Friday, December 9, 2016, Tony Caruso and C. C. Burnikel

Title 2 + 2 = 4.

In their third LAT collaboration of 2016, Tony (Anon-T) and C.C. take well known phrases or products which include a number and add 4 (four) to get the theme answer. The reveal is really cute, especially if you like golf. Not an easy puzzle, but it went smoothly. And we have a mini-Trojan War theme. It does feature quite a bit of interesting intermediate fill such as ALKALI,  DUELED, ORTEGA,  B.B.KING,  AENEAS, CLAUDE, EAT DIRT,  UPBRAID, COROLLA,  KNESSET, LIONS DEN, TENOR SAX...where do they all come from?

On with the show:

17A. Dutch vodka brand : KETEL FIVE (9). Ketel One plus four equals the joke.

24A. End of an Ernie Banks catchphrase about doubleheaders : LET'S PLAY SIX (11). Let's PLAY TWO showed the enthusiasm he always had for the game, and how nice to see Mr. Cub so soon after the Series.

36A. Powerful Detroit group : THE BIG SEVEN (11). The old line automobile BIG THREE are back on top after Toyota and Honda peaked.

47A. NCAA hockey semifinal group : FROZEN EIGHT (11). The FROZEN FOUR are the four finalists who vie for the NCAA men's hockey championship.
The reveal -
57A. Traditional golf pants, and a hint to why certain puzzle answers are wrong : PLUS FOURS (9).
Plus-fours are breeches or trousers that extend 4 inches (10 cm) below the knee (and thus four inches longer than traditional knickerbockers, hence the name). As they allow more freedom of movement than knickerbockers, they have been traditionally associated with sporting attire from the 1860s and onward, and are also particularly associated with golf. wiki. Revived in golf by Orville Moody and the late Payne Stewart.

Across:

1. Photoshop maker : ADOBE. Perhaps more famous for PDF.

6. Late __ : FEE.

9. Average Joes, e.g. : MALES.

14. Fishing needs : LURES.

15. Bill's future, maybe : LAW. No not our bicycle riding macchiato swigging Bill G., but a bill offered in congress.

16. Troy story : ILIAD. I love the simplicity and subtlety of this clue dredging up both the ancient myth and the modern myth - Toy Story.

19. Coin receivers : SLOTS. And that is why they are called slot machine.

20. Round orders : ALES. This round is on me!

21. Extraction target : ORE. There are no three letter teeth and SPY just did not work.

22. Hide in a crowd : BLEND. (in?)

23. Piano part : LEG. Piano leg has become a pejorative.

27. State bordering six others and the Canadian mainland : IDAHO. I was sorry to see the number in the clue. Canada gave away the answer for me.

29. Beam : RAY.

30. Beats Electronics co-founder : DRE. Only in America...BILLIONAIRE?

31. Rebuke : UPBRAID.

35. Checks out : VETS. In the strange history of American English, this term comes to us from horse racing. To vet was originally a horse-racing term, referring to the requirement that a horse be checked for health and soundness by a veterinarian before being allowed to race. Thus, it has taken the general meaning "to check" various.

38. Powerful pair : ACES. Bullets.

40. Parliament of Israel : KNESSET. They have a unicameral legislature. Formed in 1949, from Mishnaic Hebrew keneseth "gathering, assembly," from stem of Hebrew kanas "he gathered, assembled, collected."

41. Former Texas Rangers manager Washington : RON. He is the most successful manager in their HISTORY.

42. Grafton's "__ for Alibi" : A IS. The alphabet mysteries which started when she was 42 and have made it to X.

43. 2014 Olympics city : SOCHI. It was exciting then but NOW?

52. Chuckle online : LOL.

53. Borneo swinger : ORANG.

54. Jessica Rabbit feature : GAM.

55. Composer __ Maria von Weber : CARL.

                                                    I am not an expert on OPERA.


56. Mascot once awarded a Doctor of Bovinity degree : ELSIE. From the Ohio State University, I am told.

59. Santa __ : CLARA. Who lives there?

60. Charged particle : ION.

61. Bhopal locale : INDIA. Looks kind of dead center to me?

62. Burdens : TAXES.

63. Sitter's charge : TOT.

64. In dire straits : NEEDY.


Down:

1. Caustic potash, e.g. : ALKALI.  More than you need to KNOW.

2. Fought, in a way : DUELED.

3. Company with a Taco Club : ORTEGA. I have linked their bottle a couple of times.

4. Contests whose competitors stand in place : BEES. While they do stand in a spelling bee, not so much in a quilting bee.

