Tuesday, January 7, 2020 David Poole

Buckle Up!  Today we have both the dreaded circles and anagrams!  So, buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride on this ROCKY ROAD as we travel around the world in a puzzle that contains lots of foreign language words.

I'll start with the unifier:

And the Unifier:
61-Across. Nutty ice cream parlor order ... and a hint to each set of circled letters: ROCKY ROAD.

17-Across. Not be serious: KID AROUND.

24-Across. "Answer with the first thing that comes to mind" exercise: WORD ASSOCIATION.

36-Across. World's largest lizards: KOMODO DRAGONS.  The Komoda Dragon is found in the Indonesian islands.

52-Across. '70s Chilean president: SALVADOR ALLENDE.  Salvador Allende (June 26, 1908 ~ Sept. 11, 1973) was a physician and President of Chile from 1970 until 1973 when he was killed in a coup.  After the coup, Augusto Pinochet (Nov. 25, 1915 ~ Sept. 10, 2006) became the dictator of Chile.  The latter was my first thought, and both names have the same number of letters.

Salvador Allende.

We've also have a little criminal activity going as well.

15-Across. Thieves' hideout: LAIR.  //  65-Down.  Thieves' hideout: DEN.

16-Across. Thief: CROOK.

Across:

1. Indian music style: RAGA.

5. French "to be": ÊTRE.  The first of several references to a foreign language in today's puzzle.  The verb Être is an irregular verb.  In the present tense, the verb is conjugates as: Je suis / Nous sommes (I am / We are); Tu es / Vous être (You are You are); Il est / Elle est (He is / She is) / Ils sont / Elles sont (They are). 

9. Goldman __: investment banking giant: SACHS.  Goldman Sachs was founded in 1869 by Marcus Goldman (Dec. 9, 1821 ~ July 20, 1904).  Thirteen years later, his son-in-law, Samuel Sachs (July 28, 1851 ~ Mar. 2, 1935), joined the firm, and the name became as we know it today.

14. Go with the __: FLOW.

19. Like the accent in passé: ACUTE.  The French language uses 5 distinct accents:

the cédille Ç,

the accent aigu é,

the accent circonflexe â, ê, î, ô, û,

the accent grave à, è, ù

and the accent tréma ë, ï, ü.

20. French monarch: ROI.  The French King.

21. Hockey score: GOAL.

23. Cold War mil. program: SDI.  As in the Strategic Defense Initiative, also known as Star Wars.  The program was initiated in 1983 during the Reagan Administration.  The program was designed to develop a space-based missile defense program to protect the country from a nuclear attack.  The program is sometimes considered the straw that broke down the Cold War between the United States and the USSR.

29. Golfer Michelle: WIE.  Michelle Song Wie (b. Oct. 11, 1989) was the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship.  She was 10 years old at the time.

30. "I've seen better": MEH!

31. Playground equipment: SWINGS.

32. Quaint lodging: INN.

33. Passé: OLD HAT.  Note that the clue contains a acute accent, or in French, an Accent Aigu.

42. "Peer Gynt Suite" dancer: ANITRA.  Definitely not a Tuesday clue, but I am sure you have heard the music that accompanies the dance.

43. "Mangia!": EAT!  Today's Italian lesson.  Mangia is the imperative verb form of the verb to eat.

45. Wine city north of Lisbon: OPORTO.  Today's Portuguese lesson.  This city, which is the second largest city in Portugal, appears as Porto in maps in English.

48. CEO's degree: MBA.  The Chief Executive Officer would likely have a Master's in Business Administration.

51. Wallet single: ONE.

56. Ed.'s backlog: MSS.  As in a backlog of Manuscripts.

57. Actress Russo: RENE.  Rene Russo (née Rene Marie Russo; b. Feb. 17, 1954) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.  She began her career as a fashion model.

58. World Cup cheer: !OLE¡  Today's Spanish lesson.

59. Funny Cheri: OTERI.  Cheri OTERI (née Cheryl Anne Oteri; b. Sept. 19, 1962) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  She was on Saturday Night Live 2 decades ago, where she played a number of roles, including the Spartan cheerleader.

Cheri is on the Right.

66. Seasonal mall temp: SANTA.  Their temporary job is over until next season, which, I think now begins in about July.  Also a fond memory to our own Santa.

67. "Omigosh!": YIPE!

68. Loitering, say: IDLE.

69. German steel city: ESSEN.

70. Some pipe joints: ELLS.

71. Utopia: EDEN.

Down:

1. D.C. United's former stadium: RFK.

2. "Green Book" Oscar winner Mahershala: ALI.  Mashershala Ali (né Mahershalalhasbaz Gilmore; b. Feb. 16, 1974) also won an Oscar for his performance in Moonlight.  He was also the star of the 3rd season of True Detective, and appeared for a couple of seasons in House of Cards.

3. Neptune or Pluto: GOD.  They are brothers in Roman mythology.

4. Palme d'Or, e.g.: AWARD.  It is the Oscar of the Cannes Film Festival.

5. Kid-lit girl who lives on the "tippy-top floor" of the Plaza Hotel: ELOISE.  The Eloise Books were not actually a part of my childhood.

6. Cross-shaped Greek letter: TAU.

7. Second Beatle on the "Abbey Road" cover: RINGO.  *

8. Ambulance patient's MD: ER DOC.  As an Emergency Room Doctor.

9. Scoundrel: SCALAWAG.  Fun word.

10. Fly ball's path: ARC.  Think baseball.

11. "My __ Vinny": 1992 comedy: COUSIN.  This movie is a favorite of many of the regulars on this blog.

12. Show-off: HOTDOG.  A CSO to Misty's dogs.

13. Wound yarn units: SKEINS.  A CSO to our resident knitters.

18. Travel aimlessly: ROAM.  May your roam be on a smooth road and not a Rocky Road.

22. "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" host Tyler: AISHA.  Aisha Tyler (née Aisha Naomi Tyler; b. Sept. 18, 1970) is a complete unknown to me.  I watched the show when Drew Carey was the host.  I didn't know it was still on.

24. 1914-'18 conflict, briefly: WWI.  Also known as World War I, the War to End All Wars.

25. Farm grunt: OINK.

26. Nevada casino city: RENO.  Not to be confused with 57-Across.  Reno is also the home of the National Judicial College.  I took some courses there about 20 years ago.

27. Photo session: SHOOT.

28. Latin jazz great Puente: TITO.  Tito Puente (né Ernesto Antoino Puente; Apr. 20, 1923 ~ May 31, 2000) is sometimes called the King of Latin Music.

34. Pres. or P.M.: LDR.  Presidents and Prime Ministers are Leaders of their respective countries.

35. Pulitzer category: DRAMA.

37. Sportscaster Albert: MARV.  Marv Albert (né Marvin Philip Aufrichtig; b. June 12, 1941) was involved in a sex scandal in the late 1990s.

38. Toronto native: ONTARIAN.  Hi, Canadian, Eh!

39. LED component: DIODE.

40. Hard-to-miss sign: NEON.

41. Beach pailful: SAND.

44. Summer shirt: TEE.

This shirt is appropriate now.  No need to wait until summer. 

45. Be absorbed gradually: OSMOSE.

46. Farfalle and fusilli: PASTAS.

The Farfalle, also known as Bow Tie,  is on the left.

47. Acting twins Mary-Kate and Ashley: OLSENS.

49. Cambridge chaps: BLOKES.

50. Treaty partner: ALLY.

53. Sandwich shop specification: ON RYE.  We just had some smoked whitefish on rye.  Yummers!

54. Lubricate again: RE-OIL.

55. Like "Stranger Things": EERIE.

60. Numbered hwy.: RTE.

62. Lowest-ranking NCO: CPL.

63. Roulette bet: ODD.  I initially tried Red.  But, instead, we were looking for Even or Odd, not colors.

64. Brewpub pour: ALE.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  I believe that all children should be surrounded by books and animals.  ~  Gerald Durrell (Jan. 7. 1925 ~ Jan. 30, 1995), British naturalist

*   Golda Meir, David Ben-Gurion, Henrietta Szold and Theodor Herzl

Tuesday, December 31, 2019 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

I Triple Dog Dare Ya.  Each of the theme answers begins with a triple letter.




18-Across. Remote control insert: AAA BATTERY.

26-Across. Grievance filed with a consumer protection org.: BBB COMPLAINT.  Better Business Bureau.

49-Across. Spec for a large loafer: EEE SHOE-WIDTH.

63-Across. Firefox or Chrome: WWW BROWSER.  World Wide Web.

Across:

1. "In Her Shoes" actress Cameron: DIAZ.  Cameron Diaz (née Cameron Michelle Diaz; b. Aug. 30, 1972) is an American actress who began her career as a model.  In Her Shoes was a 2005 movie about a irresponsible party girl (Diaz) who is mistaken for her sister who is an attorney and nearly unrails her sister's career.

5. "__ Flanders": Defoe novel: MOLL.  Moll Flanders is a 1722 novel by Daniel Defoe (1660 ~ 1731) of Robinson Crusoe fame.  Moll Flanders is supposedly based on the life of Moll King, a strong-willed criminal.  Probably not on my "to-be-read" list of books.

9. Dethrones: OUSTS.

14. With the bow, to a violist: ARCO.  The perps gave me this answer.

15. Furniture giant: IKEA.  This furniture company was founded by Ingvar Kamprad (né Feodor Ingvar Kamprad; Mar. 30, 1926 ~ Jan. 27, 2018).  I visited the Ikea store in Houston once.  It's huge.  Didn't buy anything, though.

16. Still standing, as a bowling pin: UNHIT.

17. Like worn tires: BALD.  //  And 12-Down. Corvette quartet: TIRES.  A bit of a duplication here.

20. Like waterlogged sneakers: SQUISHY.

22. "Love It or List It" option: REMODEL.  Apparently Love It or List It is a Canadian home design television show.  I am not familiar with this show, so the answer revealed itself through the perps.

23. Pie __ mode: À LA.   Pie à la mode.  Yummers!

24. Inoculation fluids: SERA.

25. Chicago-to-Indianapolis dir.: SSE.  As in South SouthEast.

31. Source of iron: ORE.

32. Palindromic supermodel: EMME.  My first thought was Elle Macpherson, an Australian model.  The correct answer, however, was Emme (née Melissa Owens Miller; b. June 30, 1963).  She is considered a Plus-Size model, meaning, she's built more like people we all known and love.

33. Sevilla's country: ESPAÑA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

37. Has a bug: AILS.

39. Tally: SUM.  I initially tried Add.

41. Brawl souvenir: SCAR.

42. Come back: RETURN.

45. Lemonlike: TART.  Is this a CSO to our Lemonade?  I wouldn't say he is tart, though.

48. PC "oops" key: ESC.  As in the Escape key.

52. Mover's transport: VAN.  I guess they aren't good at counting.  It looks like more than 2 men to me.

55. Brewpub lineup: TAPS.

56. Wrestler's goal: PIN.

57. The tiniest bit: ONE IOTA.

59. As you like it, foodwise: TO TASTE.

65. Renegade on the road: JEEP.

66. Suffer defeat: EAT IT.

67. First in line: NEXT.

68. Fronton game word: ALAI.  A Fronton is the walled court used in playing Jai Alai.  We often see Jai Alai in the puzzles, but Fronton doesn't appear as often.

69. Smeltery refuse: DROSS.

70. Pre-coll. exams: SATs.  These tests, given to High School students, were originally called Scholastic Aptitude Tests.  They were later renamed the Scholastic Assessment Tests, now are simply called SATs.

71. Latin Grammy winner Anthony: MARC.  Marc Anthony (né Marco Antonio Muñiz; b. Sept. 16, 1968) is probably best known for being one of the husbands of Jennifer Lopez.

Down:

1. Applies gently: DABS.

2. Saudi Arabia neighbor: IRAQ.  Saudia Arabia has many neighbors.  Two even have the requisite number of letters to fit this clue.

3. Rights org. since 1920: ACLU.  As in the American Civil Liberties Union.  Next month the ACLU will celebrate its 100 anniversary.  It was founded on January 19, 1920.

4. Astrological sign system: ZODIAC.

5. Soccer great who co-founded Athletes for Hope: MIA HAMM.  Mia Hamm (née Mariel Margaret Hamm; b. Mar. 17, 1972) is a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

6. "Works for me": OKAY.

7. "Orange Is the New Black" actress DeLaria: LEA.  I have never seen Orange is the New Black, nor have I heard of Lea DeLaria (b. May 23, 1958), an actress and comedian.  Orange is the New Black is about female prisoners.  It is based on the memoir of the same name by Piper Kerman, which describes her experiences in her year spent in a federal prison for money laundering.  Apparently, the prisoners don't always wear orange on the show.

8. Tar pits locale: LA BREA.  All together, now:  La Brea Tar Pit is redundant.

9. Overwhelms by sheer numbers: OUT-MANS.

10. Golden rule preposition: UNTO.  Do unto others ...

11. Storage structures: SHEDS.  I initially tried Silos.  Poor Sheryl's She-Shed is afire.

13. Fashion sense: STYLE.

19. High-altitude home: AERIE.  I learned this word from doing the crossword puzzles.  It used to appear very frequently for the puzzles.

21. __ gin fizz: SLOE.  Everything you wanted to know about Sloe Gin, including a recipe.

24. Holmes and Poirot: SLEUTHS.  The former is Sherlock Holmes created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and the latter is Hercule Poirot created by Dame Agatha Christie.

26. Animal that sounds dull: BOAR.  They can be very destructive.

27. Puff pastry cheese: BRIE.  Brie in a puff pastry makes a great appetizer.

28. Karate skill award: BELT.  The colors of the Karate Belt explained.

29. Some govt. heads: PMs.  As in Prime Ministers.

30. Adorns with Charmin, for short: TPs.  Toilet Papering someone's house is a big prank for some high school kids.

34. Scored 100 on: ACED.

35. Tweed's caricaturist: NAST.  As in Thomas Nast (Sept. 27, 1940 ~ Dec. 7, 1902).  Although he was born in Germany, Thomas Nast is considered the Father of the American Cartoon.  He created many political cartoons, especially of Boss Tweed during the 1870s.  It is appropriate to see him to day because he is also credited with creating the modern version of Santa Claus.

Santa is on the Right.

36. Gothic window feature: ARCH.

38. Go after in court: SUE.

40. Chinese leader who hosted Nixon: MAO.  Nixon in China is a modern opera inspired by President Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China when he met with Chairman Mao.

43. Quick comebacks: RETORTS.  Am not!  Are too!

44. "How cool!": NEAT-O.

46. School assignments: REPORTS.

47. Annoying sort: TWIT.

50. Gives rise to: SPAWNS.

51. Up the creek: IN A JAM.

52. Made a solemn promise: VOWED.

53. Sadat of Egypt: ANWAR.  Anwar Sadat (né Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat; Dec. 25, 1918 ~ Oct. 6, 1981) was the 3rd President of Egypt.  He served as President from October 1970 until his assassination 11 years later.  In 1973, he led Egypt into the Yom Kippur War against Israel.  A few years later, he became the first Arab leader to visit Israel and worked for peace between the two countries.  In 1978, he and Menachem Began shared the Nobel Peace Prize.  Sadly, he was assassinated from within his army at age 62.

54. Not familiar with: NEW TO.

58. Sacred wading bird of ancient Egypt: IBIS.

59. Thumb-typist's message: TEXT.

60. Ward of "CSI: NY": SELA.  Sela Ward (née Sela Ann Ward; b. July 11, 1956) also appeared for one season on the current FBI.

61. Rip: TEAR.

62. Sweeping story: EPIC.

64. Briny expanse: SEA.

Here's the Grid:

I wish each and every one of you a very Happy 2020!

QOD:  Every age gets the lunatics it deserves.  ~  Roy Porter (né Roy Sydney Porter; Dec. 31, 1946 ~ Mar. 3, 2002), British medical historian