Monday April 8, 2024 Christina Iverson

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with an eye opening puzzle from Christina Iverson.

Theme:      I See What You Mean

 

Let's see if we can shed some light on this one.

TBH, thinking about eyeball anatomy and diseases makes me feel squeamish
so I am narrowing this down to just one diagram that has
all we need for today:  ROD, IRIS, CONE, and  PUPIL.

These are the themers:

17 Across. Curtain holder in a bathroom: SHOWER ROD  

I like these curved ones. They give me just a bit more space.

25 Across. Purple flower with a fuzzy patch: BEARDED IRIS.  

These lovely IRISes belong to my former neighbor and current friend.

51 Across. Orange marker in a construction zone: TRAFFIC CONE.  

64 Across. Student at the top of the honor roll: STAR PUPIL.  

Then the reveal:

39. "We're almost there!," and what can be said about 17-, 25-, 51-, and 64-Across?: THE END IS IN SIGHT.

The ends of all the themed clues (ROD, IRIS, CONE, and PUPIL) are  parts of a human eye and are essential to sight.  

This theme seems an excellent fit for viewing today's total solar eclipse. I think that was Patti's plan. What do you think?

PSA from The Corner:  Prioritize your eye safety. Do not look directly at the sun during an eclipse.  Turn around!  

Bonnie Tyler (1983) Total Eclipse of the Heart (Turn around)

<You knew I had to work this in.>

Across:

1. Have an ugly cry: BAWL.  a baseball reference  😜

5. Fly through the air: SOAR.

9. Barked: ARFED.

14. Eight, in Spanish: OCHO.  ¡Canta conmigo! (Sing with me!)

15. Give a darn: CARE.

16. "__!" ... "Polo!": MARCO.  It's a hide-and-seek game played in a swimming pool that holds a distinction in that everyone who ever played it also cheated at least once.

19. Situation with a player at first, say: ONE ON.  another baseball reference.

A runner at first sets up the opportunity for my favorite thing about baseball -- the double play.  

20. Peaceful: SERENE.  Def.:  (adj.) marked by or suggestive of utter calm and unruffled repose or quietude.

That's you ... in the canoe.

21. Commercial lead-in to "bnb": AIR.  This clue feels like a lot of work for something as ubiquitous as AIR. "Commercial" here refers to business as opposed to a TV advertisement.  

Airbnb is an online marketplace that connects people who want to rent out their property with people who are looking for accommodations, typically for short stays.

23. Gaelic speaker: CELT.  

24. French fashion initials: YSL.

28. Country singer Loretta: LYNN.  (Apr. 14, 1932 - Oct. 4, 1922)  Her website says that she is the most awarded lady in Country music.

29. Scotch's partner: SODA.  A Scotch & Soda is an alcoholic beverage ... and the first line of this song by the Kingston Trio.  

30. Naked: BARE.  Here's a clip from a TV show called Naked and Afraid from The Discovery Channel. You can think of it as Survivor on crack. It is now on its 17 season.  

33. Stomp on the gas: GUN IT.  Let's move on from this one as quickly as possible.

36. Govt. intel org.: NSA.  National Security Agency

43. Unnaturally pale: WAN.  

44. Construct: ERECT.  

45. Film spool: REEL.

46. Root vegetable in Nigerian cuisine: TARO.  TARO, aka cocoyam (pronounced "KOH-KOH-YAM"), is a crop cultivated in many regions including Africa and the West Indies / Caribbean. The crop is a staple food in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Ghana. It can be prepared a variety of ways.

48. Lawn tool: RAKE.

55. Work on a quilt: SEW.

58. Wild canine: WOLF.

59. "Dance the Night" singer __ Lipa: DUA.

60. Like some albums: DELUXE.  A "deluxe edition" usually means it contains extra content, compared to the standard edition.  This is the album cover for 59A's DELUXE edition.  

(tiny writing at the bottom says "deluxe edition")

62. Show host: EMCEE.  I learned the other day on WWDTM that a British English term for an MC (Master of Ceremonies) is compere.

66. Jump back, say: REACT.  This is how it's done:

67. Sheet of paper: PAGE.

68. Hatchling's home: NEST.  A pair of intrepid birds have built a nest in my hose holder. Needless to say, I will not be using that hose for a while. I know this is not a great picture but I did not want to upset them. The mom is in there. They were well-protected during our recent storms, my dog will keep cats away, plus I have a lot of miner's lettuce going to seed in my front yard for them to forage. They chose well, don't you think?

69. Cities with harbors: PORTS.

70. Post-blizzard blanket: SNOW.  Cute clue!

71. __ and crafts: ARTS.

Down:
1. Like an overbearing older sibling: BOSSY.  Lucy immediately came to mind.

2. Is sore: ACHES.

3. Pattern of spirals on a fingerprint: WHORL.  You don't hear this one everyday.  

A fingerprint analyst is a professional scientist who obtains, studies, and analyzes fingerprints as well as palm prints and footprints as part of a crime scene investigation.

4. Actor Rob of "Parks and Recreation": LOWE.  He played Chris Traeger, an intensely cheerful and enthusiastic character.

5. Bug keeper-outer on a window: SCREEN.  

perhaps an underappreciated moment of brilliance

6. Rowboat rower: OAR.

7. Noisy, as a crowd: AROAR.

8. Fixed up again: REDID.  past tense of "redo"

9. "Yo te __": AMO.  Spanish  

10. Putrid: RANCID.

11. Allowed to roam, as chickens: FREE RANGE.

You can feed your RANCID fruit to your FREE RANGE chickens.

12. Gut bacteria: E. COLI.

13. Heading on a list of actions to avoid: DON'TS.  

18. Phonetic term often associated with they/them pronouns: ENBY.  It is "phonetic" because it sounds like N-B, as in non-binary.  

22. Sticky tree secretion: RESIN.  I learned on this U.S. Forest Service website that RESIN in hops gives beer its unique aroma and bitter taste.

26. "The Hate U Give" writer Thomas: ANGIE.  goodreads link

27. Connect the __: DOTS.  The 2018 Guinness World Record is 52,901 dots!

28. Big name in jeans: LEE.  Their marketing campaign uses a 'regular guy' approach.

30. Short "While I'm thinking of it ... ": BTW.  By The Way....

31. Exclamation of understanding: AHA.

32. Vehicle picked up at an airport, maybe: RENTAL CAR.  Good clue! It reminds me of what happened to the rental cars in Hawaii during Covid. Most tourists visiting Hawaii get a rental car. Tourists stopped flying to Hawaii during Covid. Suddenly there was no room to park all the rental cars that would normally be checked out to visitors. The solution was to park them at Aloha Stadium. They filled the parking lot!

34. Golden State sch.: USC.  University of Southern California

California has "University of ___" schools and "CSU, ___" schools (e.g., CA State University, San Diego). Both are 4-year degree schools. UC schools operate as residential campuses focusing on research and graduate education. CSU schools, in contrast, tend to enroll more commuter students. The UC system is generally considered more prestigious -- and more expensive.

35. The "N" of TNT: NITRO.

37. "__ Persisted": children's book by Chelsea Clinton: SHE.  goodreads link

38. Ga. capital: ATL.  Atlanta is the capital of Georgia.

40. Maker of squishy darts: NERF.  

super squishy

41. Humanlike robot: DROID.  

For the record, I want our future AI overlords to know that I supported them

by posting this very favorable 1:20 min. video.

42. Anger: IRE.

47. Move emotionally: AFFECT.

49. Composer Lloyd Webber: ANDREW.  (b. Mar. 22, 1948)  I learned from reading his bio on his website that he has EGOT status.  This is Patti LuPone singing With One Look from his musical, Sunset Boulevard.  

50. Save: KEEP.

51. Little troublemaker: TWERP.

52. Juliet's partner: ROMEO.

53. Zodiac transition points: CUSPS.  These are the days bordering the sun's transition to a new sign. For example, those born between April 17-23 are in the Aires-Taurus CUSP. They are said to be influenced by both the Aires and Taurus zodiac signs.

54. Board game that dropped "The Settlers of" from its name: CATAN.  I have blogged this fill before but I still could not remember it. Oof! Perhaps another visual image will help lock it into my cerebral cortex. If not, my neurons will play CAT ANd mouse looking for this name.  

55. "Terrific!": SUPER.  

56. Are: EXIST.

57. Swollen marks: WELTS.

61. Name that means "moon": LUNA.  If you are around anyone named LUNA while watching the eclipse today, you can say, "Down in front!"

63. UFO pilots: ETS.

65. Back in time: AGO.

"Now in time", we will take a look at the grid:  

See you later!

Monday April 1, 2024 Patti Varol

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with a golden puzzle to celebrate April Fools' Day. It has a holiday theme, just-right Monday level, and a factor of fun. For these reasons, it earns the title:  

We will begin with the themed clues:

17 Across. Matching cups, saucers, sugar bowl, etc.: TEA SERVICE.  

22 Across. Colorful hard confection: RIBBON CANDY.  

This is RIBBON CANDY. It is popular at Christmastime.

50 Across. Legumes in some chili recipes: KIDNEY BEANS.  

They are so named because of their kidney-like shape and their color.
Actually, thinking of them that way makes them sound far less appetizing.

57 Across. Mojave Desert yucca: JOSHUA TREE.  

Some say they inspire images of the biblical Joshua
reaching out his arms towards God.

Here is the reveal:

36 Across. Apt time for pranksters to do the starts of 17-, 22-, 50-, and 57-Across?: APRIL FOOLS' DAY.

"The starts of 17-, 22-, 50-, and 57-Across" are all things pranksters do:  TEASE, RIB, KID, and JOSH.  

All four of the themers are two-word phrases. "TEASE" spans both words while the other three are the first syllables of the first words. 

Something about this puzzle felt familiar. Did you feel that way, too? Perhaps I was recalling this November 29, 2023 puzzle by Jeanne D. Breen (blogged by Anonymous T) with the reveal ALL KIDDING ASIDE.

I like that Patti gave us a special puzzle to mark today's date. Perhaps she thought, "Well, if no one is going to submit an April Fools' Day puzzle than I will just have to create one."

Across:

1. Low on a spiciness scale: MILD.  

5. Presidential thumbs down: VETO.  Cue School House Rock:  

9. Future JD's exam: LSAT.  To be admitted into a Doctor of Jurisprudence program, one must first pass the Law School Admission Test.

13. Over again: ANEW.

14. Villainous: EVIL.  

Jace Everett   Bad Things (2005)

This was the theme song to the TV show True Blood (2008-2014).

15. Commuter boat: FERRY.

16. Post-it scribble: NOTE.  

19. Starting point: ONSET.  Think "time" as opposed to "location".

21. "Luncheon of the Boating Party" painter Pierre-Auguste: RENOIR.  The painting is on display at The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.

(1880-1881)
Renoir later married the model in the bottom, left.

25. "Bowwow!": ARF.  

dog noises in nine languages  (32 sec.)

28. Fr. holy woman: STE.  I know this one from doing XWDs. "French" is abbreviated and so is something about a nun.

29. Pep squad cheer: RAH.

30. Alex Morgan's sport: SOCCER.  She is an American athlete born on July 2, 1989 who plays forward for the United States' women's national soccer team and the San Diego Wave.

32. Back, at sea: ASTERN.  Without the comma, one might try to think of words meaning "to return to the sea".  

This diagram helped me see the difference between "stern" and "astern".

35. "Good heavens!": OH MY.  

40. Antioxidant berry in fruit bowls: ACAI.

41. Tranquil: SERENE.

42. Not exactly: KIND OF.

45. Mariska Hargitay series, familiarly: SVU.  Law & Order:  Special Victims Unit  (1999 - present)  

This is Mariska posing in front of a SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle).

46. Small amount: BIT.

49. Citrus drink suffix: -ADE.

54. Extra charge for a sci. class, e.g.: LAB FEE.  Science class

56. Quick bite: SNACK.  

61. Share a side with: ABUT.  But, wait! We also have 62A....

62. Anticipate: AWAIT.

63. Rhyming tributes: ODES.

64. Train segments: CARS.  

I was standing on a pedestrian overpass when I took this picture of train CARS loaded with coal.

65. Terrarium pet: NEWT.  

Learn more about this Luristan NEWT here.

66. Norway's capital: OSLO.     and     34 Down. Like Vikings: NORSE.

67. Job: TASK.

Down:
1. Grand homes: MANORS.

2. Part of the plot: IN ON IT.  

3. Doesn't interfere with: LETS BE.  

The Beatles  Let It Be  (1970)

4. Uncool sort: DWEEB.     and     52 Down. Uncool sorts: NERDS.

5. Nov. 11 honoree: VET.  "November" is abbreviated, so is "VETeran".

6. Festive night, often: EVE.

7. Prom queen's crown: TIARA.

8. Elizabeth of "WandaVision": OLSEN.  Elizabeth is the younger sister of the OLSEN twins from Full House (Mary-Kate and Ashley). This is the trailer for her show.  👍👍  

9. Jeans maker Strauss: LEVI.  

10. Hot sauce often mixed with mayonnaise: SRIRACHA.  Knowing this one and knowing how to spell it are two different challenges.

This is for those of you who have been following the SRIRACHA drama.

11. Path of a lobbed ball: ARC.

12. Sheridan who plays young Cyclops in the "X-Men" films: TYE.  his IMDb page

15. Soft serve ice cream alternative, casually: FROYO.  

18. Wraps up: ENDS.  

20. Upper bodies: TORSI.  The plural of torso is torsos or TORSI. 

Gaddi Torso  (2nd Century BCE)
The artist is unknown. "Gaddi" is the family name of a previous owner.

23. Countrywide: Abbr.: NAT'L.  National

24. Gourmet cooks: CHEFS.     and     26 Down. "Ratatouille" rat: REMY.     and     27 Down. Cook in hot oil: FRY.

2007 Disney movie

31. Programmer's output: CODE.

32. Dry as a desert: ARID.

33. Fish eggs: ROE.

36. Battery fluid: ACID.  your battery acid questions answered

37. Carpentry tool that cuts plywood sheets: PANEL SAW.  

How to Panel Saw

I like how the tape measure is built into the saw.

38. Tax: LEVY.  When they tax the jeans in 9D it is called a Levi LEVY.  😉

39. Oscar season oversights: SNUBS.  Def.:  (verb) rebuff, ignore, or spurn disdainfully. 

This was a timely clue because for the last two weeks, the internet has been sending me links to articles about who was snubbed by the Oscars. 

Ke Huy Quan won an Academy Award in 2023
 for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in
Everything Everywhere All at Once.

40. Sometimes called, for short: AKA.  It stands for Also Known As and is pronounced ay-kay-ay.

43. "True. However ... ": OK, BUT.

44. World Cup org.: FIFA.  Fédération Internationale de Football Association

Founded in 1904, it is the governing body for many international soccer tournaments, most notably the World Cup.

46. "__, black sheep ... ": BAA BAA.  Have you any wool?  

John Anderson released Black Sheep in 1983.

47. Acquires, as debts: INCURS.     and     58 Down. Have bills to pay: OWE.

48. "Tut-tut" kin: TSK TSK.  I was not familiar with "tut-tut". According to Merriam-Webster, it is used to express disapproval or disbelief.

51. Half a "Star Wars" droid name: DETOO.  Wookieepedia agrees that R2-D2 is sometimes spelled Artoo-Detoo.

53. Put into effect: ENACT.

55. Take __: lose money: A HIT.

57. First mo.: JAN.  

59. Long fish: EEL.

60. That, in Spanish: ESO.  If it feels like the answer to this one keeps changing, it is because it does -- depending on gender, proximity, and number.

Well, almost....

I kid you not, this is the correct grid:  

Have a wonder-fool day, everyone!

P.S.:  Before you alert me to an incorrect link in my first paragraph, please read this explanation of rickrolling.  Gotcha!