5. Course for some U.S. arrivals : ESL. English as a Second Language was very important for my wife and I. Without it we would not have been able to successfully....

6. Tease : FLIRT.

7. Gutter sites : EAVES.

8. Woolly mama : EWE. Another sounds almost like clue (woolly mammoth).

9. Lose : MISLAY.

10. Way behind buildings : ALLEY. I like it!

11. Hostile place : LION'S DEN. The image comes from the Torah where Daniel is cast into the lions den by the Babylonians.

12. Swallow one's pride : EAT DIRT. A straight forward metaphor, but nice phrase.

13. Campus org. revived in 2006 : SDS. Popular once again.

18. Un-friend? : FOE. Another use of modern slang to beef up a simple fill.

22. Grass components : BLADES.

24. Bound : LOPE.

25. Finicky sort : PRISS.

26. Marks with two intersecting lines : XES.

28. Confused sounds : HUHS.

32. Blues singer in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 1987 : B. B. KING. Link.

33. Word before repeat : RINSE. On every shampoo bottle.

34. Sensitive subject for some : AGE.

35. Reject : VETO.

36. Clinton's instrument : TENOR SAX. I thought Monica said it was a cigar...

37. A tie may be partly under one : VEST.

38. Pound sound : ARF. Nice rhyme.

39. Toyota model : COROLLA.

42. Trojan who survived the sack of Troy : AENEAS. Aeneas was the son of Anchises and Venus. He was a cousin of King Priam of Troy, and was the leader of Troy's Dardanian allies during the Trojan War. After the fall of Troy, he led a band of Trojan refugees to Italy and became the founder of Roman culture (although not of the city of Rome itself). The story is told in this WORK.

44. First name in impressionism : CLAUDE. MONET. He did not do a good King Louis.

45. Plain awful : HORRID.

46. "Amen to that!" : I'LL SAY.

48. Rumble in the Jungle setting : ZAIRE. Where Ali unveiled the "rope-a-dope" to defeat George Foreman.

49. Inuit home : IGLOO.

50. More than skinny : GAUNT.

51. Bounty title : HMS. His/her Majesty's Ship.  True STORY.

55. Pine __ : CONE. Tree fit too.

56. Outside: Pref. : ECT. Endo and ecto...

57. Casino area : PIT.

58. Shark feature : FIN. Fin is also French for the the end, which means it is time for us to say adieu. Always such fun to blog a puzzle from C.C. University. Thank you Tony, C.C. and  all of you.




Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Hahtoolah, who never comes to the blog without an inspiring quote. Like Lucina, Hahtoolah has traveled extensively. She is also an avid reader.

The Corn Poppy

Tuesday, July 19 2016, Tony Caruso & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: All Ears  -  EAR is in the exact middle of each odd-lettered theme entry.





17. *"The San Francisco Treat" : RICE-A-RONI


38. *Decor for part of a floor : AREA RUG

11. *Question to a stranded driver : WHERE ARE YOU


26. *Confinement that might involve an ankle monitor : HOUSE ARREST

58. Site of the hammer, anvil and stirrup ... and a hint to the hidden word in the answers to starred clues : MIDDLE EAR

Melissa here. I found this a Tuesday-plus, or Wednesday level. Did not get the theme until it was over - was looking for something to connect the last words instead of the hidden word gimmick. Very clever MIDDLE EAR reveal.

Across 



1. Accessory for Batman or Robin : CAPE
. Got off on the wrong foot right away by plugging in MASK here.

5. Bleating babies : KIDS


9. Nasty marketing campaign : AD WAR. Needed perps for this one - all I could think of was SMEAR.

14. "Jeopardy!" first name : ALEX
. What is a gimme?

15. Run __: go haywire : AMOK


16. Kind of jacket named for a Hindu leader : NEHRU
. The jacket takes its name from India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. A profile of the Nehru jacket.

