Friday, July 23, 2021, Ed Sessa

Title: 

IOU an A, E

Dr. Ed is back with a letter substitution (A to E) sound-alike puzzle that plays a little easy for a Friday. The themers are all pretty funny puns. Ed is a master of entertaining no matter what day of the week. The puzzle does not have much long fill - EMPERORS and FACELIFT are the only over 6 letter non-themers, though it is sprinkled with some difficulty.  Cluing is Friday vague in places and having a central gridspanner always adds a touch of class to the effort. The icing on this cake is all the changes are from EA to EE.

Yummy. Enjoy.

17A. Double vision?: TWIN PEEKS (9). TWIN PEAKS is a cult CLASSIC 

23A. What EEE signifies?: NO SMALL FEET (11).  No small feat is an expression that can be found in many FORMS.

39A. Cesar Millan's gift?: THE HEELING TOUCH (15). My favorite pun, as the dog whisperer substitutes for this  TREATMENT.

49A. Blind date?: MYSTERY MEET (11). As someone who went to boarding school I have eaten more than my share of unidentifiable meat products.

61A. His-and-hers concert souvenir?: TEE FOR TWO (9). TEA for Two is a song composed by Vincent Youmans with lyrics by Irving Caesar and written in 1924. 

The fun is done and now to work. 

Across:

1. Japanese car whose name means "reward" in early German: MIATA. Don't we all hate it when 1 across is an unknown. In Japan it is called Roadster, but here it comes from the Old German 'miete' for reward.

6. Infielder in a comedy routine: WHO. He is on first!

9. Conviction: FAITH. A place for this FAITH  52D. Group's belief: TENET.

14. Joins, as a team: YOKES. Oxen anyone.

15. On fire: HOT.

En fuego!

16. Big name in foil: ALCOA. My June 18 comment was "15A. Portmanteau metal producer: ALCOA. No, no, no! AL CO A, aluminum company of america is not words mashed together!

19. Items often checked: COATS. A fun clue.

20. Flying Solo: HAN. While HARRISON FORD was killed off as Han, he has a new INDIANA JONES movie coming.

21. Brute's rebuke: ET TU. 

22. "Will it play in __?": vaudeville phrase: PEORIA. Origin- (1) The phrase originated during the vaudeville era and was popularized in movies by Groucho Marx, or (2) The question derives from a theme repeated by characters in Horatio Alger Jr.'s novel Five Hundred Dollars; or, Jacob Marlowe's Secret, which was first published in 1890. 

25. Birthplace of St. Francis: ASSISI. Very common fill. 

29. "Who, me?": MOI? I really wanted a Miss Piggy GIF here.

30. Pound product: POEM. Ezra, not a personal hero. POUND HISTORY

31. Fabric with metallic threads: LAMÉ . The earliest historical records of lamé fabric date back to Ancient Assyria, which was a nation in the Middle East that existed between 2500 BC and 600 AD

34. Musical E equivalent: F FLAT. Ron can you explain why?

42. Doomed biblical city: SODOM. What Gomorrah can you say about this biblical city?

43. Calf-length skirt: MIDI. Midcalf.

44. See 36-Down: OAHU. The dreaded random referential set with 36D. Feast on 44-Across: LUAU.

45. Pot pie veggie: PEA. The recipes from Pillsbury, Betty Crocker and Campbell's Soup all use frozen mixed vegetables - corn, carrots, green beans and peas. Nothing fresh.

47. Holds dear: VALUES. 

55. Films partly made in stages: OATERS. Another pun, this one relating to the stage coach scenes in Westerns.

56. Deal with creases: IRON. 

57. Audibly grieve: SOB.

60. Texas HQ of Frito-Lay: PLANO. Frito-Lay North America is the $13 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE, PEP), which is headquartered in Plano, TX. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, www.fritolay.com. It was created initially by a merger of Frito and Lay.

63. Articulate: UTTER. The verb.

64. Company abbr.: INC.

65. Texans' neighbors: OKIES. Seems unbalanced as Texans are not a nickname and Okies are.

66. Old times: PASTS. 

67. WWII carrier: LST.

68. "Old" language that gave us "blunder": NORSE. mid-14c., "to stumble about blindly," from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse blundra "shut one's eyes," perhaps from Proto-Germanic *blinda- "blind."

Down:

1. Bit of fiction: MYTH. In college we debated the TOPIC myth is reality and reality is myth.

2. "The Music Man" setting: IOWA. The author Meredith Willson was inspired by his boyhood in Mason City, Iowa.

3. Related: AKIN.

4. First and __: TEN. A football concept and one of the very first HBO original series, I think. It began with JASON BEGHE and and UF graduate DELTA BURKE.

5. Quakers in Colorado?: ASPENS. Ha ha, tree humor.

6. Puts an edge on: WHETS. Sharpens with a stone, from the old days.

7. Poppycock: HOKUM. Derives from Hocus Pocus, but if you google you get all kinds of irreverent images. 

8. Extra NFL periods: OTS. OverTimes.

9. Cosmetic surgery procedure: FACELIFT. I like my face right where it is, but for those with more money than sense, be careful what you wish for. mirror, mirror

10. Distant: ALOOF. Did you know loof (now spelled luff) is the windward side of a ship. Smart sailors wanting to avoid a hazard on the leeward side, who go to the other side, holding themselves aloof.
 
11. Comforting affirmation: I CARE. I really care cornerites about each and everyone of you.

12. Funny Fields: TOTIE. She died young.

13. Starts to fight: HAS AT. Meh.

18. Star over Paris: ÉTOILE. French lesson. 星位 Chinese lesson.

22. Abbas' gp.: PLO. PLO

24. Improve: AMEND.

25. Much urban housing: Abbr.: APTS. Apartments, and condos will probably not sell well in Florida for a while.

26. NYC art district: SOHO. South of Houston (howston in New York).

27. Apple core?: SEED. You think this was his seed entry?

28. Letters before a view: IMHO. In My Humble Opinion. Why Humble?

32. Revlon cosmetics brand: ALMAY. ALMAY 

33. Customizable Nintendo persona: MII.

35. Have on, to a Brit: FOOL.

37. Bleed (for): ACHE.

38. Consequently: THUS. Ergo.

40. Supreme monarchs: EMPERORS.

41. Provide generously, as one's time: GIVE OF.

46. Triage areas, briefly: ERS. Emergency Rooms.

48. When a classic film gunfight started: AT NOON.

49. Attend to a spill: MOP UP.

50. 1945 "Big Three" meeting site: YALTA. Didn't I just link this.

51. E and FG, in sports: STATS. Error and field goal both of which work in various sports.

53. Appearances: MIENS. Like its synonyms bearing and demeanor, mien means the outward manifestation of personality or attitude.

54. Build: ERECT. This name always reminds me of The Taj Mahal.

57. Recipe directive: STIR. Beat; Dice; Sear; Melt; Sift: Bake; Boil...

58. Is beholden to: OWES. More Gary Cooper?

59. Big name in audio systems: BOSE. My bedtime music comes from a Bose.

61. "Open 9 __ 5": TIL. Sing it Dolly!

62. Original "King Kong" film studio: RKO. This is part of the Kennedy family Legacy. LINK.

We have wended our way through another fabulous, fun, Friday Frolic and since Moe is out and about you have me again next, same Bat Time, same Bat Station. Lemonade out!

Sunday June 27th, 2021 Ed Sessa

Theme:  "At the Anger Management Session ... " - Each "angry" phrase is punnily rephrased, fitting the fictional character in each clue.

27. ... Rudolph was __: SEEING RED.

29. ... Elsie was __: HAVING A COW.

42. ... Humpty Dumpty was __: DRIVEN UP A WALL.

64. ... Herbie the "Love Bug" was __: BLOWING A GASKET.

73. ... Santa Claus was __: HITTING THE ROOF.

98. ... Puff the Magic Dragon was __: BREATHING FIRE.

114. ... Bugs Bunny was __: HOPPING MAD.

117. ... Mr. Bubble was __: IN A LATHER.

And the lower right:

111D Jack Frost's advice to his angry clients?: CHILL.

So I was writing this post, then read D-Otto's post on LastPass. Poor Tom!

There's always a sense of elegance and tightness in Ed's puzzles. I'll never forget this ALL FALL DOWN puzzle. So simple. So original. So much fun. Average constructors would have been happy with a set of "angry" phrases. But Ed went extra and added an extra layer of characters in the clue.

Across:

1. Where many a promise is made: ALTAR. I do!

6. Slugger's stats: RBIS. Also 31. MLB blasts: HRS. And 2D. Frozen rope, in baseball: LINER. 76. Pine __: dugout supply: TAR. Never saw a guy like Shohei Ohtani, who has more home runs than any other pitcher.

10. Lectric Shave competitor: AFTA.

14. CNN alternative: MSNBC.

19. With 38-Across, Beethoven oeuvre with 35 works: PIANO. 38. See 19-Across: SONATAS.

20. Apiece: EACH.

21. Seal site: BERG.

22. Pong creator: ATARI.

23. IGTV company, briefly: INSTA. Instagram. I've only watched some Instagram stories. Never TV.
Wiki says "IGTV is a standalone video application by Instagram for Android and iOS smartphones. It allows for longer videos compared to Instagram feeds. While IGTV is available as a stand-alone app, basic functionality is also available within the Instagram app and website.". What is a stand-alone app, Anon-T/D-Otto/TTP?

24. On the safer side: ALEE.

25. Hebrides hill: BRAE.

26. Assigned a grade: RATED.

32. Fat substitute: OLESTRA. Calorie-free.

34. Type of type that shows stress: ITALIC.

35. Gave a thumbs-up: OK'ED.

36. Hung over?: EAVED. Lots of nice clues in this grid.

46. "Storm" seabird: PETREL.

47. Went by train: RODE.

48. "Fresh Air" airer: NPR. Hosted by Terry Gross.

49. "His Dark Materials" protagonist: LYRA. Lyra Belacqua. Played by Dafne Keen. Unknown to me.

52. "__ welcome": YOU'RE.

53. Marx Brothers film setting: OPERA.

55. Beatles nonsense syllables: OB- LA. Di. Ob-la-da.

59. Gp. using caps and crowns: ADA. Also 58. Crown or plaque: AWARD.

61. Touch of frost: NIP.

62. Bayou music style: ZYDECO. A few more music answers: 82A. Jimmy Eat World genre: EMO. 15D. How dotted notes should be played: STACCATO. 80D. Musical score mark: SLUR. 104D. One putting words to music: SINGER.

69. Mano a mano: AT IT.

71. "Words have consequences," e.g.: ADAGE.

72. Singer Anthony: MARC. One of J Lo's exes.

78. Hardest to find: RAREST.

83. Korean car company: KIA. Partially owned by Hyundai,

84. Movie physician with a two-letter name: DR NO.

85. Playground problem: BULLY. The bully boy was mild when I met him years later.

86. Lou Grant portrayer: ASNER (Ed)

89. Oil filter brand: FRAM. Unfamiliar to me.

92. Walgreens rival: CVS.

95. It has an apt number of letters in its name: FOUR. Four letters.

96. Barely made a sound: PEEPED.

103. Clothes lines: STRIPES.

105. __ Moore: canned stew brand: DINTY. Hormel brand.

106. Lambs' cries: BAAS.

107. Offerer of free drinks and chips: CASINO. Great clue!

109. Put in danger: IMPERIL.

111. No. cruncher: CPA.

119. Quiet lake transport: CANOE.

120. Highlands native: GAEL.

121. Emoji, for one: ICON. Cute.

122. Birthplace of rapper Wyclef Jean: HAITI. Three-time Grammy winner.

123. Modify: ALTER.

124. Strauss' "__ Alpensinfonie": EINE.

125. Mineral removed from some baby powder: TALC.

126. Kate's TV mate: ALLIE. Kate & Allie.

127. Economic upsurges: BOOMS.

128. Supreme leader?: ROSS. Diana of the Supremes.

129. Big name in skin care: OLAY.

130. Upper body muscles, for short: DELTS.

Down:

1. Mighty silly: APISH.

3. Zaps: TASES.

4. Fighting: ANTI.

5. Virginia's so-called "Lost Colony": ROANOKE. Wiki says it "became known as the Lost Colony due to the subsequent unexplained disappearance of its population." Read more here. Learning moment for me also. 

6. Rose on hind legs: REARED UP.

7. Hayfield sights: BALES.

8. Summer cooler: ICED TEA. Hong Kong-style lemon tea is very popular in Guangzhou in summer days. Often black tea is used. 

9. Sow or doe: SHE.

10. Group honored at a Stockholm exhibit: ABBA.

11. With great enthusiasm: FERVIDLY.

12. Feature: TRAIT.

13. Gemini rockets: AGENAS.

14. Blues singer played by Viola Davis: MA RAINEY. In the movie "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom".

16. Brussels-based gp.: NATO.

17. Cold one: BREW.

18. El __: CID.

28. Close in theaters: GLENN. Another brilliant clue.

29. "__ Nagila": Israeli folk song: HAVA.

30. Unappetizing stuff: GLOP.

33. Cold and damp: RAW.

35. Shovel it in: OVER-EAT. I love pickled herrings and I can eat the whole jar.

37. Addition, maybe: ELL.

39. Animal part that trumpets: TRUNK. Elephant. Tiny clue/answer dupe with 90. Spare tires in trunks?: ABDOMENS.

40. Nest on a crest: AERIE.

41. Got some shut-eye: SLEPT.

42. TV physician with a two-letter name: DR OZ.

43. Viscous: ROPY.

44. Fingered: ID'ED.

45. "No __!": PROB.

50. Shoe polish applicator: RAG.

51. Garden guy: ADAM. Eden.

54. Part of a musical: ACT I.

56. Boring: BLAH. Called "Wuliao" in Chinese. Hao wuliao = so boring.

57. Word with stone or star: LODE.

60. Bacteriologist's material: AGAR.

63. Trough call?: OINK.  68. Places to pick up puppies?: SCRUFFS. Cute clues for both.

65. Hunchback of fiction: IGOR.  "Young Frankenstein".

66. Bright sign: NEON.

67. Graceful equine: ARAB.

70. End-of-week cry: TGIF.

73. Quite a lot: HEAPS.

74. "No more for me, thanks": I'M SET.

75. Printer supply: TONER.

77. Avenue __, Paris' widest street: FOCH. .Wiki again: The avenue runs from the Arc de Triomphe southwest to the Porte Dauphine at the edge of the Bois de Boulogne city park. It is the widest avenue in Paris and is lined with chestnut trees along its full length.

79. "The Time Machine" people: ELOI.

81. Item in a Brit's boot: TYRE.

87. "Divine Comedy," e.g.: EPIC POEM.

88. Changes the wall covering: RE-PAPERS.

91. Hosp. procedure: MRI.

93. Joie de vivre: VIBRANCY.

94. Creeping creature: SNAIL. This snail mucin is very popular in Asia.

97. First name in '50s TV comedy: DESI. "I Love Lucy".

99. Geraint's wife: ENID.

100. Bank convenience: ATM.

101. Not surprising: TYPICAL.

102. Holy Grail seeker: GALAHAD.

108. Marsh of detective fiction: NGAIO.  "Queens of Crime".

110. First name in B-29 history: ENOLA.

112. Little, in Lille: PETIT.

113. Sign of the Ram: ARIES.

114. Heavenly ring: HALO.

115. Aware of: ONTO.

116. Stout and porter: ALES.

118. Account: TALE.

119. City transport: CAB.

121. "Who am __ judge?": I TO.

Belated Happy 56th anniversary to Spitzboov and his wife Betty!

Happy 40th Anniversary to Canadian Eh! and her husband!

C.C.

Saturday, April 24, 2021 Ed Sessa

 Saturday Themeless by Dr. Ed Sessa

Our retired doctor from San Sanibel Island in Florida makes yet another clinic call for us here at the Crossword Hospital. I found Ed's puzzle to be just what the doctor ordered for this cold weather that is persisting here in the heartland. Ed is seen here with his beloved, late dog Tug. Here is Ed's commentary on the construction of this Saturday's offering:

Hi Gary,

Thanks for your inquiry and for all the hard work you and others do to make this site a success. I like doing themeless grids  because I enjoy the challenge of thinking up clues. If a word hasn't appeared much before then  there is a good chance to come up with a fun clue that is novel. With more commonly used words that is really hard to do. The seed for this grid was POPSICLESTICK and it was used only once before. The fact that it had 13 letters lent it well to the triple 13 pattern which I really like, especially if I can cross the bundle with a few longer downs. With this work Rich spotted the "POP" dupe but felt the two weren't related and so they stood.

Thanks to Rich for cleaning up the clues wherever he thought appropriate. I was happy I could avoid using too many proper names with this one.  Best wishes for a better summer than last year.

Ed

Across:

1. Yielding no interest?: HO HUM.

6. Fight stopper: KAYO - Pronunciation of KO, which is a gramogram (that we had in Julian Lim's 4/14/21 puzzle) which is the abbreviation of KnockOut. OK?

10. Beginning on: AS OF.

14. Vonnegut literary device: IRONY 

15. Old-fashioned leaves?: HIES - Macbeth Act I, scene V: Lady Macbeth: "Hie thee hither" (Come here)

16. Polynesian beverage: KAVA - Benefits, side effects and dosage

17. Comic-Con attendees: NERDS.

18. Happy: ALL SMILES.

20. Self-declared republic in Ukraine: DONETSK - A 12 hr drive from Kiev

22. Breakfast on the go, perhaps: POP TART.

23. No real friend: USER - To George, Biff was a USER. Betcha know this movie! *

24. Shop __ you drop: TIL - For me it's computers and golf equipment 

26. Lacked alternatives: HAD TO - What some parents feel (:06)

27. Blue Jays, in crawls: TOR - Watching the TORonto Blue Jays play from your hotel room looks pretty cool to me!

29. Omega, to an electrician: OHM - Jeffrey Wechsler had FARAD yesterday 

32. Bass appendage: FIN - Sea Bass

33. Residential cliché: HOME SWEET HOME - Be it ever so humble...

37. How a close race may go: DOWN TO THE WIRE - and 64. Barely avoided tying: EDGED - It took some close examination of this photo finish to determine that the runner in the red and yellow top EDGED out the others

38. It gets last licks: POPSICLE STICK - Doctor Sessa's seed entry

39. "__ dreaming?": AM I.

40. Ad trailer?: HOC - Latin: "For This" - Created or done for a particular purpose as necessary. I was on an AD HOC committee to investigate gum chewing in our school. No, really!

41. Rival sch. of Duke: UNC - It's 16 minutes on the Hwy 501

42. What closers often open, with "the": NINTH - Mariano Rivera was perhaps the best closer in baseball for the NINTH inning

45. Cool: HEP.

47. Some fancy sheepskin boots: UGGS - Speaking of pitchers, Tom Brady did a pitch for UGGS

51. Make an impression on?: ENGRAVE - All players and staff on an NHL team that win the Stanley Cup get their name ENGRAVED on one of the bands.  The next year the next team gets the same treatment until the band is filled and then that band is removed and flattened for display to make room for more bands on the cup.

54. It helps a mouse communicate: USB PORT - Here's a mouse with a retractable cable plugged into a USB PORT

56. Candy in a roll: LIFESAVER.

58. Difficult high school sci. course: AP BIO - A sample question from an AP BIO test

59. Subj. for Janet Yellen: ECON - Ms. Yellen has held many government posts that deal with the ECONomy. 

60. Pixar clownfish: NEMO.

61. Latin lover's declaration: TE AMO - "I Love you"

62. Pointed missile: DART - All three darts in the triple 20 band for a max score of 180! Wow!

63. Fangorn Forest creatures: ENTS - From LOTR (Lord Of The Rings). EFTS yesterday and ENTS today. Maybe I'll catch on soon.

Down:

1. Many an Indian: HINDU.

2. Two-wafer snacks: OREOS.

3. Mezzo Marilyn: HORNE - Marilyn Horne

4. Sneaky currents: UNDERTOWS.

5. Computer game title island: MYST - Do players of this game go to Comic-Con?

6. Base shade?: KHAKI - A dominant color on many military bases

7. Afflict: AIL.

8. It acquired SeatMe in 2013: YELP - Here ya go

9. Bone on a menu: OSSO - Often on our cwd menu

10. Husky relative: AKITA.

11. Piece of silver: SALAD FORK.

12. Extended work period: OVERTIME - I was always on salary and never got extra for my extended hours

13. Bit of deceit: FAST ONE.

19. Letters on a dashboard: MPH - Or in a heads-up display

21. Period of time: STRETCH - If you don't beat the rap, you'll do a STRETCH in prison

25. Like landlines, nowadays: LOW TECH - Shh.,  we still have one

28. Official hotel of the PGA Tour: OMNI - This one is in PA

30. Sneaky snickers: HEHS.

31. Informal get-togethers: MEETUPS.

33. Anticipating: HOPING FOR.

34. With no assistance: SOLO - 14-yr-old Mansour Anis prepares to fly SOLO in a Cessna 152

35. __ bed: TWIN.

36. Slightly malfunctioned: HICCUPPED.

37. Caribbean island country: DOMINICA - It is about 650 miles from The Dominican Republic to the island of DOMINICA

38. Like some office walls: PANELED.

43. 16th-century council setting: TRENT - A 1565 product of that council. How'd that work out?

44. Attacks, with "at": HAS.

46. Mark replacements: EUROS - Since 2001, a Euro is worth 1.95583 Deutsch Marks

48. Evacuee's emergency kit: GO BAG - Here's what's in this $119 model

49. Tide target: GRIME.

50. Got off one's rocker?: STOOD.

52. Windmill part: VANE - Were you amazed when you first saw the size of a wind generator VANE?

53. Tied up: EVEN.

55. Lessen in intensity: BATE  - I am unable to BATE my enthusiasm for Ed's puzzles. (A sentence, while accurate, is not how I would ever say it.)

57. Home delivery asst., perhaps: EMT - Or even in the ambulance 

*Biff Tannen was George McFly's USER in the Back To The Future franchise