And the missing clue/solve: "Predetermined criterion on the basis of which a particular piece of information is disclosed to an Orthopedist?"KNEED TO KNOW
Chairman Moe, here, blogging his first Gary Larson puzzle. I'll admit, this had me crouched down, and kneeding to know more information as I solved the grid; which I did in a mediocre time, and with several write-overs. But once I saw how the "SPECIAL" K fit, I was just like MAN O' WAR (42 down: Thoroughbred grandfather of Seabiscuit), and off to the races. Gary cleverly placed the letter K in front of common phrases beginning with the letter N to create a solvable pun; subtle, and hence, the nuance.
Some examples:
18 across. *Maximum number of jousters allowed in a Ren faire tournament?: KNIGHT CAP / NIGHTCAP. A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire ( Ren faire) or Renaissance festival is similar to a county fair, but set in period resembling Old England. These faires appear in several states, (we have one here in Gold Canyon, AZ) and amuse the guests and visitors by taking them back in time, and replicating the events of that era. Period costumes, arts and crafts, music, theater, food, and of course, the knight's jousting tournament, are all part of the fun.
Kind of like this:
So, a KNIGHT CAP is the limit of how many "knights" can perform at the Ren faire. A NIGHTCAP, OTOH, is a drink that I, and I'm sure Tinbeni, enjoy most evenings, sans ICE. (38 down, Bar staple)
37 across. *One who really, really knows how to spin a yarn?: KNITWIT. I filled in this clue last, as the perp with 25 down, Supplemental health insurance: MEDIGAP, had me flummoxed. Almost as if I were the NITWIT! And knot to knitpick, but of all the K-puns, this was my least fave ... but my alter ego liked it, as you'll see further down the blog
61 across. *Excelled at filling in historical timelines?: KNEW YEARS / NEW YEAR'S. This one was quite clever, I thought. And to prove my point, as I prepared to blog this puzzle, I went to OneLook.com, which is for all intents and purposes, a cruciverbalist's must go to spot for finding synonyms and phrases. I looked at words starting with "kn", and phrases starting with "n", and then comparing ones that could fit this scheme. There weren't a plethora
3 down. *Tree trunk?: KNOT HOME / NOT HOME. Very good misdirected clue, and again, a clever use of the "special" K. As I was starting to solve, I began in the NW corner, so 3 down was an early fill. Of course it was one of several "write-overs" as I incorrectly guessed KNOTHOLE. It took me awhile before seeing the "theme".
I never owned a boat, but some of the boat owners I know, and those I don't, are quick with their wit, too:
And, of course, the unifier: 39 down Total alternative ... and a feature of the answers to starred clues?: SPECIAL K. Ahh, another play-on-words! Total. As in the breakfast cereal. I am 99.9% certain that there are those who frequent this blog, who remember the Special K commercials. Or, their witty little jingle:
"K E DOUBLE L! O DOUBLE GOOD! KELLOGS, BEST TO YOU!"
One of the first "low fat / calorie conscious" breakfast foods advertised.
This was one of a few spots that aired on TV, back in the '70's:
Of course, the Kellogs reference made me think of a former Moe-ku:
Snap, Crackle, and PopShall we go ahead and explore the rest of the verbs and "knouns"???
Strangled Tony the Tiger.
Are they cereal killers?
Across:
1. Twinings product: PEKOE. PEKOE is not a tea. Pekoe is a grading system, and refers to teas picked as 2 leaves and a bud. OP, or Orange Pekoe, is a full-leaf tea with no tip or buds. FOP, or Flowery Orange Pekoe, has a longer leaf than an OP and has some buds. Grading systems vary with the tea, so PEKOE does not refer to all tea grades. As a rule, the more whole the leaf is and the more buds it contains, the higher the grade of tea.
I did not know this ...
6. Spare tire: FLAB. Interesting that spare tires in cars used to be "full-sized", and could be rotated on the wheels, regularly. Now, most cars have a spare tire that is meant to be used only in an emergency, and for travel of less than 50 miles. It's generally, referred to as a "donut". I wonder if the "spare tire: flab" correlation came about when vehicle's spares were called donuts?
10. Market aggressively: PUSH. I dunno why the first thought that came into mind, was this. Please don't click the link if you are averse to a bit of cussing, but if you're a fan of the '70's band Steppenwolf, go right ahead
14. Immortal Detroit sportscaster Harwell: ERNIE. Wikipedia. As well as a brief clip of his radio voice and catch-phrases. Maybe JazzBumpa can add to this?
15. Yarn: TALE. Clecho, perhaps? See 37 across ...
16. Wild about: INTO.If I am "wild about" someone, or something, I am also INTO them/it
17. One of 26 in the Maldives: ATOLL.
20. Not touch: LET BE. Maybe a stretch, clue-wise. Is "leave alone" perhaps better?
21. Entomologist's tool: NET. As in catching a butterfly, perhaps?
22. Old enough: OF AGE. So what age is exactly of, of? 16 to drive a vehicle in most states; 18 to vote and enlist in the military; 21 to drink alcohol, and I presume, use recreational marijuana in those states that allow
23. Honker in old comedy films: HARPO. Arthur "Harpo" Marx was an American comedian, actor, mime artist, and musician, and the second-oldest of the Marx Brothers. He thrived on doing mime, but was neither deaf nor dumb. Born: November 23, 1888, New York, NY Died: September 28, 1964, Los Angeles, CA. He also played the harp.
25. Unsubstantial: MEAGER. Most people today would consider the Special K breakfast of the 1970's to be MEAGER
26. "Silent All These Years" singer Tori: AMOS. Tori AMOS is a current crossword staple. First or last name. Maybe mid-last century, the crossword staple clue for AMOS might have been: "partner of radio voice, 'Andy'"
28. Radiate: EXUDE. Wonder what percent of crossword entries with the letter "X" are preceded by the letter "E"?
31. Minus: LESS. More, or less
32. Put down: DEMEAN. Ray-O-Sunshine, if you stop by today, please offer a good play-on-words to this, as well as any others. I like your puns!
34. Step on it: PEDAL. As in "PEDAL to the metal" - a reference to "flooring" the gas pedal in a car
36. United: ONE. Again, my weird brain (CED you have company!) was steered to an airline reference. Good read for knowing which routes on the major carriers use Flight #1
39. Chic retreat: SPA. As opposed to a "chick" retreat
42. "Uh-oh. Better get ... " collision repair company: MAACO. MAACO Collision Repair & Auto Painting is an American franchisor of auto painting and collision repair shops based in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was founded in 1972 by Anthony A. Martino and Daniel I. Rhode
43. Showed surprise: GASPED.
45. Rum-soaked cake: BABA. "BABA Blackbeard, have you any rum?"
48. High-scoring club?: MENSA. Another good mis-direction. I was first thinking QUEEN, as the other high-scoring clubs have four or fewer letters. The high scoring clubs:
50. Suds: HEAD. As in beer or ale or stout. Having a good "HEAD" in a mug/glass of beer is essential, as it actually reduces the amount of effervescence, and won't bloat you as much. Pour the beer down the center of the glass and give it a decent HEAD
51. Urgent order: AT ONCE. "STAT", maybe?
53. Fiber-__ cable: OPTIC. Fiber-optic cable appears similar to an electrical cable, but contains one or more optical fibers that are used to carry light. Applications for this cable include long distance telecommunication, and high-speed data connection between different parts of a building
55. Sportscast embellishment: COLOR. ERNIE Harwell was certainly a "COLOR-ful" announcer, but his partner in the booth is often referred to as the "COLOR" commentator. Two of the more famous "COLOR" commentators are seen in this video
56. Trifle: SOU. Also a kind of currency
58. Poppy product: OPIUM. All you need to know
63. Wolfgang Puck chain: SPAGO. The word "spago" is Italian for "string" or "twine." The plural would be "spaghi," which is the beginning of "spaghetti," and suggests that pasta is on the menu. Again, I did not know this
64. Trillion: Pref.: TERA. for the geeks out there. A history of the rise of computer hard drive capacity over time (1980-2020)
65. It's often steamed: RICE. Moe-ku 2 (for our SE Texas viewers):
Houston undergrads
Got a huge tuition hike.
I hear they are steamed
66. What Ma knows well: CELLO. Yo Yo Ma. Famous cellist. Another playful crossword clue/solve staple
67. Baking soda target: ODOR. A key ingredient in deodorants; we also keep an open box of it in the refrig to control odors there
68. Word of woe: ALAS. Word of MOE? See 37 across
69. "The Kominsky Method" co-star: ARKIN. Alan Arkin. The show is on Netflix. Never seen it
Down:
1. Toll: PEAL. As in a bell toll; not a turnpike fare
2. Deco master: ERTE. Roman Petrovich Tyrtov was a Russian-born French artist and designer known by the pseudonym Erté, from the French pronunciation of his initials. (November 23, 1892, Saint Petersburg, Russia - April 21, 1990, Cochin Hospital, Paris, France).Nickname: R.T.
4. Primer type: OIL BASE. Water based primer versus oil based primer paint. Basically the difference between the two primers is: Water based primer is for acrylic or latex paints and oil based primer is for enamel paints. ... Enamel is hardier so surfaces that require heavy traffic or exposure to the elements are usually painted in enamel.
5. Sushi bar supplier: EELER. Hmm ... not "crabbing", but I think most sushi bars get their seafood from a food/fish distributor
6. Ky. army post: FT KNOX. The Army OCS (Officer Candidate School) was offered and held at this Fort in the mid-1960's. Those who passed could truly say they survived the school of hard KNOX
7. Country __: LANE. Lots of four letter possibilities with the word "Country". CLUB, MILE, FOLK, WIDE, ROAD, TOWN, et al
8. Touched down: ALIT. Not exactly how space crafts "touched down" during the early NASA years
9. Ask to be excused, with "off": BEG. I'd much rather BEG for forgiveness than ask for permission
10. Hidden danger: PITFALL. Moe-ku #3:
The Oboe player
Tripped during the opera;
Was there a PITFALL?
11. Set free: UNCAGE. See the happy hens in 39 across photo
12. Puts on: STAGES. I had ADORNS first go around
13. Ones who never lose faith: HOPERS. There is always one squirrelly clue/solve in every puzzle. This is it!
19. Manual weed whacker: HOE. Actually, if it would fit, for me it's my right hand ... that's MY manual weed whacker
24. George Eliot, e.g.: PEN NAME. Also Known As: Mary Ann Evans. (33 down: Dossier letters)AKA
26. Brouhaha: ADO. Only on a Friday would "brouhaha" be used as a clue! Moe-ku #4:
The Craft Beer owner
Had a laughing fit, and caused
A big brouhaha
27. "Of Mice and __": MEN. Steinbeck Novella about displaced migrant workers during the Great Depression
29. Kate on the cover of Vanity Fair's 100th anniversary issue: UPTON. Splynter had his stockings/nylons. C Moe has his jeans!
30. Wet blanket: DEW. I love this clue! I was thinking of a word related to party pooper; instead, the wet blanket was morning wetness on the grass. Even here in the desert SW, we can see a "wet blanket" in the morning, on the lawns in our neighborhood
35. __ discount: AT A. I was brought up never to pay retail, if you can help it
40. Wasabi-coated snack: PEA. Wasabi peas are green peas that have been roasted and coated in a mixture of starch, sugar, salt, oil and wasabi. They may also contain artificial coloring, depending on the brand. Wasabi itself is a form of the horseradish plant grown in Japan
41. Recipe verb: ADD. I am constantly adding things to my food before and while it's cooking. Lots of favorite spices; Za'atar is perhaps my favorite
44. Amazon, for one: SHIPPER. Does Amazon compensate for late delivery? So what compensation can someone expect to receive from Amazon for a delivery that has missed it's guaranteed delivery date? ... $5 Amazon credit. Free month of Amazon Prime + 30% refund of the order. 4 late deliveries lead to free month of Amazon Prime, $30 credit, one $15 item for free. I guess they mean business
45. __ basics: BACK TO. Another solve that could have multiple clues. BACK TO: the future; back(s); front; roots; the drawing board; et al
46. Made up (for): ATONED. See 9 down. I've ATONED many things in my life
47. Short jacket: BOLERO. Part of a Torero's outfit
49. Drunks: SOUSES. Despite my Nightcaps, I am not a drunk. And I never drive a vehicle after imbiding
52. Shout: CRY.
54. Teatro Costanzi premiere of 1900: TOSCA. Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome in January, 1900.
56. Yacht outing: SAIL. SAIL can be either a noun or a verb
57. Whale also called a blackfish: ORCA. Shamu is perhaps the most famous
59. Not-cute fruit: UGLI. Don't judge the book by its cover ...
60. Night light: MOON. Put in NEON on the first go around
62. Stretch often named for a music genre: ERA. As in the Jazz ERA
That's all, and there's no MOE!
The Grid:
