Wednesday, July 31, 2024, Zachary David Levy

 MY HEART'S CONTENT

It is peculiar that I blogged July 31st last year as well - that day was my second "debut" at the Corner as a blogger; 'tis unique to be able to blog the "same" day two years in a row.   Today's puzzle is from a familiar constructor here at the corner - his last grid appeared on MM's watch June 28th this year.  I do not think that I could be blessed with a theme any closer to my blogging heart - let me count the ways I can run amok using "little women" in my post.  But first, the theme answers;

17. Grand Ole Opry fixture from 1940 to 1991: MINNIE PEARL - mini

28. "If These Walls Could Talk" star: DEMI MOORE - demi

36. Actress who played Lucy on "Raising Hope": BIJOU PHILLIPS - bijou, is not "little" in Frawnche - turns out it's British - I am chagrinned

43. Singer born Emma Lee Bunton: BABY SPICE - well, baby, but still....

And the Reveal -

60. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy ... as well as 17-, 28-, 36-, and 43-Across?: LITTLE WOMEN

Never read it, and now I am curious.....

I was thinking more like this

The "little (shortest) woman" is the cutest

And Awow We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Snake charming snakes: COBRAS

7. Lacking pep: FLAT

11. Many a plaid cap: TAM

14. Damage, in a way: AMOUNT  - I usually refer to anything more than $100 as being "damage"; however, I was "accosted" this week at the supermarket my a strange woman who wanted to point out to me that a pound of butter was $7.49 - I so rarely buy butter, I told her I had nothing to compare it to....

15. Like notes that aren't sharp, briefly: LO-FI - FLAT was in the grid already - this is the "other" kind of "not" sharp, as in poorly defined

16. Fuming feeling: IRE - the blogger format is generating a tremendous amount of "IRE" in me

19. UFC sport: MMA - Mixed Martial Arts; not my thing; I did watch Table Tennis from Paris tho

Bernadette Szocs, Romania

20. Sources of jealousy, perhaps: EGOS

21. Avis rival: ALAMO - car rentals

22. Larry's housemate on "Curb Your Enthusiasm": LEON - never saw the show; filled via perps

23. Pilfer: ROB - pinch, swipe, boost, palm, the "five-finger discount".....

24. Estadio chant: OLÉ

25. State of matter: SOLID - the others being Liquid, Gas and Plasma - this last one being the state found in a fluorescent light - I did not know that; see here

26. Dress up: ADORN

Velma and "Danger-prone" Daphne

32. NL East city: ATLanta

34. Account: TALE - interesting; the theme of that Jul '23 puzzle was "Long Story"

35. "__ the fields we go ... ": O'ER - Jingle Bells - we're just 146 days from Christmas~!

40. Check writer's need: PEN

41. Mine, en français: AMOI - Les Frawnche

42. Pit stop brand: STP

46. Abates: EASES - I had WaNes - that's 60% 100% correct

50. Hound's sniffer: SNOUT

51. Driveway sealant: TAR - I was out using the tractor this weekend to try and fix my stone wall - but it's too far gone; I'd like to rebuild the whole thing, and TAR PAVE my driveway, but I can't afford it this year.

53. Special attention, for short: TLC - Tender Loving Care

54. Pond blanket: SCUM - my first thought, but considered ALGA, too

55. Kit filled with money and passports, in spy movies: GO-BAG

58. Film transition: FADE - also known as a WIPE

59. Nomadic invader: HUN - ah.  Not ANT.  Yeah - that's the picnic invader

62. MDW alternative: ORD - no clue, but when I was composing the blog, I realized these are the codes for Chicago's airports - Midway & O'Hare

63. Family name in baseball's only all-brother outfield: ALOU - Baseball crossword standard, for C.C.

64. On the house: NO COST

65. Thesis pieces, briefly: WDs - WORDS: a quaint play on Reese's Pieces; I like it. 

66. Lyric tributes: ODES - seems to be in at least one crossword a week lately

67. Unforeseen plot elements: TWISTS

DOWN:

1. Cell component?: CAMERA - cell PHONE; I was thinking JAIL cell at first

2. "Whoa": "OMIGOD~!"

3. Congo ape: BONOBO - there's also an electronica artist known as Bonobo

Flutter - my heart is a-flutter

4. Box score total: RUNS - more baseball

5. "The Phantom Menace" boy: ANI - Anakin Skywalker, AKA Darth Vader

 6. Absolute bargain: STEAL - see 23A.

7. Teeny circus performer: FLEA

8. Nutrient-rich soil: LOAM

9. Naturally curly style: AFRO

10. "Fake it __ you make it": TIL

11. Narrative device employed in "Russian Doll": TIME LOOP - I've heard of the show, but I don't have Nextflix - the IMDb

12. Some tall antiques: ARMOIRES

13. Wander aimlessly: MEANDER

18. Responded in court: PLED

22. Water closet: LOO

24. How caviar may be served: ON TOAST - I tried ON SUSHI first

25. Ore refinery: SMELTER

27. Koothrappali on "The Big Bang Theory": RAJ - I cannot stand this show.  Sorry.

29. Guiding principle: ETHIC

30. __ tai: MAI

Someone buy that woman a Mai Tai

31. Misfortunes: ILLS

33. Sum thing?: LUMP - lump sum, as in lottery winnings

36. Tofu, essentially: BEAN CURD - I tried SOYBEANS; I was also offered some fried tofu by a co-worker this past week, but she has not brought any in - yet.

37. Not out of play: INBOUNDS - as in football, tennis, golf, etc.

38. Luau bowlful: POI

39. Letters on some beer cans: IPA - getting to be like ERA and OREO; desperately trying to find new ways to clue this fill

40. "Wild Kratts," e.g.: PBS SHOW - PBS KIDS, actually; I had no clue, and when the " -SS -" appeared, and I figured something was wrong at first

44. "Love it": YUM 

I luv Chocolate Moose Tracks the best....

45. Citation abbr.: ET. AL.

47. John who played Blackie Parrish on "General Hospital": STAMOS

48. Most senior: ELDEST - just had to change my oldest "O" to "E"

49. Hound's trails: SCENTS

52. Book deal negotiator: AGENT

55. __ the lily: GILD

56. Oklahoma Natives: OTOE

57. AC measures: BTUs

58. Ellipse points: FOCI - I knew that the two "focal" points were used with a piece of string to male an ellipse - this is how I made the arch over my office shelf; I did not realize there's the "line method", too....

60. Language along the Mekong: LAO

61. Blow away: WOW - and one last image before I sign off

 I think I see "Little Women" on the shelf there....

Splynter

 

Tuesday, July 30, 2024, Joe Deeney

It's A Man's Man's Man's Man's Man's World.

17-Across. Spa combo: MANI-PEDI.  Guy # 1.

24-Across. Technique for closing a seam: LADDER STITCH.  Guy # 2.  A Ladder Stitch is an invisible seam.  It is used to close seams on stuffed items, such as pillows, or stuffed toys, where, after the stuffing is added.

30-Across. Like many consignment store items: GENTLY USED.  Guy # 3.

41-Across. North Carolina college town: CHAPEL HILL.  Guy # 4.

48-Across. Metaphor for a repetitive person: BROKEN RECORD.  Guy # 5.

And the unifier:

60-Across. Hamburger franchise, and what can be found at the starts of 17-, 24-, 30-, 41-, and 48-Across: FIVE GUYS.  The first few letters of each of the FIVE theme answers is a synonym for a GUY.  I have never eaten at a Five Guys burger joint.

Across:

1. Roadie's cargo: AMPS.

5. Barrel wood: OAK.  Why Oak Barrels?

8. A flat equivalent: G SHARP.  Good misdirection.  I was thinking that the "Flat" was an apartment.  Nope, it's a musical reference.  Everything you wanted to know about Sharps and Flats but didn't know to ask.

14. Bus route, often: LOOP.

15. Bid the most, say: WIN.

16. Grows tired: STALES.

19. In an overly curious way: NOSILY.

20. Fix up, as hair: STYLE.

21. Gee preceder: EFF.  A B C D E F G ...

23. Room under the roof: ATTIC.  //  31-Down. Call from the 23-Across, perhaps: UP HERE!

27. Knightley of "Atonement": KEIRA.  Keira Christina Knightley (b. Mar. 26, 1985) is a British actress who also starred in the Pirates of the Caribbean series of films.  [Name # 1.]

29. Painter's prop: EASEL.

33. Not imaginary: REAL.

36. Fur baby: PET.

37. Happy Valley sch.: PSU.  As in Pennsylvania State University.  Louisiana State University has a Death Valley, which sounds so much more fierce.  The former is a region in Pennsylvania and the latter is the football stadium.

38. Author info: BIO.  As in Biography.

39. Schedule opening: SLOT.

45. Hawaii Senator Hirono: MAZIE.  Mazie Keiko Hirono (b. Nov. 3, 1947) has served Hawaii in the United States Senate since 2013.  [Name # 2.]

47. Farm animals with horns: GOATS.

52. Jobs: ROLES.

53. Pipe bend shape: ELL.

54. Ramen soup broth: DASHI.  Not a Tuesday word.  Everything you wanted to know about Dashi but didn't know to ask.

58. Suspects: IS ON TO.

62. NCAA group that will add four new members in 2024: BIG TEN.  The Big Ten Conference is the oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States.

63. "__ been wondering ... ": I'VE.

64. Verdi opera: AIDA.  Aida is a tragic opera by Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813 ~ Jan. 27, 1901).   It is set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt and was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House.  The opera premiered in Cairo in December 1871.  There is a modern rock musical version of Aida that was written by Elton John and Tim Rice that premiered in 1998.  [Name adjacent.]

65. Dolorous donkey: EEYORE.  A reference to a pal of Winnie the Pooh.  [Name # 3, fictional.]

66. Barclays Center baller: NET.  The Barclay Center is home to the NBA team the Brooklyn Nets.

67. Seethe, as over a slight: STEW.

Down:

1. Pillar of Islam known as Zakat: ALMS.  The Five Pillars of Islam.

2. Castle protection: MOAT.

3. Pay (up): PONY.

4. "Tell us!": SPILL IT!

5. Be a tad short with?: OWE.  Cute clue.

6. Assisted: AIDED.

7. Place setting piece: KNIFE.

8. "People Puzzler" airer: GSN.  As in the Game Show Network.

9. Weasel cousins: STOATS.  Everything you wanted to know about the difference between Weasels and Stoats but didn't know to ask.

10. More hurried: HASTIER.

11. Slightly: A LITTLE BIT.

12. Shrine centerpiece: RELIC.  The Right Hand of St. Stephen of Hungary is housed in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Budapest.

13. Course where one might study Jung, familiarly: PSYCH.  Carl Gustav Jung (July 26, 1875 ~ June 6, 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology.  Carl Jung vs. Sigmund Freud.  [Name # 4.]

18. June birthstone: PEARL.

22. Make available: FREE UP.

25. Tomorrow, for one: DAY.

26. Texting :-(, perhaps: SAD.

27. Ship stabilizer: KEEL.

28. Study of bugs: ENTOMOLOGY.

30. Tech that might repeat "Make a U-turn": GPS.  As in Global Positioning System.

32. Org. with a Popular Baby Names page: SSA.  I was not aware that the Social Security Administration had a page with popular baby names.  The top name in 2023 was Liam for boys and Olivia for girls.

34. Comes down with something: AILS.

35. "ur so funny!": LOL.  Textspeak for Laughing Out Loud.

40. Become smitten with: TAKEN TO.

41. Bengals, on scoreboards: CIN.  Joe Burrow (b. Dec. 10, 1996), who played football for the LSU (Bengal) Tigers now plays for the Cincinnati Bengals.  

42. Brand of battery-powered lawn equipment: EGO.  I was not aware of this brand of lawn mowers, although it bills itself as being rated #1.  [Name Adjacent.]

43. "Royals" singer: LORDE.  Lorde is from New Zealand.  Her full name is Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (b. Nov. 1996).  [Name # 5.]

44. Enjoyed oneself immensely: HAD A GAS.

46. Gadget scraped on a peel: ZESTER.

48. Corrupt kickback: BRIBE.

49. Perez of "Do the Right Thing": ROSIE.  Do the Right Thing is a movie that makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.  Rosie Perez (née Rosa Marie Perez; b. Sept. 6, 1964) got her start with this film which is a film about race relations in New York City.  I saw this film when I was living in France.  The theme did not translate well.  [Name # 6.]

50. Petite and playful: ELFIN.

51. "Closer" actor Owen: CLIVE.  Clive Owen (b. Oct. 3, 1964) is a British actor.  Closer was a 2004 romantic comedy that also starred Julia Roberts.  [Name # 7.]

55. Wedding dress, perhaps: SUIT.

56. Jekyll's counterpart: HYDE.  The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a classic Gothic horror story by Robert Louis Stephenson (Nov. 13, 1850 ~ Dec. 3, 1894).  Hand up if you have actually ever read the story.  [Names # 8 and 9, fictional.]

57. "It didn't escape my notice": I SAW.

59. Small square: ONE.  Okay, if you say so.

61. Nov. honoree: VET.   Veteran's Day is celebrated on November 11.

Here's the Grid:

 

חתולה

Monday July 29, 2024 Caroline Hand

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with a puzzle I am calling  

That Old Clock On The Wall  

Dean Martin ~ That Old Clock On The Wall ~ (1966)

Starting with the four themed clues, we have:

17 Across. Mistaken report of an emergency: FALSE ALARM.

23 Across. Contributing elements to a yawnfest: SNOOZE FACTORS.

38 Across. Anthony Doerr novel whose title comes from an Aristophanes play: CLOUD CUCKOO LAND.

This 626-page book was published in 2021.  Goodreads link

49 Across. Exhortation during cold and flu season: WASH YOUR HANDS.

And the reveal:

61 Across. Getting paid for work, and what an element of 17-, 23-, 38-, and 49-Across may be: ON THE CLOCK.

Depending on the CLOCK, you might find ON it one or more of these:  ALARM setting, SNOOZE button, CUCKOO bird, or hour & minute HANDS. Notice the careful wording here. The clue says element of, meaning any part of the phrase might be used for the theme.

Let's give a HAND* to Caroline Hand on her LA Times solo debut! (She collaborated with Katie Hale on this puzzle published Feb. 9, 2024.) I am impressed that the themed entries are 10-, 13-, 15-, 13- and 10-letters because this construction does not leave much wiggle room for the other fill. More transformation to the meanings of ALARM, SNOOZE, and even CUCKOO would have taken this puzzle up a notch. I clocked the theme at SNOOZE.

*Sorry for the bad pun, Caroline! In my defense, this is The Corner so I am contractually obligated to include as many bad puns as possible in my write-up.  🤓

Next we'll face the challenge of decoding the other clues:

Across:
1. Hooded snake: COBRA.  The king COBRA is the world's largest venomous snake. They can climb trees and swim, too! This is a 1 min. video of a man working with a female COBRA. I would not try to do this in a million years!

6. In the distance: AFAR.  This is A FAR cry from a deceptive clue.

10. Chimed: RANG.  

As it turns out, Ted Cassidy's biography 
Lurching Forward:  Ted Cassidy's Early Life from Cradle to Creature 
was released earlier this month.

14. To no __: fruitlessly: AVAIL. "To no AVAIL" is an idiom that means "without success".

15. La __ Tar Pits: tourist attraction in L.A.'s Hancock Park: BREA.  This is a 4:12 min. video of what it is like to visit the La Brea Tar Pits. I had no idea!  

16. Israeli airline: EL AL.     and     8 Down. __ Lingus: AER.

19. __ adieu: said farewell: BADE.  BADE is the past tense of "bid".

20. Fashion magazine with a French name: ELLE.  

21. Hasty escape: LAM.  Def.:  (noun) sudden or hurried flight, especially from the law.  

22. Aromatic spice in chili and curry: CUMIN.  The Spruce Eats answers your CUMIN questions.

27. "The Raven" poet Edgar Allan __: POE.  Here is author Neil Gaiman reading The Raven. 

 28. Eject from office: OUST.

29. Words on a cake in "Alice in Wonderland": EAT ME.

33. Paintings and sculptures: ART.  I like this clever use of plurals.

34. Sailor's greeting: AHOY.

42. Store sign: OPEN.     and     24 Down. Newspaper column: OPED.

43. Fury: IRE.

44. Old PC platform: MS-DOS.

45. All-__ cookware: CLAD.  

The suggested price for this 10-piece set is $1,500.

47. Place for a facial: SPA.

55. Emerged from slumber: AWOKE.  RISEN is being saved for 4-Down.

56. Slithery fish: EEL.

57. Timothée's "Call Me by Your Name" role: ELIO.  IMDb link

60. Surrealist Salvador: DALÍ.  (1904-1989) Going with the CLOCK theme, here is The Persistence of Memory (1931).

Click to enlarge.

64. "__ go bragh!": ERIN.

