Friday, March 22, 2024, Katie Hale

Greetings, Cruciverbalists. Anomalous Moderate here with a recap of today's puzzle by Katie Hale.  As was the case with the puzzle reviewed by yours truly this past December 29th, Lisa Simpson leads the way to anagram-ville (well, it's kinda close to being an anagram of Margaritaville).

At five places in the grid Katie has a bit of fun by rearranging the initial three or four letters of everyday vocabulary and thereby produces humorous themed answers.  After the first few of these were figured out by this solver (not in top-to-bottom order) I thought that the theme would also have an electronics angle (STEM, USB, RCA) but this was not to be.

Here are the five he terms, er themers:

18 Across:  Shirts for a coders vs. physicists softball game?: STEM JERSEYS.  (New York) METS JERSEYS has been rearranged.  A tech reference.

24 Across:  Break-even transactions involving vintage TVs and turntables?: RCA WASHES.  CAR WASHES  RCA was an early brand of TVs and other electronic gear (although I do not recall ever seeing an RCA turntable).  A break-even transactions is sometimes referred to as "a wash".  Six of one a twenty-fourth of a gross of the other.

38 Across:  One issuing tickets to the over-50 crowd?: AARP TROOPER.  PARATROOPER  If anyone here needs AARP explained please drop me a line.

51 Across:  Animated image of an apple falling on Sir Isaac?: GIF NEWTON.  FIG NEWTON  A popular cookie morphs into an animated illustration of an aha moment in the history of physics.  Here, now, a GIF:

59. Lab work focused on data storage devices?: USB CULTURES.  SUBCULTURES

This is how all of this appears in the grid:

Here are the rest of the clues and answers:

So, Cars:  Oops, Across:

1. Trailhead posting: MAP.  My hiking friends and I used to rely heavily on the USGS contour maps.

4. Courtroom drama on NBC from 1986 to 1994: LA LAW.  Today's first TV show reference.

9. Lariat: ROPE.  Drop the L from the clue and we could form RIATA.

13. Spring mo.: APR.  APRIL.  This could have been clued with a credit card interest rate reference.

14. Vague afternoon time: ONE-ISH.  Probably not Katie's favorite fill.

16. Multicolored gem: OPAL.  We have all seen some so-so posts on blogs but here are some gems:  emeralds, sapphires, OPALs, rubies

17. "Gotta __!": JET.  New to this solver.  "I gotta JET is, apparently, a phrase that means "I have to go (quickly)".

20. Miner concern: ORES.  Often found in crossword puzzles but rarely seen pluralized.

22. Water coolers: ICE.  The use of the plural in the clue lead to a bit of head scratching but, I guess, ICES would not be not used in this context.

23. Water movers: MAINS.  Not the first water conduit that came to mind but the clue is on target.

27. Dead set on: WED TO.  Pairing Dead with WED might be perceived as a slippery slope.

29. Tangy red spice: SUMAC.  Popular in middle-eastern cuisine.

30. "Jingle Bells" contraction: O'ER.

32. CSNY's "__ House": OUR.  It was very, very, very fine house with two cats in the yard.

33. Making one's hair stand on end?: TEASING.  A clue to be taken literally.

37. Doesn't take well?: ROBS.   Don't take this wrongly . . .

40. Mark left by a bumper: DENT.  If a plane has a small DENT does that make it an airline fracture?

42. Afternoon rests: SIESTAS.

43. Sprint: RUN.  Did the clue jog your memory?

44. Dudes: MEN.  By definition.

45. Romance novelist Dare: TESSA.  Unknown to this solver although I am aware that Romance Novels exist and I have heard such books referred to as "bodice rippers".

49. Make space on the whiteboard: ERASE.  Clued many ways.

55. "__ you a barrel of laughs": AREN'T.  See also 63 Across.

57. Nintendo character option: MII.  Completely unknown to this solver.  Thanks perps.  MII is a customize-able avatar used on several Nintendo video game consoles.

58. Artemis org.: NASA.  With Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon.  The first manned, excuse me, the first crewed lunar landing is scheduled for 2026.

62. Gov. or sen.: POL.  POLitician.  We often encounter POLs in our puzzles.

63. Barrel of laughs: RIOT.  See also 55 Across.

64. Big-box shop: COSTCO.  I was in one just prior to starting to work on this write-up.

65. 68-Across restroom: LOO.  We often go there in our puzzles.

66. Drummer Ulrich: LARS.  Of Metallica.

67. "Anything Goes" star Merman: ETHEL.

68. U.K. part: ENG.  United Kingdom.  ENGland

Down:

1. Focuses in college: MAJORS.  If marine biology was the right MAJOR for you then your grades were probably above c-level.

2. Brief sketch: APERCU.

3. Comms experts: PR TEAM.  COMMunicationS experts - Public Relations TEAM

4. Rock's __ Lonely Boys: LOS.

5. Opposition parties: ANTIS.  ANTIS is a word not often heard, seen or used.

6. Hanger-on: LEECH.  Idiomatically and literally.  Ugh.

7. Teegarden of "Friday Night Lights": AIMEE.

8. Financial paper, for short: WSJ.  Newspaper.  The Wall Street Journal

9. "The Jetsons" maid: ROSIE.  That's ROSIE in the back.  You know the other names from the theme song.  Another TV reference.

10. What love is, per a "Frozen" song: OPEN DOOR.

11. Earnings report: PAY STUB.  Of a sort, I suppose, for an individual but not for a company.

12. Lapel edges?: ELS.  Lapel begins and ends with the letter L.

15. Take up, in a way: HEM.  See also 37 Down.

19. Playful "grr" alternative: RAWR.  Used to express anger, flirtation or affection.

21. Try to hit: SWAT AT.

25. Lenovo rival: ACER.  DELL and SONY would also have fit the allotted space.

26. Wireless speaker brand: SONOS.  Hand up for ANKER.

28. RN workplaces: ORS.  Registered Nurse.  Operating RoomS.

31. Elton John accomplishment, briefly: EGOT.  Emmy Grammy Oscar Tony.   Elton John is the most recent person to complete this feat and, of all who have done so (less than twenty people) he was the oldest at "completion".

34. Basilica alcove: APSE.  Do you struggle to find domed recesses in cathedrals?  There's an APSE for that.

35. Result of angering a wasp, probably: STING.  Not the ethnic kind of WASP.

36. Fury: IRE.

37. Taken up, in a way: RE-SEWN.  See also 15 Down.

38. University of Michigan city: ANN ARBOR.  Go Blue!

39. Spread out at a cocktail party: PATE.  Not splayed.  An edible spread that might be put out (served).

40. Rap's Dr. __: DRE.

41. "1984" superstate: EURASIA.

44. Maitre d' offering: MENU.

46. Paper clip alternative: STAPLE.  Alternatively:  You shouldn't eat stationery.  It might become a dietary STAPLE.

47. "Time to go already?": SO SOON.

48. Like a watch with hands: ANALOG.

50. Factions: SECTS.

52. "You can't stop me": I MUST.

53. Colin of "1917": FIRTH.  An actor/motion picture reference.

54. Extended family member: NIECE.  In Nice, nièce.

56. "No Scrubs" group: TLC.  A music/"girl group" reference.

59. Clickable link: URL.  Here's One

60. Little piggy: TOE.

61. Mexican lager: SOL.  Aaahhh, a nice cold beer to wrap things up.

________________________________________________________

Notes from C.C.:

Happy 83rd birthday to our sweet Pat (PK on our blog), who's been with our blog for a long time. PK used to be a reporter.

 

Cake from Dave

Sunday March 3, 2024 Amy Johnson & Katie Hale

Theme: "Academic Clubs" - Each group-ending common phrase is punnily rephrased as if it's a club for some majors.

23A. Club for music majors?: INSTRUMENT PANEL.

36A. Club for geology majors?: HEAVY METAL BAND.

56A. Club for astronomy majors?: HEAVENLY BODY.

80A. Club for paleontology majors?: SKELETON CREW.

99A. Club for philosophy majors?: REFLECTING POOL.

116A. Club for botany majors?: FLOWER GATHERING.

15D. Club for genealogy majors?: BIRTHDAY PARTY.

