Friday, May 31, 2024, Michele Govier

Good morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a puzzle that takes us into the wonderful world of our avian friends.  Our puzzle-setter today is Michèle Govier who has previously had crossword puzzles published by both the Los Angeles Times and the NewYork Times.  At four places in the grid, Michèle has conjured up answers that are the names of two species of birds cleverly placed back to back so as to provide an appropriate response to the clue.  Let's start with the unifier:

73 Across:  Double birdie, which can also be found at 17-, 31-, 48-, and 62-Across?: EAGLE.  In golf scoring a birdie is one shot below par (e.g. a three on a par four hole) and an EAGLE is two shots below par so an EAGLE is, in effect, a double birdie.  For our purposes, Double Birdie refers to the two bird names.

Here are the places where the theme has been applied:

17 Across:  Ingest lather while getting one's mouth washed out with soap?: SWALLOW DOVE.                            

A  Swallow                                            A  Dove

To SWALLOW means, well, to swallow and DOVE, of course, is a brand of soap.

31 Across:  Loudly promote trips to Istanbul?: HAWK TURKEY.

A Hawk                                               A Turkey

To HAWK something is slang for avidly promoting something for sale and Istanbul, of course, is the capital city of TURKEY.

48 Across:  Successfully elude director Scorsese?: DUCK MARTIN.

A Duck                                                              A Martin

To DUCK something is to avoid or shirk (as in responsibility) and MARTIN Scorsese is a famous film director.

62 Across:  Say "Holy nightmare, Batman!"?: PARROT ROBIN.

A Parrot                                                              A Robin

To PARROT something is to repeat it verbatim.  ROBIN is Batman's sidekick.

Here are the other clues and answers:

Across:

1. Birthstones for some Scorpios: OPALS.  The most-often seen birthstone in our puzzles.

6. Consumes, in a way: READS.  An appropriately semi-obtuse clue for a Friday.

11. Revenue sources for freemium apps: ADS.  Users of the app get access at no monetary cost but are subjected to ADS.

14. Jubilant cry: WAHOO.  Something someone might say.  YAHOO.  BINGO. WHOOP.  All would have fit the space and the clue but were not what the puzzle demanded this time around.

15. "Dominicana" novelist Cruz: ANGIE.  Thanks, perps.

16. Matcha, e.g.: TEA.  A concentrated form of green TEA.

19. Clever one: WAG.

20. Show the way: LEAD.  Some of us are partial to this advice:

21. Cry at the end of a performance: ENCORE.  More, more!

23. Tourney game: SEMI.

26. French beans?: TETES.  In English, Bean is slang for head.  TETES means heads in French.

  

29. Seed coating: ARIL.  An ARIL, also called an arillus, is a specialized outgrowth from a seed that partly or completely covers the seed

30. TikTok upload: CLIP.  A man went viral after posting a video CLIP on TikTok about how to stay cool in the summer without air conditioning.  He has many fans.

33. Sterling silver, e.g.: ALLOY.  A mixture of metals.

35. Theater boxes: LOGES.  A LOGE is an elevated seating area in a theater that is typically located at the side or rear of the stage. Loges are often reserved for special occasions or VIP guests. They offer a unique vantage point from which to watch a show and provide more privacy than a regular seat.

36. Virtual animal in an early 2000s fad: NEOPET.

38. Insist: DEMAND.  It is what this puzzle required.

43. Luster: SHEEN.  Got that, Martin?

47. Proportion: RATIO.  

53. Sound off: RANT.  It might have been RAVE.  Put in the R and the A and let the perps decide.

54. Sufficient, in texts: ENUF.  Our "old friend" (new friend), textspeak.  Not a fan but maybe it is time to memorize this:  Glossary of Textspeak

  

55. Tiniest amount: TRACE.  An alternative to IOTA.

56. Kerfuffles: ADOS.  Fusses common in crossword puzzles.

57. Late sign: PISCES.  PISCES is the twelfth, and last, sign in the zodiac.  This solver did not previously know that but, then again, his moon is in Fresno.

59. Crossed (out): EXED.  This rest of this answer has been EXED out. (or as close as it was possible to exhibit).

61. Brainpower nos.: IQS.  A friend recently scored a 175 on an IQ test that had just 3 simple questions:  1. His credit card number 2. His social security number 3. Uploading a scan of his birth certificate

68. Pool need: CUE.  Not a swimming reference.  A billiards/pocket billiards reference.

69. Omar of Congress: ILHAN.  Democrat, MN.

70. Accustom (to): INURE.  I've become INUREd to her face.

71. Apple TV+ role for Jason: TED.  Jason Sudeikis  stars in the television show "Ted Lasso".

72. "Jurassic Park" dinosaur, e.g.: CLONE.  What is the best thing to do if you see a T-Rex CLONE?  Hope that it doesn't see you.

Down:

1. Pained cries: OWS.  Onomatopoeia.

2. Print maker: PAW.  Cute clue.  Not a reference to lithography.

3. "I've got it!": AHA.  Moments all of the solvers here have experienced.

4. Sticky treat, in more ways than one: LOLLIPOP.  Of course the sweet is sticky as in adherence.  The pun-y additional way is that the candy is on a (usually paper) stick.  Stick-y.

The Chordettes

5. Only: SOLE.  I’m writing a book about a guy who sells shoe parts to Satan. It’s your basic “Sold my SOLE to the devil” novel.

6. Unfair treatment: RAW DEAL.  Idiomatic.

7. Word with tight or loose: END.  A loose END is something yet unfinished.  A tight END is a position player on a football team.

8. Long __: AGO.

9. Sold off: DIVESTED.  A current buzzword.

10. Observed: SEEN.  Not observed as in a religious holiday.  Viewed.

11. On the job: AT WORK.  As in:

12. Sweetie pie: DEARIE.  Slangy clue.  Slangy answer.

13. With wisdom: SAGELY.

18. Solemn recitation: OATH.

22. Sonata, for one: CAR.  Not a musical reference.  A Hyundai.

23. Create a PDF, perhaps: SCAN.  A computer tech reference that almost everyone knows.

24. "Legally Blonde" blonde: ELLE.  ELLE Woods is the protagonist.  REESE (Witherspoon) would not fit.

25. Actor Ventimiglia: MILO.  Total unknown to this solver.  Thanks perps.   What does twenty miles have to do with this?  Oh, never mind.  Of course, if you watched "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" this was not a problem.

  

27. Number of hearts for a Time Lord: TWO.  A "Dr. Who" reference.

28. ER graph: EKG.  Electrocardiogram.  Wait, wouldn't that be ECG?  Apparently, EKG was adopted as the standard abbreviation to avoid confusion with electroencephalogram.

32. Touchpad toucher: USER.  Remember, only USERs loose drugs.  Oh, a computer user!

34. Reply with an apostrophe: YES'M.  Yes ma'am.

37. "We're done here": THAT'S ALL.  Mel Blanc's epitaph:

39. Argentine soccer legend dubbed "El Pibe de Oro": MARADONA.

40. Not much: A TAD.  My teacher once asked "Name three famous Poles."  I replied, "North, South and TAD."

41. Spanish boy: NINO.

42. ...: DOTS.  Quite literally.  If one misread the . . . then they might have thought POLKA.

44. Goof: ERR.  A mistake frequently encountered in crossword puzzles.

45. Airport info: ETA.  Estimated Time of Arrival

46. "Good going!": NICE ONE.  Something someone might say.  BITCHIN' would have fit.  FAR OUT would not.  See also 58 Down.

48. Portray: DEPICT.

49. Singular: UNIQUE.

50. Used colorful language: CUSSED.  A good place for grawlix.

51. Crispy Colonel sandwich seller: KFC.  Before Kentucky Fried Chicken changed its name to KFC (in 1991)  this writer would have to have typed out Kentucky Fried Chicken.

52. Coming right up: NEXT.

58. Way awesome: EPIC.  NEAT  DOPE  KEEN  PHAT 

60. Buffalo's lake: ERIE.  A place often visited in our puzzles.

63. Density symbol, in physics: RHO.

64. Oversaw: RAN.  As in to have once run a company or an international drug cartel.

65. Flu or fly: BUG.  If you got sick some would say that you caught a BUG.  A fly (the insect not the baseball hit or the trouser zipper) is, well, a BUG (at least in casual English usage if not scientifically).

66. Not online, for short: IRL.  In Real Life

67. Word with a maiden name: NEE.  From the French = born.

The completed grid:

__________________________________________________

The New Riders of the Purple Sage - 1969

Last Lonely Eagle

I did not know that there was an Owsley Stanley Foundation but I do remember reading somewhere that Augustus Owsley Stanley III was an even better mechanic than he was a chemist.

Wednesday, Mar 20, 2024 Michèle Govier

 TWO DRUMS & A CYMBAL...

I had a feeling this was not a "normal" 3- or 4-word 'theme with reveal' when I scanned the grid before starting and saw two stacks of 8-letter ACROSS fills ( and after-the-fact, I see Monday's puzzle had double Down 9-lettter fills ), but nothing close to grid spanning; I did not see the 13-letter-long DOWN fill at first.  This took me longer than my typical Wednesday solve time, due to the crummy crossing of a proper name and a vague abbreviation.  SIGH; the struggle continues.  I did a search of the blog, and found a puzzle of Michèle's from Nov 7 last year; thanks to her for today's clever construction.  As the clue for 14A states, the perimeter of the puzzle, in both the across and down, are words ( highlighted ) that describe sounds - and the "reveal";

14. Audiophile's setup, and an apt description of the perimeter of this puzzle: SURROUND SOUND

YES~!

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Half a sit-up: CRUNCH - I just thought this was a "harder" sit-up; here's a quick reference to what is different

7. Commercial tune: JINGLE - what's your most earworm-worthy ad~?

13. "A Wrinkle in Time" novelist Madeleine: LENGLE - proper name fill #1, and I had no clue; the "G" got me

14. Timekeepers that don't work on a rainy day: SUNDIALS

 

I think the time is "beer-thirty"

16. How baked potatoes may be cooked: IN FOIL - meh, but it is certainly a way to cook a spud

17. Remove, as a seatbelt: UNFASTEN

18. Gina Boswell of Bath & Body Works, e.g.: Abbr.: CEO - I do the DOWNS first, just needed the "O"

19. Sequel to Puzo's "The Last Don": OMERTA

21. "Mean Girls" writer Fey: TINA - this proper name I did know

22. Underwater plant with gas-filled bladders: KELP

24. Wayward: ERRANT

26. Time out?: NAP

27. Playground retort: DID TOO - not the usual ARE too

29. Quirky habit: TIC

31. Cliche: TRITE

33. French noble: DUC - I haven't had Frawnche in a long time

35. Comprehend: GRASP

39. Eurythmics lead singer Lennox: ANNIE - one of my favoritest songs

Here Comes the Rain Again

40. Go from 4x6 to 8x10, say: Abbr.: ENLarge

41. Totaled: RAN TO

42. Busy restaurant's notification device: PAGER

43. JFK predecessor: DDE - Dwight David Eisenhower - IKE - two days in a row; I would have liked to have lived during his presidency, even with the threat of the "reds" and nuclear war.  I have "Ike", his biography, and I do like to read about his role in WWII - and he was the man who enacted the Interstate System; for an interesting take on the pros and cons of that massive national project, I would suggest reading "Divided Highways"

44. Like some purchases: IN APP - and - 62A. Are cast members of: APPEAR IN - sort of palindromic

45. "The __ is calm tonight": "Dover Beach" opening: SEA - with a blank grid, I pondered "AIR", but in retrospect, "Beach" might have been a give-away....

47. Mouths off to: SASSES

49. Amtrak stop: Abbr.: STAtion

52. Silky: SMOOTH

54. Guidelines: Abbr.: STandarDs

57. Ultimate: LAST

59. Creative works: OPUSES

61. Goal: AIM

64. Yukon neighbor: ALASKA - "UCONN" is my neighbor, too~!

Ba - Dum - Tss

66. Prop for a rock singer: MIC STAND - drummers who sing

67. Watering hole in TV's "M*A*S*H": ROSIE'S - ah, yes, now I remember....

68. Unnerve: RATTLE

69. 1984 mermaid movie: SPLASH - Tom Hanks, WAY back in his career


DOWN:

1. Hit it off: CLICK

2. Zellweger of "Judy": RENEE - name #5, but I'm not counting....

3. Developing: UNFOLDING - great clue/answer/fill

4. CARE, e.g.: NGO - I had to look this up after I solved the crossword; DAH~!  I tried "NPO", for a Non-Profit Organization; nope - it's a Non-Governmental Organization; not only that, but I was confusing it with GMO - genetically modified organism, too - hey, it was early in the morning when I did this....

5. Sister of Erato: CLIO - I can never remember my muses....

6. Knight cap: HELMET - punny; that would be an accurate description of such head wear

7. Ruling faction after a coup: JUNTA - I could only think of CADRE or CABAL

8. Baby: INFANT

9. Contract that may prevent bad PR: NDA - Non Disclosure Agreement

10. Crux: GIST

11. Ancestor of the romance languages: LATIN- four years for me in high school, but it does help solving crosswords~!😜

12. Justice Kagan: ELENA

15. Button alternative: SNAP

20. Ate away: ERODED

23. Feels sorry for: PITIES

25. Fertile Crescent river: TIGRIS

28. Some combines: DEERES - John Deere.  I want a tractor like this;  I have 1-1/2 acres in CT to mow, the snow, a creek, and a LOT of big rocks

NOT a combine, NOT a John Deere

30. Origami birds: CRANES - SWANS was too short

31. Stout spout: TAP

32. Messenger molecule: RNA

34. Soccer equipment: CLEATS - SHIN PADS didn't fit

36. Youngest daughter of Nicholas II: ANASTASIA - mostly perps

37. Valvoline rival: STP

38. Dad: POP - we're missing "CRACKLE" for a Rice Crispies trifecta

46. Unscrupulous: AMORAL

48. Woolgathers?: SHEARS - the "?" suggested "DREAMS" was not the answer, but 50% correct

49. Poetry event: SLAM

50. Piglike rhino kin: TAPIR

51. Pet re-homing org.: ASPCA

53. Provide a view: OPINE - ah - that kind of view

55. Sea walls: DIKES

56. Huge success: SMASH

58. Assessment that may end with "Pencils down": TEST - dah~! Not EXAM

60. Unappealing food: SLOP

63. NFL passing stat: ATTempts

65. Communication syst. with hand motions: ASL - American Sign Language

Splynter

Tuesday, November 7, 2023 Michele Govier

Do Not Pass Go, and Do Not Collect $200.  Oh, wait!  Today we can pass Go and we can collect our $200.   Each theme answer is a different concept for something that one can pass.

19-Across. One known for clutch performances?: RACE CAR DRIVER.

31-Across. One who is sometimes a dummy?: BRIDGE PLAYER.

39-Across. One who is not on a roll?: D PLUS STUDENT.  As I was completing today's puzzle, I had DPL, and thought one of my perps must be wrong.  What kind of word begins with DPL.  I stuck with my perps, to give me the poor student who is barely earning a passing grade.  With grade inflation, this student is probably really totally failing the course.

And the unifier:

53-Across. "No, thank you," or something 19-, 31-, and 39-Across might say?: I THINK I'LL PASS.

Across:

1. Casual hellos: HIs.

4. Let in: ADMIT.

9. Ocular bump: STYE.  Eye problem.

13. Thin-strapped top: CAMI.  Short for Camisole.

14. "Psycho" star Janet: LEIGH.  Janet Leigh (née Jeanette Helen Morrison; July 6, 1927 ~ Oct. 3, 2004) was the mother of actress Jamie Lee Curtis (Nov. 22, 1958).  [Name # 1.]

15. Celebrity rodent of Punxsutawney: PHIL.  Everything you wanted to know about Punxsutawney Phil but didn't know to ask.  [Name # 2.]

16. River through Kazakhstan: URAL.  Everything you wanted to know about the URAL River but didn't know to ask.  The river is in both Europe and Asia.  At 1,509 miles long, the Ural River is the 3rd longest in Europe, followed by the Volga (2,194 miles) and Danube (1,777 miles).  It's the 18th longest river in Asia.

17. Italian salami city: GENOA.  Everything you wanted to know about Genoa Salami but didn't know to ask.

18. Tie: LINK.

22. Third-place medal: BRONZE.

23. Forward, as mail: SEND ON.

26. Nasal membranes: SEPTA.

27. Quick punch: JAB.

30. "Rolling in the Deep" singer: ADELE.  I love this Adele (née Adele Laurie Blue Adkins; b. May 5, 1988) song, but then I love all of her songs.  [Name # 3.]

34. Pack animal: ASS.

37. Tropical veranda: LANAI.  Lanai, Porch, Patio ... what's the difference?

38. That, in Spanish: ESO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

44. Venmo transfer, e.g.: E-CASH.  I didn't realize the company had been around for so long.

45. Curvy shape: ESS.

46. Wear down: ERODE.

50. Certain Polynesian: SAMOAN.  Polynesia is made up a several islands including Samoa.

52. Hurt: PAINED.

57. Carson's successor: LENO.  Both Johnny Carson (né John William Carson; Oct. 23, 1925 ~ Jan. 23, 2005) and Jay Leno (né James Douglas Muir Leno; b. Apr. 28, 1950) hosted the Tonight Show.  Carson was the host for nearly 30 years.  [Names # 4 and 5.]

59. Sales rep's target: QUOTA.

60. NYC drama award: OBIE.  The Obie, or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are presented annual for outstanding achievement in plays performed off-Broadway.

61. "__, Brute?": ET TU.

62. Poet Ginsberg: ALLEN.  Allen Ginsberg (né Irwin Allen Ginsberg; June 3, 1926 ~ Apr. 4, 1997) was known as a Beat Poet and, along with William Burroughs (Feb. 5, 1914 ~ Aug. 2, 1997) and Jack Kerouac (Mar. 12, 1922 ~ Oct. 21, 1969), were at the heart of the Beat Generation.  [Name # 6.]

Allen Ginsberg

63. Lenovo competitor: DELL.  Both companies make personal computers.  Levono is a Chinese company and the name is a portmanteau of Le (for legend) and novo (Latin for new).  Dell is an American company, founded in 1984 by Michael Dell (né Michael Saul Dell; b. Feb. 23, 1965).  [Name adjacent.]

64. Fragrance: ODOR.  I think of a fragrance as being a pleasant smell, while an odor is more stinky.

65. Hold responsible: BLAME.

66. "The Simpsons" disco guy: STU.  Diehard Simpsons fans known that his full name is Stuart Discothèque.  [Name # 7, fictional.]

Down:

1. Zimbabwe's capital: HARARE.  Hand up if you knew the name of this capital city without help from the perps.

2. Joe Friday's declaration in the classic "Dragnet" intro: I'M A COP.  Jack Webb (né John Randolph Webb; Apr. 2, 1920 ~ Dec. 23, 1982.  ) was the actor who portrayed Joe Friday on classic cop show, Dragnet.  [Name # 8, fictional.]

3. Subtle characteristic?: SILENT B.  Not really keen on this type of clue and answer.

4. Aquarium problem: ALGAE.

5. Forest animal with antlers: DEER.  //  And 12-Down. Large 5-Down: ELK.  All Elk are Deer, but not all Deer are Elk.

6. Pay attention to: MIND.

7. "Young Frankenstein" assistant with a shifting hump: IGOR.  [Name # 9, fictional.]

8. Bangkok natives: THAIs.  Hi, Lemonade and Oo!

9. Sweetener brand with sucralose: SPLENDA.  It's the sweetener in the yellow packaging.

Chemical compound of Sucralose,

10. Mystical source of perception beyond ordinary sight: THIRD EYE.

11. __ and yang: YIN.  Yin is also a form of Yoga.

13. Sidewalk edges: CURBS.

20. Captain of industry: CZAR.

21. Osso buco meat: VEAL.  Osso buco is an Italian speciality.  The name literally means bone with a hole, which refers to the bone marrow.  It's supposed to be good, but I have never tried it.

24. Cheers for a flamenco dancer: OLÉs.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

25. Rex Stout sleuth Wolfe: NERO.  Rex Stout (né Rex Todhunter Stout; Dec. 1, 1886 ~ Oct. 27, 1975) was American writer best known for his detective novels, which featured Nero Wolfe.  The Nero Wolfe series has been adapted for film, radio and television.  In 1981, a television show began based on Stout's characters in his Nero Wolfe series.  Nero Wolfe was portrayed by William Conrad (né John William Cann, Jr.; Sept. 27, 1920 ~ Feb. 11, 1994).  There was a second adaptation of Nero Wolfe in the early 2000s, which starred Maury Chaykin (July 27, 1949 ~ July 27, 2010) as Nero Wolfe.  You can still listen to the radio adaptations.  [Names # 10 and 11, one real, one fictional.]

27. Matchmaking app for Jewish singles: JDATE.

28. __ Dei: lamb of God: AGNUS.  Hi, Irish Miss!

29. Abacus units: BEADS.

32. Plural French pronoun: ILS.  Today's French lesson.  It means They, and can be a group of males, or a mix of male and females, but not a group of females.  That would be Elles.

33. Pastry with a crust: PIE.  Yummers!  It's almost time for pumpkin and pecan pies.

34. Fruity summer drinks: ADES.  Hi, Lemonade.  Come visit us again!

35. Pet adoption org.: SPCA.  As in the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

36. Hit with force: SLAM INTO.

40. Traveling show that entertains the troops: USO TOUR.

41. Former Iranian ruler: SHAH.

42. "Arrow" and "Legends of Tomorrow" actor McDonough: NEAL.  [Name # 12.]

43. Camera stands: TRIPODS.

47. How some risks are taken: ON A BET.

48. Arnaz and Ball's production company: DESILU.  A portmanteau of the first names of Desi Arnaz (Mar. 2, 1917 ~ Dec. 2, 1986) and Lucile Ball (Aug.  6, 1911 ~ Apr. 26, 1989). [Names # 13 and 14.]

49. Short-lived Ford model: EDSEL.  It does rather look like it is sucking on a lemon.  Why the car may have failed.  [Name adjacent.]

51. Muslim face covering: NIQAB.

52. Place for cinematic snakes: PLANE.  I never saw the movie Snakes on a Plane.

54. __ and void: NULL.

55. Soft drink nut: KOLA.  Everything you wanted to know about the Kola Nut but didn't know to ask.  Not to be confused with the Koala Bear.

56. Article: ITEM.

57. Many an August baby, astrologically: LEO.  Hi Leo III.  Do come back!

58. Info posted in an airport lounge: ETD.  As in Estimated Time of Departure.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה