Saturday, May 29, 2021, Freddie Cheng

 Saturday Themeless by Freddie Cheng

 

 

Today Freddie Cheng joins our Saturday themeless parade and, as you will see in his comments, it may be a while  until we see another one. This was a real workout for me following my usual Saturday pattern of establishing a base camp and working from there. Nicely done, Freddie!

Hi Gary!

I’m originally from the UK, with a background in electrical engineering with a PhD in telecoms. Have been working in finance in NYC, where I have lived for the last few decades. 

This is only my second published themeless, and my first attempt at a 66-worder. I guess I still have a lot to learn, since I must admit I found the whole construction process to be a real slog!

It's been about two years since I first started this puzzle, so with fresh eyes, I can see that 16A is going to be tough going for most people. Probably a necessary evil at the time though, to enable those nice verticals in that NE corner. I believe the puzzle was seeded with the 7D grid-spanner, as I remember playing around with SCREENED IN PATIO also, to try to get to a flashy enough SE corner.

I see that about half the clues were changed/improved. Luckily my personal favorite [for 35D] made it through intact.

Although I do have another 66-worder slated for publication in a NY Times Saturday, it’ll will probably be a very long time before I’ll attempt another one of these!

Cheers,

Freddie

Across:

1. 153-year-old group that became unisex nationally in 1995: ELKS - A group of ELKS at Gouverneur Elks Lodge No. 2035 in Gouverneur, NY in 2019

5. Core muscles: ABS and 1. Score some political points for: ENDORSE - Katy Perry baring her ABS and ENDORSING Hillary in 2016

8. Get some air: INHALE.

14. Assuring word on a cleaning product label: NON-TOXIC 

16. Fuel-carrying ship: COALER - Tanker sailed on by as the fuel on that cargo ship wasn't liquid. Freddie said he thought this might be tough.

17. "The Sound of Music" song opener: DOE A DEER - Am I the only one who put THE HILLS for "The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Music" which is the first line of the song that actually opens the movie?

18. Stronger-than-steel material: KEVLAR - I think of bullet-proof vests when I hear KEVLAR

19. Like protozoans: ONE CELLED.

21. Prefix with motor: SERVO - New to me. Here a SERVOMOTOR from a hobby shop moves the airplane with feedback from the handheld controller.

22. "Casablanca" café: RICKS - "Of all the gin joints in all the world..."

23. Sushi bar fare: EEL.

25. Cruise stop: PIER - PORT crossing 13. Slips: ERRORS ERRATA looked right

26. Salt sources: SEAS - We watched our neighbors house for a few days and she brought us a gift of chocolates topped with SEA salt. Interesting!

27. Quirks: MANNERISMS 

30. Second sight, say, briefly: ESP 

31. Perfectly executed: DONE TO A TEE - Origin

32. "All peachy!": JUST DANDY.

 33. Targets of some blocking software: ADULT SITES.

35. Adobe file format: PDF - Our agent in Branson, MO sent us this PDF for our "escape from Covid captivity"!

38. Dangerous things to be behind: ENEMY LINES - Thousands of allied paratroopers were dropped behind ENEMY LINES as part of the D-Day invasion. They knew if the invasion failed there would be no rescue

39. Jazzman Saunders: MERL - I'm much more familiar with MERL(E) Haggard

40. Instruction unit: STEP - Gotta love Ikea's visual directions 

41. "Sure!": YEP.

42. Salt's companion: MATEY - I'm thinking Spitzboov and our other sailors at our site would have rarely used this word

43. Drink with a 2021 Peeps variety: PEPSI.

45. 2019 pop biopic: ROCKET MAN - Considered having this Elton John song played at my funeral but...

48. Cowering: IN FEAR.

50. As it happens: REAL TIME - The internet is full of REAL TIME video

51. Cause to lose it: ENRAGE.

52. Like a clean shave: CLOSE CUT - No electric beats my Trac II and Barbasol

53. Seat of Ohio's Montgomery County: DAYTON - Home of our good friend and constructor Mary Lou Guizzo

54. Growth chart nos.: HTS.

55. Sales crew members: REPS.

Down:

2. Canadian coins: LOONIES

A LOON is on the reverse and 
the Queen is on the Obverse

3. Shinbone neighbor: KNEECAP - Shinbone was also the town where this movie bad guy died.

4. IHOP servings: STACKS.

5. Jump on the ice: AXEL - A triple

6. "The Sinner" Golden Globe winner Jessica: BIEL.

7. Insect-resistant home feature: SCREENED-IN-PORCH - Freddie's seed entry. 

8. "Gross!": ICK.

9. Vetoes: NOES - Not NAES

10. Feel sorry for, with "on": HAVE PITY.

11. Apt slogan on merchandise featuring MLB slugger Aaron Judge: ALL RISE - "Here come da Judge"

12. "I need solitude": LEAVE ME 

15. Works with rhyming props?: ODES - Here "props" means respect or credit due to a person or thing. Here are the last lines of perhaps rock and roll's most famous ODE (cue the violins at the end) which I'm sure you know. Listen here.

20. Having teeth: DENTATE - having teeth or pointed conical projections. You're welcome.

24. African currency whose singular form is part of its country's name: LEONES - $1 = 10,230 SLL. This bill would be worth about a nickel. 

27. Pretty much: MOSTLY.

28. Less likely to chillax: ANTSIER - Chillax is a portmanteau of "CHILL out" and "reLAX." Okay, I'll admit my shame at putting TYPE AER first!😟

29. Roentgen cousins: RADS - Radiation units. Google if you must

31. Noted starter?: DULY 

32. Foldable auto convenience: JUMP SEAT - My Dodge pickup had these but grandkids could not use them after they turned 8.

33. Aerial: ANTENNA - When I was heavy into CB radio, the Thunder Stick was the best you could get

34. Cook with batter, usually: DEEP FRY.

35. Loved cheese lovers?: PET MICE - MICE are "cheese lovers" and if they are a PET, I suppose they are loved

36. Visualize: DREAM UP.

37. Bug stoppers: FLY NETS - $46 to get one for Dobbin

38. Glimpsed: ESPIED.

39. Have some impact: MATTER 

42. Two of the Spice Girls: MELS - Here ya go

44. Shakespearean standard-bearer: IAGO.

46. Gael, for one: CELT - Hard "C"

47. Foe of CONTROL on "Get Smart": KAOS.

49. "The Last Jedi" villain: REN - I'm sure he was but in what movie did Kevin Bacon play rebel REN McCormack. *Answer below

*Kevin played REN in Footloose.

Wednesday May 12, 2021 Freddie Cheng

 Theme: Here's That Rainy Day.  And here's today's theme song.

 

Each person in the theme entries notably has the item we need on a rainy day - though, notably, they have it when it's not raining.

19 A. Julie Andrews Oscar-winning role: MARY POPPINS.  A magical English nanny blown in on the East Wind - presumably with the help of her - well, we'll see.

 

26 A. Character who sings "When You Wish Upon a Star": JIMINY CRICKET.  Disney's adaptation of the un-named talking cricket in Carlo Collodi's original story The Adventures of Pinocchio..  In the movie, he is Pinocchio's official conscience.

42 A. Emma Peel's partner on "The Avengers": JOHN STEED.  He has much more to his story than his highly charged association with Mrs. Peel.

So - on to the unifier.  55 A. With "The," Netflix title superhero team ... and a hint to something associated with 19-, 26- and 42-Across: UMBRELLA ACADEMY.  As you have probably gleaned by now, the common characteristic is that each of the theme-noted characters is equipped with an UMBRELLA, with varying degrees of functionality - but always as a fashion accessory.  The UMBRELLA ACADEMY is new to me.  The Netflix series is adapted from a comic book series of the same name, first released in 2007.  You can read more here.

Hi, Gang - JazzBumpa here, hoping to keep your skies clear and your shoes dry.  Let's venture into the weather and see how things go.

Across:

1. Boyfriend: BEAU. A male admirer.

5. Still, briefly: THO.  Truncated "although."

8. Taunt: GIBE. An insult or mocking remark.

12. Chief Norse god: ODIN.

13. Adler in Sherlock Holmes fiction: IRENE.  A former opera singer, and an opponent Holmes admired for her cunning and wit.  Sjho only appears in one story: A Scandal in Bohemia.

15. "I got this, boss": ON IT.

16. __ Khalifa: Dubai structure that's the world's tallest: BURJ.   With a total height of 829.8 m (2,722 ft, just over half a mile) and a roof height (excluding antenna, but including a 244 m spire[2]) of 828 m (2,717 ft), the Burj Khalifa has been the tallest structure and building in the world since its topping out in 2009.  [Wikipedia]

17. Apple throwaways: CORES.  The central part with the seeds.

18. Bout enders, briefly: TKOs.  Technical Knock Outs.  These occur when a referee or court side physician determines that a boxer is incapable of defending himself or has sustained a serious injury; or for some other reason cannot continue.

22. Crimson Tide nickname: BAMA.  Truncated. Alabama.

23. Hightail it, old-style: HIE.  Go quickly.

24. Caps for Highlanders: TAMS.

29. By oneself: SOLELY.  

30. Garden clippers: SHEARS.

32. "Best in Show" actor Willard: FRED. Frederick Charles Willard Jr. (1933 – 2020) was an American actor, comedian, and writer. 

33. Pack animals: MULES.

37. "Shucks!": DRAT.  Dad burn it!

38. Approved, briefly: OK'D.  Gave the OK to.

39. Part ways: SPLIT UP.  

 

 41. Operative: SPY.  More generally, a skilled worker.  I was not aware of this usage.

44. Luminance: SHEEN.  Characteristic of a bright and shiny surface.

47. Towing org.: AAA.  American Automobile Association.

48. Twiggy abodes: NESTS.  Bird homes.

52. Clothing store department: WOMENS.  Along with MENS and CHILDRENS

54. Justice Gorsuch's predecessor: SCALIA.  Antonine [1936-2016] was appointed to the Supreme Court by Reagan in 1986, and was confirmed by a vote of 98-0.

59. Born, in bios: NEE.  Generally used in wedding announcements to refer to the bride's maiden name.

60. Santa's elves' workplace: TOY SHOP.  At the North pole, of course.

61. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" director Anderson: WES.  Wesley Wales Anderson (b.1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their symmetry, eccentricity and distinctive visual and narrative styles.

62. Dog's warning: GRR.  Growl. 

63. Up-and-down rides: SEE-SAWS.

64. Sign at a hot show: SRO.  Standing Room Only.

Down:

1. Hope with jokes: BOB.  Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope KBE (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American stand-up comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer, dancer, athlete and author. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 54 feature films with Hope as star, including a series of seven "Road" musical comedy movies with Bing Crosby as Hope's top-billed partner. [Wikipedia]

2. School URL letters: EDU.  This is the top level domain name for academic institutions in the U.S.

3. Sent by plane: AIR-MAILED.  Transported with at least one leg of the journey by plane.  This typically is quicker and more costly than surface mail.

4. Removed stuck paper from: UNJAMMED.  As from a printer of copier.

5. Prize on the mantel: TROPHY. A decorative object awarded as a prize for victory or success.

6. Like many a rescue: HEROIC.

7. Sale limit, briefly: ONE PER.  One to a customer

8. Prepared to skinny-dip: GOT NAKED.  NAKED - or merely unclothed, like mother EVE?

9. Fountain pen mishaps: INK SMEARS.  Messy

10. eharmony profile part: BIOgraphy.  

11. Sci-fi beings: ETS. Extra-Terrestials - Visitors from another planet.

13. Bone-chilling: ICY.  Brrrr!

14. Sixth sense: Abbr.: ESP.  Exrta-Sensory Perception.  Presumed knowledge or ability without the use of the normal 5 senses.

20. Amtrak track: RAIL. The continuous line of metal bars upon which a train moves.

21. Something to scratch: ITCH.

22. One-named Icelandic singer: BJORK.  Björk Guðmundsdóttir [b 1965] is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, and DJ. 

25. Watch fastener: STRAP.  Keeps it on your wrist.

27. Female folklore deity: NYMPH.  A mythological spirit of nature imagined as a beautiful maiden inhabiting rivers, woods, or other locations.  Not actually deities, they are personifications of nature, and typically toed to a particular location.

28. Put into circulation, as stamps: ISSUE.  

29. Bay Area airport code: SFO.

31. Messy dorm room, say: STY.  By reference to swine.

34. Arm bone: ULNA.  The thinner and longer of the two bones in the human forearm, on the side opposite to the thumb.

35. __ Cuddy, Dean of Medicine on "House": LISA.  Played by Lisa Edelstein.

36. "At Last" singer James: ETTA.  Jamesetta Hawkins, [1938-2012] known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including blues, R&B, soul, rock and roll, jazz and gospel. 

 

 39. Shakespeare's 150+: SONNETS.  Fourteen line poems of various rhyme schemes.  The last is No. 154. Make of it what you will.

The little Love-god lying once asleep,

Laid by his side his heart-inflaming brand,

Whilst many nymphs that vowed chaste life to keep

Came tripping by; but in her maiden hand

The fairest votary took up that fire

Which many legions of true hearts had warmed;

And so the General of hot desire

Was, sleeping, by a virgin hand disarmed.

This brand she quenched in a cool well by,

Which from Love's fire took heat perpetual,

Growing a bath and healthful remedy,

For men diseased; but I, my mistress' thrall,

   Came there for cure and this by that I prove, 

   Love's fire heats water, water cools not love.

40. Ballpoint covers: PENCAPS.  A word you won't encounter every day.   They may prevent 9 D.

42. Boobird's output: JEER.  Rude, mocking remark, generally in a loud voice.

43. Kaput, as a battery: DEAD.  Out of juice, so to speak.

44. Took a cut, in baseball: SWUNG.  With a bat.

45. Baseball dinger: HOMER.  A home run - a batted ball hit beyond the outfield and out of the field of play, in fair territory.

46. Glowing leftover: EMBER.  A small piece of glowing wood or coal in a dying fire.

49. Oodles: SLEWS.  Big bunches.

50. It may set off a beeper: TIMER.  

51. Right to decide: SAY SO.  Just so.

53. Gin fizz flavor: SLOE.  The sloe is an astringent berry fond in English hedge rows.  Sloe gin is made by infusing gin with these berries.  The fizz is made by combining sloe gin with lemon juice, soda water simple syrup and a fruity garnish.

54. Garbage boat: SCOW.  A flat-bottomed boat with scooping sides.

56. Caustic cleanser: LYE.  Sodium hydroxide, and that's the truth!

57. Pack animal: ASS.  An ASS is a donkey.  A MULE [33 A] is the offspring of a male ass and a female horse.

58. "Bingo!": AHA.  Just so!

That wraps up another Wednesday.  Hope yours wasn't rainy.

Cool regards!

JzB

Monday September 9, 2019 Freddie Cheng

Theme: DRESSING DOWNS (14. Severe reprimands, and a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues) - Four different salad dressings are placed in Down slots.

3. *Deadly "game" in "The Deer Hunter": RUSSIAN ROULETTE.

9. *Stallone nickname, with "the": ITALIAN STALLION.

5. *Ones helping with the horses: RANCH HANDS.

31. *Trio after turtle doves: FRENCH HENS.

Boomer here. 

Hello Everyone.  Happy Bowling season!! I had my three month review and a couple of treatments at the VA oncology department. I was told that everything looks fine. The doctor leaked that things were not so fine a year ago but my response to treatments has been really good! Bowling is only average though.  Three game set of 531 last week. 

Boomer, Friday 9/6/2019, VA

 

Across:

1. More certain: SURER.  Add an "IN" in front of that and watch your mailbox for ads.

6. Gp. with moms, dads and educators: PTA.  "The day my Mother socked it to, the Harper Valley PTA".  (Jeanie C. Riley, Dolly Parton, and others)

9. "Thereabouts" suffix: ISH.

12. "Men" or "teeth," grammatically: PLURAL.

14. One of Ringo's set: DRUM.  The choir has a set of bongos in my church.

15. __ kwon do: TAE.

16. Absurd, as a scheme: INSANE.

17. Autodialed annoyance, often at dinnertime: ROBOCALL.  I have heard that Attorneys General from all 50 states are moving to control or eliminate these nasty interruptions.

19. Prof's aides: TAS.  Teaching Assistants - TA DA !!

20. System of rules: CODE.  Winter's coming and if you catch one of these, you may need to get to the drug store and pick up some DayQuil, or NyQuil.

22. Protection for political refugees: ASYLUM.

23. German I: ICH.  "Ich bin ein Berliner"  (JFK - back when I was a kid)

25. Philosophies: Suff.: ISMS.

27. Picky details: NITS.

28. Computer event with a "blue screen of death": CRASH.  Kevin Costner as Crash Davis in "Bull Durham."  It got a couple of screenplay awards but no Oscars.  That's why I never watch the Oscars anymore.

30. Penultimate Greek letter: PSI.  Not the same as PSA. Mine was 0.22 last week.

31. Big Pharma watchdog: Abbr.: FDA. They are not watching too closely.  Drug prices are through the roof.

32. Suggest: HINT AT.

34. Encroach (on): INFRINGE.  I remember one of my sisters used to call her bangs "Fringe".

38. Musical knack: EAR.  You use your EARS to hEAR and get up EARly.

39. Naughty: NOT NICE.

41. Black or Red waters: SEA.  Is the Red Sea really red?

42. Downpour concern: FLOODING. Sad that Dorian devastated the Bahamas and also created havoc on our USA east coast. 

44. Bills with Franklin on them: C NOTES.

46. Good times: UPS.  I thought they delivered packages.

47. Japanese vegetable: UDO.  "No I don't - Yes U DO."

Japanese Udo

49. Infatuated with, with "about": CRAZY.  Patsy Cline always appears in those "Back in the day" CD ads.

50. "__ Land": 2016 Best Picture? Not!: LA LA.  This puzzle was in the LA LA Land Times.

52. Elite English boarding school: ETON.

53. Deadly "2001" computer: HAL.

54. "Brideshead Revisited" novelist Waugh: EVELYN.

56. Laundry: WASH.  Twins will host the Nationals this week.

58. Wall St. takeover: LBO.

61. Exacts revenge: GETS EVEN.  Why folks stay at the craps table too long.

63. Punctuation that Brits call a full stop: PERIOD.

65. Guggenheim display: ART.  Mr. Garfunkel in the "Sounds of Silence".

66. Johns, to Brits: LOOS.

67. "__ can play!": "It's easy!": ANYONE.  I think I have seen this in Casino Ads.

68. Caustic chemical: LYE.

69. Bowler's target: PIN.  Most of the time the target is PINS.  Sometimes we shoot at a single PIN spare though.

70. Emails: SENDS.

Down:

1. Barbecue rod: SPIT. Always thought this was a weird name. How would you like a chicken on your SPIT?

2. Arm bone: ULNA.  "The ulna's connected to the - wrist bones."

4. Big Band __: ERA.  Pitchers with a low one could win a Cy Young award.

6. Expert: PRO.

7. Low-pitched brass instruments: TUBAS.

8. Cookiedom's Famous __: AMOS.  Not as good as Mom's chocolate chip.

10. Henri's "Hi": SALUT.

11. Pilothouse wheels: HELMS.  Famous Senator Jesse from North Carolina.  A little more famous that our Jesse "Ventura" who went from pro wrestling to the Governor's office in Minnesota.

13. Lion constellation: LEO.  We said good by to LEO last month.  Now we are in VIRGO. 

18. Singer Lauper: CYNDI.  "Girls just want to have fun".

21. Slight market slide: DIP.

24. St. Louis hrs.: CST.  Same as Minnesota.

26. Short skirt: MINI.

28. Kitchen master: CHEF.  The guy in charge is the Chief Chef.

29. Iranian currency: RIAL.

33. Paris pronoun: TOI.

35. TV watchdog: FCC.  I wonder what they are supposed to watch.  I see a lot of questionable ads on TV.  Especially Car Insurance.  My question is, "How can EVERY Company save you 15 %?

36. "Wow!": GEEZ.  Gee whiz!

37. "No sweat": EASY.

40. Letter-shaped fastener: T NUT.  C.C. is a bit of a TEA nut.

43. October gemstones: OPALS.  My B-Day is in October.  I have no idea what the other 11 gemstones are.

45. Italian hour: ORA.

48. "We're __ schedule here!": ON A. On a Train, on a plane, on a bus, on a subway ?  Chad Mitchell Trio " The Hip Song"'

50. Permitted by law: LEGAL.

51. Bugs Bunny animator Tex: AVERY.

52. Ballade's last stanza: ENVOI.

55. Website with business reviews: YELP.  Or, when you step on a dog's foot.

57. Rejuvenation site: SPA.

59. "__, James __": BOND.  Goldfinger

60. Poems of praise: ODES.

62. Many millennia: EON.

64. Deli bread: RYE.  I like the dark pumpernickel. Sounds like "Dump Burnikel"  which is why I never ran for any office.

Boomer