Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers
Constructors Lewis Rothlein and Nancy Stark have both contributed puzzles to our Corner before, but I believe this is their first collaboration here.
The themers and reveal of their puzzle today describe a zero-sum game, which in game theory and economics is defined as a situation involving two sides, where the result is an advantage for one side and a loss for the other, e.g. the game of baseball. There are also non-zero sum games, e.g. cooperative ventures such as the stock market, where investors pool their resources in hopes of mutual gains.
I think we'll see that overall, this puzzle is really a non-zero sum, "win-win" game, in which Lewis and Nancy reward our efforts with a clever theme and lots of clever clues and fill. Let's start with the two part reveal:
68A. With 71-Across, possible result of my gain ... and what four long answers have undergone?: YOUR. and 71A LOSS. Each themer has undergone the LOSS of YOUR, resulting in fill with a different meaning:
20A. Psychiatry?: MIND BUSINESS. A metaphor for a profession involved in a non-zero sum game. While we tend to think of business in general as a competitive zero-sum game, it takes co-operation and a lot of hard work to MIND YOUR BUSINESS:
32A. A noble title and entrée into high society?: COUNT BLESSINGS. While the last few years have been rough on our society and tragic for some, it never hurts to look on the bright side and to stop and COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS.
42A. Passion of a well-trained city dog?: CURB ENTHUSIASM. I always thought dogs liked fire hydrants? Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American TV sitcom that has been produced and broadcast by HBO since October 15, 2000. It was created by comedian, writer, actor, director, and television producer Larry David, who stars as a semi-fictionalized version of himself. I reviewed quite a few video clips to insert here, but Larry's jokes all seemed to be at the expense of someone else, and that curbed my enthusiasm.
58A. Blue plumage, say?: SWALLOW PRIDE. I'm sure most of us have had to SWALLOW OUR PRIDE at some point in our lives. Eating CROW seems to be the metaphor for this favored by constructors. But the clue connotes FEATHERS that a SWALLOW could be PROUD of. SWALLOWS are in almost perpetual flight, and their blue plumage is not as bright as that of Jays and Bluebirds, so it's not as noticeable. But here's one proudly taking a brief rest on a fence:
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Tree Swallow |
Here's the grid:
Now let's see what other games we can find:
Across:
1. Goes on and on: JAWS.
5. Like storytelling: ORAL. In celebration of the recent start of the Lunar New Year of the Tiger, here's a children's story called There's a Tiger in the Garden:
9. Continued violently: RAGED.
14. Spiky succulent: ALOE. In addition to its utility to crossword puzzle constructors, there are at least 7 Amazing Uses for Aloe Vera.
15. Half a salon job: PEDI. The other half being a MANI.
16. Prize: ADORE. "That's not AJAR, that's ADORE!"
17. Failed to honor: RENEGED ON. In the view of some, Britain and France RENEGED ON their promise to Poland in early 1939 to provide military assistance in the event that it was invaded by Germany.
19. Like some diets: VEGAN. What's the difference between VEGAN and VEGETARIAN diets?
22. Like a pin?: AS NEAT. Unlike my office.
25. Hockey great Phil, to fans: ESPO. Philip Anthony Esposito born February 20, 1942) is a Canadian broadcaster, and a former professional ice hockey player, and coach. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time, and is the older brother of fellow Hall-of-Famer Tony Esposito, a goaltender. He also played for Canada in international competitions. A CSO to CanadianEh!!
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Phil Esposito |
26. Golfer's support: TEE.
27. L.A. commuter org.: MTA.
28. Remind over and over: NAG.
30. Neighbor of Greece: Abbr.: ALB. Albania, Northwest of Greece, is a small country with Adriatic and Ionian coastlines and an interior crossed by the Albanian Alps. Although she was born in neighboring North Macedonia, undoubtedly the most notable person of Albanian heritage was St. Teresa of Calcutta. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 and from 1952 until her death in 1997, ministered to the dying in India.
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| Albania |
39. Jimmy Eat World genre: EMO. Here's everything you want to know about EMO. Jimmy Eat World is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Mesa, Arizona (a CSO to Lucina, CMOE, and Yuman!). The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach Lind. Here's their first big hit, "The Middle", a place we all find ourselves from time to time.
