Saturday, March 9, 2019, C.C. Burnikel

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by C.C. Burnikel

In 2005 a man named Jeff Goldblatt was having trouble getting over a recent romance that ended badly and so he declared National Get Over It Day. He felt it apt to be between Valentine's Day and April Fool's Day and thus he settled on March 9.

The intent is well summarized below the sign shown here and like many, I am better at dispensing this advice than taking it. We occasionally get a naysayer here at the blog (Oh really, Gary?) and perhaps they could follow this course of action. Even critical submissions can be couched in diplomatic terms free of negativity. 

If you linked to my CARPOOL KARAOKE video two weeks ago where Paul McCartney told said that he came up with the song Let It Be when his mother told him to let his anger go and everything will work itself out. This is very similar.

C.C.'s puzzle today challenged me to the max but, as always, I had a very satisfying experience after IDNO, EDER and ONE-K gave up the ghost via perps (I got over it!!).  Listing blind alleys I traversed early on wouldn't really help all that much.

This week someone linked us to a C.C. puzzle in USA Today and I solved her light and breezy puzzle. However I noticed as the constructor she was listed as Zhouqin Burnikel and not C.C.  I wrote and asked her why that was so and she replied all the other sites require her legal name. She further told me "I use C.C. in real life. Zhouqin is just so tricky and hard to pronounce and write. Most people just add an U after the Q."

Let's see what C.C. (aka Zhouqin) has for us today.


Across:

1. Sign words suggesting a bad shortcut?: ROAD ENDS - There was no sign but the ROAD definitely did END for the two women in their eponymous movie.

9. Mental grasp: UP TAKE - When I started at this, I'm sure C.C. thought I was slow on the UPTAKE 😕

15. See to the door: USHER OUT - When done with great force, it might be called "The Bum Rush"

16. Cruise woe: NAUSEA - Cruises are having many woes these day besides NAUSEA

17. "Let's get started!": THAT'S A GO.

18. Take shelter, with "down": HUNKER - Did anyone else do a HUNKER DOWN exercise in school?

19. "¿Quién __?": SABE.

20. Green card fig.: ID NO - Latika's is 0018-5978

22. Tanning salon equipment: LAMPS.

23. What unGlue helps parents and kids manage: SCREEN TIME - An app that allows parents to 26. Decide one will: OPT TO to let their kids use their phone but budget their time there and not use a 66. Big group: PASSEL of hours 

29. Linda of Broadway: EDER - Her info

30. Film lioness: ELSA - Born Free is the story of orphaned ELSA and her new "Mom" Joy Adamson

33. Course standard: PAR 

34. Deal with, in a way, as ads: ZAP - I've seen enough of that dang Gecko!

36. Nebraska's official soft drink: KOOL-AID - KOOL-AID was invented here in Hastings, NE

38. Lifts up: ELATES - Hmmm... if you put EV after the L... 

40. Slightly touched: PATTED.

41. Small stingers: RED ANTS - Yikes!

43. Adoptee, maybe: PET - We had International Cat Rescue Day last Saturday

44. Second person?: EVE - Made from one of Adam's ribs so the story goes

45. Mideast port: ADEN - Aden, Yemen is not on our vacation list

46. "The Moor already changes with my poison" speaker: IAGO - The Moor’s mind has already become infected with my poisonous suggestions.

48. Texted the wrong person, say: ERRED - "OMG, I sent that to my mom, not my girlfriend" 

50. Sign of confusion: BLANK STARE - is what you might get from Simon Cowell if you are 65. Unable to hit a pitch: TONE DEAF 

53. Part of a case: STAIR - Does your yacht have a spiral (edit) STAIRCASE like this one does?

55. Figure (out): SUSS - We've got some pretty good SUSSERS here

56. Copper: CENT - After 1982 pennies were over 97% zinc

60. Home of Tumnus, in fiction: NARNIA - Here 'ya go!

62. Angry overstatement, usually: I HATE YOU - "Hey, be cool! Today is LET IT GO Day!"

64. Ideally: AT BEST.

67. Visited overnight: STAYED AT - We STAYED AT  lovely hotels on our Pacific Coast Highway Tour from Seattle to San Francisco except the one in Gold Beach, OR. Yikes!


