Friday, September 13, 2024, Joe Deeney

 Theme:  TEasing TEsty TErriers

Veteran constructor Joe Deeney gives us five symmetrically placed theme entries, with one spanning the grid, and a reveal at the very end.  In each answer, the letter combination TE is repeated thrice.

Theme entries:

17 Across. *Asked for trouble: TEMPTED FATE.

24 Across. *Nickname for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio where Bugs Bunny was developed: TERMITE TERRACE.  

"Termite Terrace was the original Warner Brothers animation studio for Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. Unlike most other animation studios, which used much larger buildings, Termite Terrace was a very small building made of clapboard, and very infested with insects, especially termites." (https://looneytunes.fandom.com/wiki/Termite_Terrace)  Did Not Know (DNK), but filled it with the help of perpendicular entries ("perps").

34 Across. *Van Gogh painting also known as "Sorrowing Old Man": AT ETERNITY'S GATE.

47 Across. *GPS offering, maybe: ALTERNATE ROUTE.

56 Across. *One who might leave bite marks?: TASTE TESTER.

65 Across. Banal, or a three-part hint for the answers to the starred clues: TRI T E.  TRITE means unoriginal, banal, clichéd, commonplace, hackneyed, stale, stereotyped, threadbare, or tired.  However, in THIS case, broken into three parts, it means TRI T E, or three T E combinations in each theme answer.

Let's go on to the other clues and answers.

Across:

1. Ferret out: DIG UP.  I never really stopped to consider the origin of this expression before.

6. Universal donor's type, briefly: O NEG.  Type O negative blood is considered the universal blood type because it can be safely transfused to people with any blood type. "Briefly" in the clue allows for the abbreviation "NEG" in the answer.

10. __ generis: SUI.  Sui generis is a Latin phrase that means "of its own kind" or "in a class by itself."   While the phrase is used in biology, the arts, and law, I remember it from my college philosophy courses, where it meant an idea or entity that cannot be reduced to a lower concept or included in a higher concept.

13. "Spirited Away" genre: ANIME.  DNK.  Solved with perps and a reasonable guess. It's a 2001 Japanese animated film about a girl who accidentally enters the world of spirits.

14. First State capital: DOVER.  Delaware was the first colony to ratify the U.S. Constitution, and by doing so, became the first state. Its capital city is Dover.

16. Sculptor Gillen: ANN.  DNK.  All perps.  She has created a lot of public art in NYC.

Flying Red by Ann Gillen, 1987

17. [Theme clue]

19. Routing word: VIA.

20. Shot spot: ARM.

21. Game cube: DIE.  Singular form of the plural word "dice."

22. Handy reference for a crossword constructor: ROGET'S.  Roget's Thesaurus, first published in 1852.

24. [Theme clue]

28. Like granola: OATY.  The plant-based "milk" we use at breakfast is also "oaty."

29. Continues with intensity: RAGES ON.

30. Urban haze: SMOG.  Of course, we've never seen that in Los Angeles. 😉

32. Fishing pole: ROD.

33. Start at the beginning?: ESS.  The beginning of the word START is the letter ESS.  Meta!  (Or, self-referential.  The clue is about the clue.)

34. [Theme clue]

39. Little bit: TAD.

40. Intention: AIM.

41. Ballpark figure: OUTS.  Not a person, but a statistic.  A figure can be a shape, a diagram, or a number.

42. Connecting: TYING IN.

45. Paint brand at Home Depot: BEHR. 

47. [Theme clue]

51. Having a veneer: COATED.

52. "You for Me" singer Rita: ORA.  Singer/songwriter who is popular in the UK and in crossword puzzles.

53. Purple yam in some desserts: UBE.  DNK!  A sweet yam that originated in Southeast Asia and has been cultivated in the Philippines for centuries.  My limited experience with Philippine desserts is that they do not match my expectation for sweetness.

55. On a streak: HOT.

56. [Theme clue]

60. New Orleans-to-Tampa dir.: ESE.  East-South-East.

61. Bothered: ATE AT.

62. __-Grain cereal bars: NUTRI.  A brand name.

63. __ Moines, Iowa: DES.

64. Slithery swimmers: EELS.

65. [Theme reveal]

Down:

1. Mined stuff: DATA.  Couldn't be ORE, so it had to be the more modern DATA mining.

2. Like helium: INERT.

3. Easy score: GIMME.

4. Ballpark figure: UMP.

5. Family member who might be microchipped: PET.  Did you write in DOG or CAT at first?

6. Curious thing: ODDITY.

7. Pro bono: NO FEE.

8. Green of "Casino Royale": EVA.  DNK.  Eva Green is a French actress.  Of her many films, I have only seen Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016).  

Eva Green with Daniel Craig (as James Bond) in Casino Royale

9. Warm up: GET READY.

10. Put one's jacket down, say: SAVE A SEAT.  Good strategy at a large gathering.

11. Prices per piece: UNIT COSTS.

12. "Sorta": IN A SENSE.

15. Office shake-up, briefly: REORG.  Again, "briefly" in the clue signals an abbreviation in the answer, in this case, the abbreviation for reorganization.

18. Improve, hopefully: EDIT.

23. Hurdle for Ph.D. hopefuls: GRE.  I took the Graduate Record Examination decades ago when applying for the Master of Library Science program at UCLA.  DH likes to brag about my perfect score on the verbal section.  

25. __ cellar: ROOT.  Before refrigeration, an underground root cellar was an essential way to store carrots, turnips, beets, parsnips, potatoes, and other root vegetables.

26. World of Warcraft charmer: MAGE.  World of Warcraft is a multiplayer, online video game.  A mage is a magician or wizard who can cast spells (or charms).  

World of Warcraft mage

27. Brisk gait: TROT.

30. "Relax!": STAY LOOSE.

31. Does one's om work?: MEDITATES.  In Hinduism, Om is a sacred sound that can be chanted during meditation.  

32. Basket part: RIM.  Admittedly, I wasn't thinking about basketball and envisioned a different kind of basket.  But I think this is what the constructor had in mind:

34. Unable to let go: ATTACHED.

35. Plan B time: RAIN DATE.  An alternative date for an event in case of inclement weather.

36. "Little Girl Blue" singer Simone: NINA.  Nina Simone (1933-2003) was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, arranger, and civil rights activist.  

37. Neighborhood near Tribeca: SOHO.  A 16 minute walk between these NYC neighborhoods.

38. Ashram adviser: GURU.  Bet he does his om work.

43. Basket part: NET.  Well, here's the other part of that basket!

44. "Lady Bird" Oscar nominee Gerwig: GRETA.  Greta Gerwig directed this 2017 coming-of-age film, as well as the more recent Barbie movie and others.  She has also acted in films and on television.

45. Tête toppers: BERETS.  Tête is French for head, so you would put French hats on top.

46. Basic Latin verb: ERAT.  Past imperfect form of third person singular "to be."  

48. Absolute: TOTAL.

49. __-frutti: TUTTI.

50. "At the Movies" co-host: EBERT.  Roger Ebert (1942-2013) was an American film critic widely known for the televison show "At the Movies With Gene Siskel & Roger Ebert" which appeared under varying names on several networks over the years.

54. Pennsylvania port: ERIE.  Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and is the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania,  Like other Great Lakes port cities, Erie is accessible to the oceans via Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River network in Canada.

57. "Get the picture?": SEE.

58. Tolkien's Treebeard, for one: ENT.  In J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy series, The Lord of the Rings, ents are sentient beings who resemble trees.  Their leader is Treebeard of Fangorn forest.

59. South, south of the border: SUR.  Spanish for South, as heard south of the US-Mexico border.

Here's the grid:

What did you think of today's tripartite effort?  Was it a TAD difficult?  Or were the answers all GIMMEs?  

NaomiZ

Tuesday, July 30, 2024, Joe Deeney

It's A Man's Man's Man's Man's Man's World.

17-Across. Spa combo: MANI-PEDI.  Guy # 1.

24-Across. Technique for closing a seam: LADDER STITCH.  Guy # 2.  A Ladder Stitch is an invisible seam.  It is used to close seams on stuffed items, such as pillows, or stuffed toys, where, after the stuffing is added.

30-Across. Like many consignment store items: GENTLY USED.  Guy # 3.

41-Across. North Carolina college town: CHAPEL HILL.  Guy # 4.

48-Across. Metaphor for a repetitive person: BROKEN RECORD.  Guy # 5.

And the unifier:

60-Across. Hamburger franchise, and what can be found at the starts of 17-, 24-, 30-, 41-, and 48-Across: FIVE GUYS.  The first few letters of each of the FIVE theme answers is a synonym for a GUY.  I have never eaten at a Five Guys burger joint.

Across:

1. Roadie's cargo: AMPS.

5. Barrel wood: OAK.  Why Oak Barrels?

8. A flat equivalent: G SHARP.  Good misdirection.  I was thinking that the "Flat" was an apartment.  Nope, it's a musical reference.  Everything you wanted to know about Sharps and Flats but didn't know to ask.

14. Bus route, often: LOOP.

15. Bid the most, say: WIN.

16. Grows tired: STALES.

19. In an overly curious way: NOSILY.

20. Fix up, as hair: STYLE.

21. Gee preceder: EFF.  A B C D E F G ...

23. Room under the roof: ATTIC.  //  31-Down. Call from the 23-Across, perhaps: UP HERE!

27. Knightley of "Atonement": KEIRA.  Keira Christina Knightley (b. Mar. 26, 1985) is a British actress who also starred in the Pirates of the Caribbean series of films.  [Name # 1.]

29. Painter's prop: EASEL.

33. Not imaginary: REAL.

36. Fur baby: PET.

37. Happy Valley sch.: PSU.  As in Pennsylvania State University.  Louisiana State University has a Death Valley, which sounds so much more fierce.  The former is a region in Pennsylvania and the latter is the football stadium.

38. Author info: BIO.  As in Biography.

39. Schedule opening: SLOT.

45. Hawaii Senator Hirono: MAZIE.  Mazie Keiko Hirono (b. Nov. 3, 1947) has served Hawaii in the United States Senate since 2013.  [Name # 2.]

47. Farm animals with horns: GOATS.

52. Jobs: ROLES.

53. Pipe bend shape: ELL.

54. Ramen soup broth: DASHI.  Not a Tuesday word.  Everything you wanted to know about Dashi but didn't know to ask.

58. Suspects: IS ON TO.

62. NCAA group that will add four new members in 2024: BIG TEN.  The Big Ten Conference is the oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States.

63. "__ been wondering ... ": I'VE.

64. Verdi opera: AIDA.  Aida is a tragic opera by Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813 ~ Jan. 27, 1901).   It is set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt and was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House.  The opera premiered in Cairo in December 1871.  There is a modern rock musical version of Aida that was written by Elton John and Tim Rice that premiered in 1998.  [Name adjacent.]

65. Dolorous donkey: EEYORE.  A reference to a pal of Winnie the Pooh.  [Name # 3, fictional.]

66. Barclays Center baller: NET.  The Barclay Center is home to the NBA team the Brooklyn Nets.

67. Seethe, as over a slight: STEW.

Down:

1. Pillar of Islam known as Zakat: ALMS.  The Five Pillars of Islam.

2. Castle protection: MOAT.

3. Pay (up): PONY.

4. "Tell us!": SPILL IT!

5. Be a tad short with?: OWE.  Cute clue.

6. Assisted: AIDED.

7. Place setting piece: KNIFE.

8. "People Puzzler" airer: GSN.  As in the Game Show Network.

9. Weasel cousins: STOATS.  Everything you wanted to know about the difference between Weasels and Stoats but didn't know to ask.

10. More hurried: HASTIER.

11. Slightly: A LITTLE BIT.

12. Shrine centerpiece: RELIC.  The Right Hand of St. Stephen of Hungary is housed in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Budapest.

13. Course where one might study Jung, familiarly: PSYCH.  Carl Gustav Jung (July 26, 1875 ~ June 6, 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology.  Carl Jung vs. Sigmund Freud.  [Name # 4.]

18. June birthstone: PEARL.

22. Make available: FREE UP.

25. Tomorrow, for one: DAY.

26. Texting :-(, perhaps: SAD.

27. Ship stabilizer: KEEL.

28. Study of bugs: ENTOMOLOGY.

30. Tech that might repeat "Make a U-turn": GPS.  As in Global Positioning System.

32. Org. with a Popular Baby Names page: SSA.  I was not aware that the Social Security Administration had a page with popular baby names.  The top name in 2023 was Liam for boys and Olivia for girls.

34. Comes down with something: AILS.

35. "ur so funny!": LOL.  Textspeak for Laughing Out Loud.

40. Become smitten with: TAKEN TO.

41. Bengals, on scoreboards: CIN.  Joe Burrow (b. Dec. 10, 1996), who played football for the LSU (Bengal) Tigers now plays for the Cincinnati Bengals.  

42. Brand of battery-powered lawn equipment: EGO.  I was not aware of this brand of lawn mowers, although it bills itself as being rated #1.  [Name Adjacent.]

43. "Royals" singer: LORDE.  Lorde is from New Zealand.  Her full name is Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (b. Nov. 1996).  [Name # 5.]

44. Enjoyed oneself immensely: HAD A GAS.

46. Gadget scraped on a peel: ZESTER.

48. Corrupt kickback: BRIBE.

49. Perez of "Do the Right Thing": ROSIE.  Do the Right Thing is a movie that makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.  Rosie Perez (née Rosa Marie Perez; b. Sept. 6, 1964) got her start with this film which is a film about race relations in New York City.  I saw this film when I was living in France.  The theme did not translate well.  [Name # 6.]

50. Petite and playful: ELFIN.

51. "Closer" actor Owen: CLIVE.  Clive Owen (b. Oct. 3, 1964) is a British actor.  Closer was a 2004 romantic comedy that also starred Julia Roberts.  [Name # 7.]

55. Wedding dress, perhaps: SUIT.

56. Jekyll's counterpart: HYDE.  The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a classic Gothic horror story by Robert Louis Stephenson (Nov. 13, 1850 ~ Dec. 3, 1894).  Hand up if you have actually ever read the story.  [Names # 8 and 9, fictional.]

57. "It didn't escape my notice": I SAW.

59. Small square: ONE.  Okay, if you say so.

61. Nov. honoree: VET.   Veteran's Day is celebrated on November 11.

Here's the Grid:

 

חתולה

Wednesday Jun 5, 2024 Joe Deeney

Theme: WISECRACK (62. Snappy remark, and a feature of four long answers in this puzzle)

18. No matter the outcome: WIN OR LOSE.

25. Pairing at a cocktail party: WINE AND CHEESE.

38. Presidential warm-weather getaway: WINTER WHITE HOUSE.

49. Peripheral with a dongle: WIRELESS MOUSE.

C.C. here, filling in a blogging gap.

Today we have a 16x15 grid due to the central theme letter count (16). Patti allows bigger grids if the theme warrants it.

Consistently WI* *SE break. Pretty much a must for this type of book-ending theme. Either all different or all the same.

 Across:

1. Yoda trainee: JEDI.

5. Superhero accessory: CAPE.

9. Bar food?: SALAD. OK, salad bar. Do you like green papaya salad?

14. Got rid of: AXED.

15. Smell: ODOR. If you can't stand fish sauce, then you won't like the above salad or most Thai food.

16. Overacts: EMOTES.

20. San Francisco-to-Salt Lake City interstate: EIGHTY.

21. Pig's digs: STY.

22. Make yawn: BORE.

23. Fingers: IDS.

24. Actor Cariou: LEN.

28. Nevada whose mystery novels are set in national parks: BARR.

31. Udon alternative: SOBA. Often eaten cold. The sauce is the key.

32. Trivial objection: NIT.

33. Irrefutable statement: TRUISM.

36. Greens over: RE-SODS. Boomer's Asiatic lilies came alive again. Made me so happy.

43. Stew: SEETHE.

44. Chestnut horse: SORREL.

45. "And there you go!": BAM.

46. Photoreceptor cell: CONE.

48. Jeans line: SEAM.

54. Spanish "that": ESO. 56. "¿Qué __?": PASA.

55. Minecraft material: ORE.

57. One in a zillion?: ZEE. In the letter zillion.

60. Shape on a bingo card: SQUARE.

64. Toyota full-size pickup: TUNDRA. 67. Unsuccessful Ford: EDSEL.

65. Diva's time to shine: ARIA.

66. At some point in the past: ONCE.

68. Costner's "The Untouchables" role: NESS.

69. Went green?: DYED.  This looks cool.

Down:

1. Spielberg thriller set on Amity Island: JAWS.

2. Stage direction: EXIT.

3. Publicist's recommendation, perhaps: DENY.

4. Unmarried person's last words: I DO.

5. Subtitle intro: COLON.

6. Dig a lot: ADORE.

7. Pretend to be: POSE AS. 52. "__ directed": USE AS. Tiny dupe. Allowed.

8. Bardly before: ERE.

9. Some pods: SEEDCASES.

10. Sect that adheres to Ordnung: AMISH. I did not know the meaning of "ordnung", German for "order", according to Wikipedia.

11. Piece of firewood: LOG.

12. Style that includes designer yoga pants: ATHLEISURE. Lululemon style.

13. More than loathe: DETEST.

17. "Auld Lang __": SYNE.

19. Stat for a slugger: RBI.

23. "Seems highly likely": I'D BET. And 25. "Keep in touch!": WRITE ME.

26. Sushi wrapper: NORI. My grandma liked nori soup.

27. Back: ENDORSE.

28. "Speaking of which," briefly: BTW.

29. MSNBC host Melber: ARI.

30. Chases a toddler, say: RUNS AROUND.

34. "Catch my drift?": SEE.

35. Onetime breakfast option marketed by a 1980s TV icon: MR. T CEREAL. Never knew this.

37. "There it is!": OHO.

39. "__ side are you on?": WHOSE.

40. Farm layers: HENS.

41. Neptune's domain: SEA.

42. Tree with serrated leaves: ELM.

45. Langoustine soup: BISQUE.

47. Red Delicious kin: EMPIRE. So glad the peach/nectarine/watermelon season has started. Tired of apples.

49. Dominic of "The Crown": WEST.

50. "Casablanca" actor Peter: LORRE.

51. Spot for a much-needed drink, perhaps: OASIS.

53. Cul-de-__: SAC.

57. Amusingly unconventional: ZANY.

58. "Behold!" of old: ECCE.

59. __ out a living: EKED.

61. App annoyances: ADS.

62. Pallid: WAN.

63. Photoreceptor cell: ROD.

Jazzbumpa is taking sometime off the blog. Splynter will take over the Wednesdays in the next few weeks. Anon-T (Tony) will guide us on Tuesdays while Hahtoolah is on vacation. Thank you, my two sweet friends.

C.C.