Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Dan Schoenholtz

Theme BATTER UP! Not at the ball diamond this time.  Instead, we find ourselves at the kitchen counter with eggs, oil and today's theme.  Let's check it out

17 A. It may be hard to turn down: NICE OFFER.  Not to be confused with an OFFER that you can't refuse.  The circled letters, here shown in red, can be rearranged to spell COFFEE.  Decaf for me, please - no cream or sugar.

26 A. Stockpiled: LOADED UP ON.  Acquired, collected, and kept; amassed. The red letters can be used to spell POUND.  Is this puzzle going to the dogs?  Probably not.

41 A. Sitting in an assigned seat, e.g.: TAKING ONE'S PLACE.  "Everyone take your places," is an in the language phrase.  So, have a seat.  Perhaps your cushion is a cushy SPONGE rubber.

51 A. Corporate annual report focus: FISCAL YEAR.  A 12 month period used for accounting and tax purposes that might not line up with a calendar year.  The red letters can spell LAYER - a ply of something in a built-up construction.  So what are we to make of all this?  Let's consult the reveal.

64 A. Baking conveniences, and a hint to this puzzle's circles: CAKE MIXES.  Aha!  Each of the words is also a type of CAKE, MIXED into the clue fill.  And a CAKE MIX is a store-bought combination of ingredients you can use to make a tasty sweet treat. Are you hungry?  I think CAKE is OK, any time of day or night.  Though, to be honest, I prefer cookies.

Across:

1. They may be exchanged in anger: WORDS.  Description of an argument.

6. Jet stream locale?: SPA.  SPA in this case being a whirlpool bath, with jets that stream water onto your aching body.

9. Ziti, e.g.: PASTA.  Per wikipedia, Ziti is an extruded tubular pasta that is smaller than rigatoni, but larger than mezzani.  Pasta is pasta.  Why it comes in so many shapes and sizes is a mystery to me.

14. Scrub, as a launch: ABORT.  From the mission control vocabulary of NASA.  A decision to stop a planned launch after the pre-launch sequence of activities has begun.

15. Short film?: PIC.  An abrv. of [moving] PICTURE

16. Pronouncement platform: ALTAR.  "I now pronounce you man and wife," is one of the kinds of pronouncements that can be issued there.

19. Lumps: GLOBS.  Solid or semi-sold masses of no particular size and shape.

20. Small flightless bird: KIWI.

To be perfectly clear

21. "Oye Como Va" songwriter Puente: TITO.  Hey, how is it going?

23. Barnyard noise: MOO. Cow talk.

24. Low-risk investments: Abbr.: CDs.  Certificates of Deposit.

29. Stooped (over): HUNCHED.

32. Beer container: CAN.  E pluribus unum.

33. "It matters to me": I CARE.  Back in the 60's we said, "Give a damn!"

34. "The Green Hornet" co-writer/star Rogen: SETH. [b 1982] Canadian-American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and director.

37. Scorch: CHAR.  Burn the surface of something with heat or a direct flame.

44. Editor's retraction: STET.  "Let it stand."  (used as an instruction on a printed proof to indicate that a correction or alteration should be ignored).

45. Picnic pests: ANTS.  Six-legged invaders.

46. Blows off steam: VENTS.  Pssssst.

47. Feverish, say: ILL. Exhibiting symptoms of sickness.

49. Doesn't continue, as an argument: LET'S DIE.  It's hard to know when to let up.  Sometimes continuing is futile.  I was arguing about socialism with some guy on FaceBook.  He wouldn't accept the dictionary definition.  I finally gave up and told him to have a nice day.

56. "Irreverence is easy--what's hard is __": Tom Lehrer: WIT.  Keen mental sharpness and inventiveness.

57. Lime ending: -ADE.  The juice of the lime ends up in a fruity drink.  In my house, it's far more likely to end up in a spicy guacamole.

58. 12-1 MLB victory, e.g.: ROUT.  A lop-sided victory.  Or, from the Tigers' perspective, a lop-sided defeat.

59. Davenport setting: IOWA.  Or my late mom-s living room.  A city and an item of furniture [if you want to couch it in those terms], respectively.

62. Like spinach, say: LEAFY.  As rose bushes are thorny, and trees are barky.

68. Tanning site: SALON.

69. Spy org. called "The Company": CIA.  Central Intelligence Agency.  We learn this vocabulary from a 2003 semi-factual novel by Robert Littell.

