Thursday, December 21, 2023 Lisa Senzel, Will Nediger

No movie, no popcorn, today -- the trailer for the first themer from today's constructors, Lisa Senzel and Will Nediger, should wake you up ...

20A. Review that says, "Hitchcock serves up a twist that you won't see coming"?: PSYCHO ANALYSIS.

31A. Review that says, "Bit of a downer, but Soderbergh delivers"?: TRAFFIC REPORT.

Whoa, that was more than a "bit" of a downer.  Before proceeding we need to change lanes  to a different Steve to lift our spirits a bit ....

37A. Review that says, "Idina Menzel shines as Elsa"?: FROZEN ACCOUNT.   Just Let it Go ...

Here's the reveal ...

51A. In-depth news story, or any of the reviews mentioned in this puzzle?: FEATURE ARTICLE

The ARTICLES were an ANALYSIS, a REPORT, and an ACCOUNT of 3 different FEATURE films - PSYCHO, TRAFFIC, and FROZEN.  TRAFFIC'S Feelin' Alright was an AD-LIB by Steve Winwood.

Here's the grid ...
 

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Less risqué: TAMER.  Also a noun ...
 

6. Faction: SECT.

10. Yearn (for): ACHE.

14. Name said to activate an Amazon gadget: ALEXA.  Machines don't seem to understand me, so I avoid talking to them.

15. Potato, in Indian cooking: ALOO.  Here's a recipe for ALOO Parathas and here's a video of the steps:

16. Satellite whose day is almost 30 Earth days: MOON.  Does the moon rotate on its axis?

17. Bogs: MIRES. 

18. Word with bar or Bell: TACO. 

19. Oodles: A LOT. Notice the space between the 1st oodle and the second oodle, a CSO to Melissa 😁

20. [Theme clue].

23. The Thrashers, on sports crawls: ATL.  The Winnipeg Jets (nés The ATLanta Thrashers) are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, playing its home games at Canada Life Centre.  Here's their old logo:

Atlanta Thrashers

Their logo as of 2011 ...
 

Winnipeg Jets

Advantage CanadianEh!

24. "ur the best": ILY.

25. __ and Herzegovina: BOSNIA.  Bosnia and Herzegovina sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe, in the Balkans, bordering Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to the north and southwest.

27. Cuddling on the bus, e.g.: PDA.  Public Display of Affection.  Often clued: "Get a room!"

28. Silk Sonic musician Anderson .__: .PAAK.  Note .Prefix.  The principals of Silk Sonic are Johnson and his colleague Bruno Mars.  Here's their Leave the Door Open with Bruno on keyboards and Anderson on drums. Both share vocals.  I like their vibe ...
 

30. Fox Sports journalist Hale: JEN.  Jennifer Hale (born February 28, 1978) is an American journalist working for Fox Sports as an NFL sideline reporter where she is currently paired with Chris Myers and Robert Smith. She also covers NBA's New Orleans Pelicans for Bally Sports New Orleans and also covers college football for Fox Sports.

Jennifer Hale

31. [Theme clue].

34. __ the line: TOE.  I wanted TOW for this.  I think both could be used in different contexts.

35. Headed up: LED.

36. Donkey: ASS.  They're stereotyped as ill-tempered and stubborn, but they're actually quite wise ....

37. [Theme clue].

42. Frightened cry: EEK.

43. Figure of interest?: RATE.

44. Private chats, briefly: DMS.  Direct Message Service.  Similar to cell-phone text messaging (TM), but DM uses the Internet rather than cell-towers to relay the messages.

45. Chew out: YELL AT.

47. Unruly head of hair: MOP.  This is as unruly as it gets ...

48. Pleased sigh: AAH.
.
51. [Theme reveal].

55. High-fiber food: BRAN.  My favorite BRAN source ...

56. Goes bad: ROTS.

57. Keypad key: ENTER.

58. Live a nomadic life: ROVE. Here's Ralph Vaughan Williams'  Whither Must I Wander sung by Sir John Shirley-Quirk ...

Lyrics

59. Palo __, California: ALTO.  Today's Spanish lesson: "Tall stick".  Here's why the town is called that.

60. Harriet Tubman portrayer Cynthia: ERIVO.  Cynthia Erivo (/əˈriːvoʊ/; born 8 January 1987) is an English actress and singer. She gained recognition for starring in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple from 2015 to 2017, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Erivo ventured into films in 2018, playing roles in the heist film Widows and the thriller Bad Times at the El Royale. For her portrayal of American abolitionist Harriet Tubman in the biopic Harriet (2019), Erivo received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress; she also wrote and performed the song "Stand Up" on its soundtrack, which garnered her a nomination in the Best Original Song category.  Here's a clip from Harriet ...

61. Matures: AGES.

62. Efficient: LEAN.

63. Iberian infants: NENES.  More Spanish.  The Nene is also the national bird of Hawaii ...

Nenes

Down:

1. St. Petersburg neighbor: TAMPA.  And a neighbor of TAMPA, about 30 miles Northwest of it, is Tarpon Springs.  It's one of the worlds largest suppliers of natural sponges, preferred by potters everywhere.

Natural Sponges
Tarpon Springs, FL.

2. Top celebs: A LIST.

3. Actress Streep: MERYL.  Here's a movie from an A LIST actress I'll never forget ...

4. Corporate VIP: EXEC.

5. Jones of "Parks and Rec": RASHIDA. DNK she was Quincy Jones' daughter.  Here she is pouring out her heart to Conan O'Brien (very funny) ...

6. Skewered Thai dish: SATAY.  Here's a recipe for Thai SATAY chicken.

7. Splashy style: ELAN.

8. __-Cola: COCA.

9. Strip of computer icons: TOOLBAR.  Here's part of my Firefox TOOLBAR ...
 

10. Collect over time: AMASS.

11. "SNL" regular who wrote the memoir "A Very Punchable Face": COLIN JOST.  Colin Kelly Jost (/ˈdʒoʊst/; born June 29, 1982) is an American comedian, writer, and actor. JOST has been a staff writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live since 2005, and co-anchor of Weekend Update since 2014.

Colin Jost

12. Indiana residents: HOOSIERS.

13. Sinus specialist, for short: ENT.  A CSO to Picard for his recent picture of a different kind of ENT

21. Norwegian saint: OLAF.  Olaf II Haraldsson (c. 995 – 29 July 1030), later known as Saint OLAF and Olaf the Holy, was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. He was posthumously given the title Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae (English: Eternal/Perpetual King of Norway) and canonised at Nidaros (Trondheim) by Bishop Grimketel, one year after his death in the Battle of Stiklestad on 29 July 1030.

Saint Olaf
King and Martyr
Feast Day July 29.

And since 'tis the season, here is a medley of Christmas carols performed by the St. Olaf's Choir of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota (and a CSO to C.C.) ...

22. Oxen connector: YOKE.

26. Strong insect: ANT.

27. Company VIP: PREZ.

28. Fragment: PIECE.

29. Outlet letters: ACDC.  Only Alternating Current (AC) comes out of an outlet.  OTOH Direct Current (DC) is supplied by batteries, which in turn supply a lot of crosswordese. 😀

31. Used a paternity benefit, perhaps: TOOK LEAVE.

32. Sharp's counterpart: FLAT.

33. Skillets, woks, etc.: PANS.

34. Eater of 26-Downs on a log?: TREE FROG.  Here's what Tree Frogs eat -- doesn't sound like they'd find Ants on a Log very appetizing ...
 

Ants on a Log

37. Tina of "Mean Girls": FEY.  Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy film directed by Mark Waters, written by Tina Fey, and starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried, Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler and Fey.  Based on a book of advice to parents of teenage girls by Rosalind Wiseman, entitled Queen Bees and Wannabes  ...

 38. Part of Q.E.D.: ERAT.

39. Marketing kin of "organic": NATURAL

40. Smell: ODOR.

41. Countless: UMPTEEN.

46. Freeway divisions: LANES.

47. Stoneworker: MASON.  Among the most advanced masonry in the world are the huge perfectly fitted "polygonal stone walls" of the Incas.  But they weren't the first civilizations who built such structures, as described in this video: Evolution Of Polygonal Masonry | From Ancient Times To The Incas | Quarrying, Tools & Methods.

48. Be part of, as a film: ACT IN.

49. Excedrin alternative: ALEVE.

50. Deli subs: HEROS.  What’s the Difference Between a Hero, Sub, Grinder, and Hoagie?  The biggest one may be where you live.

52. Part to play: ROLE.

53. Jazz great James: ETTA. And here's why ...

Etta James

54. Memo starter: IN RE.

55. Product of Bali: BRA. More crosswordese.

Cheers,
Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

And a Happy belated Hanukkah 🕎 and a Merry Christmas ⛪🎄🎅 to all!  

Wednesday, September 14, 2022 - Lisa Senzel & Christina Iverson

3. *Figure often depicted with a scythe and an hourglass: FATHER TIME. I thought GRIM REAPER for a second.

7. *Pakistani-born chef who was posthumously honored with a James Beard Award: FATIMA ALI. I know of the James Beard Award (Food!) but not her until I saw a picture.  I watch a lot of the food-channel.

 

FATIMA ALI (8/8/1989 - 1/25/2019)

11. *Serious software problem: FATAL ERROR. In Windows, that's the BSOD (Blue Screen of Death); *NIX's kernels just panic.

53. *Secretive email option: BLIND CARBON COPY.  OK, Cornerites, someone's gotta know what you call words/phrases that reference obsolete technology (that no longer exist) in new applications.  This isn't quite the same as calling a CD a record as vinyl still exists.  Sunday, I looked for over an hour - my Google-fu was weak.

68. Diet that's high in fats and low in carbs, as illustrated by parts of the answers to the starred clues: KETO.  KETO is the worst diet in the world because everyone who's on it tells you about it ad-nauseum. 

An early peek at the grid visually illustrates the 'high' FATs and 'low' CARBs:

Across:
1. Spanish tennis great Nadal, familiarly: RAFA.

5. Upgrade, as machinery: REFIT. RE-TOOL was too long.

10. Uncertain: IFFY.

14. Cabbage buy: HEAD. Thinking this was a trap, I thought: "You can buy anything with money/cabbage."

15. Glazer of "The Afterparty": ILANA. No idea. The Afterparty is on AppleTV+. I only know Ilana as part of the Upright Citizen's Brigade improv troupe.

Apple's The Afterparty announcement

16. Skating commentator Lipinski: TARA. Perps. Tara's WikiP page.

17. Analogy words: IS TO. An SAT staple until 2005.

18. Bridal path flower piece: PETAL. PE___. Is it PEDDLE|PEDAL|PETAL?

19. Stash, as gear: STOW. The dog ate his stash, man.

20. Japanese drama: NOH. Perps -- I should know this by now.  Here's a link to PBS LearningMedia explaining.

21. Cookbook contents: RECIPES. Does anyone follow these to a (31d) TEE?

23. Author Rand: AYN. Atlas Shrugged, "Meh."

24. Genre for composer Terence Blanchard: OPERA. Easy WAG w/ the P in place.

Terence Blanchard

26. Informal "You're oversharing": TMI. Too Much Information (about your KETO diet).

27. Caramel candies: ROLOS.

 

29. Like some dangerous isotopes: RADIOACTIVE. XwordInfo says this is 1st-time fill (really?). Time for a musical interlude:

The Firm

32. Curry of the NBA: SETH. I'll let hoops-fans comment.

34. Bike part: BRAKE. Car part, caboose part, ...

35. Quintet for most starfish: ARMS.  In no particular order:

38. Prefix for a lifesaving "Pen": EPI. 

In the Army, they gave us training on using some kind of self-injecting needles in case of chemical attack. They told us to be careful when hitting our thigh 'cuz the force of the needle could break a bone. After injection, and under whatever stress we were in, we had to bend the needle of the injector and put it in our breast pocket. And, if only one needle was bent, another soldier finding you could give you the other (of the 3) doses. I'm not sure The Army thought this one all the way through.

39. Not so big: SMALLER.

41. Knock: RAP. I won't knock this clue.

42. Try to hit: AIM AT. The chin with a left-hook. RAP! - not so big-man now, eh?

44. Tell it like it isn't: LIE.

45. Speed skater Ohno: APOLO. Mostly perps until I remembered him from past puzzles.

APOLO

47. Act parts: SCENES. ACT I, Scene II: OMK comes on stage...

49. Past the point of caring: OVER IT. If the play goes into Act V, I'm out.

50. Michelle of "Crazy Rich Asians": YEOH. Perps.

Oh, I recognize her!

