It's old home week as the former LA Times puzzle editor makes yet another triumphal return. I was so surprised when the "Congratulations" window came up and I will point out some of my rough spots as I blog here. However, if you look at the puzzle graphic, you can see where my last fill was a desperate guess at the Natick Rich planted at the conjunction of ABUJA and JANIE. I'll take a "got 'er done" out of petty cash.
Across:
1. Stop for an assessment: TAKE STOCK - A lot of NFL teams have doing that as we are near the halfway point of the season.
10. Reverence: PIETY.
15. Brown group: IVY LEAGUE ๐ Cleveland fit but...
16. "Mad TV" alum Lange: ARTIE.
17. Shade named for a river: NILE GREEN.
18. Callas title role: NORMA.
19. "Aww!": SO CUTE.
20. Outdoor: OPEN AIR - Junkstock is a huge OPEN AIR craft show 15 minutes from us
22. Occasion to eat bรกnh chu'ng: TET.
23. 2019 Tyler, the Creator album: IGOR.
24. Bridge installer's deg.: DDS ๐ My dentist has not installed any bridges for me but has crowned me several times.
25. Feature of an Oscar statuette: SWORD.
28. Rose __: PARADE - It was on our bucket list and we were not disappointed!
30. Syrup brand since 1902: KARO.
31. "__ here": SAME.
32. Gender reveal words: A BOY.
35. Singing competition, familiarly: IDOL - The first winner
36. Dominated, in gaming: PWNED - Leetspeak is a system of modified spellings used primarily on the Internet.
43. Type: KEY IN - Demonstrated by a very famous keyboarder!
44. Branch: ARM - The FBI is an ARM of the justice department
46. Pro __: RATA.
47. Rival: VIE.
48. All smiles, in a Carroll poem: BEAMISH - The poem was never meant to make sense!
50. Soap named for a city: DALLAS ๐
53. Yupik craft: UMIAK - an open boat made of animal hide stretched over a wooden frame, traditionally rowed by Inuit women. Yeah, I knew that ๐
54. Kitchen counter: OVEN TIMER.
57. "Their Eyes Were Watching God" protagonist Crawford: JANIE.
58. Keyboard ornament: GRACE NOTE - an extra note added as an embellishment and not essential to the harmony of melody. My music teacher colleague's immediate first thought was of Patsy Cline singing Crazy.
59. Figure skating leaps: AXELS.
60. Word from the Greek for "working together": SYNERGISM - If everybody does their job, this could be a huge gain.
Down:
1. Solder element: TIN - If you know chemical symbols, you can see this is 60% Tin and 40% Lead
5. Proceeded without pause: SEGUED - The Beatles rocked the house on the Ed Sullivan Show and then Ed had to SEGUE to a magician named Fred Kaps.
6. "The Goldfinch" Pulitzer winner: TARTT.
7. Pointed arch: OGEE.
8. Stick on a table: CUE ๐
9. Contests with numbered balls: KENO GAMES.
10. "Let's get toasty" fast-casual chain: PANERA.
11. Tend to a pressing task?: IRON ๐
12. Super Bowl debut of 2008 revived in 2022: E-TRADE BABY.
13. Hardly bold: TIMID.
14. Junior and senior: YEARS.
21. Mulled (over): PORED.
23. Rio region: IPANEMA - Tall and tan and young and lovely...
25. Take off the top: SKIM.
26. 13-time All-Star inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2023: WADE.
27. University town northeast of Augusta: ORONO MAINE - Hmmm, now what university is close to Augusta, GA? Oops...
A popular cwd city
29. Indian district known for a beverage: DARJEELING.
31. Crew taught by Gabe Kotter: SWEATHOGS.
33. California classical music festival city: OJAI - 82 miles WNW of LA
34. Story: YARN.
36. Court answers: PLEAS - A PLEA of "Not Guilty" isn't always the same as "Innocent"
42. Short rides?: TRIKES ๐
43. Off-__: KILTER - The Canadian Pavilion at EPCOT had a band called OFF KILTER who featured a bagpipe in their rock and roll show.
44. Nigerian capital: ABUJA - Yeah, I had LAGOS first too. The capital was moved from there to ABUJA over thirty years ago.
45. Century 21 rival: REMAX.
47. "Lovecraft Country" Emmy winner Courtney B. __: VANCE - One of those clues where you wonder whether the clue was Rich's or Patti's
49. Send: MAIL.
50. Campus figure: DEAN.
51. French mine: A MOI So cette maison est ร MOIS (This house belongs to me)
52. Court units: SETS - In volleyball teams used to have to win five games to win a match. Games has now been changed to SETS like tennis. Last month, #2 Huskers beat the then #1 Badgers 3 SETS to 2 SETS.
First off, if you're not a golfer or don't follow the game, "OB" refers to "OUT of bounds". The white stakes in the image above marks the golf course "boundary", and in my theme name example, if a golfer were to hit their shot to the LEFT of these stakes, the ball would be OUT of play. The penalty for this - in golf - is one the most egregious as the player must rehit their shot AND take a penalty of one stroke to add to their score for the hole. BTW, the best explanation of the game of golf is in the video below ... I was able to find the one rated PG!
