Spy vs. Spy. During the Cold War, the concept of a saboteur changed from traditional physical destruction of factories and bridges to high-stakes espionage, covert operations, and behind-the-lines disruption carried out by elite military units and secret intelligence defectors.
19-Across. "Gravity's Rainbow" novelist: THOMAS PYNCHON. Spy. Gravity's Rainbow is a 1973 novel that takes place at the end of World War II. It's a long and intimidating novel that I have never felt the desire to read.
24-Across. Art technique also known as French embossing: GLASS ETCHING. Asset. An asset is a person who provides secret information or help to an intelligence organization. An asset is not a regular employee of the spy agency, but rather an outsider who is managed or paid to gather secrets.
38. "That's my intention": I PLAN TO.
45-Across. Act with chivalry: BE A GENTLEMAN. Agent.
And the Unifier:
53-Across. Psychological cause of personal failure, or a feature of 19-, 24-, 38-, and 45-Across: INNER SABOTEUR
Here's the Grid:
What other assets are found in today's puzzle?
Across:
1. Ginger cookie: SNAP. Yummers! According to the Museum of the American Revolution, Gingersnaps were named from the German or Middle Dutch word snappen, meaning "to seize quickly."
5. Cyan shade: AQUA. Hand up if you first tried Blue.
9. Oven setting: BAKE.
13. Document with an executor: WILL.
14. Coffee cups: MUGS.
15. Speaks foolishly: JIVES.
16. Drag Defense Fund org.: ACLU. As in the American Civil Liberties Union. It has been around for over 100 years.
17. Frying liquids: OILS.
18. Get down __ knee: ON ONE.
22. Tuned to, as a radio dial: SET AT.
23. Chapel Hill sch.: UNC. As in the University of North Carolina.
32. On the house: FREE.
35. Bert who played the Cowardly Lion: LAHR. Although it was in many movies, Bert Lahr (né Irving Lahrheim; Aug. 13, 1895 ~ Dec. 4, 1967) is best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz.
36. Everglades wading bird: HERON. Herons can be found all along the Gulf coast, not just the Florida Everglades.
37. Chuckle in a DM: LOL. Textspeak for Laughing Out Loud.
40. Egg cells: OVA. A crossword staple.
41. Photo book: ALBUM.
43. Et __: and others: ALIA. Today's Latin lesson. This phrase, which means And Others, is often abbreviated to Et Al. because the addition of the last 2 letters of alia is too much to write.
44. Med school subj.: ANAT. As in Anatomy.
48. Energizer size: AAA. A crossword staple.
49. Stuffed grape leaf: DOLMA. Yummers! Eastern Mediterranean food.
58. Pop icon Lauper: CYNDI. Cyndi Lauper (née Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper; b. June 22, 1953) was big in the 1980s. She is known for her flamboyant style, catchy songs, and four-octave vocal range!
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| Taylor and Cyndi |
60. Irish currency: EURO. The Irish Euro features the Celtic harp.
61. "Don't __ me, but ... ": HATE.
62. Diet food phrase: NO FAT.
63. MC or Visa alternative: AMEX.
64. Like the score at the start of overtime: EVEN.
65. Midday: NOON.
66. Little bouquet: POSY.
67. Take it easy: REST.
Down:
1. Slaps (at): SWATS.
2. Wall recess: NICHE.
3. Portion out: ALLOT.
4. Bird's feathers: PLUMAGE.
5. Singer-songwriter Tori: AMOS. Tori Amos (née Myra Ellen Amos; b. Aug. 22, 1963) is a classically trained musician. She was a child prodigy and entered the the Peabody Institute's preparatory division at five.
6. Witty remark: QUIP.
7. Not easy on the eyes: UGLY. The Jamaican tangelo is probably better known as the Ugli fruit.
8. Org.: ASSN. An Organization may also be an Association.
9. Juliette of "The English Patient": BINOCHE. Juliette Binoche (b. Mar. 9, 1964) is a French actress who has starred in many films. She was awarded an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for playing a nurse in 1996 film The English Patient.
10. Cosmetics giant that started as the California Perfume Company: AVON. Ding Dong! The Avon Company got its start in 1886.
11. "Jazz" documentarian Burns: KEN. Jazz is a deep-dive documentary look into the origins of this music genre. Ken Burns (né Kenneth Lauren Burns; b. July 29, 1953) has created numerous historical documentaries and television series that generally chronicle US history and culture.
12. WNW's opposite: ESE.
15. Sulu player in recent "Star Trek" films: JOHN CHO. John Cho (né John Yo-han Cho; b. June 16, 1952) was born in Seoul, Korea.
20. Hartsfield-Jackson airport code: ATL. This airport in Atlanta, Georgia is a hub for Delta. It is one of the busiest airports in the world. Whenever I fly, I usually end up going through Atlanta.
21. Use scissors on: CUT.
25. Swiss peak: ALP.
26. Ritual prayer of Islam: SALAT.
27. "We __ Overcome": SHALL.
28. "Ghostbusters" actor Hudson: ERNIE. Although he has been in a number of films, Ernie Hudson (né Earnest Lee Hudson; b. Dec. 17, 1945) is best known for his role as Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbusters.
29. Word after curling or waffle: IRON.
30. __ Scotia, Canada: NOVA. Nova Scotia is one of the maritime provinces.
31. Pest in a cloud: GNAT.
32. Extra fat: FLAB.
33. Actor's part to play: ROLE.
34. Actor Idris: ELBA. It's Sir Elba to you. Idris Elba (né Idrissa Akuna Elba; b. Sept. 6, 1972) played Stringer in the TV series The Wire.
38. "No fooling": I MEAN IT!
39. Scottish cap: TAM.
42. Kampala native: UGANDAN.
44. One more: ANOTHER.
46. "Sorry, laddie": NAE. Today's Scottish lesson/
47. Stir: ADO.
50. Depart: LEAVE.
51. Silences, as on Zoom: MUTES.
52. "__ you clever!": AREN'T.
53. The 411: INFO.
54. Gather: REAP.
55. Japanese wrestling: SUMO.
56. Greek war god: ARES.
57. Like the Honda Element: BOXY.
58. "The Source With Kaitlan Collins" network: CNN. Kaitlan Collins (b. Apr. 7, 1992) is an American journalist and news anchor.
59. "__-hoo! Over here!": YOO.
חתולה
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| This describes my stray cat. He gets breakfast from the neighbor, then comes to me for more food. |
Not the easiest puzzle
ReplyDeleteespecially for a Tuesday, but for what I didn’t know, the perps were (mostly) helpful.
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
FIR. Oh my, circles. Why must we have circles. This isn't a Jumble! Circles don't belong in crosswords, period.
ReplyDeleteAnd the amount of proper names was ridiculous. There were even three of them crossing, Binoche, John Cho, and Pynchon. And there were even more beyond those.
Add to that a tricky theme and this becomes a Friday presentation for certain.
Overall NOT an enjoyable puzzle.
Please stop complaining about circles.
DeleteKS, Doctor, doctor, it hurts when I do this! Then...
DeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteCircles don't bother me. I seldom notice them -- same with themes.
My hand is up for BLUE.
We hired a plumber named LAHR. I asked if he was related to Bert, "Never heard of him."
SALAT was a learning moment. I thought it was a meal course.
ERNIE Hudson is current appears as an elderly pastor in Boston Blue -- a spinoff of Blue Bloods.
Enjoyed your offering, Kevin, and your expo, Hahtoolah. (We have a "Mr. Jones" who shows up every morning for a handout. He waits until the raucous raccoons have headed back to the woods.)
is currently appearing
DeleteI enjoyed the puzzle with its circles and theme, though I think my inner saboteurs are not hidden. Loved the cartoons and expo; thanks Hahtoolah. The remark about the abbreviation of et al. made me wonder why such a short word is abbreviated. Back when people knew Latin , it eliminated having to put the correct ending -i, -ae, or -a depending on whether the list was masc., fem. Or neutral.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I think you've latched onto something there.
DeleteThanks for the clarification on the et al. abbreviation. I'll try to remember that the next time the clue appears in the puzzle.
DeleteTook 5:36 today to use my cell phone to do recon.
ReplyDeleteI knew the Actress of the Day (Binoche), and some of the Actors (Ernie, Elba, & Lahr; but not John Cho). I didn't know the writer (Thomas Pynchon), "dolma", or "salat."
Oh joy, circles!
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThe theme was rather basic but was elevated by the reveal, unknown to me, Inner Saboteur. Another learning moment from crossword solving! Salat was the only other unknown and Teal/Aqua was the only w/o. As usual, the circles in an early week grid are for the benefit of newbie solvers, so I accept them willingly.
Thanks, Kevin, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for a most interesting narrative and the great comics. Favs were the bewildered Witches, the Will heirs, the SWAT team, and the Sumo wrestlers.
Have a great day.
The puzzle felt a little more challenging than yesterday but came in at a much quicker solve!
ReplyDeleteLearning moment of the reveal answer and looking back at the theme answers and how they fit. WEES about blue before AQUA
ERNIE Hudson has always been a "Ghostbusters" fave - but recently I watched him in the "Quantum Leap" reboot and would highly recommend, if it is floating around the streaming verse.
Thanks Hatoolah for the blog and the amusing comics and to Kevin for the puzzle
What should have been an easy Tuesday puzzle had three intersecting proper names. PYNCHON, JOHN CHO, BINOCHE. After filling RAVES for "speaking foolishly", those three unknowns didn't have a chance. DNF.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of the puzzles was super easy, and I filled everything below 24d, GLASS ETCHING, without reading the across clues, Only the down clues. A little mental gymnastics I try to play once in awhile.
Big Easy
I was going to compose about the same comment, but didn't bother since you captured my comments perfectly. I too put in raves and jives never came to mind.
DeleteDitto
DeleteDouble ditto.
DeleteWe seem to have a Z-less pangram today. I went through the alphabet until the end, and I'll be darned if I can find a Z. Maybe Kevin had had a pangram, but the poor Z didn't survive the last edit. Sometimes in the grid editing process a more important consideration like, say, avoiding a Natick, means a Z or J or Q or X has to go. Parenthetically, I recently discovered that I've been mispronouncing Natick. An acquaintance from Massachusetts informed me that it's a long A, not a short A.
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, Kevin gave us a pleasant and fresh challenge today, with an interesting theme I'd never heard of (I put down "inner sabotage," and that made a mess of the lower right section). The circles were helpful in the solve.
Thanks, Kevin and Hahtoolah, for jointly providing us with a Tuesday-appropriate and enjoyable teachable moment.
Ken @ 9:17 => I recently created a puzzle that was a "pangram", which I pointed out to the editor. IIRC, the editor was nonplussed. Their reaction was like, "so"? "Is that really a big thing?" My take on having a pangram in a puzzle is, don't try to create it if it includes fill that is otherwise unusual or forced
DeleteAs with most everyone else, I agree that the crossing of 3 names of people I haven't a clue about makes things difficult. My wife helped me with Avon, but had no clue on the names and guessed wrong. Way too many other names. Circles helped me, and I don't mind them at all. Helpful for weaker crossword solvers like me.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous @ 9:19 => I, too, disliked the 3 name Natick (Pynchon / Binoche / John Cho) and ended up having to ask Siri to help me
DeleteToo many proper names
ReplyDeletere. the Honda Element being BOXY, it made me think of Dudley Moore, the ad exec going honest (and nutty) in Crazy People, "Buy Volvos. They're boxy, but they're good."
ReplyDeleteI remember that slogan and I bought 2 Volvos because of it! LOL but they were great. Our 960 wagon was still RightBrain's favorite car. The other was a very limited edition '85 T5R in factory yellow. The U.S. allotment was only 185 - less than one per dealership. Their online forum is called TurboBricks.
DeleteIgnored the circles and solved as a themeless. A nice, Tueday-level puzzle, finished in 7:27.
ReplyDeleteMy only objection is, once again, the over-abundance of "----'" clues.
Whoops, that should be *Tuesday*
DeleteTesting Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Kevin and Hahtoolah.
ReplyDeleteOfficially a FIW since I joined many of you in failing at the triple name crossing, and having raVES instead of JIVES. I did have PYNCHON. But this Canadian guessed at USC instead of the Northern state.
But I did see the SPY theme early in the solve (although I initially entered SABOTage before SABOTEUR).
I’ll take a CSO for NOVA Scotia although I am in central Canada. Cape Breton, Halifax, Peggy’s Cove, Annapolis Valley are great tourist areas.
I noted ANAT crossing GNAT, plus HERON crossing IRON in the same area.
DOLMA leaf crossing LEAVE caught my fancy too. (I love DOLMA, Greek salad and baklava.)
I had Lo FAT before CNN forced a NO FAT diet. (No baklava in either diet LOL!)
Wishing you all a great day.
Enjoyed the fun puzzle with its hidden intrigue and the cheerful review! Thanks to Kevin and Hahtoolah for a pleasant start to the day.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunate conglomeration of names in the NE corner. Fortunately, several alpha runs pointed out the correct letters, but not a fun way to finish a puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI have been trying to keep a low profile lately, but now that Google passkeyed me it is harder to post as Anonymous?
My ATT internet has been down since last night. I’m using my phone hot spot, so I wasn’t able to print the CW; I did it online. It’s a different experience. I prefer print.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this seemed pretty easy to me. I say the SPY right off since I knew THOMAS PYNCHON and went from there. The reveal was a surprise however since I’m not familiar with this affliction.
Hand up here also for blue before AQUA. CSO to CanadianEh! for Nova Scotia. I too like DOLMAS. My dear MIL used to make them. It’s a labor of love.
Thank you Hahtoolah for all the great info and the many chuckles.
Not say, but SAW
DeleteHola! Since I had AMOS, AQUA filled quickly. and I recalled Juliette BINOCHE from the most boring movie I've ever seen. Now, Idris ELBA, there's nothing boring there! The same with CYNDI Lauper; she's a livewire if there ever was one.
ReplyDeleteBetween EGRET and HERON, I have to wait for perps to decide.
I'll add DOLMA to my very sparse Greek vocabulary.
My mother had a neighbor who sold AVON products but recently I haven't seen anyone who does.
Have a lovely day, everyone! I have to finish packing for my next trip.
Puzzling thoughts:
ReplyDeleteFirst off, welcome back Hahtoolah - missed your comics/cartoons and quips
Echoing the others who commented about the three proper names crossing in the NE sector. I suppose if two of the three were "common, household names" I could say OK. But they weren't; not to me and I am guessing not to the majority of solvers. A bit dicey for a Tuesday solve (SET AT / SALAT / DOLMA / the aforementioned trio of PN's, et ALIA)
55-down brought to mind one of my 'ku's:
Japanese wrestler
Filed charges against Stooge:
Wanted to SUMO
Hand up for BLUE before AQUA and RAVES before JIVES
FIR after some help from Siri with that triple-named-spaghetti-bowl.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I miss Misty!
Misty, checking in here today. Thank you so much for your very kind comment, Prof M. I've very much missed posting on this delightful blog, but every time I've tried, my message has been erased--and I'm worried that this one may be too. But I thought I'd give it a try because I enjoyed this tough puzzle (Thank you, Kevin, and you too, Hahtoolah, for your always helpful comments and pictures.) I liked today's puzzle because it seemed to play with the kind of plot that we'd find in mystery novels, with a SPY who has the ASSETS to let him PLANT an AGENT to do harm to his enemies.Thankfully this is all just play, so we don't have to worry about it and just hope that every character will be a GENTLEMAN so that we'll have no worries about an INNER SABOTEUR (what or who ever that is?). I worried about that response to HATE and just hope that all the characters in this puzzle will stay in good shape, and eat NO FAT, and take a comfortable nap to get some REST at NOON. Actually, we should all do that too, shouldn't we? So get a good nap, everyone, and enjoy a pleasant evening later on. Cheers, Misty.
DeleteYay! I've massed your stories. Glad your post didn't get clobbered this time.
DeleteThanks for chiming in, Misty! We all enjoy the stories you build from puzzle entries. AND your cheerful tone.
DeleteThank you for the write up and the GREAT CARTOONS too! Fun puzzle today!
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-Just back from 18 holes on a day where the temp was 91F and the heat index was 99F. Those were both down 10F from yesterday and it was pleasant enough with cloud cover and a nice breeze. Our carts moved from shady spot to shady spot.
-I am often a victim of being my INNER SABOTEUR
-I remember the great Nancy Marchand playing the editor Mrs. Pynchon in this fabulous TV series
-BE A GENTLEMAN: As I’ve said before I worry I might offend someone by opening a door for a woman
-I have a relative whose FB posts overuse "Awesome" and "LOL"
-The Kodak theater at EPCOT’s Imagiantion pavilion featured Cyndi’s haunting song True Colors in the pre-show
-BINOCHE had adequate help
-PowerPoint features a “Ken Burns transition” which is a zoom and pan
-When you’re retired, every day is just ANOTHER day
-Hahtoolah, your cartoons are winging their way through the ether to my colleagues!
The theme was fine, but when a constructor needs to cross 3 proper names to complete a corner, it's time to rethink that section.
ReplyDeleteToday, Hahtoolah provided the entertainment. Fav was rock/paper/scissors.
Early to the puzzle, late to the blog. I also had some DNKs (JOHN CHO, ERNIE Hudson, CNN as clued) but FIR and enjoyed it. Not sure I've ever heard the phrase INNER SABOTEUR, but it made perfect sense and also described the contents of the very helpful circles. Yay, circles! Thank you, Kevin, for an excellent puzzle, and Hahtoolah, for explaining it all with chuckles interspersed throughout.
ReplyDeleteBinoche, John Cho, and Pynchon, household names, but only in their own households
ReplyDeleteWhat a ridiculous, unenjoyable crossnames puzzle. FIW exactly where several others did, by guessing "RAVES" at 15A. 19 names, DNK 5, including those three that crossed. A CW is no fun when solving depends on knowing obscure names, doing alpha runs for the names, or WAGs.
ReplyDeleteHahtollah, thanx for the terrific write-up.