Wednesday June 30, 2021 Jeff Stillman

Children's Games

Georges Bizet's Jeux D'Enfants

 

Jeff Stillman is a frequent contributor to the LA Times Crossword and today he plays with some favorite phrases for children's games.  Each themer consists of a pun on games we all played when we were kids. No reveal is needed. 

Bill here to lead you through some childhood memories:

18A. Tanner's favorite kids' game?: HIDE AND SEEK.  Some parents occasionally "tan their children's hides", the traditional method of behavior control. As confirmed believers in the power of positive re-enforcement, we never found the need for it.

28A. Ornithologist's favorite kids' game?: DUCK DUCK GOOSE

45A. Window retailer's favorite kids' game?: BLIND MANS BUFF.  A bit of misdirection here, as  BUFF in this case is apparently an alternate word for the more common BLUFF.  This game been around for a long time, but I don't think it was ever included in the Olympics:

60A. Vermeer and Rembrandt's favorite kids' game?: DOUBLE DUTCH.  However THIS game just might be in the Olympics some day:

 I can't move on without some links to paintings by the painters Jeff plays with in this clue: Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes ("Jan") Vermeer (my favorite painter).  The Rembrandts are in the National Art Gallery in London, numbering 26 of the over 600 paintings he created.  The Vermeer link has about 35 paintings from all over the world, constituting the entire extant corpus of his works in oil.  I believe the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. has 4 of them.

And the rest of the riffs:

Across:
1. Put away: ATE.

4. Discover with effort: DIG UP.  For example: ARCHEOLOGY.  If you're on the younger side, and you (really!) enjoy manual labor, you just might want to consider a career in this fascinating field.

9. Cloister leader: ABBOT.  Probably the most famous ABBOT was St. Benedict of Nursia ( c. AD 480–550) who founded the Benedictine Order.  He is best known for writing the Rule of St. Benedict, a short book of precepts written in 516 for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot.  His rule spread beyond the Benedictine Order and has served as a template for many other Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican monastic communities.

14. Mars, for one: GOD.  The Roman God of War, equivalent to the Greek God ARES.

15. Hwy. through six Eastern state capitals: US ONE.  I checked and it goes through Annapolis, MD.

16. Dora the Explorer's animal-rescuing cousin: DIEGO.  Everything you want to know about Dora Márquez and her cousin Diego:

Diego and Baby Jaguar

17. Phoenix-to-Boise dir.: NNW.

20. "My word!": EGAD.

22. Discriminating sense: TASTE.

23. Nursery item: TREE. 

24. NBA's Steph Curry, notably: WARRIOR.  Wardell Stephen "Steph" Curry II is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association. He plays the point guard position. Many analysts and players have called him the greatest shooter in NBA history. Wikipedia

26. Indy entrant: CAR.

34. "__ en Rose": Edith Piaf song: LA VIE.  Here it is, first in French, and then in English:

Here is a brief documentary of her life and sad ending:

36. Fare-well link: THEE.

37. Naught: NIL.

38. Footnoter's "ditto," briefly: IBID.  Abbreviation for the Latin ibidem ‘in the same place’.

39. Like ballet movements: FLUID.   Comme ça:

41. Lenovo competitor: DELL.

42. "__ want a hula hoop": "The Chipmunk Song": ME I.  And now from the sublime to the ridiculous!

43. Lots of bucks: DEER.  Yeah, we have a herd of them living in our back yard!  Mostly does and fawns though.

44. Sits after microwaving: COOLS.

49. Flight board abbr.: ETA.  Estimated Time of Arrival

50. Part of HEW: WELFARE.  Formerly Health, Education, and Welfare, now Health and Human Services, part of the government's never ending quest for les mots justes:

53. Bite like a beaver: GNAW.   Woodin' wanna' tangle with that guy!

56. Within the law: LEGIT.  If you're not, ya better LEG IT!

59. Onion exterior: SKIN.  "Onion skin" is more of a description of how thin it is, rather than its origins. 

63. Wall St. debut: IPO.  Initial Public Offering, in a nutshell:

Or everything you might want to know.

64. Stumping sites: PODIA.  As in plural of PODIUM.

65. Russian villa: DACHA.  I guess they vary in size.  Some of these are more like simple cottages.

66. After-tax amount: NET.

67. Popped up: SKIED.  Got this on perps, but still don't quite get it.  Popped up over a ramp or moguls?  A CSO to MalMan for some clarification.

68. Jewish community orgs.: YMHAS. (or YWHAS)  - Jewish Community Centers intended specifically to meet the needs of young Jewish men or women who are traveling to/from cities.

69. Dr. of rap: DRE.  AnDRE Romelle Young.  Not really a doctor, but he may play one on TV.

Down:
1. Veep who resigned: AGNEW. Well, forced to resign actually.  He was lucky he didn't have to do any time.  I believe I mentioned the last time he SKIED in a puzzle, that I met him at a Student Council meeting.  I promise not to mention it again.

2. South Pacific kingdom: TONGA.  The Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Tonga.

Tonga Coat of Arms

3. British monarch who reigned less than a year in 1936: EDWARD VIII.  And a woman from Baltimore had something to do with it.

4. "That's so obvious!": DUH.

5. "Would you mind?": IS IT OK?

6. French-Swiss film director Jean-Luc: GODARD.  Is an "iconic and influential filmmaker", born in 1930.   Here are 10 of his greatest films.

7. Some, in France: UNES.  Today's French lesson. 

8. Swamp buildup: PEAT. Dried peat is used in Ireland as a source of fuel.

9. Put in: ADD.

10. Casual eatery: BISTRO.

11. Tavern quaff: BEER.

12. Fancy molding: OGEE.  GEE and I thought I knew my moldings.

13. Drag on a joint: TOKE.  I believe this word was derived from Gertrude Stein's buddy Alice B. Toklas.  Be sure to check out her recipe for "Haschich" Fudge.

19. Canoodled: NECKED.  Also known as PARKING.

21. Ancient Celtic priest: DRUID.  Leaders among the Celts, they served much broader functions than just the priesthood.

25. Diamonds, to hoods: ICE.

27. Sensitive subject, to some: AGE.  What is there to be sensitive about, other than the inevitable aches and pains?  No one has figured out how to get any younger.

29. One-eighty: U TURN.  A.K.A. a UIE.

30. X as in Xerxes: CHI.  As in the Greek letter immediately after PHI.  However as Xerxes was actually Persian and his name in Farsi is Khshayarsha, perhaps KAPPA would be more korect.

31. Unique thing: ONE OF A KIND.  In Latin "Sui Generis".  In the digital age things can be easily copied, so to make them "unique" the technocracy has created the "Non-Fungible Token (NFT).  An NFT is unit of data stored on a digital ledger, called a blockchain, that certifies a digital asset to be unique and therefore not interchangeable. NFTs can be used to represent items such as photos, videos, audio, and other types of digital files.  A brand new way to separate people from their money.

32. Plant pot spot: SILL.  Took me a few secs to suss this one.

33. Wings you can't eat: ELLS.

34. Bird's perch: LIMB. Or a wing you CAN eat.

35. Genesis victim: ABEL.  Why was Abel slain by his brother CAIN?

39. Doe or sow: FEMALE. 

40. Grazing locale: LEA.  You might find a "Lot of bucks" or a "Doe" here early in the morning or evening.

41. Tips politely: DOFFS.

43. EPA-banned insecticide: DDT.   The Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1970.  But the environmental impact of DDT and other pesticides was brought to public attention earlier than that by the ground-breaking book Silent Spring, written by Rachel Carson in 1962:

44. __-de-sac: CUL.   "DEAD END" in France.  More French.

46. Beginner: NEWBIE.

47. Turn (on), as a light: SWITCH.  You can turn them (off) too.  One of my pet peeves.

48. "You __!": "Yep!": BETCHA.  Sorry, I'm not a gamblin' man.

51. Not as green: RIPER.  According to Rachel Ray, there are some fruits that taste better green.

52. Online reminder: ENOTE.

53. Natl. economic stats: GDPS.  Gross Domestic Product.  Please don't ask me to explain any of this.

54. Cozy corner: NOOK.   Now you can curl up in your cozy nook with your Nook and read the Great American Novel:

I generally prefer paper, but a Nook is lighter and might be advisable for reading Anna Karenina:

55. Auto with a four-ring logo: AUDI.  Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer that designs, engineers, produces, markets and distributes luxury vehicles. Audi is a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group and has its roots at Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. Audi vehicles are produced in nine production facilities worldwide. Wikipedia

57. Whirling current: EDDY.  See last Thursday's puzzle.

58. Island east of Manila: GUAM.  Guam, is an island and unincorporated territory of the United States in the North Pacific Ocean, the largest, most populous, and southernmost of the Mariana Islands. It lies about 5,800 miles (9,300 km) west of San Francisco and 1,600 miles (2,600 km) east of Manila.

61. Bloke: LAD.

62. Partakes of: HAS.

Well I think this LAD HAS finished playing games.  Here's the grid:

 

waseeley

Cheers,

Bill

Tuesday, June 29, 2021 Gary Larson

Broken homes.  Another word for one's house can be found "broken" circles in each of the theme answers.  This theme made me sad because it made me think of the condo in Florida that collapsed less than a week ago.  The husband of a friend of mine was in the building visiting family that day.

18-Across. Kooks: DING-A-LINGS.  Digs.

20-Across. Where fingerprints may be analyzed: CRIME LAB.  Crib.

59-Across. Cheerleading team: PEP SQUAD.  Pad.

61-Across. Contest with a puck: HOCKEY GAME.  Home.

And the Unifier:

38-Across. Like a well-trained pet, and a hint to each set of circles: HOUSE BROKEN.

Across:

1. Reaction to a bad joke: MOAN.  I would think Groan is a more common response to a bad joke.  Why can't you trust atoms?  * 

5. Mary's was little: LAMB.  Mary had a little lamb, it's fleas as white as snow.  (As kids, we thought the word fleece was actually fleas.)

9. Hip-hop headgear: DO-RAG.

14. Armory supply: AMMO.  As in Ammunition.

15. Plus: ALSO.

16. How many single people live: ALONE.

17. Singer McEntire: REBA.  Reba Nell McEntire (b. Mar. 28, 1955) is a country singer-songwriter.

22. 2020 Super Bowl number: LIV.

23. Beehive State native: UTE.  Utah is the Beehive State, and the name of the state is derived from an Apache word.  Ute means People of the Mountains.

24. Another name for the peyote cactus: MESCAL.  Everything you wanted to know about Mescal / Peyote, but didn't know to ask.

26. Significant times: ERAs.  This is becoming a crossword staple.  It is also the name of a laundry detergent.

30. Yemen's capital: SANA'A.

32. Paid in advance, as costs: UP FRONT.

34. Ancestry.com concern: DNA.

36. Michael of "Arrested Development": CERA.  Michael Cera (b. June 7, 1988) is a Canadian actor.

37. "Got __ ideas?": ANY.

41. Pub order: ALE.  A crossword staple.

43. Gets with effort, with "out": EKEs.

44. Witness: SEE.

45. Knights __: "The Da Vinci Code" group: TEMPLAR.  The Da Vinci Code was a 2003 novel by Dan Brown, which was later made into a movie.

47. White house?: IGLOO.  We find our Igloo Ice Chest to be very convenient while on vacation.  

51. Canadian gas: ESSO.  Hi, CanadianEh!  //  And 64-Down. Tank filler: GAS.

52. Populated with trees: WOODED.

56. Spanish Main treasure: ORO.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Hi, Lucina!

57. Tax preparer, for short: CPA.  As in a Certified Public Accountant.  Some of our regulars are CPAs.

65. Money drawer: TILL.

66. Boo-boos: OWIES.

67. Diaper rash cream additive: ALOE.  A fresh new clue for an old staple.

68. Vacation spot: ISLE.

69. Green sauce: PESTO.  Another crossword favorite.  I have been making homemade Pesto.

70. Phishing targets: Abbr.: SSNs.  As in Social Security Numbers.  The word Phishing first appeared arount 1996.

71. Is worth it: PAYS.  Did you know that in France, the word Pays means Country or Region?  For example, country ham would translate as jambon de pays.

Down:

1. Neiman's business partner: MARCUS.

2. Mafioso code of honor: OMERTA.  Today's Italian lesson.

3. Sleep aid brand: AMBIEN.

4. Linguist Chomsky: NOAM.

Avram Noam Chomsky (b. Dec. 7, 1928)

5. Soup scoop: LADLE.

6. Butch Cassidy or the Sundance Kid: ALIAS.  Butch Cassidy's given name was Robert LeRoy Parker (Apr. 13, 1866 ~ Nov. 7, 1908).  Apropos of today's puzzle, Butch Cassidy was from the Beehive State. 

7. 24-hour news service: MSNBC.

8. Marshy region: BOG.

9. Surrealist Salvador: DALÍ.  Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, 1st Marquess of Dalí de Púbol (b. May 11, 1904 ~ Jan. 23, 1989) is probably best known for his painting, The Persistence of Memory.  There is a fabulous Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida that is well worth the visit.

10. Twist who asked for some more: OLIVER.  A reference to Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens (Feb. 7, 1812 ~ June 9, 1870).

11. Harry's pal Weasley: RON.  Hi, JazzB.  Also the obligatory reference to Harry Potter.

12. Director Lee: ANG.  Ang Lee (b. Oct. 23, 1954) has a very impressive film resume.  He has also won 3 Oscars.

13. Some fridges: GEs.  As in General Electrics.

19. Top NFL players: ALL-PROS.

21. Common temple name: EMANU-EL.  The word comes from the Hebrew (עִמָּנוּאֵל) which literally means "G~d is with us".  If "Temple" is used in the name of a house of worship, it is likely a synagogue of the Reform movement.  Other Jewish denominations rarely use the word Temple when referring to their houses of worship.

25. Violinist Leopold: AUER.  Leopold Auer (June 7, 1845 ~ July 15, 1930) was a Hungarian violinist and composer.  He was also a well-known violin teacher.

27. Stable color: ROAN.

28. Raggedy doll: ANN.  I had a Raggedy Andy that looked just like the one below.

29. Snorters' quarters: STY.

31. Brouhaha: ADO.

33. Docs with doctored birth dates, say: FAKE IDS.

35. "Shoot": ASK AWAY.

36. Letterman's last network: CBS.

38. Skirt lines: HEMS.

39. Architect Saarinen: EERO.  Eero Saarinen (Aug. 20, 1910 ~ Sept. 1, 1961) and his father, Elie Saarinen (Aug. 20, 1873 ~ July 1, 1950) were both well known architects from Finland.  Eero designed the Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.  Eero appears quite frequently in the crossword puzzles.

40. Neurologist's readout: Abbr.: EEG.  As in the ElectoEncephaloGraphy.

41. Had a bite: ATE.

42. "__ Misérables": LES.  Les Misérables by Victor Hugo (1802 ~ 1885) is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.

46. Pool player's target: POCKET.

48. "Little Women" author __ May Alcott: LOUISA.  Louisa May Alcott (Nov. 29, 1832 ~ Mar. 6, 1888) wrote many novels, but is probably best known for Little Women and Little Men.

49. How much medication is taken: ORALLY.

50. Loads: OODLES.

53. Milky gems: OPALS.  Hi, Kazie!  The Opal is the national gemstone of Australia.

54. Possessed person's possessor: DEMON.

55. Sporting blades: ÉPÉES.  A crossword staple.

58. Mexican money: PESO.

60. Medicine cabinet swab: Q-TIP.

61. Jump on one leg: HOP.

62. Have bills to pay: OWE.

63. Prefix with gender: CIS-.  As in Cisgender.  Webster's defines cisgender as: "of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity corresponds with the sex the person had or was identified as having at birth."  We have seen this prefix in past puzzles.

Here's the Grid:

*  Because they make up everything. 

חתולה

Notes from C.C.:

Happy 55th birthday to Barry G, whose daily comments helped me greatly in my early days of crossword constructions. Hope all's well with your job and family, Barry!

July 2, 2016

Monday June 28, 2021 Susan Gelfand

Theme: HAT TRICKS (62. Three-goals-in-one-game hockey scoring feats ... or what the ends of 17-, 28- and 46-Across are when they're rearranged?) - The last word of each answer is an anagram of a hat.

17A. Auto on-off baking gadget: OVEN TIMER. Miter.

28A. Artisan who makes delicate items: GLASS BLOWER. Bowler.

46A. Exact repetition of what was said: DIRECT QUOTE. Toque.

 

Boomer here. Pretty fancy hat for an Archbishop.  Of course I am a bowler, but I never wore a hat like that. In fact, most bowlers do not wear bowlers but a  few wear baseball caps.  Finally the chef wearing a Toque.  I never knew it was called that. We learn something new every day, no matter how old we get.

Across:

1. Skedaddled: FLED.

5. Spontaneous notion: WHIM.

9. Leveled, as a building: RAZED.  Seems as though Mother Nature or some atmospheric development did a number on the tall highrise in Florida.  Hard to believe.

14. Tahoe or Titicaca: LAKE. On one of my bowling trips to Reno,  I took a ride by Lake Tahoe to visit a casino in Tahoe.  We have 10,000 lakes here at home but very few are a beautiful as Tahoe.

15. Role model: HERO.

16. Bakery emanation: AROMA. When it smells as good as a bakery you have to use the word AROMA.

19. Like a legally binding contract: VALID.

20. Volkswagen sedan: PASSAT.

21. Bring to life, as cartoons: ANIMATE.  When I was young, it was Mickey Mouse, Bugs bunny, and Porky Pig.  Later in life it became Fred "Yabba Dabba Do" Flintstone.

23. Opposite of WSW: ENE.  Black sidewall tires did not fit.

24. Golfer Aoki: ISAO.  We do not see him much on the PGA.  He is Japanese so we could see him in Tokyo in a few weeks.

25. Tongue twister seashell seller: SHE.  SHE sells seashells on the seashore. -- say it four times real fast.

34. Locate precisely: PINPOINT.

36. "You win": I LOSE.  One of my phrases in golf and bowling (since I got old).

37. Fascinated by: INTO.

38. Prefix with centric: ETHNO.

41. Deco artist Romain de Tirtoff's pseudonym: ERTE. His initials.

42. Plant swelling: EDEMA. I  don't know about plants but this is dangerous swelling usually in the legs or feet.  You don't want to mess with this. 

44. Tutored: MENTORED. Hoping to return to mentor the Benilde St. Margaret's  High School Bowling team again this fall.  We missed all of last year.  You know why.

49. "You bet!": YES.

50. Sorority T's: TAUS.  A Greek letter.  My knowledge ends with Delta.

51. Shoo-__: easy winners: INS.

53. Indonesia's capital: JAKARTA.

57. Idaho product: POTATO.  My uncle left with his family to grow POTATOES in Twin Falls, Idaho years ago.  I still trade occasional news with my cousin.  He plays golf and does not play potatoes.

61. Banish: EXILE.

65. Perry of fashion: ELLIS.  Interesting that ELLIS happened to be my Idaho aunt Gerry's maiden name.  

66. Buckeye State: OHIO.  They have Two MLB Teams, Minnesota is scratching to call the only team we have as Major League.

67. Latticework piece: LATH.

68. Hits with snowballs: PELTS.  In my youth I was guilty of this in the winter.

69. Checkers or chess: GAME.  Bowling or Golf.

70. Crossword-solving Simpson: LISA. This is the episode featuring Will Shortz and Merl Reagle.

Down:

1. Broadway bomb: FLOP.  I have never seen a Broadway play.  In fact the closest I ever got to New York was a bus stop in New Jersey with a view of the Statue of Liberty.

2. Volcano flow: LAVA.  "Only one way to get those hands clean mister."

3. __ out a living: barely manages: EKES.  I am sure this stupid Covid has caused some EKEing.

4. Thick, as fog: DENSE.

5. "Little" fib: WHITE LIE.  I am not sure why LIES have colors.

6. Skirt's edge: HEM.

7. Wrath: IRE.

8. Boggy tract: MORASS.

9. Stuffed pasta pockets: RAVIOLI.  I've never tried this.  I use curly pasta and make Goulash.

10. Composer Khachaturian: ARAM. A Los Angeles Football player.

11. "Nana" novelist Émile: ZOLA.

12. Give off: EMIT.

13. Florida's Miami-__ County: DADE.  I guess I mentioned this tragedy earlier.

18. Dance that "takes two": TANGO.

22. Capture: NAB.

24. __ of Panama: narrow landform: ISTHMUS.  THIS MUST be an interesting word.

25. Went undercover: SPIED.

26. Language of India: HINDI.

27. Key in: ENTER. 

29. Colony crawler: ANT.  Have not seen many this year.  We used to have ANT hills in our driveway.  Never sure how they got through the black tar.

30. Butter substitute: OLEO.  We call it Margarine now.  I remember when OLEO was not for sale in Wisconsin.  Then later it could not be yellow.  Wisconsin's cows needed the work.

31. Fret: WORRY.

32. Makeup mogul Lauder: ESTEE.

33. Clarinets and oboes: REEDS.  Also actress Donna in the Donna Reed Show.  Yes I am that old.

35. Apple or pear: POME.  Do not MOPE waiting for them to get ripe.

39. Prefix with natal or -phyte: NEO.

40. How ballerinas often dance: ON TIPTOE.  "Through the Tulips. Tiny Tim.

43. Monroe or Taylor: ACTRESS.  Or Donna Reed..

45. Pavarotti, vocally: TENOR.  I was a Bass (not a fish) in the high school glee club.

47. Pic on a pec, say: TAT.

48. Clam used in chowder: QUAHOG.  This one got me.

52. "In the __ of the Night": doo-wop classic: STILL.  Written by Cole Porter and sung by many.

53. Cherokee automaker: JEEP.  Pretty tough looking but we are enjoying our Santa Fe.

54. Wheel shaft: AXLE.

55. While away, as time: KILL.  I've heard that many people KILL time by solving a crossword puzzle.

56. Landed: ALIT.

58. Antioxidant-rich berry: ACAI.

59. Sign on a B'way booth: TKTS.  I've never been to THE B'way.  We have a Broadway Avenue close to our home.  Is there any city of over 10,000 people that does not have a Broadway ??

60. Fed. workplace monitor: OSHA.

63. "Bingo!": AHA.

64. Apple CEO Cook: TIM.

Boomer