Wednesday December 28, 2016 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: STRINGS ATTACHED (61A. Proposal conditions ... and what the first parts of the answers to starred clues all can have)  - The first word in each answer has a string attached.

17A. *Reasons for refinancing : BALLOON PAYMENTS

23A. *Inconsistent nutrition plan : YO-YO DIETING

38. *With 41-Across, "How to Get Away With Murder" Emmy winner : VIOLA. And DAVIS (41. *See 38-Across). Her full name has 10 letters. You can't put a 10 in the middle.

51A. *Marshall Islands nuclear test site : BIKINI ATOLL.

Boomer here. Wishing you all a happy and prosperous 2017! This puzzle is written by my best friend,  Zhouqin "C.C." Burnikel, who also happens to be my wife.  Hope you enjoyed it.

Across: 

1. Specially formed : AD HOC.  I am sure this is Latin for something.

6. Circle components : ARCS. Arc the Herald Angels sing ...

10. Set in stone, say : ETCH. If you have a scretch - etch it.

14. Hiking map line : TRAIL.  My generation remembers Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing "Happy Trails to you".

15. Western wine region : NAPA. North of San Francisco.  I've been there. The grapes in the fields are the size of baseballs

16. Melancholic : DOUR. Words like this are why I never seem to complete crossword puzzles.

20. Top card : ACE.  Also can be a perfecto in sports or a WWII flying expert.

21. Iris layer : UVEA. Another one of those words.

22. Syst. with a Buffalo campus : SUNY (State University of New York)

26. Spanish bear : OSO . Another one of those words.

29. "Top Gun" org. : USN. Finally beaten by Army after 14 straight wins.

30. Iditarod racer : DOG SLED. We have these races in Minnesota.  All you need is snow, a sled, and a few Huskies.

32. Colo. setting : MST.  I think John Denver kept his watch set to this time no matter where he was. I wonder if he fell in love with Colorado because of his last name, or if he changed to that name like some personalities do.  Did you know he got his start with the Chad Mitchell Trio?

34. Scat legend, familiarly : ELLA. Also my paternal grandmothers name.

37. Crème de la crème : ELITE
  

40. "That feels amazing" : AAH

42. Waits in traffic : IDLES. They say not to idle your car to warm it up in cold weather.

43. Support during exercise : SPOT. I may have clued Dick and Jane's doggie.

45. Give no stars to : PAN

46. Asian noodle dish : PAD THAI. I will take C.C.'s word for this

48. One step __ time : AT A

50. Govt. aid for the disabled : SSI. Okay, but I am not disabled but I get a few bucks every month just for being old.

57. Arab bigwig : EMIR - Sounds like the freshman U of Minn basketball star Mr. Coffey who you will hear about as time goes on and the Big 10 (+4) gets going.

59. Wild speech : RANT

60. GM's Mary Barra, for one : CEO

65. It comes before one : NOON

66. Big name in beauty products : ULTA. Ulta also describes your thought when you see the price.

67. Demi of "A Few Good Men" : MOORE. She could handle the truth.

68. Give for a while : LEND. Sometimes $$$, sometimes just your ears

69. December number : NOEL. Maybe someone already constructed a Christmas puzzle with words that do not contain the letter "L".

70. "None for me, thanks" : I PASS. "What do you do when the driver in the car in front of you is texting and going too slow?

Down:

1. On the defensive : AT BAY

2. Harsh Athenian lawmaker : DRACO

3. "Roots" writer : HALEY. Alex - a tremendous story and TV series that kept folks captivated for weeks in the seventies.

4. It may be crude : OIL. Great for most of us, the price has dropped to reasonable. Problems for North Dakota for profits from the sand.

5. Sun blockers : CLOUDS. Cloudy, the sky is gray and white and Cloudy. Sometimes I think its hanging down on me.  (Simon and Garfunkel)

6. A year in Provence : ANNEE, Another one of those words.

7. Knock on : RAP AT

8. Busy pro in tax season : CPA. Not looking forward to tax time.

9. Doesn't go along : SAYS NO. Two words I get it, but could also be a name of a video game some day.

10. Steinbeck's "East of __" : EDEN. Why not Genie "Barbara"

11. Twins legend who was the first DH to hit a home run : TONY OLIVA. My words to the bridge of the famous song "Talkin' Baseball" by Terry Cashman. - "Now my old friend Brandy, he loved to watch the Killer clout them out. And my pals from the alley, would go to see Versalles, and me, I always lived Tony O. Where did they go?"  My parody version was titles "Zoilo, Tony and the Brew".

Boomer and Oliva

12. Director's shout : CUT. Speaking of Mr. Oliva, this could also be the catcher's shout on his throw coming in from right field.

13. Appt. book slots : HRs. Or a baseball stat for Tony.  I think he hit a couple hundred in his career.

18. Like a lamb : OVINE

19. Made faces : MUGGED

24. Juice provider : OUTLET. Tricky C.C.  Orange is also six letters beginning with "O".

25. Home of most of Sawtooth National Forest : IDAHO. Also huge potato farms.  Funny how states get a reputation for vegetables. All Minnesota gets a rep for is lakes and frozen tundra.

27. Become established : SET IN

28. Some flowery works : ODES

31. Try to hit, as a mosquito : SLAP AT. Speaking of a rep for Minnesota - how about a Hockey puck? Paul Newman was great in "Slapshot" and the Hansons were actually the Carlson brothers from the land of 10,000 lakes.

32. King who turned his daughter into gold : MIDAS. They made their name with mufflers but the prices are a little high.

33. Persevere : SOLDIER ON

35. Vision-correcting surgery : LASIK

36. Computer support? : LAP. Tablet computer.

38. Big shots : VIPs

39. Rubbish holder : ASH BIN. Also known as a Dumpster.  But we'll call the one behind the White House a Trumpster

44. Contaminate : TAINT. Hillbillies also may use this as slang for "That A'int".

47. BB shooter : AIR GUN. Subject of this year's "A Christmas Story" movie shown 142 times on 36 different cable channels.  Whatever happened to "Miracle on 34th Street"?

49. Teahouse mat : TATAMI

52. Hot under the collar : IRATE. Or I rate this puzzle 97 out of 100 !

53. Birth-related : NATAL. Remember Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta "Pirates of Penzance" when the man's natal day was February 29th so although he was an adult, he sang he was a little boy of five.  It was a paradox.  

54. Former #1 LPGA golfer Lorena : OCHOA. One of my favorites. We saw her at the Women's US Open at Interlachen Country Club a few years ago.

55. Wolfish stares : LEERS

56. Veinlike deposits : LODES

58. Look after : MIND. When sometimes we were snoopy kids the retort was "Mind your own business".

61. Show with "Weekend Update" skits, initially : SNL

62. Tip of a wingtip : TOE

63. Pavement warning : SLO

64. Booking agent? : COP

Boomer

Wednesday, December 21, 2016, Ron Toth & C.C. Burnikel

TITLE: A GOOD BEGINNING.  In Ron's (aka Jazzbumpa) and OUR FAIR LADY C.C.'s fun puzzle the word FAIR can precede each of the words in their fills for starred clues and generate another phrase.

Here's the grid that shows Ron and C.C. had two horizontal fills and three vertical fills.

This device and fun cluing/fill provide some respite on this First Day of Winter or Winter Solstice which has the fewest hours of daylight north of the equator. The North Pole has reached its maximum tilt away from the Sun but remember, from now on the hours of daylight get longer as we march on to Spring from here.

Let's take a look at the fun theme fill and the phrases Ron and C.C. gave us in this more than FAIR exercise:

6. *"I'd like a hand" : DEAL ME IN - FAIR DEAL Truman's post WWII policy that had mixed results

17. *Exchange insults : TRADE BARBS - FAIR TRADE coffee, certified by Fair Trade USA

61. *Come-on for new customers : TRIAL OFFER - FAIR TRIAL - In To Kill A Mockingbird, Tom certainly did not get one

11. *Pretend to be out : PLAY POSSUM - FAIR PLAY - One organization he worked for in earnest

27. *Go-getter : BALL OF FIRE - A call of FAIR BALL after a wonderful jete! 

...and the reveal

39. Open to attack, and based on the starts of the answers to starred clues, what this puzzle is : FAIR GAME - She never said, "I want to be alone". She said, "I want to be left alone."

Now let's use our fewest hours of sunlight wisely and see what else C.C. and Ron have for us.

Across

1. Herbal emanation : AROMA - Does FAIR TRADE coffee have a better AROMA?

6. Small valley : DELL - I know this farmer...

10. Inconsequential quarrel : SPAT

14. Ring unit : CARAT

15. Website with a Collectibles & Art section : E-BAY - $25,000? Really?

16. "Dark Angel" actress Jessica : ALBA 

19. Misses : GALS

20. Long fish : EEL

21. Grief : DOLOR - Produced Doh' ler

22. Biller, eventually : PAYEE

23. Thailand's previous name : SIAM - The Margaret Landon book that inspired the play by Rodgers and Hammerstein 

24. Sounding shocked : AGASP

26. "Tap the app, get a ride" company : UBER - An Omaha UBER driver took a lady to Denver for $877.61 two months ago

28. "¿Cómo __?" : ESTAS - "How are you?" Answer -  "Muy bien. ¿Y tú?" (Very good. And you?)

30. Cockney's wish? : OPE

33. "Get a move on!" : SNAP TO IT

35. Montreal brewery founded in 1786 : MOLSON

37. 1953 Leslie Caron film : LILI

38. Chaotic mess : SNAFU - There are obscene and sanitized versions of this acronym

40. Got mileage out of : USED

41. Words after a long delay : AT LAST - Other versions are just a pale reflection

43. Good news for borrowers : RATE CUTS

45. Former Prizm maker : GEO

46. Cola with emoji bottle labels : PEPSI

48. Holiday tubers : YAMS

49. Indigenous plant life : FLORA

51. Is sorry about : RUES - Red Sox fans RUED the day Boston sold The Babe to the hated Yankees

53. Not suitable : UNFIT

55. Formal wear at the Forum : TOGAS

57. Likely : APT

60. Hurt : PAIN

63. Throw caution to the wind : DARE - We hear his Charlie Brown Christmas music a lot this time of year but this is my favorite Vince Guaraldi song

64. Mixed martial artist Holly : HOLM  If you DARE to fight Holly HOLM, you're APT to feel a lot of PAIN

65. Aptly named novelist : READE

66. Washington bills : ONES - The mint has quit making the $1 coin since the Washington ONES remain much more popular

67. Word in a threat : ELSE

68. Spooky : EERIE


Down

1. Entr'__ : ACTE - Intermission for The Agony And The Ecstasy

2. Ruth's Chris request : RARE

3. Type of exam : ORAL

4. Magazine with Don Martin cartoons : MAD - Where all my paper route money went and where my sarcasm was nurtured.

5. Was humbled : ATE DIRT

7. River of Spain : EBRO

9. Lille lily : LYS

10. Drawn-out tales : SAGAS

12. Up to the task : ABLE

13. Stun, in a way : TASE

18. __ constrictor : BOA and 8. Test rodent : LAB RAT - Dinner for our 12' BOA at school

22. El __, Texas : PASO

23. Old photo tint : SEPIA

25. Entire spectrum : GAMUT - Of Katherine Hepburn, Dorothy Parker wrote, "She delivered a striking performance that ran the GAMUT of emotions, from A to B."

26. Join together : UNITE

29. Marquee listings : STARS - They knew the pecking order

31. Kilmer and Keats : POETS

32. Doesn't continue : ENDS

33. Smelting waste : SLAG

34. Convection oven brand : OSTER

36. Indiana Jones' creator : LUCAS - Amy - "Indiana Jones has no effect on the outcome of the movie, Sheldon. It would have turned out the same with or without him."

42. Stereotypical dog's name : SPOT - SHEP? Not so much.

44. Overgrown lot, e.g. : EYESORE

47. Security group : PATROL

50. Part of 52-Down : LINES and 52. Chi.-based flier : UAL - Yup!

53. French twist, for one : UPDO

54. Leavened flatbread : NAAN

56. Some museum art : OILS

57. Miles off : AFAR

58. Prefix with cure : PEDI - For those of us who do our own:

59. Palm or beech : TREE

61. Article often ignored in alphabetizing : THE

62. Service charge : FEE

Lets now hear your FAIR-MINDED comments:

Wednesday, December 14, 2016, Alex Eaton-Salners

TITLE: LET THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN. The last time we saw Alex was a 11/16/16 puzzle blogged by Melissa who indicated that that puzzle appeared to be Alex's LA Times debut.

Let's start with Alex's reveal in this fabulous midweek puzzle:

61. *As sequenced in this grid, what the answers to starred clues form : WORD CHAIN

Exposing Alex's devious theme required me to put the grid upfront and then color code the WORD CHAIN he formed. The matching colors below tie the last word in one fill to the first word in a succeeding fill with a starred clue and that action generates yet another word or phrase. The pièce de résistance is that the last fill with a starred clue circles back to link to the first one and, as my title suggests, keeps the circle/chain unbroken. WOW!! 

Husker Gary today showing you Alex's WORD CHAINS:

17. *TV screen film format : LETTERBOX and 24. *At-your-desk assignment : SEATWORK that chain together to make BOXSEAT. These BOXSEATS behind the Cubs dugout for Game 7 of the World Series went for $15,000 each.

24. *At-your-desk assignment : SEATWORK now chains with 37. *Summertime destination for kids : DAYCAMP to make WORKDAY whose hours were the title of this movie

37. *Summertime destination for kids : DAYCAMP now chains with 50. *Building inspector's concern : FIRECODE to make CAMPFIRE - Everybody know the words to Kumbaya? 

50. *Building inspector's concern : FIRECODE now chains with the reveal 61. *As sequenced in this grid, what the answers to starred clues form : WORDCHAIN - to make CODEWORD - which is what Tom Hanks was seeking in The Da Vinci Code to open this cryptex. Do you remember what the CODE WORD was?

61. *As sequenced in this grid, what the answers to starred clues form : WORD CHAIN now links up with the first starred fill of 17. *TV screen film format : LETTERBOX to complete our chain and form the phrase CHAIN LETTER  - A 21st century annoyance

The puzzle and the theme made for a very pleasant solving experience. 

Across

1. Host who says, "Solve or spin" : SAJAK - A game show success and talk show failure

6. Possibilities : IF'S - If IF'S and but's were candy and nuts...

9. Apple remains : CORES - This gets right to the CORE of the matter

14. The Quakers of the Ivy League, briefly : U PENN

15. __-mo replay : SLO - Accuracy and game times both increase

16. Hairbrush target : SNARL

19. Biology dish eponym : PETRI - The PETRI dish in which Sir Alex Fleming saw bacteria being killed near a penicillium mold that grows on bread which of course led to the most used antibiotic in the world

20. __ Enterprise : USS

21. Very long periods : EONS

22. It may be carried in a boardroom : MOTION  - I move we order doughnuts!

23. Sit-up targets : ABS

26. Out : ASLEEP - The definitive book about last week's memorial whose 6. Card catalog ID : ISBN  is 13: 978-0140157345

29. Any'tizers Boneless Chicken Wyngz maker : TYSON 

30. Ben who plays an economics teacher in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" : STEIN

31. Mata __ : HARI

33. Put on the cloud, say : SAVE

36. Luv : HON

40. Cut of lamb : LEG

41. Redheaded sitcom kid : OPIE - Ronnie Howard found more success behind the camera - including aforementioned The Da Vinci Code

43. Pre-owned : USED

44. Have credit from : OWE TO - "I OWE my soul TO the Company Store"

46. Shaped like a kiwi : OVATE

48. Sun Bowl city : EL PASO

53. Braz. neighbor : ARG

54. Says "Hi, sailor" to, say : FLIRTS - Get ready...

55. One-named Irish singer : BONO

57. Canonized Fr. female : STE - Catholic Online lists STE Joan of Arc as #23

60. Lo-cal brews : LITES

63. Japanese dog : AKITA

64. Plot device? : HOE 

65. Hard-to-understand "South Park" character : KENNY

66. Exams : TESTS

67. Gives the nod : OK'S

68. "Later!" : SEE YA - "Wouldn't wanna BE YA!"

Down

1. "Star Trek" role for Cho : SULU

2. Mirrors : APES - Remember this scene?

3. New York team that plays home games in New Jersey : JETS

4. Carpenter __ : ANT

5. Plié, for one : KNEE BEND

7. Oral-B Glide, e.g. : FLOSS

8. Name on a Chicago cap : SOX

9. Big bills, slangily : C-SPOTS - With many security features

10. Boxing combos : ONE TWOS

11. Bases : RATIONALES

12. "Oops!" inciter : ERROR - Personal advice - "Don't keep your throat spray next to your computer screen cleaner spray"

13. Sneak (away), as in shame : SLINK

18. Wine choice : ROSE'

22. Actress __ Bialik of "The Big Bang Theory" : MAYIM - She plays brilliant and plain Amy Farah Fowler 

23. "Aladdin" hero : ALI

25. Online investment service : E-TRADE

26. At the summit : ATOP

27. Ailment similar to spring fever : SENIORITIS  - Hey, they're 18 and know everything!

28. Course of action? : PHYS ED - Clever

30. "Shameless" airer, briefly : SHO

32. Versatile blackjack card : ACE

34. Presidential no : VETO 

35. Swelled head : EGO

38. VW and BMW : AUTOS

39. Fizzy candy : POP ROCKS

42. '50s-'60s Illinois senator Dirksen : EVERETT - It's easy to spend other people's money 

45. Tail movement : WAG

47. Steps in for : ACTS AS

49. Touch down : LAND

50. E equivalent, in music : F FLAT 

51. "Looking good!" : I LIKE

52. Reader's download : E-BOOK - Here's Julius Caesar in said format

56. Mined finds : ORES

57. Of sound mind : SANE

58. Teensy-weensy : TINY

59. One-named Irish singer : ENYA

61. "__ cares?" : WHO 

62. Half a giggle : HEE

There are no CHAIN OF FOOLS here and so I look forward to their comments:

Wednesday, December 7, 2016, Matt Skoczen

A very nice diversion on the 75th anniversary of this momentous event in our history - LEST WE FORGET

TITLE: I DON'T WANT A FREE CRUISE!

Matt has built this offering around one of the most annoying occurrences in the digital age: POP UP ADS. As you can see in the grid below he has the word ADS popping UP in four areas.

Here is his reveal:

39. Web irritants ... and what appears in each set of puzzle circles? : POP UP ADS - Here is one that visits my MacBook Pro too often!

Husker Gary here, blogging for the very busy Jazzbumpa for December. Here are Matt's theme entries where ADS pops up in the puzzle, (okay, horizontally here, but still...)

3. "Pillow Talk" actress : DORIS DAY - The most famous scene from that movie

9. Museum pieces : OBJETS D'ART - Straight from Amazon

26. Brand of blended seasonings : MRS DASH - Those seasonings are onion, spices (black pepper, parsley, celery seed, basil, bay marjoram, oregano, savory, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin mustard, rosemary) garlic, carrot, orange peel, tomato, lemon juice powder, citric acid, oil of lemon

31. Population information : CENSUS DATA - States sized by population. Can you find yours?

Let's see what else POPS UP in Matt's puzzle on this day:

Across

1. Kind of basin : TIDAL

6. State secrets? : RAT - State is a verb here

9. Intense dislike : ODIUM - Coincidence?

14. Act poorly? : EMOTE, usually in 61. Stage performances : PLAYS

15. Run a tab, say : OWE

16. Words between two "thanks" : BUT NO

17. Chef protector : APRON

8. With 18-Across, Southwestern cuisine : TEX 18. See 8-Down : MEX - Muy sabrosa (very tasty)

19. Floorboard support : JOIST - Pre-made floor JOISTS

20. Many a Sundance film : INDIE

22. Rent payer : LESSEE

23. Registered names: Abbr. : TMS - Trademarks - as in

25. Action at the front : COMBAT

28. H.S. hurdle : SAT

29. Adorn : BEDECK - Tis the Season!

32. Comical punctuation marks from the drummer : RIM SHOTS

34. Marshy lowland : SWALE - SWAMPS and SWALES are now Wetlands

35. Chihuahua, por ejemplo : ESTADO - Just south of the Estados Unidos

36. "__ Eyes": Eagles hit : LYIN - Groucho in Duck Soup - "Who are ya gonna believe, Me or your LYIN' eyes"

37. '60s campus gp. : SDS

38. Hieroglyphics reptiles : ASPS

41. "Do __, not ... " : AS I SAY - "...as I do" - Standard parental advice

43. Work on, as a stubborn squeak : REOIL - Yikes! I thought I saw ENOIL coming...

45. Tablets' kin : CAPSULES

48. Swingline insert : STAPLE - Then insert it in Jello

49. 2,170-mi. trail terminus : ORE - Lewis and Clark went 3,700 mi. to get to OREGON

50. Walk with style : SASHAY

52. Luau music provider : UKE where you'll probably see a 59. Aromatic necklace : LEI

53. Wanting too much : GREEDY

55. Pry : SNOOP

58. Cookie named for its flavor : 'NILLA

64. Words after miss or skip : A BEAT

65. Resting place : BED

66. Down source : EIDER

67. Singer Bruni married to Nicolas Sarkozy : CARLA - Former model married to former French president

68. Morning cuppa : JOE - I miss our blog's Avg. JOE

69. Amounts to : COSTS


Down

1. Leaves in a bag : TEA - Conniseurs here like C.C., Steve, et al would only use loose leaf tea as seen in this double-walled modern Chinese vessel called a gaiwan

2. Prankster : IMP

4. Lots : A TON

5. Provide with for a time : LEND

6. Montague lad : ROMEO

7. Blow away : AWE

10. Lucy and Ethel and Thelma and Louise : DUOS

11. "Indeed!" : IT IS SO - Picard's command for this

12. Oust, in a way : UNSEAT - It is rare when a member of the Senate is UNSEATED

13. Church choral works : MOTETS

21. "Eww!" : ICK

22. Tibetan title : LAMA

23. "Angie Tribeca" channel : TBS

24. Weak cry : MEWL

27. Itsy-__ : BITSY - Nah, I'm not gonna link "that song"

30. Inventor Howe : ELIAS - An interesting look at this process

33. Book after Daniel : HOSEA  - The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, Kings of Judah, and during the reign Jeroboam son jehoash King of Israel. Oh, THAT HOSEA!

35. Ulysses threesome? : ESSES - How would Daffy Duck pronounce those 3 S's

40. __-screen printing : SILK 

42. Faulkner's "As __ Dying" : I LAY - Title from Agamemnon's speech to Odysseus. Yeah, I knew that. :-)

44. Actor Marvin of "Cat Ballou" : LEE - "Mr Shileen, Mr. Shileen, your eyes are all bloodshot!"
"You ought see 'em from my side!"

45. Courvoisier, e.g. : COGNAC

46. Speedy Gonzales cry : ARRIBA - Spanish for "UP". "ARRIBA, ARRIBA, Andale, Andale" means "Get up let's go!"

47. Kitchen gadget : PEELER

48. OED entry : SYN - Poecilonym is a SYNONYM for, uh, SYNONYM

51. Words for the audience : ASIDE

54. Hebrew for "skyward" : ELAL

56. Oil bloc : OPEC

57. Hodgepodge : OLIO

59. Pres. sworn in on Air Force One : LBJ

60. Job listing ltrs. : EEO

62. "Is it soup __?" : YET

63. Fourth-yr. students : SRS

I'm sure your comments that will POP UP now will be anything but irritating.

Husker Gary

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Windhover, who joined this blog earlier on. How are things with you, Windhover?

Windhover & Lucina, July 24, 2015