Wednesday, January 24, 2018 Roland Huget

Theme: A GOOD CLIP.  Indicating a non-specific, but rapid rate of motion.

21 A. Fast clip around the racetrack : BLISTERING PACE.  A very fast horse.

40 A. Fast clip from the pitcher's mound : DIZZYING VELOCITY.  A 100+ mph fast ball

60 A. Fast clip down the slopes : BREAKNECK SPEED.  Downhill ski race.

Consider this -

Sails at a good CLIP

Or this -

Yankee Clipper

On the other hand  .  .  .

Pro tip: Avoid a bad clip

Here we get the theme continuity from the clues rather than the fill.  Not a common approach, but you'll see it once in a while.  Long theme fill, with a grid spanner in the middle.  Not a lot else to say.  Each two-word entry indicates extremely fast motion in a sports context.

Hi gang, JzB here.  Never known for my speed.  This time I swear to give you today's puzzle, the whole of today's puzzle, and nothing but today's puzzle - or help me, 'cuz I'll need it.  Let's proceed at whatever pace you find comfortable, and see what else we can catch up with.

Across

1. Filet mignon source : LOIN.  A superior cut of beef.

The tenderloin is found along both sides of the spine

5. __ price : ASKING.  What the seller desires.

11. Ran together : BLED.  As of patterns on a dyed cloth.

15. Actress Paquin of Netflix's "Alias Grace" : ANNA.

Bio

16. Tremble : SHIVER.  Quake.

17. Slick : OILY.  Slippery or lubed, literally or figuratively.

18. Team first managed by Casey Stengel : METS.  Casey had previously managed the Yankees for many years. My favorite baseball trivia question: What was Casey Stengel doing in 1927 when Babe Ruth of the Yankees hit 60 home runs?  [Answer at the bottom.]

19. Volcanic archipelago state : HAWAII.  Everybody knows this - right?

20. Eyelid bump : STYE.  A painful bacterial infection of an oil gland in the eyelid.

24. Internet subdivision : DOMAIN.   An identifying web address.

25. Feathered layer : HEN. Of eggs.

26. USPS assignment : RTE.  Route.

29. Eagerly took in : ATE UP.  Literally or figuratively

30. Flutist of Greek myth : PAN.  Half man, half goat, Pan is the god of the wild, fields, fertility and Spring, and companion of the nymphs.   Apollo made better music on his lyre - and that's the truth!

33. Romanov rulers : TSARS.  Russian royalty.

35. Classic shoe polish brand : SHINOLA.   You know from SHINOLA - right?  What you might not know it that the brand name now belongs to a Detroit company that makes high-end watches, bicycles, jewelry, leather goods and accessories.

39. Surmounting : ATOP.  Straddling, perhaps.

45. "Field of Dreams" setting : IOWA.  Regarding a baseball field in a corn field.

46. Lowered the grade of : DERATED.  As in creditworthiness.

47. Take potshots : SNIPE.  With a gun or one's tongue

49. Simple survey answer : YES.  

50. Poetry Muse : ERATO.  Her name comes from the same root as erotic, and indicates beauty and desirability.

55. Own, to Burns : HAE.   I guess this means "have" in highland dialect.

56. Craven of horror : WES. The director who brought us Freddie Krueger of Elm Street fame, The Hills Have Eyes, etc.

59. Mental haze : STUPOR.  Confusion.

65. "Toodles!" : CIAO.  Greeting or parting word from an old Italian root meaning "I am your slave."

67. Evening get-together : SOIREE.  From SOIR, the French word for evening.

68. One-named Deco artist : ERTE.  Romain de Tiroff.  ERTE is the French pronunciation of his initials - and mine.

69. Curved paths : ARCS.  Observable with baseballs, footballs, basketballs, tennis balls, and golf balls.

70. There for the __: easy to get : TAKING.   Come and get it.

71. Plug-in vehicle, briefly : E-CAR.  Electric powered conveyance.

72. Chinese toy : PEKE.  Small dog variety, not a child's plaything.  Take your pick.

73. Comes down hard? : SLEETS.  Frozen rain does this.  Clever clue and an unpleasantly chilly experience.

74. Dines : SUPS.  Eats supper.  Or dinner.  You decide.

Down

1. Greek letter whose lowercase indicates wavelength : LAMBDA.  Uppercase Λ, lowercase λ.

Mandatory nerd joke:  Q: What's 𝛎? A:  C/ λ, same as always. 
[Translated: Q: What's new (nu, frequency)? A: The speed of light / the wave length.]

2. Developer's unit : ONE LOT.  A plot in a plat.

3. Early enough : IN TIME. Or ON TIME.

4. Bahamian capital : NASSAU. Or a town on Long Island.

5. Pale as a ghost : ASHEN.  Wan.

6. __-Pei: wrinkly dog : SHAR.

Iron deficiency?

7. Fuzzy fruit : KIWI.

8. "Ghostbusters" director Reitman : IVAN.

