Tuesday February 18, 2025 Kyle Dolan

The Doors:  The circles spell out the word Door.

16-Across. Student with twice the usual level of concentration?: DOUBLE MAJOR.

28-Across. Bridal shower planner, typically: MAID OF HONOR.

43-Across. "We need medical help here!": CALL A DOCTOR.

58-Across. Common minivan feature, or a "closing" feature of this puzzle?: SLIDING DOOR.  Notice how the letters "DO" slowly "Slide" towards the letters "OR" until the DOOR has Slid shut.

Here's the Grid showing the Sliding Door.

Across:

1. Adoptathon adoptees: PETS.

5. Makes less wild: TAMES.

10. Contented sigh: AHH!

13. Taj Mahal city: AGRA.  Agra is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

14. Find: LOCATE.

15. Fish eggs: ROE.

18. Mo. after Mar.: APR.

19. Metal marble: STEELIE.

20. Pestered: NAGGED.

22. Farm vehicle: TRACTOR.

25. Counterpart of poetry: PROSE.

26. Powdery residue from a volcanic eruption: ASH.

30. Gala headpiece: TIARA.  In British royalty, there are very specific rules about who can wear a tiara, and when it can be worn.

32. Small-time celebs: D-LIST.

33. "G'day, __!": MATE.

34. Tree used in traditional Native American medicine: ALDER.  The Alder tree has many medicinal usages.

36. Quaint contraction: 'TWAS.  This makes me think of Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carroll.

40. Parting word: ADIEU.

42. One may begin, "Who's got two thumbs and ... ": BOAST.

48. Shakespearean denial: NAY.

49. Crush an exam: ACE IT.

50. Way up a snowy mountain: SKI LIFT.

52. Hot fudge dish: SUNDAE.  Yummers!

54. 29-Down goo: PINE SAP.  //  And 29-Down:  29. Evergreen tree: FIR.

57. Qty.: AMT.  Quantity vs Amount

61. Floral garland: LEI.

62. Julia's "Seinfeld" role: ELAINE.  Elaine Benes was the fictional character from Seinfeld portrayed by  Julia Louis-Dreyfus (b. Jan. 13, 1961).

63. "Yeah, I'll pass": UM, NO.

64. Comedy show with Michael Che and Colin Jost, for short: SNL.  Saturday Night Live makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.  This show just celebrated its 50th Anniversary!

65. Short-term employees: TEMPS.

66. Barnyard baby's sound: PEEP.

Down:

1. Goalie's protective gear: PADS.

2. Award quartet first completed by Richard Rodgers: EGOT.  The Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony is becoming a crossword staple.  We saw it just last Tuesday (See 50-Down).

3. "No argument here!": TRUE THAT!

4. Civil War sword: SABER.

5. Black Lives Matter co-founder Ayo __: TOMETI.  Black Lives Matter was formed in 2013 by several woman including Ayọ Tometi (born August 15, 1984), who was known then as Opal Tometi.

6. Fed. health law: ACA.  As in the Affordable Care Act.

7. Min. opposite: MAJ.  Major and Minor.

8. School founded by Henry VI: ETON.  Eton College was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as “Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore”.  Henry wanted his subjects to have the opportunities of gaining knowledge that he had enjoyed, and he made provision for 70 poor boys, known as King's Scholars, to be housed and educated at Eton free of charge.  Prince William (b. June 21, 1982) and Eddie Redmayne (b. Jan. 6, 1982) are both alums of Eton.

9. High-ranking angels: SERAPHS.  Hierarchy of Angels.

10. Catherine of __: first wife of Henry VIII: ARAGON.  The musical Six is about the six wives of King Henry VIII in their own voices.  Divorced (Catherine of Aragon), beheaded (Anne Boleyn), died (Jane Seymour), divorced (Anne of Cleves), beheaded (Catherine Howard), survived (Catherine Parr).

11. "Fingers crossed": HOPE SO!

12. Border collie, e.g.: HERDER.

14. German camera brand: LEICA.  The Leica company has been around since the mid-1800s.  It began as an optical company and manufactured lenses and microscopes.  Ernst Leitz (1843 ~ 1920) joined the company in the 1860s.  The camera got its name from the first three letters of Leitz, and the first two letters of the word Camera.

17. Andes pack animal: LLAMA.

21. Underground recess: GROTTO.

23. Quirky one: ODD DUCK.

24. Auditioner's aim: ROLE.

26. Drive-thru convenience: ATM.  The Automatic Teller Machine used to be a crossword staple.  We haven't seen it in a while.

27. "Cheap Thrills" singer: SIA.  Sia, whose given name is Sia Kate Isobelle Furler (b. Dec. 18, 1975), is an Australian singer and songwriter.  She is known for not showing her face during her performances, instead hiding behind big bows or wigs.  As we learned from yesterday (24-Across), she is also the One-named Chandelier singer.

31. Req. for domestic air travel starting in 2025: REAL ID.  The deadline to use a non-REAL ID to board domestic flights and access federal facilities is May 7, 2025.  I have had a Real ID since 2016.

34. Help: AID.

35. Some July babies: LEOs.

37. Sharer's offer: WANT SOME?

38. Cool __ cucumber: AS A.

39. Pigpen: STY.

41. Collection of numbers for crunching: DATA SET.

42. "__ it on!": bold challenge: BRING.

43. Cellist Pablo: CASALS.  Pabla Casals (né Pau Casals i Defilló; Dec. 29, 1876 ~ Oct. 22, 1973), was a Spanish and Puerto Rican cellist, composer, and conductor.

44. Keen insight: ACUMEN.

45. Dal legume: LENTIL.  Dal is an Indian dish of lentils, that's often served with rice. The word "dal" refers to the dried, split seeds of legumes, which are a rich source of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

46. Baskets scored off rebounds: TIP INS.

47. QB-protecting gp.: O-LINE.  Football season is over.  The offensive line (O-line) in football is a group of five players who block the opposing defensive line and create openings for the running back.

51. Out of patience: FED UP.

53. Fashion monthly: ELLE.

55. First-rate: A-ONE.

56. Stage accessory: PROP.  The playwright Anton Chekhov (Jan. 29, 1860 ~ July 15, 1904) is credited with the quote, "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired.  Otherwise don't put it there". 

59. Billie Eilish's "Therefore __": I AM.

60. Quick swim: DIP.

That's all for this Tuesday.  Enjoy the rest of your week.

חתולה

Saturday, November 30, 2024, Kyle Dolan

 Themeless Saturday by Kyle Dolan

This is my 17th Saturday puzzle by Dr. Dolan and it took just the right amount of effort for me to earn a satisfying "got 'er done!" 

Kyle did write to me to add a comment on his FRERE JACQUES ENTRY. It tells of how great constructors can get an idea and hang on to it until they can use it.

Across:

1. With 46-Across, noncarbonated drink with bubbles: BOBA and 46. See 1-Across: TEA - I learned of this by doing cwds but almost every student in the school where I sub  knew of it.

                 

5. K-pop group that visited the White House in 2022: BTS.

8. Tunnel (into): BORE - If you BORE under the English Channel you hope you meet up with the country coming from the other direction and have a Chunnel. They did meet 30+ years ago.

12. Has to pay: OWES.

13. Hilarious types: RIOTS.

15. Market investment opportunities, for short: IPO'S.

16. Was totally satisfying: HIT THE SPOT.

18. Tart shavings: ZEST.

19. One- or two-star flag officer: REAR ADMIRAL  - Admiral info

21. Fresh start?: NEO.

22. Dirt found in cubes?: OFFICE GOSSIP - Teacher's lounges are not immune to this phenomenon 

24. Poke tuna: AHI.

27. Up to, casually: TIL - I immediately thought of the Mills Brothers. The Mills brother on the right gives a hint of Doo Wop music to come with the bass line.

28. Fruit infused in spirits: SLOES.

29. Place for a seasonal recital?: SANTA'S LAP 😀 

33. "Filthy" stuff: LUCRE 😀

35. __ Romeo: ALFA - This 1988 ALFA Romeo Spider Veloce recently went on the auction block with a starting bid of $10,000.

36. Lost all patience: HAD IT.

38. Farm gait: TROT.

39. Places with customs: PORTS.

41. Marriage bureau?: HOPE CHEST 😀 My grandmother used to call a CHEST of drawers in her house a bureau.

43. "If __ Street Could Talk": BEALE - I thought this might be about the famous street in Memphis, TN but it is set in NYC

45. Show whose first host was George Carlin, familiarly: SNL.

47. Children's tune interpreted in Mahler's Symphony No. 1: FRERE JACQUES - I remember singing "Are you sleeping, Brother John?" in grade school. Here is a note from Kyle that he asked me to include about this clue:

Some time ago, I put FRERE JACQUES on a list of themeless seeds I’d developed. I specificallywanted to clue it through its association with Mahler’s First Symphony, where it appears, rather whimsically, as a funeral march in the slow third movement. After about a year of grid development, working through multiple layouts (a few of which were submitted unsuccessfully to various venues), this version finally hit the mark with Patti Varol. Happily, she kept my Mahler reference in the clue! For curious solvers, here is the movement featuring the Frere Jacques tune:  

51. Galoot: OAF.

52. Sign of diversion: DETOUR AHEAD.

56. "I don't believe you!": LIAR - In 1965, the Castaways were one-hit-wonders with this title. Here are some TV castaways dancing to that song.

58. Event for seniors: CAREER EXPO.

59. South Asian rice cake: IDLI - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

60. Sole clue for a detective?: TREAD.

61. Bag that may be stolen: BASE 😀

62. Capital city with a Viking Ship Museum: OSLO - That figures

63. Bug: IRK.

64. Home of the Big 12's Cyclones: AMES.

Down:

1. Einstein contemporary: BOHR - Niels Bohr worked on The Manhattan Project but Albert did not because of uncertainty about his political views.

2. Boo-boo: OWIE.

3. Alpha follower: BETA - A different alpha than the car name

4. Jetson family member: ASTRO.

5. Arabic invocation heard in Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody": BISMILLAH - Chief songwriter Freddie Mercury was not Muslim but lived in Zanzibar as a child which is 90% Muslim. BISMILLAH translates to "In the name of Allah".

But I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?
Bismillah, no, we will not let you go
(Let him go) BISMILLAH, we will not let you go
(Let him go) BISMILLAH, we will not let you go
(Let me go) Will not let you go
(Let me go) Will not let you go
(Never, never, never, never let me go)

6. Issue: TOPIC.

7. Supply: STORE - Every school has a STORE room for teacher supplies. 

8. Industry, briefly: BIZ.

9. Unspoken shared knowledge: OPEN SECRET - Hollywood is famous for having OPEN SECRETS

10. Comic strip about the Gumbo family whose title was inspired by Gertrude Stein: ROSE IS ROSE.

11. Legally bar: ESTOP - Definition

13. Drum or snapper: RED FISH.

14. Some deer: STAGS.

17. Must, slangily: HAFTA.

20. Hang: LOLL.

23. __ Beach: SOUTH.

24. Short message written in a hurry?: ASAP - or spoken

25. Wraparound hairstyle: HALO BRAIDS - I never saw my grandmother or my aunt Betty with any other hairdo.

26. Plummeting: IN FREE FALL.

30. Language spoken along the Volga: TATAR - If you look closely you can see TATARSTAN with the Volga flowing through it.

31. Hoopla: ADO.

32. Squirt: PIPSQUEAK.

34. First name in jazz: ETTA.

37. Hard to dismiss, in a way: TENURED - After three years of teaching in Nebraska, TENURE makes getting fired very difficult.

40. Arctic transport: SLED.

42. Obvious: CLEAR.

44. Disappearing mode of releasing an album?: EJECT - Release the album from your CD player

47. Large book: FOLIO - This one will cost you around $10M

48. Game company co-founded by Nolan Bushnell: ATARI - Steve Jobs worked for Nolan at ATARI and Nolan later founded the wildly successful Chuck E. Cheese. This autographed poster will cost you $2,700.

49. Piemaker's tool: CORER - This CORER/slicer is frequently found in my lunchbox.

50. Biblical queendom: SHEBA - Modern scholars think SHEBA was located in the red circle below

53. Course finisher: EXAM.

54. Altar site: APSE - The altar in the APSE of St. Peter's Basilica  

55. Some deer: DOES.

57. Drag queen Bianca Del __: RIO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ A picture