Mark Axel commented on his last crossword here (a challenging Saturday grid in January) that his next puzzle would be "themed and much easier." Well, here we are, and he's delivered on his promise. Has the pendulum swung too far?
Starting with the reveal:
56. Wildly successful, or what three black squares in this puzzle literally are: GANGBUSTERS. Each of the following pairs contains a "hidden" synonym for GANG, busted apart by a black square:
17. "I want all the juicy details!": SPILL THE TEA + 19. Was introduced to: MET = TEAM.
27. Features of some old socks: HOLES + 29. Figure skating jump that has only been landed in competition by Ilia Malinin: QUAD AXEL = SQUAD.
43. Makes a clutch putt, perhaps: SAVES PAR + 46. Key mistakes?: TYPOS = PARTY.
As Mark alluded to earlier, this is about as straightforward as it gets. A very easy puzzle for a Thursday made even easier by circles. As I worked my way down, I saw TEAM and SQUAD (and REF) and thought "sports". Then PARTY struck rather jarringly, as I was expecting something like CLUB to keep the sports theme going.
Let's see the rest of the line-up:
17. "I want all the juicy details!": SPILL THE TEA + 19. Was introduced to: MET = TEAM.
27. Features of some old socks: HOLES + 29. Figure skating jump that has only been landed in competition by Ilia Malinin: QUAD AXEL = SQUAD.
43. Makes a clutch putt, perhaps: SAVES PAR + 46. Key mistakes?: TYPOS = PARTY.
As Mark alluded to earlier, this is about as straightforward as it gets. A very easy puzzle for a Thursday made even easier by circles. As I worked my way down, I saw TEAM and SQUAD (and REF) and thought "sports". Then PARTY struck rather jarringly, as I was expecting something like CLUB to keep the sports theme going.
Let's see the rest of the line-up:
Across:
1. "To __ their own": EACH. ð
5. One with a supporting role?: PILLAR. ð
11. Giggle syllable: HEE. ðĪ
14. Potatoes, in Indian dishes: ALOO. ðĨ
15. Nutty Italian cheese: ASIAGO. ð§
16. Verbal fillers: UMS. ðĪ
17. [theme]
19. [theme]
20. Tightens (up): TENSES. ðĨĻ
21. "If I had to bet ... ": ODDS ARE. ðē
23. "Use your umbrella!": STAY DRY. ☔
26. "Aladdin" figure: GENIE. ð§♂️
27. [theme]
29. [theme]
31. Feature of some old socks: ODOR. ðĪĒ
32. Replay reviewer: REF. Referee. ðĶ
33. First aid pro: EMT. Emergency Medical Technician.ð
34. With 37-Across, place for a pawdicure: PET. A PET SPA. ðū
35. Emoji from one who's down: SAD FACE. It's "Emoji Day" at the Corner! I remember when it was just :( Now it's fancy: ðĒ What an age we live in!
37. See 34-Across: SPA. ⬆️
40. Fitting: APT. ð§Đ
41. "Gross!": ICK. ðĪŪ
42. Inner workings: GUTS. ðĢðĢ
43. [theme]
46. [theme]
47. Heart chambers: ATRIA. ðŦ
48. "Want to play again?": ONE MORE. ☝️
50. Global spirits giant that began as a rum maker in Cuba: BACARDI. BACARDI USA built two iconic office buildings for their headquarters in Miami: a tower (1963) and an adjoining annex (1973). The annex is covered with hammered-glass mosaics.
 |
| The landmark Bacardi "Jewel Box" |
52. Oscars, e.g.: AWARDS. Because GROUCHS didn't fit.
55. Pretend: ACT. ð
56. [theme]
59. __ lodge: SKI. ⛷️
60. Like loose laces: UNTIED. ð
61. Pulitzer-winning novelist Jennifer: EGAN. Her novel, A Visit from the Goon Squad, won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. I haven't read it, but judging a book by it's cover, it looks award-winning to me!
62. "Exit full screen" key: ESC. Escape. ⌨️
63. Get cozy: NESTLE. ð§ļ
64. Cries noisily: SOBS. ð
Down:
1. Direction that plays first in mahjong: EAST. East is a player, not a compass position.ð
2. Mont Blanc, par exemple: ALPE. As Splynter would say, "From the Frawnche" (apologies for copying from your paper). ð
3. Place that welcomes change?: COIN SLOT. Winner: Best Clue. ð
4. Wild West costume accessory: HOLSTER. ðŦ
5. Easy mark: PATSY. ð
6. Kinda sorta: ISH. ≈
7. Falsehood: LIE. ðĪĨ
8. "Stay the Night" singer Jackson: LA TOYA. This 1980 single from La Toya's poorly received second album peaked at #31, and was soon forgotten. Why we should know about it 46 years later is anyone's guess.
9. Like 15-Across: AGED. ⌛
10. Occasion to wear away uniforms: ROAD GAME. ð―
11. Compassionate: HUMANE. ðŦķ
12. Celebrity chef with a flagship restaurant in New Orleans: EMERIL. In 2022, EMERIL Lagasse was named as the Chief Culinary Officer for Carnival Cruise Lines. So, now he's made a mess on a new flagship!
13. Cosmetician Lauder: ESTEE. ð
18. Grassy expanses: LEAS. ðž️
22. Message one may wish to open in private: SEXT. ðŦĢ
24. Kicked out of a competition, briefly: DQED. Disqualified, because they liked Carvel better.
25. Scoundrel: RUFFIAN. ðĶđðŧ♂️
27. Word with bell or bar: HOP. ðĶ
28. Lines of praise: ODE. ðŠķ
30. Dealer's handful: DECK. ð
32. "Aw, shoot!": RATS. ð
35. Free diver's weapon: SPEAR GUN. ðĶŊ(this is a blind man's cane, but it kinda looks right)
36. Unit of farmland: ACRE. ð
37. Id counterpart: SUPEREGO. For more, talk to you therapist. I'd tell you, but then Id have to charge by the hour.
38. Vacation hrs.: PTO. Paid Time Off. As a small business owner, I've never had this. ð️
39. Pack animal: ASS. ðŦ
40. Nike rival: AVIA. ð
42. Takes turns?: GYRATES. ðŦ
43. Library area: STACKS. ð
44. Powerfully cold: ARCTIC. ðĨķ
45. Score units: POINTS. ðŊ
46. AAA offerings: TOWS. American Automobile Association.ðŠ
47. Take down a peg: ABASE. ð
49. Apatow of "Euphoria": MAUDE. MAUDE struggled to find roles until she remembered that she has famous showbiz parents.
51. Copenhagen native: DANE.
53. Lacking pizzazz: DRAB. ðŦ
54. Form W-2 digits: SSNS. Social Security Numbers. ðļ
57. "Scram!": GIT. ð
58. __ canto: BEL. Italian for "beautiful singing." ð⃝ð
Be good. RB ð
It wasn’t until after I
ReplyDeletesolved the puzzle that I looked back and saw all the “gangs” but I eventually did.
And in spite of all the “?” clues. I didn’t think the puzzle was too bad.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteTwo side-by-side errors really slowed me down in the SE: The AAA offered me RTES and "Take Turns" was ROTATES. TYPOS set me straight. I noticed that Mark managed to sneak in an SO to himself with QUAD AXEL, and part of a themer, to boot. Cute. Thanx, Mark and Rusty. (Nice emojis.)
Kinda dumb, in my opinion. Easy. But uneventful.
ReplyDeleteFIR, but dull->DRAB. Waited for ump/REF. DNK MAUDE, except for the sitcom starring yesterday's fill Bea Arthur. Also my grandmother's first name.
ReplyDeleteMaybe an Easter egg at EGAN, since her award-winning book was Goon Squad.
Thanks to Mark for the fun puzzle, and to Rusty Brain for the :-) review.
I was going GANGBUSTERS until somebody named Axel managed to put his own name in the puzzle. I wanted QUADRUPLE but it wouldn't fit. The perps helped for QUAD AXEL.
ReplyDelete"Emoji Day" at the Corner. I've never used one yet. They aren't on the Microsoft keyboard.
EAST was just a guess for a game I've never played.
"Stay The Night" is a song I've never heard but I knew it had to be LATOYA because Michael, Jermaine, Janet, or even Alan were the wrong number of letters.
EMERIL's son is now the head of Emeril's restaurant, with its vastly overpriced prix fixe menu.
Speaking of nepotism, MAUDE was an unknown filled by perps.
PTO- Rusty, as an owner you just TTO=take time off.
I've only run across SPILL THE TEA, instead of BEANS, in crosswords.
As is normal, I paid no attention to the circles, so no theme was noticed.
Actually there is a “World Emoji Day”, which happens to be July 17th, which is why the calendar page emoji depicts that date by default. (I first thought that it was my phone personalized). Coincidentally it also happens to be my birthday which I happily share with Monday blogger NaomiZ. ð
DeleteIt's Windows function, not characters on the keyboard that you select.
DeletePress and hold the Windows key, and then press the Period key
FIR. As usual I ignored the circles. In the end they added nothing to the solve. Fortunately the number of proper names was at a minimum.
ReplyDeleteI saw the "gangs" before the reveal. I do however question "party" as a gang. But maybe that's just me.
Overall an OK puzzle.
My only hiccup was running into DQED, but it had to be. I needed the reveal to find the BUSTED GANGS. Yes, pretty easy puzzle, thank goodness very few names. I needed RB’s explanation to get PTO.
ReplyDeleteð Rusty Brain.