Friday, October 4, 2024, Gary Larson, Amy Ensz

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a Friday offering from frequent contributors/collaborators Gary Larson and Amy Ensz who are dillgently trying to help us Get ER Done (but, hopefully, in a manner significantly different than the one our friend, above, appears to be employing).

At six places within the grid we are asked to append the letters E and R to a common expression and, thereby, create appropriate answers to the clues.  To make things even more interesting, today we get a mixture of themed-answers placed both Across and Down in the grid.  Here is where we are asked to get ER done:

17 Across. Die-hard independent?: PARTY HATER.   A reference to political parties and people who are not convinced that either of the two dominant ones have the answers.  Derived from: Party Hat

28 Across. Baked potato?: HOT TUBER.  From: Hot Tub  A potato being, of course, a TUBER.

48 Across. Diamond heist?: ICE CAPER.  From: Ice Cap  CAPER being film noir/tec - speak for a robbery.

63 Across. Problematic dental patient?: DRILL BITER.  From:  Drill Bit  Ouch!

11 Down. Gauge on an oil rig?: WELL METER.  From: Well Met which is an archaic adjective used as a salutation, or part of a salutation, meaning "glad to meet you".  It is also carries connotations of suitability and propriety.  It's based on a different meaning of "meet," an adjectival/adverbial usage indicating something is literally or figuratively the right size for a given situation.

35 Across. Quality-control inspector at a knapsack factory?: PACK RATER.  From: Pack Rat.  A pack rat is a hoarder.  Not to be confused with the Rat Pack.

The grid:

The rest of the clues and anwser-ers:

Across:

1. Floor it: SPEED.  Put the pedal to the metal.  Step on the accelerator.  An automotive reference.

6. Grasps: SEES.  Understands.

10. Exchange: SWAP.

14. Eighth Greek letter: THETA.  See also 62 Across.

15. Do roadwork: PAVE.  Better to see this than something to do with TAR.

16. Deli sandwich: HERO.  How The Hero Sandwich Got Its Name

19. Came to rest: ALIT.

20. Alpine cheese from Italy: ASIAGO.

21. Vexes: RANKLES.

23. Support on a course: TEE.  A golfing reference.

24. "Stay" singer Lisa: LOEB.  Not in this solver's musical wheelhouse but they've TEEd it up so:

27. Ode or haiku: POEM.

Our clever Chairman

Crafts amusing Moe-kus but

Eschews writing M-odes 

30. One of Bo Peep's charges: EWE.  LAMB was t00 long.  RAM would have fit but would not mesh with the perps.

33. Incident that hurts one's credit score: REPO.  REPosession.

36. Hence: ERGO.

37. Place atop: SET ON.

39. "To the stars," in mottos: AD ASTRA.  Today's Latin lesson.

41. Facility that's in a constant state of ferment: BREWERY.  Nice wordplay.  Beer is fermented.

43. Kitchen gadget: RICER.  Sometimes PARER.

44. Carp kin: DACE.  Both are fish.  While we have previously seen DACE in our puzzles this solver did not recall the word.  Thanks, perps.

46. Writer Bombeck: ERMA.  A frequent visitor.

47. Comics shriek: EEK.  Sometimes we see EKE as in to EKE out a living.

51. Rolling in dough: RICH.  Slang.

53. Henry VI's school: ETON.  If it's a reference to English royalty, the school is almost always ETON.

54. Apollo vehicle, briefly: LEM.  Lunar Excursion Module

57. Netflix title role for Lily: FRANKIE.  Lily Tomlin I know.  The show I don't know.  Thanks perps.

60. Gender-neutral ethnic identity: LATINE.  As contrasted with Latino or Latina neither of which is gender-neutral.

62. Ninth Greek letter: IOTA.  See also 14 Across.

66. "Couldn't agree more": AMEN.

67. Country whose name comes from a Gaelic goddess: EIRE.  Ireland.

68. Not fully trusting: LEERY.

69. Shredded: TORE.  Will it be TORN?  Not this time.

70. "Out!": SCAT.  SCAT also has other meanings.

71. Barnett of CBS News: ERROL.

Down:

1. Mid-Mar. figure: ST. PAT.

2. Lunar cycle component: PHASE.

3. Supercreepy: EERIE.  Halloween is less than a month away.

4. Blues guitarist Baker: ETTA.  Often clued with a reference to ETTA James.

Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad

Same Song - A Different "Take"

5. Company that invented black-light fluorescent paint: DAY-GLO.  Until solving this puzzle yours truly was unaware that DAY GLO colors traced their name back to a specific company.

Day-Glo Color Corp.

6. Upscale bathroom installation: SPA.  Somewhat convoluted cluing, IMMHO.

7. Down: EAT.  Slang.  Down has many meanings (e.g. feathers, a direction, nail it down) so this one had to be sorted out.

8. At any time: EVER.

9. Oaxacan wrap: SERAPE.  Oaxaca tips us off to a likely Spanish answer.

10. Lose: SHAKE.  As in to get away from someone who is following you.  My Labrador loved it when, in a "cops and robbers" flick, someone would say "Let's see if we can SHAKE the tail."

12. "Songversation" artist India.__: ARIE.  A frequent visitor.

13. Double boilers, e.g.: POTS.

18. Owl: HOOTER.  Not a themed answer.

22. Like Vikings: NORSE.  I love NORSE puns.  They're Frigg'n hilarious.

25. Robinhood alternative: E-TRADE.  Both are platforms for trading stocks.

26. App issue: BUG.  A tech reference.

28. Socks: HOSE.  Used as a noun.  Not as in punches someone.

29. Excavator-maker: BOBCAT.

31. Compost bin helper: WORM.  I saw a pack of gummy WORMs that said “No artificial flavors.”  Who buys gummy worms hoping they’d taste as close to real worms as possible?

32. Grammy winner from Donegal: ENYA.  A frequent visitor.

33. Uncommon: RARE.

34. Actress Falco: EDIE.  A frequent vistior.

38. Amphoralike vessel: EWER.  Not a themed answer.

40. Take in: TRICK.  As in "I've been taken in".

42. Get a second opinion?: RE-POLL.   Okay, but this solver has never heard this used.

45. Part of the upper deck?: ACE.  A playing card reference.

49. Takes to task: CHIDES.  My ex-wife used to CHIDE me about everything.  She was a real multi-tsk-er.

50. Empower: ENABLE.

52. Idiotic: INANE.

54. Soda purchase: LITER.  Hand up for first guessing it was a flavor or a brand name and not a size.

55. Año Nuevo month: ENERO.  Spanish lesson.  The New Year happens each January.

 

56. Streep of "Only Murders in the Building": MERYL.  Are there other Streeps?

57. Order: FIAT.  From the Latin:  Let it be done.

58. Tony who holds the Cowboys record for most touchdown passes: ROMO.  Dak Prescott holds the single-season Dallas Cowboys' record for most touchdown passes.

59. Playwright Bogosian: ERIC.  Perhaps better known for his role as Captain Danny Ross in Law & Order Criminal Intent.

61. Layer: TIER.  Hen was too short.

64. 401(k) rollover target: IRA.  A rollover IRA is a retirement account used to move money from a former employer-sponsored retirement account, such as a 401 (k) plan, into an IRA without losing its tax-deferred status.

65. Tennis mulligan: LET.  A do-over.

Well, that will wrap things up on a day where we visited, or were visited by, ERMA, ETON, EIRE, ETTA, ENYA, EDIE, and ERIC.  Was that a sub-theme?

_____________________________________________

Friday, January 19, 2024, Gary Larson and Amy Ensz

Theme: He who hesitates is lost

Puzzling thoughts:

This is better ... back to wordplay in a Friday puzzle. And today's puzzle did not just commit wordplay in the entries; it did so, too, by its reveal: 59-across. Book supplements, and an apt title for this puzzle: ADD END UMS

Ok, if you want to nitpick, the plural for ADDENDUM is ADDENDA (which I suppose could be another puzzle theme in a few years), but a couple of googled dictionary sources say it's OK to use ADDENDUMS. Maybe Yellowrocks or Misty will chirp in and give us their expert opinion? But I digress ...

Today's puzzle is a collaboration between Gary Larson and Amy Ensz. The two of them have collaborated on puzzles here (mostly on Sunday) as well as the Wall Street Journal. In an interview, Gary refers to his wife as "Amy". I wonder if her last name happens to be Ensz??

Anyway, the puzzle has four entries and a reveal; 55 characters in all. That is a lot of theme characters for a 15x15 grid (minimum number of theme characters is usually 40)... which leads to a plethora of 3-letter entries (I think I counted 19), as well as 4-letter and 5-letter ones. I am no speed demon, but today's puzzle was completed in record-Friday-time (less than 9 minutes). Once I "got" the gist of the puzzle (adding an "UM" to the end of the entries) it solved quite quickly. But that did NOT diminish the enjoyment I had figuring it out. Here are the entries:

 

16-across. Class reunion attendee who's in no one's yearbook?: WEIRD ALUM. 

Weird Al

Weird Alum (also Weird Al)

 

25-across. Proper etiquette at the plate?: HOME DECORUM.

Home Decor

Home Decorum

 

37-across. Impulse behind the gift-giving in "The Twelve Days of Christmas"?: PRESENT MOMENTUM.

Present Moment

Present Momentum

 

47-across. Discussion panel about sheets, duvets, blankets, etc.?: COVERS FORUM.

Covers For

 

                                                                  

                       click on this to expose:       COVERS FORUM

 

Sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words ... let's see how the rest of the words got THEIR moment(um):

Across:
1. Framing piece: JAMB. How about a Moe-l'ick right off the bat??

Welch's factory worker named Sam
Was found stealing. He went on the lam;
Tried escaping through door
Of the Company Store.
Don't you know he got stuck in the JAMB?

5. Swiatek who won her fourth major singles championship in 2023: IGA. Pretty sure that she does her food shopping at the "Hometown Proud" store in her area

8. Carding pre-entry: I.D.'ING. A bouncer's duty, perhaps, at a popular nightclub?

13. Vineyard measure: ACRE. The vineyards abroad generally use the term "hectare" to refer to this: "A hectare is a unit of measurement used by farmers to describe an area that is 10,000 m². Another way of looking at it is 1 hectare is equal to around 2.47 acres. As grapes for wine making are grown by farmers, the standard farm practice of measuring in hectares still stands" [Google search]

14. Russian dynast: TSAR. TSAR vs CZAR: Always remember TSAR is the head of a Russian dynast-TEE, CEE?

15. West Coast NFLer: NINER. They have a big NFL Divisional Round playoff game tomorrow vs the Packers

18. Dried poblano: ANCHO. CSO to Lucina, perhaps? I bet she knows a thing or two about peppers!

19. Off the street, in a way: GARAGED. Our subdivision has homes all with two-car garages, and allows for on-street parking on just one side to allow for emergency vehicles, et al, to pass freely

21. Irish capital: EURO. Since DUBLIN didn't fit, I knew that the "capital" meant their currency. Northern Ireland uses the British Pound, I believe

22. Touch: TAP.

27. Many of the Marshall Islands: ATOLLS. Another Moe-l'ick:

A PIRATE liked to wander afar,
On a boat, or by plane, or by car.
His next year's travel goal,
Is to see an ATOLL
Called Raroia; Its Airport Code? RRR!

29. Order member: NUN. Moe-ku:

Sister at convent
Was brash. Superior said,
"We'll have NUN of that!!"

30. Seldom seen: RARE. Also, the way that Chairman Moe likes having his steaks cooked (beef or tuna)

Perfect sear

31. IRS action: AUDIT. Has anyone here been AUDITed by the IRS?? Want to talk about it??

34. Place for a mineral scrub: SPA. Believe it or not, the Chairman had a mineral scrub (Dead Sea salt) when he visited Israel 15+ years ago ...

41. "__-boom-bah!": SIS. I rather doubt that modern-day cheerleading squads utter this

42. "The __ in Me": Britney Spears memoir: WOMAN.

43. Senior advocacy group: AARP. AARP counts seniors as those over the age of 50; I never referred to myself as a senior until I was eligible for Medicare

44. Bank of China Tower architect: PEI. CanadianEh!, can you confirm that he once lived on Prince Edward Island??

45. Hot Wheels maker: MATTEL.

53. Go out with: SEE.

54. Again: ANEW.

55. Sang high notes?: YODELED. Old commercial for Swiss Miss:

57. Shopping aids: LISTS. Our shopping LISTS have one of two titles on them (depending on who's shopping): naughty or nice

63. Looks down?: MOPES.

64. Pharmacy orders, informally: MEDS.

65. Far offshore: ASEA.

66. Catch in a trap: SNARE.

67. Hindu title of respect: SRI.

68. Business review app: YELP.

Down:
1. Giant part of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton: JAW. Took me a couple of tries to get this; I knew it wasn't an ARM

2. Big heart?: ACE. Fun clue

We only play with Jumbo Index cards!!

 

3. Sports doc's order: MRI.

4. Part of an icy breakup: BERG. Another fun clue; iceBERG

5. Quran faith: ISLAM.

6. Speedometer, e.g.: GAUGE.

7. Set, as an alarm: ARMED. Moe-ku:

My first alarm clock
Was shaped like an octopus
ARMED and dangerous

8. Cookbook writer Garten: INA.

9. Make a meal of: DINE ON.

10. Run up, as debts: INCUR.

11. Jacket style named for an Indian leader: NEHRU. This brings back memories

12. Best man's best friend, often: GROOM. Another fun clue

14. Need for poi: TAROS.

17. Arlene of classic cinema: DAHL. Or, Willy Wonka creator Roald

20. Sturdy material: DENIM. This clue threw me off for a few moments

22. Infield protectors: TARPS. Abbr. for TARPaulin

23. Centipede platform: ATARI. Centipede is an old arcade game

24. Sponge features: PORES.

Sponge, au naturel

 

26. Adorable: CUTE. This little guy, maybe?

Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen (PBGV)

 

28. Guitar legend Paul: LES.

31. 24/7 money source: ATM.

32. Thurman of "The Producers": UMA.

33. __ Quixote: DON.

34. Sports figures: STATS.

35. Blender setting: PUREE.

36. Copious: AMPLE.

38. Washbasin jug: EWER. Moe-ku:

Famous artist was
Asked to paint still-life. He said,
"EWER kidding, right?"

39. Loud: NOISY.

40. NL East player: NAT. Washington NATional

44. Tin alloy: PEWTER. PEWTER is an alloy composed primarily of tin with varying quantities of hardening agents such as antimony, bismuth, copper and lead

45. Grand Canyon rentals: MULES. Not now; overnight lows are in the teens and high temp's are barely above freezing

46. Hymn finale: AMEN. This is a beautiful rendition of Gloria Patri

47. Settles: CALMS.

48. Gibson garnish: ONION. A martini usually is garnished with an OLIVE or LEMON peel; a Gibson is garnished with a pickled ONION

49. Italian scooter: VESPA. Moe-ku:

Italian priest rode
A scooter to evening Mass
VESPA, for vespers

50. Bubbles up: FOAMS.

51. More eccentric: ODDER.

52. __-wip: dessert topping: REDDI. Anyone ever do this with a can?

56. June 6, 1944: D-DAY. My dad enlisted on D-Day; he had his 18th birthday just a few days before

58. London-to-Paris dir.: SSE. Directions, anyone??

60. "__ your head!": USE. What I usually say to myself when trying to figure out the puzzle themes

61. Airport code for Australia's second largest city: MEL. Airport code for MELbourne

62. Plant juice: SAP.

Here's the grid: Thanks to sumdaze for showing me how to caption my pics!! 😘

For those who asked for a grid showing the answers to the 01/16/2024 Universal Crossword puzzle:

Sunday December 25, 2022 Gary Larson & Amy Ensz

Theme: "Tis the Season" - Each common phrase is re-phrased as Christmas-related.

23. Snow-covered home in many Hallmark Christmas greetings?: HOUSE OF CARDS.

28. Task of untangling last year's outdoor Christmas decorations?: LIGHT DUTY.

41. Rude way to describe shopping mall Santas?: SUBORDINATE CLAUSES.

66. Like a decorated Christmas tree, usually?: BALL BEARING.

87. Like the contents of a gift-wrapped pet carrier, hopefully?: LIVING IN THE PRESENT.

103. Career preparing gifts for those on Santa's "naughty" list?: COALFIELD.

110. Portraying Comet's sleigh-pulling partner in the Christmas pageant?: PLAYING CUPID.

We have a standard 7-theme entry in a 142 word grid from our crossword power couple. 84 black squares, 6 more than usual.  

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope your day is full of love and fun. I attended a Christmas eve mass last night. Bill, our Thursday sherpa, asked this mass to be offered to Boomer. Thanks, Bill! It's surreal to sit on the first row and be the first to get Father Charlie's blessing. I did remember to say "Amen" rather than "Thank you!" this time.

Across:

1. "God bless us, __ one!": EVERY. "A Christmas Carol". And 11. __ pudding: Christmas treat: PLUM. 21. Syllables from Santa: HO HO.

6. Cola choice: PEPSI.

15. Org. with Falcons and Ravens: NFL.

18. Stimulates, as curiosity: PIQUES.

20. Mr. T's outfit: A TEAM. And his outfit.

22. ISP pioneer: AOL.

25. Soon, long ago: ANON.

26. Overly: TOO.

27. Most wee: LITTLEST.

30. "Sounder" Best Actress Oscar nominee Cicely: TYSON.

31. Cap brims: VISORS.

34. Dog-__: EARED.

35. Ryder Cup org.: PGA. The 2023 Ryder Cup will be played in Italy.

37. Loudness measure: DECIBEL.

40. Chef's workload: ORDERS.

47. Completely updated: ALL NEW.

48. "Well, shoot": DRAT. Now I know why you need an ATM card. Never had one before. Hope to receive mine next week.

49. Air France hub: ORLY.

50. Wok, for one: PAN.

53. Coffee cup insulators: SLEEVES.

55. TV series based on a Coen brothers film: FARGO.

57. Noted second-place finisher: HARE.

58. Dodger great Reese: PEEWEE. Here with #42.

61. Slender stemware: FLUTE.

62. Went up a size: GREW.

63. "Waterloo" quartet: ABBA.

69. Word with wind and Wing: WEST.

70. Armoire part: DOOR.

71. Oscar winner Hunt: HELEN. For her "As Good as It Gets".

72. Build up: ACCRUE.

74. Go up against: ABUT.

75. Parlor piece: DIVAN.

76. Shows age, as newspaper: YELLOWS.

80. Yoga roll: MAT.

81. Make a bundle?: BALE. Good old clue.

82. Meyers of late-night TV: SETH.

86. British fish dish: EEL PIE. Looks tasty.

91. With good judgment: WISELY.

94. Perfect example: EPITOME.

95. Game console letters: NES.

96. Perfect: IDEAL.

97. Tell: RELATE.

99. Puts at ease: CALMS.

105. Proclaim loudly: BLARE OUT.

108. Actress Basinger: KIM. Here in "L.A. Confidential"

109. "Start talking": OK GO.

114. College domain: EDU.

115. Jump: LEAP.

116. Dispatch: HASTE. I only know "dispatch" as a verb.

117. Wonderland host who says, "It's always tea-time": HATTER. Mad.

118. Tres menos uno: DOS.

119. "NASCAR on NBC" analyst Earnhardt Jr.: DALE.

120. Figures (out): DOPES.

121. Flowering shrub, in gardener slang: RHODY. Rhododendrons.

Down:

1. NT book before Philippians: EPH. Ephesians.

2. Baroque stringed instrument: VIOL.

3. Evenhanded: EQUITABLE.

4. Out of practice: RUSTY.

5. Throws away quickly, in slang: YEETS. Not a word I use.

6. Busy orgs. during campaigns: PACS.

7. Coup d'__: ETAT.

8. According to: PER.

9. Despondent: SAD.

10. Online chats, briefly: IMS.

11. "Exile in Guyville" singer Liz: PHAIR.

12. Yearns (for): LONGS.

13. "I don't like the sound of that": UH OH.

14. __ Jack cheese: MONTEREY.

15. Essence: NATURE.

16. Header's opposite: FOOTER.

17. London insurance giant: LLOYDS.

19. Flight school hurdle: SOLO.

24. Italian fashion house known for leather goods: FENDI. Here's a nice Fendi Baguette.

28. Hang around lazily: LOLL.

29. Some parents: DADS.

31. "La Dolce __": VITA.

32. "Yeah, right": I BET.

33. Min. fraction: SEC.

35. Free TV spots: PSAS.

36. Noisy shorebird: GULL. What?

38. Wrap up: END.

39. Mercury or Saturn: CAR.

40. Norwegian capital: OSLO.

42. Words in a cocktail recipe: ONE PART.

43. Nice dream?: REVE. Nice the French city.

44. Geeky type: DWEEB.

45. __ valve: heart part: AORTIC.

46. Pressing need: URGENCY.

50. Cut (down): PARE.

51. War god: ARES.

52. Small amphibian: NEWT.

54. African language: SWAHILI.

55. Ala. neighbor: FLA.

56. Luminous glow: AURA.

57. "The Time Machine" author: H G WELLS.

59. Telepathic girl in "Stranger Things": ELEVEN.

60. Jazz great Fitzgerald: ELLA.

61. Marshy area: FEN.

63. "House of Gucci" actor Driver: ADAM.

64. "The Book of __ Fett": BOBA.

65. Boxing match: BOUT.

67. Actor Kingsley: BEN.

68. "The Whole Woman" writer Germaine: GREER. A few names in Down slots.

73. Peter Fonda title role: ULEE.

75. Crockett of folklore: DAVY.

77. Confides in: OPENS UP TO. Can't confide much to Carmen now. She's been sick with COVID. 

Lao Pan and Carmen, 5/3/2022

78. Sangria ingredient: WINE.

79. Gels: SETS.

81. Wallet: BILLFOLD.

82. Tizzy: SNIT.

83. Kin of -kin: ETTE.

84. Howe'er: THO.

85. Garment border: HEM.

87. "Dreamgirls" actress Sharon: LEAL.

88. Fix, as a horse: GELD.

89. Brewery letters: IPA.

90. Praline nut: PECAN.

91. Musical set in Oz: WICKED.

92. Eager reply to "Who wants dessert?": I DO I DO.

93. Irish poet Heaney: SEAMUS. Learning moment for me.

97. Fit for a queen: REGAL.

98. Skip the formalities, in a way: ELOPE.

100. Cry of frustration: ARGH. Big Easy got plenty from me last week.

101. Aptly named Renault: LE CAR.

102. Impudence: MOUTH.

104. Superstore with wordless assembly instructions: IKEA.

105. Information unit: BYTE.

106. Baloney: LIES.

107. Seven up, e.g.: TIED. Nice clue.

110. Letters from school: PHD.

111. Asian language: LAO.

112. Egyptian viper: ASP.

113. Like some humor: DRY.

 

A few extra notes:

1) Happy birthday to dear Kathy (Yellowrocks) and Lorraine (Fermatprime)! Have not heard from Lorraine for a while. I think her good friend Malcolm reads our blog from time to time.

Kathy (Yellowrocks), Dec 10, 2020

2) Boomer was buried on Dec 17th Saturday. It was a beautiful cold day. I wish I could tell him that I received the most amazing group card from his Monday morning traveling league, so so many guys signed it. And all five of his Thursday night teammates showed up for the visitation despite the bad weather, but he probably knew everything.  

 

I just want to say a special "thank you" to Dr. Nina (inanehiker). I would not have been able to take good care of Boomer without her medical and life advice. Nina patiently and promptly answered all my questions. She checked on me regularly and she still does. Her book of hope in the darkness, her generous gift card, her kindness and love will stay with me forever. 

I also want to thank constructor Tom Pepper, who drove Boomer to the VA, moved the TV and chair upstairs, and installed a floating shelf for me in our bathroom. Tom was there every step of the way for Boomer's funeral service. And he helped pay the group dinner after the mass. What you've done for me, Tom, touched me deeply.

 

Also want to thank D-Otto, Agnes, TTP, and my whole blogging team, who were always there for me when I needed help.

And to our blog readers, esp Janice Leavitt (Ohio), Glenn (Acesaroundagain), Tara Silva, Misty and Kelly Clark, thank you so much for making Boomer feel special in his final months.

    

I had a rocky start without Boomer. Wells Fargo locked me out of our bank account and deactivated my only credit card on Dec 16. Suddenly simple life basics became impossible. Hope the glitches get solved next week and I can live again. 

 

C.C.