Tuesday, April 9, 2019 John Lampkin

"ANT COLONY"

17. *Employee insurance coverage, briefly: WORKERS COMP. 

60. *Unmanned aerial attack: DRONE STRIKE.

11. *Hotel bed choice: QUEEN SIZE.

32. *Persist despite difficulty: SOLDIER ON.

46. Symbolic Egyptian snake, which includes the start of a hint to the answers to starred clues: ASP.

Look at the hind end of this ant:

"The Crematogaster genus of ants has a cute heart-shaped gaster which gives it one of its common names, the Saint Valentine’s Ant."  - John Lampkin

After noticing worker,  drone,  queen and soldier as answers in the starred clues,  I first thought "Bees" but I had never heard of soldier bees.    John threw me for a loop with ASP.    What does ASP have to do with bees ?   At that point, I paid attention to the circles and reread the reveal.   ANT COLONY might have been hard to spot without the circles.

Clever puzzle and design.   I like how ANT COLONY is arranged so that it represents a mound.  We had plenty of fire ant mounds in the pastures and yards in Central Texas.  Dang things were so hard to get rid of.   It was like playing Whac-A-Mole.

    
Across:

1. "Star Wars" warrior: JEDI.  All you want to know and more at Wookiepedia, the Star Wars Wiki.

5. Treaded winter vehicle: SNO-CAT.  

11. "Proven," in proofs: QED.  Quod Erat Demonstrandum.  Latin, from the buzzwords used by great Greek mathematicians,  such as Euclid and Archimedes.

14. Laptop brand that sounds like a top tennis player: ACER.  Cure clue.

15. Pays homage to: HONORS.  Pays respect to.

16. Prefix with corn or cycle: UNI.  As a preteen, my gangly friend Brian became an accomplished unicycle rider in our hilly little town.   He turned out to be a pretty good basketball player on our high school team. 

19. It may be bruised: EGO.   8 Ways to Overcome a Blow to Your Ego

20. Blight-stricken tree: ELM.  A fungal disease spread by bark beetles.   "This disease is not of Dutch origin, but because early work on the disease was done by Dutch pathologists in the 1920s, the disease has been called Dutch elm disease (DED)." - Morton Arboretum

21. Deceived: LIED TO.

22. Lo __: noodle dish: MEIN.  Lo mein - soft boiled noodles.  Chow mein - crispy fried noodles.

23. Church officers: DEACONS.  Not germane to the clue for any other reason than Deacon is in it:


25. "Valley of the Dolls" author Jacqueline: SUSANN.  A best selling book about three pill-popping women.   It was later adapted into a movie of the same name.

27. Animal that can learn sign language: APE.

28. Parting site in Exodus: RED SEA.

30. "Who's there?" response: IT'S ME.  Pretty song:


33. Rank above maj.: COL.  Major /  Colonel.   Colonels have two grades in the Army.  "Light"(Lieutenant Colonel - grade O-5, silver oak leaf insignia) and "Full Bird" (Colonel - grade O-6, silver eagle insignia).

36. Makes an effort: TRIES.

37. Small store: SHOP.   My parents small store was in a 6600 sq. ft. two story building my dad and his contractor buddies built.  Antiques, Furniture Stripping & Refinishing.  That's why I can tell people I used to be a stripper.

38. Serious no-no: TABOO.   Women's fragrance: Tabu.

40. Poet Pound: EZRA.

41. Be under the weather: AIL.

42. 11 p.m. personality: NEWSMAN.  10 p.m. Central. 

44. Mentalist's "gift": ESP.   Every Single Perp was not required for this initialism of Extrasensory Perception.

45. Installs, as a minister: ORDAINS.  Ordains, as a deacon:  Deacons.

47. Sound like an ass: BRAY.  I'm not touching this one.

49. Blu-ray buy: DISC.   lu- added to bray above.

50. Quick breaths: GASPS.

54. "To reiterate ... ": I REPEAT.

57. Like sunset-silhouetted scenery: REAR LIT.  A photog like John Lampkin knows how to get the perfect shots .

59. Golfer's goal: PAR.   Unless you are a tour player.   Then you are looking for birdies or better.  Canadian Corey Conners qualified last Monday to play in the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio.  He birdied six of nine coming in on Sunday to win the tournament.  It was the first time in the last 9 years that a Monday qualifier won a PGA Tour event.

62. From __ Z: A TO.  An idiom for beginning to end. 

63. Shrek's kiss made Fiona one for good: OGRESS.

64. Hint of the future: OMEN.  I don't believe in them. 

65. Home in the woods: DEN.   I'd prefer a cabin.

66. Treating kindly: GOOD TO.

67. Sunset direction: WEST.  On this planet.  I assume the same for the others in our solar system.

Down:

1. Ranted (at): JAWED. It's baseball season. So many great clips to choose from.   Let's look at this blast from the past for a good example of a couple of guys that jawed at each other:


2. French school: ECOLE.

3. Skin care prefix: DERMA.

4. Annoy: IRK.

5. Sacred place: SHRINE.  I wonder if the PGA Tour players had time to stop by the Alamo, and perhaps stroll along the River Walk.

"San Anto"

6. Carrots, for snowmen: NOSES.

7. Like one's prized music collection, perhaps: ON CD.

8. Small water birds: COOTS.  Thank you perps.  An internet search tells me they are closely related to the moorhen, which didn't really help me.   A group of them is known as a covert or a cover.    I don't remember when I was first told that girls had cooties, but  I asked my mom and she said it wasn't true.   We didn't have the internet back in those days.  

9. Big name in canned meat: ARMOUR.   Hormel too. 

10. Baking soda amt.: TSP. 

12. Amtrak employees: ENGINEERS.

13. "My Heart Will Go On" singer Celine: DION.   The theme song from Titanic:


18. Flee to wed: ELOPE.

22. Mexican mother: MADRE.

24. Sleep in a bag, maybe: CAMP.

26. Gig component: SET.

29. "Pronto" letters: ASAP.

30. Japanese golf great Aoki : ISAO.  Isao Aoki with Arnold Palmer.  

I had the exact same clue and answer on March 20th, 2018.  Here's the exact same picture and comments:

He credits watching Arnold Palmer for giving him the inspiration to pursue a golfing career.

"Isao Aoki only plays with golf balls marked with the number 5.  That number is pronounced “Go” in Japanese and it also represents the worst score he wants to make."

He was elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004.  Source - World Golf Hall of Fame.

31. Hardly the best: THIRD RATE.

33. Sounds like a crow: CAWS.

34. Docs who deliver: OBs.  Obstetrician. 

35. Bausch partner: LOMB.

38. On a scale of one to __: TEN.

39. Sculler's need: OAR.

42. "Please don't bite me!": NICE DOG.

43. Persistently worry: NAG AT.

48. Peter of Peter, Paul & Mary: YARROW.   Friend and fellow Cornell student Leonard Lipton wrote a poem in 1959 that Peter Yarrow put into lyrics for this 1962 song that had nothing to do about smoking marijuana or other drug use. - paraphrased from Wikipedia.  Our own Bill G went to Cornell. 


51. Snail trail: SLIME.

52. Colorado's __ Peak: PIKES.   Aaron Kaufman of the Discovery Channel's Fast N' Loud narrates this short clip of him racing up Pikes Peak a few years ago in his '63 Falcon. 


53. Cardiologist's implant: STENT.

54. Apple tablet: IPAD.

55. Jason's ship: ARGO.  He was searching for the Golden Fleece.  Greek mythology.   Not my cuppa, but here is an article that shed some light on the story line and players involved.   I had no idea that Hercules was an oarsman on the Argo.

56. Lawn mower brand: TORO.    I keep thinking about replacing my old John Deere rider.   It's a yellow deck STX-38.  It was built to last and it has.   Faithful service for nearly 30 years. 

57. Take a load off: REST.

58. Exxon, formerly: ESSO. 

61. Homer's neighbor: NED.  Homer Simpson and Ned ("Okilly-dokilly!") Flanders.

Here's the grid !

Notes from C.C.: 

1) Lovely grid, John!

2) So what did you shoot yesterday, TTP?  80s?

3) Dear Agnes (Irish Miss) had to spend 5 hours in the ER yesterday due to the excruciating foot pain from the fall she suffered a few weeks ago. She's going to see her GP tomorrow and an orthopedic doctor soon. It's been tough few weeks for Agnes, who lives alone. Please send positive thoughts and love to Troy, New York!

Tuesday, April 2, 2019 Craig Stowe

"UPPER CASE"

3. *Tough period in life: HARD TIMES.  Hard Case - A tough person, such as someone that is hard to deal with.   Or, a type of protective container, such as hard case luggage.

9. *Grade school presentation: SHOW AND TELL.  Showcase - A glass container used to display merchandise.  Or, in music and the arts, an exhibition of talent and creations.

24. *Slim-fitting Dior creation: PENCIL SKIRT.  Pencil Case - A container used to hold pens, pencils, erasers and the like. 

26. *Nuclear treaty subject: TEST BAN.  Test Case - In law, a legal action  brought to test the validity of a law, and perhaps set a precedent for deciding similar cases in the future.

35. Caps, and a hint to the answers to starred clues: UPPERCASE.   Case can be added to the upper word of each starred answer. 

Across:

1. "I'm clever" chuckle: HEH.

4. Take a broom to: SWEEP. 

9. Rapscallion: SCAMP.

14. Pretty __ picture: AS A.

15. Main artery: AORTA.  The great artery of the heart.

16. __ roll: student's achievement: HONOR.  Learning isn't hard.  Paying attention to something you have no interest in is.

17. Hawk, in the military sense: WARMONGER.  Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun were the notable war hawks leading up to the War of !812.

19. Get the best of: OUTDO.  Out as a prefix, meaning more than or better than.

20. In the buff: NUDE.  Naked as a jaybird.  In the altogether.  Buck (or butt) naked.  I'm sure there are other idioms.

21. Local residents, to local college students: TOWNIES.  Matt and Ben were townies in the film, Good Will Hunting.


23. Draw sap from, as a maple: TAP.   In bowling, leaving a "stone 8" (for right handers) is known as a True Tap.


25. "I haven't the foggiest": IT BEATS ME.

27. Grooming process: TOILETTE.  Wiktionary says:

toilette (plural toilettes)

1. (archaic) A dressing table, typically covered to the floor with cloth (originally, toile) and lace, on which stood a mirror, which might also be draped in lace.
2. (archaic) Personal grooming, in other words washing, dressing, etc.

30. Formula __: auto racing class: ONE.

"F1 cars are at the cutting edge of motorsport technology and push the boundaries of technological design. Each team designs its own chassis and interprets the rules to best suit the ultimate design. Budgets are huge, and no stone is left unturned in the pursuit of development.

Indy cars, on the other hand, are much less developed. Each team has the use of the same Dallara chassis, which does not carry the same sort of funding as F1 operations. That in itself places greater emphasis on the job of the team and the driver, while one of F1's greatest criticisms is that it is so dependent on the performance of the car."  -  Bleacher Report Article

31. Casino convenience: ATM, and 42. "Casino" co-star Joe: PESCI.

32. Cacophonous: NOISY. 

34. Prescription items: DRUGS. 

38. Canapé garnish: ROE.

 The How-To

39. Competition: CONTEST.

41. Snap or split veggie: PEA.

44. Ease up: ABATE.

45. Toy with, cat-style: PAW.

46. Microbrewery product: ALE.

48. Studios for artists: ATELIERS.  Their workshops.

50. Materials for babies' rugs: LAMBSKINS.

54. Paper size: Abbr.: LTR. 

55. Consumed amounts: INTAKES.

56. Reverb in a chamber: ECHO.

59. Centipede game company: ATARI.  The game was recently announced as a finalist for the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2019.

60. Drambuie and Scotch cocktail: RUSTY NAIL.  New to me, but the perps were solid.  I guess it was popular in the '60s.  Behind the Bar: The Rusty Nail

65. Closer to being harvested: RIPER.

66. Month before febrero: ENERO. 


Enero, febrero, marzo, abril, mayo, junio, julio, agosto, septiembre, octubre, noviembre, diciembre.
Estos son los doce meses del año.

67. Get it: SEE.

68. "Alien" director Ridley __: SCOTT.    Also,  Blade Runner,  Gladiator,  The Martian.

69. Eggs purchase: DOZEN. 

70. Juan's "that": ESO.   Juanita's "that": ESA. 

Down:

1. Goldie with a Golden Globe: HAWN.   Can you believe she's 73 ?  9 nominations, 1 win in the 1969 romcom Cactus Flower, her first major film.


2. Founder of Edom: ESAU.

4. Brazilian map word: SAO. As in Sao Paulo. 

5. Hit the jackpot: WON.  Someone won a big one in Wisconsin last week. 

6. Bit of energy: ERG.

7. Strasbourg summer: ETE.  Strasbourg, France.  Directly west across the Rhine river from the Black Forest in southwestern Germany.   In German, summer is Sommer. 

8. Second section: PART B.   Medicare Part B premiums have risen by an average of 7.7% per year.

10. Come back (with): COUNTER.  Rick Harrison on the History Channel's Pawn Stars program rarely buys anything at the asking price.   Mike Wolfe on the History Channel's American Pickers sometimes counters the original asking price with an amount that is higher than asked. 

11. Naysayers: ANTIS.

12. Web surfing tool: MODEM.  Modulator / Demodulator.

13. Narrative writing: PROSE.

18. Event with courses: MEAL.

22. War on Poverty org.: OEO.   Office of Economic Opportunity. 

25. Singer Turner's memoir: I TINA.   David Alfred Bywaters had the clue "Turner with numbers" in last Friday's puzzle that Hahtoolah reviewed.   I thought that was a great clue.

27. Camper's cover: TARP.  I started with tent, but the perps disagreed.

28. Plains native: OTOE.

29. Excessively: TOO.   The entree was fine, but the dessert was (excessively, extremely, or too) sweet.  Which adverb would you use ? 

33. Irish poet who wrote "Easter, 1916": YEATS.

36. Drive or reverse: GEAR.

37. Toothed tools: SAWS.

40. Fr. holy woman: STE.  Sainte.

43. Moulin Rouge, notably: CABARET.  Yes,  I know the setting for the movie was Berlin, but the answer afforded an opportunity to link Liza singing the song.


47. Squeeze (out): EKE. 

49. Cross-country southern hwy.: I TEN.  The southernmost of the cross-country interstate highways.

50. Some are compulsive: LIARS.

51. Shenanigan: ANTIC.  I think of CrossEyedDave. 

52. Philippines peak: Abbr.: MT APO.  The highest point in the Philippines. 

53. Looks flushed: IS RED. 

57. Hurries, old-style: HIES.

58. Bread spread: OLEO. The Oleo Wars weren't just in Wisconsin.  Vermont,  New Hampshire and South Dakota also had various laws against the product.  Wisconsin didn't allow yellow colored oleo until 1967, and still has laws about margarine for restaurants and schools.  Butter must be served to students unless a doctor provides a valid health reason for not using butter.

61. 2018 National Toy Hall of Fame inductee: UNO.  A synopsis of the Uno story.

62. "__ who?": SEZ.  It's the correct pronunciation for says, here and across the pond.

63. Antonio's three: TRE.  "Tutti a tavola a mangiare!" Ciao Antonio ! In Italian, numbers from zero to ten are specific words, namely zero [0], uno [1], due [2], tre [3], quattro [4], cinque [5], sei [6], sette [7], otto [8], nove [9], and dieci [10].  More here.

64. That, old-style: YON.   For example, "Beyond yon mountain."  

Tuesday, March 26, 2019 Parikshit S. Bhat

18. *Evaluation by one's colleagues: PEER REVIEW.

24. *1984 Prince classic: PURPLE RAIN.

49. *Region bordering the world's largest ocean: PACIFIC RIM.

56. *Yellowstone VIP: PARK RANGER.

3. *Green Day genre: PUNK ROCK.

38. *Union demand: PAY RAISE.

37. Intensive goodwill campaign, briefly ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues: PR BLITZ.  A spate of PRs.

Across:

1. Captain Sparrow portrayer Johnny: DEPP.

5. Exam for jrs.: PSAT.   A wake up call for some.  I wonder how this joker did.

 
9. Indy 500 family name: UNSER.   I'll say.  Al Unser won there 4 times.  Older brother Bobby won 3 times.  Al Unser Jr. won 2 times.  Al and Bobby's older brother Jerry was in the 1958 Indy.  Jerry's son Johnny raced there 5 times.  Bobby's son Bobby Jr. ran there 2 times.  No family tree of racers even comes close to the legacy of the Unsers at the Indy 500.

  In Albuquerque: The Unser Racing Museum

14. Rio contents: AGUA.

15. Machu Picchu builder: INCA.

16. Loud salute: SALVO.

17. Beethoven's birth city: BONN.   His grandfather, also named Ludwig van Beethoven, moved from what is now Belgium to Bonn.  

20. Colorful carp: KOI.

22. "Born Free" lioness: ELSA.


23. Skin woe: ACNE.

27. Razz: JEER.

28. Like plagiarized work, say: STOLEN. 

29. Focus and Fiesta: FORDS.

 What's the Difference ?

30. Office asst.: SECY.

31. Spectacles on one's nose: GLASSES.    Katy Perry.

36. "That isn't nice": TSK.

38. Except for West Wendover, Nevada summer hrs.: PDT.  West Windover is in the Mountain Time Zone since October of 1999.

41. Sicilian seaport: MESSINA.  Did not know this.  Here's where it's at:

42. Hard to come by: RARE.

43. Glossy finish: SHEEN.

46. Harsh critic: FLAYER.   One who flays.   New word for me.

48. Very fancy: LUXE.

53. USA part: Abbr.: AMER.

54. Whirl around: SPIN.  LeBron James demonstrates the basketball spin move.

55. Drink from leaves: TEA.  When it comes to tea, Abejo only drinks Earl Grey.

59. French movie: CINE.

62. Like much bar beer: ON TAP.  “Beer, if drank with moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit and promotes health.” - Thomas Jefferson.   Accidentally posted that quote in my Sunday comments.

63. Make, as money: EARN. 

64. "In your dreams!": AS IF.

65. Abodes for birds: NESTS.  Baby hummingbirds.

66. Liberal or martial things: ARTS.

67. Tenant's payment: RENT.

Down:

1. Pat softly: DAB.

2. Locker room issue: EGO. 

4. Impressive collection: PANOPLY.    I think we've only seen this word as an answer in Friday and Saturday crosswords.   Not in my vernacular.

5. Spot on a die: PIP.

6. Derisive look: SNEER.

7. Amtrak high-speed train: ACELA.   Amtrak says tilting trains are coming to the Northeast Corridor. 

8. Ankle bones: TARSI. 

9. Function: USE.

10. Four Corners natives: NAVAJOS.   And 25. Four Corners natives: UTES.

11. Sandwich maker's aid: SLICER.  "I've cut slices so thin, I couldn't even see them."

12. Smoothed: EVENED.

13. Sculls competitors: ROWERS.

19. Took off in a hurry: RAN.

21. Percent suffix: ILE.

24. Attention-getting sound: PSST.

26. Some MIT grads: ENGRS.

29. Tasseled hat: FEZ.

32. Scale units: Abbr.: LBS.  Libras. 

33. Baba among thieves: ALI.   Ali to his cohorts.

34. Confession disclosure: SIN.

35. Work support group: STAFF.

37. Cross product: PEN.

39. Eins und zwei: DREI.   Math in German.  One and two equals three.

40. Educational period: TERM.

41. Mongoose family member that uses its tail to stand erect: MEERKAT.  This little guy looks sleepy.

42. 9-Across vehicle: RACE CAR.  True.  The Unser's know about race cars.

43. Apply hurriedly: SLAP ON.

44. Showing compassion: HUMANE.  Pay it forward.

45. Applies, as pressure: EXERTS.

47. On fire: LIT. 

49. "Don't text and drive" ad, briefly: PSA.  Public Service Announcement.  This one from South Africa. 


50. Snorer's disorder, perhaps: APNEA.

51. Groucho's smoke: CIGAR.

 Groucho Marx One-Liners About Marriage

52. Like noble gases: INERT.

57. Rotation meas.: RPS.  Revs Per Sec.

58. IV league?: RNS.   IV as an abbreviation for intravenous,  league as a collection of people,  and RNs as abbreviation for Registered Nurses.   Nice clue for the answer. 

60. Diarist Anaïs: NIN.   Every clue I've ever read for NIN has been related to Anaïs in one fashion or another. 

61. Amphibian youngster: EFT.

Notes from C.C.:

1) Congrats on your 685 series, TTP!

2) Dear Anon-T (Tony) made a fun puzzle for his company's newsletter. You can click here for the PDF file, here is the puz file. Here is Answer Grid. Please let him know where your trouble spots are. Thank you!

Tuesday, March 19, 2019 Gail Grabowski & Bruce Venzke

"It's Show Time !"

17. Period with dreams, e.g.: SLEEP STAGE STAGE SHOW

25. Subject of some weather advisories: SMALL CRAFT. CRAFT SHOW

37. Apple tablet from 2013 to 2016: IPAD AIR. AIR SHOW

48. Summit Plummet at Disney World, for one: WATER SLIDE.  SLIDE SHOW

57. Perform in the theater ... and what can be done to the end of 17-, 25-, 37- and 48-Across: PUT ON A SHOW.

Across:

1. Factory work period: SHIFT. 

6. Choral part: ALTO.

10. Stand the test of time: LAST.  Has legs.

14. Hang around: TARRY.  The verb is pronounced differently than the adjective.

15. Deliberately avoid: SHUN.  That's a definition for the "English" but in the Amish community,  shun means to expel and ostracize.

16. Nabisco nibble: OREO..

19. Screenwriter Ephron: NORA.

20. __ Ark: NOAH'S.

21. Rest area array: SEMIS.

22. Timber shaper: ADZE.

28. Stars and Stripes squad: TEAM USA.


30. Soup spheres: PEAS.

31. Delivery doc: OB-GYN.   Obstetrician-Gynecologist

32. Movie lab assistant: IGOR.

33. App annoyances: ADS.

36. Gp. that isn't gun-shy: NRA.

40. Real estate buy: LOT.

41. Have some grub: EAT.

42. Ranch grazers: COWS.

43. Botanical swelling: EDEMA.

45. Yellow Brick Road dog: TOTO.

46. Back-of-book lists: INDEXES.

52. Bit of pageant attire: SASH.

53. Fashionista Mary-Kate: OLSEN.   She and business partner / twin sister Ashley.

54. Flowers, in Florence: FIORI.

56. Pothole's place: ROAD.

62. Drive-__ window: THRU.

Wendy's claims the fast food industry innovation.   McDonald's opened their first drive-thru in 1975 in Arizona.

63. Chicago mayor Emanuel: RAHM.  The new mayor will be either Toni Preckwinkle or Lori Lightfoot. 

64. Scrabble 10-pointer: Z TILE.  The answer RAZE at 55d gave it away.

65. Diary securer: HASP.

66. Vein yields: ORES.  Pay dirt.

67. Several hairpin turns: ESSES.

Down:

1. Wall and Bourbon: Abbr.: STS.  Well known streets in Manhattan (NYC) and the French Quarter (NOLA).

2. Kubrick's out-of-control computer: HAL.  Stanley Kubrick / HAL 9000.  The groundbreaking film was 2001: A Space Odyssey

3. Dublin's land: Abbr.: IRE.

4. Faux ally: FRENEMY.  Psychiatrist Paul Dobransky M.D.,  explains, in How to Spot Friends, Enemies, Frenemies and Bullies

5. Proofer's find: TYPO.  If you see teh in my write ups, assume I meant the. 

6. Bronchial woe: ASTHMA.

7. Capital of Tibet: LHASA.

8. Yank: TUG.  

9. Ace's value, at times: ONE.

10. They don't like company: LONERS.  Henry David Thoreau and Ted Kaczynski both went off to live in the woods.  Compare and contrast.

11. Taco truck allure: AROMA.

12. Calligrapher's swirl: SERIF.

13. Wedding reception highlight: TOAST.

18. Mouth off to: SASS.

21. Visibly healed, as skin: SCARRED

22. Advice to sinners: ATONE.

23. Messing of "Will & Grace": DEBRA.  Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace.

24. Restaurant survey creator: ZAGAT.

26. Lexi Thompson's sports org.: LPGA.   The Ladies Professional Golf Association.

The 24 year old qualified to play in the LPGA US Open at age 12.

27. Sainted fifth-century pope: LEO I.

29. Mythical horned equine: UNICORN.

32. Cards with pics: IDS.

33. Amazon Echo's assistant: ALEXA.  I turned her off.  We no longer speak to each other.

34. Mosque toppers: DOMES.

35. Narc's discovery: STASH.

38. Cookware items: POTS.

39. AFB truant: AWOL.  Air Force Base / Absent Without Leave

44. Calls it off: DESISTS.

45. Ready to drive, as a golf ball: TEED UP. It's better to be teed up than teed off.

46. Figures of speech: IDIOMS.  They're a dime a dozen.

47. Hard-to-miss sign: NEON.

48. Value: WORTH.

49. Hawaiian hi: ALOHA.

50. Romanov royals: TSARS.  The Romanovs ruled Russia for 300 years until 1917.

51. "__ shoe fits ... ": IF THE.  Wear it.

55. Use a wrecking ball on: RAZE.

57. In favor of: PRO.

58. Former Mideast org.: UAR.  United Arab Republic.  The coalition of Syria and Egypt.

59. Embroidered pronoun: HIS.

60. World Cup shout: OLE.

61. Jazzman Montgomery: WES.

Note from C.C.:

Agnes mentioned their epic annual St. Paddy's Day celebration at her sister's house. Here is a picture of their gathering on Sunday night. Of the five sisters here, dear Agnes is the youngest (78 in a few weeks). Anne is the oldest, 91 years old. Agnes also has three older brothers: Bud, Bill and Jack.

L-R: Anne, Agnes, Eileen, Mary, and Peggy, 3/17/2019

Tuesday, March 12, 2019 Gary Larson

SIDE BY SIDE


17. *Wall-hidden sliding portal: POCKET DOOR.  Side pocket and door side. 

39. *Serve, as stew: DISH OUT.  Side dish and outside.

11. *Fixture on a ceiling rail: TRACK LIGHT.  Sidetrack and sidelight.

28. *Google Maps option: STREET VIEW. Street side and sideview.

60. Together, and a hint to both parts of the answers to starred clues: SIDE BY SIDE.

I guess we could also have side door, track side and side street.  Any others ?

Across:

1. "We burger as good as we pancake" chain: IHOP.   The International House of Pancakes' publicity stunt of changing their logo to IHOb and using social media to create the buzz turned out to be marketing magic.  Hamburger sales quadrupled and same-store sales increased nearly 1 percent.


5. Ring-shaped reef: ATOLL.

10. www code: HTML.   An initialism for Hypertext Markup Language.   Click the blue hypertext link to read the Wikepedia article on the co-inventor of the concept of markup languages.

14. The "M" of MSG: MONO.  Monosodium glutamate.  The flavor enhancer.   The MSG Symptom Complex - No definitive evidence.

15. Greek played by Anthony Quinn: ZORBA.


16. Badly damaged Asian sea: ARAL.

19. Food truck snack: TACO.  and 5d,  Ancient Mexican: AZTEC.   Aztec Dave's is a popular rolling cocina Mexicano in Chicago.

20. Prepared (oneself), as for a difficult task: STEELED. 

21. Planned with little detail: SKETCHY.

23. Thanksgiving Day Parade sponsor: MACY'S. 

25. Pedaled in a triathlon: BIKED.   Swim, cycle and run.

26. Trowel wielder: MASON.  My friend enlisted in the Air Force and signed up for electronics.  Testing revealed he was shade blind, so they made him a mason instead.  After the Air Force he became a programmer.  He still denies that he is shade blind.  The colors clash on the walls in his home.

29. Remove the rind from: UNPEEL.


32. Letter-routing abbr.: ATTN.

33. "The Bathers" painter: RENOIR.  Easily perped.  Wouldn't have known it from the clue.

35. Suppositions: IFs.  A few IFs in this Easy Listening song:


38. Feb. follower: MAR.

40. Old Prizm maker: GEO.  Under the trimmings, the Prizm was basically a Toyota Corolla

41. Sports drink suffix: ADE.

42. Wedding venues: ALTARS.  According to Wikipedia, the aforementioned song by Bread, If, became very popular at weddings and receptions.

43. Back in the day: THEN.

44. Writer Hemingway: ERNEST.

46. Like craft shows: ARTSY.  Etsy is full of artsy creations.  You knew that.

47. Sean who played a hobbit: ASTIN.  He played Samwise Gamgee.  Wilbur Charles probably knew that. 

49. Reef explorer's gear: SCUBA.  My first exposure to scuba was on the TV program Sea Hunt, starring Lloyd Bridges. 

52. Split, as the loot: DIVVY UP.  Chicagoans and her suburbanites know Divvy as the bicycle sharing program.

55. Oyster season, so they say: R MONTHS.  Months that have the letter R.

59. "Would __ to you?": I LIE.   The Eurythmics.  Annie Lennox and David Stewart.  Synthopop and R&B.   Jinx referenced another hit song for the Eurythmics yesterday in his comments.  That was their "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" song.  


62. Above: OVER.

63. Gladden: ELATE.   Dan Gladden of the Minnesota Twins elated fans with his Game 1 Grand Slam in the '87 World Series, and with his aggressive base running that led to the only run scored in Game 7 of the '91 World Series.   The Twins won both World Series, besting the Atlanta Braves each time in 7 games.   The 1991 World Series has been hailed by ESPN as the Greatest World Series of All Time.

64. "My treat": ON ME.

65. Wood cutters: SAWS.

66. Meal with matzo: SEDER.

67. "Downton Abbey" employee: MAID.

Down:

1. Rascals: IMPS.

2. Laugh-a-minute: HOOT.

3. __ and for all: ONCE.   Expressed using other words...  "Now, and for the last time."

4. Critters hunted in a 2016 mobile app: POKEMON.  Pokemon Go was an augmented reality game that launched in 2016.  Wildly popular among gamers,  it was much criticized by authorities as trespasses, accidents and fatalities ensued.

6. Hot spiced drink: TODDY.   Irish Whisky, Honey, Lemon and a dash of Cloves.

7. "__ y Plata": Montana motto: ORO.

8. Wall St. deals: LBOs.  Leveraged Buyouts at Investopedia.

9. Small songbird: LARK.

10. McDaniel of "Gone With the Wind": HATTIE.  No idea. Perps.

12. Papier-__: MACHE.  Fun for children and the artsy-crafty people that sell on Etsy.

13. Frank __ Wright: LLOYD.

18. Panache: ELAN.  As exhibited by the 2019 Supra that will be coming to showrooms later this year.

22. Movie critic Roger: EBERT.

24. Broad-brimmed beach bonnets: SUN HATS.    I don wide-brimmed straw hats when mowing the lawn and gardening.  Yeah, that sounds awkward.  "I wear " sounds better.   Just don't forget to doff your hat to the ladies.

26. Cry from a crib: MAMA.

27. Just barely: A TAD.  

30. American-born Jordanian queen: NOOR.  Queen Noor of Jordan at Biography.com

31. Name of 12 popes: PIUS.  The list is copied from Wikipedia.

There have been 12 Roman Catholic Popes named Pius.  Click the links if you want to learn about each papacy.

• Pope Pius I (c. 140–154; officially listed as 142/146 – 157/161)
• Pope Pius II (1458–1464)
• Pope Pius III (1503)
• Pope Pius IV (1559–1565)
• Pope Pius V (1566–1572)
• Pope Pius VI (1775–1799)
• Pope Pius VII (1800–1823)
• Pope Pius VIII (1829–1830)
• Pope Pius IX (1846–1878)
• Pope Pius X (1903–1914)
• Pope Pius XI (1922–1939)
• Pope Pius XII (1939–1958)

 33. Really anger: RILE.

34. Appraisal amts.: ESTS.  Amounts / Estimates.

36. Professional charges: FEES.

37. PlayStation maker: SONY.  Is this the the original ?

39. "__ Boy": Irish song: DANNY.  

43. Narrow window: TRANSOM.   Typically over doors and windows, as shown here with a pair of sidelights adjacent the door.

45. Mississippi and Missouri: RIVERS.  A couple of ems, and a lot of esses and ies.

46. "It's __!": nursery cry: A BOY.

47. Pablo's parting: ADIOS.  Actually,  Pablo was bi-lingual, and had crossed the Pyrenees to visit friends in France.  Upon leaving, he bade his friends adieu.   That's my excuse for having to change the answer when the perps didn't fit.

48. Thriller writer Daniel: SILVA.  No clue for me, but the perps were solid.   Daniel Silva Books: The Complete Listing

50. Minos' kingdom: CRETE.   It's all Greek (mythology) to me.   Only a passing interest.

51. "Raw" pigment: UMBER.  Originally from the region of Umbria, Italy.  

53. Applications: USES.

54. Heap: PILE.

56. Singer Turner: TINA.  Here with Ike singing Proud Mary:


57. Port on many TVs: HDMI.   High-Definition Multimedia Interface.   The proprietary digital implementation replacing analog video signals.

58. Start of a flower: SEED.

61. Family man: DAD.

Tuesday, March 5, 2019 MaryEllen Uthlaut

"MIXING BOWL"

17. Smartphone condition resolved by recharging: LOW BATTERY.  My cell phone only works when it is plugged in. 

32. Unable to see because of reflected sunlight: SNOW BLIND.   Dr Bruce Haight might diagnose this condition as photokeratitis,  but I'm guessing he probably doesn't see many cases in his southern California practice.

38. "The West Wing" actor: ROB LOWE.

46. Martin Waddell book about birds missing their mother: OWL BABIES.


61. Baker's staple, and a hint to this puzzle's circles: MIXING BOWL.

My site search of the Corner suggests that MaryEllen doesn't construct for the LA Times very often but when she does,  it's always pleasant, and fresh.    I enjoyed the cluing and seeing some answers we don't encounter very often.   

Across:

1. Like a pendulum's path: ARCED.

6. Tinted: HUED.

10. Loading platform: DOCK.

14. Question before "Yes, you!": WHO ME ?  Simple but lovely.

15. Gumbo pod: OKRA.

16. Dark purple berry: ACAI.  ah-sigh-EE.   Today I learned that they are dark purple and how to pronounce the word.

19. Geeky type: NERD.   I have geeky tendencies that came with the career.

20. Succulent plant genus: ALOE.

21. Went out in the sloop: SAILED.  I can't help but think of John B when I read that word.  It's the only association this landlubber has for it.


23. Not quite closed: AJAR. Hahtoolah has a joke for this word that is rated G - All Audiences.

26. Antlered grazers: ELKS.

29. Brawl: MELEE.   Often seen in Ice Hockey games.  Field Hockey,  not so much. 

30. Short-legged Welsh dog breed: CORGI.  The Queen's favorites. 

34. Quimby girl of kid-lit: RAMONA.  "...when Cleary wrote from Ramona's point of view, all of the little girl's actions made perfect sense."

36. "The Time Machine" race: ELOI.   H.G. Wells  popularized the enduring Sci Fi trope of time travel, just as Mary Shelley popularized the motif of mad scientists in Frankenstein. 

37. Letters after ems: ENS.   Plurals of the 13th and 14th letters of the English alphabet.  I doubt we would see a similar clue for the 16th letter. 

40. Press into service: USE.

43. __ history: ORAL.

44. Buy eagerly, as discount goods: SNAP UP.

51. One getting private instruction: TUTEE.  Tutor/tutee.  Mentor/mentee. 

52. Pottery remnant: SHARD.

53. What snakes' tongues sense: ODOR. 

55. Take a nap: DOZE.   Anonymous T !  Wake up !

56. Brunch cocktail: MIMOSA.  Tinbeni can wet his whistle if he likes champagne with his brunch.

58. Hawaiian feast: LUAU.  Poi, pig, poke, pineapple and punch, and hopefully some music to set the mood. 

60. Mishmash: OLIO.  Hodgepodge.

67. Texter's button: SEND.  Please don't text while driving.  Spread the word. 

68. __ out a living: EKED.

69. Bee product: HONEY.

70. Neither calm nor collected: EDGY.

71. Loch __ monster: NESS.   Nellie. 

72. Cell terminal: ANODE.   The other terminal is the cathode.   I ordered a new battery for my cell phone. 

Down:

1. Tool for making eyelet holes: AWL.

2. P-like Greek letter: RHO.

3. "Eat Mor Chikin" sign holder in Chick-fil-A ads: COW.

An iconic advertising campaign that started with a pair of rebel cows painting a billboard.


4. Trade restriction: EMBARGO.

5. Word with fair and square: DEAL.  And real.

6. Lodging spots: HOTELS.

7. 58-Across instrument: UKE.   Good choice for a luau. 

8. Go wrong: ERR.   I don't know whether the ad agency was promoting the dress or the clutch,  but I'm pretty sure that mirrors don't work that way.

9. Common work shift: DAYS.

10. Explorer Boone: DANIEL. 

11. Eyelike spots: OCELLI.    Not your common Tuesday crossword word.  

The Peacock's 'Tuneful' Tail Feathers

12. Tilt dangerously around corners: CAREEN.  A Google site search indicates this word has been an answer in only three LA Times crosswords since C.C. started this blog.   

13. Teased: KIDDED.

18. Sock part: TOE.

22. Atmospheric kind of music: AMBIENT.   We had ambience as an answer in Bruce Haight's puzzle last Thursday,  and it is an uncommon answer,  but we've seen ambient as an answer even less.  We mostly see it as a clue, as in "Ambient music pioneer Brian ___."

23. Plot measure: ACRE.

24. Author Didion: JOAN.  Author, The Year of Magical Thinking

25. Weaponry: ARMS.

27. Tolled mournfully: KNELLED.  A rare answer in LA Times crossword puzzles.  The only occurrence I could find was a Jeffrey Weschler Friday puzzle in 2014.

28. By oneself: SOLO.

31. Sudden attacks: INROADS.  2nd definition.  I think more in terms of the 1st:  Bits of progress, advancements. 

33. Dazzles: WOWS.

35. 50-50 choice, perhaps: A OR B. 

39. Scott of "Happy Days": BAIO.    He played Chachi. 

40. __-the-minute: UP TO.  I'm jaded by the major news TV outlets and all of the "Breaking News" headlines that are anything but. 

41. Canal in a 1956 dispute: SUEZ. 

42. Fencing sword: EPEE.

45. Society named for an ornithologist: AUDUBON.   The only occurrence I could find was a Pam Amick Klawitter Friday puzzle in 2016.

46. Seep slowly through: OSMOSE.   Another rare answer.  A Brad Wilber Saturday and a Bruce Haight Wednesday. 

47. Caused to pass (away), as time: WHILED.  A Google site search proved to me that I've never seen this in a clue or an answer for LA Times crossword puzzle.  Only in comments. 

48. Causing to limp, say: LAMING.   Pretty much the same as above, but as far I can tell, no one has ever used this word even in the comments section. 

49. Feeling depressed: BROODY.   We've seen the word in clues, but I couldn't find it as an answer.

50. Geometric category: SOLIDS.

54. Sprint: RUN.

57. "Yes indeed!": AMEN.   You can say that again. 

59. Muslim honorific: AGHA.

62. '50s White House nickname: IKE.   DDE becomes CIC of the country.

63. Simple signatures: XES.

64. Yoko from Tokyo: ONO.

65. United in marriage: WED.

66. Cleaning chemical: LYE.

It's not as if there wasn't a lot of common crossword fill.   There was, and that's not unusual for a Tuesday puzzle.   But I was struck by the uncommon answers, and it added to my enjoyment.   I hope you enjoyed it as well.

Tuesday, February 26, 2019 Peter Koetters

"SMILE"


17. *Wonderland feline known for disappearing: CHESHIRE CAT.

56. *Da Vinci's "La Gioconda," to some English speakers: THE MONA LISA.

11. *"Have a nice day" graphic: HAPPY FACE.

33. *Celtic peepers of song: IRISH EYES.  "When Irish eyes are smiling, sure, they steal your heart away..."

JJM's children.  Smiling Irish eyes !

48. Expression shared by the answers to starred clues: SMILE.
 
I hope that Peter's puzzle brought a smile to your face. 

Across:

1. Brewery in Golden, Colorado: COORS.  Looks like a pretty big operation.

6. Fast-food package deal: COMBO.

11. Color variant: HUE.

14. Gelatin garnish: ASPIC.

15. French word of farewell: ADIEU.

16. 24-hr. cash source: ATM.  Mixed messages here:

19. Nonstick spray brand: PAM.

20. "Hints from" columnist: HELOISE.

21. Weaken from disuse: ATROPHY.

23. Manhattan area to the right of Central Park, on maps: EAST SIDE.

 NYC Maps and Guides

25. __ a soul: NARY.

26. Corp. symbols: TMS.  Trademarks.

27. Stopgap remedy: QUICK FIX.

31. Small jazz groups: TRIOS.

34. "Designing Women" actress Delta: BURKE.   She played Susan Sugarbaker.

 Where are they now ?

35. Senate approval: AYE.

36. One of a bath towel pair: HERS.

37. Rocky outcroppings: CRAGS.

38. Capone facial mark: SCAR.   Chicago's Public Enemy # 1 in 1930.

39. Prefix with dermis: EPI.

40. Laundry slide: CHUTE.

41. 7-Down and such: POEMS.

42. Virus-transmitting insect: MOSQUITO.   The most dangerous creature on earth.

44. __ Francisco: SAN.   Capone spent four and a half years at a little island off the San Francisco coast.  

45. Sting or smart: HURT.

46. Musical wrap-ups: REPRISES.

51. Free sample restriction: ONE EACH.   “1.46 pounds of summer sausage and beef stick samples.”

54. Title savant in a 1988 Oscar-winning film: RAIN MAN.   The movie won four Academy Awards, including Best Actor in a Leading Role for Dustin Hoffman as Rain Man (Raymond).  CSO to Rainman (Ray Hedrick) on this blogspot who co-constructed crosswords with C.C. and Mark McClain.

55. Invest in: BUY.

58. Scratch (out): EKE.

59. Dog-__: folded at the corner: EARED.

  

Poll Results: Do You Dog-Ear Pages In Books?

60. In finer fettle: HALER.

61. "Absolutely": YES.

62. Swiped: STOLE.

63. Gothenburg native: SWEDE.

Down:

1. Secret stash: CACHE.

2. "Straight Outta Compton" actor __ Jackson Jr.: O'SHEA.   "The son of  O'Shea Jackson, Sr., actor __ Jackson Jr."  would have made the answer too obvious.

He played his father in the movie.

3. Some German cars: OPELS.

4. Italian rice dishes: RISOTTOS.

5. Religious rifts: SCHISMS.

6. Gave a darn: CARED.

7. Neruda wrote one to common things: ODE.

• Ode to things
• Ode to the table
• Ode to the chair
• Ode to the bed
• Ode to the guitar
• Ode to a violin in California
• Ode to the dog
• Ode to the cat
• Ode to some yellow flowers
• Ode to a cluster of violets
• Ode to the gillyflower
• Ode to a bar of soap
• Ode to a pair of socks
• Ode to the dictionary
• Ode to a pair of scissors
• Ode to a box of tea
• Ode to the spoon
• Ode to the plate
• Ode to the orange
• Ode to the apple
• Ode to bread
• Ode to the artichoke
• Ode to the onion
• Ode to the tomato
• Ode to French fries.

He must have been getting hungry towards the end.

8. Layered mineral: MICA.

9. '50s-'60s nonconformists: BEATNIKS.

10. Run faster than: OUT RACE.  No woman has ever run faster than Florence Griffith-Joyner.   She ran the women's 100 meter dash in a world record 10.49 seconds in 1988.   She also set the 200m world record that year. 

In 2009, Usain Bolt set the men's world record for the 100 meter dash with a time of 9.58 seconds.     He was clocked at at an amazing 27.58 MPH - fast enough to get a speeding ticket in a school zone !   He also set the 200m record that year. 

Those four records still stand.   But when it comes to running fast, no land animal can out race a cheetah.   It can go 0 to 60 MPH in about 3 seconds.   That's faster than most production cars.    

12. Great Salt Lake state: UTAH.

13. TV award: EMMY.

18. Egyptian fertility goddess: ISIS.

22. "Mork & Mindy" planet: ORK.

24. Largest ring of latitude: EQUATOR.

Imaginary Circles and Notable Latitudes

28. Hard-to-ignore impulse: URGE.

29. Start of Popeye's existential maxim: I YAM.

30. Gen-__: post-boomers: X'ERS.

31. The bad guys: THEM.

32. Auctioned auto, perhaps: REPO.  A repossession for an unpaid loan. 

34. Champagne choice: BRUT.

37. Idle talk: CHIT-CHAT.   Small talk.  Fiddle-faddle.   In the study of languages, the phrase chit-chat is an example of reduplication.   Other examples would be ding-dong,  zig-zag,  boob-tube, hip-hop and kitty-cat.  Thought Co: Reduplicative Words

38. Kin by marriage: SON-IN-LAW.

40. Oversees, as a gallery collection: CURATES.

41. Social outcasts: PARIAHS. 

43. "__ Sera, Sera": QUE.  Such a pretty voice.


44. Stretch across: SPAN.

47. Slowly wear down: ERODE.

49. Relaxed, as rules: EASED.

50. Hunter's trap: SNARE.

51. Do as you're told: OBEY.

52. Zap for dinner: NUKE.

53. Courageous one: HERO.

57. Country singer Tillis: MEL.  Let's have some honky-tonk music with a steel guitar.  "You walked across my heart like it was Texas."   Ah, sing it Mel.

 
Note from C.C.:

The prostate cancer surgery for Nina's (Inanehiker) brother is now re-scheduled to 12:30 today at the VA hospital in San Antonio, Texas. Please continue keeping him in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you!