18A. It follows 35-Down: SPRING. Symmetrical partner: 66A. In 2021, it begins September 22nd: AUTUMN. This grid has a left/right pattern.
28D. It precedes 66-Across: SUMMER. Symmetrical partner: 35D. It follows 66-Across: WINTER.
48A. Semiannual occurrence that begins 18- and 66-Across: EQUINOX. Intersecting 26D. Semi-annual occurrence that begins 28- and 35-Down: SOLSTICE.
Boomer here. Good Morning to one and all.
This
theme reminds me that WINTER will be here in chilly Minnesota in a
couple of months. I cannot say I am looking forward to it however after
the 85 degree plus days of the past several months up here in the
northland, new weather will at least offer us a change of clothes.
Across:
1. Simon __: kids' game: SAYS. Do this.
5. Not for kids, moviewise: RATED R. I never understood who does these rating systems.
11. Small amount: DAB. A little one will do ya. Brylcreem,
14. Shopper's memory aid: LIST. Yes I always keep a LIST but then when we go to the grocery store, sometimes I forget it at home.
15. Aviator Earhart: AMELIA. I don't believe she needed a Covid test before she got on the plane.
16. Skating surface: ICE. We will have plenty of this here in MN in a few months.
17. "I had no __!": IDEA.
19. Milk grain: OAT. Mares eat them and Does eat them but little lambs eat ivy.
20. Imitative bird: PARROT.
22. Pioneering game consoles: ATARIS. Yup, I played for hours back in the nineties.
24. Reaction to a strange object: WHAT'S THAT? It's a bird, No it's a plane,.... No it's a bird.
28. Lengthy tales: SAGAS.
31. e__: online instructional guide: HOW.
32. Shoot well under par, in golf lingo: GO LOW. I have never had to use that lingo.
36. App purchaser: USER.
37. Serious criminal: FELON. "His capacity for innocent enjoyment, is just as great as any honest man."
39. Actress Anderson: LONI. Burt Reynolds and LONI lasted about 5 years. Obviously two millionaires cannot get along.
40. Everest and K2: Abbr.: MTNS. "To the prairies, to the oceans, white with foam... God Bless America."
41. Out of practice: RUSTY. My first try back on the lanes a couple of weeks ago, but I'm getting a little better.
42. Lender's claim: LIEN.
43. Stick-in-the-__: MUD.
44. Make like new, as old furniture: RESTORE.
46. Tater __: deep-fried potato morsel: TOT. One of my favorites, but I cannot eat just one.
47. Parisian season: ETE. Summer.
49. Opposite of WSW: ENE. Could it also be WNW or ESE ??
50. Showed again: RERAN.
52. Bandage brand: ACE. Is the place with the helpful hardware man. - I watch too much TV and it has way too many commercials.
53. Less adulterated: PURER.
55. Summoned, as the fiddlers three: CALLED FOR. "Beer, Beer, Beer said the privates, happy men are we. There's none so fair as can compare to the fighting infantry."
58. Comfy shoe pad: INSOLE. "Where my SUV was hatched??"
61. With milk, as café: AU LAIT.
65. Crystal ball gazer: SEER. Was Crystal related to Lucille ??
70. Place to de-stress: SPA.
71. Turkey neighbor: IRAN. Chickens did not fit in the grid.
72. In twos, like socks: PAIRED. One for each foot.
73. Nosh: EAT.
74. Fathers' boys: SONS. MacMurray had three of them, I only have one.
75. Gets hot on Twitter: TRENDS.
76. Many pop-ups: ADS.
Down:
1. Lose one's footing: SLIP. Did I mention winter was coming? It happens.
2. Musical based on an opera: AIDA.
3. Belgian river: YSER. Y'Sir lieutenant.
4. Movie with R2-D2: STAR WARS. On the trivia shows they ask for
the star closest to the earth. The contestants always answer Alpha
Centauri, but of course the correct answer is the good old SUN.
5. Dreads sporter: RASTA.
6. Excite, with "up": AMP. A little bit of electricity.
7. Thrice, in Rx's: TER. Take, Eat, Regurgitate.
8. New Haven alum: ELI. Mr. Whitney invented Cotton Gin. It made the Martini taste terrible.
9. Kitchen dweller of song: DINAH. "See the USA, in your Chevrolet!" Okay Ms. Shore.
10. Motley: RAGTAG. My first week of bowling. I played so much golf this summer that I forgot the object of the bowling game is to go high.
11. Designer Christian: DIOR.
12. Smoothie berry dubbed a superfood: ACAI.
13. Wagers: BETS. We bet a quarter on the poker game every Monday. A card for every mark, High hand wins.
21. "I see" words: OHS. and AHS
23. Ring-shaped reef: ATOLL.
25. "Same drink as always": THE USUAL. Same meal at the Ballpark? Hot Dog.
27. Black-and-white, e.g.: TWO-TONED. A Newspaper, Black and White and Read all over.
29. Sharp-witted: ASTUTE.
30. Word with role or identity: GENDER. There's always a 50/50 chance of being right.
33. Hang around: LOITER.
34. Common soccer deadlock: ONE ONE. Also true of Hockey and Baseball. Never Football though.
37. MHz measure: FREQ. Frequency.
38. "Eli's Coming" songwriter Laura: NYRO.
44. Kidney-related: RENAL.
45. Describes in detail: EXPOUNDS.
51. Squirrel's haul: ACORNS. Interesting - We have those doggone
squirrels all over the backyard and yet there is not an oak tree within
miles of our home.
54. Web address letters: URL.
56. Jumped: LEAPT.
57. Widely known: FAMED. From Babe Ruth to Albert Pujols.
58. Wife of Osiris: ISIS. Say that fast three times. ISIS OSIRIS ?
59. Fiddling emperor: NERO.
60. Actor Connery: SEAN. Goldfinger.
62. Away from port: ASEA. If you are writing about Prince Harles, you need to add ASEA.
THEME: How do you annoy a male sheep? You NAG A RAM
Shit* was funeral*! It takes either elegant man*, or
maybe Santa*, to come up with such a delightfully convoluted crossword
puzzle such as today's! Gravestones Cost*!
The first Cornerite I thought of today, was Timo Kahlen*, our resident
garamantis*. He is always looking for ragmansa* in the
oil and gas* of the daily puzzles. I trust he will stop by later to
comment!
OK, Moe ... what's up with the start to your blog today? Why all of the
cryptic words, and why are they emboldened and starred?
Well, as you might have (47-Down. Emulate(d) Ellery Queen) DEDUCEd by
now, having solved the puzzle, Steve Faiella uses ANAGRAMS to redefine
the final word of the four longest puzzle answers, and come up with a witty
phrase, instead of the more common phrase.
When the last four words ( DIAPERS, REFILE, GNATS, and VOLE ) are
anagrammed, the result is: DESPAIR, RELIEF, ANGST, and LOVE, which
explains the "unifier" (55-Across: Mental conflict ... or what may be found in
four long puzzle answers?) MIXED EMOTIONS. And if you ever doubted that
any of these four were actual EMOTIONS, perhaps this image can shed
some light on that ...
So, how did all of these MIXED EMOTIONS develop int today's puzzle?
21-Across. Text from one who can't get out of Buy Buy Baby?:
LOST IN DIAPERS. This was the first of many head scratchers for me.
Buy Buy Baby
is not a store in which I shop or had ever heard of. But now that I LIU, I
know that you could literally be LOST IN DIAPERS there.
LOST IN DESPAIR, OTOH, causes you to worry, be sad, or lose hope. I
guess if Buy Buy Baby is out of Pampers, you could be LOST IN DESPAIR!
LOST IN DESPAIR also is the 6th track of Ensiferum's second album IRON.
Not my kind of music but YMMV
29-Across. Comment after submitting yet another updated tax return?:
WHAT A REFILE. Of all four of Steve's (35-Across. Silly:)
DIPPY phrases, this was my favorite. And while I am blessed to have never
had to REFILE a tax return, I can imagine just WHAT A RELIEF it must be
to finally have all the correct numbers for the IRS. As someone who has suffered
often from indigestion, the RELIEF found from
this anatacid tablet
has helped tame everything from hangovers to heartburn to hiccups!
36-Across. Attendees of Biting Fly High School?: TEENAGE GNATS. Wowser.
How in the heck did our "constructor du jour" ever arrive at this one??!!
Clever doesn't even begin to describe ... and while I would never (OK, that's
not true!) fact check something so brilliant, a
gnat's lifespan
is only 7 days. But what the hell? Go big or go home, I always say!!
45-Across. Zombie field mouse?: UNDYING VOLE. Could this be an example
of a zombie field mouse?
If 29-Across was my favorite of the four, 45-Across was the least. But how
else would you anagram UNDYING VOLE to get UNDYING LOVE? UNDYING LOVE
is an EMOTION that is truly the most fulfilling a couple can have. Such as
this cute couple
While the puzzle wasn't without some loose fill (NERD CHIC, TEAC, AZO, UOMO, and DIPPY), and expected fill (crossword staples such as
LEI, GAI, NIN, ERA, and ACAI) the overall concept, theme, and entries
were pretty tight. I have to believe that getting words to fill this wasn't
easy. Hope that if Steve Faiella is lurking, he'll stop by and discuss how he
came to this idea; and whether he had to do a fair amount of editing before Rich
accepted it. I'm sure that RICH NORRIS -
the "king" of anagrammed aliases
- had no trouble buying into this submission!
So, before we get started with the rest of the clues/solves, here is the
translation of the first two paragraphs of my recap. The words that were in bold
text, and had a star (*) next to them, were MY anagrams. I've italicized them in
the next paragraph for your reference:
This was real fun! It takes either a gentleman or maybe
Satan to come up with such a delightfully convoluted crossword puzzle
such as today's! Congrats Steve!
The first Cornerite I thought of today, was Ol Man Keith our resident
anagramist. He is always looking for anagrams in the
diagonals of the daily puzzles. I trust he will stop by later to
comment!
Across:
1. Band letters: AM FM. AC/DC was my first entry. Anyone else? AM/FM
seems so archaic now that we have Pandora, Amazon Music, and Sirius XM to
choose from. I can't even remember the last AM/FM radio I owned, other than
the one in my car
5. Lennon comrade: STARR. Ringo. Of The Beatles. John Lennon, who
would've been 80 years old this year. Lennon offered backup vocals, but the
word "comrade" made me think of this 1968 Beatles' classic
10. Hitchcock's "The 39 __": STEPS. This one filled itself in with a WAG
and perps.
Before my time
15. London flat?: TYRE. Ahh, not an apartment, but a flat tire (British
spelling)
16. Skating rink drink: COCOA. If I had to choose a drink to have before
or during skating, it sure wouldn't be COCOA. I'd need something "stiffer"!
17. Unleash: WREAK. I had "BREAK" / WREAK in this one. But to "wreak
havoc" requires the unleashing of some EMOTIONS, methinks
18. Miracle Mets outfielder Tommie: AGEE. Baseball. The Miracle Mets -
aka, The "Amazing" Mets - defeated the
1969 Baltimore Orioles, arguably the best team in baseball that year, due in no short order than the
contribution of Tommie AGEE, the Mets' center fielder. He did it with his bat
and with his glove.
19. "Thy word is __ unto my feet": Psalms: A LAMP. A Moe-l'ick for a
change:
Having dreamt of Arabian vamp,
Our friend Bugs, that old rascally scamp,
Thought that he'd find a genie
In a sexy bikini;
All he got was a-lad-in A LAMP
20. Garlicky mayo: AIOLI.
Aioli is becoming a
go-to crossword solve due to its 4 vowels and one consonant
24. Letter before Papa: OSCAR. ALFA, BRAVO, CHARLIE, DELTA, ECHO,
FOXTROT ... the universal "language", or the phoenetic words used to identify
letters. Used by the military and airline industries. "OSCAR" refers to the
letter "O". Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is very popular with texters, I hear ...
25. Adorkable style: NERD CHIC. "Adorkable" is an adjective that refers
to someone who is cute, in a nerdy sort of way. And while Google didn't
exactly link me to a description of "NERD CHIC", there are references
to
Geek Chic. I guess it means the same ...
