Sunday, November 15, 2020 Lee Taylor

Theme: "Workplace Superstitions"  - Various superstitions are punnily reinterpreted, somewhat fitting the profession in each clue.

22A. Weather forecaster's "Don't"?: OPEN AN UMBRELLA INDOORS.

29A. Beautician's "Don't"?: BREAK A MIRROR.

67A. Carpenter's "Do"?: KNOCK ON WOOD.

99A. Ice skater's "Don't"?: STEP ON A CRACK.

109A. Banker's "Do"?: FIND A PENNY AND PICK IT UP.

15D. Pianist's "Do"?: CROSS YOUR FINGERS.

38D. Construction worker's "Don't"?: WALK UNDER A LADDER.

I'm not familiar with "Don't step on a crack". Winters in Minnesota are brutal, impossible to avoid cracked roads when we walk.

In China, we have a few superstitions: Don't share a pear with others. Pear & "separation" have the same pronunciations in Chinese. Don't clip your fingernails at night. You're inviting ghosts. 

And of course, everyone eats fish for Spring Festival. Fish sounds like "surplus". So you won't be poor  next year.

Across:

1. Street fights: SCUFFLES.

 

9. Skimpy skirt: MINI.

 

13. Diacritic for a long vowel sound: MACRON. Like this.

19. Caltech city: PASADENA. Rose Bowl! By the way, Gary, we don't follow the Lynx. Boomer watches the Timberwolves from time to time.

20. Low-pH material: ACID.

21. Italian innkeeper: PADRONE. New word to me.

25. Throw away: TOSS.

26. Batter's stat: RBI. Tiny dupe: 89. Baseball stat: RUN.

27. Caesar's rebuke: ET TU.

28. Manuscript marking: STET.

34. Pink Floyd's Barrett: SYD.

35. Boarding aid: JETWAY. The bridge.

39. "American Idol" fixture until 2010: SIMON. Had a terrifying motorcycle accident a few months ago.

40. Other side: ENEMY.

42. Gave a sigh: EXHALED.

44. Words heard shortly after many a marriage pronouncement: NOW KISS. "You may now kiss the bride".

46. Major artery: AORTA.

50. Exercise, as power: WIELD.

51. Kimono ties: OBIS.

53. Tolkien talking plant: ENT.

54. 17th/18th-century British ruling house: STUART.

55. Little guy: TYKE.

56. "__ Misérables": LES.

57. Home security co.: ADT. Our neighbor used to have a ADT sign in their yard. Now it's gone. But when I walk closer to their yard on my way to our mailbox, something beeps. I'm just trying to avoid the icy patches on the road.

58. Indigenous Nepal mountain people: SHERPAS.

59. Bear genus: URSUS.

61. "Narc" co-star Ray: LIOTTA.

63. Bona __: FIDE.

64. Big name in romance fiction: AVON.

70. Brainchild: IDEA.

71. Vulcan mind __: MELD. This concept happens in some Chinese fantasy novels also.

72. Start of a play: ACT ONE.

73. Versatile game piece: QUEEN.

75. Comprehensive: IN DEPTH.

77. Wanna-__: BES.

78. Snack item: NUT. And 85. They're often tapped out: BEERS.

79. Corp. leaders: MGMT. Management.

82. After-dinner party: SOIREE. This sounds so surreal right now. Boomer and I just live in our two-person "Disney Bubble".

83. Heartache: WOE.

84. Christmas tune: NOEL.

87. Bit of character assassination: SMEAR.

88. One hanging at a food court: MALL RAT.

90. Had a longing: YEARNED.

92. Sucked (in): LURED.

94. Spring bulb: TULIP. I don't think these are ginger roots, Jayce. Some of you mentioned that they might be iris or daffodils bulbs. I clipped the picture from a Japanese lady who was visiting her grandma in the countryside last week. I originally thought they might be taro roots.She had no captions.

96. Follows: ENSUES.

97. Doo-wop group __ Na Na: SHA.

102. Copied: APED.

103. Henry __: VIII.

104. Ages and ages: EON.

105. "An Essay on Criticism" poet: POPE.

116. Russia, vis-à-vis Crimea, in 2014: ANNEXER.

117. "__ it a rest!": GIVE.

118. Prepare for conflict: EMBATTLE. I've only used the form "embattled".

119. Brought up: REARED.

120. Eject: SPEW.

121. Final shot: LAST HOPE. Properly placed in the grid.

Down:

1. Catch a glimpse of: SPOT.

2. Guitar gadget: CAPO.

3. Plays for a fool: USES.

4. Some coolers: FANS.

5. Big Pharma watchdog: Abbr.: FDA.

6. Sportscaster Berman: LEN.

7. Harden: ENURE.

8. South American dances: SAMBAS.

9. Put a dent in: MAR.

10. __ fishing: ICE. Hardy soul. 

11. Zippo: NIL.

12. One stuck in traffic, at times: IDLER.

13. Fertilizer ingredient: MANURE.

14. Say further: ADD.

16. Difficult to hoe: ROOTY. Look, I uprooted this tree.

17. When rights may be restricted: ON RED.

18. Fit together compactly: NEST.

21. Climbing equipment: PITONS.

23. Two-piece suits: BIKINIS.

24. Words in Newton's first law: AT REST. Copy from NASA:  Newton's first law states that every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force. This is normally taken as the definition of inertia. ... If that velocity is zero, then the object remains at rest.

29. Son of Odin and Frigg: BALDER.

30. Deli option: RYE.

31. "Famous" cookie maker: AMOS.

32. Work on a green, say: MOW.

33. Entered permanently: INKED IN.

35. Bar mitzvah celebrant: JEW.

36. Red sign over a door: EXIT.

37. Nonbinary gender pronoun: THEY. Singular they. The example Wiki gives:

"This is my friend, Jay. I met them at work. They are a talented artist."

41. Deckhand: MATE.

43. Grab a bite together: DO LUNCH. Nope. Need to stay in our "Disney Bubble". See also 80. Restaurant window posting: MENU.

45. Being dragged along: IN TOW.

47. Speedy: RAPID. Hope your mom has fully recovered, Nina!

48. Fantasy football deal: TRADE.

49. Lost completely: AT SEA.

52. Utterly infatuate: BESOT.

54. Relief from the heat: SHADE.

57. Lotion ingredients: ALOES.

58. With determination: STOUTLY.

60. Take to the rink: SKATE.

62. Chef's hat: TOQUE. Happy chef.

64. Not quite right: AMISS.

65. Spiteful feeling: VENOM.

66. Classic tune: OLDIE.

68. Early programming acronym: COBOL. Tony probably knows it, but he's more of the modern programming wizard.

69. Show reverence for, as a deity: KNEEL TO.

74. Confine with a dike, say: EMBANK.

76. Northern neighbor of Chile: PERU.

78. Took in: NOTICED. Boomer and I were stunned to see these wild turkeys at the VA hospital.

81. Corner, in a way: TREE.

83. Attack with enthusiasm, as a project: WADE IN.

84. "The Lion King" lioness: NALA.

86. '60s radical gp.: SDS.

88. Area of expertise: METIER.

91. Common Market initials: EEC.

93. Promised to attend, perhaps: RSVPed.

95. Drive forward: PROPEL.

97. Title holder: SPINE. I mentioned before. One of our blog readers actually read this classic Chinese book. I was stunned. It was so complicated for me.

98. Temporary tattoo dye: HENNA.

100. Sonar sounds: PINGS.

101. Jungian archetype: ANIMA. Learned from doing crosswords.

102. Hardly in the neighborhood: AFAR.

105. Core: PITH.

106. Chicago Bulls forward __ Porter, Jr.: OTTO.

107. Feature of some orange juice: PULP.

108. Sport in which the entire body is a valid target: EPEE.

110. Firefighting tool: AXE.

111. Pup's protest: YIP.

112. Michigan in Chicago: Abbr.: AVE.

113. Word before age or year: NEW.

114. "60 Minutes" airer: CBS.

115. Dennings of "2 Broke Girls": KAT.

C.C.

Tuesday, April 16, 2019 Lee Taylor

"Bird Idioms"

Each of these idioms feature members of our avian friends.  The meaning of each idiom is well-defined by its clue.  Simple and elegant.  

