Zhou Zhang often collaborates with others, and today she's playing a duet with newcomer Kim Alswager.
61. Score symbols, or a description of 17-, 24-, 39-, and 49-Across: MUSIC NOTES. MUSIC NOTES is a pun of MUSIC notation, i.e. NOTES, blended into theme phrases (also NOTES as in memos) that feature a musical term. Equating the following clues with their musical equivalent answers will take a bit, so bear with me.
17. "Step one: make sure everything is in tune"?: FIRST PITCH. The ceremonial FIRST PITCH is a traditional event where a honored guest throws a baseball from the mound to start a game. In music, one tunes an instrument by adjusting its PITCH.
24. "Learn to recognize the pattern of sharps and flats"?: MASTER KEYS. MASTER KEYS is usually singular, after all, it is the MASTER that unlocks everything. The KEY of a song is the tonal center of the melody, chosen from one of the 12 available NOTES (in Western music) and flavored with a mood, major or minor.
39. "Don't wait for anyone else, go ahead and write a song"?: COMPOSE YOURSELF. To COMPOSE YOURSELF is to calm down and regain emotional control after becoming angry or upset. COMPOSE is what a songwriter does, and this answer is the only one that seems akin to something a memo or NOTE might say.
49. "Now play C major and C minor descending"?: SCALES DOWN. SCALES DOWN means to reduce something in size or scope while still retaining the general idea. C major and C minor are KEYS with corresponding SCALES that may be played from their highest note DOWN to their lowest.
As a musician, I wanted to like this more than I did. It started with, "Step one..." leading me to believe that the rest of the themers would follow some sort of order as one writes or plays a song, but they don't. And while KEYS, PITCH and SCALES are related, COMPOSE (a verb) is not. I also had trouble thinking of most of these phrases as NOTES.
Playing on:
Across:1. Word with order or reel: GAG. These phrases highlight the different meanings of GAG, from "to silence" as in a GAG order, to a GAG being a joke as in a blooper reel, a funny collection of outtakes.
4. __ farming: asking for upvotes on Reddit: KARMA. New to me but makes sense.
9. Catches forty winks: NAPS. In the 19th century, "forty" was used loosely to mean an indefinite, large number. In this idiom, "winks" equates to "shut-eye," which is sleep.
 |
| Me working hard on this review! |
13. Hazy brew, briefly: IPA. India Pale Ale is the most popular beer served here at the Corner.
14. Raise in relief: EMBOSS.
16. On-the-job protection org.: OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
17. [theme]
19. Drill or clamp: TOOL. I liked this because while both are a TOOL, they are also verbs describing the actions of said TOOLs. Just ask OSHA.
20. Party game with forbidden words: TABOO. I can't say enough about this answer.
21. Origin of a plot hole?: HOE. Fun clue.
 |
| Not this kind of plot! |
22. Green Gables girl: ANNE. ANNE of Green Gables does not have any major plot holes, but it does have some continuity errors and leaves loose ends.
23. One with elitist tastes: SNOB. A SNOB often has a big EGO.
24. [theme]
27. Big heads: EGOS. People with big EGOS are often SNOBs.
29. Regretted: RUED.
30. Perpignan pal: AMI. Perpignan is a medieval city in Southern France, thus the French word for "friend."
 |
| The Castillet (City Gate) of Perpignan |
33. Put a new price on: RETAG. Walmart recently tried "surveillance pricing" whereby they use cellphone data to RETAG digital prices on the shelves based on what they think a customer will pay as one walks by. Thus, shoppers may pay different amounts for the same item. I think it's awful and it's being contested.
36. Wedding party member, perhaps: GROOM. It's "perhaps" nowadays.
39. [theme]
42. Beer with the largest single-site brewery in the world: COORS. While COORS doesn't directly make an IPA, it does through its craft divisions and broader offerings from Molson COORS.
43. Olympic judo medalist Rousey: RONDA. RHONDA was the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo by winning bronze at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She went on to beat everyone else up.
44. Place for a tug: SEA. There are ocean-going tugboats, but most stay in harbors.
45. Opportunity org.: NASA. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. "Oppy" was a historic robotic vehicle that explored Mars for nearly 15 years, far outliving its original 90-day mission.
47. Mirror pic letters on social media: OOTD. Outfit Of The Day. People take pictures of what they are wearing and post them to show off their personal style. Some monetize this by including details telling where they bought their clothes, shoes, and accessories.
 |
| I simply must know where she bought that hideous jacket! |
49. [theme]
53. Aware of: ON TO.
57. Onigiri wrapper: NORI. Onigiri is a classic Japanese snack made of cooked rice pressed into a triangle or round shape and often wrapped in NORI, dried seaweed.
58. Tonewood used to make ukuleles: KOA. KOA, from a tree native to Hawaii, is also used in guitar-making because of its striking grain and deep color.
 |
| Gibson SG from their custom shop |
59. Parting mot: ADIEU. Let's say "farewell" to any more French today.
60. Shortly, quaintly: ANON. ANON, meaning "soon," was often found in classic literature and plays. In fact, Shakespeare was called the "Bard of ANON" (I may be misremembering my high school English teacher).
61. [theme]
64. Run while sitting: IDLE. Another fun clue.
65. Draw out: ELICIT.
66. Groove: RUT. I'd rather be in the groove than stuck in a RUT.
67. Yuks, online: LOLS. Laugh Out Louds 😂
68. Short digression: ASIDE.
69. Photo __: OPS. Like this one of NASA's rover:
 |
| Photo Opportunity - but who took it? |
Down:
1. Talents: GIFTS.
2. Hive-minded?: APIAN. APIAN comes from the Latin word apianus, derived from apis, which means "bee".
3. Greta known as the "Swedish Sphinx": GARBO. GARBO just visited us last Thursday.
 |
| I wonder how she got that nickname? |
4. Diet with fat bombs: KETO. On a KETO diet, carbs are the enemy, not fats.
5. Feedback provider, maybe: AMP. Another music-related clue! This concert set up had potential to provide feedback...and deafen everyone in the process.
 |
| The Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound |
6. Triple Crown stat: RBI. Baseball's Major League Triple Crown is awarded to a hitter who leads their respective league (American or National) in three major offensive categories during a single regular season: Batting Average (BA); Home Runs (HR); and Runs Batted In (RBI).
7. Fliers who are often light-headed?: MOTHS. My grandma used to call them "millers," and I thought that was because they milled around a light. Turns out it's due to the powdery dust on a MOTH'S wings that resembles milled flour.
8. Tie at a racetrack?: ASCOT. Neckwear named after the famous Royal ASCOT horse race in England.
9. Zero interest: NO TAKERS. Anyone wanna buy my ASCOT collection? Anyone?
10. "Sure, that's a very normal response ... ": AS ONE DOES.
11. Baloney descriptor: PHONY. It's PHONY baloney!
12. Retail statistic: SALES. I wonder how SALES are affected by surveillance pricing?
15. Like tulle: SHEER.
18. Drink brand with lizards in its logo: SOBE. SOBE was founded in Norwalk, Connecticut, but traded on the vibe of South Beach in Miami, hence the lizards.
24. Springfield watering hole: MOE'S. MOE'S is the bar in The Simpsons cartoons, which may serve IPAs...NITRO-infused of course.
25. Sunflower kin: ASTER.
26. Tommy Pickles, for one: RUGRAT. Tommy is the baby in the RUGRATs cartoons on Nickelodeon.
28. "__ Pointe Blank": GROSSE. GROSSE Pointe Blank is movie featuring John Cusack as a hitman returning to his home, GROSSE Pointe, Michigan, for his 10-year high school reunion. The title plays on "point-blank" meaning shooting at close range and the main character's name, Martin Blank. It's an entertaining dark comedy from 1997.
30. Syracuse's gp.: ACC. Syracuse University, where both my mother and daughter-in-law earned their masters, is part of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
31. Sound from a pen: MOO. A pen may be any fenced enclosure, but I usually associate them with smaller animals like goats, so BAA crossed my mind.
32. "My streak continues!": I'M ON A ROLL.
34. Edebiri of "The Bear": AYO. AYO Edebiri won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for her portrayal of a chef in the award-winning TV series, The Bear about the trials and tribulations of a Chicago restaurant.
35. "Why are you still here?": GO NOW.
37. World Cup cheer: OLE. And say, "¡Hola!" to OLE as we switch from French to Spanish.
38. Theater director's deg.: MFA. Masters of Fine Arts.
40. Nutty confections: PRALINES. Originally, this sugary French confection used almonds, but when settlers brought the recipe to New Orleans, native pecans became the nut of choice.
41. Sukiyaki noodle, maybe: UDON. This is our second helping of Japanese food today. Sukiyaki is a popular hot pot dish where thinly sliced beef and vegetables are slow-cooked in a soy sauce broth, then may be served over UDON noodles.
46. Words on a docent's badge: ASK ME. A docent is a person who acts as a knowledgeable tour guide in a museum, zoo or historical site. A good one is a decent docent.
48. Bird that was once endemic to Mauritius: DODO. "Why did the DODO go extinct?" is a question for a docent.
49. __ mail: SNAIL.
50. Airbnb option: CONDO.
51. Birth day party?: DOULA. Yet another fun clue! A DOULA is non-medical professional who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to a person before, during, and after childbirth.
52. Caravan's rest spot: OASIS.
54. Cold brew style: NITRO. Suds are pouring freely today! Infusing beer with nitrogen gas, instead of traditional carbon dioxide, creates a silky-smooth mouthfeel with a dense, creamy head.
55. Pave the way for, as a topic of conversation: TEE UP.
56. Removes: OUSTS.
59. Prerequisite to a deal: ANTE. Nice way to clue this old fav.
62. Here, in Le Havre: ICI. More French.
63. Spain's El __: CID. More Spanish.
I'll let the music play me out.
Be good. RB
