Friday, July 21, 2023, Jess Schulman, Shannon Rapp

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with today's recap of a puzzle by Jess Shulman and Shannon Rapp.

Let us begin with the reveal:

57 Across:  Business retreat, and an apt title for this puzzle?: COMPANY OUTING.

OUTING is used here as a stand-in for take out.  No, not like in take-out food but as in to remove something. The removal is employed at three places within the grid where our puzzle setters delete the abbreviation for COMPANY (CO) from recognizable names and phrases.  

20 Across:  Melt down in response to some trash talk?: PANIC AT THE DIS.  Before the "outing" PANIC AT THE DISCO.  DIS as in to criticize.  Panic at the Disco was an American pop rock band.

36 Across:  Talent for sliding into someone's DMs?: PING SKILLS.  DM is contemporary talk  for Direct Messaging.  Before the "outing" COPING SKILLS.  PING is a network utility used to test reachability of a host.  Alternatively, PING me."

43 Across:  Little cat with a beachy vibe?: CALI KITTEN.  CALI as in California.  I wish they all could be California cats, I suppose.  Before the "outing" CALICO KITTEN.

Here is how this looks in the completed grid.  It proved impossible to highlight the letters that were not there:

The remaining clues and answers are:

Across:

1. History: PAST.

5. Dreamcast maker: SEGA.  A home video game console.

9. Blessing preceder: ACHOO.  Gezuntheit.

14. "__, Brute?": ET TU.  A Shakespearean reference.

15. God attended by Valkyries: ODIN.

16. Intact: WHOLE.

17. Instagram video: REEL.  A contemporary usage of the word REEL.

18. Compact __: DISC.  They replaced LPs

19. Like some seals: EARED.  Most often fur seals and sea lions.

23. Refill: TOP UP.  As in a cocktail or fuel tank.  Do we TOP UP electric vehicles?

24. Costa del __: SOL.

25. AED pro: EMT.  Automated External Defibrillator was new to this solver but the perps quickly led to Emergency Medical Technician because EMTs appear here frequently.

28. Copy cats?: MEOW.  Not exactly copycats as in persons who imitate.   Literally, copy a cat.

30. Noisy bird: MAGPIE.  See also 33 Down.

33. Colorado's __ Verde National Park: MESA.  Cliff dwellings.

39. Haim of "Licorice Pizza": ALANA.  Unknown to this solver.  As the puzzles get more contemporary I find myself becoming less enthusiastic about some of them.  I also know that time marches on and a puzzle full of references to prior generations of entertainers won't do either.

41. Zodiac lion: LEO.

42. __-garde: AVANT.

46. Peepers: EYES.  If one goes looking online for the old song one is "rewarded" with many references to the horror movies.  The phrase predates both.  Louis Armstrong sang it to an eponymous horse.

Jeepers Creepers

47. Connect: ATTACH.   What can you ATTACH to a ball, a cart or a harp to make it something completely different.  OON.

48. "Star Wars" family name of Han and Ben: SOLO.

50. Bentley of "Yellowstone": WES.

51. Substance that lacks refinement?: ORE.  Nice word play.   No, not the French city.

54. Benchmarks: NORMS.  If Weird Al Yankovic wasn't weird he'd be called NORM Al.

62. Language of Iran: FARSI.   . . . and portions of Los Angeles.

64. Exam with a max score of 180: LSAT.  The law school aptitude test.

65. Sunburn salve: ALOE.  Often applied in crossword puzzles.

66. __ beverage: ADULT.  Alcohol.

67. Entice: LURE.

68. Mario __: game with a Rainbow Road: KART.

69. Captcha target: ROBOT.    A contrived acronym for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart".  It is a type of challenge-response test used in computing to determine whether the user is human.

70. Itches: YENS.  As in desires not allergic reactios.

71. Docs who insert tympanostomy tubes: ENTS.  Our second medical reference with an abbreviated clue (Docs) and answer.  Ear Nose and Throat specialistS

Down:

1. BOLO target: PERP.  Be On The Alert.  PERPetrator not a crossing word in a puzzle.

2. Patronized, as a restaurant: ATE AT.

3. Shorthand pro: STENO.  A somewhat obsolete profession.

4. Dutch market craze of the late 1630s: TULIP MANIA.  Perhaps not what we have been led to believe,

Smithsonian Magazine - September 2017

5. Soft drink: SODA POP.

What Is It Called Across the USA

6. Address plot holes, perhaps: EDIT.

7. General ideas: GISTS.  What do biologists, archaeologists and meteorologists all have in common?  They all get the GIST of their fields.

8. Dried poblano: ANCHO.

9. Amazed: AWED.  A truck loaded with thousands of copies of Roget's Thesaurus crashed yesterday losing its entire load.  Witnesses were stunned, startled, aghast, taken aback, stupefied, confused, shocked, rattled, paralyzed, dazed, bewildered, mixed up, surprised, awed, dumbfounded, nonplussed, flabbergasted, astounded, amazed, confounded, astonished, overwhelmed, horrified, numbed, speechless, and perplexed.

10. Milky spiced tea: CHAI.

11. Tomfoolery: HORSEPLAY.

12. La Liga cheer: OLE.  A soccer reference.

13. Ref. work that once employed J.R.R. Tolkien: OED.  Oxford English Dictionary.  Tolkien was an English author best known for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

21. Snooker stick: CUE.

22. Long-lived trees: ELMS.  Neither Sequoias nor Bristle Cone Pines would fit.

26. Eeyore creator: MILNE.  A Winnie The Pooh reference.

27. Challenges: TESTS.  Both can be used as nouns or verbs so that wasn't at issue.

29. Go limp: WILT.

31. Pseudonym indicator: AKA.  Also Known As

32. "Ish": GIVE OR TAKE.

33. Noisy bird: MACAW.  The second noisy bird today.

34. Thrill: ELATE.

35. Element of a margarita pedicure: SALT SCRUB.  Margarita pedicures are not within my ken.  SALT, however, was not surprising as part of the answer.

37. Aquarium scoop: NET.

38. "So It __ ... ": song on Taylor Swift's "Reputation": GOES.  Is Taylor Swift now channeling Kurt Vonnegut?

40. "For the love of all things dog" org.: AKC.

44. Eatery with a "Happy Face" combo on the kids menu: IHOP.

45. "Don't change a thing": NO NOTES.

49. "Mambo No. 5" singer Bega: LOU.

52. Comeback: RALLY.

53. Follow: ENSUE.

55. "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" novelist Kundera: MILAN.  MILAN Kundera passed away on July 11, 2023.

56. Stifled laugh: SNORT.

58. Norse city name that can be translated as "meadow of the gods": OSLO.  Frequently visited in our puzzles.

59. Fly catcher?: MITT.  A baseball reference.

"I Got It"

60. Crocheter's supply: YARN.

61. Understands: GETS.  Can you dig it?

62. Way off: FAR.

63. Fuss: ADO.

Well, coworkers, that will wrap things up for today.  For those of you entertaining guests this weekend, enjoy your COMPANY.

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Friday, March 17, 2023, Jess Shulman and Max Woghiren

 

Good morning Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a Saint Patrick's Day Friday recap.

Today's puzzle comes to us from the team of Ms. Jess Shulman and Mr. Max Woghiren.  Jess made her NYT puzzle debut just about one year ago.  I was not able to find a previous LAT puzzle by either constructor so this may well be their LAT debuts.

I found the theme to be both clever and a bit convoluted (but, hey, it is Friday).  The reveal, which has nothing to do with either St. Patrick's Day or Red Nose Day,  comes at:

63 Across:  "You're blocking the view!," and what is needed to complete the answers to the starred clues?: DOWN IN FRONT.

Actually, we needed two things.  First, it helped to be able to identify the unstated initial (FRONT) word of the three song titles that are the answers to the themed clues.  Second, in order to stop wondering what was going on, it was necessary for one to realize that the dropped words are words that can be substituted for the word DOWN.  In short, a "synonym" for DOWN (is) IN FRONT.

Here are the three themed clues/answers, once again starred for our convenience:

17 Across:  *Bilingual Ed Sheeran song featuring Camila Cabello and Cardi B: (SOUTH) OF THE BORDER.  On most maps, SOUTH is DOWN.  DOWN SOUTH refers to being in, or going to, the southern part of the country.

29 Across:  *R.E.M. hit single on "Out of Time": (LOSING) MY RELIGION.  If your team is LOSING the game you are said to be DOWN (by a run or two or a by a touchdown or by a goal, etc.).

REM

47 Across:  *Carl Perkins rockabilly classic popularized by Elvis Presley: (BLUE) SUEDE SHOES.  Perhaps, the most direct application of the theme:  DOWN = SAD = BLUE.

Carl Perkins With Eric Clapton and George Harrison - 1985

Here are the rest of the, proper-noun-abundant, clues/answers:

Across:

1. Scarecrow innards: STRAW.

6. Italian port: GENOA.   Christopher Columbus' place of birth.  And, sometimes, berth.  Also a variety of salami.

11. Get better, maybe: AGE.  Like fine wine.

14. Gear bit: TOOTH.

15. Cheri of "Scary Movie": OTERI.   A not-infrequent visitor.

16. Musical about Henry VIII's many wives: SIX.

19. Fury: IRE.

20. "Oh, come on!": PUHLEASE.  A very appropriate reaction to this one.

21. Aims: GOALS.

23. "Love Stuff" singer King: ELLE.  Unknown to this solver.  Thanks, perps.

24. Tub gunk: SCUM.

Hot Tub Scum

26. Vane point: EAST.  Weather vane.

34. Poetic rhythm: METER.  IAMB did not contain enough letters to fill the squares.

36. Plenty: A LOT.  TONS.  GOBS.  LOTS.  WADS.  Perps dictated which it was.

37. Jazz org.: NBA.

Of the National Basketball Association

38. "¡Ay, Dios __!": MIO.  Today's Spanish lesson.  See 22 Down for the translation.

39. Anthem that ends, "We stand on guard for thee": O CANADA.

42. "Dear old" one: DAD.

David Nelson

43. Over thataway: YON.  Have you ever heard anyone in an oater say "They went YON" ?

44. "Shane" star Alan: LADD.   He went thataway.

Movie Poster - 1953

45. "Spider-Man" trilogy director: RAIMI.  Sam RAIMI.

51. Jet set jet: LEAR.

52. Wrote to online, briefly: IMED.  Instant MessagED

53. Feels bad: AILS.

55. TikTok upload: VIDEO.  A Moe-ku:

    Tik Tok VIDEOs

    Leave me uninterested

    Perhaps I'm just odd

58. Very nearly: AS GOOD AS.  Shouldn't the answer be ALMOST AS GOOD AS?

62. Rita Dove's "__ to My Right Knee": ODE.

66. Decathlon number: TEN.  By definition.

67. Top-flight: ELITE.

68. Under control: TAMED.

69. Put away: EAT.  Idiomatic

70. "I'm out": LATER.

71. Puts one over on: SNOWS.

Down:

1. "Cut it out!": STOP.  My girlfriend got mad at me because I would not STOP singing "I'm A Believer" by the Monkees.  At first I thought that she was kidding.  But then I saw her face.

2. Food sold in blocks: TOFU.  Until recently, I didn't know that TOFU could taste so good.  It never o-curd to me.

3. "American Pastoral" Pulitzer winner: ROTH.  Perhaps better known for Goodbye Columbus and Portnoy's Complaint.

4. Word in several ESPY Award categories: ATHLETE.

5. Cheese shape: WHEEL.

Parmigiano Reggiano - Photo by MM

6. Loosey-__: GOOSEY. Meaning completely relaxed.  The phrase, probably aided in longevity by the rhyme, dates from the first half of the 1900's.  In earlier usage, it sometimes denoted promiscuity (loose morals), diarrhea (loose bowels), and so on but since about 1950 it has mostly stuck to its present meaning.

7. Basic French verb: ETRE.  Today's French lesson - a language in which most verbs are conjugated with AVOIR (to have) or ETRE (to be).

8. Composer Rorem: NED.

Ned Rorem

9. Nickel source: ORE.  The metal not the coin.

10. Wind instrument?: AIR GUITAR.  Some AIR GUITAR players can actually play actual (in this instance left-handed bass) guitars.

11. Much of an atlas: ASIA.

12. Mary Cassatt's "Little __ in a Blue Armchair": GIRL.  A painting (1878).

13. Former couples: EXES.

18. Lip __: BALM.  Hand up for first thinking SYNC.

22. "Srsly?!": OMG.  Seriously?

24. Actress Ward: SELA.

25. Dolt: CLOD.

26. Awards for "Schitt's Creek": EMMYS.  Clued the way it was, any of a shipload of tv shows could have been referenced.

27. Vowel set: A E I O U.  I once fell in love with a girl who knew only four vowels.  She didn't know I existed.

28. "The Favourite" actress Emma: STONE.

30. Total stranger: RANDO.  Oh puhlease!

31. __ folk: INDIE.  INDIE folk has its earliest origins in 1990's folk artists who displayed alternative rock influences in their music,

32. "Becoming" memoirist: OBAMA.  Not Barack.  Not Sasha.  Not Malia.  Michelle.

33. Low point: NADIR.

35. One to emulate: ROLE MODEL.  Hi, Robert.

40. Docket item: CASE.  A trial court reference.

41. Ritalin target: Abbr.: ADHD.

46. Unsuccessful candidate: ALSO RAN.

48. Conk out: DIE.

49. Less taxing: EASIER.

50. Say "cheese" by rubbing one's palms together, e.g.: SIGN.  At first I thought they were talking about smiling for a photo.  But it would not have made any difference because the answer was going to be American SIGN Language in either case.

54. Many apartments in former industrial areas: LOFTS.

55. Rock the __: VOTE.  An organization whose mission is to engage and build the political power of young Americans.

56. Concept: IDEA.

57. Minor progress: DENT.  My friend sailed his boat into the dock at a rapid pace causing a dent in the hull.  He says that it's just a berth mark.

58. Chip in?: ANTE.

59. "__ arigato": DOMO.  Today's Japanese lesson.

60. Over again: ANEW.

61. Norms: Abbr.: STDS.  Not social diseases.  STanDardS.

64. São Paulo greeting: OLA.  Today's Portuguese lesson.

65. Card: WIT.  Not playing cards.  Idiomatic.  

Here is how this all looks in the grid.  Please pay no attention to the yellow/red highlighted squares at 3 Down.  The .puz file solving app that I had to use while away from home does not allow me  to override the app's highlighting of one's "current" place in the puzzle.

. . . . time, now, for a bit of Green Spot.

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