Puzzling thoughts:
First off, I will explain why I chose the "theme" that I did. Every one of us bloggers has plenty of time to solve the puzzle, and write a recap for you all to read (and enjoy, we hope). Today's offering by Enrique was both a challenge for me to solve, but also a challenge for me to grasp. I just didn't "get it"
So what did I do? Why, contact my other brother from another mother, Malodorous Manatee, and ask for his assistance. After a few text messages and phone calls, Joseph sent me the following:
"Each of the three themed answers can be viewed as consisting of two words. But, in order to answer the clue appropriately, the second word must, itself, be split into two words." Aha! Thank you, again, MalMan, for explaining this!
Enrique is a recent crossword puzzle hobbyist/constructor. He started solving puzzles just a few years ago, and has already been published (as a constructor) in the NY Times. This is his third puzzle at the LA Times
Please allow me to map out this puzzle and see if you agree with MalMan about the reveal ...
Let's start with the reveal: 57-across. Brief moment, or what three long answers in this puzzle have?: SPLIT SECOND
Now, let's insert the grid:
19-across. Dinner and drinks with a preacher?: HOLY MAN DATE. The SECOND word in this entry is MANDATE. But if you SPLIT it into two words, MAN and DATE, it fits the clue
26-across. Thousands of years, for a megalith?: STONE MASS AGE. The SECOND word in this entry is MASSAGE; split in two it becomes MASS AGE. A megalith is a STONE MASS, and a thousand years is an AGE
45-across. Exam for a certificate in mediation?: PEACE PRO TEST. The SECOND word in this entry is PROTEST, and when divided becomes PRO and TEST. A PEACE PRO is, I suppose, a person who administers meditation. And I guess they have to be TESTed in order to do it. This one was my least favorite of the three
The puzzle was clever for sure, but I'm glad that I had over a week to solve, review, and prepare my thoughts. Today, my thoughts are going to be mostly in picture form ...
Across:
1. Otherwise occupied: BUSY.
5. "Checkmate!": "I WON".
9. Concert gear: AMPS. Interesting word, AMPS. It can represent the abbreviation for AMPLIFIERS as well as the abbreviation for the "juice" that runs amplifiers, AMPERES
13. "__ upon a midnight dreary ... ": ONCE.
14. Origami bird: CRANE. A couple of us on a Limerick and Haiku chat group put together a series of limericks about origami. My most recent one sort of fits this clue/answer:
Origamists, I hear, don't last long;
Folding paper can often go wrong.
I suppose you could say
That there will come a day
When they stop and submit their swan song
15. Henhouse: COOP. Moe-ku:
Car guy turned farmer
Gave his hens a free-range roost:
A Coupe DeVille COOP
16. "¡__ mío!": DIOS. I wonder ... when Latinos want to use "OMG" in a text message, do they use "DM" instead?
17. Rabbit kin: HARES. [according to Merrium Webster dot com] Hares are distinguished from rabbits by their larger size, longer ears, and longer hind legs. They also tend to live alone or in pairs in above-ground nests, whereas rabbits often live together in groups of up to 20 in underground tunnels known as warrens
18. Color of unbleached linen: ECRU. That seemed like a forced clue, but then again, it is Friday
22. Actor Jeong: KEN.
23. "Quite so": INDEED. A favorite word of mine. In German, they use the word "genau"
24. Move, roots and all: REPOT. Or in our case, as new home owners, it's to UNPOT. As you read this, Margaret and I are buying 3 vines, 2 shrubs, and a patio tree
31. __ Diego: SAN. What is the most popular opera in SAN Diego? Why, Carmen, of course!! ;^)
34. CNN anchor Burnett: ERIN. I don't watch CNN so this was a perped-in fill
35. Brain teaser aid: HINT. What I would've liked more of in today's puzzle. My solving time today was just south of 30 minutes
36. Bouillon cube maker: KNORR.
38. "Queen __": pop music nickname: BEY. Who is known as "Queen BEY" you ask? "BEYoncé. Her name conjures more than music, it has come to be synonymous with beauty, glamour, power, creativity, love, and romance. Her performances are legendary, her album releases events. She is not even forty but she has already rewritten the Beyoncé playbook more than half a dozen times" [as copied from us dot macmillan dot com]
40. Big fetes: GALAS.
41. Quechua speaker: INCA.
42. Nonpayment risk, for short: REPO.
44. Squalid digs: STY.
50. "Same!": ME,TOO. DITTO fit this
51. Titter: TEEHEE. Our thesaurussaurus:
55. Golf ball position: LIE. TEE also fit
60. Gumbo pod: OKRA. Moe-ku two:
TV Host turned chef
Starts food show in New Orleans
Called: OKRA Winfrey
62. Miso soup base: DASHI. The only DASH I know is Dash T ...
63. Possess: HAVE. OWN didn't fit
64. Ray: BEAM. Remember where the high BEAM activater was on a Coupe DeVille?
65. Like some rural roads at night: UNLIT. Unless there's a full moon
66. Rid of wrinkles: IRON. The verb
67. "__ there, tiger": EASY. What literally can be said to golfer Woods, these days, whenever he has to take an awkward step
68. Poems of praise: ODES.
69. Ice cream brand with a birthday cake flavor: EDYS. CrossEyedDave gets the shout out, here. Looking forward to seeing what kind of cake he links to today
Down:
1. __ Tree: place of enlightenment in Buddhist tradition: BODHI. I had LOTUS, which f***ed me up for a good 15 miuntes or so until the perps came into view
2. Collective bargaining group: UNION.
3. Give a good talking-to: SCOLD. Does any kid really get SCOLDed these days? Or do they just get sent to the "time-out area"
4. "Okay, I get it": YES! YES!. Not exactly what I said to Joseph, but close! ;^)
5. Country where Farsi is spoken: IRAN. Made me think of another pun ... the answer: CDC. The question: Place where Fauci is spoken?
6. New Orleans voting district: WARD. If you show up at one of these with an OKRA in hand, you're good to go!
7. Like challenging pushups: ONE ARM.
8. Lipton rival: NESTEA.
9. Royal flush card: ACE. The highest hand in poker (royal flush) when wild cards/jokers are not in use
10. Nojito and nada colada, for two: MOCKTAILS. I seem to recall my parents referring to these as "Shirley Temples"
11. Sweat outlet: PORE.
12. Like some silk or sugar: SPUN. Who didn't eat these SPUN sugar concoctions when visiting a state fair?
14. Garment similar to a hijab: CHADOR. I guess when I made my VEILed threat last time I blogged, Patti and Enrique called me on it!! ;^) [nytimes dot com says] "The CHADOR has no fasteners; it is held in place under the neck by hand. Black is the preferred color in public, but women often wear colorful versions at home or at the mosque. Hijab: The term has become a catchall, particularly in the West, for all Islamic veils, but is mainly used to mean a head scarf"
20. Parking post: METER. Some of these today don't take coins any longer; just credit cards
21. Short music releases: EPS. I've seen this word used quite often; it's borderline "crosswordese"
25. Job safety org.: OSHA. Another common crossword word
27. Bit of cacao: NIB. [Oxford Languages Dictionary definition] "noun: nib"
1. the pointed end part of a pen, which distributes the ink on the writing surface; a pointed or projecting part of an object. Example:"slide the tile into place until the nibs hook on"
2. shelled and crushed coffee or cocoa beans. In the USA, they're also small pieces of caramel, licorice, or other sweets
28. Month before febrero: ENERO.
29. Little pest: GNAT. BRAT also fit
30. Site with handmade crafts: ETSY.
31. Omit: SKIP. What I've done for several clues today on my recap
32. Actress Hathaway: ANNE. ANNE Jacqueline Hathaway is an American actress. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, she was among the world's highest-paid actresses in 2015 [Wikipedia]
33. Sign at some museums: NO CAMERAS. I thought it was NO CAMERAS ALLOWED?
37. Sack __: RACE. Might be difficult to do whilst eating Cotton Candy ...
39. Thus far: YET. Have you been enjoying the recap, YET??!
40. "Check it out": GO SEE. Hands up for iPhone users? Especially whenever you ask Siri to find something for you? What does she say? She says, "I found this on the web; check it out"! And for those of us whose partner has an Android phone ...
43. Watch the birdie?: PET SIT. Was this Enrique's clue or Patti's? The same letter sextet could be clued: What he does to a friendly dog?
46. UFO beings: ETS.
47. Tegan and Sara, for one: POP DUO. Are some of you asking who Tegan and Sara are? I did, and had to cheat a bit to confirm that it was a POP DUO
48. "Independence Day" director Emmerich: ROLAND. [Wikipedia] "Roland Emmerich is a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is widely known for his science fiction and disaster films and has been called a "master of disaster" within the industry"
49. Computer pro: TECHIE.
52. Stockpile: HOARD. Would AMASS fit?
53. Diplomat: ENVOY. [Merrium-Webster] "en·voy ˈen-ˌvȯi ˈän- : a diplomatic representative who ranks between an ambassador and a minister. : a representative sent by one government to another. ambassadors and other envoys"
54. Perfect places: EDENS.
55. Ear part: LOBE. Is there any room for another piece of jewelry here?
56. Store whose packages typically contain Allen keys: IKEA. Not to be confused with ALICIA Keys
58. Archipelago part: ISLE. "ISLE be back in two weeks, like it or not!" ;^)
59. __ end up: THIS.
61. Sedaris of "The Mandalorian": AMY. This is how IMDb describes her
Comments are always welcome ...
