google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: David Poole

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Showing posts with label David Poole. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Poole. Show all posts

Jan 26, 2018

Friday, January 26, 2018, David Poole

Title: Let's look under the water

David makes a quick return with a visual theme. There are 4 seas placed above the letters "LAB." It is a cute theme but wreaked havoc on my mind with YELLOW LAB and IRISH LAB running around in my head. Woof, woof.  The rest seemed like a Friday with many 6 and 7 letter fill. ERNESTO, EXACTOR, LOST ART, PANINIS, SWORE TO and WANNABE all interesting fill.

I have written about many of his puzzles, with this EFFORT being my first Friday write-up here at the Corner.

Hopefully, the grid will make you all smile. Grid first I think today:



17A. First U.S. national park: YELLOWSTONE (11). The YELLOW Sea is clued just above the LAB in 20A in LABEL.

35A. Co-star of the 1955 comedy "How to Be Very, Very Popular": SHEREE NORTH (11). The NORTH Sea is clued just above the LAB in SLABS. The MOVIE was unknown to me.

42A. Subject of a 19th-century famine: IRISH POTATO (11). The IRISH Sea is clued just above the LAB in LABREA.

62A. Aquanaut's workplace ... or a hint to what's graphically represented four times in this puzzle: UNDER SEA LAB (11). This LAB is under the CHINA Sea.

Across:

1. Big sister? : ABBESS. This is a woman who is the head of an abbey of nuns.

7. Way more than a whimper: BAWL.

11. Pixie: ELF.

14. Circus equipment: STILTS. There often is a clown on stilts.

15. Online marketplace: EBAY.

16. Madhouse: ZOO.

19. Syncopated piece: RAG. Ragtime (rag) also spelled rag-time or rag time – is a musical style that enjoyed its peak popularity between 1895 and 1918. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated, or "ragged", rhythm.

20. Calvin Klein or Perry Ellis: LABEL.

21. Caution: WARN.

22. Spilled the beans: SANG. Like modern mobsters.

23. Love personified: AMOR. Cupid's alias.

24. Letter writing, some say: LOST ART.

26. Oenophile's concern: YEAR. CSO to the Chairman and his wares.

28. Bear with a purple bow tie: BOO-BOO. Hannah-Barbera says "Boo-Boo Bear is a cartoon character on The Yogi Bear Show. Boo-Boo is an anthropomorphic bear cub wearing a purple bowtie. Most of the pictures I see online look blue, but.....

32. "Yada yada yada" letters: ETC.

38. Revolutionary murdered in a tub: MARAT.

 The Death of Marat by Jacques-   Louis  David. 

40. Groom's garb: TUX.

41. Generous slices: SLABS.



45. Menu general: TSO. It must be embarrassing to his family that he is known as a chicken.

46. Tar pits site: LA BREA.

47. "Pretty please?" : CAN I? May I never see this clue/fill again?

49. Che's given name: ERNESTO. Guevera.

52. State-spanning rds. : TPKS.

56. Cross by wading: FORD.

59. Digging: INTO.

61. "The Mikado" band? : OBI. The Japanese sash. Not to be confused with 57D. Village Voice award: OBIE. (OB) No longer technically true, they were originally given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered along with the American Theatre Wing. As the Tony Awards cover Broadway productions, the Obie Awards cover Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway productions. (various)

64. Dram: NIP. A wee dram at that; right Tin?

65. Thailand, once: SIAM. A nice CSO to my sweet bride.

66. Recess: ALCOVE.

67. Fictional vigilante's mark: ZEE.

68. Ballpark figs. : ESTSimates.

69. Christian of "Mr. Robot": SLATER.


Down:

1. Sanctuaries : ASYLA. Our favorite latin plural.

2. Substitute players: B-TEAM.

3. Frodo inherited his ring: BILBO. The Hobbit.

4. Queen of mystery: ELLERY. Agatha also fits.

5. Small-runway aircraft acronym: STOLShort Takeoff OLanding.


6. Spokane-to-Walla Walla dir. : SSW.

7. Software to debug: BETAS. Testing, one two, three.

8. Scrub, at NASA: ABORT.

9. Aspirant: WANNABE.  Geri last week.

10. Drano compound: LYE.

11. Biblical reformer: EZRA. He was BIBLICAL.

12. Library transaction: LOAN. They are known as lending libraries.

13. "Around the World ... " hero: FOGG. Phileas Fogg is the protagonist in the 1873 Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Day (wiki).

18. Affirmed in court: SWORE TO.

22. Happy hour perch: STOOL.

24. __-di-dah: LAH.

25. Lighter brand: RONSON. My mental picture.

27. Bible book read during Purim: ESTHER. More Hebrew bible.

29. Frank's cousin: BRAT. This is one of the wurst clue/fills ever!

30. Gambling parlors, for short: OTBS. Off-track betting shops.

31. Very: OH SO. You all look oh so smart today!





32. Expressionist painter Nolde : EMIL. I did not know Emil Nolde, who was a German-Danish painter and printmaker. He was one of the first Expressionists, a member of Die Brücke, and was one of the first oil painting and watercolor painters of the early 20th century to explore color. (wiki) I like the Matterhorn Smiles.

33. Plantation near Twelve Oaks: TARA. Frankly, I no longer give a damn.

34. Nursery purchase: CRIB. Tree anyone?

36. Rural road feature: RUT.

37. One demanding payment, say: EXACTOR. In law, we often put or/ee at the end of words to make a new word, but this CREATION by David seems imprecise.

39. Comparable to a beet: AS RED.

43. Pressed sandwiches: PANINIS.

44. Confucian ideal: TAO.

48. Cornell's city: ITHACA.

50. Conclude by: END AT.

51. Parts of some flutes: STEMS. My brain went to the instrument b aha moment for the champagne glass.

53. First of a series: PILOT. No Honda this week, but the try out episode of a tv series.

54. __ of Hearts, accused tarts thief: KNAVE. You should know your Alice in Wonderland.
"The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts,
All on a summer day:
The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts,
And took them quite away!"

55. Cavalry sword: SABER.

56. With "the," TV character who first jumped the shark-- literally: FONZ. Did we really watch this
HORRIBLE TV, On the other hand, I really like Winkler in his new show  BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.

58. Harvest-ready: RIPE.

60. Spreadsheet box: CELL.

62. Employ: USE.

63. KLM rival: SAS. The HISTORY of  Scandinavian Airlines System is worth reading.

We have already made it to my last write-up of January. David makes every puzzle different. I enjoyed it and hope you did as well. On to the Super Bowl!!! Lemonade out.

Jan 17, 2018

Wednesday, January 17 2018, David Poole

 Theme: DO THE MATH

18. Math teacher's favorite sport? : TIMES TABLE TENNIS

31. Math teacher's favorite brew? : SQUARE ROOT BEER

47. Math teacher's favorite hat? : PIE CHART TOPPER 

62. Math teacher's favorite cut of beef? : PERFECT CUBE STEAK 
 
Melissa here. Two grid-spanners, and a few tricky clues made this a satisfying solve. When I first saw TIMES and SQUARE, I was looking for a theme about New York. Nope.

Across  
      
1. Like most cookies : BAKED

6. Director of the final episode of "M*A*S*H" : ALDA


10. Food inspector's concern : E-COLI
 
15. Jazz singer O'Day : ANITA
 
16. Osso buco meat : VEAL. Italian for "bone with a hole," braised veal shank.


17. Swerved at sea : YAWED

21. Diplomatic bldg. : EMB. Embassy.

22. Flying off the shelves : HOT
 
23. Praise to the heavens : EXALT
 
24. Rock's Grateful __ : DEAD
 
26. Fiat fuel : GAS
 
28. Perspire nervously, say : REACT

36. Arrowhead Stadium NFL team : CHIEFS
 
38. Mark for deletion : X OUT
 
39. Sellout sign letters : SRO
 
40. Very confident : CAN DO
 
41. Chanel competitor : DIOR
 
42. Museum worker : GUARD
 
44. 1869-'77 pres. monogram : USG. Ulysses S. Grant. "I have never advocated war except as a means of peace."
 
45. Place for private dining? : MESS. Great clue - see 6-Across.
 
46. New York hockey team : SABRES

51. Bathtub outlet : DRAIN
 
52. Product prefix suggesting winter : SNO. Or sugar.

 53. Activist Parks : ROSA
 
56. Minds someone else's business : PRIES
 
59. Slice of history : ERA
 
61. Old conductance unit : MHO

67. As scripted : ON CUE
 
68. World Golf Hall of Famer Isao : AOKI
 
69. Cosmic comeuppance : KARMA
 
70. Gives a hand, in a way : DEALS
 
71. Editorial override : STET. Latin for "let it stand."
 
72. Hog caller's call : SOOEY

Down

1. With __ breath : BATED
 
2. Japanese art genre : ANIME
 
3. "L.A. Confidential" Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner : KIM BASINGER

 
4. Bastille Day time : ETE. French Summer.
 
5. Short run : DASH
 
6. Gamer's game face : AVATAR. Another great clue.
 
7. Syr. neighbor : LEB

8. Half a chipmunk team : DALE

9. "Roots" author Haley : ALEX
 
10. Shoelace hole : EYELET
 
11. Cambridge student, informally : CANTAB. Short for Cantabrigian.
 
12. Have title to : OWN
 
13. Luau loop : LEI
 
14. TSA requests : IDS. And shoes.
 
19. Roman robes : TOGAS
 
20. Major Arcana deck : TAROT
 
25. Kicked out of the game, informally : DQED. Disqualified - boxing.
 
27. Gender-specific, to some : SEXIST
 
29. The Joker portrayer on TV : CESAR ROMERO
 
30. __ Haute : TERRE
 
32. Many a tabloid pic : UFO
 
33. Fowl poles? : ROOSTS
 
34. Possessive word : OUR
 
35. Fishing gear : RODS
 
36. Lingerie size : C CUP 
37. Member of a strict Jewish sect : HASID
 
41. Article written by Marx and Engels? : DER
 
42. Break : GAP
 
43. App offering fare estimates : UBER
 
45. Wildly excited : MANIC
 
46. Future fern : SPORE
 
48. Downy amount : CAPFUL
 
49. New faces around the water cooler : HIREES
 
50. In the slightest : ONE BIT
 
54. Disgrace : SHAME
 
55. Fine : A-OKAY
 
57. Flight sked data : ETAS
 
58. Many a bagpiper : SCOT
 
60. Wants to know : ASKS
 
62. Sci-fi escape vehicle : POD. Not UFO.
 
63. St. Louis-to-Indianapolis dir. : ENE
 
64. Label for Elvis : RCA
 
65. Hula strings : UKE
 
66. Lao Tzu ideal : TAO

 

Aug 31, 2017

Thursday August 31 2017 David Poole

Theme: Nationality Pun Fun - Five examples of mirth and merriment:

20A. Volleyball players in Dublin? : IRISH SETTERS. The setter in volleyball is the player who decides who gets the ball for the next shot

28A. Euros in Rome? : ITALIAN BREAD. Used to be Lira back in the good old days when you had to exchange currency about every five minutes when you were travelling in Europe. Imagine the chaos in the north-east if you had to go the currency exchange every time you crossed a state line.

37A. Airport inspectors in Beijing? : CHINESE CHECKERS. Do airport inspectors inspect the airport, or the passengers? I've been to Beijing airport, it is beautiful. (Well it was in 2008 ready for the Olympic Games!)

45A. Dance lessons in Madrid? : SPANISH STEPS. Piazza di Spagna  at the bottom, Piazza Trinità dei Monti at the top.



56A. Number cruncher in New Delhi? : INDIAN SUMMER. I laughed at the "SUMMER" part of the clue.  We're having an LA summer right now, we're into triple digits.

Neat theme from David, I'm actually surprised it's not been done before. I had a fun five minutes trying to think of others, SWISS WATCH, RUSSIAN DOLL, AUSTRALIAN BIGHT, SWISS CHEESE seemed to have some mileage.

Typical Thursday cluing with misdirection and some of the less-obvious clues. 63 theme squares sometimes doesn't leave a lot of room for much fill, but the sixes and fives had some nice entries including HAIRDO and REBEC. Good job all round by Mr. Poole.

What else have we got? Let's see:

Across:

1. Draft day announcements : PICKS. "With the 199th pick of the 2000 NFL draft, the New England Patriots select Tom Brady, Quarterback, Michigan." Who would have thought how that 's turned out?

6. In-tents experience? : CAMP. Nice wordplay in the clue.

10. Like some dental floss : WAXY. I use those little Christmas Tree brushes for the most part. Floss is fussy stuff to deal with.

14. End of __ : AN ERA

15. Jai __ : ALAI. Helluva dangerous game. The ball is hard as a rock and goes a bizillion miles an hour.

16. Wrapped up : OVER

17. Artifact : RELIC

18. Board member? : KING. Chessboard.

19. Unites : WEDS

23. New York's __ Island : STATEN. My first thought was Riker's Island for no good reason. Well two good reasons I suppose - it's an island, and it's in New York.

24. Sturgeon delicacy : ROE

25. Engineering sch. on the Hudson River : R.P.I. I know I'll never remember this. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Also known for schools of design and business management.

32. Deadly snake : ASP

35. White House signing ceremony memento : PEN

36. __ Trinket, "The Hunger Games" chaperone played by Elizabeth Banks : EFFIE. Thank you, crosses. Never seen the movies.

42. Cosmonaut Vladimir : TITOV. Four missions, and one where the Soyuz capsule was pulled clear of the rocket a few seconds before it exploded on the launch pad. They landed a couple of miles away. That's not messing around with the "pulling clear".

43. Partner of abet : AID

44. Most of Ariz. doesn't observe it : D.S.T. Hawaii doesn't either. Very sensible.

50. CIA predecessor : OSS

51. Drivers' org. : AAA

52. Phillies' div. : NL EAST

59. SALT subject : ICBM

62. Crab Key villain : DR NO. Bond, James Bond.

63. Mazda MX-5, familiarly : MIATA. Little sporty number.

64. Witty tweet, e.g. : QUIP

65. Novelist O'Brien : EDNA

66. Bunsen burner kin : ETNAS. Kin can be singular or plural. Can cause uncertainties.

67. Small ticks? : SECS

68. Travel aimlessly : ROAM

69. One of Franklin's two certainties : DEATH. I'm not sure which causes the most dread. Taxes, probably, they come around every year. At least you've only got to meet the Grim Reaper once.

Down:

1. Musée d'Orsay city : PARIS. I love this museum. A converted railway terminus, the glass roof is perfect for lighting the galleries.

2. Still : INERT

3. Salsa singer Cruz : CELIA. Thank you, crosses.

4. Spring 2008 "Dancing with the Stars" champion Yamaguchi : KRISTI. I've had a crush on her for years.


5. Potpourri pouch : SACHET

6. Wedding reception sight : CAKE

7. Hit the ground : ALIT. Hopefully gently. Alit - present or past tense. Can be tricky.

8. Hindu incantation : MANTRA

9. Word with carrier or passenger : PIGEON. The former is alive and kicking, the latter is now sadly extinct. I'm not pointing fingers or anything, but a species tends not to go from three billion or so to zero without humans having something to do with it (asteroid impacts excepted).

10. Floors : WOWS

11. Abbr. in many addresses : AVE.

12. Crossed (out) : X'ED

13. Jr. and sr. : YRS. High school and college.

21. Loses it : SNAPS

22. Lute-like instrument : REBEC. Here's one in action. I knew the sound, I certainly didn't know what made it.

25. Served seconds, say : RE-FED

26. Figure skating event : PAIRS

27. In other words, in other words : ID EST. Hello, Latin, my old friend. Great clue.

29. Novelist Harper : LEE. There was a BritPop band in the 90's called The Boo Radleys. I didn't know about the fictional character, I'd not read To Kill a Mockingbird at that point.

30. Quechua speakers : INCAS

31. He served as A.G. under his brother : R.F.K. I looked down the list of prior Attorneys General and couldn't see another brother A.G./POTUS combo. There were some candidates, from just looking at their names - Levi Lincoln, Augustus Hill Garland and Alonso Taft among them. There are a couple or more who belong in the "Great Names Hall of Fame", including Caesar Augustus Rodney and Philander Chase Knox.

32. "Don't __ innocent" : ACT SO

33. Port arrivals : SHIPS

34. Pockets for falafel : PITAS

38. Start to skid? : NON-

39. French spa : EVIAN

40. Strike : HIT

41. Utopias : EDENS

46. More melancholy : SADDER

47. Bob, for one : HAIRDO. Not "Builder" then?

48. Like peacocks : PLUMED. Because "Noisier than a jet fighter on a carrier deck" doesn't fit.

49. Many a Mideast native : SEMITE

53. Appliance maker since 1934 : AMANA. Began life as The Electrical Equipment Co. Amana is the Iowa town where they were founded.

54. Attack : SET AT

55. Vandalize : TRASH

56. Rascals : IMPS

57. Kendrick of "Pitch Perfect" : ANNA

58. "Syntactic Structures" author Chomsky : NOAM. He announced on Tuesday he's leaving MIT after 62 years for ASU; this should prompt Travelocity to feature him in their new ad campaign: "The Roaming Noam".

59. Nos. averaging 100 : IQ'S

60. What a shark strikes with : CUE. Nice clue. Shark in the pool hall hustler sense.

61. Wite-Out maker : BIC. I'd like to see today's production quantities vs. 20 years ago. I'm guessing around 10%.

That should do it for the day. Here's the grid:

Steve

Note from C.C.:

Garlic Gal, JD and Chickie had a get-together yesterday. Here is a selfie JD took. Or is it USIE? They used to meet every month.

Garlic Gal, JD and Chickie (Leah)

Mar 7, 2016

Monday, March 7, 2016 David Poole

Theme: M C. The theme is two words; first begins with M and the second begins with C.

17A. C-E-G triad, e.g. : MAJOR CHORD

25A. 20th-century Greek-American soprano : MARIA CALLAS

35A. Asian language spoken by nearly a billion people : MANDARIN CHINESE

47A. Aladdin's transport : MAGIC CARPET

56A. Rochester medical center : MAYO CLINIC

62A. Toastmaster, and a homophonic hint to this puzzle's five longest answers : EMCEE

Argyle here. I wonder if MAC was the original theme but didn't work out.

Across:

1. Garbage : TRASH

6. Ziploc bag feature : SEAL

10. Catcher's glove : MITT

14. "Slumdog Millionaire" country : INDIA

15. Electrically flexible : AC/DC

16. Not-so-nice smell : ODOR

19. Bandleader Arnaz : DESI

20. Certain Himalayan : NEPALI

21. __ Corps : PEACE

22. High dudgeon : IRE. Haven't seen this old timer in awhile.

27. Singer Etheridge : MELISSA

29. Little fruit pie : TART

30. Prayer ender : AMEN

31. Commercial suffix with Sun and Star : KIST. OJ and tuna.

32. __ Angeles : LOS

40. Place for a mani-pedi : SPA

41. Trent of politics : LOTT. Mississippian.

42. Make a soufflé : BAKE

43. Accompanied by : WITH

44. "Get lost!" : "AMSCRAY!". (Pig Latin)

51. FDR agency : NRA. (National Recovery Administration)

52. Make up (for) : ATONE

53. Orange veggie : CARROT

55. Allow to borrow : LEND

60. Starbucks tea brand : TAZO. Any partakers?

61. Unknown author: Abbr. : ANON

63. Load in a hold : STOW

64. Nine-digit IDs : SSNs. (Social Security Number)

65. Uncool group : NERDS

Down:

1. Buzz Lightyear voice actor __ Allen : TIM

2. Genetic material : RNA

3. Wd. modifying a noun : ADJective

4. Priory of __: "The Da Vinci Code" conspirators : SION. French fraternal organization.

5. Women-only residences : HAREMs

6. Nearly one-third of Africa : SAHARA

7. Often harmful bacteria : E-COLI

8. Sea between Italy and Albania : ADRIATIC

9. Calculator image, for short : LCD. (liquid-crystal display)

10. Ford made only in black from 1914-1925 : MODEL T

11. Perfect : IDEAL

12. Puccini opera : TOSCA



13. Makes an effort : TRIES

18. IRS pros : CPAs. (Certified Public Accountant)

21. Trilogy's first section : PART I

22. Mosque leaders : IMAMs

23. Chart anew : REMAP

24. Kagan of the Supreme Court : ELENA

26. Bills and coins : CASH

28. Not Rep. or Dem. : INDependent

31. Only chess piece that can jump others: Abbr. : KNT. (Knight)

32. Hear (of) : LEARN

33. Schindler of "Schindler's List" : OSKAR

34. "Ta-ta" : "SEE YA"

36. "Through the Looking-Glass" girl : ALICE

37. Univ. military org. : ROTC

38. Cornell University townies : ITHACANS

39. "The Blacklist" network : NBC

43. Place for a pane : WINDOW

44. Cooks' splatter protectors : APRONS

45. Sable automaker, briefly : MERC. Gone the way of the Model T now.

46. Pilfered : STOLEN

47. Fountain treats : MALTS

48. Really got to : ATE AT

49. Purple-blue Muppet with a hooked nose : GONZO

50. Silky synthetic : RAYON

54. "Person of the Year" magazine : TIME

56. Bell and Barker : MAs

57. ATM maker : NCR

58. Mil. roadside hazard : IED. (improvised explosive device)

59. These, in France : CES

Argyle


Oct 29, 2015

Thursday, October 27th, 2015 David Poole

Theme: Team Games - Each of the five theme entries begins with a player from a professional sports franchise.

17A. Investment return for a New York basketball player? : NET PROFIT. Brooklyn Nets of the NBA.

22A. Reception room for a Texas hockey player? : STAR CHAMBER. Dallas Stars of the NHL. The Star Chamber was a court in Tudor & Elizabethan England where cases against primarily high-powered individuals or groups would be heard, to guard against the possibility that lower courts would be fearful to convict.

37A. Sudden fear for a California soccer player? : EARTHQUAKE ALARM San Jose Earthquakes of MLS. I learned two things here - I thought the team name was the "Quakes" (it's not, but that's what's on the badge) and I'd never heard of an earthquake alarm even though I live in an area of quite lively seismic activity. The only earthquake alarm I need is the sound of the house shaking and the glasses rattling around in the cupboards.


43A. Serious lapse for a Missouri baseball player? : CARDINAL SIN. St. Louis Cardinals of MLB.

57A. Luggage for an Ohio football player? : BROWN BAGS. Cleveland Browns of the NFL. The only plural of the bunch.

Morning! Steve here with a second-David-Poole-Thursday-in-a-row puzzle. David's going to think I'm a grump, but I've got a small issue with a little inconsistency - the first part of the clues for 17A and 43A could refer to the entire answer (investment return = net profit and serious lapse = cardinal sin) - the other three only clue the second word with that initial part (e.g. reception room = chamber).

Other than that, I think this was very nicely done - the sports references came pretty easily to me, I liked that each of the major professional leagues was represented and some great longer fill - ORATORIO; ACROPHOBIA/DISCOURSES stacked either side of the central grid-spanner. Good stuff.

Across:

1. Mall entrance features : MAPS. "You Are Here"

5. Bandstand boosters : AMPS

9. Big zoo attraction : HIPPO. Someone forgot the "potamus" - this one's a short zoo attraction.

14. Bee's relative : OPIE. Oh! Aunt Bee from the Andy Griffith Show.

15. Empty : BARE

16. Dot in the ocean : ISLET. Here's one where I've been scuba diving - Molokini crater off Maui.




19. Grind to __ : A HALT

20. "Messiah," e.g. : ORATORIO. Let's crank up the volume and rock out to some Handel

21. Gershwin title river : SWANEE

24. Capital on the Gulf of Guinea : ACCRA

28. Panama, for one : HAT

29. Bush Labor secretary Elaine : CHAO. Another name I was unfamiliar with.  Good crosses bailed me out.

30. High anxiety? : ACROPHOBIA. Fun clue. The fear of heights.

39. Conversations : DISCOURSES

40. Grab (onto) : GLOM

41. Nintendo's __ Sports : WII

42. Big name in transmission repair : AAMCO. Franchise operation named for the founder, Anthony A. Martino.

50. Wine city north of Lisbon : OPORTO. From whence comes port, the aperitif and digestif. The Portuguese call the city "Porto", of course we English-speakers decided to add an "O" to it for no good reason at all.

51. Forced to leave home : UPROOTED

56. All-nighter pill : NO-DOZ. NO-CLU in my case. Thank you, crosses.

58. "The L Word" co-creator Chaiken : ILENE. More crosses to the rescue.

59. Alien-seeking agcy. : SETI. Not the UFO-seeking clue that causes the Corner conniptions. Yay!

60. Fox hit since 2002, familiarly : IDOL

61. One whispering sweet nothings : COOER. I had "WOOER" first, slowed me down a bit with the volcano thing at 43D.

62. Part of AMA: Abbr. : ASSN. American Medical Association.

63. Get smart with : SASS

Down:

1. Like early Elvis albums : MONO

2. Mimic : APER. I think this is one of my least-favorite examples of crosswordese.

3. Gyro bread : PITA. Food! I love these sandwiches. One of the best I've had is from a truck stop on the I-15 near Las Vegas - The Mad Greek in Baker, NV.

4. Equinox mo. : SEPT.

5. Scrub : ABORT

6. Group at some crime scenes : MAFIA

7. Old conviction : PRIOR

8. Spike preceder, in volleyball : SET. The setter lays the ball up for the killer shot.


9. Longfellow hero : HIAWATHA. It took weeks to learn this back in my high school days:

"On the shores of Gitche Gumee,
Of the shining Big-Sea-Water,
Stood Nokomis, the old woman,
Pointing with her finger westward,
O'er the water pointing westward,
To the purple clouds of sunset."


10. Trumpeter/film composer Mark : ISHAM. I think I needed every cross for all the proper names today. Never natick'ed though, so all's good. This was my last section to complete.

11. Backup strategy : PLAN B

12. Point __: southernmost point of mainland Canada : PELEE. Extends into Lake Erie.



13. Aquatic frolicker : OTTER

18. Activist Parks : ROSA

21. Cookie cutter assortment : SHAPES

23. Fail under pressure : CHOKE

24. Nailed, as an exam : ACED

25. Starbucks offering : CHAI. Flavored with cardamom and other spices. At least I assume it is - I've never had their version.

26. Train units : CARS

27. Campus recruiting gp. : R.O.T.C.

30. Marcos' successor : AQUINO. I'm not sure how I remembered this, I didn't realize I was quite so up on my presidents of the Philippines.

31. Vatican administrative body : CURIA. Dug this one out of the inner recesses too - or should that be inner apses in this context?

32. Dorm mgrs. : R.A.S

33. One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : OLGA

34. Soothing ointment : BALM

35. __-Z: classic Camaro : IROC. Named for the now-defunct International Race of Champions

36. Magazine insert : AMMO Often fired by ...

38. Field artillery weapon : HOWITZER. More nice fill.

42. Erelong : ANON

43. Like volcanoes : CONIC. Is the "al" in "conical" redundant, or is there a different between conic/conical?

44. Speed skater __ Anton Ohno : APOLO. He cut a pretty good ballroom rug too, he won Season 4 of Dancing with the Stars paired with Julianne Hough.


45. Cowboy contest : RODEO

46. High-tech surveillance tool : DRONE

47. Worms and flies, at times : LURES

48. Ladybug features : SPOTS

49. "The Poseidon Adventure" producer Allen : IRWIN

52. Asian sashes : OBIS

53. Triumphant cry : TADA. Welcome sound for the online crossword-solvers.

54. They may clash in Hollywood : EGOS

55. Fast PC connections : DSL'S. Digital Something-or-others. Wait - Digital Subscriber Lines

57. "Be Prepared" org. : B.S.A. Boy Scouts of America.

Here's the grid and my work here is done!

Steve


Oct 22, 2015

Thursday, October 22nd, 2015 David Poole

Theme: Feathered Friends. Five people's names who sound like birds replace the birds themselves in the noun. Hilarity ensues.

17A. Ditty from 1970s-'80s NFL wide receiver Lynn? : SWANN SONG. Pittsburgh Steelers Hall-of-Famer.

25A. Unwinding places for actor Russell? : CROWE BARS. The blog "Waiter Rant" revealed that Mr. Crowe, when eating out, doesn't behave like a spoiled brat and tips well. Good to know.

38A. Tough spot for actor Walter? : PIDGEON HOLE. Apparently this is how an urban pigeon adapts to apartment living. Their country cousins may have more space.


49A. Easter adornment made by politician Dan? : QUAYLE EGG. Food! Three of these make a very small omelet.

61A. Facial feature of actor Ethan? : HAWKE EYES. Are they deep and dreamy? I have no idea.


Spot the odd one out in the theme entries - a swan has a song (in legend), a pigeon may perch in a hole, roughly 50% of the adult quail population has the capacity to lay eggs and a hawk certainly has eyes, apparently sharp ones. But a crow? I don't believe a crow has ever had bars. There's some other odd-ones-out too - CROWBAR is one word, the others are two, and QUAYLE needs a letter-change from the bird, the others don't. It feels inconsistent to me.

I confess to being a little underwhelmed with this one - you could play "Word Association" and get three or four of the names without thinking: Actor Russell? CROWE! Actor Ethan? HAWKE! Politico Dan? QUAYLE! You get the idea.

So let's see what else we've got:

Across:

1. Lead-ins to some online games : ADS. I don't play computer games, but I can't see the producers missing the opportunity to push some product before you get the chance to play.

4. Magnetic induction unit : TESLA. I didn't know this usage, but there's been enough of Nikola round recently that it wasn't a problem.

9. Nobelist Curie : MARIE. Husband Pierre also - he didn't fit. She beat him 2-1 in the Nobel Prize throwdown.

14. Petal plucker's word : NOT. Unloved, so sad.

15. Use at the table : EAT ON. Odd - I eat OFF plates and silverware, not on them.

16. Dunderhead : IDIOT

19. Replicate : CLONE

20. Fighting against : ANTI

21. Rarely seen item on casual Friday : TIE

22. Enjoy Whistler : SKI. Nice clue for this little word. Another mention of the artist at 58A.

23. Rule : REIGN

30. Sagittarius, e.g. : ARCHER

32. Sign of hope : RAY

33. See 8-Down : LEE.

34. Mass __ : TRANSIT. Had to wait for a few crosses before I could fill in this one.

37. Wander : ROVE

40. Computer menu heading : FILE

42. Hockey positions : WINGERS. Soccer too. Rugby also. Sports a-plenty.

43. Big club in Atlantic City? : ACE. Four suits to choose from. How about the Ace of Spades? [Rated BG13 (Blog Guidance) for Heavy Metal Content]

44. Neurologist's printout, briefly : E.E.G.

45. Find out about : DETECT

53. Gretzky, during most of the '80s : OILER. Edmonton hockey eh? The Great One.

54. Foreign __ : AID

55. __ Cruces : LAS. Wikipedia says this places is also known as "The City of The Crosses" which is kinda stating the obvious considering "Las Cruces" means "The Crosses".

57. Not : NARY

58. Emulate Whistler : PAINT. Here's his famous and pensive-looking mother. Maybe she's wondering when he's going to stop messing around with oils and look for a proper job.


63. Bike wheel feature : SPOKE

64. "Little Miss Sunshine" Oscar winner : ARKIN. Las Cruces got me most of the way here.

65. Rebellious Turner : NAT

66. Structural support : TRUSS

67. Kids around : JESTS

68. Some municipal trains : ELS

Down:

1. "Broken Arrow" co-star : ANSARA. No idea, so thank you, perps. The late actor Michael.


2. Wet blanket : DOWNER

3. Radio problem : STATIC. I wanted "Running low on Ne-Hi" first.

4. Notable Downing Street number : TEN. The British Prime Minister's residence. You used to be able to walk right up to the door and get your picture taken with the jolly policeman (unarmed, naturally) guarding the place. Times have changed.

5. "__ of Eden" : EAST. I came late to reading Steinbeck and this was my first. I couldn't believe how fresh it seemed.

6. Stiff-upper-lip type : STOIC

7. Hardly a social butterfly : LONER

8. With 33-Across, "Life of Pi" director : ANG. This name has finally sunk into my pea-brain. Nailed it!

9. Pluto's master : MICKEY

10. Improvise in a sketch : AD LIB

11. 2014 World Cup city : RIO. I timed my visit imperfectly last time down there - I arrived exactly a week after the final.

12. Charged particle : ION

13. Printemps follower : ÉTÉ. Summer follows Spring in France, just like here. I ate one of the most memorable meals of my life at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Raymond Blanc's Michelin-starred restaurant in .... England, oddly enough.

18. Lingerie purchase : NIGHTIE

22. Bundled up : SWATHED

24. Pi Day celebrant, stereotypically : NERD. March 14th.. It doesn't works in in the UK when you have the day before the month. This year was awesome - add the year and a specific time in the morning, and you got:



26. Circular gasket : O-RING. Infamously the culprit of the space shuttle Challenger explosion.

27. Soothing succulent : ALOE

28. Accelerate, with "up" : REV

29. Understand : SEE

31. Common allergen : RAGWEED. I tried RAGWORT first and needed a little unpicking in that area.

35. Mont Blanc covering : NEIGE. Not quite as much neige en été, plenty more en hiver. Thankfully Wiki refrains from informing us that "this alpine feature, also called Mount White ..."

36. Emilio Estevez, to Martin Sheen : SON

37. "Goosebumps" series author : R.L.STINE. More crosses- I've seen this name before, even commented on it in the blog and still couldn't remember it.

38. Court answer : PLEA

39. Twistable treat : OREO

40. Website help sect. : F.A.Q. Frequently Asked Questions. C.C. maintains the "Olio" section (link at the right of the blog) which comprises our FAQ collection.

41. Post-op area : ICU

44. Privileged groups : ELITES

46. Stand-up comic Boosler : ELAYNE. If you say so.

47. Breakfast choice : CEREAL. "Choice" is a stretch here. John Pinette agrees.

48. No-tell motel meetings : TRYSTS

50. Pulls hard : YANKS

51. Intimidating look : GLARE

52. Rubbernecks : GAWKS

56. Monty Python segment : SKIT

58. Vancouver setting: Abbr. : P.S.T. My side of the country, or it will be when I get back there in about four hours time. According the flight tracker, I'm somewhere north of Lake Erie close to the Canadian border at the moment, blogging happily with power and WiFi.

59. 30-day mo. : APR

60. Note from one who's short : IOU Nice cluing again for a short fill.

61. "The __": Uris novel : HAJ

62. "No, No, Nanette" foursome : ENS. Waving at the neighboring ELS. The golfer and the Navy get a cluing rest today. I like this one!

Some nice fill and cluing cheered me up after my "meh" theme-reaction, so fair play to David.

On a crossword note, if you've ever done a puzzle in an in-flight magazine, you'll realize what a quite fantastic job the constructors and editors of the NYT and LAT do (I'm not counting myself in that company). The quality is generally really shabby. The one I did in the United magazine yesterday had at least 10 entries that Rich would have thrown out without a pause. A few months ago I did one where the constructor had obviously reworked a section but forgot to update the clues to match the new answers - that was a challenge!

That's it from me!

Steve


Aug 26, 2015

Wednesay, August 26, 2015, David Poole

Theme: Are we having fun yet?  Here we have in-the-language phrases that otherwise have nothing in common reimagined as descriptions of showing disrespect to a variety of otherwise innocent objects. For some reason, being made fun of is never fun.  Go figure.

17. Make fun of boxing gear? : KID GLOVES.  These are GLOVES made from the soft, supple skin of young goats.   Handling something with KID GLOVES means giving it very gentle treatment.  To KID can mean a variety of things from mock and tease playfully to deceive. Be careful if you do that to boxing GLOVES.

25. Make fun of Harleys? : RIDE BIKES.  Harleys are popular American-made motorcycles with many riders.  To RIDE is to ridicule or harass with carping criticism, a bit harsh for "make fun of."

38. Make fun of sweater styles? : MOCK TURTLE NECKS.  These are articles of clothing made with a collar folded over to form a tube, with both edges of the tube fastened to the garment at the neck line.  One can make fun of real TURTLE NECKS, where the tube is twice as long, folded over, and only fastened at one end of the tube.



50. Make fun of tunes? : PUT ON AIRS.  This phrase means to act in a haughty manner, pretending to be superior.  In a different sense, AIRS are songs, and one could make fun of them.  But to "put on" means to deceive or mislead, for amusement or to make someone or something look better than it is.

62. Make fun of Porky and Petunia? : ROAST PIGS.   To roast someone is to hold an event with that person is guest of honor; and a series of speakers subject him or her to [ostensibly] good natured ridicule.  To ROAST a PIG is to cook the entire animal over an open fire

Hi gang, JazzBumpa reporting for duty.   This is a fun-making theme, but a bit loosey-goosey in terms of exact correspondence to the verb in the clue.   Well, I'm not going to make fun of it.  Let's see what other fun is in store.

Across


1. Moments, briefly : SECS.  Not brief moments of DF, though those can be fun, but SECondS, briefly.

5. God with a bow : AMOR.  AKA Eros, AKA Cupid.  Could inspire a brief moment of DF.

9. Like some elephants : ASIAN.   They are smaller, less wrinkled, and more hump-backed than their African counterparts, with different anatomical features in the head and face.

14. Jai __ : ALAI.   Popular X-word puzzle game, played in a closed space using a ball and large, curved wicker baskets.

15. "Game over," to Kasparov : MATE.  The end of a chess game, when the losing king cannot escape.   Garry Kasparov (b 1963) is a Russian former world chess champion and political activist.

16. Forrest's shrimp-loving friend : BUBBA.   From the movie Forrest Gump.

19. Lusitania sinker : U-BOAT.  The Lusitania, launched in 1906, was the world's largest passenger ship.  It was torpedoed and sunk on May 7, 1915, six days out of New York, bound for Liverpool, killing 1198 passengers.  It was 11 miles off the coast of Ireland in a German-declared war zone, and sunk in 18 minutes.  This event was influential [a straw, if you will.  Vide infra - see 61 A.] in bringing the U.S into the war two years later.

20. StyleBistro and Slate : E-ZINES.  Electronic magaZINES.

21. "Into the Woods" (2014) director Marshall : ROB.   He is a stage and screen director and choreographer, who won several awards for directing "Chicago" in 2002.  "Into the Woods" involves an original story of the baker and his wife, which is used to tie together several otherwise unrelated fairy tales.  Also last Wednesday's theme clip.  Am I in a rut?


23. Schlep : TOTE.   v.  To haul or carry a burdensome load.  That's no fun at all.

24. Arles article : LES.  "The" in French

27. "Gigi" novelist : COLETTE.   Also French.   Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954) was a novelist, journalist, actress and mime.

30. Barcelona-born muralist : SERT.   Josep Maria Sert i Badia (21 December 1874 – 27 November 1945)


31. MouthHealthy.org org. : A D A.   American Dental Association.

32. Line from the sun : RAY.  Beam doesn't fit.

34. Ristorante desserts : GELATI.   Italian ice creams.

42. Came afterward : ENSUED.

43. Roller in Vegas : DIE.  Spotted cubic gambling device.

44. Low digit : TOE.  I wanted "TWO."

45. Lively dance : REEL.  For real!


47. Adopt, as a cause : ESPOUSE.   Does anyone here ESPOUSE polygamy?

54. Ga. neighbor : ALAbama.  

55. Numbered musical piece : OPUS.


or perhaps



56. Colorado native : UTE.  Native American.

57. Human rights advocate Sakharov : ANDREI.  (May 21, 1921 – December 14, 1989)  Russian nuclear physicist, and later dissident and human rights activist, earning him state persecution and a Nobel peace Prize.   The Sakharov prize, awarded annually by the European Union for dedication to human rights and freedom is named in his honor.

60. "¿Cómo __?" : ESTAS.   Spanish "How are [you?]"

64. Requests for Friskies, maybe : MEOWS.   Cat food brand.

65. Half of zwei : EINS.   From 2 to 1 - a German division.

66. Rules, to GIs : REGS.  REGulations.

67. Proverbial reason for a break? : STRAW.   Only if it's the last one on the camel's back.



68. Schedule opening : SLOT.   An open space between occupied spaces, figuratively or literally, from Old French esclot, the space between the breasts.

69. Bone, in Rome : OSSO.   Modern Rome, not ancient, but derived from the Latin ossum.  Also Monday's 39 D.   Is it time to bone up on my Italian?

Down



1. Benefit : SAKE.   Often for Pete, though I don't know why.

2. 16th/17th-century Eng. queen : ELIZ.  ELIZabeth.   Looks like an odd Abrv.



3. Eldorados, e.g. : CADILLACS.  Automobiles.

4. One of the Declaration of Independence's 56 : SIGNEE.   One who signs on, not someone who gets signed on. 

5. "Famous" cookie guy : AMOS.   Wally AMOS learned cookie baking from his aunt.  Later in life, as a talent agent with the William Morris agency, he would often send cookies to celebrities he wanted to woo.  In 1975 he left it all behind and became a cookie entrepreneur.

6. Big D cager : MAV.   Dallas MAVerick professional basketball player.

7. "SNL" alumna Cheri : OTERI.   (b 1962) This frequent crossword gal was on SNL from 1995 to 2000.

8. Patches, as a lawn : RESODS.  I wanted RESEEDS, but that has to many letters.

9. __ Dhabi : ABU.  Middle East country.

10. Foreign film feature : SUB-TITLE.   English translation of foreign-language dialog. printed near the bottom of the screen  Not sure what it has to do with titles.

11. Discontinued Apple laptop : I-BOOK.  Sold from 1999 to 2006.

12. Let up : ABATE.

13. Archibald and Thurmond of the NBA : NATES.  Archibald played on several teams from 1970 to 1984.  Thurmond played with 3 teams from 1963 to 1977

18. For fear that : LEST.  This word comes to us from Old English, via Middle English. I have no idea how LEST - which literally means "The less that" got transmogrified into "For fear that" - but that is commonly how it is defined.  We don't do A, lest B happen.  It is a preventive, and fear has nothing to do with it.  /rant.

From Dictionary.com:   "before 1000; Middle English leste, contraction of the lesse the, thi les the; late Old English the lÇ£ste, earlier thȳ lÇ£s the, literally, whereby less that ( thȳ instrumental case of the demonstrative and relative pronoun, lÇ£s less, the relative particle.)

22. "Saturday Night Fever" group : BEE GEES.


25. Raise : REAR.  Take care of and support until mature.  Also, a horse REARS by raising up on its hind legs, but I can't find a connection between these meanings.

26. Machine gun partly named for the Czech city in which it was designed : BREN.  First designed and manufactured in Brno, Moravia, this gun was popular with the British armed forces from the 30's through 1992.

27. Showed up : CAME.  Arrived at an event.

28. Take too much of, for short : O.D. ON.  Over-dose, figuratively, as on chips, in yesterdays 39 A.  

29. "Doonesbury" creator : TRUDEAU.  Garry, purveyor of a classic politically oriented newspaper cartoon.

33. Pay stub abbr. : YTD.  Year To Date.

35. Insurance risk assessors : ACTUARIES.   They use mathematics, statistics and financial theory to study uncertain future events, especially those of concern to insurance and pension programs.

36. Ring stats : TKOS.  Technical Knock Outs.  These occur in boxing matches when it is determined that the match can not safely continue.

37. "Understood" : I SEE.   Got it.

39. "Rashomon" director : KUROSAWA.  Akira KUROSAWA (1910-1998) was a highly influential film maker who directed 30 films over his 57 year career.  Rashomon is a 1950 Japanese movie which uses the plot device of having several characters provide contradictory versions of the same incident.  It won several awards and is considered on of the greatest films of all time.

40. Many a "Divergent" reader : TEEN.  "Divergent" is a trilogy of dystopian young adult novels set in post-apocalyptic Chicago.

41. "It's all false!" : LIES.  Accusation of mendacity.

46. Petrol measures : LITRES.  British spelling of metric units for automobile fuel.

48. Huff and puff : PANT.  Should be huff OR puff.  Together, they are a pair of pants.

49. One who knows the ropes : OLD PRO.  Way back when I was young, an OLD PRO told me that youth and skill were no match for old age and treachery.

50. Sonnets, say : POEMS.   A literary form using meter, rhyme, imagery and other devices to evoke meaning beyond what is in the mere words.

51. Unexpected victory : UPSET.  So called because the favored team is toppled, thus UPSETing the natural order of things, or alternatively because of the way they feel about it.

52. Sylvan Learning employee : TUTOR.   Franchised and corporate supplemental learning centers that provide personalized learning programs for primary and secondary education students.

53. Work on, as a stubborn squeak : RE-OIL.   When one OILing simply isn't enough.

57. No. 2 : ASST.  ASSistanT.  

58. Frittata ingredients : EGGS.  An Italian dish similar to an omelet or crustless quiche, incorprating a variety of other ingredients such as meat and cheese.

59. "That __ last week!" : IS SO.  This awkward partial belongs in an assessment that something ephemeral has become quickly outdated.  

61. Sacramento-to-San Jose dir. : SSW. South-SouthWest

This is so 1968


63. 365 días : ANO.  Years in Spain, sadly lacking the tilde.

Well, we had some retro music, an eggy treat, a frozen confection, and I got to carp a little bit.  That's about as much fun as I can handle in one day.  Hope you don't MOCK me for it.

Cool regards!

JzB


Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Montana, who's been through so much the past year. My heart aches whenever I think of the hard time when she had to sell her late son's house and took care of other unfinished business.  She's an extraordinary courageous mom and grandma. 


 Montana and her 5 children celebrated her birthday last year  in Vail, CO