9. Secretariat utterance? : NEIGH.  Secretariat was an American thoroughbred race horse that in 1983 became the first triple crown winner in 25 years.

10. Complaint : GRIPE.  Grouse.

11. Anjou kin : BOSC.  A pair of pears.

12. Intelligentsia : LITERATI.  Specifically those with an interest in literature.

13. English cathedral town : ELY.   This town is about 80 miles north of London.  The church community dates back to the 7th century, with the present building dating from the 11th century.

14. Easter egg dip : DYE.   To color the shells.

22. A bit buzzed : TIPSY.  From imbibing alcohol.

23. Aardvark snack : ANT.  Or termite.

27. Bouncy gait : TROT.  A horse's or person's rapid stride.  Less than a CLIP, though, I'm guessing.

28. Best Game or Best Play : ESPY. Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award, granted by ABC Sports, and previously by ESPN, to recognize outstanding individual and team achievements.

30. Christmas candle scent : PINE.

31. Fit to be tied : ANGRY.  Feeling choler.

32. Super stars? : NOVAE.  A super NOVA is a transient astronomic event in the last stages of a star's evolution that involves catastrophic destruction via a huge explosion.  NOVAE is the plural.  Clever clue.

34. Plant pouch : SAC.  Animals have them, too.

36. Put out of sight : HID.

37. "I'm game" : LET'S do it.




38. Newcastle Brown brew : ALE.  A decent brown ale produced by Heineken.

40. Wolfgang Puck creation : DISH.  As in entree, not a piece of porcelain dinner ware.

41. New Rochelle college : IONA. Affiliated with the Congregation of Christian Brothers, locared 20 miles north of Manhattan in Westchester County.

42. Twice-baked bread : ZWIEBACK.  Here in MI, it's Trenary Toast, from the U. P.

43. Hit with a laser : ZAP.  or warm in a microwave oven.

44. "Awake and Sing!" playwright : ODETS.

48. Farm mom : EWE.

51. "Slumdog Millionaire" money : RUPEES.  Indian currency.

52. Brief summary : APERCU.  It should make an illuminating of amusing point.  From the French verb meaning "to percieve."

53. Line dance step : TOE TAP.

54. Military instructions : ORDERS.

57. Bridge seats : EASTS.  Bridge table locations are indicated North, South, EAST and West.  In a tournament, there are several tables.  The N-S pair stays put, while the E-W pair travel in one direction and the pre--dealt cards travel the other way.

58. Scandinavian toast : SKOAL.  Traces back to an Old Norse word meaning "bowl."   Possibly filled with brown ale.

59. Surfboard stabilizers : SKEGS.  A SKEG is a fin underneath the rear of the board.

61. Got up : ROSE.

62. "Just do it" brand : NIKE.  Athletic shoes.

63. Niagara Falls source : ERIE.  Ohio's great lake.

64. Penny : CENT.  One hundredth of a dollar.

65. Ballplayer's hat : CAP.

66. Choler : IRE. Ill humor.

This was not a speed run for me.  How about you?

In 1927, when Yankee great George Herman [Babe] Ruth hit a record-setting 60 ARCS into the outfield seats, Charles Dillon [Casey] Stengel was in my home town managing the Toledo Mud Hens.  Stengel went on to manage the Yankees from 1949 to 1960.  The following year, when Roger Maris hit 61 home runs, the Yankees manager way Ralph Houk.  Stengel managed the Mets from 1962 to 1965.

In those days I was a Yankee fan.  Forgive me, I was young and didn't know any better.

Cool regards!
JzB

Wednesday, January 10, 2018 Paul Coulter

Theme: Why should you never starve at the beach?  Because of all the sand which is there.  [Let the groaning begin.] Three common sandwich fillings are wrapped up inside the theme answers, in each split across the two word fill.  Let's have a taste.

20 A. Blindsided : CAUGHT UNAWARE.  Thus, by surprise.  The infallible internet tells me that UNAWARE is an adjective, but CAUGHT needs an adverb complement - in this case, UNAWARES. I am not making up this not.  Anyway, TUNA is a common sandwich filler, popular with both humans and felines.

33 A. Pumpkin pie maker's tool : NUTMEG GRATER.  A handy little gadget that comes in many designs and varieties.  NUTMEG is not just for deserts, though.  It goes wonderfully with pasta, spinach and Gruyere cheese.  Trust me on this one.  Concealed in this answer is an EGG.  I have not tried this with NUTMEG.  Could be promising.

41 A. One of a global septet : NORTH AMERICA. The other 6 continents are South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and Antarctica.  HAM is of course another classic sandwich filler.  I like mine grilled with Swiss cheese.  Perhaps another NUTMEG opportunity?

And the unifier, or in this case, container -- 56. Flatbread lunch items ... and, as shown by circles, what 20-, 33- and 41-Across are? : SANDWICH WRAPS.  Typically, these are some variety flat bread, literally rolled and wrapped around the filling.

Hi, gang, JazzBumpa here.  Let's head for the dining room and see what else Paul has cooked up for us.  Bon appetit!

Across

1. Share-a-ride pickup hrs. : ETAS. Estimated Time of Arrivals.  Er - Times of Arrival. 

5. Go wild with Wild Turkey, say : TOPE.  Drink to excess, especially if done on a regular basis.

9. Golden Horde member : TATAR.  It's complicated.

14. Pope __ VI (1963-'78) : PAUL.   Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, as Pope, continued and implemented the ecumenical reforms started under Pope John XXIII. 

15. Copied : APED.  APE see, APE do.

16. Be nuts about : ADORE.  

17. "The Simpsons" bus driver : OTTO.

Lovable stoner 

18. Drink garnish : RIND.  Citrus, typically.  Or possibly melon.  I don't claim to know all.

19. Old-time actress Shearer : NORMA.  An accomplished performer who was nominated for 5 Oscars, and best actress winner in 1930 for THE DIVORCEE.

The Queen of MGM

23. "Let's see ... " : HMM.  Thoughtful non-comment.

24. German city on the Danube : ULM.  Along with Regensburg, Passau, Donauschingen, Ingolstadt and Donauwörth, all of which have far to many letters.

25. Set ablaze : IGNITE.  Arson is suspected.

28. The hit in the baseball mantra "A walk is as good as a hit" : SINGLE.  Just as good in the lead off spot.  Not so much with a man on 3rd and two outs.

30. Sugar source : CANE.  Here in the midwest, BEET also works.

32. Cultural funding gp. : National Endowment for the Arts.

36. Beef inspection org. : United States Department of Agriculture.

39. 401(k) alternative, for short : Individual Retirement Account.  N. B. Abrvs. in. Cl. & Ans.

40. __ stick: incense : JOSS.  A thin stick made of paste and a fragrant substance burnt before a Chinese idol.  News to me.

46. Suffix with percent : -ILE.  Each of the 99 intermediate values that divide a frequency distribution into 100 groups.

47. College city on I-35 : AMES. Located in the center of Iowa, and home to Iowa State University.

48. Sharp : SHREWD.   Mentally.

52. Yom Kippur month : TISHRI.  From an Akkadian root meaning "beginning."   The first month of the civil year and 7th month of the eclesaitical year in the Hebrew calendar.

54. "Who am __ judge?" : I TO.  Who, indeed?

55. China's Chou En-__ : LAI.  Or Zhou Enlai, first Premier of the People's Republic of China, and a highly skilled diplomat.

60. Work really hard : SLAVE.  I don't suppose working hard at surfing counts.

62. '60s-'70s pitcher nicknamed Blue Moon : ODOM.  Johnny Lee ODOM, b. 1945 won three consecutive World Championships in 1973-4-5 with the Oakland A's.  He also had a pretty sever substance abuse problem.

63. Huge : EPIC.  

64. Awards for Asimov et al. : HUGOS.  Named for HUGO Gernbach, founder of the magazine Amazing Stories, they are presented each year at the World Science Fiction Convention.   Isaac Asimov is an American biochemist who became a science-fiction and then non-fiction author and editor of hundred of books

65. Computer list : MENU. Or cafe.  We do have a sandwich theme!

66. Concerning : AS TO.  In re:

67. Suits : EXECS.  Corp big wigs.  I've met a few and was not impressed.

68. Musically low : BASS.  

69. Floral neckwear : LEIS.  Flower garlands associated with Hawaii.

Down:

1. Geological timespans : EPOCHS

2. Woven Japanese mat : TATAMI

3. Colorful period : AUTUMN

4. Plod (through) : SLOG

5. Small pastry : TARTLET

6. Poppy drug : OPIUM

7. Keystone State Ivy : PENN

8. Scandinavian literary work : EDDA

9. Brightly colored songbird : TANAGER

10. Deck out : ADORN

11. Attacked with gusto : TORE INTO

12. Limb with biceps and triceps : ARM

13. "In Dreams" actor Stephen : REA

21. Netflix competitor : HULU

22. Flying aid : WING

26. Light shirts : TEES

27. All __: listening : EARS

29. Annoying bug : GNAT

30. First known asteroid : CERES

31. Lab gel : AGAR

34. Play charades, say : MIME

35. Open just a crack : AJAR

36. Ton, for one : UNIT

37. Songs for one : SOLI

38. Equestrian event : DRESSAGE

42. Equestrian equipment : HARNESS

43. In the center of : AMID

44. Panama landform : ISTHMUS

45. Grub : CHOW

49. Go by : ELAPSE

50. Elk : WAPITI

51. Where much Bee Gees music was played : DISCOS

53. Mayhem : HAVOC

54. Graphic symbols : ICONS

57. Berth before birth : WOMB

58. It can come to mind : IDEA

59. Concrete : REAL

60. Cow or sow : SHE

61. Unilever soap brand : LUX

Well, that [ahem] WRAPS is up for another Wednesday.  Sadly, no love for peanut butter.  Hope you didn't EAT A TON.

Cool regards!

