Monday, June 17, 2019 Jacob Stulberg

Theme: NO ENTRY (39. "Keep out!" sign ... or, in three parts, each answer to a starred clue)  - Each theme entry is in the pattern of N* O*:

17A. *Home of the NFL's Saints: NEW ORLEANS.

24A. *Dentist's "laughing gas": NITROUS OXIDE.

49. *Admiral, e.g.: NAVAL OFFICER.

 

62A. *Slipping into slumberland: NODDING OFF.

Boomer here. 

NO problem. I lived through another bone strengthener treatment. I assume my bones are stronger but my tee shots are still shorter. Last Saturday was Joe Mauer Day at Target Field and Joe's number 7 was retired by the Minnesota Twins. Well deserved Joe!!  One of my all time favorite players.  I began collecting Joe's baseball cards in 2002 and I own his rookie card as well as about 300 different Mauer cards, including the autographed one below.  

Across:

1. Number-picking bar game: KENO.  A Las Vegas favorite.  Years ago you could enter a casino restaurant and a young lady would take your ticket and money. Then the lighted board near your table would show you how your picks did.  I don't see too many Keno runners in Vegas anymore.

5. Story on a stand: ALIBI.  I didn't do it.  I was playing golf.

10. Smear (on): DAUB.  In some casinos the attendant would daub your Keno number picks.

14. '70s embargo gp.: OPEC.  I don't know about any recent embargo, but gas prices sure go up and down.  Recently, our Minnesota pumps are around $2.55 per gallon.

15. Family car: SEDAN.  Still around but many families now opt for SUVs.

16. Teen's skin woe: ACNE.

19. Cry hard: BAWL.  If you try hard it could be "BOWL"

20. Blue Cross rival: AETNA.

21. URL letters: HTTP.

23. Cartoon frame: CEL.  Some of the older Disney ones are collector's items.

28. Showy houseplant: BEGONIA.

31. Mideast's Dead __: SEA.  Pebble Beach is by the SEA. I saw a lot of SEAls there this past weekend basking and not worried about an errant golf ball.

32. Scent: ODOR.  Jake ODORizzi is performing well for the Twins this year.  Can you say "Cy Young Award"?

33. L.A. commuter org.: MTA.  I thought the MTA was in Boston.  "Let me tell you the story of a man named Charlie on a tragic and fateful day.  He put ten cents in his pocket, kissed his wife and family, went to ride on the MTA."  the Kingston Trio.  - et tu Charlie?

35. Cause increasing bitterness: FESTER.  Reminds me of Uncle Fester on the Addams family.

38. Darth, as a youth: ANI.

41. '90s Indian prime minister: RAO.

42. Sought election to: RAN FOR.  A whole bunch of Democrat candidates are heading for their first debate soon.

44. "Gotcha!": AHA.

45. Architect Saarinen: EERO.

46. Yak it up: GAB.  I wonder if this was Gabby Hayes first name.

47. Insect colony with a queen: ANT NEST.  I have not heard of a queen ant.  I thought it was queen bee.  Then of course Andy Taylor and Opie had an Aunt Bee.

54. Sch. with a Providence campus: URI.

55. Christmas season: YULE.  Don we now our yuletide carols, Fa La La Fa La La La La La.

56. Gymnast Comaneci: NADIA.  Incredible performer. Holds five Olympic gold medals.

60. Very serious, as straits: DIRE.

65. Shifting choice: GEAR.

66. Take as one's own: CO-OPT.  Not sure I agree with this clue.  Our Homeowners Association is deemed a cooperative.  All they take is our money every month.

67. "What __ is new?": ELSE.

68. She, in Sevilla: ELLA.  I did not know this.  My Grandma's name was Ella.

69. Accounting giant __ & Young: ERNST.

70. Put in a hold: STOW.  Always worry about our luggage when we fly.

Down:

1. Hawaiian coffee region: KONA. Is Hawaiian coffee better than our South American stuff ?  Better than four bucks a cup Starbucks ?

2. Fencing weapon: EPEE.

3. Small salamander: NEWT.  Former House Speaker Mr. Gingrich.

4. Former justice Sandra Day __: O'CONNOR.  Retired from the court in 2006 at age around 75 years old.  Something I might recommend to some of the Geezers on the court now.

5. Syst. for the hearing-impaired: ASL.  What?? Hello??

6. Big name in jeans: LEE.  A big name in jeans was Lee Majors.

7. Montana neighbor: IDAHO.  Montana is a big state with many neighbors.  I wish someone could explain to me how a beautiful and huge state has such a sparse population. I have only been to Billings, but I feel it is a great place to live. Here is C.C. and me on our way to Billings, Montana for the USBC bowling tournament in 2002.

C.C. & Boomer, July 2002, Roosevelt National Park

8. Language of southern Africa: BANTU.

9. MIT and Brookings: INSTS. Located in Washington D.C. but has nothing to do with Brookings S.D. or Mel Brooks.

10. Little bit of gel: DAB. Famous line of Brylcreem.  A little dab will do ya. (If you are a greaser).

11. Giraffes eat its leaves: ACACIA TREE.

12. Not married: UNWED.  AVAILABLE did not fit.

13. Beauty at a ball: BELLE.  Beauty at a ballgame, Joe Mauer, number 7.

18. Reason for a ball game delay: RAIN.  OR 30 minutes of accolades for a former catcher.

22. Giants catcher Buster __: POSEY.  Here's another MLB catcher who may be headed to the Hall of Fame.

25. Island whose eastern half is a sovereign state: TIMOR.

26. Interest percent: RATE.

27. Ballot markings: XES.  In MN, we need to blacken a circle on the ballot.

28. Dull-sounding pig: BOAR.

29. "Show Boat" novelist Ferber: EDNA.

30. Spreading like crazy online: GOING VIRAL. It really appears that Amazon is trying to drive local retail out of business.

34. Santa __ winds: ANA.  Of course there was Santa Anna, a Mexican who led his army to the Alamo and killed Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie.  But later, Sam Houston kicked his butt out of Texas so now Desper-otto has a safe place to live.

35. Old Marseille money: FRANC.  I guess it's all euro now.

36. Rabbits have big ones: EARS.  Back in the 50s and early 60s, rabbits had TV antennae named after their ears.

37. Rummage (around): ROOT.  Makes me remember Alex Haley's book and movie.

39. In a gallant manner: NOBLY.

40. Asian takeout option: THAI.

43. U.S. regulating org. with a wing in its logo: FAA. Still wondering what's happening with the 737 MAX.  It's gotta be killing the airlines that own them.  Imagine buying a Cadillac Escalade and being told you cannot drive it because it might crash.

45. Infuriates: ENRAGES.

48. Nashville's st.: TENN.  Home of the Grand Old Opry.

49. Gentle push: NUDGE. New York Yankee Aaron - Here comes the NUDGE, Here comes the NUDGE

50. Cartoon mermaid: ARIEL.

51. Part of a pound: OUNCE.

52. It may be tiled or carpeted: FLOOR. Chairs with wheels do not roll easily on carpeted floors. 

53. Made a meal of: FED ON.

57. Nincompoop: DOLT.

58. "In that case ... ": IF SO.

59. Some: A FEW.  Gesundheit !

61. Horse and buggy __: ERA.  What's wrong with a pitcher's stat??  too easy??

63. Two-outs-in-a-single-AB stats: DPS.  Double plays. Brutal for a hitter.

64. Hairy Addams cousin: ITT.  A favorite of crossword constructors.

Boomer

Wednesday, August 30, 2017, Jacob Stulberg

THEME: VOWEL MOVEMENT REDUX

A Wednesday puzzle with a vowel progression? Put up the Husker Gary Signal, Commissioner! This is my third recent puzzle with this gimmick. I thought we'd take a new look at the VOWELS in ASL. How many did you know?

 Jacob's progressive vowel insertions were on three two-word phrases and one single word adjective and were placed to complete the sequence CR _ M.... 

Perhaps it's not necessary but here is his grid and since only very smart people read this blog, I only indicated the vowels employed in Jacob's exercise.

Let's check out Jacob's exhibition of VOWEL PLAY by looking at his sequential theme entries:

17. Student's all-nighter : CRAM SESSION - They pulled a big CRAM SESSION to try to pass Professor Kingston's class in 1973's The Paper Chase

25. Dessert with a caramelized top : CREME BRULEE - Breaking through that wonderful caramelized crust 

39. Course of study that may include forensics : CRIMINAL JUSTICE - Abby of NCIS is my favorite forensic scientist and part of my latest Netflix binge

48. Like a mid-17th century English government : CROMWELLIAN - I'll bet Puritan and Roundhead Oliver was the life of any party! (Picture corrected from earlier Thomas)

61. Car's impact-absorbing structural feature : CRUMPLE ZONE - The CRUMPLE ZONE of both cars gives way first as designed

Now let's see what else Jacob has CRAMMED into this Wednesday exercise:

Across

1. Brigantine's pair : MASTS - How'd they get that ship in there?

6. Necklace globule : BEAD

10. Touch gently : PAT

13. Sneezing sound : ACHOO - Response - Gesund (healthy) heit (hood) to wish good health

14. Grade for exceptional work : A-PLUS 

16. "Gross!" : UGH

19. Links figure : PAR - PAR for pros is usually one less than for me

20. Trek on a trail : HIKE - Wanna hike up Half Dome in Yosemite? Here's the trail:

21. Lots : A TON

22. Martini garnish : OLIVE

24. Keats' "__ on Indolence" : ODE - For this ODE to his own laziness, Keats used as an epigraph this passage from Matthew 26: "They toil not, neither do they spin" and we also had 56. Like noble gases : INERT

27. Verbal : ORAL

29. Former "Inside the NFL" host Dawson : LEN

30. Correctional : PENAL - Nebraska's PENAL system is at 150% of capacity

32. Issuer of bulls : POPE - Named for the leaden seal (bulla) affixed to the bottom of a Papal edict, uh, not the content

35. Bridge support : ARCH - For some reason the ARCHES shown here gave this bridge in Memphis the nickname "The Dolly Parton Bridge." Hmmm... It's a mystery to me

42. Trail : PATH

43. Sports figures : ODDS

44. __ fit: tantrum : HISSY

45. Tie-ending qtrs. : OTS - James White scoring the TD that decided the 2017 Super Bowl which was the first one to go into OverTime

47. Boot : KICK - The Falcons were KICKING themselves for letting the the Super Bowl above get away from them

54. Letter after upsilon : PHI

57. "Spider-Man: Homecoming" actress Marisa : TOMEI - She is a fine actress but she'll always be Mona Lisa Vito, the car expert in My Cousin Vinny to me

58. Je t'__: French "I love you" : AIME 

59. Cookware material : IRON 

60. Bygone U.K. record label : EMI

64. Suitable : APT

65. Comic/writer/activist Izzard : EDDIE - A British comedian known for dressing as a woman in his act

66. Solitary sort : LONER - I am an involuntary  LONER when eating lunch in faculty lounges

67. Ed.'s acquisitions : MSS - Manuscripts 

68. Italian wine region : ASTI

69. Latin clarifier : ID EST  - i.e. This might, uh, clarify the issue, i.e. explain the difference  

Down

1. Virile : MACHO - Many in this sport have their MACHO image enhanced pharmacologically 

2. Bitterly pungent : ACRID

3. Seal the deal : SHAKE ON IT - It can be complicated

4. Heavy reading? : TOME

5. Signal of distress : SOS - This became standard after the sinking of the Titanic and replaced CQD (Come Quickly Danger) (-.-.  --.-  -..)  which the doomed ship was sending as she sank

6. Moisten while roasting : BASTE

7. __ salts : EPSOM

8. Dress named for a letter : A-LINE

9. Electronic music's Daft Punk, e.g. : DUO and 47. Film critic Pauline : KAEL- I guess...

10. Dilation target : PUPIL - My good friend had this situation with his eyes

11. Tequila source : AGAVE

12. Red billiard ball : THREE - Its correct placement in the rack for 8-Ball

15. [Bo-ring!] : SNORE

18. Rank between marquis and viscount : EARL

23. __ fringe: fanatical extremists : LUNATIC

25. Colombian city : CALI

26. __ cheese : BLEU - Not a fan

28. Make emphatically, as a point : RAM HOME - I think this RAM made his point emphatically 

30. Angel dust, for short : PCP

31. Significant stretch : ERA

32. Sketchbook, e.g. : PAD

33. __ Navy: discount retailer : OLD

34. Comfy lounging wear : PJS - After one of my blogs i got an anonymous note from someone who said I put commas where they are not required. So, would PJ'S be out of place here or here 37. IV units : CCS - CC'S

36. Like aggressive investments : RISK PRONE - "Hello, Mr. Madoff, I'd like my money back"

38. "Listen up!" : HEY

40. Body part with a bridge : NOSE - You can alter that bridge

41. It's just over a foot : SHIN

46. __-baked potatoes : TWICE

48. Third-stringers : C-TEAM - Most would now say "Third on the depth chart"

49. Escapades : ROMPS

50. Passes over : OMITS - Why did Jacob omit CRY ME A RIVER? 😉

51. Praises highly : LAUDS

52. Maximum : LIMIT

53. Macao Science Center designer : I.M. PEI - Wow!

55. Sharpens : HONES

59. Polo maker that's a Polo rival : IZOD

62. Nutritional abbr. : RDA

63. Philanthropist Broad : ELI - A little obscure for a Wednesday?

It's no CRIME to have an opinion here:

Tuesday, December 20, 2016 Jacob Stulberg

Theme: It ain't over till it's over - The sharing of the same word by the four longest entries.

17A. Began without hesitation: DOVE RIGHT IN

27A. Was heedless behind the wheel: DROVE RECKLESSLY

43A. Mentioned earlier: ABOVE REFERENCED

57A. Unseemly disclosure of personal details ... as seen in 17-, 27- and 43-Across?: OVERSHARING

Argyle here. I'm afraid I tried to overthink this puzzle. Just the word OVER repeated and somewhat placed over each other. If you see more, please share.

Across:

1. Prepare for a bodybuilding competition: OIL UP. If you missed seeing LATS yesterday, I'll give you oiled-up lats today.

6. Online discussion venue: FORUM

11. Freon or neon: GAS

14. Capital of Bangladesh: DHAKA. More.

15. Maureen known as Hollywood's "Queen of Technicolor": O'HARA. Nice Bio.

16. LP's 33 1/3: RPM. or RsPM, if you care.

19. Copy: APE

20. Place for a massage: SPA

21. Texas A&M athlete: AGGIE. Formerly named The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (1871–1963), hence the Aggies.

22. Disney's Little Mermaid: ARIEL

24. Take from the top: REDO

26. Without a musical key: ATONAL

32. Seal-hunting swimmers: ORCAs

33. Actor Ving of "Pulp Fiction": RHAMES. Gangster Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames)

34. Scolding sound: {TSK!}

35. Showers or drizzles: RAINS

36. Small amount: DAB

39. Irish playwright Sean: O'CASEY."It's my rule never to lose me temper till it would be detrimental to keep it."

41. Low card: DEUCE and 37D. Card that may be high or low: ACE

47. Unruffled: SERENE

48. Run __: go wild: AMOK

49. Careful types take them: PAINS

50. Bring about: CAUSE

53. Showy accessory: BOA

56. Previous to, to Dickinson: ERE. Emily Dickinson, poet.

60. Inmate: CON

61. Amusement park thrills: RIDES

62. Nick of "Cape Fear": NOLTE. Cape Fear, the psychological thriller film from 1962 was remade in 1991 with Nick Nolte as Sam Bowden, the Gregory Peck role.

63. Explosive letters: TNT

64. Makeup mishap: SMEAR

65. Recital pieces: SOLOs

Down:

1. Gambler's concern: ODDS

2. "Eat up every moment" breakfast chain: IHOP

3. Geological Hawaiian souvenir: LAVA ROCK

+

4. Musical Hawaiian souvenir: UKE

5. Mardi Gras events: PARADES

6. "Around the World ... " hero Phileas: FOGG

7. "Well, howdy": "OH, HI"

