Monday July 29, 2024 Caroline Hand

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with a puzzle I am calling  

That Old Clock On The Wall  

Dean Martin ~ That Old Clock On The Wall ~ (1966)

Starting with the four themed clues, we have:

17 Across. Mistaken report of an emergency: FALSE ALARM.

23 Across. Contributing elements to a yawnfest: SNOOZE FACTORS.

38 Across. Anthony Doerr novel whose title comes from an Aristophanes play: CLOUD CUCKOO LAND.

This 626-page book was published in 2021.  Goodreads link

49 Across. Exhortation during cold and flu season: WASH YOUR HANDS.

And the reveal:

61 Across. Getting paid for work, and what an element of 17-, 23-, 38-, and 49-Across may be: ON THE CLOCK.

Depending on the CLOCK, you might find ON it one or more of these:  ALARM setting, SNOOZE button, CUCKOO bird, or hour & minute HANDS. Notice the careful wording here. The clue says element of, meaning any part of the phrase might be used for the theme.

Let's give a HAND* to Caroline Hand on her LA Times solo debut! (She collaborated with Katie Hale on this puzzle published Feb. 9, 2024.) I am impressed that the themed entries are 10-, 13-, 15-, 13- and 10-letters because this construction does not leave much wiggle room for the other fill. More transformation to the meanings of ALARM, SNOOZE, and even CUCKOO would have taken this puzzle up a notch. I clocked the theme at SNOOZE.

*Sorry for the bad pun, Caroline! In my defense, this is The Corner so I am contractually obligated to include as many bad puns as possible in my write-up.  🤓

Next we'll face the challenge of decoding the other clues:

Across:
1. Hooded snake: COBRA.  The king COBRA is the world's largest venomous snake. They can climb trees and swim, too! This is a 1 min. video of a man working with a female COBRA. I would not try to do this in a million years!

6. In the distance: AFAR.  This is A FAR cry from a deceptive clue.

10. Chimed: RANG.  

As it turns out, Ted Cassidy's biography 
Lurching Forward:  Ted Cassidy's Early Life from Cradle to Creature 
was released earlier this month.

14. To no __: fruitlessly: AVAIL. "To no AVAIL" is an idiom that means "without success".

15. La __ Tar Pits: tourist attraction in L.A.'s Hancock Park: BREA.  This is a 4:12 min. video of what it is like to visit the La Brea Tar Pits. I had no idea!  

16. Israeli airline: EL AL.     and     8 Down. __ Lingus: AER.

19. __ adieu: said farewell: BADE.  BADE is the past tense of "bid".

20. Fashion magazine with a French name: ELLE.  

21. Hasty escape: LAM.  Def.:  (noun) sudden or hurried flight, especially from the law.  

22. Aromatic spice in chili and curry: CUMIN.  The Spruce Eats answers your CUMIN questions.

27. "The Raven" poet Edgar Allan __: POE.  Here is author Neil Gaiman reading The Raven. 

 28. Eject from office: OUST.

29. Words on a cake in "Alice in Wonderland": EAT ME.

33. Paintings and sculptures: ART.  I like this clever use of plurals.

34. Sailor's greeting: AHOY.

42. Store sign: OPEN.     and     24 Down. Newspaper column: OPED.

43. Fury: IRE.

44. Old PC platform: MS-DOS.

45. All-__ cookware: CLAD.  

The suggested price for this 10-piece set is $1,500.

47. Place for a facial: SPA.

55. Emerged from slumber: AWOKE.  RISEN is being saved for 4-Down.

56. Slithery fish: EEL.

57. Timothée's "Call Me by Your Name" role: ELIO.  IMDb link

60. Surrealist Salvador: DALÍ.  (1904-1989) Going with the CLOCK theme, here is The Persistence of Memory (1931).

Click to enlarge.

64. "__ go bragh!": ERIN.

65. Cost of a taxi ride: FARE.

66. River mammal: OTTER.  We have some animal lovers on this blog who I think will very much enjoy this video someone took of a dog playing with a river OTTER (1:17 min.). At first I was concerned that they were fighting but they really are playing. The OTTER has opportunities to flee but comes back to play some more. The person who posted the video wrote, "Every evening a river otter comes to play with our daughter's dog Rio. What was once an acquaintance on the other side of the fence has now become a friend who comes to play through the fence. It has been interesting to watch as their trust of each other has developed over the past several months."

Note:  I scrolled through the comments and learned that the video was filmed in Jacksonville, FL in 2007.

67. Chianti, merlot, etc.: REDS.  I think of chianti as the wine that comes wrapped in straw baskets but that is not always the case.  Chianti article

68. Marvel hero played by Chris Hemsworth: THOR.  Chris was born on August 11, 1983 in Melbourne, Australia. Between 2011 and 2022, he played Thor in seven Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.

a face that can stop a CLOCK??

69. Rapper/actor __ Jackson Jr.: O'SHEA.  He is Ice Cube's oldest son.

Down:
1. Bistro: CAFE.

2. Shape of a presidential office: OVAL.  

3. Black-tie galas: BALLS.  

4. Like dough that's ready to bake: RISEN.  Yesterday we had 118A. Puts sourdough in the fridge overnight, say  PROOFS.

The "over" example shows the dough beginning to collapse on itself.

5. Pub drink: ALE.

6. On fire: ABLAZE.

7. Photograph holder: FRAME.

9. Hit hard: RAM.  A hard hat can protect you if you are hit hard.

10. Counterarguments: REBUTTALS.

11. Rental car company: ALAMO.

12. Lowest point: NADIR.

13. Narrow valleys: GLENS.

18. __ gobi: potato and cauliflower dish: ALOO.  ALOO means "potatoes" when it comes to Indian food. Memory trick:  both have two O's.

22. Loops in via email: CCS.

25. Split in the road: FORK.  

Green Day  ~  Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)  ~  1997

"Another turning point, a FORK stuck in the road." 𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮

Note:  This one is a twofer with "time" in the title.

26. Car: AUTO.

29. Green prefix: ECO-.

30. Jungfrau, for one: ALP.  At first I thought Jungfrau might be a phone ApP. It turns out it is in Switzerland. The photos on its tourism website are breathtaking.

31. Foot part: TOE.

32. Donut holes, at Dunkin': MUNCHKINS.  Spoiler alert:  donut holes are not actually made from cutting out holes in donuts.  Why Donuts Have Holes

33. Unreturned serve: ACE.  

Venus Williams, serving up an ACE

35. "You __ one job!": HAD.

36. Artist Yoko: ONO.  Back in 1988, Be My Yoko Ono was the debut single by the Canadian band, Barenaked Ladies.  <Hi Canadian-Eh!>

37. QB's gains: YDS.  Football  -->  Quarterback  -->  Yards

39. Italian goodbye: CIAO.

40. Lahore language: URDU.  Lahore is a city in Pakistan. This an "URDU goodbye":    

Now you know why we never see this as a crossword clue.

41. Saudi Arabia neighbor: OMAN.  Arabic is the official language of OMAN. This is an "OMANi goodbye":  

46. Caustic cleaner: LYE.  What LYE is and Why it is in our Soaps

47. Pronouns in some bios: SHE/HER.  I liked this clue! Pronouns in autobiographies are I/me. On the other hand, biographies are written about someone else's life so they require third-person pronouns. (BTW, bio is not an abbreviation in this clue. It means "a biographical sketch".)

48. The "P" of IPA: PALE.  India PALE Ale

49. Shorebird: WADER.  "WADER" is a synonym for "shorebird", as opposed to a specific type of bird. This link will take you to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Aviary Cam where you can see WADERs flitting about their enclosure.

50. In the know: AWARE.

51. Not flimsy: SOLID.  think, "a SOLID excuse"  

52. Back in style: RETRO.  

This one is my favorite comic today.

53. Shoulder muscles, briefly: DELTS.

54. Couch potato's sin: SLOTH.  

58. Slushy drink brand: ICEE.

59. Gumbo-thickening pod: OKRA.

61. Poet's "many, many times": OFT.  OFT is an adverb that means "often".

62. "No way!": NAH.

63. Dove's sound: COO.  Contrary to popular belief, COO is not half the sound a CUCKOO bird makes.  😜

Today's grid:  

We've beat the clock and made it to closing time. Thank you for clocking in!

Friday, February 9, 2024, Caroline Hand and Katie Hale

 

Good morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a recap of  today's puzzle which, fittingly, was constructed by not one but two puzzle setters.  If you woke up feeling poorly this morning then this puzzle may not have been for you.  However, if you woke up fooling peerly then you may have found that the solving went smeethly and agrooably.  Let's start with the reveal:

66  Across:  Tennis match with teams of men and women, or what 18- and 25-Across and 42- and 55-Across literally have: MIXED DOUBLES.

At two places (for a total of four clues/answers) Caroline and Katie intentionally mix up the double vowels (OO and EE) found in two common "word combinations" and, thereby, create amusing responses to the carefully worded clues.  The first pair is at:

18 Across:  Plays a trick on Miami's basketball team?: FOOLS THE HEAT     and

25 Across:  Spring occasion when people get really emotional?: APRIL FEELS DAY

FEELS THE HEAT and APRIL FOOLS DAY have traded double vowels

The second pair is at:

42 Across:  Orange rinds of epic proportions?: OLYMPIC SIZE PEELS and

55 Across:  Wagers about how many ingredients are in a bottle of shampoo?: CHEMICAL POOLS

OLYMPIC SIZE POOLS and CHEMICAL PEELS have engaged in a bit of vowel swapping.

Here is how this all looks in the grid:

.... and, now that we've participated in the vowels' key party, let's have a look at the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Baldelli who was AL Manager of the Year in 2019: ROCCO.  Things start off with a reference to the Minnesota Twins baseball team.

6. Leave the dishes for tomorrow, say: SOAK.   Here in the SOAKing Southland this seems, somehow, appropriate:

Box Of Rain (1972)

10. Fistful of dollars: WAD.

Clint Probably Got This Answer Quickly

13. Nook purchases: E-BOOKS.  NOOK is Barnes and Noble's electronic reading platform/device.

15. Subject: TOPIC.  Current events are a fish's favorite TOPIC of discussion.

17. Spa brand: OPI.  Usually clued with a reference to nail polish.

20. Molecular messenger: RNA.  A crossword staple.

21. Dump, as stock: SELL.

22. Breakdown helpers: AAA.

23. Monarch: RULER.

30. Cuban dance: MAMBO.  O, possibilmente, italiano

33. Comforts: SOLACES.  

34. Rita on Avicii's "Lonely Together": ORA.

35. UFC fighting style: MMA.  Mixed Martial Arts

38. Prefix with gender: CIS.

"Mongo CIS" Just Does Not Seem Right

39. Some UPenn degs.: MBAS.  Many schools offer MBA degrees.  The UPenn bit was not very helpful.

46. Hands together time: NOON.  Analog, not digital.  Not applause.

47. Not awesome: MEH.

48. Big fuss: ADO.

49. Writer Joe Hill, to Stephen King: SON.   A man gave his three boys a cattle ranch.  He named the ranch Focus because that is where the sun's rays meet.

50. Amends last year's tax return, say: RE-FILES.

53. The Chi-__: R&B quartet: LITES.  A pun-ish name.

59. Titan, once: OILER.  The Tennessee Titans football team started out in 1960 as the Houston Oilers before relocating to Nashville in 1997.

60. Prefix in some genre names: ALT.

61. __ Rios, Jamaica: OCHO.

65. School opening?: PRE.  Some solvers might feel that the southwest, with its PRE, SEC and EST stack, was a bit 47 Across.

71. Wall St. regulator: SEC.

72. Cutting: SNIDE.  A fairly ambiguous clue.

73. Writes to: EMAILS.  Can we read EMAILS on our EBOOKS?

74. D.C. hrs.: EST.  Anybody remember Werner Erhard?

75. African antelopes: GNUS.

76. Teaser: PROMO.  As in teaser ad.

Down:

1. Bowl game officials: REFS.  A football reference.

2. Cor anglais kin: OBOE.  Clued many ways but not as many ways as OREO

3. Awesome: COOL.  Slang.

4. Work together briefly?: COLLAB.  A punt (or slang depending on your perspective).  COLLABoration "in brief".

5. Allows: OKS.

6. Gets home, in a way: STEALS.  Another baseball reference.

7. __ and aah: OOH.  What goes OOH OOH?  A cow with no lips.

8. Imitate: APE.  Used as a verb.  See also 36 Down.

9. Telluride maker: KIA.  An automotive reference.

10. Advertising exaggeration, perhaps: WORLD'S BEST.

11. CPAP target: APNEA. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure used to treat breathing problems.  Philips Respironics recently recalled some of their CPAP machines.

12. Log with a lock: DIARY.

14. Guest __: STAR.

16. Copy shortcut: CTRL C.  A computer user's technique.

19. Japanese "yes": HAI.

24. "I can help!": USE ME.  We have seen this several times in our puzzles.  Has anyone actually heard a person say "USE ME" ?

26. Pageantry: POMP.

27. Areas of interest: FOCI.  Plural of FOCUS.

28. "Hamilton" role for Phillipa Soo: ELIZA.

29. Made less harsh: EASED.

30. Eclipse participant: MOON.

31. "Hope" singer Parks: ARLO.

32. City executive-to-be: MAYOR ELECT.

36. Imitate: MIMIC.  See also 8 Down.

37. Amtrak choice: ACELA.  A train ride often taken in our puzzles.

40. Healing plant: ALOE.  A constructor's friend.

41. Bank acct. application digits: SSNS.  Another crossword staple.

43. Greek muse of memory: MNEME.  Inspiration for:

44. "Where the Sidewalk Ends" poet Silverstein: SHEL.

45. Straw __: POLL.  An unofficial vote.

51. Gels: FIRMS.  Used, here, as a verb.

52. Some kings and queens: SPADES.  A playing card reference.

54. Weather map line: ISOBAR.  Where do meteorologists relax after work?

55. Grove: COPSE.

A small COPSE set among a field of dandelions.

56. Brings on: HIRES.  They could have gone with the root beer.

57. Far from current: OLD.

58. Chiwere speakers: OTOE.  OTOE visit us often.  All About These Indigenous Friends of Crossword Constructors

62. Advertiser's honor: CLIO.  The CLIO awards are named for the Greek goddess CLIO, the mythological muse known as "the proclaimer, glorifier and celebrator of history, great deeds and accomplishments.

63. Big wheel at sea: HELM.  Not the idiomatic "big wheel" which might have led to trying to fit ADMIRAL or CAPTAIN into the allotted space.  A big steering wheel.  

64. __ buco: OSSO.  A food reference.

67. Dutch bank: ING.

68. Mark, as a box: X IN.  Punt

69. Part of a prof's address: EDU.  The ending for a university's email address.  dot EDU

70. Plate official: UMP.  Yet another baseball reference.

Y'er Out!

Okay.  If you say so.

Everyone have a wonderful Superb Owl weekend.

___________________________________________________________

Notes from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Splynter, who turns 53 years old today. I'm so happy and grateful that you're back to blog for us again. 

Baby Splynter and His Parents