Tuesday, December 10, 2019 David Poole

Double Play.  I'll start today with the unifier, which is very self-explanatory.  

55-Across. Canoeing challenge whose first word can precede the start and whose second word can precede the end of the answers to starred clues: WHITE WATER.

20-Across. *   Fruity adult beverage: WINE COOLER.  We get White Wine and Water Cooler.  A Wine Cooler can be either a special refrigeration unit for storing wine or a carbonated beverage of wine and fruit juice.

White Wine

Wine Cooler

28-Across. *   Black-spotted orange flower: TIGER LILY.  We get White Tiger and Water Lily.

White Tiger

Claude Monet's Water Lilies

38-Across. *   Toy pistols used on stage: CAP GUNS.  We get White Cap and Water Gun.

White Caps on the Ocean

Water Gun, also known as a Squirt Gun.

46-Across. *   Toy car brand: HOT WHEELS.  We get White Hot and Water Wheels.

White HOT!

Water Wheel

Across:

1. Chinese sauce additive: MSG.  As in MonoSodium Glutamate.

4. Olympic swimming star Ledecky: KATIE.  Katie Ledecky (née Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky; b. Mar. 17, 1997), has won 5 Olympic gold medals and 15 world championship gold metals.

9. L.L.Bean competitor: J.CREW.

14. Listening organ: EAR.

15. Stereotypical Pi Day celebrants: NERDS.

16. "Drab" color: OLIVE.

17. Handel's "Messiah" et al.: ORATORIOS.  An Oratorio is similar to an Opera.  Oratorios became popular in the 1600s and 1700s because the Church forbid theatrical performances.  Thus oratorios were musical compositions with an orchestra, a chorus and generally a soloist, but without the costuming and theater props.  Oratorios also tended to focus on religious  topics.

19. Creepy film motel: BATES.

22. Put in the mail: SENT.

23. Cowboys QB Prescott: DAK.  Dak Prescott (né Rayne Dakota Prescott; b. July 29, 1993), was born in Sulphur, Louisiana.  The Cowboys lost to the Bears last week.

24. Well-worn pencils: NUBS.

26. "Keystone" police: KOPS.

33. Prefix with center: EPI-.  As in the Epicenter of an earthquake.

34. __ Valley: Reagan Library site: SIMI.

35. Strand at a ski lodge, say: ICE IN.

37. Pitcher's stat: ERA.  As in Earned Run Average.

41. Prefix with natal: NEO-.  As in Neonatal, which refers to newborn babies.

42. Asian food breadcrumbs: PANKO.  I use Panko breadcrumbs when I cook fish.

44. Novelist Leon: URIS.  Leon Uris (né Leon Marcus Uris; Aug. 3, 1924 ~ June 21, 2003) is probably best known for his 1958 novel Exodus, which is about the creation of the State of Israel.

45. They, to Thierry: ILS.  Today's French lesson.

49. Artist Warhol: ANDY.  Andy Warhol (né Andrew Warhola; Aug. 6, 1928 ~ Feb. 22, 1987) died at age 58 from complications of gall bladder surgery.  In 1968, an assassination attempt was made on his life in which he was seriously wounded.

50. "The Good Earth" mother: OLAN.  The Good Earth is a 1931 novel by Pearl S. Buck (née Pearl Sydenstricker; June 26, 1892 ~ Mar. 6, 1973) about family life in China in the early 20th Century.  It is well worth reading.

51. Some SAT takers: SRs.  As in Seniors in High School.

52. Olympian bigwig: ZEUS.  Oh, as in the Greek god of the sky and thunder, not the Olympic games.

61. Safe places?: WALLS.

63. Talus: ANKLE BONE.

64. Orange Muppet: ERNIE.

65. Not tight enough: LOOSE.

66. ER VIPs: MDs.  Medical Doctors are the VIPs in the Emergency Room, but don't forget about the ER nurses, who also play an important role.

67. Cockamamie: INANE.

68. Beginning: ONSET.

69. Automated spam creator: BOT.

Down:

1. Cat's cry: MEOW.

2. Indian cover-up: SARI.

3. Concert keyboard: GRAND PIANO.

4. Rap on the door: KNOCK.

5. Sleek, in car talk: AERO.

6. 75% of a quartet: TRIO.

7. Pop star: IDOL.

8. Ancient mystic: ESSENE.  The Essenes were a Jewish sect from about 200 to 1 BCE.  They are considered to be the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

9. Position at work: JOB.

10. Enduring work: CLASSIC.

11. Baptism or bris: RITE.

12. Like Olympic years, numerically: EVEN.

13. "Wild" 1800s region: WEST.

"Wild" Mae West

18. Oolong and pekoe: TEAs.

21. 1921 play that introduced the word "robot": R.U.R.  This play appears with some frequency in the crosswords.  It is a 1920 play by Czech writer Karel Čapek (Jan. 9, 1890 ~ Dec. 25, 1938).  R.U.R stands for Rossumovi Univerzáiní Robots (Rossum’s Universal Robots).  The play takes place in a factory that makes organic, artificial people called as Robots.  These Robots, however, were more like human people rather than the current concept of robots.

25. Euphoria: BLISS.  Also the name of a chain of Yoga studios.

26. Stay fresh in the fridge: KEEP.

27. Celeb with her "OWN" network: OPRAH.

28. Andalusian aunt: TIA.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Andalusia is a region of Spain.

29. Little rascal: IMP.

30. Lively baroque dance: GIGUE.

31. Red Square shrine: LENIN'S TOMB.

32. Give in: YIELD.

34. Grouchy look: SCOWL.

36. Prone to prying: NOSY.

39. Often-bookmarked address, briefly: URL.  As in the Uniform Resource Locator.

40. Grafton's "__ for Noose": N IS.  Sue Grafton (Apr. 24, 1940 ~ Dec. 28, 2017) wrote a series of crime novels, each beginning with a letter of the Alphabet.  The first in the series was A is for Alibi.  She wrote all the way through the letter Y (Y is for Yesterday).  Sadly, she died before she could begin what would have been the final book in the series, Z is for Zero.

43. "80's Ladies" country singer: K.T. OSLIN.  I am not familiar with K. T. Olsin (née Kay Toinette Olsin; b. May 15, 1942).

47. "Yee-__!": HAW.

48. Surround, as with a saintly glow: ENHALO.  Yup.  It's a real word.

49. Graceful steed: ARAB.

51. "Ni-i-ice!": SWEET!

52. Cube root of acht: ZWEI.  German math.

53. Merit: EARN.

54. Forearm bone: ULNA.

56. Part of, plotwise: IN ON.

57. Boxing ref's calls: TKOs.  As in Technical Knock Outs.  A crossword staple

58. "Anything __?": ELSE.

59. Opposite of exo-: ENDO-.

60. "Don't play" music staff symbol: REST.

62. Date regularly: SEE.




Here's the Grid:

Geaux Tigers!

Joe Burreaux, LSU Quarterback

QOD:  One must learn to be silent just as one must learn to talk.  ~  Victoria Wolff (Dec. 10, 1903 ~ Sept. 16, 1992), German-born novelist.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019, Robert E. Lee Morris

Are You a Mensa Genius?  The first word of each theme answer can describe a high IQ.

17-Across. Optimistic viewpoint to "look on": BRIGHT SIDE.

58-Across. Samsung product: SMART PHONE.

11-Down. Hothead's trait: QUICK TEMPER.

24-Down. Wicked wit: SHARP TONGUE.

Across:

1. Desert Storm missile: SCUD.  During Desert Storm, journalist Arthur Kent (b. Dec. 27, 1953), gained fame for reporting on the war and was dubbed The Scud Stud.

5. Jed Clampett portrayer Buddy: EBSEN.  Before becoming Jed Clampett, Buddy Ebsen (né Christian Ludolf Ebsen, Jr.; Apr. 2, 1908 ~ July 6, 2003), had been cast in the role as the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz.  He had to be replaced after he became ill due to a reaction to the aluminum dust that was an integral part of the costume.

10. Newspaper ad meas.: SQ. IN.  As in Square Inches.

14. Greek liqueur: OUZO.  An anise-flavored aperitif.  It's a clear liquid that turns cloudy when ice is added.

15. Like much snack food: SALTY.

16. German wheels: AUDI.

19. "The Way You Love Me" singer Faith: HILL.  Faith Hill (née Audrey Faith Perry; b. Sept. 21, 1967) is married to fellow musician, Tim McGraw (né Samuel Timothy McGraw; b. May 1, 1967).

20. Comfort: EASE.

21. Medieval clubs: MACES.  Bludgeoning weapons.

22. Vampire played by Cruise: LESTAT.  Tom Cruise (né Thomas Cruise Mapother, IV; b. July 3, 1962) played the Vampire LESTAT de Lioncourt in the 1994 movie Interview with the Vampire, which was based on the novel of the same name by New Orleanian, Anne Rice.

26. Offhand comment: REMARK.

29. Breathed out: EXHALED.

31. Connects (to): RELATES.

34. Eastern neighbor of Tenn.: N. CAR.  North Carolina is Tennessee's eastern neighbor.

35. "FBI" actress De La Garza: ALANA.  Alana De la Garza (b. June 18, 1974) recently joined the cast of the FBI.  She previously was in the cast of several of the Law & Order shows.

37. "Strange Magic" rock band: ELO.  The Electric Light Orchestra was a band that originally formed in 1970!

38. California's Big __: SUR.

39. Know-it-all: WISE GUY.

41. UFC sport: MMA.  As in Mixed Martial Arts.  I let the perps fill in this answer.

42. Psychic's "gift": ESP.  As in ExtraSensory Perception.

43. "Gesundheit!" evoker: ACHOO.

44. For each unit: A POP.

45. Emancipate: SET FREE.

47. Middle of __: remote area: NO WHERE.

50. Restaurant chef's workload: ORDERS.

52. Came close to: NEARED.

53. Singer Joplin: JANIS.  Janis Joplin (née Janis Lyn Joplin; b. Jan. 19, 1943 ~ Oct. 4, 1970) was born in Port Arthur, Texas.  Tragically, she died of a heroin overdose at age 27.

55. Taste defeat: LOSE.

57. Strong desire: URGE.

64. Any thing, say: NOUN.  Not keen on this type of cluing.

65. Bamboo muncher: PANDA.  China owns and leases all the Giant Pandas.  Bei Bei, the Panda that was at the National Zoo, was sent back to China last month.  They are such cute little critters.

66. Black stone: ONYX.

67. Pigged out (on), briefly: OD-ED.  As in Over-Dosed.

68. Fur tycoon: ASTOR.  John Jacob Astor (né Johann Jakob Astor; July 17, 1763 ~ Mar. 29, 1848) was born in Germany, but immigrated to the United States shortly after the American Revolution  He was an astute businessman and quickly entered into the fur trade.  He became the first multi-millionaire in the United States.

69. Designer Chanel: COCO.  Coco Chanel (née Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel; Aug. 19, 1883 ~ Jan. 10, 1971), led an interesting life.

Down:

1. Cry noisily: SOB.  //  And: 49-Down. Blubber: WEEP.

2. Many a stray 4-Down: CUR.  //  And 4-Down:  Hound: DOG.

3. Special forces weapon: UZI.  The Uzi was designed by Uziel Gal (né Gotthard Glas; Dec. 15, 1923 ~ Sept. 7, 2002), a German-born Israeli gun developer.  He was horrified that this weapon was name after him.

5. Sprawling property: ESTATE.

6. Barbershop quartet member: BASS.

7. More underhanded: SLIER.

8. Flight board abbr.: ETD.  As in Estimated Time of Departure.

9. "Bill __ Saves the World": science talk show: NYE.  As in William Sanford Nye (b. Nov. 27, 1955).  Is he a Scientist or a Comedian?

10. Arid African expanse: SAHARA.

12. Wait in traffic: IDLE.

13. Rock's Lofgren: NILS.  Nils Hilmer Lofgren (b. June 21, 1951) is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.

18. Get better: HEAL.

21. Southeast Asia's __ Peninsula: MALAY.

22. Camera attachments: LENSES.  This one is just a bit too large for the average tourist.

23. Reason for absence: EXCUSE.

25. Driveway surface: TAR.

27. Jeremy Irons film based on a Christopher Paolini fantasy novel: ERAGON.  Eragon was apparently a fantasy-action film.  Rotten Tomatoes listed it as the 10th worst film of 2006.

28. Bill of fare: MENU.

30. One of Santa's reindeer: DASHER.  Can you spot Dasher?

32. "Get Shorty" novelist __ Leonard: ELMORE.  Elmore John Leonard, Jr. (Oct. 11, 1925 ~ Aug. 20, 2013) was born in New Orleans.  He wrote many novels that were adapted into movies.  Get Shorty was a very funny movie, but I had trouble with the book.

33. Lathered (up): SOAPED.

Not a happy camper

36. Late July zodiac sign: LEO.  Leo is the Zodiac sign from July 23 to August 22.

39. City districts: WARDS.  There are 17 wards in New Orleans.

40. Slushy treat: ICEE.  The Polar bear is its logo.

44. "I understand now!": AHA!

46. Ally: FRIEND.

48. GM security system: ON-STAR.

51. Point of view: SLANT.

53. Roman queen of the gods: JUNO.  Juno was the chief goddess and was the female counterpart to Jupiter.

54. Retired MLB slugger: A-ROD.  As in Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (b. July 27, 1975).  He had a long career in professional baseball.  He played 7 seasons with the Seattle Mariners, three with the Texas Rangers and 12 with the New York Yankees.

56. Word on a dollar: ORDO.  The Latin phrase Novus Ordo Seclorum is found under the pyramid on the One Dollar bill.  It means A New Order of the Ages.

58. Place for TLC: SPA.

59. Humanities degs.: MAs.  As in Masters of Arts.

60. Ad __ committee: HOC.

61. Lennon's love: ONO.  Yoko Ono (b. Feb. 18, 1933) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

62. Grand Central Sta. site: NYC.

63. Skeleton prefix: EXO-.  Critters with Exoskeletons:

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  See it all.  See it fairly.  Be truthful, be sensible and be careful with language.  When nothing depends upon man, everything depends on him.  ~  Henry A. Grunwald (né Heinz Anatole Grünwald; Dec. 3, 1922 ~ Feb. 26, 2005); Austrian-born American journalist and editor