Saturday, April 14, 2018, Robyn Weintraub

A THEMELESS SATURDAY PUZZLE BY ROBYN WEINTRAUB

The warm temps have finally come to the Great Plains and so it appears that spring is finally here. So let's celebrate with a lovely Saturday puzzle from Robyn Weintraub on National Reach As High As You Can Day. For some of us, a clever Saturday puzzle can be just that.

Robyn's four pinwheel stacks of nine-letter fills were very impressive and helpful. Coupled with new learning and clever cluing made for a fun solve.  Now let's see if we have reached as high as we can today.

Across:

1. Many a tax filer's need: Abbr.: SSN - Most everyone around here has a SSN starting with 507 or 506

4. It's a lock: HASP

8. Half-Blood Prince of fiction: SNAPE and 38. Rickman who played 8-Across: ALAN -  My Harry Potter knowledge is seriously lacking

13. Showed emotion: SHED A TEAR

16. Fifth canonical hour: NONES - Divisions of the day. NONES is about 3 pm when it is said Christ was crucified

17. Try: GIVE IT A GO

18. Rarely a problem for happy-go-lucky types: ANGST

19. Clematis supports: TRELLISES - here's my lovely wife Joann's clematis in our backyard

20. Roger who played the U.K. ambassador on "The West Wing": REES - I mostly remember Roger as the priggish Roger Colcort in Cheers

21. Published in installments: SERIAL - A movie version of this format

22. Impressive dismount: BACK FLIP - Looks like she stuck it!

25. Pacific resort, popularly: CABO - CABO San Lucas

27. "Good heavens!": MY OH MY

28. Typographic measure: PICA - In high school we had mostly manual PICA typewriters and a few with elite type and one, count it, one electric

31. Had in view: EYED

33. Guard attachment?: RAIL - It appears this Guard RAIL did its job

34. Endangered chimpanzees: BONOBOS

36. Potential: PROMISE - Spring training is when teams try to see what players show the most PROMISE

39. Letters at the top of a window: HTTP - Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. HTTP://www.usatoday.com is no longer necessary. usatoday.com or even usatoday will suffice

41. Grenoble green: VERT - This wall hanging is entitled Deux autruches dans une voiture française VERT. Did you suss it out as Two ostriches in a green, French car?

42. Many an Egyptian pharaoh: RAMSES - There were eleven of them from Ramses I in 1292 B.C. to Ramses XI in 1075 B.C.

44. Historic Italian family: ESTE - They gave the world the Hanoverian Kings as well as Ivan VI of Russia among other royalty

46. Menu type: DROP DOWN

48. Spaced: IN A FOG - I experience this sensation less with a CPAP device

53. Bad salt container?: BRIG - I doubt she is bad salt (sailor) but she is in the BRIG

 
54. Medium access?: AFTER LIFE - Mary Todd Lincoln held at least eight seances in the White House trying to contact her dead sons Eddie and Willie 

56. Half a comedy duo: MEARA - Anne MEARA, husband and comedy partner Jerry Stiller, their famous son and his wife

57. Waze forerunner: ROAD ATLAS - I had never heard of this site that supplants a ROAD ATLAS but here it shows my short, daily route to sub where I have to cross the mighty Elkhorn River

58. One might be picky: EATER - My new SIL's boys are the pickiest eaters I have ever known. We load up with mac and cheese for them even on Thanksgiving

59. "Okay, back to work": DUTY CALLS

60. Reunion attendees: GRADS - When I sub, I can see the ones that probably won't be coming back for the reunions

61. Offend, in a way: REEK - Non-verbal offense as some people just seem to have an "air" about them

62. Terse street sign: SLO - They couldn't spring for the W?


Down:

1. Certain NCOs: SSGTS - Our cwd friend MSGT is here also

2. English subdivision: SHIRE - A favorite place on Big Bang

3. When some things will change?: NEVER

4. How to get to Carnegie Hall, perhaps: HAIL A CAB - Yup, I put this SNARKY 8-letter word of advice first

5. Fifth-century Roman Empire enemy: ATTILA

6. Black and Red: SEAS


7. Shoulder-length do: PAGEBOY - Named for the the "porridge bowl" haircuts sported by medieval pages

8. Like a comment that may elicit "Oh, snap!": SNARKY

9. "I'm good, thanks": NONE FOR ME - My very educated friend insisted on saying NONE FOR I. Me didn't never correct that there guy. 😑

10. Bow tie alternative: ANGEL HAIR - Pasta


11. Eeyore, for one: PESSIMIST

12. Contractor's no.: ESTimate

14. Brat's place: DELI

15. Sub or Santa follower: ROSA - SubROSA means done in secret (literally "under the rose") and of course Santa ROSA (St. Rose) is the county seat of Sonoma Co. California

23. Nav. rank: CMDR

24. TV Marine: PYLE - If you look closely you can see that Gomer PYLE's job at Wally's Service Station was right across the street from his Gomer Pyle M.C. barracks on the Desilu backlot

26. With 51-Down, tops: BEST and 51. See 26-Down: OF ALL

28. Focus of some climate change concerns: POLAR BEAR

29. Female lover: INAMORATA

30. Plotted together: CONSPIRED - I'll bet you know this source of this lyric: "Later on we'll CONSPIRE, As we dream by the fire" 

32. "House" actor: EPPS - Omar's first and last name are becoming cwd staples

34. Avon product?: BARD - Shakespeare's birthplace of course

35. Extremely: OH SO

37. Viking accessory: OVEN RACK - Oh yeah, that's those expensive appliances we never consider! Hey, heat's heat!

40. "Got it" on the radio: TEN-FOUR - Chief Dan Matthews made this phrase a national phenomenon on Highway Patrol. 

43. Ellery Queen and Raven awards, e.g.: EDGARS - The clue words are categories of the EDGARS Awards that are judged by the Mystery Writers of America 

45. Camp craft: TIE DYE

47. District: WARD - Chicago WARDS are famous for being for sale

49. Resort near Snowbird: ALTA - They are connected by Sugarloaf Pass

50. Gases (up): FILLS

52. Canvas primer: GESSO - I remembered this word from a Sunday puzzle I blogged a few years ago for C.C. and Hard G

55. Thames gallery: TATE

56. Eldest March sister: MEG - Here she is being played by Trini Alvarado in the 1994 movie. (Third from the left) Do you recognize the famous actress at the left who played the mother?

Feel free to enter your comments. 10 - 4?

DA GRID

Note from C.C.:

Husker Gary has updated our Corner map. Please email Gary gschlapfer@gmail.com if you want to be included or excluded in the map.

Saturday, April 7, 2018, Claire Muscat

A THEMELESS SATURDAY PUZZLE BY CLAIRE MUSCAT ON NATIONAL BEER DAY 

Claire Muscat has brewed up a wonderful Saturday puzzle for us on this festive holiday! I skated around from section to section and eventually I ran out of cells to fill in. The "S" in SCRAP PAPER and STEAD earned for me a highly desired "got 'er done!"

As often happens to me I got off to a 11. What you might get on a day off : SLOW START (Those are my faster solver friends ahead of me) but slow and steady carried the day!

Two triple stacks of ten's were impressive, helpful and "gettable". Now let's see what else Claire has for us this first Saturday of April where we it is snowing here on the Great Plains!

Across

1. Where thoughts can be organized : SCRAP PAPER - I've put some important phone numbers on the backs of some receipts I found near the phone

11. __ punk: No Doubt genre : SKA and 37. "It's Raining __": The Weather Girls hit : MEN - Neither are on my iPhone playlist

14. Not go off-script : TOE THE LINE - A mantra for members of Congress if they want reelection money or  committee chairmanships

15. Zero-star fare : GLOP

16. They're hidden annually : EASTER EGGS - We asked our daughter if our 15 year-old grandson and 12-yr-oldgranddaughter still wanted an EASTER EGG hunt at Papa's. The answer was YES even on a dreary Easter Sunday.

17. Holds up : ROBS

18. Got into a pickle? : ATE - Not in the baseball sense 

19. Xi preceders : NUS - Or 19. Belonging to the Huskers - NU'S

20. Kind of baseball league for pre-Little Leaguers : PEE WEE - Add your own caption

Is your team ahead or behind?

22. Duplicates : DITTOS - Do you know this movie where Patrick Swayze couldn't say I love you back to Demi Moore but rather said this

24. Dogs follow them : SCENTS - Cool Hand Luke used pepper to throw them off the trail


26. Ruled by thieves : KLEPTOCRATIC - A new word to me but pretty easy to suss out as I am sure you all did. Many of our African UBER drivers in D.C. claimed this is what was going on in their countries where leaders are stealing all the money and commoners get nothing 

30. Like some restaurant boxes : TO GO - Guilty! I have added TO GO when ordering at a drive thru

33. Crispy triangle : DORITO

34. One of two possible Passover mos. : APR or Mar

35. Indignant reply : I DO SO - Playground patter

38. Sip : NURSE - What I would do with a $20 cocktail

40. Charge : FEE - Where they abound

41. Lost control in a big way : RIOTED

44. Throw below deck, say : STOW

45. Bolo ties or bell-bottoms : FASHION CRAZE- What? They're not popular now? Next thing you know they'll say the same about my Nehru jacket!

48. "Camptown Races" refrain syllables : DOO DAH - Perhaps where you might have least expected it. (I would have posted the entire clip but it has "that N word" in it.)

49. Brick partner : MORTAR

53. Graduates : ALUMNI This blog has many of them with a degree in  9. University dept. : ENG

55. One using bugs : SPY

56. Media co. based in D.C. and Fla. : UPI

57. Best Actress between Jennifer and Julianne : CATE - The $35,000 Hermes bag Cate Blanchett carried in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine was worth more that the entire costume budget for the rest of  the film

58. Targets : ZEROES IN ON

62. Building blocks for tots : ABC'S

63. They take forever : ETERNITIES 

64. Kinda equivalent : ISH - I consider myself "OldISH" 

65. "Quit it with the attitude!" : DON'T SASS ME


Down

1. Begin to fast? : STEAD - Horton was STEADfast and stayed on Mayzie's egg through all manner of difficulties 

2. Raccoon kin : COATI - I can see the family resemblance 

3. Start over : RESET -Kids soon learn that real life doesn't have that button like their games do

4. Grisham hero, often: Abbr. : ATT - An ATTorney not the communication giant

5. Carbolic acid : PHENOL - In very dilute amounts, it is used in many household cleaners and mouthwash

6. Read carefully : PERUSED - Senators like Rand Paul were given 30 hours to PERUSE the 2,322 page Omnibus Budget bill

7. They may be blonde or red : ALES - They must have stayed up nights thinking up these names

8. Glutton : PIG

10. Franklin spelled it out : RESPECT - Tell me again why anyone else should sing this song

12. Laker great, familiarly : KOBE - Bryant

13. Arcing recess : APSE - I grabbed him in the APSE by the organ

15. Former Fox News anchor Van Susteren : GRETA - GRETA famously underwent plastic surgery during her career

21. 2001 scandal subject : ENRON - Bankrupted my uncle

23. Ring stats : TKO'S

24. Extend : STRETCH

25. Expression maker : COINER - We have COINED quite a few words here at the corner, e.g. Clecho

27. College in Claremont, California : POMONA - POMONA has joined athletically with Pitzer College and competes as the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens (smart chickens?)

28. __ jure: by the law itself : IPSO - by operation of the law is a phrase used to describe an automatic change in a legal situation that is a consequence of some other action or some other failure to act.  You're welcome.

29. Word with neck or cut : CREW

30. Row : TIFF

31. Ancient performance halls : ODEA - Here's one on the edge of the agora in Thessaloniki 

32. Shares expenses, in a way : GOES DUTCH - I haven't dated since LBJ was president. Is this a common practice now?

36. Star-studded hunter : ORION - My favorite constellation 

39. Intervention target : USER 


42. Like much table salt : IODIZED - Iodine was originally added to prevent goiters 

43. Depresses : DAMPENS - Every group has "that person" who can bring everyone down

46. Development units : HOMES - My fair city is proposing putting 400 of them in a very small area just across the street from us

47. Lawn grass genus : ZOYSIA - This "warm weather" grass is better suited in southern climes as it hates winter

50. Arab Spring city : TUNIS - This was triggered by a fruit vendor's desperate act against an oppressive government. Google at your own risk to see what he did if you have forgotten.

51. "__ begins in delight and ends in wisdom": Frost : A POEM - A lovely sentiment

52. Certain cycle : RINSE - Just show me where to turn it on!

53. Antioxidant-rich berry : ACAI - Vowels, vowels vowels!

54. Chocolates, e.g. : LABS - Our neighbor had a hyper active Golden LABrador who had to be given to a friend with a farm and lots of land

55. Kind : SORT - "What SORT of person are you?" There is a wrong answer! 😏

59. WWII arena : ETO - Despite Stalin's pleas for America to open a front in Western Europe, America opened its European/African Theater of Operations in North Africa in 1942

60. Han and Leia's son Kylo __ : REN - Okay

61. "__ a date!" : IT'S - Let's do this all again next Saturday!

Pertinent and impertinent remarks now welcome:

DA GRID