Theme: Testing the Waters
Hello Cornerites!
sumdaze here, back in the saddle, ready to chat about Matthew Stock's Monday puzzle. We mostly see Matthew on Saturdays so I braced myself for the plunge. We could dip a toe to test the waters...or jump right in!
Let's crawl forward to the other clues:
Our four starred clues are:
5 Across. *Seasonal New England attraction: FALL LEAVES.
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| So gorgeous!! Has anyone taken a leaf peeping tour? |
20 Across. *Show of affection made with fluttering eyelashes: BUTTERFLY KISS. Here is a short history of the term.
32 Across. *Big name in cloud storage: DROPBOX. DROPBOX is a file hosting service operated by an American company headquartered in San Francisco, CA. It offers cloud storage, file synchronization, personal cloud space, and client software.
44 Across. *Improvises over a beat: FREESTYLE RAPS.
Amish Paradise is a 1996 single by satirist "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of the 1995 Hip Hop song Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio and Kylian Mash.
Truth be told, I am not sure if this is "freestyle" or not. Weird Al is on my mind because I recently watched his movie Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022) while flying home.
Getting back to the theme...you will notice that we have two answers (5A & 31A) which begin with a synonym for the verb "SINK" (descend; drop) and two answers (20A & 44A) whose first words are the names of swimming strokes.
Then the reveal:
50 Across. Success-versus-failure metaphor, and what can be found at the starts of the answers to the starred clues: SINK OR SWIM.
I like it! The "starts of the answers to the starred clues" are either another word for SINK OR a way to SWIM. I especially liked that FALL and DROP flew under the radar (for me, anyway) until I made my way down to the reveal. 
Speaking of swimming, did you catch C.C.'s swimming videos on her Sunday, Oct. 29th (53A) and Nov. 5th blogs? She showed us her FREESTYLE and BUTTERFLY. I cannot believe she only started swimming lessons this summer. As usual, C.C. is amazing!!
Let's crawl forward to the other clues:
Across:
17. Warmup exam for college-bound sophs: PSAT. The Preliminary SAT is a 2:45 hour test of reading, writing, and math skills. The 'hint' here was "warmup".
18. Jousting spear: LANCE. I used to have a friend named LANCE. We lost touch after I moved away. I hope he is doing well.
19. Entourage: POSSE. This made me think of the HBO show Entourage (2004-2011). It is about a movie star and his POSSE of friends (freeloaders?) who go everywhere he goes.
23. Hashtag on a social media post about gratitude, perhaps: BLESSED. 
25. Actress Sophia: LOREN. She was born on September 20, 1934 in Rome, Italy. She made history in 1961 as the first performer to win an Oscar for a foreign-language role. The movie was Two Women.
26. Lollipop taste: LICK. Not a flavor but rather how one tastes a lollipop. Nice curveball, Matthew!
27. Olympics sled: LUGE. not for 31-Across
28. Feathery neckwear: BOA.
31. 2028 Olympics host country: Abbr.: USA. After 44 years, the Summer Olympics will be returning to Los Angles! My running hero, Joan Benoit Samuelson, was the first Olympic women's marathon champion when the games were held in Los Angels in 1984.
35. The NBA's Thunder, on scoreboards: OKC. OKlahoma City basketball team
36. __ Claire, Wisconsin: EAU.
37. Experiment sites: LABS.
38. Beneficiary of an exfoliation routine: PORE. Are you a Popaholic? I am not making this up. There is an internet craze where people watch Dr. Pimple Popper do her thing. Apparently it is very addicting. This is not a link to an actual video because that would require me to first watch her videos. Sometimes you just have to draw a line....
39. Polish, as shoes: SHINE. DH is a former Marine. He has skills in this area.
41. Pumpkin seeds: PEPITAS. I often add them to recipes (breads, tagines, hummus). They are a good source of iron and magnesium.
47. Polo, for one: SHIRT. "SpoRT" was 60% correct.
48. Causing the heebie-jeebies: EERIE. not an e-lake
49. Tickle Me Elmo toy company: TYCO.
55. Country across the Arabian Sea from Mumbai: OMAN.
56. Opposite of chaos: ORDER. On Get Smart (1965-1969), it was Control vs. KAOS.
57. "Hmm ... bad idea": UH, NO.
58. Writing implement: PEN. and 53 Down. 58-Across contents: INK.
59. Join with heat, as metal pieces: WELD. My uncle worked as a WELDer for PG&E for 35 years. He was built like a prizefighter.
60. __ fun at: POKE.
Down:
1. Closest pal, briefly: BFF. Best Friends Forever
2. Pitching stat: ERA. Earned Run Average
20. "Nothing's stopping me": BECAUSE I CAN. It is not often I feel "meh" about an 11-letter fill.
21. Goof: FLUB.
22. Corporate symbol: LOGO. I love this LOGO for the Kaua'i Marathon. It incorporates three images. Can you see all three? (answer at the end)
23. Color of UNICEF's 22-Down: BLUE. 
24. Salters of ESPN: LISA. Born March 6, 1966, she is an American journalist and former college basketball player. I was surprised to learn that she is 5'2" tall. She has been a reporter for ESPN and ESPN on ABC since 2000. Previously, she covered the O. J. Simpson murder case for ABC and worked as a reporter at WBAL-TV in Baltimore from 1988 to 1995.
27. Vinyl records, for short: LPS. "LP", for long, is Long Play.
29. Gumbo pod: OKRA.
30. Top poker cards: ACES.
32. Little-known celebs: D-LIST. Examples include:
52. "__ cares!": WHO.
54. "The Simpsons" bartender: MOE. CSO to our constructor Chairman!
1. Balance __: gymnastics event: BEAM. I do not think Matthew would have added the second part to the clue had this been one of his Saturday puzzles.
5. Theme park transport: TRAM. It is how they move people from their massive parking lots to the multiple opportunities for spending money.
9. Rave's opposite: PAN. A positive review is a "rave". A negative review is a "pan". Today's is not a PAN.
12. Opposite of calor: FRIO. Calor is Spanish for "heat". Frio means "cold".
5. Theme park transport: TRAM. It is how they move people from their massive parking lots to the multiple opportunities for spending money.
9. Rave's opposite: PAN. A positive review is a "rave". A negative review is a "pan". Today's is not a PAN.
12. Opposite of calor: FRIO. Calor is Spanish for "heat". Frio means "cold".
Non-native speakers often confuse the noun calor with the adjective caliente.
13. Crustaceans eaten by whales: KRILL. There are basically two types of whales, the baleen whales and the toothed whales. Baleen whales (including humpbacks and blue whales) have fibrous 'baleen' plates in their mouths instead of teeth, which help them filter and consume huge quantities of KRILL, plankton, and crustaceans. A Smithsonian study found that a blue whale can eat the equivalent of 8,800 quarter-pound burgers in KRILL -- in just one day!
14. Japanese wrestling form: SUMO. Last September, 27-year old Takakeisho won his fourth career title in a come-from-behind victory.
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| KRILL Click here for 2 hrs. of a relaxing KRILL aquarium video set to music. |
14. Japanese wrestling form: SUMO. Last September, 27-year old Takakeisho won his fourth career title in a come-from-behind victory.
17. Warmup exam for college-bound sophs: PSAT. The Preliminary SAT is a 2:45 hour test of reading, writing, and math skills. The 'hint' here was "warmup".
18. Jousting spear: LANCE. I used to have a friend named LANCE. We lost touch after I moved away. I hope he is doing well.
19. Entourage: POSSE. This made me think of the HBO show Entourage (2004-2011). It is about a movie star and his POSSE of friends (freeloaders?) who go everywhere he goes.
Entourage trailer (language warning)
25. Actress Sophia: LOREN. She was born on September 20, 1934 in Rome, Italy. She made history in 1961 as the first performer to win an Oscar for a foreign-language role. The movie was Two Women.
 |
| Bellissima Sophia |
26. Lollipop taste: LICK. Not a flavor but rather how one tastes a lollipop. Nice curveball, Matthew!
Classic Tootsie Pop Commercial (16 sec.)
27. Olympics sled: LUGE. not for 31-Across
28. Feathery neckwear: BOA.
31. 2028 Olympics host country: Abbr.: USA. After 44 years, the Summer Olympics will be returning to Los Angles! My running hero, Joan Benoit Samuelson, was the first Olympic women's marathon champion when the games were held in Los Angels in 1984.
35. The NBA's Thunder, on scoreboards: OKC. OKlahoma City basketball team
36. __ Claire, Wisconsin: EAU.
37. Experiment sites: LABS.
38. Beneficiary of an exfoliation routine: PORE. Are you a Popaholic? I am not making this up. There is an internet craze where people watch Dr. Pimple Popper do her thing. Apparently it is very addicting. This is not a link to an actual video because that would require me to first watch her videos. Sometimes you just have to draw a line....
39. Polish, as shoes: SHINE. DH is a former Marine. He has skills in this area.
41. Pumpkin seeds: PEPITAS. I often add them to recipes (breads, tagines, hummus). They are a good source of iron and magnesium.
47. Polo, for one: SHIRT. "SpoRT" was 60% correct.
48. Causing the heebie-jeebies: EERIE. not an e-lake
49. Tickle Me Elmo toy company: TYCO.
55. Country across the Arabian Sea from Mumbai: OMAN.
56. Opposite of chaos: ORDER. On Get Smart (1965-1969), it was Control vs. KAOS.
Max and Siegfried compete for loyalties from a kid genius. (4:30 min.)
Do you recognize Bernie Kopell (Doc from The Love Boat)?
57. "Hmm ... bad idea": UH, NO.
58. Writing implement: PEN. and 53 Down. 58-Across contents: INK.
59. Join with heat, as metal pieces: WELD. My uncle worked as a WELDer for PG&E for 35 years. He was built like a prizefighter.
60. __ fun at: POKE.
Down:
1. Closest pal, briefly: BFF. Best Friends Forever
2. Pitching stat: ERA. Earned Run Average
This is the number of runs a pitcher allows the opposing team per nine innings pitched. Since allowing runs is not a good thing, it is good to have a low ERA. calculation deets
3. Have a bug: AIL. Perhaps a misdirection attempt to make one think of insects as opposed to germs?
4. Clam or oyster: MOLLUSK. Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals, after Arthropoda (insects & etc.). Around 76,000 extant species of MOLLUSKs are recognized. The number of fossil species is estimated between 60,000 and 100,000 additional species.
5. Tracked down: TRACED. Relatedly, "skip tracing" is the process of locating a person's whereabouts, often for legal action purposes.
6. Water under the bridge: RIVER. This was literally the best clue today! 😜
7. The "A" of IPA: ALE. India Pale ALE
8. D.C. United's org.: MLS. D.C. United is a Major League Soccer team. They play at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.
9. "Shrek 2" character who occasionally succumbs to hairballs: PUSS IN BOOTS. Antonio Banderas voiced this character. Eddie Murphy voiced Donkey.
10. Accumulate: AMASS.
11. Written reminders: NOTES.
13. __ cloth: Ghanaian textile: KENTE. I found this article informative.
14. Bike wheel part: SPOKE. You might expect that all of your spokes are the same length but it is typical to have three (or more) different lengths on one wheel.
16. Back muscles, briefly: LATS.
19. Oven-safe glassware: PYREX. PYREX was launched in 1915 by a New York-based company when it produced a 12-piece line of machine-made glass ovenware. more from Martha S. My oldest piece is 38 years old. I bet there are several Cornerites who can top that.
3. Have a bug: AIL. Perhaps a misdirection attempt to make one think of insects as opposed to germs?
4. Clam or oyster: MOLLUSK. Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals, after Arthropoda (insects & etc.). Around 76,000 extant species of MOLLUSKs are recognized. The number of fossil species is estimated between 60,000 and 100,000 additional species.
This 2:26 min. video on MULLOSKs is full of interesting facts!
5. Tracked down: TRACED. Relatedly, "skip tracing" is the process of locating a person's whereabouts, often for legal action purposes.
6. Water under the bridge: RIVER. This was literally the best clue today! 😜
7. The "A" of IPA: ALE. India Pale ALE
8. D.C. United's org.: MLS. D.C. United is a Major League Soccer team. They play at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.
9. "Shrek 2" character who occasionally succumbs to hairballs: PUSS IN BOOTS. Antonio Banderas voiced this character. Eddie Murphy voiced Donkey.
10. Accumulate: AMASS.
11. Written reminders: NOTES.
13. __ cloth: Ghanaian textile: KENTE. I found this article informative.
14. Bike wheel part: SPOKE. You might expect that all of your spokes are the same length but it is typical to have three (or more) different lengths on one wheel.
16. Back muscles, briefly: LATS.
19. Oven-safe glassware: PYREX. PYREX was launched in 1915 by a New York-based company when it produced a 12-piece line of machine-made glass ovenware. more from Martha S. My oldest piece is 38 years old. I bet there are several Cornerites who can top that.
20. "Nothing's stopping me": BECAUSE I CAN. It is not often I feel "meh" about an 11-letter fill.
21. Goof: FLUB.
22. Corporate symbol: LOGO. I love this LOGO for the Kaua'i Marathon. It incorporates three images. Can you see all three? (answer at the end)
 |
| Who wouldn't want to answer all of Lisa's questions? |
27. Vinyl records, for short: LPS. "LP", for long, is Long Play.
29. Gumbo pod: OKRA.
30. Top poker cards: ACES.
32. Little-known celebs: D-LIST. Examples include:
- Carrot Top ('90s prop comedian)
- David Hasselhoff (but not in Germany 😜)
- Lindsay Lohan (too many DUIs)
- Scott Baio (Chachi from Happy Days)
- Will Wheaton (the generally most-disliked character from ST:TNG who made several guest appearances as himself on The Big Bang Theory)
33. Wild speech: RANT.
34. Comply: OBEY.
38. Speaks out: PIPES UP. CSO to Splynter who keeps organ PIPES 'UP and running'!
40. "Great blue" wader: HERON. I often see these elegant birds hunting in the little lake near where I walk my dog. When I watched this 2:21 min. video, I learned that they first stab their prey...and that Jeff The Nature Guy thinks they're so cool.
41. Took a quick look: PEEKED.
42. Goof: ERROR.
43. Two of a kind: PAIR.
44. Camera setting that affects depth: F-STOP.
45. Sound alike: RHYME.
46. Tennis great Ivan: LENDL. Born March 7, 1960, he is a Czech-American former professional tennis player who was ranked world No. 1 in singles for 270 weeks and won 94 singles titles before retiring in 1994.
50. Go to seed?: SOW. I like the wordplay here. When gardeners say a plant has "gone to seed", we mean that the plant, usually an annual, has directed its energies into producing seeds before it dies. Here, the clue is evoking a person 'going out' into a field to SOW seeds.
33. Wild speech: RANT.
38. Speaks out: PIPES UP. CSO to Splynter who keeps organ PIPES 'UP and running'!
40. "Great blue" wader: HERON. I often see these elegant birds hunting in the little lake near where I walk my dog. When I watched this 2:21 min. video, I learned that they first stab their prey...and that Jeff The Nature Guy thinks they're so cool.
41. Took a quick look: PEEKED.
42. Goof: ERROR.
43. Two of a kind: PAIR.
44. Camera setting that affects depth: F-STOP.
45. Sound alike: RHYME.
46. Tennis great Ivan: LENDL. Born March 7, 1960, he is a Czech-American former professional tennis player who was ranked world No. 1 in singles for 270 weeks and won 94 singles titles before retiring in 1994.
50. Go to seed?: SOW. I like the wordplay here. When gardeners say a plant has "gone to seed", we mean that the plant, usually an annual, has directed its energies into producing seeds before it dies. Here, the clue is evoking a person 'going out' into a field to SOW seeds.
 |
| This lettuce plant has "gone to seed". You can see it is no longer putting energy into making tasty leaves. |
51. Anger: IRE.
52. "__ cares!": WHO.
54. "The Simpsons" bartender: MOE. CSO to our constructor Chairman!
Well, I've sunk enough time into this write-up. 😄 Here is the grid:
LOGO answer: (1.) hibiscus flower, (2.) runner in center, and (3.) flower's outline is the shape of the island of Kaua'i 
Notes from C.C.:
Happy birthday to Big Easy (George), husband of Louisiana Tennis Hall
of Famer Diane! George has had a few serious health issues, but he's still playing pickleball and riding his bike.
Big Easy and his wife Diane
