Friday, May 17, 2019, Mike Peluso

A Chipper By Another Name Would Still Be a Chipper.  Wait, what?  In this puzzle each time we are given the clue "Chipper" we get an entirely different definition.  Look how the first and last answers span the grid.  The two middle theme answers are symmetrically placed in the grid.  Nice!

17-Across. Chipper: JONES OF BASEBALL.  As in Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones (b. Apr. 24, 1972).  He was a third baseman for the Atlanta Braves.

27-Across. Chipper: GREEN SIDE IRON.  A golfing reference.  I'll let the golf pros in this group provide you all details.

46-Across. Chipper: IN A JAUNTY MOOD.

56-Across. Chipper: MULCH MAKING TOOL.  This made me think of the wood-chipping scene from the 1996 movie Fargo.  Not for morning consumption, however.

Across:

1. VMI program: ROTC.  As in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps.  Such programs are found on at the Virginia Military Institute as well as many other university campuses.

5. '80s-'90s courtroom drama: LA LAW.  This television drama was on when I was in law school in the other LA.

10. On-call worker: TEMP.  As in a TEMPorary worker.

14. Assert as true: AVER.  A crossword staple.

15. Three-time A.L. batting champ Tony: OLIVA.  As in Tony Oliva (né Antonio Oliva Lopez Hernandes Javique; b. July 20, 1938).  He had a long career with the Minnesota Twins.

16. Pupil's place: UVEA.  As in parts of the eye.

20. Tetra- doubled: OCTA-.  4 doubled is 8.

21. Atonement: AMENDS.

22. Confuse: ADDLE.

25. Wrigley brand: ORBIT.  Chewing gum that comes in all different flavors.

31. Geological time span: EON.

32. Carpenter's joint element: TENON.  It's the projecting piece of wood made for insertion into a mortise of another piece of wood.

33. Hiccup cause: SPASM.

36. Genesis voyager: NOAH.

38. Protector with strings: APRON.  My favorite clue of the puzzle.

40. Mlle., across the Pyrenees: SRTA.  Today's French (Mlle.) and Spanish (Srta.) lesson.  Both are abbreviations for Miss in English.

41. God of Islam: ALLAH.

43. Called from the field: LOWED.  The sounds the cow makes.

45. Bordeaux vineyard: CRU.  More of today's French lesson.  A Cru is a vineyard or group of vineyards of high quality.

49. Rural wagons: DRAYS.

50. Response at the door: IT'S ME!  Sometimes the answer is: It is I, which has the same number of letters.

51. Fair-hiring problem: AGEISM.

54. "I don't like your __": TONE.

62. Tierra en el mar: ISLA.  More of today's Spanish lesson.  The Island (Isla) is a bit of land (tierra) in the sea (el mar).

63. Force to leave: EXILE.

64. Personification of victory: NIKE.  Nike was a Greek goddess.  Here is the winged victory wearing Adidas.

65. Dance basic: STEP.

66. Shemar's longtime "Criminal Minds" role: DEREK.  I have never watched Criminal Minds, however, Shemar Moore (né Shemar Franklin Moore; b. Apr. 20, 1970) played Malcolm Winters on The Young and the Restless for many years.

67. Plus: ALSO.

Down:

1. One of five characters on "The Big Bang Theory" to appear in every episode: RAJ.  Another show I have never watched.  Raj is played by Kunar Naayar (b. Apr. 30, 1981).

2. Ab __: from the start: OVO.

3. Cube root of 1,000: TEN.  Crossword math:  10 x 10 x 10 = 1,000.

4. Spicy cuisine: CREOLE.  Well, I rather suppose this depends upon one's definition of "spicy."    I don't consider Creole to be an especially spicy cuisine, but then, I am accustomed to this style.  The word "Creole" is derived from the word "criollo", which is Spanish or Portuguese for "born in the colony".  The word "Creole" initially referred to the first settlers of European descent in the French colonies, especially New Orleans.

The term "Creole", when referring to food, is a style of cooking that originated in Louisiana, that blends French, Spanish, Portuguese, West African, Native American, Caribbean, German and Italian influences.  Traditional Creole dishes include red beans and rice, jambalaya, gumbo and creole sauce dishes.

5. Plunder: LOOT.

6. Italian wheels, briefly: ALFA.  The Alfa Romero Automobile company was actually founded by Alexandre Darracq (1855 ~ 1931), who was French.

7. Ad-__: LIB.  An appreciation for ad libitum, which is a Latin phrase translated as "at one's pleasure".

8. Director DuVernay: AVA.  Ava DuVernay (b. Aug. 24, 1972) is probably best known for her 2018 film A Wrinkle in Time.

9. Horseradish relative: WASABI.  Wasabi is a plant of the family that includes horseradish.  Apparently, however, most of what American's think of as Wasabi really a mixture of horseradish, mustard and food coloring.

10. Casual summer garments: TUBE TOPS.

This tube top doesn't look very comfortable.

11. Former Indiana governor Bayh: EVAN.  Evan Bayh (né Birch Evans Bayh, III; b. Dec. 26, 1955),  is the son of Senator Birch Bayh, Jr.  Both father and son served as United States Senators from Indiana.

12. Amalgamate: MELD.

13. Chums: PALS.

18. Crime scene clue, maybe: SCENT.

19. Arab bigwigs: EMIRS.  This has become a crossword staple.

22. Gemini rocket stage: AGENA.

23. Eagerly anticipate, with "over": DROOL.

This baby is too cool to drool.

24. North America's highest peak: DENALI.  Mt. Denali is in Alaska.

25. Fragrant: ODOROUS.  I think of odorous as being more stinky than fragrant.

26. Fame: RENOWN.

28. Large expanse: SEA.  Yup.  It goes on and on.

29. Part of the picture: IN PLAY.

30. Busters: NARCOS.

34. Four-decades-plus first name in the Senate: STROM.  As in Strom Thurmond (né James Strom Thurmond; Dec. 5, 1902 ~ June 26, 2003).  He served as a United States Senator from South Carolineafor 48 years.  In 1948, he ran for President as the States Rights Democratic Party candidate.

35. Title role for Bea: MAUDE.  As in Bea Arthur (née Beatrice Frankel; May 13, 1922 ~ Apr. 25, 2009).  She would have celebrated her 97th birthday earlier this week.

37. Links equalizer: HANDICAP.

39. Take-home: NET.  The amount of money you have after taxes.

42. Tough to hear, as criticism: HARSH.

44. Like embers: DYING.

47. Stuck: JAMMED.

48. Medit. tourist attraction: MT. ETNA.  Italian volcano.

51. Author Martin: AMIS.  As in the British novelist Martin Louis Amis (b. 1949).  He wrote the novel Money, which I read, but didn't enjoy.  He is the son of novelist Kingsley William Amis (Apr. 16, 1922 ~ Oct. 22, 1995).

52. Unexpected blow: GUST.

53. Couture monthly: ELLE.

54. Roof piece: TILE.

55. Fraction of a meg: ONE K.  One Thousand (one K) is a fraction of a million (meg.).

57. Men's grooming brand: AXE.

58. Aperitif named for a former Dijon mayor: KIR.  The cocktail is made with crème de cassis topped up with white wine or champagne.  It was named after Félix Kir (Jan. 22, 1876 ~ Apr. 26, 1968), a Catholic priest, resistance fighter and politician.  He served as mayor of Dijon from 1945 until his death in 1968.

59. Good thing to strike: OIL.  The first oil well in Louisiana was drilled in late 1901-early 1902.

60. Signs off on: OKs.

61. Sign of summer: LEO.  Sign of the Zodiac.

Here's the grid:

I'll leave you with a QOD:  The trouble with words is that you never know whose mouth they’ve been in.  ~  Dennis Potter (May 17, 1935 ~ June 7, 1994), British screenwriter and journalist

Friday, April 26, 2019, Pam Amick Klawitter

Air Conditioned for summer.  The letters AC are incorporated into one word of a common phrase to give it a new twist.  Notice that the addition of AC is found at the end of a word on the first two answers and at the beginning of a word on the last two answers.

17-Across. What turtles use to keep up outward appearances?: TORTOISE SHELLAC.  The common phrase is Tortiose Shell.  Did you ever wonder what was inside a Tortoise Shell?

27-Across. Cashew family shrub's observation?: COGITO ERGO SUMAC.  The common phrase is Cogito Ergo Sum.  Cogito Ergo Sum is a Latin phrase for Je pense, donc je suis, credited to René Descartes (Mar. 31, 1596 ~ Feb. 11, 1650).  The English translation is: I think, therefore I am.

46-Across. Ad offer Wile E. Coyote really regrets accepting?: COME FLY WITH ACME.  The common phrase is Come Fly with Me.  Come Fly With Me, in addition to being a Frank Sinatra Song, was the theme song of Pan Am Airlines.

61-Across. Old MacDonald's bookkeepers?: ACCOUNTING SHEEP.  The common phrase is Counting Sheep.  Counting Sheep is supposed to help one go to sleep.

Across:

1. Dash meas.: MPH.  As in Miles Per Hour.  You can find your rate of speed by looking at the Dash board on your car.

4. "Unstoppable" cleaner: DRĀNO.

9. Dealer's abbreviation: MSRP.  As in the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price, also known as the List Price.

13. Brother of Athena: ARES.  Greek mythology.  Ancient Greece had two gods of war ~ Ares and Athena.  Both were powerful, but had different philosophies when it came to fighting in battle.  Ares was brutal and and cruel.  Athena, on the other hand, used strategy and was wise in battle.

15. What informants might wear: WIRES.  Did anyone watch the HBO series The Wire?

16.  First-rate: A-ONE.

20. __ demon: SPEED.

21. Persian Gulf resident: QATARI.  //  And 49-Down: Residents along the Persian Gulf:  IRANIS. Qatar is that tiny country, near the UAE, that sticks out in the Persian Gulf.

22. Tall trotter: EMU.  A male EMU can grow to a height of over 6 feet.  It is the largest bird native to Australia.  It can't fly, so had the ability to run at a rate of 30 MPH if being hunted.  If cornered, its sharp toe claws can eviscerate its hunter, so be warned.

24. "Grab __": "You're pinch-hitting": A BAT.  Baseball!

Rafael Devers AT BAT.

35. Ducks in Eugene: OREGON.  The Mascot of the University of Oregon, which is in Eugene, Oregon.  Why the Ducks you ask?  Back in the 1890s, the State of Oregon was known as the Webfoot State.  This name came from the early settlers of Oregon, many of whom were descendants of a group of Massachusetts fishermen who participated with George Washington in a surprise attack on a British stronghold during the American Revolutionary War.  These fisherman were known as the Webfoots.  The University of Oregon's original nickname was Webfoots, after their East Coast ancestors.  Not exactly a threatening name for a sports team.  In the 1940s, the team name was changed to the more fearful Ducks.  I'm scared.  (P.S., the University has a special license agreement with Disney, so it duck is a based on the Disney's Donald Duck.)

36. Blow it: ERR.

37. Gross __: TON.

38. Turner on a screen: LANA.

Lana Turner (née Julia Jean Turner; Feb. 8, 1921 ~ June 29, 1995)

39. Shakespeare's Athenian hermit: TIMON.  I was not familiar Shakespeare's play Timon of Athens.  Maybe our Shakespeare scholar can provide some insight into this play.

41. It's chilly in Chihuahua: FRIO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

42. Yamaguchi rival: ITO.  As in Midori ITO.  She makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  Both Kristi Yamaguchi and Midori ITO are skaters.

Kristi Yamaguchi (b. 1971) 

Midori ITO (b. 1969)

43. Tour opening?: ECO-.  Think of Ecotourism.

44. Title song words before "My love has come along": AT LAST.  As sung by Etta James (who makes frequent guest appearances in the crosswords.)

50. Bring up: REAR.

51. Stephen who played Inspector Bucket on "Dickensian": REA.  Dickensian is apparently a BBC drama that reimagines many of Charles Dickens' characters together in London.  Inspector Bucket was a character from Bleak House.  Stephen Rea (b. Oct. 31, 1946), who makes frequent guest appearances in the crosswords, plays the main character.

52. Mount Rainier gateway: TACOMA.

56. Twists: WARPS.  Let's do the Time Warp, Again.

65. It might pop up: MENU.

66. Giant Chicken on "Family Guy": ERNIE.  I have never seen this show.

I assume Ernie is on the left.

67. Spelling start?: ABRA.  My favorite clue of the puzzle.  The phrase Abra Cababra may come from an Aramaic phrase meaning: I will create as I speak.  It's used today by magicians when creating "magic."

68. Brigitte's bridge: PONT.  Today's French lesson.  Did any of you learn this song in French class?

69. Reason to raise goblets: TOAST.  It isn't always necessary to use a goblet.

70. Quick: APT.

Down:

1. Yoga accessories: MATS.  I go to yoga class at least twice a week.  I'm not as flexible as this woman.  Maybe I should go to yoga class more often.

2. Item on a set: PROP.

3. "__ lies ... ": HERE.

4. SADD focus: DWI.  As in a Driving While Intoxicated.

5. Off-color: RISQUE.  These bathing suits were once considered very Risque.

6. You might have to find it in geometry: AREA.

7. Egg holder: NEST.  Cute clue.

8. Fed. workplace watchdog: OSHA.  As in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

9. Surfrider Beach city: MALIBU.  My first car was a second-hand Chevy Malibu.

10. Juárez heater: SOL.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

11. Genetic letters: RNA.  The difference between RNA and DNA.

12. Bench press target: PEC.  Short for the Pectoral muscles.

14. Bus. card letters: STE.  As in Suite, I assume.

18. Poetic opening: ODE TO.

Ode to Billy Joe.

19. Historical times: ERAS.

23. Talk TV's Williams: MONTEL.  Montel Williams (né Montel Brian Anthony Williams; b. July 3, 1956), was the host of a long-running talk show, which ran from 1991 until 2008.

25. Land-and-sea military vehicle: AMTRAC.

Not to be confused with the train system, which is spelled with a "k".

26. Lao-tzu's philosophy: TAOISM.

27. Tummy trouble: COLIC.

28. JFK, notably: ORATOR.

29. Mapping subject: GENOME.

30. "Hometown Proud" market chain: IGA.  As in the Independent Grocers Alliance.  The Bet-R Store is an IGA store.  It was also used as a set for the 2011 movie Battle: Los Angeles.  The owner said, Never again would he allow a film production use his store.  It was very disruptive, especially to his customers.

31. Do more lawn work: RE-MOW.  I have to re-mow my lawn every week in the summer.  (Notice I said I mow the lawn.)

32. Miracle-__: GRO.

33. Richly decorated: ORNATE.  The mosaics at the Alhambra Palace in Spain are very ornate.

34. Benjamin's bill: C-NOTE.  What's in your wallet?

40. Hard to drive on: ICY.  I initially tried Ice.  (Sorry, Tinbini!)

41. Common destination for snowbirds: Abbr.: FLA.  As in Florida.  Snowbirds can travel to visit Lemonade and Tinbini.

45. Signs of spring: THAWS.

47. Patronize Pizza Hut, say: EAT OUT.

48. German title: FRAU.  Today's German lesson.

53. Tech tutorials site: CNET.

54. Spanish survey option: OTRO.  More of today's Spanish lesson

55. __ Harker, heroine in Stoker's "Dracula": MINA.

57. "The light dawns!": AHA!

58. "Fancy" singer, familiarly: REBA.  As in Reba McEntire (b. Mar. 28, 1955).

59. One who did it: PERP.  As in the Perpetrator, not the Perpendicular in the crossword puzzles.

60. Squabble: SPAT.

61. Roadie's armload: AMP.

62. Board leader: CEO.  As in the Chief Executive Officer.

63. Round-the-clock news pioneer: CNN.  As in the Cable News Network.

64. Catch, as a cold: GET.

Here's the Grid:

I'll leave you with a QOD:  If people did not sometimes do silly things, nothing intelligent would get done.  ~  Ludwig Wittgenstein (né Ludwig Joseph Johann Wittgenstein; Apr. 26, 1889 ~ Apr. 29, 1951), German philosopher