Puzzling thoughts:
Hi folks! C-Moe here, back after a short hiatus due to a run of Jeffrey Wechsler Friday crossword puzzles - which our elucidative blogger Lemonade714 so cleverly recapped. But my vacay is over; and it's back to my usual schtick as I amuse and educate those readers who come here wanting to learn more about today's puzzle.
Bruce Haight - who's no stranger to cruciverbalists - has teamed up with Blaire Bas - once again - to provide us with some Monday merriment. Oh wait? Did someone forget to tell Bruce and Blaire that this is Friday, and the puzzle "kneeded" to be more difficult?? Just kidding, of course, but overall I was "knot" very challenged by either the fill or the clues. But that didn't mean it wasn't enjoyable; it most certainly was!
First off, how many of you recall that Bruce - and his stepdaughter Blaire - debuted as a duo here back on August 5, 2020?? They gave us a "WELL-ROUNDED" quartet of celebrities (LUCILLE BALL, MINNIE PEARL, KEITH MOON, and ALICE MARBLE) that day. As you might also recall, Blaire is Bruce's 22 year old stepdaughter who was sheltering in place and doing online classes at UCSB ("Go Gauchos!") during the early days of the pandemic. She was an all A's student at last report; perhaps she has graduated, and maybe did so "___ cum Laude". Hope that Bruce and Blaire will stop by today and add their comments
The entries:
18-across. More desirable entanglement?: BETTER KNOT. As is the case with all of today's entries, the common thread is the addition of a "silent k" to a word beginning with the letter "N" ... and producing a punny result
23-across. Political upheaval around the castle?: KNIGHT SHIFT. I am guessing this also has something to do with (32-down. Activity with castles: CHESS), as the KNIGHT stands right next to the CASTLE (aka, ROOK)
39-across. Need something warm and fuzzy?: HAVE A KNIT TO PICK. No nits to pick with this puzzle, Bruce and Blaire
52-across. Something small, sad, and a-pealing?: LITTLE KNELL.
61-across. Understood the routine?: KNEW NORMAL.
So if I had to be a betting man, I'd say that Rich wanted to get Bruce and Blaire's collaboration in before he retired as LA Times editor, and that's why this ended up on a Friday. Glad that he did.
Or maybe is it because the letter "k" indicates that something is Kosher, and since today is the beginning of Passover, maybe the extra "K" means that this puzzle is no longer treif??**
Let's explore the rest ...
Across:
1. Autumn bloomers: MUMS. Bloomers as in flowers, not pants
5. Toy similar to a Transformer: GOBOT. My son played with these back in the 1980's
10. Lift for a run: T-BAR. CHAIR wouldn't fit
14. Too many to name, for short: ET AL.
15. Rage: WRATH. I had a HS classmate named Lee Rath. He was always calm and peaceful
16. Westchester college: IONA. Westchester County (New Rochelle, NY) school of higher learning: IONA College. A private Catholic college founded in 1940. Their teams' nickname are the Gaels
17. Con: RUSE. ANTI also fits
20. Last name in diets: CRAIG. As in Jenny CRAIG. When her advice on dieting no longer was successful she started a classified advertising website (CRAIGslist) ... although that last "fact" might be a RUSE
22. Like some ice cream holders: CONOID. A word with which I was not familiar, but it makes perfect sense
26. Club __: MED. Founded in Paris in 1950 as "Club Méditerranée SA", Club MED specializes in "all-inclusive" vacations. Since 2013, Club MED has been owned by the Chinese conglomerate Fosun Group
29. Ireland coat-of-arms image: HARP.
30. "The Raven" woman: LENORE.
32. Sleep on it: COT, while you are doing this: (31-down. Afternoon refresher: NAP.)
35. Ruhr refusals: NEINS. The "Ruhr" is an industrial region in Germany. We often see the city named "ESSEN" used with a "Ruhr" clue
38. French menu preposition: AVEC. Frawnch word meaning "with"
43. When many plan to take off: Abbr.: ETDS. I'm not a big fan of using a plural for abbreviations; except when the puzzle is one that I am submitting!!
44. Lewis with 12 Emmys: SHARI. She was a ventriloquist who hosted a kid's TV show back in the early days of television. Learning moment for sure about the 12 Emmys. I didn't even know that the Emmys were around back then
45. Very foreign gp.?: ETS. Another abbr pl
46. 1862 battle site: SHILOH. The Battle of SHILOH was one of the earlier "major" battles of the Civil War (or The War Between the States, depending on your preference)
49. Advance: LEND. MOVE also fit
51. ID theft target: SSN.
60. Cookie with stripes: SAMOA. Girl Scout cookie
65. Aquatic diver: LOON. CSO to Boomer and CC - the Minnesota state bird
66. "Primal Fear" actor: GERE. Richard GERE
67. Worked around home?: UMPED. I liked this clue. Umpire's "work" around "home plate"
68. Dried-up: ARID.
69. Superior: BOSS.
70. Some old rulers: TSARS.
71. Tourney advantages: BYES.
Down:
1. Pfizer rival: MERCK. Drug manufacturer - MERCK SHARP and DOHME
2. Option for one who's lost: U-TURN. Could be when the driver of the car says: (58-across. "Got me!": NO IDEA.
3. Kenyan native: MASAI. All perps. The MASAI are a nomadic people of East Africa
4. Seasonal transport: SLEIGH. Santa drives one, so I've heard
5. Hudson Riv. crossing: GWB. Short for: "George Washington Bridge" which connects Fort Lee, NJ with NYC (Manhattan)
6. You can dig it: ORE. A little tune for your enjoyment ... "Grazin' in the Grass is a gas, can you dig it"
7. Cookie quantity: BATCH. If one BATCH of Girl Scouts Cookies = one BOX, then their bakery produces about 200 million BATCHes each year, approx
8. 10th-century emperor: OTTO I. This might be referred to as "forced fill", as the name OTTO I is not on the tip of many tongues in everyday conversation. But without accepting it, this puzzle could've had a major roadblock
9. Patriots' org.: THE NFL. Is either Bruce, Blaire, or Rich a New England Patriots fan? Not MY favorite team! I root for the OTHER NFL TEAM with 6 Super Bowl victories
10. __ bar: TIKI. We encountered one of these recently when Margaret and I went to Turf Paradise Race Track in Phoenix; they had a TIKI bar located near the rail
11. Type of film in which seven actors have played the lead: BOND MOVIE. Off the top of my head: Connery, Moore, Lazenby, Craig, Brosnan, Niven, and Dalton. Can anyone guess in which order they fell?
12. Tijuana time span: ANO. Doce meses, and a CSO to Lucinda
13. Double-crosser: RAT.
19. __ learning: ROTE. Any football fans recognize this former SMU and NYG player??
21. The Gold Coast, now: GHANA. This Gold Coast; not THIS Gold Coast
24. It's quite a slog: TREK. A CSO to our own Picard; this board's biggest TREKkie
25. Short rides: SPINS. Does anyone say "let's take a SPIN" these days?
27. Standing: ERECT. Adjective form; a verb form clue might read: "Construct"
28. Flattens: DECKS. And no one ever said, "FLATTEN the halls with boughs of holly ..."
33. Court recitations: OATHS. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" "I do"
34. Banquet offerings: T.V. DINNERS. Excellent clue, although I don't think that Banquet can call them "T.V. DINNERS! Back when I was a kid, I might have had one of these for supper, but back then they were produced by Swanson ... remember??
36. Medical research org.: NIH. National Institutes of Health. From their website: "The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is made up of 27 different components called Institutes and Centers. Each has its own specific research agenda, often focusing on particular diseases or body systems. Find contact information for each Institute and Center at https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-institute-center-contact-information"
37. Stable area: STALL. Most Friday clues have multiple words that can fit into the grid; likewise, most Friday words have multiple clues that can describe them. This week, for example, I decided not to STALL, and finished working on my blog with days to spare
40. Night sch. subject: ESL.
41. Nursery sight: TREE. See my comments for 37-across ... BABY fits, too, doesn't it??
42. Pen output: OINKS. How interesting that a pig pen produces an "OINK" whilst a Bic pen produces "INK"
47. Ken who directed many "This Is Us" episodes: OLIN. This has become Margaret and my favorite weekly "soap". Brilliant writing and acting; amazing use of flashback and future scenes while staying in the moment. If you've not followed this show, I highly recommend it. This is the last season but it can be found streaming on Hulu I think
48. Holed up: HID OUT. As opposed to "holed out" (a golf term), where the answer might've been "TAPS IN"
50. Forensic facility: DNA LAB. Sure, why not?!
53. Agreement list: TERMS. The TERMS of my Agreement with C.C. were that I would faithfully blog every other Friday puzzle, and accept no compensation! And I asked, "Where do I sign?"
54. Southeastern city on its own bay: TAMPA. CSO to Wilbur Charles and tinbeni; two of our Cornerites who reside within the greater TAMPA BAY area. Am I missing anyone else?
55. Georgia campus: EMORY. CSO to my son-in-law who is their percussion instructor
56. Sarge's superior: LOOIE. According to dictionary dot com: "What is meaning of looie?
a lieutenant of the armed forces. ˈlu i / PHONETIC RESPELLING. 🎓 College Level. noun Slang. a lieutenant of the armed forces
57. Secures, as a contract: LANDS. When a clothing supplier loses a contract with a certain retailer, would they call that a LANDS' End??
59. Is behind, maybe: OWES. Moe OWES only on a vehicle he purchased a couple years ago. All other bills are paid off monthly
61. Org. seen in some 11-Downs: KGB. "No politics" rule here at the Corner is preventing me from saying a lot about this erstwhile Soviet Union spy organization ...
62. Modern prefix: NEO.
63. Atmo- kin: AER.
64. Gp. based in SLC, Utah: LDS. Also known as the Mormon Church, founded by Joseph Smith in 1830. The Corner also asks us not to discuss religion here ... but since this is the last clue and I've offered no Moe-kus (until now) ...
The NYFD
Formed a faith-based church that's called:
The Ladder Day Saints
Here's the grid:
What are your thoughts?? BTW, the IRS has given taxpayers until Monday the 18 April to file their taxes. It used to be the 15 April. Did I miss something??
**(A last minute addition to my blog) So, on second thought, perhaps because April 15 marks both Good Friday AND the beginning of Passover, the IRS granted us the weekend to complete our taxes; if we haven't already done so. And while I am not Jewish, I did find this little ditty to provide for all of our Cornerites who are part of "the Tribe". I hope you'll find it entertaining as well as harmonious. Chag Pesach Sameach! Oh, and I hope someone will explain some of the parodies within this compilation... ;^)
