The Write Stuff. If you are going to write a novel, you might jot down your notes the
old fashioned way ~ with pen and paper. A nice pen might give you
inspiration. What is your favorite pen? I have a nice Waterman
pen, but that isn't an option in today's puzzle. The first word in each
theme answer it the NAME brand of a PEN. Some are high-quality pens, and
others are your everyday pen that you don't mind if it gets lost.
17-Across. * High-intensity workout regimen: CROSS FIT. A Cross Pen was a classic gift for a high school graduate. A.T. Cross
Company, LLC. is an American manufacturing company of writing implements,
based in Providence, Rhode Island. The company was founded in 1846 and
is one of the oldest pen manufacturers in the world. The company makes
fountain pens, ballpoint, and rollerball pens, as well as mechanical pencils
and refills.
25-Across. * Feasibility assessment of a large project: PILOT STUDY. Pilot pens are
inexpensive pens and good for everyday use. I have dozens of such pens
scattered about my house. The company is a Japanese manufacturer based
in Tokyo.
39-Across. * Buttery choice in a bread basket: PARKER HOUSE ROLL. The Parker House Rolls are named after the Boston Parker House Hotel, where they were first
served in the 1870s. According to their origin story, they were created
when a disgruntled hotel baker threw a batch of unfinished rolls into an over
after a fight with a guest.
The Parker Pen Company is a
French manufacturer. It's a moderate-priced pen.
51-Across. * Pattern inspired by nature: ZEBRA PRINT. The Zebra pen is probably the most obscure pen in today's puzzle.
Zebra is also a Japanese
company. I have seen them at Walmart.
And the unifier:
64-Across. Writers' aliases, and what are found at the starts of the answers
to the starred clues: PEN NAMES. Can you identify the following authors? (1) Howard Allen
Frances O’Brien; (2) A. B. Barnard; (3) George Eliot; (4) Charles
Lutwidge Dodgson; (5) Mary Westmacott; (6) Eric Blair; (7) William
Sydney Porter (8) Jozef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski (9) David John Moore
Cornwall; and (10) Theodore Geisel
Across:
1. Cornfield cry: CAW.
4. Insect whose larvae eat clothes: MOTH.
8. Hawaiian dances: HULAS.
13. German cry: ACH. Today's German lesson. What child
doesn't like a 1000 piece puzzle. Ach, come on. It'll be fun!
19. Radio tuner: AM DIAL. The only time I listen to the
radio is when I'm in my car. According to the Buggles, , thus there would be no need to worry about the radio tuner.
20. Oodles: HEAPS.
23. Out __ limb: ON A.
24. "¿Cómo __ usted?": ESTA. How are you? Today's
Spanish lesson.
27. RN's needle: HYPO.
29. Guthrie's "Today" co-anchor: KOTB. The anchors on
the Today show seem just a little too cheerful so early in
the morning. Hoda Kotb (b. Aug. 9, 1964) and Savannah Guthrie (née
Savannah Clark Guthrie; b. Dec. 27, 1971) are the primary hosts of that
morning show. [Name # 1.]
35. "A Death in the Family" writer James: AGEE. James Rufus Agree
(Nov. 27, 1909 ~ May 16, 1955) makes frequent appearances in the crossword
puzzles. A Death in the Family is his autobiographical novel
that, ironically, was published in 1957, after his death. It's about the
death of his father, who also died young. Sadly, Agee died at age 45 of
a massive heart attack. [Name # 2.]
43. Boardroom bigwig: EXEC. As in the Executive.
44. Pink Lady, for one: APPLE. Everything you wanted to know
about the Pink Lady, but didn't know to ask.
45. Meditative sounds: OMS. // And 33-Down. Yoga
energy point: CHAKRA.
46. "Oh, now I see": AH, OK.
49. Like most fine wines: AGED.
56. Some spicy fare: THAI. Yummers! I made Pad Thai
for dinner last night.
59. Eclectic musician Brian: ENO. Brian Eno (né Brian Peter
George Eno; b. May 15, 1948) appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle. Just
last week, I mentioned that we hadn't seen him in a while, yet here he is
again! [Name # 3.]
60. Biscayne Bay city: MIAMI. How Biscayne Bay got its name ... maybe.
61. Course-reversing move: U-TURN. Last week we had a UIE.
I much prefer the more formal U-Turn.
62. Observes, with "on": SITS IN.
66. Bring down on the gridiron: TACKLE.
67. Sound like this this this this: ECHO.
68. Undivided: ONE.
69. Kid: CHILD.
70. Not as much: LESS.
71. __ race: RAT.
Down:
1. Hidden stockpile: CACHE.
2. Central Park's 843: ACRES. A brief history of Central Park. Frederick Law Olmstead (Apr. 26, 1822 ~ Aug. 28, 1903) and his
partner, Calvert Vaux (Dec. 20, 1824 ~ 1895), won the design competition to
create arguably the most famous park in the United States.
3. "Easy, tiger": WHOA, THERE!
4. Component of momentum: MASS. Today's physics lesson.
P = M x V, where P is Momentum, M is Mass and V is Velocity.
5. Not quite right: OFF.
6. "If I Had a Hammer" singer Lopez: TRINI. I think
of Peter, Paul and Mary when I hear this song. Trini
Lopez (né Trinidad Lopez, III; May 15, 1937 ~ Aug. 11, 2020) was a singer and
guitarist from Dallas, Texas. [Name # 4.]
7. Bellhop's employer: HOTEL.
8. Set out for: HEAD TO.
9. Greatest extent: UTMOST.
10. HDTV choice: LCD. As in Liquid-Crystal Display.
11. Vowel quintet: A E I O U. Old MacDonald had a farm ...
30. "Gorillas in the Mist" primate: APE. Gorillas in the Mist was a book by Dian Fossey (Jan. 16, 1932 ~ Dec. 26, 1985). It was
later made into a movie starring Sigourney Weaver (née Susan Alexandra Weaver;
b. Oct. 8, 1949) Dian Fossey studied the mountain gorillas in the mountain forests of Rwanda.
Sadly, she was murdered at age 53. One of her research assistants
was convicted in absentia, but the circumstances of her death remain clouded
in mystery.
31. Candle stuff: WAX.
34. Quick trip: HOP.
36. Ice cream brand with a truck logo: GOOD HUMOR.
37. Blight-stricken tree species: ELM. Dutch elm disease is caused by a fungus affecting elm trees, and is spread by elm bark
beetles. It has decimated the elm trees across America.
38. Trains that rumble overhead: ELs.
40. 1980s Chrysler compact: K-CAR.
41. Shutter part: SLAT.
42. Brain scan letters: EEG. Short for ElectroEncephalography. It's a test that detects abnormalities in the brain waves,
or in the electrical activity of the brain.
47. Skywalker player: HAMILL. A reference to the Star Wars movies. Mark Hamill (né Mark Richard Hamill; b. Sept. 25, 1951)
is the actor who played the role of Luke Skywalker in those movies. Can
you name any other films that he starred in? [Name # 4.]
48. Expressed a view: OPINED.
50. Blues Hall of Famer James: ETTA. It's always nice to
have Etta James (née Jamesetta Hawkins; Jan. 1925 ~ Jan. 20, 2012) visit us in
the puzzle. [Name # 5.]
51. Fragrant scraping: ZEST.
52. Room-sized early computer: ENIAC. The ENIAC was the
first programmable, electronic, general-purpose digital computer, completed in
1945. Its name stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer.
53. Make a mess of: BOTCH.
54. Spur into action: IMPEL.
55. Dorothy, to Auntie Em: NIECE. A reference to The Wizard of Oz.
57. Portland's Moda Center, e.g.: ARENA. Portland, Oregon not Portland, Maine.
58. Map detail: INSET.
61. Chicago-style pizza chain, familiarly: UNOS. Best known
for its deep-dish pizzas.
Yummers!
Before we leave the puzzle, here are the answers to the pen names:
(1) Anne Rice; (2) Louisa May Alcott; (3) Mary Ann Sands; (4) Lewis Carroll;
(5) Agatha Christie; (6) George Orwell; (7) O. Henry; (8) Joseph Conrad; (9)
John le Carré; and (10) Dr. Seuss
חתולה
Notes from C.C.:
I met with Chairman Moe (Chris) and his girlfriend Margaret yesterday (June 12, 2023). Here we are at P. F. Chang's in Maple Grove, MN. He's just like he's on the blog. Margaret spent 3 years in Hong Kong and 2 years in Bali, overlapping the period when I lived in Guangzhou.
