Wednesday, February 7th, 2024, Alan Massengill & Doug Peterson

CHARGE~!

 Today's theme and reveal totaled 60 squares - I don't have the comparison software, but I think that's a pretty high count.  I suppose this was a "typical" Wednesday-level puzzle, but once again, it felt like there were way too many proper names - this is becoming the "Universal Solving Bane" of many LA Times crosswords these days; call it the 'theme' that 'carries over' via 'flash drive' from puzzle to puzzle - but your experience may vary.  OK, I'm done ranting....Since I typically do the DOWN clues first, the reveal at 67D. gave away the theme - when I looked back at my partially filled grid, U, S, & B had already filled in at 24 Across via perps, and therefore verified the "connection".  Ta-DA~!


17. Place that takes care of bad Apples: GENIUS BAR - I have had several disappointing experiences with Apple products in the past, so in my world they're all "bad" Apples; I am 22D.

24. Agency that conducts a decennial count: CENSUS BUREAU - I have changed states since the last census

40. No joke: SERIOUS BUSINESS

52. Congressional economic boost: STIMULUS BILL

66. Top-quality meat: ANGUS BEEF

ANGUS~! (Young, that is) - AC/DC

67. Connection port, and the connections found in 17-, 24-, 40-, 52-, and 66-Across: USB - Short for Universal Serial Bus - the Wiki

And A Name We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Crowd-sourced review site: YELP

5. "Or __ what?": ELSE

9. Tennis star Naomi: OSAKA - considering the number of names ( this is #1) in the grid, could we not have made this clue "Japanese city"~?  Crossing ARRAU is just cruel, as I had to WAG the last "A"

14. See 62-Down: see 62-Down

15. Capital of Qatar: DOHA - I knew this name only because I do crossword puzzles (#2)

16. Henry VIII's house: TUDOR - I happen to like the "style" of Tudor homes, tho there's an argument that it's not actually a "style" - more of a conglomerate of English building details - I plan to do the front of my home in this "style" - and yes, people, I recognize "house" means 'ruling family' here....

Henry the Eighths actual residence

19. Asparagus piece: SPEAR

20. Treats wrinkles: IRONS

Oh, not that kind of iron....

21. Upscale hotel chain: OMNI - been a popular fill lately

23. 47-Across, in Spanish: ELLA - meh.  Not only circumreferential, but a "foreign" word as well; crossing a name I had never heard of = Natick

27. Contemporary of Julius Caesar: CICERO - Name #3

30. "Singin' in the Rain" studio: MGM - I had the first "M"

31. Hubbub: ADO

32. Like paper clips: BENT - uh, well, yeah, I guess they are, in fact, bent....

36. Hawaii's sixth-largest island: LANAI - I've never been to Hawaii, and I didn't pay enough attention while watching Hawaii Five-O to recall which is "Number six" on the largest island list....name #4

And I forget the "Big Island" is named "Hawai'i", too

44. NORAD tracking target: SANTA - target~?  Someone at NORAD is gonna end up on the 'naughty' list....

45. Cab: TAXI

46. Chowed down: ATE

47. Personal pronoun: SHE

49. Raucous bird: MAGPIE

58. NPR's Totenberg: NINA - #5

59. "Thinking about it": "I MAY..."

60. Word with dots or bands: POLKA

64. Radiology study: IMAGE

68. Jeans fabric: DENIM

69. Award-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust: MAUS - name #6, filled via perps, and a WAG at the "A" - I was going to link the Wiki, but it seemed to graphic for the blog

70. Firmly declare: AVER - I had the "R", so it was not AVOW

71. C-suite types: EXECS

72. Metrical foot: IAMB - the poetic "beat"

73. Stitch's buddy: LILO - Disney movie I have not seen; name #7


DOWN:

1. Jellystone Park bear: YOGI - "smarter than your AVERage bear", name #8

2. Of all time: EVER

3. Fallon predecessor: LENO - The Tonight Show hosts; #9

4. Paisley Park Records founder: PRINCE - The "artist formerly known as Name Number 10"

5. Mag honchos: EDs - editors of magazines

6. University of New Mexico athletes: LOBOS - filled via perps

7. Former SeaWorld headliner: SHAMU - name #11 -  I didn't know the history of the show animal

8. Comes by honestly: EARNS

9. Tense sports periods, for short: OTs - overtime, plural.

10. Character who debuted in Action Comics #1: SUPERMAN - this was my guess, but I waited on perps, and, technically, a name

11. Singer known for numerically titled albums: ADELE - and numerically name no. 12

12. __ bear: KOALA

13. Chilean pianist Claudio: ARRAU - Yeah, not much you can do with the "U" at the end of CENSUS BUREAU, so this was a necessary evil - still, name #13

18. __-friendly: USER

22. "Big Blue": IBM - The "anti" Apple - the Personal Computer (PC); or would it be the "Orange~?"

25. Asian fusion chain: NOBU - Never heard of this; it would appear that the closest locations to me are both in NYC - and, technically, a name

26. Jamaican tangelo: UGLI - semi-orange~?

27. Mama of pop: CASS - a name ( #double-digits ) that I did know

28. Notion: IDEA

29. Biofuel source: CORN - You can tell when someone has converted their car to biofuel, because the exhaust usually smells like fast food fries

33. Guessed-at fig.: ESTimate

34. Thunder's org.: NBA - Oklahoma City's National Basketball Association team

35. Gala garb: TUX

37. Tide type: NEAP

38. Province bordering Turin: ASTI - geographic name #, uh...

39. "Makes sense": "I SEE."

41. Cheeky comeback to "How did you do that?": "IT'S MAGIC"

42. Hawaii's third-largest island: OAHU - I found this fascinating reference image of my home state - and - geographic name blah blah blah

43. California's __ Valley: SIMI - geographic - OK, I've lost count of the names....

48. Yalie: ELI - from doing crosswords

50. Range in Europe: ALPS - another geographic na... - oh, never mind

51. Part of GPS: GLOBAL - the other two thirds being "Positioning System"

52. Dripping with sarcasm: SNIDE - like calling a person with 'weight issues' "Shamu" - Brendan Fraser starred in the 2022 film "The Whale" - the trailer

53. Ironman Triathlon watchmaker: TIMEX

54. Silly: INANE - too many clues in name / is just inane    meh.

55. Fifth flavor: UMAMI - from crosswords

56. Largest city in Yemen: SANAA - only because I do crosswords; name #291,971, I think

57. "For dang sure!": "BY GUM~!" - I have been reading Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe series, and this is a standard phrase from the books

61. Big name in 68-Across: LEVI - namenamename

62. With 14-Across, collapse: KEEL - and - 14A. See 62-Down: OVER - I'm about to KEEL OVER from the number of names in this grid

63. Curly coif: AFRO

65. Ambulance letters: EMS

Splynter

Tuesday, January 30th, 2024, Zachary David Levy

EBB

 The TIDE has been turned, reversed, and spelled backwards three times in the grid, and it was almost perfectly constructed, too, as the first theme answer broke down to E - DIT, followed by ED -IT, but we didn't get the final EDI -T; can anyone think of a way to build that into the puzzle~?  A relatively quick solve, with either "gimme" answers, or something rather vague ( I'm looking at you 39A. ).  And again, several proper names, yet none that didn't fill in on their own if I didn't know them immediately.  Somehow, I seem to have created an 80s songs sub-theme, too.  Oh, and we're missing just the "Z" for a pangram.

17. Playful tune: LITTLE DITTY - 'bout Jack n' Diane~?

John Cougar Mellencamp

27. Threw in the towel: CALLED IT QUITS - Men At Work, "It's A Mistake"

Lyrics @ 2:29

46. Roadside channel for water runoff: DRAINAGE DITCH - OK, 1976, so not quite the 80s

Blue Öyster Cult - see 26D.

60. Stage a comeback, or an apt title for this puzzle: TURN THE TIDE - and the TIDE is "high", by Blondie, which I did not know as a remake....

Is that Darth Vader~?

Washed Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. "I've been here before" feeling: DÉJÀ VU - yeah, I think I was here before, like, maybe last Wednesday~!?

7. __ and carrots: PEAS

11. Has been: WAS

14. Some dome-topped venues: ARENAS

15. Roger's rival, familiarly: RAFA - Tennis - Roger Federer vs. Rafael "Rafa" Nadal

16. __ crossroads: AT A

19. Half a score: TEN - a score being twenty, as in "Four score and seven...."

20. Low USN rank: ENSign

21. Fires up, as an engine: REVS

22. Converse: SPEAK

24. Japanese art genre: ANIME

26. Proper conduct, in Hinduism: DHARMA - Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, guitar master from Blue Öyster Cult

31. Ooze, as charm: EXUDE

32. Addition amount: SUM

33. Church bench: PEW - we have "pew pads" that clip to the tops of the benches so that we can utilize the space effectively with no damage done

Lynchburg, VA

36. Made readable, in a way: DECODED - I never had a "secret decoder ring" when I was a kid  :7((

39. Based on deduction instead of experience: A PRIORI - I have actually read/heard this term before

42. Two-time Super Bowl MVP Manning: ELI - New York technically has either "two" or "no" football teams ( the Giants and 3D. ), depending on your perspective on playing in New Jersey; I recall the "helmet catch" of an Eli Manning throw, Superbowl XLII.  BTW, the "big" game always "interferes" with my birthday weekend....

