Saturday, February 1, 2025, Adrian Johnson, Will Nediger

 Saturday February 1, 2025 by Adrian Johnson & Will Nediger 

Adrian

Will

I had a nice 14-minute trip through Adrian and Will's puzzle. I wrote to Adrian about this puzzle he co-authored with Will and this was his gracious reply.

Hi Gary,

Great to hear from you. Will and I are good friends that have collaborated a few times on puzzles, most recently co-organizing a charity pack to support humanitarian relief efforts in Palestine (https://www.puzzlesforpalestine.com/) that we hope you’ll check out. Some wildly creative work from the best people in the business, 22 puzzles and no minimum donation—whatever you can spare to support rebuilding and humanitarian efforts.

This puzzle was a stunt of sorts to see how many 12-letter entries we could fix into a 15x grid. I sent Will the layout last year, he helped lock much of the center into place, I polished off the corners, and we were off! Thanks as always for the work you do.

Cheers,

Adrian

Across:

1. Attach: TIE ON.

6. Pickle: SCRAPE - Origin of the phrase

12. "You're getting ahead of yourself": DON'T BE SO HASTY.

14. "I'll meet you halfway": LET'S COMPROMISE.

15. Vaudeville singer Smith: MAMIE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

16. __ bran: OAT - Love this variety

17. Break stuff?: ADS 😀

18. Like: AKIN TO.

20. Car mirror's view: REAR - Not what you want to see

23. "__ Masters": reality show with building contests: LEGO.

24. When all's been said and done, to a Brit: AFTERWARDS.

30. Gifts that might be made with kukui: LEIS - A LEI made with Ti leaves and kukui nuts

31. Udder part: TEAT.

32. Joplin's "Treemonisha," e.g.: OPERA.

33. Zig instead of zag, perhaps: ERR.

34. Newspaper that covers Congress: THE HILL.

36. __ canto: BEL - Bel canto, Italian for beautiful singing is both a style of singing and a style of opera. 

37. "Julia" star Swinton: TILDA.

39. TV explorer Márquez: DORA The Explorer

40. School house, informally?: FRAT 😀

41. One might be on a roll: SESAME SEED - Yes, I'm embarrassed I can still sing this song from memory!

43. Freddie portrayer in "Bohemian Rhapsody": RAMI.

RAMI                                Freddie

44. Audition dismissal: NEXT.

45. Basil who designed England's Coventry Cathedral: SPENCE.

 

47. "That's the spot": AAH.

50. Question for a magician: HOW.

52. Planet-mapping tool: RADAR - An artist's concept of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mapping the red planet.

53. Highly stressful situation: PRESSURE COOKER - If they pay you millions...

58. "You've been up too long": IT'S TIME FOR BED.

59. Promise: ASSURE.

60. Coarse cloth: TWEED - I'll bet you know who this prof in a TWEED coat is. (* answer at bottom.)

Down:

1. Big name in pizza rolls: TOTINOS.

2. Like some jewels: INSET

3. "There's more," briefly: ETC.

4. Letters with a negotiable price: OBO - Or Best Offer - A cool name for a thrift shop in Spokane, Wa 

5. Nautilus captain: NEMO - James Mason played the good captain in this Disney movie. BTW, 20,000 leagues is approximately 60,000 miles. Jules Vernes' book referred to how far the Nautilus travelled while under the sea not how deep the sea was. You're welcome.

6. Recycling-plant worker: SORTER.

7. Margaret of "Fire Island": CHO.

8. Zodiac mammal: RAM.

9. Home of most of Turkey: ASIA.

10. Condition that may be treated with EMDR therapy: PTSD - A very interesting 3-minute video about Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reoricessubg therapy for treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

11. Socket sets: EYES 😀

12. People who partially identify as female: DEMIGIRLS.

13. Blowout remedy: SPARE TIRE - Where it was in my Uncle Virgil's pickup

14. Endpoint of the Detroit River: LAKE ERIE - I was pleased to learn that Lake Huron flows into a Lake St. Claire and then the Detroit River takes that water down to LAKE ERIE.

15. Marimba strikers: MALLETS - Lionel Hampton used those MALLETS on xylophones, vibraphones and marimbas.

19. Promise: OATH.

21. Rotten to the Corps, perhaps: AWOL 😀

22. Genre for Flo Milli and Flau'jae: RAP - Not familiar with either of them but RAP made sense

25. Business offering stock options?: FEED STORE.

26. Sugar Bowl home: TAHOE - Yeah, I tried every variation for New Orleans I could but...

27. Handled better?: REBRANDED.

28. Ideal wheels: DREAM CAR - I'll take a '57 red and white Vette convertible! 

29. More coarse, in a way: SALTIER not 34. Not at all ferocious: TAME.

35. Boyos: LADS - A Welsh term

38. Dojo level: DAN.

40. Flipped out: FREAKED.

42. Dig up: EXHUME.

46. Europa Clipper, for one: PROBE - Surveying the surface of the Jupiter moon of Europa.

47. Capital of Samoa: APIA - 5hr 35min flight SSW of Honolulu 

48. Poetry, weaving, et al.: ARTS.

49. Pianist Myra: HESS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

51. Warp counterpart: WEFT.

54. Stampede Wrestling co-founder Hart: STU.

55. Military title: SIR.

56. Interrupting animal in a classic knock-knock joke: COW - I laughed really hard the first time I heard this joke.

57. City-building resource in Catan: ORE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I don't play.

*That of course is Dr. Henry (aka Indiana) Jones

Thursday, December 21, 2023 Lisa Senzel, Will Nediger

No movie, no popcorn, today -- the trailer for the first themer from today's constructors, Lisa Senzel and Will Nediger, should wake you up ...

20A. Review that says, "Hitchcock serves up a twist that you won't see coming"?: PSYCHO ANALYSIS.

31A. Review that says, "Bit of a downer, but Soderbergh delivers"?: TRAFFIC REPORT.

Whoa, that was more than a "bit" of a downer.  Before proceeding we need to change lanes  to a different Steve to lift our spirits a bit ....

37A. Review that says, "Idina Menzel shines as Elsa"?: FROZEN ACCOUNT.   Just Let it Go ...

Here's the reveal ...

51A. In-depth news story, or any of the reviews mentioned in this puzzle?: FEATURE ARTICLE

The ARTICLES were an ANALYSIS, a REPORT, and an ACCOUNT of 3 different FEATURE films - PSYCHO, TRAFFIC, and FROZEN.  TRAFFIC'S Feelin' Alright was an AD-LIB by Steve Winwood.

Here's the grid ...
 

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Less risqué: TAMER.  Also a noun ...
 

6. Faction: SECT.

10. Yearn (for): ACHE.

14. Name said to activate an Amazon gadget: ALEXA.  Machines don't seem to understand me, so I avoid talking to them.

15. Potato, in Indian cooking: ALOO.  Here's a recipe for ALOO Parathas and here's a video of the steps:

16. Satellite whose day is almost 30 Earth days: MOON.  Does the moon rotate on its axis?

17. Bogs: MIRES. 

18. Word with bar or Bell: TACO. 

19. Oodles: A LOT. Notice the space between the 1st oodle and the second oodle, a CSO to Melissa 😁

20. [Theme clue].

23. The Thrashers, on sports crawls: ATL.  The Winnipeg Jets (nés The ATLanta Thrashers) are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, playing its home games at Canada Life Centre.  Here's their old logo:

Atlanta Thrashers

Their logo as of 2011 ...
 

Winnipeg Jets

Advantage CanadianEh!

24. "ur the best": ILY.

25. __ and Herzegovina: BOSNIA.  Bosnia and Herzegovina sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe, in the Balkans, bordering Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to the north and southwest.

27. Cuddling on the bus, e.g.: PDA.  Public Display of Affection.  Often clued: "Get a room!"

28. Silk Sonic musician Anderson .__: .PAAK.  Note .Prefix.  The principals of Silk Sonic are Johnson and his colleague Bruno Mars.  Here's their Leave the Door Open with Bruno on keyboards and Anderson on drums. Both share vocals.  I like their vibe ...
 

30. Fox Sports journalist Hale: JEN.  Jennifer Hale (born February 28, 1978) is an American journalist working for Fox Sports as an NFL sideline reporter where she is currently paired with Chris Myers and Robert Smith. She also covers NBA's New Orleans Pelicans for Bally Sports New Orleans and also covers college football for Fox Sports.

Jennifer Hale

31. [Theme clue].

34. __ the line: TOE.  I wanted TOW for this.  I think both could be used in different contexts.

35. Headed up: LED.

36. Donkey: ASS.  They're stereotyped as ill-tempered and stubborn, but they're actually quite wise ....

37. [Theme clue].

42. Frightened cry: EEK.

43. Figure of interest?: RATE.

44. Private chats, briefly: DMS.  Direct Message Service.  Similar to cell-phone text messaging (TM), but DM uses the Internet rather than cell-towers to relay the messages.

45. Chew out: YELL AT.

47. Unruly head of hair: MOP.  This is as unruly as it gets ...

48. Pleased sigh: AAH.
.
51. [Theme reveal].

55. High-fiber food: BRAN.  My favorite BRAN source ...

56. Goes bad: ROTS.

57. Keypad key: ENTER.

58. Live a nomadic life: ROVE. Here's Ralph Vaughan Williams'  Whither Must I Wander sung by Sir John Shirley-Quirk ...

Lyrics

59. Palo __, California: ALTO.  Today's Spanish lesson: "Tall stick".  Here's why the town is called that.

60. Harriet Tubman portrayer Cynthia: ERIVO.  Cynthia Erivo (/əˈriːvoʊ/; born 8 January 1987) is an English actress and singer. She gained recognition for starring in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple from 2015 to 2017, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Erivo ventured into films in 2018, playing roles in the heist film Widows and the thriller Bad Times at the El Royale. For her portrayal of American abolitionist Harriet Tubman in the biopic Harriet (2019), Erivo received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress; she also wrote and performed the song "Stand Up" on its soundtrack, which garnered her a nomination in the Best Original Song category.  Here's a clip from Harriet ...

61. Matures: AGES.

62. Efficient: LEAN.

63. Iberian infants: NENES.  More Spanish.  The Nene is also the national bird of Hawaii ...

Nenes

Down:

1. St. Petersburg neighbor: TAMPA.  And a neighbor of TAMPA, about 30 miles Northwest of it, is Tarpon Springs.  It's one of the worlds largest suppliers of natural sponges, preferred by potters everywhere.

Natural Sponges
Tarpon Springs, FL.

2. Top celebs: A LIST.

3. Actress Streep: MERYL.  Here's a movie from an A LIST actress I'll never forget ...

4. Corporate VIP: EXEC.

5. Jones of "Parks and Rec": RASHIDA. DNK she was Quincy Jones' daughter.  Here she is pouring out her heart to Conan O'Brien (very funny) ...

6. Skewered Thai dish: SATAY.  Here's a recipe for Thai SATAY chicken.

7. Splashy style: ELAN.

8. __-Cola: COCA.

9. Strip of computer icons: TOOLBAR.  Here's part of my Firefox TOOLBAR ...
 

10. Collect over time: AMASS.

11. "SNL" regular who wrote the memoir "A Very Punchable Face": COLIN JOST.  Colin Kelly Jost (/ˈdʒoʊst/; born June 29, 1982) is an American comedian, writer, and actor. JOST has been a staff writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live since 2005, and co-anchor of Weekend Update since 2014.

Colin Jost

12. Indiana residents: HOOSIERS.

13. Sinus specialist, for short: ENT.  A CSO to Picard for his recent picture of a different kind of ENT

21. Norwegian saint: OLAF.  Olaf II Haraldsson (c. 995 – 29 July 1030), later known as Saint OLAF and Olaf the Holy, was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. He was posthumously given the title Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae (English: Eternal/Perpetual King of Norway) and canonised at Nidaros (Trondheim) by Bishop Grimketel, one year after his death in the Battle of Stiklestad on 29 July 1030.

Saint Olaf
King and Martyr
Feast Day July 29.

And since 'tis the season, here is a medley of Christmas carols performed by the St. Olaf's Choir of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota (and a CSO to C.C.) ...

22. Oxen connector: YOKE.

26. Strong insect: ANT.

27. Company VIP: PREZ.

28. Fragment: PIECE.

29. Outlet letters: ACDC.  Only Alternating Current (AC) comes out of an outlet.  OTOH Direct Current (DC) is supplied by batteries, which in turn supply a lot of crosswordese. 😀

31. Used a paternity benefit, perhaps: TOOK LEAVE.

32. Sharp's counterpart: FLAT.

33. Skillets, woks, etc.: PANS.

34. Eater of 26-Downs on a log?: TREE FROG.  Here's what Tree Frogs eat -- doesn't sound like they'd find Ants on a Log very appetizing ...
 

Ants on a Log

37. Tina of "Mean Girls": FEY.  Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy film directed by Mark Waters, written by Tina Fey, and starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried, Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler and Fey.  Based on a book of advice to parents of teenage girls by Rosalind Wiseman, entitled Queen Bees and Wannabes  ...

 38. Part of Q.E.D.: ERAT.

39. Marketing kin of "organic": NATURAL

40. Smell: ODOR.

41. Countless: UMPTEEN.

46. Freeway divisions: LANES.

47. Stoneworker: MASON.  Among the most advanced masonry in the world are the huge perfectly fitted "polygonal stone walls" of the Incas.  But they weren't the first civilizations who built such structures, as described in this video: Evolution Of Polygonal Masonry | From Ancient Times To The Incas | Quarrying, Tools & Methods.

48. Be part of, as a film: ACT IN.

49. Excedrin alternative: ALEVE.

50. Deli subs: HEROS.  What’s the Difference Between a Hero, Sub, Grinder, and Hoagie?  The biggest one may be where you live.

52. Part to play: ROLE.

53. Jazz great James: ETTA. And here's why ...

Etta James

54. Memo starter: IN RE.

55. Product of Bali: BRA. More crosswordese.

Cheers,
Bill

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

waseeley

And a Happy belated Hanukkah 🕎 and a Merry Christmas ⛪🎄🎅 to all!