JzB

Wednesday November 22, 2017 - Johanna Fenimore

Theme: WELL, THAT WAS UNPLEASANT!  The first word of the theme answers are adjectives describing things that might make you curl your lip, cover your eyes, plug your nose and leave in disgust.

18. Last one in, so they say : ROTTEN EGG.  Swimming pool/hole cry, and a nasty sulfurous odor.

29. Bad thing to end on : SOUR NOTE.  Indeed, the first rule of the musician's code is to always end on a good note.  A sour note in the middle of a tune might be forgotten, or better yet, not noticed. But at the end - it's a poor statement that might be remembered.  By analogy, can apply to any situation that ends badly.

34. Serious carelessness, in tort law : GROSS NEGLIGENCE.   Per Wikipedia, the "lack of slight diligence or care" or "a conscious, voluntary act or omission in reckless disregard of a legal duty and of the consequences to another party."  In a different, more vernacular, sense, something GROSS is disgusting.

43. Place at the very bottom : RANK LAST.  To have an unsuccessful competitive season or tournament.  Somebody has to end up there.  In a different sense, RANK describes an offensive odor.

55. Trait of one given to obscenities : FOUL MOUTH.  A person with a FOUL MOUTH utters what we used to call "bad words."  Odors and struck baseballs can also be FOUL.

And, tucked deep into the far corner [but I can still smell it]  the unifier:  67. Reaction to the starts of the five longest puzzle answers : YECCH.  A vocalized expression of disgust.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa on duty.  Let's set the unpleasantness aside, and and seek the good stuff in this puzzle.  With 5 theme entries, including a grid-spanner, plus the unifier, it's thematically rich.

Down

1. Minty Derby drink : JULEP.   Now this more like it!  Bourbon, crushed ice, sugar and fresh mint, typically served in a tall frosty glass.  A Kentucky Derby tradition.



6. Shopping extravaganza : SPREE.  An event of self-indulgence, carousal, or extreme activity.

11. ABC show for early risers, briefly : Good Morning America.  A news and pop-culture program shown from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. in all time zones, live in the Eastern Zone and on broadcast delay in the others.

14. "Ditto," more formally : AS AM I.  Me too.

15. "Can't win 'em all" : I LOST. Somebody always goes home disappointed.  Wish it were the other guy.

16. Conniving "2001" computer : HAL.



17. Copperfield's field : MAGIC.  David Seth Kotkin [b 1956] aka David Copperfield is an American illusionist who has grossed [in yet another sense of the word] over $4 billion in ticket sales, more than any other solo entertainer in history.   He also owns 11 islands in the Bahamas, called Musha Bay, which he uses as a private resort.

20. Complain : KVETCH.  Something I assume Mr. Kotkin would have little cause to do.

22. __ extra cost : AT NO.  It's all included.

23. Banged shut : SLAMMED.  As a door, frex.

27. Cover the spread? : CATER.  My first reaction was - eh?  But a CATERER provides the victuals, aka "the spread," for an event.  Clever!

28. More unsure : WARIER.  More cautious, actually.  Is a person who is less unsure under wary?

32. Feels lousy : AILS.  Hurts or has a tummy ache.

33. Casual "You game?" : WANNA.  "Do you want to?" in short mouth.

41. Westminster landmark : ABBEY.  The Collegiate Church of St. Peter at Westminster, opened in 1090 C. E.,  is a large, mostly gothic structure located in the City of Westminster, London.

42. Indifferent responses : MEHS.  I'm not impressed.

47. Letter-shaped shoe fastener : T-STRAP.  A description that fits to a T.

Also available at your local retailer

49. Tablet download : E-BOOK.  Electronic Book to be read on your portable device. I have sheet music on mine.

50. Becomes depleted : RUNS DRY.  Gets all used up.

51. "Tickle Me" toy : ELMO.  Fuzzy red muppet.

52. Tries one's hand (at) : HAS A GO.  This always reminds me of the scene in Raymond Carver's short story, "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?" when Mitchell Anderson asks Marian, "Would you like to HAVE A GO at it?"  And she does.

57. Held the deed to : OWNED.

62. Dawn goddess : EOS.  The rosy-fingered goddess who opens the gates of heaven so that the sun may rise.

63. Naturally lit lobbies : ATRIA.  A large open air or sky light covered space surrounded by a building.

64. Connect with : TIE TO.  Make an association between

65. Apt. divisions : RMS. Rooms, with or without views.

66. Oyster bead : PEARL. A more or less spherical calcium carbonate object produced within the soft tissue of a mollusk.  They have long been prized as gem stones.


Down

1. Traffic snarl : JAM.  I deal with it several times a week.

2. Mex. neighbor : USA.  Los Estados Unidos de Mexico and the United States of America.

3. Fall behind : LAG.

4. Old U.K. record label : EMI.

5. Hand raiser's cry : PICK ME.  There's always that one kid in the back of the classroom  .  .  .

6. Fathered : SIRED.  Begat.

7. Devious scheme : PLOT.

8. Campus cadets' org. : ROTC.  Reserve Officers' Training Corp.

9. Bk. before Job : ESTHer.

10. Summer on the Seine : ETE.  French

11. "In the __": Elvis hit : GHETTO.



12. Refrigerator art holder : MAGNET.  We currently have several photos in place.

13. Climate Reality Project chairman : AL GORE.  ]b 1948]  Former congressman, senator, vice president and presidential candidate.

19. Indian flatbread : NAAN. A leavened  oven-baked flat bread common in south and central Asia.

21. Bible transl., e.g. : VERsion.   Who knew there were so many?

23. Party loot : SWAG.  Things given away as gifts, usually for promotional purposes.

24. Den : LAIR.  Where the Lions live.  They'll need to be better than they have been against the Vikings tomorrow, and I'm not a liar.

25. Guthrie of folk : ARLO.  Who provided us with another Thanksgiving Day tradition.  [Warning: it's a little over 18 minutes.]



26. __ Piggy : MISS.  And her handsome beau, Kermit.  It's a match made in a bog.  Or maybe a sty.

27. Rock climber's handhold : CRAG.   In rock climber's lingo, a crag is any climbable cliff.  But I think the intended meaning here is an outcropping that can be grasped.

29. "Full House" actor : SAGET. Bob [b 1956] as Danny Tanner from 1987-95.  He's also done several other TV and movie projects.

30. Like a child without siblings : ONLY.  I was one for 6 1/2 years.  It's almost like my parents raised to ONLIES.

31. Start of a cycle? : UNI-.  Half a bicycle.  I'm not fond of cutsie affix clues.

33. Woven traps : WEBS.    The work of spiders.  Here is one of my better haiku.

on the silken strands

sad fly plays a minor chord

 orb weaver's delight

35. Polio vaccine pioneer : SALK.  Jonas [1914-1995]

36. Kevin Durant's org. : National Basketball Association.

37. CPR specialists : Emergency Medical TechnicianS.

38. Geek : NERD.  Call him/her for your computer or cell phone issues.

39. Sear : CHAR.  Burn or blacken the surface of something.

40. Award for athletes : ESPY.  Granted by sports TV network ESPN.

43. Sailor's jacket : REEFER.  A thick, close-fitting, double breasted coat.  I believe this word might also have another meaning.

44. Flowering : ABLOOM.  Buds are busting out all over.

45. Half a rhyming "easy to do" phrase : NO MUSS.  No fuss, no bother.

46. Menthol cigarette brand : KOOL.  First introduced in 1933.

47. Harbor helper : TUG.  A boat that moves other larger boats by pushing or towing them in hard to maneuver places.

48. Highfalutin : SNOOTY.  Elitist.

50. 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby : RAHAL. [b 1953]  Winner of 3 championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series.

52. Table d'__: fixed menu : HOTE.  Meal with a fixed price and few options.  You get what you get.

53. Mystical glow : AURA. A supposed emanation surrounding living creatures, allegedly discernible by certain adept individuals.

54. Cookbook verb : STIR.  What ya got cookin'?

56. "The Amazing Race" prop : MAP.  To determine the next leg of the adventure.

58. LPGA golfer Michelle : WIE

59. Japanese tech company : NEC

60. And more: Abbr. : ETC

61. [Facepalm] : DOH!

Hope you enjoyed this adventure, and escaped with your senses and sensibilities unscathed.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.  We'll have 10 family members joining us to celebrate.

Wednesday, November 8, 2017 C. C. Burnikel

Theme - CONVERSATIONS of a sort. The circled letters that book-end the theme answers to the asterisked clues are all synonyms for TALK.  Hence today's theme song.




Let's check them out.

16 A. *Golfer's guide for measuring distances : YARDAGE BOOK.  I'm not familiar with this term, but it's clearly a record of tee to green distances.  To YAK is to overdue the talking.

28 A. *Philatelist's find : RARE STAMP.  A philatelist is a stamp collector.  A rare one can be worth a fortune.  About 50 years ago the word RAP meant to have a casual conversation, perhaps involving some vocabulary lubricating substances.  Now it indicates a music genre in which rapidly and rhythmically delivered words are presented over some sort of music background.

44 A. *Hybrid retriever : GOLDEN LAB.  Labrador retrievers are hunting and working dogs that make good pets.  They come in black, brown and various shades of yellow.  In a quick search I couldn't come up with anything about hybrids.  There is a mixed breed dog called a Goldador, which is a cross between a Lab and a Golden Retriever. It's a smart and easy going type of dog, but I don't think it is quite the same thing as a Golden Lab, which looks to be a naturally occurring variant.   To GAB is to talk overlong about trivial matters, or engage in idle chatter.

61 A. *Winter warming spell : JANUARY THAW.  The calm between the winter storms.  To JAW is pretty much the same as to YAK or GAB.  The English language is rich in unnecessary synonyms.

Usually it can be hard to grasp this type of theme if your puzzle source doesn't include the circles.  But today's unifier, tucked into the southeast quadrant, is helpful in figuring it out.

38 D. Popular mobile app ... and, as shown by circles, what the inner parts of the answers to starred clues do : SNAPCHAT.    This is an app for sharing pictures and messages.  Unlike on other social media platforms, SNAPCHAT items automatically are deleted after some time.  The sense of the clue is that the interior letters have been snapped and trapped, alligator style, leaving the circled letters as a free-standing word.

Hi Gang, JzB here to start the conversation.  Now - who would come up with such a snappy theme idea?  Why, it is our own C. C.!  With split-word themes I always look for symmetry or balance. Here, the first two entries split after the first letter of the 3-letter target word; and in the last two, it's after the second letter - a nice, elegant touch. Let's SNAP our way through the rest of the puzzle and CHAT about it in comments.

Across

1. "That cracks me up!" : HAHA.  Real or feigned laughter.

5. "__ and the Swan": Rubens painting : LEDA.  In mythology, LEDA was an Aetolian princess who became queen of Sparta.  Zeus raped her in the form of a swan.  Devine sexual abuse.  What kind of an example does that set for mere humans? This subject seems to have fascinated many other artists.

Her Goose is cooked

9. Paper Mate product : PEN.  The write answer.

12. 1936 Olympics standout : OWENS.  Jesse [1913- 1980] was a gold medalist in track and field events.

14. Goes it alone : SOLOS.  As pilot trainees or musicians.

15. "Te __": Rihanna song : AMO.



18. Playful bite : NIP.

19. House vote : AYE.   Or NAY, depending on how you feel about the issue.

20. Like much store-brand merchandise : LOW END.  Less than top quality in materials or workmanship.

21. Contact lens solution brand : RENU.  Bausch and Lomb product.

22. Soft boot material : SUEDE.

Warm looking

24. Winner's wreath : LAUREL.  An aromatic evergreen shrub, related to the bay tree, common to warm and tropical locations.

Not the most usual location

26. Church seating : PEWS.  Usually wooden and hard.

31. On __ of: for : BEHALF.  In the interest of or representing some one or some thing.

34. Family guys : PAPAS. Dads or granddads, depending on your family's preferences.

35. Overhead expanse : SKY.  You can find stars there.

36. Superhero in an armored suit : IRONMAN. Tony Stark [no relation to the Winterfell Starks] was captured by an evil enemy who forced him to build a weapon.  He instead built for himself an advanced suit of armor that he used to escape and go on to a life of heroism.

38. Place for a hot stone massage : SPA.  A commercial enterprise offering various health and beauty treatments.

41. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" novelist : STOWE.  Harriet Elizabeth Beecher STOWE [1811-1896] American author and abolitionist.

42. Became clear to, with "on" : DAWNED.

48. Tough to learn : HARD.   Like calculus or many real life lessons.

49. "Finally!" : AT LAST.   What took you so long?

50. One of his stories is the source of the "sour grapes" idiom : AESOP.  Ancient Greek fabulist.

53. Relax in the tub : SOAK.  [Ahhhh]

54. Sonny and Cher, e.g. : POP DUO.  From back in the day.



57. Sulu portrayer John : CHO.  [b 1972] Korean-American actor and musician, portrayor of Hikaru Sulu in the Star Trek reboot film series.

60. Kin of net : COM.  Web site suffixes.

63. Fla. neighbor : ALA.  So. Sts.

64. Athlete's rep : AGENT.  Contract negotiators

65. Facebook option : SHARE.  A way of reposting something you see.

66. Mario Bros. console letters : NES.

67. Exercise break : REST.  Catch your breath.

68. Casino conveniences : ATMS.  Automatic Teller Machines, located so you can hand over even more of your hard earned cash.

Down

1. Georgetown hoopster : HOYA.  Georgetown U. basketball player.  The story is that long ago the school teams were called The Stonewalls.  A student, relying on Greek and Latin came up with the slogan "Hoya Saxa!" meaning "What Rocks!"  The rest is history.  Or perhaps myth.  You decide.

2. On the road : AWAY.  Out of town.

3. "These are the reasons" : HERE'S WHY.

4. "Go on ... " : AND.  Tell me more.

5. Place for a hoop : LOBE.   This gives me an earie feeling.

6. Musk of Tesla Motors : ELON. [b 1971] A South-African born Canadian-American businessman, inventor, engineer and investor.

7. Kid's drawing tablet : DOODLE PAD.

8. Pose a question : ASK.

9. Bakery-café chain : PANERA.

10. "8 Mile" rapper : EMINEM.  Marshall Bruce Mathers III [b 1972] is the best selling American recording artist of the previous decade.

11. Orange juice specification : NO PULP.  I like mine with pulp

13. Customer-drawing sign word : SALE.  Presumably, prices are reduced.

14. Waste conduit : SEWER. Disposal system.

17. Supreme being : GOD.

21. Road grooves : RUTS.

23. "Miracle on Ice" team, for short : USA.  American 1980 Olympic Hockey - a different kind of cold war.

25. Yoga position : ASANA.  Postures.

26. "Masterpiece" network : PBS.  Public Broadcasting System.

27. "There's a mouse in our house!" : EEK.  Human squeak.

29. Sleep study subject : APNEA.  Breathing interruption during sleep.

30. Ewe guy : RAM.   This elicits a sheepish grin.

32. Low-calorie brews : LITES.  Might as well drink water.

33. Place for big headlines : FRONT PAGE.  First thing you see in a news paper.

37. Hooting bird : OWL.  Who? Raptors of the order Strigiformes, which are mostly solitary and nocturnal.  That's who!

39. __ capita : PER.  For each person, taken collectively; typically averaging some countable item or phenomenon over the population as a whole.

40. Mix in : ADD.

41. Badlands Natl. Park site : S. DAK.  South Dakota.

43. Detective's question : WHO?   Or WHY?

44. Garage container : GAS CAN.

45. 1962 Lawrence portrayer : O'TOOLE.  Peter [1932-2013] Anglo-Irish stage and film actor.

46. Peruvian pack animals : LLAMAS.

Wooly hump-free camels

47. Not skilled in : BAD AT.

51. Lux. setting : EUR.  Luxembourg is in EURope.

52. Tofu beans : SOYS.  If you soy so.

55. Change for a five : ONES.  Dollar bills.

56. Fourth-down play : PUNT.  American football.  The team currently in possession of the ball kicks it to the other team in the hope of moving them farther away from their goal line.

58. Inflict pain on : HARM.  Do damage to.

59. Is in arrears : OWES.  Has overdue debt.

61. Cookie container : JAR.  Ours has yummy home made pumpkin cookies.

62. Article in some hip-hop titles : THA.  Variant of THE, I assume.

That RAPS up another Wednesday.  Let the GABS, YAKS and JAWing begin.

Cool Regards!
JzB

Wednesday, October 18, 2017 Robin Stears

Theme GUARDS! GUARDS! As we shall soon see, each theme entry is a [more or less] in-the -language two-word phrase that contains two quite different kinds of GUARDS. In all cases, each theme word can be followed by the word GUARD to yield a different in-the-language phrase.

17 A. Eastern seaboard, facetiously : RIGHT COAST.  I can't recall hearing it addressed as such, but it makes sense if you look at a map.  But why facetiously?  RIGHT GUARD is a lineman position on an American football team, and the deodorant brand he might chose after a shower. The COAST GUARD is a branch of the U.S. military that protects life, property and territory along the country's shore lines.

25 A. Unlikely to run : COLOR SAFE.  These colors don't run.  Hence the term.  Also a palette of 256 colors that is consistent on any computer monitor.   A COLOR GUARD is a uniformed group who present or parade an institutional or national flag on formal occasions.   To SAFE GUARD is to take active measures to protect against some undesirable event.

46 A. Secret overseas cash stash site : SWISS BANK.  I think the Cayman Islands and Cyprus give them some competition these days.  The SWISS GUARD is a small force stationed in the Vatican, responsible for the safety of the Pope.  They are famous for their colorful uniforms.

Makes the Pope Color Safe?

A BANK GUARD protects your deposited savings.

58 A. What Aladdin craved and Jasmine wanted to escape, in the Disney film : PALACE LIFE.  Aladdin is a street urchin who longs for wealth and luxury.  Jasmine has it all and finds it profoundly unsatisfying.  So - a match made in heaven, right?  The PALACE GUARD is responsible for keeping the PALACE and its occupants safe from street urchins and other miscreants.   A LIFE GUARD is a certified swimmer and CPR expert whose job is to keep us from drowning at the beach or pool. 

They get along swimmingly

And, at last, the unifier.  37 A. Increase security twofold ... and what 17-, 25-, 46- and 58-Across literally do : DOUBLE THE GUARDS.   Twice as many guards should keep out twice as many urchins. And this is the apt description for the other theme entries, each having two kinds of GUARDS.

 Hi Gang, JazzBumpa on duty to GUARD your way through today's puzzling adventure.  Robin Stears has given us a good one with four clever theme entries and a grid-spanning unifier.  

Across

1. Back (out) : OPT.  Well, you can OTP out before you ever OPT in, but OK.

4. Go by : ELAPSE.  As time.

10. Peak in Thessaly : OSSA.  Greek mountain

14. Can. neighbor : USA.  Here we are.

15. City on the Liffey : DUBLIN.  It flows through the center of town.

I've seen Dublin twice,
Thrace thrice; made repeated trips
To WallaWalla.

16. Performs like Kanye : RAPS.  

19. Frantically : AMOK.  On a rampage.

20. Out in the open : OVERT.  With no attempt to conceal.

21. Open in the garden : BLOOM.  Look at all them BLOOMIN' flars.

22. Narrow opening : SLIT. Or cut.

28. Insinuate : HINT AT, To suggest indirectly or unpleasantly about something bad.  I could in-sin -you-ate about Mrs. Sprat's gluttony. 

31. Kitchen gadgets brand : OXO.

32. Sneak attack : AMBUSH.  Not OVERT, at least not at first.

33. Dryly amusing : WRY. As humor.

34. "More info later": Abbr. : TBA. To Be Announced.

41. Radical '60s gp. : SDS. Students for a Democratic Society.

42. Besides : TOO.  Also.

43. Scramble, as a secret message : ENCODE.  Convert into a decipherable form.

44. Tile container in Scrabble : BAG.  

Sit down and stay for a spell

45. Write, as music : NOTATE.  The act of writing out the score, not the act of composition.

52. Japanese noodle : UDON.

53. Leg bone : TIBIA.

54. Midwestern city associated with steaks : OMAHA.

57. Additionally : ELSE. Or alternatively

63. Abbr. on a city limits sign : ELEVation.

64. What's for dinner : ENTREE.  The main course.

65. Speed (up) : REV.  Hit the accelerator.

66. Piece of glass : PANE.  In the industry, this was commonly called a "light," or even worse, a "lite." Drove me nuts.

67. Radical in aspirin and vinegar : ACETYL.  This refers to a portion of a molecule that is common to vinegar [acetic acid] where the rest of the molecule is an -OH group; and to aspirin [acetylsalicylic acid] where it combines with a pendant -OH group on a larger molecule [salicylic acid] to form an ester.  In this form, it much less aggressive than uncombined salicylic acid, which is too harsh on the digestive system to be taken internally.   Externally, salicylic acid is used to remove warts and treat other skin conditions.

68. Spot on a peacock's tail : EYE.

Sir Peacock has 1000 of them

Down

1. Taylor Swift's "__ Song" : OUR.

2. Trident-shaped letter : PSI (uppercase Ψ, lowercase ψ; Greek: ψι psi) is the 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet.

3. "You're it!" game : TAG.  Touch me if you can.

4. 1999 Ron Howard satire : ED TV.

5. Journalist Clare Boothe __ : LUCE.   U.S. Ambassador to Italy [1953-60,] congressional representative from Connecticut [1943-47,] author, journalist and playwright.   Her husband Henry published Time, Look, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated magazines.

6. Multiple choice choices : A B OR C.

7. "Republic" philosopher : PLATO.    Cave man.

8. Family gal : SISter

9. MD treating canals : ENT.  Ear, Nose and Throat specialist.

10. Postgrad tests : ORALS.  Question and answer ordeals.

11. South Pacific island nation : SAMOA.  My friend married a Polynesian woman.  Every time he kissed her, he wanted SAMOA.

12. "Blazing Saddles," for one : SPOOF. An exaggerated, humorous imitation or parody.

13. "Shoot!" : ASK ME.

18. Après-ski amenities : HOT TUBS.

21. Dude : BRO.  Buddy, pal - you know - moron.

22. Herring prized for its roe : SHAD.  I'll try anything [within reason] once, and that was enough.  This is on the short list of things I will never eat again.

23. Long rides? : LIMOS.  Usually a stretched vehicle.

24. Preparing to flower : IN BUD.

26. Handed-down tales : LORE.

27. Gas in a tank : OXYGEN.   For people with breathing difficulties.

29. Syst. with hand signals : American Sign Language.

30. What a treater picks up : THE TAB.  At the tavern, not on Halloween.

33. "Says __?" : WHO.  Expression of skepticism.

34. Touch-related : TACTUAL.  A word you are unlikely to encounter ever again.

35. In __ daylight : BROAD.  Narrow daylight is not so OVERT.

36. Supplement : ADD TO.  Here, supplement is a verb, not a vitamine capsule.

38. Garment worn in HBO's "Rome" : TOGA.  Or "Animal House."

39. 108-card game : UNO.

40. Not hidden : SEEN.  OVERT.

44. Merit badge org. : Boy Scouts of America.

46. Expensive : STEEP.   The price is high.

47. "My Ántonia" novelist Cather : WILLA.  American [1873-1947,]

48. "Hedda Gabler" playwright : IBSEN. Henrick, Norwegian [1828-1906.]

49. It won't hold water : SIEVE.  If you try, you might strain yourself.

50. Nick of "Hotel Rwanda" : NOLTE.  American actor [b 1941]

51. Chain with a Smart Sense store brand : K-MART.  Rapidly shrinking chain.

55. __-deucey : ACEY.  Card game

56. Scoundrel : HEEL.  Cad.

58. Stew vegetable : PEA.  Or porridge - hot or cold.

59. Mandela's org. : ANC.   African National Congress.

60. 15-Across locale: Abbr. : IRE.   The Auld Sod, the Emerald Isle.

61. 2000s "SNL" notable Tina : FEY.  American actor, comedian, writer and producer [b 1970.]

62. Wrapping time : EVE.  Not at our house.  Christmas EVE is when we have our big clan gathering.  The various sub-groups spend Christmas day with the other branches of their respective families.

That wraps up another Thursday EVE at the Corner.  Hope y'all had a fine time.

Cool Regards!
JzB