Thursday, January 4, 2024, Jesse Goldberg

 

 Unpuzzle?

Today's constructor, veteran Jesse Goldberg invites us solvers to "unpuzzle" four themers each consisting of pairs of inflectional morphemes, the first word of each pair being prefixed by "Un" ...

17A. Unprincipled principles: DOUBLE STANDARDS.  Compartmentalization is something which most of us do to one degree or another.

27A. Unforced force: VOLUNTEER ARMY.  Some thoughts on the evolution of an all volunteer army, circa 2006.

44A. Unfinished finish: CLIFF HANGER.  A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode.  One of the earliest films to use this device was the 1914 silent melodrama The Perils of Pauline, about an ambitious young heiress with an independent nature and a desire for adventure.  Here's episode 6 where her nemeses, who are trying to get her inheritance, conspire to set Pauline aloft in a balloon, but she manages to rescue herself by ...

59A. Unnamed name: JOHN DOE.  John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used in the United States and the United Kingdom when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are often used to refer to a corpse whose identity is unknown or cannot be confirmed.

Here's the grid ...

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Report card period: TERM.

5. Minor celebs: D LIST.

10. Boundary building of some quads: DORM.

14. __-Z: classic Camaro: IROC.  IROC stands for International Race of Champions.  This 1986 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z with only 28,338 miles sold for $27,000 on December 2nd of this year.  Sounds like a steal ...

15. Hula or hora: DANCE.  Or a partner DANCE, a public display of affection in a big room.  Here's Carl Maria von Weber's tone poem Invitation to the Dance

16. Flatpack furniture seller: IKEA.

17. [Theme clue]

20. Cosmetician Lauder: ESTEE.

21. Only Canadian NBA city, for short: TOR.  A CSO to CanadianEh!

22. Illinois toll-paying convenience: I PASS.  A service of the Illinois Tollway.  Adjacent states often have cooperative agreements that recognize each other's automated toll payment systems.  Maryland uses the EZPass system.  We make yearly trips through Pennsylvania to Ohio, and thus far I've not succeeded in getting PA to bill our EZPass account for using their rather long turnpike.

23. Planet's turning point: AXIS.  The Earth's AXIS tilts about 23.5 degrees from the plane of the ecliptic. Due to this axial tilt, the sun shines on different latitudes at different angles throughout the year. This causes the seasons.

25. As it happens: LIVE.

27. [Theme clue]

32. Supporter: FAN.  I'm a big FAN of WBJC-FM, our local radio station.

33. Blake who was a longtime coach on "The Voice": SHELTON. Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music singer and television personality.  Here's Austin, his first big hit.  It's not about the city, but about a love he thought he'd lost ... 

34. Long reference work, for short: OED.  Oxford English Dictionary.  New words are added to it quarterly.  Here's and index to the many words added over the last year.

36. Savanna predator: LION.  Today's Swahili lesson:  LION = anapumuamoto: "He who breathes fire".  According to the Kratt Brothers they're predators, but they're also prideful members of families ...

38. Like some swarms: APIAN.  Bee like.

39. Court postponement: STAY.

40. Out of fashion: UNCOOL.  Would UNCOOL cool be IN fashion?

42. Counter: OPPOSE.
.
44. [Theme clue].

48. Easily broken: FRAIL.

50. Youngest woman to serve in the U.S. Congress, familiarly: AOC.  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; born October 13, 1989), also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist. She has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district since 2019, as a member of the Democratic Party.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

51. Yearns (for): ACHES.

54. "You snooze, you __": LOSE.

55. Like one of the houses destroyed by the Big Bad Wolf: STRAW.

57. "Ordinary Grace" novelist William __ Krueger: KENT.  William Kent Krueger (born November 16, 1950) is an American novelist and crime writer, best known for his series of novels featuring Cork O'Connor, which are set mainly in Minnesota. In 2005 and 2006, he won back-to-back Anthony Awards for best novel.  In 2014, his stand-alone book Ordinary Grace won the Edgar Award for Best Novel of 2013. In 2019, This Tender Land was on the New York Times bestseller list for nearly six months.

58. Aussie college: UNI.

59. [Theme clue]

61. Sharp __ tack: AS A.

62. Binding words: I DO.

63. Shoreline changer: EROSION.

64. Used an excavator: DUG.

65. Cheadle of the "Avengers" films: DON.

66. 50-Across, for one: Abbr.: DEM.  Democrat.  REP didn't perp.

67. Solve a KenKen puzzle, say: ADD.  KenKen and KenDoku are trademarked names for a style of arithmetic and logic puzzle invented in 2004 by Japanese math teacher Tetsuya Miyamoto, who intended the puzzles to be an instruction-free method of training the brain. The name derives from the Japanese word for cleverness (賢, ken, kashiko). Here are the rules.

68. Go out with: SEE.

Down:

1. Shoreline changer: TIDE.

2. God of love: EROS.

3. Drubbing: ROUT.

4. Ally in a courtroom: MCBEAL. Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy drama television series, originally aired on Fox from September 8, 1997, to May 20, 2002.The series stars Calista Flockhart in the title role as a lawyer working in the Boston law firm Cage and Fish, with other lawyers whose lives and loves are eccentric, humorous, and dramatic.  Although ostensibly a legal drama, the main focus of the series was the romantic and personal lives of the main characters, often using legal proceedings as plot devices to contrast or reinforce a character's drama. The show also used vivid, dramatic fantasy sequences for Ally's and other characters' wishful thinking.

Calista Flockhart

5. Ike's initials: DDE.  Dwight David Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969), nicknamed Ike, was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe and achieved the five-star rank as General of the Army. Eisenhower planned and supervised two of the most consequential military campaigns of World War II: Operation Torch in the North Africa campaign in 1942–1943 and the invasion of Normandy in 1944.

Dwight David Eisenhower

6. Final part of a job: LAST STEP.

7. Not against: INTO.

8. Hester Prynne's mark: SCARLET A.  The Scarlet Letter: A Romance is a work of historical fiction by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1850.  Set in the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony during the years 1642 to 1649, the novel tells the story of Hester Prynne.  She conceives a daughter with a man to whom she is not married, refuses to identify him, and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. As punishment, she must always wear a scarlet letter 'A' (for "adultery").  At the end of the novel the father silently and publicly reveals his identity.

9. Face value?: TEN.  On a scale of 1 to 10, a TEN would be a very beautiful face.

10. Huggies product: DIAPER.

11. Vegetable pod also called lady's fingers: OKRA.

12. Malbecs, e.g.: REDS.  Malbec is the most important red grape variety of Argentina, but it also produces excellent wine in many other countries around the world.

Malbec grapes

13. __ media: MASS.

18. Infiniti rival: LEXUS.  LEXUS is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked among the 10 largest Japanese global brands in market value. Lexus is headquartered in Nagoya, Japan.

19. Backless sofa: DIVAN.

24. Bisected: IN HALF.

26. Decal type: IRON ON.

27. Self-centered: VAIN.

28. From time to time: ON OCCASION.

29. Younger "ManningCast" host: ELI.  Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, colloquially known as the Manningcast, is an American alternate live television broadcast of Monday Night Football hosted by brothers Peyton and Eli Manning, both former quarterbacks from the National Football League.

30. Car enthusiasts, slangily: MOTOR HEADS.  Hang on to your hat...

31. Some congressional votes: YEAS.

32. Seasonal bug: FLU.

35. Get the gray out, say: DYE.

37. "Honest to God!": NO LIE.

39. Smidgen: SPECK.

41. Lubricate: OIL.

43. Jordan Spieth's org.: PGA.  Jordan Alexander Spieth (born July 27, 1993) is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour and former world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking. He is a three-time major winner and the 2015 FedEx Cup champion.

Jordan Spieth

45. Comprehend: FATHOM.

46. Traffic cacophony: HORNS.  Like the sound track to Gershwin's American In Paris ...

47. Only national park in New England: ACADIA.

48. In flux: FLUID.

49. Repetitive musical movement: RONDO.  A RONDO is a musical form that contains a principal theme (sometimes called the "refrain") which alternates with one or more contrasting themes, generally called "episodes", but also occasionally referred to as "digressions" or "couplets".  Here's the Rondeau (French spelling) from  Henry Purcell's Abdelazer Suite.

52. Come after: ENSUE.

53. Frightful site?: STAGE.  For those who suffer from STAGE Fright. 😬

55. Bent out of shape: SORE.

56. Material for old golf clubs and tennis rackets: WOOD.  Before Titanium was discovered? 😀

59. "The West Wing" prez: JED.  The West Wing is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series has been ranked among the best television shows of all time in publications such as Time, TV Guide, Rolling Stone, and the New York Daily News.  The Writers Guild of America ranked it no. 10 in its "101 Best-Written TV Series" list.

The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where the Oval Office and offices of presidential senior personnel are located, during the fictitious Democratic administration of President Josiah ("Jed") Bartlet. Here Senator Arnold (Alan Alda) and Jed (Martin Sheen) chat about politics and religion over ice cream ...

60. Wind up or wind down: END.  A review meta clue?

Cheers,
Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

Tuesday, April 12, 2022 Jesse Goldberg

Piano Lessons:  One of the first music lessons teaches the notes of the scale.  How to remember the notes?  Do today's puzzle!

17-Across. *   __ day: on alternating days: EVERY OTHER.

25-Across. *  Aussie's "Well done!": GOOD ON YOU.

31-Across. *  One with the motto "Be Prepared": BOY SCOUT.

42-Across. *  Serves a prison sentence: DOES TIME.

47-Across. *  Part of the contract where gotchas might be found: FINE PRINT.

59-Across. The first words of the answers to starred clues are a mnemonic for this musical symbol's staff lines: TREBLE CLEF.  The notes on the lines are E G B D F.  The mnemonic for the open spaces is FACE.

Back when I was taking piano lessons, the phrase was Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge.  I guess the diet police have determined that eating too much fudge is not good.  I thought of our resident musician when I caught the theme to today's puzzle.  Hi, JazzB!

There is a lot of opportunity for some music today, which is appropriate for today's theme.

A big Thank You to Boomer who stood in for me for the past two weeks while I was dealing with my Dad's estate.

Across:
1. Chesapeake shellfish: CRAB.

5. Swings at a fly: SWATS.

10. Perfect tennis serves: ACES.

14. Can't stand: HATE.

15. Band whose debut album "Dreamboat Annie" was released in the U.S. on Valentine's Day in 1976: HEART.

16. Reclined: LAIN.

19. Thought: IDEA.

20. Raised, as kids: REARED.

21. What a vocalist may drop for emphasis: MIC.  Not Cool.

23. "What's the __?": "So what?": DIF.  Meh!

24. Pallid: WAN.

28. Historic period: ERA.

30. Deluge: TORRENT.

34. Trait carriers: GENES.  Everything you wanted to know about gene traits from the National Human Genome Research Institute.

38. Brazenly obvious: BLATANT.

39. Morton condiment: SEA SALT.  Although this article isn't about the Morton salt company, it does involve a salt company, a salt dome, an oil company.

41. Determined to have: SET ON.  I've got my heart Set On a new sofa.

43. Daily record, as on a ship: LOG BOOK.

46. Almost on "E": LOW.  Think of the dashboard on your car showing that you need more gas.

50. Mantra syllables: OMs.

52. United: ONE.

53. Talk incessantly: YAK.

54. "You're the One That I Want" musical: GREASE.

57. Bloody, as steak: RARE.

62. Back up, on a PC: UN DO.  Not back up as in store, but back up as in OOPS!

63. Philadelphia NFLer: EAGLE.

64. Winter wear: COAT.

65. Extreme disorder: MESS.

66. Struck down, biblically: SMOTE.

67. Pantry pests: ANTS.

Down:
1. "Believe" singer: CHER.

2. "Must-see" review: RAVE.

3. Eroded: ATE AWAY AT.

4. Quotable Yogi: BERRA.  How Yogi Berra (né Lawrence Peter Berra; May 12, 1925 ~ Sept. 22, 2015) got his nickname.

5. Not barefoot: SHOD.

6. Drenched, e.g.: WET.

7. "That feels good": AAH!

8. Seismic event: TREMOR.

9. Long step: STRIDE.

10. Comedian Wong: ALI.  The comedy routines of Ali Wong (née Alexandra Dawn Wong; b. Apr. 19, 1982) are probably classified as for adults only. 

11. Escalade, casually: CADDY.  The Escalade is made by Cadillac.

12. Kids' song refrain: E-I-E-I-O.

13. Big blunder: SNAFU.

18. Hankering: YEN.  Also the name of Japanese currency.

22. Barrel-shaped drums: CONGAs.

25. Joint ailment: GOUT.

26. Uneaten morsel: ORT.  This used to be a crossword staple.

27. A-bomb tryout: N-TEST.

28. Recedes to the sea: EBBS.

29. Part in a play: ROLE.

30. "An ounce of action is worth a __ of theory": Emerson (probably): TON.

32. Pilfered: STOLE.

33. Suspended cover above a bed: CANOPY.

35. Place for a manicure: NAIL SALON.  Hi, Lucina!

36. "Tickle Me" Muppet: ELMO.

37. Hearty entrée: STEW.

39. Chimney sweep's target: SOOT.

40. "A mouse!": EEK.

42. Cheadle who was Basher in "Ocean's" films: DON.  Don Cheadle (né Donald Frank Cheadle, Jr.; b. Nov. 29, 1964), also portrayed the hotel manager in Hotel Rwanda.

44. Fireplace inserts: GRATES.

45. Yoga-as-exercise namesake: BIKRAM.  Also known as Hot Yoga.

47. Roman place of assembly: FORUM.

48. Foolish: INANE.

49. Brainiacs, maybe: NERDS.  Where did this word come from?

50. Valuable deposit: ORE.

51. Muslim holy city: MECCA.

54. Joy: GLEE.

55. Usher's offering: SEAT.

56. Young newts: EFTS.  They are cute little critters.

58. Dawn goddess: EOS.

60. Alter __: EGO.

61. Three-letter sandwich: BLT.  As in a Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwich.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Jesse Goldberg

Stretched Thin.

20-Across. Go ballistic: HIT THE CEILING.

35-Across. 2002 biopic about con man Frank Abagnale: CATCH ME IF YOU CAN.

41-Across. Cleaner of teeth: DENTAL HYGIENIST.

And the Unifier:

53-Across. Overextended ... and what's literally in each set of circles: STRETCHED THIN.  The word THIN is Stretched out in each of the theme answers.

Across:

1. Sousa specialty: MARCH.  John Philip Sousa (Nov. 6, 1854 ~ Mar. 6, 1932) was know as the American March King.  USA is even in his name.

6. Show appreciation for the performance: CLAP.

10. __ 67: Montreal World's Fair: EXPO.   I went to Expo 67.  I don't remember anything about it other than Buckminister Fuller's geodesic dome pavilion that housed the United States exhibit.

14. Amtrak speedster: ACELA.  I learned of the Acela from doing the crossword puzzles.

15. Hand-up command: HALT.

16. Really funny sort: RIOT.

17. Food truck fare: TACOS.  There is a taco truck that can be found downtown in Louisiana's capital city near the government buildings.

18. McDonald's slogan since 2003: I'M LOVIN' IT.  The story behind the slogan.

22. Bogey on a par 5: SIX.  A golfing reference.

23. Homer's TV neighbor: NED.

24. Tough H.S. exams: APs.  As in the Advanced Placement exams.

27. Take the sloop out: SAIL.  A sloop is a single mast sailboat.

30. Self-indulgent period: ME TIME.

38. Opera highlight: ARIA.  An Aria from Carmen, one of my favorite operas.

39. Kimono sash: OBI.  Not to be confused with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

40. First female attorney general: RENO.  Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 ~ Nov. 7, 2016) served as the United States Attorney General from 1993 until 2001 during the Clinton administration.

46. Takes care of: SEES TO.

47. Hammett pooch: ASTA.  Asta was the Wirehaired Fox Terrier from Dashiell Hammett's 1934 novel, The Thin Man.

48. Kickoff aid: TEE.

49. Balaam's mount: ASS.  The story of Balaam and his Ass can be found in the Biblical book of Numbers (22:21-39).  The story has been the depicted in many paintings, including this one by Rembrandt.

51. Unit of heat: Abbr.: BTU.  As in a British Thermal Unit.

60. In exact terms: PRECISELY.

62. Optimist's phrase: I HOPE.

63. Chef's flavoring: HERB.

64. Ensnare: TRAP.

65. "Take a load off": RELAX.

66. Uncertain: IFFY.

67. "This round's __": ON ME.

68. Romantic rendezvous: TRYST.

Down:

1. Course with operations: MATH.

2. Trendy berry: AÇAI.  These berries have become a crossword staple.  They look a bit like blueberries.

3. Four-sided fig.: RECT.  As in a Rectangle.

4. Stops bleeding: CLOTS.

5. Cannabis concentrate: HASHISH.

6. Stylish: CHIC.

7. Poor, as an excuse: LAME.

8. Make-or-break poker bet: ALL IN.

9. Ancient Greek astronomer: PTOLEMY.  Everything you wanted to know about Claudius Ptolemy (circa 85 ~ 165 CE), but didn't know to ask.

10. Activist Brockovich: ERIN.  Erin Brockovich (b. June 22, 1960) is an environmental activist who was instrumental in building the case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company for contaminating the drinking water.  Her story was made into a movie that starred Julia Roberts.

11. Ped __: street sign: XING.

12. Hawaiian staple: POI.  It's not as good as it looks.

13. MLB Hall of Famer Mel: OTT.  Mel Ott (né Melvin Thomas Ott; Mar. 2, 1909 ~ Nov. 21, 1958) was a Louisiana native.  He makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  Sadly, he was killed from injuries sustained in a car accident at age 49.

19. The "v" in vlog: VIDEO.

21. Midterm, e.g.: EXAM.

24. USMA and USNA: Abbr.: ACADS.  Both are Academies.

25. "Gay" capital of song: PAREE.

26. "Mostly Ghostly" series writer R.L. __: STINE.  R.L. Stein (né Robert Lawrence Stine; b. Oct. 8, 1943) also makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  He is best know for his young adult horror fiction novels.

28. The "I" in I.M. Pei: IEOH.  I.M. Pei (né Ieoh Ming Pei; Apr. 26, 1917 ~ May 16, 2019) was a Chinese-born American architect and had a long career designing very unique buildings.  He died 2 years ago shortly after his 102nd birthday.  One of his most famous designes is the pyramid outside the Louvre.

29. Niger neighbor: LIBYA.

31. Chance to play: TURN.

32. Ensure the win: ICE IT.

33. Minister's house: MANSE.

34. Cybermessage: E-NOTE.

36. Musical with the song "Memory": CATS.  I saw the musical Cats years ago.  I don't understand why it was so popular.

37. Newton fruit: FIGS.  Yummers!  If you are feeling ambitious, you can make your own.  Nabisco's Newtons now come in several flavors, including blueberry, strawberry and apple cinnamon.

42. Gaming brand since 1972: ATARI.

43. Is bested by: LOSES TO.

44. The Beatles' "Let __": IT BE.

45. Offer a humble retraction: EAT DIRT.

50. Back of the boat: STERN.

52. __ Pendragon, King Arthur's father: UTHER.  He doesn't look very happy.

53. Medieval laborer: SERF.

54. Frozen dessert chain: TCBY.  The Country's Best Yogurt.  Another big yogurt chain is I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!  If the two companies merged, would the merger be known as I Can't Believe It's the Country's Best Yogurt?

55. Dig for quahogs, say: CLAM.  A quahog is a hard-shelled clam found in the mud flats along the Atlantic Coast.

56. Flashy promotion: HYPE.

57. Sacred: HOLY.

58. Hoppy brews, briefly: IPAs.  As in India Pale Ales.  Here is an article about the origin of the IPA.

59. "Whose turn is it?" shout: NEXT.

60. Letter before chi: PHI.

61. Ump's NBA counterpart: REF.  As in a Referee at the Basketball game.

Here's the Grid.

חתולה