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Device worn by a video gamer / MON 4-27-26 / Spinoff of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" / Han Solo's response to Leia's "I love you" / Word before beer or after square / Spinks who defeated Muhammad Ali / Do some booty-shaking / Grammy-winning a cappella group famous for their Christmas albums
Monday, April 27, 2026
Constructor: Neville Fogarty
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (the "Medium" is solely for a couple of the proper names, which not everyone is going to be familiar with)
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| [16A: Han Solo's response to Leia's "I love you" ("I KNOW"] |
Theme answers:
- VOCAL REST (17A: Singer's recovery period)
- VOLCANIC ROCK (24A: Pumice or basalt)
- VANDERPUMP RULES (39A: Spinoff of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills")
- VOTING RECORD (53A: Congressional history)
Vanderpump Rules is an American reality television series that has been broadcast on Bravo since January 7, 2013. Developed as the first spin-off from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, it has aired 12 seasons and focuses on Lisa Vanderpump and the staff at her restaurants and bars: SUR Restaurant & Lounge, Pump Restaurant, and Tom Tom, in West Hollywood, California.The success of the show has resulted in three spin-offs: Vanderpump Rules After Show, Vanderpump Rules: Jax & Brittany Take Kentucky, and The Valley. //
Vanderpump Rules follows Lisa Vanderpump and the staff at her restaurants and bars (SUR Restaurant & Lounge, Pump Restaurant, and Tom Tom, in West Hollywood, California) as they work on building their futures in show business and become entangled in interpersonal drama. The show initially centered on new server Scheana and her relationships with established employees Kristen Doute, Katie Maloney, Tom Sandoval, Stassi Schroeder, and Jax Taylor. (wikipedia)
• • •
[check out that VR HEADSET!]
My Downs-only solve was ... interesting. I made an inexplicable typo early on that made the NW way harder than it should've been. I meant to write in STARVE at 4D: "Feed a cold, ___ a fever" (dubious medical advice), but I somehow managed to write in SGARVE, which made TOOT impossible to see / infer, and since I wasn't 100% sure about COCO and absolutely could not come up with ROOT, that NW corner was something I had to come back to. I also wasn't entirely sure what a VOCAL REST was, though I knew I'd heard the phrase before. It's exactly what the clue says, exactly what it appears to mean—a period of time during which a singer rests their voice. As I was solving, I thought maybe it had a more technical meaning, something to do with musical notation, but no. I made an inference error on the second themer when I imagined that the first word would be VOLCANO, not VOLCANIC, and turned that answer into VOLCANO CREST. Is that a thing? I feel like that's what the rim of a volcano should be called. But no, wrong, not the answer the puzzle was looking for. Had DANCE before TWERK (13D: Do some booty-shaking) and MAC (!?) before RIG (9D: 18-wheeler), so the NE corner got a little ugly for me as well. After I got out of the top part of the grid, though, everything else came together very quickly. But again, I knew VANDERPUMP RULES was a thing and I also knew PENTATONIX was a thing (31D: Grammy-winning a cappella group famous for their Christmas albums). If the clue is to be believed, PENTATONIX is "famous" for their Christmas albums, but I still think some solvers are going to be unaware of them, and this could make the puzzle a bit tougher (esp. for Downs-only solvers, who might decide that PENATONIC / SECTS looks like a perfectly good solution).
Bullets:
- 2D: Word before beer or after square (ROOT) — these clues have always been my nemesis. My brain just goes "nope, won't do it, keep going, we'll get it from crosses." And then I'm like "come on brain, we can do this!" and it just sits there shaking its head, mulish. The cruel irony is that I adore ROOT beer and all things ROOT beer-flavored.
- 3D: Pixar film with the Oscar-winning song "Remember Me" (COCO) — every time I'm faced with a four-letter animated film, I just write in COCO and hope for the best. Sorry, ELIO and SOUL and whatever else is out there!
- 9D: 18-wheeler (RIG) — as I say, I wrote in MAC here at first. The truck brand is MACK, with a "K." I don't think Mac has made an 18-wheeler yet. But who knows what ridiculous horrors the future holds!
- 18D: Spinks who defeated Muhammad Ali (LEON) — wrote this in effortlessly, but somewhat guiltily, thinking "is anyone under 50 going to remember this???" Those Spinks/Ali bouts occurred just as my sports consciousness was developing (1978). Spinks beat Ali in February, and then the rematch happened only seven months later—Ali won that one. But if you weren't around for those bouts, I wouldn't expect you to know Spinks, as boxing has faded dramatically in popularity in the intervening half century, which means the history of boxing is not as In The Air as it once was.
- 12D: "Peanuts" or "Pickles" (COMIC) — I think I tried STRIP here briefly (before COMIC? what the hell, brain!?). Missed opportunity here to do a crossreference clue: ["Garfield," e.g.] paired with [Garfield, e.g.] at 63D (CAT). But maybe those clues would've been too, uh, subtle (i.e. vague) for a Monday.
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68 comments:
Harmless early week offering. The theme is slightly aloof and forced. I’ve never seen RULES so the marquee themer had to be backed into. No issue with the revealer.
Shadrach2112
Enjoyable enough Monday morning solve.
Buckets of Rain
Medium for me.... 7:54. I do love that scene where Leia says "I love you" to Han Solo and he says in that smirky way "I know". Classic Harrison Ford. I do think I'll have to try this downs only thing again sometime--I've tried once before and failed miserably. The theme was good, the revealer was spot on, what's not to like??? Thanks, Neville!
Rex, perhaps you should ask what a VOLCANO CROCK might be.
When I got the first two theme answers VOCAL REST and VOLCANIC ROCK, I thought we were headed to anagrams of VOCAL and wondered what else would work. But of course that was not the theme.
Funny, it was odd to me to see that Rex used "a" before VOCAL REST. The phrase is normally that one is "on VOCAL REST."
Have you noticed this "occurs" in the puzzle: OWE, SEAS, HUE, ARE, ESS?
Where to find B thru Z: PASTA
Candy for the faint of heart: MEEK and EKE
May I read this to you? Yes, it's ALOUD
Popular tribal pancake spot: HOPI
Hey All !
Puz fought a bit, so not a fly through with no stops type MonPuz. Only write over I had was etal-MISC.
I see the F run has come to a complete halt. Enjoyed it while I was in it. Knew it wouldn't last.
Good first initials thingie puz. Not much else to say.
Hope y'all have a great Monday!
No F's
RooMonster
DarrinV
Lovely Monday theme with a terrific punny revealer.
I particularly liked a trio of word-quirk serendipities – the symmetrical palindromes TOOT and SEES, anagrams LEON and ELON one above the other, and DREVIL, a most lovely DOOK.
Even after seeing the V-R commonality among the theme answers, I tore my hair out trying to guess the revealer before uncovering it or reading its clue, and, as often happens, I spectacularly failed, but man, my brain reveled in the sweating.
I liked that the possible no-knows in the grid were easily crossed, so newer solvers could see that even unknown answers in a crossword can be filled in.
Lovely start to the week and day, and a splendid outing for me. Thank you, Neville!
My five favorite original clues from last week
(in order of appearance):
1. Fig. from an out-of-order ATM? (3)
2. It has a light bulb (8)
3. Helpful pointer, say (6)(3)(3)
4. Get one over on (5)
5. One clicking with an audience (3)(4)
AMT
DAFFODIL
SEEING EYE DOG
BOGEY
TAP SHOE
My favorite encore clues from last week:
[No comment?] (6)
[Peace sign?] (2)(3)(7)
DENIAL
DO NOT DISTURB
Carolbb
Agree that this was an easy enjoyable Monday crossword.
Have never heard of twerk & after seeing a video, will never attempt it. Like Rex, it took a while to get rock. The idea of a VR headset is quite chilling! Have never seen either the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" or "Vanderpump Rules".
VANDERPUMP RULES sounded familiar, which I probably got from seeing a commercial for it sometime. It sounds dreadful based on Rex’s description of it. I thought I had a mistake with PENTATONIX, which just looks bizarre to me.
Other than that, pretty standard Monday fare, including some crossword regulars like the Cohen brothers, AOC, the EWAN dude and of course Mr. Shankar.
The puzzle: Hard for a Monday, uninteresting theme, boring.No 🎈for me.
Funny how my brain works. Crosswords are sometimes like eating. While you might not feel full immediately afterward, wait five minutes and that satisfied, sated feeling hits you. This happened to me with this morning's puzzle. My immediate reaction (and write-up) was going to start with something like, "I'm not a gamer, nor a fan of reality TV, so the revealer meant nothing to me and the spanner even less." And this would not have been a dig at the puzzle - it's a Hugh thing.
But taking a bit of a pause (and maybe a VOCALREST), and perusing the filled grid, I realized (as @Lewis pointed out) how Neville made every entry that may have been somewhat esoteric to a lot of us, very gettable with the crosses. There is a real art to that for a Monday and my appreciation for the solve went through the roof. So a complete turn-around in my REACTion!
While the subject matter might not have been my cuppa, after careful consideration, a LOT to like today :o). Thank you Neville!
Now on to Hugh's Monday Haiku:
While ETHAN makes films
VANDERPUMPRULES and sends SEXTS
Sometimes read ALOUD
"I gotta believe that Neville noticed that VANDERPUMP RULES was a perfect grid-spanner, thought 'huh, how can I turn that into something,' saw the 'VR' initials, which immediately brought to mind VR HEADSETs ... and here we are."
Can confirm!
I love this!!
Me too on looking for anagrams! Then DELI messed it up. I was so disappointed.
Very nice Monday Neville…thank you!
I noticed the VR thing right away but did not tear my hear out trying to come up with the revealer (Hi @Lewis). Good thing, because given unlimited guesses, I would not have come up with VRHEADSET, which I probably have seen someone wearing without really paying attention. This is also true for VANDERPUMPRULES which I have heard of and am now happy, I guess, to know what that is.
Good one for us singers as we get a VOCALREST and a PENTATONIX reference. If you like a cappella music these guys are terrific.
The usual side eye to AGASP. Go sit in the corner with AROAR and ATILT and your other friends.
Nice breezy Mondecito, NF. Sorry that the revealer was Not For me, but thanks for a decent amount of fun.
Forgot to mention that I found the Pentatonix song quite haunting both musically and visually!
Where you go after a tie in regulation: TOOT
"OHARE we near OHARE yet?" Cried the frustrated passenger on the long flight to Chicago.
Life in VR Land:
Mrs. Egs: Hon, you promised to take me to a vacation resort.
Me: Bae, I'm busy dealing with my vasectomy ramifications.
Mrs. Egs: Well, if you must know, I have a vaginal rash.
Me: Is it very red?
Mrs. Egs: it's virtually ruby.
Me: I suggest a vinegar rub.
Mrs. Egs: You're a vulgar rat. Good night, sweetie.
Mike Meyers is now starring in The DREVIL Wears Prada.
Pretty tough D.O. Solve but I got 'er done. Makes me want to put my RV in reverse and head out. Thanks, Neville Fogarty. And thanks for dropping by and commenting.
As with @Hugh, I liked this puzzle more after the fact. While solving I stayed under the influence of my great disappointment that the VOCAL - VOLCA 5-letter recycling was not continued across the theme answers. But that was very unfair on my part; the constructor was up to something else entirely, and it was pretty good.
Gotta admit that the PENTATONIX were not famous enough for me to have heard of them. Do they sing music on a pentatonic scale, or did they just like the sound of the word? [consults Wiki] Oh, it's a pun! There are five of them. OK then.
I do like cluing OHO by aha, winking at a common solver's dilemma.
I used to read ERMA Bombeck regularly. She died in 1996, but will live on forever in crosswords because of how she spelled her name.
As far as Star Wars references go, I thought today’s was great; even if you’re unfamiliar with the classic trilogy, I KNOW is such a snarky answer to “I love you” so anyone could appreciate it once it fills out. Much more interesting than the various proper nouns we normally get.
I breezed through the top half thinking it would be a Monday record for me (ROOT beer came to mind before I even saw the second word, but I just organized an age-appropriate pub trivia night for college students, so I had ROOT beer and ginger ale and cheer wine on the mind). But then I ended up being one of the people Rex predicted would struggle with the proper nouns, which killed me in the bottom half. Adding to the obvious ones, I’m still a newer solver, so RAVI and ERMA were names I knew I had seen many times in crosswords but refused to come to mind. Maybe now that I’ve written that, they’ll stick for next time? But all told, I enjoyed the puzzle, so thank you, Neville.
I enjoyed this Monday offering very much. Went through it slightly on the fast side for me and once I caught onto the VR “head set” at VOLCANICROCK it made VANDERPUMPRULES and the actual VRHEADSET come into view much easier. The puzzle had a nice mix of “the old” and the “new.”
I quit watching reality shows quite a while back but will confess I watched at least one season of The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills…I remember Kelsey Grammar’s wife (at the time) was on it and she kind of became “the hated one.” Anyway, THATs how I knew of Lisa (I think) VANDERPUMP. By the time HER show came on I ceased to see the “Housewives” shows as a “guilty pleasure” and more like a scourge to our culture. And when I say “our culture,” I mean “the world.”
And TIL I learned about the PENTATONIX…
I'm guessing not many people got VOCAL REST just from the clue. Pretty obscure term for a Monday puzzle, and VANDERPUMP RULES falls into the same category, for me. Not much fun or spark today.
Interesting that Neville F (today's puzzle constructor) follows Rex here. Enough so to comment. Makes me wonder whether he intentionally clued the vanilla "I know" answer with a Star Wars reference, to reset the counter. I'm thinking that confirming that would amuse Rex and then Neville.
Pretty good Monday puzzle; though once again, the theme was not necessary for solving, just post-solve admiration.
Rex had Mac before RIG, incorrectly spelling the truck brand name. When LEON Spinks (RIP) appeared right below, it made me recall the boxer's wide-front-toothed image, about which I'm sure was once said "you can drive a Mack truck through those front teeth".
I thought this was a good Monday puzzle even though I failed on my downs-only solve. Mid-solve I saw that 52-Down/70 Across could be either Did To/Tees or Did So/Sees. I chose Did To/Tees. When getting the error message upon finishing, I changed it but still no joy. I couldn’t find any other obvious error so I came here and saw that my other error was exactly where Rex predicted some downs-only solvers might make a mistake: Pentatonic/Sects. I am familiar with the group, spelling it with a “c” looked fine to me.
I was expecting a much more scientific answer at 29A than RIPENER turned out to be. The kind of answer where I say "Duh" after it fills in.
I have a vague acquaintance with the show title VANDERPUMP RULES though I've never seen it. PENTATONIX, can't say I've ever heard of them though I'm sure, due to Baader-Meinhof RULES, I'll see it three more times by the end of this week.
Science Fiction writers have used VR addiction as a plot device. I was handed a VR device once. I put it on, there wasn't much to see, just a room. Then I was told to turn my head and, whoa, there was a T-Rex right next to me. It was pretty cool but...I'd rather read a book and make my own images in my head.
Thanks, Neville Fogarty!
I'm mystified by the idea that someone needs to have watched a show (Vanderpump Rules), listened to a music group (Pentatonix), or been alive during a famous boxing match (Spinks/Ali) to have heard of them. Does nobody else just absorb this stuff because it's in the ether?
Why are you mystified? We don’t live in a monoculture any more. It’s harder and harder to see even very popular things if you don’t personally follow them. Everyone is in their niches / rabbit holes / echo chambers. No one NEEDS to have watched VP to have heard about it, obv. But it doesn’t have the reach that even moderate tv hits had in the old days.
Easy-medium. No erasures but PENTATONIX was a major WOE…hence the medium part.
Smooth grid, fun theme, liked it.
Croce Solvers - Croce’s Freestyle #1108 was very easy for a Croce for me…in the ball park of a medium-tough NYT Friday. Good luck!
MEEK and EKE is too good! LOL.
After the first two theme answers, I thought the puzzle might be giving a nostalgic nod to VCRs - with which I'm a lot more familiar than with VR HEADSETS. That lasted until VANDERPUMPRULES ....and my wondering, was there also a VPR? VOTING RECORD straightened me out and suggested the reveal. Nice repurposing of HEAD SET!
I hear you, Anonymous. I don’t know how all this stuff gets in my head, utterly useless unless I’m solving a crossword puzzle or shouting at Jeopardy.
This MonPuz had a wee bit of feistiness ... always a plus, for the experienced solvequestors among us. For one or two things, VANDERPUMPRULES/PENTATONIX were both totally in virtual reality, at our house.
But VRHEADSET is a definite VeRy primo revealer for such a puztheme.
staff weeject pick: AOC. Speakin of feistiness. And, one of the few Congress folks, younger or otherwise, to just go by their 3 initials. Kinda like RBG was, for them Supremes folks.
fave moo-cow eazy-E MonPuz clue: { ___ of hand (magician's skill)} = SLEIGHT. The additional info in the parens sealed the deal, for this puppy.
other faves: ANTSONALOG. ITSY/OAKY. DREVIL. TWERK. ROOT clue [there weren't any ?-marker clues, but this one's before/after clue did cost m&e a coupla extra nanoseconds].
TWERK reminded M&A fondly of the olde practice by xword constructioneers, sometimes referred to as: Scrabble Twerking. Can't recall seein a solid example of this JKQXZ-y practice, in quite a while.
Thanx for virtually everything, Mr. Fogarty dude. Yer puz had some nice VRoom to it.
Masked & Anonymo5Us
p.s.
Runt Puzzle with some guaranteed feist:
**gruntz**
M&A
Hmm. Reality tv—- which has miiscukevrstings btw— is the readon we have the government we do?
Thaat is dome assertion.
Harrison Ford didn’t write the line. He only delivered it.
The writrer deserves the lion’s share of the credit.
A pretty ordinary downs-only Monday. Can’t remember getting excited about much except VANDERPUMP RULES and maybe ANTS ON A LOG and PENTATONIX which, as Rex noted, was a trap for D-O solvers. I don’t remember ever having see or heard of this group but I had the P and the N and that was enough to trigger a misspelled a cappella group. Sometimes good things can claw their way out one’s brain fog. Then those things turn around and screw you over with something like the terminal c or X confusion.
A pleasant early week diversion but not exactly thrilling.
Days without EKE in the puzzle: Zero. And it rarely gets much higher. LOL
Easy-Medium for me (maybe partly because I had cataract surgery this morning and my eye is rather sore in addition to having a cover over it) Good thing it’s Monday! I didn’t know anything about VANDERPUMPRULES but apparently I’ve heard of it because it was easy to infer with crosses. I do remember Ali and SPINKS, having been a young person in the 70s.
Way way way too many damn names! Made worse by the fact that most of them are downs, and I was trying to solve downs only (I soon gave up). I count 16 down names! And horribly clumped together; 5 of the first 6 crosses of VANDER are names. And then right below that, 7 names crossing VOTING RECORD!
Never heard of PENTATONIX. I have heard of most of the other names but forgotten several of them over the decades, eg LEON RAVI DREVIL ELROY.
I mean seriously Neville, the theme was fine for a Monday but too many names!
Nice puzzle Neville. I much prefer Dr Evil to the other crossword doctors, No & Ock. Great write up Rex.
Anon 11ish…
No, there’s no longer a monoculture. But the first anon is onto something.
Knowing one of Ali’s most famous fights is hardly niche.
And Ive never watched a seconf of Vanderpump Rules, but i’m sentient and watch TV so I’ve heard it many times.
Something need not occupiy a big spot in any culture to expect peole to have at least seen or heeard of it, even if that sighting (or hearing) was only a glance.
I heard Shortz ask a puzzle player about someone ( i bieve he used the specific word bandleader) w the initials MM who was famous for his program where you followed the bouncing ball.
That program was off the air for decades before I was born, but the follow the bouncing ball — think drive in movie commercials for the snack bar— was around, even if only as retro kitsch. Anyone paying even a littke attention or asking predictable questions, wouldve heard of Mitch Mitchell.
The point being, knowledge, trivia and facts about things, especially pop culture, are in the ether. And available to the observant.
Did I write Mitch Mitchell?🙄😳
Mitch Miller of course. Sorry.
PENTATONIC SECT would be a great band name. Or a group of villains in a Scandanavian murder mystery.
I thought it medium-hard for a Monday.
Mainly because of names I did not know like "pentatonic" and "Vanderpumprules" (Though I've never watched it, didn't know it existed, the name must have out there a lot because it came to me with about half the crosses place.) and answers like "ripener" (was definitely looking for something more scientific)
@Lewis, I liked the best encore clues better than the new ones.
Yes I immediately started to type ethene, too short, then ethelyne, too long. So I waited for crosses
okanaganer. Wow! Did you ever get up on the grumpy side of the bed this morning. I didn't even notice the plethora of names because so many of them were just crossword staples. Glue. That would be my complaint about this grid - too much glue.
ERMA Bombeck, UGG boots, ELON, O'HARE, RAGU sauce, RAVI Shankar, and King LEAR are all staples (I'm tired of typing the word glue) and I hardly notice them as names anymore. And IRAN has been in the news so much in the last month that it was unmissable.
I'll give you DR. EVIL (maybe you've never seen the movie) , ELROY (ancient TV cartoon show), SETH Meyers (maybe you don't watch late night TV), SPINKS, CUB, and PENTATONIX. That one was new to me.
Spring has arrived. Looks like it'll be a fairly nice day where you are. Get out for some fresh air. It might make you less grumpy ;-)
@Okanager…I THINK you’re old enough to remember The Jetsons. So my tip is…remember the tune for the cartoon opening jingle with “daughter Judy….his boy Elroy…Jane, his wife”…🤣 Hey. I was a Saturday morning cartoon nerd.
Love THIS.
Haha…@Les…on ANTSONALOG! Yes…I knew it but now you’ve given me the opportunity to say how “yucky” I always thought celery, peanut butter, and raisins are. But…my daughter has told me I’m a “super taster” and celery (I think is on list of yuck). I question that “diagnosis” because I love good (non-Seattle style) coffee.
All I can say is…good thread, and I have NO clue how old the Anon is that mentioned Mitch Miller…but…whoa…(or woah?)…if you are under, um, early 60s…you get BIG kudos!
I’ll take the grumpy person over the condescending scold any day. Maybe —you— should go outside and consider the way you talk to others ;)
@Hugh
👍
Liking Hugh Mondays
Your haikus are fun to read
Keep on keeping on
😁
Roo
And today is the day I can't believe how many folks here have never heard of the PENTATONIX, who I like very much, since I am almost always on the other side of the pop culture divide.
Medium Downs-only solve. ROCK and RULES led me to a totally wrong initial guess regarding the theme, though ROCK singular and RULES plural seemed odd as part of a theme set.
Happy to say I know almost nothing about reality tv. All the names were weird to me but gettable from the crosses. So a good Monday all in all.
Actually Harrison Ford came up with line, thinking it was more in line with Han Solo’s personality, rather than saying “I love you too”.
Oh, Beezer. I'm hurt. I love celery, even with peanut butter and raisins on it. (I don't think I've had ANTS ON A LOG in the last 60 years, but I liked it as a kid. Contrasting flavours and textures. Interesting.) I cook with celery all the time and, if I don't have any fresh stuff on hand, I will throw celery seed into my stir fries and other dishes. I'm sorry you don't like it. I don't like the term "super taster" but I think I know what your daughter means: there are some flavours that certain people are very sensitive to. I have a few friends who claim to hate cilantro and, when I invite them to dinner, I have to plan the menu to deal with that. But celery! The number of dishes I start with mire poix or soffritto is … like … huge. I don't know what i would do without it.
Oh, well, it seems we're all kinda different.
@Anon 3:46. @okanaganer and I have a fairly cordial online relationship. I'm pretty sure he will view my comment as gently facetious.
Alimenta el resfriado, mata de hambre la fiebre.
Late again today, but kind of amused at 🦖 blaming our current political climate partially on reality TV. I think dumb comes first and then spawns into various iterations. Voting to destroy America takes a special brand of dumb. Watching videos of people acting like numbskulls is standard issue dumb. I watch plenty of inane TV, but I still know you don't vote for psychopaths.
I also continue to be amused that people are surprised by blind spots in people's trivia knowledge. We've been over this a zillion times. A few weeks back I was talking to a half dozen of my 20-something employees and not one of them had ever heard of Led Zeppelin. And they're all musically literate in various ways. We're siloed into our little niches these days and stuff isn't necessarily floating in the ether like it used to do. You can binge watch your shows without advertising and design your TikTok life around your own personal parameters and suddenly you know nothing of the larger world. And are still living a very normal life.
Oh, and the puzzle. It was fine. Another gunky meh from me, even though I saw the Gogos live at Red Rocks once.
My musical instruments are always IN TUNE. That does not mean they sound good.
And I told you it's OHO not AHA. So there.
COCO is a wonderful movie. You should see it.
Initially I had the picture book being read ALONE and I thought that was very sad. Then it turns out it's ALOUD, and I like that a lot better.
❤️ ANTS ON A LOG.
People: 13 {gad}
Places: 3
Products: 12 {seriously?)
Partials: 4
Foreignisms: 0
--
Gary's Grid Gunk Gauge: 32 of 78 (41%) {The Gunkmeisters on the Council of Gunk hereby offer our construction team the keys to the city of Gunkistan.}
Funny Factor: 0 😫
Tee-Hee: SEXTS TOOT.
Uniclues:
1 Request to a pier attendant from three men recently rub-a-dub-dubbing.
2 Hair dresser's excitement at being invited to Florida.
3 Cut off the corned beef.
4 Celery, peanut butter, and raisins rocking and salty.
1 STORE TUB SIR
2 OHO! GEL MIAMI!
3 STARVE DELI CAT
4 ANTS ON A LOG ASEA
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: Organ harvesting parlor. DAY SPA DEEP FAKE.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
My favorite part of today’s solve/RexFest by far is the nod to “The Devils,” and its “VR HEADSET.” I was lucky enough to see a director’s cut of the film on campus in a week (or maybe weeks) long collaboration between the film and J-schools in ‘72 or ‘73 focusing on censorship in media. Those were the days. The seriously X rated film was so controversial that as a result of so many complaints about the showing the U checked IDs - yeah, those same “IDs” used for underage drinking. Whatever.
While I feel the same as OFL about “reality” television and VR HEADSETS, I am a fan of how well the theme worked today and what a surprise the reveal brought. The solve was quick, but still, throughout my few minutes of whoosh, I did keep trying to figure out what all the phrases had in common. I even recognized specifically that this was a “same letters starting the theme words” gimmick and still didn’t arrive at “VR” as in Virtual Reality. And that’s because I’m not interested in electronic gaming and have only a very rudimentary understanding of what VR HEADSETS are. But the theme worked. The enjoyment level of the puzzle was the reveal. I also enjoyed the wide variety of VR answers. A successful Monday.
And really, if you like creepy films with philosophical and political controversy, see “The Devils,” director’s cut if possible.
The line was an improv so Ford *is* the writer.
Beezer—
60 3 months, 29’ days.
@Beezer... I can certainly hear the tune in my head, but not the names. Didn't they mention the dog too? No idea what it was called... oh wait, is it Astro?
@Les, it's just a personal grudge but too many names just spoils a puzzle for me. Way more than the crossword glue, which Rex complains about. I don't even mind Unknown Names if there's only a couple, as I like learning new stuff.
"It is so" is more of a doubling down assertion than "I did so". Pretty lame clue and answer.
Stumbled on “catch all category” and put “etal” until “misc” made sense. Anyone notice the absence of “etui” over the past many crosswords? 😏
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