Tuesday, February 11, 2020 Robin Stears

The Mating Game.  The word Mate can be placed after each word in the starred answers to give us a new concept.

17-Across. * Expensive flying option: FIRST CLASS.  First Mate and Classmate.

28-Across. * Space for home projects, e.g.: WORK ROOM.  Workmate and Roommate.

43-Across. * Collaborative activity: TEAM PLAY.  Teammate and Playmate.

56-Across. * Payment method being replaced by mobile banking: PAPER CHECK.  Paper Mate and Checkmate.

And the Unifier:
63-Across. Aussie pal, or what can follow each word in the answers to starred clues: MATE.

Across:

1. Catch sight of: ESPY.

5. Nudged with one's snout: NOSED.

10. Come clean, with "up": 'FESS.  Not to be confused with Fess Parker (né Fess Elisha Parker, Jr.; Aug. 16, 1924 ~ Mar. 18, 2010), who played Daniel Boone on television.

14. Escape: FLEE.

15. Greek marketplace: AGORA.  Today's Greek lesson.

16. Ski resort near Salt Lake City: ALTA.  This ski resort is not on my radar.

19. Greenish-blue: TEAL.  Also a duck.

20. Egg: Pref.: OVI-.

21. Warning word often preceded by a color: ALERT.

22. Scarlett of Tara: O'HARA.

23. Chemical reaction named for its two processes: REDOX.  A Redox reaction is one in which one species is reduced and another is oxidized.

25. Rhoda's sister: BRENDA.  A reference to the Mary Tyler Moore spin-off sit-com, Rhoda.  Apparently, Rhoda had a sister on the show whose name was Brenda.  Brenda was played by Julie Kavner (b. Sept. 7, 1950), who is best known for being the voice of Marge Simpson on The Simpsons.  Brenda is in the yellow sweater.

26. __ of Capricorn: TROPIC.  The Tropic of Capricorn is the circle of latitude that contains the subsolar point on the December Solstice.  In other words, it is the southernmost latitude where the sun can be directly overhead.  It's northern equivalent is the Tropic of Cancer.  Both the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer are books written by Henry Miller in the 1930s.  Both books were banned in the United States on grounds of obscenity.  In 1961, the United States Justice Department ruled that their contents were no obscene.

30. Old fast jets: SSTs.  As in SuperSonic Transport, a crossword staple.

31. Augusta National signature shrub: AZALEA.  They have such beautiful flowers.

33. __ Titanic: ill-fated ship: RMS.

34. Of the seventh planet: URANIAN.

35. Snake's sound: SSS.

38. Red wine choice: MERLOT.  The name Merlot is believed to derive from the French word merle, which is short for blackbird.  The color of the wine is very dark, like a blackbird.

39. Atomizer output: MIST.

45. 1920s-'30s "Blonde Bombshell" Jean: HARLOW.  Jean Harlow (née Harlean Harlow Carpenter; Mar. 3, 1911 ~ June 7, 1937), was an actress and sex symbol in the 1930s.  Sadly, she died very young.  She was only 26 years old when she died of some sort of respiratory failure.  During her short life, however, she managed to marry and divorce 3 times.

47. Let out, as fishing line: UNREEL.

48. Vodka brand, familiarly: STOLI.  It's more formal name is Stolichnaya.  It has an interesting history.

49. Group of musical notes: CHORD.

50. Lauder of makeup: ESTÉE.  Estée Lauder (née Josephine Esther Mentzer; July 1, 1906 ~ Apr. 24, 2004), was the founder of the cosmetics company that bears her name.

54. Auto title ID: VIN.  As in the Vehicle Identification Number.

55. Word after King or Hong: KONG.

58. Impulse: URGE.

59. Prepare, as Parmesan: GRATE.

60. Et __: and others: ALII.  Today's Latin lesson.  This is commonly abbreviated as Et al.

61. Bridge "no bid": PASS.

62. After, in French: APRÈS.  Today's French lesson.

Down:

1. Serious attempts: EFFORTS.

2. Thin fragments: SLIVERS.

3. August birthstone: PERIDOT.  It's generally a beautiful yellowish-green stone.

4. Cry of success: YES!

5. Table salt, to a chemist: NaCL.  Also known as Sodium Chloride.  The symbol for Sodium is Na, which comes from the Latin word Natrium.

6. Look at rudely: OGLE.

7. Skyrocket: SOAR.

8. Once, once upon a time: ERST.

9. Some govt. lawyers: DAs.  As in Districe Attorneys.

10. Priest's title: FATHER.

11. __ Roosevelt, first lady for 12 years: ELEANOR.  Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (Oct. 11, 1884 ~ Sept. 7, 1962) was the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  She led an interesting life in her own right.

