Tuesday, October 17, 2023 Henry Lin-David, Kate Luo

Things with Legs.

17-Across. Baton-passing race with co-ed teams: MIXED RELAY.

26-Across. German white wine with a high sugar content: SWEET RIESLING.  With respect to wine, "legs" refers to the droplets of wine that appear on the inside of the glass after the glass is swirled.  The sweeter the wine, the stronger the "legs."

43-Across. Start of something great: PROMISING IDEA.

And the unifier:

55-Across. Surprised shout when a spot on the wall starts moving, and what can be said about 17-, 26-, and 43-Across: IT'S GOT LEGS.

This will be a minimal commentary today.  It has been a difficult and harrowing week.   We have lost friends and I have spent much of the week on numerous Zoom calls.

Across:

1. Buckwheat noodle: SOBA.

5. "Blam!": KAPOW!

10. Wander: ROVE.

14. AFB no-show: AWOL.  AWOL = Absent WithOut Leave.

15. Sports venue: ARENA.

16. Profoundly bad: EVIL.

19. Time in office: TERM.

20. United: ONE.

21. Desire: WANT.

22. Second longest African river: CONGO.  The Congo River is also the deepest river in the world.

23. Go along with: AGREE TO.

25. Tennis star Osaka: NAOMI.  Naomi Osaka (b. Oct. 16, 1997) celebrated her 26th birthday just yesterday.  She is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, with two Australian Open and two US Open titles.  She is of Japanese and Haitian descent.  [Name # 1.]

30. Jimmy Kimmel's network: ABC.  Jimmy Kimmel (né James Christian Kimmel; b. Nov. 13, 1967) got his start on Win Ben Stein's Money.  [Name # 2.]

31. Yardstick unit: INCH.

32. Bruno, to Mirabel, in "Encanto": TIO.  Today's Spanish lesson. [Names # 3 and 4, fictional.]

33. Now and __: THEN.

36. Vision-correcting surgery: LASIK.

38. Not very much: A TAD.

39. Slump: SAG.

40. Iron-rich leafy vegetable: KALE.  Not a Yummers for us.

41. Disc golf number: PAR.

47. Helps a thief, maybe: ABETS.

48. Annual fact book: ALMANAC.  Probably the most famous is Poor Richard's, which was first published by Benjamin Franklin (1706 ~ 1790) in 1732.  Franklin added an additional "K" at the end of the word.

51. Bedroom noise: SNORE.

52. Wrinkly citrus fruit: UGLI.

53. Miracle-__: fertilizer brand: GRO.

54. Wide-eyed: AGOG.

58. Source of inspiration: MUSE.

59. Connective tissue: SINEW.

60. Inky stain: BLOT.

Hence the need for a nerdy pocket protector.

61. Full collections: SETS.

62. Coin flip call: HEADS.

63. __-serif: SANS.

Down:

1. Pago Pago's land: SAMOA.

2. In debt: OWING.

3. Stocky dogs: BOXERS.

4. Brewery order: ALE.

5. Lesson one might get a kick out of?: KARATE CLASS.

6. "We __ amused": ARE NOT.  Did Queen Victoria really say this?  Was Queen Elizabeth amused?

7. Attack with snowballs, say: PELT.

8. "I'm __ roll!": ON A.

9. Route: WAY.

10. Overhaul: RETOOL.

11. Kitchen glove: OVEN MITT.

12. Shenandoah Valley state: VIRGINIA.

13. Muppet who refers to himself in the third person: ELMO.  Last week Jinx informed us that how the toy company ensures that all Tickle Me Elmo dolls are male.  [Name # 5, fictional.]

18. Socially inept sort: DWEEB.

22. Yard sale payment: CASH.

24. Actor McGregor: EWAN.  Scottish actor Ewan Gordon McGregor (b. Mar. 31, 1971) has starred in a number of films.  He portrayed the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel.  [Name # 6.]

