A Marvel Comics theme with the long(ish) Across fills referring to the "super-powers" of the four members of the reveal "Fantastic" group - here's the Wiki.
I must apologize in advance to everyone here at the blog who is a
massive comic book and/or Marvel / DC Comics movies fan - it's just not my
"THING" (get it~?) I grew up with Star Wars, and those movies, toys
& action figures. I did actually see the Fantastic Four movie
released in 2005 ,
but the "THING" I don't much care for is the never-ending
"remakes" and rebranding of comic book superheroes - including Batman, Iron Man, Spiderman, etc.
- Fantastic Four came out again in 2015 ( and for the truly hard-core,
there was a 1994 movie as well ). The "THING" is, part of the reason
for my apathy - and this is a consequence of Star Wars - is that the
movies are SO overdone with CGI that it's all just a blur to me....
19. Economic metaphor coined by Adam Smith: INVISIBLEHAND - Sue Storm-Richards, who can turn invisible and generate force fields
28. Gawk: RUBBERNECK - Reed Richards, able to 'stretch' to incredible proportions
38. Hurry, with "it": HOTFOOT - Johnny Storm, who has the ability to become the "Human Torch"
46. Lowest of lows: ROCK BOTTOM - Ben Grimm, with skin of stone
54. Superhero team with the physical features of 19-, 28-, 38-, and 46-Across: FANTASTIC FOUR
And Aflame We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Halts: CEASES
7. Loops in via email: CCs - a subtle shout-out to our blog creator - as to our "challenge", I had my first personal training session last Friday, and another on Sunday - ooof....
10. Muslim cleric: IMAM
14. "Dear Prudence" offering: ADVICE
15. Circle of life?: TREE RING
17. __ Marcus: NEIMAN
18. New word for something old: RETRONYM- Spell-check doesn't like it, but it makes sense to me
21. Crow's-nest call: "AHOY~!" - I had "LAND" to start; crossing LDS at 20D. - Bzzzt~!
22. Tolkien villains: ORCS - another series of movies I was not
really interested in, until I read The Lord of the Rings - which, surprisingly, I
only recently picked up, back in 2022; I did like the book, so I ended
up watching the movies.
25. Cryptographer Turing: ALAN - if you get the chance, read Cryptonomicon,
by Neal Stevenson, a great story beginning before WWII and running
through the 1990s; it's a well-developed narrative based on secret codes
and a little bit about the NFT coins of the stock market today
33. Cantina dip: SALSA - Star Wars had a cantina
35. Hence: ERGO - THUS fit too, but didn't gibe
36. "Leave the World Behind" actor Mahershala: ALI - filled via perps; never read the clue until I wrote the blog
37. Very softly, in music: ppp - meh. Technically correct, but it's an abbreviation for one step past pianissimo, 'very quiet' - as opposed to fff, forte, 'loud' - but there's no 'abbr.' in the clue; filled via perps anyway...
41. Hydroelectric facility: DAM
42. Ore-__ Tater Tots: IDA
43. Years during Caesar's reign: ANNI
44. One of the Stooges: SHEMP
50. Some Dada works: ARPS - learned from doing crosswords; Jean Arp, artist of the Dada movement
51. "Manhattan Beach" novelist Jennifer: EGAN - no clue, filled via perps
52. Ranch newborn: FOAL
62. Hawaiian treat similar to a snow cone: SHAVE ICE
64. Mellow: SEDATE
65. "Until we meet again": "FAREWELL"
Welcome To My Morning (Farewell Andromeda)
66. Beyond thrilled: ELATED
67. Pieces de resistance?: OHMS - har-har
68. "Levitating" singer __ Lipa: DUA - a recent addition to
crosswords, from my perspective - my cable provider offers VEVO music
video channels, and I managed to watch a whole clip from her - just not
my "THING"
69. States definitively: SAYS SO - "sand" being a problem for the Fantastic Four and Darth Vader - this article "says so"
DOWN:
1. "Pretty please?": "CAN I~?"
2. Genesis paradise: EDEN
3. Tel __, Israel: AVIV - crossword staple
4. Gorillas, e.g.: SIMIANS
5. Net funds: eCASH - as in interNET
6. Ranking: SENIOR
7. Corner PC key: CTRL
8. One of Canada's First Nations: CREE
9. "An American Pickle" star Rogen: SETH - about the only proper name I did know
10. Like some transfers: IRON-ON
11. Telepath: MIND READER - how 'bout a Blue Öyster Cult interlude~? - the "THING" is, it's got a bit of a 'superhero' flair to it....
FLAMING Telepaths
12. Whichever: ANY
13. James Bond film studio: MGM - which bought out the original studio, United Artists - but "UA" was not long enough. The story of two Bonds in one year
16. Big Band __: ERA
20. Mormon sch.: BYU - Dah~! Brigham Young University. For some reason, I went with Latter Day Saints
23. Letter-shaped vise: C-CLAMP - I like answers like this, with the opening "C-C" ( shout out ) as sort of misleading; I thought I had something wrong
24. Pinches pennies: SKIMP
25. Seek (to): ASPIRE - I do not "ASPIRE" to be in the spotlight, but the "THING" is, I managed to get my picture in the Washington National Cathedral newsletter; that's me in the lead with a chest that we just removed from the gallery division of the pipe organ
26. Cuddly companion: LAPDOG
27. Source of some wool: ALPACA FARM
29. Suit: BEFIT - ah, the verb
30. "Dude!": "BRO~!"
31. Self-importance: EGO
32. Decomposes: ROTS
34. Literary captain obsessed with a whale: AHAB - believe it or not, I was not obligated to read this book/novel in high school, but I did actually read it by choice about 5 years ago; a bit of a slog; the "THING" is, much of the book came across more like a whale encyclopedia
39. Artist Yoko: ONO
40. Minecraft explosive: TNT
45. Part-timer's work period, perhaps: HALF-DAY - ah, but which half~?
47. Rapscallions: KNAVES
48. Many times, poetically: OFT
49. Felipe Alou's outfielder son: MOISES - learned by doing crosswords
53. Amtrak express: ACELA - I pondered a visit to my good buddy
down in Georgia by taking a sleeper bunk on Amtrak to get there - but
round trip was somewhere around $1400; not likely, since a Southwest
flight is about $250, and about 4hours, not 24hours. The "THING" is, I did take the
"Empire Builder" from NYC all the way to Seattle back in 2003, and it
was a great trip.
55. State-of-the-art: NEW
56. Deadlocked: TIED
57. Women's Rights Project org.: ACLU
58. Actress Ward: SELA - I know her from the movie "The Fugitive", and TV's "House, M.D."
59. Feedbag grains: OATS
60. Versatile vehicles, for short: UTES - crossword staple
61. Start afresh: REDO
62. Bay Area airport letters: SFO - I went looking for an
explanation for the "O" at the end, but no revelations there; I did,
however, see that a plane crashed on my birthday in 1937 - the Wiki
The above scene depicts a break for lunch
that was taken by a group of the artist Renoir's friends as they were
boating down the Seine. They've disembarked at a shore side restaurant
and are treating themselves to quite a feast. The Wiki link in the
painting title contains
an interactive view of the painting that shows you the identity of each
of
the friends who appear in the work (can you guess his future wife?).
While the restaurant is real, and the excursion may have actually taken
place, obviously Renoir couldn't have painted it in the restaurant; we
know that each of the diners posed separately over a period of 16
months, and he then assembled their portraits into the final work. Not
only is it a masterpiece, but it's a tour de force of the painter's
craft. You don't have to go to France to see this painting: it's owned
by The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. For a deep dive into Renoir's magnum opus here's a docent's video tour.
So what does all of this have to do with today's puzzle, constructed by Michael Schlossberg? He also invites us to a lunch break,
although one with far simpler fare than that of Renoir's sumptuous spread. The grid circles
are a mixed blessing: the actual themers
are fill fragments, and depend on their visual positioning across
adjacent lines to complete each theme entry. Without the circles they
would be almost impossible to spot, nor could they help you to solve the
puzzle. However they make it almost too easy to figure out what's going on (YMMV you know who).
Here are the theme fragments and the results of combining them highlighted in RED:
17A. "Fingers crossed!": LETS HOPE SO and 22A. Slightly ahead: UP ONE. SOUP.
28A. Denial: REFUSAL and 33A. Catchy pitch: AD SLOGAN. SALAD. Could this and the previous themer be metaphors for crossword puzzles?
39A. Grand: THOUSAND and 45A. Kansas home of McConnell Air Force Base: WICHITA. SANDWICH. Wichita, Kansas is perhaps better known for this song than the AFB:
The reveal provides a simple menu for a quick ...
59A. Midday hiatus illustrated three times in this puzzle: LUNCH BREAK. As we can see, each dish in the lunch is broken across two lines.
Here's the grid:
And the rest of the fare:
Across:
1. Mamba kin: COBRA. One of the most deadly of which is the black mamba.
Black Mamba
6. Peak: ACME. Near the top of the list for 4 letter CWD fill.
10. Some Dada pieces: ARPS. Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp (16 September 1886 – 7 June 1966), better known as Jean Arp in English, was a German-French sculptor, painter, and poet. He was known as a Dadaist and an abstract artist.
19. Theater award: OBIE. The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City.
20. Art Institute of Chicago area, with "the": LOOP. It's windy there.
21. "Come with me, Spot!": HEEL. The ABC's of dog training, based on principles originated by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov:
23. One with pointy ears and pointy shoes: ELF. They make frequent appearances in crosswords, e.g. last Thursday.
24. Actress Thurman: UMA. UMA who?
25. Unintentionally reply all, say: ERR. Could also be a job changing experience.
27. Longtime NASCAR sponsor: STP. Short for Standard Temperature and Pressure. Also short for Stone Temple Pilots. Here's their Interstate Love Song (lyrics):
30. Miserly desire: AVARICE.
32. Egg layer: HEN.
34. Flour used for naan and paratha: ATTA. Atta/Ata or chakki atta
is a wholemeal wheat flour, originating from the Indian subcontinent,
used to make flat breads such as chapati, roti, naan, paratha and puri.
It is the most widespread flour in the Indian subcontinent
37. "We card" cards, for short: IDS.
38. Novelists Patchett and Petry: ANNS. Ann Patchett
(born December 2, 1963) is an American author. She received the 2002
PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction in the same year,
for her novel Bel Canto, based on a true story (Patchett patterned one of her characters after the great soprano Renée Fleming and later became friends with her).
Ann Patchett
Ann Petry (October 12, 1908 – April 28, 1997) was an American writer of novels, short stories, children's books and journalism. Her 1946 debut novel The Street
became the first novel by an African-American woman to sell more than a
million copies. In 2019, the Library of America published a volume of
her work containing The Street as well as her 1953 masterpiece The Narrows and a few shorter pieces of nonfiction.
Ann Petry
42. Open __ night: MIC.
44. Furry toy spiders that move when screamed at: YELLIES. This puzzle is starting to get a little creepy:
49. Capitol Hill fig.: POL. If only we could figure out what to do about 'em.
50. Actor who played Clubber Lang in "Rocky III": MR T. Mr. T (born Laurence Tureaud, May 21, 1952), is an American actor. He is known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series The A-Team and as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III. In 1995 the "Ultimate Tough Guy", went head to head with his own personal form of cancer.
Laurence Tureaud
51. Annoy: IRK.
52. Boar's mate: SOW.
53. Elba of "Cats": IDRIS. Rumor has it that T.S. Eliot didn't even bother to roll over in his grave about this 2019 movie. IDRIS is an incredibly versatile actor, but he may have gone a whisker too far this time ... 55. Tirade: RANT.
57. Floor model: DEMO. We really needed a new car this Summer
and it was the first time I can recall that we couldn't just walk into a
showroom and buy a floor model. We actually had to wait for a month to
take delivery.
58. Murmurs lovingly: COOS.
61. Asia's vanishing __ Sea: ARAL. Here's hoping it vanishes completely from crosswords someday.
62. Juvenile outburst?: ACNE.
63. Join: UNITE. Or was it UNTIE? Last week this was a CSO to Jinx. It still is.
64. Mother of Castor and Pollux: LEDA. Their father was a swan. And HIS wife didn't approve. It's complicated.
65. __ Spunkmeyer: OTIS. My D.I.L. has strong opinions about nutrition:
And some might add OTIS Spunkmeyer's Double Chocolate Chip cookie:
66. Did well together: GOT ON.
Down:
1. Square dance figure: CALLER. A CSO to Yellowrocks. Here Phil Jamison calls a Texas Star square dance at a North Carolina high school. Brought to us by the Square Dance History Project.
7. Manitoba people: CREE. The Sapotaweyak Cree Nation (SCN, Cree: ᓵᐳᐦᑕᐍᔮᕽ, sâpohtawêyâhk, meaning: "golden eagle")
is a First Nations band government whose reserves are located in
northern Manitoba, north-east of Swan River, approximately 400
kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.
Flag of the Sapotaweyak Cree Nation
8. Deceives: MISLEADS.
9. Genre with introspective lyrics: EMO. Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of post-hardcore and hardcore punk from the mid-1980s Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered by bands such as Rites of Spring and Embrace. Here's Dashboard Confessional's Vindicated. Sounds like they're on the road to recovery (lyrics):
12. Makeshift storage container for brushes: PAINT CAN.
13. Becomes more inclined?: STEEPENS. Or a hill that seems to STEEPEN as we age.
18. "That sounds rough!": OH MAN.
22. River through Orsk: URAL. I think that URAL may be turning into the geographical OREO
cookie of crosswords. You are probably not likely to visit anytime
soon, but in case you do, here are some things to know about Orsk, Russia.
