Saturday, March 30, 2024, Jacob McDermott

 Saturday Themeless by Jacob McDermott

This a debut LA puzzle for Jacob and I was able to get through his 68-word construction in a very good time.

There were a few sticking points but, as usually happens on Saturdays, the long fills became obvious and allowed me to roll on to a satisfying conclusion. Even his very contemporary references fell with relative ease.

Across:

1. Game that's somewhat pointless?: SHUTOUT - Don Larsen's 1956 World Series perfect game SHUT OUT against the Dodgers is probably the most famous one of all. Other than that game he was only a journeyman pitcher at best but he did have his day in the sun.

8. Spanish language apps: TAPAS - Appetizers

13. Casserole nugget: TATER TOT.

15. Brightness: SMARTS 😀

17. Self-made person?: ALTER EGO - $4,500 will buy you a first edition of the most famous one in literature. 

18. Like some barbecue: KOREAN - This one is in Houston.

19. Dale: GLEN.

20. Competed like Kobayashi: ATE - At a July 4th eating competition. 

22. Dealt with: SAW TO.

23. Colorful wrap: SERAPE - Clint bought this himself and took it with him where he made the American western trilogy in Spain with an Italian director.

26. "The Hurting Kind" poet Limón: ADA.

28. Couple of bucks: DEER and 1. Couple of bucks: STAGS.

29. Loaded: ROLLING IN IT 😀

32. "No joke!": HONEST TO GOD.

33. Drain: SAP.

34. Texter's "Success!": FTW - Where I learned the phrase,  "I'll take Totie Fields For The Win." These days it's more likely to be said after the victory.

35. Pro certified in BLS: EMT - An EMT can give CPR as a part of BLS

36. Really bad situation: DIRE STRAITS.

39. Home of Fangorn Forest and the Misty Mountains: MIDDLE EARTH - From Lord Of The Rings

40. "__ plaisir!": AVEC - With pleasure in Français

41. First name in rational egoism: AYN - Wanna know more?

42. Lineup at a charging station: TESLAS.

47. Where workers cut the mustard?: DELIS 😀

49. Shakshouka ingredient: EGG - I first saw shakshouka in a Stella Zawistowski puzzle I blogged four years ago.

51. Storm antecedent, perhaps: CALM.

52. Tolerates: ABIDES - I have trouble ABIDING obscure names crossing each other in a puzzle, but I soldier on.

54. Teen drama starring Zendaya: EUPHORIA.

57. 1977 Travolta role: MANERO - John lost 20 lbs to play Tony MANERO

58. Home inspection concern: RADON GAS - Here ya go

59. Showed again: RERAN - This is show is credited with being first to do this during the time Lucy was pregnant.

60. "Feel me?": CAPEESH - The Americanization of the Italian phrase.

Down:

2. "Ungodly Hour" R&B duo Chloe x __: HALLE - More info on this sister act

3. Unqualified: UTTER.

4. Singer __ Marie: TEENA.

5. Bobby in an iconic Stanley Cup Final photo: ORR - that led to this statue in Boston 

6. Four Corners Native: UTE.

7. Pilate's wear: TOGA - Not what you wear to a pilate's class. 😀

Pilate, "Ecce Homo"

8. Verbal headshake: TSK.

9. Famous name in cookies: AMOS.

10. Models: PARADIGMS - I have seen many PARADIGM shifts in education over my many decades of teaching. Some were useful and some were failures.

11. "Right?": ARE WE NOT- ARE WE NOT crossword fans?

12. Card handed to a TSA agent: STATE ID.

14. Rando: TOTAL STRANGER - Jay Leno's hilarious encounters with rando(m) strangers.

16. Quick drink: SNORT.
 
21. Wikipedia tussle: EDIT WAR.

24. Set in motion: PROPEL.

25. Unit of time often used hyperbolically: EON.

27. Pangolin snack: ANT - Two pangolins at a buffet

30. T-Boz and Chilli bandmate: LEFT EYE - If you're a fan, you know who's who

31. "Faust" dramatist: GOETHE - A first edition for $7,500

32. Apple press release?: HARD CIDER 😀

33. Bench: SIDELINE - Some players can be SIDELINED by an injury which will put them on the bench

36. Source of cheap shots?: DIVE BAR - Happy Bottom Riding Club was a DIVE BAR near Edwards Air Force Base where lots of early test pilots, including Chuck Yeager, hung out. It was featured in the movie The Right Stuff

37. Irish __: SEA - Most say this "pie in the sky" bridge will never be built for financial, geographical and political reasons.

