Tuesday, September 3, 2019, Winston Emmons

At the Track Meet:  Where you RACE, and SPRINT, and DART and RUSH!

18-Across. Redeeming quality: SAVING GRACE.

36-Across. Paper for papers: NEWSPRINT.

News Print Dress

44-Across. Small museum piece: OBJET D'ART.

Dodge Dart

63-Across. Citrus-flavored soda: ORANGE CRUSH.

69-Across. With 72-Across, evasive strategy ... and a hint to the last several letters of the four longest Across answers: END.

72-Across. See 69-Across: RUN.  Together these answers give us an End Run, and if you noticed, the "END" letters of each of the theme answers provide us with another term for "RUN".

Across:

1. "Way cool!": RAD.

4. Title for Bovary or Defarge: MADAME.  A CSO to our very own Madame Defarge (seen here with Abejo).

10. Feudal estate: FIEF.

14. Computer application file suffix: .EXE

15. European peninsula: IBERIA.

16. "A Jug of Wine ... " poet: OMAR.  Omar Khayyám (May 18, 1048 ~ Dec. 5, 1131) was a Persian mathematician, astronomer and poet.  The math is over my head, but I can understand the poetry.

17. Ala. neighbor: FLA.  Florida, which is being pummeled by Hurricane Dorian, is a neighbor of Alabama.

20. Many Montenegrins: SERBS.  Montenegro is a small country on the Adriatic Sea.

22. "Much to my surprise ... ": ODDLY.  Oddly enough, this is the first word that popped into my head upon reading the clue.

23. "Weekend Update" comic Michael: CHE.  I stopped watching Saturday Night Live years ago, so no longer know who hosts the Weekend Update Segment.  Apparently it is, or was, Michael Che (né Michael Che Campbell; b. May 19, 1983).

24. Cash dispenser: ATM.  As in the Automatic Teller Machine.

26. "Buona __": Italian "Good evening": SERA.  Today's Italian lesson.  As you read this, I may actually be saying this to people I pass along the street.

28. Lines of lightning ... or lightening: STREAKS.  Did you catch this scary scene that occurred a couple of weeks ago?

 32. Coin flips: TOSSES.

 

38. Person of the Year awarder: TIME.  Queen Elizabeth II (b. Apr. 21, 1926) was named Time magazine's "Man" of the year in 1952.

39. Leave out: OMIT. 40. "__ John B": Beach Boys hit: SLOOP.

 

42. Former govt. agency devoted to public diplomacy: USIA.  As in the United States Information Agency.  It was in existence from August 1953 through September 1999.  Raise your hand if you are familiar with this agency.

43. Chianti Classico, per esempio: VINO.  More of today's Italian lesson.  This wine is from the Tuscany region of Italy.

46. Distribute into groups: ASSORT.

49. Chestnut horses: SORRELS.

50. Angler's decoy: LURE.

52. Fellow: MAN. 53. Résumé writer's goal: JOB.

56. Resignee of 1974: NIXON.  Richard M. Nixon (Jan. 9, 1913 ~ Apr. 22, 1994), was Time's Man of the Year in 1972.

59. Forever __: STAMP.  I got hung up on Forever Young and I really didn't want to let it go.

66. Chillax: VEG.  As in to Veg out.

67. Poi source: TARO.  A crossword staple.

68. Repeat from memory: RECITE.

70. Large number: SLEW.

71. On the schedule: SLATED.

Down:

1. Sports officials: REFs.  As in Referees.

2. Wheel shaft: AXLE.

3. __ Abby: DEAR.  Dear Abby was the pen name of Pauline Phillips (née Pauline Ester Friedman; July 4, 1918 ~ Jan. 16, 2013).  She was the identical twin sister of Ester Pauline Friedman (July 4, 1918 ~ June 22, 2002), who wrote under the name of Ann Landers.  Both sisters wrote advice columns and were very competitive.  Sadly, this competition created a rift between the two sisters, that probably was never fully reconciled.

4. Wrong move: MISSTEP.

5. Attorney's org.: ABA.  As in the American Bar Association.

6. "Whip It" rock band: DEVO.  Are we not men?  We are DEVO.

7. Like much of the Southwest: ARID.

8. Objects to: MINDS.  Yes, I do mind if you smoke in here.

9. Aerie newborn: EAGLET.

10. Pro: FOR.

11. All-in-one Apple: iMAC.

12. Per unit: EACH.

13. On the house: FREE.

19. Wrap with tzatziki sauce: GYRO.  Yummers!

21. Happy hour perch: BARSTOOL.

25. Rover's territory: MARS.  A good misdirection.  I thought we were looking for the roaming area for a dog.

27. One at the head of the class: "A" STUDENT.  As in a student who gets all A in all subjects.

28. Round with four teams, say: SEMIs.  As in the semi-finals for a tournament.

29. Jacob and Esau, e.g.: TWINS.  Or Dear Abby and Ann Landers.

30. DEA agent's find: KILO.  As in Kilo(s) of cocaine, which an agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration is looking for.

31. Hoity-toity types: SNOBS.

33. Strong fiber: SISAL.

In its natural state.

34. Qatari bigwigs: EMIRS.  A crossword staple.

35. It may be saved at a movie: SEAT.  I really wanted Stub, as in the ticket stub.  In the movie theater we frequent, there is assigned seating, so one doesn't really need to get to the theater to save a seat.

36. __ Scotia: NOVA.  One of the biggest maritime disasters occurred in the Halifax, Nova Scotia.     In December 1917, a Norwegian ship collided with a French cargo ship that was filled with explosives.  This took place in Halifax Harbor.  Large portions of the city were flattened and approximately 2,000 people were killed in the explosion and another 9000 were injured.  No one in the town was left unscathed.  For a fascinating history of this event, I highly recommend The Great Halifax Explosion: A World I Story of Treachery, Tragedy and Extraordinary Heroism, by John U. Bacon.

37. Japanese leader during WWII: TOJO.  Hiedki Tojo (Dec. 30, 1884 ~ Dec. 23, 1948) was a general in the Japanese Army.

41. Salon offering: PERM.  As in a Permanent Wave.  I  hope this one isn't permanent.

45. Ruined: TRASHED.

47. Step on a ladder: RUNG.

48. They make an effort: TRIERS.

51. Spreadsheet program in Microsoft Office: EXCEL.

53. Scribbles (down): JOTS.

54. Like some exams: ORAL.

55. Naked: BARE.

57. Penguin predator: ORCA.

58. Nantes night: NUIT.  Today's French lesson.

60. State with conviction: AVER.  This has become a crossword staple.

61. List of options: MENU.

62. Scrolling key: PGDN.  As in the Page Down key.

64. At the moment: NOW.

65. Sault __ Marie: STE.  Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and is on the US-Canada border.

Here's the Grid:

I'll be taking a brief hiatus for travel (business mixed with fun), but you will be left in good hands.

I'll leave you with a QOD:  The older I get, the more I understand that the only way to say valuable things is to loose your fear of being correct.  ~ Malcolm Gladwell (né Malcolm Timothy Gladwell; b. Sept. 3, 1963)

Tuesday, August 27, 2019, Paul Coulter

It's Meaningless!  The first letter of each word in the theme answers (M and T), when said aloud together, sounds like EMPTY.

17-Across. Toy on a track: MODEL TRAIN.

24-Across. Native growth in an Asian orchard: MANGO TREE.  Mangos are so good in a fruit salad.

39-Across. Grilling accessory: MEAT THERMOMETER.

49-Across. Result of too-tight jeans, perhaps: MUFFIN TOP.

And the Unifier:

62-Across. Blather, and a phonetic hint to the four other longest answers: EMPTY WORDS.  The word Empty like the letters M and T.

Across:

1. Makes a hasty getaway: LAMS.

Lambs on the Lam.

5. Insect stage after larva: PUPA.

9. Bathroom wall piece: TILE.

13. Not many: A FEW.

14. Umpires' decisions: CALLS.  I initially tried Balls.  Unfortunately, it fit all too well.

16. Cabinet dept. with a windmill on its seal: ENER.  As in the Department of Energy.  There are several other items on the seal in addition to the windmill.

19. Volcanic output: LAVA.  //  And 26-Down: Volcanic output = ASH.

20. WWI French soldier: POILU.  Raise you hand if you knew this non-Tuesday word.  The word literally means "hairy" or "hairy one."  Many of the front line French infantrymen were from rural, agricultural backgrounds and wore beards and bushy mustaches.

21. Almanacs, calendars, etc.: YEARLIES.

23. Drag one's feet: STALL.

The first time I saw stalls like these was in a hotel in Beijing.

