Saturday, October 8, 2022, Malaika Handa

 Saturday Themeless by Malaika Handa

This is my second themeless puzzle by Brooklyn resident Malaika Handa. Malaika is a software engineer who has been making puzzles for two years. You can see an archive of all her puzzles on her website: https://www.girlbosswords.com/ She has a puzzle in the upcoming Boswords fall league.

Here is a link to a playful but instructive interview with Malaika that includes this wonderful quote from her: 

Also, when you’re solving, look up entries that you don’t know! It’s a game, not a test.

I added by subtracting on Malaika's challenging puzzle. SUGAR COATED medicine instead of CANDY COATED, DEW drop instead of MIC drop. Those changes opened up COMIC CON, RAVIOLI and NO MSG.

 

Across:

1. Closing pieces: CLASPS - Oh, that's how that works.

7. Trademarked sandwich: MCRIB - McDonalds seems to make a big deal of when they are and are not available.

12. Long, thin fish also called a grenadier: RAT TAIL - Not the comb this time

14. Worth giving up on: DOOMED - The wording of this clue was fun, uh, eventually! 😏

16. Fla-Vor-Ice rival: OTTER POP - I learned this in two recent puzzles

18. Settle early: PREPAY.

19. Hot items at a bakery: OVENS.

20. "Mario Party" dinosaur: YOSHI.

22. Slip-__: ONS - Skechers? ✔ Golf shoe? ✔  Slip ONS? ✔ 

23. "Duérmete __": Spanish lullaby: NINO - Rock-a-Bye Baby in Espanol. Duérmete translates as "Go to sleep" which a parent 1. Sings a lullaby, say: CROONS to a baby NIÑO or NIÑA

24. Cut: SAWED.

25. Destiny's Child, e.g.: TRIO - Beyonce : Destiny's Child :: Diana Ross : Supremes

         

26. Melancholy: SAD.

27. One making a bundle on a farm: BALER - This BALER is a machine not a person

28. "__ Morgen!": GUTEN and 43. "Buona __!": SERA - We have German for "good morning" and Italian for "good evening".

29. Adds: CONTRIBUTES.

31. Easy to swallow: CANDY COATED - Spoonful Of Sugar jumped into my head and so I smugly entered SUGAR COATED. Oops.

32. High tied activity?: ROPES COURSE - Malaika! 

33. Charlie and Lola: NAMES - Charlie is a perfume and Lola is a showgirl. What, that's not relevant?

34. Passionate: LUSTY.

35. "The Magicians" novelist Grossman: LEV.

38. "Ars Amatoria" poet: OVID - Written in 2 A.D. This 9th century transcript of The Art Of Love is the oldest known copy

39. Fools: DUPES.

40. Dove home: COTE - Am I the only one who put SLID? 

41. __ drop: MIC - "So there!"

42. Speaks in Spanish: HABLA - ¿HABLA inglés? (Do you speak English?)

43. Temaki or futomaki: SUSHI.

44. Becky Sauerbrunn's sport: SOCCER.

46. Gossamer: ETHEREAL - We saw this two weeks ago

48. Far-reaching: GLOBAL.

49. Fish in stargazy pie: SARDINE - Wanna see this pie which has sardine heads sticking out of it? I wonder where Malaika learned about this pie or if this is Patti's clue?

50. Place to share stories, for short: INSTAgram

51. Had: TASTED - I have never seen or TASTED stargazy pie.


Down:

2. Baltic state with a maroon and white flag: LATVIA - Geographers and vexilollogists will know the LATVIAN flag is below the flag of Estonia and above the one of Lithuania 

3. Go: ATTEND.

4. Legal brief writer?: STENO.

5. Links data: PARS - You can see what PAR is for each hole I play on my home course/links

6. Bit of a draft?: SIP - A SIP of draft beer

7. Letters for a research scientist: MD-PHD - I struggled for this one

8. Bush who is part of "The Squad" in Congress: CORI - Speaking 

9. Ingredient that makes she-crab soup orange: ROE - Obviously missing in he-crab soup 

10. Brought in: IMPORTED - In school meetings, anyone brought in from over 100 miles away is an "expert".

11. Skullcaps: BEANIES.

13. Program that rewards super users: LOYALTY CLUB - Here's one for a casino in Germany

15. Maker of the Corrale straightener: DYSON.

17. Popular item: POWER COUPLE.

21. Blog with "The Food Lab" columns written by J. Kenji López-Alt: SERIOUS EATS.

24. Historic Vegas hotel: SANDS - Once the home of  "The Rat Pack". I wonder if Malaika has ever heard of them.

25. Private pupil: TUTEE.

27. Series starring Emily Deschanel as a forensic anthropologist: BONES.

28. Daring: GUTSY.

29. Like some 31-Down attendees: CAPED and 31. Event where folks may be super dressed up?: COMIC CON. Lots of hints in the clue and one Malaika told me she really liked!

30. St. __: Caribbean island: BARTS - It's about a 7 hr flight from Miami to St. BARThelemy 

32. Filling dish?: RAVIOLI - RAVIOLI does have filling

 
33. Chinese take-out order?: NO MSG.

35. Finally crack: LOSE IT.

36. Colorless gas: ETHANE.

37. "The __ Virgin": Strazza statue in Newfoundland: VEILED - A beautiful and amazing statue sculpted by the genius Giovanni Strazza in the 1850's showing the beauty and translucence of Carrera marble. 

39. Youngest girl in the Shazam Family: DARLA - If you're interested

40. Poutine topper: CURDS - Topping French fries

42. Qualifying race: HEAT.

45. Paramount+ network: CBS.

47. Feature of some uniforms: HAT - A big deal in Kim Jong Un's army

Saturday, July 16. 2022, Malaika Handa

 Saturday Themeless by Malaika Handa

The string of new Saturday constructors marches on with this puzzle from Malaika Handa of Brooklyn, NY. Below is a link to a playful but instructive interview with Malaika that includes this wonderful quote from her: 

Also, when you’re solving, look up entries that you don’t know! It’s a game, not a test.

That's tough advice for us completion freaks but I think it is pretty sound advice. I always say of myself, "I'm smart enough to know how little I know." Exhibit A: I got the correct fill for "Kells artisan" but had no idea what it meant and my research on this fabulous volume led to an incredible amount of learning.

Interview with Malaika Handa

Did you have to get some help to complete Malaika's offering?

Across:

1. Devices that may shed some light on a situation: DESK LAMPS.

10. "4X2=8" rapper from Korea: PSY.  I knew of this name from his massive hit "Gangman Style" - I've posted the opening lyrics on the right.

13. Got credit, in a way?: OPENED A TAB.

15. Consumed: ATE.

16. Simple cocktail: GIN AND TONIC - Not as simple as you might think

18. Agcy. whose logo is an eagle holding a scale: IRS - A return address that can get your attention

19. Freelancer's info: SPECS - As a freelancer, you work on speculation 

20. Event that might be called "morp": GAY PROM - A "morp" is a prom students organize without school approval. The small school where I sub welcomes gay prom dates!

22. Two dry gallons: PECK.

23. "__ Mañanitas": Mexican birthday song: LAS - From our friend Lucina: "Literally it means the mornings and is usually sung at dawn and I assure you it is hugely popular for birthdays" Here it is with lyrics overlaid in Spanish.

26. Artisan at Kells: SCRIBE - This fabulous book was written and illustrated by three SCRIBES in Kells, Co Meath in Ireland around 800 A.D. The fascinating history of this treasure.

On display in a high security case
at Trinity College in Dublin

27. De Armas of "No Time to Die": ANA - On July 7, we had 42. Wonkette founding editor __ Marie Cox: ANA and Jeffrey Wechsler's July 8 puzzle had 1. Political commentator Navarro: ANA.

28. Semisolid dessert: JELLO.

30. Flax fabric: LINEN.

31. Fast tracks?: PUMP UP SONGS - Our high school Tigers' band used Eye Of The Tiger

33. Element of 1990s fashion: HAMMER PANTS - M.C. Hammer

34. Sticks in windows: BARBER POLES - Stick Candy History Stick candy, also called candy sticks, barber pole candy or barber poles have been in production since before the Civil War.

35. Stand in a painting class: EASEL.

36. Tries out: TESTS.

37. Handheld or holding hands, for short: PDA - You can see a Public Display of Affection in every school hallway

40. Performs brilliantly: SHINES.

42. __ Moines: DES.

43. Did some digging: HOED.

44. Many a Mugler garment: CATSUIT - "Frenchman Manfred Thierry Mugler launched his eponymous fashion house; and quickly rose to prominence in the following decades for his avant-garde, architectural, hyperfeminine and theatrical approach to haute couture." You're welcome.

46. In the stars: FATED.

47. Reddit Q&A: AMA - Ask Me Anything 

48. Celebration where many are out on the streets?: PRIDE PARADE - Fun cluing for people who are "out" in another connotation 

52. Bestie: PAL.

53. Cry of horrible realization?: I'M A MONSTER.

54. Class for some immigrants: Abbr.: ESL.

55. Cool footwear: SNOWSHOES.

Down:

1. Place for some nail trims: DOG SPA.

2. Camp nurse's item: EPIPEN - I tried IPECAC for awhile 

3. Great Hill People: SENECA.

                                  

                            

4. Flair: KNACK.

5. __ flare: LENS - The first images back from NASA's James Webb telescope this week has them emanating from 13+ billion years ago.

 

6. Tally: ADD.

7. Pilates roll: MAT - I assume they roll them up after use

8. Employee's perk: Abbr.: PTO - Paid Time Off. I retired with 110 unused sick leave and personal leave days

9. Provided backup, in a way: SANG - CHERilyne Sarkasian on the right without Sonny Bono, in a rare photo with Phil Spector, SANG backup for The Ronettes 

10. Twosomes: PAIRINGS - Salvatore Sonny Bono and Cherilyne Sarkasian

11. Flashers in a club: STROBES.

12. Sycophants: YES MEN.

14. __-variance tradeoff: BIAS - Knock yourself out!

17. Brooklyn MiLB team: CYCLONES - Named for the famous CYCLONE roller coaster on nearby Coney Island in Malaika's home borough of Brooklyn.

21. Stripes, florals, etc.: PRINTS.

23. "I got this!": LEMME.

24. Herb honored with a National Medal of Arts in 2013: ALPERT - and the Tijuana Brass supplied music for The Dating Game. Here are two early contests on that show.

25. Sucked hard: SLURPED.

28. Cancel one's order?: JUMBLE UP.

29. Go against: OPPOSE.

31. Paired symbols, for short: PARENS 

32. Seasons, as pasta water: SALTS.

33. Wants for nothing: HAS IT ALL.

34. Nation in the Lucayan Archipelago: BAHAMAS.

35. __ room: ESCAPE - Click here and scroll down one screen to see how they work

Here's one in Omaha

37. Latke ingredient: POTATO - I've never had one but I'd love to try one.

38. "Dexter's Laboratory" older sister: DEE DEE - Seemed right. A DEE DEE POTATO

39. One of three snake species native to Britain: ADDERS - Had to be

41. Assistant who can control HomeKit accessories: SIRI.

43. Cruel: HARSH.

45. Sturdy tan work boots, slangily: TIMS - Short for TIMberlandS

46. Album buyers, presumably: FANS.

49. Auerbach of the Black Keys: DAN - Saturday cluing of a common name. Were you expecting Blocker of Bonanza, Rowan of Laugh-In or Aykroyd of SNL? 😉

50. Prefix with "pop" or "rock": EMO.

51. Hard-hitting sound: POW.

Malaika, we invite you to comment below.