Games People Play
Our constructors today, Alan Massengill and Doug Peterson,
clue their themers with 4 leading questions about popular game shows,
resulting in 4 in the language phrases. No stars, circles, or reveal
...
17. Mistake by a contestant on "The Price Is Right"?: COST OVERRUN. "The Price Is Right"
is an American television game show where contestants compete by
guessing the prices of merchandise to win cash and prizes. Contestants
are selected from the studio audience: the announcer calls their name,
inviting them to "Come on down!", the show's famous catchphrase.
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Here's the grid ...
Across:
1. Entrepreneur Blakely who founded Spanx: SARA. Spanx, Inc. is an American underwear maker focusing on shaping briefs and leggings, founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The company manufactures mainly pantyhose and other underwear for women and, since 2010, produces male underwear as well. Spanx specializes in foundation garments intended to make people appear thinner or more shapely -- and they're also onomatopoetic! 😀
5. Mischievous kids: SCAMPS. One of the most notorious SCAMPS in history is Till Eulenspiegel. His life is memorialized in this brief tone poem by Richard Strauss entitled Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks. Things do not go well for him in the end, but his spirit lives on ...
11. Personal pronoun: SHE.
14. Malevolence: EVIL. We were visited by EVIL in last Thursday's puzzle. One of the things that Hannah Arendt taught us about it is its banality, i.e. its commonness. Today marks the commemoration of the Christian saints Perpetua and Felicity, women who were martyred for the entertainment of Roman emperor Septimius Severus during his birthday party in 203 AD.
15. 7UP nickname, with "the": UNCOLA.
16. Male cat: TOM.
.
17. [Theme clue]
19. "__ bet!": YOU.
20. Blazer fabric: TWEED. Fabric created on a 44A.
21. Betty or Veronica: TEEN. Spin offs from the Archie Comics series.
22. Edelweiss range: ALPS. Edelweiss is not an area in the ALPS, but a region where the flower is particularly abundant. It is also the name of this song made famous by Roger's and Hammerstein's Sound of Music.
23. __ Bravo: RIO. Rio Bravo is a 1959 American Western film directed and produced by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan, and Ward Bond. Here's Get Along Home Cindy sung by Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan and Dean Martin.
25. Like neither Jack nor Jill, apparently: AGILE.
32. Chinese tea: CHA. The etymology of words for tea.
34. Quaint 19-Across?: THOU. "Thou bet" doesn't quite have the same ring to it.
35. Computer shortcut: MACRO. A macro is an automated input sequence that imitates keystrokes or mouse actions and can be invoked with a single CTRL key. A macro is typically used to replace a repetitive series of keyboard and mouse actions and used often in spreadsheets and word processing applications like MS Excel and MS Word. MACROS are also used to encapsulate logic in some programming languages.
36. Scratchy sound: RASP.
38. Pecks and pounds: UNITS.
41. Rocky __: ROAD. Lots of things answered this clue/fill including an ice cream, a confection made of chocolate, marshmallows, and nuts and one of the roads to Dublin ...
42. "For sure!": OH YES.
44. Textile machine: LOOM. A LOOM is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but the basic function is the same.
46. 70-Across's div.: NLE. National League East
47. [Theme clue]
51. "Bring it!": TRY ME.
52. Wee bit: TAD.
53. "Uptown Funk" singer Bruno: MARS. Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical styles, including pop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae, disco, and rock. Very funky!
55. North African seaport: ORAN. ORAN is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is 432 km (268 mi) west-southwest from Algiers. The total population of the city was 803,329 in 2008, while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second-largest city in Algeria.
58. Royal bride's accessory: TIARA.
62. Common verb: ARE.
63. [Theme clue]
65. Small pedestal: TEE. Cute. 😀
66. Bully: MEANIE. This particular variety is blue ...
67. Farm grunt: OINK.
68. Topper: HAT.
69. Lest: UNLESS.
70. 2019 World Series champs: NATS. The Washington Nationals.
Down:
1. Ticket abbr.: SECT.
2. Profess without shame: AVOW. If you wanted AVER this might help.
3. Stand up: RISE.
4. Sizes up, maybe: ALTERS.
5. Explorer, e.g.: SUV. It takes a stomping and keeps on romping ...
6. Tech review site: CNET. Their motto is "Your guide to a better future" and maybe "the more things you have the better!".
7. Good-sized building site: ACRE.
8. Mad scientist in an H.G. Wells classic: MOREAU. The Island of Doctor Moreau is an 1896 science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. The text of the novel is the narration of Edward Prendick, a shipwrecked man rescued by a passing boat. He is left on the island home of Doctor Moreau, a mad scientist who creates human-like hybrid beings from animals via vivisection.
9. Drop like a stone: PLUNGE.
10. Hokkaido honorific: SAN. E.g. Cho Cho SAN, the honorable Madama Butterfly. Her last words were "If you cannot live with honor, you must die with honor". Here she is waiting for the beautiful day (Un bel dì, vedremo) when her faithless husband returns to Nagasaki to retrieve "his" child ,accompanied by his "American wife" ...
11. Billy Porter and Lady Gaga, for two: STYLE ICONS.
12. Earring shape: HOOP.
13. Some native Australians: EMUS. The first time I've heard it clued this way.
18. Pindar, for one: ODIST. Pindar (Greek: Πίνδαρος; Latin: Pindarus; c. 518 BC – c. 438 BC) was an Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes. Of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar is by far the greatest, in virtue of his inspired magnificence, the beauty of his thoughts and figures, the rich exuberance of his language and matter, and his rolling flood of eloquence, characteristics which, as Horace rightly held, make him inimitable. Here is one of his victory odes ..
22. Communion table: ALTAR. Here is the high ALTAR at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore where we attend Mass ...
24. Birthplace of 53-Across: OAHU. Bruno Mars.
26. Doctrine: ISM.
27. Financial independence: EASY STREET.
28. Hither and __: YON.
29. Patterned spread: QUILT. Here's a QUILT created by Teri's sister Rose ...
30. Face-to-face exam: ORAL. I wonder if the face-to-face exams at Gallaudet University are DIGITAL?
31. Lymph __: NODE. Lymph NODES are a part of the Lymphatic System, a group of organs, vessels and tissues that protect you from infection and keep a healthy balance of fluids throughout your body. Lymphatic system organs include your bone marrow, thymus and lymph nodes. Swollen lymph nodes are a sign of common infections, like strep throat, but also more serious diseases like cancer.
32. Footwear sometimes decorated with charms: CROC. Here's a pair for little Taylor Swift fans ...
33. "I got it": HA HA.
37. Jury makeup: PEERS.
39. Excessively: TOO.
40. Database command: SORT. In SQL, the most common database language, records are SORTED with the ORDER BY clause. Here is a list of the basic SQL commands.
43. Reserved: SHY. Also in debt.
45. Mazda two-seater: MIATA. Review of the 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata
48. Wide receiver's shout: IM OPEN.
49. Episodic story: SERIAL.
50. New Jersey township named for an inventor: EDISON. EDISON is a township located in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 1876, Thomas Edison set up his home and research laboratory in a neighborhood called "Menlo Park". While there he earned the nickname "the Wizard of Menlo Park". Before his death at age 83 in 1931, the prolific inventor amassed a record 1,093 patents for creations including the phonograph, a stock ticker, the motion-picture camera, the incandescent light bulb, a mechanical vote counter, the alkaline storage battery including one for an electric car, and the first commercial electric light.
53. "Do the __!": MATH.
54. Quarter: AREA.
56. Photographer Geddes: ANNE. Anne Elizabeth Geddes MNZM* (born 1956) is an Australian-born, New York City-based portrait photographer known primarily for her elaborately-staged photographs of infants. Here's her website.
57. CBS maritime drama: NCIS. NCIS
is an American military police procedural television series and the
first installment in the NCIS media franchise. The series revolves
around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service,
combining elements of the military drama and police procedural genres
with comedy. Here's an extended trailer for the 2024 season that also
contains a bit of history for the entire series.
59. K2 locale: ASIA. K2, at 8,611 metres (28,251 ft) above sea level, is the second-highest mountain in ASIA (and also on Earth), after Mount Everest at 8,849 metres (29,032 ft). Here are some rest stops on the way up ...
60. Lease: RENT.
61. Is inquisitive: ASKS.
63. Eric Dickerson's alma mater: Abbr.: SMU. Eric Demetric Dickerson (born September 2, 1960) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Dickerson played college football for the Mustangs of Southern Methodist University and was recognized as an All-American. He was selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft and played professionally for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons of the NFL. During his NFL career, he rushed for over 13,000 yards. He holds the NFL's single-season rushing record with 2,105 yards, set in 1984. Dickerson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999 and, in 2019, was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time. He wore prescription goggles throughout his career due to myopia ...
64. Primus lead singer Claypool: LES. Primus is an American rock band formed in El Sobrante, California in 1984. The band is currently composed of bassist/vocalist LES Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde, and drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander. To describe them as strange would be a bit of an understatement. One interesting thing about them is that they do a lot of purely instrumental work and remind me a little of the modern German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen (of whom I am not a big fan!). I had trouble connecting with their work, but finally found this recent opus. Here is the first 5 minutes or so of Conspiranoia (2022) ...
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
1. Entrepreneur Blakely who founded Spanx: SARA. Spanx, Inc. is an American underwear maker focusing on shaping briefs and leggings, founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The company manufactures mainly pantyhose and other underwear for women and, since 2010, produces male underwear as well. Spanx specializes in foundation garments intended to make people appear thinner or more shapely -- and they're also onomatopoetic! 😀
 |
| Sara Blakely |
11. Personal pronoun: SHE.
14. Malevolence: EVIL. We were visited by EVIL in last Thursday's puzzle. One of the things that Hannah Arendt taught us about it is its banality, i.e. its commonness. Today marks the commemoration of the Christian saints Perpetua and Felicity, women who were martyred for the entertainment of Roman emperor Septimius Severus during his birthday party in 203 AD.
16. Male cat: TOM.
.
17. [Theme clue]
19. "__ bet!": YOU.
20. Blazer fabric: TWEED. Fabric created on a 44A.
21. Betty or Veronica: TEEN. Spin offs from the Archie Comics series.
23. __ Bravo: RIO. Rio Bravo is a 1959 American Western film directed and produced by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan, and Ward Bond. Here's Get Along Home Cindy sung by Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan and Dean Martin.
25. Like neither Jack nor Jill, apparently: AGILE.
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.
Up Jack got, and home did trot,
As fast as he could caper,
He went to bed to mend his head,
With vinegar and brown paper
27. [Theme clue]As fast as he could caper,
He went to bed to mend his head,
With vinegar and brown paper
32. Chinese tea: CHA. The etymology of words for tea.
.svg.png) |
| Tea |
35. Computer shortcut: MACRO. A macro is an automated input sequence that imitates keystrokes or mouse actions and can be invoked with a single CTRL key. A macro is typically used to replace a repetitive series of keyboard and mouse actions and used often in spreadsheets and word processing applications like MS Excel and MS Word. MACROS are also used to encapsulate logic in some programming languages.
36. Scratchy sound: RASP.
38. Pecks and pounds: UNITS.
41. Rocky __: ROAD. Lots of things answered this clue/fill including an ice cream, a confection made of chocolate, marshmallows, and nuts and one of the roads to Dublin ...
42. "For sure!": OH YES.
44. Textile machine: LOOM. A LOOM is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but the basic function is the same.
 |
| A simple treadle floor loom. |
46. 70-Across's div.: NLE. National League East
47. [Theme clue]
51. "Bring it!": TRY ME.
52. Wee bit: TAD.
53. "Uptown Funk" singer Bruno: MARS. Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical styles, including pop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae, disco, and rock. Very funky!
55. North African seaport: ORAN. ORAN is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is 432 km (268 mi) west-southwest from Algiers. The total population of the city was 803,329 in 2008, while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second-largest city in Algeria.
58. Royal bride's accessory: TIARA.
 |
| Princess Diana 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997 |
63. [Theme clue]
65. Small pedestal: TEE. Cute. 😀
66. Bully: MEANIE. This particular variety is blue ...
68. Topper: HAT.
69. Lest: UNLESS.
70. 2019 World Series champs: NATS. The Washington Nationals.
Down:
1. Ticket abbr.: SECT.
2. Profess without shame: AVOW. If you wanted AVER this might help.
3. Stand up: RISE.
4. Sizes up, maybe: ALTERS.
5. Explorer, e.g.: SUV. It takes a stomping and keeps on romping ...
6. Tech review site: CNET. Their motto is "Your guide to a better future" and maybe "the more things you have the better!".
7. Good-sized building site: ACRE.
8. Mad scientist in an H.G. Wells classic: MOREAU. The Island of Doctor Moreau is an 1896 science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. The text of the novel is the narration of Edward Prendick, a shipwrecked man rescued by a passing boat. He is left on the island home of Doctor Moreau, a mad scientist who creates human-like hybrid beings from animals via vivisection.
 |
| First Edition Cover |
10. Hokkaido honorific: SAN. E.g. Cho Cho SAN, the honorable Madama Butterfly. Her last words were "If you cannot live with honor, you must die with honor". Here she is waiting for the beautiful day (Un bel dì, vedremo) when her faithless husband returns to Nagasaki to retrieve "his" child ,accompanied by his "American wife" ...
11. Billy Porter and Lady Gaga, for two: STYLE ICONS.
12. Earring shape: HOOP.
13. Some native Australians: EMUS. The first time I've heard it clued this way.
18. Pindar, for one: ODIST. Pindar (Greek: Πίνδαρος; Latin: Pindarus; c. 518 BC – c. 438 BC) was an Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes. Of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar is by far the greatest, in virtue of his inspired magnificence, the beauty of his thoughts and figures, the rich exuberance of his language and matter, and his rolling flood of eloquence, characteristics which, as Horace rightly held, make him inimitable. Here is one of his victory odes ..
Creatures of a day! What is anyone?
What is anyone not? A dream of a shadow
Is our mortal being. But when there comes to men
A gleam of splendour given of heaven,
Then rests on them a light of glory
And blessed are their days. (Pythian 8)
What is anyone not? A dream of a shadow
Is our mortal being. But when there comes to men
A gleam of splendour given of heaven,
Then rests on them a light of glory
And blessed are their days. (Pythian 8)
22. Communion table: ALTAR. Here is the high ALTAR at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore where we attend Mass ...
 |
| Cathedral Sanctuary |
24. Birthplace of 53-Across: OAHU. Bruno Mars.
26. Doctrine: ISM.
27. Financial independence: EASY STREET.
28. Hither and __: YON.
29. Patterned spread: QUILT. Here's a QUILT created by Teri's sister Rose ...
 |
| Barn and Windmills |
31. Lymph __: NODE. Lymph NODES are a part of the Lymphatic System, a group of organs, vessels and tissues that protect you from infection and keep a healthy balance of fluids throughout your body. Lymphatic system organs include your bone marrow, thymus and lymph nodes. Swollen lymph nodes are a sign of common infections, like strep throat, but also more serious diseases like cancer.
37. Jury makeup: PEERS.
39. Excessively: TOO.
40. Database command: SORT. In SQL, the most common database language, records are SORTED with the ORDER BY clause. Here is a list of the basic SQL commands.
43. Reserved: SHY. Also in debt.
45. Mazda two-seater: MIATA. Review of the 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata
 |
| 2024 Mazda Miata |
49. Episodic story: SERIAL.
50. New Jersey township named for an inventor: EDISON. EDISON is a township located in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 1876, Thomas Edison set up his home and research laboratory in a neighborhood called "Menlo Park". While there he earned the nickname "the Wizard of Menlo Park". Before his death at age 83 in 1931, the prolific inventor amassed a record 1,093 patents for creations including the phonograph, a stock ticker, the motion-picture camera, the incandescent light bulb, a mechanical vote counter, the alkaline storage battery including one for an electric car, and the first commercial electric light.
 |
| Edison Tower A monument to the light bulb? |
54. Quarter: AREA.
56. Photographer Geddes: ANNE. Anne Elizabeth Geddes MNZM* (born 1956) is an Australian-born, New York City-based portrait photographer known primarily for her elaborately-staged photographs of infants. Here's her website.
 |
| Anne Geddes *New Zealand Order of Merit |
59. K2 locale: ASIA. K2, at 8,611 metres (28,251 ft) above sea level, is the second-highest mountain in ASIA (and also on Earth), after Mount Everest at 8,849 metres (29,032 ft). Here are some rest stops on the way up ...
61. Is inquisitive: ASKS.
63. Eric Dickerson's alma mater: Abbr.: SMU. Eric Demetric Dickerson (born September 2, 1960) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Dickerson played college football for the Mustangs of Southern Methodist University and was recognized as an All-American. He was selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft and played professionally for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons of the NFL. During his NFL career, he rushed for over 13,000 yards. He holds the NFL's single-season rushing record with 2,105 yards, set in 1984. Dickerson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999 and, in 2019, was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time. He wore prescription goggles throughout his career due to myopia ...
 |
| Interesting Instagram posts |
64. Primus lead singer Claypool: LES. Primus is an American rock band formed in El Sobrante, California in 1984. The band is currently composed of bassist/vocalist LES Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde, and drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander. To describe them as strange would be a bit of an understatement. One interesting thing about them is that they do a lot of purely instrumental work and remind me a little of the modern German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen (of whom I am not a big fan!). I had trouble connecting with their work, but finally found this recent opus. Here is the first 5 minutes or so of Conspiranoia (2022) ...
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
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