Thursday, May 9, 2024, Joe Rodini

 

 No Smoking!

I'm going out on a limb here to tell you that today's constructor Joe Rodini, is using his debut on the Corner to present us with an elaborate Public Service Announcement.  He tries three times to light a CIGAR in the following 3 theme clues, but it gets dimmer and dimmer after each attempt... ...

17A. *Opera buffa by Mozart: LE NOZZE DI FIGARO.  Some people think that The Marriage of Figaro is the greatest opera ever written, and far be it for me to argue with them.  This opera was revolutionary, not just musically, but in its veiled attack on the aristocracy (it was actually banned in Vienna).  The plot revolves around Count Almaviva's attempt to exercise his Droit du seigneur -- that is his right as a Lord to "break in" any of his servant girls on the night of their wedding.  The servant in this case it is Susanna, Figaro's fiancee (the same Figaro as in Rossini's The Barber of Seville).  The opera ends with an embarrassing moonlight tryst between the Count and his own wife, the Countess Rosina, whom he has been tricked into thinking is Susanna.  Here's how the opera begins ...

29A. *Landscape options in dry climates: ROCK GARDENS.

A Rock Garden in San Diego

39A. *One skilled at manipulating characters: ASCII ARTIST.  The Tsunami was a popular image in the ASCII Age, for those who foresaw the emergence of graphic computer interfaces and the coming Internet ...

 And finally Joe reveals what he's really trying to warn us about ...

54. "Not quite!," and what can be said about a letter string in the answer to each starred clue: CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR.  ... or as this Veggie Tale tells us ...

... if you smoke, it will end up being your Silent Night!

I fear that there may be a whole other layer hidden in the ashes of this theme, and if there is, I'm sure you'll point it out!

Here's the grid ...
 

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Department concerned with wages: LABOR.

6. "Word": I DIG.

10. Kazakhstan's North __ Sea: ARAL.  Four letter sea?  Could this be an EKTORP?*

14. D-Day beach name: OMAHA.  OMAHA was the code name for one of 5 beaches where Allied Forces came ashore on during D-Day, the June 6th, 1944.  It was the most heavily defended beach by the Germans, everything went wrong on that beach, and it took the heaviest casualties (e.g. compare American losses on Omaha vs Utah).  On a D-Day tour of the beaches some years back our guide told us that the Allied air forces were supposed to carpet bomb the bluffs above Omaha beach with sorties running parallel to it.  He speculated that due to inter-service rivalry they ignored this decision and flew instead in from the sea at right angles to the beach, and many of their bombs landed in the fields beyond the bluffs.  As this scene from Saving Private Ryan shows us, the results were disastrous ...

Anyone not a minor, feel free to click on the
Watch on YouTube link above

15. Sushi wrapper: NORI. 

16. Get a better rate, for short: REFI.  REFInance.
.
17. [Theme clue]

20. "Your point being?": AND?

21. They mean nothing: ZEROS.  Yes they do, but they are also one of the most significant discoveries of early mathematicians.  While there are many claims of "first" to this invention, e.g. this one, it seems likely that it was discovered independently by mathematicians around the world.

22. End zone marker: PYLON.  Sports usage.  But here our friendly Thesaurus.plus shows us only 10 of its 61 synonyms ...

23. Leaves at the altar: JILTS.

24. Tropical trees: PALMS.

25. Vegan milk source: ALMOND.

28. Mountainous region of the Levant: JUDEA.  Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, JUDEA is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name originates from Yehudah, a Hebrew name. Yehudah was a son of Jacob (one of the "Genesis twins" who never seems to make it into crossword fill  😀) who was later given the name "Israel" and whose sons collectively headed the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Yehudah's progeny among the Israelites formed the Tribe of Judah, with whom the Kingdom of Judah is associated.

29. [Theme clue]

32. "CSI" evidence: DNA.   Deoxyribonucleic Acid is gathered during a crime scene investigation because each individual's DNA is unique, and like finger prints, it can help identify who was at the scene. It has a half sibling called Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) -- for more on both DNA and RNA see 59A.

35. __ in handy: COME.

36. Missay, say: ERR.  Is there a wrong way to clue this?

37. God of love: EROS.  Specifically the Greek god of love, the Roman god being CUPID or Amor.  Their holiday is celebrated every February 14th. 💕

38. Swanky hotel amenity: SPA.

39A [Theme clue]

43. Memos: NOTES.

45. Crow's-nest cry: LAND HO.

46. Race town near Windsor Castle: ASCOT.  The Ascot Racecourse was founded by Queen Anne in 1711, and has since received the support of a further twelve monarchs. The Ascot summer race meeting officially became a Royal week in 1911 and is always visited by the King and Queen.

The Ascot Races

47. Red carpet brand: PRADA.

49. Pertaining to bees: APIAN.

50. __ Sound Machine: MIAMI.  Miami Sound Machine was an American Latin pop band of Latin-influenced music that featured the vocals of Cuban-born recording artist Gloria Estefan (née Fajardo). Established in 1975 by Emilio Estefan Jr., the band was originally known as the Miami Latin Boys before becoming the Miami Sound Machine in 1977.  Their Rhythm is Gonna Get You ...

51. Explosive letters: TNT.  A preview of coming attractions ...

54. [Theme reveal]

57. "Get your own!": MINE.

58. Free of fizz: FLAT.  Another versatile word ...

59. Protein-building acid: AMINO.  There are two main classes of proteins: 1. structural proteins used to build muscle, tissues, organs, etc; and 2. enzymes (suffixed with ase), which act as catalysts (facilitators) mediating the myriad biological reactions that comprise metabolism.  Proteins are essentially long strings of AMINO acids (a.k.a. "polypeptides") folded into specific 3D shapes suited to their purposes.  The process by which this occurs is called protein synthesis. The order of the amino acids in a protein is defined by the GENES, sequences of  DNA nucleotides (the famous "stair steps" in DNA's helical structure) specific to each protein.  Here's a visual explanation of protein synthesis provided by the Amoeba Sisters ...

Among the most important enzymes is RNA Polymerase, discovered  6 years after the the structure of DNA was discovered in 1953, and which is required in the synthesis of DNA and RNA.  Simply put, DNA is required to make enzymes, but enzymes are required to make DNA.  How did that happen?  Scientists have been working on this "chicken and egg"problem at least since 1959.

60. Online crafts site: ETSY.

61. __ up: tell all: FESS.

62. Lite: LO FAT.

Down:

1. Kirke of "Mozart in the Jungle": LOLA.  Lola Kirke plays oboist Hailey Rutledge in the Amazon Prime TV series based on the 2005 memoir Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music, by real life oboist Blair Tindall ...

2. "Preach!": AMEN.

3. Boston or Chicago: BAND.  CITY fits, but doesn't perp.  Boston is an American rock band formed in 1975 by Tom Scholz in Boston, Massachusetts, that experienced significant commercial success during the 1970s and 1980s.  Chicago is an American rock band formed in Chicago in 1967.  Self-described as a "rock and roll band with horns," their songs often combine elements of classical music, jazz, R&B, and pop music.  Here are Boston and Chicago's greatest hits ...

More Than a Feeling

 Saturday in the Park

4. Cry of discovery: OHO.

5. Poking fun at: RAZZING.

6. Like noble gases: INERT.  Snobs that they are, noble gases' exhibit INERTNESS, a tendency not to react with other chemical substances, which results from their electron configuration: their outer shell of valence electrons is "full", giving them little tendency to participate in chemical reactions.

7. Long-extinct flightless birds: DODOS.  Their name is synonymous with "stupid", but their extinction was not caused by stupidity.

Dodo

8. Eye part: IRIS.

9. Many a moving meme: GIF.  LIFE IS SHORT ...

10. Sock pattern: ARGYLE.  ARGYLE is the handle for D. Scott Nichols, of Argyle, NY, a long time blogger on the Corner, who passed away on May 1, 2018.   He was also known affectionately as our Santa.  Here's C.C. In Memoriam. It's worth reading for what the regular commenters had to say about him.  Some of them have passed on as well.

Argyle

11. La Liga team that plays in Santiago Bernabéu Stadium: REAL MADRID.  Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, commonly referred to as REAL MADRID, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football.

12. Curly hairstyles: AFROS.

13. Wildebeest hunter: LION.

18. Nintendo princess: ZELDA. Princess Zelda is a character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda video game series.

Princess Zelda

19. Tablets at some checkout counters: IPADS.  5 major benefits of using IPADS in retail.

23. Routine element: JOKE.  While this guy is best known for his standup, he starts this routine kneeling ...

24. Many a 23-Down: PUN. 

25. Circle parts: ARCS.

26. Roller coaster feature: LOOP.

27. Supersize suburban homes: MCMANSIONS.  What's the difference between a McMANSION and just a big house?

Some McMansions under construction near me
(BTW, the flag on the right is a CSO to Anonymous -T)

28. Ryan of "Bosch": JERI.  I couldn't find any clips of her from Bosch, but it turns out that Jeri Ryan can sing.  I believe this performance was on Star Trek Voyager's  holadeck ...

30. Suggestions, informally: RECS.  TIPS would have fit too.

31. Soft & __: DRI.

33. Have a snack: NOSH.

34. Apropos of: AS TO.

37. Sicilian mount: ETNA.  Mount ETNA erupts frequently in crosswords, and this past December it obliged us with an actual eruption ...

39. Back up an apology, say: ATONE.    Sometimes an apology is not enough -- the theme of the book/movie ATONEMENT (highly recommended) ...

40. Gel: SET.

41. Avis rival: ALAMO.
 
42. Far beyond the norm: RADICAL.  Dude!

44. Irish dramatist Seán: O'CASEY.  Seán O'Casey (born John Casey; 30 March 1880 – 18 September 1964) was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes.

Seán O'Casey

46. College-level HS English course: AP LIT.  You might just read one of 44A's plays there.

47. Falafel holders: PITAS.  Here's a recipe.

Falafels

48. Tirades: RANTS.

49. Cartoon maker of Invisible Paint and Instant Road: ACME.

50. Stubborn beast: MULE.

51. "Yay, the weekend's almost here!": TGIF.  The day after Thursday!

52. Grandmother's nickname: NANA.

53. Moderate gait: TROT.

55. Lifelong pal, briefly: BFF.

56. "If u ask me ... ": IMO.  I know u didn't, but I drew the short straw today.

Cheers,
Bill

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

waseeley

*EKTORP was defined by Emma Oxford  in a comment to  her April 17th, 2024 puzzle as "a clue whose answer you can get from context without actually knowing it."

 

Notes from C.C.:

Renee (sumdaze) and I made today's USA Today puzzle. Click here to solve. Congrats on your debut, Renee! You're simply amazing.

Wednesday, May 8, 2024, Rebecca Goldstein and Rachel Fabi

SOUP & SANDWICH

 Our dynamic duo ( see 46D. ) of crossword collaborators Rebecca and Rachel has teamed up once again.  In today's theme they redefine MESS HALL as "MESS-Y" HALL; four phrases involving service items - one flatware, one glassware, two dinnerware - described as being dirty or in disarray. the word "mess" derives from the Frawnche 'mes' for "dish".  A 16 x 15 grid, allowing for two 8-letter, two 11-letter and one 12-letter spanner, plus lots of black squares, but I don't have the "deets" on what is the maximum allowed.  A handful of names, but nothing too pesky.  The theme answers:

16. Region of severe drought in the 1930s: DUST BOWL - the history

24. Diner, e.g.: GREASY SPOON - My personal favorite - Waffle House

Sadly, there is no WAFFLE HOUSE in CT

36. Rochester, New York, dish with meat, fries, and baked beans: GARBAGE PLATE - I spent a lot of my time in NY, but I had never heard of this dish before; I was going to add a picture, but it does not look appetizing at all

49. Hazard for bare feet in a beach parking lot: BROKEN GLASS - Also the title of a song; I used to hear it once a day during my retail employment tenure; I did not know it was Annie Lennox of "Eurythmics" fame who sings this

59. Army dining area, or a punny description of where to find 16-, 24-, 36-, and 49-Across: MESS HALL - perhaps the most notorious movie MESS HALL. . . .

It did get "messy"

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Day on Mars: SOL - I do the DOWNS first, but had no crossings, so this one eluded me; a "DAY" on Mars is one planetary rotation; in this case, it's just over 37mins more than Earth's

4. Crunched numbers: DATA

8. Shockingly vivid: LURID - I could find many an image, but this forum won't allow it~!

13. Clean water org.: EPA

14. Inner selves: EGOS

15. Wretchedness: MISERY

18. Structures that provide shade: GAZEBOS - a long-term goal is to build several decks and a structure down by my creek - perhaps it will be a gazebo

I could actually pull this off - note, another Rochester NY reference

19. At the ready: ALERT

20. Massive: EPIC

22. Craigslist abbr.: OBO - Or Best Offer - anyone care to make an offer on these two~?  My tractor is here, so I don't need these two any more~!

23. Actress Polo: TERI - name #1, filled via perps

28. Head physician, briefly?: ENT - Ear, "50D.", Throat; I was looking for an abbr. for "psychiatrist" e.g., "shrink"

29. Feeds the pigs: SLOPS

30. Light units: WATTS

31. Assume, as a responsibility: TAKE ON

33. Bank vaults: SAFES

39. Question type: YES/NO - my "CANOE" at 32D. led me to try NO/YES first

40. SoFi Stadium pros: L.A. RAMS

42. Actor Hawke: ETHAN - name #2, but I know this one

45. Runs up against?: ABUTS

47. Light touch: PAT

52. Cooked up: MADE - someone MADE a mess in the kitchen

53. Bluff, maybe: BET - eh, sorta - I've played enough poker to know when someone's "BET" is more likely a "BLUFF"

54. Force from power: OUST

55. Gives for a while: LENDS

56. "Doesn't look good for me!": "I'M TOAST"

62. Apt name for someone born on Christmas: NOELLE - name,ish

63. Operatic solo: ARIA

64. Narc's org.: DEA - Drug Enforcement Agency, mentioned in this song....

Smuggler's Blues, Glenn Frey - and it gets MESSY in this kitchen, too~!

65. Class: GRADE - as in K thru 12

66. Subsequently: NEXT

67. Mule kin: ASS - and ABUTS in the same puzzle~?


DOWN:

1. Hardly rowdy: SEDATE

2. Richly appointed: OPULENT

3. Activity that involves taking a shot in the dark?: LASER TAG - my brother and I had the "home version" as kids

4. Subject of a congressional ceiling: DEBT - check out this site

5. Previously: AGO - meh

6. Pull along: TOW - ah, not TUG

7. Like a limb that's all pins and needles: ASLEEP

8. "30 Rock" role for Tina: LIZ - name #4; I know TINA, did not know "Liz"

9. Employ: USE

10. Start up again: REBOOT

11. Asimov work with "Three Laws": I, ROBOT - Issac Asimov, and a movie starring Will Smith

12. Vacuums that have "dual cyclone" technology: DYSONS - I actually have two, the 'ball' and the cordless - but the latter seems to have lost the ability to retain a charge - time to get a replacement battery, I guess

15. "I Try" singer Gray: MACY - name #5, filled via perps

17. Prefix with -athlon: TRI

18. Beneficiaries of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, for short: GIs - "The GI Bill"

21. Out of style: PASSÉ

24. Gooey lumps: GLOBS

25. Journalist Farrow: RONAN - name #6; filled via perps

26. Pinky promises: SWEARS

27. Carb-loader's pre-race meal: PASTA

29. Like the vibes at a spa: SERENE

32. Style of boat first used by the Aleut, Inuit, and Yupik peoples: KAYAK - I tried 'CANOE', but this is a better answer

34. Overachiever's test score: A-PLUS - a dupe answer from yesterday

Even better than A PLUS

35. Shoes that lack heels: FLATS - I had my fill of shoe fills last week. . . . see below

37. Aspirational hashtag: GOALS - I don't "hashtag", so I had no idea; crossing the unknown theme answer didn't help

38. Savory turnover: EMPANADA

Note the "LIME WEDGES", and NOT the shoes

41. Seats for equestrians: SADDLES - we had a Kentucky Derby pool at work; I picked "Track Phantom" and "Stronghold", and neither came in win, place, OR show. . . .

Blazing SADDLES Pie Fight; another MESSY HALL

42. Receding: EBBING

43. Earthquake: TREMOR - nailed it; we felt the April 5th New Jersey quake in CT; I read there was an additional TREMOR on May 1

44. Sore throat soother: HOT TEA - ah.  LOZENGE did not fit

46. The Caped Crusader: BATMAN - Holy Crossword Clues~!

Still the coolest Batmobile ever, IMO

48. Cars that charge slowly in the cold: TESLAS - got it; I had a plug-in Subaru Crosstrek, and was aware that it would take longer to charge in the winter, as I did not have a garage at the time; it really didn't matter, since I charged it overnight as I slept, and it only took 5hrs anyway

50. Honker: NOSE

51. Word before microbiome: GUT - filled via perps

And After You Have a Garbage Plate~?

52. "It's fine": MEH - Meh.  For me, this qualifies something as less than "fine"

55. DA-to-be's exam: LSAT - crossword staple

57. Long in the tooth: OLD

58. Tap pour: ALE

60. Before, poetically: ERE

61. __-pack abs: SIX - my gym attendance has plummeted; conversely, my weight has risen - go figure; I'm just not a "gym" person

Splynter

Tuesday, May 7, 2024 Amanda Cook and Katie Hale

Pandemic Etiquette:  Now that it has been a year since the World Health Organization (WHO) downgraded Covid-19 from a health emergency to a health threat and we are not in pandemic mode, do we still have to STAND APART?

17-Across. Generic choice at the supermarket: STORE BRAND.  Store brands are made and sold for a specific retailer and meant to compete with brand-name goods. Store brands tend to be cheaper than name brand goods.

Store Brand for Costco.

25-Across. Emotional condition: STATE O FMIND.

40-Across. Cue a jazz ensemble, e.g.: STRIKE UP THE BAND.

50-Across. Inspire wannabes, maybe: START A TREND.

And the unifier:

63-Across. Stick out from the crowd, and what can be found in 17-, 25-, 40-, and 50-Across?: STAND APART.  No circles were needed in today's puzzle to see that the word Stand is broken Apart in each theme answer.

Across:

1. All __: medium for shouty emails: CAPS.  YOU DON'T HAVE TO YELL!

5. Meteorologist's tool: RADAR.

10. Apple tablet: iPAD.

14. Feel sore: ACHE.

15. Adler played by Lara Pulver on "Sherlock": IRENE.  Lara Pulvar (b. Sept. 1, 1980) is an English actress who portrayed Irene Adler on the BBC version of Sherlock Holmes.  [Names # 1 and 2, One fictional, one real.]

16. Overhaul: REDO.

19. Bank lobby conveniences: ATMs.  A crossword staple.

20. Sum: TOTAL.

21. __ deck: cruise ship level: LIDO.

23. Formal neckwear: TIE.

24. Sign at a packed theater: SRO.  Standing Room Only.

29. Become misshapen: WARP.

30. Tortilla chip dip, for short: GUAC.  Yummers!  I love a good Guacamole.

31. Alan of "M*A*S*H": ALDA.  Hawkeye Pierce from M*A*S*H was portrayed by Alan Alda (né Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; b. Jan. 28, 1936).  The television sit-com ran for 11 years: from September 1972 through February 1983.  [Name # 3.]

34. Deciduous 26-Downs: ELMS.  //  And 26-Down. Backyard shade provider: TREE.  Living on Elm Street can be a real nightmare.

37. Schnoz: SNOUT.

43. Hard to pick up: HEAVY.

44. "Scram!": SHOO.

45. Great Basin people: UTES.

46. Sound from a 57-Across: MEOW.  //  And 57-Across. Feline: CAT.  //  And 53-Across. Sounds from big 57-Acrosses: ROARS.

48. Chirpy songbird: WREN.

54. Caspian __: SEA.  The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake and sometimes referred to as a full-fledged sea.  It is a landlocked body of water in Eurasia. The countries surrounding Caspian Sea are five countries: Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan

58. Layered cookie: OREO.  A crossword staple.  You can get the cookie in a variety of flavors, but why?

59. Birth-related: NATAL.

61. Within: AMID.

66. Puerto __: RICO.  Puerto Rico is a Caribbean island and unincorporated U.S. territory.  Its capital is San Juan.

67. Data assortment: ARRAY.

68. Grain tower: SILO.

69. Otherwise: ELSE.

70. Fritter away: WASTE.

71. Big name in ice cream: EDYS.

Down:

1. __ a ballot: votes: CASTS.  This is an election year.  Enough said.

2. Many an A-lister: ACTOR.

3. Camera output: PHOTO.

4. Some hydrating skin care products: SERA.  But do they really work?

5. Tease: RIB.

6. Flight status abbr.: ARR.  As in Arrival time.

7. Handed out a hand: DEALT.

8. "It's the Hard Knock Life" musical: ANNIE.  [Name # 3, fictional.]

9. Clifford of kid-lit, for one: RED DOG.  Clifford The Big Red Dog is a series about the adventures of a girl named Emily Elizabeth and her pet dog, a giant, red-furred dog named Clifford.  Norman Bridwell (1928 ~ 2014) was the author of this series.  The first book in the series was published in 1963.  [Name # 4, fictional.]

10. Gershwin brother: IRA.  A nice, refreshing change from the usual Individual Retirement Account.  Ira Gershwin (né Israel Gershovitz; Dec. 6, 1896 ~ Aug. 17, 1983) was the older brother of George Gershwin (né Jacob Gershovitz; Sept. 26, 1898 ~ July 11, 1937).  The two brothers collaborated on many songs: George composed the music and Ira wrote the lyrics.   [Name # 5.]

George and Ira Gershwin

11. Frilly garment in many a costume drama: PETTICOAT.

12. Online moderator, for short: ADMIN.  As in Administrator.

13. Gave a couple of Advil, say: DOSED.

18. Olaf's creator in "Frozen": ELSA.  The musical Frozen is based on Hans Christian Anderson's story The Snow Queen.  [Name # 5, fictional.]

22. Practical: OF USE.

27. Great grade: A-PLUS.

28. Topknot on a dude: MAN BUN.

29. Formal relinquishing of rights: WAIVER.

31. __ Wednesday: ASH.

32. Cell service initials: LTE.  As in Long Term Evolution.  Everything you wanted to know about LTE but didn't know to ask.

33. Theatrical behavior: DRAMATICS.

35. Dashboard stat: MPH.  As in Miles Per Hour.

36. Writer and abolitionist Harriet Beecher __: STOWE.  Harriet Beecher Stowe (June 14, 1811 ~ July 1, 1896) is best known for her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin.  [Name # 6.]

38. Arles article: UNE.  Today's French lesson.  Arles is a city in southern France.  It is best known for being the place that inspired Vincent Van Gogh (Mar. 30, 1853 ~ July 29, 1890) to paint many of his works.  It was also an ancient Roman outpost.

39. QB goals: TDS.  Think football: as in Touch Downs.

41. Japanese city whose name means "capital city": KYOTO.  Kyoto, once the capital of Japan, is a city on the island of Honshu. It's famous for its numerous classical Buddhist temples, as well as gardens, imperial palaces, Shinto shrines and traditional wooden houses.

42. "Beep beep" maker: HORN.

47. Polish capital: WARSAW.

49. Novelist Ferber: EDNA.  Edna Ferber (Aug. 15, 1885 ~ Apr. 16, 1968) wrote many novels, including Show Boat, which was later adapted into a musical.  [Name # 7.]

50. Cause to jump, maybe: SCARE.

51. Native of Sri Lanka: TAMIL.

52. Eye-catching aquarium fish: TETRA.  Everything you wanted to know about Tetra but didn't know to ask.

54. Serious: STAID.

55. Before the doors open: EARLY.

56. Choir section: ALTOS.

60. Cathedral area: APSE.

62. Mama deer: DOE.

64. D.C. MLBer: NAT.  The Washington, D.C., Nationals are a professional baseball team.

65. Salon supply: DYE.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה