A challenging Saturday offering from our native Newfoundlander who is now a Torontonian. Here are Craig's comments:
Hi Gary,
Thanks for the email. I hope the picture is ok. It was taken in 2018 in Gatineau, Quebec - when we could still visit casinos.
I really enjoy making themeless puzzles and I think they are the most satisfying to solve. Sometimes constructors begin with a grid design and fill it accordingly but usually there’s a seed entry that the puzzle is built around. In this case that entry is TOO BAD SO SAD, which had been on my radar for a while. It vanished when another venue used it in a (themed) puzzle but reappeared when I wanted to design a themeless with a central stack. This is my first attempt at such a stack. I don’t care for the smaller corners from a design point-of-view but I like themeless grids to have a little stretch to the entries so it was a painful compromise. I have to say I like to my clue for the seed entry “[playing the world’s smallest violin]” only because it reminds me of Fat Tony playing that tiny violin on “The Simpsons.”
Breakdown of what was completely changed, somewhat changed and unchanged is roughly equal across all three categories. I really like “Mozart’s mother” over my original clue “Horsford of ‘Amen’” – what can I say? I loved “Amen!” But I also really love classical music and can’t wait to get back to the symphony and opera. Learning moment for this non-fan of Mozart.
A quick guilty-of-crosswordese-list. First, I don’t think crosswordese is necessarily a bad thing. It potentially keeps words alive that might otherwise completely disappear – it happens all the time. It can also give a seasoned solver an entry into a puzzle. That being said I try to avoid it at all costs. ETUI, HAP, ERSE, ESTER and the prefix IDEO- are not the finest entries in the world. I think affixes are worse than crosswordese as they’re parts of words. It’s not a cross-partial-words puzzle. So guilty as charged but a low word count is going to bring about its share of constructor staples to get things done.
I think I’ve rambled on long enough. Hopefully it’s a pleasant solve for folks and not too painful.
Cheers!
Craig
I got a good foothold in the SE, worked back to the NW and then finally wrestled the SW into submission after the corner Monopoly square came to mind and I passed Go and collected my $200 SALARY.
...and we're off and running:
Across:
1. "Can't someone else?": DO I HAVE TO - A teenager's lament
10. Floor: AMAZE.
15. Mozart's mother: ANNA MARIA - This plaque marks where Wolfgang and his mother lived in Paris and where she died
17. Comebacks: RESPONSES - Lady Nancy Astor to Winston Churchill, "If I were married to you, I'd poison your tea." I'm betting you know his RESPONSE.
18. See 43-Across: ANGST 43. Genre full of 18-Across: EMO - A 1962 EMO song by one of the Gene's I had in my "Name That Gene Game" last week
19. Set to assemble: KIT - Set as a noun. Here's something else from 1962
20. Best Actress between Hilary and Helen: REESE - Both she and Joaquin Phoenix sang the songs in I Walk The Line as June and Johnny Cash
21. Franklin's bill: C NOTE - $100 There is a website that will sell you this "play money". You have to look pretty hard to see COPY | PLAY MONEY
22. Inferior: WORSE.
24. Unwanted information, usually: SPOILER - "What? Rosebud is a sled?"
26. Small sewing case: ETUI - I'm sure this was in 1962 cwds too
27. Cantore in a storm: JIM - JIM and his crew meet some Huskers just before a big snow event in Lincoln
30. Member of the first class of World Golf Hall of Fame inductees, 1974: SNEAD - Sam Snead
31. Retreated: BACKPEDALED - Patrick Mahommes BACKPEDALED all day against the Buccaneers as they 54. Rushed toward: RAN AT him and knocked him down a lot
34. "Voilà!": THERE YOU ARE.
37. Expression of mock sympathy: TOO BAD SO SAD - Letter home from college, "No mon, no fun your Son." Reply, "TOO BAD, SO SAD, your Dad."
40. Involuntary contraction: SPASM. 44. Part of un drame: ACTE - Le point culminant d'un drame arrive au troisième ACTE (The climax of a drama comes in the third act)
45. Forms a union?: MARRIES.
47. More than just talk: ORATE - Edward Everett ORATED before Lincoln at Gettysburg and afterwards wrote to Abe, "I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes."
48. Single out: ELECT.
49. Appear by surprise: POP IN - The Seinfeld take on the POP IN
53. Ring site: LIP
55. "Either or": I DON'T CARE
57. Rough: CRUDE.
58. "... quaint and curious volume of __ lore": Poe: FORGOTTEN.
