Saturday, November 3, 2018, Brian E. Paquin

Themeless Saturday By Brian E. Paquin

What better holiday to observe after last week's National Beer Day than today's National Sandwich Day? November 3 is that holiday and we can celebrate with culinary concoctions that are easily washed down with suds or other beverages.

My favorites sandwiches would include BLT's, Clubs and French Dips and I know we all would like to know what your favorite(s) is/are.

Today's constructor is Brian E. Paquin. I have previously blogged two of his Saturday themeless puzzles this year.



Now let's see what ingredients Brian has used today to make our Saturday literary nosh:

Across:

1. "No problem": I CAN DO THAT.

11. You can only get one if you're near home, briefly: RBI - This batter is briefly near home when he hits the ball but is not going to get an RBI until the runner from second scores and the batter will probably then be on second or third

14. "What are you asking?": NAME A PRICE - Mike and Frank find "rares" on American Pickers and tell the owner to NAME A PRICE

15. Salon inventory: GELS - those salons probably don't carry Brylcreem 

That all you got?

16. Taunts on the field: TRASH TALKS 

17. Doing business: OPEN.

18. Fast period: LENT  - I have given up giving up anything for LENT. 

19. Loiter: MILL ABOUT.

21. Showing a 'tude: SASSY.

24. Emotional: TEARY.

25. Confused conditions: HAZES - Several HAZES here at a "legalize pot" rally

27. Social media movement since 2017: ME TOO - Long overdue

31. Bat coating: PINE TAR - George Brett was incensed when he had a home run taken away from him for using a bat with too much PINE TAR on it. That infamous bat is now enshrined the Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown, NY

36. Like Dorothy's slippers: RUBY RED - Speaking of famous items on display in institutions 

34. D12 comedy hip-hop song produced by Eminem: MY BAND - Google the lyrics if you have an appetite for misogyny and obscenity

35. One of two raised when rearing: FORELEG - I flipped a mental coin to choose between Silver and Trigger. Cue the William Tell Overture 

37. Tough situations: TRIALS - One of my favorite PP&M songs

38. Oprah, at times: ACTRESS.

39. Linguine sauce: PESTO - Ingredients for zucchini basil PESTO

40. Non __: GRATA - Substitute teachers are persona non GRATA (person not appreciated) in a teacher's lounge

41. Largest USA steel producer: NUCOR - NUCOR plants in America 

43. Subway gate: STILE - Do STILE jumpers ever get caught?

47. Foxglove: DIGITALIS  - All parts of this beautiful plant are poisonous as they contain digitalis glycosides that can affect the heart. Ironically, parts  of foxglove can be processed into a medicine to combat congestive heart failure

51. Part of rock's CSNY: NASH - Graham Nash was with The Hollies before he joined Crosby and Stills who later added Young (clarification)

53. Corner piece: ROOK - These castles prowl the ranks and files of the chess board

54. Causes second thoughts: GIVES PAUSE.

57. Off-rd. transports: ATVS - This beautiful young girl and champion swimmer at the school where I sub lost her arm in an ATV accident two summers ago but has maintained a great attitude

58. Fair: EVEN-HANDED  - This cultural philistine interprets this line from Macbeth to say "what goes around comes around"

59. Friend of Wyatt: BAT - Masterson probably with liquor but sans PINE TAR

60. Relaxed: RESTED EASY.


Down:

1. JFK __ Airport: INTL - How 'bout this INTERNATIONAL route from JFK to Hong Kong

2. Worries: CARES.

3. Big brand in appliances: AMANA  - Amana refrigerators are still made in the historic Amana Colonies in central Iowa. BTW, this in NOT an Amish enclave as they are always asked. That is in Kalona, Iowa 32 miles south of there

4. Anthills and beehives, e.g.: NESTS.

5. Morse character: DAH - The "long" sound below

6. Go (for): OPT - I don't care who you OPT for Tuesday, just make these 44. Nonsensical: INANE. ads stop!!

7. Airport transport: TRAM - We use Uber to and from the terminal and never need the TRAM

8. Attention-getting marker: HI LITER - They can really be effective

9. "Supernatural" co-star Jensen __: ACKLES - Okay

10. Electric car maker: TESLA - Add $5,ooo for the extension cord

11. Former security, for short: REPO - Your Tesla is no longer security for you if you miss payments and the REPO man secures it from you

12. French flag couleur: BLEU - Rouge, Blanc et BLEU

13. "__ that special?": ISN'T.

15. Depart, in totspeak: GO BYE BYE

20. Base kid: ARMY BRAT  - e.g. Faye Dunaway, Newt Gingrich, Martin Lawrence, Shaquille O'Neal, Tiger Woods, Reese Witherspoon, et al

22. Spend, often begrudgingly: SHELL OUT - Some are SHELLING OUT more and more for college

23. Eastwood's "Rawhide" role: YATES - Clint played Rowdy YATES on the TV series

26. Half an upwind sailing route: ZAG.

28. Sailors: TARS - Our resident sailors didn't say anything about being called TARS but definitely did not care for being called swabs

29. People: ONES.

30. Roulette choice: ODD - Betting on an ODD number has a 48.6% chance of winning on a European roulette wheel (single zero) and 47.4% on an American roulette wheel (zero and double zero slots) not 50/50

31. Sweater outlet?: PORE - If I sweat, it's coming out of one of my PORES. Fun clue!

32. Eye part: IRIS - This kitty's IRISES (or IRIDES) are two different colors 

33. They're constantly picking up: NEATNIKS - I live with one. My wife does not.

34. Their ancestry is often uncertain: MUTTS - Are MUTTS healthier than pure bred dogs?

35. Data transfer initials: FTP - File Transfer Protocol. That's enough for me to know

36. Co. that introduced the 45-rpm record: RCA  - Here's their first commercially produced 45 RPM

38. Makes it: ARRIVES.

40. Cut to a field reporter: GO LIVE - Here's one faking wind issues

42. One eying a basket: CAGER - Old name for basketball players. See below:

45. Three-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion Niki __: LAUDA - Okay

46. Sassafras foursome: ESSES - SASSAFRAS

47. Uninspiring: DRAB - How you look when you don't have an 48. Very small bit: IOTA of style

49. Type of agcy.: GOVT.

50. Shipped: SENT.

52. Lamarr of early Hollywood: HEDY - Beautiful and brilliant HEDY collaborated with her Hollywood neighbor to design a "frequency hopping" device to keep torpedoes from being jammed. It is said she drew up the plans on a napkin

55. Anonymous seashore vendor?: SHE.

56. Bachelor __: PAD.

Saturday, June 30, 2018, Brian E. Paquin

Themeless Saturday by Brian E. Paquin

June 30 is set aside to celebrate National Social Media Day. The use of these sites has changed not only me but the bulk of America. It has also opened up arenas for some really nasty business but that is one of the downsides of The First Amendment. 

I consider what we do here to certainly be a cog in the Social Media machinery. I have met some lovely new friends here and deeply value my contact with them through this electronic medium and, yes, SOCIAL MEDIA was in Morton's puzzle yesterday.

I have also made contact with former students and colleagues including my former commuting pal who is now married, living and teaching in Ho Chi Minh City! I could do without the winter postings questioning my intelligence for staying her in the frozen tundra but that is part of game and I enjoy winter. No, really! 

On this day, Brian has supplied us with a worthy challenge that took me a lot longer than last Saturday's puzzle. There were a few fills that took some disassembling even after I got them with solid perpendicular entries including a type of clam that has escaped my purview up to now.

Let's begin our own social media exploration of Brian's Saturday offering on this last day of June:

Across:

1. Complies with a "Star Trek" order: MAKES IT SO 

10. Larkish?: HAPPY.

15. Field reporter's signoff: OVER TO YOU - Kind of hard to do if you...

16. Stan's partner: OLLIE.

17. Inspiration for many pop songs: TEEN ANGST - Exhibit A

18. Period of time: SPELL - waethre is a bad SPELL of weather

19. 120 dozen?: TENS -  A great hundred, also known as a small gross, is 120 or TEN dozen. That would be 120 of these bad boys!

20. "I Miss You" (1994) R&B singer: AARON HALL - Okay

22. Ring combination: ONE TWO - ONE - right jab, TWO - left hook. THREE - Good night sweet prince.

25. "Carmen" parts: ARIAS.

26. Gun offspring?: SON - "SON of a GUN" is my go-to phrase for a bad golf shot

27. Giving relief to: EASING - Ray later found out it was his own pain that needed EASING in Field Of Dreams. This is the only movie I can remember that had a real emotional effect on me

30. "Growing Up in New Guinea" author: MEAD - The revolutionary book by Margaret MEAD about her time in the Manus Province (after working with plains Indians in Nebraska) before missionaries and other western influences arrived

Margaret Mead directing a group of men playing
sacred flutes in Arapesh 

33. Let out, say: ALTER - I haven't had my DW "take in" any pants for a while

34. In the worst way: BADLY - Our school board wanted a new Middle School in the worst way and by golly that's what they got.

35. Stretch limits: PUSH THE ENVELOPE.

40. Two-time A.L. HR leader Tony: ARMAS - He of the Boston Red Sox of the 1980's

41. Wide-eyed: NAIVE.

42. Razor __: CLAM - Unknown to me and seldom seen here in the Platte River

43. Monty Python co-founder: CLEESE.

45. "Doctor Who" airer: BBC - All you need to know - A favorite show for Sheldon on Big Bang Theory 

48. Eastern European capital: SOFIA, Bulgaria

50. Small '90s-'00s Nissan: ALMERA- As well known as a RAZOR Clam to this blogger and also not found in the Platte River

52. Worked the room: SCHMOOZED.

56. Inventor Sikorsky: IGOR - An invention of his was featured in this 50's TV series

57. "Politically Incorrect" host: MAHER - As far to one side of the political spectrum as others are to the opposite side

58. Great Depression symbol: BREADLINE - Farmers around here were broke but at least could put food on the table

61. Putting to work: USING - I am USING MacOS High Sierra, Version 10.13.4 on my MacBook Pro

62. Dog school focus: OBEDIENCE.

63. Bug: GET TO - As I said last week, LET IT GO! Don't let 'em GET TO ya (Nolite te bastardes carorundorum)!

64. Sycophant: YES PERSON - Fans of The Office know who that is in this picture and who is the 11. Top dog: ALPHA MALE

Down:

1. Guiding principles: MOTTOS -  Mine is, "Nobody is better than I am and I am no better than anyone"

2. Johnson & Johnson brand: AVEENO

3. Wayans family member: KEENEN - Okay

4. "Trophy, Hypertrophied" artist: ERNST - Art is in the eye/checkbook of the beholder

Trophy, Hypertrophied - 1919

5. Stop: Abbr.: STA.

6. It's charged: ION - Hey, we science guys deserve a slightly arcane joke once in a while!

7. "Rack City" rapper: TYGA - It took me about 3 seconds to get the gist of his lyrics

8. McGwire rival: SOSA - They are giving credit for saving baseball after a strike and then making baseball own up to its steroid problem

9. Left in the dust: OUTRAN.

10. President after Anwar: HOSNI - Mubarak

12. "I would like that!": PLEASE DO 

13. Difficult sort: PILL.

14. Scream: YELL 

21. Dot follower: ORG.

23. Paintball mementos: WELTS 

24. Citizenship promise: OATH - Here's one - I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen.

28. Understand: SEE.

29. Sherlock's adversary Adler: IRENE - Lovely Lara Pulver is a great IRENE to Benedict Cumberbatch's SMUG, off-the-wall Sherlock in this recent BBC iteration

31. Lofty peak: ALP.

32. Tint: DYE - My hair vanity has not reached that point yet!

33. Lighting event?: AHA MOMENT - While Dr. Percy Spencer was working on a magnetron for military radar in 1946, he reached into his pocket and discovered his chocolate peanut cluster had melted. His AHA MOMENT turned into the invention of the microwave oven. The next day he put popcorn next to the device

34. Angled cut: BEVEL

35. Super __: PAC - To whom do I make out the check senator?

36. Browser bookmark: URL - Part of today's special day

37. Blockbuster: SMASH HIT - The list

38. "Auld Scotland wants __ skinking ware": Burns: NAE - Burns tribute to his beloved Haggis, and "NAE skinking ware that jaups in luggies" translated here

39. Passport endorsement: VISA.

43. Tech boss: CIO  - Chief Information Officer

44. Big name in taking it easy: LA-Z-BOY - A great couch potato option

45. Kicks off: BEGINS - The NFL wants to make kickoff ssafer and they are implementing these new rules

46. Super Bowl 50 champ: BRONCO - It was said of Peyton Manning in Super Bowl 50, "He was the oldest quarterback to start a Super Bowl and he played like it." The Broncos' defense won this game and Peyton was just along for the ride with his ineffective passing.

47. Lean dangerously: CAREEN

49. Waive: FORGO.

51. Bannister, for one: MILER - Having a last name that is also a common noun allows for crossword mischief 

53. Trophy holder: CASE - Sir Roger Bannister and his Trophy CASE

52. Self-satisfied: SMUG - You just knew SMUG Biff Tannen would get his just desserts before the closing credits in Back To The Future 

54. "Law and Order: CI" actress Kathryn: ERBE  - Okay

55. They leave a lot of room for improvement: DEES - Despite what you might think, this letter never graced any of my report cards

59. Payroll service co.: ADP.

60. 21-spot item, typically: DIE - ...and six sides. Add up the spots

Now use our social media to give us your well-considered, thoughtful commentary:

DA GRID