Monday March 13, 2023 Rebecca Goldstein

  

Hello Cornerites!

sumdaze and Billy Joel here with today's theme:

We Didn't Start the Fire

"It was always burning since the world's been turning." ♪♪♪

song & lyrics (1989)

This is our 3rd Monday in a row with a Rebecca Goldstein puzzle. Today's is my favorite of the three, mainly due to its extra-special grid. To begin with, it is 14 X 15 squares and features vertical symmetry. Furthermore, all of the themers have an even number of letters and are centered horizontally on the grid. (I added some thin, yellow highlighting to emphasize this.)

At the end of each themer, the word "FIRE" is being "built".  F  -->  FI  -->  FIR  -->  FIRE.

Rebecca really brought the heat! She gave us:

19 Across. Not making the grade: GETTING AN F.

36 Across. Mobile virtual network offered by a tech giant: GOOGLE FI.

Basically, it is a no-contract, wireless phone plan available only to U.S. residents.

44 Across. Evergreen native to the rocky elevations of Big Sur: BRISTLECONE FIR.

The thin spines on Abies Bracteata's cones, for which the species is named,
are unique within the genus. Learn more here.

Culminating in:

57 Across. Jack London short story about survival in the Yukon Territory, and the goal of this puzzle?: TO BUILD A FIRE.

synopsis

There are several CSOs in today's answers. Let's find them!

Across:
1. Seek divine intervention: PRAY.

5. Calc prerequisite: TRIG.  "Calculus" is abbreviated, so is "TRIGonometry." Briefly, TRIG is the study of the relationships between a triangle's angles and side lengths.

9. Secretly keeps in the email loop: BCC'S.  Blind Carbon CopieS. an anachronism?

13. Pride month: JUNE.  History of Pride Month

14. 1980s tennis star Mandlíková: HANA.  The crossing of HANA and 6 Down. Malek of "Mr. Robot": RAMI got me today. I could picture his face but not the spelling. HeNA/ReMI

15. "Here comes trouble": UH OH.

16. Red line on a baseball: SEAM.

17. Love, in Spanish: AMOR.  CSO#1 to Lucina!!

18. Impolite: RUDE.

22. Popcorn bit: KERNEL.

24. Decide on: OPT FOR.

27. Physician's gp.: AMA.  Group is abbreviated, so is the American Medical Association. It was founded in 1847.

28. Every time: ALWAYS.  

31. Notable time: ERA.

32. Arizona county: YUMA.  CSO#2 to Yuman!!

34. Pickling herb: DILL.  as in DILL-icious!

35. Time for cake and prezzies: B-DAY.  "Prezzies" is slang for "presents" so we needed a slangy answer.

39. Paradise: EDEN.

41. "Just joking!": I KID.

50. Dada pioneer Jean: ARP.

"Arp was a gifted poet and painter, though it’s as a sculptor that he’s best remembered — for his reliefs, and his smoothly rounded, biomorphic forms, above all. In November 2018, one of these, Déméter, fetched $5,825,000 at Christie’s in New York, the highest price ever paid for an Arp at auction." source

Jean ARP amid his biomorphic forms

51. Defeated in a hot dog contest, say: OUT ATE.

Last July 4, Joey Chestnut won his 15th Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest by scarfing down 63 hot dogs (including buns) in 10 minutes. This is how he trains for this event.

Joey Chestnut OUT ATE his opponents.

52. Self-confidence: EGO.

53. Bamako's country: MALI.  Its population is estimated at 2.8 million people. As I write this, the Bamako weather forecast is for highs of 103 - 105ºF (39.4 - 40.5 ºC) all week.

55. Mouth-puckering: TART.

56. "Smooth Operator" singer: SADE.  

a rough operator ???

60. Maghrib prayer leaders: IMAMS.

61. Not better: WORSE.  There is a comic strip called For Better or For Worse. Lynn Johnston started drawing it in 1979. In 2008 Lynn retired. It now runs as repeats.

62. Gem weight: CARAT.  Metal weights (like gold): karat.

63. "The Ant and the Grasshopper" writer: AESOP.  The moral of the story:  Time is precious so we should make the most of it by doing positive things.

Down:
1. Bedtime attire, for short: PJ'S.

2. Regret deeply: RUE.  Try not to ruminate on the actions you RUE. Doing so will ruin your sleep.

3. Grand Am for grandma, e.g.: ANAGRAM.  I asked a ragman for help with this one.

Also, CSO#3 to Ol' Man Keith, our diagonal ANAGRAM finder!!

4. Country south of Saudi Arabia: YEMEN.

5. "Enough already": THAT'LL DO.

Babe (1995) 3:29 min. clip

"That'll do, Pig. That'll do."

Am I the only one crying right now?

7. __ the ground floor: IN ON. and 37 Down. Not misled by: ONTO.

8. Carved figure on Notre Dame cathedral: GARGOYLE.

Maybe later on tonight you'll have time to watch this official video of the GARGOYLE tour at the Washington National Cathedral in D.C. It is 1:16 hrs. long. You won't be disappointed!!

This is me on the GARGOYLE tour
at the Washington National Cathedral in 2013.

9. More than well-done: BURNT.  an Easter egg???

10. Quite pleased, in British slang: CHUFFED.  Does anyone watch Escape to the Chateau? Angela often tells the camera that she is "so, so CHUFFED" or "reeeealy CHUFFED" or "proper CHUFFED". Here's a British in a Minute video that explains the meaning and origin of CHUFFED.

11. Fish and chips fish, often: COD.  Speaking of British slang, fish & chips shops are called "chippies".

12. __/her pronouns: SHE.

20. Steeped beverage: TEA.

21. High-level HS exams: APS.  "High-level" is a hint to "advanced". Advanced Placement ExamS are standardized exams high schoolers can take to get college credit (with qualifying scores).

22. "Every kiss begins with __": jeweler's slogan: KAY.  The tagline was introduced in 1985.

23. Down Under bird: EMU.  They have a reputation for being quite aggressive.

25. "Let You Love Me" singer Rita: ORA.

26. Sunbeam: RAY.  CSO#4 to Ray-O-Sunshine!!

29. Halloween headpiece: WIG.

My friend Kim always makes the best costumes.

30. __-purpose flour: ALL.

33. Long, long time: AGES.

35. Commuter's two-wheeler: BIKE.

38. Late fee: FINE.  This made me think of library fines so I looked for something interesting to share in that vein. I learned that in Oct. 2021, the New York Public Library (the largest public library in the U.S.) announced it was no longer charging late fees on overdue materials. Since then, more than 72,000 materials have been returned. More importantly, people are coming back to the library. Read the CBS news story here.

39. All over the map: ERRATIC.  not even or regular in pattern or movement; unpredictable.

40. Graduate's document: DIPLOMA.

42. "Alas, that seems likely": I FEAR SO.

43. Do some serious soul-searching: DIG DEEP.

44. Sound of impact: BAM.

also, Chef Emeril Lagasse's catchphrase

45. Stringed-instrument player at Renaissance fairs: LUTIST.

Here is a 3 min., very pretty but not-at-all-from-the-Renaissance-period song.

It turns out a lute is much more guitar-like than I was picturing. "Lute" does rhyme with "flute", after all. This one looks like it has 16 strings.

46. And others, briefly: ET AL.

47. Item in a magician's deck: CARD.

48. Canada's capital: OTTAWA.  CSO#5 to Canadian-Eh!!!

49. Lobster eggs: ROE.

54. Letter-shaped girder: I BAR.  I have always loved this photo -- even though my stomach does somersaults just looking at it!

56. Distinguished gentlemen: SIRS.

58. Thurman of "Super Pumped": UMA.  They had me at "Thurman" with 3 letters.

UMA as Arianna Huffington in the 2022 drama, Super Pumped

59. Nemesis: FOE.  Well, well, well...

That's all for today. I'm stoked and delighted to read your thoughts! Have any burning questions? Fire away!

Monday March 6, 2023 Rebecca Goldstein

  

Hello Cornerites!

sumdaze here to blog another Rebecca Goldstein creation. Last Monday Rebecca partnered with Rachel Fabi. She is back this week with her 15th solo L.A. Times puzzle. Husker Gary posted, "Rebecca Goldstein has a PhD. in pharmacology, and now leads a small group supporting immuno-oncology drug discovery efforts at Merck in the San Francisco area." Thank you for working to make this world a better place, Rebecca!

Today's theme is:

On Deck  

We often see this phrase in XWD puzzles. It fits here because "deck" is skater slang for the wooden area of the skateboard that you stand on.

In case you thought you missed them (I'm looking at you, D-O!), there are no starred clues, circles, or early hints today. That being the case, I will begin with the reveal:

66 Across. Olympic arena that features the ends of 17-, 25-, 41-, and 52-Across: SKATEPARK.

I suggest you ask your favorite teenager for help with these SKATEPARK features. Google and I will do our best to help as well. First the full phrases:

17 Across. Commuter option: LIGHT RAIL.  LIGHT RAIL transit operates electric-powered single cars or short trains on fixed rails. "LIGHT" refers to passenger capacity as opposed to the train cars themselves.

25. Hawaiian dish with skipjack tuna: POKE BOWL.

There are many variations of POKE BOWLs.
Here is the recipe for this one.

41 Across. Dumped unceremoniously: KICKED TO THE CURB.

52 Across. Cloverleaf segment: EXIT RAMP.

You can see why it is called a "cloverleaf".
This design offers 8 EXIT RAMPs.

Here are the four red words in the context of a SKATEPARK. They say a picture is worth a thousand words....

Time for some fun SKATEPARK facts:

• The 2020 Olympics (CY 2021) marked the debut of skateboarding as an Olympic sport.
• Joe Ciaglia, founder and president of California Skateparks,  designed the Olympic venue. He wanted every twist and turn, every rail and ramp, to support the skater creating their masterpiece.
• There were 4 events: men's street, men's park, women's street, and women's park.
• Street skateboarding differs from Park in that skaters perform tricks over rails, ledges, staircases, and other obstacles typically found on the streets.

19-year-old Sakura Yosozumi from Japan won the first gold medal in Women's Park Skateboarding.

I found several of the other clues trick-y as well. Let's take a look:

Across:
1. Nile reptile: ASP.

4. Woodworking tool: RASP.  R + 1A

8. School year: CLASS.  Current HS freshmen are the CLASS of '26.

13. "Knock, knock" response starter: WHO'S. there?

Sadie.

Sadie who?

Sadie magic word and I'll come in!

15. Crooner Paul: ANKA.  I recently heard Jason Bateman say on a podcast that his FIL is Paul ANKA. 

Jason Bateman & wife Amanda ANKA

16. Put a cap on: LIMIT.  Clever misdirection!

19. State one's views: OPINE. There will be a place for you to do this below.

20. Union member?: SPOUSE.  marital union

21. Total disorder: MESS.

23. "__ whiz!": GEE.

24. Attempt: STAB.

27. "Good Will Hunting" univ.: MIT. "University" is abbreviated, so is "Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Good Will Hunting. Official Trailer (1997)

It won 2 Oscars: Best Supporting Actor for Robin Williams

and Best Original Screenplay for Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.

29. Ahmed of "The Night Of": RIZ.  ESP, for me.  Riz's IMDb link

31. "If I were __ ... ": YOU.

32. "Time's Arrow" novelist Martin: AMIS.  ESP, for me.  goodreads link

34. Guns, as an engine: REVS.

37. Mandarin greeting: NI HAO.  Hello C.C.!

44. Pitch perfect: ON KEY.

45. Potatoes, in South Asian cuisine: ALOO.  This past Wednesday we had "ALOO palak: dish of potatoes and spinach."  I liked TTP's advice, "If the clue sounds like it might be of an Indian food and references potatoes, the answer is probably ALOO. If the clue or answer is ALOO something, then you are on your own :-)"

46. "Twittering Machine" artist Paul: KLEE.  another ESP, for me.

(1922)  MoMA explains it

47. Snakelike fish: EEL.

49. TD's six: PTS.  "Touch Down" is abbreviated, so is "PoinTS".

51. Mary __ cosmetics: KAY. a multi-level marketing company established in 1963 and headquartered in Addison, TX

57. Rx writers: DOCS.

59. Movie night room: DEN.

60. Woodwind for Elaine Douvas: OBOE.

Elain Douvas, Joel Noyes (cell0), and Bryan Wagorn (piano) perform Henri Brod's Duo from Lucia di Lammermoor, Op. 55 for OBOE, Cello & Piano

61. Enticing scents: AROMAS.

64. Spy collection: INTEL.

68. After-bath wrap: TOWEL.  After completing a marathon in Kochi, Japan, I was given a TOWEL instead of a medal. I was not expecting that! It is 7.5 X 44 in. (19 X 112 cm.) -- more like a scarf but definitely a towel. I saw a lot of locals (mostly men) wear similar towels around their necks to stay cool in the humid climate. TOWELs are popular in Japanese culture as are niche museums. Here is a link to a Towel Museum.

69. Not all: SOME.

70. Sparkling wine region: ASTI.

71. Makes out, in Manchester: SNOGS.  "Makes out" is a hint that the answer will be slang and "Manchester" is a hint that it will be British English.

72. Affirmative votes: YEAS.  Aye, "YEA" means "yes".

73. QVC alternative: HSN.  both are TV shopping channels

Down:
1. Puncturing tools: AWLS.

2. Model in a bottle: SHIP.  Fun clue!

3. Toy with a handlebar and a big spring: POGO STICK.

4. Unique person: RARE BIRD.  4 RARE BIRDs

5. Political commentator Navarro: ANA.  This is ANA's CNN Political Commentator page.

6. Cut corners: SKIMP.

7. Hunter-gatherer diet: PALEO.  DH likes to tell me that if we were cavepeople, I'd know where to find all the best berries.

8. Reason to say "Whew!": CLOSE ONE. What was that?

9. Carmex target: LIP.  Were you thinking "CarMax"?

10. Buddy in Barcelona: AMIGO.  "Barcelona" is a hint that the answer will be in español.

11. Muscular power: SINEW.

12. Stainless __: STEEL.  "Spaghetti" would not fit.

14. Closed: SHUT.

18. Figure in Russian history: TSAR.

22. Chicago WNBA team: SKY.

26. Lincoln competitor: BUICK.  For these "competitor" or "peer" clues, I try to think within a timeline.  Even though it has 5 letters, "Tesla" is off the table for this one.

27. Shark name that comes from Maori: MAKO.

28. "Let's do it!": I'M IN.

30. Actress Catherine __-Jones: ZETA.

33. Shooting sport: SKEET.  also an Olympic event

35. Abbreviation on a TV remote: VOL.  "TeleVision" is abbreviated, so is "VOLume".

36. Intersection sign: STOP.

In Mathematics, the intersection sign is an up-side down letter U.

38. Angry shout from a green Avenger: HULK SMASH.  I wanted "HULK angry!" but "angry" was in the clue so I had to keep thinking.

39. Locale: AREA.

40. Follow orders: OBEY.

42. Exasperated expressions: EYE ROLLS.

43. Much-anticipated nights out: HOT DATES.

48. Scientist's workplace: LAB.

50. Aching: SORE.

52. Changes the narrative?: EDITS.

53. Noble gas whose name comes from the Greek for "strange": XENON.  The pronunciation is "zee-naan". In this case, the Greek word "strange" is more like "not common". The name fits because XENON only exists in one in 20 million parts of the earth's atmosphere. In other words, if the earth's atmosphere was a huge sports stadium divided into 20 million seats, only one seat would represent XENON.

54. Split evenly: IN TWO.  The math teacher in me wants to point out that "TWO" is not necessarily "even".

55. Overgrown, in a way: MOSSY.  winner of today's Giant Leap award

56. Black tea grade: PEKOE.

Click to enlarge.

58. __ América: international football tournament: COPA.  website

62. __ and crafts: ARTS.

63. Largest organ in the human body: SKIN.  The liver comes in at #2. Lungs are #3.

65. Brain scan letters: EEG.
An Electroencephalogram is a noninvasive test that records electrical patterns in your brain. The test is used to help diagnose conditions such as seizures, epilepsy, head injuries, dizziness, headaches, brain tumors, and sleeping problems. 

67. Reddit Q&A: AMA.  Even though I've never read an AMA, I've seen this one enough now to know it right away.

Finally, let's 'drop in' on the grid:

That's the end of Rebecca's gnarly puzzle.  L8er sk8ers!

Tuesday, January 24, 2023 Rebecca Goldstein

Rest and Recharge!  The last word of each theme answer are things may need or have a rest.

18-Across. *   Traditional Thanksgiving entree: ROAST TURKEY.  This answer confused me a bit, but apparently a roast turkey needs to rest a bit before being carved.  This gives the turkey time to reabsorb the juices so that the meat will be nice and juicy.

24-Across. *   Feature of anxiety, often: RACING MIND.

35-Across. *   The "order" part of a "Law & Order" episode: COURT CASE.

47-Across. *   Piano lesson pages: SHEET MUSIC.  The musicians a Rests is a musical notation sign that indicates the absence of a sound.  Each rest symbol and name corresponds with a particular note value indicating how long the silence should last.

And the unifier:

53-Across. "Enough already!" or what one may do to each answer to a starred clue: GIVE IT A REST.

Today's puzzle also acknowledges many of our regulars!

Across:

1. Cert. for some babysitters: CPR.  As in CardioPulmonary Resuscitation.

4. Golden St. region: SO-CAL.  As in Southern California.

9. Chase a fly, maybe: SWAT.

The caption reads" It's Like Skydiving"

13. Summer arrival: LEO.  Hi, Leo III!

14. "Sweet Love" singer Baker: ANITA.  Anita Baker (née Anita Denise Baker; b. Jan. 26, 1958) is a singer-songwriter best known for her soulful ballads.  Her birthday is next week.  [Name # 1.]

15. Maker of G-Shock watches: CASIO.  Everything you wanted to know about the G-Shock Casio watch, but didn't know to ask.

17. Sci-fi invaders: ETs.  As in ExtraTerrestrials

20. Venezuelan cornmeal cake: AREPA.  Not a Tuesday word.  Arepa is a type of food made with cornmeal that is usually stuffed with a filling.  It is a common street food in South America.

22. "Big Blue": IBM.  As in International Business Machines.

23. Certain sib: SIS.  My Sis and I traveled together on our recent trip.

28. N. Dak. neighbor: MONT.  Hi, Montana!

29. Egyptian boy king: TUT.  If my full name was Tutankhamun, I would probably go by Tut, too.  [Name # 2.]

30. Novelist Jaffe: RONA.  Rona Jaffe (June 12, 1931 ~ Dec. 30, 2005) wrote many novels.  She was big in the late '60s and '70s.  [Name # 3.]

31. Mean monster: BRUTE.  Ogre was not enough letters.

32. Cultural no-nos: TABOOs.

34. Successful dogcatcher, e.g.: CAPTOR.  This clue and answer feels a bit off.

37. "Or even less": IF THAT.

40. Hardly fresh: OLD HAT.  The origin of the expression of Old Hat.

42. Alexander Hamilton's birth island: NEVIS.  If you've seen the musical, then you knew immediately that Alexander Hamilton (Jan. 11, 1750s ~ July 12, 1804) was born in Nevis and that he was killed in a duel by Aaron Burr (1756 ~ 1836).  Hamilton was the 1st United States Secretary of the Treasury and he still appears on the $10 bill.  [Name adjacent.]

43. __-false test: TRUE.

44. This minute: NOW.

46. Trashy place?: DUMP.

50. Words of agreement: I DO.

51. Big part of an alligator: JAW.  My first thought was Maw, since the alligator has a big mouth.

52. Bygone anesthetic: ETHER.  A brief history of the use of Ether in medicine.

58. "How Easy Is That?" cookbook writer Garten: INA.  Ina Garten (née Ina Rosenberg; b. Feb. 2, 1948) is best known as being the Barefoot Contessa.  [Name # 4.]

59. Aromatic bulb: ONION.

60. Brief appearance in a film: CAMEO.  Alfred Hitchcock (né Alfred Joseph Hitchcock; Aug. 13, 1899 ~ Apr. 29, 1980) was known for making Cameo appearances in his films.

61. Tony winner Vereen: BEN.  Ben Vereen (né Benjamin Augustus Middleton; b. Oct. 10, 1946) portrayed Chicken George in the 1977 television miniseries Roots.  [Name # 5.]

62. Group after boomers: GEN-X.

63. City considered Japan's cultural capital: KYOTO.

64. Biblical craft: ARK.

Down:

1. See-through: CLEAR.  //  And 4-Down. See-through wrap: SARAN.

2. Domesticated rodent: PET RAT.  I'll pass on this pet.

3. Circular diamond shape: ROSE CUT.  Hand up if you immediately knew about the Rose Cut.

5. Grammy-winning Yoko: ONO.  Yoko Ono (b. Feb. 18, 1933) makes frequent Cameo appearances in the crossword puzzles.  I can't believe she is nearly 90 years old.  [Name # 6.]

6. "Homeland" org.: CIA.  Homeland was American espionage thriller television series that ran for nearly a decade.

7. @ signs: ATs.

8. Sonia Sotomayor, for one: LATINA.  Sonia Maria Sotomayor (b. June 25, 1954) joined the United States Supreme Court in August 2009.  I can't imagine that she has a pleasant job.  [Name # 7.]

9. Film on a pond: SCUM.

10. "This means __!": WAR.

11. Invites to dinner, maybe: ASKS OUT.

12. Connect with: TIE INTO.

16. Raw bar mollusk: OYSTER.

19. Letters on an incomplete schedule: TBD.  As in To Be Determined.

21. Crunchy hummus scooper: PITA CHIP.  Yummers!

25. Backsplash binder: GROUT.  Everything you wanted to know about kitchen backsplashes but didn't know to ask.

26. "Wuthering Heights" setting: MOOR.  Wuthering Heights is a 1847 novel by Emily Brontë (July 30, 1818 ~ Dec. 19, 1848).  It was initially published under her pen of Ellis Bell.  I probably read it in high school, but the only thing I can tell you about the book is it involves characters named Catherine and Heathcliff.

27. About to happen: IN STORE.  What comments are In Store for us today on this puzzle?

28. Nattily dressed snack food mascot: MR. PEANUT.  The nattily dressed Mr. Peanut (whose full name is Bartholomew Richard Fitzgerald-Smyth) has changed a bit throughout the ages.  [Name adjacent.]

31. Rager: BASH.

33. Feathery accessories: BOAs.

34. Military rookie: CADET.

36. Whodunit board game: CLUE.  A brief history of the game of Clue.

37. "Closer to Fine" duo __ Girls: INDIGO.

38. In a row?: FEUDING.  Row:  a noisy argument, but when used in this context the word rhymes with cow.

39. Lifetime channel offering: TV MOVIE.

41. Japanese electronics giant: TOSHIBA.  A brief history of Toshiba.

43. Hitting sound: THWACK.

45. Ballpark frank: WIENER.  The Boston Red Sox are known for their Fenway Franks.

47. Won at musical chairs: SAT.

48. "I feel the same way": ME TOO.

49. Curmudgeon: CRANK.

51. Curse: JINX.  Hi, Jinx!

54. Geologic time unit: EON.  A crossword staple.

55. Line in a child's drawing of the sun: RAY.  Hi, Ray-o-Sunshine!

56. Full of feelings: EMO. 

57. "Quiet on the __!": SET.

I Rest My CASE.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה