Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium if you knew FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE, probably harder if you didn't (3:32 on an oversized 16x15 grid)
THEME: ALTER EGO (9D: Secondary identity ... or what can be found in 18-, 27-, 40-, 54- and 66-Across) — familiar phrases clued as if they related to comic-book hero ALTER EGOs:
Theme answers:
DUKE OF KENT (18A: Superman's fist?)
STARK NAKED (27A: Iron Man without any clothes?)
FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE (40A: Batman's water springs?)
NOSY PARKER (54A: Spider-Man not minding his own business?)
I'm laughing this morning (in a friendly manner—more chuckling, really) at all the solvers out there looking at FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE and wondering "what, the, hell?" I know the band name well, as do millions of other people, but I Guar-An-Tee you a bajillion folks, mostly older (probably), will never have seen it before. Pretty big name in music... if you're under 50. Not a top 40 band, though, so whole chunks of the population just won't have any familiarity. I really feel like at least one of the members of the band is into crosswords—like I have a vague memory of having seen something on Twitter one time—but my brain could be making this up [updated: well, one of the members follows me on Twitter, so congrats to my brain for correctly, if fuzzily, remembering that]. This whole puzzle was pretty much up my alley, so even though it *felt* kinda harder-than-normal, I came in with a very normal time, and then was surprised to (finally) notice that the grid was oversized, which meant my time was actually a little on the fast side. I had one main problem solving this puzzle, which was that I totally misread the first theme clue (as [Superman's *first*?] instead of [Superman's fist?], which meant when I got the answer (finally), I didn't understand it fully, which meant all I was doing for the rest of the themers was getting crosses and looking for comic-book ALTER EGOs and trying to make phrases out of them—not really paying attention to the exact wording of the clues. I got FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE off just the -YNE, without ever looking at the clue. I'd just see the hero in the clue, and then I'd think of the ALTER EGO, look at whatever I had in the grid, and rolodex through phrases that might contain the name and fit in the grid. Worked fine.
Fill was hit and miss, with one of the misses being really awfully big—the kind of big that sticks with you and ruins an otherwise pleasant memory of your solve. I'm talking about INARABIC. A thousand times no. No. No. 998 more Nos. INARABIC is the GREENPAINT of language-related phrases. If you let in INARABIC, then you let in every single IN-[a language] phrase imaginable. I mean, INDUTCH, come on. Even INFRENCH or INENGLISH is patently stupid. Nothing else in the grid was this glaringly off. There was a buncha crosswordese, and I don't think PASEOS is really Tuesday-level fill (51D: Leisurely strolls), but I think the grid mostly held up just fine. Loved HEAT MAP, my favorite non-theme answer (34D: Colorful image in a weather report).
Ok, so I don’t really speak Superhero (sorry, Doug Peterson), but I was kinda on a Dick hunt. While my friends had crushes on David Cassidy and Donny Osmond, I was planning my wedding to Dick Grayson, aka Robin. It was going to be small but elegant and meaningful.
I knew two out of the five (5!!!) themers, but they were all inferable enough. (Rex – I didn’t know FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE, but what with “water” and “Batman” in the clue, it went in lickety-split.)
I liked this. The reveal is in a weird spot, but there *is* one (maybe not needed?) and it crosses three themers. Wowser. Seriously.
“What a low carb diet may ban” – any joy whatsoever.
I liked WEEP crossing FED. Ahem. Fingers crossed. (I’d have liked DISGRACED, PENNILESS, AND LOCKED UP crossing FED.)
The clue for TACT brought me up short. “Phrasing so as not to offend.” Is this still possible? I thought we offend someone nowadays pretty much whenever we open our mouths.
I think I use SNUCK as my primary past tense of sneak. Sue me. But I started thinking about creeped and crept. I use both:
I crept into the kitchen to cadge the last brownie. The guy at the party who was giggling and caressing the blender really creeped me out.
Put that one in your pipe and smoke it.
Before I “came home” to my beloved field of linguistics, I hate to admit that I was a grammar meanie, too. Looking back, I see now that the posturing was not so much a concern for preciseness but rather a way to show anyone around just how smart and educated I was. My favorite proof was referring to those things you stand behind, the tall desks with slanted tops, as lecterns and not PODIA. I went to great lengths to wield this little distinction. Man, I was such a jerk. I’m still a jerk, but not an error-shaming jerk; I’m an error-shamer-shaming jerk, defending the people I used to ambush, and I tell ya, it’s a full-time job. I need a goddamn mask and cape.
@rex -- Chris Collingwood, Fountains of Wayne member, is into crosswords, does them every day. http://www.songwritersonprocess.com/blog/2011/07/25/chris-collingwood-fountains-of-wayne .
This may be my favorite Tuesday ever. Great plays on words for the themers, plus the bonus reminder of FOUNTAINS of WAYNE, most famous for Stacy’s Mom. A joy from start to finish.
I recognize that for solvers with no crossword background, it may play rough. I'm thinking in particular STARK may be tough for some solvers.
Well Messrs Southworth and Yonas you have a lot to feel good about today! A debut/second puzzle, a rave review from @Rex, and a well executed clever theme idea. Bravo!
FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE went right in. Not a band I knew much about, but one I always thought of as an Indy successor to They Might Be Giants and Too Much Joy, both bands I liked very much.
Clever clues too CO HOISTed this out of blah Tuesday. Four thumbs up.
Too Much Joy: try this - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lcOA-QFCHoY&index=4&list=PLxZ6UUJ9TShwZT7QNHQtlGfXKW85xP4gI
No joy here for me. I have never heard of that band. I assumed these fountains were some famous place that I had never heard of either. This did not cause any real problems filling the grid but did nothing to please me. Several clues seemed odd. Why is sage profoundly wise. Simply wise would have been a fine clue. The wording of the clue for tact feels off. Finish, AS a cake? Why not simply finish a cake? BLTs are not grilled. Who says Poor me? Never heard of the Broadway star. Rex liked heat map. I hated it. I never doubted that Rex would approve of a puzzle with a comic book theme. I never had much use for comics. Apiphobe was a cool clue for bee. That was the single moment of amusement for me in this entire puzzle.
I'm easily old enough to have never heard of FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE but it filled itself in very easily from crosses. I think my favorite was STARK NAKED. Fun puzzle, bringing back memories of the tens of thousands of hours I spent reading comic books.
Nosy Parker was a phrase in use about 60-70 years ago to describe a,well, nosy person. My Mom and her sisters used it all the time. Not sure of the origin, but somewhere in my brain there is a Dick Tracy connection. Maybe our comic book PHD can enlighten us. Thought this was one of the better Tuesdays in a long time. Kind of get the idea that ex saw more in this puzzle than I did regarding theme answers, but whatever.
I filled in this puzzle in toto without a clue about the theme. I never read comics. Or saw the endless movies or TV “dramas” derived from them. And I’ve never heard of this band or the Xmas tree store that inspired its name. The last band I listened to or knew of was Benny Goodman’s. Nor have I ever heard of Nosy Parker, which apparently is strictly UK lingo. I did know who the Duke of Kent is. He’s the Queen’s cousin. I also learned today that “to podium” is a verb, at least in US sports. It means winning a prize or a medal. Despite my prevailing ignorance I enjoyed doing the puzzle. I did it “in ink” — a phrase that appears all the time in crosswords and I don’t recall Rex complaining about that.
I'm 58 and know the band Fountains of Wayne. Stacy's Mom got regular airplay on the Top 40 station my we always had in the car driving my tweens around in 2009. And who can forget that video!
A. She loved it because of the clever wordplay. B. She hated it because of the comic book action hero theme. C. She had a love/hate relationship to the puzzle.
If you chose A, dear blog friends, you are right. What a wonderfully painless and fun way to learn the last names of the ALTER EGOS of all the comic heroes I never watch or read about. Why I barely knew their first names -- and now I know their entire, full, real names!!! What a walking encyclopedia I shall be at the next cocktail party. Well, actually, probably not. I won't remember any of it by noon today, if not earlier; I can barely remember what I had for dinner last night. But for the moment, a big gap in my knowledge base has been filled, and I had a really entertaining time filling it. Enjoyed this a lot.
I spent 15 months in hospital waiting for a heart transplant. I adopted "TINWOODMAN" as an email ID (Wizard of OZ). When I got to 27A (Iron man without any clothes), I confidently filled in "TINWOODMAN." Slowed me down considerably. I chuckled at DUKEOFKENT, NOSYPARKER, and STARK NAKED. Never heard of Fountains of Wayne, LASSI, or PASEOS, but got them all from crosses. I have no idea what Loren Muse Smith meant by 31A. There is no 31A in the grid. A typo?
I didn't enjoy the solve but as I look back at on it, that's a very tight puzzle. I even knew Fountains of Wayne and I don't know why cause. It's a great Tuesday puzzle.
The odd solve could have been some of the (continuing) awful cluing. What would a grilled BLT look like? Wilted lettuce and some hot tomato slices? It's just a preposterous clue. And Identify Without Speaking/Point. Wouldn't the answer be Point At or Point To?
Clark KENT was Superman's alter-ego. Superman was superman, he played Clark KENT as an alternative to his true self. Batman was Bruce Wayne's alter ego. Wayne was born and lived his live as WAYNE, he donned the cape from time to time to pretend to be someone else. Same with Iron Man / STAR, Spider Man / PARKER, The Hulk / BANNER. The only Superhero to have an alter ego was Superman, the rest of the Superheros werealter egos. And don't give me any "alter egos are reflexive" crap.
So different, and so welcome to hear some praise for dreadful Tuesday. I'm picking @Nancy's #1 as well. Yes, FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE was the itchy head scratch. The other was BANNER YEAR. No matter, I figured the names had to do with comic book people. I use to read comic books when I first arrived on these shores. I was in Jr. High in Sarasota Fla. Our bus stop was right in front of a drug store that had stacks of comics and the best chocolate malt shakes. I'd always head right over to Archie. What a guy. Hulk Hogan was just a bit too green. Superman and Roy Rogers were my heroes. Who didn't pretend to fly...I did - right off our stables into a pile of manure. I'm not sure what a HEAT MAP is but it sounds fun. @Anony 7:08. I, too couldn't figure out why a BLT is grilled. Maybe they're referring to the bread? I can't imagine grilling my tomato nor lettuce. I don't even grill my bacon. I'll have to think about that. @ghthree. @Loren meant 31D. The puzzle she's mentioning was one we talked about the other day. It's the well known Schrodinger puzzle that Shortz praised. Try it, it's fun and you'll see why 31D jogged a memory.
@LMS, or others, Did the Nov.5,1996 puzzle but dont get how it could be right no matter who won. I know I'm going to feel stupid when I find out. Any help?
I agree about INARABIC, but it's so easy that I was past it before I had time to be offended. I have probably heard of FOUNTAINSOFWAYNE exactly once, which I guess was enough to remember that it was, in fact, a "thing".
I had the exact same thought as Rex as I plunked in FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE. I'm also 58, but Stacy's Mom was ubiquitous and I own a couple of their later albums. Good stuff, but I do imagine that lots of 50+ people, even if they know their big hit, won't know them. I also suspect the under 30 crowd might have issues. Big hit 15 years ago, so maybe the cut-off is more like 25.
@LMS - "Error-Shamer Shamer" - Maybe a cape with a big red ESS? As for opening one's mouth and offending someone, hey, it happens. It's always about what happens next. "I'm sorry," or "You have no reason to be offended." Speaking of which, a little Elvis Costello and The Roots. I'm sure someone out there knows why I'm sharing this song. The rest of you will just have to wonder.
Nice theme. 61 y.o. here who knew FOUNTAINSOFWAYNE (And NOSYPARKER). I don't usually complain about, well anything, really in a puzzle. But the 2 pretty basic factual problems in today's are annoying: the podium/lectern thing as pointed out, and that's not what a HEATMAP is. Do a Google image search and you won't see one about weather until you are well down the page.
I'm under 50, barely, and I've heard of FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE, barely. I know "Stacy's Mom" but have no idea if they ever had another hit. Anyway, I was able to retrieve that one from the dim recesses of memory. Easy-medium for me as well.
Never heard of fountains of Wayne, but a puzzle based on the alter egos of comic book characters was never going to delight me. Didn't know Stark, nor Banner. Had trouble with the Lassi-Ray cross. (Lossi-Roy, maybe?) Nice puzzle for those who found the theme clues meaningful, but only Duke of Kent worked for me.
Hung up for awhile in SW corner until I changed Ali to Ray and treat to bread. Everything else pretty much flowed or could be worked out easily enough. Make sure you all vote folks.
Medium here, due to shaky grasp of superhero names. Clark KENT and Bruce WAYNE were the only ones I knew. However, I am familiar with NOSY PARKER, and the others were easy to get from crosses. FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE? No idea - one of those "It can't be right but it has to be right" entries. Cute idea, would have been more fun if I''d had a better acquaintance with Iron Man, The Hulk, and that band. Do-over: GOES Along x lamb before lily before AHEAD x HALO. Waiting for someone to post about how they grill their BLTs.
Hey All ! I do know Stacy's Mom (or at least I wish I knew her, Har) but the band name wasn't in the ole brain. Also in the not-heard-of NOSY PARKER group. POOR ME :-) But liked the others.
I did notice the 16 wide grid today. So there's that. Unfortunately had a DNF with pAl for MAC, making the Downs HEATpAP and SNUlK. What a TNUT I am. No ATTA Boy for me.
A nice clever puz for Tuesday. Usually the low day of the puzweek. Some different clues, like ICE, e.g. Actually made ya think a second or two. As much as I like seeing F's, I always seem to not grasp the two together in OKEEFFE. Seems superfluous.
Oh dear, I am one of those "older" solvers! I've seen the super hero movies (though I can't remember the series' name), but you could put lit matches under my toenails and I couldn't tell you their names. KENT was the only one that I recognized; for the others, it was "If you say so."