 

52. Neighborhood: AREA. "I was in the [...] and thought I'd stop by."

53. [See: theme] 

60. Uncommon: RARE. Boomer has those rare Baseball cards.

61. Assertion: CLAIM. Neither is necessarily fact...

62. Cookie used as a 12-Down topping: OREO. Right there -- solidified my hunch 12d was FROYO.

63. Admit frankly: AVOW. 'Tell it like it is' didn't fit.

64. Omit in speech: ELIDE. You're not Eluding, just sLIDEing [sic] a bit in speech.

65. Spreadsheet unit: CELL. Hands up: who can VLOOKUP cells in spreadsheets?

66. Soaks up the sun: TANS. If you TAN on high-FAT KETO, do you sizzle?

67. Calf-roping event: RODEO. There's more than roping at the annual Houston RODEO

68. [See: theme]

Down:
1. Safari herbivore: RHINO.

2. Fabulous writer?: AESOP. He of the fables.

3. [See: theme]

4. Hubbub: ADO.

5. Ready for picking: RIPE.

6. __ college: ELECTORAL. Because us normal folk aren't fit for direct elections?!?

7. [See: theme] All perps.

8. Up the creek: IN A PICKLE. Without a brine?

9. Story: TALE. A softer 'like it ain't.'

10. Part of FWIW: IT'S. For What It's Worth (I thought about getting you something nice for your birthday but...).

11. [See: theme]

12. Dessert from 16 Handles, familiarly: FROYO.  16 Handles is a FROzen YOgurt shop with 16 dispensers on the wall where you can "pull" your own flavor and then top with goodies.  They charge by your cup's weight.

13. Signs of boredom: YAWNS. Contagious, they are.

21. "Wicked!": RAD. Bodacious, Bro!

22. __ Lanka: SRI.

25. Sidelines cheer: RAH. Not OLE today.

28. Fertility lab cells: OVA. Plural.

30. Maker of the Deep Blue chess computer: IBM.  Big Blue went Deep to beat Kasparov. What I like about the computer's name is it (to me at least) invokes Douglas Adams' Deep Thought.

31. Workout top: TEE.

32. Bodies of water: SEAS.

33. __ fail: EPIC.

36. Timbuktu's land: MALI. 

Timbuktu

Timbuk 3

37. Predicament: SPOT. If you're in a predicament maybe someone will SPOT you a fiver? ;-)

39. Fine horse: STEED. Indeed.

40. Black bird: RAVEN. Nevermore.

43. "What's the latest?": ANY NEWS. Today it's "What's the 411?"

46. NBC symbol: PEACOCK. Proud as a...

NBC LOGOS

48. Abby Wambach's sport: SOCCER. WAG'd it with the S&C in place.

Abby Wombach

49. Juliet's cry: O ROMEO. He had onion breath [Little Rascals]

51. Winnie-the-Pooh greeting: HALLO. And TTFN upon leaving.

Not yet... 8 more c/a's to go.

52. Tolerate: ABIDE. The Dude does.

53. Sassy kid: BRAT. They're the wurst.

54. Chocolate __ cake: LAVA.

55. Waffle maker: IRON. Mini waffle irons were all the rage a few years ago.

56. "Kills bugs dead!" spray: RAID.

57. Hockey Hall of Famer Willie: OREE. Perps 'cuz ORR was too short (and he's Bobby, right?)

58. Hit, as with snowballs: PELT. Won't hurt if you're wearing pelt.

59. "Seize the day" initialism: YOLO. You Only Live Once.  Justification for doing something stupid / taking unnecessary risks.

Well, how'd you do on this diet?  Leave your comments below.

Every dieter I know

My recap:
WOs: N/A
ESPs: TARA, ILANA | FATIMA ALI, NOH, APOLO, YEOH, HALLO [spelling], OREE
Fav: I love the idiom IN A PICKLE and it reminds me of Arlo who didn't want one when he was in one with the 3'-tall cop.

Cheers, -T