Saturday, April 15, 2023, C.C. Burnikel

Themeless Saturday by C.C. Burnikel

Our beloved blogmistress (and very pretty honorary Cornhusker) has another Saturday challenge for us. I had one bad cell in the same location as last week. 8 Across and 8 Down cost me a "got 'er done". My vowel coin flip came up wrong.

Across:

1. Green edges: FRINGES - C.C. had to steer this golfer away from green dress fringes to golf green FRINGES.

Can you see the ball on the FRINGE?

8. Art form also known as "kado," or "way of flowers": IKEBANA.

15. African country whose flag is similar to Old Glory: LIBERIA.

16. Sheep from Spain: MERINOS - I guessed correctly on the M

17. Get better with time: AGE WELL.

18. Wall Street figure: ANALYST - The ones on TV can really get it wrong!

19. Soft touches: PATS.

20. Victoria Arlen's cable channel: ESPN.

22. "Les Misérables" escape route: SEWER.

23. Close: NEAR.

24. 2020 NL batting champion Juan: SOTO - In the Covid year where he played only 47 games.

25. Largest moon of Saturn: TITAN.

28. Is behind, perhaps: OWES.

32. "This Is Us" Emmy winner __ Cephas Jones: RON.

33. Bar mixer: TONIC.

34. Minute: SMALL.

35. Cold case evidence: DNA.

36. "Big congrats!": I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU - This was my first long fill that helped unlock the puzzle 

39. Pin cushion?: MAT.

40. Ingredient in some crusts: OREOS.

41. Part of the inn crowd: GUEST 😀

42. "What's ur __?": ETA - Police code, "What's your 10-77?"

43. Brief periods: SECS.

44. Lipstick type: MATTE.

45. Policy maven: WONK - My granddaughter just accepted a big time job in D.C. where she will be well on her way to using her love of being a WONK.

47. Close (to): AKIN.

49. Destination for the last flight?: ATTIC - 😀 and 58. Place for playthings: TOY ROOM - Here the last flight of stairs end up in the ATTIC TOY ROOM.

51. Knock harshly: SLAM.

52. X6 and i4 cars: BMWS - Here's an X6

56. Seedy place: RAT TRAP.

60. Record in advance: PRE-TAPE - These days, I am recording the old Perry Mason shows from the 50's and 60's that feature some of the most beautiful cars ever made.

61. Emphatic denial: I SAID NO - No means no!

62. Hold a grudge: STAY MAD.

63. Old money neighborhood in "The Great Gatsby": EAST EGG.

Down:

1. Wing it?: FLAP - 😀

2. Birthplace of Mikhail Baryshnikov and Mikhail Tal: RIGA - Ballet and Chess masters were born in Latvia

3. Skeptical reply: I BET.

4. Paper product?: NEWS - I still get some NEWS from the Omaha World Herald after I do the cwd

5. Test for some srs.: GRE.

6. Collins who was the first woman Space Shuttle commander: EILEEN and 14. Space Shuttle commander, e.g.: ASTRONAUT.

7. __ verde: SALSA - Even I know verde is Spanish for green.

8. "Ms. Marvel" star Vellani: IMAN.

9. Mental perception: KEN - Knowledge of the woman above is beyond my KEN

                                 ken

1. one's range of knowledge or sight.

   "such determination is beyond my ken"

10. Significant stretches: ERAS.

11. Gymnast named Time's Athlete of the Year in 2021: BILES - Her TRIPLE DOUBLE was featured in Monday's puzzle

12. Request for an update: ANY WORD YET.

13. Like the traditional Maori greeting known as the Hongi: NOSE TO NOSE - With then Prince Charles

21. Senior's big ask: PROMPOSAL - Portmanteau of PROM and PORPOSAL

23. Chips on the table: NACHOS and 46. Chips on the table: KITTY - 😀

  
 

25. Tangy pastry: TOMATO TART.

26. Quick beverage: INSTANT TEA - I can't imagine C.C. drinking this 😒

27. Nico Márquez, to Dora the Explorer: TIO - Can you find Uncle Nico?

29. Routes: WAYS.

30. Jon Favreau holiday film: ELF - Good luck finding Jon's name

31. Commercial line: SLOGAN.

33. Sci-fi anomalies: TIME WARPS - Is that how Marty McFly made it Back To The Future? 😀

34. Contractor's detail, briefly: SPEC.

37. Amount to: ARE.

38. Tire track: RUT - They can cause great damage on a golf course

44. Bottomless brunch drink, often: MIMOSA.

48. Journalist Couric: KATIE.

50. Quick study?: CRAM.

51. Apt rhyme of "fled": SPED.

52. Many a theatre attendee: BRIT.  - "theatre"

53. Gamer's choice: MODE - The USA Today Puzzle allows to you to choose between Casual or Expert MODE

54. King, in Cantonese: WONG - C.C. gave me the okay on these ways of writing it.

55. Hazy stuff: SMOG.

57. "I Still Believe" actor KJ __: APA.

59. "Love it!": YAS.

 

Tuesday, March 21, 2023 Tom Pepper and C.C. Burnikel

Our Vowels are Politically Correct:  Each theme answer is a two word phrase where the first word begins with P and the second word begins with C.  Note, too, that we have a vowel progression in each of the two words as we work our way through this very PC puzzle.  How cool is that!?!

17-Across. Black-and-white cruisers: PATROL CARS.  Hand up if your first thought was Police Car instead of Patrol Car.  Also known as Panda Cars.

26-Across. Former name of Ball Arena: PEPSI CENTER.  The Ball Arena, formerly known as the Pepsi Center, is in Denver, Colorado.  It's home to the Denver Nuggets (basketball), the Colorado Avalanche (hockey), and the Colorado Mammoth (lacrosse).

39-Across. Public space in London's West End: PICCADILLY CIRCUS.  Although it's a wild and crazy round-about, the Circus in the name is derived from the Latin word meaning circle.

53-Across. Influential duo: POWER COUPLE.  Iconic Power Couples from 1954 to 2020.

64-Across. Snack Pack product: PUDDING CUP.

And the unifier:

63-Down. Some laptops, and a hint to five long answers in this puzzle: PCs.  Is my MacBook a Personal Computer?  What's the difference between a PC (Personal Computer) and an Apple laptop?

Across:

1. Defeated player's concession: I LOST.

6. Phone download: APP.

9. Cobra's warning: HISS.

13. "Yes to Fresh" candy: MENTOS.  I knew of the candy, but not its catch-phrase.

15. Bath bathroom: LOO.  Why do the Brits use the word Loo?  Apparently, it comes from the French phrase guardez l'eau, which means "watch out for the water".  This French phrase was actually used when emptying out the chamber pot from the bedroom window.

16. Snack (on): MUNCH.  Detective Munch, played by the late Richard Belzer (Aug. 4, 1944 ~ Feb. 19, 2023), first appeared in the television series Homicide: Life on the Streets, before moving on to a Law & Order spinoff.  I wonder what snack he Munched on.

19. "Aw, shucks!": OH, GEE!

20. Fit to eat, to Muslims: HALAL.  Halal is an Arabic word that means lawful, or permitted.

21. Bygone Russian royal: TSAR.  Did you know that the word Tsar is derived from the Latin title of Caesar?

23. First digit in a googol: ONE.  The One (1) in a Googol is followed by 100 Zeros.  It's a really, really big number.

24. Little cut: SNIP.

29. Cargo weight: TON.

30. Sunscreen nos.: SPFs.  As in Sun Protection Factor.

31. Indonesian island between Java and Lombok: BALI.  There are lots of things to see and do in Bali.

32. "So that's it!": OH, I SEE.

34. Knee injury initials: ACL.  As in Anterior Cruciate Ligament.  We see this knee injury occasionally in the puzzles.

36. "What a shame!": TSK.

44. Oolong, e.g.: TEA.  Everything you wanted to know about Oolong Tea, but didn't know to ask.

45. Combat sport, briefly: MMA.  Short for Mixed Martial Arts.

46. "We did it!": HOORAY!

47. __ year: LEAP.  People born on February 29 are known as Leaplings.  My great-grandfather was a Leapling.

50. Blueprint detail, for short: SPEC.

52. Overhead trains: ELs.  Short for Elevated train.

57. Tuckered out: BEAT.

58. Spanish "that": ESO.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Hi, Lucina!

59. Short "And yet ... ": OTOH.  Textspeak for On The Other Hand.

60. Hunter in the night sky: ORION.

62. Said yes to an invite, say: RSVP'D.  Today's French lesson.  The letters stand for répondez s'il vous plaît, which translates to Respond if you please.  A response, however, is really expected, whether you please or not.

68. Jigsaw puzzle part: PIECE.

69. Memorable period: ERA.

70. Cruise venues: OCEANS.

71. Beltway VIPs: SENs.  As in Senators. 

72. Add sound to: DUB.

73. Promotes aggressively: HYPES.

Down:

1. Little rascal: IMP.

2. Actress DeLaria: LEA.  Lea DeLaria (b. May 23, 1958) is best known for her portrayal of Carrie Black on Orange is the New Black.  [Name # 1.]

3. In a precarious position: ON THIN ICE.  Here's a fascinating video of someone who intentionally skates on thin ice.

4. Sandal fastener: STRAP.

5. Home Depot purchase: TOOL.

6. Fla. neighbor: ALA.  Alabama is Florida's neighbor.  Ever wonder why Alabama has such a small coastline?

7. Some dessert wines: PORTS.  Everything you wanted to know about Port Wines, but didn't know to ask.

8. "Could be": POSSIBLY.

9. "Come again?": HUH.

10. Gold bar: INGOT.  Everything you wanted to know about Gold Ingots, but didn't know to ask.

11. Play division: SCENE.

12. See-through: SHEER.  Before she was the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton (b. Jan. 9, 1982) took part in a fashion show while in college.

14. Hit with an open hand: SLAPPED.

16. Gourmet mushroom: MOREL.  These mushrooms used to be a crossword staple.

18. Score symbol: CLEF.

22. Obamacare, initially: ACA.  //  And 49-Down. The second "A" of 22-Down: ACT.  The actual name of Obamacare is the Affordable Care Act.

24. "Knock it off!": STOP.

25. Like nine games of the 2021 baseball season: NO HIT.  Read about all Nine No-Hit games.

27. Biblical song: PSALM.

28. Part of TNT: NITRO.  It's formal name is TriNitroToluene.

30. Dead __ Scrolls: SEA.  The Dead Sea Scrolls can be seen at the Israel Museum: Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem.

33. Weighing device: SCALE.

35. Bracelet fastener: CLASP.

37. Image in many a software tutorial: SCREENCAP.

38. __ Lumpur, Malaysia: KUALA.

40. "That was exhausting!": I'M POOPED.

41. "Toodle-oo!": CHEERIO!

42. Winter Games org.: IOC.  As in the International Olympic Committee.

43. Method: Abbr.: SYST.  As in System.

48. Slowly wear down: ERODE.

51. Trudge: PLOD.

53. Suspects, in police slang: PERPS.

54. Davis of "Do the Right Thing": OSSIE.  I saw Do the Right Thing when I was living in France.  It didn't translate well.  Ossie Davis (né Raiford Chatman Davis; Dec. 18, 1917 ~ Feb. 4, 2005) played a character named Da Mayor.  [Name # 2.]

55. Like wicker baskets: WOVEN.

56. Freedom, in Swahili: UHURU.  It is also the first name of the former president of Kenya, who served in that Office from April 2013 until September 2022.

Uğuru Kenyatta (b. Oct. 26, 1961)

57. One over par, in golf: BOGEY.

61. Ruler division: INCH.

65. Perfume amount: DAB.

66. French article: UNE.  More of today's French lesson.

67. Ltr. add-ons: PSs.  As in PostScripts.

Here's the Grid:

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