Sunday, November 6, 2016 Kevin Donovan

Theme: "Following Up"- Up is added to the start of each familiar phrase.

23A. Profession for the principled? : UPRIGHT FIELD. Right field.

29A. Dr. Seuss, e.g.? : UPBEAT POET. Beat poet.

40A. Promising market indicators? : UPTURN SIGNALS. Turn signals. Bad streak last week.

65A. Toy trains for tycoons? : UPSCALE MODEL RAILROADS. Scale model railroads.

91A. What pillows may do, in a kids' room? : UPHOLD THE FORT. Hold the fort.

107A. Periods of distress? : UPSET TIMES. Set times.

113A. Outperform crew members in the ship play? : UPSTAGE HANDS. Stagehands.

I'm a bit surprised by the "Following Up" title. Normally the key word does not appear in the puzzle title.  

Rich and Kevin might have considered putting FOLLOWING UP as a reveal in the last Across entry. But then decided "Following Up" is better as a title.

Chunky corners in this grid. The upper left & lower right are easier to fill, as they're relatively sectioned off. The upper right/lower left are amazing work. Those 7x4 are just hard, esp when crossing two more long entries.

Across:    

1. Manchester United rival : ARSENAL. Gimme for our Steve.

8. __ En-lai : CHOU

12. Tool used in a box : BAT. Batter's box!

15. Film add-on : FEST

19. Perform again : REPRISE. Not RE-STAGE.

20. Next in line : HEIR

21. U.N. workers' agcy. : ILO

22. The snakes in Indiana Jones' "Why do they have to be snakes?" : ASPS

 

25. Exit quietly, in a Dylan Thomas poem : GO GENTLE. Helpful clue. You don't need to know the poem to obtain the answer.

27. Run ashore : BEACH

28. Bill collector : TILL. Not a person. Same with 9. Pair for date night : HEELS and 45. Grand Canal traveler : GONDOLA

 

31. Sask. neighbor : ALTA (Alberta)

32. Can't abide : DETEST

34. Small cells : AAs

35. Jockey competitor : HANES

36. __ code : BAR. Not BRO (56. Dude) code.

37. Get together on a ranch : HERD.  Tiny "together" clue echo with Also 52. Come together : GEL

39. Catlike : FELINE

47. Weather map depiction : AIR MASS

48. It's not always easy to get into : SHAPE. Thanksgiving is coming.

49. Not a soul : NO ONE. Should not have "Not" in the clue.

50. Tries earnestly (for) : GUNS

51. Piling on, say : ADDING

53. "The Librarians" channel : TNT. Never watched it. Good?

54. More than just cooks : CHEFS. With "More than" in the clue, I can never figure out what part of speech the answer should be.

56. Challenge for Homer : BART. Homer Simpson.

60. Put down : DERIDED

63. ORD posting : ETA

64. Equipped : ARMED

71. Phobias : FEARS

72. __ de mer : MAL

73. Resonator for a jug band bass : WASHTUB. Googled afterwards. Not familiar with Washtub bass.

74. No more than : ONLY

75. Nissan Stadium player : TITAN

77. "... 'tis not to me __ speaks": Romeo : SHE

78. Big name in Bible distribution : GIDEON. Learning moment for me.

83. Delicate : FINE

84. Totally lost : AT SEA

86. Aquarium fish : TETRA

87. Only NATO member with no standing army : ICELAND. Hey, I knew this trivia.

94. Newcomer : NOVICE

95. Nursery resident : TREE

96. Sun Tzu subject : WAR.  The Art of War. You wanted TAO?

97. Where to see stars : SPACE

98. Pursue relentlessly : DOG

99. "The Piano" extras : MAORIS. Great movie.

103. Buck : CLAM

110. Blew the whistle : SANG. Ratted out.

111. What oaks may provide : SHADE

112. Put back in : RE-INSERT

116. Love god : EROS

117. In the past : AGO. This "Bad Request" glitch is not specific to our new template. It happens to other blogs with Full Page comments format, including Rex Parker's.  George Barany got the same "Bad Request" when he hits the Preview & Post Your Comments button  there.

118. Biblical captain : NOAH

119. Crown coatings : ENAMELS

120. Holiday song closer : SYNE  "... for auld lang syne".

121. "Man on the Moon" group : REM

122. Ring jinglers : KEYS

123. Boxing's "Manassa Mauler" : DEMPSEY. I need "Jack" in the clue. 

 

Down:

 

1. First word in the Beach Boys' "Kokomo" : ARUBA. Gimme for all you Beach Boys fans.  

2. Drive off : REPEL

3. Lean-eater Jack : SPRAT

4. "Fear of Flying" author Jong : ERICA

5. Close at hand : NIGH. Not NEAR.

6. Smoke remains : ASH

7. Mail : LETTERS

8. Easter Island's country : CHILE. Boomer's bowling/golf buddy Jorge just went back to Chili. Their Monday morning traveling league has lots of guys in their late 80s/early 90s. Very inspiring. 

10. It may be checked at the station : OIL. Great clue also.

11. Pakistani language : URDU

12. Like a storied wolf : BIG BAD

13. Medicinal plants : ALOES

14. Senate garment : TOGA

15. Tree that typically has paddle-shaped leaves : FAN PALM. Also a new term to me.

16. Baltic republic : ESTONIA

17. Organs sometimes vented? : SPLEENS

18. African menaces : TSETSES. Our old buddy is back.

24. Tailor's concern : FIT

26. Old anesthetics : ETHERS. I don't know what my periodontist used on me. Powerful stuff. She told me "Let me know when you feel nice and numb". I chuckled.

30. Numbers to shoot for : PARS

32. "Forrest Gump" lieutenant : DAN

33. Compared to : THAN

36. Pop/country singer Lee and others : BRENDAS. I presume Kevin added a cheater to where S is, but the symmetrical part did not yield better fill.

38. Juice for PCs : ELEC

39. Features of many '50s-'60s cars : FINS

40. Ryder Cup team : USA. Winner this year.

41. Advanced deg. : PHD

42. Bit : TAD

43. Reuters competitor : UPI

44. Personal : INTIMATE

46. Celebrated : NOTED

47. Knowledgeable, in Nantes : AU FAIT

50. Move up the corporate ladder : GET AHEAD. My life in the corporate world was pretty fun.

55. "The Walking Dead" veterinarian : HERSHEL. Stranger to me. 

57. Org. for physicians : AMA

58. Wine choice : RED

59. QB stats : TDs

61. Leave a note for, maybe : REMIND

62. Morning phenomenon : DEW

64. Settler? : ARBITER. Nice clue.

65. Project Blue Book subj. : UFO. Never heard of the Project Blue Book.

66. Presidential souvenir : PEN

67. Mineo of "Exodus" : SAL

68. Shout : CRY

69. It may be coiled on a saddle horn : LASSO. Oh, OK.

70. Car nut : LUG. Wheel. I thought of Argyle, who's nuts about old cars.

75. Pitchfork part : TINE

76. What a ponytail partly covers : NAPE

79. OED info : DEF (Definition)

80. Ike's WWII command : ETO

81. Friend of Yossarian in "Catch-22" : ORR. Know the answer. Never read "Catch-22".

82. __ Geo: nature channel : NAT

83. Diamond surfaces : FACETS

85. The bad guys : THEM

87. Gets coverage for : INSURES. Huge increase for my insurance next year. Sigh!

88. Penny-colored : COPPERY

89. Vague answer, say : EVASION

90. Driving need : LICENSE. Also 91. Drive : URGE. Also 104. Guides for drivers : LANES. Love these clue echoes.

92. Suddenly caught on : TWIGGED

93. Possesses : HAS

95. Hand-played drum : TOM-TOM. Oh Hi, D-Otto and TTP! You're my favorite drums.

98. Sorrowful song : DIRGE

100. Test for purity, as gold : ASSAY

101. They're often taken orally : OATHS. Not PILLS.

102. Cellular messenger : RNA

103. Titleholder : CHAMP

105. Confuse : ADDLE

106. Not at all in order : MESSY. Our baseball cards look messy but they're all in some kind of order.  Hall of Famers. Stars (Lots of worthless Bonds/Sosa). Twins. Ex-Twins. Etc.

108. Fabric flaw : TEAR

109. Finished : SUNK. Not DONE.

111. Piece of fiction : SHAM

114. "The Tell-Tale Heart" author : POE

115. Peoria-to-Gary dir. : ENE

C.C.

Sunday May 24, 2009 Kevin Donovan

Theme: Keep an Eye Out

24A: Betting a buck on Vegas?: STAKING ONE'S CLA(I)M

47A: Wheat farm operator?: BRA(I)N SURGEON

67A: Very old races?: ANCIENT RU(I)NS

83A: Notes from Charlie?: CHA(I)N LETTERS

106A: Think nostalgically about one's long-haired days?: REMEMBER THE MA(I)NE

3D: Hollywood exodus?: FLIGHT OF STA(I)RS

57D: Kudos after a great meal?: HAIL TO THE CH(I)EF

The theme title reminds me of "It's Not the Same Without You" puzzle Elissa mentioned two days ago. All of the letter U's were removed from the puzzle. There are still 4 I's left in the above theme answers.

I like REMEMBER THE MANE the best, as I often do think nostalgically about my long-haired days. Took me some time to figure out that Charlie in "Notes from Charlie" refers to Charlie Chan. Ah me!

Still a challenging puzzle for me. Got fooled by several tricky clues. But I had fun filling, erasing and filling again. Kevin Donovan is another regular contributor to Stan Newman's Newsday puzzle.

Across:

1A: Winchester, e.g.: RIFLE. Stumped immediately. Have never heard of Winchester RIFLES.

12A: Cultural Revolution leader: MAO. Cultural Revolution lasted 10 years (1966-1976).

18A: One with a big weight on his shoulders: ATLAS. The Titan with heavens on his shoulders.

19A: Angola neighbor: NAMIBIA. Here is the map. Angola is to its north. Strange capital name, Windhoek. Dictionary shows that W is pronounced as V.

21A: Dada Daddy?: ARP (Jean/Hans). Nice clue.

22A: Polished off: ATE

23A: Makes less dense: THINS

27A: Caught off base: TAGGED. Baseball.

29A: Form 1040 calc.: AGI (Adjusted Gross Income). I know nothing about income tax. My husband only asks me to sign those papers.

30A: Libreville is its capital: GABON. Easy guess.

31A: Puppy's protest: YELP. Alliteration.

32A: Its a pain: ACHE. So simple.

33A: Dwell constantly (on): OBSESS

37A: Fortitude: GRIT

43A: Paquin and Pavlova: ANNAS. Alliteration again.

44A: Hole in the wall: OUTLET

50A: Easygoing sorts: SOFTIES

52A: Brewer's need: YEAST. Baker's need too.

54A: Put on the rolls: LISTED

55A: Friend needing feeding: PET. No PET in our house.

56A: In the know: HIP

60A: Change: ALTER

64A: Occurred (to): CAME

66A: Makeup artist?: LIAR. Nailed it immediately.

73A: Hawk's weapon: TALON

74A: Peel's title: MRS. Emma Peel.

75A: Site of Floresta da Tijuca, one of the world's largest urban forests: RIO. Floresta da Tijuca is new to me.

76A: "2001" computer: HAL

77A: Tell: TATTLE

78A: Egyptian port: SUEZ. Near the south end of SUEZ Canal.

79A: Runaway bus film: SPEED. Starring Sandra Bullock & Keanu Reeves.

82A: Lunch and study hall: PERIODS. What is study hall PERIOD?

86A: Tight undergarment: CORSET. She has a perfect body!

87A: Patient record: CHART. And RECORD (72A: "Made to be broken" thing).

88A: Needle: HYPO. We just had NEEDLE clued as "Hypo" several days ago.

90A: Store door nos.: HRS. Thought of Dennis and his hobby stores.

93A: Thing intentionally dropped: HINT

94A: Lode load: ORE. Neat clue.

96A: Nearly boils: SCALDS

98A: Beetle's warning: BEEP. The car.

99A: Ga. Tech grad.: ENGR

100A: Sets limits on, with "in": REINS

103A: John __ Lennon: ONO. I like this new ONO clue.

104A: Cochise was one: APACHE. I forgot who Cochise was. Do know Geronimo though.

110A: Lacking color: ASHEN

113A: More modest: HUMBLER

114A: Traction aid: TREAD

115A: Oscar winner Kingsley: BEN. He won Oscar for "Gandhi". Great movie.

