Friday, November 26, 2021, Jennifer Lee and Victor Galson

Theme: "If if's and but's were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas"

Happy Black Friday everyone. How are we all feeling after yesterday's big Thanksgiving Dinner? Ready to tackle the malls today now that we have less than 30 shopping days 'til Christmas?

Don't know about y'all but I am a bit hung over from turkey, vino, and football. If the weather cooperates I will likely go for a hike. But go shopping? Nope. Not today. I'd rather comment with all of you nice folks about Jennifer Lee and Victor Galson's clever use of play-on-word phrases that omit three conditional words that all parents have uttered once or more: (59-Across as clued: "I won't hear any excuses!" ... also, a clue to the three other longest Across answers) NO IFS ANDS OR BUTS. How did these two collaborators get there you ask?

17-Across. Odds that the pub is open?: CHANCE OF ALE TIME. LOL! Makes me think of this guy:

Add the word "IF" to this phrase - put it between the L and E of the word ALE - et voila! No "if" makes "Chance of a lifetime" become CHANCE OF ALE TIME

26-Across. Well-liked blue-state pol?: POPULAR DEM. Very, very clever P-O-W. If only the Crossword Corner would allow some mention of politics I could have a field day with this. In keeping with today's theme, though, let's look and see where the word "AND" could fit. How about after "DEM"? Ever heard of the phrase (by) POPULAR DEMAND?

46-Across. Where the Goddess of Pop resides?: CHER'S BLOCK. At first, I was thinking that this referred to one of the three actors who is playing CHER in the new Broadway Musical, "The CHER Show". Stephanie J. BLOCK.

But maybe it has the literal meaning of where she actually resides. On a street BLOCK. Either way, this one didn't tickle my punny bone as much as the other two, yet the addition of the word "BUT" to this yields the phrase: "BUTcher's Block".

And upon further review, the first deletion - IF - fits in the center of LE to make LIFE; AND fits at the end of DEM to make DEMAND; and BUT fits at the beginning of CHER'S to make BUTCHER'S. Very cool. Is that how you saw it? On to the fill . . .

Across:
1. __ choy: BOK.

Famous Chinese chef
Started a new franchise. It's
Called: BOK in a wok

4. Lines not meant for everyone: ASIDE. Not the meaning of the clue, but another way to use the word ASIDE:

9. Classic sci-fi film with a pronoun title: THEM. A 1954 movie with a star-studded cast

13. "Bah!" in Bavaria: ACH. We all know the phrase, "ACH du lieber" - which means, "Oh, my dear". And most other phrases with the word "ACH" seem to infer that it's "oh" rather than "bah". Maybe someone else has a different take? Later in the grid, we saw this: (51-Across. "Heavens to Betsy!":) OH DEAR.

14. Jockey, e.g.: RIDER.

Kentucky Derby
Horse was named after Doors song
RIDER on the Storm

15. Shack: HOVEL.

20. Gorilla who learned sign language: KOKO. As decribed in Wikipedia

21. Like a rogue: SLY.

A SLY actor needs
More makeup. Would that imply
The rogue wore some rouge?

22. An abundance: OODLES. Here's an oldie:

23. "Su-u-ure": "I BET". Song by Ciara would've been a good clue. Enjoy!

25. Fla. resort: BOCA. A CSO to some of our SE FL Cornerites (unclefred and Lemonade714) who live nearby BOCA Raton

30. "Conan" airer: TBS. The clip is kinda long but it was his last show (June 24, 2021) and says it all:

33. Org. that launched "My MPG" in 2005: EPA. With the popularity of battery-powered cars, will a new metric be used that measures MPkW??

34. Phoenix origin?: ASHES. At first I thought this was a comment about how the city of Phoenix, AZ originated. Interestingly enough, there was a correlation

35. Milk dispensers: TEATS.

British company
Launched new brand that includes milk.
It's called Tetley TEATS

37. Variety for a truffle hunter?: LINDT. Did anyone else think about pigs? Nah; we all thought of this, didn't we? Made by LINDT

39. Even so: YET. Hitherto?

40. "Ditto": AS DO I. We had the word DITTO in my last recap

41. Alexander the Great, to Aristotle: TUTEE. World History dot com confirms this: "In 343 BCE Aristotle was summoned by King Philip II of Macedon to tutor his son Alexander the Great. He was hired by Philip II, King of Macedon (r. 359-336 BCE) as tutor for his son Alexander the Great". And now you know!

42. Casino group, often: TRIBE. The first Indian casino was built in Florida by the Seminole TRIBE, which opened a successful high-stakes bingo parlour in 1979. Other indigenous nations quickly followed suit, and by 2000 more than 150 tribes in 24 states had opened casino or bingo operations on their reservations

44. Word with bobby or bowling: PIN. The "bowling" reference is a CSO to Boomer

45. AOL competitor: MSN. One of my three email accounts is with "hotmail", a MicroSoft Network provider. And the majority of what appears in my inbox there is (48-Across. Annoying email:) SPAM

50. Sweet talk: COOS. Which brought to mind an oldie, but goodie:

A pigeon landed
Upon a church steeple, and
Uttered some high COOS

54. Lead in to la-la: OOH. "Hands up" for putting "TRA" in there first

56. Start of some famous last words: "ET TU". The phrase “ET TU, Brute?” is never at any point attributed to Julius Caesar in any surviving ancient text. These words, however, are entirely fictional; as they do not appear in the writings of any Greek or Roman historians. Interesting

62. Spaceship Earth site: EPCOT. Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Disney World

63. "The Tortoise and the Hare" author: AESOP. According to World History dot org, AESOP, a former Greek slave, in the late to mid-6th century BCE, Aesop's Fables are the world's best known collection of morality tales. The fables, numbering 725, were originally told from person-to-person as much for entertainment purposes but largely as a means for relaying or teaching a moral or lesson

64. Reuben requirement: RYE. Corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and Russian dressing are also requirements, IIRC. Do you prefer your RYE bread with, or without seeds?

65. Sonic the Hedgehog owner: SEGA. This guy from the popular SEGA video games:

66. Holy hymn: PSALM. PSALM means: "a sacred song or hymn, in particular any of those contained in the biblical Book of PSALMs and used in Christian and Jewish worship"

67. They loop around the Loop: ELS. Short for "Elevated Trains". Note the capitalized second LOOP in the clue: A reference to the area within the city of Chicago

Down:
1. Here again: BACK. Sorry if this creeps you out . . .

2. Half of dieciséis: OCHO. Helps if you know Spanish. Dieciséis is sixteen. One half of sixteen is 8, or OCHO in Espanol.

3. Some casual wear: KHAKI PANTS. They say that the best commercials are the ones you remember whenever you hear a single word . . . like this, perhaps?

4. Bend: ARC. Does anyone else get ARC and ARCH mixed up? I found this: "ARC" - a shape or structure resembling an arc. "ARCH" - a curved symmetrical structure spanning an opening and typically supporting the weight of a bridge, roof, or wall above it. So why say that I "arched" my back. Shouldn't it be ARCed my back, instead??

5. Afternoon rests: SIESTAS. More Spanish today, but one that is much more familiar. I will take an occasional SIESTA; actually look forward to them!!

6. Pop star: IDOL. I'll call this one "crossword-ese" for today

7. Go against: DEFY.

8. Jazz __: ERA. Another crossword favorite shows up again

9. 2000s teen drama set in SoCal: THE O.C.. As in Orange County. A Southern California district whose county seat is Santa Ana. About 3-1/4 million folks call this their home. Anaheim is here; so is Newport Beach, where THE O.C. show was based. It ran on Fox Network from 2003-2007

10. Much-anticipated appointments: HOT DATES. This image made me laugh!

11. Good fighter?: EVIL. Very clever clue for this. One of my favorite books and movies use both words in the title . . . enjoy the trailer . . .

12. Viral video, e.g.: MEME. Or a viral image. Here's one for today:

16. "__ Misérables": LES. A bit of Frawnch to go with the Spanish. And the Frawnch lesson du jour is when do you use the word LES to mean "THE"?

