Friday, April 5, 2024, Laura Dershewitz

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with the Friday recap.  Our puzzle-setter today is Laura Dershewitz who, often co-authoring with Katherine Baicker, has previously created and published several puzzles for us to solve.

Today, things do not go bad .  Things do not go south.  Things do not go to blazes.  Things do not go to pieces.  Things do not go belly up.  Things do not go awry.  Things do not go off the rails.  They do, however, go sideways.  Although it can, and often is, applied to different types of situations, the definition of the idiom, as provided in today's reveal, will suffice:

31 Down:  Completely fall apart, as a deal, or an apt title for this puzzle?: GO SIDEWAYS.

In the grid, the reveal and the themed clues/answers are placed vertically.  This provides the opportunity/necessity to incorporate the word GO horizontally/SIDEWAYS into the answers.  Let's have a look at the grid before taking a look the themers.

Here are the three themed clues and answers:

3 Down:  Mid-March cry: ERIN G BRAGH.

9 Down:  Gentle carnival ride: MERRY G ROUND.  You are probably familiar with the tune but do you know the name of the song that Loony Tunes adopted as its theme song?  It was written in 1937 and reached the #2 spot on the "Your Hit Parade" radio survey.

The Merry Go Round Broke Down

24 Down:  Without a care in the world: HAPPY G LUCKY.

Here are the other clues and answers:

Across:

1. Use a Keurig, say: BREW.  A coffee BREWing reference . . . and the first of (some might claim too) many proper nouns referenced in today's clues and answers.

5. Name associated with a philosophical razor: OCCAM.  I do not have trouble recalling the answer but I can never remember how to spell it.  The perps remind me.

10. Branded tees or mugs, maybe: SWAG.  SWAG is the name for the stuff they give you at e.g. conventions, symposia, reunions, etc.

14. Traditional wisdom: LORE.  As one of the oldest living people in my family, my word is LORE.

15. "I'm not seeing it": WHERE.

WHERE Wolf?

16. Follow: TAIL.  As in to follow a criminal suspect.

17. Bookworm: AVID READER.

19. Alan of "Marriage Story": ALDA.  With STACY and WALT being clued the way that they were, this solver did not know two of the names in that NW stack.  Alan ALDA helped out quite a bit.

20. Lunch option on the Shinkansen, say: BENTO.  Shinkansen (the Japanese bullet train) alerts us to think of Japanese cuisine.

BENTO Box 

21. Took away (from): DETRACTED.  Did you come across anything today that either added to or DETRACTED from your puzzle-solving experience?

23. "Who knew?": GOSH.  What did the fish say when the river stopped flowing? "GOSH dam it!"

25. With diffidence: SHYLY.

26. PD alert: APB.  Police Department.  All Points Bulletin.

28. Ingest: EAT.

30. In the past: AGO.  A few minutes AGO I came to the conclusion that tofu is overrated.  It's just a curd to me.

31. Dollop: GOB.  Given today's theme, that O after the G could be viewed as a bit misleading.

34. Sensitive subject: SORE SPOT.

37. Surname in a classic Styx song: ROBOTO.  Domo arigato Mister ROBOTO.

39. Meat in Hawaiian cuisine: SPAM.  How A Wartime Necessity Became A Hawaiian Delicacy

40. Teaser ad: PROMO.

42. Italian wine region: ASTI.

Asti Spumante Commercial

43. Divination: AUGURY.  This word does not appear often in our puzzles . . . but we should have seen it coming.

45. Head-scratchers: TOUGHIES.  Initially, I thought of POSERS but the word wasn't long enough.

47. Speedometer stat: MPH.

48. __ boost: EGO.

50. Twin set?: DNA.  A reference to the double-helix shape of the molecule.

51. Dr. of rap: DRE.  Née Andre Romell Young

52. French "Cheers!": SALUT.

54. Screwdriver, in a pinch: DIME.

56. Chewy candy bars introduced in 1921: BABY RUTHS.  Many people believe that the candy was named after Babe Ruth the baseball player.  It was, in fact, named after President Cleveland's daughter.

60. Full of the latest: NEWSY.  Current and/or topical.

63. Triumphant cry: I WON.   A big cat said this after every race that she ran.  She was a cheetah.

64. Fresh start: CLEAN SLATE.   A somewhat anachronistic figure of speech.

66. U2 singer: BONO.  Not Sonny BONO.  Paul David Hewson.

67. Little meower: KITTY.  It might have been clued with a "Gunsmoke" reference but then it would have been yet another proper noun.  Speaking of which,

68. Cannon of film: DYAN.

69. Toy on some holiday cards: SLED.

70. Matzo's lack: YEAST.  Exodus:  This day will be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a feast to the Lord, as a permanent statute for the generations to come.  For seven days you must eat unleavened bread.

