Thursday, January 16, 2025, Pravan Chakravarthy

 

Pros minding
their Ps and Qs

Veteran Pravan Chakravarthy last appeared here with co-constructor Matthew Stock with a themeless puzzle, reviewed by Husker Gary.  Pravan is a double major in linguistics and physics at the University of Chicago and a crossword editor himself. Today he solos with a theme that seems to have some similarities to last Thursday's puzzle, which was all about long vowel sounds.  Scanning the theme clues below you'll see long Ē and Ū sounds in the words/phrases peas, cues, p's and q's, and keys and pews, and I thought there might be a rhyming pattern there.  I wasn't sure so I reached out to Pravan via email and he assured me that he wasn't consciously trying to rhyme, but the theme could be interpreted that way.

Here are the theme clues which all start with "Professional who minds their ..." ...

17A. Professional who minds their peas: VEGETABLE FARMER.  We've planted a vegetable garden for years.  I have two problems with peas: (1) they're not very smart (training them to climb trellises is very tedious) and (2) fresh peas are very sweet and taste like candies so they often don't make it to the table.

Sweet Peas

26A. Professional who minds their cues: BILLIARD PLAYER.  What's the Difference Between Billiards, Pool, and Snooker?  The latter is very popular in England and probably the most famous snooker player is ne'er do well Andy Capp.  In this cartoon Andy has a revelation about snooker after going on the wagon ... 

48A. Professional who minds their p's and q's: ETIQUETTE COACH.  The most famous etiquette professional was undoubtedly Emily Post (née Price; c. October 27, 1872 – September 25, 1960), an American author, novelist, and socialite famous for her book Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics, and at Home, first published in 1922.

Emily Post
1922

63A. Professional who minds their keys and pews: CHURCH CUSTODIAN.  Decades back I was a custodian (aka sacristan) for St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Pikesville, MD.  Among other duties I was responsible for opening the church each morning for daily Mass, preparing the altar for the service, and lighting the candles.  The parish was founded in 1848 and recently celebrated its 175th anniversary.  When I worked there the interior of the church was in need of serious repair, but in 2023 the parish began a major renovation, which was completed this past year.  Here is a photo of Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore and Pastor Canisius Tah celebrating the Mass for the dedication of the newly renovated church ...

St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church
175th Anniversary Mass

Here's the grid ...
  

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Many "Futurama" characters: ALIENS.  Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom originally created by Matt Groening, for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1,000 years and revived on December 31, 2999.  He finds work at the interplanetary delivery company Planet Express, working alongside the one-eyed mutant Leela and the robot Bender.  This should give you the picture ... 

7. Like some exams: ORAL.

11. Mandible: JAW.

14. Get together: TEAM UP.

15. "Say Nothing" streaming service: HULU.  More Hulu, but this isn't a fantasy -- it's a 2024 historical drama about four generations in Northern Ireland during The Troubles ... 

16. Many a Lagunitas brew, briefly: IPA.  Here's their history.  Here are some brews (definitely a Gen-Z brew) ... 

17. [Theme clue]

20. Hershey toffee bar: SKOR.  Skor is a chocolate toffee bar produced by The Hershey Company. It was first marketed in the United States in 1981 and in Canada starting in 1983. The Skor bar consists of a thin slab of butter toffee covered in a milk chocolate coating.

21. Down Under hoppers: ROOS.  An elision of KANGAROOS, the Australian marsupials ...

Red Kangaroo

22. Clamorous: NOISY.

23. Vow locale: ALTAR.  We've attended several weddings celebrated at the ALTAR shown in 63A.

25 Promos: ADS.

26. [Theme clue]

32. Drop out of a conversation?: ELIDE.  Clever clue.  Not the converser, but a sound maybe, e.g. KANGA in 21A ...

33. "Totally!": YES.

34. Zoo doc: VET.  Become a zoo vet and someday you might get to take care of a Scarlet Macaw ...

Scarlet Macaw

36. State tree of Massachusetts: ELM.  YEW and ASH fit, but didn't perp.

37. Sheepskin boot brand: UGG.

40. Turn brown, maybe: ROT.

42. __-de-France: Paris's region: ILE.  The Île-de-France (/ˌiːl də ˈfrɒ̃s/; French: [il də fʁɑ̃s] ⓘ; lit. 'Island of France') is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the Paris Region.

 Île-de-France Region

43. Sac fly result: RBI. A  fly ball is often caught resulting in an out, but if there are 1 or no outs already, a runner on third can tag up and score, resulting in a  Run Batted In.

44. __ & Perrins: LEA.  For many this brand is synonymous with Worcestershire ("Wooshtershire")  sauce. 

46. Goofy act: ANTIC.

48. [Theme clue]

53. __ feeling: GUT.  Gut feelings are real, but Should You Really ‘Trust Your Gut’?

54. Astonishing deeds: FEATS.

55. "Same here": SO DO I.

58. Some Energizers: AAAS.  Like the ones you put in your remote ...

59. Event in a convention center: EXPO.  This video was showing at everybody's favorite booth at an EDS/HP EXPO I once attended ...

63. [Theme clue]

66. Safflower __: OIL.  What is it and does it offer any health benefits?

67. Get better: HEAL.  One of the great things about getting older is all the things you can heal from. 😀

68. Demonstrate clearly: EVINCE.

69. Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, e.g.: TOY. Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots is a two-player action toy and game designed by Marvin Glass and Associates and was first manufactured by the Marx toy company in 1964. It features two dueling robot boxers, Red Rocker and Blue Bomber, mechanically manipulated by the players, and the game is won when one player knocks the opposing robot's head up and off the shoulders.  Available from Amazon ...
 

Shucks, when I was growing up all we had were little plastic Cowboys and Indigenous People. 😀

70. Play directive: EXIT.  One of the most dramatic play EXITS ever, occurred on the evening of  April 14, 1865 (Good Friday) at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. during a performance of  Our American Cousin attended by President Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd.  After shooting Lincoln with a pistol at close range, John Wilkes Booth leapt from President's box onto the stage and cried "Sic sempre tyrannis!" ("Thus ever tyrants") and "The South is avenged".

The Presidential Box and the pistol

71. Highs and lows: RANGES.  Tim Storms (born August 28, 1972) is an American singer and composer. He holds the Guinness World Record for both the "lowest note produced by a human" (0.189 Hz (G₋₇), set in 2012; and the "widest vocal range" (10 octaves).  Here he sings Lonesome Road with music by Nathaniel Shilkret and lyrics by Gene Austin ...

Down:

 1. Off-roaders, for short: ATVS.  All Terrain Vehicles.

2. Scallion's cousin: LEEK.  Leeks are one of the key ingredients in Bouillabaisse.  Here's Julia Child's recipe. 

Bouillabaisse

3. Shakespearean source of the phrase "wear my heart upon my sleeve": IAGO.  In Act I, Scene 1 of Othello, Iago and Rodrigo are walking through the streets of Venice.  The clue quote is from lines 63-71 -- here the villainous Iago speaking to Rodrigo, a former suitor for the hand of Desdemona ...

... when Iago's scheme to turn Othello against Desdemona is accomplished he "will wear his  heart upon his sleeve", openly exposing his hatred for Othello and expressing his own true love -- himself!

4. Green mineral: EMERALD.  Emeralds are gem quality Beryl, an ore of the metal Beryllium (BE).  They are ranked with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires as the most precious gems. During the filming of Cleopatra,  Richard Burton purchased the emerald and diamond brooch shown below as a wedding gift for his fiancée Elizabeth Taylor. Worn by the actress at their marriage in 1964, the brooch was later sold in The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor: The Legendary Jewels Evening Sale at Christie’s in New York in December 2011. It weighed 23.56 carats, realised $6,130,500, and remains the most expensive single stone emerald jewel ever sold.

5. Cashew or pecan: NUT.

6. Peloponnesian War victor: SPARTA.  The Second Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), often called simply the Peloponnesian War, was an ancient Greek war fought between the states of Athens and Sparta and their respective allies for the hegemony of the Greek world. The war remained undecided until the later intervention of the Persian Empire in support of Sparta. Led by Lysander, the Spartan fleet (built with Persian subsidies) finally defeated Athens which began a period of Spartan hegemony over Greece. 

7. "Heavens to Betsy!": OH LORDY.  "... won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz ..."

8. Regrets: RUES.

9. Sitcom character whose real name is Gordon Shumway: ALF.  Gordon Shumway, also known as "ALF", is the protagonist and title character of the American television series ALF, and several spinoffs. The name "ALF" is short for "Alien Life Form".  Actually Gordon Shumway's real name is puppeteer Paul Fusco (Paul is the one on the left) ...

Paul and ALF

10. Capital of Angola: LUANDA.  Luanda  is the capital and largest city in Angola, a country on the coast of west central Africa. It is Angola's primary port, and its major industrial, cultural and urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atlantic coast, Luanda is Angola's administrative centre, its chief seaport, and  is the most populous Portuguese-speaking capital city in the world. 

Luanda, Angola skyline

11. Rock icon Hendrix: JIMI.  Here's his cover of Bob Dylan's All Along The Watchtower ...

12. Big galoots: APES.

13. Apprehensive: WARY.

18. Wild hog: BOAR.  Also a domestic male pig.

19. Pink-cheeked: ROSY.

24. In __ of: LIEU.  Today's French lesson: "In place of".

25. In addition: ALSO.

26. 16-Across, e.g.: BEER.

27. "Isn't that something": I'LL BE. Until you aren't.

28. Calculus calculation: LIMIT.  As any higher level math I had is over 50 years old, I asked Pravan for a layman's explanation for a LIMIT and here is his contribution ...

Here's a video that has some of those more complicated scenarios ...  

  29. Part of rpm: PER.
  
30. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" musical: EVITA.  Evita is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. It concentrates on the life of Argentine political leader, activist and actress Eva Perón, the second wife of Argentine president Juan Perón. The story follows Evita's early life, rise to power, charity work, and death.  Here is the mononymic Madonna with Evita's signature song ...

31. Reminder of the past: RELIC.  I resemble that remark! 

  35. Virginia __: TECH.  Virginia Tech (VT), officially the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPI), is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. It was founded as the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1872.

38. Surplus: GLUT.  There's certainly more than enough of it.  If we could just figure out a good way to spread it around.

39. "Isn't that something": GEE.  "Yeah, most things are".

41. Social finesse: TACT.  Not a problem I have. 😀

45. To blame: AT FAULT.  It's certainly to AT FAULT for a lot of earthquakes. 🙃

47. Was a buttinsky: NOSED IN.

49. Inventor Sikorsky: IGOR.  Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky (25 May 1889 – 26 October 1972) was a Russian (Ukrainian)–American aviation pioneer in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.   His first success came with the Sikorsky S-2, the second aircraft of his design and construction. His fifth airplane, the S-5, won him national recognition and F.A.I. pilot's license number 64.  He received many honors for his achievements, including recognition by Time Magazine in 1953. 

Igor Sikorsky

50. Brunch order: QUICHE.  Order one or make one yourself -- here's Sally's quiche recipe.

Bacon quiche

51. Ginseng and oolong: TEAS.  Ginseng tea is a traditional Korean tea made with ginseng root. While it is called a tea, ginseng tea does not contain tea leaves. It is a herbal tea infusion made out of the ginseng plant's root.  Oolong tea is a traditional semi-oxidized Chinese tea made from the dried leaves of the tree Camellia sinensis. 

Ginseng root

 

Camellia sinensis

52. Holiday featured in the animated film "Hop": EASTER.  On Easter Island, a young rabbit named E.B. is intended to succeed his father as the Easter Bunny. Ignoring his father's orders, E.B. runs away to Hollywood to pursue his dream of becoming a music drummer.  It's really a hare raising film ...

55. Andy Murray, e.g.: SCOT.  Sir Andrew Barron Murray (born in Glasgow, Scotland on 15 May 1987) is a British professional tennis coach and former player. He was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 41 weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 in 2016. Murray won three Grand Slam singles titles, two at Wimbledon (in 2013 and 2016), and one at the US Open (in 2012), and reached eleven major finals.

Andy Murray
2012 US Open

56. West Virginia neighbor: OHIO.  Yep -- they're neighbors!

57. As expected: DULY.

58. Berry from the Amazon: ACAI.  Hand up if you've ever eaten an ACAI berry?

60. Short word on a yellow road sign: XING.  It kind of makes you wonder why ...?

61. Stat for a marathon: PACE.

62. Individuals: ONES.

64. Curse: HEX.  Also geek speak for HEXADECIMAL, a base16 number system used on IBM mainframes.  Anyone who has ever been called in the middle of the night to debug a HEX dump from a mainframe abend has probably done their share of cursing.

65. Egg cells: OVA.  OVA are much more than just crosswordese -- this G rated video gives you a tiny glimpse of their role in human reproduction ... 

Cheers, 

Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proofreading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

Epilogue ...

As I was putting the finishing touches on this review this article popped up in my inbox: Why solving crosswords is like a phase transition, by Baltimorean Jennifer Ouellette, a writer for Ars Technica and wife of renowned physicist Sean M. Carroll -- enjoy! (I'm sure Pravan will).