Sunday December 8, 2024 Ed Sessa

Theme: "Gee Whiz!" - Gee sound is added to the start of the first word, changing spellings as needed.

22A. IQ test?: GAUGE OF REASON. Age of Reason.

35A. Schlemiels on wheels?: GOOBER DRIVERS. Uber drivers.

53A. Million-dollar smile?: GLAM CHOPS. Lamb chops.

74A. Fully understand and appreciate a night at the Met?: GROK OPERA. Rock opera.

90A. Set where Geico commercials are shot?: GECKO LOCATION. Echolocation.

109A. Took on divine roles?: PLAYED THE GODS. Play the odds. (Error earlier)

16D. "Hollywood Squares"?: GAME FOR THE STARS. Aim for the stars.

42D. French connection?: GAUL IN THE FAMILY. All in the family. 

So happy to see Ed's byline. He's so original and innovative. 

All the words have spelling changes. This really needs creative thinking.

Across:

1. Tiny tot: MOPPET.

7. Snakes with hoods: COBRAS.

13. __ Empire: Genghis Khan's realm: MONGOL. "The Legend of the Condor" is my favorite TV series. The main character Guo Jing grows up in Mongolia under the care of the Genghis Khan. 

19. Get out of a bind?: UNLASH. Not a word I use.

20. Child's coveralls?: APRONS. Julia Child. 

21. Laments: BEMOANS. 

24. Fearing the worst: ALARMED.

25. __ Valley: Reagan Library site: SIMI.

26. Mara of "Women Talking": ROONEY.

27. Compadres: CRONIES.

28. Rock musical set in New York's East Village: RENT.

30. 74-Down suggestion: Abbr.: RTE. 74. Navigation tech: GPS.

31. Los Angeles mayor Bass: KAREN.

33. Shark's appendage: FIN. When I lived in Guangzhou, shark fin soup was often featured in our annual New Year's company dinner. 

39. Goo: OOZE.

40. Droop under pressure: SAG.

43. Lena of "Chocolat": OLIN.

44. Abated: WANED.

45. Like pastrami: CURED.

46. "I Will Never Let You Down" singer Rita: ORA.

47. Intro, in journalism jargon: LEDE.

48. Rowing machine, familiarly: ERG. Short for "ergometer".

49. Unstated: TACIT.

51. Gets more life out of: RE-USES.

56. Lid: HAT.

59. Bona fide: VALID.

60. __ du jour: bistro special: PLAT.

62. Give the slip: ELUDE.

63. None: ZERO.

64. "Let's do this!": I'M IN.

65. Spoken: ORAL.

66. "Such a pity!": ALAS.

67. Former name of Exxon: ESSO.

68. Prefix with gram or second: NANO.

69. Lena Dunham TV series: GIRLS.

71. Horse-pulled cart: DRAY.

72. Expedia search results: RATES.

73. Elect (to): OPT.

76. The "D" of FDR: DELANO.

77. Really wound up: HYPER.

79. Fertility clinic cells: OVA.

80. Balkan native: SLAV.

82. Copacabana setting: RIO.

83. Sets loose: FREES.

85. Sean of "The Lord of the Rings": ASTIN. Sam.

87. Towering: TALL. Here's a picture me and my brother Andy, who's 4 years younger than me. Taken in 2002, the last time I saw him.

88. Male offspring: SON.

89. Dexterous: DEFT.

94. Poet laureate Limón: ADA.

95. __ to go: fixin' for a fight: RARIN'.

96. Caustic chemical: LYE.

97. Gestures of recognition: NODS.

100. Dubai, for one: EMIRATE.

103. "... if you say so": I GUESS.

106. Part of a putter: GRIP.

108. Formed a union: SAID I DO.

112. Spilling salt, perhaps: ILL OMEN.

113. Salon creation: HAIRDO. 115. Worked in a salon: STYLED.

114. Dresses with a certain flare: A-LINES.

116. Partake of: DINE ON.

117. "You should believe me!": HONEST.

Down:

1. Clowns in front of a camera: MUGS.

2. "Don't interrupt!" studio sign: ON AIR.

3. Large feather: PLUME.

4. Summoning, in a way: PAGING.

5. Language suffix: ESE.

6. 2011 Marvel film directed by Kenneth Branagh: THOR.

7. Pumpkin pigment: CAROTENE. I tried Renee's stuffed acorn squash. So good.

 

 

8. Series starter: OPENER.

9. Highland hill: BRAE.

10. Flushed, as cheeks: ROSY.

11. "Yeah, that's __ from me": A NO.

12. ID with nine digits: SSN.

13. Fruit salad fruit: MELONS.

14. Muscat's country: OMAN.

15. Tuna roll seaweed: NORI.

17. Like adjustable hats and most scarves: ONE-SIZE.

18. Drug in Michael Pollan's "How to Change Your Mind": LSD.

21. Less covered: BARER.

23. Proscribe: FORBID.

27. Rep on the street: CRED.

29. Hand-__ leather: TOOLED.

31. Checkers demand: KING ME.

32. "__ Maria": AVE.

34. Actor Beatty: NED.

36. Estadio cheers: OLES.

37. Lived, to a Brit: DWELT.

38. __ avis: RARA.

39. "Sí," in Paree: OUI.

40. Mira of "Shining Vale": SORVINO. She speaks Chinese.

41. AAA offering: AREA MAP.

45. Includes in an email: CCS.

49. "No more putting this off!": TODAY.

50. Parrots: APES.

52. __-Tibetan languages: SINO. Prefix for China.

53. Big name in California viticulture: GALLO.

54. Santa __: Silicon Valley city: CLARA.

55. Luau performance: HULA.

57. Hall of TV fame: ARSENIO.

58. "Don't joke about that yet": TOO SOON.

60. Earlier: PRIOR.

61. Carefree adventure: LARK.

63. Ardor: ZEAL.

65. Shrek, for one: OGRE.

70. Absolutely correct: SPOT ON.

71. Pipe-clearing brand: DRANO.

72. Maker of ColorStay cosmetics: REVLON. Great foundation.

75. Bad to the bone: EVIL.

76. "Melting clocks" painter Salvador: DALI.

78. Nonetheless: YET.

80. Decided not to retire: STAYED ON.

81. Up-to-the-minute: LATEST. Poor Connie had her gallbladder removed last week. She also had pneumonia again. 

83. Rx overseer: FDA.

84. Corrected a distribution error: RE-DEALT.

85. Farm division: ACRE.

86. Master moguls: SKI. The ski bump "moguls".

90. Like students and sidewalks: GRADED.

91. Stationery brand: EATON.

92. British name for a murder mystery board game: CLUEDO.

93. Gourd: NOGGIN.

98. Source of some aerial photography: DRONE.

99. Fries, tots, slaw, etc.: SIDES.

101. Swift, to Swifties: IDOL.

102. Winter coat: RIME.

103. "Young Sheldon" actor Armitage: IAIN.

 

104. Circular current: GYRE. We had this fill before.

105. Former Iranian ruler: SHAH.

107. Attention-getting hiss: PSST.

108. Bro kin: SIS.

109. Prof's deg., often: PHD.

110. Poem of medieval France: LAI. Learning moment for me.

111. "Xanadu" rock gp.: ELO.

Happy 78th birthday to dear Jazzbumpa (Ron), who's been our Wednesday Sherpa since January 2011.

 

 

 

Friday, August 9, 2024, Ed Sessa

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here asking the question of the day:  What the H is going on here?  Let's try to answer that.

Today's puzzle setter is the prolific and always entertaining Ed Sessa.  In today's puzzle, Ed has dropped the H sound from the SH start to the first words of four common two-word expressions and, thereby, morphed the expressions to provide fitting answers to the clues - at least phonetically.  Here is where he has done this:

17 Across:  Principle behind "speak softly and carry a big stick"?: SUBTLE DIPLOMACY. From Shuttle Diplomacy.  Drop the H and we get "SUTTLE".  Correct the spelling and we get the answer.  Shuttle Diplomacy is the action of an outside party in serving as an intermediary between (or among) principals in a dispute, without direct principal-to-principal contact.  Personally, I never thought there was much subtlty involved in TR's advice/approach.

31 Across:  Grumblers left holding the bag?: SOUR CADDIES.  A golf reference.  From Shower Caddies.  Drop the H and we get "SOWER" which works phonetically if we retain the pronunciation from SHOWER and don't decide to start a garden,  Again, correct the spelling and, well, you get it.

40 Across:  Some Lakota winter supplies?: SIOUX STORES.  From Shoe Stores.  Many moons ago, this reviewer watched a TV sitcom in which an Eastern European and a Native American went into the retail business together.  They opened a shop called The Sew And The Jioux.  I wonder if Ed saw that same show.

56 Across:  Item in a moth-infested closet?: SUIT FULL OF HOLES.  From Shoot Full Of Holes.

Here is a look at the completed grid:

Here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Gymnastics event, informally: BARS. (Uneven) parallel bars.  As used at the Olympic Games.

5. Soccer star Kelley who hosted a "Just Women's Sports" podcast: OHARA.  Might have been clued with a GWTW reference.

10. Cobbler's item: SOLE.  Not a baking reference.  Cobbler's material would have let this solver first think of something other than AWL (too short, anyhow).  Speaking of close but not quite (homophone-wise):

Yardbirds - 1965

14. Cyan kin: AQUA.  See also 49 down.

15. Lavender kin: LILAC.  A reference to the color (not the plant).

16. "Metamorphoses" poet: OVID.

20. When doubled, very affectionate: KISSY.

21. Superlative ending: EST.  Anyone remember Erhard Seminars Training?

22. Perambulates: WALKS.  For pleasure.

23. Fictional archaeologist Lara: CROFT.

25. Hair salon supply: GEL.  DYE would have fit.

26. Church ensemble: CHOIR.

28. Law expert: JURIST.  By definition.

34. __ sale: TAG.  AKA garage sale.

36. Cartoon corporation: ACME.  Wile E Coyote's supplier of choice.

37. Maze features: TURNS.

38. The Met __: annual NYC fundraising event: GALA.  Formerly called the Costume Institute Benefit, the Met GALA is the annual fund raising benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The GALA has been highly publicized in recent years.

39. Extinct New Zealand bird: MOA.  For extinct birds they sure do appear regularly.

42. Peppers used in mole: ANCHOS.  Today's Mexican cuisine reference.

44. Gouges: SOAKS.  Hand up for first thing of something to do with cutting a groove in a piece of wood.  Colloquialism for taking advantage of someone financially as in price gouging.

45. Lady bird: HEN.  Not a reference to LBJ's spouse.

46. Fingerprint feature: WHORL.

48. __ New Guinea: PAPUA.

51. Sci. course: BIO.  Several to choose from.  Thanks, perps.

52. Split up: APART.

59. Long-winged sea eagle: ERNE.  Sometimes we see TERN.

60. It means a lot: MUCHO.  One of today's Spanish lesson and not the first of several possible answers that came to mind.

61. Lustrous fabric: SILK.  Two SILK worms had a race.  They ended up in a tie.

62. "The Jellicle Ball" musical: CATS.

63. Like a loud crowd: AROAR.  A sound often heard in our puzzles.

64. __ Pueblo, New Mexico: TAOS.  Located north of the modern city of TAOS, TAOS Pueblo has a thousand-year history.

Down:

1. Enjoy the sun: BASK.

The Sunrays

2. Here, in Spanish: AQUI.  Another Spanish lesson.

3. Spice blends: RUBS.  This confirmed BBQ smoker liked this one.

4. College admission factor: SAT SCORE.

5. Flamenco shout: OLE.

6. Like most TVs: HI DEF.  HIgh DEFinition 

7. Top tier: A-LIST.

8. Spellbound: RAPT.

9. Knee injury initials: ACL.  Anterior Cruciate Ligament

10. Mogadishu resident: SOMALI.  Mogadishu is the capital city.

11. Like some rugs: OVAL. There were quite a few possibilities with this one.

12. Guitar riff: LICK.  Everybody has thier personal favorites.

13. Ice cream brand: EDY'S.

18. Melodious: LYRIC.  Shouldn't this be LYRICal?

19. People in debt: OWERS.  Has anyone ever heard this useage?

24. Special delivery?: ORATION.  Not a USPS reference.  Delivery of a speech.

25. "I suppose": GUESS SO.  Something that someone might say, I suppose.

26. Swiss Miss product: COCOA.  Not a reference to Heidi.

27. Not perfect: HUMAN.  To err is Human....

28. "We said the same thing!": JINX.  CSO!

29. Unembellished: STARK.  How refreshing to see this clued without a "Game of Thrones" reference.

30. Chaucer collection: TALES.

31. Heughan of "Outlander": SAM.  Unknown to this solver.  Thanks, perps.

32. Olympic badminton teams, e.g.: DUOS.  There are other, less obscure, ways to clue this but (a) it is topical and (b) it is Friday.

33. R&B's __ Hill: DRU.

35. Mini mover: GAS.  A bit of a stumper at first.  The clue seems to refer to the Mini Cooper automobile.

38. End zone upright: GOAL POST.  Often used in a metaphor.

40. Wheat bundle: SHEAF.

41. Bat mitzvah scroll: TORAH.  The first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

43. Half of a board game: CHUTES.  Cute clue.

46. "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" indie band: WILCO.  Being unfamiliar with the band this one was a bit difficult.  The NATO alphabet and radio lingo answer (Will Comply) seem to go well to gether.

47. Rumpus: HOO-HA.  I am pretty certain that I recall this word being used in a quite different context on "Two And A Half Men".

48. Min. fraction: PSEC.  Often, we get NSEC.  PicoSECond.  One trillionth of a second.

49. Energy field: AURA.  See also 14 Across.  According to ancient Japanese lore, the colour of a person’s aura changes when they leave the room.  Cyan-aura.

50. Pub order: PINT.

51. Cloudiness: BLUR.  Not sure if the forms of the clue/answer match up?  It's a bit of a BLUR.

53. Et __: and others: ALIA.  Sometimes we get ALII.

54. Move for one's co., say: RELO.  RELOcate.

55. Clucking sounds: TSKS.  Sometimes we get TUTS.

57. Thurman of "Red, White & Royal Blue": UMA.

58. Pro: FOR.  Not anti / against.

_______________________________________

Tuesday, March 26, 2024 Ed Sessa

Slo-MO.  The Modus Operandi of today's puzzle was to have each theme answer be a two-word phrase where the first word begins with M and the second word begins with O.  Working this puzzle, however, was anything but Slow.

17-Across. *  Consider carefully: MEDITATE ON.

21-Across. *  Transformative beauty treatment: MAKE OVER.

54-Across. *  Talk back (to): MOUTH OFF

59-Across. *  Divvy up: MEASURE OUT.

And the unifier:

36-Across. Plan of action, as "initially" found in the answers to the starred clues?: MODUS OPERANDI.  The phrase Modus Operandi is a Latin phrase meaning Method of Operation.  I would narrow the definition provided in the clue to mean an established habit of working.  It is frequently in the context of a business or criminal endeavor.  Modus Operandi, or MO, is often used in detective/cop television shows.

Across:

1. Goal of much medical research: CURE.

5. Like a baby with pudding, probably: MESSY.

10. Floor model, e.g.: DEMO.

14. "That'll be the day!": AS IF.

15. Jazz great Earl "__" Hines: FATHA.  Earl Kenneth Hines (Dec. 28, 1903 ~ Apr. 22, 1983) was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was considered one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano.  He apparently earned his nickname "fatha" after giving a drunken announcer some "fatherly" advice to limit his drinking.  [Name # 1.]

16. Woeful word: ALAS.

19. Home in the sticks: NEST.  Cute clue.

20. Fluster: ADDLE.

23. Fancy timepieces: ROLEXES.

26. Luthor of DC Comics: LEX.  He is the supervillain and archival of Superman.  His full name is Alexander Joseph Luther.  [Name # 2, fictional.]

27. Stand-up comedian Shaffir: ARI.  I am not familiar with Ari David Shaffir (b. Feb. 12, 1974).  [Name # 3.]

28. Undivided: ONE.

29. Removes soap from: RINSES.

31. Tic-__-toe: TAC.

32. Maytag sister brand: AMANA.  How the two companies are related.  [Name adjacent.]

34. Tusks, e.g.: TEETH.

40. Writer Sir Arthur __ Doyle: CONAN.  Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (May 22, 1859 ~ July 7, 1930) is best known for being the creator of Sherlock Holmes.  Doyle tried to kill Sherlock Holmes, but his readers protested so much that Holmes was resurrected.   [Name # 4.]

41. Still-life pitchers: EWERs.

42. GOP gp.: RNC.

43. Bearded spring blooms: IRISES.  Vincent van Gogh (Mar. 30, 1853 ~ July 29, 1890) was known for his numerous paintings of Irises.  If you are ever in Amsterdam, a visit to the Van Gogh Museum is well worth a visit.

46. Many an email attachment: PDF.  Portable Document Format.

49. Earlier: AGO.

50. Intentionally mislead: CON.

51. "Don't let that woman get away!": STOP HER!

57. Garlicky mayonnaise: AIOLI.  This vowel-rich condiment is fast becoming a crossword staple.

58. Angry: SORE.

62. Rae of "Insecure": ISSA.  Issa Rae (née Jo-Issa Rae Diop; b. Jan. 12, 1985) makes frequent appearances in the crossword puzzles.  She had her own television show, Insecure, which ran from 2026 until 2021.  [Name # 5.]

63. Industry honcho: BARON.

64. Surrender, as territory: CEDE.

65. __-do-well: NE'ER.

66. "You __ sweet!": ARE SO.

67. Potato buds: EYES.

Down:

1. Chevrolet that will be discontinued in 2024: CAMARO.  The Camaro was first sold in 1966.  It had a long run.  [Name adjacent.]

2. Applied to: USED ON.

3. Brain-breaking question: RIDDLE.  Here's an ancient riddle that dates back to 18th Century BCE in Samaria:  There is a house.  One enters blind and comes out seeing.  What is it?  For the answer, you must read this article.  

4. Paperless option for taxpayers: E-FILE.  We just had our annual visit with our CPA.

5. Curator's deg.: MFA.  Master of Fine Arts.

6. Take in: EAT.

7. Women in __: educational advocacy org.: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.  

8. Sandbars: SHOALS.  This makes me think of the Isle of Shoals, which are a group of small islands and tidal ledges situated approximately 6 miles off the east coast of the United States that straddle the border of the states of Maine and New Hampshire.  Writer Anita Shreve (Oct. 7, 1946 ~ Mar. 29, 2018) wrote The Weight of Water, a historical novel about a murder that takes place on the Isle of Shoals

9. Big Apple MLB player: YANKEE.

10. Paul of "The Batman": DANO.  Paul Dano (né Paul Franklin Dano; June 19, 1984) portrayed the Riddler in the 2022 version of Batman.  [Name # 6.]

11. Like some beachside homes: ELEVATED.

12. GranTurismo automaker: MASERATI.  Maserati is an Italian manufacturer. The company was established in December 1914 in Bologna, Italy.  [Name adjacent.]

13. Bird with a powerful kick: OSTRICH.

18. __-Mex cuisine: TEX.

22. Celeb who's no longer in the limelight: EX-STAR.

24. Important ages: ERAs.  Taylor Swift (née Taylor Alison Swift; b. Dec. 13, 1989) is on her Eras Tour.

25. Chinese: Pref.: SINO-.

30. Kitten-lifting spots: NAPES.

32. Oral health org.: ADA.  American Dental Association.

33. German city that hosted the 1972 Summer Olympics: MUNICH.  The 1972 summer Olympics were overshadowed by the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes.  

35. Napkin corners?: ENs.  I suppose this means that the word Napkin begins and ends with the letter "N".  Rather like last Friday's clue about Label Edges = ELs.  I didn't care for that clue, either.

36. Ferretlike carnivore: MONGOOSE.

37. Proceeding as planned: ON COURSE.

38. Lambs' moms: EWEs.

39. Take a break: REST.

40. Adds to an already full suitcase, say: CRAMS IN.

44. Saucer-shaped vacuum: ROOMBA.

45. With trepidation: IN FEAR.

46. "Nuts!": PHOOEY.

47. Intentionally mislead: DELUDE.

48. Steak __: bistro dish: FRITES.

52. Rowboat blade: OAR.

53. Component: PIECE.

55. Run like heck: TEAR.

56. Cab charge: FARE.

60. Letters sent in emergencies: SOS.

61. Game with colorful cards: UNO.  This game has become a crossword staple.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה