Wednesday, December 9, 2020, Catherine Cetta

Theme: NIGHTY NIGHT

17. *Core exercise starting from a lateral lying position: SIDE PLANK.

28. *Remote file-storage option: CLOUD BACKUP.

35. *"Balderdash!": HORSE FEATHERS.

43. *Hotel late-night meal source: ROOM SERVICE.

55. At night ... and where the starts of the answers to starred clues can go: AFTER DARK.

So clever ... AFTER DARK. DARK SIDE, DARK CLOUD, DARK HORSE, and DARK ROOM.

Across:

1. Single-handed rebuke: SLAP. Too many letters for wag.

5. Shopping spot: MART. Not mall.

9. "Oh, dear": AH ME.

13. Won by __: A HAIR. Not a nose.

14. Lotion additive: ALOE.

15. Wheel's partner?: DEAL.

16. Tan cousin: BEIGE. 

19. Gave the nod: OKD.

20. Aver: STATE.

22. Rowing tool: OAR.

23. Hung jury result, often: RETRIAL. New Netflix 8-part documentary series, Trial Four.

25. With "The," '80s British rockers who gave their group "the most ordinary name": SMITHS.

31. Chit: IOU.

32. Sargasso Sea spawner: EEL. The Sargasso Sea is a vast area of the northern Atlantic Ocean which is home to sargassum, a kind of seaweed. Also the name (Wide Sargasso Sea) of a prequel to Jane Eyre, about Mr. Rochester's wife, Antoinette, renamed by her husband as Bertha - mad and confined to the attic in Brontë's novel. 

33. "Baby back" morsel: RIB.

34. Consider: DEEM.

39. Balloon demise sounds: POPS. Speaking of balloons - I recently heard a great episode of the podcast Radiolab called A Very Lucky Wind, the first few minutes of which involves a very unlikely true story about a girl and a balloon. 

40. La-la preceder: TRA.

41. Rapper __ Nas X: LIL.

42. Java: JOE.

48. Actress Meryl: STREEP.

50. "Finally, it makes sense": I SEE NOW.

51. Director DuVernay: AVA. Director of another Netflix series, When They See Us, about the Central Park Five.

52. Page-bottom abbr.: CONTD.

54. "Yabba dabba __!": DOO. Fred Flintstone.

58. Like eta and zeta: GREEK.

60. Unwelcome look: LEER.

61. Fairy tale opener: ONCE.

62. Car service choices: UBERS.

63. Whirling current: EDDY.

64. Sign of sadness, maybe: TEAR.

65. Little drinks: NIPS. Not sips. In New England, the word “nip” is the regional slang for a tiny bottle of booze, usually 50 ml in size. It's thought that these bottles originated as tasters in the mid-1800s. The term nip likely comes from the Low German word nipperkin and was used as early as 1796.

Down:

1. Israeli coin: SHEKEL. Not to be confused with a schmeckle.

2. Stopped the ship by facing the wind: LAID TO. Nautical term, to lay to is "to bring a ship vessel into the wind and hold her stationary. A vessel doing this is said to be laying to." 

3. Bailed-out insurance co.: AIG. American International Group Inc. Falling Giant: A Case Study of AIG.

4. Chairs a meeting: PRESIDES.

5. Indian spice mix: MASALA. What Is Garam Masala?

6. Landed: ALIT.

7. Went by bike or horse: RODE.

8. Start of a golf hole: TEE.

9. '50s candidate Stevenson: ADLAI.

10. More robust: HEARTIER. "Hearty" refers to good health and ability, while "hardy" implies a boldness or capability to withstand tough conditions. Grammarist.

11. Outdated collective noun: MAN. Did you know the collective noun for butlers is a ‘sneer of butlers’? Harsh. 10 Most Offensive Collective Nouns.

12. Antlered bugler: ELK. Bull elk bugle (verb) as a sign of dominance, however, they also will bugle as a means to locate other elk. A bugle is also a way for a bull to call cows in to him. A chuckle is the series of grunts following a bugle.

13. Multiple choice choices: A B OR C. Tricky.

18. Elgar's "__ and Circumstance Marches": POMP.

21. Place for card games: TABLE TOP.

24. Ones with regrets: RUERS.

25. Hardest to spot: SUBTLEST.

26. Garden tools: HOES.

27. Bottom line: SUM.

29. Whipped __: CREAM.

30. Sportage automaker: KIA.

34. Probe (into): DELVE.

35. Real riot: HOOT. Oh, that kind of riot.

36. Performed surgery: OPERATED.

37. To and __: FRO.

38. Mercenary: HIRED GUN.

39. Nighties: PJS. Worn AFTER DARK.

43. Caboose's place: REAR.

44. Pitch that curves downward: SINKER.

45. Dangerously involved: IN DEEP.

46. Pigeons, e.g.: COOERS. Like the coo-coo Pigeon sisters ...

47. Furry "Star Wars" creatures: EWOKS.

49. __ so often: occasionally: EVERY.

52. Candy shape: CANE.

53. Killer whale: ORCA.

55. Part of IPA: ALE.

56. Central banking syst., with "the": FED.

57. URL bit: DOT.

59. Hitter's stat: RBI.

Notes from C.C.:

Happy birthday to dear Hahtoolah (Susan), whose humor and talent shine through in each of her posts and links. A bat called Guanita who does not sleep properly? Only she can find that. Hahtoolah loves traveling and has been everywhere, including my hometown Xi'an. Hope you can be on the plane again next summer, Susan!

 

Tuesday September 29, 2020 Catherine Cetta

The Orthopod's Dream.  The word BONE is "Broken" in each theme answer.   Each answer begins with the letters BO and ends in NE.

How Bones may be Broken.

18-Across. *   Where a strike usually isn't lucky: BOWLING LANE.  Hi, Boomer!

29-Across. *   Dinner guest's gift: BOTTLE OF WINE.

48-Across. *   Fencing may mark it: BOUNDARY LINE.  Fences make good neighbors

And the unifier:

61-Across. *   Orthopedist's concerns ... and what you'll find in two parts in the answers to the starred clues: BROKEN BONES.

I shattered my knee cap about 20 years ago.  That's the only bone I have ever broken.  Anyone else have broken bones?

Across:

1. URL ending for MoMA: ORG.  You can access the Museum of Modern Art here:  https://www.moma.org/visit/

4. Early film legend Greta: GARBO.

Greta Garbo (Sept. 18, 1905 ~ Aor. 15, 1990)

9. Pie crust fat: LARD.

13. Even __: 72, often, in golf: PAR.

14. Perfect: IDEAL.

15. Off to the side, at sea: ABEAM.  According to Webster's, Abeam is defined as: off to the side of a ship or plane especially at a right angle to the middle of the ship or plane's length.

17. Dye type: AZO.   Azo dyes are organic compounds used to treat textiles, leather and some foods.  For a technical article on these dyes, check this site.

20. "Madam Secretary" star Téa: LEONI.  Téa Leoni (née Elizabeth Téa Pantaleoni; b. Feb. 25, 1966) had the lead role in Madam Secretary.  She was married to David Duchovny of The X File.

22. Meadow sound: MOO.

23. Sales rep's customer: Abbr.: ACCT.  As in an Account.

24. 1,760-yard runner: MILER.

27. Eggy cakes: TORTES.  What's the difference between a Torte and a Cake?

33. Garbage can emanation: ODOR.

34. Feature of higher-numbered pool balls: STRIPE.

35. Shoulder-shrugging syllable: MEH!

38. Tim who played pro football and pro baseball: TEBOW.  Timothy Richard Tebow (b. Aug. 14, 1987) played football for the University of Florida before going pro.  He now is an outfielder for the New York Mets.

40. 2,000 pounds: TON.

41. Take care of: SEE TO.

43. Opposite of NNW: SSE.  The opposite of North-NorthWest is South-SouthEast.

44. Danish birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen: ODENSE.  Odense is the 3rd largest city in Denmark.

47. Cut short: CROP.

50. Whac-A-Mole setting: ARCADE.

53. Take to lunch, say: TREAT.

54. Buddies: PALS.

55. Bond creator Fleming: IAN.  Hand up if you knew that Ian Fleming (né Ian Lancaster Fleming; May 28, 1908 ~ Aug. 12, 1964) also wrote Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang.

58. Sky-supporting Titan: ATLAS.  Charles Atlas (né Angelo Siciliano; Oct. 30, 1892 ~ Dec. 24, 1972) was an Italian-born American bodybuilder.

65. Before, in verse: ERE.

66. Lop off: SEVER.

67. 100-meter freestyle, e.g.: EVENT.

68. Black or Caspian: SEA.  The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water.  It is sometimes classified as a lake, but usually as a Sea because when the ancient Romans discovered it way back when, they decided it was a sea.  The Black Sea and Caspian Sea are rather close to each other.

69. Blacks' foes in checkers: REDS.

70. Shabby: TATTY.  My first thought was Tacky.

71. H.S. challenge: SAT.  The standardized test used to be known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, but it is now just the SAT.  Some colleges and universities have moved away from heavy reliance on these test.

Down:

1. Down Under gem: OPAL.  Hi, Kazie!

2. Demolish: RAZE.

3. Man at the altar: GROOM TO BE.

4. 1944 law for returning vets: GI BILL.

5. Bustle: ADO.

6. DVR button: REW.  As is in the Rewind button.

7. Lip soother: BALM.

8. Mishmash: OLIO.  A crossword staple.

9. Transmission delay: LAG.

10. Like trumpeting trumpets: ABLARE.  The dreaded "A" word.

11. Laugh at a joke, say: REACT.

12. Hula or hora: DANCE.

16. Yanks' crosstown rivals: METS.  The New York City baseball teams.

19. "Reward" for poor service: NO TIP.

21. TNT component: NITRO.

25. Wide shoe sizes: EEs.

26. Bad to the core: ROTTEN.

28. Small bills: ONES.

29. Spammers, often: BOTS.

30. Poetic tributes: ODES.

31. Fern leaf: FROND.

Anatomy of a fern leaf.

32. Comes out on top in: WINS AT.

35. Good for nothing: MERITLESS.

36. George Orwell's alma mater: ETON. Eton College was founded nearly 600 years ago.  Ironically, when King Henry VI started the school, it was a charity educational institution and was intended to provide free education to poor young boys.  Today it costs over $40K per year to attend.

37. Optimism: HOPE.

39. Outdated tennis racket material: WOOD.  And: 63-Down. Tennis court essential: NET.

42. Panache: ÉCLAT.

45. Scheduled to land: DUE IN.

46. Slip up: ERR.

48. Lolled on a beach: BASKED.  Basking ~ not just for humans.

49. Like bread dough: YEASTY.

50. PD alerts: APBs.  The Police Department might issue an All Points Bulletin.

51. Less common: RARER.

52. Garlic unit: CLOVE.  I have a friend who wanted to make a special dinner for his girlfriend.  He didn't realize that a clove of garlic was not the entire garlic.  The recipe called for two garlic cloves.  His special meal was more "special" than he intended.

56. Stand lookout for, as a heist: ABET.

57. Flaring star: NOVA.  Also a car manufactured by Cheverlot.

59. __ code: AREA.  Telephone area codes in Louisiana.

60. Pants part: SEAT.

62. Busy hosp. areas: ERs.  As in Emergency Rooms.

64. Tolkien creature: ENT.  A crossword staple.

Here's the Grid:

I was so sorry to hear about Abejo.  He was such a kind man.  He always had something nice to say about the puzzle, no matter what others thought and he always complimented the commentator.  He was always so busy and reaching out to his communities.  He will greatly be missed by his crossword family.

Tuesday, September 1, 2020 Catherine Cetta

Data Backup.  The word "DATA" can be found spelled backwards in each of the theme answers.

17-Across. Topper for a toreador: MATADOR HAT.  Not sure how long the hat stays on in the ring, however,

30-Across. How sale items are priced: AT A DISCOUNT.

47-Across. "I'm so disappointed!": WHAT A DOWNER.

And the Unifier:
63-Across. System administrator's task ... and a hint to what can be found in 17-, 30- and 47-Across: DATA BACKUP.

Across:

1. Remove politely, as a hat: DOFF.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

5. Muscle cramp: SPASM.  //  And 22-Down: Idiocyncratic twitch: TIC.

10. Hang onto: HOLD.

14. Assert as true: AVER.  A crossword staple.

15. One with dreads: RASTA.

Bob Marley (1945 ~ 1981)

16. Out of the wind: ALEE.

19. On cloud __: NINE.

20. Fill with joy: ELATE.  Fun to have this clue and answer immediately follow the sense of being On Cloud Nine.

21. Feature that results in extra legroom on a plane: EXIT DOOR.  Pre-Covid, these seats were hard to get.  Extra legroom is a necessity if one is tall.  I am short and find the regular seats too small.

23. On __: sans contract: SPEC.

26. Bro's sib: SIS.  As in Brother and Sister.

27. Indy 500 letters: STP.

36. Brewed beverage: TEA.

37. Pseudonymous punk rock surname: RAMONE.  The name of the band was inspired by the fact that Paul McCarthy would often use the pseudonym "Paul Ramon" when he traveled.  The original 4 members of the Ramones have all died:  Joey Ramone (né  Jeffrey Ross Hyman; May 19, 1951 ~ Apr. 15, 2001) died of lymphoma; Dee Dee Ramone (né  Douglas Glenn Colvin; Sept. 18, 1951 ~ June 5, 2002) died of a drug overdose; Johnny Ramone (né  John William Cummings; Oct. 8, 1948 ~ Sept. 15, 2004) died of prostate cancer; and Tommy Ramone (né  Tamás Erdélyi; Jan. 29, 1949 ~ July 11, 2014) died of cancer.

38. "This isn't looking good": UH, OH!

39. Turn back to zero: RESET.

41. Picnic pest: ANT.

42. Step between landings: STAIR.

43. "__ girl!": ATTA.

44. Stir up: AROUSE.

46. Press into service: USE.

49. Corrosive solution: LYE.

50. PBS "Science Kid": SID.  I am not familiar with Sid the Science Kid.

51. Crossed (out): EX'ED.

53. Previews that sound like they belong after the film: TRAILERS.

58. Eye-popping colors: NEONS.

62. Little Boy Blue's instrument: HORN.  A reference to the nursery rhyme:

Little Boy Blue come blow your horn,

The sheep’s in the meadow the cow’s in the corn.

But where’s the boy who looks after the sheep?

He’s under a haystack fast asleep.

Will you wake him? No, not I – for if I do, he’s sure to cry.

66. "In memoriam" piece: OBIT.  As in the Obituary.

67. Speak from a platform: ORATE.

68. River of Pisa: ARNO.

69. Change the decor of: REDO.

70. Gall: NERVE.

71. Like the 10th frame in bowling: LAST.  Hi, Boomer!

Down:

1. Title for Maggie Smith: DAME.  Dame Margaret Natalie Smith (b. Dec. 28, 1934) is such a good actress.

2. Speed-skating rink shape: OVAL.

3. Greek cheese: FETA.  Feta cheese is a brined curd white cheese made in Greece from sheep milk or from a mixture of sheep and goat milk. It is a crumbly aged cheese, commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture in comparison to other cheeses.

4. Houses with Greek letters: FRATS.

5. Full house letters: SRO.  As in Standing Room Only.  Probably not permitted by the Fire Marshal in most venues.

6. It may be two on a minigolf hole: PAR.

7. US Open stadium namesake: ASHE.  Arthur Ashe (July 10, 1943 ~ Feb. 6, 1993) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

8. Pringles rival: STAX.  Both are some sort of weird potato chips.

9. French painter Henri: MATISSE.  Henri Matisse (né Henri Émile Benoît Matisse; Dec. 31, 1869 ~ Nov. 3, 1954) was a French post-impressionist painter.

10. Distributes: HANDS OUT.

11. Hodgepodge: OLIO.  A crossword staple.

12. Carson's successor: LENO.  Jay Leno (né James Douglas Muir Leno; b. Apr. 28, 1950) replaced Johnny Carson (né John William Carson; Oct. 23, 1925 ~ Jan. 23, 2005) on The Tonight Show.

13. Bambi and Ena: DEER.  Disney characters.

18. Leave: DEPART.

24. Greek vowel: ETA.

25. Sporty Chevy: CAMARO.

27. Proverbial camel's backbreaker: STRAW.  Possible origin to the Phrase.

28. Canines, e.g.: TEETH.

29. Ziti or rigatoni: PASTA.  Everything you wanted to know about the Difference between Ziti and Rigatoni, but were afraid to ask.

31. Brief beginning-of-class activity: DO NOW.

32. On key: IN TUNE.

33. DIY mover: U-HAUL.  I have used U-Haul a time or two for some moves.  The company is  currently based in Phoenix, Arizona.  The company was started in 1945 by Leonard Shoen (Feb. 29, 1916 ~ Oct. 4, 1999) in Washington State.

34. Loud: NOISY.

35. Stooge count: THREE.  Hi, Chairman Moe!  Welcome to the world of blogging.

40. Erodes, as savings: EATS INTO.

42. Sister of Venus: SERENA.  Venus (née Venue Ebony Starr Williams; b. June 17, 1980) and Serena (née Serena Jameka Williams; b. Sept. 26, 1981) Williams are both tennis stars.

44. Enlarged the house: ADDED ON.

45. Census checkbox: SEX.  The Census it taken every 10 years, and this was year.
  

48. Feel sick: AIL.

52. Window sticker: DECAL.

53. Thunder god: THOR.

54. Courtroom garb: ROBE.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (b. Mar. 15, 1933)

55. Desertlike: ARID.

56. Uncommon: RARE.

57. Betelgeuse is one: STAR.  The name Betelgeuse is believed to be a French corruption of the Arabic word for the bright star found in the constellation of Orion.

59. Gumbo ingredient: OKRA.  We had Okra last week.

60. Sisters: NUNS.  Hi, Lucina!

61. Lady Macbeth's "damned" tormenter: SPOT.

64. Off-road transp.: ATV.  As in All-Terrain Vehicle.

65. Spelling contest: BEE.

Here's the Grid:

Covid is still out there, so please mask up and stay safe.