
A tad slow at 43 seconds.
A tad slow at 43 seconds.
I pulled out 29A One in peak singing condition?: YODELER because I actually think that was pretty good.
Also here’s Jewel yodeling:
Theme!
18A With 20-Across, goes to great lengths: BENDS
20A BACKWARDS to make BENDS over BACKWARDS.
35A With 39-Across, superior: ACUT
39A THEREST to make A CUT above THE REST.
36A THEBELT
41A With 36-Across, plays dirty: HITS to make HITS below THE BELT.
55A THE BRIDGE
60A With 55-Across, no longer an issue: WATER to make WATER under THE BRIDGE.
Finished this one in 12:49.
What is a grebe?
This is a grebe!
Got this Wednesday in 27 seconds.
I pulled out 1A End of a dorm name, usually: HALL because that was not my dorm in college, so it took me a little longer than it should have. While UCSB had a lot of dorms whose name ended that way, I lived in Manzanita Village. I think it had the number of residents of a normal dorm, but what would have been individual floors of a big building were houses of smaller buildings. Each floor-equivalent was 3-4 stories tall. I lived in Jalama House in a single-occupancy room with an ocean view and soundtrack.
Theme!
17A “A Fish Called Wanda” co-star [7,9]: KEVINKLINE.
26A A total blast [8,1]: GREATFUN.
40A Purple Heart honoree, maybe [4,0]: WARHERO.
51A Eschew scuba gear, say [3,5]: FREEDIVE.
64A Some poster-making supplies [2,6]: GLUESTICKS.
46D Like 17-, 26-, 40-, 51- and 64-Across, with respect to the numbers in their clues: RHYMING.
Oh, I just got it.
17A SEVEN NINE KEVIN KLINE
26A EIGHT ONE GREAT FUN
40A FOUR ZERO WAR HERO
51A THREE FIVE FREE DIVE
64A TWO SIX GLUE STICKS
Finished this one in 8:13.
I pulled out 32D Goad: EGGON because this morning I made two single-pan egg sandwiches. I had two pans going. One sandwich was for me, and one sandwich was for Calah.
Recipe
Ingredients
2 slices sourdough bread
2 eggs
2 leaves romaine lettuce
4 slices tomato
9 slices part of a bell pepper
? mozzarella cheese
? butter for the pan
Directions
Pre-heat pan to egg-cooking temperature. Add butter when pan reaches temperature.
Scramble two eggs.
Pour scrambled eggs into pan and put slices of bread into pan with rounded parts toward the edge of the pan so the bottom parts of each slice face one another.
When the egg is cooked, flip the contents of the pan over so the scrambled egg is open to the air and the bread is hidden.
Add cheese and wait for it to melt.
When cheese is melted, add produce.
Fold the omelet over.
There will be pics in the future.
Theme!
9A *One of two extremes in a saying: FEAST.
20A *Description of a glass, maybe: HALFFULL.
38A *Word in a classic Tolstoy title: PEACE.
62A *Certain forecast: SHINE.
54A One who identifies with the answers to the starred Across clues: OPTIMIST.
4D *Description of a glass, maybe: HALFEMPTY.
9D *One of two extremes in a saying: FAMINE.
35D *Word in a classic Tolstoy title: WAR.
53D *Certain forecast: RAIN.
36D One who identifies with the answers to the starred Down clues: PESSIMIST.
FEAST or FAMINE
HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY
WAR and PEACE
RAINE OR SHINE
Finished this one in 12:36.
I pulled out 27A It’s a little longer than a foot: SHOE because I was going back and forth in my mind between SOCK and SHOE. I put SHOE in and never had to change, but SOCK could work. And now that you bring up socks, I bought some more smartwool socks today. They’ll arrive in the new year. But smartwool socks are amazing. Highly recommend for the cold months. And with the rain in Los Angeles right now being measured in the INCHES plural, it’s a crazy, crazy world. Be safe out there!
Theme!
17A Lettered awards show host?: EMMYEMCEE. M-E-M-C
30A Lettered adversary in a battle of wits?: CAGEYENEMY. K-G-N-M-E
49A Lettered home on the range when no one’s home?: EMPTYTEPEE. M-T-T-P
65A Lettered school paper that’s a snap to write?: EASYESSAY. E-Z-S-A
Figuring that out before finishing it helped me solve other clues.
Finished this one in 12:20.
So far, this has been the hardest crossword post I’ve had to write. My hands are very, very cold, and moving my fingers to the proper places to put words up here is difficult, my brain thinks a sentence, and my fingers are like, “Nah, we’re good where we are.” I’m glad I can write this in private because blowing into my cupped hands has been more effective than letting them freeze in place. The living room is at about 60 right now, but in my office area, it’s, wait, it’s way colder than 61. This thermometer clearly is garbage.
I pulled out 22A Start of a tax form: LINEA because I’m a CPA in California, but I don’t do tax. So this clue was not an easy solve for me.
I’ll pick this up again when my fingers work.
Finished this one in 16:15.
I pulled out 19A Automaker that went bankrupt in 2011: SAAB because I had liked that brand when I was a child and thought I’d get one and knock off the S from the badge and replace it with an R. But then I started learning about cars and didn’t think I’d ever get a Saab, and then they went under, and that was that. Also Saab is pronounced Sob, while Raab is pronounced Rab.
Theme!
20A What intellectual rivals engage in: ABATTLEOFWITS -> (A)BATTLEOFW(I)(T)(S).
37A “Theodore Roosevelt” or “Robert Louis Stevenson”: SARGENTPORTRAIT -> (S)(A)RGENTPORTRA(I)(T).
58A Mid-19th-century Russian ruler described as “autocracy personified”: TSARNICHOLASI -> (T)(S)(A)RNICHOLAS(I).
68A With 66-Across, director’s cry … or hint to 20-, 37- and 58-Across: ITSA WRAP. Because ITSA wraps around the grid with each clue.
Finished this one in 12:10.
I pulled out 38A Smooths (out): IRONS because going to the Magic Castle as much as I do means that I have been wearing my button-down shirts. When I get back, sometimes I hang up my shirt on a hanger, and something I throw it over a chair. But no matter what, I have to either launder my shirts or iron them before I wear them again. The amount to iron builds up, and I had 10 shirts that were taking up space outside my closet. I learned how to iron a long time ago, and then I re-learned how to iron from the T.M. Lewin ironing video on youtube.
The video says that you should be able to iron a shirt in three minutes. I haven’t experienced anything close to that speed, but I do like the way the shirts turn out. I also don’t put water in the iron because years ago I found that there’s calcification that then flakes onto the shirts, and that’s super annoying. I use a spray bottle. I don’t use starch. My real preference is to iron shirts that are wet and just out of the washing machine. Those are the easiest to do.
Theme!
17A Play a wrong note during a violin sonata?: ERRONTHEGSTRING.
28A Little prince taking a bath?: CLEANHEIRACT. It’s like WhoCARESact.com.
44A “We all put things on TV sometimes”?: TOAIRISHUMAN.
59A Headline after Jane becomes queen?: EYRETOTHETHRONE.
Finished this one in 11:19.
I pulled out 31D Dark green side dish: KALESALAD because the Trader Joe’s kale something or other that’s sold in glass jars is being recalled because it may have glass in it! Moral of the story: no kale. Get your roughage from broccoli.
Writing this one from my phone, which isn’t ideal, but there you go. Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Finished this one in 15:10.