Greetings – looks like most of North America is about to get really cold and wet/snowy. I hope everyone has their holiday shopping done and can hunker down at home, ideally in front of a roaring fire (or this) with a cup of something to warm your tummy. And what better to do while you’re there than a crossword?
- Name: Who Let the Dogs In
- Grid size: 15×15
- Number of entries: 72
- Difficulty: Medium Easy (my solve time: 7:11)
All I could think of when I saw the title was this song that was ubiquitous about 20 years ago, and still is sometimes heard at sporting events. You’re welcome for that earworm 😜 As I solved it became clear that there was something up with the themers, they didn’t see to make recognizable words of phrases. Then the light went on – they’re common phrases that have the word “cur” inserted into them to make a new (nonsense) phrase that is then punnily clued:
- 20A: [Knob for directing river rapids?]: CURRENT CONTROL – “Cur” added to “rent control.” This video shows a “river” that actually is controlled – for science!
- 30A: [When elite teens must return home?]: A CHOSEN CURFEW – “A chosen few” – I kept thinking this was the name of a movie but I was thinking of “A Few Good Men.”
- 39A: [Gatherings for swearing together?]: CURSING ALONGS – Not quite sure this one lands like the others; while “sing-alongs” are a thing “cursing alongs” seems kind of awkward. But still pretty funny.
- 51A: [Teach Spot to show less hapiness?]: CURTAIL WAGGING – At least the tail is not wagging the dog. This is the themer that works best, IMHO.
It was a relatively smooth solve for me, except for the minor issue figuring out the themers. But once I got the gimmick it was smooth sailing and it helped with the solve.
Canadian content:
- 3D: [People of Labrador’s north]: INNU – I had heard of the Inuit but not the Innu.
- 9D: [High point on a Toronto tour?]: CN TOWER – Here is a very old picture of me when I visited the CN Tower many years ago.
- 12D: [The voyageurs transport]: CANOE – I didn’t realize that voyageurs were only allowed to transport goods but not to trade themselves.
- 16A: [Political journalist Solomon]: EVAN – He hosted the Evan Solomon Show on CTV until this past October and is now a special correspondent for CTV News from New York.
- 18D: [Land, in LaSalle]: TERRE – LaSalle is the most southerly borough (arrondissement) of the city of Montreal. It is located in the south-west portion of the Island of Montreal, along the Saint Lawrence River. Prior to 2002, it was a separate municipality that had been incorporated in 1912.
- 19A: [Lévesque or Descartes]: RENE – René Lévesque was Premier of Quebec from 1976 to 1985.
- 24D: [La Biche or La Hache]: LAC – Lac La Biche is a hamlet in Lac La Biche County within northeast Alberta. Lac La Hache is a recreational and retirement community in the Cariboo region of British Columbia.
- 43D: [Surrey, B.C.’s eastern neighbour]: LANGLEY – Langley, BC is just north of the border with the US. I spent a lot of time in Bellingham, WA which is just south of the border and like that area a lot.
- 61A: [St. John’s prov.]: NFLD – St. John’s is the capitol of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Other stuff:
After all that Canadian content I don’t really have any other stuff to point out. Feel free to add your own observations in the comments below.
Quote of the week:
“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”
—Edith Wharton