Thursday, September 26, 2024, Amie Walker, Wendy L. Brandes

We had a letter deletion theme a few weeks back, but this week our constructors Amie Walker and Wendy Brandes delete 7 different letters in 7 starred theme clues, which together spell a common ingredient used in baking sweets.  The clue for each themer is for the word that results after a circled letter is removed from the actual fill for the themer, so the actual fill doesn't match the clue.  Thus you'll need one of the down perps to get the actual fill. Got that?   I'm sure that this theme will not bring joy to all of our solvers but I thought it was rather clever 😀.  To get a heads up on what the word might be, you could start by solving 4D.  

Here are the clues and fill followed by the word implied by the clue ...

16A. *Medical breakthrough: CURVE. CURE.

18A. *Many a spammer: BOAT. BOT, as in an app for sending email spam to a distribution list.

38A. *Bae: BOON. BOO.  Shorthand for this common phrase in Peanuts ...

40A. *Recipe creator: CHIEF. CHEF.

42A. *Valuable deposit: LORE. ORE.
  
63A. *Attach a button, say: SLEW. SEW.

66A. *__-in-the-bone: BARED. BRED.  I was not familiar with the term bred-in-the bone.

The reveal is contained in two symmetrically placed down clues describing the letters to be deleted to make sense of the clues ...

4D. With 46-Down, baking staple: VANILLA.  
46D. With 4-Down, how to make the seven starred clues match their answers?: EXTRACT. 

Here's a video showing you how to make your own VANILLA EXTRACT from real vanilla beans ...

Here's the grid ...

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Native of Eastern Europe: SLAV.  A timely clue.  The East Slavs are the most populous subgroup of the Slavs. They speak the East Slavic languages, and formed the majority of the population of the medieval state Kievan Rus', which they claim as their cultural ancestor. Today Belarusians, Russians and Ukrainians are the existent East Slavic nations.

5. "Now!": STAT. Today's Latin lesson: The word STAT' is short for STATIM which translates to “immediately”

9. Carlos Alcaraz's birthplace: SPAIN.  Carlos Alcaraz Garfia (born 5 May 2003) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as World No. 1 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).  Alcaraz has won 15 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including four Grand Slam titles and five Masters 1000 titles.

Carlos Alcaraz Garfia

14. Currency of Turkey: LIRA.  Turkish Lira -- overview, history, and exchange rate crisis.

Turkish Lira

15. "Well, hey there!": OH HI.  "What a surprise!"

16. [Theme clue]

17. "You said it!": AMEN.

18. [Theme clue]

19. Theater honors: OBIES.  The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by The Village Voice newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after the 2014 ceremony, the American Theatre Wing became the joint presenter and administrative manager of the Obie Awards. The Obie Awards are considered off-Broadway's highest honor, similar to the Tony Awards for Broadway productions.  Here's the 2024 - 2025 Off-Broadway season.

20. Hotel room amenity: MINI BAR. An "amenity" considerably more expensive than BYOB.😀

22. Least succinct: LONGEST.  

24. Kiosk: STALL.  From the Persian kūshk -- originally much grander than our STALL in a MALL.

25. Letter closing: AS EVER.

27. __ Angeles Dodgers: LOS.

29. Juice aisle suffix: ADE.

30. Impulse: URGE.

34. Cosmetic moisturizer: SHEA BUTTER.  I wonder how many SHEAS they have to milk to make a pound of SHEA BUTTER? 😀

38.  [Theme clue]

39. NYC rep since 2019: AOC. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist serving since 2019 as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

40. [Theme clue].

41. Install, as carpeting: LAY.  This word has other meanings, e.g. a religious term meaning "non-clerical" or a Medieval song or poem, e.g. ...

42. [Theme clue].

44. Disney character who didn't want the other shoe to drop?: CINDERELLA.  Cinderella is a girl's name that comes from the French name Cendrillon, meaning “little ashes.”  Her story originated in  ancient fairytales, with the oldest rendition dating back to 850 C.E in China.  The protagonist is a young girl living in forsaken circumstances who is suddenly blessed by remarkable fortune, with her ascension to the throne via marriage.  There have been many variations on this story, including the opera La Cenerentola by Gioachino Rossini.  Here's the overture ...

47. Whirled: SPUN.

48. Mil. support group: USO.

49. Forensic tech in a Showtime crime series, familiarly: DEX.  DNK DEX, but apparently he's a "good cop", "bad cop", all rolled into one ...

50. Prompt: REMIND.

53. Make amends: ATONE.  I think DEX is going to have a lot of ATONING to do when he meets HIS fate. 😀 

57. Soaks up: ABSORBS.

60. Golden State NBAer: WARRIOR. The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 in Philadelphia, the Warriors moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962 and took the city's name before changing its geographic moniker to Golden State in 1971. Here's where you can buy tickets.

62. Singer Bryson: PEABO.  Robert Peapo "Peabo" Bryson (born April 13, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for singing soul ballads (often as a duet with female singers) including the hit singles Tonight, I Celebrate My Love, You're Looking Like Love To Me" and As Long As There's Christmas with Roberta Flack. Bryson is a winner of two Grammy Awards.  Here's his Love Always Finds Away ...

63. [Theme clue].

65. Jessica of "Dark Angel": ALBA.  Dark Angel is an American science fiction action drama television series that premiered on the Fox network on October 3, 2000. Created by James Cameron and Charles H. Eglee, it stars Jessica Alba in her breakthrough role. Set in 2019, the series chronicles the life of Max Guevara (Alba), a runaway genetically enhanced supersoldier who escapes from a covert military facility as a child. In a dystopian near-future Seattle, she tries to lead a normal life while eluding capture by government agents and searching for her brothers and sisters scattered in the aftermath of their escape.  Jessica Alba won the role of Max over more than 1,000 other actresses. As all the trailers were Rated R, all you get is this JPEG ...

Jessica Alba

66. [Theme clue].  

67. Obstacle for Jack and Jill: HILL.  Another fairy tale with deep historical roots.

Jack and Jill

68. Animation frames: CELS.  The originals for the Cinderella cels are no longer available, but you can buy this hand-painted limited edition recreation for only $1,995.00 ... 

Cinderella and the Handsome Prince

69. Snarky: SNIDE.

70. Snakelike fish: EELS. UNAGI, a sushi staple, was too long.  It's usually served cooked and is delicious, but it gives me indigestion.

Unagi Nigiri 

71. Genealogy chart: TREE.  One of my sisters is the family genealogist and has discovered that our family TREE on my mother's side dates back to William Pratt, an earthenware potter who lived in Stoke-on-Trent, England in the late 18th century.   

Down:

1. Criticizes harshly: SLAMS.

2. Ceiling: LIMIT.

3. WNBA venue: ARENA.  A place where the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) play.

4. [Theme reveal part 1].

5. Buckwheat noodles: SOBA.  Here's a rerun of last Thursday's explanation of the difference between SOBA vs UDON noodles.

6. Actress Birch: THORA. Thora Birch (born March 11, 1982) is an American actress, producer, and director. She made her feature film debut in 1988 with a starring role in Purple People Eater, for which she received a Young Artist Award for "Best Actress Under Nine Years of Age". Her breakthrough into adult-oriented roles came with her portrayal of Jane Burnham in American Beauty (1999), for which she was nominated for that year's BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress. 

Thora Birch

7. "Now I see it!": AHA.

8. One of 28 cards in Monopoly: TITLE DEED.  It makes sense that the names of the British and USA cards would be different.

9. Teatime treat: SCONE.  Salley McKenny shows you how to make the perfect SCONE (oh and they contain an Easter Egg - vanilla extract).

Some of Sally's
scone varieties

10. Sliders and fries with a pint, e.g.: PUB GRUB.  But I'm sure you lads out there would prefer somethin' a bit heartier, so here are some sliders at Slys' in Savannah, Georgia  (or a pub near you}.

11. Singer India.__: ARIE.  India.Arie Simpson (born October 3, 1975) is an American singer and songwriter. Her debut album, Acoustic Soul, was released in 2001, and she has since released six more studio albums. She has sold over five million records in the US and ten million worldwide, and has won four Grammy Awards from 23 nominations, including Best R&B Album.  Here she sings The Truth ... 

12. Singer Burl: IVES.  Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, singer and actor with a career that spanned more than six decades.  Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own radio show, The Wayfaring Stranger, which popularized traditional folk songs. In 1942, he appeared in Irving Berlin's wartime musical This Is the Army and became a major star of CBS Radio. In the 1960s, he successfully crossed over into country music, recording hits such as "A Little Bitty Tear" and "Funny Way of Laughin'". Ives was also a popular film actor through the late 1940s and '50s. His film roles included parts in So Dear to My Heart (1948) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), as well as the role of Rufus Hannassey in The Big Country (1958), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and the film noir Day of the Outlaw (1959).  Here's his cover of Ghost Riders in the Sky by Stan Jones ...

 

13. Snipe's home: NEST.  A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/camouflaging plumage. 

Pin-tailed Snipe

21. Finger painting shape: BLOB.

23. Like some plump pets: OVERFED.

26. Audited, as a class: SAT IN ON.

28. Yield: SUCCUMB.  HARVEST also fit.  GIVE IN was too short.

31. Emulate a tumbleweed: ROLL.  Looks like a whole herd of em' ...

32. One-third of a hat trick: GOAL.

33. One-named New Age singer: ENYA.  Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (born 17 May 1961) known mononymously as Enya, is an Irish composer and singer-songwriter. Enya is the best-selling Irish solo artist, with an estimated 80 million albums sold worldwide, and the second-best-selling music act from Ireland overall, after the rock band U2.  This video has no lyrics, but invokes childhood memories of the forest behind my home, which is now the Baltimore Beltway ...

The Memory of Trees

34. "Do the Right Thing" pizzeria boycotted by Buggin' Out: SALS.  Do the Right Thing (1989) was actor/director Spike Lee's breakthrough film.  Lee plays Mookie in the film and Sal is played by Danny Aiello, accompanied by an all star cast.  I remember this film when it came out -- cinema had a new voice ...

35. Nose ring shape: HOOP.

36. Almond alternative: ECRU.  My last fill -- I couldn't think of any 4 letter nuts -- except maybe BILL 😀.

37. Professional phone call response: THIS IS SHE.

43. Dressed for court: ENROBED. Here are the US Supreme Court justices, enrobed and ready for work ... 

Supreme Court Justices

45. Back end: REAR.

46. [Theme reveal part 2].

51. Wear away: ERODE.  It took the Colorado River about 5 - 6 million years to erode the sandstone that comprises the Grand Canyon.

(a small part of) the Grand Canyon

52. Reside: DWELL. The Havasupai people are a Native American people and tribe who have DWELT at the base of the Grand Canyon for at least the past 800 years.

54. Fuel-carrying ship: OILER.  TANKER wouldn't fit although it is a much more common term for a fuel ship. OTOH OILER has a higher vowel to consonant ratio ( 3:2 vs 2:4).  

55. High-minded: NOBLE.  The NOBLE gases are so snooty that they refuse to mix with the other elements.

56. Clear: ERASE.

57. FBI alerts: APBS.  All Points Bulletins.

58. Garnish on an espresso martini, often: BEAN.  Here's a recipe. Note -- younger members of the Corner may not be able access it. 😀

59. Garment that can be draped more than 100 different ways: SARI.  Here are ten ...

Here are a lot more.

  61. Puncturing tools: AWLS.

64. Fib: LIE.  No LIE -- I'm glad I'm done!

Cheers,

Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

 

Notes from C.C.:

 

 

 

Notes from C.C.:

1) Belated Happy Birthday to Teri! Thank you for making every Thursday special.

2) Happy birthday to Dennis, who always posted first on the blog before he moved to Florida ages ago. Here's a picture of him and his wife Linda.

 

Friday, August 23, 2024, Wendy L. Brandes

Good Morning Cruciverbalists, Malodorous Manatee here with the lowdown on a Friday puzzle by Wendy L. Brandes.  Not unlike the puzzle we solved two weeks ago, our constructor (and editor) have elected to go with a bit of "letter play".  In this instance, as is often the case, the key to figuring out what is going on lies within the reveal.  Today, that is located at:

52 Across. Cheer heard in the Bronx, or a phonetic hint for making the starred clues match their answers: LET'S GO YANKEES.

Well, that's crystal clear.  Not!  First, the reference in the clue is to New York Yankees baseball team aka the "Bronx Bombers" and not to a so-called "Bronx Cheer" aka raspberry (flatulence).  Second, this solver, a lifelong Dodgers fan and son of a Brooklyn-born mother had to get past the fact that the answer is something that would never, ever pass his lips.  Third, the answer seems to mean absolutely nothing.  Of course that is never the case with these things.  Okay, then, what does it mean?  After a bit of head scratching the light bulb began to glow, albeit dimly.  The first step was to notice the EA letter combination in each clue.  Perhaps the key was to be found there.  While the EA thing did prove to be something of a dead end it at least set this solver's feet on the right path.  It's the E!  Get rid of the E.  YANK the EES!  Or, if you prefer, Let's Go Yank EEs.  Without the Es in the clues, the relationship between the clues and the answers does make sense.  Here are the three places where this bit of legerdemain is employed:

20 Across. *Bean poles: STRIKE LEADERS.  Bean Poles morphs into Ban Pols when we YANK (delete) the E's.  Bob Dylan said it well.  Ban Politicans is roughly equivalent to Strike (as is delete) your Leaders.

...and watch your parking meters

27. *Beat poet: WITCHES CAULDRON.  Beat Poet morphs into Bat Pot when we yank the E's.  Witches reportedly use bats (not in the baseball sense), or parts thereof, as ingredients when concocting their brews in their caldrons (large pots).

43. *Came clean: PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB.  Came Clean morphs into Cam Clan.  In this case a Clan (group) of Camera enthusiasts.

This how it all appears in the grid:

And, here, now, the rest of the story:

Across:

1. Like dumping someone via text: COLD.  A bit of slang to start.  Neil will explain.  It should not require a renowned Astrophysicist to explain the first clue/answer but, hey, edification is to be found where one finds it.

5. Send to a specialist: REFER.  Sometimes, within my HMO, trying to get a needed REFERal leads to a case of REFER madness.

10. Chris elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021: BOSH.  Has Ch. Moe been keeping something from us?  No.  A proper noun that we either knew or perp'd.

14. Healing plant: ALOE.  We apply quite a lot of this when solving puzzles.  It often provides some relief.

15. Musical set in Argentina: EVITA.

16. Biblical preposition: UNTO.  And lo, an angel appeared UNTO the prophet Isaiah, and said:

Angel: "Behold! I exceed ninety degrees!" 
Isaiah: "Uh... what?"
But the angel gave no explanation and then vanished.
Isaiah muttered: "What an obtuse angel."

17. Feature of the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign: NEON.

18. Green energy option: SOLAR.   Green as in eco-freindly.

19. Not superficial: DEEP.

23. Leave speechless: AWE.

25. Drink suffix: ADE.  As in lemonaADE or GatorADE or PowerADE.

26. Another name for bingo: BEANO.  New to this solver.

32. Zones: AREAS.

33. Word on Rhode Island's flag: HOPE.  The state motto is, simply, HOPE.

34. 525,600 minutes: YEAR.  The math checks out - if it's not a leap year.

35. Starts bubbling, maybe: BOILS.  A watched pot never boils.  The water does.

37. Slumps: DIPS.  Hand up for first thinking SAGS.

41. "It's __ real": BEEN.  But has it BEEN fun?

42. Greeting on a name tag: HELLO, my name is....

49. __ Hebrides: OUTER.  See also 63 Across.

50. Assistance: AID.

51. G7 member: USA.  The Pols change, the countries remain the same.

57. "Holidays Symphony" composer Charles: IVES.  It took IVES from 1897 to 1913 to compose all four movements and the symphony is far too long to post here.

58. "Inferno" poet: DANTE.  I tried to read the book but it took an eternity for anything to happen.

59. Pride constituent: LION.  Not a reference to sexual preference (refreshing after what we've grown accustom to seeing recently in our puzzles.  Can I say that?).   Here, kitty, kitty.

62. Actress Spelling: TORI.

63. __ Hebrides: INNER.  See also 49 Across.  The southernmost of the INNER Hebrides is Islay, famous for its peated whisky.

64. Movie concessions purchase: SODA.  Popcorn was far too long to fit.

65. Latin infinitive: ESSE. 

66. "Yikes!": EGADS.  Something that someone might say.

67. Concludes: ENDS.  This one appropriately concludes today's Across clues.

Down:

1. "__ you not?": CAN.

2. Chant heard at Angel City FC games: OLE.  A football (soccer) reference.  Often clued with a Spanish or Mexican flavored reference.

3. Leaves to steep: LOOSE TEA.  Not as in departs for the kitchen.   What is steeped.  Tea leaves.

4. Impress accidentally?: DENT.  An automobile accident will often create quite an impression.

5. Dwell: RESIDE.  Someone told me as a kid that huge reptiles RESIDE in the sewers...What a croc that turned out to be.

6. Brings to mind: EVOKES.

7. Single __: FILE.

8. Bibliography abbr.: ET AL.

9. Like white peacocks: RARE.  True, but . . . .

10. Blossomed: BUDDED.

11. In __ and out ...: ONE EAR.

12. Omelet bar burner: STERNO.

13. Boards: HOPS ON.  As in she HOPS ON the bus.  And another one . . .

21. Fan sounds: RAHS.  E.G. sports fans.  Not something used to cool the room.

22. Qualified: ABLE.

23. On vacation: AWAY.  Okay, but next Yuletide are we going to sing "On vacation in a manger..."?

24. Medium of many a Calder mobile: WIRE.

28. Mustang, for one: CAR.  The Ford Motor Company likes to name their productions models after horses.

29. Home of the Terracotta Army: CHINA.  This solver first thought of XIAN but it was too short so settled for the less specific answer.

The date stamp says 2008

So it must have been at least 16 years ago

30. Email pioneer: AOL.  Remember all of those free floppy discs?

31. FedEx rival: UPS.

35. Plead: BEG.  As a youngster, my daughter BEGged me to play as a horse. I begrudgingly agreed...I didn't really want to be a neigh sayer.

36. Not 'neath: O'ER.  OvER

37. Human Rights Day mo.: DEC.  Only twelve from which to choose (as long as the editor sticks with English) so a single perp'd square usually let's us know.

38. Sleight of hand: ILLUSION.

Teller Shows Us How

39. Asset: PLUS.  What's the best thing about living in Switzerland?  I don't know, but the flag is a big PLUS.

40. Udon kin: SOBA.  When it's a generic noodle reference we have to figure out which of these two it is likely going to be.  This time things had already been narrowed down.

41. Five-time Wimbledon winner Björn: BORG.

Bjorn Cy-Borg

42. __ Park: University of Chicago locale: HYDE.  Sometimes clued with an FDR reference.  Other times with a nod to Dr. Jekyll.

43. Like someone who writes thank-you notes: POLITE.

44. __ rancheros: HUEVOS.  I understand that blanquillos is often the preferred word as HUEVOS has another meaning in some contexts.

45. Playful paddlers: OTTERS.

46. "Kitchen Confidential" actress Santiago: TESSIE.  Thanks, again, perps.

47. Cooled off like an overheated boxer?: PANTED.  Not a prize fighter reference.

48. Ones on a path to the top?: HIKERS.  Hiking puns can be hillarious.

53. Garfield frenemy: ODIE.  ODIE is the dog.

54. Yin and __: YANG.

55. "Object Lessons" novelist Quindlen: ANNA.

56. Alternatively: ELSE.

60. Quirky: ODD.  You know what's ODD?  Every other number.

61. Rapper on the "King's Disease" trilogy of albums: NAS.  As a frequent visitor, NAS has become my initial guess for three-letter rap-related answers even though I am completely unfamiliar with his body of work.

That will conclude the chain YANKing for today except, perhaps, for this:

GO DODGERS !

GO DODGE RS

CART TRAIL

______________________________________________