Saturday, June 29, 2019, Christopher Adams

Themeless Saturday by Christopher Adams

Today celebrates your local pour-master and perhaps listening post.

FYI: "A mixologist is an individual with a passion for combining elixirs and creating extraordinary cocktails, whereas a bartender is an individual with a passion for making great drinks and creating well-balanced experiences. To be successful, you really need both types of pros behind the bar."

Christopher Adams

Our constructor Christopher Adams is currently a graduate student in mathematics at the University of Iowa. He graduated in 2014 from Cornell University, with a major in mathematics and minors in physics and creative writing, after which he spent a year abroad teaching physics at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. 

Christopher's puzzle took me twice as long as Dr. Lim's did last Saturday but was still a fun excursion.

Now let's examine the loci of our math man's cluing:

Across:

1. Drink containing neither of the ingredients in its name: EGG CREAM - Harkens back to the days of soda fountains. Here's the recipe for the chocolate variety - Pour 3 tablespoons of chocolate syrup and 1/4 cup of milk or half-and-half into a 16-ounce glass. While beating vigorously with a fork, slowly add club soda until the glass is almost full. Add a straw and serve very cold.

9. Kidder who played Lois in four "Superman" films: MARGOT - Before the blue screen was added

15. Trendy Starbucks option: SOY LATTE - SOY milk instead of dairy milk


16. Ballpark figures: USHERS - "Crazy Steve" is a truck driver by day and an USHER with some good dance moves at night in Peoria, IL

17. "Kennedy" biographer: SORENSEN - Native Nebraskan Ted SORENSEN graduated from Lincoln High School and UNL

18. "Grey's Anatomy" show runner Rhimes: SHONDA - I have visited "Shondaland" quite often on Netflix. Her productions have included many strong women

19. Secluded spot: NOOK - Not a NEST it turns out

20. Rose: AWOKE.

22. "__ Rosenkavalier": DER - The Knight Of The Rose - A comic opera by Richard Strauss. If you think I knew that, I've got this bridge in Brooklyn... 

23. Actor Danny Trejo, for one: LATINO - From the IMDB

25. Towel spec: HERS.

26. Worked on a roast: CARVED - Carving a roast for dummies (;30)

30. One on the phone, often: TEXTER - Not while driving!

32. Here, in Juárez: AQUI - a very familiar sign in our town

33. 2022 World Cup city: DOHA - This World Cup, usually played in the summer, has been moved to the Qatari winter due to the incredible high summer temps in DOHA

35. "Nunsense" costume: HABIT - Here starring Rue McClanahan 

38. Academic dictum: PUBLISH OR PERISH - Academic treadmill

41. Glides (through): SAILS.

42. Heavyweight fight?: SUMO - No 12. Workplace concern: GENDER BIAS here

43. Account: TALE.

44. Album by Destroyer with a German title meaning "broken": KAPUTT - You would have known this if you were into Kiss tribute bands from Canada

46. Ameliorate, in a way: LESSEN.

48. Burns miss: LASS - Robert Burns of course

50. Eponymous Portland bookstore founder: POWELL - Number 4 on Top Ten Things to do in Portland, OR

52. Evil Tolkien soldier: ORC - A frequent member of the cwd military 

53. Big note: C-SPOT - Some restaurants will no longer accept C-SPOTS ($100 bills)

54. Bring home: EARN 

58. Fictional 1719 autobiographer: CRUSOE - Many thought Daniel Defoe's character was real

60. More than just meddle: MUSCLE IN.

63. Tasmanian capital: HOBART - Viking Cruises offers this trip from L.A. starting at $15,000 with HOBART being a port of call 

64. One might copy from it: EDIT MENU.

65. Ace of Base, e.g.: SWEDES - "Alex, I'll take 'Swedish pop rock quartets beginning with A' for a $1,000" Oops, it's not our old cwd buddies!

Ace Of Base 

66. Discounted amount: NET SALES - Like 20% off MSRP?


Down:

1. Head of state?: ESS - State

2. "I'm listening": GO ON.

3. Greek deli item: GYRO - "YEE row" seems to be the consensus pronunciation

4. Psychic Miss: CLEO - There's one born every minute

5. Bother big-time: RANKLE.

6. "The Martian" has none: ET'S - Most famous line from this great movie "I'm gonna have to science the $*^+ out of this!"

7. Bothered big-time: ATE AT -  I know how Jerome will see this fill 😏

8. 1927 Hemingway short story collection: MEN WITHOUT WOMEN - All you need to know

9. Arctic grazer: MUSKOX - Named for the strong odor it emits during mating season

10. Court immortal: ASHE - Arthur is a tennis star from Richmond, VA

11. Parthenon P: RHO - Yup, RHO is the third letter in Parthenon - Παρθενώνας

13. Court command: ORDER.

14. Peter and Paul, but not Mary: TSARS - TSAR Paul I was a great grandson of Peter I (the Great)

21. Like show-offy push-ups: ONE ARM 

24. Tosses in: ADDS.

25. Trick-taking game: HEARTS - Play online if you like

26. Mushroom parts: CAPS.

27. Water color: AQUA.

28. It has over 43 quintillion configurations: RUBIK'S CUBE.

29. Ritzy retreats: VILLAS - Info on VILLAS to rent in Tuscany

31. Not just any: THE - Ohio State emphasizes THE

34. "You're too kind!": OH STOP.

36. Archipelago component: ISLE - Solzhenitsyn's archipelago was of gulags (forced labor camps) in the U.S.S.R. not ISLES

37. Second of a logical pairing: THEN - It appears here that entering A was the only way get a TRUE response

39. MSN, for one: ISP - My Internet Service Provider is Spectrum (formerly Time/Warner)

40. Ask for opinions: POLL 

45. Some March Madness madness: UPSETS - UPSETS are fun but the final four teams are populated by many of the favorites save for the occasional UPSETS

47. Sends to Washington: ELECTS.

48. Leven and Lomond: LOCHS - There's about an hour-and-a-half driving time between these two LOCHS (lakes)

49. The CW show about a vigilante archer: ARROW - Wanna stream some episodes?

51. Scriabin work: ETUDE - Tolstoy called Alexander Scriabin's music, "a sincere expression of genius"

53. Fission site: CORE - This is where the uranium atom is split in a nuclear power plant and that heat boils water which... 

55. __ mater: ALMA.

56. Show shock: REEL - The Beach Boys were Rockin' and a-REELIN' in this fun song

57. Roger Maris' uniform number: NINE - Roger (a proud product of Fargo North Dakota High School) got a record breaking 61 home runs in 1961. BTW, if you don't know the other guy depicted below, baseball really isn't your thing.

59. Regrettable: SAD - It was very SAD that the stress of chasing Babe Ruth's single season home run record made Roger lose hair

61. Skip, with "out": SIT - Roger did SIT out one of the 162 games that year

62. Frat letters: NUS - There are four Greek letters that would fit this 2-letter fill. Can you name the other three?

Very nice puzzle for a Hawkeye! (Husker sarcasm 😙). Feel free to comment on Christopher's great work.

Note from C.C.:

Happy 49th birthday to dear Barry G, who used to comment on our blog regularly. So glad that he continues to solve the daily LAT crosswords and reads our blog from time to time. Is Joshua now taller than you, Barry?

July 2, 2016

Saturday, June 22, 2019, Julian Lim

Themeless Saturday by Julian Lim

Today's constructor is Julian Lim who is an assistant professor in Singapore at Duke-NUS which is a collaboration between Duke University in America and the National University of Singapore. His areas of study would seem to fit right in with my issues! I fought off my behavioral disorders and was able to finish his offering quickly as his long fills were gettable and helpful!

Let's see what Professor Lim has for us today to combat any mental fatigue:

Across:

1. Marketing term involving supposed nutritional benefits: SUPERFOOD - What is this?

10. Dividing walls: SEPTA

15. Afford a view of: OPEN OUT TO - You can rent this house that OPENS OUT TO this view in the Honolulu area for $495/night.

16. '90s "SNL" regular Cheri: OTERI.

17. Skilled writer: WORDSMITH.

18. Run up, as debts: INCUR.

19. Starter followers: ENTREES - Here in Nebraska, I'd recommend a filet

20. Not for youngsters: R-RATED - A movie can keep a PG-13 rating with a couple of  "f-bombs" if they are not used in a sexual context

21. Take up again?: RE HEM - In the 70's, some girls "RE-HEMMED" their modest skirts in which they left home by rolling up the waistband to make mini skirts at school 

22. Arch with a point: OGEE - An old cwd friend 

24. Pay stub?: OLA - Julian! Tricky way to get PAYOLA

25. 1941 Bogart part: SAM SPADE - I'll bet most know what Bogie as SAM SPADE was referencing in this line to Ward Bond playing a police lieutenant  

28. Dry __: ROT

29. LeRoy Foster, for one: MURALIST.

30. Prayer's place: NAVE.

31. Robin's rhyming call?: HOLY GUACAMOLE - 50 variations on a theme

33. Bangkok bread: BAHT - This 39 BAHT sandwich equals $1.25 in Bangkok 

34. Rain-on-the-roof sounds: PIT A PATS - Interminable this spring in the Midwest

35. FAQ snippet: ANS - If you ask a Q, you expect an ANS

36. China quality: FINENESS - Porcelain and China are both terms that refer to dinnerware made of a FINE-particle clay

37. Metric meas.: KGS 50. Land with eland: VELDT - These largest antelope on the African grassland can weigh up to 600 KGS (1,000 lbs)

38. Epilepsy tests, for short: EEGS 

39. Tricked: HOSED - Love this commercial!

43. Romans, in a proverb: LOCALS.

45. Radcliffe grads: ALUMNAE - Graduates of formerly all female Radcliffe would be called ALUMNAE (plural of female singular alumna)

47. Profit: AVAIL.

48. Get at: INSINUATE.

51. Knocked too hard?: NITPICKED - A hazard for all bloggers

52. Kid's retort: ARE SO.

53. Gets even: SMOOTHENS - Most know this word but Seinfeld fans will understand (and want) this shirt

Down:

1. Planter: SOWER - A 1930 video of the 8.5 ton SOWER statue being lifted to the top of Nebraska's capitol building (:48)

2. On top, but only just: UP ONE - Toronto was UP ONE (3 games to 2) when The Golden State Warriors 36. Were conquered by: FELL TO them on 6/10/19. The 4. Upshot: END RESULT was an NBA title for Toronto

3. Western Australia's capital: PERTH - Gird your loins for a long trip if you are going to drive from Sydney to PERTH

5. Seasoning for lamb: ROSEMARY.

6. Steam: FUME.

7. Spunkmeyer of cookie fame: OTIS.

8. First National Leaguer to hit 500 home runs: OTT - This mint condition 1933 Goudey card will run you $42,000 

9. Hand-to-head cry: DOH.

10. Evening do: SOIREE - I wonder if Marie Antoinette served cake at her SOIREES

11. Peak in Catania: ETNA.

12. Push-up targets: PECTORALS.

13. What "never runs smooth," in a 1963 Gene Pitney hit: TRUE LOVE - His anguished voice spoke to my teen angst

14. Specification for a pilot: AIR DATE - If your TV pilot is good enough, it will get an AIR DATE

20. Much paperwork: RED TAPE - Even north of the border

22. Poppy products: OPIATES -  The difference between OPIATES and opioids

23. Garage vessel: GAS CAN.

26. Heckle and Jeckle, e.g.: MAGPIES - Cartoon birds of my misspent yute

27. Turning about: SLUING.

29. Where diamond gets a 10: MOHS SCALE - Talc is the softest on this scale at 1

30. Less: NOT SO MUCH.

31. Hair-of-the-dog target: HANGOVER - Origin of the phrase "Hair-of-the-dog"

32. Hawkeye's group: MASH UNIT. On M*A*S*H, Lebanese Klinger would call an easy task, "A proverbial piece of 33. Filo pastry dessert: BAKLAVA.

40. Dastardly sort: SNAKE 

41. Downed: EATEN.

42. Accomplishments: DEEDS - I volunteered to take lunch room duty for one year to help out my principal. 23 years later... 

44. Some are visual: AIDS - I believe in using visuals as AIDS in my blogging but people can still just scan for the bold answers and move on

45. Respecting: AS TO.

46. Cosmetic surg. option: LIPO.

48. Connections: INS - A great aid in getting a job

49. Strategic math game: NIM - I suspect Professor Lim has played this combinatorial game of NIM

Now presuming your Heating, Air Conditioning and Ventilation are fine,  comment on Julian's fun Saturday puzzle!