43. Male sheep: RAM

45. Elba of "The Wire": IDRIS - crossword staple

51. Bring on: INDUCE

53. Gave it a shot: TRIED

54. Threshold: VERGE

55. Kristen who was on "SNL" from 2005 to 2012: WIIG - no clue, filled via perps

56. Henson who created the Muppets: JIM - him I do know

59. Sweetie: BAE - I cringe at the use of this "word"

64. In the style of: À LA

65. "That makes sense": "I SEE"

66. Immune system components: T-CELLS

67. Fine stone: GEM

68. Sugar source: CANE - I had perps, so it wasn't "BEET"

69. Throat-soothing beverage: HOT TEA

aaah, that's better~!

DOWN:

1. Small valley: DALE

2. "__ go bragh!": ERIN - St. Patrick's Day is nigh

3. New York NFLers: JETS - us long suffering Jets fans had another "Really~?" season in 2023

4. Kitchen pest: ANT

5. Kilmer of "Top Gun: Maverick": VAL - I have, thankfully, never seen this, nor the original movie

6. Login requirement: USER ID

7. Flowering shrubs used as border hedges: PRIVETS

8. Uses (up): EATS - a series of rush plays in football "EATS" up the clock, especially inside the two-minute warning

9. Toward the tiller: AFT - nautical terms

10. Greets, with "to": SAYS "HI"

11. Wakeboarding, for one: WATER SPORT

12. Mr. T's squad: A-TEAM - I pity the fool

13. Maxwell House decaf brand: SANKA - I have heard of this "instant" coffee, did not know it was Maxwell House, and according to Wiki, it's where the "orange" diner carafe handle comes from

18. Singer Lovato: DEMI - learned by doing crosswords

23. Butter portion: PAT - I was 16 when this advertisement appeared

24. Big name in footwear: ALDO - not big enough for me - NIKE, AVIA, maybe; ALDO I have seen, but did not know was just footwear

How about ALDO Nova~? - more 80s music

25. Require: NEED

26. Hauler destination, perhaps: DUMP - ooh, a good guess on my part

27. Give up: CEDE

28. Figure skater's jump: AXEL

29. Certain state of awareness while sleeping: LUCID DREAM - I love it when I can recall my lucid dreams.  I try to retain the details every time I wake up - getting pretty good at it.  Does anyone think there's a 'hidden meaning' or something deeper to one's dreams~?  I believe there is....

30. Sine __ non: QUA - Latin "without which not", or, a thing that is necessary

34. Writer/illustrator Carle: ERIC - filled via perps, and a WAG at the "R"

35. Genie's offering: WISH - three from a bottle~?

37. Lake near the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: ERIE - hey~!  I was just there - in the city of Erie, PA, where the Organ Supply Industries warehouse and manufacturing shop is located

38. Karate skill level: DAN - the Wiki

40. Attraction at a fair: RIDE

41. "__ my best": "I DID"

44. Afternoon show: MATINEE

47. Bit of floor decor: RUG

48. Like pickling liquid: ACETIC - BRINY and SALTY didn't fit, Saline was a weak maybe....

49. Moxie: GRIT

50. Half of a fourth: EIGHTH - good crossword fill with G-H-T-H; the math is 1/4 ÷ 1/2 - or - .5 * .25

51. ICU hookup: IV BAG - my first thought, but I hesitated

52. Writer Zora __ Hurston: NEALE - not familiar with her; I know of NEALE Donald Walsh, author of "Conversations with God" - I have most of the book series, but I just discovered there was a movie made in 2006

55. Small songbird: WREN - crossword staple

56. Leave at the altar: JILT - ah, that's the word I couldn't recall....

57. Not going anywhere: IDLE

58. City outside Phoenix: MESA - another good WAG on my part

61. Can. neighbor: USA - seems too easy and obvious, after the previous clue

62. Green beginning: ECO

63. Vietnamese New Year: TET - crossword staple

Splynter

Wednesday, January 24th, 2024, Michael Schlossberg

 FLAME ON~!

A Marvel Comics theme with the long(ish) Across fills referring to the "super-powers" of the four members of the reveal "Fantastic" group - here's the Wiki.  I must apologize in advance to everyone here at the blog who is a massive comic book and/or Marvel / DC Comics movies fan - it's just not my "THING" (get it~?)  I grew up with Star Wars, and those movies, toys & action figures.  I did actually see the Fantastic Four movie released in 2005 , but the "THING" I don't much care for is the never-ending "remakes" and rebranding of comic book superheroes - including Batman, Iron Man, Spiderman, etc. - Fantastic Four came out again in 2015 ( and for the truly hard-core, there was a 1994 movie as well ).  The "THING" is, part of the reason for my apathy - and this is a consequence of Star Wars - is that the movies are SO overdone with CGI that it's all just a blur to me....

19. Economic metaphor coined by Adam Smith: INVISIBLE HAND - Sue Storm-Richards, who can turn invisible and generate force fields

28. Gawk: RUBBERNECK - Reed Richards, able to 'stretch' to incredible proportions

38. Hurry, with "it": HOTFOOT - Johnny Storm, who has the ability to become the "Human Torch"

46. Lowest of lows: ROCK BOTTOM - Ben Grimm, with skin of stone

54. Superhero team with the physical features of 19-, 28-, 38-, and 46-Across: FANTASTIC FOUR

And Aflame We Go~!


ACROSS:

1. Halts: CEASES

7. Loops in via email: CCs - a subtle shout-out to our blog creator - as to our "challenge", I had my first personal training session last Friday, and another on Sunday - ooof....

10. Muslim cleric: IMAM

14. "Dear Prudence" offering: ADVICE

15. Circle of life?: TREE RING

17. __ Marcus: NEIMAN

18. New word for something old: RETRONYM - Spell-check doesn't like it, but it makes sense to me

21. Crow's-nest call: "AHOY~!" - I had "LAND" to start; crossing LDS at 20D. - Bzzzt~!

22. Tolkien villains: ORCS - another series of movies I was not really interested in, until I read The Lord of the Rings - which, surprisingly, I only recently picked up, back in 2022; I did like the book, so I ended up watching the movies.

25. Cryptographer Turing: ALAN - if you get the chance, read Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stevenson, a great story beginning before WWII and running through the 1990s; it's a well-developed narrative based on secret codes and a little bit about the NFT coins of the stock market today

33. Cantina dip: SALSA - Star Wars had a cantina

35. Hence: ERGO - THUS fit too, but didn't gibe

36. "Leave the World Behind" actor Mahershala: ALI - filled via perps; never read the clue until I wrote the blog

37. Very softly, in music: ppp - meh.  Technically correct, but it's an abbreviation for one step past pianissimo, 'very quiet' - as opposed to fff, forte, 'loud' - but there's no 'abbr.' in the clue; filled via perps anyway...

41. Hydroelectric facility: DAM

42. Ore-__ Tater Tots: IDA

43. Years during Caesar's reign: ANNI

44. One of the Stooges: SHEMP

50. Some Dada works: ARPS - learned from doing crosswords; Jean Arp, artist of the Dada movement

51. "Manhattan Beach" novelist Jennifer: EGAN - no clue, filled via perps

52. Ranch newborn: FOAL

62. Hawaiian treat similar to a snow cone: SHAVE ICE

64. Mellow: SEDATE

65. "Until we meet again": "FAREWELL"

Welcome To My Morning (Farewell Andromeda)

66. Beyond thrilled: ELATED

67. Pieces de resistance?: OHMS - har-har

68. "Levitating" singer __ Lipa: DUA - a recent addition to crosswords, from my perspective - my cable provider offers VEVO music video channels, and I managed to watch a whole clip from her - just not my "THING"

69. States definitively: SAYS SO -  "sand" being a problem for the Fantastic Four and Darth Vader - this article "says so"

DOWN:

1. "Pretty please?": "CAN I~?"

2. Genesis paradise: EDEN

3. Tel __, Israel: AVIV - crossword staple

4. Gorillas, e.g.: SIMIANS

5. Net funds: eCASH - as in interNET

6. Ranking: SENIOR

7. Corner PC key: CTRL

8. One of Canada's First Nations: CREE

9. "An American Pickle" star Rogen: SETH - about the only proper name I did know

10. Like some transfers: IRON-ON

11. Telepath: MIND READER - how 'bout a Blue Öyster Cult interlude~? - the "THING" is, it's got a bit of a 'superhero' flair to it....

FLAMING Telepaths

12. Whichever: ANY

13. James Bond film studio: MGM - which bought out the original studio, United Artists - but "UA" was not long enough.  The story of two Bonds in one year

16. Big Band __: ERA

20. Mormon sch.: BYU - Dah~!  Brigham Young University.  For some reason, I went with Latter Day Saints

23. Letter-shaped vise: C-CLAMP - I like answers like this, with the opening "C-C" ( shout out ) as sort of misleading; I thought I had something wrong

24. Pinches pennies: SKIMP

25. Seek (to): ASPIRE - I do not "ASPIRE" to be in the spotlight, but the "THING" is, I managed to get my picture in the Washington National Cathedral newsletter; that's me in the lead with a chest that we just removed from the gallery division of the pipe organ

26. Cuddly companion: LAPDOG

27. Source of some wool: ALPACA FARM

29. Suit: BEFIT - ah, the verb

30. "Dude!": "BRO~!"

31. Self-importance: EGO

32. Decomposes: ROTS

34. Literary captain obsessed with a whale: AHAB - believe it or not, I was not obligated to read this book/novel in high school, but I did actually read it by choice about 5 years ago; a bit of a slog; the "THING" is, much of the book came across more like a whale encyclopedia

39. Artist Yoko: ONO

40. Minecraft explosive: TNT

45. Part-timer's work period, perhaps: HALF-DAY - ah, but which half~?

47. Rapscallions: KNAVES

48. Many times, poetically: OFT

49. Felipe Alou's outfielder son: MOISES - learned by doing crosswords

53. Amtrak express: ACELA - I pondered a visit to my good buddy down in Georgia by taking a sleeper bunk on Amtrak to get there - but round trip was somewhere around $1400; not likely, since a Southwest flight is about $250, and about 4hours, not 24hours.  The "THING" is, I did take the "Empire Builder" from NYC all the way to Seattle back in 2003, and it was a great trip.

55. State-of-the-art: NEW

56. Deadlocked: TIED

57. Women's Rights Project org.: ACLU

58. Actress Ward: SELA - I know her from the movie "The Fugitive", and TV's "House, M.D."

59. Feedbag grains: OATS

60. Versatile vehicles, for short: UTES - crossword staple

61. Start afresh: REDO

62. Bay Area airport letters: SFO - I went looking for an explanation for the "O" at the end, but no revelations there; I did, however, see that a plane crashed on my birthday in 1937 - the Wiki

63. "As if!": "HAH~!"

Splynter

24 Jan 24

Tuesday, January 9th, 2024, Freddie Cheng

 EEK~!

 OR

 - where to find a common rodent -

Today's puzzle consists of three theme fills of two 12- and one 13-letter spanners, with a 'broken' reveal of 9-letters across the bottom line.  Two 10-letter DOWN answers as well.  Not so many names today, but lots of abbreviations.  Some "meh" answers, IMHO, and an unusually longer than normal Tuesday solve time for me, but we FIR, so....

19. Home of Cinderella Castle: MAGIC KINGDOM - here's the "home" of a certain M. Mouse

Ominous

36. Unpretentious business: HOLE IN THE WALL - like a local bar, say

Thanks Hahtoolah~!

54. Pizza/arcade chain founded by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell: CHUCK E. CHEESE - HuskerG showed us how "Chuck" used to be a RAT; now he's a MOUSE~?

65. With 67-Across, desktop accessories, and a description of 19-, 36-, and 54-Across?: MOUSE
67. See 65-Across: PADS - PADS in the colloquial sense of home, crib, abode, castle, etc. - here's my blogging spot and desktop mouse pad....

And Away We Go~! ( see 39D.)

ACROSS:

1. Swimmer's exercise: LAPS - C.C. and I have a friendly challenge to push each other by Easter to an accomplishment - I would like to lose 10+lbs, and she would like to do a butterfly LAP in the pool without the aid of flippers - I hope we both succeed~!

5. __ shift: DAY

8. Venomous African snake: MAMBA

13. "Just doing my best": "I TRY"

14. Rough cut: DEMO - meh.  I suppose a raw recording of one's music~? And a  semi-abbr.

15. Is in neutral: IDLES

16. Eye lubricant: TEAR

17. Diamond dynasty: ALOU - baseball diamond....knew this from doing crosswords

18. Earns: MAKES

22. Standard: USUAL

23. Matches, in fashion: GOES - as in "that bag GOES well with that dress"

the shoes, too

24. __ green: PEA - I painted my "home office" in a shade of green called "Aquamarine" - what I really wanted was the official name/formula for the shade of green that the NY Bridge & Tunnel Authority paints their spans, e.g., the Throgs Neck Bridge, which the internet calls "grey green"; I wrote to them, and was told that they are "not allowed" to disclose that information....Really~?  I asked some friends who work for NY DOT, and one suggested finding the contractor who does the painting, and my brother said to go through FOIL - it's not that important  :7))

Two mile span between Long Island and the Bronx

27. "Get it?": SEE - so I suppose this paint color hassle could be called "GREEN TAPE"  - Get it~?

28. Gambling initials: OTB - Off-Track Betting - abbr. #1

31. Dollhouse dishes: TEA SETS - oh, those doll house dishes....uh, never mind....

33. Captivated: ENRAPT - yeah, Spellcheck is not happy about this, either....

35. Top out: PEAK - think hit songs; this one PEAKed at #1 the year I was born

 

Jeremiah was a bullfrog~!

40. Veal __: Italian entree, briefly: PARMesan - abbr. #2

41. "The way things stand ... ": "AS IT IS..."

42. From Moscow: RUSSIAN - I blogged the Nov 1st, 2023 puzzle with Moscow, IDAHO - not Russian

45. Did not get up: SAT - meh.  Stayed Seated, maybe

46. Orchestra home: PIT

49. "Can't Get It Out of My Head" gp.: ELO - Electric Light Orchestra - abbr. #3

50. Wharton degs.: MBAs - Master of Business Administration - abbr. #4

52. Computer problem: CRASH - meh - I think a problem could cause a crash...

57. Arctic dome: IGLOO - I once did a presentation for an architect with this massive build-up of the 'greatest piece of building engineering since the dawn of man, using local building materials to reduce its carbon footprint', then revealed a picture of an igloo - his partner praised me for my clever deception

60. Lie low: HIDE

61. One of 14 in a pro's golf bag: CLUB - oops, I had IRON - can you imagine the pitch on a 14-iron~?

These go to "eleven" ( 12, actually )

62. __ buddy: BOSOM -  TV show with Tom Hanks, way back in 1980

63. Passport fig.: ID No. - meh. - abbr. #5

64. Sheltered at sea: ALEE - crossword staple

66. Ad Council ad: PSA - Public Service Announcement - abbr. #6


DOWN:

1. Acid or base indicator: LITMUS - Dah~!  I tried Ph TEST first

2. "Relax, soldier": AT EASE

3. European capital with a medieval astronomical clock: PRAGUE - I knew this, but hesitated to fill in; I worked on a TV movie set back in 1997, and we used shots the director got of the ornate clock for some dramatic interludes

4. Aleppo's land: SYRIA - I nailed this one

5. Sandwich shop: DELI

6. "__ Us": multiplayer logic and deduction game: AMONG - 3/5ths perps, 2/5s WAG

7. Encouraging message: YOU GOT THIS

8. Brunch drink: MIMOSA

9. "House of Gucci" actor Driver: ADAM - he played Darth Vader's grandson, Kylo Ren

10. Civil rights monogram: MLK - abbr. #7

11. Spelling meet: BEE

12. Braying animal: ASS

14. Terr. that became two states: DAKota - abbr. #8

20. Replicant: CLONE - two blogging puzzles in a row with this word

21. Poor grade: DEE

24. Come off like old paint: PEEL - I had CHIP

25. Listing abbr.: ET. AL. - abbr. #9

26. "Go find out!": ASK

29. Tetra- minus one: TRI - four, less uni = three

30. Dried fruit in trail mix, perhaps: BANANA CHIP

32. Facial spots: SPAS - Dah~! I had ACNE; a clever clue

33. Targets of some bark beetles: ELMS - WAG; up here in CT, several of my ASH trees were killed by a beetle, and now I have a lot of firewood

my backyard on Sunday

34. FG's three: PTs - American Football, Field goal points - abbr. #10

He hits the post~!

36. Carry with effort: HAUL - TOTE, DRAG, HUMP, HEFT, etc.

37. Thereabouts: OR SO

38. Lyft status: ETA -abbr. #11

39. Glinda or Elphaba of "Wicked": WITCH  - the cartoon from which I get "And Away We Go"

40. Kin of ante-: PRE-

43. "Just got back from work!": "I'M HOME~!"

44. __ Dhabi: ABU

46. Rice dish from Valencia: PAELLA

47. Put into circulation: ISSUED

48. Ancient city whose ruins are in Luxor: THEBES

51. Overcomes friction: SKIDS - ah, in the negative sort of way....

53. Sum up: RECAP

54. Sounds like a dove: COOS

55. Poet __ St. Vincent Millay: EDNA

56. Org chart topper, typically: CEO - the Chief Executive Officer - abbr. #12

57. Watsonx's maker: IBM - technically, an abbr.

58. Sludge: GOO

59. Sch. with a Shreveport campus: LSU - Louisiana State University - abbr. #13

Splynter

Wednesday, January 3, 2024, Emma Oxford

PLAGIARISM

Happy Hump Day~!  Today's puzzle was relatively easy, but loaded with names; I find too many to be somewhat icky, and with two unknowns crossing, even more so.  And then there was the reveal - maybe I was digging too deep, but I just did not see the connection until "CLONE" popped out, and when I reviewed the other theme answers, I finally saw the 'hidden' synonyms for COPY, both verb and noun, at the RIGHT end.  Phew~! 

18. *Bureaucratic obstacle to environmental projects: GREEN TAPE (vb) - a playful take on the classic "red" tape of governmental hassles

24. *Extreme winter-weather event: BOMB CYCLONE (vb) - never heard of this phenomenon

40. *Nickname for a Mozart work in C major: JUPITER SYMPHONY (n) - name #1/2

49. *Writer of the 2023 legal thriller "The Exchange": JOHN GRISHAM (n) - name #1

61. Protection of intellectual property, and what the answer to each

      starred clue literally has: COPYRIGHT - parsed accordingly, COPY, RIGHT

EXIT, Stage LEFT

And Away We Go~!


ACROSS:

1. Mediterranean isle for which a style of pants is named: CAPRI

6. Periodic table's Pb: LEAD - from the Latin Plumbum, frequently used, in combination with other elements, to make organ pipes; due to its density and malleability, over the years, some pipes will actually 'sag'

Note how the pipe 'curves' towards the bottom

10. Female lobsters: HENS - I knew this, but it filled via perps - and - 16A. Lobster catcher: TRAP

14. Butcher's garment: APRON

15. Killer whale: ORCA - oddly, my 'spellcheck' doesn't like this word....

17. Takes hold: ROOTS - verb

20. Portuguese greeting: OLA

21. "Call Me by Your Name" name: ELIO - Even after I looked this one up, I don't recall anything about this movie; name #2, and a Natick

23. Declined, with "out": OPTED

28. Before, in verse: ERE

29. Dolly Parton hit: JOLENE - You'll excuse me if I don't provide a link to this one....name #3

33. Nonpoetic writing: PROSE

36. Phobia: FEAR - Gephyrophobia - do you know this one~?  ( Answer below * )

38. Daffy or Bugs: 'TOON

43. Pit: SEED - ah, that kind of pit

44. Tons: LOTS

45. Lather, __, repeat: RINSE

46. Aspirations: DREAMS

48. PC alternative: MAC

55. Tyler of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?": AISHA - I have seen the show, but I had no clue of the host's name, filled via perps - name #4

59. Cereal grain: OATS

60. Prefix with tourism: ECO

64. Boise's state: IDAHO - name~?

66. Couple of magazines?: ITEM - the juicy details of a romance between stars

67. Mayberry boy: OPIE - hey, I knew this one....name #5

68. When the sun rises in the west: NEVER - that'll be a cold day in hell....

69. Dishwashing brand used to clean animals after oil spills: DAWN - name~?

70. D.C. MLB team: NATionalS - name~?

71. Honking birds: GEESE


DOWN:

1. Chocolate substitute: CAROB - Dah~!  I entered COCOA to start

2. Speed skater Ohno: APOLO - knew from doing crosswords - name #6

3. Many a charity tournament: PRO/AM - professional / amateur

4. Go bad: ROT

5. Behind closed doors: IN SECRET - I tried SECRETLY first

6. Puzzle solver's skill: LOGIC - and sussing

7. Former "CNN Newsroom" anchor Barnett: ERROL - my last WAG, and disappointing for me, two proper names crossing - #7

8. Blackjack card: ACE

- and a gratuitous Daniel Craig to boot~!

9. Actor Daniel __ Kim: DAE - I did know name #8 - he appeared in "Lost", and the "Hawaii Five-O" remake; truly dismayed by the number of "remake" shows on TV - now I see "Frazier" is back  :7P

10. URL intro: HTTP

11. Q.E.D. part: ERAT - I just read "Death of a Doxy" ( see 54D. ) - one of the characters uses the alias "Thales" but that did not fool Nero Wolfe - and it made me look the man up on Wiki, and then further to his mathematical proof - and there in the middle of the page, Q.E.D.

12. Travel pillow spot: NAPE - I had NECK to start

13. Raced: SPED

19. Fielding of "The Great British Bake Off": NOEL - name #9

22. Caustic chemical: LYE  - and -  55D. Caustic chemical: ACID - pure clecho

25. Next to: BESIDE - not "B side"

26. "Love Train" group, with "The": O'JAYS - name #10

27. Convention: NORM - a collection of entries by "Norm" from "Cheers"

30. Law school course: ETHICS

31. Midday: NOON

32. Geological spans: EONS

33. Comfy attire that's rarely worn out?: PJs - I have 'worn out' my PJs, when I go to check the mailbox sometimes....

34. Regretted: RUED

35. Abbr. on old phones: OPERator

36. Future soph: FROSH - Sophomore, Freshman

37. Contractor's fig.: ESTimate

39. "Science Guy" Bill: NYE - name #11

41. Red "Sesame Street" resident: ELMO - name #12

42. Lauding: PRAISING

47. Somewhat open: AJAR

48. "Rocky III" actor with a mohawk: MR. T - I pity the fool~!  - name #13

50. Like three Justin Verlander games: NO HIT - no clue, but it sounded baseball - name #14

51. Stadium entries: GATES - or, say, airports....

52. Throw: HEAVE

53. __ and pains: ACHES

54. Boxing legend Archie: MOORE - not familiar with the boxer, but I am currently reading Rex Stout's "Nero Wolfe" series, narrated by "Archie Goodwin" - I even bought 43 books from eBay to proudly display on my future office shelves - and name #15

56. Little bit: IOTA

57. Gush: SPEW

58. Church song: HYMN - not quite a "hymn", but it made me think of this

 

Monty Python's Holy Grail

62. Charged particle: ION

63. Transcript fig.: GPA

65. Dead end?: DEE - DeaD, correct on two counts~!

Splynter

* Fear of Bridges and Tunnels

Tuesday, December 26th, 2023, Rebecca Goldstein

 PHYSICS 101

Hi there~! - A quick solve for me today, only four proper names, three of which I had no clue about, and a 'simple' theme/reveal.  Two each of 13- and 9-letter theme answers, with some chunky 8-, 9-, and 10-letter DOWN answers in the mix, again leading to several three-letter fills.  BTW, this puzzle featured many of what I think are 'typical' 4- and 5-letter answers, but with too many choices that potentially "fit".  The clues are marked "*", so you can see what I mean....

18. Make a real mess: SCREW THINGS UP

oops

33. Gymnastics rings position held with the body parallel to the ground: LEVER HANG - I will be able to do this by the end of 2024 - NOT~!

39. Feature of some espadrilles: WEDGE HEEL - I did not know an espadrille was a shoe; but I recognize them now~!

53. Force-multiplying device that can be found at the beginning of 18-, 33-, and 39-Across:

SIMPLE MACHINE - see the links in blue for examples

 
And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Finishes: ENDS

5. Spill the beans: BLAB

9. Chest muscle, for short: PECtoral - doesn't help with the lever hang....

12. In __ of: LIEU

13. Credit card user: PAYER - uh, well, not necessarily....

14*. "It follows logically that ... ": ERGO - THUS, too

15. Maintain: KEEP - I like this kind of KEEP

16. "Me too," more formally: "AS DO I"

17. State of mind: MOOD

21. Chillingly strange: EERIE

22*. "Pronto!": ASAP - or STAT~?

23. Many moons __: AGO

26*. Rightmost computer menu, often: HELP - HOME, FILE, EDIT, VIEW, DRAW - a great clue for a 'common' word - I had to think about the software I use before I could pick the correct one

 

AutoCAD

28. Cloak and __: DAGGER

30. Tortoise's fabled competitor: HARE

36. Norse god of war: ODIN

37. Collaborative sites: WIKIs

38. Another, in Spanish: OTRA

41. Witnessed: SEEN - I have SEEN images of guys wearing the next answer....

42. Swim team swimwear: SPEEDO - which brings to mind the word "UNSEE"....

43. Toward sunrise: EAST

46. Extra sports periods, briefly: OTs

47*. Per person: A POP - EACH, too

50. Chops, as an onion: DICES

57. Japanese noodle: UDON

59. Dog collar dangler: ID TAG

60. Notion: IDEA

61. Come to a stop: HALT

62. "You've got some __!": "NERVE~!"

 63. Shakespeare's mad king: LEAR

64. "Yellowjackets" network, briefly: SHO - No clue, but I had two-thirds via crossings

65. Mardi __: pre-Lenten festival: GRAS

66. Annoys: IRKS

DOWN:

1. Part of BPOE: ELKS - as usual, I started with the DOWNS clues first, and was on a roll quickly....

2. Nephew's sister: NIECE - check

3. Brand of riding mowers: DEERE - check

4. Ruins at Durrington Walls that once consisted of wooden posts, not stones: SUPERHENGE - ....but here I was denied STONE henge, so it had to be something else

5*. Giant party: BASH - FETE, GALA~?

6. Winona's "Beetlejuice" role: LYDIA - ya know, I have never seen this movie....and I don't plan to

7. Very long time: AEONS

8. Units led by colonels: BRIGADES - I'm not military, nor anyone in my family, but PLATOONS fit, as well; the Charge of the Light Brigade gives me a gratuitous opportunity to link Iron Maiden

 

The Trooper

9. Grow cuttings from a succulent, say: PROPAGATE - succulent~?

10. Alter __: EGO

11. Fish that may be black or blue: COD

13. Dev of "Lion": PATEL - perps

14. Down Under bird: EMU

19. Golfer Michelle __ West: WIE - perps

20. Practice in the ring: SPAR

24*. Bookstore section: GENRE - HOW TO was my first thought

 25. Liver, for one: ORGAN - I do have a "liver", but I deal with a different kind of "ORGAN"

Reinstalled six reed pipes, buried in a corner behind the chamber in the shot;

my 'boss' is packing up on the right

A pain in the a** to get to, I might add

 27. Ballet barre bend: PLIÉ

29. Pepper in extremely hot curry dishes: GHOST CHILI - no clue; the CHILI part filled in, but I WAGed the GHOST half

30. "Can you explain?": "HOW SO~?"

31. Skilled (at): ADEPT

32. Works alone: RIDES SOLO - meh.  Unless you're a cowboy~?

34. __ out a win: almost lose: EKE

35. Disgusting: VILE

37. Extraordinarily large: WHOPPING

40. Dutch cheese: EDAM

44*. "Better late than never," e.g.: ADAGE - AXIOM, IDIOM~?  I always forget which

45. [as per the original]: SIC

48. More mature: OLDER

49. Historic site in Jordan known as the Rose City: PETRA - Dah~! ( see 58D., below ) I shoulda known this from "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"

51*. Duck down: EIDER -ha~! I read this clue as 'heads up'; AVOID, EVADE, ELUDE~? - Bzzzt~!

52. Go on tiptoe: SNEAK

54. Picked-off pass, for short: INTerception - football, which is a sport I do like....

55. Big D NBA squad: MAVs -  Thought it was the NUGgetS - but they're DENVER, not DALLAS - I am a total NON-basketball guy

56. Prominent feature of a fennec fox: EARS - I tried TAIL first

na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-NA - BATMAN~!

57*. Hesitation syllables: UHs - ERs, UMs~?

58. Lah-di-__: DAH - or, my clue, the "I shoulda got that" noise, like "D'Oh~!"


Splynter