Works for me ...
Chairman Moe, here, filling in for my partner in "crhyme", MalMan. This is an interesting "work" from Paul Coulter. I completed it in my usual time for a Thursday puzzle, and had a minimal number of mistakes. I certainly used ESP (every single perp) to solve a number of these, as I will elucidate, later on. I had a really tough time figuring out the theme, and eventually it was explained to me. Thanks, C.C. and HG
Paul took the "unifier", (61-Across. Colleague ... and, when preceded by "the," what the end of 16-, 24-, 37- or 50-Across is:) WORK MATE, and combined it with the second word in each of the numbered clues, to form a common phrase.
Example #1: (16-Across. Figurative setting for many deals:) BACK ROOM. The "BACK ROOM" is where many deals get made, although I had a few sales "close" whilst at a bar. I remember getting a purchase order, written on a cocktail napkin, from a client!
Take the word "WORK", add the word "the" and then add the last word, and you get: "WORK THE ROOM". This puzzle literally was so obscure to me, at first, that I think THIS obscure clip speaks volumes!
Example #2: (24-Across. Alpha Centauri, for one:) STAR SYSTEM. Alpha Centauri is the next closest identified STAR (and planetary) SYSTEM to the Earth. But at some 4+ light years away, it is not weekend destination.
"WORK THE SYSTEM": doing what is needed to get around certain "rules",
or using the rules to your advantage. Due to our "no politics" rule here at
the Corner, I won't expound on how politicos may use this
Example #3:
(37-Across. Terra firma:) DRY LAND. This 1975 tune from Joan
Armatrading has
a deep meaning.
"WORK THE LAND" per Husker Gary, is a Nebraska specialty!
And what better item to WORK THE LAND than: (63. Groundbreaking
invention:) TILLER. Rotary tillers were introduced to the US in the
1930's from Germany. They were known there as “boden frasen” or earth grinder.
Spitzboov, stimmst du mir zu?
Example #4: (50-Across. Clash of
personalities, say:) EGO PROBLEM.
This website says it all; again, no political references, please!
"WORK THE PROBLEM": From Apollo 13, Gene Kranz @0:17
I'm not certain that as a blogger here I have any more insight to the puzzle than those who solve it on the published date. I usually do my puzzle solves with pen and paper, though on the days I blog they're done electronically due to expediency. And honest to God I couldn't see the forest for the trees in today's puzzle. A couple of my fellow bloggers bailed me out so I could write something more lucid. Whew! I never thought of this (blogging) as HARD WORK!
And now that it all fell into
place, so to speak, I will let my inner Stooge guide me through the rest of the
clues!
Across:
1. "Above the __": 1994 basketball film: RIM. The trailer:
The movie was shot on location in NYC, and loosely deals with an aspiring HS basketball player from "the 'hood'".
Of course here in Arizona when folks use the term "above the rim", most of us
here in the "valley" associate that with
this rim, not the ones at the Grand Canyon. The Mogollon Rim essentially separates,
or creates the "boundary" from high plateau (>8,000' elevation) from the
desert (less than 3,000' of elevation). The correct pronunciation for Mogollon
is: "mug-ee-on"
4. Influence: HEFT. I always thought that HEFT meant to lift something
(as a verb), or something heavy (as a noun). Turns out that one of its
definitions clearly points to having ability or influence; as in "intellectual
heft"
8. African capital on the Gulf of Guinea: ACCRA. Moe-ku #1:
Ghana cave dweller
Likes to play on trampolines;
It's an ACCRA bat.
13. Tip jar bill: ONE.
14. "Boo'd Up" Grammy winner __ Mai: ELLA. I just finished the NYT Sunday puzzle from Sept 20, where the constructor, Sam Trabucco, said in his bio: "one of my top priorities ... is to make my puzzles relatable to younger solvers. I want this hobby to remain relevant forever!"
The use of ELLA with
Grammy Winner Mai
certainly falls into that category. I guess I am one that will always equate
ELLA with Fitzgerald ...
15. Fissile rocks: SHALES. "Fissile" is from the Latin root: findare,
which means to split. Shale readily splits into layers, hence the clue/solve.
One of my favorite wine varietals is Riesling. Those grapes grown along the slopes of the Mosel River tend to be planted in slate-rich soil. One producer, Dr Loosen, has wines from both Red and Blue Slate soil. Go here to learn more about the differences between the two.
Now of course, if the clue said "Fraggle rocks", we'd have thought of this:
18. Locker hangers: PIN-UPS. What guys in HS back in the 40's, '50's, '60's, and '70's might have hung in their lockers. Not sure that PIN-UPS are allowed nowadays. Examples:
A Splynter PIN-UP.
A C Moe PIN-UP
19. Bring upon oneself: INCUR. I've INCURred a fair amount of debt in my lifetime, but have always managed to pay it off
20. Samoan capital: APIA. It resides on the north shore of Upolu, the second largest of the Samoan Islands, and has an urban population of just under 40,000 residents. Looks inviting
22. Big name in razors: ATRA. Although no longer produced, it was, I believe, the first of its generation, featuring multiple blades and a pivoting head
23. Almost at hand: NEAR. Ooh, you almost had it! It was so NEAR ...
26. Fizzles out: DIES. Literally, "fizzle" means to break wind, without making a noise. Some SBD's do seem/smell like something "DIED"!
28. Hams it up: EMOTES. Actors are known for showing EMOTION on stage, but when they "ham it up" they've OVER-emoted.
29. 2008 Visa milestone, briefly: IPO. Its IPO raised over $17.8 billion; largest in the history of the market
32. Weho or Soho, in slang: NABE. WEst HOllywood / SOuth of HOuston; NEIGHBorhoods, or "NABE" in slang. Or how to clue an obscure word to finish a noticeable hole in a puzzle ... ESP got this one for me. You?
34. Nostrils: NARES. Another ESP. Moe-Ku #2:
Hairy proboscis
Was becoming a problem.
Trimmed NARES with Nair
36. Recyclable item: CAN. CSO to Tin, perhaps??!
40. Brian of ambient music: ENO. A crossword staple. Easy 3 letter
fill
41. In __: awaiting delivery: UTERO. Or, how about a 1993 album by
Nirvana?
43. Arctic sight: FLOE. Moe-Ku #3:
Displaced polar bear
Was frustrated; His mate said,
"Just go with the FLOE"
44. Rehab hurdle: DTS. Delirium TremenS, or the
condition felt by many who are abstaining from alcohol, and in rehab, which is
short for rehabilitation
45. Colorful ring: AREOLA. Since this is a "family" blog, I will
refrain from inserting a picture here
48. Animal fat: LARD. As a kid, growing up in York, PA, one of my
favorite snack foods was Grandma Utz's potato chips. Cooked in LARD.
There is no other chip that meets that flavor, IMHO
52. They may be wild: OATS. Moe-Ku #4:
A vegan was cold.
Refused to use wool; instead,
He sewed his wild OATS
Into a sweater, I presume ...
56. Grimace: MOUE. Pronounced, "moo". Is that why cows always look so
annoyed?
57. San Joaquin Valley haze: SMOG. A portmanteau. From "smoke and
fog"
58. "Blue Ain't Your Color" country singer Keith: URBAN. Singer,
songwriter, and producer from Whangārei, New Zealand, whose "urban" population
went down when he left
59. Ill-judged, as a plan: INSANE. Moe-Ku #5:
The ill-judged Frenchman
Went for a swim, at the Louvre.
Was he just INSANE?
64. Art Deco artist: ERTE. Another crossword staple; I described this
in my last blog
66. Final word: SAY SO. There are at least two of my friends / relatives who need to have the final SAY SO whenever we text to each other. I'm sure you all know someone like that
67. Turns to gold, perhaps: DYES. As in dyeing ones hair, perhaps? Actually, there was no Sister Golden Hair, but it's a catchy tune from the mid-'70's
68. Zig when one should have zagged, say: ERR. From the C Moe book of fake facts: Noted author and motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar, had a twin brother, Zag
Down:
1. Givens of "Riverdale": ROBIN. Best known as the sidekick for "shock jock" Howard Stern. Oops! That was Robin QUIVERS!! My bad! Here is Robin Givens' biography.
2. Absurd: INANE. INSANE without the "S"?
3. Muslim holy city: MECCA. The Holy City in Saudi Arabia
4. Berlin address: HERR. German for "mister". A CSO to Spitzboov.
Yesterday's puzzle had "FRAU"; HERR's "Gattin". Ich glaube, dass Die Hausfrau, ist politisch korrekt nicht, ja?
5. Jeff Lynne rock gp.: ELO. Electric Light Orchestra. Co-founder of the group, vocalist, and guitarist
6. Passes on a lazy river: FLOATS BY. Looks peaceful, until you get to the rapids ...
7. Florida host of the Outback Bowl: TAMPA. CSO to Wilbur Charles; the creator of the term "Moe-Ku". The Outback Bowl was originally called the Hall of Fame Bowl and is played on New Year's Day at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and University of South Florida football teams. Usually features teams from the SEC vs Big Ten
8. Sushi-grade tuna: AHI. Since the species (fish) begins with this letter, shouldn't a Sushi "grade" be an F? Ok, another "Bad Dad" joke. But seriously, here is all you need to know about eating and or preparing raw fish
9. Game with melds: CANASTA. One game I learned whilst in college was pinochle. A game played with a deck of 48 cards, having 2 each of the 9-10-J-Q-K-A in each of the four suits. It had meld as well. Jack of Diamonds and Queen of Spades was called a "Pinochle" and was = 4 points of meld; having both pairs of these cards = 30 points.
Canasta? Never learned it nor played it ... same with backgammon
10. Like an untidy desk: CLUTTERED. Both my significant other and I share the same "filing" method: horizontal! Glad we both have separate desks and that they're both rather large, in the horizontal dimension ...
11. Stand for: REPRESENT. Not sure what, these days, our REPRESENTatives in Congress are standing for. Certainly not unity ... sorry for the political bent ...
12. Indian silk region: ASSAM. Fascinating info on Wikipedia. I'd link it, but I have momentarily run out of blue ink ... but I do have a picture of the silkworms, if that's OK?
15. Jerk: SPASM. Moe-Ku #6:
Cracker lover shows17. Western Asia native: KURD. The KURDish people are an ethnic group found in portions of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria. I had another Moe-Ku in mind, but I may have already reached my limit for one blog. Maybe one of our other punsters can bail me out ...
Uncontrolled SPASMS. Could he
Have "To Ritz" syndrome?
21. Anger: IRE. IRE can also be clued as the abbr. for a Celtic nation. Are the Irish IREd?
24. Scorch: SEAR. The seer SEARed the sere leaves. I wonder if he was thinking about lighting a cigar??
25. Over there: YONDER. Here is an earworm for you to carry with the rest of the day. "Off we go, into the wild blue YONDER". Just hit the "play" button; no lyrics, though ... (BTW, Thanks to all military personnel and veterans who protect/protected our liberties)
27. Weatherproof, as a swimming pool: INDOOR. Hmm. Interesting clue for this answer. My first thought was FLEX-SEAL, but that was too many letters
29. Post-op area: ICU. When former Alpine Skier, Street, had surgery, her folks wanted to know where the hospital staff took her. The head nurse said, "Picabo? ICU"
30. Barren region in southern South America: PATAGONIA. Barren to some, but in barren lands grow grapes! And as your resident Sommelier (yes, I actually AM a Somm) my first thought was to educate us all on PATAGONIAN wines
31. In a burdensome way: ONEROUSLY. ONEROUSLY, I think this is a terrible word and clue ... or did I mean HONESTLY? Neither, actually. I believe that perhaps Lemonade714 could verify, but I have never run across (or down, for that matter!) the word ONEROUSLY in a crossword puzzle before
33. Tolkien figure: ELF. ELF, ENT, or ORC; take your pick
35. "Help!" on the briny: SOS. Help in the kitchen?
38. Story with symbolism: ALLEGORY. Or what the Vice President for #42 might have been referred to, if he'd been stabbed in Paris
39. First name in linguistics: NOAM. I had NOAH at first (thinking Webster) but ESP gave me NOAM, as in Chomsky
42. Takes off the books: REPEALS. Mostly referring to laws, and/or congressional acts. Damn, you, Paul Coulter! Stop making us think about politics here!! LOL!!
46. Sore __: LOSER. Why do they always use "sore" to describe a LOSER? One theory: in the sports world, two famous quotes: First, by Leo Durocher (former baseball player and manager): "Show me a good LOSER and I'll show you an idiot." Second, by Vince Lombardi (former football coach of the Green Bay Packers): “Show me a good LOSER and I'll show you a loser”.
Today, just look for the symbol "L" as formed by your thumb and forefinger
47. SDI weapon: ABM. Strategic Defense Initiative weapon = AntiBallistic Missile ... and now, you know!
49. Quad building: DORM. Nice use of the abbr. for "Quadrangle" to result in the abbr. for "DORMitory"
50. Gives forth: EMITS. EMITS/OMITS one giveth, and one taketh away
51. Mooed: LOWED. Another earworm, perhaps?
53. Belittle: ABASE. Another clue/solve that steered me toward politics ... but again, I'll refrain
54. Russet, informally: TATER. I never ate these as a kid, but my kids did
55. Curled-lip look: SNEER. I worked for a boss once whose last name was SNEER ... we didn't get along too well!!
58. Hawaiian strings: UKES. Again, I wish Paul or Rich would've clued this as an abbr. But don't fret! I am inserting a video that'll teach you how to play the UKULELE!!
60. "The Matrix" hero: NEO. ESP, once again, for me. Never saw any of the 3 "Matrixes".
62. GPS suggestion: RTE. Back in the day, before cellphones, the most convenient method, maybe? Whatever happened to these?
The Grid:
Postscript: I know that politics are not allowed here, but I couldn't resist ... and for anyone who watched last night's VP debate, I HAD to pen this additional Moe-Ku:
I give Pence credit.
He displayed, once and for all,
That black flies matter
OK, Knuckleheads! Leave your comments, below!!
Notes from C.C.:
Happy
79th birthday to dear Jayce, who often astonishes me with his
understanding of Chinese language. I've had guilao colleagues who speak
Chinese, but none has Jayce's deep grasp of the language quirks. Such a comfort to have you here on the blog, Jayce!
