Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024, Dylan Schiff

 OPUS

J.S. Bach - "Dorian" Toccata (no Fugue), Opus #538

This puzzle was "on my wavelength", and it takes us on a musical journey.  Two 15-letter spanners, two 10-letter, and one centered 11-letter theme answers, each starting with a synonym for "song", and revealed in the, well, reveal. ALAS, we're missing "ditty" - but that's a 51D.

17. *Rainforest Cafe, for one: THEME RESTAURANT - I did not know about this place; the closest one to me now is in New Jersey - the Wiki; the décor seems too overbearing for dining, IMHO

23. *Depiction of integers at regular intervals: NUMBER LINE

34. *Imperial reign of China ended by Kublai Khan: SONG DYNASTY

44. *Florence Henderson sitcom role: CAROL BRADY - "NOEL" could be a theme answer, too

"The Brady Bunch"

And the reveal

50. Starts looking at things differently, as demonstrated by the first words of the answers to the starred clues?: CHANGES ONES TUNE - and I get the pleasure of looking for "compositions" that match some puzzle answers; I'll try to be diverse....

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Greenlights: OKs

4. Dish that may or may not contain beans: CHILI - my chili contains red & black beans

9. Time at a job: STINT - I am hoping that my "stint" with the Pipe Organ company is my last career

14. Feline pet: CAT

Meow

15. Brief mission?: RECONnaissance - Frawnche~!

16. Wobbly craft: CANOE

20. Portion out: ALLOT

21. Deciduous tree with oblong leaves: ELM

22. God, to Rastafarians: JAH - the first word of this "ode"

The Outernationalist - Thievery Corporation

Ambient Electronica, my preferred music genre now that I am "older"

27. Guacamole fruit: LIME

28. "__ Te Ching": Laotzu text: TAO

29. Casual contraction: AIN'T - and the first word of this "ballad", too

 

Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers

30. Direct elsewhere: REFER

31. Like a zebra: MANED - if you hear the thunder of hoofs....

 

he's sporting a "Mohawk" mane

33. Big fans: BUFFS

36. "Summer of My German Soldier" novelist Greene: BETTE - needed perps for this author

37. Shrewd: CAGEY - some obscure Blue Öyster Cult for your ears

 

Cagey Cretins from the Secret Treaties Album

38. Breeze (through): WALTZ - more music, this clue/answer hinting that one "rolled" through ( in 3/4 time~? )

39. Wax counterpart: WANE

 

There's a Solar Eclipse Monday, 8Apr

40. Grab a chair: SIT

43. The 411: INFO

47. Situation Room gp.: NSC - no clue; I tried NSA first

48. Spicy tuna roll tuna: AHI - becoming a crossword staple

49. Totally buy: EAT UP - I don't eat up sushi

55. Unsettling: EERIE

56. Unexpected ending: TWIST - as found in this "melody"

Hole in the Sky - Black Sabbath

57. Single-stranded genetic molecule: RNA

58. Specs dished in a gossip sesh: DEETS - Text/Gen Z-speak for a 'session' and the 'details'

59. Zipper alternative: SNAPS

60. Noggin: NOB


DOWN:

1. One-eighth of a circle: OCTANT - overthought this; I was trying to come up with a clever pizza slice reference

2. Ingredient in a white or black Russian: KAHLUA - plus vodka, and milk makes it 'white'

3. Sailor's patron: ST. ELMO - there was a "coming-of-age" movie "St. Elmo's Fire" during my high school years, but I cringe at the "see 24D." of similar films in the decade - I was more "Raiders of the Lost Ark" & "Ghostbusters" kind of fan

4. "Zorba the Greek" island: CRETE - it's all Greek to me - perps

5. She/__ pronouns: HER

She's A Lady - Tom Jones

6. Curling surface: ICE - I'd like to try this "sport"

7. __ Angeles Sparks: LOS - of the WNBA

8. Aim: INTENT

9. Bathtub buildup: SCUM

10. Roofer's sealant: TAR

11. Right away: IN A JIFFY

12. Total randos: NO-NAMES - heard in this Glam "rocker"

 

Wild Side, Mötley Crüe - Lyric at 2:36, after the spinning drum cage stunt

13. Tie: TETHER - this looked weird in the 'down'; I had "TET_E" from perps

18. Horde: MOB

19. Bass beer: ALE

24. Gamut: RANGE

25. Served up a whopper: LIED

26. Race-sanctioning body since 1994: INDYCAR - this did not make sense until I cut and pasted the clue into Google, and got the Wiki; I was wondering if it referred to the race car's 'open wheel' body style at first

27. Southpaw: LEFTY - I am one - we have several at the Pipe Organ company; "Sinister" types make up about 17% of the population, and let me tell you, it's really frustrating to see how much of the world "assumes" everyone is right-handed, e.g. all vending machines, ever

See~? You'll look at them differently from now on....

30. Bit of deception: RUSE

31. Words on a family banner: MOTTO

32. Animated film with talking bugs: ANTZ - I thought "A Bugs Life" was better

33. Bialy kin: BAGEL

34. Practices for personal well-being: SELF-CARE

35. Prefix with tech: NANO

36. Wailing spirit of Irish folklore: BANSHEE - there's Siouxie and the Banshees, and another band called Banshee as well - not a fan of either, TBH

38. Showed vicarious embarrassment, in a way: WINCED

39. Midriffs: WAISTS

40. Body with notable rings: SATURN - oh, right, the, um, planet

A midriff with a ring

41. "Search me": "I DUNNO"

42. Universal blood recipient's designation: TYPE AB

44. Jost's "Weekend Update" co-host: CHE - Saturday Night Live members Colin and Michael

45. Outperforms: BESTS - Not beAts, the first "S" being my last fill

46. Snitch: RAT - we already had an 80's Hair Band, but how can I pass this up~?

Round and Round - Ratt -  AND -  Milton Berle

48. Long time: AGES

51. Minor quibble: NIT

52. Hold title to: OWN

53. Actress/director Vardalos: NIA - all "Greek" to me here, too; her IMDb

54. Psychic's letters: ESP

Splynter

Sunday March 24, 2024 Kyle Dolan & Dylan Schiff

Theme: "In Tune" - Each theme clue is a song. The synonym of the first word in each song is hidden inside each theme entry, which defines the remaining part of each theme clue. 

23. Friends in Low Places?: DEEP SEA TRENCHES. Dears.

38. Dust in the Wind?: SOPRANO CLARINET. Soot.

54. Party in the U.S.A.?: THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY. Do.

77. Dancing in the Street?: SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD. Samba.

91. Crazy in Love?: ABSOLUTELY ADORE. Outre.

110. Down in the Boondocks?: MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. Low.

Just in awe of this theme. So many layers. So much work involved finding workable theme entries. 77A is amazing. 

Our blog tags show that this is the Kyle and Dylan's second collaboration. The first one is this themeless Gary blogged last year. Kyle is known for his clean and sparkly themeless grids.

Across:

1. Capital known as "The City of Trees": BOISE. And 19. Capital known as "The City of Stairs": AMMAN.

6. HS course for a future poli-sci major: AP GOV. Also 61. Capitol Hill fig.: POL.

11. "How silly of me!": DOH.

14. Cook brisket, perhaps: SMOKE.

20. Quinceañera accessory: TIARA. So pretty, everything.

21. Singer profiled in the 2022 Netflix documentary "Halftime," familiarly: J. LO. And 85. "__ Kai": Netflix series: COBRA.

22. Ancient manuscript: CODEX.

26. Outkast rapper __ 3000: ANDRE.

27. Org. whose logo features crossed clubs: PGA.

28. Oct. 24 observance: UN DAY.

29. Chemical in bagel-making: LYE.

30. Cream-filled pastries: ECLAIRS.

32. Way off: RANCID.

34. Some truffle hunters: BOARS.

36. Colorado State's sports team: RAMS.

37. Jellicle Ball attendee: CAT. The musical "Cats".

44. Love, in Verona: AMORE.

46. Walking tall: PROUD.

47. Half-inning trio: OUTS.

48. Can opener: TAB.

49. Pixar swimmer: NEMO.

50. Lacking proper punctuation, perhaps: RUN-ON.

51. Delight: AMUSE.

53. School member: FISH.

58. "Am __ blame?": I TO.

59. Presto, musically: FAST.

60. 20s dispensers: ATMS.

62. Amsterdam waterway: CANAL.

64. "Just watch me!": CAN SO.

66. [Crying emoji]: I'M SAD. When I pushed off the wall, I just could not submerge low enough to do the underwater dolphin kicks. Life is hard when you can't sink low.

70. Video art pioneer __ June Paik: NAM. Unknown to me. Wikipedia says he's "considered to be the founder of video art".

72. Licensed transport: TAXI.

73. Train, as a boxer: SPAR.

76. Hilton-owned hotel chain: TRU.

83. Basic ballet move: PLIE.

84. Antibiotic units: DOSES.

86. Central Plains tribe: OTOE.

87. Organ with a hammer: EAR.

88. Foie __: GRAS.

89. Ticket prices?: FINES. Parking ticket.

90. Tons and tons: SLEWS.

95. DOJ agency: ATF.

96. Bench press targets, for short: TRIS.

97. College administrators: DEANS.

98. High-end hair dryers: DYSONS. Very pricey.

101. Flatbread served with dal: PARATHA. And 118. Less spicy, in a way: TAMER. Indian food are a bit spicy for me.

104. Projectile's path: ARC.

105. Beach balls?: LUAUS. 114. Play place?: STAGE. 121. Oyster cracker?: OTTER. 82. Power base?: VOLTS. Fun clues.

108. Noisy fight: ROW.

109. Vessel implant: STENT.

115. To's opposite: FRO.

116. Model/actress Kate: UPTON. She's married to Justin Verlander.

117. "__ mañana": HASTA.

119. Bros: MEN.

120. __ profundo: low voice: BASSO.

Down:

1. Unflattering media coverage, briefly: BAD PR.

2. Rolex competitor: OMEGA.

3. "Seriously!?": I MEAN COME ON. 16. "Weird, right?": ODD ISN'T IT. I love these two long fill.

4. Maple syrup base: SAP.

5. Like a hotel bathroom, often: EN SUITE.

6. Teeny bit: A TAD.

7. Gyro wrapper: PITA.

8. "Slow Horses" actor Oldman: GARY. My favorite Gary. Gosh, 10 years already. 

9. Deposit for processing: ORE.

10. Unit for soccer practice carpool, say: VAN LOAD.

11. Video game with a turntable-shaped controller: DJ HERO.

12. Copa América cry: OLE.

13. Slip 'N Slide need: HOSE.

14. Quantities such as mass and time: SCALARS. Opposite vectors.

15. Address for Hercule Poirot: MON AMI.

17. Steve with nine NBA titles as a player and coach: KERR.

18. Old flames: EXES.

24. Finish: END.

25. The "C" of the CMYK color model: CYAN.

31. Prepare to move, as artwork: CRATE UP.

33. Christmas tune: CAROL.

34. Pop star Mars: BRUNO. Loved his "Just the Way You Are".

35. Scrubs: SCOURS.

38. Root veggies: SPUDS.

39. " ... then again, we could try something else": OR NOT.

40. [It's gone!]: POOF.

41. Ardent desire: LUST.

42. "No sweat!": EASY.

43. "Truthfully," in a text: TBH. To be honest.

44. Shenanigan: ANTIC.

45. Conductor Zubin: MEHTA.

50. Genetic letters: RNA.

51. Many NYC addresses: APTS.

52. Tibetan dumpling: MOMO. Similiar to xiaolongbao.

53. Festival entry: FILM.

55. Major key of Chopin's "Heroic" Polonaise: A FLAT.

56. Spreading fear: PANIC.

57. Bête __: NOIRE.

63. "The Favourite" queen: ANNE.

64. Candy __: CANE.

65. Graph line: AXIS.

67. Minnesota's Paul Bunyan, for one: STATE FOREST. Maybe I should explore the trails there someday. 

68. Item in a quiver: ARROW.

69. Bros: DUDES.

71. Wild hurry: MAD RUSH.

72. Threw out: TOSSED.

73. Serious: SOBER.

74. Coach purchase, perhaps: PURSE. Coach bags.

75. __ plancha: Spanish cooking method: A LA.

77. Concrete piece: SLAB.

78. Classic travel trailer: AIR STREAM.

79. Castle defense: MOAT.

80. Sour compounds: ACIDS.

81. One-named Irish singer: BONO. Not ENYA.

83. Test subject for Gregor Mendel: PEA.

88. Nail polish enhancer: GLITTER.

89. Devotees: FAN CLUB.

90. "Oh, really?": SAYS WHO.

92. Mandarin, e.g.: ORANGE. Mandarin oranges were a must for Boomer's fruit salad.

93. "I'll follow you": LEAD ON.

94. Patio spot: YARD.

98. Green owl in a popular language app: DUO.

99. El __: America, in Mexico: NORTE.

100. Necessitate a bleep: SWEAR.

101. Soft "Over here!": PSST.

102. "__ boy!": ATTA.

103. Radio toggle: AM FM.

105. Oodles: LOTS.

106. Sci-fi craft: UFOS.

107. Latin dating word: ANNO.

111. Anger: IRE.

112. AirNow.gov partner: EPA.

113. Prominent part of a beefeater's uniform: HAT.

 C.C.

Saturday, August 5, 2023, Kyle Dolan and Dylan Schiff

 Saturday Themeless by Kyle Dolan and Dylan Schiff

Kyle

Dylan

Kyle is a science and tech consultant at the British consulate in Chicago and I have

blogged many of his themeless Saturday puzzles. Today he teams up with Dylan Schiff, who is a middle school science teacher like I was for 42 years. This was a big test for this solver and I enjoyed it immensely as I never felt I was out of it (except for two cells!). My issues were the two cells you see highlighted here in the grid. I had never heard of BOSS FIGHT and so I had BOSS HIGHS? where HEAT was a possible Guiness record data and SASHA could have been a character in a TV show. Buzz, we have some lovely parting gifts for you, Gary.

Across:

1. Next-level experience?: BOSS FIGHT Boss Fight Entertainment is an American video game development company based in Allen, TX. 

10. "The Hobbit" figure: DWARF.

15. Around: IN THE AREA - Middle infielders used to only have to be "IN THE AREA" at second base and not tag the base to have the runner called out. Not so any more after new rules make the fielders safer by making it illegal to "go after" the infielder.

16. Registration info: OWNER - I always intend to fill those out...

17. Strips at a party: STREAMERS 😀

18. Emma Roberts, to Julia Roberts: NIECE.

Emma, Julia and Lisa who is
Emma's mother and Julia's sister

19. Raises: HOISTS - A double HOIST

20. London institution with a Los Angeles namesake, familiarly: THE TIMES - For a price you can get this London TIMES edition proclaiming a 54-year-old event. Addendum: The British Open simply calls itself The Open Championship and The London Times simply calls itself THE TIMES

22. Drop (out): OPT.

23. Industry titan: CZAR.

24. Chichi: POSH - A POSH stateroom on the Titanic that could have hosted John Jacob Astor and his wife. Astor made a huge fortune in 29. Hides: SKINS but it didn't save him from drowning on that April night in 1912.

25. High wind: PICCOLO - A stirring patriotic John Phillips Sousa song with a famous PICCOLO descant that starts at 2:00.

31. Technical drawing: SCHEMATIC - Beautiful movie star Hedy Lamarr famously drew up a schematic on a cocktail napkin. Her device helped in the WWII effort and was the forerunner for a lot of modern technology. All you'd like to know

34. Boddingtons, e.g.: ALE.

35. Doesn't surprise, in a way: LIVES UP TO - LaBron James skipped his last two years of high school playing for the Irish of St. Mary's in Akron, Ohio. He has LIVED UP TO every expectation.

37. Allow: LET.

38. Place where stuff sells left and right: SHOE STORE 😀

42. Coastal habitat: MARSH.

44. Carry a torch for: CRUSH ON - to have a feeling of romantic love for someone. She is  CRUSHING ON him.

45. Like many of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's jabots: LACY - Jabot (zha bō or ja bō): a pleated frill of cloth or lace attached down the center front of a woman's blouse or dress, from the French for bird's crop. You're welcome.

46. "Now, about ... ": AS TO - RGB might have written, "This is unconstitutional, now AS TO what we are going to do about it..."

49. Yoga roll: MAT 😀

50. Onetime carrier based in Cairo: AIR SINAI - Air Egypt also fit and I found out AIR SINAI was a subsidiary of Air Egypt

52. "The Crown" role, familiarly: LADY DI - Actual images and images from TV series The Crown 

55. Short-tailed weasel: STOAT.

56. Taboo gathering?: GAME NIGHT - 😀 Can you make your partner say the top word on the card?

Saying the word or the other five words is Taboo

                            

58. Flip side?: TAILS - This choice starts every Super Bowl

59. "All good?": ARE WE COOL?

60. Diamond Jubilee number: SIXTY - QEII on her 60th year of rein. It's also used for 75th year.

61. Beach club?: SAND WEDGE 😀 - If someone lands in a sand trap, others (certainly not me) might say, "It's all good, you're on the beach!"

Down:

1. Chess pieces known as elephants in Russia: BISHOPS - Yes, Castles (yeah, I know it's rooks) fit too.

2. Focused: ON TOPIC 

3. Elaine who had a recurring role as Jack's mother on "30 Rock": STRITCH.

4. First word of Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'": SHE'S.

She's a good girl, loves her mama
Loves Jesus and America too
She's a good girl, is crazy 'bout Elvis
Loves horses and her boyfriend too

5. Potential Guinness entry, say: FEAT - Cycling backwards on a bike for 60km in 5hrs.

6. Perfect Portions brand: IAMS - I wonder what our Lily would think

7. Test with a max verbal reasoning score of 170: GRE - Sample

6. Since she believed him to be both candid and trustworthy, she refused to consider the possibility that his statement had been __________.

   A irrelevant 

   B facetious 

   C mistaken 

   D critical

   E insincere

8. Enterprise rival: HERTZ.

9. Smith of TV's "Empire": TASHA.

10. "That's a bad idea": DON'T.

11. O'Hare and Bush, for two: WWII PILOTS - O'Hare had the Chicago Airport named for him. George H.W. Bush was also a hero and our 41st president 

 

12. Sea __: ANEMONE - A clownfish with a symbiotic relationship with a Sea ANEMONE 

13. Nook: RECESS.

14. Straight from the garden: FRESH.

21. Unsure sounds: ERS.

23. __ du Rhône: COTES - Literally "the hillsides of Rhone" that is the home of great wines

26. Seasoning on a Chicago-style hot dog: CELERY SALT - I usually don't ask my lovely bride for her input but on a whim, I asked Joann if she knew a 10-letter seasoning for a Chicago-style hot dog starting with a "C". After ten seconds she gave me the correct answer! Yay, Joann!

27. Forgets, maybe: OMITS.

28. Heathrow facilities: LAV - LAV or LOO?

30. Japanese cutlet: KATSU - Another name for something I have never heard of.

32. "Roughly": ISH.

33. "The Flight Attendant" star: CUOCO - Of course we know Kayley broke through in The Big Bang Theory

36. What "p" may stand for: PER - I'm probably the only person thought of how p resembles the Greek letter rho ⍴

37. Brand with a Pamplemousse flavor: LACROIX - Pamplemousse is French for grapefruit. La Croix is French for the cross and was founded in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

39. "What?!": OH MY GOD.

40. One who crosses the line?: ROADHOG - Our new car gives a slight tug in the opposite direction if you drift over a line sand gives the warning you see here on the dash if you hit the dividing line.

41. Warrant: ENTITLE.

42. Cocktail flavored with orgeat syrup: MAI TAI - Full recipe

43. "Always and Forever, Lara Jean" novelist Jenny: HAN.

45. Holds up: LASTS.

47. Long-term investment accounts?: SAGAS - I wrote to Kyle about this clue/fill. I told him I thought it was about stories (accounts) told to people who a real interest (investment) in a common history (long-term). Kyle said that I did have it right he was glad I wrote. Both things made me very happy.

48. Pageant prize: TIARA - I'm not sure if this a TIARA or a crown but it is picture of a lovely girl I had in class fifty years ago. She is the same girl that I told you  about that now raises Alpacas in the highlands of Colorado and makes hats out of their hair.

51. Minute: ITSY.

52. Blue: LEWD - The girl with the TIARA/crown above said she would look for a picture with a TIARA but felt she do better with this clue! She's a hoot.

53. Again: ANEW.

54. Boggle pieces: DICE.

57. All U.S. vice presidents until 2021: MEN.