Saturday, September 5, 2020, Greg Johnson

 Saturday Themeless by Greg Johnson 

Greg's Saturday puzzle was a real speed run for me as he and I were simpatico all the way through.

Across:

1. Have plenty of force: PACK A PUNCH - Hurricane Laura comes to mind

11. Hardly any: A BIT.

15. Common Creamsicle float ingredient: ORANGE SODA.

16. Bausch + Lomb brand: RENU - People who wear contact lenses with a face mask probably don't have fogging issues

17. Light rail predecessors: STREET CARS.

18. Body shop concern: DENT - Using suction to repair your own

19. Pitchfork features: TINES.

20. French meat stew: POT-AU-FEU - Literally "pot on the fire". I first thought of Ratatouille

22. Groundwater-fed puddle: SEEP - SEEP as a noun. My golf course abuts the Platte River and has a very high water table, so we see these on occasion.

23. Dire destiny: DOOM a mouse's fate when they 25. Ride the wind: SOAR overhead

26. On the wrong side (of): AFOUL - One is said to have "run AFOUL of propriety"  when one 28. Impulsively utters, with "out": BLURTS out something offensive (even/especially if it's the truth) without thinking

30. "I've got you": HOLD ON TO ME.

34. Starting course: SOUP.

35. Ship's dir.: ENE - Or direction from Accra, Ghana to Lagos, Nigeria

36. Carousel riders: BAGGAGE - Michael Richards as Kramer, hurt himself in this carousel stunt but jumped right up and finished the scene

38. It has one team in Can.: NBA - The NBA Champion Toronto Raptors

39. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group since 2003: AC/DC - I looked up their top 20 hits and didn't know any. 

41. "The Nutcracker" marcher: TOY SOLDIER - On the other hand, I am very familiar with this piece of music and loved the brilliant choreography

14. "The Nutcracker" sight: TUTU - The Sugar Plum Fairy certainly wears one

43. Crack, perhaps: DECODE - When he/she says ____, he/she really means____.

45. Calf-roping loop: NOOSE.

46. G-rated word of annoyance: DARN.

47. Give conditionally: LEND.

48. __ work: menial labor: SCUT - Being assigned SCUT duty was punishment on Grey's Anatomy

52. Casual question after "We took pictures": WANNA SEE - Sometimes the answer is no but you shouldn't just BLURT that out

54. See 3-Down: ASADA and 3. With 54-Across, grilled Mexican dish: CARNE - CARNE ASADA (meat grilled) has some lovely vowels 

55. Prepare for a surprise, perhaps: HIDE.

56. Expressed remorse, say: MADE AMENDS - My rule for kids, "Admit it was your fault, say you're sorry and fix it"

59. "First Lady of Song": ELLA - Fitzgerald

60. Toy featured in the 2002 film "The Man Who Saved Christmas": ERECTOR SET - The story of A.C. Gilbert who reluctantly quit making toys like his ERECTOR SET to make munitions for WWI but then convinced the government to let him start remaking toys

61. They're light-sensitive: EYES.

62. "That's all she wrote": END OF STORY - Husker FB this fall?

Down:

1. Message board entries: POSTS - Yours are a highlight of my day

2. Fitting name for a gallery patron?: ARTIE - Now that's fun!

4. Skateboarder's protector: KNEE PAD.

5. Suitability word on some games: AGES - The puzzle box said 2 - 6 years but it only took me three days

6. Stroke: PET.

7. Pac-12 member: USC.

8. Words indicating lack of offense: NO APOLOGY NEEDED.

9. Format for older computer games: CD ROM - The CD ROM's in this series saw a lot of use at our houses

10. "And __ thou slain the Jabberwock?": HAST.

11. Difficult: ARDUOUS.

12. Chef Boyardee product: BEEFARONI.

13. Waterslide aid: INNER TUBE and 52. Waterslide cry: WHEE.

21. Handy communication syst.?: ASL - Reagan Thibodeau, using American Sign Language in Maine, is very expressive during COVID-19 press conferences 

23. Campaign website option: DONATE.

24. Expenditure: OUTGO.

27. Key ring thing: FOB.

28. Valediction reminder: BE GOOD - His show depended on people who did not follow his valediction 

29. Practice in a ring: SPAR.

30. Melon, facetiously: HEAD.

31. Dosage instruction: ONCE DAILY.

32. Flameless light source: LED CANDLE - Put away the matches and get out the batteries

33. Stone __: MASON.

37. Two-time U.S. Open champ: ELS.

40. Transparent 61-Across parts: CORNEAS.

42. Ending course: DESSERT.

44. Bad thing to leave at a crime scene: DNA - Uh, number 2, we'd like to visit with you

47. Pick up: LEARN - We bloggers are trying our best to LEARN the new Blogger language

49. Playground retort: CAN SO.

50. Milk container: UDDER.

51. "Delish!": TASTY.

53. Barrie's nonconformist pirate: SMEE - I'll bet you can pick him out

54. Book after Joel: AMOS.

57. Tourist opening?: ECO - Tulum is a small town on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula 

58. Fed gp. fighting certain illegal trafficking: ATF - The new American Government started taxing spirits in 1789 to pay for the revolution and this was the birth of what became the ATF. Washington learned that Americans did not take kindly to this.

Comment below:

Saturday, June 6, 2020, Greg Johnson

Themeless Saturday by Greg Johnson

On this D-Day anniversary, I am blogging my seventh Greg Johnson themeless entry. I ran through this one in one of my 43. Done in the least amount of time: FASTEST times and enjoyed some fun cluing along the way.

From Greg's Website

Across:

1. Measures roughly: PACES OFF - When I was a softball coach, I could PACE OFF 45' (15 slightly exaggerated strides) for pitchers to practice from very accurately

9. Suspicious offers, often: SCAMS 

14. Pots and such: IRONWARE - A fine example of Smithey IRONWARE made in Charleston, S.C.

15. Egypt neighbor: LIBYA - Allied and Axis Powers fought for control of this area in 1941/42. 76 years ago today the Allies invaded the Axis Powers from the north

18. Three-time Olympics host country: ITALY - This shows document that 16. Authenticates: CERTIFIES Italy will host the 2026 Winter Olympic Games

19. Welcome at the door: ASK IN - "Warning before you 57. Enter: SET FOOT IN our house: "We have a cat!" (From Thursday's Jeffrey Wechsler puzzle)

20. Landmark in the 2018 documentary "Free Solo": EL CAPITAN - Alex Honnold is the only climber to have conquered EL CAPITAN with no safety equipment (FREE)  by himself (SOLO)

22. Container for some baked goods: BREAD BOX - Steve Allen on What's My Line famously asked, "Is it bigger than a BREAD BOX?"

24. __ tolerance: ZERO - My principal was a big advocate until his daughter got caught with beer

25. Succulent plant genus: ALOE.

27. "Puh-leeze!": SPARE ME.

29. Org. with a "Parents" link on its main page: NEA - Look closely to see the link

30. LED part: DIODE - Top - Incandescent flashlight. Bottom - Light Emitting DIODE flashlight 

31. Briefly: IN SUM - After a too-long presentation, "So, IN SUM, you are saying...". I prefer pitchmen that are 35. Most brief: TERSEST.

37. Bald spot: TONSURE - A sign of religious devotion from the Latin word tonsura meaning clipping or shearing 

39. "Chicago Med" pro: E.R. DOC.

40. Not whispered: ALOUD

42. Modern steady: BAE - This variation of Babe is not a word I would ever use/hear/like

45. AM radio staple: TALK 

46. National __: DEBT - See for yourself

49. Supports, in a way: VOTES FOR.

51. How work references may be given: ON REQUEST - You might first want to be sure what they are going to say

53. Stretchy fabric: LYCRA - LYCRA, spandex and elastane are all the same and they dominate school hallways and cause an occasional 26. Wanton gaze: LEER 

56. Pleasure trip: JAUNT 

59. Go on: OCCUR.

60. The Northern Pacific's __ Islands: ALEUTIAN -  Why did Japan invade Alaska six months after Pearl Harbor?

61. Way up or down: STEPS - TikTok Asia Stair Shuffle Challenge

62. Jellyfish appendage: TENTACLE - The sting from the TENTACLES of the Box (cube-headed) Jellyfish can be fatal.

Down:

1. 12-point type: PICA - Our only two choices in high school typing

2. "Iliad" god: ARES.

3. Display with pins: CORKBOARD.

4. Complete: ENTIRE - $74.90 for the ENTIRE series in paperback

5. Beasts with snouts: SWINE.

6. Clumsy character: OAF.

7. Hash browns, e.g.: FRIED POTATOES - I considered RICED and DICED for _ _ _ ED POTATOES

8. Have regrets: FEEL BAD.

9. Lapse: SLIP.

10. Town hall meeting attendees: CITIZENS.

11. Lessen: ABATE.

12. Space blanket material: MYLAR - They reflect body heat back to keep you warm

13. Refuse: SAY NO.

17. Reason for revenge: SCORE TO SETTLE - A lousy philosophy 

21. Remove, as from a schedule: AXE - Whole lotta that goin' on

23. "No promises" tag: AS IS 

25. Required game payment: ANTE.

28. Make sure not to overlook: MIND.

30. Prefix with -gon: DECA.

32. Like Alaska's climate: SUBARCTIC.

33. River to the Caspian Sea: URAL - The watershed of the URAL River is within the blue dotted area

34. Easily dominated: MEEK.

36. Break down the resistance of, as a customer: SOFTEN UP.

38. Means of escape: OUTS.

41. Cry that's from hunger?: LET'S EAT.

44. Current drama that ranks third behind "Gunsmoke" and "Lassie" in total original episodes, familiarly: SVU - If you're a devotee...

45. Japanese industry giant, or the city in which it's headquartered: TOYOTA - Almost a 4-hr drive from Tokyo

46. Places for black belts: DOJOS - Moviedom's most famous DOJO?

47. Legally establish: ENACT.

48. __ Banner, a.k.a. The Hulk: BRUCE - Dr. Bruce Banner (Bill Bixby), uh, hulking out to become The Hulk (Lou Ferrigno)

50. Scorn, as the rules: FLOUT - Some FLOUT the quarantine requests 

52. Game divs.: QTRS.

54. Capital of Oman: RIAL - 1ريال is approximately $2.60

55. Actress Dudek of "House": ANNE.

58. Wetland: FEN - We drive by this FEN north of Lincoln on our drive there

Comment at will:

Saturday, September 14, 2019, Greg Johnson

Saturday Themeless Puzzle by Greg Johnson 

Today we celebrate an item that goes by many different names depending on where you live. Around here we call this a sub sandwich but I know it is also called a hoagie, grinder, poor boy, hero or what have you. I really like them but when I get one for my lovely bride and I to split, I can only have black olives put on my end.

Today's constructor is our old Saturday friend Greg Johnson. I include his grid at the top of the write-up because two triple-stack grid spanners looks pretty cool to me! Those ninety cells filled in pretty quickly and gave me a fast finish time when coupled with what seemed to be a lot of familiar fill for this solver.

O.K. let's see what Greg, like Jimmy Johns, has delivered for us today:

Across:

1. Suggestion for stress relief: TAKE SOME TIME OFF - Coupled with the next clue



16. Enjoying a solo walk in the woods: AT ONE WITH NATURE - I never felt this more than in the Oregon Redwoods, some of which have been growing for thousands of years

17. It makes a good point: PENCIL SHARPENER - One Redwood can make 50,000,000 pencils to be sharpened

18. Big boat: ARK - The bible said Noah used gopherwood not redwood

19. Needs to remit: OWES - Thus endeth the redwood references 

20. Trick: CON.

21. Yellowy insides: YOLKS.

24. Farm structures: PENS - My wife lived on a farm where the pigs' quarters were call a PEN, never a sty

25. Enters unnoticed: SLIPS IN.

28. Paratha roti ingredient: GHEE (highly clarified butter) - What is the difference between a roti, naan, paratha and chapati?

31. Showed joy, ironically: WEPT - An emotional response either way

32. Tricky hoops move that's often an assist: NO LOOK PASS - More commonly seen in basketball (hoops) but Patrick Mahommes uses this in football. 58. Super Bowl IV MVP Dawson: LEN - Was not as exciting as Patrick but started for the 1969 Super Bowl Champs in K.C. and was the MVP of that game.

37. In the past: AGO.

38. Supporters: RETINUE - He always had a lovely one

39. Summary usually including a photo: BIO.

40. Treatment for dry skin: BODY BUTTER - There doesn't seem to be any in my medicine cabinet

42. It's just above street level: CURB - I just loved this clue

43. Road game: I SPY - with my little eye...

44. Ancient French region: ALSATIA (old name for Alsace) - For more than 300 years, from the Thirty Years' War to World War II, the political status of Alsace was heavily contested between France and various German states in wars and diplomatic conferences.

46. Summer hire: TEMP - I hired over 300 "TEMPS" in the summer to work in the cornfields for 23 years

49. Check for fit: TRY ON.

50. Chemical suffix: IDE.

51. Vegas hotel with an operatic name: ARIA - I had A _ _ _  and AIDA neither worked for fill nor existed as a hotel

54. Hosp. tubes: IVS.

56. Pasta for vegetarians: MEATLESS LASAGNA 

62. "Pass": I'M NOT INTERESTED - At one time I had several "friends" try to get me into Amway

63. Scopes Trial site: DAYTON TENNESSEE - Like me, John Scopes was a substitute teacher and he wasn't sure he even taught evolution but agreed to be a test case for the ACLU. He was prosecuted by Nebraska's most famous politician William Jennings Bryan, was found guilty and fined $100 (which was later reversed on a technicality).

Restored Court Room In DAYTON, TENNESSEE
Now A Tourist Attraction

Down:

1. Dancing suitable for radio: TAP - Cool clue! I can at least hear the rhythm which I lack.

2. Put away: ATE.

3. Hawaiian coffee district: KONA - This part of the Big Island has many coffee growing areas that offer tours and tastings not far from our cwd friend Mauna Loa.

4. Protect from theft, in a way: ENCRYPT - If somebody wants to break your code badly enough...

5. High-end watches: SEIKOS.

6. Barn __: OWL - A woman put on a show from a raptor recovery program and told my kids, "A raptor can never be your friend!"

7. Appropriate prefix for an embezzler?: MIS - MISappropriation is a fancy euphemism for what Bernie Madoff did.

8. Guiding beliefs: ETHOS.

9. Spring harbinger: THAW 

10. Memo opener: IN RE - The "IN" is omitted but the sentiment is real below

11. Guides with scales: MAPS - If you look carefully below, you can see the scale for how far it is from Xi'an where C.C. was born to Guangzhou where she worked before coming to America

12. Tanning time on the Riviera: ETE - Knowing the French word for summer is de rigueur  in Crosswordland

13. Smidgen: OUNCE - A smidgen of prevention is worth a lot of cure

14. Trademarked refrigerant: FREON - The EPA has mandated that the manufacture of FREON must be halted by 2020

15. Decorative greenery: FERNS.

22. Pregame managerial decision: LINEUP - This 1961 LINEUP was powerful. Can you name the Yankees pictured here with the number of HR's they hit that year? (*Answer at bottom of write-up)

23. Complicated: KNOTTY - Along with being Dr. Seuss, Theodore Geisel was also a political cartoonist as seen in this 1942 example

24. Cheerleader's asset: PEP.

25. Makeup-applying aid: SWAB.

26. Toy brand with a Taj Mahal set: LEGO - $370 at Amazon

27. 2001 Apple debut: I POD - I still have mine but don't 28. Approach: GO NEAR it anymore 

29. Like most labor rates: HOURLY.

30. Squeak (out): EKE.

33. Short stories?: LIT.

34. Border on: ABUT.

35. "Hey" assistant: SIRI - I could say this into my iPhone, "Hey, SIRI, what's the name for a four-letter Japanese noodle?" She would probably suggest UDON or SOBA

36. Polite-to-slurp Japanese noodle: SOBA - All you need to know

38. NFL ball carriers: RBS - Besides Running Backs, the NFL has QBs, FBs, HBs, DBs and CBs (Pluralizing acronyms)

41. Pup squeak: YIP.

42. Solicit support from, as voters: CANVASS - Part of my granddaughter's job

45. "Indeed": SO I SEE.

46. Hardly outgoing: TIMID.

47. Swelling: EDEMA - Is using ice to reduce EDEMA the wrong thing to do?

48. Not-so-nice sort: MEANY.

49. Sample: TASTE - Don Fanucci had a different way of saying he wanted a TASTE of illegal activity 

51. Vocal range: ALTO.

52. Bit strap: REIN 

53. "And __ it ironic": Alanis Morissette lyric: ISN'T - A fun listen!

55. Mil. ranks: SGTS - From the world of fiction: Friday, Bilko, Schultz, Snorkel, Stryker...

57. Day care attendee: TOT - Day care is a cash cow for many churches in our town

59. Valiant's boy: ARN.

60. Formerly named: NEE.

61. Drink suffix with Power: ADE.

Order a sub to be delivered and then comment on Greg's puzzle. 

*Yankee LINEUP (l to r) was Roger Maris, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Elston Howard, Moose Skowren, and Johnny Blanchard.