Down:

1. Sticking points?: RUTS - Not Shakespearean RUBS (Ah there's the RUB) it turns out

2. Org. with a QuickTakes online newsletter: OSHA - I'm sure it's a real electronic page turner

3. Model for Hook: AHAB - J.M. Barrie modeled Peter Pan's Captain HOOK after Herman Melville's Captain AHAB in Moby Dick

4. Not fancy at all: DETEST - In the U.K. you could get dumped by someone who doesn't FANCY you and will probably tell you 54. Word on the way out: TATA 

5. Med. show locales: ERS 

6. Outer space feature: NO AIR - Richard Branson's rocket will launch very soon and it can go over 3,000 mph because it will fly in space where there is NO AIR resistance 

7. Found inner strength: DUG DEEP - I think I can, I think I can...

8. High: STONED - The synonym de jour for "under the influence"

9. The Wildcats of the America East Conf.: UNH - There it is in Durham, NH, just below our cwd friend, the Black Bears in Orono, ME

10. Physics Nobelist Wolfgang __: PAULI - At one time I halfway understood his Pauli Exclusion Principle 

11. Hot lunch order: TUNA MELT.

12. "Not now": ASK ME LATER.

13. Preserve: KEEP. 

14. All __: EARS 

21. RAM unit: ONE-K - ONE KB is 1,024 bytes

24. Cheat: COZEN - In your vocabulary?

25. Irony, say: TROPE - This trope occurred in High Noon when Gary Cooper's life is saved by his non-violent Quaker wife who shoots the man that was going to kill him

26. Play with music: OPERA - I'll take Jesus Christ Superstar

27. Showed fear, perhaps: PALED.

28. Spar: TRADE BARBS - Ever watched senate hearings where they take verbal 43. Bit of sparring: POTSHOTS at each other?

31. It won't hold water: SIEVE.

32. Topped with, say: ADDED.

35. Sean of "Rudy": ASTIN - Here he is with his mom Patty Duke. He was adopted by Patty's husband John Astin

37. Film on the range: OATER - These cowboy movies used to be Sunday Morning TV fare for me

39. Tropical vacation souvenirs: TAN LINES.

42. Barneys rival: SAKS - I first thought of Rowland MACY and BARNEY Pressman

47. Gear for some test pilots: G-SUITS - These pilots wear these tight suits to keep blood from piling up in their boots on steep climbs

49. Move away: RECEDE - The less said about my hairline...

51. Spring up: ARISE 

52. Mountain Pose is a standing one: ASANA - A yoga pose

53. Piece of cake: SNAP - or "Easy as pie"

57. Observed: EYED.

58. Weather-tracking org.: NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

59. Thread cluster: TUFT

A TUFT of woolen thread 

61. Icel. surrounder: ATL - Yeah, I suppose the ATLantic Ocean does surround ICELand 

63. "Miss Pym Disposes" author: TEY - Josephine TEY was a pseudonym for Elizabeth MacKintosh

Now take a deep breath and in the spirit of Let It Go Day feel free to make some constructive comments: 

Sunday March 3, 2019 C.C. Burnikel

Title:  "Revisiting the Past" - ETAD (DATE backwards) spans across each theme entry.
 
23. Process that may transform a neutron into a proton: BETA DECAY.

28. Line on a package: STREET ADDRESS.
 
45. Navy bigwig: FLEET ADMIRAL.

53. Online pop-up, say: INTERNET AD.

69. Common animal welfare goal: PET ADOPTION.

90. Tip for a loser?: DIET ADVICE.

97. Barbershop standard: SWEET ADELINE.

114. Anonymous fan: SECRET ADMIRER.

Reveal:

122. Makes retroactive ... or what the eight other longest Across answers have: BACKDATES.

Very simple theme. Very Gail G, right? I just adore her.

