Thursday December 10, 2020 David Distenfeld

 Greetings!

The themers for today's puzzle are word pairs: the first an anagram of the second, the second an animal of some sort:

17A. *Bovine that doesn't waste words?: TERSE STEER.  He doesn't chew his cud twice ...

 24A. *Dog that had a few too many?: LOOPED POODLE.  Here's lickin' at ya kids. Hic! 

 34A. *Sheep that can't see over the pasture wall?: WEE EWE.  She's so wee that we can't even see her.

 41A. *Insect that caught some rays?: TAN ANT. I thought this guy was one of the latest regenerations of Dr. Who. Here he is with his sonic screwdriver, a must have for MacGyvers. I betcha Anon-T would love to add one of those to his toolkit!

48A. *Weasel-family critter wearing clothes?: GARBED BADGER. Badgers, like skunks, are members of the family Mustelidae and distant relatives of 18D.

And  the reveal: 60A. Leave one's car unlawfully ... or where you might expect to find the creatures in the answers to starred clues?: DOUBLE PARK. This is one of the many ways to park illegally, but perhaps one of the potentially most serious, especially if the blocked vehicle belongs to an on call EMT.  I get the DOUBLE in the first half of the answer, but I'm MIA on PARK.  Ants  and badgers perhaps, but not steers and poodles (except maybe on a leash).

 The rest of the clues:

Across:

1. Arizona locale for MLB spring training fans: MESA . And here's where the fans sit, in Hohokam Stadium. Named for the Hohokam Indians, a tribe indigenous to the Mesa area. They were an agricultural society, known for building extensive networks of irrigation canals. They prospered in this area until their civilization was destroyed by a great drought in the mid 15th century.

 

5. __ breath: bouquet filler: BABY'S.

10. Human rights lawyer Clooney: AMAL.  Rosemary's niece-in-law.

14. Enthusiastic: AVID.

15. Crush the final: ACE IT.

16. Nosh: BITE.

19. Class struggle?: EXAM.

20. Court events: TRIALS.

21. Glitz: GLAM.

23. Central Park tree: ELM

27. Approach evening: LATEN.  I thought this was a language?

30. __ Canadiens: Montréal team: LES.

31. Stenographer's stat: WPM.

32. Big Ten sch.: OSU.

33. "I __ had!": WAS.

37. Choice cut: SIRLOIN.  Shouldn't that be "Soreloin?" Ouch!

40. Fair treat: CORN DOG.

42. Scatter, as seed: SOW.

43. Having one sharp: ING.  IIRC the same an an A Flat. CSO to any musicians out there ...?

44. Morning hrs.: AMS

45. Downed: ATE

46. Tests for future OBs: MCATS.

52. 2019 event for Pinterest, briefly: IPO.  Well picture that!

53. Legal wrong: TORT.  Scrumptious...

54. Ultimatum words: OR ELSE.

58. Border: ABUT.  Politer synonyms: tush, keister, derriere.

62. Mudville number: NINE.

63. Exclusive, as a community: GATED.  Also an internet routing protocol, for all you Linux geeks.

64. Pop singer Sands: EVIE.

65. "Meet the Press" moderator: TODD.

66. Perfect places: EDENS.  In Xwds EDENS are always depicted as "perfect", but I think there was a snake in the grass there (or in a tree maybe).

67. Talk back to: SASS.  When you're a little kid this is a great way to get your ivories cleaned with Ivory soap.

Down:

1. "The Simpsons" creator Groening: MATT.  Has anybody seen this? I watched it only when it was used to close the old Tracey Ullman Show and then lost track of it. I'm familiar with a lot of the characters though because the show is virally mnemic, especially in Xwd puzzles. I hear it's pretty funny.

2. "Did you __?!": EVER.  I haven't lived long enough yet.

3. iPhone assistant: SIRI.  Ssh. I hear she might be listening!

