Saturday, December 15, 2018, Greg Johnson

Themeless Saturday by Greg Johnson

Today marks the celebration that is well appreciated by a man who has always had a cat in his household and has taught and traveled with adolescents for over 40 years - National Cat Herders Day!

One story credits the  genesis of this phrase to IT expert Dave Platt who remarked, "Managing senior programmers is like herding cats."  The site Wellcat took the phrase and declared it a national day.

Our constructor today is Greg Johnson and I can only find this [insert adjective] picture of him from my last write-up of his work and no other info

Let's see what Greg has conjured up to herd us cats here at our word sandbox:

Across:

1. Brakes: SLOWS UP - To SLOW UP from 17,000 mph the shuttle had to fire retro rockets ahead, enter the atmosphere whose friction made the bottom 3,000˚F, make big sweeping turns and then finally deploy drag chutes. The process began over Australia to land at KSC

8. Do a sauce preparation job: DEGLAZE - Adding wine or stock to particles in the bottom of the pan (called fond) after searing or cooking.

15. Wedding employee: LIMOUSINE DRIVER

17. One always looking up: ETERNAL OPTIMIST - Mitzi Gaynor as Nellie Forebush declared I'm A Cockeyed Optimist

18. Meander: WEND.

19. 42nd's second: GORE is closely associated with 31. Global warming concern: ICE CAPs

20. Food buyer's consideration: TASTE and 27. Pizza party purchase: SODA - Do all SODAS TASTE the same?

21. Polish removers: ACETONES  - We used Windex and elbow grease to get polish out of our carpet

24. One of 20 in many books: MATCH- For our striking friends 

28. Stress-free locale, ideally: SPA.

33. Private dining area: MESS TENT - Can you find this famous one?

36. "Death at a __" (2010 comedy): FUNERAL - Just check out the cast!

38. Cooling-off period: DETENTE - America's DETENTE with the U.S.S.R. has ebbed and flowed since the 60's

39. A, often: FRONT ROW - A hilarious Bob Uecker commercial 

41. Hemsley's role on the sitcom "Amen": DEACON - Maybe so, but this is the role Sherman played that helped change TV and the world

42. Hill climber: ANT.

43. What happy concertgoers want: MORE.

45. Perfect places: EDENS.

46. Deeply saddens ... or delights: MAKES CRY 

48. Parting sentiment: PEACE - The first Today Show host Dave Garroway's signature was saying PEACE with his hand upheld

52. Little, playfully: ITTY.

53. First name in late-night talk: DAVE and 61. First name in late-night talk: ARSENIO - Letterman and Hall worked the other side of the clock Garroway had worked

57. Bar association concern: AMBULANCE CHASER - Walter Matthau played AMBULANCE CHASER "Whiplash Willie" in this fun movie

60. Top dog?: PICK OF THE LITTER - How in the world could you pick from (let alone herd) this litter?

62. Shower components: METEORS

Down:

1. Host: SLEW - There's a SLEW of meteors shooting through the atmosphere above

2. For calorie counters: LITE.

3. Predictor, sometimes: OMEN.

4. Conduct may have it on either end: WORD ACCENT - With the WORD ACCENT up front - CON DUCT is how one behaves. With the WORD ACCENT at the back - CON DUCT is how electric wires behave. 

5. Bright star: SUN - The answer to an old bar bet, "What star is closest to the Earth?"

6. Data plan number: USAGE - Verizon has told me how many GB/month I can use without paying more but I can't remember the number

7. American workers: PILOTS - American was the first airline to fly the DC-3 which made it able to make a profit by only carrying passengers while others 8. Counted (on): DEPENDED on carrying mail and freight

9. August hrs. in Augusta: EDT.

10. Breakfast food mentioned in court in "My Cousin Vinny": GRITS - A very funny minute of video

11. Green bean: LIMA.

12. "It's Your Space" sloganeer: AVIS - Remember when it was, "We're #2, we try harder"

13. Cocktail garnish: ZEST - Here's a pile of lemon ZEST

14. Art Deco designer: ERTE - Great for crosswords not so much for Scrabble®

16. Space observation: NO ROOM - A great observation about the space in the Sistine Chapel

22. Pie __: CHART - Speaking of cell phone usage

23. Left carefully, with "out": EASED.

24. Tick off: MIFF.

25. Luxury auto: ACURA - I put my first guess of LEXUS back in the word garage

26. Carpentry joint component: TENON - We had TENON Saw last Friday

28. Bae or boo, to former generations: STEADY DATE - Saccharine pet names 

29. Pound parts: PENCE - A British pound equals 100 PENCE (1p) or 50 TUPPENCE (2p)

30. Playwright Chekhov: ANTON - Cultural idiot me is not familiar with ANTON's plays but I do know who Yogi Berra's backup catcher was (* see at bottom :-) 

32. Prosciutto di __: PARMA - Very thinly sliced cured ham whose superior taste is obtained by the wonderful air in Parma, Italy and 46. Fruit served with prosciutto: MELON

34. Direct: STEER.


35. Some bills: TENS - If you have this  1863 TEN, you should 37. Investigate: LOOK INTO  how much it is worth

40. "Amazing Grace" figure: WRETCH - John Newton, a former captain of a slave ship, wrote the poem in 1779 but never heard the melody which was applied to it 50 yrs later. It can be played using only the black keys.

44. Highly regard: ESTEEM.

47. Spin, say: CYCLE.

48. Storied bear: PAPA - A name I treasure 

49. 2018 White House visitor from Qatar: EMIR - Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is the current EMIR of Qatar

50. Kids' curriculum: ABC'S

51. Garden veggie: CUKE - Our garden ranneth over!

54. Regarding: AS TO.

55. Suddenly turn: VEER - In the VEER FB offense, either the QB or one of the HB's will try to VEER through the defense 

56. Messes up: ERRS 

58. "100 Years...100 Movies" org.: AFI - American Film Institute 

59. Battleship success: HIT - How 'bout Battleship Beer Pong for the pool?

Now I'll try and herd all of you cats to the comment page:

* Yogi's backup had very few stats as Yogi hardly ever took time off.

Sunday October 28, 2018 Greg Johnson

Theme: "Change of Address" - Each theme entry is an anagram of an US city and its state.

 

23A. Message about nearly a dozen U.S. sailors being flown overseas? (Pa.): ALL TEN NOW IN NAVY PLANES. Allentown, Pennsylvania.

35A. Annoyed Mayberry aunt gets an old Toyota at a raffle? (Wis.): ANGRY BEE WINS SCION. Green Bay, Wisconsin.

57A. Boast about Japanese animation? (Me.): BRAG ON ANIME. Bangor, Maine.

 

64A. Emanation from an aging rural miner? (Co.): OLD RUBE COAL ODOR. Boulder, Colorado.

75A. Lunch treats from Clinton's veep? (Or.): MEALS ON GORE. Salem, Oregon.

93A. Black Friday headline? (Md.): RETAIL MOB RAN MADLY. Baltimore, Maryland

110A. Muslim ascetics drain Sahara pipeline contents? (Ca.): FAKIRS BLEED AFRICAN OIL. Bakersfield, California.

We've seen a few city anagram themes. Never with its state. This necessitates very long theme entries, including two spanners.

I'm just in awe of Greg's creativity. All theme entries make fun surface sense. And the fill is solid with a few fresh entries. 

Across:

1. Run-down area: SLUM. Slums are not allowed in China.

5. Fire starter: SPARK.

10. Defunct Ford div.: MERC.

14. Like some bulls: PAPAL.

19. Bigger than big: HUGE.

20. Enjoy slowly, as a drink: SIP ON. I like sipping on a cup of hot ginger/date tea in cold days.

21. "I __ busted!": AM SO. And 36. Untrue: NOT SO.

22. Come to light: ARISE.

27. Not talkative: QUIET.

28. Receive inside info: GET A TIP.

29. Tired comment: I'M BEAT.

30. One terminus of Chicago's Blue Line: O'HARE.

33. Soccer goose egg: NIL. Tiny clue/answer dupe 78. Holiday song sextet: GEESE.

34. Cunning plan: PLOY.

41. Delaware's capital?: DEE. Delaware.

44. Disheveled: TOUSLED.

45. At least one: ANY. And 71. All: EVERY BIT.

46. Landlord's reminder: LATE RENT. Debut fill.

48. Tanning time on the Riviera: ETE.

49. Babe's counterpart: HUNK.

51. "Follow me!": C'MON.

53. State definitively: AVER.

54. Constitution letters: USS. USS Constitution.

55. White selection, briefly: CHARD. Chardonnay.

60. Not requiring stamps: POSTPAID. Do you have Informed Delivery in your area? We do.

62. Hopefully, what's left for dessert?: ROOM. Sweet.

63. "Funny thing is ... ": ODDLY.

68. Pitcher part: SPOUT.

70. Absence: LACK.

79. Brooding genre: EMO.

80. Ornate molding: OGEE.

81. Sources of bow wood: YEWS.

82. Author Caleb: CARR. He wrote "The Alienist".

83. Five-O alert: APB.

84. Tied: DEAD EVEN. Another debut.

87. Goof: ERR.

88. Myrtle whose oil is a folk remedy for skin conditions: TEA TREE. I'm allergic to this oil somehow.

92. South end?: ERN. Southern.

97. Overnight retreats: INNS.

98. Simba, at the start of "The Lion King": CUB.

99. Primrose family plant: OXLIP.

100. Ready to breed: AT STUD.

103. Moonlighter's work: SIDE JOB.

106. Tokyo shopping district: GINZA. Never been there. Shanghai is my favorite shopping place.

114. Flawed: AMISS.

115. Cap'n's underling: BOSN.

116. "Free your pores!" skincare brand: BIORE. Known for their pore strips.

117. Ignore, with "out": TUNE.

118. Tighten, as laces: RE-TIE.

119. Jazz club sessions: SETS.

120. Prefix for a Dow foam: STYRO.

121. Not quite never: ONCE.

Down:

1. 1990s-2000s Laker star, familiarly: SHAQ.

2. Humdinger: LULU.

3. Not-cute fruit: UGLI.

4. Geminids sights: METEORS.

5. 3-2-4 ID: SSN. When you make an appointment in VA hospital or clinic, you need to tell them your "last four".

6. Wrestler's coup: PIN.

7. Orbital high point: APOGEE.

8. "Deadliest Catch" narrator Mike: ROWE.

9. Work with needles: KNIT.

10. Six-legged prayer?: MANTIS. Praying mantis.

11. Addresses with "@": EMAILS.

12. Brief invite answer?: RSVP.

13. Artfully shy: COY.

14. Treo maker, before it shortened its name: PALM ONE. Learning moment for me.

15. Sheikdom of song: ARABY.

16. Air freshener scent: PINE.

17. On the briny: ASEA.

18. For fear that: LEST.

24. Kind of alcohol: ETHYL.

25. Kid raiser, in two ways: NANNY. Why "in two ways"?

26. Cockpit worker: PILOT.

31. Prez on a five: ABE.

32. Prince Harry's locks, e.g.: RED HAIR.

34. Holder of keys: PIANO. Great clue.

35. Devoured: ATE UP.

37. "C'mon, take a __": GUESS.

38. Security checkpoint device: WAND.

39. Well filler: INK.

40. Shoe or its dance: CLOG.

41. Hot sauce bottle image: DEVIL. Not familiar with this sauce. Any of you familiar with Brazilian fish stew?

42. Good guy, to a bad guy: ENEMY.

43. French 101 verb: ETRE.

47. Stopped flowing: RAN DRY.

50. Pakistani tongue: URDU.

51. Swindler: CROOK.

52. What may be baby's first word: MAMA. Universal. Also 62. Parents: REARS.

55. Fair grade: C PLUS.

56. Couldn't avoid it: HAD TO.

57. Italian lawn game: BOCCE.

58. Lymph __: NODES.

59. Love to bits: ADORE.

61. Motored (along): TOOLED.

65. Leave, slangily: BLOW.

66. Inappropriate look: LEER. This and OGLE both have grid-friendly letters, unfortunately.

67. Demand too much of: OVERTAX.

68. Silver Bullet Band rocker: SEGER (Bob). Never heard of the band.

69. Joyous song: PAEAN.

72. A new one may itch: BEARD.

73. Push forward: IMPEL.

74. Actor Maguire: TOBEY.

75. Style: MODE.

76. Nikita's negatives: NYETS.

77. Rowlands of "The Notebook": GENA. Great movie.

78. Worn things: GARB.

82. __-Magnon: CRO.

85. Hosp. drama role: ER NURSE. So grateful to the ER doc who correctly diagnosed Boomer's bone cancer. The Twin Cities Orthopedics, and the two different doctors in our local VA clinics all said Boomer's back pain was arthritis. I guess their X-rays couldn't show the cancer cells or the T 11 fracture.

86. Sells: VENDS.

87. Add to a website, as a video: EMBED.

89. Bigger copy: Abbr.: ENL.

90. Guadalajara gal pal: AMIGA.

91. Draw upon: TAP INTO.

94. Most aloof: ICIEST.

95. Cough drops brand: LUDEN'S. Never had wild cherries. You?

96. Scotch cocktail: ROB ROY.

97. "Just me," formally: IT IS I.

100. Quite a distance: AFAR.

101. Hardly a threat: TAME. The wild turkeys at Springbrook Nature Center are very tame.

102. "SNL" staple: SKIT.

103. Wild plum: SLOE.

104. Sparring punches: JABS.

105. "Never heard __": OF IT.

107. Car, truck or bike: NOUN. Always fun to clue NOUN or VERB.

108. #30 on the periodic table: ZINC.

109. Toward shelter: ALEE.

111. Small ammo: BBS.

112. Like deeply discounted mdse.: IRR.

113. Leader with perks: CEO.

Thank you for the birthday wishes for Boomer. You guys are the best! The kids he coaches every week and their teachers gave Boomer a super sweet card and healing angel last Tuesday. I'm so proud that he only missed two practices with the kids this year, both because we had a long day at the VA for various tests.

Boomer also got his back brace. It's like this. Made of hard plastic. Bulky and restrictive. Boomer calls it his "cage". 

C.C.

Saturday, September 1, 2018, Greg Johnson

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Greg Johnson

Today literally kicks off a big time of year for my Huskers as it is the first football game with a new coach, Scott Frost, who is a Nebraska native and was the QB for the last Husker National Champion team.
This first Saturday in September also marks National Tailgating Day across the country as college football finally gets going. As you can see in this picture in Lincoln, tailgating has progressed mightily from setting refreshments on the tailgate of a pickup to tents and motor homes lining the streets outside memorial stadium and across the country with full buffets.

Husker fans are famous for spotting opposition fans and inviting them in to have a bite. Today, some Akron Zip supporters will dine alfresco with Nebraska Cornhusker fans who make the stadium the third largest city in the state for that day and where games have been complete sellouts for well over 50 years.

GO BIG RED!

Constructing for us today is Greg Johnson and this is my third Saturday puzzle of his I have blogged. I used my search and destroy method of solving and had one bad cell. For some reason, I knew SHASTI was a perfectly fine Hindu word and ON GO made some sense but it turns out SHAKTI/OK GO was the correct path. Now you can do your Don Adams rendition of Maxwell Smart saying his famous catch phrase.

Let's see what else Greg has for us today:

Across:

1. Reality show whose Dutch version was called "Now or Neverland": FEAR FACTOR - No pictures here as many of their stunts involved snakes, spiders and other fauna in some very close encounters

11. Conceal: MASK - Some meds just MASK the pain

15. "Now, look ... ": LISTEN HERE.

16. "Hairspray" mom: EDNA  - A conversion that took five hours every day of filming

17. Ballpark figure: ATTENDANCE - Teams list number of tickets sold, not how many seats actually had occupants

18. Film noir crime fighters: T-MEN - Treasury officers

19. Calendar abbr.: THU.

20. "__: Cyber": CSI - A CBS spinoff series that was cancelled in 2016

21. Fluctuates: VARIES.

23. Marsh growth: SEDGE - European Meadow Sedge used in a landscape

European Meadow SEDGE

25. Dinette piece with cupboards: CREDENZA - I've always associated CREDENZAS with formal dining room sets but I don't get out much

27. City on the Oka: OREL.

28. Org. in "This Film Is Not Yet Rated": MPAA - A documentary about how ratings are determined

30. Starts to slip and slide?: ESSES - Slip and Slide

31. Collection area: DONATION BOX - Some churches have a POOR BOX near the exit that try to tap into your aura of holiness as you leave

34. Chrysler Building style: ART DECO - This beautiful building was the world's tallest for a year

35. Source of suds: BREW PUB - BREW PUBS feature beers made on-site such as this one in Toronto

40. Label on some foreign goods: MADE IN CHINA - Hmmm...

42. Colorful almanac pg.: US MAP - I wonder if this map we had for our kids was MADE IN CHINA

46. For calorie counters: LITE.

47. Enjoying the Smithsonian, briefly: IN DC - We had breakfast with our friend and U.S. Senator Ben Sasse when we were IN D.C.

48. Pirates rival: PHILLIES - MLB

50. Fire starter: SPARK - If you teach/taught science, I'll bet you've done this

51. Drama set in '60s Manhattan: MAD MEN - A fabulous 4 min scene about MAD MEN and renaming Kodak's "Wheel." 22. 51-Across bigwig: AD EXEC Don Draper shows the art of advertising at its highest level.

52. Music genre: POP - MOP, BOP, RAP, nope

54. Spare a friend's feelings, maybe: FIB  - "Does this dress make me look fat?"

55. "Your turn": OK GO.

56. One level higher than: A STEP ABOVE - See preceding picture

60. British weapon acronym: STEN  - A submachine gun made by Reginald Sheperd and Harold Turpin at The Royal Small Arms Factory at ENfield

61. Source of shade: WOODED AREA.

62. Like apron strings: TIED

63. Temptation: ENTICEMENT.


Down:

1. Result of a gas shortage?: FLAT SODA - Dr. Wife's secret weapon

2. Must-choose situation: EITHER OR.

3. Top performer: A-STUDENT - Sam Cooke sang Now, I don't claim to be an A-STUDENT, But I'm trying to be. For maybe by being an A-STUDENT, baby, I can win your love for me. Name that tune! 

4. Cal.'s 101, e.g.: RTE - We took this Pacific Coast Highway tour a few years ago

5. Thrust and parry: FENCE - With your epee, perhaps

6. Words between partners?: ANDS - A partnership whose lyrics are quoted often here

7. Starbucks tea: CHAI - CHAI is the Hindi word for tea from cha the Chinese word for tea

8. Common base: TEN - An outgrowth of our number of fingers by most accounts

9. Mordor menace: ORC - For $70 this ORC costume, from Lord Of The Rings,  is yours for Halloween

10. "The Canterbury Tales" estate manager: REEVE  - Here it is a sample of how Chaucer wrote of OSEWOLD the REVE and how it is translated

11. Liverpool lengths: METRES.

12. Online forum VIPs: ADMINS - Ours head ADMIN. here is a lovely lady named C.C.

13. Eyes-closed event: SNEEZE

14. "The Wizard of Oz" setting: KANSAS.

24. Rags or bags lead-in: GLAD  - I'll bet you know the song that starts "Put your glad RAGS on and join me hon"

25. Fire: CAN - I've been lots of things but never FIRED/CANNED

26. Multiplication symbol?: RABBIT.

28. Mineral in thin sheets: MICA.

29. Smart dog: POODLE - I don't know if Greg was  going for something like this or being fashionable. Of course I chose the lowbrow option. 😬

32. Mayan structure: TEMPLE.

33. Landlocked Normandy department: ORNE - Departments (départements) in France are administrative levels below the national level. ORNE is Department #61 below in the southern Normandy area.

36. Light and fluffy dessert: WHIP  - We use Cool WHIP

37. Garment in a Gilbert and Sullivan title: PINAFORE - I don't know any show-stoppers from this comic opera

38. Like a car in storage: UNDRIVEN  - MIL drives her '92 Olds every two weeks or so and I bought a charger to "jump" her car when necessary

39. Syncopated rhythmic element: BACKBEAT - A quick tutorial on BACKBEATS in drumming and playing bass

41. Frozen Wasser: EIS - Unser Freund Andy mag EIS in seinen Getränken nicht (Our friend Andy does not like ice in his drinks)

42. Loftiest: UPMOST - synonym for UPPERMOST

43. Cosmic energy, in Hinduism: SHAKTI - Shakti – Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki (lit.: Strength of feeling of existence) is a Hindi Soap Opera

44. Tiny Tootsie Roll: MIDGEE.

45. __ butter: ALMOND.

49. Amazed: IN AWE  - Skeptical Simon was IN AWE of Susan Boyle after she started singing

50. One of four ... and of thirteen: SPADE - So simple now...

52. Service with painted nails: PEDI - PEDI? Maybe. Paint? Never!

53. Gp. with many barrels: OPEC - I think most of us remember the OPEC oil embargo of the 70's

58. Youngster: TOT.

59. Loud sound: BAM - Half the name of Barney and Betty's 57. Youngster's address: SON.

Go ahead and comment if you have finished watching your favorite college football game today. If my Huskers do not clobber the Akron Zips today, I am in for a long autumn!

DA GRID: