google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Craig Stowe

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Showing posts with label Craig Stowe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Craig Stowe. Show all posts

Aug 6, 2019

Tuesday, August 6, 2019, Craig Stowe

Vowel Progression:  A E I O U and Sometimes Y.

18-Across. MI5 headquarters named for a London river: THAMES HOUSE.  Built in 1930, the building has housed M15 only since 1994.


23-Across. TV show intro tune: THEME SONG.

33-Across. Amount defined by a small sewing gadget: THIMBLEFUL.


42-Across. Boss Tweed's caricaturist: THOMAS NAST.  Although he was born in Germany, Thomas Nast (Sept. 27, 1940 ~ Dec. 7, 1902) is considered the Father of the American Cartoon.  He created many political cartoons, especially of Boss Tweed during the 1870s.    He is also credited with creating the GOP Elephant and the modern version of Santa Claus.



53-Across. Pushed-in bulletin board hardware: THUMB TACK.  Also known as Push-Pins.


61-Across. Bouquet garni bunch: THYME SPRIGS.


Across:

1. Cuba, por ejemplo: ISLA.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Cuba is an Island.


5. Uncanny: EERIE.


10. Hard-to-describe sensation: VIBE.  It could be an eerie sensation.

14. Évian evening: SOIR.  Today's French lesson.  Évian is a brand of mineral water Évian from sources near Évian-les-Bains, in eastern France.


15. Levels of society: STRATA.

16. A party to: IN ON.

17. Facial feature with a bridge: NOSE.  Cute clue.


20. From Canada's capital: OTTAWAN.  Hi, CanadianEh!

22. Genre that represents things as they are: REALISM.

26. Asian kebab: SATAY.  Satay is a Southeast Asian dish of skewered, seasoned grilled meat.  I have also heard of a vegetarian version of the dish.


27. "Who wants my jellyfish? / I'm not sellyfish!" poet: NASH.  Ogden Nash (né Frederic Ogden Nash; Aug. 19, 1902 ~ May 19, 1971), was an American poet, best known for his humorous poetry.  He even rated his own US postage stamp.


28. Seeker of "the way": TAOIST.

31. Door hardware: HASP.  I first tried Knob.


37. Play a part (in): ACT.

38. Boardroom VIP: CEO.  As in the Chief Executive Officer.

40. The Beatles' "__ Mine": I, ME.



41. Santa __ winds: ANA.  [Note:  There should be no tilde over the N in the word Ana.]

46. Splash sound: PLOP.



47. On the same wavelength: IN SYNC.  If you drop the "I", you get the boy band 'N SYNC.


48. Meticulous to a fault: ANAL.

50. Humana rival: AETNA.  Both are health insurance companies.

57. Stars and __: STRIPES.


60. Dragster, e.g.: RACE CAR.



64. Maggie Simpson's sister: LISA.  What would a crossword puzzle be without a reference to The Simpsons!

65. Avatar of Vishnu: RAMA.

66. Chef's array: SAUCES.

67. Browse (through): LEAF.

 68. What "lama" has, as opposed to "llama": ONE L.  Another snippet from Ogden Nash.  The poem goes as follows:

The one L Lama, he's a priest
The two L Llama, he's a beast
And so I'll bet my silk pyjama
There isn't any three L Llama

Legend has it that a fire chief replied that his department occasionally responded to a three L Lllama.

69. Implant (in): EMBED.

Scorpion embedded in amber.

70. Type of prof.: ASST.  As in an Assistant Professor.  A new Ph.D. must work her way through the ranks of Assistant, then Associate, before becoming a full professor at a university. 

Down:

1. Childish comeback: IS NOT!

2. Truth, to Shakespeare: SOOTH.

3. Hears out: LISTENS TO.

4. Tourist's guide: AREA MAP.


5. Prefix with centric: ETHNO-.  As in Ethnocentric.

6. Historic time span: ERA.

7. Los Angeles NFLer: RAM.


8. Old Roman road: ITER.  In present day, ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) is the international fusion research and engineering magaproject.

9. Let up: EASE.

10. Break, as laws: VIOLATE.

11. Aleut relative: INUIT.

12. __ nova: Brazilian dance: BOSSA.  João Gilberto (June 10, 1931 ~ July 6, 2019), a Brazilian musician, was known as the "Father of the Bossa Nova."  The bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music that became popular in the 1950s and 1960s.




13. Foe: ENEMY.


15. Hidden loot: STASH.

19. Red tape, e.g.: HASSLE.

21. Director Craven: WES.  Wes Craven (né Wesley Earl Craven; Aug. 2, 1939 ~ Aug. 30, 2015), is best known for his horror films, such as Scream and Nightmare on Elm Street.

24. Utmost degree: Nth.

25. Moo goo __ pan: GAI.  Moo goo gai pan is an Americanized version of a Cantonese dish.


29. Fail to include: OMIT.

30. "Big Blue": IBM.  As in International Business Machines.

31. Bowler or derby: HAT.  Did you know that the Bowler and the Derby are the same hat?  The Derby Hat is the term used in the US, while across the pond, the term is Bowler Hat.


32. Otto's "Oh!": ACH.  Today's German lesson.

33. Theater award named after Antoinette Perry: TONY.  I didn't know this, however, having the first name in the clue, it was easy enough to get to Tony.  Antoinette Perry (née Mary Antoinette Perry; June 27, 1888 ~ June 28, 1946 ) was an American actress and stage director.  She was the co-founder of the American Theatre Wing, which is an organization to support the theater.  It is this organization the now presents the Tony Awards.

34. Misconceptions: FALLACIES.

35. Game with Wild Draw Four cards: UNO.


36. Drink like a cat: LAP.  My cat would always barf after drinking milk, so we never gave her milk.


38. Savory finger food: CANAPÉ.  Yummers!


39. Wits' end?: ESS.  The last letter of the word "Wits" is an "S".

43. Least possible: MINIMAL.

44. Tiny army crawler: ANT.


45. It might be elementary: Abbr.: SCH.  As in an Elementary School.


46. Kneecap: PATELLA.  About 20 years ago, I was in a car accident and shattered my Patella.


48. Stockpile: AMASS.

49. "Will & Grace" network: NBC.


50. The Jetsons' dog: ASTRO.

51. Wharton's "__ Frome": ETHAN.  This book is on my To-Be-Read list, but is so far down on the list that I probably never will read it.

52. "I'm almost afraid to tell you" response: TRY ME!

54. Encouraged: URGED.

55. Barcelona abodes: CASAS.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

Casa Milá / Milá House in Barcelona

56. Cheez Whiz maker: KRAFT.

58. In __: existing: ESSE.

59. Inbox annoyance: SPAM.


62. Spice mix for ribs: RUB.  I make my own rub for fish.


63. Limited-life sculpture material: ICE.  Nice clue.



Here's the Grid:



I'll leave you with a QOD:  If you can convince yourself that you look fabulous, you can save yourself the trouble of primping.  ~  Andy Warhol (né Andrew Warhola; Aug. 6, 1928 ~ Feb. 22, 1987)

Jul 27, 2019

Saturday, July 27, 2019, Craig Stowe

Saturday Themeless Puzzle by Craig Stowe


Today celebrates the completion of the first permanent transatlantic cable on July 27, 1866. It connected Valentia Island, Ireland, to Heart's Content, Newfoundland and while it's not a trip to the moon like last week, at the time it was a transformational accomplishment. Communication with Europe was reduced from ten days each way to a matter of minutes.

As fate would have it, today's constructor is a resident of a small Newfoundland town - Craig Stowe. He is a kitchen porter in a rather large hotel and says he solves and constructs crosswords in his spare time. This construction with two sets of triple 10-letter horizontal stacks and two sets of triple 8-letter vertical stacks yields an impressive 99 open squares.


Now in this age of instant communications let's see what Craig has for us:


Across:


1. Ostentatious suburban pads: MCMANSIONS - Nouveau riche? 




11. Dry riverbed: WADI.




15. View from Muscat: ARABIAN SEA - This capital of Oman looks out to where the Gulf of Oman opens to the ARABIAN SEA




16. Benjamin's value: ONE C - $100 or a C-NOTE



17. Prickly plants: ROSE BUSHES - If you have ROSE BUSHES, you know about Japanese Beetles 

18. This, in Taxco: ESTA  - ESTA foto muestra muchos escarabajos (This picture shows a lot of beetles)

19. __-cone: SNO.

20. Schubert vocal compositions: LIEDER - a typically 19th-century German art song characterized by the setting of a poem Gee, I'd love to hear one!


22. Benign cyst: WEN - Google if you must


23. A detective may follow one: HUNCH - What family "knew that it was much more than a HUNCH"


26. Earth __: DAY.


27. Boom box button: EJECT 


29. Mitigate: ASSUAGE - Churchill nearly met with Hitler in 1932 (correction) to ASSUAGE Germany's grievances over the Treaty of Versalles 


31. What inspiration can come in: SPURTS.


32. Make oneself heard clearly: PROJECT - One way to help those that can't PROJECT their voice is shown below. Then she can ask 57. "Was __ loud?": I TOO.




35. Old portico: STOA - This old cwd friend won't score many Scrabble points


36. Advice from a cohort in crime: STICK TO THE STORY - Let's get our lies coordinated 


40. Charlie's fourth wife: OONA - When 18-yr-old OONA married 54-yr-old Charlie Chaplin, OONA's father, playwright Eugene O'Neill, disowned her


41. Basque, e.g.: IBERIAN - The Basque language is spoken on the IBERIAN peninsula and France 




42. Invite with a wave: BECKON - Ah, a universal language




44. They might be gross: INCOMES.


48. Old number?: ETHER - Oh Craig, that silent B didn't get me nor did I bite on 33. Nice (France) when it's hot?: ETE nor 34. Present day?: CHRISTMAS - The noun rather than the adjective 


49. Mil. academy: OCS - Fort Benning, GA produced 7,000 officers annually from its Officer Candidate School during the height of the Vietnam War


51. Hindu title: SWAMI - Put in a penny, ask a yes or no question and pull the red handle

52. Dispute: ROW - Rou not roh

53. Offer unwanted advice: KIBITZ - Anyone else get unwanted advice when parking a car?


56. Formerly: NEE.


59. Spreading throughout: PERMEATING.

62. Usual: NORM.


63. "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" poet: OSCAR WILDE - WILDE was in Gaol (jail) for "gross indecency' and so when he wrote the poem about his horrible time there, he did not use his name at first but rather used C.3.3. (cell block C, level 3, cell three)



64. Beauts: GEMS.


65. Ski resort offering: SEASON PASS.



Down:


1. "'Night, Mother" playwright Norman: MARSHA - The play begins with Jesse calmly telling her mother she is going to kill herself that night.




2. Zeus' father: CRONUS The family tree


3. Layers of stone: MASONS - The artisans not the course


4. White House nickname: ABE 


5. Bill: NIB.



6. King anointed by Samuel: SAUL Print it out and color it if you like


7. Traitorous crime: INSIDE JOB - In Goodfellas, the Lufthansa heist was an INSIDE JOB


8. Irish actor Milo: O'SHEA - Milo and Henry Fonda's daughter in Barbarella 




9. Poor: NEEDY.


10. Ed.'s requirement: SASE - When you submit work to an Ed(itor), they want a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope included say they can send you their judgment 


11. Distress: WOE.


12. Work under: ANSWER TO.


13. Smoke __: DETECTOR - Why do smoke DETECTOR with bad batteries usually start beeping at 2 am? 14. "Who knows": I CAN'T SAY.


21. Street cred: REP - If you get dissed and don't retaliate your REP could take a hit

24. Honeybunch: CUPCAKE - Ahhh... 


25. "Listen!": HARK
"HARK, you Guildenstern — and you too (Rosencrantz); at each ear a hearer." In essence, Hamlet is saying, "Listen! Someone is coming!"


28. A moment ago: JUST NOW.


30. Arrived: GOT IN - Granddaughter's plane GOT IN at 11 pm from NYC last night and Papa was there to pick her up! It's a 36. Eliciting thoughtfulness: SOBERING thought that she is now 21


31. Often-ornamental vessel: STEIN  - A perfect one for last Saturday. I'm tempted to order one.



37. In direct confrontation: TOE TO TOE - When these two went TOE-TO-TOE in 45. Capital on Luzon: MANILA, some called it "sanctioned manslaughter" as neither fighter was the same afterwards 



38. Caterpillar also called a looper: INCH WORM - A lovely song from my yut




39. Most bunts, briefly: SACS - Hitters can be called on to bunt to get a runner from 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 3rd when they are put out

43. TV planet: ORK.


46. Fixes, as text: EMENDS - Here ya go on Amend/EMEND


To amend is (1) to change for the better, (2) to put right, or (3) to alter by adding. The word’s corresponding noun is amendment. 
Emend means to improve by editing (especially a text). Its corresponding noun is emendationEmend is rare because it’s mainly confined to contexts related to professional writing and editing.
47. Lengthy campaigns: SIEGES - After a long SIEGE, the rebels at Vicksburg, MS surrendered to the Grant on July 4, 1863. They did not celebrate Independence Day for many decades afterward



49. Corpulent: OBESE.


50. Uncertain dating word: CIRCA - The oldest remaining residence in our town was built CIRCA 1865


54. Uber and Lyft had them in 2019: IPO'S - Initial Public OfferingS


55. Cipher: ZERO - Nil, Nada, Zip, Naught


58. Mantra chants: OMS.


60. Barley bristle: AWN - Another cwd friend in for a visit




61. Tri-__: TIP - The aptly named cut of beef and from whence it cometh 




How we have progressed! Last year I was able to make a face-to-face call from my house to my granddaughter's house in Grenoble, France any time I wanted to. A long way from ships or a cable. Feel free to use your technology to comment on Craig's Saturday offering.