55D. Club for urban planning majors?: TRAFFIC CIRCLE.

Good to see Amy's byline again. She was a frequent Sunday constructor a few years ago. For those who are new, Katie Hale is the assistant to Patti Varol. She has been generously helping many constructors with their themes and grids. Here's Katie (picture from Gary's blog)

Patti allows Sunday theme queries. Some of Amy's original theme entries probably did not work for Patti. Then she suggested some new ones. Then Amy & Katie brainstormed more and got the current set. Katie probably also added the extra clue layer to further tighten up the set also.

Across:

1. Sorrowful sigh: ALAS.

5. Crude cartel since 1960: OPEC.

9. Blue, in Barcelona: AZUL. Alliteration.

13. Shady plot: ARBOR.

18. Actress Sorvino: MIRA. She speaks Chinese.

19. City in Victor Hugo novels: PARIS.

21. "Catch ya later!": CIAO.

22. Jazz singer Cleo: LAINE.

26. Agent concerned with spots: AD REP.

27. Heredity units: GENES.

28. Causing shudders, maybe: EERIE.

29. Key holder, often: JANITOR. Nice clue.

31. Was successful in: WON AT.

32. YouTube alternative: VIMEO.

34. Stage name intro: AKA.

35. "How tragic": OH NO. And 33. "How tragic": IT'S SAD.

40. Still in the sack: ABED.

42. Monogram on some high-end handbags: YSL.

43. Many corny jokes: PUNS.

44. Go on the lam: BOLT.

46. Biblical name of ancient Syria: ARAM. Root of Aramaic spoken in "The Passion of the Christ".

48. "__ Christ Superstar": JESUS.

49. Makes a connection: TIES IN.

51. Howled loudly: BAYED.

53. Wasatch Mountains ski town: ALTA.

59. Standard: PAR. And 60. Standards: NORMS.

62. __ jockey: DISC.

63. Rough guess: STAB.

64. Vague quantity: ANY.

65. Like extreme measures: DRASTIC.

68. Reebok rival: ASICS. Dr. Nina's favorite brand.

71. New citizen, perhaps: EMIGREE.

73. NFL flag thrower: REF.

74. Dull pain: ACHE. 76. Treat 74-Acrosses, maybe: SOAK.

78. Wee: BITSY.

79. Christmas helper: ELF.

85. Storage unit: BYTE. Computer storage.

86. __ station: WEIGH.

88. Music industry drama series starring Taraji P. Henson: EMPIRE.

89. NAACP __ Awards: IMAGE.

91. Cold, slushy treat: ICEE.

92. Nemo's home: REEF.

93. Mystery writer Paretsky: SARA. From Ames, Iowa.

94. Victoria's Secret purchase: BRA.

97. Haggler's concern: COST.

104. Middle Eastern title: EMIR.

106. Short greetings: HIS.

108. How tempura is fried: IN OIL. I  love shrimp tempura the most.

109. Scrooge visitor: GHOST.

110. Come really close to: VERGE ON.

112. African language family: BANTU.

114. Square: PLAZA.

115. Spanish folk hero: EL CID.

121. Pass along: RELAY.

122. British aristocrat: EARL.

123. Changed direction, nautically: YAWED.

124. Uber Eats display: MENU.

125. Many first-time voters: TEENS.

126. Some bourbons: RYES.

127. Cincinnati ballclub: REDS. Pete Rose continues to bet in Las Vegas. Signing autographs at Mandalay Bay. His full-time job there.

128. Chariot-riding god: ARES.

Down:

1. "Who __ to judge?": AM I.

2. Legalese and computerese: LINGOES.

3. Longtime Tottenham football rival: ARSENAL.

4. GPS tech: SATNAV. Satellite Navigation.

5. Bloom County penguin: OPUS.

6. "I Said a Prayer" singer Tillis: PAM.

7. Browning's before: ERE. I love love stories.

8. Show place: CINEMA.

9. Smoothie berry: ACAI.

10. Online pub: ZINE.

11. Abu Dhabi's fed.: UAE.

12. Texter's "I didn't mean that :)": LOL JK.  Just Kidding.

13. Rickman of "Die Hard": ALAN.

14. Time of Roosevelt's fireside chats: RADIO ERA.

16. Walk result, maybe: ONE ON.

17. Brief copy: REPRO.

20. Kind of drum or guitar: STEEL.

24. Enter again: RE-TYPE.

25. "Not my __": PROB.

30. Moody's top bond rating: AAA.

31. Question of motive: WHY.

32. Wedding planner's concern: VENUE.

34. Freestyle raps: ADLIBS.

37. "Go faster, huskies!": MUSH. A few sled dog races in Minnesota were canceled due to our warm weather. Odd winter.

38. Genesis figure: ABEL.

39. Like some neighbors: NOSY.

41. Highchair wear: BABY BIB.

45. Safe IRA option: T NOTE.

47. Most lowdown: MEANEST.

48. Some spreads: JAMS.

49. Hardy title character: TESS. "Tess of the d'Urbervilles".

50. Sharp front tooth: INCISOR.

52. Systane target: DRY EYE.

53. "Bizarre Foods" host Zimmern: ANDREW. He's based in Minnesota.

54. Singing nymph of the Rhine: LORELEI.

57. Passing through: VIA.

58. Three Gorges structure: DAM. Called San Xia in Chinese. San means "three".

61. Stockpiles: STASHES.

66. "I'm not eating that!": ICK.

67. Merriment: CHEER.

69. Baskin-Robbins treat: CONE. And 111. "Grand" ice cream: EDYS.

70. Word with ink or egg: SAC.

72. Barb: GIBE.

75. Sticky brand: ELMERS.

77. Governor Noem of South Dakota: KRISTI. She looks like a TV news host.

81. Olympic sword: EPEE.

82. Petty squabble: TIFF.

83. Inbox buildup: EMAIL.

84. Alert: WARN.

87. Architectural style between 1714 and 1830: GEORGIAN.

90. Bunch of honkers: GAGGLE.

94. Stronger, as mixed drinks: BOOZIER.

95. Cash of country: ROSANNE.

96. Ctrl-__-Del: ALT.

98. Albeit, briefly: THO.

100. Dash or slash: LINE. Love this clue also.

101. Diary passage: ENTRY.

102. Mountain lion: COUGAR.

103. Big __: drug industry, colloquially: PHARMA.

104. Tennis great Chris: EVERT.

105. Fracas: MELEE.

107. Conclude: INFER.

112. Cause of some nodding: BORE.

113. Shoemaker's tools: AWLS.

114. Many profs: PHDS.

117. Install, as brick: LAY.

118. Bedazzle: AWE.

119. Sam player on "Cheers": TED.

120. "Breaking Bad" villain Fring: GUS.

Wednesday, February 14, 2024 Margi Stevenson and Katie Hale

Theme: Terms of Endearment - Career-specific phrases identifying one's object of affection.  

17. Beekeeper's valentine?: HONEY BUNCH.  A beekeeper is a person who owns and breeds bees, especially for their honey.  Their love is sweet.

25. Juice barista's valentine?: MAIN SQUEEZE.  A juice barista prepares and serves fruit-based beverages, which presumably involves some squeezing.  The main squeeze is someone's preferred girl/boyfriend or lover. No indication is given for the one in second place.  

37. Optometrist's valentine?: GOOD LOOKING.   Optometrists examine, diagnose and treat diseases and disorders that affect your eyes and vision.   A good looking person is one who is physically attractive, either with or without glasses, on either of you.

52. Aesthetician's valentine?: SWEET CHEEKS.  An aesthetician is a person trained to administer facials, advise customers on makeup and the care of skin and hair, etc.  I did not know that. So the reference is to the attractiveness of the beloved's facial shape.  My mind never even considered the callipygian alternative. Nope, not even for a microsecond.

I feel like such an ass

61. Baker's valentine?: STUD MUFFIN.  This is a sexually attractive, usually muscular young man.  Unlike a culinary muffin, which is a small domed cake or quick bread made from batter or dough.

Probably low carb

Hi, Gang, and happy Valentine's Ash Wednesday!  JazzBumpa here to share the love.  Margi and Katie have cooked up some tasty treats for us, and a bit of Valentine's eye-candy.  And then comes Lent.  So let's have some fun while we can. 

Across:

1. Plot points?: BEDS.  I guess this refers to garden beds in a plot of land, rather than a moment in a story that affects the character or the direction of the story in some way.   Am I missing anything?

5. Reply-all email storm deterrents: BCCS.  Blind copies, where the list of recipients is not revealed.

9. Horse breed native to the Middle East and North Africa: ARAB.   A breed of horse with historic roots on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest modern breeds.

13. In a frenzy: AMOK.   With uncontrolled and disruptive behavior.

14. Desert succulents: ALOES.   An evergreen perennial, it also originates from the Arabian Peninsula, but also grows wild in tropical, semi-tropical, and arid climates around the world.

16. Common piercing spot: LOBE.   For ear rings.

19. Chaucer chapter: TALE.  The Canterbury Tales is a collection of twenty-four stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. It is widely regarded as Chaucer's magnum opus. 

20. Up and about: AWAKE.    Out of bed and in motion.

21. Meditation retreat: ASHRAM.   As defined.

23. "Karma is a __ / Purring in my lap 'cause it loves me": Taylor Swift lyric: CAT.  Ode to a contented pet.

28. Almost overflow: BRIM.   Filled to the very edge of a container.

30. Yokohama drama: NOH.   traditional Japanese masked drama with dance and song, evolved from Shinto rites.

31. Consumer advocate Ralph: NADER.   Ralph Nader [b. 1934] is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes, and a perennial presidential candidate.

32. Spanish title: SEÑORA.  A title or form of address used of or to a Spanish-speaking woman, corresponding to Mrs. or madam.

35. Hardware store purchase: TOOL.   A device or implement, especially one held in the hand, used to carry out a particular function.

41. Yemeni port: ADEN.   Aden is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km east of the Bab-el-Mandeb strait and north of the Gulf of Aden.

From Google Maps

42. Buys time: STALLS.   Delays an event temporarily so as to have longer to improve one's own position.

45. Packs in, as coffee: TAMPS.   Rams or packs (a substance) down or into something firmly.  I've never tamped coffee.

49. Performer's routine: ACT.   Perform a fictional role in a play, movie, or television production.

51. Nursery rhyme vessel: PAIL.   A usually cylindrical container with a handle.   Don't fall down when carrying one, you could break something.

56. Snoop: SPY.   Investigate or look around furtively in an attempt to find out something, especially information about someone's private affairs.

57. "Never would have thought": THAT SO?  Expression of surprise or disbelief

58. Vegas lights: NEONS.   Fluorescent lamps filled with neon, and inert gas

60. Monopoly payment: RENT.   A fee charged to a player who lands on somebody else's property

66. Midrange voice type: ALTO.   In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by either low women's or high men's voices. It is pitched lower than soprano, and higher than baritone.

67. "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" writer: AESOP.  Aesop [c. 620–564 BCE] was a Greek fabulist and storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as Aesop's Fables. Although his existence remains unclear and no writings by him survive, numerous tales credited to him were gathered across the centuries and in many languages in a storytelling tradition that continues to this day. 

68. Spicy __ roll: TUNA.   A saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna up to the Atlantic bluefin tuna, which averages 2 m and is believed to live up to 50 years.

69. Devious plan: PLOY.   A tactic intended to embarrass or frustrate an opponent, or to trick someone to achieve an often concealed objective.

70. Parking lot mishap: DENT.  Making a bad impression.

71. Healthy piece: SLAB.  A large, thick, flat piece of stone, concrete, or wood.  Though, in this case, it's probably a piece of meat.

Down:
1. "A Christmas Carol" cry: BAH.  Frequent utterance of Ebenezer Scrooge.  His redemption by three spirits has become a defining tale of the Christmas holiday in the English-speaking world

2. Intense music genre: EMO.   Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and post-hardcore from the mid–1980s Washington, D.C. hardcore scene.

3. Making a gift of: DONATING.   Giving money or goods for a good cause, for example to a charity.
 
4. Misrepresent, as data: SKEW.   To distort from a true value or symmetrical form

5. Braided bread often filled with chocolate or cinnamon: BABKA.   A sweet braided bread which originated in the Jewish communities of Poland and Ukraine. It is popular in Israel and in the Jewish diaspora.

6. Make aware: CLUE IN.  Provide information about a particular item or event.

7. Swindle: CON.  Use deception to deprive someone of money or possessions.

8. "Just wait a __": SEC.  Request for someone to briefly pause an action.

9. Tennis and golf legend Gibson: ALTHEA.   Althea Neale Gibson [1927 - 2003] was an American tennis player and professional golfer, and one of the first Black athletes to cross the color line of international tennis. In 1956, she became the first African American to win a Grand Slam event.

10. Showed displeasure like a dragon: ROARED.   A roar is a a full, deep, prolonged cry uttered by a lion or other large wild animal.  Why a fictional creature was chosen is a bit of a mystery.

11. Burning: ABLAZE.   On fire.  Keep your distance.  AFLAME has 4 of the same letters.

12. Pricey German wheels, informally: BEEMER.  A BMW automobile, a product of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, commonly abbreviated to BMW, a German multinational manufacturer of luxury vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.  

15. "Inside the NBA" analyst, familiarly: SHAQ.   Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal, known commonly as Shaq, is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA.

18. Thanksgiving vegetable: YAM.   Only maybe.  Are Yams and Sweet Potatoes the Same? No, yams and sweet potatoes are not the same. Yams have rough, dark brown skin that is often compared to tree bark, and their flesh is dry and starchy like a regular potato. Sweet potatoes have smooth reddish skin, softer flesh (when cooked), and a sweet flavor.

22. Naturally bright: SUNLIT.  Like an atrium,  a large open-air or skylight-covered space surrounded by a building.

23. "Survivor" network: CBS.   Columbia Broadcasting System

24. "__ we having fun yet?": ARE.  The second person singular present and first, second, third person plural present of be.   Well - are we?

26. Never ever: NOT ONCE.   Ain't gonna happen.

27. "Get out!": SHOO.  A word said to frighten or drive away a person or animal.   And never, ever come back!

29. Dairy farm sound: MOO.   Bovine utterance.   Not to be confused with an udderance, though moo utterers do have udders. 

33. Events with a lot of insult comedy: ROASTS.   A banquet at which the guest of honor is subjected to good-natured ridicule.

34. Put in: ADD.   To put something with something else to increase the number or amount or to make it more important.  Or, to voice an opinion in an on-going discussion.

36. Allows: OKs.   Grants assent or permission.

38. Two-time Emmy winner Remini: LEAH.   Leah Marie Remini [b. 1970] is an American actress. She starred as Carrie Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens and as Vanessa Celluci in the CBS sitcom Kevin Can Wait, both alongside Kevin James. 

39. Snooze: NAP.   A short period of sleep, typically taken during daytime hours as an adjunct to the usual nocturnal sleep period. Naps are most often taken as a response to drowsiness during waking hours.

40. Generous pour: GLASSFUL.   An amount contained by or sufficient to fill a glass or tumbler, possibly to the brim.

43. Gloss target: LIP.   Gloss is a cosmetic used primarily to give lips a glossy luster, and sometimes to add a subtle color. It is distributed as a fluid or a soft solid.   A lip is either of the two fleshy parts which form the upper and lower edges of the opening of the mouth.  Their primary purpose is to make sounds on the trombone.

44. Wily: SLY.   Having or showing a cunning and deceitful nature.

45. Sandal style: T-STRAP.   Having a single or multiple strap attached to a shoe to hold it on the foot or having a purely ornamental function and passing either above the instep near the arch or around the ankle.

46. "Gosh darn it!": AW HELL.  Slangy expressions of disappointment. 

47. Treating unkindly: MEAN TO.   Purposefully being rude or saying or doing something to hurt someone.

48. Object in a game of fetch: PET TOY.  Toys specifically marketed for dogs to play with come in many varieties, including dog bones, puppy toys, balls, tug toys, training aids, squeaky toys, etc.  As far as I know, attempting to play fetch with cats is doomed to failure.

50. Connective tissue: TENDON.   A flexible but inelastic cord of strong fibrous collagen tissue attaching a muscle to a bone.

53. Spanish "thing": COSA.  Literal translation.

54. Well-groomed: KEMPT.    Maintained in a neat and clean condition; well cared for.

55. Trifling sum: SOU.   A former French coin of low value.

59. Crypto artworks, for short: NFTs.  Non-Fungible Tokens -- blockchain-based tokens that each represent a unique asset like a piece of art, digital content, or media. An NFT can be thought of as an irrevocable digital certificate of ownership and authenticity for a given asset, whether digital or physical.

62. Nickname for Edward or Theodore: TED.  It's unclear to me how TED is derived from either of them.  But I knew I guy named Roland who went by Ron.  This whole thing is about as confusing as NFTs

63. Not let go to waste: USE.  Consume or put in to action - not let something sit idle.

64. "Go-To Dinners" cookbook writer Garten: INA.  Ina Rosenberg Garten [b. 1948] is an American television cook and author. She is host of the Food Network program Barefoot Contessa, and was a former staff member of the Office of Management and Budget.

65. Capture: NAB.   In this context, apprehend a wrong-doer.

Hope you found something sweet to enjoy in this basket of Valentine treats.  

Cool regards!

JzB

Friday, February 9, 2024, Caroline Hand and Katie Hale

 

Good morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a recap of  today's puzzle which, fittingly, was constructed by not one but two puzzle setters.  If you woke up feeling poorly this morning then this puzzle may not have been for you.  However, if you woke up fooling peerly then you may have found that the solving went smeethly and agrooably.  Let's start with the reveal:

66  Across:  Tennis match with teams of men and women, or what 18- and 25-Across and 42- and 55-Across literally have: MIXED DOUBLES.

At two places (for a total of four clues/answers) Caroline and Katie intentionally mix up the double vowels (OO and EE) found in two common "word combinations" and, thereby, create amusing responses to the carefully worded clues.  The first pair is at:

18 Across:  Plays a trick on Miami's basketball team?: FOOLS THE HEAT     and

25 Across:  Spring occasion when people get really emotional?: APRIL FEELS DAY

FEELS THE HEAT and APRIL FOOLS DAY have traded double vowels

The second pair is at:

42 Across:  Orange rinds of epic proportions?: OLYMPIC SIZE PEELS and

55 Across:  Wagers about how many ingredients are in a bottle of shampoo?: CHEMICAL POOLS

OLYMPIC SIZE POOLS and CHEMICAL PEELS have engaged in a bit of vowel swapping.

Here is how this all looks in the grid:

.... and, now that we've participated in the vowels' key party, let's have a look at the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Baldelli who was AL Manager of the Year in 2019: ROCCO.  Things start off with a reference to the Minnesota Twins baseball team.

6. Leave the dishes for tomorrow, say: SOAK.   Here in the SOAKing Southland this seems, somehow, appropriate:

Box Of Rain (1972)

10. Fistful of dollars: WAD.

Clint Probably Got This Answer Quickly

13. Nook purchases: E-BOOKS.  NOOK is Barnes and Noble's electronic reading platform/device.

15. Subject: TOPIC.  Current events are a fish's favorite TOPIC of discussion.

17. Spa brand: OPI.  Usually clued with a reference to nail polish.

20. Molecular messenger: RNA.  A crossword staple.

21. Dump, as stock: SELL.

22. Breakdown helpers: AAA.

23. Monarch: RULER.

30. Cuban dance: MAMBO.  O, possibilmente, italiano

33. Comforts: SOLACES.  

34. Rita on Avicii's "Lonely Together": ORA.

35. UFC fighting style: MMA.  Mixed Martial Arts

38. Prefix with gender: CIS.

"Mongo CIS" Just Does Not Seem Right

39. Some UPenn degs.: MBAS.  Many schools offer MBA degrees.  The UPenn bit was not very helpful.

46. Hands together time: NOON.  Analog, not digital.  Not applause.

47. Not awesome: MEH.

48. Big fuss: ADO.

49. Writer Joe Hill, to Stephen King: SON.   A man gave his three boys a cattle ranch.  He named the ranch Focus because that is where the sun's rays meet.

50. Amends last year's tax return, say: RE-FILES.

53. The Chi-__: R&B quartet: LITES.  A pun-ish name.

59. Titan, once: OILER.  The Tennessee Titans football team started out in 1960 as the Houston Oilers before relocating to Nashville in 1997.

60. Prefix in some genre names: ALT.

61. __ Rios, Jamaica: OCHO.

65. School opening?: PRE.  Some solvers might feel that the southwest, with its PRE, SEC and EST stack, was a bit 47 Across.

71. Wall St. regulator: SEC.

72. Cutting: SNIDE.  A fairly ambiguous clue.

73. Writes to: EMAILS.  Can we read EMAILS on our EBOOKS?

74. D.C. hrs.: EST.  Anybody remember Werner Erhard?

75. African antelopes: GNUS.

76. Teaser: PROMO.  As in teaser ad.

Down:

1. Bowl game officials: REFS.  A football reference.

2. Cor anglais kin: OBOE.  Clued many ways but not as many ways as OREO

3. Awesome: COOL.  Slang.

4. Work together briefly?: COLLAB.  A punt (or slang depending on your perspective).  COLLABoration "in brief".

5. Allows: OKS.

6. Gets home, in a way: STEALS.  Another baseball reference.

7. __ and aah: OOH.  What goes OOH OOH?  A cow with no lips.

8. Imitate: APE.  Used as a verb.  See also 36 Down.

9. Telluride maker: KIA.  An automotive reference.

10. Advertising exaggeration, perhaps: WORLD'S BEST.

11. CPAP target: APNEA. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure used to treat breathing problems.  Philips Respironics recently recalled some of their CPAP machines.

12. Log with a lock: DIARY.

14. Guest __: STAR.

16. Copy shortcut: CTRL C.  A computer user's technique.

19. Japanese "yes": HAI.

24. "I can help!": USE ME.  We have seen this several times in our puzzles.  Has anyone actually heard a person say "USE ME" ?

26. Pageantry: POMP.

27. Areas of interest: FOCI.  Plural of FOCUS.

28. "Hamilton" role for Phillipa Soo: ELIZA.

29. Made less harsh: EASED.

30. Eclipse participant: MOON.

31. "Hope" singer Parks: ARLO.

32. City executive-to-be: MAYOR ELECT.

36. Imitate: MIMIC.  See also 8 Down.

37. Amtrak choice: ACELA.  A train ride often taken in our puzzles.

40. Healing plant: ALOE.  A constructor's friend.

41. Bank acct. application digits: SSNS.  Another crossword staple.

43. Greek muse of memory: MNEME.  Inspiration for:

44. "Where the Sidewalk Ends" poet Silverstein: SHEL.

45. Straw __: POLL.  An unofficial vote.

51. Gels: FIRMS.  Used, here, as a verb.

52. Some kings and queens: SPADES.  A playing card reference.

54. Weather map line: ISOBAR.  Where do meteorologists relax after work?

55. Grove: COPSE.

A small COPSE set among a field of dandelions.

56. Brings on: HIRES.  They could have gone with the root beer.

57. Far from current: OLD.

58. Chiwere speakers: OTOE.  OTOE visit us often.  All About These Indigenous Friends of Crossword Constructors

62. Advertiser's honor: CLIO.  The CLIO awards are named for the Greek goddess CLIO, the mythological muse known as "the proclaimer, glorifier and celebrator of history, great deeds and accomplishments.

63. Big wheel at sea: HELM.  Not the idiomatic "big wheel" which might have led to trying to fit ADMIRAL or CAPTAIN into the allotted space.  A big steering wheel.  

64. __ buco: OSSO.  A food reference.

67. Dutch bank: ING.

68. Mark, as a box: X IN.  Punt

69. Part of a prof's address: EDU.  The ending for a university's email address.  dot EDU

70. Plate official: UMP.  Yet another baseball reference.

Y'er Out!

Okay.  If you say so.

Everyone have a wonderful Superb Owl weekend.

___________________________________________________________

Notes from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Splynter, who turns 53 years old today. I'm so happy and grateful that you're back to blog for us again. 

Baby Splynter and His Parents