70. Hapless: INEPT.  Everybody, get yourself some hap, so you can be EPT.

71. North Sea county: ESSEX.  Located North and East of London, England.

72. __-country music: ALT.  ALTernate.  A loosely defined sub-genre of county/rock music.  Styles can be significantly different in style from mainstream or pop country.

73. "Get it done!": TODAY.  Stat! [Not stet]

Down:

1. Lacking color: WAN. Pale and weak looking.

2. Tokyo sash: OBI.

This white one is an OBI WAN

3. Large python: ROCK SNAKE.  A large, non-venemous, but extraordinarily vicious and dangerous snake living in sub-saharan Africa.

4. German trio: DREI.  The number three.

5. Put away: STOW.

6. Sunscreen letters: SPF.  Sun Protection Factor.  Understand it here.

7. Michelangelo masterpiece: PIETA.

Things to know about it [please skip number 9]

8. Sharp: ACRID.  Having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant taste or smell.

9. Taoist temple: PAGODA.

All because of the Shunbashira

10. Every one of: ALL. Don't leave me out.

11. Defeat soundly: STOMP.  In other words, a ROUT.

12. Off-limits: TABOO.  Forbidden.

13. Fiery crime: ARSON.  The crime of deliberately setting fire to property.

18. Computer menu heading: FILE. You can save and print, among other options.

22. Computer fixers: TECHS.

24. Vouchers: CHITS.  IOUs

25. Old European coin: DUCAT. Any of various gold and silver coins.

27. Eats too much of, as junk food: ODs ON.  Over-Dose, trivializing the real meaning.

28. Family tree figures: UNCLES.  What I am to my niece and nephew.

30. Blogger, at times: CRITIC. Or, in my case, almost always.

31. Farm clucker: HEN.  And egg layer.

35. Sinusitis-treating doc: ENT.  Ear, Nose and Throat specialist.

36. Edison contemporary: TESLA.  Nikola Tesla [1956-1943] was a Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, and futurist who is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current electricity supply system. [Wikipedia]

38. Manually spiffed up at the carwash: HAND WAXED.  Manual labor.

39. When the duel occurs in "Hamilton": ACT II.

40. Start over: RESET.

42. Big name in California viticulture: GALLO.  Brothers Ernst and Julio.

43. Entry-level GI: PVT. Private.

48. Voice box: LARYNX.  the hollow muscular organ forming an air passage to the lungs and holding the vocal cords in humans and other mammals;

50. Scary-sounding lake: ERIE.  Toledo's lake.

51. Like many a rumor: FALSE.  Fake news?

52. Creative output: IDEAS.  Brain storms.

53. Makes airtight: SEALS.  Closes up.

54. Desert plant with sword-shaped leaves: YUCCA.

New Mexico State Flower

55. Source of net profits?: ETAIL.  Electronic - i.e. on-line - retail.

60. Exclude: OMIT. Leave out, elide.

61. Sot: WINO.  Alcoholic.

63. Enemy: FOE.  Not a friend

65. Dennings of "2 Broke Girls": KAT.

But those green eyes  .  .  .

66. AQI monitor: EPA.  The Air Quality index is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency, established in 1970.

67. Muddy pen: STY. Home for swine.

One more in a long line of Wednesday puzzles, but this one takes the cake.   Hope you were able to slice through it without getting frosted.

Cool regards!
JzB

Wednesday, June 19, 2019 Lewis Rothlein

Theme - WORD LADDER.  This is a word game invented by Lewis Carroll, in which a starting word is transformed into a target word by changing one letter at a time.  The challenge is to accomplish this in the fewest steps.  Here all the ladder words have circled letters, and are stand alone fill.  Let's see how this works.

1. Strong drink, and part 1 of a word ladder: DOUBLE.  A DOUBLE is a drink with 2 ounces of liquor.  It is also our starting word.  Looking ahead, our target word is SHIFT.  So, one can work a DOUBLE SHIFT.  I've never done that, and let's hope we don't have to.  But hold that thought.

20. Tabloid item (part 2): COUPLE.  A COUPLE in a tabloid is often referred to as an item.  Usually they show up because of some scandal, rumor, or bit of personal news involving them.  None of this is anybody's business, of course, but inquiring minds want to know.  The changed letters are highlighted in red.  Hang on a sec - letters!?!  Two of them? Should I call foul on this?  Let's defer that answer for the nonce.

28. Two-door cars (part 3): COUPES.  Cars with fixed roofs, two doors, and sloping rears.  Two letters changed.

36. Brunch order (part 4): CREPES. These are thin pancakes, usually rolled and wrapped around a filling.  My favorite is apricot.  Again, two letters have changed.

Poloscinta

42. Underground tombs (part 5): CRYPTS. I can't improve on that definition.  Nor on the consistent changing of two letters.

48. Arts' partner (part 6): CRAFTS.  The skills involved in making things by hand.  Or craftally changing two letters at a time.

56. Wanders (part 7): DRIFTS.  Travels aimlessly.  Or changes by two letters at a time, with a specific aim in mind.  Hmmm  .  .  .

68. Work assignments ... and, preceded by 1-Across, the key to creating the word ladder (and part 8 of it): SHIFTS.  You can work several kinds of SHIFTS - day, night, third, or swing.  But, back to the puzzle, now all becomes clear.  Putting the first and last words together, we get DOUBLE SHIFTS - thus the alteration of two letters at a time.  Tadah!

That's a bit meta, but certainly clever, and I'll give some extra credit for that.

Hi, Gang.  It's JazzBumpa, not feeling at all SHIFTY.  So let's double down and see what the rest of this puzzle has to offer.

Across:

7. Kiss: BUSS.  From the Latin basiare, probably via French and late Middle English.

11. Injured, as a knee: BUM.

Kneezles is even worse

14. Damage: IMPAIR.  As, for example, a knee.

15. Private tutoring session: ONE ON ONE.

17. Theater walkways: AISLES.  Or in churches.

18. Injured, as an ankle: SPRAINED.  When the ligaments are stretched or torn.  We are having a rather bad leg day.

19. Cancels a dele: STETS.  Editor's marks for delete and let it stand, respectively.

21. The "S" of CSNY: STILLS.  I was stuck on NY as being New York.  That was a complete dead end.  This "S" is Steven Stills of Crosby, STILLS, Nash and Young.  Remember them?

24. "No more sharing," briefly: TMI.  Too Much Information - not on my need-to-know list.

25. Genetic material: DNA. Deoxyribonuclaic acid.  We all took biochemistry - right?

30. 1975 Tony-winning play about a stableboy: EQUUS.  About which I know nothing.

32. Former Boston commuter org.: MTA. Municipal Transit Authority.

35. Small, chirpy bird: WREN.  Several varieties.

37. "It can't be!": OH NO.  Dang!

39. Unsuccessful Ford: EDSEL.  But now a cult classic.

41. Personal care brand with a bird in its logo: DOVE.

Peace and Well-being

44. Mining hauls: ORES.  Rocks containing useful metals.

46. Circus safety feature: NET.  To catch a falling star.

47. Owl sounds: HOOTS.  Do you give one?

50. Piercing tool: AWL. For puncturing leather, not owls.

51. Japanese assent: HAI. Means yes.

53. Sandal parts: STRAPS.  Keeps them on your feet.

59. Taxpayer's option: E-FILE.  Electronic submission.

61. Neckwear that makes a statement: POWER TIE.  It's all nonsense, in my humble opinion.

63. Older, as bread: STALER.  Not that I've ever made that specific comparison.

64. Like the print version of an e-book, say: DEAD TREE.  Paper pulp source.

65. Abrasion: SCRAPE.  Damage due to friction - more pain. Ouch!

66. Cook in oil: FRY.

67. Insolence: SASS.  Impudence and rudeness.   Thad says, don't do it.

Down:

1. Days in Quito: DIAS.  In Ecuador, they speak Spanish, todos los días.

2. Drops: OMITS.  Leaves out or excludes.

3. Hot and bothered: UPSET.  Disturbed, or - if you prefer - excited.

4. Like Estonia and Latvia: BALTIC.   Also Lithuania - refers to countries on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, across from Sweden.

5. Stays out of sight: LIES LOW.  Avoiding attention and detection, generally for the purpose of staying out of trouble.

6. Trauma ctrs.: ERS.  Emergency Rooms.

7. Pear variety: BOSC.  Unique in shape and color.

Distinctive russet color

8. Removes for transplanting: UNPOTS.  Out of one pot, and into another - or, perhaps, the ground.

9. Antitoxin: SERUM.

10. Having more lather: SOAPIER.

11. Took a refresher course in: BONED UP ON.  You can BONE UP ON it here.

12. Half of deux: UNE.  Two divided by two is one.  This looks suspiciously like French to me.  Numbers in French go hilariously wonky, as you will soon see. My granddaughter Alexa, who has studied French, assures me that every bit of this is true.

13. __ school: MED.  Where one learns to be a doctor.

16. Zero, in soccer: NIL.  Exactly nothing.  Probably the same - or something [that is to say: "nothing"] close to it - in French.  I hope.

22. Angling needs: LURES.  Things that attract the fish.  In another puzzle I worked recently the answer to this clue, in the singular, was LINE.

23. Went like the wind: SPED.  If I do that, I get winded. 

26. Béisbol team complement: NUEVE.  A baseball team has 9 players, in any language.  Spanish numbers, if I recall correctly, make some sort of sense.

27. Desirable trait: ASSET.

29. Belgian painter James: ENSOR. [1860-1949] Read about him here.

31. Logician's "as was proven": QED.  Quod Erat Demonstrandum - loosely, that which was to be demonstrated.

32. Coffee flavor: MOCHA. A coffee-chocolate combination.

33. Host, as a party: THROW.

34. With no discernable pattern: ANY OLD WAY.  Whatever.

36. Chin indentation: CLEFT.

Chin divot

38. Back (out): OPT.  Choose to not participate.

40. Labeled times: ERAS.

43. Warm-weather wear: T SHIRTS.

45. Warm up before a run: STRETCH.

48. Boston and Chicago: CITIES.  Large municipalities.

49. "Green Hills of Africa" journey: SAFARI.  From the Arabic word safara - to travel.

52. Union that merged with SAG in 2012: AFTRA.  Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

54. Rice dish: PILAF.  Cooked in broth with spices and vegetables or meat.

55. Snoozed: SLEPT.

57. See 58-Down: RED.  The color of anger.

58. With 57-Down, loses one's cool: SEES.  To see red is to become suddenly enraged.  From an earlier expression "To see things red," from ca. 1900.  Probably not related to a bull fighter's red cape.

60. Part of a Spanish "to be" conjugation: ERES.  I'll leave this to a Spanish speaker to explain.

61. Adobe doc suffix: PDF. Portable Document File.

62. Atop, poetically: O'ER. As, for example, ramparts.

63. Griddle sound: SSS.  Onomatopoeia, I suppose.

That wraps up another Wednesday.  I'll add this, just because I can - a big trombone [and tuba] choir I participate in once a year.  This year it was on June 9th.

Cool Regards!
JzB

Wednesday, June 12 2019, Tim Schenck

Theme:  BREAK THE BANK. Various words for "money" are strewn through each theme answer.

Ulan Bator residents: MONGOLIANS. MOOLA - sometimes spelled moolah.

20. Electrical unit: KILOVOLT. LOOT - often refers to stolen money or goods.

59. Bayou critter: CRAWFISH. CASH - the only word here for money that isn't slang.

61. Wedding party member: BRIDESMAID. BREAD - since bread was the traditional everyday necessity of life, to earn one's living was to earn one's bread, therefore bread became synonymous with money.

39. Share good fortune, as suggested in four sets of circles: SPREAD THE WEALTH. Sometimes the circles are not needed, but with this one, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have found the dough.

Across:

1. WCs: LAVS. Plumbing manufacturers often use the term "water-closet" to differentiate toilets from urinals. American plumbing codes still refer to a toilet as a "Water Closet" or a "WC". The Royal Spanish Academy Dictionary accepts "váter" as a name for a toilet or bathroom, which is derived from the British term "water-closet."

5. Rope fiber plants: HEMPS.

10. Shell game, e.g.: SCAM.

14. Hodgepodge: OLIO.

15. Wedding: UNION.

16. Somewhat, in music: POCO. Also a band from the '70's. Who knew they were still touring?

17. Blockhead: CLOD. Don't hear this word much any more.

22. "Citizen Kane" director: WELLES.

23. Fill with love: ENAMOR.

24. Flower part: SEPAL. A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms. Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom. 