25. Philosopher __-tzu: LAO.

27. Mme., in Madrid: SRA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

28. Money for the poor: ALMS.

32. Ancient colonnade: STOA.

35. Bumper sticker word: ELECT.

42. Award for "Green Book": OSCAR.  The movie Green Book won Best Picture as well as the Best Original Screenplay.

43. Spanish appetizer: TAPA.  Yummers!

44. Ward of "Once and Again": SELA.  Sela Ward (née Sela Ann Ward; b. July 11, 1956) also starred in the in the 2019 television show FBI.

45. Korean soldier: ROK.  Another non-Tuesday word.  The Republic of Korea Army is known as ROK.

47. Springsteen's "Born in the __": USA.

54. TV monitoring device: V-CHIP.  The "V" may stand for either Violence or Viewer Controlled.

59. Directed: OVER SEEN.

60. Maine college town: ORONO.  My alma mater.

61. "Star Trek" helmsman: SULU.

65. "The Time Machine" race: ELOI.  These fictional post-humans from H.G. Well's 1895 novel have become a crossword staple.

66. Gave an address: SPOKE.  Not a physical address, but an oration.

67. Foul mood: SNIT.  //  And 55-Down: In a foul mood:  CROSS.  I liked how these to clues and answers CROSSed.

68. Director Gus Van __: SANT.  Gus van SANT (b. July 24, 1952) is a film director, best know for Good Will Hunting and My Own Private Idaho.

69. Laundry blemish: SPOT.

70. Red and Coral, but not pink: SEAS.  Nailed it!  The Red SEA is between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.  It's a great place for snorkeling.  The Coral SEA is off the east coast of Australia.

Down:

1. Reading lights: LAMPS.

2. Underway, to Sherlock: AFOOT.

3. TV, radio, newspapers, etc.: MEDIA.

4. "Great!": SWELL.  I first tried Super, then Sweet!, before the perps finally led me to SWELL.

5. Interest rate fig.: PCT.  As in Percent.

6. Short-lived Egypt-Syr. alliance: UAR.  As in the United Arab Republic.  It was a sovereign state from 1958 to 1961.

7. __ del Rey: L.A. beach community: PLAYA.  More of today's Spanish lesson.  Playa is Spanish for Beach.

8. Roswell crash victim, supposedly: ALIEN.

9. Stretch the truth: TELL TALES.

10. "... bombs bursting __": IN AIR.

11. Protective river embankment: LEVEE.

12. Clear from the blackboard: ERASE.

15. Hitches: SNAGS.

18. Temporary calm: LULL.

22. Composer Ned: ROREM.  Ned Rorem (b. Oct. 23, 1923) is an American composer.  In 1975, he won a Pulitzer Prize for Music.

24. Sacred choral piece: MOTET.

28. Latin "I love": AMO.

29. French article: LES.  Today's French lesson.

30. Rock's Fleetwood __: MAC.

31. Tropical food that has a five-point shape when sliced: STAR FRUIT.  The fruit is quite tasty.

33. U.K. singer Rita __: ORA.  I am not familiar with Rita Ora (née Rita Sahatçiu Ora; b. Nov. 26, 1990).

34. Intensify: AMP UP.

36. Hot time on the Riviera: ÉTÉ.  More of today's French lesson.  Summer on the Riviera is a Hot Time.

37. Cartoon frame: CEL.

38. La-la lead-in: TRA.

40. Square root of neuf: TROIS.  And now for today's math lesson in French.  The square root of 9 is 3.

41. Western treaty gp.: OAS.  As in the Organization of American States.

46. "Trick" joints: KNEES.

48. Declare openly: AVOW.

49. Exodus leader: MOSES.

50. Throat dangler: UVULA.

51. Serious criminal: FELON.

52. Subs at the office: TEMPS.  As in Temporary workers/

53. "Hop __": Dr. Seuss book: ON POP.

56. "Stormy Weather" singer Lena: HORNE.

57. Mumbai's land: INDIA.

58. Twitter updates: POSTS.

63. Ring ref's decision: TKO.  As in Technical KnockOut.

64. To this point: YET.

Here's the Grid:

I'll leave you with a QOD:  There are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few that we can solve by ourselves.  ~  Lyndon B. Johnson (né Lyndon Baines Johnson; Aug. 27, 1908 ~ Jan. 22, 1973)


Notes from C.C.: 

Happy 71st birthday of dear Lemonade (Jason), who's been guiding us on Friday puzzles since March 2010. This is a picture from his trip to Oo' homeland a few years ago. Happy birthday, the king!

Oo and Lemonade