Tuesday, April 30, 2019 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

"SHIP WRECKS"

18. Performances by Chippendales dancers: STRIP SHOWS.

23. Jubilation: HIGH SPIRITS.

38. Slam-dancing area: MOSH PIT.

50. Right now: AT THIS POINT.


61. Sea disasters, and a hint to what's literally hidden in 18-, 23-, 38- and 50-Across: SHIPWRECKS.

Ship gets jumbled, or wrecked, so to speak, in this latest offering from Bruce and Gail. 

Across:

1. Campaign donation orgs.: PACS. Political Action Committees

5. Actor's nickname heard in the song "Key Largo": BOGIE. The lyric is,  "We had it all.  Just like Bogie and Bacall."    "Here's looking at you, kid."


10. Be in sync (with): JIBE.

14. Airline that doesn't fly on Shabbat: EL AL.  "El Al is the only commercial airline to equip its planes with missile defense systems to protect its planes against surface to air missiles, and is considered one of the world's most secure airlines, thanks to its stringent security procedures, both on the ground and on board its aircraft." - Wikipedia

15. Diarist Nin: ANAIS.   "We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are." – Anais Nin. 

16. Spoken: ORAL.

17. "The Beverly Hillbillies" daughter __ May: ELLY.    Jed's daughter.   A tomboy and an animal lover, here shown with one of her "critters."

20. Sidekick: PAL.  Batman and Robin, Wyatt and Doc, Snoopy and Woodstock

21. McJob worker: PEON.

22. Le frère d'un père: ONCLE.  French.  The brother of a father: Uncle.  That's according to Google Translate.   Perps solved it for me.  Wilbur would have known it.

27. Beach shade: TAN.  You might end up paying for all of that free UV exposure.

28. Nods off: SNOOZES.

32. Squash underfoot: STEP ON.   Someone posted a picture of a stink bug on Nextdoor, asking what it was.  74 responses came in with similar advice:   Don't (squish, squash, step on, stomp on, crush, smash) them.  Some recommended vacuuming, while others advocated spraying them with everything from Lysol to peppermint spray.   One guy said he swallowed one that was in his coffee.

35. "Law & Order: __": SVU.   Special Victims Unit.  The long running NBC series was recently renewed for a 21st year.  Corner favorite is # 1.

36. Snack: NOSH.

37. Dallas hoopster, briefly: MAV.   Dallas basketball player, unabbreviated: Maverick.

41. Kilt wearer's "no": NAE. 

42. Like thrift shop items: USED.

44. Pitchfork target: HAY.   You need the right tool for the job.   Pitchforks are excellent for spreading hay,  turning over the mulch pile, cleaning out the horse stall and more.  When paired with torches and an angry mob, pitchforks are effective at cornering a monster in an old mill, and then burning it down.

45. Began, as a hobby: TOOK UP.

47. Phil Collins' longtime band: GENESIS.  Live from Wembley.


49. Serious fwy. violation: DUI.  Driving Under the Influence.  Other acronyms ?  DUIL, DWI, OWI, OUI...   

55. Digging tool: SPADE.  

58. Art community NNE of Santa Fe: TAOS.   In New Mexicos's high desert.  View or order the visitor's guide here.

59. Pinup's leg: GAM.  The internet tells me that gam comes from Middle English gamb leg, which came from Old French gambe, which came from Late Latin gamba, meaning leg of an animal.   I'd wager that James Holzhauer knew that.     The History Of Pin-Up Girls

64. Top-drawer: A ONE.

65. Shameful symbol in a Hawthorne novel: RED A.   Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic, The Scarlet Letter, set in Puritanical Massachusetts.   About social shaming and and stigmatizing a few centuries ago.   Now there are plenty of social media apps for people that feel the need to publicly focus their attention on others.  

66. E-cigarette's lack: ASHES.   They still have nicotine, an addicting drug.

67. Novelist Victor: HUGO.  Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.

68. Ballet title bird: SWAN.    2 hours for your listening and viewing pleasure.


69. "Family Ties" mom: ELYSE.  Portrayed by Meredith Baxter.   Baxter Birney at the time.