38. Wednesday's cousin: ITT - Halloween costumes

39. Formal address: MADAM.

43. Rock cake kin: SCONE.

44. Cup size: LARGE.

45. Protective cover?: ALIAS - George Costanza's favorite

46. Big hit: SMASH.

48. Transfusion fluids: SERA - SERA vs Plasma

50. Avo dip: GUACamole 

53. "Bye, __": farewell from a buffalo's dad, in a classic joke: SON.

55. Shared intimacy, briefly: PDA - Public Display of Affection 

56. Brewer's unit: HOP - Not a measure just an ingredient. 

HOPS is a, uh, growing crop in Nebraska

Friday, July 25, 2014, Jacob McDermott

Theme: AUTO-fill. ( I could not resist this after reading yesterday's interview with JW who refuses to use the auto-fill feature of the crossword computer programs, and of course today being all about cars).

Not sure why, and nothing to cry about, but I saw the theme immediately after filling in SAND CRAB. It still takes some solving to find the right car companies, but it was all good and the reveal, the tricky 'tear apart' meaning for rent masking the simple theme of taking an automaker name, split it, and use the front for the beginning of first word of a two word phrase and the rest for the end of the second word. The theme phrases went from  very good (BUILDING BLOCK and DOCKING BRIDGE) to FIRE HAT. The fill had some fun non-theme like AGATHA, BYE NOW, KING ME, LOFTED, ROCOCO, URBANE, RATLINE,  DON’T DELAY and SIDEKICKS. It looks like Mr. McDermott, (who has one prior LAT back in June 2012, but had two NYT publications in 2013, his NYT debut on my birthday) is still hedging on too much long fill, but he used minimal blocks to get this one done. Let us see where Jacob has driven us.


17A. *Beach scuttler : SAND CRAB (8). When I moved down here and visited a house near the ocean, I was shocked by the number of these guys in the yard. My favorite English Teacher in College drove an old SAAB which had no reverse. Made driving and parking a challenge.

24A. *Platform used when mooring ships : DOCKING BRIDGE (13). I will let the boaters explain this, as I DODGE my responsibility.

39A. *Headwear for a hose user : FIRE HAT (7). Not sure of this phrase (Fireman's Hat?). My girl friend weighs 100 pounds and wants this FIAT.

50A. *Lego unit : BUILDING BLOCK (13). I wonder  if this was the seed entry. My father used to always drive a BUICK.
And the reveal:
62A . Wheels on loan ... or, as the circles show, what four puzzle answers have done? : RENT A CAR. As I always say, the reveal is the key to the fun and the renting (tearing apart) of the car names is cool.


Across:


1. Went through with : DID. Good start for me.

4. Places to get stuck : RUTS.

8. Mr. Miyagi's art : KARATE.The movie was brought back to many by the constant references on How I Met Your Mother. Pat Morita of Happy Days fame was great.

14. Prefix with hazard : ECO.

15. Oft-fried vegetable : OKRA. There are only a million vegetables that people fry.

16. Army chopper : APACHE.

19. One concerned with show horses? : BETTOR. My degenerate gambler friends always bet Win/Place not Show. Very cute clue.

20. 101 course, briefly : INTROduction.

21. "Later" : CIAO. Italian, now, like AmEx, accepted world wide.

23. Filmmaker Riefenstahl : LENI. I have had this controversial filmmaker BEFORE.

27. "Later" : BYE NOW.

29. Phrase of clarification : AS IN.I had trouble sussing this one, though it looks easy.

30. Part : ROLE. Mine is to explain.

31. Selma, to Bart : AUNT. Not sure I can tell her from her sister Patty Bouvier.

34. Shindigs, ultimately? : FESTS. Wanted FETES for some reason; I blame Steve and NC.

38. Scandinavian rug : RYA. Another repeat Friday word, this one from JW in May.


41. Soc. Sec. supplement : IRA. This clue for Individual Retirement Account took me longer than it should have. It was a...

42. Kind of pain? : ROYAL.

44. Victim of Atalanta in the Calydonian Hunt : BOAR. I do not want to bore you with this MYTH, but if you want to get a glass of wine and sit and READ....

45. Sixth-day creation : ADAM. Man, this was tricky too.

46. Verdi motif : TEMA. More Italian, hmm, McDermott?

48. Places to see bowlers : ALLEYS. Not the cricket pitch this time, eh Boomer?

55. Tolstoy title name : ANNA. One way to look at this title for all you BOOK CLUB people.

56. Secure, in a way : SEAL. He should not have been as Heidi left him.

57. Impose fraudulently : FOIST. It makes me think of the three stooges  and what comes before second.

60. Disconcerting looks : STARES.

64. Demand upon reaching the other side : KING ME. Very difficult to parse, but good Friday clue/fill.

65. Fictional blue bovine : BABE. Paul Bunyan.

66. The Wildcats of the Big 12 Conf. : KSU. Never to be confused with the boys from Manhattan, the JayHawks.

67. Rains hard? : SLEETS. I wanted sheets, as in it is coming down in sheets.

68. Dutch town : STAD.

69. Ella, in the States : SHE. Some Spanish (Italian too?).

Down:

1. Fred : William :: Ricky : __ : DESI. Did you Love Lucy?

2. Positive words : I CAN. I think I can, I think I can....

3. Urgent ad words : DON'T DELAY. order now!!!!!

4. Florid 18th-century style : ROCOCO.

SOURCE

5. The Dnieper flows through it: Abbr. : UKRaine. An area in the news all too much lately.

6. Bingham of "Baywatch" : TRACI.  Lots of stuff on the internet.

7. '50s vaccine pioneer : SABIN. Polio oral vaccine.

8. Skewered fare : KABOBS. Kebab, tomato, tomahto.

9. Arboreal critter : APE. Anyone seen the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, yet?

10. Rope ladder rung : RATLINE. Complete unknown term. More for the boaters to explain, Jeannie where are you?

11. Pretended to be : ACTED.

12. Adventurous beachwear : THONG. Look if you must.  LINK 1. LINK 2.

13. Creepy : EERIE.

18. Go on and on : DRONE. No longer what we think of with this word.

22. Mystery award : AGATHA. Dame Agatha Christie.

25. River in a 1957 Best Picture title : KWAI. Really fine MOVIE. (3:09)

26. One may lead to a feud : RIFT.

27. Cold response : BRRR. I was thinking figuratively at first.

28. Fluctuate wildly : YO-YO. Big dieting word these days.

32. Cosmopolitan : URBANE. David Niven for me....

33. "The Matrix" hero : NEO. Future urbane?

35. Robin and others : SIDEKICKS. I got this solely from the perps as there are entirely too many Robins.

36. Room service item : TRAY. "Yes, I would like to order a tray please."

37. BJ's competitor : SAM'S. These places are just too big, but great if you have a large family.

39. Bolted : FLED. Not Usain.

40. Sea once fed by the Amu Darya River : ARAL. No idea, but the letters are easy.

43. Out there : AT LARGE. I am not sure which one was meant.
Idiom: at large
1. Not in confinement or captivity; at liberty: a convict still at large.
2. As a whole; in general: the country at large.
3. Representing a nation, state, or district as a whole. Often used in combination: councilor-at-large.
4. Not assigned to a particular country. Often used in combination: ambassador-at-large.
5. At length; copiously.

45. Metal giant : ALCOA. ALuminum COmpany of America.

47. Air balls, e.g. : MISSES. Used often in basketball telecasts.

49. Hit in the air : LOFTED. A soft fly ball to left...

50. Luxuriates : BASKS. Here, it is in the sun.

51. Up to : UNTIL.

52. Silly : INANE. An apt word for much of my blogging style.

53. Clothes : GARBS.  It used to mean stylish ones; from the French garbe meaning graceful outline, which may explain why Greta Guftasson chose her stage name..


54. Pasture call : BLEAT. A word I have not heard in years. This SOUND.(0:18).

58. Ceremonial accessory : SASH. The sash is critical.

59. "Indeed" : TRUE.

61. ER staff member : EMT. Emergency Medical Technician. Nit, they work for the fire department or the ambulance services, IMO..

63. Spurs' org. : NBA. National Basketball Association.

Well another month flying by, another puzzle from a constructor named Jacob (thank you JMc);   I leave you with the image of the 2012 Miss Universe from Rhode Island, Olivia Cuplo, who reminds us even the smallest garden can grow roses. Lemonade out.

Monday, June 18, 2012 Jacob McDermott

Theme: Childs' Play - If they made a movie about Battleship, maybe HANGMAN is next.

17A. Prime minister, e.g. : HEAD OF STATE

25A. Fender-fixing facility : BODY SHOP

37A. Pencil-and-paper diversion where the starts of 17-, 25-, 48- and 57- Across denote incorrect guesses : HANGMAN

48A. Superpowers' weapons escalation : ARMS RACE

57A. Prohibition era gangster : LEGS DIAMOND

Argyle here. How to play HANGMAN here. Debut puzzle from Jacob McDermott, I believe. Good start, if so.

Across:

1. "Chicago" Tony winner Neuwirth : BEBE. Image.

5. Sentence component : PHRASE

11. Romney's religious gp. : LDS. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

14. Bell-ringing fragrance giant : AVON

15. Put gas in : FUELED

16. Suffer from allergies, say : AIL. Aaa-Choo!

19. "Fat chance, laddie!" : "NAE!"

20. City protected by Batman and Robin : GOTHAM

21. Inactive : IDLE

22. Lion of Narnia : ASLAN. From "The Chronicles of Narnia" series.

28. Burglar's headwear : SKI MASK

31. Funeral speech : EULOGY

32. Little fella : TYKE

33. Tropical straw hats : PANAMAs

36. Affirmative vote : AYE

38. Light switch setting : OFF

41. Disney creation : CARTOON

42. Red-carpet party : GALA

43. Follower of Ignatius of Loyola : JESUIT. Wikipedia article.

46. Inane : IDIOTIC

51. West, to Juan : OESTE

52. Chicken's home : COOP. Where the chicks learn their ABC's.

53. Makes fit : ADAPTS

56. Wine-and-cassis apéritif : KIR

62. Crackerjack pitcher : ACE

63. Gentle wind : BREEZE

64. Gave the boot : AXED

65. __ Palmas: Canary Islands port : LAS. Geography lesson.

66. Lots and lots : OODLES

67. Lavish affection (on) : DOTE

Down:

1. "Harrumph!" : "BAH!"

2. Motherless mother : EVE

3. Amazon squeezer : BOA

4. Final stage of a chess match : ENDGAME

5. Fizzling-out sound : [PFFT!]

6. "Pipe down!" : "HUSH!"

7. Adjust paragraph indents and such : RETAB

8. Memorable Texas mission : ALAMO

9. Tennis division : SET. Match, Set, Game

10. Central Dutch city : EDE. Map In Gelderland.

11. Crow's-nest cry : "LAND HO!". Crow's nest was a basket on the highest mast of the wooden sailing ships.

12. Most of a screenplay : DIALOG

13. Ready for bed : SLEEPY

18. Eugene O'Neill's daughter : OONA. She married Charlie Chaplin.

21. Cuba and Aruba: Abbr. : ISL's

22. Movie terrier : ASTA

23. Blue-bottled vodka : SKYY. Y 2 Y's?

24. Facebook button : LIKE

26. Claim as a right : DEMAND

27. Currency of China : YUAN

29. Ancient Greek military power : SPARTA

30. German philosopher Immanuel : KANT

34. IHOP '__: takeout food program : N'GO

35. Mine, to Monet : A MOI

37. Bad __ day : HAIR

38. Quaker product : OATS

39. Move lightly through the air : FLIT

40. Meet head-on : FACE

41. Zodiacal border : CUSP

42. Loses one's mind : GOES MAD

43. Wild canine scavenger : JACKAL

44. Beethoven's Third : EROICA

45. Campfire treats : S'MORES

47. Greek "i" : IOTA

49. Like pet parakeets : CAGED

50. '50s Ford failure : EDSEL

54. Woodworking tool : ADZE

55. Pumpkin desserts : PIES

57. Debt-heavy corp. deal : LBO. (Leveraged buyout)

58. Suffix with ranch : ERO

59. Good Grips kitchenware brand : OXO

60. Butterfly snare : NET

61. Five-star gen. of WWII : DDE. (Dwight D. Eisenhower)

Answer grid.

Argyle