Wednesday, March 30, 2022, Seth Bisen-Hersh

Theme: WE'VE BEEN CONNED!

17. "Misery" co-star: JAMES CAAN.

28. Versatile award-winning Indian film star known by his initials "SRK": SHAH RUKH KHAN.

48. Oscar-nominated actress for "Paper Moon" and "Blazing Saddles": MADELINE KAHN.

63. Swindler ... or, phonetically, what each of three puzzle answers is?: CON ARTIST.

Melissa here. Four different ways to spell CON, all pronounced the same. Three out of four are names of actors. Misery is probably James Caan's most well-known movie, but I loved him most in Chapter Two, the semi-autobiographical story of Neil Simon after the death of his first wife. Marsha Mason, who played his second wife, also was his second wife. Charming movie.

Across:

1. Yoga aid that helps prevent slipping: MAT.

4. Weather report stats: LOWS. Low pressure, low temps, etc.

8. Recipe amts.: TBSPS. Tablespoons. One TBSP = three TSPs.

13. In the past: AGO.

14. Sale rack abbr.: IRREG. Irregular. Sometimes you can't even tell.

16. Linda Ronstadt's "Blue __": BAYOU.

19. Like most tennis shots: ARCED. Most sports shots - basketball, golf, etc.

20. In full view: OVERT.

21. "My turn to bat": I'M UP.

23. Cruise with a big price tag: TOM.

24. Equine control: REIN. Types and how they work.

25. Merged comm. giant: GTE. GTE Corporation, formerly General Telephone & Electronics Corporation (1955–1982), was the largest independent telephone company in the United States during the days of the Bell System.

26. On: ATOP.

33. Starting gun: PISTOL. 

36. Move slightly ... like a mouse?: STIR. Not a creature was stirring ...

37. Hullabaloo: ADO.

38. Cut (off): LOP.

39. Water source: TAP. Tap, faucet, spigot - what are the differences?

41. Pachuca pronoun: ESA. Pachuca de Soto, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. Esa is Spanish for this.

42. URL ender: NET. As in, www.website.net.

43. Cycle starter: UNI. Unicycle.

44. Red letters in a dark theater: EXIT. Any Better Call Saul fans here? I am reminded of this poignant scene. Season six comes next month.

 46. Fly over Africa: TSE TSE. Nice clue.

51. Ultimatum word: ELSE.

52. Big noise: DIN. Small word for a big noise.

53. "Cornflake Girl" singer Tori: AMOS.

 
57. Obama __: ERA.

58. Spoken: SAID.

60. Food recall cause: ECOLI. Usually fruit and vegetables, but also undercooked meat.

61. Cop to: ADMIT.

65. Rachmaninoff's instrument: PIANO. 

66. Celebrity chef Eddie: HUANG.

67. Yellow or Red follower: SEA.

68. Group's belief: TENET.

69. Places to relax: SPAS.

70. Explosive letters: TNT.

Down:

1. Collegian's choice: MAJOR. Tough decision.

2. Tequila source: AGAVE.

3. "My Cousin Vinny" Oscar winner Marisa: TOMEI.

4. Suffix with craigs: LIST.

5. "LOTR" menace: ORC. Lord of the Rings.

6. Eerie apparition: WRAITH. A ghost or ghostlike image of someone, especially one seen shortly before or after their death.

7. Two-__: fastballs named for the grip used to throw them: SEAMERS. With a two-seamer, the ball moves in the same direction as whichever arm is being used to throw it (meaning a right-handed pitcher gets rightward movement on a two-seamer).

8. Undetermined: Abbr.: TBA.

9. "Bluebeard's Castle" composer BÈla: BARTOK.

10. Toady: SYCOPHANT.

11. Dickinson work: POEM.

12. South of France?: SUD. French word for south.

15. Animal that sounds fresh: GNU. Pronounced "new."

18. Dadaist Max: ERNST.

22. India neighbor: PAKISTAN. See in red?

25. Star systems: GALAXIES. A galaxy is a gravitationally bound system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter.

27. Wallop: THRASH.

29. Monopoly miniatures: HOTELS. Green houses, red hotels.

30. Sport-__: off-road vehicle: UTE. Short for Utility vehicle.

31. Fruit drinks: ADES.

32. A or E, but not I, O or U: NOTE. Nice.

33. Horner's surprise: PLUM. From the nursery rhyme, Little Jack Horner.

34. New Rochelle college: IONA. Private Catholic college in New Rochelle, New York.

35. Doctor Octopus foe: SPIDERMAN. Dr. Otto Octavius is a highly intelligent and prideful scientist, better known as the criminal mastermind Doctor Octopus

40. Bowler's target: PIN. Boomer!

45. Boring: TEDIOUS.

47. Sign into law: ENACT.

49. Friend of Jerry and George: ELAINE. Seinfeld.

50. Abduct: KIDNAP.

54. Damp: MOIST.

55. Elizabeth of "WandaVision": OLSEN. News to me. An American television miniseries created by Jac Schaeffer for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision.

56. Occupy, as a table: SIT AT.

57. Actress Falco: EDIE. So talented. Loved her in Horace and Pete.

59. German gripe: ACH. Sounds stern.

60. Bits of work: ERGS.

61. Fitting: APT.

62. Two-year-old, say: TOT.

64. NHL's Ducks, on scoreboards: ANA. Anaheim hockey.

Tuesday, February 22, 2022 Seth Bisen-Hersh

Thomas Paine revisited.  Did you see the Common thread?

17-Across. *  Chic runway event: FASHION SHOW.  Fashion Sense dos and don'ts.

Not sure I'd go with either one.

29-Across. *  Popular betting sport: HORSE RACING.  Horse Sense.

45-Across. *  Uptown New York City thoroughfare west of Madison: SIXTH AVENUE.  Sixth Sense.  Also the name of a movie starring Bruce Willis.

And the Unifier:

57-Across. Practical judgment ... and a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues: COMMON SENSE.  The word can follow the first word of each theme answer to give us a new concept.

Across:

1. TV host with her "OWN" network: OPRAH.  As in Oprah Winfrey Network.

6. Avoider of foods from animals: VEGAN.  When my mother-in-law turned 90, hubby and I planned a big party for her.  Foodwise, it was a challenge, as I had to have a kosher menu to accommodate various family members whose diets include vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free (diabetes). 

11. Weep: SOB.  Hand up if your initial thought was 27-Down. Weep: CRY.

14. "A penny saved ... " is one: ADAGE.

15. Thrill: ELATE.

16. "Into __ Woods": THE.  Into the Woods was a musical with music and lyrics by the late Stephen Sondheim (Mar. 22, 1930 ~ Nov. 26, 2021).

19. Actress de Armas: ANA.  Ana de Armas (b. Apr. 30, 1988) is a Cuban actress.  She portrayed the nurse Marta Cabrera in the movie Knives Out.

20. Not clash: AGREE.

21. Zac of "High School Musical" films: EFRON.  

Zackary David Alexander Efron (b. Oct. 18, 1987)

23. Mex. neighbor: USA.

26. Part of a snicker: HEE.  Tee-Hee-Hee!

27. Seafood found in cakes: CRAB.  You can order a half dozen Maryland Jumbo Lump crab cakes for only $129.99 plus shipping.

28. Short rest: NAP.

34. PC problem solvers: IT PROS.  As in Information Technology Professionals.

36. Harvard or Yale, e.g.: IVY.  The mysterious origin of the term Ivy League.

37. Robert of "The Sopranos": ILER.  Robert Michael Iler (b. Mar. 2, 1985) portrayed A.J. Soprano, Tony Soprano's son.  We watched the series in the first year of the Covid shutdown.

38. Spanish bull: TORO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

39. Director Ang: LEE.  And Lee (b. Oct. 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker who has won numerous awards.

40. As well: ALSO.

41. Greek Cupid: EROS.

42. Lively dance: JIG.

43. Bowling woes: SPLITS.  Hi, Boomer!  Hope you are feeling better.

48. Game console letters: NES.  As in Nintendo Entertainment System.

49. Its symbol is Fe: IRON.  Iron is number 26 on the Periodic Table.  It's chemical symbol is Fe, which comes from the Latin, Ferrum.

50. Dedicated poem: ODE.  A crossword staple.

51. Test for M.A. hopefuls: GRE.  As in a Graduate Record Examination.

52. Masters of the Universe superhero: HE-MAN.

54. With 55-Down, superhero alter ego: CLARK.  //  And 55-Down:  See 54-Across: KENT.  Together we get Clark Kent, who is the mild-mannered reporter and Superman's alter ego.

56. Señora Perón: EVA.

63. Tennis call: LET.

64. Coin flip call: HEADS.

65. Baseball's Shohei Ohtani, notably: ANGEL.  Shoehi Ohtani (b. July 5, 1994) plays baseball for the Los Angeles Angels.

66. "Black-ish" patriarch: DRE.  Anthony Anderson (b. Aug. 15, 1970) portrays the father, Dre Johnson on the sit-com Black-ish.

67. Scents: ODORS.

68. Sporty car roofs: T-TOPS.

Down:

1. Dolt: OAF.

2. Romantic kiss in a crowd, for short: PDA.  As in Public Display of Affection.  Not to be confused with a Personal Digital Assistant.

3. Univ. aides: RAs.  As in the Resident Assistant, which also appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle.

4. Turkish title: AGHA.

5. Song sung by a toon mining septet: HEIGH-HO.  And off to work we go ...

6. Facade: VENEER.

 

7. Otherwise: ELSE.

8. "Dilbert" cry: GAH.

9. From __ B: basic step: A TO.  From A to B ... pretty basic, indeed.

10. Period of change that's "ushered in": NEW ERA.

11. Diva's goal: STAR BILLING.

12. "That's awful!": OH, NO!

13. Coffee source: BEAN.

18. The first of them was sold March 6, 1912: OREOS.  Good to know!  The Cookie will soon be 110 years old.

22. Spa treatment: FACIAL.

23. Brings together: UNITES.

24. Zen enlightenment: SATORI.  Zen Philosophy.

25. Close, but not precise: APPROXIMATE.

30. Prolonged battle: SIEGE.

31. Holiday lead-in: EVE.

32. Empty __: parent whose kids have grown and moved: NESTER.

33. __ Pointe, Michigan: GROSSE.  Everything you wanted to know about Grosse Pointe, but didn't know to ask.

35. Speech platforms: ROSTRA.  Plural of Rostrum.

39. 2020 Super Bowl number: LIV.  Not to be confused with LIV Ullmann (b. Dec. 16, 1938).

42. Yr. starter: JAN.  The first month of the YR is January.

43. Khartoum's land: SUDAN.

44. Eyes closely: PEERS AT.

46. Bigwig: HONCHO.

47. "We can do without him": NO LOSS.

52. Conducted, as a meeting: HELD.

53. Eternally: EVER.

54. Starfleet rank: Abbr.: CMDR.  As in Commander.

58. 20-vol. reference: OED.  Here's the history of the Oxford English Dictionary.

59. Red Guard leader: MAO.

Andy Warhol's rendition

60. Nonprofit aid gp.: NGO.  As in a Non-Governmental Organization.

61. Labor Day mo.: SEP.  Labor Day is the first Monday of September.

62. Golfer Ernie: ELS.  I learned about Ernie Els (né Theodore Ernest Els; b. Oct. 17, 1969) from doing the crossword puzzles.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Not only is today 2/22/22, it is also a milestone birthday for hubby.  

Monday September 23, 2019 Seth Bisen-Hersh

Theme: IT'S A DATE (54. "I'm there!" ... and hint to the first part of the answers to starred clues) - The first word can precede "date".

20. *Zero degrees, on a compass: DUE NORTH. Due date.

23. *Fiduciary entity whose holdings are unknown to its beneficiaries: BLIND TRUST. Blind date.

 

39. *Life insurance clause specifying twice the payment for certain situations: DOUBLE INDEMNITY. Double date.

 

47. *Wet wooded region: RAINFOREST. Rain date.

Boomer here. C.C. said this is another L. A. Times debut. Congrats, Seth!

Bowling is now in full swing.  The lanes will see me twice a week until April.  Golf season is running short in Minnesota. Courses close around November 1.  Crossword season is in play 12 months a year.

Across:

1. Bowler's challenge: SPLIT.  Happened to me six time last Thursday

6. River in western Belgium: YSER.  "YSER that's my babe, No Sir, I don't mean maybe."

10. "Quite contrary" gardener: MARY.  Silver Bells and Cockle shells.

14. Dog guide: LEASH.  I think most states require a leash now.

15. Paris currency: EURO.  I remember when EURO first hit the market I think I bought 25 coins in a set for about $20.00.  Later I sold them on eBay for about $10.00.  Story of my life.

16. Singer Adams: EDIE.  Mr. Grant's (of WJM TV) wife.

17. Bert's Muppet roommate: ERNIE.

18. Tiny bit of a min.: NSEC. Nanosecond.

19. "Bob's Burgers" daughter: TINA.  Or Tina Louise on Gilligan's Island.

22. Looks for: SEEKS. and you shall FIND.

26. Deli hanger: SALAMI.  Salami, Salami, Baloney.

31. Rivière contents: EAU.  I know this is French, but every time I see it in a puzzle, I think of our Wisconsin neighbor to the east, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.  Speaking of the big W, I watched the Badgers kick Michigan around today.  Too bad they had two players kicked out of the game for head butting.

32. Sun-dried brick: ADOBE.

33. Campus housing: DORM.  Never stayed in a dorm.  I carpooled to the U of M and parked in a lot in the Mississippi River flats. 15 cents per day.

35. Ceremonial shoulder-to-hip band: SASH.

42. "¿Cómo __ usted?": ESTA.

43. Pre-holiday nights: EVES.  I like Christmas Eve but I suppose New Year's eve is most rowdy.

44. Helped: AIDED.

45. Exist: ARE.

46. Opulent home: ESTATE.  Okay, we only have a town home on a small lot.  I imagine most of our Minnesota Twins might live on an estate.  That's okay though since they have to live in a hotel 81 days a year.

53. Early stage: ONSET.

60. Lab vessel: VIAL.

61. Therefore: ERGO.

63. Radamès in 36-Down, e.g.: TENOR. 36. Verdi opera: AIDA.

64. And others, in Lat.: ET AL.  Short for Et Cetera.

65. Author Roald: DAHL.

66. Wild West film: OATER.  Throw back to the early sixties with Oaters like Gunsmoke, Maverick,     Cheyenne, et al.

67. Provocative: RACY.

68. French "head": TETE.

69. Newspapers, collectively: PRESS.  I like MEDIA better.

Down:

1. Snow glider: SLED.  We all had one when we were kids. A nice friendly hill near my home helped too.

2. Lima is its capital: PERU.

3. Fictional reporter Lois: LANE.  Superman never got hit by a plane but Clark got hit on by a Lane.

4. "The doctor __": IS IN.  I have seen and heard this many times, but I never saw a sign like this at any doctor or dentist's office.

5. "God" prefix: THEO.  What follows THE N

6. Film in which Streisand plays a yeshiva boy: YENTL.

7. Japanese rolls: SUSHI.

8. Before, in verse: ERE.  I heard him exclaim ere he rode out of sight.

9. Mythical big bird: ROC.  Roc of ages, cleft for me.  Let me hide under a tree.

10. Usage measurer: METER.  "Lovely Rita, METER maid". The Beatles.

11. French farewell: ADIEU. Adieu, Adieu, my friends adieu. I can no longer stay with you.  I'll hang my harp in the weeping willow tree.  And may the world go well with thee.

12. Ice show venues: RINKS.  Yeah but also hockey games eh ?

13. Baker's dough raiser: YEAST. When I worked pizza, we always put in yeast when making the dough.  But then when making the pizza, we flattened the heck out of it.

21. Sac fly stat: RBI.  I think the major leagues are setting records for total RBIs among all the team.  they really tightened the strings on those baseballs this year.

22. "The Simpsons" disco guy: STU.

24. Geeky-sounding candy: NERDS. Candy??  I thought those were the guys that lived in Animal House.

25. Knight's lady: DAME.  There is nothing like one.  Nothing in the world !

26. "Smooth Operator" singer: SADE.

27. Kerfuffles: ADOS.

28. Lummox: LOUT.

29. __ The Museum: Stockholm exhibit honoring a pop group: ABBA.

30. Singer Tormé: MEL.  He was in a Seinfeld episode and I think Kramer fell on him.

33. Sunken ship explorer: DIVER.

34. __ of a kind: ONE.  It takes ONE to know ONE.

35. Peevish state: SNIT. Tobacco can spelled backwards.

37. Editor's "never mind that change": STET.

38. Jekyll's alter ego: HYDE.  Forget London, There is a Hyde Park in Chicago's South side near that big lake named after Michigan.

40. Gateway Arch designer Saarinen: EERO.

41. More, for Miguel: MAS.

45. Rearward at sea: AFT.  Also a period of time after MORN

46. Many "Star Trek" extras: ETS.

47. Mars explorer: ROVER.  "Red ROVER, Red ROVER send C.C. right over."

48. Friend of Maria in "West Side Story": ANITA.  "Tonight, Tonight, won't be just any night.  Tonight there will be no morning star."

49. Author Asimov: ISAAC.

50. Singer Furtado: NELLY.  "Hang on the bell Nelly, Hang on the bell.  You're poor daddy's locked in a cold prison cell."  (Chad Mitchell Trio.)

51. Octet count: EIGHT.  Crazy number

52. Swiped: STOLE.

55. Resting upon: ATOP.  Of Old Smokey

56. Honey alternative: DEAR.  Dear ABBY's Grandson (Dean Phillips) is our 3rd District Congressman from Minnesota.  (C.C. and I live in the 3rd district.)

57. Pot starter: ANTE.  Pretty much the same as a red chip on the Pass Line.  I don't play poker.  I'll let you guess the game I like.

58. Ballerinas dance on them: TOES.  Rings on her fingers, and bells on her toes.  Hey has anybody seen my sweet Gypsy Rose?

59. Makes a mistake: ERRS.  Can't blame those on the tight baseballs, or can they?

61. NYC summer hrs.: EDT.

62. Actress Charlotte: RAE.

Boomer