Saturday, September 11, 2021, David Liben-Nowell

 Saturday Themeless by David Liben-Nowell

This is my first blog of one of David's puzzles. His last LA Times Saturday themeless was back in August 6, 2016, which was just before I became the Saturday blogger.

Here are David's thoughts on this puzzle: 

Hi Gary,

This is a puzzle with a long journey, and maybe a few mildly interesting stories to share from its trip.

The first origin point was the phrase DAD JOKES, which cropped up in a kind of amusing (if not exactly complimentary) way a few years ago.  In February 2018, at the midpoint of the winter term at Carleton College, where I teach, I'd distributed my standard midterm evaluation for students to let me know what they thought of the course, and what could be improved in the second half.  One of the questions ("what do you like least about the course") elicited one student response of "the dad jokes" (maybe the student wasn't being serious?!  I can only hope so!).  And then DAD JOKES and its symmetric twin MOM JEANS came onto my radar, and the puzzle idea was off and running with that pair as the seeds.

Well, "running" is probably an exaggeration.  It took me about 18 months of poking and prodding at it to fill the grid in a way that satisfied me.  That's still two versions of the puzzle prior to the one that you're looking at:  the first one had a different entry at 18-Across (which Rich found to be too racy) [original submitted clue, if you want to puzzle it out:  It was banned from Facebook in 2019 for its suggestive usage], and then the second version had a partial duplication between ALL DONE (33-Across) and ALL PRO (25-Down) that had to be excised.  Rich's find of MRS JONES (to replace DOW JONES at 42-Across) is what saved that portion of the grid.  So this version resulted from me ripping out both the NW quadrant of the grid (and thus the N section), and the W section (and thus the SW), and replacing them.

Some of my favorite clues survived, but I was sad to lose some of the others -- partially a consequence of my natural tendency to write fairly verbose clues, so often a good number of them get cut for length (and maybe for other reasons).  And I have to confess to not knowing the answers to some of the clues in their final form.  I hadn't heard of Charles COLSON maybe because I'm too young for it (the clue that I submitted was about the novelist COLSON Whitehead of "The Underground Railroad", among other books).  But I'm also pretty naive to most proper names in popular culture, so I suffer equally from an ignorance of Questlove, IRENE Cara, IRENE Ryan, Billy Paul, and probably others that show up in this puzzle.  And I haven't seen "Get Smart" even once, though I have heard a good number of invocations of the CONE OF SILENCE metaphor in my real life.  Once I saw that including that entry in the grid was a possibility, I found some old clips on YouTube.  Turns out the cone of silence thing was pretty funny all along.  I hadn't even realized that it was a joke before working on this puzzle!

David

Across:

1. "Miracle on the Hudson" investigation gp.: NTSB - The National Transportation and Safety Board investigated Sully's miracle landing on the Hudson river

5. Venom holder: SAC - Not an ASP it turns out

8. Grads of Cornell's Johnson Sch.: MBAS - Cornell renamed its business school for S.C. Johnson after the company he founded endowed them with $20M

12. Kerfuffle: HOOHA - Haven't you also heard of a brouhaha?

13. Quartet quarter?: SOLO - Let's see, 1/4 of a quartet is one and if that performer sings alone...

14. Six-ton predator: ORCA - Sea World is phasing them out

15. Pride seekers' lids: SAFARI HATS - Anyone think of pith helmets?

17. LeBlanc who played Joey on "Friends": MATT - If you're a fan, you know who's who in this first to last episode montage.

18. Texter's approval: THUMBS UP EMOJI - or my Bitmoji!

20. Cutesy answer to "How do you say that in Spanish?": ESO - ESO is Spanish for the word "that" so the answer is ESO

21. Uncoupled?: BROKEN UP.

24. Zebras on a field: REFS - NFL REFS have broken racial and gender barriers

27. Classic muscle cars: GTOS.

29. Senator Ben who wrote "The Vanishing American Adult": SASSE - Joann and I have known 47. D.C. VIP: SEN Ben SASSE since he was ten years old. I taught with his dad and went to high school with his mother.

30. N.L. West team: ARI - Diamondbacks

31. Type of cable, briefly: COAX - COAXial cable. We're replacing a lot of ours with ROKU units

32. Shade for a lifeguard: SUNTAN - Oh, a SUNTAN is a shade of color

33. Defensive lines: CORDONS - The Swiss Guard form a colorful CORDON for the Pope

35. Dries, in a way: AIRS OUT.

36. Sometimes unattainable maxima: IDEALS - Don't let IDEAL get in the way of doable. 

37. Sticky situation: MIRE.

38. 2010 World Cup host: Abbr.: RSA.

39. Origins: SEEDS.

40. Bass part: GILL.

41. It gives you the big picture: IMAX - Watching a shuttle launch on a giant IMAX screen with seat-rattling DTS Sound is breath taking. 

42. Title partner of "me" in a 1972 Billy Paul #1 hit: MRS. JONES.

44. Blade in a shell: OAR.

46. Metaphor for confidentiality popularized in a 1960s sitcom: CONE OF SILENCE - Would you believe Maxwell Smart?

51. Type of jacket: FLAK - Originally to protect against bullets and flak, QB's now also use them to protect their ribs

53. Shallot relative: GREEN ONION - Time for my favorite Rock 'N Roll instrumental 

54. Card in Clue: ROPE.

56. Command posts: HELMS.

57. Is behind, maybe: OWES.

58. Kid-__: tots' TV fare: VID.

59. Sailing: ASEA.

Down:

1. Legendary wildlife conservationist: NOAH - Two at a time and 55. Ancient site of an iconic tree: EDEN - Another Biblical reference

2. Block in the kitchen: TOFU - No thanks.

3. Humbles: SHAMES.

4. Fodder for unfriendly trades: BARBS - As I've blogged before, Don Rickles would not be able to use his act today

5. Speaker's spot: SOAP BOX.

6. Takes up, perhaps: ALTERS - or for me, unfortunately, "let out"

7. Short bar order: COSMO.

8. High-waisted garb, stereotypically: MOM JEANS and 34. Some corny humor: DAD JOKES - Here's a bunch of 'em. David told us these were his seed entries. 

9. Play with ideas: BRAIN STORM.

10. Do one's part?: ACT.

11. Couldn't stand?: SAT - Not true on all roller coasters any more 

12. Prez who had no VP in his first term: HST - Alben Barkely was HST's VP from 1948 - 1953

13. Chinese pork dish word: SHU - All you need to know

16. Squares, e.g.: ISOGONS - ISO (equal) GONS (sides)

19. [Shrug]: OK SURE.

22. Olympics chant: USA! USA!...

23. Ricoh camera brand: PENTAX.

24. "To Kill a Mockingbird" theme: RACISM.

25. Heavy surf, e.g.: ERODER - Yeah, I suppose...

26. Obsolescent emergency exit: FIRE ESCAPE - Our school only had stairs

28. Coll. exam graders, at times: TAS.

31. Charles of Watergate infamy: COLSON - Would anyone else have been stumped if David has chosen "31. Whitehead of the Underground Railroad"?

32. Skirt alternative: SIRLOIN - Ah, now I see why it is called a Skirt

35. Have something: AIL.

37. Common jam ingredient?: MISFEED - Not an edible jam or traffic jam.

40. Scotty's "Star Trek: TNG" counterpart: GEORDI - La Forge played by LeVar Burton. Those glasses look like they were made out of my old lawn mower air filter.

41. Cara and Ryan: IRENES.

43. Much of Israel: NEGEV.

45. Island reception: ALOHA - Last Saturday ALOHA was a parting word

48. Ancient Memphis setting: NILE - The importance of Memphis decreased when Alexandria became a major port on the Mediterranean. 

49. Food __: after-eating drowsiness: COMA 

50. 3/8 of nineteen?: ENS - Meta clue: The word "Nineteen" has eight letters and three of them are "ENS".

51. Questlove's do: FRO - His IMDB

52. Dirty: LOW - Garth Brooks has friends in those places.

 Notes from C.C.:

1) Great to see you back, David. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

2) Happy birthday to dear Husker Gary, our incomparable Saturday sherpa, who spends enormous time every week to perfect his posts, finding the right words, finding the right visuals and reaching out to constructors for comments. We're so grateful for your time and effort, Gary! You make Saturdays special!

Gary, C.C., Boomer & Joann 8/22/2014

Tuesday, January 30, 2018 ~ David Liben-Nowell

Theme: Basketball Stat - Three phrases that graphically represent this desirable B-ball statistic.

54A. Ten or more points, rebounds and assists in one game, in hoops lingo ... and a literal feature of 20-, 33- and 43-Across: TRIPLE DOUBLE

20A. Played the Samaritan: DID A GOOD DEED

33A. Ones who once shared quarters: FORMER ROOMMATES

43A. Love sugary snacks, say: HAVE A SWEET TOOTH

Argyle here. Rows: 16, Columns: 15. David's second puzzle for us. The gimmick was obvious but needed the reveal to make sense of it.

Across:

1. Vulgar: LEWD

5. Cancel, as a mission: ABORT

10. Leave in a hurry: BAIL

14. Gobi Desert continent: ASIA

15. Calf-roping event: RODEO

16. "The __ Duckling": UGLY

17. Writer Ayn: RAND

18. Harmless garden slitherer: GREEN SNAKE

22. Italian automaker: FIAT

23. "The Big Bang Theory," for one: SITCOM

27. Big bang: BLAST

29. Rock band staple: AMP

32. Gush: SPURT

36. Juicy Fruit, e.g.: GUM

37. Cause of shrinking beaches: EROSION

38. Delivers the news: REPORTS

40. Cup o' mud: JOE

48. Up in the air: ALOFT

49. Ukr., until 1991: SSR. Ukraine, a former Soviet Socialist Republic.

50. Many Middle Easterners: ARABs

51. More alluring: SEXIER

53. App symbol: ICON

60. Minor infraction: PETTY CRIME

63. Special forces mission: RAID

64. Ointment additive: ALOE

65. Fertile desert spot: OASIS

66. Thomas __, 9/11 Commission chairman: KEAN. Former Governor of New Jersey.

67. Snowy day toy: SLED

68. Hilton rival: HYATT. Hotels.

69. Poet Pound: EZRA. List of his works.

Down:

1. Cooking fat: LARD

2. Morales of "NYPD Blue": ESAI

3. Collection of energy-producing turbines: WIND FARM

4. Avant-garde art movement: DADAISM

5. Specialized jargon: ARGOT

6. NYC division: BORO. (borough)

7. Took too much, briefly: ODed

8. Clarinet insert: REED

9. Shades of color: TONES

10. Baker's ring-shaped mold: BUNDT PAN

11. Turkish honorific: AGA

12. Type: ILK

13. Caustic chemical: LYE

19. Earthquake prefix: SEISMO

21. Garden entrance: GATE

24. Piece of the action, or a shout that stops the action: CUT. Best entry, IMHO.

25. Valuable underground find: ORE

26. Peaks: Abbr.: MTs

27. 2016 film based on a Roald Dahl novel, with "The": BFG. "Big Friendly Giant"

28. Baseball's Gehrig: LOU

29. Archery ammo: ARROWS

30. Poet Marianne and actress Julianne: MOOREs. Unlikely pairing.

31. Dorm decoration: POSTER

34. Workout count: REPS. Short for repetitions.

35. Waterfall spray: MIST. CSO Niagara Falls.

38. Updated, as factory equipment: REFITTED

39. Diner, drive-in or dive: EATERY

40. 1969 Woodstock folk singer: JOAN BAEZ. I can't say as if I ever heard this one before.

41. Gambling venue letters: OTB. (Off Track Betting)

42. "I didn't hear you" sounds: EHs?

43. Gives birth to: HAS

44. Pub brew: ALE

45. __ populi: popular opinion: VOX

46. Food truck fare: TACO

47. Political satirist P.J.: O'ROURKE

52. Copier maker: RICOH. Japanese multinational imaging and electronics company.

53. That is, in Latin: ID EST

55. Ask for divine guidance: PRAY

56. Pop singer Loeb: LISA. I prefer the Cass Elliot version. The first recording was done by Ozzie Nelson! Give a listen.

57. Discharge: EMIT

58. Perjurer: LIAR

59. Writer Ferber: EDNA

60. __ de deux: PAS. (in ballet) a dance for two people.

61. Pipe bend: ELL

62. Digit on a foot: TOE

Argyle

Saturday, Aug 6th, 2016, David Liben-Nowell

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 34

Hi there~!  Splynter back with less work and more blog this week.  Today's puzzle from David (see C.C.'s interview) had clues that were either gimmes or complete misses for me.  I either knew it, or didn't, and nothing was going to help me "45A."  Just a few too many 'half-word' clues for me, too.  The SW was utterly wrong on my first pass, and combined with the proper names/places, just wouldn't open up.  Add in one more red-letter cheat, and that's my story, an' I'm sticking to it.  A non-intimidating grid with only the two spanners and four 10-letter fills;

5. Intuition : GUT FEELING 

10. Line diagram : FAMILY TREE

25. Computer screen? : SPAM FILTER

26. Act too hastily : JUMP THE GUN - a line from Van Halen's "Secrets", too

Cathedral / Secrets (lyric at 3:14)

INKY~!

ACROSS:

1. Jet : INKY - I figured we were looking for 'black', and ONYX worked, but 4d. would have started with "X"

5. Govt. property overseer : GSA - the crossing of 7d. stymied me, so the "A" was red-lettered

8. Artists' pads : LOFTS - a gimme

13. Great __ : DANE - I wanted "SCOTT~!"

14. Gets onstage : CUES

15. Detached : APART - oops, not ALOOF

16. Slid across the pond, maybe : ICE SKATED

18. Start of a noncommittal RSVP : WE MAY

19. Last-minute number? : ELEVEN FIFTY-NINE - 11:59.  Here's another way to say Eleven Fifty-Eight

The video

21. Awards for "Rent" and "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" : OBIES - I put it in, but then I thought 4d. might be "EULOGIES", and took it out

22. Cads : HEELS

23. San Francisco, to most Californians : UPSTATE - We have "upstate" in NY, too - hello Argyle~!  When I talked to the admissions woman at Delaware Tech last year, she suggested taking classes at the campus "upstate" - Delaware is too short to have an "upstate"

26. Rice on a field : JERRY - WR, mostly for the SF 49ers of the NFL

27. Laid-back : TYPE B - I'm Type C - clueless....

28. Big lugs : LOUTS

30. PC-checking org., at times : TSA

33. Word of regret : ALAS

34. Pebbles bearer : WILMA - the Flintstones "10d."

35. Drop : DRAM - I was looking for the verb, not the noun

36. Bringing it up can lead to a fit : HEM - ah, my kind of clue~!  Thanks for covering lat week, CED~!

I found this one, too - my that's short~!

37. It first passed 2014 in 2014, briefly : S AND P - S&P 500 - the Wiki

38. Choice word : MEENY - eeny is my first choice....

39. "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" author : FLAGG - WAG

41. Raiding group, familiarly : THE FEDS

43. Fool : LIE TO

44. Sand bar : SHOAL

45. Figure it out : FILL IN THE BLANKS - there were a few "Wheel of Fortune" images I would like to have posted, but....

50. Hitching post? : ALTAR - a gimme

51. Group of football players, perhaps : RUGBY TEAM

52. "Mr. Belvedere" actress Graff : ILENE - a WAG

53. Weight : ONUS

54. French bread : EURO - almost got me

55. Square figures : NERDS - I had AREA, then ACRES, and never thought it was something else

56. Gp. using sub titles? : USN - submarines in the U.S. Navy

57. Unattached : STAG - dah~! Not LONE

DOWN:

1. "Thus with a kiss __": Romeo : "I DIE"

2. Table salt, in chem class : NaCL

3. Pants part : KNEE

4. Words said in passing? : YES VOTES

6. Part of WYSIWYG : SEE IS - I am usually pretty good with acronym-type challenges - I nailed this as "what you see is what you get"

7. Home position, for some : ASDF - and then I hit a brick wall with this reference - A S D F on a Q W E R T Y keyboard is called the home row, which I did not know

8. Bar staff : LAWYERS - Dah~! I was in the wrong bar here....

9. Bar tool : OPENER - but the right one here

11. Former leader? : TRANS - transformer

12. Sebaceous gland issue : STYE - nice Saturday cluing

14. "Enough already!" : "CAN IT~!" - I had CUT IT to start

17. Fare on a stick : KEBAB

20. Round Greek letter : THETA - DAH~!! - I had OMEGA, since the E - A was in place....

23. Monument Valley locale : UTAH - half perps, half WAG

24. Sitcom marine : PYLE

29. Overdone : OLD - oh, I get it now

31. Measure of passing time : SAND - like through the hourglass....

32. Organic frozen-food brand : AMY'S - I guessed the "M"

34. One traveling in Old West circles? : WAGON - circle the wagons~!

35. Lowers the volume of, in a way : DEFLATES - no NE Patriots joke~?

37. "SNL" sketches, e.g. : SATIRES

38. Like a bad apple : MEALY - argh~! not WORMY

40. University founder Stanford : LELAND - no clue

42. Film hero Roy who wielded a bat called "Wonderboy" : HOBBS - from "The Natural" - IMDb

43. De Gaulle's birthplace : LILLE - OK, sure - that's too Frawnche for me

44. Keeps away from : SHUNS

45. Willing : FAIN - never heard of this before

46. Briefs covering, in brief : TROUsers

47. Unaligned: Abbr. : NEUTral - two half-words in a row

48. Supergirl's Krypton name : KARA - another "no clue" on my part

49. Irritating blanket : SMOG - I pondered SNOW at first, but snow doesn't irritate me, personally

Splynter