Theme: Seasonal Scrambles - each theme entry has a scramble of one of the seasons hidden in it, as the reveal explains:
59A. What happens tomorrow ... and a hint to this grid's circled letters: CHANGE OF SEASONS. We move from spring to summer on Friday.
17A. Brief CV: SHORT FORM RESUMÉ. Summer.
24A. Make music with one's mouth closed: HUM A TUNE. Autumn.
36A Dessert potables : PORT WINES. Winter.
52A. Some facial decor: LIP RINGS. Spring.
Cool theme, I like how the seasons follow each other rather than just appear randomly. My daughter has a LIP RING which I was rather startled by the first time I saw it, but it's grown on me. PORT WINE is my favorite go-to with the cheese plate after dinner. SHORT-FORM RESUMÉ I'm not so sure about, but I did like the overall challenge here. Solid crosses for a lot of proper names. I wonder if Peter suggested to Rich when to run this puzzle and changed the reveal clue accordingly.
Across:
1. Hogwarts professor played by Rickman: SNAPE
6. Monk style: BEBOP. Nice misdirection. I was trying to think of another word for "tonsure" when I saw the light. Thelonious Monk.
11. "It's __-win situation": A NO
14. Groovier part of a 45?: SIDE A. How many grooves are there on a standard 45? Two, one on each side.
15. Achille __: hijacked liner: LAURO
16. Baseball commentator Darling: RON. New to me. Crosses solved it for me.
20. Ristorante rice dish: RISOTTO. I can just hear Gordon Ramsay say "Two Wellingtons, one spaghetti and one perfect risotto".
21. Votin' no on: AGIN
22. The geographic center of the 48 states is in it: KANSAS. I need to look this up. I'd like to know exactly where. In the UK, it's somewhere in Leicestershire, I think, 70 miles from the sea. For a reasonably large country, 70 miles from getting wet is not a long way away.
27. Decide that one will: ELECT TO
29. Cargo unit: TON
30. Spanish article: LAS
31. __ deck: cruise ship feature: LIDO. There's a Lido pool in Paris on the Seine. I've swum in it. Not sure that was the best idea I've ever had.
32. System starter?: ECO
34. "Paper Moon" pair: O'NEALS. Ryan and daughter Tatum.
39. Quarterly Nielsen ratings periods: SWEEPS. The sweeps are getting less important. Nielsen survey a week's worth of watching broadcast TV every quarter to set the price of advertising for the next three months on any given show. The problem is - cable. Nielsen don't survey cable, so if you are watching ESPN or HBO you don't count. Have you been watching the World Cup? Fantastic soccer.
42. Wind up: END
43. Free of charge: COMP
47. Ranch nickname: TEX
48. French pronoun: TOI. The
50. They may hold rosés: CARAFES. I hope you spotted the E-ecute in the clue. I missed it at first, and was off on the VASE trail, Then I looked again.
55. Katmandu native: NEPALI
56. Hard to watch: UGLY
57. Indentations: NOTCHES
. I
64. "Lord, is __?": IT I
65. Under-the-sink fitting: P-TRAP
66. Get ready to refinish: STRIP
67. Writer Rand: AYN. We've had Ayn Rand and Anne Rice today. Completely different writers, but I've enjoyed reading both of their work. I think "Interview with the Vampire" was one of the most stunning novels I've ever read.
68. Some globe users: SEERS
69. With great passion: HOTLY
Down:
1. Old conscription agcy.: S.S.S.
2. Bethesda-based medical org.: N.I.H. I had to look this one up after I solved the puzzle, I think this might be a tad obscure?
3. Gussied up: ADORNED
4. Sub need: PERISCOPE. Hard to steerwithout one. You tend to bump into things.
5. Preoccupies a lot: EATS AT
6. Moral flaw: BLOT
7. Terra firma: EARTH
8. Disappoint, in slang: BUM OUT
9. 1967 NHL Rookie of the Year: ORR. One of the most famous photo in sports is Bobby Orr scoring the Stanley Cup-winning goal being tripped while celebrating the win. It is quite wonderful.
