Every time I blog - or solve - a David Alfred Bywaters' puzzle I am impressed by his use of common words and phrases, and offering the solver a decent chance to FIR (finish it right). I decided today to tap into my inner Husker Gary, and reach out to DAB in an email. He may stop by later to offer more insight to this particular puzzle. He has a website that offers not only puzzles, but also a blog about his other love, Victorian novels. And while I can't say that I am a big lover of Victorian novels (or any other novels, for that matter), he is; and if you are, then I highly recommend opening up that tab while you're there, visiting.
I mentioned to David that I, too, am a big lover and user of puns, both in my blog, comments, and even in a few of the puzzles I've had published. So now, "TERN" about is fair play! Let's get started with the explanation, though forgive me if I might appear to be "winging it"!
Today's puzzle - though quite worthy of a Friday or late-in-the-week puzzle - started out fairly easy. I used perps to assist me, and looked at the plethora of 3-letter entries to get a foothold. And while there're over 20 3-letter's used, very few were abbreviations: MRI, HMS and ATT. The rest were all real words. That was my first sign that this puzzle was well-constructed. And though I cheated a bit by reading through the clues to "look" for a reveal, I discovered there was none. These longish entries would be the unifiers in the solve. For example:
17-Across. Bird's perspective?: ORIOLE VIEW. This was my first "theme" solve, and I saw the similarity to the more common phrase, "AERIAL VIEW". The use of the word "ORIOLE" made me think of my title for this puzzle, that this is for the birds. And speaking of "birds" and "ORIOLES", I couldn't help but compare that the baseball team from Baltimore nicknamed the ORIOLES have an aerial view of sorts. Unfortunately (forgive me, waseeley) their "view" lately has been from the bottom, looking up! The ORIOLES, aka the "Birds" have languished in last place in their division four of the last five years. This certainly is not the organization I knew growing up, just 50 miles north of Baltimore. Their 1966 team, and their 1969-1971 teams were stellar
26-Across. Nurtured by a bird?: GROUSE FED. Ha! GROUSE FED! Who wouldn't choose a sirloin steak that was GROUSE FED? Well, maybe if it were GRASS fed instead. And as your head Stooge, here is a snippet from one of our (The Three Stooges) shorts, "Pop goes the Easel"
38-Across. Amorous bird?: TANAGER IN LOVE. Does the early bird who clicks on Moe's links get the earworm??
51-Across. Bird painting?: OWL FRESCO. OK. Moe "got it" but had to dig a little to "get" the clue. Al fresco - the common phrase - means "in the fresh air", which is why diners love to choose a restaurant with outdoor tables. Be aware, though, that in Italy if you were to ask your waiter to dine "al fresco" it could translate that you prefer eating "in prison"!
AnyHOO, the word "FRESCO" can also mean this, according to Wikipedia: FRESCO is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting becomes an integral part of the wall.
So DAB's clue to create the pun was spot on. He wasn't flocking with us . . .
60-Across. Bird-wrestling move?: THRUSH HOLD. HaHa. I'm sure if I looked hard enough I would've found a THRUSH carrying its mate over the threshold, but in keeping with the clue, I found this instead:
5 - count 'em - 5 punny bird phrases. Could David have used these five instead?
1) Bird's disappearing act? BLACKBIRD ERASER
2) What do you call the act of an old bird who marries a younger one? ROBIN THE CRADLE
3) Op-ed from a shore bird? ERNEings REPORT
4) Bird-owned sardine factory? CANARY ROW
5) Unit of bird communication? TERN SIGNAL
Please add your own in the comments section below; "fowl" language is allowed! Here's the grid, and then on to the rest of the clues:
Across:
1. Pageantry: POMP. Confirmed by the Thesaurussaurus
5. Italian sports cars, briefly: ALFAS. ALFA Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian premium car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili. They are now a part of Fiat Chrysler
10. Showed up: CAME. Past tense of come
14. Garage mechanic's goal, maybe: PURR. I should probably leave the cat cartoons and videos to CED, but this one describes the clue perfectly:
15. Dance studio fixture: BARRE. This entry could've also been clued: "Leaf-peeping destination in New England". But David doesn't use many proper name entries in his puzzles. Which of course prompted a Moe-ku:
Vermont ballet group
Gives ballerina lessons:
BARRE in Barre
16. Product of Queensland: OPAL. A fiery gemstone found in abundance in Australia
19. Place in the woods?: NECK. Clever
20. Child: TOT. First of the 3-letter entries; no abbreviation here
21. Pt. of AAA: ASSOC. So David decided to abbreviate a 5-letter, instead!! American Automobile ASSOCiation
23. Put off: REPEL. Also part of the word "repellent". The mosquitos have been quite active here in the VOTS this year
30. Take a good look at: EXAMINE. A refreshing change from some of the other "look at" clues that are associated with LEER, OGLE, et al
32. Convert to something better: PARLAY. As in betting. Often a gambler will PARLAY a wager to increase the payout. For example:
33. Respectful title: SIR. I notice that Millenials and Gen-X'ers will often address me as "SIR"
34. Muscly: TONED. "Muscly" is not a word too often used in crossword puzzles, but when it is, I see the synonyms "ripped", "strong", and "bulked" as clues. But as I dug deeper, the word "TONED" more often refers to a female physique
37. Shock, in a way: TASE. I'm of the belief that the words TASE or TASER are becoming "no-no's" to some puzzle editors given recent events. I've never been TASED nor would I want to. Here is a brief clip of some celebrities who got TASED voluntarily
42. Scots Gaelic: ERSE. Perhaps the one bit of crossword-ese in today's puzzle
43. Composer expelled from the Paris Conservatoire in 1882: SATIE. From Wikipedia: Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (17 May 1866 – 1 July 1925), who signed his name Erik Satie after 1884, was a French composer and pianist. He was the son of a French father and a British mother. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire but was an undistinguished student and obtained no diploma. In the 1880s he worked as a pianist in café-cabaret in Montmartre, Paris, and began composing works, mostly for solo piano, such as his Gymnopédies. He also wrote music for a Rosicrucian sect to which he was briefly attached. A brief bit of Gymnopédies:
44. Impressed word: OOH. I'm impressed that I entered OOH instead of OHH
46. In one's slip?: MOORED. Another fun clue with misdirection. Anyone else think of this:
49. Sizable snit: TANTRUM. According to kids health dot org, TANTRUMs are a normal part of child development. They're how young children show that they're upset or frustrated. Tantrums may happen when kids are tired, hungry, or uncomfortable. They can have a meltdown because they can't get something (like a toy or a parent) to do what they want
54. Main points: GISTS. Clearly, Chairman Moe gives your readers more than just the GISTS of the puzzle!!
55. Park __: BENCH. PLACE also fits. I always seemed to land on that space in Monopoly; especially when another player owned it, and had a hotel there
56. Verizon rival: ATT. Fourth of the 3-letter entries; first abbr
57. "__, Can You Hear Me?": "Yentl" song: PAPA. I would've preferred this song reference; recorded by the original group, Undisputed Truth:
65. Round figure: OVAL. OK, I'll go with this. Nice mis-direction, but an OVAL is round. As is an OPAL - see 16-Across
66. Couldn't sleep __: A WINK. Where did the term "winks" originate for sleep? Here, perhaps?
67. Vase-shaped pitcher: EWER. A word used in "still life"; not so much in "real life"!
68. Hollow: DELL. Because "farmer in the hollow" would not have fit the song!
69. Uses light surgically: LASES. As in LASER surgery; also rhymes with TASES - see 37-Across
70. Causing head-turning, perhaps: SEXY. Another song
Down:
1. Dr.'s network: PPO. Oops - forgot that this 3-letter is an abbreviation, though no one ever calls this network: Preferred Provider Organization. Where you choose your medical provider(s), not the network
2. CSNY's "__ House": OUR. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young's hit tune
3. Med. scan: MRI. Magnetic Resonance Imaging
4. President __: PRO TEM. An abbreviation of the Latin, "PRO TEMpore" which means "for the time being". A member of the U.S. senate and usually a leader of the majority party who is chosen to serve as presiding officer of the senate in the absence of the vice-president. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is our current one
5. Be an accessory to: ABET. Not to be mistaken with 32-Across, PARLAY, which is A BET
6. Loo: LAV. Loo is British; LAV is American. CAN fit; HEAD did not
7. Religious brother: FRIAR. FRIAR Tuck is the one that came to mind; a cartoon image:
8. Kid's retort: ARE SO. AM TOO fit. Are these phrases used whilst having a TANTRUM??
9. Clinches: SEWS UP. Sports metaphor. The Atlanta Braves SEWS UP the National League title to play for the World Series . . . which they won, BTW
10. Piece that often includes one or two cadenzas: CONCERTO. Per Wikipedia, in music, a cadenza is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist or soloists, usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing virtuosic display. During this time the accompaniment will rest, or sustain a note or chord; a technically brilliant sometimes improvised solo passage toward the close of a CONCERTO
11. Mimic: APE. Easy Friday clue/entry
12. Bud: MAC. PAL fits, too
13. Caribou cousin: ELK. A trio of 3-letter "down" clues; none abbreviated
18. Literature's Dolores Haze, familiarly: LOLITA. I was a toddler when this book was published in 1955, so this was a learning moment for me. Wikipedia states: "LOLITA" is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is notable for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, a French middle-aged literature professor under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert, is obsessed with an American 12-year-old girl, Dolores Haze, whom he sexually molests after he becomes her stepfather. "Lolita" is his private nickname for Dolores
22. Spanish she-bear: OSA. Lucina may comment on this further, but I associate the letter "A" at the end of a Spanish proper noun to indicate the female gender; an "O" represents the male gender. A Spanish "he-bear" would be OSO
23. Follower of hi or lo: RES. Or, what the "defintion" of "definition" is. HI RES, or LO RES
24. Airline seating for the able-bodied: EXIT ROW. It usually comes with extended leg room, but a narrower seat, as the distance between the row in front of it is too far to allow for a pull-down tray table, and the EXIT ROW seats have a tray built into the arm rest
25. Sun screen: PARASOL. Arts and Culture dot com says: "Generally, an umbrella has a curved handle to allow for easy grip and storage. A PARASOL, however, (in Latin para for “shelter or shield” and sol “sun”) is typically constructed from more delicate fabrics such as lace, cotton, silk, linen, canvas and plastic ..."
