An alternate theme: CAPITAL "PUN"-ISHMENT
Puzzling thoughts:
First thought: There is no doubt that we live in a very polarized world. From politics, to religion, to gender pronouns, to "you name it", there is no grey; just black and white. As a person who is a crossword puzzle constructor, a crossword puzzle solver, and a crossword puzzle blogger, I try to view crossword puzzles as a means of enjoyment. In what I create; in what I solve; and in what I scribe (for this blog). Without taking anything away from the creativity that both Sara and Doug used to make this puzzle, the end result, for me, was more "punishment" than "gain". Maybe I was just having a "bad hair day". But my "dome" is void of hair, so literally, that was NOT the case today!! I had to use (44-down. Website that regularly features doodles:) GOOGLE several times to solve clues. Not that we shouldn't have to cheat every now and again ... but as my cartoon image implies, my lawyer had to buy me a lot more time to solve this puzzle. And since this is a community blog, I will leave the comments from you all to indicate if this was fair or not. But, the puzzle DID get solved, and I am happy to provide a few of my thoughts about the entries
The puzzle used a combination of US State Capitals along with an added name of a product "brand" to form four compound "phrases":
17-across. *Sailing-inspired sportswear brand based in Montana?: HELENAUTICA. HELENA is in the bottom five of the list of state capitals in terms of population, with less than 35,000 residents. I'm sure that some of you would guess incorrectly on a test that asks you to name the capital of Montana. NAUTICA is a global lifestyle brand, which offers a wide selection of apparel for men, women and kids as well as a large selection of home products. The last two letters of HELENA are the first two letters of NAUTICA
29-across. *Luxury watchmaker based in Washington?: OLYMPIAGET. OLYMPIA is another state capital with a small population (under 55,000) and is also a vague city when naming state capitals. PIAGET, since 1874, has been crafting luxury watches and luxury jewelry treasures by blending a jeweler's refinement with its watchmaking sophistication. They're quite pricey. In this combination, the last three letters of OLYMPIA are the first three letters of PIAGET
34-across. *Athleisure company based in Hawaii?: HONOLULULEMON. HONOLULU is the capital of our youngest US state, Hawaii. LULULEMON (a complete unknown to me) makes technical athletic clothes for yoga, running, working out, and most other sweaty pursuits. Here, Sara and Doug use the last four letters of HONOLULU along with the first four letters of LULULEMON to form this entry
And finally, 41-across. *High-fashion label based in Colorado?: DENVERSACE. This was my most "favorite" of the four entries if I had to choose one. DENVER is the state capital of Colorado, and is known as "the mile high city", as its elevation is over 5,200 feet above sea level. For anyone who's traveled there, the city and its surrounding area are generally "flat". The Rocky Mountains lie to its west, and create a stunning view. VERSACE is an Italian luxury fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978 known for flashy prints and bright colors. Here, the last three letters of DENVER are the first three letters of VERSACE.
Clever? Yes. And I noticed this (not sure if it was intentional or by accident): with each succeeding capital used, the population of each got larger. I suppose that if Sara/Doug had been able to find another state capital and brand pairing that used five letters (three letters was used twice) it might've scored a few more points with me, but that's just a nitpick. But in case they are lurking about and reading this blog, in 60-across I was able to find one with five letters
Doug Peterson is a well-known and well-respected constructor. I am not familiar with Sara's work as a whole, but I found this from a website with her name. It appears she's been published @ USA Today and WSJ ...
Here is the grid:
Across:
1. Hullabaloo: TODO. Part of what I found when I used "GOOGLE" to solve a few clues ...
5. Regional spinoff starring LL Cool J: NCIS LA.
11. Detergent brand: FAB. I have no idea if FAB is any good; their packaging is pretty hip
14. Take a turn: SPIN. A brief history of a few popular TV "SPINning" games
15. Led Zeppelin drummer John: BONHAM. Knew this straight away, as Led Zeppelin is the Chairman's #1 favorite rock band. John BONHAM is arguably one of the top rock drummers of all time. Sadly his death in 1980 also brought an end to Led Zeppelin as a recording group. Here is Chairman Moe's favorite LZ song, featuring great percussion by BONHAM. Enjoy!
