Friday, Jun 7, 2019 Bruce Haight

Process S

18. Paul Bunyan resting his eyes?: SLUMBER JACK.   Lumberjack

28. What a boring sermon might precipitate?: SLEEP OF FAITH.  Leap of faith.

48. Like lectures after a big meal?: SNOOZE WORTHY.  Newsworthy.

62. Unexpectedly mild storm?: SNORE EASTER.   Nor'easter.

Bruce's punny play today should subconsciously induce you to get some more rest as he leads common words and phrases with an S,  and changes spelling as needed.  Click on Process S above if you wonder about the theme title.

Across:

1. Leading trio: ABC.  "It's easy as 1,2,3 or simple as do-re-mi, a,b,c,1,2,3, baby you and me, girl."  Name the group.

4. Cheese made from cow's milk: GOUDA.  One of hundreds.

9. Space Invaders platform: ATARI.  Gaming has come along way from the original arcade style single player games like Space Invaders.  I read about colleges and universities offering programs and scholarships in eSports after Husker Gary commented about the college in his city.    Apparently UC Irvine has one of the most noted programs.

14. Swing adviser: PRO.  A golf pro, aka a PGA professional.

15. Come clean: OWN UP.  Fess up, or cop to,  as was in Michael Wiesenberg's Saturday puzzle that Husker Gary blogged.

16. More cold and wet: RAWER.  Weather.

17. Play critic?: REF.   A referee on the field of play, such as in football or soccer.   A nice misdirection.  I wonder if there are eRefs in eSports gaming ?

20. They might be cracked: SAFES.   Safecracker is often yegg in crossword puzzles.

22. Pool tactic: MASSE. 

23. Sushi garnish: ROE.  Fish eggs.

24. Highly season, as eggs: DEVIL.   Is roe ever deviled ?    History.com gives us The Ancient History of Deviled Eggs

26. Head for the hills?: ASCEND.  Climb.

32. Opposite of stiff: TIP.  Loved this one, too.   Even with bad service, I'd leave something on the table.

33. Belgian city in 1917 headlines: YPRES.  Famous WWI battle site.

34. Region bordering Mex.: SO CAL.   Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes.  So Cal is the land of 10,000 quakes.

38. Project Mercury chimp: ENOS.   The USSR had sent Yuri Gagarin into orbit earlier.  The US took a more conservative approach, not wanting to risk a human life.   Enos died less than a year later of unrelated causes.

40. Helpless numbers?: SOLOS.   You are on your own.

42. Ask: POSE.   Query, inquire, question...

43. "Same here": ME TOO.

45. '70s TV talk show: DINAH.   Dinah Shore, of course.

47. Suzuki's Quadracer, for short: ATV.   Didn't know this, but it was easy to figure out.   I read that prior to the introduction of the Quadracer, the sport all terrain vehicle market was dominated by three wheel ATV's.

 Milestone Suzuki models that changed the sport

51. NFLer who was a 2017 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year honoree: JJ WATT.  This guy is a phenomenal athlete on the field for the Houston Texans.   He's also a class act away from the game, using his celebrity for charitable work that has raised millions to help those in need.

54. Cuffed, old-style: SMOTE.  A learning moment.   I did not know that the second definition of cuff was to strike someone with an open hand.

55. Attention: EAR.  Give me your attention for a moment.

56. Drifters: HOBOS.  Sometimes you can find drifters under the boardwalk, down by the sea. Having some fun, people walking above.  Falling in love.

60. Celebrations with nos.: B-DAYS.  Numbers / birthdays

65. Prefix with -bar: ISO.  You'll hear isobar on The Weather Channel frequently as storms roll in.

66. Pronged: TINED.  As in a fork or a rake.

67. "Fingers crossed": I HOPE.  Wish for luck.

68. Case study?: LAW.   A case study is a detailed examination, but if you study cases, you are probably in law school or in the profession.   Sue me for malfeasance if you disagree.

