You Take the High Road
And I'll Take the Low Road
And I'll Take the Low Road
Today's constructor is Debbie Ellerin, who has published 24 puzzles on the
Corner, starting on March 15, 2015. Her puzzles seem to be
predominently themeless, but today her starred clues treat us to a
WALK through a themed puzzle.
3D. *Delivery job not as common as it once was: PAPER ROUTE. My very first job was as a paper boy, circa 1960. Hand up if you delivered papers when you were a kid.
9D. *Computer storage device: USB DRIVE. Here Husker tells us that Debbie is a retired Computer Programmer. Perhaps she constructs crossword puzzles as a different way to DRIVE people crazy. I hope this one didn't affect you that way. 😆
31D. *Nostalgic locale: MEMORY LANE. Here's a trip down MEMORY LANE for you:
38D. *Solar system's home: MILKY WAY. The Milky Way got its name long before anybody knew what a galaxy was. It is seen from Earth as a "milky" wide band of stars and dust clouds, spanning more than 100 degrees on the sky. In the Summer night sky, it's directly overhead. THIS JUST IN: a discovery in the last decade has radically changed the traditional view of the Milky Way described in the link above.
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The Milky Way from Earth |
While the little ditty in the intro above describes the LOW ROAD as just a short cut to Scotland, Debbie reveals that on this side of the Pond it has a more sinister meaning:
24A. Underhanded approach, and a hint to the answers to starred clues: LOW ROAD, with which Your Dictionary seems to agree:
All right, now let's try to get back on TRACK:
Across:
1. Hula swivelers: HIPS.
5. Knife in the cooler?: SHIV. A SHIV is an improvised knife often found in "coolers", i.e. prisons.
9. Jones, so to speak: URGE. Many Cornerites have a crossword puzzle jones.
13. Boys Town is a suburb of it: OMAHA. A CSO to Husker.
15. Stiff wind?: OBOE. It wasn't until I perped 23 Across that I realized that Debbie wasn't talking about a gale force wind, but our old friend with a VTCR* of 75%. Here is Katherine Needleman, principal oboist of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, accompanied by Jennifer Lim, playing Robert Schumann's Three Romances for Oboe and Piano, Op. 94, No. 2:
16. Linger in the bath: SOAK.
17. Vatican-related: PAPAL. For example Papal Bull:
20. Half of an Arnold Palmer: ICED TEA. The other half being LEMONADE. Hi Jason!
22. Loads: OODLES.
23. 15-Across piece: REED. One of two. This is what they look like and how they're made.
24. Madagascar mammal: LEMUR. Primitive primates indigenous to Madagascar.
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Ring-Tailed Lemurs |
28. Exacting standard: RIGOR.
30. An arm and a leg: LIMBS. Also slang for a very large sum of money, per Merriam-Webster:
35. Uses the overhead bin for: STOWS.
36. Turn aside: AVERT.
37. Depressed area: SLUM.
39. Bar mitzvah dances: HORAS. I've blogged this before and I still think this is the best demonstration. It's for a wedding, but it's the same dance.
41. Gulf States ruler: EMIR.
42. Holmes who played Jackie Kennedy in two TV miniseries: KATIE. Here's a trailer.
44. "You __ be kidding!": GOTTA.
46. Dedicated lines: ODE.
47. Peachy keen: SWELL.
48. Goofs off: LAZES.
49. DVR button: REW.
50. Bounced, in a bad way: KITED. From the Online Etymology Dictionary:
52. Best Play, e.g.: ESPY.
An ESPY Award is an accolade currently presented by the American
broadcast television network ABC to recognize individual and team athletic
achievement and other sports-related performance during the calendar year
preceding a given annual ceremony.
Here are the awards for 2021.
54. 32-Down of July '81: LADY DI. Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales—the heir apparent to the British throne—and mother of Prince William and Prince Harry.
57. Used a bit, maybe: DRILLED.
60. "Can I go already?": ARE WE DONE. Sorry, we've got a lot more to do ...
63. Debonair: SUAVE.
64. Bear with cold porridge: MAMA.
65. Spring or League opener: ARAB. The Arab League was founded in 1945 and its stated purpose is to seek close cooperation among its members on matters of common interest—specifically, economics, communication, culture, nationality, social welfare, and health; to strengthen ties, improve communication, and promote common interest among Arabic-speaking nations.
The Arab Spring was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in response to corruption and economic stagnation and was influenced by the Tunisian Revolution. The wave of initial revolutions and protests faded by mid-2012, as many Arab Spring demonstrations met with violent responses from authorities, as well as from pro-government militias, counter-demonstrators, and militaries.
66. Navel formation: INNIE. I'm leaving this one to the medical professionals.
67. Bit of trickery: PLOY.
68. Staying power: LEGS.
69. Kombu, e.g.: KELP. When we visited Ireland we stayed in the townland of Rossadillisk named for a nearby bay on the West coast of County Galway. As I recall Rossadillisk was Celtic for "Bay of the Edible Seaweed". It was abundant on the beach just outside our cottage, but we never ate any. Kombu is also an edible seaweed, with many uses, including as ingredient for seasoning sushi. This dish, made from an another edible seaweed called Wakame, is often served as an appetizer with sushi.
Down:
1. Kachina doll carver: HOPI. Hopi, (literally translated) means a person who behaves in a polite or peaceful way. The Hopi are a communal farming people who reside on and near three mesas in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi have been carving Kachina dolls since the mid-19th Century:
2. Apple product since 1998: IMAC.
4. Beach umbrella benefit: SHADE.
5. McGwire rival: SOSA. The 1998 Major League Baseball home run chase was the race between first baseman Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals, and right fielder Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs that resulted in McGwire and Sosa breaking Roger Maris's long-standing and highly coveted record of 61 home runs. McGwire broke Maris's record on September 8 against the Cubs and finished with 70 home runs. Sosa finished with 66. I'll leave it to Corner sports fans to weigh in on any controversies surrounding this race.
6. Network with Comedy and Family channels: HBO.
7. Letters for debtors: IOU.
8. Jellyfish defense: VENOM. Not something to worry about at this time of year, but they can be a pain in the Summer.
10. Churn: ROIL.
11. Total ticket sales: GATE.
12. Squeaks (by): EKES.
14. Changes: ALTERS.
19. Midwife co-worker: DOULA. A midwife is a licensed health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery. A DOULA is also a professional, but they don't actually deliver babies. However a doula provides continuous support to the mother from the time labor begins, whereas the midwife might not be present throughout.
21. Gloria's mom in '70s TV: EDITH. Here's Edith explaining to Archie about the cling peaches in heavy syrup:
25. Like knockoffs: ERSATZ. Ersatz is simply the German word for "replacement". It becomes a "knockoff " only when it's presented as the real thing, e.g. a Rolex watch.
26. Costume ball sights: MASKS. Sorry, I couldn't resist! 😎
27. Wedding day acquisition: IN LAW.
29. Search for, for many: GOOGLE. I've lost count of the number of Googles I've made for this review.
32. Wedding day VIP: BRIDE. 27D maybe not so much.
33. Scatter: STREW.
40. Take the wheel: STEER.
43. Omit in speech: ELIDE.
45. Birthplace of St. Francis: ASSISI. Assisi is town in the Perugia province in the Umbria region of central Italy. St. Francis is one of those riches to rags stories so common in Christianity. His poem the Canticle of the Sun in praise of nature, has inspired literally dozens of musical settings.
51. Word with pool or wave: TIDAL. Tidal pools are unique ecosystems found at the edges of the sea. Tidal waves, also known by their Japanese name TSUNAMI, are generated by undersea earthquakes and can be extremely devastating. The last of the 3 tidal waves in this video occurred in 2011 in Japan, severely damaging a nuclear reactor and necessitating the evacuation of 140,000 nearby residents.
46. Dedicated lines: ODE.
47. Peachy keen: SWELL.
48. Goofs off: LAZES.
49. DVR button: REW.
50. Bounced, in a bad way: KITED. From the Online Etymology Dictionary:
54. 32-Down of July '81: LADY DI. Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales—the heir apparent to the British throne—and mother of Prince William and Prince Harry.
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Diana, Princess of Wales |
57. Used a bit, maybe: DRILLED.
60. "Can I go already?": ARE WE DONE. Sorry, we've got a lot more to do ...
63. Debonair: SUAVE.
64. Bear with cold porridge: MAMA.
65. Spring or League opener: ARAB. The Arab League was founded in 1945 and its stated purpose is to seek close cooperation among its members on matters of common interest—specifically, economics, communication, culture, nationality, social welfare, and health; to strengthen ties, improve communication, and promote common interest among Arabic-speaking nations.
The Arab Spring was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in response to corruption and economic stagnation and was influenced by the Tunisian Revolution. The wave of initial revolutions and protests faded by mid-2012, as many Arab Spring demonstrations met with violent responses from authorities, as well as from pro-government militias, counter-demonstrators, and militaries.
66. Navel formation: INNIE. I'm leaving this one to the medical professionals.
67. Bit of trickery: PLOY.
68. Staying power: LEGS.
69. Kombu, e.g.: KELP. When we visited Ireland we stayed in the townland of Rossadillisk named for a nearby bay on the West coast of County Galway. As I recall Rossadillisk was Celtic for "Bay of the Edible Seaweed". It was abundant on the beach just outside our cottage, but we never ate any. Kombu is also an edible seaweed, with many uses, including as ingredient for seasoning sushi. This dish, made from an another edible seaweed called Wakame, is often served as an appetizer with sushi.
Down:
1. Kachina doll carver: HOPI. Hopi, (literally translated) means a person who behaves in a polite or peaceful way. The Hopi are a communal farming people who reside on and near three mesas in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi have been carving Kachina dolls since the mid-19th Century:
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Three Kachina Musicians |
2. Apple product since 1998: IMAC.
4. Beach umbrella benefit: SHADE.
5. McGwire rival: SOSA. The 1998 Major League Baseball home run chase was the race between first baseman Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals, and right fielder Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs that resulted in McGwire and Sosa breaking Roger Maris's long-standing and highly coveted record of 61 home runs. McGwire broke Maris's record on September 8 against the Cubs and finished with 70 home runs. Sosa finished with 66. I'll leave it to Corner sports fans to weigh in on any controversies surrounding this race.
6. Network with Comedy and Family channels: HBO.
7. Letters for debtors: IOU.
8. Jellyfish defense: VENOM. Not something to worry about at this time of year, but they can be a pain in the Summer.
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The Pacific Sea Nettle |
11. Total ticket sales: GATE.
12. Squeaks (by): EKES.
14. Changes: ALTERS.
19. Midwife co-worker: DOULA. A midwife is a licensed health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery. A DOULA is also a professional, but they don't actually deliver babies. However a doula provides continuous support to the mother from the time labor begins, whereas the midwife might not be present throughout.
21. Gloria's mom in '70s TV: EDITH. Here's Edith explaining to Archie about the cling peaches in heavy syrup:
25. Like knockoffs: ERSATZ. Ersatz is simply the German word for "replacement". It becomes a "knockoff " only when it's presented as the real thing, e.g. a Rolex watch.
26. Costume ball sights: MASKS. Sorry, I couldn't resist! 😎
27. Wedding day acquisition: IN LAW.
29. Search for, for many: GOOGLE. I've lost count of the number of Googles I've made for this review.
32. Wedding day VIP: BRIDE. 27D maybe not so much.
33. Scatter: STREW.
40. Take the wheel: STEER.
43. Omit in speech: ELIDE.
45. Birthplace of St. Francis: ASSISI. Assisi is town in the Perugia province in the Umbria region of central Italy. St. Francis is one of those riches to rags stories so common in Christianity. His poem the Canticle of the Sun in praise of nature, has inspired literally dozens of musical settings.
51. Word with pool or wave: TIDAL. Tidal pools are unique ecosystems found at the edges of the sea. Tidal waves, also known by their Japanese name TSUNAMI, are generated by undersea earthquakes and can be extremely devastating. The last of the 3 tidal waves in this video occurred in 2011 in Japan, severely damaging a nuclear reactor and necessitating the evacuation of 140,000 nearby residents.
53. Pay, with "down": PLUNK.
54. Genie's digs: LAMP. Doesn't sound like he really dug his digs too much ...
55. Disappearing Asian sea: ARAL. The second time this month. There are only 6 clues left before it disappears again.
56. Musician's mailing: DEMO.
57. Ball stars: DEBS. Here's Cinderella, the most famous DEB of them all ...
58. Bad doings: EVIL.
59. Like an investigative dive: DEEP.
61. Lode load: ORE.
62. Badger: NAG. Badgers, like skunks, are members of the family Mustelidae, from the Latin mustela, weasel. If I recall correctly, this critter poked up his nose in my very first review.
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Badger |
*VTCR = Vowel To Consonant Ratio
Here's the grid
And as always, thanks to Teri for proofreading and for her constructive suggestions.
waseeley
Cheers,
Cheers,
Bill
