Wednesday, January 23, 2019 Roland Huget

Theme: Every Snowflake Is Different!  What I love about this claim is that it is not testable.  In today's puzzle, the claim is that for each multi-word theme entry, every letter is different.  This is testable, so let's get our deerstalker hats and magnifying glasses and have a go at it.

20 A. 2011 Steve Carell romcom: CRAZY STUPID LOVE.  Careful inspection confirms that each letter is, indeed, unique.  I am not a fan of the genre.  The presence of Jennifer Aniston in a movie's cast is enough to make me say, "No, thanks," no matter how cute she is.  But this movie has Julianne Moore supported by an all-star cast.  I'm actually rather fond of this flick.

34 A. Rickety abode: TUMBLE DOWN SHACK.  Not a phrase you're likely to encounter in daily conversation, but the meaning is clear enough. Reminds me of my mom's humble beginning in rural south-east Ohio. Searching through all the rooms - and even the outhouse - I was unable to find even one duplicated letter.  So far, so good,

41 A. "Stop whining!": DON'T BE SUCH A WIMP.  Do WIMPS duplicate letters?  Not here they don't! Not on my watch! Does this phrase foster toxic masculinity? I'll just leave that as food for thought.

53 A. Neither 20-, 34- nor 41-Across has any: REPEATED LETTERS.  Is it my hyper-active sense of irony that notes the repeated Rs, Es and Ts in the unifier?  Well - be that as it may, we do have a clever and unique theme, aptly described, with four grid-spanning entries, and that is only a J and a Q away from being a pangram. Yes, I also love run-on sentences.

Hi, Gang.  Inspector JazzBumpa here looking under cushions and dusting for prints.  Let's see what we can find.

Across:

1. Soft ball: NERF.  A toy brand created by Parker Brothers and now owned by Hasbro.  The product line is mostly foam-based items, like balls and weaponry.  Mostly harmless, I suppose.

5. Berkshire Hathaway headquarters city: OMAHA.  A multi-national conglomerate run by Warren Buffet.  Note the repeated A.

10. Greenish-yellow pear: BOSC.  A European cultivar that originated in France, now grown in many locations in Europe and North America.

14. Mine, in MontrÈal: AMOI. They speak French there.  I visited the city once, back in the early 80's.  It was wonderful.

15. Chicano rock band Los __: LOBOS.  It means The Wolves.

16. "Enchanted" girl in a 2004 film: ELLA.  Not your typical RomCom.

17. Hors d'oeuvre cracker: RITZ.  Nabisco product introduced in 1934, the depth of the depression, to offer their customers "a bite of the good life."

18. Lose tautness: DROOP.  Sag, limply hang down.

19. Logician's error, maybe: LEAP.  One step should lead logically to the next.

23. Slangy affirmative: YEH. Unhuh.

24. Light beam: RAY.  Heavy beams are used in construction.

25. Poseidon's realm: SEA.  In Greek mythology, the god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.  Horses?  How did they get in there?  Anyway, He was one of the most ill-tempered, moody and greedy Olympians.

28. Lav, in Bath: LOO.  Comfort station, to be delicate.

30. Zero in: AIM.  Focus attention on something.

31. Federal bldgs. with mailboxes: POS.  Post Offices.  Though I imagine other Fed bldgs. might also have mailboxes.

38. Diva's time to shine: ARIA.  Solo vocal feature in a longer musical work such as an opera or oratorio.

39. Savings plan inits.: IRA.  Individual Retirement Account.

40. Fair-haired sci-fi race: ELOI.  One of two post-human races of the far distant future in The Time Machine, from 1895 by H. G. Wells

46. Chinese menu surname: TSO.  Generally speaking.

47. Put away: EAT.  Consume at the dinner table.

48. Pine-__: cleaning brand: SOL.  A registered trade mark of Clorox.  From its inception in 1929 until 2016 it contained pine oil.  Then the product was cheapened to increase profitability.

49. Old Nintendo game console: Abbr.: NES.  The classic Nintendo Entertainment System was released in 1985.

50. UFO pilots, supposedly: ETS.  Extra-Terrestrials.  I suspect they took one look at us, shook their hairless, crenellated heads, and just kept on going.

51. Nintendo game console: Wii.  The letters don't stand for anything.  Instead, the two lower case is are intended to represent gamers together, reinforcing the "we" pronunciation of the item's name

62. Similar in nature: AKIN.  Derived from the word "kin" meaning related by blood.

63. Online biz: E-TAIL.  Electronicized retail.  Is this a portmanteau?

64. Compete for the America's Cup: SAIL.  This Cup is the prize awarded to the winer of a race between yachts, so named because the original winner in 1851 was the schooner America.  Any qualifying yacht club can challenge the current cup holder, at a place and time determined by mutual agreement.  The winner retains the cup until defeated.

65. Fish catchers: NETS.

66. Art class subjects: NUDES.   Unclothed models.

67. Stubborn sort: MULE.  A sterile beast of burden, bred from a male donkey and a female horse.  By extension, a person who acts as stubborn as one.

68. Aussie greeting: G-DAY.  Short mouth for "good day."

69. Part of LED: DIODE.  An electrical component that only allows current flow in one direction.

70. Marked for deletion: EXED. X marks the spot - and not in a good way.

Down:

1. DEA operative: NARC. The Drug Enforcement Agency employs NARCotic agents to enforce the relevant laws.

2. House of Saud bigwig: EMIR.  A title for various rulers of Arabic Muslim countries.

3. Duty roster: ROTA.  Derived from the Latin word for wheel.  I imagine this might indicate that the jobs rotate.  But I'm just guessing.

4. Like soda pop: FIZZY.  Bubbly, due to carbonation.

5. Part of a comfort simile: OLD SHOE.  I found a proverb I wasn't familiar with: "Old shoes are easy, old friends are best."  So, an OLD SHOE is something or someone you are unquestionably at ease with.

6. Mad Magazine cartoonist Drucker: MORT.  He was born in 1929, started with Mad Mag in 1956 and continued with them for 55 years.  I loved Mad when I was a kid, and his satirical drawings of pop culture icons was a part of it.

7. Leigh Hunt's "__ Ben Adhem": ABOU.  A poem with a sweet message, that you can read here.

8. Earring style: HOOP.  A round dangling ornament.

Too much of a good thing?

9. "Take two __ and call me ... ": ASPIRIN.  Cliched expression representing being shrugged off by an uninterested doctor.

10. Kind of dancer: BELLY.

A brief how-to video

11. Breakfast spread: OLEO.  An ersatz butter substitute made from vegetable oil, also called margarine.

Also a jazz standard written by Sonny Rollins in 1954, to the same chord progression as the Gershwin classic tune I've Got Rhythm.

12. Balkan native: SLAV.   Members of an Indo-European ethnolinguistic group.  There are three geographic sub-groups, Eastern, Western and Southern.  Balkan natives are in the Southern sub-group.

13. Superman accessory: CAPE.  Dracula, too - but not always a good idea.

21. Holler: YELL.  Produce a loud vocalization.

22. Beaver creations: DAMS.

25. Town, in Germany: STADT.  Literal.

26. Irish banknotes: EUROS.  Unaffected by Brexit, Ireland remains in the E. U.

27. Protein-building acid: AMINO.  An organic compound containing both amine and carboxylic acid functionality. These are active groups that can react with each other, and therefore build long chain molecules.  Due to its alternating vowels and consonants, it is also a frequently useful building block for crosswords.

29. Poet with dedication?: ODIST.  One who writes an ode - a lyric poem, usually in an elevated style, in the form of an address to a particular subject.  I suppose some dedicatio is required to achieve this.

30. Military plane acronym: AWACS. Airborn Warning and Control System - designed to detect various kinds of vehicles at long distances and perform command and control functions in a battle engagement.

31. McCain's running mate: PALIN.  'Nuff said.

32. "__, all ye faithful ... ": O COME.  Opening of a famous Christmas carol.

33. Decides not to attend: SKIPS. As a school class or social event.

35. Baseball club: BAT.  The smooth, tapered wooden club used to strike the ball.  An ambiguous clue, since an organized team is also called a club.

36. Tulsa sch. named for an evangelist: ORU.  Oral Roberts University, an interdenominational Christian university founded in 1963, and named for its founder.

37. Use an axe on: HEW.  Chop.

42. Test version: BETA. A software version with a limited distribution for testing, prior to public release.

43. London area that includes Canary Wharf: EAST END.  You can read about it here.

44. "Is there another way?": HOW ELSE.  Searching for alternatives.

45. Landed: ALIT.  Descended from above.

50. Itty: EENSY.  Teeny tiny.

52. Answer at the door: IT'S ME.  Truthful, no matter who says it.

53. Pealed: RANG.  Loudly, as in a bell in a bell tower.

54. Scratched (out): EKED.  Got by with difficulty.

55. Pocket bread: PITA.  From the Greek word for a pastry.  In this context, a flat, hollow, unleavened bread that can be split open and filled.

56. Small decorative case: ETUI.  From an Old French word meaning: something shut up, as a prison; then by the 17th century, a small container.

57. Carpentry groove: DADO.  A flat, parallel-sided groove cut into a board so that it may be attached to the edge of another board.

58. Wasn't honest: LIED.  Made an intentionally false and misleading statement.

59. French waters: EAUX. Literal.

60. Stir up: RILE.  Early 19th century variant on ROIL, meaning to aggravate, bother, annoy, or make water muddy by disturbing the sediment.

61. Malamute's burden: SLED.  The malamute is a large domestic dog bred for strength and endurance to haul heavy loads, and therefore dog SLEDS.  It is closely related to the Siberian Husky and the Alaskan Husky, but not the Canadian Eskimo dog nor the Greenland dog.

That wraps up another Wednesday.  And true to the theme, every answer was unique.

Cool Regards,
JzB

Wednesday, January 16 2019, Susan Gelfand

Theme: CHOP SHOP. A model of car is tucked in the interior of each answer.


20. "The Iceman Cometh" playwright: EUGENE O'NEILL.

28. Sir Winston Churchill's ancestral home: BLENHEIM PALACE.

39. Victim of Artemis, in some accounts: ORION.

47. Cocoa butter treat: WHITE CHOCOLATE.

57. Passenger compartments, and an apt description of this puzzle's circles: CAR INTERIORS.

Without the circles, I never would have seen the cars. It must have taken maxima focus for Ms. Gelfand to roundup this theme. Such a clever word wrangler and explorer. She's a real trooper.

Across:

1. Aesop's "The __ in the Lion's Skin": ASS. Read it here.

4. Rips off: ROBS.

8. Batter's position: STANCE.

14. Phone ringing onstage, perhaps: CUE. Not enough letters for prop.

15. "Star Wars" critter: EWOK.

16. More homey: COZIER.

17. "Don't know yet," on skeds: TBA. To Be Announced.

18. iPad model: MINI.

19. Ways to go: ROUTES.

23. Emmy category: DRAMA. 2018 winner for outstanding drama series was Game of Thrones.

24. Fed. accounting agency: OMB. Office of Management and Budget.

25. Winery vessel: VAT.

33. Pulled in different directions: TORN.

34. High-end watch: ROLEX.

35. Quick punches: JABS.

42. Cream of the crop: BEST. Be cream of the crop.

43. Pungent: ACRID.

45. "NFL on CBS" sportscaster Gumbel: GREG.

53. Stage background: SET.

54. "__-ching!": CHA.

55. Single-handed: ALONE.

61. Italian sub meat: SALAMI.

64. Facility: EASE. Don't see this usage often, "a natural aptitude."

65. Stroller rider: TOT.

66. Gets dolled up: PRIMPS.

67. British singer __ Ora: RITA.

68. "True Detective" network: HBO.

69. Certify: ATTEST.

70. No longer fizzy: FLAT.

71. "Uh-huh": YEP.

Down:

1. Played the part: ACTED.

2. Commuter's destination: SUBURB.

3. Action star Steven: SEAGAL.

4. Leftover: REMNANT.

5. Toddler's scrape, to the toddler: OWIE.

6. Irish singer/philanthropist: BONO.

7. Onion exterior: SKIN.

8. Act frugally: SCRIMP.

9. Handy strip of computer icons: TOOLBAR.

10. Blue, in Barcelona: AZUL.

11. Insect egg: NIT.

12. Chute opening?: CEE. Can't fool me with "opening" any more.

13. Stumbling sounds: ERS.

21. Suffix with morph: EME.

22. Around the 30th: Abbr.: EOM. End of Month.

25. Low-lying area: VALE.

26. Breezes through: ACES.

27. Written words: TEXT.

29. Follower of boo, woo or yoo: HOO.

30. Choose answer (a) instead of (b), say: ERR.

31. "The Princess Bride" swordsman __ Montoya: INIGO. Click below to see Mandy Pitinkin's favorite line from the classic movie. (1:50)

32. Arcing shot: LOB.

35. Top-grossing film of 1975: JAWS.

36. Ice pack target: ACHE.

37. Tube rider, perhaps: BRIT. Interesting. (3:38)

38. Grab a chair: SIT.

40. Tolkien creature: ORC.

41. "The Matrix" hero: NEO.

44. Literally pulls up stakes: DECAMPS. Relocates.

46. Give the evil eye: GLARE AT.

48. Resurrection figure: CHRIST.

49. Japanese yes: HAI.

50. "True Detective" star Mahershala __: ALI.

 

51. Like some grins: TOOTHY. See above.

52. Dress for the choir: ENROBE.

56. Legally prohibit: ESTOP. "A legal bar to alleging or denying a fact because of one's own previous actions or words to the contrary."

57. Got to the party: CAME.

58. Lightweight ball brand: NERF.

59. Shadow: TAIL.

60. "¿Cómo __ usted?": ESTA. Spanish: How are you?

61. Massage venue: SPA.

62. Hotel lobby display: ART.

63. Illuminated: LIT.

Wednesday January 9, 2019 Debbie Ellerin

Theme: Comedy, in the end, is where you find it.  Today you can find it at the end of the theme entries, indicated by the asterisks in their clues.  Let's check it out.

16 A. *"Righto!": YOU BETCHA.  Emphatic vernacular agreement, with some merriment at the end.

20 A. *Big boss: HEAD HONCHO.  Vernacular nomenclature for a corporate executive.  I've laughed at several - from behind.

34 A. *2005 Emma Thompson magical role: NANNY MCPHEE.   She is the grotesque looking woman who shows up in the home of widower Cedric Brown to bring order to his 7 unruly children.  Each time the children learn a lesson, she becomes a bit less ugly.  I won't give away any more of the plot - mainly because I don't know it.  It ends with comedy - at least in the context of this puzzle.

51 A. *Cold-water salmon-like fish: ARCTIC CHAR.  This fish lives in the far north, in rivers, lakes or the ocean, and always spawns in fresh water.  It is variable in color, and closely related to both salmon and lake trout, displaying characteristics of each. This is not only fishy, but also a fish with a funny tail.

And the unifier -- 56 A. Ultimate satisfaction, and a hint to the answers to starred clues: LAST LAUGH.  The early bird gets the worm; but the second mouse to the trap gets the cheese.   So the early LAUGHER might not be the one who ultimately prevails. There could be a moral here about delayed gratification.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here as your MC at the comedy club today.  Let's see if this puzzle is anything to LAUGH at.

Across:

1. Fall sign: LIBRA.  The 7th Zodiac sign, generally spanning from September 23 to October 23. 

6. Medic: DOC. Physician.  That's what I would name my dog, if I had one, so I could say, "Physician, heel thyself."

9. 6-Across's "Pronto!": STAT.  Quickly, with urgency, from the Latin statum, meaning immediately.

13. Keep clear of: AVOID. Or EVADE.  Always needs perps.

14. Sorta cousin: -ISH.  Suffix indicating in the manner of, or approximately similar to.

15. "Leaving on a Jet __": PLANE.  Peter Paul and Mary classic.

18. "Nick of Time" singer Bonnie: RAITT.

19. Enters the wrong area code, say: ERRS.  To err is human, and not just in baseball.

22. Unburdened (of): RID.  No longer having to deal with some unpleasant person or thing.

23. "Mean Girls" screenwriter Tina: FEY.   Of SNL fame

24. Coder's conditional construct: IF-THEN.  A hypothesis followed by a conclusion, noted as p -->q.  If p is true, then q is also true.  If this is the case, then the conditional statement is true.

25. Navy builder: SEABEE.  Derived from C. B. for Construction Battalion.  I'm trying to decide if this qualifies an an acronym.  Thoughts?

27. Ink spot?: TAT. Body art.  Can be found on almost any SPOT on the body.  I'll admit that the fascination with ritual mutilation baffles me.  In keeping with todays theme, I went in search of funny ones.  They are mostly not very laughable.  Here's one I'm willing to share.

54 more found here

29. Uses Google Hangouts, briefly: IMS.  Sends Instant Messages using the communication platform developed by Google which includes messaging, video chat, SMS [short message system] and VOIP [Voice Over Internet Protocol] features.

30. Apple's virtual assistant: SIRI.  Apple acquired SIRI in 2010.  The original development team had various explanations for the name.  Dag Kittlaus, the Norwegian-American CEO of SIRI, once considered using SIRI as the name of his child and liked the Norse meaning "beautiful woman who leads you to victory." It also means "beauty" in Sinhalese, and "secret" in Swahili.

31. Lose one's shirt: GO BUST.  To lose all of an investment.  More literally, expose one's bust.  Hmmm.

37. Hurricanes and blizzards: STORMS.  Violent disturbances of the atmosphere involving some combination of strong winds, thunder, lightening rain and/or snow.

38. Enjoy, as benefits: REAP.  Expanded from the original meaning of gathering a harvest.

40. Mauna __: KEA.  Or LOA, again requiring perp help.  Mauna KEA is a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii, and at 4207 m. above sea level, the highest point in the State.  Muana LOA, another of the 5 volcanos that make up the island, is only slightly shorter at 4169 m.  It's most recent eruption was in 1984.

43. Mattel product: TOY.  Child's plaything.

44. Tippi of "The Birds": HEDREN.  Nathalie Kay Hedren [b 1930] is an American actress, animal rights activist and former fashion model.  Her daughter, Melanie Griffith, later married Tiipi's The Harrad Experiment costar, Don Johnson.

46. Parkway feature: ON RAMP.  Entrance to a limited access roadway.

49. Spring sign: BUD.  An emerging leaf, flower or shoot.

50. Con's opponent: PRO.  Against and for something or someone, respectively.

54. Summer sign?: PLUS.  "+"  Found in math, not the Zodiac, contra 1A.

55. High-tech eye surgery: LASIK.  Using a laser to correct vision by reshaping the cornea.

58. Far from klutzy: AGILE.  Dancing granddaughter Amanda is supple, limber, acrobatic and fleet of foot.  She also walks into walls.  Go figure.

59. Refuge for very old couples?: ARK.  Not old as in aged, but rather as in having been around a long time ago, as in this Old Testament story of a family saved from flooding on their ARK.

60. 1973 Stones ballad: ANGIE.  It characterizes the end of a romance.  There is speculation as to whether the title refers to an actual person, and what her identity might have been.

61. Dropped in the mail: SENT.  Using actual physical mail, SENT via the Postal Service.  How quaint.

62. Oui or hai: YES.  Affirmative declarations in French and Japanese, respectively.

63. Western flatlands: MESAS.  A flat topped hill with sheer sides.  Mesa is the Spanish word for table, and these are also called table lands.

Down:

1. Features of lasagna and tiramisu: LAYERS.  Alternating quantities of different component ingredients.

2. They may be tickled: IVORIES.  Refers to playing the piano.

3. Late host of "Parts Unknown": BOURDAIN.  Anthony Michael BOURDAIN [1956 - 2018] was an American TV personality, author, traveler and celebrity chef.

4. Corduroy ridges: RIBS.  Corduroy is a durable fabric made from parallel cords that are stitched together.

5. Citrus suffix: - ADE.  A drink made form a citrus fruit.

6. Unpredictable: DICEY.  Said of something uncertain, risky, and perhaps dangerous.

7. Whistleblower-protecting org.: OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

8. Landlocked African nation: CHAD.  The Republic of CHAD is surrounded by Lybia, Sudan, The Central African Republic, Camaroon, Nigeria and Niger.  Lake Chad, for which the country is named, and it's capital, N'Djamena, are both located along the western border, where the thin northern projection of Camaroon  separates it from Nigeria.

Troubled country

9. Bias: SLANT.  Both literally and figuratively

10. Meditative exercise regimen: TAI CHI.

11. Country music?: ANTHEM.  Every country has one.

12. "Grand" mountains: TETONS.  Google translate tells me this means "big nipples."

Imagination failure maybe, but I'm not seeing it

15. Duke VIP: PROF.  College PROFESSOR.

17. "How do I love __?": Browning: THEE.  Let me count the ways.

21. Ask (for), as money: HIT UP.   Not to be confused with HIT ON, which is a different kind of request.

23. Deceptive move: FEINT.  A deceptive or distractive move in boxing, fencing, or other activities, intended to create an opening that can be exploited.  In hockey, it's called a deke.

26. Tops in a lingerie catalog: BRAS.  Undergarments that cover and support a lady's bosom.  That is as delicate a description as I can contrive.

Mini-theme developing?

27. "Pinball Wizard" show: TOMMY.

28. Basic skills: ABCS.  Fundamentals of any discipline.

31. Greek lamb sandwich: GYRO.  Pronounced yeero, it is a sandwich on a pita made from a dense lamb meatloaf cooked on a vertically rotating skewer.  For my money, the best GYRO in the region is from the Senate Coney Island at the corner of Stark and Plymouth in Livonia.  They also have the best chicken-lemon-rice soup.  This has been an unpaid, unsolicited testimonial.

32. Rip to pieces: SHRED.  Cut up, tear up, grate, mince, macerate or grind.

33. Really annoyed, with "off": TEED. Couldn't come up with a sensible derivation, and that really bugs me.  First known use in this sense [rather than a golf stroke] is from 1951.

35. Unacceptable to some, for short: NOT PC. To be Politically Correct is to attempt to be neutral, sensitive and anodyne. Ironically, some people get TEED ODD by this behavior.

36. Protection from snorers: EAR PLUGS.  Inserts for the ear to eliminate or reduce external sounds.  I wear them as protection from the trumpets.  They don;t help with tinnitus.

39. Italian city that hosts the annual Eurochocolate Festival: PERUGIA.  The capital city of Umbria in central Italy.  The festival started in 1993, and draws over 1 million people each year.  Next event is Friday, Oct. 18 to Sunday, Oct.29, 2019, so plan ahead.

40. Eucalyptus munchers: KOALAS.  The eucalyptus provides the vast majority of the meager nutritional needs of these asocial, sedentary, arboreal Australian marsupials.

41. Really rile: ENRAGE.  Is this worse than TEEING someone OFF?

42. Inverse trig function: ARC SIN.  I'm not going to try to explain it.

44. Offended: HURT.  Cause someone to feel upset, annoyed or resentful.  A different sort of negative emotional reaction than being TEED OFF.  Perhaps as a reaction to something NOT PC.  Is this another mini-theme?  Is it annoying?

45. Snacks: NOSHES. Munchies.

47. Not straight up: ATILT.  Leaning, caused by a SLANT.

48. Greenberg or Golic of sports-talk radio: MIKE.  Both of ESPN, among other things.

49. Catches some rays: BASKS. Lies exposed to, as the warmth of the sun.

52. Potter's medium: CLAY.

53. His nap cost him the race: HARE.  From one of Aesop's fables.  Choose your nap time carefully.

54. Stained-glass piece: PANE.  Any sheet of flat glass, actually.

57. Felon's flight: LAM.  Flee and escape.

Well, I had a few smiles along the way.  Hope you found the experience to be somewhat amusing.

Cool regards!

JzB

Wednesday, January 2, 2019, Robin Stears

Looking for Nemo.

Each word in the starred theme answer can be placed aHEAD of the word FISH to give us a particular type of Fish.

17-Across. * Jewelry alloy: WHITE GOLD.  White Gold is an alloy of gold and one other white metal, such as nickel, manganese or palladium.  I actually prefer white gold to yellow gold.

In keeping with today's theme, we get Whitefish and Gold Fish. The scientific name of Whitefish is Coregonus clupeaformis.  This fish lives in cold, deep-water lakes in the northern United States and Canada.  There is nothing better than a good smoked whitefish.  This fish is also used in making the best gefilte fish.

Who doesn't like a good Goldfish?

25-Across. * Genre that may be featured in the Eurovision Song Contest: SWEDISH ROCK.  I am not aware of this genre, however, the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Tel Aviv in May 2019.  Hmm... Last time I checked, Tel Aviv was in Asia.

Our fish for this clue are the Swedish Fish, which are really candies.  You can probably get some at the Eurovision Song Contest.

And we also have Rock Fish.

38-Across. * Sleight-of-hand scam: SHELL GAME.  A Shell Game is a type of con game designed to separate you from your money.

This clue gives us ShellFish.  Did you known that Shellfish isn't kosher?

We also get Game Fish, which is something you hope to get when you go Fly Fishing.  Dick Chaney does a lot of Fly Fishing in the movie Vice.

53-Across. * Food brand whose products include Caribbean curry paste and Jamaican jerk seasoning: TROPICAL SUN.  I am not familiar with this brand of food products.

I  am, however, familiar with the fish this clue produces:  It gives us Tropical Fish.

And Sun Fish.

And now for the unifier: 65-Across. 1978 novelty song with the line "Eat them up! Yum!" ... and what both parts of the answers to starred clues can be: FISH HEADS.  The video is rather creepy.  No bad words, but watch at your own peril.

Across:

1. Fictional archaeologist Croft: LARA.  She is the heroine of the Tomb Raider series of video games and was portrayed in the movies by Angelina Jolie.

5. Prep for fight night: SPAR.

9. Furry critters who helped disable the shield generator on Endor: EWOKS.  The creepy creatures from the Star Wars movies.

14. Major work: OPUS.

15. La Scala song: ARIA.

16. "Mack the Knife" singer: DARIN.

Did you know that this song came from The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht?

19. Pull together: UNITE.

20. Frenzy: MANIA.

21. Plumeria garlands: LEIS.  Plumeria are very fragrant flowers found in Hawaii, as well as other warm climates.

23. CIA relative: NSA.  The National Security Agency is a relative of the Central Intelligence Agency.  I'd tell you more, but then I'd have to kill you.

24. "__ recall ... ": AS I.

29. Serenade: SING TO.

31. "Good comeback": TOUCHÉ!

32. Palm starch: SAGO.  Also known as tapioca.  I wonder if this is what is found in Bubble Tea.

33. Julia Louis-Dreyfus comedy: VEEP.  VEEP is political satire television show in which Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays the Vice President of the United States.

37. London insurance pioneer: LLOYD.  Lloyd's of London has been in existence since 1688.  It began in Edward Lloyd's (1648 ~ 1713) coffee shop and initially covered marine and shipping insurance. 

41. Dispatch boat: AVISO.  This is a new word for me.  It comes from the Spanish and Portuguese word meaning "advice" or "warning."  Spitzboov can probably provide us with more information.

44. Apple desktop: iMAC.

45. Former Virginia senator Charles: ROBB.  Charles Spittal Robb (b. June 26, 1939) married Lynda Bird Johnson (b. 1944) in the White House on my birthday in 1967.  Kinda put a damper on my birthday party.

49. Sesame paste: TAHINI.

51. Daffy, for one: LISPER.

57. Lyft approx.: ETA.  As in Estimated Time of Arrival.

58. Strike caller: UMP.  As in the Umpire at the baseball game.

59. H.G. Wells race: ELOI.  A crossword staple.  A reference to the novel The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells (né Herbert George Wells; Sept. 21, 1866 ~ Aug. 13, 1946).

60. Actor Pratt or Pine: CHRIS.  Chris Pratt (b. June 21, 1979) was in the television sit-com Parks and Rec.  He is also the hero of the Guardians of the Galaxy.  Chris Pine (b. Aug. 26, 1980) had played Captain Kirk in some of the recent Star Trek films.

62. Flower girl, perhaps: NIECE.

67. Come next: ENSUE.

68. "Dies __": IRAE.  A crossword staple.

69. Exactly, with "to": A TEE.

70. Baby carrier?: STORK.  My favorite clue of today's puzzle.

71. Sleek swimmers: EELS.  Also a fish, in keeping with today's theme.

72. Gerritsen who created Rizzoli and Isles: TESS.  Apparently TESS Gerritsen (b. June 12, 1953) is a writer of romantic thrillers, medical thrillers and a mystery series featuring police detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles.  Tess Gerritsen is a retired physician, so her Rizzoli and Isles series combine her love of both mystery and medicine.

Down:

1. Catholic service with minimal ceremony: LOW MASS.

2. Loss of speech: APHASIA.  I don't know what to say about this clue!!!

3. Making a mess of: RUINING.

4. Bubbly city: ASTI.  Home of Asti Spumante, a sparkling Italian wine.

5. Mattress problem: SAG.  I first tried Pea, as in the Princess and the Pea.

6. Orwellian worker: PROLE.  A reference to 1984, the novel by George Orwell (né Eric Arthur Blair; June 25, 1903 ~ Jan. 21, 1950).

7. Didn't feel well: AILED.

8. Diameter halves: RADII.  The plural of Radius.  Also, apparently, a brand of sneakers.

9. College URL ending: .EDU

10. Pallid: WAN.

11. Venezuelan river: ORINOCO.  This river appears on occasion in the puzzles.  It is one of the  major rivers of South America.

12. Tacky: KITSCHY.

13. Moved furtively: SNEAKED.

18. NCAA's Big __: EAST.  College sports.  

22. Mach 1 flier: SST.

26. Made on a loom: WOVE.

27. Ian who plays Bilbo Baggins: HOLM.  That's Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert (b. Sept. 12, 1931), to you. He played Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings.

28. Things used for good measure?: RULERS.  Another fun clue.

30. Scuttlebutt: GOSSIP.

34. Nutmeg State Ivy Leaguer: ELI.  A student who attends Yale University.

35. Shade tree: ELM.

36. Vardon Trophy org.: PGA.  Golfing trophy.  It looks nice and a bit old-timey.

39. Hägar the Horrible's daughter: HONI.

40. Civil rights gp.: ACLU.  As in the American Civil Liberties Union.  In a year, the ACLU will celebrate its 100 anniversary.  It was founded on January 19, 1920.

41. Brings into harmony: ATTUNES.

42. Critter, in dialect: VARMINT.  Varmint to hunt when it's not deer season.

43. "Fingers crossed!": I HOPE SO!

46. Perform surgery: OPERATE.  Does the doctor know what he is doing?  I Hope So!

47. Happens to, quaintly: BETIDES.  I haven't had occasion to use this word.

48. Copper-zinc alloys: BRASSES.

50. Party host's bagful: ICE.  Sorry Tin!

52. Snowfall measure: INCH.  My first thought was Feet.  When I grew up, that is how we thought of the snowfall.  Now that I live in the south, we rarely get snow, but when we do, it's usually less than an inch and last only hours.

54. 2004 Jude Law title role: ALFIE.  A remake of the film that originally starred Michael Cain.  What's it all about?

55. Orléans' river: LOIRE.  I had to learn all of the rivers of France when I was in high school.

56. Rope fiber: SISAL.

61. __ index: HEAT.  A measure of how hot it feels when taking into account the relative humidity.  Our local weather forecaster often says "It's 96 degrees, but the the feel like temperature is 97 degrees."  Yeah, I can tell the difference.

63. Mongrel: CUR.

64. Startled cry: EEK!

66. "__ Just Not That Into You": 2009 film: HE'S.  I think this qualifies as a Rom-Com.

I hope you didn't have to do too much Fishing to get all the answers.  Here's the Grid.

Wednesday December 26, 2018 David Poole

Theme - It's In The Cards -- You Can Bet On It.  The final letters of the theme answers spell out the names of playing cards that, when taken together, will surely give you the winning hand.  And they are presented in ascending order  - a nice, elegant touch.

17 A. Bullied: BROW BEATEN.  Intimidated, coerced, pressured, terrorized, usually into doing something.  The card rank and hand description explanations will follow.  Vide infra.

23 A. Breakfast fare: FLAPJACK.   Here in the U.S. this is another term for the pancake, and that is the intended sense of the clue.  In the U. K. this terms refers to a tray-baked bar made of rolled oats, butter and brown sugar - which sounds like a pretty good granola bar.

29 A. "12 Years a Slave" director Steve or "Bullitt" star Steve (not the same person): MCQUEEN.  Steven Rodney McQueen [b 1969] is a British film director and screen writer.  Terence Steven McQueen [1930-1980] aka "The King of Cool" was nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Sand Pebbles.  He appeared in several block-buster films, and is probably best know for Bullit.  He lived hard and fast and passed too young at the age of 50.  This pair of QUEENs also gives us a small branch off the main theme.

43 A. Stirring up, as resentment: STOKING.  literally, to STOKE means to add fuel to a fire. So, by extension, the word also means to fire up emotions - especially those that are hot anyway, like resentment or anger.

47 A. Commoners: POPULACE.  A collective noun for the inhabitants of a region or country.  A "commoner" is an ordinary person, without rank or title.  It's a bit of a stretch to see equivalence here.

And the unifier:  54. What's hidden at the ends of 17-, 23-, 29-, 43- and 47-Across--if all are in, say, 38-Across: ROYAL FLUSH.  In poker, hands are ranked in reverse order of the probability of their occurrence. Thus, the least probable holding in any round of play will be the winner.  A STRAIGHT is any hand containing five cards in order, say 3-4-5-6-7, frex.  A higher ranking hand is a FLUSH, in which all of the cards are in the same suit. Next, in ascending order are the full house - three of a kind plus a pair; and four of a kind. Ranking above all of them is the STRAIGHT FLUSH - five cards, not only in order, but also all in the same suit.  Within a suit, cards are ranked by their numbers, with face cards above, and the the ACE highest of all [usually.]  So, a STRAIGHT FLUSH consisting of TEN, JACK, QUEEN, KING, and ACE of any suit, aka a ROYAL FLUSH, is the highest ranking example of the least likely, and therefore most powerful holding.

Plus, we get a nice, centrally-located theme extra -- 38 A. See 54-Across: CLUBS.  These are cards in one of the four suits in which a ROYAL FLUSH might occur; the others being diamonds, hearts and spades.

Stock image

In each of the major theme clues, the hidden card name has a completely different meaning than it does in the context of the unifier - another nice touch.  So - a really well constructed puzzle.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here wishing you all a happy Kwanza, Boxing Day and/or feast of St. Steven.  Let's see what other gifts this puzzle offers.

Across:

1. Campus VIP: DEAN.  the head of faculty in a department

5. __ East, Chicago-based pizza chain: GINOS.  Started in 1966 by two taxi drivers.

10. Remove politely, as one's hat: DOFF. Late Middle English contraction of "do off."  Contrast "don," as, frex, gay apparel.

14. Entreat: URGE.  Attempt to convince someone without resorting to actual BROWBEATING.

15. "__ Mio": O SOLE. A Neapolitan song written in 1989 by Giovanni Capurro, Eduardo di Capua and Alfredo Mazzucchi, and usually sing in the original Neapolitan language.  The title translates as "My Sunshine."

16. Malevolence: EVIL.

19. Word processor command: SAVE.

20. World Golf Hall of Famer Aoki: ISAO.  [b 1942] He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004.

21. Used TurboTax, perhaps: E-FILED.  Submitted your tax return electronically.

27. Actor Mineo: SAL.  Salvatore Mineo, Jr. [1939-1976] was an American singer and actor nominated for Acadamy Awards for best supporting actor in Rebel without a Cause and Exodus.

28. Take to a new planter: REROOT.  Plant in a new pot?  To reroot means to generate a new, identical plant from a stem cutting.  Not the same thing at all.

33. Farewell that is bid: ADIEU.  Buh-bye.

34. Pumps and platforms: SHOES.  Different shoe styles.

36. Sorbonne article: UNE.  I suppose it means "The."

37. Black-plumed pond swimmer: COOT.  Coots are small water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus Fulica, the name being the Latin for "coot".  Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usually easy to see, often swimming in open water. They are close relatives of the moorhen. [Wikipedia]

39. "__ glad to!": I'D BE. Expressing eager willingness to do something - without being BROW BEATEN.

40. Hung. neighbor: AUS.  Hungary and Austria, two Eastern European Countries.

41. Gives the heave-ho: BOOTS.  Kicks out of something

42. Rebuke: SCOLD.  Harsh verbal criticism - could also involve BROW BEATING.

45. Solid alcohol: STEROL.  A complex organic alcohol, C17H22O, found in plants and animals.  It is the eponym for a class of chemical compounds with related molecular structures.  Cholesterol is one example.

46. Circle segment: ARC.

49. Like Dagwood's wife: BLONDE.

Blondie

52. Ottawa-based flying gp.: RCAF. Royal Canadian Air Force.

53. Material flaws: RIPS.  Tears and/or holes.

60. "Fantastic Beasts" actor Miller: EZRA.  [b 1992] Portraying Credence Barebone.

Trailers here

61. Twitter troublemaker: TROLL.  One who invades comment sections for the purpose of disrupting conversations and causing general mayhem.  Also found on FaceBook and Blogs.

62. "Off the Court" autobiographer Arthur: ASHE.  Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. [1943-1993] was an American professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam titles.

63. __ and means: WAYS.  The methods and resources at someone's disposal for achieving something.  Also the name of the chief tax writing committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.

64. Gumbo pods: OKRAS.  The edible seed pods of a flowering plant of the mallow family.

65. Cameo stone: ONYX.  A variety of the silicate mineral chalcedony having parallel bands of various colors.

Down:

1. Name: DUB.  Provide an unofficial or nickname to someone or something.  Traces back via late Old English, meaning to make someone a knight, to Old French adober - to provide with armor.

2. Throw wildly, say: ERR.  In baseball, any mishandling of a batted ball by a fielder is considered to be an error.

3. Fourth word in the "Star Wars" intro: AGO.  "A long time  .  .  . "

4. Part of four state names: NEW.  - Hampshire, -Mexico, -Jersey, and -York.

5. Attacks: GOES AT.  A physical or verbal attack.  May involve BROW BEATING or actual BEATING about the head and shoulders.

6. Fashion designer Mizrahi: ISAAC.  [b 1961] An American fashion designer, TV presenter, and eponym for a line of clothing since 1987.

7. Unacceptable: NOT OK.  Incorrect, inappropriate, inadmissible, or simply not good enough.

8. World Cup cry: OLE.  Among Spanish-speaking fans.

9. Grows old: SENESCES.  Not just that, but deteriorates with age.  As old as I am [and to be honest, that's pretty old] I don't believe I have ever encountered this word before, and had to rely completely on perps.

10. Arnaz-Ball production company: DESILU.  Founded by the husband and wife team of Desi and Lucy, best known for the TV shows I Love Lucy, Star Trek and The Untouchables.

11. Racecourse shape: OVAL.

12. Dave Brubeck classic "Take __": FIVE.  In the unusual time signature of 5/4, it was originally released on the 1959 album TIME OUT, which featured other songs in odd or mixed meters, and is the only song on the album written by Paul Desmond.  Two years later, it became a hit, and is the biggest-selling jazz single ever.  According to Desmond, "It was never supposed to be a hit. It was supposed to be a Joe Morello drum solo." Yes, I have played this song -- improvised using the 4th mode of the harmonic minor scale.  Might not have been your choice.   It worked OK.

Pretty aggressive tempo in this live performance

13. Took off: FLED.  Or FLEW.  Needed perp help.

18. Exquisite trinket: BIJOU.  Something small and elegant,  French - from Breton bizou, finger ring, from biz, finger.

22. Web help pgs.: FAQS.  Frequently Asked QuestionS.

23. Skirmish: FRACAS. A noisy disturbance, brawl or quarrel, from Italian fracassare, to make an uproar.

24. Escorted to the exit: LED OUT. Or SAW OUT, needed even more perps.  Does LED OUT suggest the exit might not be voluntary?

25. Melodic passage: ARIOSO.  A solo instrumental or vocal piece occurring in an opera or oratorio.

From Cantata No, 156 by J.S. Bach

26. Auden, Blake or Coleridge: POET.  Versifiers.

29. Tough crowds: MOBS.  An large, unruly, disorganized crowd, that might be prone to causing trouble, mayhem or violence.

30. "Why I Live at the P.O." author Welty: EUDORA.  Eudora Alice Welty [1909 - 2001] was an American short story writer and novelist who wrote about the American South. Her novel The Optimist's Daughter won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973. Welty received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Order of the South. [Wikipedia]

31. As a whole: EN BLOC.  Doing something all together, or separately, but at the same time.  More French.

32. Acupuncture tool: NEEDLE.  Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine in which thin needles are inserted into the body. It is a key component of traditional Chinese medicine. The theories and practices of TCM are not based upon scientific knowledge, and acupuncture is a pseudoscience. [Wikipedia]

34. Tough going: SLOG.  Like a trek, but worse.

35. Crude shelter: HUT.  A small, roughly constructed structure serving as poor-quality lodging.   Alternatively, a place to get pizza.

38. Any one of Bach's Brandenburgs: CONCERTO.  The Brandenburg Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach are a collection of six instrumental works presented by Bach to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, in 1721. [Wikipedia]  It is unlikely that the Margrave would have had the complement of musicians necessary to perform these works, so they sat unused for a long period.

There's no such thing as too much Bach

Nope - not a bit sorry.

39. Most sparsely populated Eur. country: ICELand.  I have a little difficulty considering this remote island nation to actually be a part of Europe.

41. Owl or osprey: BIRD.  Raptors, to be more specific.

42. Odds and ends: STUFF.  This and that.  Things.

44. "Dust in the Wind" band: KANSAS.

Bach did NOT write this in 1977

45. Stone chips: SPALLS.  We also use that word for chips and flakes off of glass or ceramics.  Anyway, potato chips might be less crunchy, but they taste better.

47. Richard who played "The Wiz" in 1978: PRYOR.  [1940-2005] American stand-up comedian, actor, and social critic.

48. City west of Daytona Beach: OCALA.  'Cuz "De Leon Springs" doesn't fit.

49. Make, as beer: BREW.  Via a process of soaking, boiling and fermentation.

50. Oscar winner Minnelli: LIZA. [b 1946]  Judy Garland's daughter.  The oscar is for her performance in the 1972 movie Cabaret.

51. Nashville venue: OPRY.  The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM.

55. Mork's planet: ORK.  Mork was exiled to Earth from ORK, where humor is not permitted.

56. Vientiane language: LAO.  Lao is the language of Laos.  Vientiane is it's capital and largest city.

57. Org. with admirals: USN.  United States Navy.

58. Far from forward: SHY.  Reserved, timid or nervous in the company of other people.

59. Jinx: HEX.  A jinx is a curse or spell cast on someone to cause bad luck.  A Hex is more general, and not necessarily negative, but potentially much more severe.

I had some nits wit the cluing, but overall, a fine puzzle and a fun, rather challenging solve.  Hope you didn't think it was NOT OK.

Cool regards!
JzB