24. Employ: USE.
26. Trailer park parkers, for short: RVS. Recreational Vehicles. The crosswordese for someone who parks one is of course RVER.
35. "Sister Carrie" novelist Dreiser: THEODORE. Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser (August 27, 1871 – December 28, 1945) was an American novelist and journalist of the naturalist
school. His novels often featured main characters who succeeded at
their objectives despite a lack of a firm moral code, and literary
situations that more closely resemble studies of nature than tales of
choice and agency. Dreiser's best known novels include Sister Carrie (1900) and An American Tragedy (1925).
40. Virtual citizens in a video game: SIMS. The Sims is a series of life simulation video games
developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. The franchise has
sold nearly 200 million copies worldwide, and it is one of the
best-selling video game series of all time.
41. __ Lingus: AER. Aer Lingus (an anglicisation of the Irish aerloingeas
meaning "air fleet") is the flag carrier of Ireland. Founded by the
Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 2015 and it is now a
wholly owned subsidiary of International Airlines Group (IAG). The
airline's head office is on the grounds of Dublin Airport in Cloghran,
County Dublin. We flew Aer Lingus to Ireland in 1999 and I'm happy to report that the service was excellent.
42. Levity: MIRTH.
43. "Eww!": ICK. This puzzle is not only getting CREEPY, but ICKY!
45. Flinches: WINCES.
46. Happy cry from someone who finally deciphers a Magic Eye picture: I SEE IT. DNK about Magic Eye pictures. They are a series of books (and posters, post cards, and lots of other kinds of images) that feature autostereograms.
If you look at them just right you can see a 3-D image on 2-D surface
without a special viewer. They're very sophisticated optical illusions
that were derived from insights into optics, neuroscience, graphics
design, and computer generated imagery. They started as a fad back in the 1990's and faded after a few years. But they never really went away and they're still being produced and marketed.
Here's what one looks like, but I don't think they can be viewed very
well from a computer screen. If you're curious, there are lots of
images in the last two links that you can print and experiment with.
Autostereogram "Magic Eye" picture
Once again CrossEyedDave has scooped me with a great example of how to view Magic Eye pictures:
47. Salsa ingredient: TOMATO. Teri has picked every last one on the vines and they're ripening in the sun room.
48. No longer asleep: AWOKEN.
54. Cuba, por ejemplo: ISLA. Today's Spanish lesson.
56. Years, in Rome: ANNI. Today's Latin lesson.
57. Spy-fi villain in a Nehru jacket: DR NO. What a franchise! Bond takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' (well maybe not). There have been 25 canonical Bonds,
starting with the great Sean Connery in 1962. [Spoiler alert!] Who do
you think will succeed Daniel Craig who died in in the oxymoronic No Time to Die?
59. Southeast Asian language: LAO. Lao, sometimes referred to as Laotian (ລາວ, [láːw] 'Lao' or ພາສາລາວ, 'Lao language'), is a Kra–Dai
language of the Lao people. It is spoken in Laos, where it is the
official language for around 7 million people, as well as in northeast
Thailand, where it is used by around 23 million people, usually referred
to as Isan. Lao serves as a lingua franca among the citizens of Laos,
who also speak approximately 90 other languages, many of which are
unrelated to Lao.
Lao Language in the Phetsarath OT font
60. Software glitch: BUG. The origins of this term. Back in the day we used to say, "If carpenters built houses like
programmers build programs, then the first woodpecker that came along
would destroy civilization". -- Anon.
Cheers, Bill
As always, thanks to Teri
for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
Michael Schlossberg, you are invited to post anything you'd like to share about this puzzle,
its evolution, the theme, or whatever, in the Comments section below. We'd love to hear from you.
Theme: - "Reboots" - Each TV show is humorously rephrased.
23. Show about monks who form a rock group?: BAND OF BROTHERS.
25. Show about Alfred E. Neuman and company?: MADMEN.
37. Show about some St. Louis sluggers and their fixer-upper?: HOUSE OF CARDS. Cardinals.
55. Show about a mom-and-pop neckwear business?: FAMILY TIES.
70. Show about mug shot photography?: ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT.
88. Show about a village and its mountain lion problem?: COUGAR TOWN.
102. Show about a red sock, a blue sock, and the love they found in the dryer?: THE ODD COUPLE.
120. Show about a school pep squad?: CHEERS.
121. Show about Quaker Oats, Mikey, and the partnership that changed cereal forever?: THE FACTS OF LIFE.
Such fun clues. The red sock and blue sock love story made me chuckle!
Rarely
do we see 6-letter theme entries on Sundays, but they're perfect for
this grid. Very clean 142-worder. Patti's grids are always
clean, and consistently so.
Across:
1. Wild hog: BOAR.
5. Latish lunch hr.: ONE PM. We have lunch at 11:00am.
10. Place for "me time": SPA.
13. Inflame with love: ENAMOR.
19. Atlanta Hawks arena until 1997: OMNI. Wikipedia says the Omni was closed and demolished in 1997. Replaced by State Farm Arena.
20. Cause of in-flight turbulence: AIR POCKET.
22. "__ Bovary": MADAME. Emma. Kind of like the lady in "The Necklace".
26. Start: ONSET.
27. Comedian Mandel: HOWIE.
28. Consecrate: ANOINT.
29. Charming person?: SORCERER. Great clue.
34. "Who here hath __ these two days buried": "Romeo and Juliet": LAIN.
36. "Queer Eye" grooming expert Jonathan Van __: NESS.
41. "Fiddlesticks!": NUTS.
43. Lhasa __: APSO.
44. Tea party attendee: DOLL.
45. Highway scofflaw: SPEEDER.
48. Old dietary std.: RDA. Recommended Dietary Allowances.
51. Physicist Nikola: TESLA. The electric car is named after him.
53. Delta deposit: SILT.
57. Sign up: ENROLL.
59. Ceremonial pile: PYRE.
61. Clog front: TOE.
62. Letters of urgency: ASAP. Sometimes Boomer's blood draw is marked as STAT.
63. Gal: LASS.
65. NBA Commissioner Silver: ADAM.
67. Muted colors: PASTELS.
75. Fitness coach: TRAINER.
76. City near Tahoe: RENO.
77. Foil kin: EPEE.
78. Cal's twin, in a Steinbeck novel: ARON. "East of Eden".
79. Ortiz of "Ugly Betty": ANA. Here with Betty, her sister in the series.
81. Storage tower: SILO.
83. Pats gently: DABS AT.
92. Actress Merrill: DINA.
94. Old-school: RETRO.
95. Hooting bird: OWL.
96. Tiny garden planting: SEEDLET. I simply use "seed", no matter how tiny the "seed" is.
98. Attic pests: MICE.
100. Exploit: FEAT.
101. Uneven do: SHAG.
105. One-word warning: DON'T. And 129. Declines: SAYS NO.
108. Black shade: COAL.
111. Loses enthusiasm: RUNS COLD.
112. "Ooh! There!": I SEE IT.
114. Zenith's opposite: NADIR.
116. Go off-script: AD LIB.
126. Sniggler's trap: EEL POT. Nothing beats freshly roasted eels.
127. Network announcement: STATION ID.
128. Facility: EASE.
130. Yang counterpart: YIN. Yin food for summer. Yang for winter.
131. Give some space: LET BE.
132. Deliver by parachute: DROP.
Down:
1. Former wrestling star __ Brazil: BOBO. Learning moment for me. His real name is Houston Harris.
Wikipedia says he's "credited with breaking down barriers of racial
segregation in professional wrestling, Harris is considered one of the
first successful African-American professional wrestlers."
13. Name that means "God is with us": EMMANUEL. Hebrew meaning.
14. Flatbread served with tandoori chicken: NAAN.
15. Bells and whistles: ADD-ONS.
16. First lady after Bess: MAMIE.
17. Signs: OMENS.
18. Uses for a fee: RENTS.
21. Guitar Hero combinations: CHORDS.
24. Native Nebraskan: OTOE.
30. Baton: ROD.
31. Heads of cabbage, for short?: CFOS. Oh, cabbage can mean "money".
32. Celestial event: ECLIPSE.
33. Come from behind: RALLY.
35. The Shins' genre: INDIE POP. We also have 47. Punk offshoot: EMO. The Shins is from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
37. Not fancy: HATE. Verb "fancy".
38. Double-click, say: OPEN. As a link.
39. Cold War letters: USSR.
40. Beach bottle letters: SPF. Mostly 50 these days.
42. Attempt: TRY.
46. Wonderland cake message: EAT ME.
48. Ascended: RISEN.
49. Passed out: DEALT.
50. Nile vipers: ASPS.
52. __ wrench: ALLEN.
54. Sports page news: TRADE.
56. Name on four British art galleries: TATE. Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool & Tate St Ives.
58. Use a surgical beam: LASE.
60. Idyllic spots: EDENS.
64. Battlefield board game: STRATEGO.
66. Elude: AVOID.
68. Copied: APED.
69. Makeup mishap: SMEAR.
70. Shape hidden in the FedEx logo: ARROW.
71. Fauvist painter Dufy: RAOUL. French for Ralph.
72. Key holder: RING.
73. Southern inflection: DRAWL.
74. November meteor shower: LEONIDS.
75. __ Tuesday: TACO.
80. Silent assent: NOD.
82. Spanish citrus fruit: LIMON.
84. Discombobulated: BEFUDDLED.
85. Fitbit unit: STEP.
86. Asian lake memorialized by UNESCO: ARAL. Fresh clue angle.
87. Pledge drive freebie: TOTE.
89. Volcanic debris: ASH.
90. Is affected by: REACTS TO. This new oral chemo Olaparib is very toxic. Poor Boomer is dealing with a few side effects.
91. Volleyball court divider: NET.
93. Electrically flexible: AC DC.
97. Economy: THRIFT.
99. Earth-friendly prefix: ECO.
101. Brews: STEEPS.
103. Continental travel pass: EURAIL.
104. Snowman in "Frozen": OLAF. Built by our crossword regular ELSA.
105. Chops up: DICES.
106. "Straight Outta Compton" actor __ Jackson Jr.: OSHEA. Son of Ice Cube, whose real name is O'Shea Jackson.
107. Bruins legend Cam: NEELY. Hockey Hall of Famer.
109. On edge: ANTSY.
110. "Chicago Hope" Emmy winner: LAHTI (Christine)
113. Wrinkle remover: IRON.
115. Faculty head: DEAN.
117. Perjurer: LIAR.
118. "In that case ... ": IF SO.
119. [The light's green!]: BEEP.
122. Cedar Rapids college: COE. Founded in 1851.
123. Blast letters: TNT.
124. Bro or sis: SIB.
125. Tribute in verse: ODE.
Boomer
and I ventured out to Wisconsin last Monday and visited his childhood
friend Carol, whom he had not seen for over 60 years. We enjoyed the
breaded walleye strips and the Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos at The REC on the
Yellow Lake.
The trip was tiring for Boomer, esp
with the nausea issue. But he recovered quickly. He was so happy to be
outside again. He had a minor fall on our stairs on Friday. I was able
to get him up. Nothing was broken, so it's all good.
Have any of you visited Danbury, WI before? The Yellow Lake is so quiet and pretty, a little paradise in the middle of nowhere.
Today's constructor is Michael Schlossberg, who last
appeared here with his second LAT puzzle on
January 23, 2022. He has also had
puzzles published in the NYT. Today he warns us about
Some spots you might want to avoid
The key to discovering the theme of this puzzle is a clue within
the reveal. I didn't catch it the first time around and had to get
some help (see acknowledgements at the end of the review*).
58A.
Product used on four of this puzzle's clues: SPOT REMOVER. Reveal clue italics added by the blogger. A careful reading of the
clue indicated that something had been removed from the
clues, not thefill, as is often the case. If we add SPOT back in, the clue becomes an idiom
synonymous with the idiomatic fill. Here are the themers:
17A. Tough: DIRE STRAITS. Tough spot to be in. The
Greek hero Odysseus, on his long journey home from the Trojan War found
himself between two monsters, the Scylla and the Charybdis,
guarding the the
Strait of Messina. This story has long been a metaphor for choosing between two lethal
alternatives, either of which will probably fail!
28A. Hot: THE PLACE TO BE. Hot spot to be. A
place that might make you sweat, like a dance club, or under a bright light in
a police interview room.
34A. Sore: TOUCHY SUBJECT.
Sore spot. Sadly the number of touchy subjects in today's society
is on the increase, and meaningful discussions about them are on the
decrease.
42A. Weak: ACHILLES HEEL.
Weak spot. We associate this weakness with Achilles, the hero of the
Homer's Iliad (see 17A about the hero of volume two
The Odyssey). But surprisingly the origin of this flaw derives
not from Homer, but from Greek mythology, which describes Achilles' mother
Thetis dipping him in the River Styx to convey invulnerability, save on the heel by which she held him. This same idea is repeated in Richard
Wagner's opera Siegfried. While this hero is bathing in
dragon's blood to
obtain invulnerability, a single leaf falls between his shoulder
blades.
This is of no concern to him as he would never turn his back and run
from an
enemy. In the end he is betrayed by a false friend, who having found
out about the vulnerability through subterfuge, stabs Siegfried in the
back. Here Wagner portrays
Siegfried's death and funeral march
(10 very moving minutes)
Here are the rest of the clues: Across:
1. Conspiring circle: CABAL. I filled this first with what later became
1D, but it didn't perp. Semantically however they might be
interchangeable.
6. Singer/actress Thorne: BELLA.
Annabella Avery Thorne
(born October 8, 1997) is an American actress, model, singer, and
writer. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an
Imagen Award, a Shorty Award, a Teen Choice Award and three
Young Artist Awards.
15. Snacker's stack: OREOS. There must be a thousand ways to clue
these cookies.
16. Tool that only works in water: OAR. Clever clue.
19. Iberian cheer: OLE. The Iberian peninsula encompasses Spain
and Portugal, where soccer and bullfighting are popular. A CSO to Lucina.
20. Second printing: REISSUE.
21. Kerfuffle: RUCKUS.
23. Key above ~: ESC. A gimme if you're filling this on a
laptop.
24. Osso __: BUCO.
Ossobuco or osso buco
is a specialty of Lombard cuisine of cross-cut veal shanks braised with
vegetables, white wine and broth.
Here's a recipe
(2 hrs 15 min, but only 15 minute is prep time).
27. Party of the first part in the Bible?: MOSES. The "first part" of the Bible is the Torah, the books
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and
Deuteronomy. I'm guessing here but the "party of the first part" implies
MOSES, who is considered by many to be the narrator
of these books. Scholars point out however that as Moses died near the
end of Deuteronomy he couldn't have written all of it. But other
scholars counter that he dictated the end of the Torah to his successor
Joshua. But the question arises, on what did he write it down?
It's unlikely that the Israelites carried supplies of parchment scrolls and
ink as they wandered through the desert for 40 years.
However, these stories were actually recorded in human memory during that time, as the transmission of history by early Jews was largely through
oral recitation. Thus it is likely that
the books of the Torah were written down long after the events described in them. Scholars believe that this probably occurred during the period of
the
Babylonian Captivity and second exodus (597 - 537) after the destruction of the Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem.
It was the means to survive as a nation in a foreign land by canonizing
and preserving ancient Biblical traditions at a time when
Jewish culture was under great stress.
The Flight of the Prisoners (1896) the exile of the Jews from Canaan to Babylon James Tissot
39. Sweets: BAE. The Baltimorese for BAE is HON.
Baltimore Hons are distinguished by their beehive haircuts, flashy dress, and feather boas. Every year there is a
HonFest celebrating Hons
in the Hampden neighborhood in East Baltimore:
Baltimore Hons
40. Street sign abbr.: AVE.
41. Massive lexicon: Abbr.: OED.
Oxford English Dictionary. CSO
to constructors, for only £100 you can get a yearly subscription.
47. Simple semiconductor: DIODE. A diode is a two-terminal
electronic component that conducts current primarily in one direction; it has
low (ideally zero) resistance in one direction, and high (ideally infinite)
resistance in the other.
Wait, there's more.
48. Space heater?: STAR. Our STAR heats a LOT of space.
49. Three-time World Series of Poker champion Ungar: STU. No, not
Disco STU, this STU:
52. Hyperformal "Blame me": IT WAS I. Don't look at me!
54. Haberdashery clips: TIE BARS. Draw in a pub crawl?
Menswear buggy whips?
57. "New Rules" singer __ Lipa: DUA.
Dua Lipa (born 22 August 1995) is an English singer and songwriter. Dua is a
mezzo-soprano
known for her signature disco-pop sound. In all the "official" videos of
her songs I viewed, it was difficult to separate all the packaging from the
human being. Finally I stumbled on this live performance of "Don't Start
Now" on SNL in 2021 that liberates her from (most of) the glitz (lyrics):
61. Goof: ERR.
62. Big name in the cosmetics aisle: ESTEE.
63. Data visualization discovery, perhaps: TREND.
The Opte project
(kinda technical) uses visualization to show trends in the growth of the
Internet.
Here's their website. Very pretty.
64. "So?": AND. So?
65. "Copy that": NOTED. ROGER didn't perp..
66. Ish: SORTA. Kinda.
Down:
1. Inner circle: CADRE. This is what I had for 1A at
first. I'm sure that CABALS have CADRES. Somebody
has to give orders to the fall guys.
2. First sign of spring?: ARIES. Of course ROBIN would
have fit (they're a lot smaller than RAMS), but didn't perp.
3. __ acid: BORIC. This contains some visualizations of
Boric Acid. Didn't see any TRENDS though.
4. Hawkeye State college town: AMES. Here's the
ISU website.
5. Miss: LASS. A Scottish Miss no doubt.
6. Withstood hardship: BORE UP.
7. Stretch often named for a music genre: ERA. The
Baroque Era spanned the years 1600 to 1750. Here's a very brief
tutorial on the Baroque genre (5:28). At the end there is a short list
of pieces characteristic of this era, all of which I'm sure are also available
on YouTube.
Hands up from anyone who would venture a name for the the musical ERA we're
living in now?
9. Tolkien trilogy, briefly: LOTR. As clued the
Lord of the Rings
refers to three novels (The Fellowship of the Ring,
The Two Towers, and The Return of the King) written in stages
between 1937 and 1949. I've read this captivating series twice, once to
my son, who in turn has read them multiple times to his children. Oxford professor J.R.R.Tolkien wrote them at the urging of his publisher due to the
success an earlier novel called
The Hobbit, which is essentially a prequel to LOTR, introducing many of the main
characters. The novels describe the inhabitants and the cosmic struggles of
Middle Earth, a fantasy world in which readers become quickly
immersed. The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit were essentially cult
classics until director
Peter Jackson
released three beautifully crafted films for the novels from 2001 -
2003. Here is a trailer for
The Fellowship of the Ring (vocals by Enya):
10. Take on: ASSUME. Well we all know what happens when we ASSUME.
11. Audible precursor: BOOKS ON CD. I've never been attracted to recorded books. There is something about seeing the words on a page.
12. Pot-building poker wager: VALUE BET. This is how you can make big bucks. One of the tricks that I'm sure Stu Ungar (49A) had up his sleeve.
13. Decent, so to speak: DRESSED. As opposed to "naked buck" as my grandchildren would say.
18. __ top: TUBE. A tight-fitting strapless top made of stretchy material and worn by women or girls. Here's an array you can choose from at Walmart:
22. Easy-to-store bed: COT.
25. Like the winner in a number-guessing contest: CLOSEST.
30. Male swan: COB. SWAN and the associated COB, PEN, and CYGNET are becoming crosswordese. The Finish
composer
Jean Sibelius
showed great affection for these graceful birds with musical odes to them in
at least two of his pieces:
the finale of his 5th Symphony
(1:18 min) and in his haunting tone poem the
Swan of Tuonela
(reportedly J.R.R. Tolkien's favorite piece of music). Here's the complete work (8:13 min):
31. Leader of a slapstick trio: MOE HOWARD. And a CSO to our
Chairman. Moses Harry Horwitz (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975), known professionally as Moe Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He is best known as the leader of The Three Stooges,
the farce comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television for
four decades. Here's a picture of the Chairman taken from his good
side:
Howard in 1937
34. Saying little: TACITURN. Not a problem I have.
35. Unblinking sci-fi villain: HAL. Who needs eyelids anyway?
36. First name in couture: YVES. More commonly known as YSL.
38. Swimmer that hunts using electrolocation: EEL. There is an electric eel (Electrophorus electricus) at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Mean looking critter!
39. "I wouldn't do that": BAD IDEA. I wish I had a nickel for everybody who ever told me that (and I'd listened!). I'd be millionaire.
50. Reznor of Nine Inch Nails: TRENT. Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American musician,
singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. He serves as the
lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails.
51. Vitamin intake std.: US RDA. Recommended Dietary Allowances derived from standards defined in the National Institutes of Health's Nutrient Recommendations: Dietary Reference Intakes. How's that for a mouthful?
53. __ facto: IPSO. Today's Latin lesson: "By the very fact", in other words:
56. NYC division: BORO. Since the clue was an acronym, the fill was a shorthand for BOROUGH. For all of you folks who live in the other half of the US here the New York City boroughs.
59. Mel who hit 511 career home runs: OTT. Here they are in column 4. Melvin Thomas Ott (March 2, 1909 – November 21, 1958), nicknamed "Master Melvin", was an American professional baseball right fielder, who played for the New York Giants, from 1926 through 1947
and made the trip to Cooperstown in 1951. Tragically he died at age 48 a week after an auto accident in Mississippi.
Mel Ott
60. Capital of Thailand?: TEE. The question mark is a clue to misdirection. In this case TEE is the first letter in the word Thailand. Alternate clues for it could be "Golfer's support" or "Cheap short-sleeved shirt with a silk-screened meme on the back".
Thanks bhart for spotting the missing grid, and thank you C.C. for the temporary bailout!
And as always thanks to Teri for proof reading and constructive suggestions
*Also it was Teri who helped me figure out the theme.
My long range plan is to get her to do the whole blog!
Anywho, after solving the puzzle the theme didn't jump out at me right
away, and
as I was headed upstairs for my afternoon nap I asked her to take a look
at the theme clues. Within 5 minutes she came upstairs and triumphantly
announced her
findings.
waseeley
Cheers,
Bill
Michael, you are invited to post anything you'd like to share about this puzzle, its evolution, the theme, or whatever in the Comments section. We'd love to hear from you.
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