Tuesday September 7, 2021 Rich Proulx

Theme: SHELTER IN PLACE (51. Way to stay safe ... or what each set of circles represents vis-à-vis its answer) - Three shelters are hidden inside each theme answer.

20. Street in London's Brixton Market: ELECTRIC AVENUE.

25. Usual way in: FRONT ENTRANCE.

46. Where it's hard to make a wrong turn: DEAD END STREET.

Boomer here again. Hopefully Hahtoolah will be back next week.

I never slept in a cave, however years ago we had land at North Star Lake and I slept in the back of a station wagon.  Currently we have turned bedroom #2 into a den where our computer keeps us company.

Across:

1. All-inclusive: A TO Z.  Like Amazon. We have several A to Z stores near us.  Construction, Merchandise, and Tobacco.  I am not sure about A to Z tobacco.

 

5. Inked indication of approval: STAMP.  I bought a couple of pages of the Yogi Berra STAMPs to go with the Arnold Palmers. 

10. Son of Seth who lived to 905, per the Bible: ENOS.  ENOS "Country" Slaughter was a great right Fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals.

14. "Moi? Never!": NOT I.  Me Neither.

15. Hang in midair: HOVER.  I have seen prototypes of one or two person helicopters,  If you think traffic is bad now... just wait.

16. __ San Lucas: Baja resort: CABO.

17. Queen dowager of Jordan: NOOR.

18. Sports stadium: ARENA.  Some stadiums do not have roofs but all ARENAs do. 

19. Singer Redding with two posthumous Grammys: OTIS.  Or makers of elevators.

23. Caveman Alley: OOP.

24. Ways in or out: DOORS.  Jim Morrison, Mr. Mojo Risin' - "Light my Fire".

 

31. Fair-hiring abbr.: EEO.

32. "Old MacDonald" refrain: E I E I O.  With a MOO MOO here and a CLUCK CLUCK There.

33. Indian title: SAHIB.

36. Do little: LAZE.

38. Take an oath: SWEAR.  Sometimes I "Take an oath" at a ten pin, or a 7-10 split.

40. Travel by Greyhound, say: RIDE.  Leave the driving to them.

41. Three-pointers, in hoops lingo: TREYS.  The Long Long shots.

43. "Amadeus" director Forman: MILOS.

45. Cuz and sis: KIN.

49. When "light through yonder window breaks" in "Romeo and Juliet": ACT II.

50. Poker pot paper: IOU.  Not in any poker game I ever played.  Cash only!!

58. Mall smooching, etc., initially: PDAS.

59. Lacking originality: TRITE.

60. Qualities that make deals difficult: EGOS. In the U.S. House and Senate?

61. Legal wrong: TORT.

62. Desert respites: OASES.  Please, not as much as the North Eastern seaboard got last week

63. Use a scythe on: REAP.

64. Targets: AIMS.  We are AIMING to go to Target this week to purchase a few items.

65. Flower holders: STEMS.  Keep them long so they will fill into a vase.

66. Hot: SEXY.

Down:

1. Frank with a diary: ANNE.

2. Hammer or sickle: TOOL.  Screwdriver or Golf Club?

3. Midwest native: OTOE.  These guys lived in the plains along the Missouri River in Nebraska and Iowa.

4. Alphabetically last birthstone: ZIRCON.  These stones have a variety of colors.  Sort of like a box of Crayola.  

5. Wrinkly dogs: SHAR-PEIS.

6. "Cornflake Girl" singer __ Amos: TORI.  The Twins had an outfielder named TORI Hunter.

7. With, on le menu: AVEC.  

8. Suvari of "American Pie": MENA.

9. Soviet newspaper: PRAVDA.  Do they not call it the News, Times, Daily, Tribune, or Star ?

10. Affordable ride: ECONO-CAR. That would be a Corvair or Chevelle.

11. Enjoying-the-great-outdoors walk: NATURE HIKE.  C.C. and I do that from time to time.  recently with Tom Pepper and Andrea Carla Michaels.

Boomer, C.C., Tom Pepper, Andrea Carla Michaels

12. Stage awards: OBIES.

13. Shipwreck signal: SOS.  Save Our Ship!!

21. Trade show giveaway: TOTE.  Graybar sponsors many trade shows.  I think I still have a few TOTE bags hanging around our home.

22. Very long periods: EONS.

25. Pool table surface: FELT.  "Friend, you are closing your eyes to a situation you do not wish to acknowledge..."  Professor Harold Hill.

