-URN IN HELL
"sorry, we don't serve "iced coffee . . . "
Another construction from the LA Times crossword editor, Patti's last appearance was Monday, June 8th. I blogged her last Friday puzzle on April 27th, when she changed "W" to "V". Today she simply drops the letter "B" from common phrases - therefore, minus the "B" - to give us an alternative and perhaps funny new phrase - with no Stray "B"s in the crossword, either~! Standard grid today, no 'outlier' letters, nine names, Twenty-Four 3LWs, and no Twurds. The themers and the reveal;
18. Be time-consuming?: EAT THE CLOCK - 'Beat The Clock' was (is) a TV Game Show
29. Instruction from a lazy track coach?: RACE YOURSELVES - Brace Yourselves~!
My first thought of lazy and races . . .
47. "42nd Street," e.g.?: ROADWAY MUSICAL - Broadway Musical - I get it, -ut a -it redundant
60. Create a state of anarchy?: END THE RULES - Bend the Rules~? I think they're -roken now
69. So-so grade, or an apt title for this puzzle: B MINUS - Sometimes, when I am improvising on the guitar, I drift into the key of "B minus"
-ut Wait There's More~!
ACROSS:
1. Thurman of "Red, White & Royal Blue": UMA - name #1, crossword staple
4. Most unexpected: ODDEST
10. Axe handle: HAFT - my INCITE at 11D. gave me HILT
14. Bath rug: MAT - not a name . . .
15. Subtlety: NUANCE
16. Important stretches: ERAS - yet another way to clue this #1 crossword fill
17. Go where one shouldn't: PRY
20. AirDrop tablet: iPAD
22. Female pig: SOW
23. __ cuisine: HAUTE
24. Drummer in the Electric Mayhem: ANIMAL - Muppets musical interlude #1
and the "other" Philthy Animal of drummers
26. "Lessons in Chemistry" actress __ Naomi King: AJA - no clue, the IMD_, see also 64D., name #2
28. TV writers __ and Marty Krofft: SID - name #3, which I recalled from my childhood
The Land of the Lost - Saturday morning awesomeness,
with Sleestak and Cha-Ka
33. Russian news acronym until 2014: ITAR - I knew this, likely from doing crosswords; name(ish)
34. Minute: WEE - my-NOOT, not MIN-uht
35. Pseudonym letters: A.K.A. - Also Known As, Thursday dupe
36. Lunch spot: DELI
37. "A Complete Unknown" subject: DYLAN - and "a complete unknown" to me; -ob Dylan was -efore my time; didn't get my "ta-DA~!", knew I made my mistake here, -ut it took two MIN-uhts to scan the puzzle -efore the V-8 can came sailing at me, and the "Y" finally dawned on me. The Wiki, and name #4
39. Video file format: MPEG
43. Corp. leader: CEO - C-suite
45. Feel icky: AIL
46. Washed-out: PALE - not the -LUE DOT from last Friday
51. Ceiling spinner: FAN
52. __ and outs: INs - musical interlude #2
Spy in the House of the Night, -lue Öyster Cult,
"ins and outs" lyric @ 0:30
53. Show of affection: CARESS
54. That is, in Latin: ID EST - literal Latin
56. Chance, quaintly: HAP - the def
59. Dissenting body: SECT
63. Lend a hand: AID
65. Toy brand with Creator 3-in-1 sets: LEGO
66. Title for Marie Curie: MADAME - name(ish)
67. Type of A/V connector: RCA
68. Put pen to paper: DREW - not clued as a name, thank you . . .
70. Data breach fig.: SSN - Social Security Number
DOWN:
1. Official who works close to home?: UMP - Har-har. -aseball's home plate . . .
2. Stew: MARINATE
3. Unexpected: ATYPICAL
4. At some point: ONE DAY
5. "Dance the Night" singer Lipa: DUA - name #5, -ecoming a weekly crossword staple
6. Who __: New Orleans Saints fans: DATS - name(ish), -ut I knew this; a shout-out to our Lousiana residents
7. Opposite of exo-: ENTO - Not enDo
8. Unstressed vowel sounds: SCHWAs - the "uh" sound
9. Top pick?: TEE - BRA could not work - it might not have a B-cup, but it has a "B"
10. Goddess of death played by Cate Blanchett: HELA - I don't care for the any of the "comic -ook universe" movies, name #6
11. Stimulate: AROUSE
12. "In all honesty ... ": "FACT IS . . . " - OK, twurd(ish)
13. Clucked in disapproval: TSKed
19. Hopscotch player's supply: CHALK
21. "Sweet land of liberty," in song: AMERICA - musical interlude #4
Let Freedom Ring
24. Very dry: ARID
25. Dirt: LOWDOWN - musical interlude #3
-oz Scaggs, and a prelude to 64D.
27. Patrick's "Star Trek: Picard" role: JEAN LUC - name #7, and a shout-out to our own PICARD
He meant "-arn owls"
30. Short turnaround?: UEY - A--reviation for U-turn, I had "Uie" to start, so I got in my own way
31. Pass along: RELAY
32. Many a "What We Do in the Shadows" character: VAMPIRE - no clue, filled via perps
38. Objective: AIM
40. Indy 500 leaders: PACE CARS - Ah, those leaders. In the year I was -orn, it crashed . . .
41. Rubber bands: ELASTICS - nailed it
42. Salon array: GELS -Dah~! I tried DYES
44. Novelist Wharton: EDITH - first female Pulitzer Prize winner, 1921 - name #8
47. "SNL" Emmy winner Gilda: RADNER - name #9
48. Jumpy: ON EDGE - see -elow
49. Meditation retreat: ASHRAM - I am attending a 12-Step retreat next month
50. Mouths off to: SASSES - Not "on edge" - of the grid, that is; crossword friendly letters
51. Area of study: FIELD
55. Stash securely: STOW
57. Bavaria-based automaker: AUDI - here's their R8
A few of my favorite things
-avarian Castles, Cars, and Cuties
58. Map out: PLAN
61. Diplomatic HQ: EMBassy, the crossing ''B" and an a--reviated headquarters
62. Bird in the bush: EMU - Ah. The Australian -ush; G'day, mate
64. Karate level: DAN - musical interlude #5 - I could have gone with Steely Dan's "Aja", -ut that's already in the puzzle, so here's
Do It Again, in the key of G - minus . . . 🙄
Splynter
Grid Flow 34.9
I didn’t remember at
ReplyDeletefirst that Capt. Picard’s first name was
“Jean-Luc.” Fortunately, that came to me in time to avert a disaster, because the perp was of absolutely no help.
The rest of the puzzle wasn’t terribly difficult.
FIR, so I’m happy.
FIR, but hand up for uie->UEY. Also tass, then taas->ITAR, draw->DREW, and pole cars->PACE CARS.
ReplyDeleteWe finally got our Wednesday puzzle today, albeit with lotsa A&E filler. The grid that ran this past Wednesday was a real itch.
A musical reference to ANIMAL to me will always be the Def Leppard song.
AJA to me will always be the fabulous title track to the Steely Dan album.
I can't fill LOWDOWN without thinking of Boz Scaggs.
I'm trying to get rid of an A/V receiver, but no one wants it because it only has RCA inputs. Folks want USB, HDMI and Bluetooth these days.
My house is in chaos due to interior painting. I slept on my ig, comfortale couch last night, ut woke up at about 1:30 to pitch lackness. I was totally disoriented, and felt around to find a light switch. Nothing. Found a flashlight, went out front, and saw that the whole lock was without power. It seems like the ODDEST thing, ut I think the darkness and lack of amient noise AROUSEd my spidey senses. Power came ack on at 2:00, ut I am wide awake now. A nap may be in my future.
Thanks to Patti for the fun puzzle. And thanks to Splynter, but you need to understand that Saturday morning TV was reserved for Fury, followed by Sky King.
etter link to AJA
DeleteSsss, I was so close to putting in the Def Leppard link . . .
