Friday, November 22, 2024, Joe Marangell

 Theme:  I'm on top of this! 

Puzzling thoughts:  

What an interesting puzzle.  Five 9-letter phrases (four entries and a reveal) and four sets of circles, all containing the letters "n" and "o".  After solving the puzzle, each of the five phrases could stand alone:  BE THE BALL; RIGHT TIME; WHO'S FIRST; GET WITH IT; and MOVIN ON UP

But the reveal (movin' on up) gives the true meaning for the circled "no":  it's not "no", it's "ON".  And since the word "ON" is only discerned if you read it going "up", it adds another dimension to these phrases:

17-across. Stay vigilant: BE [ON] THE BALL.  The word "on" is moved up (above) the phrase "be the ball" to make it fit the clue ... as opposed to this snippet from the movie "Caddyshack": 

21-across. Punctual: RIGHT [ON] TIME.  As opposed to the Beach Boys single:

39-across. Comedy routine with peculiar names: WHO'S [ON] FIRST.  "Who's first" might be a question asked of a clerk to a group of customers - especially when there is no numbered ticket system in place.  But certainly, the only video clip worthy of inserting here is the eponymous comedy routine of Abbott and Costello: 

60-across. "Pick up the pace!": GET [ON] WITH IT.  Once again, I was able to find a song with the title: "Get With It" (before my time ...) 

And of course, the reveal:  

66-across. "The Jeffersons" theme song, and an apt title for this puzzle: MOVIN' ON UP.

Today's constructor, Joe Marangell, could be celebrating his debut puzzle; perhaps not just @ the LA Times, but perhaps @ any major publication.  If so, congratulations are in order!  This one rates a solid, ⭐⭐⭐ + 1/2⭐

The Grid - note my mistakes

Here are the rest of the answers:

Across:

1. "The Raven" opening: ONCE.  Here is the text of the poem by Poe

5. Literary captain who inspired Captain Hook: AHAB.

9. App with pics: INSTA.  Short for Instagram

14. Radish, e.g.: ROOT.  Here is a fun fact about the radish capital of the world

15. Spa treatment, briefly: PEDI.  Did anyone try MANI before pedi?  I did

16. Approaches: NEARS.

  

That's about as NEAR as this guy could get!!

19. "Blonde" writer Joyce Carol __: OATES.  The only "Oates" I knew was this half of a famous performing duo

 

20. Trailing: IN TOW.  This one was kind of a drag ...

23. Balanced states: STASES.  Plural of stasis

25. Co-star of Betty, Rue, and Estelle: BEA.  Bea Arthur of The Golden Girls

26. Spoil: ROT.  Go bad

27. Gp.: ORG. Abbr. 3LW

28. Go the wrong way?: SIN. Nice clue; Joe's or Patti's?  I would guess Patti

30. Some Summer Olympians: DIVERS.  The Chinese divers won all of the gold medals at this year's Paris Olympics

33. Russian refusal: NYET.  Moe-ku #1:

        Broadway musical

        Translated into Russian:

        "Nyet Nyet, Nanette"

 
35. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" writer Anita: LOOS.  Her biography

38. Uno y uno: DOS. Uno, dos, tres, quattro ...

42. Hyundai rival: KIA.  Hyundai vs Kia

43. Rhetorical question from Caesar: ET TU.  "Really, Brutus?  You, too??"

44. God of love: EROS.

48. Small lifeboat: DINGHY.  "Hey Smails!  My dinghy is bigger than your whole boat!" 

 

 

51. "Let me think ... ": HMM.  Don't overthink this ...

53. Best of "House of the Dragon": EVE.  Ahh ... this is the actor's name, Eve Best - "Game of Thrones"

 

 

54. Altar answer: I DO.  We just attended a Catholic wedding last week, and the bride and groom responded "I will" when asked the questions by the priest ...

55. Corn unit: EAR.  Cob also fit, but I didn't err here

58. Annoy: PESTER.  And a related clue/answer: (65-across. Bother continually): EAT AT.

64. Kurosawa who received an Academy Honorary Award in 1990: AKIRA. These proper names are getting more difficult for me ...  Japanese filmmaker

68. Vessel opener: STENT. This helps to get the blood flowing

69. Slightly open: AJAR.  When is a door not a door? When it is ajar

70. Word with sugar or gold: RUSH.  My "sugar rush" is eating an apple fritter 

 

 

Publix Supermarkets (SE US chain) make the best ones, IMO

71. Stuffed bear: TEDDY. There are other clues/images for this word, but I will refrain from showing an example

72. June honorees: DADS.  And IMO, MOMS should be "honored" all the time; not just on the second Sunday in May

73. Casual tops: TEES.  "Wooden golf pegs" is not a difficult enough clue for a Friday puzzle

Down:

1. Traveling Wilburys member: ORBISON.  "Traveling Wilburys were a supergroup of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty from 1988 to 1991" [wikipedia]

2. Sign outside a restricted area: NO ENTRY. 

 

 

3. Vrbo category: COTTAGE.  Moe-ku #2:

        In the rental world,

        Vrbo and Air BnB's

        Are COTTAGE industries

 
4. Shared culture: ETHOS.  One of my mistakes ... I tried ETHIC before ethos

5. BOLO kin: APB.  All Points Bulletin / Be On The Lookout

6. Listen to: HEAR.  I think it's time to hear (Listen to) more music! Enjoy

7. Improv technique: ADLIB. For me, I feel like my recaps are totally adlib ... no script for this blogger!!

8. Complete nonsense: BILGE. The Thesaurussaurus agrees

 

9. Playing past the fourth qtr., say: IN OT. In "Overtime"

10. "Cool!": NEAT.  My first thought when I see the word "neat": (CSO to our dear, departed Tinbeni)

 

 

My first "toast" of the evening is to you, sir

11. Some sketches: SATIRES.  Too many to choose from, but this might get a grin or two:

 

 

12. Vibration: TREMOR.  When a tremor was measured at a football game

13. Good qualities: ASSETS.  Moe-ku #3:

        What is it called, when

        Arranging donkeys? Might you

        Say, they are ASSETS?

18. Farm females: EWES.  Cows also fit

22. Possessed: HAD. As in, the devil had me??

24. Farm structure: SILO.  I kept going round and round with this one ... barn fits, too, ya know

29. Bouquet: NOSE.  CSO to yours, truly.  The resident Crossword Corner sommelier whose nose knows the difference between a Cab and a Syrah

31. Cards with pics: IDS.  My Global Entry card has proven to be well worth the $ I spent when I have to go through security at airports

32. Primary action: VOTE.  As a registered "independent", this is one action I cannot take

34. Nest element: TWIG. 

 

36. Frequently found in poems?: OFT.  Here is an example:

37. "Star Wars" antagonists: SITH. All of them

40. "Take that!": HAH.

41. Butcher's cut: RUMP.  Loin and ribs fit

42. Tangled: KNOTTED.  "Tied up", would've been a good clue, too

45. Entourage: RETINUE. Not the most popular word among the major publications

46. Possible reason for a dead phone battery: OVERUSE.  Not my first thought, but the perps helped

47. Highest-order angels: SERAPHS.  Another error as I spelt it incorrectly (had an "e" where the "a" should've been)

48. Process, in a way: DIGEST.  This could apply to both thoughts (brain) and food (stomach)

49. Brainstorm: IDEATE.  What happened when Idy consumed a meal? 

50. As of now: YET.  To date

52. Have in mind: MEAN.  Nary a mean thought in this blogger's mind

56. Sportscaster Rashad: AHMAD.  I am a sports nut, but I like this Ahmad better:

57. Dry Spanish wine: RIOJA. Well ... technically ... Rioja is a wine region in northern Spain

59. Golf garment: SKORT.  A portmanteau of "skirt" and "short".  Not to be confused with a "spork" (combination of a spoon and a fork) This:

61. Mascara applicator: WAND.  I tried "swab" at first, but that gave me a black eye ... 😉

62. __-bitty: ITTY.  It was either itty or itsy

63. Commercial spot: TV AD.  So glad that all of the political tv ads are gone

67. Agcy. that investigates tax fraud: IRS.

And that's a wrap.  But I won't leave before sending a punny shout out to my Friday partner in crime, MalMan, with this groaner:

        I have a pet manatee named Hugh.  

        I built him a house.  

        It's a habitat for Hugh manatee

See you in a couple weeks ... 

Thursday, November 21, 2024, Owen Bergstein & Shannon Rapp

  Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Today's constructors are Owen Bergstein and Shannon Rapp. Shannon is a veteran and Owen is taking his opening bow on the Corner.  Their theme was a little unusual today as it is ROW based rather than CLUE based.  To make that a little clearer I'll start with the reveal ...

62A. Tune that can soothe an aching heart, and a feature of rows 3, 5, 8, and 11 in this puzzle: BREAKUP SONG.  To try to make that a bit clearer I've snipped the aforementioned 4 rows out of the grid to make them easier to annotate (don't worry I'll put them back in a bit).  Also I've left the original clues and fill in their original locations below.

Here's ROW 3:
 

The first thing we observe is that our constructors' "break up songs" are not necessarily sad songs (a la maestro Neil Sedaka in our opening number).  They are merely "broken up" by a BLACK space.  The second thing is that they are genres of songs, not specific songs.  This is the a cappella group Pentatonix with a Christmas CAROL ...

Here's ROW 5:
 

Our genre is the DIRGE, a lament often sung at funerals.  Here's Buffy Sainte-Marie's rendition of the haunting Lyke Wake Dirge ...

Lyrics and explanation

Here's ROW 8:

An ANTHEM is a rousing or uplifting song identified with a particular group, body, or cause.  Here is a famous one by Canadian Leonard Cohen called simply Anthem.  He is one of my favorite poet/songwriters, but as he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, here is a cover of the song by fellow Canadian singer Eleuthera (and a CSO to CanadianEh!) ... 

Here's ROW 11:
 

Our final genre is one of the oldest musical forms, the BALLAD, a song that tells a story.  Here's a modern one by Bobbie Gentry -- her 1967 hit Ode to Billy Joe MacAllister ...

Here's the grid ...
 

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Volleyball official: REF.

4. Nirvana genre: GRUNGE.  And right out of the gate we have an Easter Egg.   Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture which emerged during the mid-1980s in the U.S. state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of punk rock and heavy metal.  While Nirvana was the most commercially successful grunge group, there were many others, including several all female bands, e.g. L7.  Here's their Pretend We're Dead ...

10. Style alternative to MLA: APA. -- Modern Language Association vs American Psychological Association -- what's the difference?

13. "It's __ good": ALL.

14. Service provider based in Tehran: IRAN AIR.  Iran Air, officially known as The Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the flag carrier of Iran, which is headquartered at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran. As of 2024, it operates scheduled services to 72 destinations in Asia and Europe.  No service to the US as yet.

15. Gentle touch: PAT.

16. Transportation for those who are plugged in?: ELECTRIC CAR. [Half of a clue song]

18. World Cup cheer: OLE.  [The other half]

19. Former union members?: EXES.  All of George Strait's EXES live in Texas ...

20. Fix, as a sock: DARN.  Hand up if you still DARN socks?

21. Earnest request: PLEA.

22. Low point: NADIR.  [Half of a clue song]  The opposite of ZENITH.

24. "Take it elsewhere, lovebirds!": GET A ROOM.  [The other half]

26. Sequenced sequence: GENOME.  A GENOME consists of the sequence of all of the GENES in the DNA of a species, determined by a process called DNA sequencing.  A  massive 13 year multi-disciplinary project to sequence the entire human genome began in 1990 and gave rise to a new science -- GENOMICS.  Here is a brief overview of the project ...

28. __/her pronouns: SHE.

29. GLAAD, for one: NGO. GLAAD is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization. Originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals in the media and entertainment industries, it has since expanded to queer, bisexual, and transgender people.

31. Lends a hand: AIDS.

33. Actress Tracee __ Ross: ELLIS.  Tracee Joy Silberstein (born October 29, 1972), known professionally as Tracee Ellis Ross, is an American actress. She is known for her lead roles in the television series Girlfriends (2000–2008) and Black-ish (2014–2022) receiving nominations for five Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the latter.  Ross is a daughter of actress and Motown recording artist Diana Ross and Robert Ellis Silberstein.

Tracee Ellis Ross

37. Cake decorator's substance: FONDANT.  [Half of a clue song]  Fondant icing, is an icing used to decorate or sculpt cakes and pastries. It is made from sugar, water, gelatin, vegetable oil or shortening, and glycerol. It does not have the texture of most icings; rolled fondant is akin to modelling clay, while poured fondant is a thick liquid. 

Wedding cake covered
and decorated with fondant

40. Toxic plant in the carrot family: HEMLOCK.  [The other half]  Conium maculatum, known as poison hemlock is a highly poisonous flowering plant in the carrot family Apiaceae, native to Europe and North Africa. It is herbaceous without woody parts and has a biennial lifecycle.   It is a hardy plant capable of living in a variety of environments.  It is purported to have been used as the method for the execution for the philosopher Socrates, who was accused of the corruption of youth.

Poison Hemlock

42. Last one to cross the finish line: LOSER.  And all the others following the WINNER.

43. TikTok mashup, e.g.: EDIT.  TikTok allows users to create short videos, from 15 seconds up to a minute and which often feature music in the background and can be sped up, slowed down, or edited with a filter. They can also add their own sound on top of the background music. To create a music video with the app, users can choose background music from a wide variety of music genres, edit with a filter and record a 15-second video with speed adjustments before uploading it to share with others on TikTok or other social platforms. 

45. Non opposite: OUI.  Today's French Lesson: "Yes".

46. Short time out?: NAP.  I try to get a "short time out" every day.

48. Focused while working: ON TASK.

51. Game also known as table soccer: FOOSBALL. [Half of a clue song]  Today's German lesson: "table soccer" =  "tischfußball"  The funny letter than looks like a B is actually a double S in German and so it was transliterated to English as Foosball,  a tabletop game loosely based on football (soccer on the other side of the Pond).  Its object is to move the ball into the opponent's goal by manipulating rods which have figures attached resembling football players of two opposing teams. Although its rules often vary by country and region when the game is played casually, competitive-level table football is played according to a unified code. Here's a brief clip from a competition ...

55. Pueblo material: ADOBE.  [The other half]  Adobe is a building material made from earth and organic materials.  Adobe is Spanish for mudbrick. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of earthen construction, or various architectural styles like Pueblo Revival or Territorial Revival.  We tend to associate adobe with the American Southwest, but similar construction techniques are used throughout the world, e.g. in the Citadel of Bam in Kerman Province, Iran: the world's largest adobe structure, dating to at least 500 BC ...

Citadel of Bam, Iran

57. Woodwind commonly made of grenadilla wood: OBOE.  Let's see -- a 4 letter word for a woodwind. I wonder what that could be?  And a CSO to sumdaze for  reminding me that it's called an EKTORP.  Oh yes -- grenadilla wood?

Grenadilla wood cross section

58. Marketer's introduction?: TELE.  Classic misdirection -- TELE goes on the front end. 😀

60. Laundry pile emanation: ODOR.

61. Track unit: LAP.

62. [Theme reveal]

65. Private online convos: DMS.  Direct Messages -- A DM is a private mode of communication between social media users.

66. Lawn sign phrase: FOR RENT.

67. Korean automaker: KIA.  Kia Corporation was founded in May 1944 and is Korea’s oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles. 

Kia Headquarters
Seoul, South Korea

68. "Gee ... ": SAY.

69. Thomas of the WNBA or Thompson of the NWSL: ALYSSA.  Alyssa Thomas of the Women's National Basketball Association ...

Alyssa Thomas

Alyssa Thompson of the National Women's Soccer League.

Alyssa Thompson

70. Equinox mo.: SEP.

Down:

 1. Issa of "Insecure": RAE.

2. Actress Pompeo: ELLEN.  Ellen Kathleen Pompeo (born November 10, 1969) is an American actress. One of the world's highest-paid actors since 2017, she has made multiple appearances on Forbes' year-end lists. Her accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe Award nomination.  She is best known for starring as the title character Dr. Meredith Grey in the long running ABC medical drama series Grey's Anatomy.

Ellen Pompeo

3. Geometric paper toys: FLEXAGONS.  In geometry, flexagons are flat models discovered by the British mathematician Arthur H. Stone in 1939 and were made popular by mathematician Martin Gardner in his Scientific American articles on mathematical games.  Flexagons are usually constructed by folding strips of paper, that can be flexed or folded in certain ways to reveal faces besides the two that were originally on the back and front.  They are usually square or rectangular (tetraflexagons) or hexagonal (hexaflexagons).  

Hexaflexagon

The geometry of flexagons can be extended to the folding of 3 dimensional surfaces studied in a branch of mathematics called knot theory.  The simplest example of such a fold is the trefoil knot ...
 

4. [I'm mad!]: GRR.

5. Brand with anti-ant products: RAID.

6. Free: UNCAGED.

7. Shiny shell material: NACRE.  Also known as mother-of-pearl --  this is how it gives birth.

8. Titans: GIANTS.

9. Make a blunder: ERR.

10. Olympian Ohno: APOLO.  Apolo Anton Ohno (born May 22, 1982) is an American retired short track speed skating competitor and an eight-time medalist (two gold, two silver, four bronze) in the Winter Olympics. Ohno is the most decorated American at the Winter Olympics and was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2017 and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2019.   Here he wins 1,500-Meter Gold In 2002 ...

11. Diet inspired by hunter-gatherers: PALEO.  What is it and why is it so popular?  I'm sorry, but as writing hadn't been invented yet, I can't give you any recipes. 😀

12. Starters: A TEAM.

14. "Score!": ITS IN.

17. Give up: CEDE.

21. Green shampoo brand: PRELL.

23. Speckled horse: ROAN.  There are many breeds of ROAN horses.  This one is an Appaloosa ...

Appaloosa horse

25. "Beg pardon": AHEM.

27. Plant pest: MITE.  Of the many species of mites spider mites are the ones who are most damaging to plants.  They are members of the family Tetranychidae, which includes about 1,200 species. Spider mites generally live on the undersides of leaves of plants, where they may spin protective silk webs, and can cause damage by puncturing the plant cells as they feed.  Spider mites are known to feed on several hundred species of plants.  They look like this close up ...

Spider mite

29. Gp. with Lions and Bears: NFL.  National Football League.

30. Gunk: GOO.

32. __ guard: SHIN.

34. Compilations for fashion influencers: LOOK BOOKS.  In the over 50 men that Elaine Benes dated in the Seinfeld series, one of the most fashionable was J. Peterson, purveyor of his own eponymous LOOK BOOK ...

35. Critical hosp. area: ICU.  Intensive Care Unit -- the hospital destination for those with life threatening injuries transferred from the ER, or those recovering from serious surgeries.

36. Enjoy the slopes: SKI.

38. Thick: DENSE.

39. Many an Egyptian: ARAB.

41. Jazz legend James: ETTA. Here her Somethings Got a Hold On Me ...

44. Hong Kong currency: DOLLARS.  Here's how many Hong Kong Dollars you can get for one US Dollar.

47. Keep the beat?: PATROL.  A policeman making the rounds of the neighborhood -- from the idiom "pounding the beat".

49. Add to the family: ADOPT.

50. Rolls up to the front door?: SODS.  Up to the front porch, maybe. 😀 Also insulting British slang ...

51. Plays with 3-Down, e.g.: FOLDS.  Folds and unfolds a FLEXAGON.

52. "The Light We Carry" writer Michelle: OBAMA.  The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times is a nonfiction book written by Michelle Obama and published on November 15, 2022.  According to the Associated Press, the author "shares the contents of her 'personal toolbox' - the habits and practices, attitudes and beliefs, and even physical objects that she uses to overcome her feelings of fear, helplessness and self-doubt." 

