Rafael Musa posted that he got into crosswords when he read that someone had done a NYT puzzle in less than 10 minutes and set that as a goal. A little over a year later, he obtained that goal and decided to make his own puzzle.
A stark difference from last Saturday's puzzle was that this puzzle has only 62 open squares (ones that don't touch any black squares) compared to last week's 109 in Doug Peterson's puzzle.
I managed a mini struggle in the NE trying to get 10 D to start with GETTING. In the SE, AMANDA, AHMAD, TRAN and Qurratulain were no help in the SE. As Bill Shakespeare wrote, All's Well That Ends Well.
Across:
1. Large file: RASP.
5. Bumpkin: RUBE - Al Capp's version
9. Well-connected co.?: ISP - Ours
12. Chap: FELLA.
13. Hebrew for "spring": AVIV. - AVIV (אביב, or Abib) is a Hebrew word that can be translated as "spring", symbolizing renewal, and tell (or tel) is an artificial mound created over centuries through the accumulation of successive layers of civilization built one over the other and symbolizing the ancient. You're welcome.
14. Nodded discreetly, maybe: CUED - You could get that nod or a spoken CUE from a prompter's box.
16. Beset: UNDER SIEGE - Grant took control of the Mississippi River when he defeated the Confederates by putting Vicksburg UNDER SIEGE in 1863
18. Rihanna album with the hit single "Work": ANTI.
19. Book full of legends?: ROAD ATLAS - An anachronism?
20. Caper: ANTIC.
21. Australian member of the music supergroup LSD: SIA - She and her exotic headwear have made an appearance here before
22. Info needed to schedule a book tour, say: PUB DATE - A PUB(lication) DATE would seem to be useful info(rmation) for scheduling a book tour
24. "Welp": I SPOKE TOO SOON - I put in the correct fill but had never heard of this use of Welp. I'd always heard of it as referring to a young pup but...
29. Singer Morissette: ALANIS.
30. Sweet-talk, say: WOO - College coaches win or lose next years' games this time of year as they WOO kids to come to their school.
31. Bit of hardware: T-NUT.
34. Broods: MOPES
35. Racket: DIN.
36. Bake, as eggs: SHIRR - A word I learned here. Our poached eggs look very similar.
37. Vegetable with golden and Chioggia varieties: BEET.
38. Jupiter, to Saturn: SON - Yikes!
39. "Change Sings: A Children's Anthem" author Gorman: AMANDA.
40. Not taking a back seat: RIDING SHOTGUN - Did you think of the movie Stagecoach?
43. Hardest to reach, maybe: TOPMOST.
45. "LOL, I can't even": OMG.
46. Still on the market, in a way: UNLET - Rooms to LET, 50 cents, No phone, no pool no pets...
47. Accessory to pair with an eye patch, maybe: PIRATE HAT.
53. Bridges in Hollywood: BEAU.
54. Thread-weaving aid?: PLOT DEVICE - One PLOT DEVICE is called "A Macguffin" and this is a famous one.
55. Gives in to the munchies: EATS.
56. "The __ U Give": Angie Thomas novel: HATE.
57. Cristiano Ronaldo's jersey number: SEVEN - This framed, autographed jersey is only $1,600. My number 7 would be Mickey Mantle.
58. Finch family creator: LEE - Harper LEE famously created the family headed by this famous Finch. 😀
59. Couple: DYAD - I did not know this word but when it filled it made perfect sense.
60. __ leches cake: TRES - A light cake with TRES (3) types of milk (leches)
Down:
1. City near Tahoe: RENO.
2. "The West Wing" Emmy winner: ALDA - He played a conservative Republican
Jimmy Smits Martin Sheen. Alan Alda
3. Vehicle often steered with the feet: SLED.
4. Hits the slopes with a chute: PARASKIS - or on the flats
5. Go off on: RAIL AT.
6. Layer between the sclera and the retina: UVEA - It has those very useful vowels.
7. One in a cuddle: BIG SPOON - The BIG SPOON is on the outside. 😀
8. Night before: EVE.
9. "Leave it to me!": I CAN DO THAT.
10. Going dark: SUN TANNING.
11. __ four: PETIT - Small cakes - PETIT (small) four (oven) - Fr.
12. Abundance for a Chewbacca cosplayer: FUR - $170 on Amazon
15. Some are fuzzy: DICE - They're a small part of this number but at 2:15. Kenicke brings 'em in and I love listening to this song.
17. Pens: STIES - Pig pens
20. Transfusion letters: ABO - I'm A positive
23. GI hangout: USO.
24. Foot that's part of a meter: IAMB - Our literary group can easily find the eight IAMBS in this line
25. Blueberrylike fruit: SLOE.
26. China's weaker counterpart: PAPER PLATE.
27. What a 26-Down is designed for: ONE TIME USE - also...
28. Due (to): OWING.
32. Qurratulain Hyder's language: URDU - The grand dame of URDU poetry I found out. #1 on m trip into the wilderness of my arts knowledge that filled in themselves
33. Kelly Marie who voices Raya in "Raya and the Last Dragon": TRAN - #2
35. "Hey, be serious!": DON'T PLAY.
36. Exhaustive analysis?: SMOG TEST - Exhaust is in the clue
38. Member of the fam: SIS.
39. Jazz pianist Jamal: AHMAD - #3
41. Bindi, e.g.: DOT - Cultural learning for me - Bindi: A decorative mark on the forehead, worn by Hindu women (and members of some other religious groups), traditionally believed to be venerating an energy center of the human body or representing “the third eye,” but also worn as an adornment or a sign of marriage. You're welcome.
