Tuesday, June 9, 2020; Kurt Mengel and Jan-Michele Gianette

Don't Talk with Your Mouth Full!  The first word of each 3-word phrase pertains to the initial act of eating.

18-Across. Chat leisurely: CHEW THE FAT.

28-Across. Refrain from saying something unpleasant: BITE YOUR TONGUE.

46-Across. Fall into a trap: SWALLOW THE BAIT.

61. Have some humble pie: EAT YOUR HAT.

Today's puzzles had lots of names, which will probably make some solvers unhappy.  But, let's just carry on and see if we can find some new friends we may meet again in the puzzles.

Across:

1. "Funny!": HA HA!

5. Sea of Cortez peninsula, informally: BAJA.  The Sea of Cortez is also known as the Gulf of California.

9. Some Apples: iMACS.

14. Very much: A LOT.

15. Employs: USES.

16. Carne para un taco: POLLO.  Today's Spanish lesson.  I prefer fish tacos, but Chicken is good, too.

17. Worshipped object: IDOL.

20. Suffer a power outage: GO DARK.  I hope Cristobal didn't cause a lot of people to Go Dark this week.

22. Greek known for paradoxes: ZENO.  Zeno of Elea (495 BCE ~ 430 BCE) is the first of our many names in today's puzzle.  He is also the earliest, time-wise in our collection of names.  He was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher best known for paradoxes.

23. They often pop up in windows: ADs.  Adverts.

24. Appear to be: SEEM.

26. Hagen of Broadway: UTA.  Uta Hagen (née Uta Thyra Hagen; June 12, 1919 ~ Jan. 14, 2004) has become a crossword staple.  In fact, I "met" her doing the puzzles.  She was born in Göttingen, Germany.  Her family emigrated to the United States when she was 5.  She also became a well-known acting teacher.

35. Tennis replay: LET.

36. Hotelier Helmsley and singer Lewis: LEONAs.  Leona Helmsley (née Leona Mindy Roberts; July 4, 1930, Aug. 20, 2007) was known as the Queen of Mean.  Leona Lewis (née Leona Louise Lewis; b. Apr. 3, 1985) is a British singer.

Leona Helmsley

Leona Lewis

37. Start of Hamlet's question: TO BE.

38. Works at, as a trade: PLIES.

It's advertised as 3-ply.

40. Is able to: CAN.

41. Fur tycoon: ASTOR.  A reference to John Jacob Astor (né Johann Jakob Astor; July 17, 1763 ~ Mar. 29, 1848), the German-born American businessman who made is fortune in gaining a monopoly in the fur trade.  He was the first multi-millionaire in the United States.

42. Second to __: unbeatable: NONE.

43. Patrol vehicle: COP CAR.

45. Lao Tzu's "way": TAO.

49. Prefix with plus or pass: SUR-.  As in Surplus or Surpass.

50. African antelope: ORYX.  They are beautiful animals.

51. One more than bi-: TRI-.

54. U.S. Army E-3s: PFCs.  As in Private First Class.

57. Words spoken laterally?: ASIDES.  My favorite clue of the puzzle.

64. Seep: OOZE.

65. "Goldengirl" star Susan: ANTON.

Susan Ellen Anton (b. Oct. 12, 1950)

66. First-rate: A-ONE.

67. "Look, amigo!": MIRA.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

68. Broadway composer Jule: STYNE.  Jule Styne (né Julius Kerwin Stein; Dec. 31, 1905 ~ Sept. 20, 1994), was a British-American songwriter and composer best known for writing  the music for such musicals as Funny Girl, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Gypsy.

69. Lads: BOYS.

70. ER "Hurry up!": STAT.  Stat is a medical abbreviation for the Latin word Statum for Immediate.

Down:

1. Reagan secretary of state Alexander __: HAIG.  General Alexander Meigs Haig, Jr. (Dec. 2, 1924 ~ Feb. 20, 2010), held many positions in the Federal Government.  As the clue tells us, he served as the 59th United States Secretary of State during the Reagan administration.  During the Nixon and Ford administrations, he served as White House Chief of Staff.

2. Designer Gucci: ALDO.  Aldo Gucci (May 26, 1905 ~ Jan. 19, 1990) was the eldest son of Guccio Gucci (Mar. 26, 1881 ~ Jan. 2, 1953), who was the founder of the fashion House of Gucci.

3. Car engine cover: HOOD.

4. Finally: AT LAST.

5. Ohio State athlete: BUCKEYE.  It doesn't look overly intimidating.

6. Bat wood: ASH.  Think baseball.

7. "Oh, man!": JEEZ!

8. "Even __ speak ... ": AS WE.

9. Old Apple app for pics: iPHOTO.  Apparently the iPhoto was discontinued in 2015 and was replaced with the Appel Photos app.

10. Homer's bartender: MOE.  A reference to The Simpsons.

11. NATO alphabet "A": ALFA.  This appears with some frequency in the puzzles.

12. Dressed: CLAD.

13. Boozers: SOTS.

19. Letter-shaped fasteners: T-NUTS.

21. Film units: REELS.

25. Milk giver, in totspeak: MOO-COW.

27. Busy crawlers: ANTS.  The ants go marching one by one ...

28. "Look out __!": "Heads up!": BELOW.

29. Memoir featuring Ike Turner: I, TINA.  Tina Turner (née Anna Mae Bullock; b. Nov. 26, 1939) is 80!

30. Not appropriate: UNAPT.

31. __ Cucamonga, California: RANCHO.  A city probably known to our California contingent.

32. Gangster dubbed "The Teflon Don": GOTTI.  Crime finally caught up with John Joseph Gotti, Jr. (Oct. 27, 1940 ~ June 10, 2002).  He ultimately died in federal prison.

33. German WWII sub: U-BOAT.  Short for Unterseeboot, which translates as Undersea boat.

34. Gateway Arch designer Saarinen: EERO.  Our old friend Eero Saarinen (Aug. 20, 1910 ~ Sept. 1, 1961) is back.  He was born on the 37th birthday of his father Eliel Saarinen (Aug. 20, 1873 ~ July 1, 1950), who was also an architect.  Eero designed many iconic buildings, including the beautiful chapel on the MIT campus.

35. ICU caregivers: LPNs.  As in Licensed Practical Nurses, who may be found in the Intensive Care Unit.

39. Slender fish: EELS.  A crossword staple.

41. Chain known for roast beef: ARBY'S.

43. Greek isle: CORFU.

44. Fizzes up: AERATES.

47. Patti who won a Tony as Evita: LUPONE.  Patti Ann LuPone (b. Apr. 21, 1949) make occasional guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  I saw her perform in Evita years ago.

48. Math postulates: AXIOMS.

51. Afternoon socials: TEAS.

52. Go ballistic: RANT.

53. __-bitty: ITTY.

55. Complain like a shellfish?: CRAB.

56. "Begone!": SHOO!

58. "Stop wasting time!": DO IT!

59. "Fantastic Beasts" actor Miller: EZRA.  I am familiar with neither Fantastic Beasts nor Ezra Matthew Miller (b. Sept. 30, 1992).

60. Chair or sofa: SEAT.

62. Partner of hither: YON.

63. "__ questions?": ANY.  Great last clue for the puzzle!

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  I’ve always believed human blood is red because it really needs to draw attention to itself.  ~  Patricia Cornwell (née Patricia Carroll Daniels; June 9, 1956), American crime writer

Tuesday, June 2, 2020 Debbie Ellerin

Arts and Entertainment.  Each theme answer is a 2-word phrase where the first letter begins with "A" and the second word begins with "E".

17-Across. *   The "bush" type is the largest living land animal: AFRICAN ELEPHANT.

26-Across. *   Dorothy's female caretaker: AUNTIE EM.



47-Across. *   Sasha Fierce, for Beyoncé: ALTER EGO.  I Am ... Sasha Fierce was Beyoncé's 3rd album, which was released in 2008.

61-Across. *   Cardio workout: AEROBIC EXERCISE.  I miss not being able to go to the gym every day.  Exercising at home just isn't the same.



And the Unifier:

40-Across. "Ghost Hunters" channel suggested by the answers to starred clues: A AND E.

Across:

1. Thumb one's nose (at): SCOFF.

6. Type of lamp with a volcanic name: LAVA.

10. Magazine for docs: JAMA.  The Journal of the American Medical Association has been in publication since July 1883.  It is a peer-reviewed medical journal that publishes articles on original  medical research.  It's British counterpart is The Lancet, which is the oldest medical journal.  The Lancet has been in publication since 1823.  It was so named because a lancet was used in bleeding ill patients, which was, at the time, considered the "state-of-the-art" medical treatment.

14. Linney of "Ozark": LAURA.  Laura Linney (née Laura Legget Linney; b. Feb. 5, 1964) also played Sarah in one of Bill G's favorite movie Love Actually.

15. Sign above a door: EXIT.

16. Bullfight shouts:  ¡OLÉs!

20. "For sure!": YES!

21. Tots' sport with bases: T-BALL.

22. Listless feeling: ENNUI.  A crossword staple.

23. Fa-la link: SOL.

24. Eve's second son: ABEL.  //  Not to be confused with 18-Down. Start of a classic palindrome: ABLE.  The entirety of classic palindrome is:  Able Was I Ere I Saw Elba.  It is, ostensibly, attributed to Napoleón.

31. Majors in golf and tennis?: OPENS.

34. __ as a peacock: PROUD.

35. Self-centered: VAIN.

37. __ slaw: COLE.

39. Teen anti-DWI gp.: SADD.   Students Against Destructive Decisions.

41. "Sadly ... ": ALAS.

42. Big name in cosmetics: OLAY.

43. Really excited about: INTO.

44. Ear-to-ear smiles: GRINS.

45. It's taken by a witness, with "the": STAND.

49. Narc's coup: BUST.

51. Binary digit: ONE.

52. Cast a spell on: CHARM.

55. Up and about: AWAKE.

58. Waze display: MAP.  Waze is a GPS navigation software app.  It is owned by Google.

64. Baltic capital: RIGA.

65. Coastal recess: COVE.  Jessica Fletcher lived in Cabot Cove, Maine.

66. Greek column type: IONIC.

67. Poke: PROD.

68. Not new: USED.

69. Salon dos: COIFS.

Down:

1. Leave rolling in the aisles: SLAY.

2. Barista employer: CAFÉ.  A Barista is a person who sells expensive coffee.

3. Shared between us: OURS.  Yours, Mine and Ours was a 1968 movie starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda.

4. "TGIF!" time: Abbr.: FRI.  As in the phrase, Thank G-d, It's Friday!

5. Piece of trivia: FACTOID.

6. Dunham of "Girls": LENA.

Lena Dunham (b. May 13, 1986)

7. Ice skating feat: AXEL.  You, too, can learn this skating move with this easy video.  If you do it right, it is an aerobic exercise.

8. Fancy residence: VILLA.

9. Enjoyed the buffet: ATE.

10. "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" author: JOHN LE CARRÉ.  John le Carré is the pen name of David John Moore Cornwell (b. Oct. 19, 1931).  He is probably best known for his 1963 novel, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold.  He worked for the British Secret Intelligence Service, until his books really took off.  He then left the MI6 to become a full-time writer.

11. The first "A" in A.A. Milne: ALAN.  Alan Alexander Milne (Jan. 18, 1882 ~ Jan. 31, 1956) wrote   about Winnie-the-Pooh.  The character of Christopher Robin in his books was based on his son, Christopher Robin Milne (Aug. 21, 1920 ~ Apr. 20, 1996).  He hated being tied to his fictional character.

12. List of options: MENU.

13. Italian wine hub: ASTI.

19. Tiny bird call: PEEP.

23. Emulate an American attending the Sorbonne, say: STUDY ABROAD.

25. Humerus, for one: BONE.

26. Lhasa __: small dog: APSO.

27. Eurasian border range: URALS.

28. Greet silently: NOD AT.

29. "Dear __ Hansen": 2017 Best Musical: EVAN.  I saw this musical a year or so ago.  It's about a young boy with social anxiety who invents a role for himself in a tragedy that he did not earn.

30. Ray of the tropics: MANTA.  Oh, not a person, but a critter.  Nice misdirection.

32. "It's the truth!": NO LIE!

33. Urban Dictionary focus: SLANG.

36. Pop star: IDOL.

38. Canadian tank filler: ESSO.  This has become a crossword staple.  I'm getting great mileage now. Only down a gallon since I last filled up in March!

40. Gives a hand: AIDS.

44. No-name, as a brand: GENERIC.

46. Unfeeling: NUMB.

48. Drag on a joint: TOKE.

50. Food truck fare: TACOS.

52. Complain: CARP.

53. Designated survivor: HEIR.

54. Golden Fleece ship: ARGO.

56. "__ Only Just Begun": Carpenters hit: WE'VE.  The Carpenters were a brother and sister duo.  Sadly, Karen Carpenter (Mar. 2, 1950 ~ Feb. 4, 1983) died of complications related to anorexia a month before her 33rd birthday.

57. Canceled abruptly: AXED.

58. Prefix with bar or car: MINI.

59. "In your dreams!": AS IF!

60. They're above the abs: PECS.  As in the Pectoral and Abdominal muscles.

62. Post-op stop: ICU.  As in the Intensive Care Unit.

63. Dove's call: COO.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.  ~  Cornel West (né Cornel Ronald West; June 2, 1953), African-American philosopher and social critic