Tuesday, December 6, 2022 Beth Rubin

Give 'em the old Razzle-Dazzle!  Today's theme is exemplified in 4-Down: Really wowed: DAZZLED.  

I've highlighted how the clue and answer are paired.  Be prepared to be DAZZLED by the creativity of  Beth Rubin, today's puzzle creator.

17-Across. Thelma's "Wow!"?: GEEZ LOUISE!  A reference to the 1991 movie Thelma and Louise.

24-Across. Astronomer's "Wow!"?: OH, MY STARS!

39-Across. Saint's "Wow!"?: GOOD ONE!

48-Across. Safari guide's "Wow!"?: THAT'S WILD!

60-Across. Chameleon's "Wow!"?: OUT OF SIGHT!

How else are we dazzled today?

Across:

1. Gave money to: PAID.

5. Shawkat of "Being the Ricardos": ALIA.  Alia Shawkat (née Alia Martine Shawkat; b. 1989) also portrayed Maeby Fünke in Arrested Development.  She has made occasional guest appearances in the puzzles.  [Name # 1]

9. Bygone Swedish automaker: SAAB.  Saab Automobile was founded 1945 and ceased operations in 2016.  The name comes from Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (Swedish for "Swedish aeroplane corporation"), a Swedish aerospace and defense company.  

13. Icelandic saga: EDDA.  Everything you wanted to know about the Icelandic saga, but didn't know to ask.  //  Not to be confused with 67-Across. Whirlpool: EDDY.

14. Code creator: MORSE.  Samuel Morse (né Samuel Finley Breese Morse; Apr. 27, 1791 ~ Apr. 2, 1872) was known as a portrait painter before delving into creating the eponymous code that was the  social media of his time.   [Name #2.]

16. Canyon comeback: ECHO.

19. Site with handmade goods: ETSY.

20. Ilana of "Broad City": GLAZER.  Ilana Glazer (b. Apr. 12, 1987) is also a stand-up comedian.  [Name # 3.]

21. "__ Lot": Stephen King novel: SALEM'S.  Salem's Lot is a horror story about a little town in Maine where the residents become vampires.  Not a fan of Stephen King's writings, but he is a graduate of my alma mater, albeit, he attended several years earlier.  A Stephen King novel also appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle.  [Name adjacent.]

23. Raises one's voice: YELLS.

27. British prep school: ETON.  This school appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle.  Prince William (b. June 21, 1982) and Eddy Redmayne (b. Jan. 6, 1982) were classmates there.

29. Property manager's sign: TO LET.

30. Like memories to smile about: FOND.

33. Badminton target: BIRDIE.  Also known as a shuttlecock.

37. Fertility clinic cells: OVA.

38. Smog watchdog org.: EPA.  As in the Environmental Protection Agency.

40. Religious sister: NUN.  Hi, Lucina!

41. Bolivia neighbor: Abbr.: ARG.  Both countries in South America.

42. File manager menu option: RENAME.

43. Requirement: NEED.

44. Stark daughter played by Sophie Turner on "Game of Thrones": SANSA.  Sophie Turner (née Sophie Belinda Jonas; b. Feb. 21, 1996) made her acting debut as Sansa Stark on Game of Thrones.  [Name # 4.]

46. Canadian gas brand: ESSO.  Hi, CanadianEh!  This gas brand has become a crossword staple.

52. Scarecrow innards: STRAW.

56. "Jinkies! That's out of the question!": GOSH, NO!

57. Loosen, as a corset: UNLACE.

58. "Lip __ Battle": SYNC.  Hand up if you knew that Lip Sync Battle is a television musical reality competition.

62. Enjoy a bath: SOAK.

63. "Me too": DITTO.

64. Change direction suddenly: VEER.

65. Pulls (at), as heartstrings: TUGS.

66. Gentle throw: TOSS.

Down:

1. "__ Sue Got Married": PEGGY.  Peggy Sue Got Married is a 1986 film that starred Kathleen Turner (née Mary Kathleen Turner; b. June 19, 1954) and Nicholas Cage (né Nicolas Kim Coppola; b. Jan. 7, 1964).  [Name Adjacent]

2. "Rolling in the Deep" singer: ADELE.  Adele, whose given name is Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (b. May 5, 1988), appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle.  [Name # 5.]

3. Like a best-case scenario: IDEAL.

5. Spanish for "love": AMOR.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Hello, again, Lucina!

6. Singer Rawls: LOU.  Lou Rawls (né Louis Allen Rawls; Dec. 1, 1933 ~ Jan. 6, 2006) released over 60 albums.  [Name # 6.]

7. Notre Dame Fighting __: IRISH.  Hello, Irish Miss!

8. Tea region of India: ASSAM.  Did you know where it was located in India?

9. Appear that way: SEEM TO.

10. Has no help: ACTS ALONE.

11. Tonsils-checking sounds: AHS!

12. Son: BOY.

15. Too wiggly to hold: EELY.  Everything you wanted to know about eels, but didn't know to ask.

18. "__ we forget": LEST.

22. Cosmetician Lauder: ESTÉE.  Estée Lauder (née Josephine Ester Mentzer; July 1, 1908 ~ Apr. 24, 2004) cofounded the eponymous cosmetic company in the 1940s.   [Name # 7.]

24. Scallion kin: ONION.  Do you know the difference?

25. Variety show: REVUE.

26. Kiosk: STAND.

28. Orchestra pitch setter: OBOE.  Did you ever wonder why the Oboe is used to tune the orchestra?

30. Sumptuous meal: FEAST.

31. Media mogul Winfrey: OPRAH.  [Name # 8.]

Oprah Gail Winfrey (b. Jan. 29, 1954)

32. "I heard you the first dozen times!": NAG!  NAG!  NAG!

34. Dietary guideline letters: RDA.  As in Recommended Daily Allowance.  A brief history on the RDA.

35. Like some all-weather stadiums: DOMED.  The Superdome in New Orleans is now known as the Caesar's Superdome.  A few years ago, it was the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.  It's all about the money.

36. Trésor spokesmodel Sastre: INÉS.  Inés Sastre Moratón (b. Nov. 21, 1973) is a Spanish model.  She was the face of one of Lancôme's signature perfume, Trésor, back in the 1990s.  She succeeded Isabella Rossellini as the perfume's spokesperson.  A pretty obscure clue for a Tuesday.   [Name # 9.]

39. Wimbledon playing surface: GRASS.  Why Wimbledon uses a grass court.

43. Prerecorded: NOT LIVE.

45. Wall Street investments: STOCKS.

47. IRS IDs: SSNs.  As in Social Security Numbers.

49. "__'ve thought it?": WHO'D.

50. Arctic natives: INUIT.

51. Numbers game: LOTTO.

53. Threw a fit: RAGED.

54. Had sore muscles: ACHED.

55. Humble reply to "Great work, team!": WE TRY.

57. Sci-fi hoverers: UFOs.

58. Old ultrafast plane, briefly: SST.  A crossword staple.  Everything you wanted to know about the SST but didn't know to ask.

59. "__ and me both!": YOU.

61. Bonus WNBA periods: OTs.  As in Over Times

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

It's that time again of year again.  Stay warm, folks.

Friday, August 26, 2022, Christina Iverson and Beth Rubin

Theme: "Book 'em, Danno!"

Puzzling thoughts: OK, I got it. But I don't know what to call it. In four of the across entries, a "down" entry, which is also a BOOK title, intersects to complete the across clue. But I don't know what to call it. Maybe one of our other Crossword Corner members "knows" the name of this sort of puzzle and will comment. Confused? Let's explore:

As you look at the grid, follow the red letters: 15-across. *Folded brunch dish: FRENCHLET, when intersected by (16-down. [Robinson]: HOME, reveals "FRENCH OMELET." "There are four main types of OMELETs, distinguished by their cooking methods. There are American-style, French-style, Frittata, and Soufflé omelets ..."[clan kitchen dot com] Author Marilynne Robinson's book "HOME" was published in 2008. There's a bit of "poetic license" here, as the French spelling for OMELET is OMELETTE, but I digress ...

21-across. *Ethical challenges: MORALDILES, when intersected by (25-down.) [Austen]: EMMA, reveals "MORAL DILEMMAS". EMMA, written by Jane Austen, is a well-known BOOK/novel published in 1815

36-across. *Fleet operator headquartered in Montreal: AIR CANA, when intersected by (38-down. [Nabokov]: ADA, yields "AIR CANADA"(CSO to our neighbor from the north, CanadianEh!). ADA, or Arbor is one of Nabokov's greatest masterpieces, the glorious culmination of his career as a novelist. Published by Amazon in 1990

49-across. *Planet in the Super Mario Galaxy: MUSHRWORLD, when intersected by (50-down. [Donoghue]: ROOM, reveals "MUSHROOM WORLD". Author EMMA Donoghue published the novel ROOM in 2010. She is of Irish-Canadian descent

Which of course leads us to the puzzle's reveal: 60-across. Places to return library materials, and a hint to how the authors in four Down clues help complete the answers to the starred clues: BOOK DROPS. Pretty self-explanatory

Across:
1. "__ arigato": Japanese "thank you very much": DO MO. どういたしまして (Dō itashimashite)

5. Tats: INK.

8. Collars: NABS.

12. Pop by: BOP IN.

13. Aromatic neckwear: LEI.

14. "J'accuse!": GOT YA. Why use a French phrase for this clue?

17. Chose: OPTED.

18. Dalmatian with a red hat, maybe: FIRE DOG.

19. Gunk: GOO.

20. Walk of Fame figure: STAR.

27. Where to see Chicago touchdowns: OHARE. Airport in Chicago - MIDWAY wouldn't fit

29. Long opening in poetry?: ERE.

30. Handle: NAME. A CB-radio reference; also a Crossword Corner reference, as many of us choose "handles"/NAMEs to protect our identity. My "handle" is Chairman Moe. My real name is just Chairman

31. Hand-me-down: OLD. I have one OLDer sister, so I didn't get any "hand-me-downs"

32. Nuisance: PAIN.

33. Not for kids, in short: TV MA. When TV shows use foul language and/or sexual references which are not suitable for children

34. Capote nickname: TRU. Short for TRUman

39. Break a fast: EAT. The word "breakfast" literally means to "break a fast", and EAT

40. Optimistic: ROSY.

42. Earns after taxes: NETS. Also the nickname for the NBA team in Brooklyn

43. Grayish-brown: DUN. You know how lately many of us have cringed at so many proper names' clues? Well today, having the clue: "Bradstreet's partner" would've actually been more helpful (for me, anyway). DUN (as a color) is not a word I use - ever. But I see that it was widely used in the early 1900's. Maybe the editors were trying to appease our older crowd; REALLY old crowd ...

45. "Unböring" furniture chain: IKEA. This was solved using perps and a WAG. IKEA

46. Earlier: AGO.

47. "500" initials on Wall Street: S AND P. Standard & Poors. Does anyone remember "A AND P"? If so, please comment below

52. Tree whose seeds yield an organic insecticide: NEEM.

54. Small digit: TOE. I went out on a limb and found this answer ...

And it's "clecho": 61-down. Small digit: ONE. I went into my wallet and found this answer ...

55. Cox of "Orange Is the New Black": LAVERNE. This is the only LAVERNE that I immediately knew. For the benefit of those who are Gen Z's/Millennials, LAVERNE is the one on the right

57. __ ball: MATZO. "What do matzo balls taste like? It's incredibly similar to chicken noodle soup minus the noodles, while they taste a bit like dumplings but are meatier and have a bit more flavor due to the garlic, onions, eggs and chicken fat (schmaltz)." Here is a recipe for MATZO [also spelled "MATZAH"] Ball Soup

62. Pulitzer-winning composer Ned: ROREM. The video below is quite long

63. "__ volunteers?": ANY. This was answered by (5-down. "Send me!":) I'LL GO

64. Some running shoes: AVIAS. ASICS are my favorite shoes for running; OBOZ are my favorite shoes for hiking

65. Terrier breed: SKYE. Named for an Isle in Scotland, where they also craft some pretty fine whisky

66. Light shade?: RED. As in the RED light district? Here's TripAdvisor's take on it

67. Shout: YELL. Otis Day and the Knights - Animal House, c 1976

Down:
1. Flamin' Hot chip: DORITO.

2. Places where things often end on a high note?: OPERA HOUSES; and it complements (23-down. Solos in 2-Down:) ARIAS.

This was not a high note at the end of the OPERA, but it was still plenty high enough

3. __ water: MINERAL. These are just a sampling of all of the seven-letter words that could have been used instead of MINERAL

4. How some mixtapes are really stored: ON CD.

6. Once called: NEE. Well, we had a tree in this puzzle called NEEM. And now, NEE. Shouldn't we also have this:

7. Harington of "Game of Thrones": KIT. Alas, I never watched "GOT" so this one didn't resinate with me

8. "Ugh, why bother?": NO POINT. What many LA Times Crossword Puzzle solvers are saying lately; especially on Saturdays

9. NFL stat: ATT. Short for ATTempt - usually a passing ATTempt by the QB, but could also refer to the PK who ATTempts both XP's and FG's

10. "Later!": BYE.

11. Blue: SAD.

12. Close chums, for short: BFFS. Text speak

14. "I approve": GOOD.

19. Close in theaters: GLENN. Not seats. If anything, today's movie theaters make it very difficult to "make out", as the seats are much larger than when I was a zit-faced teenager

22. Nuclear plant: REACTOR.

24. Calming aromatherapy option: LAVENDER OIL. I have found - since living in the SW - that LAVENDER OIL is also a natural repellent for scorpions

26. Plane reservation: SEAT. Unlike in theaters, airline SEATs are getting much smaller

28. Nutritional amt.: RDA. Recommended Dietary Allowances

32. Ragú rival: PREGO. It also means, "you're welcome" - as something said in Italy after you say, "Grazie". See my comment in 1-Across for "you're welcome" in Japanese

34. Cut to fit: TRIM.

35. Device for cord cutters: ROKU. I will never go back to cable now that I have a ROKU

37. Floored: IN AWE.

41. Triumphant cry in a dice game: YAHTZEE. Margaret plays this on her Android phone, just to pass the time when Ch Moe is doing a blog or constructing a puzzle ...

44. Rattle: UNNERVE. Did this puzzle and/or its clues UNNERVE you today?

47. Neb. neighbor: S. DAK. IOWA also fit, but that's not an abbr. OKLA - an erstwhile college football rival of NEB - does not share a border with them. Neb. is a CSO to Husker Gary - our Saturday blogger

48. Foreign correspondent?: PEN PAL. Cute clue; compared to the epistolary one a few days ago

51. Two-time Olympic soccer gold medalist Carli __: LLOYD. I recall her but her name was not on the tip of my tongue. This LLOYD was popular back when TV sets weren't equipped with a remote control. I've never asked her, but I wonder if IM is a fan of his?

53. Extreme clutter: MESS.

56. Feb. 14: V-DAY. For lovers. Valentine's Day

57. "The Marvelous __ Maisel": MRS. Another entry targeted toward the under 35 year old crowd?

58. Just peachy: A-OK. Speaking of peaches ... has anyone else here ever tried a Palisade's Peach? They're amazing!

59. "Give it a go!": TRY. What we all should do tomorrow when the Saturday LAT puzzle publishes; if for no other reason than to read Gary's blog. Tomorrow's puzzle is by someone we all know

60. Soap unit: BAR. I use BAR soap; period

Sorry, OMK; no haikus or Moe-kus today. Nor kudos. Remember a week or so ago I asked if it was OK for we bloggers to just say "Thumper"? Well, I took the higher road and didn't, but this puzzle really didn't give me any warm and fuzzy feelings, nor did it spark any wordplay. But YMMV, so please comment below. See you in a couple weeks ...

Monday August 8, 2022 Beth Rubin

Theme: YOLO (73. "Carpe diem" acronym spelled out by the starts of the answers to the starred clues)

20. *"I can't capture how amazing that was!": YOU HAD TO BE THERE.

35. *Fallible in very ordinary ways: ONLY HUMAN.

46. *Spend extravagantly: LIVE LARGE.

57. *Very rarely: ONCE IN A BLUE MOON.

Boomer here. 

I am pretty sure that James Bond lived twice! Well, as you are reading this, I am probably at the big VA health center in Minneapolis learning if my new chemo drugs are doing their job.  So far the side effects have been manageable.

Across: 

1. Chocolate dogs: LABS. In the chemist's workplace.

5. Culinary plants: HERBS.  Twins once had an announcer named Herb Carneal.

10. "Ready for my cat treat!": MEOW.

14. Zone: AREA.

15. Prefix with -phobia: AGORA.  No, I do not have a fear of the crowded VA hospital.

16. Surfer's swell: WAVE.  I remember the 1987 World Series when we all WAVED our Homer Hankies.

17. "The Great Pottery Throw Down" material: CLAY.  Also great boxer Cassius.

18. Tag player's cry: NOT IT.

19. State firmly: AVER.  AVOW did not work.

23. Form 1040 org.: IRS.  Everyone's favorite government enemy.

24. Smell awful: REEK.  In the old days - Outhouse aroma.

25. Museum-funding org.: NEA.

28. College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa: COE.  Twins minor league team is also there.

30. Doze: NOD OFF.  Not now.  CC wants me to work.

39. Enjoy with relish: SAVOR.  I SAVOR a hot dog or brat with relish.

40. Country star McEntire: REBA.  "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia"

41. Divided island of Southeast Asia: TIMOR.

43. Actress Hatcher: TERI.  She played Sidra on Seinfeld.  I think I've seen every episode. I cannot stand George.

44. With sincerity: TRULY.  Opposite of Liely.

48. Household skills class, for short: HOME EC.  I went to an all- boys high school.  This class was not offered.

50. "That's __-brainer!": A NO.

51. Kristen's "The Good Place" co-star: TED. Danson. 

 

52. "Mean Girls" screenwriter Fey: TINA.

55. Egg cells: OVA.

65. Winter fabric: WOOL.  Time to stock up here.  December is coming.

66. Water from France: EVIAN. They sponsor an LPGA golf tournament.

67. "What fun!": WHEE. Roller coaster word.

68. Periods of time: ERAS. Pitchers' stat.

69. First responder: MEDIC.  I am still able to get to the VA center.  Don't need a medic. Just my Santa Fe. Can you believe I have not turned the odometer to 10,000 miles yet?

70. Lively, in mus.: ANIM.

71. URL destination: SITE.

72. Coeur d'__, Idaho: ALENE.  My cousin lives in Twin Falls.

Down:

1. Full of frills: LACY.

2. "Alice's Restaurant" singer Guthrie: ARLO.  "You can get anything you want" there. 

3. Sweetheart: BEAU.

4. Greet casually, with "to": SAY HI.  Hello there!

5. Distributes, as flyers: HANDS OUT.  Halloween is October 31.

6. "Grand slam" earned by Jennifer Hudson, for short: EGOT. "E" must have got a Homer.

7. Piece in a LEGO helicopter set: ROTOR.  LEGO display at our Mall of America,  C.C. really likes that shopping mall, however gunfire there made the news last week.

8. Illegal payoff: BRIBE.

9. Shiny fabric: SATEEN.

10. "Kisses, dahling": MWAH.  This does not seem like a word, or am I too fussy?

11. Gutter locale: EAVE.  Ours get full of leaves. Looking at "Leaf  filter"

12. Eggs __ easy: OVER.  I like mine scrambled.

13. Used to be: WERE.  My legs WERE better.

21. Curved part of a foot: ARCH.  Big one in St. Louis.  I saw it when I went to game 5 of the 1987 World Series, but I did not ride up.

22. Boxing ref's calls: TKOS. Technical Knockouts.

25. Toward the Arctic Circle: NORTH.  Our "Land of 10,000 Lakes" is fairly NORTH. 

26. Month before febrero: ENERO.

27. Photo book: ALBUM.  We also used to call 33 1/3 vinyl Albums.  I still have a few, but no record player.

29. Czech track legend Zátopek: EMIL.

31. Spreadsheet input: DATA.  Lotsa work.

32. Out in the open: OVERT.

33. Make a fake of: FORGE.  You're almost done.  FORGE ahead.

34. Like tempura: FRIED. Or chicken, fish, eggs, and rice. I'm hungry.

36. Ivy League school in Connecticut: YALE.

37. "__ dreaming?": AM I.  "California Dreamin'".  Mamas and Papas.

38. __ Scotia: NOVA.  Old time Chevy compact.

42. Give up formally: RENOUNCE.  Never give up without a fight.

45. Himalayan Bigfoot: YETI.

47. Rom-com subject: LOVE.  Makes the world go 'round.

49. Movie house: CINEMA.  We have not been since "Borat".

53. __ orange: NAVEL. Belly button.

54. Put up with: ABIDE.

56. Multilevel marketing giant: AMWAY.  Home party brushes and stuff.

57. Has bills to pay: OWES.  "I OWE, I OWE, so off to work I go.

58. Edible seaweed: NORI.  I would not eat it!

59. Parka, e.g.: COAT.  Parka has a hood.

60. Alternatively: ELSE. A coat usually does not.

61. Reclined: LAIN.

62. Dismayed cry: OH NO.  Missed a four-foot putt!

63. Trompe l'__: optical illusion: OEIL.

64. Missing fish in a Pixar film: NEMO.  Jules Verne creation.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

Gary and Joann and their family celebrated his mother-in-law Martha's 100-year-old birthday on Saturday. Here are a few beautiful pictures:

Everybody

 

All of us watching Power Point

Joann, Gary, her twin Jocye with husband Ron

Martha and great-great granddaughter who is 99 years younger playing with a balloon.