42. In order: SORTED.
43. Lipstick container: TUBE.
44. Youngest Oscar winner: O'NEAL - A wonderful 1974 movie made with her dad
48. Bit: IOTA.
49. At all: EVER.
50. Queen's realm: HIVE - The Queen appears to have a BINDI. 😀
51. Helpful blackjack cards, maybe: ACES and 52. Helpful blackjack card, maybe: TEN - A TEN would not be helpful on any of these hands below.
Theme: The reveal for this puzzle: "57. Good news for investors, as seen literally in the answers to the starred clues: CAPITAL GAIN.
An alternate theme: CAPITAL "PUN"-ISHMENT
Puzzling thoughts:
First thought: There is no doubt that we live in a very polarized world. From politics, to religion, to gender pronouns, to "you name it", there is no grey; just black and white. As a person who is a crossword puzzle constructor, a crossword puzzle solver, and a crossword puzzle blogger, I try to view crossword puzzles as a means of enjoyment. In what I create; in what I solve; and in what I scribe (for this blog). Without taking anything away from the creativity that both Sara and Doug used to make this puzzle, the end result, for me, was more "punishment" than "gain". Maybe I was just having a "bad hair day". But my "dome" is void of hair, so literally, that was NOT the case today!! I had to use (44-down. Website that regularly features doodles:) GOOGLE several times to solve clues. Not that we shouldn't have to cheat every now and again ... but as my cartoon image implies, my lawyer had to buy me a lot more time to solve this puzzle. And since this is a community blog, I will leave the comments from you all to indicate if this was fair or not. But, the puzzle DID get solved, and I am happy to provide a few of my thoughts about the entries
The puzzle used a combination of US State Capitals along with an added name of a product "brand" to form four compound "phrases":
17-across. *Sailing-inspired sportswear brand based in Montana?: HELENAUTICA. HELENA is in the bottom five of the list of state capitals in terms of population, with less than 35,000 residents. I'm sure that some of you would guess incorrectly on a test that asks you to name the capital of Montana. NAUTICA is a global lifestyle brand, which offers a wide selection of apparel for men, women and kids as well as a large selection of home products. The last two letters of HELENA are the first two letters of NAUTICA
29-across. *Luxury watchmaker based in Washington?: OLYMPIAGET. OLYMPIA is another state capital with a small population (under 55,000) and is also a vague city when naming state capitals. PIAGET, since 1874, has been crafting luxury watches and luxury jewelry treasures by blending a jeweler's refinement with its watchmaking sophistication. They're quite pricey. In this combination, the last three letters of OLYMPIA are the first three letters of PIAGET
34-across. *Athleisure company based in Hawaii?: HONOLULULEMON. HONOLULU is the capital of our youngest US state, Hawaii. LULULEMON (a complete unknown to me) makes technical athletic clothes for yoga, running, working out, and most other sweaty pursuits. Here, Sara and Doug use the last four letters of HONOLULU along with the first four letters of LULULEMON to form this entry
And finally, 41-across. *High-fashion label based in Colorado?: DENVERSACE. This was my most "favorite" of the four entries if I had to choose one. DENVER is the state capital of Colorado, and is known as "the mile high city", as its elevation is over 5,200 feet above sea level. For anyone who's traveled there, the city and its surrounding area are generally "flat". The Rocky Mountains lie to its west, and create a stunning view. VERSACE is an Italian luxury fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978 known for flashy prints and bright colors. Here, the last three letters of DENVER are the first three letters of VERSACE.
Clever? Yes. And I noticed this (not sure if it was intentional or by accident): with each succeeding capital used, the population of each got larger. I suppose that if Sara/Doug had been able to find another state capital and brand pairing that used five letters (three letters was used twice) it might've scored a few more points with me, but that's just a nitpick. But in case they are lurking about and reading this blog, in 60-across I was able to find one with five letters
Doug Peterson is a well-known and well-respected constructor. I am not familiar with Sara's work as a whole, but I found this from a website with her name. It appears she's been published @ USA Today and WSJ ...
Here is the grid:
Across:
1. Hullabaloo: TODO. Part of what I found when I used "GOOGLE" to solve a few clues ...
15. Led Zeppelin drummer John: BONHAM. Knew this straight away, as Led Zeppelin is the Chairman's #1 favorite rock band. John BONHAM is arguably one of the top rock drummers of all time. Sadly his death in 1980 also brought an end to Led Zeppelin as a recording group. Here is Chairman Moe's favorite LZ song, featuring great percussion by BONHAM. Enjoy!
16. Sheepish sort: EWE. Ha Ha
19. LG rival: RCA. A more revealing and accurate clue would've been "LG rival from 1983-1987". When was an RCA television last available for sale, new? 1987
20. Dazzled: IN AWE. [spoiler alert] no need to be "IN AWE" of Moe's blog today ...
21. Ballet move: PLIE. Or as our quipster Ray-O-Sunshine might describe: "What a barrister in Canada might recommend to his client? ......PLIE
22. __-Magnon: CRO.
23. Marks with a sale price, say: RETAGS. Or, maybe what a kid playing Marco Polo does when they're not sure?
25. Magnificent: SUBLIME. As opposed to SUB LULULEMON? I'm still irritated at that one!! ;^)
28. Long hoops shot: TREY. Here is a short video reel of some of Stephen Curry's awesome TREYs
56. Draft pick: ALE. "Draft" choices can also be answered using a reference to the NFL, NBA, et al. And for that reason, I originally chose "ONE" for this answer
59. Sling liquor, maybe: GIN, and its clecho, (47-down. Sling liquor, maybe:) BRANDY. As in the drink, Singapore Sling. Note, you have to be over 21 years of age to visit this website ...