16. Sheepish sort: EWE. Ha Ha
19. LG rival: RCA. A more revealing and accurate clue would've been "LG rival from 1983-1987". When was an RCA television last available for sale, new? 1987
20. Dazzled: IN AWE. [spoiler alert] no need to be "IN AWE" of Moe's blog today ...
21. Ballet move: PLIE. Or as our quipster Ray-O-Sunshine might describe: "What a barrister in Canada might recommend to his client? ......PLIE
22. __-Magnon: CRO.
23. Marks with a sale price, say: RETAGS. Or, maybe what a kid playing Marco Polo does when they're not sure?
25. Magnificent: SUBLIME. As opposed to SUB LULULEMON? I'm still irritated at that one!! ;^)
28. Long hoops shot: TREY. Here is a short video reel of some of Stephen Curry's awesome TREYs
32. Actress Edelstein: LISA. Courtesy of IMDb
33. T. rex and others: DINOS. I guess the abbr for Tyrannosaurus gave it away. My favorite DINO, growing up
39. Dwarf planet in the asteroid belt: CERES. Not PLUTO as I found out whilst doing the puzzle
40. Rolled up unannounced?: TP'ED. Pretty good clue ... a famous spot in Alabama where they like to "un-roll Tide"
44. Threads: GARB. I think GARB is like the word DEER; it's both singular and plural
48. L'Oréal rival: CLAIROL.
49. Synagogue instrument: SHOFAR. This:
51. Some NPR stations: FMS. Our local Phoenix AZ NPR station is KJZZ; 91.5 on your FM dial
52. Reid of "American Pie": TARA. IMBd's story
55. Blood line: AORTA.
56. Draft pick: ALE. "Draft" choices can also be answered using a reference to the NFL, NBA, et al. And for that reason, I originally chose "ONE" for this answer
59. Sling liquor, maybe: GIN, and its clecho, (47-down. Sling liquor, maybe:) BRANDY. As in the drink, Singapore Sling. Note, you have to be over 21 years of age to visit this website ...
60. Golden state: UTOPIA. California did not fit. But if you wanted to find another clue to fit today's puzzle theme, look no further than the capital of California ... Clue: "Yes to Fresh" candy brand based in the Golden State? SACRAMENTOS
61. Swedish soprano Jenny: LIND. Sure; I think of Jenny LIND most every day ...
62. Choose: OPT.
63. Past, present, and future: TENSES.
64. Provocative: EDGY.
Down:
1. Concert souvenir: T-SHIRT. From that 1973 Led Zeppelin MSG Concert, perhaps? Courtesty of [etsy dot com]
2. Top remover: OPENER. "HANDS" didn't fit ...
3. Grow wider: DILATE. Having had a recent eye exam, I had to have my eyes DILATEd in order for the doctor to get a better image of my retina, et al. The drops she used to do this are called: Tropicamide. It is used to DILATE (enlarge) the pupil so that the doctor can see into the back of your eye. It is used before eye examinations, such as cycloplegic refraction and examination of the fundus of the eye. And now you know
4. Words inside an arrow: ONE WAY. Or, part of a Debbie Harry song. Here she is, performing with the Muppet's band:
5. Sports org. with 30 franchises: NBA. MLB also fits this clue
6. Clever stroke: COUP. COUP definition
7. Like a global corp.: INT'L.
8. Branch of Islam: SHIISM. [wikipedia dot org says] "Shīʿa or Shia and Shīʿīsm/Shīʿīte or Shiism/Shiite are the forms used in English and other European languages for adherents, mosques, traditions, and things associated with the Shīʿa branch of Islam
9. Don, as a corset: LACE UP. Or, Don WITH a corset!! ;^) They are most certainly doing a LACE UP! Image courtesy of [the New Yorker]
10. Revealing Reddit session, for short: AMA. The acronym for "Ask Me Anything" has surpassed the same acronym for American Medical Association in crossword puzzles, but when you GOOGLE "AMA", the doctor's group comes first by a wide margin. You can literally ask me anything ...
11. "The Incredible Hulk" star: FERRIGNO. [wikipedia] Louis Jude Ferrigno Sr. is an American actor and retired professional bodybuilder who first played "The Incredible Hulk" in 1977. He won the role over Arnold Schwartzenegger for one. I think his last name is pronounced: "Fur-IG-no"
12. "You've gotta be kidding!": AW COME ON. My not so exact words I used about half way through today's puzzle
13. Emmy-winning Arthur: BEA. A "bone" clue for us older folks who watched her on an RCA TV, perhaps
18. Abbr. in blood types: NEG. "O" NEGative is the least rare of the negative blood types, but still accounts for only 7% of the blood types listed. Why is Rh negative blood so rare, you ask? For example, if someone's Rh factors are both positive, it is not possible for his or her child to have a negative blood type. Only people with at least one Rh-negative factors will have a negative blood type, which is why the occurrence of Rh-negative blood is less common than Rh-positive blood [carterbloodcare dot org]
22. Adjuster's case: CLAIM. As in an insurance adjuster
24. Terrarium foundation: SOIL.
26. __ one's time: BIDED.
27. Some CGI creations: ETS. "Fun Fake News Facts": CGI = Computer Generated Imagry. ETS = Extra Terrarium Snails
30. Joe Burrow's alma mater: Abbr.: LSU. For those unfamiliar, Joe Burrow was LSU's QB in the 2019 season where they went 15-0 and won a National Championship. Burrow now starts/stars as the QB for the Cincinnati Bengals
CSO to Big Easy and also me, as my daughter is an LSU grad. Their fight song: Geaux Tigers!!
31. Resort city on the Black Sea: YALTA. Fun Facts: YALTA, also spelled Jalta, city, Crimea, is in southern Ukraine. It faces the Black Sea on the southern shore of the Crimean Peninsula. Settlement on the site dates from prehistoric times, but modern Yalta developed only in the early 19th century, becoming a town in 1838. Also at YALTA, the Big Three (US, England, and the Soviet Union) agreed that after Germany's unconditional surrender, it would be divided into four post-war occupation zones, controlled by U.S., British, French and Soviet military forces. The city of Berlin would also be divided into similar occupation zones. The meeting occurred in February, 1945; two months before Hitler died
32. Runner-up: LOSER. "SECOND" didn't fit; technically, any position (in a race, for example) behind the WINNER is a LOSER; whether they finish second (called the runner-up, typically) or last
34. Skateboarding leap: HEEL FLIP. I missed out on the skateboarding faze as a kid; not because I wasn't a kid then. I was not a surfer nor one who lived near the ocean or west coast
Another Fun Fact: Skateboarding was first invented in the 1950s in California. It's tricky to pin down the very first skateboard, but it was a sport created by surfers who wanted something to do when the waves were low. In the US it grew in popularity until it peaked around 1963, before a crash in the market in 1965. HEEL FLIPs came about in the mid-1980's. Here is a not so brief history of HEEL FLIPs if you're so interested
35. Fir ball: ORNAMENT. HaHa - not the feline variety
36. St. Kitts neighbor: NEVIS. [wikipedia] "Saint Kitts and NEVIS is a dual-island nation situated between the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. It's known for cloud-shrouded mountains and beaches. Many of its former sugar plantations are now inns or atmospheric ruins. The larger of the 2 islands, Saint Kitts, is dominated by the dormant Mount Liamuiga volcano, home to a crater lake, green vervet monkeys and rainforest crisscrossed with hiking trails"
37. Scanned bars, briefly: UPC.
38. Levi's alternative: LEES. Another more difficult way of cluing this entry would be to use the word LEES in its wine-meaning. As your resident sommelier I thought it appropriate to provide this other "definition"
39. Atlanta-based health agcy.: CDC. I think that if you were not aware of the CDC before the year 2020, you certainly were afterwards
42. Make the rounds?: ROTATE. Ha Ha
43. Apply carelessly: SLAP ON. Like aftershave for this first time, perhaps??
45. Ready to run, perhaps: AFRAID. Good clue
46. G, PG, or R: RATING.
50. Country singer Ketchum: HAL. More Fun "Fake News" Facts: His father, HANK, is the creator of the cartoon, "Dennis the Menace"
53. Material flaws: RIPS. Good clue
54. End in __: A TIE. My one and only (so far) crossword puzzle accepted by the LA Times had "ENDs IN A TIE" as the reveal. Hoping to be featured in a future LAT puzzle ...
56. Earlier: AGO.
57. Share: CUT. As in, what share of the contract or prize did you earn. What was your CUT? Think of a caddie in golf or an agent for a movie star
58. Small cells: AAS.
And once again another blog bites the dust! The benefit we bloggers have is lots of time to solve, lots of time to do our research, and lots of time to reflect back on each clue and word. You folks generally spend anywhere from 5 to 55 minutes on the day of the puzzle solving before coming here. Hoping that many or some of you found this puzzle a bit more fun than I, but as I was finishing the blog I felt better about it. Anyway, please comment below if YOU have any "puzzling thoughts"