12. Celebrity status: STARDOM.

13. Respectful bows: SALAAMS.

18. Curbside cry: TAXI.

22. Like Mindy's alien husband: ORKAN.  A reference to Mork and Mindy, the sit-com that ran from 1978 to to 1982.  I wasn't a fan.

24. Covert missions: OPs.  As in Covert Operations.

25. Inhalation: BREATH.

27. "The Office" star Steve: CARELL.  Steve Carell (b. Aug. 16, 1962) was born on the same date and same hospital as my sister.

28. Without vigor: WANLY.

29. Miscellany: OLIO.

32. Swedish singer Larsson with the Top 20 hit "Never Forget You": ZARA.  I am not familiar with Zara Larsson (b. Dec. 16, 1997).

34. Called balls and strikes: UMPED.  Think baseball.

35. Snobby: STUCK UP.

36. Portuguese lady: SENHORA.  Today's Portuguese lesson.

37. South Seas wrapped garments: SARONGS.

39. "The A-Team" actor: MR. T.  The A-Team was a television show from the 1980s and Mr. T was one of the characters.  That's my entire knowledge of the show.

40. Randy Newman song played at Dodger Stadium: I LOVE LA.  Randy Newman (né Randall Stuart Newman; b. Nov. 28, 1943) lived in New Orleans as a child.  Some of his songs are about Louisiana.

41. Formally request: SOLICIT.

42. Hostess sponge cake: TWINKIE.  When I was in the grocery story yesterday, I saw that you can now buy Twinkie flavored coffee.

44. Joins the flow of traffic: MERGES.  I just hate it when the car in front of me stops at the top of the entrance ramp.

46. "Just gimme __!": A SEC.

50. Wild West Wyatt: EARP.  Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (Mar. 19, 1848 ~ Jan. 13, 1929) is probably best known for his role in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, although his role was minor compared to that of his brother, Virgil.

51. Practice boxing: SPAR.

52. A beret covers it: TÊTE.  More of today's French lesson.

53. "__ Tu": 1974 hit: ERES.  I am not familiar with this musical piece.  Apparently, it was Spain's entry into the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest where it received 2nd place.  The following year it peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 10 chart.  Still doesn't ring a bell.

56. Tiger Woods' org.: PGA.

57. Sandwich meat: HAM.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  You can only hold your stomach in for so many years.  ~  Burt Reynolds (Feb. 11, 1936 ~ Sept. 6, 2018), American actor

Tuesday, February 4, 2020 Robin Stears

I'm so Dizzy with all this Spinning!

17-Across. Line on a Yankee uniform: PINSTRIPE.

27-Across. Youngest "American Idol" winner: JORDIN SPARKS.  I have never watched American Idol, so am not familiar with any winners.  The perps had to help supply most of the letters.  Apparently Jordin Brianna Sparks (b. Dec. 22, 1989) was just 17 years old when she became the American Idol winner.

44-Across. Several characters on TV's "The Americans": RUSSIAN SPIES.

And the Unifier:

60-Across. Washing machine feature shown graphically in this puzzle's circles: SPIN CYCLE.  The word "spin" cycles its letters around in the theme answers.

Across:

1. Madeline of "History of the World, Part I": KAHN.  Madeline Kahn (née Madeline Gail Wolfson; Sept. 29, 1942 ~ Dec. 3, 1999) played the role of Empress Nympho in the 1981 movie, History of the World, Part I.  Sadly, she died of ovarian cancer at age 57.

5. Respectful address to a woman: MA'AM.

9. Declare void: ANNUL.

14. Sailing or whaling: ASEA.

15. Jackson 5 hairdo: AFRO.

16. Golden-egg layer: GOOSE.

19. Lather, __, repeat: RINSE.

20. Have a share (of): PARTAKE.

21. Arachnophobe's worry: SPIDERS.

23. "__ questions?": ANY.

24. Lean (on): RELY.

26. "Gorillas in the Mist" primate: APE.  Gorillas in the Mist is the name of Dian Fosse's autobiography and scientific study of mountain gorillas in the forests of Rwanda.  Sadly, Fosse was murdered in December 1985 at age 53.

32. Skirt fold: PLEAT.

35. Facts and figures: DATA.

36. Square root of IX: III.  Roman math.  The Square Root of 9 is 3.

37. Open and breezy: AIRY.

38. Like babies' knees: PUDGY.  This was my last fill.  Pudgy never even occurred to me.  Do Babies Have Knee Caps?

40. Laugh really hard: HOWL.

41. Rule, briefly: REG.  Short for Regulation.

42. Pueblo-dwelling people: HOPI.  The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation primarily in Arizona.

43. Numerical relationship: RATIO.

48. List-ending abbr.: ETC.

49. Throw hard: HURL.

50. Morse code word: DAH.  This is another word for Dash

53. Portable charcoal grill: HIBACHI.  The chefs at Habachi grills in some Japanese restaurants can put on quite a show.

57. How some chew gum: NOISILY.

59. Novelist Wharton: EDITH.  Edith Wharton (née Edith Newbold Jones; Jan. 24, 1862 ~ Aug. 11, 1937) is an American novelist.  She was the first woman author to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Literature.  Some of her more well known works include House of Mirth, The Age of Innocence and Ethan Frome.  She died of a heart attack at age 75.

62. Free-for-all: MELEE.

63. "The African Queen" screenwriter James: AGEE.  James Rufus Agee (Nov. 27, 1909 ~ May 16, 1955) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  In 1958, he was awarded posthumously a Pulitizer Prize.  Sadly, he died of a heart attack at age 45.

64. Gas in a sign: NEON.

65. Burpee buy: SEEDS.

66. Hospital section: WARD.

67. "¿Cómo __ usted?": ESTA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

Down:

1. Phi Beta __: KAPPA.  Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest academic honor society in the United States.  It was founded in December 1776.  The name comes from its motto, which translarted from the Greek means "Love of learning is the guide of life".  The phrase in Greek is  a 3 word term:  Φιλοσοφία Βίου Κυβερνήτης.

2. Lai or Thai: ASIAN.

3. Name of eight English kings: HENRY.  //  And 32-Down: Henry VIII's last wife Catherine: PARR.  He is probably best known for his six wives:  (1) Catherine of Aragon (1485 ~ 1536) ~ no son, wife no more; (2) Anne Boelyn (1501 ~ 1536), vague criminal allegations, so cut off her head; (3) Jane Seymour (1508 ~ 1537), births son, then dies; (4) Anne of Cleves (1515 ~ 1557), not a beauty, so off you go; (5) Catherine Howard (1523 ~ 1542), young and beautiful, but fools around, so off with your head; (6) Catherine Parr (1512 ~ 1548), educated and clever, she outlived her king.

4. Condé __: NAST.  Condé Montrose Nast (Mar. 26, 1873 ~ Sept. 19, 1942) was an American business magnate who founded a mass media company.  Many well known and established magazines, such as The New Yorker, Vogue, and Vanity Fair fall under the Condé Nast umbrella.  Nast the man built up a fortune with his media company, but was nearly destroyed during the Depression.

5. Sharpie, for one: MARKER.

6. Off the beaten path: AFIELD.

7. Dadaist Jean: ARP.  Jean Arp (Sept. 16, 1886 ~ June 7, 1966) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  He was a French-German sculptor and artist, who sometimes known as Hans Arp.  His mother was French and his father was German.  He was instrumental in the Dada art movement.

Shirt Front and Fork, by Jean Arp

8. "The Simpsons" bar: MOE'S.

9. Marcus __, victorious commander at Actium: AGRIPPA.

10. "I'm drawing a blank": NO IDEA!

11. Zilch: NONE.

12. 44-Across' land: Abbr.: USSR.  As in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

13. Levi's alternatives: LEE'S.  Here's the difference between Levi's versus Lee jeans.  Translation required.

18. Mystic's deck: TAROT.

22. Sickly pale: PASTY.

25. Language that gave us "kvetch": YIDDISH.

27. Gatsby of "The Great Gatsby": JAY.  The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  It has also been made in to several movies versions.

28. Remind nonstop: NAG.  This clue made no sense to me until the perps finally filled in all the letters.

29. Run amok: RIOT.

30. Fuzzy fruit: KIWI.  Yummers!

31. Fodder holder: SILO.

33. In __ of: substituted for: LIEU.

34. Energy units: ERGS.  Did you known that Ergs are also land formations in the desert.

38. Cook just below a boil: POACH.

39. Network absorbed by The CW: UPN.  The CW Network is a joint venture between the CBS Entertainment Group and WarnerBrothers, hence it's name.  UPN (United Paramount Network) apparently was absorbed by The CW at some point in time. 

40. Possesses: HAS.

42. Bums a ride: HITCHES.

43. Piece from the past: RELIC.

45. On chairs: SEATED.

46. Smaller and weaker: PUNIER.

47. Smoothed out the wrinkles: IRONED.

50. Cuts into cubes: DICES.

51. Portion out: ALLOT.

52. "Laughing" scavenger: HYENA.

53. Garment edges: HEMS.

54. Bordeaux notion: IDEE.  Today's French lesson.

55. Gallbladder fluid: BILE.

56. Part of Caesar's boast: I SAW.

58. Holiday song ender: SYNE.  Just a month or so off for this song.

61. Ryder Cup co-administrating org.: PGA.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  If you wish to avoid seeing a fool, first break your mirror.  ~  François Rabelais (1483 ~ Apr. 9, 1553), French Renaissance writer