I’m back from Port Huron after a great trip and a few nice views of Sarnia – sailed within a few feet of Canada but wasn’t actually there. I’m now off on a work trip to Jersey City, New Jersey – right across the Hudson River from 25D. Our meeting went late today, so I’m getting the blog done a little behind schedule but that shouldn’t interfere with you solving enjoyment, so let’s get going.

  • Name: Meeting in the Middle
  • Size: 15×15
  • Entries: 76
  • Difficulty: Medium Hard (my solve time: 7:29)

Filled in crossword grid for ClassiCanadian Crosswords 23 August 2023

“Meeting in the Middle” is an appropriate title for this puzzle, even if it didn’t really help me with the solve. The themers are two phrases connected by a common word in the middle (i.e., the end of the first phrase and the beginning of the second). The resulting mash-up is clued punnily:

  • 18A: [Preserves container made by an origamist?]: PAPER JAM JAR – A paper jam is the bane of those who use a copier or printer for any amount of time. A jam jar is a container to hold jam – or preserves.
  • 24A: [Book by Dr. Seuss and Orville Redenbacher?]: HOP ON POPCORN – “Hop on Pop” is one of many children’s books by Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geissel). Popcorn is a snack food commonly consumed at movies and sporting events.
  • 37A: [Palm fruit dessert with an overly dense crust?]: HEAVY DATE SQUARE – I’m actually not sure what a heavy date is – maybe it’s like a hot date? Or maybe an important day on a calendar? A date square is a palm fruit dessert – here’s a recipe.
  • 46A: [Pacifist’s letter ender?]: PEACE SIGN OFF – A peace sign was a popular icon in the 1960’s. A sign off is the end of a letter, or the end of a broadcast day (not that many stations stop broadcasting these days).
  • 56A: [Scannable lines on a teeny-weeny product?]: MINI BAR CODE – A mini bar (or minibar) is an amenity that seems to have disappeared from hotel rooms (good riddance, IMHO). A bar code (or barcode) is another name for a UPC, or universal product code.

Unlike last week, this one seemed harder than my time indicates, so while I would normally rate my solve time as Medium difficulty, I’m calling it Medium Hard. Big sticking point for me was in the middle E around 36D, 39D, and 42A. I had a different image in my mind for 36D (e.g., filling a tire with air) so couldn’t see the right answer. And 39D almost completely eluded me. A lucky guess or two made it come into focus, or else I would have been staring at it for a few more minutes, hence the Medium Hard rating.

Canadian content:

  • None! Unless I’ve missed something – call my attention to it in the comments below.
  • 37A: [Palm fruit dessert with an overly dense crust?]: HEAVY DATE SQUARE – Alert reader Daryl pointed out to me that date squares are of Canadian origin. Thanks Daryl!

Other stuff:

  • 2D: [Computer fix-it whiz]: IT PRO – I had IT GUY in here initially.
  • 11D: [Captains’ superiors: Abbr.]: MAJS – Being of a maritime bent, I had ADMS in here for a while.
  • 25D: [Big Apple initials]: NYNY  – I can see the New York skyline from my hotel.
  • 30D: [Aveeno lotion rival]: KERI – Never heard of this so thought it might be Canadian, but apparently it’s American.
  • 38D: [One-time SNL regular Carvey]: DANA – I could have sworn he was Canadian, but he was born in Montana.
  • 42A: [Sober?]: UNLIT – Very clever clue that escaped me for far too long.
  • 43A: [Range elements: Abbr.]: MTS – As I’m sure was intended, I had a stove and its heating elements in mind for range, so this took me longer than it should have.

Quote of the week:
“Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them… well, I have others.”
– Groucho Marx