Wednesday, March 19, 2014 Jim Horne and Jeff Chen

Theme: THE I's HAVE IT, or I-YI-YI, or OH MY, MY I.  If you noticed the somewhat unusual grid, you probably also spotted the big letter I in the middle.  With my keen powers of observation, that was the LAST thing I noticed. But It's just the beginning. Every vowel in every fill word is the letter I.  There are also a few vowel-less entries. I might nit-pick - instead I'll  identify them as illustrious enhancements.  Also, there's a unifier, though it's not identified as such in the cluing.  I'll get to it in due time.

Jim and Jeff continue their assault on the alphabet.  Just five weeks ago, I blogged their puzzle in which every entry contained the letter H.  And just 11 days ago we had the no E puzzle by Bruce Haight.  Is this a pattern? 

Hi, Gang.  There's no I in JazzBumpa, nor in team, but that doesn't mean that you and I can't team up to work our way through this I-mazing puzzle together.  Let's have at it.

Across:

 

1. Conflict in FDR's presidency : WWII.  Here, the I's become the Roman numeral 2.  WW I was supposed to have been the war to end all wars.  You can see how well that worked out.

5. Readies, as presses : INKS.  Perfect job for a squid.

9. Pod prefix : TRI.  Of course, I wanted cephalo-, not the three-legged camera holder.

12. Rise : HILL.   Topography.

13. Carding at a door : I.D.-ING.  Identifying those over/under age.  I'll take the over.  I got carded at a Lion's game a few years ago, thinning grey hair not withstanding.

14. Indian honorifics : SRIS.  The don't spell SIRS properly.

15. Stops for Carnival custs. : ISLS.  Carnival Cruise line customers and islands.  Brief stops, come to think of it.

16. Finger, e.g. : DIGIT.  Toe, too.

17. Elton's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" duet partner : KIKI.  I remember the song, but Kiki Dee is but a long faded memory.

18. T'ai __ : CHI   An exercise regimen consisting of graceful and slow movements that relax and strengthen both body and mind.  It dates from the 11th century.

19. Billy clubs : NIGHT STICKS.  Head breakers.

21. Indian language : HINDI.  My massage therapist is married to an Indian guy from Goa, where they speak Portuguese.

23. User-edited site : WIKI.  Even I could be an editor.

24. Model in a bottle : SHIP.  Not necessarily.

27. Outer coating : SKIN.  Should be bottle. See above.

29. Capital of Georgia : TBILISI. Not Atlanta, though it fits and has all wrong vowels.  Say it three times real fast. 

32. Works without a script : WINGS IT.  Or a result of being unprepared.

36. "This tape will self-destruct in five seconds" fictional spy org. : I .M. F.  Not the International Monetary Fund.

37. Architect Maya __ : LIN.  She did the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

38. Bug : IRK.  Irritate.

39. 24-hr. info source : CNN.  There is no I in news.

40. Longing to see : MISSING.  I am keenly aware of your absence.

 42. Yellowish embellishment : GILDING.  Thou shalt not embellish lilies yellowishly.

44. "Sent" folder contents: Abbr. : MSGS.  Short, i-less messages.

45. Small cut : SNIP. 

46. Tizzy : SNIT.  Hissy fit.

48. Singer Minaj : NICKI.  Seek a link if you are so inclined

52. Maintaining shoe gloss, in a way : SPIT SHINING.   Instructions.

58. Popular show : HIT.

59. Friends and neighbors : KITH.  Middle English, from Old English cȳthth; akin to cūth, meaning "known," recognizable today as it's antonym, uncouth.

60. "Lemon Tree" singer Lopez : TRINI.

61. S&P 500 bank : CITI.

62. NFL stats : INTS.  Football Interceptions.

63. Easy two-pointer : TIP IN.  Basketball.  Just in time for March Madness.

64. Diner orders, briefly : BLTS.  Bacon-lettuce-tomato [no I so far] sandwiches - [Darn!]

65. Letter before omega : PSI. It's all Greek to me.

66. Start of a library conversation : PSST.  Could I have your attention, without batting an I?

67. Señor's assent : SI SI.  I agree.  Does C. C.?

Down:

 1. Question of choice : WHICH.  'Round the cauldron - which witch?

2. Words often heard before may and might : WISH I. There is an I in WISH.

3. "You Be __": 1986 Run-D.M.C. hit : ILLIN'.  Per 23A, The slang term illing means to "be uncool and unrelaxed", "be acting crazy", "be 'tripping' or 'bugging' ", or "be acting 'wack' "

4. They, in Tours : ILS.  French.  Is ILS Illin'?

5. "Got it, man" : I DIG.  Retro 60's slang.

6. At hand : NIGH.

7. Make socks, e.g. : KNIT.

8. Pepper and Bilko: Abbr. : SGTS.  There is no I in Sergeant.

9. Prank : TRICK.

10. __-Tikki-Tavi: Kipling mongoose : RIKKI.  Cobra fighter from the Jungle Book.

11. Egyptian fertility goddess : ISIS.

13. Despot Amin : IDI.  Very illin' dude.

14. Street sport : SKIING.  Now, this is tricky.  Olympic medalist Picabo Street.

19. Ones who reject established institutions : NIHILISTS.  A bit understated.  It's a belief that current conditions are so bad that existing society should be destroyed.

20. Instant : TWINKLING.  I assume this is condensed from the phrase, "In a twinkling of an I."

22. One way to get online, briefly : DSL.  Digital Subscriber Line.  I's everywhere.

25. "Of Thee __" : I SING.  Sweet land of liberty.

26. Sonar pulses : PINGS.

27. Way more than sips : SWIGS.  Two ways to go at your Guinness.  Before I caught on, I wanted GULPS.

28. Beer from Japan : KIRIN.  It's also good for a sip or a SWIG.

29. "A Christmas Carol" boy : TIM.

30. Ratio involving ht. and wt. : B.M.I.  Body mass index, briefly. 

31. Suppositions : IFS.  They occasionally travel with ANDS or BUTS.

33. __-fi : SCI.  Science Fiction.

34. Accommodating place : INN.  A place with accommodations.  Nice, fresh clue

35. Series with Capt. Picard, to fans : TNG. There's no I in Star Treck: The Next Generat -- oops!

41. Horseshoe makers : SMITHS.

43. Printer spec. : DPI.  Dots Per Inch.

46. Quick rides : SPINS.

47. Ness foe : NITTI.  Gritty guy.  Per 23A: Francesco Raffaele Nitti (January 27, 1886 – March 19, 1943), also known as Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti, was an Italian American gangster. One of Al Capone's top henchmen, Nitti was in charge of all strong-arm and 'muscle' operations.  Eliot Paul Ness joined the U.S. Treasury Department in 1927, working with the Bureau of Prohibition, in Chicago.  Fun times.

49. Spicy pepper : CHILI.

50. Saint __ and Nevis: Caribbean country : KITTS.  More formally, St. Christopher.  These neighboring West Indies Islands form a single country.

51. Formal "Who's there?" reply : IT IS I.  Finally, it is the unifier

52. Miss on purpose : SKIP.

53. Web address letters : HTTP.  HyperText Transfer Protocol.

54. "Elegy for __": memoir about writer Murdoch : IRIS.  Per the font of all knowledge, she was an Irish-born British author and philosopher, best known for her novels about good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious.

55. Pinches : NIPS.  A word with many meanings, here I take it to be arrests, as by a police officer.  You may ponder other meanings at your leisure.

56. Part of FDR: Abbr. : INIT. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Initials.

57. Diarist Anaïs : NIN.  Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell (February 21, 1903 – January 14, 1977) was an author born to Spanish-Cuban parents in France.

61. "Mike & Molly" network : CBS.  Columbia Broadcasting System, which unfortunately contains an I.

That wraps it up.  A pleasant journey, and quite an I full, with some musical interludes and interesting authors. Hope you injoyed it.  I'll be off-line today, and will try to check in this evening. 

Cool Regards!

JzB

Wednesday, February 12, 2014 Jim Horne and Jeff Chen

Theme: What - the H?  or The H you say!   When you see a strikingly unusual grid, that's a strong hint that something out of the ordinary is up, and we got it today in spades. I guess the big block H in the center of the grid, surrounded by horizontal and vertical brackets, serves as a unifier, of a sort.  Instead of a conceptual theme, today every horizontal and vertical entry contains the letter H, which occurs 43 times.  I can't even imagine what was involved in putting this together.  For most of the fill, it's exactly one H each, but there are a few two H words. 

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa at the helm.  No Hemming and Hawing, let's have at it.

Across:

1. Scale on which diamond is assigned a "10" : MOHS.  Hardness of minerals.  Talc is softest. 

5. Owl's question? : WHO.  How should I know?

8. "Music __ charms ..." : HATH. To soothe a savage breast.  The actual quote has the word "HAS" not "HATH."  This is the first line of the play The Mourning Bride by William Congreve, spoken by Almeria in Act I, Scene 1.

12. The sego lily is its state flower : UTAH.  Hibiscus is Hawaii's.

13. Map out : CHART.  Here are some of my charts [graphs, actually], if you're interested. Six Decades of U. S. Population Growth.

15. Nymph rejected by Narcissus : ECHO. He loved his image. She loved her voice. Unhappy ending

16. Actress Elisabeth : SHUE.  Heroine?

17. Deck opening : HATCH. For loading cargo.

18. Work on jerky : CHEW.  Holy mouthful, Batman.

19. WWII aircraft carrier plane : HELLCAT.  High performing flyer.

21. Iowa native : HAWKEYE.

23. Tax-sheltered nest egg : ROTH IRA.

25. Hippy dance : HULA.  Hips in motion, not from the Haight-Ashbury hangout

28. 1963 Newman film : HUD.  Anti-hero.

29. Ousted Iranian : SHAH.  Horrible despot.

33. Arctic "snowshoe" critters : HARES.

34. Quizzical sounds : EHS.

35. Bears owner/coach who won eight NFL titles in four different decades : HALAS.  Highly successful.

37. Singer Piaf : EDITH.  Huge in France.

38. Soup base : BROTH.

39. Luxury craft : YACHT.

40. Quiet "Quiet!" : SHH.  Hush.

43. "Ulysses" actor Milo : O'SHEA.

44. Quaint pronoun : THEE.

45. "Isn't __ bit like you and me?": Beatles lyric : HE A.  Where is he?

46. Solvers' cries : AHAS.  Having that AHA moment.

47. Tremulous glow : SHIMMER.

50. Except : SHORT OF.

54. Beeline : MAD DASH.  Hurrying.

59. "Hava Nagila" dance : HORA.  Hold hands; dance in a circle.

60. Different : OTHER. Who are you?

62. Worker welfare org. : OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Adminitration.

63. Progress slowly : INCH. 

64. Organ with chambers : HEART.  Has auricles and ventricles.

65. Son of Odin : THOR. Hammer guy.

66. Sinister chuckles : HEHS.

67. "Revenge is __ best served cold" : A DISH.  Has uncertain origin.

68. Seven: Pref. : HEPT-.  Is a member of a cool HEPTet a HEPT cat?

Down:

1. Soft stuff : MUSH.

2. Will-wisp link : O' THE.  Hinkypunk - per Wikipedia, atmospheric ghost light seen by travelers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes. It resembles a flickering lamp and is said to recede if approached, drawing travelers from the safe paths.

3. Truck : HAUL.

4. Poet Silverstein : SHEL.  He wrote Where the Sidewalk Ends.

5. Words said with a double take : WHAT THE.  Often followed by H  .  .  .

6. Fez, e.g. : HAT. Head cover.

7. Corsage flowers : ORCHIDS.

8. "Consarn it!" : HECK.  Not the H  .  .  . word I had in mind.

9. Motrin target : ACHE.  Hurts!

10. Those folks : THEY. 

11. Suffragette Julia Ward __ : HOWE. (1819-1910) Also abolitionist and poet, she wrote The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

13. Former Labor secretary Elaine : CHAO. Only cabinet member to serve under President George W. Bush for his entire administration; Wife of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

14. Where she blows : THAR.  Whale.

20. Vehicle safety measure : CRASH TEST.

22. Jug band percussion instrument : WASHBOARD.  Here's how it's done.

24. "Say what?" : HUH.

25. Tackled : HAD AT.  Attempted

26. "Vega$" actor : URICH.  Robert.

27. Mythical river of forgetfulness : LETHE.  Hades river, flowing around the cave of Hypnos and through the underworld.

30. Grating : HARSH.

31. "Hello, wahine!" : ALOHA. Hi.  Howaya?

32. Can't stand : HATES.

33. "You, there!" : HEY.

36. Doo-wop syllable : SHA.

40. Went from first to second, say : SHIFTED.  Ha - gears.  I wanted a stolen base.

41. Jeans bottom : HEM.  Stitchery.

42. Pounds : HAMMERS.  Like THOR.

48. Ado : HOOHA.  Or Brouhaha.

49. Mars neighbor : EARTH.  Heavenly orbs.

50. __ Tzu : SHIH.  Hairy hound

51. Fine-tune : HONE.

52. B'way seating area : ORCHestra.

53. Sounds from the stands : RAHS.  Hooray!

55. Shakespearean verb : DOTH.  How DOTH the little crocodile?

56. 1975 Wimbledon winner : ASHE. Tennis star Arthur.

57. Hit the mall : SHOP.

58. Antlered deer : HART.

61. Ginza agreement : HAI.  はい "Yes" in Japanese.

How did you like this puzzle by Messrs. Horne and Chen?  Jeff, of course is a veteran constructor.  Looks like this is Jim's first time in the L.A.T. They had previously collaborated on a themeless puzzle for the NYT in 2012. Has a couple of force-fit entries, but over-all pretty smooth construction, and quite an original concept.  Did anybody else think of Hard and soft G's? 

Cool Regards!

JzB

Note from C.C.: 

Happy Birthday to dear LaLaLinda, who's been through a lot the past year. Despite the physical pain and severe diet restrictions, Linda never complained. She's always attentive and supportive of our regulars who's in need of advice & comfort. (Dave: Think of cats, Red Sox & sweetness.)