google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Kurt Mengel and Jan-Michele Gianette

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Showing posts with label Kurt Mengel and Jan-Michele Gianette. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kurt Mengel and Jan-Michele Gianette. Show all posts

Jul 23, 2018

Monday July 23, 2018 Kurt Mengel & Jan-Michele Gianette

Theme: COUNTRY COOKING (52A. Rural cuisine ... and what 20-, 31- and 39-Across are examples of?) - Each theme entry is a food item starting with a country name.
 
20A. Toasted breakfast breads: ENGLISH MUFFINS.

31A. Eggy breakfast dish: SPANISH OMELET.

39A. Ham-like breakfast meat: CANADIAN BACON.

Boomer here.

Happy Monday all. As I mentioned last week, I spent Tuesday evening bowling with the pros in a 9 pin no tap pro am event. Scoring was pretty high for the tournament, but I was in the running until the 8th frame of the third game. Then a big split blew me away, but I had a good time and bowled pretty well. My pro partners were Brian Kretzer, Tom Carter, and Mike Dias. All three cashed in the regular tournament, with Kretzer the best finisher. (Third place behind Michael Haugen and Bob Learn.)  But enough about me - on with the puzzle.  

July 17, 2018
Across:

1. Gelatin garnish: ASPIC.  Not a mountain city in Colorado, but close.

6. Bio course components: LABS

10. Blue-roofed eatery: IHOP. Their commercials are now touting beef and changed the name to IHOB last month.

14. Fabric: CLOTH.

15. At rest: IDLE. In the brain it's the devil's workshop.  Professor Harold Hill told me so.

16. Gramma: NANA. I always thought this was French for Grandma.

17. Donald's second ex: MARLA. Ms. Maples and I share the same birthday.  (Not the same year, just the date.)  We don't hear too much about her daughter Tiffany.


18. Highlands native: GAEL.

19. Tiny fraction of a min.: NSEC.  Sounds made-up to me.

23. Pig's home: STY. The big bad wolf could not blow down the one made of bricks.

24. Small songbirds: TITS.  No comment here.

25. Apply more lubrication to: RE-OIL.  Interesting, this is a common bowling center term when the lanes are refreshed for competition.

27. One-thousandth of a gig: MEG.  I believe she was one of the "Little Women"

28. Letters indicating a sellout: SRO.  Standing Room Only.  Not available on flights.

30. Kissing on a busy ave., say: PDA.

35. Lago contents: AGUA. A famous Italian won the British Open yesterday. I did not see too many lagos on the course.
Francesco Molinari

37. Dutch Golden Age artist: STEEN (Jan)


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/1670_Jan_Havicksz._Steen_-_zelfportret.jpg/250px-1670_Jan_Havicksz._Steen_-_zelfportret.jpg

38. Rogues: CADS.  Many are in the parking lot at the Country Club.

42. Bowling initials: AMF.  I believe initially this was an acronym for American Machine and Foundry.  Now the company is dedicated to the bowling business in the U.S. and Mexico.  They have acquired bowling centers throughout and operate them under the name of Bowlero.  We have two in the Twin Cities.  One about a mile from our home.

43. USN rank: ENS.  A naval rank equal to a second lieutenant in the Army.  I believe Tim Conway played an ensign in "McHale's Navy"

44. Chaney of old chillers: LON. Spooky guy

45. American rival: DELTA. Minneapolis used to be the home of Northwest Airlines, until Delta purchased and merged with them a few years ago. Now they are based in Atlanta and that airport is really huge. I was there twice, and both times outbound was delayed because the planes could not get to the gates until others had left.

47. Lord's partner: LADY.  And a Kenny Rogers song.

49. School support org.: PTA.  Parent Teacher's Assn. Harper Valley had one, ask Jeannie Riley or Dolly Parton.

56. Duck or goose: FOWL.

57. "It __ over till it's over": Berra: AIN'T.  Insert your favorite Yogi ism here. "When you get to a fork in the road, take it."  "The restaurant is too busy so nobody goes there anymore."

58. Eagle claw: TALON.

59. Non-returnable serves: ACES.  Top Card, best pitcher, World War I super pilot, a hole in one.

60. __ Reader: UTNE.

61. Overact: EMOTE.

62. Cajun veggie: OKRA.

63. Propped (up), as a golf ball: TEED.

64. Fills completely: SATES.

Down:

1. Pinnacles: ACMES.

2. Journalist's angle: SLANT.

3. Lover of Bess, in Gershwin: PORGY.

4. "__ never work!": IT'LL.  Nothing wrong with a little it'll in a puzzle.

5. Indian spiced drink: CHAI TEA. I only know Jasmine.

6. Illumination: LIGHT.

7. President between Washington and Jefferson: ADAMS.  Poor guy. I don't think his picture is on any money except the run of golden dollars a few years ago.

8. Cheese couleur: BLEU.  Oddly, Bleu cheese is not blue, and why did they spell it wrong anyway.

9. Word before portrait or pity: SELF.  Self-centered people are known to take Selfies.

10. Type of navel: INNIE.  No comment.  Except why is a belly button called a navel??

11. Is unprepared: HAS NO PLAN.  Me when I show up at a golf course.

12. Like a landslide win: ONE-SIDED.

13. __-12 Conference: PAC.

21. Records one's arrival on a register: SIGNS IN. Remember "I've got a Secret" contestants had to sign in.

22. Starting at: FROM.  Rags to Riches

26. Back muscles, briefly: LATS.

27. Film-rating org.: MPAA. Motion Picture something or other.

28. "The Purple People Eater" singer Wooley: SHEB.  One eye and one horn and it flies.  Sort of like a Sun Country jet.

29. Brazilian soccer immortal: RONALDO (Cristiano) (Updated: The second one. Sorry the wrong picture).


31. Bloom with edible seeds: SUNFLOWER.  Sunflower seeds were my favorite snack when I was a kid. Had to be Fisher's.  They were the best.  Golf courses now forbid them because some jerks would spit shells on the greens.

32. "Take __ a challenge": IT AS.

33. One of a D.C. 100: SEN.  Seems like it is only 99 now.  I always respected John McCain but he is fighting the battle of his life right now.

34. Business maj.: ECON.

35. USNA part: Abbr.: ACAD.  Where Ensigns graduate.

36. South Carolina athlete: GAMECOCK. Interesting nickname. I wonder if Gamecocks eat gophers.

40. Jimmy on sausage labels: DEAN.  Yeah, I've heard of him, but Dizzy was always my favorite.

41. Howling canines: COYOTES. A nickname for Arizona Hockey players in the NHL.  They are not Wild though.

46. Oklahoma city: TULSA.

47. Jeff of ELO: LYNNE.



48. Played a part: ACTED.

49. Plane flier: PILOT. These are the Delta guys who have trouble finding a parking space in Atlanta.

50. Fed. security: T NOTE.  I have never seen one. I never had enough money to loan to the U.S.

51. Dancer de Mille: AGNES. Also Crossword Corner regular Irish Miss.


Eileen (sister of Agnes) & Agnes, Nov 22, 2013
53. Pulled tight: TAUT.

54. Bar mitzvah, for one: RITE.

55. __ Sutra: KAMA.

56. Toy store __ Schwarz: FAO.
 
Boomer


Sep 7, 2017

Thursday September 7 2017 Kurt Mengel & Jan-Michele Gianette

Theme: Colorful Language: Take the adjective's color, mix it with the original phrase's color, and the result is a pleasing pigment. As the reveal tells us:

61A. Primary mixes that affect 17-, 27- and 46-Across : COLOR COMBOS

17A. Cowardly Snoopy nemesis? : ORANGE BARON - A "yellow" Red Baron gives us ORANGE



27A. Gloomy route to Oz? : GREEN BRICK ROAD - A "blue" Yellow Brick road gives us GREEN

46A. Embarrassed three-person Vegas act? : PURPLE MAN GROUP - A "red" Blue Man Group gives us PURPLE.

Clever theme, very nicely done. The elegance in the cluing is finding an adjective to represent the color which is to be "mixed" with the phrase color. Very nicely done.

Some nice fill, very little groan-worthy, all in all a very good job by Kurt and Jan-Michele. Let's see what we've got:

Across:

1. Drains : SAPS

5. Takes from page to screen, say : ADAPTS

11. One of Beethoven's nine: Abbr. : SYMphonies

14. Party with tiki torches : LUAU

15. Flashy Chevy : CAMARO. The first car I bought when I moved to the USA was a Camaro. I think the dealer thought it was his lucky day; it was the very base model (it was a stick shift, it even had wind-down windows) and had probably sat on the lot for a year. I enjoyed driving it.

16A. With 36-Down, Dr. Seuss classic with the subtitle "The Simplest Seuss for Youngest Use" : HOP  and ...

36D. See 16-Across : ON POP. Thank you, crosses. The second "O" was my last square.


19. Seagoing "I see" : AYE. I see? Are you sure?

20. French film icon Brigitte : BARDOT. We can't have Mlle Bardot without Roger Vadim's movie poster, can we?


21. "The Racer's Edge" : STP. I've got no idea what this stuff actually does.

22. Urban air concern : SMOG. The La Tuna Canyon wildfire here last weekend sent everyone indoors. I passed on going hiking, it didn't seem such a smart idea when the air was yellow.

23. Much : A LOT

25. Curriculum __ : VITAE. Resumé here, CV over there. "[the] course of [one's] life."

32. Actress Vardalos : NIA. Opa!

33. Butte relative : MESA. An eroded mesa becomes a butte.

34. RadioShack predecessor : TANDY. I have no idea how I knew this, but no hesitation at all.

35. Automaker Ferrari : ENZO

37. Watched closely : SPIED

40. Fictional London alter ego : HYDE. Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

41. United : AS ONE

43. Halt : STOP

45. Belonging to us : OUR

50. Kentucky pioneer : BOONE. Daniel Boone, born in Pennsylvania, died in Missouri and buried in Kentucky. He got around quite a bit for those days.

51. Divided sea : ARAL

52. Applaud : CLAP

54. Old PC monitor : CRT. Cathode Ray Tube. It's been a while since I saw one of these. They weighted a ton and took up most of your desk.

56. "Altogether ooky" family name : ADDAMS

60. Rocker Ocasek : RIC. "The Cars" front man and songwriter.

63. Query : ASK

64. Fire up : AROUSE

65. Attract pigeons for, say : ABET. Nice clue! The "pigeon drop" is a con carried out by two or more hustlers.

66. Bluster : GAS

67. Colorful fish : TETRAS

68. 2016 N.L. East champs : NATS. Washington Nationals.

Down:

1. Untidy type : SLOB

2. Certain something : AURA

3. Early late-night host : PAAR. Yay! I resisted filling in PARR for the very first time.

4. Ice cream treat : SUNDAE

5. Polish removers : ACETONES. I love the smell of acetone. If I worked in a nail salon I think I'd be high as a kite all the time.

6. Apply carefully : DAB. As acetone, on nail polish.

7. Latin I verb : AMAS. You are. I was very surprised to discover that Spanish has two verbs for "to be" just to make things complicated for no good reason.

8. "Friday the 13th: Jason Lives," sequentially : PART VI. Something I will never watch.

9. Torrid Zone parallel : TROPIC. Crosses filled this in for me. Tropic of Cancer to the north, Tropic of Capricorn to the south. I've always called that zone "The Tropics".

10. Junior : SON

11. Words of reproach : SHAME ON YOU! Fool me once ...

12. Up-and-down toy : YO-YO

13. Downloaded video format : MPEG

18. Jewish folklore figure : GOLEM. A being made of clay or mud. Depictions vary, here's a relatively calm one:


22. Mother of Isaac : SARAH

24. Recipe amt. : TBSP. Tablespoon. And yes, before Anonymous in the comments quibbles later that it's not correct, yes, it's correct. It's not TBS, that's a cable channel.

26. B'way buy : TKT. A ticket to a Broadway show. Probably not my favorite clue/fill of the day.

27. Many of its knives have a limited lifetime warranty : GINSU

28. Arkansas team : RAZORBACKS. University of Arkansas. Whilst Arizona's Diamondbacks are often dubbed the D-Backs, these folk are never referred to as R-Backs. The fans chant "Woo Pig Sooie". I have no idea why.

29. Mrs. Gorbachev : RAISA. A blast from the past. Is there a Mrs. Putin? I've never seen her if there is. There's something odd about that chap, he loves taking his shirt off, showing off his guns and challenging people to wrestle. Maybe he should set about that North Korean nutcase.

30. Compute : ADD UP

31. Salon worker : DYER

32. Twice-monthly tide : NEAP. Two neaps, two springs.

38. Sicilian high point : ETNA

39. Track events with mechanical lures : DOG RACES. We used to go to the Walthamstowe dog races after business was done for the day in the City back when I worked in London. The best sight ever was seeing the electric hare jump the rails and cause all kinds of commotion as six dogs realize that they were actually going to catch up with it. Happy days.

42. "Strange Magic" gp. : E.L.O.

44. Museum with Goyas and El Grecos : PRADO

47. Recital bonus : ENCORE

48. Red wine option : MERLOT

49. Gary who played Beethoven in "Immortal Beloved" : OLDMAN. Ludwig V. of the nine syms. up top.

52. Outcropping : CRAG

53. Songwriter Loeb : LISA. The first person to have a number 1 pop single without being signed to a recording contract.

55. __ de force : TOUR

57. "Dancing Queen" quartet : ABBA

58. Bubbly maker : MOËT. The diacritical on the E tells you to pronounce the vowels separately, otherwise you'd be saying "meur" or something vaguely similar.

59. Old fast fliers : SSTS

61. Player in an indoor tree : CAT. I had no idea these things were called Cat Trees.



62. Soweto's country: Abbr. : R.S.A. Republic of South Africa. Johannesburg's Soweto is an abbreviated form of "South Western Townships."

Just the grid to post, and I think that's me done!

Steve

Note from C.C.:

Big Easy (George) sent me this picture. He wondered "if any of the Cornerites' baseball fans​ know who the statue is behind me. Hint. The first National League player to hit 500 home runs. The plaque with his name is covered by flowers."

Big Easy and his wife come to this gym twice a week to play Pickleball.


Aug 16, 2017

Wednesday, August 16, 2017, Kurt Mengel & Jan-Michele Gianette

TITLE: Time To Move Your Vowels!

Kurt and Jan-Michele have given us a fun variation of a Bruce Venzke/Gail Grabowski puzzle I blogged July 19 of this year. Bruce and Gail progressed through the vowels nesting them between N & T at the start of two-word phrases.  Similarly, Kurt and Jan-Michele placed their vowel progression betwixt M _ SS at the end of multiple word phrases as you can see below:



Throw in a generous dash of proper nouns, mythological creatures, Spanish and some muppets and you have the ingredients for a lovely Wednesday exercise. I caught on early and wondered what the fill for MUSS would be. Not to worry!

Let's first look at the theme fills from Kurt and Jan-Michele:

20. Sustained nuclear chain reaction requirement : CRITICAL MASS - This is an illustration of the reaching of critical mass in 1942 in an underground squash court at the University of Chicago as part of The Manhattan Project


27. Really botch things : MAKE A MESS - After spending $20B for 2,000 new trains, the French found out they are too wide for 1,300 platforms which will cost millions more to retrofit


35. Haphazard : HIT OR MISS - Ask Ford Motor Company


45. Edible seaweed : IRISH MOSS - Got any catsup?


51. A breeze to use, in adspeak : NO FUSS NO MUSS - Looks easy to me and more palatable than Irish Moss.



Kurt and Jan-Michele definitely did not aMASS a MESS and gathered no MOSS or MISS a trick in this MUSSless puzzle:


Across

1. Feathered Nile wader : IBIS 

5. Tropical hardwoods : TEAKS

10. Title of respect : MAAM

14. Have a flat? : RENT

15. Barbera's partner in cartoons : HANNA - They had quite a stable


16. Sea eagle : ERNE

17. Designer Schiaparelli : ELSA crossing 2. __ Paese: Italian cheese : BEL (Beautiful country) got my Natick right up front and I got it, uh, right 

18. Moving : ASTIR

19. Journalist Jacob : RIIS - His muckraking was very discomforting for Tammany Hall


23. Room where you may have to stoop : ATTIC - Anne Frank's hiding place

26. One working with dough : KNEADER - or with a puppy


31. Port and claret : WINES

32. __-Magnon : CRO


33. The Cowboys of the NCAA's Big 12 : OSU - Their sugar daddy Boone Pickens is an "awl man"


34. __ one's time: waited : BIDED

38. Tires (out) : POOPS  

40. Give in to the munchies : EAT

41. __ green : PEA

44. Emmy nominee Fischer of "The Office" : JENNA - She played sensible Pam against Steve Carrell's eccentric Michael


48. 1992 Disney film featuring a magic lamp : ALADDIN

50. Wild West brothers : EARPS - Most famous residents of Pella, IA in their boyhood

55. Moscow news acronym : ITAR - Informatsionnye Telegrafnoye Agentstvto of Rossi (Information Telegraph Agency of Russia)

56. Retired racehorses, often : SIRES - Studs works too

57. Thames museum : TATE

61. 35-Down house : CASA and 35. Tegucigalpa's country : HONDURAS - Aquí están algunas CASAS en Tegucigalpa (Here are some homes in Tegucigalpa) 


29. That, in Tegucigalpa : ESO - Es por ESO que podría ser agradable vivir allí (That is why it might be nice to live there)

62. "I give!" : UNCLE

63. Ticklish Muppet : ELMO - Oh, that's how it works!


64. Inexact figs. : ESTS

65. "My heavens!" : EGADS - Your EST was $400 and the bill is $1,200! EGADS!

66. Prince's "Purple __" : RAIN


Down

1. Intense anger : IRE

3. GEICO product: Abbr. : INS

4. One of Barbie's siblings : STACIE - I totally, for sure didn't know if it was spelled STACEY

5. Pad __ : THAI

6. Right direction? : EAST - A country boy is just as likely to say "Turn EAST" at the stop sign rather than "Turn Right".

7. Opposed : ANTI

8. Madison Square Garden hoopsters : KNICKS - Hopeless hoopsters recently 


9. Clear wrap : SARAN

10. Mythological swimmers : MERMAIDS - How long do you have to be at sea to mistake one for the other?


11. Daughter of King Minos : ARIADNE - Associated with mazes and labyrinths

12. Liqueur flavoring : ANISEED - Also called ANISE. It's flavor is in many things but I love it in my black jellybeans!

13. Mr. and Mr. : MESSRS

21. HDTV maker : RCA

22. Explorer with Clark : LEWIS - They had it much tougher than Armstrong and Aldrin and were darn lucky to have Sacajawea!


23. "Preacher" network : AMC

24. Black goo : TAR

25. Ref's ruling : TKO - One of these quieted Rhonda Rousey 

28. Zingers : MOTS - One of the kings:


30. More definite : SURER

34. Information units : BITS 

36. Tablets that can't be swallowed : IPADS - What's a crayon?


37. __ tai : MAI

38. Jai alai balls : PELOTAS - Number 40 catches the PELOTA in his cesta and returns it. I wonder if one sips a Man Tai while watching Jai Alai?


39. Observing Ramadan, say : ON A FAST - My colleague in a multinational school in Brooklyn said Muslim kids didn't have much energy during Ramadan

41. __ favor : POR

42. Sixth sense letters : ESP - If you've seen Ghostbusters, you know he never had a chance


43. Stubborn beast : ASS

44. Muppet who plays lead guitar in The Electric Mayhem : JANICE


45. Baseball division : INNING - 33 of 'em!


46. Blokes : HE'S

47. Become an expert in : MASTER 

49. Point of contention : ISSUE


52. Killer whale : ORCA

53. Blend : MELD 

54. Doesn't allow to rust : USES - What moms might be saying this time of year


58. Mobile's st. : ALA

59. "Enough gory details, thanks" : TMI - ...and then the doctor had to...

60. Ages and ages : EON - Either a generic term for a long time or scientifically, a billion years


What say you?











Mar 11, 2014

Tuesday, March 11, 2014 Kurt Mengel and Jan-Michele Gianette

Theme: Vowel Progression - First word starts with FL followed by vowels A to U, then T.

17A. Penniless : FLAT BROKE

26A. Like champion sprinters : FLEET-FOOTED

41A. Worker in the sky : FLIGHT ATTENDANT

52A. Suggest something tentatively : FLOAT AN IDEA

64A. Piece for two winds : FLUTE DUET. "The Flower Duet" May it inspire some flowers to make an appearance soon.



Argyle here. A straightforward puzzle today. Nice grid spanner. I can't help but wonder how much trouble it would have been to include an FLY.... A couple of long crossing columns.

Across:

1. Pi r squared, for a circle : AREA

5. Encyclopedia tidbit : FACT

9. Big-time : MAJOR

14. Speeds (up) : REVs

15. __ about: roughly : ON OR

16. Render speechless : AMAZE

19. Powerful person : NABOB. "nattering nabobs of negativism" : voiced by Spiro Agnew, coined by William Safire.

20. Cozy corner : NOOK

21. Monogram part: Abbr. : INITial

23. Singer DiFranco : ANI

24. Crone : HAG

29. Capri suffix : OTE. "A Capriote" by John Singer Sargent.


30. Little lie : FIB. 52D. Like lies : FALSE

31. Church-founded Dallas sch. : SMU. (Southern Methodist University)

32. FDR's dog : FALA. Scottish Terrier.

34. Confused mental states : FOGs

37. Mythological sky holder : ATLAS

44. Foil maker : ALCOA

45. Struggling to decide : TORN

46. Bone: Pref. : OSTE

47. Queue after Q : RST. Quite cute clue.

49. 20s dispenser, for short : ATM

51. Darjeeling, for one : TEA

57. "Bad" cholesterol letters : LDL. The "good" is HDL and the ratio between them is important. An optimum ratio is 3.5-to-1. Mayo Clinic

58. Key next to the space bar : ALT

59. "A Visit From the Goon Squad" Pulitzer-winning novelist Jennifer : EGAN

60. March Madness org. : NCAA. Basketball.

62. Pig __ : LATIN

68. Pillar from a fire : SMOKE

69. Film director's unit : TAKE. Tricky. A scene is made up of different units or takes.

70. Look at rudely : OGLE

71. Slipped gently (into) : EASED

72. Renders speechless : AWES

73. Wobbly table stabilizer : SHIM

Down:

1. "Bowwow!" : "ARF!"

2. Belief sys. : RELigion

3. Pertaining to the gospel : EVANGELIC

4. Concerning : AS TO

5. Warehouse vehicle : FORKLIFT

6. "It's __-win situation" : A NO

7. Newswoman Roberts : COKIE. Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne Roberts.

8. River through Nottingham : TRENT

9. Direct, as a father-son conversation : MAN TO MAN

10. Doctors' org. : AMA

11. Try to punch : JAB AT

12. Layer with "holes" in it : OZONE

13. Opener's second call, in bridge : REBID

18. Big Broadway hit, slangily : BOFF. Shortened from BOFFO, slang for a hit on Broadway

22. Stipulations : IFs. There is always an IF, eh?

24. Teamsters president James : HOFFA

25. For any reason : AT ALL

27. WWII torpedo craft : EBOAT. On the water, eboat; under the water, uboat

28. One-up : OUT-DO

33. Greek marketplace : AGORA

35. Pontiac muscle car relaunched briefly in 2004 : GTO. It was an Australian car. Link I had no idea!

36. Valuable violin : STRAD

38. Comeback victor's vindication : LAST LAUGH. "He who laughs last, laughs best"(or longest)

39. Fed the kitty : ANTED

40. Filch : STEAL

42. Hurried : HASTENED

43. International accords : ENTENTES. [French: understanding]

48. Schoolyard game : TAG

50. Riot control weapon : MACE

53. Alpaca kin : LLAMA

54. Director Preminger and others : OTTOs

55. U.S.-Mexico-Canada commerce pact : NAFTA. (North American Free Trade Agreement, 1994)

56. Bride's new relative, say : IN-LAW

61. Hullabaloos : ADOs

63. Eisenhower nickname : IKE

65. Guitar cousin : UKE

66. Brother of Peyton Manning : ELI

67. President pro __ : TEM

 
 

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to our lovely Mari! Hope it's a beautiful day in Chicago. Snow has been melting steadily here in MN. (To Dave: Cats (obviously) & needlepoint.)