The best title for this puzzle would have to simply be the reveal, COME TOGETHER, because the circled letters spell COME as they slowly come together in each theme clue/answer.
20 Across. Question, as the opposing side's witness: CROSS EXAMINE.
34 Across. Settings that reinforce personal biases: ECHO CHAMBERS.
41 Across. Tool for monitoring blood sugar levels: GLUCOSE METER.
55 Across. Classic Beatles song, or an apt description of the progression of this puzzle's circles: COME TOGETHER.
1. Baked desserts: PIES.
5. "Shoot!": DRAT.
9. Threaded fastener: SCREW.
14. Kendrick of "Pitch Perfect": ANNA. Name #1
15. Learning by memorization: ROTE.
16. Throw with effort: HEAVE.
17. A little naughty: RACY.
18. Big brass horn: TUBA.
19. Prodded: URGED.
20. [Theme]
23. Location of all but two NATO members: EUROPE.
24. Overly: TOO.
25. Covered in cinders: ASHY.
29. Cell service letters: LTE. LTE stands for Long Term Evolution. It is the standard 4G wireless technology that powers your mobile internet, streaming, and calls when you are not connected to Wi-Fi. It delivers fast, reliable data speeds that are significantly smoother than older 3G networks.
30. List-ending abbr.: ETC. (as long as we are explaining abbreviations:) Etc. stands for the Latin phrase et cetera, which translates literally to "and the rest" or "and other things" in English.
32. Giants legend Mays: WILLIE. Name #2
34. [Theme]
37. Breathe hard: PANT.
39. Language similar to Thai: LAO. I found this to be a rather nasty Natick when crossed with 31 down...
40. Fashioned: MADE.
41. [Theme]
44. Stop working: RETIRE.
45. Icarus, to Daedalus: SON.
46. The first "A" of Reddit's AMA: ASK. (AMA = ask me anything)
49. Landfill output: ODOR.
50. Some short albums: EPS. Extended Play, (I have never seen one...)
53. No longer surprised by: USED TO. (I would be surprised if I saw an EP Album...)
55. [Theme Reveal]
58. Was able to: COULD.
61. Comedian Trevor: NOAH. Name #3
62. "Take this": HERE.
Used to the extreme in the Goes Wrong Show...
63. Possessed: OWNED.
64. Sushi seaweed: NORI.
65. Zone: AREA.
66. Trudges heavily: PLODS.
67. "What __ is new?": ELSE.
68. Element seen all over Las Vegas: NEON.
Down:
1. Package: PARCEL.
2. Bored by routine: IN A RUT.
3. "Do it again!": ENCORE.
4. Authorization: SAY SO.
5. The Electric Mayhem bandleader: DR. TEETH. Name #4
6. Common sauce base: ROUX.
How to Roux...
7. Facing the pitcher: AT BAT.
8. Spanish "I love you": TE AMO. (Te=you, Amo=I love)
9. Give the cold shoulder: SHUN.
10. Individually wrapped breakfast choice: CEREAL BAR.
11. Cleaning cloth: RAG.
12. Night of anticipation: EVE.
13. Hitched: WED.
21. Ronnie who sang lead on "Be My Baby": SPECTOR. Name #5
22. Corn Belt state: IOWA.
26. Luge or skeleton: SLED.
27. Add to the staff: HIRE.
28. Desired response to a promposal: YES.
31. Kenneth of fashion: COLE. (The other half of a nasty Natick...) Name #6
33. Gigantic: IMMENSE.
34. Surrounded: ENCIRCLED. Like today's theme letters...
35. Pic taker: CAM. I call foul on this one, as I wanted SLR... abbreviated picture = abbreviated camera? Meh...
36. Weeding tools: HOES.
37. Claimed no contest, maybe: PLED.
38. Prefix with correct or complete: AUTO.
41. Miracle-__: garden brand: GRO.
42. Appear to be: SEEM.
43. Difficult question: TOUGHIE.
46. Show some stick-to-itiveness?: ADHERE. ð
47. Audiophile's system: STEREO.
48. Like BTS or bibimbap: KOREAN. (Either you know it, or you don't. Perps to the rescue...)
51. Tubular pasta: PENNE.
52. Perch at a pub: STOOL.
54. Hawke of "Before Sunrise": ETHAN. Name #7
56. Action figures?: ODDS. ð
57. Rowboat pair: OARS.
58. Many a "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" character: COP.
59. Bird in Tootsie Pop ads: OWL.
60. Game with Reverse cards: UNO.
The Grid
Today's hasty review is brought to you from a hotel room in Bar Harbor, Maine. I am on vacation (sort of) and I spent most of my day here:
CE:D out...
āļ
áĻāļ
Another easy one.
ReplyDeleteBut it was nice to be reminded of one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands.
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteThis was a quick adventure. My only misstep was CEREAL BOX where BAR needed to go. Landfill ODOR reminded me of a former coworker. He made a career building methane-fueled power stations, sinking pipes into a landfill, collecting the methane, and using it to produce electricity. Thanx, Matthew and CE:D.
FIR. Hand up for cereal box->CEREAL BAR (¯\_(ã)_/¯.) Also, trods->PLODS, and ragu->ROUX.
ReplyDeleteMy RV home is out in the boonies. I usually get one-bar LTE service, but sometimes I get "SOS" service, whatever that is. My guess is that if I call 911, the phone will try to connect using whatever provider has service at my location. Quite a contrast from my four-bar 5G UW service at my sticks-and-bricks home.
I haven't been to Las Vegas in a long time. I was surprised to read that there is still a lot of NEON still in use there. LEDs require much less maintenance and electricity.
I had no idea what bibimbap is, but I remember that "Boys That Sing" are KOREAN.
I loved Ronnie SPECTOR's cameo appearance in Eddy Money's Take Me Home Tonight.
Thanks to Matthew for the fun, if A&E overloaded, Tuesday puzzle. And thanks to CED for another fine review, except that your LTE reference is a little dated. 3G service no longer exists, and LTE is a subset of the full 4G specifications. 5G is the current king.
Excellent video choice! (I never realized the connection with Ronnie before...)
DeleteI have wondered about what "SOS" meant on my cell phone too, so like the LTE abbreviation, I Googled it: <a href="here's what Google's A.I. says...</a> interesting that the phone could use other carriers. (If available...)
Aw nuts! Broken link. trying again...
DeleteFIR. I guess we can't go two days without circles. Geesh! And of course they were of no use to the solve. Today was incredibly easy as is expected for a Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteNice to see one of my favorite Beatles songs in the puzzle.
Overall an enjoyable puzzle.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI had no idea where the theme was going, despite the helpful circles. My pop music knowledge would fit in a thimble. Dr. Teeth and Spector needed perps but the rest was smooth sailing. A Tuesday exercise for sure.
Thanks, Matthew, and thanks, CED. I envy your vacation time in Maine. ðĶ
Have a great day.
FIR, that’s good. The theme was easy to detect. Cute. EPS and DR TEETH needed perps, and the COP made me change trods to PLODS. I didn’t let bibimbap baffle me, I I
ReplyDeleteimmediately guessed KOREAN. I’ve been RETIREd 16 years. Wow!
This Monkey. For some reason I could sign in.
Thank you CED. Enjoy cool Maine.
Oops, the is is missing above.
DeleteOh! No. Sorry that should have been could NOT sign in. What a mess.
DeleteI bet ya haven't had your coffee yet!
DeleteSome but obviously not enough, Uncle Fred.
DeleteHola! Really easy solve today. When I was able to do gardening I loved Miracle-GRO. And I'm reminded that I did not accomplish my goal of visiting all 52 states, including IOWA.
ReplyDeleteOne of my distant cousins is married to a lovely KOREAN lady.
Thank you, Matthew Luter for the nice outing and thank you, CEDave. Enjoy your visit to Maine. My sisters and I went a few years ago. It's wonderful. Have a great day, everyone!
I have a good idea why you did not accomplish your goal of visiting all 52 states....
DeleteEasy COME, easy go. Basically a Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteA raccoon mother has been visiting our back porch trying to scrounge up something for her kits, wherever they are, but it drives Buster crazy! He also doesn't take fireworks well, or thunderstorms (and it's rainy season in Florida). Traumatic week for him.
Enjoy your vacay CED.
