Tuesday, October 4, 2022 Rebecca Goldstein and Rachel Fabi

Cleanup in the Produce Aisle:  Lots of produce in today's theme.  Not only is the answer an item of produce, but each answer can be broken into two other food items.

20-Across. *   Bright yellow sandwich topping: BANANA PEPPER.

34-Across. *   Marinara ingredient: PLUM TOMATO.

44-Across. *   Citrusy herb in Thai cuisine: LEMON BASIL.  I really wanted Lemon Grass, but the perps let me know my initial thought was wrong.

And the unifier:

57-Across. Supermarket section containing each component of (as well as the complete answers to) the starred clues: PRODUCE AISLE.  We get 3 items of produce for the price of one!

And two bonus clues:

35-Down. 57-Across spray: MIST.

39-Down. Bad sound in the 57-Across:  SPLAT.

Across:

1. Short-legged Welsh dog breed: CORGI.  The Queen loved her Corgis.

6. Opera star: DIVA.  //  And 59-Down. Opera solo: ARIA.

10. Milk in a skinny latte: SKIM.

14. WNBA team in 53-Across: DREAM.  //  And 53. Ga. capital: ATL.  The Atlanta Dream is the women's American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia.

15. Minnesota representative Ilhan: OMAR.  Ilhan Oman (née Ilhan Abdullahi Omar; b. Oct. 4, 1982) is originally from Somalia, and is now a Congresswoman from Minnesota.  Today is her 40th birthday.  [Name # 1.]

16. Actress Olin: LENA.  Lena Olin (née Lena Maria Jonna Olin; b. Mar. 22, 1955) is a Swedish actress.  She makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  [Name # 2.]

17. Cohort: CADRE.

18. Costa __: RICA.  Costa Rica is one of the countries in Central America.

19. Choir part: ALTO.

23. Broadway opening?: ACT ONE.

26. Sweet potato kin: YAM.  Everything you wanted to know about the differences between Sweet Potatoes and Yams but didn't know to ask.

27. Pt. of TGIF: FRI.  Thank Goodness It's Friday.

28. Low sound?: MOO.

29. Quran authority: IMAM.

32. Hostess snack: HO HO.  Apparently they come in a variety of flavors, including peanut butter.

37. Messes up: ERRS.

40. Actress Petty: LORI.  Lori Petty (b. Oct. 14, 1963) was a fairly big name in the 1990s.    She starred with Keanu Reeves in the 1991 surfing film Break Point.  [Name # 3.]

41. Quick qualifier: IMO.  Textspeak for In My Opinion.

42. Harvest: REAP.

43. Concludes: ENDS.

47. Blues guitarist Baker: ETTA.  Etta Baker (née Etta Lucille Reid; Mar. 31, 1913 ~ Sept. 23, 2006) is not our usual Tuesday guest.   [Name # 4.]

49. Longtime Swit co-star: ALDA.  A reference to Loretta Swit (née Loretta Jane Szwed; b. Nov. 4, 1937) and Alan Alda (né Alfonzo Joseph D'Abruzzo; b. Jan. 28, 2936) who both starred in M*A*S*H.  [Names # 5 and 6.]

50. Wanders in an airport?: TSA.  As in the Transportation Security Administration.

51. Sunscreen letters: SPF.  As in Sun Protection Factor.  Everything you wanted to know about SPF but didn't know to ask.

55. Ready to go: ALL SET.

61. Yesteryear: YORE.

62. Goat group: HERD.

63. Throwback diet: PALEO.  Also known as the Caveman Diet.

67. As soon as: ONCE.

68. __ Canalway Trail: 365-mile stretch in New York: ERIE.  Everything you wanted to know about the Erie Canalway Trail but didn't know to ask.

69. Zest alternative: IVORY.  Both are brands of soaps.  Ivory floats.

70. Require: NEED.

71. Group of two: DYAD.  Not a Tuesday word.

72. Word before tea and toast: TEXAS.  One you can consume, the other ...

Down:

1. Public health org. headed by Rochelle Walensky: CDC.  Center for Disease Control and Prevention.  Everyone knows of this agency now, but how many knew that Prevention is part of the name?  [Name # 7.]

2. British singer Rita: ORA.  I am not familiar with Rita Ora's (née Rita Sahatçiu Ora; b. Nov. 26, 1990).  She was born in Yugoslavia (now Kosovo), but her family moved to England for political reasons when she was an infant.  [Name # 8.]

3. Top stripe of a pride flag: RED.

4. Actress Greta: GARBO.  Greta Garbo (née Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; Sept. 18, 1905 ~ Apr. 15, 1990) was a Swedish actress.  The American Film Institute named her in the top 10 greatest female stars of classic Hollywood.  [Name # 9.]

5. "For real!": I MEAN IT.

6. Explorer in "The Lost City of Gold": DORA.  [Name # 10.]

7. Hacker's triumphant cry: I'M IN!

8. Time away, informally: VACAY.

9. Great Plains people: ARAPAHO.

10. Smack: SLAP.

11. Underwater ecosystems: KELP FORESTS.  Everything you wanted to know about a Kelp Forest but didn't know to ask.

12. Prefix with faith: INTER-.  Interfaith.

13. New Zealand native: MĀORI.

21. Pixar clownfish: NEMO.  [Name # 11.]

22. Punk subgenre: EMO.  Everything you wanted to know about Emo can be found in the video below.

23. More than sufficient: AMPLE.

24. Analogy punctuation: COLON.  Also a part of the anatomy.

25. Exceptional performance: TOUR DE FORCE.  Today's French lesson.

30. French friend: AMIE.  More of today's French lesson.

31. "__ Mia! Here We Go Again": MAMMA.

33. Greek goddess of marriage: HERA.  Everything you wanted to know about Hera but didn't know to ask.  [Name # 12.]

36. Hammer or saw: TOOL.  I see, said the blind man, as he picked up his hammer and saw.

38. __ the roof: RAISE.

44. Fastened, in a way: LATCHED.

45. Confidentiality contracts: Abbr.: NDAS.  As in Non-Disclosure AgreementS.

46. Colorful play area: BALL PIT.

48. Greek letter before upsilon: TAU.

51. Watch covertly: SPY ON.

52. Inclined (to): PRONE.

54. Wary (of): LEERY.

56. Depart: LEAVE.

58. Act: DEED.

60. Named, briefly: ID'ED.

64. Smoked salmon: LOX.  Yummers!  Hubby's Saturday morning breakfast fare.

65. Time period: ERA.

66. Noises of exasperation: OYs!

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

May all who observe have an easy fast on Yom Kippur, which starts at sundown today.

Monday August 22, 2022 Rebecca Goldstein

Theme RANDO (R and O) (53. Total stranger, or a three-word hint to the answers to the starred clues) - Each theme answers starts with R* and O*.

16. *Playful semiaquatic mammal: RIVER OTTER.

24. *Seafood served on the half shell: RAW OYSTER.

36. *Really get down to the music: ROCK OUT.

38. *Floral perfume ingredient: ROSE OIL.

47. *Request with a tight timeline: RUSH ORDER.

59. *"Only the Lonely" singer: ROY ORBISON.

Boomer here. 

RO, RO, RO, Your boat gently down the stream, merrily, merrily. merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.  No medical appointments last week, hoping that's a good sign.

Across:

1. Ongoing drama: SAGA.

5. Sounds of revelation: AHAS. Gotcha !

9. __ bean: FAVA.  

13. Cereal coveted by a silly rabbit: TRIX.  I cannot have them. They are only for kids.

14. Garlic piece: CLOVE.  Not a great taste. I remember there used to be a CLOVE chewing gum!

15. Baaing mamas: EWES.

18. Merit: EARN.  Not much EARNing going on these days on the market.

19. "__ the Force, Luke": USE.  May the force be with you.

20. Looked over: EYED.  Hey look me over, lend me an ear!

21. Green shade named for a fruit: OLIVE.  Popeye's girlfriend.

22. Electric car maker: TESLA. Is he gonna buy Twitter or what?

27. Flower starter: BUD. St. Louis' favorite beer.

28. Thompson of "Thor: Love and Thunder": TESSA.

29. Parcel of land: TRACT.  We live in a townhome so we do not own the land.  That means I do not have to mow!

31. Mammal with elephant and leopard varieties: SEAL.

32. Chiding sounds: TSKS.

40. Black as night: INKY.

41. Sail the seven __: SEAS. I never sailed. Flew over one once.

43. Spiteful, as gossip: CATTY.  The chatty doll is CATHY.

44. Baseball Hall of Famer Stengel: CASEY.  At the bat.

46. Campfire residue: ASH.  What Casey's bat was made from.

51. Broadcast again: RE-AIR.

54. Incredible bargain: STEAL.  Not sure that I like this clue.

55. Verdi opera: AIDA.

57. Hotel at JFK named for a defunct airline: TWA.  Trans World Airlines.

58. Turn sharply: VEER. Sometimes in northern Minnesota you may have to VEER your drive to avoid hitting a deer.

62. Stiffly proper: PRIM.

63. Helps in a heist: ABETS.  I placed a few bets in Danbury Wisconsin a few weeks ago.

64. "Do you __?": MIND. Your manners.

65. Moral lapses: SINS.  I have found that it is difficult to SIN while fighting cancer for four years. 

66. Fail to notice: MISS. The "'OL" state

67. Miranda of "Homeland": OTTO.

Down:

1. Walk like a peacock: STRUT.  From the foul line after that twelfth strike.

2. Pop up: ARISE.  ALL RISE was on the back of Aaron Judge's jersey once.

3. Volunteers in the community one grew up in, say: GIVES BACK.  Generally this will happen if you win a little at a casino.

4. Cord cutter?: AXE.  Wrestler Larry "The Axe" Henning.

5. Take in or let out: ALTER.  Also front and center at church.

6. Reason to get all gussied up: HOT DATE.

7. "__ Maria": AVE.  "Hail Mary" in Latin.   

8. Spanish verb similar to "estar": SER. To be.

9. Is completely comfortable: FEELS AT EASE.  I'm feeling a bit better, but my legs are still a problem.

10. Anticipate: AWAIT.  Social Security is going up a bit.  AWAIT until January,

11. Vivacity: VERVE.

12. Ed who played Lou Grant: ASNER.  WJM-TV in Minneapolis.  I still remember Mary Tyler Moore walking along Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis.  C.C. and I took that path many times.

Boomer, The Mary Tyler Moore House, 8/16/2017

14. Playfully shy: COY.

17. Share a bedtime story with: READ TO.

21. Kvetching cries: OYS.

23. "Magically delicious" cereal: LUCKY CHARMS.  I sort of stick to Grape-Nuts and Chex.

25. Has on: WEARS.  Some times the puzzle WEARS me out.

26. Norwegian city with a Viking Ship Museum: OSLO.  We have Vikings here. No museum.

29. Prefix with athlete: TRI.

30. "Apollo 13" director Howard: RON.  Long career, right Opie?

31. Fine equine: STEED.

33. "Really? There's no more?": SO THAT'S IT?.  Wrong - there's 15 more clues.

34. Tool set: KIT.

35. Wily: SLY.  Fox.

37. Cold War initials: USSR.  I wish they would leave Ukraine.

39. Egyptian beetle: SCARAB.

42. Long-fingered lemurs of Madagascar: AYE AYES.  Yes Sir!

45. "You've got mail" ISP: AOL.  We get ours from a mail box.

47. Politely declines, maybe: RSVPS.  I'll be there.

48. Development sites: UTERI.

49. Greet and seat: SEE IN.

50. Very funny folks: RIOTS.  Lots of campaigns coming soon.

52. Terse refusal: I WON'T.  I will vote.

56. Rx writers, often: DRS.  Some got into trouble for prescribing opioids.

59. Animal logo on a Dodge truck: RAM.  Don't RAM another car or truck with it.

60. __-Wan Kenobi: OBI.

61. Caveat in a text: IMO.  In My Opinion.

Boomer

Friday, August 19, 2022, Rebecca Goldstein

Title: Liar Liar pants on fire!

With our new editorial staff we are seeing a stream of new female constructors bringing their perspective to the puzzle world. Today is a classic Friday theme where rather than add letters we remove letters and then clue the result to make witty sense. Rebecca's choice is the ambitious trigram LIE, which she supplements with the uncommon Friday reveal. Since her mainstream puzzle debut on Groundhog Day 2021, she has more than 20 published efforts. She shows her skills by including a bunch of long non-theme fill ASSAILS, RAMPS UP,  EGG TIMER, GOLD STAR, SLED RACE, WE'RE HOME, POPS WHEES, SHOE HORNS, SORRY CHAR and SWEATSUIT.  Impressive. Let us move to the theme.

18A. *Sounds when Dad is on the roller coaster?: POPS WHEELIES. Your father screaming on the roller coaster expands to his making his bike (motor or not?) doing wheelies. I could not find a good video.

24A. *Football official who makes the absolute worst calls?: DISASTER RELIEF. An incompetent referee becomes the center of humanitarian aid.

47A. *Extremely poor student?: LORD OF THE FLIES. This is my favorite as dubbing a bad student as the Lord of the Fs and then referencing a classic book read in school was great. 

56A. *Woefully inadequate crust on a steak?: SORRY CHARLIE. Another fun reference to the old Star-Kist TV commercial though what a lacking crust might be. 

And the reveal:

35A. "You can't deny it," and a good question about the answers to the starred clues: WHERE IS THE LIE. Not crazy about this clue or the placing a reveal in the middle of the puzzle, but it certainly tells the story.

Now that we have done part I, lets see the rest.

Across:

1. Diamond-studded watch, e.g.: BLING. This filled immediately but I can see it might have made some unhappy.

6. Drama award: OBIE. Off Broadway equivalent of a Tony. 

10. Greek peak: OSSA. Rising from a broad, steep-sided plateau to a pyramidal peak of 6,489 feet (1,978 m), the mountain is noted in mythology for the attempt of the Aloads, sons of the sea god Poseidon, to climb to heaven by placing Ossa on Olympus and the Pelion (Pílios) Mountains on Ossa. Britannica.
            

14. "On the Media" medium: RADIO. On the Media (OTM) is an hour-long weekly radio program hosted by Brooke Gladstone, covering journalism, technology, and First Amendment issues. Wiki.

15. Underwhelming: SO SO. So what?

16. Temple athletes: OWLS. This Philadelphia University has produced some successful graduates. A LIST. To honor Temple's beginning as a night school for ambitious young people, the nocturnal owl was adopted as its mascot. 

17. Former NBA center who made only one three-point shot in his career: O'NEAL. He tried 22 times .
                            
20. Tower of note: AAA. The company that tows cars, hardy har har.

21. "You wouldn't __!": DARE. I already did!

23. Adjective on taco truck menus: ASADA. From the Spanish for grilled I think. 

28. Start to cycle?: TRI. Cute, tricycle.

29. Minute: ITSY. Bitsy teenie weenie...

30. Ingest: EAT. This makes the process seem awful.

31. Margarita condimento: SAL. Spanish for salt.

32. Span. title: SRA. Continuing the trend, Senorita, a miss.

33. Business closing?: INC. This is the last part of a business name e.g. Crossword Corner, Inc.

34. Florida NFLers: BUCS. We have three NFL teams, The Jaguars from Jacksonville, the once mighty Miami Dolphins and the Tom Brady led Tampa Bucs.

39. Old Royale 8's: REOS. A car made by that company.

Pretty classy.

40. "I hate it": UGH. Also 46A. Response from the underwhelmed: MEH. 61A. "Yeah, don't think so": UM NO. The flowery speech of modern times.

41. "Trust your __": GUT. This has become an accepted way to live, why?

42. Exist: ARE. To be or not to be.

43. For: PRO. Against: Anti.

44. Pen pals?: HOGS. Cute, in their pigpen.

52. Prefix meaning "light": PHOTO. word-forming element meaning "light" or "photographic" or "photoelectric," from Greek photo-, combining form of phōs (genitive phōtos) "light."

54. Bread served with saag paneer: ROTI. We must first learn that saag paneer is a spinach based dish popular in Indian culture, then the fill is easy.

55. Maracanã Stadium city: RIO. Maracanã Stadium, officially named Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, is an association football stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

59. Single-sex group of experts: MANEL. An appropriate feminist portmanteau for Man (only Pan) el. 

62. The Hawkeye State: IOWA. Most sources say that Iowa's Hawkeye State nickname was inspired by a Native American warrior named Black Hawk and/or the character of Hawkeye in James Fenimore Cooper's novel The Last of the Mohicans. Though the exact history of the name is debated, most Iowans proudly refer to themselves as Hawkeyes.

63. Banish: EXILE. 

64. Younger sibling, stereotypically: PEST. I was the youngest so I guess I was the pest.

65. Study __: SESH. Dictionary says / (sɛʃ) / noun. slang short for session.

66. Pond plants: REEDS.  Reeds and rushes are pond plants that will attract wildlife such as hummingbirds, dragonflies and butterflies to you water feature.

Down:

1. Far-reaching: BROAD. I think this is very insulting and unfair as women deserve respect even if they are ... oh, sorry. 

2. Poipu patio: LANAI. A very pretty area in Hawaii.

3. Notes app entries: IDEAS. I guess that is the idea but I imagine most just put in reminders.

4. Actress Long: NIA. Actress, Producer, Singer SUPERSTAR. This impressive lady.

5. "Well done, you!": GOLD STAR. Did you get these in school?

6. Hawk in a duet: OSPREY. This sounds so familiar but refuses to come to the surface. Help musicians, please.

7. Bronx cheer leader: BOOER. The term Bronx cheer is named for a borough of New York, the Bronx, and presumably the inhabitants' propensity to employ their tongues to express derisive feelings when a sports team does not perform up to par. See Yankees.

8. Co. for surfers: ISP. Internet Service Provider.

9. Maker of The Hero and The Fixer lip care products: EOS. Two of their lip balm products.

10. Sounds of awe: OOHS. And aahs? 

11. Work-from-home attire, for many: SWEAT SUIT. I no longer own any, but in Florida it is shorts and flip flops.

12. The Iditarod, e.g.: SLED RACE. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, more commonly known as The Iditarod, is an annual long-distance sled dog race run in early March. It travels from Anchorage to Nome, entirely within the US state of Alaska. WIKI.

13. Goes after: ASSAILS. A fancy word for attacking someone. Etymology  "attack violently," c. 1200, from Old French assalir "attack, assault, assail." 

19. Drift, as an aroma: WAFT. I love the smell of coffee brewing when I am getting up. Sadly for Oo she does not.

22. @ signs: ATS. a gimme.

25. Buenos __: AIRES. We are back in South America.

26. Flat bread?: RENT. Another classic misdirection with flat = apartment and bread = money.

27. A throw: EACH. A piece. 

32. Makes fit, in a way: SHOE HORNS. A picture clue.

33. "Thereabouts": ISH. I will see you 7ish.

34. Rosé: BLUSH. Don't whine, this is wine. I defer to C Moe to discuss this blend. My d-i-l use WHINE as her WORDLE word every day; last two days the answers were WHILE and TWANG = two 2s.

35. "Did you miss us?": WE'RE HOME. We are the 'us' here so we don't get to say this often.

36. 100 cents: EURO. Did you know the EURO used cents?

37. Rangers goalie Shesterkin: IGOR. Goodbye Igor, Eyegor here is a very New York clue/fill. In the 2021–22 NHL season he won the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender.

38. Kitchen counter?: EGG TIMER. Another nice pun.

39. Increases quickly: RAMPS UP.

43. Ruse: PLOY. In the top 5.

44. "Yippee!": HOORAH. Very marine...

45. O'er and o'er: OFT. 

48. Doodles: DRAWS.

49. "Rubber Duckie" singer: ERNIE. Not Bert, but...
                            

50. Sally of "Brothers & Sisters": FIELD. Even multiple Academy Award winners must work.

51. Red parts of Louboutin shoes: SOLES.
                        

53. Moderate pace: TROT. Don't rush. 

57. Prefix with gender: CIS. Cisgender, or simply cis, is an adjective that describes a person whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth.

58. Gardener's tool: HOE. Ho, ho, that is a trap to which I will not go. I think Erle wrote about Perry Mason, among others.

60. Logger's tool: AXE. What are logging tools?

Cant Hooks. Steel Cant Hooks. Aluminum Cant Hooks.

Log Peaveys. Steel Log Peaveys. Hookaroons. Steel Hookaroons. Log Arches. Junior Log Arch. Buck Arch Log Arch. Log Carriers. Timber Tongs. 2-Person Log Carrier.

Axes are for wimps, but they are cute and my personal favorite band.

Handicapped by a hand that was assailed by my grand puppy, Remus the Jack Russell, I did not get to start until tonight and I hope we had a good time and I made enough sense as I ploughed through. This was a fun puzzle from an impossibly busy new constructor. I look forward to your comments and thank you Rebecca, all who read, all who write, C.C. and Boomer and keep good wishes flowing for them and the whole 

world. Lemonade out.