Tuesday, August 7, 2018 Jake Halperin

"Break a Leg"

17. Rare baseball event: TRIPLE PLAY.

24. Antiterrorism legislation of 2001: PATRIOT ACT.

37. Nightlife sphere of activity: CLUB SCENE.

53. Race terminus: FINISH LINE.

62. Theater direction ... and a hint to 17-, 24-, 37- and 53-Across: STAGE RIGHT.

Hmm...

What about.... 65. Actor's part: ROLE ?    Shouldn't this have been part of the theme, and included in 62A ?   Or perhaps edited out ?

I don't know.  I only have a "bit part" to play in this production.  Let's "chew the scenery" while you think about it.

Across:

1. Knock for a loop: AMAZE.

6. "The jig __!": IS UP.

10. Wing measurement: SPAN.

14. The "N" of USNA: NAVAL.   Unites States Naval Academy.   Brief History

15. Beer-brewing mixture: MASH.

16. Taper off: WANE.

19. 28-Across (ONE), in German: EINS. In München steht ein Hofbräuhaus: Eins, zwei, g'suffa!


20. Troubling Nixon records: TAPES.

21. Supermarket walkways: AISLES.

23. Falafel bread: PITA.

28. Single: ONE.

29. Double-helix molecule: DNA.

30. Slake, as thirst: QUENCH.

31. Hardly current: PASSE.  Slake seems hardly current.

33. Bridges of Netflix's "Bloodline": BEAU.

36. Snob's "in the air" body part: NOSE.

40. "That sounds painful": OUCH.  Clecho at 40D.   Thought I broke bones when my footing gave way last Thursday.  Managed to land prone, but my legs didn't clear the scalloped concrete landscape edging.  Large bone contusions on my left femur (golf ball sized) and right tibia (half of a tennis ball) kept me off my legs until Saturday. 

43. Brussels-based defense gp.: NATO.

44. Clear data from: ERASE.

48. Like a damaged atmospheric layer: OZONIC.

50. Letter after pi: RHO.

52. World Series org.: MLB. Major League Baseball.

Full 2018 MLB Predictions at FiveThirtyEight.com

56. Smear, as paint: DAUB.

57. Narrow waterway: STRAIT.

58. Coins of 59-Down: RIALS.

60. All-encompassing: A TO Z.

66. Narrate: TELL.

67. Celebrated chef Ducasse: ALAIN.  I had to read the Wikipedia article on him. That should help the next time his name appears in a puzzle.

68. Intuit: FEEL.

69. Canadian gas brand: ESSO.

70. Big Apple 52-Acr. player: NY MET.

Down:

1. Colony insect: ANT.

2. Tennis great Navratilova: MARTINA.

3. Takes to the skies: AVIATES.  Dudley does this !

4. Frank of avant-garde rock: ZAPPA.

5. Magazine with the column "Ask E. Jean": ELLE.

6. Little devil: IMP.

7. Dinner course, to Heinrich: SALAT.  Recipes for Authentic German Salads

8. TWA rival: US AIR.

9. Body structure: PHYSIQUE.

10. Equal or Splenda: SWEETENER.

11. Italian pal: PAISANO.

12. "Bel Canto" novelist Patchett: ANN.  I had to read the Wikipedia article on her. And the one about the book.  That should help the next time her name appears in a puzzle.

13. Video game letters: NES.  Nintendo Entertainment System

18. Little League broadcaster: ESPN.  One of many amateur and professional sports programs broadcast by the "Worldwide leader in Sports."   ESPN.com is their online portal.

Wilbur Charles, to atone for my July 24th embedding the video of Aaron Boone of the Yankees hitting the dramatic 2003 Game 7 ALCS walk-off home run that eliminated the Boston Red Sox, I offer the following ESPN.com article link:  This just might be the best Red Sox team ... ever 

22. Singer Rawls: LOU.

23. Jack-in-the-box sound: POP !  goes the weasel.

25. Limerick's rhyme scheme: AABBA.

26. Emails a dupe to: CCs. The electronic carbon copy.  And a CSO to our Blog Leader !

27. First word of numerous Grisham titles: THE.   I'd say so.   The list:

1. 1991 - "The Firm"
2. 1992 - "The Pelican Brief"
3. 1993 - "The Client"
4. 1994 - "The Chamber"
5. 1995 - "The Rainmaker"
6. 1996 - "The Runaway Jury"
7. 1997 - "The Partner"
8. 1998 - "The Street Lawyer"
9. 1999 - "The Testament"
10. 2000 - "The Brethren"
11. 2002 - "The Summons"
12. 2003 - "The King of Torts"
13. 2004 - "The Last Juror"
14. 2005 - "The Broker"
15. 2006 - "The Innocent Man"
16. 2008 - "The Appeal"
17. 2009 - "The Associate"
18. 2010 - "The Confession"
19. 2011 - "The Litigators"
20. 2012 - "The Racketeer"
21. 2016 - "The Whistler"

Miller, Erin Collazo. "The Complete John Grisham Book List." ThoughtCo, Jun. 27, 2018, thoughtco.com/john-grisham-book-list-362085.

29. Md. neighbor: DEL.  Regular reader Bluehen hails from the state with the fastest Internet speeds in the country,  no sales taxes, and according to Kiplinger ratings,  the top state for retirees in terms of economy, crime, demographics, and overall tax rates.

The Delaware River and the Delaware Bay both predate the name of the state. In 1610, English naval officer Samuel Argall named the bodies of water after the governor of Virginia, Thomas West, the 12th Baron De La Warr.

25 Delightful Facts About Delaware 

Use the + - buttons to zoom in and out.  


32. German veal dish: SCHNITZEL.  Wiener Schnitzel,  Kartoffelsalat und Bier !

34. Approximate fig.: EST.

35. Oak-to-be: ACORN.

38. Not pure: UNCHASTE.

39. Opposite of paleo-: NEO.

40. "That sounds painful": OOF.  The sound of the air expelled from my lungs when I fell.  The good news is that the house is almost done.   A couple of small sections of wall and the trim paint on the windows remain.

41. Action film weapon: UZI.

42. Bring comfort to: CONSOLE.

45. Composite dental filling material: AMALGAM.  There are safer choices.

46. Flavored icy drink: SLUSHIE.

47. Recede, as a tide: EBB.

49. Syr. neighbor: ISR.

51. Often hyperlinked word: HERE.

54. Low-cal beers: LITES.

55. Tilted type: Abbr.: ITALS.

56. Newspaper frequency: DAILY.

59. Tehran's land: IRAN.

61. Clog front: TOE.  The shoe, not an obstruction.

63. Mop & __: cleaning brand: GLO.

64. Blasting letters: TNT.

Time to Exit...Stage Left


Here's the grid:

Tuesday, February 27, 2018 ~ Jake Halperin

Theme: Synonym Toast - The ends of the theme words are loose synonyms for business.

17. Regularly go out (with): KEEP COMPANY

23. Getup for Woody of "Toy Story": COWBOY OUTFIT

38. What "2 + 2 = 4" is an example of: BINARY OPERATION

50. Preferred way of doing things: BEST PRACTICE

61. Front part of a hand tool, say ... and the last word of 17-, 23-, 38- and 50-Across?: BUSINESS END (i.e., the chain on a chain saw is the business end.)

Argyle here with what I thought was one of the toughest Tuesdays we've had in awhile. YMMV

Across:

1. Actress Swenson: INGA. I remember her from Gretchen Kraus, Benson, ABC, 1979-86.

5. Pops out, as a DVD: EJECTS

11. White lie: FIB

14. "Little" Dickens girl: NELL. The Old Curiosity Shop is a Dickens' novel.

15. Golf goof: MISHIT

16. Mined metal: ORE

19. Old horse: NAG

20. Rip off: STEAL

21. URL suffix for charities: .ORG

22. __ time: never: AT NO

27. Like some consonants, as the nasal "n": PALATAL

30. Actress de Matteo: DREA. Andrea Donna "Drea" de Matteo is an American actress, known for her role as Angie Bolen on ABC's "Desperate Housewives".

31. Press into service: USE

32. Invalidate: VOID

35. "The Lion King" lion: SIMBA. Simba was inspired by Disney's "Bambi ".

42. "Say cheese!": "SMILE!"

43. Spreadsheet info: DATA

44. Baton Rouge sch.: LSU. (Louisiana State University)

45. Unlikely to throw dirty clothes on the floor: NEAT. 2-Down. Old hair-removal brand: NEET

47. Word after systems or psycho: ANALYST

54. "__ girl!": ATTA

55. __Kosh B'gosh: OSH. (children's apparel)

56. Listless feeling: ENNUI

60. Old electrical unit: MHO. Reverse of OHM.

64. Emeril exclamation: "BAM!"

65. Tarzan and others: APEMEN

66. Like villains: EVIL

67. Having five sharps, musically: IN B

68. Creates anew, as a password: RESETS

69. Alluring: SEXY

Down:

1. Color printer refills: INKs

3. TV show about a high school choir: "GLEE"

4. Llama-like mammal: ALPACA

Da Ya Think I'm Sexy

5. Expressive punk genre: EMO

6. Good name for a phys ed teacher?: JIM

7. Finland's second-largest city: ESPOO. FYI, West of Finland's largest city, Helsinki.

8. Careful: CHARY

9. Overbearing leader: TIN GOD

10. Messy room: STY

11. Group of related typefaces: FONT FAMILY

12. Tehran native: IRANI

13. Fathered, in the Bible: BEGOT

18. Congeal: CLOT

22. Accepted the loss, financially: ATE IT

24. Like permed hair: WAVY

25. "True __": HBO vampire series: BLOOD. I don't have HBO.

26. Constellation bear: URSA

27. Watering holes: PUBS. 61-Down. Watering hole: BAR Clecho.

28. "Sure __ standing here ... ": AS I'M

29. Shrine in Moscow's Red Square: LENIN'S TOMB

33. Hoppy beer, for short: IPA. (India pale ale)

34. Coup __: D'ÉTAT. Literally meaning a "stroke of state" or "blow against the state".

36. Big cheese: BOSS

37. "Sometimes you feel like __ ... ": classic candy jingle: A NUT

39. "Prince Valiant" queen: ALETA

40. Bring in: REAP

41. Hindu princess: RANI

46. Traveling acting band: TROUPE

48. Half of all blackjacks: ACEs

49. Contact __: LENSES

50. Disney deer: BAMBI

51. Filmmaker Coen: ETHAN

52. Pack animals: ASSES

53. Bell tower sound: CHIME

57. Campbell of "Scream": NEVE. Also of "Mad Men"

58. Windows alternative: UNIX

59. In a lazy way: IDLY

62. Earn after taxes: NET

63. Naval rank: Abbr.: ENS. (Ensign )

I'll leave you with this Queen parable.

Argyle

Wednesday, June 7, 2017, Jake Halperin

TITLE: TOMAYTO/TOMAHTO

I was once part of a committee that spent two hours SPLITTING HAIRS (especially about prepositions) on the wording of the our school's mission statement. Two hours spent on a banality which serves no purpose is time I will never get back. I'll bet you've got a story like that too.

Husker Gary here for our midweek odyessy where Jake has taken the word HAIR and SPLIT it in as many unique ways as he could - 1/3, 2/2 and 3/1 as you see below:

Those SPLIT HAIRS provide the beginning and end of theme fills and satisfy the reveal of

59. Make petty distinctions ... and what 17-, 23- and 49-Across literally do? : SPLIT HAIRS - As some think this is

Here is the balance of Jake's theme answers:

17. Handyman's maintenance field : HOME REPAIR - After our recent hailstorm, we have been contacted aggressively by four companies for this HOME REPAIR

23. Ensemble of ringers : HANDBELL CHOIR - Just remember your color

49. Unofficial Caribbean currency equal to 5 gourdes : HAITIAN DOLLAR - 660 gourdes = 152 HATIAN DOLLARS = $10.48 in Port au Prince - Lundi au Jeudi (Monday to Thursday)! 

Now let's see what else Jake has given us with this fun, er enjoyable (Let's not split hairs) puzzle


Across

1. Bygone Apple laptop : IBOOK - Don't like your Apple product? Just wait a minute

6. Verge : CUSP

10. Actress Fey : TINA

14. Italian grandma : NONNA - La NONNA è meraviglioso (Grandma is wonderful)

15. Price for part of a deck? : ANTE - Fun cluing for a veteran of the crossword wars

16. "(I've Got __ in) Kalamazoo" : A GAL - Okay, HANDBELL CHOIR, who wants the F#?

19. Story line : PLOT - To whom did Don and Phil sing, "The movie wasn't so hot, It didn't have much of a PLOT" in 1957?

20. 17th-century English poet John : DRYDEN - Not on my literary radar

21. Flexible : LISSOME - Me 50 years ago

26. Cunning plan : PLOY

28. "The Night Manager" actor Hiddleston : TOM - It would appear that Tom is not managing a Motel 6 in Omaha

29. MAX rival : SHO

30. Persistent noise : DIN - One man's DIN...

31. Polishes, as a skill : HONES

33. Team victory cry : WE WON - Like a gazillion people said last year when the Cubs won

37. Botanist's study : FLORA - As opposed the zoologist who studies FAUNA

39. Stat for Clayton Kershaw : ERA - Earned Run Average. All right, get a bat and you try to stay in against Kershaw's curveball which he has HONED to a fine skill.

40. "Same here" : AS AM I - I couldn't hit that curve either

41. Soda machine freebie : STRAW - How you dispose of the wrapper after the straw is dispensed is optional

42. Smooths, as wood : SANDS

44. Sardine container : TIN - Or aluminum

45. Disconnect between generations : GAP

47. Unclogging agent : LYE

48. Fountain of jazz : PETE

54. Bailiff's bellow : ALL RISE

55. Engineer who reinvented the wheel? : FERRIS - He was inducted into their Hall Of Fame 105 years after his Wheel first operated

58. Boxer Oscar __ Hoya : DELA

62. Lacking precipitation : ARID

63. Stride at a track : GAIT - The odd GAIT of Olympic Walk Racing - One foot must always be on the ground at all times

64. One doing sums : ADDER

65. Strengthen, as muscles : TONE

66. See 50-Down : OLDS

67. Orchestra section : REEDS - They are seated in the middle. Woodwinds, if you want to split hairs. 😁

Down

1. How many TV shows air : IN HD

2. Mannerless sort : BOOR

3. Start of the Boy Scout Oath and the Girl Scout Promise : ON MY HONOR

4. At some point : ONE DAY - Put the word FINE in the middle and you have a great 1963 song

5. Actress Gillan of "Guardians of the Galaxy" : KAREN - Not on my cinematic radar 

6. Cough syrup cover : CAP

7. Italian article : UNA

8. Even now : STILL

9. Possibilities of harm : PERILS

10. Astaire footwear : TAP SHOES

11. Snow structure : IGLOO

12. Watts of "Mulholland Dr." : NAOMI - I saw this on NETFLIX and when I saw there was only a few minutes left, I knew there would be no resolution to all the bizzare parts. I guess that is standard for David Lynch films.

13. Rework : ALTER

18. Put an __: stop : END TO

22. Pair in "America" : SCHWAS - Unstressed vowels - symbol = ə pronounced like the uh's below

24. Skin partner : BONES

25. May birthstone : EMERALD

26. Sharable digital docs : PDFS

27. Bouncy rhythm : LILT

31. Only state which shares a time zone with Alaska : HAWAII - This part of Alaska

32. Panasonic acquisition of 2009 : SANYO

34. Disneyland's Splash Mountain, e.g. : WATER RIDE - Wheeeeee!

35. Filter out : OMIT

36. Back-row bowling pin : NINE - You bowlers know that leaving this for left handers is called a "tap"

38. Clothing industry, casually : RAG TRADE

43. Dutch pottery city : DELFT - It's cluing will probably never be "Hometown of microscope inventor Antonie van Leeuwenhoek" 

46. Complete a Monopoly circuit : PASS GO - Just like teachers, you get money for just completing a circuit/year

48. Veterans Day event : PARADE

49. Threw oneself into : HAD AT

50. Last car made by 66-Across : ALERO

51. Run-D.M.C.'s "You Be __" : ILLIN - Anyone think it's splitting hairs to insist on standard English?

52. Himalayan country : NEPAL - Your trip up Everest starts with a flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, Nepal's unsafe airport. But, hey, if you're climbing Everest...

53. Operettist Franz : LEHAR

56. Boiling with rage : IRED - Yeah, but still cute!

57. Union members until 1991: Abbr. : SSRS

60. Can cover : LID

61. "__ only me!" : IT'S - Okay, grammarian hair splitters, would you say, "It's only I"?

The ability to SPLIT HAIRS is part of the fun in this venue. Let's see what you have to say/opine/state/muse...