20. Farewell performance: SWAN SONG.

26. Squinter's wrinkles: CROWS FEET.

44. Hidden danger: BOOBY TRAP.

56. Easy-peasy task: DUCK SOUP.

10. Keen-sighted sort: EAGLE EYE.

36. Big fat zero: GOOSE EGG.



Bonus birds in the fill:

12. Seagull kin: TERN.

56. Jackknifed into the pool, say: DOVE.   Well, when pronounced differently, it is a bird.  Dove is a heteronym:  Dove DUV- a bird; DOEV- jumped off.  

Across:

1. "The Big Bang Theory" network: CBS.    The Corner has a number of fans of this sitcom.  Sometimes seen as TBBT in clues and comments. 

4. Uncertain: IFFY.   I was a little iffy about the theme until I recognized that the theme answers were all idioms, and that tern and dove were just bonus birds.

8. Peek at someone else's test answers, say: CHEAT.   

13. River to the Caspian: URAL.

15. Where to find a hero: DELI.  I liked this clue / answer, despite it being so evident.

16. Rental document: LEASE.

Guidance offered to University of Montana students

17. Opera songs for one: SOLI.

18. Part of: IN ON.

19. Ready for action: EAGER.   Eager beaver is another animal kingdom idiom.

22. Award-winning sci-fi author __ Ellison: HARLAN.  The name is vaguely familiar.  This NY Times article provided a little insight.

23. Chess match finale: END GAME.  The point where I usually lost or conceded.

24. Summer camp craft: CANOE.

25. Neuter: DESEX.

30. Done with employment: Abbr.: RET.

32. Cathedral recess: APSE.

33. Go off course: YAW.   Aviators, sailors and seamen probably use this word more often than the rest of us.  Where's Dudley ? 

34. Lively Irish dances: JIGS.  Irish Miss won't be doing jigs anytime soon given her current foot ailment.

37. "Steppenwolf" writer Hermann: HESSE.

39. Lyre-playing emperor: NERO. 

40. "Much __ About Nothing": ADO.

41. Broadway partner of Rodgers: HART.  He later partnered with Hammerstein.

42. Reuben bread: RYE.

47. Honey-colored: AMBER.

51. Big rigs: SEMIs. 

Reader's Digest - The Most-Used Noun in English

52. Track's inside track: LANE ONE.

54. Songs of praise: PAEANS.

57. Sports stadium: ARENA.

58. Jellystone Park bear: YOGI. 


59. Actor Miller of "Justice League": EZRA.   He played "The Flash"


60. Watchful period: VIGIL.

61. Keen: AVID.

62. Sets eyes on: SEES.

63. Lawn-trimming targets: EDGES.

64. Ballpoints: PENS.

65. Banned insecticide: DDT.   The CDC's National Biomonitoring Program:  Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) Factsheet

Down:

1. Used "colorful" language: CUSSED.  Perhaps it is not a sign of a limited vocabulary.

2. "Doctor My Eyes" singer Jackson __: BROWNE.


3. Light lunches: SALADS.

4. Strong suit or weak sauce: IDIOM.  This had me going until the perps helped.  We have a bevy of idioms today. 

5. African desert fox: FENNEC.  New to me.

The smallest of all canids

6. Criticize harshly: FLOG.

7. Yang complement: YIN.

8. Purify: CLEANSE.

9. Find out about: HEAR OF.  Marvin Gaye used another idiom to tell us how he found out she loved some else.


11. Between ports: ASEA.

14. Won't go away, as an odor: LINGERS.

21. __-Coburg: former Bavarian duchy: SAXE.  The dukedom ended in 1918.   It began in 1826.

22. Mooring rope: HAWSER.   New term for me.  Spitzboov and Jinx would know.

24. Foes of robbers: COPS. 

27. Many a reggae artist: RASTA. - a member of the Rastafarian religious movement. Rastafarians have distinctive codes of behavior and dress, including the wearing of dreadlocks, the smoking of cannabis, the rejection of Western medicine, and adherence to a diet that excludes pork, shellfish, and milk.

28. Corn serving: EAR.

29. Romantic dinner complement: TWO.    Cute clue.

31. "To clarify ... ": THAT IS.    "I meant ..."

34. Quick punch: JAB.

35. Swearing-in words: I DO.

38. Drops the ball: ERRS.

39. Formidable opponents: NEMESES.

41. Church books with many notes: HYMNALS.

43. Sudden pull: YANK.

45. Small skullcap: BEANIE.

 I think he doesn't care for the one in the middle.

46. Connect to an outlet: PLUG IN.

48. Drank to excess: BOOZED.

49. Hardened (to): ENURED.

50. Dinner, say: REPAST.  late Middle English: from Old French, based on late Latin repascere, from re- (expressing intensive force) + pascere ‘to feed’.   The word was more commonly used in the 1800s.

53. Corrosive compounds: ACIDS.

54. Cover with asphalt: PAVE.

55. Like the Mojave: ARID.

58. Chatter: YAP.

Sunday Feb 4, 2018 Lee Taylor

Theme: "Right for the Job" - Each phrase is replaced by a sound-like given name & surname combo, corresponding to the job in each clue. 

27A. Aptly named therapist? : OPHELIA PAINE. I feel your pain.

39A. Aptly named dietitian? : EATON WRIGHT. Eating right. Then we have 112. Had a bite : ATE. Tough to spot this type of dupe.

93A. Aptly named easy chair salesman? : RICK KLEINER. Recliner.

108A. Aptly named gardener? : ALONSO GREENE. A lawn so green.

13D. Aptly named editor? : ADELINE MOORE. Add a line more.

24D. Aptly named sommelier? : MERL O'DALEY. Merlot daily.

59D. Aptly named barber? : LES OFFENBACH. Less off in back.

62D. Aptly named policewoman? : LAURA BIDEN. Law abiding. 

This seems to be Lee's LAT debut. Congratulations!

Did you all get the original phrases? Santa helped me get the set, then D-Otto confirmed Santa's answers.

There are eight theme entries, each Across one intersects a Down one. Very nice. This takes luck and skill. 

Across:      

1. Code __ : RED

4. "Rubáiyát" poet : OMAR

8. Regional UN headquarters since 1946 : GENEVA. The big headquarters is New York City. Wiki says the other two regional headquarters are Vienna & Nairobi.

14. Slather : SMEAR

19. Lead-in for carte or mode : A LA

20. "__ la France!" : VIVE

21. Brought up : RAISED

22. Jobs creation : APPLE. Steve Jobs.

23. Australian island state : TASMANIA. Great fill.

25. Mysterious : ARCANE

26. Capricious notions : WHIMS

29. Misfortunes : ILLS

31. Like many a tree at Christmas : LIT

32. __-friendly : USER. You can ask D-Otto anything except sports, he'll give you a very easy to understand answer.  He always gets into the core of things.

33. Self-described "King of All Media" : STERN (Howard)

34. Largest continent : ASIA

35. Frat party wear : TOGA

36. Electric car brand : TESLA. Hey, our Picard and his wife toured the factory.

38. One of the Gershwins : IRA

42. Capital with a Viking Ship Museum : OSLO. Would be a super exciting Super Bowl had our Vikings beat the Eagles.

44. With no exceptions : BAR NONE

46. Sharp : ACUTE

47. Pull a fast one on : HOODWINK. Another sparkling fill.

51. Small test : QUIZ

52. Mangabeys, e.g. : MONKEYS. I did not know the meaning of Mangabey.

54. Thought of but not shared : UNSAID

55. Goes back to the front, perhaps : RE-UPS. Oh the front line.

57. URL ending : ORG

58. King's domain : REALM

59. Ties off in surgery : LIGATES

61. Cats native to much of the Americas : OCELOTS

66. Unit on the set : TAKE. Movie set.

67. Mexican coin : PESO

68. Prominent Dumbo feature : EARS

70. Mine access : ADIT. Looks like this. I learned from doing crosswords.

71. TV's Buffy and Faith, e.g. : SLAYERS

73. Moral consideration : SCRUPLE. Consonant-rich.

77. Set of furniture : SUITE

78. Startling word : BOO

79. Shade-tolerant garden plant : HOSTA

80. Old schoolmaster's disciplinary tool : FERULE. Do you use Ferule or Ferrule?

81. Avoid trespassing on : STAY OFF

85. Turns sharply : ZIGS

86. Bowed, in Basra : SALAAMED. We kowtowed to elders during Spring Festival. Then we got the red pocket with money in.

88. Chocolate source : CACAO

89. Constitution VIPs : FRAMERS

92. Like hands without mittens, maybe : NUMB. In cold winter.

95. Big time : ERA

97. Works with flour : SIFTS

101. Pub pours : ALES

102. Green state? : ENVY. Gimme for regulars.

103. Puzzle part : PIECE. Boomer has tackled a few jigsaw puzzles this winter.

105. Leak : DRIP

106. Hip : MOD

107. Woodcutter Ali : BABA

111. Thorny plant : BRIAR

113. "MASH" director : ALTMAN (Robert). He also directed the movie "A Prairie Home Companion". Big deal for Minnesotans then. How things have changed in a short time.

