Tuesday, July 17, 2018 Craig Stowe

"FLIP SIDES"

17. *Air Force topper: FLIGHT CAP.

24. *Subconscious revelation: FREUDIAN SLIP.
The police aren't here to create disorder, they're here to preserve disorder.  - Richard Daley

39. *Solution for an itchy Spot?: FLEA DIP.

52. *Escapes: FLIES THE COOP.

63. Opposites, and what the answers to starred clues literally contain: FLIP SIDES.

Across:

1. Excites, with "up": AMPs,   and clecho   33. Excite, with "up": REV.

5. Programs opened with a fingertip: APPs.

9. Furtive attention-getters: PSSTs.

14. When doubled, a fish: MAHI.

15. Computer folder item: FILE.

16. Musical eightsome: OCTET.

19. Go halfsies: SHARE.

20. Creator of the Hundred Acre Wood: MILNE.  Did you read that the original 1926 illustration of the Hundred Acre Wood sold last week for £430,000 ?  That's just short of $570,000.   

21. Onetime comm. giant: ITT. 

23. Concerning: INRE.

28. Unethical: IMMORAL.

31. __ brûlée: custard dessert: CREME.

Burnt Cream

32. Wild hog: BOAR.  Steer clear.  Unless you are packing heat and are disease-resistant.  They're often very big,  can be aggressive, and they are smart. Destructive too, as they attempt to sate their insatiable appetites.

A Message from the USDA

35. Up to now: AS YET.

38. Pipe shape: ELL.

42. __-Magnon: CRO.    Neanderthal fossils were discovered in the Neander Valley of Germany in 1829, and a few years later in 1868, the Cro-Magnon fossils were discovered near the village of Les Eyzies, France.  Nice summaries from the Smithsonian. 

43. Honking birds: GEESE,   and  57. Cacophony: NOISE.     "Watching huge flocks of Snow Geese swirl down from the sky, amid a cacophony of honking, is a little like standing inside a snow globe."


45. Cookie container: TIN.  Adult beverage container: TIN

46. Woman in a family tree: AUNT.  Tia in Spanish,  Tante in German. 

47. Armada: FLEET.  You can rent a Nissan Armada at Hertz.  They have a fleet of these large 8 passenger SUVs.  You might not want to drive one in England.  I've read that armadas are not very well-received there.

50. Eurasian grasslands: STEPPEs.

The Steppe

55. Beat really fast: RACE.

56. "Gimme a __": SEC.

61. Not up to the task: INEPT.

66. Ford replaced him as VP: AGNEW.  Getting a lot of air time lately in the LA Times puzzles.

67. Folded Tex-Mex treat: TACO.  The Tejanos first created the fusion of American and Mexican cuisines.  You can get Tex-Mex food pretty much anywhere in the United States.   Even when you go into authentic "Mexican" restaurants, you'll probably see Tex-Mex items on the menu. A Palate Pleasing Union.

68. Daily paper material: NEWS.

69. Back in style: RETRO.

70. Underworld river: STYX.  Or the progressive rock band that originated in Chicago and made it big in the '70s and '80's.   Disagreements among the members about the musical direction the band should take, along with creative and competitive tensions, led to their eventual breakup.   Still, they had 16 Top 40 singles, 8 of which were Top 10.  This was their only # 1.   It's more of a soft/pop rock sound.


71. Stun with a police gun: TASE.

Down:

1. Radio switch: AM FM.

2. Landlocked African country: MALI.

3. Three-time Masters champ Mickelson: PHIL.

Phil addresses the media at the Scottish Open

4. Formally accept, as a delivery: SIGN FOR.

5. Toward the stern: AFT.

6. Camera shot: PIC.

7. Kilt pattern: PLAID.

8. __ tank: SEPTIC.    It’s a cafeteria for bacteria

9. Neg. opposite: POS. 

10. Deep divides: SCHISMs.

11. Hockey trophy: STANLEY CUP.

 22 Things You Might Not Know About the Stanley Cup

Relinking in case you missed it on the March 27th, 2018 review.  The Washington Capitals got past the Penguins and won it this year.  First time to win it all.  13 playoff appearances.  

12. Purple-haired twin on "The Simpsons": TERRI.

via GIPHY

13. Brew: STEEP.  I enjoy a good brew, but the charge for some imported beers and ales can be comparatively steep.

18. German gent: HERR. German language honorific, equivalent to Mister in English.

22. Shingle sealant: TAR. The black strip covered by film on the bottom a composition shingle is asphalt. Rather than tar, asphalt roof cement should normally be used on composite shingle roofs around penetrations or other areas where a sealant is needed. 

25. Royal wedding guest, perhaps: EARL.

26. Peter Fonda's beekeeper: ULEE.   Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars (out of 4). 

27. Tide type: NEAP.  4 letters for tide type ?  - EAP and check the crossing clue. 

28. "__ your pardon": I BEG.  "I never promised you a rose garden.  Along with the sunshine, there has to be a little rain sometimes."  The flip side of that single was "Nothing Between Us" according to Wikipedia.

29. Spy story staple: MOLE.

30. Like evildoers: MALEFICENT.  Pernicious behavior. 

34. Laundry tub: VAT.   Wash, wring and rinse, in one easy-to-use setup !

 Grandma's method

36. Shore bird: ERNE.

37. Youngsters: TOTs. 

39. Charges for members: FEEs.

40. Part of DJ: DISC.   I got to play DJ last Tuesday while reviewing Bruce Haight's "DJ SET" puzzle. 

41. Really enjoying, as a hobby: INTO.

44. Unexpected hit: SLEEPER.

46. Name officially, as to a position: APPOINT.

48. Sci-fi invaders: ETs.

49. Robberies: THEFTs.

51. Seemingly forever: EONs.

52. Monastery figure: FRIAR.

53. Jessica of "American Horror Story": LANGE.   Never saw the movie or program.  Knew who she is.

Jessica Lange on FANDOM

54. Panache: ECLAT.  Flamboyance,  ostentatiously showy,  like Liberace.

58. Thought: IDEA.

59. Hems, but doesn't haw: SEWS.    To hem and haw means to dither, to speak hesitantly, usually because one is unprepared to speak or is attempting to avoid saying something in particular. Hem and haw is also used to mean to be indecisive.  Hum and haw is the British equivalent.  Grammarist.com

60. To be, to Brutus: ESSE.

62. Word before time or piece: TWO.

64. Like an "if looks could kill" look: ICY.   Very unfriendly. Unwelcoming. 

65. Quaint curse: POX.   Elizabethan Oaths, Curses, and Insults    "Five hundred years ago, little in life moved more quickly than a trotting horse. With no media to fill the day, there was nothing but space for song and speech. Elizabethans took a delight with language, weaving together terms to form stinging phrases of wit."

That's enough for now.   Catch you on the flip side.  

Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Bruce Haight

"DJ Set"

18. Ideal occupations: DREAM JOBS. Job recruiters promise them.

20. Scrambled words newspaper game: DAILY JUMBLE.  Disorganized units of language in a game format, with a helpful illustration.

38. Fashionably ripped denim: DISTRESSED JEANS.  Often expensive.

55. Copier malfunction: DOCUMENT JAM.  Always annoying.

59. Off-color humor: DIRTY JOKE.  Mostly bawdy.

50. Track mix for a party, and what the five longest Across answers comprise: DJ SET.  Disc Jockey playlist selections.

Bruce struck a chord today. 

I was pleased to meet WERV FM 95.9 "The River" DJ Scott Mackay while golfing in the Ronald McDonald House charity golf outing a couple of weeks ago.    Great guy and a good golfer.  95.9 "The River" is the station I listen to in the mornings.   And today I get to play DJ.  Hope you'll find a song or two to like in my playlist.
 
Across:

1. Chatting online, for short: IM'ing.  Instant Messaging.  User to user communication on PCs, versus texting and messaging apps on mobile phones.  The terms are used somewhat interchangeably.

6. Little troublemakers: IMPS.

10. Invitation letters: RSVP.  "Répondez s'il vous plaît"    Victor Barocas had both S'IL and VOUS in Sunday's crossword that C.C. reviewed.

14. Indiana hoopster: PACER. The top Indiana Pacers of all time.

15. Like frat brothers: MALE.

16. Keep __: persist: AT IT.  Don't stop. 


or



17. Fast train in the Northeast: ACELA.  Amtrak's flagship train service.  The name is a derivation of acceleration and excellence.

22. Crosswalk user, briefly: PED.  Pedestrian.


23. Prodigal __: SON.

24. Garden tools: HOES.

25. Hosp. drips: IVS.

27. Vaudeville bit: GAG.

28. Car music source: FM RADIO.  FM (No Static At All) "is a complex jazz-rock composition driven by its bass, guitar and piano parts" by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.  The song was written as the title track for the movie FM.   Some claim the movie was the basis for the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati.  In the movie, a group of DJs take control of L.A. radio station QSKY in protest of having to play more commercials.  


32. Baghdad native: IRAQI.

35. Mystical glow: AURA.

37. Eyeglasses glass: LENS.  The new glasses are helping.

41. So totally gross: ICKY.  How I felt at the end of each day last Friday and Saturday after staining the house and the deck railing for 10 hours.

42. Fencing sword: EPEE.

43. "Therefore ... ": AND SO.   I received this advice when first starting a stint as a guest instructor:
1) Tell them what you are going to tell them,
2) Tell them,  and then
3) Tell them what you told them.

44. Matthew and Mark wrote two of them: GOSPELS.

46. Pained cries: OWS.

47. Gave lunch to: FED.

48. Surrealist Salvador: DALI.   "...from 1929 to 1937 he produced the paintings which made him the world’s best-known Surrealist artist.  He depicted a dream world in which commonplace objects are juxtaposed, deformed, or otherwise metamorphosed in a bizarre and irrational fashion."

50. Ike's monogram: DDE.

53. Medical ins. plan: HMO.

61. Get ready to hit the road: GAS UP.


62. Chicago paper, familiarly: TRIB.  The Chicago Tribune, the flagship newspaper of the one-time Tribune Company.  

63. Sign of the future: OMEN.

64. "__ you ready yet?": AREN'T. 

65. November honorees: VETS.

66. Get fresh with: SASS.

67. Moth-eaten: TATTY.

Down:

1. Apple tablets: IPADS.

2. Chinese gambling mecca: MACAO.  The "Las Vegas of Asia."

Perhaps Las Vegas should be called the "Macao of the United States" ?

3. Strand at the ski lodge, maybe: ICE IN.

4. Women's basketball analyst Fortner: NELL.  USA Basketball Women's National Team coach on the 1996 Olympics Gold Medal team, and then Head Coach of the 2000 Olympics Gold Medal team.   Now an ESPN analyst.  Summary info on Wikipedia.

5. It may be a result of stress, some say: GRAY HAIR.

6. "My luck HAS to change!": I'M DUE.


7. Quaint schoolteachers: MARMS.

8. Roman commoner: PLEB.

9. __ the deal: SEAL.

10. Indian friend of TV's Sheldon: RAJ.

11. Comes to a complete halt: STOPS DEAD.

12. Vague feeling: VIBE.   "The DJ was central to the ritual of 1970s dance culture, but the dancing crowd was no less important, and it was the combination of these two elements that created the conditions for the dance floor dynamic.  A good DJ didn't only lead dancers along his or her... preferred musical path, but would also feel the mood of the dance floor and select records according to this energy (which could be communicated by the vigor of the dancing, or level of the crowd's screams, or sign language of dancers directed towards the booth).  This communication--described by Sarah Thornton, in her early analysis of late 1980s and 1990s dance culture, as "the vibe"--amounted to a form of synergistic music-making in which separate elements combined to create a mutually beneficial and greater whole." Beyond the Hustle...

13. Condition once called "shell shock," for short: PTSD.  Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder  National Institute of Mental Health information

19. Israel's Golda: MEIR.

21. Trot: JOG.

26. "Donna" singer Ritchie: VALENS.


DJ Bob Hale, who was the MC for the concert, agrees that the coin flip was between Allsup and Valens.

27. One usually dressed for success: GQ TYPE.    A smartly dressed, well groomed and mannered man.   GQ magazine, a Conde Nast publication,  was formerly Gentlemen's Quarterly, promoted as  "The latest tips and advice for men on style, grooming, fitness, best products, travel destinations and more."

28. Liberate: FREE.

29. Alfred E. Neuman magazine: MAD.


30. Road trip stopovers: INNS.

31. __ buco: veal dish: OSSO.

32. Beatnik's "Gotcha!": I DIG. I can dig it, he can dig it, she can dig it, we can dig it, they can dig it, you can dig it. Oh, let's dig it. Can you dig it, baby?


or:



33. Puerto __: RICO.

34. Ignores warnings to behave, say: ASKS FOR IT.

35. Once-sacred snakes: ASPS.

36. Employ: USE.


39. Long, thin fish: EEL.

40. Talking endlessly to: JAWING AT.

45. Whirlpool: EDDY.  Could have been clued as twangy guitarist Duane ___ .  Here's a 1986 remake of Henry Mancini's Peter Gunn. 


46. Fútbol fan's cry: OLE.  Little chance chance for a mondegreen in the lyrics of this one.

48. Noblemen below princes: DUKES.

49. Chorus from the pews: AMENS.

51. Intimidate: DAUNT.

52. Running on __: EMPTY.


53. RCA product: HDTV.

54. Swampy area: MIRE.

56. Spanish eyes: OJOS. 


57. Deep sleep: COMA.


58. "Sharknado" actress Reid: TARA.

60. Atlanta-based cable channel: TBS.  Turner Broadcasting System. 

Note from C.C.

Owen has started a Jumble blog, please click here for your daily discussions.

Tuesday, July 3, 2018 Jeff Stillman

"Fee-fi-fo-fum"

21. In good spirits: FEELING FINE.

31. Natural source of paper or rope: FIBER PLANT.

42. Center of attention: FOCAL POINT.

54. Gridiron goof: FUMBLED BALL.

67. N.Y. or S.F. athlete known for the beginnings of 21-, 31-, 42-, and 54-Across?: GIANT.

"Behold food, good to eat, sufficient for my hunger!"

Across:

1. Harry Potter's forte: MAGIC.  Did Harry have some magic beans ?

6. USAF officer: MAJ.

9. Some spouses: WIVES.

14. Susan's "All My Children" role: ERICA.  Susan Lucci played the role of Erica Kane for 41 years on the daytime soap.  

15. Memorable time: AGE.

16. Has __ up one's sleeve: AN ACE.

17. Antisocial type: LONER.

18. Term start?: MID.

19. Swamp snapper: GATOR.

20. Mantra syllables: OMS.

24. Cause one's stomach to turn: NAUSEATE.

26. Monthly util. bill: ELEC.

27. Goof up: ERR.

28. Off the straight and narrow: WAYWARD.  Like Jack, who stole from the Giant.  The band is from Topeka.


36. Actress Vardalos: NIA.  Winnipeg born Nia in an interview with Katie Couric in 2002.

37. Not hurting for space: ROOMY.

38. Heavenly body: ORB.

39. Less extroverted: SHIER.  My sister had a horse that shied away from me.

Wouldn't the comparative "more shy" be shyer, and the superlative form be shyest ?

"Both versions are acceptable in today's standard English. In the 2002 CGEL page 1581: Monosyllabic dry and shy are optionally exceptions to the y-replacement rule, allowing either y or i before the suffix: dry ~ dryer/drier ~ dryest/driest and shy ~ shyer/shier ~ shyest/shiest." English StackExchange.  CGEL

41. QB's stat: ATT. Quarterbacks / Attempts.  We often have TDS (Touchdowns) as an answer for QB's stat.

44. Japanese straw mats: TATAMIS.  13 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Tatami.  I only knew two.

47. One-eighty on the road: UEY.

48. Patron saint of Norway: OLAF.

49. Read a clock: TELL TIME.

57. Bedevil: VEX.  "Make (someone) feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried, especially with trivial matters." - Oxford English Dictionaries.  I like "especially with trivial matters" in the definition.  To me, vex is a slightly milder reaction than irk.  Ire is toward the anger end.  Don't like seeing ire and irk clued as if they were synonymous.

58. Treat like a pariah: AVOID.  Shunned ?

59. Maris, to "the Mick": ROG. Nicknames.  New York Yankee baseball stars Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle.

60. Afghan's neighbor: IRANI.

62. Attend the homecoming game, say: REUNE.  Intransitive verb.  Back formation from reunion according to Merriam Webster and others. 

63. Inseparable: ONE.

64. Things to shun: NO-NOS.  Deserts are to be shunned if you want to lose weight.  They are no-nos.  Taboos for children are often called no-nos.  In baseball slang, a no-hitter is called a no-no.   Even Meghan Markle has a list of no-nos now that she's a Royal Duchess.  Also see 40D Hoyt.

65. Use at the table: EAT ON.

66. Pricing word: PER.

Down:

1. Honeydew or cantaloupe: MELON.

2. Pleasant smell: AROMA.

3. Infomercial knife: GINSU.


4. Sign in a hotel hallway: ICE.

5. Regular Martha's Vineyard arrival: CAR FERRY.

6. "Glengarry Glen Ross" playwright David: MAMET.

7. Nimble: AGILE.

8. Obi-Wan, for one: JEDI.

9. Like a happy dog's tail: WAGGLY.  Google site search tells me this is a debut for WAGGLY here at the Corner.

Making new friends.

10. Shortly, informally: IN A FEW.

11. 1960s ecumenical council of the Catholic Church: VATICAN II.

12. MBA subject: ECON.

13. Dry as a desert: SERE.

22. Wyatt of the Old West: EARP.   "It was dry as a desert in Tombstone on that fateful day. Wyatt, Virgil, Morgan and Doc strode purposefully to the OK Corral.  Johnny Ringo and Ike Clanton saw the Earps and Holliday coming."    Wait, let me start over.  "It was a dark and stormy night..."

23. Tidy: NEAT.

25. "I __ to recall ... ": SEEM.

28. Connecticut Sun's org.: WNBA.  One of twelve professional basketball team in the Women's National Basketball Association.  

29. Nothing, in Nice: RIEN.

 

Nice is just up the coast from Cannes, and SW down the coast from Genoa, Italy.


30. Tavern missile: DART.

31. Greek campus group: FRAT.

32. Itty bit: IOTA.

33. Reach the lowest level: BOTTOM OUT.

34. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" novelist Anita: LOOS.

 "... an extraordinary, barbed genius of the silent era, Hollywood and Broadway"

35. Eyebrow shape: ARC.

39. Grade school subject: SPELLING.

40. Axton of country: HOYT.   Wrote the "No No Song" popularized by Ringo Starr.  Also wrote "Joy To The World"  and  "Never Been to Spain", popularized by Three Dog Night.

42. Marching band wind: FIFE.

43. Slow period: LULL.

45. White mouse, e.g.: ALBINO.

46. "On the Waterfront" co-star Karl: MALDEN.   w/ Michael Douglas during The Streets of San Francisco days.

49. Steakhouse order: T-BONE.   Tenderloin on one side of the bone, and strip steak on the other side.  The porterhouse is really just a T-Bone steak cut from the rear of the sirloin, so it has a larger tenderloin section. 

50. Itching to go: EAGER.

51. The first Mrs. Trump: IVANA.

52. Runners occupying bases: MEN ON.  Ducks on the pond.  The Cubs had three ducks on the pond (bases loaded) with nobody out in the bottom of the third against the Twins on Saturday.  They plated all three to tie the game.

53. Have life: EXIST.  Are.

54. Cab cost: FARE.

55. Optic layer including the iris: UVEA.

56. Go down: DROP.

61. Louis XIV, par exemple: ROI.  His dad was XIII.  Became the King of France at the ripe old age of four years and eight months when his dad died in 1643.  Reigned for 72 years.  Then his grandson XV took the reign.  XV arranged the marriage of his grandson XVI to Marie Antoinette.  XVI took over in 1774, and was to become the last ROI of France.

XIV established absolute monarchical rule in France, appeased the nobles, consolidated powers, started a lot of wars, signed a lot of treaties, increased France's turf in Europe,  and improved France's standing in the world power rankings.  He had his architects and builders rehab his dad's hunting lodge and turned it into the Palace of Versailles.  

France seemed to get a pretty good R.O.I. on XIV as ROI.   But over the course of about 150 years of absolute monarchical rule, things weren't going so well for the people of France, perhaps especially under the rule of his successors.    It all culminated in the French Revolution, the ending of the monarchy, the beheading of XVI and Marie in 1793, and the rise to power of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Enough of that.  On to the grid !

Tuesday, Jun 26, 2018 Mike Peluso

"FINAL APPROVAL"

20. "Fast Times" school (Japan): RIDGEMONT HIGH.    Hai  はい

35. 2014 U.S. Women's Open champion (France): MICHELLE WIE.  Oui

42. North Atlantic stretch with no land borders (Mexico): SARGASSO SEA.  Sí

56. Permission from the big boss ... and a hint to the ends of 20-, 35- and 42-Across (in the country indicated): FINAL APPROVAL.

You have permission.  

Across:

1. Tug or ark: BOAT.

5. First assembly instruction: STEP A.  Aren't assembly instructions most often numbered ?

10. Mt. Rushmore's state: S. DAK.

14. Gas brand on the Trans-Canada Highway: ESSO. This one is in Ladysmith, BC.

 15. Word before basin or wave: TIDAL.

16. Actress Taylor: LILI.

 Lili Taylor at IMDb

17. "Now!" letters: ASAP.

18. Summer month in Argentina: ENERO.   January.  "Argentina is in the southern hemisphere, thus the seasons occur during the opposite months from Europe and North America. Spring arrives around November; January and February mark the peak summer months and March is the end of summer when children return to school." - Bradt Travel Guides.

19. "__ something I said?": IS IT.

23. South Korean capital: SEOUL.

24. Bootlegger's gin container: BATHTUB.  Bootleggers, bathtub gin, and grape bricks during the Prohibition....   "One wine brick company, with a barely disguised hint, wrote on the packages of its product: “After dissolving the brick in a gallon of water, do not place the liquid in a jug away in the cupboard for twenty days, because then it would turn to wine.” 

27. Drag racer's fuel, briefly: NITRO.  Nitromethane.  World's fastest 1/4 mile Top Fuel speed:


31. Do penance: ATONE.

32. Actress Thurman: UMA.

38. Hip-hoppers Salt-N-__: PEPA.

40. Two under par: EAGLE.

41. Dexterous: DEFT.  Neatly skillful and quick in one's movements.  Origin: Middle English: variant of daft, in the obsolete sense ‘meek’. - Oxford Dictionaries.    

"Apparently, deft and daft shared a sense of "gentle, and becoming" in Old English. Their different pronunciations (which only later formalized into spellings) experienced different metaphorical extension in Middle English. Deft continued to develop the meaning of "skillful".
But daft seems to have experienced systematic semantic deterioration from "mild-mannered" (1200), to "dull and awkward" (1300), and eventually to "foolish and crazy" (1500) under the added influence of the third word daffy. "  - English Stack Exchange

45. Fleur-de-__: LYS.

46. Ohio natives: ERIEs. 

47. Skin care prefix: DERMA.

49. Counts up: TALLIES. 

"...Since fingers are somewhat limited to 10 , a new invention was introduced – the tally system (earliest known proof of that is from around 35 000 B.C.). The tally system revolves around scratches on sticks, rocks or bones. The number of scratches represents the number of items counted – five birds would be represented by five scratches, seven mammoths would be represented by seven scratches etc. The “modern” tally system, which we’re still using in this day and age, organizes the scratches (tallies) into groups of five – four vertical scratches and one diagonal (that is drawn across the vertical ones). Eventually, tallies were replaced with more practical symbols – numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5,...) – which are in wide use today." Mathemania -Counting

52. Thinning atmospheric layer: OZONE.

60. "Let's go!": C'MON.

62. "Chicago" actress Zellweger: RENEE.

63. Crass: RUDE.

64. Arctic chunk: FLOE.

65. News article intros: LEDES.  Origin in the 1950s as an alteration of lead, first used in instructions to printers, in order to distinguish the word from text to be printed.  Now lede is mainly journalism jargon for the introductory portion of a news story—or what might be called the lead portion of the news story.  We've had LEDE before in the LA Times crossword puzzles. Once.  Sept 22nd, 2017. Irish Miss was the only one of the regulars that knew it.  Did you remember it from last time ?

66. Tiger Woods' ex: ELIN.

67. Frying liquids: OILS.

68. Prefix with foam: STYRO.

69. Vaccine fluids: SERA.

Down:

1. Chicago NFL team: BEARS.   99 seasons.  Record (W-L-T): 749-579-42.   New head coach Matt Nagy and quarterback Mitch Trubisky are looking to lead the Bears to an NFC North title and the playoffs.  Their biggest rivalry is with the Green Bay Packers, who currently have the lead at 96–94–6.  It is the longest rivalry in the NFL, having started in 1921.  

2. Actor Davis: OSSIE.

3. Pollo __: Latin American grilled chicken dish: ASADO.

4. Cruise/Kilmer action film: TOP GUN.

5. Education acronym for four fields of study: STEM. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

6. Ex-Yankee Martinez: TINO.  Constatino.  

A key component of the 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 NY Yankees World Series Championship teams.  They lost in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series to the Arizona Diamonbacks, or he would have garnered a 5th World Series ring.

7. Genesis garden: EDEN.

8. Medicare option: PART B.

9. Honolulu hello: ALOHA.

10. Snubbed: SLIGHTED.

11. Kitchen cloth: DISH TOWEL.

12. Boxer Laila: ALI.

13. Do-it-yourselfer's buy: KIT.

21. Single __: tournament format, briefly: ELIM. Single Elimination.  The loser of the match or game is out.  The NCAA's "March Madness" tournament is an example.

22. Slanted type: Abbr.: ITAL.

25. Bring together: UNIFY.

26. Sugar sources: BEETS.

28. Deadlocks: TIES.

29. Some TVs: RCAs.

30. 1977 George Burns film: OH GOD.

32. Unexpected victory: UPSET.  Happens fairly frequently in the early rounds of the single elimination March Madness basketball tournament.

33. Stiller's comedy partner: MEARA.


34. Springtime prank: APRIL FOOL.

36. Ultimatum word: ELSE.

37. Sideways glance: LEER.

39. Facial wrinkles: AGE LINEs.

43. F-foxtrot link: AS IN.

44. Latin love: AMOR.

48. Islands west of Portugal: AZORES.  "The Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal, are an archipelago in the mid-Atlantic. The islands are characterized by dramatic landscapes, fishing villages, green pastures and hedgerows of blue hydrangeas."

Guide to the Azores

50. British peers: EARLs.

51. Icy winter weather: SLEET.

53. Developing egg: OVULE.

54. Apex's opposite: NADIR.

55. Kagan of the Supreme Court: ELENA.  She was also an answer in Saturday's LA Times Crossword.  The clue was "John Paul's successor."   Saturdays can be so tough.

57. Mayberry's Sheriff Taylor: ANDY.

58. Look intently (at): PEER.

59. Durango dinero: PESO.


60. Corp. money manager: CFO.  Chief Financial Officer.  What is a 'Chief Financial Officer - CFO' ?  - Investopedia

61. Mid-11th century year: MLI.  M = 1000,  L = 50,  I = 1,  thus MLI  =  mid-11th century year 1051.   Viking descendant William of Normandy was building and consolidating powers at the time, and strategically married the more noble Matilda of Flanders.   In 1066, he conquered England, became known as William the Conqueror and was the first Norman King of England.  Two of their sons - William II and Henry I - ascended to the throne as King of England.   The English word for agreement at the time was yea, and before the 1600s,  yes was often used only as an affirmative to a negative question.

That's a wrap.  Wait, one more link: How to say yes in many different languages.

Tuesday, June 19, 2018 Joe Schewe

⌁  "Wired"  ⌁

17. Carry only a carry-on, say: TRAVEL LIGHT.  WIRED LIGHT  💡

24. MLB's National League nickname (because it was founded first): SENIOR CIRCUIT. WIRED CIRCUIT

47. Unscrupulous sales tactic: BAIT AND SWITCH. WIRED SWITCH  

57. Chaw in a cheek: TOBACCO PLUG.  WIRED PLUG  🔌

39. Tense with excitement ... and a hint to the ends of the four longest puzzle answers: WIRED.

Across:

1. Like aged cheddar: SHARP.

6. Three-dimensional: CUBIC.ऒ

11. Clavell's "__-Pan": TAI.  Big shot. 

14. Down-yielding duck: EIDER.

15. IRA-establishing legislation: ERISA. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act

16. __ Tin Tin: RIN. The German Shepherd Dog is my favorite.

19. "__ had one job!": YOU.   The perfect opening for CrossEyedDave.  I'll link this one to get him started. 

20. Bottom edge of a dress: HEM.

21. Slithery swimmer: EEL.

22. Bacteria in food recalls: E. COLI.

29. "Of course": YES.

30. Least fresh: OLDEST.

31. Rainbow-shaped: ARCED.

34. Five-time Silver Slugger Award-winning catcher Joe: MAUER.   Some guys are just athletically gifted.  Like another Minnesotan, Dave Winfield.   Mauer was a great multi-sport ballplayer in high school.  Click the link to read about him.   

First Baseman since 2014

C.C. used to have Joe Mauer as her avatar:

35. The 2% in 2% milk: FAT.

38. Nobel physicist Niels: BOHR.

40. Vague amount: SOME.

41. Wonderment: AWE.  If you take the previous answer at 40A, and append it to this answer, you will have the adjective that I sense grates on Husker Gary's ears. 

42. Funeral rite heaps: PYRES.

43. Aleppo's land: SYRIA.

44. Martin of "Route 66": MILNER.  We had a clue of "66, for one"  yesterday at 5D, and the answer was RTE.  Boomer commented, "I think there was a famous TV show with Martin Milner about Rte. 66."   So anyone that read the blog yesterday should have been able to get Milner today.  That's him on the right.  Reruns of Route 66 are on late night TV.    Nice car for a pair of drifters. 

 He beat out Robert Redford for the role.

46. Buddhist discipline: ZEN.

51. Takes a break: RESTS.

52. Ill. neighbor: IND.

53. Piece of history: ERA.

56. Framed works: ART.

62. Knight's title: SIR.

63. Downloadable read: EBOOK.

64. Moan and groan: WHINE.

65. "Listen up!": HEY.  Hey now, hey now, don't dream it's over.

66. Takes a chance on: RISKS.

67. Vetoes: NIXES.

Down:

1. Meyers of late-night TV: SETH.

2. Put on the payroll: HIRE.

3. Frequent Yosemite photographer Ansel: ADAMS.

 The Story Behind the Photograph That Made Ansel Adams Famous

4. Gun, as an engine: REV.

5. Fussed in front of a mirror: PREENED.  This sure sounds like fussing to me.  Never heard of scritch before.

6. Upright violin kin: CELLO.

7. Ocean State sch.: URI.  The University of Rhode Island is the flagship university for the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. 

8. The __ Dipper: BIG.

9. "Kinda" suffix: ISH. Sorta.

10. Party food provider: CATERER.

11. Seek a spot on, as a sports team: TRY OUT FOR. 

12. Garlicky mayo: AIOLI.

13. Alaskan native: INUIT.

18. Floral garlands: LEIS.

23. IV units: CCs.

25. Ogler: EYER.  Oxford Dictionaries:  Eyer.  Noun.  Rare.
    1 Chiefly literary and poetic. A person who looks at or sees something or someone; an observer.
    2 A person who makes eyes in needles. Now historical.

26. Loud crowds: ROARERS.  Like the fans at the 2018 U.S. Open played at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.

27. Crossword puzzle list: CLUES. Also from Oxford Dictionaries... Origin: Late Middle English: variant of clew. The original sense was ‘a ball of thread’; hence one used to guide a person out of a labyrinth.  I could use a better ball of thread on some Saturday puzzles.

28. Fingered in a lineup, briefly: ID'ed.

31. Old hoops org.: ABA.  American Basketball Association. 1967 to 1976.   I was a fan.  Dr. J (Julius Erving), Rick Barry, Moses Malone, Dan Issel,  Artis Gilmore, George Gervin, Tiny (Nate) Archibald and others. 

32. Line of seats: ROW.

33. Mutual attraction in a relationship: CHEMISTRY.  Are we talking about covalent bonding ?  Or 💑 ?

34. Stuck in the mud: MIRED.

36. "__ dreaming?": AM I.

37. Earl Grey, e.g.: TEA.  I believe this is Abejo's favorite.  So much so that he takes it with him when he dines out.

39. Casino mogul Steve: WYNN.  I would have preferred the clue to have been about Ed, Keenan or  Early.  

40. Lip-__: mouth the words: SYNC.

42. Wall surface: PLASTER.

43. Land a plane: SET DOWN.  Hi Dudley ! 

45. Hairy Addams cousin: ITT.   Linked ITT's picture last time.

46. Galvanizing metal: ZINC. 

47. Audacious: BRASH.

48. Eagle's nest: AERIE.

49. Trimmable candle parts: WICKS.

50. DNA structure: HELIX.

54. Ancient character: RUNE.

55. Long, long time: AGES.

58. __-Wan Kenobi: OBI.

59. Mass. MLB team: BOS.  Boston Red Sox.   In 1967 I was playing Little League and devoured anything / everything baseball.  Yaz won the Triple Crown and Boston won the AL Pennant to face St Louis in the World Series.  The series was tied at 3 games apiece.  Our teacher,  Mr Kelly,  rolled a TV into the classroom.  We all watched the deciding Game 7.   Bob Gibson of the Cardinals won his 3rd game and St Louis took the series 4-3.  I was pulling for the Cardinals, but became a Yaz fan that season.  Great ballplayer.  1st ballot HOF'er.  Born in Southampton, N.Y., site of the 2018 U.S. Open.  BTW,  no other Triple Crowns were won in either league until 2012, when Miguel Cabrerra of the Tigers accomplished the feat.

60. "All systems go!": AOK.  Jinx might see that in his side view mirrors as he leaves the campgrounds.

61. __ Beta Kappa: PHI.

Tuesday, June 12, 2018 C.C. Burnikel

"SPICE MIX"

16. Area behind velvet ropes, often: VIP SECTION.

60. Former "SNL" regular known for Sinatra impressions: JOE PISCOPO.

10. Commercial rental property: OFFICE SPACE.

24. Beverage-named Denver arena: PEPSI CENTER.

And the reveal:
35. Curry powder, e.g. ... and what each set of puzzle circles contains: SPICE MIX.

C.C. mixes in some spice to season this sumptuous repast.

I was puzzled at the top because I typed in VIP SEaTIng on the across run.  Everything was going swimmingly on the down run until I got to 7 and 8 down.

Across:

1. Condition before a storm: CALM.

5. Secure at the pier: LASH.

9. Swamp croaker: TOAD.


13. Hand lotion ingredient: ALOE.

14. Triangular Greek letter: DELTA.

15. Jackson 5 hairdo: AFRO.


18. Sci-fi hoverers: UFOs.

19. Cul-de-__: SAC.

20. Completes a sentence?: DOES TIME. 

22. Cholesterol-inhibiting drug: LIPITOR.   Atorvastatin.

26. Smokey Bear TV ad, e.g.: PSA.   Here's a collection of them:


27. Scoundrel: CAD.

28. Sports drink suffix: ADE.

29. Stockpile: AMASS.

31. JFK's predecessor: DDE.

Meeting between President Dwight D. Eisenhower (DDE) and President-elect Kennedy

33. Favoring relatives in hiring: NEPOTISM.  How Stuff Works: Nepotism

35. Richter scale event: SEISM.  Seism; A shaking of the Earth's surface; an earthquake or tremor. - Wiktionary.  Jayce's arena.  Here's some reading about Richter scale from How Stuff Works.

37. Pinch in a recipe: DASH.

38. Tourney winner: CHAMP.

40. Rotisserie rod: SPIT.

 Be careful - the spit and forks are blazing hot.

42. Pride members: LIONS.  Matt Patricia is the new head coach of the Detroit Lions.

The Pride of Detroit

44. Baggage claim bag: SUITCASE.

46. John of "Star Trek" (2009): CHO.

47. Word of choice: WHICH.

48. So-so grade: CEE.

49. Tribute in verse: ODE.  The first ode I heard was to Billie Joe:


51. Yellowfin tuna: AHI.

53. Book buyers: READERS.  Or non-prescription reading glasses. Wilbur uses those for reading the blog.  I have 20-40 vision with my glasses on.  New glasses should be here soon.  Hopefully, less blurry vision  and fewer headaches will ensue.

55. Not-so-subtle verbal nudge: HINT HINT.

58. "O Sole __": MIO.

59. Relaxing soak, or a financial soaking: BATH.

65. Draft classification: ONE A.  1-A.   Selective Service Classifications

66. Building extension: ANNEX.

67. Be acquainted with: KNOW.


68. Knitter's purchase: YARN.  Madame Defarge enjoys knitting, as did my MIL. 

69. Rock group: BAND. Was going to link their Rock and Roll Band song, but this 1990 international hit would be the most famous song of this German rock group that started plying their trade at the height of Beatlemania.  The video has 574M views.


70. Planted, as seed: SOWN.

Down:

1. Cleveland NBAer: CAV.   The Cavaliers.  The star player of the Cavs is LeBron James.  Marc Stein of the NY Times wrote of LeBron James, "Just don’t forget that it’s James’s unwavering brilliance, above all, that convinced the Warriors — after a 73-win season in 2015-16 — that they had to do anything they could to add (Kevin) Durant to Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala to ensure they could beat this one guy."

2. "Moonlight" Oscar winner Mahershala __: ALI.

More at IMDb

3. Chop off: LOP.

4. Argentine soccer superstar Lionel: MESSI.   Star forward playing for FC Barcelona.

Forbes Profile

5. Net judge's call: LET.

6. "Put __ on it!": A LID.

7. Hunches over: STOOPS.

8. Underwear brand: HANES.

9. Tightly drawn: TAUT.

11. Candle shop allure: AROMA.  This place sells over 1200 candles scents and fragrances if you are into making your own.  This household has enough scented candles.  They seem to multiply like Tribbles.

12. Provided with medicine: DOSED.

14. "Wonder Woman" publisher: DC COMICS.

17. Bother a lot: EAT AT.

21. Marquis de __: SADE.  Who Was the Marquis de Sade?

22. Arrive onshore: LAND.

23. Perfect example: IDEAL.


25. Reckless: RASH.

30. Roaring success: SMASH.

32. Blu-ray buy: DISC.

34. "Looks like trouble!": OH OH. Mercy, look what just walked through that door.


36. Unlikely GoFundMe donor: MISER.

39. "ABC World News Tonight" anchor David: MUIR.  David Muir, Lester Holt and Jeff Glor.

 Wikipedia says WNT is the "most watched newscast in America" but the cited reference is for the week of August 14th, 2017.  A little research led to this Forbes article.

41. Casual shirts: TEES.

43. Ark builder: NOAH.

45. Bangkok natives: THAIs.

47. Ryder of "Edward Scissorhands": WINONA.  Winona Ryder starred opposite Johnny Depp.

 Named after the nearby city of Winona

49. "Yippee!": OH BOY.

50. Mythical hunter: DIANA.  In Roman Mythology.  More here.

52. Muslim woman's headscarf: HIJAB.

54. Comes to port: DOCKS.

56. Larger __ life: THAN.

57. Ky. neighbor: TENN.  Speaking of getting to know you:


61. One on foot, in signs: PED.

62. Musician Yoko: ONO.

 Yoko Ono to Receive Songwriting Credit on John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’

63. "Kaboom!": POW.

64. Part of MYOB: OWN.  Mind Your Own Business.  Alternatively - for those with teenagers - Make Your Own Bed.

Tuesday June 5th, 2018 Samuel A. Donaldson

"LOSS LEADERS"

17. Gym bar addition: WEIGHT PLATE. WEIGHT LOSS

24. Fairness principle for bandwidth providers: NET NEUTRALITY.  NET LOSS

36. Judicial fact finder: HEARING EXAMINER. HEARING LOSS

48. What a crossword clue typically starts with: CAPITAL LETTER. CAPITAL LOSS

58. Retail come-ons ... and what the starts of the longest Across answers can be?: LOSS LEADERS.

Across:

1. Plunk down in front of, as a counter: SIT AT. 

6. 1-BR listings: APTs. Abbr # 1 Apartments

10. Ph.D. wannabe's obstacle: GRE. #2 Graduate Readiness Exam

13. Heart chambers: ATRIA.

14. Blue Ribbon beer: PABST.  Johnny Russell had a Hot Country Single in 1973 with Rednecks, White Socks, and Blue Ribbon Beer

He also wrote Act Naturally that Husker Gary linked last Saturday, as sung by Ringo and Buck Owens.  He was co-writer on George Strait's 1984 #1 Hot Country single Let's Fall to Pieces Together

16. Short flight: HOP.

19. In days of yore: AGO.

20. Opposite of SSW: NNE. #3 North, Northeast

21. Seat of Allen County, Kansas: IOLA.


22. Pricey watch: ROLEX.

28. Dodos: NINNIES.

30. Lumber: WOOD.  Pittsburgh's "Lumber Company" of the '70s  "They give you a round bat and they throw you a round ball and I try to hit it square,” Stargell said.

31. "__ Baby": "Hair" song: ABIE.

32. Genie's offering: WISH.

33. Hoppy beer, for short: IPA. # 4 India Pale Ale

41. Mo. port on the Miss.: STL. # 5 St. Louis

42. Mark Harmon TV series: NCIS. # 6 Naval Criminal Investigative Service

43. "Now!" in the ER: STAT. #7 Statim (Latin immediately)

44. Ruler until 1917: TSAR.  Nicholas II

45. iPad and Kindle Fire: TABLETS.

52. "I didn't expect to see you here": OH HEY.


53. Out of the wind: ALEE.

Leeward and Windward

54. Itinerary word: VIA.

57. Habitat of many schools: SEA.  "In biology, any group of fish that stay together for social reasons are said to be shoaling, and if, in addition, the group is swimming in the same direction in a coordinated manner, they are said to be schooling."  Wikipedia

62. "Live __": Taco Bell slogan: MAS.

63. Take off the TiVo: ERASE.

64. Lustrous furs: MINKS.   Free shipping and no tax.

Style Details

65. Poetic tribute: ODE.

66. Mannerless one: BOOR.

67. Behold, of old: SEEST.

Down:

1. Like lumber: SAWN.

2. Southern coast-to-coast hwy.: I-TEN. #8  Interstate 10

3. Occurring every third year: TRIENNIAL.

4. 2008 bailout co.: AIG. # 9 American International Group

5. South Pacific getaway: TAHITI.

Sheltered Blue Lagoons

6. Orchard fruit: APPLES.

7. Micronesian setting for the 10th season of "Survivor": PALAU.

Welcome to Palau

8. Letters in an incomplete schedule: TBA. # 11 To Be Announced

9. Retired flier, briefly: SST. #12 Super Sonic Transport

10. Ex-U.N. head Boutros-__: GHALI.   We always heard, "Boutros Boutros-Ghali" on the TV.

11. Thesaurus compiler: ROGET.

12. Hobbyist's glue: EPOXY.

15. Resistance unit equal to one trillion of the basic units: TERAOHM.  Why would anyone need these extreme values?  My Fluke meter won't measure to a trillion ohms of resistance.   Jayce ?

18. Musical quality: TONE.

23. Yellowstone's __ Faithful: OLD

Webcams - Pick the Upper Geyser Basin

25. Cabinet dept. concerned with nukes: ENER. #13 Energy

26. Candy from Mars: TWIX.  Cute clue.

27. Rights icon Parks: ROSA.

28. Casual denials: NAHs.

29. "Su-r-r-r-re": I BET.

32. "Rushmore" director Anderson: WES.  "This cult favorite is a quirky coming of age story, with fine, off-kilter performances from Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray." - Rotten Tomatoes.    Wes Anderson: American film director, film producer, screenwriter, and actor.  Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom. 

33. Play peacemaker: INTERVENE.  People who have contributed to peace.

34. Bog fuel: PEAT.

35. "Fine" studies: ARTS.

37. Current, as fashion: IN STYLE.  Had in vogue. I guess vogue is outta style.

38. Frozen Four org.: NCAA. # 14 National Collegiate Athletic Association.    Frozen Four is the branding for the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship.  Minnesota Duluth is the most recent champion.

39. Lass: GIRL.

40. 5-Down or 7-Down: ISLE.

44. Deadlock: TIE.

45. Penn's silent partner: TELLER.

Magicians and Entertainers

46. Perfectly, with "to": A TEE.

47. Backup squads: B TEAMS.

48. Pink drink, for short: COSMO. #15 Cosmopolitan


49. On the horizon: AHEAD.

50. Temporary stage: PHASE.

51. Catcher at a rodeo: LASSO.


55. Really gets to: IRKS.

56. Certain prof.'s designation: ASST. #16  Assistant

59. Poetic planet: ORB.

60. __ Paulo, Brazil: SAO.  The most populous city in the Americas (NY 4th, LA 8th, CHI 14th), and the most populous metropolitan area of the Americas (NY 3rd, LA 5th, CHI 8th).   Sao Paulo -Wikipedia

61. Yahtzee cube: DIE.

 

Note from C.C.:

Happy 62nd birthday to dear TTP (Tom), our Tuesday Sherpa since March 20, 2018, though he's been always there helping me solve various blog and life glitches. 

Madame DeFarge, I sure hope you can make the Chicago Corner Gathering happen. You've met Abejo, who met TTP for beer a few years ago. We need to "see" TTP.