Tuesday, December 31, 2019 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

I Triple Dog Dare Ya.  Each of the theme answers begins with a triple letter.




18-Across. Remote control insert: AAA BATTERY.

26-Across. Grievance filed with a consumer protection org.: BBB COMPLAINT.  Better Business Bureau.

49-Across. Spec for a large loafer: EEE SHOE-WIDTH.

63-Across. Firefox or Chrome: WWW BROWSER.  World Wide Web.

Across:

1. "In Her Shoes" actress Cameron: DIAZ.  Cameron Diaz (née Cameron Michelle Diaz; b. Aug. 30, 1972) is an American actress who began her career as a model.  In Her Shoes was a 2005 movie about a irresponsible party girl (Diaz) who is mistaken for her sister who is an attorney and nearly unrails her sister's career.

5. "__ Flanders": Defoe novel: MOLL.  Moll Flanders is a 1722 novel by Daniel Defoe (1660 ~ 1731) of Robinson Crusoe fame.  Moll Flanders is supposedly based on the life of Moll King, a strong-willed criminal.  Probably not on my "to-be-read" list of books.

9. Dethrones: OUSTS.

14. With the bow, to a violist: ARCO.  The perps gave me this answer.

15. Furniture giant: IKEA.  This furniture company was founded by Ingvar Kamprad (né Feodor Ingvar Kamprad; Mar. 30, 1926 ~ Jan. 27, 2018).  I visited the Ikea store in Houston once.  It's huge.  Didn't buy anything, though.

16. Still standing, as a bowling pin: UNHIT.

17. Like worn tires: BALD.  //  And 12-Down. Corvette quartet: TIRES.  A bit of a duplication here.

20. Like waterlogged sneakers: SQUISHY.

22. "Love It or List It" option: REMODEL.  Apparently Love It or List It is a Canadian home design television show.  I am not familiar with this show, so the answer revealed itself through the perps.

23. Pie __ mode: À LA.   Pie à la mode.  Yummers!

24. Inoculation fluids: SERA.

25. Chicago-to-Indianapolis dir.: SSE.  As in South SouthEast.

31. Source of iron: ORE.

32. Palindromic supermodel: EMME.  My first thought was Elle Macpherson, an Australian model.  The correct answer, however, was Emme (née Melissa Owens Miller; b. June 30, 1963).  She is considered a Plus-Size model, meaning, she's built more like people we all known and love.

33. Sevilla's country: ESPAÑA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

37. Has a bug: AILS.

39. Tally: SUM.  I initially tried Add.

41. Brawl souvenir: SCAR.

42. Come back: RETURN.

45. Lemonlike: TART.  Is this a CSO to our Lemonade?  I wouldn't say he is tart, though.

48. PC "oops" key: ESC.  As in the Escape key.

52. Mover's transport: VAN.  I guess they aren't good at counting.  It looks like more than 2 men to me.

55. Brewpub lineup: TAPS.

56. Wrestler's goal: PIN.

57. The tiniest bit: ONE IOTA.

59. As you like it, foodwise: TO TASTE.

65. Renegade on the road: JEEP.

66. Suffer defeat: EAT IT.

67. First in line: NEXT.

68. Fronton game word: ALAI.  A Fronton is the walled court used in playing Jai Alai.  We often see Jai Alai in the puzzles, but Fronton doesn't appear as often.

69. Smeltery refuse: DROSS.

70. Pre-coll. exams: SATs.  These tests, given to High School students, were originally called Scholastic Aptitude Tests.  They were later renamed the Scholastic Assessment Tests, now are simply called SATs.

71. Latin Grammy winner Anthony: MARC.  Marc Anthony (né Marco Antonio Muñiz; b. Sept. 16, 1968) is probably best known for being one of the husbands of Jennifer Lopez.

Down:

1. Applies gently: DABS.

2. Saudi Arabia neighbor: IRAQ.  Saudia Arabia has many neighbors.  Two even have the requisite number of letters to fit this clue.

3. Rights org. since 1920: ACLU.  As in the American Civil Liberties Union.  Next month the ACLU will celebrate its 100 anniversary.  It was founded on January 19, 1920.

4. Astrological sign system: ZODIAC.

5. Soccer great who co-founded Athletes for Hope: MIA HAMM.  Mia Hamm (née Mariel Margaret Hamm; b. Mar. 17, 1972) is a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

6. "Works for me": OKAY.

7. "Orange Is the New Black" actress DeLaria: LEA.  I have never seen Orange is the New Black, nor have I heard of Lea DeLaria (b. May 23, 1958), an actress and comedian.  Orange is the New Black is about female prisoners.  It is based on the memoir of the same name by Piper Kerman, which describes her experiences in her year spent in a federal prison for money laundering.  Apparently, the prisoners don't always wear orange on the show.

8. Tar pits locale: LA BREA.  All together, now:  La Brea Tar Pit is redundant.

9. Overwhelms by sheer numbers: OUT-MANS.

10. Golden rule preposition: UNTO.  Do unto others ...

11. Storage structures: SHEDS.  I initially tried Silos.  Poor Sheryl's She-Shed is afire.

13. Fashion sense: STYLE.

19. High-altitude home: AERIE.  I learned this word from doing the crossword puzzles.  It used to appear very frequently for the puzzles.

