Kyle returns with another challenging Saturday exercise for us. This is his 14th Saturday puzzle for this reviewer. His stacks of ten took some time and generated a self-inflicted head slaps when they came to me. I will point out my adventures with all of them. Struggling with EXOPLANETS left a big dent in this NASA guy's tete. Mon dieu!
45. Course standards: PARS - My standard is closer to bogeys
46. Ax in a concert hall: EMANUEL - New to me
48. Handout to the hungry: MENU 😀 Gotta love this scene from My Cousin Vinny.
50. Peaked: WAN.
51. Crunchy side: SLAW 😀 Fun once I got it!
53. Roar: BELLOW.
57. God who helps the Trojans in the "Iliad": ARESIf you must...
59. Kerry Washington role: OLIVIA POPE.
61. Lo-cal: LITE.
62. Warhol, Johns, et al.: POP ARTISTS - Andy and Jasper
63. Finishing: LAST - I'll use this as a reason to post one of my favorite instrumentals
64. Correct: EMEND - A nice mnemonic
65. Try: TEST.
Down:
1. Some biotech products: GMOS - Genetically Modified OrganismS
The answer is D
2. Bluster: RANT.
3. "... against __ of troubles": Hamlet: A SEA - These words are surely among the most famous in the English language and remind me of our friend Jeffery Wechsler
4. Table cloth?: NAPKIN.
5. Taylor Swift hit with the lyric "You put me on and said I was your favorite": CARDIGAN - Perhaps less well known than Hamlet's soliloquy.
6. Duke's conf.: ACC.
7. Cows and sows: SHES.
8. Hebrew Bible: Var.: TANACH - An alternate spelling
24. Namesake of a famous alum, perhaps: DORM - Morey Hall was my college DORM and it was named for a former president, Victor Morey. It was old in 1964 and is still being used in sixty years later.
26. Many an oil-rich ruler: EMIR.
27. Zany: OFF THE WALL 😜 Robin Williams comes to my mind
28. Grammy-winning Santana song co-written by Wyclef Jean: MARIA MARIA.
29. Subjects that may be studied for life: EXOPLANETS - These are planets in orbit around stars other than ours. Are we alone? Fermi's Paradox
31. Stow away: STASH.
34. Individual account?: CENSUS 😀
37. Angels Landing's national park: ZION 😲
38. Don't just stand there: ROAM.
39. Duck, perhaps: GAME BIRD 😀
44. Course with gates: SLALOM.
45. Stand in church: PULPIT. 😀
47. Choose a running mate?: ELOPE. 😀
49. In a glass by itself: NEAT -😀 No ice for our Tinbeni
52. Erase: WIPE and 54. Get rid of: LOSE.
55. Goes (for): OPTS.
56. "La fanciulla del __": Puccini opera: WEST - The Girl Of The Golden West he wrote in Italy. It was his first opera that premiered in America. The story of this work. BTW, he wrote Madam Butterfly having never been in Japan.
Thanks, again, Lisa for your help a couple of weeks ago.
This week, however, you may be missing the mark.
Good Morning, Cruciverbalists. Malodorous Manatee here from the land of frozen (and decidedly not warm) waters to bring you today's recap. Our puzzle setter is Emma Oxford and, at four places within the grid, she has provided us with amusing takes on familiar two-letter abbreviations. Let's take a look:
18 ACROSS: Big bash honoring detectives?: PI DAY CELEBRATION. PI DAY comes on March 14th of each year because 3 can stand for March the value of Pi (the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter) is roughly 3.14. In this case, however, P.I. is referring to Private Investigator. PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR DAY CELEBRATION.
27 ACROSS: Take steps to prevent patients leaving mid-appendectomy?: FIGHT OR FLIGHT. We are all, of course, familiar with the FIGHT OR FLIGHT response but, in the puzzle, O.R. is used as the abbreviation for Operating Room. FIGHT OPERATING ROOM FLIGHT.
47 ACROSS: Certain facial recognition pro?: THE WIZARD OF ID. The WIZARD OF ID is a cartoon strip by Parker and Hart. In this answer, though, the reference is to identification as in (e.g.) I.D. Card. THE WIZARD OF IDENTIFICATION.
The Wizard of ID
63 ACROSS: Really annoy the computer help desk?: TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT. A familiar expression recast as TAKE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TO THE LIMIT.
This is how it appears in the grid:
. . . and here are the rest of the clues and answers:
Across:
1. Chasm: ABYSS.
6. Every which way: AMOK. A little bit of a stretch definition-wise.
10. Worry about: SWEAT. Both FRET and STEW were too short.
15. "Better in Time" singer Lewis: LEONA. This could have been clued with a reference to the Queen Of Mean - LEONA Hemsley.
16. Placemat, in some restaurants: MENU. Serving double duty.
17. Shelf: LEDGE.
21. Running wild: ON A TEAR.
22. Try and fail to walk on ice: SLIP. Thanks for the reminder to put on those cleats.
23. __-Magnon: CRO. What did CRO-Magnons call Rock, Paper, Scissors? Rock.
24. Rock gp. sometimes joined by Young: CSN. More abbreviations.
25. Signifies: MEANS. MEAN sure does have a lot of meanings.
67. Home of the Blue Devils: DUKE. DUKE University.
68. "Into the Woods" song sung by two princes: AGONY. Last week, I went from AGONY to ecstasy in a span of a few days. At this rate, I’ll finish reading the dictionary in a month or so.
69. [I have no idea]: SHRUG.
70. Missouri River Native: OTOE. Frequent visitors.
71. Pick up: SENSE.
Down:
1. Pet food brand: ALPO.
2. Form of nonviolent protest: BE IN. The first Human Be-In (get it?) was held in Golden Gate Park in 1967.
3. Jedi voiced by Tom Kane on "The Clone Wars": YODA.
4. Seize: SNATCH. I will not seize the moment, but, rather, let this moment pass.
5. "What __ thou?": SAYEST. SAYEST is an archaic second person singular of say.
6. Pt. of USA: AMER. United States of AMERica
7. First name of two Spice Girls: MEL. MELanie Brown went by the stage name of Scary Spice and MELanie Chisholm went by the name of Sporty Spice.
8. Reflexive pronoun: ONESELF.
9. __ Khan: KUBLAI. Mongol general and grandson of Genghis.
10. Paul Newman hockey film: SLAP SHOT.
11. Sopping: WET.
12. Decree: EDICT.
13. Ancient Greek marketplace: AGORA.
14. Hero in operas, typically: TENOR. See also 52 Down.
19. __ oil: CANOLA. RAPESEED (from which CANOLA oil is made) was more a more difficult name to merchandise.
May the Schwartz Be With You
20. Key spot: RING. Not a reference to something important. Not a reference to a small island.
25. Juilliard deg.: MFA. Master of Fine Arts
27. Gasohol, e.g.: FUEL. A mixture of gasoline and alcohol.
28. Division word: INTO.
29. Yummy: GOOD. Some things do not get better with age:
30. "Sons of Anarchy" actor Perlman: RON.
31. Furthermore: TOO. AND would have fit the allotted space. ALSO would not.
35. Univ. lecturer: PROF. PROFessor
36. iPad speaker: SIRI. "She" speaks out loud. Not the audio speaker built into your iPad.
37. Gridiron unit: YARD. I recently found a round, black piece of plastic with a hole in the middle and grooves on both sides. I picked it up and threw it. It flew for more than 300 yards. I'm sure that must have been a record.
39. Wind up with: NET. If you ever wonder "What's my NET worth?" it's probably less than you paid for it.
40. Getting some air: INHALING. Not out for a walk.
41. "One __ time!": AT A.
42. Foray: SORTIE.
44. Call from a coach: TIMEOUT.
45. Wt. units: OZS. OZ, as the abbreviation for ounce, came from the Italian onza meaning ounce.
48. Coup d'__: ETAT. One of Today's French lessons although thoroughly incorporated into English usage. French for "stroke of state". A coup d'ETAT is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership.
49. Is unacceptable: WON'T DO.
50. Mavericks city: DALLAS. A basketball reference.
51. Do a favor for: OBLIGE. They are then OBLIGatEd to you.
52. Unlikely heroines in operas, typically: ALTOS. See also 14 Down.
53. Get to: REACH. I went to the butchers the other day and I bet him fifty bucks that he couldn't reach the meat on the top shelf. He declined the bet saying, "No, the steaks are too high."
54. Creative sort: MAKER. Earlier in the week this might have been clued as Coffee ______ .
59. Cry of delight: WHEE.
60. "That's my cue!": I"M ON. What are you on, dude?
Today's constructors, Shannon Rapp and Will Eisenberg, remind us that proper diet after vigorous exercise is very important And they point out that protein, one of the key nutrients, will need to be replenished afterwards. And as AMINO ACIDS,
a cruciverbalist's favorite, are the raw material that comprise
proteins I've included a very brief video about the extraordinary
process by which our cells converts them into this essential nutrient
...
Shannon and Will Eisenberg now proceed to use these 4 themers to teach us a little protein metabolism ...
18A. Forward-looking aesthetic of Janelle Monáe and "Black Panther": AFROFUTURISM. Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic, philosophy of science, and history that explores the intersection of the African diaspora
culture with science and technology. It addresses themes and concerns
of the African diaspora through techno-culture and speculative fiction,
encompassing a range of media and artists with a shared interest in
envisioning black futures that stem from Afro-diasporic experiences.
Here's Janelle Monáe's Electric Lady ...
30A. Part of the digestive system: SMALL INTESTINE. It's not as big as the Large intestine, but it's a lot longer ...
37A. Job requirement for some visa holders: WORK PERMIT. In order to be able to work in the U.S. individuals from other countries need to seek employment authorization.
Put another way, foreign nationals need to obtain permission from the
federal government to legally participate in the American economy. Work
authorization refers to a card that authorizes someone who is not a
citizen or a green card holder to lawfully hold a job in the United States. This is also known as a WORK PERMIT or an employment authorization document (EAD)
48. Plant-based remedies, e.g.: HERBAL MEDICINE. Everything you need to know about herbal medicine.
Now I hear you saying "what does that fill have to do with proteins?", but the next clue reveals all ...
64. Post-workout nourishment, and a hint to what can be found in each set of circled letters: PROTEIN SHAKE. Oh! I forgot to mention the circles (but you probably knew that already 😀). And when we light them up we see ...
Since a good workout consumes a lot of protein, we need to replenish it. But we can see that Shannon and Will have SHAKEN the proteins in the circles and so we UN SHAKE them to find ...
1. Outlook alternative: GMAIL. Hand up if you don't use GMAIL?
6. Drum that may accompany a sitar: TABLA. The TABLA is also a solo instrument. Here tabla virtuoso Bickram Ghosh gives us a brief introduction to this remarkable instrument ...
14. "America's Got Talent" judge Klum: HEIDI. Heidi Klum
(pronounced [ˈhaɪdiː ˈklʊm]; born 1 June 1973) is a German and American
model, television host, producer, and businesswoman. She appeared on
the cover of the 1998Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and was the first German model to become a Victoria's Secret Angel.
Heidi Klum
15. Like this answer: ACROSS. Meta clue.
17. Texter's "Didn't need to hear that": TMI.
18. [Theme clue]
20. Siamang or orangutan: APE.
21. Trivial complaint: NIT.
22. Streetcar: TRAM.
23. Speak while flustered, say: STAMMER.
25. Singer India.__: ARIE. India Arie Simpson
(born October 3, 1975), also known as India Arie (sometimes styled as
india.arie), is an American singer and songwriter. Her debut album, Acoustic Soul,
was released in 2001, and she has since released six more studio
albums. Arie has sold over five million records in the US and ten
million worldwide, and has won four Grammy Awards from 23 nominations,
including Best R&B Album. Here's Video from her first album ...
27. Home of the Big 12's Cyclones: AMES. The Iowa State Cyclones are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Iowa State University, located in AMES. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams (6 men's and 10 women's teams) in 12 sports.
29. Military incursions: RAIDS.
30. [Theme clue]
34. Mega- times mega-: TERA. A trillion.
35. Passing comment?: YEA.
36. "Illmatic" rapper: NAS. You can find this album on YouTube.
37. [Theme clue]
42. Dashboard prefix with meter: ODO. Your car's ODOMETER tells you how far you've gone. It usually sits below the SPEEDOMETER, which tells you you're going to fast ...
71. Practice room fodder: ETUDE. Here's Mendelssohn's Etude op. 104b n. 3 played by the great Vladimir Horowitz.
72. Cider mill fixture: PRESS.
Down:
1. Accra's land: GHANA. Accra is the Capital of GHANA situated on the Atlantic Coast of West Africa between The Ivory Coast and Togo.
2. "I'll start!": ME FIRST.
3. TV slot: AIR TIME.
4. Sworn statement?: I DO.
5. Use gym weights: LIFT. Or SING with her friends in the choir. While it might not surprise you that Stella Zawistowski is a chorister, you probably wouldn't pick her out of a crowd as a weight lifter ...
Stella Zawistowski and fellow chorister Stella is the lady on the right
6. Japanese mat: TATAMI.
A tatami (畳) is a type of mat used as a flooring material in
traditional Japanese-style rooms. Tatami are made in standard sizes,
twice as long as wide, about 0.9 metres (3') by 1.8 metres (6')
depending on the region.
Tatami Mats
7. Keen judgment: ACUMEN.
8. "So cold!": BRR.
9. Lane near Kent?: LOIS. In this clip LOIS outsmarts Kent and finds out who he really is ...
10. Aide, for short: ASST.
11. Energizer Bunny's asset: STAMINA.
12. Gets in the way of: IMPEDES.
13. Yacht spots: PIERS.
16. Dapper: SMART.
19. River dividing Eurasia: URAL. This map is a bit dated as the ARAL SEA in the Southeast appears only in crossword puzzles these days ...
Ural River
24. Keep up: MAINTAIN.
26. Far-too-memorable songs: EAR WORMS. One way to get rid of an EAR WORM is to listen to anoher one.
28. Ophthalmologist's concern: STYE. CATARACT wouldn't fit.
31. Part of the Kra-Dai language family: LAO. Three letter fill for a language with no indication of an abbreviation? Perps.
32. Always, in verse: EER.
33. "Veep" actor Richardson: SAM. SAM plays Richard in Veep. Here he gets a promotion ...
38. Molecule preceded by m-, r-, or t-: RNA. An Easter Egg? - the various types of RNA involved in the synthesis of proteins described in the splash screen video above - messenger RNA, ribosomal RNA, and transfer RNA aredescribed in detail.
40. Apple or pear: POME. A POME is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the subtribe Malinae of the family Rosaceae.
Pome fruits consist of a central "core" containing multiple small
seeds, which is enveloped by a tough membrane and surrounded by an
edible layer of flesh.
Pome Fruits
41. Close of business?: INC.
42. Candy bar with an exclamation point: OH HENRY!. I wonder if YAHOO! has ever approached them about becoming a sponsor?
43. Pantheon group: DEITIES. The word, pantheon, derives from Greek πάνθεον pantheon, literally "(a temple) of all gods", "of or common to all gods" from πᾶν pan- "all" and θεός theos "god". The Pantheon is also the name of a former temple in Rome, now the Basilica of St. Mary and the Martyrs.
52. Role for Jason Derulo in 2019's "Cats": RUM TUM TUGGER.
63. British desserts similar to cannoli: BRANDY SNAPS.
41. "Now you're talking!," and what can be said about the
ts of 19-, 25-, 52-, and 63-Across: THATS THE SPIRIT.
That was (hic!) a bit (hic!) of fun, no? (hic!) Let's check the fill...
Across:
1. Range across eight European countries: ALPS. Those countries being France, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia.
5. Plays the kazoo, say: HUMS.
9. Pet also called a rainbow fish: GUPPY. I was thinking a tetra.
14. Look at: VIEW.
15. Best: ONE UP.
17. Really loud: AROAR.
18. "You are something __!": ELSE. The nerve!
19. [See: Theme]
21. Yelp user, e.g.: RATER. Yelp lets users RATE a service. Look at the 3 & 2-star comments to get a better idea. //my $0.02
23. Actor Hemsworth: LIAM.
LIAM
24. "Pagoda Fruit" artist Jean: ARP.
That's a "fruit?"
25. [See: Theme]
29. UPS alternative: DHL. German company founded in 1969 by Americans Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom, and Robert Lynn.
31. Bangs on the head?: HAIR. In the UK, it's called a fringe.
32. Annual awards: NOBELS. I prefer the Ig Nobels.
34. NNW opposite: SSE. North-northwest is opposite south-southeast.
36. Soda brand that turned 125 in 2023: PEPSI.
40. Ranted and __: RAVED.
41. [See: Theme]
44. Boscs and Bartletts: PEARS. Learned this years ago from crosswords.
45. Book list entry: TITLE.
46. San Jose Earthquakes org.: MLS. The Earthquakes are a Major League Soccer team.
47. Some mattresses: SERTAS.
49. Pond organism: ALGA.
51. Variety: ILK.
52. [See: Theme]
59. "More info soon" letters: TBA.
61. FaceTime alternative: ZOOM. Covid put this company on the map.
54. Elixir: TONIC. Add a lime & GIN for a G&T //theme adjacent?
55. Savory flavor: UMAMI. Added to tastes sweet, salty, sour, & bitter in 1907 by Dr. Kikunae Ikeda of Japan after an especially good bowl of miso (er, kombu dashi - aka, seaweed & tofu to us 'Mericans).
56. Judge's hammer: GAVEL.
57. Muse of poetry: ERATO.
58. Sign up for another season: RENEW. I can't tell you how many streaming services we have (no really, I don't know!) and they magically renew.
60. Two chips, say: ANTE. Do Brits sweeten the pot with crisps? ;-)
63. Certain sib: BRO. I have two. And two SISes.
64. Papa: DAD. Pop is the DAD of all five (5) of us.
65. Wasabi-coated snack: PEA.
66. Sellout letters: SRO. Standing Room Only. I've been to a few SRO games; tell you what - even if you had a seat, you'd be standing out of excitement at every pitch.
The Grid:
The Grid
WOs: SWEETie pie
ESPs: SCOTCH BONNET, RUM TUM TUGGER, EVAN Fav: BAR MAGNETS and TONIC are other Easter Eggs.
