Singer/activist Billy / TUE 1-17-23 / Phrase sung 36 occasions in a 1970 Beatles hit / Electrical transformer named for its creator / Furniture big whose title is an acronym

Puzzles

Singer/activist Billy / TUE 1-17-23 / Phrase sung 36 occasions in a 1970 Beatles hit / Electrical transformer named for its creator / Furniture big whose title is an acronym

Team FunTrove

January 17, 2023

Singer/activist Billy / TUE 1-17-23 / Phrase sung 36 occasions in a 1970 Beatles hit / Electrical transformer named for its creator / Furniture big whose title is an acronym

[ad_1]

Constructor: Erika Ettin

Relative problem: Easy

THEME: “LET’S CALL IT A DAY” — themers all start with letters that spell out the phrase for “day” in different languages:

Theme solutions:

DIAMOND WEDDING (19A: Couple’s sixtieth anniversary [Spanish])
“DAGNABBIT!” (26A: “Aw, rats!” [Dutch, Swedish])
DENTIST (35A: Whom one would possibly go see at “tooth hurty,” per a basic joke [Czech])
TAGS ALONG (42A: Goes with another person [German])

Word of the Day: Billy BRAGG (25D: Singer/activist Billy) —

Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and left-wing activist. His music blends components of folks music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that largely span political or romantic themes. His music is closely centred on bringing about change and involving the youthful technology in activist causes. […[ Hearing DJ John Peel mention on-air that he was hungry, Bragg rushed to the BBC with a mushroom biryani, so Peel played a song from Life’s a Riot with Spy vs Spy albeit at the wrong speed (since the 12″ LP was, unconventionally, cut to play at 45rpm). Peel insisted he would have played the song even without the biryani and later played it at the correct speed. […] Though by no means launched as a Bragg single, album monitor and stay favorite “A New England“, with an extra verse, grew to become a Top 10 hit within the UK for Kirsty MacColl in January 1985. Since MacColl’s early dying, Bragg all the time sings the additional verse stay in her honour. (wikipedia)

• • •

Spring (?) semester begins at this time, so my Tuesday and Thursday mornings swiftly get a lot tighter, time-wise (gotta catch that bus at 7:15am). So if the T/Th write-ups appear considerably terser than others, now you understand why. You most likely would not even discover if I did not inform you, however I’m telling you anyway, and in doing so spending up treasured morning writing time *not* speaking concerning the puzzle. So … the puzzle. Doesn’t appear a lot to it. That is, the idea appears actually skinny, and the revealer appears oddly … not APT. All the “days” seem on the beginnings of their solutions, however nothing within the revealer offers with begins or beginnings … I assumed the revealer was going to be one thing like OPENING DAY, however no, we’re “calling” it a day, for some cause. Maybe the “calling” is in a roundabout way, very obliquely, referring to the thought of translation? I just like the revealer phrase loads, as a standalone reply, however I simply do not assume it really works nice right here. I additionally thought the Diamond Anniversary was referred to as the Diamond Anniversary. Because … it is an anniversary. Anniversaries commemorate weddings (my twentieth is later this yr!). But DIAMOND WEDDING = “Diamond Anniversary”? That’s a brand new one on me. Is the phrase getting used adjectivally? “It’s our DIAMOND WEDDING Anniversary!”? Google’s not a ton of assist, since, as you would possibly anticipate, nonetheless you google “diamond” and “marriage ceremony” and “anniversary,” you simply get loads of jewellery websites, as a result of diamonds … just about *the* stone of all issues marriage ceremony. So that first themer made me go “huh?” I do love a great DAGNABBIT!, although. That reply bought me again on the puzzle’s facet. But nonetheless, there was one thing a bit of limp about each idea and execution right here. Why these languages? Why all the time on the begins of solutions? Just did not appear sufficiently cohesive. Also, the entire thing the place there are lengthy Across solutions (right here, NOTONEIOTA and OCEANSTATE—longer than half the themers) which can be *not* themers? Not actually a fan of that, both. Always appears inelegant—although if the theme actually crackled, I most likely would not discover (a lot). I did be taught the Czech phrase for “day,” although, that is one thing.

The fill sort of creaks alongside. Maybe a bit of extra subpar stuff than you wish to see, esp. in a simple early-week (e.g. AMOI ANACT ASATEAM and so forth.). Mostly it is just a bit on the boring facet. Why does BCCED look so ugly? I’m positive it is legitimate, however … I wrote it in pondering “effectively that may’t be proper.” I feel that “e” normally will get changed by an apostrophe, does that sound correct? CC’D … “DAGNABBIT, Bill, I CC’D you on the memo, you must’ve identified to convey the pie chart!” Yeah, I feel I’d apostrophize it. I’ve seen CCED within the puzzle for positive, and although it appears incorrect, it is brief and I do not actually discover. Somehow the additional letter in BCCED makes the entire mess appear extra grotesque. I like TESLA COIL, although I confess that earlier than trying on the clue I assumed “oh expensive lord are they gonna attempt to make TESLA CARS occur!?” Thankfully, no. The Kings of LEON by some means fell into the house in my private musical historical past that’s the equal of “between the cushions.” Like misplaced change. They had been enormous, I missed them completely. I feel they peaked once I was doing all of the early job / marriage / child stuff, i.e. once I was least attuned to mainstream well-liked tradition. But at the least my mind registered their title, which is usually all that is required for crosswords. Billy BRAGG is method method Way extra in my candy spot, regardless of being (apparently) a lot much less well-liked, gross sales and chart-wise. I’ve listened to BRAGG’s “Back to Basics” roughly a jillion occasions, because the late ’80s. Just him and an electrical guitar and these brief, wry, humorous, even candy songs about issues and emotions I did not know pop songs might be about. Plus he sang in his full unsuppressed Essex accent (the place so many British singers appear to cover or simply lose their native accents after they sing; or else my ear merely cannot hear it). Just nice stuff. Surprised he is exhibiting up on a Tuesday—would not assume he’d be thought of suitably well-known. But I’m pleased to see him.

Really gotta run now. Feed Alfie make espresso (sit for a couple of minutes listening to “Wake” with Clay Pigeon on WFMU and doing Wordle/Quordle) pack lunch bathe costume pack backpack out the door bus cease. Starting … now. See you tomorrow.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

P.S. the Venmo app was down for a number of hours yesterday, so these of you who wrote or posted that you simply could not discover me: that was why. I feel it is fastened now.

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]

[ad_2]

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply