Tuesday, January 10, 2023

Matt Jones’s Jonesin’ Crossword, “23 and Me” – Erin’s write-up

Jonesin’ solution 1/10/23

Hello lovelies! Last week Matt reviewed 2002. This week he rings in 2023 with a 23-themed grid:

• 17a. [MVP of Super Bowl XXIII (23)] JERRY RICE
• 29a. [Early 1900s “King of Broadway” whose musical “Little Johnny Jones” is credited with popularizing “23 skidoo”] GEORGE M. COHAN
• 37a. [His jersey #23 was retired by two NBA teams (even though he never played for one of them)] MICHAEL JORDAN
• 46a. [“Quiz Show” actor whose character reels off “23”-based facts before a pivotal scene] JOHN TURTURRO
• 60a. [Comedian and star of the 2007 thriller “The Number 23”] JIM CARREY

I would have loved to see at least one women in the theme entries, such as former star of the Minnesota Lynx, #23 Maya Moore. She won several championships, Olympic gold, WNBA Rookie of the Year, and regular and All-Star MVP awards. Moore now focuses her time on criminal justice reform.

Other things:

• 1a. [Don’t hassle the ___”] HOFF. “”Don’t Hassel the Hoff” is the title of entertainer David Hasselhoff’s autobiography.
• 19a. [“Like, run, ___!”] SCOOB. Shaggy’s trying to get his old friend Scooby-Doo away from some villain who is most likely some guy trying to get rich.
• 35d. [Parminder of “ER” and “Bend It Like Beckham”] NAGRA. Her newest show, a drama called “Maternal” that depicts the lives of three woman physicians managing work after childbirth, premieres next week on ITV.

That’s it for today. Until next week!

Gary Larson & Amy Ensz’s Wall Street Journal crossword, “Wurst Case Scenario”—Jim P’s review

Theme: Sausage puns.

Wall St Journal crossword solution · “Wurst Case Scenario” · Gary Larson & Amy Ensz · Tue., 1.10.23

• 17a. [Conversation about a sausage?] FRANK DISCUSSION. A good start.
• 25a. [Foot-long aficionado?] RED HOT LOVER. Hmm. I associate the term “red hots” with the candy more than any sausage.
• 44a. [Unaccounted-for brat?] MISSING LINK. Ah, well. What’s a sausage pun theme without this phrase? But I’d rather see something less predictable like maybe something to do with Linked In?
• 58a. [Starting to grill a wiener?] PUTTING ON THE DOG. Never heard of this phrase. Apparently it means pretending that you’re very stylish or rich.

So I had issues with most of these, so I’d say this theme wasn’t for me so much.

In the fill I liked BEAN BALL and ON COURSE, but I don’t think I’ve ever encountered MAN-YEARS [Workforce units].  Man-hours I’ve heard used plenty, but where would anyone use MAN-YEARS?

My biggest problem though was that SE corner with the two uncommon proper names (MOSS HART [“Winged Victory” playwright] and ELZIE [Popeye creator Segar]), ambiguous clues for HELM and ADZE, and a product whose first letter could be anything if you don’t know it (T/GEL). I ended up with an error because MOSSHAST seemed perfectly plausible with SOIL satisfying the clue for 56d [Muddy up]. All this on a Tuesday. I have no doubt that corner could’ve been made quite a bit fairer with a little more effort.

One other clue of note: 43a. [Science advocate Bill]. NYE. Isn’t it sad that science needs advocates? It’s science, people. We’re dealing with straightforward facts here. It isn’t rocket science. Well, sometimes it is.

2.75 stars.

Drew Schmenner’s Universal Crossword – “Be In Touch” – Matt F’s write up

Universal Solution – 01.09.2023 – “Be In Touch” by Drew Schmenner

In today’s puzzle we have a smattering of BB’s — as the title suggests, they are “B’s in touch.” The theme became apparent pretty early on but I have to give it to the constructor for coming up with a truly excellent reveal at 60A [Flickering … or, read differently, what connects 16-, 20-, 36-, 38- and 50-Across?] = BLINKING (read as B-LINKING). Let’s look at these theme answers:

• 16A [Site with lots of posts?] = JOB BOARD
• 20A [Safari or Chrome] = WEB BROWSER
• 36A [Underworld leader] = MOB BOSS (Ok, was I the only one confused by this clue? [Edit: Yes, yes I was. The “underworld” of organized crime is definitely a thing!] Mob bosses run the underworld?? Underground, maybe… underworld? That’s a stretch.)
• 38A [Mishmash of items] = GRAB BAG
• 50A [Flavorful spread with dill, maybe] = HERB BUTTER

With a whopping 6 (six!) theme answers in this grid, I’m amazed how cleanly this one played. Some of the fill was awkward for me — hello PAEAN — but overall this is a very impressive construction. Mid-length bonuses like DAD BODS, RUN A RISK, BAD EGG, and EAST BAY helped this puzzle shine, along with some clever clues like [Opportunity close to home?] = AT BAT. Great puzzle, Drew!

Emily Rourke’s New York Times crossword—Amy’s recap

NY Times crossword solution, 1 10 23, no. 0110

Today’s theme is anchored by HELLO KITTY, 39a. [Fictional feline from Japan … or how one might greet 17-, 24-, 54- or 65-Across]. Those four are the PINK PANTHER, TONY THE TIGER, the COWARDLY LION, and the CHESHIRE CAT. Cute!

Note that the grid is 16×15 to accommodate a center entry with an even letter count, and to allow space for five long Acrosses.

Three things:

• 15a. [Darling one], MOPPET. A quaint, old word, but doesn’t it generally mean a small child rather than a darling one of unspecified age?
• 30d. [Morse code “morsel”], DAH. Is this actually still in use in the 21st century, this DAH? I learned it from crosswords, not in school, and I can’t imagine others were learning this in school unless they’re over 70.
• 50a. ___ Gay (W.W. II plane)], ENOLA. Aww, man, this old thing? The plane that dropped bombs to kill over 100,000 Japanese civilians, when there are a couple recent Enola Holmes Netflix movies? Enola Holmes 2 was released just two months ago. (Tangent that amused me: “The Conan Doyle Estate filed a lawsuit against Netflix over the film, claiming it violated copyright by depicting Sherlock Holmes as having emotions.”)

3.25 stars from me. Some of the fill (OOO OTT ITT ONO ENO, for example) felt less than ideal for Tuesday solvers.

Elizabeth C. Gorski’s Cr♥ssw♥rd Nation puzzle (Week 606), “Split-Level Home”—Ade’s take

Crossword Nation puzzle solution, Week 606: “Split-Level Home”

Good day, everyone! Hope you are all doing well to start the new week!

We have living spaces featured in the grid, but with a nice twist. The circled letters on five different lines in the grid are separated by black squares, but when combing the letters, they form a word that is a type of room. The black square acts as the word’s divide, and the ROOM entry is the puzzle reveal (25D: [___ divider (residential privacy screen…or the puzzle theme)]).

• • • LEER AT (17A: [Lasciviously]) + TICKETED (18A: [Fined for double parking, say]) = Attic
    • AREA CODE (28A: [Three-digit telephone number starter]) + NAPOLI (31A: [City in southern Italia]) = Den
    • MAKE PAR (37A: [Play as expected, on the golf course]) + LORIMAR (41A: [“The Waltons” production company]) = Parlor
    • RISK IT (46A: [Take a chance]) + CHENILLE (48A: [Grandma’s bedspread fabric]) = Kitchen
    • FREECELL (62A: [Popular solitaire card game on the computer]) + ARCANE (66A: [Obscure]) = Cellar

Grid allowed for a couple of 8-letter clusters in the Northeast and Southwest, and reading BUDAPEST‘s clue doesn’t hurt my curiosity in wanting to head to that city the next time I’m in Europe (6A: [Hungarian capital known as the “Pearl of the Danube”]). Outside of Swiffer, I don’t think I know any other companies known for making mops, so O-CEDAR was definitely new to me (2D: [Maker of mops and brooms]). There’s LORAIN again, making me think once more that Toledo is what I’m looking for after putting in the first O before having to pull back (50D: [Ohio birthplace of Toni Morrison]). Only noticed A HOLE at the end of solving, and now it’s hard to not think of the insult when looking at it instead of the literal way to read it for the clue (36A: [Burn ___ in one’s pocket]). OK, time to wash my mouth and mind with soap right now about.

“Sports will make you smarter” moment of the day: GRIER (43A: [“Jackie Brown” actress Pam]) – There is Black excellence right in the vicinity with ALTHEA Gibson, but the choice today is to highlight not one, but two Black people in upper management in major professional sports. Oh, and they’re brothers! Mike Grier, who was a hockey star at Boston University before going to play more than 1,000 games in the NHL, is currently the general manger of the San Jose Sharks, becoming the first Black GM in NHL history when he was named to the position by his former club last summer. Mike’s older brother, Chris, is currently the general manager of the Miami Dolphins, who just clinched a playoff spot in the NFL postseason this past Sunday and will play the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon in the first round.

Thank you so much for the time, everybody! Have a wonderful and safe rest of your day and, as always, keep solving!

Take care!

Ade/AOK

Wyna Liu’s New Yorker crossword — pannonica’s write-up

New Yorker • 1/10/23 • Tue • Liu • solution • 20230110

Precisely as advertised: a moderately challenging crossword. I particularly noted some novel cluing while solving:

• 10a [Sharpness, of prose or flavor] BITE.
• 34a [Coloring for lips or cheeks] STAIN.
• 2d [Repeated sound in “Silent Night”] LONG I.
• 5d [Low-level access?] PET DOOR.

The LONG I clue isn’t especially novel as a genre, but the misdirection worked very well on me, and this seems the proper context to acknowledge it.

• 17a [Consciously uncouple, say] END IT. Ugh, that notorious phrase.
• 19a [Identity under the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A. + umbrella] AGENDER. 64a [Term of identity added to the O.E.D. in 2022] ENBY.
• 22a [Self-proclaimed title for the Hong Kong calligraphy artist turned folk hero Tsang Tsou-choi] KING OF KOWLOON. Was helpful that I knew Kowloon is a neighborhood in Hong Kong and that in Chinese culture there are frequently designations such as King of … and God of …. Even so, I needed several crossings to complete this entry. Once I did it allowed me to finish the top right section, which was my last of the solve.
• 25a [Martian day] SOL.
• 39a [Itself, in Latin] IPSO. 45a [Of the same form, legally] IN SPECIE.
• 49a [Critical awards-season hashtag] OSCARS SO WHITE. Is that still a thing? I guess we’ll see in a couple of months.
• 57a [Has feelings for, in that way] LIKE LIKES. Interesting answer/clue.
• 63a [Secondary social-media profiles, for short] ALTS. Intuitive, even if it’s new to you.
• 8d [Language suffix] -ESE. I will never not make a languagese joke.
• 10d [Food whose name means “twice-baked”] BISCOTTI. The German version has a similar etymology: zweiback. Also, I encourage folks to try making them at home—they’re easy and very forgiving.
• 33d [One in a commonly confused trio of homophones] THEIR.
• 24d [Inquisitive contraction] WHY’RE. Can’t recall seeing this in a crossword previously.
• 

  ©Borina Olga/Shutterstock

  29d [Hungarian dog breed whose coat resembles a mop] PULI. Its larger cousin is the Komondor. The most common coat color is black, but those in the photograph here are obviously not that.

• 46d [Pointer, or a pointy part of a pointer] CANINE. Clever, but maybe trying too hard?
• 53a [Comedian Izzard who once described the European Union as “the cutting edge of politics, in a very extraordinarily boring way”] EDDIE.

Sara Cantor’s USA Today Crossword, “Breaking Bad” — Sophia’s recap

Editor: Erik Agard
Theme: Each theme answer is surrounded by the string “BAD” – they start with B and end with AD.

USA Today, 01 10 2023, “Breaking Bad”

• 18a [Sweet loaf sometimes made with walnuts] – BANANA BREAD
• 29a [Collectible that jiggles] – BOBBLEHEAD
• 47a [Book enjoyed on a summer vacation] – BEACH READ
• 55a [Single dude’s lair] – BACHELOR PAD

Cute theme! I’ve been meaning to watch the show “Breaking Bad” for about the last 10 years; maybe this puzzle will be the push I need to actually start it. I love all the theme answers that Sara chose, my personal favorite being BEACH READ. It might have been a little more elegant to choose answers that didn’t have A as their second letter as well as their second to last one, but that’s just a nitpick from my constructor brain. It’s way more important to have fun theme answers, and this puzzle has them in spades.

Other notes:

• People who were new to me: [“Squid Game” actress Yoo-mi] for LEE,  [___ Ressa, journalist who co-founded Rappler] for MARIA, [“Lost Boy” singer ___ B.] for RUTH
• All of the big corners in this puzzle are excellent but the best has to be the SIDEBAR/PREGAME/LONG CON stack.
• 62a [Part of a royal flush] is always a funny clue to me because both ends of the royal flush, ten and ACE, have three letters.
• There is nothing I love more in a puzzle than a Frog and TOAD reference.