Tuesday, January 21, 2020 Chase Dittrich

Tennis, Anyone?  Tennis: the game that is played on a variety of surfaces.  Note that each answer is a three-letter phrase.

20-Across. Be noisy, or equip for tennis?: MAKE A RACKET.

34-Across. Enjoy oneself, or be ready for tennis?: HAVE A BALL.

46-Across. Sue, or leave for tennis?: GO TO COURT.

60-Across. Be helpful, or enjoy playing tennis?: LIVE TO SERVE.



Across:

1. Sound of disbelief: GASP.

5. Feature of some debit cards: CHIP.  Chips are also found on credit cards.

9. Ford Fusion, e.g.: SEDAN.

14. Latin "others": ALIA.

15. __ erectus: HOMO.  What Does it Mean to be Human?  The first skeletal remains of a Homo erectus was discovered in 1891.

16. To the point: TERSE.

17. Wander aimlessly (about): MILL.

18. Israeli carrier: EL AL.  El Al has become a crossword staple.  The first scheduled flight on El Al was in July 1949.  The name of the company roughly translates from the Hebrew to "to the skies."  I usually fly El Al when I go to Israel.

19. Pisces follower: ARIES.

23. Brewery tub: VAT.

24. Admin. aides: ASSTS.  Administrative aides are Assistants.

25. Tickle pink: AMUSE.

27. Beauty contest prize: TIARA.

31. Ready for dinner: SEATED.  Just a few more people at this dinner than in attendance at my dinner parties.

38. Upside-down "e," in phonetics: SCHWA.  This symbol indicates an "uh" sound in the pronunciation of a word.

39. Dictator Amin: IDI.  Idi Amin (May 17, 1925 ~ Aug. 16, 2003), whose full name was Idi Amin Dada Oumee, was known as the Butcher of Uganda.

40. Shenanigan: ANTIC.

42. Gridiron "zebra": REF.

43. Chocolate source: CACAO.

49. Requires Febreze, maybe: SMELLS.

51. "Les MisÈrables" escape route: SEWER.

52. Cosmopolitan spirits: VODKA.

54. Order to a sloucher: SIT UP.

58. Classic Jaguar: XKE.  This 1969 model can be yours for only $102K.

64. __ Gras: MARDI.  The countdown is on!  Everything you need to known about Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

66. Chief Asgard god: ODIN.

67. Sentence structure element: NOUN.  Silly me, I wanted it to be a Verb!

68. Crime that might involve accelerants: ARSON.

69. Sit in park, say: IDLE.

70. Spilled the beans: TOLD.

71. Online magazine with a "Dear Prudence" advice column: SLATE.  You can also listen to a Slate Dear Prudence podcast.

72. Hair salon supplies: DYES.

73. Relaxing resorts: SPAS.  The Ein Gedi Spa on Dead Sea is very relaxing.

Down:

1. Ray type: GAMMA.  Gamma rays are penetrating electromagnetic radiations arising from the radioactive decay of the atom's nucleus.

2. Identity-concealing name: ALIAS.

3. Jockey's apparel: SILKS.  Everything you wanted to know about Jockey's Silks but were afraid to ask. The colorful attire dates back to the Romans.

4. Bob Ross accessory: PALETTE.  I was not familiar with the name Rob Ross (né Robert Norman Ross; Oct. 29, 1942 ~ July 4, 1995).  I recognized his picture, however, and realized that he has made guest appearances in the crosswords in the past.  He also hosted a show on PBS entitled The Joy of Painting.

5. Singer with a Best Actress Oscar: CHER.  Cher (née Cherilyn Sarkisian; b. May 20, 1946) won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in Moonstruck.

6. Hi, in Barcelona: HOLA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

7. Apple desktop: iMAC.

8. Music genre with accordions: POLKA.

9. Easter Island sights: STATUES.  Easter Island was annexed to Chile in 1888.  It was "discovered" by Dutch explore Jacob Roggeveen on Easter Sunday in 1722, hence its name.

10. End of a musket?: -EER.  As in the Three Musketeers.

11. Convenience for diners on the go: DRIVE THRU.

12. Well out of the harbor: ASEA.

13. Chick site: NEST.

21. Tibet's continent: ASIA.  The country is a lot larger than I thought.

22. First-responder letters: EMS.  As in Emergency Medical Services.

26. Cul-de-__: SAC.

28. Lawyers' org.: ABA.  As in the American Bar Association.

29. Struck the bell: RANG.

30. Singers below mezzo-sopranos: ALTOS.

32. Decorative pitcher: EWER.

33. Nutty: DAFT.

34. Minute Maid fruity juice boxes: HI-Cs.  I looked at Hics for the longest time.  Hics?  Hics?  What could that mean?  Then the lightbulb went on.

35. NBA commissioner Silver: ADAM.  Adam Silver (b. Apr. 25, 1962) has been the commissioner of the National Basketball Association since January 2014.

36. The other way around: VICE VERSA.

37. Miller __: beer brand: LITE.

41. "Don't have a __, man!": COW.

44. Teléfono greeting: ALO.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

45. Long-established: OLD LINE.

47. Prefix with pool or pit: CESS-.  As in a Cesspool or a Cesspit.  No images for the breakfast crossword crowd.

48. Points in the right direction: ORIENTS.

50. Tackle a slope: SKI.  Tackling the bunny slope.

53. Circumvent: AVOID.

55. Unit being deployed: TROOP.

56. Throat dangler: UVULA.

57. Remains unsettled, as a payment: PENDS.

58. Dec. holiday: XMAS.

59. Two-time NBA MVP Malone known as "The Mailman": KARL.  Karl Malone (b. July 24, 1963) is from Summerfield, Louisiana.  He had a long career with the Utah Jazz.  He was known as The Mailman because he delivered the plays.

61. Whirlpool: EDDY.

62. Dominoes piece: TILE.

63. Smallest bills: ONES.

65. Part of an ellipsis: DOT.

Here's the grid:

QOD:  All I required to be happy was friendship and people I could admire.  ~  Christian Dior (Jan. 21, 1905 ~ Oct. 24, 1957), French fashion designer

Notes from C.C.:

1) Today we celebrate the 72nd birthday to our caring Madame DeFarge. Happy Birthday, Janice! I just love this picture.

Left to Right: Abejo, WikWak, Madame DeFarge  and TTP, July 19, 2018

2) Our blog turns 12 year old today. I'm eternally grateful for my hard-working blogging team, faithful regulars and others who have supported us over the years.

Tuesday January 14, 2020 Roland Huget

It's What's Inside that Counts.  The circled letters spell out things that can make up the inner core.

17-Across. City near the Great Salt Lake: OGDEN UTAH.  Nut.

25-Across. "Be yourself," nowadays: KEEP IT REAL.  Pit.

36-Across. Casino advantage: HOUSE EDGE.  Seed.

51-Across. "Be right with you": JUST ONE SEC.  Stone.

And the Unifier:
61-Across. Earth's most central geologic layer ... or what can be found in each set of puzzle circles: INNER CORE.

Across:

1. Watering hole: BAR.  Some are quite literally watering holes.

4. African language group: BANTU.  Swahili is a Bantu language.

9. Suddenly took interest: SAT UP.

14. Québec street: RUE.  Today's French lesson.

15. Future oak: ACORN.

16. Way to go it: ALONE.  Time for a musical interlude.

19. Has to have: NEEDS.

20. Biceps exercises: CURLS.

Charles Atlas (Oct. 30, 1892 ~ Dec. 24, 1972)

21. Hosting a show, briefly: MC-ING.  As in being an Emcee, short for Master of Ceremonies.

23. Tennis do-over: LET.

24. Breyers __ Cookies & Cream: OREO.  A fresh new clue for our old crossword staple.

27. Arnaz-Ball production company: DESILU.  The production company is a combination of Desi and Lu(cy).

29. Muss, as hair: TOUSLE.

30. Magazine VIPs: EDs.  As in Editors.

31. Adjust to one's environment: ADAPT.

35. Old fast fliers: SSTs.  As in SuperSonic Transport, a crossword staple.  Why the Concorde was retired.

39. Fleshy fruit: POME.  According to Webster's, a Pome is a generic term for any fleshy fruit "consisting of an outers fleshy layer and a central core with usually five seeds in a capsule."  The best known example of a Pome is an Apple.  In fact, in French, the word for Apple is Pomme.  Other examples of Pomes, include: pears, quince, loquats, and pomegranates.

42. Barbecue spot: PATIO.

43. Can opener: TAB.

46. Feathered friends: AVIANS.  The obvious Birds was too few letters.

49. Beethoven's "Tempest," e.g.: SONATA.  Time for a musical interlude.  This piece is also known as Sonata No. 17 and was composed by Beethoven around 1801/1802. 

55. Chimps and gorillas: APES.

56. Furry sitcom extraterrestrial: ALF.  Alf (Alien Life Form) was a sit-com ran from the mid-1980s to 1990.  I never watched it, but am familiar with it because Alf makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

57. Chutzpah: MOXIE.  Chutzpah is that quality in the man who kills his mother and father, then throws himself at the mercy of the court because he is an orphan.

58. Stick with a pin: PRICK.

59. Early American crop: MAIZE.  Scientists believe that maize was first domesticated in the Americas, probably in Mexico.  A large cache of ancient maize was discovered in a cave in New Mexico over a hundred years ago.

63. Geographer's volume: ATLAS.

64. Tokyo-based watchmaker: SEIKO.  I had a Seiko watch like this one.

65. No-frills bed: COT.

66. Filters (through): SEEPS.

67. Jacket material: TWEED.  I initially tried Denim.

68. "Very cute!" sounds: AWs!

Down:

1. Tacit rules of male friendship: BRO CODE.  If it is tacit, why is there a book about the Code?

2. Was a sign of: AUGURED.

3. Set right: REDRESS.

4. Passes a law against: BANS.

5. Pressure prefix: ACU-.  As in AcuWeather, which allows you to learn of weather conditions where you live.

6. "I'm innocent!": NOT ME!

7. Barely detectable amount: TRACE.

8. Far from cool: UNHIP.

"I recommend hip replacement surgery for men who aren't as hip as they used to be."

9. Serenaded: SANG TO.

10. Stein filler: ALE.  Time for another musical interlude.

11. Like many summer shoes: TOELESS.  I prefer sandals.

12. Still being shuffled: UNDEALT.

13. Tablet crushers: PESTLES.  Tricky clue.  I was thinking along the lines of an iPad, which I certainly wouldn't want to crush.

18. "The Time Machine" race: ELOI.  A crossword staple.  I have never read The Time Machine, but apparently there are two-post humans existing in the future and the Eloi are one.

22. Little point to pick: NIT.  No names in today's puzzle for nit-picking.

25. Spiral-horned antelope: KUDU.  These animals are native to Africa.

26. Tricky plan: RUSE.

28. Vientiane people: LAO.

32. Poisonous African snake: ASP.  It was the death of Cleopatra.

33. Stew morsel: PEA.  If you're a princess, it will keep you awake at night.

34. Vietnamese New Year: TET.  A crossword staple.

36. Cookbook verb: HEAT.  Stir probably used more often in the cookbooks.

37. Spinal segment: DISC.

38. Bit of baby talk: GOO.

39. Often-abbreviated attire: PAJAMAS.  As in PJs, or as we say in my house: Jammie-Jams.

40. Produce eggs: OVULATE.

41. Put in the wrong folder: MISFILE.

43. Pudding choice: TAPIOCA.  I think of Tapioca pudding as a comfort food.

44. Was humiliated: ATE CROW.

45. Laundry holders: BASKETS.   Do you use a laundry basket or a clothes hamper?

47. "Easy to clean" ad claim: NO MESS.  I initially tried, No Muss.

48. __-Cat: winter vehicle: SNO.

50. DEA agent: NARC.

52. Live: EXIST.

53. Muscular power: SINEW.

54. Start of a counting rhyme: EENIE.  A final musical interlude.

58. Cattle poker: PROD.

60. Microwave: ZAP.

62. Squeeze (out): EKE.

Here's the Grid:

LSU: #1 in Football and Beer Consumption

QOD:  In conversation, remember you’re more interested in what you’re saying than anyone else is.  ~  Andy Rooney (né Andrew Aitken Rooney; Jan. 14, 1919 ~ Nov. 4, 2011), American television personality

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear JD, who used to be very active on our blog. Now she's busy with four grandkids and other volunteer work. We miss your daily presence, JD!

JD & Bob