Good morning, Cruciverbalists. Malodorous Manatee here with the recap of a puzzle by Sala Wanetick. Today, Sala offers us four themed-answers with a unifier that seems to this solver to be a little bit of a stretch (or, perhaps, I just did not understand the jargon):
62 Across: Discussing business, or a punny description of the answer to each starred clue: TALKING SHOP.
The first word of each two-word answer conjures up the use of language, or if you will, TALKING. The second words are evocative of places (but not really shops). To this blogger, the theme would, perhaps have been "punnier" if TALKING SHOP had been part of the clue and an eleven-letter version of something along the lines of Business Discussion (or Discussing Business) had been the answer. In any event the following are the four establishments where talking is what it is all about.
17 Across: *Place to take an oral exam: LANGUAGE LAB.
24 Across: *Program that hones public speaking skills: DEBATE CAMP.
38 Across: . *Spot for a "Good Hang" recording, say: PODCAST STUDIO. A "good hang" refers to being a pleasant and enjoyable person to be around, especially in social or work situations.
53 Acros: . *Destination after speaking to a bot, perhaps: CALL CENTER.
This is how it all looks in the grid:
Here are the rest of the clues and answers:
Across:
1. One of the Musketeers: ATHOS. The names of the three musketeers are Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. They are joined by the main character, d'Artagnan, who aspires to become a musketeer himself.
6. Midrange choir voice: ALTO. A friend of mine auditioned for The Sopranos...
Unfortunately, she was an ALTO and didn't get the part.
10. Old Prizm maker: GEO. An automobile reference.
1990 - 1992 Geo Prizm
13. Superfluous bits: FRILLS.
15. Bit of bait: WORM.
16. Under the weather: ILL.
The phrase "under the weather" originates from nautical slang, referring to sailors who would go below deck to avoid rough weather and seasickness. It is a shortened form of the term "under the weather bow," which describes the side of a ship facing the storm.
19. Get 10/10 on, say: ACE. Used as a verb.
20. Toronto's province: ONTARIO. Canadian, eh?
21. Condiment drizzled on a taco: CREMA. Not the first taco topping that came to mind.
23. Obama-era legislation, for short: ACA.
28. Béret spot: TETE. Une des leçon des français d'aujourd'hui. A beret (hat) is worn on one's TETE (head).
30. Mined finds: ORES. The dentist said that he could knock me out with gas, or he could use a big metallic rock. I said ether/ORE.
31. Soul singer Redding: OTIS. Perhaps best known for this song:
32. Kind: ILK. Kind, in this case, is not meant as nice or caring. Sort, type, ILK.
34. Basilica recess: APSE.
37. Letters that may end with a bang?: TNT.
42. Track that fills the dance floor: BOP. Track as in a piece of recorded music.
43. Goes green?: DYES. A bit of misdirection. Not a reference to ecology.
44. Notable span: ERA. What ERA is a musician in when he has no money? Baroque.
45. Sad: BLUE. The word "blue" was first used this way by Chaucer in about 1385, in his poem, Complaint of Mars. Washington Irving is credited with having first used the term "the blues" in 1807, as a synonym for sadness
47. Diaper bag item: WIPE.
49. Housekeeping staffer: MAID. I suspect that my maid is stealing money from my drawer, but she won’t admit to it. I just want her to come clean.
56. French article: UNE. Encore une des leçons de français d'aujourd'hui
57. Club hit, perhaps: REMIX. A REMIX, also sometimes called re-orchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph can be remixes. The only necessary characteristic of a remix is that it appropriates and changes other materials to create something new.
58. Breakfast spot: DINETTE.
61. Freight unit: TON.
65. Editorial "Wasn't me!": SIC. SIC is derived from the Latin adverb sīc, meaning "thus" or "so." It first appeared in English around 1856 and is used to indicate that a quoted text is reproduced exactly as it appears in the original, including any errors.
66. End of an ultimatum: ELSE.
67. Angler's exclamation: GOT ONE. A fishing reference.
68. "__ to the Mets": The Strokes song: ODE. We have seen ODE many, many, many times but I do not recall seeing it previously clued this way.
69. Gobsmack: STUN. What do you call two false statements that are so bad they STUN you? - Paralyze
70. Philosopher Kierkegaard: SOREN. Søren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813 - 1855) was a Danish philosopher, Christian theologian, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher.
Down:
1. Above water: AFLOAT.
2. EDM genre with hypnotic melodies: TRANCE. A reference to Electronic Dance Music. Not sure why that was abbreviated in the clue.
3. Drop clues about: HINT AT.
4. Aunt in Pixar's "Elio": OLGA.
Olga Solis
5. Fail to enunciate: SLUR.
6. Feeling when overlooking a grand vista: AWE. Fair enough.
Photo By MM
7. "Hehe": LOL. Laugh Out Loud
8. Plot of land: TRACT.
9. Color technique for hair and nails: OMBRE. Ombré color is a gradual blend of one color hue into another, usually shifting from light to dark (or dark to light).
10. "The Holdovers" actor Paul: GIAMATTI.
11. Classic Chevy: EL CAMINO. Another automobile reference. The El Camino was car-like pickup truck adapted from the standard two-door Chevrolet station wagon platform and it integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body.
1969 El Camino
12. Spanish cheer: OLE. Una de las lecciones de español de hoy.
14. Gave the green light: SAID OKAY.
Red Light . . . Green Light
18. Concert or movie ending: GOER.
22. Mode on some washing machines: ECO. More often a feature of some automobiles.
25. Skedaddles: BEATS IT. We could have gone with Michale Jakson's "Beat It" here but we'll go with the send-up instead.
26. North African cobras: ASPS. Snakes frequently found in crossword puzzles.
27. Vegas winter hrs.: PST. Pacific Standard Time.
29. Ramadan ender: EID. Eid is a festival or feast in Islam that marks the end of a fast or pilgrimage.
33. Rock's __ Soundsystem: LCD. LCDSoundsystem is an American rock band formed in 2002 in Brooklyn, New York. A sample:
35. Self-driving car's task: STEERING. Among other tasks.
36. Italy's cont.: EUR. Continent has been abbreviated in the clue so EURope has been abbreviated in the answer.
38. Photo that might be shaken: POLAROID. Actually, you should not.
39. Champagne lifestyle, e.g.: OPULENCE.
40. Stitched up: SEWN.
41. Beaver-built structure: DAM. I just watched a program about beavers. It was the best DAM program I've ever seen.
42. "The Graham Norton Show" airer: BBC.
Here With John Cleese
46. Stately tree: ELM. How can you tell a dogwood tree from an ELM tree? By the bark.
48. Short spa service?: PEDI. Short for PEDIcure.
50. Name on a byline: AUTHOR.
51. Chant: INTONE. Did anyone here solve the 22 October NYT puzzles where the construtor slipped OM into the middle of the themed answers? As if that wasn't enough of a challenge, the reveal was No Chance which, in this case, was a homonym and had to be sounded as No Chants.
52. Intensify: DEEPEN.
54. Refers to: CITES. What happens when two bibliographies go on a date? Love at first CITE.
55. Put on a pedestal: EXALT.
59. CARE and WWF: NGOS. Non Governmental OrganizationS
60. This, in Spanish: ESTO. Otra de las lecciones de español de hoy.
61. General with a chicken dish: TSO.
63. Tiger Stadium sch.: LSU. Louisiana State University
64. Filmmaker Burns: KEN. Too many credits to list here. But not here: Ken Burns Films
That's all the shop talk for today. I hope everyone has a great Wednesday.
I have decided to take a little time off. And, when I do return, it may not be on every single day, as it has been for the last couple of years. “Every single day” can become a burden, as some of you well know. P.S. I’m not going away forever. I’m just taking a break!
SubG, you will be missed when you’re not here to start our day, but it’ll be a treat when you return for a visit. I wish you well and hope to hear from you soon and often.
That first B in BBC was my final fill. NBC, ABC, and CBC were in contention, but wouldn't work. Managed to get half of the theme -- the first half. Hey, I'm countin' it. Thanx, Sala and Mal-Man. (Very punny today. Paralyse was the best one.)
FIR, but salsa->CREMA, mst-PST, poloroid->POLAROID, and elegance->OPULENCE. I guess poloroid is what you can get from the saddle if you play a horseback game.
Waited for esta/ESTO, and got SOREN only because one of my engineers had that name.
Bob Seger sang "everyone wants to do The Horizontal BOP. Wonder what kind of track is appropriate for that? Maybe some classic Barry White?
Thanks to Sala for the humpday puzzle. Not my favorite midweek offering, but that's because I'm old. And thanks to our MalMan for another very punny review. I liked learing (from the Corner Learing Center) the origins of "under the weather." But if a sailor goes below decks to avoid seasickness, he's missed the boat.
FIR. SubG, your daily comments will be missed. Again today's presentation had more than a little bite to it, and another plethora of arcane proper names. The theme eluded me until I uncovered the reveal. I stared at "language" for a while unable to figure out what three letter word following it was. Overall not an enjoyable puzzle.
At first I thought I’d have to give upon this, then suddenly one correct entry opened the flood gates. Nice theme that came to me with DEBATE CAMP. Unfortunately, I had one letter missing: the B at the crossing between BOP and BBC. The only name i didn’t know was OLGA.
I watched The Holdovers with the wonderful Paul GIAMATTI last month. And last week I watched Memento where the memory deprived character takes POLAROID photos and shakes them each time. Lucky for me.
So all in all, I’m happy to quote Subgenius.
Thank you MM. Nice recap and nice French and Spanish language skills.
I didn't know the aunt in the Pixar movie (Olga), and I barely passed the foreign language test today (tete, esto, and une). I had to guess at the intersection of esto/a and Soren/Saren. I wish that would have been avoided.
Amy Poehler hosts a podcast called, "Good Hang with Amy Poehler." I hear it's popular and funny, but haven't tried it yet.
We will miss you starting us off every morning in the pole position, SubG. I hope all is well and that you return - quickly and often.
Okay, let me modify what I said earlier. Rather than take a specific amount of time off, I’m just going to be more “sporadic,” (or “haphazard). I’m resolved to skip Saturday crossword puzzles, for instance. To me, they’re just an exercise in frustration and futility, most of the time. And from there, we’ll just have to see, won’t we?
Enjoy the free time SubG, everyone eventually takes time off for various reasons. Those of us who have been around for most of the 18 years of this blog, it would be nice to hear some check ins from all those who have commented. We (I) worry about you. ECO on your dryer? I didn't recall that movie but PAUL GIAMATTI was easy. Thank you Sala and MM.
Musings -I only had to correct EST_/S_REN. Haste makes waste. -Yes, Good Hang was capitalized, so it was referring to this podcast -We are going to install a walk-in shower and are debating what is necessary or just FRILLS -I don’t think I have ever put a dairy product on a taco and so I went with SALSA. OMBRE was no help either. -Some wedding dance DJ’s seem intent on playing what they like and not worry about people not dancing. Then they start with something like Devil With The Blue Dress On and things get busy -When I had kids in Disney hotels, I always told them to leave a dollar per person for the MAIDS every day -Don’t HINT, I can be kinda slow “on the uptake”. -I miss being a movie-GOER -Nice job, MM
Sorry, but this theme failed to interest or excite me one iota. IMO, its difficulty level was above a typical Wednesday and there were too many niche C/As. I realize that I and many other older solvers are hampered by our lack of knowledge of current pop culture references, not to mention computer/electronic/digital lingo, but I think a solver-friendly constructor recognizes these weaknesses and limits such references. Unfortunately, again, IMO, there are too few solver-friendly authors. I got my FIR w/o help but also w/o any enjoyment or satisfaction.
Thanks, MalMan, for a great write up and especially for the numerous puns which brightened my mood considerably.
Easy midweek but like our Malman a bit confused by the theme
Invokers: HBO/BBC, ail/ILL, hit,hot/BOP
Maybe a less convoluted clue (EDM genre/melodies ) for TRANCE … “Good Hang” PODCAST? “Rock’s LID? Didn’t know CREMA which is also the silky froth on top of my espresso. Sign of a good “pull”
Almost put PEDo 🫣. ONTARIO (like our nearby lake 😉). “Shaken” POLAROID likely refers to drying the instant film right out of the camera. I remember there was a waxy stick you had to run over the photo as well otherwise it would degrade. ESTa or ESTO : “No sé”
Malman: I set my CITES on your homophones, fav was: “ether/ORE” but all were hilaaaarious 😄
Today’s puzzle bolsters my stance (and I know I’m mostly alone in this) that not every puzzle needs a theme. The clever ones are too few and far between.
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ReplyDeleteDear friends,
I have decided to take a little time off.
And, when I do return, it may not be on every single day, as it has been for the last couple of years.
“Every single day” can become a burden, as some of you well know.
P.S. I’m not going away forever. I’m just taking a break!
Your friend,
SubG
I'll miss your fresh start to the day. But I get it.
DeleteTake care. Stop by when you can.
DeleteSubG, you will be missed when you’re not here to start our day, but it’ll be a treat when you return for a visit. I wish you well and hope to hear from you soon and often.
DeleteHi there~!
ReplyDeleteWell done, MM - all I can say is, "bah-dum-tiss."
More than once.
Splynter
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteThat first B in BBC was my final fill. NBC, ABC, and CBC were in contention, but wouldn't work. Managed to get half of the theme -- the first half. Hey, I'm countin' it. Thanx, Sala and Mal-Man. (Very punny today. Paralyse was the best one.)
FIR, but salsa->CREMA, mst-PST, poloroid->POLAROID, and elegance->OPULENCE. I guess poloroid is what you can get from the saddle if you play a horseback game.
ReplyDeleteWaited for esta/ESTO, and got SOREN only because one of my engineers had that name.
Bob Seger sang "everyone wants to do The Horizontal BOP. Wonder what kind of track is appropriate for that? Maybe some classic Barry White?
Thanks to Sala for the humpday puzzle. Not my favorite midweek offering, but that's because I'm old. And thanks to our MalMan for another very punny review. I liked learing (from the Corner Learing Center) the origins of "under the weather." But if a sailor goes below decks to avoid seasickness, he's missed the boat.
Well as usual, I didn't catch the talking shop until the end. I noticed the shops but not the language.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a tougher than usual easy peasy Wednesday. OMBRE, OLGA,LCD, TRANCE took perps and guesses
Two GM brands today ,PRIZM and EL CAMINO.
We have a dinette and a dining room, and I don't know why. We just sit at the bar to eat every night.
FIR. SubG, your daily comments will be missed.
ReplyDeleteAgain today's presentation had more than a little bite to it, and another plethora of arcane proper names.
The theme eluded me until I uncovered the reveal. I stared at "language" for a while unable to figure out what three letter word following it was.
Overall not an enjoyable puzzle.
At first I thought I’d have to give upon this, then suddenly one correct entry opened the flood gates. Nice theme that came to me with DEBATE CAMP. Unfortunately, I had one letter missing: the B at the crossing between BOP and BBC. The only name i didn’t know was OLGA.
ReplyDeleteI watched The Holdovers with the wonderful Paul GIAMATTI last month. And last week I watched Memento where the memory deprived character takes POLAROID photos and shakes them each time. Lucky for me.
So all in all, I’m happy to quote Subgenius.
Thank you MM. Nice recap and nice French and Spanish language skills.
Enjoyed “The Holdovers” but “Memento”
DeleteIs a must see mind bending inventive thriller.
Not upon but upon.
ReplyDeleteI can’t believe this autocorrect. It’s up on.
ReplyDeleteTook 7:54 today to get the voices to stop.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know the aunt in the Pixar movie (Olga), and I barely passed the foreign language test today (tete, esto, and une). I had to guess at the intersection of esto/a and Soren/Saren. I wish that would have been avoided.
Amy Poehler hosts a podcast called, "Good Hang with Amy Poehler." I hear it's popular and funny, but haven't tried it yet.
We will miss you starting us off every morning in the pole position, SubG. I hope all is well and that you return - quickly and often.
FIW with one error on philosopher crossed with a spanish word. A lot of guessing and white out for me. At least i finished it.
ReplyDeleteOkay, let me modify
ReplyDeletewhat I said earlier.
Rather than take a specific amount of time off, I’m just going to be more “sporadic,”
(or “haphazard).
I’m resolved to skip Saturday crossword puzzles, for instance.
To me, they’re just an exercise in frustration and futility, most of the time.
And from there, we’ll just have to see, won’t we?
Enjoy the free time SubG, everyone eventually takes time off for various reasons. Those of us who have been around for most of the 18 years of this blog, it would be nice to hear some check ins from all those who have commented. We (I) worry about you. ECO on your dryer? I didn't recall that movie but PAUL GIAMATTI was easy. Thank you Sala and MM.
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-I only had to correct EST_/S_REN. Haste makes waste.
-Yes, Good Hang was capitalized, so it was referring to this podcast
-We are going to install a walk-in shower and are debating what is necessary or just FRILLS
-I don’t think I have ever put a dairy product on a taco and so I went with SALSA. OMBRE was no help either.
-Some wedding dance DJ’s seem intent on playing what they like and not worry about people not dancing. Then they start with something like Devil With The Blue Dress On and things get busy
-When I had kids in Disney hotels, I always told them to leave a dollar per person for the MAIDS every day
-Don’t HINT, I can be kinda slow “on the uptake”.
-I miss being a movie-GOER
-Nice job, MM
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteSorry, but this theme failed to interest or excite me one iota. IMO, its difficulty level was above a typical Wednesday and there were too many niche C/As. I realize that I and many other older solvers are hampered by our lack of knowledge of current pop culture references, not to mention computer/electronic/digital lingo, but I think a solver-friendly constructor recognizes these weaknesses and limits such references. Unfortunately, again, IMO, there are too few solver-friendly authors. I got my FIR w/o help but also w/o any enjoyment or satisfaction.
Thanks, MalMan, for a great write up and especially for the numerous puns which brightened my mood considerably.
Have a great day.
SubG, I completely understand and have been going through a similar reallocation of time over the past year or so.
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone for your kind comments.
Easy midweek but like our Malman a bit confused by the theme
ReplyDeleteInvokers: HBO/BBC, ail/ILL, hit,hot/BOP
Maybe a less convoluted clue (EDM genre/melodies ) for TRANCE
… “Good Hang” PODCAST? “Rock’s LID? Didn’t know CREMA which is also the silky froth on top of my espresso. Sign of a good “pull”
The two Musketeers
Almost put PEDo 🫣. ONTARIO (like our nearby lake 😉). “Shaken” POLAROID likely refers to drying the instant film right out of the camera. I remember there was a waxy stick you had to run over the photo as well otherwise it would degrade. ESTa or ESTO : “No sé”
Malman: I set my CITES on your homophones, fav was: “ether/ORE” but all were hilaaaarious 😄
Happy Humpday to all
Today’s puzzle bolsters my stance (and I know I’m mostly alone in this) that not every puzzle needs a theme.
ReplyDeleteThe clever ones are too few and far between.