Wednesday December 18, 2019 David Poole

(Note from C.C.: D-Otto write today's post.)


Theme: Crazy, mixed-up Santa

The Barnacle had the circles, so I managed to suss the theme. It would've been a lot harder without 'em. The reveal would also be of help, for those of you who read the entire reveal clue.

17a. Line on an application: LAST NAME.

23a. Masters home: AUGUSTA NATIONAL. LIU and guess what? It's not in Maine. (STANA Katic played Kate Beckett on Castle).

38a. Southern nickname involving a brown bird: THE PELICAN STATE. I'll bet B-E, Hahtoolah, Swampcat and Boo LuQuette got this one immediately.

"A wonderful bird is the pelican.
His bill can hold more than his belican.
He can take in his beak.
Food enough for a week.
But I'm damned if I see how the helican."
Dixon Lanier Merritt

54a. "Double Indemnity" (1944) Oscar nominee: BARBARA STANWYCK. This was my kryptonite. I spelled it WICK -- DNF.

And the reveal...

64a. 2003 Billy Bob Thornton title role ... and a hint to each set of puzzle circles: BAD SANTA.

Across:

1. Transcript figs.: GPAS. Grade point averages. Mine ranged from C to shining C.

5. Letters for the princess?: HRH. Her Royal Highness

8. Frozen, maybe: AFRAID.

14. Alternatively: ELSE.

15. Perrier, par exemple: EAU. French water.

16. Financially responsible: LIABLE. Libel makes you liable.

19. Telescope parts: LENSES.

20. "Star Wars" SFX: CGI. Computer-generated imagery.

21. Dada co-founder: ARP.

22. Firewood measure: CORD. 128 cubic feet.

29. Cooped (up): PENT.

30. Lay an egg: FLOP. The egg is laid in the coop.

31. Soup with tofu and seaweed: MISO. Sounds delicious. Not.

32. Vancouver-to-Calgary dir.: ENE.

34. Walked (on): TROD.

37. 51-Down's state: Abbr.: NSW. New South Wales, Australia.

43. Big to-do: ROW. Similar to a major honey-do?

44. "Then again," on Twitter: OTOH. On the other hand.

45. Country N. of Kenya: ETH. Ethiopia.

46. Creative spark: IDEA.

48. New Age musician John: TESH. He's been a co-host on Entertainment Tonight, a TV sportscaster, even a Klingon on Startrek: TNG.

50. Tag sale caveat: AS IS. Caveat emptor.

58. Mani-pedi spots: SPAS. Not feet.

59. Game with 108 cards: UNO.

60. "Gloria in Excelsis __": DEO. Christmas music. If I linked it, it would break the "no politics, no religion" rule. So I'll link this instead:

61. Brusque: ABRUPT. TERSE was too abrupt.

66. NutraSweet developer: SEARLE. It's now marketed by the NutraSweet Company. NutraSweet used to be Aspartame (200 times sweeter than sugar) until they discovered Neotame (7000-13000 times sweeter than sugar) -- the Carolina Reaper of sweeteners.

67. Modern art?: ARE. How great thy art art.

68. Cocktail garnish: PEEL. Really? Just the peel?

69. Bank, often: LENDER.

70. Since Jan. 1: YTD. Year-to-date.

71. Shaggy Scandinavian rugs: RYAS.

Down:

1. Easy-to-swallow dosage: GELCAP. Have you found them easier to swallow? I take my pills five at a time in one swell foop.

2. One of 10 in Exodus: PLAGUE. How many can you name? Answer far below.

3. Give, as homework: ASSIGN. Teenagers bane, after acne.

4. Background in theater?: SET.

5. Sincere: HEARTFELT.

6. Flutist Jean-Pierre: RAMPAL. He has been personally "credited with returning the flute to popularity as a solo classical instrument it had not held since the 18th century." (WIKI) Do you say "flutist" or "flautist" or maybe "tootler" (from last Saturday)?

7. Paint choice: HUE. Not OIL.

8. Apportion: ALLOT.

9. "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" host: FIERI. Host of various Food Network shows. He was born Guy Ferry, but apparently took umbrage at his last name.

10. Like dice rolls: RANDOM. At least you hope so.

11. Bodybuilder's pride: ABS. I've got 12-pack abs.

12. Paris' __ de la Cité: ILE. It's a natural island in the Seine. Notre Dame Cathedral (or what's left of it) is located there.

(Courtesy The New York Times)

13. __ Plaines: DES. Chicago suburb just north of O'Hare airport. I lived nearby at one time.

18. "One Mic" rapper: NAS. The only NAS I'm familiar with is Network Attached Storage, like my music server.

22. "Meet John Doe" director: CAPRA. Frank Capra. Also Pocketfull of Miracles and It's A Wonderful life.

24. U.S. sch. near the Mexico border: UTEP. University of Texas El Paso.

25. Tally symbols: NOTCHES. "...he secretly carved one more notch on the butt of his gold-handled cane..." at the 3:15 point.

26. Ricci of fashion: NINA. I thought her name was Christina.

27. CEO aide: ASST.

28. Actor Rob: LOWE. He's been in lotsa stuff, but I remember him best as Sam Seaborn in The West Wing. I binge-streamed the whole series not long ago.

33. Opposite of paleo-: NEO. Played opposite Morpheus in The Matrix.

35. Like a diving catch in baseball: ONE HANDED.

36. Summer hrs.: DST. Some love it. Some hate it. Some are ambidexterous.

38. Windy City daily, familiarly: TRIB. Chicago Tribune.

39. "Today" co-anchor Kotb: HODA. She just got engaged at 55.

40. Pitcher sans arms: EWER. That clue reminds me of this movie scene.

41. Specks: IOTAS. Could'a been MOTES.

42. Winter warm spell: THAW.

47. Inane: ABSURD. Not STUPID.

49. Comic-book store owner on "The Big Bang Theory": STUART.

51. 2000 Olympics city: SYDNEY. (Guess who spelled it with an I?)

52. Drink served with mint: ICE TEA. Let the arguments begin...

53. Danish toasts: SKOALS. Not to be confused with the smokeless tobacco.

55. Fuji, for one: APPLE. Because MOUNTAIN and VOLCANO were too long.

56. Yelp contributor: RATER. Does anybody here trust/use Yelp?

57. Negatives: NOS.

61. Silent speech syst.: ASL. American Sign Language. In case you'd like to learn...

62. Quilting party: BEE. Are there other "bees" besides quilting and spelling? Discuss.

63. Legged it: RAN.

64. Reddish-brown horse: BAY. News to me. I always assumed it was gray, like San Francisco Bay.

65. Busy mo. for a CPA: APR. I've completed my IRS certification to be a Tax-Aide volunteer again next year. This may be my last year. Between the IRS and AARP, they've thrown up so many roadblocks that the compensation is becoming inadequate to the exertion.

That brings us to the deep end of the Poole. It's been fun subbing. Desper-otto out.

The Grid:

Here's that list of the ten plagues. I managed to remember four of 'em. I'll bet you did better.

Blood
Frogs
Lice or gnats
Flies
Livestock (??? How can this be a plague? Raining cats and dogs?)
Boils
Hail
Locust
Darkness
Death of firstborn

Wednesday, December 11, 2019, Michael Schlossberg

 Theme: JOB SAFETY

17. Result of overexposure in the field?: FARMER'S TAN.

28. Result of carelessness in a locker room?: ATHLETE'S FOOT.

49. Result of excessive practice in calligraphy class?: WRITER'S CRAMP.

63. Occupational concerns such as 17-, 28- and 49-Across: JOB HAZARDS.

Very few stumbling blocks, all came together pretty easily. Appears to be Mr. Schlossberg's debut, at least here at the Corner. Welcome Michael, hope to see more of you.

Across:

1. Super silly: WACKO.

6. Gum balls, e.g.: WADS. Only if they're ABC (already been chewed).

10. Surgery memento: SCAR.

14. "Once more!": AGAIN.

15. MLB family name: ALOU. For those (like me) who don't follow baseball, here.

16. Voice mail signal: TONE.

19. "Yeah, that'll never happen": UM NO.

20. Actress Mendes: EVA. Longtime love of Ryan Gosling, they have two children together.

21. Brewpub orders: IPAS. India Pale Ale, a hoppy style of beer within the pale ale category.

22. Fencing blades: EPEES.

23. Blitz by a linebacker: RED DOG. In football, strategy of sending a player on a full-out defensive rush, known in the modern era as a blitz.

26. Ill-fated Ford: EDSEL.

33. Hot rod: DRAGSTER.

36. Cellist with multiple Grammys: YOYO MA.

37. Sales pro: REP.

38. Picks from a lineup: IDS. Identifies.

40. Champagne label word: SEC. Champagne Sec is the title used for off-dry Champagne wines with between 17 and 32 grams per liter of residual sugar. Although the word sec means 'dry,' there are in fact four styles of champagne which are drier: Extra Dry, Brut, Extra Brut and Brut Nature (zero, non-dose).

41. Sighing contentedly: AAHING. Yep, it's a word.

45. Salve: OINTMENT.

51. Cloud, as of gnats: SWARM.

52. Title Mozart valet who married Susanna: FIGARO.

56. "__ Health": Quiet Riot album: METAL.

58. Hops hot spot: OAST. A kiln for drying hops or malt, or drying and curing tobacco.

61. Laundry hamper: BIN.

62. Greek Cupid: EROS.

66. Balmy: WARM.

67. Free speech org.: ACLU.

68. Sampler wisdom: ADAGE. A sampler is a decorative piece of needlework typically having letters or verses embroidered on it in various stitches as an example of skill.

69. Eyelid irritation: STYE.

70. "That's enough": WHEN.

71. Dancer cohort: COMET. Santa's reindeer.

Down:

1. Thin cookie: WAFER.

2. Tequila plant: AGAVE.

3. Spot for a Mercedes: CAR AD. Tricky.

4. Second-oldest Kardashian sister: KIM.

5. Formula __ auto racing: ONE.

6. Winged stinger: WASP.

7. Ski resort near Snowbird: ALTA.

8. Complete one exercise segment: DO A SET.

9. Space heater?: SUN. 😎

10. Utterly shock: STUPEFY.

11. Grow slack, as a poorly tied knot: COME LOOSE.

12. Novelist Tyler: ANNE. Pulitzer winner. Where to start when reading Anne Tyler.

13. Classic autos: REOS. The band REO Speedwagon took their name from the  a 1915 truck designed by Ransom Eli Olds. Neal Doughty had seen the name written across the blackboard when he walked into his History of Transportation class on the first day they had decided to look for a name.

18. "Correctomundo!": RIGHT. Famously spoken by Henry Winkler as Fonzie in Happy Days, and Samuel L. Jackson as Jules in Pulp Fiction.

22. Standard Oil brand: ESSO.

24. Former U.N. leader Hammarskjöld: DAG. Swedish economist and diplomat.

25. NFL periods forced by ties: OTS. Overtimes.

27. Susan of "L.A. Law": DEY. Also from The Partridge Family.

29. Hawaiian garland: LEI.

30. Triage MD: ER DOC. Emergency Room Doctor.

31. Portent: OMEN.

32. Diplomat's need: TACT.

33. "Do I need to __ you a map?": DRAW.

34. Fanny: REAR.

35. Difficult H.S. class covering U.S. or world events: AP HISTORY. AP = Advanced Placement.

39. Round Table title: SIR.

42. "I'm the culprit": IT WAS ME.

43. "Cryptonomicon" novelist Stephenson: NEAL. Award-winning 1999 novel by American author Neal Stephenson, set in two different time periods. Absurdly banned in many prisons.

44. Dog's "I'm warning you!": GRR.

46. '90s trade pact: NAFTA.

47. "Yuck, tell someone else!": TMI. Too Much Information.

48. Fuel efficiency stat: MPG. Miles Per Gallon.

50. Kiss: SMOOCH.

53. The "A" in James A. Garfield: ABRAM.

54. Narrow hilltop: RIDGE.

55. Initial stage: ONSET.

56. Kitty cries: MEWS.

57. Middle proof word: ERAT. Latin,"which was to be shown or demonstrated."

59. Fit: ABLE.

60. Avoid like the plague: SHUN.

63. Uppercut target: JAW.

64. Efron of "Baywatch" (2017): ZAC.

65. Hubbub: ADO.

Note from C.C.:

Here is a beautiful picture of Melissa's two grandkids and their parents. You can click here to see all the cute pictures of Jaelyn and Harper.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019, Jeff Eddings

Theme: CAROL OF THE BE**S

21. Holiday song whose first line ends, "come sailing in": I SAW THREE SHIPS.

41. Holiday song first recorded by Gene Autry: FROSTY THE SNOWMAN.

61. Holiday song based on a traditional German folk song: O CHRISTMAS TREE.

74. What 21-, 41- or 61-Across is ... and, phonetically, a curiously apt common feature of those answers: NOEL. Each of the theme answers is the name of a popular Christmas song, containing no letter el. From Wikipedia: Christmas, from French Noël (“Christmas season”), may come from the Old French nael, may be derived in turn from Latin natalis, meaning "birth" Christmas carol, a song sung during Christmas. I wonder if the 21, 41, 61 was a lucky coincidence or planned.

Festive theme today, with supporting appearances by Eeyore, Babar, and the Muppets.

Across:

1. Retina 5K computer: IMAC.

5. Pet collar clip-on: ID TAG.

10. Theme park with a geodesic dome: EPCOT.

15. Bite: NOSH.

16. Béte __: NOIRE. French, literally ‘black beast.' A person or thing that one particularly dislikes.

17. Place to get clean: REHAB.

18. Medication unit: DOSE.

19. Crooner who co-wrote the "Chestnuts roasting ... " song: TORME. Another Christmas tune with no el.

20. Swim events: MEETS.

24. Pooh's dour friend: EEYORE.

25. Leader with a dot-edu address: DEAN. Academic institutions have domain names ending in .edu.

26. Brief "If only I could unhear that ... ": TMI. Too Much Information.

29. 2018 US Open winner Osaka: NAOMI.

32. Inductee: MEMBER.

34. Personal: OWN. As in, 'my own laptop.'

37. Marathoner's woes: CRAMPS.

40. One for the road?: AUTO. Nice clue.

45. "The Nutcracker" skirt: TUTU. More Christmas fill.

46. Like some owls: HORNED. Beautiful. A large, bulky owl with prominent ear tufts, white throat, gray beak, and bright yellow eyes.

​

47. Cottonelle layer: PLY. Bathroom tissue.

48. Jumps in: ENTERS. Wonder who else will jump into the 2020 presidential race.

51. Apply to: USE ON.

53. Nonprofit aid gp.: NGO. Non Governmental Organization. A nonprofit organization that operates independently of any government, typically one whose purpose is to address a social or political issue.

54. Opera set in Egypt: AIDA.

57. Curtains: DRAPES.

65. Storybook pachyderm: BABAR.

67. Pens: STIES. Nice to see the plural form here.

68. __ Kong: HONG. Not King.

69. "Home Alone" actress Catherine: O'HARA. More Christmas theme.

70. Line dance: CONGA.

71. French friend: AMIE. French. Ami is masculine and amie is feminine. They are pronounced exactly the same.

72. Area component: WIDTH.

73. Ready to pour: ON TAP. Ready to dispense, seems more accurate.

Down:

1. Many a low-budget flick: INDIE. Independent, not belonging to or affiliated with a major record or film company.

2. Reindeer cousin: MOOSE. Differences Between Deer, Elk, Moose and Reindeer.

3. Analyze: ASSAY.

4. Ponder: CHEW ON.

5. On paper: IN THEORY.

6. Spot for a wreath: DOOR. 🎄

7. Hankook product: TIRE. Brand.

8. Like bodyguards: ARMED.

9. "Six __ a-laying ... ": GEESE. More theme-related fill, but with els.

10. Valuable fur: ERMINE. Aka weasel or stoat. The species is called ermine especially during its winter white color phase.

11. Sound often not allowed?: PEEP.

12. Celebratory gesture: CHEST BUMP.

13. Granola kernel: OAT.

14. MLB playoffs broadcaster: TBS. Turner Broadcasting System.

22. Stretch of land: TRACT.

23. Holiday roast: HAM. More holiday themeage!

27. Heavy __: METAL.

28. Wry twist: IRONY.

30. "Do the __!": MATH.

31. Texting qualifier: IMHO. In My Honest Opinion.

33. Gaping hole: MAW.

34. Quite a lot: OFTEN.

35. Squeezed (out): WRUNG.

36. Decently: NOT TOO BAD.

38. Where the Amazon begins: PERU.

39. Nine-digit IDs: SSNS. Social Security Numbers.

42. Mystery writer Grafton: SUE.

43. Rush job phrase: NEED ASAP.

44. Fragrances: ODORS.

49. Really spirited: RAH RAH.

50. Title for Patrick Stewart: SIR.

52. Eponymous hot dog guy Handwerker: NATHAN. Nathan's are the best - served at Coney Island.

55. Summer songs?: DISCO. Donna Summer.

56. __ Martin: British car: ASTON.

58. Ad: PROMO.

59. Choice start: EENIE. Eenie, meeny, miney mo ...

60. Jason of "The Muppets": SEGEL. He executive-produced, co-wrote, and starred as Gary
in the 2011 movie.

62. E-commerce icon: CART.

63. Color variant: TINT.

64. Huge opening?: MEGA.

65. Present prettifier: BOW. Lol.

66. Sashimi choice: AHI.  Sashimi is thinly sliced raw seafood served without rice (image below) and is not considered a type of sushi. Sushi is vinegared rice, traditionally rolled with raw fish, but can include cooked seafood, veggies, or even other meats. Nigiri is raw seafood, similar to sashimi, served over hand-balled vinegared rice.