Wednesday, December 21, 2016, Ron Toth & C.C. Burnikel

TITLE: A GOOD BEGINNING.  In Ron's (aka Jazzbumpa) and OUR FAIR LADY C.C.'s fun puzzle the word FAIR can precede each of the words in their fills for starred clues and generate another phrase.

Here's the grid that shows Ron and C.C. had two horizontal fills and three vertical fills.

This device and fun cluing/fill provide some respite on this First Day of Winter or Winter Solstice which has the fewest hours of daylight north of the equator. The North Pole has reached its maximum tilt away from the Sun but remember, from now on the hours of daylight get longer as we march on to Spring from here.

Let's take a look at the fun theme fill and the phrases Ron and C.C. gave us in this more than FAIR exercise:

6. *"I'd like a hand" : DEAL ME IN - FAIR DEAL Truman's post WWII policy that had mixed results

17. *Exchange insults : TRADE BARBS - FAIR TRADE coffee, certified by Fair Trade USA

61. *Come-on for new customers : TRIAL OFFER - FAIR TRIAL - In To Kill A Mockingbird, Tom certainly did not get one

11. *Pretend to be out : PLAY POSSUM - FAIR PLAY - One organization he worked for in earnest

27. *Go-getter : BALL OF FIRE - A call of FAIR BALL after a wonderful jete! 

...and the reveal

39. Open to attack, and based on the starts of the answers to starred clues, what this puzzle is : FAIR GAME - She never said, "I want to be alone". She said, "I want to be left alone."

Now let's use our fewest hours of sunlight wisely and see what else C.C. and Ron have for us.

Across

1. Herbal emanation : AROMA - Does FAIR TRADE coffee have a better AROMA?

6. Small valley : DELL - I know this farmer...

10. Inconsequential quarrel : SPAT

14. Ring unit : CARAT

15. Website with a Collectibles & Art section : E-BAY - $25,000? Really?

16. "Dark Angel" actress Jessica : ALBA 

19. Misses : GALS

20. Long fish : EEL

21. Grief : DOLOR - Produced Doh' ler

22. Biller, eventually : PAYEE

23. Thailand's previous name : SIAM - The Margaret Landon book that inspired the play by Rodgers and Hammerstein 

24. Sounding shocked : AGASP

26. "Tap the app, get a ride" company : UBER - An Omaha UBER driver took a lady to Denver for $877.61 two months ago

28. "¿Cómo __?" : ESTAS - "How are you?" Answer -  "Muy bien. ¿Y tú?" (Very good. And you?)

30. Cockney's wish? : OPE

33. "Get a move on!" : SNAP TO IT

35. Montreal brewery founded in 1786 : MOLSON

37. 1953 Leslie Caron film : LILI

38. Chaotic mess : SNAFU - There are obscene and sanitized versions of this acronym

40. Got mileage out of : USED

41. Words after a long delay : AT LAST - Other versions are just a pale reflection

43. Good news for borrowers : RATE CUTS

45. Former Prizm maker : GEO

46. Cola with emoji bottle labels : PEPSI

48. Holiday tubers : YAMS

49. Indigenous plant life : FLORA

51. Is sorry about : RUES - Red Sox fans RUED the day Boston sold The Babe to the hated Yankees

53. Not suitable : UNFIT

55. Formal wear at the Forum : TOGAS

57. Likely : APT

60. Hurt : PAIN

63. Throw caution to the wind : DARE - We hear his Charlie Brown Christmas music a lot this time of year but this is my favorite Vince Guaraldi song

64. Mixed martial artist Holly : HOLM  If you DARE to fight Holly HOLM, you're APT to feel a lot of PAIN

65. Aptly named novelist : READE

66. Washington bills : ONES - The mint has quit making the $1 coin since the Washington ONES remain much more popular

67. Word in a threat : ELSE

68. Spooky : EERIE


Down

1. Entr'__ : ACTE - Intermission for The Agony And The Ecstasy

2. Ruth's Chris request : RARE

3. Type of exam : ORAL

4. Magazine with Don Martin cartoons : MAD - Where all my paper route money went and where my sarcasm was nurtured.

5. Was humbled : ATE DIRT

7. River of Spain : EBRO

9. Lille lily : LYS

10. Drawn-out tales : SAGAS

12. Up to the task : ABLE

13. Stun, in a way : TASE

18. __ constrictor : BOA and 8. Test rodent : LAB RAT - Dinner for our 12' BOA at school

22. El __, Texas : PASO

23. Old photo tint : SEPIA

25. Entire spectrum : GAMUT - Of Katherine Hepburn, Dorothy Parker wrote, "She delivered a striking performance that ran the GAMUT of emotions, from A to B."

26. Join together : UNITE

29. Marquee listings : STARS - They knew the pecking order

31. Kilmer and Keats : POETS

32. Doesn't continue : ENDS

33. Smelting waste : SLAG

34. Convection oven brand : OSTER

36. Indiana Jones' creator : LUCAS - Amy - "Indiana Jones has no effect on the outcome of the movie, Sheldon. It would have turned out the same with or without him."

42. Stereotypical dog's name : SPOT - SHEP? Not so much.

44. Overgrown lot, e.g. : EYESORE

47. Security group : PATROL

50. Part of 52-Down : LINES and 52. Chi.-based flier : UAL - Yup!

53. French twist, for one : UPDO

54. Leavened flatbread : NAAN

56. Some museum art : OILS

57. Miles off : AFAR

58. Prefix with cure : PEDI - For those of us who do our own:

59. Palm or beech : TREE

61. Article often ignored in alphabetizing : THE

62. Service charge : FEE

Lets now hear your FAIR-MINDED comments:

Sunday, June 12, 2016, Ron Toth and C.C. Burnikel

Title: GOING TO SCHOOL

A lesser man would say there is something fishy about this puzzle but not I. Wait a minute... 

Our friends Ron (Jazzbumpa) and C.C. used nine fish names as clues to which most of the answers were in-the-language phrases far afield from their piscatorial prompts.

Here's the type of SCHOOL referenced by Ron and C.C.'s title being broken up by the neighborhood bully.

Theme Entries: I thought the fill was pretty straight forward and so I opted to show each type of fish prepared for consumption after, uh, school was out

23. SOLE : ONE AND ONLY - Unique OR Dover SOLE with leeks and shrimp

25. SKATE : GLIDE ON ICE - Sonja Heine specialty OR SKATE with chicory and anchovies

41. FLUKE : STROKE OF LUCK - Winning the lottery OR Pan Seared FLUKE with Warm Wild Mushroom & Lentil Salad, Sunchoke Smear & Lardon

45. BASS : LOW VOICE - Requirement to sing Old Man River OR whole roasted BASS with lemon salt and potatoes

68. RAY : BEAM OF LIGHT - Flashlight emanation OR Stir-fried Stingray With Fermented Black Bean And Chinese Celery

92. PIKE : TOLLROAD - A pay-to-drive thoroughfare OR, while not gourmet, PIKE shore lunch  by a lake is incredible!

94. CARP : MOAN AND GROAN - Complaining OR how CARP is prepared and served around here in every small town restaurant 

115. SHARK : CARD EXPERT - Also card sharp OR Grilled Shark with Pebre sauce

117. SNAPPER : MOWER BRAND - My mower OR a pan-fried Red Snapper filet served with a basil cream sauce

Let's cast out a line and see what else we can reel in:

Across

1. Space exploration vehicle : PROBE

6. Power couple : ITEM

10. Bowled over : AWED

14. Key holders : MAPS - Keys for two MAPS

18. Regatta entrant : RACER

19. __ noho: dance performed while seated or kneeling : HULA

20. Holder of 14 Grand Slam titles : NADAL

22. Sheltered at sea : ALEE

27. Majors won five times by Jack Nicklaus, familiarly : PGAS - Also six Masters, four U.S. Opens and three British Opens. It once looked inevitable that Tiger would catch him...

28. Weapon with a three-sided blade : EPEE

29. Map unit : MILE

30. Words after "If mom finds out" : I'M DEAD

31. Menu list : ENTREES - See theme entries

33. Drive to the airport, say : SEE OFF - Remember when you used to walk clear out to the boarding gate to SEE them OFF?

35. Tot tender : NANNY

36. Investment vehicle, briefly : IRA

37. Horace's "__ Poetica" : ARS - Even I figured out that means The Art Of Poetry

38. Blue Devils' conference : ACC

39. "Have a seat!" : PARK IT

49. Employee's hope : RAISE - Teachers all get RAISES based on experience and advanced hours. Not a nickel for excellence.

50. Book with a year on its cover : ALMANAC - You can buy this Back To The Future 2 prop replica on eBay 

52. Interrupt : HORN IN

53. Java neighbor : BALI - The 1.5 mile wide BALI Strait separates BALI on the right and Java on the left

54. Bargain : BUY

55. Grandson of Adam : ENOS - Also known as ENOSH and must have had descendants that could swim

57. U-Haul rival : RYDER

58. How many autographs are signed : IN PEN - Hating fame, he became a recluse and his autograph is now worth $7,500

60. Put a stop to : HALT

62. Actor's aid : CUE

64. U.N. workers' agcy. : ILO

65. Amaze : STUN

71. Singer Redbone : LEON

72. Fire : CAN

73. Cheese companion : MAC - Mark's Bistro in Omaha was judged Omaha's best MAC and Cheese. Where is it in your town?

74. Woes : ILLS

75. Watch company logo : OMEGA - Is any watch worth $5,000?

77. "I'm __ here!" : OUTTA

79. Back : HIND

81. Mop partner? : GLO

82. Within : AMID

85. System based on urgency : TRIAGE - Where I first heard this word

87. Annoyed : NEEDLED

90. Five-time presidential candidate : NADER

97. The Brits call it an identity parade : LINEUP -Kramer stylin' in a LINEUP

99. Recipient of Bart's prank calls : MOE

100. Wide shoe size : EEE - The president got one of Shaq's size 23's. Width? Not listed.

101. Org. that promotes hunter safety : NRA

102. In __: trapped : A SPOT

105. Works one's fingers to the bone : SLAVES

107. Spells during a vacation, perhaps : CAT SITS

109. Old Athens enemy : SPARTA

111. Coll. seniors' tests : GRES

112. Oral history : LORE

113. Org. that fills bowls? : NCAA

119. "I'll buy" : ON ME

120. Cap : LIMIT

121. "Rock of __" : AGES

122. "Counting Sheep" company : SERTA

123. Many an Ivan : TSAR

124. Zaire's Mobutu __ Seko : SESE - The archetypical African dictator that amassed billions for himself in an oppressive reign in the Congo

125. Legal wrong : TORT

126. Defame : SMEAR

Down

1. Actor's aid : PROP - Like Yorick's skull 

2. Infantry combat school decoration : RANGER TAB

3. Saltwater aquariums : OCEANARIA - Oceanarium seems more common

4. Wild thing : BEAST

5. Marine eagle : ERN

6. Wishful words : I HOPE SO

7. Works for a pianist : TUNES - This pianist's guy TUNES with a wrench and a electronic tuner in the middle of the picture

8. Fashion monthly : ELLE

9. Is allowed to : MAY - C'mon, we all played "Mother MAY I", didn't we?

10. Rolling Stones title woman : ANGIE

11. It might be packed : WALLOP - The late Muhammad Ali certainly packed one

12. She played Carmela Soprano : EDIE FALCO

13. Pop : DAD

14. Imperative : MANDATORY 

15. Sci-fi staple : ALIEN - I wonder if Sigourney still has nightmares

16. Pie nut : PECAN

17. Run-down : SEEDY

21. Welcoming symbol : LEI

24. "Nothing runs like" it : DEERE

26. Hardly a picky eater : OMNIVORE

29. Popular place to visit : MECCA

32. Acquire abundantly : RAKE IN - After he RAKED IN his chips, Rick asked him to leave

33. Pond gunk : SCUM - The fate of our golf course ponds once the spring runoff ends

34. Back again : FRO

36. State since 1948: Abbr. : ISR - May, 1948 headline

38. Partner : ALLY

40. Elec. bill unit : KWH - Our rate here is 6.7¢/KWH. So I can run my 1,500 Watt heater for 10 hrs for 67¢

42. Singer K.T. : OSLIN - Not k.d. LANGE 

43. Animals : FAUNA

44. Ominous peals : KNELLS

46. Small studio production : INDIE - This biggest grossing INDIE netted $51M in 2015

47. Spanish sky : CIELO - I'll bet you can translate "El cielo es azul en España"

48. Company infamous for shredding : ENRON

51. Arguing against : ANTI

54. Tree with delicate bark : BEECH

56. Hard-to-like person : SCHMO

59. Strikers' org.? : PBA

60. Game that reportedly originated in Texas : HOLD 'EM - 2-7 off suit is considered the worst starting hand in this game

61. Indoor gridiron org. : AFL

63. Colorado native : UTE

65. Great guy? : SCOTT - Clever!

66. Prefix meaning "bull" : TAURO

67. Up to : UNTIL

69. Valuable tunnel : MINE

70. Prime minister before Yitzhak : GOLDA - Kiev-born GOLDA became Israel's Prime Minister in the country's 21st year

71. Texas university in Beaumont : LAMAR

73. Belgian surrealist : MAGRITTE - Rene's depiction of a decision we make everyday

76. Sacred Indian river : GANGES

78. Challenge : TALL ORDER

80. "Let’s do it my way" : INDULGE ME

81. Inheritance factor : GENE

83. "Whatever" : I DON'T CARE

84. Heading for an annual list : DEAR SANTA - Asking for world peace AND a Barbie Doll doesn't fool the big guy!

86. Many millennia : EON

88. Capitol tops : DOMES - We will definitely have some here who will know the only U.S. Capitol without a DOME.

89. Land along the Mekong : LAOS

91. Strand under a microscope : RNA

93. DDE rival : AES - Adlai got the silver medal in '52 and '56

95. Least remote : NEAREST

96. Dissuade : DETER

98. __ Island: South Carolina training base : PARRIS

102. Accessory named for a racetrack : ASCOT - Do you remember when Liza shocked the highbrows at ASCOT by yelling, "C'mon Dover, move your bloomin' arse!"

103. Intervals : SPANS

104. Cleveland suburb named for an Italian city : PARMA 

106. Iconic sportster : VETTE

107. Quail : COWER

108. Against a thing, legally : IN REM

110. Rose of Guns N' Roses : AXL - AXLE and AXEL also available in our gift shop

112. Target's target, e.g. : LOGO

114. Month before Nisan : ADAR

116. Circle ratios : PI'S

117. Yoga accessory : MAT

118. Some coll. degrees : BS'S 

Well, we didn't find NEMO but the ones we did were wonderful. Now observe the daily limit at our own Lake Comment:

GRID

Notes from C.C.:

1) You seriously rock, Gary! Amazing visuals.

2) The fifth Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held at the Landmark Center in St. Paul today. You can click here for more details. I just learned that the incredible Eric Maddy is flying in from California to compete. Eric sat in the same table as our own Steve at Crosswords LA a couple of years ago and won the title. He's won many crossword tournaments.