Tuesday, November 12, 2019 Kurt Krauss

Think First, then Act:  The first word of each theme answer can appear before the word ACT to give us a common phrase.

17-Across. *   Big top: CIRCUS TENT.  Think of the Circus Act.

26-Across. *   School keepsake: CLASS RING.  Think of a person who is a Class Act.

37-Across. *   "The Daily Show" network: COMEDY CENTRAL.  Think of a Comedy Act.

50-Across. *   2012 Channing Tatum film: MAGIC MIKE.  Think of a Magic Act.  This is the odd man out, as it were, since Magic begins with the letter M and not a C, like Circus, Class, and Comedy.

And the Unifier:

60-Across. Show starter ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues: OPENING ACT.   An Opening Act is often the warm-up band for a headliner.  Did you know that in 1963 The Beatles were the Opening Act for Roy Orbison?

Across:

1. Sports agent, briefly: REP. As in Representative.

4. Lavish meal: FEAST.  It's almost time for the Thanksgiving Feast.

9. Behold, to Brutus: ECCE.  Today's Latin lesson.

13. "Another Green World" musician Brian: ENO.  Brian Eno (né Brian Peter George Eno; b. May 15, 1948) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

14. Foamy coffee drinks: LATTES.  A Latte is made with espresso and steamed milk.  The barista often makes a fancy decoration on top of the final product.

16. Bar measure: SHOT.

19. "The Handmaid's __": Atwood novel: TALE.  The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood, was first published in 1985.  It is a dystopian novel set in a totalitarian society in which women are considered property of the state.  It recently became a television series.  I read the book when it first came out, but haven't seen the television version.

20. This, in Spain: ESTO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

21. Acapulco aunt: TIA.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

22. Final Olds produced: ALERO.  Production on this car ceased in April 2004.

24. Injured-arm support: SLING.

29. "Under Siege" star Steven: SEAGAL.  Steven Frederick Seagal (b. Apr. 10, 1952), is an American actor who also holds Russian and Serbian citizenship.  He has led a rather controversial life.  Enough said.

31. Prof.'s degree: Ph.D.  As in the Doctor of Philosophy.  What is the difference between an M.D and a Ph.D.?    * Answer below.

32. See 38-Down: SIN.  //  And 38-Down:  38. With 32-Across, Adam and Eve's transgression: ORIGINAL.  Together we get Original Sin, which is a theological concept that everyone is born sinful.  The concept was developed in the writings of St. Augustine.  Enough said.

33. Restaurant Arlo Guthrie sang about: ALICE'S.  A place where you can get anything you want, excepting Alice.

36. Early 2000s Apple product: EMAC.  The eMac was the Education Mac, an all-in-one desktop Macintosh, designed for schools.  Production of the eMac began in 2002 and was discontinued in 2006.  Now it is a dinosaur.

41. Hard to find: RARE.

42. Cosa __: NOSTRA.  Today's Italian lesson.  The FBI's history of the Cosa Nostra in the United States.

43. Trident-shaped Greek letter: PSI.

44. Angry: MAD.

46. Pick up the pace: HASTEN.

54. Around, in dates: CIRCA.

55. Try to bite, puppy-style: NIP AT.

56. Triage ctrs.: ERs.  As in Emergency Rooms.

58. Broadway brightener: NEON.

59. Hawaiian coffee region: KONA.  Everything you wanted to down about Kona Coffee, but were afraid to ask.

63. Nobelist Pavlov: IVAN.  Does his name ring a bell?

Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (Sept. 26, 1849 ~ Feb. 27, 1936)

64. Cantankerous: ORNERY.

65. __ Bo: fitness system: TAE.  Tae Bo was quite popular in the 1980s, but I haven't heard much about it since.

66. "The Lion King" lioness: NALA.

67. Davis of "Do the Right Thing": OSSIE.  Ossie Davis (né Raiford Chatman Davis; Dec. 18, 1917 ~ Feb. 4, 2005) was married to actress Ruby Dee.  I saw Do the Right Thing when I was living in France.  The movie is about racial tension in a New York neighborhood.  The movie didn't translate well in French culture.

Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee

68. Cal. spans: YRs.  Calendar spans are Years.

Down:

1. School day interlude: RECESS.

2. Maroon, at sea: ENISLE.  Interesting word that I will probably never have cause to use.  It means to be isolated on an island.

3. "The Merchant of Venice" heiress: PORTIA.  The Merchant of Venice is one of the plays by Willie the Shakes.

4. Winter bug: FLU.

5. Down __: Maine nickname: EAST.  You can't get theya from heya.

6. Room at the top?: ATTIC.

7. Pilfer: STEAL.

8. Olympic diver's goal: TEN.  With enough scores of 10, the diver may get a Gold.

9. Aromatic compound: ESTER.  Organic Chemistry.

10. Personal magnetism: CHARISMA.

11. Pre-Revolutionary furniture style: COLONIAL.

12. French summer: ÉTÉ.  Today's French lesson.

15. Secret supply: STASH.

18. Scam: CON-GAME.

23. "Dropped" '60s drug: LSD.  Short for Lysergic Acid Diethylamide.  In case you were wondering, its chemical formula is:

25. Battering wind: GALE.  Dorothy Gale was swept up in a Gale, but in her case, it was known as a tornado.

27. Cathedral areas: APSES.

The Apse at the Cathedral in Chartes.

28. Nutritional supplements co.: GNC.  As in General Nutrition Center.  These stores are often found in malls.

30. Pot top: LID.

34. Pop singer Lauper: CYNDI.  As in Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper (b. June 22, 1953).

35. Novelist Umberto: ECO.  Umberto Eco (Jan. 5, 1932 ~ Feb. 19, 2016) was an Italian novelist, best known for his 1980 historical novel, Name of the Rose.  He makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

36. Blackboard chore: ERASING.

37. Legendary lover: CASANOVA.  Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (Apr. 2, 1725 ~ June 4, 1798) was a cad.

39. To the __ degree: NTH.

40. Gillette's __ II razor: TRAC.

41. Turntable speed, for short: RPM.  As in Revolutions Per Minute.

44. Longtime Tom Petty label: MCA.  Tom Petty (né Thomas Earl Petty; Oct. 20, 1950 ~ Oct. 2, 2017) had an infamous feud with MCA.

45. Defensive retort: AM TOO!

47. The "T" in NATO: TREATY.  As in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.  It is an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 North American and European Countries.  The Treaty was signed on April 4, 1949.

48. Toyota Prius, e.g.: ECO-CAR.

49. Loire Valley city: NANTES.

51. Bucky Beaver's toothpaste: IPANA.

52. Wails with grief: KEENS.

53. Shore birds: ERNES.

57. Apple Watch assistant: SIRI.

59. Family reunion attendees: KIN.

61. Ace: PRO.

62. "Science Guy" Bill: NYE.  William Sanford Nye (b. Nov. 27, 1955) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

Here's the Grid:

*  The Ph.D. must live with his mistakes, whereas the M.D. buries them.

QOD:  You should appreciate the goodness around you, and surround yourself with positive people.  ~  Nadia Comӑneci (née Nadia Elena Comӑneci; Nov. 12, 1961)


Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy birthday to Rich Norris, editor of LA Times Daily Crossword. I've mentioned before, often half of clues in our daily puzzles are Rich's creations. Thanks for the daily entertainment, Rich!

Rich and his wife Kim

2) Happy birthday also to Lemonade's lovely wife Oo. This is a picture from their 2017 trip to Thailand.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019 C.C. Burnikel

Is your name Google, because you have everything I want.  There is a dating app hidden in each of today's theme answers.  Apps didn't exist back in the dark ages when I was dating.  Do these apps replace bad pick-up lines?  Here is a fun puzzle from our very own C.C.

18-Across. Black-and-yellow pollinator: BUMBLE BEE.

24-Across. Tense tennis moment: MATCH POINT.

37-Across. Volatile situation: TINDER BOX.

54-Across. Body part that provides limited motion: HINGE JOINT.

And the Unifier:

61-Across. Mobile download for single people, and what the starts of 18-, 24-, 37- and 54-Across have in common: DATING APP.

Across:

1. Works on a quilt: SEWS.  My mother made over 500 quilts for the Linus Project ~ an organization that donates quilts to children in hospitals or are victims of disasters.  This is the last quilt my mother made.  She completed it just a few days before she was killed.

5. Team that won the Women's World Cup in 2019: USA.

8. Winter skating sites: PONDS.  Rinks also work, but some skating rinks are available all year long. Ponds are less reliable and the ice is never smooth.

13. Yawn-inducing: HO-HUM.

15. Melancholy: SAD.

16. Love to pieces: ADORE.

17. Burr, to Hamilton: ENEMY.  As in Aaron Burr (Feb. 6, 1756 ~ Sept.  14, 1836), Vice President under Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton (Jan. 11, 1750s ~ July 12, 1804), the 1st United States Secretary of the Treasury.  The former shot and killed the latter in a duel.  Everything you ever wanted to know about the Hamilton-Burr duel.

20. Fodder for fantasy football: STATS.  As in Statistics.

22. Cause for a handshake: DEAL.

23. Waited to be found, maybe: HID.

26. Classroom staffer: AIDE.

27. Word after drinking or driving: AGE.  Are the Drinking Age and Driving Age same in your state?

28. Maple extract: SAP.  My family had friends who had a sugar house in northern Vermont.  When I was a kid, I used to go there during sugar season and we would have Sugar-on-Snow.  The sap would be heated to syrup, and while still hot would be poured on fresh snow.  It would immediately harden. It was so tasty!

29. Many an eBay user: SELLER.

31. Curtain holders: RODS.

33. Jack of "Dragnet": WEBB.  Jack Webb (né John Randolph Webb; Apr. 2, 1920 ~ Dec. 23, 1982), portrayed Sgt. Joe Friday on Dragnet.  He wanted just the facts, ma'am.

36. Honeycomb units: CELLS.

40. Lion in "The Chronicles of Narnia": ASLAN.  This critter has become a crossword staple.

43. Marquee name: STAR.

44. 24-hr. banking conveniences: ATMs.  Do you remember the first time you used an Automated Teller Machine?

48. Sits on the throne: REIGNS.

50. Picture file suffix: GIF.  Ever wonder what GIF means?  It is an abbreviation for Graphic Interchange Format.

52. Fish-to-be: ROE.  Roe, Roe, Roe your Fish ...

53. Batting practice area: CAGE.  Think Baseball.

58. Fire pit residue: ASH.

59. "Soldier of Love" Grammy winner: SADE.  Sade (née Hele Folasade Adu; b. Jan. 16, 1959) is a British-Nigerian singer.
 

60. Much paperwork: FORMS.  Everyone's favorite forms.

64. Takes a breather: RESTS.

66. Kagan on the bench: ELENA.  Elena Kagan (b. Apr. 28, 1960) is an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  She joined the Court in August 2010.  She was the 4th woman to serve on the High Court.  She also makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

67. "Take that!": HAH!

68. Chuckleheads: DOPES.  I don't think I have ever used this word to describe someone.

69. Guitarist's aid: STRAP.

70. Moth-eaten: OLD.  It's old, because holey didn't fit.

71. "Pretty Little Liars" series novelist Shepard: SARA.  I am not familiar with Sara Shepard (b. Apr. 8, 1977).

Down:

1. Pronoun for a mom: SHE.

2. Way, way back when: EONS AGO.

3. Sparked, as one's appetite: WHETTED.

4. "Poison" shrub: SUMAC.

The poison Sumac is on the left.

5. Flash drive port: USB.  The Universal Serial Bus makes frequent appearances in the crossword puzzles.

6. Riyadh resident: SAUDI.  Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia.

7. Jingle-writing guys: AD MEN.  Do you know who wrote this little jingle?  *

8. Veil of gloom: PALL.

9. Poem from an admirer: ODE.

10. Ritzy San Francisco neighborhood: NOB HILL.  This neighborhood of San Francisco is home to many unique and historic buildings.

11. Hanukkah toy: DREIDEL.  [Note:  Because Chanukah is a transliteration of a Hebrew word, there are various spellings of the word in English.  The "CH" at the beginning of a transliteration indicates to the reader that the word is pronounced with a guttural "H" sound.]

12. Farm machines: SEEDERS.

Not intended for home use.

14. Traditional stories: MYTHS.

19. Dugout rack items: BATS.

21. Produce offspring: SPAWN.

24. Spoil: MAR.

25. Opinion pages: OP-EDs.  This has become a crossword staple.

26. Echo Dot assistant: ALEXA.  Amazon's assistant.  This one comes complete with a clock.

30. Prefix with friendly: ECO-.  As in Eco-friendly.

32. Place for a play: STAGE.  Nice clue.

34. Wager: BET.

35. North Carolina fort: BRAGG.  Fort Bragg is named for Confederate General Braxton Bragg (Mar. 22, 1817 ~ Sept. 27, 1876).  He had served in the United States Army, but resigned in 1856 to become a sugar plantation owner in Thibodaux, Louisiana.  He later joined the Confederate army, where he became a General.  He lost the plantation after the Civil War.  He died suddenly at age 59.

38. Place for a stay: INN.

39. Court filing: BRIEF.

40. Hangouts for video game players: ARCADES.

41. Chef's condiment: SEA SALT.  Sea Salt is made by evaporating seawater.  Some people claim is has healthful benefits, but there is no scientific evidence to support this theory.

42. Not as heavy: LIGHTER.

45. Dietary supplement once pitched by Anna Nicole Smith: TRIMSPA.

46. Centaur or chimera: MONSTER.

Centaur

Chimera

47. __ foot in: enter: SET.

49. Fluffy rug: SHAG.  Are these rugs still popular?

51. Norwegian inlet: FJORD.

55. Twin Falls' state: IDAHO.  Twin Falls is a town in Southern Idaho in the county of the same name.

56. Mount Everest is on its border with China: NEPAL.  Nepal is the only country in the world with a national non-quadrilateral flag.

57. Layered cookies: OREOS.  You can get Oreos in all sorts of flavors.

59. Piece of cake: SNAP.  I wanted Easy, but the perps objected.

62. Once __ while: IN A.

63. Deg. of distinction: Ph.D.  As in a Doctorate of Philosophy.

65. Retirees' benefits org.: SSA.  As in the Social Security Administration.

Here's the Grid:

*  Barry Manilow wrote a lot of ad jingles, including "I am Stuck on Band-aids."

If I don't comment on the blog, it's because a couple of weeks ago I really made a mess of my google account, and now it doesn't give me any options to comment when I am on my mobile device.

QOD:  Life it too short to work so hard.  ~  Vivien Leigh (née Vivian Mary Hartley; Nov. 5, 1913 ~ July 8, 1967)