Theme: PaJama party.
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| Eating Peach Jam, wearing Pearl Jewelry, and writing in a Poetry Journal |
Kyle Dolan regularly constructs themeless Saturday puzzles for the LA Times. What a surprise and delight to encounter his work on a Monday! Kyle holds a Ph.D. in Biochemisty and Molecular Biology from the University of Chicago, and is employed as Head of Science & Innovation at British Consulate-General Chicago. I thought it might be interesting to look at the site where he posts cryptic crosswords -- beneaththesurfacepuzzles.blogspot.com -- and tried my hand at one. I had absolutely no idea what was happening, even when I read the solution. Happily, today's puzzle was a Pleasant Jaunt.
The theme clues and answers are:
17-Across. Liquid that can relieve muscle cramps: PICKLE JUICE. News to me, but according to research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, a few sips of pickle juice at the onset of cramps is effective in reducing the severity of those cramps within a minute or so.
27-Across. Filling a friend's car with balloons, e.g.: PRACTICAL JOKE. That would be a surprise -- and annoyance! Have you ever had to drive with balloons in the car? It isn't easy, or safe.
43-Across. Reward or punishment that may be ironic: POETIC JUSTICE. Virtue is rewarded and vice is punished through a twist of fate that echoes the initial behavior.
58-Across. Cozy garb in some family photos, or what can be found in 17-, 27-, and 43-Across?: MATCHING PJS. This is the big reveal -- the answers to 17-, 27-, and 43-Across are words beginning with P and J, as further illustrated by the family photo at the top of this blog.
Please Join me as we review the rest of the clues and answers!
Across:1. Tenant farmers of the early Middle Ages: SERFS. Serfs who occupied a plot of land were required to work for the lord that owned that land, in return for protection and the right to cultivate some portion of the land for their own subsistence. They were not allowed to leave without their lord's permission.
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| Medieval serfs working for the man |
6. "Who's there?" response: IT'S ME.
11. Contingencies: IFS.
14. Bird-related: AVIAN.
15. "Unbelievable!": NO WAY.
16. Spanish cheer: OLÉ.
17. [Theme clue]
19. Minuscule: WEE. Ach! This wee bit of vocabulary makes me miss our guide to Scotland. His English was beautifully accented, and when he met Scottish friends along the way, their brief conversations were completely unintelligible to me.
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| DH with our amazing guide to Scotland |
20. __ gin fizz: SLOE. Sloe gin is an English liqueur made with gin and blackthorn fruits (sloes). A sloe gin fizz is made with sloe gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and club soda. I neglected to try one while in England -- but I did enjoy Cotswolds Dry Gin during our time in that region.
21. Long-lasting hairdo: PERM. A perm, or permanent wave, is a chemical treatment that leaves hair curly for several months.
22. Offering little comfort: BLEAK.
24. "__ is not a drill!": THIS.
26. Bassinet occupant: BABY. A portable bed for newborns.
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| Our grandbaby started off in this new style of bassinet, open to the parents' bed for ease of access. |
27. [Theme clue]
32. Flats or heels: SHOES. The more you know, the lower you go.
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| High heels are bad for you. |
34. Go on an ocean voyage: SAIL.
35. Dubai's fed.: UAE. Dubai is the largest city in the federal monarchy called the United Arab Emirates.
36. Doily fabric: LACE.
37. Attention-grabbing feat: STUNT.
39. Opinion survey: POLL.
40. Variety: ILK.
41. Cameron who voices Fiona in the "Shrek" franchise: DIAZ. Lovely actress, charming films.
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| The actress and the ogress |
42. Diminishes: WANES.
43. [Theme clue]
47. Chitchat: TALK.
48. Pig sound: OINK.
49. Perch for a pigeon: LEDGE. The pigeons that perch on ledges in cities are feral descendants of domestic pigeons, which were treasured for centuries as pets, as messengers, and as food. Domestic pigeons were bred for various characteristics, much like dogs; their ancestor is the rock dove. True wild rock doves survive on remote coastal cliffs and islands along the north and west shores of Scotland and Ireland, unmixed with their urban cousins.
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| Highly recommend this little book. |
51. Chicken sound: BAWK. Chickens replaced pigeons as a food source in human culture.
53. Alan of "M*A*S*H": ALDA. Alan Alda has appeared on stage and screen over seven decades, but is best known for playing "Hawkeye" Pierce in the CBS Korean war sitcom M*A*S*H (1972–1983). Alda wrote and directed many of the episodes.
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| Alan Alda in M*A*S*H |
57. "Of course, mon ami!": OUI. French "yes."
58. [Theme clue]
61. Victoria's Secret garment: BRA.
62. Tierney of "The Affair": MAURA. You might recognize Maura Tierney from any of a long list of film and TV roles, most notably Lisa Miller on the sitcom NewsRadio (1995–1999), Abby Lockhart on the medical drama ER (1999–2009), and Helen Solloway on the mystery drama The Affair (2014–2019). I caught that last one; it told the story of an extramarital affair from the viewpoints of the man and woman involved, as well as their spouses.
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| Dominic West as the cheater and Maura Tierney as the cheatee in The Affair. |
63. Sire: BEGET. To beget is to father a child. The King James version of the Bible is full of the past tense, "begat," in lists of ancestors. Here's an excerpt from Genesis 5:
25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech.26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed.30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
64. Pine-__: cleaning brand: SOL. Has not been on my radar for years. Plenty of it advertised online, though.
65. Liability's opposite: ASSET.
66. South American barbecue: ASADO. Asado is a South American barbecue technique that involves cooking meat over an open fire or grill.
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| If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. |
Down:
1. Ones easily duped: SAPS.
2. Malicious: EVIL.
3. Puerto __: RICO.
4. Greenery that doesn't need water: FAKE TREE.
5. Lorne Michaels' long-running NBC show, for short: SNL. Saturday Night Live.
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| Lorne Michaels, Mike Myers, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Hanks, and Dana Carvey on the set of “Saturday Night Live” in 1992. |
6. Just for laughs: IN JEST.
7. Sightseer's booking: TOUR.
8. Move like a fish: SWIM.
9. Big __: fast-food classic: MAC. Big Mac, medium fries, and medium Coca-Cola: 1170 calories. For most folks, that leaves about 1,000 calories to consume the rest of the day. Enjoy!
10. Give a very close look: EYEBALL.
11. "Thanks so much!": I OWE YOU ONE.
12. Pest on a pet: FLEA.
13. Hide-and-__: SEEK.
18. Large-scale tale: EPIC.
23. Pres. between JFK and RMN: LBJ. John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard M. Nixon.
25. Gives birth to: HAS. Sure, the guy begets, but who HAS the baby, suffering all the pain and danger of childbirth, feeds, clothes, and raises that child? Let's hear it for the mothers whose names are omitted from Biblical genealogies.
26. Worm on a hook, say: BAIT.
27. Call unwittingly: POCKET DIAL. I hear "butt dial" more often.
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| Cartoonist unknown. |
28. Japanese truckmaker: ISUZU.
29. Tuna container: CAN.
30. Leafy vegetable in a green smoothie: KALE.
31. Morays, e.g.: EELS.
32. Try and fail to walk on ice: SLIP.
33. Saintly ring: HALO.
37. Unable to go to school, maybe: SICK.
38. __ Mahal: TAJ. On the bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, India, the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, built the marble Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal; Shah Jahan is also interred there. Construction took place from 1631 to 1648. The Taj Mahal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
29. Tuna container: CAN.
30. Leafy vegetable in a green smoothie: KALE.
31. Morays, e.g.: EELS.
32. Try and fail to walk on ice: SLIP.
33. Saintly ring: HALO.
37. Unable to go to school, maybe: SICK.
38. __ Mahal: TAJ. On the bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, India, the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, built the marble Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal; Shah Jahan is also interred there. Construction took place from 1631 to 1648. The Taj Mahal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
.jpeg) |
| The Taj Mahal |
39. Amazon deliveries: PACKAGES.
41. Tough decision: DILEMMA.
42. Come in first: WIN.
44. Playground game: TAG.
45. "Your point being?": SO WHAT.
46. Polynesian carving: TIKI. In the Māori mythology of New Zealand, Tiki was the first man. Varying traditions are found throughout Polynesia. Carvings represent this first man and other deified ancestors.
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| Māori man decorating a carved wooden tiki. |
49. Arcing tennis shots: LOBS.
50. Currency in 21 countries: EURO. On our recent trip, we used pounds sterling in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, and switched to euros in the Republic of Ireland.
51. Air conditioning figs.: BTUS. A BTU (British Thermal Unit) measures how much energy your cooling unit uses to remove heat from a room in one hour. One BTU is the amount of heat required to lower or raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. A higher BTU rating means the AC can cool the room to your desired temperature more quickly.
52. Land parcel: ACRE.
54. Links org.: LPGA. Ladies Professional Golf Association. A "links" is a traditional golf course, characterized by an undulating surface and sandy soil that supports the growth of grasses.
55. Provided music for a party: DJed. Acted as a "disc jockey," skillfully controlling the playing of vinyl records or other recorded music.
56. On the topic of: AS TO.
59. Batteries for some noisy toys: AAs. No battery operated toys at my house! If you want noise, you have to beat on the drum, shake the tamborine, or strike the xylophone.
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| Battery operated toys do the playing for you. |
60. Clippers' org.: NBA. National Basketball Association. The Clippers play for Los Angeles, as do the Lakers. New York also has two NBA teams.
Here's the grid:
Dear Solvers,
I hope you've enjoyed this little TOUR of today's puzzle.
If you SEEK further explanations, TALK to others in the comments section! Go out on a LEDGE!
-- NaomiZ
Seemed to have a
ReplyDeletelittle more “bite” than the standard Monday puzzle (“Bawk,” anyone?) but maybe that’s just me.
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteD-o noticed all the J's, but didn't notice the P's until the reveal. Yay. D-o also noticed the reveal. J is a tough letter to fit into a theme. There just aren't many choices for the perps. Back in the '80s our survey team spent a couple of weeks aboard an offshore oil rig near Bombay (now Mumbai). The crew was primarily Scottish and local hire. The locals spoke perfect English, but I struggled to understand a single word the Scotsmen said. Thanx, for a nice Monday romp, Kyle, and for your upbeat tour, NaomiZ.
FIR, but asada->ASADO.
ReplyDeletePine SOL is one ingredient in my homemade RV holding tank treatment, the other being Calgon. Works as well as the commercial brands, but if I'm storing it for a while I'll switch to an enzyme-based product.
I can recite the presidents from FDR to the present. My only memory of DDE was that my dad, a hard-core Democrat, opined that he was a great president because the majority of his time was spent playing golf, leaving little time to mess things up.
This weekend was a bad day for Amazon deliveries. On Saturday I was leaving my sticks-and-bricks house when a PACKAGE arrived. It was supposed to be a stainless steel switch cover plate, but the sealed envelope was empty. The delivery driver witnessed it. Then yesterday, the PACKAGE containing two parts I need to complete the kitchen sink faucet installation in my RV was delayed until today. Normally not a big deal, but I'm washing dishes in my bedroom sink.
The Clippers may as well join the National Barbers Association (NBA), 'cause they aren't very good at basketball.
Thanks to Kyle for the enjoyable start to the work week, and to NaomiZ for guiding the tour.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThe PJ theme was evident almost immediately but the reveal was a nice surprise. Ï’m not sold on Bawk and Fake Tree seems too green-paint-ish to me. Other than those two nits, the cluing and fill were Monday friendly with helpful perps where needed. Overall, a pleasant start to the week.
Thanks, Kyle, and thanks, Naomi, for enlightening us about serfs, pigeons, and A/Cs, and all those Begets! Your detailed descriptions are always filled with learning moments that are appreciated by this solver.
Have a great day.
FIR. There was just a tiny tad of crunch in today's presentation. The crunch seemed to get worse towards the bottom of the grid.
ReplyDeleteI will say that using so many "j" s in the answers was pretty clever. However the theme became fairly obvious.
Overall a doable puzzle but just so-so.
I was surprised to see Kyle Dolan’s name. I associate that name with difficult puzzles. Nice surprise that he created a smooth, simple Monday-ish CW. THE PJ theme appeared quickly with a fun reveal.
ReplyDeleteMy only unknown was MAURA and that weird BAWK, though I can imagine a chicken saying that.
Thank you for the nice TOUR NaomiZ. I had the same language experience you did in Scotland. 🤣
Musings
ReplyDelete-After blogging 26 of Kyle’s oh so clever Saturday puzzles, I was curious how a Monday entry might work. It was fun and I only wondered how he would use PJ in the reveal.
-PRACTICAL JOKE: TP-ing athlete’s and coach’s’ houses for homecoming is amusing for a while and then it has to be cleaned up.
-POETIC JUSTICE: When a defender stands over a receiver crowing about how he knocked down his pass and then the defender gives up a touchdown to the same guy soon after.
-I don’t think the grammar police will come after you if you say IT’S ME and not IT IS I.
-A Big Mac in 1968 was $.49. Today it is $5.29.
-Nice job, Naomi!
Fun puzzle today. Only white out was when I filled in Laura, and realized it had to have an M, not an L. My wife discovered pickle juice for foot cramps about a year ago and it really does work. You can find it in the sports drink aisle at the grocery store, and a smallish container cost about $2.30. Of course, a cheaper way to get the juice is just buy a big jar of pickles instead. As always, thank you for the great write up for the puzzle answers.
ReplyDelete“The Pajama Game”
ReplyDeleteThe rapid rate of Monday fill (and for most puzzles) usually WANES to varying degrees as I progress North to South. Not today, continuous non stop top to bottom filling. ASTO the theme I found the PJ’s in each answer. Thought there might be something else to the theme but nope
PICKLE JUICE. Assumed a snake oil type remedy but Dr Google says the acetic acid (vinegar) in the brine stimulates sensory receptors in the back of the throat and mouth. This neural reflex sends a signal down the spinal cord that quiets overexcited alpha motor neurons and causes the cramping muscle to relax .
SERFS from Latin/Italian “Servi” slaves or servants.
I balk at BAWK 🐓
The only “Tierny” actress I know of is Gene.
Otherwise not much else to say.
Expecting a cloudy gloomy wet week in Central NYS.
I agree w/ KS@8:39: I was flying through this CW until near the bottom. Overall, though, a terrific Monday level CW except BAWK. FIR in 9, no W/Os. 10 names, DNK 1.
ReplyDeleteThanx KD, fun CW. I didn't notice the PJ theme until the reveal.
Thanx too to NaomiZ for the fine write-up. I especially liked your comments and illustration re high-heeled shoes: they are truly terrible for feet, legs, hip, even spine. You are also correct about balloons in a car. Just one helium balloon can be a real pain. If you intend to buy one, bring along a weight to tie it to leaving a short string.
Marvelous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Kyle and NaomiZ.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed in very good time and saw the PJ theme with the second themer.
(I smiled that we had DJED also.)
MATCHING PJS. In family Christmas photos and FAKE Christmas TREEs were not appropriate to the season, as Canadians are celebrating Thanksgiving today.
No inkblots, as any unknowns like ISUZU and MAURA perped.
We were a Q and an X short of a pangram today.
We had a pigeon on a LEDGE, plus sounds of a pig (OINK) and chicken (BAWK). Yes, I immediately thought of Cluck, but it was too long. Chickens laying eggs really do make a long BAWK sound, following by four short BAWK sounds.
Even this Canadian knew that LBJ followed JFK. Who can forget that swearing in aboard the Air Force One!
Wishing you all a great day.
Wees!
ReplyDeleteBut I have to add, one picture is worth a thousand words, and your opening picture doubles that! I must ask, how did your thought process come up with such a perfect visualization of this puzzle? (Mine are pure serendipity...) if they handed out awards for best write up, you would have my vote based on that pic alone!
Oh, one other thing. Balloons in the car = practical joke? (Lame, very lame...)
Where I come from, (Brooklyn at one time,) a practical joke would be fill the car with regular air filled balloons, strap the victim in the drivers seat, lock the doors, and then throw a cat in thru the moon roof...
Hi, CE:D! Thanks for commenting on the image of folks in matching PJs, eating Peach Jam, wearing Pearl Jewelry, and writing in a Poetry Journal! I described the image I wanted in some detail to ChatGPT, and the result is what you see. I'm not a fan of sharing personal information with AI systems, but the occasional on-point illustration seems like a good use.
DeleteTook 3:30 today to unclog the printer jam.
ReplyDeleteI knew the Actresses of the Day (Maura & Diaz), the Actor of the Day (Alda), and even the French lesson (oui). It took a while to figure out the chicken lesson though.
"Slip", "lace," and "bra" were leading me to think there was a different theme afoot.
Pretty much a top to bottom solve, a lot of the verts filled by the acrosses so I didn’t even know of many down clues or fill till I read the recap. Unknowns for me were MAURA and ASADO (of course I thought asada). FIR in a few ticks over 8. Saw the P-J theme upon getting the second one down. I didn’t know chickens BAWKed,? I thought they clucked. Thank you Kyle for the enjoyable Monday solve, I would say the majority of CWs contain no letter J and you managed to slip in 4, nice work. Thanks also to Naomi for your well written follow up, very detailed! I can understand your difficulty in understanding the Scottish dialect, DW and I took a guided tour of the City Chambers in Glasgow, beautiful historic building, I never understood a word the woman tour guide said. I also like your ChatGPT image, there is another AI generator called Muse, can do some pretty amazing things to photos you submit.
ReplyDeleteHappy Canadian Thanksgiving to our resident pharmacist 🇨🇦, and to any other Canadians who follow this blog!