A straight-forward scrambled-letters-in-circles offering from Shannon Rapp for her LAT debut. I did a little digging and, if my Open Source Intel (OSINT - Intel found in the public domain) inkling is correct, Shannon is no stranger to constructing and has her own blog as Norah Sharpe where she (and others) make indie-puzzles.
The reveal, ROLL THE DICE, is clued as 'Take a Chance[on me - ABBA], and how to form the sequence in each set of circled letters.'
And, sure enough, the circles (if you got 'em) have the letters DICE rolled around a bit.
Let's see what Shannon bet on...
17. Many a modern suburb: PLANNED CITY. In Houston, we call them Master Planned Communities. George Mitchell was an innovator of them (#TheWoodlands) and horizontal fracking.
24. Shellfish dish often prepared with coconut milk: CURRIED CRAB. Crab is yummy, why drown it in anything other than clarified butter?
38. "Helping You Ditch Wedding Stress" podcast/blog: BRIDE-CHILLA. As opposed to an 'Anal-retentive Type-A' BRIDE-zilla?
53. "Star Wars" ruling body: JEDI COUNCIL. Where wise meet, they do.
If I'm totally honest, I'd have rather filled ROLL THE BONES [12] [6m] 'cuz, um, -- RUSH!
#Spin-OffPuzzle
Let's see what else Shannon put on the table...
Across:
1. Salat leaders: IMAMS.
6. Kraut-topped sausage: WURST. No, wurst is the best, hotdog-wise.
11. __ machine: FOG. We have one for Halloween (have you noticed stores have already stocked the shelves with All Saint's Day Eve stuff?). If you don't have a FOG machine, dry ice in a tub of water (or a swimming pool!) is fun too.
14. Arcade plumber: MARIO. Nintendo's 'coin' maker and jumping coin taker.
//If you need a laugh, SNL had Elon Musk play Wario in court.
15. Sitcom set in a H.S. science class: AP BIO. Never saw it.
// My 1st day at public HS, I was placed next to a hulk of a kid in AP BIO. The teacher with blue bee-hive hair and horn-rimmed glasses said, "Don't worry, he doesn't bite."
Andy was first string offensive-line, first string viola, and became my best buddy in Boy Scouts.
16. Game with a spinoff called Dos: UNO. Didn't know that but easily sussed.
17. [see: theme above]
19. Neutral shade: TAN. Not -- wait for it,... 39d will be coming along soon.
20. Broadcast hour: AIRTIME. In the age of DVRs & YouTube, are there must-see communal hours where all Americans watch TV at the same time?
21. Get around: ELUDE. I almost went with EvaDE
23. NYC airport code: LGA.
24. [see: theme above]
28. __ : raisins :: log : celery: ANTS. Cute and tasty. If you really need a recipe, there you go.
30. Text status: SENT. Don't you hate the little dancing ellipses after sending, 'you up girl?'
31. Part of cellular plans: DATA. Shooting myself in the foot, I read the clue as planTs more than once...
32. Food Network host Garten: INA. The chef known as the Barefoot Contessa. I have one of her books.
35. Feel sore: ACHE.
37. __ school: MED. I went into computers - no blood when you open 'em up.
38. [see: theme above]
41. Sworn enemy: FOE. Fee, Fi, FOE?
43. Scottish swimming hole: LOCH. There be monsters.
44. Money exec: CFO. Chief Financial Officer aka #BeanCounter.
45. All over again: ANEW.
47. Jewish rite: BRIS. Dare I link Brooks' Men in Tights Mohel scene? I dare, I dare...
49. Pop singer Rexha: BEBE. No clue. I looked her up & listened to two songs - bunch of auto-tuned, um,... Thumper. Her site if you're so inclined.
53. [see: theme above]
57. Cancel: NIX. End of story.
58. Public perception: IMAGE.
59. Like animals native to India or China: ASIATIC.
61. Cargo unit: TON.
62. [see: theme above]
66. Parabola portion: ARC. Conic sections are beautiful - check out their curves!
67. Refuse: TRASH. Ha! She doesn't just say 'no' but throws your butt to the curb.
68. Food truck fare: TACOS. Heck yeah!
69. "Told you!": SEE.
70. Smooth transition: SEGUE.
71. Prophetic signs: OMENS. Anyone ever read / see Pratchett & Gailman's "Good Omens"? [Trailer]
Down:
1. Classic Chevy that shares its name with an antelope: IMPALA
Channeling Ray-O: "Isn't IMPALA what a bull does to a matador?"
//Tip the waitstaff ;-)
2. Speak ill of: MALIGN.
3. Noah's Ark site: ARARAT.
4. __ condition: MINT. Like a CERTS? OR... But what does 'cherry-condition' taste like?
5. SST part: SONIC. Folks are building next-gen SSTs. But, do you want to fly in a craft made by BOOM? //Marketing needs a new focus-group.
6. Fly-fishing gear: WADERS.
7. QR kin: UPC. Do I pick a nit on this? QRs are 2-D alpha-numeric encodings and mostly used for URLs whereas UPCs are 1D numeric typically seen at the grocer. No, I won't pick - both can be read by a machine so they're kin in that sense.
8. Triple Crown stat: RBI. #Baseball. A triple-crown'r is league-leading in Home Runs, Batting Average, and Runs Batted In.
9. Obey at obedience school, say: SIT.
10. Fiddled around (with): TOYED. Play with something until you fix it or break it worser. How's the leaf-blower, CED?
11. Matt Groening series set in the 31st century: FUTURAMA. I became familiar with Matt's work in college (late '80s/early '90s) - EE Prof had this "Life in Hell" comic on his door.
12. Out with one's sweetie: ON A DATE. 'Asleep' was a letter short.
13. Like chunky milk: GONE BAD. Just re-label it as cottage cheese?
18. Bird on some Australian coins: EMU.
22. "Sound of Silver" band __ Soundsystem: LCD. No clue other than the one provided. I looked 'em up tonite. They kinda have an '80s Yaz or 'The The' vibe.
//I'm still not sure how Liquid Crystal Display factors into sound...
25. Prepare to draw a raffle ticket, say: REACH IN. Um, bit of a reach, eh?
26. Foot part: INCH. Cute misdirection
27. Moral support?: ETHIC. ibid
29. Round Table title: SIR. Do you really want me to link Monty Python?
33. Not a one: NIL. Nary has 4 letters
34. Vinegary sauce: ADOBO. I looked it up so you don't have to [cite]. Oooh... #Yummers
36. Rivendell resident: ELF. Sure, I could link J.R.R. Tolkien but RUSH is more fun.
38. Hivemind communication?: BEE DANCE. Cute.
39. Color similar to greige: ECRU. There's the four-letter (19a) TAN.
40. Softball question: LOB. Oy! Thar be political-bent hidden inside.
41. Dish served sizzling: FAJITAS. Even better than TACOs from a truck!
42. "Let's have another": ONE MORE. UNO Mas Fajita?
46. "Pose" wardrobe item: WIG. Pose is in quotes so I assume it's something. Google gave me TV Series . [WikiP] I hope that's Shannon's intent.
48. Criticize harshly: SCATHE. Change 'a' to 'y' and you have The Grim Reaper's tool... A harsh critique of the Salmon Mousse [more Python], indeed.
50. Lure: ENTICE. In your (6d) WADERS out for a trout.
51. Celebrity revered by some in the queer community: BI-ICON. I think I've heard this, but I don't know from where.
52. Superabundance: EXCESS.
54. Mint brand discontinued in 2018: CERTS. But what condition is it in? [see: 4d] Oh right, the one with Retsyn and is two mints in one - click-click [Commercial]
55. "Or so": ISH. More or less, no?
56. Mislead: LIE TO.
60. Savage of "MythBusters": ADAM. If you really miss MythBusters, you can check out Adam's YouTube channel.
63. Catan resource: ORE. I had to lookup Catan post-puzzle solve. It's a game.
64. Zoom delay: LAG. Any communications delay, actually -- usually right before End-Carrier...
65. Baton Rouge sch.: LSU. Geaux Tigers!
And the grid:
But what you really wanted to know:
WOs: arCH->INCH, end->NIX
ESPs: ORE as clued, LCD, BEBE
Fav: FAJITAS!
Well, that's my debut at The Corner's helm. Critique?
//Be kind. #StudentBloggerAtTheWheel.
Shannon - We'd love to hear from you in the comments below.
Cheers, -T
16. Game with a spinoff called Dos: UNO. Didn't know that but easily sussed.
17. [see: theme above]
19. Neutral shade: TAN. Not -- wait for it,... 39d will be coming along soon.
20. Broadcast hour: AIRTIME. In the age of DVRs & YouTube, are there must-see communal hours where all Americans watch TV at the same time?
21. Get around: ELUDE. I almost went with EvaDE
23. NYC airport code: LGA.
24. [see: theme above]
28. __ : raisins :: log : celery: ANTS. Cute and tasty. If you really need a recipe, there you go.
30. Text status: SENT. Don't you hate the little dancing ellipses after sending, 'you up girl?'
31. Part of cellular plans: DATA. Shooting myself in the foot, I read the clue as planTs more than once...
32. Food Network host Garten: INA. The chef known as the Barefoot Contessa. I have one of her books.
35. Feel sore: ACHE.
37. __ school: MED. I went into computers - no blood when you open 'em up.
38. [see: theme above]
41. Sworn enemy: FOE. Fee, Fi, FOE?
43. Scottish swimming hole: LOCH. There be monsters.
44. Money exec: CFO. Chief Financial Officer aka #BeanCounter.
45. All over again: ANEW.
47. Jewish rite: BRIS. Dare I link Brooks' Men in Tights Mohel scene? I dare, I dare...
49. Pop singer Rexha: BEBE. No clue. I looked her up & listened to two songs - bunch of auto-tuned, um,... Thumper. Her site if you're so inclined.
53. [see: theme above]
57. Cancel: NIX. End of story.
58. Public perception: IMAGE.
59. Like animals native to India or China: ASIATIC.
61. Cargo unit: TON.
62. [see: theme above]
66. Parabola portion: ARC. Conic sections are beautiful - check out their curves!
67. Refuse: TRASH. Ha! She doesn't just say 'no' but throws your butt to the curb.
68. Food truck fare: TACOS. Heck yeah!
69. "Told you!": SEE.
70. Smooth transition: SEGUE.
71. Prophetic signs: OMENS. Anyone ever read / see Pratchett & Gailman's "Good Omens"? [Trailer]
Down:
1. Classic Chevy that shares its name with an antelope: IMPALA
Channeling Ray-O: "Isn't IMPALA what a bull does to a matador?"
//Tip the waitstaff ;-)
2. Speak ill of: MALIGN.
3. Noah's Ark site: ARARAT.
4. __ condition: MINT. Like a CERTS? OR... But what does 'cherry-condition' taste like?
5. SST part: SONIC. Folks are building next-gen SSTs. But, do you want to fly in a craft made by BOOM? //Marketing needs a new focus-group.
6. Fly-fishing gear: WADERS.
7. QR kin: UPC. Do I pick a nit on this? QRs are 2-D alpha-numeric encodings and mostly used for URLs whereas UPCs are 1D numeric typically seen at the grocer. No, I won't pick - both can be read by a machine so they're kin in that sense.
8. Triple Crown stat: RBI. #Baseball. A triple-crown'r is league-leading in Home Runs, Batting Average, and Runs Batted In.
9. Obey at obedience school, say: SIT.
10. Fiddled around (with): TOYED. Play with something until you fix it or break it worser. How's the leaf-blower, CED?
11. Matt Groening series set in the 31st century: FUTURAMA. I became familiar with Matt's work in college (late '80s/early '90s) - EE Prof had this "Life in Hell" comic on his door.
12. Out with one's sweetie: ON A DATE. 'Asleep' was a letter short.
13. Like chunky milk: GONE BAD. Just re-label it as cottage cheese?
18. Bird on some Australian coins: EMU.
22. "Sound of Silver" band __ Soundsystem: LCD. No clue other than the one provided. I looked 'em up tonite. They kinda have an '80s Yaz or 'The The' vibe.
//I'm still not sure how Liquid Crystal Display factors into sound...
25. Prepare to draw a raffle ticket, say: REACH IN. Um, bit of a reach, eh?
26. Foot part: INCH. Cute misdirection
27. Moral support?: ETHIC. ibid
29. Round Table title: SIR. Do you really want me to link Monty Python?
33. Not a one: NIL. Nary has 4 letters
34. Vinegary sauce: ADOBO. I looked it up so you don't have to [cite]. Oooh... #Yummers
36. Rivendell resident: ELF. Sure, I could link J.R.R. Tolkien but RUSH is more fun.
38. Hivemind communication?: BEE DANCE. Cute.
39. Color similar to greige: ECRU. There's the four-letter (19a) TAN.
40. Softball question: LOB. Oy! Thar be political-bent hidden inside.
41. Dish served sizzling: FAJITAS. Even better than TACOs from a truck!
42. "Let's have another": ONE MORE. UNO Mas Fajita?
46. "Pose" wardrobe item: WIG. Pose is in quotes so I assume it's something. Google gave me TV Series . [WikiP] I hope that's Shannon's intent.
48. Criticize harshly: SCATHE. Change 'a' to 'y' and you have The Grim Reaper's tool... A harsh critique of the Salmon Mousse [more Python], indeed.
50. Lure: ENTICE. In your (6d) WADERS out for a trout.
51. Celebrity revered by some in the queer community: BI-ICON. I think I've heard this, but I don't know from where.
52. Superabundance: EXCESS.
54. Mint brand discontinued in 2018: CERTS. But what condition is it in? [see: 4d] Oh right, the one with Retsyn and is two mints in one - click-click [Commercial]
55. "Or so": ISH. More or less, no?
56. Mislead: LIE TO.
60. Savage of "MythBusters": ADAM. If you really miss MythBusters, you can check out Adam's YouTube channel.
63. Catan resource: ORE. I had to lookup Catan post-puzzle solve. It's a game.
64. Zoom delay: LAG. Any communications delay, actually -- usually right before End-Carrier...
65. Baton Rouge sch.: LSU. Geaux Tigers!
And the grid:
But what you really wanted to know:
WOs: arCH->INCH, end->NIX
ESPs: ORE as clued, LCD, BEBE
Fav: FAJITAS!
Well, that's my debut at The Corner's helm. Critique?
//Be kind. #StudentBloggerAtTheWheel.
Shannon - We'd love to hear from you in the comments below.
Cheers, -T
Notes from C.C.:
I'm excited to tell you that
Anon-T (Tony) has joined our blogging team. He'll be our pinch-hitter.
Thank you so much for helping us, Tony!!
Tony At Wit's End near Carmel on Father's Day 2017
