Theme: Southbound.
The reveal:
11 Down. Following the path of a snowbird, perhaps, or what the answers to the starred clues are, in two ways: SOUTHBOUND.
Obligatory musical interlude...
CrossEyedDave here, I found the puzzle fairly simple, with one speed bump. (See 38 across). But having this visual impediment (I.E.: Mentally CrossEyed...) I find I have great difficulty in visualizing vertical crossword answers. So, when the reveal stated, Southbound "in two ways," I was very much relieved to think, "oh, that's easy! the theme answers are vertical, starting at the top, and heading South!" But when it came time to explain the second way they were Southbound, I was completely dumbfounded... yes I could see they all started with S, and ended with TH, but there wasn't a complete, or even repeating partial southbound anywhere... so eventually, I texted my family, thinking, one of the four must see what's going on here.
This was their response...
So in desperation, I texted CC for help. She responded with, "In the 4 Down slots, SOUTH bookends each theme entry. so they are bound by SOUTH. This is also a 16x15 grid, so it has 81 words." Well, I would have seen the grid size eventually, and even the 17 three letter words. But I still think horizontally, and bookends surround books in a shelf, so I went looking in the wrong direction,
Text #2: um, I still don't get it..,
So here is the explanation, direct from C.C. herself:
"The middle one has 16 letters, that's why this grid is a 16x15 grid. Each theme entry has S*OUTH or SOU*TH pattern. So each theme entry is bound by SOUTH. And the theme entries are placed in the down slots for visual effects."
4 Down. *Manhattan Ingredient. SWEET VERMOUTH.
7 Down. *Personal asset during a crisis: SOURCE OF STRENGTH.
23 Down. *"Zip it!": SHUT YOUR MOUTH.
36 Down. *Recording studio space: SOUND BOOTH.
Personally, I think it was that there were no continuous or repeating SOUTHs that made it invisible to me. And I am hoping that I am not the only one that had so much trouble as I did in visualizing this.
So, to borrow from 56 down, and sum this up, SOUTH bounds (or bookends) each theme answer by (one) S*OUTH, or (two) SOU*TH.
But hey, wait a sec,, if you include my original guess being vertically read in its entirety from top to bottom as being read southbound, WOULDN'T THAT BE THREE WAYS???
Oh well, onward! (Or should I say Southbound....)
1. Draconian: HARSH. (Sorry, nothing funny about this...)
6. Yoga pose: ASANA.
Who, me?
14. Gawking, perhaps: IN AWE.
12 minutes of this, but very funny Sulu bit near end.
15. Spy's assumed identity: COVER.
16. Bozo: OAF.
17. New York City's "Crossroads of the World": TIMES SQUARE.
Having lived in NYC, I would avoid this like the plague.
19. G7 member: USA.
20. "Gotcha": I SEE.
21. Belonging to us: OUR.
22. With less delay: FASTER. When one of my Daughters was in Grammer School, some one got the bright idea to put in speed bumps all through the pick up area. Well meaning, but not thought thru. They were 2 inch by 2 inch strips, hard plastic. So I told the Principal they were incredibly uncomfortable to crawl over, but no problem of you drive really fast... (they were gone the next day.) kind of redundant since the pick up area was a square of 90 degree turns.
24. Camping shelter: TENT.
27. Sibilant "Zip it!": SHH.
28. Most expansive: VASTEST.
6 hours of aerial panoramas for your viewing pleasure.
31. Ultra-: UBER.Ubers who pimped their rides...
34. "Booped" body parts: NOSES. Normally, I would post a cute "Dog" video here. But things have a habit of winding up backwards... I am reminded of the (irreverent) movie Dogma, where God, (played by Alanis Morrisette) when asked "why are we here," simply "boops" the questioner on the nose.
It has an all star cast!
The entire movie is now available on YouTube, free with Ads.
Do not watch if you don't want to be "booped."
38. Zipped along: TORE. I automatically inked "sped" before erasing it for "tore." (My speed bump.) Crosswordese #3,141 - you will not trip me up again... (wait, is that Pi? Ack! It goes on forever!)
39. Unprincipled: AMORAL.
41. Sworn enemy: FOE.
42. Glamping shelter: YURT. I have followed Girl in the Woods for about ten years now. If you don't know what to cook in the woods, check out her month long cook in the woods challenge, where she went out every day in February, and showed how to cook a different meal every day! 28 days, 28 meals!
Of course, with age, sleeping in a makeshift wooden shelter with your dog can get a little tiresome...
43. "The Wizard of Oz" creator: BAUM. L. Frank Baum
44. Meditation sounds: OMS. Why Om, and not some other sound...
46. With less delay: SOONER.
48. Cry of dismay: OH NO.
49. Solemn vow: OATH.
51. Red in the face: RUDDY.
52. Singer Erykah known as the "Queen of Neo-Soul": BADU. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Follow this link for more info...
53. Seattle MLB player: MARINER. Major League Baseball.
55. "Mic Drop" K-pop band: BTS. Learning experience: What BTS stands for...
57. Ultra-: MEGA.
58. Office dispatch: MEMO.
65. British medical sys.: NHS. National Health Service.
66. Patron saint of Norway: OLAV. Believe it or not, both Olaf, and Olav are acceptable spellings.
67. "The Bear" Emmy winner Edebiri: AYO.
You may know her as "this character..."
68. Engineer from a Cambridge sch., e.g.: MIT GRADUATE. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
71. Airport arrival: JET.
The First One?
72. Come together: UNITE.
73. See 11-Across: OTTER.
74. Barbecue residue: ASH.
75. Long and winding roads, e.g.: PATHS.
76. Trunk: CHEST.
Down:
1. "Let's rock!": HIT IT.
2. Carrot family plant: ANISE.
3. Instant noodles option: RAMEN.
4. [theme]
5. Chaps: HE'S.
6. Finds not guilty: ACQUITS.
7. [Theme.]
8. "Selma" director DuVernay: AVA. More info here...
9. Brand of spongy toys: NERF.
10. Spaces: AREAS. Meh?
11. [Theme Reveal]
12. Slide (into): EASE.
13. Way out there: AFAR.
18. Family boys: SONS.
23. [Theme]
26. Petro-Canada rival: ESSO.
29. Quick __ wink: AS A.
30. Small digits: TOES. (Not ones...)
32. Made a mistake: ERRED.
33. Second attempt: RETRY.
34. Big shot: NABOB. One definition:
Another definition...
35. Nebraska home of the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium: OMAHA.
36. [Theme]
40. Weaving machine: LOOM.
45. Title of respect: MA'AM. (If you want to use respect, you must include the apostrophe.)
47. Metal-bearing material: ORE.
50. Like some screens, for short: HIGH RES. (high Resolution.)
54. Mars rover org.: NASA.
56. Provide an overview: SUM UP.
59. Exhilarate: ELATE.
Elate = you missed your Zoom meeting...
61. For all to see: OVERT.
62. __ Fresh: Tex-Mex chain: BAJA.
63. Marbled loaves: RYES.
Catcher in the Rye?
64. Actress Lollobrigida: GINA. Images:
69. __ for tat: TIT.
70. "What's up, __?": DOC.
Bugs Bunny Southbound...
The 15x16 Grid
It took a good little
ReplyDeletewhile for me to solve this puzzle, but after I finished it, I looked back and saw that most of the clues, including the themed ones, were not that hard to get.
So I guess I would say it was a combination of hard and easy.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteGot 'er done, and in good time, too. Yay. SOONER reminded me of the folks who jumped the gun in the Oklahoma land rush. I was thinking Britain with "Cambridge" in the clue. Nope. Thanx, Robbie and CE:D.
FIR, but had to overlay twurds twice: agape->IN AWE, alas->OH NO.
ReplyDeleteIn Isaac Hayes' Theme From Shaft, the background singers say SHUT YOUR MOUTH:
"They say this cat Shaft is a bad mother
(SHUT YOUR MOUTH)
But I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft
(Then we can dig it)"
Nothing wrong with PATHS, but "long and winding roads, e.g." has to be among the worst clues I've seen. I understand the urge to crowbar in a Beatles reference, as well as the need to appear clever, but I was still less than gruntled on this one.
Otherwise, thanks to Robbie for the fun humpday challenge. And thanks to CED for another solid review. But most of all, thanks to all veterans for your service to our country.
How many OU words and sounds (ooh, ow, or) can you fit in a puzzle with the Allman Brothers singing "SOUTH BOUND". SOUND BOOTH next to and rhyming with SWEET VERMOUTH (never had a Manhattan).
ReplyDeleteI did notice SHH crossing SHUT YOUR MOUTH (for those who can't take a hint)
Those BRO HUGs are so phony.
AYO & BADU- perps for those girls.
TIMES SQUARE-" crossroads of the world". People seem to forget how derelict, seedy, and dangerous it was in the 80s and early 90s before Disney moved in and Giuliani cleaned it up.
Did the constructor graduate from Oklahoma University and throw in SOONER with all the OU combinations today? To SUM UP the puzzle for this RUDDY non-MIT GRADUATE, it was easy-peasy Wednesday.
I thought it was a tough Wednesday. I ended up finishing it wrong. Couldn’t decide if it was Naboo or Nabob, and chose naboo. Didn’t have a clue who the queen of Neo-soul was. I also couldn’t remember the director, whether it was Ana or Avi, and chose the wrong thing there. Might have noticed if I’d gone back and checked my across answers. I was just happy that I finished it, because I really had the feeling I wouldn’t. I also thought the south just referred to the directions of the starred clues, and didn't notice that they spelled south too. Thank you for the write up, always appreciated.
ReplyDeleteFIR. There was a little bit of crunch to today's puzzle. I didn't much like the crossing of Baja and Ayo, but there didn't seem to be any alternative answer.
ReplyDeleteThe theme eluded me completely. I saw the "th" endings in the long answers but failed to follow the "south" concept.
Overall an OK puzzle.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteAs usual, I had trouble discerning the vertical entries as more than just “heading South”. The South Bound feature escaped me until CC’s explanation. This two-fold theme certainly elevated the puzzle’s challenge and execution to a higher level, IMO. The solve was Wednesday appropriate, with helpful perps where needed. Overall, an enjoyable and satisfying exercise.
Thanks, Robbie, and thanks, CED, for the detailed and helpful explanation from CC.
Thanks to all who served our country. 🇺🇸
FIR, but ran into a few speed bumps also. After finishing, SOUTH BOUND helped me see the theme. But I was misled by the hyphens after ULTRA since ultra-UBER or ultra-MEGA didn’t compute for me. However perps insisted the answers were correct. Three names I DNK, BAUM, BADU, and AYO, and BAJA was a WAG as clued.
ReplyDeleteA very long time ago I would drink a Manhattan up every once in a while, usually at a reputable bar.
Thank you CE:D for your efforts and sorry for your frustrations with the theme. Vertical themes can make you crossed-eyed.
Musings
ReplyDelete-I learned in an ethology course that migratory birds are SOUTHBOUND when the low angle of the sun tells them it is time. My snowbird friends have calendars.
-_YO/B_JA were unfamiliar but had to be. BADU took care of itself.
-My $83 birthday steak was just SOSO but my daughters paid the tab so….
-BAUM said he wrote The Wizard Of Oz as a modern fairy tale for children. Others have written it is an allegory of politics in the 1890’s
-I loved our fireplace but cleaning out the ASHES was not a fun chore
-ACQUITS: OJ was never found innocent but his army of lawyers got him a not guilty verdict.
-A record setting NASA rover
-As I type this, it is approaching the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. The “war to end all wars” didn’t work out to be that but I am grateful to all who served.
-Nice job, Dave.
At first thought the SW would be a DNF. Although I saw “The Bear” series didn’t remember all the cast but figuring the unknown “chain” likely BAJA WAGGED AYO for the win. I liked the switch to SOUTHBOUND answers from the usual west-east setup. But “SHUT my MOUTH” I read the expansive explanation in the reveal but don’t think I still quite get it.
ReplyDeleteInkover: alias/COVER,
Does anyone use ELATE in the present tense? That it’s OLAV not OLAf is quite OVERT. A Lutheran friend attends a “St Olaf’s Chapel” in a “Viking Village” in the Adirondacks. Shocked to see L. Frank BAUM (born 30 miles west of here) had some extremely harsh opinions
Instead of “Manssiere” Bro-zeer or maybe Brah-zeer. 😁. Recently had GLAMP in a YURT (where the “dudes” enjoy a BROHUG and a Yo!GURT? 🙄)
Ultra-MEGA? “Very big” in Latin/Greek? (A Gina L referral? 🤭)
Have a nice Humpday
S eemed like a fine themeless puzzle to me.
ReplyDeleteO ff to a good start when I know the Actress of the Day (Ayo).
U nknowns included: ruddy and nabob.
T ook 5:40 today.
H appy Veterans Day, and "thank you" to all who have served.
Aces here. Finally got "sound booth" and them guessed "nabob". There were 3 names in the SW I did not know. I spent no time on the theme, it wasn't needed. Overall it was easy. Thanks for the recap CED.
ReplyDeleteFIR in 12. 15 names, DNK 4. Also, like CE:D, I only got one of the two "ways" in the theme answers. Once explained, it looks like something I should have figured out. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteHIGHDEF/HIGHRES always needs perps. OLAF/OLAV also needed the perp.
Thanx RC, a fun and very doable Wednesday CW. Nice theme, too, which I only figured out half of. Try to use fewer names in your next creation, please.
V-8 moment = TIMESSQUARE. I got T....SQUARE, you'd think it's a no-brainer, but somehow it took a bit for it to finally pop into my pumpkin head. Named after the NYT, which I always assumed, but looked it up to make sure my assumption is correct.
Thanx too to CE:D for the terrific write-up. I loved the Bugs Bunny 'toon. In that pic, what is it "no one has noticed"? That zoo really is a winner. Too long a drive though for me in SOFLO.
The pic of the BBQ reminded me of many years ago putting a potato on my propane fired grill, and after 45 minutes, throwing on a steak. Then, somehow (no, I wasn't drunk) forgetting all about it. When I went outside for my shower the next morning, I saw the grill was on, opened it up to discover my potato and steak pieces of charcoal. Yesterday when I tried to BBQ something, the grill wouldn't fire up. The tank was empty, so I swapped it for the full one, but it STILL wouldn't fire up. After some troubleshooting, I discovered that the full tank of propane wouldn't let any of the propane out, defective valve, or something. Today I traded them both in, explained, got two full tanks, only paid for one. I've been using propane for my grill for probably 50 years, never had a tank with a defective valve in all that time. Until yesterday.
Happy Veteran's Day and a big Thank You to all veterans.