Tuesday, July 11, 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matt Jones’s Jonesin’ Crossword, “Both Sides Now” — one side precedes, the other side follows. – Erin’s write-up

Hello lovelies! This week’s Jonesin’ theme contains a side of fun! For each theme phrase, the first words make new phrases when SIDE is added in front, and the second words become new phrases when SIDE is tacked on to the end.

• 17a. [University with a focus on adventurous journeys?] QUEST STATE (SIDE QUEST and STATESIDE)
• 34a. [Potential brand name for a cleaning polish for reflective surfaces?] MIRROR BRIGHT (SIDE MIRROR and BRIGHT SIDE (Or Mr. BRIGHTSIDE if you’re a Killers fan)
• 41a. [Planned undertaking to visit the coast?] PROJECT BEACH (SIDE PROJECT and BEACHSIDE
• 59a. [Nuts about a particular disco dance?] HUSTLE WILD (SIDE HUSTLE and WILD SIDE)

Other things:

• 9d. [Amorphous movie villain] THE BLOB. Each year The Colonial Theater in Phoenixville, PA hosts Blobfest, a weekend full of screening Blob films, food, merchandise, and other blobby fun. This year’s festival is actually this upcoming weekend! https://thecolonialtheatre.com/blobfest/
• 67a. [Fold and press] KNEAD. I had __EA_ and typed in PLEAT without missing a beat. This was, of course, incorrect.
• 45a. [“___ that special?”] ISN’T. I love SNL’s Church Lady.

Until next week!

Landon Horton’s Universal Crossword DEBUT – “Triple Letter S-core” – Matt F’s write up

I didn’t find Landon’s name in the constructor tags, so I’m going to assume this is a print debut! Congratulations on the accomplishment.

This puzzle has a simple conceit, but Landon takes it to another level by anchoring everything around a central block of letters that adds a massive constraint to the grid. The diagonal symmetry certainly helps to “control the chaos” in this one.

Theme Synopsis:

This puzzle is built around a central 3×3 square of S’s. All the words running through the “S-pile” must contain the S-S-S substring, leaving 6 theme answers in very close proximity to each other:

• 33A – [1955 adaptation of “Cinderella”] = THE GLASS SLIPPER
• 38A – [Concert highlight featuring low notes] = BASS SOLO
• 39A – [Slithering reptile with an idiomatic name] = GRASS SNAKE
• 6D – [Device for playing music around the campfire] = WIRELESS SPEAKER
• 21D – [Embroidery style with X’s] = CROSS STITCH
• 25D – [Dietary claim on some chip bags] = LESS SALT

Overall Impressions:

I first noticed long answers running in both directions, with a surprising number of long intersections in the center of the grid… only later in my solve did I fully understand why this was the case. It played more like a themeless,  I think in part because of how densely packed the theme material is, which leaves the corners to kind of stand on their own. An idealist would say that no other S’s should exist outside of the central 9, but that’s a tall ask considering how common the letter is! I’d say clean fill is the top priority, and “less S’s” would be a nice-to-have feature if it works out. Nothing to fret about! The construction is great, the theme is ambitious, and the fill is clean. Can’t ask for much more than that!

Thanks for the puzzle, Landon!

Rebecca Goldstein’s Wall Street Journal crossword, “It’s a Stretch”—Jim’s review

Theme answers are familiar phrases that have a type of cheese (identified by the circled letters) stretched out within. The revealer is CHEESE PULL (58a, [Seductive imagery in pizza ads, represented by the circled letters]).

• 17a. [TV mom played by Florence Henderson] CAROL BRADY. Colby. That was a pretty cheesy TV show, so it’s nice to have a representative here.
• 24a. [Red Cross event] BLOOD DRIVE. Brie.
• 38a. [Feature of a page with lots of views?] EDITORIAL COLUMN. Edam. The only instance where the cheese doesn’t stretch from first letter to last (almost, though).
• 47a. [Embrace one’s inner star] GO FULL DIVA. Gouda. Don’t think I’ve heard the phrase, but it feels legit and it’s quite fun anyway.

Nice theme! I only know the phrase CHEESE PULL from a crossword in the not-too-distant past. I questioned whether it was a real phrase and sure enough, it is. And it makes a great basis for a theme. (Heh. Well, whaddya know. That puzzle was by the same constructor.)

We get four long fill entries today: BATHTUB GIN, “FAR FROM IT,” QUITE SURE, and POKER TELLS. The last one feels a bit green paintish, but the rest are all very nice.

Clue of note: 1a. [Crash sites?]. SOFAS. Good clue, setting the tone for the puzzle.

Nice puzzle. 3.75 stars.

Elizabeth C. Gorski’s Cr♥ssw♥rd Nation puzzle (Week 632), “Working the Angles”—Ade’s take

Hello there, everybody! Wishing you all the best as summer continues to roll along!

It won’t be too long before the start of football season is upon us, and today’s grid takes a football term and turns it into a theme. The across and down answer pair making up each of the four corners of the grid are all words that can come after back, with CORNERBACKS, smack dab in the middle of the grid, acting as the reveal (38A: [Football positions … or an apt description of the puzzle theme]).

• • • • STREET (1A: [Perry Mason’s secretary Della])
      • STROKE (1D: [Golf lesson topic])
      • DROP (10A: [Lemon candy])
      • POCKET (13A: [Pita bread feature])
      • BURNER (50D: [Cheap-and-disposable phone used by a secret agent])
      • SLIDER (70A: [Mini-hamburger])
      • GROUND (44D: [Prevent from taking off, as a flight])
      • DATE (68A: [Sweet tropical fruit])

Only real trouble spot came in that intersection of ASA (53A: [Botanist Gray]) and AMIEL, with the former bailing me out given his appearances in previous crosswords (54D: [“Copycat” director John]). There were still a number of long, non-themed fill that appeared in the grid given the density of the theme, with TOE RING probably standing out the most from the 7-and-8-letter down entries that featured (2D: [Jewelry for a low digit]). We have some answers that will take those who grew up in the 1980s down memory lane, like DEVO (10A: [“Whip It” rock group]) and TOOTIE (14A: [Schoolmate of Blair and Natalie on “The Facts of Life”]). I probably watched more episodes of “The Facts of Life” than I would like to admit … even the Cloris Leachman episodes at the end of the show’s run!

“Sports will make you smarter” moment of the day: ELROY (52D: [“The Jetsons” boy]) – The man who was better known by his nickname, “Crazylegs,” Elroy Hirsch was one of the first star pass catchers in the history of that National Football League. A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection, Hirsch gained his famous nickname for his unorthodox running style, which one sports writer wrote that “he ran like a demented duck,” In 1951, Hirsch went for 1,451 receiving yards during the Los Angeles Rams’ championship season. His 124.6 receiving yards per game that season set a new NFL record, and over 70 years after that remarkable season, only two players have eclipsed that receiving yards per game mark. Hirsch was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.

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

Aaron Rosenberg’s New York Times crossword—Amy’s recap

I always like a magazine theme. This one plays on phrases relating to shortfalls that end with a magazine title:

• 17A. [“Got any news magazines?” “Sorry, we’re …”] STRAPPED FOR TIME.
• 23A. [“Got any fitness magazines?” “Sadly, we’re …”] OUT OF SHAPE.
• 36A. [With 40-Across, “Got any showbiz magazines?” “Regrettably, we’re …”] LACKING / VARIETY.
• 53A. [“Got any L.G.B.T.Q. magazines?” “Unfortunately, we’re …”] MISSING OUT. Regrettable to have OUT in both 23a and 53a, but I appreciate the magazine’s inclusion in the puzzle.
• 60A. [“Got any celebrity magazines?” “Alas, we’re …”] SHORT A FEW PEOPLE. Not sure anyone would refer to multiple issues as “a few People,” since People magazine takes the singular and not plural.

Fave fill: CUSS WORD, BILLY GOAT battling the troll under the bridge, STARGATE, THE BYRDS. Haven’t seen TEA BREAKS before, and EDITABLE feels a bit meh as longer fill.

I might have liked the puzzle better overall with three or four themers instead of five, leaving more space for smoother fill. A few entries feel tough for Tuesday beginners: ESTES Park, LOAM, OLAV, RIA. ALL OK doesn’t feel idiomatic to me, and I’m not entirely sure that RED STAR is that much less green-painty than, say, BLUE CAR.

3.5 stars from me.

Stella Zawistowski’s Los Angeles Times crossword — Jenni’s write-uphe

Stella!! I’m always delighted to see Stella’s byline. Even on a Tuesday it means there’s fun ahead. I’m glad there wasn’t a revealer; the theme didn’t need it and I suspect it would have required inelegant fill.

Four theme answers, two 15 letters long.

• 16a [Stop by briefly] is POP IN TO SAY HELLO.
• 23a [Make a rude noise] is BLOW A RASPBERRY.
• 41a [Be extremely self-satisfied] is BURST WITH PRIDE.
• 56a [Digress from the main topic] is GO OFF ON A TANGENT.

POP, BLOW, BURST, GO OFF – all mean “explode.” Solid, consistent, Tuesday-accessible. Nice!

A few other things:

• I know it’s ULTIMATE with the FRISBEE and I know we’re supposed to say “disc” instead and it still sounds odd to my 1970s ear.
• BANTU knots look like this

• I’m happy to see GAIN clued as [Positive result at the gym] rather than with a negative reference to weight.
• The Amazing RANDI did not like to be called a “debunker.” Fascinating and brilliant man.
• 44d [“Who are ___ judge?”] took me a minute because YOU TO didn’t fit and I TO was clearly wrong (and also didn’t fit) and for some reason I couldn’t see WE TO right away.

What I didn’t know before I did this puzzle: I’ve heard of James ENSOR; did not know he was Belgian.

Patrick Berry’s New Yorker crossword — pannonica’s write-up

I’d call this one a mildly challenging puzzle rather than a moderate one, but that’s quibbling—and highly subjective.

What sticks with me after the solve were the several ultra-clever clues that definitely flirt with being a little too much. With a few crossings, however, their tricks revealed themselves.

I’m talking about stuff like: 15a [Something to share with a close friend?] UMBRELLA, 34a [Thanksgiving stay?] DON’T MENTION IT, 40a [Circle once entrusted with important information?] CD-ROM, 52a [Duck sauce?] TEETOTAL, 11d [Intro courses?] PACE LAPS, 14d [Feature of a packed joint] WEED.

• 8a [Accessories to consider when picking locks, maybe] HASPS. Is that true? I don’t see how the hasp would be relevant. Also, is this clue trying to misdirect about hair? Just odd all around.
• 30a [They cost forty-one cents apiece when introduced, in 2007] FOREVER STAMPS. A real d’oh moment for me when I got the answer.
• 50a [Blighty resident] BRITON. Etymology: modification of Hindi & Urdu bilātī foreign, English, alteration of vilāyatī, from vilāyat province, realm, country beyond India, from Persian, dominion, province, from Arabic wilāya (m-w.com). There is, however, a locality in New South Wales, Australia called Blighty. 42d [Precious New South Wales exports] OPALS.
• 55a [Odiferous diner order] TUNA MELT. See? It isn’t difficult to invoke ‘odor’ without being pejorative.
• 5d [Much looked up?] TALL. A gimme, no crossings.
• 7d [Waste from a smeltery] SLAG. Have seen this entry with similar cluing more than once recently. Easy for me, because for ages I used to rename the ‘Recycle Bin’ on the computer’s desktop to ‘Slag Heap’.
• 8d [Samskara observer] HINDU. There are several senses for which Samskara may be applied, and HINDU seems to be a good answer for most of them.
• 30d [Contemplate the bizarre, say] FANTASIZE, 31d [Contemplate the bazaar, say] SHOP. Distinct etymologies, by the way, for bizarre and bazaar.
• 46d [Place associated with Butch Cassidy?] ETTA. If you’ve been doing crosswords long enough, this won’t fool you at all.

Catherine Cetta’s USA Today Crossword, “Three Inches” — Sophia’s recap

Editor: Jared Goudsmit & Amanda Rafkin
Theme: Each theme answer hides the word INCH.

• 16a [Language with the highest number of native speakers] – MANDARIN CHINESE
• 36a [Postpones for a later date] – TAKES A RAIN CHECK
• 58a [Dairy product made in the Midwest] – WISCONSIN CHEESE

Nice finds here by Catherine to have three grid spanning answers where the “inch” spans multiple words. All three of the phrases are great – my time in the Midwest makes me partial to WISCONSIN CHEESE as both a food and an answer :) My only tiny complaint is that it would have been cool if the title was less straightforward, but the inches are hidden well enough that I appreciated the theme hint.

This puzzle played easier than the standard USA Today fare for me, even with a few mistakes (“loads” instead of SCADS, “aye” instead of YEA, etc). I think that’s because there are very few proper nouns in the puzzle, and most things are clued in a pretty straightforward manner. The things I didn’t know were very easy to get from crosses. Overall, a nice beginner friendly puzzle!

New to me: GERI Jewell, “ODE to Gold Teeth”

Fave clues: [Word after “freight” or “gravy”] for TRAIN, [Anton ___ (“Ratatouille” critic)] for EGO