Tuesday, October 15, 2019, Michael A. Macdonald

FLASH in the Pan.  The word Flash can be proceed the first word of each theme answer to give us a new concept.

20-Across. "Hell's Kitchen" chef: GORDON RAMSAY.  As in Flash Gordon.  Flash Gordon is a science fiction comic strip hero who first appeared in 1934.

Gordon Ramsay (né Gordon James Ramsay; b. Nov. 8, 1966) is a British chef, restaurateur and food critic.

31-Across. Risky low-lying area to build on: FLOOD ZONE.  As in Flash Flood.  These two terms are close, but not the same.  The National Weather Service defines a Flash Flood as flood caused by heavy or excessive rain in a short period of time, generally less than 6 hours, whereas a Flood Zone is an area that is prone to flooding for a longer period of time.

 

This event was neither a Flash Flood, nor did it occur in a Flood Zone.

48-Across. Not someone an amateur should play poker with: CARD SHARK.  As in Flash Card.  We all probably had Flash Cards when in school to help learn vocabulary, math problems, or other information.  Typically, a flash card has a question on one side and the answer on the other.

And the unifier:

55-Across. Narrative device that peeks at the future ... and a hint to the start of 20-, 31-, and 48-Across: FLASH FORWARD.

Across:

1. Bloke: CHAP.

5. Tie, in chess: DRAW.

9. Rival of Elle: VOGUE.  Both Elle and Vogue are fashion magazines.

14. Punjabi prince: RAJA.  A crossword staple.

15. Personal energy field, some say: AURA.

16. Black key wood, traditionally: EBONY.  Did you ever wonder why piano keys were in black and white?

17. Banned apple spray: ALAR.  Which crosses with 3-Down:  Cracked open, say: AJAR.  When is a door not a door?

18. Electric fan noise: WHIR.

1
9. Fix, as a loose shoelace knot: RETIE.

23. Special or covert strategies: OPs.  As in Special Operations or Covert Operations.

24. Trucker's unit: TON.

25. Owns: HAS.   //  And 11-Down: Obtained: GOT.

28. Lorelei's river: RHINE.  According to legend, Lorelei was a beautiful young German maiden who would sing enchanting songs while sitting on this huge rock on the banks of the Rhine River.  When the boatmen heard her singing, they would become so enrapt, that they would forget where they were, causing their boats to crash into the rock and they would drown.  The legend became famous after Heinrich Heine wrote this poem, which you can read in both English and German.  The Lorelei is actually a large rock formation in the curve of the Rhine River, and there have historically been a lot of boat crashes at the site.

34. Long, long time: EON.  Another crossword staple.

35. Post-WWI art movement: DADA.  Everything you wanted to know about the DADA Art Movement, but were afraid to ask.  Marcel Duchamp (1887 ~ 1968) is an artist who is closely associated with the Dada movement.

37. Affixed with a hammer: NAILED.

38. Unknown Doe: JOHN.  John or Jane?  Wait for the perps.

40. "Gymnopédies" composer: SATIE. Erik Satie (May 17, 1866 ~ July 1, 1925) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

42. High-grade cotton: PIMA.   Not to be confused with 50-Across: Adidas alternatives: PUMAs.

43. Barely make, as a living: EKE OUT.

45. Boots the ball: ERRS.

47. Serious no-no: SIN.

52. Everyday article: THE.

53. Second-tallest living bird: EMU.  These large birds make frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

54. Burger holder: BUN.

61. Camper's craft: CANOE.

64. "English breakfast" drinks: TEAS.  Everything you wanted to know about English Breakfast Tea, but were afraid to ask.

65. Bear's warning: ROAR.

66. Assumed name: ALIAS.

67. Colored eye part: IRIS.

68. Prefix for objectors: ANTI-.  As in Antidisestablishmentarianism.

69. Where to get dates: PALMS.  Cute clue!

70. __ a one: none: NARY. 71. Barely a sound: PEEP.

Down:

1. Rugged cliff: CRAG.

2. Angelic ring: HALO.

4. Formal forgiveness: PARDON.

5. Occurs to, with "on": DAWNS.

6. German coal valley: RUHR.

7. La Scala number: ARIA.  It may not have been recorded at La Scala, Milan's opera house, but it is an ARIA from Carmen, one of my favorite operas.

 

8. Become fond of: WARM TO.

9. Porch with a roof, usually: VERANDA.

10. Give heed to: OBEY.

12. Institute of higher learning, to Brits: UNI.

13. Look at intently: EYE.

21. Opinion piece: OP-ED.  I learned from doing the crosswords that OP-ED means "Opposite the Editorial Page in a newspaper, and that it expresses the opinion of the author who is not generally affiliated with the paper's editorial board.  Here are some Tips on writing an Op-Ed piece.

22. Oklahoma athlete: SOONER.  The word "sooner"became associated with Oklahoma shortly after the Land Run of 1889 to people who entered what became the State of Oklahoma before the official date designated in the Indian Appropriation Act of March 2, 1889.

25. "Total patient" philosophy: HOLISM.

26. Low-hemoglobin condition: ANEMIA.

27. Many taxis: SEDANS.

28. Not accept: REJECT.

29. Pipe smoked in trendy bars: HOOKAH.  Since it's the 2nd day of Sukkot, this clue is rather timely.  Actually, the only time I have actually seen a Hookah in a Sukkah is on a UNI campus.  It's just funny because it rhymes.

30. "Where are you?" response from a nearby room: IN HERE!

31. Govt. regulator of dietary supplements: FDA.  As in the Food and Drug Administration.

32. "I don't have time right now": LATER.

33. Nada: ZIP.

36. Inhaler user's malady: ASTHMA.

39. Nonverbal okay: NOD.

41. Really bug: IRK.

44. Having no purpose: USELESS.

46. Cowboy boot attachment: SPUR.

49. "Keep __ Weird": Texas city slogan: AUSTIN.  This slogan was adopted in 2000 by the Austin Independent Business Alliance to promote small businesses in Austin, Texas.  You can read more about the weirdness of the city.

51. Open for Christmas: UNWRAP.  Fun clue.

54. Everycow: BOSSY.  I always heard cows called Bessie, however, there is apparently a tradition of calling cows Bossie.

55. Whitecap formation: FOAM.

56. Olympian queen: HERA.  It's Greek to me.

57. Okay, but not great: FAIR.

58. Great: A-ONE.

59. Part of APR: RATE.  As in the Annual Percentage Rate.

60. Plumbing problem: DRIP.

61. Upper limit: CAP.

62. Phrase on a menu: À LA.  Think of Chicken à la King.

63. Nada: NIL.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  Facing the choice between changing one’s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.  ~  John Kenneth Galbraith (Oct. 15, 1908 ~ Apr. 29, 2006), Canadian-born economist

Tuesday, October 8, 2019 Debra Hamel

But is it erasable?  The first word of each theme answer can proceed the word Pencil to give us a new concept.

17-Across. Ocular arch-shaping cosmetic: EYEBROW WAX.  Eyebrow Pencil.

26-Across. Robby the Robot, e.g.: MECHANICAL MAN.  Mechanical Pencil.

48-Across. Backyard cooker: CHARCOAL GRILL.  Charcoal Pencil.  Everything you wanted to know about the difference between a charcoal pencil vs. a graphite pencil but were afraid to ask.

And the Unifier:

65. Tentative "It's a date" ... or a hint to the starts of 17-, 26-, and 48-Across: PENCIL ME IN.  If you "pencil in" an appointment in your date book, you can always erase the date and cancel your plans if you get a better offer.

Across:

1. How headless chickens may run: AMOK.  Did you know a turtle can swim without a head?

5. Argo and Titanic: SHIPS.

10. Email asking for money, perhaps: SCAM.

14. Pedi partner: MANI.  As a Pedicure and Manicure.

15. "A Confederacy of Dunces" author John Kennedy __: TOOLE.  John Kennedy Toole (Dec. 17, 1937 ~ Mar. 26, 1969) was from New Orleans.  Sadly, he died by suicide at age 31.  His most well-known novel was A Confederacy of Dunces, which was published after his death.

16. Gyro bread: PITA.  Yummers!

19. Like Felix Unger, e.g.: ANAL.  Hmm ...

20. Forbidden regions: NO-GO AREAS.

21. Mom's brother: UNCLE.  My mother had no brothers, thus I have no maternal uncles.

22. __ Lanka: SRI.  The island country off the coast of India.  Between 1948 and 1972, the country was known as Ceylon.  The name Sri Lanka means "Resplendent Island" in Sanskrit.

23. 1/60 of an hr.: MIN.  There are 60 Minutes in an Hour.

25. "The cow is of the bovine __; / One end is moo, the other, milk": Ogden Nash: ILK.

32. Miss. neighbor: ALA.  Louisiana and Arkansas are also neighbors of Mississippi, but the answer today is Alabama.

33. High school stat: GPA.  As in the Grade Point Average.

34. Loewe's lyricist: LERNER.  Alan Jay Lerner (Aug. 31, 1918 ~ June 14, 1986) was an American lyricist and librettist who collaborated with Frederick Loewe (June 10, 1901 ~ Feb. 14, 1988), who was a composer.  Together they created many well known Broadway musicals, including My Fair Lady and Camelot.

Lerner is on the right.

37. Dog pack leader: ALPHA.

40. One or more: ANY.

42. Spanish "I love you": TE AMO.  Today's Spanish lesson, obviously.

43. Get by: MANAGE.

45. Article in Die Zeit: DER.  Today's German lesson.

47. Up to, briefly: 'TIL.  Short for Until.

52. N, E, S or W: DIR.  N(orth), E(ast), S(outh) or W(est) are all Directions.

54. Golf teacher: PRO.

55. Portuguese saint: SÃO.  Today's Portuguese lesson.

56. UPS driver's assignment: ROUTE.

58. Not one to pass up a porterhouse: MEAT LOVER.

64. King of Siam's Broadway dance partner: ANNA.  Anna and the King of Siam was a musical by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II.  It was loosely based on the true story of Anna Leonowens (Nov. 5, 1831 ~ Jan. 19, 1915), who was a tutor to the children of King Mongkut.  Russian-born Yul Brynner (July 11, 1920 ~ Oct. 10, 1985) played the role of the King.

66. The Stones' Jagger: MICK.

Sir Michael Philip Jagger (b. July 26, 1943).

67. One-eighty: U-TURN.

68. Distort, as rules: BEND.  Bending the law doesn't exactly break the law, but it could be considered inappropriate or unfair.

69. Throbbing pain: ACHE.

70. Pro bono promise: NO FEE.

71. Boats like Noah's: ARKS.  Not all Arks, however, would be laden with animals.

Down:

1. Last word before digging in?: AMEN.  Cute clue.  A reference to saying Grace before a meal.

2. BLT condiment: MAYO.  A Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich would have Mayonnaise in it as well.

3. 10 C-notes: ONE-G.  Ten C-notes *$100 bills) are worth One-Grand ($1,000).

4. Put the __ on: squelch: KIBOSH.

5. Attic function: STORING.  I initially tried Storage.

6. Sewing machine inventor Elias: HOWE.  Elias Howe (July 9, 1819 ~ Oct. 3, 1867) is credited with creating the modern sewing machine.  Isaac Merritt Singer (Oct. 27, 1811 ~ July 23, 1875), however, has his name associated with the machine.  Howe was a nice family man, but Singer was quite the cad.  Singer is believed to have fathered at least 24 children with various wives and mistresses.

Elias Howe and his Sewing Machine.

7. Corn Belt state: IOWA.

8. Outmoded TV type: PLASMA.

9. __ symbol: SEX.

10. Wing measurement: SPAN.  The Albatros has the largest wingspan of any living bird.

11. Where Reds play: CINCINNATI.  A baseball reference to the Cincinnati Reds.

12. In the least: AT ALL.

13. 2018 Best Actor Rami __: MALEK.  Rami Said Malek (b. May 12, 1981) plays Elliot Alderson on the television series Mr. Robot.  He won the 2018 Oscar for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody.

Malek is on the right.

18. Hard to find, to Caesar: RARA.  Today's Latin lesson.

21. Like some expectations: UNMET.

24. Feeling poorly: ILL.

26. Palindromic address: MA'AM.

27. "Enchanted" film title girl: ELLA.

28. Naval officer on a cereal box: CAP'N CRUNCH.  This cereal has been around since 1963.  We used to eat it as kids.

29. Beer initialism: IPA.  As in India Pale Ale.  Here's the history of India Pale Ale.

30. "I'm on it!": CAN DO!

31. "We __ Farmers": insurance slogan: ARE.

35. Pianist Gilels: EMIL.  I am not familiar with Emil Gilels (Oct. 19, 1916 ~ Oct. 14, 1985).  He was a Soviet musician.  It's a long piece, but worth listening to.

 

36. Winning streak: ROLL.

38. "Yeah, right!": HAH!

39. With jaw dropped: AGAPE.

41. Affirmative vote: YEA.

44. Do something human?: ERR.

46. Stephen King's kid lit counterpart: R.L. STINE.  Today is the birthday of R.L. Stine (né Robert Lawrence Stine; Oct. 8, 1943).  He turns 76 today.  Happy Birthday!  He is best known for his Goosebumps series of horror fiction for children.

49. Awaken: COME TO.

50. Sometimes it's unmitigated: GALL.

51. Self-moving vacuum: ROOMBA.

52. Certain queen's bailiwick: DRAMA.  Cute clue.  We all know someone who is a big DRAMA QUEEN.

53. Greek column type: IONIC.  There were 3 major styles of columns in ancient Greek architecture: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian.  (If Debra Hamel, today's constructor, is who I think she is, then she is a historian specializing in Ancient Greece.)

57. Word before part or heart: TAKE.  As in the phrases Take Part and Take Heart.

59. Sufficient, in texts: ENUF.  Meh!

60. "Back forty" unit: ACRE.  The most remote area of the farm.

61. Swerve: VEER.

62. Kindle technology: E-INK.  I don't have a Kindle.  I do have a Nook, but I really prefer to read an actual book with pages that I can flip back and forth.

63. Gps. of drinks: RNDS.  As in Rounds.  "I'll get the next Round!"

65. "The lowest form of humor ~ when  you don't think of it first": Oscar Levant:  PUN.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  Read.  Read.  Read.  Just don’t read one type of book.  Read different books by various authors so that you develop different styles.  ~ R.L. Stine (né Robert Lawrence Stine; b. Oct. 8, 1943).  See 46-Down.
    

Notes from C.C.:

Happy 78 birthday to dear Jayce, who's been with our blog for over a decade. Thanks for understanding so deeply my 🥣安 and other problems, Jayce. So glad you found us. Here's his wedding picture again. Young and Beautiful.