Saturday, June 9, 2018, Greg Johnson

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Greg Johnson

Today is National Donald Duck Day. Walt Disney was looking for a friend for Mickey and one with some negative characteristics to contrast with his famous rodent's more pleasant demeanor. It was then that short-tempered Donald was created in 1934 and he has appeared in more Disney movies than any other character and more comic books except for super heroes.

His defining feature of course was his distinctive speech that is very difficult to imitate. One of my grade school classmates could do it perfectly and we who couldn't were in awe of him when he said something in that hilarious voice. Can you do it? Go ahead, give it a shot!


I had a Greg Johnson puzzle the day before Mother's Day this year but this one today fell much faster although my first real toehold was in the SE corner which filled in a hurry with ADESTE, NO DEAR, PYRE, ERODE and MEAT. Sigh, any port in a storm.

Then like the Phoenix I rose and finished with SCARES, META, etc. The entire experience was very satisfying. 

Now eschewing Donald's "fowl" attitude, let's see what else Greg has for us:

Across:

1. Exercise activity: SWIM - If sinking counts as exercise, count me in

5. Foolish: DIPPY - In describing Major Burns' time in command, Hawkeye offers three adjectives and then Radar adds a fourth as an aside

10. Dance term literally meaning "thrown": JETE and a prime display of 16. Stylish energy: ELAN.

14. Officer's verb: CITE - I have been CITED for speeding three times by three different officer's

15. "That's so sweet!": OH YOU.

17. Exec's hire, perhaps: ASST - An advert by the British Lancashire County Council was looking for a "temporary part-time libraries North-West inter-library loan business unit administration ASSistanT."

18. Unlikely to become a decorator: COLOR BLIND - A test for red/green color blindness. And the number is...

20. ESPN.com post: RECAP.

22. Theoretical parallel world access: PORTAL - Mom is trying stop Carolyn from being drawn into a PORTAL in Poltergeist 

23. Trip approx.: ETA - Are we there yet?

24. Debt securities: LIENS.

26. Source of ancient wisdom: TORAH.

30. In order to: SO THAT.

32. Muffin topper: PAT

34. Full-body animal costume: APE.

35. Part of a gift that needs to be returned: CASSEROLE DISH - One way to remind people of the origin of a casserole

39. "I figured as much": WHAT A SURPRISE - Gee, Gary has a kitty picture below in his write-up! Sarcasm par excellence.

40. Skeptical words: THIS I GOTTA SEE.

41. It may look like a great deal: CON - You can't CON this kitty

42. It folds for easy storage: COT.

43. Textron Aviation brand: CESSNA = Kansas farm boy Clyde CESSNA started his company to build this cantilevered winged aircraft in 1927 that "could carry a half-ton load at 100 mph on a 110 hp engine"

46. __ touch: MAGIC - Any day is improved with the Platters

48. Bacon output: ESSAY - Aroma didn't cut it

51. User-created video game alteration: MOD - A mod (short for "modification") is an alteration that changes some aspects or one aspect of a video game, such as how it looks or behaves. Mods may range from small changes and tweaks to complete overhauls, and can extend the replay value and interest of the game. You're Welcome.

52. River rat: NUTRIA - A poor man's ermine

54. Take the edge off?: ERODE - Niagara has been ERODING this area for a long time

56. Kids may use them to make turkeys: HAND PRINTS.

60. Wad embellishers: ONES - The "Wad" inside could well be only ONES

61. Skin-healing aid: ALOE.

62. Get 'em all right: ACE IT - Some Nebraska honor students with the Governor 

63. Good source of protein: MEAT.

64. It followed a postwar boom: GEN-X 

65. Noticeably bored: YAWNY - I see lots of "teachers" in front of children that elicit this "gluey" response 

66. Ceremonial pile: PYRE - "And our love become a fun'ral PYRE, C'mon baby light my fire"


Down:

1. Halloween inevitabilities: SCARES - Noun not verb. why do we seek these out?

2. Not tricked by: WISE TO.

3. Comment about contagion: IT'S CATCHING - My siblings and I went through the mumps and measles as a unit!

4. Like a movie about filmmakers making a movie: META - Okay

5. Animated miner: DOC - Which shirt would best represent you?

6. Longing words: I HOPE.

7. Aviation guide: PYLON -  Racing markers or a structural component. The second PYLON might be 36. Things few understand: ESOTERICA. 

8. One unlikely to shake hands: POOR SPORT - This losing MLS soccer coach was upset about the other team's play and refused to shake hands

9. Nomadic shelter: YURT - Here are some YURTS in Ulan Bato

10. Kraft Foods trademark: JELLO.

11. Fan of the Bulldogs: ELI.

12. Summer vacation "souvenir": TAN

13. Extreme: END.

19. Dark background that makes a pitched baseball easier to see: BATTER'S EYE - This one in Wrigley field is made up of juniper bushes

21. Party holder: PLASTIC CUP - I once needed some ping pong balls for my physics lab and was so surprised to be told they were over by the PLASTIC CUPS!

25. "We've got clearance": IT'S A GO - Var. - After the meteorologists gave him clearance on June 5, 1944 by saying the weather had broken, Ike said "OK,, Let's Go" for June 6

27. Holds a benefit, say: RAISES MONEY - On GoFundMe.com you can request money for your cause. I wonder how many thought this was a worthy cause.

28. Basilica recess: APSE.

29. Chuckle bit: HEH - HEH, HEH, HEH!

31. PGA Tour Champions golfer Jay: HAAS.

33. Wool source: ALPACA - Let's leave a little for cuteness. p.s. I thought ALPACA had two "C's"

37. Evidence of frequent travel: RUT.

38. Injection molding inventory: DIES - Can you even imagine how many DIES LEGO uses?

39. Stop on the trail: WHOA.

40. "Silent Sunday Nights" network: TCM - The director could shout at them all he wanted during shooting 

44. Affectionate turndown: NO DEAR.

45. Holiday hymn opener: ADESTE - ADESTE, fideles, Laeti triumphantes, Venite, venite in Bethlehem!

47. Organize, in a way: INDEX - Rapid "unindexing" and any librarian's nightmare

49. Strength: SINEW.

50. Prom gown material: SATIN - Some today are using much less material than they used to!

53. Lunch __: TRAY -  An alternate use

55. Easy win: ROMP.

56. Witch: HAG.

57. Maugham's "Cakes and __": ALE - Same book with two different publishers who had two different ideas about how to sell it. Title comes from a Shakespeare line in Twelfth Night.

58. Exclusion prefix: NON.

59. Place for a mud bath: STY.

Saturday, May 12, 2018, Greg Johnson

THEMELESS SATUDAY PUZZLE BY GREG JOHNSON ON NATIONAL DOG MOM'S DAY

Greg Johnson has a very nice puzzle for us on this holiday that is celebrated on the day before, well, you know...

The NW corner was a bugger and while all the down fills were tough and looked solid, LIFO mocked me and I just had to go with it. Consequently, I now know 14. Inventory evaluation acronym: LIFO  which means Last In First Out shown here with its opposite

Hoping that you remembered to get a card (or at least a treat) for your four-footed mom in the house, let's see what Greg has given us on this "anything but a dog" exercise.

Across:

1. Bubbly stuff: FOAM - SOAP and WINE - not so much!

5. Skiing venue: LAKE - A Husker Gary blog without a kitty? Never happenin'!

15. Very top: APEX - Also can mean high

16. Babysitter, maybe: NIECE 

17. Mtn. stats: ALTS - HGTS and ELEV were candidates

18. Superstitious warning: DON'T JINX IT 9. "Got it, man!": I'M HIP

20. Quick: SPEEDY - A 1951 character produced by the Wade Ad Agency in 1951

22. Word in Montana's motto: ORO - ORO y Plata (Gold and Silver)

23. Pre-Columbian stoneworker: INCA

24. Apollo's place: HARLEM - This NASA guy wanted Apollo on the Moon but of course Greg was referencing this HARLEM institution 

25. Word with window or rum: BAY - This BAY Rum is clearly labeled "For External Use Only" but during prohibition, its 58% grain alcohol content made this Rexall product popular for other reasons

26. Beach bird: GULL - At the beach you might see a GULL on a buoy 

27. One with secrets to tell: SPY - A Mad Magazine staple for years. Each seems to have a secret

28. Some judicial officials: MAGISTRATES - In Mayberry, Andy Taylor performed this function under the title of Justice Of The Peace 

31. Want-ad letters: EEO - As opposed to this Want-Ad

32. Get one's signals crossed, say: ERR - Last week I found out what happens when you ERR and forget to put a cup under the spout 

33. Creative writing assignment: POEM - Our resident laureate Owen regales us most every day

34. Assurance of honesty: TRUST ME and 50. Sneak: WEASEL.

36. "That's a little better": IT HELPS.

40. Forced-air system output: HEAT - Did your schoolroom from ages past have radiators instead forced-air? I can still smell the drying mittens

41. Phi-psi link: CHI - Phi precedes these last three letters of the Greek alphabet

42. Astounded reaction: OOH.

43. Workplace dispute negotiator: LABOR LAWYER - During my teaching career, our LABOR LAWYERS negotiated with the school board's LABOR LAWYERS

47. When repeated, a football chant: OLE.

48. Cry of dismay: ALAS - The correct quote is "ALAS, poor Yorick! I knew him, well Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest..." and 29. Mata Hari portrayer: GRETA GARBO 

49. What candles may represent: AGE- My youngest granddaughter Elise has just joined the ranks of teenagers  last week (our daughter is on the left) and 54. Most unusual: ODDEST - Granddaughter requested a llama cake

52. Phnom __: PENH.

53. Single dose?: DAT - I want DAT one and some of DOSE too

55. Bush 43, for one: EX-GOVERNOR - Guess where four of seven EX-GOVERNORS of Illinois wound up

58. Kitchen addition?: ETTE - This is all ya need!

59. Spaghetti Western director Sergio: LEONE - These were a star vehicle for Clint Eastwood after Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson turned down the role 

60. Cry out loud: BAWL.

61. An earring may be shaped like one: PEAR

62. Vicks brand: SINEX

63. Page with views: OPED - Newspaper page OPposite the EDitorial page

64. Sailing group: TARS.


Down:

1. Undesirably rapid hardening of concrete: FLASH SET - Sulphates  are added to cement to prevent  this phenomenon. See last ingredient for cement below. New to me after eight summers puddling concrete

2. Specialized painting surface: OIL PAPER - "It features a powerful, efficient oil barrier that absorbs water, solvents and binders evenly while allowing the paint and pigment to remain on the surface"

3. Words spoken with a gentle hand gesture: AFTER YOU - Are women offended by this offer by a man these days?

4. German wine valley: MOSEL - It would appear you'd have to be a mountain goat to harvest these grapes in the beautiful MOSEL Valley

5. Billboard #1 song in 1975 and 2001: LADY MARMALADE - I missed it both times. Correction, I didn't hear it either time

6. Mil. address: APO - Army Post Office

7. Vader enemy: KENOBI - Here is Darth Vader squaring off with Obi-Wan KENOBI 

8. Loaded with heat: EXTRA SPICY - No thanks!

9. Pasta ending: INI

10. Lesser component of "The Legend of Zelda," say: MINI GAME - Inside the larger Zelda game, their are various smaller MINI GAMES one can/must play while on a quest, I read. I'm not likely to push that button.

11. Six-sided fastener: HEX NUT.

12. Winter hangover?: ICICLE.

13. Flower girl's tossings: PETALS - Or not...

19. "Let every heart prepare him room" song: JOY TO THE WORLD - Greg could have gone for "Jeremiah was a bull frog..."

21. Greek goddess of the harvest: DEMETER - For some reason I knew this

30. Brought back to work: REHIRED - George Steinbrenner famously fired and REHIRED Billy Martin many times

35. Tribe that sold horses to Lewis and Clark: SHOSHONE - The SHOSHONE had the horses that the expedition needed to get over the mountains and as luck would have it, Sacajawea was the long, lost sister of chief Cameahwait (He who never walks)

37. Leaves in a chest: LOOSE TEA.

38. Nocturnal travel guide: POLE STAR - It is the one point in the northern sky that never moves 

39. Stray protection: SHELTERS - This is where we got our kitty

43. Places for pins: LAPELS.

44. Former Soviet premier Kosygin: ALEXEI - A familiar apparatchik name to this child of the 60's

45. Hit hard: BANG ON.


46. Hand-wiping item: WETNAP.

51. Well-rehearsed: ADEPT.

56. Bug: VEX.

57. Be behind: OWE.





Just so you know, Joann is getting a lovely card from her third daughter tomorrow!

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