Thursday, September 9, 2021, Chris Sablich

 

Good morning, cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with today's recap.

History seems to be repeating itself or, as Yogi Berra once said, "It's like deja vu all over again."  The puzzle that I recapped two weeks ago was constructed by Chris Sablich and so is today's puzzle.  He, like the Labrador Retriever above, seems to be on a roll.

ONE TWO BUCKLE MY SHOE, THREE FOUR KNOCK AT THE DOOR, FIVE SIX . . .

With that lead-in what can we do except to start with the unifier (drum roll, please):

54 Across.  Game requiring fine motor skills ... and what people do before playing 19-, 26- and a 49-Across?: PICK UP STICKS.  At three places in the grid Chris has inserted activities that require humans to pick up and use sticks of one kind or another

Here are the identified theme answers:

19 Across.  Game in which Willie Mosconi holds the competitive record run of 526 points: STRAIGHT POOL.  A POOL cue.  It would have been nice if this was called a "pool stick".

26 Across.  National summer sport of Canada: LACROSSE.  A LACROSSE stick, or CROSSE.

49 Across.  Rock concert highlight: DRUM SOLO.  A DRUM stick (but not a piece of fried chicken).

. . . and here is how this all looks in the grid:

Across:

1. Horse known for its endurance: ARAB.

5. Fitzgerald specialty: SCAT.

                                                        Ella and The Duke

9. Block: CLOG.  Also a wooden shoe.  My nose was CLOGged the other day.  A Dutch woman kicked me in the face.

13. Lingerie brand: BALI.

14. Sport with mallets: POLO.  This also could have been clued as a garment brand.

15. Now, in Nogales: AHORA.  Today's Spanish lesson (also 9 Down and 28 Down).

16. Big drink of water: SWIG.  Water?

17. Mathematician Turing: ALAN.  Sometimes referred to as "the father of modern computer science".

18. Actionable words: LIBEL.

22. Guarantee: ASSURE.  Looks a lot like 43 Down.

25. London district: SOHO.

29. Gambler: BETTOR.  A local casino is offering marijuana-infused beef to their best BETTORs.  Them's pretty high steaks.

33. "So that's it!": OHO.  Hands up for filling in the H and then checking the perps to see if it was going to be OHO or AHA.

34. Spills: TELLS.  As is "to spill the beans."

36. Coeur d'__: ALENE.  A city in Idaho

37. Blemish: MARK.  "You're a blemish, Mark."  "I'm a wart?"

39. Fastening hardware: TACKS.  Not usually referred to as "hardware".

41. __ Timor: EAST.

42. Concert site: ARENA.  ARENA Rock has almost, but not quite, run its course.  Hey, it's preferable to Yacht Rock.

44. Local life: BIOTA.

46. Something to shoot for: PAR.  PAR for the course.

47. Salad veggie: RADISH.  Why couldn't the RADISH finish the race?  He was just a little beet.

51. Forensic detectives, for short: CSIS.  Crime Scene Investigation S

53. Easier to swallow, as pills: COATED.

59. "The King and I" group: HAREM.  I used a "King and I" clip in the last recap to illustrate ETC.  Chris, or Rich, might have watched it.

60. __ Tuesday: TACO.  Alliterative.  The first use of the phrase is attributed to the August 20, 1973 edition of the Rapid City (South Dakota) Journal.

61. Sound partner: SAFE.  As in SAFE and sound.

65. Love abroad: AMORE.  That's what Dino told us.  Today's Italian lesson.

66. Sailor's direction: ALEE.

67. Blue-pencil: EDIT.  A blue pencil is traditionally used by a copy editor because the color will not show in some lithographic and photographic reproduction processes.

68. Recipe amts.: TSPS.  TeaSPoonS  Abbreviations, both in clue and answer.

69. Foxx whose real last name was Sanford: REDD.  It was fairly obvious that REDD Foxx was a stage name but I did not know that his real last name was Sanford.

70. Lavish affection (on): DOTE.  When I get sad, my dad's sister really knows how to cheer me up.  She's the perfect auntie-dote.

Down:

1. Six-pack makeup: ABS.   An ABdominal muscleS reference.

2. Not even rare: RAW.  A cooking reference.

3. Frazier foe: ALI.

4. California coastal destination: BIG SUR.

                                           A Lesser-known Beach Boys Tune

5. Extra keys, say: SPARE SET.  Now, where did I put those?

6. Soda order: COLA.  Coke also starts with C O.

7. Kyrgyzstan range: ALAI.  Not the best-known range.  Often clued with Jai.

8. Drinks table accessory: TONGS.  Swizzle stick would not fit but it would have been fun given the theme.

9. Qdoba competitor: CHIPOTLE.  Both are Mexican-style eateries.

10. Gray wolf: LOBO.

11. Nabisco brand: OREO.  Needs no comment - but I will anyway.  I have sometimes wondered if it would be possible to construct a puzzle using only the word OREO clued seventy different ways,

12. Chutzpah: GALL.   Chutzpah is Yiddish.  From the Aramaic ḥu ṣpā via the Hebrew hutspah.

15. Tennis Hall of Famer Gibson: ALTHEA.

July 6, 1957

20. Variable pace: TROT.  Pace was helpful but I'm not at all certain about the use of "variable" to clue this answer.

21. Fireplace food-warming shelf: HOB.  A flat metal shelf at the back of a fireplace.  Manatees are unfamiliar with this.

22. 12-time MLB All-Star Roberto: ALOMAR.

23. About 30% of Africa: SAHARA.

24. Made a point: SCORED.  In sports and in debate.  There are other uses for the word, too.  Stick that in your pipe.

27. Big piece: SLAB.  Or, in motorcycle jargon an Interstate Highway.

28. Castilian hero: EL CID.  You no doubt remember LE CID from Chris's last puzzle.

30. Tempest site?: TEAPOT.

31. Reduced: ON SALE.

32. Went over again: RETROD.  Never have I ever used this word.  Retread?  Yes.

35. HEATH Bar rival: SKOR.

38. Fashion trademark of old-time golfer Gene Sarazen: KNICKERS.

40. Covered with plaster: STUCCOED.   I just watched a movie about a woman having her broken leg set.  What a great cast.

43. Presuppose: ASSUME.  Looks a lot like 22 Across.  My girlfriend constantly complains that I don't listen to her.  Or, at least I ASSUME she does.

45. One way to run: AMOK.  Although I am pretty certain that we have seen it before it is still clever cluing.

48. With it: HIP.  Not the body part.

50. Talked back to: SASSED.  This type of behavior is often exhibited in x-word puzzles.  That must be because of all the vowels and esses.

52. Cool red giant: S-STAR.  An astronomy reference.  An S-type STAR is a cool giant (they said that) with approximately equal amounts of oxygen and carbon in its atmosphere.

54. Cool, in dated slang: PHAT.

55. Dog food brand: IAMS.

56. Corn, e.g.: CROP.  Very ambiguous cluing.  Corn could be a type of humor . . or liquor.  It could be something on your foot and there must be hundreds of types of CROPs that are grown.

57. "Cautionary" account: TALE.  A Cautionary TALE is a story told in folklore to warn its listeners of a danger.

58. __ tea: ICED.  CHAI?  PUER?  DARK?

62. Big fuss: ADO.  Misspelled?

63. Tailor's concern: FIT.

64. Summer in France: ETE.  A French lesson.  It is often ETE time in our puzzles.  Et la vie est easy . . .

As you read this, Valerie and I will likely be on a road trip to Oregon for a gathering with my motorcycle riding friends of many years.  On the slab but not on a motorcycle.  The excuse for this gathering?  A Reuben Sandwich.

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Thursday, August 26, 2021, Chris Sablich

 

Good morning, curciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here wishing everyone a terrific Thursday.

Our constructor today is Chris Sablich who had his debut puzzle reviewed here on June 21st of this year.  Welcome back, Chris.  For today's theme, Chris has chosen something to which almost all Cornerites can, as we used to say, relate (we all seem to enjoy groaners).  

STOP ME IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS ONE

Here is the unifier:

49. Dated jokes ... and what the ends of four Across answers are, in a way: STALE MATERIAL

At four places in the grid (he said that, didn't he?) we find anagrams of STALE:

19. Kin of urban legends: OLD WIVES TALES.  Supposed truths which are actually spurious.

25. Possible result of a bankruptcy filing: CLEAN SLATE.  A new beginning.

35. Minimally: AT LEAST.

43. "That's some bargain you got!": WHAT A STEAL.  Idiomatic.  Not a misdemeanor.

Here is how this looks in the grid:

Now that Chris has teed it up for us, let's see if we can have a bit of fun with a stale joke or two.

Across:

1. Group for whom "Drive" was a Top 10 hit, with "The": CARS.  The CARS front man, Ric Ocasek, often makes appearances in crossword puzzles.

5. Sarge's charges, briefly: PFCS.  Private(s) First Class

9. Finishes in the bakery: ICES.  What does Frosty The Snowman like on his cupcakes?  Icing.

13. Part of an agenda: ITEM.

14. Fracas: MELEE.  A confused fight or struggle.

15. Bar purchase: SOAP.  I used to be addicted to SOAP but I'm clean now.

16. Wanted things: DESIDERATA.  A bit arcane.  DESIDERATA means those things desired as essential.  Max Ehrmann wrote an eponymous poem in the early 1920s.  It begins, "Go placidly among the noise and the haste."  Readings have been recorded by Les Crane and Leonard Nimoy, among others.  In 1972, The National Lampoon released a parody called DETERIORATA.

 

 

18. Santa __: Sonoma County seat: ROSA.  The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band released a song called "Santa Rosa" on the album Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy.

21. Shows: BARES.  Why was the tomato blushing?  She saw the salad dressing.

23. Wander: ROVE.  I just flew in from the coast.  Boy are my arms tired.

24. James of jazz: ETTA.  ETTA visits quite often.

Etta James

31. ERA, for example: STAT.  A baseball STATistic.  Earned Run Average.  Misdirection in that the clue could also have been referring to a period of time or to the Equal Rights Amendment.

32. Suffer: AIL.  Did you hear that the CEO of Fox News had died?  I wonder what AILed him.

33. Some, in Potsdam: EINES.  Today's German lesson.

34. Dirt alternative, at times: TAR.  A road surface reference.  Do you know what I love about baseball?  The pine TAR and the dirt. . . . and that's just in the hot dogs.

38. Member of the 2019 World Series champs: NAT.  The Washington (D.C.) NATionals.  Champs is a shortened version of Champions, ergo  . . .

39. Large quantity: OCEAN.  What did the ocean say to the shore?  Nothing.  It just waved.

41. Beethoven preceder: VAN.

42. "¿Qué __?": PASA.  Today's Spanish lesson.  "What's up?"

46. Assist badly?: ABET.

47. Indian nurse: AMAH.  An Indian or East Asian nursemaid who takes care of children and frequents crossword puzzle the world over.

48. Jacques' title, in a children's song: FRERE.   One of today's French lessons.

55. Guitarist's gadget: CAPO.  Allows one to play in different keys without having to learn a new set of chords.

56. Tennessee Williams specialty: ONE ACT PLAY.  He wrote more than seventy.

59. King toppers: ACES.  A playing card reference.  I ACEd my chemistry quiz on the PH scale.  It wasn't difficult.  In fact, it was really basic.

60. Brazilian range __ do Mar: SERRA.  "Mountain Range of the Sea".  It would be nice to swim along that coast someday.

61. Architect Saarinen: EERO.  He often stops by to visit because his first name is a four-letter word containing three vowels.

62. Leader: BOSS.  My boss says that I have a preoccupation with vengeance.  We'll see about that.

63. Egyptian vipers: ASPS.  A snake charmer was bitten on his lips.  He didn't know his ASP from his oboe.

64. "Glee" character, usually: TEEN.  The TV show.

Down:

1. "Le __": 1636 Corneille play: CID.  Not the 1961 motion picture, El Cid.  Not the actual historic figure (1043 - 1099).  Same subject matter, though.

2. Put away: ATE.  Constructors/Editors love to clue with words whose tenses are ambiguous.  Could have been EAT.

3. Vacation destination: RESORT AREA.  Did you hear about the professors who went to a RESORT AREA to discuss research paper titles?  It was a topical vacation.

4. Greet with a grin: SMILE AT.  What is the longest word in the English dictionary?  SMILEs, because there is a mile between the first and last letters.

5. Prefix meaning "all around": PERI.  A learning moment.

6. Rapper with a clock necklace, familiarly: FLAV.  The clock was hungry so it went back for seconds.

Flavor Flav

7. Et __: CETERA.

8. Salt, say: SEASON.  Used, here, as a verb.  SEASONing would not fit in the allotted space.

9. Begin, for one: ISRAELI.  A play on words.  Not "commence" but, instead, an ISRAELI Prime Minister.

10. Hip: COOL.

11. Alleviate: EASE.  My friend pushed a book across the table to me.  It slid with EASE.  It was non-friction.

12. Places to relax: SPAS.  Not many people know that the local SPA has closed.  Apparently,  they did not get the massage,

14. Cry from a litter: MEW.

17. ADA member: DDS.  Americans with Disabilities Act?  No.  American Dental Association.  Dentist.

20. Tube, so to speak: TV SET.  Slang.  Sometimes, boob tube.

 

21. Grant: BESTOW.

22. Staple, e.g.: ATTACH.  Staple is used, here, as a verb.

25. Monopoly token that replaced the iron: CAT.

26. Unlike Abner, actually: LIL.  Al Capp's LIL Abner was not a small fellow.

27. École attendee: ELEVE.  Another French lesson.  École is school and ELEVE is student.

28. "Kingdom by the sea" maiden of poetry: ANNABEL LEE.

29. Come-on: TEASER.

30. Executor's concern: ESTATE.

35. "What's in __?": A NAME.  That which we call a rose . . . .

36. Motorists' org.: AAA.

37. NBC weekend show: SNL.  Saturday Night Live.  Since 1975.

40. Clueless: AT A LOSS.

42. Castle feature: PARAPET.

44. Stuffed Indian pastry: SAMOSA.  Samoza (with a z) was a Nicaraguan dictator.

45. Macduff and Macbeth: THANES.  In Scotland, THANES are the chiefs of clans.

48. Hale: FIT.  You cannot FIT inside a tuna can.  But some tuna can.

49. Sign of healing: SCAB.  Sometimes, SCAR.

50. Snack from a truck: TACO.  Did you hear about the tortilla rebellion?  It was a hostile TACO-ver.

51. Primatologists' subjects: APES.  Why did the giant APE climb up the skyscraper?  The elevator was not working.

52. UMD athlete: TERP.  University of Maryland TERraPins

53. Some crop units: EARS.  As in corn, wheat or rice.  The grain-bearing tip of the stem.  Why do scarecrows find it difficult to keep a secret?  Because the potatoes have eyes and the corn has ears.

54. __ Building, now 30 Rockefeller Plaza: RCA.  Known as the RCA Building from its completion in 1933 until 1968.  Known as the GE Building from 1968 until 2015 and, subsequently,  as the Comcast Building.    Frequently called 30 Rock.

57. Exist: ARE.

58. "... the morn ... / Walks o'er the dew of __ high eastward hill": "Hamlet": YON.  Meaning over there or in that direction.

Headin' Toward YON High Hill

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