Tuesday, October 20, 2020 Roland Huget

Hello, Goodbye.  The last few letters of each theme answer is another word one might use when departing.

20-Across. Bach mini comic opera about a beverage addiction: COFFEE CANTATA.  October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

25-Across. Modern car receivers: SATELLITE RADIOS.  Today's Spanish Lesson.

47-Across. He played the interviewer in "Interview With the Vampire": CHRISTIAN SLATER.

And the unifier:

53-Across. Last parting, or what can literally be found in 20-, 25- and 47-Across: FINAL FAREWELL.  The last 4 or 5 letters of each theme answer is another word for saying "Farewell".

Across:
1. Play divisions: ACTS.

5. Citrus coolers: ADES.  Hi, Lemonade!

9. Caroline, to Bobby Kennedy: NIECE.

14. Site of many a college party: FRAT.

15. Vatican leader: POPE.

The New Pope, played by John Malovich.

16. Garden trimming gadget: EDGER.

17. Singer __ Amos: TORI.  Tori Amos (née Myra Ellen Amos; b. Aug. 22, 1963) is a classically trained musician.

18. Stuffed shirt: PRIG.

19. Pastry with tea: SCONE.

23. Pillow filler: FOAM.  My pillows are stuffed with feathers.

24. Anthem contraction: O'ER.

33. Letter-shaped plumbing trap: U-BEND.

34. Shade tree: ELM.  I hear people have Nightmares on Elm Street.

35. Layer on a stagnant pond: SCUM.

36. Opp. of 56-Down: MAN.  //  And 56-Down. Works-by-itself setting: AUTO.  Think of Manual transmission and Automatic cars.

37. Secretly: SUB ROSA.  Sub rosa is a Litin phrase that means "under the rose".  In ancient times, the rose was a symbol for secrecy.

41. Denver-to-Chicago dir.: ENE.  One must go East-NorthEast to get from Denver to Chicago.

42. Beginning on: AS OF.

44. Hide-hair connector: NOR.  The phrase, "neither hide nor hair" dates back to the time of Chaucer.  It alludes to the fact that the outside of an animal is made up of hide and hair, which therefore constitute its entirety. The negative version, nearly always meaning that something or someone cannot be seen or found, became common in the mid-nineteenth century.

45. German camera: LEICA.  The Leica Camera company has been around since 1869.  It was founded by Ernst Leitz (Apr. 26, 1843 ~ Sept. 12, 1920).  The word Leica is derived from the first three letters of the founder's surname, Leitz, and the first two letters of the word Camera.

Ernst Leitz

51. Yellowfin tuna: AHI.

52. Very often: ALOT.

59. Liberty Bell flaw: CRACK.  The Liberty Bell traveled across the country in 1917.  I have never actually seen the Liberty Bell.  I have a friend in Philadelphia.  Maybe when it is safe to travel again, I can go visit her and the Bell.

60. Artificial bait: LURE.  They come in all shapes and sized depending upon what you are fishing for.

61. "The First __": holiday song: NOËL.  This word is derived from the Latin verb Nasci, which means, to be born.

63. "Voices Carry" co-songwriter Mann: AIMEE.  Below is Aimee Mann's solo version, not the one made famous by 'Til Tuesday.

64. Perched on: ATOP.  Not going to have my picnic lunch perched upon a construction beam.

65. Impulse: URGE.

66. Models strike them: POSES.

67. Acknowledges applause: BOWS.

68. Mexican bread?: PESO.  More of today's Spanish lesson.  1 Peso equals 0.047 US Dollars.

Down:

 
1. Back on board: AFT.  Hi, Spitzboov!

2. Gator's cousin: CROC.

3. Poi source: TARO.

4. React to an insult, maybe: STIFFEN.

5. Legal challenge: APPEAL.  The United States Supreme Court has the final word on appeals in this country.

6. Scale starters: DO RE MI.

7. Grand-scale production: EPIC.

8. Genesis creator: SEGA.  Maker of video games.

9. Snapple rival: NESTEA.

10. They're often swiped at work: ID CARDS.  Poor Leslie.  She is a non-essential employee.

11. Entertainment awards acronym: EGOT.  This acronym has been making quite a few appearances in the crossword puzzles recently:  Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.  To date, there have been 16 EGOT winners.

12. Wrestler John: CENA.  John Felix Anthony Cena, Jr. (b. Apr. 23, 1977) got married just last week to his 2nd wife, Shay Shariatzadeh.

13. Prior to, in poems: ERE.

21. Tosses in one's cards: FOLDS.

22. Expected outcomes: NORMS.

25. The "poison" type contains the skin irritant urushiol: SUMAC.

26. Disconcert: ABASH.

27. Pavarotti, for one: TENOR.  As was recently noted, the anniversary of Luciano Pavarotti's 85th birth (Oct. 12, 1935 ~ Sept. 7, 2007) would have celebrated last week.  I saw him perform many years ago in Boston.

28. Earth, to Cato: TERRA.  Today's Italian lesson.

29. "Xanadu" rock gp.: ELO.  As in the Electric Light Orchestra.

30. Seal the deal: ICE IT.  Sorry, Tin!

31. Prevention measure?: OUNCE.  A reference to the adage, An Ounce of Prevention is worth a Pound of Cure.

32. Makeup streak: SMEAR.

38. "Open __ 9 p.m.": store sign: UNTIL.

39. Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er __": BOI.

40. Give permission: ALLOW.

43. Bride-to-be: FIANCÉE.

46. Wiped out by excess costs, as profits: EATEN UP.

48. Burger joint drinks: SHAKES.

49. Limited in scope: NARROW.

50. Grabs some shuteye: SLEEPS.

53. Cold, in Cádiz: FRIO.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

54. Brand with a paw print in its logo: IAMS.

55. Love handles, so to speak: FLAB.

57. Old stories: LORE.

58. Relay race segments: LEGS.

59. Spending limit: CAP.

62. Sign of summer: LEO.

Here's the Grid:

Thursday, August 20th 2020 Roland Huget

Theme O no! Are we missing an "O"? Yes, we are.

17A. Run-of-the-mill deity?: COMMON GOD. Common good. The Roman and Greek gods were pretty common, one for every day, event and situation.

23A. Officer who helps keep public statues clean?: PIGEON COP. Pigeon coop. The pigeon cops might be busier with paint than poop right now.

35A. Junior faculty member?: CHILD PROF. Childproof. Dougie Howser, MD?

50A. One who campaigns on traffic congestion issues?: BUMPER POL. Bumper pool. I'd never heard of this game, but when I looked it up reminded me of "bar billiards" - almost every public bar in an English pub had a bar billiards table and a dartboard. There were local leagues in both darts and bar billiards to drum up business on slower midweek evenings.

58A. Mechanical bull rider?: COWBOY BOT. Cowboy boot. I like the clue - my first leaning was towards the rider of a mechanical bull, rather than the rider being mechanical. I liked the uncertainty. Oh, and if you're ever tempted to ride a mechanical bull, don't.

Thank you, Roland. Let's see what we can find in the fill:

Across:

1. Mexican bar tender: PESO.

5. Final notice?: OBIT.

9. Queen Amidala's home planet: NABOO. I just don't do well with science fiction characters - I recently watched all three Star Wars movies which featured the good queen Padmé, and I have no recollection of her last name nor her planet.

14. Petri dish gelatin: AGAR.

15. Small parasite: MITE.

16. Enmity: ODIUM.

19. Many converted apartments: LOFTS.

20. Muse of comedy: THALIA. I had to guess at the "H" as I'd never heard of the crossing SAM HILL and I don't have all my muses down pat. "H" seemed to make the most sense though so I avoided the dreaded Natick.

21. Billionaire financier George: SOROS.

22. Tedious routine: GRIND.

27. Feel poorly: AIL.

28. Sprain application: ICE PACK. I hate it when I have to ice a sprain or a swelling, to me it''s more uncomfortable than the injury itself.

30. Taking after: ALA.

31. 1984 mermaid romcom: SPLASH.

33. Reggie Jackson's alma mater, briefly: A.S.U. Arizona State. I very much like Reggie, he was a class act when he played and remains so as a broadcaster. I was surprised by ASU though - I just assumed he went to one of the "powerhouse" schools - Duke, UNC, UCLA or one of the many others. I think I respect him more now I know he didn't.

Comment edited to strike out the total nonsense I was spouting late last night. Thank you for everyone who pointed out that I didn't have a clue what I was talking about. It happens.

34. Auto pioneer: OLDS.

38. Tummy trouble: ACHE.

41. Gear with a bill: CAP.

42. Got around: EVADED.

46. Head of Britain?: LOO. Restrooms. I hate to spoil the fun with this one, but the maritime "head" is called - wait for it - a "head" in Britain too.

47. Cohort: COMRADE.

49. Santana's "__ Como Va": OYE. Can't not link this one here !

52. Party hearty: REVEL.

54. Sussex set: TELLY. In the UK, the TV is also called a "telly" (hence "Teletubbies".) Sussex is a county south of London. There's some bloke who recently moved to Montecito just up the street from me who claims to be the Duke of Sussex. I think we've had the discussion recently that there's an Sussex, a Wessex, an Essex and a Middlesex. But no Norsex. Northhampton is in Northhamptonshire, but Southampton is in Hampshire, and there's no such place as Southamptonshire. The county of Devon is called Devon, but the clotted cream is "Devonshire cream". The pasties from Cornwall, right next door, are called Cornish Pasties, not Cornwallshire Pasties. Worcestershire sauce comes from Worcestershire, but is pronounced Wuster, the same as Worcester, the county town. No wonder the tourists get confused. I could go on, but I think the room has gone quiet so I'd better go before I'm gonged off.

55. Fraternal meeting places: LODGES.

57. Hearing-related: AURAL.

61. "24K Magic" singer Mars: BRUNO. Darn, I used my musical link on Carlos.

62. Double Delight cookie: OREO. Please can we not have an OREO fill for - let's say - 40 days - let's give up OREO for Crossword Lent. There may be a few others to go in the "can't use" bag too.

63. Peel: PARE.

64. Small change: CENTS.

65. Coiffure site: TETE.

66. Genealogy chart: TREE.

Down:

1. Lobbying gp.: PAC. I sprung for PTA first which made me smile when I saw the error of my ways.

2. Voyage taken alone?: EGO TRIP.

3. Quaint euphemism for "hell": SAM HILL. A learning moment for me. I've never heard the expression but I can quite easily hear an old-timer exclaiming - "Gosh darn it, what the Sam Hill is that?"

4. "The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom" author: ORMAN.

5. Luxury hotel chain: OMNI.

6. Galoot: BIG APE.

7. Olympic skater Midori: ITO.

8. British poet Hughes who was married to Sylvia Plath: TED. Ted was an "earthy" poet, and when he was appointed Poet Laureate, there were some wags who parodied his style for occasions such as the Queen's Birthday. This is the inimitable Peter Cook (last four verses only for brevity):

Old Stoatie falls in.

Rotting stoat

Body carcass

Gleaming fish nibbled

Carrion of death

Sodden fur bulging

Eyes

Old Stoatie's

Rather had it.

Happy Birthday

Your Majesty

9. Like some basketball passes: NO-LOOK. Reggie was a master at the no-look pass.

10. Festoon: ADORN.

11. Two-part lens: BIFOCAL. I have progressives - they took a little time to get used to (falling down stairs was always on the cards) but I eventually got used to them and now wouldn't be without them.

12. Peddled faster than: OUT-SOLD.

13. Meditation sounds: OMS.

18. Somewhat passé: OLD-ISH.

21. Tied down: SECURED.

22. Beetle juice?: GAS.

24. High-end tablet: IPAD PRO. I didn't know there was a "Pro" version? I guess now I do.

25. [She actually said that?!]: GASP!

26. Faux __: PAS.

29. Coffee-flavoring root: CHICORY. I first had chicory-flavored coffee in France many years ago. I thought all fresh-ground espresso tasted like that. You know "muscle-memory" when you can repeat a movement over and over? I have "taste-memory" with chicory and coffee, it instantly takes me back to the first time I tasted it.

32. Top player: ACE.

34. Birds-feather connection: OF A.

36. Tanning device: LAMP.

37. Engage in to excess: OVERDO.

38. Priestly garb: ALB.

39. Fashionista's field: COUTURE.

40. It may be inside the park: HOME RUN. Isn't it "inside-the-park"? I can't edit the clues, but I think hyphens are involved.

43. Chocolate-coated ice cream treat: DOVE BAR.

44. Urban renewal target: EYESORE.

45. Part of a PC reboot sequence: DEL. CTRL-ALT-DEL. Sadly, very common and well-known. I don't think I've rebooted my Chromebook for two years.

47. Cumbersome instruments: CELLOS. Yeah, they're big buggers. I wouldn't like to be standing at the side of the road in the rain trying to hail a cab with a cello.

48. Utterly wrong: ALL WET.

51. Undercover agent: PLANT.

53. "Death on the Nile" setting: EGYPT.

56. Easy-to-carry instrument: OBOE. Now here's your ideal cab-hailing instrument. You could also play a happy ditty on the way home.

57. "The Good Doctor" network: ABC. Great series from the South Korean original based on a "Dougie Howser" character who is autistic. First season - impressive. Subsequent seasons - terrible. TV execs: know when to stop. Really.

58. Camp bed: COT.

59. Resource in The Settlers of Catan board game: ORE. Never heard of the game, but O** was a gimme.

60. Spot to drive from: TEE. Fore!

And, without futher repetition, hesitation or deviation, here's the grid!

Steve

Thursday, July 30th 2020 Roland Huget

Theme: Planetary Craft - the puzzle is crafted so that four planets - aka worlds - are split across two theme entries. To wit:

17A. Flirts with: MAKES EYES AT and 19A. Coffee server: URN.  Saturn. I've made eyes at a coffee urn in early-morning meetings when the coffee has just arrived and I've not had my morning caffeine fix.

23A. All thumbs: INEPT and 24A. Nefarious: UNETHICAL. Neptune.

36A. Square things: GET EVEN and 38A. Put many miles on: USE A LOT. Venus. My car came to end-of-lease last week and is going up for auction next month. Whoever gets that car is going to be happy - it's three years old with less than 15,000 miles on it and looks brand-new. So I didn't use it a lot.

51A. Where to find a hammer and anvil: MIDDLE EAR. and 53A. Unifying idea: THEME. Earth.

and the reveal:

59A. Not remotely on the same page ... and what can literally be found in four puzzle rows: WORLDS APART.

A "bridge the gap" theme from Roland - a clue to these themes is where the reveal mentions "puzzle rows" rather than "puzzle entries".  I filled in "MIDDLE EAR" and "THEME" and "Middle Earth" jumped out at me - then I got to the reveal itself and all became clear. I liked a lot that "THEME" was part of the theme; I'm sure that wasn't just a happy coincidence.

Good job all round from Roland - there's some great fill around the theme entries, and a couple of new ones too, which helps to keep things fresh. Let's take a look:

Across:

1. Vitamin amts.: RDA'S. The clue implies an abbreviation, it appears that "RDA" without the periods is now accepted usage. Makes punctuating this entry a lot simpler!

5. Come by: OBTAIN.

11. Pancake syrup source: SAP. The sap of the maple tree. I don't eat breakfast pancakes so I'd never eaten maple syrup until recently where a recipe I was using called for it. I was surprised it wasn't just sweet, it had a depth of flavor that I didn't expect.

14. Isn't informal?: AIN'T. I like these clues.

15. Southwestern community: PUEBLO.

16. __ Fáil: Irish coronation stone: LIA. The Stone of Destiny. Last used for a coronation around 500AD.

20. Picks up gradually: GLEANS.

21. Type of wave or spree: CRIME.

28. Web address feature: DOT.

29. Enliven, with "up": SPICE.

30. Parker and Waterman: PENS. I used Parker fountain pens at school - we had to write with pen and ink, woe betide you if you tried to sneak a ballpoint in there. Consequently all our fingers were ink-stained from refilling the darn things.

31. Sanford of "The Jeffersons": ISABEL.

34. Amusement park shuttles: TRAMS.

42. Catch on: SEE IT.

44. Lily's role in "All of Me": EDWINA. Lily Tomlin co-starred with Steve Martin in this 1984 comedy.

45. Smoothie berry: ACAI. Goji or Acai? Wait for the crosses - the "I" doesn't help you.

48. YouTube journals: VLOGS. Video Logs, formally. I subscribe to quite a few YouTube channels, you can lose yourself down some very quirky rabbit holes very quickly!

50. Water source: TAP.

55. "Caveman" diet: PALEO.

56. Chicago suburb: AURORA. It seems mean to describe it as a suburb, it's a city in its own right and in the top 115 most populous in the country. Here's the William B. Green residence. Familiar-looking architecture? Yes indeed, it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

58. New Haven Ivy Leaguer: ELI.

64. Barbecue piece: RIB.

65. Surpass: EXCEED.

66. Allergic reaction: ITCH.

67. Slalom shape: ESS.

68. Speech platforms: ROSTRA. Thank you, Latin lessons of yore. Nouns ending in "-UM" are generally neuter, and pluralized with "-A".

69. Radar's favorite soda: NEHI. You can still get this stuff. Anyone know what it tastes like?

Down:

1. The one for ewe?: RAM.

2. Figure out: DIAGNOSE.

3. Art that may be covered by a sock: ANKLE TAT. This is new fill. It appears that no-one gets a tattoo any more, they get "ink" or a tat. On one of our trips to England not so long ago, we stopped off in Blackpool, an old resort town on the Irish Sea. We parked across the street from a place which proudly had "TATTOO'S" writ large on the storefront. I don't think I'd trust them with punctuating my tat.

4. Allow to soak, as tea: STEEP.

5. Conducting business: OPEN.

6. Purchases all of: BUYS UP.

7. Informal top: TEE.

8. Crunch targets: ABS.

9. Dockworkers' org.: I.L.A. The International Longshoremen's Association.

10. V-shaped slit: NOTCH.

11. Gold miner's water trough: SLUICE.

12. Lindbergh, e.g.: AIRMAN. Amongst many things. This one wins Obscure Random Clue of the Day award, very Thursday-like.

13. Discussion groups: PANELS.

18. Perched: SAT.

22. Tool for cutting with the grain: RIPSAW.

23. "Gotcha, man": I DIG. I doubt either have been heard in daily life since ... oh ... the jazz era? Woodstock? A while ago, anyway.

25. Small point: NIT.

26. Neutral shade: ECRU.

27. Pokes fun at: TEASES.

29. Record holder: SLEEVE. With vinyl making a mini-comeback, record sleeve printing firms are back in business!

32. Next to: BESIDE.

33. Night before: EVE.

35. __ school: MED.

37. Khartoum's river: NILE. You can't argue with that. Khartoum is at the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile, which together form the Nile.

39. Knowledgeable, as in a particular field: LITERATE.

40. Protesting, maybe: ON A MARCH.

41. Sticky stuff: TAPE.

43. Ode title words: TO A. Keat's "Ode to a Nightingale" is a little long to post here in full, but the first verse is well known (or at least, the first few lines):

My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains

         My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,

Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains

         One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:

'Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,

         But being too happy in thine happiness,—

                That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees

                        In some melodious plot

         Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,

                Singest of summer in full-throated ease.

45. Current unit: AMPERE.

46. Viagra competitor: CIALIS.

47. Deviates from the script: AD LIBS.

49. Landscaping equipment: GRADER.

52. Farther down: LOWER.

53. Singing syllable: TRA. la la.

54. Hitchhiker's welcome: HOP IN. Do people still hitchhike? My buddy and I took a trip when we were 17 from the UK to the south of France and Spain and back in the days when it was still a thing.

57. Food safety org.: USDA.

60. Good Grips utensil brand: OXO.

61. Coke alternatives: RCS. RC Cola. I suppose you can pluralize it, you can have Cokes and Pepsis, so why not (although "pepsis" sounds like a some kind of infection!)

62. Court call: LET. "Let the Prisoner Go"? Nah, tennis. I don't watch a lot of tennis, but the last tournament I saw there were no net-cord judges anymore. When did those folk get phased out? They were a fixure at Wimbledon.

63. How-hot-it-feels stat.: T.H.I. The Temperature Humidity Index. I like LA's dry heat, I get grumpy in humid places unless I'm on vacation in a pair of beach shorts.

And I think that's about it. Here's the grid with the theme entries highlighted in what my MacBook paint tool calls "Banana".

Steve