Greetings everyone! My wrist is much better this week – not sure what that was all about, so no (physical) excuses for any trouble I have with this week’s puzzle. I hope everyone is getting ready to enjoy the holidays (or has been/is enjoying them already) – I am looking forward to a slow couple of weeks at work, and time with family and friends. As an entrée into this time of relaxation, lets get on with the penultimate ClassiCanadian puzzle of 2023.
- Name: Long Division
- Size: 15×15
- Entries: 76
- Difficulty: Medium Easy (my solve time: 6:37)
Oh, my – that’s a clever title and gimmick! Before the solve, I figured it had something to do with split words – could be a single answer split between two entries, or within one longer entry. I jumped into the solve and quickly saw the latter was correct, and continued along with a fairly smooth solve. Upon review, the full cleverness of the title and gimmick became clear: the themers are common phrases, clued straight, but with several of the beginning and ending letters circled. The circled letters spell a word that – it soon dawned on me – is a synonym for the verb “long:”
- 17A: [“Come here often?”, e.g.]: ⓅⒾCK UP LⒾⓃⒺ – A pick up line is a pretty trite way of initiating a relationship. To pine for something is to “strongly desire, especially something that is difficult or impossible to obtain.”
- 24A: [Rash of felonies]: ⒸⓇIME WⒶⓋⒺ – I initially wanted this to be “crime spree”. If you “feel a powerful desire for (something)” you definitely crave it.
- 38A: [2024, on the Chinese calendar]: ⓎⒺⒶⓇ OF THE DRAGOⓃ – “2024, being the Year of the Wood Dragon, is expected to bring good fortune and success.” To yearn is to “have an intense feeling of longing for something, typically something that one has lost or been separated from.”
- 51A: [Back-country skiing hazard]: ⒶVALANⒸⒽⒺ – I recently saw an interesting documentary about an avalanche that happened at a ski resort in Alpine Meadows, California in 1982. To ache is definitely to long for something, but it’s also an actual physical feeling as well.
- 62A: [Where an off-road driver may be found?]: ⒾN THE DIⓉⒸⒽ – Ideally the driver of an off-road vehicle would be skilled enough to keep out of the ditch. If they drove into a patch of poison ivy they would definitely get an itch, and would also itch to be out of there.
I actually think this was a harder grid that my solve time may indicate – there are a few fairly obscure words and plenty of long entries. I worked across the top to the middle then down to SE, finishing up the W side and mopping up a few stragglers at the end. I caught onto the gimmick pretty early on (no surprise with the circled letters), but don’t think it was a lot of help with the solve.
Canadian content:
- 12D: [It has a bear-shaped lic. plate]: NWT – Oooh – I really want to see one of these in the wild.
- 20A: [Island off Montréal, Île-Ste ___]: HELENE – While I didn’t remember it right off, something from my trip to Montreal this past July must have stuck in my head because it came to me after getting a cross or two. We didn’t actually get over to Île Sainte-Hélène, but it’s on the list for future visits.
- 42A: [Canadian footwear brand]: SOREL – I’m glad the clue indicated that the brand was Canadian or I would have missed it – my favourite pair of slippers are Sorels, but I purchased them in the US at an outlet store in Portland, Oregon, which is apparently where their US office is located.
- 28D: [Canadian singer ___ Naked]: BIF – Another one I’m glad was flagged as Canadian, though I usually look up people mentioned in the puzzle if I’m unsure whether they are Canadian. She seems to be a pretty prolific musician and is also an author and actor. Her name reminds me of Buck Naked, a singer in the San Francisco Bay area who was tragically killed in 1992.
- 56D: [John Candy film “___ Buck”]: UNCLE – John Candy was born in Newmarket, Ontario in 1950 and taken from us way too early. But he’s left behind a lot of funny films and a quote or two, including this one about “Uncle Buck:” “In the movie, Uncle Buck doesn’t talk down to these kids. And I think that’s why they like him. He treats them as an equal.” And one more below.
- 60D: [Org.receiving many returns]: CRA – In a week or so there will be many “orgs.” (i.e., stores) receiving returns. But this clue refers to tax returns received by the Canada Revenue Agency.
Other stuff:
- 4D: [Checks, and then checks again]: MAKES SURE – Whenever I see “again” or anything hinting at revisiting something in a clue, I instinctively start the entry with “RE” – that didn’t serve me well for this one.
- 23A: [i.e., in full]: ID EST – Many years ago it struck me to look up what “i.e.” and “e.g.” meant so I could be be sure to use them correctly. I always remember “id est = ‘that is’; exempli gratia = ‘for example’.”
- 24D: [Defeatist’s word]: CANT – Not if you’re a Belter in “The Expanse.”
- 44A: [Male turkeys and orangutans]: TOMS – I just sped past this one, getting it from the crosses, but on review I have learned that male orangutans are toms (though I’ve yet to confirm that after a brief search).
- 60A: [Sign prompting a studio audience]: CLAP – I usually see this as “Applause” in movies and TV, but clap would certainly work as well.
Quote of the week:
“Wherever you go in the world, you just have to say you’re Canadian and people laugh.”
— John Candy