Monday May 23, 2022 Jake Halperin

 

Theme: Three-peat

 17. Admonition to an Egyptian boy king?: TUT TUT TUT.

 29. Pothole filler made from fish-and-chips sauce?: TARTAR TAR.

 46. Say farewell to a Dickens character?: PIP PIP PIP.

 62. Is able to do high kicks in a chorus line?: CAN CANCAN.

Boomer here. Monday trot for Tom & his TomTom.

GRR, GRR, GRR,- Waiting impatiently for my shoulder surgery, now scheduled for next Tuesday May 31. I wish all of you a happy Memorial Day a week from today.

Across:

1. Dinner with donors: GALA.  Do you pronounce this GAYLA or GAHLA ?

5. Mardi Gras wear: MASK.  COVID is not over.  We still wear ours in stores, church, and required at the VA Medical center.

9. Britcom with Eddie and Patsy, for short: AB FAB.

 

14. Minnesota representative Ilhan: OMAR.  Yes and I am not in favor of her. Our District Rep is Dean Phillips.  His father was killed in Vietnam and his grandmother was Abigail Van Buren whom you may remember as Dear Abby.

15. Not pro: ANTI.

16. Gibbs of "The Jeffersons": MARLA.

19. Helps out illegally: ABETS.  I usually make ABETS or more at the craps table.

20. Ending for "Black," "Mixed," and "Grown," in sitcom names: ISH.  Or what you might say after eating rotten tomatoes.

21. Olfactory assault: STENCH.  I smell something.

23. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" star Michelle: YEOH.

24. Conical shelter: TEEPEE.  Many Native Americans in Minnesota still live in these.

26. "Which of the two will it be?": A OR B. I'll take C.

28. Shepherd's tool: ROD.  Twins retired infielder Carew.

34. Was sure about: KNEW.  I KNEW it because I saw him play.

36. Chatter away: GAB.

37. Amnesiac's query: WHO AM I?

38. Secret language: CODE.

39. "Becoming" memoirist Michelle: OBAMA.  A really kind first lady.

41. Uno, dos, __: TRES.  Quadro, Cinco, etc.

42. Reversals: U-TURNS.  I hate them but the roads around Mall of America are so screwed up, we had to make one to get into the parking lot.

44. "Succession" actor Brian: COX.  I only remember Wally.

45. Hit the horn: HONK.  If you park at Mall of America.

48. Thus far: YET.

49. Aspire laptop maker: ACER.

50. Alternative to Alpine, in skiing: NORDIC.  All of our ski slopes are closed.  You may want to check up in International Falls.  I think they had temps in the 20s last week.

53. Current options: AC DC.  Also a rock band from Australia.  We only have AC in our home.  If we need DC, we use batteries,

56. Enjoyed, as a lollipop: LICKED.  Or an ice cream cone.

59. WNW's opposite: ESE.

60. Plumbing issues: LEAKS.

64. TV spot seller: AD REP.  I get tired of these ads.

65. "Black Panther" villain Killmonger: ERIK.

66. Pinochle-like card game: SKAT.

67. Far from posh: SEEDY.  C.C.  made a nice flower garden in front of our home.  But some SEEDY squirrels destroyed some tulips! 

68. Gels: SETS.

69. Inquires: ASKS.  No one ever ASKS me anything.  They just TELL me.

Down:

1. "Duly noted": GOT IT. Sometimes you have to get the Across words before you GET IT Down.

2. Cause to chuckle: AMUSE.  COVID has cancelled the Graybar reunion in Las Vegas for two years so My Cause to Chuckle performance will have to wait.

 

3. Sudsy: LATHERED UP.

4. Class with easels: ART.  Garfunkel or Linkletter.

5. Like low-shine lipstick: MATTE.  Ugly paint.

6. Get the poker pot going: ANTE.  At the caddy shack in the 60s, a nickel got me in.

7. Leave speechless: STUN.

8. Vehicle that's built after it's bought: KIT CAR.  I only buy cars that are already put together.

9. Doc's org.: AMA.

10. Brand-new sibling, perhaps: BABY BROTHER.  Never had one, but three of the other kind and they all left for California years ago. 

11. On the house: FREE. If you entered ROOF, try again.

12. Palo __, California: ALTO.  Nope, my sisters are all in or near San Francisco. My older sister bought a home in the 1960s near Haight Ashbury for about 60 grand and now turns down offers over two million!  

13. Big celebration: BASH.

18. Didn't waste: USED.  My golf clubs are not being used this summer.  Darn spinal cord.

22. Hair removal substance: HOT WAX.  Not on me.  I used chemo therapy.

25. Like energy bars, in adspeak: POWER-PACKED.

27. "Go team!": RAH.  Just one RAH ???

29. Bar bill: TAB.  I used to have a small one after leaving work.  No more.

30. Mechanical arithmetic aids: ABACI.

31. Card sets sold in New Age shops: TAROT DECKS.  Never played it.

32. Prayer ending: AMEN.  But deliver us from evil. ----

33. Expose to danger: RISK.  A great board game.

34. Single-serve coffee pod: K CUP.  Not a bra.

35. Words of denial: NOT I.  Me neither

36. Mass communication?: GOSPEL.  Always a very long one on Palm Sunday.

40. Floor-washing tool: MOP.

43. Actor Cage, casually: NIC.

47. Comparison shopper's data: PRICES.  Inflation is skyrocketing.

48. Green Jedi with his own grammar: YODA.

50. Parts of mandolins: NECKS.  A happening at night at Eloise Butlers Flower Gardens in Minneapolis.

51. "Wicked Game" singer Chris: ISAAK.

52. Euro fractions: CENTS.

53. Woeful word: ALAS.  Not one of the four letter words that I use.

54. Formally transfer: CEDE.

55. Truth or __: DARE.  DARE to be great!

57. "Ask me if I __!": CARE.  Of course I do.

58. Make mittens, say: KNIT.

61. Secret agent: SPY. Also stock symbol for Standard & Poors 500 index.

63. Hush-hush org.: NSA.

Boomer

Tuesday, December 22, 2020 Jake Halperin

There's Nothing to See Here!  The first word of each theme answer is another word for Nothing.

17-Across. "Quiet!": ZIP YOUR LIP.

27-Across. Sinful financial craving: LOVE OF MONEY.  Why Love means nothing in tennis.  Tennis is also a game that has been lethal to royalty.

36-Across. English national anthem originally in French: O CANADA.  Hi, CanadianEh!

46-Across. Exercise involving a push-up position: SQUAT THRUST.

And the unifier:

60-Across. "Just a scratch, really" ... and a hint to the starts of 17-, 27-, 36- and 46-Across: IT'S NOTHING.

Across:

1. Jobs for plumbers: LEAKS.

6. Protein-rich vegan fare: TOFU.

10. "Warts and all" wart: FLAW.

14. Written so as to discourage erasure: IN PEN.  Hand up if your first thought was In Ink.

15. Library ID: ISBN.  This stands for International Standard Book Number.  The ISBN deciphered.

16. Witness' promise: OATH.

19. Pre-performance pitch-setting wind: OBOE.  Did you ever wonder why the Oboe is used to tune the Orchestra?

20. Bible man made from earth: ADAM.  From dust to dust ...

21. "The Matrix" hero: NEO.  The Matrix was a 1999 movie that starred Keanu Reeves (né Keanu Charles Reeves; b. Sept. 2, 1964) as Neo.

22. Chipmunk, e.g.: RODENT.  They are cute little critters.  Everything you wanted to know about Chipmunks, but didn't know to ask.

24. State-sponsored gambling game: LOTTO.

26. Play-calling gatherings: HUDDLES.  Think fútbol, American style.

Geaux Tigers!

29. Ballpark hooter: BOOER.  Meh!

30. Iron mine output: ORE.  A crossword staple.

31. Bacon go-with: EGGS.

35. Form W-2 org.: IRS.  The infamous Internal Revenue Service.

40. Half of dos: UNO.  Today's Italian lesson.

41. Belle's counterpart: BEAU.

43. Fútbol cheer: OLÉ.  The game Americans call Soccer.

44. Clarifying words: I, MEAN.

50. Bigwigs: TOP GUNS.  Top Gun was a 1986 movie about students at the United States Navy elite fighter weapons school competing to be the best in their class.

53. "It __ stopped me yet!": HASN'T.

54. Past the pain of a breakup, say: OVER IT.

55. Have something: AIL.

56. Stop-motion medium: CLAY.  Stop-motion is also known as Claymation.

59. Humans-on-the-moon org.: NASA.  As in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.  Hi, Gary!

63. Wrinkle remover: IRON.  Ironing in the age of Zoom.

64. Hammer target: NAIL.

65. Simple question type: YES / NO.

66. Skin concern: CYST.

67. Like a cloudy day: GRAY.  We have been having a lot of gloomy and gray days recently.

68. Pencil maze word: ENTER.  Sometimes the word Enter is just implied.

Down:
1. Minnelli of "Cabaret": LIZA.  Liza Minnelli (née Liza May Minnelli; b. Mar. 12, 1946) is the daughter of Judy Garland.

2. Katelyn Nacon's role on "The Walking Dead": ENID.  I have never seen The Walking Dead, and am not familiar with Katelyn Nacon (Katelyn May Nacon; b. June 11, 1999).

3. Horse with a spotted coat: APPALOOSA.  Apparently they come in all sorts of spotted patterns.

4. Decision that clinches the victory: KEY MOVE.

5. __-Caps: candy: SNO.  Yummers!

6. Lose interest in: TIRE OF.

7. Scandinavian capital: OSLO.  Alfred Nobel (Oct. 21, 1833 ~ Dec. 10, 1896) was Swedish, so why is the Nobel Peace Prize awarded in Oslo, Norway and not Stockholm, Sweden where all the other Nobel Prizes are given out?

8. "The Blacklist" agcy.: FBI.  As in the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The Blacklist is a television series starring James Spader (b. Feb. 7, 1960) and Megan Boone (b. Apr. 29, 1983).  The show has been running since 2013.

9. Not cut back, as branches: UNPRUNED.

10. Edible coloring: FOOD DYE.

11. Nutrition info spot: LABEL.  How to decipher the Nutrition label.

12. Make restitution: ATONE.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

13. Arouses: WHETS.

18. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO.  Words in the Golden Rule.  The major religions of the world have a version of the Golden Rule.

23. Emotional poem: ODE.

25. Choreographer Saarinen: TERO.  The only Saarinens I am familiar with are the father (Elie) and son  (Eero) architects, who often make guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  I don't believe that Tero Saarinen (b. Sept. 7, 1964) is related to the architects.

26. "Hava Nagila" dance: HORA.  Let us rejoice!

27. Passed-on stories: LORE.

28. Painter Claude: MONET.  Claude Monet (né Oscar-Claude Monet; Nov. 14, 1840 ~ Dec. 5, 1926) is sometimes referred to as the Father of Impressionist Painting.  He is probably best known for his series of Water Lilies from his home in Giverny, France.

29. Highchair wear: BIB.

32. Party attendees lineup: GUEST LIST.

33. Irksome insect: GNAT.  Here are a few different types of Gnats.

34. Luke, to Anakin: SON.  A reference to the Star Wars movies.

37. Relying (on): COUNTING.

38. Hooray antonym: ALAS.

39. Goes public with: AIRS.

42. R.E. Lee foe: U.S. GRANT.  As we have previously noted, Ulysses S Grant's given name was Hiram Ulysses Grant (Apr. 27, 1822 ~ July 23, 1885).

45. Third-largest German city, to Germans: MÜNCHEN.  Today's German lesson.  The city was founded by Benedictine monks, hence, the name is derived from Old High German meaning "by the monks' place."

47. Who, in Quebec: QUI.  Today's French lesson.c

48. How carpaccio is sliced: THINLY.  Carpaccio is thinly sliced meat or fish that is generally served raw.  You, too, can make carpaccio.

49. Angelic aura: HALO.

50. Vodka mixer: TONIC.

51. Seed-bearing organ: OVARY.

52. Cuban coins: PESOS.

55. Where Israel is: ASIA.  Sometimes when you go to a restaraunt in Israel, they will tell you they serve Asian food.  What you will get is what we consider middle-eastern food.

57. Diarist Frank: ANNE.  Annelies Marie Frank (June 12, 1929 ~ Feb. 1945) was a Holocaust victim.

58. "Son of Frankenstein" role: YGOR.  Ygor was played by Boris Lugosi in the 1939 movie.

61. Sailor: TAR.  Sailors have been referred to as Tars since at least the 1660s.  It may derive from the word Tarpaulin, which was a cloth covered in tar to make it waterproof.

62. Nautical rope: TYE.  Hi, Spitzboov.  I'll let you explain this word.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Wednesday, September 16, 2020, Jake Halperin

Theme: And the award goes to ...

17. John McClane in "Die Hard," e.g.: ONE MAN ARMY.

28. Promise not to prosecute: GRANT IMMUNITY.

43. "The Jungle" author: UPTON SINCLAIR.

55. What an X may mean: ADULTS ONLY.

And the reveal ...

64. Showbiz "grand slam" comprising the awards found in the circled letters: EGOT.

This required some serious thinking to construct. I did not remember the term, but the reveal clue made it clear what would be hiding in the circles. 

EGOT, an acronym for the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards, is the designation given to people who have won all four awards. Respectively, these awards honor outstanding achievements in television, recording, film, and theatre. Achieving the EGOT has been referred to as the "grand slam" of show business.  All 16 EGOT Winners. 

Across:

1. "We'll tak __ o' kindness yet": Burns: A CUP. Interesting history of the Robert Burns song. Surprising the closing scene from It's a Wonderful Life is not listed in the section "Use in films," as it's what comes to mind for me every time I hear it. In the film they sing "We'll drink a cup [...]." "Tak" is from Burns's original Scottish lyrics (see link above).

5. Made, as a tunnel: DUG. 

8. "Oh, no you __!": DIDN'T.

13. Item inspected with a flashlight, perhaps: FUSE. Nice clue.

14. Commute but not pollute: BIKE. Strange phrasing, seems like it should be "Commute without polluting."

15. "We're broadcasting" sign: ON AIR. Shhhhh!

16. Remaining: LEFT.

19. Have something: AIL.

20. Ont. neighbor: QUE.

21. Lips sound: SMACK.

22. B sharp equivalent: C NATURAL.

25. Weapon that stuns: PHASER.

30. Peeper: EYE.

31. RSVP facilitator: SASE. Self-addressed, stamped envelope. My non-profit receives a lot of these from prisoners requesting information. Saves us lots of postage.

32. Junk __: DNA. What is junk DNA?

33. The Game of Life pieces: PEGS. See the little pegs that go into the cars?

36. Wreck room?: STY. Fun clue.

37. Rely (on) for support: LEAN.

38. Kitchen tool brand: OXO.

39. "You got it": SURE.

41. Brown or pale order: ALE.

47. Friend of Natalie, Jo and Blair on "The Facts of Life": TOOTIE.

48. Indication of a Realtor's success: SOLD SIGN. It is a seller's market, at least in CA right now. My daughter and SIL had nearly 30 showings of their home in Clovis a day and a half, and received 8+ offers all over asking price. They're moving to Arizona before the end of the year. 

51. Put back in the hot oil: REFRY.

53. Article in the L.A. Times?: LOS. Nice. In English there are three articles, a, an, and the. Los is Spanish for the.

54. Email address part: DOT. As in, blogger dot com.

58. Sea level shift: TIDE.  Caused by the gravitational pull of the moon as it orbits the earth.

59. Con artist's asset: GUILE.

60. Speaker's spot: DAIS. What is the difference between podium, lectern, and dais?

61. Homey lodgings: INNS.

62. Don Josè in "Carmen," e.g.: TENOR.

63. Vote of agreement: AYE.

Down:

1. Allstate competitor: AFLAC. Just one area of overlap though - Allstate offers auto, renter's, home, motorcycle and life insurance, while AFLAC offers supplemental health and life insurance.

2. Bring up to speed: CUE IN. Usually hear clue in.

3. Govt. building flier: US FLAG.

4. Vet's patient: PET.

5. Enjoy, as a restaurant: DINE AT.

6. Monroe plays one in "Some Like It Hot": UKE.

7. Birthstones, say: GEMS.

8. Daytime talk pioneer: DONAHUE.

9. Like much beer: IN A CAN. Did you know there is such a thing as a whole chicken in a can? Not even if I were starving. (See here for taste test.)

10. Seductive aspect of the Force: DARK SIDE.

11. Strategic math game: NIM. How to play Nim.

12. Sample: TRY.

14. Ludlum spy Jason: BOURNE. Robert Ludlum wrote the popular series.

18. 24-hr. stores next to many BP stations: AMPMS. 

20. Wharf: QUAY.

23. Half of seis: TRES. Pretty common crossword clue. Spanish numbers: seis = six; TRES = three.

24. Does as told: LISTENS. I was looking for something like obeys.

26. Sicilian smoker: ETNA. Volcano in Italy.

27. Seacrest of morning talk: RYAN.

29. Mother's Day month: MAY.

33. Annoyed look: POUT. 

34. Trade show: EXPO.

35. Totally collapse: GO TO RUIN.

36. Hindu title: SRI.

37. Island garlands: LEIS.

39. Short-stemmed brandy glass: SNIFTER.

40. App buyers: USERS.

41. White gold et al.: ALLOYS.

42. Glasgow guys: LADS.

44. Verdi's penultimate opera: OTELLO. Based on Shakespeare's Othello.

45. Lassie, for one: COLLIE.

46. Emulating cavalry members: RIDING.

49. "That's awful!": GOD NO.

50. A-bomb tryout: N TEST.

52. Movie guru with his own grammar: YODA. Talk like others, I don't!

55. Sports rep.: AGT.

56. To be paid: DUE.

57. Vote of disagreement: NAY.

58. Game no one wins: TIE.