DeleteAgree with your Wednesday assessment - definitely a itch
Does that receiver come with a remote~?
Splynter
Jinx, don't forget Wild Bill Hickok.
DeleteAcesaround here. Yes this was better for a Wednesday. That one was rough. Along with Fury and Sky King (Penny) I watched Superman.
DeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteHand up for DYES, but that was the sole Wite-Out moment. Thought of TASS, but the I was already in place. My WAGs were mostly golden this morning. Cute theme, Patti. Enjoyed your expo, Splynter.
FIR. I was not impressed with all the proper names in today's puzzle, especially when two were crossing like Aja and Jean-Luc.
ReplyDeleteBut I got the theme early on with the first long answer, way before the reveal. That brought some fun to the table.
Overall an enjoyable puzzle.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteAs I’ve mentioned often, this is not a favorite theme type, but Patti did nice job of converting the adjusted themers into legitimate phrases. Splynter’s keen observation of the absence of any stray Bs adds another layer of complexity. However, I think Patti’s talents as a composer shine brighter when she uses word play and humorous content in her grids vs straightforward add/subtract a letter patterns.
Thanks, Patti, and thanks, Splynter, for the detailed analysis and candid review. I never would have caught on to those missing Bs! Nice catch!
A six hour cable outage last night was a reminder of how dependent we are on electronics for entertainment and information.
Have a great day.
The B MINUS was obvious from the gitgo on Patti's puzzle.
ReplyDeleteIs there any other 3-letter actor named Thurman other than UMA?
Any other Lipa than DUA?
Rita ORA is missing today.
The only unknowns for me were HELA, RCA, AJA and JEAN LUC (not a Trekkie).
UIE or UEY- you never know.
DATS- The greedy NFL tried to claim rights to 'term Who Dat' for marketing purposes and stop other companies from profiting off of Who Dat. They didn't bother to see somebody else had beat them to the rights. I remember Aaron Neville and some Saints players made a record, "WHO DAT say they are goin' to beat them Saints" to the music of "When the Saints Go Marching In". It seems everybody in NOLA knew it but the NFL lawyers didn't bother to check.
That was me above. I keep forgetting it's not automatic any longer.
DeleteFIR. Caught on to the theme pretty quickly. Several UNKs like ANIMAL, SID, AJA, DYLAN. I quickly changed HErA to HELA as perps demanded. I started out with ENdO. VAMPIRE was a good WAG.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been re-reading some EDITH Wharton novels. They are really special.
Thank you Splynter for a fine review.
I struggled a bit with Patti's puzzle today, until I filled B MINUS at the bottom, and was able to complete the long themers above. I had a heck of a time on the first one until I gave up ENdO for ENTO, and gave up "Top pick?" TEn for TEE. DNK ITAR or HELA. Very much liked "Go where one shouldn't" for PRY, and ATYPICAL as the answer for "Unexpected." Also DNK AJA, and was therefore glad to know JEAN LUC. Overall, great puzzle. Thanks, Patti!
ReplyDeleteSplynter, you did a fabulous job with this one. Your opening illustration of a coffee _urn in hell was inspired. Thanks for the expert analysis!
Splynter thank you for the JEAN LUC PICARD shout out and thanks for your magnificent review. Not a B MINUS at all. We are just about to catch a flight to NYC. Hoping to meet family and friends for the next two weeks. Ending with my 50 year high school reunion in DC.
ReplyDeleteWe have tickets tomorrow for a BROADWAY MUSICAL that Merlie selected. Hope travels get us there on time! Thanks!
Good to hear from you Picard. I thought the CSO might bring you here. Have a great time in NYC with family and at your 50th reunion.
DeleteIt seems I struggled more with this CW than most others. 19 minutes to FIR. 15 names, DNK 6, and DNK "HAFT", either.
ReplyDeleteSIN/PRY, UIE/UEY. (As opposed to "Louie, Louie").
When I was in school, I celebrated getting a B-. I was NOT a great scholar. I struggled with ADHD, although nobody seemed to know about ADHD back then.