65. Cost of a taxi ride: FARE.

66. River mammal: OTTER.  We have some animal lovers on this blog who I think will very much enjoy this video someone took of a dog playing with a river OTTER (1:17 min.). At first I was concerned that they were fighting but they really are playing. The OTTER has opportunities to flee but comes back to play some more. The person who posted the video wrote, "Every evening a river otter comes to play with our daughter's dog Rio. What was once an acquaintance on the other side of the fence has now become a friend who comes to play through the fence. It has been interesting to watch as their trust of each other has developed over the past several months."

Note:  I scrolled through the comments and learned that the video was filmed in Jacksonville, FL in 2007.

67. Chianti, merlot, etc.: REDS.  I think of chianti as the wine that comes wrapped in straw baskets but that is not always the case.  Chianti article

68. Marvel hero played by Chris Hemsworth: THOR.  Chris was born on August 11, 1983 in Melbourne, Australia. Between 2011 and 2022, he played Thor in seven Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.

a face that can stop a CLOCK??

69. Rapper/actor __ Jackson Jr.: O'SHEA.  He is Ice Cube's oldest son.

Down:
1. Bistro: CAFE.

2. Shape of a presidential office: OVAL.  

3. Black-tie galas: BALLS.  

4. Like dough that's ready to bake: RISEN.  Yesterday we had 118A. Puts sourdough in the fridge overnight, say  PROOFS.

The "over" example shows the dough beginning to collapse on itself.

5. Pub drink: ALE.

6. On fire: ABLAZE.

7. Photograph holder: FRAME.

9. Hit hard: RAM.  A hard hat can protect you if you are hit hard.

10. Counterarguments: REBUTTALS.

11. Rental car company: ALAMO.

12. Lowest point: NADIR.

13. Narrow valleys: GLENS.

18. __ gobi: potato and cauliflower dish: ALOO.  ALOO means "potatoes" when it comes to Indian food. Memory trick:  both have two O's.

22. Loops in via email: CCS.

25. Split in the road: FORK.  

Green Day  ~  Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)  ~  1997

"Another turning point, a FORK stuck in the road." 𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮

Note:  This one is a twofer with "time" in the title.

26. Car: AUTO.

29. Green prefix: ECO-.

30. Jungfrau, for one: ALP.  At first I thought Jungfrau might be a phone ApP. It turns out it is in Switzerland. The photos on its tourism website are breathtaking.

31. Foot part: TOE.

32. Donut holes, at Dunkin': MUNCHKINS.  Spoiler alert:  donut holes are not actually made from cutting out holes in donuts.  Why Donuts Have Holes

33. Unreturned serve: ACE.  

Venus Williams, serving up an ACE

35. "You __ one job!": HAD.

36. Artist Yoko: ONO.  Back in 1988, Be My Yoko Ono was the debut single by the Canadian band, Barenaked Ladies.  <Hi Canadian-Eh!>

37. QB's gains: YDS.  Football  -->  Quarterback  -->  Yards

39. Italian goodbye: CIAO.

40. Lahore language: URDU.  Lahore is a city in Pakistan. This an "URDU goodbye":    

Now you know why we never see this as a crossword clue.

41. Saudi Arabia neighbor: OMAN.  Arabic is the official language of OMAN. This is an "OMANi goodbye":  

46. Caustic cleaner: LYE.  What LYE is and Why it is in our Soaps

47. Pronouns in some bios: SHE/HER.  I liked this clue! Pronouns in autobiographies are I/me. On the other hand, biographies are written about someone else's life so they require third-person pronouns. (BTW, bio is not an abbreviation in this clue. It means "a biographical sketch".)

48. The "P" of IPA: PALE.  India PALE Ale

49. Shorebird: WADER.  "WADER" is a synonym for "shorebird", as opposed to a specific type of bird. This link will take you to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Aviary Cam where you can see WADERs flitting about their enclosure.

50. In the know: AWARE.

51. Not flimsy: SOLID.  think, "a SOLID excuse"  

52. Back in style: RETRO.  

This one is my favorite comic today.

53. Shoulder muscles, briefly: DELTS.

54. Couch potato's sin: SLOTH.  

58. Slushy drink brand: ICEE.

59. Gumbo-thickening pod: OKRA.

61. Poet's "many, many times": OFT.  OFT is an adverb that means "often".

62. "No way!": NAH.

63. Dove's sound: COO.  Contrary to popular belief, COO is not half the sound a CUCKOO bird makes.  😜

Today's grid:  

We've beat the clock and made it to closing time. Thank you for clocking in!