1)
Belated "Happy Birthday" to Splynter (Richard), who turned 52 on
Thursday. How did you celebrate, Splynter? What's the plan for
Valentine's Day?
2)
Happy Birthday to La La Linda, who used to comment on our blog
regularly when she was healthy. Linda still reads our posts and comments
every day. Thanks for the sweet card, Linda!
Today's SETTER (see also 33D) is
Amie Walker who, by my count has been by the Corner at least 7 times (on
her way to and from other places around the crucisverbisphere). She
was here last onDecember 5, 2022, blogged
by sumdaze, who stepped
in and took up the torch, admirably filling some big shoes, to lead us onward at
the beginning of each week.
Today Amie brings us an important PSA regarding traffic safety so
we'll immediately start with the reveal:
It's also permitted to turn right in this puzzle wherever there are traffic circles
indicating that it is safe to do so. As we all know, traffic circles
can be very confusing (especially if you're driving in England!) and ... uh
... perhaps this is best illustrated with the full grid, as the theme is
spread out over multiple clues (and no peeps out of you know who):
If we begin at NW in each set of circles and turn RIGHT, we see 6
RED things (Across and
Down):
WINE
LAVA
RUBY
RUST
BEET
ROSE
As I'm sure all Cornerites are familiar with these things, I'll spare you
any further illumination of them and turn our attention to the rest of the clues: Across:
1. Easily vandalized site: WIKI. The term Wiki originates
from the Hawaiian word for "fast". One the reasons they are fast is
that they are not centrally curated and pages are effectively
read/write by anybody in the world. As it turns out, not only can
they be vandalized, but articles about controversial subjects can become
WAR ZONES. Some partisans actually resort to using BOTS to detect changes to an
article, and then automatically replacing them with their version of orthodoxy on
that subject. I don't write Wiki pages, but I've heard war stories about some sites on subjects that are near and dear to me.
5. "Such a bummer": SO SAD.
10. Spanish greeting: HOLA. One of the things I look forward to
each day is a cheerful "Hola" from our friend Lucina.
14. City on the Chisholm Trail: ENID.
Enid is the ninth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,308. Enid was founded during the
opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, and is named after Enid,
a character in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King (but then maybe not). In 1991, the
Oklahoma state legislature designated Enid the "purple martin
capital of Oklahoma." Enid holds the nickname of "Queen Wheat City" and "Wheat
Capital" of Oklahoma and the United States for its immense grain storage
capacity, and has the third-largest grain storage capacity in the world.
Today the
Chisholm Trail
follows U.S. Highway 81through present-day towns Oklahoma towns of
El Reno, Duncan, Chickasha, and Enid. Here's a
map of the original trail:
1873 Map of Chisholm Trail
15. Grayish brown: TAUPE. Here's an internet classic about the perils of managing software developers called
The Man in the TAUPE Blazer. It was my first encounter with the term "Scrum Master".
17. "Catch you on the flip side!": TA TA FOR NOW. or CU LATER.
19. Brick that's painful to step on: LEGO. My Son says that
stepping on a MATCHBOX CAR in the dark can be equally painful.
20. Defrost: THAW. MELT. See also clue
38A.
21. Go-between: LIAISON.
23. Silky fabric: RAYON.
Apparently not a very
green fiber. Rayon is
made from regenerated cellulose, generally derived from wood pulp.
Rayon is usually made from eucalyptus trees, but any plant can be used (such
as bamboo, soy, cotton, etc). To produce the fiber, the plant cellulose goes
through a process involving a lot of chemicals, energy and water.
Rayon
25. Wears the crown: RULES.
27. Qty.: AMT.
28. Chicago's Northalsted and Manhattan's Chelsea, for two:
GAYBORHOODS. A portmanteau of GAY and NEIGHBORHOODS, e.g.
Northalsted
in Chicago and
Chelsea
in Manhattan.
34. Feudal worker: SERF.
Medieval serfs
(aka villeins) were unfree labourers who worked the land of a landowner (or
tenant) in return for physical and legal protection and the right to work a
separate piece of land for their own basic needs. Serfs made up 75% of the
medieval population but were not slaves as only their labour could be bought,
not their person. Serfdom persisted in some areas
into the the mid-19th Century.
38. Whodunit heroes: SLEUTHS. Co-incidental to clue 20A,
actor
John THAW (3 January 1942 – 21 February 2002)
played the imperious, mononymic Oxford detective, Inspector Morse, one of
the best SLEUTHS outside the Marple Universe:
40. Examine in detail: DISSECT.
42. Inventive types?: LIARS.
43. Fellows: MEN.
44. Mario __: KART. Mario is a pretty versatile guy. Last week
he was a painter and this week he's
a go-kart racer:
Mario at the wheel
45. Leaves Thanksgiving dinner before pumpkin pie, maybe:
EATS AND RUNS. Or
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
by Lynn Truss (did she leave out the Oxford comma?). A CSO to
Yellowrocks.
49. Once called: NEE. Isn't it still called NEE?
50. Hilarious folks: RIOTS. See next clue.
51. Bozo, in Canada: HOSER. The term HOSER apparently had
its origins on
SCTV
featuring such luminaries as
Bob and Dave McKenzie. I hope CanadianEh! stops by and tosses in her Toonie on this
...
53. Compendiums: DIGESTS.
57. Salmorejo, for one: SOUP.
Salmorejo is a cold tomato soup that is famous in the south
of Spain. It's similar to gazpacho — but thicker and creamier.
Here's a recipe.
58. Social sci. major: ECON.
[Theme reveal]
64. Give a little: BEND.
65. Start of a take: ID SAY. I thought this had something to do
with making a movie, but it's really roughly equivalent to
IMHO.
66. "O mio babbino __": Puccini aria: CARO. Italian Lesson #1:
"Oh my dear Daddy" is the most famous aria in Giacomo Puccini's only comedy, Gianni Schicchi.Schicchi was apparently an historical character, immortalized as one of the most notorious fraudsters of all time in
Dante's Inferno (he ends up in Circle 7). The opera's single act is a masterpiece
of brevity, hilarity, mayhem, and wit. For
anyone wishing to dip a toe into the wonderful art form of opera, I can't think of
a better introduction.
Here's the complete 2020 production by the Pacific Opera Project with English
subtitles (54 min).
And here's the divine Renée Fleming singing
O mio babbino caro. Schicchi has just sent his daughter
Lauretta out on the balcony while he's busy swindling a bunch of
Buoso Donati's greedy heirs out of their inheritance so that Lauretta can afford to get married:
67. Golfer's pocketful: TEES.
68. __ Nast: CONDE. Condé Nast is a global mass media
company founded in 1909 by Condé Montrose Nast. Its headquarters are
located at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan.
The company's media brands attract more than 72 million consumers in print, 394
million in digital and 454 million across social platforms. These include
Vogue, The New Yorker, Condé Nast Traveler, GQ,
Glamour, Architectural Digest, Vanity Fair, Pitchfork,
Wired, and Bon Appétit, among many others.
69. "Their __ Were Watching God": EYES.
Their Eyes Were Watching God
is a 1937 novel by American writer Zora Neale Hurston. It is considered a
classic of the Harlem Renaissance,and Hurston's best known work. I've
blogged Hurston at least two times before, but I didn't know that the novel had
been made into a film starring Halle Berry:
Down:
1. Like fresh nail polish: WET. Another CSO to
Lucina.
2. Cookbook writer Garten: INA.
3. Persian snack?: KITTY TREAT.
4. State with a panhandle: IDAHO. Texas fit, but didn't
perp. Oklahoma and Florida were too long.
The State of Idaho
5. Stash away: STOW.
6. Crew need: OAR.
7. Connecticut WNBA team: SUN.
The Connecticut Sun
are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut
that competes in the Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball
Association (WNBA).
8. Historic Harlem theater: APOLLO.
The APOLLO opened
its doors in 1914
and introduced the first Amateur Night contests in 1934 and has played a major
role in the emergence of jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, and soul
— all quintessentially American music genres. Ella Fitzgerald,
Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis Jr.,
James Brown, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, and
countless others began their road to stardom on the Apollo stage.
9. Like grass in the morning, compared to other times of day:
DEWIER.
10. Hindu festival of colors: HOLI. Behind the scenes at the
HOLIfestival from Series 1Episode 3 of The Good Karma Hospital:
11. Estadio cries: OLES.
12. Italian body of water: LAGO. Italian lesson #2 "Lake", e.g.
MAR E LAGO ("Sea and Lake"), a Florida resort originally built as a winter
home by heiress
Marjorie Merriweather Post.
Mar a Lago
13. Harper Collins romance imprint: AVON.
Avon Publications is one of the leading publishers of romance
fiction. Originally an American paperback book and comic book publisher, in the early
1970s it began publishing romance titles reaching and maintaining spots in
bestseller lists. As of 2010, Avon is an imprint of HarperCollins.
AVON is also the name of a river in England with a very famous town
called STRATFORD. But then, you already knew that.
24. Bedelia of kid-lit: AMELIA. Amelia Bedelia is the
protagonist and title character of a series of American children's books that
were written by Peggy Parish from 1963 until her death in 1988, and by her
nephew, Herman, beginning in 1995. They have been illustrated by Wallace Tripp,
Fritz Siebel, and the two current illustrators, Lynn Sweat and Lynne
Avril. Sounds to me like Amelia just might have the makings of a crossword puzzle
constructor.
30. Trans-Siberian Railway city: OMSK.
Omsk is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast,
Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1
million. Omsk is the twelfth-largest city in Russia. It
is an essential transport node, serving as a train station for the
Trans-Siberian Railway.
31. Juice brand with a wave in its logo: OCEAN SPRAY.
Cranberry juice. I like Trader Joe's no sugar, organic brand.
48. "Beat it!": SHOO. "I promise this won't take much longer."
52. Cup fraction: OUNCE.
53. Financial liability: DEBT.
54. Drink similar to a Slurpee: ICEE.
55. Vanished: GONE.
56. Codas: ENDS. This is the
CODAproper (only the last minute or so) of the 4th movement of Beethoven's 5th Symphony and undoubtedly the most famous in music history ...
57. Eyelid issue: STYE.
60. "People Puzzler" channel: GSN. People Puzzler is an American television game show hosted by Leah Remini and broadcast by Game Show Network. It premiered on January 18, 2021.
The show is inspired by the celebrity and pop-culture themed crosswords in People magazine (I think this may be where our new constructors are getting a lot of their stumpers). The grand prize for winning the People Puzzler is $10,000. Hmm ... the top ACPT solvers get only $5,000. Maybe they're in the wrong game!
61. "You __ one job!": HAD. Now a lot of people don't even have one.
62. Sonnet preposition: ERE.
63. Novelist John __ Passos: DOS. John Roderigo Dos Passos (January 14, 1896 – September 28, 1970) was an American novelist, most notable for his U.S.A. trilogy.
Born in Chicago, Dos Passos graduated from Harvard College
in 1916. He traveled widely as a young man, visiting Europe and
southwest Asia, where he learned about literature, art, and
architecture. During World War I, he was an ambulance driver for the
American Volunteer Motor Ambulance Corps in Paris and Italy, before
joining the United States Army Medical Corps as a private.
John Dos Passos
Cheers, Bill
As always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
sumdaze here. With heavy hearts and inquisitive minds, we do our best to carry on....
From what I can tell, this is Amie Walker's 7th LAT puzzle byline in 2022. She has been published on every day except Saturday. Are you contemplating a Saturday puzzle for us down the road, Amie?
Today's theme is All in the Fam.
Sister Sledge (1979)
Are you ready to get moving?
The reveal is located in the middle of the puzzle:
36 Across. Instantly recognizable brand, and what can literally be found in this puzzle's circles?: HOUSEHOLD NAME. a person or thing that is well known by the public.
The 'names' of people living in the household are found in the circles: SIS, MOM, BRO, DAD. Everyone's here so let's get started!
Across:
1. Insults, with "down": PUTS. At first I thought it should be "put downs" but then I realized that "insults" is being used as a verb. (He insults his co-worker. / He PUTS down his co-worker.)
5. Swaps: TRADES. Helpful travel hint: Wait for the cabin doors to be closed before agreeing to swap seats with someone on an airplane.
11. Shiverer's sound: BRR.
14. Volcano's output: LAVA. The world's largest, active volcano (and a frequent CW puzzle entry), Mauna Loa on Hawaii's Big Island, is erupting for the first time since 1984.
15. Do another voter survey, e.g.: REPOLL. no hyphen. I checked.
16. Regret: RUE.
Stewie, a BRO on Family Guy
17. "Sounds reasonable to me": YES I SUPPOSE.
19. French fashion brand monogram: YSL. Yves Saint Laurent (1936-2008)
20. Barely passing grade: DEE. "D minus" did not fit.
21. Unprocessed information: RAW DATA. I like that this crosses with 10D SLEW.
58. Personalized promos: TARGETED ADS. "A form of online advertising that focuses on the specific traits, interests, and preferences of a consumer."
TARGETED AD for pet adoption Hi Pat!
64. Surname separator: NEE.
65. Take too far: OVERDO.
Get it? He's starting to look like a pumpkin! Haha!
66. Revise: EDIT.
67. Small bit: TAD.
68. Chime in: PIPE UP. to say something suddenly.
Lurkers are welcome to PIPE UP in the Comments section below.
69. Refuse to admit: DENY.
Down: 1. Tissue layer: PLY. I never before connected 2-PLY toilet paper with PLYwood until reading this.
2. Federation in OPEC: UAE. United Arab Emirates
3. Sports bar screens: TVS. TeleVisionS
4. Refused: SAID NO.
5. Not false: TRUE.
6. Sales agt.: REP. "Agt." is abbreviated, so is REPresentative.
7. iPad download: APP.
8. Ways in or out: DOORS. Also, the name of an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965.
The Doors, Light My Fire, Live in Europe 1968
9. Anna's "Frozen" sister: ELSA.
Elsa (left) and Anna
10. Whole bunch: SLEW.
11. Lane __: plus-size clothing chain: BRYANT. According to Wiki, the company began in 1904 with maternity designs and has grown to 448 stores in 46 states. I remember seeing these stores in malls in the '80s and '90s but I have not seen one in a long time.
12. Whip (up), as some snacks: RUSTLE.
13. Pass-the-baton events: RELAYS. Track & Field
18. "I __ to recall ... ": SEEM.
22. Childbirth attendant: DOULA.
noun
a woman, typically without formal obstetric training, who is employed to provide guidance and support to a pregnant woman during labor.
23. Tally: ADD. another verb
24. Remini of "Kevin Can Wait": LEAH. I do not watch this show so I LIU. It turns out "Kevin" is Kevin James. He and Leah also acted together in King of Queens (1998 - 2007).
Leah Remini & Kevin James in King of Queens
25. Texter's modest "I think ... ": IMHO. In My Humble Opinion, we see this one a lot.
26. State known for potatoes: IDAHO. Ever wonder if the other IDAHO crops get a little tired of potatoes getting all the attention?
27. Hanukkah candleholder: MENORAH. In 2022, Hanukkah is Dec. 18 - 26.
30. Bakery appliances: OVENS.
31. Programmer: CODER. We have a few Cornerites who know a lot about this.
32. Sweetie: HON. HONey. Somewhat preferable to that loathsome "bae".
35. Academy trainee: PLEBE. a newly entered cadet or freshman, especially at a military academy
39. Ice cream drink: MALT. Those little wooden spoons that come with frozen MALTS at ballparks give me the heebee-jeebees if they touch my teeth, sort of like nails on a chalkboard. Anyone else?
40. Fencing sword:ÉPÉE. We see ÉPÉE a lot in CWs but there are 3 fencing blades used in Olympic fencing -- the foil, sabre, and ÉPÉE.Olympic Fencing
43. Hosp. areas: ERS. "Hospital" is abbreviated, so is Emergency RoomS.
44. One paying rent to a landlord: TENANT.
Count the ants.
45. Beltway region, briefly: DC AREA. Traffic is notorious within the DC beltway but it was worse before they replaced the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. They actually held a contest where the winner with the worst commuter story won the privilege of detonating the explosives in 2006. NPR transcript
DC Area Beltway and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project location
46. Valued (at): PRICED.
48. Dimwitted cartoon dog: ODIE. Last Monday we had 40D Garfield.
49. Text sent while one's plane is taxiing to the terminal: LANDED.
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