Monday February 17, 2025 Janice Luttrell

  

Happy Presidents Day, everyone! sumdaze here on another holiday Monday. Constructor Janice Luttrell gave us a puzzle with an Executive Branch-adjacent theme. Let's take a look:

17 Across. Chocolate treat from Reese's: PEANUT BUTTER CUP.  

They were created in 1928 -- almost 100 years ago!

25 Across. Replacement on the mound: RELIEF PITCHER.  In baseball, a RELIEF PITCHER is called up to enter the game after the starting pitcher (or another relief pitcher) has been removed.

From the MLB rulebook:  Pitchers must either face a minimum of three batters in an appearance or pitch to the end of a half-inning, with exceptions for injuries and illnesses. If a pitcher faces one batter to end an inning, he may be removed, but if he is brought back for a second inning, he must still face two more batters for a total of three. Once removed, players are not permitted to return to the game in any capacity. 

42 Across. Venue for summer concerts in Los Angeles: HOLLYWOOD BOWL.

The HOLLYWOOD BOWL is an amphitheater and public park in the Hollywood Hills of Southern California. In case you were wondering, it did survive the recent fires.  

Anchors Aweigh  (1945)

In this scene, filmed at the HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 

Spanish conductor and pianist José Iturbi plays Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 

... accompanied by 17 other pianists!

The reveal:

56 Across. High-level government post, and what the ends of 17-, 25-, and 42-Across may have?: CABINET POSITION.  Established in Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, the CABINET's role is to advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of each member's respective office.

Also, a CUP, a PITCHER, and a BOWL might all be found POSITIONed in a CABINET.  

sort of like this

Works for me. Let's see how the other clues stack up.

Across:

1. "Speak of the __!": DEVIL.

6. Pick up a newspaper: READ.     and     50 Down. Solemn bio: OBIT.  

10. __ Valuable Player: MOST.

14. Singer Menzel of "Frozen": IDINA.  John Travolta famously botched her name at the 2014 Oscars but she got him back the following year.

15. "Uh, that's wrong": UM, NO.

16. Culturally pretentious: ARTY.

20. NBC sketch show since 1975, familiarly: SNL.  SNL 50: The Anniversary Special aired last night. Did anyone watch it?

21. "Disgusting!": GROSS.

22. Lady Gaga's instrument: PIANO.  Earlier this month, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars won the Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for this song, Die With A Smile.  

23. Many a restaurant owner: CHEF.

24. One-named "Chandelier" singer: SIA.

31. Pampering place: SALON.     and     31 Down. Pampering place: SPA.

32. Tomato sauce brand named for a New York restaurant: RAO'S.  pronunciation

33. Chicken serving: LEG.  CSO to Splynter!

35. Storyline: PLOT.

36. Put one's foot down: STOMP.  

38. "Dancing Queen" pop group: ABBA.  

39. Spring mo.: APR.  month and APRil

40. Molecule part: ATOM.

41. Slender woodwinds: OBOES.

46. Ginger __: ALE.

47. Partnership for Peace gp.: NATO.  group and North Atlantic Treaty Organization

48. Dwelling: ABODE.

51. Actress Hayek Pinault: SALMA.  (b. September 2, 1966 in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico)

Salma began dating French businessman François-Henri Pinault in 2006.
They married in 2009.

53. Civil rights monogram: MLK.  

59. Buffalo's lake: ERIE.  

60. City near Phoenix: MESA.  

61. Viking language: NORSE.  

62. Sinks out of sight, as the sun: SETS.  

a scientific explanation of the 'green flash'

63. Ready for customers: OPEN.  

64. California, for one: STATE.  This puzzle is published in the LA Times, after all.  

Led Zeppelin   ~   Going to California   ~  (1971) 

Down:

1. Salsa, and some salsa moves: DIPS.  This was my favorite clue today. The first salsa is of the edible variety.

2. Biblical garden: EDEN.  

3. Lab container: VIAL.

4. B and B: INN.  Bed & Breakfast

5. Classic TV show hosted by Rowan & Martin: LAUGH-IN.  

Arte Johnson (1929-2019) was a regular on this sketch comedy program.

6. Wear away: RUB OFF.

7. Tall birds in some insurance ads: EMUS.  

8. Aardvark snacks: ANTS.  

Can you see its long tongue in the tube?
Actually I think this is an anteater, not an aardvark.
Anteater cannot be used to clue ant because they share too many letters.

9. Ellipsis element: DOT.  Let me think....

10. Grammy winner Carey: MARIAH.

11. Killer whale: ORCA.  

Did you catch this one on Mal-Man's last blog? LOL!

12. Shock: STUN.

13. Keyboard blunder: TYPO.  

18. Genealogy chart: TREE.  as in a family TREE

19. Long stories: EPICS.

23. Form a clump: CLOT.

24. Hit the brakes: STOP.  

25. Designer Lauren: RALPH.

26. Spanish Olympian's goal: EL ORO.

27. "Coming soon" ad: PROMO.

28. First words of "Green Eggs and Ham": I AM.  Speaking of elementary poetry....

Hello dear Chairman!

Today's your birthday, so I

Wrote this Hi-Moe-Ku.

🎈🎂🎈🎂🎈🎂🎈🎂🎈

29. Macaroni shape: ELBOW.

30. Defy authority: REBEL.

34. Highway sign: GAS.  The Deets on the Blue Highway Signs  

36. Eyelid problem: STYE.

37. AAA service: TOW.  

38. Suffix with bug or peek: -ABOO.  

A bugaboo is something that causes fear, alarm, or worry.

Peekaboo is a game played with children who have not yet developed an understanding of object permanence.

40. __ wrench: tool that comes with flatpack furniture: ALLEN.  

41. Gets: OBTAINS.  It took me a bit to get this one because we have been trained to associate this clue with the answer SEES.  

43. Women: LADIES.  

Flight of the Conchords   ~   Ladies of the World   ~   (2008)

Flight of the Conchords was an HBO comedy series in 2007-2009.

44. Checked out, as a library book: ON LOAN.  I am currently reading The Wilderness Idiot by Ted Alvarez, ON LOAN from my library.

45. River barriers: DAMS.

48. The tops: ACES.  Green's Dictionary of Slang

49. Plain: BARE.  

51. Ladder rung: STEP.

52. Church recess: APSE.  A four-letter church architecture word is going to be either APSE or nave. The former is the location of the altar while the latter is the seating area leading up to the altar. Memory trick:  APSE begins with an A, as does altar and arc.

53. Actress Sorvino: MIRA.  (b. 1967)  her IMDb page

54. Baffled: LOST.  Back in 2004 DH and I were driving on Oahu's North Shore. We saw small, red signs nailed to posts and trees, much like the signs people buy when they want to sell their own car. Someone had written "LOST" on the signs with an arrow pointing which way to turn. We wondered if maybe they were directions for someone who was potentially LOST on their way to a party. We followed them to a beach. There we found what looked like a plane wreck and suitcases strewn about. Upon closer inspection we could see that the plane was staged. We wondered if this was some sort of training exercise. The following Fall, ABC aired a new TV show called Lost. It ran from 2004 to 2010.

55. Leg joint: KNEE.  Oops! LEG is the answer to 33-Across so it is not supposed to be in another clue. Perhaps it's OK to bend the rules for KNEE.

57. Angsty music genre: EMO.

58. Tyke: TOT.  

I like the looks of this 15-13-13-15 grid.

Enjoy your day!

 

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to our Friday blogger, Chairman Moe. Chris mentioned that he is doing well post-surgery and will have his second eye done in another week.

 

2) Happy 58th anniversary to the sweetest, most caring couple I've ever met: Husker Gary and his wife Joann. Here's a picture of us from 2014 when Gary attended a wedding here in Minnesota. 

Monday February 3, 2025 Janice Luttrell

  

Happy Monday, everyone! Today's puzzle was constructed by a Monday-favorite constructor, Janice Luttrell.

Theme:                                                          Lob-Stars

Lobsters are the stars of this puzzle. Let's look at the themed entries and see why.

17 Across. *Vintage spot for a bubble bath: CLAW FOOT TUB.  

27 Across. *Undertaking that could have a good or bad outcome: ROLL OF THE DICE.  This idiom comes from the idea that one rolls dice in a game of chance.  

<This one was my favorite themer because ROLL felt the most transformed from this clue to the reveal.>

Am I alone in thinking that this disembodied hand is a bit creepy?

48 Across. *House pet that oinks, familiarly: POT-BELLIED PIG.  

...not in my house!

64. The "surf" of surf and turf, often, or what the first word of the answer to each starred clue can be: LOBSTER TAIL. 

Surf and turf is a meal which includes seafood and (usually) red meat. This reveal is saying that the seafood side of a surf and turf dish is often LOBSTER TAIL. Additionally, the first words of the three themed answers can be behind (at the TAIL end) of the word LOBSTER, giving us LOBSTER CLAW, LOBSTER ROLL, and LOBSTER POT (trap).  

We have more clues to review so let's get cracking...

Across:

1. Prohibited by social custom: TABOO.  I'm not touching this one with a ten-foot pole.

6. Collect over time: AMASS.  help for those who know someone with a hoarding disorder

11. "WandaVision" actress Dennings: KAT.  her IMDb page

14. Hawaiian greeting: ALOHA.  

Aloha 'Oe is a Hawaiian folk song covered by many artists.

The title means "farewell to thee." (Yes, ALOHA can mean either "hello" or "goodbye".)

Actress Tia Carrere sings this version, accompanied by guitarist Daniel Ho.

15. "It's not just you": ME, TOO.  I first filled "It's me," like the famous break-up line, "It's not you, it's me."  

Seinfeld character George Costanza

16. Oral health org.: ADA.  American Dental Association

19. Director Howard: RON.  Top 10 Ron Howard Movies

20. London art gallery: TATE.  This is a 3-minute walk-through video.  

21. Delta rival renamed in 1997: USAIR.  Delta helped us know that we needed an airline name.

USAir changed its name to US Airways in 1997 as part of a rebranding plan.

22. Picnic spot: PARK.  

Madmen 1960's family picnic scene in a PARK (1:05 min.)

Watch what they do with their litter at the end.

Was this behavior ever OK? It is completely TABOO today.

23. "You really __ us down": LET.

25. Channel changers: REMOTES.  aka clickers  

32. Festive night, often: EVE.

33. Big name in sneakers: NIKE.  This is the trailer for a 2023 film about how NIKE introduced the Air Jordan basketball shoe in 1984-85. 👍👍

34. Tear conduits: DUCTS.  

I think I've mentioned before that eyeball anatomy details creep me out.

37. Three __ salad: picnic staple with legumes: BEAN.  

This one has four BEANs but I chose it because
I like when wax BEANs are one of the BEANs.

39. Works hard: TOILS.

42. "Pygmalion" playwright George Bernard __: SHAW.  My Fair Lady was based on this play.

43. "Star Wars" prequel series starring Diego Luna: ANDOR.  Andor is a 2022 Disney+ TV series that tells the story leading up to the movie, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).

45. Many a black-clad teen: GOTH.  

47. __Clean: laundry brand: OXI.  

52. Expanse for clear sailing: OPEN SEA.

54. Pt. of TGIF: FRI.  

55. Glass piece: PANE.

56. Ruffle: FRILL.  Think of an adornment on a garment.

59. Stately shade trees: ELMS.

63. List-shortening abbreviation: ETC.  ETC shortens a list because every item does not have to be included.

66. Outdoor gear co-op: REI.  Since REI is a co-op, it is different from other sporting goods retailers (such as Dick's). Anyone can purchase a life-time membership for a one-time fee. Each year those with memberships get dividend credits towards future purchases. The credit amount is dependent on the total amount the individual spent on REI purchases in the previous year. Note that membership is not a requirement for making purchases at REI stores nor on their website.

67. With sincerity: TRULY.

68. Actress Davis with two Oscars: BETTE.  Geena (also five letters) Davis is another actress with two Oscars -- 1989 Best Supporting Actress and 2020 Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.  

Geena Davis being honored in 2020.

69. __-purpose flour: ALL.  I buy the unbleached variety.  