So, Moe, how does this golfing analogy fit into today's puzzle? Very easily; it's the 61-across answer, and the reveal for the puzzle. All one has to do is add the word OUT to the LEFT of the first word of 18-, 22-, 38-, and 56-Across. This action is what is excluded (LEFT OUT), and what is needed to match their clues (add OUT to the LEFT)
Our constructor du jour is Annemarie Brethauer. [Brittanica dot com] "Annemarie Brethauer is a freelance crossword constructor whose work has appeared in newspapers through Andrews McMeel Universal and L.A. Times syndicates, in Simon and Schuster publications, in Games World of Puzzles magazine, in the woman-oriented online site Inkubator, and elsewhere."
Annemarie cleverly came up with four familiar phrases, (LET DOWN; FIELD DAY; FIT FOR A KING; and BACK TALK) but clued them to imply that something was missing. The "AHA" Moe-ment for me was when I got to the reveal @ 61-across when I realized that when I added the word OUT to those four the clues then made sense
18-across. Pillow filling bought at wholesale?: (OUT)LET DOWN. Which of course prompted this Moe-ku:
OUTLET store pillow Filling didn't sell. You think They would markdown DOWN?
22-across. Specialized session of baseball practice?: (OUT)FIELD DAY.
38-across. Crown, scepter, and ermine robe?: (OUT)FIT FOR A KING.
And MY favorite: 56-across. Barbie, bush telly, choccy biccy, etc.?: (OUT)BACK TALK
Well done, Annemarie!
For those who thought that Mal Man was supposed to blog today, he and I switched weeks. Joseph will blog on Friday the 17th. He sends his regards ...
The grid, and then the rest of the clues and answers:
Across:
1. View from much of U.S. Highway 101: PACIFIC. So many to choose from as this coastal highway stretches from San Diego California to the perimeter of the Olympic Peninsula and Olympic National Park in Washington
8. Water stopper: DAM. The amount of water that this dam stops has gone down considerably since it was filled (created Lake Mead) in the 1930's. Interesting read
11. __ Dhabi: ABU. People ask: Is Abu Dhabi different from Dubai? "Yes, Both are 2 different states or what they call as emirates in the country United Arab Emirates. U.A.E consists of 7 emirates namely Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras- Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, and Fujairah. Abu Dhabi is the capital."[Quora dot com]
14. Oval-shaped instrument: OCARINA. Beautiful
15. One of the only two South American countries that doesn't border Brazil: ECUADOR. CHILE didn't fit
17. Compete in a hybrid winter sport: PARASKI. This was one that MalMan could better explain, as he is a skiier. Not I
19. Unusual: ODD. EVEN I got this one! ๏คฃ
20. Contacted with a click: E-MAILED. On Monday of this week we had CLACK as an answer; today we have "click" in the clue
25. Separate by type: ASSORT.
29. Sound engineer's slider: FADER. Notice the technique
30. Starship Enterprise letters: NCC. [fandom dot com] "According to both "The Making of Star Trek", and the second seaon writers guide update, NCC officially stands for "Navy-Curtis Craft", referring to the fact that the design and construction of the cruisers was a combination of the Navy's and Curtis Industries inputs"
32. "Don't reckon so": NAW. YEP
33. Some govt. lawyers: D.A.S. Pluralized abbr. for District Attorney. DAS is also one of the three German definite articles of grammar(DER, DIE, DAS). Das Buch = "the book". Ich habe Deutsch von 1963 bis 1974 studiert. Erste, in Hochschule, und dann beim Universitรคt
35. Fossey subject: APE. As opposed to Fosse subject:
37. Genesis maker: SEGA. Hyundai didn't fit. Video game
41. Home of the Muscat Gate Museum: OMAN.
43. "Let You Love Me" singer Rita: ORA. Solved via perps and mistake (notice the red mark in the "A" square on my grid photo)
44. Fall Out Boy genre: EMO.
45. Benatar in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: PAT. According to a Google search, the song below is her all-time best hit. Do you agree?
46. Yukon XL maker: GMC. $60k is the price for the base model of this SUV
48. Killer whales: ORCAS.
52. Cooks in a bamboo basket: STEAMS.
58. Share a course?: CO-TEACH. A CSO (in a way) to our Saturday blogger, Husker Gary who CO-TEACHes when he substitutes for the regular teacher
60. Vegetable soup bit: PEA. I couldn't think of any other 3-letter word that fit here
64. Uncomfortable situation: HOT SEAT. HA HA. Speaking of GMC:
67. Emphatic denial: "I SAID NO!!". An erstwhile expression ...
68. Hosp. triage expert: ER NURSE. Nurses also performed triage behind the battle lines ... this scene from M*A*S*H* shows Major Houlihan saying goodbye to her fellow officers as she and her NURSEs leave to provide aid ... typical Hawkeye!
69. TiVo antecedent: VCR. Video Cassette Recorder. I had an uncle who pronounced the word "CASSETTE" with the emphasis on the first syllable
70. Oft-redacted ID: SSN.
71. Has no use for: DETESTS. That's a bit harsh
Down:
1. Rant: POP OFF. Moe-ku #2:
Vodka drinker's mad; Store ran out of his brand. Might POP OFF for Popov
2. National park on the Maine coast: ACADIA. Margaret and I have been visiting National Parks the past few years when we vacation. She has never been to Maine; I am pretty sure that this Park is on her bucket list
3. Stopped at the door, perhaps: CARDED. Or the pearly gates, perhaps??
4. Writer Levin: IRA. Moe-ku 3:
Writer Levin has Retirement fund called an Ira I.R.A.
5. Grafton's "__ for Fugitive": F IS.
6. Signed in pen: INKED.
7. Large Central American reptile: CAIMAN. Moe-ku #4:
8. Grocery section: DELI. Publix Grocery Stores in Florida had the best DELI section
9. Amtrak service that caters to business travelers: ACELA. The nose of this engine resembles that of the SST Concorde
10. Silences with a button: MUTES.
11. Brouhaha: ADO.
12. Fiddle stick: BOW. Clever clue
13. Ornate garden pot: URN.
16. Tots up: ADDS. Hmm; this solved via perps as I was unaware of the British phrase tot up. Of course, it spawned this Moe-ku #5:
The waitress knew that Her side order was ready; Chef exclaimed: "Tots up!"
21. "¡Dios mรญo!": AY CARAMBA. I spelled this incorrectly when I first solved the puzzle; if you go back and look at the solved grid, there is a black mark on the "C" of CARAMBA. I had this as AYE CRUMBA or some such ...
23. Ushered: LED IN.
24. "Cripes!": DRAT.
26. Univ. donor type: O NEG. I had O POS at first before discovering my error
27. Tabloid: RAG. Why is a newspaper called a "RAG" you ask? One answer from [Quora dot com]: "Many people say it's because such papers historically printed on lower-quality, raglike newsprint than respectable papers. Others say the term stuck because the content rag papers printed was salacious and aimed at the lowest common denominator — the equivalent of rag material"
28. Former JFK flyer: TWA. This is just a mock-up; but notice how the front of the plane resembles that of the ACELA engine in 9-down
31. No. cruncher: CPA.
34. West Coast luggage tag letters: SFO.
36. Make (out): EKE. Kiss and neck wouldn't fit
37. Horse noise: SNORT.
38. Lot: FATE.
39. Gp.: ORG.
40. "No broken bones!": I'M OK.
41. Photo __: OPS.
42. Bathroom rug: MAT.
47. Stashed away: CACHED. The word CACHE(D) has evolved its definition into the world of computing (see #3 meaning in the link)
49. Tartar sauce ingredient: CAPERS. Learning Moe-ment. I thought it was just mayonnaise, pickle relish, and mustard
50. Div. of the Blue Jays and the Rays: AL EAST. American League East Division baseball teams
51. Hockey gear: SKATES.
53. When Lear divides his kingdom: ACT I. It could only have been ACT I, ACT V, or ACT X in Roman numerology
54. Humors: MOODS.
55. Bowls over: STUNS.
57. Gofer's task: CHORE.
59. Fleming and Orwell's school: ETON.
61. Actress Tyler: LIV. Steven Tyler's daughter
62. Key next to F1: ESC. Computer keyboard keys (F1 and ESC)
63. At a distance: FAR.
65. Demo stuff: TNT. Clue misdirection; demo as in the abbreviation for "demolish", which fits the answer "TNT" which an abbreviation (acronym) for Tri Nitro Toluene
66. Go after, in a way: SUE. Final Moe-ku:
New Johnny Cash song: The mis-named lad lawyer's up; The "boy named SUE" sues
That's all she wrote. Hope that this puzzle didn't find you "OUT in LEFT field". I solved it with a couple hiccups in very moderate time; MOES hardness scale = 5.0. See you in two weeks ... this time "I MEAN IT"!!! ๏คก
Notes from C.C.:
Today we celebrate the 77th birthday of the brilliant Joann (Husker Gary's wife) and her twin sister
Joyce. Here they're with their mom Martha, who passed away in August at the age of 100.
Today's constructor is Alexander Liebeskind,
who is making his 6th appearance on the Corner. His theme today is a
demonstration of the vagaries of English vowel sounds. And quite
coincidentally he has cleverly concealed the answer to his theme reveal
somewhere in the lyrics to the Marine Corp Hymn*. Here are the themers ...
17A. "Almost done!": BE READY IN A JIFFY. If you're in a hurry to get an oil change for your car you can just take it to JIFFYLube, who specialize in oil changes. They are a subsidiary of Shell Oil and are headquartered in Houston, Texas. A CSO to -T.
23A. Command attributed to Captain Kirk: BEAM ME UP SCOTTY. The watchword here is "attributed", because it turns out that Captain Kirk never uttered that exact phrase. "Close enough" I can hear you saying, but this is crosswords not horseshoes.๐ Here's Scotty, played by James Doohan. He's still waiting ...
Scotty Enterprise Engineer a CSO to Picard
51A. Cat call?: HERE KITTY KITTY. Before Dame Kiri Te Kanawa got her gig playing Nelly Melba in Downton Abbey she made her living singing Cat Duets. A CSO to D-O (maybe you're right about opera ๐)
59A. 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and so on: FIBONACCI SERIES.
In mathematics, the Fibonacci series is an integer sequence in which
each number is the sum of the two preceding ones. Numbers that are part
of the Fibonacci sequence are known as Fibonacci numbers, commonly denoted Fn .
The sequence commonly starts from 0 and 1, although some authors start
the sequence from 1 and 1 or sometimes (as did Fibonacci) from 1 and 2.
Starting from 0 and 1, the first few values in the sequence are:
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144.
The
surprising thing is that this sequence is found in geometric patterns
in nature, e.g. in plants, shellfish, and even ocean waves. Here are
some phenomena exhibiting it ... In our recent visit to the National Gallery of Art we saw this Nautilus shell whose curve follows the Fibonacci sequence ...
Nautilus Shell carved cameo relief in a silver mounting
.. and this is another CSO to -T who IIRC once developed a computer program to compute the Fibonacci sequence to an arbitrary length.
And here's the reveal ...
37. Capital of Libya, and a phonetic hint to a feature of this puzzle's four longest answers: TRIPOLI. If you place your cursor just to the right of the final letter "i" in the IPA translation of TRIPOLI (/หtrษชpษli/) you should see this mouse tip popup -- /i/: 'y' in 'happy'. You can also do this interactively with this IPA reader utility. In each long answer in the grid you'll see a TRIPLET of letters spread across the fill that also sound like the 'Y' in happy, the other two being E and I ...
TRIPOLI(/หtrษชpษli/)is the capital of and largest city in Libya, with a population of about 3.56 million
people in 2023. It is located in the northwest of Libya on the edge of
the desert, on a point of rocky land projecting into the Mediterranean
Sea and forming a bay. Founded in the 7th century BC it has many interesting archaeological sites, including this one ...
Marcus Aurelius Arch built in 163 AD
Here are the rest of the clues ... Across:
1. Less occupied: IDLER.
6. Taj Mahal builder __ Jahan: SHAH. Mirza Shahab-ud-Din Baig Muhammad Khan Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), also known as SHAHJahan I,
was the fifth Mughal emperor, reigning from 1628 until 1658. Under his
emperorship, the Mughals reached the peak of their architectural
achievements and cultural glory. He had this mausoleum built for his
favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal who is entombed there ...
Taj Mahal
10. Balkan native: SERB. The SERBS are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro as well as in North Macedonia, Slovenia, Germany and Austria. They also constitute a significant diaspora with several communities across Europe, the Americas and Oceania.
The Serbian Diaspora
I had a Serbian uncle named Eli, who married my Aunt Evelyn
and worked in the steel mills of East Chicago. He made his own wine
and sauerkraut and he used to whittle whistles from green twigs and play
little tunes with them.
14. Gave one's word: SWORE.
15. "Citizen __": KANE. Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film directed by, produced by, and starring Orson Welles. Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz wrote the screenplay. The picture was Welles' first feature film. Citizen Kane is frequently cited as the greatest film ever made. For 50 consecutive years, it stood at number 1 in the British Film Institute's Sight & Sound decennial poll of critics, and it topped the American Film Institute's 100 Years ... 100 Movies list in 1998, as well as its 2007 update. The film was nominated for Academy Awards in nine categories and it won for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) ... The film is loosely based on the life of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, who reportedly wanted to have the negative destroyed. The backstory about his attempts to do so was loosely documented in The Battle Over Citizen Kane. It was panned by the critics.
16. Urgent request: PLEA.
17. [Theme clue]
20. Homer's neighbor: NED. Nedward "Ned" Flanders Jr., commonly referred to by his surname, is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Harry Shearer
and first appearing in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting
on an Open Fire." A scrupulous and devout Evangelical Christian, he is
among the friendliest and most compassionate of Springfield's residents
and is generally considered a pillar of the Springfield community.
Ned Flanders
21. Good place to keep things on ice?: RINK.
22. Fetch player: DOG.
23. [Theme clue]
29. 3-Down, for one: POET. See 3D.
30. Image on the Connecticut state quarter: OAK TREE. I did not know this. Now we both do.
Static Electricity The child's hair has lost some electrons due to friction and has become positively charged. . The positive IONS are repelling one another
37. [Theme reveal]
41. Rare game show outcome: TIE.
42. In __ parentis: LOCO. Today's Latin lesson: "In place of
parents". This policy was the cause a much protest among college
students back in the 60's. Also the surname of one of my
grandchildren's cats, although I think he's more than a little LOCO. I've never heard him sing.
Poco Loco
44. Megan Rapinoe's team: Abbr.: USA. Megan Anna Rapinoe (born July 5, 1985) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger for OL Reign of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), as well as the United States national team. Winner of the Ballon d'Or Fรฉminin and named The Best FIFA Women's Player in 2019, Rapinoe won gold with the national team at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Megan Rapinoe
45. Doesn't just want: NEEDS.
47. Destructive wave: TSUNAMI. On 11 March 2011, at 14:46 JST, a Mw 9.0–9.1 undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, 72 km (45 mi) east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tลhoku region. It lasted approximately six minutes, causing a TSUNAMI.
It is sometimes known in Japan as the "Great East Japan Earthquake" or
simply "3.11". Nearly 20,000 people were killed and 3 of Japan's
nuclear reactors at Fukushima experienced meltdowns, releasing
radioactive water into the sea.
It was the most powerful
earthquake ever recorded in Japan, and the fourth most powerful
earthquake recorded in the world since modern seismography began in
1900. The earthquake triggered powerful tsunami waves that may have
reached heights of up to 40.5 meters (133 ft) in Miyako in Tลhoku's Iwate Prefecture. Here is some National Geographic footage of this catastrophic event ...
49. "Ideas worth spreading" offshoot: TED X. E.g., in the clip for 6D -- but I wouldn't spread this idea any further.
51. [Theme clue]
55. Bronze element: TIN.
56. Mimic: APER.
57. Narrow inlet: RIA.
59A. [Theme clue]
64. Speak for oneself?: BRAG.
65. Art hub in New Mexico: TAOS. It started as The Taos art colony an art colony founded in TAOS, New Mexico, by artists attracted by the culture of the Taos Pueblo and northern New Mexico. The 1898 visit by Bert Geer Phillips and Ernest L. Blumenschein to Taos was an early step in the creation of the Taos art colony and the Taos Society of Artists.
In the early-20th century, modern artists infused the area with a new
artistic energy, followed in the 1950s by abstract artists. Today Taos
supports more than 80 galleries and three museums. There are a number of organizations that support and promote the work of artists on the Taos Pueblo and in the Taos area.
66. Larger relatives of violas: CELLI.
67. "Othello" plotter: IAGO. Hand up if you can think of a more EVIL Shakespearean villain.
68. "While" prefix: ERST.
69. Swinton in many Wes Anderson films: TILDA. Katherine Matilda Swinton
(born 5 November 1960) is a British actress. Known for her roles in
independent films and blockbusters, she has received various accolades,
including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to nominations for three Golden Globe Awards. In 2020, The New York Times ranked her as one of the greatest actors of the 21st century. Swinton has been in 5 Wes Anderson films, including The Grand Budapest Hotel, one of my favorites. Here Swinton on the film and on Anderson ...
Down:
1. Copyright page ID: ISBN.
2. Nerdy type: DWEEB.
3. "Sister Outsider" writer Audre: LORDE. Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches
is a collection of essential essays and speeches written by Audre
Lorde, a writer who focuses on the particulars of her identity: Black
woman, lesbian, poet, activist, cancer survivor, mother, and feminist.
4. Before, once: ERE.
5. Farthest back: REARMOST. E.g. AFT on a boat, not where 9D is.
6. Rogue artificial intelligence system in "The Terminator": SKY NET.
I really didn't know much about the "Terminator Franchise" until it
showed up in this puzzle. Someone please tell me this is science
fiction ...
7. 17-syllable work: HAIKU. A CSO to MOE.
8. __ Arbor, Michigan: ANN. Years back I used to subscribe to the Worm Runner's Digest, founded, edited, and published by a James V. McConnell, a psychologist at ANN Arbor -- a fascinating publication about research with planaria,
a species of tiny flatworms, which can be taught to "run" mazes. If
you cut one in half the one without a head will grow a new one. You can
even get one to grow two heads! ...
Planarian
9. Attachment at the front of a sloop, e.g.: HEAD SAIL. A CSO to Jinx.
10. Taps: SPIGOTS.
11. Mischief-maker: ELF.
12. Soccer official: REF.
13. Receiving area: BAY. A BAY is distribution facility where industrial goods are received at, or shipped from. In more common parlance a BAY is any large body of water sheltered by land. Both the former and latter types of BAYS have docks. And in 1967 one of those docks inspired Otis Redding to write this song ๐ ...
18. Coin with a torch: DIME. That would be the Roosevelt DIME.
10 Cents
19. Athletic type: JOCK.
24. Program opened with a tap: APP.
25. Sport played on horseback: POLO. JOUSTING, Maryland's state sport wouldn't fit, but POLO is popular here as well.
26. Overused: TRITE. In crossword puzzles we call it crosswordese. I hope when you opened today's blog you didn't have to accept any cookies!
27. Lukewarm: TEPID.
28. Positive responses: YESES.
31. Grime: FILTH.
32. Rough, as a translation: LOOSE.
33. Bring on: INCUR.
34. Org. concerned with climate change: EPA.
38. Dwell (on): RUMINATE. Just don't chew your cud twice.
39. "That so?": IS IT.
40. Roundabout: INDIRECT.
43. "Almost done!": ONE TO GO. Well THIRTEEN actually.
46. Office contact no.: EXT.
48. Comparable (to): AKIN.
49. Keyboard pro: TYPIST. CODER was too short. In my generation women were often discouraged from learning to TYPE,
lest they be pigeon-holed into secretarial jobs. In my case, "Personal
use typing" was the only useful course I took in high school.
50. __ out a living: EKES.
52. Food truck fare: TACOS.
53. Sing like a bird: TRILL. Here is violinist Itzhak Perlman playing the 4th movement of Giuseppi Tartini'sViolin Sonata in G minor, popularly known as The Devil's TRILL ... 54. Give: YIELD.
58. Home to more than half of the world's population: ASIA. Also frequently living in crossword puzzles. We never get clues for where the other half lives.
59. "Criminal Minds" org.: FBI. Criminal Minds is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis.
The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally
concluded on February 19, 2020, but it was revived in 2022. It follows a
group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit
(BAU), using behavioral analysis and profiling to investigate crimes
and find the unsub (unknown subject), the team's term for perpetrators.
The show tells the story of the team as they work various cases and
tackle their personal struggles.
60. Nest egg letters: IRA.
61. Purse: BAG. Just last week we started taking our own BAGS to buy groceries, as Baltimore County is now charging 5 cents a pop for every bag the grocer must supply.
62. Train unit: CAR.
63. Camping apparel retailer: REI. Recreational Equipment, Inc., doing business as REI,
is an American retail and outdoor recreation services corporation. It
is organized as a consumers' co-operative. REI sells camping gear,
hiking, climbing, cycling, water, running, fitness, snow, travel
equipment, and men, women and kids clothing. It also offers services
such as outdoor-oriented vacations and courses.
Cheers, Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
Postlude to last week -- Some of this was covered in a comment Nina (inanehiker) made last week, but as this had already been written by then, and it is tangentially related to today's theme ๐ ...
So what brought Nina to D.C. on October 26? She didn't come specifically to see Teri and I, but rather to attend the *Marine Corps Marathon, which her husband and one of her sons
were both running in on October 29. Nina was flying out separately
and arriving few days early so she reached out to us to see if we could
meet. Which we could, and so the three of us had a wonderful time
visiting the National Gallery of Art and getting to know one another. And the icing on the cake was that my son and his nephew
also happened to be running in the Marine Corps Marathon! And all
four finished! Here's my son's medallion. He said it was heavy ...
... but not as heavy as the 45 lbs. of firefighter gear that Andrew Altman Sr carried in memory of Rodney W. Pitts III and Dillon Rinaldo,
two firefighters from Baltimore who died fighting a fire just 4 minutes
from our home. Coincidentally, while the race was underway my son came
up behind Andrew and recognizing his firefighter gear asked if he could take a picture ...
The TENOR of a situation can also refer to the general conditions or attitude present,
9D. *Symphonic composition that evokes another art form: TONE POEM. A piece of orchestral music, typically in one movement, on a descriptive or rhapsodic theme, intended to evoke vivid imagery. TONE can also refer to the general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc.
33. *Wig adhesive: SPIRIT GUM. A quick-drying solution of gum, chiefly used by actors to attach false hair to their faces. SPIRIT can also refer to those qualities regarded as forming the definitive or typical elements in the character of a person, nation, or group or in the thought and attitudes of a particular period.
37D. *Accessory that changes color: MOOD RING. A finger ring that contains a thermochromic element, or "mood stone", that changes colors based on the temperature of the finger of the wearer. Finger temperature, as long as the ambient temperature is relatively constant, is significantly determined by peripheral blood flow, which, presumably, is modulated by the autonomic nervous system. A mood ring contains liquid crystals that change color depending on the temperature. MOOD can also relate to a state of mind or being.
And the unifier -- 7D. Layer in which space stations orbit Earth, and what the answers to the starred clues literally have?: UPPER ATMOSPHERE. A collective term that refers to various layers of the atmosphere of the Earth above the troposphere and corresponding regions of the atmospheres of other planets. Read about it here. The troposphere is the lowest layer, containing 75% of total atmospheric mass. It is where most weather happens. ATMOSPHERE can also relate to the pervading tone or mood of a place, situation, or work of art.
Hi, Gang, JazzBumpa here to gauge the collective mode here at the Corner. Don't feel bad it you had trouble sussing today's theme. It's clever, subtle, and actually on the abstract side. But I didn't let it spoil my mood. I appealed to my fellow bloggers, and they figured it out for me. Thanks, guys! The definition I found for ATMOSPHERE actually uses some of the words in the theme fill, so this theme is really solid.
Also, when the theme is presented vertically, there is usually a related gimmick. Here it is the word UPPER, indicating the the meaningful part of the theme fill will be located high in the vertical position - the first word of the two word fill. Really well done.
Let's check out the rest of the puzzle.
Across
1. Keep an eye on: WATCH. Observe carefully.
6. Early riser?: SUN. It's always up at the crack of dawn.
9. Folded fare: TACOS. Meal in a hard corn flour shell.
14. Vegan beauty brand: AVEDA. Maker of hair and skin care products.
15. Tax pro: CPA. Certified Public Accountant.
16. Surname of Bo and Sunny: OBAMA. Bo, a male Portuguese water dog was a family pet of the Obama's from 2009 until it died in 2017. Sunny, a female of the same breed, joined the family in 2013.
17. "Despacito" singer Luis: FONSI. Luis Alfonso Rodrรญguez Lรณpez-Cepero (b. 1978), known by his stage name Luis Fonsi, is a Puerto Rican singer. He is known for his soulful and dance oriented songs.
Take it slow
18. Tablet download: APP. Short for APPLICATION - a functional program for the device.
19. Taking a personal day, say: NOT IN. Away from the job or office.
20. Cube root of eight: TWO. 2x2x2 = 8.
21. When an album drops, e.g.: RELEASE DATE. The date on which it is available for purchase or distribution.
24. 46-Down Emmy winner Gilda: RADNER. Gilda Susan Radner (1946 –1989) was an American actress, comedian, writer, and singer. Radner was one of the seven original cast members of the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players" on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from its inception in 1975 until her departure in 1980. In her routines on SNL, she specialized in parodies of television stereotypes, such as advice specialists and news anchors. In 1978, Radner won an Emmy Award for her performances on the show. She also portrayed those characters in her highly successful one-woman show on Broadway in 1979. Radner's SNL work established her as an iconic figure in the history of American comedy.
26. Divest of wrapping paper, perhaps: OPEN. As birthday or Christmas presents.
27. Decongest: UNCLOG. Open a drain pipe or nasal passage.
29. "°Hasta luego!": ADIOS. Later, alligator.
31. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" actress Little __: NELL. Laura Elizabeth Campbell (b. 1953) better known as Nell Campbell or by her stage name Little Nell, is an Australian actress, singer, and former club owner. She is best known for her role as Columbia in the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and the original stage play from which it was adapted.
32. Far from fresh: STALE. As defined.
33. Spot for a soak: SPA. A mineral spring considered to have health-giving properties, or a location or a facility offering something similar.
36. Big goal: DREAM. A cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal.
38. "I wonder ... ": HMM. Used to express reflection or hesitation.
39. Clean a spill: MOP UP. Wipe liquid away from a surface with something absorbent.
41. Taking a personal day, say: OFF. Away from the job or office. Look - a clecho!
42. Pungent bulb: ONION. An edible bulb with a pungent taste and smell, composed of several concentric layers, used in cooking.
44. Dig up: MINE. To dig holes in the ground in order to find and obtain coal, diamonds, etc.
45. Chicken homes: COOPS. Cages or pens for confining poultry.
46. Street __: SMARTS. The experience and knowledge necessary to deal with the potential difficulties or dangers of life in an urban environment.
48. Edamame units: PODS. Long, narrow, flat parts of some plants, such as beans and peas, that contain the seeds and usually have a thick skin
49. Food word that is plural in Italian but singular in English: PANINI. Over there, more than one piece or loaf of bread. Over here, a sandwich, usually toasted, made from Italian bread
51. Chad Michael Murray teen drama set in North Carolina: ONE TREE HILL. One Tree Hill is an American drama television series created by Mark Schwahn, which ran from 2003 until 2012. The show is set in the fictional town of Tree Hill in North Carolina and initially follows the lives of two half-brothers, Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan Scott (James Lafferty), who compete for positions on their school's basketball team and the drama that ensues from the brothers' romances.
54. Brief "I can't unhear that": TMI. Too Much Information. Not on my need-to-know list.
57. Rock icon Smith who wrote the memoir "Just Kids": PATTI. Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith (b. 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses.
Over 9 minutes - you have been warned
58. Crossed (out): X-ED. Deleted. To show (something written) to be no longer valid by drawing a cross over or a line through it.
59. Golden beer: LAGER. A beer (such as a bock or pilsner) that is brewed at cool temperatures by slow fermentation with a slow-acting yeast. Lagers tend to have a lighter, clearer appearance than ales with a usually lower alcohol content and slightly higher sugar content. The yeast used to ferment lager is often referred to as "bottom-fermenting" since it does not rise to the top of the brewing vessel during fermentation.
61. Scandal-plagued energy company: ENRON. Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. It was founded by Kenneth Lay in 1985 as a merger between Lay's Houston Natural Gas and InterNorth, both relatively small regional companies. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 20,600 staff and was a major electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper company, with claimed revenues of nearly $101 billion during 2000. Fortune named Enron "America's Most Innovative Company" for six consecutive years. At the end of 2001, it was revealed that Enron's reported financial condition was sustained by an institutionalized, systematic, and creatively planned accounting fraud, known since as the Enron scandal. Enron has become synonymous with willful corporate fraud and corruption.
62. Is for you?: ARE. Second person, present tense, both singular and plural form of the verb "to be."
63. Upscale Honda: ACURA. Acura is the luxury and performance division of Japanese automaker Honda, based primarily in North America. The brand was launched on March 27, 1986, marketing luxury and performance automobiles. Acura sells cars in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, and Kuwait.
64. "Nothing __!": DOING. There is no prospect of success or agreement.
65. Shirt size: Abbr.: MED. Medium.
66. Country on the Gulf of Aden: YEMEN. Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. It is located in the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast. It shares maritime borders with Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia.
Down:
1. Drift on the breeze: WAFT. As a pleasant odor, perhaps from baked goods.
2. Declare openly: AVOW. Or AVER - always need perps
4. Items in jewel cases: CDS. Compact Discs - storage media for recorded music or data.
5. Coif: HAIR DO. A hairstyle, hairdo, haircut or coiffure refers to the styling of hair, usually on the human head but sometimes on the face or body. The fashioning of hair can be considered an aspect of personal grooming, fashion, and cosmetics, although practical, cultural, and popular considerations also influence some hairstyles. What then is a hair don't?
6. Beaufort __: SCALE. The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale.
8. Cabbage in baechu kimchi: NAPA. Napa cabbage is a type of Chinese cabbage originating near the Beijing region of China that is widely used in East Asian cuisine. Since the 20th century, it has also become a widespread crop in Europe, the Americas and Australia. In much of the world, it is referred to as "Chinese cabbage".
10. Homes: ABODES. Dwellings.
11. Settlement-building game with hexagonal tiles: CATAN. Catan, previously known as The Settlers of Catan or simply Settlers, is a multiplayer board game designed by Klaus Teuber. It was first published in 1995 in Germany by Franckh-Kosmos Verlag as Die Siedler von Catan.
12. Exclude: OMIT. Leave out or ignore.
13. Levelheaded: SANE. Rational.
22. Lang. of Canada: ENG. The English Language, spoken if parts of Can.
23. Planter contents: SOIL. Dirt. I can dig it.
25. Penne __ vodka: ALLA. Penne alla vodka is a pasta dish made primarily with vodka and penne pasta (or similar shapes such as rigatoni), usually accompanied with heavy cream, crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce, onions, and sometimes small meats and vegetables like sausage, pancetta or peas. The pure alcohol apparently helps intensify and accentuate flavors in the dish, among other claims.
27. Back up, on a PC: UNDO. Not back up, as to make a reserve copy, but to reverse and erase characters while typing at the keyboard, or negate some operation.
28. Foam toy brand: NERF. Nerf is a toy brand formed by Parker Brothers and currently owned by Hasbro. Most of the toys are a variety of foam-based weaponry, with other Nerf products including balls for sports such as American football, basketball, and baseball. Their best known toys are their dart guns (referred to by Hasbro as "blasters") that shoot ammunition made from "Nerf foam" (partially reticulated polyether type polyurethane foam). Their primary slogan, introduced in the 1990s, is "It's Nerf or Nothin'!". Annual revenues under the Nerf brand are approximately US$400 million
30. 2017 Kendrick Lamar album: DAMN. The fourth studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, dropped on April 14, 2017. DAMN received widespread critical acclaim, with many naming the album one of the best albums of 2017 and the decade.
32. Endorse as a couple, in slang: SHIP. To take an interest in or hope for a romantic relationship between (fictional characters or famous people), whether or not the romance actually exists. I'm guessing this is derived from relationship, but -- who knows? I don't have that kind of street smarts.
34. Fourth-down play: PUNT. In American football, kicking the football away to the opposing team in an attempt to give them worse field position. This is done when it is unlikely to achieve a first down - the next short term goal of the team with the ball.
35. Bonobos, e.g.: APES. Large primates that lack a tail, including the gorilla, chimpanzees, orangutan, gibbons and certain British Bishops. The bonobo, also historically called the pygmy chimpanzee, is an endangered great ape and one of the two species making up the genus Pan (the other being the common chimpanzee.)
40. Country northeast of 66-Across: OMAN. Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located in West Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of the Persian Gulf. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, while sharing maritime borders with Iran and Pakistan. The capital and largest city is Muscat.
43. Bouquet: NOSE. Aroma, such as one that might waft, or more likely from a bottle of wine.
45. "The fabric of our lives," per an ad slogan: COTTON. Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus Gossypium in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor percentages of waxes, fats, pectins, and water.
It's fun to play
It is a curious fact of the music world that marches written for fairs and expositions almost always fade into oblivion. Two notable exceptions are Sousa’s “King Cotton” and “The Fairest of the Fair.” The former was written for the Cotton States and International Exposition of 1895, and the latter for the Boston Food Fair of 1908.
Sousa and his band had great drawing power at fairs and expositions and were much sought after. But officials of the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta attempted to cancel their three-week contract with the Sousa Band because of serious financial difficulties. At Sousa’s insistence they honored their contract, and at the first concert they became aware of their shortsightedness. Atlanta newspapers carried rave reviews of the band’s performances.
"Sousa’s march, “King Cotton,” has proved a winner. It has been heard from one end of Dixie to the other and has aroused great enthusiasm and proved a fine advertisement for the Exposition."
The Sousa Band did indeed bring the exposition “out of the red,” and the same officials who had tried to cancel Sousa’s engagement pleaded with him to extend it. “King Cotton” was named the official march of the exposition, and it has since become one of the perennial Sousa favorites.
-- From notes to the video
46. NBC show with Punkie Johnson: SNL. Saturday Night Live.
47. "A Few Figs From Thistles" writer: MILLAY. Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892 – 1950) was an American lyrical poet and playwright. Millay was a renowned social figure and noted feminist in New York City during the Roaring Twenties and beyond. Millay won the 1923 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her poem "Ballad of the Harp-Weaver"; she was the first woman and second person to win the award. In 1943, Millay was the sixth person and the second woman to be awarded the Frost Medal for her lifetime contribution to American poetry. Millay's 1920 collection A Few Figs From Thistles drew controversy for its exploration of female sexuality and feminism. She was promiscuous and bisexual before it was cool.
48. __ dish: PETRI. A Petri dish is a shallow transparent lidded dish that biologists use to hold growth medium in which cells can be cultured,
50. Helped: AIDED. Assisted or abetted, depending on what was attempted.
51. Piece with a view: OP-ED. An opinionated article printed opposite to the editorial page.
52. Prefix with bot: NANO. Nano is a unit prefix meaning one billionth. Used primarily with the metric system, this prefix denotes a factor of 10⁻⁹ or 0.000000001. Nanobots are the object of an emerging technology field creating machines or robots whose components are at or near the scale of a nanometer.
53. LSAT, e.g.: EXAM. An examination or test is an educational assessment intended to measure a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics. The Law School Admission Test is a standardized test administered by the Law School Admission Council for prospective law school candidates.
55. Only: MERE. That is solely or no more or better than what is specified.
56. Country north of 40-Down: IRAN. Iran, also known as Persia and officially as the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea and Turkmenistan to the north, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east.
60. Pro: ACE. An expert in some activity or endeavor.
Thus endeth another Wednesday. We had some fun music and a middle-eastern geography lesson. So it's all good and the atmospheric conditions should be quite positive.
.jpg)
_(cropped).jpg)