53. "My bad!": OOPSY.

54. Untrusting: LEERY.

56. Bert's buddy: ERNIE.   Ernie gets Bert to exercise ... 

 59. __ out a living: EKES.

62. Deg. for creatives: BFA.  Bachelor of Fine Arts.

63. Spanish article: UNA.  Today's Spanish lesson: "One".

64. Space: GAP.

Cheers,

Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

Wednesday, November 20, 2024 David Poole

Theme:   Creasing, Collapsing and Flipping.

18. Tailgating seat: LAWN CHAIR.  A light, collapsible chair made to be used outside.

20. Brunch choice: FRENCH OMELET.  A dish of beaten eggs cooked in a pan until the outside is smooth and golden brown, and the inside is moist and custardy. 

37. Part of a formal place setting: CLOTH NAPKIN.    A small square of cloth used at meals to clean your fingers and lips, and to protect your clothes.

56. Medium for an artist whose work is in-creasing?: ORIGAM IPAPER.  A flat sheet of paper that is transformed into a finished culture. [I love this clue WAY too much.]

59. Easy-to-store piece of furniture: CARD TABLE.  A square table for playing cards on, typically having legs that collapse for storage.  Ours slips neatly behind the china cabinet.

What do all these items have in common?  Let's check the unifier.

62. Poker player's concession, and what 18-, 20-, 37-, 56-, and 59-Across might say?: I FOLD. The poker player is figuratively folding his cards, giving up on that hand.  The theme fill are all items that can be folded in a more literal sense.  Clever!

Hi Gang, JzB here to straighten things out.  Sadly, I had a couple naticks which gave me a DNF.  <sigh.>  But I'm not going to hold a grudge.  Let's press on.

Across:

1. Parenthesis, in an emoticon: SMILE.   Like this --    :-)

6. Automaker __ Romeo: ALFA.  Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian luxury carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of multinational automotive company Stellantis.

10. London elevator: LIFT.   English English vs American English.

14. Word with roll or code: HONOR.  An Honor Roll is a recognition of excellence for students; and Honor Code is  a set of rules or principles that define what is considered honorable behavior in a given community. 

15. Bank claim: LIEN.   A legal claim or security interest on a property that secures the payment of a debt or obligation. The property owner who grants the lien is known as the lienee, and the person who benefits from the lien is called the lienor or lienholder.

16. Actress Taylor-Joy: ANYA.  Anya-Josephine Marie Taylor-Joy  [b. 1996] is an actress. Born in Miami and raised in Buenos Aires and London, Taylor-Joy left school at the age of 16 to pursue an acting career. After a series of small television roles, her breakthrough came with a leading role in the horror film The Witch.

Not my idea of a good time

17. Sundance film, e.g.: INDIE.   A movie or short film that is produced and distributed outside of the major film studio system. 

22. Freight weight: TON.  A unit of weight equal to 2,000 pounds avoirdupois (907.19 kg).

23. Pointer: TIP.   Helpful hints, suggestions, or key points that guide you towards understanding a subject or situation. 

24. Use an X-ray on: SEE INTO.  Observe the inner structure.

28. Meyers of late-night TV: SETH.  Seth Adam Meyers [b. 1973] is an American comedian, television host, actor, writer, producer, and podcaster. He currently hosts Late Night with Seth Meyers, a late-night talk show on NBC.

30. Umami, for one: TASTE.   Umami or savoriness, is one of the five basic tastes. It is characteristic of broths and cooked meats. 

32. Clod: OAF.   An awkward, foolish or stupid person.

33. Soul singer Baker: ANITA.   Anita Denise Baker [b 1958]  is an American singer-songwriter. She is known for her soulful ballads, particularly from the height of the quiet storm period in the 1980s. Starting her career in the late 1970s with the funk band Chapter 8, Baker released her first solo album, The Songstress, in 1983.

35. Porcine proboscis: SNOUT.   A pig's nose.  it's how they smell.

40. Annual NBA event: DRAFT.   The NBA draft happens every year in June. It is where teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) choose players who have never played in the NBA before. If a team chooses a player, that player cannot sign a contract to play for any teams other than that team.

42. Small change: TWEAK.   Improve a mechanism or system by making fine adjustments to it.

43. Sully: MAR.   Impare the appearance or quality of something.

44. Land parcel: TRACT.  An area of indefinite extent, typically a large one.

46. Earth Day sci.: ECOLogy.    the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment; it seeks to understand the vital connections between plants and animals and the world around them.

50. "America's Got Talent" judge SofÌa: VERGARA.   Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara [b. 1972] is a Colombian and American actress and television personality. She is known for her role as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in the ABC sitcom Modern Family and Griselda Blanco in the Netflix miniseries Griselda.

53. RN workplaces: ORS.  Operating Rooms, where surgeries happen.

55. British pop singer Rita: ORA.  Rita Sahatçiu Ora [b. 1990] is a British singer, songwriter, television personality, and actress. Born in Pristina, modern-day Kosovo, she rose to prominence when she featured on DJ Fresh's 2012 single, "Hot Right Now", which peaked atop the UK singles chart. 

63. Potatoes, in Indian cuisine: ALOO.  As in, for example: Aloo gobhi, aloo gobi or alu gobhi is a vegetarian dish from the Indian subcontinent made with potatoes, cauliflower, and Indian spices. It is popular in Indian cuisine. It is yellowish in color due to the use of turmeric, and occasionally contains black cumin and curry leaves.

64. Spanish cat: GATO.  Literal.

65. __ and effect: CAUSE.   The direct relationship between an action or event and its consequence or result.

66. Like new: MINT.   In mint condition, originally, the phrase related to the way collectors described the condition of coins.

67. Spengler of the Ghostbusters: EGON.  Egon Spengler, PhD is a fictional character from the Ghostbusters franchise. He appears in the films Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters, and in the video games Ghostbusters: The Video Game and Ghostbusters Beeline. Egon was portrayed by Harold Ramis in the films and voiced by him in Ghostbusters: The Video Game and Lego Dimensions.

68. ATM keypad key: ENTER.  The enter key is a computer innovation, which in most cases causes a command line, window form, or dialog box to operate its default function. This is typically to finish an "entry" and begin the desired process, and is usually an alternative to clicking an OK button.

Down:

1. Work periods: SHIFTS.  Any of two or more recurring periods in which different groups of workers do the same jobs in relay.

2. Curtis and Lemmon's "Some Like It Hot" co-star: MONROE.    Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson (June 1, 1926 – August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as well as an emblem of the era's sexual revolution. She was a top-billed actress for a decade, and her films grossed $200 million (equivalent to $2 billion in 2023) by the time of her death in 1962.

3. Use a Tab key: INDENT.  Move a line of test a specified distance from the left margin

4. Pork portion: LOIN.  Pork loin is a cut of meat from a pig, created from the tissue along the dorsal side of the rib cage

5. Put up: ERECT.  Build, as, for example, a house.

6. Conventional doctor, to an alternative medicine practitioner: ALLOPATH.  A doctor who treats disease by conventional means, i.e., with drugs having opposite effects to the symptoms.

7. Actor Neeson: LIAM.   William John Neeson OBE [b. 1952] is a Northern Irish actor. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed seventh on The Irish Times list of Ireland's 50 Greatest Film Actors.

8. Smallest in number: FEWEST.   The least quantity of people or things.

9. Founder of the American Shakers: ANN LEE. Ann Lee ( 1736 – 1784), commonly known as Mother Ann Lee, was the founding leader of the Shakers, later changed to United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing following her death. She was born during a time of the Evangelical revival in England, and became a figure that greatly influenced religion at this time, especially in the Americas.

10. "Chicago Hope" Emmy winner Christine: LAHTI.   Christine Ann Lahti [b. 1950]s an American actress and filmmaker. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1984 film Swing Shift. Her other film roles include ...And Justice for All, Housekeeping, Running on Empty, Leaving Normal, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

11. Food Network host Garten: INA.  Ina Rosenberg Garten [b. 1948] is an American television cook and author. She is host of the Food Network program Barefoot Contessa, and was a former staff member of the Office of Management and Budget.

12. BTW relative: FYI.  By the way and For Your information, phrases used to indicate you have something more to say.

13. La Brea __ Pits: TAR.  La Brea Tar Pits is an active paleontological research site in urban Los Angeles. Hancock Park was formed around a group of tar pits where natural asphalt has seeped up from the ground for tens of thousands of years. Over many centuries, the bones of trapped animals have been preserved.  You can decide if  "La Brea Tar Pits" is redundant.  in my opinion, since it is a recognized place name, it is not.

19. So-so grade: CEE.  A letter grade given to work that is not particularly good nor bad.

21. Bandleader's cry: HIT IT.  Start playing.  In all my decades of playing in various venues and formats, I don't recall any leader ever saying this.

25. Halfway to midnight: NOON.  The exact midpoint between one midnight and the next.

26. Sigma follower: TAU.

27. Many a time, in verse: OFT.  Often is oft thus abbreviated.  

29. __ Dome: Yosemite attraction: HALF.  Half Dome is a quartz monzonite batholith at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, California. It is a well-known rock formation in the park, named for its distinct shape. One side is a sheer face while the other three sides are smooth and round, making it appear like a dome cut in half.

31. Present day celebrity?: SANTA.  Famous mythical gift-giver who shows up between Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.  Clever clue.

34. "__ on my watch!": NOT.   The speaker is saying that they will not allow something to happen, and the intent is that they will be taking action to stop it. 

35. Reggae precursor: SKA.   Ska is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the off beat.

36. Reebok rival: NIKE.    An American athletic footwear and apparel corporation headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, United States. It is the world's largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$46 billion in its fiscal year 2022.

37. NFL quarterback Derek: CARR.   Derek Dallas Carr [b. 1991] is an American professional football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League.

38. "You're pulling my leg!": AW COME ON.   Expression of disbelief.

39. Cultural dish?: PETRI.   A shallow transparent lidded dish that biologists use to hold growth medium in which cells can be cultured, originally, cells of bacteria, fungi and small mosses.

40. ID-issuing org.: DMV.  Department of Motor Vehicles.

41. "I Really Like You" singer Carly __ Jepsen: RAE.  Carly Rae Jepsen [b. 1985] is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of Canadian Idol in 2007.

44. System based on urgency: TRIAGE.   In medicine, triage is a process by which care providers such as medical professionals and those with first aid knowledge determine the order of priority for providing treatment to injured individuals and/or inform the rationing of limited supplies so that they go to those who can most benefit from it.

45. Mishmash: RAGBAG.   a confused mixture or a random collection of odds and ends.

47. Poor excuse: COP OUT.    The act or an instance of backing out of a situation or commitment or avoiding responsibility for something. When you take the easy way out to avoid doing something challenging or making a difficult choice, that's a cop-out. An excuse can be called a cop-out.

48. "... you'll be sorry if you don't!": OR ELSE.  A vague threat suggesting an unspecified outcome if certain conditions are not met.

49. Food storage spot: LARDER.   A room or large cupboard for storing food.

51. Beckett's "Waiting for __": GODOT.   Waiting for Godot is a play by Irish playwright Samuel Beckett in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, engage in a variety of discussions and encounters while awaiting the titular Godot, who never arrives.

52. Works in a gallery: ART.   Works of art on display rather than labor performed.

54. Liven (up): SPICE.    To add interest or excitement to something. For example, you can spice up a speech, a story, a performance, or food.

57. Silicon Valley city Palo __: ALTO.  Palo Alto (Spanish for 'tall stick') is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto.  As one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto is home to the headquarters of multiple tech companies

58. Anonymous admirer's sign-off: A FAN.    A person who has interest or likes something, or somebody. 

59. Zoom meeting need, for short: CAMera.

60. Lord of the rings?: ALI.   Muhammd Ali [1942- 2016] was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century. Widely regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, he held the Ring magazine heavyweight title from 1964 to 1970

61. Actor Perlman: RON.  Ronald N. Perlman [b. 1950] has a long list of movie acting and voice acting credits. 

And so it ends.  Hope you made it through with no structural damage.

If anyone is interested, the Dearborn Big Band, where I play, did a joint concert with the Dearborn Concert Band on Oct 30.  Here is a video of the concert.

Concert Link

Concert Band plays first.
We play one O'clock Jump together at 41:20
Dearborn Big Band starts at 47:20 with Peter Gunn
My feature is at 49:40.

Cool Regards!

JzB

Tuesday November 19, 2024 C W Stewart

On the Home Stretch.  The circles are needed for today's puzzle.  A circle is progressively added to each theme answer to slowly spell out the word HOME.

17-Across. Big spender in Vegas: HIGH ROLLER.

25-Across. Extremely volatile situation: HORNETS NEST.

44-Across. Southern breakfast side dish: HOMINY GRITS.  I think Grits are an acquired taste.

60-Across. Sigh from a weary traveler, and an apt title for this puzzle: HOME AT LAST.

Across:

1. Tenant's payment: RENT.

5. "F" on a test, often: FALSE.  Not a failing mark, but a mark on a True/False test.

10. One-named "Believe" diva: CHER.  Cher (b. May 20, 1946), whose given name is Cherilyn Sarkisian,  is a singer and actress.  She is also known for her outlandish outfits.

14. "A Streetcar Named Desire" director Kazan: ELIA.  Elia Kazan (né Elias Kazantzoglou; Sept. 7, 1909 ~ Sept. 28, 2003) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  He was born in what was then known as Constantinople (now Istanbul), Turkey.  He is also known for naming names before the House Un-American Committee in the 1950s.

15. Like days of yore: OLDEN.

16. In robust health: HALE.

19. Land in a lake: ISLE.  I don't associate an isle being in a lake.  I think of an Isle being situated in a larger body of water.

20. Had a dinner date: ATE OUT.

21. TV cooking competition hosted by Kristen Kish: TOP CHEF.  Kristen Kish (b. Dec. 1, 1983) is an American chef known for winning the tenth season of Top Chef. She became the host of Top Chef:Wisconsin earlier this year.

23. Flat French hats: BERETS.

24. Loafer, for one: SHOE.

31. "You go, __!": GIRL.

35. Kanga's son: ROO.

36. Running total: TALLY.

37. Like two jacks in a deck of cards: ONE-EYED.

39. Drool: SLOBBER.

41. Ward (off): STAVE.

42. "I Like __": 1950s political slogan: IKE.  Dwight David Eisenhower (Oct. 14, 1890 ~ Mar. 28, 1969) was the 34th President of the United States.

43. "No Ordinary Love" singer: SADE.  Sade (née Helen Folasade Adu; b. Jan. 16, 1965), is a Nigerian-born British singer.  Her parents began calling her Sade, a shortened form of her Yoruba middle name, Folasade, hence, that is how she is known.

48. Art hub in New Mexico: TAOS.

49. Desert that covers most of North Africa: SAHARA.

54. Item in a makeup bag: COMPACT.  Some are very expensive.

58. Connect to a power supply: PLUG IN.

59. __ the hump: OVER.

63. Musical Auntie played by Angela Lansbury: MAME.  Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (Oct. 16, 1925 ~ Oct. 11, 2022) was a British actress.  She played Mame on Broadway in 1966 and was awarded a Tony for her portrayal.  She is probably best known to younger audiences as portraying Jessica Fletcher on the television series Murder, She Wrote.

64. Levels in some subscription plans: TIERS.  A tiered subscription provides different levels of services or products at different price levels.  For example, some magazine subscriptions have one price for on-line issues, but a different price for on-line and hard copy issues.

65. To __: perfectly: A TEE.

66. Sound of a stone skimming failure: PLOP.  We had a nearly identical clue in last Thursday's puzzle.

67. Celebrities: STARS.

68. Email button: SEND.

Down:

1. Post-surgery regimen: REHAB.

2. Crème de la crème: ELITE.

3. Chad neighbor: NIGER.  Niger is a landlocked country in West Africa.  Chad is not its only neighbor.  It is bordered by Libya to the northeast, Chad to the east, Nigeria to the south, Benin and Burkina Faso to the southwest, Mali to the west, and Algeria to the northwest.  Its official name is the Republic of Niger.

4. Lake between the Silver State and the Golden State: TAHOE.  Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, on the border of California and Nevada.

5. Tender after too much walking: FOOT SORE.

6. __-purpose flour: ALL.  Everything you ever wanted to know about All-Purpose Flour.

7. "Bad" cholesterol, for short: LDL.  Low-Density lipoprotein cholesterol, is the "bad" cholesterol.  It is the type of cholesterol that can build up in your arteries and increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.  High-Density Lipoprotein cholesterol is the "good" cholesterol.  HDL helps remove excess cholesterol from your body and lowers your risk of heart disease and stroke.  Everything you ever wanted to know about your body's cholesterol.

8. Get hot under the collar: SEETHE.

9. Plant securely: ENROOT.

10. Hip and stylish: CHIC.

11. Corned beef __: HASH.

12. Fashion magazine with a French name: ELLE.  Elle means She in French.

13. Big name in flip-flops and surfing apparel: REEF.  I was not familiar with this company.

18. The "R" of the Supreme Court's RBG: RUTH.  As in Ruth Bader Ginsberg (née Joan Ruth Bader; Mar. 15, 1933 ~ Sept. 18, 2020).  She joined the United States Supreme Court in 1993.

22. Green sauce: PESTO.  Yummers!

24. __-cone: icy treat: SNO.

26. Curtain holder: ROD.

27. Grabs: NABS.

28. Actor Idris: ELBA.  In 2016, Idris Elba (né Idrissa Akuna Elba; b. Sept. 6, 1973) mad Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people.

29. Winter coaster: SLED.

30. One of four on a British car: TYRE.

31. Gentle expression of surprise: GOSH.

32. Division word: INTO.

33. Printer's package: REAM.

34. Strauss of jeans: LEVI.  This is the third week in a row that jeans have appeared in a Tuesday puzzle.

38. Blabbermouth: YENTA.

39. Compete in a slalom: SKI.

40. "I don't think we want any!": LET'S PASS.

42. April 15 agcy.: IRS.  As in the Internal Revenue Service.

45. America's Cup vessels: YACHTS.

46. "Get cracking!": GO TO IT.

47. Basic food preservative: SALT.  Everything you ever wanted to know about salt as a preservative.  Twenty-four years ago tomorrow (Nov. 20, 1980), an oil drilling company punctured a salt dome in Lake Peigneur in south Louisiana creating a massive sinkhole.  The salt dome was being mined by the Diamond Salt company.  Amazingly, all the workers in the salt mine survived.

50. Oahu dances: HULAs

51. Marble material: AGATE.

52. Out of the sack: RISEN.

53. Added a chip, say: ANTED.

54. Free ticket, casually: COMP.

55. Elongated circle: OVAL.

56. Note from the boss: MEMO.

57. Get ready, briefly: PREP.

61. __ culpa: MEA.  Today's Latin lesson.

62. Make a mistake: ERR.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה