Friday, March 28, 2025 - Katherine Simonson

 Theme: "PrEEEE-fix" - or - "Four E-'s [sic] a jolly good fellow ..."

Puzzling thoughts:  

First, thanks to NaomiZ for filling in for me while I was taking some time off of the puzzle boards to recover from my eye surgeries.  I appreciate the well-wishes from you readers, though I am still working towards better vision. Maybe I will have good news to share on my next blog ...

Second, with most eye surgery layoffs comes the need to refocus on the task at hand; that being, to clearly see what the constructor is trying to illustrate in her puzzle.  Cataract surgery or not, I re-viewed the puzzle after completing it in less than 10 minutes.  It seems that Ms. Simonson (owner of two published LAT puzzles) was merely trying to convey a witty (or is it, "wit-E-") connection between her clues and a common phrase/item that begins with the letter "E".  As follows:

16-across. Headquarters for a simulated space launch?: E-MISSION CONTROL.  An emission control system on a car, for example, might be a catalytic converter which converts noxious gases into a less harmful substance. (Note:  How come they haven't been able to develop something similar for the flatuant society?)

I digress ... the clue, however, refers to a "mission control center" - the facility that monitors and guides space flights, e.g.  The humor/wit is associated with how I've hyphenated the answer.  Items that begin with the prefix "E -" usually refer to something "electronic" or done "on-line" (e-commerce/e-mail/e-ticket).  If there ever existed a place where space-traffic control applicants could go to train in a simulator, it might be here ... @ e-mission control

29-across. Recognition for top cyber snoops?: E-SPY AWARDS.  I would hope that all who have solved crossword puzzles are familiar with the ESPY awards which honor professional and amateur athletes.  The word ESPY is very commonly used by crossword puzzle constructors. By hyphenating the "e" from the "spy" in this example, an on-line (cyber) recognition for top sleuths might be called the e-spy awards

47-across. Group of online church leaders?: E-RECTOR SET.  Hands up for how many of you Crossword Corner readers played with one of these when you were a kid?  A rector is defined in various ways, as the hyperlink shows.  Not sure if the American Anglican church is ready to hand over their priestly duties to an e-rector set just yet.  If they did, would they now be called: e-piscopalians?

62-across. Co-branding by web-based sellers?: E-MERGING MARKETS.  You seeee [sic] where this is going by now?  😉

I guess if I had to choose one of the four entries today that gave me a slight grin it would be the E-SPY AWARDS.  The others were kinda "meh" IMO, although E-RECTOR SET might be the best of the other three

As for the rest of the fill, it was actually quite tight.  No weird words, nor too many TLW's or abbrs.  Also, the inclusion of the words: TOE TAP, CORKER, and GREEN MEN added to its enjoyment.  All in all, I score it, ⭐⭐ - 3/4⭐, though I think a few solvers today might use the "juice/squeeze" analogy in their comments. It certainly was not very hard for a Friday puzzle, but that seems to be the norm these days

Here is the filled in grid with the "E-s" highlighted, then off to the rest ... 

The Grid

Across:

1. Legato symbol on a score: SLUR.  The arced line connecting the scale notes below

5. High flyer: JET.  Glad to see an actual word here instead of SST, for example

8. Medicinal or savory plants: HERBS.  Hand up for trying ALOES, first?

13. Prong: TINE.  As on a fork

14. "That was a long time __": AGO.  When C-Moe last blogged, maybe?

15. Fermented Japanese condiment: TAMARI.  Not familiar with this condiment

[themer]

19. Spunk: MOXIE.  I love this word! 

20. Like many shower stalls: TILED.  

This type of tile seems to be the current trend for shower stalls

21. NYC hrs.: EST.  Eastern Standard Time (only during late fall and winter hours, however)

22. Grocery department: DELI.  When I stop by there, they make me feel like a hero

24. Working diligently: AT IT.  What I found myself doing with today's blog! A bit rusty I admit

26. One of Padmé and Anakin's twins: LUKE.  Star Wars dude, Skywalker 

[themer]

34. Mil. branch: USN.  I waited for the perps to fill this

35. Dust speck: MOTE.  Seems synonymous - let's check with the thesaurus-saurus: 

Close enough

36. Jasper Johns genre: POP ART.

The artist and one of his images (pop art)

37. Cal State city: CHICO.  Here is a link to the Cal State dot edu website.  CHICO is in the north/central part of the state, between Sacramento (the capital) and Redding.  My partner Margaret was on the library staff of Cal State Channel Islands, once upon a time

39. Droop: SAG.  Gravity takes over on we older persons.  My extra bit of paunch is what I refer to as "Dunlop" disease ... my belly done lopped over my belt

41. Consideration when halving or doubling a recipe: RATIO.  I liked this clue!  3:1 = 6:2

42. Rehabilitate: REFORM.  There is no reforming C-Moe, I'm afraid 

44. Wearying trip: TREK.  @ Picard - would you define the journey of the Star TREK Enterprise to be wearying?

46. Brew in a mug: TEA. and its "clecho" @ 64-down. Brew in a mug: ALE.

[themer]

49. Anatomical sac: CYST.  Moe-ku: 

        How would the cheer go

        If an ovine's zit explodes?

        You'd say: "CYST", "BOOM", "BAAA ..."

50. __ fresca: AGUA.  CSO to Lucina

51. Sound reflection: ECHO.  Clue reflection = clecho

53. Science site: LAB.  Or for some owners, "lap site"

56. Martian, perhaps: ALIEN. and its "clecho" @ 40-down. Martians, perhaps: GREEN MEN.

58. Clear: ERASE.

[themer]

65. Silky fabric: SATEEN.

66. Hair-raising product: GEL.  This look would scare me; you?? 

How much GEL was used to create this whatever it is you'd call it?

67. Stretches often named for music genres: ERAS.  Any Disco ERA fans here? 

68. Some Central Europeans: SLAVS.  

69. Dollar: ONE.  Store, Tree, or General did not fit

70. Automation prefix: ROBO.  

Down:

1. Derive (from): STEM.  Or in 2020's speak, an acronym for Science Technology Engineering and Math

2. Prom conveyance: LIMO.  Or in my case, a 1964 Dodge Dart GT, equipped with a 225 cu in slant 6, and Chrysler's TorqueFlite push button transmission - I think the young lady that rode with me was named Debbie ... great car for driving: not so much for a prom date ... bucket seats ... 

3. Linux predecessor: UNIX.  I will defer to the resident computer geeks to better explain this clue and answer ... 

4. Dwell: RESIDE.

5. __ alai: JAI.  Here is an erstwhile popular crossword pair of entries - I think "Alai" appears more often then "Jai"

6. Narcissists: EGOTISTS. Nudists: ECOTISTS

7. Collette of "The Power": TONI. This link will tell you about her

8. Artisan's output: HANDIWORK. According to @CrosswordTracker, this entry word has shown up just once - also in 2025 - so kudos to Ms. Simonson for finding this

9. First aid pro: EMT.    

10. Not well-done: RARE.  The hyphenated "well-done" led me to think it referred to a temperature of steak.  Here is how I prefer my steak prepared:

"Pittsburgh" style; Rare +

11. Frat boys: BRO'S. [note: I added the apostrophe so you could see that it's an abbreviation] Fraternity members are called "brothers".  Moe-ku #2:

        The sorority

        XTP's* fraternity

        Partner: BRO's for Rho's

*X = Chi; T= Tau; P = Rho

12. Fine-grained soil: SILT. and its clecho (count 'em, three clechos today!) 18-down. Fine-grained soil: CLAY.

15. Keep time with one's foot: TOE TAP. Here is a golden oldie that includes tapping all five TOES  

17. Behold: SEE.

[cut and pasted next to 12-down]
 
23. Many an August baby: LEO.  The others are Virgos - hands up for any LEOs here? Not I

25. Taberna dish: TAPA.  Taberna: Spanish; Tavern: English ... tapas are small plate dishes (appetizers) that are offered by many tabernas 

26. Ill-gotten gains: LUCRE.  Crossword-y?? Not a word I use in everyday speak

27. Guide: USHER.  I like this clue, as the clue word and entry word mean both whether it's used as a noun or a verb.  "The guide ushered me to my seat, or the usher guided me to my seat" 

28. Kitchen block insert: KNIFE.  We have one of these kitchen blocks, but they contain a mis-matched set of knives a pair of food scissors and a meat fork

Picture this unbranded, for mine

30. Bog accumulations: PEATS.  Not sure that I like seeing the word "PEAT" pluralized; maybe a forced entry or something edited in?  Moe-ku #3

        Well-known model Kate

        Married tennis pro Sampras.