70. Passover meal: SEDER.  This piece discusses the connection between 69-Across and the Passover meal.

71. Money-grubber's trait: GREED.  If only money-grubbers would put their efforts towards noble deeds....

Down:

1. Diplomatic skill: TACT.  

2. Penne __ vodka: ALLA.  This dish is served often at the XWD Cafe.

3. Bathtub toy: BOAT.  Perhaps a tot or tyke or lad can play with one in a 17-A CLAW FOOT TUB.

4. "Can't win 'em all": OH, WELL.

5. Clumsy sort: OAF.

6. Singer-songwriter Tori: AMOS.

7. Self-referential: META.  Def.:  (adj.) Making or showing awareness of reference to oneself or to the activity that is taking place, especially in an ironic or comic way.  

Below is a META comic with a META theme from XKCD.

8. Apparel: ATTIRE.     and     18 Down. Apparel: OUTFIT.  

I am currently reading a memoir about the 1930s.
This apparel is from that decade.

9. Turned bad, as milk: SOURED.

10. Weep audibly: SOB.  Don't SOB over SOURED milk. Actually ... the way the clues are written ... SOURED milk is over SOB.

11. Board-breaking move in a dojo: KARATE CHOP.  

12. Be wild about: ADORE.

13. Sleeveless tops: TANKS.  

22. "Hocus __": 1993 film featuring a trio of witches: POCUS.  

(l. to r.) Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy

24. Forever and a day: EON.

26. So-so, informally: MID.   MIDdle

27. Country star McEntire: REBA.

28. Brick __ pizza: OVEN.

29. Writing instrument with an inapt name: LEAD PENCIL.  

Here’s a myth buster: There is no lead in pencils. Rather, the core is made up of a non-toxic mineral called graphite. The common name “pencil lead” is due to an historic association with the stylus made of lead in ancient Roman times.  source

30. Boxing ref's ruling: TKO.  "Referee" is shortened, so is "Technical KnockOut".

31. "Firefly Lane" actress Katherine: HEIGL.  (b. Nov. 24, 1978)  She got her big acting break when she landed the role of Dr. Izzy Stevens on Grey's Anatomy (2005-2010). 

35. Car for hire: TAXI.  

36. Gulp from a bottle: SWIG.

38. "... said __ ever": NO ONE.  

40. Texter's giggle: LOL.

41. Suppress, as a yawn: STIFLE.  This is a 2:31 min. comedy video by Daniel Koren on five ways to hide a yawn:

44. Some NFL blockers: Abbr.: RTS.  Right Tackles are offensive lineman who block for the quarterback.

46. She/__ pronouns: HER.

49. "__ I forget ... ": BEFORE.  

50. Tiny headphone: EARBUD.  

Those of you who have wired EARBUDs get this one.

51. Weight watcher: DIETER.

52. Verdi composition: OPERA.  

La donna è mobile from Verdi's Rigoletto (with English subtitles)

53. "Lion" Oscar nominee Dev: PATEL.  From JzB's January 15, 2025 blog:

Dev Patel [ b. 1990] is an English actor and filmmaker. He has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and nominations for an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Patel was included in Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2024.

57. __ of Wight: ISLE.  

58. Space travel meas.: LTYR.  "Measure" is abbreviated, so is "light year".  This is a measurement of distance -- not of the time required to travel a distance. Mars is 4.3 light minutes from Earth. On the other hand, Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system outside of our solar system, is 4.4 light years away.  NASA 3-min. read 

60. After curfew: LATE.

61. Tiny arachnid: MITE.  All arachnids have eight legs and, unlike insects, do not have antennae. The bodies of arachnids are divided into two sections:  the cephalothora (in front) and the abdomen. A tIck is another four-letter arachnid. 

62. Iditarod vehicle: SLED.

64. Mil. officers: LTS.  Military and Lieutenants -- not Left Tackles (See 44-Down.)

65. Biopic about a Supreme Court justice: RBG.  This film came out in 2018.  

Today's grid:

This is me in Key West in 2018.
I remember DH wanted to share my key lime pie
but I was feeling shellfish that day.

...and that's the end of this tale. Have a great day everyone!