CAKE-SNIFFER~!
Carmelita Spats, from a Series of Unfortunate Events
We had a Saturday puzzle last month from Chandi Deitmer, cowritten with Erik Agard; today she has teamed up with crossword constructor Claire Rimkus, who has puzzles published in the NYT, mostly Fridays. While I found the reveal to be cute, the ridiculous number of names - person, place and thing - so many of them that I lost count, just drained the fun out of the solve. There were a few crossings that I did not appreciate, e.g. CATIO/CASABA, FARRO/SEURAT. Big, chunky triple-seven(ish) corners, no circles, a balance of 3&4LWs, but overall, a "meh" for me - YMMV. The themers, and the reveal;
16. Professional who makes a lot of scents?: PERFUMER - one of only two unique fills today, CATIO being the other. I have linked this before, but I find it fascinating that not only is it a "thing", but I bought a sample, and happen to like the cologne. Perfumer Xerjoff teamed up with Black Sabbath's riff master guitarist Tony Iommi to create a fragrance called "Scent of Dark"
The promotional video
No new friend yet, but I am Cooper-sitting while my brother is on his honeymoon next month
37. Professional who helps you breathe easy?: ALLERGIST - a physician who specially trained to diagNOSE, treat and manage allergies, asthma, etc.
53. Professional who stops to smell the rosés?: SOMMELIER - "Ro-zays", the 'pink' wines; a sommelier is a wine expert, knows how to pair them with food, etc.; my friend who runs three restaurants on Long Island started out as one; the "nose" of a wine is its scent in the glass - here's one website
And Away We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Huge volume?: TOME - not enough to fool me, big book....
5. Animated pic: GIF - I tried "CEL" - but pic is an abbr, ergo GIF - Graphic Interchange Format
12. Cameo shape: OVAL
13. Obama-era legislation, for short: ACA - Affordable Care Act
14. Canary melon kin: CASABA - never head of this fruit
18. Lion or tiger: ANIMAL - along with these two, we have six other animals in this puzzle today
19. Pt. of some gender-affirming care: HRT - Didn't know this one, either, at least as clued - Hormone Replacement Therapy - more here
20. "The Circus" painter Georges: SEURAT - name #2; his Wiki
22. "The Elephants" painter Salvador: DALI - name #3, animal #2 - I know the painter; had the "wrong" painting
I was thinking Swans Reflecting Elephants - this one
23. Puma rival: ASICS - name(ish) - footwear
27. Chorus section: TENORS
29. Make the cut?: LOP
30. Novelist Patchett: ANN - name #4
31. Cape Cod Bay mammal: SEAL - I did not know there was such an animal - #3
32. Mayberry boy: OPIE - name #5
35. Donkeys: ASSES - animal #4
40. Dahi-based drink: LASSI - NOT the animal, but a name all the same - more here
43. Clarinet insert: REED
44. Oklahoma city: ENID - place name #1
48. Poet Limón: ADA - name #6
49. Mega Man platform letters: NES - Nintendo Entertainment System; 1987 video game
51. Like plants that grow at high elevations: ALPINE
57. Cravat alternative: ASCOT - neckwear
58. "You got that right!": "TRUE~!"
59. Color on the Qatari flag: MAROON
61. Afore: ERE
62. Inspire 34-Down: ENRAGE
66. More treasured: DEARER
67. Kind of suffix?: "ISH"
68. Textbook section: UNIT
69. Old-timey television feature: DIAL
70. GPS approximation: ETA
71. Understands: GETS
1. Tall headgear: TOP HATS - I remember being appalled the first time seeing this guy on MTV, the "cousin Itt" of Rock N Roll, and his now famous "top hat"
Slash performing at Back to the Beginning - R.I.P. Ozzy Osbourne
2. Supervise: OVERSEE
3. Tennis great Hingis: MARTINA - name #7 - her Wiki
4. Pixie: ELF - Pixie is the name of my 2014 Prius C-2; 40-50MPG, corners like it's on rails
5. Ready to dive in: GAME - this took me a while to suss; the phrase "I'm game~!"
6. Get a winter coat?: ICE UP - pondered "SLEET"
7. Grain that may be cooked like risotto: FARRO - never heard of this
8. Preserve: CAN - the verb
9. Off-mic comment: ASIDE - meh. I think of an 'aside' being an stage actor's comment to the audience
10. Open-sided shelters: RAMADAS - I was today years old when I learned this
11. Rock-clinging gastropod: ABALONE - A-buh-low-nee; animal #5 - I have heard of them, but never eaten one - the Wiki
14. Screened porch for an indoor pet: CATIO - I put in PATIO, figured there must be more to this; crossing an unknown melon didn't help - but it is a thing - animal #6
15. Sets straight: ALIGNS
17. Former country that included five -stan countries, for short: USSR - place name #2
21. Make a claim: ALLEGE
24. Sugary drinks: COLAS - I had SODAS - 60% correct
26. Filing pros: CPAs - Certified Public Accountants - crosswordese
28. La Tierra's star: SOL -Espaniol lesson; The Earth, and the Sun
33. Region in the Achaemenid Empire: PERSIA - place name #3 - sheesh, on Wednesday~?
34. Heated anger: IRE - these names are getting my IRE up, too many can "62A." me
36. Pedometer units: STEPS - On my walk last week, I ventured down the railroad tracks to take this photo
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38. Request from an underprepared actor: LINE - Pssst~! Line~! an unintended "ASIDE"
39. Ore. neighbor: IDA - plc nm #4 - Oregon & Idaho
40. Endured: LASTED
41. Covered in tinsel, maybe: ADORNED
42. Katana-wielding fighter: SAMURAI
45. "You nailed it!": "NICE ONE~!"
46. Circling: IN ORBIT - good clue/answer
47. Loathes: DETESTS - methinks most of the Cornerites despise "CrossNAMES" - I know I do . . . .
50. Bull on a glue bottle: ELMER - dont' care if I know it, name #8
52. Pool division: LANE - our blog hostess knows much about pool lanes
54. "The Stiller and __ Show": MEARA - names #9, tho I did know this one
55. Bert's roommate: ERNIE - names #10 - Muppets
56. Rule the __: ROOST
60. Dept. of Labor div.: OSHA - Occupational Safety & Health Administration
63. Mani-pedi polish option: GEL - I thought it might be the new crosswordese "OPI", then I tried "RED" - Bzzzt~!
65. Instrument that might be played alongside spoons and a stovepipe: JUG
Splynter
