Tuesday, December 31, 2024, George Simpson, Zhouqin Burnikel

(Notes from C.C.: George Simpson is Big Easy on our blog.)

Theme:  HAPPY NEW YEAR!  HAVE A BALL!

Today is the very last day of 2024.  What's on the agenda to mark the last minute of this day?

It's the big reveal:

23 Down. New Year's Eve tradition in the Big Apple, and what can be found in 3-, 8-, 33-, and 37-Down?: BALL DROP.  Yes, folks, if you stay up late enough, you can see the BALL DROP in New York City, replayed in various time zones, even here on the West coast.  Not sure why we watch it, since it happened hours earlier!  Regardless, you'll find two kinds of BALLs DROPping in each of the other theme answers.  

The rest of the theme clues and answers are:

3 Down. Parmesan, e.g.: HARD CHEESE.  Parmesan is a hard cheese.  HARDBALL refers to baseball (the game or the ball itself), or to forceful tactics.  CHEESEBALL can be an appetizer made of blended cheeses, an adjective meaning lacking taste or style, or a person who lacks taste or style.

This snow man is kind of a cheeseball.

8 Down. Speedy way to the top: FAST TRACK.  A course leading to rapid advancement is a FAST TRACK.  A FASTBALL is the most common type of pitch in baseball.  A TRACKBALL is a computer cursor control device.

Trackball.

33 Down. Succotash ingredient: BUTTER BEAN.  Succotash is a dish of corn kernels and lima beans.  BUTTER BEAN is another name for lima bean.  BUTTERBALL is a brand of turkey products, and has less common meanings, too, like chubby person.  BEANBALL is a ball thrown with the intention of hurting another person, specifically by hitting them in the head.

37 Down. Political campaign funding source: SOFT MONEY.  SOFT MONEY is a contribution to a political party that is not designated for a particular candidate, and thus avoids campaign contribution limits.  SOFTBALL is an adaptation of baseball, played with a larger ball, with underhand pitches, and on a smaller diamond.  MONEYBALL has a few meanings, but is most often identified with the 2003 book by Michael Lewis titled Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, and with the 2011 film adaptation of the book.

DH says that he looks like Brad Pitt.  He does not.

Ready?  Let's play ball!

Across:

1. Sound softened by acoustic foam: ECHO.  Acoustic foam is a sound absorption material which reduces echo and improves sound quality within a room.

5. Hole-making tool: AWL.  Aw, it's our friend AWL again!

8. Gemstone surface: FACET.

13. Yonder item: THAT.  Yes, THAT item over yonder.

14. __ gin fizz: SLOE.  Sloe gin is made from ripe sloe drupes which are small fruits closely related to plums.  To make a sloe gin fizz, combine sloe gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add ice; cover and shake, and then strain into a glass. Stir in club soda and garnish with a slice of lemon.

15. Supreme Being of Islam: ALLAH.  Allah is the Arabic word for God, in particular, the God of Abraham.

16. Golf rental: CART.

17. Place for suckers?: CANDY STORE.  The sweet kind of suckers:

19. Grotesque: HIDEOUS.

21. Settle the score: GET EVEN.

22. Mobile home?: CRIB.  My favorite part of a baby's room:  the mobile that hangs over the crib.

23. Visibly embarrassed: BEET RED.

24. Fire pit residue: ASH.

26. "Tra-__": LA LA.  Nonsense syllables standing in for song lyrics.

28. Grads-to-be: SRS.  Those about to be graduates are SenioRS.

29. Much of a sunflower: STEM.  Sunflowers do have very tall stems.

I photographed this sunflower in Slide Rock State Park near Sedona, Arizona.

31. Honolulu hello: ALOHA.

33. __ window: BAY.  A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a "bay" in a room. 

Exterior view of a bay window.

36. Floor plan calculations: AREAS.

38. Org. for Cubs and Tigers: MLB.  Major League Baseball.  Abbreviation in the clue calls for abbreviation in the answer.

39. Waterpark feature: CHUTE.  AKA water slide, flume, or hydroslide.  Great fun for kids.

41. Genre for "Dancing Queen": DISCO.  "Dancing Queen" is a song by the Swedish group ABBA, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Arrival (1976).

42. Citrus drink suffix: ADE.  LemonADE, limeADE ... even orangeADE.  Fruit juice diluted with water and sweetened with sugar or honey.

43. Toys with strings: KITES.  Because YOYOS didn't work with the perpendicular entries.

44. Mimic: APE.

45. Like most house pets: FURRY.

47. Cardinals great Musial: STAN.  "Stan the Man" (1920-2013) Musial was an American baseball outfielder and first baseman, widely considered to be one of the greatest and most consistent hitters in baseball history.  He played for the St. Louis Cardinals in MLB.  If you have identified today's blogger, you know that STAN was all perps (perpendicular entries) for me.

Stan Musial

48. High-elev. place: MTN.  A high-elevation place is a mountain.

49. Scandinavian capital with many floating saunas: OSLO.  Imagine a wood-fired sauna, on a boat, with big windows for sightseeing, and refreshing dips in the fjord!  Brr!  Not on my list.  I do not love temperature shocks.

52. Punk music offshoot: EMO.  Thanks to crossword puzzles, I am not completely ignorant of this EMOtional type of punk music.

53. Seafood-based party food: CLAM DIP.

56. Actor Epps: OMAR.  Now, this fellow I remember from "House."

Omar Epps as Dr. Eric Foreman on "House."

58. Empty, as a bottle: POUR OUT.

59. Math course with variables: ALGEBRA.  I wept with frustration through algebra classes, but I find it useful now to be able to solve for an unknown quantity.

62. Opinion survey completed with clicks: ONLINE POLL.

64. Greenish blue: TEAL.

65. Find a new purpose for: REUSE.

66. Knocks firmly: RAPS.

67. Billionth: Pref.: NANO.  The prefix "nano" means one-billionth, or 10-9 .  Teeny tiny.

68. Op-ed piece, e.g.: ESSAY.

69. Signs off on: OKS.

70. Poker pot starter: ANTE.

Down:

1. Engrave on glass: ETCH.

2. Cardamom-infused milky tea: CHAI.  My morning ritual.

3. [Theme clue]

4. Playful marine mammal: OTTER.  The Monterey Bay Aquarium has rescued sea OTTERs on display.  Some of the otters are raising orphaned youngsters for release into the ocean.

5. "Regrettably ... ": ALAS.

6. Got the gold: WON.

7. Perch for potted plants: LEDGE.  Always a challenge to find sunny spots for the indoor plants.  

8. [Theme clue]

9. Takes in, say: ALTERS.

10. Garlic bulb segment: CLOVE.

11. Lop-__ rabbit: EARED.  When my children were young, I purchased a lop-EARED (or floppy-eared) rabbit at a pet store.  The poor thing had ear mites that required immediate treatment.  Apparently, the breeding of rabbits for the cute but unnatural trait of floppy ears has resulted in serious ear and tooth disorders.  In nature, a rabbit needs its upright ears to avoid predators.  Luckily, our "Whiskers" didn't have any of those.

12. Afterward: THEN.

14. Diving acronym: SCUBA.  Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

18. "Wow, that's bad!": YEESH.

20. Squeaky wheel remedy: OIL.

23. [Theme clue]

24. Burrito option: ASADA.  Asada is Spanish for "roasted."  Carne asada is roasted meat.  

25. Bacon piece: STRIP.

27. University in Beaumont, Texas: LAMAR.  A public university and member of the Texas State University System, Lamar University has 17,850 students enrolled in 96 undergraduate, 50 master's and eight doctoral degree programs.  News to me -- all perps.

30. Apple variety: MAC.  Mac, which is short for Macintosh, is Apple Inc.'s line of personal computers. Personal computers were Apple's original business line, but as of the end of 2024 they account for only about eight percent of the company's revenue.

Apple MacBook Pro

32. Does as told: OBEYS.

33. [Theme clue]

34. First-string players: A TEAM.

35. Basic type of question: YES/NO.

37. [Theme clue]

40. He/him/__: HIS.  Male pronouns.

46. Not justified: UNDUE.

48. Actress Tomei: MARISA.  Marisa Tomei is an American actress who gained prominence for her performance in My Cousin Vinny (1992).  She's been in many movies since, and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress three times.

Marisa Tomei

50. Lies around: LOLLS.

51. Shocked letters: OMG.  Oh My Gosh!  😲

53. Ice cream holders: CONES.

54. Doozies: LULUS.

55. Tech support whiz: IT PRO.  Information Technology Professional.  

57. Big name in health insurance: AETNA.

58. Skin opening: PORE.

59. Range crossing eight countries: ALPS.

60. Tirade: RANT.

61. Soothing ingredient in some toners: ALOE.

63. Flooring wood: OAK.

Here's the grid:

Let me know if I've DROPped the BALL anywhere in this review!

Wishing you all the best of years,

NaomiZ

 

Monday December 30, 2024 Janice Luttrell

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here, blogging my fourth and final Janice Luttrell puzzle for the year. This time Janice takes a shot at a puzzle with three currency words used in other contexts.

Theme:    

BANK SHOT

These are the themed clues & answers:

16 Across. Form submitted to the post office before moving: CHANGE OF ADDRESS.  

There was a lot of this going on these past few (hectic) weeks.

25 Across. Actor who played the U.S. president in "Independence Day": BILL PULLMAN.  (b. Dec. 17, 1953.  Note:  This was a 41-Down year.)

Pullman, in the 1996 film and today
He usually plays very likable characters.

43 Across. Part of a hotel lobby: CHECK-IN DESK.  

55 Across. "You can count on that!," and a hint to the starts of 16-, 25-, and 43-Across: TAKE IT TO THE BANK.  

CHANGE, BILLs, and CHECKs are all things you can TAKE TO THE BANK.

CHANGE also made me think about dropping coins into a piggy BANK.

Across:

1. Fancy-schmancy: POSH.  According to Gobsmacked!: The British Invasion of American English by Ben Yagoda, POSH came from the British military as a term to mean "superior clothing, or articles of attire other than those issued by and strictly conforming to regulations."

5. Work out details ahead of time: PLAN.  Spontaneous events turn out better if you PLAN a bit first.

9. Falsehoods: LIES.  

People do this. They say, "Only joking," when they really meant it.

13. Capri, for one: ISLE.  Yes, Capri pants are named after this ISLE.

14. Krispy __: KREME.    

Dexter knew that no one suspects the doughnut guy.

15. Golden State sch.: UCLA.  I know that California's nickname is The Golden State and that UCLA is short for University of California, Los Angles; but is there another connection between these two terms other than "California"? Could this clue could refer to any CA school?

19. Wood-cutting tool: SAW.  It can also be a musical instrument. In this 56 sec. video, a woman plays Somewhere Over the Rainbow on a SAW. Just amazing!  

20. Thoroughly engrossed: RAPT.  I felt utterly RAPT watching this raptor fly.  

21. "How Do I Live" singer LeAnn: RIMES.

22. Source of harm: BANE.  

Gophers!!!

23. Carne __ tacos: steak dish: ASADA.  ASADo or ASADA? "Meat" is a feminine noun in Spanish so the last letter is an "A".

29. Taxi: CAB.

32. Gemstone with bands of color: AGATE.  

for example

33. "Othello" villain: IAGO.  Shakespeare

34. "Ben-__": HUR.  Hollywood

35. Smokehouse fare: RIBS.  

I bet Fred was on a paleo diet.

36. Sudden shocks: JOLTS.  

38. Have a meal: DINE.

39. Time for last-minute wrapping: EVE.  as in "the night before you give the gift"

40. Soft drink: SODA.

41. __ Barbara, California: SANTA.  CSO to Picard!  This 3:41 min. video shows highlights of this gorgeous area.  

42. "Lust for Life" singer Lana __ Rey: DEL.

46. Large water pipes: MAINS.  They replaced the one on my street last summer. It is an extremely noisy process.

48. Rough figs. from the cockpit: ETAS.  These rough figures from airplane pilots are Estimated Times of Arrival. 

Note: Pluralizing initialisms can get tricky.

49. Accessory that may match mittens: SCARF.  

51. Potato __ race: SACK.  

52. Greyhound vehicle: BUS.  CSO to Jinx & Zoe!  

The Bus

I stumbled upon this Billy Jonas record several years ago when I was in Ashville, NC.

It's a bit different -- but it makes you think about the people around you and their stories.

59. "You said it!": AMEN.

60. "Yippee!": OH BOY.

61. No-frills grocery chain: ALDI.  Aldi and Trader Joe's are owned by the same people.

62. Filmmaker Ephron: NORA.

63. Deadpool player Reynolds: RYAN.  Deadpool is a Marvel Comics character. He is the wisecracking alter ego of Wade Wilson, a Canadian by birth. Ryan Reynolds (also Canadian) played Deadpool in four movies. Here is the trailer for the first one (2016):  

64. Hilarious person: RIOT.  

Down:

1. Snapshots, casually: PICS.

2. Workplace standards org.: OSHA.

3. Cabbage side often made with mayo: SLAW.     and     22 Down. Sandwiches often made with mayo: BLTS.

Speaking of mayo, How about "Beverage made with mayo"? I am not telling 9-Acrosses. Last month this "mayonnaise-style drink", now sold in Japan, was in the news. I avoid mayo; so, when I lived there, I learned to identify this word on packaging early on.  

4. Cornish game __: HEN.  They can be male, too!  all your questions answered here

5. Move forward: PROPEL.  Def.: (verb) to drive forward or onward by or as if by means of a force that imparts motion.

6. "L," on an earbud: LEFT.  I love, love, love my bone conduction headphones. This 44 sec. video explains how they differ from earbuds.  

7. Doctors org.: AMA.  organization and American Medical Association

8. Actor Beatty: NED.  (1937-2021)  He has 163 actor credits on IMDb.

Ned voiced the character Lotso in Toy Story 3 (2010).

9. Cheaply sensational: LURID.  

10. Hotel fixture that fills buckets: ICE MACHINE.

11. "What __ is new?": ELSE.

12. Back talk: SASS.

14. Actor Reeves: KEANU.  his IMDb page

17. Purple flavor: GRAPE.  I thought of Jolly Ranchers.  

18. Clog-busting brand: DRANO.

23. Amo, amas, __: AMAT.  Latin for "I love", "you (singular) love", and "he/she/it loves"

24. Droops: SAGS.  This is a 2006 John Mayer song called Gravity:  

Oh, graity is working against me

And gravity wants to bring me down.

Oh twice as much ain't twice as good

And can't sustain like one half could

It's wanting more

That's gonna send me to my knees

25. __ one's soul: BARED.

26. "Uncle!": I GIVE.  Last Monday we had 5-Across. "I give up!" as the clue for UNCLE.

27. Small printer with a built-in keyboard: LABEL MAKER.   Did anyone else think of this 1995 Seinfeld episode with guest star Bryan Cranston?  (5:14 min.)

28. Fragrant shrub: LILAC.

30. Mom's sisters: AUNTS.     and     38 Down. Fathers: DADS.

31. Short holiday: BREAK.

36. "Grease" star Travolta: JOHN.  (b. Feb. 18, 1954)

Travolta, now & then

37. Poems of praise: ODES.

40. Futuristic genre: SCI-FI.

41. Slithering reptile in the Chinese zodiac: SNAKE.  SNAKE years are 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, and 2025.

44. Diane of "Book Club": KEATON.  (b. Jan. 5, 1946)

45. Like a mosquito bite: ITCHY.  My mosquito repellent trick is to stand next to DH. They are attracted to him so they leave me alone.

47. Sports venue: ARENA.  Here is some timely trivia around the new Gladiator II movie:  The distinction between ARENA, amphitheater, and colosseum is that the ARENA floor is the elliptical space in the center of the Colosseum, toward which the 360 degree seats of the amphitheater face.  

49. Lee of Marvel Comics: STAN.  (1922-2018)

50. Covert ops garb, for short: CAMO.  Ops is short for "operations", so did we need for short in the clue?

51. Japanese noodle: SOBA.  

These SOBA noodles have a mayonnaise sauce.

52. Indonesian island in the Coral Triangle: BALI.  

53. Word processor command: UNDO.  A word processor is a device that uses computerized and/or text editing equipment to produce type-written documents (such as business letters). Microsoft Word is an example of word processing software.  

54. Comedy sketch: SKIT.

56. The Blue Jays, on ESPN crawls: TOR.  as in TORonto

57. Quaker possessive: THY.  

58. Saloon: BAR.  This is the saloon scene from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018).

Warning:  This is a Coen brothers film so expect the bad guy to meet a violent end.

And now for a grid you can bank on:

That's it. I'm all cashed out. Happy New Year, everyone!

Sunday December 29, 2024 Adrianne Baik

Theme: "Runway Show" - Each theme entry is a "show" in the sky.

27. *Dish service: SATELLITE TV. Normally our first themer starts in Row 3. This one starts at Row 4.

29. *Animated film with the tagline "Honey just got funny": BEE MOVIE.

44. *"Rumpelstiltskin" or "Cinderella": FAIRY TALE.

47. *Many a sunset image: CLOUDSCAPE.

86. *Kids party entertainer's craft: BALLOON ART.

88. *Asian competition involving line cutting: KITE FIGHT.

105. *Repeated tweets: BIRD SONG. And 58. 105-Across producers: WRENS.

108. *Chinese festival performance said to bring good luck: DRAGON DANCE.

Reveal:

63. Long-haul travel perk, and a description of the answers to the starred clues: INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT.

I'm not famliar with kite fight. Looks like it's popular in Southeast Asian countries. 

Fresh theme. Such a fun reveal. Congrats to Adrianne Baik on her LAT debut.

Across:

1. Farm stores: SILOS.

6. Shell competitor: MOBIL.

11. Secures: BAGS.

15. Big serving: SLAB. Thick Chinese bacon.

19. Cover, in a way: ALIBI.

20. Press backspace: ERASE.

21. Welsh accent feature: LILT.

22. Company picture: LOGO.

23. Eldest von Trapp sister: LIESL.

24. Ride __: roll backward while facing forward on a skateboard: FAKIE. Learning moment for me.

25. Greek venues: ODEA.

26. Taj Mahal site: AGRA.

31. Kerfuffles: ADOS.

32. "Wonder Woman" antagonist: ARES. Look at  his armor.

33. Sounds of hesitation: ERS.

35. KPMG employee: CPA.

36. Company VIP: CEO.

38. Turns loose (on): SICS.

40. Focal point in a cathedral: APSE.

42. Sign on a staff: CLEF.

43. British "sir": GUV.

50. Reasons some check Zillow, for short: RE-LOS. Zillow price is not that far off. We also have100. Real estate expert: AGENT.

51. "... as all __-out": GET.

52. Do not disturb: LET BE.

53. Truckloads: A TON.

54. Chewy Japanese noodle: UDON. Hmm, I love a good seafood udon.

55. Inner circle members: PALS.

57. Honey holders: HIVES.

59. __ Deng: pygmy hippo of internet fame: MOO. So cute.

60. Finish with a lower score: LOSE.

61. High quality: A ONE.

62. Asian language: LAO.

71. Expressive rock genre: EMO.

72. Handled talent show intros, e.g.: MC'ED.

73. Spiny succulent: ALOE.

74. __ favor: POR.

75. Family, in Hawaiian: OHANA.

78. Dipper's twin in "Gravity Falls": MABEL. Mabel Pines.

80. Read a QR code: SCAN.

81. List title: TO-DO.

82. Didn't give: HELD.

83. Preps vegetables, maybe: DICES.

84. Fashion designer Anna: SUI. Her niece is actress Chase Sui Wonders.

85. Holiday time, slangily: VACAY.

91. Hosp. areas: ORS.

92. D-Day conflict: WWII.

93. Final notice?: OBIT. Good old clue.

95. River residue: SILT.

96. Thanksgiving tuber: YAM. This is candied yam, Xi'an style.

97. __ of the line: END.

98. Big stretch?: ERA. Time stretch.

99. Crunch in the cereal aisle: CAP'N.

101. Takes in: EATS.

111. Vocalist's spotlight moment: SOLO.

112. Machu Picchu native: INCA.

113. Less noble: BASER.

114. Biotech giant: AMGEN. They make Enbrel.

115. Color choices: HUES.

116. Pair: DUAD.

117. Calendar entry: EVENT. Our blog turns 17 years old on 1/21/2025. 

118. Spills the beans: TELLS.

119. Crafty marketplace: ETSY.

120. SFO info: ETAS.

121. Checks: TESTS.

122. "Easy on Me" Grammy winner: ADELE.

Down:

1. Part of a taco assembly kit: SALSA.

2. Epic set in the 10th year of the Trojan War: ILIAD.

3. Dupe: LIE TO.

4. Extreme preoccupation: OBSESSION. We have total ten 9-letter fill in Downs: 8. Efforts to get dough from cookies?: BAKE SALES. 13. Groups that create harmony?: GLEE CLUBS.16. Digital circuit building block: LOGIC GATE. And 17. Come to the same conclusion concerning: AGREE UPON.76. Learn of: HEAR ABOUT. 77. Looking sunny: ALL SMILES. 78. Small glazed treat: MINI DONUT. 80. Travel baggage: SUITCASES. 81. Tackled together in tandem: TAG-TEAMED. Simply amazing.

5. Window feature: SILL.

6. Impatient kid's cry: ME FIRST.

7. Give a TED Talk, e.g.: ORATE.

9. Doubter's query: IS IT?

10. "Frasier" actress Jane: LEEVES. She played Daphne Moon.

11. Ambiguous shapes: BLOBS.

12. Teacher's helper: AIDE.

14. Spooked wildebeest movement: STAMPEDE.

15. Bulgarian or Bosnian: SLAV.

18. Feathery wrap: BOA.

28. Like some veils: LACY. Traditional Chinese bridal veils are not lacy.

30. Clumsy hulks: OAFS.

34. Got comfortable in a La-Z-Boy: RECLINED.

37. Hot spots in the kitchen: OVENS.

39. Org. that takes many forms: IRS.

41. Veterinary patient: PET.

42. Dove shelter: COTE.

44. Consumed: FED ON.

45. Icy: ALOOF.

46. Shoelace tip: AGLET. Learned from doing xwords.

48. Digger controller: LEVER.

49. Billiards bounce: CAROM.

50. Persian poet: RUMI.

55. __ stick: POGO.

56. Fire sign?: ASH. And 65. Fire sign?: EMBER  

57. Guest spot?: HOTEL. 68. Big time?: EPOCH. 84. Go on a run?: SKI. All great clues.

58. Dwindle in size: WANE.

60. Capital near the Andes: LIMA.

61. Old relation: ANCESTOR.

62. MGM mascot: LION.

64. Tennis star Ivan: LENDL.

66. Wordless: TACIT.

67. French cookbook term: A LA.

69. Greet silently: NOD AT.

70. Donald Glover's "Community" role: TROY. Google shows that he was "the star quarterback of the football team and also the prom king."

75. "Here we go again": OH BOY.

79. Deep purple fruit: ACAI.

83. Con: DOWNSIDE. Pros and cons.

85. Disney's Cruella de __: VIL.

87. Was short: OWED.

89. Gamer's field: ESPORTS.

90. Twain hero: FINN.

94. Hundred-to-one shot: BAD BET.

98. "Good grief!": EGADS.

102. Camera view: ANGLE.

103. Pathogen fighter: T CELL.

104. Vibe: SENSE.

106. Hopeful: ROSY.

107. College World Series org.: NCAA. Held in Omaha every June.

109. Critic's kudos: RAVE.

110. Spreadsheet filler: DATA.

111. __ shed: SHE.

C.C.