4. Source of website revenue: AD SALE.

5. Low voice: BASSO.  Very profundo.

6. Take steps: ACT.

7. Disco trio with a Grammy Legend Award: BEE GEES.  Another CSO to Anon-T.

8. Cedes the floor: YIELDS.

9. Guitar band: STRAP.  CSO to HuskerGary who told the funny story about his guitar strap breaking while he was performing at a friend's wedding?

10. Prez on a penny: ABE.

11. Eclectic art technique: MIXED MEDIA.

12. In the least: AT ALL.  Or a bar order, particularly for a double shot of whiskey?

13. "I wanna!": LEMME.

18. SpaceX CEO Musk: ELON. see 48A.

22. Links machine: MOWER.  Our lawn tractor is on the blink and Dw has been keeping the lawn trimmed with a hand mower, as YT is now "too busy" to do it.

25. Have in mind: PLAN.  IMHO planning is a lost art.

26. Links event: OPEN.  I don't watch much sports on TV, but I do find watching golf to be very relaxing.

27. Without a clue: LOST.  Welcome to a large and growing group.

28. Bangkok locale: ASIA.

29. React to a missed exit: TURN AROUND.

33. Clever one: WIT.

34. "Holy moly!": WOW.  A mincing of the phrase "holy Moses", popularized in the 1940s by the character Captain Marvel in the DC Comics' comic book of the same name.

35. Habit: WONT.

36. Breakfast fare: EGGS.

38. Moussaka meat: LAMB.  See 34A.  The absolutely best thing to make with eggplants. We had a bumper crop this year.

39. Start: ONSET.

40. Like some dorms: COED.

42. Law: STATUTE.

45. Visiting Vietnam, say: ABROAD.

46. Scant: MERE.  Also a French Mama.

47. Breakfast fare: CREPES.  46D's make them a lot.

48. Colossal: GIANT.  I read recently that some archaeologists now believe that Goliath wasn't nearly as tall as his press agents claimed him to be.

49. Sitcom set in a H.S. science class: AP BIO.  Didn't have these back in the day. Did take advanced biology with Mr. Pottler though.  Great teacher.

50. Duck: DODGE.

51. Desired medals: GOLDS.

55. Etna output: LAVA.

56. Hindu titles: SRIS.

57. Scrapes (out): EKES.  As opposed to "eeks", freaks out.

59. "Ideas worth spreading" conference: TED.  Well, some ideas anyway.

61. Folds of music: BEN.

Here's the grid:

I thank you all for coming, and as this is my first outing I thank CC for inviting me to the party, and for MalMan, Moe, TTP, and Anon-T for keeping me from drowning in the puns bowl.

 

waseeley, but you can call me Bill.

Notes from C.C.:

1) I'm very pleased to tell you that Bill (waseeley) has agreed to join our team. He'll share the Thursday blogging duties with Joseph. Here's Bill, whose grandson Ray is from Harbin, China.

 

2) Here is Ðave, who has corrected many mistakes in my blog write-ups over the years. This picture was taken yesterday. Tell us why you start with a special Ð!

Thursday, December 3, 2020, Kevin Salat

 

Good morning to you, cruciverbalists, from your local manifestly malodorous marine mammal.  It is now December and it has been a full week since this year's Thanksgiving holiday observances.  Whatever the form yours may have taken let us hope that everyone has stayed well.

The August 1, 2020 Crossword Corner post has some comments by, and biographical information about, today's constructor, Kevin Salat.  You may find it worth the time to peruse it.  Here is a link:

Saturday August 1, 2020

THEME:  It Is A Far, Far Better Rest

For today's puzzle, Kevin has created a theme that is good.  No, it is better than that.  In fact, it is quite literally:

At three locations in the puzzle Kevin has placed a synonym for CUT directly above the word REST.  All are found among the Across clues/answers and the answer at 63 Across does  double duty.  It not only serves as part of the theme but it is also the reveal.

16 Across.  Outshine: ECLIPSE.

18 Across.  The Home of the highest terrestrial biodiversity: RAIN FOREST CANOPY.

_____

37 Across.  ICU hookups: I V DRIPS.  In the Intensive Care Unit they might hook you up to one or more IntraVenous DRIPS.

41 Across.  Airbag, e.g.: PASSIVE RESTRAINT

_____

61 Across.  Extra: SPARE.

63  Across.  Superior ... or what this puzzle's circled letters represent?: A CUT ABOVE THE REST. 

A look at the Answer Grid shows the placements.  It would have been just a touch more elegant if Kevin, somehow, had found a way to work in a four letter synonym for CUT at 37 Across.  Then all of the pairs would have stacked four letters over four letters.  That, however, is a mere nit to pick.

Across:

1. It's not clear: BLUR.   On the other hand, this graphic is clearly BLURry.

5. Strategic corporate name change: RE-BRAND.  An almost, but not quite, made-up word (aren't they all) using RE.  Not all RE-BRANDing represents an improvement.

12. Expert: PRO.  This could have been clued as Con con.

Can Can

15. Arm bone: ULNA.  Alternative clue:  Bone commonly found in crossword puzzles.

17. Cornish game __: HEN.  A straightforward fill-in-the--blank clue.

A Cornish Game Hen (Precooked)

21. Partner of mirrors: SMOKE.  The expression "SMOKE and Mirrors" is used to describe the obscuring or embellishing of the truth with misleading or irrelevant information.

22. What duct tape has a lot of: USES.  You only need two items in your tool box.  If it does not move and it should - USE the WD40.  If it moves and it should not - USE the duct tape.  There is a brand of Duct Taped called Duck Tape.

23. Computer operating system with a penguin mascot: LINUX.

24. Color like khaki: TAN.  This could also have been clued as Bask in the sun, or Wallop, or, as we recently saw, Something done to leather.

25. Little helper?: ASST.   In this instance, when combined with the question mark, "Little" tells us that the answer will be an abbreviated version of a synonym for helper - ASSistanT.

27. Identify: PEG.  A legitimate answer, as in "I've got you PEGged" and just enough of a stretch to be quite clever.

28. Texter's segue: BTW.  Shorthand for By The Way.

29. Building up: AMASSING.

34. 3-Down concern: SCAB.   3-Down's answer is UNION.  A SCAB is a strikebreakers who works at a place where, and when, the unionized workers are on strike.

40. 19th Greek letter: TAU.

44. Craft measured in cubits: ARK.  Recently, we asked the question "What's a cubit?"  A cubit is an ancient measure of length approximately equal to a person's forearm.  Noah was instructed to build an ARK that was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high.

A Full-Scale Version of Noah's Ark

45. What chefs do often: RETASTE.  Another almost-made-up word formed by sticking RE at the beginning.   Is Linquish a word?

46. Single-file travelers, at times: ANTS.

47. "King Arthur's Song" musical: SPAMALOT.  No it isn't.  Yes it is.

King Arthur's Song

49. Red or Ross: SEA.  The Red SEA borders Asia and Africa.  The Ross Sea abuts Antarctica.

51. Were, now: ARE.  A riff on verb tenses.

52. Baja's opposite: ALTA.  In English, lower and upper.  We often see Spanish words in the puzzles.  French, also.  Rarely, Slovene.

54. __ Mahal: TAJ.  Probably a reference to the tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah in Agra but it could also be a reference to this gentleman:

Taj Mahal - "Fishin' Bues"

57. Chew out: SCOLD.

59. Fast-food option: TO GO.  In some jurisdictions, today, the only option is to order your meal TO GO.  Also, the name of a dog hero in a 2019 Walt Disney movie.  It was rated PG - for those here who might be curious.

66. Relations: KIN.  Relations as in family relatives and not, for example, algebraic - reflexive, symmetric, transitive or anti symmetric.  Can you think of other types of relations?  I knew that you could.

67.  Part of the CMYK color model:  MAGENTA.  Cyan, Yellow and Black (aka "Key") are the other colors.  One reason that black is referred to as "Key" in this model is because in the German version there is already a color that starts with the letter B (blau).

68. Bassoon cousin: OBOE.  OBOEs often appear in crossword puzzles.  One of the most famous OBOE passages is from Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev.  The OBOE plays the part of the Duck.

The Duck

69. It can cover a lot of ground: SOD.  Installing rolls of SOD can provide a very nice form of instant gratification.

70. Specter: PHANTOM.

The Phantom of the Opera

71. Puts on: DONS.  Doff and DON both date to the 14th century with Doff coming from a phrase meaning "to do off" and DON coming from one meaning "to do on".

Down:

1. Rupture: BURST.

2. Cub : bear :: cria : ___: LLAMA.  While he is not familiar with the word "cria", this debonair dugong is  familiar with the sophisticated art of poetry. 

        The one-L Lama, he's a priest

        The two-L Llama, he's a beast

        And I will bet a silk pajama

        There isn't any three-L Lllama

                                        --- Ogden Nash

3. Group with a rep: UNION.

4. Arrange in order: RANK.

Some USMC Ranks, In Order

 

5. Rock's __ Speedwagon: REO.  The original REO Speedwagon was a truck designed in 1915 by Ransom E. Olds.  The eponymous rock  band was formed more than fifty years later, in  1967.

An REO Speedwagon Truck 

6. Beige relatives: ECRUS.  We abide the recurring appearance of ECRU because it is a very constructor-friendly combination of letters.  But the plural somehow seems far less acceptable.  Greens or Blues or Reds seem okay.  Maybe that's because those words all have alternative meanings.

7. Hallowed: BLEST.  An archaic form of Blessed.  BLEST is (s)he who expects no gratitude for (s)he shall not be disappointed.

8. What yeast makes dough do: RISE.  The current pandemic has resulted in a significant RISE in the number of people making bread at home.  

9. Bldg. units: APTS.  APartmenTS

10. Situation Room gp.: NSC.  The gp abbreviation tells us that the answer, the National Security Council, will also be abbreviated.

11. "You're on!": DEAL.  As in "It's a DEAL."

12. Do the minimum: PHONE IT IN.  A colloquialism for dong something in a perfunctory or unenthusiastic manner.

13. Vile: REPUGNANT.

What, No Mitt?

14. Black stone: ONYX.  Have you ever searched online for a color photograph of ONYX?

19. Bowling a 300, e.g.: FEAT.  The odds of a professional blower bowling a perfect game are said to be approximately 460 to 1.  The odds for the average bowler are about 11,500 to 1.

20. Pinches: NIPS.  NIPS has many definitions of which pinches is one.

26. Turn while seated: SWIVEL.

28. MLB scorecard entries: BBS.  Base on BallS more commonly called Walks.  Barry Bonds holds the Major League Baseball record with 2, 558.

29. Wonder Woman adversary: ARES.  Long before Wonder Woman was just a glint in her mother's eyes, ARES was the Greek God of War.  He often appears in crossword puzzles clued as a belligerent being or as the son of Zeus and/or Hera.

ARES

30. Drops above the ground: MIST.  I got lost in the MIST today and didn't have the foggiest idea where I was.

 

31. H.S. exam for college credit: AP TEST. Advanced Placement Test  It would be a safe bet that more than a few Cornerites have taken AP TESTS.

32. Georgia, once  ABBR.:  SSR  The former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics eventually encompassed fifteen nominally independent republics.  The clue was a bit of misdirection intended to have us think, I think,  of the U.S. State of Georgia or, perhaps, of a Ray Charles song.

33. Courage: GUTS.  Do you know what really takes GUTS?  Digestion.

34. Apt rhyme for "aahs": SPAS.

35. Italian dish of thinly sliced raw meat or fish: CARPACCIO.  By most accounts, the dish was named for the painter Vittore CARPACCIO who was known for the characteristic red and white tones of his work.

36. Do some informal polling: ASK AROUND.

38. Quash: VETO.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt holds the record for a U.S. President.  He issued 635 VETOs.  Grover Cleveland and Harry Truman RANK second and third with 584 and 250, respectively.

39. "Fiddlesticks!": DRAT.  Both are expressions of mild annoyance or irritation.  In the 17th century, Fiddlesticks (originally Fydylstyks) was appropriated from it's original usage as musical instrument bows and began to be used to indicate absurdity.

42. George's musical brother: IRA.  It is nice to see IRA with a Gershwin clue instead of a type of savings account.

43. Energizer size: AAA.  To get this one it helped to know that Energizer is a brand of batteries.

48. Liquefy: MELT.

50. State of comfort: EASE.  Also, the final word of Tom Lehrer's "It Makes A Fellow Proud To Be A Soldier" (1959).

"At Ease"

52. Secret __: AGENT.  Oxymoronically, there are many well-known Secret Agents - both in real life and from the world of entertainment.  Mel Brooks and Buck Henry created this one:

 

 

 

 

Maxwell Smart

53. Numbers game: LOTTO.  The CFO of my children's school once described the California State LOTTO as "A tax on the stupid."

54. Fitness portmanteau: TAE BO.  This portmanteau is a "mash up" of TAEkwondo and BOxing.

55. Burning issue?: ARSON.  We have seen this play on words before.  A clue meant to be taken quite literally.

56. Ballet leaps: JETES.

57. Upscale retailer: SAKS.  In September 15, 1924 SAKS Fifth Avenue opened their most recognizable store located between Forty-ninth Street and Fiftieth Street. 

SAKS Fifth Avenue

58. Slightly soggy: DAMP.  It's a myth that people's joints hurt because it's cold and DAMP.   'Turns out that it's a mist ache.

59. Frat party costume: TOGA.

60. One may be self-cleaning: OVEN.  There are several good reasons to never use your oven's the self-cleaning feature.

62. Spur: PROD.  I never knew how a grown man could cry at his own wedding until my father-in-law PRODded me with his shotgun. 

64. Cry of disgust: BAH.

65. Western omelet morsel: HAM.  A Western Omelet has eggs, salt, butter, bell pepper, scallions,  white cheese and, of course, HAM.  If you did not know the recipe the perps very likely bailed you out.

__________________________________________________

________________________________

 

MM Out

__________________________

Thursday November 26, 2020 Joe Deeney

Theme: DREAM SEQUENCE (53. Storytelling technique ... or what is altered in this puzzle's circles) - DREAM is scrambled.

19. 1936 anti-drug movie originally titled "Tell Your Children": REEFER MADNESS.

27. Anthropomorphic holiday cookies: GINGERBREAD MEN.

42. It restricts peacetime quartering of soldiers in private homes: THIRD AMENDMENT.

Boomer here again, filling in another Thursday slot.  

"Dream, Dream, Dream, Dream. All I have to do, is Dream." Everly Brothers. I hope everyone is healthy and safe. Graybar treated us to a great display of tasty food, since the annual Christmas luncheon has been cancelled. C.C. and I are having Thanksgiving dinner, probably today, tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday  Happy Thanksgiving to all of you out there. 

Across:

1. Antepenultimate Greek letter: CHI. Antepenultimate is "third last". 

 

 

4. Gone by: PAST.  We spent PAST Thanksgiving with family, but not this year.

8. "Love Story" author: SEGAL.

13. 17-Across opposite: SHUT. 17. 13-Across opposite: OPEN. Perry Mason used to solve these OPEN and SHUT cases.

14. W competitor: OMNI.  Traveling to Atlanta for a Braves game??  You may want to stay at the OMNI.  Bring your credit card

15. Out of it: LOOPY.

16. Targets: AIMS. 

18. Come after: ENSUE.  Willie - "My name is SUE, How do you do? "

22. Ski jump's approach ramp: IN RUN.  I have never RUN IN to one of these. 

23. Not turn: KEEP. As food.

24. Actress Graynor: ARI.

31. "The Last Jedi" heroine: REY.  My son was a Star Wars fanatic.  I thought a Lightsaber was a roll of candy.

32. Pronoun-shaped girder: I BEAM.

33. Scan used to diagnose migraines: HEAD MRI.  My head was fine, but I needed the MRI to find why my back wasn't healthy.  MRIs are not too much fun but it is what it is.

38. Cold War military force: RED ARMY.

40. Big name in metal: ALCOA.  Mainly aluminum.

41. Bid the most: WON.  It seems odd to say you WON a bid, because the next step is you have to pay.

49. Vicious on stage: SID. Punk rocker Sid Vicious. Our Minneapolis Star Tribune is still bemoaning the loss of sportswriter SID Hartman. Age 100.

50. Give off: EMIT.

51. "'And hast thou __ the Jabberwock?'": Carroll: SLAIN.

57. Assemblage: ARRAY.  I hope all of you have a tasty ARRAY of food on your table.

59. Get rid of: OUST.

60. Soda selection: COKE.  Sorry, I drink Diet Pepsi straight up.

61. Spirits: BOOZE.  I said straight up!

62. Emphatic Acapulco assent: SI, SI.

63. Didn't conceal: TOLD.

64. Deals with things: COPES.

65. Perched upon: ATOP.

66. __ blue: SKY.  "Blue SKY, smilin' at me, nothin' but blue sky, do I see." Willie Nelson.

Down:

1. "The Daily Show" correspondent Ronny: CHIENG. Malaysian comedian.

 

 

2. Upper arm bones: HUMERI.  Funny bones I guess.

3. Carnival ride cry: IT'S FUN.  "We had joy, we had FUN, we had seasons in the sun."  Terry Jacks.

4. Like a grade of D: POOR.  Better than an "F".

5. Alarm clock toggle: AM PM.  I have not used an alarm clock in years back when we used to get up around 3 AM to get a good spot at the flea market. 

6. Quietly evade: SNEAK BY.

7. App with much swiping: TINDER.  I think it might burn also.

8. Melatonin, for one: SLEEP AID.  Never tried that.  Sometimes I might use a Motrin PM.  They work pretty well.  

9. Long periods: EONS.

10. Delicate fabric: GOSSAMER.  A light weight backpack, until you fill it up.

11. "The Simpsons" character with an 18-letter last name: APU.

12. Caustic chemical: LYE.

13. Delhi dress: SARI.

20. Lang. of Belize: ENG.

21. Used to be called: NEE.  Some ladies keep it as a middle name.

25. Paper package: REAM.  500 sheets

26. "__ Life": Beatles: IN MY. "There are places I'll remember, all my life though some have changed."

28. Throw wildly, say: ERR.

29. Portuguese king: REI.

30. Letters before a trade name: DBA.  Doing Business As

33. Kepi and kufi: HATS. Kepi is military. Kufi is like this.

34. K-12, in brief: EL HI.

35. Candy made with sour sugar: ACID DROP.

36. Palme __: film award: D'OR.

37. Flirted with, with "at": MADE EYES.  "I only have eyes for you"  The Flamingos.

38. Biographer Chernow: RON.

39. Get done with: END.  We are not there yet.

41. Diver's attire: WET SUIT.

43. Reddit interview, briefly: AMA.

44. Midmorning drink: MIMOSA.

45. The NCAA's Spartans: MSU.  In the Big Ten.  Tough competition in basketball for our Gophers.  Seems that a Gopher versus a Spartan is a bit of a mismatch.

46. Votes in: ELECTS.  We just did that.

47. Title Inuit in a 1922 film: NANOOK.  NANOOK of the north is a silent film mystery.  I think she was Paul Bunyan's girlfriend.

48. Sensitive, as a subject: TICKLY.

52. One in Maslow's hierarchy: NEED.  "As long as he NEEDS me". Judy Garland.

54. Level: RAZE.  Interesting.  RAZE is the opposite of RAISE.

55. Standard Oil brand: ESSO.  We do not have ESSO in Minn.  I think it's mainly farther north in Oh Canada.

56. Personal hygiene aid: Q TIP.

57. Robin Roberts' network: ABC.

58. Joey in the Hundred Acre Wood: ROO.

Here's my Turkey of the Year for the MN Bowling site.

Once again, enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday and stay safe. Vaccines are coming! Our turkey is now in the oven. Will be our meal for the next four days.

 

Boomer