26. Raise, as kids: REAR.  I think that's why we had to sit in the REAR seat when we were young.

27. Was a bit too enchanting: OOZED CHARM.

28. Self-transformation result, to the self: NEW ME.

29. Advertising link: TIE IN.  There certainly is a bunch of this in ads today.  I think Shaq advertises Skunk for a meal??

30. Wonka creator Dahl: ROALD.

34. Romeo's last words: I DIE. "Good Night, Parting is such sweet sorrow."  I believe that's what he said.  I was not there.

35. Like a paper clip: BENT.

37. Optometrists' exams: EYE TESTS.  I quit going.  My eyes never seem to change and I hate those drops that open your pupils and you have to wear sunglasses.  Once a doctor did not warn me and I almost drove into a tree.

39. Optimistic quality: ROSINESS.

42. Travel with the wind: SAIL.  We travel like the wind and go to a SALE .

44. Cease: STOP.  Anyone remember what color the octagon signs were before they were red?  They ask this on trivia shows all the time and young people get it wrong.

47. Same-as-above marks: DITTOS.

48. Classroom tools: RULERS.  In football six RULERS are the VI KINGS.

49. "Me too!": AS DO I.  I'll stick with "Me Too".

52. The "E" in Q.E.D.: ERAT.

53. Get up: RISE.  "Up in the morning, Up with the sun, Work like the devil for your pay. While that lucky old sun, has nothing to do, but roam around heaven all day"  

54. Part of a shopping list: ITEM.  Don't forget the cole slaw!

55. "A Death in the Family" author James: AGEE.

56. Gently persuade: COAX.

57. Athlete's award: ESPY.

58. School fundraising gp.: PTA.  "The day my Momma socked it to, the Harper Valley PTA.  Jeannie Riley.

Boomer

Friday, May 10, 2019, Rich Proulx

Title: Do you see the pattern?

We have our second puzzle from Rich P., who had the misfortune of being published on the day Argyle became ill. He also had two NYT published in 2017 which should have prepared us for today. This was a very difficult puzzle. First, the theme was not a theme but a picture and while there are 21 "T"s in the puzzle, there is really only one theme clue. 58A. Classic car ... and a hint to the hidden image you can draw using 21 identical squares in this grid: T-BIRD. If you have been reading my Friday ramblings for a while you know I love visual aspects to themes. However, today's grid is a themeless puzzle with a picture. And my drawing skills are limited. So hopefully I will figure out a way to make his point in the grid. Because it is basically themeless, there are oodles of 7,8, and 9 letters fill all over the puzzle. I found BRA PADS, CULTIST, DEBONES, PRESTON, ALBACORE,  BAD DEBTS,  COMANECI,  COMIC-CON, FORETELL, IN TERROR.  TRIMOTOR, YELLOWED, DECORATOR, and DUBITABLE
                                                                           
Across:

1. Confidentially informs: BCCS. Blind copies.

5. Skewer: SPIT.

9. __ top: TUBE. Memories from my youth.






13. Solar panel site: ROOF.

14. Chili partner: CARNE. Meat.

15. Words that can precede and follow "what": IT IS. It is what it is.

16. BB, e.g.: AMMO. It is back this week to haunt us.

17. "Waiting for Lefty" playwright: ODETS. Clifford Odets was born in Philadelphia in 1906. Odets' fame as a playwright was made when he wrote and acted in Waiting for Lefty, produced by the Group Theatre in 1934. Its production in New York was simultaneous with the city's famous taxicab strike. It was his first play. Various.

18. Native of Riga: LETT. This term for the natives of LATVIA may be losing its place, but the place is interesting.

19. FCC chairman Ajit __: PAI. Ajit Varadaraj Pai is an American lawyer who serves as the Chairman of the United States Federal Communications Commission. He is the first Indian American to hold the office. I had no idea.

20. Bichon __: dogs with fluffy coats: FRISES.

21. Early smartphone: TREO. I had a friend who had one in the early 2000s, very impressive at the time. Not to be confused with 57A. Beethoven's Opus 11, e.g.: TRIO.

22. Mole sauce chili: ANCHO. A dried Poblano chile. The RECIPE.

24. Classic guitar, briefly: STRAT. The Fender  STRATOCASTER was part of the early rock and roll revolution.

26. One verifying safe arrivals?: UMP. Cute baseball reference. Along with 31A. Ball game official: SCORER and 32A. Like a rare baseball game: NO HIT.

27. New homeowner's hire: DECORATOR. Not in my lifetime.

29. Heads up: RISES. Nope, do not get it.

34. How some nursery-rhyme men traveled: IN A TUB. Rub-a-dub-dub.

36. Outspoken chef Gordon: RAMSAY. His RESTAURANTS.

39. Wyatt of "People of Earth": CENAC. Oh, oh. I am getting bogged down and no theme in sight to help. Wyatt Cenac is a writer and actor, known for The Daily Show (1996), People of Earth (2016) and aka Wyatt Cenac (2017), another complete unknown.

41. Cheeky?: JOWLED. I think Nixon's were famous.

43. Monopoly piece: HOTEL.

46. Open to question: DUBITABLE. As opposed to indubitable.  It just means doubtful.

49. Ursa Minor shape: LADLE. Ursa Minor is colloquially known in the US as the Little Dipper because its seven brightest stars seem to form the shape of a dipper (ladle or scoop). wiki.

51. Floss brand: ORAL-B.

52. "brb" or "ttyl": TEXT. Be right back; talk to you later.

54. Injure again, as one's ACL: RE-TEAR.

56. Bit of baby talk: COO.

59. Cut down: MOWN.

60. Mid-month day: IDES. Not very popular anymore, especially to Julius.

61. Identification assuming familiarity: IT'S ME.

62. Loose: FREE. Like the doggies in your backyard.

63. Whale groups: PODS.

64. Ferrara family name: ESTE. Hard fill. I did not know THIS history.

65. Cabs are among them: REDS. Cabernet wine.

Down:

1. Some cup liners: BRA PADS. So much I do not know.

2. First Olympic gymnast to receive a 10: COMANECI. Nadia will always be the first.

3. Where Vulcans congregate?: COMIC-CON.

4. BART stop: SFO. San Francisco airport.

5. Exemplar of cruelty: SADIST.

6. "The Good Wife" Emmy winner Carrie: PRESTON. She played the quirky powerhouse attorney Elsbeth Tascioni. Apparently, she is playing the part still in some spin-off.

7. Really scared: IN TERROR. This just does not seem right, but it was easy to fill.

8. Championship ice dancer __ Virtue: TESSA. She is a shining light for all of Canada and more than just a SKATER. CSO to our Canadian readers and dear departed ClearAyes.

9. Arcade goof: TILT.

10. Embryo's home: UTERUS. Literal.

11. Sassy retort: BITE ME.

12. Bars in court: ESTOPS. It is used more than just in court as you need to get estoppel letters.

14. __ anglais: English horn: COR. I had this WOODWIND before.

20. Augur: FORETELL. Latin that has become part of English.

23. Public school advocate Mann: HORACE. A very important PERSON in the history of public education in the US.

25. Three-engine plane: TRIMOTOR. Literal.

28. Gave __ for one's money: A RUN.

30. Fighting words: IT'S WAR.

33. Muslim pilgrim: HAJI. Also sometimes spelled Hadji, Alhaji, Al hage, Al hag or El-Hajj

35. They may be written off: BAD DEBTS. You can offset your business income with your uncollectable debts. I will let those who know tax stuff say more about this.

37. Much canned tuna: ALBACORE. The albacore, known also as the longfin tuna, is a species of tuna of the order Perciformes. It is what is labeled as white meat tuna and is so popular, the population is decreasing.

38. Like old manuscripts: YELLOWED. Paper is made from wood, which is made up mainly of white cellulose. Wood also has a lot of a dark substance in it called lignin, which ends up in the paper, too, along with the cellulose. The exposure of lignin to air and sunlight is what turns paper yellow.

40. Certain worshipper: CULTIST.

42. Fillets: DEBONES. Literal.

43. Polite greeting gesture: HAT TIP. Tip of the hat sounds better, but I guess it is the same thing.

44. Go too far: OVERDO.

45. Approached the gate: TAXIED.

47. "I'll take a brewski": BEER ME. This PHRASE has escaped me but with One billion hits I guess it is known.

50. Bandleader Shaw: ARTIE. He also was briefly married to both LANA TURNER and 48A. Actress Gardner: AVA.

53. Cornhole turn: TOSS. Yes, there are RULES and it must be underhand.

55. Lemon finish: ADE. I do not even know Rich but I get a nice ending CSO!

59. Plant owner: Abbr.: MFR. Manufacturer.

Well now to play with the grid on Paint and see if I can get somewhere. Hope you had fun. Welcome back, Rich. Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers/Lemonade out.

You think it looks like this?

Tuesday March 13, 2018 Rich Proulx

Theme: The measurement in each theme entry is clued by its metric measurement.

 20A. 113-gram sandwich, more or less : QUARTER POUNDER

 24A. About 1.8 meters deep : SIX FEET UNDER

 46A. 37.9-liter topper, roughly : TEN-GALLON HAT
 
 54A. Proceed another 1.6 kilometers or so : GO THE EXTRA MILE

C.C. here. Argyle is sick. I'm going to just put the skeletal entries here. Will fill in more later.

Back now.

Looks like this is a debut from Rich Proulx. Congratulations! He gave us 72-worder today. It's in the themeless territory.

Across:   

1. Kind of guitar : BASS

5. Foul-smelling : FETID. This word looks dirty too.

10. Bouillabaisse, e.g. : STEW

14. Where the Jazz play : UTAH

15. Dodge : EVADE

16. Weighty book : TOME

17A. Signed up, as to vote : REGISTERED. We also have 60A: Double-checked before cutting: REMEASURED.  Often constructors avoid long Across entries for fear solvers will think they're themers, but today the clues make the theme clear.

19. Military group : UNIT. Tiny clue/answer dupe: 35. Mall unit : STORE. Did you go to the Fashion Show Mall last week,  Big Easy?
 
22. Sleeping woe : APNEA

23. Like Oberlin College since it opened in 1833 : CO-ED

31. Watch pocket : FOB

34. Approaches : NEARS

36. Word after New or teen : AGER

38. Hidden drug supply : STASH

40. Big gulp : SWIG

41. Insurance case : CLAIM

43. TV ex-military group led by Hannibal Smith : A TEAM. Only know Mr. T was in it.

45. Mario Bros. console : NES

49. Fatty liver spread : PATE. Have some!

50. Hybrid pack animals : MULES

59. Christmas tree topper's topper : HALO

61. Congregation's "I agree!" : AMEN

62. Geometry calculations : AREAS

63. Track assignment : LANE

64. Arnaz with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame : DESI. I just learned that Gene Autry had five stars.

65. Toy truck brand : TONKA

66. Old Russian leader : TSAR

Down:

1. Traditional Islamic garment : BURQA

2. Thoroughly delighted in : ATE UP. Nope, Picard, I did nothing special for Chinese Spring Festival. I did treat myself with a bag of Chinese dumplings. As for places in China, I suggest Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi'an (my hometown), Hangzhou and Tibet.

3. Cosmologist Carl : SAGAN

4. Counties across the pond : SHIRES

5. Lavish party : FETE

6. At any time : EVER

7. Firewood protector : TARP Also 18. Wood finish : STAIN

8. Logical beginning? : IDEO. Ideological.

9. Subtract : DEDUCT

10. They often have class : STUDENTS

11. Softened, as rhetoric : TONED DOWN

12. Kuwaiti leader : EMIR

13. Rainy : WET
 
21. We, to one who says "oui" : NOUS. Just French "we".

25. Ballot markings : Xes

26. Deadly : FATAL

27. Muse for Shelley : ERATO

28. German industrial city : ESSEN

29. Cleveland's lake : ERIE. How long have you been with Amazon, Abejo?

30. Govt. agency rules : REGS

31. Something known to be true : FACT

32. Eye rudely : OGLE. Also 47. Eye rudely : LEER AT

33. Tall, skinny sorts : BEANPOLES. Great fill.

37. Tubular pasta : RIGATONI

39. "So there!" : HAH

42. Course with squares and cubes : MATH

44. What babies create, and vice versa? : MAMAS. I got via crosses.
 
48. Ruckus : TUMULT

51. Turkish coins : LIRAS

52. Kagan of the Supreme Court : ELENA

53. Meal where the 10 Plagues of Egypt are recalled : SEDER

54. Mario Bros., for one : GAME

55. Architect Saarinen : EERO

56. Magneto's enemies : X-MEN

57. Hardwood prized for outdoor furniture : TEAK

58. Tabula __ : RASA

59. Owned : HAD

Updated at 11:15am:

 

Santa was admitted into the Saratoga hospital last night. His friend Jennifer said he was dangerously sick yesterday. He'll be in the hospital for a few days.

Please send him your positive thoughts. Keep him in your prayers.

Thank you! Get well soon, Santa!

C.C.

Argyle our Santa