19A: When I decided to clue it this way, I was surprised to find out the percentage is so low.
59A: Pliny’s remedy may still be preferable to those used by two people I knew in college. One guy would get up early, go out and run 11 miles as hard as he could, throw up, and then (so he said), feel fine. The other guy believed in applying ice directly to a very sensitive body part, throwing up and then (so he said) he’d feel fine.
G’day! I’ve been wanting to put 1/7 Across – a fantastic, not nearly well-known enough Australian band — in a grid for a long time and came up with a theme where they’re a natural. Enjoy the solve, share the grid. Next up will be a tough themeless.
(The title reflects the fact that Modest Mouse was a fourth theme answer in an earlier draft of the puzzle. I didn’t like a lot of my fill so I started over and found the puzzle worked better with only three theme answers (plus the revealer). My apologies to this very fine band.)
1/7A: Australia and Canada must lead the world in per-capita production of terrific music. Whenever I listen to this band I’m smiling and ready to dance. They are amazing musicians, adept in any genre, who write irrepressible songs about loving life and not taking yourself too seriously. Here is a link to their YouTube page. One day when the world is “normal” again, I will visit Australia and time my stay to catch one of their shows.
22/24/25A: Despite having surprisingly few #1s, this band has as strong and deep a catalog as any of their contemporaries.
Kudos and, more importantly, thank-you’s to so many in the independent crossword constructor community for raising money to combat the Texas Legislature’s viciously regressive actions. In particular, check out “These Puzzles Fund Abortion” on Rachel Fabi’s and C. Rimkus’s Just Gridding blog, https://justgridding.blogspot.com/p/these-puzzles-fund-abortion.html.
It’s ironic that Republicans routinely accuse Democrats of promoting a Nanny State that destroys individual freedom. After all, it’s Republicans who just deprived women of the fundamental freedom to control their own bodies. It’s Republicans who, across the South, have effectively deprived millions of non-Whites of their fundamental freedom to vote. It’s Republicans who want to deprive our children of the freedom to learn about our great nation’s tragic history and instead feed them pablum that ignores the ongoing legacy of slavery. And it’s Republicans who, despite their rhetoric about protecting unborn children, deprive all of our children and grandchildren of the freedom to live in a world whose climate is not in a death spiral.
I don’t like abortion. No one does. No one wants to need an abortion. But instead of looking for ways to minimize the need for abortions, Republicans in the Texas Legislature and Texas Governor Abbott essentially have outlawed abortion, knowingly – perhaps actionably? — endangering the lives of countless women.
What should be done? As a man, I’m not going to say I know what’s best for women’s health. I do think, though, that if politicians joined the 21st century and required (1) universal, mandatory sex education and (2) universal, free, no-questions-asked access to birth control, the number of abortions would plummet. Yes, some (certainly not most) religious people’s noses might be put out of joint. But we’d all be better off.
I almost forgot: please enjoy the puzzle and please share it if you do. And please feel free to disagree with me, as long as you do so in a reasoned, respectful manner.
Here’s a gentle puzzle celebrating labor organizers and the power of unions, as told in songs, a movie, a book, and a Broadway show. (Fear not, next up will be a challenging themeless, followed by a music-related puzzle featuring a great Australian band that too few people in the US know.) Enjoy and share!
The 47D, as seen from the ruins of the home of Cleopatra and Deskoridis on the island of Delos
15A: I had to give Bruce first mention in the theme fill. He’s written several other songs that more directly address workers and unions, but those either are not as well known as the answer or not grid-construction friendly.
39A This is the latest of so many wonderful books from Jess Walter.
51A: The most famous version of this song was recorded by Paul Robeson. Here’s a link to a version sung by Springsteen in concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2UF8yw89yE.
6D: Backman is another of my favorite authors. He’s gentle, humane, humorous, and quietly inspirational.
Entire SE corner: Oy. I’d had a hard time filling the SE but finally achieved something I was reasonably happy with, only to realize – after sending it to my son to test-solve – that I’d placed the theme answer (currently 68A) asymmetrically (at 64A). Fortunately, when I ripped out the whole corner and started over, it proved easier to fill as properly configured, although 56D and 61A aren’t ideal. I re-clued the corner and was about to send it back to my son when something told me to make sure my clue for 56D was correct. It wasn’t. I’d clued it by reference to the homonymous coffee company (I really like their Major Dickason’s Blend). The coffee company, however, is spelled differently. Hence the plural name, which I try to avoid
This is a freshly updated version of a puzzle I constructed almost 10 years ago. It’s pinch-hitting for the puzzle I had planned to post today, which I decided was not ready for prime time. Enjoy, share, etc.; you know the drill.
14 Across
41A: This factoid never ceases to amaze me. Democritus lived 2500 years ago!
43D: I realize this is a little obscure, but he’s a wonderful, widely respected player who transcends several genres of jazz.
54A/55D: In the original version of this puzzle, the intersection of these clues was a “T” and the down clue was “Mitt’s son”. Way back in 2012, Romney’s son’s name was widely known; after all, his father was running for President. Today I’m sure no one remembers him (the son, not the father). Felicitously, the company referenced in the revised entry/clue is now a big deal; in 2012 it was just 3 years old and much smaller.
