Tuesday, Oct 23, 2018 Mark McClain

"Beef.  It's What's For Dinner"

18. Controversial coal-extraction method: STRIP MINING.

24. Dues-paying participant: CLUB MEMBER.

40. Broadside accidents: T-BONE COLLISIONS.

50. Format for some tournaments: ROUND ROBIN.

61. Meal suggested by the starts of four long answers: STEAK DINNER.

Yesterday, Ed Sessa had high on the hog, and today Mark brings us ideas for a steak dinner.  Unless you live high on the hog, be prepared for "sticker shock" if  you want to eat at some of these  restaurants on Zagat's 2018 List of Best Steakhouses in Chicago.  We know Bill G would agree to steak.  Prime Rib and Rib Eye would be my favorite cuts.  What cuts do you prefer ?

Across:

1. Colorist's concern: HUE.

4. Light brown pear: BOSC.

8. Hillary Clinton, née __: RODHAM.

14. Horace's "__ Poetica": ARS.  The Art of Poetry as written by Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus

15. "The Mammoth Hunters" author Jean: AUEL. "Jean Marie Auel is an American writer who wrote the Earth's Children books, a series of novels set in prehistoric Europe that explores human activities during this time, and touches on the interactions of Cro-Magnon people with Neanderthals." - Wikipedia

16. Low-scoring tie: ONE ONE. Nil Nil would be a no-scoring tie.

17. Big wheel, briefly: VIP.

20. Wine lover's prefix: OENO.  Reds with boeuf.

22. Sport shown on TV Japan: SUMO.

23. Beer extraction gadget: TAP. 

27. Spanish lady: DONA.  Lucina explained the nuance of dama and doña to us about a week ago.

30. Acquire: GET.

31. Isle of Arthurian legend: AVALON.  And a Toyota.   Avalon is a legendary island featured in the Arthurian legend, fitting it in with Toyota's tradition of naming their sedans the word for "crown" in various languages (Crown, Corona, Camry, Corolla), types of crowns (Tiara), or other things associated with royalty (Scepter). - Wikipedia.

33. Woodland deity: SATYR.

36. Developmental insect stage: LARVA.

39. Luau accessory: LEI.

43. A, in Augsburg: EIN.  Una, in Acapulco.

44. Small stores: SHOPS.

45. Rather nasty: SNIDE.

46. "__ Fideles": carol: ADESTE.


48. Corrode, with "away": EAT.

49. Macy's section, e.g.: Abbr.: DEPT.

57. "__ y Plata": Montana motto: ORO.   Gold and Silver.

59. Bit of talk show self-promotion: PLUG. 

60. Opal of the comics, to Earl Pickles: WIFE.

65. Deli salmon: LOX.

66. Philadelphia campus: TEMPLE. Temple University.  Their sports teams, like Rice, are the Owls.

67. Building lot unit: ACRE.

68. __-ray Disc: BLU.

69. Volkswagen family car: PASSAT.

70. Rough file: RASP.

71. Some ER cases: ODs.  Over Dose cases.

Down:

1. Wreaked condition: HAVOC.  Also, recently in the news from the folks at NASA:

Project Summary

2. One of the archangels: URIEL.

3. College sports channel: ESPNU.

4. Music majors' degs.: BAs. Bachelor of Art degrees.

5. First stage: OUTSET.

6. Blood bank supply: SERUM.

7. Upward trek: CLIMB.

8. Film genre prefix with com: ROM. Ranking the best RomComs of all time...

9. Words after work or sleep: ON IT.

10. "Gracias" response: DE NADA.  Thank you /  You are welcome.

11. Common people: HOI POLLOI.

12. Raggedy doll: ANN.

13. Eldest of the "Little Women": MEG.

19. Author of eerie stories: POE. Edgar Allen.

21. Delivery MD: OBGYN.

25. Least: MEREST.

26. Shankar on the sitar: RAVI.

28. Interminably: NO END.

29. Ouzo flavoring: ANISE.


32. Poughkeepsie campus: VASSAR.  One of the "Seven Sisters", Vassar became coed in 1969.

33. Place: STEAD. In his place...  in his stead...  

34. Put up with: ABIDE.

35. Symphonic stories: TONE POEMS.  Never saw this clue / answer when solving.  Looked it up. 13 Symphonic Poems Every Classical Music Lover Should Listen To

 36. British john: LOO.

37. European peak: ALP.

38. Dr. Jekyll creator's monogram: RLS. Robert Louis Stevenson at Britannica.com

41. "Burlesque" co-star: CHER. née Cherilyn Sarkisian, aka "The Goddess of Pop".

42. Being hauled to the garage: IN TOW.

47. Sundress features: STRAPS.

48. Lawn maintenance tools: EDGERS. My leaf blower broke the other day.  Had to replace it quickly.  So many leaves.  I can relate with Hondo about "chasing leaves."   Was surprised to learn that leaf blowers are banned in many localities in California.    

51. Maker of Cajun Shrimp nail polish: OPI.  Thank you perps.  Never heard of it.  A California company that was originally a dental supply company.  Since 2010, a subsidiary of Coty, Inc.

52. Like the "funny bone" nerve: ULNAR.

53. Never, in Nogales: NUNCA.  Niemals, in Nuremberg.

54. "The Hobbit" hero: BILBO.  Baggins.  So much detail at Tolkien Gateway

55. Bluffed-out words, perhaps: I FOLD.

56. Connection: NEXUS.

58. Sooner St.: OKLA.  Boomer Sooners.  And a CSO to Anonymous -T and his eldest as collegians.

61. Car care brand: STP.  Lesser known as Scientifically Treated Petroleum, marketed in advertisements as "The Racer's Edge". 

62. Pot contents: TEA.

63. Police rank: Abbr.: DET.  Detective.

64. Weight-training unit: REP.  Repetition. 

Thursda, Jan 31, 2008 Alan P. Olschwang

Theme: Quip

17A: Start of the Quip: The wise
23A: Part 2 of the Quip: Parent never
36A: Part 3 of the Quip: Knows the answers
49A: Part 4 of the Quip: To his child's
63A: End of the Quip: Riddles

Went through lots of googling on the middle and right lower corners. I am still not sure of my answers for 41D: Giving business to: I have NEEDLING. But it does not make any sense. "Giving the business to" means Patronizing, no?

Apercu:

13A: Side to Side: LATERAL

16A: Greek Letter: CHI

21A: Hoad of Tennis: LEW. I didn't know him. He is in Tennis Hall of Fame.

22A: Dubline's land: EIRE. I cannot tell the difference between EIRE and ERIN. Oh, and ERSE.

26A: 2005AL MVP: AROD. Justin Morneau is the 2006 AL MVP. His name has 4 vowels. I wonder when he will be clued in the Star Tribune Crossword. Nice guy.

32A: San_, Italy: REMO. Unknown to me. But gettable.

34A: Faux pas: GAFFE. Yes, indeed. GAFF is a large fishing hook.

42A: "JFK" Director: STONE (Olive). One of my husband's favorite movies. Don't like Kevin Costner's Louisana accent in "JFK".

44A: Greek Letters: ETAS

47A: Arikara: REE. Indian tribe, Dakota area. RHEE is the first President of South Korea.

54A: All-inclusive: A TO Z

55A: Beret or beanie: CAP. I put HAT first. Struggled mightily there.

56A: Rely on: LOOK TO.

61A: Heaven's gatekeeper: ST. PETER.

65A: Cockney aspiration: OPE (Open). Did not know the meaning of cockney. Then I spent a long time trying to figure out what this a cockney guy aspires to. Lives in the west end of London?

66A: Wreaths for the head: ANADEMS. Archaic expression of garland for the head. Greek origin. Tough!

69A: English exports: I have MGS. What the heck is MGS? Am I wrong here? (UPDATE: MG is a British sport car)

70A: Clean-air watchdog grp: EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).

Down Clues:

1D: Contingencies abbr: ALTS (Alternative)

3D: "Nana" star: STEN (Anna). "Nana" is Zola's work. The film tanked. Sten never made it to the "the Next Greta Garbo".

5D: Phythem instrument: CASTANET. A percussion instrument held in palm, spanish origin. See here for more explanation. It looks like this.

6D: _du Diable: ILE. Inferable. It's part of the Iles du Salut (Salvation Island), off the coast of French Guiana.

9D: Arthur of "Maude": BEA. Learned her name from doing crossword. I don't watch any sit-coms.

