Monday April 22, 2024 Agnes Davidson and Zhouqin Burnikel

  

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

sumdaze here with a puzzle by two of our favorite people on The Corner -- Irish Miss and C.C.! What a lovely surprise to open up the puzzle and see both of their names! 

Theme:                

We will begin with the reveal:

64. Newspaper's attention-getters, and what both words in 17-, 25-, 38- and 54-Across can do: HEADLINES.

The answer to each starred clue is a two-word phrase where both the first word and the second word can be placed at the front (HEAD) of the word LINE.  

I liked how the clues for the themers did not stand out from the regular fill. The lack of stars (*) added to my surprise at the reveal.

Since the clues for the themers also define them, I will focus on their +LINE meanings. (Note:  Some of these have additional meanings not identified here.)

17 Across. Improper etiquette at a social gathering: PARTY FOUL.

• PARTY LINE:  either a policy adopted by a political party or an old-school telephone system
• FOUL LINE:  in sports, a linear demarcation that, if crossed, incurs a penalty

25 Across. Aristocrat: BLUE BLOOD.

• BLUE LINE:  the offside boundary in hockey
• BLOOD LINE:  the pedigree of an animal

38 Across. Romantic outing: DATE NIGHT.

• DATELINE:  a TV newsmagazine show that premiered in 1992
• NIGHT LINE:  an evening, in-depth TV news show that first aired in 1980

54 Across. Biography: LIFE STORY.

• LIFE LINE:  a hand crease identified in palmistry
• STORY LINE:  the plot of a story, drama, or game

I enjoyed seeing both parts of the themers used for the reveal. I suppose we should not be surprised that our dynamic duo gave us a  double-the-fun theme. I am duly (dually?) impressed!  

Here is a double the pleasure celebration ditty.

Across:
1. "Antiques Roadshow" network: PBS.  What would you take to a filming?  

Junk in the Trunk  ~  2:50 min.

4. Sudden burst of activity: RUSH.  also, as -T would be quick to point out, a Canadian rock band... 

Rush released Tom Sawyer in 1981.

8. Seeks an answer: ASKS.

12. People who are not prone to infatuations, informally: AROS.  Merriam-Webster says this word was first used in 2014 as an abbreviated version of aromantic. Parse it as the prefix "a-" (meaning not or without) with the word "romantic". An ARO person may never develop a crush on a person or envision themselves entering into a romantic relationship.

14. In the past: ONCE.  upon a time...

15. Mown path: SWATH.  Have you seen any of the SB Mowing videos on YouTube? This guy goes around cleaning up the  worst eye-sore yard in the neighborhood for free. He is in Wichita, KS. It is sort of mesmerizing to watch him work because he speeds up the video as he cuts a SWATH in the lawn. This video is 30 min. but you can skip easily skip ahead. He gets out his mower at 18:23. There is a before/after part at the end. The world could use more people like Spencer!

19. Company newbie: HIREE.     and     66 Across. Job seeker's success: OFFER.

20. Customary routine: RITUAL.  I like the play on the word "custom".

21. Pot cover: LID.

23. Fat in tamale dough: LARD.  

¡Delicioso!

24. Confident way to solve newspaper puzzles: IN INK.

27. Actor Jeong: KEN.  Kendrick Kang-Joh Jeong is an American doctor, stand-up comedian and actor born in Detroit, MI in 1969. His popularity soared after playing Mr. Leslie Chow in The Hangover. Here he talks about his NBC sitcom, Dr. Ken (2015-2017).  

28. Biol. or geol.: SCI.  Biology and Geology are SCIences.

30. __ de mer: MAL.  seasickness

31. Korean automaker: KIA.

32. Jason's ship, in Greek mythology: ARGO.

34. Sport-__: versatile vehicle: UTE.  utility

CSO to D-Otto who likes the expression, "In my UTE ...." 😀

36. Zipped: RACED.

41. Image problem, for short: BAD PR.  Public Relations

43. General on a Chinese menu: TSO.  

...and now you know.

44. Ocean predator that sleeps with one eye open: ORCA.  Scientists think this is so they can rest one half of their brain at a time.

48. Chum: PAL.

49. Faux __: PAS.  

2020...what a year!

51. Sports drink suffix: -ADE.  

53. Shade tree: ELM.

57. Take, as advice: ACT ON.

59. Actor Alda: ALAN.

60. Meadow mama: EWE.  

My dog's name is Meadow.
Q:  Does that make me a meadow mama?
A:  Yes, EWE are.

61. Pique, as interest: AROUSE.

62. Accent on "señor": TILDE.  The ~ symbol has a number of uses. I notice Splynter uses it in his blogs.

On a PC, you can hold down the Alt key while typing 164 on the number pad then let go to get ñ. To type a capital Ñ, change that to 165. I do not know if this works on a Mac.

67. Home to billions of people: ASIA.  Comparatively, Australia is home to about 26 million people.

68. Celebratory suffix: -FEST.  Think "OctoberFEST", perhaps.

69. Fleeting trends: FADS.  

no comment

70. Time period: TERM.

71. Farm enclosure: STY.     and     9 Down. Gloppy fare: SWILL.

SWILL is kitchen refuse and scraps of waste food mixed with water for feeding to pigs.  

Down:

👉In the Across clues we had four themers plus a reveal. In the Down clues, we will encounter 12 seven-letter fills. Well done C.C. and Irish Miss!

Here is the first of the twelve:

1. Dusting on deviled eggs: PAPRIKA.  I figure McCormick seasoning company is an excellent source on this topic. They say, "PAPRIKA is made from the dried, ground, ripened fruit pods of less pungent varieties of the Capsicum annum species. It is mildly flavored and prized for its brilliant red color. It is closely related to red pepper which also derives from the Capsicum annum species."

2. No-__: easy decision: BRAINER.  

3. Doing some laundry prep: SORTING.  Notice how the clue and answer verb tenses match.

4. "ur hilarious!": ROFL.  "ur" is a hint the answer will be in textspeak. Rolling On the Floor Laughing  

5. Mattel game with 108 cards: UNO.

6. Light boat in a regatta: SCULL.  Boats with scullers (athletes with two oars each) in them are referred to as sculls.  SCULL as a verb means to propel a boat with sculls.  An empty SkULL with a "k" can be a 2-Down.

We will see single, 2-person, and 4-person events at the Paris Olympics.

7. Balloon gas: HELIUM.     and     65-Down. Yoga ball filler: AIR.

8. Fire pit residue: ASH.

10. Singalong activity at a bar: KARAOKE.  This one is for the BBT fans (1 min.)  

11. Drug type banned by most pro sports: STEROID.

13. Leave speechless: STUN.

16. Ibsen's "__ Gabler": HEDDA.  Hedda Gabler is a play written by Norwegian Henrik Johan Ibsen. It was first staged in 1891 in Munich, Germany. Hedda is the main character. She is newly married but already bored with her marriage and life.

18. Himalayan bovines: YAKS.  

That's pretty specific....

22. Prayer opening: DEAR GOD.  We often see the prayer closing "amen" in grids.

25. Small taste: BITE.

26. Yawn-inducing: BLAH.  "Dull" and "bore" also fit ... for a bit.

29. Bargain-basement: CUT-RATE.

33. Like 2025, but not 2024: ODD.  

35. Doc who treats sinusitis: ENT.  Ear Nose Throat

37. Exec concerned with data security: CTO.  Chief Technology Officer

39. Tablet downloads: APPS.

40. "If you ask me ... ": I SAY.

41. Courtroom figure who says "All rise!": BAILIFF.  

42. Cloverlike crop: ALFALFA.

45. Optimizes, as an engine: RETUNES.  Def.:  to tune something again or differently.

46. Most near: CLOSEST.

47. Political pardon: AMNESTY.

48. Student of Socrates: PLATO.  

50. "You think I care?": SO WHAT.

52. Noble title: EARL.

55. Phased out: ENDED.

56. Elle portrayer in "Legally Blonde": REESE.  Thanks to IM and C.C. for an opportunity to include a Legally Blonde clip!  (2:25 min.)  

58. Pageboy, for one: COIF.  A pageboy is a hairstyle. The length may vary but most variations have the ends curled under in a loose roll.  

61. Genesis man: ADAM.  Genesis is also an English rock band. Members came and went over the years but notably included Tony Banks (keyboard), Mike Rutherford (bassist/guitar), and Phil Collins (drums/vocals). Here are those Genesis men performing Turn It On Again (1980).  

63. Busy hosp. areas: ERS.  Hospital Emergency RoomS

Our conventional timeline is to insert the grid next:

Well, that was today's lineup. I'd say they hit it out of the park. What do you think?

Saturday, March 5, 2022, Agnes Davidson and C.C. Burnikel

 Themeless Saturday by Agnes Davidson and C.C. Burnikel

After quite a few collaborations, our Irish Miss and C.C. have now come up with a Saturday Themeless containing three famous artists and a modicum of movie/tv characters. I ERRED twice for two bad cells but had a good time!  Speaking of duos:

Here is Agnes' lovely note: 

Hi Gary: Glad you enjoyed our puzzle. This was submitted so long ago that when I received Rich’s heads-up on the publication date, I was shocked. I believe this is the only themeless that CC and I collaborated on and my contribution was the cluing, a lot of which, as is normal, was changed and/or tweaked. 

I’m glad you’re blogging our puzzle because you do such a great job explaining any ambiguities, obscurities, etc., as well as providing relevant illustrations and links. 

Hope all is well on the Plains! Ear tickles to Darling Lily!

From C.C.: We originally had MOAIS for 40-Across, clued as [Easter Islands figures]. Turns out the plural form of MOAI is still MOAI. Thankfully Rich caught our goof and redid that section.

Add to the list!

Across:

1. "Broad City" co-creator Jacobson: AB_I and 3. "Nonsense!": _OSH - I had no idea on ABBI but had heard TOSH used as "Nonsense" in England. Give me a bad cell.

5. Goya's "Duchess of __": ALBA - Goya did portraits where she fully clothed and nude. Here the Duchess is wearing two rings, one bearing ALBA and the other one GOYA and she is pointing down at Goya's signature. Their story and other paintings of her

9. Edit, in a way: ERASE.

14. Coin collector: SLOT - Tommy Glenn Carmichael bought SLOT machines and made "tools" to beat them. He stole millions before he was caught. How'd he do it?

15. Hero's home: DELI - Subs, grinders, hoagies,...

16. Foot specialists?: POETS 

17. Became unpopular: LOST FAVOR.

19. One-piece dresses: SARIS.

20. Rendered less valuable: CHEAPENED and 40. He surpassed Ruth: MARIS - Some claimed that the HR record was CHEAPENED because Roger needed eight more games to break the Babe's record 

22. Kunis who voices Meg on "Family Guy": MILA.

A native of Ukraine

23. Turned blue?: ACTED SAD.

25. Olympic gymnast Raisman with six medals: ALY.

26. Brings under control: TAMES.

28. Show dissatisfaction with: YELL AT.

Just don't say the "magic word"

30. Throw on: DON - Like "gay apparel"

31. Word with engine or pipe: STEAM.

35. Target division: AISLE.

36. Nana's babysitting observation, perhaps: I'M TOO OLD FOR THIS - Seeing three O's in a row gave me pause

39. "Rizzoli & Isles" actress Alexander: SASHA.

Angie Harmon and 
SASHA (nee Drobnjakovic)

41. 10, at times: Abbr.: OCT and 12. 2014 drama that earned Julianne Moore a Best Actress Oscar: STILL ALICE - Holding out for STILL ALIVE kept me at OVT instead of OCT for way too long.

42. Brownstone features: STOOPS 

44. It's often iced: LATTE.

46. Quite a long time: EON.

47. First word of #1 titles by Donovan and John Denver: SUNSHINE - I'm sure Sunshine Superman is just fine but John's song gives me some real comfort.

51. Stuff: CRAM.

53. Powerful ruler: POTENTATE.

56. Some game pieces: TILES.

58. Major Southeast Asian financial hub: SINGAPORE.

60. Prefix suggesting thrift: ECONO.

61. Neutral shade: ECRU.

62. "Ella Enchanted" villain: OGRE.

43. "How ya doin'?": SUP, Ella

63. "The Dance Class" painter: DEGAS.

Fine Art at Wal Mart

64. Ditch: SKIP - I never did ditch/SKIP class

65. Take to __: criticize: TASK.

Down:

1. Soundless speech syst.: ASL.

2. Alliance: BLOC.

4. Computer support provider: IT TEAM - Now we're talking gender neutral 

5. Eventually learns to live in: ADAPTS TO.

6. Bank barrier: LEVEE - With scant snow this winter, the river LEVEES should be just fine this spring

7. Like some locks: BLOND - A convention not usually followed in American and Canada

A convention not usually 

followed in America and Canada

8. Buenos __: AIRES.

9. Short albums, for short: EPS - Extended Plays

10. Knock about: ROAM.

11. Drone product: AERIAL SHOT.

Our house is in the yellow trapezoid

13. Final, maybe: ESSAY TEST - Hated taking them and correcting them

18. Dove output: FACE SOAPS.

21. It breaks every morning: DAY.

24. Annual salutation: DEAR SANTA - Yes Virginia...

26. "Old Fashioned" Campbell's soup: TOMATO RICE.

27. Icky-sounding snack: ANTS ON A LOG - I think the ingredients are self-evident and look tasty to me

29. Smashed: LIT - Euphemisms for intoxicated

30. Analyzed in detail: DISSECTED - My kids learned a lot by DISSECTING a chicken wing and comparing it to a human arm

32. National Mall tree: ELM.

One of the survivors from the 
Original 333 planted in 1930's

33. Nabokov novel: ADA - Lolita is a novel about a love affair with a teenager and ADA is about one with a sister. 

34. Short creator?: MFR - ManuFactueRs are creators

37. Discovery word: OHO - AHA, It's OHO!

38. Body-building routine: OILING UP - Google if you must

45. Spout spot: TEAPOT - C'mon, I know what you're singing to yourself!

48. Bouquets: NOSES - Here ya go: Bouquet is also a part of “NOSE”, however it is often mistaken with Aroma, Bouquet is term used to describe the overall complexity in wine, not its fruity characters but instead the flavors of aged and developed wine, usually from more matured wine.

49. Stay on: STICK.

50. "The Dance II" artist Matisse: HENRI - Goya, Degas and now Matisse! 

52. "Aladdin" star Massoud: MENA - Rotten Tomatoes critics gave it a 57%. It was made for $187 M but grossed over $1B so...

54. __ party: TOGA.

55. Goes off: ERRS.

57. Brand name that looks like it has a missing period: SOS - I never noticed it before. Why no last period?

59. "Mouse in the house!": EEK.