Tuesday, February 21, 2023 Erica Hsiung Wojcik

Instant Messaging:  I caught the I / M connection early on, but thought the unifier would refer to Instant Messaging.  Still, I'M DOWN with this puzzle, since all the theme clues are in the down position and are two-word phases where the first word begins with I and the second word begins with M.

3-Down. *   "A Matter of Life and Death" heavy metal band: IRON MAIDEN.  [Name adjacent.]

9-Down. *   Ralph Ellison novel about the Black American experience: INVISIBLE MAN.  Invisible Man was first published in 1952.  It was a debut novel for Ralph Ellison (Mar. 1, 1914 ~ Apr. 16, 1994), for which he won the United States National Book Award for Fiction in 1953.  Ellison was the first African-American writer to win this award.  [Name # 1.]

22-Down. *   Fencer seeking revenge in "The Princess Bride": INIGO MONTOYA.  Mandy Patinkin (né Mandel Bruce Patinkin; b. Nov. 30, 1952) portrayed Inigo Montoya in the 1987 movie The Princess Bride.  [Name # 2.]

32-Down. *   Noisy amenity in a motel hallway: ICE MACHINE.  If you're in the market for one, you can learn about someone's list of top 10 commercial ice machines in the below.

And the unifier:

53-Down. "Count me in!," or an apt description of the answers to the starred clues: I'M DOWN!  

Before we go any further, it's Mardi Gras, y'all!  Catch the excitement of the day and party down with this puzzle.

Across:

1. Opera solos: ARIAS.

6. Afrobeat pioneer Fela __: KUTI.   Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (né Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; Oct. 15, 1938 ~ Aug. 2, 1997) was a Nigerian musician and political activist.  He is considered the Father of Afrobeat, which is a combination of West African music with American funk and jazz.  Probably not a Tuesday name.  [Name # 3.]

10. Atlas pages: MAPS.

14. Birdcage feature: PERCH.

15. Part of, as a plan: IN ON.

16. __ vera: ALOE.  This is the Tuesday word.  It has now appeared in the last consecutive Tuesdays.

17. Creamy dip for French fries: AIOLI.  This is a good crossword word due to all the vowels.  Everything you wanted to know about Aioli, but didn't know to ask.

18. Attractive person with gray hair: SILVER FOX.  This probably applies to many of us on the blog, although I added a touch of pink to my hair.

20. Anderson Cooper's channel: CNN.  Anderson Hays Cooper (b. June 3, 1967) is the son of the late Gloria Vanderbilt (Feb.. 20, 1924 ~ June 17, 2019).  His book, Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty, was actually quite good.   [Name #4.]

21. Female sib: SIS.  I have one.

23. Like some restrictions: DIETARY.  If you are going to serve alligator to your guests, you might want to ask if anyone has any dietary restrictions first.

24. Pea soup flavorer: HAM BONE. This answer took me a while to figure out.  It's not kosher.

26. Hit the slopes: SKI.

27. Genesis twin: ESAU.  The two brothers had a disagreement of 37-Down proportions.

28. Many a Farsi speaker: IRANI.  The Farsi, or Persian, alphabet is based on the Arabic script.

31. Singer Simone: NINA.  Nina Simone (née Eunice Kathleen Waymon; Feb. 21, 1933 ~ Apr. 21, 2003) makes occasional guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  [Name # 5.]

35. Hep "Gotcha": I DIG.

37. Scripture-related: BIBLICAL.

39. Perform a simple operation?: ADD.

41. Safe to drink: POTABLE.  //  And 43-Across. Org. that ensures water is 41-Across: EPA.  As in the Environmental Protection Agency.

44. No-win situations?: TIE GAMES.

46. Medical checkup: EXAM.

48. Singer Del Rey: LANA.  I am not familiar with Lana Del Rey (née Elizabeth Woolridge Grant; b. June 21, 1985).  [Name # 6.]

49. Greek theater: ODEUM.  Today's lesson in Ancient Greek.

51. Scandinavian people: SAMI.  Everything you wanted to know about the Sami people, but didn't know to ask.  [Name adjacent.]

54. "Encanto" songwriter __-Manuel Miranda: LIN.  Encanto is an animated Disney film.   Lin-Manuel Miranda (b. Jan. 16, 1980) is best known for Hamilton. [Name # 7.]

56. Recorder mounted to a windshield: DASH CAM.

58. Dawn on: OCCUR TO.

62. Political org. with a donkey symbol: DNC.  As in the Democratic National Committee.  Enough said.

63. Stashed: HID.

64. "I can be better": SHAME ON ME.

66. __ acid: AMINO.

68. Speech therapy subject: LISP.

69. Average gestation period for a dolphin: YEAR.  Animals with long gestation periods.

70. Button on a library app: RENEW.

71. Vow: OATH.

72. "This might be broken" shorthand: AS IS.

73. No-nonsense: STERN.

Down:

1. People of the southern Great Plains: APACHE.  [Name adjacent.]

2. Spanish queens: REINAs.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Hi, Lucina!  Can you name the top 10 most famous Spanish Queens?

4. Knee part, for short: ACL.  As in the Anterior Cruciate Ligament.  Definitely not a Tuesday clue and answer.  Apparently, it is easily injured.

5. Mint leaf used as a sushi garnish: SHISO.  Hand up if you knew about Shiso.  We eat a lot of sushi, but I am not familiar with this mint leaf.

6. Mouth, slangily: KISSER.

7. Prefix with cycle: UNI-.

8. Ratted (on): TOLD.

10. "Dirty" cocktail: MARTINI.

11. Automaker __ Romeo: ALFA.  Alfa Romeo is an Italian luxury car maker, known for sports-oriented vehicles and car racing.  The company was founded in June 1910 and the name is an acronym for Anonima Lombardi Fabbrica Automobili, which means Lombardian Car Factory.  Romeo was added to the name in 1915 after Nicola Romero (Apr. 28, 1879 ~ Aug. 15, 1938) took control of the company in 1915.  [Name adjacent.]

12. Shoddy: POOR.

13. Erotic: SEXY.

19. Shriek of fear: EEK!

25. Future flower: BUD.

29. Demean: ABASE.

30. Quill tip: NIB.

33. Siesta: NAP.

34. In the style of: À LA.

36. Bitter brew, briefly: IPA.  As in India Pale Ale.

38. Supervillain Luthor: LEX.  The supervillain in the comics.  [Name # 8.]

39. Georgia airport: Abbr.: ATL.  Formally known as the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.  It is named after two former Atlanta mayors: William Berry Hartsfield (Mar. 1, 1890 ~ Feb. 22, 1971) and Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. (1938 ~ 2003).  The former was a six-term mayor and was in office in the  late 1930s to the 1960s.  The latter served three terms in the 1970 and 1990s.  [Name adjacent.]

40. Part of una semana: DIA.  More of today's Spanish lesson.  A day makes up a part of the week.

42. Actor Danson: TED.  Ted Danson (né Edward Bridge Danson, III; b. Dec. 29, 1947) is probably best known for portraying Sam Malone on Cheers, but did you known he was a model before he got into acting?  [Name # 9.]

45. Walk oafishly, like the Jabberwock slayer: GALUMPH.  Jabberwocky is a nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll (né Charles Lutwidge Dodgson; Jan. 27, 1832 ~ Jan. 14, 1898).  You can read it here.

47. Campfire residue: ASH.

50. Calf feeders: UDDERS.

52. Pine Tree State resident: MAINER.  I thought we were called Mainiacs.

55. Burning anger: IRE.  A crossword staple.

57. Surgery marks: SCARS.

58. Norway's capital: OSLO.

59. __ seeds: smoothie choice: CHIA.  Although they are edible seeds, they also make good pets.

60. Assign to a role: CAST.

61. Small bills: ONES.

65. __ tai: cocktail: MAI.  It's a cocktail made of rum, Curçaco, orgeat syrup and lime juice.  Here's one origin story.

67. Came together: MET.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Thursday, July 21, 2022, Erica Hsiung Wojcik, May Huang

 

 

Today's constructors, Erica Hsiung Wojcik and May Huang appear to be making their debut in the LA Times, but they are not new to constructing.  Erica, who is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Skidmore College, recently debuted a Friday puzzle in the New York Times on 4/29/22.  And this is a  brief chat with her that the Times published for the occasion. 

May often collaborates with her husband Kevin and they both run an indie constructor site.  She is a writer and translator, originally from Taiwan and Hong Kong.

And unless I missed something, their theme is pretty simple.  Enclosed within the circles (sorry Anon) in each themer are the reversed names of three shades of the color RED:

17A. Some plant-based patties: SOY BURGERS.  RUBY, as in gem quality corundum.

27A. Little by little: SLOWLY BUT SURELY.  Little by little, in the presence of oxygen iron turns to RUST resulting in Iron Oxide .

46A. Opening for some nostalgic stories: WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE.  As in WINE, or as one of my local DJs likes to call it, "the world's favorite beverage".  Recently I was having one of those "WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE" talks with my precocious 6 year old grandson.  The problem was getting a word in edgewise.  I can't imagine where he got that from.

And here's the reveal:

61A. 2022 Pixar film about a girl who goes through unusual changes, and the change seen inside each set of circles: TURNING RED.  A movie about a little girl with a walking identity crisis:

Here's the grid:
 

Across:

1. Sprouted: GREW.

5. Britcom starring Joanna Lumley, to fans: AB FAB.  Absolutely Fabulous.  This was the only G rated clip I could find (well GP maybe).  Unexpectedly called upon to get something to eat for a friend, Patsy Stone finally brings herself to eat a a crisp (we'd call it a potato chip) ...

Lumley has a long history in British entertainment and is also absolutely fabulous in dramatic roles as well.  Teri and I saw her recently in the 1998 series Coming Home set at the time of WWII, starring opposite Peter O'Toole.

10. Swing set site: YARD. 

14. Five-star: A ONE.

15. Cruz known as the "Queen of Salsa": CELIA.  Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso (21 October 1925 – 16 July 2003), known as Celia Cruz, was a Cuban-American singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during the 1950s as a singer of guarachas, earning the nickname "La Guarachera de Cuba". In the following decades, she became known internationally as the "Queen of Salsa" due to her contributions to Latin music.  Here's her signature Bemba Colorá (lyrics not available):

16. Completed: OVER. If you want this to be OVER see clue 63D.

19. "Star Trek" creator Roddenberry: GENE.  STNG was my favorite series, although I confess that I haven't been able to keep up with the rest of the universe that Roddenberry launched:
 

20. After-school org.: PTA.

21. "The Bachelor" flower: ROSE.  Often RED, but not a themer.

22. Tours of duty: STINTS.

24. Word in many California place names: SAN.  SAINT.  Lección de Español número 1 and a clecho to 28D.  The Spanish missions in California comprise a series of 21 religious outposts or missions established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California.  The oldest cities of California formed around or near Spanish missions, including the four largest: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco.  A few years back, after attending a wedding in California, we were able to visit the missions in San Francisco and San Diego.

Spanish Missions in California

25. Title of honor: SIR.  The English SIR reminded me of the Hindu SRI and according to this blogger they may be related.

26. Highway sign: GAS..

33. Tiny opening: PORE.  PORES can be almost infinitesimally tiny.  A nuclear pore is a part of a large complex of proteins, known as a nuclear pore complex that spans the nuclear envelope, which is the double membrane surrounding the cell nucleus. There are approximately 1,000 nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) in the nuclear envelope of a vertebrate cell.  The entire nuclear pore complex in humans has a diameter of about 120 nms (there are 25,400,000 nms in an inch). The diameter of the actual channel through it is approximately 5.2 nms.  I cannot help but find these cellular components to be astonishing.

The Cell Nucleus

34. Sea cow: MANATEE.  Known for their malodorous sense of humor, Manatees swim thru these waters bi-weekly, so keep your eyes out for one this time next Thursday ...

35. Grilled meat dish: ASADO.  I wanted ASADA, as in Carne Asada (recipe).  But the adjective must agree with the gender of the meat being grilled.  LA CARNE  (e.g. beef) is feminine and its adjective is inflected with an A.  Apparently Erica and May wanted a meat like EL POLLO (chicken (recipe)), which is masculine and its adjective is inflected with an O.  A CSO to Lucina if I haven't gotten this right (and/or you've got some favorite recipes to share!).

37. Legendary pro wrestler Flair: RIC.  RIC FLAIR, né Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career that has spanned almost 50 years.

Ric Flair 1996

38. Get going: START.

42. Made into law: ENACTED.  "Every time we enact a new law, we create a new criminal" - Lao Tzu.

45. Oberlin's state: OHIO.

50. Evil spell: HEX.  From HEXE, the German for WITCH.  My favorite HEXing story, is about a hunter encountering a bewitchingly beautiful young woman in the forest at nightfall.  This scene is depicted in a German poem set to music by  Robert Schumann in his song Waldesgespräch ("Conversation in the Woods").  Here it's sung by baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (lyrics and translation):

51. Dragon boat race need: OAR.  The history of Dragon Boat Races in words and video  ...

Apparently these races are popular not just in China, but all over the world.  When Teri proof-read this review she mentioned that a former employer of hers was a sponsor for the Baltimore Dragon Boat Club.  Check out some of their Past Years Photos.

52. Choose (to): OPT.

53. College donors, often: ALUMNI.

55. Tea brand: TAZO.  I'll let them speak for themselves.

57. Blue-__: pain relief brand: EMU.  What a relief!  A new clue for this flightless foul.

60. Relinquish: CEDE.

64. Felt in one's bones: KNEW.  But how do we know that we know?  Everything you'd want to know about it.

65. Project on stage: EMOTE.  Usually connotes projecting TOO much, as in "chewing the scenery".

66. Breakfast brand: EGGO.  Two gerunds just waiting to happen, sandwiched between two delicious vowels.

67. Cheek: SASS.

68. Match.com matches: DATES.  I was careful not to simply Google match.com and was lucky to hit on this site (poor choice of words?).  It's not free you know, but then nothing in life really is.

69. Interlibrary __: LOAN.

Down:

1. Have a sudden inspiration?: GASP.  I hope this review is still breathing.

2. Jicama, e.g.: ROOT.  Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama, Mexican yam bean, or Mexican turnip, is the name of a native Mexican vine, although the name most commonly refers to the plant's edible tuberous root.   Buying, cooking, recipes.  Hand up from anybody who's eaten it.  I think I've seen it in our local grocery, but didn't know what it was:

Jicama

3. New Age artist who often sings in Irish: ENYA.  Enya Patricia Brennan (born 17 May 1961) is an Irish singer, songwriter and musician, known for pioneering modern Celtic music. Enya is the best-selling Irish solo artist in history, and second-best-selling overall in Ireland behind U2.  Here's her Caribbean Blue (lyrics):

 
4. NAACP co-founder Du Bois: W.E.B.  William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American sociologist, socialist, historian and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relatively tolerant and integrated community, and after completing graduate work at the University of Berlin and Harvard, where he was the first African American to earn a doctorate, he became a professor of history, sociology and economics at Atlanta University.  And a CSO to ACE solver ATLGranny.

W.E.B. Du Bois

5. Radar or sonar: ACRONYM.  RADAR.  SONAR.

6. Is a bad dog by the dinner table, say: BEGS.  Well, dogs do have big noses you know.  We just thought of our Labs as the pre-rinse cycle before loading the plates into the dishwasher.

7. Run for the hills: FLEE.

8. Broadcast: AIR.

9. Guitar player such as Este Haim or Kim Deal, e.g.: BASSIST.  Este is the co-founder of the band Haim.  Here's a 3 minute bass solo (one of the advantages of being a band owner):

Kimberley Ann Deal (born June 10, 1961) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She was bassist and co-vocalist in the alternative rock band Pixies, before forming the Breeders in 1989.  Here she is on bass playing Gigantic with the Pixies:

10. Asana expert: YOGI.  Another CSO to Lucina.

11. Get even for: AVENGE.  But someone may get even for getting even.   Repeated REVENGE was the central theme in the trilogy of Greek plays by Aeschylus called the Oresteia, about murderous actions that took place before and following the Trojan War.

The Murder of Agamemnon
art.com

12. Beach house, maybe: RENTAL. 

13. Not casual: DRESSY.

18. Risk territory that borders Siberia: URAL.  Risk is a strategy board game of diplomacy, conflict and conquest for two to six players. The standard version is played on a board depicting a political map of the world, divided into forty-two territories, which are grouped into six continents.  I recall many a rainy Summer afternoon as a kid trying to take over this world:
 

23. Squares up: TRUES.   I found a lot of possible definitions for this, but as my father was a carpenter I settled on this one.

24. Bothnian Bay country: SWEDEN. The Bothnian Bay is East of Sweden in the northernmost part of the Gulf of Bothnia, which is in turn the northern part of the Baltic Sea.
 

25. Voting rights activist Abrams: STACEY.  Stacey Yvonne Abrams (born December 9, 1973) is an American politician, lawyer, voting rights activist, and author who served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 to 2017.

Stacy Abrams

27. Facial venue: SPA.  According to this site, SPA is the 25th most common fill in crossword puzzles.  The site contains lots of other useful information of possible benefit to our constructors.

28. Word in many California place names: LOS.  The most famous of these of course is LOS ANGELES.   Spanish for THE.  Lección de español número 2, and a clecho to 24A.

29. __ pro nobis: ORA.  PRAY FOR US.  Today's Latin lesson.  A common response to litanies of intercessory prayers.

30. Place to unwind on a train: BAR CAR.

31. Textbook divisions: UNITS.

32. Comeback: RETORT.  Also a device for the distillation of spirits, a RETORT (aka a CONDENSER) is what moonshiners call a 'STILL.

36. Vidalia bulb: ONION.  Chopping Vidalia onions is a cheerful not a tearful experience.  By US law these sweet onions are grown only in the State of Georgia.  Another CSO to ATLGranny.

39. "I've got it!": AHA.

40. Contraption: RIG.  For example, a RETORT (see 32D).

41. Low digit: TOE.

43. Expected: AWAITED.

44. Ripsnorters: DOOZIES.   A real humdinger of a clue.

46. Sharp blows: WHACKS.

47. Capital near the Great Divide: HELENA.  Helena, Montana was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would become a wealthy city, with approximately 50 millionaires inhabiting the area by 1888. The concentration of wealth contributed to the city's prominent, elaborate Victorian architecture as well as this Gothic Revival cathedral on the National Registry of Historic Places:

Cathedral of St Helena

48. Oozes with: EXUDES.

49. Atop: UPON.

54. Kitten's cries: MEWS.   Mews is also a British word for a row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses with living quarters above them, built behind large city houses before motor vehicles replaced horses in the early twentieth century. 

Horsbury Mews
Notting Hill, UK

55. Jogging pace: TROT.

56. Poker stake: ANTE.

57. "By that logic ... ": ERGO.  A Latin word made famous by philosopher and mathematician René Descartes.

58. Ginormous: MEGA.  Or GIGA.

59. Shabu-shabu noodle, often: UDON. Everything you'd want to know about UDON noodles.  You can use them in Shabu Shabu, which is a popular Japanese-style hot pot where the meat and assorted vegetables are cooked in a flavorful broth called kombu dashi. Everyone at the table takes part in the communal cooking and enjoys the ingredients with different dipping sauces.  Here's a recipe (video and text).

Shabu-shabu

62. Actress Thurman: UMA.  Move on.  Nothing to see here. 

63. Come together: GEL.  Well, it looks like this review has finally GELLED!

And thanks as always to Teri for proof reading and her constructive suggestions.

waseeley

Cheers,
Bill

Erica Hsiung Wojcik and May Huang, you are both invited to post anything you'd like to share about this puzzle, its evolution, the theme, or whatever, in the Comments section below.  We'd love to hear from you.