I did make a big goof in my original grid. See 63-Across? METADATA, which has DATE goes backward as well. Totally escaped me. Thankfully Rich noticed it and redid that part himself.  Thanks, Rich!

Across: 
 
1. Island near Java: BALI.

5. At the drop of __: A HAT. As you can see from the grid, I have A RAT crossing ROC, the skincare brand. Rich probably does not think the brand is common enough.

9. Players with parts: CAST.

13. Like highways: LANED.

18. Apple variety: IMAC. Not the edible GALA.

19. Jay of "Jerry Maguire": MOHR.

20. Top story: ATTIC.

22. Post with a column: EMILY. Lovely clue. Rich's creation. I had "Blunt on screen".

25. Tree with edible nuts: BEECH.

26. "I swear!": NO LIE.

27. Man of La Mancha: SENOR.

31. Hefty closer: TWIST TIE.

34. Out before the term ends: PAROLED.

35. Sturdy trees: ELMS.

38. Cote call: COO.

39. Hectic hosp. areas: ERS. That fateful day in Sept.

41. "Iron Man" Ripken: CAL.

42. Ostrich relative: EMU.

48. School notebook decorations: DOODLES.

51. Sound mixing control: FADER.

52. Georgia, once: Abbr.: SSR.

56. Asia's __ Darya river: AMU. Learned from doing crosswords. Looks like it originates in the shrinking Aral Sea.

57. Expert: ACE.

60. Magazine since 1850: HARPER'S.

62. Princess in "The Princess and the Frog": TIANA. Wikis says she's "The ninth Disney Princess, Tiana is the first to be of African-American heritage."

63. Don Juan: CASANOVA.

66. One of Donald Duck's nephews: HUEY.

67. Google : Android :: Apple : __: IOS.

68. Isaac's eldest: ESAU.

73. Actor __ James of "Divergent" films: THEO.

77. It ends in Nov.: DST.

79. Like die-hard fans: AVID.

80. Hearty bowlful often topped with tortilla chips: TACO SOUP.

82. Skate park move: OLLIE.

85. Spice rack staple: OREGANO. I don't like the taste of oregano.

88. Like the Beatles?: FAB. Rich's clue.

89. __ Fridays: TGI.

92. Raised rumblers: ELS.

94. Every hour on the hour, say: OFTEN.

96. An official election ballot can't have one: ERASURE. Rich's clue as well. What if you make a mistake? Can you use Wite-Out? I have not screwed up yet, but I only focus on the races I care about and leave lots of stuff blank.

101. Bummed: SAD.

102. Clearance rack abbr.: IRR.

104. Danson of TV's "Fargo": TED.

105. Bus sched. item: ARR.

106. Tailless primates: APES.

107. Withdrawal charges: ATM FEES.

111. Longtime comic with a "Great Jewish Joke Book": ALAN KING. Also Rich's clue.

117. Singer Jones: NORAH.

120. Brown with a frying pan: ALTON. Here he is.

121. Permanent marks: SCARS.

126. Sun block?: CLOUD.

127. Mississippi's __ River: YAZOO.

128. Sandbox boo-boo: OWIE.

129. Sushi roll wrap: NORI. Some rolls have the nori wrapped inside.

130. Mini racers: KARTS.

131. The Ivy League's Quakers: PENN.

132. Caboose: REAR.

133. Agt. after tax evaders: T MAN.

Down:

1. Marathon runner's wear: BIB. These four are stealing others' bib numbers.

2. Iowa college town: AMES.

3. Past the deadline: LATE.

4. Complaint from the nosebleed section: I CAN'T SEE.

5. "West Side Story" number: AMERICA.

6. Ad __ committee: HOC.

7. "Gotcha!": AHA.

8. Clandestine arrangement: TRYST.

9. 11-time MLB All-Star Miguel: CABRERA. One of Boomer's favorite players.

10. Perfectly, with "to": A TEE. Partial.

11. Exorbitant: STEEP.

12. Altoids rival: TIC TAC.

13. Tennis great Ivan: LENDL.

14. Valentino's love: AMORE.

15. Rosetta Stone discovery area: NILE DELTA. Have any of you seen the Rosetta Stone in person?

16. Yale alumni: ELIS.

17. Turns red, perhaps: DYES.

21. Classic parlor game: CHARADES.

24. Investor's barometer, with "the": DOW.

29. __ del Fuego: TIERRA.

30. Melancholy: DOLOR.

32. Ground cover: SOD. Our townhouse association hired these guys to clean the snow and icicles on the roof last Wednesday. This year is extra tough because of the rain we got in January. It turned into ice and made walking dangerous. The heavy snow that followed after eased up the walking considerably, but the snow just won't stop.

33. Alley prowlers: TOMS. Oh hi, Texas "alley prowler"  and Chicago "alley prowler"!

35. Rub out: EFFACE.

36. Incan herd members: LLAMAS.

37. Gorgon slain by Perseus: MEDUSA.

40. Mistake: SLIP UP.

43. Like the Grinch: MEAN.

44. Org. that may request food recalls: USDA.

46. Air__: Southwest subsidiary: TRAN. Dave 2's nephew is a Southwest pilot.

47. "More or less" cousin: ISH.

49. "I'm __ you!": ONTO.

50. Franklin and Jefferson, religiously: DEISTS.

54. Nair rival, once: NEET.

55. "Taste this": TRY IT. Hmm, I'd like some chicken peanut butter stew on my rice.

58. Egyptian Christian: COPT.

59. Prior night: EVE.

61. Mary's best friend: RHODA. Mary Tyler Moore.

64. Accounting jobs: AUDITS.

65. Missile Command producer: ATARI.

67. Pizarro victim: INCA.

70. Con counterpart, across the Pyrenees: AVEC.  My sister-in-law Connie avec moi. I asked D-Otto what the color of my scarf is. He said tan, pink or gray. He settled on pink.

C.C. & Connie, Feb 11, 2019, The Orleans

71. Compendium: DIGEST.

72. Clumsy one: OAF.

74. Inside investment info: HOT TIP.

75. Oregon college town: EUGENE.

76. Offers a view: OPINES.

78. Hall of Fame linebacker Junior: SEAU.

81. English horn relative: OBOE.

82. Tributes in verse: ODES. I loved TTP's Neruda ODE observations. He was indeed getting hungry. 

83. Constantinople coin: LIRA.

84. Star: LEAD ACTOR. I love this performance so much. Just amazing.

85. Eggs order: OVER EASY.

86. Tattoo parlor sticker: NEEDLE.

87. Flamenco cheer: OLE.

91. Snowstorm consequence: DRIFT. We really don't have place for more snow.

93. Suffix meaning "country": STAN.

95. Egregious: FLAGRANT.

98. Becomes tiresome to: WEARS ON.

99. Vessel for couples: ARK.

100. Pub patron: DRINKER.

103. One with a lot of baggage: REDCAP.

108. Salmon cousin: TROUT.

109. Gives a darn?: MENDS.

110. Pollution portmanteau: SMAZE. Smoke and Haze.

112. Shady area: ARBOR.

113. Wordless agreement: NOD.

114. Quarterback's setback: SACK.

115. Jazz great Fitzgerald: ELLA.

116. Tofu nutrient: IRON. I pan-fry mine often.

118. Splittable bit: ATOM.

119. Eldest daughter of Cronus: HERA.

123. Wonder: AWE. Hi, JJM, it's TTP who posted last week's IRISH EYES pic. Not me. He is just amazing.

124. Its HQ is named for George H.W. Bush: CIA.

125. Sloth, e.g.: SIN.

Great to see both Dave 2 and Lorraine posting on the blog now. It's been tough for both of them. Thanks for the continued support and encouragement for them!

