Saturday, December 7, 2024, Rachel Fabi & Lewis Rothlein

 Saturday Themeless by Rachel Fabi & Lewis Rothlein

Rachel is a bioethics and humanities associate professor at SUNY. Lewis is a yoga instructor in Asheville, N.C.

Do you know how you can really make a connection with constructors and fly through their puzzles? Well, this was not one of those for me. I struggled mightily with foreign words, beyond obscure cluing for less common usage of common words and words that worked only in my imagination. I'll take a couple of bad cells and try to keep a stiff upper lip. You'll also see a few 😀's for some clever cluing.

Across:

1. Account shortcut: ETC ETC.

7. Subatomic particle in the world's largest collider: HADRON - This physics teacher had 13. [Shrug]: NO IDEA.

 

14. Mitigate: RELIEVE - RESOLVE fit but...

15. Not rare: NORMAL.

16. Beverage also called Silver Needle: WHITE TEA. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

17. Michael Jordan's sch.: UNC.

18. __ wit: RAPIER - Robin Williams leapt to my mind.

20. Mouth-squinching: TART - Sour - not so much. 

21. Observation observation: I SAW 😀

23. Certain guest permits: VISAS 😀

24. Heat from a vent: IRE - If you are venting, your IRE may generate some heat 

25. Tweaks: AMENDS.

27. Extra-ordinary mark?: C-PLUS 😀 A C is an ordinary mark but I suppose adding a + makes it somewhat extra-ordinary. 
    
29. From both sides, in a way: STEREO 😀

30. Bring up: PARENT.

31. Spy glasses?: ONE WAY MIRRORS - I called this as a two-way mirror when I taught this concept

33. Some mats: SNARLS 😀

34. Doctors or nurses: TREATS 😀 -  Doctors and nurses are trained to TREAT whatever ailment you have. I remember Hawkeye saying to Father Mulcahy who had to help out in the OR, "Father, nurse is also a verb!" 

35. Best Play awards: ESPYS - Tonys did not get it. This is the award for best Play in sports for the year. 

36. Addresses: SEES TO.

37. Salsa, or a salsa move: DIP 😀

38. Vales: GLENS - Dells and Dales, uh, no.

39. "Open at your own risk" indicator: NSFW - No Safe For Work. Quick, switch back to that spreadsheet!! 

43. Protected, in a way: ALEE.

45. Like no films released to theaters in 2023: RATED-G - I attended many Disney RATED-G movies during my yute. and 2. Some in a cel block: TOONS 😀 This is now an obsolete art

47. DeLaria of "Orange Is the New Black": LEA - In character and in real life 

48. Plague in a Poe tale: RED DEATH ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

50. "Well, dang!": OH RATS.

52. Dramatic: INTENSE.

53. Thin: WEAKEN - Another word that can be used as two different parts of speech.

54. Skippers on a lake: STONES.

55. Youngest, as a family member: NEWEST - I guess...

Down:

1. Languor: ENNUI - Who else but Cole Porter could put this word in a lyric. Here's the intro to I Get A Kick Out Of You.

My story is much too sad to be told
But practically everything leaves me totally cold
The only exception I know is the case
When I'm out on a quiet spree
Fighting vainly the old ENNUI
And I suddenly turn and see your fabulous face

3. Dating convenience: CIRCA - Tokyo's Ginza CIRCA 1960's

4. Percussive genre, for short: EDM.

5. Make the rent?: TEAR - Anything you TEAR or rend has been rent. 

6. Día de los Muertos skulls: CALAVERAS

Day of the DEAD skulls

7. Whodunit suspects, often: HEIRS 😀 Where there's a will...

8. __ text: ALT -ALT text, also known as an alt attribute, alt description or alt tag, is a snippet of detailed information describing what an image shows. 

Bad - Skiing

Good - Add ALT text to a picture, which is what I try to do

SKIING!

9. Inflation reduction act?: DIET 😀

10. Chain components: RETAILERS 😀

11. Surpasses: OVERRUNS.

12. Clearest, as a note: NEATEST - People die every year from lack of neatness here

 

14. Large birds of the pampas: RHEAS.

16. Some molars: WISDOM TEETH.

19. Like the fragrance of many wreaths: PINEY 😀

22. Thin: WATERY.

26. Kitty litter sound?: MEWLS - Ah, it's from a litter of kitties not kitty litter! 😀

27. Ice mass unit: CARAT - Ice can be slang for diamonds

28. Element element: PROTON - Every science teacher has had kids make a Bohr model of an atom. 

This model has 6 PROTONS
and so it is Carbon - At# = 6

29. Abruptly became alert: SNAPPED TO. 42. "__ expecting that": WASN'T.

30. Triceps exercise: PRESS DOWN.

31. In a cell block?: ON SILENT 😀

32. Nobel laureate Joliot-Curie: IRENE - Irène Joliot-Curie (1897-1956) was a French scientist and, like her mother, won a Nobel Prize. 

                 

Pierre     Irene     Marie

Receiving her award

33. "Santaland Diaries" humorist: SEDARIS - Written after a stint of playing Santa at Macy's

36. Ticket: SLATE - A candidate can be put on the party's ticket or SLATE.

38. Rough stuff?: GRASS 😀 I tried DROSS, GROSS and DRAFT (I thought rough daft was clever at _ R A _ _)

40. Satisfy, as curiosity: SLAKE - Did anyone else SLAKE their thirst in this manner as I did as a child?

41. Honors in a big way: FETES.

44. Plot with a shameless beginning: EDEN 😀 Adam and Eve had no shame until...

46. Shelf-stable butter: GHEE.

49. Not quite 70°, for short: ENE 😀 This bedeviled me until it hit me! ENE on a compass is 67.5° which is not quite 70°.

51. Unbridled: RAW.

Sunday December 17, 2023 Rebecca Goldstein & Rachel Fabi

Theme:  "Creatures of Habit" - Each common phrase, in the pattern of *ING + creature, is humorously rephrased.

22. Canine that thinks it's an old-timey news announcer?: CRYING WOLF.

32. Bird that thinks it's a television show host?: TALKING TURKEY.

48. Marsupial that thinks it's an actor?: PLAYING POSSUM.

67. Tabbies that think they're collies?: HERDING CATS.

86. Insects that think they're outfielders?: CATCHING FLIES.

99. Lambs that think they're census takers?: COUNTING SHEEP.

115. Bird that thinks it's a restaurant critic?: EATING CROW.

I wonder who came up with the title. So perfectly captures the theme/clue approach of this puzzle.

Here is a short bio of Rebecca. Here is Rachel's website. Both are amazing constructors.

Across:

1. Squirrel's cheekful: ACORN.

6. Whole bunch: SCAD.

10. "I did it!": TA DA.

14. Spumante specification: BRUT.

18. Faith with a shrine in the Hanging Gardens of Haifa: BAHAI. I bet Hahtoolah has been here.

19. Healing succulent: ALOE.

20. Silent stars?: MIMES. Lovely clue.

21. "The Chi" creator Waithe: LENA.

24. Bikini in the Pacific, e.g.: ATOLL.

25. Eager: AVID.

26. Any minute now: SOON.

27. Corvallis sch.: OSU. Oregon State University. The Beavers. Tom Pepper graduated from University of Oregon. The Ducks. This picture was taken on Nov 1, 2013. He likes that hat.

(Left to Right: George Barany, David Liben-Nowell, Matt Ginsberg, C.C. & Tom Pepper)

28. Ridiculous: INANE.

29. Flanged fasteners: T NUTS. Also 74. Minor in Hollywood: D LIST. 81. Cable network that's a nonprofit: C SPAN.

30. Willingness to support: BUY IN.

36. Contacted privately, in a way: DM'ED.

38. Craps cube: DIE.

39. Egyptian peninsula: SINAI.

40. Ingredient in some vegan marshmallows: AGAR.

42. "The curl experts" hair care brand: OUIDAD. Unfamiliar to me. What does the word mean?

45. Tourney favorite: TOP SEED.

51. Agcy. that oversees PubMed: NIH.

52. Snare: NET.

54. Cambridgeshire cathedral city: ELY.

55. Brewery shipments: CASES.

56. Cheer syllable: RAH.

58. Snapple rival: NESTEA.

60. "Homeland" org.: CIA.

61. Opposite of 33-Down: HOLA. 33. Opposite of 61-Across: ADIOS.

62. Sets to zero, as a scale: TARES. Learned from doing crosswords.

64. Runs very slowly: SEEPS.

65. Alight: LAND.

71. Pound sounds: ARFS.

72. Pot payments: ANTES.

75. Inflict upon: DO TO.

77. Italian three: TRE.

78. Big name in financial services: SCHWAB. They bought TD Ameritrade last year.

80. Fashion monogram: YSL.

82. Trouble: AIL.

83. Observe: SEE.

84. Cozy room: DEN.

 90. Teensy bit: SMIDGEN.

93. Wool type: MERINO.

94. Olympic swimmers Crocker and Thorpe: IANS. Ian Thorpe is known for his powerful 6-beat kicks. We also have 104. Swim events: MEETS.

95. "Groovy": NEATO.

96. Picture of Pluto?: CEL. Pluto the dog.

97. "Star __": WARS.

107. Takes a victory lap, maybe: TROTS.

108. Reads (over): PORES.

109. Frozen solid?: ICE.

111. Caramel candy sold in a tube: ROLO.

113. Word after "Lavender" and "Purple," in song titles: HAZE.

114. Red Monopoly piece: HOTEL.

118. Finished: OVER.

119. __ City: Pittsburgh: STEEL.

120. "__ did I just watch?": WHAT.

121. Don: PUT ON.

122. Try again: REDO.

123. Little helper?: ASST. Little hints at Abbr.

124. Simplicity: EASE.

125. Pedometer units: STEPS.

Down:

1. Basics: ABCS.

2. Pod used as a chocolate substitute: CAROB.

3. "Such a flirt!": OH YOU.

4. Occasion to carry an umbrella: RAINY DAY. Cloudy, rainy here, but not cold.

5. Diarist Anaïs: NIN.

6. Carpentry tools: SAWS.

7. Social capital: CLOUT.

8. Pioneering ISP: AOL.

9. Pt. of HDTV: DEF.

10. Phoebe or Cronus: TITAN.

11. Surrounded by: AMONGST.

12. Mutation that removes a DNA sequence: DELETION. Might be Rachel's clue.

13. Interpretation first provided for a SOTU address in 2021: ASL.

14. Comfort item for some tots: BLANKIE.

15. Light show?: REVUE.

16. Principle celebrated on the first night of Kwanzaa: UNITY.

17. Iotas: TADS.

20. __-pedi: MANI. Someone asked about my hand cream last week. This saved me.

23. Used up: GONE.

28. Stores with Småland play areas: IKEAS.

29. Gives a zero-star review, say: TRASHES.

31. Cry from a Mega Millions winner: I'M RICH.

34. Ball caps or bottle caps: LIDS.

35. Remove from the top of an inbox, say: UNPIN.

37. Musher's conveyance: DOGSLED.

40. Partnerships: ALLIANCES.

41. Jam at a Pride Parade: GAY ANTHEM.

43. Awake before the alarm: UP EARLY.

44. Headwear sported by Rihanna on the cover of British Vogue: DURAG. Preferred over DORAG

46. Consider, as an idea: ENTERTAIN.

47. Prepares at a state fair, perhaps: DEEP-FRIES. Come here and try our fried pickles.

48. Gym: PE CLASS.

49. Lye, in a lab: NAOH.

50. Syst. between Baltimore and D.C.: MARC. OK, Maryland Area Rail Commuter. Unknown to me.

53. Fez danglers: TASSELS.

57. Enters: HEADS IN.

59. __ cucumber: SEA.

62. Blast letters: TNT.

63. "This is your last warning!": STOP NOW.

66. Droplets on a cobweb: DEW.

68. LP or EP, e.g.: DISC.

69. Official religion of Djibouti: ISLAM.

70. Deer sir: STAG.

73. Turns blue?: SADDENS.

76. Burning: ON FIRE.

79. Sired: BEGAT.

81. Easter Island's country: CHILE.

85. Nasal irrigation vessels: NETI POTS. Looks uncomfortable.

87. Backstage crew: TECHS.

88. First Nations people: CREE.

89. Like some intricate designs: LASER CUT.

91. Before birth: IN UTERO.

92. "I love everything you've done here": NO NOTES.  Just perfect.

98. "I'll drink to that": AMEN.

99. Hunger for: CRAVE.

100. Ran very slowly: OOZED.

101. Receive: GREET. I mentioned last time that I bumped into Boomer's old colleague Steve at the pool last month. He kindly invited me as his guest to the annual Graybar Retiree Luncheon. The couple in the second picture told me about their granddaughter, who received the very last Debra Burnikel Scholarship.

C.C. & Steve Bauer, 12/14/2023

 

Joan, Allen Silver & C.C.

102. Put on the market: SELL.

103. Breads with pockets: PITAS.

105. Rich cake: TORTE. Graybar had this and carrot cake on their menu.

106. Single-masted sailboat: SLOOP.

107. Mjölnir wielder: THOR.

110. Give credit to: CITE.

112. Possesses: OWNS.

114. Employee benefit option, for short: HSA. Health Savings Account.

115. Manchego source: EWE.

116. Cry of recognition: AHA.

117. Path finder in a Pathfinder, briefly: GPS.

C.C.