never seen ALVIN and the Chipmunks in a crossword until this week, and now here it is again. Is he the new Oreo?
One of the funniest episodes of the sitcom Mom is when the women decide to go to a predominantly gay AA meeting. ALEC Mapa was great in that one, as was Rosie O'Donnell. I didn't know ALEC's name, but recognized him from Ha2La's review.
Thanks to Kinan for the puzzle, even though it had way more A&E chaff than I like. And thanks and welcome back to Ha2la.
You are welcome. Always happy to increase America’s’ knowledge of Canada.
DeleteFIR. This was quite difficult for a Tuesday. And the number of proper names was insane. I've never heard of either Albom or Redmayne, and have a problem with "shoo in", which I always thought was "shoe in". I still do!
ReplyDeleteThe theme needed the reveal for me and that helped me suss out Redmayne.
Overall not an enjoyable puzzle.
I Fiw withshoein
DeleteFIR - but 9 (count ‘em- NINE) proper names and that doesn’t include Basra and Mane N Tail - which I’ve never heard of - nor hen of the woods. Obviously doable, but what the heck are constructors thinking? Words, not names, are the backbone of crosswords, hence the name! Otherwise they would call it crossnames!
ReplyDeleteWell darn it! I DNF this easy puzzle. The center theme answer got me. DNK REDMAYNE, I had SHOe IN and had ALBE__.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise with the help of perps I got the other unknowns like ALEC, NITTI, ELISE, and ULTRAS was an easy WAG.
When I used to have long hair, I sometimes used MANE’NTAIL shampoo.
I knew Hahtoolah was back when I saw yummers. Welcome back and thanks for all the funny illustrations.
Not a good Tuesday for me. Started with YAKS before PEN made it YAPS. Then it came down to three crossing unknowns- ALBOM, HEN, & REDMAYNE. I got the MAYNE from the MAIN EVENT, but left the vowel vacant for the mushroom. HEN or HONey, RED or ROD- no idea. A DNF result today. ELISE, ALEC, and OLSMOS were other unknowns filled by perps.
ReplyDeleteI had to change PEDAL to CYCLE for riding a bike. With so many E-bikes running around it's amazing that there's only been one local traffic fatality. And he wasn't hit by a car. He hit a curb and ran into something. They go too fast. They are intended to be 'battery assist' but I only see people riding them like motorcycles.
Some ebikes aren't powered unless the pedals are being pumped. You can ride them on Federal trails that allow bicycles, but not the type that don't require peddling.
DeleteTook 4:25 to visit the state of Maine.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know the Actress of the Day (Elise), the Latin abbreviation (nota) despite being spotted the first letter, nor did I know the spelling of the French friend (amie) or this "Alec."
I don't think I've ever seen "hen of the woods" before, unlike "Nitti", which I also learned exclusively from crosswords. Fortunately, I knew the writer of the day (Albom) and "Redmayne", otherwise that intersection could be a killer.
Testing Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Kinan and Hahtoolah (welcome back).
ReplyDeleteI thought I FIRed but arrived here to see that my hand is up for SHOe not SHOO. Thus my ALBeM should have been ALBOM. And I was so proud of myself and seeing the MAIN theme, which gave me REDMAYNE.
I think we are justified in claiming a Natick cross there. Plus I had to take a trip to Google Maps for the R in BASRA.
But the rest of the CW was easy enough.
I moved from being ASEA to ashore before ON LAND perped.
Unknown-to-me names (ALEC, NITTI, ELISE, OLMOS) perped.
UCla changed to UCSF.
But this Canadian got TOONIE. And I trust that the rest of you (like Jinx) got it too.
AMIE reminded me of the book, Entre Amis, (Between Friends) published in 1976 as Canada's official gift to the United States for the U.S. Bicentennial. This large, hardcover coffee-table book celebrates the peaceful border shared by the two countries, featuring beautiful photos and quotes from people living along the world’s longest undefended border.
Sadly, we are seeing a huge rift in that friendship. But I do appreciate my American friends here on the Corner.
Wishing you all a great day.
Thanks CanadianEh! for that nice historical reminder. When I taught French at the university, we used a text book titled Entre Amis, a phrase that can, not only be translated as between friends, but also as among friends.
DeleteThis is Monkey. For some reason I can’t sign in.
CEh! please know that the vast majority of Americans love Canada and Canadians. The blog rule "No politics" prevents me from saying more.
DeleteI echo KS@7:58: I do not like this CW. Far too many names. I printed it, determined to work it pen-on-paper, but as always, the first thing I did was circle the clues for names: 20, DNK 8. I looked at where they are on the CW, and decided that even though this is a Tuesday, I'd better go online. Then ended up having to do a couple alpha runs. So, a DNF...on a Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteBut this was Friday-on-a-Tuesday. No fair. As Anon@8:19 said, too many names, some crossing other names.
Thanx Hahtoolah for the write-up, the best part of this CW. And welcome back. I loved your cartoon selections, too.
I know I should have just taken a Thumper on this one, but I can't resist questioning this "main" event...
ReplyDeleteSeems to me, that for a Tuesday, what should have been a shoe-in event, and enjoyable experience, was ruined by Albom crossing Mayne. Seems this puzzle can only be enjoyed by a select few with inside knowledge. Let's try to make it fun, can "anyone" come up with a better "M" crossing to make this more Tuesday friendly? The one with the fewest word changes wins!
Note to TTP, and anyone who might have an IPad.
My new IPad suddenly became very slow. I was shocked to discover that 31 of 32 available gigabytes was "in use." Deleting a bunch of Apps got it down to 29 gigs, and it is behaving normally again. This could have been what was affecting my Blog experience. Check your storage availability often. It gets used up faster than you would think.
My next task is to figure out how to get "in app" storage more manageable. I have one App that uses under a gig to run, but is using up almost 2 gigs in storage data? (With no option to clear it other than delete...)
Apple got successful by coming up with products that are not only versatile but easy to use. They seem to have drifted away from the "easy to use" part of their formula, as you illustrate so well. Amazingly, as I write this, the analysts on CNBC are discussing this very issue. They describe two types of Apple customers: "techies" and "normies", and how it seems more and more ya gotta be a "techie".
DeleteI also keep waiting...and waiting...for the Apple Watch to include a transdermal glucose monitor. I remember reading several years ago about the breakthrough Apple made in developing the technology to do this.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was a pretty quick and easy solve, as the theme was obvious early on. Alec and Elise were unknown, as was Mane and Tail but perps were kind and plentiful. Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie was a very touching tribute to the student/professor/friend relationship. The movie starred Jack Lemmon and Hank Azaria and was just as powerful and poignant as the book.
Thanks, Kinan, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the summary and your trademark cartoons and illustrations. You haven’t skipped a beat with your penchant for highlighting the interesting entries and finding the humor in the comical entries. Welcome back!
Have a great day.
Agree about ALBOM's novel, it's short and sweet. Quite the work from a sportswriter.
DeleteI didn't notice the homonyms until the MAIN EVENT, but FIR and enjoyed it, in spite of an unknown author, crook, and actors (as usual). HEN of the woods mushrooms are delicious and make a nice vegetarian MAIN course.
ReplyDeleteI have only experienced one Omni hotel, and it was not luxurious. I always wonder why it gets clued that way. Thanks, Hahtoolah, for expressing as much. And thanks for coming back! We have missed your signature contributions here! Hope your time away was wonderful. Thanks, also, to Kinan, for a nice Tuesday challenge.
This was a fun & fast puzzle - it was a D-O puzzle for me with not getting the theme until it was solved.
ReplyDeleteLots of gimmes as I loved Mitch ALBOM's "Tuesdays with Morrie" and his fiction books as well. He is a career sportswriter for the Detroit newspaper- so his writing style is brief and actions oriented.
Eddie REDMAYNE just inhabits his varied characters similar to Daniel Day-Lewis. I loved him as Marius in the movie musical version of "Les Miserables"
And as a musical fan - Renee ELISE Goldsberry was amazing as Angelica Schuyler in the original cast of "Hamilton" on Broadway
Welcome back Hahtoolah! and thanks to Kinan for the puzzle
A name fest Tuesday offering but still clever and fun.