C.C.

Saturday, February, 2, 2019, C.C. Burnikel

Themeless Puzzle B C.C. Burnikel 

Duh, I know it's Ground Hog Day but since that is so obvious I'm going to mention the celebration of a different animal for February 2nd. Today we observe National Sled Dog Day that commemorates the February 2, 1925 arrival of the famous dogsled team on the last leg of the relay from Nenana, Alaska to Nome with serum to stop the diphtheria epidemic. Below at the left you see the dogs in Nome with the lead dog Balto. At the right you see the statue in NYC's Central Park of that lead dog who led the team through a blinding blizzard on that last leg and became a national hero.

Today we get a fun themeless puzzle from our resident den mother and ringmaster, C.C. When I took that left turn in Des Moines a few years ago to go north to Minneapolis, I was carrying precious cargo for her and here you see her wearing it. This shirt makes her a proud, if temporary, Cornhusker. I know it can be dangerous wearing it in Golden Gopher country or in this cold weather but nobody wears it better. 

I made it through her puzzle today in decent time and, as always, I had fun. For her to know so much about our language after arriving here from Guangzhou, China in 2001 is one thing but to know it at such an incredible level that she can make up fiendish clues blows my mind

Now let's see some of the gems she has for us today.

Across:

1. Green side: SALAD - I had to abandon my golf green idea for the adjunct to a meal

6. Fruit named for a horticulturist: BOSC - All I can find is that an M. BOSC was the director of the Paris Arboretum when this fruit was developed

10. Target Field athlete: TWIN - Jeffrey Wechsler had "6 Down Target field" recently and the fill was RETAIL

14. Smart timepiece: APPLE WATCH - Mine reminds me of an old Newspaper comic I used to read that some of you are probably too young to recognize 

16. "That can't be good": OH NO - The Cigarette Stamp Ring above had better be wary

17. Reason for a case: LEGAL ISSUE - A Florida man got a Quarter Pounder with cheese but didn't want the cheese. So instead of saying, "Quarter Pounder with no cheese" he sued McDonalds for $5M for adding extras he and others shouldn't have to pay for.

18. Neck and neck: TIED  - Usually a photo finish

19. Vet: EXAMINE - Some people have rued the day they didn't sufficiently vet people they hired and consequently 23. Refined: HONED that process

20. Chicken __: fast food nuggets: MCBITES.

22. Special nights: EVES - How many people did you have over last night for your Groundhog's Day EVE party? Me too.

24. Hot spot: HADES - One of many euphemisms for H, E, double hockey sticks

26. Ski carriers: GONDOLAS - Fancier than t-bars

29. Jordanian dough: DINAR - Maybe you should get in on the Ramadan Toyota lease specials in Jordan. 

30. Disney dog: LADY - C'mon, you thought of the spaghetti kiss with Tramp didn't you?


31. Unpaid assistant in many offices: SIRI - SIRI got me to C.C.'s house for free

32. Weather-sensitive stat, often: ETD - This SWA flight's Estimated Time of Departure should have been delayed because of the icy weather in Omaha two weeks ago that made the plane go off the runway

33. Get ugly with: SNIPE AT - Ain't our government leaders swell?

36. Da Vinci's "The Last Supper," for one: OIL - Leonardo painted the masterpiece on the wall of the refectory in Milan and the perspective makes it appear to be an extension of the room

37. Policy affecting returns: AS IS.

39. Scrapes (out): EKES - We EKED out a living on $112/wk when I started teaching

40. Beethoven's "Rage Over a Lost Penny," e.g.: RONDO - A RONDO keeps repeating a theme

42. Tears: RAMPAGES - Upset Saints fans wanted to go on a tear/RAMPAGE two weeks ago

44. Light wash: RINSE.

45. Han River city: SEOUL - The km. markers along and across the HAN River for a half marathon

46. Bits of thread: LINT - Cleaning our dryer's LINT filter is necessary now because laundry  can not be 53. Left out to dry: HUNG in our development

47. Resonated, in a way: CLANGED - This field goal kicker CLANGED this kick off an upright

49. Place to find the Silk Road: ASIA MAP - The end of the SILK Road on this map is in Chang'an, China which is now Xi'an, China where C.C. grew up

54. Film with dangerous jobs: CRIME DRAMA - Law And Order did this well on TV

56. Gallic gal pal: AMIE - Your French female friend 

57. Game whose heroine was played by Angelina Jolie in a 2001 film: TOMB RAIDER - This must be what a TOMB RAIDER 58. Goes (for): OPTS to wear to work

59. Beachgoers' specs: SPFS.

60. Biblical verb: DOEST  - Psalm 86 - For thou art great and DOEST wondrous things


Down:

1. Spring __: SALE - Nah, I've got all the springs I need

2. Pinnacle: APEX - Who will reach the APEX of pro football tomorrow?

3. Org. for women drivers: LPGA - Ladies Professional Golf Association

4. County where the Golden State Warriors play home games: ALAMEDA - Next season the Warriors will move across the Bay to the Chase Center in San Francisco City/County

5. Drops off: DELIVERS - Does your neighborhood have "porch pirates"?

6. Diamond foursome: BASES - Three of them are rectangles and one is a pentagon 

7. Some games end in them, for short: OTS - Both NFL Conference championships were settled in OverTIme this year

8. Ugly film: SCUM.

9. Republic in southwestern Russia: CHECHNYA - It's a red 48. Slight amount: DROP in the Russian bucket on this map

10. Pizza roll brand: TOTINOS 

11. Cats with light blond coats: WHITE LIONS - It is said there are about 300 left in the wild

12. What an extended thumb might indicate: I NEED A RIDE - Film buffs know Claudette Colbert's raised skirt worked better than Clark Gable's thumb

13. Silent signals: NODS - Be careful at auctions

15. Results of some press releases?: WINES - Famous wine pressing

21. Compact figure?: BOD - I wish my BOD were more compact

24. Makes out too much, say: HITS A SLUMP - Hmmm... C.C.

25. Words of reinforcement: AND I MEAN IT - An effective parental phrase if there is follow through 

26. Looks amazed: GAPES - OMG, he made that field goal!

27. Laudatory lines: ODES.

28. Farm structure: SILO - This SILO is all that is left of the famous Boys Town farms in West Omaha. The buildings were razed and the ground cleared for a $1.2B development 

29. Prized: DEAR.

30. What an extended thumb might indicate: LIKE 👍 for this puzzle

34. Slights: NEGLECTS 

35. Half a two-island country: TRINIDAD - Their football association emblem has an outline of their divided island as well

38. Dish cleaners: SPONGES.

41. London locale: ONTARIO - A 2-hr drive from Detroit, Michigan

43. Mo. named for an emperor: AUG - Caesar AUGustus in 8 B.C.

44. Choir elevator: RISER - In my ute I stood on them wearing black slacks and a white shirt

46. Gentle sorts: LAMBS.

47. First female Asian-American Cabinet member: CHAO - Here is Elaine CHAO, Secretary of Transportation with her husband you probably recognize 

50. Crafted: MADE.

51. Home of the Iowa State Daily: AMES - It reported on a riot on the Iowa State University campus during the annual spring VEISHA celebration. VEISHA has since ended.

52. Split up: PART.

55. Global financial org.: IMF - International Monetary Fund

Okay, we'll throw a bone to Punxsutawney, Phil too!