Friday, October 7, 2022, Robin C Stears

Theme: Cheery O's

Puzzling thoughts:

Hi gang, C-Moe here getting a rare opportunity to recap a puzzle from one of his crossword puzzle constructor mentors, Robin Stears. Robin is no stranger to either this blog or blogger; (see my Jan 1, 2021 recap) at last count she must have at least ___ puzzles (fill-in-the-blank, someone!) published at the LAT, and perhaps 1,000+ puzzles published in total. Maybe she will stop by today and help me with my math!

Tapping into my inner "Husker Gary", I emailed Robin to get a few comments from her about today's puzzle, her inspiration, etc. Here's what she said:

"This crossword was actually inspired by a rejected crossword, which sounds weird but c'est la vie! I overheard a sports announcer say, "He's oh-for-two..." and I thought it would be fun to turn a double OO into a single O -- O for two. My favorite theme entry in that set was KINKY BOTS, but I think COWBOY BOTS with a Westworld clue would have worked just as well.

Patti Varol wasn't impressed.

So, I thought I'd try it the other way around -- turning a single O into a double OO.

Every once in a while, a puzzle just comes together almost by itself. This was one of those puzzles. The theme entries were super easy to find, they fit into the grid perfectly, and it filled like a dream. Sometimes, I'll spend days trying to work a puzzle, but this one practically put itself together, and in record time! I don't think it took me more than two hours to make this crossword, and that includes writing the clues.

Not only did Patti like the theme, she called my grid "squeaky clean"! For the first time in my entire career (spanning 30 years), she accepted the grid "as is" with no changes at all. Not a single one! Of course, I'll have to wait and see if the published clues are the same ones I wrote, but I absolutely trust Patti's judgment if she changed any of them. She's smart and savvy and knows her audience."

Well, I certainly can't add much more than that!! I agree that this puzzle was super clean although a couple of words were unknown to me: (12-Down. "Just Dance" game company): UBISOFT and (16-Across. Wikipedia articles that need expanding): STUBS, as clued. And if those stumped you, too, here is a link for UBISOFT, and here is a link for Wikipedia STUBs.

Five of the "double O's" made the cut, and no reveal was necessary. Here are the entries:

17-Across. Filming that takes place in a vault?: BANK SHOOT. BANKSHOT (one word) can mean a carom in pool/billiards, or a goal made in basketball when the ball hits the backboard before going through the net

25-Across. Revenue for the Witch Museum?: SALEMS LOOT. SALEM'S LOT is both a movie and a Stephen King novel

36-Across. Blast from a tugboat powered by spuds?: TATER TOOT. A TATER TOT looks like this:

While a TATER TOOT might be described as:

50-Across. Fantastic display of hustle?: GREAT SCOOT. "GREAT SCOT" was a favorite line from this "Back to the Future" co-star:

60-Across (and C-Moe's favorite of the five). Footwear worn in a meatpacking plant?: SPAM BOOTS. And while the image below doesn't match the pun, it certainly brings back memories of the "Spiced Ham in a Can". According to the company's Spam Museum, Ken Digneau, the brother of a Hormel executive, came up with the name — a portmanteau word for “spiced ham” — in a naming contest and got $100 as a reward. The new product was introduced on July 5, 1937

Here's the grid; and then on to the rest of the clues!

Across:
1. Fiddler's supply: ROSIN. Isn't this the waxy stuff that violinists use to condition their bows? As a kid, though, who was into baseball, the ROSIN bag was a thing of interest ... it's the white object on the pitcher's mound ... wait a darn minute! Didn't we already have this word this week? Wednesday? And then, it WAS clued as the baseball "equipment" ... this is Moe "paying attention"!! ;^)

6. "Sex Education" actor Butterfield: ASA. What did they call "Sex Education" before it became a "thing"? On-the-job-training! ;^) Here is ASA in the official trailer ...

9. Magazine copy: ISSUE. Do you know that if you split the word ISSUE 40%/60% you get "IS SUE". Listen (at least up to the 1:17 mark) to this classic song

14. Like lambs: OVINE. "Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy ..." are the beginning words to the 1943 hit song "Mairzy Doats". And now that explains it! Ivy grows on a VINE and lambs eat it. OH! VINE!

15. ICU staffer: LPN. According to [Nursing Licensce Map Dot Com], "Registered Nurses (RN) provide direct care to patients, while Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) typically provide assistance to doctors or registered nurses. Licensure as a registered nurse is generally sought after graduation from a 4-year undergraduate nursing program and successful completion of the NCLEX-RN"

So after reading this, I dove a little deeper into my Google search, and wondered if the clue (ICU staffer) was accurate. You decide

19. Comet's path: ORBIT. Actually, isn't Comet's path directly behind Prancer and Vixen; alongside Cupid?

20. Delivery guess, briefly: ETA.

21. Tribeca neighbor: SOHO. So first, a bit of a nit to pick: The clue should've been spelled out TriBeCa (note the other two capital letters), as it stands for "Triangle Below Canal" Street. It's an acronym. And SOHO is one of its neighbors.

In NYC speak, SOHO is the acronym for "SOuth of HOuston". [Google] confirms this: "The name "SoHo" derives from the area being "South of Houston Street", and was coined in 1962 by Chester Rapkin, an urban planner and author of The South Houston Industrial Area study, also known as the 'Rapkin Report'" And of course, there is a video that explains why New Yorkers don't pronounce "HOuston" the same as those in Texas

22. Peak southeast of Olympus: OSSA. I had ETNA in here for some unknown reason, which made it impossible for me to get STROLL, SUBSOIL and UBISOFT

23. Cracker with seven holes: RITZ. Haiku/Moe-ku:

Song title about
Russian Prez that went crackers?
"Putin on the RITZ"

Don't like that one? How about this instead?

Fancy cracker shrugged,
Jerked, twitched, and barked. I guess it
Has Tour-RITZ Syndrome

29. Unwrapped with excitement: TORE AT. This makes sense once you split the entry 2/3-1/3. "TOREAT" was a head scratcher. I notice that some of the easier puzzle publications (Penny Dell, e.g.) add to the clue "(two words)". Do you, as crossword solvers, sometimes want to know that an entry is actually a multiple word phrase? Curious to YOUR thoughts. In the case of this particular clue, I'd say yes

31. Reprobate: LOWLIFE. Is the opposite of LOWLIFE/reprobate, HIGHDEATH/angel??

32. Sign above a studio door: ON AIR. "Quiet, please!"

33. Horned herbivore: RHINO.

35. Mil. officers: LTS. This clue, and the one below (39-Across) are examples of abbreviations made plural. LieutenanTS. There are some crossword editors that frown upon the use of them

39. U.K. lawmakers: MPS. Never could understand the position of the "S" in the pluralization of some abbreviations. It's MemberS of Parliament, so shouldn't that be MSP? Of course, CC and Boomer would argue that MSP is the airport code for Minneapolis/St Paul. Gawd, we have a strange language!!

42. "Incorrect!": FALSE. No, this is TRUE!

43. Cavalry blade: SABER. How many of you spelled this with the ending, "RE"? In case you wondered, [Brittanica dot com] says: "sabre, also spelled SABER, a heavy military sword with a long cutting edge and, often, a curved blade. Most commonly a cavalry weapon, the sabre was derived from a Hungarian cavalry sword introduced from the Orient in the 18th century; also a light fencing weapon developed in Italy in the 19th century for duelling"

47. Negroni ingredient: CAMPARI. As a sommelier I am supposed to know (in addition to wine) the basics of all forms of alcoholic beverages (Beer, wine, Saki, any and all spirits), as well as the corresponding cocktails. So what's in a Negroni, Moe? Equal parts of Gin, Sweet Vermouth, and CAMPARI; served in a "rocks" glass and garnished with an orange slice. Given its popularity I might go out on a limb and say that this has replaced the "Cosmo" as the new, hip cocktail

49. __ Tuesday: SHROVE. Here is a thorough report on this "holiday". Occasionally my birthday falls on SHROVE Tuesday; but then, so does ASH Wednesday

53. Back up on the job?: ABET. Many clues for this entry

54. Restaurant freebie: ROLL. Really? Free? Don't you have to be sitting at a table and ordering a meal to get one? Hmm. Should I try that? I will go into a restaurant and say something like, "May I have just a ROLL please? Nothing else; and I expect that since it has no price on your menu that it's a freebie, yes??!"

Would you have preferred a haiku/Moe-ku instead?

No one likes Dad jokes
Don't butter him up when he
Thinks he's on a ROLL

55. Concluded: OVER.

57. Rapper Dr. __: DRE. Hey! A rapper I've heard of. Remember MC Ren from my last blog??

58. "Solutions and Other Problems" writer Brosh: ALLIE. If this were Boomer blogging, might you think he'd want her name to be "LANE" instead?? Note, if this comment "went over your head", Boomer prefers calling this image a LANE

62. Quite small: TEENY. I'm guessing that the "itsy-bitsy, TEENY-weeny [sic], yellow polka dot bikini" was TEENY for its day

63. Communication sys. at Gallaudet: ASL. We had ASL in my recap a couple weeks ago; it was clued: "Communication syst. used in the film 'CODA'"

64. Minor channel: INLET. Did anyone else think of these "minor" channels?? Cartoon Network, PBS Kids, Sprout, Disney Channel and Nickelodeon

65. Equivocate: HEDGE.

66. Bad start?: DYS. Ha! Good wordplay clue. As in "DYSfunctional"; a word that many psycho-therapists often hear during therapy sessions

67. Pips and pits: SEEDS. This is a first-time clue for the word SEEDS! Speaking of SEEDS, I wonder which, if any, of the five entries for today's puzzle was the SEED entry for Robin?

Down:
1. The MLB's __ Clemente Award: ROBERTO. There is more to say about ROBERTO Clemente than I could possibly fit into this recap. I was lucky enough to have seen him play - in person - when I was studying at Pitt in the early '70s

That he died in an airplane crash just three months after his final season as a baseball player, and whose final at bat was achieving his 3,000th hit (a rare feat for MLB players), and considering that the circumstances of his death was that he volunteered to fly onboard an overloaded supply plane, bound for Nicaragua, and carrying provisions for suffering people in that country. The plane crashed into the sea shortly after take-off on December 31, 1972. His caring actions were felt far beyond the baseball community. The award is bestowed annually to the player who best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field

2. Hand: OVATION. I gave ROBERTO Clemente many standing OVATIONS, though he remained quite humble

3. "From Here to Eternity" Oscar winner: SINATRA. Who knew that? Not I. I was still in diapers at the time this picture was released. And oddly, SINATRA won for his supporting actor role, not for the Best Song. But here is the song along with lyrics for your enjoyment

4. Printer cartridges: INK. No reference to a tattoo??

5. Loch near the Moray Firth: NESS. Home of "Nessie" the monster

6. "Welcome to Hawaii!": ALOHA. Also the word used when you're leaving the state

7. Wire holder: SPOOL. Should we overlook an word/fill that has the same double-letter combo as the entries? SPOIL fits the spaces but would require a re-make of that portion of the puzzle

8. Industrious insect: ANT. I hear they live in colonies. So are nudists, then, really ANTs??

9. Kin of equi-: ISO. Puzzles with 5 "theme" entries (in a standard 15x15 puzzle grid) usually produce a lot of three-letter words. I know that Robin was both pleased and shocked that Patti accepted her puzzle with no edits. That said, there were a lot of three-letter abbreviations in today's puzzle, and I know that can be frustrating for some of you out there

10. Recreational walk: STROLL. I may be forced to take only STROLLs as part of my walking routine. I've been using a power walk (at about 4 MPH) for my aerobics, but now that my knees are feeling some arthritis, I may have to lessen the pace

11. Layer above bedrock: SUBSOIL. Also another word for dirt in a hoagie??

13. Grand properties: ESTATES. Here are some in Arizona. Note: none of these were on our list to buy! ;^)

18. One expecting an RSVP: HOST.

24. Time, in German: ZEIT. CSO memory to Spitzboov who clearly knew the meaning of this word. As did I. I had a double major in college: Economics and German. Sadly I can no longer communicate "auf Deutsch"

26. Not for the hoi polloi: ELITE. "Hoi polloi" is the ELITE's way of referring to we common folks

27. Hi-fi setting: MONO. Also the common name/word used for the "kissing disease"

28. Sports logo since 1972: SWOOSH. Some interesting history about the Nike logo

30. Oslo Accords participant: ARAFAT. Not too many other last names fit

33. Smithsonian artifact: RELIC.

34. Appt. book divisions: HRS. More pluralizing of abbr's

37. Patches up, as a driveway: TARS. I've never used old sailors to patch up my driveway

38. "Teen Titans Go!" voice actress Strong: TARA. Without even looking this up, I knew that the clue was targeted at a different generation than mine. TARA Strong plays the character, "Raven"

39. "Supergirl" actress Katie: MCGRATH. Ditto 38-Across; this clue was also targeted to a younger generation methinks. [wikipedia] "Katie McGrath is an Irish actress. In television, she gained recognition for portraying ... her role as Lena Luthor on the superhero series Supergirl (2016–2021)"

40. One on conditional release: PAROLEE.

41. Sensed, in a way: SMELLED. The nose knows

44. 1996 also-ran: BOB DOLE. Robert Joseph Dole ran against incumbent President William Jefferson Clinton in the 1996 Presidential election

45. Turned inside out: EVERTED. Upon examination, I found that this word refers to the position of the ankle during a sprain. If you don't believe me, then Google it yourself!! :^)

46. Tries again: RE-TESTS. Or as my folks used to say, "a do over"

48. Losing color: PALING. As in turning white?? As a footnote, I often use this reference when writing my clues for a puzzle submission. Most of the clues for PALING refer to a fence or picket

49. Much of a sunflower: STEM. Indeed

51. "__-daisy!": OOPSY. Hmm, another word/fill that has the double O's, yet is not one of the entries ... OOPS!! ;^)

52. Shapes formed by angled spotlights: OVALS. Let's see ... yup!

56. Hitting stat: RBIS. Once again, shouldn't this be RSBI? As in RunS Batted In?

59. Word with private or public: EYE. Margaret and I recently watched a movie on one of our streaming channels called "EYE in the Sky". It's quite a riveting movie. Here's the trailer if you're interested:

60. Pathetic: SAD. A rather harsh definition, but certainly "Friday-worthy"

61. Pacific Coast Highway's route number: ONE. Too many iconic views along Hwy ONE to choose from, so I came up with another "ONE" that I hope you'll recall:

Final thought: As I completed the puzzle and blog, I realized I forgot a very important CSO to my fellow Friday blogger, Lemonade714, whose lovely wife and partner Oo is featured in today's puzzle!

As always, YOUR comments are appreciated. See u again in a couple weeks, hopefully from our new home ...

Tuesday, June 7, 2022, Robin Stears

 

Good morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here.  "What!?," I hear you ask. "Isn't this Tuesday and not Thursday?  Did I oversleep?  By forty-eight hours?  Where is Hahtoolah?"  Well, as she let us know last Tuesday, and D-O further informed us last Wednesday, Hahtoolah is touring in Europe this month.  I have the honor of filling in for her today.  While I do not expect to come anywhere close to her level of clarity and humor, perhaps we can still share some insights and some laughs.

Today's puzzle setter, in what is not her L A Times crossword debut, is Robin Stears .   Here is a link to a December, 2017 introduction to Robin on the Puzzle Nation site:  Robin Stears / Puzzle Nation.

The puzzle's reveal comes after all four of the themed answers (if you solve from top to bottom):

54. "Shoo!," and an instruction that goes with the last words of the answers to the starred clues: GET OUT OF HERE.

The starred clues and answers are:

19 Across:  *Social media time-out: FACEBOOK JAIL.  Get out of jail.

26 Across:  *Channel bottom: CREEK BED.  Get out of bed.

34 Across:  *Area of Hersheypark with the Candymonium roller coaster: CHOCOLATE TOWN.  Get out of town.

47 Across:  *Bit of trickery on a return: TAX DODGE.  Get out of Dodge.  From oaters.

Here is how this all looks in the grid:

 . . .  and here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Multivitamin mineral: ZINC.  What kind of metal was RMS Titanic made of?  ZINC.

5. Joined the choir: SANG.  A famous singer SANG for the patients at a hospital.  When he finished he said "Bye bye.  I hope you get better."  "You, too," replied the patients.

9. Corn discard: COB.  The first of twenty-six three-letter answers today.

12. Rachael Ray sauteing initialism: EVOO.

13. Ranch rope: LARIAT.  See also 8 Down.

15. "Knives Out" actress de Armas: ANA.

16. Foam ball brand: NERF.

Nerf Dog Tennis Ball Launcher

17. Kampala's country: UGANDA.  The capital and largest city.

18. Pro Bowl org.: NFL.  The National Football League.

22. Pinnacles: ACMES.  When the clue is singular we have to choose between ACME and APEX but neither APICES nor APEXES was going to work.

25. Church topper: STEEPLE.

30. Frozen rain: SLEET.

31. How-__: DIY guides: TOS.

32. "Life of Pi" director Ang: LEE.

33. Jazz poet Scott-Heron: GIL.  New to me but easily perped.

40. Half an umlaut: DOT.

41. "Blue Bloods" actor Cariou: LEN.

42. Thumbs-up at NASA: AOK.  Not a dyslexic tree.

44. Land measures: ACRES.  A quarter ACRE of undeveloped land might not seem like much to some people but to me it's a lot.

50. Move in a breeze, as a flag: FLUTTER.

53. Printer brand: EPSON.

58. Skeptical laugh: HAH.  Not to be confused with a sneaky laugh, HEH?

59. "__ Rouge!": Kidman film: MOULIN.  Français.  En anglais, c'est Red Mill.

60. Written reminder: NOTE.

64. MSNBC journalist Melber: ARI.  See also Exodus, Entourage, and Jackie "O".

65. Came afterward: ENSUED.

66. Actor McGregor: EWAN.

67. "Science Guy" Bill: NYE.

68. Papaya discard: SEED.

69. Many an auctioned auto, for short: REPO.  REPOssessed.

REPOSSESSED - 1990

Down:

1. Super chill, informally: ZEN.

2. "Now __ seen everything!": IVE.

3. Neither's partner: NOR.

4. Dunkin' serving: COFFEE.  In 2019, Dunkin' Donuts changed its name to, simply, Dunkin'.  Several years earlier, Merl Reagle gave us all a laugh by relocating the D and thereby changing the name to Unkind Donuts.

5. Stuffing herb: SAGE.

6. Many a Moroccan: ARAB.  ARAB has also been clued roughly seven hundred other ways according to the Visual Fractions website.

7. Spanish boys: NINOS.

8. "Wonder Woman" star Gal: GADOT.  Gal visits fairly often.

Wonder Woman and Her Lasso of Truth

9. Cocktail party bite: CANAPE.

10. Among one's records: ON FILE.

11. "Swan Lake," for one: BALLET.

Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo

13. "Star Trek" captain Jean-__ Picard: LUC.  A CSO to Robert.

14. Doesn't fight back: TAKES IT.  For a brief moment I thought that they had dropped a letter.  Don't TAKE SIT from anyone!

20. Inquire: ASK.

21. Dessert that quivers: JELLO.

22. Play a role onstage: ACT.

23. Shoe with lots of holes: CROC.

24. Netting material: MESH.

27. Rorschach test component: BLOT.  What do you see?

28. Fish that can swim backward: EEL.

29. Handed out cards: DEALT.

33. Group with fortysomethings: GEN X.  Born between 1961 and 1981.

35. Poetic opening: ODE TO.

36. Halloween garb: COSTUME.

37. Spill the __: gossip: TEA.

38. Fistfuls of dollars: WADS.

39. Thumbs-down at NASA: NO GO.  Not A OK.

43. Jeong of "Community": KEN.  This was beyond my KEN.  Thanks, perps.

44. Crocheted coverlet: AFGHAN.

45. "Ramona the Pest" novelist Beverly: CLEARY.

46. Blues and folk singer/songwriter Foster: RUTHIE.

Ruthie Foster Covers Johnny Cash

48. German article: DER.  We have to figure out if it will be DER or EIN.

49. Warm-up act: OPENER.

51. Jackets named for a British school: ETONS.

52. Shake awake: ROUSE.

55. Chimney part: FLUE.

56. Hurried, quaintly: HIED.

57. Finish: END.  So what if you don't know what Armageddon means.  It's not like it's the END of the world.

61. Be indebted to: OWE.

62. Slight touch: TAP.

63. Ambient music pioneer Brian: ENO.  Another frequent visitor.

As a postcript, some cruciverbalists might find the following article to be of interest:

Discover Magazine - Neural Crossword Solver Outperforms Humans

. . . . and now, perhaps, it is time to get out of Dodge . . .

פרת ים

MM Out

Wednesday, May 11, 2022 Robin Stears

Theme: A Quip in three parts.

17 A. First part of a quip about climate change: A MIND CONTROLLED.

27 A. Second part of the quip: AIR DEODORIZER.

45. Third part of the quip: MAKES SCENTS IF.

60. Last part of the quip: YOU THINK ABOUT IT.

Hi, Gang.  JazzBumpa here.  It's not clear what this has to do with climate change, but oh, well.  I hold this type of theme in very low regard.  Let's move on.

Across:

1. Works in a park, perhaps: STATUES.  Works of art, not labors

8. Chooses: SELECTS.  Opts for

15. City of ancient Greece: CORINTH.  It is located in south-central Greece.   Some guy named Paul wrote letters to his fellow congregants there.

16. Steelmaking raw material: IRON ORE.  It is often found in sedimentary rocks.  The most important 
such minerals are hematite [Fe₂O₃] and magnetite [Fe₃O₄]. 

19. "Cool beans!": NEATO.  Like, a-wow, man!

20. Cookware purchase: POT. Or PAN.  needed perps.

21. Streaming delay: LAG.  Be patient.  it's buffering.

22. Finale: END.  All done.

24. Cornish game __: HEN.  It's just a chicken

26. Abhor: HATE.  Can't stand.

32. "This Is Just My Face: __ Not to Stare": memoir by Gabourey Sidibe: TRY.  Reflections of an unlikely movie star.

33. Green, in a way: NEW.  Raw, too, I suppose.

34. Hearing organ: EAR.  Eh?

35. 2020 N.L. MVP Freddie: FREEMAN.  My grandson Nate is a Dodgers fan and was delighted that they signed him to a six year deal after he spent 12 seasons in Atlanta.  He set a team record in the first game of a double header on Saturday, hitting 3 doubles in 4 plate appearances. in the second game he added a single and a walk as the Dodgers swept the Cubs

38. Beverage similar to hard seltzer: ALCOPOP.  An alcopop is any of certain flavored alcoholic beverages with relatively low alcohol content (e.g., 3–7% alcohol by volume), including: Malt beverages to which various fruit juices or other flavorings have been added.

42. Short lunch?: BLT.  An abbreviated bacon-lettuce and tomato sandwich.

43. Form 1099 agcy.: IRS.  The infernal Revenue Service.

44. Future flower: BUD.  if it doesn't get nipped.

49. Time for action: D-DAY. June 6, 1944 in World War II on which Allied forces invaded northern France by means of beach landings in Normandy.   By analogy then, any day on which an important operation is to begin or a change to take effect.

51. With 58-Down, 2018 Best New Artist Grammy winner: DUA.  Due Lipa b 1995] is an English singer and songwriter. Possessing a mezzo-soprano vocal range, she is known for her signature disco-pop and R&B sound.  Sorry.  Never heard of her.

At the 2020 Granmy Ceremony

52. Land north of Den.: NOR.  Denmark and Norway.  our Granddaughter Alexa will be studying this summer in Copenhagen and Stockholm [Sweden.] 

53. Decompose: ROT.  Return to dust.

54. __ and cheese: MAC.  First I entered HAM.  Either way, now I'm hungry.

56. Works very hard: TOILS.  Possibly in a park, maybe, could be

65. Neither here nor there: EN ROUTE.  On the way

66. Flute played by Zamfir: PAN PIPE.

67. Confirm, as a password: RE-ENTER.  Don;t miss-type uit.

68. Syrup source: TREE SAP.  Maple, I hope.

Down:

1. PC virus check: SCAN.

2. Hefty book: TOME.  A large, heavy scholarly one.

3. Opera solo: ARIA.  A long accompanied song for a solo voice, typically one in an opera or oratorio.

4. Like some windows: TINTED.  Colored to reduce heat load from the sun.

5. Brought to ruin: UNDONE.   Something has either not gone as planned, or has failed in some way. 

6. "The rest is obvious" abbr.: ETC.  And so on. .  .  .

7. Factory: SHOP.  Manufacturing facility.

8. Minor minder: SITTER.  Person who watches over the little ones.

9. "To __ is human ... ": ERR.  Oops -- my mistake.

10. British lav: LOO.   Necessary facility.

11. Picture that shows more detail: Abbr.: ENL.  Enlargement.

12. Tall decorative addition around some cakes: COLLAR.  If you say so.
  
13. Spring for lunch: TREAT.   To buy for your companion[s.]

14. Swamp plant: SEDGE.  A grasslike plant with triangular stems and inconspicuous flowers, growing typically in wet ground. 

18. "Ain't gonna happen": NO HOW.   Ain't no time, ain't no place, ain't no way.

23. Was philanthropic: DONATED.   Gave support to a worthy cause.

25. Leslie of "The Naked Gun" films: NIELSEN.  Leslie William Nielsen [1926.2010] OC was a Canadian-American actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. 

26. Long lunch?: HERO.  A stacked sandwich on a long bun.

27. DOJ branch: ATF.  Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is a branch of the Department of Justice.

28. Sale rack abbr.: IRRegular.

29. Pumpernickel grain: RYE.  For bread.

30. Animal house: DEN.  Or PEN.  Are they wild or domestic?

31. Actor Efron who voices Fred in "Scoob!": ZAC.  Zachary David Alexander Efron [b 1987] is an American actor and singer. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence in the late 2000s for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the High School Musical trilogy. During this time, he also starred in the musical film Hairspray and the comedy film 17 Again.

36. Site to do one's bidding: EBAY.  On line auction site.

37. "Letter From Birmingham Jail" initials: MLK.   the late Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. [1929 - 1968]

38. __ de Triomphe: ARC.  This monument in Paris honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.

39. TV network with pledge drives: PBS.  Public Broadcasting Service.

40. "Certainement!": OUI.  Yes, at the Arc de Triomphe

41. Adobe file format: PDF.  Portable Document Format.  It allows documents to be transferred across otherwise incompatible systems.

43. "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" singer Chris: ISAAK.  Christopher Joseph Isaak [b 1956] is an American musician and occasional actor. He is widely known for his hit "Wicked Game", as well as the songs "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" and "Somebody's Crying". He is known for his signature 1950s rock & roll style and crooner sound, as well as his falsetto and reverb-laden music.

45. Grown-up: MATURE.  Adult, presumably.

46. Sting's real last name: SUMNER.  Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner CBE [b 1951], known as Sting, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor. He was the frontman, songwriter and bassist for new wave rock band the Police from 1977 to 1984.

 

I had forgotten about this song.

 47. Zip, nada, zilch: NOT ONE.  NOT ANY also fits, unfortunately.

48. Group of traveling performers: TROUPE.

49. Appliance that seems to eat socks: DRYER.   Truth!

50. Lorna of literature: DOONE.  The eponym for a historical romance novel, in which a fictional story is set in the context of real historical events and figures.

55. Ship leader: Abbr.: CAPT.   This threw me, as I was exception CAP'N.  Either way it means captain.

57. "For sure!": IT IS.  Affirmative

58. See 51-Across: LIPA.  Still never heard of her.

59. Pedometer unit: STEP.  A pedometer is an instrument for estimating the distance traveled on foot by recording the number of steps taken.

61. Heavy weight: TON. Two thousand pounds.

62. Shack: HUT.  A small, simple, single-story house or shelter.

63. Mineral suffix: -ITE.  Cf 16A.

64. Watering hole: BAR.  Informal reference to a tavern.

So, we end this Wednesday adventure with the chance for a cold drink.

Cheers!

JzB

Friday, January 1, 2021, Robin C Stears

Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit

Theme: Hindsight is 2020

Happy New Year, Cornerites! It's Chairman Moe, welcoming you all to the year 2021. No hangover for this Stooge! Not now that the year 2020 is finally "hind sight" ... and whom better to add some levity to a crossword puzzle recap than I??!

Oh ... yeah ... there is a crossword puzzle to solve! Robin Stears, to whom Lemonade paid tribute just a couple of Friday's ago, leads the 2021 Parade of Puzzles for the LA Times. She begins our "barrage of brain-teasers" with a cleverly done use of homophones that was "All Greek to Me" until discovering that she used Greek Gods and Goddesses as the homophones to parody a quartet of Pop Songs/Pop Song Lyrics.

And thanks to a FaceBook Crossword Group to which both Robin and I are members, I was able to text her to confirm my suspicions! Actually, Robin confirmed that her idea came as a result of watching - for the oompteenth time - the movie "Hercules" on Disney+. The "seed" entry was HADES GONNA HATE, and all of the entries were designed to be puns of the names of the various Greek gods and goddesses. But if it were "just a coincidence", as Robin said in our text conversation, perhaps I unearthed the second unifier (the connection to songs) that made this "meta-puzzle" Friday-worthy. Who knows ... but regardless, Robin and I are now connected, and I hope that she stops by to comment!

And ever I, who loves to go down "rabbit holes", immediately wondered, just how DO Greeks celebrate the New Year? Well, as your blogger, I think it's my responsibility to give you a resource!

OK, so that really didn't offer any clue(s) as to why Rich would choose Robin's puzzle for the first of the New Year ... so let's explore the fill and see if we can confirm that it's a meta puzzle:

17-Across. Zeus' nickname for his relentlessly tenacious wife?: HERA THE DOG. Ok; so HERA (Roman name: Juno), who was the wife of Zeus and queen of the ancient Greek gods, represented the ideal woman and was goddess of marriage and the family. To "dog" someone (verb tense) requires a level of relentless tenacity, I suppose, but I've not seen this definition used as a noun before.

"Hair' a the Dog" actually, hair OF the dog, refers to a old colloquial expression, whereby you have another alcoholic beverage to lessen the effect of a hangover. Short for "a hair of the dog that bit you". I'm guessing that many folks are "having one" on this morning after New Year's Eve ...

But in the context of the puzzle, I'm sure that Ms. Stears had this song from Nazareth in mind:

26-Across. "What else do you expect from the god of the Underworld"?: HADES GONNA HATE. HADES, in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Certainly, you'd think that the god of the Underworld (aka, Hell) would be a proficient HATER.

The phrase: 'Haters Gonna Hate' comes from Taylor Swift's hit "Shake it Off". Click on the link as it is only a 9-second video!!

40-Across. Allows Persephone's mother to compete in a marathon?: LETS DEMETER RUN. The wording of the clue is the first "give-away": Persephone (aka Kore) was the Greek goddess of vegetation, especially grain, and the wife of Hades, with whom she rules the Underworld (see 26-Across). Demeter is the goddess of the harvest and presides over grains and the fertility of the earth. Although she was most often referred to as the goddess of the harvest, she was also goddess of sacred law and the cycle of life and death; and, mother of Persephone. Marathon, Greek in its reference, is a term used for a long-distance road race (42.195 kilometres). The event was instituted in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens, who reported the victory. And is the final event of the Summer Olympic Games.

"Let The Meter Run" is a single from Charlie Mars album "Blackberry Light". Trust me, I am as surprised as most of us here that this is a song, as I was thinking of the phrase "The Meter is Running", whose literal meaning is a taxi cab's meter running while you're stuck in traffic, or the cabbie's waiting for you. Or its metaphorical meaning of "time is running out".

Note: Robin, originally wanted the phrase "KEEP DEMETER RUNNING", but there were too many letters for a 15x15 template

50-Across. How Spanish fighters refer to the Greek god of war?: BUENOS ARES. Was this the outlier in this semi-themeless set of entries? ARES is the Greek god of war, one of the Twelve Olympian gods and the son of Zeus and Hera. In literature Ares represents the violent and physical untamed aspect of war, which is in contrast to Athena who represents military strategy and generalship as the goddess of intelligence.

So, as a play-on-words/homophone/pun, BUENOS ARES is akin to BUENOS AIRES, the Capital of Argentina. Loosely translated, buenos aires means "good looks". Would BUENOS ARES mean "good war"? Or maybe C Moe couldn't see the "bosque para los arboles".

OTOH, Moe did find a video and an image that could've been the connector to this homophone:

The Grid: 71 words/38 blank squares

Across:
1. Tammany Hall caricaturist: NAST. One of those four-letter crossword answers that often trick me: NAST vs NASH; URAL vs ARAL; ANIL vs ARIL; et al

5. Nursery buy: SHRUB. Somehow I thought this might be a reference to a plant/garden "nursery" and not the baby kind. And of course, a Monty Python skit ... oops, I meant "sk"

10-Across. Trade jabs: SPAR, along with 35-down. Fighter's training apparatus: SPEED BAG. SPAR with a SPEED BAG

14. Accurate: TRUE. But in a "TRUE/False" test, wouldn't 'FALSE' be accurate as well?

15. Discontinue: CEASE. Moe-ku #1:

Dermatologist
Will retire. But first, they'll
De-cyst; and then CEASE.

16. 100 centavos: PESO. When you translate the word PESO to English, the equivalent word is "weight". Perhaps as in the "weight" of gold? Anyhow, I found that the PESO is the basic monetary unit of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Phlippines, and Uruguay. A centavo would be akin to our penny

19. Rowing exercise targets: LATS. The latissimus dorsi muscles, known as the lats, are the large V-shaped muscles that connect your arms to your vertebral column. The action of rowing a boat or using a rowing exercise machine targets the LATS

Moe-ku #2:

What Porky the Pig
Said, after rowing his boat:
"La' La' LATS all, Folks!"

20. Gunk: CRUD. I was expecting this word to be a contraction, of sorts, to the word "crude". It's not. Takes its origin from the late Middle English, "curd". To our IT folks here, CRUD is also a computer acronym for "Create, Read, Update, and Delete".

21. "Ciao __": long-running cooking show: ITALIA. A PBS broadcast. Ms. Esposito is plugging her 11th book in this brief video

23. Ginnie __: investments: MAES. Ginnie Mae is known as a guarantor for federally backed loans, while Fannie and Freddie guarantee loans themselves. ... Fannie Mae typically buys loans from larger commercial banks. Freddie Mac purchases mortgage loans from smaller banks and credit unions, also known as “thrift” savings institutions. Here is a bit more info.

Hmm, I probably would've found a way to clue this as "Film Star West, and others"

24. Feasts: DINES. Not the first definition of the word "feasts". I think of DINES as to "sup"; "feasts" has a more gluttony meaning for me

31. 1970s first family: FORDS. "#38" Gerald, wife Betty, sons Steven, John, and Michael, and daughter Susan. Was US President from August 1974 to January of 1977.

32. Partner, often: LOVER. My S/O Margaret has a 90 year-old Mom who first referred to me as "Margaret's LOVER"!

33. At the moment: NOW. In keeping with PBS-aired shows, check out this: NOW Hear This

34. Major employer: ARMY. The word "Major" referring to a noun, as in rank/title/position, rather than an adjective, as in greater in size/extent/importance. The rank in the ARMY between Captain and Lieutenant Colonel

35. Feast where the Haggadah is read: SEDER. When I solved the puzzle, I saw the clue word and figured it had something to do with the Jewish faith/religion, and SEDER was the only 5-letter celebration that immediately came to mind

36. Penny-farthing, for one: BIKE. This video is quite informative. I'm guessing that its name came from the distinct size difference between a penny coin and a farthing coin, which kind of represents the wheel size difference on the BIKE; the penny being the larger of the two coins

37. Vow avowal: I DO. Wedding ceremonies going forward?

38. Milky stones: OPALS. Could this be an OPAL-colored OPEL?

39. What "x" may mean: TIMES. "x" also marks the spot, and could be TIC or TAC in the game TIC TAC TOE. But I like this clue; great for a Friday

43. Windblown silt: LOESS. I immediately guessed this and it proved TRUE once the perps fell into place. It makes up to 10% of the world's land area, believe it or not

44. Purges: RIDS. After making several moves this past decade, I finally RID myself of a lot of accumulated "stuff"

45. Honda model: ACCORD. ACCORDing to Car and Driver, this model can do 0-60 mph: in about 5.4–7.1 seconds

48. Keaton role in "The Founder": KROC. Ray KROC of McDonald's "fame" ... here is Michael Keaton giving an interview

49. Uneven do: SHAG. One image:

But not to be confused with this image:

56. Prefix for an assistant: PARA. As in PARAlegal

57. __ All: car care brand: ARMOR. Nice to see a car product other than STP as a crossword answer

58. 2000 candidate: GORE. Could've been BUSH, too, but GORE fit better

59. Tip-to-tip measure: SPAN. My first etched memory of the use of the word "SPAN"

60. Fills to the gills: GLUTS. Used as a verb, here, in the 3rd person, present. C Moe GLUTS you with minutiae whenever he blogs

61. Microsoft browser: EDGE. "A new report from NSS Labs has concluded that Microsoft's EDGE browser is more secure than Mozilla's Firefox and Google's Chrome browsers. Chrome got 82.4% against phishing and 85.8% against malware while Firefox scored 81.4% and 78.3% respectively. EDGE scored 91.4% and 99%, respectively. Hmm ... might have to check it out. Anyone on the Corner use EDGE?

Down:
1. __ degree: NTH. NTH, as in "to any required power", where "N" could be any number. And for you board game players? The word "NTH" is a legal word in the game, Scrabble

2. We may precede it, but I can't: ARE. We ARE, but I am not. We and I "can", though ...

3. Big __: SUR. According to Google, Big SUR is a rugged stretch of California’s central coast between Carmel and San Simeon. Bordered to the east by the Santa Lucia Mountains and the west by the Pacific Ocean, it’s traversed by narrow, 2-lane State Route 1, known for winding turns, seaside cliffs and views of the often-misty coastline. C Moe first traveled this route in 1985. Spectacular.

4. Ceylon gunpowder container: TEA CADDY. I actually got this one, as for some reason I recall my Mom and/or sister being a fan of this type of tea. Perhaps C.C. can give more detail, but on the web I found this little snippet: Gunpowder tea (Chinese: 珠茶; pinyin: zhū chá; lit. 'pearl tea'; pronounced [ʈʂú ʈʂʰǎ]) is a form of Chinese tea in which each leaf has been rolled into a small round pellet. Its English name comes from its resemblance to grains of gunpowder. This rolling method of shaping tea is most often applied either to dried green tea (the most commonly encountered variety outside China) or oolong tea. The tea from Sri Lanka (formerly known as "Ceylon") is grown at an elevation of over 6,000'

Moe-ku #3:

Golfer likes Oolong
When he plays, his club offers
Him a TEA CADDY

5. Go downhill fast: SCHUSS. "Schuss", in German, means "shot". As in "shot out of a cannon"? I wonder if a skier from Germany would say "Tschuus" after going SCHUSS? Spitz?

6. Obey: HEED. Moe-ku #4:

If a guy is asked
To obey, by his mother,
I guess that he'd HEED

7. "Way cool, dude!": RAD. The inspiration for the 1986 film of the same name?

8. GI entertainers: USO. The United Service Organizations Inc. is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed Forces and their families. During the Vietnam War, the USO featured stars such as Bob Hope and Ann-Margaret to the delight of soldiers, even in the most remote war zones. The USO was started by FDR during WWII

9. One who has all the luck?: BEGINNER. While this "phenomenon" is mostly unfounded, some BEGINNER's do have all the luck

10. Amount of vermouth in a dry martini: SPLASH. Me? My idea of a dry martini is to open a bottle of dry Vermouth, and blow over the opening of the bottle as it's perched above my glass. I think that the use, though, of Vermouth in a martini is warranted, but even a SPLASH is too much. YMMV though

11. Ring out: PEAL. Defined as "a loud ringing of bells". From the English "appeal". Shortened, of course

12. Piedmont wine region: ASTI. OK, how much minutiae do you really want from your resident Sommelier on this one? Well, as the clue denotes, the area of Italy known as the Piedmont has a town called "ASTI". We are most familiar with ASTI Spumante (the word "Spumante" literally means "sparkling wine"), and it's made from the white grape called Moscato d'Asti. The origin of Asti Spumante dates back to the 1870's, and was made in the same manner as Champagne, where the second fermentation (process that provides the bubbles) takes place in the bottle

13. "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" detective Diaz: ROSA. Stephanie Beatriz (born 10 February 1981) is an Argentine-born American actress. She is best known for playing Detective ROSA Diaz in the NBC comedy series. I never watched this

18. Beech and peach: TREES. At my alma mater, Pitt, we had a sports venue called TREES Hall. Trees Hall is named for Pitt alumnus, trustee, benefactor, and prominent athletic supporter Joseph Clifton Trees (M.E. 1895) who donated $100,000 for the construction of the original Trees Gymnasium in 1912 which, now demolished, sat near the site of the present day Veterans Administration Hospital in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, on the Pitt Campus

22. Something shed: TEAR. I'm sure that the constructor meant this literally; as in crying, and having a TEAR drop fall from ones eyes. However, some of may know that the expression: "shed a TEAR" is often used at a bar - by guys - when too much beer drinking has filled their bladders ... no images needed

23. Burrowing rodent: MARMOT. A relatively large ground squirrel; the tarbagan MARMOT has been eaten for centuries in the native cuisine of Mongolia, and in particular in a local dish called boodog. The meat is cooked by inserting hot stones, preheated in a fire, into the abdominal cavity of a deboned marmot. The skin is then tied up to make a bag within which the meat cooks. Hmm; and I just thought it was a rodent. Cute little bugger though

24. Marginal drawings: DOODLES. DOODLES, or doodling, was one of my many talents as a school boy. Does that really surprise anyone?!

25. Use money to make money: INVEST. I used to tell my ex-wife that whenever I visited a casino, I was making small "investments". But in a way, I was not wrong. INVESTing is a form of gambling ... my biggest investment "hit", percentage-wise, was turning $3 into $300 at a slot machine on the first pull ... truth

26. Multitude: HORDE. Origin of the word: mid 16th century (originally denoting a tribe or troop of Tartar or other nomads): from Polish horda, from Turkish ordu ‘(royal) camp’

27. Sparkles: GLEAMS. Perhaps this erstwhile toothpaste made ones teeth "sparkle" ... spelled differently of course ... produced by Procter and Gamble

28. Bad blood: ANIMUS. Not "bad blood" in the literal context; it means having ill feelings or hostility toward someone or something. How does it differ from a similar word, "animosity", you ask? More minutiae: animosity is violent hatred leading to active opposition; active enmity; energetic dislike while animus is the basic impulses and instincts which govern one's actions

29. T-Rex on a Monopoly board: TOKEN. I'm guessing that it had its debut in this Monopoly version:

30. Sources of Roquefort: EWES. Roquefort is a sheep milk cheese from Southern France, and is one of the world's best known blue cheeses. Wikipedia. The common name for a female sheep is a EWE. Moe-'lick #1:

During flight, when he summoned the crew,
Pilot asked if there's anything new
To eat. Perhaps some cheese.
May I have ROQUEFORT, please?
"How 'bout Swiss?" They said, out of the Bleu.

31. Fall flat: FAIL. I hope that I didn't FAIL with this recap

36. 1996 Robin Williams comedy, with "The": BIRDCAGE. One of my all-time favorite Robin Williams' movies. So many moving parts; so many great actors; too many clips to chose from, but here's what I decided: since this puzzle has a "Greek" theme, why not pick Hank Azaria's character, Agador Spartacus?

38. Gas leak tip-off: ODOR. Deja Vu? On the December 11, 2020 puzzle the clue at 64-Across was nearly identical, and MalMan had this word yesterday! 2020 ends with an ODOR, and 2021 begins with one ... I smell something fishy, Rich Norris

39. Small combos: TRIOS. According to Far Out Magazine, here are the 33 Greatest Trios of All Time. Glad to see Cream at the top of the list. Here is one of my favorites of theirs

41. L'Oréal's "Because We're Worth It," e.g.: SLOGAN. I normally don't link articles that require a subscription to read them. I do not subscribe to the WSJ, but if you do, you can read this piece

42. Bloopers: ERRORS. So many to choose from ... here is a compilation of news show bloopers

45. Nile serpents: ASPS. Plural. There's more than one?? And here I thought that the only ASP was Cleo's

46. Dry and crack: CHAP. So many definitions for this word, but in the Google Dictionary, however, the verb form of CHAP is the first listed, and "(of the skin) cracked" is the first definition. Moe-ku #5:

Sylvester the Cat
Suffers from dryness. Think it's
A case of CHAP lisp?

47. Delevingne of "Suicide Squad": CARA. Total WAG/perp/whatever. Total unknown to me. Did not know the actor nor the movie. Here is a photo of her character:

48. Macramé basic: KNOT. Macramé for beginners

51. Business card letters: URL. A Uniform Resource Locator, colloquially termed a web address, is a reference to a web resource that specifies its location on a computer network and a mechanism for retrieving it. Most business cards have their company's URL address listed

52. Bird on Australian coins: EMU. The continuation of the exclusive Australian Emu coin series contains 1-ounce coins with 99.99% bullion content. Coins depict an EMU, a characteristic animal of Australia, which will undergo annual changes. The image of this year's coins from the Australian Emu series is a work of the talented illustrator Natasha Muhl.

53. Towel holder: ROD. Google the words "towel rod" and you'll see towel "bars". Guess they're one and the same, eh?

54. Indoor rower, for short: ERG. Short for ERGometer, or a rowing machine. How many of these are now acting as a towel rod/bar in ones bedroom?!

55. Go out with: SEE. When you're SEEing someone, you're likely going out with them ... on a date, e.g.

Thanks, again Robin for adding to our blog with your comments to me via text. Anyone up for announcing their New Years Resolutions? I'll go first: C Moe will write shorter blogs!! Comments below please ...

Notes from C.C.:

1) We just call the tea "Pearl tea". No idea how it became "Gunpowder" in English.

2)  Here is a lovely picture of Lemonade's family. For more sweetness, click on Charlotte. 

3) Happy New Year, everyone!