33. Man, in Milan: UOMO. I am not fluent in Italian, although I really
like their wine and food! I guessed COMO, not knowing that it means "dresser
or bureau". Perps solved, eventually ... another great word for crossword
fill, although a bit obscure. To me, anyway
34. Spelling of "BH90210": TORI. Beverly Hills 90210. A popular TV show
of the 1990's. And its "spin-off", BH90210, aired in 2019. She played
Donna Martin, a character in both airings. TORI is the daughter of famous Hollywood TV
and film producer, Aaron Spelling
41. Easy to follow: CLEAR. This one filled in itself with the perps.
Not to be confused with this "CLEAR"...
43. Rested: LAIN. Past participle of "lie". Rested is the past participle
of "rest"
44. Mendel subjects: PEAS. Gregor Mendel. The famed 19th Century
botanist/scientist who may have, through his planting of and tracing of PEAS,
broken the DNA code
52. Bar owner, vis-à-vis selling drinks: LICENSEE. I was a LICENSEE (bar
owner) from 2010-2012 in Florida. Most, if not all, states require a purveyor of
liquor - be it by the glass or by the bottle - to hold a LICENSE, issued by that
state. I had to be fingerprinted
54. Motes: IOTAS. A "mote" is a tiny piece of substance. An IOTA is
likewise, a small amount
59. Brother of Willow Smith: JADEN. JADEN is the older brother of Willow;
both are children of famous actor Will Smith. Both are primarily known for their
songwriting and rapping
62. Really enjoyed something: DUG IT. Slang. Past tense of "Dig it". Can
you dig it? The Friends of Distinction brought that saying to our lexicon with
this song:
63. Boxcars in un casino: DOCE. Spanish for "twelve", or in dice terms
(when playing "craps"), double sixes, or resembling "boxcars", as in the
railroad car. This past week we had "HARD SIX" which is a pair of "threes" in
dice-speak
64. Online periodical: E-ZINE. Personally, I am not a big fan of the use
of any "E"-____ word for crossword solves. But I get it. The "E" stands for
"Electronic". In this case, an Electronic Magazine. Give me a hard copy,
please
65. Food safety concern: E. COLI. So, if an E-Zine is an electronic
magazine, shouldn't "E.COLI" be ... oh, never mind! This "E" stands for
Escherichia
66. Pulitzer winner Robert __ Butler: OLEN.
His web page. I've not read his works, so this one filled via perps
67. Some etiquette tips: DONT'S. Here is a place where I got some of my
early "etiquette" tips:
69. Lavish bash: FETE. Frawnch. Fête. Or a festival/feste
Down:
1. Worse than ever: AT A LOW. Hmm. AT AN ALL TIME LOW, perhaps. Guessing
this was used to fill a hole ...
2. "Holy moly!": MY GOSH. SHUCKS! DARN IT! DANG IT! Other 6 letter combos
for the same clue!
3. Coca-Cola brand: FRESCA. Fresca was introduced to the carbonated
beverage market in 1966. It's a lime and grapefruit-flavored drink that I
believe was introduced as an alternative to Squirt, which was introduced by Herb
Bishop as a cocktail mixer back in the late 1930's. Here in Phoenix, no less!
Fresca has had a new branding campaign to make it more palatable to the
millenials, and are branding it as a carbonated "soda", rather than a carbonated
"beverage". I dunno about y'all, but I don't get too bubbly about either ...
4. Use for a tryst: MEET AT. Tryst. Who does THOSE anymore?! That seems
so retro.
Nowadays, a popular "MEET AT" organization is called MEET UP. I attended a few
of their events. Not nearly as fun as a tryst, though! LOL! A
link and a logo
5. Checkout action: SCAN. UPC (Universal Product Code) barcodes were
patented back in 1949. The first checkout SCAN was in 1974 for a pack of gum
6. Narrated: TOLD. Moe, you were TOLD that Friday puzzles are tough; and
they are. Narration is a form of story-telling; past tense solved this
7. Berry with three vowels and three syllables: ACAI. ACAI is fast
becoming the new crossword staple; may be the first time I saw it clued this
way
8. Itinerant Europeans: ROMANI. Not to be confused with Romanians, an
unrelated ethnic group and nation, nor with modern or ancient Romans, also
unrelated. Oh the things you can
learn on Wikipedia
9. Rock climber's descent: RAPPEL. I might be just as nervous ...
10. Grassy expanse: SWARD. This one had me stumped. SWARD is not a word
in my daily vocabulary. Yours? This photo of a SWARD reminds me of a sod farm
11. Shredded-wheat cracker: TRISCUIT. Triscuit crackers were actually
developed by the Shredded Wheat Company in Niagara Falls, NY at the turn of the
last century. The brand was eventually sold to Nabisco, and is now part of Kraft
Foods. A link, and a pic. This is MOE's favorite variety
12. Job listing abbr.: EEO. Or Equal Employment Opportunity, which is a
Federal Commission that began with the Civil Rights Act of 1964
13. Chum: PAL. Hey PAL! BUD or BRO fit, too
14. Enjoy trails: SKI. Hike didn't fit; those are the trails MOE enjoys.
It's almost cool enough to resume our hiking, here in the AZ desert. Here's one
of me on a trail at Superstition Mountain in Apache Junction, AZ this past March
22. More riled up: IRATER. Meh. I'd prefer, more IRATE, but Steve must've
needed an R ...
23. Afore: ERE. Not to be confused with, "to ERE is human ... "
26. Brewer's flowers: HOPS. As in the brewing of beer. Beer is made from
malt, yeast, HOPS, and water. HOPS are the flowers/cones (they resemble a pine
cone) from the plant, and can offer floral and fruity notes to beer, but
primarily they provide the bitterness. There is a world of information on
Wikipedia if you're so inclined. As the "craft beer" industry has grown over the
past several decades, the HOPS level for beer is now measured in
IBU's, or International Bitterness Units. Proper brewing and blending can soften or
harshen the bitterness of beer
27. Small demon: IMP. I'm waiting for a crossword constructor to clue
this word using the verb form, which means: "repair a damaged feather in (the
wing or tail of a trained hawk) by attaching part of a new feather"
28. Flirtatiously shy: COY. At 1:23 of this video you'll hear one of the
50 ways to leave your lover ...
30. "This Is Us" Emmy winner __ Cephas Jones: RON. CSO to one of our
bloggers, JazzBumpa
31. Diamond stat.: ERA. Earned Run Average. Shane Bieber of the
Cleveland Indians led the Major Leagues this year in ERA with 1.63, which
means over the course of the season he gave up only 1.63 "earned runs" per
game. That's a very impressive number. The number is calculated on the total
number of runs he allowed, divided by the number of innings he pitched,
multipled by 9. He also tied for the league lead with 8 wins over the 60 game
season. But in the first postseason game, his ERA was 13.5, as the New York
Yankees lit him up for 7 earned runs in 4-2/3 innings. Talk about going from
first to worst ...
32. Source of Adam and Eve's leaves: FIG. Ah, the poor FIG. What did IT
do to deserve being a symbol of concealing embarrassment? Moe-lick #2:
When the couple in Eden did pig Out on apples, they knew that their
gig Was soon changing, when God Caught them sinning, they're
flawed; And He shrugged, and said, "Can't give a FIG"
35. "Drat!": DANG IT. DARN IT, fit. Other longer possibiliteis for this
clue: DAG NABBIT; DAD GUMMIT; GOL DERN. But when I saw "DANG", the first
thought that popped was this Roger Miller classic:
36. Audio equipment brand: TEAC. Remember what I said at the outset?
About loose fill? Oddly, TEAC resonated with me, as I probably owned one or more
of their stereo components as a young adult. Everything from reel to reel tape
recorders, turntables, amplifier/receivers, etc. TEAC stands for Tokyo
Television Accustic Company, and was founded by brothers Katsuma and Tomoma
Tani, August of 1953. I, too, am a product of 1953. Yes, Cornerites, the
Chairman is a strapping young lad of 67! LOL. Here is one of THEIR now ancient
products
37. Legal right of way: EASEMENT. I am sure that one of our resident
lawyers here can offer more, but whenever I think of an EASEMENT, my mind goes
immediately to all of the property this nation bought to build
our Interstate Highway System. Especially all of the spur routes that lead into most metropolitan areas
38. Bridge expert Culbertson: ELY. Total WAG. Bridge as in the card game.
He was before my time. Charles Goren is one I am familiar with, but Wiki says
that ELY is a legend to the game, and he was quite the player. He died in 1955.
I was 2. My folks played a lot of bridge, as I am sure many here did/do as well.
My favorite "bridge" joke goes something like this: "It's said that playing
bridge is a lot like sex: if you don't have a good partner, you better have a
good hand ..."
39. Moo goo __ pan: GAI. Could GAI be called a crossword staple for
3-letter fill? The actual "dish" is/was quite popular, as it combines white
button mushrooms with white chicken meat. Chinese: 蘑菇雞片; Cantonese: móh-gū
gāi-pin. C.C., any other thoughts?
40. Diarist Anaïs: NIN. More crossword staple fill. Her full name is:
Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell
41. Double-chevron wearer: Abbr.: CPL. A two-striper, or corporal, in the
Army. Moe-ku #3, from the archives:
Office corporal is known for his guile,
And employs it with his new clerk, Kyle. Base commander found out, Reprimanded,
no doubt; Told two-striper, “just pull rank, and file.”
42. Aloha State souvenir: LEI. More expected crossword fill. This one
is made from orchids
45. Steel giant, from 1986 to 2001: USX. AKA, US Steel. USX was the
corporation's "new name" in 1986 when they held other energy businesses, but
they renamed it United States Steel in 2001. Their stock symbol is "X". And one
of their original logos is now best known as the logo of the same town's NFL
football team (CSO to TTP and yours truly), who are now 4-0 to start this
season. Both previous times the STEELERS started 4-0 they went on to win Super
Bowls ... OK, Moe, don't jinx them! Here we go, Steelers, here we go!!
46. "Just What I __": 1978 Cars hit: NEEDED. The Cars were a 1970's Rock
Band from Boston, whose hits included this one as well as "My Best Friend's
Girl". Ric Ocasek who did vocals and played rhythm guitar is perhaps their best
known member. He passed away a little over a year ago. The Cars are in the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame. Enjoy!
48. Without: VOID OF. Today's blog is VOID OF Moe-kus ... but not
Moe-l'icks! LOL
49. "My Favorite Year" star: O'TOOLE. Peter Seamus O'Toole (2 August 1932
– 14 December 2013). Irish born English actor.
My Favorite Year
saw O'TOOLE nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor, but Ben Kingsley won it that
year for his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in the film, "Gandhi". O'TOOLE was
nominated 8 times for an Academy Award, but only won an Honorary one in 2002. He
holds the dubious record of most nominated without an award ...
50. Surgical knife: LANCET. Not sure that "surgical knife" best describes
this medical device. My limited knowledge of a LANCET is the tool used to prick
a finger for drawing blood, as in to test for blood sugar/diabetes/insulin
requirement
51. Ancient ascetic: ESSENE. The ESSENES were perported to have written
the Dead Sea Scrolls back in the second Century, BCE. Great crossword fill with
its "E's" and "S's"
53. Lowest pinochle cards: NINES. Wait just a DADGUM minute! Didn't Moe
reference Pinochle last week when he commented on CANASTA??! The standard
Pinochle deck consists of 48 cards. There are two of each suit, and only six
cards are used. They are ranked in order from lowest to highest as: Nine, Jack,
Queen, King, Ten, and Ace. Not sure why the TEN outranks any of the "picture"
cards; this may be the only card game in which that is true
56. Self-images: EGOS. Did Einstein define EGO(S) the best of all?
57. Do a farm chore: MILK. Moe-l'ick #4 (a sophomoric one, for sure!):
When a child emerges from birth There's a gland that for most males
give mirth. Clever kid hid his glee, As he suckled 'til three; Did
he MILK it for all it was worth?
58. Publisher Chandler: OTIS. I heard he wore elevator shoes ... {groan}
BTW, he was the LA Times publisher from 1960-1980, and OTIS was his first name,
not his last
59. Martin's "The West Wing" role: JED. Josiah Edward "Jed" Bartlet
portrayed the POTUS in the fictional TV series, "West Wing". Martin Sheen -
father of sons Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men) and Emilio Estevez (St. Elmo's
Fire, et al) - played the Prez, and won both a Golden Globe and SAG award for
his role
60. Nitrogenous dye: AZO. Even though I took two years of Chemistry in HS
and two in college, I did not recall this organic compound. Perhaps one of our
resident chemists can comment more about it? I'm not really sure this image
tells us a lot! This was a WAG/perp fill for me
61. Ruckus: DIN. My first thought here was when I watch a movie with
closed captioning and the comment "[indistinct chatter]" appears. Or could you
liken it to Clement Clarke Moore's "A Visit From St. Nicholas": "When out on the
lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed to see what was the
matter"?
The grid:
Let's break for lunch ... I love it!!
The end!
Please feel free to add your thoughts below ...
Notes from C.C.
1) Regarding 39D, to some, it might be classic crosswordese. To me, it's just
Cantonese for "chicken".
2) Happy Birthday to our foodie Blue Hen!
3) Happy birthday to CrossEyedDave! Thanks for the happiness and fun you've
brought to our lives, Dave!
48. One in a line of frolicking sea creatures?: CONGA EEL. Conger eel.
56. Wedding reception highlight ... and a feature of four puzzle answers: FIRST DANCE.
Common phrases change meanings to well known dances by replacing the "r" sound of the last syllable of the first word to a short "a" sound. Reminds me of talking with some folks from New England. I can hear Wilba dropping the R sounds as I read his words.
This is Steve's debut on the grand stage of the LA Times crossword. Great job, Steve !
Across:
1. Pretend to be: ACT. Or, do something. Don't just sit there. Get moving. It's good for your metabolism and general health.
4. Center: MIDST.
9. Foot, in zoology: PES. Latin.
12. "Isn't __ Lovely": Stevie Wonder hit: SHE. Great musician, songwriter and singer.
13. Toyota until 2006: CELICA. In 1979, Toyota introduced the Celica Supra.
Here's the 2020 Supra, minus the Celica:
14. Posted: SENT.
17. Erase: UNDO. The electronic version, as compared to using that little piece of rubber on the top end of your #2 Ticonderoga.
18. Deplorable sort: LOUSE. A parasitic insect too !
19. Where to find letters on tracks: MAIL CAR.
21. Medical events in a 1977 Robin Cook thriller: COMAS. "...Susan researches what happened to her date and discovers Boston Memorial’s dirty secret: their rates for patients lapsing into coma during surgery are above the norm." Forgotten Bestsellers - Review at tor.com
24. Celebrity chef Garten: INA. The self-taught chef of "The Barefoot Contessa" fame.
25. Set of values: ETHOS. Beliefs.
28. Thinks intently (over): MULLS. Ponders.
29. Impedes, with "up": GUMS. Gear driven machinery needs oil and lubricants to run smoothly. Dust, dirt and debris can turn the lubricant into a heavy viscous sludge that prevents smooth operation. It was from the industrial age that we got the expression, "Gums up the works".
31. Paramedic letters: EMT. Emergency Medical Technician. Lifesaver.
32. Old brew revived in the 2000s: PBR. Pabst Blue Ribbon. Husker Gary had "Pabst dispenser" on Saturday.
38. Rapper will.__: i am. will.i.am is the singer / songwriter / frontman and more for the Hip Hop group Black Eyed Peas. If you are not otherwise familiar with them, you may have heard part of the lyrics from their song "Let's Get it Started" in the Walmart back to school commercials.
39. Stick in a lock: OAR. Interestingly enough, the u or o shaped devices attached to the gunwales* of a rowing boat that secure the oars are called oarlocks. Sometimes this language makes complete sense.
* sides, for you other landlubbers.
40. Jazz vocalist Laine: CLEO. Didn't know, but perpable:
42. See 14-Down: ACIDS.
45. Charged: RAN AT. Possibly ran up, if you charged too much on your credit card.
47. Reservoir creator: DAM.
50. Increases, with "up": RAMPS. Drop the R and you get the same effect.
52. Creator of a sci-fi "Traveller": HG WELLS. HG Wells is credited with creating the sci-fi concept of time travel. The character in The Time Machine is known only as the Time Traveller. He meets Eloi and Morlocks in the future.
53. Schroeder's toy: PIANO. Good grief ! A love triangle. Lucy is in love with Schroeder, but the prodigy's true love is the classical compositions of Ludwig van Beethoven. Name that toon.
55. Getting __ years: ON IN.
60. Rolled __: OATS.
61. Conceptualize: IDEATE. In a sense, incubate.
62. One may be bruised: EGO. One may be interlocked: Lego.
63. MIT, for one: SCH.
64. "Cool!": NEATO. Rad. Phat. Awesome. More ?
65. Yang's opposite: YIN.
Down:
1. Nile danger: ASP.
2. John of "Star Trek" (2009): CHO. Also of "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" fame.
3. 1967 Etta James hit: TELL MAMA. I don't remember this song:
4. Target section: MENS.
5. Nastase on the court: ILIE.
6. Archaeological site: DIG.
7. Jerks: SCHMOS.
8. Member of Genghis Khan's horde: TATAR.
9. Write (in) tentatively: PENCIL. Perhaps with a #2 Ticonderoga.
10. Ultimate objective: END-ALL.
11. Weather headliners: STORMS. Dorian dominated the news for a couple of weeks. Terrible tragedy in the Bahamas.
13. Reason: CAUSE.
14. With 42-Across, corrosive substances: SULFURIC.
16. Camping letters: KOA. The world's largest system of privately held campgrounds. New 2019 Campgrounds Jinx can tell us more, perhaps about best and worst experiences.
20. Shakespeare's plays are full of them: IAMBS.
Well la di da !
21. Slangy smoke: CIG.arette.
22. Heavy weight: ONUS.
23. Glowing barbecue bit: HOT COAL. Do you start your grilling with Kingsford, Royal Oak or chunks of hardwoods, known as lump charcoal ?
26. Orioles, e.g.: TEAM. MLB AL East cellar dwellers of late for this once perennial powerhouse.
27. Medical care gp.: HMO.
30. Bits: SMIDGENS.
32. Prefix with sail: PARA.
34. __ metabolism: BASAL. Just read base metabolism. The minimum body processes needed to keep you alive without using artificial means.
35. Recyclable item: CAN.
36. Source of status: OLD MONEY. Old money as with the Vanderbilts. As compared to new money like the Gates.
37. Tide table term: NEAP. Spitzboov nailed this with the N.
41. Sounds heard at an ashram: OMs. A monastery in Indian religions.
42. Blessing evokers: ACHOOs. Bless you.
43. Colombard grapes product: COGNAC. Had a cognac exactly once in my lifetime. Not my cuppa, but it was at once the best and worst cognac I've ever had.
44. Part of, as a gang: IN WITH. I'm in with the in crowd. I go where the in crowd goes.
45. Live: RESIDE. Got the answer quickly after changing the vowel in the clue from a long i to a short i.
46. Sports news: TRADE.
49. Like the Hollow Tree Factory bakers: ELFIN. You can get Uncommonly Good cookies made by elves using magic ovens from the Hollow Tree Bakery.
51. Santa __: ANA. He ordered the attack on the Alamo, and then later ceded Texas. Wait, no, that was two n Anna.
53. Exam for jrs.: PSAT. Juniors / Preliminary SAT. Rick Singer and Mark Riddell can get your scholastically challenged girls into USC with a high SAT or ACT score and an athletic scholarship to the water polo or crew teams.
54. "Leave __ me": IT TO. I'm leaving it all up to you. You decide what you're gonna do. Or are we through ?
57. Stephen of "The Crying Game": REA. He was nominated for an Academy Award in this movie. This three letter answer should be a gimme for any LA Times solver, as it seems to be Rich's go to clue for this answer.
58. Movie SFX: CGI. Special effects / computer generated imagery
59. DMV wait time, seemingly: EON. Hyperbole for the time spent at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Illinois residents know that they will have to get a Real ID if they want to take a domestic flight or enter any federal facilities starting Oct 1, 2020. The current drivers license does not meet federally mandated requirements. I've read some of the stories and talked to some people who have waited for hours at the DMV only to be rejected because they didn't have the required documentation. Here's a link to what is required: Real ID Documentation Checklist
