Tuesday, June 4, 2019 C.C. Burnikel

What Do The Animals Say?  In today's puzzle, we have 4 pairs of clues and answers.  The first clue asks for a particular animal, and the last word of the second answer provides the animal sound.  What a clever theme from our Corner Hostess!  I think this is one of my favorite themes in recent memory. 

Note: Animals in other countries make different sounds.  Who knew?

1-Across. Animal heard at the end of 30-Across: WOLF.  //  30-Across. Jamaican resort: MONTEGO BAY.

60-Across. Animal heard at the end of 17-Across: SNAKE.  //  17-Across. Suspected 1930s-'40s spy: ALGER HISS.

Alger Hiss (Nov. 11, 1904 ~ Nov. 15, 1996) was an attorney and held a number of positions in the Federal Government, including the Department of Justice and the State Department.  He was accused of spying for the USSR.  Although never convicted of the spying charges, he was convicted for perjury related to the spying charges and was sentenced to 5 years in Federal prison.

19-Across. Animal heard at the end of 46-Across: MOOSE.  //  46-Across. "Humboldt's Gift" Pulitzer-winning novelist: SAUL BELLOW.

Saul Bellow (né Solomon Bellows; June 10, 1915 ~ Apr. 5, 2005), was a Canadian-American awarding winning author.  He was the recipient of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Literature, as well as the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.  Try as I might, I just cannot get through any of his works.

70-Across. Animal heard at the end of 62-Across: SEAL.  //  62-Across. Canoe material: BIRCH BARK.

The Birch is a hardwood tree with paper-like bark, which is surprisingly water resistant, hence, makes a perfect material for canoes.

Today's theme reminded me of this song that was popular a year or two:

Across:

5. "Give me __": A SEC.  Don't rush me!

9. Texas A&M student: AGGIE.  A student attending the Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University, which is located in College Station, Texas, is called an AGGIE.  The main campus is over 5,200 acres.  The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library is located at the campus.

14. Grandstand level: TIER.  There are many tiers to the LSU Tiger Football Stadium, also known as Death Valley.  The original stadium, built in 1924, held 12,000 fans.  It has expanded over the years and now has a capacity of over 102,300.  It is the 7th largest stadium in the world.  Of the 6 stadiums above the LSU Tiger Stadium, 4 are also American college football stadiums.  (The Kyle Stadium on the Texas A&M Campus holds about 400 over LSU's capacity.)

15. Actress Gilbert of "The Conners": SARA.  Sara Gilbert (née Sara Rebecca Abeles; b. Jan. 29, 1975) graduated from Yale University in 1997.  Apparently, she plays Darlene Conner on the television sit-com.

16. Cheating on an ethics exam, e.g.: IRONY.  After I graduated from law school, in addition to the State bar exam, I had to take a separate ethics exam.  I found it amusing that to pay for the privilege of taking the ethics portion of the licensing requirement, the payment had to be made in the form of a certified check or money order.  A personal check was not acceptable.

20. Mediocre: SO-SO.

21. Bandleader Arnaz: DESI.  Probably everyone on the Corner knows that Desi Arnez (né Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III; Mar. 2, 1917 ~ Dec. 2, 1986) was married to Lucille Ball (née Lucille Désirée Ball; Aug. 6, 1911 ~ Apr. 26, 1989) for 20 years.  She was his 2nd wife; he was her first.

23. Baking soda amts.: TSPs.  As in Teaspoons.

24. Selfish types: HOGS.

26. Thrill to pieces: ELATE.

28. Sports gp. with a tour: PGA.  Golfing.

34. TV host Meredith: VIEIRA.  As in Meredith Louise Vieira (b. Dec. 30, 1953).  She is a professional host.  She has been the host of a number of shows, including 60 Minutes and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

36. Blues singer James: ETTA.  Etta James (née Jamesetta Hawkins; Jan, 25, 1938 ~ Jan. 20, 2012) has become a crossword staple.

37. Brian of Roxy Music: ENO.  Brian Eno (né Brian Peter George Eno; b. May 15, 1948) is another crossword staple.

 Then

Now

38. Prefix with mural: INTRA-.  Think of Intramural Sports.

39. You, in Germany: SIE.  Today's German lesson.

40. New England fish: SCROD.  Who knew this word had a past pluperfect subjunctive?  I learned this from a very proper Boston Brahmin.

42. Sci-fi figures: ETs.  As in Extra-Terrestrials.

43. Brunch, e.g.: MEAL.  Yummers!

45. Enemy of ancient Athens: SPARTA.

49. "Science Guy" Bill: NYE.  As in William Sanford Nye (b. Nov. 27, 1955).  Is he a Scientist or a Comedian?

50. Sunning areas: POOLS.

51. Teller's comedy partner: PENN.  As in the comedy team of Penn and Teller, comprised of Penn Fraser Jillette (b. Mar. 5, 1955) and Raymond Joseph Teller (b. Feb. 14, 1948).  Penn is the gabby one, while Teller remains silent.

53. Norway's most populous city: OSLO.  Oslo is the capital of Norway and is also the home of the Viking Ship Museum.

55. Not out: SAFE.  Think of baseball.

57. "Look what I did!": TADA!

65. Completely full: SATED.

66. Off in the distance: AFAR.

67. Patent's genesis: IDEA.

68. Pages with viewpoints: OP-EDs.  I learned from doing the crossword puzzles that Op-Ed means Opposite the Editorial page.

69. Stretch out in a recliner: REST.

Down:

1. Org. for Naomi Osaka: WTA.  As in the Women's Tennis Association.  Naomi Osaka (b. Oct. 16, 1997) is a professional tennis player who was born in Japan to a Haitian father and Japanese mother.  I don't follow sports, so was unfamiliar with her until this past weekend.  She was defeated by Katerina Siniakova, a Czech tennis player, at the French Open.

2. Some Picassos: OILS.

3. Building toy with theme parks: LEGO.  The Smithsonian recently reported on a humorous study wherein a few volunteers swallowed the heads of Lego figurines to see how long they stayed in the body.

4. What an open window allows in: FRESH AIR.  I initially tried Sunlight, which fit in the spaces provided.

5. Campfire residue: ASH.

Anatomy of a Camp Fire.

6. Declared with authority: SAID SO.

7. Highlands language: ERSE.  I generally think of Erse being an Irish language, but Webster's says it is also a Scottish language, hence the Highlands.

8. Walkman insert, once: CASSETTE.  I had one of these once, back in the dark ages.

9. Ready-fire link: AIM.

10. Cave: GROTTO.  I initially tried Gave In, which also fit in the spaces provided.  There is a Grotto in Cullman, Alabama, known as the Ave Maria Grotto.  It was was built on the grounds of St. Bernard Abby by one of the monks.  In addition to the Grotto, there are over 100 miniature reproductions of world famous Catholic religious structures.  The Grotto is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  It is an interesting place to stop, if you are driving through the area.

11. Jam fruit: GOOSE BERRY.  A Goose makes a Honking sound.  Close, but no cigar, to today's theme.

12. Brit. police rank: INSP.  As Inspector.  Anyone who reads Elizabeth George's mystery series knows about Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley.

13. Places for contacts: EYES.  They come in all colors and designs.  I once had a DWI case where the defendant had been stopped for being high on something.  It didn't help is case that he was wearing contacts that had CANNABIS leaf designs on them.

18. Piglet's little buddy: ROO.  A reference to Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends.

22. "Before ___ you go ...": I LET.

25. "Today" rival, for short: GMA.  As in Good Morning, America, which airs on ABC.

27. Audibly stunned: AGASP.  The dreaded "A" word.

28. Sailing companion of the Niña: PINTA.  Christopher Columbus's three ships were the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa María.

29. Sleeps till noon, say: GETS UP LATE.

31. Sam of "Jurassic Park": NEILL.  Sam Neill (né Nigel John Dermot Neill; b. Sept. 14, 1947) was born in Ireland, but now lives in New Zealand.  He played Dr. Alan Grant in some of the Jurassic Park movies.

32. "I left ___ on the fridge": A NOTE.

33. Pointy-eared Jedi master: YODA.  A reference to the Star Wars movies.

34. Competes (for): VIES.

35. "First Blood" tough guy: RAMBO.  Played by Sylvester Stallone.

39. Mexican buffet offering: SALSA BAR.  Not sure I have actually seen a Salsa Bar at a Mexican restaurant, but I'm game to try some varieties of Salsa.

41. Marijuana: CANNABIS.  See 13-Down.

44. Slithery sea creatures: EELS.

45. Fin. neighbor: SWE.  Sweden is the neighbor of Finland.

47. Took a peek: LOOKED.

48. Some Lincoln Center productions: OPERAS.

52. Highest degree: NTH.  My initial thought was a Ph.D.

53. ___ buco: veal dish: OSSO.

54. Easy-peasy thing: SNAP.  Did you find this puzzle to be a SNAP?

56. Marcher's flute: FIFE.

58. Florida's Miami-___ County: DADE.  Lemonade lives a county over from Miami-Dade.

59. ___ rug: AREA.

61. Mag workers: EDs.  As in Editors.

63. Dated PC monitor: CRT.  As in a Cathode-Ray Tube.

64. ___ Kan pet food:  KAL.

Here's the grid:

I'll leave you with a QOD:  Changing mass consciousness is an individual responsibility.  ~  Dennis Weaver (né William Dennis Weaver; June 4, 1924 ~ Feb. 24, 2006)

 
Note from C.C.:

From now on, Hahtoolah (Susan) will be our Tuesday Sherpa. TTP and Lemonade will alternate the Friday blogging duty. Thank you, everyone!

Friday, May 24, 2019, Evan Kalish

Double Meanings.  Each clue can be interpreted literally, or can have another meaning, as evidenced by the puzzle's answer.  Two of our entries span the16*15 grid.

18. Mission statement?: REMEMBER THE ALAMO!  (1) A Mission Statement is a formal summary of the values of a company or organization.  (2) The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas was originally a Spanish Mission and fortress built by Catholic missionaries to educate and convert Native Americans to Christianity.  The Mission was secularized in the late 1790s, and later became under military control.  During the Texas Revolution, a group of Texan soldiers (including James Bowie and Davy Crockett) defended the Alamo against the Mexican army.  The Texan soldiers were all defeated and killed.  Remember the Alamo! then became the rallying cry for Texas independence.

31. Position statement?: YOU ARE HERE.  (1) A Position Statement is a formal statement that lets others know where a company or organization stands on a particular topic.  (2) A map showing you where you are, generally in a public area, such as a mall.

43. Impact statement?: OW!  THAT HURT.  (1) An Impact Statement is a short summary that used to explain and inform stakeholders of a company or organizations work.  (2) Being hit from an outside source or Impact may hurt.

56. Closing statement?: COME BACK TOMORROW.  (1) A Closing Statement is a concluding statement at the end of a trial to emphasize the important arguments of the case for the trier of fact.  (2) At Closing time, the store may ask you to return the next day to finish your shopping.

Across:

1. Muscle at one end of the Achilles tendon: CALF.  The CALF is actually made up of two muscles: (1) the Gastrocnemius, which is the larger muscle that forms the visible bulge beneath the skin; and (2) the Soleus, which is a smaller, flat muscle that is under the Gastrocnemius muscle.

5. Dream __: TEAM.  The 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team was known as the Dream TEAM because it was the first American Olympic team to be made-up of professional basketball players.

9. Ground-hitting sound: SPLAT.

14. __ 2600, Class of 2007 National Toy Hall of Fame inductee: ATARI.  It looks so old-fashioned today.

16. Ebb: WANE.

17. Alaska governor after Murkowski: PALIN.  Sarah Palin (née Sarah Louise Heath; b. Feb. 11, 1965), served as the Governor of Alaska from December 2006 until she resigned in July 2009.  Her predecessor as Governor was Frank Mursowski (né Frank Hughes Murkowski; b. Mar. 28, 1933).  She was also the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election.  She could see Alaska from her house.  But, you knew that.

21. Bandies words: SPARS.

22. Baseball mascot originally titled "Lady": MRS. MET.

23. La, in the key of E: C SHARP.

25. Ballet move: PLIÉ.

27. Drink suffix: -ADE.  CSO to our own LemonADE.

28. For nothing: GRATIS.  From the Latin word for Favor.

29. Get gas: FUEL UP.

33. Black fur: SABLE.   A SABLE is a small species of a marten that lives in northern Asia.  The animal was historically hunted for its soft, fine fur.  Coats made from sable can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

37. Big name in big trucks: MACK.

38. Restoratives: TONICS.  Nothing is more refreshing that a Gin and TONIC on a hot summer day.

40. Lead-in to bake or shell: CLAM.  Lots of CLAM Shells at a CLAM Bake.

41. Lid maladies: STYES.  This has become a crossword staple.

45. __ best: SUNDAY.  Do people really dress up for Sunday church anymore?  I was at a funeral recently and was shocked to see people dressed in such casual wear.  They looked like they just came in from the forest after chopping wood.

47. What many dress in during winter: LAYERS.

48. Tricky person: WAG.  //  Not to be confused with 61-Down:  Locks lacking keys = WIG.

51. Looking up: ROSY.

52. Gently towel off: PAT DRY.

53. Author Allende: ISABEL.  Isabel Allende (b. Aug. 2, 1942) is a Chilean writer.  She was related to Salvador Allende (June 26, 1908 ~ Sept. 11, 1973), who was the President of Chile from Nov. 1970 until Sept. 1973, when he was ousted in a coup.

55. Clean __: SLATE.

62. First name in Fighting Irish history: KNUTE.  KNUTE Rockne (né Knute Kenneth Rockne; Mar. 4, 1888 ~ Mar. 31, 1931) was born in Norway, but immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 5 years old.  Although he earned a degree in chemistry, he never worked in that field, and instead became a football coach, ultimately becoming the head coach at Notre Dame.  He was killed in a plane crash at age 43.

63. Vacation home asset: VIEW.

64. Arabian Peninsula resident: OMANI.

65. Go after: SET AT.

66. Board-making aids: SAWS.

67. Sun blocker: SMOG.  Schools were closed in Mexico City recently because of the smog.

Down:

1. A dealer might flip one: CAR.

2. Adored, with "up": ATE.

3. Escape: LAM.

4. New perspectives: FRESH TAKES.

5. Squirt: TWERP.

6. Wheat spikes: EARS.  The EAR is the grain-bearing part of the stem of a cereal plant.  I generally think of an Ear of Corn, but it applies to wheat as well.

7. Critter with three left legs: ANT.  I misread this clue as a Critter with Three Legs Left.  I wondered what type of critter could hop about with three legs.

8. "Doesn't do it for me": MEH!

9. "We have enough details, thanks": SPARE US!  This seems rather rude.

10. Buds: PALS.  Buds as in friends, not flower buds.

11. High-altitude pack animal: LLAMA. (From C.C.: . Guess who this beautiful lady is?)

12. Prepared with a cue: AIMED.  I initially tried Aided, because I was thinking the "cue" referred to a stage assist, as in a play, not a pool cue.

13. Low-risk investment: T-NOTE.  As in a Treasury Note.

15. Affect adversely: IMPAIR.

19. Mixologist's tools: BAR SET.

20. Expressionist painter Nolde: EMIL.  Emil Nolde (né Emil Hansen; Aug. 7, 1867 ~ Apr. 13, 1956) makes occasional guest appearances in the crossword puzzles ~ enough so that I recognize his name, if not his work.

23. Slovene neighbor: CROAT.

24. Pert: SAUCY.

25. Ingot valuation factor: PURITY.

26. Parasite: LEECH.

28. Places for some rats: GYMS.

29. Ted Williams' field: FENWAY.  Ted Williams (né Theodore Samuel Williams; Aug. 30, 1918 ~ July 5, 2002), had a long baseball career with the Boston Red Sox. When I lived in Boston, I lived about 2 blocks away from Fenway Park.

The Green Monster at Fenway Park.

30. Large animals whose taxonomic order is obsolete: PACHYDERMS.  Why is the term Pachyderms now obsolete?  Who knew?

32. Brit's bonnets, in the States: HOODS.  Bonnet sound so much nicer than Hood.

34. Downer?: BLUER.

35. David who voiced George Steinbrenner on "Seinfeld": LARRY.  Larry David (né Lawrence Gene David; b. July 2, 1947), was the co-creator, along with Jerry Seinfeld, of the sit-com Seinfeld.  He also created and starred in Curb Your Enthusiasm.

36. Mobile lifesavers: EMTs.  As in Emergency Medical Technicians.

39. Peace in the Middle East?: SALAAM.  The Arabic word for Peace.  I initially tried Shalom, which is the Hebrew word for Peace.

42. Can't-miss wager: SURE BET.

44. Bit of needlework: TATTOO.  Why?  Just Why?

46. Tulane's home, informally: NOLA.  Tulane University is in New Orleans, Louisiana.  NOLA has become a crossword staple.

48. Burning needs?: WICKS.

49. In unison: AS ONE.

50. Full range: GAMUT.

52. Pickup attachments: PLOWS.

54. Pre-release stage: BETA.

55. All-in-one dinner: STEW.

57. Rite Aid rival: CVS.  Both are drug stories.

58. Optima, for one: KIA.

59. Big name in pickups: RAM.  Big wheels, too.

60. Palindromic peace activist: ONO.  A new clue for our crossword friend, Yoko ONO (b. Feb. 18, 1933).

Here's the Grid:

I will leave you with a QOD:  Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat. ~ Harry Emerson Fosdick (May 24, 1878 ~ Oct. 5, 1969)