Tuesday, October 22, 2019 Paul Coulter

Top O' the Morning!  The word Day "opens" up a new phrase when added it proceeds the each word of the theme answer.

17-Across. Classroom text: SCHOOL BOOK.  Day School and Day Book.

28-Across. Twinkling in the night sky: STAR LIGHT.  Daystar, also known as the planet Venus,  and Day Light.

39-Across. Relief from the daily grind: TIME OFF.  Day Time and Day Off.

48-Across. Office spot with a coffee pot: BREAK ROOM.  Day Break and Day Room.

And the unifier:

63-Across. Start of a sports season, and what each half of 17-, 28-, 39- and 48-Across can have: OPENING DAY.

Across:

1. Barbecue glowers: COALS.

6. Priestly robes: ALBS.  The word ALB comes from the Latin, Albus, which means White.  //  Not to be confused with 10-Across: Cobbler's Tools: AWLS.

Priestly ALB

Cobblers' AWLS.

14. Neighborhood map on a city map, e.g.: INSET.

Inset with an Inset

15. Java neighbor: BALI.  Java and Bali are two islands of Indonesia.

16. Former Iranian ruler: SHAH.  The last SHAH of Iran was Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (Oct. 26, 1919 ~ July 27, 1980).  He was deposed in the Iranian Revolution in February 1979.  The word SHAH comes from an old Persian word meaning King.  This coming Saturday will mark the 100th anniversary of his birth.

19. Deep sleep: COMA.  Also the title of Robin Cook's first medical thriller.

20. Represent: DENOTE.

This scale begins and ends with a D-Note.

21. Like a bike: WHEELED.

23. Goes on to say: ADDS.

24. Summer on the Riviera: ÉTÉ.  Today's French Lesson.

25. MLB Network analyst Martinez: PEDRO.  Pedro Jaime Martinez (b. Oct. 25, 1971) is a Dominican professional baseball player who had a long career in Major League Baseball.  He played for the Boston Red Sox from 1998 until 2004.  He also played for 4 other teams.  This Friday will be his 48th birthday.

34. On bed rest, say: LAID UP.

36. Lupino of "High Sierra": IDA.  Ida Lupino (Feb. 4, 1918 ~ Aug. 3, 1995) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  I learned of her from doing the crossword puzzles.  In addition to being an actress, she was also directed films.

37. Bird's crop: CRAW.

38. Colorado native: UTE.  A crossword staple.

42. "__ Am": Alicia Keys album: AS I.
 

43. Screen material: MESH.  I was thinking of a movie screen, not a screen on a door or a window to keep the bugs out.

45. Sinus doc: ENT.  As in an Ear Nose and Throat Doctor.  These doctors make frequent appearances in the puzzles too.

46. Growing weary: TIRING.

51. Landlord's income: RENTS.

52. Tell tall tales: LIE.

53. Field of study: AREA.

55. Pays some of: DEFRAYS.

59. Closed in on: NEARED.

62. Cut __: dance, in old slang: A RUG.

66. Hightail it: FLEE.

67. Trait carrier: GENE.

68. Mozart's "Così fan __": TUTTE.  With Italian subtitles for your reading pleasure.

69. Spill the beans: TELL.

70. Taiwanese PC maker: ACER.  I learned about this PC from doing the crossword puzzles.

71. Most common roll of two dice: SEVEN.

Down:

1. Prefix with gender: CIS-. As in Cisgender, which is the opposite of Transgender.  Cisgender is the term for people whose gender identity matches the sex that they were assigned at birth.

2. How software was once sold: ON CD.

3. Queens tennis stadium: ASHE.  The stadium is named for tennis great Arthur Ashe (July 10, 1943 ~ Feb. 6, 1993).  He won 3 Grand Slam Titles.  He retired from tennis in 1980, at only age 23.

4. Johnny's "The Big Bang Theory" role: LEONARD.  I never watched this show, so needed perps to help with the name.

5. Was conspicuous: STOOD OUT.

6. Convent leader: ABBESS.   A famous movie Abbess.

7. Language of Southeast Asia: LAO.

8. Hard punch: BLOW.

9. Many a Punjabi: SIKH.  Sikhism is a monotheistic religion that originated in the Punjab region of India during the 15th Century.

10. One leading a Spartan lifestyle: ASCETIC.

11. Healthy bread type: WHOLE GRAIN.  I initially tried Whole Wheat.

12. Like a weak excuse: LAME.

13. Roe source: SHAD.

18. Inc., in the U.K.: LTD.

22. Slender aquarium swimmer: EEL.

25. __ bob: vertical measuring tool: PLUMB.  A Plumb Bob is a weight with a pointed end suspended from a string.  It is used for a vertical line reference, known as a plumb line.

26. Diner: EATER.  Also the name of a 1982 movie.

27. Gas at a truck stop: DIESEL FUEL.

29. Connect with: TIE TO.

30. Big deal: ADO.

31. Whitewater ride: RAFT.  I have never had a desire to go Whitewater Rafting.

32. "Who __?!": "Join the club!": HASN'T.

33. Small sticks: TWIGS.  The Water Institute of the Gulf is sometimes referred to as TWIG.

35. Jetty: PIER.

40. 6, on a cellphone keypad: MNO.

41. Insects with a painful sting: FIRE ANTS.  You don't want to step on a fire ant hill!  They are called fire ants for a reason!

44. Stylist's supply: HAIR GEL.

47. Debate again: RE-ARGUE.

49. Hawaii's Mauna __: KEA.  Mauna Kea, which makes frequent guest appearances in the crosswords, is a dormant volcano on the Island of Hawaii.  It is also the highest point in the State of Hawaii.  There is an observatory on the summit of the volcano.

50. Style: MANNER.

54. Camping gear brand: REI.  I am not familiar with this company.

55. Inane: DAFT.

56. Mystery writer Gardner: ERLE.  Erle Stanley Gardner (July 17, 1880 ~ Mar. 11, 1970) was an attorney, but he got bored in the courtroom and began writing legal thrillers.   He is best known for creating Perry Mason.

57. Tranquil exercise: YOGA.  It's harder than you might think.

58. On __: without a contract: SPEC.

60. 1999 Ron Howard film: ED TV.

61. Go out with: DATE.

64. WSW's opposite: ENE.  East-NorthEast is the opposite direction of West-SouthWest.

65. Japanese money: YEN.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  Lazy people tend not to take chances, but express themselves by tearing down other’s work.  ~  Ann Rule (née Ann Rae Stackhouse; Oct. 22, 1931 ~ July 26, 2015, American crime writer

Tuesday, October 15, 2019, Michael A. Macdonald

FLASH in the Pan.  The word Flash can be proceed the first word of each theme answer to give us a new concept.

20-Across. "Hell's Kitchen" chef: GORDON RAMSAY.  As in Flash Gordon.  Flash Gordon is a science fiction comic strip hero who first appeared in 1934.

Gordon Ramsay (né Gordon James Ramsay; b. Nov. 8, 1966) is a British chef, restaurateur and food critic.

31-Across. Risky low-lying area to build on: FLOOD ZONE.  As in Flash Flood.  These two terms are close, but not the same.  The National Weather Service defines a Flash Flood as flood caused by heavy or excessive rain in a short period of time, generally less than 6 hours, whereas a Flood Zone is an area that is prone to flooding for a longer period of time.

 

This event was neither a Flash Flood, nor did it occur in a Flood Zone.

48-Across. Not someone an amateur should play poker with: CARD SHARK.  As in Flash Card.  We all probably had Flash Cards when in school to help learn vocabulary, math problems, or other information.  Typically, a flash card has a question on one side and the answer on the other.

And the unifier:

55-Across. Narrative device that peeks at the future ... and a hint to the start of 20-, 31-, and 48-Across: FLASH FORWARD.

Across:

1. Bloke: CHAP.

5. Tie, in chess: DRAW.

9. Rival of Elle: VOGUE.  Both Elle and Vogue are fashion magazines.

14. Punjabi prince: RAJA.  A crossword staple.

15. Personal energy field, some say: AURA.

16. Black key wood, traditionally: EBONY.  Did you ever wonder why piano keys were in black and white?

17. Banned apple spray: ALAR.  Which crosses with 3-Down:  Cracked open, say: AJAR.  When is a door not a door?

18. Electric fan noise: WHIR.

1
9. Fix, as a loose shoelace knot: RETIE.

23. Special or covert strategies: OPs.  As in Special Operations or Covert Operations.

24. Trucker's unit: TON.

25. Owns: HAS.   //  And 11-Down: Obtained: GOT.

28. Lorelei's river: RHINE.  According to legend, Lorelei was a beautiful young German maiden who would sing enchanting songs while sitting on this huge rock on the banks of the Rhine River.  When the boatmen heard her singing, they would become so enrapt, that they would forget where they were, causing their boats to crash into the rock and they would drown.  The legend became famous after Heinrich Heine wrote this poem, which you can read in both English and German.  The Lorelei is actually a large rock formation in the curve of the Rhine River, and there have historically been a lot of boat crashes at the site.

34. Long, long time: EON.  Another crossword staple.

35. Post-WWI art movement: DADA.  Everything you wanted to know about the DADA Art Movement, but were afraid to ask.  Marcel Duchamp (1887 ~ 1968) is an artist who is closely associated with the Dada movement.

37. Affixed with a hammer: NAILED.

38. Unknown Doe: JOHN.  John or Jane?  Wait for the perps.

40. "Gymnopédies" composer: SATIE. Erik Satie (May 17, 1866 ~ July 1, 1925) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

42. High-grade cotton: PIMA.   Not to be confused with 50-Across: Adidas alternatives: PUMAs.

43. Barely make, as a living: EKE OUT.

45. Boots the ball: ERRS.

47. Serious no-no: SIN.

52. Everyday article: THE.

53. Second-tallest living bird: EMU.  These large birds make frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

54. Burger holder: BUN.

61. Camper's craft: CANOE.

64. "English breakfast" drinks: TEAS.  Everything you wanted to know about English Breakfast Tea, but were afraid to ask.

65. Bear's warning: ROAR.

66. Assumed name: ALIAS.

67. Colored eye part: IRIS.

68. Prefix for objectors: ANTI-.  As in Antidisestablishmentarianism.

69. Where to get dates: PALMS.  Cute clue!

70. __ a one: none: NARY. 71. Barely a sound: PEEP.

Down:

1. Rugged cliff: CRAG.

2. Angelic ring: HALO.

4. Formal forgiveness: PARDON.

5. Occurs to, with "on": DAWNS.

6. German coal valley: RUHR.

7. La Scala number: ARIA.  It may not have been recorded at La Scala, Milan's opera house, but it is an ARIA from Carmen, one of my favorite operas.

 

8. Become fond of: WARM TO.

9. Porch with a roof, usually: VERANDA.

10. Give heed to: OBEY.

12. Institute of higher learning, to Brits: UNI.

13. Look at intently: EYE.

21. Opinion piece: OP-ED.  I learned from doing the crosswords that OP-ED means "Opposite the Editorial Page in a newspaper, and that it expresses the opinion of the author who is not generally affiliated with the paper's editorial board.  Here are some Tips on writing an Op-Ed piece.

22. Oklahoma athlete: SOONER.  The word "sooner"became associated with Oklahoma shortly after the Land Run of 1889 to people who entered what became the State of Oklahoma before the official date designated in the Indian Appropriation Act of March 2, 1889.

25. "Total patient" philosophy: HOLISM.

26. Low-hemoglobin condition: ANEMIA.

27. Many taxis: SEDANS.

28. Not accept: REJECT.

29. Pipe smoked in trendy bars: HOOKAH.  Since it's the 2nd day of Sukkot, this clue is rather timely.  Actually, the only time I have actually seen a Hookah in a Sukkah is on a UNI campus.  It's just funny because it rhymes.

30. "Where are you?" response from a nearby room: IN HERE!

31. Govt. regulator of dietary supplements: FDA.  As in the Food and Drug Administration.

32. "I don't have time right now": LATER.

33. Nada: ZIP.

36. Inhaler user's malady: ASTHMA.

39. Nonverbal okay: NOD.

41. Really bug: IRK.

44. Having no purpose: USELESS.

46. Cowboy boot attachment: SPUR.

49. "Keep __ Weird": Texas city slogan: AUSTIN.  This slogan was adopted in 2000 by the Austin Independent Business Alliance to promote small businesses in Austin, Texas.  You can read more about the weirdness of the city.

51. Open for Christmas: UNWRAP.  Fun clue.

54. Everycow: BOSSY.  I always heard cows called Bessie, however, there is apparently a tradition of calling cows Bossie.

55. Whitecap formation: FOAM.

56. Olympian queen: HERA.  It's Greek to me.

57. Okay, but not great: FAIR.

58. Great: A-ONE.

59. Part of APR: RATE.  As in the Annual Percentage Rate.

60. Plumbing problem: DRIP.

61. Upper limit: CAP.

62. Phrase on a menu: À LA.  Think of Chicken à la King.

63. Nada: NIL.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  Facing the choice between changing one’s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.  ~  John Kenneth Galbraith (Oct. 15, 1908 ~ Apr. 29, 2006), Canadian-born economist