70. Store securely: STOW.

Down:

1. Sound from a nest: PEEP.

2. Quran deity: ALLAH.

3. Declare all debts resolved: CALL IT EVEN.

4. Devious: SLY.

5. Wrigley Field corners: BASES.   First and third base are called the corners (of the infield). Technically, since the bases form a square, second base and home plate are also corners.  They're just not called corners in baseball.  Third base is called the "hot corner" so if you ever see that as a clue and the answer is five letters, enter THIRD.

6. Winning: ON TOP.  The St Louis Cardinals are on top of the National League Central Division and are currently projected to have a 6% chance of winning the World Series.

7. Bouquet __: herb bundle: GARNI.  More French.  Garnished bouquet.  Google Translate not needed.

8. Square root of IX: III.  Math with roman numerals.

9. Seer's "gift": ESP.  Extra Sensory Perception.  A hallmark of psychic charlatans.

10. Either "J" in J&J: JOHNSON.

11. Camaro __-Z: IROC.   A well written article from a dealership in Albany, NY about the legendary Chevrolet Camaro. 

12. Turn on the waterworks: BAWL.  Blubber. 

13. Apart from this: ELSE.  Meaning different in this sense.

19. __ speak: SO TO.   "You use so to speak to draw attention to the fact that you are describing or referring to something in a way that may be amusing or unusual rather than completely accurate." - Collins Dictionary.    Speaking metaphorically.   As in the ships in this puzzle are wrecked, so to speak. 

21. __ Penh: PHNOM.  Cambodia's capital.

24. Lack of continuity: GAP.  Turning the switch to the off position creates a lack of continuity in a simple electrical light circuit.  Those free electrons can't jump from valence shell to valence shell to complete the path when the switch is open. 

25. Answer the invite, initially: RSVP.   Repondez S'il Vous Plait.   LMOA;  Left a Message On your Answering machine.

26. Alaskan native: INUIT.

29. Nodding off: ZONKING OUT.

30. Jacob's twin: ESAU. 

31. Herding dog name: SHEP.   Apropos. 

32. Too sure of oneself: SMUG.

33. Subdue with a zap: TASE.

34. Like an extremely well-pitched game: NO HIT.

35. Short, moneywise: SHY.  You wouldn't get the moneywise helper on a Friday or Saturday LA Times puzzle.

39. Window framework: SASH.  An obi for glass.

40. Disturbances: TO DOs.

43. Like many a successful poker player: DEADPAN.  Expressionless, or of a singular expression.

46. "Certainement!": OUI.   More French.  More Google Translate.  More perp help.  It means certainly.   Makes sense.

48. Crock-Pot dinner: STEW.  The crackpot chef tried to roast prime rib in the crock-pot.  It resulted in a stew, but no one complained.

51. Like wool, for many: ITCHY.   Abejo, has the poison ivy cleared up ?    And BTW,  belated Happy Anniversary !

52. "For goodness __!": SAKES.  I thought it was for Pete.  Either way, it's a euphemism used as an expression of frustration , exasperation or annoyance, but in the case of goodness, also for surprise. The speaker's tone inflection and body language will tell you more.  

53. Rustler-chasing group: POSSE.  I think of The Ox-Bow Incident, starring Henry Fonda.

54. Dance that "takes two": TANGO.  The last one was in Paris.  Did you see it ?  It was rated X when it came out in '72, recut and rereleased and rated R in '81, and then rerated NC-17 in '97.   I've never seen it, but I remember there was a controversy about it when it came out.

55. The Baltics, once: Abbr.: SSRS.  Soviet Socialist Republics

56. "Close call!": PHEW. 

57. Verdi opera: AIDA.  Set in Egypt.

60. Catty utterance?: MEOW.

62. Grammy winner Corinne Bailey __: RAE.  No idea.

63. Bilingual subj.: ESL. English as a Second Language

64. Massage reactions: AHs.

Notes from C.C.:

To those who can't post on the blog with their iPhone, Blogger Forum mentions that "This issue might be related to high privacy settings on your browser.

Go to your Safari -> Settings -> Privacy -> uncheck "Prevent cross-site tracking."

Please let me know if that works for you. 

As for Android phone users, please email me crosswordc@gmail.com if you have problem posting on the blog.

Monday April 29, 2019 Matt McKinley

Theme: MLB (66. Org. in which the start of five answers is a "central" player) - Each starting word is a AL or NL Central player.

 

16A. Advice columnists Ann and Abby, e.g. (AL Central): TWIN SISTERS.

37A. Monarch's self-referential plural pronoun (AL Central): ROYAL WE.

59A. Pride or greed, e.g. (NL Central): CARDINAL SIN.

 

9D. Preteens in a pack (NL Central): CUB SCOUTS.

32D. Warnings of serious danger (NL Central): RED ALERTS.

Boomer here.

A bit of a tough time last week. Our homeowners association hired a contractor to replace our roof shingles. Not only was the noise unbearable, but they also moved my Direct TV satellite dish off line and I had NO TV for three days!

C.C. and I spent several days out of the house, donating a little money to Mystic Lake casino, (a small gambling loss and feasting at their buffet for lunch two days.) We also made a stop at the famous Mall of America, however we did not buy much, MOA has tourist trap pricing in most stores. 

Across:

1. Britannica ref.: ENC. 

4. Singer LuPone: PATTI.  Not familiar with her, but I have heard of Patti Page.

9. Baseball hat: CAP.  I have quite a few.  Some are TC, Some are Vikings, and a lot are Golf.

12. Classic grape soda: NEHI.  I believe this was a favorite of Radar O'Reilly.

14. Sarge's command: TEN HUT.  Sarge's command for Attention.  Ten Huts is where we lived.

15. Put into play: USE.

18. "If I may digress ...," in texts: BTW.

19. Sprinted: RAN FAST.  When I was a kid, women wore nylon stockings that ran fast.

20. Jackie's Ari: ONASSIS.  Jackie could have written the book "How to Marry a Millionaire",

22. __ one's time: didn't rush: TOOK.

23. Sharp-tasting: ACIDIC.

24. King's tenure: REIGN.  "Uh Ha, Oh no, don't let the reign come down."  

27. Tiered Asian temple: PAGODA.

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an, China

30. Apt.'s sleeping area: BDRM.  Still not fond of abbreviations.

33. "Bro!": DUDE.  "Hey Dude, Don't make it bad, Take a sad song, and make it better."

35. Hitch, as a ride: THUMB.  Wow, I did this so many times before I had a car.  My high school was 5 miles from my home, and if I needed to stay after school there was no activity bus.  Once I hitchhiked home from Sacramento to Minneapolis.

36. Commit perjury: LIE.

39. Shop __ you drop: TIL.  You can really get exhausted at good old Mall of America.

40. "The Giant" of wrestling: ANDRE.  He spent some time in Vern Gagne's AWA.  I remember his battle with Hulk Hogan in WrestleMania, however I do not think he ever fought (Governor) Jesse, "The Body" Ventura.  Andre was one year older than I but he passed in 1993.  Those seven foot 520 pounders don't seem to last as long as six foot two - 180 lbs. (But they make more $$$)

42. Food for hogs: SLOP.  Aw, don't call my dinner slop.

43. "Ohio" quartet, initially: CSNY. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

44. St. Peter's domain: HEAVEN.  I checked with Warren Beatty and "Heaven Can Wait" 

46. "The Lion King" hero: SIMBA.  I know lions are kings of the jungle, but I never saw one wearing a crown.

48. Chinese PC giant whose name is partly derived from the Latin for "new": LENOVO.  I am preparing these comments on our Lenovo, which has been very dependable over several years. 

50. Hertz rival: AVIS.  We always answer this clue with Avis. We don't often  see National, Budget, Dollar, Payless, Enterprise, Alamo, Advantage, or Thrifty.  Maybe Avis is the only four letter rental company. 

53. Faddish pursuit, after "all": THE RAGE.  Isn't this where kids go to smoke pot and listen to bands?  "Or is that only on Law & Order"?

55. Carefree antics: HIJINKS.  My Mother used to bowl on a team with a lady whose nickname was Jinks.  So when I saw her I said ---

58. "The Fault in __ Stars": 2014 film: OUR.

61. Obtain: GET.  That's why they say Go-getter, and not Go-obtainer.

62. Neatened (up): TIDIED.  Or clean up your wash.

63. Chekov bridgemate, in "Star Trek": SULU.

64. GEICO specialties?: ADS.  Not only GEICO.  I get a kick out of all those companies try to "Out funny" each other. I do laugh at their lies about how much money they can save us though. 

65. Little cuts: SNIPS. 

Down:

1. __'acte: intermission: ENTR.

2. A novice in: NEW AT.

3. Trouser material: CHINO.  Never had a pair and Santa, do NOT bring me one

4. Kid brother, at times: PEST.  I never had a brother and my sisters were not pests.  But here in Minnesota, we have plenty of mosquitoes.

5. Colony crawler: ANT. And ANTS

6. 2000s teen drama set in California: THE OC.  I have heard of this, it is something about Orange County.  But I think it's a stretch for a Monday puzzle.

7. Rutabaga, e.g.: TURNIP.

8. Tryst-confirming words: IT'S A DATE.  I try to avoid politics but I cannot resist.  An MSNBC guest the other day said that Cory Booker is trying so hard to be the next Obama, he was waiting for him to ask Michelle for a date.

10. Italian wine hub: ASTI.  I never liked wine.  Is Italian better than French.  I remember Christmas Eve my uncle would bring a quart of Mogen David to Grandma's and we would all have a sip.

11. Chapel seats: PEWS.  Correct, and they don't smell.

13. Bring up to speed: INFORM.  Step on the gas ??

14. "__ the season ... ": TIS.  To be Jolly Fa la la.  A little early, or late for this clue.

17. Sushi bar drink: SAKE.  Does this taste like Mogen David ??

21. [Ah, me!]: SIGH.  Once there was a silly old ram, thought he'd bust a hole in the fam.  But he had SIGH hopes.

23. "Furthermore ... ": AND ALSO.  I expect we will hear these words in many speeches next year.

25. Altar promise: I DO.

26. Five __: burger chain: GUYS.  I think I have heard of this.  Is one of the guys named McDonald ??

28. Key with one flat: Abbr.: D MIN.  Also on my Report Card.

29. With dexterity: ABLY.  Hope I can ABLY hit a golf ball if the weather warms up.  I think it was 40 on Saturday, but there was a prediction of snow and thankfully it did not show up.

30. "How dull": BLAH.  "Save the Life of my Child"  Simon and Garfunkel "Bookends"

Said officer MacDougal in dismay:
"The force can't do a decent job
'Cause the kids got no respect
For the law today (and blah blah blah)."

31. Enjoy fine food: DINE.  Okay, and what kind of wine??

34. Wells sci-fi race: ELOI.  "The Time Machine".

37. Performs in costume, as a Civil War battle: RE-ENACTS.  I think the Civil War was a terrible era of U.S. history and I am not a fan of any re-enactment or movie.

38. Typist's meas.: WPM.  Believe it or not, First Sergeant Chapman liked me and the Army taught me how to type and I became a Company Clerk along with Mail Clerk so everyone liked me.  I was the Radar O'Reilly of the 606th Medical Ambulance Company of Fort Campbell, Ky. 42223

41. KOA patron: RVER.  Never owned one.  There is a company in Iowa that makes Winnebago RVs.  They are expensive and huge. Many people spend a lot of money on vehicles and fuel, just so they don't have to stay in a hotel.   

43. Nitpicks: CAVILS.

45. Consequence of an absence of pain, in an exercise mantra: NO GAIN.  I have some exercises to try, hopefully to improve my balance. Thank you, Dr. Nina.

47. Mexicali's peninsula: BAJA.  This is an interesting peninsula.  It's a Mexican State which does not seem to be connected to Mexico.  Northern border is California with maybe just a touch of border with Mexico across the Colorado River.  I visited Tijuana once many years ago.  The entire city was a flea market.  Is it still that way?? 

49. "Rigoletto" composer: VERDI.

51. "To wrap up ... ": IN SUM.

52. Proficiency: SKILL.  Hope those of you with SKILL at crosswords got this far without using any cross words.

53. Frat party garb: TOGA.  Cannot help but thinking of John Belushi in "Animal House".

54. Tinted: HUED.

55. Makes haste, old-style: HIES.

56. Swing voter: Abbr.: IND.

57. Cold shoulder: SNUB.  Go a little lower and you'll get to BUNS

60. Quick swim: DIP.  Yup but this can also be an adjective.

Final season bowling report. My Thursday night league had an 8 team roll off which my team was not included.  So I competed with other outcasts in a three game no tap tournament.  No Tap is a form of bowling that when you knock any nine pins down on your first ball, it counts as a strike. The huge advantage is consecutive strikes will add to your score, plus you do not have to worry about missing the ten pin if you leave it.  I did encounter a pocket 7-10 which screws thing up, but my final was 224-189- and 258=671.  With my handicap I think I finished 3rd out of about 32 entries.  It's not a big money event, but I expect to receive maybe $20-$25 which of course I will split with my wonderful wife, C.C. so she can buy some Tofu.

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

Wendybird emailed me this question yesterday.

"For some reason, when I type my comment in the box and hit “publish”, it never appears. I thought I had indicated my “name” as Wendybird, but that doesn’t show up either.  I thought maybe I was supposed to hit “preview” first, so I did, but my comment just vanished."

I remember SwampCat or CanadianEh! experienced the same glitch a while ago with their iPhone or iPad. How did you guys solve the problem?

Sunday April 28, 2019 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "Ooh, I Get It!" - Long I sound is changed into long U sound, changing spellings as needed.

  

24A. Grinch victim in the Wasatch Range?: ROCKY MOUNTAIN WHO. Rocky Mountain High.

37A. Bilks corporate bigwigs?: TAKES IN THE SUITS. Takes in the sights.

45A. Puff's ailment?: DRAGON FLU. Dragonfly.

56A. Nickname for a seafaring Smurf?: CAPTAIN BLUE. Captain Bligh.

77A. Amphibian College curriculum?: NEWT COURSES. Night courses.

82A. Inspiration for "The Hulk"?: BRUTE IDEA. Bright idea.

93A. Exceptional wind?: FIRST CLASS FLUTE. First class flight.

111A. 18-Down?: FATHER OF THE BROOD. Father of the bride.

Jeffrey told me that the puzzle title is from Rich and Patti. His suggested "The Right Route". Sometimes it's tricky to find a perfect title that captures the sound changing gimmick.

Total 102 theme squares. Our average. The top and bottom edge design is not very Jeffrey, but the side edges is, with triple stacks of 7's and 6's. Those are hard to pull off cleanly, but Jeffrey is a pro. And he managed a 140 worder.

Across:

1. Some old Eur. republics: SSRS. Soviet Socialist Republics. Tiny "republics"/R dupe. Jeffrey mentioned that this is not his entry. He said "Rich didn’t like something in that section, but he did not request a revision, which I would have gladly worked on." He said SSRS is an entry he would do anything to remove, esp at 1-Across.

5. Brownstone-front hangout: STOOP.

10. Homer's "rosy-fingered" time: DAWN. Tiny dupe: 96. Dawn goddess: AURORA.

14. One looking badly?: OGLER.

19. Astute: KEEN.

20. Aquatic predators: ORCAS.

21. "Nasty" Nastase of tennis: ILIE. Honored on a stamp.

22. Good, to Giovanni: BUONO.

23. "__ la Douce": IRMA.

27. High point: PEAK.

28. College domain: EDU. Two more U's: 105. Charlottesville sch.: UVA.75. Columbus campus: Abbr.: OSU.

29. Large wardrobe: ARMOIRE. Not an armoire here. Just want to show you my friend Carmen's vases.

 

30. College dorm figs.: RAS.

31. Legal memo phrase: IN RE.

32. Pro Football Hall of Famer Merlin __: OLSEN.

35. Modigliani subject: NUDE. Andy Garcia played him in the 2004 movie.

36. Set (on): BENT.

41. Airhead: DUNCE.

42. Bit of trickery: GAG.

43. Chris of "American Pie" films: OWEN. Wiki says this: "In 2014, a New York Daily News article reported Owen was working as a waiter at a sushi restaurant in Santa Monica, California. In the article, Owen says that "life doesn’t always go the way you planned. I love acting and this job lets me stay in the fight." After that article was published, he appeared in two films in addition of a role on Criminal Minds".

