Tuesday November 19, 2024 C W Stewart

On the Home Stretch.  The circles are needed for today's puzzle.  A circle is progressively added to each theme answer to slowly spell out the word HOME.

17-Across. Big spender in Vegas: HIGH ROLLER.

25-Across. Extremely volatile situation: HORNETS NEST.

44-Across. Southern breakfast side dish: HOMINY GRITS.  I think Grits are an acquired taste.

60-Across. Sigh from a weary traveler, and an apt title for this puzzle: HOME AT LAST.

Across:

1. Tenant's payment: RENT.

5. "F" on a test, often: FALSE.  Not a failing mark, but a mark on a True/False test.

10. One-named "Believe" diva: CHER.  Cher (b. May 20, 1946), whose given name is Cherilyn Sarkisian,  is a singer and actress.  She is also known for her outlandish outfits.

14. "A Streetcar Named Desire" director Kazan: ELIA.  Elia Kazan (né Elias Kazantzoglou; Sept. 7, 1909 ~ Sept. 28, 2003) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  He was born in what was then known as Constantinople (now Istanbul), Turkey.  He is also known for naming names before the House Un-American Committee in the 1950s.

15. Like days of yore: OLDEN.

16. In robust health: HALE.

19. Land in a lake: ISLE.  I don't associate an isle being in a lake.  I think of an Isle being situated in a larger body of water.

20. Had a dinner date: ATE OUT.

21. TV cooking competition hosted by Kristen Kish: TOP CHEF.  Kristen Kish (b. Dec. 1, 1983) is an American chef known for winning the tenth season of Top Chef. She became the host of Top Chef:Wisconsin earlier this year.

23. Flat French hats: BERETS.

24. Loafer, for one: SHOE.

31. "You go, __!": GIRL.

35. Kanga's son: ROO.

36. Running total: TALLY.

37. Like two jacks in a deck of cards: ONE-EYED.

39. Drool: SLOBBER.

41. Ward (off): STAVE.

42. "I Like __": 1950s political slogan: IKE.  Dwight David Eisenhower (Oct. 14, 1890 ~ Mar. 28, 1969) was the 34th President of the United States.

43. "No Ordinary Love" singer: SADE.  Sade (née Helen Folasade Adu; b. Jan. 16, 1965), is a Nigerian-born British singer.  Her parents began calling her Sade, a shortened form of her Yoruba middle name, Folasade, hence, that is how she is known.

48. Art hub in New Mexico: TAOS.

49. Desert that covers most of North Africa: SAHARA.

54. Item in a makeup bag: COMPACT.  Some are very expensive.

58. Connect to a power supply: PLUG IN.

59. __ the hump: OVER.

63. Musical Auntie played by Angela Lansbury: MAME.  Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (Oct. 16, 1925 ~ Oct. 11, 2022) was a British actress.  She played Mame on Broadway in 1966 and was awarded a Tony for her portrayal.  She is probably best known to younger audiences as portraying Jessica Fletcher on the television series Murder, She Wrote.

64. Levels in some subscription plans: TIERS.  A tiered subscription provides different levels of services or products at different price levels.  For example, some magazine subscriptions have one price for on-line issues, but a different price for on-line and hard copy issues.

65. To __: perfectly: A TEE.

66. Sound of a stone skimming failure: PLOP.  We had a nearly identical clue in last Thursday's puzzle.

67. Celebrities: STARS.

68. Email button: SEND.

Down:

1. Post-surgery regimen: REHAB.

2. Crème de la crème: ELITE.

3. Chad neighbor: NIGER.  Niger is a landlocked country in West Africa.  Chad is not its only neighbor.  It is bordered by Libya to the northeast, Chad to the east, Nigeria to the south, Benin and Burkina Faso to the southwest, Mali to the west, and Algeria to the northwest.  Its official name is the Republic of Niger.

4. Lake between the Silver State and the Golden State: TAHOE.  Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, on the border of California and Nevada.

5. Tender after too much walking: FOOT SORE.

6. __-purpose flour: ALL.  Everything you ever wanted to know about All-Purpose Flour.

7. "Bad" cholesterol, for short: LDL.  Low-Density lipoprotein cholesterol, is the "bad" cholesterol.  It is the type of cholesterol that can build up in your arteries and increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.  High-Density Lipoprotein cholesterol is the "good" cholesterol.  HDL helps remove excess cholesterol from your body and lowers your risk of heart disease and stroke.  Everything you ever wanted to know about your body's cholesterol.

8. Get hot under the collar: SEETHE.

9. Plant securely: ENROOT.

10. Hip and stylish: CHIC.

11. Corned beef __: HASH.

12. Fashion magazine with a French name: ELLE.  Elle means She in French.

13. Big name in flip-flops and surfing apparel: REEF.  I was not familiar with this company.

18. The "R" of the Supreme Court's RBG: RUTH.  As in Ruth Bader Ginsberg (née Joan Ruth Bader; Mar. 15, 1933 ~ Sept. 18, 2020).  She joined the United States Supreme Court in 1993.

22. Green sauce: PESTO.  Yummers!

24. __-cone: icy treat: SNO.

26. Curtain holder: ROD.

27. Grabs: NABS.

28. Actor Idris: ELBA.  In 2016, Idris Elba (né Idrissa Akuna Elba; b. Sept. 6, 1973) mad Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people.

29. Winter coaster: SLED.

30. One of four on a British car: TYRE.

31. Gentle expression of surprise: GOSH.

32. Division word: INTO.

33. Printer's package: REAM.

34. Strauss of jeans: LEVI.  This is the third week in a row that jeans have appeared in a Tuesday puzzle.

38. Blabbermouth: YENTA.

39. Compete in a slalom: SKI.

40. "I don't think we want any!": LET'S PASS.

42. April 15 agcy.: IRS.  As in the Internal Revenue Service.

45. America's Cup vessels: YACHTS.

46. "Get cracking!": GO TO IT.

47. Basic food preservative: SALT.  Everything you ever wanted to know about salt as a preservative.  Twenty-four years ago tomorrow (Nov. 20, 1980), an oil drilling company punctured a salt dome in Lake Peigneur in south Louisiana creating a massive sinkhole.  The salt dome was being mined by the Diamond Salt company.  Amazingly, all the workers in the salt mine survived.

50. Oahu dances: HULAs

51. Marble material: AGATE.

52. Out of the sack: RISEN.

53. Added a chip, say: ANTED.

54. Free ticket, casually: COMP.

55. Elongated circle: OVAL.

56. Note from the boss: MEMO.

57. Get ready, briefly: PREP.

61. __ culpa: MEA.  Today's Latin lesson.

62. Make a mistake: ERR.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Tuesday, November 12, 2024 Darby Ratliff and Amie Walker

Anatomy of a Big Cat.  The first and last letters of each theme answer spell out a characteristic of a Lion.

17-Across. Embarrass one's friends in public, say: MAKE A SCENE.  Mane.

26-Across. Resort to desperate measures: CLUTCH AT STRAWS.  Claws.

42-Across. Cartoon character often depicted as a spinning tornado: TASMANIAN DEVIL.  Tail.

And the Unifier:

56-Across. Answer to the joke "What is the lazy pride member known for?," and an apt title for this puzzle?: LION AROUND.

Across:

1. Misbehave in class, say: ACT UP.

6. Little dickens: IMP.

9. Loops in on the sly: BCCs.  As in Blind Carbon Copies.  The "carbon copy" is a relic from the olden days when everything was actually typewritten on a typewriter.

13. Trusty: LOYAL.

14. Christmas song: NOEL.

16. Burn soother: ALOE.

19. Vocal quality: TONE.

20. Had a snack: ATE.

21. Tax pros: CPAs.  As in Certified Public Accountants.

22. "What's __ into you?": GOTTEN.

24. Sweeties: BAES.  The term "bae" is a slang term of endearment that is a shortened version of the words "baby" or "babe".

25. Nope __: facetious term for a snake: ROPE.  I have never referred to a snake as a Nope Rope.

32. Idaho's capital: BOISE.  The name of Boise, Idaho comes from the French word boisée, which means "wooded". The name originated in the early 19th century when French-Canadian fur trappers explored the region.  The trappers to a river and were amazed by the cottonwood trees lining the riverbanks. They called the river "boisé" and the area "la rivière boisée", which means "the wooded river".

33. Some jeans: LEEs.  We had both Lees and Levi's last week.

34. "Love __ neighbor": THY.

35. The "E" of an EGOT: EMMY.  The acronym stands for: Emmy Grammy, Oscar and Tony.   All are entertainment awards.  For a list of EGOT recipients, check out this site.  

36. Inn patron: GUEST.  Hotel guests do not always get what they want.

38. Many a child in Dickens: WAIF.  Think of Oliver Twist.

39. Punk subgenre: EMO.  A crossword staple.

40. Tailless cat: MANX.

41. "The Natural" director Levinson: BARRY.  Barry Levinson (né Barry Lee Levinson; b. Apr. 6, 1942) won an Oscar for the 1988 film, Rain Man, but he isn't an EGOT.

Levinson and Redford.

46. Odds and __: ENDS.

47. New Haven school: YALE.

48. "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" singer Twain: SHANIA.  Shania Twain (née Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain; b. Aug. 28, 1965) is a Canadian country music singer-songwriter.

51. __ bene: NOTA.  Today's Latin lesson.  The term means note well, observe carefully, take notice.  It is used in manuscripts to alert the reader to pay attention to what follows.

52. Govt. intel org.: NSA.  As in National Security Agency.

55. Call alternative: TEXT.

59. The "dirt" in a pudding-based dessert: OREO.

60. Lily pad squatter: FROG.

61. Loosened, as shoelaces: UNDID.

62. Pea holders: PODS.

63. "It's __-win situation": A NO.

64. Oozes: SEEPS.

Down:

1. __ mater: ALMA.  More of today's Latin lesson.  The term literally means Nourishing Mother.  The term is used to refer to one's college.

2. Paint layer: COAT.

3. Likely "Bluey" and "Blue's Clues" watcher: TYKE.

4. Abu Dhabi's fed.: UAE.  As in the United Arab Emirates.  The UAE was formed in 1971 and is comprised of 7 Emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.

5. Appease: PLACATE.

6. How some tips are paid: IN CASH.

7. "The Simpsons" watering hole: MOE'S.

8. Writing tool: PEN.

9. Baker's mixture: BATTER.

10. Thicken, as cream: CLOT.  Although it sounds rather icky to American ears, in England, clotted simply describes the look of the cream as it clings together.    It goes will with scones and tea.

11. Ice cream holder: CONE.

12. "As __ on TV": SEEN.

15. Blocked content?: LEGO SET.  My first Lego Set was similar to the one shown below.

18. Detail, briefly: SPEC.

23. Chooses: OPTS.

24. Overly adorned: BUSY.

25. Some GPS suggestions: RTES.  As in Routes.

26. Punctuation in many lists: COMMA.  The Oxford comma is the comma that comes before “and” in a series of three or more items.  In the case of O'Connor v. Oakhurst Dairy, a missing Oxford comma cost a Maine dairy company $5M.

27. Prom rides: LIMOS.

28. "__, tell me a joke": request made in a smart home, perhaps: ALEXA.  Alexa listens to everything you say!

29. Nintendo rival: ATARI.

30. Spin fast: WHIRL.

31. "Resident Alien" network: SYFY.  Formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel.

32. Red root vegetable: BEET.

36. "The Lord of the Rings" wizard: GANDALF.  Gandalf was portrayed in the movies by Sir Ian McKellen (b. May 25, 1939).  

37. Colleges, to a Brit: UNIS.  As in Universities.

38. Swell for a surfer: WAVE.

40. __-pedi: MANI.

41. Birthplace of Olympic gymnast Olga Korbut: BELARUS.  Olga Valentinovna Korbut (b. May 16, 1955) was known as the Sparrow from Minsk.  She competed for the Soviet Union in the 1972 and 1976 Olympics.  She emigrated to the United States in 1991 and became a naturalized American citizen in 2000.

43. Candy that can create a soda geyser: MENTOS.  I have never tried this trick.  There is a scientific reason for this chemical reaction.

44. "Us" star Lupita: NYONG'O.  Lupita Amondi Nyong'o (b. Mar. 1, 1983) is another naturalized American citizenship.  She is also Mexican by birth and Kenyan through her parents.  She has an Oscar for her role in 12 Years a Slave and an Emmy.  She is half-way to the EGOT.

45. Spreadsheet input: DATA.

48. "Halt!": STOP.

49. Caped crusader: HERO.

50. Used a hatchet on: AXED.

51. Midday: NOON.

52. Bare: NUDE.

53. Scissors sound: SNIP.

54. Puts in: ADDS.

57. Savings plan letters: IRA.  As in Individual Retirement Account.

58. United: ONE.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Nailed it!