Wednesday September 18, 2019, Peter A. Collins

Theme:  AT ANY RATE. Each theme answer is the name of a hit song, the first word of which can be used to rate quality.

18. #1 hit for Jerry Lee Lewis: GREAT BALLS OF FIRE. Released in 1957, and also a 1989 film.

28. #1 hit for the Beach Boys: GOOD VIBRATIONS.

49. #1 hit for Johnny Rivers: POOR SIDE OF TOWN.

 

64. #1 hit for Jim Croce: BAD BAD LEROY BROWN.

Melissa here. I'm impressed with this GREAT theme - two grid-spanners and two near-grid spanners, and ALL hit songs. I wonder which was the seed - perhaps Peter A. Collins will pop in and enlighten us.

Across:

1. Starbucks orders, casually: JAVAS. Java is often used interchangeably with "coffee," although technically, it refers to arabica coffee beans of plants grown in Java, Indonesia that produce a usually full-bodied coffee of low to medium acidity. Now you know.

6. Carnival staples: RIDES. The first thing that popped into my head was cotton candy, so I was looking for some kind of food treat.

11. Chance: SHOT. Take one.

15. Perform better than: OUTDO.

16. Scandal-plagued energy company: ENRON.

17. Witness' promise: OATH. "To witness that one sincerely intends to do what one says."

21. Squealed on the bad guys: SANG.

22. Oscar winner Kazan: ELIA. Kazan won directing Oscars for 1947's Gentleman's Agreement and On the Waterfront, the 1954 film that starred Marlon Brando, and a controversial Special Lifetime Achievement Oscar in 1999. There are lots of good movies about the Hollywood Blacklist.

23. Lemonlike fruit: CITRON.

24. Grocery chain with a red-and-white logo: IGA. Independent Grocers Alliance.

26. Like the Ninja Turtles: MUTANT.

33. Vornado product: FAN. Never heard of this brand - logo similar to above.

34. Landscaping tree: PIN OAK. See here.

35. Peter was the first one: POPE.

37. Application: USE.

38. Federal retirement org.: SSA. Social Security Administration.

39. Couple of million?: ELS. Two L's.

42. Farm food: HAY.

43. Justice __ Bader Ginsburg: RUTH. Appointed by President Clinton and took the OATH of office on August 10, 1993. Health update.

45. Get going: BESTIR. Not sure I've heard this word before - tricky,

48. Have bills: OWE.

53. "Let's get together": MEET ME.

54. Best-liked, briefly: FAV.

55. Kite carrier: BREEZE.

58. Italy's Villa d'__: ESTE. So pretty.

60. One of 12 on a die: EDGE. Another tricky one.

67. Brit's kitchen floor: LINO. British LINO is same as American LINOleum.

68. Abates: EASES.

69. Threw in: ADDED.

70. Dispatch, as a dragon: SLAY.

71. Oboist's supply: REEDS.

72. Hired thugs: GOONS.

Down

1. Easy runs: JOGS.

2. General feeling: AURA.

3. Dodge Viper engine: V-TEN.

4. Slowly, in music: ADAGIO.

5. Drunkard: SOT.

6. Genuine: REAL.

7. Undecided: IN LIMBO. Interesting. The word is of Teutonic origin, meaning “border” or “anything joined on.”

8. Advice giver on SiriusXM Radio: DR. LAURA. Had no idea she was still on the air.

9. Canon camera named for a dawn goddess: EOS. Hm. Well ... Eos was a Titan goddess in Greek mythology, but the Canon EOS stands for Electro-Optical System.

10. Winter vehicle on treads: SNO CAT.

11. Convertible type: SOFT TOP.

12. Tiny margin of victory: HAIR. Haha.

13. Another, in España: OTRO.

14. "__ what?": THEN.

19. One of a pair of cartoon slackers: BEAVIS.

20. It's over in France: FINI.

25. National econ. stats: GDPS. Gross domestic products.

27. Grow fond of: TAKE TO.

28. Go from E to F?: GAS UP.

29. __ a customer: ONE TO.

30. "Soon": IN A BIT.

31. Emphatic word of refusal: NOHOW. Didn't realize this was one word.

32. What salmon do upstream: SPAWN.

33. Stole from a coat store?: FUR. Very clever. Shawl, wrap, stole, scarf - what's the difference?

36. __ contact: EYE.

40. River through Dublin: LIFFEY. Flows through Dublin.

41. Span. miss: SRTA. Señorita. 

44. Neighborhood pal, in slang: HOMEBOY.

46. Attorney general under Ronald Reagan: ED MEESE.

47. Blows one's stack: SEES RED.

50. Mohammad __ Pahlavi: last shah of Iran: REZA. Perped.

51. Farm contraption: SEEDER. Used to plant seeds for beans, cotton, rice, wheat, canola and many types of vegetables.

52. Engage in to excess: OVERDO.

55. OPEC units: BBLS. Barrels. One barrel equals 42 US gallons

One barrel equals 42 US gallons

Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/barrel-bbl.html

One barrel equals 42 US gallons

Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/barrel-bbl.html

One barrel equals 42 US gallons

Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/barrel-bbl.html

56. Mass transit option: RAIL.

57. Barry Humphries alter ego Dame __: EDNA. Australian comedian.

59. Mix, as salad: TOSS.

61. Extinct bird: DODO.

62. __ Stacy: Spider-Man love interest: GWEN.

63. They might be loose or tight: ENDS.

65. Ka __: southernmost Big Island point: LAE. The area is also known for its strong ocean currents and winds and is the home of a wind farm.

66. Purse: BAG.

Wednesday, September 11, 2019, Ed Sessa

Theme: People who live in glass houses ...

Here's something I don't remember seeing before. In three theme answers, the first word is a kind of rock - but, for a little twist, add the word ROCK to the fourth theme answer to get ROCK HUDSON.

17. Psychedelic decorative light: LAVA LAMP.

24. Not even a little high: STONE SOBER.

48. Structure renamed for a president in 1947: BOULDER DAM.

35. New York waterway: HUDSON RIVER.

57. Simon & Garfunkel hit, and hint to the starts of 17-, 24-, 48- ... and 35-Across, too!: I AM A ROCK.

Melissa here. First Wednesday in a month or so with no circles. Does that make us square?

Across:

1. Braying beast: ASS.

4. "Diamonds & Rust" folk singer Joan: BAEZ.

8. Hop, skip and jump: CAVORT. Tricky. I was thinking goat parkour.

14. Where lowers lie: LEA. Lower Lea Valley. I don't know if that's the lower lea this refers to or not - but I learned lots about the location of the 2012 Olympics and it's redevelopment in preparation for the games. Facilities and infrastructure built to host the 2012 events are enjoying new life as hotels, apartments, offices and community facilities. Look.

15. Ready and willing partner: ABLE. Nice clue.

16. "Booksmart" director Wilde: OLIVIA. Released May 2019. Four stars on rogerebert.com.

19. Beaus: ROMEOS. Okay.

20. Savory taste: UMAMI.

21. Board game gadget: SPINNER.

23. University of Nevada city: RENO.

27. Set up: ENTRAP.

29. Chinese "way": TAO. Clued last Wednesday as "Eastern principle."

30. Aqua in Aquitaine: EAU. French.

31. Whoopi's Oscar role in "Ghost": ODA MAE.

34. Palm fruit: DATE.

38. Leaning: BIAS.

40. OTC antacid brand: ZANTAC.

41. Possess: OWN.

42. Notable time span: ERA.

44. EPA mandates, taken together: ECO LAW. Had not heard this phrase before, but it makes sense.

52. Arp contemporary: DALI. Salvador Dali and Jean Arp.

53. Behind: KEISTER. Oh.

54. Type, as data: KEY IN.

55. Develop a liking for: TAKE TO.

59. Gobsmacked: AMAZED. Last Wednesday it was "Bowl over" for AWE.

60. Story of life after death?: OBIT. Perfect.

61. Quaint "Tsk!": FIE. I usually think of FIE is a somewhat angry exclamation, and tsk as disapproving.

62. Zealous crusades: JIHADS.

63. Letters on Broadway-bound letters: NY, NY. New York.

64. Craze: FAD.

Down:

1. Magnetism: ALLURE. Ooh la la.

2. Ship captains, e.g.: SEAMEN.

3. Eminent scholar: SAVANT. I usually think of an autistic SAVANT, like Charlie in Rain Man, but the first definition is "a learned person, especially a distinguished scientist." Correction (thanks Husker Gary): Raymond was the autistic savant in Rain Man, not his brother Charlie. Younger Charlie could not say Raymond and so he called his older brother Rain Man.

4. Lingerie brand: BALI.

5. Justice league?: Abbr.: ABA. American Bar Association. Clever.

6. Nightmare loc. of film: ELM ST.

7. Youngest Marx brother: ZEPPO.

8. Eye part: CORNEA.

9. Mets slugger Pete who won the 2019 Home Run Derby: ALONSO. Perps to the rescue for those like me who don't follow baseball.

10. Video-sharing site: VIMEO.

11. Dominate: OVERBEAR.

12. Brazilian vacay destination: RIO.

13. Prof's helpers: TAS. Clued last Wednesday as "Some grad students."

18. Kissy-kissy: AMOROUS. That was unexpected.

22. Doctor in training: INTERN.

24. Places for scrubs and wraps: SPAS.

25. "Mangia!": EAT. Italian. As Lidia Bastianich says, "Tutti a tavola a mangiare!" (Everyone to the table to eat!)

26. Poe's "The Murders in the __ Morgue": RUE.

28. Do the math: ADD.

32. "Amadeus" subject: MOZART.

33. Actress Gasteyer: ANA. Best known for her time as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002. 

34. Unscrambling device: DECODER.

35. Jewish Festival of Lights: HANUKKAH.

36. Checkout counter unit: ITEM.

37. Shark or Dyson, briefly: VAC.

38. Short cut: BOB. Ohhhhh .... hair.

39. __ Jima: IWO.

42. Worked on text: EDITED.

43. Repairs, as infield grass: RESODS.

45. Fire: LAY OFF. Ohhhhh .... that kind of fire.

46. Pianist de Larrocha: ALICIA. I didn't know her name before. Beautiful.

47. Signaled slyly: WINKED.

49. Gibbons of TV talk: LEEZA.

50. __ Sanders, only athlete to play in both the Super Bowl and World Series: DEION.

51. Sheikdom of song: ARABY. The Beatles.

54. "Roar" singer Perry: KATY. ‘Cause I am a championAnd you’re gonna hear me roar.

55. __ Mahal: TAJ.

56. Mate, across the Channel: AMI. French for friend.

58. 60 secs.: MIN.

Notes from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Husker Gary, author behind this fantastic Crossword Corner map. Email him if you want to be included in the map. On and off the blog, Gary has always been a caring friend and trusted sounding board for me. He has helped me numerous times with his super creative clues.

Wednesday, September 4, 2019, Julie Berube

Theme: Easy as ABC

15A. Chemist's garb: LAB COAT.

25A. Apples on teachers' desks: MACBOOK PROS.

47A. Soccer powerhouse from Spain: FC BARCELONA. Futbol Club Barcelona, commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça, is a Spanish professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

63A. Bony thoracic structure: RIBCAGE.

3D. Curios assortment: BRIC-A-BRAC.

35D. ISP service: WEB ACCESS.

Melissa here. Circles nearly every Wednesday lately, I think they're kind of fun.  This one contains a complete set of six ABC anagrams. It's uncommon to see theme answers in both across and down - nicely done Julie Berube, apparently making her debut on the corner.

Across:

1. Devices at one's fingertips: TABLETS. Not iPhones.

8. Bowl over: AWE. Not wow.

11. Old NCAA football ranking sys.: BCS.

14. Music genre for Ladysmith Black Mambazo and King Sunny Adé: AFRO POP. Paul Simon used Ladysmith Black Mambazo on his Graceland album.

17. __ kick: martial arts maneuver: SCISSOR.

18. Adriatic country whose flag has a double-headed eagle: ALBANIA.

20. Pen pal greeting?: OINK. Nice.

22. Impudent: PERT.

23. Split __ soup: PEA.

28. "The Wire" actor Idris: ELBA.

30. Very thin: SKINNY.

31. Floorboard-ruining insects: TERMITES.

33. 2005 slasher film sequel: SAW II.

38. Rather cross: IN A SNIT.

39. Some losers: DIETERS. Haha.

41. Food truck fare: TACOS.

42. Tiny organisms: MICROBES.

43. 18-Across capital: TIRANA. Perped it.

46. Premier League soccer team, to fans: MANU. Manchester United.

52. "Middle" note: CEE.

53. Flowery rings: LEIS.

54. Young newts: EFTS.

55. Epidemic-fighting agcy.: CDC. Centers for Disease Control.

57. Prohibited: ILLEGAL.

59. Go along with: AGREE TO.

64. Place setting item: UTENSIL.

65. Eastern principle: TAO.

66. __ object: SEX. Haven't seen this in a while ...

67. Waters near the South Pole: ROSS SEA. Off the cost of Antarctica. Beautiful images of "the most pristine piece of the ocean left on Earth."

Down:

1. Some grad students: TAS. Teacher's Assistants.

2. Org. with Colts and Broncos: AFC.

4. Take a beating: LOSE.

5. __ salts: EPSOM.

6. In addition: TOO.

7. Toothed wheel: SPROCKET.

8. Post-rehab support group: AL-ANON.

9. Bit part: WALK ON.

10. Retreat, as the tide: EBB.

11. Ugly mistake: BONER.

12. Tahrir Square city: CAIRO.

13. Sports data: STATS.

16. Abner drawer: CAPP.

19. Corp. bigwig: CEO.

21. Venerated bird in ancient Egypt: IBIS.

23. __ four: teacake: PETIT.

24. Justice Kagan: ELENA.

26. Italian bubbly: ASTI. Sparkling wine.

27. Bandleader Kay known as "The Ol' Perfessor": KYSER. Wikipedia.

29. Playground comeback: AM SO.

32. Orch. piece: INSTR. Instrument.

34. Nuclear energy source: ATOM.

36. Dancer Castle: IRENE. She danced with her husband Virgil on Broadway and in silent films in the early 20th century. They were famous as the originators of the one-step and the turkey trot.

37. Magazine copy: ISSUE.

39. "Jurassic World" beast: DINOSAUR.

40. Volunteer's words: I CAN.

42. Brewer's supply: MALT.

44. Film franchise with a saber-toothed tiger named Diego: ICE AGE.

 45. Involuntary, as a reaction: REFLEX.

47. Tease: FLIRT.

48. "Queen of Salsa" Cruz: CELIA. Cuban singer and the most popular Latin artist of the 20th century.

49. "The Hobbit" hobbit: BILBO.

50. "Wait __!": A SEC. Wait up!

51. Lots of land: ACRES.

56. Sanctuaries: DENS.

58. Oxygen or hydrogen: GAS.

60. Classic muscle car: GTO.

61. Make fast: TIE.

62. Lisbon greeting: OLA.

Note from C.C.:

Here are two new pictures of Melissa's sweet grandkids Jaelyn and Harper. You can see past pictures of them here. Jaelyn has such curious and expressive eyes.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019, Craig Stowe

Theme:  One Day at a Time. This could have been another circle puzzle, but instead the theme answers were marked with stars, with the word DAILY scrambled, and hidden in each.

18. *1930 Faulkner novel: AS I LAY DYING.

24. *1986 Chris de Burgh hit, with "The": LADY IN RED.

36. *Wits, when scared out of you: DAYLIGHTS.

52. *Hit below the belt: PLAY DIRTY.

58. Popular newspaper puzzle, and a hint to what's hidden in the answers to starred clues: DAILY JUMBLE.

Melissa here. The downs seemed a notch tougher than the acrosses.

Across:

1. Break down noisily: SOB. Ohhh, I was thinking of a car ...

4. Living things: BEINGS.

10. Mug: FACE. Sneaky.

14. Lab eggs: OVA. Plural of ovum.

15. "Bewitched" witch: ENDORA. Here she is in 1973 appearing on the TV game show, What's My Line? The final episode of Bewitched aired in March of 1972.

16. Vigorous spirit: ELAN.

17. 2018 giant shark film, with "The": MEG. I guess I'm living under a rock, because I've never heard of this movie.

20. Enlightened Buddhist: ARHAT. In Theravada Buddhism, an Arhat (Sanskrit: अर्हत् arhat; Pali: arahant; "one who is worthy") is a "perfected person" who has attained nirvana. In other Buddhist traditions the term has also been used for people far advanced along the path of Enlightenment, but who may not have reached full Buddhahood. The understanding of the concept has changed over the centuries, and varies between different schools of buddhism and different regions. Practicing Vipassana (a form of meditation) on the Theravada arhat path, increases one's capacity for compassion.

22. "... __ many ways": IN SO.

23. Letter between zeta and theta: ETA.

27. Patio furniture maker: CANER. Fooled me into thinking of a brand.

29. Defiant comeback: I CAN TOO.

30. Thrown out of the game: EJECTED.

32. Time zone word: Abbr.: STD. Standard, as opposed to Daylight Savings Time. Time Zone Abbreviations – Worldwide List.

33. Money left on a diner table: TIP.

35. Score often requiring overtime: ONE ONE.

39. Feral: SAVAGE.

42. Unfavorable review: PAN. I wonder why that term is used for a bad review.

43. __-Cat: winter vehicle: SNO.

46. Group of nine until 2006: PLANETS. In August 2006 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) downgraded the status of Pluto to that of "dwarf planet." Controversy.

48. Grated together, as teeth: GNASHED.

51. DeGeneres who voices Dory: ELLEN.

54. Bird in 2019 Liberty Mutual commercials: EMU.

55. Apple discard: CORE.

57. Small amounts: DRIBS.

62. Cal. pages: MOS.

63. Humerus neighbor: ULNA. Bones of the arm.

64. Eye-related: OCULAR.

65. "Tamerlane" poet: POE.

66. Cribbage pieces: PEGS.

67. Hospital fluids: SERUMS.

68. Shade of blue: SKY.

Down:

1. Mogadishu natives: SOMALIS.

2. Emote: OVERACT.

3. Capital on the Tigris: BAGHDAD.

4. "Scram!": BEAT IT.

5. Middle of dinner?: ENS. Two Ns.

6. Ugandan dictator Amin: IDI.

7. "Honest!": NO LIE.

8. "Thank U, Next" singer Ariana: GRANDE.

9. Puts into words: SAYS.

10. 2010 Mark Twain Prize winner Tina: FEY.

11. Incompatible with: ALIEN TO. That was tough.

12. Hiker's flask: CANTEEN.

13. Fighting words?: ENGARDE. Nice clue.

19. Museum tour guide: DOCENT.

21. "Atlas Shrugged" writer Rand: AYN.

25. "Just a bit longer": NOT YET.

26. Agitate: ROIL.

28. Highly paid pitchers, typically: ACES.

31. Host between Jack and Jay: JOHNNY. The Tonight Show hosts. Johnny Carson was the best, imo.

34. Domino dot: PIP. Why are the dots on dominoes called pips?

36. Swede's neighbor: DANE.

37. Means: AGENCY.

38. Crazy (over): GAGA.

39. Step on the gas: SPEED UP.

40. Like many barbershop quartets: ALL MALE.

41. Appraising: VALUING.

43. Goes for crustaceans: SHRIMPS.

44. Small laptop: NETBOOK. According to How Stuff Works: "In general, netbook computers are smaller and lighter than notebook computers, which in turn are smaller and lighter than laptops. But there are no specific size or weight classes for computers."

45. Wandering journey: ODYSSEY.

47. Christmas tree choice: SPRUCE.

49. Puff __: venomous African snakes: ADDERS.

50. Elton John's title: SIR.

53. Madagascar primate: LEMUR.

56. Spanish eyes: OJOS.

59. Vegas opening: LAS.

60. __-ray Disc: BLU.

61. Fugitive's flight: LAM.

Notes from C.C.:

1) Glad you're back online, Owen! Hope you're home soon.

2) Dear Irish Miss (Agnes) fell backwards on the concrete floor on Sunday night. X-rays/CT scan showed that she had a sprained shoulder. Right now she has Oxycodone to control the pain, but her stomach is like mine, very averse to those pain pills. Terrible nausea. She'll need to follow up with her own doctor and an orthopedic doctor once the pain and nausea subsidize. She has family in the area, but she lives alone. Simple everyday things can be challenging for her. 

Let's send her get-well cards and cheer her up. Her contact details are here.