Puzzling thoughts:
Zachary David Levy is our constructor today, and in keeping with the Friday puzzles this year, wordplay is in full force. Each of the three theme entries use the letters "ge" to form a "zhuzh" sound, and that also fits the reveal: 61-across. Added panache, as was done three times in this puzzle?: ZHUZHED IT UP.
How so, you ask?
First, there is 17-across. Farmer's tan?: BEIGE OF PIGS. The common term "BAY OF PIGS" refers to the location of the botched invasion of Cuba in 1961
A "farmer's tan" is the image you see in this link. The "wordplay" farmer's tan focuses on the color beige, as in the color of some PIGS
Next, there is 30-across. Battle hymn?: SIEGE SHANTY. As is the case with BEIGE OF PIGS, SIEGE SHANTY wordplays off the common "SEA SHANTY" with the SIEGE part being the "battle" reference in the clue. Not sure that this tune would have the same meaning if it were called "The Siege Shanty of the Republic"
And last, we have 49-across. Don rose-colored glasses?: ROUGE THE DAY. Some say the phrase, "RUE THE DAY" has its roots with Shakespeare; as the link indicates, Shakespeare never used those exact words in any of his plays, but the use of "rue the day" eventually led to its meaning of when you bitterly regret a moment
ROUGE THE DAY, on the other hand, might look like this
So where in the world did Zachary David Levy come up with the word "zhuzh"? According to several sources [found after Googling] "the earliest records of the word "zhuzh" show that it is part of Polari, an argot used in Britain since perhaps the eighteenth century primarily among gay theatrical and circus performers. The claims that the word was borrowed from Yiddish or Romani are not supportable"
Here is a link to today's puzzle grid: Zachary David Levy 11/3/2023
Blogger's note: For some reason I was unable to load images from my computer to the blog; hence, all of the links today. Not sure what happened but I hope you all will still enjoy the recap ... C-Moe
Across:
1. Representative: AGENT. Still a 10-percenter, I believe
6. Comets, to some: OMENS. Erstwhile Mercury compact cars didn't fit
11. "Pow!": BAM.
14. Like some opposites: POLAR.
15. Manuscript sheet: FOLIO.
16. Single: ONE.
19. Ill. neighbor: IND. Illinois has five neighboring states; only one of which is usually abbreviated with three letters (INDiana). The other four? WISConsin, IowA, MissOuri, and KentuckY
20. Save for later: STASH. Does anyone here have a secret, special "STASH" they want to reveal and/or confess to?
21. "Lonely Planet" recommendation: HOSTEL. Moe-ku #1:
Did you hear about
The dangerous inn for youths?
The hostile HOSTEL
23. Skewer: SPIT. Again, today you will have to click on the hyperlink to see an image
24. Buzz: HYPE. I had a bit of a Natick going in this section of the puzzle, due to my wanting (26-down. Green gp.: PGA, to be EPA. (28-across) "I __ HATE to say it, but I think the clue should have been written: Green gp.? Why? Because the PGA would use the plural, "greens", instead. A bit of a nit, but this should have indicated a misdirection
29. Org. with complex schedules: IRS.
33. "u crack me up": ROTFL. Text speak; Roll On The Floor Laughing. Or this emoji: 🤣
35. Purple Heart recipients: WAR HEROES. Fun fact: There were over 1 million Purple Heart medals awarded over the five years of WWII alone. Open this link to see the entire list of Purple Heart recipients since 1782
36. Copa locale: RIO. Sorry to disappoint you but there is no way the Chairman is going to post a video of Barry Manilow singing "At the Copa"!! 🤣
38. Shaggy ox: YAK. Barry Manilow, no; The Coasters? Yes!!
39. One handing out cigars in a waiting room, perhaps: PROUD PAPA. Here is a throw-back clue. So give a guess; when did maternity wards first allow PROUD PAPAs to be involved in the delivery room? I will link something at the end of the blog.* As a "personal" Fun Fact, I have two 40-something kids, and was in the delivery room for both of their births. I was "allowed/encouraged" by the OB/GYN to cut the umbillical cord for my younger child. As for the handing out of cigars, it most certainly happened, but not in the waiting room ...
45. Winner's gesture: V-SIGN. Same two fingers as the peace-sign; but the V-SIGN is made with your knuckles facing out. In lieu of an image, just close your eyes and imagine it ...
51. Pinch: NAB. Sounds like a reference to catching a criminal or perpetrator
52. Beyoncé's "Cadillac Records" role: ETTA. "At Last", we have some crossword-ese!! 😉
53. High-and-mighty sort: SNOB. At one time in my adult life I was a true Wine SNOB. Fortunately, that passed once I got into the business (proprietor, sales rep, sommelier) as I came to appreciate the vast variety of palates wine drinkers had. And just because the wine comes in a box instead of a bottle, or is called "White Zinfandel", I realized that folks drank this and liked it
On the other hand, I am DEFINITELY a BEER and COFFEE SNOB. I'd rather drink water than Coors Light, e.g.; and Folger's? Puh-leeze ... same goes for Starbucks. The best thing that happened to the BEER and COFFEE industry was the growth of craft brewers/craft roasters
And its clecho: (3-down. High-and-mighty sort: ELITIST
54. Aquarium growth: ALGA. I have this vague memory of my elementary school days when I brought a tadpole to our classroom for "show and tell". It was in a small "aquarium" and our teacher thought it would be interesting to watch it develop into a frog ... ALGA (or maybe it was SCUM) was a constant presence
55. Piehole: GULLET. Click for an image: Not one of the more common synonyms for the word "mouth"
58. Rapper Kendrick who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018: LAMAR. I know most of my rappers from doing crossword puzzles. I can now add LAMAR to that list
60. JFK-to-Tokyo carrier: ANA. All Nippon Airways. Fun Fact: ANA was awarded the 2023 SKYTRAX Top Winner for Airport Services, Cleanliness and Airline Staff in Asia, and ranked 3rd in Airline of the Year (behind Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airlines). It has won these individual awards multiple times:
World's Best Airport Services (10-time recipient)
World's Cleanest Airline (5-time recipient)
Best Airline Staff Service in Asia (8-time recipient)
66. Some NIH grant recipients: MDS. The National Institute of Health issues grants to Medical DoctorS
67. Seized items: REPOS.
68. Acrobatic: AGILE. Is there anyone more AGILE than she?
69. Make a fast stop?: EAT. Got it! When you stop "fasting" you? EAT
70. "Is that my cue?": AM I ON?. Surprised to find that this phrase is a "debut entry". AM I UP also appears to be unused in published crossword puzzles
71. "Woman With a Parasol" painter Claude: MONET. Here is both an image and a description of this work by Claude MONET. It's of his wife and son
Down:
1. PD advisory: APB. All-Points Bulletin; according to [Wikipedia], "An all-points bulletin is an electronic information broadcast sent from one sender to a group of recipients, to rapidly communicate an important message. The technology used to send this broadcast has varied throughout time, and includes teletype, radio, computerized bulletin board systems, and the Internet"
2. Joins the big leagues: GOES PRO. Moe-ku #2:
When the naysayer
Was convinced of the truth, he
Yielded, and GOES PRO
4. Worry: NAG AT. I guess that when something NAGs AT you, you tend to worry ... a longer clue could have been: What a spouse might do to you if you procrastinate too much
5. Square root of nueve: TRES. Spanglish
6. Askew: OFF. Moe-ku #3:
VP Spiro cheats
On taxes; the headline read:
"Agnew is ASKEW"
7. Disheveled do: MOP. I don't know why, but when I saw this I thought of Opie Taylor
8. "Boola Boola" collegian: ELI. "The authorship of Yale's iconic fight song “Boola Boola” has traditionally been ascribed to Allan M. Hirsh, Class of 1901. In October 2000, Hirsh's grandson, Philip Hirsh '60, published an essay in this magazine that appeared to be the definitive account of his grandfather's writing of the song
9. At hand: NIGH. Anyone else have the word "NEAR" in this spot?
10. Only fair: SO SO. Moe-ku #4:
Chicago slugger
Hit fewer homers one year;
Was Sammy SOSO
11. Orser's rival in the "Battle of the Brians" at the 1988 Winter Olympics: BOITANO. You can find the damndest things on the Internet when you Google!! Two versions; the second is the original
12. Actress Bening: ANNETTE. [Wikipedia] "Annette Carol Bening (Born: May 29, 1958) is an American actress. In a career spanning over four decades, she has received various accolades, including a BAFTA Award and two Golden Globes as well as nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, two Tony Awards, and four Academy Awards"
13. Collages of songs: MEDLEYS.
18. "Well, hey there!": "OH, HI!".
22. Mavens: SHARKS. Another one of the "Friday-level" synonyms used today. [Vocabulary dot com]: "Definition of maven: someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field". Synonyms (include): ace, adept, champion, genius, hotshot, mavin, sensation, star, superhero, superstar, virtuoso, whiz, whizz, wiz, and wizard. SHARKs fit, too; as in Pool SHARKs
23. Title for Andy Murray: SIR. Brits
25. Common name of Taxus baccata: YEW. (Genus; Species) for a tree known for its use in making archery bows
27. Poetic adverb: E'ER. Have you EVER seen this in x-word puzzles??
30. Go downhill: SLIDE. Had SLIDE first; then tried GLIDE when I was wrestling with that center portion of the puzzle. The S in SIEGE solidified the SLIDE
31. Not bold: SHY. Not sure I would E'ER be called "SHY". A better Friday-level clue might have been: "Lacking"
32. Hard to handle: HEAVY. I could imagine the word "HEAVY" being found in this book
34. Penny-pinching: FRUGAL. Moe-ku #5:
Penny-pinching chick
Made a very unique sound:
Not "cheep", but FRUGAL
37. Bow (out): OPT. Bow (wow): ARF
39. Warmup time: PRE-GAME. The PRE-GAME show at the Super Bowl lasts most of the day
40. Domed hall: ROTUNDA. Building feature; think the U.S. Capitol. Last time I visited there was when I was in 6th grade
41. Stay longer than: OUTLAST. Appropriate part of the three-word motto (OUTWIT, OUTPLAY, OUTLAST) for the TV Reality Show Survivor, which is now airing its 45th episode/season. One more and the show will have as many seasons as the U.S. has had Presidents
42. Relaxed sounds: AHS. Where you hear these sounds, usually, are at a SPA
43. Stock room?: PEN. Nice misdirectional clue. "Live"stock (includes pigs, too) are sometimes kept in a PEN
44. Big bother: ADO.
46. Like many state mottoes: IN LATIN. Here in AZ, our state motto is: DITAT DEUS, which is Latin for: "God Enriches"
47. Regulation that restricts discussion: GAG RULE.
48. Org. with Thunder and Heat: NBA. Oklahoma City (OKC) Thunder and Miami Heat
50. Up to the task: ABLE. I am more than ABLE to recap and post to our blog; I am willing, too! 🤪
54. "¡Mi hombre!": AMIGO. Spanglish
56. Alt-rock band Better Than __: EZRA. This was all perps, with the "Z" coming last because, well, it just did. I won't admit that this one may have been a Google look up, 'cause I certainly didn't know the word "ZHUZH" before today
57. Not us: THEM. If a group of people who didn't identify as HE's or SHE's, would they be THEM?
59. Scott of "Severance": ADAM. Only on a Friday (well, maybe on Saturday) would the word ADAM not be linked with Eve, Cain, Abel, the Book of Genesis, the Garden of Eden, ...
62. Initials in the news: UPI. AP was too short. [Wikipedia]: United Press International is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th century. At its peak, it had more than 6,000 media subscribers"
63. Menagerie: ZOO. I put in ZOO early in my attempt to solve the puzzle; and then scratched my head as I tried to figure out "ZHUZHED"
64. Retail channel: HSN. Home Shopping Network
65. Gently stroke: PET.
And so it ends. The answer to my question in 39-across:*1960's for being in the "labor room"; 1970's for being in the delivery room
Sorry again for the absence of images without having to link them. I hope to have my computer figured out in two weeks when I next return ... please add your comments below