25. Aids for airplane napping: NECK PILLOWS.  A necessity for long international flights.

27. Like proofed dough: RISEN.

28. Suffix on pasta names: -INI.  Everything you wanted to know about pasta suffixes but didn't know to ask.

29. Supreme being: GOD.

33. Vanilla extract amt.: TSP.  As in a TeaSpoon.  The Teaspoon first appeared in London in 1686 as a measure for making the perfect cup of tea.

34. Rant: HARANGUE.

35. Confidence builder: EGO BOOST.

37. "Beef" actress Wong: ALI.  Ali Wong (née Alexandra Dawn Wong; b. Apr. 19, 1982) is probably best known for being a racy stand-up comedian.   [Name # 7.]

38. Painter's calculation: AREA.

40. Toy for a windy day: KITE.

42. Confess: ADMIT.

44. Joins the flow of traffic: MERGES.

45. Had trouble swallowing: GAGGED.

46. Bassett who plays Marvel's Queen Ramonda: ANGELA.  Angela Bassett (née Angela Evelyn Bassett; b. Aug. 16, 1958) portrayed Tina Turner (née Anna Mae Bullock; Nov. 26, 1939 ~ May 24, 2023) in the 1993 film What Love Got To Do With It.   Earlier this year, Time magazine named her as one of the 100 most influential women in the world.  37-Down is also on that list.  [Name # 8.]

Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda

49. Noble gas used in welding: ARGON.  Why Argon is used in welding.

50. Is priced at: COSTS.

51. __ Club: bulk-buying chain: SAM'S.  Sam's Club is named after Sam Walton (né Samuel Moore Walton; b. Mar. 29, 1918 ~ Apr. 5, 1992), also the founder of Walmart.  [Name # 9.]

52. Annapolis military sch.: USNA.  As in the United States Naval Academy.

55. "More or less" suffix: -ISH.

56. Knotted neckwear: TIE.

57. Scale units: Abbr.: LBS.  How did Pounds become to be abbreviated as Lbs?

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

I will leave today with a song of hope.

Tuesday December 28, 2021 Henry Lin-David

A Perfect Cuppa Tea.  

17-Across. Teatime: AFTERNOON REPAST.

41-Across. Tee time: GOLF RESERVATION.

65-Across. T-time: DRESS-DOWN FRIDAY.

Across:

1. Whack with a folded newspaper, say: SWAT.

5. Nile serpents: ASPs.

9. Kama __: SUTRA.

14. Number of Greek Muses: NINE.  The Greek Muses are believed to be the sources of inspiration for the arts and sciences.  Can you name them all?

15. Owl's call: WHOO.

16. Fireplace glower: EMBER.

20. Contraption: GIZMO.

21. The Stooges, e.g.: TRIO.  Hi, Chairman Moe!

22. Shailene's "Divergent" role: TRIS.  Shailene Diann Woodley (b. Nov. 15, 1991) is the actress who plays Tris Prior in the Divergent movie.

23. Track on a DVD: SONG.

25. What might be granted after begging one's pardon?: AMNESTY.

27. Triangular sail: JIB.

30. Soft mineral: TALC.

32. Secret advantage "up one's sleeve": ACE.

33. Twistable cookie: OREO.

35. Singer Anthony: MARC.  Marc Anthony (né Marco Antonio Muñiz; b. Sept. 16, 1968) was the 3rd husband of Jennifer Lopez (née Jennifer Lynn Lopez; b. July 24, 1969).

37. Common sprain site: ANKLE.

44. Big glitch: SNAFU.

45. Captain Hook's right hand: SMEE.  Characters from Peter Pan.  See makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

46. For experts, as a game: HARD.

47. __-cone: SNO.  It's 80 F here as I write this, so I could really use a snow-cone today.

49. "Doubtful": AS IF.

51. Certain sib: SIS.

52. Lustrous sheet fabrics: SATEENS.  Sateen or Egyptian Cotton?

56. Treble __: music symbol: CLEF.

58. Turkish military leader: AGHA.

59. Bachelor ending: -ETTE.  As in Bachelorette.

61. Wake up: ARISE.

68. Fable writer: AESOP.  You can read some of Aesop's 600+ fables here.

69. Take for a __: scam: RIDE.

70. Musical pitch: TONE.

71. Minuscule: TEENY.

72. Prince William's school: ETON.  Prince William (b. June 21, 1982) and Eddie Redmayne (b. Jan. 6, 1982) were classmates at Eton, as seen in the back row of this photo.

73. Auto pioneer Ransom __: OLDS.  Ransom Eli Olds (June 3, 1864 ~ Aug. 26, 1950) makes occasional appearances in the puzzles.  The Oldsmobile and the REO car brands were named after him.

Down:

1. Surprise problem: SNAG. 

2. Coffeehouse amenity: WI-FI.

3. 1998 film with talking bugz?: ANTZ.

4. Swarms: TEEMS.

5. Wheat bristle: AWN.

6. Pony in a bar: SHOT GLASS.  The Pony explained.

7. Destitute: POOR.

8. Justice Sotomayor who swore in Vice President Harris: SONIA.  Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor (b. June 24, 1954) swore in Vice President Kamala Harris (b. Oct. 20, 1964) on January 20, 2021.

9. "What did I tell you?": SEE!

10. Latest in an endless series of occurrences: UMPTEENTH.

11. Some ski lifts: T-BARS.  Goes well with today's theme.

12. Convene again: RESIT.  Awkward!

13. Like craft shows: ARTSY.

18. Tooth anchor: ROOT.

Anatomy a tooth

19. Capital of Italia: ROMA.  Today's Italian lesson.  Or, as we say in America: Rome.

24. "__ it": "Whatever you want": NAME.

26. Sweet Sixteen org.: NCAA.  As in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.  Everything you wanted to know about college basketball's Sweet Sixteen.

27. Runs leisurely: JOGS.

28. Steel, mostly: IRON.  More than you wanted to know about the Composition of Steel.

29. "Romanian Folk Dances" composer Bartók: BÉLA.  Béla Bartók (Mar. 25, 1881 ~ Sept. 26, 1945) was a Hungarian composer and is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th Century.

31. Espresso topper: CREMA.  More of today's Italian lesson.  Everything you wanted to know about Crema, but didn't know to ask.

34. Winter at the Jersey Shore, say: OFF SEASON.

36. Increase in loudness: CRESCENDO.

38. Korean exports: KIAs.

39. "Queen of QVC" Greiner: LORI.  I am not familiar with Lori Greiner.

40. What means may justify: ENDS.  The Ends Justify the Means is an idiom that, per Webster's means "that a desired result is so good or important that any method, even a morally bad one, may be used to achieve it."  

42. Mystical old letter: RUNE.

43. Bride's face cover: VEIL.  A history of the Bridal Veil.

48. Harry Styles' band, to fans: ONE D.  Harry Edward Styles (b. Feb. 1, 1994) is in the band One Direction.  He is also known for his modeling in Vogue magazine.

50. Dread: FEAR.

52. 1978 Peace co-Nobelist Anwar: SADAT.  Egyptian Anwar Sadat (Dec. 25, 1918 ~ Oct. 6, 1981) and Israeli Menachem Began (Aug. 16, 1913 ~ Mar. 9, 1992) were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work in negotiating a peace agreement between their two countries.  Sadly, Sadat was assassinated in 1981.

53. Concur: AGREE.

54. The ones here: THESE.

55. Mall unit: STORE.

57. Corn chip: FRITO.  Yummers!  My guilty pleasure.

60. Silly goose: TWIT.

62. Cher or Adele, e.g.: IDOL.  Cher (née Cheerily Sarkisian; b. May 20, 1946) and Adele (née Adele Laurie Blue Adkins; b. May 5, 1988) are both know by only their first names.

63. Beach cover: SAND.

64. A mantis has five of them: EYES.  Everything you wanted to know about the mantis eyes, but didn't know to ask.

Can you see all 5 eyes?

66. Secret agent: SPY.

67. Swampy area: FEN.

חתולה

Happy New Year everyone and All the Best for 2022!