 26. Philosophy suffix: ISM.

28. Antediluvian: OLD. "Of or belonging to the time before the biblical Flood."

29. Talk, talk, talk: YAK.

32. Drive away: REPEL.

36. With the bow, in music: ARCO. "Arco (which is not an abbreviation) means to return to bowing after pizzicato (abbreviated pizz.) or col legno. Pizzicato means you pluck the strings with your fingers instead of using the bow, col legno using the wooden backside of the bow instead of the hairs."

38. "__ Lisa": MONA.

42. Ore bed: VEIN.

43. Multivitamin ingredient: IRON.

44. Compare: LIKEN.

45. Fielder's strong throw: PEG.

46. Cultural Revolution leader: MAO.

47. Recede: EBB.

49. Does some mending: DARNS.

51. Disaster area thief: LOOTER. Again with LOOT.

56. Gauguin's island retreat: TAHITI. Foul man, fine artist.

63. Inevitable outcome: FATE.

64. What Benjamin Button did backward: AGED.

65. Not windy: TERSE.

66. Side squared, for a square: AREA. Ohhhhh .... math.

67. Like Santa's cheeks: ROSY.

68. Eyelid woes: STYES.

69. Metallica drummer Ulrich: LARS.

Down:

1. Age of Enlightenment philosopher: LOCKE.

2. Do-or-die Texas Hold 'em bet: ALL IN. For Gilmore Girls fans, this phrase is not about poker.

3. String quartet instrument: VIOLA.

4. City destroyed in Genesis: SODOM.

5. Caters to: HUMORS.

6. Carbon compound: ENOL.

7. Freebies near the register: MINTS. Never turn down a mint.

8. Faddish '90s disc: POG.

9. Road maintenance vehicle: SNOW PLOW.

10. Mop target: SPILL.

11. Shade of black: COAL.

12. Proactiv+ target: ACNE.

13. What some proverbial stones don't gather: MOSS. I'll be hearing Bob Dylan all day in my head. How does it feel?

19. Detective's need: LEAD. Not clue.

21. "And there you have it!": VOILA and VIOLA (3D) in same puzzle.

25. Epoch in the Cenozoic Era: EOCENE.

27. __ of honor: MATRON.

29. Egg part: YOLK.

30. Get the pot going: ANTE.

31. Madeline of "Blazing Saddles": KAHN. So talented, she passed away in 1999.

32. "Let us know if you're coming" letters: RSVP.

33. Duel tool: EPEE.

34. Uptight type: PRIG. Funny word.

35. Bard's nightfall: E'EN. Contraction for evening.

37. Density symbol, in physics: RHO. Also the 17th letter of the Greek alphabet. Looks like a p - ρ.

38. __ tai: MAI.

40. Nin and Frank: DIARISTS.

41. Macaroni shape: ELBOW.

46. Pal at the barbie: MATE. Not Midge or Ken.

48. Turbine parts: BLADES.

49. One of Sean Combs' stage names: DIDDY. Also Puff Daddy.

50. Hair-raising: SCARY.

52. Butcher shop byproduct: OFFAL. Entrails and internal organs. The Offal-Eater’s Handbook.

53. Sparkly crown: TIARA.

54. Perfume compound: ESTER.

55. Relatives of emus: RHEAS.

56. Lift up the slope: T-BAR.

57. Golden Fleece ship: ARGO.

58. Goes quickly, quaintly: HIES.

60. Ascend: RISE.

62. Bumped into: MET. Okay - but met seems more planned than unexpected.

Wednesday, June 5 2019, Parikshit S. Bhat

Theme: CIRCLE OF LIFE

20. Many a coast-to-coast journey: RED EYE FLIGHT. A flight that takes off late at night and arrives early in the morning, usually taking off after 9 p.m. and arriving by 5 or 6 a.m. So, in taking a red-eye, you'll be in the air overnight, when you would typically be asleep. Typically, these flights travel west to east (according to cheapflights.com).

26. 2008 Ridley Scott film set in the Middle East: BODY OF LIES. Scott directed, Leonardo DeCaprio and Russell Crowe star. IMDB.

35. Reassuring reply to "You don't look well": I FEEL FINE. Except when it means the opposite.

46. Championship in a ring: TITLE FIGHT. For boxing fans - Andy Ruiz Jr. stuns Anthony Joshua in heavyweight title fight.

52. Influential in a big way ... and a hint to this puzzle's circles: LIFE CHANGING. 

Melissa here. Did you get the circles? Perfect answer for the reveal, very clever.

Across:

1. MSNBC analyst Melber: ARI.

4. Olds Cutlass model: CIERA. Tricky spelling.

9. Garbage boats: SCOWS.

14. Airport shuttle: VAN.

15. Up to this point: AS YET.

16. Deck with the Fool and the World: TAROT.

17. Make sense of: INTERPRET.

19. Yoga pose: ASANA.

22. Be concerned: MIND.

23. Burr and Hamilton, e.g.: ENEMIES.

31. Prefix with scope: ENDO. From Greek ἔνδον endon meaning "within, inner, absorbing, or containing."

32. Symbols in email addresses: ATS. @

33. Fishing equipment: REEL.

34. Ryegrass disease: ERGOT.

38. Cal. sequence: MTWTF. Monday, Wednesday, ...

41. Indigenous Japanese: AINU. Had no idea: Ainu, is a language spoken by members of the Ainu people on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.

42. Took in: ATE.

45. Neighborhood: AREA.

49. Party popper: BALLOON. Not pooper ...

51. Invasive plant: WEED. Scotch Broom was introduced from Europe as a garden ornamental by early settlers of the Pacific Coast. Later it was used to prevent erosion and stabilize banks and sand dunes. It became invasive, and now costs Oregonians an estimated $40 million per year in lost timber revenue and control efforts. It sure is beautiful, though.

57. Goes after: HAS AT.

59. Spanish estates: HACIENDAS.

61. "Flashdance...What a Feeling" singer Cara: IRENE.

62. Put in office: ELECT.

63. Increase, with "up": AMP.

64. Big name in wedding invitations: EATON.

65. Med measures: DOSES.

66. Salty expanse: SEA.

Down:

1. Prefix for the birds: AVI.

2. Went on a rampage: RAN RIOT. I like this fill.

3. Plans (to): INTENDS.

4. Bit of TLC?: CARE.

5. "__ with my little eye ... ": I SPY.

6. "Reader, I married him" governess: EYRE. One of my top five books of all time.

7. Coral environs: REEF.

8. British prime minister after WWII: ATTLEE. Clement Attlee.

9. __ whisper: STAGE.

10. Soft wool: CASHMERE.

11. Holding the floor: ORATING. Ohhhh ...

12. Got the gold: WON.

13. Many a stop: Abbr.: STA.

18. Jacuzzi effect: EDDY.

21. New officeholders: INS. Politics.

22. Deg. for a CEO: MBA.

24. Old name of Tokyo: EDO.

25. Drunk: SOT.

27. German composer Carl: ORFF. Wikipedia.

28. Payment for services: FEE.

29. "To Kill a Mockingbird" novelist: LEE. My newest granddaughter shares her first name, Harper. Another top five - both book and movie. We also have a cat named Boo, and another named Scout. Now I just need a dog named Atticus.

30. __ ease: anxious: ILL AT.

34. Plenty, in texts: ENUF.

35. Firenze native: ITALIANO.

36. Chick-__-A: fast-food chain: FIL.

37. Chemistry suffix: INE.

38. Queen of folklore: MAB. Queen of the fairies.

39. __-la-la: TRA.

40. Firmly established: WELL SET.

42. Meeting handouts: AGENDAS.

43. When you're "ahead of" it, you're likely to succeed: THE GAME.

44. JFK stat: ETD.

46. Clog part: TOE.

47. Made slow progress: INCHED.

48. "Victory is mine!": I WIN.

50. Many times: OFTEN.

53. Divine circle: HALO. Love this clue - and so appropriate for today's puzzle.

54. Killer serves: ACES.

55. "Sweet!": NICE.

56. Understands: GETS.

57. Shake a leg, quaintly: HIE.

58. Immortal Notre Dame coach Parseghian: ARA.

60. Place for a hot stone massage: SPA.

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear TTP (Tom)! Besides being our Tuesday/Friday guide, TTP is also always there helping me with various blog glitches. 

Hope you have a fantastic round today, TTP!

  

Wednesday May 29, 2019 Roland Huget

Theme: ROUGHHOUSE (61. Rowdy play, and what's hidden in each answer to a starred clue) - Four different simple shelters are hidden in each theme entry.

17A. *Cocktail ingredient often made with a mallet: CRUSHED ICE.

40A. *Sleep: SHUT EYE.

 

11D. *Quarterback's underhand move: SHOVEL PASS.

29D *Restraint on a prisoner: LEG SHACKLE. Thought they're called "leg irons".

C.C. here, filling in another blogging gap.

Classic 5-themer grid with a 7 in the middle. You won't get sparkly 8 or 9 non-theme fill in this grid design, but the fill will be clean.  

I like the re-phrase of the reveal entry.  Nice wordplay. The shelter is consistently contained in one word.  

  

Across:

1. Was short: OWED.

5. Cut short, NASA-style: ABORT.

10. "Got it": I SEE.

14. "The Great" detective of kid-lit: NATE.

15. "Green Acres" co-star: GABOR. Eva. Youngest of the three Gabors.

16. Tobacco plug: CHAW.

19. Come up short: LOSE.

20. Hand-held allergy treatment: EPIPEN. D-Otto has one in his fridge.

21. Invite to one's home: ASK OVER.

23. Not from a bottle: ON TAP. 35. They may be 23-Across: ALES.

26. Swivel around: SLUE.

27. Seasoned sailors: SALTS. This is OK, but you guys don't like TARS, right?

30. Automated blog participant, for short: BOT.

32. Runs in neutral: IDLES.

36. Anne of Green Gables or Annie: ORPHAN.

38. Orchestra __: PIT.

39. Skit bit: GAG.

41. Ottoman bigwig: AGA. Or AGHA.

42. 911 response letters: EMS.

43. Stick a stake in, as a vampire: IMPALE.

44. Pale: ASHY.

45. Totally sexy: SO HOT. And 48. Strongly craves, with "after": LUSTS.

47. La-la lead-in: TRA.

49. "Sorry to say ... ": ALAS.

51. Blazer material: TWEED.

53. Performer's "Nailed it!" gesture: MIC DROP. Even Obama did it.

56. Followed: TAILED.

60. Rubs the wrong way: IRKS.

64. Cuba libre mixer: COLA. China has Future Cola.

65. First name in cosmetics: ESTEE.

66. Persia, now: IRAN. Hi there Abejo. Also, WikWak, hope you read all these birthday greetings from our blog regulars back in April.

67. From the top: ANEW.

68. Direct: STEER.

69. Brooding place: NEST.

Down:

1. Some time ago: ONCE.

2. What wet boards may do: WARP.

3. Special case: ETUI.

4. Cruel rulers: DESPOTS.

5. Contract negotiator: AGENT. Who's the most powerful sports agent right now? I only know Mark Steinberg. Oh also Jerry Maguire.

6. Naughty: BAD.

7. Kimono accessory: OBI.

8. Almond __: crunchy candy: ROCA.

9. Hair piece: TRESS.

10. Apple backup service: ICLOUD. We have Google Cloud.

12. Maneuver carefully: EASE.

13. Still-life subject: EWER.

18. Coop group: HENS.

22. Ryan's "French Kiss" co-star: KLINE.

24. Sudden: ABRUPT.

25. Toaster pastry: POP TART. I bet many of you have never had egg tarts. So good.

27. Learned advisors: SAGES.

28. Enterprise competitor: ALAMO.

31. Long-armed institution: THE LAW.

33. "Magic" ball digit: EIGHT.

34. Collar inserts: STAYS.

36. Unit of resistance: OHM.

37. Cry from a pro: AYE. One who's for.

40. Raga instrument: SITAR.

44. Port on some stereos: AUDIO IN.

46. Familiar saying: OLD SAW.

48. Sister of Rachel: LEAH. Here is the Leah on our blog. Chickie.

Left to Right: Chickie, JD, Garlic Gal and Lucina.

June 3, 2015

50. Aloe targets: SORES.

52. Former anesthetic: ETHER.

53. Layered rock: MICA.

54. Common club choice on a par-three hole: IRON. Short par-three.

55. Publish in an online forum: POST.

57. Tackle box item: LURE.

58. Those, in Tijuana: ESAS.

59. Minor progress: DENT.

62. 4 x 4, briefly: UTE.

63. "Hmm": GEE.

C.C.