Wednesday, October 25, 2017, Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

TITLE: "SOUP'S ON!"

Gail and Bruce have produced another Wednesday winner with this entertaining puzzle employing a food theme shown in the reveal which is in the Down clues whereas the theme answers are in the Across batch:

Reveal:

43. "Dinner!" ... and a hint to the first word of 21-, 27-, 44- and 53-Across : LET'S EAT - Shown here in an amusing version of grace

First of all let's see the hands of those who wish this had been a Thursday puzzle so our resident gourmand Steve could have waxed gastronomically! One, two, three... Let's see counting me that's everybody! 

C'est la vie, you will have to make do with the "meat and taters" guy from the great plains - Husker Gary, who also did C.C.'s EAT UP titled puzzle from Sunday, October 15. 

Here are Gail and Bruce's themers where each has a first word denoting what you might find on your plate and an entire phrase starting with that word:

21. Finishing a sentence? : SERVING TIME - A single portion at a meal or OJ being dismissed from a Nevada prison at midnight to avoid publicity after nine years of SERVING TIME for trying to recover some memorabilia at gun point but not for...

27. Diagram on a golf score card : COURSE LAYOUT - One of the parts of a meal or the perhaps the most beautiful COURSE LAYOUT anywhere with hole #7 shown at the top of the poster and  jutting out into the ocean in the bottom middle of the map

44. Bad news for subway riders : FARE INCREASE - What might be available on a menu or what some of us remember when the Kingston Trio exhorted us to "fight the FARE INCREASE, Vote for George O'Brien, Get poor Charlie off the MTA!"

53. Grammatically, "have" in "I have spoken," e.g. : HELPING VERB - How much you are served or a non-intimidating example of the sample sentence

Let's get some HELPINGS of the FARE Gail and Bruce have for us in the COURSE of this puzzle that is SERVING our gaming appetites and HELPING getting our midweek off to a great start: 


Across

1. Bunches of bucks : WADS - She is WADDING up her caught cash in an interesting place

5. Strip of latticework : LATH

9. Expels : OUSTS

14. For each one : A POP - A dollar A POP for a serving of corn is a "bucaneer"

15. Jackson 5 hair style : AFRO

16. IV part : INTRA - What my INTRAVENOUS remicade routine looks like every eight weeks

17. Stacy Lewis' org. : LPGA - My mental WNBA/LPGA coin flip was wrong first 

18. Severely harm : MAIM

19. Use, as for a snooze : LIE ON - This is how I remember

20. "Well, __-di-dah!" : LAH - Close enough and extremely funny

23. In the air : ALOFT - Airplanes ALOFT in early morning of 9/11/2001. The skies were empty in a matter of hours.

25. Ancient Peruvian : INCA

26. "Fresh Air" airer : NPR

31. Attachment to a movable sprinkler : HOSE - How about getting water from a HOSE and becoming a moving human sprinkler

32. Divinity school subj. : REL

33. John Irving title writer : GARP - The character GARP becomes a writer in Iriving's Oscar Award Winning Screenplay The World According To GARP

36. Romantically involved with : SEEING

38. Oscar Mayer product : WIENER - I wish I were...

40. "And she shall bring forth __": Matthew : A SON - That season is getting close in all the stores since we are nearing Halloween.

41. Bordeaux brushoff : NON - A note in a French middle school - Pensez-vous comme moi ? Oui/NON (Do you like me? Yes/No)

42. Co. known for music compilations : KTEL - They "hooked" me. Ya gotta love Beethoven to a disco beat!

48. VW preceders? : STU - Cool clue! ...m n o p q r S T U V W x y z and

57. Letters between mus and xis : NUS - There is Nu between Mu and Xi

51. Fabric mishap : TEAR

52. Grecian urn glorifier, e.g. : ODIST - Yeah, I'm the only one who had to erase KEATS!

58. Ball co-star : ARNAZ - And cheating husband

59. Revered Tibetan : LAMA

60. Paltry : MERE

61. Author Kafka or composer Liszt : FRANZ

62. City west of Tulsa : ENID - The Enid Storm Shelter company sells these

63. Neck of the woods : AREA - In this AREA, Husker fans who were used to quality football are getting 64. Short-tempered : TESTY

65. College Board exams, for short : SATS

66. Wordless summons : PSST - PSST, wanna buy a Rolex...

Down

1. Character actor Eli who often co-starred with his wife Anne Jackson : WALLACH

2. Horse with a spotted coat : APPALOOSA - This beautiful one was, uh, spotted in New Zealand

3. Backyard pet shelters : DOGHOUSES - They make a husband version

4. Massage venue : SPA

5. Unconvincing, as excuses go : LAME

6. A long way off : AFAR

7. Barely worth mentioning : TRIVIAL - The eighth most sold board game of all time. It rans  between Othello and Pictionary. BTW, Chess was number one.

8. Grits, essentially : HOMINY

9. Dashboard indicator : OIL GAUGE

10. Textbook division : UNIT

11. Oktoberfest keepsake : STEIN

12. Beat the pants off : TROMP - _____ U. was TROMPED by ____ U. Nebraska used to be the object of the preposition and not the subject of that sentence.

13. More reasonable : SANER

21. GPS lines : STS - Here are some STreetS of 49. __ Haute : TERRE -  TERRE Haute, Indiana on the banks of the Wabash

22. Cpl., for one : NCO - As in Cpl. Maxwell Q. Klinger

24. No longer encumbered by : FREE OF 

28. South end? : ERN - The southERN most major street in this 60. 27-Across, essentially : MAP is Washington Street 

29. Journey segment : LEG

30. Did terribly : TANKED

34. Orthodontic devices : RETAINERS - I have had many very expensive RETAINERS lost by students on my many trips to Florida

35. Lays a guilt trip on, say : PRESSURES - Part and parcel of some family events 

37. Nervously distracted : IN A TIZZY - Where guilt trips can put you 

38. Took the title : WON

39. Business abbr. : INC

41. State of bliss : NIRVANA

45. Stimpy's sidekick : REN - Am I missing anything by not having seen this 'toon pair?

46. NFC East team : EAGLES - The EAGLES at the only school where I sub these days

47. Take the wrong way? : ROB

48. Unfair treatment, with "the" : SHAFT - She got the elevator and I got the SHAFT

50. Forearm bones : ULNAS - TESTY eliminated ULNAE

54. Breathe hard : PANT

55. Give off : EMIT

56. X-ray units : RADS - Originally defined in terms of our crossword buddy ERGS

The Grid:

Now, how 'bout a healthy portion of your wit and wisdom:

Sunday, October, 15, 2017, C.C. Burnikel

TITLE: EATS UP

Husker Gary here, reporting  on the Sunday Edition of Puzzles With C.C. Today our peerless leader has given us a nice gimmick where the circles you see below in the puzzle contain hidden EATS that are running UP the grid:

Her reveal is not in the puzzle but rather in the title of EATS UP. Clever and fun.

Here are the Theme Answers where I decided to picture the inclusive activity as I'm certain you're familiar with the EATS that I will put in black boxes:

3. Track activity, to Brits : MOTOR RACING

6. Lava : MOLTEN ROCK - Who would be stupid enough to run up MOLTEN ROCK? Wait a minute...

11. "Lucky Guy" was her last play : NORA EPHRON - Famous for her "Chick Flicks"

14. Minnesota's annual one is held in Falcon Heights : STATE FAIR - It's about an hour's drive south of C.C.'s house

38. Time-out at work : COFFEE BREAK - Even in France

72. Boston Marathon Expo display : RUNNING GEAR - How 'bout strobe lights for visibility? 

76. "Tsk tsk" : THATS A PITY - One option

78. Pet shelter's concern : ANIMAL CARE - Too much?

82. Topper made from the jipijapa (hee pee HAH puh) palm : PANAMA HAT - The leaves of the palm with this beautiful flower

Now let's feast on the rest of C.C.'s bounteous word banquet:

Across  

1. Octopus octet : ARMS

5. Pro-__: fundraisers : AMS - Hey if you're Matt Lauer and playing in a PRO-AM, you're pretty happy to get paired with Michelle Wei!

8. Looks over quickly : SCANS

13. "Hey, you!" : PSST

17. Backyard raft : POOL FLOAT

BORZOI

20. Russian wolfhound : BORZOI and 12. PBS "Science Kid" : SID made up my one bad cell as I went with a Y instead of the I. 

21. Jazz home : UTAH - NBA team

22. "Just kidding" : NOT REALLY

23. On deck : ABOARD

24. Pasta sauce brand : RAGU - Created by Alberto Alvisi, the cook for the Cardinal of Imola, in the late 18th century 

25. Pandora genre : EMO

26. Annoyed : NETTLED

28. The Heart of Dixie: Abbr. : ALA 

29. They have strings attached : KITES

30. Comparable to a beet : AS RED

32. Gave the once-over : EYED

33. Driver's reservation? : TEE TIME - Also a putter's reservation

35. Run the country : REIGN

37. CDs and LPs : REC'S - We don't have an LP player anymore but I think our CD player works

40. Like two peas in __ : A POD

41. Supplied in a comedy skit, as straight lines : FED - Nobody did it better than George

44. The Pac-12's Golden Bears : CAL

45. LAX abbr. : ARR

47. Pitch indicator : NOTE - Knowing the NOTE doesn't mean you can 79. Carry __: sing on pitch : A TUNE

49. Supply with fluid : HYDRATE 

51. Safari runners? : MACS - As you can see, I am using the Safari Browser to blog this puzzle on my MacBook Pro

52. The puck stops here : GOAL - It's dangerous and scary when they go into the stands

54. Reasons for missing school : FEVERS

56. Article in Der Spiegel : EINE

57. Pink Floyd label : EMI

58. Iridescent shell lining : NACRE (NAY ker) - It can be beautiful

59. Biceps, for one : FLEXOR - Each FLEXOR requires an extensor

60. Soho stroller : PRAM

61. Perfect __ : TENSE

63. "The Piano" actor : KEITEL

65. Like a locked bathroom : IN USE

67. "Mmm, delish!" : SO GOOD - Yeah, that's what I thought of first too!

69. Japan is in it : FAR EAST

71. Fire starters : SPARKS

75. Team up : UNITE

77. Brand for cold sores : ABREVA



80. Was visibly moved : WEPT - Shortest verse in the Bible

83. Begin successor : SHAMIR - Yitzahk SHAMIR

85. Harry's love : GINNY - Harry Potter's main squeeze

87. Negative link : NOR

88. "Dies __" : IRAE - A true vet of the crossword wars

89. Tell the teacher : TATTLE

90. Where the Indus flows : ASIA - From the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea 

91. Org. for the Sky, the Stars and the Sun : WNBA

92. Went wild : RAN RIOT - New to me but makes sense



94. Sign of approval : SEAL - The siding on my house has this famous SEAL of approval

96. Chum, in Cherbourg : AMI

97. __ Majesty : HIS

98. Pueblo pronoun : ESA

99. -ish, after a number : OR SO 


101. Old theaters : RKOS - It appears a lot of sailors are at the RKO in Rochester, NY in 1964 to see Ensign Pulver

103. Firing offense? : ARSON

105. Big Sky Brewing Company home : MONTANA - I wonder if our blogger Montana has had a Big Sky product during the drought up there

108. PC key used in combinations : CTRL - I was wearing out CTRL+ALT +DEL when was was using PC products

110. Zoo keepers : CAGES

113. Lasting marks : SCARS - Some are not visible

115. Bench for a flock : PEW

116. "Casablanca" setting : MOROCCO - This is how Bogie could seem as tall as Ingrid Bergman in that setting

118. Kaplan Test Prep focus: Abbr. : GRE - Graduate Record Exam

119. "Funny joke!" : HA HA

120. Loud insect : CICADA - We have had a noisy fall with them






122. Flat across the pond? : APARTMENT - 

125. Classic game consoles : ATARIS - Pong was very addictive when it came out

126. "This looks bad for us!" : WE'RE TOAST

127. Shelter adoptees : PETS - Our Lily's former home

128. Heat-resistant glass : PYREX

129. Drops at dawn : DEW

130. "Symphony in Black" artist : ERTE  - Said to be his most famous painting and the one most indicative of his style. Yeah, I knew that! 😏


Down

1. Temporary lack of inspiration? : APNEA - C.C. at her clever best! Inspiration here, of course, means breathing in

2. Shangri-La offerings : ROOMS

4. 35mm camera type : SLR

5. Wings, in zoology : ALAE - Plural of ALA (wing)

7. Like miso, typically : SALTY

8. Cry out loud : SOB

9. Many a University of Zagreb student : CROAT

10. Augusta National shrub : AZALEA - The AZALEAS at Augusta tell you spring is here!

13. Holiday in the month of Adar : PURIM

15. Guru : SAGE - Here's one (see the subtitle) that has a house 30 min. from me

16. As a result : THUS - Sic Semper Tyrannis (THUS always to tyrants)

18. Luxury handbag : FENDI - I know C.C. likes nice purses

19. President between Harrison and Polk : TYLER - He became president when Tippecanoe (William Henry Harrison) died a month into the office

20. Spoiled : BAD

27. Adam's garden : EDEN

29. Captain of the Adventure Galley : KIDD - Captain KIDD's boat was called the Adventure Galley or simply the Adventure

31. Sushi fish : EELS

34. Former FAO Schwarz parent : TOYS R US

36. Lady of pop : GAGA

39. Outstanding : STELLAR - There's this lady in Minneapolis who is a STELLAR puzzle constructor 

42. Sicilian hot spot : ETNA

43. View as : DEEM


44. Engraved jewelry item : CAMEO which is an  124. 44-Down shape : OVAL

46. Perfect game, e.g. : RARE FEAT - Baseball fans will immediately think of Don Larsen in 1956

48. Adam's love : EVE

50. Run over : REPEAT

51. Team covered at amazinavenue.com : METS - It's been a while since the METS have been amazin' 

53. Princess with a twin brother : LEIA

55. Permit to leave : EXIT VISA

58. Night light : NEON

62. Sotomayor replaced him : SOUTER - There's an ideological struggle rather than a legal one when replacements are named 


64. Mobile home : TRAILER - This would seem to be a tough city in which to sell mobile homes

66. Fix, as a pet : SPAY

68. Twist : DISTORT

70. Genesis creator : SEGA

73. Drawer openers : KNOBS

74. Toxin fighters : SERA

80. Finish line : WIRE

81. Mound stats : ERAS

84. K2 and Hood: Abbr. : MTS

86. Wax Ready-Strips maker : NAIR

91. "Easy there!" : WHOA

93. Charged bits : IONS

95. Bonkers : LOCO

100. Garage capacity : ONE CAR - Barely...

102. Juice bar freebie : STRAW

104. "Dilbert" creator Adams : SCOTT

106. Doctoral hurdles : ORALS

107. In the know : AWARE

109. Drew (in) : ROPED - I don't think I could be ROPED into buying the painting below

111. Max of Dadaism : ERNST - He and ERTE were only one year apart in age but their art seemed far apart

112. Sicilian seven : SETTE

113. Hit the mall : SHOP

114. Way into the mountain : CAVE

116. More, to Miguel : MAS - After being taunted by Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran reportedly said NO MAS and quit

117. Backstage staff : CREW

120. Limit : CAP

121. Fort in New Jersey : DIX - One M*A*S*H episode had all the crew pose for a picture to try to convince Klinger's mother that he was at Fort Dix not Korea 

123. Toon bartender Szyslak : MOE

After you ATE UP C.C.'s puzzle, let's hear your savory comments: