Saturday August 26 2023 Themeless by Hoang-Kim-Kim Vu
Posted in 2021: Hoang-Kim Vu works on a global malaria research project in Washington, D.C. His crosswords have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today. When he's not solving or constructing, Kim enjoys collecting passport stamps, spending too much money on pet nats, and trying his best to raise a one-year-old daughter and a pitbull with bad knees with his wife/co-constructor/forever editor Jess.
Across:
1. Words for private relaxation?: AT EASE π For corporals, et. al.
7. Wallach of "The Magnificent Seven": ELI - Here are some clips of the movie with its wonderful theme in the back ground. BTW, ELI was the bad guy not one of the titular Seven.
10. Swirl of smoke: WISP.
14. Ninth animal in the Chinese zodiac: MONKEY - Guess what letter I used incorrectly when I had _ONKEY.
15. Rock's __ Lobos: LOS - Their version of La Bamba was used as the title track for the bio-pic for Ritchie Valens who also had a big hit with it.
16. Argentine tango figure: OCHO - The figure 8 dance
17. "Can't do it": NO DICE.
18. Recipients of disaster relief: EVACUEES - The Maui tragedy had many
20. "Come on already!": I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY.
22. One who's all thumbs: OAF.
23. "Praising You" singer Rita: ORA.
24. Bacalhau or klippfisk: COD - Bacalhau is Portuguese for COD
25. Big name in pickups: RAM.
27. Allows: LET'S - Fall In Love, a hit for 43. Fitzgerald who also recorded 2-Down: ELLA - 2. Porter classic: TOO DARN HOT.
Birds do it, bees do it
Even educated fleas do it LET'S do it, let's fall in love
It's Too Darn Hot It's Too Darn Hot
I'd like to sup with my baby tonight
…but it’s Too Darn Hot
29. Connect with: TIE TO.
33. Poet Sexton: ANNE - A Saturday ANNE
34. Warwick Davis's Wicket, for one: EWOK - Warwick Davis is the actor who played the EWOK Wicket. Yeah, I knew all that π
35. Pen: HEM IN - WRITE was a false start.
36. Bit of beach house decor: SHELL.
38. Before, in verse: ERE - I thought I'd class up my Saturday blog. π
40. European harbor with an eponymous wine: PORTO.
41. Drops (out): OPTS.
44. Part of the way up?: STAIR π
45. Heading on a holiday list: NICE π
46. Part of an idiomatic pocketful: RYE and 13. Part of an iconic pocketful: POSY.
47. Born: NEE - As in Diana (NEE Spencer) Mountbatten-Windsor
49. Alternative to the prayer hands emoji: THX - Give prayerful computer thanks
50. Grads, almost: SRS.
52. Source of comfort for those expecting: PREGNANCY PILLOW.
58. Send off: DISPATCH.
59. French star: ETOILE - "Regarde cette ΓTOILE qui brille" ("Look at that brilliant star")
60. Palo __: ALTO - "Tall Stick" in Spanish is the home of Stanford University.
61. Burj Khalifa's fed.: UAE - The Burj Khalifa is the world's tallest building and it is located in Dubai which is part of the United Arab Emirates Federation.
62. Rid of suds: RINSED.
63. Ticket choice: SEAT - Other than that, Mr. Rood, how did you like the play?
64. Helpers on set: Abbr.: PA'S - Here are assorted Production AssistantS working on the set of The Big Bang Theory
TSETSE flies carry this which can cause "sleeping sickness"
Down:
1. Midterm exam, familiarly?: AMNIO π
3. Closing time?: END OF AN ERA - and beginning of another
4. Similar (to): AKIN.
5. Dissenting body: SECT.
6. Mask element: EYEHOLE - There are none in this portion of a TV show of my yute.
7. Presentations that are up-and-down?: ELEVATOR PITCHES - Okay, you've got 5 floors. Go!
8. __ language: LOVE.
9. Designer Mizrahi: ISAAC - He did 19. Outfit: CLOTHE many
10. "No need to ask me twice!": WOULD I EVER - "Gary, would you like to go into space?"
11. Latte option: ICED.
12. First stop on the Beatles' second U.S. tour, familiarly: SHEA - No one heard any of the music above the screaming and didn't care. The sound was recorded to be 38 decibels louder than a jumbo jet 100' overhead.
21. "Is this happening?": ARE WE ON - "Yes, John, Paul, George and Ringo, you're playing Shea Stadium on August 23!"
26. Finest of Lovely Lady Liberty's recipes, per a "Schoolhouse Rock" song: MELTING POT - Here's the video
28. Vague: SKETCHY.
30. Fundraising group that supports female political candidates: EMILY'S LIST.
Hillary with Emily's List's president Stephanie Schirock
31. Othello and Hamlet: TITLE ROLES.
32. High class?: ONE-A - A dreaded designation for some young men in the 1960's and 1970's.
33. Once-sacred snakes: ASPS.
37. Hall of Famer Ochoa: LORENA.
42. Dan Savage, notably: SEXPERT.
48. Devour: EAT UP.
51. Alicia Vikander, e.g.: SWEDE - An actress born in Gothenburg, VΓ€stra GΓΆtaland, Sweden. She won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2016.
52. Blackberries, e.g.: PDA'S - I read that these Personal Data Assistants are now officially unsupported and not usable
53. Bug: RILE.
54. Spanish pronoun: ESTA.
55. Org. with conferences: NCAA - The Big Ten Conference will soon have 18 members
56. Terse confirmation: IT IS - "Is this the next to last clue?"
Doug Peterson is a widely published and well-known crossword constructor. He should need no introduction here as he's created countless LA Times puzzles; probably one for every day of the week
I was literally on the EDGE of my seat today when I saw the 16x15 grid. After solving, I noticed the perimeter of *key words that go with the reveal: 40-across. Situation that occurs under extreme conditions, and a description of the answer to each starred clue: EDGE CASE. Confused? Well, just follow the 12 words around the border (EDGE) of the grid (I've highlighted them in red on the solved puzzle picture below), add the word CASE to them, et voila! The result is a dozen words that fit with a CASE:
CIGAR CASE (Moe has one or two of these, as he's a CIGAR smoker); JEWEL CASE (a now antiquated term for a plastic CD container); SLIP CASE (or is it SLIPCASE, one word?) - not to be confused with a SLIP Cover (a slipcover has 2 openings: top and bottom. A slipcase generally only has 1 opening: the right side); PHONE CASE (mine has protected my iPhone 13 Pro on many occasions, and should probably be replaced); SEED CASE - wait; there's a crossword entry for that "clue" ... "Seed case": ARIL
Next, is MEAT CASE - a feature that Moe appreciates in his grocery store shopping ... maybe I am thinking of a MEAT COUNTER instead? WORST CASE (a phrase which is almost always followed by the word "scenario"); GLASS CASE - the one entry that Moe is a bit confused by ... is it a CASE made of GLASS or a CASE that is built to hold GLASS?? Sorry, Doug, but this was the weakest of the 12, IMO; TEST CASE - a tribute to the IT geeks here - "A test case usually contains a single step or a sequence of steps to test the correct behaviour/functionality and features of an application"[Wikipedia]; COURT CASE - they come in four flavors: Civil, Criminal, Family, and Probate. Don't believe me? Look it up ... or better yet, SUE ME!! Then, of course, there is the DELI CASE ... which surprisingly is almost never located next to the MEAT CASE (nor MEAT COUNTER) in a super market; last but not least is the COLD CASE (an unsolved criminal investigation which remains open pending the discovery of new evidence) which led me to today's puzzle title: CASE CLOSED
The evidence is in, and while EDGE CASE is not one of those terms that many use on a daily basis, it certainly describes today's puzzle. Well done, Doug, but there'll be a few nits to pick with you as I review the clues and all ...
The MHS for today's puzzle is 6.2; mostly for the clues
Here is the solved grid:
Across:
1. *Pipe alternative: CIGAR. Moe-ku #1:
Nude smoker burned self With lit ash. The end result: Clothes, but no CIGAR
[ok, that one's a stretch]
6. *"You Were Meant for Me" singer: JEWEL. Her (or is it she/they/them??)
11. *Minor mistake: SLIP. This, perhaps? Ladies, you'll understand ... or is a SLIP showing OK nowadays?
15. 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Tony: OLIVA. Tony OLIVA was a star right fielder for the Minnesota Twins [click on the link for his stat's]. I searched for his "rookie card" and found it interesting and coincidental that he and Pete Rose had to "share" their rookie cards with other ballplayers. That year, Topps (a major player in the sports collecting card business) perhaps wanted to save a few $$ and chose to combine a quartet of rookie players on one card. OLIVA is in the Baseball Hall-of-Fame; Rose would be had he not been caught gambling on baseball games when he was a player and manager ...
16. Savory quality: UMAMI. Think of the flavor of sauteed mushrooms
17. Soft food: MUSH. Soft food = MUSH is just the noun definition; no dogsled driver EVER yelled to his team of Huskies "SOFT FOOD", "SOFT FOOD" ...
iPhone assistant Was being belligerent I said, "No, SIREE"!
20. Spot's pal in Pixar's "The Good Dinosaur": ARLO. Mr. Guthrie is not pleased ... I had no clue about the clue that Doug used here. Good possibility that this clue was edited for a Friday. Did anyone else know this from "The Good Dinosaur" reference?
What Ru Paul's called when He gets ennui from smoking? A DRAG DRAG DRAG's DRAG
[or something like that!!]
30. Tara of the "Sharknado" films: REID. I counted only 8 proper names today, so that's not too bad for a Friday puzzle. I didn't know Ms. REID, so perps saved the day ... here is what she looks like:
32. Novelist Santha Rama __: RAU. And of course, one proper name follows another ... another save from perps ... Ms. RAU
33. Bistros, e.g.: EATERIES.
35. Zombies, essentially: CORPSES.
39. Inebriated: LIT. Surprise, surprise! This one came to me lickety-spLIT!!
42. __ kwon do: TAE.
43. Guts: INSIDES.
45. App's customers: USER BASE. Not a term with which I am familiar. An example of its use in a sentence [according to Wikipedia]: "In time, a small user base who created and made their add-in applications available on-line for free or for profit emerged." MEH.
47. Rx writers: MDS. DRS also fit ... I am not a big fan of pluraled abbreviations ... and in the Google world, when you search for MDS you get this
48. Developer's map: PLAT. Interesting information from Realtor dot com
49. Eagle-__: EYED. One thing I hope Margaret is when she proofreads my blog! ;^)
50. Title in a Dumas title: COMTE. Perhaps if the clue were in French, we would know that the word for COUNT (as in The Count of Monte Cristo) was supposed to be in French. A minor nitpick, but a fair one. Regardless, I originally inked in "THREE", so I had the wrong book
More on Dumas and his writings [Biography dot com]: "Dumas was a prolific writer of essays, short stories and novels, as well as plays and travelogues. His interests also encompassed crime and scandals and wrote eight volumes of essays on infamous cases in history such as that of Lucrezia Borgia and Cesare Borgia, and names more contemporary to his time, like Karl Ludwig Sand. But he achieved widespread success with his novels The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers, initially published as serials. The Three Musketeers was one of three novels in his D'Artagnan Romances, the others being Twenty Years After and The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later. The story "The Man in the Iron Mask" from Le Vicomte de Bragelonne, also stands out as one his most widely known."
53. Sewer scamperer: RAT.
54. Some quinceaΓ±era attendees: TIAS. Unlike the clue for COMTE, this one was much more correct. Why? A quinceaΓ±era is a celebration of a girl's 15th birthday in Latin American cultures, marking her transition from childhood to womanhood. So naturally, possible attendees would be her TIAS - the Spanish plural for Aunts. And a place where this celebration could be held is found in 35-down (AsunciΓ³n abode:) CASA.
56. Party bowlful: ONION DIP. I prefer guacamole, and I make a killer one
58. British actor who played Bilbo Baggins: IAN HOLM. Moe-l'ick 1:
Bilbo Baggins was recently scarred, And the news really caught us off guard. He expired from infection After getting erection ... Guess it's true that old hobbits die hard
[sorry if this offended anyone, but this was created in honor of Wilbur Charles, our recently departed blogger who coined the term "Moe-l'ick" and "Moe-ku" ... Bill loved a good limerick, especially ones that were a bit risque ... I know he'd be grinning right now ... RIP, sir ... you will be missed]
62. Do the trick: AVAIL. "WAVE A MAGIC WAND" didn't fit
64. Flood guard: LEVEE. The ones that failed in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina came onshore made news. Tragic event
65. Wants to take back: RUES. Should I RUE what I said about Ru in my Moe-ku??
66. 2022 role for Pattinson: WAYNE. Robert Pattinson (British actor and model) stars as Bruce WAYNE (aka, Batman) in the 2022 motion picture (for those who were stumped by this clue)
67. __ rock: ARENA. [Wikipedia] says: "Arena rock (also known as album-oriented rock or AOR, melodic rock, stadium rock, anthem rock, pomp rock, corporate rock and dad rock ) is a style of rock music that originated in the mid-1970s."
68. *Challenge: TEST. DARE also fits
69. *Tumbler: GLASS. Hey! A clue that we "old farts" recognize!!
70. *Least satisfactory: WORST. Moe-ku 4:
At hot dog cook-off I finished in last place. Was The WORST of the wurst
Down:
1. *On a losing streak: COLD. Do you ever see a word (COLD, in this case) that immediately brings a song into your head? Well, I did ... and I am going to share it with you, right here:
[is this an example of 67-across??]
2. "Would __ to you?": I LIE. Hope not
3. Power grid measures: GIGAWATTS. I had MEGA WATTS inked in at first
4. Bowler's statistic: AVERAGE. Every time I see a reference to bowling I remember Boomer ... RIP, Doug
5. More valuable, perhaps: RARER. This word is also a reference to how I prefer my T-Bones or Ribeyes
8. Bent out of shape: WARPED. If it wasn't already obvious, this word is an appropriate adjective for Moe's mind ... ;^)
9. Pedicure abrasive: EMERY. Not to be confused with EMORY - the name of an Atlanta-based University ... there is probably a Moe-ku that should be inserted here ...
10. Substitution word: LIEU. Moe-ku 5:
The actress who played O-Ren (Kill Bill) had stand-in. Her name's Lucy LIEU
11. Demolition derby collision: SMASH UP. Here is a video with over 26 minutes worth of SMASH UPs - watch as much or as little as you please ...
12. "Foreign Affairs" Pulitzer winner: LURIE. The last of today's proper names
13. Mullah's faith: ISLAM.
14. *Call: PHONE.
22. Walks purposefully: STRIDES.
24. Impolite observer: STARER. OGLER was too short to fit
26. Gentle hill: RISE. A perfectly fine Friday clue - nice misdirection
28. *Sub supplier: DELI. Do you call your "long sandwich" a SUB? I've called them that as well as a HOAGIE. When I lived in New England they called them "GRINDERS"
29. Reason for indoor recess: RAIN. "Aw c'mon teach! Why can't we go out and play in the RAIN?" Nothing like a good rainstorm to form puddles to stomp in
31. Brain tests, briefly: EEGS. So, this could've been ECG or EKG, too ... what is the difference you ask? It is all explained here
32. Stone discovery site: ROSETTA. [Encyclopaedia Brittanica] says: "The Rosetta Stone is an ancient Egyptian stone with inscriptions in three languages and scripts. It was discovered by a Frenchman in 1799 near Rosetta, Egypt, and deciphered by Thomas Young and Jean-FranΓ§ois Champollion in 1821–22"
34. Blush: REDDEN. It would take quite a bit to make Moe REDDEN ... not surprised, are you??! ;^)
36. Spends the night: STAYS OVER. Margaret and I recently STAYED OVER with MM and Valerie in Colorado - thanks again, brother!
37. Relieve: EASE. Moe-ku 6:
What are certain words, Like apse, Afta, and Ott called? Methinks, Crossword-EASE
38. *Germ of an idea: SEED.
41. Rock's Blue Γyster __: CULT. One of their iconic tunes in an iconic parody:
44. "My goose is cooked": I'M TOAST. Moe-ku 7:
Foie gras and baguette Were overheard saying, "My: Goose is cooked!" "I'M TOAST"!
46. Save the day: BE A HERO.
48. Smoothie fruit: PAPAYA. BANANA fits here, too
50. *Server's spot?: COURT. As in tennis ... and perhaps the best name for a tennis player was none other than this Aussie woman
51. When expected: ON CUE.
52. Some credit card rewards: MILES. POINTS and CASH BACK didn't fit here
53. Uber, to Lyft: RIVAL. I've known some folks who've driven for both ... at the same time
55. Holiday visitor: IN-LAW. Nice Friday misdirection; I had SANTA inked in here
57. University of Georgia athlete, familiarly: DAWG. Go DAWGS! Their mascot:
As a side note, my daughter is beginning her 15th year as a Professor at the University of Georgia!
58. Tahiti et Martinique: ILES. Clues in French = entry in French ... and no, just because the name Dumas appeared in clue for 50-across, does not imply that the word should be in French!! [rant over]
59. Periscope part: LENS.
60. *Charcuterie fare: MEAT. Or foie gras ... or baguette ... ;^)
63. Progressive business: Abbr.: INS. Progressive as in the insurance company? Is that what INS is referring to here? Moe-ku 8:
Abbreviations Aren't always clear. I guess I'll Just go with the Flo
Well folks, that's a wrap; CASE closed. Please offer your comments and criticism below. See you in September
Today marks veteran constructor Susan Gelfand's 28th appearance on the Corner. She challenges us with a simple, playful
theme with three clues that hearken back to a 1950's TV show set in the
early 1800 hundreds when Southern California was still a Spanish
territory. It was an era when lawless men roamed the land unopposed by
duly appointed law enforcement officers.
But there arose
a masked swordsman, a fox cunning and free, who swashbuckled his way thru the land righting
the injustices of local petty tyrants. Zorro was a good humored soul and
he never seemed to actually skewer anyone, preferring instead to humiliate
them by autographing their clothing with his first initial ...
So how does this relate to Susan's theme? Her reveal challenges us
to determine his weapon of choice ...
56A. Art of fencing, and a
hint to the starts of the answers to the starred clues:
SWORD PLAY -- also a hint that she is
PLAYING with different types of SWORDS. The first word of
each themer is an anagram for a type of sword, but only one of them can be the
weapon that Zorro used to make his mark.
Can you guess which one?
17A. *Baklava base: FILO DOUGH.
This unscrambles to
FOIL, which is used in the Olympic sport of fencing, but it's really too
light for swashbuckling ...
Italo Santelli and Jean-Baptiste Mimiague
foil fencing at the 1900 Olympics
28A. *Gives testimony:
BEARS WITNESS. This unscrambles
to
SABRE, a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light
cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. But this one is much
too heavy for Zorro to make his mark ...
Sheathed French sabres
of the sailors of the Guard, First French Empire
42A. *Fix-it guide:
REPAIR MANUAL. Which leaves us
with
RAPIER, a type of sword with a slender and sharply pointed two-edged blade that was
popular in Western Europe, both for civilian use (dueling and self-defense)
and as a military side arm, throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. And
in the hand of a master, it is perfect for signing autographs!
North Shore Baptist Church
Chicago, Illinois 6.5' high x 3.5' wide
I saw my oldest grandson this past weekend and he is attending Wyoming Catholic College; he said he was aware of the jade connection and that he'd see if he could find a nice specimen.
5. Strongly suggest: URGE.
9. Make self-conscious: ABASH.
14. Really excited: AGOG.
15. Horn output: TOOT. See 25D.
16. Brown shade: COCOA. Teri uses COCOA to make Zucchini
brownies using
this recipe.
Instead of icing them she adds chocolate chips to the batter. With all
the hot weather and rain around here the zucchini have been growing
wild, so she's been making boatloads ...
Zucchini Brownies
17. [Theme clue]
19. Spiral-horned antelope: ELAND. The
common
ELAND
(Taurotragus oryx), also known as the southern eland or
eland antelope, is a large-sized savannah and plains antelope found in
East and Southern Africa.
Young bull Eland
20. Craft brewer's concoction: ALE.
21. No more than: UP TO.
22. Part of a process: STEP.
23. Taylor Swift album with the hit "All Too Well": RED.
Taylor Alison Swift
(born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Recognized for her
songwriting, musical versatility, artistic reinventions, and influence on the
music industry, she is a prominent cultural figure of the 21st century.
RED is her 4th album, released in 2012. Here is "All Too Well"
...
24. "C'est la __!": VIE. That's Life!
25. "Don't move a muscle": STAY PUT.
28. [Theme clue]
30. Den fixture: TV SET.
33. Accessory with a Lego Riddler minifigure: CANE. The
Riddler is one of Batman's nemeses. He began in the D.C. comic
universe, morphed into a series of action movies, which morphed into animated
action movies, and
then descended into the Legoverse
...
The Riddler Leaning on a Question Mark?
34. __ & Perrins steak sauce: LEA.
35. Fireplace fuel: WOOD.
36. Core-strengthening exercise: PLANK. Here's how it's done
...
The Plank
38. Result of fogged-up glasses: BLUR.
39. Touchdown stat: ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival.
Also the 7th letter of the Greek alphabet ...
40. Twofold: DUAL.
41. Axels and lutzes: LEAPS. There are others. This live action and animated video seems to cover most of them ...
42. [Theme clue]
46. Words of wisdom: PROVERB. The terms "wisdom" and "proverbs"
derive from the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible)
wisdom literature, which includes the books of Psalms, Proverbs, Wisdom,
and Ecclesiastes. Wisdom is enduring and survives today, even in
popular culture ...
47. Kimono accessory: OBI. An OBI (εΈ―) is
a belt of varying size and shape worn
with both traditional Japanese clothing and uniforms for Japanese martial arts
styles. Originating as a simple thin belt in Heian period Japan, the obi
developed over time into a belt with a number of different varieties, with a
number of different sizes and proportions, lengths, and methods of tying.
Back of a woman wearing a kimono with the OBI tied
in the
tateya musubi
style
48. "Way cool!": RAD. Or as Tony would say Woot!
51. Make the grade: PASS.
52. Cabinet dept.: ENER.
53. Sunny Day Real Estate genre: EMO. This oxymoronically named
band
Sunny Day Real Estate
hails from Seattle, Washington and formed in 1992. Here's their
In Circles (lyrics) ...
54. Land of the Minotaur: CRETE. CRETE is also the land of Theophilos, the fictional father of the Evangelist Luke in Michael O'Brien's beautiful novel of the same name ...
56. [Theme reveal]
58. Out in the country: RURAL.
59. Inheritance factor: GENE. An organism's genome
(all of its GENES) defines the structural proteins that make up our bodies as well asthose that control our metabolism (enzymes). However it has
been discovered in recent decades that various environmental factors
can alter our genes, without changing the actual DNA sequences
that define them. Collectively these changes are called the
EPIGENOME (literally "on top of the GENOME")
and can be inherited by subsequent generations.
Inherited epigenetic modifications seem to primarily affect the
expression (i.e. activation) of genes related to behaviors. For a
deeper dive into the actual mechanisms for epigenetic changes see this article.
60. Bulldoze: RAZE.
61. Trips around the sun: YEARS.
62. Trampled (on): TROD.
63. Plow pullers: OXEN.
Down:
1. "Aladdin" villain who transforms into a giant cobra:
JAFAR. Nasty dude ...
5. Perfect place: UTOPIA. Samuel Butler's 1872 novel
Erehwon (anacronym of the word Nowhere) is about a
fictional UTOPIA discovered and explored by the protagonist, and is a
satire on Victorian society. The novel is one of the first to explore
ideas of artificial intelligence as influenced by
Darwin's then recently published On the Origin of Species (1859), and
the machines that developed out of the Industrial Revolution (late 18th to
early 19th centuries). Specifically, it concerns itself, in the three-chapter
"Book of the Machines", with the potentially dangerous ideas of
machine consciousnessand
self-replicating machines. Very timely!
8. Horn of Africa country: Abbr.: ETH. Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east and southeast, Kenya to the south, South Sudan to the west, and Sudan to the northwest.
Ethiopia
9. Transparent overlay: ACETATE.
10. Second wife of Henry VIII: BOLEYN. Anne Boleyn (c. 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII.
The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for
treason and other charges made her a key figure in the political and
religious upheaval that marked the start of the English Reformation.
Ann Boleyn
11. Like Pentatonix performances: A CAPPELLA. I was turned on to
their music by my granddaughters, who love to sing A CAPPELLA.
This is my favorite, a song from their debut album called
White Winter Hymnal. I hope it brings a little relief to what has
been an oppressively hot summer ...
25. The ugly duckling, eventually: SWAN. In the finale of
Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony (1919) there’s a magnificent melody the composer
called his “swan hymn.” In his diary, he identified his inspiration for the
theme: the sight of sixteen swans flying in formation overhead: “One of
my greatest experiences! Lord God, that beauty! They circled over me for a
long time. Disappeared into the solar haze like a gleaming, silver
ribbon…”. The theme is played by the horns and if you listen carefully
you can count all sixteen ...
26. Exhaust: USE UP.
27. Rulers before the Bolsheviks: TSARS.
28. Turning in place?: BED. If it's cold you might need a comforter or a DUVET.
29. Milan's La __: SCALA. "The house that Verdi built".
Here's the aria Tacea la notte placida ("Silence the placid night")
from his opera Il Trovatore ("The Troubadour") sung at
LA SCALA
by the great Maria Callas (lyrics) ...
30. Pipsqueak: TWERP.
31. Polling booth user: VOTER.
32. Serialized drama: SOAP OPERA. This one is in its
19th season. It sounds like it's about as SOAPY they get ...
36. Good vibrations?: PURRS. A CSO to Hahtoolah. She
brings us good vibrations every Tuesday!
38. "The Fresh Prince of __-Air": BEL. Where
Will Smith
got his start.
40. Some trucks: DIESELS.
41. Highlands title: LAIRD.
43. Gamer's game face: AVATAR.
44. "What are you doing!?": NO NO NO.
45. Got a ride through an app: UBERED. A verbified noun.
48. Kick back: RELAX.
49. Astonish: AMAZE.
50. Senior member: DOYEN. Some bon mots from the
DOYENNE of Downton Abbey ...
52. Washstand accessory: EWER. Here's an old EWER and washbowl I made some years back. We don't use it anymore ever since we got inside plumbing ... π
Ewer and washbowl
54. React to onion fumes: CRY. You'll never shed another tear with
Vidalia onions
...
Vidalia Onions
55. "You will __ the day!": RUE. In addition to meaning
REGRET, Teri informs me that the medicinal herb RUE is the national plant of Lithuania and symbolizes maidenhood. Lithuanian brides wear a crown made from the herb during wedding ceremonies. RUE is also French for "street", as in
The Murders of the RUE Morgue, a short story by Edgar Alan Poe, which has been described as the first
modern detective story. C. Auguste Dupin is a man in Paris who
solves the mystery of the brutal murder of two women. Poe's Dupin displays
many traits which became literary conventions in subsequent fictional
detectives, including Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. Many
later characters, for example, follow Poe's model of the brilliant detective,
his personal friend who serves as narrator, and the final revelation being
presented before the reasoning that leads up to it.
56. PD rank: SGT.
57. Tennis club expert: PRO.
Cheers, Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
Happy Hump Day Cornerites. Today, we get words vertically spelled the same forwards & backwards hidden (oooh, another little puzzle for us to solve - sans circles!) in the starred clues. They...
17d. Move like tides and stock prices, or what the hidden words do in the answers to the starred clues?: RISE AND FALL.
3d. *Forensic expert on many a crime drama: DNA ANALYST. NAAN - Indian bread (not Rupees)
8d. *"Is this a smile on my face?": HOW MAD AM I. MADAM (I'm Adam).
29d. *Warning from the paranoid: TRUST NO ONE. NOON as in high- for a shoot-out.
Trust No One
33d. *Like Viola and Sebastian's ship at the start of "Twelfth Night": LOST AT SEA. Shakespeare & STATS.
Cute, eh? I think we need appropriate music here:
They Might Be Giants - I Palindrome I
Across:
1. Remove for security reasons, say: REDACT.
7. "Aw, darn it!": OH HELL. Saucy fill (we're allowed to ink that? Sweet.)
13. "Atlas Shrugged" author: AYN RAND. RUSH's 2112 acknowledged her "genius" in the liner notes. I will be kind to the reader and not embed a link as I'm sure no one has 16:08 to listen.
15. Roster newbie: ROOKIE.
16. Trucker in a union: TEAMSTER. I should have been paid OT moving Youngest into her first apartment last week. Six hours of driving and 3 hours moving her goods in 104F heat.
18. __ manual: OWNERS. I had "online" first. Who else gets into the Catch-22 of needing to access online support when your online thing isn't working in the first place?
19. Five dollar face, for short: ABE. USoA's 16th Prez.
20. Olive center: PIT.
22. Small plateaus: MESAS.
23. Mama's mama: NANA. An anagram of NAAN! :-)
25. "No worries": IT'S OKAY. Don't know if anyone heard about a "suspicious package" found at Defcon. I was there just leaving the Vetcon party (for .mil vets) and going to the ChillOut Zone when we were evacuated.
I must say, panic never ensued. The Goons were assertively polite telling everyone to find a door and the venue evacuated calmly. On the way out, I asked two Goons I know, WTF? One said, "It's now or later. Go. Be safe." Nerds are the best.
27. Tony-winning musical "Dear __ Hansen": EVAN. I handed-out an award?
28. Enjoyed some gum, say: CHEWED.
29. Some ESPN highlights: TDS. Touchdowns are in the short-reel of the Football game on ESPN.
32. Without restraint: WILDLY.
34. "True Blood" star Paquin: ANNA. Another anagram of NAAN!
35. Sleep cycle letters: REM.
36. Final authority: SAY SO. What you have, to tell your kids, when too many "why" questions follow your request.
2. Hurricane center: EYE. California is starting to dry out. Last recorded TS in CA was 1934 (so I read).
3. [See: theme]
4. Accessories worn by soccer captains: ARM BANDS.
5. "__ closed!": CASE.
6. Explosive initials: TNT. It's dynamite fill!
7. Spanish gold: ORO.
8. [See: theme]
9. Baklava sweetener: HONEY.
10. Barely gets (by): EKES.
11. Old Italian bread?: LIRA. Not stale focaccia.
12. "More or __": LESS.
14. Profundity: DEPTH.
17. [See: theme].
21. Small dots on a map: TOWNS.
23. California governor Gavin: NEWSOM. There were thoughts he might run for President in 2024. We'll see.
24. Fly: AVIATE.
25. Unwelcoming: ICY.
26. "Detective Pikachu" actor Watanabe: KEN. Pokemon reference.
29. [See: theme]
30. Climate for much of Nevada: DESERT. In Vegas, it was nice to occasionally step outside to warm up from the over-AC'd conference halls.
31. Requires Febreze, maybe: SMELLS. Some of the folks at Defcon needed a spritz.
33. [See: theme]
37. Jazz licks: RIFFS.
Charlie Parker & His Trio
39. Quick appraisal: ONCE OVER.
42. High tennis shot: LOB.
43. Shape of a "timeout" hand signal: TEE.
46. CBS News correspondent Barnett: ERROL.
48. Picked: CHOSE. Hand-up if you were always last on playground divvying up.
50. Of sound mind: SANE.
51. Envelope opened with a click, e.g.: ICON. Your email ICON.
52. Sudoku diagram: GRID. This could have been meta-clued as we were solving ;-)
54. Dessert with icing: CAKE.
56. Abbreviation on old Russian maps: SSR. Stealing from my last expo: "Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, is Latin alphabet transliteration of Russian: Π‘ΠΎΡΠ· Π‘ΠΎΠ²Π΅ΡΡΠΊΠΈΡ Π‘ΠΎΡΠΈΠ°Π»ΠΈΡΡΠΈΡΠ΅ΡΠΊΠΈΡ Π Π΅ΡΠΏΡΠ±Π»ΠΈΠΊ (Π‘Π‘Π‘Π ) //yeah, I Googled the translation."
Posted in 2021: Hoang-Kim Vu works on a global malaria research project in Washington, D.C. His crosswords have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today. When he's not solving or constructing, Kim enjoys collecting passport stamps, spending too much money on pet nats, and trying his best to raise a one-year-old daughter and a pitbull with bad knees with his wife/co-constructor/forever editor Jess.
