Albino rocker with 1973 #1 hit / MON 12-26-11 / Furrowed fruit / Letters before xis / Physician with daily talk show
Monday, December 26, 2011
Constructor: Gary Cee
Relative difficulty: Easy
THEME: SEASON FINALE (39A: With 41-Across, good time for a cliffhanger ... or what each of 17-, 24-, 50- and 63-Across) — theme answers are two-word phrases where second word is a season
Word of the Day: EDGAR WINTER (50A: Albino rocker with a 1973 #1 hit) —
Edgar Holland Winter (born December 28, 1946) is an American musician. He is famous for being a multi-instrumentalist. He is a highly skilled keyboardist, saxophonist and percussionist. He often plays an instrument while singing. He was most successful in the 1970s with his band, The Edgar Winter Group, notably with their popular song, "Free Ride". He has albinism. (wikipedia)
• • •
A very tired theme with a very cool revealer—actually, I'm not sure I've seen this theme done quite this way; typically the seasons are in the plural, largely because JONATHAN WINTERS is a grid-spanning 15 letters long and far more famous than EDGAR WINTER. Once I saw the theme (after getting FALL, then SUMMER), I physically deflated a little, but after hitting the nice little revealer, I recovered a bit. Grid is very interesting—it's got the maximum 78 answers, but doesn't feel segmented and choppy the way some high word-count puzzles can. This is largely because of two lovely long Downs (IN NAME ONLY, MOSEY ALONG), and two pairs of 7s (also Downs) in the N and S, respectively. Seasons aren't in order, but that's a small matter. I like the seasonal YEAR END directly over WINTER in the grid. Nice work.
Theme answers:
- 17A: What a slippery sidewalk might cause (NASTY FALL)
- 24A: "Last Dance" singer, 1978 (DONNA SUMMER)
- 50A: Albino rocker with a 1973 #1 hit (EDGAR WINTER) — I have no idea why the clue doesn't tell you the name of the song; if "Albino" didn't give the answer away, then sure "Frankenstein" wouldn't have either:
- 63A: Spa locale (HOT SPRING)
Collins' Dictionary of Slang says that the noun "flannel" has been used to mean "rubbish, albeit plausible rubbish" since the 1920s, and the verb "to flannel" has meant "to talk nonsense in a soothing, plausible manner, esp for the purposes of charming a woman one wishes to seduce" since the 1940s. I imagine the original metaphor was flannel's function as wrapping, padding or muffling material.So, yes, wheedle, indeed.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
85 comments:
I don't believe that is a picture of Edgar Winter, who has Albinism.
Can you help me understand the "nus" answer.
Thanks
@ rookie - NU is right before XI in the Greek alphabet.
And, no, that isn't Edgar Winter's picture.
@retired_.chemist
Thanks. One of the disadvantages of eschewing sorority pledging in the Sixties. Had I pledged, I would have learned the Greek alphabet!
Re the picture. Just didn't look like an Albino to me! :)
The photograph you have attributed to be Edgar Winter is in fact Isaac Kosgei (Note reads: “ A personal appeal from Wikipedia author Isaac Kosgei”), his photograph appearing in a header to the Edgar Winter Wikipedia entry. You may observe the image of Edgar Winter in the article itself. The reason for your error may be seen more clearly HERE.
Yes, very cool reveal...and pleased but a tad surprised that @rex didn't complain that two were singers, two were random phrases...as that is what went thru MY mind when DONNASUMMER and EDGARWINTER were my first two theme answers.
I did just have this same theme rejected where they were all people and the reveal was the 15 AMANFORALLSEASONS, wait that's 17...hmmmm now I'm not so sure.
One mild nitpick, YEAREND and YTD which is YEAR to date, right? So either it was a second sly shout out to the year, or a tiny-ish mistake...I'll go with bonus...
No idea on this EDDIE character for a Monday, but loved him over ZEAL /DROZ.
Very visual puzzle with the knight kneeling, the BRIGHTS, the LUGGAGE going around on the carousel and the NASTYFALL.
And of course i loved INNAMEONLY...
Now if only ACHE/ACNE had been ACME...AWW!
Solved this one watching the Packer game so it skewed a little more difficult to me. Never was good at multitasking. Only had one write over at 32A LUGGAGE over baggage, SO I guess it was easier than I thought.
Wish the seasons had been in order, or is that too much to ask for?
You gunkas that's clearly a joke! Rex obviously knows what Edgar Winter looks like...
Too bad Princess Summerfall Winterspring couldn't fit. Memories of VERY early network TV......
Easy puzzle. Should have finished a minute or more faster - misread the clue for 16A and used present tense, on top of a couple of typos. Backside (67A) needed several writeovers: REAR, then TAIL, before TUSH. TAIL -> TUSH also was one of the fixes at the very end (so to speak).
LEASE (44D) is an interesting word as a verb - it can have either party to the lease (noun) as the subject.
Nice one, Mr. Cee.
@Rex - Decided to bone up on your domestic servant lingo after the VALETED/BUTTLED fiasco of Friday by watching "Downton Abbey"?
I learned the difference between butler and valet from watching the first three episodes of "Downton Abbey," before ever doing that puzzle. Started over and watched the whole first season over the weekend. Now jonesing for more. Spoiler alert: WWI happens.
And thank god for Gareth. Otherwise I'd just be saying "really?" to myself all day.
rp
A very good Monday in my book, even ACMEesque.
Thought "seasons" at NASTYFALL, and was convinced at DONNASUMMER. Nevertheless, SEASON FINALE is a great reveal.
I never saw the clue for EDDIE, working all the downs off of HOTSPRING, so my ignorance was irrelevant.
I too had baGGAGE for about three seconds. Also briefly wanted Edgar's brother, Johnny WINTER, but realized after the "O" that it was too long and didn't have an "A" in it.
Would have preferred a little DIRE Straits to the Brat Pack theme song - but maybe that's just me.
Still basking in the glow of cocktails in Sante Fe with Tobias and SFFran. We were the coolest of cool sipping drinks created by our bar chef. Fran will provide the details and announce both the official bar and drink of X World.
Interesting to me is the fact that I thoroughly enjoy the company of other solvers. People who enage in a solitary pursuit with a lot to offer. just sayin.
Andrea we were sad you were not with us. A souvenir is on the way. Unless Fran decides to keep it for her collection.
It is common knowledge that EDGARWINTER performed in blackface. Hence the photo.
Fine Monday puzzle with a theme appropriate to the calendar. Note the reveal of end in calendar. In olde English it was calTUSHdar, but Acme renamed it as she was tired of the ceaseless chortling.
*** (3 Stars) Each day is now a little brighter as we speed towards the summer solstice.
Nice commentary @Rex and a nice easy Monday puzzle but spiced up with some lovely phrases and zesty words. I also liked MELANGE next to SALVAGE.
@area coax-la moseys ... this was very visual. I could see a GAMER stitting on his TUSH playing with ZEAL.
Thanks, Gary Cee!
@RP - I just assumed Edgar and Michael Jackson had had a melanin transplant. Who new you were joking?
Nice puzzle. I liked everything everyone else liked, including Downton Abbey. I'm looking forward to season two.
For Christmas Santa brought me P.D. James' new novel Death Comes to Pemberley. I began it last night--so civilized. The cover photo of James is a study in serene wisdom.
Boxing day French class...
MELANGE, ENTREE, EPEES, EGAL...
My EXPAT experiences helped me there...!
Odd that Americans co-opted the French word ENTREE to mean the main course, since it means the appetizer over there...
(makes more sense, since it's the entry to the meal)
also plenty of aches, yens, and longings...
Thanks Mr. Cee
Transcripts from the ITV/Channel 3 New Project concept pitch, 2009:
Attendees: Carnival Films: Blythe Pierce, Edward James Smythe et al.
ITV: New Project Development Group.
Carnival: We envision a period piece, pre WWI, focused on a Earldom in duress.
ITV: What is the nature of the duress?
Carnival: The Earl has only three daughters, with no legitimate male heir to assume the Earldom.
ITV: Oh my god, the horror! Are you sure that people are capable of stomaching that for an entire series? No heir?
Carnival: Wait, it gets better! He had heirs, close family, but they died in the Titanic!
ITV: Sorry, that's too horrible. Couldn't you just do an extended piece on starvation in the Sudan or something?
Carnival: We thought of that, but we've got palliative sub-plots in place to go with the original concept but make it bearable. First, the Earl does in fact have a distant relative, a fourth cousin or something who's actually a real human being, you know, hard working, educated, making something of himself. People seem for some reason to like that. The juxtaposition, ne, the irony, of a man of worth and talent assuming the family seat is just so delicious that people will be able to tolerate the horror. You know, throw in some hope or something.
ITV: Ok, what else?
Carnival: We'll do the Upstairs/Downstairs thing at the same time. No one's seen that series for about five years or so, so it's brand new, right?
ITV: Right.
Carnival: Of course, we'll have the outsiders, the servants, the presumptive heir, be more intelligent, honorable and personable than the regals. People have loved that ever since the Bronte's, they can't seem to get enough of that. Just look at the majority of British Literature. Without that motif, it would be Shakespeare, Dickens and nothing else:
ITV: Quite so.
ITV: How are you going to flesh it out to a full series? You can only have so many pan shots of a castle and such you know.
Carnival: Wrong, you can't have too many shots of a castle. Never, ever. But to your point, we can just lift scenes from other movies, say that flower contest from Mrs. Miniver. You know, where the dowager has a sudden, if externally imposed, spurt of conscience and realizes she doesn't deserve to win the "Best Rose" contest, it's absolute gold. It would be a crime not to plagiarize that.
ITV: A crime indeed. Well, It's a go!
Had SEries for SEASON till OLIN exorcised it. About a picosecond, I reckon.
tamenett--the informal pronunciation of Tamenetti, the great Italian folksinger and comic. Mussolini's favorite,he nonetheless took part in Il Duce's assassination.
Very nice Monday puzzle, great words such as melange, salvage, mosey along and in name only. I guess I should include nasty fall as well.
Just re-watched Downton Abbey as well, can't wait for the new series.
@Quilter1: I'm starting PDJames' book on the train to NY today.
For some reason, I put down SEASON FINish and thought, "gee, that's really forced." But CASE gave me finale, and I was much happier. Like ACME, I'd have liked four people rather than just two - not that many named FALL, though, it would have been tough.
Nice romp after my 26-hour solving experience (interrrupted by prepping and roasting the goose) yesterday.
OK, the crossword has now officially infiltrated my daily reality! @Tobias Duncan, you may avert your eyes as this post contains sports references.
So, there I was engaged in that great American pasttime of Christmas Day - no, not drinking yourself blind, watching basketball, people! And as this is the first day of NBA play, one of the big stories is that LA Laker Ron Artest (who has appeared in crosswords before, though to be fair, I think it was in US Airways' mag), has changed his name from "Ron Artest" to:
"METTA WORLD PEACE"
of course bringing to mind the "META" conversation of a few weeks back and "WHIRLED PEAS" of last week. I will be very disappointed if this doesn't show up some way, some how in my future crossword puzzles. Love when my high and low cultures collide so spectacularly!
@Yes etc.
http://www.brendanemmettquigley.com/page/30/
(June 27, 2011)
Pleased forgive the snarkiness in advance. It's not my usual mien. I will likely never understand, however, why people post here when they appear to have no familiarity with Rex and his charms, including heavy use of irony and satire.
@Rookie and @Donald, (and anyone else who feels the need to point out the error of something completely over the top and blisteringly obvious), IT'S A JOKE!
Now that I have that off my chest.... Veeeeery nice Monday. I fell asleep solving and the timer kept going, so it's funny to see a Monday time of over 30 minutes. Nonetheless, a most enjoyable solve at the end of a day with two successful big meals, and I didn't have to do either set of dishes. Wonderful.
For our food folks, my daughter found the most delicious ham glaze on the Splendid Table site which featured pineapple jam, garlic, ginger and mustard. I used apricot/pineapple and it came out beautifully. (Yes, a non-kosher Jew made ham for her Catholic husband at Christmas.)
Thanks, Gary Cee, for a very nice Christmas wind-down.
I, too, can't wait for more Downton on PBS. Excellent writing, wonderful acting and direction, loads of historical explorations, and those sisters really hate each other in the most interesting way. I want to see what happens to every character.
Speaking of English traditions, Happy Boxing Day.
testing whether this works so here is the link to the first photo of some crossword geeks in Santa Fe at La Fonda and you should be able to hit the arrow on the photo and to scroll right to the second photo: xword meet-up
Rats, doesn't look like the link is working. Would someone else try and let me know if it works for you?
@Santafefran: Inside your angle brackets you need a href="yoururl.com"
@santafefran: Link doesn't work for me either.
Gary Cee redeems himself, after a less than stellar Monday puzzle of 2 weeks ago, with a new take on the old SEASON(s) of the year theme, (even though he misses a chance to give solvers a fun memory, had he given a nod to Howdy Doody’s “Princess SUMMERFALLWINTERSPRING”, for the order of the seasons).
There were two non-theme ten letter phrases of note, INNAMEONLY and MOSEYALONG but the more distinguished non-theme entries were BRIGHTS, a nice use of the idiom for “High beams” and the aggressive use of MELANGE, clued as “Olio”, which in the past has only been seen in more advanced Times puzzles (Thursday through Sunday).
As Monday puzzles go, this may be a tough work out for some “early-weekers” but easy and enjoyable for most other solvers.
I think I have it:photos!
Another post to follow.
FWIW by making a contribution to wikipedia you can make the personal appeal (and Isaac Kosgei's photo) disappear.
@ JaxInL.A. Don't let it bother you so much. I have a sneaky suspicion that #31 enjoys "getting" people.
@ santafefran - it works!
@mac: don't you love her tribute to Austen in the Author's Note. I chuckled with glee.
Be sure to notice the cool mugs! Andrea-I brought one for you,too, but alas and alack, you failed to show so I need your mailing address.
After our first round followed by the photo shoot, we moved on to the LOCAL Secreto bar in the Hotel St. Francis for our FINALE. At the Secreto we were able to tell the bartender what sort of drink we liked and he would create a cocktail for us. I had a concoction made with gin, orange liquor, cream, egg whites and chile mole bitters--which we are calling the Crossword Fizz.
We discussed all SIDES of a MELANGE of topics ranging from our crossword solving styles to science fiction to why the blog is so successful and recalling some bloggers who don't seem to hang out anymore--greene, Wade and others; you know who you are.
It was great fun. Came home and worked this fun puzzle. Drinks at the Secreto will be on the agenda when anyone from Rexville comes to Santa Fe.
Link works for me too...
Looks like a fabulous nerdy gathering - so good of you to make it happen!
@santafefran ... thanks for the great pics of the great-looking three of you!
What a good-looking group! Nice mug shots!
Ron Artest was on "Dancing With the Stars" so it's not such a news flash that he changed his name. Think he was the first to be voted off...
Sorry, that sounded snarky...I do see the relevance of the META and WORLD PEAS connection.
Puzzle seemed almost too easy at first (especially if you read the theme clues) but got progressively interesting.
TUSH pairs nicely with NASTY FALL. Maybe too much French for a Monday, but ça m'est égal ("What's the DIF?")
One reason to see They Might Be Giants live is their cover of Edgar Winter's Frankenstein.
Great pictures! Happy Boxing Day.
@JC66 - that and clickin'(12D) the X in the corner box. Otherwise it's only at one IPAdd. Oh, the wonderz of the interweb.
However, 20 minutes later, I am still so bummed that this puzzle is completely ruined by non-linear seasonal progression. Such crud. Oh the WGT of creating a perfect puzzle, even for Monday.
Pretty good puzzle for a Monday, actually. Definitely improved by the cluing for some of the old chestnuts - 22D, for instance.
Great photos of the Santa Fe gathering. There's a mug just like that sitting across the table right now. And the square cereal bowls of the same pattern see a lot of breakfast use while puzzling, too.
@JaxinLA: I just printed off the pineapple glaze recipe. I think I will make half a recipe to use on our leftover ham. Thanks!
tripsyi: what happens after too much eggnog
I thought that "a joke" was supposed to evince humor. Admit that it is just an error!
Gunka
Great start to the week.
Frankenstein was a hit when I was in high school (very high).
I love Downton Abbey as well.
I can't wait for something horrible to happen to that wicked maid. She really has it coming.
@Anon 12:14 - You're right. A photo of a fully pigmented black man above the caption of Edgar Winter, who was described as being an albino is totally without humor of any form. The only valid form of humor is slapstic, slipping on banana peels, pies in the face, etc.
Pretty good Puzzle. thanks for the reminder to rewatch downton before the new season starts! Death comes to Pemberley made me revise my opinion of writing other peoples books-fabulous job by P.d. James!How am I ever to learn when Rex is joking if you all are going to tell? OH and EDDIE ARCARO was VERY FAMOUS jockey.
Hey, did anybody notice that's not Edgar Winter? It's actually Jonathan Winters playing the lead in "The Ron Artest Story". Elke Sommer plays his love interest. Music by Bruce Springsteen. Autumn Reeser is the intense but sensitive coach.
Evil
Loved this puzzle, didn't want it to end. Sort of like Christmas break (I'm a teacher).
Really appreciated the Edgar Winter clip, can't wait to share it with my 21-yr-old son who is a big fan, but he's prolly already seen it. He just loves all those riffs, tries to play them on his electric guitar. Thanks for posting it, Rex. It led me to other 70's artists like Mannfred Mann and the Doobie Brothers.
Hope not too many of you have to work today!!!
What a good-looking trio of word nerds! Thanks for the link.
My favorite part of this puzzle was being reminded of Edgar Winter; I hadn't thought of him in years. My funny bone must be off because humor was evinced in the form of a chuckle at the photo, but any laughs I get from slapstick are second-hand (I.e. from laughing at how hilarious my husband finds pratfalls and pies-in-the- face).
Coustro: Kin of Fidel
@santafefran
Had i known there was a mug reserved for me, i would've braved the snowstorms and meta up with you all! Maybe i would have even taken up drinking!
Anyway, loved the "mugshots" as some anonymous person has cleverly labeled them. (esp if there is liquor inside...a triple pun!) but you need not send me one...
I'd only go off on a rail that the NYT keeps merchandising, repurposing, reappropriating, reselling the crosswords for dozens of ancillary markets without payment to the constructors and sometimes even removing the bylines...I'd probably choke on my hot chocolate!
THAT said, I know it was a lovely, lively group and I'm thrilled to have been thought of! And truth be told, afterdinner tea was served in a crossword mug at the Xmas/Chanukah din I went to last night, but I got the Obama commerorative mug, no spit takes or rants occurred, so i hope to be invited back!
Thanks for the Downton reco. What a great find for a slow day. Perfect.
The writeup included an Edgar Winter video. The writeup included an Edgar Winter album cover. And half of today's comments are about whether or not Rex really understood that Edgar Winter is not a black man.
If anyone wonders whether he doesn't much get involved in the comments, I think I have an idea.
Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation of my method):
All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)
Mon 6:33, 6:50, 0.96, 31%, Easy-Medium
Top 100 solvers
Mon 4:00, 3:40, 1.09, 86%, Challenging
I love it when two anonymice (q12:24 and 12:37) get snarky with one another.....
Nonetheless, very very bad taste!
if i had gone to winter's wiki page and seen that i would have been so LMFAO that i would have to share. i love the way the wikipedia source is captioned - as a nice shout out to people who use wikipedia for historical citations - sometimes with results as accurate as that crop.
plus, when i was a kid that album cover scared me. the new look is an improvement.
irony (which also counts as a form of humor): more commentary on rex's trifle than the puzzle - which was quite good for a monday. the jokes on us. and now ive added to the annoyance of those who are annoyed by this - at least its better than being annoyed by 2 obscure actors crossing.
perhaps in order to prevent rex from giving himself a concussion from hitting himself in the head all day, he will implement an IQ test in addition to the word verification in order to post.
Greetings from post-Christmas, CT. First puzzle since Thurs, as all family time, which was great.
Agree that this was very easy, even for a Monday.
Ciao.
@quilter1: yes, she got a little backhanded! Amazing how she changes her writing style. Hope she pulls this one off, I had my doubts about the last mystery.
@two ponies: I'm amazed that @#%&? is still in the story!
@santafefran: great pictures!
As early risers know, the album cover was added to the post later in the day to, well... cover.
@Anon 8:12pm
oh, i get it now. you are joking too. no other explanation.
either that or you are Donald trying to cover after you exposed yourself.
Super easy puzzle, but gotta say I enjoyed the commentary WAY more than the puzzle.
The Gareth Bain and RP comments made me laugh so hard, because I found myself thinking, "How many people realized only after reading the comments that albinos aren't black?" Many if that visual joke is over your head, you must be about 6 inches tall.
Evil Doug is now officially my commenting hero.
Had to write over Johnny Winter when I got to the last square and realized it didn't fit. Immediately knew it was his brother Edgar as I was 12 in 1973, and I have "Frankenstein" running through my head right now.
Edgar was good, but Johnny was the superior Winter. I have a Muddy Waters album called "Hard Again" on which Johnny is credited with "guitar/miscellaneous screaming". Johnny's screaming on "Mannish Boy" makes you feel like you're in the studio.
One last thing. It's pretty rich when an anonymous poster who doesn't get the joke then proceeds to define humor for the rest of us.
From the syndicate: @Rex et al who were jonesing for season 2 of Downton Abbey five weeks back must be feeling quite the rush these days. Has to be the best TV fare in years. Mrs. Waxy and I are fortunate enough to have PBS feeds from both Boston & Seattle on our dish so are enjoying multiple fixes each Sunday evening. Even though the Season Finale hasn't been on yet, pining for season 3.
Must have worked in the IT field too long as I found myself wondering at 2D what sense of the word wheedle had anything to do with with coax cable. D'oh!
ETTA James will, I'm sure, live on in crosswords as well as in the hearts and memories of her fans.
LUGGAGE is not as problematic when it appears in the middle of the grid as oppose to at 1d, where baggage seemed equally possible last week.
@Waxy - "COAX cable", love it! I guess context really matters.
Not too bad for me today. I little harder than usual for a monday IMO. Got messed up when I put KNEel for 16A.
Must remember to to look at the tense.
After all this talk of Downtown Abbey, looks like I will have to check it out. Esp since a fellow ITer Waxy says its good.
Nice puzzle all-around. I did think the spa locale was HOTSPRINGS though. Unless he meant that any old place with a hot spring would make a good locale for a spa, and wasn't talking about Hot Springs itself.
A syndi-hand up for beloved ETTA; she is sorely missed.
After all this talk of Downtown Abbey, looks like I will have to check it out. Esp since a fellow ITer Waxy says its good.
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