Wednesday, January 25, 2017, Bruce Haight

TITLE: HAND JIVE

Bruce has supplied us with a clever puzzle with two switcheroos. First he supplied the names of all the fingers on a hand with cluing/fill that had nothing to do with actual fingers. Secondly he gave the reveal with a two-word phrase DIG IT that could be consolidated to make DIGIT which of course is an alternate name for fingers.

THEME REVEAL

55. "Pay attention, man!" ... and, in a different way, what the end of each answer to a starred clue refers to : DIG IT/DIGIT - Fun! Here are some DIGITS being used to DIG IT.

Here's the "handy" grid with the theme and reveal fill that as you can see is further enhanced by the appearance of the fingers being in order from LITTLE TO THUMB.

Now let's look at Bruce's well-executed theme fill:

18. *"C'mon, loosen up!" : LIVE A LITTLE - A PINKY swear gives us an alternate name for our tiniest DIGIT

23. *Place for lefts and rights : BOXING RING - Waddaya think? A little gaudy?

40. *Compromise : MEET IN THE MIDDLE - George was sure she was giving him the infamous MIDDLE finger. 

52. *Market measure : STOCK INDEX - Several Husker VB girls had their INDEX fingers raised after winning the 2015 National Championship.

62. *General principle : RULE OF THUMB - A good use of that DIGIT that separates us from most of the animal world and my assessment of C.C. and the rest of you word warriors here at our little conclave!

Now let's explore some more of the fine fill Bruce has, uh, fingered for us today:

ACROSS

1. Put a spell on : HEX

4. Organizes from best to worst, say : SORTS - One of my favorite Excel features

9. Arizona landforms : MESAS

14. Wrath : IRE

15. Longtime "At the Movies" co-host : EBERT - He listed Casablanca and Citizen Kane among his ten best

16. One bit : AT ALL

17. Shake up : JAR - Definitely a little JAR! Cell phone user?

20. Do penance : ATONE

22. Certain string musician's need : VIOLA BOW - Re-hairing a bow

26. "Star Wars" extras : ET'S

27. Word of passione : CARA - Ya gotta love Jay and the American's singing CARA Mia - My Beloved in Italian

28. Cheek : SASS

31. "Alas!" : AH ME

34. Elementary bit : ATOM

37. Water nymph : NAIAD

43. Orchard trees : PEARS

44. "Ready are you? What know you of ready?" speaker : YODA

45. Low in fat : LEAN

46. Supermodel Banks : TYRA

48. Gross : ICKY

50. PD alert : APB - Calling all cars!

58. French president Hollande : FRANCOIS - His progression of domestic partners in chronological order. He didn't always tell them that someone else was coming in from the bullpen.

61. Sees red : BOILS

65. Bygone muscle car : GTO

66. Holiday visitor : IN-LAW

67. "Science of Logic" author Georg : HEGEL

68. Shy person's note? : IOU - A day late and a few dollars shy

69. Branch quarters : NESTS - Nests are fine, but... 

70. Philadelphia pro : EAGLE

71. "Major Crimes" network : TNT

DOWN

1. Muslim veil : HIJAB

2. Sister of Calliope : ERATO

3. Maker of ColorQube printers : XEROX

4. One-named singer portrayed by Jennifer Lopez in a 1997 film : SELENA - SELENA on the left and JLO on the right playing Selena in Jennifer's breakout role.

5. Japanese sash : OBI

6. Gun, as a V8 : REV

7. Roman fountain : TREVI

8. Spot : STAIN

9. Pony Express concern : MAIL - Orphans preferred? Yikes! 

10. Vocalist James : ETTA

11. Plopped down next to : SAT BESIDE

12. Apportion : ALLOT

13. Boatloads : SLEWS

19. Stack under a tarp : LOGS

21. "Close, but no cigar" : NICE TRY 

24. Family nickname : GRAN(ny)

25. Threadbare : RATTY

29. Boy in "Star Wars" prequel films : ANI

30. "I wish I could" : SADLY NO

31. Bit of band gear : AMP

32. Small snicker : HEE

33. Sub filler : MEATBALLS

35. "So THAT's what's going on here!" : OHO - I'm shocked there is gambling going on in here!

36. First responder : MEDIC - At Omaha Beach

38. It borders the Fla. panhandle : ALA

39. Hideout : DEN

41. Medit. country : ISR

42. Big name in big rigs : MACK - Inside the most expensive MACK truck 

47. Dating from : AS OF

49. Cat dish tidbit : KIBBLE

50. Nasal spray brand : AFRIN

51. Danish fruit : PRUNE

53. Parishioner's pledge : TITHE

54. Milo of "Barbarella" : O'SHEA - Sorry, Milo, yours is not the first name that leaps to mind when I think of Barbarella 

56. John of The Red Piano Tour : ELTON

57. Strikes through : X'S OUT

59. "Far out!" : NEAT

60. Stockholder's assets? : COWS

63. Trendy boot brand : UGG

64. Blanc heard but not seen : MEL - Not necessarily as in this classic routine (Si, Sy, Sue, Sew) with Jack Benny.

Now let's get your DIGITAL comments:

Wednesday, January 11, 2017, Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: METAPHORICAL MOOLAH

Robert has taken some euphemisms for money (many of which we see in our puzzles) and suggested them as payment for services rendered in units associated with the trade mentioned in the cluing. 

Robert's pinwheel construction and theme fill is shown below:

Husker Gary here, let's review the theme answers Robert chose for this fun Humpday offering:

16. Newspaper reporter's compensation? : DAILY BREAD - Also redeemable at Pannera's?

38. Chiropractor's compensation? : BACK PAY - Does she get her money UPFRONT for working on a BACK?

61. Comedian's compensation? : FUNNY MONEY - One way to detect it

10. Landscaper's compensation? : HEDGE FUNDS - Clearly the coin of their realm

27. Domino's delivery driver's compensation? : PIZZA DOUGH - My idea for Christmas cash for the grandkids  this year!

Across

1. Bowling alley button : RESET - Before they were needed

                         

6. European cheese town : EDAM

10. Puddle jumper trip : HOP

13. Wedding figure : USHER

14. ChapStick container : TUBE

15. Fix up : REDO

18. Big star : IDOL

19. "I'm with ya" : YUP

20. Threatening words : OR ELSE

21. Farming prefix : AGRO

22. "Wheel of Fortune" buy : AN E - He had all his E's but look at what he guessed

23. Smooth, as transitions : SEAMLESS

25. Wise : SAPIENT - S A _ I E N T - "How 'bout an L Pat!"  "Sorry, Gary. There is no L."

29. DOJ bureau : ATF

30. Dry as dust : ARID

31. Speaker's spot : DAIS

34. Get out of bed : ROUSE - I had to ROUST a lot of teenagers out of bed on field trips to Orlando when they couldn't ROUSE themselves.

37. "__ who?" : SEZ

40. N.L. player whose home games include a President's Race : NAT - Between innings entertainment at Washington NATional's games

41. Brownish-green : HAZEL - Many here will realize the irony of the fact that Shirley Booth had HAZEL colored eyes

43. Greenish-blue : TEAL

44. Some prosecutors: Abbr. : ADAS - Law and Order had some attractive ones!

45. "Selma" director DuVernay : AVA - Ms. Gardner's day off

46. Drops in : STOPS BY

48. Medical emergency alert : CODE BLUE - A Japanese TV show

53. Baby fox : KIT

54. Soon, to a bard : ANON

55. Kibbutz setting : ISRAEL

57. Actress Thurman : UMA - My favorite memory of UMA. The guy's she's dancing with did pretty well too.

60. Cooling meas. : BTU'S

63. Bass' red triangle, e.g. : LOGO

64. Moran of "Happy Days" : ERIN

65. Flared dress : A-LINE

66. New Testament bk. : EPH - Ephesians

67. German battleship Graf __ : SPEE - Named for WWI hero Admiral Maximilian Reichsgraf von SPEE

68. Connection point : NEXUS


Down

1. Former NYC mayor Giuliani : RUDY - "America's mayor" after 9/11

2. Seesaw sitter of tongue twisters : ESAU - I saw ESAU sittin' on a see saw...

3. Send in a box : SHIP

4. Sushi selection : EEL - Ungai (Japanese for EEL) sushi

5. "Taste this" : TRY ONE

6. French I verb : ETRE

7. Stereotypical dawn challenges : DUELS - Burr and Hamilton DUELED at 7:00 am on July, 11 1804. Uh, Hamilton was the runner-up.

8. Take down a peg : ABASE

9. Scorned lover of Jason : MEDEA

11. Aromas : ODORS - Certain ODORS on a farm would never be called Aromas

12. Shirts named for a sport : POLOS

15. Theater district : RIALTO - Venice's fabulous RIALTO Bridge leads to the city's RIALTO  District 

17. Lee who was the top-charting female soloist of the '60s : BRENDA - I love BRENDA'S music so much I'll forgive her for Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

22. Helping hand : AID

24. Painter Cassatt : MARY

25. Over-the-shoulder band : SASH

26. Square statistic : AREA

28. Diplomatic skill : TACT

32. '50s prez : IKE

33. Health resorts : SPAS

35. Swedish automaker : SAAB

36. Internet crafts marketplace : ETSY

38. Spill the beans : BLAB

39. PC feature only used in combinations : ALT KEY - Used to get ¡ ™ £ ¢ ∞ § ¶ • å ∫ ç ∂ ´ ƒ ©...

42. "All the same ... " : EVEN SO

44. Fitting : APT

47. TV's J.R. Ewing, e.g. : OIL MAN - The man America loved to hate!

48. Part of CNN : CABLE

49. Winning : ON TOP

50. "__ Been Good": Joe Walsh hit : LIFE'S

51. Take over : USURP - "What do I put on top of my grits?"

52. Bath-loving Muppet : ERNIE

56. Novelist Rice : ANNE

57. Windows alternative : UNIX

58. Drop-down list : MENU - A Drop-down MENU and HTML codes on the template I look at every morning to write my posts

59. Yes votes : AYES

62. Chihuahua cheer : OLE

And now I look forward to your "on the money" comments:

Sunday, January 1, 2017, Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel

I am typing this as quietly as I can to accommodate those of you whose partying with 17. __ beverage : ADULT was quite extensive. Happy New Year to all our Crossword Friends here at the Corner! Should Old Acquaintance NOT be forgot!


TITLE: "WHAT HAPPENED THEN" Don and C.C. have a very lovely puzzle to start off our New Year and it became a lot easier for me when I realized the title did NOT have a  question mark after it. Rather their theme fills were actual events that occurred 100 years prior to the year which we are now entering. 

Husker Gary here on New Year's Day after blogging puzzles on Pearl Harbor Day and The Winter Solstice, I get to do the first one of the year.

The big American event of that year was the entry of the USA into WWI and Don and C.C. even offered a reference to that with these two fills

116. Subject of an act passed in 1917 : SELECTIVE SERVICE

67. American citizenship grantee in 1917 : PUERTO RICAN - The First Puerto Rican Regiment. Many thought that Puerto Ricans were only granted citizenship so they could fight for America in WWI

The non-war 1917 theme fills:

22. Fundraising items first sold in 1917 : GIRL SCOUT COOKIES - During rationing in WWII, their fundraisers switched temporarily to calendars

28. Treats inspired by a coal miner in 1917 : MOON-PIES - Somehow these two became a "thing"

42. World Series winner in 1917 : CHICAGO WHITE SOX - With Shoeless Joe Jackson. Two years after this 1917 ad they were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series and became known derisively as the Black Sox.

91. America bought it from Denmark in 1917 : US VIRGIN ISLANDS - Formerly Danish West Indies, includes St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John and some minor islands. Almost named for Admiral Dewey.

108. Orphanage founded in 1917 : BOYS TOWN - It used to be a farm 6 miles west of Omaha but is now midtown. BT recently sold much of their farm ground for $37M as it now concentrates on academics and trade programs for Boys AND Girls. 

Now let's look at C.C.'s and Don's always wonderful cluing/fill:


Across

1. Olympian queen : HERA 

5. Bad attention-getter in a crowded bar : PSST

9. Baker/literacy advocate Wally who hosted "Learn to Read" : AMOS 

13. Big name in romance novels : AVON - The Publishing Company

19. Goddess who saved infant Zeus from Cronus : RHEA

20. Hair-raising : SCARY

21. Big do : GALA

25. Additional decision-making factors : ANDS

26. "Don't move" : STAY PUT - The Steelers' left end and tackle are required to STAY PUT until the ball is snapped even if the Patriots jumped. They didn't, so it was a penalty.

27. Person : SOUL

30. Sore spot : LESION

32. Flight parts : STEPS

34. Valencian rice dish : PAELLA - Some pronunciation options: pah-ey-luh, -eyl-yuh, pah-yel-uh; Spanish pah-e-lyah, -e-yah

35. Frame of Elmer, e.g. : CEL - This one signed by Friz Freleng runs $1,400

37. Cpls., e.g. : NCO'S

39. "I get it now!" : AHA

40. Bach's east : OST - Boy's Town ist 30 km zu meiner OST (Boy's Town is 30 km to my east)

41. She plays Watson in "Elementary" : LIU

47. Hoppy brew, for short : IPA

49. More than help with : DO FOR

50. Fabled thorn victim : LION - The Aesop Fable about the slave Androcles whose merciful act was repaid later in the Circus Maximus when the LION spared him

51. "Nice job!" reply : I TRY

52. Bishop's agent : VICAR

55. Site with a Pill Identification Tool : WEB MD

57. Have choice words for : SWEAR AT

59. Modern problem solver : TECHIE - Remember that kid you laughed at in school?

60. Some microbrews : RYE BEERS

62. "Fantastic Mr. Fox" director Anderson : WES

63. Pile on : ADD - Competence is always punished!

64. Column width unit : PICA - The two typewriter choices we had back in the 60's. Er, that would be 1960's!

71. Slant : BIAS - Good luck finding journalism without a BIAS

72. Gp. once led by Charles Mayo : AMA - This Mayo was the son of the Mayo clinic founder and headed the AMA in 1933

73. Book with entries : LOG - An electronic LOG

74. Black box, e.g. : RECORDER - One recovered from a plane crash

76. Surgical knife : LANCET

78. Desk accessory : BLOTTER

81. Slow period : SLACK - Winter for the golf courses I frequent

84. Split : END IT

85. Serving two purposes : DUAL

86. Starting on : AS OF - AS OF today I should start to lose some weight. If only there were no potato chips! Sigh...

88. Sidestep : AVOID

90. They may be checked at the door : ID'S - Would they really check ID'S for this event?

94. Letters in early dates : BCE - Before Common Era - Used by some to not offend non-Christians

96. Prefix with fiction : ECO

98. Middle __ : AGE

99. Granny : NANA

100. Hubbub : ADO

101. Words of concern : OH DEAR

103. Stern with strings : ISAAC

105. UPS Store customer : SENDER 

110. Many antique radios : RCA'S 

112. Crumbly English cheese : STILTON - Semi hard, crumbly cheese with characteristic blue streaks

115. Tantrum-prone one : BRAT

119. Like some ducks? : LAME - One occupies 1600 Pennsylvania today

120. Full of chutzpah : BRASH

121. Philosopher Descartes : RENE

122. Dry runs : TESTS

123. "What __?" : ELSE

124. Sources of pliable wood : YEWS - Utilized thusly (first time I've ever used that word!)

125. Column that's beside the point? : ONES - Like the 6 in 176.932

126. "Immediately!" : STAT


Down

1. Fairy tale heavies : HAGS

2. Ready for publication : EDIT

3. Grandma Moses subject : RURAL LIFE

4. "O Come, __ Faithful" : ALL YE - "Adeste, fideles, laeti triumphantes"

5. Code of conduct : PROTOCOL

6. Moo __ pork : SHU

7. Collectors' goals : SETS - Part of a complete SET of 1961 Topps Baseball cards. I know C.C. and Boomer would love to own this.

8. Shells from stands : TACOS

9. "That's terrible!" : ACK

10. Seriously injures : MAIMS

11. Dairy Queen Blizzard flavor : OREO

12. Online admins : SYSOPS - SYStem OPeratorS 

13. Wonder-struck : AGAPE

14. Dunkin' Donuts order : VANILLA CHAI - $1.89 here

15. Yale nickname : OLD ELI

16. Onetime Bahamian pirate base : NASSAU

18. Spice amts. : TSPS

20. Only child, maybe : SOLE HEIR

23. Teleprompter's job : CUING

24. Tagged before reaching, as home : OUT AT - Yer outta there! A C.C. puzzle without baseball? Are you new here?

29. Restless folk? : NATIVES

31. "Ah ... okay" : NOW I SEE and 61. Software glitch : BUG - Well of course, there it is

33. Common meal for a tight budget : PASTA

35. Looped in, briefly : CC'D - Carbon Copy becomes the abbreviation CC and then a past tense verb CC'D as in a copy has been sent. What an elastic language we have.

36. Website with detailed instructions : EHOW

38. Athlete's refreshment? : SHOWER

40. Clearasil competitor : OXY

43. Lethal snake : COBRA 

44. Large group : ARMY - This ARMY lost its leader in 2016

45. Like noble gases : INERT

46. Table scrap : ORT

48. Short shot? : PIC - Plural pix

53. Musical with the song "The Gods Love Nubia" : AIDA - From Elton John's and Tim Rice's adaptation of Verdi

54. Joey Votto's team : REDS

56. Rail stop : DEPOT

58. Of __ : somewhat : A SORT

59. Pays attention (to) : TENDS 

62. String of engagements : WAR

64. Like some ale : PALE

65. David Bowie's love : IMAN

66. Holiday sides : CANDIED YAMS - This is not haute cuisine, but is a favorite here!  and 73. "I'm starving!" : LET' S EAT

68. Change the price of : RETAG

69. Traps during a storm, perhaps : ICES IN

70. Circles of light : CORONAS

71. Diva's reward : BRAVA

75. Star of David displayer : EL AL - Israel's airline

77. El Cantar de mío __: Castilian epic poem : CID

78. Blue Bird vehicle : BUS - Their first one was on a 1927 Ford chassis and is now in the Henry Ford Museum 

79. Volcanic flows : LAVAS

80. Member of a small ruling class : OLIGARCH

82. Hustler : CON ARTIST - "Fast Eddie Felson" to us Paul Newman fans

83. Scottish pirate : KIDD

85. Key & Peele, e.g. : DUO 

87. Handles skillfully : FINESSES

89. Brit. medal : DSO

92. Flinch, say : REACT

93. "À votre __!" : SANTE - "To your health" en français

94. Fielding error : BOBBLE 

95. Like Beethoven's Ninth : CHORAL - Gives me goosebumps

97. 2016 Conn Smythe Trophy recipient Sidney : CROSBY - That's the NHL MVP trophy. I wonder what he got for this performance. 

102. Big name in beauty : ESTEE

103. Relative challenge for some : IN-LAW 

104. African capital : CAIRO

106. Lowdown : DIRT - TMZ seems to get it first and right. Ray Rice (corrected from Ray Lewis) was only getting a couple NFL games suspension until TMA produced the actual video of him hitting his wife.

107. Fabled toy makers : ELVES

109. "__ in this together!" : WE'RE

111. Kristoff's pet reindeer in "Frozen" : SVEN

113. Numerical prefix : OCTA

114. Tree squirrel's drey, e.g. : NEST - A drey is literally the name for a squirrel's NEST

117. Slalom curve : ESS - Yup!

118. Dallas-to-Memphis dir. : ENE

Our maiden 2017 Grid

How 'ya gonna kick off 2017 better than C.C. and her masked companion Don Hard G? Alright, I made up that masked part but still, they're great together and singularly!

I hereby resolve to let other voices to be heard! So, have at it!