60. Golden state: UTOPIA. California did not fit. But if you wanted to find another clue to fit today's puzzle theme, look no further than the capital of California ... Clue: "Yes to Fresh" candy brand based in the Golden State?SACRAMENTOS
61. Swedish soprano Jenny: LIND. Sure; I think of Jenny LIND most every day ...
62. Choose: OPT.
63. Past, present, and future: TENSES.
64. Provocative: EDGY.
Down:
1. Concert souvenir: T-SHIRT. From that 1973 Led Zeppelin MSG Concert, perhaps? Courtesty of [etsy dot com]
2. Top remover: OPENER. "HANDS" didn't fit ...
3. Grow wider: DILATE. Having had a recent eye exam, I had to have my eyes DILATEd in order for the doctor to get a better image of my retina, et al. The drops she used to do this are called: Tropicamide. It is used to DILATE (enlarge) the pupil so that the doctor can see into the back of your eye. It is used before eye examinations, such as cycloplegic refraction and examination of the fundus of the eye. And now you know
4. Words inside an arrow: ONE WAY. Or, part of a Debbie Harry song. Here she is, performing with the Muppet's band:
5. Sports org. with 30 franchises: NBA. MLB also fits this clue
8. Branch of Islam: SHIISM. [wikipedia dot org says] "Shīʿa or Shia and Shīʿīsm/Shīʿīte or Shiism/Shiite are the forms used in English and other European languages for adherents, mosques, traditions, and things associated with the Shīʿa branch of Islam
9. Don, as a corset: LACE UP. Or, Don WITH a corset!! ;^) They are most certainly doing a LACE UP! Image courtesy of [the New Yorker]
10. Revealing Reddit session, for short: AMA. The acronym for "Ask Me Anything" has surpassed the same acronym for American Medical Association in crossword puzzles, but when you GOOGLE "AMA", the doctor's group comes first by a wide margin. You can literally ask me anything ...
11. "The Incredible Hulk" star: FERRIGNO. [wikipedia] Louis Jude Ferrigno Sr. is an American actor and retired professional bodybuilder who first played "The Incredible Hulk" in 1977. He won the role over Arnold Schwartzenegger for one. I think his last name is pronounced: "Fur-IG-no"
12. "You've gotta be kidding!": AW COME ON. My not so exact words I used about half way through today's puzzle
13. Emmy-winning Arthur: BEA. A "bone" clue for us older folks who watched her on an RCA TV, perhaps
18. Abbr. in blood types: NEG. "O" NEGative is the least rare of the negative blood types, but still accounts for only 7% of the blood types listed. Why is Rh negative blood so rare, you ask? For example, if someone's Rh factors are both positive, it is not possible for his or her child to have a negative blood type. Only people with at least one Rh-negative factors will have a negative blood type, which is why the occurrence of Rh-negative blood is less common than Rh-positive blood [carterbloodcare dot org]
22. Adjuster's case: CLAIM. As in an insurance adjuster
24. Terrarium foundation: SOIL.
26. __ one's time: BIDED.
27. Some CGI creations: ETS. "Fun Fake News Facts": CGI = Computer Generated Imagry. ETS = Extra Terrarium Snails
30. Joe Burrow's alma mater: Abbr.: LSU. For those unfamiliar, Joe Burrow was LSU's QB in the 2019 season where they went 15-0 and won a National Championship. Burrow now starts/stars as the QB for the Cincinnati Bengals
CSO to Big Easy and also me, as my daughter is an LSU grad. Their fight song: Geaux Tigers!!
31. Resort city on the Black Sea: YALTA. Fun Facts: YALTA, also spelled Jalta, city, Crimea, is in southern Ukraine. It faces the Black Sea on the southern shore of the Crimean Peninsula. Settlement on the site dates from prehistoric times, but modern Yalta developed only in the early 19th century, becoming a town in 1838. Also at YALTA, the Big Three (US, England, and the Soviet Union) agreed that after Germany's unconditional surrender, it would be divided into four post-war occupation zones, controlled by U.S., British, French and Soviet military forces. The city of Berlin would also be divided into similar occupation zones. The meeting occurred in February, 1945; two months before Hitler died
32. Runner-up: LOSER. "SECOND" didn't fit; technically, any position (in a race, for example) behind the WINNER is a LOSER; whether they finish second (called the runner-up, typically) or last
34. Skateboarding leap: HEEL FLIP. I missed out on the skateboarding faze as a kid; not because I wasn't a kid then. I was not a surfer nor one who lived near the ocean or west coast
Another Fun Fact: Skateboarding was first invented in the 1950s in California. It's tricky to pin down the very first skateboard, but it was a sport created by surfers who wanted something to do when the waves were low. In the US it grew in popularity until it peaked around 1963, before a crash in the market in 1965. HEEL FLIPs came about in the mid-1980's. Here is a not so brief history of HEEL FLIPs if you're so interested
35. Fir ball: ORNAMENT. HaHa - not the feline variety
36. St. Kitts neighbor: NEVIS. [wikipedia] "Saint Kitts and NEVIS is a dual-island nation situated between the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. It's known for cloud-shrouded mountains and beaches. Many of its former sugar plantations are now inns or atmospheric ruins. The larger of the 2 islands, Saint Kitts, is dominated by the dormant Mount Liamuiga volcano, home to a crater lake, green vervet monkeys and rainforest crisscrossed with hiking trails"
