Tuesday, September 22, 2020 George Jasper

Give me Space!  The circles spell out a word that can follow the word Space to give us a new concept

20-Across. Top line of a lawyer's solicitation ad: NEED LEGAL HELP.  Space Needle.  The Space Needle in Seattle, Washington was built for the 1962 World's Fair.

31-Across. Gamer's coin: ARCADE TOKEN.  Space Cadet

39-Across. Pesky V-formation fliers: CANADA GEESE.  Space Age.  They make a pit-stop in Louisiana during their migration.  I see them often in the park near my house.

51-Across. Iconic video game since 1978, and a hint to the circled letters: SPACE INVADERS.

62-Across. Developer of 51-Across: ATARI.

Across:
1. Web site?: ATTIC.  Cute clue!

6. Guitarist Atkins: CHET.  Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 ~ June 30, 2001) was a country music musician and was known as Mr. Guitar.

10. Director Preminger: OTTO.  Otto Preminger (né Otto Ludwig Preminger; Dec. 5, 1905 ~ Apr. 23, 1986) directed over 35 movies, including Exodus.

14. Composer called "The March King": SOUSA.  John Philip Sousa (Nov. 6, 1854 ~ Mar. 6, 1932) is known for composing numerous military marches.  He is appropriately named, as USA appears in his surname.  He is probably best known for Stars and Stripes Forever.  I'd include a video of the march, but it kept appearing in random locations, so you'll just have to image the piece.

15. Per person: EACH.

16. Brunch, for one: MEAL.

17. Madison Ave. pro: AD REP.

18. "Night" author Wiesel: ELIE.  Elie Wiesel (né Elizer Wiesel; Sept. 30, 1928 ~ July 2, 2016) is a frequent guest in our puzzles.  He made an appearance last Tuesday.

19. Saharan: ARID.

23. Seafood platter accessory: BIB.

25. AFL partner: CIO.  The AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) is the largest federations of unions in the United States.

26. Advertising come-on: TEASER.

27. Make beloved: ENAMOR.

29. Olds luxury car: TORONADO.

1967 Model

33. Bit of ice hockey deception: DEKE.  DEKE:  A deceptive movement or feint that induces an opponent to move out of position.

34. SUV's "U," briefly: UTE.

35. Leveling device: SHIM.  SHIM:  A thin strip of metal, wood, or other material used to align parts, make them fit, or reduce wear.

43. Thumbs-up: APPROVAL.

47. Gold and silver: METALS.

48. Rhythmic Ravel classic: BOLERO.  Also, the type of a short jacket.

49. Its symbol is Sn: TIN.  Hi, Tin!

50. "Breaking Bad" org.: DEA.  As in the Drug Enforement Administration.  I never watched Breaking Bad.

55. "Garfield" dog: ODIE.

56. Executes: DOES.

57. Hot under the collar: RILED.

60. "Ant-Man" star Paul: RUDD.  Paul Stephen Rudd (b. Apr. 6, 1969) was the superhero Ant-Man in the 2015 film of the same name.  Three years later, he made a movie with the Wasp.

61. Let off, as steam: EMIT.

63. Big name in speakers: BOSE.  We had these speakers in Sunday's puzzle.

64. Reject as false: DENY.

65. Highest world capital city: LA PAZ.  Here's a good geography question.  Hand up if you immediately knew that La Paz, which is the capital of Bolivia, is the world's highest capital city.  It is almost 12,000 feet above sea level.  Bolivia is one of 2 land-locked countries in South America.

Down:

1. "__ matter of fact ... ": AS A.

2. "The Fox and the Hound" fox: TOD.  A reference to a Disney movie.  Who knew?

3. Retrace one's steps: TURN BACK.

4. "Aha!": I SEE!

5. Provincetown's peninsula: CAPE COD.  It is a part of Massachusetts.

6. R&B singer Green: CEE LO.  His given name is Thomas DeCarlo Callaway (b. May 30, 1975).  His most well-know song is not suitable for this blog.

7. In good shape: HALE.

8. Vaper's smoke, for short: E-CIG.  As in a E-Cigarette.

9. Shakespeare's Globe, e.g.: THEATRE.  Notice the British spelling of the theater.  It's an open-air theater in the round.  We saw a play in this theatre years ago.

10. Certain Nebraskan: OMAHAN.

11. Mother in Calcutta: TERESA.

12. Followed, as a suspect: TAILED.

13. Grizzled veteran: OLD PRO.

21. Desperate, as straits: DIRE.  The Sultans of Swing!

22. Storied "Fountain of Youth" seeker Ponce de ___: LEON.

23. Rosary sphere: BEAD.

24. With respect to, in a memo: IN RE.

28. Fannie __: mortgage nickname: MAE.

29. Wreck completely: TOTAL.

30. Signed off on: OK'ED.

32. Casserole fish: TUNA.  Sometimes nothing beats the comfort food of a nice tuna casserole.

35. Ready-go link: SET.  Ready, Set, Go!

36. "D'oh!" gesture: HEAD SLAP.

37. __ of Man: ISLE.  A small island found between England and Ireland.  Everything you wanted to know about the Isle of Man, but didn't know to ask.

38. Arizona city or landform: MESA.  Hi, Lucina!

39. Apple center: CORE.

40. Steered clear of: AVOIDED.

41. In the center of: AMID.

42. Colonel's aspiration, perhaps: GENERAL.

43. Soak up: ABSORB.

44. Sonny & Cher, e.g.: POP DUO.  Tragically, Sonny Bono (né Salvatore Philip Bono; Feb. 16, 1935 ~ Jan. 5, 1998) was killed in a skiing accident at age 62.  Cher (née Cherilyn Sarkisian; b. May 20, 1946) still makes occasional musical appearances.

45. Grunge fashion staples: PLAIDS.

Kurt Colbain (Feb. 20, 1967 ~ Apr. 5, 1994), the ultimate Grunge musician

46. Ebb: RECEDE.

49. Evoking a "Yum!": TASTY.

52. Alaskan gold rush town: NOME.  

53. Blood conduit: VEIN.

54. British singer __ Ora: RITA.  I think Rita Sahatçiu Ora (b. Nov. 26, 1990) has appeared in our puzzles before.

58. __ of Good Feelings: ERA.  I never learned of the Era of Good Feelings in school.  Apparently it was a 10-year period following the War of 1812 when there was a sense of unity among the American people.

59. Jazz trumpeter Gillespie, familiarly: DIZ.  John Birks Gillespie (Oct. 21, 1917 ~ Jan. 6, 1993) is more commonly known as Dizzy.  He got his Nickname for his amusing antics on stage.

Here's the Grid:

Monday September 21, 2020 David Distenfeld

Theme: Three's Company - 

17. Red bonus square on the Scrabble board: TRIPLE WORD SCORE.

26. Serious injury for a firefighter: THIRD-DEGREE BURN.

47. 1975 made-for-TV horror anthology starring Karen Black: TRILOGY OF TERROR.

61. Appetizer-entrée-dessert serving: THREE- COURSE MEAL.

Boomer here. Congratulations on David Distenfeld's LA Times debut.

As you read this, I am probably playing in my golf league. It is a nine hole par THREE course and I occasional score a par THREE on one of the holes. Two weeks ago I had a THIRD par by the fourth hole.  Bur last week I suffered two TRIPLE bogeys.  There were a few TRIPLE bogeys at Winged Foot over the weekend at the 2020 U.S. Open.

Across:

 

1. New York deli namesake Willy: KATZ.

 

 

5. Nobel __: PRIZE.  I believe the PRIZE fund for the above mentioned U.S. Open was 53 Million Dollars with Three Million to the winner. 

10. Pack of cards: DECK.  I played many games of bridge with my co-workers years ago.  We changed to a fresh deck several times per month.

14. Wind instrument: OBOE.  I have heard of them but they don't seem to fit in with piano or guitars.

15. "Superbad" co-screenwriter Seth: ROGEN.

16. Pulitzer author Jennifer: EGAN.  Reminds me of the city of Eagan, MN just south of St, Paul near the Minnesota River. 

20. Soak in the tub: BATHE.  I fear that our friends in the Gulf Coast are not needing a tub.

21. Casino wheel: ROULETTE.  I have never liked ROULETTE.  Craps is my favorite table game.

22. Michelle of "Crazy Rich Asians": YEOH.

25. Sleep acronym: REM.  Sorry, I generally have to get up and use the toilet before the Rapid Eye Movement takes over.

34. Go bad: ROT.

35. Brazilian mountain chain: SERRA.  Huge mountains.  I do not think they are populated however.  No Covid risk there.

36. Pop star whose name used to be spelled with a dollar sign: KESHA.  Singer who had a contract with Kemosabe records.  Do people buy records anymore ?? 

37. Army outfit: UNIT.  We generally referred to our Army UNITS as Companies. 

39. Particulars, informally: DEETS.

41. DEA bust: RAID.  Target has roach killer by the same name.

42. "What a shame": SO SAD.  Prayers for Abejo from me and all of us.

44. Descendant: SCION.

46. Ending with hero or alp: INE.  Half of a word ?

50. Online guffaw: LOL.  A lot of on line acronyms are pretty tired.

51. "Seize the day" acronym: YOLO.  "You Only Live Once'"

52. Dual-purpose: TWO-IN-ONE.  In golf, you cannot get a TWO in ONE shot.

57. Royally named singer with the #1 album "Melodrama": LORDE.

64. Wine bottle date: YEAR.  I do not drink wine.  There does not seem to be a date on my Pepsi can.

65. Divided Asian peninsula: KOREA.  We have been looking at a Hyundai Santa Fe.  I've bought American for over 50 years, but we rented a Santa Fe in Vegas a few years ago and I liked it.  Comments??

66. Happy hour places: BARS.  Sorry but I think the Covid dangers are still too high.

67. Camera part: LENS.

68. Wintry and white: SNOWY.  Yup, I live in Minnesota and in a few months, we will put up with SNOWY.  However it certainly is not as dangerous as the West Coast and the Gulf Coast over the past few weeks. 

69. Geometry class calculation: AREA.  Length times Width.

Down: 

1. "Today" co-anchor Hoda: KOTB.

2. Incantation opener: ABRA.  Kadabra

3. "Nothing __!": "Easy!": TO IT.  Making a par by Rory Mcllroy

4. Gentle breeze: ZEPHYR.

5. Start to fix?: PRE. Prefix.

6. Use oars: ROW.  You would not believe the ROWS of baseball cards that I have sorted.

7. Hunchbacked lab assistant: IGOR.

8. Love, in tennis: ZERO.  Also a private in "Beetle Bailey"

9. Last a long time: ENDURE.

10. Month in which Kwanzaa starts: DECEMBER.  Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat.  Please put a penny in the old man's hat.

11. Four-award acronym: EGOT.  An on deck batter to a strikeout victim.  "What's EGOT"?

12. Golfer's transport: CART.  Yup, every round I play because of the meds I take.  Interesting, this year, every golfer gets his/her own cart because of Covid.  Unless family players.

13. Leg joint: KNEE.  Rah, Rah, Ree, kick 'em in the KNEE.  Rah Rah Rass, Kick 'em in the other knee.

18. __ United: English soccer team: LEEDS.

19. Smooth and glossy: SLEEK.  Chevrolet Corvette.  I cannot afford one.

23. Had too much, briefly: OD'ED.

24. Joan of Arc's crime: HERESY.

26. Put faith in: TRUST. I usually hear it in names of financial institutions.

27. "It's an __ just to be nominated": HONOR.  Lots of HONOR on ballots in every state.  Some old, some new, some red and some blue.

28. Formal "Who's there?" reply: IT IS I.  "IT IS ME" did not fit.

29. Spanish artist El __: GRECO.

30. Okay, as a treaty: RATIFY.

31. Delta rival renamed in 1997: US AIR.  We have not visited an airport since the virus was hatched.  I hope the airlines survive though, we might need them again.

32. Safari beast: RHINO.  RHINO Page is an excellent left handed PBA Bowler.

33. Consumerist Ralph: NADER.  Harvard-educated.  Appeared in the movie "Fun with Dick and Jane".

38. Scorekeepers, at times: TALLIERS.  In bowling the scores are all kept by computers.  

40. Explorer Hernando de ___: SOTO.  I am so old I remember De SOTOs.  A Chrysler product, but I never owned one.

43. Lorna of literature: DOONE.  "I'd fly to the moon, for a Lorna DOONE" !! 

45. Portia de Rossi's "Ally McBeal" role: NELLE.

48. Austrian pistols: GLOCKS.

49. Self-moving vacuum: ROOMBA.  C.C. uses the push style vacuum.  When you live in a four-level townhome, a ROOMBA is not a good idea, unless it can climb stairs.

52. Texter's "Chat soon": TTYL.  "Talk to you Later, Alligator"!!

53. Roller coaster cry: WHEE.  We have a Roller Coaster at our Valley Fair Amusement park.  It's very old and not worth a WHEE.

54. Algerian seaport: ORAN.

55. Midday: NOON.

56. French franc successor: EURO.  Once I bought a bunch on eBay,  I thought they might be worth something someday.  But I think I resold them at face value.

58. Fanny: REAR.

59. Have the nerve: DARE.  My favorite DARE devil was Evel Knievel

60. Lioness of film: ELSA.

62. VCR go-back button: REW.

63. Come out with: SAY.  PLEEZE !!

Boomer

Sunday September 20, 2020 Dan Margolis

Theme: "Additionally" - LY is added to each familiar phrase.

 23A. Like a three-year-old after a tough year, to Mom?: FINALLY FOUR. Final Four.

 107A. Peacock, say?: STATELY BIRD. State bird.

 12D. Singer Simon, refusing to take a limo?: SELF-DRIVING CARLY. Self-driving car.

 16D. Part-time lawyer?: ATTORNEY GENERALLY. Attorney General.

 34D. Hospital worker on trial?: ORDERLY IN THE COURT. Order in the court.

 39D. Paul Simon song about a budding international union?: YOU CAN CALL ME ALLY. You Can Call Me Al.

ATTORNEY GENERALLY sounds a bit stretched to me.  Adverb to modify a noun. Works for you?

We often have more theme entries in Across rather than Down. This one is an exception. Very easy to flip though.

Lots of great clues in this puzzle.

Across:

1. Help in drawing the line: RULER.

6. Chums, in slang: PEEPS.  You guys are my "blog peeps".

11. Garage sale caution: AS IS.

15. Classic square-dancing site: BARN.

19. Web mag: E ZINE.

20. Not missing a trick: ALERT.

21. "__ we forget": LEST.

22. Suit to __: A TEE.

25. Ice formation: FLOE.

26. Old Fords: LTDS.

27. Noodle: BEAN. I learned "cool beans" from Spitzboov.

28. "Unleaded" drink: DECAF.

30. Response to a crash: REBOOT.

32. Quarantine: ISOLATE. Hope we can return to our old lives when spring comes.

35. Dog command: HEEL.

36. Key of Brahms' First Piano Concerto: D MINOR.

38. Beat the wheat: THRESH.

39. Gossipy type: YENTA.

40. Counting (on): RELIANT.

42. Was in front: LED.

43. Accompanist?: ESCORT. Nice clue.

45. Provided service for, as tables: WAITED.

47. Daybreak deity: EOS.

49. West Yorkshire city: LEEDS.

51. Color distinction: HUE.

52. What may be added to impress?: IVE. Impressive.

53. "His Dark Materials" protagonist: LYRA. Only non-theme entry containing LY.

54. Before, before: PRE.

55. __ drop: MIC.

56. Business casual choice: KHAKIS.

59. Result of a three-putt, maybe: BOGEY.  Boomer's Monday morning league is winding down.

60. Thin coating: LAMINA.

62. Collegian's diet staple: RAMEN. Just add an egg and some nori strips.

63. Doves and loves: COOERS.

64. Poet contemporary of Milton: DRYDEN (John)

66. Sticking, as a landing: NAILING.

68. Start of a classic JFK challenge: ASK NOT.

69. Cereal fruit: RAISIN.

70. Spreadsheet units: CELLS.

71. It's often said with a smile: CHEESE. In Korea, they say "Kimchi".

73. Personal: INNER.

74. Santana with 10 Grammys: CARLOS. I remember listening to his "Smooth" in a bar close to our office. 

 75. Chicago's __ Center: AON.

76. TV drama settings: ERS.

78. First name in blues: ETTA. James.

79. Baba in a cave: ALI.

80. "__ Miniver": MRS.

81. Qualifying races: HEATS.

83. Rallying word: RAH.

84. Short program: APPLET.

87. 1980s Cabbage Patch Kids producer: COLECO.

89. NASA vehicle: LEM.

90. Spot for a spot: TEA ROOM. I bought this jasmine tea back in April when I was too scared to go the Asian store. So good.

92. Torment: AGONY.

94. 2001 French title heroine: AMELIE. Whimsical.

96. Carnival ride?: CRUISE. 103. Bit of handiwork?: MANI. Two more great clues.

97. Bar request: NEAT.

98. It relieves pain: ANODYNE.

99. Summer ermines: STOATS.

101. Auspices: AEGIS.

104. Come down hard: POUR.

105. Earthenware pot: OLLA. Do you call this an olla? Old-fashioned Cantonese soup pot.

113. Pearl Mosque locale: AGRA.

114. Guitarist Lofgren: NILS.

115. Surround: HEM IN.

116. MGM Resorts reward program: M LIFE. I remember they offered wine with their lunch buffet. Pretty high prices. We left and went back to our little Feast Buffet at the Palace Station.

117. Damon or Dillon: MATT.

118. Eyelid problem: STYE.

119. Like horseshoes: ARCED.

120. Fancy watch brand: SEIKO.

Down:

1. Whistler, at times: REF.

2. Israeli weapon: UZI.

3. Pulitzer winner __-Manuel Miranda: LIN. Popular surname in China. Meaning "forest".

4. Pave the way for: ENABLE.

5. Paramount issues?: RELEASES. Paramount Pictures.

6. Alexander who directed "Nebraska" and "Sideways": PAYNE.  Wiki says he was born in Omaha, Nebraska.

7. Little helper: ELF.

8. Fair-hiring abbr.: EEO.
 
9. "Immortal word" in a Bush 41 quote of Dana Carvey: PRUDENT. Here's the quote "Though I might be tempted to utter a few words of encouragement to anyone who is considering my boy, I will heed the immortal words of Dana Carvey: 'Not gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent.'”.

10. Main follower?: STREET. Main Street.

11. Code word for "A": ALFA. NATO.

13. Prefix with -bar: ISO.

14. Unproductive: STERILE.

15. Fictional boxer's surname: BALBOA. Rocky Balboa.

17. Make over: REDO.

18. Catbird seat?: NEST.

24. Wooden slats: LATHS.

29. Shellfish serving: CLAW. So big.

31. Lover of Geraint: ENID.

32. "__ never work": IT'LL.

33. Easily led sorts: SHEEP.

35. "Come __!": HERE.

37. Allots, with "out": METES.

41. Whom picadors assist: TORERO. How does it differ from "Matador"?

44. __ music: idle talk: CHIN.

46. Idol whose fans are called Claymates: AIKEN. Ran and lost his race.

48. "What __ thou?": SAYST.

50. Waters near Jericho: DEAD SEA.

53. Gander: LOOK SEE.

55. Twins' home: Abbr.: MINN. Our mascot is T.C. Bear.

 

September 15, 2011

56. Whale food: KRILL. Any of you take krill oil?

57. Winnie-the-Pooh greeting: HALLO.

58. Out of whack: AMISS.

59. Big name in audio systems: BOSE.

61. Israel's Iron Lady: MEIR.

63. Battle of Normandy city: CAEN.

64. Martini comparative: DRIER.

65. Go off on: RANT AT.

67. Home with a view: AERIE. American Eagles has an underwear line named Aerie.

72. Stockings: HOSE.

74. Guitar accessories: CAPOS. Splynter seems to be very happy with his new job. He's still taking care of his mom. 

 

77. Draft holder: STEIN.

80. Chamonix peak: MONT.

81. Common features of wordplay: HOMONYMS.

82. Bob Hoskins' role in "Hook": SMEE.

84. Stuck, after "in": A RUT.

85. Contaminates: POISONS.

86. Zest: TANG.

87. "The drink's on me" speaker?: COASTER. Cute.

88. Lock site: CANAL.

91. Turkey's highest peak: ARARAT.

93. Performer with many fans?: GEISHA. Often performing with a fan.

95. Fit to serve: EDIBLE.

98. Add a rider to, say: AMEND.

99. Cybernuisance: SPAM.

100. When repeated, "Animal House" chant: TOGA.

102. Facilitate: EASE.

106. Blitzed: LIT.

108. "Better Call Saul" network: AMC.

109. 20-20, e.g.: TIE.

110. George __, first king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland: III.

111. What D.C. Stadium was renamed in 1969: RFK.

112. __ volente: DEO.

 

I got a email from Abejo's wife Linda yesterday. He's hanging in (D-Otto!!) there. Please continue to send positive thoughts his way. 

C.C.