Puzzling thoughts: This is the LA Times solo debut for today's constructor, but Brooke Husic is no stranger to Crossword puzzles, nor the LAT. We saw her this past Saturday, if you recall. She is a computational chemist who creates crosswords for The New Yorker, The New York Times, USA TODAY, and a variety of “indie” platforms. She edits puzzles at Inkubator Crosswords and The American Values Club and co-hosts the Crossnerds podcast. She and Natan Last also host a "Creating Crossword Puzzles" workshop. See the example of the puzzle they created in their May workshop
Despite her reputation in the Crossword community, this may be the first of hers that I've solved, as I was unable to look at the one that Gary recapped.
Hope she stops by to either read the comments and/or offer some of her own
As the "theme" suggests, today's puzzle deletes the letter "C" from the entry, and is solved through a series of starred, wordplay clues. For example:
21-across. *What an eager newlywed requests from a wedding photographer?: (C) ALL THE SHOTS. Of the four entries this one (for me) was the weakest28-across. *Poem dedicated to a computer chip?: BINARY (C) ODE.
43-across. *Band gear only used in the warmest months?: SUMMER (C) AMP.
50-across. *Reason for roadwork?: (C) OLD SHOULDER. This was my favorite of the four
Brooke even left some room for the reveal (in the bottom right corner): 66-across. Show the door, and a phonetic hint for the answers to the starred clues: SEE (C) OUT. As an editor herself, I wonder how she, Patti, and Christina got along as this one evolved from concept to publication?
Here's the grid and the rest of the clues/entries:
Across:
1. Jesmyn Ward's "Men We Reaped," for one: MEMOIR. Not familiar with the author nor the book/MEMOIR; neither was my partner, Margaret. But there was help from the perpendiculars ... And soon after, 16-across showed up, clued as "American Street" author __ Zoboi: IBI. [See my comment for 1-across]
7. Kraków native: POLE. Moe-ku/haiku/Senryu:
The burlesque star is
From Kraków. She is a true,
Home-grown POLE dancer
11. Soccer star Hamm: MIA. Remember several blogs ago when I thought that MIA Hamm was the one who showed off her sports bra in the Summer Olympics?
14. Grand Marnier flavor: ORANGE. [Grahnd Mahr-knee-eh'] This used to be one of the Chairman's favorite liquers. Grand Marnier is a visionary blend of fine cognac and bitter orange-flavored liqueur. Explore their history, products, and cocktails on the official website
15. Verb in a risotto recipe: STIR. The risotto reference lead me to thinking about what the Italian word for STIR is? It's mescolare
17. Form a queue: LINE UP. When I first read the clue, I was thinking, "Draw a circle and add a little hook to the bottom edge??" [Q]
Moe-'lick/Limerick:
What prevails among TSA views
Are those actions you carefully choose.
You don't want to attract
More attention; just act
Like adult. Mind your peace and our QUEUEs
18. Buckwheat noodle: SOBA. Margaret is a "nouveau vegan" and knew of SOBA. Thanks, sweetie!
19. Zoomer's parent, maybe: X'ER. Does Zoomer mean "one who uses Zoom"? Not hip to that phrase. But if so, I have used Zoom and my Mom is certainly NOT a Gen X'er. Or, maybe I missed the gist of this clue entirely
20. "Mudbound" director Rees: DEE. I would've added this to 1 and 16-across; I need to get out more
24. Actress Taylor-Joy: ANYA. Known to me from her role in Queen's Gambit, but I'll be damned if I remembered her name. More perps to the rescue
25. Genuine: REAL.
26. Chapati flour: ATTA. [From bbc.co.uk/food] "Pale-brown in colour and gritty in texture, chapati flour is finely milled wholewheat flour, also known as 'atta'.' Chapatis. by Manju Malhi. Chapatis can be reheated but they're best cooked fresh. You could also spread your favourite pickle or chutney over them and roll them into tortilla shapes."
OK, Margaret didn't know this one, so I couldn't give her an "ATTA girl"
33. "Vice" Oscar nominee: ADAMS. Whatever happened to clues like, "Get Smart" actor, Don?
34. Complete collections: SETS. They're valuable, I've been told. Rumor has it that our Monday blogger Boomer has several SETS of baseball cards ...
35. "Well, gosh!": GEE. An easy clue. "Well, gosh!"
36. Petty gripes: NITS. What we Crossword Corner-ites have expressed, occasionally, about the puzzles and/or clues we encounter
37. All-out brawl: MELEE.
39. Tzatziki herb: DILL.
40. Simple top: TEE.
41. Ramírez who plays Che on "And Just Like That ... ": SARA. Why not "Frozen dessert maker, Lee?" Because, we have to learn all of the new actors and authors and so on ...
42. Uses a microfiber cloth: DUSTS. A handkerchief works for me
46. Blues guitarist Baker: ETTA. Has she accompanied blues singer James?
47. Info on a political rival: OPPO. Crossword Tracker's history of this word:
48. Jittery: EDGY. What we bloggers might get if we wait until the last minute to do our recaps
54. Psychic ability: ESP. Or alternately clued: "What helped me solve 1-across and 16-across, according to the acronyms used at the Crossword Corner?" Every Single Perpendicular
57. Zendaya's "Euphoria" role: RUE. [per Wikipedia] "Euphoria is an American teen drama television series created and principally written by Sam Levinson for HBO and based on the Israeli miniseries of the same name created by Ron Leshem and Daphna Levin."
Well that alone made it an unknown for me, as I don't subscribe to HBO nor am a fan of teen drama TV. But I am attaching the trailer for those interested in seeing what it's about
58. Not fooled by: ONTO. Hey editors: We are ONTO your tactics of taking simple word entries and making them difficult to solve, by associating their clues with a proper name. You'll RUE the day you decided to do this, LOL!!
59. Lithuania neighbor: LATVIA. I think POLAND is the only other 6-letter country that borders Lithuania
61. Snack __: BAR.
62. Bring up: REAR. It's a lot different REARing a child in today's world ...
63. Hits the books and rings a bell: IDIOMS. Not my work, but a couple of jokes that use IDIOMS for their punchline:
A church's bell ringer passed away. So they posted the position and a man came in with no arms wanting the job. The clergy weren't sure he could do it, but he convinced them to let him try it. They climbed the bell tower and the guy ran toward the bell and hit it with his head. They gave him the job. The next day he went to ring the bell, tripped, bounced off the bell and fell to the sidewalk below. Two guys were walking past. One asked, "Do you know this guy?" The second guy responded, "No, but his face rings a bell."
The next day, the deceased bell ringer's twin brother comes in for the again vacant bell ringer position. He also has no arms. They lead him up to the bell tower, he runs at the bell, trips and falls to the sidewalk below. The same two guys walk by. The first asks, "Do you know him?" The second guy responds, "No, but he's a dead ringer for the guy we saw yesterday."
64. One rising at dawn: SUN. MOE fits! And I do (rise at dawn, that is)
65. Condition underdiagnosed in girls: Abbr.: ADHD. A-D/HD stands for: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. [from Verywell Mind dot com]: "ADHD symptoms in girls are often viewed as character traits rather than symptoms of a condition. For example, a girl might be described as spacey, forgetful, or chatty. Later in life, a woman might reach out for help for her symptoms, only to be diagnosed with depression or anxiety instead"
Down:
1. Shaping aid: MOLD. Anybody recall these?
2. Pelee Island's lake: ERIE. Pelee Island is on the Canadian side of Lake ERIE, for those unaware. And speaking of Canada, and Canadian wineries, here's a question: What is Canada's largest winery? Why, at over 700 acres of vineyards, Pelee Island Winery is the largest private estate winery in Canada. Fun Fact #1
3. Pride of lions: MANE. Wordplay alert!! This one actually came to me right away. Helps to be a punster, sometimes
4. Single: ONE. Dual meaning: A single could mean just ONE person; or it could mean a ONE dollar bill
5. Rainforest lizards: IGUANAS. Another simple clue for a Friday. What else could fit?
6. Get back (to): REPLY. You should've seen the email thread when Anonymous T was welcomed into our blogger fraternity. There were over 20 REPLYs [sic]
7. Quiet "Over here": "PSST". I said this to Margaret recently (when I entered a room and she didn't see or hear me). Scared the bejeezus out of her
8. Short "And yet ... ": OTOH. Short, meaning an abbreviation
9. Set free: LIBERATE. Another easy Friday fill
10. Pencil toppers: ERASERS. They recently started adding these to the small pencils you get at a golf course. Never trust a golf scorecard with erasures
11. Person with a spiritual calling?: MIXOLOGIST. Now we're talking! Right up my alley! I was a MIXOLOGIST (aka, bartender) for one of my last part time jobs. I knew how and where to use Grand Marnier
12. "Wow, no doubt": I BET. If you drew quads (4 of a kind) in Texas Hold 'em poker, you'd certainly BET. This is a 20 minute+ video, but the first clip in the QUEUE is pretty insane
13. Runs on TV: AIRS. Easy
22. Chem class: LAB. Easy
23. Bale contents: HAY. Very easy. Is this a Friday puzzle??
24. Places for taking notes?: ATMS. Excellent wordplay clue. This threw me off at first
26. "Farewell": ADIEU. ADIEU was/is a word that many players use to begin their guesses at WORDLE as it uses 4 of the 5 vowels
27. Art gallery on the Thames: TATE MODERN. Learning experience for me; [tate.org.uk] "Tate is a family of four art galleries in London, Liverpool and Cornwall known as Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives"
29. Imam's faith: ISLAM. Easy
30. Born: NEE. Easy
31. Faucet brand: DELTA. Moe-ku/haiku/senryu #3
Faucet replacement
Caused grief, at first. They cried!
"Don't Moen, it's DELTA!
32. Long fish: EELS.
33. Farm insects: ANTS. Odd clue, but it fits
37. Stranded: MAROONED. Moe-ku/haiku/senryu #4
Stranded artist found
It ironic when she was
MAROONED with maroon
38. Time piece: ERA. WATCH, CLOCK, SUNDIAL - none of these fit
39. Obligation: DUTY.
41. Chain with a Beauty Insider rewards program: SEPHORA. This
42. Break down chemically: DEGRADE. "RUST" was too short
44. Can. elected officials: MPS. MemberS of Parliament. CSO to CanadianEh!
45. Disposable sock: PED. Does anyone actually use these when trying on shoes?
49. Where to get counter offers?: DELIS. More wordplay in the clue. DELIS are known to have a counter (for ordering cold cuts, etc), and I guess the clerks there can provide you with an offer or two
50. Spheres: ORBS. Another easy clue
51. Tropical party: LUAU. And yet, another easy clue
52. Park City's state: UTAH. Seems the easy clues come in threes, today
53. Noble title: LORD. EARL also fits
54. Cruet filler: Abbr.: EVOO. I tried WINE at first and then saw the perps
55. Liu who plays the superhero Shang-Chi: SIMU. Total unknown. LUCY was my first guess
56. Kind of tense: PAST. Present and future are two others
60. Hair __: TIE. CUT fit, but was incorrect
Overall, a good puzzle, but not Friday worthy, IMO. But I doubt this will be the last puzzle we see from Brooke Husic. I'm looking forward to your comments...