21. __ gin fizz: SLOE.  Everything you wanted to know about Sloe Gin, including a recipe.

24. Holmes and Poirot: SLEUTHS.  The former is Sherlock Holmes created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and the latter is Hercule Poirot created by Dame Agatha Christie.

26. Animal that sounds dull: BOAR.  They can be very destructive.

27. Puff pastry cheese: BRIE.  Brie in a puff pastry makes a great appetizer.

28. Karate skill award: BELT.  The colors of the Karate Belt explained.

29. Some govt. heads: PMs.  As in Prime Ministers.

30. Adorns with Charmin, for short: TPs.  Toilet Papering someone's house is a big prank for some high school kids.

34. Scored 100 on: ACED.

35. Tweed's caricaturist: NAST.  As in Thomas Nast (Sept. 27, 1940 ~ Dec. 7, 1902).  Although he was born in Germany, Thomas Nast is considered the Father of the American Cartoon.  He created many political cartoons, especially of Boss Tweed during the 1870s.  It is appropriate to see him to day because he is also credited with creating the modern version of Santa Claus.

Santa is on the Right.

36. Gothic window feature: ARCH.

38. Go after in court: SUE.

40. Chinese leader who hosted Nixon: MAO.  Nixon in China is a modern opera inspired by President Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China when he met with Chairman Mao.

43. Quick comebacks: RETORTS.  Am not!  Are too!

44. "How cool!": NEAT-O.

46. School assignments: REPORTS.

47. Annoying sort: TWIT.

50. Gives rise to: SPAWNS.

51. Up the creek: IN A JAM.

52. Made a solemn promise: VOWED.

53. Sadat of Egypt: ANWAR.  Anwar Sadat (né Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat; Dec. 25, 1918 ~ Oct. 6, 1981) was the 3rd President of Egypt.  He served as President from October 1970 until his assassination 11 years later.  In 1973, he led Egypt into the Yom Kippur War against Israel.  A few years later, he became the first Arab leader to visit Israel and worked for peace between the two countries.  In 1978, he and Menachem Began shared the Nobel Peace Prize.  Sadly, he was assassinated from within his army at age 62.

54. Not familiar with: NEW TO.

58. Sacred wading bird of ancient Egypt: IBIS.

59. Thumb-typist's message: TEXT.

60. Ward of "CSI: NY": SELA.  Sela Ward (née Sela Ann Ward; b. July 11, 1956) also appeared for one season on the current FBI.

61. Rip: TEAR.

62. Sweeping story: EPIC.

64. Briny expanse: SEA.

Here's the Grid:

I wish each and every one of you a very Happy 2020!

QOD:  Every age gets the lunatics it deserves.  ~  Roy Porter (né Roy Sydney Porter; Dec. 31, 1946 ~ Mar. 3, 2002), British medical historian

Tuesday December 24, 2019 Mark McClain

You Can Bank On It.  The word Bank can follow the first word of each theme answer to give us a new concept.

17-Across. *   Nutrition guide: FOOD PYRAMID.  A Food Bank is generally a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those in need.

24-Across. *  Comprehensive personal philosophy: WORLD VIEW.  The World Bank is an international financial institution whose mission is to end extreme poverty and to promote prosperity in a shared way.

34-Across. *   Horse breeder's concern: BLOOD LINE.  The first Blood Bank in the United States was established in 1936.

46-Across. *   Figuratively, whence some unexpected ideas: LEFT FIELD.  The Left Bank,  or La Rive Gauche, is a district of Paris.

And the unifier:

53-Across. 9:00 AM weekday event, typically ... and what the first word in the answers to starred clues can be: BANK OPENING.

Across:

1. Drains of energy: SAPS.

5. Pay with a credit card: CHARGE.

11. FDR's successor: HST.  Harry S Truman (May 8, 1884 ~ Dec. 26, 1972) became 33rd President of the United States following the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Jan. 30, 1882 ~ Apr. 12, 1945).

14. Gillette razor: ATRA.

15. Alabama's cross-state rival: AUBURN.  On November 30, 2019, the Alabama Crimson Tide played against the Auburn Tigers in football.  Auburn beat Alabama with a final score of 48 to 45.

16. Par-three eagle: ACE.  The obligatory golfing clue and answer.

19. Big coffee holder: URN.

20. Battery terminals: ANODES.  The Anode is the negative electrode of the battery.

21. Chant for Real Madrid: ¡OLÉ!  ¡OLÉ!   Today's Spanish lesson.

23. Send (to) for treatment: REFER.

27. Disney CEO Robert: IGER.  Roger Allen Iger (b. Feb. 10, 1951) was the President of ABC Television before moving over to Disney.

Mr. Iger is on the left.

28. Cross-shaped Greek letters: TAUs.  I liked how this crossed with 28-Down: New Mexico art colony: TAOS.  The two words differ by only 1 letter.  But that one letter makes a world of difference!

Taus

Taos

29. Yardstick unit: INCH.  // And 44-Across: Yardstick units: FEET.

30. Grass farm roll: SOD.

31. Truth: FACT.

32. Small boat: DINGHY.  The word Dinghy comes from the Bengali word ḍiṅgi.  It seems to be a generic word that can describe a plethora of small boats.  I'll leave it to our resident seafarer, Spitzboov, provide us with his expertise on all things related to ships and boats.

36. Covent Garden productions: OPERAs.  The Royal Opera House in London is sometimes referred to as Covent Garden, although  Covent Garden  is so much more.

39. Driver's one-eighties: UIEs.

40. Gave birth to: HAD.

43. CBS legal drama "The Good __": WIFE.  I never watched this show, which ran for 7 seasons, from 2009 until 2016.

45. Novelist Caleb: CARR.  Caleb Carr (b. Aug. 2, 1955) appears with some frequency in the crossword puzzles.  He is best known for his novel The Alienist, which I read about 20 years ago.  It was a fascinating book and I really liked the author's style of writing.

49. Mint family herb: THYME.

50. Corkscrew pasta: ROTINI.

51. Rose impressively: SOARED.

52. Big name in ATMs: NCR.  The company formerly known as National Cash Register Company is known for producing Automatic Teller Machines.

56. To this moment: YET.

57. Lacking nothing: ENTIRE.

58. Falco of "Nurse Jackie": EDIE.  Edie Falco (née Edith Falco; b. July 5, 1963) also played Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos.  I never watched Nurse Jackie, but did watch The Sopranos.

59. Insured investments: Abbr.: CDs.  As in Certificates of Deposit.

60. Ready for more action: RESTED.

61. Run the show: LEAD.

Down:

1. African adventures: SAFARIs.

2. In a single try: AT ONE GO.  Not a phrase I would be apt to use.

3. Checked for errors: PROOFED.

4. More glum: SADDER.

5. Little isles: CAYS.

The Tobago Cays

6. "Ben-__": Heston epic: HUR.  The movie Ben-Hur was based on the novel of the same name by Lew Wallace (Apr. 10, 1827- Feb. 15, 1905).   The story line follows the life of Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince who was enslaved by the Romans at the beginning of the first century.  He later became a charioteer and converted to Christianity.

7. Org. with many judges: ABA.  As in the American Bar Association.

8. Grapevine fodder: RUMORS.  I initially tried Gossip, which fit into the spaces provided.

9. Barbecue: GRILL.

10. Came to a close: ENDED.

11. Semi activity: HAULING.

12. With 36-Down, nocturnal bird with a shrill cry: SCREECH.  //  And 36-Down: See 12-Down: OWL.

13. Down-for-the-count count: TEN.

18. Part of mph: PER.  As in Miles Per Hour.

22. Like ewe, but not me: OVINE.  Cute clue.

24. City between Austin and Dallas: WACO.  There's lots to do in Waco.  Did you know the city was the home of Dr. Pepper?

25. Best in an épée match: OUT DUEL.  //  And 44-Down. Deceptive fencing moves: FEINTS.

26. Tot's query: WHY?

31. Home of the SEC's Gators: FLA.  The University of Florida's mascot are the Gators.

32. Nutrition regimen: DIET.

33. Officeholders: INs.  Because Elected doesn't fit.

34. One of hockey's Hulls: BRETT.  The only hockey Hull I am familiar with is Bobby Hull (né Robert Marvin Hull; b. Jan. 3, 1939).  Apparently, he is the father of Brett Hull (né Brett Andrew Hull; b. Aug. 9, 1964).  Brett played professional hockey for several teams, including the Calgary Flames and the Detroit Red Wings.

35. Stretched the truth: LIED.

37. Poked a hole in: PIERCED.

See 26-Down.

38. Concerted tries: EFFORTS.

40. Fall outing in a wagon: HAYRIDE.  Are you familiar with the Louisiana Hayride?

41. Country south of Georgia: ARMENIA.  The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian is a fascinating historical novel about Armenia in 1915.

42. Made deeper, as a shipping lane: DREDGED.  Here are some Dredging Projects in Louisiana.

45. Coco of fashion: CHANEL.  Coco Chanel (née Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel; Aug. 19, 1883 ~ Jan. 10, 1971) makes frequent appearances in the crossword puzzles.

47. __ optic cable: FIBER.

48. Completely absurd: INANE.

49. Low digit: TOE.  Funny!  Nice misdirection, but I wasn't fooled this time.

51. Went quickly: SPED.

52. Home of MoMA: NYC.  The Museum of Modern Art is located in New York City.

54. Hobbyist's buy: KIT.

55. Smelter input: ORE.  Smelting is the process of applying intense heat to ore for extracting the base metal.

Here's the Grid:

I wish all who celebrate a very Merry Christmas!

QOD:  If you want to be happy for life, love what you do.  ~  Mary Higgins Clark (née Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins; b. Dec. 24, 1927), American author