Saturday, January, 18, 2020, Ed Sessa

Saturday Themeless by Dr. Ed Sessa

So you think doctors won't make a Saturday house call. Well, Dr. Ed Sessa has arrived here at our crossword stand with his little black bag full of cleverness and learning (e.g. 1 Across) to help ease the winter blues for those of us north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Bringing along his faithful companion is a further boost for us!

Just for fun I found out how far it is from my town here on the frozen steppes of eastern Nebraska to Ed's home on Sanibel Island, Florida. BTW, I see they do have three golf courses on the island.

Let's check out what Dr. Ed has for us on his rounds today:

Across

1. Indian anna, e.g.: COIN - An anna (or ānā) was a currency unit formerly used in India and Pakistan, equal to ​¹⁄₁₆ of a rupee. I'm sure the word play similarity to Indiana did not escape Ed.

A 1919 mint condition 8 anna
coin worth $400

5. Baked potato topping: CHIVES.

11. Billy the Kid preceder?: AKA - "Also Known As" is "Better Known As" below

14. It's tossed into a pot: ANTE.

15. Play with Freudian implications: OEDIPUS REX - Freud - "It is the fate of all of us, perhaps, to direct our first sexual impulse towards our mother and our first hatred and our first murderous wish against our father" 18. Freudian component of 15-Across: PRIMAL URGE - You're on your own here

17. Result of spilling the beans: MESS.

19. Catering preparation: PLATTER.

21. Whale fare: KRILL - They can eat millions per day

22. Jam-packed: FILLED - NFL stadiums are not necessarily FILLED anymore 

23. 1989-'90 Broadway one-man show: TRU - Robert Morse as TRUman Capote

26. Gift-wrapping occasions: EVES.

27. Arm of the sea: INLET.

28. Serial standout: SOAP STAR - The longest serving American SOAP STAR 

30. Short rules?: REGS.

31. Enjoyed a parlor game: SHOT POOL - When Fast Eddie SHOT POOL with Minnesota Fats, it was in a pool hall not parlor. "Like he's playing a violin"

32. Stumble: ERR.

33. Market research pioneer: NIELSEN - According to the NIELSEN Ratings, The Bob Hope Vietnam Christmas Show was the highest rated TV show this week 50 years ago

34. Suitable for family viewing: TV-G.

37. Actress who voiced Duchess in "The Aristocats": EVA GABOR - Movie also from 50 years ago

39. Cry over spilt milk?: MEWL - It'll be fine kitty!

40. Contemporary of le Carré: DEIGHTON - Spy novelist Len's first name is standard fare here

41. Movie character who might say 3-Down: ZORBA and 3. "No clue": IT'S ALL GREEK TO ME.

42. Facebook nudge: POKE.

43. Texting nicety: THX - YW seems to be the apt reply

44. Finalized, with "up": FIRMED - We finally FIRMED up the sale of MIL's house last month

45. Join the cast of: ACT IN - I'll bet all of you know what TV show these ladies joined to ACT IN after the previous one moved on

47. Propaganda tactics: BIG LIES - It's been done for centuries 

48. It's usually stuffed on planes: STORAGE BIN 

52. Suspicious of: ONTO.

53. Garden support: TOMATO CAGE - It's hard to see the CAGES that are holding up my wife's lush TOMATO and cucumber plants. Daughter, niece and nephew are harvesting from her bounty!

54. Storm preceder, at times: CALM.

55. "I kissed thee __ I killed thee": Othello: ERE - In English and in, uh, English

56. Govt. savings vehicles discontinued in 1980: E BONDS - Initially offered in 1941 to finance WWII. They became known as "War Bonds"

57. "Red Balloon" painter: KLEE - As it hangs in the Guggenheim 

Down:

1. Hand warmer only used outdoors: CAMP FIRE.

2. Little crack: ONE LINER - The King!

4. Settles softly: NESTLES - So many to choose from online ("from which to choose" for the grammar police 😏)

5. Managed to get by: COPED.

6. German title: HERR.

7. Forest's Oscar role: IDI - A Scottish doctor on a medical mission becomes entangled with this brutal dictator who declared himself to be the title of this movie

8. Drive: VIM.

9. Acid Rain Program org.: EPA.

10. Have a pouty face: SULK.

11. Carousel location: ARRIVAL TERMINAL - Michael Richards hurt himself sliding onto this carousel but finished this Seinfeld scene

12. Seeker of turkeys in alleys?: KEGLER - When a KEGLER (bowler)  gets three strikes in a row 

13. Eponymous jumps: AXELS - Named after its Norwegian creator AXEL Paulsen

16. Gonna: SURE TO.

20. Hanoi holiday: TET.

23. Hobbyist's organizer: TOOL BOX - I'd call this a deluxe model

24. Fingers: RATS ON.

25. __ deck: UPPER - In the UPPER deck at Yankee stadium you are 7 stories up and about 180' from home plate

28. Scabbard: SHEATH.

29. Dad bud, often: SON.

31. Tourist attraction: SIGHT - Old Yankee Stadium was on my bucket list as a SIGHT to see that I checked off

33. Badger or hound: NAG - Yeah right, I was the only one who put DOG first

35. "Punch buggy" in a car trip game: VW BEETLE - We called it "slug bug" and it gave you license to punch a sibling after yelling out "slug bug" upon seeing a VW BEETLE. Hey, we didn't have glowing screens to occupy us!

36. Full of joy: GLADSOME - Makes sense. Use over time:

38. "25 Words or Less" host Meredith: VIEIRA - A play-at-home game published in 1996 and put on the TV in 2018

39. Wells predator: MORLOCK - Here they attack Sheldon in a dream he has while sitting in the prop used in the H.G. Wells movie The Time Machine

40. Who on TV, with "the": DOCTOR - All you wanna know about one of aforementioned Sheldon's favorite TV characters 

41. Turn sharply: ZIG.

42. It holds things together: PASTE - Haute cuisine in Kindergarten 

44. Ticket prices?: FINES.

46. Archibald of the NBA: NATE - NATE is the second from the right standing on this team that split time between the two cities

47. Cowboys' city, familiarly: BIG D - Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews sing this fun song from Most Happy Fella

49. Lump: GOB.

50. Green opening: ECO.

51. Taboo: BAN.

Thanks for the visit, Dr. Ed. Comments?

Saturday, December 14, 2019, Ed Sessa

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Dr. Ed Sessa

Our retired M.D. makes another prescription of fun with this themeless puzzle. Here we see him with a very able and cute assistant.

If the good doctor carries a remedy for impatience, he could give me a scrip (see lightning bolt below on grid). When I saw - A _ D A, I filled in one crossword staple - AIDA, instead of another one - ALDA, without reading the clue or wondering about any place name MAITA. 

So I'll take dose of humility while lauding Ed's always pleasing construction and try to move on with my life with one bad cell.

No Blue Cross/Shield card required as we x-ray Dr. Ed's work:

Across:

1. Ring in one's ears?: CROP CIRCLE - Wow! Make room for this in my clue hall of fame. It turns out the rings are CROP CIRCLES and the ears are on cornstalks, not the sides of our heads!

11. Common dressage gait: TROT - A debate on this practice

15. It may offer dining options and a spa: RESORT AREA.

16. Tanning target: HIDE - Mom threatened to tan ours but never laid a hand on us

17. Imperfections affecting diamond clarity: INCLUSIONS.

18. '60s pop singer Sands: EVIE - All about Evie (Hey, you had to see that coming!)

19. Called to the shepherd: BAAED - Awww... 

20. Trial for a would-be atty.?: LSAT - A sample question from the Law School Admissions Test (Choose an answer and then click on Submit to get a detailed analysis)

21. One told to leave, maybe: PEST 

22. Camera choices: SLRS - I loved my Single Lens Reflex cameras but the iPhone is always with me so...

23. No longer is: WAS -My 24. Round number?: GIRTH WAS much larger two months ago than it IS now

25. Trig function: COTAN - If you really wonder what a COTANGENT is

27. Pickett's Charge charger: REB - Despite Longstreet's objections, Lee ordered  his REBS to attack across open ground against the strong Union position on Cemetery Ridge and many died

28. High in an irritating way: SHRILL - Gilbert Gotfried's SHRILL voice and real voice

32. Weak-kneed: TIMOROUS - An upscale adjective for TIMID

36. Sign that may have a dog silhouette on it: KEEP OFF THE GRASS - Oh...

38. "I hear ya": YEAH YEAH - That's why I had to put up the dog sign

39. Child's milestone: AGE TEN - You're a  big deal when you hit double figures

40. Future flounder: ROE - Fish eggs, of course

41. Mulligan, e.g.: RETRY - Uh, you can take a mulligan, Gary. Mulligan derivation

43. Fix: AMEND.

45. "__ little faster, please": GO A - Not the state of GOA in SW India today

46. Retinal cells: RODS - Sensors that see black and white while cones see colors 

50. Thorn in one's side: BANE - Some thought that Stella's puzzle last Saturday was this


51. Hawaiian staple: TARO - TARO root being pounded into poi with a basalt lava pestle 

53. Word from the Hebrew for "teaching": TORAH.

54. "Scientific American Frontiers" host: ALDA 

55. Tippling point?: ONE TOO MANY - AA tells it members that ONE is TOO MANY

57. Each cha in cha-cha-cha: STEP - 1, 2, CHA, CHA, CHA

58. Bad taste: INELEGANCE.

59. Lawman who was also a boxing referee: EARP - Wyatt lived in Pella, IA from 2 - 14-yrs-old

60. Green Hornet's great-uncle: LONE RANGER - Fun new info for me about Fran Striker who created both characters. The Lone Ranger's "real" name was John Reid and then later Fran invented a character who was a descendant - Britt Reid - who assumed the identity of The Green Hornet in more modern times.


Down:

1. Cheats, in a way: CRIBS - The use of CRIB meaning "to pilfer" dates to 1740. I remember cheat sheets being called CRIB sheets in my day

2. Nephric: RENAL - I know nephritis is a kidney disorder and RENAL is an adjective for kidney issues so...

3. Jazz pianist Peterson: OSCAR - Info on this Canadian Jazz artist

4. Flag bearers: POLES - A POLE carrying a POLE with the POLISH flag in the 2018 Olympic parade

5. Guck: CRUD  

6. "__ not my call": IT'S.

7. Upbraid: RAIL AT.

8. Start of a pedestrian caution: CROSS AT THE GREEN - I take issue with Dr. Sessa's preposition here. CROSS AT THE LIGHT maybe...

9. Dunham of "Girls": LENA - I've never seen her work but she is a veteran apologizer

10. __ Coast: EAST.

11. NYC landmark overlooking Central Park: THE PIERRE.

12. Inland navigator: RIVERBOAT.

13. Penner of praiseful poetry: ODIST.

14. Muscle: TEETH putting real TEETH in anti-texting/driving laws might decrease the 30. Tailgating danger: REAR ENDER this driver poses

23. Tom who coined "radical chic": WOLFE.

24. Like a drunken sailor, in more ways than one?: GROGGY - Gotta love those sailors who are GROGGY from drinking too much GROG

25. Laid it on thick: CLOYED - TV's best example

26. Med. research agency: NIH - National Institute of Health in Bethesda, MD

28. Overhead expanse: SKY.

29. Half a bray: HEE - HAW. 

31. Cell download, perhaps: IPHONE APP - My golf IPHONE APP

33. Ben Stiller's mom: MEARA - Ann MEARA and Jerry Stiller. Our Hawaiian blogger Chef Wendy lives a stone's throw from Ben on Kauai 

34. Purpose: USE - The Swiss Army site says this baby has 32 USES

35. Return ID: SSN.

37. Wide partner: FAR.

42. Emulate Galway: TOOTLE - Virtuoso flute player Sir James Galway is a first-rate TOOTLER

43. Denigrate: ABASE.

44. 122-square-mile republic: MALTA - A better and more methodical solver than yours truly would have seen MALTA to correct his single error of AIDA/ALDA

46. __ candle: ROMAN.

47. Bornean beast: ORANG - Breakfast with the ORANGATANS is an option in the Singapore Zoo. Is any animal's name mispronounced more often?

48. Hustle, say: DANCE - From Latin to Disco dancing. What? You don't remember how?

49. More 32-Across: SHYER - Shier works too

51. Considerable effort: TOIL.

52. Word on some headstones: ANNO - On buildings too. Can you compute the year "In The Year Of Our Lord" below to Arabic numbers?

53. Costume in some Shakespeare plays: TOGA - "What a deformed thief this fashion is."  (Borachio to Conrad. Much Ado About Nothing, act 3, sc.3, l.126-9.)

56. Key preposition: O'ER - Aha, Dr., you didn't fool me on Francis Scott Key's line about looking "OER the ramparts"

Dr. Ed seems to have provided a lovely remedy for the tough pill some felt had we had to swallow last Saturday 

Monday November 25, 2019 Ed Sessa

Theme: BEHIND TIME (59A. Later than expected ... and where the ends of the answers to starred clues may be found) - Time can precede the last word of each theme entry.

17A. *Soccer ref's formal warning: YELLOW CARD. Time card.

27A. *Letter box access: MAIL SLOT. Time slot.

45A. *Area where cellphones don't work: DEAD ZONE. Time zone.

11D. *Sneak into the shot: PHOTO BOMB. Time bomb.

35D. *iPad's giant ancestor: MAIN FRAME. Time frame.

Good morning everyone. Vikings did not play, Gophers did okay, I went back to a 16 pound bowling ball, That's all I have to say.

Across:

1. Pole on the Pequod: MAST.

5. Conclude from evidence: INFER.

10. Auto loan figs.: APRS.  Between Mars and Mays.

14. Smoothie berry: ACAI.

15. Land, in France: TERRE. Add Haute and you may land in Indiana.

16. Talk over tea: CHAT.

19. Like wet mud pies: OOZY.

20. Bullring bravo: OLE. Lena's husband and Sven's buddy.

21. Like dried-out mud pies: CAKY.  If this is a word, it is ICKY.

22. Cerebral __: brain layer: CORTEX.  I did not know the brain had layers.  Did the scarecrow need a cortex??  Does the Great and Powerful Wizard have a cortex in the Castle of Oz?

24. Name of many pharaohs: RAMSES. Oh, I thought it was the names of NFL L.A. Football players.

26. Singer Mars: BRUNO.  When I was a kid, we had a German Shorthair named Bruno. Long story.  My dad took me pheasant hunting with Bruno. The crazy dog would scare up birds 100 yards away in the cornfield out of range of our shotguns.  Dad was not too happy.

30. Emeril catchword: BAM. Add another BAM and you have Pebbles Flintstone's friend.

33. Like XLII, numeral-wise: ROMAN. Forty Two!  How do you do?

36. Elevator innovator: OTIS.  We had one of these at the first Graybar warehouse that I worked at.  We would load it up with Chance hardware and it went right to the basement. Sometimes stopped a little below floor level.

37. Classic theater name: ROXY.  Moxy, Floxxy and Cottontail .

38. Eurasian border range: URAL. There are a lot of mountains. Mostly in Russia.

39. Fiber sources: BRANS.  Raisin Bran, All Bran,-- I prefer Wheat Chex.

40. Four-leaf clover, to some: OMEN.

41. Astronaut Armstrong: NEIL.  "We come in peace for all mankind".

42. Apartment payment: RENT.  Musical on Broadway.

43. "In Xanadu did __ Khan ... ": Coleridge: KUBLA.

44. Weigh station unit: TON.  No really it's only 16 pounds.  Feels like a ton.

47. Weighty exam: FINAL.

49. Montblanc topper: PEN CAP.  I only use retractibles

53. Prohibited: FORBAD.  I suppose FORBADE did not fit in the grid.

55. Biblical "you": THEE.

57. Rose of rock music: AXL.  Does he want to buy a vowel?

58. "Sorry to say ... ": ALAS.  ALAS THEE CAME and went to RENT.

62. Opposite of went: CAME.

63. Bay window: ORIEL.  My sis has a bay window in her San Francisco home. I never knew it was  called an ORIEL.   

64. Many an Omani: ARAB.

65. Like two, not one: EVEN.  Your score if you make all pars.

66. Simultaneous equation variables: X AND Y.  I never was much good at algebra.

67. No longer here: GONE.  But not forgotten, Oh my darlin' Clementine.

Down:

1. Big city big shot: MAYOR.  Running for president, I thought it was Pete's first name.

2. Amtrak express train: ACELA.

3. Witch trial town: SALEM.  "You can take SALEM out of the country but ??? you cannot take the country out of Salem".  Did you notice how all the cigarette ads have been replaced by new Medicare plans?  Ask your doctor if CAMELs are right for you. 

4. Shop __ you drop: TIL. "There were bells, on a hill, but I never heard them ringing - 'Til there was you"  Professor Harold Hill's on hand and River City Gonna have a boys band.

5. Formal words of confession: IT WAS I.  No, it was you!

6. Hickey spot: NECK.  "How in the heck can I wash my neck, if it ain't gonna rain no more."

7. Start to unravel: FRAY.

8. Slip up: ERR.  I think MLB calls it an ERROR.

9. Disaster relief organization: RED CROSS.  This time of year we all get requests for help.  I think the Red Cross is a solid organization.

10. Seed that grows squirrels?: ACORN.  I think it grows OAKS.  Boy do they ever make a mess on sidewalks this time of year.

12. Level with a wrecking ball: RAZE.  Wrecking balls are seldom used in Minnesota.  You would not believe the townhomes, apartment buildings, and multi business warehouses going up in the open spaces. No wrecking ball needed to clear space.

13. River of Hades: STYX.

18. Neptune's realm: OCEAN.  OCEAN'S 11 - Clooney and Pitt a tricky pair.

23. Part of KO: OUT.  Also the result for Twins vs. Yankees. And the Yankees didn't even have "Yankee Hankys"

25. Petite: SMALL.  Been pretty close to XL all my life.  I think C.C. is a small.

26. Cheesy pancake, perhaps: BLINTZ.

28. Cosmetics giant: L'OREAL. Some of the plush stores in our malls have cosmetic counters and ladies who ask you to try some cosmetic spray.  Then you find out it's $135 per ounce.

29. Lamp support: STAND.

31. Ice skating feat: AXEL.  I think I mentioned when I was a kid and we had an "Axel and his Dog" treehouse show every afternoon.  He would show "Our Gang" and "Laurel and Hardy" reruns.  I miss that guy,

32. Mimicking bird: MYNA.

33. Littlest of the litter: RUNT.

34. Snack sometimes eaten from the inside out: OREO.  Good old black and white cookie.  A crossword favorite.

37. City where Joan of Arc died: ROUEN.

39. Loaf holder: BREADBOX.  Remember some of those old quiz shows where a staple question was "Is it bigger than a breadbox?{

43. Weak- or knock- follower: KNEED.

45. Crime scene sample: DNA.  Do Not Ask!

46. In full view: OPENLY.

48. "Peer Gynt" dramatist: IBSEN.

50. Egypt's capital: CAIRO.

51. Guy felling trees: AX MAN.  We have an interesting chain of stores here in the Twin Cities called "The Ax Man."  They buy large lots of overstock from other businesses, display it like my garage floor, and sell it cheap.  I stop in and look now and then, but I don't buy much.  I already have a  lot of stuff in my home.  I wonder if the Ax Man might be interested.

52. Annapolis frosh: PLEBE.  This is not derogatory.  Some of them might grow up to be Admirals.

53. Clock front: FACE.  Point it at the stereo so it can face the music.

54. Norse king: OLAV.  I believe there were five of them.

55. Girl Scouts' __ Mints: THIN. I think these were the most popular. A year ago I asked for sugar free cookies and I was sold "Gluten Free".

56. Hurried, old-style: HIED.

60. Historical period: ERA.  Could be an "Earned Run Average"

61. Kids' game with a safe area: TAG.  You're it.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

1) Here is a nice article about Boomer at Benilde-St. Margaret's, where Boomer helps coaching the kids every year. Thank you, John Sabol, Max Johnson, the bowling team and Benilde-St. Margaret's Marketing & Communications team. You all made this season special for Boomer.

2) Happy Birthday to our talented and adventurous Picard!