Friday, May 30, 2025, Joe Deeney

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with the recap of a Friday Puzzle by veteran LAT and NYT constructor Joe Deeney.

This solver will admit to being quite unsure about the nature of the theme after first completing the puzzle.  After a while, though, the cob webs cleared and the double entendre nature of the clever theme became clear.  There is no reveal to guide us down this path so let's jump right in with the themed answers, of which there are five, and see how they "hang together":

17 Across:  Designation for who or what, perhaps: LEADING QUESTION.  The "perhaps" is crucial here as it is also in the following four clues/answers.  Either of the two interrogatories in the clue might LEAD (start) a question.  In this case, though, there is also the "angle" that they might be deemed by some to be the best type of question.  LEADING, here, more or less equals favorite choice.

23 Across:  Designation for tri tip or flap steak, perhaps.  TOP SIRLOIN  This one was misleading because, per Wikipedia, tri tip is the bottom of the subprimal cut and flap steak is from the muscle of the bottom sirloin.  In this case, though, either might be your favorite, or TOP, choice (but not in the sense of USDA Choice).

37 Across:  Designation for "Unforgiven" or "Tombstone," perhaps: BEST WESTERN.  Both of the titles in the clue are, as we say in crossword-ese, oaters.  BEST WESTERN is a chain of motels but one of the aforementioned titles could also be somebody's best/favorite western movie.

49 Across:  Designation for mozzarella or cheddar, perhaps: GOAT CHEESE.  Hmm, both types of cheese are made from cow milk.  In this case, though, GOAT is used as in Greatest Of All Time and one of the cheeses in the clue might be someone's favorite.

57 Across:  Designation for Ticonderoga or Faber-Castell, perhaps: NUMBER ONE PENCIL.  A #1 pencil is softer than the ubiquitous #2 pencil.  In this instance, though, either the Ticonderoga or the Faber-Castell (both brand-named pencils) might be someone's favorite.

Now that we have completed our work with our favorites, here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Rash reaction?: ITCH.  Not rash as in impulsive or not well thought out.  Literally, a rash on your skin.

5. Pool float: RAFT.

9. Tune in: WATCH.  Tune in - not in the Timothy Leary sense.  As in to watch on TV.

14. Branch of Islam: SHIA.  SHIITE was too long.

15. Santa __: California winds: ANAS.

16. "Here for you": I CARE.

20. Couple of dollars?: ELS.  One of "that" type of clue,  like Head of state =  S.  The are a couple of L's in dollars.

21. Chapel vow: I DO.

22. Cosmetics brand with a So Fierce! collection: REVLON.  This solver is unfamiliar with So Fierce! but did know some cosmetics brand names so, after a few perps, the answer was sussed out.

27. Reel Big Fish genre: SKA.  Their music is often labeled "ska punk, a fusion genre that mixes ska music and punk rock music. 

28. Eye ailment: STYE.  We'll skip the photo.

29. Fitting: APT.  Indeed

30. "Not all heroes wear __": CAPES.  But Batman and Supergirl, among others, do.

32. Yellow __: LAB.  This solver, had he any input, would have suggested a way to work Labrador retrievers into the themed answers.

Rustler

35. Potential auction winner: HIGH BID.  Potential??

39. True to life: FACTUAL.  . . . but it may be cruel

Everybody Plays The Fool

40. "Big" and "Bang Bang" singer Rita: ORA.  A frequent visitor.

41. Minor tussle: SETTO.

42. Actress Zadora: PIA.  Haven't thought of her in years.

44. "Curses!": DRAT.  DARN or DANG or RATS would have fit the allowable space.

48. Furry foot: PAW.  Having previously used the "the man who shot my paw" pun we will go with this:  It is always a good thing to occasionally PAWs and reflect.

52. Principal dancer in a ballet company: ETOILE.  French for STAR.

55. Hundred Acre Wood hopper: ROO.  A Winnie The Pooh reference.  Roo is Kanga's child.

56. Beach bottle no.: SPF.  On sunscreen.  Sun Protection Factor

61. Tire out: DRAIN.

62. Stand up: RISE.  Business at the bakery is on the RISE.

63. Second-most-traded currency in the world: EURO.  That the answer was four letters helped.

64. Asks (for): SENDS.  As in "Send for the midwife!"

65. Basic sammies: BLTS.  with mayo

66. Frosh, probably: TEEN.  Frosh = Freshman

Down:

1. Bits of green in blue: ISLETS.  A stumper for a while but it does make sense.  Islands in the ocean.

2. Whole kit and caboodle: THE LOT.  Slangy clue.  Slangy answer.

3. U.S. operative: CIA SPY.  One of those answers where you go back over the grid you find yourself asking "What's a ciaspy?"

4. Possessed: HAD.

5. Shore leave, informally: R AND R.  Rest and Recreation.

6. Second-largest Portuguese-speaking country: ANGOLA.  40% as a native language.  60% total.

7. Page to check before contacting customer service: FAQ.  Frequently Asked Questions.

8. Historically Black school in Houston, briefly: TSU.

9. Sensible: WISE.

10. When Miranda says, "O, brave new world / That has such people in 't!": ACT V.  Even if one had not idea about the play being referenced, one could guess that the first part of the answer was ACT and then it was only a question of which Roman Numeral it would be.  See also 18 Down.

11. Severe decline: TAILSPIN.

12. Not on the up-and-up: CROOKED.

13. Dyes used for some body art: HENNAS.  Not often seen as a plural noun.

18. XXX divided by X: III.  Roman numerals.  Easy math  30 / 10 = 3

19. Directional suffix: ERN.  As in westERN.

24. Choose: SELECT.  Used as the verb.  But as an adjective:  What philosopher appealed to only a Select group of people?  Frederick Niche.

25. One of the two women in "Hamlet": OPHELIA.  One would have to be at least somewhat familiar with the play to know this one.

26. Terse assurance: IT IS.  It is.

30. "Strong Enough" diva: CHER.  This official video is pretty weird.

31. Rub the wrong way?: ABRADE.

33. Regarding: AS TO.

34. AC meas.: BTU.  British Thermal Unit

36. Classic Pontiac: GTO.  Ronny And The Daytonas were from Nashville!  Who knew.

37. Alter ego of DC's Kate Kane: BATWOMAN.

38. D.C. daily: WAPO.

39. Spotlight: FEATURE.  As in to shine the spotlight on someone or something.

41. Forks out: SPENDS.  Idiomatic clue.

43. Immobile: AT REST.  This solver has always thought of immobile as could not move.

45. Shelter adoptee: RESCUE.  A pet shelter reference.

46. Set lofty goals: ASPIRE.  What do you call a chicken that ASPIRES to become food?  A consommé  professional.

47. Nonstick coating: TEFLON.

49. Cologne's land: Abbr.: GER.  GERmany

50. Gets by: COPES.  What did the carpenter say about his broken saw?  I can't COPE with this.

51. Groundbreaking tool: HOE.

53. As above, in a footnote: Abbr.: IBID.  Ibid is a short way of saying "in the same place", which is helpful when citing.

54. Perspective, metaphorically: LENS.

58. Planet, e.g.: ORB.

59. Love of another sport?: NIL.  In soccer scoring NIL is zero and in Tennis scoring LOVE is zero.

60. Basket part: NET.  A basketball reference.

Have a great weekend.  Do some of your favorite things!

_______________________________________________

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