59. Really excited: HYPER.
60. Democracy concern: FREE PRESS.
Down:
1. Limited-access Internet area: DARK WEB - Interested?
2. The least bit: ONE IOTA.
3. Show how: INSTRUCT - Been there, doing that.
4. "Our __ is loss, our hope but sad despair": "Henry VI, Part III": HAP - General HAP Arnold missed the cut
5. Subject of Dante's "La Vita Nuova": AMORE - La (The) Vita (Life) Nuova (New) is 1293 prose written about Dante's AMORE (Love) for Beatrice
6. Weather __: VANE.
7. Gaelic tongue: ERSE - A tongue we see often here
8. Plastic bag accessories: TIES - They have so many uses
9. Hot spots' hot spots?: OASES.
10. Amazon threats: ANACONDAS - Google at your own peril
11. Mouse first voiced by Walt Disney: MINNIE
12. Namibia neighbor: ANGOLA - Okay, where is it? Answer
13. Prepped, as peels: ZESTED - Last week, Adrian Johnson and Jeff Chen gave us 31. Strip often twisted: LEMON RIND
27. Fed chair Powell: JEROME - When he was nominated
28. Graphic intro?: IDEO.
29. "I'll get back to you": MAYBE.
32. Vacationer's need, maybe: PET SITTER
33. Good earth: LOAM.
35. One may be heard on safari: ROAR - In this "Safari" in Chile, roles are reversed and you can be up close and personal to hear the ROAR
36. Get out of hand in a hurry: ESCALATE - Did you ever talk politics at a family gathering?
38. Dresses: ATTIRES.
39. Becomes more complicated: DEEPENS.
40. Word on a Monopoly corner square: SALARY - Took me longer that it should have
41. Asset protection plan, briefly: PRENUP - George thought this would make Susan back out of the marriage
42. Place to play: ARCADE
45. Branded wares, informally: MERCH - MAKES went down in flames
46. Spruce (up): SPIFF.
47. Triumphant: ON TOP.
50. Wrinkled-nose cause: ODOR.
51. Study intently, with "over": PORE over this picturefrom the original 1953 Picnic cast of the 52. "Picnic" Pulitzer Prize winner: INGE play and see if you can guess who made his Broadway debut in this play (*answer below)
56. NBA position: CTR - The debate rages as to who was the all time best (**Names are listed below) and here is one person's opinion
*The actor in question is, of course, Paul Newman. He was passed over for a role in the movie.
**Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon
Hello, Cornerites, Chairman Moe here, bringing your "nacho" usual take on a Jeffrey Wechsler, Friday LA Times Crossword Puzzle. I promise not to be too cheesy today as I "shred and slice" through the clues, and I won't "whey" you down too much with a lot of images and videos. And hopefully no explosions as I'd hate to be responsible later for cleaning up any "de Brie".
So, after quickly getting the theme: (56-Across, with 58-Across, "savory base for a canapé ... and the function of a black square in four puzzle rows?": CHEESE CRACKER) maybe the following compilation of Cheez-it commercials had me thinking that the title for this puzzle should've been "WHO CUT THE CHEESE", but I erred on the side of civility and maturity for a change!
Did you see how the black square in four puzzle rows "cracked" the cheese? Yes? "Gouda" for you! In "queso" you didn't, please allow me to "kraft" a few comments:
Let's start with the grid, so we can see how JW cleverly cut the cheese. I've highlighted the cracked cheese names in red, along with the unifier:
16-Across. African Queen, for one: STEAMER with 17-Across. "Don't doubt my abilities!": I CAN SO, leaves us with AMERICAN. American Cheese as Wikipedia describes is actually a processed cheese made from Cheddar, Colby or similar. It's processed to have a very low melting point, making it perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches
22-Across. Longtime senator Thurmond: STROM with 23-Across. Battery parts: ANODES, leaves us with ROMANO. Wikipedia provided this info on Romano cheese.
34-Across. Extravagant: BAROQUE with 38-Across. Lot: FORTUNE, leaves us with ROQUEFORT
Moe-ku:
Camembert, Brie, and ROQUEFORT were found on same plate. A fromáge à trois?
47-Across. Like some ornate doorways: ARCHED with 50-Across. Fixes tears: DARNS, leaves us with CHEDDAR. With its origins from the village of CHEDDAR, this cheese type accounts for nearly 1.3 million tons of production in the US alone. That's about 10 lbs per person, on average. And please be careful when slicing a piece . . .
Let's see what else is on the plate besides cheese . . .
