Friday, August 3, 2018, Paul Coulter

Title: Sounds like a punny puppy.

Paul makes a quick turn around after his Thursday last week,  this time featuring humor as the primary theme. The basics- take a breed of dog and pair it with a sound-alike word that creates a funny image. Then clue them all with "Dog who loves..." With only 40 squares of theme and no reveal, we have a variety of longish fill - EPISODE, ITERANT, MANDALA, MONOPOD RAINOUT, TREATER, BREATHER and INERRANT.  As we will discuss, ITERANT and INNERANT are both very much Friday words. We have some sports, some music, some food, some French, Italian and Spanish, lots of fun for me. Let's go.

17A. Dog that loves a burger topping?: ONION BEAGLE (11).  The ONION BAGEL often dresses up the lox and cream cheese with onion and tomato. Spitz, am I right the word bagel comes from a German word for bracelet?

29A. Dog that loves a winter sport?: HOCKEY PUG (9). Hockey and the PUCK are our first sport of the puzzle and the basis of this punny pup. Ice hockey and its various precursor games utilized balls until the late 19th century. By the 1870s, flat pucks were made of wood as well as rubber. At first, pucks were square. The first recorded organized game of ice hockey used a wooden puck, to prevent it from leaving the rink of play. wiki.

49A. Dog that loves to play in the rain?: MUD POODLE (9). A poodle playing in a mud puddle is a pretty cool image, especially if it a white one. 

65A. Dog that loves spaghetti?: PASTA COCKER (11). The use of a PASTA COOKER rather than merely boiling water may seem extreme, but a Cocker Spaniel eating spaghetti is a great image.

On to the solve.

Across:

1. Indian state bordering Bhutan: ASSAM.

6. Pasture sound: BLEAT. And the clecho 34A. Called from the pasture: BAAED.

11. Cheese go-with: HAM. Sorry, this was hard for me.

14. Fiji neighbor: TONGA. Geography 2.

15. Asperity: RIGOR. Fun five letter word, but I never thought of them as synonyms.
Asperity-harshness of tone or manner. Rigor-severity or strictness.  Dictionary.


16. Trick taker, often: ACE. Bridge, spades, hearts, etc. and a repeat fill from yesterday.

19. Mme., in Madrid: SRA. A little Spanish, literally.

20. Blueprint: MAP. We have two so far today.

21. Loved ones: DEARS.

22. Colorless: ASHEN.

24. Repeating: ITERANT. Ah, here we are; we have all heard people reiterate and probably iterate, but the definition repeating; iterating; as an iterant echo? I love this quote from George Sand, “Iteration, like friction, is likely to generate heat instead of progress.”

26. "__ Day": chapter in the '50s "The Thin Man" TV series: ASTA. What an odd way to clue the dog, but perhaps a bonus dog fill.

28. Noel: CAROL. A little early Christmas.

36. Bearish?: URSINE. If you remember the frequent URSA major/minor, this is easy.

37. "The Facts of Life" actress Charlotte: RAE. This diminutive DIVA goes all the way back to Car 54 where are you?

40. Barbecue, say: BROIL.

42. "As if!": NOT. A popular phrase from the 80s.

43. Equanimity: APLOMB.

46. Vacant, as an apartment: UNLET. Let's undo this un-answer.

51. Green pair, often: PUTTS. Par is determined by an estimated 2 putts on every green.

55. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO.

56. Cancellation of a sort: RAINOUT. Common in baseball.

58. Bit of statuary: TORSO.

61. Undercover cops' gear: WIRES. Did you all watch the WIRE?

63. Part of un giorno: ORA. Day and Hour in Italian. Buon Giorno!

64. Brown, e.g.: IVY. Out of my league.

68. Born, in Brest: NEE. French.

69. Vast quantity: OCEAN.

70. Socially active sort: DATER. My meh of the day.

71. Triage ctrs.: ERS.

72. Limp Bizkit vocalist Fred: DURST. Then and now.

73. Black shade: EBONY. No Ivory today.


Down:

1. Very minute: ATOMIC.

2. Beethoven's "Moonlight," for one: SONATA. Clecho 44D. 27, for Beethoven's "Moonlight":  OPUS.

3. Inveterate critic: SNIPER. That sounds harsh, but then I think of Gibbs.

4. Back: AGO.

5. Hindu meditation aid: MANDALA. A mandala (Sanskrit: मण्डल, maṇḍala; literally "circle") is a spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism, representing the universe. In common use, "mandala" has become a generic term for any diagram, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically; a microcosm of the universe. wiki.

6. Rest: BREATHER.

7. Pinocchio, at times: LIAR. And now a star of TV commercials.

8. Arachnid's hatching pouch: EGG SAC. All you need to KNOW.

9. Verizon subsidiary: AOL.

10. Generous bar buddy: TREATER. Not my favorite clue/fill.

11. Chop finely: HASH. Dictionary says to chop (food, such as meat and potatoes) into small pieces.

12. Real estate unit: ACRE.

13. Signify: MEAN.

18. Oscar winner Kingsley: BEN. 35 years ago. 1983 OSCAR.

23. Comes out with: SAYS.

25. Take badly?: ROB. A repeat but fun.

27. "Hamlet" prop: SKULL. Our very brief Will S. reference this week for Friday after yesterday's double dip.

30. Two-time N.L. batting champ Lefty: O'DOUL.  Hewas so much MORE than just a very successful baseball player and manager.

31. One standing at the end of a lane: PIN. More sports, and a CSO for Boomer.

32. A, in Acapulco: UNO.

33. Acquire: GET.

35. Brothers' keeper?: ABBOT. Cute clue, as the head of the monks.

37. Zodiac critter: RAM.

38. Toon storekeeper: APU. The Simpsons, not a favorite here. Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is an Indian Immigrant settled in Springfield.

39. Antiquity, in antiquity: ELD.

41. Perfectly correct: INERRANT. This has a religious meaning, basically infallible but also has a meaning from astronomy : 1650s, in reference to "fixed" stars (as opposed to "wandering" planets), from Latin inerrantem (nominative inerrans) "not wandering, fixed (of stars)," from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + errans, present participle of errare "to wander, stray, roam, rove" (see err). Meaning "unerring, free from error" is from 1785.

45. One-legged camera support: MONOPOD. Tripod- three. Mono- one.

47. Netflix installment: EPISODE. They are going after the world of entertainment since streaming began working and you did not have to wait for a disc in the mail.

48. 252 wine gallons: TUN. That is about what my friend drinks annually.

50. Divining rod: DOWSER.

52. Grew fond of: TOOK TO.

53. Deep dish: TUREEN. Generally to serve soup. LINK.

54. Like a cloudless night: STARRY.

57. NRC forerunner: AEC. Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Atomic Energy Commission.

58. Food sticker: TINE. Generally more than one on your fork.

59. "Your turn": OVER.

60. Bakery selections: RYES. It is so hard to find a good rye bread in the south.

62. See __ an omen: IT AS.

66. Prefix with pressure: ACU. Not to be confused with APU.

67. Hack: CAB.  You wonder why? Hack short for "hackney cab," which referred to a carriage for hire drawn by a hackney, or an ordinary horse -- leading to the use of "hack" to mean "writer for hire," and the word "hackneyed," which means cliche-ridden. The use of "hacker" to refer to a computer user dates back to the mid-1970s.

Wow, that was work and fun; so much to say, so little time. Thank you, Paul our own PC constructor, and you the readers and writers. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:
 

Happy birthday to Jaelyn's beautiful grandma Melissa, creator of Adopt an Inmate project and our faithful Wednesday Sherpa. Melissa's compassion, tenacity and and adventurous spirits continue to inspire me. She is also a deeply spiritual person, always so calm and cool. Have a beautiful day, dear Melissa!

Thursday, July 26th 2018 Paul Coulter

Theme: Can you spare some speared pears to pare? Scrambles on the theme of "pears".

17A. Led: SPEARHEADED. Here's the Kovel spearhead (or at least a reproduction of it) excavated in the Ukraine in 1858. The original was looted and lost during WWII.

31A. Barbecue favorite: SPARE RIBS. Food! I tried "SHORT RIBS" first for absolutely no good reason. I sous-vide my spare ribs with a dry rub for 36 hours before painting them with sauce and finishing them off in a searing hot oven. Purists tell me that's not barbecue. Taste Buds don't object.

38A. Reduces, as spending: PARES DOWN. Usually only by a few slivers, but a reduction nonetheless.

51A. Cooked fruit dessert ... and a cryptic hint to the start of 17-, 31- and 38-Across: STEWED PEARS. More food! I'm a happy camper today.

Solid Thursday-level puzzle from Paul. There is a reveal entry, and so you can dispense with circles to alert the unwary to the presence of the theme scrambles. The fill is smooth, and the long downs give some pleasing cohesion to the whole. Let's see what jumps out:

Across:

1. Org. that awards the Spingarn Medal: N.A.A.C.P.  Awarded annually for outstanding achievement by an African-American.

6. Bochco series: LA LAW

11. Peter, Paul and Mary: Abbr.: STS. Nice clue! Saints, not states and nothing whatever to do with the folk trio. Here's Seal singing Peter Yarrow's Puff the Magic Dragon in my submission for the "Tenuous Link Of The Week" competition.

14. Counterpart of "a": ALPHA. I suppose it is a counterpart, never thought of it that way before.

15. Bacteria in undercooked meat: E.COLI. Let's be clear, the bacteria is present in contaminated meat and if that meat is undercooked can present a health risk. No need to swear off your medium-rare hamburger or your kibbeh nayyeh if you source your meat carefully.

16. Not just "a": THE

19. Bonanza contents: ORE

20. Many a Bon Appétit subscriber: FOODIE. The canny foodie gets Bon Appétit online.

21. Tablet download: E-BOOK

23. Flips, in a way: RE-SELLS

26. Ball beauties: BELLES. Here's a question - can a ball have more than one belle, or do multiple belles have to divvy up the balls between them? We should be told.

27. Hardened: INURED

28. Decline to recline?: STAY UP. Nice!

30. Bursts: POPS

34. Suffix with glob: -ULE

35. Held closely (to): ADHERED

37. "O wad some Pow'r the giftie __ us": Burns: GIE. "Oh, would some power give us the gift ..."

O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us

To see oursels as ithers see us!

It wad frae mony a blunder free us,

An' foolish notion:

What airs in dress an' gait wad lea'e us,

An' ev'n devotion!

Robert Burns, "To a Louse".

40. Manage (for oneself): FEND

41. Melonlike tropical fruit: PAPAWS. Food aplenty. I know 'em as pawpaws, and long before I'd ever seen one in the flesh, I knew the name from the "Bear Necessities" song from The Jungle Book Disney movie.

42. Slapstick trio member: STOOGE. 

44. Loosey-__: GOOSEY

46. Fishing lure: SPINNER

47. Less experienced: RAWER. or rare, as opposed to medium-rare, to continue my food! theme of the day.

48. Plump: ROTUND

50. Mike and __: fruity candy: IKE

56. Part of mpg: PER

57. Quilt filler: EIDER

58. Latin stars: ASTRA. Should be familiar from many mottoes and a ton of cultural references. I know "Per Ardua ad Astra" as the motto of the Royal Air Force.

59. "Star Trek" rank: Abbr.: ENS. ign.

60. Tea go-with: SCONE. If you're ever in Devon or Cornwall, make sure you get clotted cream on your scone.

61. Bikini blast: N-TEST. Bikini atoll. Contrary to popular opinion, the swimsuit isn't a "bikini" because it's a two-piece, it's because of the alleged explosive effect of wearing one when they were first introduced.

Down:

1. Hip-hop artist who narrates Netflix's "The Get Down": NAS. Knew the artist, but not the show.

2. Hurdle for Hannibal: ALP. Also a hurdle for the riders in the Tour de France which is currently heading for the finish in Paris this weekend.

3. Act like: APE

4. Plant-eating scarab beetles: CHAFERS. Thank you, crosses. I will file this away for future scarab reference.

5. Sentence shortener: PAROLE. Nice one. I was on the ET AL, ETC train for a while.

6. City on the Aire: LEEDS. A given for me. We lived in Leeds when I was a little kid and the city was the site of a lot of firsts for me - riding a bike unaided, kissing a girl (on a dare, naturally!), tearing open an artery falling out of a tree (I still have the scar), breaking a leg. I never fell in the river Aire though, which was just as well. Back then, I wouldn't have drowned, I'd have slowly dissolved in the chemicals.

7. Antioxidant berry in smoothies: ACAI

8. Valuable deposit: LODE. What a lode of ore we have today.

9. Tap output: ALE

10. Innocent-looking: WIDE-EYED

11. Informer: STOOL PIGEON

12. Pang: THROE

13. Goes after: SEEKS

18. You might hear music on it: HOLD. Usually really awful, crackly, repetitive stuff. People who implement on-hold music and announcements should be forced to listen to the tape loop for a full day, then see how they like it.

22. Cloud: BLUR

23. Make confetti of: RIP UP

24. Name on a 1945 bomber: ENOLA

25. Dominant states: SUPERPOWERS. My superpower is my Vitamix blender. It's got so much horsepower that if you leave it running for a minute or so the contents of the jug get hot enough to simmer just from the friction of the blades.

26. Spartan: BARE

28. Expels: SPEWS

29. Mountain lake: TARN

31. Larry McMurtry's "The Last Picture __": SHOW

32. __-watch: BINGE. The nearest I've come to binge-watching was settling down to all six seasons of Downton Abbey over a period of a few weeks.

33. Feast where the Haggadah is read: SEDER

35. Bad-mouths: ASPERSES. What a cracking word! We're all familiar with the noun form, as some of the snarky anons in the comments like to throw aspersions around like confetti, but the verb form is new to me. I resolve to use it. Not in the first person active though.

36. "Saving Private Ryan" event: D-DAY. I saw this in the theater when it was first released. There was a stunned silence for the first 40 minutes or so.

39. Let up: EASE

40. Most affectionate: FONDEST

42. 5'7" Webb, shortest to win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest: "SPUD". All-Name Hall of Fame. Another first-round All-Name Hall-of-Famer is the 5'3" "Muggsy" Bogues who was the shortest player to ever play in the NFL and HE could dunk. Think about that. The hoop is at 10'.

43. __ Alley: TIN PAN

44. Beef: GRIPE

45. Like Cognac casks: OAKEN. Or dwarves' shields, according to The Lord of the Rings.

46. About 1.3 cubic yards: STERE. Or a cubic meter, more simply put. There's some discussion about whether to use the cubic meter for cut wood, and the stere for uncut wood, but frankly I shouldn't lose any sleep over it.

48. Give a makeover: REDO

49. "A Prayer for __ Meany": John Irving novel: OWEN. A fabulous novel in my humble opinion, this had me enthralled from start to finish.

52. Personal quirk: TIC

53. Downed a sub?: ATE

54. Syst. of cars on tracks: R.R.S. Railroads. I'm thinking of building a model railway, but it would have to be the super-tiny "N" scale. Not sure if me old bones and eyesight are up to the task.

55. Convened: SAT

And that should do it. I'm hungry after all this food!

Steve

Monday May 14, 2018 Paul Coulter

Theme: (Split) Word Chain - Four rows of words form a word chain.

14. With 15-Across, station with a hook and ladder: FIRE. Firehouse.

15. With 16-Across, indoor chores: HOUSE. Housework.

16. With 28-Across, tireless sort: WORK. Work horse.

28. With 31-Across, big biting insect: HORSE. Horse fly.

31. With 32-Across, sticky strip: FLY. Flypaper.

32. With 40-Across, bills to pay with: PAPER. Paper money.

40. With 42-Across, financier: MONEY. Money man.

42. With 43-Across, strength needed for a team job: MAN. Man power.

43. With 61-Across, turn off, as a computer: POWER. Power down.

61. With 62-Across, Australia: DOWN. Down under.

62. With 63-Across, attempt: UNDER. Undertake.

63. With 14-Across, become ignited: TAKE. Take fire.

Boomer here. Happy Monday everyone! Demanding theme for a Monday, but C.C. said "Amazing grid work".  

I certainly hope that all of you young ladies out there had a happy and satisfying Mother's Day.  Congratulations to your families!  I had an interesting week.  I bowled in the Minneapolis "700 Club" tournament.  This is a 4 game scratch (no handicap) tournament for any bowler who has had a 700 + series in league.  There are 5 divisions separated by age, and I am in the "Older than dirt" division. (70+).  The tournament is held across 8 lanes so we move after each game.  I do not recall ever bowling a set like the one I had last Thursday.  254 - 262 - 140 - 246!  I left 4 splits in the ugly 3rd game but still recovered enough (902) series to win my division.  Sometimes it pays to be older than dirt.

Across:

1. Big name in PCs: ACER.  Makes me think of my 1975 AMC Pacer.  Great idea but they should have made one that was more dependable.

5. Play idly, as a guitar: THRUM. Now is this a strum with a thumb ?

10. Not that: THIS.

17. Particle for Fermi: ATOM. Nobel-winning physicist Enrico Fermi.

18. Out-of-use anesthetic: ETHER.

19. Blunted blade: EPEE. I never could figure out how a sword got this name.

20. One fighting back: RESISTER.

22. "The Quiet American" novelist Graham __: GREENE. - wrote novels and short stories before my time.

24. First stage of grief: DENIAL.

25. Firmly resolved (against): DEAD SET.

26. Election winners: INS

27. Company head: BOSS. The head is usually the CEO.  A boss is in charge of a chain gang.  "When I came down to Old Hannah, had a number for my name.  They chained us together and we started cuttin' cane"

37. Big cheese: EXEC. He could be a CEO

38. Wide shoe size: EEE.

39. Azerbaijan's capital: BAKU. If you have never been to Azerbaijan, you probably came to this blog to get the answer.  Welcome!

44. Censor's target: SMUT.

46. Friend of Frodo: SAM. Frodo Baggins/Sam Gamgee. Green eggs and ham, Sam I am!

47. Elk relative: RED DEER. I don't believe these are prominent in the U.S.  We have brown deer in Minnesota, but there is one around Christmastime with a red nose.

51. Dungarees: DENIMS.

54. Mistakes: ERRORS. A baseball stat with Runs, Hits, and Left on base.

55. Hand-tightened fasteners: WINGNUTS. A famous product of Ideal to connect wires,  I am sure Graybar has sold millions of them.

57. Galway Bay's __ Islands: ARAN.

58. New Orleans NFLer: SAINT. Lost to the Vikings last playoff with an unbelievably ridiculous "Hail Mary" pass to Stephon Diggs.

60. Lotion additive: ALOE. - C.C. has an Aloe Vera plant in our home.

64. "Do it, or __!": ELSE.  Or ELSE what ?

65. Wordsworth words: POESY.  Sounds like catcher Buster of the Giants, but spelled differently.

66. Fed. power dept.: ENER. I know they are talking energy, but we don't buy our power from the feds, do we?

Down:

1. A long way off: AFAR.  "We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar".

2. Credited in a footnote: CITED.  If you text while driving you may get CITED.

3. Like jagged edges: EROSE.  Did anyone send or receive an "E rose" for Mother's Day? It's sort of like an email but it smells nicer.

4. Wax nostalgic: REMINISCE.

5. Angle symbols: THETAS.

6. Marriott or Hyatt: HOTEL. Well known national names,  I prefer the "Orleans" in Las Vegas.  Bowling lanes on the second floor.

Boomer, 2018, the Orleans

7. German industrial region: RUHR.

8. Apply: USE.

9. Traffic slowdown spots: MERGES. We have a ton of these this year in MN.  Late Spring, no the powers that be a fixing every road in the greater Metropolitan area.  Took me an hour each way to and from the bowling tournament I mentioned earlier.  (The bowling center was a whopping 15 miles from my home.)

10. Coarse cloth: TWEED. Tweedle Dee Dee, Tweedle Dee Dum.

11. Aspirations: HOPES.  My Mom's name was Hope. Happy Mother's Day Mom, wherever you are!

12. Cara of "Fame": IRENE. Good night.

13. Trapshooting: SKEET.

21. Triangle ratio: SINE. This math went well over my head.

23. Farrier's abrasive tool: RASP.

25. Elder statesman: DOYEN.

27. Sound from the fold: BLEAT.

28. Sewn edge: HEM. If a sewn edge is a hem, then what is a haw?

29. Kitchenware brand: OXO. Not a common name.  I think they make Farberware.

30. Stimpy's sidekick: REN.

31. Thigh bone: FEMUR. Connected to the HIP bone.

33. Loathe: ABOMINATE.

34. Cat foot: PAW. Father's Day is next month for Opie and all of you who have a Paw.

35. Just get (by): EKE.

36. Capek's robot play: R.U. R.

41. 1914 battle river: YSER. I've heard of it, it's in Europe somewhere, but I don't think I could find it on a map.

43. Hunger twinge: PANG.

45. Really botch: MESS UP.  Error did not work, plus we already had it.

46. "Who goes there?" guard: SENTRY.

47. Aptly named novelist: READE.

48. Swashbuckling Flynn: ERROL. Errol was a bit before my time and I managed to never see an Errol Flynn movie.  The only black and white films I saw were the Three Stooges and Laurel and Hardy.  "Hard boiled eggs and nuts" is one of my favorite expressions.

49. Tied chess games: DRAWS.  I used to play chess but I was no good.  Somehow "Stalemate rings a bell but if you only have five letters to fill, Draws are okay.

50. "Death, be not proud" poet: DONNE.

51. Uses the good china: DINES. What's it called if you use paper plates ?

52. Disney's Chinese warrior: MULAN.

53. Feed, as a fire: STOKE.

55. Like a 10-lane highway: WIDE. - I saw 16 lanes (8 coming and 8 going) in Atlanta once.  Minnesota traffic could use that however we don't have plows wide enough for winter wear.

56. Tarot reader: SEER.

59. Chilean year: ANO.

Boomer

Thursday April 26 2018 Paul Coulter

Theme: Hats Off! I mean Hats On! As the reveal helps to explain:

54A. "Shut your trap!" ... and, graphically, what the circled letters do: PUT A LID ON IT!

Three kinds of headgear in the circles: HAT, CAP and TAM, each sitting atop IT in the entry beneath.

This is one of those puzzles where the theme is more incidental than central. You solve as a themeless, then go back and look to see what you missed, which, honestly to my mind, is "not much". Three three-letter circled letters atop of three "IT" two-letter pairs.

The content is pleasing, two grid-spanners, two 11's and two long 10's in the downs, but the theme fell flat for me.

That out of the way, let's see what jumps out:

Across: 

1. Distribute, with "out": METE

5. Jets and Nets: TEAMS

10. Kenan's comedy cohort: KEL

13. Like crazy: A LOT

14. Street thief: MUGGER

15. Bullring "Bravo!": OLÉ

16. Tennessee River city: CHATTANOOGA. "Pardon me, boy - is that the ..."

18. Luxury hotel facility: SPA

19. Places: SITUATES. Nice word. Just missing an "O" for the vowel grand slam.

20. Migratory herring: SHAD. High in Omega-3. Whatever that means.

21. Uni- + bi-: TRI-. 

22. H.S. exam for college credit: A.P. TEST. Advanced Placement, I believe.

24. Longtime Bob Keeshan kids' character: CAPTAIN KANGAROO. Giving children frightening fashion advice since 1955.

30. Anatomical canals: ITERS. Not only is this a plural, but it also in the singular does not appear in a Google search at all - I gave up reading about nuclear reactors after at least six pages of hits. The word should not be in the puzzle in this form.

31. On the ship: ABOARD

32. Mediterranean peak: ETNA

33. Parts: ROLES

35. Actress Headey of "Game of Thrones": LENA

38. Home of college sports' Green Wave: TULANE. New Orleans school.

40. Certain tanker: OILER

41. Philatelist's pride: STAMP COLLECTION

45. Mass communication?: LITANY

46. Final: Abbr.: ULT. Ultimate? I suppose so.

47. Sounds of disgust: UGHS

48. Calming agents: ALLAYERS

53. "The Producers" screenwriter Brooks: MEL

57. Old __: PRO

58. Becomes used (to): INURES

59. Sinewy: ROPY

60. Common ID: SSN

61. Enclosed for security, in a way: GATED. Communities.

62. Choice word: ELSE. If - Or - Else.

Down:

1. Computers that may run Virtual PC: MACS. Not any more, unless you have a very old one. The Mac motherboard has an Intel chip which runs both the Mac OS and Windows. Your choice.

2. K-12: EL-HI

3. Precisely: TO A "T"

4. Famous final question: ET TU?

5. Pay attention: TUNE IN

6. Film directors' challenges: EGOS

7. Earlier: AGO

8. "A Wrinkle in Time" girl: MEG. Apparently a character in a series of novels first published in 1962. No clue. This might be a tad obscure.

9. Mme., in Madrid: SRA

10. Where to get gefilte fish: KOSHER DELI

11. Sun Bowl city: EL PASO. College Football post-season game.

12. Bring about: LEAD TO

14. Motherly start: MATRI- I've got "-archal" and "-cide". Any other offers?

17. Cheerios: TA-TAS

20. Twinkly, skywise: STARLIT

22. Muchos meses: ANOS. Many months equate to years. as long as there are at least 13 of them.

23. Links letters: PGA. Professional Golfer's Association

24. Fr. company: CIE. 

25. Court fig.: ATT. Ball boy? Umpire? Baller? No, attorney.

26. Modern Olympic event one shoots for?: PENTATHLON. You also fence, ride, run and swim. No small feat. It was originally defined as the five disciplines that a cavalry officer must be more than proficient in to be considered one of the elite.

27. Emotional wounds: TRAUMAS

28. Krypton escapee: KAL-EL. AKA "Superman", he who wears his underwear outside of his tights. Truly from another world.

29. Presidential nickname: ABE

33. Somewhat blue: RACY

34. Artist whose apartment overlooks Strawberry Fields: ONO. The real Strawberry Field is in Liverpool, England, it was the garden of a children's home near to where John Lennon grew up.

36. Prefix for movement revivals: NEO-

37. Prince Valiant's son: ARN

39. ICU staffer: LPN. 

40. Group of eight: OCTAD

41. Competitive dry spells: SLUMPS

42. Auburn or Princeton athletes: TIGERS

43. Soothed: LULLED

44. New York Harbor's __ Island: ELLIS. The Oracle head Larry Ellison's family name comes from the-then immigrants' journey through Ellis Island.

48. Bern's river: AARE

49. Auld lang syne: YORE. What? When does "Old time's sake" translate to "Past"? We should be told.

50. Carbon compound: ENOL

51. Tears: RIPS

52. Eye malady: STYE

54. Boar, e.g. PIG

55. Spanish article: UNA

56. Tsk relative: TUT

Quick in and out today - here's the grid!

Steve

Sunday April 15, 2018 Paul Coulter

Theme: "Mirror Images"- The second three-letter string starting the second word is a mirror image of the letter letter string that ends the first word.

22. Coastal casino center: ATLANTIC CITY.

33. Current route: ELECTRIC CIRCUIT.
 
47. Chinese and Vietnamese: TONAL LANGUAGES. Mandarin has 4 tones. Cantonese has 9 tones.

67. Hotel evaluation system: STAR RATINGS.

90. Three-dimensional arrangement of atoms inside a diamond, say: CRYSTAL LATTICE. New term to me.

106. Article seen daily: NEWSPAPER REPORT.

120. Website evaluation tool: USER RESEARCH.

This theme reminded me a bit of Paul's "Magnetism" puzzles. The key words are consecutively hidden in the middle.

I especially liked 67A and 106A as all TAR/RAT, PER/REP are solid words.

Across:

1. High-fives, e.g.: SLAPS.

6. Big name in Champagne: MUMM. Not MOET. Also 26. Champagne word: BRUT.

10. Langston Hughes poem: I TOO.

14. Cinematic FX: CGI.

17. "The War of the Worlds" narrator of 1938: WELLES.

19. Hum-dinger of an instrument?: KAZOO. Nice clue.

20. It's composed of balances: DEBT.

21. Crew member: OAR.

24. Block-stocking building: ICE HOUSE. We call the sheds above frozen lakes "ice houses".

27. Indian nurse: AMAH. Might sound gluey to some, but this terms is widely used in Hong Kong.

28. First name in architecture: EERO.

30. Out of concern that: LEST.

31. Noodle concoction?: IDEA. 71. Terrible time?: TWOS. Gimmes for our regulars.

38. Charlie Brown correspondent: PEN PAL. These days we all use computer/tablet, etc. I guess we're all keyboard pals.

40. Lights into: ASSAILS.

41. It floods Florence periodically: ARNO.

42. Straightens up: TIDIES.

45. "We need a cat!": EEK. No mouse bothered us this winter. Yay!

46. Costa __: RICA.

54. Pretentious sort: PSEUD. Also 117. Pretends: PLAY-ACTS.

55. Poppycock: HOOEY.

56. Some decision makers: TOSSES.

57. Smartphone ancestor, briefly: PDA. Most dumb phones are pretty smart these days. 

59. Cos. with Xings: RRS.

60. Source of stress, probably: ONUS.

61. Like this ans.: ACR. Across.

63. St. Pete's place: FLA.

64. Goals: AIMS.

66. Hombre's hand: MANO.

75. Builder's need: PLAN.

77. "__ the fields we go ... ": OER.

78. Common Market letters: EEC. European Economic Community.

79. Advanced, as old age: RIPE.

80. Tell: RAT.

83. Courses for coll. credit: APS.

84. Third-least populous state: ALASKA. Wyoming. Vermont.

87. Staples Center player: LAKER. And 19. Longtime TV broadcaster of 87-Across games: KCAL

88. Ladybug's lunch: APHID.

93. Acidity-correcting fertilizer: MARL.New word to me.

94. Asian honorific: SRI. Also 129. Ladies of Sp.: SRAS.

96. Watching closely: EYEING.

97. Biol. branch: ECOL.

98. Like a well-grounded argument: TENABLE.

102. Play the flute: TOOTLE. Have any of you heard of Chinese Er Hu? The music is always hauntingly sad.

110. Lab vessel: VIAL.

111. Mystery writer Nevada __: BARR. Also new to me.

112. Middle of a Latin trio: AMAS.

113. Wind worth a warning: GALE.

115. Regrets: RUES.

123. Champagne word: SEC.

124. Iota: WHIT.

125. Long time follower?: NO SEE. Rooted in Chinese.

126. One getting smashed at a bash?: PINATA. Great fill/clue.

127. Tats: INK.

128. Nasdaq rival: NYSE.

130. Flippant: SASSY.

Down:

1. Q-tip: SWAB.

2. Speak without restraint: LET RIP.

3. Refer (to): ALLUDE.

4. Typewriter roller: PLATEN. Another word I never used.

5. D.C. VIP: SEN.

6. Papier-__: MACHE.

7. Action film weapon: UZI.

8. Sacred songs: MOTETS.

9. Journalist Bill inducted into the TV Hall of Fame in 1995: MOYERS. Wiki says he was the "White House Press Secretary in the Johnson administration from 1965 to 1967."

10. Follies: IDIOCIES.

11. Private eye: TEC. Detective. Not used these days.

12. Washington Monument, for one: OBELISK.

13. Additional: OTHER.

14. Dior or Klein: COUTURIER. In my TEC days, Dior was one of our biggest clients.

15. Beetle juice?: GAS. VW Beetle.

16. Boiling state: IRE.

18. Transit syst. component: STA.

23. Well-shod Marcos: IMELDA. Just crazy.

25. Annual winter telecast, with "The": OSCARS.

29. Coastline feature: RIA.

32. In a fitting way: APTLY.

34. __ belli: act of war: CASUS. Learning moment as well.

35. 2016 W.S. losers to the Cubs: CLE.

36. Bring upon oneself: INCUR.

37. Contemptible sorts: TOADS.

39. Afflict: AIL.

43. IV part: INTRA.

44. I strain?: EGO.

47. __ McAn shoes: THOM.

48. The last Mrs. Chaplin: OONA. And her grand-daughter.

49. It may be proper: NOUN.

50. Creator of many talking animals: AESOP.

51. To the extent that: AS FAR AS.

52. Cabbage: GELT.

53. Morales of "The Brink": ESAI.

54. Frying pan spray: PAM.

57. Scrolling unit: PAGE.

58. Frisbee, e.g.: DISC.

61. "Immediately!": ASAP.

62. Forklift load: Abbr.: CTNS.

65. Classic Fender guitar, familiarly: STRAT.

68. Crowd sound: ROAR.

69. Count (on): RELY.

70. Author Zora __ Hurston: NEALE.

72. Collaborative website: WIKI.

73. Crude gp.?: OPEC.

74. Bone-dry: SERE. Our old friend is back.

76. Chap: LAD.

80. Staple for a collegian on a tight budget: RAMEN. Instant Ramen hit Xi'an when I just entered college (1990). It was more expensive than a bowl of freshly made noodles sold in our school dining hall. But we all wanted Instant Ramen. So silly!

81. On the double: APACE.

82. Atavism: THROWBACK.

85. Exorbitant: STEEP.

86. Mary __ cosmetics: KAY.

87. No. 2 at the statehouse: LT GOV.

89. "You got that right!": I'LL SAY.

90. Film lover: CINEASTE.  I've only heard of "Cinephile".

91. Small amount: LITTLE.

92. "Is that __?": A NO.

94. Carb-loaded: STARCHY. All my meals are starchy. That's how I was raised.

95. Gym unit: REP.

99. Inlet or cove: ARM.

100. Some rechargeable shavers: BRAUNS.

101. One offering quarters: LESSOR.

103. Albania's capital: TIRANA.

104. Actresses Linney and Dern: LAURAS.

105. Gives a seat to: ELECTS.

107. Seafood serving: PRAWN.

108. Tough bosses to work for: OGRES.

109. Hard to come by: RARE. Like his rookie card, thought I much prefer the 1956 Topps.

114. Seer's claim: ESP.

116. Open carriage: SHAY.

117. Meas. checked after tire rotation: PSI.

118. Cariou of "Sweeney Todd": LEN.

119. "__ the season ... ": TIS.

121. Pueblo pronoun: ESA.

122. Frozen Wasser: EIS.

Husker Gary has updated our Crossword Corner Map. Please click below to enlarge. Or you can just click here.

Please email Gary gschlapfer@gmail.com if you want to be included or excluded in the map. Thanks for the time and efforts you've put into the map, Gary!

 

C.C.

Monday March 26, 2018 Paul Coulter

Theme: LA LA LAND (40. 2016 Gosling/Stone film ... and, as shown by circles, what each of four answers is) - Each theme entry is a place with *LA* and *LA* in it.

 17A. Narrow land formation along the Bering Sea : ALASKA PENINSULA

 33A. Upstate New York Winter Olympics village : LAKE PLLACID

 42A. Washington city with a repetitive name : WALLA WALLA

 58A. Scottish archipelago : SHETLAND ISLANDS
 
Boomer here.

Hi everyone.  Wishing you all a glorious Monday!  I used to hate Mondays but then I retired.  Now I bowl three of seven games on Mondays and in the fall I coach high school bowling so Mondays come and go quickly.  I join all of you in wishing Argyle a speedy recovery, but in the meantime, you are stuck with me.

Today's puzzle was a bit of a challenge and I had trouble with some of the clues.  Plus, I never could get used to calling Los Angeles "LA LA Land". 

 Across:    

1. Norway's capital : OSLO

5. Central Florida city : OCALA - Spring training land.  Major League baseball starts next week!

10. Distillery containers : VATS

14. Procrastinator's promise : SOON - "I'll get around to it" had too many letters

15. Something in the air : VAPOR - Some smokers are trying e-cigs.  I am not sure if they help cut down on tobacco, but they are banned in most places where you are not allowed to smoke.

16. Building beam : I-BAR

20. Price hike: Abbr. : INCR. Not too happy with abbreviations in puzzles.

21. Bard's "before" : ERE

22. Billionaire Bill : GATES - Yup the president and CEO of Micro something.  I think I have heard of him.

23. Puts on the line : RISKS

25. Marshy area : BOG -  This answer makes me remember Wade Boggs first a Red Sox, then a Yankee.

26. Most despicable : BASEST

29. "Citizen Kane" sled : ROSEBUD - I am not a "Citizen Kane" groupie, but I am looking forward to see if the rose bush in our garden survived the winter.

36. Acapulco article : UNA

37. O. Henry specialty : IRONY - I thought O'Henry was a candy bar

38. It was thrown into the harbor in a 1773 "party" : TEA  - I was not there, but it was a legitimate protest.  I object that the renegades chose to disguise themselves as native Americans.

39. Ingenious : SLICK

41. __ long way: help considerably : GO A

44. Intertwined : ENLACED

47. Not as cold, as weather : MILDER - We in the North are looking forward to milder weather.  It's getting there, but we have not seen 50 yet.

48. Hi-tech worker : BOT - A Robot is a machine in a factory.  I thought a BOT was an internet thing that steals your preferences so it will know how you vote.  I must watch too much CNN.

49. Hindu deity : SHIVA

51. "Nonsense!" : PSHAW - My 4th grade teacher had a blast teaching this word for our spelling test.

54. Spy org. called "The Company" : CIA - "The CIA's subversive, and so's the FCC.  There's no one left but thee and we, and we're not sure of thee."  Have fun and name that tune.

55. Hamburg's river : ELBE - Did not know that one.  Remember I said I only visited Hardheim/Wertheim

62. Hot under the collar : SORE

63. Ball girl : BELLE

64. Bothers no end : NAGS

65. Like golf balls at the start of a hole, usually : TEED - Then I get "TEED" off when I hit it into the lake.

66. Nuclear trial : A TEST

67. Weight loss plan : DIET - Many people try the "Seafood Diet" - See Food, Eat it.

Down:

1. Mama bear, in Mexico : OSA

2. Songs sung alone : SOLI. - Plural of solo. Fooled me.

3. Student aid : LOAN - It's really too bad that young people have to borrow money to get an education.

4. In the movies : ON SCREEN

5. Egg cells : OVA

6. "RUR" playwright : CAPEK

7. Copycats : APERS

8. Word with wolf or Ranger : LONE - Clayton Moore once visited a bowling center in St. Paul.  I don't think Jay Silverheels was with him though.

9. Shapiro of NPR : ARI - Also a news guy on MSNBC

10. Countenance : VISAGE

11. Adjoin : ABUT - Add a "T" to the clue and the answer and you will have a busy bar stool.

12. "A __ of Two Cities" : TALE - "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times".  Here we are 150 years later and "after changes upon changes, things are more or less the same." Name that tune.

13. Mmes., in Madrid : SRAS

18. __ Kreme: doughnut brand : KRISPY - They mad a grand entrances in Minnesota, had cars lined up dozens deep at the drive thru, but I think they left Minnesota and took the doughnuts with them.

19. Private nonprofits: Abbr. : NGOS. Non-Governmental Organizations.

24. Mo. town : STL - Motown is Detroit.  Cardinal town is STL where Ozzie and Stan the Man played.

25. Physique, informally : BOD

26. "Mudbound" actress Mary J. __ : BLIGE

27. Composer Copland : AARON - I don't know composers, but I do know who hit 755 home runs in his career.

28. Norwegian toast : SKOAL - I have seen it spelled this way, however when you salute the Minnesota Vikings it's "SKOL".

29. Mideast money : RIAL

30. Erect a house : BUILD - This is an interesting word, because when you finish building, you have a building.

31. Parent's brother : UNCLE - Holler "Uncle" - "I Ain't down" -I'm gonna learn to read and write, I'm gonna see what there is to see, and if the house is red and there's a big brass bed ......"  Name that tune.

32. Senegal's capital : DAKAR

34. Barely more than not at all : A TAD

35. Animation frame : CEL - Some of these by famous cartoonists and animated movie makers are now valuable collector's items.  I only like baseball cards.

39. Turn like a chair : SWIVEL

42. Dripping __: soaked : WET

43. Parisian pal : AMI

45. Died down : ABATED

46. Monastic hood : COWL

49. Move furtively : SIDLE

50. Waves for, as a taxi : HAILS - Sometimes rain turns to ice and you wish a taxi would get you outta here.

51. Hissed "Hey!" : PSST - I am waiting to see a four letter word with three vowels, but this isn't it.

52. Loafer or moc : SHOE - And neither are the next four

53. "Take this" : HERE

54. Tech news site : CNET

56. __ B'rith : BNAI

57. Barely beat : EDGE

59. Attorneys' org. : ABA

60. Filming site : SET - 6-11 games of tennis

61. Retired flier, briefly : SST - Super Sonic Transport.  No sure why it quit flying.  I think people liked to get to Europe in 2-3 hours,  But I know it was pretty pricey.

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

I finally talked to Argyle for a few minutes yesterday. I was happy that recognized my voice. No details on how long he'll stay in the hospital and when/where he'll be headed for rehab. He has no internet access at the moment. Hopefully soon he'll be back on line solving and reading our comments. 

 

Wednesday, February 28, 2018 Paul Coulter

Theme: CAPITAL IDEAS.  This one is unusual.  Four country names cross the names of their capital cities.  They are arranged in two country-capital pairs, each of which is diagonally symmetrically placed in the grid.  Each country is placed across and each capital is placed down.  Lots of geometric thought went into this arrangement.  Note that the grid symmetry is 180 degree rotation around the central cell - the G of GRIDLOCK. Also, quite a trick finding the places that make this work.

3 D. With 17-Across, where the Duma sits : MOSCOW.
17 A. See 3-Down : RUSSIA.

13 D. With 23-Across, where the Hellenic Parliament sits : ATHENS.
23 A. See 13-Down : GREECE.

42 D. With 52-Across, where the Assembleia Nacional sits : LUANDA.
52 A. See 42-Down : ANGOLA.

45 D. With 58-Across, where Parliament sits : OTTAWA.
58 A. See 45-Down : CANADA.

And the centrally-placed, vertical, grid-spanning unifier -- 7 D. Legislative impasse ... and what occurs at this puzzle's circles? : CAPITAL GRIDLOCK.  Without getting political, this refers to the inability of congress to pass meaningful legislation due to intractable competing interests.  In the puzzle, the crossing of the countries with their capital cities locks both into the grid.  Nicely done.  And a lesson in the spellings of CAPITAL and CAPITOL, for those like me who need it.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here. Let's unlock the grid.

Across

1. Fitting the season : TIMELY.  Our daffodils are about 2 inches tall, but the crocuses have yet to make an appearance.

7. Innermost part : CORE.  Of an apple or nuclear reactor, among other things.

11. Gp. known for travelers' checks? : TSA.  The Transportation Safety Administration checks the travelers before they board airplanes.  Clever misdirection.

14. Ancient markets : AGORAE.  In ATHENS.  I wanted a terminal S, but the perps took care of that.

15. Erelong : ANON.  Soon.

16. Bow (out) : OPT.  You can also OPT in.

18. Sullen look : POUT.  Girls in my family, across the generations, have an infamous lower lip pout.

19. "Well, __-di-dah!" : LAH. An expression of derision directed at the pretentious.

20. Nutmeg spice : MACE.  Nutmeg is the ground seed-stone of the nutmeg plant.  MACE is the dried fibers of the surrounding fruit.

21. NY engineering sch. near Albany : RPI.  Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private research university and space-grant institution located in Troy, N. Y.  To the best of my knowledge, Helen never matriculated.

25. Enero to enero : ANO.  From January to January is one year in Spain, just like everywhere else.

26. Charcuterie fare : MEAT.  This is a store selling cold cooked MEATs.

27. Tippi of "The Birds" : HEDREN.  Famous Hitchcock movie.

Melanie Griffith's mom, now 88

28. Black bird's call : CAW.  Vide supra.

29. Necessitate : ENTAIL.

31. Goes on and on : GABS.  Blah, blah, blah.

32. Fish often fried : COD.  From the north Atlantic.

33. "The Thin Man" actress : LOY.

Myrna, with co-starWilliam Powell

34. Zeta follower : ETA.  Letters from ATHENS.

35. Pack away : STOW.

37. Ratings for family-friendly films : PGS.  No sax or violins.

38. Rathskeller draft : BIER.   Contents are closely regulated.

39. __ goo gai pan : MOO.   Americanized Chinese cuisine - a stir-fried dish of chicken with button mushrooms and vegetables.

40. Wine-and-cassis drink : KIR.   Cassis is a black current liquer.  KIR is a measure of cassis topped up with white wine, usually drunk as an apéritif.

41. Cooped-up female : HEN.   Chicken lady.

42. Break in the action : LULL.  Time out.

43. 20 Questions category : ANIMAL.  Along with vegetable and mineral.  One of my long ago colleagues, a PHD physicist, chose something he claimed as vegetable, and nobody could suss it.  Turned out to be crude oil.

45. Food scrap : ORT.  Crossword fodder.

48. More unsightly : UGLIER.

50. Minor body-shop job : DENT.

51. Lipton product : TEA.  I happen to be sipping a mug of Twinings Earl Grey at the moment.

53. Inc., in London : LTD.  Designations for a limited liability corporation.

54. Wild guess : STAB.  Shot in the dark.

55. Class-conscious org.? : The National Education Association is a professional organization for teachers and support personnel.  Another misdirection.

56. Bouncing effect : ECHO.

60. "Spring forward" letters : DST.  Daylight Savings Time.

61. À la mode : CHIC.  Per the current fashion, rather than served with ice cream.  Will be passé in no time.

Is this chick a la mode?

62. Confessor : AVOWER.  I knew to avow meant to assert.  Didn't know it also meant to confess.  Learning moment.

63. Enzyme suffix : -ASE.   An enzyme is a large molecule that aids chemical reactions in biochemistry.

64. Watch word? : TICK.  It's companion is TOCK.

65. Word on a lost-dog poster : REWARD.

Down

1. Airport surface : TARMAC.  Pavement, generally made from tar and crushed rock.

2. Galápagos lizard : IGUANA.  A large arboreal lizard native to Central and South America.  Be careful in Florida.

4. Hebrides language : ERSE.  Scottish Gaelic.

5. French narrative poem : LAI.  A rhyming, counted-syllable form.

6. Like closing financial reports :  YEAR END.

8. "Oh Yoko!" dedicatee : ONO.  Japanese mulimedia artist and activist, best known as John Lennon's second wife.

9. Or so : ROUGHLY.  An approximation.

10. __ nous : ENTRE.  Just between us,

11. Stand : TOLERATE.  Put up with.

12. Long key : SPACEBAR.  On your keyboard.

22. Bit of butter : PAT.  A non-specific rather small quantity, so-called because fancy restaurants would pat butter into a mold to give it a decorative shape, such as a flower.

24. Enter cautiously : EDGE IN.

26. Cat call : MEOW.

30. Platform for Siri : IOS.  Operating system for Apple branded mobile devices.

32. "Cookin' With __": rapper/chef's web show : COOLIO.  Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (born 1963) is an American rapper, actor, chef, and record producer.

35. Overconfidence : SMUGNESS.  More like excessive pride.

36. Bridge entrance structure : TOLL GATE.  Only if it's a bridge that requires that a toll be paid.

37. ATM code : PIN.  Personal Identification Number.

38. One-swallow drink : BELT. Slug, gulp.

40. Pakistani port : KARACHI.  The CAPITAL of Sindh Province and, with 21.1 million residents, the most populous city in the country, and also a major industrial and financial center.

41. Railroad maintenance vehicle : HAND CAR.

44. Bumped into : MET.

46. Library patron : READER.

47. "The Canterbury Tales" inn : TABARD.  This is a real place, established in 1307, that was often used by pilgrims on the way to Canterbury.  Also the name of a peanut-shell-strewn tavern, back in the day, just down the road from my alma mater.

49. Campaign poster word : ELECT.  Vote for me!

54. White flakes : SNOW.  Winter is going.

57. Hawaiian Punch alternative : HI-C.  A fruit juice flavored drink made by the Minute-Maid division of the Coca-Cola Company.

59. Hail, to Caesar : AVE.  Latin word of greeting.

That's it for another Wednesday.  Hope you were able to work through it.

Cool regards!
JzB