Monday June 6, 2022 Craig Stowe

Theme: SANDWICH BAR (63. Spot to assemble the first parts of the answers to the starred clues)

17. *Take a chance: ROLL THE DICE.

24. *Minnesota medical center: MAYO CLINIC.

38. *Mug for the cameras: HAM IT UP.

52. *Vatican security detail: SWISS GUARD.

Boomer here.  

I am the HAM and C.C. is the SWISS cheese. We are both proud of the historic MAYO clinic although thankfully we have never had to check in there.  And yes, I ROLL the dice but Minnesota does not have craps tables.  I have to go to Wisconsin or Las Vegas.

Across:

1. Tibetan monks: LAMAS.

6. Game with drivers and carts: GOLF.  Don't forget irons, putters, and balls with dimples.

10. __ of gold: POT. Win on at the poker table.

13. Eggy brunch choice: OMELET.  You may get one at a Vegas buffet.  But you might have to wait in line.

15. Slender woodwind: OBOE.

16. Flightless bird of Australia: EMU.

19. Photographer Goldin: NAN.

20. Squirrel's discard: NUTSHELL.  Well, we had squirrels that discarded tulips.

21. Pancakes often served with smoked salmon: BLINI.  Never heard of this.  I prefer maple syrup.

23. Archaic "once": ERST.

27. Blessing ender: AMEN.  One of the few four letter words that religion approves.

29. "Oh, now I see": AH YES.

30. Mother-of-pearl: NACRE. Trick of a mollusk.

33. GI show gp.: USO.  When in Hardheim, we had to travel to Stuttgart for a show.

34. Quacking bird: DUCK.  Pitchers may DUCK when a line drive comes back at them.

37. Slice of history: ERA.  It could raise their ERA.

42. Language of Southeast Asia: LAO.

43. Off-white shade: ECRU.  Calvin Klein and the Gap are trying to convince the public that yellowish gray is a neat color.

45. Pollen gatherer: BEE.

46. Arcade pioneer: ATARI.  Yes indeed.  My first go at a computer!

48. Hole in a tub: DRAIN.

50. Covert ops outfit, for short: CAMO.  We never needed these in Germany.  Only in combat areas.

55. "Hey, you!": PSST.

59. Sun porch: LANAI.  Located in our 50th state.

60. Float in the air: LEVITATE.

62. So last month: OLD. "Old friends, sat on their park bench like bookends." Simon and Garfunkel

66. Laudatory poem: ODE.  "It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty, Delta day"  Bobbie Gentry: "ODE to Billie Joe".

67. Area behind an altar: APSE.

68. Hears (of): LEARNS.

69. Chicken __: itchy malady: POX.  As long as it is not Monkey Pox.

70. Class ring number: YEAR.  Mine is 1965.

71. Wager: STAKE.  $22.00 on the inside numbers, (5,6,8.9) 

Down:

1. "SNL" producer Michaels: LORNE.  

 

 

2. French love: AMOUR.

3. Gets soupy, as ice cream: MELTS.  Or Minnesota snow.  It took longer than the past, but it's long gone now!

4. Elite athlete: ALL-STAR.  Waiting for the selections for the Mid-Summer classic.

5. Late-night host Meyers: SETH.

6. Divine: GODLY.

7. __-Wan Kenobi: OBI.  Jedi for a Halloween costume 

8. Opp. of express: LOC.  Local.

9. Without oomph: FEEBLY.  My bowling since my spinal cord got feeble.

10. Landform that juts into the water: PENINSULA.  Florida.

11. Resident of a Middle Eastern sultanate: OMANI.

12. Loose-fitting top: TUNIC.

14. Unifying feature of many crosswords: THEME. Monday to Friday L.A. Times crosswords all have themes.  Sunday too.

18. Splashy style: ELAN.

22. Fibbed: LIED.  If someone tells you he never told a lie, don't believe him.

25. Hops-drying oven in a brewery: OAST.  I never knew what hops were.  Still don't.

26. "Mon petit __": French endearment: CHOU.

28. "It's okay, I guess": MEH.

30. Jill Biden, __ Jacobs: NEE.  Last name before marriage.

31. Rainbow shape: ARC.  "Why are there so mane songs about rainbows?"

32. Analog catalog in British libraries: CARD INDEX. Not index card?

33. One-eighty: UIE.  I thought that was spelled ewee

35. Indy 500 racer: CAR.  These machines should have a name slicker than CAR.

36. Colorful pond fish: KOI.

39. "You're making __ mistake!": A BIG.

40. Feature of many restaurant websites: MENU.  They all make it look good on web commercials.

41. Actress Grier: PAM.  Cooking spray.

44. __ Minor: constellation: URSA.  Little dipper.

47. "Let's see you do better!": TOP THAT.  Got any baseball cards?

49. "To quote myself ... ": AS I SAY.  I have more than you.

50. Team on a film set: CREW.

51. Ibuprofen brand: ADVIL. I switched to Tylenol to prep for the surgery.

52. Sailing vessel: SLOOP.  "We sailed on the sloop John B."

53. Picture book character lost in a crowd: WALDO.

54. Birch family tree: ALDER.  I think Birch are Alder than Oak.

56. Brand of hummus: SABRA.

57. Smelled a lot: STANK.  "He lit a match to check the STANK, that's why they call him Skinless Frank."

58. To the point: TERSE.

61. Puts frosting on: ICES.  Or winter weather ICES our driveway.

64. Imitate: APE.  The hairy one.

65. Super-secret intel org.: NSA.

Sign on the wall last Tuesday when I had the surgery.

Boomer

VA Ortho, 5/31/2022

Wednesday, January 12, 2022 Craig Stowe

Theme: This puzzle is for the birds!  You'll soon see why.

17 A. 1994 Best New Artist Grammy winner's winged pet?: SHERYL'S CROW.  Sheryl Suzanne Crow [b. 1962] is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of pop, rock, country, jazz and blues. She has released ten studio albums, four compilations and two live albums, as well as contributed to several film soundtracks.  She took home not just the GRAMMY Award for Best New Artist, but also Record Of The Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “All I Wanna Do.”

A crow is a bird of the genus Corvus, a widely distributed genus of medium-sized to large birds in the family Corvidae. The genus includes species commonly known as crows, ravens and rooks.

28 A. "La La Land" actor's winged pet?: RYAN'S GOSLING.  Ryan Thomas Gosling is a Canadian actor. He began his career as a child star on the Disney Channel's The Mickey Mouse Club, and went on to appear in other family entertainment programs, including Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps.  I'm not an expert in such things, but I think he is generally considered to be a hunk.

My abs do no look like this.

A GOSLING is a young goose that has not yet developed flight feathers.  Don't we all start out that way?

44. "Shake It Off" singer's winged pet?: TAYLOR'S SWIFT.   Taylor Alison Swift [b 1989] is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her narrative songwriting, which is often inspired by her personal life, has received widespread media coverage and critical praise.\

The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are not closely related to any passerine species. Swifts are placed in the order Apodiformes with hummingbirds.

58 A. "Network" Oscar winner's winged pet?: PETER'S FINCH.  Frederick George Peter Ingle Finch [1916 – 1977] was an English-born Australian actor.  He is best remembered for his role as crazed television anchorman Howard Beale in the 1976 film Network, which earned him a posthumous Academy Award for Best Actor, his fifth Best Actor award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and a Best Actor award from the Golden Globes.

The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usually resident and do not migrate.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here to guide this bird watching excursion.  I hope it's not more than we can swallow.  So stay eagle-eyed.

Across:

1. Gauchos' gear: BOLAS.  A bolas is a type of throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, used to capture animals by entangling their legs.  

6. Postpone: DEFER.  delay for an unspecified time.

11. Shakespearean possessive: THY.  If yours is thine, then what is mine?

14. Pass a test with flying colors: ACE IT. I have my first stress test early next month.  How should I study for it?

15. __ Lodge: ECONO.   A cheap [supposedly] motel.

16. Tint: HUE.  Color

19. Noteworthy time: ERA.  As, free. jazz, Elizabethan.

20. Drives up the wall: IRKS.  Angers, annoys.

21. Word with filter or field: OIL.  The original fossil fuel.

22. Google __: EARTH.  A mapping app.

24. Retirement fund: NEST EGG.  What you have saved for later.

26. Causing the heebie-jeebies: EERIE.  Strange or frightening.

32. "1984" antagonist: O'BRIEN.  An agent of the thought police who tricks the protagonist, Winston Smith, into believing that he opposes the totalitarian state.  It does not end well.

35. Got the pot: WON.  In some game or gambling event.

36. Also: TOO.  In addition.

37. Backing-up warnings: BEEPS.  Required of large vehicles as a safety measure.

38. Auntie, to mom: SIS.  Family ties.

39. Sheepish?: OVINE.  Literal.

41. "__ say!": I'LL.  Indication of strong agreement.

42. Quagmire: BOG.  Marsh, fen, swamp.

43. Sees, and then some: RAISES.  Increases the bet in a poler hand.

48. Arctic abode: IGLOO.  A type of shelter built of snow.   They were traditionally used only by the people of Canada's Central Arctic and Greenland's Thule area.

49. Biblical shout of praise: HOSANNA.  Evidently derived from an Aramaic root meaning save, rescue or savior, possibly indicating a special kind of respect.

 

 53. Lost strength: WANED.  Decreased in vigor, power, or extent; became weaker.

 55. It may be called: BET. As, for example, in a poker game.

56. Defensive ditch: MOAT.  A deep, wide ditch surrounding a castle, fort, or town, typically filled with water and intended as a defense against attack.

57. "I need a __": HUG.  Comfort and warmth

62. Kerfuffle: ADO.   A state of agitation or fuss, especially about something unimportant.

63. "Superman" actor: REEVE.   Christopher D'Olier Reeve [1952 - 2004] was an American actor, director, and activist, best known for playing the titular main character in the film Superman and its three sequels. 

64. Start of el año: ENERO.  First month of the year.

65. Bronze component: TIN.  Mostly copper, with about 12% tin.

66. Gives the green light: OKAYS.  Allows to proceed. 

67. Sees: DATES.  Goes out with.

Down:

1. Tidal low area: BASIN.  An area that is only navigable at high seas.

2. Yellowish shade: OCHRE. A light brownish yellow produced by clay containing ferric oxide and sand.

3. Onion relatives: LEEKS.   Hardy biennial plants of the amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae), grown as vegetables.  The plant is related to the onion and has a mild, sweet, onionlike flavour. 

4. Landing site: AIRSTRIP.  An airport runway.

5. Farm structure: STY.   Home for pigs.

6. Pattern: DESIGN.  A regular repeating form.

7. Bk. after Proverbs: ECCL.   Ecclesiastes written c. 450–200 BCE, is one of the Ketuvim of the Hebrew Bible and one of the "Wisdom" books of the Christian Old Testament. 

8. In favor of: FOR.  I had "pro."  Oh, well.

9. Music producer Brian: ENO.  Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno RDI [Royal Designer for Industry] is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his pioneering work in ambient music and contributions to rock, pop and electronica. 

10. Coxswain's charges: ROWERS.   In a race setting, the coxswain is tasked with motivating the crew as well as steering as straight a course as possible to minimize the distance to the finish line. 

11. Pointer's proclamation: THERE IT IS.   

12. Damage: HURT.

13. "Uh-huh": YEAH.  

18. Easternmost major U.S. airport: LOGAN.  In Boston.

23. Plague: AIL.  

25. Seers?: EYES.  

26. Big heads?: EGOS.

27. Dog's age, so to speak: EON.   I am not familiar with this usage.

29. Gulps: SWIGS.   Drinking increments.

30. Squat: NONE.  Zip, nada

31. Leaves: GOES.  Exits.

32. Last bio: OBIT.  A notice of a death, especially in a newspaper, typically including a brief biography of the deceased person.

33. Horror film first name: BELA.   Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó [1882 - 1956] known professionally as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian-American actor best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 film, Ygor in Son of Frankenstein and his roles in many other horror films from 1931 through 1956. 

34. Putting one's faith in: RELYING ON.  

38. Middling: SOSO.  Not so hot

39. Big galoots: OAFS.  A stupid, uncultured, or clumsy person.

40. Nutrient abundant in liver: VITAMIN A.

42. Dude: BRO.  Homie.

43. Rolling-in-the-aisles causes: RIOTS.  A laugh riot, not a violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd.

45. Tee size: Abbr.: LGE.   Large.

46. Seasoned expert: OLD PRO.

47. Waldo forerunner?: WHERE'S.  The word placed in front of Waldo's name in children's picture books.  This is a strained use of the word "forerunner."

50. Large chamber ensemble: NONET.   Nine musicians

51. Mother-of-pearl: NACRE.   An organic–inorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer; it is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. 

52. Oldest Musketeer: ATHOS.  I did not know this.

53. "__ now?": WHAT.  Inquiry into ensuing events.

54. Volkswagen subsidiary: AUDI.    A German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide.

55. Bunch of beauties: BEVY.   A large group of people or things of a particular kind.

59. Comics shriek: EEK.  As, free., on the occasion of a rodent sighting.

60. Green or black beverage: TEA.

61. Sustained: FED.  Supplied nourishment for.

That puts another Wednesday in the nest.  Hope this flight of fancy was just eggciting enough.

Cool regards!

JzB

P. S. On proofreading I detected a little game of chance sub-theme.  Did you catch it? 

Saturday, December 18, 2021, Craig Stowe

 Saturday Themeless by Craig Stowe

Craig is a a cook in a Toronto hotel and turns out fabulous puzzles that I have had the pleasure of blogging. Here is what he had to say about this construction:

Hi Gary,

Thanks for your email.  This is my second attempt at a central stack and I am happier with this result.  The seed for the puzzle is 32- Across and that stack actually appeared quickly.  Sometimes luck is on our side.  It required a revision as I originally had DUMBBELLS at 32- Down, which Rich thought might be too inappropriate.  I'm not the most sensitive person.  

I promise I didn't intentionally include STOWED.  There weren't any options (barring partials) that didn't involve STOW?? so stowed it was.  One partial is bad enough.

I try to make themeless puzzles ones that I'd enjoy solving myself.  I hope this one leaves a good impression with folks.

All the best,

Craig

 

Craig and I had a great exchange about 

30. Shipping rope: TYE. 

We eventually settled on "A chain or rope one end of which passes through the mast or through a block and is made fast to the center of a yard, the other end being attached to a tackle by means of which a yard is hoisted or lowered"

When I asked Craig if this pretty obscure word was an "any port in a storm" fill for those three cells. He replied, 

"26. "You __!": BETCHA.!" 

and gave me permission to share that with you. Ya gotta love a guy like that!

Across:

1. Some assembly stations: SALAD BARS - Are there any of these still operating?

10. __ al pomodoro: Tuscan soup: PAPPA - PAPPA means "mush" and al pomodoro means with tomatoes in Italian. 

15. "Beats me": I'VE NO IDEA.

16. Use: AVAIL.

17. "Nice work!": GOOD STUFF.

18. Wagner's father-in-law: LISZT - "What is Wagner?" was a recent Jeopardy question for this answer - "Married last name of opera art director Cosima, two of her children were named Siegfried and Isolde."

Cosima and Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt

19. Least amt.: MIN.

20. Zaire's Mobutu __ Seko: SESE - It is estimated that he embezzled over $5B from his country

21. __ ball: MATZO - Some say it is only for Passover and not for Hanukkah 

22. "Doe, __ ... ": A DEER.

25. "The Last O.G." network: TBS - Okay...

27. Chi preceder: TAI - Craig! Phi is the Greek letter before chi but TAI comes first in the elegant Chinese art of TAI CHI.

28. Family nicknames: MAS.

31. Gym sets: REPS - REPetitionS

32. "No worries": DON'T MENTION IT - Craig's seed entry

35. Stop digressing: CUT TO THE CHASE.

36. Words often embroidered: HOME SWEET HOME 

37. "Love & Basketball" actor Omar: EPPS.

38. All Saints' __: EVE - The day before All Saint's Day on November 1 is All Saint's EVE which became All Hallow's EVE which is also now called Halloween

39. Bonobo, for one: APE - Some very close genetic relatives

40. First animal in the Chinese zodiac: RAT - My first entry of RAM only needed one correction 

41. #34: DDE - HST was #33 and JFK was #35

42. Diminish slowly: ERODE.

46. Toot: SPREE - Bachelor parties and 21st birthdays leap to my mind

48. Latin for "scraped," in a phrase: RASA - We all have a chance at a Tabula RASA in two weeks

52. Pasture sound: LOW - Sounds of the season: "The cattle are LOWING..."

53. Get around: ELUDE and 2. Get around: AVOID - Craig?

54. Metaphor for doing more than is required: EXTRA MILE.

57. Massenet opera about a Spanish legend: LE CID - Massenet based his opera on the Spanish legend of El Cid

58. Party where no one goes home?: SLEEPOVER 

59. Curator's concerns: FAKES - Our creative constructor Jeffrey Wechsler's job was as an art curator in New Jersey. (*See his great comments on the subject below my write-up)

60. Bike shop array: TEN-SPEEDS - 1967 Ad

Down:

1. Two after pi: SIGMA - Now we get the Greek alphabet

3. Sierra __: LEONE - ASKY Airlines can fly you from Accra, Ghana to Freetown, Sierra LEONE among other places. 4. "Then what?": AND.

5. Soirees: DOS - All you'd ever want to know about soirees, bashes, DO'S, etc

6. Parts of drills: BITS.

7. Musical collaboration instruction: ADUE - A frequent cwd visitor

8. Calls on a field: REFS - Peyton Manning seems to disagree with that REF'S call

9. Insurance metaphor: SAFETY NET - Many in our flood-prone town have no insurance SAFETY NET when the Platte comes out of its banks

10. Conceals, in a way: PALMS - The Queen Of Spades has been PALMED below

11. Adidas rival: AVIA.

12. What most novels are written in: PAST TENSE  - “Scarlett O’Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm…”

13. Round item in a square box: PIZZA PIE.

14. Charlie Parker, at times: ALTOIST - Charlie played an ALTO sax so...

23. Isn't subtle, in a way: EMOTES and 24. Jeremiads: RANTS.

29. Put away: STOWED - Craig disavowed showing any favoritism toward his name

30. Giggly sound: TE HEE.

31. Nomad: ROAMER.

32. Sandbox toy: DUMP TRUCK - Nobody builds 'em better 

33. "Into Thin Air" setting: MT. EVEREST - A gripping excerpt

34. "With any luck": I HOPE.

35. Bargain in court: COP A PLEA.

36. "Nature would not invest __ in such shadowing passion without some instruction": Othello: HERSELF - "I wouldn’t be trembling like this if I didn’t know deep down this (Desdemona's unfaithfullness) was all true"

41. Title pages?: DEEDS.

43. Stuffed hors d'oeuvre: OLIVE - How 'bout using blue cheese?

44. Parceled (out): DOLED.

45. Pretty pitchers: EWERS - All you'd wanna know

47. Carmela portrayer on "The Sopranos": EDIE - Last week we had Tony Soprano's psychiatrist Dr. Melfi, this week it's his wife Carmela played by EDIE Falco

49. Semi shaft: AXLE - This rig has five of them

50. Arm of the Korean War: STEN - Often the cwd weapon of choice

51. Father of the Amazons: ARES - Everything you want to know

55. Bridge Base Online offering, e.g.: APP.

56. Duff Beer server: MOE - A brew served on The Simpsons 

*Jeffrey's comments on FAKES

Gary,

Well, a little bit of free publicity!  Oh, wait – I’m retired!  Anyhow, I don’t specifically recall any outright fakes that I had to deal with in my museum job (I did see some at estate sales).  The most common source of authenticity problems that came my way involved individuals who brought items to the museum to find out if they were of value.  I worked at a university museum, a non-profit institution, and therefore I did not offer valuations; I could, though, give an opinion on artistic quality and if the item was an original work of art.  For example, many items bore notable signatures; they were not fakes but merely reproductions.  This can usually be easily ascertained by looking at the surface with a magnifying lens.  The presence of a dot pattern reveals the image’s source as a mechanical, photo-reproductive process.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey

Wednesday, October 27, 2021, Craig Stowe

Theme: ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE

16. Big name in plant food: MIRACLE GRO.

28. "Despite my best attempts ... ": TRY AS I MAY.

 

36. "That makes more sense": I SEE NOW.

43. Kitchen gadget: CAN OPENER.

 

56. Home with a between-floors entrance ... and what can be found on puzzle rows 3, 6, 8 and 10?: SPLIT LEVEL.

 

Hi all, Melissa here. This theme was a real challenge to sort out. In rows 3, 6, 8 and 10, there is a word that can precede LEVEL that is SPLIT across two words. GROUND LEVEL; ENTRY LEVEL; NOISE LEVEL (Thanks, Owen!), ENERGY LEVEL. See?

 

 Row 10 contains the reveal 56A, SPLIT LEVEL.

 

 Whew! That was a brain workout! Maybe some of you got it faster than I did.

Across: 

1. Like many a basement: DAMP.

5. Hold dear: VALUE.

10. Breakfast companion?: BED. Bed & Breakfast.

13. __ vaccine: ORAL.

14. As a companion: ALONG. That was tricky. "She came along/as a companion."

15. Soup du __: JOUR. French. "Made for a particular day," or "of the day."

18. Reverse: UNDO.

19. Also: TOO.

20. G.I. entertainment often featuring Bob Hope: USO SHOW. Anyone watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel? I re-watched from the beginning and am back to Season 3 where Miriam is performing at USO SHOWs. Season 4 is expected in early 2022.

 

 

22. Through street: ARTERIAL. An arterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a high-capacity urban road that sits below freeways/motorways on the road hierarchy in terms of traffic flow and speed.

26. Hollywood Walk of Fame symbols: STARS.

 

 

27. Get duded up: PREEN.

30. Bladed tool: HOE.

31. Enjoyed the buffet: ATE.

32. [as per the original]: SIC. “Intentionally so written.” When used after the quoted material, “sic” indicates that the words preceding it are an exact transcription from the original source, including any spelling mistakes, non-standard spelling, or grammatical errors. 

33. First section of the "Divine Comedy": INFERNO.

40. Witticism: MOT.

41. Big bang letters?: TNT.

42. Keep __ distance: AT A.
 
47. Greek wraps: GYROS.

49. Take the floor: ORATE.

50. Unlike bikinis: ONE PIECE. Bathing suits. Bikinis are, of course, two pieces.

52. Handicraft worker: ARTISAN.

54. Something up one's sleeve: ARM. Haha.

55. Jackson family musician born Toriano: TITO. The third of the ten Jackson children.

62. Smooth (out): EVEN.

63. Events with kings and queens: PROMS.

64. Shade of blue: NAVY.

65. "__ Rosenkavalier": DER. German. The Knight of the Rose or The Rose-Bearer is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss. 

66. Lathered up: SOAPY.

67. Slush Puppie parent company: ICEE. Have heard of Icee of course, but not Slush Puppie.

Down: 

1. __ Pérignon: DOM.

2. "Hereditary" director Aster: ARI. Horror film. Which explains why I hadn't heard of it.

3. Deface: MAR.

4. Missouri River feeder: PLATTE.

5. Heroism: VALOR.

6. Blonde beverage: ALE.

7. Part of a cord: LOG. Nice clue.

8. Like a mob scene: UNRULY.

9. They might clash on stage: EGOS. Off-stage, too.

10. Actress Helena __ Carter: BONHAM.

11. Email program named after writer Welty: EUDORA. A Eulogy For Eudora.

12. Half-asleep: DROWSY.

15. Supreme Court figure: JUSTICE.

17. Filmmaker Ethan or Joel: COEN. The Coen Brothers. Fans will enjoy this video, You Know It's The Coen Brothers IF ...

21. Davis of "Do the Right Thing": OSSIE. He played De Mayor. Do The Right Thing is often listed among the greatest films of all time. In 1999, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress, in its first year of eligibility, and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry

22. "East of Eden" brother: ARON. Twins Aron and Caleb.

23. Sailing hazard: REEF. Below, the crew of Team Vestas Wind with their boat after it ran into a coral reef near Mauritius. How the Team Vestas Wind crash really happened, and the crucial things we can learn from it.

24. "Leave __ me": IT TO.

25. Exist: ARE.

27. Letter after upsilon: PHI.

29. Helper: Abbr.: ASST.

31. Payment before a deal: ANTE. Card games. A stake put up by a player in poker and similar games before receiving cards.

34. Sentiment: EMOTION.

35. Lures (in): ROPES.

36. Concerning: IN RE. Latin for "in the matter of."

37. Snitch (on): NARC. Used to mean someone who secretly gives inside information to the police, informing on others who are engaging in illegal activity.

38. Chiwere speaker: OTOE. Chiwere is a Siouan language originally spoken by the Missouria, OTOE, and Iowa peoples, who originated in the Great Lakes region but later moved throughout the midwest and plains.

39. Used to be: WAS.

41. Royal flush card: TEN. More with card games. An ace-high straight flush, such as A♦ K♦ Q♦ J♦ 10♦, is called a royal flush or royal straight flush and is the best possible hand in high games when not using wild cards.

43. Like many candies: COATED.

44. Get in: ARRIVE. What time did you get in/arrive?

45. Ramble on and on: NATTER.

46. Amateur: NONPRO. Not a term I've heard used before, but it works.

47. Birth announcement word: GIRL.

48. Sana'a native: YEMENI. Sana'a is the capital, and largest city in Yemen. 

 51. One taking a fall: PATSY. Why is it called a patsy?

53. Egyptian slitherers: ASPS. Snakes.

57. Mauna __: LOA.

58. Little devil: IMP.

59. Device that may be wet or dry, briefly: VAC.

60. End of the day: EVE. Evening.

61. Cleaning ingredient: LYE.

 

Melissa

 

Note from C.C.:

 

Happy 74th birthday to Boomer, who continues to bowl and coach the kids despite his various health issues.