Friday July 14th, 2023 Ella Dershowitz

Theme:  Rabbit? What rabbit?

18A. Second on a ticket: RUNNING MATE.

23A. "Bring it in, dude" embrace: BRO HUG.

52A. Overseas correspondent?: PEN PAL.

59A. "Booksmart" or "Dumb and Dumber": BUDDY COMEDY.

And the reveal:

38A. Childhood companion depicted five times in this puzzle, thanks to some Down clues: IMAGINARY FRIEND.

The key to the theme is that when you're solving the down entries which cross the "friend" part of the themer, you ignore the "friend letter" - they're invisible. The actual down entries are all still bona fide crossword vocabulary, but unless you ignore that one letter they don't make sense in the context of the clues.

Hi all, Steve here again pinch-hitting. Once I saw the pattern around the theme starting to emerge I thought it was brilliant. There are fully 23 down clue/answers which need to be manipulated to complete the puzzle and honestly I didn't find one that seemed to be a stretch. It also crossed my mind that it's a clever way to use two-letter fill words which usually are not allowed. Very cunning!

My theme title refers to the 1950's movie starring Jimmy Stewart, but Ella's reveal almost makes a title redundant!

Across

1. Email option that protects privacy: BCC. Ask the kids today and they'll have no idea it stands for "Blind Carbon Copy", let alone have ever heard of carbon paper.

4. Hands down: BY FAR.

9. Syrup source: MAPLE. Not sure about this, surely "Maple Tree"? Maybe I'm being pedantic.

14. "There it is!": AHA!

15. Compact cosmetic: ROUGE. The "G" was my final fill, wasn't sure about the name crossing.

16. Build a new room, say: ADD ON.

17. "Da 5 Bloods" setting, for short: 'NAM.

20. Nutrition regimen: DIET.

22. North America's tallest peak: DENALI. 20,310 feet (or 20,320 depending on when you last looked it up). The mountain was re-measured in 2015 using improved measuring technology.

26. Hushes: SILENCES.

30. Vanity cases: EGOS.

32. Pt. of USNA: NAV. Seems an arbitrary abbreviation for "Navy", simply chopping off the last letter.

33. "Selma" director DuVernay: AVA.

34. "Selma" actor David: OYELOWO. Nice proximity of these two.

37. Small bird with a big voice: WREN.

42. Helgenberger of "CSI": MARG.

43. West Coast sch. whose application process may include an audition: CAL ARTS. A couple of friends of mine went to Cal Arts to study animation. 

44. Break off: END.

45. Cynical start?: CEE. C for Cynic. 

48. Epiphany trio: MAGI.

49. Finishes a gin rummy turn, e.g.: DISCARDS.

56. Aye-aye or dik-dik: ANIMAL. I knew dik-dik, but the other was new to me. I discover it is the world's largest nocturnal primate, and is a long-fingered lemur from Madagascar.

58. Flight board info: GATE.

64. No-frills bed: COT.

65. Slow tempo: LARGO.

66. Future esposa, perhaps: NOVIA. The bride, in Spanish.

67. Roxy Music name: ENO. Brian Eno, the legendary producer, ambient music component and ex glam rocker with Roxy Music. Seems like a good excuse for a music link. Eno is the guy with the long blond hair playing a very rudimentary synth.

68. 12-year-old, e.g.: TWEEN.

69. Ridley of the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy: DAISY.

70. TV room: DEN.

Down:

1. Wedding __: BAND(B). The first of the "invisible" letter down entries. BANDB parses to B AND B by the way, took me a moment to see that.

2. Hindi word for "tea": CHAI(R).

3. Showed up: CAME(O).

4. Exclamation during a polar bear plunge: BRR.

5. "__ had one job!": YOU.

6. Endow: FUND.

7. Moorehead of "Bewitched": AGNES.

8. Restrain: REIN IN.

9. Bullet train technology: MAG-LEV.

10. Server's edge, in tennis: AD(M)IN. 

11. Law enforcement org.: PD(A).

12. __ and behold: LO(T).

13. Dash used in date ranges: EN(E).

19. "The Lion King" lion: NALA.

21. Option in a classic paradoxical dilemma: THE EGG.

24. Wrinkled tangelo: UGLI.

25. Jennifer Egan's "A Visit From the __ Squad": GOON.

27. Web store icon: CAR(E)T.

28. 12/24 and 12/31: EVE(N)S.

29. __ Antonio: SAN(D).

31. Budget carrier HQ'd in Dallas: SWA. Southwest Airlines. They used to be fun to fly with when I first moved to the USA, now not so much, they've got much more corporate.

34. Muscat resident: OMANI.

35. Fabric measures: YARDS.

36. Tolkien monster: ORC.

37. Twist, as a wet rag: W(I)RING.

38. Cyberchatted with, briefly: IM'ED. Could be an IM, a PM or a DM. 

39. Orange tuber: YAM.

40. __ of luxury: (F)LAP.

41. Number of candles, perhaps: (R)AGE.

45. Big name in cameras: CAN(Y)ON.

46. Actor Bana: ERIC.

47. Astronomer Halley: EDMOND. I knew the ED part, but flip-flopped between EDWARD and EDMUND before the cross rescued me.

50. Batting __: CA(D)GE.

51. South Pacific island group: SAMOA.

53. Finished perfectly: (P)ACED.

54. Musical pitch: (A)TONE.

55. Historic British school: (L)ETON. You'd think it was the only school in the UK if you went by crosswordese. It is quite historic, but the school in the town where I grew up, Winchester College, was founded in 1382, whereas Eton didn't come along until 1440. The King's School in Canterbury was founded in 597, so has both beaten by a good half a millenium.

57. __ Strauss & Co.: LEVI. I'm wearing a pair of Levi 511's today.

59. USN officer: (B)LT.

60. "How cute!": (U)AW. United Auto Workers union in case you're wondering.

61. Do, __, mi: (D)RE.

62. Knock: DIS.

63. "Huzzah!": YAY!

And with a final Huzzah! for finishing the puzzle, here's the grid:

Tuesday, July 4, 2023 Ella Dershowitz

Bye, Bye, Blackbird.  The first word of each them answer are homophones:  Buy / Bye / Bi / By / and Bai.

17-Across. Purposely cause a delay: BUY SOME TIME.

24-Across. Dismissive send-off that originated in an Ice Cube film: BYE, FELICIA.

38-Across. Annual celebration involving a pink, purple, and blue flag: BI VISIBILITY DAY.  September 23 is Bi Visibility Day.  It is a day to recognize and celebrate the bisexual community.

48-Across. Generally speaking: BY AND LARGE.

60-Across. Drink with São Paulo Strawberry and Burundi Blueberry flavors: BAI LEMONADE.  And a shout-out to our dear friend, Lemonade who used to provide commentary on Fridays.

What else do we have on this Fourth of July?

Across:

1. Many a maid of honor: SISTER.

7. Engrave: ETCH.

11. "Saving Lives, Protecting People" govt. org.: CDC.  The official name is Center for Disease Control and Prevention, but the "P" is dropped in its abbreviation.  We all heard a lot about the CDC in the past couple of years.  It is the national public health agency and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

14. Taco kit brand: ORTEGA.

15. "Beat it!": SHOO!

16. Small inlet: RIA.

19. Seer's claim: ESP.  As in ExtraSensory Perception.

20. Portion out: ALLOT.

21. Not superficial: DEEP.

22. Tingling feeling caused by whispery videos: Abbr.: ASMR.  Short for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.  Hand up if you knew what this meant.

23. "Do-Re-Mi" critter: DEER.  You know I had to include this song.

26. 401(k) kin: IRA.

28. Valleys: DALES.  Hi, Lucina!

29. Tankard beer: ALE.

32. Flee to wed: ELOPE.

36. On edge: TENSE.

41. Mold-to-be: SPORE.

42. Food flavoring: SPICE.

43. Fútbol fan's cry: ¡OLÉ!  Today's Spanish lesson.

44. High tea snack: SCONE.  Yummers!  They are tasty and easy to make.

46. Indoor rower, familiarly: ERG.  Hand up if you knew this.

52. Bike storage aid: RACK.

56. Tunneling insects: ANTS.

57. Ballet bend: PLIÉ.

58. Indian lute: SITAR.  Ravi Shankar (April 7, 1920 ~ Dec. 11, 2012) is probably the most well-known sitar player to many Westerners.

59. Bill Nye's subj.: SCI.  William Sanford Nye (b. Nov. 27, 1955) bills himself as Bill Nye the Science Guy.  [Name # 1.]

62. Minister's title: Abbr.: REV.  As in Reverend.

63. "Understood": I SEE.  //  Not to be confused with 40-Down. Cold drink brand: ICEE.

64. Spider-Man player Garfield: ANDREW.  Andrew Russell Garfield (b. Aug. 20, 1983) has portrayed Spider-Man in several of the movies. [Name # 2.]

65. "__ we good?": ARE.

66. Name said twice in an introduction: BOND.  [Name # 3.]

67. Fool's gold: PYRITE.

Down:

1. "The worst!": SO BAD.

2. Triumphant cry: I RULE!

3. Fashionista's focus: STYLE.

4. "Fun Home" composer Jeanine: TESORI.  Jeanine Tesori (b. Nov. 10, 1961) is best known for her work in theater.  She has written several Tony-nominated scores for Broadway, which in addition to Fun Home, include,  Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center; Caroline, or Change; and Shrek the Musical.  Hand up if you knew this composer.  [Name # 4.]

5. "Grand slam" awards acronym: EGOT.  As in the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.

6. Aries animal: RAM.

7. First name in the perfume aisle: ESTÉE.  Estée Lauder (née Josephine Esther Mentzer) co-founded the eponymous cosmetics company with her husband.  Although the company does have a perfume line, the company is probably best known for its make-up.  In the 1980's, actor Ted Danson was the spokesperson for Aramis, a men's cologne by Estée Lauder.  [Name # 5.]

8. Many an "Ocean's Eleven" character: THIEF.  Ocean's Eleven was a 1960 movie about a series of heists in Las Vegas.  It was remade in 2001, which starred George Clooney as Danny Ocean.

9. Provided for free: COMPED.

10. Weeder's tool: HOE.  It has been so hot in Louisiana, that portions of I-10 have been closed due to buckling of the road.

11. Orchestral climax: CRESCENDO.

12. "Please pack your knives and go," for one: DISMISSAL.

13. "It's a Wonderful Life" director Frank: CAPRA.  Frank Capra (né Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 ~ 1991) was an Italian-born American film director.  His primary work was in the 1930s and 1940s. [Name # 6.]

18. Ice cream maker Joseph: EDY.  Everything you wanted to know about Edy's ice cream, but didn't know to ask.  [Name # 7.]

22. Dance company founder Alvin: AILEY.  Alvin Ailey (b. Jan. 5, 1931 ~ Dec. 1, 1989) was an African-American dancer and choreographer.  He created the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) as havens for nurturing Black artists.  [Name # 8.]

24. Indonesian island in the Coral Triangle: BALI.  The Coral Triangle is a rich ecoregion that contains over 500 species of reef-building corals.

25. Former's counterpart: LATTER.

27. Email again: RESEND.

29. Core muscles: ABs.  As in the Abdominal muscles.

30. Performer who pretends to sing: LIP-SYNCER.

31. Stirring strong emotions: EVOCATIVE.

33. Delivery room docs: OBs.  As in Obstetrician.  Obstetrics is the field of medicine that involves care during pregnancy, childbirth and immediately after delivery.  It differs from gynecology in that the latter (25-Down) focuses on all women's health care issues.

34. Small fruit seed: PIP.

35. Yale alum: ELI.

37. Pupil locale: EYE.

39. Flat __: hair tools: IRONS.  I don't think women use this method anymore to straighten their hair.

45. Texas city on Mountain Time: EL PASO.  A brief history of El Paso.

47. Gay dating app: GRINDR.

48. Iraqi port: BASRA.  The city has a long and rich history.

49. Otherworldly: ALIEN.

50. Agitated: RILED.

51. "__ whiz!": GEE.

53. Game company with a "Fuji" logo: ATARI.  A brief history of the logo.  Pong was one of Atari's first games.  Can you believe that it was released more than 50 years ago!!!

54. Coast Guard Academy student: CADET.

55. Mardi Gras parade-organizing group: KREWE.  A brief history of the origin Mardi Gras traditions in New Orleans.  Apparently, the word Krewe first appeared in 1857.

58. Walkman maker: SONY.  I had a walkman.  It was state-of-the-art for music listening at the time.

60. Marathoner's wear: BIB.

61. AllTrails download: MAP.  AllTrails is a fitness and travel mobile app.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

 

Friday, April 7, 2023, Ella Dershowitz

Theme:

Ooo, baby baby

Puzzling thoughts:

Take a moment to listen to this great oldie from Smokey Robinson and the Miracles ... in the second and third stanza, the lyrics read:

Mistakes, I know I've made a few
But I'm only human
You've made mistakes too, I'm crying . . .
Ooo, baby baby
Ooo, baby baby
I'm just about at the end of my rope
But I can't stop trying, I can't give up hope

That was kind of how today's puzzle hit me. Mistakes? I made MORE than a few ... but yes, I am only human ... did you make mistakes, too??

Crying? There's no crying @ the Crossword Corner!

I WAS just about at the end of my rope ... but I never stopped trying, nor gave up hope ...

"So when did you get the 'AHA' Moe-ment on this puzzle, Chairman?" [you might ask]

After I looked more closely at the circles ... ARRGGHH. Circles. But without the circles, would YOU have figured out the reveal?

55-across. Tiny units of progress depicted four times in this puzzle?: BABY STEPS.

Let's examine the grid first, and then crawl around in the 15x15 square "play pen" of words and circles ...

One BABY STEP at a time will solve this ...

Step #1: 23-across. Fritterlike side with fried catfish: HUSH PUPPY

But, but, but Moe, the entry for 23-across is only five letters? HUSH P is all that I see. Well, if you have circles in your grid, take a couple of BABY STEPS above and to the right, and the PUPPY crawls onto your lap

Step #2: 27. "La La Land" Oscar nominee: RYAN GOSLING. Again, follow the circled letters which take BABY STEPS up and to the right of RYAN G, and the GOSLING waddles into view

Step #3: 45-across. Blue Apron offering: MEAL KIT. The smallest of BABY STEPS belongs to the KIT, as it takes just two circled squares to complete its birth (that foxy lady)

Step #4: 54-across. Roomba target: DUST BUNNY. Easter Sunday is just a couple days away, so what better BABY to greet us than the BUNNY, which hops along four circled squares on its trail

Four "BABIES" (a PUPPY, a GOSLING, a KIT, and a BUNNY), all taking little STEPS to form their names. Out-effin-standing, Ms. Dershowitz!

Across:
1. Home of the College World Series: OMAHA. A CSO to our Saturday blogger, Husker Gary

6. Many Chrome runners: PCS. [according to Microsoft dot com] "... Microsoft Edge is more secure than Google Chrome for your business on Windows. It has powerful, built-in defenses against phishing and malware and natively supports hardware isolation on Windows—there's no additional software required to achieve this secure baseline"
[according to Google] "With Google apps like Gmail, Google Pay, and Google Assistant, Chrome can help you stay productive and get more out of your browser"

9. Dog breed of Tokyo's Hachiko statues: AKITA. [wikipedia dot com says]: "A statue of the AKITA dog Hachikō, remembered for his unwavering loyalty to his deceased owner, is installed outside Tokyo's Shibuya Station, in Japan"

14. Cars sold at auction: REPOS. And the guys who bring them there, perhaps? 1984 original trailer

15. Barrel wood: OAK. Ella must love this word; she used it recently, in 62-down with a different clue - which I explained in depth to Wilbur Charles

16. Western Wyoming county: TETON. Grand TETON National Park is on my bucket list of National Parks to visit

17. Giddy: SLAP HAPPY. Moe-ku:

Snow White felt depressed;
But can get giddy when she
Starts to SLAP HAPPY

19. Urban Dictionary content: SLANG. This. They always have a SLANG du jour on their website

20. "Big __" Delaney: "Sons of Anarchy" character: OTTO. Learing MOE-ment: [fandom dot com] "“Big Otto” Delaney was a member of SAMCRO of the FX original series Sons of Anarchy. Played by American actor and show creator Kurt Sutter, Otto makes his debut on the episode "Giving Back" in the series' first season"

21. Common toothbrush holder: CUP. I hang mine on the wall on its recharging base ... I use a Braun (now known as Oral B) electric toothbrush

22. Pop music's __ Vanilli: MILLI. This could also be clued: "Start for 'meter' or 'second'"

25. Emblems: LOGOS. The one that I saw on my business card for 2-1/2 decades

26. "Ditto": ME, TOO. Last Friday's puzzle had ME, FOUR

28. __ milk: OAT. SOY also fits

29. Recruit with arm-twisting: ROPE IN.

31. Butter used in saag paneer: GHEE. Do I need to clarify this for you?

35. Haggler's concern: PRICE. "Never pay retail"

37. Cupcake: HON. Not sure how this one got by Patti ... perhaps because Ella identifies as a she/her? HON seems a bit non-PC ... too bad this wasn't a four-letter entry ... could've used BABE for this puzzle, no??!! ;^)

38. Past potentates: TSARS. EMIRS fits, too

39. Qdoba snack: TACO. Qdoba serves these on days other than Tuesday

40. Con artist?: FORGER. The world's most famous FORGER??

42. On: LIT. Interesting clue ... "on" as in something that is LIT up?

43. In the running: VYING.

47. Indiana state flower: PEONY.

48. "Stayin' Alive" genre: DISCO. Bee Gees song

49. Any "Gilmore Girls" episode, now: RERUN.

50. Cartoon still: CEL.

51. Silly fool: TWIT.

57. Mid-pirouette, say: ON TOE. Ballerina position

58. Blue-__: pain relief brand: EMU. Johnny Bench was the spokesman

59. Fine-tune: TWEAK. Something I usually do to this blog several days before it goes live

60. Origin of the street food koshary: EGYPT. Another learning MOE-ment

61. Freelancer's job: GIG. Musician's term, usually

62. Swimming holes: PONDS. I wonder how many kids of the current generation actually go swimming in a POND?

Down:
2. Cheesy diner fare: MELT. A Friday clue, for sure; as in, a cheese MELT

3. Not engaged: APATHETIC. Not "SINGLE" [the word I was looking for]

4. "We're here!": HOP OUT. A BUNNY term?

5. Cigar end: ASH. I know all about this as I always enjoy a cigar with a bit of Scotch, Bourbon, Rum, Gin, Wine, or _____. Many times, a portion of the ASH will fall off unexpectedly ... haven't burned anything yet, but have come close

6. __ shop: POP UP. Many of these appear in October, in advance of (32-down. Time for a costume from a boo-tique?:) HALLOWEEN

7. Photographer Kristin: CAPP. I can relate to this CAPP, but not the other

8. Pie in the __: SKY.

9. Part of an online tag: AT SIGN. As in, @ChairmanMoe, for example (not my Twitter name)

10. Breakfast brand: KELLOGG'S. A 1960's jingle: "K-E Double L! O Double Good! Kellogg's Best to YOU!!!"

11. Emphatic letters, for short: ITALS. A CSO to Ray-O-Sunshine!

12. Singer Braxton: TONI.

13. Filmmaker Lee: ANG. Crossword-ese

18. Allergy season sound: ACHOO. "God bless you!"

22. Complain: MOAN. CARP also fits

24. Feeling yesterday's yoga class, perhaps: SORE. ACHY also fits

25. Full of beans: LYING. And its clecho: (30-down. Full of beans:) PHONY. Good ones

26. Name before Wilson or after Rooney: MARA. Lots of proper names in today's puzzle; go figure ...

27. Corp. shake-up: REORG. 3M never went through a REORG that I can recall ...

28. Go (for): OPT.

33. "Black Panther" villain Killmonger: ERIK. A "Marvel"-ous clue

34. Contractor's fig.: EST. With another clecho (of sorts): (1-down. Guesstimate phrase:) OR SO.

36. Spy mission: COVERT OP. Would another clue for this be: "The highest surface of a blanket?" Think about it for a second or two ... BTW, this is a first time use of this word entry in the major crossword publications ... either as COVERT OP or COVER TOP

38. Cinco menos dos: TRES. And yet, another Friday CSO to Lucinda!!

40. Wolfhard of "Stranger Things": FINN. I don't know this guy. Am I your huckleberry today?!

41. "Revenge" star VanCamp: EMILY. Would ___ Dickinson be too easy?? (44-down. "No doubt about it!":) YOU BET.

46. What many modern plays lack: ACT TWO.

47. Annoying: PESTY. Moe-ku 2:

A basil-laced sauce
That rubs you the wrong way, is
A PESTY pesto

48. Correct coding errors, say: DEBUG. I'll leave this quip for Ray-O-Sunshine! ;^)

49. Ladder part: RUNG. STEP also fits

50. Tank: CAMI. Moe-ku 3:

Military brat
Wore an appropriate top:
A camo CAMI

52. Streaming device: IPAD. KINDLE didn't fit

53. Judgy syllables: TSKS. I hope that none of you used a TSK TSK whilst reading my blog ;^)

54. Generic surname: DOE. John or Jane are their first names

55. "I __ to differ": BEG.

56. Indy brand: STP.

And there you have it! Another successful puzzle and blog! Please add your comments below ...