117A: Struggle: TUSSLE

118A: Dagger handles: HAFTS

Down:

1D: Caning material: RATTAN. Thought of Bangkok immediately. So hot there.

2D: Cornell University site: ITHACA

4D: "Cape Fear" actress: LANGE (Jessica). No idea. This poster looks scary.

5D: Latin being: ESSE

6D: Banana pair: ENS. Two N's in Banana.

7D: Information to process: DATA SET. Only knew DATA.

8D: Photographs, e.g.: IMAGES

9D: South Pacific idols: TIKIS. Are TIKIS all made of wood?

10D: Shikoku sash: OBI. Another alliteration.

11D: Criminal group: RING

14D: Covert __: spy doings: OPS. Got it from Across fills. I am used to the "Photo OPS" clue.

15D: Amalfi Coast city: SALERNO. See this map. It's foreign to me.

16D: Like 15-Down: ITALIAN

17D: Entices: TEMPTS

20D: Turkish title: AGA

26D: Trumpeter youngster: CYGNET. Someone mentioned trumpeter swan on the blog months ago.

28D: Dressed to kill, with "up": DOLLED

34D: Tournament exemptions: BYES. Tennis?

35D: 1986 #1 song by Starship: SARA. Stumped, though the tunes sounds very familiar.

41D: Used to be: WAS

45D: Unqualified: UTTER. Can you give me an example of how they are interchangeable?

46D: Theater section: TIER. Penned in LOGE first.

47D: Improved: BETTER. I was trying to think of another verb.

48D: Start of a damsel's distressed demand: UNHAND. UNHAND me? Nice alliteration.

49D: 5/7/1945 German surrender site: REIMS. Here is the map. It's in NE France.

50D: Race with gates: SLALOM. I was thinking of horse racing.

51D: Less sincere: OILIER

52D: Mysterious Asian giant: YETI

55D: Weight training targets, briefly: PECS

58D: "Dover Beach" poet: ARNOLD (Matthew). Unknown to me. I've never heard of the poem either.

59D: Public ones can be embarrassing: SCENES

61D: Real bore: SNOOZE. Why?

62D: St. Paul- to -Sault St. Marie dir.: ENE. Got it from Across fills.

63D: Implants firmly: ETCHES. Wanted EMBEDS.

64D: Temple feature?: CURL. I was trapped. Did not think of Shirley Temple.

67D: The Little Mermaid: ARIEL

68D: Line on a map: ROAD

69D: "Sonatine Bureaucratique" composer: SATIE (Erik). Obtained the answer from Across fills again.

71D: Main force: BRUNT

73D: Sea dogs: TARS. Both are slang for sailors.

77D: Saintly mother: TERESA. Mother TERESA.

78D: Onetime friend of Camus: SARTRE. A rare gimme for me. They were indeed friend once.

79D: Place with many grunts: STY. Pigs. I was thinking of soldiers.

80D: Energy: PEP

82D: Atlantic, to Brits: POND. The POND.

83D: Lantern type: CHINESE. Have you seen Gong Li's "Rise the Red Lantern"? A very influential Chinese movie in the 1990s. Gong Li is my favorite actress.

84D: Word-guessing game: HANGMAN. No idea. Does not sound like a good game title.

85D: "... all snug in __ beds": THEIR. From "The Night Before Christmas".

86D: Potter of "M*A*S*H" for one: COLONEL. Not familiar with this character.

87D: Winged child: CHERUB

89D: Channels you can't surf: CANALS. Excellent clue.

91D: Warm up, in a way: REHEAT

92D: Lays out: SPENDS. New meaning of "lay out" to me.

94D: Go around in circles?: ORBIT. Great clue.

95D: Gets out of the water, with "in": REELS. Fish.

97D: Tangle removers: COMB. Hair tangle.

98D: City of southeastern Iraq: BASRA

101D: Extreme degree: NTH

102D: Put a lid on: SHUT. Reminded me of the "Shh!" puzzle earlier this month.

105D: It may be beaten: PATH. Filled in immediately.

107D: It precedes juin: MAI. French for May.

108D: Outback runner: EMU

Answer grid.

C.C.