40. R&B artist India.__: ARIE. India Arie Simpson (born October 3, 1975), also known as India Arie (sometimes styled as india.arie), is an American singer and songwriter. She has sold over 5 million records in the US and 10 million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 23 nominations, including Best R&B Album. Here's her breakthrough single "Video":
47. Alternative to email: FAX .
48. German grandpa: OPA. We miss you Spitzboov.
49. '60s war zone: NAM.
50. Speaker in a typical Swifty: TOM. Named for Tom Swift, the main character in six series of American juvenile science fiction and adventure novels that emphasize science, invention, and technology. First published in 1910, the series totals more than 100 volumes and many are still in print.. Swifties are a form of humor Tom is credited with creating, but which seems to have fallen into disuse in recent years. But they're overdue for a revival and if nothing else, they're fun and "they'll help keep your mind sharp - as Tom would say, pointedly". I have a feeling we haven't heard the last of this.
53. Craft brew choices: IPAS. India Pale Ales. (see 2D). We seem to imbibe them regularly on the Corner.
56. How Mona Lisa smiles: SUBTLY. Certainly the most famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci, if not the most famous in the world.
61. Many pop soloists: ALTOS. Our featured ALTO is
Adele singing the theme song from
the 2012 James Bond movie Skyfall:
62. Settings for hiking and running: GRIDIRONS. Could this be a reference to football?
66. In again: RETRO. “Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.” - Oscar Wilde. But don't worry, it'll be back again in another 6 years. Teri tells me that these are back:
67. Comfort: EASE.
69. "The Dancing Couple" painter Jan: STEEN. Jan Havickszoon Steen (c. 1626 – buried 3 February 1679) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, one of the leading genre painters of the 17th century. His works are known for their psychological insight, sense of humor and abundance of colour. The Dancing Couple was painted in 1663 and is currently in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
70. Place for pupils: EYES.
Down:
1. Mason __: JAR. We canned some Salsa Verde this past Fall. I hope I didn't put too much SRIRACHA sauce in the recipe.
2. It may be blonde or amber: ALE. See 53A.
3. Captured: WON.
4. Note below F?: SEE ME. Not a musical note. A note on your last math test.
5. Drinks may be put on one: OPEN TAB.
6. Funny Foxx: REDD. John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Probably best known for the TV series Sanford and Son.
7. Spanish for "mudbrick": ADOBE. Adobe is a building material made from earth and organic materials. While we associate it with the American Southwest, it is used throughout the world, e.g.in this Mosque in Djenné, Mali, Africa:
8. "House intellectual" in "Peanuts," per Schulz: LINUS. Schulz, has said of the character,
"Linus, my serious side, is the house intellectual, bright,
well-informed which, I suppose may contribute to his feelings of
insecurity."
9. Pockets usually stuffed: RAVIOLI. You can make your own!
10. Mideast port city: ADEN. Aden is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some 170 km (110 mi) east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb.
11. Fetch: GO GET.
12. Totally remove: ERASE.
13. Hard to get through ... or get through to: DENSE. Like some people?
18. Oracle Park player: GIANT. The home of the San Francisco Giants. Hand up if you're a Giants fan?
21. Places for 15-Acrosses: SPAS. A CSO to Lucina. Any other ladies who take a respite in these frequent crossword oases?
22. Old Ramblers, briefly: AMCS. Teri used to drive her spiffy AMC Rambler Classic over to my house to give me driving lessons. Unfortunately the lessons were in my father's '57 Buick Riviera with manual steering and it drove like a tank.
23. Stiff-upper-lip type: STOIC. Very British!
24. Tiny Pacific nation: NAURU. Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru is an island country in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. With only a 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi) area, Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world behind Vatican City and Monaco, making it the smallest republic as well as the smallest island nation.
29. Scottish lowland: GLEN. While the word originated in Scotland, most English speaking countries also use it. A GLEN is a type for a valley,
typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides,
unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. It is also
used in place names such as Glen Burnie and Glen Arm not too far from where we live. There is also a Glen at the center of Towson University, Teri's and my Alma Mater.
31. "Sons of," in temple names: B'NAI. B'NAI is not only used in synagogue names, but other Jewish organizations as well. The most well-known of these is probably B'nai B'rith, literally the "Sons of the Covenant". B'nai B'rith is the oldest and largest Jewish organization in the world, with associations in many countries. It began in 1843 in New York and has its main office in Washington, DC. It is a cultural, social and educational organization that also supports hospitals and gives help after disasters. In 1913 it created the Anti-Defamation League to fight unfair treatment of Jews and others
33. Indoor ball brand: NERF.
34. Lifesaver, briefly: EMT.
35. Carnaby Street's district: SOHO. This particular district is in London, but New York City also has a district in Manhattan ("South of Houston Street") called SOHO.
36. Johnson successor: GRANT. A Civil War hero who, later went on to become President, Ulysses S. Grant succeeded Andrew Johnson who became President when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. And BTW, Ulysses is actually Grant's middle name, the "S" having resulted from a clerical error on his application to West Point.
37. Scratching post material: SISAL.
41. Part of EGOT: EMMY. The others being GRAMMY, OSCAR, and TONY.
43. Abandons in a crisis: BAILS ON.
44. Fairly large fair: EXPO. The first international EXPO was the Great Exposition of 1851, held in the Crystal Palace in London. I have a personal connection to this event, as my great great uncle, potter Felix Pratt of Fenton, England exhibited this ceramic plate depicting the scene described in Matthew 12:1-8:
45. Silver linings: UPSIDES.
46. Medina resident: SAUDI. Medina, Saudi Arabia is considered the second holiest city in Islam.
50. Makeup of a long Russian line: TSARS.
51. Parliament newcomer?: OWLET. This was new to me. Until I looked it up I thought it was Brit slang for a new member of the House of Commons. but this "Parliament" is a collective noun for owls, and of course OWLETS are baby owls.
52. Photo finish: MATTE. A horse race? No, not even close.
54. "What a shame!": AW GEE.
55. Surf feature: SPRAY.
57. New Hampshire state mineral: BERYL. Beryl is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate with the chemical formula Be3Al2Si6O18. Well-known varieties of beryl include emerald and aquamarine. Depending on impurities it can take a variety of other colors:
59. Stories to pass on: LORE.
60. Hike: RISE. A noun not a verb.
63. Castle queenside, in chess notation: OOO. Every thing you need to know about chess notation. See the TOC on the sidebar for how to notate castling, which involves two moves.
64. Xi preceders: NUS. Not the current Chinese premier, but Greek letters:
65. Prom gp.: SRS. And a lot of us folks.
48. German grandpa: OPA. We miss you Spitzboov.
49. '60s war zone: NAM.
50. Speaker in a typical Swifty: TOM. Named for Tom Swift, the main character in six series of American juvenile science fiction and adventure novels that emphasize science, invention, and technology. First published in 1910, the series totals more than 100 volumes and many are still in print.. Swifties are a form of humor Tom is credited with creating, but which seems to have fallen into disuse in recent years. But they're overdue for a revival and if nothing else, they're fun and "they'll help keep your mind sharp - as Tom would say, pointedly". I have a feeling we haven't heard the last of this.
53. Craft brew choices: IPAS. India Pale Ales. (see 2D). We seem to imbibe them regularly on the Corner.
56. How Mona Lisa smiles: SUBTLY. Certainly the most famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci, if not the most famous in the world.
 |
| Mona Lisa, circa 1506 The Louvre, Paris |
62. Settings for hiking and running: GRIDIRONS. Could this be a reference to football?
66. In again: RETRO. “Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.” - Oscar Wilde. But don't worry, it'll be back again in another 6 years. Teri tells me that these are back:
69. "The Dancing Couple" painter Jan: STEEN. Jan Havickszoon Steen (c. 1626 – buried 3 February 1679) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, one of the leading genre painters of the 17th century. His works are known for their psychological insight, sense of humor and abundance of colour. The Dancing Couple was painted in 1663 and is currently in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
 |
| The Dancing Couple |
70. Place for pupils: EYES.
Down:
1. Mason __: JAR. We canned some Salsa Verde this past Fall. I hope I didn't put too much SRIRACHA sauce in the recipe.
2. It may be blonde or amber: ALE. See 53A.
3. Captured: WON.
4. Note below F?: SEE ME. Not a musical note. A note on your last math test.
5. Drinks may be put on one: OPEN TAB.
6. Funny Foxx: REDD. John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Probably best known for the TV series Sanford and Son.
 |
| John Elroy Sanford |
7. Spanish for "mudbrick": ADOBE. Adobe is a building material made from earth and organic materials. While we associate it with the American Southwest, it is used throughout the world, e.g.in this Mosque in Djenné, Mali, Africa:
 |
Great Mosque of Djenné |
9. Pockets usually stuffed: RAVIOLI. You can make your own!
10. Mideast port city: ADEN. Aden is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some 170 km (110 mi) east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb.
11. Fetch: GO GET.
12. Totally remove: ERASE.
13. Hard to get through ... or get through to: DENSE. Like some people?
18. Oracle Park player: GIANT. The home of the San Francisco Giants. Hand up if you're a Giants fan?
22. Old Ramblers, briefly: AMCS. Teri used to drive her spiffy AMC Rambler Classic over to my house to give me driving lessons. Unfortunately the lessons were in my father's '57 Buick Riviera with manual steering and it drove like a tank.
24. Tiny Pacific nation: NAURU. Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru is an island country in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. With only a 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi) area, Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world behind Vatican City and Monaco, making it the smallest republic as well as the smallest island nation.
 |
| Republic of Nauru |
31. "Sons of," in temple names: B'NAI. B'NAI is not only used in synagogue names, but other Jewish organizations as well. The most well-known of these is probably B'nai B'rith, literally the "Sons of the Covenant". B'nai B'rith is the oldest and largest Jewish organization in the world, with associations in many countries. It began in 1843 in New York and has its main office in Washington, DC. It is a cultural, social and educational organization that also supports hospitals and gives help after disasters. In 1913 it created the Anti-Defamation League to fight unfair treatment of Jews and others
33. Indoor ball brand: NERF.
34. Lifesaver, briefly: EMT.
35. Carnaby Street's district: SOHO. This particular district is in London, but New York City also has a district in Manhattan ("South of Houston Street") called SOHO.
36. Johnson successor: GRANT. A Civil War hero who, later went on to become President, Ulysses S. Grant succeeded Andrew Johnson who became President when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. And BTW, Ulysses is actually Grant's middle name, the "S" having resulted from a clerical error on his application to West Point.
37. Scratching post material: SISAL.
41. Part of EGOT: EMMY. The others being GRAMMY, OSCAR, and TONY.
43. Abandons in a crisis: BAILS ON.
44. Fairly large fair: EXPO. The first international EXPO was the Great Exposition of 1851, held in the Crystal Palace in London. I have a personal connection to this event, as my great great uncle, potter Felix Pratt of Fenton, England exhibited this ceramic plate depicting the scene described in Matthew 12:1-8:
 | |
| Christ in the Corn Jesse Austin, engraver Victoria and Albert Museum | |
45. Silver linings: UPSIDES.
46. Medina resident: SAUDI. Medina, Saudi Arabia is considered the second holiest city in Islam.
50. Makeup of a long Russian line: TSARS.
51. Parliament newcomer?: OWLET. This was new to me. Until I looked it up I thought it was Brit slang for a new member of the House of Commons. but this "Parliament" is a collective noun for owls, and of course OWLETS are baby owls.
52. Photo finish: MATTE. A horse race? No, not even close.
54. "What a shame!": AW GEE.
55. Surf feature: SPRAY.
57. New Hampshire state mineral: BERYL. Beryl is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate with the chemical formula Be3Al2Si6O18. Well-known varieties of beryl include emerald and aquamarine. Depending on impurities it can take a variety of other colors:
59. Stories to pass on: LORE.
60. Hike: RISE. A noun not a verb.
63. Castle queenside, in chess notation: OOO. Every thing you need to know about chess notation. See the TOC on the sidebar for how to notate castling, which involves two moves.
64. Xi preceders: NUS. Not the current Chinese premier, but Greek letters:
And thanks as always to Teri for proofreading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
Cheers,
Bill