Raced to FIR in 10. It coulda been even faster but for a brief interruption. This was a very enjoyable CW, with a nice...and clever...theme. I like how ML managed to make the word COME come together from top to bottom. Thanx ML great CW!
ReplyDelete14 names, DNK 6. Never heard of DRTEETH, or The Electric Mayhem, nor did I know SPECTER. I names, isn't IOWA a name? I count all names, not just names of people. Brand names are names, too, aren't they?
I also like how LOVE is followed immediately by SHUN. Much like all too often in real life.
Thanx too to CE:D for the terrific write-up. I watched the ROUX video. Interesting. I usually just use corn starch to thicken sauces or gravies. I don't keep flour on hand because I don't bake, and as seldom as I use it, it gets stale (?) or rancid (?) by the time I wanna use it for something.
BTW, last week I predicted the guy living on the street behind me would be setting off professional grade fireworks late into the night July 4, as he does every year. I was right, the last one was launched at 1:37. How do I know the exact time? I was trying to sleep, and watching the clock. He's usually done by 2am. Hard to sleep when these are exploding 100' away. How do I know they are professional grade FWs? Not only by the size of the explosion and display, but by the fact they are set off from a mortar. I can tell that by the "Thump!" preceding the "BOOM! crackle, crackle". Many years ago I stopped in Tennessee on my way back to FL from a road trip to WI and bought fireworks. I set them off from my roof July 04 and the cops showed up and made me stop. I don't know how he avoids that. Maybe he IS a cop.
Took 3:47 today to come to my senses.
ReplyDeleteI knew the Actress of the Day (Anna) and the Actor (Ethan), but not Dr. Teeth (or his/her band).
CE:D, thank you for the fine review and the lovely picture of Jordan Pond. Please tell me that you've had some pop-overs at the Jordan Pond House.
I didn't register the circles or theme while solving.
Oh joy, circles!
Sorry to say that I did not get a chance to enjoy the Popovers at the Jordan Pond House, but I did make use of their bathroom... kind of a long story. I lost my friends walking around and waited 2-1/2 hours for them to complete the 3 mile hike around the pond. It was supposed to be the easy hike, but my legs gave out quickly, and I worked it out that I would meet them on the other side of the hike, but their 3 mile hike turned into a nightmare for DW, when it turned into a plank walk over swamp, against a storm of tourists, (with dogs) on a plank 2 feet above swamp coming against them. Followed by a 1/2 mile scramble over giant boulders. (DW was in tears, and needed help, but I was not there...) and this is the easy hike?
DeleteYowsa, but I got some great pictures I hope to share...
Well.. I figured out the logon problem…thanks for the help.. actually, no one did. Thanks for nada
ReplyDeleteThose must be the same folks who didn't offer me any help. I still haven't figured out how to log into my Blogger account, just my Google ID. It used to recognize me as soon as I got to the comments page. Now I have to select my identity. Not a big deal, but I wonder why the change.
DeletePVX, I explained what you had to do 49 minutes after you commented on Saturday.
DeleteD-O, I explained why on June 26th. It's your overprotective browser.
Sorry Anonymous PVX, didn't know it was you who needed help...
ReplyDeleteFor all those who are Blueish, when you select Google Account as your ID, (& it's a Google app so yeah....) you must accept the cross site cookies option. Otherwise you are an Anonymous forever. (They don't tell you that) When I get pop ups that say this, I opt not to, but this is one you kinda have to...
Actually, they do tell you that. It's in the help text that you didn't read when you were prompted to accept the cross-site cookies. I know it's there. In fact, CanadianEh! copied the exact help text about cross site cookies, and pasted it into her comments sometime in the last week or so.
DeleteTLDR...
DeleteHey! My Avatar is square again! Well, I guess I can count one (only 1) plus with their constant shuffling of the furniture in Helen Kellers house....
ReplyDeleteAh nuts, anon above is CE:(D, they got me again...
ReplyDeleteBTW, today's constructor also co-authored today's Universal crossword What a Slog! As much as I liked his LAT puzzle, I did not enjoy the Universal offering nearly as much. However, YMMV. Fill I didn't like included "mwah," "elio," "asahi," and "arya."
ReplyDelete