The main seed for this puzzle was 58A, which occurred to me while I was out for a stifling morning walk. I think there were several subconscious seeds as well: I’ve been daydreaming about once again traveling – we just had to cancel a trip to Portugal in October – and it turns out a handful of entries are places I’ve been and loved. Not surprisingly, the solving notes below (with bonus photos) are something of a travelogue. I hope you enjoy the puzzle. Please share it if you do.
The Little Cathedral, Glendalough, Ireland
21A: Here’s another hint – the Book of Kells is in Dublin. As far as I know I don’t have a drop of Irish blood in me, but I’ve never felt so at home while away from home. What a wonderful island, and what wonderful people!
18D: As Nigel Tufnel might have said about the sights and sounds of this city, “they go to 11.” (This Is Spinal Tap). It’s as vibrant and fascinating a place as I’ve ever been.
The Cliffs of Moher, which should look familiar to Harry Potter fans
25D: The Cliffs of Moher were the exterior for the cave scene in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Typical Tuscan landscape – olive trees in the foreground, a vineyard tucked behind them, and cypress trees in the mid-background (see 65A)
Here’s a little crossword humor for y’all. How little? You decide – and if you find the puzzle amusing, please spread the word about both the puzzle and this web site!
I have a few JeffsPuzzles.com caps left, so please email me at JeffsPuzzles@gmail.com if you’d like one sent your way (for free).
Just a couple of notes on today’s grid:
10A: We have a running joke/lament in our family that whenever we become enamored with a product, it gets discontinued. Most sorely missed: Kellogg’s Product 19, which despite the clinical name was really, really good.
50A: If you’re not familiar with the [ANSWER] variety puzzle, they’re tremendous fun. Unfortunately, I can’t explain them here without giving away the answer. All I can say is I solve the ones from Andrew Ries every week (they come out every Tuesday, followed by a tough themeless every Wednesday) and they provide a great mental workout. His site – ariespuzzles.com – is by subscription but well worth it if you’re up for a challenge.
How about a juicy, not too difficult themeless with references to con artists, schismatics, the best music documentary I’ve ever seen, and a classic novel of anti-colonialism? You won’t find that just anywhere, you know. Enjoy and share!
View from the back of the Summer Palace (St. Petersburg) (see 16 and 19 Across)
Two bits of housekeeping before my usual rambling notes:
First, a big thank you to my son Adam and to Josh Audibert for helping me through an annoying technical issue. Plug time: Adam’s iPhone and iPad app Albums – album focused player is a powerful, flexible, and engaging music player, available on the App Store at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/albums-album-focused-player/id1469948986. Josh publishes fun, creative daily minis on his Odd Bear Puzzles site, oddbearpuzzles.com. Solve them if you’re not already doing so!
Second, in an effort (vain in one sense but hopefully not in another) to drive more traffic to this site, I’ve ordered hats with my site’s logo on it (picture below). If you’d like one —ABSOLUTELY FREE — before they hit the runway in Paris, email me at JeffsPuzzles@gmail.com with your address.
25A: I hope the 33/45 reference isn’t lost on too many solvers. In a world where CDs are as outdated as calculators, the vinyls of my youth (almost all of which I still have, thank you very much, as well as a turntable to play them on) are just so many abaci.
27A: This song charted well in the UK but got little air play in the US, apparently because it references cross-dressing.
38A: The major monotheistic religions mostly share the same admirable ethical precepts. But historically, and still today, many adherents of these religions have ignored their faith’s teachings and clashed violently over what, to the outside observer (e.g., anyone practicing a different religion) is doctrinal hair-splitting with little ethical import. This answer is but one example. Pedantic lecture over (until the next one).
This has nothing to do with the puzzle, but permit me to introduce my dog, Max. The squirrel got away.
The title phrase, if you don’t recognize it, is a line in this puzzle’s revealer. I hope you enjoy the puzzle and share it far and wide. (I had intended to include a PuzzleMe option but I couldn’t get it to work. So, a question for other constructors: do I need an upgraded WordPress account for iframes to work? I just have the basic level.)
14A: Friends tell me my house has walls and furniture galore in this color. Being colorblind, I take their word for it. And my wife, to her delight, has free rein on all color decisions.
20A: Also the title of an irrepressibly catchy tune from Reel Big Fish.
40A: The great Mario Vargas Llosa called this publication “…the most serious, authoritative, witty, diverse and stimulating cultural publication in all the five languages I speak.”
Here’s a challenging themeless built around three grid-spanners: a terrific book from the great Haruki Murakami, a classic line from a very funny baseball movie, and a fervent wish about our nation’s capital. Enjoy and share!
Cologne (Koln) Cathedral at dusk (see 56 Across)
10A: Walter is one of my favorite authors. His characters – labor organizers, reformed criminals, active criminals, movie stars, poets – come alive, and he writes with deep feeling and sharp wit.
45A: I’m not sure how many people remember him – he’s still alive and kicking at 94 – but Sahl is credited as the first modern stand-up comic, and his political satire inspired Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and many others.
60A: I refuse to clue this by reference to my local baseball team so soon after they traded so many stars (especially to the Dodgers!).
4D: Another favorite author of mine, Murakami’s novels brim over with music, magic, and close attention to his characters’ internal lives.
10D: Here’s a link to the clip, which follows the memorable line “He’s a juvenile delinquent in the off-season, in his Major League debut.” The quote is around the 54 second mark. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_wc9JvTXGc.
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