Across:
1. Adopted gradually, with "in": PHASED. I wasn't fazed by this clue ...
7. Sandpiper family birds: SNIPES. Crossword Tracker shows that the clue: "Blade" actor SNIPES (Wesley) hasn't appeared in any puzzles for several years. Guessing it's due to his tax evasion and personal issues, perhaps
13. One of two sound recommendations for a light sleeper?: EARPLUG. My better half wears these (both one and two) as she tells me that I snore in bed. I can't refute that as I am usually asleep at the time . . .
15. Shunned one: PARIAH. According to Britannica dot com, the word PARIAH — originally derived from Tamil paṛaiyar, “drummer” — once referred to the Paraiyan, a Tamil caste group of labourers and village servants of low status, but the meaning was extended to embrace many groups outside the so-called clean caste groups, with widely varying degrees of status. Some sites I looked at even gave it a harsher meaning . . .
18. January temps, often: TEENS. Would December "temps", as in "temporary workers" also be called TEENS? As in those high school kids who work part-time during the Holiday season? Oh, Jeffrey meant as in the "temperature"! Here in the Phoenix "Valley of the Sun" our January temps are only in the TEENS if you're using the Celsius measurement ...
19. Do lunch?: CATER. Cute clue. A CATERer is a person who provides a meal. Why not do lunch?
21. London's __ Gardens: KEW. In the village "Richmond Upon Thames", about 30 miles from downtown London. Open all year . . .
25. History: PAST. Our Thesaurus cites "PAST" as the fourth synonym for "history". A Friday-fitting clue
26. Short on manners: RUDE. Not me, today! My blog won't be RUDE or CRUDE
27. Fraternal order: ELKS. The Benevolent and Protective Order of ELKS is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City
31. Coil in a garden: HOSE. If the answer was five letters in length, would "snake" fit this clue?
32. Prepares for takeoff: TAXIES. According to the aviation industry, the verb, "to taxi," as it relates to a moving airplane on the ground, dates to about 1911. ... The word may allude to driving around like a taxicab, as others surmise, or it may relate to the fact that flight instructors gave rides to new students in the "taxi" airplane
39. Buttonhole: ACCOST. Another Friday clue; somewhat obscure. To buttonhole (informally) means to attract the attention of and detain (someone) in conversation, typically against his or her will. "Reporters buttonhole (ACCOST) officials coming out of the press secretary's office". ACCOST sounds a lot worse to my ears than buttonhole . . .
40. Function: WORK. This exact cluing of the word "WORK" has not appeared in the LA Times for a couple of years.
Again, Friday-worthy
43. Declared: SAID. To declare: say; past tense: SAID. SAID appeared in Monday's puzzle . . .
51. Firepit residue: ASH. Our firepit is gas fed and has igneous rocks. No ASHes
54. Speak publicly: ORATE. Entymonline dot com says that the word ORATE (orate (v.) 1600), means "to pray, to plead," from Latin oratus, past participle of ōrare "speak, pray to, plead, speak before a court or assembly" (see orator). The meaning "make a formal speech, talk loftily," used humorously or contemptuously, emerged c. 1860 in American English as a back-formation of oration.
55. Advice from colleagues, say: INPUT. I will occasionally ask for INPUT from my fellow bloggers whenever I get stuck on a puzzle; any INPUT from y'all is always welcome!
60. Afternoon service: TEA SET. Seems a bit stuffy! I rarely drink TEA and definitely don't have a SET
61. One held for ransom: HOSTAGE. Was this history's most infamous HOSTAGE victim? Sad story
62. Force (upon): IMPOSE. As upon one's will, e.g.
63. Allowed paid use of: LEASED. Our house is currently LEASED. There are benefits to both owning and leasing ones residence
Down:
1. Pre-euro coin: PESETA. The basic monetary unit of Spain (until replaced by the euro), equal to 100 centimos.
2. Critics who can't be pleased: HATERS. Taylor Swift line in the tune "Shake it Off"
3. Childish denial: ARE NOT. MAKE ME also fit, as did 17-Across today, I CAN SO
4. Jerk, e.g.: SPASM. A "tic", or muscle reflex
5. West __: upscale store: ELM. West ELM website. There are lots of these on-line upscale shopping sites nowadays. Wayfair is one from whom I've purchased
6. Sufficient grounds for action, in law: DUE CAUSE. As a legal definition of "due": Meeting special requirements; sufficient: "We have DUE CAUSE to honor them". If that's not clear, the preceding definition says "In accord with right, convention, or courtesy; appropriate." And in the same dictionary you'll find "cause" defined as grounds for action; motive; justification ... now, if I could just recall the name of the dictionary and give proper credit . . .