ReplyDeleteI read Tuesdays with Morrie. A very heartfelt and touching novel. So because I was sure the author was Mitch Albon …. I now know a winner is a shoo -in. I still think its shoe-in. Lol
Victoria and David Beckham should be on Family Feud.Their family is in such disarray.
An awesome recap. Thanks Hahtoolah.
I FIW on a Tuesday 😵💫. Shoein gave me Albem which gave me no concern, although I’m very familiar with Tuesdays with Morrie. And I confidently put loonie instead of toonie, learning moment. So Tuesdays with Kinan didn’t work out for me! Oh well, still had fun. Thanks Kinan and Hahtoolah!
ReplyDeleteWho's the new girl? Welcome back Hahtoolah! Lotsa good 'toons today. Dessert island...haha!
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, this puzzle was a bit tricky for a Tuesday, I had to jump around to finish.
Hola! Welcome back, Hahtoolah! As soon as the plethora of cartoons appeared, I knew it was you. Good stuff! The puzzle was just a tad challenging for a Tuesday, but I got it and the rhyming words for the theme. Many years ago, MANE AND TAIL shampoo was a fad for some reason. It soon died down, though.
ReplyDeleteI've seen EDDIE REDMAYNE interviewed and recalled his name. However, I had to wait for perps for VICTORIA to emerge. And Dua LIPA has become popular in crosswords.
Mitch ALBOM's book is quite inspiring and I've read it several times.
I agree that the OMNI hotel seems average compared to others. We stayed in one in D.C.
I hope all is well with everyone.
Well, ASHORE was totally wrong, as was PEDAL. PELOSI was a gimme, though.
ReplyDeleteI mostly enjoyed working this puzzle, but was, like several of you, struck by the plethora of names.
I knew EDDIE REDMAYNE but misspelled his name as TREMAYNE at first.
Welcome back, Hahtoolah.
Good reading all your comments.
Thank you, Rena and thank you, NaomiZ.
ReplyDeleteI thought I posted my comments early this morning. I've been sleep deprived of late.
Thank you, Kinan, and thank you, Hahtoolah
27:23 today. I was watching the 2019 movie Midway, and only solving during some of the commercial breaks. It didn't seem very difficult.
I don't recall ever staying at an Omni.
I did not know Dyson vacuums were considered hugh end.
Mitch Albom was a regular on ESPN.
ALEC (Mapa) perped in.
Never heard of MANE 'n TAIL. No matter.
From yesterday, I meant bread loaves, not rolls.
Anarkie, plenty of Americana antiques here, too.
Happy to see SHOO IN spelled correctly. Never heard of EDDIE REDMAYNE and that was crossed with other unknown names. WAGs to FIR.
ReplyDeleteManaged a FIR, but in a later week time of 15:25. Lots of DNKs to overcome, MANE N TALE, OLMOS, ELISE, ALEC, (it’s always the names). I did know Mitch ALBOM, didn’t read his book but have read many of his sports columns in the Detroit Free Press, very good writer! I’ve got a sandwich baggie full of loonies and TOONIES which I will bring to Canada in a couple weeks. I’ve stayed in an OMNI in San Diego (it’s right next to the stadium where the Padres play), a walkway connects the two as visiting teams tend to stay there. I could see about half the field from my room on an upper floor. Last time I was in SD I stayed in the same waterfront neighborhood but at the Marriott, which was much nicer IMO, and I’ll be at the Marriott again in a month. I never use or hear anyone else use the word VAPID. Thank you Kinan for the challenging puzzle!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back Hahtoolah! 🤗 You sure got right back in the groove, great writer-up!
Who are you callin’ homo-nym? Me!
ReplyDeleteThanks to Kinan! Hand up for a 1-box FIW with SHOeIN. Learning moment.
ReplyDeleteWe had INLAID and ON LAND.
Welcome back Hahtoolah! Fav funnies were the IRONY board, sweet YAM, PEN pal, and SPILL. Thanks for introducing us to all the people. Sometimes I can remember the person but not their particular name spelling. I appreciated it when perps help with that.