26. Preservers of proclivities: GENES. I LOVE alliterative clues! Proclivity means: "a tendency to choose or do something regularly; an inclination or predisposition toward a particular thing". Your GENES are units of heredity which is transferred from a parent to offspring and are held to determine some characteristic of the offspring
27. Alters the taste of: FLAVORS. Adding salt, e.g.
28. Depart cautiously: EASE OUT. Dictionary dot com says: "Extract or remove someone or something gradually or gently. For example, He carefully EASEd the car OUT of the garage, or we were trying to EASE him OUT of office without a public scandal
29. Alter the color of: DYE. A DYED Easter Egg, for example, alters the color of the egg, unlike salt which would alter the taste of it
35. Historical segment: ERA. David could've use the abbreviation for Earned Run Average, but he must've known that I would be counting the abbr's in this puzzle!!
36. "Same here!": DITTO. Indicated by the (")
39. "Throw it indoors" toy: NERF BALL. They first appeared in 1970
40. Actress Long: NIA. David also does not like to use many proper names in his puzzles. NIA Talita Long is an American actress who has received such accolades as three NAACP Image Awards and a Black Reel Award. Long is best known for her roles in the films Boyz n the Hood, Love Jones, Soul Food, The Best Man and its sequel The Best Man Holiday, Big Momma's House and its sequel Big Momma's House 2. She "arrived" the same year as the NERF BALL
41. Horse race margin: LENGTH. In Horse Racing, a "LENGTH" roughly refers to the length of the horse itself. So, if a horse wins "by a LENGTH" it is approximately 8 feet - see the photo below. This horse officially won by three-quarters of a LENGTH
42. Soul-baring pop music genre: EMO. Could be another abbr., as the term refers to an EMOtional expression through confessional lyrics (Wikipedia)
45. "__ Pinafore": HMS. Her Majesty's Ship. The comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore had a few PARASOLs as props
47. Before, to a bard: ERE. A contraction; not an abbreviation. Perhaps I should've focused on a more abbreviated blog, given my attention toward abbreviations today!!
48. Employee benefit option: DENTAL. My Medicare Advantage plan includes full DENTAL coverage
50. Some church donations: TITHES. One-tenth. Many churches ask their parishoners to TITHE when their annual gift-giving campaign begins. It helps them to prepare and cover expenses as well as charitable contributions
52. Dumb sound?: SCHWA. Examples of a SCHWA: the "a" in balloon; the "e" in problem; or the "i" family. The clue confirms this, as none of those vowels are stressed in the pronunciation of the word
53. Nickname akin to Topher: CHRIS. Hey! A SO to yours, truly! Though I never used nor thought of using "Topher" as a nickname for CHRIStopher. As I said to David in my email, had he found a way to use CHAIRMAN or MOE in the puzzle, this would have truly been serendipitous. Picture of me when I still had hair on my head
56. Sets as a price: ASKS. The "ASKing" price is usually used in auctions as a starting place. eBay is notorious for these, though some auctions allow you to offer a better, or "best" price
57. Pea place: POD. A bit of a misnomer; isn't there just one "P" in POD?
58. Many a Monopoly prop.: AVE. Short for AVEnue. There are 17 of them in the game, Monopoly. Don't believe me? Then look it up!! ;^)
59. Chum: PAL. MAC and BUD fit, but they were already used as either a clue or an entry
61. French article: UNE. Frawnch for "one"
62. Be indebted to: OWE. "Neither a lender nor borrower be". I have very few debts and pay off my credit card balances monthly
63. First name in supervillains: LEX. As in, LEX Luthor from DC Comics
64. Drip-__: DRY. This symbol on a laundry tag on clothing; something that you should hang to dry, not place in the clothes dryer
Please add your thoughts and comments below. Ending with a limerick, with apologies to Longfellow:
Listen my children, especially daughters
This did not show on any police blotters.
If Paul Revere had just chose
To sum up this blog in prose
He'd say: "One if by land, and two if Bywaters"
Notes from C.C.:
1) Happy
birthday to Rich Norris, editor of the LA Times Daily Crossword and the brain behind many terrific clues and theme entries. Here
is Rich with his wife Kim from a past ACPT tournament. Both of them are
super fast crossword solvers.
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2) Happy birthday also to Lemonade's beautiful wife Oo. This is a picture from their 2017 trip to Thailand.
