Saturday, June 17, 2023, Christopher Bolduc and Matthew Sewell

 Themeless Saturday by Christopher Bolduc and Matthew Sewell

We have  constructors here who have occupations that reflect every walk of life. Today we add that of an opera singer, Christopher Bolduc who is now based in Germany. He has performed at the Met and 

here is a sample of Christopher's incredible voice from a crossword favorite: Cosí Fan Tutte.

Matt wrote of himself: I am a native of New York and a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the Purchase College Conservatory of Music.

I have blogged six of Matt's previous Saturday themeless puzzles. Matt said: You can describe my job as being a professor of film and literature at Mankato State University. I've been doing administrative stuff in the dean's office for the last few years, but I'm resuming teaching in the fall.

Christopher  said of Matt: Matt is a brilliant guy; always thinking outside the box. He's also patient and kind. It was a pleasure to work with him on this one! 

Across:

1. Focus of a Stockholm museum whose slogan is "Walk In. Dance Out.": ABBA - One feature is to become the fifth member of the group and sing karaoke with ABBA images moving in the background.

5. Kindles: WHETS - Bakery aromas kindle a keen desire for goods to be 41. Taken in: EATEN.

10. Stock expert?: CHEF - 😀 Yes, a chef would prepare stock for a dish 

14. Do the honors, so to speak: POUR - If you have an expensive vintage, it is probably an honor to POUR it

15. Luau performances: HULAS - It's always great to get a gimme.

16. It may wind up on a fire truck: HOSE - 😀 I love the "wind up" part of the clue

17. Porch pirate deterrent, hopefully: RING CAMERA.

19. Foot part: ARCH.

20. "So I'm out of the running?": IS THAT A NO?

21. Fermented paste: MISO - Miso is a Japanese traditional paste produced by fermenting soybean with fungus Aspergillus oryzae and salt, and sometimes with rice, wheat, or oats. 

22. "Allez __ Bleus!": Coupe du Monde cry: LES - It literally means "Go Blues" for the French National Team who play for the Coupe du Monde or World Cup

.
23. Grammy: NANA.

24. Lose interest in: TIRE OF.

26. USN officer: CDR - The ENS and ADM stayed below deck

27. Phanerozoic __: EON - Yeah, I'm the only one who first put ERA.😏

28. R-V hookup?: STU - 😀 R S T U V

29. Question of motive: WHY EVEN BOTHER. 33. Iterative testing method: TRIAL AND ERROR.

34. Buy time?: SHOPPING SPREE 😀 A very fun use of the word "buy"

35. Egg layer: HEN.

36. Anatomical foot: PES.

37. "Succession" family name: ROY - The ROY family tree

38. Overwhelm: ENGULF.

40. Vibe: FEEL.

42. "Try me": ASK.

45. Impromptu screwdriver: DIME - Been there, used that

46. Summit result, maybe: PEACE PLAN - A very famous one in 1945

48. Best Picture of 2021: CODA - Reviews

49. Very loud, in music: FORTISSIMO - A nice long gimme for me

50. Gender-neutral possessive: ONE'S.

51. Wide-ly read works?: TOMES - 😀 Fun cluing for an old crossword standard

52. Tub: SCOW - I associate this vessel with NYC garbage transporters

53. Some read-athon fundraising gps.: PTAS.

54. Bellyache: WHINE.

55. Drinks with steep prices?: TEAS 😀 Yes, TEA is usually steeped for drinking.

Down:

1. New Beer's Eve month: APRIL - April 7th is designated as National Beer Day so... I had no idea but a five-letter month starting with an "A" was pretty obvious. 

2. Snake River tributary: BOISE.

3. Some sacrifices: BUNTS - The bunter gives herself up as she is usually thrown out to move a runner to the next base

4. Frustrated cry: ARGH - What this sacrifice bunter would say if she pops the ball up.

5. "Whew!": WHAT A RELIEF - Do you remember?

6. Like Peter Quill of the Guardians of the Galaxy, in part: HUMAN - He is said to be the progeny of a human and a "celestial" 🤔

7. Novelist Ferrante: ELENA - Elena uses a pseudonym for her novels and remains an anonymous Italian writer.

 

8. Oceanic staple: TARO - Mash these roots with steamed water and you have Hawaiian poi.

9. U.S. ID issuer: SSA - Grace D. Owen of Concord, NH got the first card from the SSA: 001-01-0001 in 1936.

10. Orchestra position: CHAIR - It's a coveted honor to be first CHAIR.

11. Classroom setup that facilitates group discussions: HORSESHOE.

12. Micromobility option: E-SCOOTER - In Lincoln, NE

13. Dismissive syllable: FEH - Not MEH it turns out

18. Red shade: CANDY APPLE - My dream car.

21. Spare parts?: MINOR ROLES - In honor of our dearly missed Boomer, I put MISSED PINS.

24. Exact words?: TO BE PRECISE - Well, what did you mean?

25. Faux __: FUR - Sure, I put PAS first

26. Unwanted crack in crackleware: CHIP - Ceramic ware with definite cracks in the glaze

27. Fades to black: ENDS - As the hero rides off into the sunset

29. Delusion: WRONG IDEA - Dr. Bailey had the WRONG IDEA about this crossword solve (a fun 2:21 video):

30. Triple Crown of Surfing sponsor: VANS.

31. Class that may be lit: ENG A list of possible books for this course

32. Small club, maybe: TREY.

33. "Fine, be lazy": THEN DON'T.

34. __ shed: SHE - Here's 26 examples

39. Sch. near Emily Dickinson's home: UMASS.

40. Physics Nobelist of 1938: FERMI - He and his team made the first self-sustaining atomic nuclear fission reaction which made the construction of the atomic bomb possible. 

42. "The __ Network": Kate Quinn novel about women spies: ALICE.

43. Island nation whose flag features the Southern Cross: SAMOA - Bonus: The Southern Cross by CSN, a favorite of mine.

44. Is hip to: KNOWS.

46. Bear with a "Thotful Spot": POOH.

47. "C'mere!": PSST.

48. "Blue Bloods" extra: COP.

49. Celebratory initialism: FTW - If you knew the Alka Seltzer tag line, you probably know, "I'll take Barbara Eden FOR THE WIN."

Saturday, December 4, 2021, Matthew Sewell

 Saturday Themeless by Matthew Sewell

Today we have yet another fun entry from our literature and film instructor at Mankato State University.

Here are Matt's comments:

Hello Gary,

Thanks for asking me to comment. I tend to like themeless grid shapes with a low number of Across entries (31 in this case). I also tend to like puzzles that mix challenging entries (like 40A), which usually need fairly direct clues, with straightforward entries (like 51A) that can be livened up via cluing. To me, a good themeless is all about that balance! I hope solvers enjoy this one, and I appreciate the work you do on your blog.

Matt

Lights, Camera, Matt!

Across:

1. Applies sustained effort: WORKS AT IT 

10. Caution: ALERT.

15. HS course that may be lit?: AP ENGLISH How appropriate that Matt would choose this clue/fill. Here are some lit(erature) that might be read in an AP English Course.

16. Ambitious sort: TYPE-A.

17. Bean, e.g.: VEGETABLE.

18. Twist: WRING - When done in the weightlessness of the International Space Station. Cohesion reigns when gravity is eliminated. 

19. City on Presque Isle Bay: ERIE - Presque Island Bay is the body of water that is bordered by ERIE, PA on the left and Presque Island on the right. Saturday cluing.

20. Audio engineer's accoutrements: EAR PIECES.

22. Hold back: DAM.

23. Low-carb alternative to oats: NUT MEAL.

25. Princess Margaret portrayer in "The Crown": HELENA 

  Princess Margaret            HELENA Bonham Carter

27. __ act: CLASS.

31. Anticlimactic happenings: NONEVENTS - Anybody remember when Geraldo opened Al Capone's safe on live TV? Thirty million people tuned in to see an empty space.

34. Bob Odenkirk title role: SAUL.

36. Umbilicus formation: OUTIE - Innie was, uh, out

37. __ the People: razor brand: OUI - New to me

38. Gulf of Guinea capital: ACCRA - Suppose Rick and Ilsa wanted to get from Casablanca to ACCRA

39. Neuron speed unit: Abbr.: MSEC - The speed of a neurons response is usually measured over time periods of MSEC (milliseconds)

40. Movie monster term meaning "alien form": XENOMORPH - Sigourney Weaver and her XENOMORPH co-star from Aliens 

42. Zoom sesh, e.g.: E-DATE - I suppose

45. Protective legwear: GAITER - We've also become aware of face GAITERS lately 

Face GAITER                 Leg GAITERS

46. Atsukan, at a sushi bar: HOT SAKE.

49. Quick swim: DIP.

51. Idaho has the only one designed by a woman: STATE SEAL.

55. Italian university city: PISA - I wonder if Galileo ever went back for reunions  

56. Old orange-roofed eateries, for short: HO JOS - HOward JOhnsons

57. Reggie Jackson nickname: MR. OCTOBER - He got the big hits when they really counted

60. Big name in gaming: ATARI.

61. Charades skill: PANTOMIME - Ten minutes of a 67-yr-old TV game show replete with elegance, commercials, movie plugs and good players.

62. Whammies: HEXES.

63. Rapt: ENGROSSED.


Down:

1. Shook one's hand?: WAVED.

2. Sydney attraction: OPERA HOUSE - Look carefully

3. Strictly organized: REGIMENTED - Do you have a set bedtime routine?

4. Hacky Sacker's option: KNEE.

5. Ice-T's "SVU" rank: SGT.

6. Following: ALA - This puzzle is ALA Sewell  

7. Yak: TIBETAN OX.

8. Major religion of Indonesia: ISLAM.

9. "Finished!": THERE - Nope, just over halfway

10. Whenever one wants: AT WILL 

11. Instrument depicted on Keats' gravestone: LYRE - Keats' requested that his name not be on his tombstone

12. Sprawling tale: EPIC.

13. Nobelist Cassin: RENE - Here ya go

14. Handles: TAGS - What's your CB Handle?

21. __-12: PAC - West Coast Athletic Conference

23. "The Craft" actress Campbell: NEVE.

24. Paris article: UNE - C.C. est UNE personne merveilleuse (translation is left to you)

26. German camera brand: LEICA.

28. Dandy accessory: ASCOT.

29. Bird mummified by ancient Egyptians: SACRED IBIS - This 2,000+ year old bundle has been partially cut to show the mummified IBIS inside

30. "You pick": SURPRISE ME - I said that to a waiter in our new Guatemalan restaurant and thus I got to eat my first pupusa 

31. Nice handle?: NOM - Samuel Clemens' NOM de plume in Nice, France was also Mark Twain

32. Col. on a planner: TUE.

33. Folk music gathering, often: SING ALONG.

35. "Well, __-di-dah!": LAH.

38. BFF of Brittany: AMIE - Your female BFF in the Brittany region of NW France is your AMIE

41. Whiskey barrel wood: OAK.

43. Grad school hurdle: THESIS - They are usually read by the student, the advisor, the committee and then...

44. Aurora counterpart: EOS - Both goddesses of Dawn

47. Home of Arizona State: TEMPE.

48. That's a wrap: SARAN.

50. Clipped: PARED.

51. Persian for "king": SHAH.

52. Subscriber's bonus: TOTE bag

53. Mighty warrior of myth: AJAX - A great warrior in Homer's Iliad 

54. Bolted: TORE.

55. Little dogs, briefly: POMS - Pomeranians of course 

58. Lisa Leslie's WNBA position: CTR.

59. Moreover: TOO.