Wednesday June 30, 2021 Jeff Stillman

Children's Games

Georges Bizet's Jeux D'Enfants

 

Jeff Stillman is a frequent contributor to the LA Times Crossword and today he plays with some favorite phrases for children's games.  Each themer consists of a pun on games we all played when we were kids. No reveal is needed. 

Bill here to lead you through some childhood memories:

18A. Tanner's favorite kids' game?: HIDE AND SEEK.  Some parents occasionally "tan their children's hides", the traditional method of behavior control. As confirmed believers in the power of positive re-enforcement, we never found the need for it.

28A. Ornithologist's favorite kids' game?: DUCK DUCK GOOSE

45A. Window retailer's favorite kids' game?: BLIND MANS BUFF.  A bit of misdirection here, as  BUFF in this case is apparently an alternate word for the more common BLUFF.  This game been around for a long time, but I don't think it was ever included in the Olympics:

60A. Vermeer and Rembrandt's favorite kids' game?: DOUBLE DUTCH.  However THIS game just might be in the Olympics some day:

 I can't move on without some links to paintings by the painters Jeff plays with in this clue: Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes ("Jan") Vermeer (my favorite painter).  The Rembrandts are in the National Art Gallery in London, numbering 26 of the over 600 paintings he created.  The Vermeer link has about 35 paintings from all over the world, constituting the entire extant corpus of his works in oil.  I believe the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. has 4 of them.

And the rest of the riffs:

Across:
1. Put away: ATE.

4. Discover with effort: DIG UP.  For example: ARCHEOLOGY.  If you're on the younger side, and you (really!) enjoy manual labor, you just might want to consider a career in this fascinating field.

9. Cloister leader: ABBOT.  Probably the most famous ABBOT was St. Benedict of Nursia ( c. AD 480–550) who founded the Benedictine Order.  He is best known for writing the Rule of St. Benedict, a short book of precepts written in 516 for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot.  His rule spread beyond the Benedictine Order and has served as a template for many other Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican monastic communities.

14. Mars, for one: GOD.  The Roman God of War, equivalent to the Greek God ARES.

15. Hwy. through six Eastern state capitals: US ONE.  I checked and it goes through Annapolis, MD.

16. Dora the Explorer's animal-rescuing cousin: DIEGO.  Everything you want to know about Dora Márquez and her cousin Diego:

Diego and Baby Jaguar

17. Phoenix-to-Boise dir.: NNW.

20. "My word!": EGAD.

22. Discriminating sense: TASTE.

23. Nursery item: TREE. 

24. NBA's Steph Curry, notably: WARRIOR.  Wardell Stephen "Steph" Curry II is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association. He plays the point guard position. Many analysts and players have called him the greatest shooter in NBA history. Wikipedia

26. Indy entrant: CAR.

34. "__ en Rose": Edith Piaf song: LA VIE.  Here it is, first in French, and then in English:

Here is a brief documentary of her life and sad ending:

36. Fare-well link: THEE.

37. Naught: NIL.

38. Footnoter's "ditto," briefly: IBID.  Abbreviation for the Latin ibidem ‘in the same place’.

39. Like ballet movements: FLUID.   Comme ça:

41. Lenovo competitor: DELL.

42. "__ want a hula hoop": "The Chipmunk Song": ME I.  And now from the sublime to the ridiculous!

43. Lots of bucks: DEER.  Yeah, we have a herd of them living in our back yard!  Mostly does and fawns though.

44. Sits after microwaving: COOLS.

49. Flight board abbr.: ETA.  Estimated Time of Arrival

50. Part of HEW: WELFARE.  Formerly Health, Education, and Welfare, now Health and Human Services, part of the government's never ending quest for les mots justes:

53. Bite like a beaver: GNAW.   Woodin' wanna' tangle with that guy!

56. Within the law: LEGIT.  If you're not, ya better LEG IT!

59. Onion exterior: SKIN.  "Onion skin" is more of a description of how thin it is, rather than its origins. 

63. Wall St. debut: IPO.  Initial Public Offering, in a nutshell:

Or everything you might want to know.

64. Stumping sites: PODIA.  As in plural of PODIUM.

65. Russian villa: DACHA.  I guess they vary in size.  Some of these are more like simple cottages.

66. After-tax amount: NET.

67. Popped up: SKIED.  Got this on perps, but still don't quite get it.  Popped up over a ramp or moguls?  A CSO to MalMan for some clarification.

68. Jewish community orgs.: YMHAS. (or YWHAS)  - Jewish Community Centers intended specifically to meet the needs of young Jewish men or women who are traveling to/from cities.

69. Dr. of rap: DRE.  AnDRE Romelle Young.  Not really a doctor, but he may play one on TV.

Down:
1. Veep who resigned: AGNEW. Well, forced to resign actually.  He was lucky he didn't have to do any time.  I believe I mentioned the last time he SKIED in a puzzle, that I met him at a Student Council meeting.  I promise not to mention it again.

2. South Pacific kingdom: TONGA.  The Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Tonga.

Tonga Coat of Arms

3. British monarch who reigned less than a year in 1936: EDWARD VIII.  And a woman from Baltimore had something to do with it.

4. "That's so obvious!": DUH.

5. "Would you mind?": IS IT OK?

6. French-Swiss film director Jean-Luc: GODARD.  Is an "iconic and influential filmmaker", born in 1930.   Here are 10 of his greatest films.

7. Some, in France: UNES.  Today's French lesson. 

8. Swamp buildup: PEAT. Dried peat is used in Ireland as a source of fuel.

9. Put in: ADD.

10. Casual eatery: BISTRO.

11. Tavern quaff: BEER.

12. Fancy molding: OGEE.  GEE and I thought I knew my moldings.

13. Drag on a joint: TOKE.  I believe this word was derived from Gertrude Stein's buddy Alice B. Toklas.  Be sure to check out her recipe for "Haschich" Fudge.

19. Canoodled: NECKED.  Also known as PARKING.

21. Ancient Celtic priest: DRUID.  Leaders among the Celts, they served much broader functions than just the priesthood.

25. Diamonds, to hoods: ICE.

27. Sensitive subject, to some: AGE.  What is there to be sensitive about, other than the inevitable aches and pains?  No one has figured out how to get any younger.

29. One-eighty: U TURN.  A.K.A. a UIE.

30. X as in Xerxes: CHI.  As in the Greek letter immediately after PHI.  However as Xerxes was actually Persian and his name in Farsi is Khshayarsha, perhaps KAPPA would be more korect.

31. Unique thing: ONE OF A KIND.  In Latin "Sui Generis".  In the digital age things can be easily copied, so to make them "unique" the technocracy has created the "Non-Fungible Token (NFT).  An NFT is unit of data stored on a digital ledger, called a blockchain, that certifies a digital asset to be unique and therefore not interchangeable. NFTs can be used to represent items such as photos, videos, audio, and other types of digital files.  A brand new way to separate people from their money.

32. Plant pot spot: SILL.  Took me a few secs to suss this one.

33. Wings you can't eat: ELLS.

34. Bird's perch: LIMB. Or a wing you CAN eat.

35. Genesis victim: ABEL.  Why was Abel slain by his brother CAIN?

39. Doe or sow: FEMALE. 

40. Grazing locale: LEA.  You might find a "Lot of bucks" or a "Doe" here early in the morning or evening.

41. Tips politely: DOFFS.

43. EPA-banned insecticide: DDT.   The Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1970.  But the environmental impact of DDT and other pesticides was brought to public attention earlier than that by the ground-breaking book Silent Spring, written by Rachel Carson in 1962:

44. __-de-sac: CUL.   "DEAD END" in France.  More French.

46. Beginner: NEWBIE.

47. Turn (on), as a light: SWITCH.  You can turn them (off) too.  One of my pet peeves.

48. "You __!": "Yep!": BETCHA.  Sorry, I'm not a gamblin' man.

51. Not as green: RIPER.  According to Rachel Ray, there are some fruits that taste better green.

52. Online reminder: ENOTE.

53. Natl. economic stats: GDPS.  Gross Domestic Product.  Please don't ask me to explain any of this.

54. Cozy corner: NOOK.   Now you can curl up in your cozy nook with your Nook and read the Great American Novel:

I generally prefer paper, but a Nook is lighter and might be advisable for reading Anna Karenina:

55. Auto with a four-ring logo: AUDI.  Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer that designs, engineers, produces, markets and distributes luxury vehicles. Audi is a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group and has its roots at Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. Audi vehicles are produced in nine production facilities worldwide. Wikipedia

57. Whirling current: EDDY.  See last Thursday's puzzle.

58. Island east of Manila: GUAM.  Guam, is an island and unincorporated territory of the United States in the North Pacific Ocean, the largest, most populous, and southernmost of the Mariana Islands. It lies about 5,800 miles (9,300 km) west of San Francisco and 1,600 miles (2,600 km) east of Manila.

61. Bloke: LAD.

62. Partakes of: HAS.

Well I think this LAD HAS finished playing games.  Here's the grid:

 

waseeley

Cheers,

Bill

Tuesday, June 8, 2021 Jeff Stillman

Crazy Relations:  The word "sister" can be found "twisted" in the circles.

20-Across. Prime time for vacationers: TOURIST SEASON.  Webster's defines Tourist Season as "the time when many people go to visit places as tourists."

29-Across. Work out of the office?: BUSINESS TRIP.  Webster's defines a Business Trip as "a visit made to a place for work purposes, typically one involving a journey of some distance."

46-Across. Pacific spot named for the day it was discovered: EASTER ISLAND.  Easter Island a territory of Chile.  It's native name is Rapa Nui and it is known for its monumental statues of oversized heads.

56-Across. '80s hard rock quintet, and what's literally found in each set of circles: TWISTED SISTER.  I'll spare your ears.

Across:

1. Welsh dog: CORGI.  A favorite of the Queen.

6. Voice mails: Abbr.: MSGs.  As in Messages.

10. Heed: OBEY.

14. Atom with a negative charge: ANION.

15. German mark successor: EURO.  Each country that uses the Euro can have one side of the coin depict a design symbolic of its nation.  You can see the German national side of the Euro here.

16. Very hot state: RAGE.

17. Works on a keyboard: TYPES.

18. Mideast's Gulf of __: ADEN.

19. __ job: deception: SNOW.

23. Informal affirmative: YUP.

24. Small amount: TAD.

25. Weep: CRY.

26. Childcare writer LeShan: EDA.  Eda LaShan (June 6, 1922 ~ Mar. 3, 2002).  She visited us just last Sunday.  

32. King's rabid dog: CUJO.  Cujo was the subject of a novel by Stephen King (b. Sept. 21, 1947).

35. Laugh sound: HEE.

36. Like some waves: TIDAL.

37. Chevy subcompact: AVEO.

38. Basic building blocks: ATOMS.

41. Half of Mork's sign-off: NANU.  A reference to the 1980s sit-com, Mork and Mindy.

42. Greek cheeses: FETAs.  Almost everything you wanted to know about Feta Cheese, but didn't know to ask.  Feta is a Protected Designation of Origin product, so technically only the cheese made in some areas of Greece can be called Feta.

44. Washington NLer: NAT.  As in the Washington Nationals, the Major League Baseball team.

45. Cavefish's functionless parts: EYES.  Some of these fish barely even have eyes.  Cavefish is actually a generic term for fish that have adapted to living in caves and underground habitats.  Some fish have no eyes altogether, other fish have vestige eyes.

50. Chicago-to-Miami dir.: SSE.  South-SouthEast.

51. Elton's "Rocket __": MAN.

52. Prior to, poetically: ERE.  A crossword staple.

53. Baglike structure: SAC.

60. Lightsaber wielders: SITH.  Think of the Star Wars movies.

62. Dove's home: COTE.

63. Wavy pattern: MOIRE.

64. __ socks: KNEE.

65. Beheaded Boleyn: ANNE.  Anne Boleyn (1500s ~ May 19, 1536) was the 2nd of Henry VIII's wives.  She was also the mother of Elizabeth I, Queen of England.

66. Kate's TV sidekick: ALLIE.  Kate & Allie was a sit-com from the 1980s.  Kate was played by Susan Saint James (b. Aug. 14, 1946) and Allie was played by Jane Curtain (b. Sept. 6, 1947).

67. Legal memo phrase: IN RE.

68. Cordelia's father: LEAR.  A reference to a play by Willie the Shakes.

69. Prominent: NOTED.

Down:

1. Like a remark evoking a "Rowr!": CATTY.

2. "The joke's __!": ON YOU.

3. Make into confetti: RIP UP.

4. Active type: GOER.

5. At its original position: IN SITU.  Today's Latin lesson.

6. Carnivore's regimen: MEAT DIET.

7. Frothy water: SUDS.

8. 776 BC Olympics locale: GREECE.  And home of Feta Cheese.

9. Undersea trackers: SONARS.  Sonar is short for Sound Navagation and Ranging.  

10. -ish, numerically: OR SO.

11. Time to celebrate: BANNER DAY.

12. Vanity: EGO.

13. Fine-grained wood: YEW.

21. Nickname for Alexandra: SASHA.

22. Part of GPS: Abbr.: SYST.  As in the Global Positioning System.

27. "Cheers" server: DIANE.  Diane was played by Shelley Long (b. Aug. 23, 1949).

28. Top mark: A PLUS.

29. Hiss, as a villain: BOO AT.

30. Vegas lights: NEONS.

31. Pronged: TINED.

32. Bookstore eateries: CAFÉs.

33. Eye parts with irises: UVEAS.

34. Traveler in life's fast lane: JET SETTER.

39. Stag: MALE DEER.  //  And 59-Down: Stag: SOLO.

40. Paparazzi targets: STARS.

43. Interstate hauler: SEMI.

47. Mischief-maker: RASCAL.

48. Emulate the Gregorians: INTONE.

49. Upscale retailer __ Marcus: NEIMAN.  Affectionately known as Needless Markup.

53. Clown's heightening prop: STILT.

54. Falcon's nest: AERIE.

55. 2015 "Rocky" films sequel: CREED.

57. Amusement park cry: WHEE!

58. Highest Italian peak south of the Alps: ETNA.  It's the volcano on Sicily.

60. Schuss, e.g.: SKI.

61. Lodging with a "keeper": INN.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Wednesday, April 7, 2021 Jeff Stillman

Theme - today we have a broken word theme, with FALL getting fractured in three different ways,

16 A. *Second Commandment prohibition: FALSE IDOL.  "Thou shalt have no strange gods before me," is how I remember it.

22 A. *Old-fashioned parting words: FARE THEE WELL. Bye, now.

37 A. *"Cheese stands alone" kids' song title guy: FARMER IN THE DELL.  This children's song probably originated in Germany, and was brought to America by immigrants.  It is popular in many countries and languages.

49 A. *Metaphorical insect observer: FLY ON THE WALL.  Said of one who wishes to listen in on secret conversations.

60 A. Go to pieces, or what's literally hidden in the answers to starred clues: FALL APART. The word is divided in each theme entry and the presentation is elegant.  The first division is after the F, the next two bisect the word after the A, and the last one splits the two Ls.

Today's theme song --

 

Hi Gang,  JazzBumpa here to pull things together.  Let's get going.  We might have to solve this piecemeal.

Across:

 1. Go __: hit to right field batting right-handed, say, in baseball lingo: OPPO.  Is this in the sports language?  If so, I've missed it.  I've heard this in politics as doing research on your opponent.

5. Trying to block: ANTI.  Voting against.

9. Performs like Missy Elliott: RAPS.  I do not know her.

13. Ruckus: FRAY.  Ado

14. Eve's opposite: MORN.  No, not Adam.  Shortened evening and MORNING.

15. Sun: Pref.: HELIO. As our local HELIO-centric planetary system.

18. Heroic sagas: EPICS. Long stories about the great deeds of heroic figures.

19. "Awake and Sing!" dramatist: ODETS.  Clifford [1906-1963]  was an American actor, playwright, screenwriter, and director. As a playwright he was extremely influential in the 1930's and 40's.

20. South Carolina state tree: PALMETTO.  It is native to the southern U.S., Cuba, and other Caribbean islands. 

25. See stars: REEL.  To REEL is to lose one's balance and violently lurch or stagger.  One sees stars from a low to the head.  This could also make one REEL, but that does not make them equivalent.

26. Widen, as pupils: DILATE.  To become wider or more open.  I've been putting off my eye exam for almost a year.

30. Fri. preceder: THU.  THURSDAY and Friday on the calendar.

33. "Oh dear!": ALAS.  Too bad.

36. Sherpa's home: NEPAL. A land-locked Asian country between India and Tibet.  It is mostly mountainous, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain.  

41. When some dinners are served: AT SIX.  We usually start a few minutes earlier.

42. Delhi wrap: SARI.  A garment consisting of a length of cotton or silk elaborately draped around the body, traditionally worn by women from South Asia.   Read about it here

43. "Narcos" org.: DEA.  Narcotics agents in the Drug Enforcement Agency.

44. Certain Tibetan: LHASAN.  One from Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, lies on the Lhasa River's north bank in a valley of the Himalayas.

46. Sounds of disgust: UGHS.  Along with eeew, and yuck.

55. "Yada, yada, yada": ET CETERA.  And so on and so forth

58. Old copy: MIMEO.  Short for MIMEOGRAPH, a machine that makes copies by forcing ink through a stencil.   From long ago in grade school I remember the pleasant fruity aroma of the ink.

.
59. Little pigs number: THREE.  

 

 63. Tally again: RE-ADD. You can count on it.

64. Skeleton prefix: ENDO-.  means "inside."   You have an ENDOskeleton.

65. Grandson of Eve: ENOS.  The first son of Seth, reckoned to be an ancestor of both Jesus and Mohammed.

66. Geologic spans: EONS.  Generally speaking, non-specific very long time-spans.  In geology, a billion years.

67. __ buco: OSSO.  Cross-cut veal shanks braised with vegetables, white wine and broth.

68. "The Banana Boat Song" opener: DAYO.

 

  Down:

1. No longer using: OFF OF.  As a drug, I suppose

2. Designer bag brand: PRADA.  If you have more than  $1000 you don't need.

3. Not as bright: PALER. More pale is more in the language.

4. Raw bar mollusk: OYSTER.  The common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. 

5. "__ imagining things?": AM I.  Nope.  They really are oysters.

6. Doze: NOD.  Take a nap.

7. Figurative expression: TROPE.  As defined.

8. Eloper's acquisition: IN-LAW.  Member of the new spouse's family.

9. Drove back: REPELLED.  To beat back an attacker.

10. Came down: ALIT.  Landed

11. Early Briton: PICT.  People inhabiting northern Scotland in Roman times.

12. Just okay: SO-SO.  Mediocre, meh.

15. Fashion variable: HEM LINE.  The line formed by the lower edge of a garment.

Variable in time and location

17. Sunrise dirección: ESTE.  En español.

21. Was ahead: LED. 

23. Get wind of: HEAR.  Learn about.

24. MLB pitcher Dock profiled in the 2014 film "No No: A Dockumentary": ELLIS.  Dock Phillip Ellis Jr. (1945 – 2008) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1968 through 1979, most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

27. Parroted: APED.  Copied

28. One shared at a campfire: TALE.  A story that might or might not be true.

29. Jazz legend Fitzgerald: ELLA.

 

 30. Maker of nonstick cookware: T-FAL.

31. Doth possess: HATH. The owneth is upon him.

32. Constellation bear: URSA.  AKA Big or Little Dipper

34. Political commentator Navarro: ANA. Ana Violeta Navarro-Cárdenas [b 1971] is an American political strategist and commentator. She appears on various television programs and news outlets, including CNN, CNN en Español, ABC News, and Telemundo.

35. Walk with a swagger: STRUT.

38. Many printer jams: MIS-FEEDS.

39. Praised highly: EXALTED. Held in high regard and spoken of favorably.

40. Elevation word: HIGH.  Hight wold be more appropriate.

45. "Science Guy" Bill: NYE. William Sanford Nye, [b 1955] popularly known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, is an American mechanical engineer, science communicator, and television presenter.

47. Blood: Pref.: HEMA-.  Mediacal prefix derived from Greek

48. Ran through a reader: SWIPED.  As a credit or ID card.

50. Lover of Euridice, in a Monteverdi work: ORFEO.  An opera from 1607.

51. Tandoori breads: NAANS.  Contrived plural for an unleavened  bread traditionally baked on the outside of a clay oven.

52. Maytag rival: AMANA.  Makers of household appliances.

53. "Bad, Bad" Brown of song: LEROY.

54. Bear voiced by Ned Beatty in "Toy Story 3": LOTSO for short .  Lots o' Huggin' for long 

55. Basic French verb: ETRE.  "To be" in French.

56. "Sons of Anarchy" actor Rossi: THEO. John Theodore Rossi [b 1975] is an American actor and producer best known for his portrayal of Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz on the FX series Sons of Anarchy. 

57. Fruit drink prefix: CRAN-.  Because who would buy a drink called Crapple?

61. Mormons' gp.: LDS.  Latter Day Saints.

62. Bath bathroom: LOO.  British English.

That wraps up our legend of the FALL.  Hope you made it through unscathed.

Cool regards!

JzB

(Thanks, Alf)

Friday, March 12, 2021 Jeff Stillman

Theme: Here You R at Last! - Letter R is added to end of each common noun phrase.

16. West Coast footballer on an RV vacation?: ROAMING CHARGER. Roaming charge.

26. San Fernando counterfeiter?: VALLEY FORGER. Valley Forge.

41. Fisher who won't take advice?: OBTUSE ANGLER. Obtuse angle.

52. Indecisive European?: BELGIAN WAFFLER. Belgian Waffle.

C.C. here, Lemonade will be with you on Sunday blogging another Jeffrey's grids.

I feel I'm missing something. Simply a R addition? A set of *GE to *GER entries will be tighter. First two entries, plus Badge/BADGER, or WAGE/WAGER.

More often we see 11's on Row 3/13. With this grid, 14 on Row 3/13 with edge blocks work out nicely. Loved the parallel 9's in Down slots.

Across:

1. Flash: JIFF.

5. Hustle and bustle: RUSH.

9. Just: MERE.

13. Lake near the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: ERIE. ARIA, ARIE, OREO, all vowel-rich.  

14. __ rug: AREA.

15. Bean sprout?: IDEA. Good old clue.

19. "As Good as It Gets" Oscar winner: HUNT. Helen.

20. Deer madam: DOE. Nice clue.

21. Considerable: GRAVE.

22. "Sex Education" actor Butterfield: ASA. Don't know him. But I like this new clue angle.

23. Mischief maker: ELF.

24. Used crayons: COLORED.

29. Mystery writer's middle name: ALLAN. 10. Mystery writer's first name: EDGAR. Edgar Allan Poe.

30. Emotional shock: JOLT.

31. Show stoppers: ADS. TV shows.

34. Times Square gas: NEON.

35. Parking unit: SPACE.

37. Property attachment: LIEN.

38. Minnesota senator Klobuchar: AMY. Played a prominent role in the inauguration. Her father was a columnist for the Star Tribune.

39. Unctuous: OILY.

40. Tailor's dummy, e.g.: TORSO.

44. Goal of regular exercise: FITNESS.

47. Omaha Beach craft: Abbr.: LST. Landing Ship, Tank.

48. Boiling blood: IRE.

49. Disney princess with red hair and a green tail: ARIEL.

50. Prefix with center: EPI.

51. Colony members: ANTS.

56. Opposite of exo-: ENDO. Prefix meaning "inner".

57. Spanish rivers: RIOS.

58. Big name in razors: ATRA. Gillette.

59. Pond plant: REED.

60. Shortfin shark: MAKO.

61. More than half: MOST.

Down:

1. City near the Mount of Olives: JERUSALEM. Several regulars on our blog might have stopped here. Hahtoolah, Yellowrocks, Lucina. Anyone else?

 

2. Steel, e.g.: IRON ALLOY.

3. Italian automaker since 1899: FIAT.

4. Like the yin side: Abbr.: FEM. Feminine. Cucumber is Yin, but ginger is Yang. You eat more Yang food in winter. Yin in summer.

5. Xeroxed: RAN OFF.

6. Exhort: URGE.

7. Flash: SEC.

8. "So there!": HAH.

9. Funhouse fixture: MIRROR.

11. Superman player: REEVE. Christopher.

12. Like some jugs: EARED.

17. Without thinking: IDLY.

18. Shoelace end: AGLET.

19. Caribbean metropolis: HAVANA.

23. Dark time for poets: EEN.

24. Nile threat: CROC. Learning moment for me. Saw it during your trip, Anon-T? This is often a clue for ASP.

25. Eye rudely: OGLE.

27. Office PC nexus: LAN.

28. "Love Train" group, with "The": O'JAYS.

31. O'Hare arrivals: AIRLINERS.

32. Former name of an arid-region Afro-Asian rodent: DESERT RAT.

33. Sleeps soundly?: SNORES. I used to poke Boomer when he snored too loud. Now his snoring is music to my ears. Neuropathy, shoulder pain often keeps him awake.

35. Poses: SITS.

36. Furthermore: PLUS.

37. Captain's journal: LOG.

39. Marks in ancient manuscripts: OBELI. Plural of "obelus""

40. Dynamite stuff: TNT.

41. Basis of monotheism: ONE GOD.

42. Westernmost Texas county: EL PASO.

43. "Yeah, right!": AS IF.

44. __-Castell: office supply brand: FABER. Sorry. Never heard of this brand.

45. Ryan of "The Beverly Hillbillies": IRENE.

46. Piña colada garnish?: TILDE. The squiggle over Piña.

50. Furry Endor critter: EWOK.

51. Choir member: ALTO.

53. Equip: ARM.

54. Actress Vardalos: NIA.

55. Relatives, slangily: FAM.

C.C.

Thursday, January 28, 2021, Jeff Stillman

 

Good morning, cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee, here.  It is time to rise and shine.  If your cat did not wake you up this morning perhaps your dog did.  Or, your significant other.  Or, it's now the afternoon in your time zone.  In any event, grab that morning newspaper or that electronic device and head for the puzzle page.

THEME:  THE FOUR V's

In "Big Data" the Four V's are Volume, Veracity, Velocity, and Variety.  In today's puzzle, by Jeff Stillman, the letter V, and only the letter V, is used as the clue to each of the four long answers.  A straightforward theme, this was.

In addition to being the title of a Thomas Pynchon novel and a TV show, V can, of course, take on may different meanings and Jeff has employed some of them to good advantage.  

Here are the themed answers:

17 Across. V:  VICTORY SIGN.

27 Across. V:  T-SHIRT NECK TYPE.  Self explanatory.

44 Across. V:  GEESE FORMATION.  Also, self explanatory.  The theory is that the V formation conserves energy and facilitates co-ordination.

59 Across. V:  CAESAR'S FIVE.  Roman Numeral.  If Jeff had been able to work in V, and only V, theme answers (and I would be willing to bet that he tried) then that really would have been a coup.

That's it for the theme.  Now, let's take a look at the rest of Solver v. Puzzle.

ACROSS:

1. Two-mile-high city: LA PAZ.  LA PAZ, the capital of Bolivia, sits at an elevation of 11,942 feet.

6. Numbskulls: BOOBS.  This one has certainly been teed up.  Fore!  A swing and a miss (to mix golf and baseball lingo).   Today's "It's probably best to skip the graphics" moment, shared with 57 Down.  In this instance BOOBS is a synonym for other five-letter words such as dopes, bozos, or dodos.  All of these words have multiple meanings.

11.  Ate: HAD.  As in "I had too much to drink last night."  In 1967, The Electric Prunes used that expression as the jumping off point for a song.

AMERICAN BANDSTAND

14. Sister of Euterpe: ERATO.   One, or more, of the nine muses frequently drops by to visit us in puzzles.  

EUTERPE AND ERATO

15. Satellite's path: ORBIT.

16. "I __ you one!": OWE.  In this case, the clue is most likely referring to the reciprocation of a favor.

19. Carried the day: WON.  Did you hear about the person who WON a hundred thousand dollars in the lottery and decided to give one quarter of it to charity?  She now has $99, 999.75.

20. Brainstorm: IDEA.

21. Spanish pronoun: ESO.  Given their range of dispersion, Manatees generally speak pretty good Spanish.  This one does not but has been told that ESO translates, in English,  to "that".

22. Understated way to put it: MILDLY.  "To Put It Mildly" is an idiomatic expression indicating that the thing referred to is actually larger, more important, or more serious than stated.

24. Old PC display: CRT.  Cathode Ray Tube

26. City west of Hong Kong: MACAO.   Now, officially, The MACAO Special Administrative Region Of The People's Republic Of China has a human history that goes back 6,000 years.  MACAO is sometimes referred to as "The Gambling Capital of the World" or as "The Monte Carlo of the East".

MACAO

33. Scribble (down): JOT.  I have a friend who learned Italian by JOTting down sentences that she heard.  She used the wrote learning method.

34. Read (over) closely: PORED.  Along with 35 Across, these two clues provide a good example of how constructors mess with our heads.  Read can be either present tense (reed) or past tense (red), and . . .

35. Wind into rings: COIL.  . . . wind can be a flow of gasses that blows leaves all over and lets us fly kites or, as in this case, its heteronym (wined) which means to put something into a COIL.  The chances of constructors winding up the use of these tricks is nil.

36. Look into closely: PROBE.

38. Egg: Pref.: OVI.  Today's punt from our constructor.  It could  been clued as "NE opening".  Baaaa.

39. Suspends operations, with "down": SHUTS.   It is time to turn off the computer?

40. European erupter: ETNA.

SIRACUSA AND MT. ETNA - Photo by MM

41. Low card: DEUCE.  As an alternative to the playing card reference (a two), this clue could have cited the 1932 Ford Model 18 which was known as the DEUCE Coupe.

THE BEACH BOYS

43. Female antelope: DOE.  DOE an antelope, a female antelope.

48. La Scala locale: MILAN.  Il Teatro Alla Scala, what we call La Scala, e situato a MILANo, Italia.

TEATRO ALLA SCALA

49. Word with rolling or bowling: PIN.

50. Slanted, in a way: ITALIC.  Tilted and biased both came to mind before ITALIC which comes from the Latin word for Italian, Italicus.  The print style was named in honor of the Italian printer, Aldus Manutius, who is credited with being the first to use it.

52. Diamonds, slangily: ICE.  Diamonds are called ICE because of (a) their clear, colorless nature and (b) their ability to pull heat away from any warm object with which they come into contact.

54. Bar requests: ALES.  One of the most overused words in crossword-dom.  A four-letter word with three of them being two vowels and an S does come in handy.  This marine mammal does not tire of it, however, due to a significant affinity for India Pale ALES.

58. A.L. East team: BOS.  In late 1978, or early 1979, I was walking up a stairwell of The Goldminer's Daughter Hotel in Alta, Utah when I spotted a gentleman coming down the stairs.  He was wearing a T-shirt on which was emblazoned "The Yankees Suck".  Being somewhat more parochial than I am today, and the Dodgers having recently lost the 1978 World Series to the Bronx Bombers, I said to the man "You must be from Los Angeles."  He smiled broadly and replied, "Nah Bahston!"

62. It may need a boost: EGO.

63. Revered ones: IDOLS.  Humans are proscribed from worshiping false IDOLS.  This bit of wisdom seems, however, to be almost universally ignored.

64. Official Wimbledon timekeeper: ROLEX.  Not the person in charge of keeping time but, rather, the timepiece manufacturer and sponsor.  Not being a tennis buff, I first tried Omega because it fit nicely in the allotted space.

65. Summer shade: TAN.

TAN LINES THROUGH THE DECADES

66. Article of faith: TENET.

67. Title feeling "beyond power of speech," in an "Into the Woods" song: AGONY.  A reference, unfamiliar to the author, to a song by Stephen Sondheim.

AGONY

DOWN:

1. Son of Jacob: LEVI.  Coincidentally, on May 20, 1873, U.S. Patent Number 139,121 was issued to Jacob Davis and LEVI Strauss & Company for the first riveted work pants.  What we call Blue Jeans, today.

LEVI STRAUSS                 JACOB DAVIS

2. Dry as a bone: ARID.  Sometimes the answer turns out to be "sere" which also has four letters.

3. Go back and forth: PACE.  Yo Yo? No.  Sway?  No way.  Vary?  Nary a chance.

4. Include with an email: ATTACH.

5. Wild place: ZOO.  An actual ZOO is, in reality,  a pretty controlled environment.  This clue makes more sense when thought of as used in the colloquial expression "It's a real zoo out there" or something similar.

6. Clothing store department: BOYS.

7. Estimate phrase: OR SO.

THREE MINUTES  OR SO ABOUT  OR SO 

8. Kimono closer: OBI.  We see OBI often.  It is a wide sash or belt worn in Japan since ancient times to secure a kimono.

9. Classic fast-food sandwich since 1967: BIG MAC. 

10. Gift bearer, informally: STNICK.  What's a Stnick?  Oh, ST. NICK !

ONCE AGAIN, THE BEACH BOYS

11. Polite greeting: HOW DO YOU DO.  It is not really a question.

12. MP's quarry: AWOL.  Absent WithOut Leave

13. Disallow: DENY.

18. Old-school: RETRO.  RETRO is defined as imitative of a style, fashion or design from the recent past.

23. Door securer: LATCH.

A BARN DOOR LATCH

25. Ready to pluck: RIPE.

26. Soda order: MEDIUM.  This slow creature first thought of flavors, then name brands, then sparkling or flat.  Finally, with the aid of the perps, MEDIUM sized became clear.

27. Rich dessert cake: TORTE.  I always get confused between a TORTE and a Tart (I know, I know).  A TORTE is a rich, multilayered cake filled with buttercream, whipped cream, fruit or jam.  A Tart is a shallow, round pastry with no top crust.  I remain confused.

28. Building artisan: STONE MASON.  The work of  the ancient STONE MASONs of Cusco, Peru was remarkable.

 

INCA STONE MASONRY 

29. Trampled: TROD ON.  When reviewing the puzzle did you find yourself asking yourself "What's a TRODON?"  It was, of course, a species of dinosaur and a close relative of the Iguanodon, the Dimetrodon and the Thesaurus.

30. Emphatic refusal: NEVER.  Well, hardly ever.

HMS PINAFORE by GILLBERT and SULLIVAN

31. Mountaineer's tool: PITON.  I do not usually think of a PITON as being a tool.  It's more a piece of hardware but it does serve a very useful purpose.

A PITON SET INTO A CRACK

32. "Is there something __?": ELSE.  A very straightforward fill-in-the-blank clue.

33. Photoshop image acronym: JPEG.  JPEG is the acronym for Joint Photographic Experts Group.  JPEG is a standard image format.

37. Culinary herb: BASIL.  A Caprese salad is made with tomato, BASIL leaves and mozarella.  Season to taste.

INSALATA CAPRESE

39. Org. seeking far-out life: SETI.  SETI stands for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.  Often, we see YETI in our puzzles.

SETI MIGHT FIND THIS YETI  

42. Playful prank: CAPER.  I am too old for this kind of CAPER and I have no taste for the other kind.

CAPERS

45. Summon up: ELICIT.

A CENTROSAURUS

46. False appearance: FACADE.  An architectural term that has come to mean false fronts put up by people.

47. Dazed: IN A FOG.  

50. "Yeah, sure!": I BET.  Ah, sarcasm!

51. __ party: TOGA.

JOHN BELUSHI IN ANIMAL HOUSE

52. "Lost" setting: ISLE.

LOST -  OPENING SCENE - SEASON ONE, EPISODE ONE

53. Word before votes or shadows: CAST.

55. Stitch's movie pal: LILO.  Stitch, aka Experiment 626, was created by a mad scientist.   LILO Pelakai  is the young Hawaiian girl.

56. Fifty-fifty: EVEN.

57.  Hot:  SEXY.  I am informed that this is a G-rated Blog.  Today's second "Let's skip the graphics" moment, shared with 6 Across.

60.  Long division?:  EON.  At least we got the "?" to tip us off that this one was not going to be straightforward.  An EON is a long division of geologic time.  Less formally, the term refers to a span of one billion years.  Long Division is a mathematical process in which involves dividends, divisors, quotients, and remainders.

61. Mexican Mrs.: SRA.  The abbreviation for SENORA, a married woman.

That completes our voyage through this virtual venue.  Now it is time to vamoose, venture forth and face the vagaries and vicissitudes of life.

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MM OUT