10D: Long play part: ACT IV. Nailed this one. Fooled me once, shame on - shame on you, fool me, you can't get fooled again.

12D: Down source: EIDER

19D: Vacillated: SEESAWED. Easy.

20D: One way to reduce overhead: DOWNSIZE. Let's what Mr. Romney is good at. This word brings chill to my spine.

21D: Put the pedal to the metal: LET HER RIP. "Put the pedal to the metal" means "make something go forward, floor it, drive your car as fast as possible". Here is the etymology: "based on the idea that you push the pedal (= part worked with the foot) down to the floor of a car to go as fast as you can."

36D: "Animal House" setting: FRAT. Never see the the movie, is it good?

40D: "The Clan of the Cave Bear" author: AUEL (Jean M. Auel). Never heard of the author. I like her name though. The book is a historical fiction. She is still alive.

41D: Giving the business to. I have NEEDLING. Does not make any sense. Please explain to me.

46D: RSVP in the affirmative: ACCEPT .

52D: Jackrabbits: HARES.

58D: Tittering Machine painter: KLEE. Swiss painter Paul Klee. See the painting.

60D: Peak in Thessaly: OSSA. MT OSSA. Greek again.

62D: Shoes's tip TOE & 63D: Aries animal RAM are gimmes.

Stay warm!

C. C.

Monday April 27, 2009 Pancho Harrison

Theme: What a Slugger!

17A: One who's at home on the range: COWPUNCHER

57A: Noisy eater: LIP SMACKER

10D: Oater villain who attacks from hiding: BUSHWHACKER

25A: Girl idolizing a pop star, perhaps: TEENYBOPPER

I did not know BOP can mean "strike/hit" too. TEENYBOPPER was not a familiar phrase to me. Nor did I know COWPUNCHER is simply a slang for cowboy.

Read a few pages of Molly Irvins's "Bushwhacked" several summers' ago. But I had never bothered to check what's the exact meaning of bushwhack. Wikipedia says one the most famous men who fought as a BUSHWHACKER was Jesse James. LIP SMACKER is a lip gloss brand too.

Plus BOOT HILL (28A: Gunfighters' graveyard) and NRA (55A: Org. that sticks to its guns?), this puzzle has some force!

Several affixes in today's grid: RESOD (64: Patch the lawn, in a way), USER (16A: Manipulative sort), SUER (54A: Litigant), and WRESTLER (38D: Andre the Giant, e.g.). Andre the Giant is also the nickname of Vogue's Andre Leon Talley, the adviser on fashion to the Obama's. He introduced Jason Wu to Michelle Obama.

Just found out earlier that Pancho in Pancho Harrison means "free man" in Spanish. Not an easy Monday for me at all. I think I am in a slump.

Across:

1A: Big name in copiers: MITA. Xerox, Canon & Ricoh are big to me. I've never heard of MITA copier.

5A: Improvise on stage: AD-LIB. Always thought Obama is good at AD-LIB. Had no idea that he relies on teleprompter heavily.

10A: Yawn-inducing speaker: BORE. And its anagram BOER (21A: Transvaal settler). Transvaal means "beyond the Vaal River" in Afrikaans. Is two a's spelling also common in Dutch language?

15A: Gaucho's rope: RIATA. Or REATA, often clued as "Giant" ranch.

19A: Venetian blind part: SLAT. Once Williams clued SLAT as "Louvre part" and confused the hell out of me. I did not know louver can be spelled as louvre, so I kept thinking of the museum.

20A: Make haste: HIE. Used to mix HIE with FIE.

22A: Words after "Hi, honey!": I'M HOME

24A:Counting everything: ALL TOLD

26A: Crock-Pot potful: STEW. Winter is over, no more STEW or chili.

27A: Antiquity, once: ELD. Oh, I had the wrong notion that ELD is an old adjective meaning "old".

35A: Jean Auel's "The __ of the Cave Bear": CLAN. Sigh! I totally forgot about this book. Someone mentioned the Daryl Hannah (Ayla) movie before. I bet it's a gimme for Crockett. Jean Auel lives in Oregon.

36A: 1998 Sarah McLachlan hit: ADIA. Here is the clip. I used to confuse the song with Verdi's AIDA.

40A: 1960s Cosby/Culp espionage series: I SPY. Learned the title I SPY from doing Xword. Sounds fun.

41A: Roger of "Cheers": REES. Nope. Not a familiar actor to me. He is a Welsh-American. He looks very cold.

42A: Do axels and lutzes: SKATE. Did not know the plural form of lutz is lutzes. What's the plural for Pez then? Pezes?

43A: Corned beef is usually ordered on it: RYE BREAD. What's the difference between RYE BREAD and Pumpernickel again? I am not fond of caraway seeds.

47A: Take back, as a public statement: RETRACT

51A: Fozzie Bear, e.g.: MUPPET. Fozzie Bear is new to me.

60A: Doily material: LACE. "Lingerie material" too.

62A: Queen played by Liz: CLEO. Have you tried Cleopatra's milk and honey bath?

63A: Norse thunder god: THOR. Thursday is named after him.

Down:

1D: Coffee-chocolate mix: MOCHA. Named after the Yemen port.

2D: How some tuna is packed: IN OIL

3D: Beach drier: TOWEL

4D: Dada pioneer Jean: ARP

8D: Suffix with Canaan: ITE. Suffix with Israel also.

9D: Voice between bass and tenor: BARITONE. Is Michael Bublé a BARITONE?

13D: Art Deco designer: ERTE. French pronunciation of his initials R. T. (Romain de Tirtoff).

18D: Horseshoe-shaped hardware: U-BOLT. I forgot what a U-BOLT is.

26D: Uses a hang glider: SOARS. Did not know what a hang glider is.

28D: Run, as colors in the wash: BLEED

32D: Light-skinned: FAIR. Filled in PALE first.

34D: Easy gait: LOPE. Wanted TROT.

35D: Use crib notes: CHEAT. Not familiar with "crib notes". I pictured notes written on baby's crib.

42D: Kama __: SUTRA. Kama is Hindu god of erotic desire. SUTRA is Hindu aphorism.

47D: Rene of "Tin Cup": RUSSO. She is an Italian-American. I thought she has Russian roots. "Tin Cup" is a good movie.

48D: Bracelet site: ANKLE. Not WRIST? What about anklet then?

51D: Ice cream drink: MALT. What's your daily beverage for dinner? I have a friend who drinks milk with his meal. Weird.

53D: Somewhat, in music: POCO. New word to me. ASSAI is "Very, in music". Both Italian are origins.

69D: IV amounts: CCS. Just had CCED the other day. Now I am waiting for CCING.

Answer Grid.

C.C.

Tuesday, October 6, 2020 Bruce Haight

Leaf Peeping.  In New England people like to travel in the countryside to see and enjoy the colorful fall foliage before the leaves begin to fall.    In today's puzzle the first word of each theme answer r is a type of leaf.  Because the answers are all in the down position, the leaves are all "Falling".

5-Down. Sherlock Holmes portrayer in 15 movies: BASIL RATHBONE.  Basil Rathbone (né Philip St. John Basil Rathbone; June 13, 1892 ~ July 21, 1967) was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.  He got his start as a Shakespearean actor, before moving on to swashbuckler films and his portrayals of Sherlock Homes.

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11-Down. Wise counsel: SAGE ADVICE.

24-Down. Silicon Valley region: BAY AREA.  This one was the final leaf I found because I didn't see Bay Area as being a particularly long answer.

28-Down. Interpreter of lines: PALM READER.

Here's the unifier:

19-Down. Autumn occurrence, and a hint to the start of the other four longest Down answers: FALLING LEAVES.

Fall Colors in Northern New Hampshire

Across:

1. Meat on a skewer: KABOB.

6. Better mtge. deal: RE-FI.  As in Refinance.

10. Subtle "Look this way": PSST!

14. Gulf of __: Red Sea inlet: AQABA.

15. Horror movie helper: IGOR.

16. Healthy: HALE.

17. Albacore and yellowfin: TUNAs.

18. "Darn it!": SON OF A GUN.

20. Ingredient in some Tibetan cheese: YAK MILK.

22. Genealogy aid: DNA TEST.

23. Pie-mode link: À LA.  I am not keen on ice cream.  I prefer a solitary pie.

24. Cut out early: BAIL.

25. "Heavenly!": AHH!

26. Mont Blanc, e.g.: ALP.  Also the brand of a very expensive writing instrument.

29. Beatles' meter maid: RITA.

31. Hunk of dirt: CLOD.

33. Lea plea: MAA.

34. Fast-food chain named for its founders, the Raffel Brothers: ARBY'S.  How the Raffel Brothers built Arby's.  The name is the sound of the initials of Raffel Brothers (RB).

36. Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Michael: IRVIN.  Michael Irvin (b. Mar. 5, 1966) played college ball for the University of Miami.  In 1988, he was selected in the NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys.

39. Splendor: ÉCLAT.

41. Maple extract: SAP.

42. Born yesterday, so to speak: NAÏVE.

43. Female folklore deity: NYMPH.

44. Part of a plug: PRONG.

46. Word with pool or park: CAR.  As in a Car Pool or a Car Park, more commonly referred to as a parking lot.

47. First name in country: REBA.  As in Reba McEntire (b. Mar. 28, 1955).

49. List-ending abbr.: ET AL.  A crossword staple.

50. Finish: END.

51. Crayon shade: HUE.

53. Legendary Greek mount: OSSA.

55. Drink with scones: TEA.

57. Ideal way to work, teamwise: AS A UNIT.

59. "No idea": BEATS ME.

63. Living labyrinth: HEDGE MAZE.

65. Time off, informally: VACAY.  Short for Vacation.

66. "The Clan of the Cave Bear" author Jean: AUEL.  Jean Marie Auel (b. Feb. 18, 1936) wrote a series of novels set in prehistoric Europe.  The Clan of the Cave Bear was the first book in the series.

67. Kitchen cooker: OVEN.

68. Clear the board: ERASE.

69. Nimble: SPRY.

70. Let off steam: VENT.

71. Drops below the horizon: SINKS.

Down:

 
1. Pop singer Perry: KATY.  Katy Perry (née Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson; b. Oct. 25, 1984) was once married to Russell Brand.

2. Water color: AQUA.

3. River border: BANK.

4. Hawaiian-born president: OBAMA.  Barack Obamas (b. Aug. 4, 1961) was the 44th President of the United States.

6. Gamble: RISK.

7. __ trip: EGO.

8. "On Golden Pond" actor or actress: FONDA.  Both Henry Fonda (May 16, 1905 ~ Aug. 12, 1982) and his daughter, Jane (b. Dec. 21, 1937) were in this 1981 film.

9. Dramatically twisty: IRONIC.

10. Awesome, in '90s slang: PHAT.

12. Blizzard remains: SLUSH.

13. Grade for a soph: TENTH.

21. Bandit's hideout: LAIR.

26. "You got that right!": AMEN.

27. Like many doilies: LACY.  Do people still used doilies?

30. Recipe amt.: TBSP.  As in a tablespoon.

32. "... boy __ girl?": OR A.

35. Predicament: SPOT.

37. Lendl of tennis: IVAN. 

Ivan Lendl (b. Mar. 7, 1960).

38. Uncool one: NERD.

40. Copy: APE.  A crossword staple.

45. Kid-lit's __ the Great: NATE.  The first Nate the Great book was published in the early 1970s.  Nate the Great a series of over 24 children's detective novels.

48. "I, Robot" author: ASIMOV.  Isaac Asimov (Jan. 2, 1920 ~ Apr. 6, 1992) was born in Russia.  He was actually born sometime between October 1919 and Jan 1920, but celebrated his birthday on January 2.  His family moved to the United States when he was about 3 years old.

51. Comedy club sounds: HA HAs!

52. Exhaust: USE UP.

54. Ward (off): STAVE.

56. Gaming giant: ATARI.

58. Hideous: UGLY.

This is an Ugly Ugli.

59. Like knees during a squat: BENT.

60. MRI image: SCAN.

61. Face concealer: MASK.  This word has a whole new meaning on today's world.  Masks were also worn during the 1918 pandemic.  Almost exactly a century ago, world was also suffering form a viral pandemic.  The Great Influenza, by John M. Berry is a fascinating history of that pandemic.  I was struck by how little has changed in the past 100 years.  The events of this book are so similar to the events of today.

62. Focus group?: EYES.

64. Buddhist sect: ZEN.

Here's the Grid:

 

Mask Up!