Tuesday, February 25, 2020 Paul Coulter

It's Mardi Gras, so Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Let's go to the Movies!  The last word of each movie theme answer can follow the word "Hollywood" to give us a new concept.

17-Across. 1950 Gloria Swanson film: SUNSET BOULEVARD.  Hollywood Boulevard.

Sunset Boulevard was a film by Billy Wilder about a silent film star hoping to make a comeback.

25-Across. 1979 Jim Henson film: THE MUPPET MOVIE.  Hollywood Movie.

Hollywood movies aren't necessarily filmed in Hollywood.

The Muppet Movie is based on the television show, The Muppets.

42-Across. 1988 Demi Moore film: THE SEVENTH SIGN.  Hollywood Sign.

The title of The Seventh Sign, an apocalypse film, is apparently a reference to the seven seals in the New Testament book of Revelation.  It got very poor ratings when it came out.  Probably they haven't improved with time.

The Hollywood Sign dates to 1923, when it was erected as an advertisement for a local real estate development.  It originally read "Hollywoodland".  The "Land" portion has been lost, but the rest of the sign soon became an icon. 

And the Unifier:

57-Acrosss. 2002 Woody Allen film ... or what each of the last words of 17-, 25- and 42-Across can be: HOLLYWOOD ENDING.  Hollywood Endings is about a film director trying to make a comeback.

Across:

1. Rene of "Ransom" (1996): RUSSO.  Rene Russo (née Rene Marie Russo; b. Feb. 17, 1954) makes frequent appearances in the crossword puzzles.

6. Not as expensive: LESS.

10. A bit loopy: DAFT.

14. Part of "the works" on a burger: ONION.

15. Old man, in German: ALTE.  Today's German lesson.

16. Needle case: ETUI.  A crossword staple.

This can be yours for only $675.  Not sure if it comes with the contents.

20. Peanut butter choice: SMOOTH.  My choice would be chunky.

21. Like wax fruit: INEDIBLE.

22. Note from one who's shy?: I.O.U.  My favorite clue of the puzzle.

24. Laser pointer chaser: CAT.

33. Get out of bed: ARISE.

34. Jazz instruments: SAXES.  Did you know that the Saxaphone is a newcomer to the musical instruments?  Adolphe Sax (Nov. 6, 1814 ~ Feb. 7, 1894) received a patent for the instrument in 1846!  It is now a staple of Jazz music

35. Peruvian singer Sumac: YMA.  We haven't seen Ms. Sumac (1922 ~ Nov. 1, 2008) in quite some time.  She used to make frequent appearances in the puzzles.  She has quite a unique voice.

36. Squirrel's hoard: NUTS.

37. Credited in an endnote: CITED.

38. Place to tie up a boat: PIER.

39. 24-hr. cash source: ATM.  The Automatic Teller Machine appears often in our puzzles.

40. Equestrian: RIDER.

41. "That's __!": "Piece of cake!": A SNAP!

45. News initials: UPI.  As in United Press International.

46. __ bunt: productive MLB out: SAC.  A baseball term meaning a Sacrifice Bunt.

47. Looks at closely: EYEBALLS.

52. "John Wick" star Keanu: REEVES.  I think of Keanu Reeves (né Keanu Charles Reeves; b. Sept. 2, 1964) as the actor from the Bill and Ted movies.

59. "Garfield" dog: ODIE.

60. Baseball family name: ALOU.  The Alou brothers make frequent appearances in the puzzles.  The three brothers, Felipe Rojas Alou (b. May 12, 1935), Matty (Dec. 22, 1938 ~ Nov. 2, 2011), and Jesus (b. Mar. 24, 1942), were of the first generation of the family to play major league baseball.  Two of Felipe's sons, Moises (b. July 3, 1966) and Luis Rojas (b. Sept. 1, 1981) are also professional baseball players.

61. Dalai Lama's land: TIBET.

62. Have a craving for: WANT.

63. Appraise: RATE.

64. Clairvoyants: SEERS.

Down:

1. PBS painter Bob: ROSS.  Bob Ross (né Robert Norman Ross; Oct. 29, 1942 ~ July 4, 1995) appeared recently when I provided commentary.   He has actually made a number of guest appearances in the crosswords in the past.  He hosted a show on PBS entitled The Joy of Painting.

2. E pluribus __: UNUM.  The Latin phrase meaning "Out of Many, One", which is the traditional motto of the United States and is found on some American currency.

3. Chinese: Pref.: SINO-.

4. Fair-to-middling: SO-SO.

5. Previous: ONE TIME.

6. Chem class: LAB.

7. Fair-haired Wells race: ELOI.  Another crossword staple.  They are of the imagination of H.G. Wells' novel The Time Machine.

8. Flabbergast: STUN.

9. Chose: SELECTED.

10. Actor Danny who appears in M&M's commercials: DEVITO.  Danny DiVito (né Daniel Michael DeVito, Jr.; b. Nov. 17, 1944) is best known for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the television sit-com Taxi.  He is married to Cheers star, Rhea Pearlman.

11. Run __: drink on credit: A TAB.

12. Roll and bind, as a sail: FURL.

13. Laundry soap brand: TIDE.

18. Commandment pronoun: THOU.

19. Red-wrapped cheeses: EDAMs.  Yummers!

23. Positive aspect: UPSIDE.  Also the title of a movie.

25. "The __ is out there": "The X-Files" catchphrase: TRUTH.

26. Blackjack request: HIT ME!

27. Handy Scrabble tile: ESS.  As in the letter "S".

28. Eucharistic plate: PATEN.

29. Applies, as pressure: EXERTS.

30. Competing (for): VYING.

31. "Know what __?": I MEAN.

32. Wyatt of the Old West: 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.

33. Future MD's class: ANAT.  As in Anatomy.

37. 1860s North-South conflict: CIVIL WAR.

38. Letter before omega: PSI.  It's Greek to me.

40. Settle, as a debt: REPAY.

41. Climbs: ASCENTS.

43. Rental from a renter: SUBLET.

44. Tortoise racer: HARE.  A reference to one of Æsop's fables.

47. Website with step-by-step instructions: E-HOW.  I have never heard of eHow, but it makes sense.

48. "Star Wars" sentence inverter: YODA.  There is green, he is.

49. Tiger Woods' ex: ELIN.  Elin Maria Pernilla Nordegren (b. Jan. 1, 1980) was born in Stockholm, Sweden.  She and Tiger were married in 2004 and divorced 6 years later.  Last October, she gave birth to a son, whom she named Filip.  Just last week, she legally changed his name to Arthur.

Elin, her boyfriend Jordan Cameron, and baby Arthur, formerly known as Filip.

50. 1970 Kinks hit: LOLA.  Can you believe it's been 50 years since this song came out!

51. Chimney residue: SOOT.

53. Actress Falco: EDIE.  Edie Falco (née Edith Falco; b. July 5, 1963) played Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos.

54. Vague feeling: VIBE.

55. The "E" in DOE: Abbr.: ENER.  As in the Department of Energy.

56. Some NCOs: SGTS.  As in Sergeants, who ar Non-Commissioned Officers.

58. Deserving: DUE.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  It has been said that a Scotchman has not seen the world until he has seen Edinburgh; and I  think that I may say that an American has not seen the United States until he has seen Mardi Gras in New Orleans.  ~  Mark Twain (né Samuel Langhorne Clemens; Nov. 30, 1835 ~ Apr. 21, 1910), American writer.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020 Craig Stowe

It's just a Jump to your LEFT.



20-Across. *  Billy Crystal comedy featuring a cattle drive: CITY SLICKERS.  City Center.

City Slickers was a 1991 film.

The Central Business District in New Orleans

30-Across. *  Exact look-alike: DEAD RINGER.  Dead Center.

 Dead Ringer was also a 1964 movie starring Bette Davis.

Dead Center

38-Across. *  Daily filming schedule on the set: CALL SHEET.  Call Center.  In my experience, the people at the call center are in some far-off town and often speak with such an accent neither one of us understand each other.

50-Across. *  One in la-la land: SPACE CADET.  Space Center.

And the unifier:
59-Across. Somewhat liberal, or where you might find the first words in the answers to starred clues: LEFT OF CENTER.

Across:

1. Govt.-backed investment: T-NOTE.  As in a Treasury Note.

6. Travelocity recommendations: INNS.

10. Comprehends: GETS.

14. Commandment verb involving parents: HONOR.  Fact: Did you know that the 10 Commandments are found in both Exodus and Deuteronomy and that the order of the Commandments differ depending upon one's religious theology?

15. Niño's "nothing": NADA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

16. Difficult exam: ORAL.

17. Kagan of the Supreme Court: ELENA.  Elena Kagan (b. Apr. 28, 1960) is an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  When she assumed the office in August 2010, she was only the 4th woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice.  Prior to joining the Supreme Court, she was the first female dean of the Harvard Law School.  She makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

18. Fruit grown in bogs: CRANBERRY.  Massachusetts is known for its CRANBERRY Bogs.

22. __, amas, amat ...: AMO.  Today's Latin lesson.

23. Gnaw (at): EAT.

24. Grocery walkway: AISLE.

28. Offshore oil drillers: RIGS.

Oil Rigs as seen from the beach at Grand Isle, Louisiana

34. Stiff-upper-lip type: STOIC.

36. Under, in French: SOUS.  Today's French lesson.  Think of the Sous-chef, who is the second in command in the kitchen, after the executive chef.

37. Graffiti signature: TAG.  Many buildings in Rome are covered in graffiti.

42. Musical gift: EAR.

45. Roman robe: TOGA.

46. Hustle genre: DISCO.

54. Croat or Serb: SLAV.

55. Mexican mister: SEÑOR.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

56. Correct: FIX.

58. "__ had it!": I'VE.  Enough, already!

64. Soap opera genre: MELODRAMA.  A melodrama is a performance with a lot of exaggerated emotion.

67. 1960s jacket style: NEHRU.  The history of the NEHRU Jacket.

68. Cooking spot: OVEN.

69. Large-scale: EPIC.  Cecil B' DeMille's movie The Ten Commandments was an EPIC movie.

70. Warning signs: OMENS.

71. Like fake fruit: WAXY.

72. See socially: DATE.

73. From Lillehammer, say: NORSE.  Lillehammer, Norway was the site of the 1994 Winter Olympics.

Down:

1. "My Best Friend's Girl" rock band: THE CARS.  Sadly, Ric Ocasek (né Richard Theodore Otcasek; Mar. 23, 1944 ~ Sept. 15, 2019), frontman for The Cars, died last fall at age 75.  Shortly before he died, he executed a new will, which specifically cut out  Paulina Porizkova (née Pavlína Pořízková; b. Apr. 9, 1965), his wife of 30 years.  They had been in the middle of a divorce, but still shared a house together.

2. Like poker games for high rollers: NO LIMIT.

3. Small takeout order: ONE TO GO.  Strange clue and answer.

4. Tiger mascot with a red scarf: TONY.  Of course, my first thought was LSU's Mike the Tiger, but he doesn't wear a read scarf.

5. Clear data from: ERASE.  //  And 52-Down. Wear away, as a coin surface: EFFACE.

6. Provoke: INCITE.

7. Dealer's foil, briefly: NARC.  Short for a narcotics agent.

8. Southern neighbor of Sask.: N. DAK.  North Dakota is south of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.

9. Reasonable: SANE.

10. Enters: GOES IN.

11. "To say they __ I dare not be so bold": Shakespeare: ERR.

12. North Carolina __ Heels: TAR.  North Carolina had been was known as the Tar and Turpentine State due to its early industry of distilling pine sap.  The name later evolved into just TAR Heel.

13. Cunning: SLY.

19. Slow-cooked, as short ribs: BRAISED.  Braising is a cooking method that uses both wet and dry heats.  Food is first sautéed or lightly fried, then slowly stewed in a closed pot.  More complicated than my cooking methods.

21. Young chap: LAD.

25. Bilko's rank: Abbr.: SGT.  Sgt. Bilko was a character on The Phil Silvers Show, which ran in the late 1950s.  It was before my time.

26. Grazing area: LEA.

27. Joule fraction: ERG.  This has become a crossword staple.

29. [not my error]: SIC.  More of today's Latin lesson.  SIC is a Latin adverb that is inserted after a quoted word or phrase to indicate that the original quoted passage contained the error.

31. Family name in Mideast politics: ASSAD.  Bashar al-ASSAD (b. Sept. 11, 1965) is the current President of Syria.  The name al-Assad means Lion in Arabic.

32. Homer's "I'm an idiot!": DOH!

33. Feel remorse over: RUE.  Also the French word for Street.

35. Provided food for: CATERED.

39. Tone-__: "Wild Thing" rapper: LOC.

Tone-Loc (né Anthony Terrell Smith; b. Mar. 3, 1966).

40. NYC airport near Citi Field: LGA.  As in the LaGuardia Airport. I flew into LaGuardia the last time I was in New York last summer.  The airport is named in honor of Fiorello H. La Guardia (Dec. 11, 1882 ~ Sept. 20, 1947), the 99th Mayor of New York City.

41. "__ the season ... ": TIS.  Well, it will be the season in about 10 months!

42. Scout leader?: ESS.  Oh, as in the letter "S".  Not keen on this type of cluing.

43. Monkey relative: APE.

44. Sought a political seat: RAN.  Hot topic this year.

47. Move like a mamba: SLITHER.  The Mamba is a venomous snake native to Africa.

48. Carlsbad __ National Park: CAVERNS.  A visit to the Carlsbad Caverns is on my bucket list.

49. Do to death: OVERUSE.

51. Revolutionary territory: COLONY.

53. Nervous twitch: TIC.

57. Noble gas: XENON.  Xenon with the atomic number of 54 is a colorless and odorless gas.  It was first discovered in 1898.

60. Dancer Astaire: FRED.  Fred Astaire (né Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 ~ June 22, 1987) and his sister, Adele (née Adele Marie Austerlitz; Sept. 10, 1896 ~ Jan. 25, 1981), were both dancers.

61. Spanish appetizer: TAPA.  Yummers!

62. Leave out: OMIT.

63. Verne captain: NEMO.  Jules Verne (né Jules Gabriel Verne; Feb. 8, 1828 ~ Mar. 24, 1905) was a French novelist who is considered the "Father of Science Fiction".  Captain NEMO is the fictional character in 2 of Verne's novels: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island.  The former is the better known of the two novels.

64. Work on a lawn: MOW.

65. "Training Day" actress Mendes: EVA.

Eva de la Caridad Méndez (b. Mar. 5, 1974) is on the left.

66. "Superman" villain Luthor: LEX.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  You think you can do anything, and then you slowly learn how wrong you are.  ~  Miloš Forman (né Jan Tomáš Forman; Feb. 18, 1932 ~ Apr. 13, 2018), Czech-born film director