10. "The Tell-Tale Heart" writer: POE
11. Salad green: ARUGULA. Called "Rocket" in England, if you ever get a menu and wonder.
12. Insignificant: NOMINAL
13. Zen harmony: ONENESS. There's a spooky commercial running now about ginger beer and oneness, not sure if I like it.
18. Boy who may be adopted: FOSTER SON
19. Took a load off: SAT
22. Kenan's Nickelodeon pal: KEL. Completely clueless about this one.
23. "Green Book" Oscar winner Mahershala __: ALI
25. Van Morrison hit with the line "A fantabulous night to make romance": MOONDANCE. Let's hear from Van the Man.
26. Writer Rice: ANNE
28. Thanksgiving mo. in Canada: OCT. I have a Canadian friend here in LA who hosts a Thanksgiving Dinner in October. It's great, we get to eat turkey twice in two months. I cook turkey at Easter too - it's not particularly traditional, but our family always had an Easter turkey.
33. Fall behind: OWE
35. Reaches after getting away, as a safe haven: ESCAPES TO
37. __-FREE: contact lens solution: OPTI. Thank you crosses, no clue.
38. Forbes rival: INC Well good luck to INC's circulation numbers. Never heard of you.
39. Lesser Antilles isl. country: ST. LUCIA. A beautiful spot in the Caribbean.
40. Ponderous: WEIGHTY
.
41. Clarify: EXPLAIN. I used to work with a guy who would say "Let me 'splain you". it got to be quite a joke.
44. Qualifying phrase: OF A SORT
45. "Hacksaw Ridge" director Gibson: MEL
46. Tire letters: PSI. I think my tires are 32/24 on the front and back,
49. Brush aside: IGNORE
51. Go over again: REHASH. Usually no point. Accept and move on.
53. Rembrandt van __: RYN. Why do I always want to fill in RJN?
54. As of yet: SO FAR
58. Cookbook amts.: TSPS. I messed up yesterday smoking chicken. The cookbook called for 1 tbsp on wood chips, I decided more is better, and used two. Bad idea. All you can taste is smoke.
60. Modern rte. finder: G.P.S. Not Google Maps? I use my Garmin GPS sailing, but on-the-road navigation is firmly in the hands of Google.
61. Tour de France time: ÉTÉ I love the TV coverage of the Tour de France. This year will be bittersweet as Paul Sherwen, one of the the co-commentators and one of the voices of the Tour passed away this year from heart failure at the young age of 62. I was shocked when I heard the news.
62. Zilch: NIL
63. Make like a mole: SPY
And the grid:
Steve
59A. What happens tomorrow ... and a hint to this grid's circled letters: CHANGE OF SEASONS. We move from spring to summer on Friday.
17A. Brief CV: SHORT FORM RESUMÉ. Summer.
24A. Make music with one's mouth closed: HUM A TUNE. Autumn.
36A Dessert potables : PORT WINES. Winter.
52A. Some facial decor: LIP RINGS. Spring.
Cool theme, I like how the seasons follow each other rather than just appear randomly. My daughter has a LIP RING which I was rather startled by the first time I saw it, but it's grown on me. PORT WINE is my favorite go-to with the cheese plate after dinner. SHORT-FORM RESUMÉ I'm not so sure about, but I did like the overall challenge here. Solid crosses for a lot of proper names. I wonder if Peter suggested to Rich when to run this puzzle and changed the reveal clue accordingly.
Across:
1. Hogwarts professor played by Rickman: SNAPE
6. Monk style: BEBOP. Nice misdirection. I was trying to think of another word for "tonsure" when I saw the light. Thelonious Monk.
11. "It's __-win situation": A NO
14. Groovier part of a 45?: SIDE A. How many grooves are there on a standard 45? Two, one on each side.
15. Achille __: hijacked liner: LAURO
16. Baseball commentator Darling: RON. New to me. Crosses solved it for me.
20. Ristorante rice dish: RISOTTO. I can just hear Gordon Ramsay say "Two Wellingtons, one spaghetti and one perfect risotto".
21. Votin' no on: AGIN
22. The geographic center of the 48 states is in it: KANSAS. I need to look this up. I'd like to know exactly where. In the UK, it's somewhere in Leicestershire, I think, 70 miles from the sea. For a reasonably large country, 70 miles from getting wet is not a long way away.
27. Decide that one will: ELECT TO
29. Cargo unit: TON
30. Spanish article: LAS
31. __ deck: cruise ship feature: LIDO. There's a Lido pool in Paris on the Seine. I've swum in it. Not sure that was the best idea I've ever had.
32. System starter?: ECO
34. "Paper Moon" pair: O'NEALS. Ryan and daughter Tatum.
39. Quarterly Nielsen ratings periods: SWEEPS. The sweeps are getting less important. Nielsen survey a week's worth of watching broadcast TV every quarter to set the price of advertising for the next three months on any given show. The problem is - cable. Nielsen don't survey cable, so if you are watching ESPN or HBO you don't count. Have you been watching the World Cup? Fantastic soccer.
42. Wind up: END
43. Free of charge: COMP
47. Ranch nickname: TEX
48. French pronoun: TOI. The
50. They may hold rosés: CARAFES. I hope you spotted the E-ecute in the clue. I missed it at first, and was off on the VASE trail, Then I looked again.
55. Katmandu native: NEPALI
56. Hard to watch: UGLY
57. Indentations: NOTCHES
. I
64. "Lord, is __?": IT I
65. Under-the-sink fitting: P-TRAP
66. Get ready to refinish: STRIP
67. Writer Rand: AYN. We've had Ayn Rand and Anne Rice today. Completely different writers, but I've enjoyed reading both of their work. I think "Interview with the Vampire" was one of the most stunning novels I've ever read.
68. Some globe users: SEERS
69. With great passion: HOTLY
Down:
1. Old conscription agcy.: S.S.S.
2. Bethesda-based medical org.: N.I.H. I had to look this one up after I solved the puzzle, I think this might be a tad obscure?
3. Gussied up: ADORNED
4. Sub need: PERISCOPE. Hard to steerwithout one. You tend to bump into things.
5. Preoccupies a lot: EATS AT
6. Moral flaw: BLOT
7. Terra firma: EARTH
8. Disappoint, in slang: BUM OUT
9. 1967 NHL Rookie of the Year: ORR. One of the most famous photo in sports is Bobby Orr scoring the Stanley Cup-winning goal being tripped while celebrating the win. It is quite wonderful.
10. "The Tell-Tale Heart" writer: POE
11. Salad green: ARUGULA. Called "Rocket" in England, if you ever get a menu and wonder.
12. Insignificant: NOMINAL
13. Zen harmony: ONENESS. There's a spooky commercial running now about ginger beer and oneness, not sure if I like it.
18. Boy who may be adopted: FOSTER SON
19. Took a load off: SAT
22. Kenan's Nickelodeon pal: KEL. Completely clueless about this one.
23. "Green Book" Oscar winner Mahershala __: ALI
25. Van Morrison hit with the line "A fantabulous night to make romance": MOONDANCE. Let's hear from Van the Man.
26. Writer Rice: ANNE
28. Thanksgiving mo. in Canada: OCT. I have a Canadian friend here in LA who hosts a Thanksgiving Dinner in October. It's great, we get to eat turkey twice in two months. I cook turkey at Easter too - it's not particularly traditional, but our family always had an Easter turkey.
33. Fall behind: OWE
35. Reaches after getting away, as a safe haven: ESCAPES TO
37. __-FREE: contact lens solution: OPTI. Thank you crosses, no clue.
38. Forbes rival: INC Well good luck to INC's circulation numbers. Never heard of you.
39. Lesser Antilles isl. country: ST. LUCIA. A beautiful spot in the Caribbean.
40. Ponderous: WEIGHTY
.
41. Clarify: EXPLAIN. I used to work with a guy who would say "Let me 'splain you". it got to be quite a joke.
44. Qualifying phrase: OF A SORT
45. "Hacksaw Ridge" director Gibson: MEL
46. Tire letters: PSI. I think my tires are 32/24 on the front and back,
49. Brush aside: IGNORE
51. Go over again: REHASH. Usually no point. Accept and move on.
53. Rembrandt van __: RYN. Why do I always want to fill in RJN?
54. As of yet: SO FAR
58. Cookbook amts.: TSPS. I messed up yesterday smoking chicken. The cookbook called for 1 tbsp on wood chips, I decided more is better, and used two. Bad idea. All you can taste is smoke.
60. Modern rte. finder: G.P.S. Not Google Maps? I use my Garmin GPS sailing, but on-the-road navigation is firmly in the hands of Google.
61. Tour de France time: ÉTÉ I love the TV coverage of the Tour de France. This year will be bittersweet as Paul Sherwen, one of the the co-commentators and one of the voices of the Tour passed away this year from heart failure at the young age of 62. I was shocked when I heard the news.
62. Zilch: NIL
63. Make like a mole: SPY
And the grid:
Steve