8. Mortgage figure: RATE

9. Sch. with a Providence campus: URI. (University of Rhode Island, again) Motto: Think Big. We Do.

10. Sea cow: MANATEE. Marine mammal.

11. Bits of sand: GRAINS. “Like sands through the hourglass...."

12. Losing lawyer's recourse: APPEAL

13. Like Limburger cheese: SMELLY

18. Composer Stravinsky: IGOR, conducting a snippet of "The Firebird".

23. Flag maker Betsy: ROSS

25. A Gabor sister: EVA. Zsa Zsa died Sunday just shy of 100 years old ~ TMZ

26. Gift for the poor: ALMS

27. Web address part: DOT. A tittle, if you will.

28. Cos. with Xings: RRs. Cos. means companies? Wiki says yes.

29. Wipe out: ERASE

30. Tribal leader: CHIEF

31. Rapper West: KANYE. Kanye Omari West

35. Prized by collectors: RARE

36. Platypus feature: DUCKBILL. If you thought the manatee looked odd...

38. Place to retire: BED

39. Baking spot: OVEN

40. Keeps from being blue?: CENSORS. Cute clue.

41. Humbles: DEMEANS

42. Brian of ambient music: ENO

43. Characteristic: ASPECT

44. Affect: BEAR ON

45. Prepare, as new students: ORIENT

46. Like too-quick decisions: RASH

50. Surrender: CEDE

51. Neighborhood: AREA

52. KGB country: USSR

54. Clued in about: ON TO

55. Grows older: AGES

58. Vigor's partner: VIM. Vim and vigor, crudely known as p*ss and vinegar.

59. Outback hopper, for short: ROO. If you watched the video, you know they are related to the platypuses.

Argyle

Thursday, October 20th 2016 Jacob Stulberg

Theme: V-oice Exercise: A vowel progression on "V". I shared a flat with two drama students in London many moons ago, and they would trill their vowel progression voice exercises over breakfast: "Mah-may-mee-my-mow-moo-mah" or in this case "Va-Veh-Vih-Voe-Vuh". Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders were in the same class; Jennifer's boyfriend owned the house we were renting. What's that got to do with the price of gas? Not a whole lot, let's get back on track.

18A. Personal guide : VALUE SYSTEM. Not Nordstrom shopper?

24A. Shoe fastener : VELCRO STRIP. My bike cleats have these. Handy.

38A. Historic Manhattan jazz club : VILLAGE VANGUARD. Crosses all the way for me. The club opened in Greenwich Village in 1935 and became an all-jazz venue in 1975.

48A. Cloud above a peak : VOLCANIC ASH. One of those tricky-to-parse entries. I had "CASH" in place at the end, and once you see something like that, it's tough to un-see it.

58A. Source of the Romance languages : VULGAR LATIN. Or what is inscribed on the walls of Roman public bathrooms? We studied Latin poetry at school; let me tell you, some of the stanzas from Catullus and Martial would make your hair curl. Google at your peril.

Solid Thursday from Jacob; minor gripe is that VANGUARD repeats the first vowel progression and doesn't form part of the theme, although it's part of a theme entry. Minor, but a gripe.

Let's see what else we've got:

Across:   

1. One of a pair in "Waiting for Godot" : ACT. Not "tramp" or derivative thereof - nice cluing. I once saw a production of "Godot" where Vladimir and Estragon were both in grecian urns with only their heads visible. It's not exactly the most exciting play, and this static staging was curious to say the least.

4. __ ray : COSMIC

10. Where rds. meet : JCTS. Roads/Junctions. How about some Tuxedo Junction?

14. Frat address : BRO. bluto@deltatauchi.bro? Maybe not that kind of address.

15. Iris ring : AREOLA. I'm going to sit back and wait for the picture links in the comments.

16. Obama's birthplace : OAHU

17. Basic resting place : COT. Basic Training. Barracks. Cot. Basic it might have been, but very welcome.

20. Start of "A Visit From St. Nicholas" : 'TWAS the night before Christmas ...

22. Common base : TEN. We geeks also have binary, octal and hexadecimal in our bag of bases.

23. "Joke's on you!" : HA HA!

27. Animal's gullet : MAW

30. "To see __ is a picture": Dickinson : HER

31. Make subservient : ENSLAVE

33. Nincompoop : BOOB. Snigger. With 15A. Snigger.

35. "Biggest Little City in the World" : RENO

37. Next Dodger after Fernando to win the Cy Young Award : OREL. If Clayton Kershaw keeps it up, he's going to be the next Cy Young winner.

41. Ancient Icelandic text : EDDA

42. Birthstone for some Scorpios : OPAL

43. Bavarian count opener : EINS, zwei, drei ...

44. Pose anew, as a question : REFRAME

46. Hosp. areas : E.R.S

47. Put away : ATE

54. Hideout : LAIR

56. Crude shelter : HUT

57. Thing on a string : KITE

62. Sound after a punch : OOF!

63. How some games are won, briefly : IN O.T.

64. Dawn goddess : AURORA

65. Aflame : LIT

66. Cuts : MOWS. All sing along: "One man went to mow, went to mow a meadow, one man and his dog went to mow a meadow. Two men went to mow, went to mow a meadow, two men one man and his dog, Spot, went to mow a meadow. Three men went to mow ... " Continue ad nauseam.

When I used to go to Stamford Bridge in London in the '70s to watch my soccer club Chelsea, prior to kick-off the pitch would be given the once-over with the mower, Zamboni-style, and the crowd would serenade the mower guy up and down the pitch. He usually finished around "Twenty-three men went to mow". We were easily amused in those halcyon days. You want an ear worm? Here you go!

67. Shows disapproval, in a way : HISSES

68. Far from friendly : ICY

Down:

1. "How to Get Away With Murder" airer : ABC TV

2. Actor Russell : CROWE

3. Whole : TOTAL

4. Member of the reigning NBA champs : CAV. This clue breaks the "time-independent" convention for crosswords. If I came to solve this puzzle next year, there's no guarantee this clue/answer would be correct.

5. Big talker : ORATOR

6. Graf rival : SELES. Steffi and Monica of 90's professional tennis.

7. See 12-Down : MOUNT. Cross-referential angst for some.

8. The Seine's __ Saint-Germain : ÎLE. The city's' foremost professional soccer team is Paris Saint-Germain, which gives English-speaking commentators a crisis of pronunciation. Do you say "Paree" or "Paris"? You can't say "Parriss Saint Jerman", that sounds all wrong, "Parriss San-Germanne" is a curious hybrid and the correct "Paree San-Germanne" seems peculiar when you've been calling the city "Paris" all night. I'd stick to "PSG", but it's fun to listen to the manglings on TV.

9. Use to one's advantage : CASH IN ON

10. Tease : JOSH

11. Regatta racer : CATAMARAN

12. With 7-Down, sermon site : THE

13. (In) brief : SUM

19. Prattles : YAPS

21. Gentleman, at times? : SCHOLAR. Not always.

25. Sitcom that starred a singer : REBA

26. Kidney-related : RENAL

28. States as fact : AVERS

29. Join with heat : WELD

32. Comedian who said, "I have a lot of beliefs, and I live by none of 'em" : LOUIS C.K. Never heard of him, so had to look up how to parse the name. Crosses all the way for me. His real name is Louis Székely.

33. Lavatory fixture : BIDET. The first time I saw one I thought it was for washing your socks.

34. Chap : OLD FELLOW

35. Turn off : REPEL

36. Green of "Penny Dreadful" : EVA. Thank you, crosses. BBC America "psychological thriller" series, apparently. Here's Ms. Green looking appropriately deep and disturbed:

38. Designer Wang : VERA

39. Scene of biblical destruction : GOMORRAH. Twin city of Begorrah, Ireland. No, wait ...

40. Spice Girl Halliwell : GERI

45. Nike competitor : AVIA. I had ASIC first, forgetting the final "S".

46. Whole : ENTIRE

49. Blackens : CHARS

50. Jaguars, for instance : AUTOS. Funny, I'm much more likely to think of German cars as "autos" rather than British ones. Automobiles, maybe.

51. Garlicky spread : AIOLI

52. Unlikely to come unglued : STOIC

53. Big name in the bags aisle : HEFTY. Was looking for purses at first. Louis Vuitton didn't fit, Coach didn't work with my crosses, then I was struggling. Ah, trash!

55. Fed. employees : AGTS

58. Energetic spirit : VIM. Usually partnered with "Vigor". A tennis doubles duo you don't want to come up against.

59. Game with wild cards : UNO. Never played it. Anyone know the rules?

60. Him, to Henri : LUI

61. "A Queens Story" rapper : NAS. Slowly but surely this is taking root in my crossword brain.

Alrighty then! Heeere's the grid! My work here is done.

Steve