        She became Pete's Moss

31. Threadbare: RATTY.  This picture describes it perfectly!

Star of a new movie called "Ratty Toile"

32. Hangs on the line: DRIES.

33. Weasel with a black-tipped tail: STOAT.

35. Household expenses: MORTGAGES.  Another word that shouldn't be pluralized, IMO, given the context of the clue.  Unless, of course, you have two (or more) mortgages to pay.  One is enough for me/us, thank you!

38. __-Cola: COCA.  Is this really Friday?  Did anyone else think that the clues/answers were not "Friday-tough"

[cut and pasted next to 56-across]

43. __ Rouge: Paris cabaret: MOULIN.  Online reservations are available!

45. List shortener: ETC.  Et al had one too many letters

48. Picnic spoiler: RAIN.  ANTS fit until it didn't

49. Excellent joke: CORKER.  This brought back memories of the 15 odd years I lived in New England.  The word corker has its roots in the UK and means: a person or thing that is especially good, attractive, hilarious or funny.  The folks I knew in NE wouldn't pronounce this as it appears (Cork' - er), they would say: (Caw'-kuh)

Here's a real "corker"!

52. Pronoun option: HER.  HIM works, too

53. Minus: LESS.  Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please

54. Human rights lawyer Clooney: AMAL.  George Clooney's better half

55. Phi __ Kappa: BETA. Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please

57. Waffle maker: EGGO. I suppose IRON would fit, but again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please

59. Prefix with dynamic: AERO. Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please

60. Grab with a toothpick: STAB. Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please

61. Canadian gas brand: ESSO. Again, it's Friday, folks! Tougher clues, please [CSO to Canadian Eh!]

63. Informal title for a clergyman: REV.  Short for Reverand

[cut and pasted alongside 46-across]

Please offer your puzzling thoughts in the Comments section.  I'll shake the blogging rust off next month, promise ... 

Thursday, October 3, 2024, Katherine Simonson

  

IT DEPENDS ON
HOW YOU SLICE IT

(see also 35D)

Today's constructor Katherine Simonson makes her LAT debut with 4 across theme clues identified only by trailing question marks.  The clues are all references to countries, but they don't make a whole lot of sense and the two word fills don't make any sense either -- but on closer inspection the second word can be combined with a word embedded at the end of the first fill to make an in the language phrase. Here are the themers ...

17. Warmup bands from Casablanca?: MOROCCAN OPENERS.  This one did make a bit of sense -- here's Ilsa and Sam warming up in Rick's Cafe in the movie Casablanca ...

As Time Goes By

23. Liquid from Munich?: TEUTONIC WATER. 

45. Faucet hardware from Stockholm?: SWEDISH WASHER.

53. Ice cream treats from Manila?: PHILIPPINE CONES.

I couldn't see any particular connection between the in the language part of these phrases.

Here's the grid ...

Here's the rest ...

Across:

 1. Rudimentary elements: ABCS.

5. Service station job: LUBE.

9. Automaker owned by Stellantis: FIAT. 

13. "Hot To Go!" singer Chappell: ROAN.  My granddaughter would define this fill as a particular color of a horse, but in this case it refers to Kayleigh Rose Amstutz (born February 19, 1998), known professionally as Chappell Roan, an American singer and songwriter.  Here's the clue song ...

A recent article reveals that MS. Amstutz is having some trouble adjusting to her meteoric rise to fame. 

14. Grand film format: IMAX.  The IMAX theater at the Maryland Science Center is on our short list of places to visit to see the film Deep Sky ...

15. Collector of synonyms: ROGET. The only synonym that thesaurus.plus  suggests for this fill is Peter Mark Roget, a British physician, natural theologian, lexicographer, and founding secretary of The Portico Library.

Peter Mark Roget
18 January 1779 – 12 September 1869

17. [Theme clue]

20. Olympic gymnast Strug who was part of the gold-winning American team in 1996: KERRI.  Kerri Allyson Strug (born November 19, 1977) is a retired American gymnast from Tucson, Arizona. She was a member of the Magnificent Seven, the victorious all-around women's gymnastics team that represented the United States at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Strug performed the vault that clinched the gold for the U.S. team despite having injured her ankle.

Kerri Strug

21. Play to __: A TIE.  Most games will have a sudden death playoff, one exception being chess which can result in a draw.  Hand up for any others?

22. Intel org.: NSA.  CIA fit, but didn't perp.  We pass by the NSA every time we go to Washington, but it's best not to talk about that. 😑

23. [Theme clue]

26. Wag: CARD. One who is quick with BON MOTS.

27. Acid type produced during exercise: LACTIC.  Lactic acid is fuel for your cells during intense exercise. It’s created when your body breaks down glucose and other carbohydrates. It’s a common myth that muscle soreness you feel after exercise is caused by lactic acid trapped in your cells. Studies have found that’s not true. The temporary rise in lactic acid caused by intense physical activity isn’t dangerous and usually won’t cause any symptoms. 

28. Himalayan herd: YAKS.  Apparently the one thing these highly adaptable creatures haven't been able to adapt to is us. ...

Yaks, aka Muskoxen

29. That guy's: HIS.

30. Loose overcoat: ULSTER.  New to me.  The Ulster coat was a Victorian working daytime overcoat, with a cape and sleeves.  It has long since gone out of fashion, but is often mentioned in Victorian literature, e.g. in Dickens and in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  The name derives from a popular synonym for Northern Ireland, where the style originated.

Ulster coats

34. Tailless simian: APE.

35. Amazon Prime vehicle: VAN.

36. Not virtually, briefly: IRL.  The only Cornerite we've met IRL is inanehiker (Nina).  She, Teri, and I spent a wonderful day together exploring the National Museum of Art and getting lost in D.C. (pretty easy to do. 😀)

37. Kitchen gadget brand: OXO.

38. Broadway legend Ethel: MERMAN.  Ethel Merman (January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American actress and singer. Known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and her leading roles in musical theater, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage."[ She performed on Broadway in Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy, and Hello, Dolly!  Here she is singing There's No Business Like Show Business ...

40. Diner coffee: JOE.

41. Failed, as a fuse: BLEW.  These guys were so frustrated when they failed to get what they wanted that they threatened to BLOW a fifty amp fuse! ... 

42. Timeworn saying: OLD SAW.  They also make beautiful music.  Here's a CSO to Misty.

44. Standing on the street: CRED. "Standing" as in CREDIBILITY.

45. [Theme clue]

49. Afr. neighbor: EUR.  AFRICA is abbreviated and so EUROPE is abbreviated.

50. Bilateral: DUAL.

51. Fillable flatbreads: PITAS.

53. [Theme clue]

57. Understood implicitly: TACIT.

58. Irish New Age singer: ENYA.   Last week she gave us an instrumental, so this week we'll hear her sing May It Be ...

59. Elite Eight org.: NCAA.

60. Fleet: NAVY.  FAST fit but didn't perp.

61. Fawning parents: DEER.  A herd of fawning parents lives in our back yard and forced us to put an eight foot fence around our vegetable garden. 😞

62. Dispatched: SENT.

Down:

 1. Branch: ARM.

2. Work that's bound to sell?: BOOK.  Clever clue.

3. Keeper: CARETAKER.

4. Nocturnal noisemakers: SNORERS.  I'd recommend a CPAP machine, but they're addictive.

5. Allowed: LICIT.

6. Actress Thurman: UMA.

7. Potassium-rich snacks: BANANAS.

8. Different in an alluring way: EXOTIC.  IMHO all of reality is EXOTIC!

9. Opposite of determinism: FREE WILL.  The question as to whether we have free will, or our actions are pre-determined by forces beyond our control is a question that goes back at least to the early Greek philosophers.  

10. Charged particle: ION.

11. Plant that's hard to find: AGENT.  A MOLE in spy speak.  Another clever clue.

12. Crisp: TERSE.

16. Russian monarch: TSAR.  The TSARS and TSARIST art and culture were an interest of the famous heiress, art collector and philanthropist Margorie Merriweather Post (March 15, 1887 – September 12, 1973).  Her collection of decorative art, fine art, and artifacts from this period are on display at her Hillwood Museum and Gardens in Northwest Washington, D.C.  Among the highlights are several fine paintings, a large collection of Fabergé eggs, Russian liturgical vessels, and porcelain dinner services from all over the world.  Teri and I have visited Hillwood several times and definitely recommend this fascinating estate.

Hillwood Mansion

18. "Rats!": CRUD.

19. Imagine: PICTURE.  Here is large oil painting at the Hillwood Museum that helps us imagine what life was like in Tsarist Russia ...

A Boyar Wedding Feast
Konstantin Egorovich Makovskii
St. Petersburg, Russia 1883

24. Actor/director Ken: OLIN.  Ken Olin is perhaps best known for starring as Michael Steadman in Thirtysomething, which focuses on a group of baby boomers in their thirties who live in Philadelphia, and how they handle the lifestyle that dominated American culture during the 1980s given their involvement in the early 1970s counterculture as young adults.  Here is Olin in a scene from the pilot, with his wife Hope, played by actress Mel Harris ...

25. Summer systs.: ACS.  Air Conditioners, not Hurricanes.

26. Peninsular land formation: CAPE.  E.g.  Cape Cod, Mass.

Cape Cod

28. Thanksgiving staple: YAM.

29. Cry at the end of a cooking competition: HANDS UP.  Here's a cooking competition between fictional Chef Sir Lenny Henry, CBE and real Chef Gordon Ramsey, OBE.  Guess who wins ...

I bet Henry had way too many Scotch Bonnets 🌶🌶🌶in his dish. 

31. Capacity to endure: TOLERANCE. Assuming ENDURANCE as a one word synonym I asked the dinosaur if he thought this fill was a synonym -- nope .... 

... but then Roget's found it at the top of his list
 
32. Struck (out): EXED. 

33. Work out on an erg: ROW.  ERG is short for ERGOMETER, an indoor rowing machine that measures work units called ERGS.  This is not a new concept -- Chabrias, an Athenian admiral of the 4th century BC, introduced the first rowing machines as supplemental military training devices. To train inexperienced oarsmen, Chabrias built wooden rowing frames onshore where beginners could learn technique and timing before they went onboard ship.

Rowing Machines

35. Sound quality?: VALIDITY.  As in the soundness of an argument, i.e. its validity.  Another clever clue.

36. State where sliced bread was invented: IOWA.  Otto Frederick Rohwedder of Davenport, Iowa, United States, invented the first single loaf bread-slicing machine making it convenient to package uniformly and eliminating the need for the consumer to cut it with a knife. It was first sold in 1928, advertised as "the greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped".  By 1933, around 80% of bread sold in the US was pre-sliced, leading to the popular idiom "the greatest thing since sliced bread". 

Sliced Bread

39. Quaintly stylish: MOD. Not quite CHIC?

40. Place for stubble: JAW LINE.

41. Natives of northwest France: BRETONS.  The Bretons are an ethnic group native to Brittany in north-western France. They trace their heritage to groups of Brittonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain, particularly Cornwall and Devon, mostly during the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. They migrated in waves from the 3rd to 9th century (most heavily from 450 to 600) into Armorica, which was subsequently named Brittany after them. Here's a Breton song called Imram an Enez

 

43. Sculpted: SHAPED.

44. Stylish: CHIC.

45. Huit minus un: SEPT.  Today's French lesson: "8 - 1 = 7".

46. Capital of China's Hubei Province: WUHAN.  With a population of over eleven million, Wuhan is the most populous city in Hubei and the ninth-most-populous city in China. It is also one of the nine national central cities.  Since early 2020, it is probably best known as the epi-center of the COVID-19 pandemic. As this article from the New England Journal of Medicine tells, the actual origins of SARS-CoV-2 are  somewhat controversial.

47. CNN national correspondent Hill: ERICA.  Erica Ruth Hill-Yount is an American journalist who works for CNN. She serves as a primary substitute anchor and as a correspondent. She co-anchored Weekend Today for NBC from 2012 to 2016, following prior work at CBS.

Erica Hill

48. Asparagus unit: SPEAR.

52. Son of John and Yoko: SEAN.  Sean Taro Ono Lennon (born 9 October 1975) is a British-American musician, songwriter, and producer. He is the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and half-brother to Julian Lennon. He has played in several bands over the years, including The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger formed by he and his partner, model Charlotte Kemp Muhl -- whom he found out only a year after he'd started dating her that she was also a musician!  He is also a composer and has released two solo albums: Into the Sun (1998) and Friendly Fire (2006).  Here's the song Midnight Sun that he cowrote with Kemp Muhl from the album The GOASTT  ...

 54. Actress Tyler : LIV.  Here she is as Arwen rescuing Frodo from the Nazgul in The Fellowship of the Ring in Peter Jackson's adaptation of the Lord of the Rings ... 

55. Emmy-winning TV scientist Bill: NYE.  Bill Nye is a former mechanical engineer who plays a scientist on TV.  And like Matt Smith and Bill Nighy he likes bow ties.

Bill Nye

Matt Smith and Bill Nighy
From a scene in Dr. Who -- Vincent and the Doctor --
click it, you'll love it!

56. Didn't play: SAT.

Cheers,

Bill

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

waseeley