Tuesday, August 17, 2021 Ed Sessa

A Visit to the Emergency Room:  The theme clues are all in the down position in this puzzle.  Notice that the first word of the theme answer begins with an I and the second word begins with a V.  Together, this gives us a hanging IV, or Intravenous (tube).  Fate presented me with this all too appropriate theme this week.  I have become the caretake to my elderly father, and he spent several days in the hospital with an IV line.

3-Down. Conscience: INNER VOICE.

8-Down. Come and go, e.g., grammatically: IRREGULAR VERBS.

14-Down. Essential worth: INTRINSIC VALUE.

And the Unifier:

28-Down. Greenery in suspended baskets ... or, phonetically, what 3-, 8- or 14-Down is?: HANGING IVY.

Across:

1. Where time is served: JAIL.

5. Hindu divinity whose name is a homophone for a herding dog: KALI.  Not a Tuesday clue and answer.

9. Spanish kiss: BESO.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Hello, Lucina!

13. River of Pisa: ARNO.  This Italian river often winds its way into the puzzles.

14. More under the weather: ILLER.  Awkward!

15. "If you ask me," to a texter: IMHO.  Textspeak for In My Humble Opinion.  Usually, when this is used, the texter is not being Humble.

16. Vase-making dynasty: MING.  Everything you wanted to know about the Ming vase, but didn't know to ask.

17. "I won't do this anymore": NEVER AGAIN.

19. BBC nickname, with "the": BEEB.  Affectionately known as The Beeb.

20. Scones go-with: TEA.  Yummers!

21. Mind-boggler: ENIGMA.  Alan Turing (June 23, 1912 ~ June 7, 1954) cracked the Enigma Code.

22. Lions' calls: ROARS.

24. "What a long week!": TGIF.  Thank Goodness It's Friday.  Wait!  Today is only Tuesday!  TGI Friday's is also a restaurant chain.

25. Copenhagen's __ Gardens: TIVOLI.  Tivoli Gardens is an amusement park in the city of Copenhagen.  It is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world.  It opened in 1843.  I visited there a few years ago.  There were some good restaurants in the park.

27. Chef lead-in: SOUS.  I provided you with the background of the Sous Chef a couple of weeks ago.

28. '50s dance party: HOP.

31. Grossed: TOOK IN.

32. Christmastime: YULE.  //  And 35-Across. Sleigh driver: SANTA.

33. What to buy to solve P_T S_J_K: AN A.  Pat Sajak (né Patrick Leonard Sajdak; b. Oct. 26, 1946) is the host of Wheel of Fortune.  Three A's will complete the spelling of his name.

34. Elevator guy: OTIS.  Elisha Graves Otis (Aug. 3, 1811 ~ Apr. 8, 1861) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  He didn't actually invent the elevator, but he did invent a safety device to prevent elevators from falling.

37. '60s civil rights gp.: SNCC.  I was not familiar with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

38. UCLA's __-12 Conference: PAC.  College Sports.

39. Fodder holder: SILO.

40. Cheap booze: ROT GUT.

42. Opposite of NNW: SSE.  Just take a look at your compass.

43. Kept in the loop, in emails: CC'ED.  It is a relic from the old typewriter days, when carbon paper was used to make a copy.

44. Fluctuates: VARIES.

45. Dallas NBA team: MAVS.  The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team.

46. Aired again: RERAN.  Lots of reruns on TV during the summer.

47. Actress MacRae who played Alice Kramden on "The Jackie Gleason Show": SHEILA.  Sheila MacRae (née Sheila Margaret Stevens; Sept. 24, 1921 ~ Mar. 6, 2014) was a British actress.  She took over the role from Audrey Meadows (née Audrey Cotter; Feb. 8, 1922 ~ Feb. 3, 1996) and was in 52 episodes of The Jackie Gleason Show in 1966.

50. Pro: FOR.

51. Role in "Son of Frankenstein": YGOR.

54. Dog breeders' group: KENNEL CLUB.

56. Go off the board: DIVE.

57. ESPN MLB analyst: A-ROD.  Alex Rodriguez (b. July 27, 1975) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

58. Military divisions: UNITS.

59. Range component: OVEN.  It is 95F as I type this in "sunny" New Hampshire.  I feel like I am in an oven.

60. Hardy's "___ of the D'Urbervilles": TESS.  Tess makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  Maybe one of these days I will read this book and get to know her.

61. Tolkien creatures: ENTS.  These creatures are also frequent visitors to the puzzles.  Not being a fan fo Tolkien, I don't know if these critters are good or bad.

