Tuesday, April 21, 2020 Chase Dittrich

I'm so Dizzy from Running in Circles!  Although this appears to be the dreaded circle puzzle, the circles here are actually an integral part of the theme.  A word describing "run" is literally found in the circles.

20-Across. Stretched wall hangings: CANVASPRINTS.  Sprint.

27-Across. Semi-casual garment named for an Atlantic island: BERMUDA SHORTS.  Dash.

42-Across. Major blood vessel in the neck: CAROTID ARTERY.  Dart.

48-Across. Waste one's time ... or what 20-, 27- and 42-Across contain?: RUN IN CIRCLES.

Run in Circles

Across:

1. Seer's card: TAROT.

6. On __: without a contract: SPEC.

10. No. on an invoice: ACCT.  As in Account Number.

14. When directed: ON CUE.

15. Downtime: LULL.

16. Cub or Brave, briefly: NLER.  The Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta Braves are both National League baseball teams

17. Lawman Earp: WYATT.  Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (Mar. 19, 1848 ~ Jan. 13, 1929) also makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  This is at least the 4th time he has visited when I provide commentary.  Interesting fact:  He was elected to be the constable of Lamar, Missouri in 1870.  Within a year, however, he left that job and somewhat aimlessly, began roaming the West.  He was arrested for stealing horses in Indiana territory.  He fled to Kansas to escape prosecution.  He was ultimately hired to be a police officer in Wichita, Kansas.  He was let go from that position after beating up a candidate for county sheriff.

18. Armory contents: AMMO.

19. Like a slick garage floor: OILY.

23. ... __ to grow on: extra birthday cake candle: AND ONE.

26. Severe anxiety: ANGST.

32. See 25-Down: BREES.  //  And 25. With 32-Across, record-setting New Orleans Saints quarterback: DREW.  These clues give us Drew Brees.  Drew Brees (né Andrew Christopher Brees; b. Jan. 15, 1979) gives back to  his community in many ways, including assistance during the current pandemic.

33. Words of empathy: I CARE.

34. Cries of pain: YOWS!.

35. Leaves out: OMITS.

36. Bottom of a ship: HULL.  Hi, Spitzboov!

40. Cause abrasion: CHAFE.

41. Leg bone: TIBIA.

45. 21st-century president with a Nobel Peace Prize: OBAMA.  President Barak Obama (b. Aug. 4, 1961) was the recipient of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

47. Sparkly headwear: TIARAS.

53. "My goodness!": EGAD!

54. Dueling blade: ÉPÉE.  A crossword staple.

55. Take potshots: SNIPE.

59. Early automaker: OLDS.  Ransom Eli Olds (June 3, 1864 ~ Aug. 26, 1950) was a pioneer in the American auto industry.  The Oldsmobile was named after him.  The Oldsmobile ceased production in 2004.

Ransom Olds driving his Oldsmobile.

60. Billionth: Pref.: NANO-. Think of the nano-second.  Opps!  You took too long!

61. Raptor's claw: TALON.

62. Senate spot: SEAT.

United States Senate

63. Citrus drinks: ADES.  Hi, Lemonade!

64. Leered at: OGLED.

Down:

1. AAA job: TOW.

2. At least one: ANY.

3. Color TV pioneer: RCA.  Color televisions have changed a bit since they first came out.

4. Results: OUT COMES.

5. The "T" in DPT: TETANUS.  The DPT is a vaccine that fights against 3 infectious diseases that were once common in childhood: Diphtheria, Pertussis (whooping cough), and Tetanus.

6. Croat, for one: SLAV.

7. Mountain cat: PUMA.

8. Shade trees: ELMS.  Sadly, many Elm trees have succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease.

9. Trotting sound: CLOP.

10. Bless with oil: ANOINT.

11. Holds on tight: CLINGS.

12. Boston NBAers: CELTS.

Boston Celtics from the 1980s.

13. Private rendezvous: TRYST.

21. Actor Beatty: NED.  Ned Beatty (né Ned Thomas Beatty; b. July 6, 1937) is a retired character actor.  He made his film debut in the 1972 movie Deliverance.

22. Like Flying Eagle pennies: RARE.  The Flying Eagle penny was in circulation in 1857 to 1858.  A little before my time.

23. First name in advice: ABBY.  Think of Dear Abby (née Pauline Esther Friedman; July 4, 1918 ~ Jan. 16, 2013).  She was known professionally as Abigail van Buren and wrote an advice column called Dear Abby.  Interestingly, her identical twin sister, Esther Pauline Friedman (July 4, 1918 ~ June 22, 2002) also wrote an advice column under the name of Ann Landers.  The Dear Abby column continues, but is now written by Abby's daughter, Jeanne Philips.

24. Fiddling emperor: NERO.

28. Set one's sights on: AIM AT.

29. Jules Verne genre: SCI-FI.

30. Couldn't stand: HATED.

31. Hosp. areas: ORs.  As in Operating Rooms

35. "Gotcha!": OHO!

36. Ran into trouble: HIT A SNAG.

37. Lyft alternative: UBER.  Both are ride services.

38. Turkish money: LIRA.  Very colorful.

39. Potato chip brand: LAYS.  If I am going to eat potato chips, I want just the plain chips ~ not one of those weird flavors.

40. Prefix with berry: CRAN.  A brief history of the CRANBERRY.  It's not just for Thanksgiving.

41. Gives it a go: TRIES TO.

42. Country with the longest coastline: CANADA.  My first thought was Chile, but that country doesn't have enough letters.  I had forgotten about those long northern coastlines of Canada.  Hi, CanadianEh!

43. In the thick of: AMIDST.

44. World's busiest airport, on luggage tags: ATL.  As in the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

45. Layered cookies: OREOS.  A crossword staple

46. Taps horn: BUGLE.

49. Wrestler John: CENA.  John Felix Anthony Cene, Jr. (b. Apr. 23, 1977) is not only a wrestler, but also a rapper, actor  and television personality.  His birthday is on Thursday.

50. Tablet with Siri: iPAD.

51. "The Son of Man" painter Magritte: RENÉ.  René Margritte (Nov. 21, 1898 ~ Aug. 15, 1967) was a Belgian Surrealist artist.

52. Corp. bigwigs: CEOs.  As in Chief Executive Officers.

56. Under the weather: ILL.

57. "Annabel Lee" poet: POE.  As in Edgar Allan Poe (Jan. 19, 1809 ~ Oct. 7, 1849).

58. Coincidentally and aptly, it was also yesterday's last Down answer: END.  This must have been Rich's clue.  You have to do yesterday's puzzle to "get" this clue.

QOD:  Advice is like castor oil, easy enough to give but dreadfully uneasy to take. ~ Josh Billings (né Henry Wheeler Shaw; Apr. 21, 1818 ~ Oct. 14, 1885), American writer and humorist

Tuesday, January 21, 2020 Chase Dittrich

Tennis, Anyone?  Tennis: the game that is played on a variety of surfaces.  Note that each answer is a three-letter phrase.

20-Across. Be noisy, or equip for tennis?: MAKE A RACKET.

34-Across. Enjoy oneself, or be ready for tennis?: HAVE A BALL.

46-Across. Sue, or leave for tennis?: GO TO COURT.

60-Across. Be helpful, or enjoy playing tennis?: LIVE TO SERVE.



Across:

1. Sound of disbelief: GASP.

5. Feature of some debit cards: CHIP.  Chips are also found on credit cards.

9. Ford Fusion, e.g.: SEDAN.

14. Latin "others": ALIA.

15. __ erectus: HOMO.  What Does it Mean to be Human?  The first skeletal remains of a Homo erectus was discovered in 1891.

16. To the point: TERSE.

17. Wander aimlessly (about): MILL.

18. Israeli carrier: EL AL.  El Al has become a crossword staple.  The first scheduled flight on El Al was in July 1949.  The name of the company roughly translates from the Hebrew to "to the skies."  I usually fly El Al when I go to Israel.

19. Pisces follower: ARIES.

23. Brewery tub: VAT.

24. Admin. aides: ASSTS.  Administrative aides are Assistants.

25. Tickle pink: AMUSE.

27. Beauty contest prize: TIARA.

31. Ready for dinner: SEATED.  Just a few more people at this dinner than in attendance at my dinner parties.

38. Upside-down "e," in phonetics: SCHWA.  This symbol indicates an "uh" sound in the pronunciation of a word.

39. Dictator Amin: IDI.  Idi Amin (May 17, 1925 ~ Aug. 16, 2003), whose full name was Idi Amin Dada Oumee, was known as the Butcher of Uganda.

40. Shenanigan: ANTIC.

42. Gridiron "zebra": REF.

43. Chocolate source: CACAO.

49. Requires Febreze, maybe: SMELLS.

51. "Les MisÈrables" escape route: SEWER.

52. Cosmopolitan spirits: VODKA.

54. Order to a sloucher: SIT UP.

58. Classic Jaguar: XKE.  This 1969 model can be yours for only $102K.

64. __ Gras: MARDI.  The countdown is on!  Everything you need to known about Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

66. Chief Asgard god: ODIN.

67. Sentence structure element: NOUN.  Silly me, I wanted it to be a Verb!

68. Crime that might involve accelerants: ARSON.

69. Sit in park, say: IDLE.

70. Spilled the beans: TOLD.

71. Online magazine with a "Dear Prudence" advice column: SLATE.  You can also listen to a Slate Dear Prudence podcast.

72. Hair salon supplies: DYES.

73. Relaxing resorts: SPAS.  The Ein Gedi Spa on Dead Sea is very relaxing.

Down:

1. Ray type: GAMMA.  Gamma rays are penetrating electromagnetic radiations arising from the radioactive decay of the atom's nucleus.

2. Identity-concealing name: ALIAS.

3. Jockey's apparel: SILKS.  Everything you wanted to know about Jockey's Silks but were afraid to ask. The colorful attire dates back to the Romans.

4. Bob Ross accessory: PALETTE.  I was not familiar with the name Rob Ross (né Robert Norman Ross; Oct. 29, 1942 ~ July 4, 1995).  I recognized his picture, however, and realized that he has made guest appearances in the crosswords in the past.  He also hosted a show on PBS entitled The Joy of Painting.

5. Singer with a Best Actress Oscar: CHER.  Cher (née Cherilyn Sarkisian; b. May 20, 1946) won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in Moonstruck.

6. Hi, in Barcelona: HOLA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

7. Apple desktop: iMAC.

8. Music genre with accordions: POLKA.

9. Easter Island sights: STATUES.  Easter Island was annexed to Chile in 1888.  It was "discovered" by Dutch explore Jacob Roggeveen on Easter Sunday in 1722, hence its name.

10. End of a musket?: -EER.  As in the Three Musketeers.

11. Convenience for diners on the go: DRIVE THRU.

12. Well out of the harbor: ASEA.

13. Chick site: NEST.

21. Tibet's continent: ASIA.  The country is a lot larger than I thought.

22. First-responder letters: EMS.  As in Emergency Medical Services.

26. Cul-de-__: SAC.

28. Lawyers' org.: ABA.  As in the American Bar Association.

29. Struck the bell: RANG.

30. Singers below mezzo-sopranos: ALTOS.

32. Decorative pitcher: EWER.

33. Nutty: DAFT.

34. Minute Maid fruity juice boxes: HI-Cs.  I looked at Hics for the longest time.  Hics?  Hics?  What could that mean?  Then the lightbulb went on.

35. NBA commissioner Silver: ADAM.  Adam Silver (b. Apr. 25, 1962) has been the commissioner of the National Basketball Association since January 2014.

36. The other way around: VICE VERSA.

37. Miller __: beer brand: LITE.

41. "Don't have a __, man!": COW.

44. Teléfono greeting: ALO.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

45. Long-established: OLD LINE.

47. Prefix with pool or pit: CESS-.  As in a Cesspool or a Cesspit.  No images for the breakfast crossword crowd.

48. Points in the right direction: ORIENTS.

50. Tackle a slope: SKI.  Tackling the bunny slope.

53. Circumvent: AVOID.

55. Unit being deployed: TROOP.

56. Throat dangler: UVULA.

57. Remains unsettled, as a payment: PENDS.

58. Dec. holiday: XMAS.

59. Two-time NBA MVP Malone known as "The Mailman": KARL.  Karl Malone (b. July 24, 1963) is from Summerfield, Louisiana.  He had a long career with the Utah Jazz.  He was known as The Mailman because he delivered the plays.

61. Whirlpool: EDDY.

62. Dominoes piece: TILE.

63. Smallest bills: ONES.

65. Part of an ellipsis: DOT.

Here's the grid:

QOD:  All I required to be happy was friendship and people I could admire.  ~  Christian Dior (Jan. 21, 1905 ~ Oct. 24, 1957), French fashion designer

Notes from C.C.:

1) Today we celebrate the 72nd birthday to our caring Madame DeFarge. Happy Birthday, Janice!

2) Our blog turns 12 year old today. I'm eternally grateful for my hard-working blogging team, faithful regulars and others who have supported us over the years.