37. Scanned bars, briefly: UPC.
38. Levi's alternative: LEES. Another more difficult way of cluing this entry would be to use the word LEES in its wine-meaning. As your resident sommelier I thought it appropriate to provide this other "definition"
39. Atlanta-based health agcy.: CDC. I think that if you were not aware of the CDC before the year 2020, you certainly were afterwards
42. Make the rounds?: ROTATE. Ha Ha
43. Apply carelessly: SLAP ON. Like aftershave for this first time, perhaps??
45. Ready to run, perhaps: AFRAID. Good clue
46. G, PG, or R: RATING.
50. Country singer Ketchum: HAL. More Fun "Fake News" Facts: His father, HANK, is the creator of the cartoon, "Dennis the Menace"
53. Material flaws: RIPS. Good clue
54. End in __: A TIE. My one and only (so far) crossword puzzle accepted by the LA Times had "ENDs IN A TIE" as the reveal. Hoping to be featured in a future LAT puzzle ...
56. Earlier: AGO.
57. Share: CUT. As in, what share of the contract or prize did you earn. What was your CUT? Think of a caddie in golf or an agent for a movie star
58. Small cells: AAS.
And once again another blog bites the dust! The benefit we bloggers have is lots of time to solve, lots of time to do our research, and lots of time to reflect back on each clue and word. You folks generally spend anywhere from 5 to 55 minutes on the day of the puzzle solving before coming here. Hoping that many or some of you found this puzzle a bit more fun than I, but as I was finishing the blog I felt better about it. Anyway, please comment below if YOU have any "puzzling thoughts"
Today's constructors are husband and wife team Paul and Karen Steinberg.
I believe this is Paul's LA Times debut. This is Karen's second puzzle
here, the first being published on Saturday, May 28, 2022. See Husker Gary's review for a capsule bio. Paul and Karen are also the parents of prolific constructor David Steinberg has had over 20 puzzles published here and numerous others at that other paper. In fact the three of them have co-constructed a puzzle for the NYT. What fun to be a fly on the wall at one of their Sunday morning breakfasts!
We'll start with the reveal where they admonish us to ...
56A. "Remember what you were about to say," and what the answers to the starred clues literally do: HOLD THAT THOUGHT. ... and remind us with four theme phrases holding an IDEA spanning two of the words:
16A. *External troublemaker: OUTSIDE AGITATOR. OUTSIDE AGITATOR
is a term that has been used to discount political unrest as being
driven by outsiders, rather than by internal discontent. Many books
have been written on the subject including this one:
See also 18D.
23A. *Prized possession: PRIDE AND JOY. Here's Stevie Ray Vaughan with his Pride And Joy (Live at Montreux 1982):
33A. *Camera attachment for a panorama: WIDE ANGLE LENS. Formerly the province of photo-jocks, relatively low-cost add-on lenses are now available for cell phones. Here's a review.
47A. *Space-saving option for overnight guests: HIDE AWAY BED. Make sure you read the directions before you get into one:
Here's the grid (with nary a circle):
Here's the rest:
Across:
1. Salinger title girl who says, "I prefer stories about squalor": ESME. For Esmé—with Love and Squalor
is a short story by J. D. Salinger. It recounts a sergeant's meeting
with a young girl before being sent into combat in World War II.
Originally published in The New Yorker on April 8, 1950,[1] it was anthologized in Salinger's Nine Stories two years later (while the story collection's American title is Nine Stories, it is titled as For Esmé—with Love & Squalor in most countries).
5. Spanish "other": OTRA. Today's Spanish lesson.
9. Las Vegas WNBA team: ACES. The Las Vegas Aces
are an American professional basketball team based in the WNBA Western
Conference. The Aces won the 2022 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup and WNBA
Championship.
13. Dress up like: GO AS.
14. French endearment that means "cabbage": CHOU. Today's French lesson. Only in "Le pays de l'amour" would you call your loved one a "cabbage". "Petit Chou" is their word for Brussels sprout, a tiny cabbage.
15. Pound the pavement?: STOMP. These folks will pound just about anything. Here's the overture to their DVD Stomp Out Loud. 16A. [Theme clue]
19. __ Pueblo, New Mexico: TAOS. Taos Pueblo is the only living Native American community
designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic
Landmark.
Multi-level adobe dwelling
20. PowerPoint unit: SLIDE.
21. Brewpub fave: IPA.
22. Bubble bath sigh: AHH.
23A. [Theme clue]
26. More spread out: SPARSER. The population of Canada is nearly 9 times SPARSER than the US. Perhaps that's why Canadians live longer than Americans. Hi CanadianEh!
Comparative population density of Canada vs United States
28. Dice game: CRAPS. How to play craps for beginners (12 min.). It's complicated.
29. Tech journalist Swisher: KARA. Kara Anne Swisher (/ˈkɛərə/KAIR-ə)
is an American journalist. She has covered the business of the internet
since 1994. As of 2022, Swisher was a contributing editor at New York, the host of the podcast Sway, and the co-host of the podcast Pivot.
Kara Swisher
30. Vegetable in aloo matar: PEA. Potatoes and peas (Hindi: आलू मटर). Here's a recipe.
Aloo Matar
32. Craft project initials: DIY. Do It Yourself and a CSO to TTP, Anon-T, Picard, and Moi. Hand up if I missed you?
33A. [Theme clue]
38. Acne treatment brand: OXY. There are several treatments available for mild acne.
You may try, or your doctor may recommend, treatment with a
nonprescription drug that contains benzoyl peroxide (the generic name
for OXY). It's believed that this compound works by destroying the bacteria associated with acne.
39. Lout: OAF.
40. Indie rock's __ Kiley: RILO. Rilo Kiley
was an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles, California (1998
- 2014). The band consisted of Jenny Lewis, Blake Sennett, Pierre de
Reeder, and Dave Rock.
Here's their Silver Lining (lyrics):
42. Passport mark: STAMP. A passport stamp is an inked impression in a passport typically made by rubber stamp upon entering or exiting a territory.
45. Make damp: MOISTEN.
47A. [Theme clue]
51. Frustrating groove: RUT.
52. "One more sleep" time: EVE. This is a new clue for Christmas EVE, based on the song One more sleep by British singer Leona Lewis. This was the shortest version I could find:
53. Gushing reviews: RAVES. Apparently One more sleep got RAVE reviews in 2013 (see link in previous clue)
54. "__ You Babe": I GOT. All you need is love! But it ended when Cher became a mononym.
56A. [Theme reveal]
60. "Hamilton" Tony winner Renée __ Goldsberry: ELISE. A DIY YouTuber created this pastiche of 3 songs from Hamilton, featuring Renée (and a CSO to our Monday sherpa): 61. Dance move: STEP.
62. Stink: REEK.
63. Cambodian currency: RIEL. The Cambodia RIEL (KHR) has been the official currency since 20 March 1980. Here is the current exchange rate for US$. Between 1975 and 1980 (during the Vietnam War era) the country had no monetary system, . Between 1953 and
May 1975 a currency also called the RIEL was issued. Between 1885 and 1953 when Cambodia was a part of French Indochina the piastre was used. Prior to that time a variety of regional currencies were used.
64. Picks up a Bug, say: TOWS. Presumably the Bug being a disabled VW.
65. Edit menu option: UNDO. Hands down the most useful editing command.
Down:
1. Self-importance: EGO.
2. Lefty: SOUTHPAW. IMHO lefties are less "handed" than righties, because we've had to adapt to a right-handed world. OTOHit's easier for us to ESC from pages we wish we hadn't stumbled into. Hand up if you're a SOUTHPAW 👍
3. Spy played by Greta Garbo: MATA HARI. Mata Hari is a 1931 American drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice loosely based on the life of Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod, a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan executed for espionage during World War I. The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film stars Greta Garbo
in the title role. It was Garbo's most commercially successful vehicle.
Since Greta prefers to be left alone, here's the real Mata Hari:
Margaretha MacLeod
4. Big petrol seller: ESSO. The word "petrol" in the clue indicates that they sell in places like England, Ireland, and Canada (another CSO to CanadianEh!!). They're also a big seller in crossword puzzles.
5. Med. condition that may be treated with Paxil: OCD. Do you have to be OCD to review crossword puzzles, or is it just me.
6. Alter ego of "Batman" villain Lorelei Circe: THE SIREN. Played by siren Joan Collins, this character draws from the wellsprings of Greek mythology (Circe), German folklore (Die Hexe Lorelei), and such historical figures as the seductress Mata Hari (see 3D).
The Siren
7. Explorer Amundsen: ROALD. Norwegian Roald Amundsen (16 July 1872 – c. 18 June 1928) led a party of 5 explorers who were the first to successfully reach the South Pole on 14 December 1911.
On 12 May 1926, Amundsen and 15 other men in the airship Norge became the first explorers verified to have reached the North Pole. Amundsen disappeared in June 1928 while flying on a rescue mission for the airship Italia in the Arctic. The search for his remains, which have not been found, was called off in September of that year.
Roald Amundsen 1908
8. Saul Bellow's "The Adventures of __ March": AUGIE. The Adventures of Augie March
is a picaresque novel by Saul Bellow, published in 1953 by Viking
Press. It features the eponymous Augie March, who grows up during the
Great Depression, and it is an example of Bildungsroman,
tracing the development of an individual through a series of
encounters, occupations and relationships from boyhood to manhood.
9. __ moment's notice: AT A.
10. Crumbly Mexican cheese: COTIJA. Cotija is an aged Mexican cheese
made from cow's milk and named after the town of Cotija, Michoacán.
White in color and firm in texture, its flavor is salty and milky.
Cotija cheese
11. Hybrid music genre: EMO POP. I threw a dart at this list of EMO POP bands and in keeping with our secondary theme of seductresses the band Sleeping with Sirens popped out at me. Here's their If I'm James Dean, You're Audrey Hepburn (lyrics):
12. Wets with a hose: SPRAYS.
15. Lettering guide: STENCIL.
17. Web access cos.: ISPS. Internet Service Providers. Actual access to the World Wide Web is the first, and perhaps most important of, many types of services provided by ISPS.
18. Wyo. neighbor: IDA. Wyo. is short for Wyoming. My grandson (the long distance axe thrower in my last review) goes to Wyoming Catholic College, and like all the students there, he is majoring in the Great Books.
The college also teaches a lot of outdoor skills, among them wilderness
survival training and advanced first aid. He has already had an
introductory course as a backwoods EMT and may pursue that as a career.
IDA is short for IDAHO, sometimes clued with IDATarbell, the woman who took on Standard Oil (see 4D ESSO). She was often accused of being a 16A.