62. Greek sandwich: GYRO.  Yummers!

Down:

1. Door frame segment: JAMB.  Who knew there were so many parts to the door!

2. R&B vocalist India.__: ARIE. 

India.Arie (née India Arie Simpson; b. Oct. 3, 1975) 

4. Captain's records: LOG BOOKS.

5. Works by Swiss cubist Paul: KLEEs.  Paul Klee (Dec. 18, 1879 ~ June 29, 1940) has a very unique artistic style.

6. Thomas __ Edison: ALVA.

7. Martial artist Bruce __: LEE.  Bruce Lee (Nov. 27, 1940 ~ July 20, 1973) died of cerebral edema at age 32.  Sadly, his actor son, Brandon Lee (Feb. 1, 1965 ~ Mar. 31, 1993) also died young when he was wounded on the set while filming a movie.

9. Major condition: BIG IF.

10. Kindle download: E-MAG.

11. Carpentry wedge: SHIM.

12. Chaplin of "Game of Thrones": OONA.  Oona Chaplin (née Oona Castilla Chaplin; b. June 4, 1986) is the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin (né Charles Spencer Chaplin; Apr. 16, 1889 ~ Dec. 25, 1977) and the great-granddaughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill (né Eugene Gladstone O'Neill; Oct. 16, 1888 ~ Nov. 27, 1953).  Her mother is actress Geraldine Chaplin (née Geraldine Leigh Chaplin; b. July 31, 1944).  She was named after her maternal grandmother, Oona Chaplin (née Oona Ella O'Neill; May 14, 1925 ~ Sept. 27, 1991) who was Charlie Chaplin's fourth wife.  Quite a pedigree!

18. Cordial flavoring: ANISE.

23. "The Greatest": ALI.  Muhammad Ali (né Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.; Jan. 17, 1942 ~ June 3, 2016).

24. Promote big-time: TOUT.

25. Sporty sunroofs: T-TOPS.

26. Teensy amounts: IOTAs.

27. Church assembly: SYNOD.

29. Perfectly timed: ON CUE.

30. Agreements: PACTS.

36. Brewpub orders: ALES.  Since I am currently in New Hampshire, and it is excruciatingly hot, here are some places I can get a nice cold ale.

37. Unowned, free-ranging pooch: STRAY DOG.

39. Weigh station?: SCALE.

41. Galley implement: OAR.

45. Gives a hoot: MINDS.

46. Beats but good: ROUTS.

47. Three-handed game: SKAT.  In case you are curious about the game of Skat.

48. "Psst! Over __!": HERE.

49. Grandson of Eve: ENOS.  Enos is supposedly the son of Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve.  Very little is known about him other than Seth was 105 years old when Enos was born.  (See Genesis 5:6-11).

50. Move like a bee: FLIT.  Butterflies can also flit.

52. Finished: OVER.

53. City near Tahoe: RENO.  Reno is also the home of the National Judicial College.  I took some classes there about 20 years ago.

55. "Inside Politics" airer: CNN.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

 

Tuesday August 3, 2021 Ed Sessa

Today's puzzle is pretty self-explanatory.  The the circles are arranged in a square, and the letters in each square spell the word FAIR.  Interestingly, the first two letters of the unifier also form one of the 5 SQUAREs.

35-Across. Honestly ... also, like each set of circles?: FAIR AND SQUARE.

Across:

1. Big __, California: SUR.  It looks pretty.

4. Photographer's directive: SMILE.

9. Medicare section for doctors' services: PART B.  Everything you wanted to known about Medicare Part B, but didn't know to ask.

14. Functionality: USE.

15. Hauled away: TOWED.

16. China from Japan: IMARI.  Tricky, tricky!  Not a typical Tuesday clue.  Imari is a term for a colored style of Japanese porcelain (china).

17. Cowed, aptly: BUFFALOED.

19. To help, to Henri: AIDER.  Today's French lesson.

20. "House" star Hugh: LAURIE.  Hugh Laurie (né James Hugh Calum Laurie; b. June 11, 1959) was also George Blackadder, a character in the BBC comedy Blackadder.

21. "I can't think straight right now": I'M FRIED.

23. "Rocketman" John: ELTON.  We were Sir Elton John (né Reginald Kenneth Dwight; b. Mar. 25, 1947) adjacent last week, when his lyricist partner, Bernie Taupin, appeared in the puzzle.

24. "It's obvious": I SEE.

26. Baba in a cave: ALI.  A reference to the Arabic folk tale Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, from One Thousand and One Nights.

27. "The Waste Land" poet's monogram: TSE.  As in T.S. Eliot (né Thomas Sterns Eliot; Sept. 26, 1888 ~ Jan. 4, 1965).

28. Fed. law known as Obamacare: ACA.  As in the Affordable Care Act.

29. Hamper: HOG TIE.

32. Industry honcho: BARON.

34. High times?: NOONS.

39. Cubs' group: PRIDE.

40. Between dry and soggy: MOIST.

41. Like library books: REREAD.  I am a big fan of using libraries.

43. IRS examiner: AUD.  You hope an Auditor doesn't need to examine your tax records.

44. "Don't say anything!": SHH!

47. Always, to a poet: EER.

48. Amazon transports: VANS.  The vans are all over the place.  The company was just hit with a huge fine in the EU for violating privacy laws.

50. "Caveman" diet: PALEO.  Everything you wanted to know about the Paleo Diet, but didn't know to ask.

52. Wok dish: STIR FRY.  Yummers!

55. Fire alarms: SIRENS.  Also creatures of Greek mythology who lured sailors to become shipwrecked along the rocky clast of their island.

56. Bulgaria's capital: SOFIA.

57. Bob Marley's religion: RASTAFARI.

60. Looked at the wrong way?: OGLED.

Not Bert and Ernie, too!

61. No longer on one's plate: EATEN.

62. Red choice, briefly: ZIN.  These wine abbreviations are become staples in the crossword world.

63. Yule melodies: NOELS.  Christmas songs.

64. Tell: SAY TO.

65. ER graph: EKG.  As in an Electrocardiogram, also known as an ECG.

Down:

1. Rent from a renter: SUBLET.

2. Regular requests: USUALS.

3. Prove wrong: REFUTE.

4. Ink blot, for one: STAIN.  May also be used in a Rorschach test.

5. Espionage figure: MOLE.

6. "Letters from __ Jima": Eastwood film: IWO.  Letters from Iwo Jima was a 2006 Japanese-language American film directed by Clint Eastwood.

7. "To Kill a Mockingbird" author: LEE.  Shortly before her death in 2016, a second book by Harper Lee (née Nelle Harper Lee; Apr. 26, 1926 ~ Feb. 19, 2016) was published.

8. Money in music: EDDIE.  Eddie Money (né Edward Joseph Mahoney; Mar. 21, 1949 ~ Sept. 13, 2019) was a singer-songwriter.

9. "La Vie en Rose" chanteuse: PIAF.  Édith Piaf (Dec. 19, 1915 ~ Oct. 10, 1963) was a French singer-songwriter.  She was best known for her torch songs.

10. "The Kite Runner" boy: AMIR.  The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (b. Mar. 5, 1965) was published in 2003.  It is a fascinating novel about a slice of life in Afghanistan.

11. Home heater or engine cooler: RADIATOR.

12. Forest perimeter: TREE LINE.

13. They're below par: BIRDIES.  A golfing reference.

18. To's opposite: FRO.  To and Fro.

22. "I could take it or leave it": MEH!

24. Desktop image: ICON.

25. Folklore sleep aid: SANDMAN.

28. Coach Parseghian: ARA.  Ara Raoul Parseghian (May 21, 1923 ~ Aug. 2, 2017) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  He was the football coach at the University of Notre Dame for several years from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s.

30. Burden: ONUS.

31. Bearded critter: GOAT.

32. __ one's time: wait: BIDE.

33. Neighborhood: AREA.

35. Off the hook: FREE TO GO.

36. Pellet gun, for one: AIR RIFLE.

37. __-chef: SOUS.  A sous-chef is the second in command in the restaurant.

38. Four times a day, in an Rx: Q.I.D.  Today's Latin lesson.  Q.I.D. is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase:Quater in Die, which means Four Times a Day.

39. Fake, as some nails: PRESS ON.  I'll pass on the Press-ons.

42. TV recording device: DVR.  We still have a Digital Video Recorder.  We occasionally check out DVRs from our public library.

44. Raunchiness: SLEAZE.

45. Playwright Ibsen: HENRIK.  Henrik Johan Ibsen (Mar. 20, 1828 ~ May 23, 1906) was a Norwegian playwright.  He is best known for his play A Doll's House.

46. Cleaning, as a driveway: HOSING.

49. Lew who played Dr. Kildare: AYRES.  I only knew of the early television medical drama that starred Richard Chamberlain (né George Richard Chamberlain; b. Mar. 31, 1934) as Dr. Kildare.  Apparently, there was also a movie series in which Lew Ayres (né  Dec. 28, 1908 ~ Dec. 30, 1996) played Dr. Kildare in the films.

50. It has keys for flats: PIANO.  Cute clue.

51. Chow request: ARF.  Another cute clue.  The chow refers to the dog breed.

53. Cambodian cash: RIEL.

54. In things: FADS.

55. [Keep this clue]: STET.  The word is used by proofreaders, and means: Let It Stand.

58. Remote battery size: AAA.

59. Babe's place: STY.

I hope you found this puzzle to be Fair and Square!

חתולה

Notes from C.C.:

Happy birthday to Melissa, who sacrificed more than we could imagine to help her brother Rick. Melissa founded Adopt an Inmate project and has successfully facilitated thousands of adoptions.

 

Melissa is super busy with her work, yet she still finds time to blog for us. Thank you so much, Melissa! Here's a picture of her and her daughter touring Lorelai's House from the "Gilmore Girls".

lorelai's house