Wednesday, January 2, 2019, Robin Stears

Looking for Nemo.

Each word in the starred theme answer can be placed aHEAD of the word FISH to give us a particular type of Fish.

17-Across. * Jewelry alloy: WHITE GOLD.  White Gold is an alloy of gold and one other white metal, such as nickel, manganese or palladium.  I actually prefer white gold to yellow gold.

In keeping with today's theme, we get Whitefish and Gold Fish. The scientific name of Whitefish is Coregonus clupeaformis.  This fish lives in cold, deep-water lakes in the northern United States and Canada.  There is nothing better than a good smoked whitefish.  This fish is also used in making the best gefilte fish.

Who doesn't like a good Goldfish?

25-Across. * Genre that may be featured in the Eurovision Song Contest: SWEDISH ROCK.  I am not aware of this genre, however, the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Tel Aviv in May 2019.  Hmm... Last time I checked, Tel Aviv was in Asia.

Our fish for this clue are the Swedish Fish, which are really candies.  You can probably get some at the Eurovision Song Contest.

And we also have Rock Fish.

38-Across. * Sleight-of-hand scam: SHELL GAME.  A Shell Game is a type of con game designed to separate you from your money.

This clue gives us ShellFish.  Did you known that Shellfish isn't kosher?

We also get Game Fish, which is something you hope to get when you go Fly Fishing.  Dick Chaney does a lot of Fly Fishing in the movie Vice.

53-Across. * Food brand whose products include Caribbean curry paste and Jamaican jerk seasoning: TROPICAL SUN.  I am not familiar with this brand of food products.

I  am, however, familiar with the fish this clue produces:  It gives us Tropical Fish.

And Sun Fish.

And now for the unifier: 65-Across. 1978 novelty song with the line "Eat them up! Yum!" ... and what both parts of the answers to starred clues can be: FISH HEADS.  The video is rather creepy.  No bad words, but watch at your own peril.

Across:

1. Fictional archaeologist Croft: LARA.  She is the heroine of the Tomb Raider series of video games and was portrayed in the movies by Angelina Jolie.

5. Prep for fight night: SPAR.

9. Furry critters who helped disable the shield generator on Endor: EWOKS.  The creepy creatures from the Star Wars movies.

14. Major work: OPUS.

15. La Scala song: ARIA.

16. "Mack the Knife" singer: DARIN.

Did you know that this song came from The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht?

19. Pull together: UNITE.

20. Frenzy: MANIA.

21. Plumeria garlands: LEIS.  Plumeria are very fragrant flowers found in Hawaii, as well as other warm climates.

23. CIA relative: NSA.  The National Security Agency is a relative of the Central Intelligence Agency.  I'd tell you more, but then I'd have to kill you.

24. "__ recall ... ": AS I.

29. Serenade: SING TO.

31. "Good comeback": TOUCHÉ!

32. Palm starch: SAGO.  Also known as tapioca.  I wonder if this is what is found in Bubble Tea.

33. Julia Louis-Dreyfus comedy: VEEP.  VEEP is political satire television show in which Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays the Vice President of the United States.

37. London insurance pioneer: LLOYD.  Lloyd's of London has been in existence since 1688.  It began in Edward Lloyd's (1648 ~ 1713) coffee shop and initially covered marine and shipping insurance. 

41. Dispatch boat: AVISO.  This is a new word for me.  It comes from the Spanish and Portuguese word meaning "advice" or "warning."  Spitzboov can probably provide us with more information.

44. Apple desktop: iMAC.

45. Former Virginia senator Charles: ROBB.  Charles Spittal Robb (b. June 26, 1939) married Lynda Bird Johnson (b. 1944) in the White House on my birthday in 1967.  Kinda put a damper on my birthday party.

49. Sesame paste: TAHINI.

51. Daffy, for one: LISPER.

57. Lyft approx.: ETA.  As in Estimated Time of Arrival.

58. Strike caller: UMP.  As in the Umpire at the baseball game.

59. H.G. Wells race: ELOI.  A crossword staple.  A reference to the novel The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells (né Herbert George Wells; Sept. 21, 1866 ~ Aug. 13, 1946).

60. Actor Pratt or Pine: CHRIS.  Chris Pratt (b. June 21, 1979) was in the television sit-com Parks and Rec.  He is also the hero of the Guardians of the Galaxy.  Chris Pine (b. Aug. 26, 1980) had played Captain Kirk in some of the recent Star Trek films.

62. Flower girl, perhaps: NIECE.

67. Come next: ENSUE.

68. "Dies __": IRAE.  A crossword staple.

69. Exactly, with "to": A TEE.

70. Baby carrier?: STORK.  My favorite clue of today's puzzle.

71. Sleek swimmers: EELS.  Also a fish, in keeping with today's theme.

72. Gerritsen who created Rizzoli and Isles: TESS.  Apparently TESS Gerritsen (b. June 12, 1953) is a writer of romantic thrillers, medical thrillers and a mystery series featuring police detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles.  Tess Gerritsen is a retired physician, so her Rizzoli and Isles series combine her love of both mystery and medicine.

Down:

1. Catholic service with minimal ceremony: LOW MASS.

2. Loss of speech: APHASIA.  I don't know what to say about this clue!!!

3. Making a mess of: RUINING.

4. Bubbly city: ASTI.  Home of Asti Spumante, a sparkling Italian wine.

5. Mattress problem: SAG.  I first tried Pea, as in the Princess and the Pea.

6. Orwellian worker: PROLE.  A reference to 1984, the novel by George Orwell (né Eric Arthur Blair; June 25, 1903 ~ Jan. 21, 1950).

7. Didn't feel well: AILED.

8. Diameter halves: RADII.  The plural of Radius.  Also, apparently, a brand of sneakers.

9. College URL ending: .EDU

10. Pallid: WAN.

11. Venezuelan river: ORINOCO.  This river appears on occasion in the puzzles.  It is one of the  major rivers of South America.

12. Tacky: KITSCHY.

13. Moved furtively: SNEAKED.

18. NCAA's Big __: EAST.  College sports.  

22. Mach 1 flier: SST.

26. Made on a loom: WOVE.

27. Ian who plays Bilbo Baggins: HOLM.  That's Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert (b. Sept. 12, 1931), to you. He played Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings.

28. Things used for good measure?: RULERS.  Another fun clue.

30. Scuttlebutt: GOSSIP.

34. Nutmeg State Ivy Leaguer: ELI.  A student who attends Yale University.

35. Shade tree: ELM.

36. Vardon Trophy org.: PGA.  Golfing trophy.  It looks nice and a bit old-timey.

39. Hägar the Horrible's daughter: HONI.

40. Civil rights gp.: ACLU.  As in the American Civil Liberties Union.  In a year, the ACLU will celebrate its 100 anniversary.  It was founded on January 19, 1920.

41. Brings into harmony: ATTUNES.

42. Critter, in dialect: VARMINT.  Varmint to hunt when it's not deer season.

43. "Fingers crossed!": I HOPE SO!

46. Perform surgery: OPERATE.  Does the doctor know what he is doing?  I Hope So!

47. Happens to, quaintly: BETIDES.  I haven't had occasion to use this word.

48. Copper-zinc alloys: BRASSES.

50. Party host's bagful: ICE.  Sorry Tin!

52. Snowfall measure: INCH.  My first thought was Feet.  When I grew up, that is how we thought of the snowfall.  Now that I live in the south, we rarely get snow, but when we do, it's usually less than an inch and last only hours.

54. 2004 Jude Law title role: ALFIE.  A remake of the film that originally starred Michael Cain.  What's it all about?

55. Orléans' river: LOIRE.  I had to learn all of the rivers of France when I was in high school.

56. Rope fiber: SISAL.

61. __ index: HEAT.  A measure of how hot it feels when taking into account the relative humidity.  Our local weather forecaster often says "It's 96 degrees, but the the feel like temperature is 97 degrees."  Yeah, I can tell the difference.

63. Mongrel: CUR.

64. Startled cry: EEK!

66. "__ Just Not That Into You": 2009 film: HE'S.  I think this qualifies as a Rom-Com.

I hope you didn't have to do too much Fishing to get all the answers.  Here's the Grid.

Wednesday, December 5, 2018, Mark McClain

There’ll be a hot time in the old town tonight!

One word in each of the theme answers is Hot! Hot! Hot!

17-Across. Get increasingly steamed: DO A SLOW BURN.

26-Across. Provocative social media tactic: FLAME TROLLING.  I am not familiar with this expression, but it makes sense.  Fortunately, we don't get much this on this blog.

44-Across. Battlefield order: FIRE WHEN READY!

59-Across. Striking white stripe between a horse's eyes: FACIAL BLAZE.

Across:

1. Insurance submission: CLAIM.  I had to file a claim when my 150+ year-old live oak tree decided it didn't want to be a live oak tree anymore.  The tree fell on my carport, which, fortunately, was strong enough so that my cars weren't crushed.

6. Spars on the briny: MASTS.

11. Spanish I verb: AMO.  Today's Spanish grammar lesson.

14. Vital body vessel: AORTA.

15. Choristers who are usually women: ALTOS.

16. Young bloke: LAD.

19. "Diary of a Wimpy __": Jeff Kinney book series: KID.  The book was first published in 2007, so it was too late for my childhood reading.

20. Home of the NHL's Blues: ST. L.  St. Louis is the home of the Blues hockey team.

21. Scrape off: ABRADE.

22. Radio hobbyists: HAMS.

23. Rickie Fowler's org.: PGA.  Apparently Rick Fowler (b. Dec. 13, 1988) is a golfer.

24. One way to travel: RAIL.  Because Train wouldn't fit in the spaces provided.

32. Old Italian bread?: LIRE.  Currency of Italy before the Euro.

34. Jai __: ALAI.  A crossword staple.

35. Forearm-related: ULNAR.

36. Wee hr.: ONE A.M.  Also the name of a 1916 Charlie Chaplin film.

38. Approves: OKs.

39. Disciple's query: IS IT I?  One of the disciple's asked Jesus this question.

40. "Am not!" retort: ARE SO!  Am too! also fits, but the word "am" is already used in the clue.

41. Spa treatment: PEEL.  I wanted a Pedi(cure).

43. Bullet __: list highlight: ITEM.

47. __ Mode, designer voiced by Brad Bird in "Incredibles 2": EDNA.  I never saw this movie.  I had seem this image, however.

48. Strive: VIE.  Could also be clued as Fights (for), which we saw in yesterday's puzzle.

49. Skinny: INFO.  I initially tried Thin.

51. Sleeping bag closer: ZIPPER.  Camping is not my thing.  We did a lot of camping in my childhood, however.

55. Getting stuff done, initially: TCB.  As in the phrase: Taking Care of Business.

58. "Who, me?": MOI?  Today's French lesson.

61. From A to Z: ALL.

62. Venue with skyboxes: ARENA.

63. Expected: USUAL.

64. Animation frame: CEL.

65. Venomous snake: ADDER.  Also known as a viper.

66. Hindu spiritual writing: SUTRA.

Down:

1. Despicable dudes: CADS.

2. Ransack: LOOT.

3. Depleted sea: ARAL.  The ARAL Sea is becoming a crossword staple.  It is considered an endorheic lake, meaning that it has no outlet to the oceans.  It also used to be the 4th largest lake in the world.

4. "__ Quiet Uptown": "Hamilton" song: IT'S.  I have tickets to see Hamilton in March 2019.

5. Spanish dessert wine: MALAGA.

6. Bryn __ College: MAWR. This college is still an all-female institution of higher education.

7. Goya's "Duchess of __": ALBA.

The last Duchess of Alba was quite a character.  She held over 40 hereditary titles and was very wealthy.  She was widowed twice.  Her third husband t'was 24 years her junior.  She died in 2014 at age 88. Goya's Duchess of Alba was probably a character, too.

Oh, you wanted these more famous Goya portraits of the Duchess:

8. It may be ear-piercing: STUD.  Think of an earring.

9. Bullfight figure: TORERO.  More of today's Spanish lesson.  The Torero is on the left.

10. ID gradually being omitted from Medicare cards: SSN.  As in the Social Security Number.

11. Water's capability to neutralize acid: ALKALINITY.

12. Injure badly: MAIM.

13. Track ratios: ODDS.

18. President who appointed two women to the Supreme Court: OBAMA.  President Obama (b. 1961) nominated Sonia Sotomayor (b. 1954) to replace Associate Justice David Souter (b. 1939); and and Elena Kagan (b. 1960) to replace retiring Associate Justice John Paul Stevens (b. 1920).

22. Sledding spot: HILLSIDE.

23. "Yes, fine by me": PLEASE DO!

25. Pierre's "his": A LUI.  More of today's French lesson

26. Second cup at a diner, e.g.: FREE REFILL.

27. Unite on the sly: ELOPE.  Fresh new clue for tying the knot without all the fanfare.

28. Spoken for: TAKEN.

29. Stairway element: RISER.

30. Statistician Silver: NATE.  Nathaniel Read Silver (b. 1978) is the founder of the FiveThirtyEight blog, which gives statistics on a number of subjects including politics and sports.

31. Dire: GRIM.

32. Bakery unit: LOAF.

33. Cross inscription: INRI.  Today's Latin lesson.  This is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase: Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum, which is translated as Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.

37. Like harvested hay: MOWN.  I wanted something that would evoke the smell of freshly harvested hay.

42. Video game stage: LEVEL.

45. Black ice, e.g.: HAZARD.  It can, indeed, be very dangerous.

46. Boeing rival: AIRBUS.  Apparently the two companies have a rivalry going on.

49. All-in-one Apple: iMAC.

50. Florida State player, familiarly: 'NOLE.  As in the Florida State Seminoles.

52. Secured, as a win: ICED.  Sorry, Tin!

53. Source of cones: PINE.

54. Early late-night TV host: PAAR.  As in Jack Harold Paar (May 1, 1918 ~ Jan. 27, 2004).

55. Lacking slack: TAUT.

56. Business magnate: CZAR.

57. Olympics coach Karolyi: BÉLA.  Béla Károlyi (b. 1942) is best known for being the coach to gymnast Nadia Comăneci (b. 1961) and Mary Lou Retton (b. 1968).

59. Tower authority: Abbr.: FAA.  As in the Federal Aviation Administration, which has jurisdiction over the airport towers.

60. The SEC's Tigers: LSU.  As in Louisiana State University.  Whenever LSU plays Auburn, another SEC team, the Tigers are guaranteed to win.*  LSU is the only collage university in the United States to have a live tiger living on campus.  You may be able observe Mike the Tiger on the University's TigerCam.  The cam isn't always functioning, though.

I hope none of you got "burned" on this puzzle!

 * Both LSU and Auburn have Tigers as their mascot.