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Actress Hinds of "9-1-1" / MON 9-2-24 / Symbol in Tinder's logo / Gravy train gig / Sandoval of "Vanderpump Rules" / Gummy candy shape / Lodge group since 1868 / Pollution portmanteau / Engineered embankment
Monday, September 2, 2024
Constructor: Sala Wanetick and Emily Biegas
Relative difficulty: Easy (solved Downs-only)
Theme answers:
- PETER COTTONTAIL (he hops) (17A: Song character who comes "down the bunny trail")
- BROKEN RECORD (it skips) (27A: Someone who says the same thing again and again, metaphorically)
- FIGURE SKATER (she jumps) (49A: One having an ice time at the Olympics?)
Aisha Hinds is an American television, stage and film actress. She had supporting roles in a number of television series, including The Shield, Invasion, True Blood, Detroit 1-8-7 and Under the Dome. In 2016, she played Fannie Lou Hamer in biographical drama film All the Way. She has also appeared in Assault on Precinct 13 (2005) and was cast as Harriet Tubman in WGN America period drama Underground. Beginning in 2018, Hinds stars in the Fox procedural drama series 9-1-1. (wikipedia) // 9-1-1 is an American procedural drama television series created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear. The series had aired on Fox and currently airs on ABC. The series follows the lives of Los Angeles first responders: police officers, paramedics, firefighters, and dispatchers. // The series currently stars Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Oliver Stark, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ryan Guzman, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi and Gavin McHugh. The series premiered on January 3, 2018. 9-1-1 is a joint production between Reamworks, Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision and Ryan Murphy Television in association with 20th Television. In May 2023, the series was canceled by Fox and was renewed for a seventh season at ABC. The seventh season premiered on March 14, 2024. In April 2024, ABC renewed the series for an eighth season which was set to premiere on September 26, 2024. (wikipedia)
• • •
Very happy I solved Downs-only today because I missed the two marginal pop culture clues entirely. I can't imagine watching network TV anymore. I have no idea what is on there. It all seems the same. Three hundred and eighty-six shows about cops or firemen or paramedics or medical investigators or lawyers or I don't know what. I do not get it. So if you'd asked me to name *anyone* in the cast of 9-1-1, I'd've asked "Do you mean Reno 9-1-1? That was a pretty funny show. I know the faces, but I'm not sure about the names. Let's see, there's that lady who went on to be in The Goldb-" And after you'd patiently explained to me that no, you didn't mean Reno 9-1-1, you meant plain old 9-1-1, I'd've stared at you blankly, wondering "...that's a thing? They couldn't think of a better title than that?" So, yeah, never heard of AISHA Hinds or that TV show. I don't feel bad about not knowing the TV show, but Hinds has done a lot of other stuff, so I feel slightly bad about not even recognizing her name. But solving Downs-only, all I have to know is that AISHA is a name, a name I know exists, and since the Downs all work ... we're good! I've at least heard of Vanderpump Rules, but again, hard LOL that I'd know the names of anyone on it. TOM Sandoval, you say? OK. Neither of these TV clues seem like easy Monday fare. I would say the same about LEONA Lewis if she weren't virtual crosswordese by now (her crossword presence is hardly proportionate to her actual fame) (47A: "Bleeding Love" singer Lewis). But again, solving Downs-only, I just sailed right by all that name nonsense. Ignorantly, blissfully.
No real problems with the Downs-only solve today. Kinda wanted IN RE at 3D: Regarding (AS TO). Then there was THE LIKE, which I really ... uh, like. It's a strange standalone phrase. I mean, it looks weird on its own, and not at the end of sentence, following "and." Plus it's got a strangely phrased clue: 4D: Others similar. My brain had to take a few seconds to process that one, grammatically. After I got THE, I wanted THE SAME, but no, THE LIKE is better, THE LIKE is good, I like THE LIKE. I still somehow haven't added INUK to my database of things I know, so that was probably the hardest answer in the grid for me ... OK, I looked it up, and I now feel less bad about struggling to recall it. This is only the second appearance ever of INUK, the first being some time last year. An INUK is a "member of the Inuit people." INUIT, I've seen a gajillion times. INUK ... still getting used to that one. Just one other misstep today: LEDGE before ROOST for the [Pigeon's perch].
Short fill is a little shaky today, but the longer (non-thematic) stuff is pretty nice. Do ORGANISTs GO ON TOUR. Seems like it would not be an EASY JOB (48D: Gravy train gig), lugging your cathedral-sized organ from gig to gig. I like GO ON TOUR because it looks like GOON TOUR. I guess if a guy OFFS people for the mob, and he has to do a lot of ... offing ... around the country, maybe you could call that a GOON TOUR. That's enough fanciful reading of the grid. Need coffee. Happy Labor Day. See you tomorrow.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
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50 comments:
Easy despite a number of WOEs, including AISHA Hinds (14A), LEONA Lewis (47A), INUK (50D) and TOM Sandoval (57A). Like OFL I missed the initial "A" at 65A. Maybe that should have been part of the clue, something like "Short distance to travel, after "A", with a hint to ..."
Now you know why I'm not a crossword puzzle editor.
My five favorite original clues from last week
(in order of appearance):
1. Warning not to go (3)
2. Alternative to hanging out? (5)
3. Marked Twain? (8)
4. Ontario, e.g., to the Québécois (3)
5. It's pressed for time (9)
RED
DRYER
DOGEARED
LAC
STOPWATCH
At my advanced age I seem to remember that what they now call "triple jump" at the Olympics used to be called "hop, skip and jump" without the indefinite article.
Cute early week theme and grid. Overall fill bordered on TV Guide spectrum but worked. PETER COTTONTAIL was neat and the revealer apt.
Darden Smith
Seemed overloaded with 3s and 4s. Similar to Rex - had to back into AISHA and crossword darling ATHOS - and his cronies slipped my mind. Didn’t like the perjorative tone in STONER. I’ll be going surfing shortly - and will enjoy a nice beach shower afterwards - it’s one o my small pleasures in life.
Pleasant enough Monday morning solve.
I ran down to the LEVEE but the Devil caught me there
Wow - they are using B-list celebs on a Monday that REX has not heard of. So of course I never heard of the AISHA lady or the Vanderpump dude (heck I’ve never even heard of the TV shows or whatever they are referencing). I barely recognize the Musketeers, and that’s only from Crosswords. I don’t know how many AISHAs are wondering around, I have a feeling that there may be a TOM or two out there that are more recognizable (anyone up for a CRUISE?).
Lots of old friends in the grid today as well - as Rex mentioned, ARIANA and the LEONA lady are basically crosswordese by now, along with old stalwarts like STYX, OSLO, EPEE and ALLA. So a pretty standard Monday, maybe a touch more difficult than usual if you don’t recognize the propers.
I mean really, the name of the song is “Here COMES Peter Cottontail”. Literally in the title, the first line of the song, repeated over and over. What a weird leap (haha) to suggest that’s a awkward/botched/partial quotation.
Downs only: had DFA/WORD instead of MFA/WORM. Took forever to find the error.
Only six longs. Is there anything here worth talking about?
What a lovely moment this puzzle gave me.
I had uncovered the three theme answers and was trying to guess the revealer, having purposely left it blank. I was getting nowhere. But then I saw that each of these things – the bunny, broken record, and skater – jumped.
So, I started thinking of phrases with “jump”, “jumper”, “jumping”, and still, nothing worked. Somewhere in all this I thought that Peter Cottontail, according to the song, actually hopped, and that a broken record actually skips, but that “hop” and “skip” don’t apply to all three theme answers, and dropped that line of thinking.
So, when I finally gave up after this swirl of effort, and uncovered HOP, SKIP, AND JUMP, my reaction was, “Oh, yes, that’s IT, it’s exactly right, and it’s such a gorgeous phrase!” It was one of those rare times in this crazy world where everything stops and feels perfect.
What a lovely moment to start the day and week with!
Thank you for that, Sala and Emily. Thank you also for a puzzle that had clues that made me think, to balance the many Monday foothold clues, not to mention the big smile you gave me with the dook GOON TOUR (Hi, @Rex!).
Congratulations on your debut, and brava!
Like @Raymond, I remember the phrase as “hop, skip, and jump.” I wasn’t bothered by the missing A. I thought there was an A that shouldn’t be there.
Anyone else have trouble confusing “imply” and “infer”? Solving downs only, I dropped in “infer,” saw the cross as TOn, and thought I was good to go. But no.
I'm with those who not only are unfamiliar with AISHA, but also unfamiliar with everything listed in the Wikipedia citation that she has appeared in. Fair crosses though. I know LEONA but she's LEONA Helmsley. And I know lots of TOMs, but "The Vanderpump Rules" has escaped my attention.
Also found out about the Tinder logo. Still catching up with today's world.
I always have mixed feelings about SPRY, since it seems to apply exclusively to a certain age group (mine), which makes it rampantly ageist. On the other hand, I'm still wonderfully SPRY, so that makes it OK. Two things can be true at the same time, I suppose.
I liked your Mondecito a lot, SW and EB. Like @Lewis, I was Surprised When the revealer appeared, Exceedingly Better when that happens, and thanks for all the fun.
Does an ump refer to a ball and strike as ONE-ONE? The rest of us would say "one and one". To me, ONE-ONE means the game is tied at one run each.
I would have clued 41D as name found in 3 consecutive letters in the alphabet (STU is my brother’s name).
As a Philly sports fan, the only acceptable spelling for 12D is FLyER. Back-to-back Stanley Cup champs when I was in college. Seems like yesterday.
STONER seems a little harsh for "pot smoker". I mean, I once smoked pot in college and I definitely wasn’t a STONER. Seems like yesterday.
What would XW constructors do if there were no such thing as an EGOT?
All in all, a good Monday. Nice revealer.
I couldn't publish yesterday, I can today, will I be able to publish tomorrow? I didn't do anything different.
Didn't need the theme, but I liked it in retrospect. I also didn't get INUK right away, thinking it might be an alternate spelling of "Aleut" (Alut?). Otherwise a nice comfortable Monday puzzle.
Hop, skip and a jump ... you're there. No indefinite article. @Fun CFO, the clue is Song Character who comes down the bunny trail.
Hey All !
THE LIKE sounds weird to my EARs. After reading Rex, I SEE how it works, but his screed on the missing A of the Revealer is my screed for the missing AND for THE LIKE. I didn't miss the A, but I do miss the AND.
I do agree with Rex on GOON TOUR, though. Har on that.
Nice MonPuz, couple of answers that weren't auto-fills. Had bear for WORM first. I'm thinking about 82% had bear first. (How's that for an arbitrary FIGURE?)
Before I start sounding like a BROKEN RECORD (too late?), gonna skedaddle.
I have to Labor on Labor Day, but if you're off, have a great day!
Four F's
RooMonster
DarrinV
A way to remember: M (in IMPLY) comes before N (in infer) in the alphabet. Usually, the implication of something precedes someone inferring it.
Well, initially typed in “aHOPSKIP…” then quickly saw that was not going to fit. Was easy fix. Was that COTTONTAIL reference a Burl Ives song? Now a WORM in my brain. Thought the theme concept was fine and fun. Nice sequence leading to the revealer. The rest of the fill had some odd quirks but overall was relatively easy. Still not up to trying across or downs only…
For Andy Freude: IMPLY means to suggest (active verb). INFER is to interpret a message or suggestion (passive verb).
I thought the same thing! I’m pretty sure the only reference to PETERCOTTONTAIL in that song is that line plus, hippity hoppity Easter’s on its way.
Fingers crossed @mathgent!
Breezy Monday, solved Wordle in two, the silly but somehow compelling Strands flowed, saw clearly the Connections AND I get the day off!
Wait, I’m retired. EVERY day is non-Labor Day to me…
WTF is with the revealer? HOP SKI PANDA JUMP. .......
I won't try to develop the mini theme involving EASYJOB, BLOW and GOO for fear of having my comment axed.
I've always loved the book "PETERCOTTONTAIL meets STONER STU".
Nice side-by-side Department of Redundancy Department entries with REDO OVER.
Nice Monday puzzle. Thanks, Sala Wanetick and Emily Biegas.
I tried to figure out what tied the theme answers together, but couldn't until I hit the revealer clue. Then it was obvious.
I find myself with nothing else to say about this EASY JOB of a puzzle, so I won't.
"In re" is not related to "regarding" -- it's not even an abbreviation, it's a Latin phrase meaning "in the matter (of)"
Medium. I did not know INUK, AISHA (Tyler would have worked) and TOM (Poston would have worked).
Erasures: Me too for Infer before IMPLY and artS before TEES,
THE LIKE took some crosses.
Solid Monday, liked it.
Croce Solvers - Croce’s Freestyle #939 was one of the easiest Croce’s I’ve done. Definitely easier than Sam’s Saturday puzzle this week. Good luck!
yep. Hard to beat a MonPuz that hops, skis, and panda jumps [yo, @egs].
fave moo-cow eazy-E MonPuz clue: {Letters between R and V} = STU. staff weeject pick ergo = STU, too boot.
other fave stuff: THELIKE. EASYJOB. CPU/APU.
folks I knew: COEN. APU. ARIANA. ATHOS.
folks I knew not: AISHA. LEONA. INUK. TOM. Also, ALLA, to break the tie.
Thanx for gangin up on us, Ms. Wanetick & Biegas darlins. And congratz on yer joint debut. Nice job.
Masked & Anonymo5Us
**gruntz**
Buenos dÃas señores y señoras. I am logging on using tin cans and a string from my new home town in the high desert, Albuquerque, New Mexico. I haven't posted for the last three days (you're welcome) as we've been packing up in Denver, and traveling, and moving into temporary accommodations.
I've enjoyed some northern New Mexican food (if you know, you know), and the mariachi band there had a harp! We went to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center for fry-bread, along with blue corn crusted pickle slices marinated in black cherry Kool-Aid with green chile ranch (fer real).
I still need to grow a mustache, buy a cowboy hat, belt buckle, boots and a pickup. People have been friendly so far. And, In New York I'm a five, a six in Denver, but here I'm a solid eight if the lighting is right.
I managed to finish the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday puzzles, but no time to comment on them. If I had, I'd've said, "too hard," "way too hard," and, "ack! there's a math problem in my puzzle." So now we return to our regularly scheduled program.
It's Monday, I teach Peter Cottontail on ukulele every April, and it is the most noxious ear worm on Earth. It'll be in your head all week.
I have a crush on Ariana Grande. I associate LEVEE with Led Zeppelin breaking it. A correct gummy is bear shaped. My chess games usually end with me pushing all the pieces onto the floor and saying, "This is a stupid game." Calling an ORGANIST a "musician" is a bit of a stretch dontcha think? (Just kidding.)
Propers: 9
Places: 2
Products: 5
Partials: 6
Foreignisms: 2
--
Gary's Grid Gunk Gauge: 24 of 78 (31%)
Funnyisms: 5 😄
Tee-Hee: GOON TOUR. GOO. STONER.
Uniclues:
1 Thought one might have when the movers arrive.
2 Grande rite.
3 Tourist (who is about to go to the hospital) tries a selfie with the wildlife in Estes Park.
4 Relieved thought on every Saturday afternoon in every church office.
1 I SEE TAPERS
2 ARIANA MASS
3 NEAR-ELKS ACE?
4 FLIER DONE ... AMEN
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: Dead man smokin' a cig (or Icelandic brain-eating bird). {Seriously, isn't English great?} ZOMBIE PUFFIN'.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
PAPI looked at THE ONE TACO on his PLATE and exclaimed "AI, the SHA is here to TOUR our COTTON HOP SALTS over by THE LEVEE!"....REDO, his STONER MATE, said THE SHA was a GOON and would OFFS each ONE if THE FEDS could FIGURE out that the HOP SALTS were really STYX of BROKEN GOO.
PAPI finished his ONE TACO and went OVER to the LEVEE. E GOT NEAR THE STYX and saw a WORM. He MET up with REDO who took a JUMP over THE SAND MASS hoping he could SKIP this JOB. His SOX smelled of A PU and were on FLAME from the GOO in THE LEVEE and....E GOT LIKE some SAND in his EAR. PAPI was SPRY and could JUMP OVER ELKS NEAR THE RTE to INUK....REDO wasn't as SPRY...
THE SHA and THE FEDS were NEAR. THE SMOG OFF THE TAIL end of the LEVEE would BLOW in and was MET with a BROKEN MASS of A PU SEEP. PAPI and his STONER MATE, REDO, WERE ON RECORD for taking a FLIER and would SKIP town when the FLAME EATER FEDS took a POSTURE of trying to TAIL them in the STYX. It was all in VANE.
You see, both PAPI and REDO fled THE COTTON HOP SALTS that were really STYX of BROKEN GOO. They met up with PETER, an ORGANIST, who liked to GO ON about this TACO bar in the town of INUK. He was a big EATER and had a FIGURE like a BROKEN MASS of OAT GOO. He liked to make his TACO with the ORGAN of ELKS meat and when it was DONE, he'd EVEN FIGURE out how to use the CORER to TEES some SPRY STU out of it. He called it TACO ALLA FLAME!
It became a SPRY STONER TACO bar and neither the SHA nor the FEDS could FIGURE out how to BLOW this one up. They could HOP, SKIP and JUMP all over this RTE, but alas, they only MET up with a BROKEN TAIL.
PETER sang an O SLO ODE on his ORGAN; it was an EASY JOB for him...PAPI and REDO made THE TACO ALLA FLAME for the MASS of folks who came. They also liked that PLATE of ELK STU. It was an EPEE affair that MET with a loud AMEN.... and that's the truth!
This old timer well remembers that Department. It's from the Firesign Theatre's Don't Crush That Dwarf album.
No
A pretty easy Monday
Great theme today in celebration of Labor Day. NOT.
@ egs: I parsed it the same way!
Solved downs only and my experience roughly paralleled @Rex's. I also liked THELIKE. It was tough to suss out but very satisfying. Also agree with him on network TV. I only use it for hockey games, news, and the late night comics like Meyers, Kimmel, and Colbert (mostly just the monologues; I have no time for movie stars and THE LIKE promoting their wares).
His question "do ORGANISTs GO ON TOUR", took me back to high school days when I hung out with my good friend Claude's garage band. Claude's pride and joy was his Hammond B3 with a Leslie speaker and if we were playing a venue with easy access (few or no steps) we would rent a trailer and load that partially disassembled Beast into it. The other guys would show up about 45 minutes early to do their set up and sound check. We had already been there for over an hour trying to wrestle the Beast through the door and on to the stage before re-assembling it. Ugh! What a job, but at least I got to hang around near the front of the stage and tell all the girls, "I'm with the band".
Agree with the previous commenter said that the baseball count at 21A should be ONE and ONE. And I had FLyER at 12D for a while, probably because of the previously mentioned Broad Street Bullies. Boo!
The lyrics that (mostly) repeating throughout are:
"Here comes Peter Cottontail
Hopping down the bunny trail
Hippity-hoppity, Easter's on its way"
Btw, I hopped down this rabbit hole and found it very interesting:
NYTXW has a long history of incorrectly using a singular clue for the plural "Inuit" so it's nice to see the singular INUK for apparently only the second time. Incremental progress!
I cannot get choco taco to rhyme. How is it done?
Chah-ko Tah-ko is how my spouse says it. Still sounds wrong to me.
Germanicus
About accents.
I have an accent that is very localized. So I learned at an early age that other people say things the “wrong” way!
Anyway for you and Anonymous 4:12 pm it doesn’t rhyme but for his wife, me and the constructors the name rhymes.
WTF is a CAT PARTY
That would be she OR HE jumps, re: the figure skater.
Astonished I completed this in only a Tuesdayish time. Since when are AISHA Hinds, choco TACO, LEONA Lewis, or TOM Sandoval Monday-worthy? And does choco really rhyme with TACO???
Lot of names, lot of baseball. I work through the clues in order, so knew Rex was going to think it was a lot easier than I did. I was thinking "not really Monday stuff," but then I finished in a Monday time, even after tracking down the typo.
A fine beginner-friendly Monday puzzle.
Agree that the revealer looks awkward without that initial "A." But it was one of those themes where you struggle to find the connection. I like it, and THELIKE.
We hear "One and one" from announcers, but the ump's count is just ONEONE, so, OK.
DOD ARIANA is Grand, with and without the e. It's Monday, so it should be an EASYJOB--and it is. Par.
Wordle bogey; would've been a par but I spilled my flour on the floor.
ORGANIST ONTOUR (GO FIGURE)
LEONA’s JOB was EASY TO DO,
she MET PETER AND he’d LIKE ONE.
HOP TO it LIKE for TOM and STU,
if you BLOW it, OVER AND DONE.
--- ARIANA COEN, MFA
The tribe is called the Inuit. A member of the tribe is called an Inuk. I looked it up.
Nice Mon=puz. I did wonder about no HOP in the PETERCOTTONTAIL clue, but no second thoughts moving down the grid. Do 'kids' even know what a BROKENRECORD is?
Wordle eagle! Went from rarely used starter LOUSY straight to FLOUR.
Have to come in here and defend 9-1-1 which is a really fun show. Also stars Angela Bassett and Peter Krause and Jennifer Love Hewitt! Doesn't take itself too seriously, and then takes itself very seriously, and then doesn't, again! Anyway, this is just to say that AISHA Hinds is extremely good on it, and you should give it a shot.
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