google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Winston Emmons

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Showing posts with label Winston Emmons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Winston Emmons. Show all posts

Oct 6, 2021

Wednesday, October 6, 2021 Winston Emmons

Theme:  The unifier captures it perfectly, so let's go with it:  

61. MLB rally killers, briefly, and a hint to what's in the four longest puzzle answers: DPS.  In baseball, a Double Play occurs when the defenders are able to make two OUTS on one hit ball.  This can occur in a variety of ways, but the most common is when a runner on first base is forced out at second, and the batter is also out at first base to complete the play.

 

As we shall soon see, each theme entry also contains two OUTs.

21 A. Ring result: BOUT OUTCOME.  For reasons that are unlikely to appear any time soon, the square stage where a boxing match is fought is call a ring.  This event is called a BOUT.  One boxer usually losses while the other wins.  Occasionally there is a draw.  Either way, that result is the OUTCOME. What sneakily is concealed there is a pair of OUTs.

32 A. Unlicensed rainbow catcher: TROUT OUTLAW.  You need a fishing license to catch fish.  Otherwise you can become this fill.  The clue is a clever misdirect, but the answer is contrived, and you're highly unlikely to ever encounter that phrase again.  

41. Camporee, for instance: SCOUT OUTING. A camporee is a local or regional gathering of Scouting units for a period of camping and common activities. In my Boy Scout years, we always had a two week stint at camp Miakona in the summer.  There were other troops there, but I don't recall a lot of common activities; so I'm not sure if that counts.  Maybe we were on the OUTS with them.  We did do some tent camping, though, throughout the year.  

53. Tap water: SPOUT OUTPUT.  This is self-explanatory, but again contrived - though accurate.  That is where the water comes OUT OUT from.

Hi, Gang, JAzzBumpa here, not OUT somewhere else.  Contrivances aside, I'm rather in awe of this theme, where each two word entry has OUT as the end of the first word and again as the beginning of the second.  And with the playoffs beginning and the end of the season drawing near, a baseball-related theme is welcome.  Watch for many DPs in these games.  And let's see what's ahead in this puzzle.

Across:

1. Composer Bartok: BELA.  [1881-1945]. One of the most prominent 20th century composers.

5. Word with ship or school: YARD.  One for work and the other for play.

9. Restoration locations: SPAS.  Relax and be pampered.

13. Beasts that work in pairs: OXEN.  Yoked bovines.

14. Largely phased-out ersatz fat brand: OLEAN.  The brand name for olestra, an indigestible artificial complex fat.  It was phased out due to unpleasant digestive issues - unpleasant unexpected side effects.   Also the name of a city in New York

16. Org. for fur foes: PETA. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.  An animal rights organization founded in Norfolk, Virginia in1980 and led by Ingrid Newkirk,

17. Envelope-directing abbr.: ATTN.  To the attention of the intended recipient.

18. "Out of Africa" setting: KENYA.  A democratic republic on the east coast of Africa.


 

 19. Starting on: AS OF.

20. Three at the start: TRI-.  A prefix indicating three of something.

23. 1993 coming-of-age baseball film, with "The": SANDLOT. This movie is a hoot.  See it if you get a chance.

 
More baseball

 25. Hen or sow: SHE.   Barnyard females.

26. Really long time: EON.  Of indefinite duration.  Comes into English from Ancient Greek.

27. Surround sound components: SPEAKERS.  Hear here.

36. Floral accessory: LEI.  From the islands

37. Urges: YENS.  I thought about going to Japan, but didn't have the YEN to travel.

38. Backing: PRO-.  In favor of.  A rare backing prefix.

39. Place for a catcher's guard: SHIN.  A bit of baseball gear.

40. Portuguese king: REI.  

45. Former California speedway that was the site of a 1969 rock concert: ALTAMONT.  The event in December, 1969, only a few months after Woodstock, was a violent disaster, with 4 deaths, scores of injuries, and multiple car thefts.

47. Genetics lab material: RNA.  RiboNucleic Acid is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes.

48. Director Jean-__ Godard: LUC. [b 1930] His first film, BREATHLESS, is considered one of the best films ever made.

 

 49. Evening parties: SOIREES.  From The French word for evening.

58. Pre-A.D.: BCE.  Before the Common Era.

59. Injure: HARM. Do damage to.

60. Willow twig: OSIER.  Often used in furniture and basketry.

61. Dire prophecy: DOOM.  Originally, fate.  Now a tragic or unhappy destiny.

62. Nobelist Pavlov: IVAN.  [1848-1936]  a Russian physiologist known primarily for his work in classical conditioning and dog training. 

63. Evans' news partner: NOVAK. Rowland Evans Jr. [1921 – 2001] and Robert David Sanders Novak [1931 – 2009] worked together in newspapers and then television for decades.

64. __ sci: POLI. Political Science is the study of politics and power from domestic, international, and comparative perspectives. It entails understanding political ideas, ideologies, institutions, policies, processes, and behavior, as well as groups, classes, government, diplomacy, law, strategy, and war.

65. Elizabeth of "La Bamba": PENA.   Elizabeth Maria Peña {1959 – 2014] was an American actress, writer and musician. She won the 1996 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female and a Bravo Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film for her role in Lone Star.  

66. Torso muscles, collectively: CORE.

67. Watersports gear: SKIS.

Down:

1. Lakeside rentals: BOATS.  I was thinking cottages - which don't fit - but, OK

2. Additional: EXTRA.  But wait -- there's more!

3. Allowed to enter: LET IN.  Like guests.

4. Cleeves who wrote Shetland Island mysteries: ANN.  [b 1954] She studied English at the University of Sussex but dropped out and then took up various jobs including cook at the Fair Isle bird observatory, auxiliary coastguard, probation officer, library outreach worker and child care officer before winning  the Duncan Lawrie Dagger for her novel Raven Black.  Some people just can't keep a job.  

5. Bed-ins for Peace participant: YOKO ONO.  [b 1933] She is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter and peace activist. She was married to English singer-songwriter John Lennon of the Beatles from 1969 until his murder in 1980. With their performance Bed-Ins for Peace in Amsterdam and Montreal in 1969, Ono and Lennon used their honeymoon at the Hilton Amsterdam as a stage for public protests against the Vietnam War. 

6. Native Alaskan: ALEUT.  I had Inuit.  But, no.  These are the natives of the Aleutian Islands.

7. Monthly expense: RENT.

8. Belafonte classic: DAY-O.  AKA The Banana Boat Song.

 

 9. Lynn portrayer in "Coal Miner's Daughter": SPACEK.  [b 1949] Mary Elizabeth "Sissy" Spacek is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for four British Academy Film Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. Spacek was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011.

 

 10. Mexican money: PESO.   Approximately 20.5 to the U.S. Dollar.

11. Minuscule amount: ATOM.  Tiny particle.

12. Ump's call: SAFE.  Or out.  Hard to tell sometimes.

15. Queasiness: NAUSEA.  Digestive issue.

21. Reputation stain: BLOT.   Often the result of a scandal. 

22. Winter warm spell: THAW.  Winter is coming.

24. __ ex machina: DEUS.  God from a Machine.   A plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly and abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence.   The term was coined from the conventions of ancient Greek theater, where actors who were playing gods were brought onto stage using a machine - either a crane from above or a trap door from below. 

27. Peacock's gait: STRUT.  To walk with a vain, pompous bearing, as with head erect and chest thrown out, as if expecting to impress observers

28. Scheme: PLOT.  A plan made in secret by a group of people to do something, often illegal or harmful.

29. K-12, in brief: EL-HI.  Elementary and high school

30. Bit attachment: REIN. For controlling horses.

31. Do a number, say: SING.   That's one interpretation.

32. Supermodel Banks: TYRA.  Tyra Lynne Banks (b.1973, also known as BanX, is an American television personality, model, businesswoman, producer, actress, and writer. 

33. Line holder: REEL.  Fishing gear

34. Handling the matter: ON IT.  I'll let you kn ow when I'm finished.

35. Familiar with: UP ON.  Or, perhaps, in on.

39. Sirius, e.g.: STAR.  The brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word Σείριος (Seirios, lit. 'glowing' or 'scorching'). The star is designated  Alpha Canis Majoris, with a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46

41. Lewd stuff: SMUT.  Clean mind, clean body -- take your pick.

42. Pupa protector: COCOON.  A silky case spun by the larvae of many insects for protection in the pupal stage.

43. 2020 candidate Beto: O'ROURKE.  Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke [b 1972] is an American politician who represented Texas's 16th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. O'Rourke is best known for his 2018 campaign for U.S. Senate, which he lost to Republican incumbent Ted Cruz.

44. Inch or mile: UNIT.  Of measurement.

46. Wellesley graduate: ALUMNA.  Female graduate.

49. Asparagus piece: SPEAR.  I wanted the less dangerous STALK.

50. Fodder for a Fire, say: E-BOOK.  Fire being an E-reader.  Nice misdirection.

51. Food recall cause: E COLI.  A bacterium that does not belong in your food.

52. Truck stop array: SEMIS.  Plural of a semi-tractor-trailer truck, also known as simply a semi-trailer truck, semi-tractor truck, semi-tractor-trailer or tractor-trailer truck, is the combination of a tractor unit and one semi-trailer or more to carry freight. A semi-trailer attaches to the tractor with a type of hitch called a fifth-wheel.