22. Query: ASK.
24. Get even with: REPAY.
25. Laundry room appliances: DRYERS.
27. Semicircular antenna housing: RADOME. A radome (a portmanteau of radar and dome) is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a radar antenna.
The radome is constructed of material transparent to radio waves.
Radomes protect the antenna from weather and conceal antenna electronic
equipment from view.
Radomes
31. Before now: AGO.
32. Author who wrote on Friday?: DEFOE. Daniel Defoe (c. 1660 – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, merchant, journalist, pamphleteer, social critic, and spy. He is most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719.
He has been seen as one of the earliest proponents of the English
novel, and helped to popularise the form in Britain with others such as Aphra Behn and Samuel Richardson.
Defoe wrote many political tracts, was often in trouble with the
authorities (an outside agitator no doubt), and spent a period in prison. Intellectuals and political
leaders paid attention to his fresh ideas and sometimes consulted him. Oh yes, Friday? He is the manservant of the novel's protagonist, Robinson Crusoe.
Daniel Defoe 1660
34. One-sided, in legal proceedings: EX PARTE. ex parte (ex par-tay, but popularly, ex party) adj.
Latin meaning "for one party," referring to motions, hearings or orders
granted on the request of and for the benefit of one party only.
36. Much of the atmosphere: NITROGEN. Nitrogen, or N, using its scientific abbreviation, is a colorless,
odorless element. Nitrogen is in the soil under our feet, in the water
we drink, and in the air we breathe. In fact, nitrogen is the most
abundant element in Earth’s atmosphere: approximately 78% of the
atmosphere is nitrogen! Nitrogen is important to all living things and plays a key role in plant growth: too little nitrogen
and plants cannot thrive, leading to low crop yields; but too much
nitrogen can be toxic to plants.
The Nitrogen Cycle
37. Did some digging: SLEUTHED. Our favorite sleuth is Vera Stanhope, played by actress Brenda Blethyn, OBE, who is the Detective Chief Inspector of the Northumberland Constabulary
in Northern England. She's about as frumpy and unglamorous as they
come, but with her leadership, gritty no-nonsense MO, detective skills,
and the determination to keep digging, her team always gets the perp.
The eagerly awaited Season 12 of Vera started last week. Here's a trailer from Season 10:
41. Toronto's prov.: ONT. CanadianEh! just scored a hat trick!
42. Feminine pair: SHE HER. Clever clue. As it turned out this was filled by a pair of pronouns, not by several possible collective nouns that I suspect some of the males on the Corner might have thought of first.
43. Copenhagen's __ Gardens: TIVOLI. Tivoli Gardens, also known simply as Tivoli,
is an amusement park and pleasure garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. The
park opened on 15 August 1843 and is the third-oldest operating
amusement park in the world:
Tivoli Gardens
44. Antarctic penguin: ADELIE. The Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae)
is a species of penguin common along the entire coast of the Antarctic
continent, which is the only place where it is found. It is the most
widespread penguin species, and, along with the emperor penguin, is the
most southerly distributed of all penguins.
50. BTS hit "__ Come": YET TO. "Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)"
is a song by South Korean boy band BTS, released on June 10, 2022,
through Big Hit Music and Universal Music Group, as the lead single from
their first anthology album Proof. It is the band's first original Korean-language single since 2020's "Life Goes On". An alternative hip hop
track, the song's lyrics are a reflection on the past nine years of the
band's career while also looking forward to what the future holds. All the clips of YTC were in Korean, with no translations. Pass.
55. Ashram adviser: GURU.
57. Broadband letters: DSL. Digital subscriber line (DSL; originally digital subscriber loop)
is a family of technologies that are used to transmit digital data over
telephone lines, which were originally created for voice
communication. Data transmission via DSL is provided by an Internet Service Provider (see 17D) in this case usually a telephone company.
58. Some PCs: HPS. This review was created on one.
59. Ref's ruling: TKO. You folks have suffered enough. I'm calling this match.
Cheers, Bill
As always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
<>Theme: Vowel Sound Progression - With Z Sounds. The final syllable of each them entry begins with the sound - though not always the spelling - of the letter "Z," and ends with the sound - though not the spelling - of a long vowel, in alphabetical order: A, E, I, O and U. Let's check it out.
18 A. Small dog with a French name: BICHON FRISÉ. From French: bichon à poil frisé, (French pronunciation: [biʃɔ̃ fʁize], meaning 'curly haired dog') is a small breed of dog. Although the Bichon breed type are originally Spanish, used as sailing dogs, also as herding dogs sometimes, the French developed them into a gentle lap-dog variety.
The ending is pronounced ZĀ, or ZAY, if you prefer. What are you gonna do - it's French!
23 A. Stopped worrying: RESTED EASY. When you don't worry you can sleep well.
The ending is pronounced ZĒ, or ZEE. This is the kind of thing that makes English as a 2nd language so hard.
41 A. Education activist who is the youngest Nobel Prize laureate: MALALA YOUSAFZAI. (Urdu: ملالہ یوسفزئی, Pashto: ملاله یوسفزۍ, pronunciation: [məˈlaːlə jusəf ˈzəj]; born 12 July 1997), is a Pakistani female education activist and the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Awarded when she was 17, she is the world's youngest Nobel Prize laureate, and the second Pakistani and the first Pashtun to receive a Nobel Prize.
On 9 October 2012, while on a bus in Swat District after taking an exam, Yousafzai and two other girls were shot by a Taliban gunman in an assassination attempt in retaliation for her activism; the gunman fled the scene. Yousafzai was hit in the head with a bullet and remained unconscious and in critical condition at the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology, but her condition later improved enough for her to be transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, UK. You can read more details here.
The rendering of here last name into English results in the last syllable as written above, and pronounced ZĪ, or Z-EYE.
54 A. Leader of the Pink Ladies in "Grease": BETTY RIZZO. Portrayed in the movie by Stockard Channing, she is a tough and sarcastic leader of the Pink Ladies. She smokes, drinks, and does not care what others think of her. Rizzo is also a girl with a "reputation".
The ending of her name is pronounced, for a nice change of pace, pretty much like it's spelt: ZŌ.
64 A. To a great extent, informally: OUT THE WAZOO. To an excessive degree.
The final syllable is pronounced ZŪ. The long U is often pronounced "YOO," rather than"OO." But sometimes not, I guess.
Hi Gang, JazzBumpa on the scene with today's lesson in phonetics. Let's keep an ai out for what else we can find in tode's grid. Are oo with my?
Across:
1. Derisive cry: BAH. Sometimes along with its partner, HUMBUG!
4. Open, as a 4-Down app: TAP ON. Accessing an app on a touch-screen device.
14. In the past: AGO. This was recorded some time ago.
15. Rock's __ in Chains: ALICE.
16. "The Martian" star: DAMON. Matthew Paige Damon (b. October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among Forbes' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North American box office, making him one of the highest-grossing actors of all time.He has received various awards and nominations, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for three British Academy Film Awards and seven Primetime Emmy Awards.
In the movie, When astronauts blast off from the planet Mars, they leave behind Mark Watney (Matt Damon), presumed dead after a fierce storm. With only a meager amount of supplies, the stranded visitor must utilize his wits and spirit to find a way to survive on the hostile planet. Meanwhile, back on Earth, members of NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring him home, while his crew mates hatch their own plan for a daring rescue mission.
17. Earth __: DAY. An annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EarthDay.org (formerly Earth Day Network) including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries.
20. Inbox filler: E-MAIL. On your computer or device.
22. Spending like there's no tomorrow: ON A SPREE. A spell or sustained period of unrestrained activity of a particular kind.
26. Isr. neighbor: SYR. Israel and Syria.
27. Wild guess: STAB. Sort of like a shot in the dark.
28. Tool with teeth: SAW. I can see that.
31. Blue-green hue: TEAL. A dark greenish-blue color, named for a duck of similar hue..
34. Pyramid, often: TOMB. The Egyptian ones are.
37. Canterbury pens: GAOLS. British spelling of Jail. As a kid, when I first saw this in a Sherlock Holmes story I was quite confused.
44. Raging mad: IRATE. Seeing red.
45. Barbecue rod: SPIT. A slender pointed rod for holding meat over a fire
46. Cough syrup amts.: TSPS. Teaspoons.
47. Alter __: EGO. A person's secondary or alternative personality.
49. Chem class rooms: LABS. A laboratory. I saw a sign in one stating that here should be more labor and less oratory,
51. Quinceañera attendee, maybe: TIO. An AUNT might attend the celebration of a girl's 15th birthday. This has cultural roots in Mexico and Europe and is widely celebrated by girls throughout Latin America.
60. Out early: ON PAROLE. Parole is the release of a prisoner temporarily (for a special purpose) or permanently before the completion of a sentence, on the promise of good behavior.
63. Tatum of "Paper Moon": O'NEAL. Tatum Beatrice O'Neal [b. 1963] is an American actress. She is the youngest person ever to win an Academy Award, winning at age 10 for her performance as Addie Loggins in Paper Moon opposite her father, Ryan O'Neal. She also starred as Amanda Wurlitzer in The Bad News Bears, followed by Nickelodeon, and Little Darlings.
67. Spill preventer: LID. As on a child's puppy cup.
68. Like overly rehearsed comments, probably: TRITE. Overused and consequently of little import; lacking originality or freshness. Said of a remark, opinion, or idea. Overly rehearsed? I dunno 'bout that.
69. Rework, as text: EMEND. Make corrections and improvements.
70. Beats by __: DRE. Brand name for pricey earphones and buds.
71. Dye used in mehndi decoration: HENNA. A dye prepared from the plant Lawsonia inermis, also known as the henna tree, the mignonette tree, and the Egyptian privet, the sole species of the genus Lawsonia. Mehndi is a form of body art and temporary skin decoration from the Indian subcontinent usually drawn on hands or legs.
72. Fizzy drinks: SODAS.
73. __ Lingus: AER. The flag carrying ail line of Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 2015 and it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of International Airlines Group. The airline's head office is on the grounds of Dublin Airport in Cloghran, County Dublin.
Down:
1. The "B" of "Notorious RBG": BADER. Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg [b. 1933] was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020.
2. Peak performance: A-GAME. One's best possible performance,
3. Georgetown athletes: HOYAS. According to Georgetown's Athletic Department Website, many years ago, when all students were required to take Greek and Latin, the athletic teams were nicknamed "The Stonewalls." Rumor has it that one clever student chanted "Hoya Saxa!" which translates to "What Rocks!" The cheer grew and students began to consistently yell "Hoya Saxa! Hoya Saxa!" Eventually, the "Saxa" was dropped and the cheer evolved to "Hoya!"
The name proved popular and all Georgetown teams were named "The Hoyas." No, a Hoya is not a bulldog. It is not any animal, mascot, or creature of any sort. Hoya actually means "what."
So, if you ever ask: What is a Hoya? That's your answer. What? What. A Hoya is what.
4. Device with a touchscreen: TABLET. A mobile computing device that has a flat, rectangular form like that of a magazine or pad of paper, that is usually controlled by means of a touch screen, and that is typically used for accessing the Internet, watching videos, playing games, reading electronic books, etc.
5. Wong of "Always Be My Maybe": ALI. Alexandra Dawn "Ali" Wong [b. 1982] is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She is best known for her Netflix stand-up specials Baby Cobra, Hard Knock Wife, and Don Wong. She starred in the film Always Be My Maybe, on which she also served as a writer and producer.
6. Selfie, e.g.: PIC. Photograph of one's self.
7. Golfer Lorena: OCHOA. Lorena Ochoa Reyes [b. 1981] is a Mexican former professional golfer who played on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour from 2003 to 2010. She was the top-ranked female golfer in the world for 158 consecutive and total weeks, from 23 April 2007 to her retirement on 2 May 2010, at the age of 28
8. Highlighter hues: NEONS. Extremely bright or vivid colors, so named ny analogy to neon lamps.
9. Versatile docs: PDFS. Documents in Portable Data File format, useable on any platform.
10. Wyatt of the Old West: EARP. Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp [1848 - 1929] was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp was involved in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which lawmen killed three outlaw Cochise County Cowboys.
11. Dubai rulers: EMIRS. A title of various Muslim (mainly Arab) rulers.
12. Seven-time MLB All-Star catcher Buster: POSEY. Gerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey III [b.1987] is an American former professional baseball catcher. Posey spent his entire twelve-year Major League Baseball career with the San Francisco Giants, from 2009 until his retirement at the conclusion of the 2021 season. In September 2022, Posey joined the Giants' ownership group.
13. Snide smile: SNEER. A contemptuous or mocking smile, remark, or tone.
19. Those opposed: NAYS.
21. "Oof, look at the time": IT'S LATE. Time to call it a night.
24. Target of some miners: DATA. Data mining is the process of extracting and discovering patterns in large data sets involving methods at the intersection of machine learning, statistics, and database systems.
25. Some TikTok teens: E-BOYS. E-girls and e-boys, sometimes collectively known as e-kids, are a youth subculture of Gen Z that emerged in the late 2010s, notably popularized by the video-sharing app TikTok. It is an evolution of emo, scene and mall goth fashion combined with Japanese street fashion and K-pop fashion.
29. Ottoman title: AGA. A military or civil officer in the Ottoman Empire
30. Enters, as an aroma: WAFTS IN. To WAFT is to pass or cause to pass easily or gently through or as if through the air.
31. "You've shared enough!": TMI. Too Much Information.
32. AirPod holder: EAR. The organ of hearing and balance in humans and other vertebrates, especially the external part of this.
33. Pie __ mode: ALA. Literally, fashionable; in the current style or fashion. Here in the U.S. it means the ice cream has a scoop of ice cream on it.
35. Swiffer product: MOP. An implement made of absorbent material fastened to a handle and used especially for cleaning floors
36. Constructed: BUILT.
38. Parts of lbs.: OZS. Pounds and ounces. Where does the "z" come from?
39. Overtake and then some, on a track: LAP. A LAP is one time around a race track. To LAP another runner is to get one full LAP ahead of him
40. Family nickname: SIS. Meaning sister. I have one.
42. __ of lamb: LEG. Lamb leg is a large and succulent cut from the hind legs that can be butchered into smaller cuts. Lamb leg is a popular Sunday dinner roasting joint, though, this is not the only way this tasty joint can be prepared.
43. Stick around: STAY. Remain in a certain place.
48. Wind quintet wind: OBOE. A woodwind instrument with a double-reed mouthpiece, a slender tubular body, and holes stopped by keys.
50. Stews (over): BROODS. Thinks deeply about something that makes one unhappy. Worries.
51. Sweet __: TOOTH. A affection for confections.
52. Accustom: INURE. Accustom (someone) to something, especially something unpleasant.
53. Decide to participate: OPT IN. Choose to participate in something.
55. "As You Wish" memoirist Cary: ELWES. Ivan Simon Cary Elwes [b. 1962] is an English actor and writer. He is known for his leading film roles as Westley in The Princess Bride, Robin Hood in Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and Dr. Lawrence Gordon in the Saw film series.
56. DÌa de San ValentÌn sentiment: TE AMO. The Valentine's Day sentiment is, I love you."
57. Nintendo's The Legend of __: ZELDA. The Legend of Zelda is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Capcom, Vanpool, and Grezzo.
58. Former name of the Congo: ZAIRE. Officially the Republic of Zaire (French: République du Zaïre, [ʁepyblik dy zaiʁ]), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa (after Sudan and Algeria), and the 11th-largest country in the world. With a population of over 23 million inhabitants, Zaire was the most-populous officially Francophone country in Africa, as well as one of the most populous in Africa.
59. Not as up-to-date: OLDER. I'm taking this personally.
61. Memo abbreviation: ATTN. Attention recipient.
62. "Better Call Saul" Emmy nominee Seehorn: RHEA. Deborah Rhea Seehorn [b. 1972] is an American actress and director. She is best known for playing attorney Kim Wexler in AMC's Better Call Saul, for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards
65. Zoo opening in London?: ZED. The first, i.e. opening, letter of the word in Brit-speak. We just call it Zee.
66. "Based __ true story": ON A. Said of a fictional account involving real persons and/or events.
That's all, folks. Hope you were able to pronounce all these words. Happy Wednesday, everyone.