"With masculine singular nouns → use le. With feminine singular nouns → use la. With nouns starting with a vowel, most nouns beginning with h and the French word y → use l'. With plural nouns → use LES." And now you know . . .

18. Restaurant chain with a signature black cod dish: NOBU. As your bi-weekly erudite envoy I am sad to say that I had no idea nor clue about this. Apparently I just don't "get around much"! ;^) Or, NOBU is a bit out of my price range. I checked the menu @ the Newport Beach, CA location, and the signature black cod dish (with a side of Miso) is $42

19. Device for Circe: LOOM. Here is all you need to know about Circe . . . I think

24. Overjoy: ELATE. What do you call a person who's tardy for the Zoom meeting? E-LATE

25. Rouse to action: BESTIR. I needed a few nudges this week to BESTIR myself to write the blog!

26. Fur piece: PELT.

27. Poppy product: OPIUM. "Papaver somniferum, commonly known as the OPIUM poppy or breadseed poppy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. It is the species of plant from which both opium and poppy seeds are derived and is also a valuable ornamental plant, grown in gardens." Wikipedia

28. Blues partner: RHYTHM. One of my favorite tunes - one that's been covered many times. This version "happened" during my HS years:

29. Big name in lawn care: DEERE. "Nothing rides like a DEERE!"

31. Cause of back trouble, maybe: BAD POSTURE. Maybe because they ARC(h)ed it?

32. Not easily moved: STOIC. Kinda like pigeons on statue! Or these pigeons confirm:

35. Fitness system popular since the '90s: TAE BO. "TAE BO is a body fitness system that incorporates martial arts techniques, such as kicks and punches, which became popular in the 1990s. It was developed by American taekwondo practitioner Billy Blanks. Such programs use the motions of martial arts at a rapid pace designed to promote fitness." Wikipedia

36. Roll into the hole, as a putt: SINK. CSO to all of the Crossword Corner golfers, and this guy:

38. Visibility inhibitor: DENSE FOG. This cartoon's appropriate

43. Harvard has a renowned one, briefly: B-SCHOOL. Abbr. for Business School. Harvard's Business School is known as "Harvard Business School"! (had you going there for a second, didn't I?!). Oh, the cost of an MBA @ Harvard? Harvard charges $73,440 in MBA tuition fees for the academic year 2021-22. For the two-year, full-time MBA program at Harvard, you can expect to pay double that; $146,880 in tuition. Of course most Harvard MBA grads can earn the two-year cost of tuition in their first year of employment

46. Delevingne of "Carnival Row": CARA. Oops - we have a Proper Name alert! CARA Jocelyn Delevingne is an English model, actress, and singer. She signed with Storm Management after leaving school in 2009. Delevingne won Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2012 and 2014. Wikipedia "Carnival Row" is a fantasy made-for-TV show that airs on Amazon Prime+ video

47. Leopold's nefarious partner: LOEB. Another Proper Name alert!! Nefarious/notorious; just plain old bad guys

49. Bucatini, for one: PASTA. A tubular variety: "Bucatini, also known as perciatelli, are a thick spaghetti-like PASTA with a hole running through the center. They are common throughout Lazio, particularly Rome. The similar ziti are long hollow rods which are also smooth in texture and have square-cut edges; "cut ziti" are ziti cut into shorter tubes." Wikipedia

51. Capital __: ONE. What's in your wallet? (do you think Moe watches the TV ads??!)

52. Source of bitter flavor in beer: HOPS.

Beer and malt drinker
Has a pet bunny rabbit
He calls it "HOPScotch"

53. More than chop: DICE. It chops, slices, and it DICES . . . remember?

54. Poems of admiration: ODES. Rarely see this crossword "staple" pluralized; would the French call this "LES ODES"??

55. Greek peak: OSSA.

57. "G2G": TTYL. Text-speak: Got to Go (G2G) = Talk To You Later

58. Employs: USES. I USES many pictures and videos and haikus and on and on and on . . .

60. Wet __: NAP. So, in Spanish would this be "mojada SIESTA"??

61. Tach readout: RPM. Revolutions Per Minute

And with that, we are at a close. Comments are always welcome! Hope you survived both Thanksgiving AND Black Friday! Here's the grid:

Friday, October 8, 2021, Jennifer Lee and Victor Galson

 Title: Jack London presents The Call of the Wild

When I was growing up two of the books which I read which moved me were the above and its companion Novel WHITE FANG.

Jack London really made me feel I was in the mind of the both animals.

All of which has little to do with this second LAT puzzle publication by this COUPLE who were married April 3, 2021. Their first was here at the LAT in 2019 in a well received effort. Their other publications were earlier in the week puzzles one at the NYT, and I sense Rich put this here because he really liked the theme. It is a classic single definition for all of the themers, but with more room for creativity.  It also evidences that talent with the inclusion of sparkling MICDROP, ODD JOBS, CAL STATE, SLOTHFUL, BINGE WATCH and TATA FOR NOW. They are such a happy looking pair I hate to add a negative note but this does not play as a Friday puzzle with only 40 black squares, 52 three and four letter words leaving an average word length of less than 5 letters.  YMMV. 

17A. Call of the wild?: HOWLING WIND (11). The balance of a first word gerund and a second word noun carries through and made the theme special. 

27A. Call of the wild?: BABBLING BROOK (13). The puzzle also has classic symmetry- line 3/line 13 and line 6/line 10. To really appreciate the concept, it helps to anthropomorphize the nouns, picture the water babbling like a baby. 

43. Call of the wild?: WEEPING WILLOW (13). Here, out in nature - the wild - we have a tree crying.

58A. Call of the wild?: ROARING FIRE (11). We finish with our camp fire roaring at us, "more wood, more sticks."

Fun for me, but now on to the rest...

Across:

1. Nike competitor: ASICS. I always want to put a "B" in front, even their logo begs for something else.

6. "Don't mind __": IF I DO. FIDO jumped out, but there was no noble canine soliloquy to follow.

11. Popcorn buy: TUB. 

14. Shroud: CLOAK. This synonym works both for the noun and the verb.

15. Schlepped: TOTED. A bissel Yiddish.

16. Toon storekeeper who was once in a barbershop quartet: APU. The only toon storekeeper I know who also has a three letter name...

19. Kennel club category: TOY. This GROUP. I may be ready for an Affenpinscher...I have never had my affen pinched.

20. Postings at ORD: ETAS.

21. Some are considered essential: OILS. There is much debate about these as well but THESE appear on most lists.

22. Pair to wear: JEANS. I like the rhyme, this time.

24. Wielder of the hammer Mjölnir: THOR. At this point I consider Thor one of us based on the number of Corner appearnces he has made.

26. Sourdough unit: LOAF. Bread, man.

32. Popular chip: FRITO. Corn, man.

34. Arrests: NABS. Cheese and Peanut Butter? LINK.

35. Density symbol, in physics: RHO. The Greek letter ρ (rho) is used in math as a variable and in physics to represent density.

36. "Superman" surname: LANE. Fooled you, it is not Kent!

37. Vacancy sign: TO LET.  These SITES are enticing but if I rent our condo, then what do we need to pay for a place to live?

39. Uppity sort: SNOB. The word 'snob' is said to have arisen from the custom of writing “s. nob.”, that is, 'sine nobilitate,' after the names of children of untitled parents in certain English schools.

40. Person who's usually good?: EGG. Probably a humorous antonym of bad egg - “someone whose behaviour is reprehensible or irresponsible; a rogue.”

41. Informal title used seven times in "Bohemian Rhapsody": MAMA. Listen and count?

42. Chap: BLOKE. Cheerio! 

47. Zippo part: WICK. Not Keanu.

48. Barack's 2012 opponent: MITT.  There can be no real comments about this long term political fixture but here is a BIOGRAPHY.

49. Influencer's concern: BRAND.

51. New Orleans' __ Du Monde: CAFE. This New Orleans landmark and tourist destination, is known for its café au lait and beignets. It also is a CSO to many at the Corner.

53. Try to get the attention of: HAIL. Like a cab.

57. Chow down: EAT. So appetizing.

61. Story __: ARC. Entertainment products.

62. Heart, for one: ORGAN. Yes.

63. What captions can capture: AUDIO. For those who cannot hear or who prefer reading about the action.

64. "I've seen better": MEH. The call word of the Corner.

65. "Get Out" Oscar winner Jordan: PEELE. He has had a most interesting CAREER so far.

66. Endow, as with talent: BLESS.

Down:

1. Want a lot, with "for": ACHE. Baby, I ache for you...

2. Schedule space: SLOT. 

3. __ caucuses: IOWA. Part of the presedential selection process.

4. Sch. with 23 campuses: CAL STATE. HERE they are, not part of the University of California group.

5. What powderhounds do: SKI. Never hear the word, but powder hounds made it very inferable.

6. Celeb of the moment: IT GIRL. I see it in a more historical context.

7. Turkey, e.g.: FOWL. I do not think the clue is fair to this animal.

8. Medical suffix: ITIS. Meaning inflammation...

9. Super Bowl party site: DEN. Do people still have dens? Great room, family room?

10. Big part of the gig economy: ODD JOBS.This is a labor market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs.

11. Casual parting: TATA FOR NOW.

12. In the know about: UP ON. I finally stumbled upon this fill.

13. Bargains: BUYS.

18. Gamer more likely to get pwned: NOOB. A new player may be "pwned" wnich has origins in video game culture and is a leetspeak derivation of the word "owned", due to the proximity of the "o" and "p" keys.

23. Inner __: EAR. 

25. "Last Week Tonight" airer: HBO.

26. Pride letters: LGBT. Lesbian Gay Bi-sexual Transsexual.

27. Catch up on, in a way: BINGE WATCH. My new favorite way to watch TV. 

28. Relative challenge for some: IN-LAW. Mother-in-law?

29. Half a 2010s dance craze: NAE.

30. "Yeah, sure": OH OK.

31. Asian beef city: KOBE. Many fake kobe burgers sold in the US.

32. Passed (by) fast: FLEW.

33. Latest thing: RAGE. I think anger has been around for a very long time.

37. Drop precipitously: TANK. Often related to a team deliberately losing.

38. Texter's "Wow!": OMG.

39. Lazy: SLOTHFUL. Poor sloths get such a bad rap. There are many LAZY animals.

41. [I'm out]: MICDROP. In case you missed it yesterday in Joseph's write-up. it's back!

42. Classic sandwich, for short: BLT. PBJ last time?

44. One standing in an alley: PIN. For Boomer, sadly it is often the 10.

45. "Really, no damage": I'M FINE.

46. Property claim: LIEN. A little law reference for me.

49. Gymnastics event: BEAM. Jim?

50. Like a double rainbow: RARE. I wish I had my pictures organized as well as Robert as I have many double rainbow pics

51. Guinea pig's pad: CAGE. Poor little guys are not pigs and not from Guinea but they are particularly suited for MEDICAL RESEARCH.

52. Disappearing Asian sea: ARAL.

54. Staffer: AIDE.

55. Van Gogh subject: IRIS.

56. Some summer newcomers: LEOS. Babies born under the sign.

59. Resource in the board game Catan: ORE. So much MORE.

60. Dubious "gift": GAB. You get it from the Blarney Stone. Does the Blarney Stone work? The Blarney Stone is, well, a stone that's essentially said to have special powers. If you haven't heard of it before it might sound a bit strange, but kissing the Blarney Stone is said to give you “the gift of the gab”, or a persuasive speaking ability.

Gee, another week gone by and another write-up in the books. A nice Friday debut for this married couple team who can disect a puzzle and make it come to life. Please stop by and join our party. Thank you guys and thank you all who write and all who read. Lemonade out

Notes from C.C.:

Happy 80th birthday to dear Jayce (John), who speaks fluent Chinese and understands the little quirks of the language. Here's a picture of Jayce and his wife on their wedding day. 祝你生日快乐, Jayce!