19. Ordered pizza, say : ATE IN


20. Covert fed. group : CIA
. Tried FBI first.

21. Current "American Dad!" network : TBS
. Had to guess.

23. Slices of history : ERAS


24. "Ouch!" : IT HURTS


28. Makes up (for) : ATONES


30. Life-of-the-party types : RIOTS
. Needed perps here, too.

31. Color in four-color printing : MAGENTA


33. Fever and chills : AGUE


34. Spider trap : WEB


35. Jury makeup : PEERS


37. Super __: game console : NES
. Nintendo Entertainment Center.


40. Moose kin : ELK


42. Actress Witherspoon : REESE


44. Half-pint : CUP. Or her nickname.

45. Color in four-color printing : CYAN


46. "This bears repeating ... " : AS I SAID


48. Solitary : ALONE


49. Zagreb natives : CROATS


 

50. On the way : EN ROUTE


52. Sharp comment : BARB


53. Taste : SIP


55. Batteries in TV remotes : AA'S


56. Frozen pop treats : ICEES


63. Deep opera voice : BASSO


64. Ronny Howard role : OPIE


65. Category : TYPE


66. Anti-wrinkle treatment : BOTOX


67. Swerve : VEER


68. Start of an idea : SEED




Down




1. Jaguar, e.g. : CAR
. Sometimes the simplest ones are the hardest. D'oh.

2. "Rumble in the Jungle" champ : ALI. From Wikipedia: "Attendance was about 60,000. Ali won by knockout, putting Foreman down just before the end of the eighth round. It has been called "arguably the greatest sporting event of the 20th century." Rumble in the Jungle in pictures.

 

3. Bench press target, briefly : PEC


4. Carry out, as a task : EXECUTE


5. Gold purity unit : KARAT


6. Texter's "I feel" : IMO
. In My Opinion.

7. "Please stop!" : DON'T


8. Commonly seen Colorado airport luggage : SKI BAG


9. Santa __ winds : ANA


10. Cold War thaw : DETENTE
. Definition: "The easing of hostility or strained relations, especially between countries."

12. Operatic solos : ARIAS. Can't wait to the movie based on this true story, trailer below.

 
13. Stocking woes : RUNS


18. Makes public : AIRS


22. Take on a challenge : STEP UP


24. Shah's realm, once : IRAN


25. Kellogg's Tony, e.g. : TIGER



27. Neverland pirate : SMEE


29. 10 C-notes : ONE G
. One Grand, or a thousand dollars. The word detective.

32. Ancient counters : ABACI


34. Takes forcibly (from) : WRESTS
. Not STEALS.

36. Slope : SLANT
. Not ANGLE.

38. Home to billions : ASIA


39. Short on manners : RUDE


41. Leg joint : KNEE


43. Paul Anka title meaning "That Kiss" : ESO BESO


 45. Hanger hangouts : CLOSETS


47. "I, Robot" author Isaac : ASIMOV


48. Severely damaged sea : ARAL
. From Wikipedia: Formerly one of the four largest lakes in the world with an area of 68,000 km² (26,300 sq mi), the Aral Sea has been steadily shrinking since the 1960s after the rivers that fed it were diverted by Soviet irrigation projects.

49. Chocolate source : CACAO


51. Consumer advocate Ralph : NADER


52. Tender lettuce : BIBB


54. Sherlock Holmes' smoke : PIPE


57. Chicago team, for short : SOX


59. Yahtzee cube : DIE


60. Hurricane center : EYE


61. Gorilla, for one : APE


62. Embarrassed : RED

Wednesday, June, 29, 2016 Tony Caruso and C.C. Burnikel

Title: YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND

Today we have the pleasure of seeing our Grand Dame C.C. collaborate with yet another member of our puzzling community - Tony Caruso, better known here as Anon-T. The result is a very enjoyable Wednesday exercise. This puzzle is the fourth puzzle in a row that I have blogged where showing the grid first better reveals the clever gimmick - (PTA MEETING, WACKY WORDY and WHITE CAP). Tony and C.C. employed an equally clever device, as you can see, where they have inserted the word STEP in a upward orientation in four vertical phrases which yields the REVEAL

66. Rise to the challenge ... and a hint to a hidden word in 5-, 10-, 25- and 28-Down : STEP UP

Two years ago an EF-4 tornado decimated the small town of Pilger, Nebraska and took the life of a golfing buddy of mine. Fifty Husker athletes from all sports did STEP UP, boarded a bus and helped get the town on the road to recovery. Here you see them carrying veteran's flags they recovered from the collapsed city hall building to the delight of the entire town.

Theme Fills:

5. Armstrong improvisation : TRUMPET SOLO

10. Stop on a redecorating spree : CARPET STORE - a rather famous CARPET

25. King novel set in a graveyard : PET SEMATARY - Kids in the novel misspelled the name

28. Nominally sovereign country : PUPPET STATE - The Russians came and stayed for decades

After having risen to the challenge of Tony and C.C.'s puzzle, let's examine the rest of the fill:

Across

1. Sharp as a tack : SMART

6. Fave texting pals : BFFS - So ubiquitous now, it needs no explanation 

10. "2 Broke Girls" network : CBS - I tried it for 15 minutes and couldn't discern one scintilla of wit over and above their string of double entendres, sex jokes and sarcasm

13. Chain known for fresh-baked bread : PANERA - Their Frontega Chicken Panini!

15. Count (on) : RELY - They, of course, will STEP UP for you

16. "Blessed __ the meek ... " : ARE - Blessed but sometimes taken advantage of

17. Imaginative : ARTFUL

18. Lacking scents : ODOR FREE - Now about your breath...

20. "My parents are gonna kill me!" : I' M TOAST

22. Page with views : OP-ED

23. Cough syrup meas. : TSP

26. Cowpoke's pal : PARD

27. Like the Flash : SPEEDY

29. Tennis period since 1968 : OPEN ERA - For both pros and amatuers 

31. Legendary soul seller : FAUST - We baseball/broadway fans well remember the show where Joe Boyd sold his soul to 36. Buyer of 31-Across' soul : SATAN for one great season as a Washington Senator ballplayer

32. Tag line? : NOT IT - NOT IT! Are so! Am not! Are so!...

33. Woodworking device : CLAMP

35. Fryolator sound : SSS

38. Central parts : GISTS

39. High ball : LOB - Roger Federer returns a LOB with a between-the-leg shot that smacks his opponent in the back.

40. Piece of a pansy : PETAL

42. Pub pint : ALE

43. More than a little plump : OBESE

45. Put a little extra into the part : EMOTE - Exhibit A

46. MapMyWalk statistic : MILES

48. Dilapidated place : RAT TRAP in the 12. Far from posh : SEEDY part of town

50. Vegetable container : PEAPOD - Lots of work to hand-shell a bowl full 

52. See 31-Down : EGGS and 31. With 52-Across, jeweled creations made for Russian czars : FABERGE

53. Tolkien creature : ENT

54. Viola's clef : ALTO

55. Italian relative of grits : POLENTA - Spicy rainbow chard with bacon and POLENTA

58. Hard-to-pass drivers : ROAD HOGS

60. Catwoman portrayer Kitt : EARTHA - Pretty easy to pick out of this litter

64. Seafarer : TAR

65. Tropical getaway : ISLE

67. "__ takers?" : ANY

68. Some Fr. martyrs : STES

69. Relaxes : EASES

Down

1. Place for losers? : SPA

2. Scratch or dent : MAR

3. Little six-footer : ANT - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Yup, six of 'em!

4. Lower-APR deal : REFI

6. Far-reaching : BROAD

7. Govt. agents : FEDS

8. Bobbing wreckage : FLOTSAM - Sometimes that FLOTSAM is the result of a horrible event

9. Country W of Iraq : SYR

11. Make more toys? : BREED - Toy poodles for example

14. Wedding site : ALTAR

19. Ones on either side of a "v." : FOES - As in Brown v. The Board of Education

21. Conduits for gods' wisdom : ORACLES

23. South Pacific monarchy : TONGA

24. Ruin : SPOIL 

30. Minor peeve : NIT

34. Rock's __ Lobos : LOS - One hit wonders with La Bamba

37. Sacked out : SLEPT

41. CPR provider : EMT - Breathe, Fluffy, breathe!

44. Canopy support : BEDPOST - Does your chewing gum lose its flavor on the BEDPOST overnight?

47. Apple MP3 player : IPOD

49. Anne Brontë's "__ Grey" : AGNES

50. Medicare card specification : PART A

51. Big name in online financial services : E-LOAN

52. "It's somebody __ problem" : ELSE'S - If you're not willing to, well, you know... 

56. Check out rudely : OGLE

57. Geometric figure : AREA

59. Towel word : HIS

61. Pulls a yard prank on, briefly : TPS - Industrial strength on Ellen with leaf blowers

62. Color nuance : HUE

63. College-level H.S. classes : APS

Now it's your turn to STEP UP to the keyboard and comment on Tony and C.C.'s just-right Wednesday puzzle:

Husker Gary



Notes from C.C.:

1) Fantastic Answer Grid, Gary! You're getting better and better.

1) As Gary mentioned earlier, this is Anon T's debut. Huge congratulations, Tony! So much fun working with him. Tony has one more puzzle in Rich's queue & one puzzle accepted by the WSJ.

  Anon T, Giza, Feb 2014

2) Happy Birthday to dear Barry G,  who joined this blog in 2008 and rarely misses a day of posting. Barry is one of my trusted test solvers and his feedback is essential in my development as a constructor. Barry, you need to send me a new picture. I've been using this one since Joshua was five. How time flies!