Bit that's okay; it was a fine stroll around the grid though I did think PASEO was a latin dance (See "Strictly Ballroom" for more information. But maybe I have the dance misremembered. That has been known to happen.)
In fact, watch "Strictly Ballroom" anyway, especially on this auspicious day. There was a meme posted on my Facebook page today that said, "Today is like a combination of Christmas Eve and the night before a colostomy." That's about right.
@M&A Please go vote yer darlin asses off, today. Thanx.
whilst working on Beacon Hill (that's effete Boston) some decades ago, 'vote early and often' was bandied about around election day. I thought at the time this was a relic of the Irish takeover of Boston politics, but not according to [the wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vote_early_and_vote_often#History ] which ascribes its source to may be NYC or Chicago. both home to political machines over the centuries.
The Donald would appreciate not being swamped by a Blue Tsunami, ya know. stop the Invasion!!!
The actual fountains of Wayne, that is the emporium, made a fairly sizeable appearance in an episode of the Sopranos. Charles Dutton plays a good cop who pulls Tony over for speeding. Refusing Tony's bribe, the cop is fired and ends up working at Fountains of Wayne. (I think)
This I know. It's not UPenn. It's just Penn. I believe this hideous UPenn stuff started with the internet. I can assure you, as a proud Quaker, I never heard the term before the late 90's. I concede it is now widely used, but if @Banana can ask everyone to vote and Rex can ask that in Arabic be given the heave ho, I can ask my friends here to say Penn.
I liked your puzzle Messrs. Southworth and Yonas. Thanks.
Lovely answers in NOUGAT and PASEOS -- don't see them regularly in puzzles -- and a mini-theme of double E's (5). One of those terrific low-hanging themes that no one saw until this dynamic duo, and high props for that. There are several superheroes that I would love to have as alter-egos, and certainly among them is Patrick Berry.
@ TJS 9:25 AM It is a Schrodinger puzzle, and the answer to 39 across in that Election Day puzzle could be CLINTON or BOBDOLE depending on the answers given to 39, 40, 41, 23, 27, 35 and 42 down, each of which has two correct answers. For example, the answer to 39 down, “Black Halloween animal,” could be CAT (for CLINTON) or BAT (for BOBDOLE).
A quibble about NOSY PARKER. In the other themers the words corresponding to the characters' names are not a person's name. Two are place names and two are common words. But PARKER is apparently supposed to invoke a person named Parker (like Rex). So it doesn't work for me.
Anyone else have DEnY and DUKEOnKENT and think they were golden? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
My thinking was along the lines of Stratford on Avon or Henley on Thames or Moreton in Marsh. And so it goes.
The puzzle was great, I was convinced that PASEOS was wrong but every single cross was rock-solid so I ended up learning a new word, always a good thing. Knew Stacey's Mom but never the band, so figured FOUNTAINSOFWAYNE was next to DUKEOnKENT and there was some sort of British theme going on.
Thank you to @frogprincekisser 12:19 as I too never understood that puzzle. I got CLINTON the first go-round and couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about.
Everyone - VOTE! I thanked both the R and D volunteers standing outside my polling place this morning. Even if I don't agree with the other side's policy positions, those people cared enough about their vision for our country to volunteer their time to stand outside in the cold and drenching downpours. And we need more human courtesy and respectful, meaningful conversations. Our government only works when we are all educated, informed, and involved. VOTE!
I'm going to blame the oversized grid on my slow solve today - about two minutes longer than Tuesday average, but it's probably more due to a total blank going on in the NE for the "Identify someone without speaking" clue. I had U_ENN crossing _OINT and could think only of UtENN. So what is tOINT? Could LIN be spelt LyN? And how would that help? Could INS be wrong? I stared at that, moved on while still obsessing and finally the state of PENNsylvania seeped back into my consciousness, whew.
My husband can't stand to watch Robert Downey, Jr., says he always acts the same no matter what part he plays (as a jerk, per my husband) so I've never seen Iron Man or any sequels. Thus, STARK meant more to me as a Game of Thrones reference though Ned was no super-hero. I think, by definition, super-heroes don't find themselves beheaded.
I liked the theme, and this 58-year-old filled in FOUNTAINS quickly after seeing WAYNE, though I don't follow that band but I do listen to a college rock radio station. I was amazed that the constructors could find five well-known superheros whose names could be used in a recognizable phrase. Nice work, AS and YY and congrats, Yacob, on your debut and Alan on your sophomore puzzle.
Got all the right letters in all the right boxes without knowing what the hell I was doing. Never heard of FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE, never read comic books. Nancy Drew occupied my childhood.
Oh well, as someone said earlier, learned a bunch of stuff that I will forget by noon except for Fountains of Wayne, that may sick with me for a while.
Fountains of Wayne was a store right on the highway in Wayne, NJ. in the 60-70's. They were always great to drive past. There was always like a three-tiered fountain with a cupid on top spouting water. At xmas a room of fake trees, all decorated, that my parents would take me to. It was a "winter wonderland." I always assumed the band had some NJ background.
Well, I knew all the superhero ALTEREGOS, but I thought they were secret identities. FOUNTAINSOFWAYNE was a WOE, since the last "album" by a rock band I bought was probably something by Dire Straits. How nice to find out people are still making music after that.
PASEO is a nice word. Strangely enough, in Spanish the expression is "dar un paseo", literally, "to give a walk". Give a walk, take a walk. Either way, the walk doesn't stay where it was.
I've already voted and it didn't hurt. Everyone should give it a try.
I was in commercial radio for nearly thirty years. I left around 1995, though, so FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE was a complete unknown. Easily getable, though.
The PASEO is a well-known boulevard in Kansas City, MO (and other cities, no doubt). So I knew "paseo" as a street or roadway. I didn't know it also meant "walk" or "leisurely stroll." And "paseos" looks odd to me. Do Spanish ballet dancers do a paseo de deux?
I received a sticker after I'd cast my ballot on Monday. It said "I voted early in Johnson County." YOU can't vote early now (in Johnson County or anywhere else), but DO VOTE. Even if you have to stand in line for hour or more. It's that important.
@LMS and @Z, what's the deal with the usage comments? "Before I 'came home' to my beloved field of linguistics, I hate to admit that I was a grammar meanie, too. "-- huh? What's "too" about that? Did somebody post something at 3am that got taken down? I get that SNUCK is an example of "non-standard usage" that's actually pretty standard. But, it was in the puzzle. And nobody was mean about it.
Well, anyway, this was a fun puzzle and whoa, what a bunch of theme material, and all stuffed in there without a lot of French adverbs or 15th-century saints to make it work. Kudos and I can't believe you guys are new at this. More please!!!
Can't figure out how I know Fountains of Wayne. Thought it related to Malcolm in the Middle.