71. "Last four digits" IDs: SSNS.

Down:

1. Say too much: BLAB.   Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Everyone I BLABbed to told me that they wouldn't say anything to anyone.

2. Wander about: ROVE.  We never know, initially, if it is going to turn out to be ROVE or ROAM but we can fill in the R and the O.  I sometimes wonder why this is rarely, if ever, clued with "Karl".

4. United with: WED TO.

5. Have loans: OWE.

6. African lake in four countries: CHAD.

7. Surrenders: CEDES.

8. First name in soul: ARETHA.

ARETHA Franklin - "Think"

10. Gwen __: Spider-Man's first love: STACY.  A Marvel Comics reference.

11. Sky's "Breaking Bad" spouse: WALT.  In times past, this might have been clued with a reference to Whitman or Disney or Kelly or Frazier.

12. Campaign staffer: AIDE.

13. Chuffed: GLAD.  New to this solver.

18. Bunch of romantics?: ROSES.  Not a group of impractical visionaries but, rather, a bouquet of flowers that a romantic person might give to their beloved.

22. __ gobi: South Asian potato dish: ALOO.  The first of two South Asia Subcontinent references in a row.

26. State in northern India: ASSAM.  The second.

27. Temporary, as a bar or restaurant: POP UP.

29. Publisher with a mountain peak logo: TOR.  We sometimes see TOR clued with just the mountain peak reference.  Self-published, as it were.

32. Marine mammal that uses rocks to crack shells: OTTER.

33. State capital in the Treasure Valley: BOISE.  In a recent Sunday puzzle, BOISE was clued as "the City of Trees".  With three vowels and an S it's a useful word for constructors.

35. Flightless bird: EMU.  Did you hear about the EMU who was taller than his friends?  He was ostrich-sized.

36. Word with tater or tiny: TOT.  At least we were spared the casserole reference (unlike last Saturday).

Tater TOT(s)                                                Tiny TOT

38. "Curses!": BAH.  How would a sheep say BAH?

41. Online admin: MOD.  MODerator

44. Bring up, or something to bring up: REAR.  Cute.  Raise your children or be in last place.  Alternatively, what you are sitting on as you read this.

46. Acquires: GAINS.  What does a doctor get from a urine test?  She GAINS whizdom.

49. Extend past: OUTLIE.

52. Church council: SYNOD.

53. Angle symbol, in trigonometry: THETA.  By definition, much as Delta represents a difference or Pi represents the ratio of a circle's circumference and diameter.

55. Merges: MELDS.

56. Lobsterfest wear: BIBS.

57. Missing GI: AWOL.  Absent WithOut Leave

58. Fillet's lack: BONE.

Fillet Minion

59. Coll. entrance exams: SATS.  

61. Superfan: STAN.  Current slang.  The term comes from a song on an Eminem album.   The song tells the story of an obsessed fan named, you guessed it, STAN.  Possibly, a portmanteau derived from "stalker" and "fan".

62. Strong desires: YENS.  YEN is the shortest of the bunch (URGE, ITCH, DESIRE, HANKERING, etc.) and was handy here because, including the S, only four letter could be used.

65. "The 1619 Project" publisher, for short: NYT.   New York Times  "The 1619 Project" focused on slavery and the founding of the United States.

That's it for today.

_______________________________________________

Notes from C.C.:

 

1) Chairman Moe (Chris) made Wednesday's Newsday puzzle. Click here to solve and let him know your feedback. 

2) Happy 83rd Birthday to dear Irish Miss (Agnes), the sunshine of our little corer. Thanks for the care and love you've shown everyone on our blog, Agnes! I'm so lucky to have you as a close friend and puzzle collaborator.

 

Agnes (right) and her sister Eileen, Nov 22, 2013

 

Monday October 2, 2023 Katherine Baicker and Laura Dershewitz

  

Hello Cornerites!

Theme:            Fire Drill

sumdaze here. I cannot believe we are already in October! We are entering the time of year when a cozy chair, an afghan, a good book, a cup of hot cocoa, and a pumpkin-flavored biscotti are all we need for a satisfying afternoon. Did I forget anything? Oh, yes, you might want a warming fire. To do that, you will need three things:  oxygen, heat, and fuel.  

This is the "fire triangle". The fourth element is a chemical reaction.
If you take any of these four things away, you will not have a fire or the fire will be extinguished.

Katherine Baicker and Laura Dershewitz have built a snug puzzle for us based on this fire triangle. If these constructors' names sound familiar, that is probably because you remember their Herding Cats puzzle from Friday, September 22, 2023 -- which was expertly blogged by the charming Chairman Moe.

Let's look at the three themed clues, followed by the reveal:

20 Across. Talks things out to resolve tension: CLEARS THE AIR.  Oxygen

28 Across. Slumbers soundly: SLEEPS LIKE A LOG.  Fuel

47 Across. Applies more pressure: TURNS UP THE HEAT.  Heat

54. Jack London short story set in harsh winter conditions, and what the ends of 20-, 28-, and 47-Across can be used for: TO BUILD A FIRE.

I had to rework the South a couple of times while I was trying to recall the title. TO light A FIRE?  bzzt. TO start A FIRE?  bzzt. The third time was a charm.  

This short story was first published in Century Magazine in 1908.
Read the full PDF here.
Or read the Cliffs Notes version here.

Let's pause for a bit of silliness before we move on to the other 74 clues:  

Tompall Glaser sings Put Another Log on the Fire (1974)

Across:
1. Symbol on the Texas state flag: STAR.  Do we have any vexillologists on The Corner?

5. Central point: GIST.  My brain searched for a more precise, mathematical answer. Sometimes perfect is the enemy of good enough.  

9. Sailboat poles: MASTS.

14. Muted, as colors: PALE.

15. Cuatro y cuatro: OCHO.  4 and 4 = 8

Yesterday's clue for OCHO was much more difficult.

16. To no __: without success: AVAIL.  As a noun, AVAIL means "an advantage toward attainment of a goal or purpose".

17. North Carolina university: ELON.  ELON University is a private school. It was founded in 1889.

18. Clothing part that might split: SEAM.  That seems likely.

19. As of late: NEWLY.

23. Miss Piggy's favorite pronoun: MOI.  

24. Spice amt.: TSP.  "Amount" is abbreviated, so is "teaspoon".  "Five" would not fit.

The (5) Spice Girls performed at the 2012 London Olympics Closing Ceremony.

25. Post for an MBA, maybe: CFO.  Master of Business Administration and Chief Financial Officer

33. Ecol. or geol.: SCI.  Ecology, Geology, and SCIence

34. Catch a glimpse of: SEE.

35. Digital camera insert, briefly: SD CARD.  and  26 Down. Word processing menu heading: FORMAT.  and  54 Down. Cassette: TAPE.

We're going old school technology today!

These 50 old school tech products changed industries, improved lives, set trends, connected people, and eventually got passed over for newer products.

36. "Good Lord!": OH GOD.

39. Food drive donation: CAN.  

Also ... you can drive around CANada and eat these delicious foods.

41. Familiar "Who's there?" reply: IT'S ME. "Familiar" in the clue refers to a dictionary's explanatory notes. It indicates that the words are suitable for informal contexts but would not normally be used in formal writing or speaking. In this case, the formal reply would be, "It is I," or, preferably, "It is <name>."

42. Arrived by air: FLEW IN.  The past tense in the clue required an answer in the past tense.

Brown Pelicans might seem like awkward birds but they are adept flyers.

I never tire of watching them glide along the breakers. They FLY IN like a squadron of F-18s in a

V formation and know exactly how the air moves over the waves.

44. Push-up bra feature: PAD.  Were you hoping for a pic? Will this one do?  

46. __ Diego Padres: SAN.  As of this writing, they are standing 3rd in the NL West with 19.5 games back.  How They Came to be Called the Padres

51. Paramount channel: CBS.  and  52. Paramount channel: TMC.

ESP...TV channel clues are not my strong point.

53. Web pioneer: AOL.

60. Green energy category: SOLAR.  CSO to unclefred!  

63. Tend the soup: STIR.  This is me. I make big pots of soups, stews, and beans.

64. Big celebrity: IDOL.

65. Learn to fit in: ADAPT.  

66. "__, Brute?": ET TU.  

67. Sizable bodies of water: SEAS.  We often hear about the "Seven SEAS", but according to National Geographic, there are about 50 SEAS on Earth.

68. Formally hands over: CEDES.  Russia CEDEd Alaska to the U.S. on October 18, 1867. This ended Russia's presence in North America and gave the U.S. access to the Pacific northern rim.

69. Amy of "The Wire": RYAN.  I have not seen this show.

Amy as Beadie Russel (lt.) and as herself.

70. Rabbit kin: HARE.  

HAREs are distinguished from rabbits by their larger size, longer ears, and longer hind legs.
Both have cute whiskers.

Down:
1. On __: how much freelance work is done: SPEC.  "On SPEC" means "without having a definite buyer or customer but with the hope or expectation of finding one when work is completed". This describes crossword puzzle construction, no?

2. Like many supermodels: TALL.  I asked Splynter for his expertise with this one. He sent me three pics and one is from me. Can you guess which are his?

4 TALL models

3. Sunburn soother: ALOE.  I need to repot my ALOE plant. It has grown so big that it tips over its current pot.

4. Change the title of: RENAME.  

5. Deals in dirt: GOSSIPS.  "Dirt" is slang for GOSSIP -- usually of a scandalous nature.  

6. Rapper who plays Fin on "Law & Order: SVU": ICE-T.

7. Toppled Iranian leader: SHAH.

8. Black Lives Matter co-founder Ayo __: TOMETI.

9. Nail treatment at a salon, informally: MANI-PEDI.  I looked up the trendy colors for this Fall (so you don't have to). One expert recommended deep browns, regal blues, and rusty orange polishes. Another recommended earth tones and all shades of greens from bamboo to dark olive.

10. State definitively: AVER.

11. Toothed tool: SAW.

12. Up to, briefly: 'TIL.  unTIL

13. Underhanded: SLY.

21. Fish eggs: ROE.

22. Inquires: ASKS.

25. Top-grade: CLASS A.

27. "Happiness is having a scratch for every itch" poet Nash: OGDEN.  

Paul the Cow* gets his itches scratched (36 sec.)

*"Cow" is a female bovine who has had a calf, but I looked past this egregious error because the video is pretty cute.

You can see Paul's happiness at having his itches scratched.

28. Disheveled clod: SCHLUB.  Def.:  (slang) a stupid, worthless, or unattractive person. >>> Ouch!

29. Crossbred big cats: LIGERS.  and  58 Down. Stadium sound: ROAR.

For the most part, big cats (lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars) can ROAR but they cannot purr. Cougars and smaller cats (bobcats, ocelots, lynxes, and house cats) can purr, but they cannot roar. I asked Google if LIGERS can roar. It said, "The faintly striped, shaggy-maned creatures are the offspring of male lions and female tigers, which gives them the ability to both roar like lions and chuff like tigers -- a supposedly affectionate sound that falls somewhere between a purr and a raspberry."  

LIGERs average 1,000 lbs. (463.6 kg.).

30. Brief time, briefly: SEC. kinda fun clue

31. Cleared a hurdle: LEAPT.  and  45 Down. All-out sprint: DEAD RUN.

In this video Sydney McLaughlin gets a world record and a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the 400m. hurdles.  Wow!  (NBC will let me link the video but not embed it.)

32. Take steps: ACT.

33. Component of cider but not cola?: SOFT C.  Meta clue. "Cider" begins with an /s/ (SOFT C) and "cola" begins with a /k/ "hard C".

37. Hold the deed to: OWN.

38. Twists, as data: DISTORTS.  When looking at a graph, always look to see if it starts at zero.

At first look, it appears the percent of Democrats 'who agree with court' is three times that of the other two parties.
Look closer. This graph does not start at zero!
The difference is between 62% and 54%. Not quite so shocking now, is it?

40. "Nope": NAH.  Both are slang for "no".

43. Pink Floyd's "Comfortably __": NUMB.  Here's the song.  It was released in 1979 on their 11th studio album, The Wall. David Gilmour's guitar solo is legendary.

48. Many a laptop owner: PC USER.  Hand up for this one.

49. Condo management gp.: HOA.  "Group" is abbreviated, so is "Home Owners Association".

Each is different, but basically, HOAs maintain building exteriors, landscape common areas, establish rules, and provide amenities, e.g., a swimming pool. The average HOA fee in the U.S. in 2021 was $286 a month. Hawaii came in with the most expensive at $762 a month. West Virginia was the least expensive state at $37 per month.

50. Mischievous: ELFISH.  Def.:  relating to or characteristic of an elf or elves; lively and slightly mischievous; impish.  

Will Ferrell was hilarious in Elf (2003). One gets the feeling that James Caan was thinking this crazy movie was going to ruin his career -- but now it is one of the top 10 Christmas movies of all time.

55. Teeny: ITTY.

56. "Close My Eyes Forever" singer Ford: LITA.  IMDb page

57. Brain wave: IDEA.

59. "Who __ knows?": ELSE.  I am wondering the same thing.

60. Cul-de-__: SAC.

61. Rhyming tribute: ODE.

62. Young fellow: LAD.  

We're burning daylight. I better get on with it and post the grid.

Two things before I go:

1. Thanks to Splynter for collaborating with me on 2 Down!!
2. I blogged a Rebecca Goldstein puzzle on March 13, 2023 with this same reveal. It is impressive how different constructors see new ways to use solid themes.