Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Noted Spanish muralist / TUE 4-9-24 / Some Art Deco works / First doll to be marketed as an "action figure" / Hey Mr. Gazillionaire from Omaha / Nickname shared by two Spice Girls

Constructor: Caroline Sommers and Freddie Cheng

Relative difficulty: Easy


THEME: You Name It! — famous names ending -ET or -ETT are reimagined as "[verb] + IT" phrases directed at the people with those last names:

Theme answers:
  • "WARREN, BUFF IT!" (20A: "Hey, Mr. Gazillionaire from Omaha—go shine the car!")
  • "LYLE, LOVE IT!" (34A: "Hey, Julia Roberts's ex—you're doing great!")
  • "JED, CLAMP IT!" (42A: "Hey, patriarch of '60s television—shut up!"
  • "CATE, BLANCH IT!" (56A: "Hey, acclaimed Australian actress—prepare the broccoli!")
Word of the Day: Jed Clampett (42A) —
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor, backwoods family from Silver Dollar City in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, who move to posh Beverly Hills, California, after striking oil on their land. The show was produced by Filmways and was created by Paul Henning. It was followed by two other Henning-inspired "country cousin" series on CBS: Petticoat Junction and its spin-off Green Acres, which reversed the rags-to-riches, country-to-city model of The Beverly Hillbillies.

The Beverly Hillbillies ranked among the top 20 most-watched programs on television for eight of its nine seasons, ranking as the No.1 series of the year during its first two seasons, with 16 episodes that still remain among the 100 most-watched television episodes in American history. It accumulated seven Emmy nominations during its run. It remains in syndicated reruns, and its ongoing popularity spawned a 1993 film adaptation by 20th Century Fox. [...] 

Good-natured patriarch Jed Clampett (portrayed by Buddy Ebsen) has little formal education and is naive about the world outside the rural area where he lived but has a great deal of wisdom and common sense. His forebears are revealed in series 1, episode 25, to have come to America before the Mayflower arrived. However, he later denies this to avoid offending Mrs. Drysdale. He is the widower of Granny's daughter, Rose Ellen (Buddy Ebsen was only 5 years younger than Irene Ryan). He is the son of Luke Clampett and his wife and has a sister called Myrtle. In episode 13, it is revealed that Jed's grandfather was 98 when he married Jed's grandmother, who was 18. In an early episode, Jed tells Elly May that she is the spitting image of her mother. He is usually the straight man to Granny and Jethro's antics. His catchphrase is, "Welllllll, doggies!"
• • •

["ANGELA ... BASS IT!]
Short one today because there's really not a lot to say about this one. You either find the wacky cluing funny today or you don't, and mostly the whole thing felt way too contrived. Those theme clues are trying really hard to be wacky, possibly because they're the puzzle's entire reason for existing. The problem was that after getting one, I didn't really need to read the whole latter part of the remaining theme clues. I knew what the trick was and so "Julia Roberts's ex" was enough, -NCHIT was enough (didn't even have to read the clue there). The problem was also that they weren't that funny. Lots of forced zaniness for a kind of ho-hum payoff. It's not that the theme is bad—seems like a reasonable kind of Tuesday theme, but the humor doesn't land, possibly because once you get your first themer, the rest are kind of like "yeah, you already told that joke, got it." It's like when a kid makes you laugh and then keeps going back to the same well to try to recreate that laugh. You're adorable, kid, but the moment has passed. Also, there's one glaring inconsistency in the theme clues, which is that three of the "[blank] IT!" phrases are commands (imperative mood), but "LOVE IT" is just an "I"-less statement—no command involved. If there'd been more going on with the theme, something more interesting and complex than what we've got here, that "LOVE IT" aberration probably wouldn't even have registered with me. But this one doesn't have a next level, a revealer or other element to make you go "Oh!" It just shows you its trick and then putters along showing and reshowing it to you. Meanwhile, the rest of the grid (almost all 3s 4s and 5s) has very little to show you beyond a few nice longer answers. So this is a sturdy, puzzle-shaped puzzle, familiar in every way—nothing to make you cringe, but no good surprises either. 


It's weird that a grid can have six Downs of 7 letters or more and still feel this bland, but after those six Downs (and the themers, of course), literally every answer in this 76-answer puzzle is a 3, 4, or 5. Sixty-six short answers, am I doing the math right?? That's enough to put you in a crosswordese COMA—though thankfully the puzzle steers clear of most true Crosswordese (the short stuff you see almost exclusively in crosswords). Only EKE and RAHS really fall in that category. Oof, and ERTES, sorry, my brain's really trying to suppress that one (27D: Som Art Deco works). But that's just three oofy bits. Otherwise, the grid is polished well enough, it's just that you can only do so much, sparkle-wise, when your grid's almost all 3-4-5s. And the clues don't seem to be trying that hard to be interesting either. I know I've complained about clues trying too hard lately—hopefully there's a happy medium out there somewhere. 

[Just an incredible "People Also Search For" assortment]

Since I am old and knew the "Patriarch of 60s television" with just JED in place, the theme was easy to pick up and there were almost no speed bumps to be found after that. Just open highway, right to the end, with only a little wobble as I tried to remember which of the seemingly endless spellings of "CATE" Ms. Blanchett was. Actually, I guess there's just KATE and CATE, but it feels like there might be a CAIT or KAYT lurking out there, so I just let the crosses tell me the answer. Oh, one other wobble—I had no idea GOYA did murals (!?!?). [Spanish muralist] to me is SERT, which is a tic only a true crossword-solving veteran is going to have. They used to throw SERT at you every week. Here a SERT, there a SERT. Nowadays you only see him about once a year, but back in the Maleska era, hoo boy. Anyway, GOYA was also (apparently!) a noted muralist, in addition to being a painter and printmaker, wow, OK. Here's some information about that:
The Black Paintings (Spanish: Pinturas negras) is the name given to a group of 14 paintings by Francisco Goya from the later years of his life, likely between 1819 and 1823. They portray intense, haunting themes, reflective of both his fear of insanity and his bleak outlook on humanity. In 1819, at the age of 72, Goya moved into a two-story house outside Madrid that was called Quinta del Sordo (Deaf Man's Villa). Although the house had been named after the previous owner, who was deaf, Goya too was nearly deaf at the time as a result of an unknown illness he had suffered when he was 46. The paintings originally were painted as murals on the walls of the house, later being "hacked off" the walls and attached to canvas by owner Baron Frédéric Émile d'Erlanger. They are now in the Museo del Prado in Madrid. (wikipedia) (my emph.)
[Witches' Sabbath, 1819-23]

Favorite answer of the day, by a mile, was OVERPACKED (which debuts today) (30D: Brought nine possible outfits for a one-night stay, e.g.). I am not what you'd call an overpacker, and yet I do not think that I have ever felt like I underpacked, which means I'm overpacking all the time. Every time we travel, we reassure ourselves, "they have stores where we're going." You know, in case you end up really needing something you didn't bring. I once bought running shoes on a trip to CO because the weather was so nice I couldn't not run. Got so mad that I left my shoes at home that I just went out and bought a pair. Best pair of running shoes I ever owned. The only kinds I'll wear now. Not telling you which kind until Saucony agrees to an endorsement deal. Dammit, I mean, Asics! Brooks! Keds! Definitely not Saucony.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld 

P.S. one last thing: I don't think "CLAMP IT" is something people say. I googled ["clamp it" shut up] and the first hit was the NYTXW site. "ZIP IT" I'd believe, or "STIFLE IT," if you're patriarch of '70s TV Archie Bunker:

[OK, this clip doesn't have "STIFLE IT" in it but it made me laugh so it's the clip I'm showing]

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]

59 comments:


  1. This was a case where "Downs Only Lite" bit me in the butt. Okay, it was a slight nip, not a bite. As the long acrosses formed, I dutifully typed in WARREN BUFFeT and JED CLAMPeT until crosses forced it otherwise and a saw what was going on. Nice Tuesday.

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  2. Bob Mills6:05 AM

    Very easy, but fun. I never knew that one "blanched" broccoli, but I'll trust the constructor.

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  3. I'm not generally a fan of "wacky clue" themes, but this was cute. It relied on a lot of proper name knowledge, so thankfully the downs were relatively easy giving me the crosses I needed. Had no idea that LYLE LOVETT was married to Julia Roberts. I could see solvers under 40 not knowing JED CLAMPETT (Heck I'm 50 and I've never actually seen the Beverly Hillbillies, but I know it as a reference). Also, I couldn't remember whether MARLA or IVANA was Trump's first wife.

    I also loved OVERPACKED, because I too have been guilty of thinking I might need every possible type of outfit on a trip (I usually talk myself out of it though).

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  4. I actually liked it even though it was a PPP-based theme - probably because they were all in my wheelhouse and were easily discernible, so I got the “joke” on the themers for a change. The rest of it was also pretty clean and the trivia like IVANA and TINA FEY didn’t hold me back for a change. lol, TINA FEY is so famous she barely qualifies as “trivia” but unfortunately for me, I need that kind of A-lister or true STAR for the PPP to be in my wheelhouse.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:05 AM

      “PPP-based”???

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:48 AM

      I have the same question.

      Delete
    3. @Anonymous 7:05 AM
      PPP is an invented phrase around here. Products, proper nouns, pop culture. When certain people don't know something in a grid, they belittle it as trivia. Johnny essentially hates everything in puzzles, so it's all PPP (or stupid trivia) to him... even though he's pretty smart... so it's kinda odd... and don't worry, he never reads the comments so we can chat about him. 🙃 He's probably our #1 anti-foreign phrase dude. I personally don't like more than 10 proper nouns in a puzzle. Some people grouse about any musical references outside of 1964 to 1974. I think 🦖 hates most product names as he senses the dark hand of capitalism at work. These days, I think the editors believe if something is knowable, then it's fair game in a puzzle, and since Go-ogle is open in the other tab on your phone, they might be right.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous6:57 AM

    Fun puzzle but agree with Rex…the cute got old fast. One more inconsistency not mentioned: pronunciation. First three themed names are pronounced with an IT ending, even though not spelled that way. But Cate’s last name is not BlanchIT.

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  6. I’m so sick of men being defined only by the women they dated, rather than for their own accomplishments. LYLE LOVETT has four Grammy awards from seventeen nominations, and has been in a bunch of movies and TV shows.

    Has anyone ever said “clamp it” when telling someone to shut up?

    Among the things I learned today: CATE BLANCHETT is Australian.

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  7. I’m continually amazed that after all these years of crossword puzzles in so many venues, themes keep popping out – like today’s – that have never been used before. Props to you, Caroline Sommers, for picking this one out of the ether, and on your NYT debut – double congratulations!

    Props to you as well, Freddy, for mentoring Caroline and taking part in bringing this into fruition.

    Lovely variety in the puzzle’s theme people – Business person, singer, actor, and tv character. Also, lovely to see SLAW on the side.

    I was also amazed to see that the excellent [Have trouble with one’s balance?] as a clue for OWE, has never been used in any of the major crossword venues, ever! (“Balance” has been used – as in [Carry a balance] – but not played on.)

    This was a sprightly mood brightener for which I’m most grateful. Thank you, Caroline and Freddie!

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  8. I agree with Rex on this one: clever theme that tries too hard and gets stale too quickly. Although, for me, the repetition of the gimmick helped because the clueing was odd and not helpful: I didn't know Warren Buffett was from Omaha, Lyle Lovett is more famous for other things than being what's-her-face's ex (which I also didn't realize), there are lots of '60s TV patriarchs, and I didn't know Cate Blanchett was Australian. So the "ETT to IT" theme was really what helped me get those answers.

    Cornell

    And Cornell again in honor of yesterday's eclipse...

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  9. Eclipse report from Asheville, NC. Because we were a bit out of totality, the sun never got to say “I’M OUT”, nor did the TEMPS drop, but, because of the highly unusual dimming, and the view of the sun in crescent, I still liked it A LOT.

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  10. Syrupy cute theme - but a flat solve. Highlights today were the Archie clip and the search result teaming RP with 45. The grid is choppy and gives us so many shorts. Did like LOOPER and CORNELL.

    You’re Damn Right

    Main issue here is doubling down on a trivia based theme with more trivia. BAD ROMANCE, TINA FEY etc make this feel like a TV Guide puzzle.

    No harm done.

    It's really serious

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  11. @Nancy. From yesterday -- thank you for the camping tips!

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  12. Hey All !
    I don't think the problem with LYLE LOVE IT is the answer. It's the clue. Should have been changed to something like, "... Dote on your pet!" Put it in the same voice as the other three.

    I see four cheater squares. Don't mind them too much if it gets improved fill. Could've put an S at ELIS/SIMP, but the symmetric companion would need some reworking.

    Decent TuesPuz. Not much to OHOH about, but no DISS to this puz.

    Happy Tuesday! IM OUT.

    Three F's
    RooMonster
    DarrinV

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  13. Anonymous9:01 AM

    LOOPER? I have only ever heard blooper or bloop single.

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  14. You can base a theme on proper names that perhaps not everyone knows as long as the surrounding fill is easy enough. In this case it was more than easy enough.

    While not exactly a laugh-fest, the puns were adequate to build a puzzle around, I suppose. I learned that Julia Roberts used to be married to Lyle Lovett, so my morning wasn't a complete waste. They seem like a strange couple to me; do they to you too?

    This was fine for a Tuesday. Joel is probably trying to make it up to us for the torture he's been putting us through on Fridays and Saturdays. This was a creampuff.

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  16. Doing downs only of course I saw WARREN BUFFeT and plunked him right in. Got stuck on 9D; isn't it usually a TIKI bar, not ROOM? But I had an e there so couldn't see it anyway. When I got to LYLE I could see who it had to be but couldn't make the spelling fit thanks to OPERA, WEIGH and ERTES (a ridiculous answer) all of which I was super sure of. CATE was next and once again she didn't fit, but down there I got OVERPACKED so only missing one letter in LYLE and finally realized it was some kind of homophone trick. So changed the e in WARREN to I which let me see TIKIROOM, and so on. JED was last because I wasn't thinking of a character, the others being real people. At the end when I looked at the across clues just to see what the deal was and I saw ...patriarch...shut up... I thought of Archie Bunker, so that wouldn't have helped anyway.
    In all it came out right at average time for Tues.

    Wordle: today's solution is in the puzzle. How often does that happen?

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  17. Norm McDonald used to say that the holy grail in comedy for him would be a joke where the set up is the same as the punch line. One of them he used on Weekend Edition was “Julia Roberts announced that she is getting a divorce from Lyle Lovett, when she realized that she was . . . married to Lyle Lovett.”

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  18. Caught on at the first themer and agree with the folks who thought the gimmick got old in a hurry and the clues were trying too hard. Not familiar with BADROMANCE, I think my Rolling Stone subscription expired about fifty years ago. My bowl was full of CHIPS before they were replaced by CHILI and I have heard of a TIKIBAR but not an entire TIKIROOM, which sounds like overkill. I'm curious to see which moo-cow answer M&A will single out as there was a veritable herd of them.

    Also, it's still hard for me to think of CORNELL is being in "upstate" NY. Too far south for me.

    I am compelled to mention that it's my granddaughter's twelfth birthday today. She had the good sense to be born on the same day I was, although a few years later, so any attention can be focused on her advancing age and not mine. Nice work.

    OK Thursdecito,CS and FC. Can't Say it was my Favorite Crossword ever, but 'twill serve. Thanks for a medium amount of fun.

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  19. One thing I forgot to mention. Who says I'M OUT when they're leaving? They MIGHT say I'M OFF -- which is what I wrote in first. Or perhaps they'd say "I'm out of here." But not just I'M OUT.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:23 AM

      The kids definitely say this. I’ve found myself saying it even. But my younger cohorts modify it to “I’m Audi-5000”

      Delete
  20. Easy breezy Tuesday and I liked this way more than @Rex, but there is not much to either criticize or praise.

    @kitshef…lol…good comment turning the table!

    @Southside…more clues into just WHAT you consider “trivia”….and not so much. I hope TINAFEY reads the blog as I’m sure your comment would make her day!

    @Rex…everyone should have a running shoe with an adequately wide toe box. Sauconys are great shoes known for having a wider than average toe box. For many people it would be too wide.

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  21. The gossip mongers were always exposing the dirty laundry of the TV stars, who would then try to torch or hide those allegations. In the morning you could hear Rona Bare It and by that evening you'd see Carol Burn It and Bob Sack It. And, BTW, who is this EMIT @ 4D?

    Mrs. Egs would call "Nine outfits for a one-night stay" roughing it.

    I thought briefly that we must be looking at a rebus at 54D (Bowlful at a Super Bowl watch party) after I got the initial "C" but couldn't squeeze in the ocaine.

    The presence of Ivanka's mother, IVANA, got me to wondering whether a new Trump girl would be named Melanka. Let me join the rational world (a small subset of humanity) in praying that we never need find out.

    With CORNELL and CORN already showing, I started looking for a BROWN PRINCETON PRINCE.

    Nice, cute puzzle. Thanks, Caroline Sommers and Freddie Cheng.

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  22. HAPPY BIRTHDAY @Pablo!!!

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  23. Delightful little puzzle with a good sense of humor.

    I adore how we think of the metric system as European and our resistance to it as a kind of nuevo-anti-socialist anti-colonialism. Keep that base 10 to yer selves ya filthy commies.

    Not to disparage the unrelentingly terrible and myopic Rolling Stone staff and their insultingly insipid "best of" lists, but Bad Romance wasn't even in the 500 best songs produced the year it came out, let alone of all time, unless you happen to be fixated by four chords repeated mindlessly over and over on top of tee-hee-ish lyrics and a girl in her underwear gyrating over a drum machine. Oh, wait, that is exactly what Rolling Stone celebrates. Never mind.

    Uniclues:

    1 Attempt to murder substitute taxi drivers.
    2 Quote from a Pompeiian.
    3 Pretended to be a hep cat in Bangladesh.
    4 A time out.
    5 This fancy spaghetti costs too much.
    6 Where a whaler carbs up.
    7 She's getting richer and famous-er so you know it's coming.
    8 Fat white guy in a flowered shirt who loves Jimmy Buff-it.
    9 Main dish at a poetry slam.

    1 STAB CABS' TEMPS
    2 LAVA! OH OH I'M OUT...
    3 APED RAGA KITTY
    4 IMP ORDEAL (~)
    5 ARTY PENNE DISS (~)
    6 AHAB YAM MECCA
    7 TINA FEY FALL (~)
    8 TIKI ROOM MAN
    9 MOT OPERA CHILI

    My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: An eagle in an aerie. UNLIKE A BIRD IN THE HAND.

    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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  24. Cute. Kind of a spin on the Blank it! clues without quotation marks. Suck it! (lollipop)

    My Google search for Rex Parker shows (under "People also search for"): Will Shortz, BEQ, Donald Trump, and Julius Caesar. Seems like a fun group of dinner guests.

    Seacrest out!

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:49 AM

      Nice SEACREST callback 👍🏼

      Delete
  25. Easy. No WOEs and CHips before CHILI and MAc before MAN were it for erasures because I didn’t read the across clues.

    I am definitely with the “cute liked it” contingent.

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  26. I am almost 100% sure that this is a first-person CATE BLANCHETT story.

    A beautiful day in Central Park about 5 years ago. I'm walking down the hill that leads from the bridle path at East 97th street to the tennis courts. On the grass adjacent to the hill, an irresistible Golden Retriever (my favorite breed) is cavorting off-leash, sporting a wide smile that would melt anyone's heart. I do not even notice its person at first.

    Its person is a tall woman dressed in understated dog-walking clothes and I say something to her about the sheer wonderfulness of her dog. She says something back to me-- very curt, not at all warm and fuzzy -- and scurries off up the hill I have just come down. And while I don't recognize her face at all, I'm struck by that VOICE! I know that VOICE! It's the voice of an actress. Whose voice IS it???? I have to know. I HAVE TO KNOW!!

    And by the time I get to the bottom of the hill, I DO know. It's CATE BLANCHETT. Leaving me with two ways to interpret the incident:

    1) CATE BLANCHETT is not a very nice person and, besides, she's sick and tired of having her life interrupted by gawking strangers because of her celebrity status.

    2) CATE BLANCHETT likes being recognized. She expects to be recognized. And she certainly doesn't like playing second fiddle to a...dog!

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  27. Anonymous10:51 AM

    Have never heard the word looper used for a bloop single in baseball.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:50 PM

      While looper and blooper have the same definition totally agree that blooper is far more common.

      Delete
  28. Well I had fun with IT....I looked at WARREN's last name and thought I've been misspelling IT all these long years. Since I'm a lousy speller, I didn't mind. Oh, wait! I know JED Clampett!...my sister and I watched The Beverly Hillbillies religiously. Oh...now I see what you did....Hah! When I arrived in New York, I use to also watch "All In The Family" just as religiously and thought how great America is. Thanks for the clip, @Rex....AND, the laugh!


    So we have a swticheroo going on here and it involves changing the last names to an IT. Que clever. Don't think I've ever seen this kind of puzzle before.

    I had a bit of a HUH moment with GOYA. He's not really known as a muralist even though, among all of his talents, he was a bit of one. Of course, he's most famously know for his "Maja Desnuda" and his "Los Caprichos" etchings but his "Saturn Devouring His Son" is a mural he painted in his home. I can't imagine what it was like to tear that one down and frame it for the world to see.

    OVER PACKED...I have packing down to an art. I think I've spent tons of my life on airplanes and unless I'm going away for a month, I can neatly fold all of my clothes and shoes into an overhead bag without any difficulty. It also helps if you carry a very large purse for your computer, your phone, all of your make-up, your hair dryer, your money, a book, medicines, candy and something to drink....It works.

    @pablito...APY VERDE TU JOO as they say in my neck of the woods. And to your granddaughter!







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  29. "Mrs. Egs would call "Nine outfits for a one-night stay" roughing it."

    Perhaps your funniest comment ever, @egs.

    And in light of that, you definitely should take a look at the link I posted for @Liveprof -- very late on yesterday's blog.

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  30. Cute puzzle - reminded me of the 'good old days.' That is to say, I enjoyed it.
    Thanks Caroline (congrats on your debut!) and Freddie :)

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  31. I don't think I've ever said CLAMP IT, but I do think I've heard it, or maybe read it, or maybe it's just a back formation from "Put a CLAMP on IT!" Good enough.

    I was in bit of a hurry this morning, so I didn't shave after showering -- and here's the puzzle handing me a RAZOR as a subtle rebuke. MYOB, puzzle.

    I got all excited when I saw that AXE ZEN down in the SW corner, figuring we'd see a pangram, but nope, just XZ.

    We were disorganized last week, and didn't get eclipse glasses in time, so we made some elaborate pinhoe projection kits--but 15 minutes before the peak my daughter-in-law texted that my grandson was coming home from school with extra glasses, so we zipped over to their house, taking the pinhole kits along just for fun. We had 92% coverage here, which was pretty neat, but no Bailey's beads or diamond ring. The pinhole did work, though the image is pretty small. My son saw it, got out a Ritz cracker, and showed us that you could get the same effect 7 times with one. (Later on Facebook I saw a photo of someone using a colander to project many mini-eclipses on the sidewalk.) It clouded up soon afterward, but we had good views.

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  32. Anonymous11:25 AM

    Happy Birthday, Pabloinnh!

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  33. Speaking of the 'good old days' (well, I was anyway) thanks for the All in the Family clip. I forgot how funny television can be 😀

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  34. I just don’t see Cate Blanchett in a cutesy Xword. LOL.

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  35. "Hey, Pink Floyd co-founder -- drop your trou!"

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  36. Go ahead and make some goofs on this puz solvequest, wee lass!*

    Nice Name-It theme. thUmbsUp.

    staff weeject picks: AXE & ZEN. Together, they really scrabble-twerked up that SW weeject stack.

    other faves: TINAFEY. OVERPACKED. ALACARTE. LOOPER. LAVA clue.

    @pabloinnh: Don't normally do TuesPuz fave moo-cow clue, but -- since it's yer b-day, and all -- if I did, it'd probably in theory be:
    {When said three times, "You get the idea"} = YADDA.

    Thanx for gangin up on us, Ms. Sommers darlin & Mr. Cheng dude. And congratz to Ms. Sommers on her half-debut.

    Masked & Anonymo2Us

    p.s.
    * = LITTLEMISSMUFFIT.

    p.p.s.s.
    Sky cleared enough just in time for us to see the eclipse, at our house. Whittled the sun down to a skinny orange banana, in our parts. One time it was fun to be mooned.

    **gruntz**

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  37. Anonymous1:04 PM

    No idea who Jed Clampett or Lyle Lovett are, so I breezed through this puzzle with the exception of the 3x3 center where those names dominate.

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  38. Anonymous1:14 PM

    This was a "short one today"???

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  39. I solved down clues only and somehow got to the end with no errors! A nice bonus was that I enjoyed the theme because I didn't get to read the theme clues... I do NOT like them. I hoped for something more restrained, like "Billionaire who does his own polishing".

    [Spelling Bee: Mon 0 (why was "raping" not accepted?) Sun -1, missed this 8er.]

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  40. @okanaganer

    I wondered the same thing about SB not accepting "raping" as a word. Really strange, IMO.

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  41. Besdides being a four-time Grammy winner, Lyle Lovett is also a very accomplished competitive rider who has been inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. In 2018, he was awarded the National Reining Horse Association Lifetime Achievement Award (per Wikipedia). Seems like there's a lot more that a person could remember him for than a brief marriage to a movie star.

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  42. First, thanks to @Newboy for the link from yesterday to the creative eclipse puzzle! What fun!

    Happy Birthdays, @Pablo and granddaughter! You share your day with a lot of talented people, including Theobald Boehm, German inventor of the modern flute; Florence Price, first woman to have a symphony performed by a major US symphony orchestra; Paul Robeson, Antal Doráti; guitarist Peter Wood who co-wrote "Year of the Cat" with Al Stewart; crossword favorite Lil Nas X and child-prodigy vocalist turned pop singer Jackie Evancho. Jackie singing ‘Nessun dorma’ at age 11

    This would have been a breeze if I hadn’t plopped down, in ink, Jethro… before remembering that was JED’s nephew. Oh, well.

    RAHS, y’all.

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  43. Anonymous5:52 PM

    Hey Rex actually pretty sure that Archie Bunker said “Stifle” not “Stifle it”.

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  44. @Okanaganer & JCC

    same thought on SB yd, but there are a fair number of words that are not accepted because of negative connotations, so that's what I thought was going on. But one day recently i was surprised that urticaria wasn't accepted, seems like a pretty common term for a rash... but the one time I complained (muntin) I got a reply that it was "specialized architectural terminology". Hardly. And I think they accept it now, so....

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  45. Anonymous6:56 PM

    Came here for the inevitable tds meltdown, but was sorely disappointed.

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  46. @pablo
    Happy Birthday! To you and your granddaughter! May tomorrow bring a PAUL or PABLO or (I can never seem to remember your granddaughter's name). 😁

    RooMonster What Was I Saying? Guy

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  47. Anonymous9:19 AM

    Really wanted BUFF IT BUFFETT for the first clue and theme. Got sad when I what to just go put WARREN there.

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  48. Got a mental picture of Warren as Biff at the end of BTTF being ordered by McFly to BUFFIT. And him sheepishly obeying. Chuckles.

    That set the tone for a fun solve, easy though it was. TINAFEY shows up with both names for the DOD award. H.M. to CATEBLANCH"IT."

    Re OVERPACKED: subject forgot the First Rule of Travel:

    Make a pile of clothes and a pile of cash. Then half the former and double the latter. Now you're ready.

    A most unfortunate EKE sighting costs a stroke--and so easily fixable. The K could be replaced by L, N, R, V or even W (Harriet Beecher _____). Par.

    Wordle birdie.

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  49. Anonymous11:47 AM

    *groan*

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  50. Burma Shave12:25 PM

    PUT OUT

    IVANA said, “I’MOUT of IT,
    I ABHOR the MAN, no chance.
    This ORDEAL, I can’t LOVEIT,
    IT’s A BOGUS BADROMANCE.”

    --- TINA “KITTY” CORNELL

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  51. rondo7:00 PM

    Hey, gossip columnist, strip. RONA BARE IT.
    Hey, Pink Floyd co-founder, moon us. SYD BARE IT.
    Etc.
    This can be expected on Tuesday. OH for the days of PB1, DS, et al.
    Wordle par.

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  52. Diana, LIW1:27 PM

    OHOH - I got the trick. Quite a nice Tuesday surprise.

    and yes, I am a day late

    Diana, LIW

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