Tuesday, July 2, 2019; Emily Ludoph & Jeff Chen

Oh, Say Can You See ...   

Invisible Tape

18-Across. Invisible impediment in the workplace: GLASS CEILING.  A Glass Ceiling is an unofficial barrier to advancement in a profession.  This especially impacts women and minorities.

58-Across. Invisible impediment in the sky: SOUND BARRIER.  Here is an explanation and some  photographs of jets smashing the Sound Barrier.

12-Down. Invisible impediment in the theater: FOURTH WALL.  The Fourth Wall is the conceptual barrier between the actors and the audience.  The audience can see "through" the wall, but the actors are oblivious to the wall.  The television sit-com show, The Office, would allow the actors to break through the fourth wall and speak directly to the audience.

29-Down. Invisible impediment in science fiction: FORCE FIELD.

Across:

1. Former NFL running back Jennings who won "Dancing With the Stars" in 2017: RASHAD.  I didn't get off to a good start with today's puzzle, as I am not familiar with RASHAD Jennings (né Rashad Andre Jennings; b. Mar. 26, 1985).  In 2009, he was drafted by the Jackson Jaguars.  He later played for the Oakland Raiders and the New York Giants.  In 2017, he was on Dancing with the Stars.  The following year, he joined the show as a judge.

7. Cuban dance: RUMBA.  Origins of the Rumba:

12. Govt. Rx watchdog: FDA.  As in the Food and Drug Administration, which is housed within the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

15. Give in (to): ACCEDE.

16. Thorny plant: BRIAR.

17. Belonging to us: OUR.  This Blog is OUR Happy Place.

20. The Pac-12's Trojans: USC.  As in the University of Southern California.

21. Solar phenomena: SUN SPOTS.  Sun Sports are the darker areas that appear in the sun's surface. They are the "cooler" areas on the sun.  You can learn more from The National Weather Service.

22. Kooky traits: QUIRKS.

One of these birds has a quirk.

24. Flub it: ERR.

25. Able to speak easily, as a language: FLUENT.  How many languages can you speak?

27. Badly mistaken: OFF BASE.

31. Average schlub: JOE SCHMO.  I think of a Joe Schmo as being a bit of a jerk.

34. 53-Down noise: CROAK.  //  And 53-Down:  Pond critter:  FROG.

35. Not worth debating: MOOT.  //  And 11-Down. Participates in a debate: ARGUES.

36. Is in the red: OWES.

37. Civil suit cause: TORT.  A tort is just a civil wrong.  Not to be confused with the dessert, which is spelled with an "e".

Sacher Torte.

38. Predators in pool halls: SHARKS.

40. Designer Jacobs: MARC.  Marc Jacobs (b. Apr. 9. 1963) is probably best known for his line of handbags.  They are a tad out of my price range.

41. Set in stone, say: ETCH.

42. Benevolent: KIND.

43. Hägar's wife: HELGA.  A reference to the comic strip Hägar the Horrible.

44. Paul Newman caper film: THE STING.

46. Comedian Elayne: BOOSLER.

Elayne Boosler (b. Aug. 18, 1952)

48. Full of moxie: FEISTY.

49. Theater segment: ACT.  Tricky.  I initially thought we were looking for a section of seating in the theater.

50. "Reservoir Dogs" co-star Harvey: KEITEL.  Harvey Keitel (b. May 13, 1939) has starred in a number of films.  He usually portrays a tough-guy.  I never saw Reservoir Dogs, but it is known for its violence.

52. Find at a dig: ARTIFACT.  Here is an artifact recently discovered from an excavation in the City of David in Jerusalem.

57. Blackjack eleven: ACE.

61. Twitter guffaw: LOL.  Textspeak for Laughing Out Loud.  Jimmy received the following text from his mother:  "Your professor called to say you failed your math exam.  LOL.  Mom".  He called his mother and said, "What's with the LOL?"  She replied, " I just wanted to sent you Lots of Love, because I knew how disappointed you would be with failing the test."

62. Chose (to): OPTED.

63. Bit of ramen: NOODLE.  Several years ago, Blue Iris, one of our Blog members, provided a recipe for a Bird Seed Salad that uses Raman Noodles.  I make this salad on occasion when I need to bring something to a potluck dinner.

64. Football lineman: END.

65. Prerequisites: NEEDS.

66. "Communist Manifesto" co-author with Marx: ENGELS.  Karl Marx (May 5, 1818 ~ Mar. 14, 1883) and Friedrich Engels (Nov. 28, 1820 ~ Aug. 5, 1895) wrote the Communist Manifesto in 1848.  Engels died of laryngeal cancer at age 74.

Engels and Marx

Down:

1. Garb for many a Dickens waif: RAGS.

2. Rights-defending org.: ACLU.  As in the American Civil Liberties Union.

3. Read quickly: SCAN.

4. Gas brand with toy trucks: HESS.  I initially tried Esso, but that didn't fit well with the perps.

5. Marketing jargon: AD SPEAK.

6. Interior designs: DECORS.

Star Wars Living Room Decor

7. Grand slam quartet, in baseball shorthand: RBIs.  As in Runs Batted In.

8. Internet address letters: URL.  The Uniform Resource Locator makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.

9. 1002, in old Rome: MII.  Roman Numerals.

10. Regal meals: BANQUETS.

13. Nightfall: DUSK.  Dusk technically applies to that period between the darkest twilight and complete darkness.

14. Curved sections: ARCS.

19. French "to be": ÊTRE.  Here it the verb conjugated in the present tense:

           Je suis  //  Nous sommes
           Tu es  //  Vous êtes
           Ils / Elles est  //  Ils / Elles sont 

23. Workers' earnings: INCOMES.

25. Scandinavian cruise sight: FJORD.  Some beautiful sights of Norway.

26. "Please understand ... ": LOOK.

27. Eight-member ensemble: OCTET.  A String Octet typically consists of 4 violins, 2 violas and 2 cellos, but I will give you an example of an octet for wind instruments.

28. Suds: FROTH.  I had _ROTH, and all I could thing of was Broth, but that didn't make sense.  Then the lightbulb went on.

30. Packaged buy including shower curtain, towels, etc.: BATH SET.

32. Join the flow of traffic: MERGE.  In the ideal world ...

33. Basketball Hall of Famer Robertson: OSCAR.  Oscar Palmer Robertson (b. Nov. 24, 1938) had a long career in the NBA, first playing for the Cincinnati Royals, then the Milwaukee Bucks.  He was also the plaintiff in the 1970 anti-trust lawsuit, Robertson v. National Basketball Association.  The lawsuit settled in 1976 and resulted in today's current free agency rules.

35. Like some stray mutts: MANGY.

38. Slalom setting: SKI SLOPE.

39. Clue: HINT.

43. Producer of curls: HOT IRON.  My hair is just wash and wear.

45. Attaches with rope: TIES ON.

46. Cutting remark: BARB.

47. Number on a pump: OCTANE.  Think gasoline.

50. Curly leafy green: KALE.  Hubby is not a fan.  I could take it or leave it.

51. Micro or macro subj.: ECON.  As in Micoreconomics or Macroeconomics.

52. Tacks on: ADDS.

54. Staff helper: AIDE.

55. Phone in a pocket: CELL.

56. "__ chic!": TRÈS.  More of today's French lesson.

59. Sporty truck, briefly: UTE.

60. Nancy Drew's beau: NED.  Ned Nickerson was Nancy Drew's beau.  They used to get around in a roadster.  I loved this mystery stories when I was a in grade school.  The stories were so exotic to this 4th grader.

Here's the Grid:

I'll leave you with a QOD:  Prohibition didn’t work in the Garden of Eden.  Adam ate the apple.  ~  Vincente Fox (b. July 2, 1942), President of Mexico

Tuesday, June 25, 2019, Roland Huget

Why did it have to be Snakes?  There is a triple "S" hissing sound in each of the theme answers.  Note that the first word of each phrase ends in a double S, and the first word begins with an S to give us the HISS.

17-Across. Contents of a landscaper's spreader: GRASS SEED.

25-Across. Hollywood or Vine, vis-à-vis the other: CROSS STREET.

38-Across. Formal attire: DRESS SUIT.

53-Across. Social hierarchy: CLASS SYSTEM.

64-Across. Leaky tire noise found in five puzzle answers including this one: HISS SOUND.

Across:
1. Scottish Celt: GAEL.

5. Brake component: DISC.

Anatomy of a Break

9. Confronts with cockiness: FACES

14. Road runner: AUTO.

15. Marc with a clothing brand: ECKŌ.  //  And 62-Down:  Novelist Umberto: ECO.  The surnames sound alike.  Marc Eckō (né Marc Louis Milecofsky; b. Aug. 29, 1972) is an American fashion designer and founder of Eckō Limited.  It's not a company I am familiar with, but it apparently is known for its graffiti-style tee shirts and hoodies.

Umberto Eco (Jan. 5, 1932 ~ Feb. 19, 2016) was an Italian novelist, best known for his 1980 historical novel, Name of the Rose.

16. Higher in rank than: ABOVE.  See 53-Across.

19. Jeans material: DENIM.  You, too, can have this pair of Muddy DENIM Jeans for only $425.

20. Bring up, as kids: RAISE.

21. Very small: WEE.

23. MDX ÷ X: CLI.  Roman Math.  1510 ÷ 10 = 151.

24. Building wing: ELL.

30. Voted in: ELECTED.  Voters in our last election got this beautiful sticker after leaving the voting booth.

32. T-shirt coloring method: TIE-DYE.

33. Harp constellation: LYRA.  Obvious, right?

34. Mexican girl: NIÑA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

37. Tots may be bounced on them: KNEES.

41. Bud in a cantina: AMIGO.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

44. Diplomat's forte: TACT.

45. Part of UAE: ARAB.  As in the United Arab Emirates.

49. Most inexperienced, as a recruit: RAWEST.

51. Allowing cars in a single direction at a time, as a bridge: ONE LANE.

56. School support gp.: PTA.  As in the Parent Teacher Association.  This is a crossword staple.

57. Grain bristle: AWN.

58. Acorn producer: OAK.  What did the little Acorn say when he grew up?  Geometry!

59. Unmitigated: UTTER.

Oh, wait.  That's an Otter.

61. Not exactly new: DATED.

67. "Fear of Flying" author Jong: ERICA.  Erica Jong (née Erica Mann; b. Mar. 26, 1942) is probably best known for her 1973 novel, Fear of Flying, which isn't about flying at all, but rather sexual fantasies.

68. Leave out: OMIT.

69. "Rule, Britannia" composer Thomas: ARNE.  I learned about Thomas Arne (né Thomas Augustine Arne; Mar. 12, 1710 ~ Mar. 5, 1778) from doing the crossword puzzles.  He makes occasional guest appearances.

70. Determined to do: SET ON.  As in the sentence:  He's SET ON finishing this puzzle before the end of the day.

71. Nashville venue: OPRY.

72. "The Walking __": zombie show: DEAD.

Down:

1. DVD blooper collection: GAG REEL.

2. By ear: AURALLY.

3. Online merchant: E-TAILER.

4. Red ink: LOSS.

5. __ Moines: DES.  A city in Iowa.

6. Rink surface: ICE.

7. Depicts unfairly, as data: SKEWS.

8. Secret languages: CODES.  The Rosetta Stone helped to de-code ancient languages.

9. Short-lived obsession: FAD.  Anyone remember this short-lived FAD?  I read recently that it's coming back.

10. Civil War prez: ABE.

11. Admit defeat: CONCEDE.

12. Hex-dispensing stare: EVIL EYE.  This Hamsa will protect you from the Evil Eye.

13. Some Middle East natives: SEMITES.  Webster's defines Semite as "(1) a member of any of a number of peoples of ancient southwestern Asia including the Akkadians, Phoenicians, Hebrews, and Arabs; and (2) descendants of these peoples."  The word "Semite"  comes from "Shem", which literally means "name" in Hebrew, and was also the name of the Noah's oldest son.  Thus, in ancient mythology, the Semites were all descendants of Shem.

18. Splinter group: SECT. 22. Ballpark fig.: EST.  As in Estimate.  I initially tried ERA, thinking we were looking for Earned Run Average.  But we weren't actually in the baseball park here.

26. Artist Magritte: RENÉ.  As in René Margritte (né René François Ghislain Magritte; Nov. 21, 1898 Aug. 15, 1967), a Belgium surrealist artist.

27. Writer of exalted verse: ODIST.  As in one who composes Odes.  John Keats (Oct. 31, 1795 ~ Feb. 23, 1821) is probably the best known Odist, having written Ode on a Grecian Urn.

28. __ bar: Polynesian-themed spot: TIKI.

You, too, can get your own Tiki Bar from Amazon.

29. U-Haul truck, e.g.: RENTAL.  When I moved to Boston, I rented a U-Haul to transport all my stuff.  When I went out to return the truck the next day, it was gone.  It had been stolen during the night.  I reported it, and U-Haul never flinched an eye about the loss.

31. Mooches: CADGES.  An interesting new word for me.  It apparently means to ask for or obtain something to which one is not really entitled to.

35. Govt. code-breaking org.: NSA.  As in the National Security Agency.

36. Fancy tie: ASCOT.  Fun to have this answer as the Royal Ascot just ended last Saturday ~ the event where everyone must dress up and women wear outrageous hats.

39. Flag maker Betsy: ROSS.  Betsy Ross (née Elizabeth Griscom; Jan. 1, 1752 ~ Jan. 30, 1836) is credited with having made the first American flag.  Fact or Fiction?

40. __ Reader: eclectic digest: UTNE.  This magazine appears fairly often in the crossword puzzles.  I once got a copy in the mail, totally unsolicited.  I don't remember whether or not I read the issue, but I did not subscribe to the journal.

41. Gaming centers: ARCADES.

42. Invasive computer software: MALWARE.

43. "Give me that!": I WANT IT!  Didn't your mother teach you manners?  Maybe you will CADGE off someone to get what you want.

46. Ecstasy: RAPTURE.

47. Insect's feeler: ANTENNA.

48. Like Abe Lincoln and Santa Claus, facially: BEARDED.

50. Chinese menu general: TSO.  According to an article in the Smithsonian, General Tso Chicken, was invented by a chef from Hunan province in the 1950s in Taiwan.  It is a sweet deep-fried chicken dish.

52. Outback birds: EMUs.

54. Gleeful shout: YAHOO!

55. Pinch pennies: SKIMP.

60. "The Wind in the Willows" amphibious Mr.: TOAD.  The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame (Mar. 8, 1859 ~ July 6, 1932) was first published in 1908.  Although classified as a children's book, it is really about the leisured class of British gentlemen.  The characters are all animals ~ rats, moles, toads, and badgers, who sit around and drink and smoke.

63. "Forrest Gump" lieutenant: DAN.  I didn't remember this character in the movie.  He was played Gary Sinise (b. Mar. 17, 1955) in the movie.

65. Dame's counterpart: SIR.

66. Messy place: STY.

Here's the Grid:

I'll leave you with a QOD:  I think being nice is more important than being clever.  ~  Ricky Gervais (b. June 25, 1961)