Saturday, June 30, 2018, Brian E. Paquin

Themeless Saturday by Brian E. Paquin

June 30 is set aside to celebrate National Social Media Day. The use of these sites has changed not only me but the bulk of America. It has also opened up arenas for some really nasty business but that is one of the downsides of The First Amendment. 

I consider what we do here to certainly be a cog in the Social Media machinery. I have met some lovely new friends here and deeply value my contact with them through this electronic medium and, yes, SOCIAL MEDIA was in Morton's puzzle yesterday.

I have also made contact with former students and colleagues including my former commuting pal who is now married, living and teaching in Ho Chi Minh City! I could do without the winter postings questioning my intelligence for staying her in the frozen tundra but that is part of game and I enjoy winter. No, really! 

On this day, Brian has supplied us with a worthy challenge that took me a lot longer than last Saturday's puzzle. There were a few fills that took some disassembling even after I got them with solid perpendicular entries including a type of clam that has escaped my purview up to now.

Let's begin our own social media exploration of Brian's Saturday offering on this last day of June:

Across:

1. Complies with a "Star Trek" order: MAKES IT SO 

10. Larkish?: HAPPY.

15. Field reporter's signoff: OVER TO YOU - Kind of hard to do if you...

16. Stan's partner: OLLIE.

17. Inspiration for many pop songs: TEEN ANGST - Exhibit A

18. Period of time: SPELL - waethre is a bad SPELL of weather

19. 120 dozen?: TENS -  A great hundred, also known as a small gross, is 120 or TEN dozen. That would be 120 of these bad boys!

20. "I Miss You" (1994) R&B singer: AARON HALL - Okay

22. Ring combination: ONE TWO - ONE - right jab, TWO - left hook. THREE - Good night sweet prince.

25. "Carmen" parts: ARIAS.

26. Gun offspring?: SON - "SON of a GUN" is my go-to phrase for a bad golf shot

27. Giving relief to: EASING - Ray later found out it was his own pain that needed EASING in Field Of Dreams. This is the only movie I can remember that had a real emotional effect on me

30. "Growing Up in New Guinea" author: MEAD - The revolutionary book by Margaret MEAD about her time in the Manus Province (after working with plains Indians in Nebraska) before missionaries and other western influences arrived

Margaret Mead directing a group of men playing
sacred flutes in Arapesh 

33. Let out, say: ALTER - I haven't had my DW "take in" any pants for a while

34. In the worst way: BADLY - Our school board wanted a new Middle School in the worst way and by golly that's what they got.

35. Stretch limits: PUSH THE ENVELOPE.

40. Two-time A.L. HR leader Tony: ARMAS - He of the Boston Red Sox of the 1980's

41. Wide-eyed: NAIVE.

42. Razor __: CLAM - Unknown to me and seldom seen here in the Platte River

43. Monty Python co-founder: CLEESE.

45. "Doctor Who" airer: BBC - All you need to know - A favorite show for Sheldon on Big Bang Theory 

48. Eastern European capital: SOFIA, Bulgaria

50. Small '90s-'00s Nissan: ALMERA- As well known as a RAZOR Clam to this blogger and also not found in the Platte River

52. Worked the room: SCHMOOZED.

56. Inventor Sikorsky: IGOR - An invention of his was featured in this 50's TV series

57. "Politically Incorrect" host: MAHER - As far to one side of the political spectrum as others are to the opposite side

58. Great Depression symbol: BREADLINE - Farmers around here were broke but at least could put food on the table

61. Putting to work: USING - I am USING MacOS High Sierra, Version 10.13.4 on my MacBook Pro

62. Dog school focus: OBEDIENCE.

63. Bug: GET TO - As I said last week, LET IT GO! Don't let 'em GET TO ya (Nolite te bastardes carorundorum)!

64. Sycophant: YES PERSON - Fans of The Office know who that is in this picture and who is the 11. Top dog: ALPHA MALE

Down:

1. Guiding principles: MOTTOS -  Mine is, "Nobody is better than I am and I am no better than anyone"

2. Johnson & Johnson brand: AVEENO

3. Wayans family member: KEENEN - Okay

4. "Trophy, Hypertrophied" artist: ERNST - Art is in the eye/checkbook of the beholder

Trophy, Hypertrophied - 1919

5. Stop: Abbr.: STA.

6. It's charged: ION - Hey, we science guys deserve a slightly arcane joke once in a while!

7. "Rack City" rapper: TYGA - It took me about 3 seconds to get the gist of his lyrics

8. McGwire rival: SOSA - They are giving credit for saving baseball after a strike and then making baseball own up to its steroid problem

9. Left in the dust: OUTRAN.

10. President after Anwar: HOSNI - Mubarak

12. "I would like that!": PLEASE DO 

13. Difficult sort: PILL.

14. Scream: YELL 

21. Dot follower: ORG.

23. Paintball mementos: WELTS 

24. Citizenship promise: OATH - Here's one - I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen.

28. Understand: SEE.

29. Sherlock's adversary Adler: IRENE - Lovely Lara Pulver is a great IRENE to Benedict Cumberbatch's SMUG, off-the-wall Sherlock in this recent BBC iteration

31. Lofty peak: ALP.

32. Tint: DYE - My hair vanity has not reached that point yet!

33. Lighting event?: AHA MOMENT - While Dr. Percy Spencer was working on a magnetron for military radar in 1946, he reached into his pocket and discovered his chocolate peanut cluster had melted. His AHA MOMENT turned into the invention of the microwave oven. The next day he put popcorn next to the device

34. Angled cut: BEVEL

35. Super __: PAC - To whom do I make out the check senator?

36. Browser bookmark: URL - Part of today's special day

37. Blockbuster: SMASH HIT - The list

38. "Auld Scotland wants __ skinking ware": Burns: NAE - Burns tribute to his beloved Haggis, and "NAE skinking ware that jaups in luggies" translated here

39. Passport endorsement: VISA.

43. Tech boss: CIO  - Chief Information Officer

44. Big name in taking it easy: LA-Z-BOY - A great couch potato option

45. Kicks off: BEGINS - The NFL wants to make kickoff ssafer and they are implementing these new rules

46. Super Bowl 50 champ: BRONCO - It was said of Peyton Manning in Super Bowl 50, "He was the oldest quarterback to start a Super Bowl and he played like it." The Broncos' defense won this game and Peyton was just along for the ride with his ineffective passing.

47. Lean dangerously: CAREEN

49. Waive: FORGO.

51. Bannister, for one: MILER - Having a last name that is also a common noun allows for crossword mischief 

53. Trophy holder: CASE - Sir Roger Bannister and his Trophy CASE

52. Self-satisfied: SMUG - You just knew SMUG Biff Tannen would get his just desserts before the closing credits in Back To The Future 

54. "Law and Order: CI" actress Kathryn: ERBE  - Okay

55. They leave a lot of room for improvement: DEES - Despite what you might think, this letter never graced any of my report cards

59. Payroll service co.: ADP.

60. 21-spot item, typically: DIE - ...and six sides. Add up the spots

Now use our social media to give us your well-considered, thoughtful commentary:

DA GRID

Saturday, June 23, 2018, Debbie Ellerin

Themeless Saturday by Debbie Ellerin

Today, June 23,  is National Let It Go Day. Here is some wonderful advice that flows from that sentiment

On this day of introspection, Debbie Ellerin has a given us a very nice exercise. Debbie is a "longtime puzzle solver" who caught the constructing bug in 2014. She has been published in the NYT, the LA Times and the WSJ. She is a former computer programmer who splits her time between LA and Boston. She spends her free time reading, watching MSNBC and traveling to visit her two children.

I was going to grump about 39. Rear ends?: ARS where Debbie was indicating the R's that serve as the front and back end of the word REAR yield the fill AR'S. I decided that in the spirit of the day I will LET IT GO! 😉

Now after taking my tongue out of my cheek, I must aver that I am in awe of all constructors and especially those who produce these wonderful Saturday gems like Debbie has for us today! 


Now let's take a look at what Debbie has for us before we LET IT GO!


Across:

1. "The __ Book": JUNGLE - Rosemary DeCamp is the only actor I recognized in the cast from this 1942 movie version 

7. Eyjafjallajökull output: ASH - This Icelandic Volcano is pronounce Ay-yah-fyad-layer-kuh-tel 

10. "C'mon, be __!": A PAL.

14. Straighten out: UNCOIL - Often said about a baseball swing

15. It often has twists: PLOT LINE - My binge watching of Grey's Anatomy revealed PLOT LINE twists that made me shake my head. A man is attacked by his date's full grown pet lion but wait, she's upset with him...

17. Treaty of Versailles region: ALSACE - This small area bordered by France, Germany and Switzerland was returned to France after WWI in 1919 as Germany had taken it 40 yrs. previously

18. Apparent displacement due to observer movement: PARALLAX - This is a very useful tool in astronomy but here is a simple explanation

19. Website with a Certified Fresh seal: ROTTEN TOMATOES - If I had only gone to ROTTENTOMATOES.COM I would never have gone to see Morgan, Rene and Tommy Lee in this worst movie I have ever paid money to see!

21. "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" singer: EVA - Peron

22. Word sung after the ball drops: AULD - AULD Land Syne - Scottish for "Times Long Past"

23. Ivan the Terrible, e.g.: TSAR - He used Ива́н Васи́льевич on his business cards

25. Frat letters: ZETAS  

28. Loses focus: BLURS.

31. Gun designer __ Gal: UZI - UZI Gal and his famous/infamous invention

32. Object: DEMUR.

34. Hostile environment: SNAKE PIT - Some basketball arenas with rowdy student sections are called a SNAKE PIT

36. Neatnik's nemesis: SLOB - We can all complete this analogy - SLOB : Oscar = Neatnik : ______

38. Work on a muffler: KNIT.

39. Invasion, for example: ACT OF WAR - Nazis dressed as Poles "attacked" a German radio station on 8/31/39.  The Nazis declared this as an ACT OF WAR and history students know what Hitler did the next day

43. Big name in publishing: KNOPF - The first books KNOPF published were under Borzoi Books because his wife loved that dog breed. He kept the dog as a symbol for KNOPF Books.

47. Makeup exam?: ASSAY - An ASSAY report on the makeup of an ore sample from a Utah mine in 1943

49. Bergen's dumbest dummy: SNERD - Mortimer

51. Fox relative: SAUK - A young Abraham Lincoln fought against the SAUK and Fox tribes in the Black Hawk War in 1832

53. One with a unicorn as a heraldic symbol: SCOT.

55. "The __ of Pooh": TAO - According to Benjamin Hoff  and 46. Hundred Acre Wood denizen: ROO didn't make this list

56. Online exchange medium: CRYPTO CURRENCY - A decentralized, peer-to-peer method of payment. That's all you're getting from me! Yikes!

61. Sarcastic "What a shame": OH BOO HOO - One tire on your new Maserati is low... 

62. Make sparkle, in a way: AERATE - Now I have to AERATE my birdbath?

63. Particle name that Fermi introduced to the scientific community: NEUTRINO - This physics guy won't make this esoteric journey with you. You're welcome.

64. Alligator kin: CAIMAN - Not spelled with a "Y" it turns out

65. Bone on a menu: OSSO  - A scathing review of the OSSO restaurant in Peebles, Scotland

66. IRS ID: SSN.

67. Cars that misfired badly?: EDSELS - Wrong car at the wrong time. I doubt many kids get the name Edsel any more like Edsel Ford did


Down:

1. City across the river from El Paso: JUAREZ - From space at night

3. Wolfpack's home: NC STATE.

4. Far from a fan favorite: GOAT - What a change! This error by Billy Buckner made him an 2. Far from popular: UNLOVED GOAT but today GOAT also stands for Greatest Of All Time. Ah, 13. "The Joy of __": Brandreth's book for word buffs: LEX.

5. Causes of some head scratching: LICE.

6. John Paul's successor: ELENA - Cute clue! No she was not a pope.

ELENA Kagen replaced John Paul Stevens 
on the Supreme Court in 2010

7. Team-ranking surveys, briefly: AP POLLS.

8. Sure thing: SLAM DUNK - Most Nebraskans thought legendary Husker FB coach Tom Osborne was a SLAM DUNK to be elected governor in 2006 but my golfing friend Dave Heineman beat him.

9. "Hava Nagila" dance: HORA.

10. Dole out: ALLOT - On a good day, I ALLOT about an hour to do the puzzle, read the comments and comment myself

11. Accumulates: PILES UP.

12. Cliff Palace dwellers: ANASAZI

16. Body image?: TAT.

20. Popcorn buy: TUB - One site said that $5.75 popcorn costs 37¢ to make

24. Musical dir.: RIT - Slow down, as is shown here in a place familiar to us all

26. Schoolyard comeback: AM SO.

27. Bacteria-fighting drug: SULFA - Not for everyone as you can see by this warning

29. Private, for one: RANK.

30. Pickup game team: SKINS - Playing SHIRTS vs SKINS only works for one gender

33. Spats: ROWS - If they happen in movie theaters you could have ROWS in the ROWS

35. Henry VI founded it in 1440: ETON.

37. Some winds: BASSOONS - Between its size and required air pressure through the double reeds, this looks like a very hard instrument to play. Jazz, et al?

40. Manager's staff: COACHES - All these COACHES can't make KC a winner this year. It seems you need good players 😜

41. Gig transport: TOUR BUS.

42. Animal in a Beatles ballad: RACCOON - Rocky Racoon was a man in Dakota seeking revenge

44. Term of endearment: PET NAME

45. Repeating geometric pattern: FRACTAL - Don't look too long!

48. "With or Without __": U2 song: YOU.

50. Elders: DOYENS - Usually prominent ones

52. 1997 protocol city: KYOTO - The U.S. delegation signed this protocol but the Senate did not ratify it

54. Bit: TRACE - Such as these TRACE elements that we need in small amounts

57. Favor preceder?: POR - POR favor, introduzca un comentario después de terminar el rompecabezas (PLEASE enter a comment after you finish the puzzle)

58. It's not that: THIS.

59. Consume Food and Wine, say: READ  - Food and Wine are capitalized 

60. Most massive known dwarf planet: ERIS - Slightly bigger than fellow dwarf planet Pluto

61. Beatle bride: ONO.

Now before you post a comment, I invite you to sing along with the beautiful song sung by a crossword regular about today's day of celebration.  Words are provided, including the word FRACTALS!

DA GRID