Wednesday, October 30, 2019, Morton J. Mendelson

Theme: THE OUTER LIMITS

15 (rows) x 16 (columns) to accommodate the 16-letter theme answer STUCK ONE'S NECK OUT.

21. Risked it big-time: LIVED ON THE EDGE.

37. Risked it big-time: STUCK ONE'S NECK OUT.

55. Risked it big-time: WENT OUT ON A LIMB.

Across:

1. Gets misty, with "up": FOGS.

5. Salon treatment, briefly: PEDI. Never gets old.

9. Benjamins: C SPOTS. $100 dollar bills. The "C" refers to the Roman numeral for 100.

15. Curly coif: AFRO.

16. Popular river name from the Welsh for "river": AVON. Learning moment, I did not know the origin.

17. They're exchanged in Hawaii: ALOHAS.

18. Nonstick cookware product: T-FAL. This brand name is a portmanteau of the words TEFlon and ALuminium. I use cast iron cookware almost exclusively. Once it's seasoned there is no issue with sticking.

19. Religious season: LENT. Religious season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. It is a traditional time for fasting or giving something up or abstinence.

20. "Don't take the blame": DENY IT.

24. Cooler filler: ICE.

25. Chinese zodiac critter: RAT. 2019 is a year of the Pig, starting from February 5th 2019 and ending on January 24th 2020. 2020 will be a year of the Rat. 2018 was a year of the Dog.

26. Approximate nos.: ESTS.

27. MN and NM: STS. States - Minnesota and New Mexico.

30. Puts (in) tentatively: PENCILS. Who solves on paper? Pencil or pen?

32. Bad-mouth: DIS.

33. Word before bug or ant: FIRE.

34. Prov. bordering four Great Lakes: ONT. Ontario is bordered to the south by Great Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie & Ontario. 

35. Hairpiece: RUG.

36. Hazardous gas: RADON.

42. Parrots geese: HONKS. Had a hard time deciphering this clue.

43. Fill up on: EAT.

44. Nero's 91: XCI.

45. Exclusive: ONLY.

46. Part of UNLV: LAS. University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

47. Wore: SPORTED.

51. BB-shaped veggie: PEA. Or pea-shaped ammo.

52. Coll. Board exams: SATS.

53. "I'm sorry, Dave" film computer: HAL. In the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL is a sentient computer that controls the systems of the Discovery One spacecraft and interacts with the ship's astronaut crew.

54. "__ you serious?": ARE.

59. Compensate for: OFFSET.

61. Short hoppers?: ROOS. Short for kangaROO.

62. Hall of Fame pitcher Randy "The Big __" Johnson: UNIT. From Wikipedia: During batting practice in 1988, the 6'10" Johnson, then with the Montreal Expos, collided head-first with outfielder Tim Raines, prompting his teammate to exclaim, "You're a big unit!" The nickname stuck.

63. Hairpiece: TOUPEE.

64. Pennsylvania county: ERIE.

65. 5 for B or 6 for C: AT. NO. Atomic Number is the number of protons found in the nucleus of every atom of that element. The atomic number uniquely identifies a chemical element. It is identical to the charge number of the nucleus.

66. Coffee and wine: COLORS. Sneaky.

67. Lairs: DENS.

68. One logging on: USER.

Down:

1. Fistfight souvenir: FAT LIP. Haha. Same amount of letters as SHINER, but perps prevented that.

2. __ hours: OFFICE.

3. Second Commandment adjective: GRAVEN. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image ..."

4. Footprint maker: SOLE.

5. Silicon Valley city: PALO ALTO.

6. Pentathlon's five: EVENTS. Fencing, freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, and a final combined event of pistol shooting and cross country running.

7. "That's a no-no!": DON'T.

8. Where losers of a race may be left: IN THE DUST.

9. West Point students: CADETS.

10. Gravity-powered vehicles: SLEDS. Wondering if we're going to have snow here in my neck of the woods this year, it's regularly below freezing overnight now.

11. Classic video game: PONG.

12. Reaffirming rebuttal: OH YES I DO.

13. __ chi: TAI.

14. Boomer that no longer booms: SST. Not our Boomer.

22. Screwdrivers, e.g.: DRINKS. Clever misdirection.

23. Give approval online, in a way: E-SIGN.

28. Slacks, briefly: TROU. If you say so.

29. Email status: SENT.

31. Far from self-effacing: COCKY.

33. Mystic on a bed of nails: FAKIR. A Sufi Muslim ascetic who has taken vows of poverty and worship, renouncing all relations and possessions. 

35. Comforted: REASSURED.

36. Soda since 1905: RC COLA.

37. Explore OfferUp: SHOP.

38. Hue: TONE.

39. Prohibited: UNLAWFUL.

40. "Awesome!": NEATO.

41. Wide-open spaces: EXPANSES.

46. Coffeehouse orders: LATTES.

47. Sure winner: SHOO IN. This expression purportedly comes from the practice of corrupt jockeys holding their horses back and shooing a preselected winner across the finish line to guarantee that it will win. A “shoo-in” is now an easy winner, with no connotation of dishonesty. “Shoe-in” is a common misspelling.

48. Contaminates: TAINTS.

49. White-coated weasel: ERMINE.

50. One with bills to pay: DEBTOR.

52. Look of disdain: SNEER.

56. Hockey's Phil, to fans: ESPO. Philip Anthony Esposito OC is a Canadian broadcaster, and former professional ice hockey executive, coach and player.

57. Sped: TORE.

58. Waikiki bash: LUAU.

59. Needing no Rx: OTC. Over The counter.

60. Egg __ yung: FOO. An asian omelet-like dish, usually served with gravy.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019, Gary Larson

Theme: CANDY COAT. A timely Halloween theme, these are all candies that might be found in a trick-or-treat bag. Clueing for this had to have been chewy. (See what I did there?)

17. Treats for a comedian?: SNICKERS. Favorite theme clue, and favorite candy bar.

26. Treats for a teacher?: SMARTIES. This is where the theme appeared for me. Remember Horshack, the penultimate smarty-pants?

40. Treats for an oil tycoon?: GUSHERS. Here's an impressive one. But not near as impressive as the Lakeview Gusher Number One in Kern County, California, in 1910. It created the largest accidental oil spill in history, lasting 18 months and releasing 9 million barrels (1.4×10⁶ m³) of crude oil.

50. Treats for a submarine pilot?: WARHEADS. From Wikipedia: A ballistic missile submarine ("Boomer") is a submarine capable of deploying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads.

64. Treats for a fisher?: WHOPPERS. Definition: a thing that is extremely or unusually large.

Across:

1. Victoria's Secret purchase: BRA.

4. US Open stadium named for a US Open winner: ASHE. Arthur. Saw him here just yesterday. His widow is the celebrated photographer Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe. They adopted a daughter in 1986. She was named Camera, after her mother's profession.

8. Calm: SEDATE.

14. Couple's word: OUR.

15. Ostrich relative: RHEA.

16. Swaps: TRADES.

19. Scold harshly: RAIL AT.

20. Blacken on the outside: SEAR.

21. Name in the makeup aisle: ESTEE. Lauder.

23. Mars rover org.: NASA.

24. Young newt: EFT.

28. Headboard pole: BEDPOST. Fitting question for this sweet theme, does your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight?

32. "I'm down with that": OKAY.

33. More likely to cause skidding: ICIER.

34. Santa's reindeer, e.g.: OCTET. Plus Rudolph makes it nine, or a nonad. How Santa's reindeer got their names.

36. Family game room: DEN.

39. Semicircle, e.g.: ARC.

42. Wild way to go: APE.

43. Lawyer's advice: SUE.

44. Prefix with personal: INTER.

45. Blender maker: OSTER.

47. "True Detective" rating: TVMA. Mature audiences only (18 or older).

48. Browned in butter: SAUTEED. That works, but it could be any oil.

54. Pontiac muscle car: GTO.

55. Way out there: AFAR.

56. Bel __: creamy cheese: PAESE. Was not familiar with this cheese.

58. Miranda __ of "Homeland": OTTO.

62. Destroyed, as documents: TORE UP.

66. Clothes line: CREASE. Nice.

67. Snakelike fish: EELS. The plural was tricky.

68. Feel crummy: AIL. Aw.

69. Drove on the trail: HERDED.

70. Some stay at home: DADS.

71. Pooh pal: ROO.

Down:

1. Supervisor: BOSS.

2. Old character: RUNE. Another good clue.

3. Bizet's "Habanera," e.g.: ARIA. From Carmen.

4. Genesis vessel: ARK.

5. Units in a ream: SHEETS.

6. "His," to Bierce: HERS. The Devil's Dictionary is a satirical dictionary written by American Civil War soldier, journalist, and writer Ambrose Bierce consisting of common words followed by humorous and satirical definitions. Other entries include: Love (n.) A temporary insanity curable by marriage; Marriage (n.) A household consisting of a master, a mistress, and two slaves, making in all, two; and Positive (a.) Mistaken at the top of one's voice.

7. Bridge seats: EASTS. Card game.

8. Runner in the raw: STREAKER. Don't look, Ethel!

9. Victorian __: ERA.

10. Like porcelain teacups: DAINTY.

11. Estes' ticket-mate: ADLAI. 1956 DNC, Adlai Stevenson was the nominee, with running mate for VP Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee. Stevenson and Kefauver lost the election to incumbent President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Vice President Richard M. Nixon 57.4% to 42%.

12. Give body to, as hair: TEASE.

13. "¿Cómo __?": ESTÁS. Spanish for "How are you?"

18. __ de chine: light fabric: CREPE.

22. Actors, often: EMOTERS.

25. Let bygones be bygones: FORGIVE.

27. Informs on: RATS OUT.

28. Media critic's concern: BIAS.

29. Linen hue: ECRU.

30. They're spotted in casinos: DICE. Awesome.

31. Taqueria order: TOSTADA.

35. Michael of "SNL": CHE.

36. "It's a __!": DATE.

37. Weapon with two accents: EPEE.

38. Unlikely candidate for prom king: NERD. 

41. Not charted: UNMAPPED.

46. Brownstone porch: STOOP. Brownstone is a building material. Inside A $15M Brooklyn Brownstone.

47. Fine line: THREAD.

49. Antediluvian: AGE OLD.

50. Item on a wrist: WATCH.

51. Earlier than, to poets: AFORE.

52. Not as common: RARER. Hard to pronounce.

53. Put in stitches: SEWED.

57. Miracle Mets' stadium: SHEA.

59. Drop from an eye: TEAR.

60. Jazz __: TRIO.

61. Sonja Henie's birthplace: OSLO.

63. Play for a sap: USE.

65. Message afterthoughts: Abbr.: PSS. Post scripts.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019 Roland Huget

Theme: Any Portmanteau in a storm.  The letters of the prefix INSTA- are scrambled, and the concept is tied together, as we shall see later, with the suffix -GRAM.

17 A. Ellington-Strayhorn hit to which Johnny Mercer later added lyrics: SATIN DOLL. Love the tune, not crazy about Mercer's lyrics.  Here is the best arrangement ever, by Sammy Nestico for the Count Basie band.

27. Storied Alpine rescuer: SAINT BERNARD.  Only maybe, as it turns out.

45. Spot treatment: STAIN REMOVER.  Cleaning agent.

59. Social networking service ... or an apt portmanteau for the starts of 17-, 27- and 45-Across: INSTAGRAM.  OK.  The letters of INSTA have been presented in various configurations, and the -GRAM suffix indicates something in writing.  And mashing them together does generate a portmanteau, sort of.  But the surface sense is at best, pretty thin; and the whole concept is a bit of a stretch.  But, high marks for creativity and originality.

Hi, gang, JazzBumpa here see what else awaits us in today's adventure.

Across:

1. Give a little: BEND.  Not being rigid.

5. Under-the-sink cleaners: LYES.  Caustic drain unclogging substances.  NaOH, for the technically minded.

9. Spherical: ORBED.  Round, any way you look at it.

14. On the protected side: ALEE.  Away from the wind.

15. Ward of "FBI": SELA.

For a while.

16. Author Zora __ Hurston: NEALE. [1891 -1960] An anthropologist, film maker and author of influential African-American literature.

19. Mistreat: ABUSE.

20. "The Addams Family" cousin: ITT.

21. Device for scratch removal?: ATM.  Automatic Teller Machine, for extracting cash - i.e. "scratch."

22. Something found under a chest: ABDOMEN.  Body parts.

24. Viagra competitor: LEVITRA. Now, let me get this straight  .  .  .

26. Letter starter: DEAR.  The salutation.

32. Useful: OF HELP.  Providing some benefit.

35. Drop off: WANE.  Ebb, decline, fade away.

36. Motes may be seen in one: RAY.  Dust in a sun beam.

37. Two-time Indy winner Luyendyk: ARIE.  Race car driver.

38. Two-__-one: FOR.  Typical half-off sale gimmick.

39. Air Jordan company: NIKE.  Maker of athletic shoes.

40. Thing on a ring: KEY.

41. Bodily fluids: SERA.

43. Filled with wonder: AMAZED.  Cf 49 A.

48. Senate helper: PAGE.

49. "I must be seeing things": PINCH ME.  This can't be real.

53. Reliable income source: CASH COW.

56. Coll. aides: TAs.  Teaching Assistants

57. Feel poorly: AIL.

58. Tablet download: E-BOOK.  Electronic publication.

62. Nary a soul: NO ONE. Nope -  nobody here.

63. Snap, in ads: FOTO.  Photograph, mis-abbreviated.

64. Radiation units: REMS.  Roentgen Equivalent Man is an older unit measuring the health effects of low levels of ionizing radiation on the human body.

65. In good shape: TONED.  Buff.

66. Movie lab helper: IGOR.  In various Frankenstein movies.

67. Skip over: OMIT.  Or leave out.

Down:

1. Pesto herb: BASIL.  Along with olive oil, parmesan, pine nuts and garlic.

2. Really excite: ELATE.  I see elation as happiness, rather than excitement, so I think this equivalence is pretty dicey.

3. Hulu service: NET TV.  Streaming app.

4. Opus __: "The Da Vinci Code" sect: DEI.  In real life, this group is a secretive, ultra conservative institution within the Catholic Church.

5. '60s "journey": LSD TRIP.  The experience of being under the influence of a psychotropic drug.

6. Coast Guard rank: YEOMAN.  I can't find it listed in this ranking chart.

7. Angled piece: ELL.  Named for its cross-sectional profile.

8. Self-service food station: SALAD BAR.

9. How some silly things are done: ON A DARE.  Earlier: Bet you can't/won't. Later: No, you shouldn't have.

10. Spiritually awakened: REBORN.  Generally referring to a personal religious experience.

11. Gale family creator: BAUM.  In the Wizard of Oz.

12. Otherwise: ELSE. In addition, or instead of.

13. Cook Paula: DEEN.  Southern Fried Everything.

18. Birth-related: NATAL.

23. "I've __ busy": BEEN.

25. "It's clear now": I SEE.  The scales have fallen from my eyes.

28. Clock change hr. (though most do it sooner): TWO AM.  I did not know this.

29. Nev. neighbor: ARIZ.  Two western Sts.

30. Golf bunker tool: RAKE. A bunker is a sand trap.  Golf etiquette is to smooth all footprints, ball trails and club marks.

31. Like green hair: DYED.  Artificially tinted.

32. Symbols of strength: OAKS.  Mighty trees.

33. Fingerboard bar: FRET.  "Guitars and Banjos have ‘fretboards’ as they utilise a board (usually rosewood or maple) that has metal frets slotted into it and the note is sounded via your finger as it presses the string towards the board until the string meets the fret.)"

Don't fret - I wouldn't string you along

34. Casual greeting: HI-YA.  Yo, bro.

38. Coffee shop amenity: FREE WIFI.

39. DEA operative: NARC. Short for narcotics agt.

41. Ate at the theater, say: SNACKED.  On popcorn and candy.

42. Proof word: ERGO.  Therefore -

43. One who takes off a lot: AVIATOR.  Up in the sky, it's plane to see.

44. High-scoring club?: MENSA.  Organization of high IQ individuals.

46. Selfie stick attachment: I-PHONE.  Used for taking pictures - of your face.

47. Decides one will: OPTS TO.

50. Sultan's group: HAREM. Wife collection of a Sultan.

51. Marlins' home: MIAMI.  The last place team in the NL East Division, and the 3rd worst team in all of MLB

52. Title loc. in six horror films: ELM ST.  Place for nightmares.

53. Coin often left in a dish: CENT. The U.S. penny is worth one CENT.  I'm not sure what this clue is getting at.

54. Peek-__: ABOO.  Kids' hiding and peeking game.

55. "Are we there yet?" reply: SOON.

60. Yule quaff: NOG.  A spiced dairy-based beverage with variable alcohol content.

61. Miracle-__: GRO. Garden fertilizer product.

That wraps up another Wednesday.  Hope you had a good time.

Cool regards!
JzB

Notes from C.C.:

1) Dennis' surgery yesterday went well yesterday. His wife Linda said he's in ICU right now. Please continue keeping him in your thoughts and prayers.

2) Happy Birthday to dear CrossEyedDave, the master of fun links! Dave, can you send me a recent picture?

3) Happy Birthday to our foodie Blue Hen also! Picture, maybe?

Wednesday October 9, 2019 Craig Stowe

The Gimme Game by Craig Stowe, play-by-play by desper-otto.

You'll see lots of "LHF" (I counted 32) as you scroll through the writeup. No, it doesn't stand for Left-Handed Fingering, CED, nor Latent Heat Flux, Jayce. If you haven't already sussed it, y'all'll find out later.

Across:

1. Washington's Sea-__ Airport: TAC. Seattle-Tacoma. Could also be half a candy or a third of a game. LHF 1

4. Bubble bath spot: TUB. In the winter I like a good long soak in a hot tub, reading my latest Kindle novel. LHF 2

7. Model S and Model X electric cars: TESLAS. "Electric" is the operative word.

13. "Snowy" bird: OWL. Egret was too long. LHF 3

14. "Movin' __": "The Jeffersons" theme: ON UP. Musical Interlude #1

16. World Cup chant: OLE OLE. Tried USA USA first.

17. Chinese chairman: MAO. The Chairman LHF 4

The Chairman

18. Henry VIII's sixth wife Catherine: PARR. Portrait of Catherine Parr.

Portrait of Catherine Parr

19. Like an ideal situation: WIN WIN. OLE OLE over WIN WIN makes a nice sandwich.

20. How some get across town: BY CAB. Also what a Bostonian takes for an upset tummy.

22. "I'm __ a robot": phrase with captcha tests: NOT. If you've gone blue, you can ignore the Recaptcha for your comments. LHF 5

24. Percussion pair: HIHAT. One of these thingies

25. Sack opening?: KNAP. I had one with the Boy Scout logo on it. Wow, was that special!

27. Leg bone: FIBULA.

29. Holly's "Raising Arizona" role: EDWINA. Holly Hunter.

Holly Hunter

31. Summer in Quebec: ÉTÉ. Also in Paris, France, but not in Paris, Texas. LHF 6

32. "Orinoco Flow" singer: ENYA. Musical Interlude #2

35. Good scents: AROMAS. Are they always good? In my ute, driving down the section roads where the fields were freshly manured and the ditches were over-flowing with whey, we'd comment on the aroma of the "good ole country air."

36. "The Giving Tree" author Silverstein: SHEL. Multi-talented guy. He wrote poems, songs, cartoons and children's books. I first ran into him in the pages of Playboy, which I read solely for the articles.

38. __ pal: GAL. Tried PEN first. CSO to Tinbeni.

39. Fire truck wail: SIREN. I read "wail" as "wall" and drew a blank. LHF 7

40. Toronto-to-D.C. dir.: SSE.

41. Handy: UTILE. I'm not sure "useful" and "handy" mean the same thing.

43. Lodge member: ELK. LHF 8

44. Guthrie at Woodstock: ARLO. Woody's boy. I think he's singing about the keys to the city, don't you?

46. Walk-in health facility: CLINIC. LHF 9

47. City on the Rhône: LYON. No "S"

49. Word with drum or trumpet: EAR. One of these days I may have to look into an ear trumpet, but that's probably the wrong way to use it.

50. Distorts, as data: FUDGES. Was thinking SKEWS. My high school math teacher used to say, "Figures don't lie, but liars do figure."

51. Do over: REVAMP.

53. Royal Norwegian name: OLAF. Will it be F or V? Wait on the perps.

54. Let up: ABATE. LHF 10

56. __-mo replay: SLO. LHF 11

58. "The Jetsons" son: . ELROY

61. Chanted phrase: MANTRA.

63. Word on U.S. coins: UNUM. E Pluribus Unum

 -- out of many, one.

65. Luau instrument: UKE. LHF 12

66. Consume: INGEST. That's what they say about poison.

67. Personnel note: MEMO. LHF 13

68. "Roth" savings plan: IRA. I've got both types. You? I recently dipped into my Roth to buy a new car. The withdrawal doesn't count as income. LHF 14

69. Political pundit Myers: DEEDEE. She spent a couple of years as press secretary in the early years of the Clinton presidency.

70. __ Antonio: SAN. The River Walk LHF 15

The River Walk

71. Street covering: TAR. Our little town is in the process of repaving our streets. I don't know when our street was last paved, but it was more than 20 years ago. The patches have been patched, and some of the potholes are epic. The recent heavy truck traffic has made matters worse. I'll be happy when the paving is complete and the heavy trucks leave. I'm getting sick of the smell of asphalt in the morning. LHF 16

Down:

1. Grant's __: NYC landmark: TOMB. Eighteenth prez U.S. and his wife are buried together there.

3. 1971 Kubrick film, with "A": CLOCKWORK ORANGE. Stanley Kubrick didn't have a specific genre, but he sure made a lot of classic movies.

4. Big cheese: TOP BANANA

5. Article in El País: UNA. The "El" gives it away.

6. "Sick insult, dude!": BURN. I've never heard that. You?

7. With 2-Down, type of zone in which parking is restricted: TOW AWAY. LHF 17 Usually pricey to get your car back.

8. Nobelist Root: ELIHU Root. Former Secretary of State and Secretary of War back in the early 1900s. He showed me that USA USA was wrong as that futbal cheer.

9. Declining in old age: SENILE. Gettin' there.

10. Easy pickings, and a hint to the four other longest Down answers: LOW HANGING FRUIT. In addition to the four theme answers, Craig gave us lots of other LHF in this puzzle.

11. Et __: and others: ALIA. LHF 18

12. Dispatched: SENT. LHF 19

15. Clue character with a bow tie: PROFESSOR PLUM.

21. "Yu-Gi-Oh!" genre: ANIMÉ. Five perps, and I had it, as Abejo would say.

23. 10% donation: TITHE. LHF 20

26. Faux __: PAS. I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. There was major tongue-biting when my former boss came in one morning extolling the beauty of the faux pas wall finishes he'd seen in a house he'd visited. To correct him, or not to correct him? What a stupid question. LHF 21

28. Four-winged flier: BEE. Learning moment courtesy of Reference.com: "All castes and species of bee have four wings. The pair of wings that is closer to the head is always larger and folds over the rear pair when the bee is at rest. The rear pair is shorter and hooks into the forward pair when unfolded for flight." I'll bet John Lampkin knew that; I didn't.

29. Artistic stand: EASEL. LHF 22

30. Deadpan: DRILY.

33. New Haven student: YALIE. or ELI. LHF 23

34. Smart fellows?: ALECS. LHF 24

37. Yoga-inspired athletic brand: LULULEMON. Never heard of it. "It's all about the intangibles"

40. Closes forcibly: SLAMS. LHF 25

42. __ pool: TIDAL. GENE was too short. STENO didn't work.

45. Irish actor Stephen: REA. He's been in lots of movies, but is probably best known for The Crying Game. LHF 26

46. Fiscal VIP: CFO. Chief Financial Officer.

48. Brought home: NETTED.

52. Song section: VERSE.

54. In the thick of: AMID. LHF 27

55. Downfall: BANE.

57. Small bills: ONES. LHF 28

59. Gumbo ingredient: OKRA. It's slippery-slimy and some (most?) folks don't like it, but it thickens the gumbo. LHF 29

60. Junior or senior: YEAR. LHF 30

62. Had a burger, say: ATE. LHF 31
 

64. Actress Thurman: UMA. Uma Thurman LHF 32