69. "Love Story" author: SEGAL.   Perps.  Saw the movie with Ali McGraw and Ryan O'Neal, but didn't read the book.

70. __ bar: TAPAS.   Have never been.  Will go one day.

71. Part of GPS: Abbr.: SYS.   Global Positioning System.   Owned by the United States.  Operated by the US Air Force.

Down:

1. Financing figs.: APRs.  Annual Percentage Rates.   Truth in lending.

2. Depression Era sight: BREADLINE.   And soup kitchens.  

3. Morning aroma source: COFFEE POT.

4. Spewing dirt?: GOSSIPY.   Like a yenta.

5. Night __: OWL.   Shout out to a number of our regulars !  As they say, if the shoe fits, wear it.  While we're at it, let's have a shout out to the early birds here.    What is your chronotype ?

6. One for the money?: UNUM. E. pluribus unum.   It means "Out of many, one."

7. Russian legislative body: DUMA.  Russian studies are not my bailiwick.  But I gather it is sort of like a combination of the US Congress and the departments of the executive branch.

8. LAPD messages: APBS.    Los Angeles Police Department / All Point Bulletins.

9. Stops: ARRESTS.  Clever wordplay.   For instance, a spark arrestor stops (arrests) potentially flammable exhaust particles (sparks) in outdoor equipment and machines that have combustion engines.  Like on that Suzuki Quadrunner, or on a chainsaw.

10. __ Boston: luxury hotel: TAJ.

11. Clued in: AWARE.

12. Drone job: RECON.  Plenty of drones in the air over the flooded rivers, fields and towns after the record rainfalls in May.  

13. Miffed: IRKED.  Some of the golfers in my league have been miffed that the carts have been limited to cart paths only.  The fairways, especially the low lying areas, have been waterlogged. One nearby private course hasn't opened for play yet.

19. Morales of "Ozark": ESAI.  A fine actor that has gained additional fame in crosswords due to his vowel friendly first name. 

21. "The serpent deceived me" speaker: EVE.  The story can be read in Genesis.

25. Cuts: LOPS.

27. Cut of meat: CHOP.

28. Curtail: STEM.

I love those three in row.  Cuts, Cut and Curtail. Lops, Chop and Stem.  How slick was that ?

29. Tolkien hero: FRODO.  From J.R.R. Tolkein's trilogy.   I read the books.   Never saw the movies.

30. Start of a seasonal Spanish greeting: FELIZ.   Feliz navidad.  Prospero año y felicidad.  Merry Christmas and a prosperous year filled with happiness.  The words from the very popular and enduring Christmas song by José Feliciano.

31. Together: AS ONE.   United.   How about a little Rhapsody in Blue ?



35. Metaphorical influence: COATTAILS.  Early in my career a first line manager told me he was riding the second line's coattails to the top.   It was the first time I'd heard the word used in that sense.

36. According to the proverb: AS THEY SAY.  The answer wasn't apparent by the clue alone, and the perps did the lion's share of the work for me.  As they say, good things come to those who wait.

37. Duty: LEVY.  Tax.

39. Cub slugger: SOSA.  Sammy.   For certain,  a polarizing figure,  but ...

"...Many believe he and Mark McGwire helped put baseball on the map again in a resurgent 1998 season that helped make the strike of 1994/95 an afterthought.  Count me among that group, as well.

He deserves all the credit in the world.  People would show up to Wrigley just to see Sosa run out to the right field bleachers and camera bulbs flashed by the thousands every single time he came up to the plate for the better part of a decade.  Waveland was sometimes so packed with ballhawks that there wouldn't be room to walk."  -  Tony Andracki  nbcsports.com.

41. Cuts: SAWS. Clecho back to 25D.

44. Officially injured, in previous baseball lingo: ON THE DL.  Disabled List.

46. Men of La Mancha: HOMBRES.   Today's Spanish lesson.   La Mancha is a region of Spain. Cervantes wrote his classic novel Don Quixote de La Mancha about a man from La Mancha that lost his sanity, aspired to live the life of a chivalrous knight, and among other things, tilted at windmills.

49. Siouan people: OTOE.  The Otoe-Missouria Tribe history.  Until reading that article, I did not know that the state of Nebraska gets its name from two Otoe-Missouria words which means “water flat.”

50. Hot __: ROD.


51. Kids: JESTS.  Hey you jests !  Get off of my lawn !

52. __ and Jack, 2019 Gap acquisition: JANIE.  Not familiar, but I gather from a few quick reads that they are purveyors of fashionable clothing for children 0 to 6 years of age.

53. "Guess again": WRONG. 

57. Tempt: BAIT.

58. Org. concerned with plants: OSHA. Actually, any private workplace, and most public workplaces as well, but I liked the misdirection.

59. "Hold it right there!": STOP.  Halt ! Avast ! Freeze !

61. Scatters in a field: SOWS.

63. Blues-rocker Chris: REA.   We sometimes get actor Stephen. 

64. Radon-regulating org.: EPA.

Friday, May 31, 2019, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Boris: “Do you agree?” Natasha: “ДА!”

My regular doubles partner here at the Corner, Jeffrey Wechsler is back on a Friday with one of his classics - an add letters puzzles to create funny fill. Today DA is added and I hope it did not addle your brain. DA is the yes in Russian, an abbreviation for DAD in Britain (I think-Steve?) and a common shortcut for District Attorney. He also sneaks in the amusing non-themer DADAIST, along with many other sparklies like ANALYST,  DOGGIES, I'M ALONE, MASCARA, ON A DATE, PORGIES, STENCIL, ALARMING, MACARENA, MIRRORED, and SEDATION. We also have many apostrophes and the usual trickery in some cluing. On with the fun.

17A. Short-order bear?: FRYING PANDA (11). If you can have a Kung-fu Panda why not one in the kitchen making your lunch, using a FRYING PAN.

24A. News item from Hoda Kotb?: TODAY STORY (10). The 4th-hour anchor is away with her new adopted BABY. It is too soon to watch TOY STORY.

34A. Skeptical response to "Here's the drink I owe you"?: SAY IT ISN'T SODA (13). Obviously not the response of a teetotaller.

46A. Element of avant-garde music?: DARING TONE (10). I think the tonality or lack thereof of Arnold Schoenberg was more daring. I have a cousin who married a Schoenberg.

55A. Prosecutor ... or what four long puzzle answers have received?: ASSISTANT DA (11). So maybe this is the one he had in mind. I hope he doesn't mind my subversive write-up, but I just must have fun. On with the show. 

Across:

1. Just right: APT. Not an easy start, but it is Friday.

4. Some pets, in totspeak: DOGGIES. Totspeak is a term I think was developed solely for crossword fill like OWIE, WAWA and oh yeah DADA!

11. Ronda Rousey's sport, initially: MMA. Mixed Martial Arts.

14. Supporting: FOR. Not a beam but a person.

15. Tempting text to a lover: I'M ALONE. Sounds like some kind of illicit rendezvous.

16. McShane of "Deadwood": IAN. Ian has been one of my favorites, I think Steve also, since his days as LOVEJOY. However, in the John Wick 3 movie, he is not a nice man, and that is not a nice movie. Halle Berry continues to look nice, though.

19. Label for some Usher releases: RCA. Do people care about record labels anymore?

20. Words from a bell ringer: IT'S ME. Not in the tower, but at your front door. Obviously not an academic visitor.

21. Pen part: NIB. All you ever wanted to know about PENS.

22. Continental border river: URAL. This divides Europe and Asia.

23. Coolidge who wasn't president: RITA. This mostly Cherokee and mostly forgotten SINGER was married to Kris Kristofferson as well as having hits like...

27. L'Oréal's Voluminous Carbon Black, e.g.: MASCARA. I love having this in the puzzle with 12D. Popular '90s  dance:  MACARENA.

29. Longtime preceder of Johnny?: HERE'S. Both Ed McMahon and Jack Nicholson made this famous.

30. Maurice Sendak/Carole King musical "Really __": ROSIE. A hard Friday fill but a wonderful collaboration between the creator of Where the Wild Things Are and the very talented Ms. King,  subject of the Broadway hit Beautiful.

33. "__ you clever!": AREN'T. Yes, he is.

38. Apollo's birth island: DELOS. This Greek god has great BACKSTORY.

39. Nautical pole: SPRIT. I will leave the words to our sailors.

40. Saw: ADAGE. Nope, just letters here.

41. At the movies, maybe: ON A DATE. Here too.

50. Bird's biological class: AVES. I like this followed by...

51. Bill distributors: ATMS. Since birds have bills.

52. Detroit labor gp.: UAW. United Auto Workers.

53. Research support: GRANT.

54. Sundial marking: III.

58. Luke, to Anakin: SON.

59. Sign maker's aid: STENCIL. Do they need them any longer?

60. Court fig.: ATTorney. Not an abbreviation popular in the profession.

61. "Star Trek" spin-off, briefly: TNG. The Next Generation.

62. Fish also called sea breams: PORGIES. This little FISH is one the many considered as a kosher fish. Catfish are not.

63. Future 62-Across: ROE. JW just egging you on.

Down:

1. Validate: AFFIRM.

2. "The quality of mercy is not strain'd" speaker: PORTIA. "It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven." Merchant of Venice Act IV, Scene I. Jeffrey and I both love our Friday Shakespeare.

3. Secret meetings: TRYSTS.

4. Order the Beef Wellington, say: DINE.

5. Bit of texting shock: OMG.

6. Space: GAP.

7. Endocrine __: GLAND.

8. Ancient region of present-day Turkey: IONIA. I always thought it was in Greece.

9. Not continue past: END BY. Also Use By.

10. Ahab's milieu: SEA.

11. Did the same as: MIRRORED.

13. Pro with a couch: ANALYST. Psycho-

18. Apple product: IMAC.

22. Unborn, after "in": UTERO. Literal Latin.

24. Unhurried pace: TROT.

25. Refreshing place: OASIS. Or maybe you want to visit...

26. Siskiyou County peak: SHASTA. I am sure this was a gimme for our West Coast contingent.

28. Gotten up: ARISEN.

31. Many a cable co.: ISP. Internet Service Provider. Not related to 55D. Cleopatra's "poor venomous fool": ASP. A double dose of Will from Act V, Scene 2.
"Poor venomous fool
Be angry and dispatch. Oh, couldst thou speak,
That I might hear thee call great Caesar ass."

32. 2001 scandal subject: ENRON.

34. It puts people out: SEDATION. A very nice clue for a Friday deception.

35. Frightful: ALARMING.

36. Ones using asanas: YOGIS. And so many of your neighbors. 12 FAVORITES.

37. Pitchfork part: TINE. Actually any fork.

38. Arp, for one: DADAIST.

42. "Phooey!": DARN. Probably the tame version of what JW is thinking about my silliness.

43. Video game figure: AVATAR.

44. Take care of: TEND TO.

45. Wayne Manor and environs, e.g.: ESTATE. An odd Batman reference?

47. Relish: GUSTO.

48. Law enforcement tool: TASER.

49. In arrears: OWING.

53. Hoedown misses: GALS. Not misses, but misses. Not related to Hoda Kotb.

56. Chem. or phys.: SCI.

57. Bun package closer: TIE. If you keep your legs tied together you will not get a bun in the oven.

We have made it through another Friday challenge from Jeffrey. It always feels good to solve and then discuss one of his creations. I hope you had fun and I will leave you with the grid and another picture of a classic DA. Lemonade out.

Friday, May 24, 2019, Evan Kalish

Double Meanings.  Each clue can be interpreted literally, or can have another meaning, as evidenced by the puzzle's answer.  Two of our entries span the16*15 grid.

18. Mission statement?: REMEMBER THE ALAMO!  (1) A Mission Statement is a formal summary of the values of a company or organization.  (2) The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas was originally a Spanish Mission and fortress built by Catholic missionaries to educate and convert Native Americans to Christianity.  The Mission was secularized in the late 1790s, and later became under military control.  During the Texas Revolution, a group of Texan soldiers (including James Bowie and Davy Crockett) defended the Alamo against the Mexican army.  The Texan soldiers were all defeated and killed.  Remember the Alamo! then became the rallying cry for Texas independence.

31. Position statement?: YOU ARE HERE.  (1) A Position Statement is a formal statement that lets others know where a company or organization stands on a particular topic.  (2) A map showing you where you are, generally in a public area, such as a mall.

43. Impact statement?: OW!  THAT HURT.  (1) An Impact Statement is a short summary that used to explain and inform stakeholders of a company or organizations work.  (2) Being hit from an outside source or Impact may hurt.

56. Closing statement?: COME BACK TOMORROW.  (1) A Closing Statement is a concluding statement at the end of a trial to emphasize the important arguments of the case for the trier of fact.  (2) At Closing time, the store may ask you to return the next day to finish your shopping.

Across:

1. Muscle at one end of the Achilles tendon: CALF.  The CALF is actually made up of two muscles: (1) the Gastrocnemius, which is the larger muscle that forms the visible bulge beneath the skin; and (2) the Soleus, which is a smaller, flat muscle that is under the Gastrocnemius muscle.

5. Dream __: TEAM.  The 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team was known as the Dream TEAM because it was the first American Olympic team to be made-up of professional basketball players.

9. Ground-hitting sound: SPLAT.

14. __ 2600, Class of 2007 National Toy Hall of Fame inductee: ATARI.  It looks so old-fashioned today.

16. Ebb: WANE.

17. Alaska governor after Murkowski: PALIN.  Sarah Palin (née Sarah Louise Heath; b. Feb. 11, 1965), served as the Governor of Alaska from December 2006 until she resigned in July 2009.  Her predecessor as Governor was Frank Mursowski (né Frank Hughes Murkowski; b. Mar. 28, 1933).  She was also the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election.  She could see Alaska from her house.  But, you knew that.

21. Bandies words: SPARS.

22. Baseball mascot originally titled "Lady": MRS. MET.

23. La, in the key of E: C SHARP.

25. Ballet move: PLIÉ.

27. Drink suffix: -ADE.  CSO to our own LemonADE.

28. For nothing: GRATIS.  From the Latin word for Favor.

29. Get gas: FUEL UP.

33. Black fur: SABLE.   A SABLE is a small species of a marten that lives in northern Asia.  The animal was historically hunted for its soft, fine fur.  Coats made from sable can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

37. Big name in big trucks: MACK.

38. Restoratives: TONICS.  Nothing is more refreshing that a Gin and TONIC on a hot summer day.

40. Lead-in to bake or shell: CLAM.  Lots of CLAM Shells at a CLAM Bake.

41. Lid maladies: STYES.  This has become a crossword staple.

45. __ best: SUNDAY.  Do people really dress up for Sunday church anymore?  I was at a funeral recently and was shocked to see people dressed in such casual wear.  They looked like they just came in from the forest after chopping wood.

47. What many dress in during winter: LAYERS.

48. Tricky person: WAG.  //  Not to be confused with 61-Down:  Locks lacking keys = WIG.

51. Looking up: ROSY.

52. Gently towel off: PAT DRY.

53. Author Allende: ISABEL.  Isabel Allende (b. Aug. 2, 1942) is a Chilean writer.  She was related to Salvador Allende (June 26, 1908 ~ Sept. 11, 1973), who was the President of Chile from Nov. 1970 until Sept. 1973, when he was ousted in a coup.

55. Clean __: SLATE.

62. First name in Fighting Irish history: KNUTE.  KNUTE Rockne (né Knute Kenneth Rockne; Mar. 4, 1888 ~ Mar. 31, 1931) was born in Norway, but immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 5 years old.  Although he earned a degree in chemistry, he never worked in that field, and instead became a football coach, ultimately becoming the head coach at Notre Dame.  He was killed in a plane crash at age 43.

63. Vacation home asset: VIEW.

64. Arabian Peninsula resident: OMANI.

65. Go after: SET AT.

66. Board-making aids: SAWS.

67. Sun blocker: SMOG.  Schools were closed in Mexico City recently because of the smog.

Down:

1. A dealer might flip one: CAR.

2. Adored, with "up": ATE.

3. Escape: LAM.

4. New perspectives: FRESH TAKES.

5. Squirt: TWERP.

6. Wheat spikes: EARS.  The EAR is the grain-bearing part of the stem of a cereal plant.  I generally think of an Ear of Corn, but it applies to wheat as well.

7. Critter with three left legs: ANT.  I misread this clue as a Critter with Three Legs Left.  I wondered what type of critter could hop about with three legs.

8. "Doesn't do it for me": MEH!

9. "We have enough details, thanks": SPARE US!  This seems rather rude.

10. Buds: PALS.  Buds as in friends, not flower buds.

11. High-altitude pack animal: LLAMA. (From C.C.: . Guess who this beautiful lady is?)

12. Prepared with a cue: AIMED.  I initially tried Aided, because I was thinking the "cue" referred to a stage assist, as in a play, not a pool cue.

13. Low-risk investment: T-NOTE.  As in a Treasury Note.

15. Affect adversely: IMPAIR.

19. Mixologist's tools: BAR SET.

20. Expressionist painter Nolde: EMIL.  Emil Nolde (né Emil Hansen; Aug. 7, 1867 ~ Apr. 13, 1956) makes occasional guest appearances in the crossword puzzles ~ enough so that I recognize his name, if not his work.

23. Slovene neighbor: CROAT.

24. Pert: SAUCY.

25. Ingot valuation factor: PURITY.

26. Parasite: LEECH.

28. Places for some rats: GYMS.

29. Ted Williams' field: FENWAY.  Ted Williams (né Theodore Samuel Williams; Aug. 30, 1918 ~ July 5, 2002), had a long baseball career with the Boston Red Sox. When I lived in Boston, I lived about 2 blocks away from Fenway Park.

The Green Monster at Fenway Park.

30. Large animals whose taxonomic order is obsolete: PACHYDERMS.  Why is the term Pachyderms now obsolete?  Who knew?

32. Brit's bonnets, in the States: HOODS.  Bonnet sound so much nicer than Hood.

34. Downer?: BLUER.

35. David who voiced George Steinbrenner on "Seinfeld": LARRY.  Larry David (né Lawrence Gene David; b. July 2, 1947), was the co-creator, along with Jerry Seinfeld, of the sit-com Seinfeld.  He also created and starred in Curb Your Enthusiasm.

36. Mobile lifesavers: EMTs.  As in Emergency Medical Technicians.

39. Peace in the Middle East?: SALAAM.  The Arabic word for Peace.  I initially tried Shalom, which is the Hebrew word for Peace.

42. Can't-miss wager: SURE BET.

44. Bit of needlework: TATTOO.  Why?  Just Why?

46. Tulane's home, informally: NOLA.  Tulane University is in New Orleans, Louisiana.  NOLA has become a crossword staple.

48. Burning needs?: WICKS.

49. In unison: AS ONE.

50. Full range: GAMUT.

52. Pickup attachments: PLOWS.

54. Pre-release stage: BETA.

55. All-in-one dinner: STEW.

57. Rite Aid rival: CVS.  Both are drug stories.

58. Optima, for one: KIA.

59. Big name in pickups: RAM.  Big wheels, too.

60. Palindromic peace activist: ONO.  A new clue for our crossword friend, Yoko ONO (b. Feb. 18, 1933).

Here's the Grid:

I will leave you with a QOD:  Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat. ~ Harry Emerson Fosdick (May 24, 1878 ~ Oct. 5, 1969)