115. Scotty on the Enterprise, e.g. : ENGINEER

116. Slowly, in music : LENTO

117. Spicy cuisine : CREOLE. Never had Creole food.

118. Kerfuffles : ADOS

119. Rowboat propeller : OAR

120. Brinks : EDGES

121. Many-sided evils : HYDRAS. Many-headed. Also 53. Monstrous Tolkien creations : ORCS

122. Fail miserably : TANK

123. Cook in a wok : FRY. I loved these fried rice balls. Often filled with sweet red adzuki paste or sesame paste. Most of Chinese/Japanese/Koreans desserts contain adzuki paste and sesame paste/seeds.

Down:

1. Snitch on : RAT OUT

2. Tick away : ELAPSE

3. Short races : DASHES

4. __ Office : OVAL

5. Knee revealers, and then some : MINIS

6. Earhart's art : AVIATION

7. Grim character? : REAPER. We've seen this clue before.

8. Tiny amount : GRAIN

9. Bring home : EARN

10. Word on Santa's checklist : NICE. What a blessing to have a Santa on our blog. He now has a new cat called Moaning Myrtle.

Moaning Myrtle

11. Former NHL forward Tikkanen : ESA. Unknown to me. Wiki says he's Finnish.

12. Hunter's meat : VENISON

14. Makes the cut : SAWS. Great clue.

15. Dashboard letters : MPH

16. Afterword : EPILOGUE

17. Supremely powerful : ALMIGHTY

18. Amends, as corporate earnings : RE-STATES

28. __ Spring : ARAB. Now Arab Winter.

30. USA Patriot Act, e.g. : LAW

34. Including everything : A TO Z

35. Check (off) : TICK

37. Take __: enjoy the pool : A SWIM

39. Lose one's temper : ERUPT

40. Ouzo flavoring : ANISE. I gather it tastes similar to star anise? I was surprised to find out that the five-spice powder made in Taiwan does not include Sichuan peppercorn. They have ginger root. I much prefer ours.

41. Mountain chain : RANGE

43. Pot top : LID

45. Greenish blue : AQUA

47. Elicits an "Ouch!" : HURTS

48. "Inside the NBA" analyst : O"NEAL. Shaq.

49. Japanese port : OSAKA

50. Kardashian matriarch : KRIS

56. They may be inflated : EGOS

60. Labor Day mo. : SEPT. Our flea market season here starts around Memorial Days and ends around Labor Day.

63. Loathing : ODIUM

64. Information on a spine : TITLE. And 72. Kindle download : E-BOOK

65. Spirited mount : STEED

67. TA's boss : PROF

69. Word of regret : ALAS

74. Relative of a knock : CHIME

75. "I copy" : ROGER

76. Gorbachev's land: Abbr. : USSR

77. Lines of clothing : SEAMS

80. Winter malady : FLU. So glad I beat it. Now I can eat pickles & Kimchi (mild) again. Both irritated my throat when I coughed.

81. Prepare, as eggs : SCRAMBLE

82. Fitted : TAILORED

83. Agreeing : ACCEDING

84. Himalayan pack animals : YAKS

85. Wacky : ZANY

87. World's largest snake by weight : ANACONDA. Another great fill.

90. Serious competition : RIVALRY

91. To be, in Bavaria : SEIN. Unknown to me.

94. "Glee" actress __ Michele : LEA

96. Move from window to aisle, say : RE-SEAT. Aisle for Boomer.

98. Done with : FREE OF

99. Tone deafness : TIN EAR

100. Boat shoe brand : SPERRY

103. Corn breads : PONES. These look like corn cookies.

104. Goad : EGG ON

107. Warner or Ringling follower : BROS

108. Don Juan's love : AMOR

109. In __ land : LA LA. Hi there, LaLaLinda!

110. Game of world conquest : RISK

114. Williams in Cooperstown : TED