Tuesday, December 17, 2019; Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Do You Think I Am Gaining Weight?  Yes, this is the dreaded circle puzzle.  And, yes, I found this to be a bit of a challenge for a Tuesday.  Very clever, though.  The circled letters (which interestingly do not span words, but are contained completely in one word of the answer) are all measures of weight ~ beginning with a very small unit and growing progressively to a very large unit.

17-Across. Very exciting episode: HIGH DRAMA.  According to Britannica "an avoirdupois DRAM  contains 27.344 grains (1.772 grams) and is equal to one-sixteenth avoirdupois ounce of 437 1/2 grains. The term also refers to the fluid dram, a measure of capacity equal to one-eighth fluid ounce."  Clear, right?

26-Across. One doing the play-by-play: SPORTS ANNOUNCER.  An OUNCE is 1/16 of a Pound.

44-Across. Stand-up comic who is a recurring panelist on "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me": PAULA POUNDSTONE.

60-Across. Subject of the 2019 biopic "Rocketman": ELTON JOHN.  A long TON is 2,240 pounds. A Short Ton is 2,000 pounds.  The Short Ton is used in the United States.

And the unifier, of sorts:

65-Across. Device related to the circled letters: SCALE.

Across:

1. Spanish kiss: BESO.   Today's Spanish lesson.

5. Tax law pros: CPAs.  As in Certified Public Accountants.  I think a few of our regulars are CPAs.

9. Shaving scratches: NICKS.

14. Tune from "Tosca": ARIA.

15. The "A" in SATB: ALTO.  Think of the singing voices:  Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass.

16. It's sent with a click: E-MAIL.

19. Rich boy in "Nancy" comics: ROLLO.  Nancy is a comic strip that began in the 1930s.  Apparently there was a recent up-date and revision.

20. Many garden flowers: ANNUALS.

21. Responding to an Evite: RSVP-ING.  RSVP is a derived from the French phrase Répondez S’il Vous Plaît, which means Please Respond.  The -ing ending makes it a bit clunky, but one should always respond yea or nay to an invitation.

23. CD-__: data holders: ROMS.

25. Tot's little piggy: TOE.

34. Hoisting device: WINCH.

35. Snobbish attitude: AIRS.

36. Road service org.: AAA.  As in the American Automobile Association.

37. Irish New Ager: ENYA.  Her given name is Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (b. May 17, 1961).  No wonder she goes by ENYA.

38. Full of sass: LIPPY.

40. Dead set against: ANTI.  //  Fun to see this directly above 43-Across. Gets in on the deal: ANTES.

41. DDE's WWII domain: ETO.  As in the European Theater of Operations.

42. Hula-Hoops and Pogs: FADS.

 The Hula-Hoop came out in 1958.

Pogs were popular in the 1990s.

48. Orbiting research facility: Abbr.: ISS.  As in the International Space Station.

49. Spa treatment: PEEL.  I would prefer a Pedi(cure) over a Facial PEEL.

50. Turned on an axis: PIVOTED.  I initially tried Rotated.

54. Caviar choice: SHAD ROE.

59. __ acids: protein components: AMINO.

62. Baltimore NFLer: RAVEN.

63. Kind of pressure: PEER.

64. Oklahoma city NNW of Oklahoma City: ENID.  Enid, Oklahoma makes frequent appearances in the crossword puzzles.  It is the 9th largest city in the State and has one of the largest grain storage capacity in the world.

66. PC scrolling key: PGDN.  It's the Page Down key.

67. British mil. honors: DSOs.  As in the Distinguished Service Order.

Down:

1. __ Men: "Who Let the Dogs Out" band: BAHA.  The Baha Men are a Bahamian band.

2. Leprechaun land: ERIN.

3. Talk with one's hands: SIGN.  It is important that the individual hired to sign, especially in the public arena, be qualified to do so.

4. Island near Maui: OAHU.  The two islands are near each other, but not next to each other.

5. Guitarist Santana: CARLOS.  Carlos Santana (b. July 20, 1947) is a Mexican-American guitarist and musician.

6. Red Cross supply: PLASMA.

7. Bodega convenience: ATM.  As in the Automatic Teller Machine.

8. Go sky-high: SOAR.

9. On edge: NERVOUS.

10. "No plans that day": I'M OPEN.  I initially wanted I'm Free.

11. Colombian metropolis: CALI.  I think this is a CSO to our friend Chickie.  I think she lived in Cali, Columbia.

12. Pottery oven: KILN.

13. Laborious walk: SLOG.

18. Vader in "Star Wars": DARTH.

22. Stephen King work: STORY.  I would have classified his work as Horror novels.  We both share the same alma mater, although he graduated several years before I entered the university.

24. Buys eagerly: SNAPS UP.

26. Look (for), as electronic bugs: SWEEP.

27. Vessel of 1492: PINTA.  One of Christopher Columbus's ships.

28. "The joke's __!": ON YOU.

29. Color TV pioneer: RCA.

30. __ in the bud: NIP.

31. "The Divine Comedy" segment: CANTO.

32. In one's tummy: EATEN.

33. Salary increase: RAISE.

38. Go unrenewed: LAPSE.

39. Bachelor's famous last words?: I DO.  My favorite clue of the puzzle.

40. Raid target: ANT.

42. Slick trick: FAST ONE.

43. C.S. Lewis lion: ASLAN.  I can never remember this lion's name.  Aslan is a major character in the book The Chronicles of Narnia.

45. Model train giant: LIONEL.  In 1900, Joshua Lionel Cowen (Aug. 25, 1877 ~ Sept. 8, 1965) and Harry C. Grant founded the Lionel Corporation.  Although it made a number of novelty toys, it is best known for its model trains.  In 2006, the Lionel electric train became the 1st electric toy to be inducted into the  National Toy Hall of Fame.

46. Stacked like Tupperware: NESTED.

47. Do a ranch vet's job: DEHORN.

50. They beat bogeys: PARS.  Golfing reference.

51. Apple computer: iMAC.

52. "Choose-A-Sheet" paper towels brand: VIVA.

53. Captain Sparrow portrayer: DEPP.  Johnny Depp (né John Christopher Depp, II; b. June 9, 1963) played Captain Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

55. Kept the party hopping, for short: DJ'ED.  As in the individual who is the Disc Jockey.

56. Howard and Silver: RONS.  As in actors Ron Howard (né Ronald William Howard; b. Mar. 1, 1954), also known as Opie from the Andy Griffith Show; and Ron Silver (né Ronald Arthur Silver; July 2, 1946 ~ Mar. 15, 2009).  The latter died of cancer at age 62.

57. Lake Erie state: OHIO.  It's the State that's Round on the Ends and HI in the Middle!

58. Circle's lack: ENDS.

61. Journey segment: LEG.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.  ~  William Arthur Ward (Dec. 17, 1921 ~ Mar. 30, 1986), American writer

Tuesday, December 10, 2019 David Poole

Double Play.  I'll start today with the unifier, which is very self-explanatory.  

55-Across. Canoeing challenge whose first word can precede the start and whose second word can precede the end of the answers to starred clues: WHITE WATER.

20-Across. *   Fruity adult beverage: WINE COOLER.  We get White Wine and Water Cooler.  A Wine Cooler can be either a special refrigeration unit for storing wine or a carbonated beverage of wine and fruit juice.

White Wine

Wine Cooler

28-Across. *   Black-spotted orange flower: TIGER LILY.  We get White Tiger and Water Lily.

White Tiger

Claude Monet's Water Lilies

38-Across. *   Toy pistols used on stage: CAP GUNS.  We get White Cap and Water Gun.

White Caps on the Ocean

Water Gun, also known as a Squirt Gun.

46-Across. *   Toy car brand: HOT WHEELS.  We get White Hot and Water Wheels.

White HOT!

Water Wheel

Across:

1. Chinese sauce additive: MSG.  As in MonoSodium Glutamate.

4. Olympic swimming star Ledecky: KATIE.  Katie Ledecky (née Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky; b. Mar. 17, 1997), has won 5 Olympic gold medals and 15 world championship gold metals.

9. L.L.Bean competitor: J.CREW.

14. Listening organ: EAR.

15. Stereotypical Pi Day celebrants: NERDS.

16. "Drab" color: OLIVE.

17. Handel's "Messiah" et al.: ORATORIOS.  An Oratorio is similar to an Opera.  Oratorios became popular in the 1600s and 1700s because the Church forbid theatrical performances.  Thus oratorios were musical compositions with an orchestra, a chorus and generally a soloist, but without the costuming and theater props.  Oratorios also tended to focus on religious  topics.

19. Creepy film motel: BATES.

22. Put in the mail: SENT.

23. Cowboys QB Prescott: DAK.  Dak Prescott (né Rayne Dakota Prescott; b. July 29, 1993), was born in Sulphur, Louisiana.  The Cowboys lost to the Bears last week.

24. Well-worn pencils: NUBS.

26. "Keystone" police: KOPS.

33. Prefix with center: EPI-.  As in the Epicenter of an earthquake.

34. __ Valley: Reagan Library site: SIMI.

35. Strand at a ski lodge, say: ICE IN.

37. Pitcher's stat: ERA.  As in Earned Run Average.

41. Prefix with natal: NEO-.  As in Neonatal, which refers to newborn babies.

42. Asian food breadcrumbs: PANKO.  I use Panko breadcrumbs when I cook fish.

44. Novelist Leon: URIS.  Leon Uris (né Leon Marcus Uris; Aug. 3, 1924 ~ June 21, 2003) is probably best known for his 1958 novel Exodus, which is about the creation of the State of Israel.

45. They, to Thierry: ILS.  Today's French lesson.

49. Artist Warhol: ANDY.  Andy Warhol (né Andrew Warhola; Aug. 6, 1928 ~ Feb. 22, 1987) died at age 58 from complications of gall bladder surgery.  In 1968, an assassination attempt was made on his life in which he was seriously wounded.

50. "The Good Earth" mother: OLAN.  The Good Earth is a 1931 novel by Pearl S. Buck (née Pearl Sydenstricker; June 26, 1892 ~ Mar. 6, 1973) about family life in China in the early 20th Century.  It is well worth reading.

51. Some SAT takers: SRs.  As in Seniors in High School.

52. Olympian bigwig: ZEUS.  Oh, as in the Greek god of the sky and thunder, not the Olympic games.

61. Safe places?: WALLS.

63. Talus: ANKLE BONE.

64. Orange Muppet: ERNIE.

65. Not tight enough: LOOSE.

66. ER VIPs: MDs.  Medical Doctors are the VIPs in the Emergency Room, but don't forget about the ER nurses, who also play an important role.

67. Cockamamie: INANE.

68. Beginning: ONSET.

69. Automated spam creator: BOT.

Down:

1. Cat's cry: MEOW.

2. Indian cover-up: SARI.

3. Concert keyboard: GRAND PIANO.

4. Rap on the door: KNOCK.

5. Sleek, in car talk: AERO.

6. 75% of a quartet: TRIO.

7. Pop star: IDOL.

8. Ancient mystic: ESSENE.  The Essenes were a Jewish sect from about 200 to 1 BCE.  They are considered to be the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

9. Position at work: JOB.

10. Enduring work: CLASSIC.

11. Baptism or bris: RITE.

12. Like Olympic years, numerically: EVEN.

13. "Wild" 1800s region: WEST.

"Wild" Mae West

18. Oolong and pekoe: TEAs.

21. 1921 play that introduced the word "robot": R.U.R.  This play appears with some frequency in the crosswords.  It is a 1920 play by Czech writer Karel Čapek (Jan. 9, 1890 ~ Dec. 25, 1938).  R.U.R stands for Rossumovi Univerzáiní Robots (Rossum’s Universal Robots).  The play takes place in a factory that makes organic, artificial people called as Robots.  These Robots, however, were more like human people rather than the current concept of robots.

25. Euphoria: BLISS.  Also the name of a chain of Yoga studios.

26. Stay fresh in the fridge: KEEP.

27. Celeb with her "OWN" network: OPRAH.

28. Andalusian aunt: TIA.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Andalusia is a region of Spain.

29. Little rascal: IMP.

30. Lively baroque dance: GIGUE.

31. Red Square shrine: LENIN'S TOMB.

32. Give in: YIELD.

34. Grouchy look: SCOWL.

36. Prone to prying: NOSY.

39. Often-bookmarked address, briefly: URL.  As in the Uniform Resource Locator.

40. Grafton's "__ for Noose": N IS.  Sue Grafton (Apr. 24, 1940 ~ Dec. 28, 2017) wrote a series of crime novels, each beginning with a letter of the Alphabet.  The first in the series was A is for Alibi.  She wrote all the way through the letter Y (Y is for Yesterday).  Sadly, she died before she could begin what would have been the final book in the series, Z is for Zero.

43. "80's Ladies" country singer: K.T. OSLIN.  I am not familiar with K. T. Olsin (née Kay Toinette Olsin; b. May 15, 1942).

47. "Yee-__!": HAW.

48. Surround, as with a saintly glow: ENHALO.  Yup.  It's a real word.

49. Graceful steed: ARAB.

51. "Ni-i-ice!": SWEET!

52. Cube root of acht: ZWEI.  German math.

53. Merit: EARN.

54. Forearm bone: ULNA.

56. Part of, plotwise: IN ON.

57. Boxing ref's calls: TKOs.  As in Technical Knock Outs.  A crossword staple

58. "Anything __?": ELSE.

59. Opposite of exo-: ENDO-.

60. "Don't play" music staff symbol: REST.

62. Date regularly: SEE.




Here's the Grid:

Geaux Tigers!

Joe Burreaux, LSU Quarterback

QOD:  One must learn to be silent just as one must learn to talk.  ~  Victoria Wolff (Dec. 10, 1903 ~ Sept. 16, 1992), German-born novelist.