I Double Dare You: The word Check can follow the first and second word of each theme answer.
16-Across. * Video game boost that may repair damage: HEALTH SPELL. Health Check / Spell Check. I am not familiar with the term Health Spell as it refers to video games.
23-Across. * Waterproof garment: RAIN COAT. Rain Check / Coat Check
34-Across. * Internal setting controlled by thermoregulation: BODY TEMPERATURE. Body Check / Temperature Check
49-Across. * High-intensity workout program: CROSSFIT. Cross Check / Fit Check
And the unifier:
59-Across. Go over twice, or what can be found in the answer to each starred clue: DOUBLE CHECK.
Here's the Grid, so you can Double Check my responses.
Across:
1. Corn cores: COBS.
5. Pet rehoming org.: ASPCA. As in the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The ASPCA has been around for over 150 years.
10. Sandwich letters: BLT. As in the Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwich.
13. Opera solo: ARIA. A crossword staple.
14. Replacements for flat tires: SPARES. Here's to you, Desper-Otto!
15. "__ la la!": OOH.
18. __ Lanka: SRI.
19. "Absolutely out of the question!": NO SIREE.
20. Wall surface: PLASTER.
22. Quick snooze: NAP.
24. Unleashed: FREED.
27. Cry for attention?: HEY.
28. "You're __ human": ONLY.
29. Charged particle: ION.
30. Barely gets (by): EKES.
32. Vietnamese soup: PHO. Pho is a Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and some sort of meat.
40. Span of epoch proportions?: EON.
41. Frozen dessert brand: EDY'S.
42. NBC show that inspired "30 Rock," for short: SNL. The Saturday Night Live abbreviation is a crossword staple.
43. Dull pain: ACHE.
46. Superhero franchise initials: MCU. As in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
47. Steel girder: I-BEAM.
52. Kissing in the open, for short: PDA. As in Public Display of Affection.
53. Beeper on the road: CAR HORN.
54. Promo in a magazine: PRINT AD.
58. Sci-fi visitors: ETs. As in ExtraTerrestrials.
61. Alumna bio word: NÉE. Today's French lesson.
62. Add to a kitty: ANTE UP.
63. Lo __: noodle dish: MEIN. Lo Mein was part of the theme of last week's puzzle.
64. Take a crack at: TRY.
65. Cook in a basket: STEAM.
66. Annual May auto race, informally: INDY.
Down:
1. "High Hopes" lyricist Sammy: CAHN. Sammy Cahn (né Samuel Cohen; June 18, 1913 ~ Jan. 15, 1993), was a lyricist and songwriter. He is also known for the song, Let it Snow!
2. "Milk's Favorite Cookie" brand: OREO. A crossword staple.
3. Skewed view: BIAS.
4. __ solution: contacts wearer's need: SALINE.
5. Cathedral recess: APSE. Another crossword staple.
6. Sticky tree juice: SAP.
7. Purchase in advance: PRE-PAY.
8. String section instruments: CELLI. Today's Italian lesson. Celli is the Italian plural for Cello.
9. Lion of Narnia: ASLAN. A reference to C.S. Lewis's novels The Chronicles of Narnia.
10. Paul Revere House city: BOSTON. The Paul Revere House is a historic house museum at 19 North Square in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts.
11. Cosmetics giant: L'ORÉAL.
12. Two points, in tennis: THIRTY. Anyone know why tennis has such a weird scoring system?
14. TV soccer analyst Messing: SHEP. Shep Norman Messing (b. Oct. 9, 1949) is an American retired soccer goalkeeper.
 |
| Back in his soccer-playing days. |
17. Swap with: TRADE TO.
21. "Amscray!": SCOOT.
23. High regard: RESPECT.
24. Bit of baloney: FIB.
25. Milne youngling: ROO.
26. Infinity sign's lack: END. There is no beginning, either.
27. Stitched border: HEM.
31. "Jeopardy!" host Jennings: KEN. For years, Ken Jennings (né Kenneth Wayne Jennings, III; b. May 23, 1974) co-hosted a podcast called Omnibus.
32. Be nosy: PRY.
33. Like some Orthodox Jews: HASIDIC. They are not equivalent terms. Hasidic Judaism is a specific 18th-century mystical branch focused on joyful spirituality, distinct clothing, and a hereditary leader called a Rebbe.
35. "For crying out loud!": YEESH!
36. School URL suffix: EDU.
37. Draw upon: USE.
38. Molecule in some vaccines: RNA.
 |
39. Shade tree with serrated leaves: ELM.
43. Regional speech pattern: ACCENT.
44. Meteorite's mark: CRATER.
45. Rocking toy, in baby talk: HORSEY.
46. Very hard to see: MINUTE.
48. Vietnamese sandwich: BÁNH MÌ. It looks like a po-boy.
50. Combo meal drinks: SODAS.
51. Moving line on a weather map: FRONT.
52. Work overseen by a sous-chef: PREP. Today's French lesson. The word sous means under. The sous-chef is second-in-command in the kitchen.
54. Deep purple: PLUM.
55. Adolescent: TEEN.
56. Tart: ACID.
57. Big Apple fashion letters: DKNY. DKNY stands for Donna Karan New York. The fashion company was founded by fashion designer Donna Karan (née Donna Ivy Fake; b. Oct. 2, 1948) in the late 1980s.
60. Arthur of "The Golden Girls": BEA. Did you know that Bea Arthur (née Beatrice Arthur; May 13, 1922 ~ April. 25, 2009) served in the military during World War II? She served in the U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve and worked as a typist, truck driver, and dispatcher.
I Dare You to Complete this Puzzle.
חתולה
Not hard at all, and I saw
ReplyDeleteall the “checks.”
FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteI'm always impressed when the puzzle setter can make matches to both theme words. Today, too. No problems on this one, but I do have a question. Why is there no weather REAR? Thanx, Robin and Hahtoolah. (Appreciate the SO. Loved the "Restaurant in peace.")
Gotta run. Early dental appt this morning.
FIR with no erasure, having waited for pbj/BLT.
ReplyDeleteASPCA isn't the pet rehoming org, your local SPCA is. They are not affiliated. Please consider redirecting any donations you care to make to the local folks. It doesn't have to be money. Our local SPCA is always looking for more towels.
My 112-year-old house was built with PLASTER and lath walls. (Illumination was by gas lights, heat was by coal fireplaces.)
Train HORNs are becoming more popular for our local car drivers that are in a hurry. MUCH louder than the air horns on tractor-trailer rigs.
I come from a long line of Democrats, and can still remember the old (yesterdy's} 45 RPM single with Dinah Shore singing:
High hopes
He's got high hopes
1960's the year for his high hopes
Come on and vote for Kennedy, vote for Kennedy
And we'll come out on top
Oops, there goes the opposition, ker-
Oops, there goes the opposition, ker-
Oops, there goes the opposition, kerplop!
They show soccer on TV? C'mon, you're Messing with me.
So DKNY's founder has a Fake last name? C'mon, you're Messing with me.
Aretha Franklin just asked for a little RESPECT.
Thanks to Robin for the fun. easy-ish puzzle, and to Ha2la for another fine tour.
I thought it was Frank Sinatra who sang High Hopes. Dinah wanted me to see the U.S.A. or to pick some Sweet Violets.
DeleteFrank made the song famous, and he was a big JFK fan. I wouldn't be surprised if he also made a campaign record for JFK, we just didn't have one AFAIK.
DeleteJinx, it was easy to find this by Frank. I looked, but I can't find a Kennedy jingle by Dinah.
DeleteFrank in the movie A Hole in the Head
ReplyDeleteI know Sinatra had a hit with the original song. I also remember (misremember?) him singing the version reworked for the Kennedy campaign.
DeleteFIR. This was a typical Tuesday puzzle. I only had a little trouble in the SE. I didn't know the sandwich and "print ad" just wouldn't come to me. Then the aha moment!
ReplyDeleteI needed the reveal for the theme to appear. How very clever it was.
Overall a very enjoyable puzzle.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t get the theme until Hahtoolah explained it so precisely. A restless night’s sleep and an early rising contributed to my brain fog, but I still should have seen the Double connection. I thought this had some bite for a Tuesday but maybe that notion was caused by brain fog, as well. In any case, I FIR, albeit unaware of the theme.
Thanks, Robin, and thanks , Hahtoolah, for the wonderful and plentiful comics. I had several favorites today, the pun on autocorrect being #1, followed closely by the Cat Cross Fit, the Popped Ear of Corn, MOW’s (Hi, DO), Dog’s Poker Game, the Oreo Penguin, the Media Bias on the fairy tale, the hibernating “Bar”, and Billy the Kid’s horsey. Also loved the Yummers food photos. Thanks for your supreme efforts to entertain us!
Have a great day!
For this puzzle we need to know both Chinese and Vietnamese. PHO and Lo & Chow MEIN are well known but BANH MI is a new one for me. The TEEN made my decision to fill PRINT AD. My regular tennis partner was BACH Pham and I was thinking BACH MI and PRICE AD.
ReplyDeleteHEALTH SPELL, whatever it is, was all perps; no idea on that one.
MCU and SHEP were other unknowns today.
Initials fills today. MCU, SNL, BLT, ASPCA,PDA, ETS, RNA, and 'EDU'. DKNY to get technical.
Like Irish Miss☘️ I missed the theme but unlike her, I don’t have an excuse. The one unknown in this CW was HEALTH SPELL.
ReplyDeleteRobin must have been hungry when constructing this puzzle, it’s loaded with food: BLT, EDYS, PHO, MEIN, OREO, BAHN MI, and food references in the clues: baloney, Apple, tart, and then something to drink: SODAS, and cooking method STEAM.
Youngling is a new word for me. Thank you Hahtoolah for not only an informative review, but lots of great chuckles.
And I forgot the soups chef reference.
ReplyDeleteDarn it, that should be SOUS chef.
DeleteCheck it out! As so often happens, this puzzle was the result of worlds colliding. I was watching the WNBA fit check video while my Elder Spawn was playing DND and happened to cast a health spell. Then, I did a quick search for phrases that end with "check," and voilà!! A puzzle theme was born. Originally, I'd planned to make some puns, but then I found all those phrases that already existed. That seemed like a better set to me, and Patti agreed. She made a few changes, as always, including changing my DND clue to a video game clue, but I think it still works. Surely, more people are familiar with video games than Dungeons & Dragons. Anyway, I never argue with her. She knows her audience.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes, I tend toward food in my puzzles. That's my secret -- I'm always hungry!
Robin, just "CHECK-ing" in to say, good job! ;^)
DeleteThank you, Robin.
ReplyDeleteWe always enjoy it when a constructor comes by to talk about their “process.”
A rare treat!
best blog ever!
ReplyDeleteGreat comics too!!
DeleteAn enjoyable Robin Stears Tuesday offering.
ReplyDeleteIt CHECKED all the correct boxes.
My wite-out had the day off.
I have enjoyed a hearty bowl of Pho on several occasions.
But I have never had a Bahn Mi. That looks delicious. Its on my list now.
Thanks hahtoolah for the fun and informative recap.
Jayce: Thanks for validating yesterday that you also struggled with CC's puzzle in the Atlantic.
ReplyDeleteFIT CHECK: Was anyone here aware of its actual meaning in modern slang?
"A fit check means a quick display, inspection, or evaluation of someone's outfit. The word "fit" is modern slang short for "outfit," and "check" means to show off or look it."
I know diddly squat about Dungeons and Dragons. Thank heavens for perps.
DeleteTook 5:05 today to mess around and get a triple double.
ReplyDeleteWell, actually, I didn't see the theme while solving, but I knew the Actress of the Day (Bea), but not "banhmi", "Cahn", "Shep," or how to keep score in tennis.
I am also one who is impressed with the construction of a puzzle when both words in an answer can follow or precede the same word.
I am also impressed by Hahtoolah's review.
Shep Messing is a very obscure clue. He played soccer over 40 years ago. A better clue is: one of the Three Stooges.
ReplyDeleteExcept for the fact that the Stooge's name is SHEMP - I should know; he's my brother
DeletePuzzling thoughts:
ReplyDeleteIIRC, I finished this in a fairly quick time. I didn't see the "triple double" (thanks, anonymous) until I went back to CHECK my answers; the confirmation (on Across Lite) was the iconic bot "telling me" that I had correctly solved the puzzle
Back when I first began constructing puzzles, Robin was a person I would occasionally run ideas past. She was very candid and helpful. We now occasionally see each other's posts on Facebook. Robin is the queen of mini-puzzles - you should CHECK them out ;^)
Welcome back, again, Susan - the cartoons are always a hoot