44. Urn turner, perhaps: POTTER.

50. Real-estate holding account: ESCROW.

54. D.C. VIPs: REPS.

55. __-B: hygiene brand: ORAL.

61. __-Locka, Fla.: OPA.

62. Arena roarer: CROWD.

63. In cahoots: AS ONE.

64. Swahili honorific: BWANA. Literally "sir".

65. Meal with a crust: POTPIE.

67. "Ghosts" playwright: IBSEN.

69. Shoulders, e.g.: JOINTS. Nina kindly sent us an exercise routine to improve Boomer's body mass and balance. We just started the easiest ones. 

70. "God __ refuge and strength": Psalm 46: IS OUR.

71. Traded (in): DEALT.

73. Like honey: GOOEY.

76. 2000 Richard Gere title role: DR T. OK. I just read the plot for the first time. Surreal.

79. Way back when, once: ERST.

80. Alone, in Arles: SEUL.

81. Two-time Pulitzer Prize for Fiction awardee: UPDIKE.

84. Bering, e.g.: STRAIT.

88. Arp's art: DADA.

91. Whole effort: ALL.

92. Coat of arms element: CREST.

101. Dusters: RAGS.

102. Just: MERE.

103. Prepare for bodybuilding photos: OIL UP. Would you believe that they use PAM cooking spray?

104. Egyptian deity: ISIS.

106. Takes, as a bus: RIDES ON.

108. Friend of Eeyore: ROO.

110. Bygone depilatory brand: NEET.

115. Canadian gas: ESSO.

116. Belong: FIT IN.

117. Wishes one hadn't done: RUES.

118. Actress Delta: BURKE.

119. Ado: STIR.

120. Billiards slab: SLATE.

121. Gucci of fashion: ALDO. Also 10. Chanel competitor: DIOR

122. Motel 6 visits: STAYS.

123. Tokyo electronics giant: SONY.

Down:

1. "Let's not do that": SKIP IT.

2. Sister of Venus: SERENA. The Williams sisters.

3. Say casually: REMARK.

4. Whence some garters?: SNAKE EGGS.  Garter snakes. I did not know that snakes lay eggs. Google Images shows this corn snake laying an egg.

5. Hot under the collar: SORE.

6. Walked over: TROD ON.

7. Like Hogwarts lore: OCCULT.

8. Sturdy tree: OAK.

9. 101 class involving Freud: Abbr.: PSY. No more K-Pop rapper.

11. Many college donors: ALUMNI.

12. Succeed despite obstacles: WIN OUT.

13. Coll. students' access codes: NETIDS. Another learning moment for me.

14. Tony's cousin: OBIE. Or EMMY.

15. Staple __: GUN.

16. Inexpensive, as housing: LOW RENT.

17. Improve: ENHANCE.

18. Wake-up call provider: ROOSTER. The black character is how it's written in traditional Chinese.

25. Minister's house: MANSE.

26. "There you __!": ARE.

33. Uncertain query before a query: SHOULD I ASK. I normally send an email to D-Otto: "Does this feel solid to you?"

34. "Yuck!": EEW.

36. On the other hand: BUT.

38. __ Paulo: SAO.

39. Pass over: IGNORE.

40. Mild angst: UNEASE.

41. Warning about overexuberance: DOWN BOY. Great fill.

44. Pasty food: POI.

45. Surprise with a visit: DROP IN.

46. Rest: REPOSE.

47. "Trainwreck" director Judd: APATOW.

48. Back again: FRO.

49. Foundation of a civil society: LAW.

51. Stress-relief tool: SPONGE BALL. Never used these. I do have spike balls.

52. UPS unit: CTN.

53. Actress Issa: RAE.

56. Play lists: CASTS.

57. Airport near D.C.: BWI. Baltimore–Washington International. Also 72. NW Penn. airport: ERI.
Erie International Airport. Googled afterwards.

58. Alit: LANDED.

59. Like perjured testimony: UNTRUE.

60. Cal. locale of the Latino Walk of Fame: EAST LA. We had this clue before.

62. Basic electrical component: CIRCUIT.

66. Delay, with "off": PUT.

68. Runs in the wash: BLEEDS.

69. Beetle relatives: JETTAS.

71. It doesn't go off: DUD.

74. Hockey legend: ORR (Bobby). So grid-friendly. ORR and OTT.

78. Choose: OPT.

80. Endearing quality of puns: SILLINESS.

83. Often pointy-eared figure: ELF.

84. Kitten handles?: SCRUFFS. Nice clue/fill. Consonant-rich.

85. Hard work: TRAVAIL.

86. Sailing competition: REGATTA.

87. Braying beast: ASS.

89. Expiate, with "for": ATONE.

90. Rank of Brit. TV sleuth Morse: DCI. OK, Detective Chief Inspector. 

93. Indiana Jones' hat: FEDORA.

94. Filled with rage: IREFUL.

95. Ready to play again: RESTED.

97. Goosebump-inducing: SPOOKY.

98. Employs so that one may: USES TO.

99. Connects logically: TIES IN.

100. Editing app on Google Play: E STORY. Unfamiliar to me.

102. Orbiter for 15 years: MIR.

106. Philosopher Descartes: RENE.

107. Rather: OH SO.

109. Wordsworth works: ODES.

112. Musical success: HIT.

113. Small ammo: BBS.

114. Tedious situation: RUT.

C.C.

Saturday, April 27, 2019, Joe Deeney

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Joe Deeney

Seventy-two years ago on April 27, 1947 Yankee Stadium was filled with fans who were there to pay tribute to the orphan from Baltimore who grew up to be the greatest Yankee of them all - Babe Ruth. Today we commemorate Babe Ruth Day on the date that memorial service was held.

The ceremony was held twelve years after George Herman Ruth was an active player and was fighting the cancer that would claim his life the next year. The wizened Sultan of Swat proclaimed, “There’s been so many lovely things said about me, I’m glad I had the opportunity to thank everybody.”

The Babe at Biography.com

Today appears to be Joe Deeney's fifth visit to our little word curiosity shop and his first on a Saturday.

I hope he checks in with us to explain what he has attached to his head in this picture and why he has that unusual smile on his face!

Now let's circle the bases on Joe's puzzle:

Across:

1. Venue for seven Verdi premieres: LA SCALA - Teatro alla Scala (Italian: “Theatre at the Stairway”). This is a poster from the premiere of Verdi's Otello in Milan in 1887

8. Savannah grazer: ORIBI - My Okapi (O _ _ _ I) had to be taken back to the zoo for this animal

An ORIBI

13. Mesmerize: ENTHRALL.

15. Sudoku skill: LOGIC - Basic Sudoku strategy tells you what number has to go in the red square (*answer at the bottom)

16. 1982 bestseller using Milne characters, with "The": TAO OF POOH - A lovely explanation and synopsis 

18. Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum town: STOWE.

19. Leaning: BIAS - News outlets these days seem to have their own thinly (or not so thinly veiled) BIAS

20. Unchecked: DESELECTED - This elevator allows you to DESELECT selections

22. Will of "Blue Bloods": ESTES - His IMDB

24. Tide may wash it away: STAIN.

25. When one might eat bánh chung: TET - Sticky rice cake traditionally served during the lunar new year of TET celebration in Vietnam

26. See 2-Down: NIN and 2. With 26-Across, "Delta of Venus" author: ANAIS - A crossword stalwart

28. Act addition?: IVE - C.C. would call this fill "gluey". I'd prefer 28. Jim Croce tune _ _ _  Got A Name

29. Fashion: MAKE - Last weekend I had my SIL fashion/MAKE a repair for my screen door with a screw, a washer and 5 toothpicks

30. 1987 film loosely based on "Cyrano de Bergerac": ROXANNE - A 1:30 trailer for this sweet movie Rotten Tomatoes gave an 89%

32. Gugino of "Wayward Pines": CARLA -  Her IMDB

33. "C'mon, man!": DON'T BE THAT GUY 

35. Daughter of Billy Ray: MILEY - The Cyrus'

36. Respond to a pledge drive: PHONE IN.

37. Star qualities: EGOS.

38. Portuguese saint: SAO -  SAO Paulo (Saint Paul), Brazil is 3x larger than the capital of Brasília 

39. Sea follower?: TAC - SEA-TAC (Seattle Tacoma Airport) to the Space Needle is a 23 min drive (uh, not at rush hour)

40. Small amount: TAD.

41. Get ready to compete, bodybuilder-style: OIL UP - I didn't feel like posting pix of BEACH BODS last week nor OILED UP bodybuilders this week. You're on your own.

43. Low-pay position: MCJOB - I've had many McJOBS (starting with a paper route) and learned valuable lessons from each

47. Antic: SHENANIGAN.

50. Merrie Monarch Festival celebration: HULA - It celebrates the legacy of Hawaiian King David Kalalakua 

51. Cunning canines: FOXES - A fox is of the species vulpine in the family of canines, therefore a cousin of dogs

52. "Glass" director: SHYAMALAN - Rotten Tomatoes - Critics - 37%, Moviegoers - 73%

54. Soccer Hall of Famer __ Lalas: ALEXI - His IMDB

55. Teaching a lesson, perhaps: TUTORING - A MCJOb for some new teachers 

56. Emulates a matryoshka doll, save one: NESTS.

57. Rx's from vets: PET MEDS 


Down:

1. Do not disturb: LET BE - My colleague always told kids to, "Leave it be"!

3. Short-tailed weasel: STOAT - Any animal with these friendly letters is welcome in our cwd zoo

4. Slayers, in the Buffyverse: CHOSEN ONES.

5. Husky's hello: ARF.

6. "Training Day" law org.: LAPD -  A trailer for this 2001 movie

7. Soothing succulents: ALOES.

8. Fictional photojournalist: OLSEN - Jack Larson's portrayal of Superman's early TV buddy Jimmy (far left) OLSEN is my favorite 

9. Drilling org.: ROTC - Close order drill

10. "Later": I GOTTA RUN.

11. 100 times a year, roughly: BIWEEKLY - It can be twice a week OR every two weeks (approximately 26 times a year) according to Merriam Webster

12. Sipped cooler: ICED TEA.

14. Daydreaming: LOST IN THOUGHT.

17. No-nonsense dismissal: HEAVE HO - If USC determines that Lori Loughlin's daughters knew of the fraudulent scheme to get them into school, they will be given the HEAVE HO

21. Factor in golf club selection: LIE - This LIE calls for hitting down with a more lofted club than usual

23. It's often done on highways: SIXTY -  A patrolman might 27. Pull in: NAB you if the speed limit is thirty

29. Fetish: MAGIC CHARM - Superstitious ball players consider their dirty caps a MAGIC CHARM and so they don't clean or replace their old ones

30. Obsolete organizers: ROLODEXES.

31. Highly populated people?: NEPALIS - Nepal has many high places to populate 

32. Third-stringers: C-TEAM - Nowadays it's not A-TEAM, B-TEAM, C-TEAM, it's Varsity, JV and Reserves. A 3rd stringer by any other name...

33. Excavate, with "in": DIG A HOLE - Or maybe you should quit

34. Hill worker: ANT.

35. Often not a Yankee supporter: MET'S FAN - My dad's hatred of the Yankees stemmed from being a Brooklyn FAN.

38. Sunday subject: SIN.

41. Spot for a drink: OASIS.

42. Satisfy a debt: PAY UP.

44. Andrews with an Oscar, two Emmys and three Grammys: JULIE - She won a Tony for My Fair Lady but Jack Warner wanted the better known Audrey Hepburn for Liza in the movie. Julie then took the role of Mary Poppins instead and beat out Audrey for the Oscar in 1964

45. Warner __, '20s-'30s portrayer of Dr. Fu Manchu: OLAND - Some now consider Warner's portrayal stereotypical and racist

46. Forehead covering: BANGS - Selena Gomez with and without

48. "I'm done with this one": NEXT.

49. Silver of FiveThirtyEight: NATE - His statistical site is named for the 538 electors for American presidents. On the eve of the 2016 election he predicted Hillary had a 71% chance of winning and Donald Trump a 29% chance

53. Bon __: MOT - Literally Good Word from the French

Raise a glass to the Old Bambino today!

That Sudoku square must have a 3