Tuesday, January 3, 2023 - Rebecca Goldstein

Toys to Grow On...

Rebecca is a scientist developing immunotherapies for cancer. A New Yorker at heart, she lives in the Bay Area with her wife. Rebecca started making crosswords as a pandemic hobby and has been published in several venues, including the LA Times, USA Today, and Universal, with more to come. [The Inkubator] This doesn't mention Rebecca's 5 NYTimes grids.

Wait, she's only been constructing for 3 years?!?  Color me impressed.

Today's puzzle gives us all the BLOCKS to BUILD a structure. Let's take a look:

20. Smile broadly because of one's own achievement, say: BEAM WITH PRIDE. BEAMs are horizontal structural bits that supports laterally to its axis. //I had one (1) CivE class :-)

33. New York City district that's home to the Fearless Girl statue: WALL STREET. Walls make it a room (or an office).

Respect Les' Walls

Fearless Girl

41. Desirable feature of kids' clothing: ROOM TO GROW. ROOM - a 'block' in a house / building made of four walls.

51. Amino acid, vis-à-vis protein: BUILDING BLOCK. Seems right up Rebecca's ally.

Organic Chemistry

How much fun was that? Bits, pieces, parts, and BLOCKs to create & BUILD something. You know, like a nice Tuesday puzzle.
I also like how the theme BUILDS from a beam to a wall to a room.

Across:
1. Country music sound: TWANG. The genre is not my cuppa (though Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, & Dolly Parton are exceptions to the rule).

6. Coordinating pillowcase: SHAM.

DW says I can't use them - the pillow is a sham!

10. Roasting rod: SPIT.

14. "Yippee!": WAHOO! Woot! was too short.

15. Basketball commentator Rebecca: LOBO. Can't get your name in the grid?, put it in the clue ;-)

Rebecca (not our Constructor) played 6 years in the WNBA but only one for Houston's Comets

16. Long-haired lap dog, familiarly: PEKE.

One missed hair-cut away from Cousin ITT?

17. Change with the times: ADAPT. Adjust, ADAPT, and Overcome. Semper Fi! Right, WC?

18. Major composition: OPUS. Not to be confused with...

Bloom County's OPUS

19. Working hard: AT IT. Working hard or hardly working? If you love your job, it's both.

20. [See: theme]

23. Place for a scrub: SPA.

Not to be confused with ER Scrubs

24. Devoutness: PIETY.

25. Grabbed a bite: ATE.

28. Chicken __ king: ALA.

30. Red carpet walker: VIP.

31. Electric key: FOB.

RKE Hack

33. [See: theme]

36. Soup du __: JOUR. Soup of the day.

French Onion - A Recipe

37. Sign of spring: ARIES. Cute. Not a robin (come a bob-bob-bobbin') but Astrological.

38. Lead-in to Z or Alpha: GEN. Apparently they're already classifying kids born in the early to mid '10s?!?
Read what I found on the interwebs: Alpha children are permanently connected. Such is their attention to new technologies that it becomes a way of life. Independents. They are independent when it comes to making their own decisions and managing their digital identities, and they expect their individual needs and preferences to be taken into account. Bah!

39. Koalas and emus, in Australia: FAUNA. Fauna == animals; flora is the plants.

40. Novelist Atkinson: KATE. A CSO to Dr. DW.

41. [See: theme]

43. WSW opposite: ENE. Compass directions.

Compass Rose

44. Prohibit: BAN.

45. Rowboat need: OAR.

46. Cap letters at Busch Stadium: STL.

I've seen games at Busch Stadiums II & III. Busch I was b/f my time.

47. Get ready to drive?: TEE UP. Golf. Not seat-belt up #PSA

49. Mike and __: fruit-flavored candy: IKE.

Great at the movies 'cuz no one else likes them and they're all mine!

51. [See: theme]

56. Aquarium growth: ALGA.

57. Void's partner: NULL.

58. "Ta-da!": VOILA. WAHOO!

61. Thai currency: BAHT.

1 Baht ~= 2.9¢

62. Leave out: OMIT.

63. "Black-ish" star Tracee __ Ross: ELLIS.

Interview - Ross' Mom is Diana Ross!

64. East, in Spanish: ESTE.

65. Recedes: EBBS. And then it flows.

66. Pomelo peels: RINDS.

Read More

Down:
1. Pan Am rival: TWA. Rival airlines - both, sadly(?), defunct. DW's Aunt was a flight attendant back in Pan Am's glory-days. She was on Nixon's plane to China - I KID YOU NOT(12d). Visit Leo III at 1940 Air Terminal Museum to see flying posh.

2. Roll of dough: WAD. Total Baller!

Put one Benjamin [$100] on top,
one on bottom,
and fill the middle with Bahts :-)

3. Literary captain described as a "grand, ungodly, god-like man": AHAB. Herman Melville's Moby-Dick Cap'n.

4. Casual rejections: NOPES. Still, a hard-no.

5. Skated by, say: GOT A PASS. Until you get to grad-school, you can skate-by with a few DEEs outside of your major. Ask me how I know :-)

6. React to a yellow light, say: SLOW. Rebecca doesn't drive in Houston where 'yellow' means "floor-it!" //seriously, don't be the first off the line at Green or you'll get TEE-boned.

7. Indigenous language in Arizona: HOPI. Hopi is a Uto-Aztecan language spoken by the Hopi people of northeastern Arizona, United States. The use of Hopi has gradually declined over the course of the 20th century. In 1990, it was estimated that more than 5,000 people could speak Hopi as a native language, but only 40 of them were monolingual in Hopi. [WikiP]. Language is culture and, unfortunately, HOPI is dying.

8. Touch borders with: ABUT. I'll let Ray-O handle this :-)

9. Slam-dancer's place: MOSH PIT. '90's Grunge music and slam-dancing.

10. Emergency tire: SPARE. The donut in your trunk.

11. Bite-sized treats whose name means "small ovens" in French: PETIT FOURS. Little tiny baby-cakes.

I Count 8 (not FOUR) of these :-)

12. "Honest!": I KID YOU NOT.

13. Spot for un chapeau: TETE. More French - already? A French hat on your French head.

21. Home brewer's ingredient: MALT. Mmmm, beer.

22. Domino indent: PIP.

25. Up and about: AWAKE.

26. Some hairy pets: TARANTULAS. I'll refrain posting image citing The Breakfast Test.

27. Sweet Sixteen winners: ELITE EIGHT NCAA Basketball aka March Madness. I fill out the office-bracket every year but have no idea what I'm doing. This year, I should ask PK and then split the winnings ;-)

29. Alphabetically first noble gas: ARGON. Third lightest Noble Gas. In the Bohr model, noble gasses have a full valence shell of electrons in the outer ring and ergo, ARGON (et.al), is inert. Mendeleev, a Russian chemist, came up with this beautiful periodic-classification that makes inorganic chemistry calculations a snap.

Periodic Table

30. Mobile payment app: VENMO. I don't use it but the kids today do to pass money to each other. I still don't know how VENMO makes money as it doesn't appear there's a vig associated with paying a buddy / PK for our March bracket. //My tangent made TTP (greatest proofreader, ever! [even caught no hyphen in proof-read ;-)]) give me this:

SNL's First CityWide Change Bank 2

32. Fighting chance?: BRAWL. I'll be honest, I filled it but I don't get it. Like, why the ?, huh? Where's the 'chance'?

34. Director Spike: LEE. We had Spike's Inside Man [movie] Wed, 12/28.

35. Fair-hiring initials: EEO. See also 12/28's memo: it's no longer EOE [Equal Opportunity Employer], apparently.

36. Spree: JAG. Binge.

39. Pay, reluctantly: FORK OVER. Can one FORK OVER a losing bet on VENMO or do they have a no gambling policy?

41. Soccer star and equal-pay advocate Megan: RAPINOE. Female soccer is more winning than males' and yet, until recently, were paid a heck of a lot less.

42. Donkey's need, in a party game: TAIL.

Eeyore's Tail-Pin

44. Future flower: BUD. What to do?, what to do?...

Fast Times at Ridgemont High - this quote was not in AFI's Top 100(?!?)

48. Overjoy: ELATE. Jeff Spicoli [Sean Penn - See: above] was always "elated."

50. Common lab culture: ECOLI. In the lab, there's a refrigerator for lunch and a refrigerator for samples; don't confuse them. //I bet Rebecca already knows this.

51. Paul Bunyan's blue ox: BABE. I did a consulting gig for IHS [Indian Health Service] in Bemidji, MN and I got to visit BABE.

Paul & Babe

52. Feeling nothing: NUMB. Comfortably?

From Pink Floyd's The Wall [9m]

53. Smooth-talking: GLIB. Or Jive Talkin' with the Gibbs?

54. Nonkosher sammies: BLTS. I think the no pork rule had to do with trichinosis and was smart b/f meat-thermometers. My Jewish uncle (Mom's Sister's Hubby) ate ham - what say our Jewish Cornerites?

Yummers!

55. Potter's oven: KILN. Waseeley will explain.

59. Jar topper: LID.

60. Donkey: ASS. Eeyore redux?

Can you help him with his TAIL?

The Grid:

The Grid. Click to see mine (with blog scribble notes)

WOs: N/A
ESPs: RAPINOE, ELLIS
Fav: I'll go w/ BLTs - goes great with Soup du JOUR. //Did I ever mention I love soup?

There you have it folks - my last pinch-hit for a while. I'll now return you to our regularly-scheduled programmed hosts.

I hope everyone had fun with the puzzle & post-game today.

Cheers, -T

Tuesday, December 13, 2022 Rebecca Goldstein

Sewing Class:  Pick your fabric patterns and let's get sewing.  The circles spell a type of fabric pattern.

16-Across. Burlesque act: STRIP TEASE.  Stripe.

22-Across. Truck seen during a power outage, maybe: CHERRY PICKER.  Checker.  The most recognized Checker(ed) dress is probably Dorothy's.

47-Across  Ricotta-filled pancake often served on Shavuot:  CHEESE BLINTZ.  Chintz.  Everything you wanted to know about Chintz, but didn't know to ask.

Shavuot is a Jewish Biblical holiday that occurs in the Spring.  It is one of the three Pilgrimage Festivals.  The book of Exodus refers to it as the wheat harvest.  (Exodus 34:22)  Traditionally, Shavuot is considered the day that the Torah was revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai.  Dairy foods are also traditionally served on Shavuot, hence, the Cheese Blintzes.

57-Across. Serves as matchmaker: PLAYS CUPID.  Plaid.  Everything you wanted to know about Plaid, but didn't know to ask.

And the unifier:

36-Across. Flight paths above busy airports, and what the sets of circled letters literally are?: HOLDING PATTERNS.

Here's the Grid, so you can how the circles form our fabric patterns.

I found this to be a challenging Tuesday puzzle.  What did you think?

Across:

1. Game played with a bouncing ball: JACKS.  I had forgotten about this game, so needed the perps to job my memory.  I had a set of Jacks back in the day.

6. Cavort: ROMP.

10. "For shame!": TSK.

13. "We feel the same way": US, TOO.

14. Cooking initialism popularized by Rachael Ray: EVOO.  As in Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Everything you wanted to know about the difference between EVOO and Regular Olive Oil but didn't know to ask. [Name Adjacent.]

15. "Good point": TRUE.

18. Wrath: RAGE.  //  And 40-Across. Wrath: IRE.

19. "__ we meet again": 'TIL.

20. Rower's blade: OAR.

21. Four-door car, usually: SEDAN.

27. Part of, as a private joke: IN ON.

28. GI show gp.: USO.  As in United Service Organization.

29. Roast hosts, briefly: MCs.  As in Master of Ceremonies.

31. Like 11-Down: SWEET.  //  And 11-Down. Sucrose-rich stalk: SUGAR CANE.  Lots of sugar cane fields in South Louisiana.  You don't want to be behind a cane truck during harvest season.

34. "Yeah, don't think so": UM, NO.

35. Energizer size: AAA.

41. After-bath powder: TALC.  Everything you wanted to know about Talc, but were afraid to ask.  You can even get lavender-scented powder.

42. Sushi bar beverages: SAKEs.  Sake is an alcoholic drink made from fermented sakemai rice.

43. Payroll service co.: ADP.  As in Automatic Data Processing, Inc.  Hand up if you knew of this company.

44. Cell service initials: LTE.  Hand up if you knew that LTE stood for Long Term Evolution.  I've seen it, of course, but never questioned what it stood for.

45. Navigates bunny slopes: SKIS.

51. Surfer's plank: BOARD.  

52. "Way cool!": RAD.

53. Freezer buildup: ICE.  Hi, Tinbini.  I hope you are well.

56. Organ with lobes: LUNG.  Ears also have lobes.

61. Not fooled by: ON TO.

62. __ Matthews Band: DAVE.  [Name # 1.]

63. Like-mindedness: UNITY.

64. "Dynamite" K-pop group: BTS.  This band appeared in last Sunday's puzzle.  Had it not appeared recently, I would not have had a clue.  [Name # 2.]

65. Used a hatchet on: AXED.  Paul Bunyan (whose birthplace is really in Bangor, Maine), wields a mighty AX.

66. Reusable grocery bags: TOTES.

Down:

1. Equitable: JUST.

2. Italian sparkling wine: ASTI.  Everything you wanted to know about Asti wine, but didn't know to ask.

3. PC key combo for "copy": CTRL C.

4. Colorful pond fish: KOI.

5. Soak (up), as sauce: SOP.

6. Gain back: RE-EARN.

7. Fallopian tube neighbor: OVARY.

8. Wks. and wks.: MOs.  Weeks and Weeks make up Months.  52 weeks make up a year.

9. Writer for whom the Edgar Award is named: POE.  Murders in the Rue Morgue, which was published in 1841, was written by Edgar Allan Poe (1809 ~ 1849).  It is considered to be the first modern detective story.  The Edgar Award is an annual award that honors the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, film, and theater of the year.  For a list of the 2022 Edgar Award recipients, check out this list.  [Name # 3.]

10. Corporate symbol: TRADEMARK.

12. Eager (to): KEEN.

15. Difficult journey: TREK.  Hi, Picard!

17. Lawn care brand: TORO.

21. Makes room on a pew, say: SCOOTS IN.

23. Made haste, quaintly: HIED.

24. Having the right (to): ENTITLED.  I had an employee once who felt entitled to come to work late because she lived far from the office.

25. Mountain cat: PUMA.  Did you know the Puma has many names?

26. "This __ about you": ISN'T.

30. Back talk: SASS.

31. Branch of Islam: SHIA.

32. Requirement for some school essays: WORD COUNT.

33. Mammals with tusks and trunks: ELEPHANTS.

34. Scannable bars on mdse.: UPC.  As in Universal Produce Code.

The UPC Explained

37. D.C. MLB team: NATS.

38. Utter joy: GLEE.  Glee was also a musical comedy-drama about a high school glee club.

39. Opposite of west: EAST.

45. Crushed it in a drag show: SLAYED.

46. Baby goats: KIDS.

Baby Goat Yoga

48. Thus: ERGO.

49. Courageous: BRAVE.

50. "Quiet!": ZIP IT.

51. Splotch: BLOB.

54. Include in a bibliography: CITE.

55. Sherbet brand: EDY'S.  Edy's has become a crossword staple.  Sherbet or Sorbet?

57. Kissing on the subway, e.g.: PDA.  As Personal Digital Assistant?  Just kidding, it's short for Public Display of Affection.

This was high-tech about 20 years ago.

58. Permissive: LAX.

59. Use scissors on: CUT.

60. Game with Skip and Reverse cards: UNO.

חתולה

I appreciated all the birthday wishes last week.

This will be my last commentary for 2022.  Hubby and I are taking off for a trip to southeast Asia.  We'll be gone for several weeks, but will return again sometime in January.  I know you will be in good hands while I am gone.

Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas.