Saturday, September 24, 2022, Adrian Johnson

 

Saturday Themeless by Adrian Johnson

Our Wyoming native who went to college in Minnesota is now doing great work for a startup group called BetterFi, a nonprofit working to end predatory lending in Tennessee.

The NW corner wasn't blank, it was just wrong but I persevered and finished there. Stacks of triple 10's always impress me. Ferreting out EMILIO gave me the big finish. 

Across:

1. "No offense": JUST SAYING.

11. Get better: HEAL.

15. Italian for "entrepreneur": IMPRESARIO and the one below is famous for his 17. Revue element: VARIETY ACTs like jugglers, puppets, plate spinners, et al.

16. Banks on a runway: TYRA - Ms. Banks is on our runway here often 

18. Not at all assertive: MEEK.

19. Music producer Estefan: EMILIO - Yeah, I'm the only who put in his wife GLORIA's name first

20. Valleys: HOLLOWS - Twill soon be the season for one

22. Squelch: SIT ON - Media members have been known to SIT ON a story that shows a favorite of theirs in a bad light 

23. __ pad: STENO  

25. Gravel size: PEA.

26. So-so effort: B-GAME - If you don't bring your A-GAME...

28. Soothed: EASED.

30. "Didn't think I'd see you here!": OH HI.

33. Audition dismissal: NEXT 

35. "Tsk" evokers: NO NOS.

37. Etymology concern: ROOT - “Etymology” derives from the Greek root word etumos, meaning “true.”

38. List on a concert T-shirt: DATES.

40. Actress Headey: LENA - Her IMDB

41. City near Nīmes: ARLES - Of course two teams that are 32 minutes from each other in the south of France play each other in soccer, uh, football

43. Collection that often happens by default: REPO.

44. "The Secret of the Old Clock" sleuth: DREW was a 57. 44-Across, for one: TEEN. You can have this 1931 Nancy Drew first edition for $1,000

45. Food service giant: SYSCO.

47. Asian peninsula: SINAI.

49. Make ends meet?: SEW.

50. Felt lousy: AILED.

52. Label on some bean bags: DECAF - Oh, those beans

56. Empty words: PRATTLE which might cause you to say 13. "Is that all?": ARE WE DONE?

58. Comoros capital: MORONI - Crosswords can really expand your knowledge of geography. I had no idea about these islands that are between Mozambique and Madagascar.

59. Stuck in traffic, say: LATE.

60. Early aircraft navigation system: RADIO RANGE - Its fascinating history

63. Frozen treat with Mermaid and Baby Narwhal flavors: ICEE - No really!

64. Caver's cry: I SURRENDER - No spelunking here, just someone caving in to pressure

65. Bird found on all seven continents: TERN.

Migration pattern of the Arctic TERN

`
66. Spirited tale: GHOST STORY - Best lead-in to a commercial ever made

Down:

1. Gets into swing: JIVES - Not "Get into a swing" or "Get into the swing"

2. Taste found in shrimp paste: UMAMI - I first thought it was an ingredient like AIOLI and not a class of taste our mouth detects

3. Diagonal spar: SPRIT 

4. Paleozoic marine arthropods: TRILOBITES - A 3-D printer model

5. Believing, so they say: SEEING.

6. Phrase that may start a verdict: AS TO -AS TO the matter of the people of the state of California vs. Orenthal James Simpson case No. BA097211, we the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant Orenthal James Simpson not guilty of the crime of murder...

7. "Yesss!": YAY.

8. Plan for the future, in a way: IRA.

9. Recess: NICHE.

10. Happy cry on a fishing boat: GOT ONE - After four hours of no luck fishing in Lake La Ronge in Saskatchewan, I finally yelled this

11. Building site code?: HTML - For the question above: 10. Happy cry on a fishing boat: <b>GOT ONE </b>- After four hours of no luck fishing in Lake La Ronge in Saskatchewan, I finally could yell this.<br /><br />

12. Dose of reality, perhaps: EYE OPENER - The Husker's 1 - 3 start 

14. Southeast Asian spicy noodle soup: LAKSA.

21. Front: LOAN - Every summer my bank would loan (FRONT) me enough money to start up my detasseling business 

23. Application error, perhaps: SMEAR.

24. Informal language that includes many abbreviations: TEXTESE - Here's 50 of 'em

27. "Then what happened!?": AND 

29. Colonial protector?: SOLDIER ANT.

30. "Let You Love Me" and "You for Me" singer: ORA.

31. Close political contest: HORSERACE.

32. Symbol of purification: HOLY WATER that is hopefully 34. Not so hot: TEPID below

36. Prop for a classic magic trick: SAW.

39. Junior: SON.

42. "Git!": SCAT.

46. Groundbreaking technology?: OIL RIG - Of course that ground might be under a few miles of ocean

48. Digs a lot: ADORES.

49. Left: SPLIT - "Let's SPLIT daddio!"

51. Chow line?: LEASH - Adrian!

53. Complex part?: CONDO.

54. Emotion voiced by Lewis Black in "Inside Out": ANGER.

55. Like some emotional speeches: FIERY - Omaha's Malcolm X gave many

58. Lemur in the "Madagascar" films: MORT - Today I learned that MORONI is very near Madagascar. 

61. Pair: DUO.

62. Org. led by Charles P. Rettig: IRS - He seems to like his job.

Saturday, June 18, 2022, Adrian Johnson and Brad Wilber

Saturday Themeless by Adrian Johnson and Brad Wilber 

Two familiar constructors collaborate today on a puzzle where the SW corner challenged me. It appears that EDAM is not the only four-letter cheese and AVIAS are not the only five-letter sneakers. Coupled with my "shouldn't have been that hard" AGUA FRESCA, whatever TACOS those were and TANSY not PANSY it made it interesting but I "got 'er done".
                                                     

Across:

1. Concern when merging: BLINDSPOT.

10. Texas river diverted into the Red Bluff Reservoir: PECOS.

15. Museum download: AUDIO TOUR - At the Louvre 

16. Dippy: INANE.

17. Stranger in many a family holiday photo: MALL SANTA - I recall one who was in Miracle On 34th Street

18. Cake made from ground nuts: TORTE - A Martha Stewart TORTE with almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts

19. "While I Was Gone" novelist Miller: SUE.

20. Becomes, finally: ENDS UP.

22. "High Anxiety" actress: KAHN - A true comedic genius

23. Say further: ADD.

24. Corps member: MARINE.

26. Metered fleet: CABS.

29. Treatment plant input: SEWAGE - My dad worked at our town's STP (SEWAGE Treatment Plant) and gave me a visual and olfactory tour. 36. "Jinkies!": YIKES.

32. "The Cube" network: TBS - Hit Play at this link for a sample of this game

34. Delighted toddler's demand: AGAIN - I got tired before my daughters did 

37. Time worth studying: ERA.

38. Gruff prescription for a minor injury: RUB SOME DIRT ON IT - "Suck it up and keep playing!" A familiar refrain in my yute.

41. "Glad to hear it!": YAY.

42. Aspect: FACET.

43. Branch of Islam: SUNNI.

44. Org. whose members take hikes?: NFL - BSA? Wrong hikes.

45. Mets slugger Pete who holds the record for most home runs by a rookie: ALONSO - He broke Aaron Judge's record

47. Benefit: SAKE.

48. Irredeemable: ROTTEN.

50. Word of invitation: SIT.

52. Cheese paired with kalamata olives: FETA.

53. Do more than listen: STEP IN.

56. __ diavolo sauce: FRA - (Brother Devil) "FRA diavolo sauce is an Italian classic sauce made with juicy tomatoes and fiery chili flakes, perfect for seafood and pasta."

59. #LiveUplifted sneakers brand: ASICS - Here ya go

61. Arthroscopic procedure that may follow an MRI of the knee: ACL REPAIR.

63. McNairy of "Halt and Catch Fire": SCOOT - Saturday-obscure cluing for a common word

64. Ride between runs: CHAIR LIFT - Oh, ski runs!

65. Button-like flower: TANSY - Sounds like PANSY but doesn't look like one

66. Setting for some unboxing videos: TOY STORES - This man makes a living shooting unboxing videos and posting them on YouTube. 

Down:

1. Some carpentry noises: BAMS.

2. Party with poke: LUAU - Poke is Hawaiian for "chunk"

3. Between jobs: IDLE.

4. Bupkis: NIL.

5. Gave a shot, say: DOSED - We have been correctly DOSED and shot three times

6. Efforts at resistance: STANDS - Custer's last one was a disaster for him and his men

7. Spot for a koi or a decoy: POND.

8. Ballpark figure: OUTS.

9. Emergency gear: TRAUMA KITS.

10. Depression: PIT.

11. Miso soup mushroom: ENOKI - From C.C.'s June 12 write-up

12. Road show necessity?: CAR ANTENNA - Or dual ones

13. Flirting with: ON THE BRINK - Top 10 animals ON THE BRINK of extinction 

14. Camille Pagán's "Woman Last __ in Her Thirties": SEEN.

21. "Your table's ready" device: PAGER 

23. Warts and all: AS IS.

25. Relies (on): RESTS.

26. Whoopi's birth name: CARYN.

27. Drink often flavored with hibiscus: AGUA FRESCA -(Spanish for Fresh Water) - "AGUA FRESCA is a light fruit drink popular throughout Mexico. It's simply made by blending fruit with water, a bit of sugar and a little lime juice." You're welcome.

28. Aveeno product: BABY LOTION.

30. Peer-to-peer sharing?: EYE CONTACT - You peer at me and I peer at you.

31. Add capacity to, in a way: WIDEN.

33. French composer who influenced Ravel: SATIE.

Debussy                Ravel               Satie

35. Diet food choice: NO FAT.

39. Some mechanical connectors: MALES.

40. Dethrone: OUST.

46. Egyptian god invoked in "The Magic Flute": OSIRIS.

49. __ al pastor: TACOS - "Al pastor (from Spanish, "shepherd style"), also known as TACOS al pastor, is a taco made with spit-grilled meat."

51. Disinclined to form compounds: INERT - Chem 101

52. Media __: unplugged period: FAST  - How long could you go?

54. Sign of hollowness: ECHO - That barrel must be empty

55. "Proof" or "Doubt": PLAY - New to me but "had to be"

56. "Point taken": FAIR.

57. Abounding (with): RIFE.

58. Review-heavy newspaper section: ARTS.

60. Trough spot: STY. - Fun clue

62. Gp. central to the 1993 Oslo Accords: PLO - A smiling PLO leader Yassar Arafat shaking hands with a reluctant prime minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin