google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday

Advertisements

Showing posts with label Friday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friday. Show all posts

Feb 14, 2020

Friday, February 14, 2020, Garry Morse

Title: The wit and wisdom of Charles Schulz

Perhaps the most endearing aspect of PEANUTS and the many characters created by Mr. Schulz is the clarity of their naive philosophies. Today we have the rare "quip" puzzle where the theme is a Quotation. Some are strictly for humor, and some like today's combine humor and a touch of reality. This is the 11th LAT by Mr. Morse who is a Sunday specialist with only one Monday among his earlier publications. When the Corner started, before we migrated to the LAT we had regular quip puzzles which many enjoyed and many hated. It is hard to hate Charlie Brown and Snoopy. The cluing - Quote part I, etc., is not helpful but it gets the job done. Garry does include some fine bonus fill like HANNIBAL,  TSARISTS, AA SPONSOR (introduced today),  DARKHORSE, POLICE CAR and  TRIAL DATE which may not be as much fun as it sounds.
The quip:
17A. Start of a Charles M. Schulz quote: ALL YOU NEED (10)
22A. Quote, part 2: IS LOVE, BUT A (10).
38A. Quote, part 3: LITTLE CHOCOLATE (15).
50A. Quote, part 4: NOW AND THEN (10).
59A. End of the quote: DOES'NT HURT (10).

There are implicit references to Valentine's Day with "LOVE" and "CHOCOLATE" but you need to bring your own flowers. I accept gifts all year round. Enjoy this gift from Garry.

Across:

1. Penthouses, e.g.: Abbr.: APTS. Only one LINK came to mind.

5. Smartphone downloads: APPS.

9. Metaphor for responsibilities: HATS. A wife ears many hats, cook, nurse, companion, mother, lover...

13. Adriatic port: BARI. Bari is a port city on the Adriatic Sea and the capital of southern Italy’s Puglia region. Looks pretty

14. March Madness org.: NCAA. For the college basketball championship.

15. "Beavis and Butt-head" spin-off: DARIA. My son Devin liked this character.

16. Bickering: AT IT. The kids are always bickering.

19. Rub the wrong way: CHAFE.No thigh humor from me.

21. Twelve-step helper: AA SPONSOR. Alcoholics Anonymous, which is a sometimes successful way to help those who are addicted and need to face that reality to deal with it.

24. Non-neutral atom: ION. Also a leading repeat TV Network, LINK.

25. Light sleeper's distraction: DRIP. Leaky faucets do drive Oo crazy,

26. Living area in "The Martian," with "the": HAB. The Hab, short for "The Mars Lander Habitat" is a series of artificial living quarters that were constructed before the Ares III manned mission to Mars landed. Therefore not an abbreviation but a nickname?

28. A Gabor sister: EVA. Along with Zsa Zsa and Magda.

30. Acts of faith?: LEAPS.

34. Classic sci-fi villain: VADER. I do not see Darth as a Classic villain, but that is just me. He was a sweet man with a family who was misled.

41. 1980s attorney general: MEESE. This is not the plural of Mouse.

42. Shade related to violet: LILAC. A light violet.

43. Responsibility: RAP. This was not easy but it does the responsibility for or adverse consequences of an action shown more clearly in "he refused to take the rap."

44. Bend: ARC. Like a good curveball.

46. Cope with: HACK. A strategy or technique for managing one's time or activities more efficiently. Dictionary.

48. Dept. head: MGR.

56. Source of a siren: POLICE CAR. The same number of letters as AMBULANCE.

58. "__ Mio": O SOLE. They began as teenagers. IL VOLO.

61. Avian crop: CRAW. You do not grow birds.

62. Score symbols: FLATS. Musical score.

63. "You're kidding!": EGAD.

64. Whodunit canine: ASTA. When he wasn't with Nick and Nora he was ...making babies
65. Club with a blue and white diamond logo: SAMS. Did they adopt this logo?

66. Phillies slugger Hoskins: RHYS. They study everything now, even ballplayers I do not know. LINK. (pronounced reese).

67. Nair rival, once: NEET. Was this replaced by VEET?


Down:

1. Old counters: ABACI. I know C.C. can do this, can you?

2. Hiking network: PATHS. Not a computer network

3. Defense attorney's concern: TRIAL DATE. "Concern" is such an odd word in this context, as it is how one makes his/her money.

4. Be paid to watch, as children: SIT FOR.

5. Prefix with -gram: ANA. No PANgrams lately.

6. Techie training site: PCLAB. Is it one or two words? Help please our experts.  LAB.  Clecho- 45D. Tech tutorials site: CNET.

7. Caroline Islands republic: PALAU. Following World War II, in 1947, under UN auspices as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the United States assumed administration of Palau. In 1982, Palau signed a Compact of Free Association with the United States. Palau gained its independence and established diplomatic relations with the United States in 1994.

8. Dost speak: SAYST. Bible talk.

9. Legendary Carthaginian general: HANNIBAL. What we know of his LIFE he was the most interesting man of his time.

10. "You __ busted!": ARE SO. When you run into your mother at the mall during school hours.

11. Attach with string: TIE ON.

12. __ City, Iraq: SADR. Not known to me consciously but it has been in the NEWS.

15. The Carpenters, for one: DUO.

18. Deep-water fish: OPAH.

20. More wicked, in Worcester: EVILLER. In British English, the "LL" is commonly used in words where Americans use a single "L." TRAVELLER comes to mind.

23. Touching competition?: EPEE.

27. Guacamole fruit: AVOCADO. One of the many fruit trees we have planted on our condo grounds, Of course, plating on common areas creates many conflicts.

28. Disease-stricken tree: ELM. We recently had reference to the
DISEASE.

29. Face off: VIE.

31. Knee injury initials: ACL. Anterior Cruciate Ligament.

32. Key letter: PHI. Beta Kappa. I am proud that my son earned his key in his junior year in college.

33. La preceder: SOL. Do re me fa sol la ti do.

35. Long shot: DARK HORSE. No politics so no comment.

36. Coming-in hr., roughly: ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival.

37. Sales staff member: REP.

39. Romanov adherents: TSARISTS. Their HISTORY.

40. Lyricist Sammy: CAHN.
A Hall of Famer LINK.

47. ER diagnostic tool: CT SCAN. CT is an abbreviation of computed tomography or computerized tomography.


48. Bucks: MOOLA. Moolah is a Fijian word meaning 'money' which may be the etymology.

49. Sparkle: GLEAM. A long-gone toothpaste.

51. Yellowish-brown: OCHER. Or is it ochre.

52. "Brideshead Revisited" novelist: WAUGHThe Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder. A precursor to DOWNTON ABBEY.

53. Assortment: ARRAY.

54. Thrill: ELATE. A classic C.C. word.

55. Unfamiliar with: NEW AT.

56. Sharable PC files: PDFSPortable Document Formats.

57. Brain and spinal cord: Abbr.: CNS. Central Nervous System

60. Saints' achievements: Abbr.: TDS. New Orleans' version scores touchdowns, none more prolific than Drew Brees

Welcome to Friday Mr. Morse. I hope the Corner all enjoyed this puzzle and I look forward to their comments and any you feel like posting as well.  HAPPY VD! Lemonade out.

Happy birthday Heartrx wherever you are.

Feb 7, 2020

Friday, February 7, 2020 Andrew Linzer



"SOCIAL GATHERINGS"


20. Soirée for woodchip manufacturers?: SPLINTER PARTY.    Splinter group just flew off my fingertips.  Bzzt !

26. Soirée for certain divers?: PEARL JAM.


37. Soirée for spreadsheet creators?: CELL RECEPTION.

47. Soirée for fake coin makers?: SLUGFEST.

55. Soirée for army enlistees?: PRIVATE AFFAIR.

LET'S SOIRÉE ! - The last word of each theme answer is a type of social gathering.  OK, slugfest is one word, but you get the idea.

This is Andrew's third LA Times puzzle.   His first was a Wednesday.    His second was a Thursday.     He's back to party with us on Friday ! 


Across:

1. Component of an Olympic bronze medal: ZINC.    The metals used in this year's Olympic medals have been primarily sourced from recycled electronics.   Japanese citizens donated over 6 million discarded and unused cell phones ! 

5. Off-road vehicle maker?: TONKA.

10. Peddle: HAWK.   First thought was sell.

14. Brand in a studio, maybe: IKEA.   Studio apartment.

15. Chooser's choice: EVENs.

16. Onetime capital of the Mughal Empire: AGRA.   It was the first four letter city name that came to mind.   Never did think of a second city name...

17. Seats facing the altar: PEWs.

18. Alley button: RESET.    Boomer uses this button when the rack didn't set the pins down correctly.   He also uses it to clear the pins left standing after the prior bowler finished (e.g. after a third ball in the 10th frame.)

19. Genesis problem: RAIN.   CAIN was a problem too.    Just not with the perps in this puzzle.

23. Energized: AMPED.

25. Inspection: LOOK SEE.  Formal and then informal.

30. Govt. stipend: SSI.   Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a Federal income supplement program funded by general tax revenues (not Social Security taxes):
blue ball It is designed to help aged, blind, and disabled people, who have little or no income; and
blue ballIt provides cash to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter.

31. Angel dust letters: PCP.   Phencyclidine (PCP) is a mind-altering drug that may lead to hallucinations (a profound distortion in a person’s perception of reality). - Drugs.com

32. Neural transmitter: AXON.

34. Powerful 2017 hurricane: IRMA.

41. Solo number: ARIA.

42. Gear for Lindsey Vonn: SKIs.   American former World Cup alpine ski racer on the US Ski Team.   She won four World Cup overall championships—one of only two female skiers to do so, along with Annemarie Moser-Pröll—with three consecutive titles in 2008, 2009, and 2010, plus another in 2012 - Wikipedia
As an aside, Lindsey and I both skied Garmisch.   She won multiple world competition level Super G and Downhill races there.  I won a bunny hill slalom competition among the other beginner students held at the Armed Forces Recreation Center there.   I'll lean on that as a conversation starter if I ever meet her.   Still remember the AFRCS instructor.  Glenna Bliss.  I believe she was a prior member of the US Ski Team.  

43. Service reward: TIP.

45. PETA concern: FUR.

50. Need for big dos: CATERER.

54. Spherical extremities: POLEs.

59. Green hue: LIME.   Not exactly lime, is it ?   But too cool to pass up.

60. Louvre Pyramid architect: IM PEI.   How I.M. Pei’s Louvre Pyramid Broke the Mold

61. Chatroom spammers: BOTs.    They've been pounding this blog lately, but most are routed to the moderation folder.

64. Manipulates: USEs.

65. Really funny ones: RIOTs.

66. City-circumventing road: LOOP.   Loop 610:

67. Hot message: SEXT.

68. American in Paris, perhaps: EX PAT.

69. One of 11 for Julia Louis-Dreyfus: EMMY.

Down:

1. 12345, for Schenectady, NY: ZIP.   Evan Kalish knows this.  Postlandia

2. Turner on a turntable: IKE.   Rolling Stone magazine ranked Ike and Tina Turner at # 2 of the "20 Greatest Duos of All Time" in 2015.  # 1 were the Everly Brothers.  I'd never heard of some of the duos.  

3. Times, at times: NEWSPAPER

4. Spirited toon?: CASPER.

5. Actress Hatcher: TERI.

6. "Top Chef" set piece: OVEN.

7. Building project for cranes?: NEST.

8. Get down to earth?: KNEEL.

9. First pro team to play on artificial turf: ASTROs.   It was 1965.   NY Yankee Mickey Mantle hit the first homerun in a spring exhibition game shortly after construction ended.   Dick Allen of the Phillies hit the first regular season homerun.   The natural grass died, and was replaced by the first iteration of Astroturf for the 1966 season.

10. Samurai ritual: HARAKIRI.   No images.   Doesn't pass the breakfast test.

11. Lab gelatins: AGARs.

12. Pen: WRITE.

13. GOOD Music record label founder: KANYE.    Kanye West created the GOOD Music record label in 2004.   It is a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams.

21. Cholesterol letters: LDL.   Waited to see if HDL (high-density lipoproteins - the "good" one), or LDL (low-density lipoproteins - the "bad" one).

22. Presume: POSIT.

23. Common 99-cent purchase: APP.

24. Hajji's destination: MECCA.

27. Potter's creation: JAR.

28. Plot lines: AXES.   Thought of  arcs at first , but that's more of story lines.

29. Imitates derisively: MOCKs.

33. "American Gods" author Gaiman: NEIL.   No idea.  Perps.

35. Traveler's overnight spot: MOTEL ROOM.   Waited to see if Motel or Hotel.

36. Seasoning seed: ANISE.   Anise, also called aniseed, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Its flavor has similarities with some other spices, such as star anise, fennel, and liquorice. -  Wikipedia

38. Buoyant protection: LIFEVEST.

39. Actress Dern of "Twin Peaks": LAURA.

40. Sch. with a Harrisburg campus: PSU.   Penn State University.  

44. NBA stat: PTS.   Points.

46. Hang up the spikes: RETIRE.    Hung up mine in 2015.

48. 2.3, perhaps: Abbr.: GPA.    Grade Point Average.

49. Slight character flaw: FOIBLE.

50. 2.3, roughly: C PLUS.   Grade

51. Come up: ARISE.

52. Big name in stopwatches: TIMEX.   John Cameron Swayze told us, "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking" and the TV ads seemed to prove it.


53. Compilation album add-on: REMIX.

56. Per item: APOP.

57. Spanakopita cheese: FETA.

58. Solidarity symbol: FIST.

62. First of a generic trio: TOM.   Tom, Dick and Harry.   Hi Tom !

63. Expert on bugs?: SPY.   Bugs are covert listening and recording devices.


Jan 31, 2020

Friday, January 31, 2020, David Poole

Title: Austin PowersLINK.

This is one of the rare puzzles where the write-up is harder than the puzzle. But before we go there, let's welcome back David P. (my second straight David constructor) who has his 52nd LAT publication here. He was the first constructor I wrote up when I switched to Fridays in 2010. I think this is my 11th DP puzzle. Like the most recent one published two years ago, I need to begin by sharing the reveal.

40A. Hotel room amenity ... or one of the configurations that resolve four puzzle answers: MINIBAR. In retrospect, this explained the missing "MINI" in 29A/30A and 47A/49A. 21A and 57A just fit with adding the "MINI."

21A. Cornerstone phrase: ANNO DO (MINI). Year of the Lord in Latin.

29A. In a humiliating way: IGNO (MINI) 30A. -: OUSLY. Literally.

47A. Resident at Ottawa's 24 Sussex Drive: PRIME (MINI) 49A. -: STER. The 10 Downing Street of Canada.

57A. Little versions: (MINIATURES. Literally.

With the limited number of theme letters, there is room for much long fill and some Friday challenge. CATSPAW,  ENCORES, MARAUDS,  NOB HILL, CARL SAGAN, RED ALERTS,  ALGORITHMIC, and ISOMORPHISM. For those complaining about puzzles being nothing but pop culture, David presents so many areas of knowledge, I hope you had as much fun as I did.

Time to go to work.

Across:

1. Really big show: SMASH. What else comes to mind?

6. Sharp bark: YELP. This a very common clue/fill.

10. Software product with a cup-and-saucer logo: JAVA.
14. Addresses: TALKS. A commencement address for example.

15. Maintain: AVER. A favorite word of people who draft legal complaints.

16. Australian __: OPEN. Timely as Susan pointed out on Tuesday, the tennis is being played there now and the Williams sisters and the defending champion NAOMI OSAKA all lost in the first week. The ladies' final has two unseeded players Saturday.

17. __ Marbles: historic sculptures: ELGIN. I did not know about this HISTORY. Though I know this ELGIN. Very sad about Kobe and his daughter and the other 7 on the helicopter all of whom had families and life left to live. Maybe if they had driven...

18. Serious warnings: RED ALERTS. Why Red?  The phrase "Red Alert" comes from the naval tradition of "General Quarters" ("Action Stations" if you're British), where a ship prepares for battle. Much of the procedures are the same.

20. Narrow range: A TO B.

22. Plunders: MARAUDS. This is from the late 17th century: from French marauder, from maraud ‘rogue’.

24. Upper-class San Francisco area: NOB HILL HISTORY.
31. Old JFK lander: SST.

33. Takes pieces from?: UNARMS. Does he mean "Disarm" like taking a weapon or Aphrodite?

38. Beast hunted in Hercules' fourth labor: BOAR. I have a cute LINK that includes a Hercules crossword.

39. Can. sign letters: KPHKilometers Per Hour.

42. Fr. title: MME. The abbreviation for Mademoiselle. And the Spanish counterpart 69A. Span. titles: SRAS. Señoritas.

43. Arizona city: YUMA. Not Nick Adams.

45. Horn of Africa native: SOMALI. It looks sort of like a Rhino horn, home to the countries of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, whose cultures have been linked throughout their long history.

46. W. alliance since 1948: OAS.
Organization of American States.  MEMBERS.

51. Added numbers: ENCORES.

54. Unwitting tool: CATSPAW. Derived they say from this FABLE. Later used by Mark Twain.

59. Smoothie seed: CHIA. Do you like them better as pets?

60. "Cosmos" presenter: CARL SAGAN. He was so much more.

64. Baker's tool: WHISK.

65. Mayberry moppet: OPIE. I love me some alliteration.

66. 1920s chief justice: TAFT. He went to the Supreme Court after his Presidency. HISTORY.

67. Binary pronoun: HE/SHE.

68. 2001 Microsoft debut: X-BOX.

70. Financial guru Suze: ORMAN. Anybody watch her lectures?

Down:

1. Cook, as bao buns: STEAM. If you are not familiar, this dish that originated in Northern China, where wheat, rather than rice was more prominently grown. I am sure C.C. has enjoyed many.

2. Smallest European Union nation: MALTA. We are the closing agent for a transaction between a client and a company from Malta.

3. Like search engine ranking systems: ALGORITHMIC. A Friday word that is very relevant in your life now even if you do not know it. LEARN. Nothing to do with Al Gore dancing.

4. Winter luggage item: SKI BAG. I don't know much about this winter item as my skiing days are long over, but I was shocked/amused seeing this AD.

5. QVC sister station: HSN.

6. Tall tales: YARNS.

7. Tied: EVEN.

8. Deceived: LED ON.

9. Museum with Goyas: PRADO.

10. 10-Across: JOE. I love how wheeled the "J." WHY IS IT CALLED JOE?

11. Boston Marathon mo.: APR.

12. Boxer's fixer: VET. Doggie pun.

13. "Jeopardy!" ques., actually: ANS.

19. Timber wolf: LOBO.

21. Dreamboat: ADONIS.

23. One for the money?: UNUM. A Latin lesson from the dollar bill.

25. Center: HUB.

26. Type of mathematical equivalence: ISOMORPHISM. A shout out to our Mathematics whizzes, derives from the Greek iso, meaning "equal," and morphosis, meaning "to form" or "to shape." Formally, an isomorphism is a bijective morphism. Informally, an isomorphism is a map that preserves sets and relations among elements. Easy, right?

27. Parent of a cria: LLAMA. Or a baby alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco.

28. Minstrel strings: LYRES.

31. FaceTime alternative: SKYPE.

32. Disdainfully reject: SPURN. Harsh, but it is time that you...

34. "I'll take that as __": A NO.

35. Canyon edge: RIM.

36. Wharton deg.: MBA.

37. Latin dances: SALSAS.

41. "Norma Rae" director: RITT. I now know this MAN's HISTORY.

44. Latin trio word: AMO. Amas, amat.

48. Jazz and Swing: ERAS.

50. Artist known for optical illusions: ESCHER. Maurits Cornelis Escher.


52. Les __-Unis: ETATS. USA.

53. 10-Down sweetener: SUGAR. The third reference for all of you who are drinking your coffee as you solve. I have my cup at hand.

54. Euro fractions: CENTS.

55. Tyler of "Criminal Minds": AISHA. Dr. Tara Lewis on the show. LINK.

56. Rouse: WAKEN.

58. Tennis nickname: RAFA. Nadal. He also was bounced out in Australia.

60. Crew chief: COX. A coxswain is also the helmsman of a racing crew, like a rowing crew in a competition. The swain part is from a word meaning "servant," and cox is from cok, meaning "a small boat."

61. PD heads-up: APB.

62. Kia subcompact: RIO.

63. Latin law: LEX. The translation and root word for Legal and many others. Or Superman rival Luthor.

64. Dr. Seuss' Cindy-Lou, e.g.: WHO. They lived in Whoville.

Another month here at the Corner in the record books, as we move toward 5,000 publications. Thank you, David, for a slightly different challenge and thank you all for reading and commenting. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:
Happy birthday to dear Bill G, who's been with this blog for over over 11 years. I enjoyed his bike rides to the coffee place and observations over the years. Have a very special day, Bill!
Bill and his wife Barbara

Jan 24, 2020

Friday, January 24, 2020 Paul Coulter


"TURN DOWN SERVICE"


Let's go with the reveal first.

62. Hotel amenity, and a hint to three puzzle answers: TURN DOWN SERVICE.   At the end of three across answers, you have to read the intersecting down answer.   Very neat !

The theme entries:

16. (across) Blamed for personal advantage: THROWN UNDER THE B, with
18. (down) Clear: BUS.
THROWN UNDER THE BUS - Mark's clue nails it succinctly.    In business, politics, sports, personal relationships...  


31. (across) Punch with force, maybe: GIVE A FAT L, with
34. (down) Backtalk: LIP.
GIVE A FAT LIP - Nothing figurative here. 


44. (across) Chanoyu ceremony essential: JAPANESE T, with
46. (down) High __: TEA.
JAPANESE TEA. - This was hard for me because I didn't know what a Chanoyu ceremony was, but then looked at the other two theme answers and aha !   Changed my 46D from High def to TEA, and that also cleared up the stall where MOOLA belonged.

"The simple art of Chanoyu is really a synthesis of many Japanese arts with the focus of preparing and serving a bowl of tea with a pure heart." - Chanoyu   


You would think the genesis of this puzzle was the reveal TURN DOWN SERVICE, wouldn't you ?



Across:

1. Draft category: ONE A.   Actually, it's 1-A.

5. Crisply played, in mus.: STAC.   Music / Staccato.

9. Qatar's capital: DOHA.   Whatever happened to Doha Doc ?

13. Inflammation treatment: CORTISONE.   And 39. Ibuprofen brand: ADVIL Corticosteroids vs. NSAIDs

While we're on the subject, take the pain quiz.

15. Apple product: IPOD.

19. More mean: NASTIER.

20. Sci-fi helmsman: SULU.

21. Burdened: LADEN.

24. Portable chair: SEDAN.     Champagne glass: Coupe.


26. "Uno __": cantina request: MAS.    "One more" in Spanish.

27. Fundraising targets: ALUMNI.

29. Boar's mate: SOW.

35. Greatly beloved ones: GEMs.

38. He reunited with his fictional ex on Valentine's Day in 2011: KEN.   I assume with Barbie ?

41. Backboard attachment: RIM.

42. Place Sundance liked to see: ETTA.   Loved this clue / answer.  Etta Place

47. Kazakhstan, once: Abbr.: SSR.   Soviet Socialist Republic.

49. Waste time: DAWDLE.

50. __ store: APP.

53. Many an Indian: HINDU.

57. Green: MOOLA.   Both slang for money.

58. Game with two secret passages: CLUE.   No clue on this answer based on the clue alone.   Never played it; don't know much about it.    Didn't know there were secret passages.   But, with C from ACT, -. U from PULSE, and E from EYES, what else could it be ?   C-UE.

60. Advice: COUNSEL.   Advice, advise, counsel and council.    Simple nouns and verbs that can easily be confused.   Only one of the four works as both a noun AND a verb.   Which one ?

67. They can make you better, briefly: MEDs.   Medicines, like Aleve and Advil.

68. Basically: IN ESSENCE.

69. Annoyance: PEST.

70. Do, for example: NOTE.   Trickery.   The musical note.     '...Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, and Si are used to name notes the same way that the letters C, D, E, F, G, A, and B are used to name notes in English." - Wikipedia.

71. Cutty __: SARK.   The famous fast clipper sailing ship built in Scotland in 1869, now residing in dry dock at Greenwich, London as a museum ship.   Some fifty years after her construction, the Scotch whisky was created and named after her.    The ship was named for the short skirt worn by the witch in the Robert Burns poem Tam o' Shanter

Down:

1. Fall mo.: OCT. Month / October

2. Kabuki kin: NOH.

3. Give the wrong change, say: ERR.

4. Acts of reparation: ATONEMENTs.

5. IRS IDs: SSNs.   Internal Revenue Service / Social Security Numbers.

6. Talks up: TOUTs. Talks down: Calms.

7. Musical in which FDR is a character: ANNIE.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Here's the famous scene:

8. Gave up: CEDED.    Gave down: See 23(D).

9. Board mem.: DIR.   Member / Director.

10. Expresses a preference (for): OPTs.

11. Blah: HO-HUM. Meh.

12. "A Passage to India" heroine: ADELA.   Adela Quested - SparkNotes

14. "Lemme!": I WANNA.

17. Age relatives: ERAs.   A distinct period of history. eg, The Dinosaur Age or the Ice Age.   Thomas Paine wrote The Age of Reason.

21. Delay: LAG.

22. Not quite identical: ALIKE.   Like fraternal twins.

23. Comforter: DUVET.   What is the best down for a duvet ?   Hungarian goose down ?   Icelandic Eiderdown ?    Best Downs for a Good Night's Sleep

25. It's often served with nutmeg: NOG.   Here served in a coupe:

28. "... __ woodchuck could chuck wood?": IF A.   "Hey you dang woodchucks!   Quit chucking my wood !"    BTW, in the Geico Sequels run off, the Racoon commercials are comfortably ahead.

30. Subjects of European trials during the Renaissance: WEREWOLVES.

32. Wd. ending in -less: ADJ.   Adjective.   The part of speech.    This clue stumped me for way too long, and that was with AD- in place !   After finally getting enough letters to see JAPANESE at 44A, it became clear. D'OH !

33. FDR power plan: TVA. Franklin Delano Roosevelt / Tennessee Valley Authority.  The TVA at History.com 

36. Botch: MISDO.   Act wrongly.

37. Common sense?: SMELL.    Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense.  "The most important political tract of the Revolution was written not by a lawyer or university-educated philosopher, but by a former corset maker."

40. Bloke: LAD.

43. It may be tapped into a tray: ASH.

45. Parents, usually: NAMERs.

48. P.R. part: RICO.   Puerto Rico.

50. Appear: ACT.

51. Fluff, as pillows: PLUMP.   The history of fluff.

52. Blender button: PUREE.    The first button I pushed was pulse, but the blend(er) of crossing clues didn't agree.

54. Hopeless: NO WIN.

55. "Beats me!": DUNNO.

56. Up in the air: UNSET.    Not yet decided. 

59. Aims: ENDs.   Had eyes first.  Don't know why.

61. Zaire's Mobutu __ Seko: SESE.

63. It ends shortly after 1-Down: DST.   Daylight Savings Time

64. __ moment: IN A.

65. "Bad Moon Rising" band, briefly: CCR.    Creedence Clearwater Revival.


66. "A rat!": EEK.


Check your answers against this grid:



Jan 17, 2020

Friday, January 17, 2020, David Van Houten

Title: A tribute to our own Melissa B. As we hold our noses and hear the sound change.

This is the LAT debut for Mr. Van Houten, who did have a puzzle published in the David Steinberg's Universal crossword October of last year. Here is the LINK to the FIEND write-up. Oddly we have had a spate of "B" puzzles but this one is not intended as a letter substitution but as a sounds-sort of-like puzzle. The rest is not a typical Friday with many 3/4 letter words. and not a great deal of new fill. But it was fun. We do have some longish fill BECAUSE,  LOOSENS,  HEAD COLD,  RAT'S NEST, and TROTTING and some

17A. What dogs do to set a tempo?: BARK TIME (8). I like this visual, with a Boston Terrier leading the band.

24A. Bartender's lager-serving skill?: BUD SLINGING (11). Mudslinging was an old fashioned political strategy.

40A. Convenience for a fish traveling around the city?: BASS TRANSIT PASS (15). Mass transit...

52A. Annoyed answer to "How's your jobless roommate working out?"?: BUMS THE WORD (11). "Mum's the word" means to keep silent or quiet. Mum is a Middle English word meaning 'silent' and may be derived from the mummer who acts without speaking.

And the reveal:

65A. Malady that accounts for four Across puzzle answers: HEAD COLD.

That was the beginning, then came...

Across:

1. "__ Is Betta Than Evvah!": 1976 R&B album: ETTA.
5. "Disgusting!": UGH.

8. "The Real Housewives" series airer: BRAVO. Do you WATCH?

13. Sprat's choice: LEAN. Jack was an early Keto supporter.

14. Slice of pizza?: ZEE. Did you fall for this?

15. Consuming: EATING. True but not my first thought.

19. One making amends: ATONER. Another literally correct fill, but even during Yom Kippur I would not use this word.

20. __ dog: ALPHA. A 2007 movie

21. Uproars: DINS.

23. Miler Sebastian: COE. Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, is a British politician and former track and field athlete. As a middle-distance runner, Coe won four Olympic medals, including the 1500 meters gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984. Take that Frank Shorter.

28. "Just __": BECAUSE. Did the quotation marks help you solve?  DO you prefer ELVIS; DIDO; or, JANE's ADDICTION?

32. Creepy glance: LEER.

33. Word said with a sigh: ALAS.

34. School subj.: SCIence.

36. Self-service bar offering: SALAD. That is a cop-out

44. Join: ENTER.

45. Excavation: DIG. My oldest has been on 4 so far, three in Italy and one in Greece.

46. Green subj.: ECOLogy.

47. Barflies: SOTS.

50. Works free: LOOSENS.

56. Beer choice: IPA. India Pale Ale.

57. Prefix with byte: TERA.

58. Name on Re-Nutriv cosmetics: ESTEE. Lauder.

63. Sport played on a variety of surfaces: TENNIS.

68. V-8, for example: ENGINE. Not a canned juice.

69. 1979 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee: ORR.

70. Brest bestie: AMIE. A mixed-language alliteration. Brest is a port city in the Finistère département in Brittany.

71. Mild oaths: DANGS. Perhaps from 1781 (in Sophia Lee's comedy "A Chapter of Accidents," which was acted first in 1780), a minced euphemism for damn.

72. Feed bit: OAT.

73. Coffee __: BEAN.

Down:

1. Italy's Isola d'__: ELBA. On April 11, 1814,  Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor of France and one of the greatest military leaders in history, abdicates the throne, and, in the Treaty of Fontainebleau, is banished to the Mediterranean island of Elba.

2. Blue-green shade: TEAL. Teal is a blue-green color. Its name comes from that of a bird—the common teal —which presents a similarly colored stripe on its head.

3. Cover during a delay: TARP. Baseball.

4. Pharaoh's symbol: ANKH.

5. Gun designer __ Gal: UZI. The Israeli machine gun designer.

6. Beloved person: GEM. A stretch, but the perps were fine.

7. Follows: HEEDS.

8. Babies leader?: BEANIE. Beanie Babies are a line of stuffed toys created by American businessman H. Ty Warner, who founded Ty Inc. in 1986. Notably, the toys are stuffed with plastic pellets rather than conventional soft stuffing, giving Beanie Babies a flexible feel.

9. Total mess: RAT'S NEST. A place of great clutter or disorder. Also, our techies can explain the meaning of this for computer wiring etc.

10. Words on the first of a set, perhaps: A TO-.

11. Leonardo's birthplace: VINCI. That is where the Da Vinci comes from.

12. Situation after a leadoff double: ONE ON. Baseball.

16. One of the Bradys: GREG. Barry William Blekhorn

18. House of Dana fragrance: TABU. It has an interesting history. The first fragrance of the house was Tabu, created by Jean Carles 1932. ... Before creating Tabu, he was instructed to make a fragrance for a whore (‘un parfum de puta’).

22. Down (with): ILL.

25. Old map abbr.: USSR.

26. Octa- plus two: DECA. Silly.

27. Sour __: GRAPES.

28. 1995 Oscar-nominated animatronics film: BABE. I really loved this film. WATCH.

29. Pizazz: ELAN.

30. Credits heading: CAST.

31. Rate: ASSESS.

35. Like Brahms' Symphony No. 2: IN D. Sorry, maybe JzB will explain.

37. Tie (up): LACE. Your shoes, not your significant other.

38. "... __ is given": Isaiah: SON. We Corner bloggers do not comment on religious issues, but for those who want a different perspective, I will provide this LINK.

39. PC connections: DSLSDigital Subscriber Lines are a family of technologies that are used to transmit digital data over telephone lines.

41. Palomino pace: TROTTING. I like the alliteration.

42. Missile site: SILO.

43. Hunchbacked assistant: IGOR.

48. Dissertations: THESES. It seems fitting next to...

49. Preacher's msg.: SERmon.

51. Binged (on): ODED.

52. Quick meal: BITE.

53. Capsize: UPEND. Tricky.

54. Japanese comics: MANGA. We have seen this often recently. My favorite.

55. Large mackerel: WAHOO. If I were Boomer, I would say it reminds me of WAHOO MCDANIEL but is just a FISH.

59. Union member's nemesis: SCAB. I thought it was an acronym, but it is from Middle English (as a noun): from Old Norse skabb ; related to dialect shab (compare with shabby). The sense ‘contemptible person’ (dating from the late 16th century) was probably influenced by Middle Dutch schabbe ‘slut’.

60. Great work: TOME.

61. Academy award-winning director Kazan: ELIA. An impressive but controversial DIRECTOR.

62. Fall site: EDEN. The fall of man with snakes and not apples.

64. Diarist Anaïs: NIN.

66. History book chapter: ERA.

67. Fine print, say: ART. A little humor to finish the grid.

I hope you had a fine solve and some hope for the future with MLK day Monday. Welcome DVH and be well all. lemonade out/




Jan 10, 2020

Friday, January 10, 2020 Joe Deeney


"Joint Ventures"


18. Joint venture?: ORTHOPEDIC OFFICE

28. Joint venture?: PRIVATE PRISON.

47. Joint venture?: MARIJUANA SHOP.

62. Joint venture?: FURNITURE FACTORY.

Four types of  joints. 

Two maintenance guys were smoking a joint and offered to share some of it with me.  I don't partake, so I declined.  Besides, I really don't care to be around high maintenance people. 

Across:

1. They may be counted: SHEEP.  A study by Oxford showed that counting sheep doesn't help you fall asleep.  It has the opposite effect.  So unless you are a worried shepherd...

6. "Masterpiece" airer: PBS.   Home of Dour Downton Abbey.

9. Hideaway: LAIR.

13. Disinclined: LOATH.   Inclined: Predisposed.

14. One in the script: LINE.  

16. Tribal leader: ELDER.

21. Neon tips?: ENs.   "N or n is the fourteenth letter in the modern English alphabet. Its name in English is en (pronounced /ˈɛn/), plural ens."  - Wikipedia.

22. "C'mon, play along": BE A SPORT.  As in,  "C'mon, play along.  Be a sportand quit the crabbing every day about the clues and answers."  

23. A toddler may be put down for one: NAP

24. Curtails, with "in": REINS.

26. Of inferior quality: EL CHEAPO.  Pseudo Spanish. 

31. Winter Olympics event: LUGE.   "Luge is one of the most dangerous sports in the Olympic games, and the athletes who race down an icy, high-banked track at speeds typically up to 90 mph are a special breed."   daredevils !   Most of us won't drive that fast in a vehicle equipped with airbags.

32. Programming pioneer Lovelace: ADA.   Nailed it.   Her mother believed in rigorous study.  Her father was a poet.  Read all about it at Biography.com by clicking her name.

33. Hustle: MOTOR.  Verb.  Informal.   Run or move as fast as possible.

37. Combustion residue: ASH.   Combustion fuel: Ash. Or Oak, Hickory, Elm etc.

38. Like the object of an "Aww!": ADORABLE.   So passé.  Now it's totes adorbs !  If you wanna be a cool cat daddy-o, you gotta dig the new kings jive.   Can the lip and focus your audio, or you'll be swinging in squaresville.   Totes = totally.  Adorbs = adorable.   YMMV.

42. U.K. singer Rita __: ORA.   Would you like a frozen margaRITA ORA classic margarita ?  Wait, never mind.  I was channeling Boomer there for a moment.  Anyway, from what I read, she's very popular in the U.K. 

43. Food packaging abbr.: NET WT.   Net weight.

45. Cause of some royal sleeplessness: PEA.    Just add another mattress.


46. Salt Lake City team: UTEs.    The college team.  The professional basketball team in Salt Lake City is the Jazz.

52. Coastal evergreen: SAND PINE.    Pinus clausa     Florida, and a little bit of coastal Alabama.


55. Character usually seen in 41-Down (LA NIÑA)TILDE.    An image of an adorable little Latina ?   No, the diacritical mark to tell you how to pronounce a letter.

56. Nail: ACE.

57. Pink drink: ROSÉ WINE.   There's another of those accent marks.

59. "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very __ Day": 2014 film: BAD.   A Disney film. Anyone see it ? 


65. Trauma pro: ER DOC.   Emergency Room Doctor.  With just the D in place, I tested for medic.  No go.  Don't know why I was thinking about the battlefield. 

66. Timbuktu's land: MALI.

67. "Stronger" rapper West: KANYE.

68. 1975 Wimbledon winner: ASHE.  Arthur.

69. Coddling, briefly: TLCThe Learning Channel.   Tender Loving Care.

70. Place: STEAD

Down:

1. Plum used to flavor spirits: SLOE.

2. Jazz band staple: HORN.   The Utah Jazz periodically play the Charlotte HORNets in pro basketball.   In fact, the Jazz will be hosting the Hornets tonight at the Vivant Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City.

3. Adheres to a healthy diet: EATS RIGHT.

4. E. African land: ETH. iopia.   The capital of Ethiopia is Addis Ababa.   You will be tested on this in a future crossword puzzle.  The currency is the Birr, just in case that comes up some time.

5. It commonly involves spiders: PHOBIA.
  1. Arachnophobia – The fear of spiders.
  2. Ophidiophobia – The fear of snakes. 
  3. Acrophobia – The fear of heights. 
  4. Agoraphobia – The fear of open or crowded spaces. 
  5. Cynophobia – The fear of dogs. 
  6. Astraphobia – The fear of thunder and lightning. 
  7. Claustrophobia – The fear of small spaces. 
  8. Mysophobia – The fear of germs. 
  9.  Aerophobia – The fear of flying.
  10. Trypophobia – The fear of holes.
YMMV on the order of the above.    I found some links that listed the top phobias by state.   Most rankings were based on internet search queries, and state results seemed to vary by year.   I guess that's to be expected using that type of methodology.   Here's one: Common Fears by State

6. "I'd love that!": PLEASE DO.

7. Auction action: BIDS

8. Last-second online auction participant: SNIPER.   New to me.   A brief article  from eBay.

9. Moved out: LEFT HOME.

10. Furry TV ET: ALF.   Alf  (né Gordon Shumway; b. October 28, 1756) is the nickname (based on  Alien Life Form) of an extra planetary visitor who followed an amateur radio signal to Earth from the planet Melmac.   Be careful WikWak ! 

The series lasted about 4 years.  It was very popular in Germany.   During the series run, a place in Germany named Alf had municipal signs stolen so many times they had to have extras made and stored in reserve.  The municipality also created replicas and offered them for sale to curb the thefts.  

11. Tony winner Menzel: IDINA.   Thrice nominated.   She won in 2004 for her role in Wicked.    DW saw it in Chicago with her gal pals.   I tended the farm.   I best know Idina Menzel from crosswords and for the Top 10 song,  "Let It Go" from the Disney animated film, Frozen, in which she voiced the character of Queen Elsa. 

12. Summarize: RECAP.   As a speaker, tell them what you told them.  As a listener, tell them what you heard.  Key takeaways.

15. Food recall cause: E. coli.  Escherichia coli.

17. Auctioned wheels: REPO.   Repossessed automobiles sold at auction.  You don't actually own the automobile until you get clear title.   Lenders have repo clauses in the loan agreements to reclaim the asset for payment failure and loan default.  Some lenders may repo for failure to provide adequate insurance. 

19. Fivesome: PENTAD.   This pentad is known as the Greek Church.  It's said to be the hardest of all splits to pick up.  As all bowlers know, splits happen.

20. Tolkien brutes: ORCs.

25. Halloween __: EVE.   I've never heard of Halloween Eve as a thing.  Heard of Halloween.  Heard of All Hallow's Eve.  Different names for the eve of All Saint's Day, right ?  Halloween Eve would be like eve of the eve.  Is it a thing ?    Oh well, it's a crossword puzzle, and it perped right in. 

27. "Reflection" musician Brian: ENO.   Understanding The Importance Of Brian Eno

28. Map out: PLAN.

29. Subterfuge: RUSE.

30. It's expected: PAR.  On the golf course.  It's incredibly easy to get par and more on every single hole, but the goal is to get par or less.

34. As much as possible: TO THE BONE.   Very much, or thoroughly.  "I couldn't get to the clubhouse in time; I got soaked to the bone from the sudden downpour. "

35. "Wonderfilled" cookie: OREO.

36. Coarse file: RASP.  Coarse voice:  Coach Orgeron of the LSU Bayou Bengals has one.

38. Not without ramifications: AT A PRICE.   "Yes, we can add those additional features", the project executive said.  He quickly added, "At a price", knowing full well that this customer had a history of using "unclear communications" and "customer satisfaction" complaints to get more than was bargained for.  PEs and PMs call it scope creep.  Contract terms and conditions need specificity,  with special focus on deliverables.  Ask Jinx.  He teaches this stuff.   

39. "The Problem with __": 2017 documentary about racial stereotypes: APU.


40. Blissful: BEATIFIC.   Wanted Edenlike, but quickly ruled it out.

41. Pacific weather phenomenon: LA NIÑA.   All you wanted to know and more:  El Niño and La Niña: Frequently asked questions

44. Iraq war issue, briefly: WMD.   Weapons of Mass Destruction.

46. Currency mkt. money: USD.   United States Dollar.

48. Real hoot: RIOT.

49. "To recap ... ": IN SUM.   Didn't we just have that word in an answer ?

50. Boo: JEER AT.   Increasingly common fan interaction with players, coaches, owners and teams.

51. Smart set?: ALECKS.   Loved this clue / answer.

52. Cautious: SAFE.

53. Automaker whose current models end in X: ACURA.   Fooled me.  The Tesla Model X came to mind. 

54. "The Big Bang Theory" crowd: NERDs.

58. "Actually ... ": WELL.

60. "Game of Thrones" girl __ Stark: ARYA.   As Abejo would say, "Four perps and I had it."   I never watched Hunger Games of Thrones.

61. Turned green, say: DYED.

63. Japanese drama: NOH.


64. Skin pic: TAT. Picture / tattoo.

Here's the grid so you can check your answers:

















Wrong grid.  Here's the real grid so you can check your answers:





Jan 3, 2020

Friday, January 3, 2020, Kevin Conway

Title: What the  'L is going on here?

Lemonade here beginning 2020 welcoming another new constructor who begins with an "add-a-letter" theme which was easier for me than the reveal. I hope Kevin stops by to explain his take. There are numerous Kevin Conways in the world, so I will wait to hear from him. In my ongoing discussion of solving themed puzzles, I mentioned two weeks ago that first I look to clue/fill 17A. Today I saw -
17A. Lawyer's missing text?: LOST CLAUSE (10) [LOST CAUSE].
Then I look for the mirror fill, here it is:
54A. Another name for the five-second rule of dropped food?: MORSEL CODE [MORSE CODE] (10).
The pun is better in 54 A, and it certainly reveals the theme.
The rest -
22A. Offer from one unwilling to negotiate?: STICKLER PRICE  [STICKER PRICE](13) and its mirror -
44A. Military directive?: BATTLING ORDER [BATTING ORDER](13) fit together nicely Then we have the bonus of a reveal:
35A. Calendar period that 17-, 22-, 44- and 54-Across are celebrating?: L-WEEK. My only thought as shown in the Title I chose was HellWeek, the time when pledges make their final pitch for membership in fraternities/sororities. But a reveal that needs a reveal would be new.

The puzzle itself is a classic Friday.
The distribution is fair.
StatsAverage Values by Day of Week — 15 x 15 only21 x 21 only
This puzzleMonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Blocks3437.537.337.436.831.430.773.9
Words7277.076.876.374.869.668.9139.3
Open Squares8369.369.469.772.991.394.7122.7
Scrabble Avg1.521.571.581.591.581.561.561.55
Avg Word Length5.314.874.894.925.065.595.665.28
Freshness Factor™ Percentile77.218.526.230.746.178.184.362.6
The green highlighted squares show which daily puzzle average is closest to this puzzle for each statistical category.



If this is a debut, Kevin packed in lots of fun non-theme fill like NATIVES, RETURNS, SET ATOP. UBER CAR, ALKALINE,  UNDERPIN, DISK SPACE, INTERPOSE,  OPEN DOORS, and  SETS ASIDE.

On to the solution which did not leave me cranky, but see if you spot why below:

Across:

1. Sports headwear retailer: LIDS.


5. Joplin's "Me and Bobby __": MCGEE.
"Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin', don't mean nothin' hon' if it ain't free, no no..."







10. Charlie Brown's "Darn!": RATS.
  
14. Comic strip dog: ODIE.Garfield's pet.
Not related to 59A. Tributes in verse: ODES.

15. Variety: ARRAY.

16. Poetic black: EBON. 1350–1400; Middle English eban, ebyn ebony < Anglo-French eban(ne), Old French eban, ebaine < Medieval Latin ebanus, for Latin (h)ebenus < Greek ébenos, of Semitic orig.

19. Prepare to fly, maybe: TAXI. On the runway.

20. Type of battery: ALKALINEALL you want to know.

21. Coherent: LUCID.

25. Chicago Outfit gangster: CAPONE. Not called the mob nor the mafia in Chicago - just the "Outfit."

27. One for the road: SIGN. Cute clue.

28. Be flexible: ADAPT.

29. Saves up: SETS ASIDE. The way we were taught to save.

34. Hot __: MIC. Another name for a microphone that is turned on, in particular, one that amplifies or broadcasts a spoken remark that is intended to be private.

36. Wooden shoe sailor: NOD. Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night. Sailed off in a wooden shoe,— Sailed on a river of crystal light. Into a sea of dew. By Eugene Field.

37. Create opportunities: OPEN DOORS.

40. First owner of the expansion Los Angeles Angels: AUTRY.
Gene Autry was a singing cowboy who became a movie star and rich enough to be awarded the expansion baseball franchise. This time of year his Christmas contribution - he was the first to record Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane), and Frosty the Snowman. Additionally, he co-wrote Here Comes Santa Claus.

42. Travel prefix with méxico and perú: AERO. National airlines.

43. Monks' homes: ABBEYS.

49. Spring time: APRIL. Notice that it is two words.

50. Support: UNDERPIN. That is where the pins go when Boomer and TTP bowl.

53. Makeshift blade: SHIV. Thank you to the gypsy population, this is from chive, chieve, chife, chiv (“knife”), from Romani chive, chiv, chivvomengro (“knife, dagger") from 1915.

56. Group of online pages: SITE. What a perfect description of so many sites.

57. Of past times: OLDEN.

58. Garage sale term: AS IS.

60. Greet with howls, as the moon: BAY AT. Or is it bays at?

61. Restaurant menu heading: REDS. Whites, or rosés?

Down:

1. Showgirl of song: LOLA. It is actually a very sad SONG.

2. Worshipped object: IDOL. Originally from Latin idolum ‘image, form.’  Hence the Hebrew law against worshipping graven images.

3. Modern capacity measure: DISK SPACE. Alternatively referred to as disk space, disk storage, or storage capacity, disk capacity is the maximum amount of data a disc, disk, or drive is capable of holding. Disk capacity is displayed in MB (megabytes), GB (gigabytes), or TB (terabytes). All types of media capable of storing information have a disk capacity, including a CD, DVD, floppy disk, hard drive, memory stick/card, and USB thumb drive.

4. Put on, as a high shelf: SET ATOP.

5. Bad intentions: MALICE.

6. Street organ feature: CRANK. Monkey not included. See 47D.

7. "Oliver Twist" food: GRUEL.

8. Warning service co-coordinated by FEMA: EAS. The Emergency Alert System is used by alerting authorities to send warnings via broadcast, cable, satellite and wireline communications pathways.

9. Part of a needle: EYE.

10. Investment gains: RETURNS.

11. Old calculators: ABACI.

12. Like guilt-trippers, say: TOXIC. There are so many KINDS.

13. Nasty: SNIDE. My favorite.

18. He played Dirty Harry: CLINT. Unlike John Wayne or other famous western stars, his real name is CLINT EASTWOOD, Jr.

21. Women's links gp.: LPGALadies Professional Golf Association.

23. __ Park, Colorado: ESTES. A very small town at the base of Rocky Mountain Park Northwest of Denver. A gimme since my son moved to Denver. I went there for a moment.

24. Actuary's specialty: RISK.

25. Army gear, briefly: CAMO. Camouflage
 is the use of any combination of materials,
 coloration, or illumination for concealment,
either by making animals or objects hard to
see (crypsis), or by disguising them as something else (mimesis).

26. Take __: swim: A DIP.

29. Pass out: SWOON.

30. Always, to a poet: E'ER.

31. Put between: INTERPOSE.

32. "Finding __": 2016 sequel: DORY. A blue tang from the earlier Finding Nemo.

33. Dreyer's, east of the Rockies: EDYS. I scream you scream...

35. Loughlin of "Full House": LORI. Perhaps in bad taste, while she remains at the center of the College Admissions Scandal.

38. Indigenes: NATIVES. Indigenous people.

39. Lenovo rival: DELL. More computer talk.

40. Egyptian president __ Fattah el-Sisi: ABDEL.
This MILITARY MAN who is only 5'5" tall.

41. Ride available via mobile app: UBER CAR. I have never heard anyone use this term...just UBER.

43. Passionate: ARDENT.

44. Bartolo in "The Barber of Seville," e.g.: BASSO.

45. Ladybug's lunch: APHID.

46. Overdone: TRITE.

47. Half a stringed instrument: GURDY. Hurdy Gurdy.

48. Southend-__: ON-SEA. Southend-on-Sea is a resort town on the Thames Estuary in Essex, southeast England.

51. "Already taken care of": I DID.

52. Fabled loch: NESS. Do you like this clue better than Eliot?

54. Flash __: MOB.

55. Old ending for "Motor": OLA. We still have a factory here.

What a way to begin a new year, a new decade (?) 1-10, or 10-19?
Welcome, Kevin and welcome back for another year all. Lemonade out. Thank you, fellow bloggers, for all of your help and another year of work.


In the "it's a small world" I was speaking with my son, Aaron and he told me he had made dinner, and sent a picture because it was a Thai/Lao dish he had learned to cook when he worked in a Thai restaurant while in college (long before I met Oo)
It is called Laab (Larb) Gai. I had never heard of it. Then tonight on the great American baking show one of the semifinalists was making some Larb filled pastries. Recipe