Greetings from Seattle! In the before times I came here every year for a conference held the first week of December since 2001. But last time I was here was three years ago due to [waves hands to indicate “all this”]. Nice to be back and this is probably as physically close together that Barb and I have ever been. I have a conference to get back to, and hopefully some holiday shopping to accomplish, so let’s get to this week’s puzzle.
- Name: Cast-cutting Measures
- Grid size: 15×15
- Number of entries: 78
- Difficulty: Medium Easy (my solve time: 6:12)
I misread the title as “Cost-cutting” so was scratching my head the whole time. After I finished and grasped the actual title, I still was scratching my head as I am unfamiliar with the film referenced in the revealer (60A). But a little Google-fu quickly cleared things up – the starred entries are all names of puppies in the movie “101 Dalmatians.” Since there are only eight of them it is a “cast-cutting measure” for the “sequel:”
- 1D: [Boogie-woogie’s Fats]: DOMINO – Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. was known as “Fats Domino” and was one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. He was among the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- 5A: [Tiara piece]: JEWEL – A jewel is set in a tiara.
- 13D: [Inconsistent, as radio reception]: SPOTTY – When driving around and you can only hear the radio in spots, that’s spotty reception. Ads on the radio are also “spots” so there’s that.
- 18A: [It covers the hole thing?]: PATCH – You use a patch to cover a hole in a pair of pants, e.g.
- 34D: [Hi and Lois daughter]: DOT – Had to really search my memory for this one.
- 39A: [Title on a chicken bucket, once]: COLONEL – Colonel Sanders was the founder and mascot for Kentucky Fried Chicken (now known just as KFC).
- 53A: [Like a lottery winner]: LUCKY – Odds are you won’t get lucky playing the lottery.
- 54A: [Discontinued coin in 2013]: PENNY – I didn’t realize Canada discontinued the 1-cent coin in 2013.
Even though I misread the title and the theme escaped me, it was a pretty smooth solve once I got past the first few clues. Even some of the entries where I had no clue (26A, 29A, 48D) didn’t slow me down much.
Canadian content:
- 29A: [Poilievre’s predecessor]: OTOOLE – Pierre Poilievre defeated Erin O’Toole in a race for leadership of the Canadian Conservative Party.
- 32A: [When one might see red and white fireworks]: CANADA DAY – When I lived in Detroit it was great to see fireworks for both Canada Day and Independence Day in early July for the Freedom Festival.
- 36D: [CBC streaming channel]: GEM – I knew this one from its previous appearance in the puzzle. Unfortunately the service is apparently only available in Canada so I’m unable to load the app on my devices.
- 49D: [Arctic vehicle brand]: SKI DOO – Ski-Doo snowmobiles are manufactured by Bombardier Recreational Products.
- 54A: [Discontinued coin in 2013]: PENNY – I found a Canadian penny the other day while out walking, and I probably have a handful of them in a drawer somewhere.
Other stuff:
- 1A: [Do, after “thou”]: DOST – I drew a blank on this for far longer than I should have – need to remember “thou dost protest too much.”
- 2D: [Bar band’s nine or ten songs: ONE SET – I really wanted this to be “covers.”
- 21A: [Stand in front of a speaker]: LECTERN – Kept thinking this referred to a person or thing in front of a loudspeaker, not an orator.
- 26A: [Nautical chain]: TYE – Even though I a sailor and have worked in the maritime world for over 3 decades, I don’t think I’ve ever used this term before.
- 48D: [One-____ (old ball game)]: O CAT – I have only ever seen this in crossword puzzles; it’s apparently a “non-team variety of baseball.”
Quote of the week:
“The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”
– Attributed to Chief Sealth (Seattle)