Note: This was drafted on Wednesday 30 August 2023 but not posted until today due to technical difficulties.
Ack! Friday is September! I see Barb is already referring to summer in the past tense, but I know we still have a few sweltering days (weeks?) in store, so it is still summer here in the blog. But I am definitely looking forward to cooler (if shorter) days, clear, crisp nights, and the death of millions of infernal mosquitoes that interfere with my enjoyment of a nice evening sitting on the deck. While we experience or anticipate the change of season, let’s solve this week’s puzzle.
- Name: Put Them in Their Place
- Size: 15×15
- Entries: 72
- Difficulty: Medium Easy (my solve time: 6:20)
I wasn’t sure what to expect with a title like “Put Them in Their Place” – could it be a gimmick where the letters T H E M were in a certain location in (or spread throughout) each themer? Was “them” a group referred to in the themers? So with several ideas in my head, the title didn’t turn out to be a lot of help in the solve, but does nicely capture the theme: The themers are idiomatic phrases that are clued punnily to make them describe where (or how) you might find a particular profession:
- 17A: [Where to find a roofer?]: ON THE HOUSE – “On the house” is a phrase used to indicate something is provided for free/complimentary at a restaurant or other such establishment. My nephew recently starting working as a roofer so he spends a lot of time literally on houses carrying and nailing down shingles.
- 23A: [Where to find a prep cook?]: OVER THE COUNTER – “Over the counter” is used to indicate that a pharmaceutical can be obtained without a prescription. I’ve seen it used in crosswords in its abbreviated form (OTC). A “prep cook” is often seen working on a diner behind the counter where the customers are seated – so “over the counter” from them.
- 35A: [Where to find a dock worker?]: BY THE BOAT LOAD – “By the boat load” (you may see other words substituted for “boat”) is used to indicate a large quantity of something, i.e., an amount that would require a boat/ship to carry it. You might find a longshoreman (dock worker) nearby a load of cargo to be loaded on a ship (boat load). Apparently Boatload is also a source of crossword puzzles. Huh.
- 47A: [Where to find a horologist?]: AROUND THE CLOCK – “Around the clock” is used to indicate an event (or operation, or something) that happens continuously. A horologist is a person or establishment that makes or repairs clocks and watches, so you would definitely find them near (around) the clock (or likely more than one).
- 56A: [Where to find a nun?]: IN THE HABIT – “In the habit” is used to refer to doing something a person is accustomed to or usually does – i.e., a habit. The traditional costume/uniform for a nun is called a habit, so chances are if you see a nun, she will be “in the habit”. Apparently there is a chain of burger shops near me named “Habit Burger Grill.”
This week’s time felt like it perfectly matched my perceived difficulty and looking at my past time solving these puzzles it falls squarely in the Medium Easy category. I initially though it would be much harder, as I had difficulty breaking in the NW, so moved further S and E, then worked my way back. No real snags; I’m pretty sure NW was last to fall due to my unfamiliarity with 1A/D, 2D and trying to figure out which Wolfe was being referred to in 3D (hint: 28A; a different one is the source of this week’s quote).
Canadian content:
- 2D: [Ontario home to Western University]: LONDON – London, ON doesn’t seem too far west, but then Case Western University is at nearly the same longitude so… Fun personal fact: I believe London may have been the first place I ever visited in Canada. My mother’s best friend was living there for a while and when I was growing up we went to visit her there. On that trip we must have circumnavigated Lake Erie, as I recall we visited Toledo, OH, London, ON, and Niagara Falls.
- 8D: [CFL six-pointers]: TDS – Touchdowns are worth 6 points in both Canadian and American football.
- 11D: [Winnipeg’s province]: MANITOBA – My mind first went to Alberta for some reason, maybe because I’ve been following the SAFE animal shelter (located in in Edmonton) on Twitter, which, if I lived there, I would probably have adopted way too many cats.
- 33D: [Kooky, in Québec]: FOU – In haste, I initially entered FEU, which means something completely different.
Other stuff:
- 41A: [Awesome, in today’s slang]: WAY COOL – Seeing as I was using this term when I was a kid – and I’m no spring chicken – I have a hunch the youngs don’t consider this “today’s slang.”
- 10D: [Maternal grandmother of Jesus]: ST ANNE – I didn’t even realize Jesus had a grandmother, and thinking about it I guess he *only* has a maternal grandmother…
- 12D: [Like an email headed in bold]: UNOPENED – I got the U quickly (well, it was an R at first) and started entering URGENT, which of course is too short, Then I realized that an email flagged “urgent” isn’t bold, it’s indicated by an exclamation point, and decided to move on and come back to it later.
- 22A: [Station wagon of today]: SUV – Thank you! When SUVs became popular I was always amused that they were most likely to be owned by folks who disparaged station wagons. I would say, “but that is essentially a station wagon.”
- 35D: [Second Amendment words]: BEAR ARMS – I wish “well-regulated” fit.
- 39D: [Low-level sailor]: SWABBIE – I have never heard an actual sailor use this term, only landlubbers referring to sailors. However, “swab” is what first-year students at the US Coast Guard Academy are called.
Quote of the week:
“All the months are crude experiments, out of which the perfect September is made.”
– Virginia Woolf