7. Used bugs, perhaps: SPIED. Did James Bond EVER check into a hotel room that wasn't infested with bugs? "From Russia with Love" clip
10. __ lady: gin and grenadine cocktail: PINK. Not my "cup of tea". Grenadine syrup is a cocktail mixer made from fresh pomegranate juice reduced with sugar—like simple syrup with a hint of citrus flavor and stunning red color. When mixed with Gin it produces a PINK color. PINK lady is also a type of apple. I do like these
11. Fluency: EASE. Thesaurus lists this as the seventh of synonyms. Friday's are like that ...
12. Make an appearance: SHOW. I guess you could say that the horse that ran third in a race "made an appearance" (WIN, PLACE, SHOW)
14. Starbucks size: GRANDE. For the record, I LOVE coffee; I also dislike Starbucks. I think their coffee is not worth what it sells for. But, they're among the highest grossing businesses ($26.5 billion) and employed over 350,000 persons, pre-pandemic. GRANDE is the Italian word for "large", and at Starbucks this relates to a 16 oz. cup. Their original sizes were called "short" and "tall" (8 oz. and 12 oz. respectively). VENTE (Italian for "twenty") is the name of the cup size larger than GRANDE. Need more info? Here is a link
18. Baking powder amt.: TSP. I do a lot of the cooking in our house, but very little baking of breads/pastry. So in looking up "baking powder", King Arthur had a few recipes. I pulled up the one in the link and noticed that it calls for a TBSP of baking powder, not a TSP . . . what we bloggers don't do to make sure that the clues match the answers!!
20. Sock part: TOE. I've never seen the need nor attraction for having socks such as these. But I do get a kick out of the cartoon Pickles. This one also mentions a "TOE"
24. Hot message: SEXT. Moe-l'ick (a remake):
The new pastor was heard to disparage As engaged couple showed him their phone message, "Is that all you kids got? Those don't seem very hot! I will only perform same SEXT marriage."
26. Beat decisively: ROUT. One could say that in Super Bowl(tm) LV, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ROUTed the KC Chiefs
28. Lucy of "Kill Bill": LIU. I was about to "LIU" and then I realized . . .
29. Tennis great Rosewall: KEN. Kenneth (KEN) Robert Rosewall (born 2 November 1934) is a former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player from Australia. He won a record 23 tennis Majors, including 8 Grand Slam singles titles and, before the Open Era, a record 15 Pro Slam titles; overall, he reached a record 35 Major finals.
30. Orlando-to-Miami dir.: SSE. 3-1/2 hours (in really good traffic conditions) according to Google Maps, if you follow Florida's Turnpike (and use SunPass). Any of our FL folks care to comment??
31. Main bases: Abbr.: HQS. Short for "Headquarters". The word has been around since the 1600's, from the "most important or principal" meaning of head and quarters, originally "military dwelling place," and later "lodgings."
32. Deere rival: TORO. I usually associate the (John) Deere Corporation with farm equipment and TORO Corporation with lawn mowers, but specifically for riding lawn mowers, they do rival one another. This guy seems to like the Deere machine better
33. Ararat craft: ARK. Noah's ARK, not the ARK of the Covenant. Mount Ararat is one possible location of where it came to rest; Mount Tendürek is the other. Most cruciverbalists have heard of Ararat, though
34. Shoddy: BAD. Shoddy merchandise is indeed BAD
35. Top player: ACE. One of many popular 3-letter words in x-word puzzles
36. TV pioneer: RCA. Is it really possible that RCA has been defunct now for about 35 years? Am I THAT OLD? Another fact I learned is that RCA designed and developed the iconic test pattern image below. I guess since I do remember the image appearing on our first TV set, I am officially "OLD"!
37. Actress Chaplin: OONA. Crossword constructors LOVE using 4 letter words which contain 3 vowels. Especially in "Down" fills
38. Utter nonsense: FOLDEROL. Wow! I haven't seen nor used this word in ... well, a long time. Crossword Tracker cites the use of it in the LA Times in this puzzle
40. Deplorable sort: WRETCH. Informally, perhaps, but the origin of the word suggests either the Old English "wrecca" which means a banished person, or the German "Recke" which means warrior or hero
42. "Eureka!": AHA. Supposedly, Archimedes was so thrilled and excited with a discovery that he immediately hopped out of his bath and ran onto the streets to tell the king, shouting loudly 'Eureka!' Which discovery was it, though? Watch the video below and you'll find out!
43. Some decafs: SANKA'S. I think it works with an apostrophe, but as a plural? Not so sure. SANKA brand decaffeinated coffee has been around for a long time. If you remember RCA, you'll remember SANKA
44. Lanvin scent since 1927: ARPEGE. For the curious, click here
45. Accustomed (to): INURED. Normally used to describe an unpleasant "custom"; as in, "the people of Syria are INURED to violence and war"
46. Summer hrs.: DST. Daylight Savings Time. We don't have that here in Arizona
48. Blush wines: ROSES. Technically, spelled Rosé, but I rarely see diacritical marks in Crossword Puzzles. PINK and Rosé, both appeared in today's puzzle. As your resident Sommelier I could wax poetic about rosé wines, but the simple statement is that the majority of them are produced from red grape varietals. It is the pigments in the grape skins that give wine its color. In order to produce a rosé, the skin contact during the fermentation process lasts for mere hours rather than for a couple of weeks, and the resulting color is more "blush". So yes, Virginia, you can actually make a rosé from Cabernet Sauvignon!
49. Minos' kingdom: CRETE. An island/emirate south of Greece. Apparently it's a "hot spot" for earthquakes
50. Formal decrees: DICTA. Plural of "dictum"
51. When Lear disowns Cordelia: ACT I. Sure, why not?!
52. Young passenger on the 33-Down: SHEM. SHEM was one of the sons of Noah in the Hebrew Bible as well as in Islamic literature. The children of Shem were Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram, in addition to daughters; this, according to Wikipedia among other sources.
SHEMP, on the other hand, was my brother:
53. Rattletrap: HEAP. Well, since we had RCA and SANKA in today's puzzle to bring back memories to we OLD folks, why not "rattletrap: HEAP", too? And whilst I did not verify the origin of the word "rattletrap", many of the images I saw were of Jeeps; specifically, Army Jeeps. Which of course brought to mind this Moe-ku:
I dislike Army Jeeps. Riding around in them, just Gives me the Willys.
57. Spanish "that": ESO. Masculine:ESO; Feminine:ESA I thought of the feminine spelling at first
Today we welcome back David Alfred Bywaters, for a tour around his KITCHEN. It's filled with simple things, nothing you wouldn't find in the Victorian Era (a love of David's):
The themers in this puzzle are MATCHING bookends consisting of things you might discover there, each pair bracketing one of the four long answers. The reveal is a thing needed by anyone with an old-fashioned GAS STOVE (unless you have one with a fancy electric starter, like Dw's grill):
55. Pilot lighter, and a hint to the four other longest puzzle answers: KITCHEN MATCH. Shown are boxes of SAFETY MATCHES, which can only be lit by striking on the box, as opposed toPHOSPHORUS-TIPPED STRIKE ANYWHERE MATCHES. The latter are considered a FIRE HAZARD.
Here are the utensils and such:
20. "Even dialogue wouldn't have saved that show," e.g.?: PANTOMIME PAN. [Ouch!]
29. Alpo holder?: CANINE CAN. Well, a toy CHIHUAHUA maybe.
36. Misleading gossip?: DISHONEST DISH. Is there such a phrase as LEADINGGOSSIP?
44. Face of a petty criminal?: MUGGER MUG. The term MUG SHOT is thought to derive originally from MUGG, a Scandinavian word for a drinking vessel. In the 18th and 19th centuries, mugs produced in Staffordshire, England were often decorated with caricatures on the face of ceramic jugs. This may have led to the use of "mug" as a synonym for an ugly face. Here is a typical 19th Century MUG, alias a TOBY JUG. Looks SUSPICIOUS doesn't he?
But wait, there's more ...
Across:
1. "I __ out!": WANT.
5. Slavic title derived from "Caesar": CZAR. The Russian version is TSAR. The first one was really TERRIBLE. In the US the term is often used to denote "a person appointed by the government to advise on and coordinate policy in a particular area", e.g. "America's new drug czar".
9. President born in Hawaii: OBAMA.
14. Wrath, in a hymn title: IRAE. The hymn is from the Requiem Mass. This is GIUSEPPE VERDI's setting, sometimes called his greatest OPERA. Like Rock and Roll it's "MEANT TO BE PLAYED REAL LOUD", but you'd better turn DOWN volume the first time - it gets pretty IRATE. Expand the screen if you want read the hymn translation (it's even scarier than the music!):
15. Syllables from Santa: HO HO. Santa is always jolly, as you can tell from his girth, because he is frequently eating this homophonous delight:
16. Egret, for one: HERON. Beautiful birds. We have a lot of Great Blue HERONS in the Chesapeake Bay region. The Great White Heron (closely related to the Snowy Egret) is a truly spectacular bird.
17. Highway reading: SIGN.
18. __ of March: IDES. That fateful 15th of March.
19. "Good Will Hunting" actor: DAMON.
23. Stir-fry ingredient: SNAP PEA. Much meatier than the flatter SNOW PEA, which I believe this clue may actually be referring to. SNAP PEAS, being thicker have to have the strings removed and are usually steamed:
24. Camden Yards player: ORIOLE. My home town (well, down town) team. The official name of their stadium is "Oriole Park at Camden Yards". The stadium proper is adjacent to a massive office building that served CAMDEN YARD, the old B&O railroad station. The offices are a little beyond the left field fence. The team LOGO seems to flutter back and forth from ANATOMICALLY CORRECT (my favorite):
to current the one, which is ICONIC and is the favorite of my SIL, who lives next door and is a real FANatic. She has the second BIRD on a sign in her driveway that says: PARKING RESERVED FOR FANS ONLY. ALL OTHERS WILL BE TOWED!
28. Golden __: AGER. I think this means A LOT (note correct spelling) of US, Cornerites!
32. Needlefish: GAR.
34. Guys: MEN.
35. Abbr. after Shaker or Brooklyn: HTS. Located in OHIO and in NEW YORK CITY respectively.
41. Richard Wright's "Native __": SON. Richard Nathaniel Wright (September 4, 1908 – November 28, 1960)
was an American author of novels, short stories, poems, and non-fiction.
Much of his literature concerns racial themes, especially related to
the plight of African Americans during the late 19th to mid-20th
centuries.
42. __ Center: L.A. skyscraper: AON. The first word that came to mind when I saw this picture was "EARTHQUAKE". The only words on that topic in this Wikipedia article on the AON were "remarkably slender for a skyscraper in a seismically active area ...:
Turns out that was the least of its problems. When it was completed in 1973 it had no sprinkler system, an oversight that was remedied only after 1988 when this occurred:
Five stories were destroyed and had to be repaired, 40 people were injured and one person died.
43. Urge: YEN. Or Japanese currency with $0.0095 DOLLARS per YEN.
48. Egyptian goddess: ISIS. She was known as the goddess of the moon. As goddess of life and magic, ISIS protected women and children, and healed the sick. ...
51. Anatomical ring: AREOLA. Not shown in 48A above.
65. Lacking depth and width: ONE D. Geometrically it describes a LINE, which has only one dimension, a LENGTH. Also a metaphor for shallowness, e.g. one dimensional thinking.
66. Phone messages: TEXTS. There are also GRAPHIC versions called SEXTS. Like 51A, there will be no picture with this one.
67. Exec's benefit: PERK. Aside from the Corner office (hey WE'VE got one of those!) they get free COFFEE too. And they don't even have to PERK it.
68. Lepidopterists' tools: NETS. And they use them to catch these:
Down:
1. Tiny tufts: WISPS.
2. "God Is a Woman" singer Grande: ARIANA. Don't know this song. Heard of ARIANA, but have never heard her.
3. "Stop badgering me!": NAG NAG. Stop HORSING around?
4. Camper's supply: TENT PEGS.
5. Wind instrument?: CHIME. A respite from OBOE.
6. Belt with 12 parts: ZODIAC. A band in the the sky 8 degrees on either side of the ECLIPTIC with 12 constellations (Skyway SIGNS) spaced 30 degrees apart (12 x 30 = 360 degrees). Just think of it as an imaginary LION running across the sky.
7. "I'm standing right here": AHEM. Well sitting at the moment.
8. Flower with hips: ROSE. High in Vitamin C. You can make a tea with them:
9. "Phooey!": OH DARN. Common expression among KNITTERS when they drop a stitch.
10. Brimless cap: BEANIE.
11. Limb with biceps and triceps: ARM. The biceps and triceps muscles work together to allow you to bend and straighten your elbow. ... To bend the elbow, the biceps contract and the triceps relax. To straighten the elbow, the triceps contract and the biceps relax. Try not to think about this too much - you might get muscle bound.