Thanx PV, I struggled with this CW but that's on me. And I forgot to go back and look for the theme, so Splynter had to enlighten me.
Thanx for the great write-up, Splynter, and the many nice musical interludes. Terrific legs pic, too.
Gilda Radner was an A+ in my book...
ReplyDeleteJinx, RCA plugs? no problem!
Whaddya know! (Warning from Amazon on at least one of them: "Frequently returned due to compatibility issues."
DeleteA delightful and Wednesday-ish offering from Patti. I liked it.
ReplyDeleteNice to see Jean Luc. Did not remember Aja.
Loved the Tee as “top pick”
Atyical was an unexpected fill. 😊
Thanks for the fun recap Splynter.
The “urn in hell” made me laugh.
Musings
ReplyDelete-JEAN LUC, AJA and DYLAN posed an issue but two reasonable guesses were successful
-EAT THE CLOCK used to make for some boring basketball but the 35-second clock really helps
-ROADWAY MUSICAL?
-At night, our BATHMAT becomes a CAT MAT
-PRY: Read the room before you inquire further
-AJA: I’m surprised Patti did not opt for WNBA star A’JA Wilson
-The longest SECT name in America?
-MADAME Curie liked a sample radioactive Radium near her bed for its blue-green glow in the dark. The radiation eventually killed her, and her notebooks are still so dangerous they are stored in lead boxes.
-Parents who harass little league UMPS should be escorted out of the park
-My TEES of the summer will not be worn today on my first day of subbing for this school year
-The Nebraska Department of Roads has changed an intersection I use often. It now requires a U-TURN.
-I remember reading EDITH’s book Ethan Frome as a junior in H.S. but I remember nothing about the book.
-SASSES: Former U.S. senator Ben Sasse and his dad Gary Sasse are good friends of mine.
-Nice job, Splynter, URN IN HELL was inspired!!
I'm sure you know that the NCAA uses a 30-second clock, and the (W)NBA uses a 24 second clock. Probably Otto Correct gone wrong.
DeleteTook 8:13 today to win the lue rion.
ReplyDeleteI knew one the Actresses of the Day (Uma, not Aja), not the goddess (Hela), and I struggle to rememer the spelling of "schwa". I didn't know the Russan (itar) or the Latin (idest). "Hap" should've een scratched for a etter answer.
In my mind a so-so grade is a C Minus. B Minus is a good grade.
ReplyDeleteAces around here. Agree with B minus being a good grade
DeleteRussian acronym was ITAR-TASS not just ITAR.
ReplyDeleteAcesaround here. This was definitely easier than Wed. The middle of that puzzle was awful. I did enjoy this puzzle by Patti. I got the theme right away with "eat the clock". I finally remembered Jean-Luc. Excellent recap Splyter
ReplyDeleteHola! Fabulous Friday! Thank you, Patti Varol and splynter for the fun. It took longer than usual to solve this puzzle, and I had several wite-outs. TASS/ITAR, HILT/HAFT, SPY/SSN, etc. But I finally prevailed though I did not BEAT THE CLOCK.
ReplyDeleteCrosswords have taught me that DAN is a karate level.
Three letter actresses' names: EVA, AVA, IDA, DUA, UMA, BEA, IDA, KAY, LEA, SIA, TEA, LOU, MAE. Puzzle constructors could have a field day with those!
Have a wonderful day, everyone and stay safe!
Wasn't enjoying the Friday puzzle, so I gave up. I'll give Saturday a try, but that too is usually beyond my solving skills. Often, when I haven't finished a puzzle, I come to the blog, and the folks posting are talking about how easy a puzzle was. Oddly, there are so many folks talking about how tough Wednesday was, and I finished that one right. Didn't think I had, as I had so many guesses.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I hope my tongue doesn’t turn black and fall out….but I actually enjoyed this grid by our editor.…
ReplyDeleteThis is Jayce. I mostly liked this puzzle. I had ENDO, TEN, and HERA at the top, so EATDHNCROCK made no sense and it took me quite a while to, as the British say, sort it.
ReplyDeleteFortunately I knew JEAN LUC; otherwise I would never have guessed AJA as somebody's name.
I had to fill out a lot of ITAR-TASS forms in preparation to launching our satellite in Russia (from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome 500 miles north of Moscow).
Good to see you, Picard.
Good reading all your comments.
Let’s create a state of anarchy! That’s me! Although, fact is…I don’t bend the rules!
ReplyDeleteFIR, and I do remember Bob Dylan…Like a Rolling Stone and Lay, Lady, Lay! Clever and fun puzzle, thanks Patti! And I always enjoy your reviews, Splynter!
Finicky Friday. Thanks for the fun Patti and Splynter.
ReplyDeleteI am one of the few here who found this one as hard as Wednesday’s. Maybe my brain was tired at this hour instead of in the morning. Officially a FIW.
But I did get the B MINUS theme.
My downfall was a guess at AvA and not noticing that it should have been JEAN LUC.
Plenty of ink lots. RarEST changed to ODDEST.
Hand up for ENdO before ECTO, TASS before ITAR, TEn before TEE.
I WAGged the H in HAFT and HELA. Even DH did not know his axe handle was called a HAFT (and apparently it can also be called a Helve!)
I had to move to past tense and change DRaW to DREW.
JPEG changed to MPEG when I reread the clue and saw “video”.
I noted AJA and AKA.
We had AIL crossing AIM, plus AID (and ARID).
This Canadian entered AMERICA with a sigh, but I will never enter it after Lake.
Wishing you all a good evening.
i believe most people will always call it LAKE Ontario.
ReplyDeleteThis is Jayce. As far as I'm concerned, and as far as probably millions of people are concerned, it will be Lake Ontario and it will be The Gulf of Mexico until the name is officially changed by the authorized governing bodies.
DeleteMe, for one. 'Course I still call that other temperature scale "centigrade."
DeleteOf course it will always be Ontario.
DeleteOtherwise, we would have to come up with a new mnemonic for the Great Lakes, and that would be a SHAME.
Today's syndicated NYT took over 31 and today's LAT was just under 12, so yes I would say that today was easier than Wednesday. Still, AFAIC, Wednesday was the better challenge.
ReplyDeleteThis week's New Yorker puzzles have been better challenges than either the NYT or LAT. At least so far. Hopefully Saturday will be tougher at both sites.
Thank you, Patti, and thank you Splynter.
I didn't remember ITAR so when MARINADE gave me IDAR I didn't catch the slip :-(
ReplyDeleteI'd argue neither MARINADE nor MARINATE mean 'stew' but I'm just being grumpy.
Likewise I don't think ELASTICS means 'rubber bands'
This is Jayce. If I recall, what we call a rubber band the British call an elastic.
DeleteI got elastics easily enough. With only the E.
DeleteHowever, old people like me that grew up in and around Pittsburgh called them gumbands. It's a regional dialect for rubber bands.
Yes, I call them elastics.
DeleteIdn’t articulately are or his ne. “Uey”? lease!
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteLate to the party but I have a good excuse - I'm making stickers for the local hacker conference three weeks hence.
Thank Patti for a fun way to wait on a Lyft at the mechanics. I finished before the driver arrived.
Great song picks, Splyter! Thanks for the enjoyable expo esp. the opening graphic - LOL!
WOs: ENdO, BR @47a (and that's when the penny dropped re: theme)
ESPs: HELA, SID, AJA (as clued), ID EST.
Fav: Who doesn't love ANIMAL?
W/r/t the theme - 18a & 29a made perfect sense alone. It wasn’t until I knew it was BROADWAY but there was no B and then I noticed the play is a street (road)! Chuckles ensued, I got the AHA, and smiled at the concept.
Nice to see you back, Picard. Enjoy the two weeks in DC. Warning: Eldest says the Indy 500 stuff is still all over the Mall.
I enjoyed reading everyone's comments while I argued with ChatGPT. Seems to have the brain of a toddler with none of the cuteness.
Cheers, -T