Wednesday November 22, 2017 - Johanna Fenimore

Theme: WELL, THAT WAS UNPLEASANT!  The first word of the theme answers are adjectives describing things that might make you curl your lip, cover your eyes, plug your nose and leave in disgust.

18. Last one in, so they say : ROTTEN EGG.  Swimming pool/hole cry, and a nasty sulfurous odor.

29. Bad thing to end on : SOUR NOTE.  Indeed, the first rule of the musician's code is to always end on a good note.  A sour note in the middle of a tune might be forgotten, or better yet, not noticed. But at the end - it's a poor statement that might be remembered.  By analogy, can apply to any situation that ends badly.

34. Serious carelessness, in tort law : GROSS NEGLIGENCE.   Per Wikipedia, the "lack of slight diligence or care" or "a conscious, voluntary act or omission in reckless disregard of a legal duty and of the consequences to another party."  In a different, more vernacular, sense, something GROSS is disgusting.

43. Place at the very bottom : RANK LAST.  To have an unsuccessful competitive season or tournament.  Somebody has to end up there.  In a different sense, RANK describes an offensive odor.

55. Trait of one given to obscenities : FOUL MOUTH.  A person with a FOUL MOUTH utters what we used to call "bad words."  Odors and struck baseballs can also be FOUL.

And, tucked deep into the far corner [but I can still smell it]  the unifier:  67. Reaction to the starts of the five longest puzzle answers : YECCH.  A vocalized expression of disgust.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa on duty.  Let's set the unpleasantness aside, and and seek the good stuff in this puzzle.  With 5 theme entries, including a grid-spanner, plus the unifier, it's thematically rich.

Down

1. Minty Derby drink : JULEP.   Now this more like it!  Bourbon, crushed ice, sugar and fresh mint, typically served in a tall frosty glass.  A Kentucky Derby tradition.



6. Shopping extravaganza : SPREE.  An event of self-indulgence, carousal, or extreme activity.

11. ABC show for early risers, briefly : Good Morning America.  A news and pop-culture program shown from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. in all time zones, live in the Eastern Zone and on broadcast delay in the others.

14. "Ditto," more formally : AS AM I.  Me too.

15. "Can't win 'em all" : I LOST. Somebody always goes home disappointed.  Wish it were the other guy.

16. Conniving "2001" computer : HAL.



17. Copperfield's field : MAGIC.  David Seth Kotkin [b 1956] aka David Copperfield is an American illusionist who has grossed [in yet another sense of the word] over $4 billion in ticket sales, more than any other solo entertainer in history.   He also owns 11 islands in the Bahamas, called Musha Bay, which he uses as a private resort.

20. Complain : KVETCH.  Something I assume Mr. Kotkin would have little cause to do.

22. __ extra cost : AT NO.  It's all included.

23. Banged shut : SLAMMED.  As a door, frex.

27. Cover the spread? : CATER.  My first reaction was - eh?  But a CATERER provides the victuals, aka "the spread," for an event.  Clever!

28. More unsure : WARIER.  More cautious, actually.  Is a person who is less unsure under wary?

32. Feels lousy : AILS.  Hurts or has a tummy ache.

33. Casual "You game?" : WANNA.  "Do you want to?" in short mouth.

41. Westminster landmark : ABBEY.  The Collegiate Church of St. Peter at Westminster, opened in 1090 C. E.,  is a large, mostly gothic structure located in the City of Westminster, London.

42. Indifferent responses : MEHS.  I'm not impressed.

47. Letter-shaped shoe fastener : T-STRAP.  A description that fits to a T.

Also available at your local retailer

49. Tablet download : E-BOOK.  Electronic Book to be read on your portable device. I have sheet music on mine.

50. Becomes depleted : RUNS DRY.  Gets all used up.

51. "Tickle Me" toy : ELMO.  Fuzzy red muppet.

52. Tries one's hand (at) : HAS A GO.  This always reminds me of the scene in Raymond Carver's short story, "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?" when Mitchell Anderson asks Marian, "Would you like to HAVE A GO at it?"  And she does.

57. Held the deed to : OWNED.

62. Dawn goddess : EOS.  The rosy-fingered goddess who opens the gates of heaven so that the sun may rise.

63. Naturally lit lobbies : ATRIA.  A large open air or sky light covered space surrounded by a building.

64. Connect with : TIE TO.  Make an association between

65. Apt. divisions : RMS. Rooms, with or without views.

66. Oyster bead : PEARL. A more or less spherical calcium carbonate object produced within the soft tissue of a mollusk.  They have long been prized as gem stones.


Down

1. Traffic snarl : JAM.  I deal with it several times a week.

2. Mex. neighbor : USA.  Los Estados Unidos de Mexico and the United States of America.

3. Fall behind : LAG.

4. Old U.K. record label : EMI.

5. Hand raiser's cry : PICK ME.  There's always that one kid in the back of the classroom  .  .  .

6. Fathered : SIRED.  Begat.

7. Devious scheme : PLOT.

8. Campus cadets' org. : ROTC.  Reserve Officers' Training Corp.

9. Bk. before Job : ESTHer.

10. Summer on the Seine : ETE.  French

11. "In the __": Elvis hit : GHETTO.



12. Refrigerator art holder : MAGNET.  We currently have several photos in place.

13. Climate Reality Project chairman : AL GORE.  ]b 1948]  Former congressman, senator, vice president and presidential candidate.

19. Indian flatbread : NAAN. A leavened  oven-baked flat bread common in south and central Asia.

21. Bible transl., e.g. : VERsion.   Who knew there were so many?

23. Party loot : SWAG.  Things given away as gifts, usually for promotional purposes.

24. Den : LAIR.  Where the Lions live.  They'll need to be better than they have been against the Vikings tomorrow, and I'm not a liar.

25. Guthrie of folk : ARLO.  Who provided us with another Thanksgiving Day tradition.  [Warning: it's a little over 18 minutes.]



26. __ Piggy : MISS.  And her handsome beau, Kermit.  It's a match made in a bog.  Or maybe a sty.

27. Rock climber's handhold : CRAG.   In rock climber's lingo, a crag is any climbable cliff.  But I think the intended meaning here is an outcropping that can be grasped.

29. "Full House" actor : SAGET. Bob [b 1956] as Danny Tanner from 1987-95.  He's also done several other TV and movie projects.

30. Like a child without siblings : ONLY.  I was one for 6 1/2 years.  It's almost like my parents raised to ONLIES.

31. Start of a cycle? : UNI-.  Half a bicycle.  I'm not fond of cutsie affix clues.

33. Woven traps : WEBS.    The work of spiders.  Here is one of my better haiku.

on the silken strands

sad fly plays a minor chord

 orb weaver's delight

35. Polio vaccine pioneer : SALK.  Jonas [1914-1995]

36. Kevin Durant's org. : National Basketball Association.

37. CPR specialists : Emergency Medical TechnicianS.

38. Geek : NERD.  Call him/her for your computer or cell phone issues.

39. Sear : CHAR.  Burn or blacken the surface of something.

40. Award for athletes : ESPY.  Granted by sports TV network ESPN.

43. Sailor's jacket : REEFER.  A thick, close-fitting, double breasted coat.  I believe this word might also have another meaning.

44. Flowering : ABLOOM.  Buds are busting out all over.

45. Half a rhyming "easy to do" phrase : NO MUSS.  No fuss, no bother.

46. Menthol cigarette brand : KOOL.  First introduced in 1933.

47. Harbor helper : TUG.  A boat that moves other larger boats by pushing or towing them in hard to maneuver places.

48. Highfalutin : SNOOTY.  Elitist.

50. 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby : RAHAL. [b 1953]  Winner of 3 championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series.

52. Table d'__: fixed menu : HOTE.  Meal with a fixed price and few options.  You get what you get.

53. Mystical glow : AURA. A supposed emanation surrounding living creatures, allegedly discernible by certain adept individuals.

54. Cookbook verb : STIR.  What ya got cookin'?

56. "The Amazing Race" prop : MAP.  To determine the next leg of the adventure.

58. LPGA golfer Michelle : WIE

59. Japanese tech company : NEC

60. And more: Abbr. : ETC

61. [Facepalm] : DOH!

Hope you enjoyed this adventure, and escaped with your senses and sensibilities unscathed.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.  We'll have 10 family members joining us to celebrate.

Thursday, August 7, 2014 Johanna Fenimore

Theme: "We're In the Money!" 2:35

I'll start with the reveal:
55-Across. Basics of business, or a hint to the end of the answers to starred clues : DOLLARS AND CENTS. The theme was pretty obvious to me after seeing SCRATCH and DOUGH.  My confidence was a little shaken by JACK, but BREAD nailed it.

17-Across. *Like Grandma's pancakes, say : MADE FROM SCRATCH. This slang is probably based on the fact that you have to scratch out a living to earn money.

24-Across. *It's rolled with a pin and put in a tin : PIE DOUGH. Common slang term in the US, similar to BREAD.

37-Across. *"What a dummy!" : YOU DON'T KNOW JACK. I assume this refers to Jackson on the $20 bill? I don't think I have ever heard this term for money.

46-Across. *Deli supply : RYE BREAD. Based on the analogy of money being a staple of life.

Pretty easy for a Thursday. On a few "huhs" and "duhs" today. So lets spring right in.

Across

1. Spring : JUMP. Epic (and hilarious) JUMP fail. 0:25

5. Goes kaput : DIES.

9. Buckle opener? : SWASH. Can you talk like a pirate?

14. With passion : AMOROUSLY.

16. Chekhov's "__ Sisters" : THREE.

19. Capt.'s heading : SSE. Not sure why "Capt." here.  I wanted something like "aft" based on the clue, but the perps wouldn't allow it. (From C.C.: Capt. hints an abbreviated answer.)

20. Wetland : FEN.

21. Director's headache : HAM.

22. Deli supplies : SLAWS. Are they really "supplies" or just "offerings"?

29. DDE opponent : AES. Adlai Ewing Stevenson.

30. They may be rolled over, briefly : IRAS.

31. Gun lobby org. : NRA. If the NRA rolls over their IRA can they take over IRAN?

32. Barely-there underwear : THONG.

Proof of global warming

35. "Rent-__" : A-COP.

36. "__ Holden": Irving Bacheller novel : EBEN. The book was based in the author's home town of Pierrepont, NY.

40. Solitary : LONE.

41. Alternative to de Gaulle : ORLY.

42. Houston hockey team : AEROS. I don't follow hockey or baseball, so I was thinking "Astro" here.

43. Common Mkt. : EEC. European Economic Community.

44. Actress Falco : EDIE.

45. Hobbit enemy : ORC. Nasty little beasts, they are.

48. Extreme : ULTRA.

51. Bush __ : ERA. Really vague clue that had me scrambling for perps. (Anyone else think "rat"?)

52. Simpson judge : ITO. The (in)famous O.J. Simpson trial.

53. Fury : IRE.

61. "She __ among the untrodden ways": Wordsworth : DWELT. This is one of his "Lucy" poems. No one knows exactly who Lucy was:

     She dwelt among the untrodden ways
            Beside the springs of Dove,
          A Maid whom there were none to praise
            And very few to love:

          A violet by a mossy stone
            Half hidden from the eye!
          --Fair as a star, when only one
            Is shining in the sky.

          She lived unknown, and few could know
            When Lucy ceased to be;                                   
          But she is in her grave, and, oh,
            The difference to me!

62. Begins, as a conversation : STRIKES UP. Or a band.

63. "Ciao!" : SEE YA.

64. Must have : NEED.

65. "Ol' Man River" composer : KERN.


Down:

1. Rough spots : JAMS.

2. Amherst sch. : U-MASS. This was a gimme.

3. Poser : MODEL. Literally, someone who is posing.

4. Start to text? : PRE. Pretext. What a poseur might use.

5. Arm-twisting : DURESS.

6. Takes the stage : IS ON.

7. Stately shader : ELM.

8. Part of CBS: Abbr. : SYS.tem.

9. Valuable violins : STRADS. Stradivarius.

10. Frisbee maker : WHAM-O.

11. Works at an exhibit : ART. The works on the wall, not what the docent does.

12. Champagne word : SEC. French for "dry." Actually, these champagnes are much sweeter than "brut" champagnes.

13. "Clever" : HEH.

15. "Let's hit the road!" : OFF WE GO!

18. Shoddy : CHEAPO. Fun word.

23. "Bates Motel" airer : A AND E. First aired in March of 2013, the TV series is based on the lives of Norman Bates and his mother, of "Psycho" fame.

24. Preserved, in a way : PICKLED.

25. Literary twist : IRONY.

26. Open, as a gate latch : UNBAR.

27. El __ : GRECO. Spanish Renaissance artist.

28. Gump player : HANKS. "Forrest Gump."

32. First president who wasn't elected : TYLER. The tenth president, he assumed the office when Harrison (Tippecanoe) died.

33. Bunk : HOOEY. Another fun word.

34. Gold unit : OUNCE.

35. Some hotel lobbies : ATRIA.

36. Escape on the way down : EJECT.

38. Loving rejection : NO DEAR.  Yes dear. I don't know dear...

39. Dungeons & Dragons role : WARLOCK. Not very nice critters.

44. Listing in a revision, perhaps : ERRATA.

45. Bested : OUTDID.

47. Spare tire : BELLY.

49. Salon job : RINSE.

50. Keyboard contemporary of Vladimir : ARTUR. Rubinstein. Vladimir Horowitz. Just look at those hands! 6:47 (BTW, although he was called ARTUR in his native Polish, he preferred to be known as "Arthur.")

52. Memo header : IN RE.

54. World Cup broadcaster : ESPN.

55. Driller's deg. : DDS. Doctor of Dental Surgery.

56. Postpone paying : OWE.

57. Civil War figure : LEE.

58. Govt.-issued ID : SSN.

59. Absorbed, as a cost : ATE.

60. "A mouse!" : EEK. It just might be what these cats are saying from 0:05 to 0:12.

That wraps it up for this week!
Marti

Monday, January 23, 2012 Johanna Fenimore

Theme: Do En Do Do - Clip(3:05) I hope it shines on all of you.

17A. Hexes : PUTS UNDER A SPELL

27A. Surprised party, metaphorically : MONKEY'S UNCLE

44A. Destination not yet determined : PARTS UNKNOWN

58A. Beatles song, and a hint to the hidden word in 17-, 27- and 44-Across : "HERE COMES THE SUN"

Argyle here with your earworm for a Monday. I believe this is our constructor's first LAT puzzle. She has collaborated with Andrea Carla Michaels on several other puzzles and Andrea had her own solo effort here last September. Two full length themes anchor the grid firmly and aside from a shortstop, the fill is pleasant.

Across:

1. Thumbs-way-up reviews : RAVES. "Have you ever been to a rave?" (quote from a really strange PSA.)

6. Knocks with one's knuckles : RAPS

10. Not feral : TAME

14. Low-budget, in company names : ECONO

15. Happily __ after : EVER

16. October birthstone : OPAL

20. Dined : ATE

21. Twosome : PAIR

22. Heart chambers : ATRIA

23. Positive thinker's assertion : "YES I CAN!"

25. Cleopatra's river : NILE

32. Beelzebub : SATAN

35. Oboe or bassoon : REED

36. Baled grass : HAY

37. "Jurassic Park" terror, for short : T-REX

38. Meanspiritedness : SPITE

40. Home plate, e.g. : BASE

41. Above, in verse : O'ER

42. Apple computer : IMAC

43. Showed on television : AIRED

48. Detest : HATE

49. Oscar-winning film about Mozart : "AMADEUS"

53. End of __ : AN ERA

56. Yard sale warning : AS IS

57. British mil. award : DSO. Distinguished Service Order.

62. Opera solo : ARIA

63. Like a steak with a red center : RARE

64. "That is to say ..." : "I MEAN ..."

65. Double O Seven : BOND, James BOND.

66. "P.U.!" inducer : ODOR

67. Willy-__: sloppily : NILLY

Down:

1. Satisfy, as a loan : REPAY

2. Like most triangle angles : ACUTE. (less than 90°)

3. Chooses at the polls : VOTES

4. USNA grad : ENS.ign

5. Slight trace : SOUPÇON. Origin: 1760–70; < French: a suspicion, Middle French sospeçon < Late Latin suspectiōn- (stem of suspectiō ), for Latin suspīciō suspicion. What is that little mark under the C? Cedilla, a character ( ¸ ) placed underneath a c before a, o, or u, esp in French, Portuguese, or Catalan, denoting that it is to be pronounced (s), not (k). The same character is used in the scripts of other languages, as in Turkish under s

6. Symbol of financial losses : RED INK

7. State firmly : AVER

8. For each : PER

9. Málaga Mrs. : SRA. Map of Spain showing Málaga.

10. Best-seller list : TOP TEN

11. Mimic : APER

12. West African country : MALI

13. Jazzy Fitzgerald : ELLA

18. Indian bread : NAAN

19. "To your health," to José : "¡SALUD!"

24. Big-screen format : IMAX. No connection to 42-Across : IMAC

25. Russian rejection : NYET

26. "That's clear now" : "I SEE"

28. Angels shortstop Aybar : ERICK. This guy.

29. Sear : CHAR

30. Operate with a beam : LASE

31. Kept in view : EYED

32. Halt : STOP

33. Zone : AREA

34. Alaska, once: Abbr. : TERR.

38. Obscene material : SMUT

39. Glazier's fitting : PANE. (window)

40. Tough spot : BIND

42. Newton or Stern : ISAAC

43. Inundated with : AWASH IN

45. Needle's partner : THREAD

46. Sadat's predecessor : NASSER. He was the leader of a successful military coup to depose King Farouk in 1952. Nasser became the president of Egypt in 1956 and remained president until his death in 1970.

47. Leave out : OMIT

50. '50s Ford flop : EDSEL

51. Typical : USUAL

52. Hot-headed Corleone brother in "The Godfather" : SONNY

53. Moby Dick chaser : AHAB

54. Fiddling emperor : NERO

55. "__ Brockovich" : ERIN. "Erin Brockovich" is a 2000 biographical film directed by Steven Soderbergh. Julia Roberts won the Academy Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors' Guild Award and BAFTA for Best Actress

56. Flying prefix : AERO

59. Gold, in Granada : ORO

60. Insane : MAD

61. Record label initials across the pond : EMI. (Electric and Musical Industries)

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

JD and her family went to San Diego to celebrate her birthday last Saturday (Jan 14). Here is a beautiful picture of the happy family. Let's see if I get the order right.

Back row from left to right: Bob (JD's husband), JD, Shelby (JD's oldest daughter) and Shelby's husband Joe, who is holding their handsome son Cameron.

Front row from left to right: Derek (Corie's husband, a Welsh) and son Grady, Corie (JD's younger daughter) is holding her son Truman. Grady is Truman's little brother.

JD said "We saw the zoo on Fri. Sea World on Sat and the Safari Park on Sunday. It was my best birthday ever, and we didn't even have time for cake."