Sunday March 28, 2021 Morton J. Mendelson

Theme:  "Body Language" - Hilarious quip.

22. Start of a quip: WHEN SHE LISTENED TO

30. Quip, part 2: MY RIB-TICKLING

37. Quip, part 3: SIDE SPLITTERS

59. Quip, part 4: AND MY GUT-BUSTING

68. Quip, part 5: KNEE-SLAPPERS, SHE

91. Quip, part 6: STOPPED CRYING

97. Quip, part 7: HER EYES OUT AND.

113. End of the quip: LAUGHED HER HEAD OFF

This brings back the old Tribune Media Daily days. We got a quip/quote puzzle every Thursday. But Alan P. Olschwang always used others' quips/quotes. Evan Esar quotes, Reader's Digest (Quotable Quotes), Forbes Quote, etc. 

I think this quip is Morton's own creation. Pretty funny. Creating a quip puzzle is not as easy as it look.

Across:

1. South American capital: LIMA.

5. Cinnamon roll appeal: AROMA.

10. Staff lines?: MEMOS. Notes to the staff. Great clue.

15. Sit-up targets: ABS.

18. Coolers that sound really cool: YETIS. The annual Graybar retiree Las Vegas gathering had this as a raffle prize one year.  They also give us a Grizzly Grip Cup with Graybar logo every year.

19. Disgust: REPEL.

20. Trump who had a cameo in "The First Wives Club": IVANA.

21. Lousy start?: MAL. Malpractice, e.g.

25. Obamacare, briefly: ACA.

26. Was a piece of cake: CAME EASY.

27. Like brackish water: SALINE. I did now know the meaning of "brackish". Wiktionary says it's "Salty or slightly salty, as a mixture of fresh and sea water, such as that found in estuaries."

28. George Orwell's alma mater: ETON. And 33. Approximately 2,200 pounds: TONNE.

29. Fiery felonies: ARSONS.

36. Series of natl. concerts: US TOUR.

44. Remuneration reported in SEC Form 10-K, part 3: CEO-PAY. Maybe a gimme for D-Otto. He knows all those forms. Could not have done our tax without his advice.

48. Excessively expensive: TOO STEEP. Like some of the skincare products.

49. MLB statistic: RBI.

50. To's partner: FRO.

52. "And so on" word: YADA.

53. Perfect agreement: UNISON.

54. Author Fleming: IAN.

55. May, to Peter Parker: AUNT. Aunt May in "Spider-Man".

57. Write: PEN.

58. __ noire: BETE.

64. Cell centers: NUCLEI.

67. Trivial: PALTRY.

74. Type type: PICA.

78. Drift (off): NOD.

79. Afghanistan's Tora __ region: BORA. Always associate this place with Taliban.

80. Thieves' hideout: DEN.

81. Knows about: IS IN ON.

83. Cries of approval: OLES.

85. Tee options, initially: SML.

86. Pasta suffix: INI.

87. How a college resident advisor lives: RENT-FREE.

89. Site of Kubla Khan's palace: XANADU. Kubla Khan was the grandson of Genghis Khan. Kubla Khan founded Yuan dynasty in China. Did you see me there?

 

93. Overly vivid: GARISH.

96. See 14-Down: PAULO. 14. With 96-Across, Brazilian city: SAO.

103. Shabbily dressed: IN RAGS.

108. D.C.'s Pennsylvania and Wisconsin: AVES.

109. Rose hip infusion, e.g.: TISANE. Herbal tea.

110. Landlocked Asian country: MONGOLIA. Genghis Khan founded the Mongol Empire. Inner Mongolia is part of China.

112. FB upload: PIC.

116. Class-conscious gp.?: PTA. Good old clue.

117. Jeff of ELO: LYNNE.

118. Longtime senator Hatch: ORRIN.

119. What's left, in Lyon: RESTE. Rest.

120. "You betcha!": YEP.

121. Feinted on ice: DEKED.

122. Eastwood co-star in "In the Line of Fire": RUSSO. I watched the Chinese version ages ago. John Malkovich killed this girl simply because she's from Minneapolis. This is how I learned the city Minneapolis in the first place.

123. Forest floor growth: MOSS.

Down:

1. "The Merry Widow" composer: LEHAR. Franz.

2. Tabloid couples: ITEMS.

3. Sal of "Rebel Without a Cause": MINEO.

4. Okays: ASSENTS TO.

5. Greek counterpart of Mars: ARES.

6. Fall back (on): RELY.

7. Cosmetics company that began as Odontorium Products Inc.: OPI.

8. Like some breakups: MESSY.

9. Promising spot?: ALTAR. Sweet. Boomer and I were married by a judge in 2001.

10. Shuttle, perhaps: MINIBUS.

11. Shot put and javelin: EVENTS.

12. Got to the top: MADE IT.

13. Can.'s southernmost point is in it: ONT.

15. First-class strings: AMATI.

16. Symbolic food to bring home: BACON.

17. Challenge for a language learner: SLANG. For sure.

18. Fem. advocacy group: YWCA.

23. Doesn't fill, as calendar slots: HAS OPEN.

24. New Haven alum: ELI.

28. Jetson at the Little Dipper School: ELROY.

30. Citi Field player: MET. 34. 30-Down's div.: NLE. National League East.

31. Milk source: COCONUT.

32. Letter before ar: KUE. Gluey.

35. Chill in the air: NIP.

37. Theater memento: STUB.

38. Actress Skye: IONE.

39. "No more procrastinating!": DO IT.

40. Ancient Qumran denizen: ESSENE.

41. Piping, perhaps: TRIM.

42. Company with a four-color lowercase logo: EBAY.

43. Match site: RING.

45. Big __: baseball's David Ortiz: PAPI. Was a Twin once.

46. Mideast gulf port: ADEN.

47. Yin and __: YANG.

50. Party chaired by Mahmoud Abbas: FATAH.

51. Russian capital: RUBLE.

56. Original D&D co.: TSR.

59. Warning sound: ALARM.

60. The Himalayan monal is its national bird: NEPAL. Did not know the bird.  Such bright plumage.

61. Onion __: DIP.

62. P.O. alternative: UPS.

63. Epitomize: TYPIFY.

65. Port letters: USB.

66. Feeling of finality: CLOSURE.

68. Fortune-filled fort: KNOX. Fort Knox.

69. "A Streetcar Named Desire" setting, informally: NOLA.

70. Prime real estate?: EDEN. Another great clue.

71. Dele and stet, say: EDIT.

72. Apt "casino" rhyme: RENO.

73. Sassy sort: SNIP.

75. Crucifix letters: INRI.

76. Either of two filmmaking brothers: COEN. From MN. Joel Coen is married to actress "Fargo" actress Frances McDormand.

77. Uncommon blood type: Abbr.: A NEG.

81. Slope: INCLINE.

82. Coerce: STRONG-ARM.

84. Wise ones: SAGES.

87. Blues-rocker Chris: REA.

88. End of a Brigham Young address?: EDU.

90. Wedding __: DAY. May 25. For us.

91. Quieted, but often not quietly: SHUSHED.

92. Opposite of COD: PPD.

94. "My performance was awful!": I STUNK.

95. Elegantly groomed: SOIGNE. New word to me also.

97. Smiling, probably: HAPPY. So happy for you, Oo. I know the amount of work involved.

98. Text with an RSVP: E-VITE.

99. Sportscast staple: RECAP.

100. __ Bo: TAE.

101. Dual conjunction: AND/OR.

102. '60s jacket style: NEHRU.

104. Copland ballet with a hoedown: RODEO.

105. At __: clueless: A LOSS.

106. Natural talents: GIFTS. I'm amazed at the talents of our blogging team. They really rock.

107. One way to play it: SAFE.

110. 3-D med. tools: MRIS.

111. "Oops!": OH NO.

113. Honorary legal deg.: LLD.

114. Bit of bridge obedience: AYE.

115. Um cousins: ERS.

C.C.

Thursday, March 19th 2020 Morton J. Mendelson

Theme Whodunnit - the theme entries tell a short story.

17A. The con entered the bank under an __, ...: ASSUMED IDENTITY

27A. ... told the banker a __, ...: FABRICATED STORY

44A. ... opened an account with a __, ...: COUNTERFEIT BILL

56A. ... and cashed a check with a __: FORGED SIGNATURE

Hands up, straight off the bat, I'll confess, I'm not a fan of the narrative puzzle. This is cleverly done, four 15's across the grid is no small feat to pull off, but ... these kind of themes just don't work for me.

For crossword aficionados, Merle Reagle once ran two consecutive Sunday puzzles under the title "Kindergarten Crime Spree" and I was yawning by the end of the first one, let alone the second. Maybe that's what set me against the gimmick? I still, just my 2¢, we can agree to disagree. I'll take my Mr. Grumpy hat off now.

However, there were a couple of clues I'm still baffled by, maybe you can help me out. The first is 10D. "CV" is an abbreviation for "Curriculum Vitae", or "resumé" here in the US. The clue/answer makes no sense. "Vita" is not short for CV, and forms no part of the original phrase. I think there's just basic misunderstanding here, maybe? I don't want to spout all Latin genitive at you, but this is all wrong.

The second is 57D. "Apt answer for this puzzle location". What? "... clue location" I could understand, but "puzzle location"? I think wires crossed again. But, there are more important things in the world to worry about at the moment, so I'll park my irk and let's see what was enjoyable:

Across:

1. Jazzes (up): PEPS

5. "Let's open a window": I'M HOT

10. Musical riff: VAMP

14. Louver part: SLAT

15. Whistle blower: COACH. Nice clue, sometimes you don't see the obvious.

16. Retailer whose logo colors are the same as on its founder's national flag: IKEA

20. Sly critic: SNIPER. Someone who snipes.

21. Became frothy: FOAMED

22. Fertility clinic supply: OVA

24. Prefix with content: MAL

25. Not agin: FER

26. Amazon snake: BOA

31. Catching a break: IN LUCK

32. Iditarod runner: HUSKY

33. "High School Musical" extra: TEEN

34. Crouched behind a boulder: HID

35. This and that, say: PAIR. This had me thinking for a while. Nice clue for a simple word.

39. Jack of "The Great Dictator": OAKIE

42. Colorado's "Steel City": PUEBLO. The first steel mill was built to supply rail lines for the new Denver - Rio Grande railroad. It's still going strong. I didn't immediately associate Colorado with steel mills.

48. One in a tchr.'s key: ANS. The answer key for teachers. You'd think they'd know the answers without having to cheat :)

49. Canadian whisky: RYE. Odd clue, there's nothing to say that Canadian whisky has to be rye. It must be fermented, distilled and aged in Canada, but you can make it from pretty much whatever grain you like. Here's a collection of single malts. Cheers!

50. Old call letters?: MCI. The name stood for Microwave Communications Inc. Worldcom bought them in 1998.

51. "The Hollow Men" poet's monogram: TSE. Thomas Stearns Eliot on his driver's license. It's not the most cheery of poems:

Sightless, unless

The eyes reappear

As the perpetual star

Multifoliate rose

Of death's twilight kingdom

The hope only

Of empty men.

52. Giggle: TEE HEE

54. It merged with CBS in 2019: VIACOM. Viacom need to make up their minds. CBS was spun off from the original Viacom in 2005. Now they're all smiles and back together again.

60. JFK part: Abbr.: INIT. This had me puzzled for a while. JFK is three initials, therefore an abbreviation of part of it.

61. Languid: INERT

62. Pic to click: ICON

63. Koppel and others: TEDS. Koppel best known as the "Nightline" anchor on ABC.

64. "Long time __!": NO SEE!

65. Like racehorses: SHOD

Down:

1. TV ad promoting water conservation, e.g.: PSA

2. Golfer Ernie from South Africa: ELS

3. Good enough: PASSABLE

4. Bowl over: STUN

5. Swell treatment?: ICE PACK

6. Classic Ford: MODEL A. It replaced the Model T, which seems a little peculiar.

7. Word with net or ball: HAIR

8. Anxious med. condition: O.C.D. Obsessive-compulsive disorder.

9. American agents, familiarly: THE FEDS

10. CV, briefly: VITA. See my comment in the intro on this.

11. With hands on hips: AKIMBO

12. Night streaker: METEOR

13. Bright spot in the workweek: PAY DAY. In my first job after school we were paid in cash on a Thursday. We were given a half-hour to pick up the pay packet from the pay window. There was a little corner of the envelope you tore off and counted the contents before you stepped away.

18. Copycat: MIMIC

19. Language of Oslo, in Oslo: NORSK

22. Make the most __: OF IT

23. Barn topper: VANE. The antique ones go for quite a lot of money.

25. Clash of clans: FEUD

28. Sentence that should be two or more sentences: RUN-ON

29. Crook: THIEF

30. Laid-back sort: TYPE B. Do type-b people drive Model A Fords?

34. New employee: HIRE

36. Over the top: A BIT MUCH

37. Societal woes: ILLS

38. What a hat may symbolize: ROLE. A little puzzlement at first, but "wearing my sales hat" for example.

40. Trapped, after "up": A TREE

41. Entered: KEYED IN

42. Salsa option: PICANTE

43. New York college town: UTICA

44. Tantrum: CATFIT. Never heard of it. I'd like to tell you if it is one word or two, but Google didn't help a whole lot. I did find an article about cat seizures, which is not what I expected, and I found some workout programs.

45. Pre-shoot-out score, perhaps: ONE-ONE

46. Cyberhandle: USER-ID. My first thought was "AVATAR", but that's your pictorial persona.

47. Political fugitive: ÉMIGRÉ

53. Driver's lic. stats: HGTS

54. Competes: VIES

55. Blues singer Redding: OTIS. Who can't resist a couple of minutes to listen again to this?

57. __-cone: SNO

58. Hundred Acre Wood denizen: ROO. Here's one of the original illustrations of Kanga and Roo. Don't talk to me about the Disney cartoonification of the books and their commercialization beyond.

59. Apt answer for this puzzle location: END. Another bit of clue bafflement, as I mentioned at the top.

Which brings me to the grid! Stay safe and make smart choices. Shelter-in-place is a smart choice, whether or not mandated in your specific area.

Steve

Wednesday, October 30, 2019, Morton J. Mendelson

Theme: THE OUTER LIMITS

15 (rows) x 16 (columns) to accommodate the 16-letter theme answer STUCK ONE'S NECK OUT.

21. Risked it big-time: LIVED ON THE EDGE.

37. Risked it big-time: STUCK ONE'S NECK OUT.

55. Risked it big-time: WENT OUT ON A LIMB.

Across:

1. Gets misty, with "up": FOGS.

5. Salon treatment, briefly: PEDI. Never gets old.

9. Benjamins: C SPOTS. $100 dollar bills. The "C" refers to the Roman numeral for 100.

15. Curly coif: AFRO.

16. Popular river name from the Welsh for "river": AVON. Learning moment, I did not know the origin.

17. They're exchanged in Hawaii: ALOHAS.

18. Nonstick cookware product: T-FAL. This brand name is a portmanteau of the words TEFlon and ALuminium. I use cast iron cookware almost exclusively. Once it's seasoned there is no issue with sticking.

19. Religious season: LENT. Religious season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. It is a traditional time for fasting or giving something up or abstinence.

20. "Don't take the blame": DENY IT.

24. Cooler filler: ICE.

25. Chinese zodiac critter: RAT. 2019 is a year of the Pig, starting from February 5th 2019 and ending on January 24th 2020. 2020 will be a year of the Rat. 2018 was a year of the Dog.

26. Approximate nos.: ESTS.

27. MN and NM: STS. States - Minnesota and New Mexico.

30. Puts (in) tentatively: PENCILS. Who solves on paper? Pencil or pen?

32. Bad-mouth: DIS.

33. Word before bug or ant: FIRE.

34. Prov. bordering four Great Lakes: ONT. Ontario is bordered to the south by Great Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie & Ontario. 

35. Hairpiece: RUG.

36. Hazardous gas: RADON.

42. Parrots geese: HONKS. Had a hard time deciphering this clue.

43. Fill up on: EAT.

44. Nero's 91: XCI.

45. Exclusive: ONLY.

46. Part of UNLV: LAS. University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

47. Wore: SPORTED.

51. BB-shaped veggie: PEA. Or pea-shaped ammo.

52. Coll. Board exams: SATS.

53. "I'm sorry, Dave" film computer: HAL. In the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL is a sentient computer that controls the systems of the Discovery One spacecraft and interacts with the ship's astronaut crew.

54. "__ you serious?": ARE.

59. Compensate for: OFFSET.

61. Short hoppers?: ROOS. Short for kangaROO.

62. Hall of Fame pitcher Randy "The Big __" Johnson: UNIT. From Wikipedia: During batting practice in 1988, the 6'10" Johnson, then with the Montreal Expos, collided head-first with outfielder Tim Raines, prompting his teammate to exclaim, "You're a big unit!" The nickname stuck.

63. Hairpiece: TOUPEE.

64. Pennsylvania county: ERIE.

65. 5 for B or 6 for C: AT. NO. Atomic Number is the number of protons found in the nucleus of every atom of that element. The atomic number uniquely identifies a chemical element. It is identical to the charge number of the nucleus.

66. Coffee and wine: COLORS. Sneaky.

67. Lairs: DENS.

68. One logging on: USER.

Down:

1. Fistfight souvenir: FAT LIP. Haha. Same amount of letters as SHINER, but perps prevented that.

2. __ hours: OFFICE.

3. Second Commandment adjective: GRAVEN. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image ..."

4. Footprint maker: SOLE.

5. Silicon Valley city: PALO ALTO.

6. Pentathlon's five: EVENTS. Fencing, freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, and a final combined event of pistol shooting and cross country running.

7. "That's a no-no!": DON'T.

8. Where losers of a race may be left: IN THE DUST.

9. West Point students: CADETS.

10. Gravity-powered vehicles: SLEDS. Wondering if we're going to have snow here in my neck of the woods this year, it's regularly below freezing overnight now.

11. Classic video game: PONG.

12. Reaffirming rebuttal: OH YES I DO.

13. __ chi: TAI.

14. Boomer that no longer booms: SST. Not our Boomer.

22. Screwdrivers, e.g.: DRINKS. Clever misdirection.

23. Give approval online, in a way: E-SIGN.

28. Slacks, briefly: TROU. If you say so.

29. Email status: SENT.

31. Far from self-effacing: COCKY.

33. Mystic on a bed of nails: FAKIR. A Sufi Muslim ascetic who has taken vows of poverty and worship, renouncing all relations and possessions. 

35. Comforted: REASSURED.

36. Soda since 1905: RC COLA.

37. Explore OfferUp: SHOP.

38. Hue: TONE.

39. Prohibited: UNLAWFUL.

40. "Awesome!": NEATO.

41. Wide-open spaces: EXPANSES.

46. Coffeehouse orders: LATTES.

47. Sure winner: SHOO IN. This expression purportedly comes from the practice of corrupt jockeys holding their horses back and shooing a preselected winner across the finish line to guarantee that it will win. A “shoo-in” is now an easy winner, with no connotation of dishonesty. “Shoe-in” is a common misspelling.

48. Contaminates: TAINTS.

49. White-coated weasel: ERMINE.

50. One with bills to pay: DEBTOR.

52. Look of disdain: SNEER.

56. Hockey's Phil, to fans: ESPO. Philip Anthony Esposito OC is a Canadian broadcaster, and former professional ice hockey executive, coach and player.

57. Sped: TORE.

58. Waikiki bash: LUAU.

59. Needing no Rx: OTC. Over The counter.

60. Egg __ yung: FOO. An asian omelet-like dish, usually served with gravy.

Friday, June 29, 2018, Morton J. Mendelsohn

Title: Somewhere Under the Rainbow.

This is puzzle number 6 here at the LAT for retired PROFESSOR MENDELSOHN a well-published Psychology researcher from McGill University in Montreal. He first published twice in the NYT followed by 5 LATs last year with one being a Friday. MJM uses a theme which we have seen before, where words in the down fill are clued to represent B(under)A phrases. He makes it his own by locating 4 unique to the puzzle world phrases that work. He adds triple stacks of 6 letter words in the NW and SE corners, with doubled up 8 letter fill in the NE and SW which include the sparkly LOOKED IN, MERE HINT and USO SHOWS. He sprinkles some amusing word combos and some geography.  There are included stuff from other puzzles for the week. See how many you recognize. we have:

4D. Carefully consider, literally: ADVISEMENT TAKE (14).  Take UNDER Advisement.

8D. Add to the list of possible perps, literally: SUSPICION PUT (12). Put UNDER Suspicion.

16D. Ail, literally: THE WEATHER FEEL (14). Feel UNDER the Weather.

20D. Rein in, literally: CONTROL BRING (12). Bring UNDER Control.

Across:

1. Fix: ATTACH. Not an easy start for me.

7. Egyptian symbols of royalty: ASPS. All you need to know about these SNAKES.

11. Fitness stat.: BMI. Body Mass Index. Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson (6'5" 262 pounds)  comes in as "obese" with a reading of 31.1. Yeah, right.

14. Greeted casually, with "to": SAID HI. I did not need the "to."

15. Grill: QUESTION.

17. Classic London theatre: OLD VIC. The Old Vic, originally named the Royal Coburg Theatre, was designed in 1818 by Rudolph Cabanel, where it stands now south-east of Waterloo Station. various.

18. They raise camp spirit: USO SHOWS. SO? Hmm.

19. Arrive on an air taxi: FLY IN. Air Taxi?

20. Cereal box rank: CAP'N. I guess this makes this puzzle crunchy.

21. North-of-the-border gas: ESSO. An example?

22. "Could be better": SO SO. Cute next to ESSO.

24. Second of a Caesarean three: I SAW. VIDI.

26. Undressed: BARE.

29. "Squawk Box" channel: CNBC.

31. Feinted: DEKED. We hockey fans know this term,

35. Cheese town: EDAM. Edam is a semi-hard cheese that originated in the Netherlands and is named after the town of Edam in the province of North Holland. Packed in red.

36. Abruzzi bell town: ATRI. Long ago there was a king in Italy who was known for his goodness and wisdom. King John of Atri believed in justice, and so one day he purchased a great bell to hang in a tower in the village square...

37. The Congo, formerly: ZAIRE.

38. Tune (out): ZONE.  Not related to 33D. White out: ERASE.

39. Agonize (over): BROOD. This verb was originally used with an object, i.e., ‘to nurse (feelings) in the mind’ (late 16th century), a figurative use of the notion of a hen nursing chicks under her wings.

41. Catching strategy: TRAP. For C.C. What is Trapped? A baseball term that describes the state of a fly ball or line drive that touches the ground just prior to being concealed and secured by a player's glove.

42. Key wood: EBONY. It took a moment too long for me to see this LINK.

44. Hyatt competitor: OMNI. The one in Miami closed but THESE are still open.

45. Horde: HOST.

46. Slow movement: LENTO. In music. 58A. Major relative to F minor: A-FLAT. JzB, help me!

47. Canter: LOPE.

48. Pre-event periods: EVES.

49. Pyramid, to Tut: TOMB.

51. Kindle reader, say: USER. One who uses the Kindle not the device.

53. Quartet named for its members: ABBA. Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

56. Q.E.D. word: ERAT. Quod Erat Demonstrandum.

62. Checked (on): LOOKED IN. With so many oldsters living here, we look in and bring homecooked treats to them.

64. Mock: PSEUDO.

65. Barely a trace: MERE HINT. Like good perfume.

66. Party to a search: SEEKER.

67. Is for some: ARE. Cute, think about it.

68. Declines: SAGS. nothing but un-pc comes to mind.

69. Least well: ILLEST. Not a favorite.

Down:

1. Dating from: AS OF.

2. Hard to believe: TALL. Tale. The HISTORY?

3. Not like a sty: TIDY.

5. Slacks material: CHINO.  Versus KHAKI?

6. Kool-Aid alternative: HI-C.

7. Marine opening?: AQUA.

9. Lowly laborers: PEONS. Not since the serf days?

10. Cooking-burger sound: SSS.



11. Dust jacket blurbs: BIOS.

12. Manicures, in a way: MOWS. The lawn, or for Steve and NC and others, the garden.

13. __ many words: IN SO.

23. One who crosses the line: SCAB. From blemish … to strikebreaker, the history of the word scab … shows a displacement of meaning from the visceral or physical to the moral register … Just as a scab is a physical lesion, the strikebreaking scab disfigures the social body of labor—both the solidarity of workers and the dignity of work.

25. Wood dresser: ADZ.

26. Gem mounting: BEZEL. Bezel settings use a type of elevated collar which wraps the rim of the diamond in a complete metal edging

27. Pueblo building material: ADOBE.

28. Talked nonstop: RAN ON. Like many of my sentences.

30. Stomach relief, briefly: BROMO.

32. Bolshoi rival: KIROV.

34. Firm parts: Abbr.: DEPTS.

40. Runs out of juice: DIES.

43. Hoo's first?: YOO. Chocolate drink.

50. Social __: MEDIA.

52. Brainstorming staple: EASEL. Whiteboard these days.

53. Operatic Gluck: ALMA.

54. Dutch colonist: BOER. More cute pairing with...

55. Put to sleep: BORE.

57. Unwanted workers: ANTS.

59. Uncle to Ben Solo: LUKE. Ben Solo, Princess Leia's son. A dark warrior strong with the Force, Kylo Ren commands First Order missions with a temper as fiery as his unconventional lightsaber.

60. Vitamin C sources: ADES. Yay! CSO for me!!!!!

61. Libel or slander: TORT.   A civil wrong.

63. Doubtful interjections: EHS.

64. Tire shop meas.: PSI. Pounds per Square Inch.

We have almost put another month in the corner record books, with HG closing the deal tomorrow with one of his exhaustive explications. I hope to see you all back here next month. Thank you, Morton and cornerites, Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Barry G, a regular on our blog for many years. How's work, Barry? Do you still have to drive a long way to work? How's Joshua?

July 2, 2016

Thursday 21st December 2017 Morton J. Mendelson

Theme:

17A. Whirligig : SPINNING TOY. I'd call it a "spinning top", but that would rather defeat the purpose of the theme.

25A. Mont Blanc, e.g. : ALPINE PEAK. It's probably the least peak-y of the well-known Alps. It's big though. The ski resort of Chamonix sits in the valley below.

37A. Fine woolen wear : CASHMERE SWEATER.

46A. Westminster award : BEST IN SHOW. The Westminster Dog Show. This commercial for Audi never fails to make me laugh.

55A. Motown group ... and what 17-, 25-, 37- and 46-Across comprise? : THE FOUR TOPS. 

It's the same old song.  No, not the theme, the music. The theme entries came pretty easily, just one very minor nit with the toy/top issue I mentioned above.

This is a rare puzzle that I didn't finish. I thought that Charlotteville was in South Carolina, but USC didn't tie with EUREKA and I flat-out could not see VW BUGS, so that V was my blank spot.

Hindsight being 20/20, it couldn't really have been any other letter, but even multiple alphabet runs brought me up short. I'll blame jet-lag, even though I never really get affected by it!

Let's see what else Mr. Mendelson challenged us with:

Across:

1. It can generate a lot of interest : CREDIT. The interest can escalate pretty quickly unless you behave. The credit card companies love that.

7. Become less aloof : THAW

11. Texting format, briefly : SMS. Short Message Service. Pictures and what-have-you use MMS, Multimedia Messaging Service.

14. Saint of Ávila : TERESA

15. Opera set in Egypt : AIDA

16. Fell with an ax : HEW

19. Toothpaste-approving org. : A.D.A.

20. Northernmost capital on the Mississippi : ST. PAUL I'm sure C.C. knew this right off the bat. I had to wait for a couple of crosses.

21. Key of Grieg's only piano concerto: Abbr. : A MIN. Nice change from the African Dictator clue.

22. Careful way to play it : SAFE

28. Class-conscious gp.? : P.T.A.

29. Actress de Armas of "Blade Runner 2049" : ANA. Thank you, crosses. I've not seen the new Blade Runner, the original was great.

30. Swivel around : SLUE. Great word.

31. Fielding mishap : ERROR

33. Attacking fiercely : STORMING. Usually the castle. With pitchforks and torches.

40. Increased steadily : SPIRALED

41. Rogue : KNAVE

42. Lively, in mus. : ANIM. Animato, in a lively manner.

43. Charlottesville sch. : U.V.A. As I mentioned in the intro, jut could not see this.

45. Majors in acting : LEE

50. Admiral who explored the Antarctic : BYRD

51. x, y and z, in math : AXES

52. 11th Greek letter : LAMBDA. These chaps. Upper and lower case. Λ λ

54. "Hey, ewe!" : BAA!

60. Large shade tree : ELM

61. Run into : MEET

62. Garden figures in red hats : GNOMES. I'm going to launch a line of sundials with a gnome as the gnomon, if somebody hasn't already thought of it.

63. Muddy pen : STY

64. Scalawags : IMPS

65. Grieg wrote only one for piano : SONATA. In E Minor, unlike his one piano concerto. I wonder why he only wrote one of each?

Down:

1. Euro parts: Abbr. : CTS. Eurolets are cents. I'm not sure I knew that.

2. Street cred : REP. Urban slang, I'm guessing from "reputation."

3. "__ tu": Verdi aria : ERI

4. Not getting it : DENSE

5. Ain't right? : ISN'T

6. Clavell's "Shogun" sequel : TAIPAN. I boomeranged between SAIPAN, TAIPEI and finally settled on the correct answer.

7. Prepare to advance after a fly ball : TAG UP. Baseball. It's like cricket, except with round bats. And four bases. And a mound. And nine on each side. And a pitcher, not a bowler. And you only have one batter up at a time. And he's not called a batsman. And he has to run if he hits the ball fair. OK, it's nothing like cricket.

8. Schedules of items to deal with : HIT LISTS. I call mine to-do lists.

9. Hubbub : ADO

10. Path : WAY. Pathway!

11. "Tut-tut!" : SHAME!

12. __ blitz : MEDIA. Nice fill-in-the-blank. Took me a while to see this one.

13. Two-time Best Actress winner Hilary : SWANK

18. Simba's mate : NALA. The Lion King. Still on my to-do list (!) to see it on Broadway.

21. Hypothetical evolutionary link : APEMAN

22. Short glasses? : SPECS

23. Set __ for: lure : A TRAP

24. Language that gave us "bazaar" : FARSI. Also khaki, caravan and julep, among others.

26. Sweet'__: coffee additive : N LOW

27. California's motto : EUREKA! I've lived here for 25 years and didn't know this. Made official in 1963, apparently comes from the Gold Rush days.

29. Stylish suit : ARMANI. Depends who's wearing it. I know people who could make an Armani suit look like a bunch of old rags.

32. "Darn it!" : OH RATS!

33. But, to Brutus : SED. Thank you, Latin lessons.

34. See 43-Down : ITALY

35. When the sun rises in the west : NEVER. Took me a while to figure this out. I toyed with SIX AM for absolutely no sensible reason until the penny dropped.

36. Avarice : GREED

38. Mother of Sam and Charlie Woods : ELIN. Tiger's offspring. I recognized the names, but couldn't place them at first.

39. Dreaming phase : R.E.M. SLEEP. Rapid Eye Movement.

43. Man, in 34-Down : UOMO

44. Beetles : VW BUGS. Stymied by the V. It's odd, I would call a VW Beetle a Bug, but not the converse.

46. Innocent ones : BABES

47. Sing the praises of : EXALT

48. Hardly wholesome : SEAMY

49. Sword handles : HAFTS. I associate hilts with swords and hafts with hand axes or hatchets.

50. Relay stick : BATON

53. Spy-fi villain on Crab Key : DR. NO. Nailed it! Thank you, ghosts of crosswords past.

55. "I don't need the deets!" : TMI! Texter's Too Much Information!

56. Fence (in) : HEM

57. Medical suffix : -OMA Haematoma, glaucoma, Sonoma - no, scrub that last one.

58. Odie, to Jon Arbuckle : PET. Garfield's apparently dim-witted co-pet.

59. Org. funded by FICA : S.S.A. Payroll taxes raised by the Federal Insurance Contributions Act fund the Social Security Administration.

I think that does it for me. Hasta luego!

Steve

Thursday, November 30th 2017 Morton J. Mendelson

Theme: Split P's Soup - The clues form the theme with a vowel progression between the two P's

17A. Pap : MUSHY FOOD. About as appetizing as it sounds.

24A. Pep : GET UP AND GO. Nice phrase, difficult to parse from a partially-completed grid.

38A. Pip : DIE SPOT. I tried ONE SPOT first, but TEO'S and GERN at 31D and 24D respectively nudged me that something was amiss.

49A. Pop : MUSIC GENRE. "Pop" is often used derogatively, but there's something about a good pop song that lifts the soul.

60A. Pup : YOUNG SEAL. Had YOUNGSTER until nothing would work in the SW corner.

Good Morning from 39,000 feet!. It's cold outside, as the in-flight website shows:

I never cease to be amazed by technology. This wireless internet caper at this altitude is nothing more than dark magic and hocus-pocus to me.

Anyway, back to the puzzle. A nice alphabet progression from Morton, and four of the five theme entries are new to all the major puzzles which makes for a nice fresh feel to the grid.

Let's see what else catches the eye:

Across:

1. WC : LAV Common term in the UK, from whence I just returned. I can stop talking like Dick Van Dyke in "Mary Poppins" now.

4. Cardiff-born : WELSH

9. Many Dickens kids : WAIFS

14. Action film gun : UZI

15. Kauai greeting : ALOHA. Greeting and farewell. Handy word.

16. Northern home : IGLOO

19. Like hardened mud on boots : CAKED

20. Asks too many questions : PRIES

21. Central points : FOCI. Some prefer "focuses", but that's the verb, not the noun.

23. Mountain legend : YETI

30. Getting-started instruction : STEP ONE. Self-assembly furniture, the bane of modern life, usually starts with counting the screws, washers and what-not and finding yourself one short of something.

32. 1976 Dylan song about his first wife : SARA. I'd not heard this track before. When I listened to it, I would have sworn it was Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler if I didn't know it was Bob.

33. Like FM radio, typically : IN STEREO

36. Old lab heaters : ETNAS. We used Bunsen burners in school. Handy for setting fire to just about anything within reach, including your classmate's tie. I'm surprised we survived school sometimes. One of my friends once went home unawares with a flask of sulphuric acid in his overcoat pocket, slipped in there by another chum.

37. Playa __ Rey: L.A. community : DEL. Between the Marina and the airport. It's pretty peaceful in spite of the proximity to LAX.

41. Biol. or chem. : SCI. 

42. Places to find stacks : IHOPS. And blue roofs.

44. Some DVD bonus tracks : OUTTAKES. Some of the best parts of Pixer's movies are the specially-created "outtakes" that they run with the credits at the end of the film. The animators have a lot of fun with those.

46. Little dipper? : OREO We take Oreos by popular request to the UK when we visit. For some reason they're rather expensive over there. Also, the more unusual M&M flavors, Lawry's garlic salt and bean dip. It always fascinates the TSA guys when they open the bag.

47. Lovey-dovey : AMOROUS

51. Sounds of activity : HUMS

55. __ beer : NEAR. And pretty much pointless, in my humble opinion. Also known as "small beer." There's a tombstone in the grounds of Winchester Cathedral in England which serves as a dire warning against drinking this stuff. I was just there the other day.

 

56. Legendary moralist : AESOP

57. Angiogram image : AORTA

64. Counterintelligence targets : SPIES

65. The life of Paris? : LA VIE

66. Tre meno due : UNA. 3-2=1 in any language.

67. Disconcerting gaze : STARE. I get uncomfortable when cats stare at me. I know they're plotting something dire.

68. Stingray kin : SKATE

69. Salary : PAY

Down:

1. Like poorly made Cream of Wheat : LUMPY. Is this also pap?

2. Clear blue : AZURE

3. Stay and catch up : VISIT

4. Techniques : WAYS

5. "The Hobbit" being : ELF. "E" and wait for the crosses.

6. WC : LOO

7. "Homeland" channel, for short : SHO. Showtime.

8. Enjoyed themselves : HAD FUN

9. Contemporary pagan religion : WICCA

10. In contact with : AGAINST

11. Kind : ILK

12. A Capulet, to a Montague : FOE. Romeo and Juliet.

13. Cover for a bald spot? : SOD

18. Art theft, e.g. : HEIST. Art and bank vault robberies always seemed to be "heists". Everything else is plain old larceny.

22. Unlatch, poetically : OPE'

24. "Deadwood" actress Jewell : GERI

25. Fencing sword : EPÉE

26. "Should I have waited?" : TOO SOON? Often the question comes after a joke in bad taste regarding a recent tragic event.

27. Lenox china brand : DANSK. Crosses all the way.

28. Word with period or note : GRACE. One of these little notes on the stave. They're barely played before a quick segue into the note following.

29. It might be a mirage : OASIS

31. Koppel and others : TEDS

33. By the seat of one's pants, e.g. : IDIOM

34. Indira Gandhi's father : NEHRU. A lot of people think Mahatma Gandhi was Indira's father. Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India following independence from British rule.

35. Plumlike fruits : SLOES. Take a bottle of gin, a generous handful of sloes, prick the berries all over with a needle, steep in the gin for a few days or longer - voila, sloe gin.

36. Classic accusation : ET TU?

39. Be catty? : PURR

40. Missouri River native : OTOE

43. Laser device : POINTER. I've got one on my PowerPoint remote clicker for presentations. Dogs love chasing the red dot around the room.

45. Clambake leftovers : ASHES

47. Ottoman honorific : AGA

48. Ice dancing Olympic gold medalist Davis and Oscar winner Streep : MERYLS. I knew the actress, not the dancer.

50. Pull the plug on : CEASE

52. Run through : USE UP

53. 2016 Disney film set in the South Seas : MOANA. I think I saw film. By the fact I "think" I saw it probably means it wasn't a Disney classic.

54. Spread apart : SPLAY

56. Tommie of '60s-'70s baseball : AGEE. Nailed it!  Thanks to many crosswords under my belt.

57. Hee-hawing animal : ASS

58. Choose : OPT

59. Narrow inlet : RIA

61. Barrel wood : OAK

62. The Cavaliers of the ACC : UVA. University of Virginia, naturally.

63. It may be picked : NIT. But never, ever here at the Corner.

That about rounds it off. I'll leave you with this cloudscape in London last Sunday, and the grid. The iPhone really does take pretty good photos sometimes!

Steve

Friday, October 13, 2017, Morton J. Mendelson

Title: Text speak meets grid spanner = WTF _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

How interesting that after last week where Jeffrey inserted an acronym (IOUS) to create new fill, MJM uses initialisms as the introduction to a 15 letter in the language phrase. As someone who has used initialisms my entire life (e.g. DKDC), this was easier than it might have been, as getting a word from the perps got me started. When texting first was available, a friend and I would send each other
letter strings and try to solve them. The insane responses were usually better than the intended comment. Anyway, many fun words with interesting etymology. Off we go.

The themers:

17A. TW ... : DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT (15). Two Wrongs...

25A. DCYC ... : BEFORE THEY HATCH (15). Don't Count Your Chickens...

44A. CI ... : NEXT TO GODLINESS (15). Cleanliness Is...

58A. AGT ... : MUST COME TO AN END (15). All Good Things...

The rest:

Across:

1. Yanks' foes: JAYS. No, they are playing Houston in the ALCS.

5. Operation designed to hurt: STING. Hurt? To me, they either defraud someone (the oldest was by the Praetorian guard who sold the Roman Empire to Julianus in 193 C.E.) or to arrest someone. LINK.

10. Shipboard resident: SWAB. I think of swabbie/y, but the Urban dictionary says: "This term, frequently used by non-sailors to refer to sailors, is most likely a contraction of the term "swabbie" or "swabby", presumably derived from the notion of sailors "swabbing the deck". "Swabbie/y" is currently in use only among the elderly; 'swab' is the more common term among young people." Proving once again, I am elderly.

14. CFO, e.g. : EXEC.

15. Not as likely to mess up: ABLER.

16. Walk without getting anywhere? : PACE. I like this definition.

20. Shoelace site: INSTEP. Did you ever think about the origin of this word? Sounds like it is backwards - it is where you step in the shoe. But, the dictionary says: "late Middle English: of unknown origin; compare with West Frisian ynstap ‘opening in a shoe for insertion of the foot.’"

21. Shipboard chums: MATEYS. Mini-clecho with 10A.

22. Tenn. neighbor: ALA. Abbr. - abbr.

24. Apartment listing abbr. : RMS.

34. Nice with? : AVEC. The Nice, France trick.

35. Gobs and gobs: SLEWS. More dictionary- from the Irish Slaugh.

36. Cart for heavy loads: DRAY. "for delivering beer barrels or other heavy loads, especially a low one without sides."

37. Filly's brother: COLT.

38. Fighter eulogized by Bill Clinton, among others: ALI.

39. Old-time teacher: MARM. Based on a variant pronunciation of ma'am.

40. "The Grapes of Wrath" figure: OKIE.

41. Beams: GRINS.

43. Prime real estate? : EDEN. I like this clue.

47. Downed a sub, say: ATE.

48. In-law's wife, possibly: SIS.

49. Refrigerates: CHILLS.

53. One of a biblical ten: PLAGUE. Commandments clearly did not fit.

62. Like quality beef: AGED.

63. One "sitting lonely on the placid bust," in a classic poem: RAVEN.
“But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -
Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before -
On the morrow, he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.’
Then the bird said, 'Nevermore.”

64. Course with relevant tangents: TRIG.

65. Regular guys: JOES.

66. Finals, e.g.: EXAMS.

67. Spot: SITE. Mira, there she goes!

Down:

1. "Star Wars" warrior: JEDI. How many have seen THE Trailer?

2. Nerve cell part: AXON.

3. Cravings: YENS.

4. Ewan McGregor, for one: SCOT. More Star Wars.

5. They're often free: SAMPLES.

6. Sched. question mark: TBA.

7. Kind: ILK. A repeat.

8. Once called: NEE. Not FKA.

9. Sir Georg Solti's record 31: GRAMMYS.  Did you know? LINK.

10. Rotating rod: SPIT.

11. Conduct: WAGE. Like war.

12. Hurting: ACHY. I almost linked "Achy Breaky Heart" which was triple platinum in Australia, and number 2 on Blender magazine's 50 Worst Songs Ever.

13. Puts money (on): BETS.

18. Dash: TEAR. Tear down the stairs.

19. Not at all reflective:: RASH. Impulsive.

23. On the lam: AT LARGE.

24. Backs up a videotape: REWINDS. Backs up? Made me think of re-recording.

25. Cobb salad ingredient: BACON.

26. Bring to mind: EVOKE.

27. Composer Mendelssohn: FELIX. He looks like a young Gene Wilder. Almost a CSO; I wonder if Morton's family removed the extra "S" and the "H." Then lent them to the green stamp people.

28. Good-sized wedding band: OCTET.

29. Prefix for "sun" : HELIO. I know only this one. Hélio Castroneves.

30. Madison Ave. Pitchers: ADMEN.

31. Carpentry, e.g.: TRADE. CSO.

32. Worries: CARES.

33. Church numbers: HYMNS.

41. Reacted to an arduous workout: GOT SORE.

42. Shoes without laces: SLIP ONS. Aha! More shoe references.

45. Gymnast's powder: TALC.

46. Ibiza, por ejemplo: ISLA. Spanish.

49. Key of the finale of Brahms' Symphony No. 1: CMAJ. Lots of classical music.

50. "Les Misérables" author: HUGO.

51. "Now it's clear": I SEE.

52. Old Fords: LTDS.

54. Hard-working colonizers: ANTS.

55. Spice Girl Halliwell: GERI. Still recording.

56. Second, e.g.: UNIT.

57. Sharp side: EDGE.

59. Reach capacity, with "out": MAX.

60. Actress Mendes: EVA. Many pretty pictures.  For Splynter.

61. President pro __ : TEM. Pres·i·dent pro tem·po·re.  Latin.

Well, MJM and I have finished our work here, so it is time to bid you all adieu and hope you enjoyed the puzzle, exposition and enjoy the upcoming weekend.  It is not often I get to reference a West Frisian word. Thank you Morton - I had an Uncle Morton - and all readers - be you a lurker, a regular or unpredictable member. Lemonade out.