FYI: rarely hear recent popular music … only remember melodies but not lyrics or song titles for music that played on radio when I was a child or teenager
@Cassieopia. Yep. I also had DEnY and DUKE On KENT. It was only when I didn’t hear the “Happy Music” on my iPad that I realized I had an error somewhere even though my brain tried to tell me earlier that DUKE On KENT didn’t make much sense. Did I listen to my own brain??? Nope. Why on Earth would I do that?
I was proud of myself that I recognized FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE as something I should know, but I couldn’t name their one hit for love or money.
I voted—haven’t missed an election since I turned 18. Can’t understand people who are “too busy” or “don’t care” to vote.
Fun puzzle. Fountains of Wayne was the highlight for me as somewhat of a fan of the band. I’m well past 50 though I get that they were never prominent enough for most people to know the name... unless you lived in New Jersey. Always thought it was a funny idea to name a band after a store on a highway.
I solved this early, but then had a busy day -- so probably this will be little read. I didn't know FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE, but that was the obvious answer. STARK was harder -- isn't that a family on Game of Thrones? (Which I know only from puzzles). I've seen Ironman, but only in the background in airport bars, with no sound, so never knew anyone's names.
@Tim Austin, I've always assume a NOSY PARKER was someone who parked their nose in other people's business, rather than a comment about @Rex, or any other individual named Parker. But I could be wrong. I learned the term from Dorothy Sayers novels, and never really checked itout.
@Loren, I know you'd love the lectern=PODIUM equation!
Nice puzzle! I'm not a hero worshiper, but I knew some of the last names and the rest became obvious, as those themers revealed themselves.
We've been through this before @Loren, but sneak is a regular verb and its past and past participle forms end in -ed. I began teaching using a dusty old grammar text which was on a vendetta to eliminate SNUCK from the English language. Its use is pervasive, but still makes me cringe.
Rex is correct about older folks being stuck in the musical past, if they even listen to music on a regular basis. I have always enjoyed hearing new music, but these people were of the Woodstock generation, now they confine themselves to the musical fund drives on their local PBS station.
I know Georgia O'KEEFE, but for some reason I was amazed as those vowels kept coming.
@jberg (6:34) -- And I learned the term NOSY PARKER from Agatha Christie. Guess British female mystery writers from the Golden Era used it a lot. Is that because it takes a NOSY PARKER to solve a murder? Anyhow, I looked it up, and no one's been able to trace the phrase to an actual Parker person -- though some have tried erroneously to trace it to a 16th-century Archbishop of Canterbury.
I filled it all in and I still don't get it. Duke of Kent. Okay Clark Kent. Oh shit and you even pointed it out. Fist not first. Grrrr. And that's with glasses. So in the end just puns? Nosy Parker. I was thinking is there more? Is it somehow Parker Posey who might have played Spiderman at some point... But no just word play. Kinda ick.
@GetWynded. Your fists are dukes as in “Put up your dukes” so Clark KENT’s fist is his “DUKE”. I’ve never seen the term in the singular, however. Spider-man’s real name is Peter Parker.
Easy. No erasures. And fun. What more do you want from a Tuesday puzzle? The INARABIC did not bother me, but it made Rex turn green as his shirt ripped apart when his muscles pumped with rage.
Never mind INARABIC: I have a NO! NO! NO! of my own. It is UPENN. NOT ONE SOLITARY SOUL has EVER said "UPENN." It's simply "PENN." UCONN, fine. UPENN draws a Upenalty. Needless to say, with the double N I filled in UcoNN immediately and with no thought of possibly being wrong. This alone is enough to take par off the books; we're now fighting to save a bogey.
The fight is not going so well. While the theme and execution are okay, there still remains the premature appearance of the revealer in the north--and the WHA??? at the center. This is the name of a BAND??? (Note to OFL: you can't say "Pretty big name in music" and "Not top 40" about the same group!) I didn't have much solving trouble there; I just assumed it was an actual FOUNTAIN somewhere that I'd never heard of. The others are fine.
Then we come to the fill. Littered with letter add-ons like TNUT and TYPEA, plus worn-out stuff like ETAL and ASEA, it betrays theme density. PASEOS and LASSI (go home!) are out of place for a Tuesday. We do have a good DOD in KATY Perry, but overall? No. Double bogey.
Never heard of FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE (a band?), but crosses were eminently fair in this fine Tuesday (oxymoron?). Of course, WAYNE I knew, as well as the others, except for BANNER. DUKE OF KENT is a great answer, as is its clue.
Pretty nifty theme and revealer, despite the latter's placement. Put your revealer anywhere I say. There *is* crosswordese in this puzzle, but to emphasize, it *is* a Tuesday, so there.
The only PASEO I know is a Toyota semi-sporty car that my daughter drove for awhile. Somehow Toyota "stroll" doesn't work so well, and maybe why it's no longer made.
For the life of me I don't understand the revulsion of IN ARABIC. It works here, and maybe IN - some other language wouldn't go so well. Jeez, I'm a pushover, I guess.
Looks (and feels) like a couple dozen three letter answers. But you’ll have that on a Tuesday. UPENN is one of the UGLIS.
I have driven The PASEO in Kansas City. It is a long parkway and major through street. As I recall it pretty much bisects KC.
Seems as though I’m the oldest commenter to recognize the band FOUNTAINSOFWAYNE. Occasional subscriptions to Rolling Stone and random issues picked up at airport newsstands over the years have probably helped on many of the musical type answers. Yeah baby Rachel Hunter stars in the music video “Stacy’s Mom” by FOUNTAINSOFWAYNE.
A long time ago, I was solving this puzzle and got stuck at an unguessable (to me) crossing: N. C. WYETH crossing NATICK at the "N"—I knew WYETH but forgot his initials, and NATICK ... is a suburb of Boston that I had no hope of knowing. It was clued as someplace the Boston Marathon runs through (???). Anyway, NATICK— the more obscure name in that crossing—became shorthand for an unguessable cross, esp. where the cross involves two proper nouns, neither of which is exceedingly well known. NATICK took hold as crossword slang, and the term can now be both noun ("I had a NATICK in the SW corner...") or verb ("I got NATICKED by 50A / 34D!")
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84 comments:
Very easy once I got the theme. I did more downs than usual for a Tuesday, but smooth sailing (not ASEA).
Ok, so I don’t really speak Superhero (sorry, Doug Peterson), but I was kinda on a Dick hunt. While my friends had crushes on David Cassidy and Donny Osmond, I was planning my wedding to Dick Grayson, aka Robin. It was going to be small but elegant and meaningful.
I knew two out of the five (5!!!) themers, but they were all inferable enough. (Rex – I didn’t know FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE, but what with “water” and “Batman” in the clue, it went in lickety-split.)
I liked this. The reveal is in a weird spot, but there *is* one (maybe not needed?) and it crosses three themers. Wowser. Seriously.
“What a low carb diet may ban” – any joy whatsoever.
I liked WEEP crossing FED. Ahem. Fingers crossed. (I’d have liked DISGRACED, PENNILESS, AND LOCKED UP crossing FED.)
The clue for TACT brought me up short. “Phrasing so as not to offend.” Is this still possible? I thought we offend someone nowadays pretty much whenever we open our mouths.
31A reminds me of this puzzle. Anyone new to crossworld should absolutely give this a shot. One of the most famous puzzles of all time.
I think I use SNUCK as my primary past tense of sneak. Sue me. But I started thinking about creeped and crept. I use both:
I crept into the kitchen to cadge the last brownie.
The guy at the party who was giggling and caressing the blender really creeped me out.
Put that one in your pipe and smoke it.
Before I “came home” to my beloved field of linguistics, I hate to admit that I was a grammar meanie, too. Looking back, I see now that the posturing was not so much a concern for preciseness but rather a way to show anyone around just how smart and educated I was. My favorite proof was referring to those things you stand behind, the tall desks with slanted tops, as lecterns and not PODIA. I went to great lengths to wield this little distinction. Man, I was such a jerk. I’m still a jerk, but not an error-shaming jerk; I’m an error-shamer-shaming jerk, defending the people I used to ambush, and I tell ya, it’s a full-time job. I need a goddamn mask and cape.
Who grills a BLT? Terrible clue.
@rex -- Chris Collingwood, Fountains of Wayne member, is into crosswords, does them every day. http://www.songwritersonprocess.com/blog/2011/07/25/chris-collingwood-fountains-of-wayne .
@LMS.
AS USUAL YOUR POSTS ARE THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY SOLVE. THANKS
Is ALEAST the opposite of AVAST?
Toast would be real.
I know. Insane.
This may be my favorite Tuesday ever. Great plays on words for the themers, plus the bonus reminder of FOUNTAINS of WAYNE, most famous for Stacy’s Mom. A joy from start to finish.
I recognize that for solvers with no crossword background, it may play rough. I'm thinking in particular STARK may be tough for some solvers.
Well Messrs Southworth and Yonas you have a lot to feel good about today! A debut/second puzzle, a rave review from @Rex, and a well executed clever theme idea. Bravo!
FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE went right in. Not a band I knew much about, but one I always thought of as an Indy successor to They Might Be Giants and Too Much Joy, both bands I liked very much.
Clever clues too CO HOISTed this out of blah Tuesday. Four thumbs up.
Too Much Joy: try this - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lcOA-QFCHoY&index=4&list=PLxZ6UUJ9TShwZT7QNHQtlGfXKW85xP4gI
Had DEnY for 6D “go against” until the end.
Never heard of a NOSYPARKER
Knew Fountains of Wayne from the business of the same name in Wayne, NJ.I used to buy my Xmas trees there.
What is the other meaning of NOSY PARKER? (aside from clue)
Trying to Remember
Who did theme for Malcolm in the Middle?
Was it Fountains of Wayne ?
Fountains of Wayne was a garden shop in Wayne, NJ which, I believe, was the inspiration for the band's name.
The show theme was “Boss of Me” by They Might Be Giants.
No joy here for me.
I have never heard of that band. I assumed these fountains were some famous place that I had never heard of either. This did not cause any real problems filling the grid but did nothing to please me.
Several clues seemed odd.
Why is sage profoundly wise. Simply wise would have been a fine clue. The wording of the clue for tact feels off.
Finish, AS a cake? Why not simply finish a cake?
BLTs are not grilled.
Who says Poor me?
Never heard of the Broadway star.
Rex liked heat map. I hated it.
I never doubted that Rex would approve of a puzzle with a comic book theme. I never had much use for comics.
Apiphobe was a cool clue for bee. That was the single moment of amusement for me in this entire puzzle.
I'm easily old enough to have never heard of FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE but it filled itself in very easily from crosses. I think my favorite was STARK NAKED. Fun puzzle, bringing back memories of the tens of thousands of hours I spent reading comic books.
Nosy Parker was a phrase in use about 60-70 years ago to describe a,well, nosy person. My Mom and her sisters used it all the time. Not sure of the origin, but somewhere in my brain there is a Dick Tracy connection. Maybe our comic book PHD can enlighten us.
Thought this was one of the better Tuesdays in a long time. Kind of get the idea that ex saw more in this puzzle than I did regarding theme answers, but whatever.
Fun puzzle! Felt very Tuesday-level and even though I don't know Fountains of Wayne, easy to deduce. So glad to have a cheery distraction today.
I filled in this puzzle in toto without a clue about the theme. I never read comics. Or saw the endless movies or TV “dramas” derived from them. And I’ve never heard of this band or the Xmas tree store that inspired its name. The last band I listened to or knew of was Benny Goodman’s. Nor have I ever heard of Nosy Parker, which apparently is strictly UK lingo. I did know who the Duke of Kent is. He’s the Queen’s cousin. I also learned today that “to podium” is a verb, at least in US sports. It means winning a prize or a medal. Despite my prevailing ignorance I enjoyed doing the puzzle. I did it “in ink” — a phrase that appears all the time in crosswords and I don’t recall Rex complaining about that.
I'm 58 and know the band Fountains of Wayne. Stacy's Mom got regular airplay on the Top 40 station my we always had in the car driving my tweens around in 2009. And who can forget that video!
Choose one:
A. She loved it because of the clever wordplay.
B. She hated it because of the comic book action hero theme.
C. She had a love/hate relationship to the puzzle.
If you chose A, dear blog friends, you are right. What a wonderfully painless and fun way to learn the last names of the ALTER EGOS of all the comic heroes I never watch or read about. Why I barely knew their first names -- and now I know their entire, full, real names!!! What a walking encyclopedia I shall be at the next cocktail party. Well, actually, probably not. I won't remember any of it by noon today, if not earlier; I can barely remember what I had for dinner last night. But for the moment, a big gap in my knowledge base has been filled, and I had a really entertaining time filling it. Enjoyed this a lot.
I shopped at Fountains of Wayne years ago:
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRfBRFbzpBWnoRffSF7l0fxdDl3SQzmNAurOaif0Hzjc6jEqPyiEw
I spent 15 months in hospital waiting for a heart transplant. I adopted "TINWOODMAN" as an email ID (Wizard of OZ). When I got to 27A (Iron man without any clothes), I confidently filled in "TINWOODMAN." Slowed me down considerably.
I chuckled at DUKEOFKENT, NOSYPARKER, and STARK NAKED. Never heard of Fountains of Wayne, LASSI, or PASEOS, but got them all from crosses.
I have no idea what Loren Muse Smith meant by 31A. There is no 31A in the grid. A typo?
lecterns arent podiums, podiums arent lecterns. sloppy editing. http://questionsaboutpublicspeaking.com/whats-the-difference-between-a-podiu
I didn't enjoy the solve but as I look back at on it, that's a very tight puzzle. I even knew Fountains of Wayne and I don't know why cause. It's a great Tuesday puzzle.
The odd solve could have been some of the (continuing) awful cluing. What would a grilled BLT look like? Wilted lettuce and some hot tomato slices? It's just a preposterous clue. And Identify Without Speaking/Point. Wouldn't the answer be Point At or Point To?
Would have been nice to have some gender parity in this one with PRINCECHARMING (Wonder Woman being adorable) or some such.
Clark KENT was Superman's alter-ego. Superman was superman, he played Clark KENT as an alternative to his true self. Batman was Bruce Wayne's alter ego. Wayne was born and lived his live as WAYNE, he donned the cape from time to time to pretend to be someone else. Same with Iron Man / STAR, Spider Man / PARKER, The Hulk / BANNER. The only Superhero to have an alter ego was Superman, the rest of the Superheros werealter egos. And don't give me any "alter egos are reflexive" crap.
@ghthree 8:48: I think she meant 31D. The NYT puzzle she's referring to was published in 1996 when Bob Dole lost the presidential election.
So different, and so welcome to hear some praise for dreadful Tuesday. I'm picking @Nancy's #1 as well.
Yes, FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE was the itchy head scratch. The other was BANNER YEAR. No matter, I figured the names had to do with comic book people.
I use to read comic books when I first arrived on these shores. I was in Jr. High in Sarasota Fla. Our bus stop was right in front of a drug store that had stacks of comics and the best chocolate malt shakes. I'd always head right over to Archie. What a guy. Hulk Hogan was just a bit too green. Superman and Roy Rogers were my heroes. Who didn't pretend to fly...I did - right off our stables into a pile of manure.
I'm not sure what a HEAT MAP is but it sounds fun.
@Anony 7:08. I, too couldn't figure out why a BLT is grilled. Maybe they're referring to the bread? I can't imagine grilling my tomato nor lettuce. I don't even grill my bacon. I'll have to think about that.
@ghthree. @Loren meant 31D. The puzzle she's mentioning was one we talked about the other day. It's the well known Schrodinger puzzle that Shortz praised. Try it, it's fun and you'll see why 31D jogged a memory.
@LMS, or others, Did the Nov.5,1996 puzzle but dont get how it could be right no matter who won. I know I'm going to feel stupid when I find out. Any help?
I agree about INARABIC, but it's so easy that I was past it before I had time to be offended. I have probably heard of FOUNTAINSOFWAYNE exactly once, which I guess was enough to remember that it was, in fact, a "thing".
I had the exact same thought as Rex as I plunked in FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE. I'm also 58, but Stacy's Mom was ubiquitous and I own a couple of their later albums. Good stuff, but I do imagine that lots of 50+ people, even if they know their big hit, won't know them. I also suspect the under 30 crowd might have issues. Big hit 15 years ago, so maybe the cut-off is more like 25.
@LMS - "Error-Shamer Shamer" - Maybe a cape with a big red ESS? As for opening one's mouth and offending someone, hey, it happens. It's always about what happens next. "I'm sorry," or "You have no reason to be offended." Speaking of which, a little Elvis Costello and The Roots. I'm sure someone out there knows why I'm sharing this song. The rest of you will just have to wonder.
Nice theme. 61 y.o. here who knew FOUNTAINSOFWAYNE (And NOSYPARKER).
I don't usually complain about, well anything, really in a puzzle. But the 2 pretty basic factual problems in today's are annoying: the podium/lectern thing as pointed out, and that's not what a HEATMAP is. Do a Google image search and you won't see one about weather until you are well down the page.
You don't have to be under 50 to know Fountains of Wayne, especially if you're from NJ.
I'm under 50, barely, and I've heard of FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE, barely. I know "Stacy's Mom" but have no idea if they ever had another hit. Anyway, I was able to retrieve that one from the dim recesses of memory. Easy-medium for me as well.
Fun puzzle. I’m 72 and I know the Fountains of Wayne. Rex. I even saw them in concert (they were the opening act for a more famous band)
Never heard of fountains of Wayne, but a puzzle based on the alter egos of comic book characters was never going to delight me. Didn't know Stark, nor Banner. Had trouble with the Lassi-Ray cross. (Lossi-Roy, maybe?) Nice puzzle for those who found the theme clues meaningful, but only Duke of Kent worked for me.
Hung up for awhile in SW corner until I changed Ali to Ray and treat to bread. Everything else pretty much flowed or could be worked out easily enough. Make sure you all vote folks.
HEATMAP has a more devious clue (at least one), perhaps too vague for Tue.: data scientist tool.
anyone who's had a Secret Santa receiver named Wayne should get that answer
Medium here, due to shaky grasp of superhero names. Clark KENT and Bruce WAYNE were the only ones I knew. However, I am familiar with NOSY PARKER, and the others were easy to get from crosses. FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE? No idea - one of those "It can't be right but it has to be right" entries. Cute idea, would have been more fun if I''d had a better acquaintance with Iron Man, The Hulk, and that band.
Do-over: GOES Along x lamb before lily before AHEAD x HALO.
Waiting for someone to post about how they grill their BLTs.
Hey All !
I do know Stacy's Mom (or at least I wish I knew her, Har) but the band name wasn't in the ole brain. Also in the not-heard-of NOSY PARKER group. POOR ME :-) But liked the others.
I did notice the 16 wide grid today. So there's that. Unfortunately had a DNF with pAl for MAC, making the Downs HEATpAP and SNUlK. What a TNUT I am. No ATTA Boy for me.
A nice clever puz for Tuesday. Usually the low day of the puzweek. Some different clues, like ICE, e.g. Actually made ya think a second or two. As much as I like seeing F's, I always seem to not grasp the two together in OKEEFFE. Seems superfluous.
They are four F's today. Nice. Says ROO.
NOUGAT POKERS
RooMonster
DarrinV
I vote thUmbsUp. Nice half-debut, Y.Y.
M&A's superheros that immediately came to his rescue: KENT. WAYNE. PARKER.
STARK was vaguely familiar -- BANNER was mucho dimmer.
Didn't know the FOUNTAINS band at all, but got em fine from the crossers. Didn't lose AGES/EONS of nanoseconds, there.
Primo weeject stacks in the NE & SW. staff pick: ETS. The KENTmeister was an ET. Don't think any of the others were, tho.
Wow … ALTEREGO revealer manages to cross three of the four themers. The crossword gods really smiled down upon these constructioneer dudes.
Just plain cool stuff: SAY-HI. TYPE-A. POOR-ME. A-LEAST. PS-ALM. IN-ARABIC. GOES-A-HEAD. har x 7.
Thanx for gangin up on us, A.S. & Y.Y. Good job.
Masked & Anonymo5Us
p.s.
Please go vote yer darlin asses off, today. Thanx.
Oh dear, I am one of those "older" solvers! I've seen the super hero movies (though I can't remember the series' name), but you could put lit matches under my toenails and I couldn't tell you their names. KENT was the only one that I recognized; for the others, it was "If you say so."
Bit that's okay; it was a fine stroll around the grid though I did think PASEO was a latin dance (See "Strictly Ballroom" for more information. But maybe I have the dance misremembered. That has been known to happen.)
In fact, watch "Strictly Ballroom" anyway, especially on this auspicious day. There was a meme posted on my Facebook page today that said, "Today is like a combination of Christmas Eve and the night before a colostomy." That's about right.
@M&A
Please go vote yer darlin asses off, today. Thanx.
whilst working on Beacon Hill (that's effete Boston) some decades ago, 'vote early and often' was bandied about around election day. I thought at the time this was a relic of the Irish takeover of Boston politics, but not according to [the wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vote_early_and_vote_often#History ] which ascribes its source to may be NYC or Chicago. both home to political machines over the centuries.
The Donald would appreciate not being swamped by a Blue Tsunami, ya know. stop the Invasion!!!
Is there a better phrase here today than @LMS's "I was on a Dick hunt"?
I guess when you just type and type and type (and type some more) you don't always see the trees in your forest.
This was pretty easy and fun. Didn't know FOW or Nosy Parker, but didn't need to. got them just fine.
Was glad to see "snuck" was clued as "informally"... although, really, who says "sneaked" in real life?
Happy day, all.
Easier if you frequently also drove by "Fountains of Wayne" on Rt 46 in NJ.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ewuu2qVi1Rc/SkPNp4jJB9I/AAAAAAAAAIc/TBE6L1xqFIE/s1600/610x.jpg
... or got really sick of "Stacy's Mom" when it seemed omnipresent.
Easy-medium works for me. No bad for a Tues., liked it.
The actual fountains of Wayne, that is the emporium, made a fairly sizeable appearance in an episode of the Sopranos. Charles Dutton plays a good cop who pulls Tony over for speeding. Refusing Tony's bribe, the cop is fired and ends up working at Fountains of Wayne. (I think)
This I know. It's not UPenn. It's just Penn. I believe this hideous UPenn stuff started with the internet. I can assure you, as a proud Quaker, I never heard the term before the late 90's. I concede it is now widely used, but if @Banana can ask everyone to vote and Rex can ask that in Arabic be given the heave ho, I can ask my friends here to say Penn.
I liked your puzzle Messrs. Southworth and Yonas. Thanks.
Collingwood from FoW also wrote the song from That Thing You Do.
Lovely answers in NOUGAT and PASEOS -- don't see them regularly in puzzles -- and a mini-theme of double E's (5). One of those terrific low-hanging themes that no one saw until this dynamic duo, and high props for that. There are several superheroes that I would love to have as alter-egos, and certainly among them is Patrick Berry.
@ TJS 9:25 AM
It is a Schrodinger puzzle, and the answer to 39 across in that Election Day puzzle could be CLINTON or BOBDOLE depending on the answers given to 39, 40, 41, 23, 27, 35 and 42 down, each of which has two correct answers. For example, the answer to 39 down, “Black Halloween animal,” could be CAT (for CLINTON) or BAT (for BOBDOLE).
Even though I have no connection to the school, I cringe when seeing or hearing UPenn.
A quibble about NOSY PARKER. In the other themers the words corresponding to the characters' names are not a person's name. Two are place names and two are common words. But PARKER is apparently supposed to invoke a person named Parker (like Rex). So it doesn't work for me.
Anyone else have DEnY and DUKEOnKENT and think they were golden? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
My thinking was along the lines of Stratford on Avon or Henley on Thames or Moreton in Marsh. And so it goes.
The puzzle was great, I was convinced that PASEOS was wrong but every single cross was rock-solid so I ended up learning a new word, always a good thing. Knew Stacey's Mom but never the band, so figured FOUNTAINSOFWAYNE was next to DUKEOnKENT and there was some sort of British theme going on.
Thank you to @frogprincekisser 12:19 as I too never understood that puzzle. I got CLINTON the first go-round and couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about.
Everyone - VOTE! I thanked both the R and D volunteers standing outside my polling place this morning. Even if I don't agree with the other side's policy positions, those people cared enough about their vision for our country to volunteer their time to stand outside in the cold and drenching downpours. And we need more human courtesy and respectful, meaningful conversations. Our government only works when we are all educated, informed, and involved. VOTE!
I'm going to blame the oversized grid on my slow solve today - about two minutes longer than Tuesday average, but it's probably more due to a total blank going on in the NE for the "Identify someone without speaking" clue. I had U_ENN crossing _OINT and could think only of UtENN. So what is tOINT? Could LIN be spelt LyN? And how would that help? Could INS be wrong? I stared at that, moved on while still obsessing and finally the state of PENNsylvania seeped back into my consciousness, whew.
My husband can't stand to watch Robert Downey, Jr., says he always acts the same no matter what part he plays (as a jerk, per my husband) so I've never seen Iron Man or any sequels. Thus, STARK meant more to me as a Game of Thrones reference though Ned was no super-hero. I think, by definition, super-heroes don't find themselves beheaded.
I liked the theme, and this 58-year-old filled in FOUNTAINS quickly after seeing WAYNE, though I don't follow that band but I do listen to a college rock radio station. I was amazed that the constructors could find five well-known superheros whose names could be used in a recognizable phrase. Nice work, AS and YY and congrats, Yacob, on your debut and Alan on your sophomore puzzle.
Got all the right letters in all the right boxes without knowing what the hell I was doing. Never heard of FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE, never read comic books. Nancy Drew occupied my childhood.
Oh well, as someone said earlier, learned a bunch of stuff that I will forget by noon except for Fountains of Wayne, that may sick with me for a while.
Whoa! Ned Stark gets beheaded? How about a spoiler alert.
Lets try STICK with me.
Fountains of Wayne was a store right on the highway in Wayne, NJ. in the 60-70's. They were always great to drive past. There was always like a three-tiered fountain with a cupid on top spouting water. At xmas a room of fake trees, all decorated, that my parents would take me to. It was a "winter wonderland."
I always assumed the band had some NJ background.
Well, I knew all the superhero ALTEREGOS, but I thought they were secret identities. FOUNTAINSOFWAYNE was a WOE, since the last "album" by a rock band I bought was probably something by Dire Straits. How nice to find out people are still making music after that.
PASEO is a nice word. Strangely enough, in Spanish the expression is "dar un paseo", literally, "to give a walk". Give a walk, take a walk. Either way, the walk doesn't stay where it was.
I've already voted and it didn't hurt. Everyone should give it a try.
I was in commercial radio for nearly thirty years. I left around 1995, though, so FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE was a complete unknown. Easily getable, though.
The PASEO is a well-known boulevard in Kansas City, MO (and other cities, no doubt). So I knew "paseo" as a street or roadway. I didn't know it also meant "walk" or "leisurely stroll." And "paseos" looks odd to me. Do Spanish ballet dancers do a paseo de deux?
I received a sticker after I'd cast my ballot on Monday. It said "I voted early in Johnson County." YOU can't vote early now (in Johnson County or anywhere else), but DO VOTE. Even if you have to stand in line for hour or more. It's that important.
@LMS and @Z, what's the deal with the usage comments? "Before I 'came home' to my beloved field of linguistics, I hate to admit that I was a grammar meanie, too. "-- huh? What's "too" about that? Did somebody post something at 3am that got taken down?
I get that SNUCK is an example of "non-standard usage" that's actually pretty standard. But, it was in the puzzle. And nobody was mean about it.
Well, anyway, this was a fun puzzle and whoa, what a bunch of theme material, and all stuffed in there without a lot of French adverbs or 15th-century saints to make it work. Kudos and I can't believe you guys are new at this. More please!!!
@musiman Thanks!
Can't figure out how I know Fountains of Wayne. Thought it related to Malcolm in the Middle.
FYI: rarely hear recent popular music … only remember melodies but not lyrics or song titles for music that played on radio when I was a child or teenager
@Cassieopia. Yep. I also had DEnY and DUKE On KENT. It was only when I didn’t hear the “Happy Music” on my iPad that I realized I had an error somewhere even though my brain tried to tell me earlier that DUKE On KENT didn’t make much sense. Did I listen to my own brain??? Nope. Why on Earth would I do that?
I was proud of myself that I recognized FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE as something I should know, but I couldn’t name their one hit for love or money.
I voted—haven’t missed an election since I turned 18. Can’t understand people who are “too busy” or “don’t care” to vote.
Fun puzzle. Fountains of Wayne was the highlight for me as somewhat of a fan of the band. I’m well past 50 though I get that they were never prominent enough for most people to know the name... unless you lived in New Jersey. Always thought it was a funny idea to name a band after a store on a highway.
@BarbieBarbie - Usage is an oft calmly and politely discussed topic in RexWorld, with nary an insult or unkind word ever uttered.*
*Tee Hee. Every word is true,though, isn't it?
I solved this early, but then had a busy day -- so probably this will be little read. I didn't know FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE, but that was the obvious answer. STARK was harder -- isn't that a family on Game of Thrones? (Which I know only from puzzles). I've seen Ironman, but only in the background in airport bars, with no sound, so never knew anyone's names.
@Tim Austin, I've always assume a NOSY PARKER was someone who parked their nose in other people's business, rather than a comment about @Rex, or any other individual named Parker. But I could be wrong. I learned the term from Dorothy Sayers novels, and never really checked itout.
@Loren, I know you'd love the lectern=PODIUM equation!
And, yeah, U PENN is horrible.
I am just now watching The Sopranos, and I was elated to see the Fountains of Wayne store in the episode Another Toothpick.
Love it that one of the band members follows Rex on Twitter.
Nice puzzle! I'm not a hero worshiper, but I knew some of the last names and the rest became obvious, as those themers revealed themselves.
We've been through this before @Loren, but sneak is a regular verb and its past and past participle forms end in -ed. I began teaching using a dusty old grammar text which was on a vendetta to eliminate SNUCK from the English language. Its use is pervasive, but still makes me cringe.
Rex is correct about older folks being stuck in the musical past, if they even listen to music on a regular basis. I have always enjoyed hearing new music, but these people were of the Woodstock generation, now they confine themselves to the musical fund drives on their local PBS station.
I know Georgia O'KEEFE, but for some reason I was amazed as those vowels kept coming.
@jberg (6:34) -- And I learned the term NOSY PARKER from Agatha Christie. Guess British female mystery writers from the Golden Era used it a lot. Is that because it takes a NOSY PARKER to solve a murder? Anyhow, I looked it up, and no one's been able to trace the phrase to an actual Parker person -- though some have tried erroneously to trace it to a 16th-century Archbishop of Canterbury.
I filled it all in and I still don't get it. Duke of Kent. Okay Clark Kent. Oh shit and you even pointed it out. Fist not first. Grrrr. And that's with glasses. So in the end just puns? Nosy Parker. I was thinking is there more? Is it somehow Parker Posey who might have played Spiderman at some point... But no just word play. Kinda ick.
@GetWynded. Your fists are dukes as in “Put up your dukes” so Clark KENT’s fist is his “DUKE”. I’ve never seen the term in the singular, however. Spider-man’s real name is Peter Parker.
Easy. No erasures. And fun. What more do you want from a Tuesday puzzle? The INARABIC did not bother me, but it made Rex turn green as his shirt ripped apart when his muscles pumped with rage.
UNPAID UPDATE
FOUNTAINSOFWAYNE were the bomb; a BANNERYEAR as they made it,
INANYCASE it’s Stacy’s mom who GOESAHEAD STARKNAKED.
--- KATY RAY O’KEEFFE
Never mind INARABIC: I have a NO! NO! NO! of my own. It is UPENN. NOT ONE SOLITARY SOUL has EVER said "UPENN." It's simply "PENN." UCONN, fine. UPENN draws a Upenalty. Needless to say, with the double N I filled in UcoNN immediately and with no thought of possibly being wrong. This alone is enough to take par off the books; we're now fighting to save a bogey.
The fight is not going so well. While the theme and execution are okay, there still remains the premature appearance of the revealer in the north--and the WHA??? at the center. This is the name of a BAND??? (Note to OFL: you can't say "Pretty big name in music" and "Not top 40" about the same group!) I didn't have much solving trouble there; I just assumed it was an actual FOUNTAIN somewhere that I'd never heard of. The others are fine.
Then we come to the fill. Littered with letter add-ons like TNUT and TYPEA, plus worn-out stuff like ETAL and ASEA, it betrays theme density. PASEOS and LASSI (go home!) are out of place for a Tuesday. We do have a good DOD in KATY Perry, but overall? No. Double bogey.
Thought "fountains of wayne" was a reference to something you might see at a wedding - "fountains of wine".
Never heard of FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE (a band?), but crosses were eminently fair in this fine Tuesday (oxymoron?). Of course, WAYNE I knew, as well as the others, except for BANNER. DUKE OF KENT is a great answer, as is its clue.
Pretty nifty theme and revealer, despite the latter's placement. Put your revealer anywhere I say. There *is* crosswordese in this puzzle, but to emphasize, it *is* a Tuesday, so there.
The only PASEO I know is a Toyota semi-sporty car that my daughter drove for awhile. Somehow Toyota "stroll" doesn't work so well, and maybe why it's no longer made.
For the life of me I don't understand the revulsion of IN ARABIC. It works here, and maybe IN - some other language wouldn't go so well. Jeez, I'm a pushover, I guess.
Liked this puzzle.
Generally with Rex except for his PAN of IN ARABIC. Nothing wrong with the IN used in references to any language, IMO.
PASSEOS and LASSI might not have been Tuesday-level on their own, but are easily filled in with the crosses.
And you don't need to know the name of the little-known band to get FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE. The Batman clue made it pretty transparent.
Theme is clever and fun.
Looks (and feels) like a couple dozen three letter answers. But you’ll have that on a Tuesday. UPENN is one of the UGLIS.
I have driven The PASEO in Kansas City. It is a long parkway and major through street. As I recall it pretty much bisects KC.
Seems as though I’m the oldest commenter to recognize the band FOUNTAINSOFWAYNE. Occasional subscriptions to Rolling Stone and random issues picked up at airport newsstands over the years have probably helped on many of the musical type answers. Yeah baby Rachel Hunter stars in the music video “Stacy’s Mom” by FOUNTAINSOFWAYNE.
INANYCASE, this puz was passable.
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