13. Martin who wrote many of the "Baby-Sitters Club" novels: ANN.
21. Winfrey of HBO's "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks": OPRAH. Ms Winfrey played Henrietta Lacks. This is a page about her from Johns Hopkins Hospital's website. I believe there has been some criticism of JHH, that they somehow took advantage of her. OTOH JHH claims that the HeLA cell line, which was derived from a sample of her blood drawn for a test for ovarian cancer, has been used in research that has saved countless lives (see Frequently Ask Questions in the link).
22. Sharp: POINTY. Like the BOSS in Dilbert (his HAIR, not his WIT):
25. Folk singer Phil: OCHS. My apologies to anyone who listened to this the last time I got this clue. His setting of Alfred Noyes' poem The Highwayman is so moving that I am compelled to repeat it, and this is for OwenKL who can still enjoy the verse:
26. Wood strip: LATH. Add an E to the end and you've got a machine tool that can create LATHs from wood.
27. Minnesota twins?: ENS. A common meta-clue, i.e. a clue contemplating its own nnavel.
30. "May I see __?": diner's query: A MENU. A real one for once. No drop-downs if you wear a bib.
31. 1980s-'90s game console: NES. NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM. It's back! For only $59.99 all you gamers on the Corner can relive your yoot.
33. Find incredibly funny: ROAR AT. You'll beROTFL. Best to do it on a freshly washed floor though.
36. Stern: DOUR.
37. "Bus Stop" dramatist: INGE. WILLIAM INGE. I've always thought this guy was Irish, but the surname is Scandinavian actually, and he was from Kansas. Very successful, winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1953 for his play "Picnic", but he died a tragic death.
38. __ de plume: NOM. French for PEN NAME. If you've had a MUG SHOT (see 44A) recently, you can also use it as an ALIAS. Very posh.
39. Reason-based faith: DEISM. Not the only one though.
40. Available and fresh: IN SEASON. A favorite ofLOCAVORES.
41. Like a wee bairn: SMA. A diminutive used by"L" averse SCOTS.
45. Small racer: GO KART.
46. Select groups: ELITES. A much abused term, but good glue.
47. Eccentric type: GEEZER. I thought it connoted an OLD eccentric type, like YT.
49. Pray aloud, perhaps: INTONE. As hinted at by the second syllable these particular prayers would be CHANTED.
50. It's not for everyone: SECRET. [Shh! People are listening].
53. __ preview: SNEAK.
54. Tool storage sites: SHEDS. Or a shelter from the rain. This shed shelters our GAS fired stoneware kiln, complete with PILOT LIGHTS on the propane burners. The shed attached on the right does hold a tiller, mowers, and gardening tools:
56. Thunder sound: CLAP. So what's the sound of one thunder clapping?
57. Rabbit-like animal: HARE. The perennial LOSER.
58. Bowler, for one: HAT. The American Indians have a saying: "If your feet are cold, put on a HAT".
59. More than impress: AWE.
60. Jazz instrument: SAX. A reed instrument (a.k.a. a woodwind) patented by Adolphe Sax in 1846. He intended it as an instrument for classical orchestras, but for some reason it didn't catch on. It was later taken up by jazz greats like as John Coltrane and Charlie Parker, who made it one of the most popular solo instruments in jazz combos. A few years before he died, a dear friend of mine, a sax player himself, introduced me to another great, baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan. Here's his rendition of "The Shadow of Your Smile":
Here's the grid:
Cheers, Bill
p.s. C.C. has a link to David's very interesting website on the right column of this blog. As I don't think people who are browsing via cellphone can see it, I've included a link here.
Nice, tight theme - each phrase begins with a word describing physical activity that uses one's legs.
Across:
1. "__ All That": 1999 movie: SHE'S.
5. Diver's gear: FINS. More leg work.
9. "Fancy seeing you here!": OH HEY!
14. Hoof it on a bad knee, say: LIMP. Again with the leg work!
15. Ecstatic internet shout: WOOT.
16. Driver's choice: ROUTE.
17. Oberlin's state: OHIO. Home to home of Oberlin College, a liberal arts college and music conservatory with approximately 3,000 students.
18. "We tried, but this won't work": IT'S USELESS.
22. Superman's makeup?: STEEL. Nice clue.
23. Fashion plate: FOP. A vainmanexcessivelyconcernedwithhislooks,clothes,andmanners.
24. Kerfuffle: ADO.
27. Construction girder: I-BAR. Is this the same as an I-beam?
31. Dubuque denizen: IOWAN.
37. Mic __: triumphant move: DROP.
39. Finnish company that created Angry Birds: ROVIO.
40. James Patterson hero __ Cross: ALEX.
44. Cheapen: ABASE.
45. Subtle summons: PSST.
46. Run-of-the-mill: MEH. Blah.
47. Nonsense: ROT. Poppycock.
50. Yellowfins, e.g.: TUNAS.
59. Cause of a crash: FATAL ERROR.
62. Family __: TREE.
63. Cup or star: AWARD.
64. Emerald City princess: OZMA. From The Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum. She appears in every book of the Oz series except the first, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
65. "Haven't decided yet": I MAY.
66. Uses WhatsApp, say: TEXTS.
67. Eject: BOOT.
68. Tibetan title: LAMA. A teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism.As in the Dalai Lama.
Down:
1. Slackens the pace: SLOWS.
2. Drum kit item with a pedal: HI HAT. (Seen at left.)
3. "Into the Wild" star Hirsch: EMILE.
4. Took the mic: SPOKE.
5. "Just saying," in 66-Across: FWIW. Acronym for For What It's Worth.
6. Kappa preceder: IOTA. Greek alphabet. See this table.
7. Meddlesome: NOSY.
8. Nonsense companion?: STUFF. It's a saying, "stuff and nonsense."
9. Black-and-white dessert: OREO PIE.
10. Ian who plays Bilbo Baggins: HOLM. Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit of the Shire, the main protagonist of The Hobbit and a secondary character in The Lord of the Rings.
11. It might be adjusted in Photoshop: HUE.
12. Kang and Kodos, on "The Simpsons": ETS. Extra Terrestrials
13. "Affirmative": YES.
19. Sellout letters: SRO. Standing Room Only.
21. Sacha Baron Cohen alter ego: ALI G.
24. Mil. truants: AWOLS. Away WithOut Leave. Looks strange in plural form.
25. "You wouldn't __!": DARE.
26. Black gemstone used to make beads: ONYX.
28. Snooze inducer: BORE. Haha.
29. Auth. unknown: ANON.
30. Gun: REV UP. We have new neighbors across the street. They have his and her hot rods and every morning about 5:30a outside my bedroom window they REV UP on their way to work. One of my least favorite sounds.
32. Actor Epps: OMAR.
33. Fish story notable: JONAH. Biblical story.
34. Backs (out): OPTS. Misleading clue.
35. Popular video game series, with "The": SIMS.
36. Unruly groups: MOBS.
37. Scot's Scotch order: DRAM. The fluid dram (or fluid drachm in British spelling) is defined as 1⁄8 of a fluid ounce, and is exactly equal to: 3.6966911953125 ml in the US customary system.
38. Yahoo: RUBE. Funny word. 1 : an awkward unsophisticated person : rustic. 2 : a naive or inexperienced person.
42. Foreshadows: HERALDS.
43. R&B great James: ETTA. Born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles to 14-year-old Dorothy Hawkins. James' father was white and has never been identified but James speculated that he was the pool player, Rudolf "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone.
48. Ending with malt: OSE. Maltose is a sugar produced by the breakdown of starch.
49. Ache: THROB.
51. "__ we meet again": UNTIL.
52. Fashionista Kamali: NORMA. She is best known for the "sleeping bag" coat. Just no.
53. Likely roster for the big game: A TEAM.
54. "I'm outta here": SEE YA.
55. Bar flier: DART. Cute play on 'barfly.'
56. Rice-shaped pasta used in salads: ORZO.
57. Acronymic anxiety about being excluded from the fun: FOMO. Fear Of Missing Out.
58. Group with pledges: FRAT.
59. The 1% in 1% milk: FAT.
60. Flabbergast: AWE.
61. Sales __: TAX. Oregon has no sales tax. They make up for it by hiking up property taxes.
Notes from C.C.:
1) Happy 54th anniversary to Husker Gary and his amazing wife Joann. Here's a picture of them with their grandson Hawkin, who plays French horn in the Lincoln Youth Symphony.
2) Happy birthday to Chairman Moe (Chris), our fantastic Friday sherpa! Margaret is from Minnesota.
Chris and his love Margaret
3) D-Otto lost electricity and internet early Monday morning. Luckily he has a generator. Anon-T just updated me with below message:
"Our power has been out since Monday at 8a which means no heat. We’re gathered with layers around an inefficient gas fireplace (exists mostly for looks) trying to stay warm. A pipe valve popped off from the force of freezing water. The ice dam thawed today spewing water everywhere so I had to shut off water to the house. That might get fixed tomorrow.
Anyway, by Saturday all this cold should be over. :-)"