53. Send using 52-Down: SHIP.  Transport an item from one location to another.

54. Finish, as a road: PAVE. Complete the construction of a roadway, generally with concrete or asphalt.

55. Algerian seaport: ORAN.  A major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population, commercial, industrial, and cultural importance. 

56. Colorado-based sports org.: USOC.  The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee.

57. Digital recorder: TIVO.  Made by a corporation of the same name.

That wraps up another Wednesday.  Hope you made OUT OK.

Till next time, JzB, over and OUT!








Aug 20, 2021

Friday, August 20, 2021 Winston Emmons

The Chairman's still "en vacances," so you're stuck with me for one last Friday. C-Moe promises to be back in two weeks, rested and refreshed. 

Some folks get crabby over cutesy-poo clues. Others have nits over too many proper names. Still others object to too many abbreviations. Well, settle back, today's your day. Zero cutesy clues, only a few proper names (two first, four last, and one manufacturer), and I count only seven abbreviations (I may be proven wrong). Most of what you'll encounter today are straight-forward definitions. Well, it is Friday, so they're not too straight-forward. There's not a lot to complain about here. But I didn't find a lot to like, either. There's nothing too original. The longest non-themers are only eight characters, and there's only two of those. C.C. says that's the nature of this type of layered-up theme. Sorry, Winston, I usually like your offerings, but this one fell flat. Never noticed the theme while solving, and thought perhaps this was one of those rare Friday themeless puzzles. Then I went hunting and found the reveal: 

59. "Enough of the pity party!" ... and what appears four times in this puzzle?: GET OVER IT. Only in the reveal do you "hear" the hard-G sound. 



Across:

1. Hosp. administration: CPR. That which is administered in the hospital. Thought MGR first, then 1D could've been the MAVS. Nope.

4. Show of affection, in Acapulco: BESO. Paul Anka

8. Chuck and others: CUTS. of meat. Bet you were expecting a link to Shirley Ellis' The Name Game.

12. Word that agrees with you: ARE. I am, he is..

13. "The Road to Wealth" author: ORMAN. Suze, who's taken up residence at PBS, it seems. 
 


14. Fireplace collection: ASHES. TOOLS also fit...until it didn't.


16. Cabbage, e.g.: VEGETABLE. Seems too obvious for a Friday. The other day it was MONEY.

18. Get the point: SCORE.



19. Move like a startled chipmunk: SKITTER. Good name for a nervous cat.

20. Extent: DEGREE. There are lotsa synonyms for "extent."

21. Expression of recognition: OHO. Seems more like an expression of "Gotcha!" Dw says her German grandfather, (13D) OTTO, was always called OHO.

22. Maker of Tundra coolers: YETI. The Tundra 45 will set you back a "cool" $300.

25. "Is there more?": AND?. Peggy Lee asked this in the '60s.

26. Grounded: SANE. SSTs came to mind.

28. Engage in some risky evasion: DODGE TAXES. It's downright patriotic to avoid taxes, but it's a felony to evade taxes. What a difference a couple of vowels make.

31. Not seen a lot: SCARCE.

33. Tiny arachnids: MITES.

34. Free: RELEASE. Many have recorded it, but Esther Phillips did it best.

36. Bad way to swear: FALSELY. Is there a good way? I keep practicing but don't seem to be getting any better at it. I've read that Mark Twain was a master.

40. Film director Kurosawa: AKIRA. The first of our first names today. Seven Samurai is rated his best film.


42. Reacted to a blow: REELED. Barfed would also fit, but would probably fail the breakfast test.

43. All-out effort some might call old: COLLEGE TRY. Let's give it the old college try...

47. 1969 MLB upstarts: METS. Why "upstarts?" They started up in '62.

48. Big swinger: APE.

49. Silents star Naldi: NITA. Winston struggled to find a good "IT" word for this spot. Starting under the E, it breaks pattern with the other themers.

50. Original "Peaky Blinders" airer: BBC. With that B from ASSEMBLE, this could've been ABC, NBC, or CBS, but it wasn't.

51. Condition: STATUS.

54. Protected space: SHELTER.

58. Longtime photo lab supplier: KODAK. How the mighty have fallen.

61. "I was wrong. So what": SUE ME.

62. Slovenia neighbor: ITALY. Not the first country I thought of, but they do meet at the north end of the Adriatic Sea.



63. Valuable deposit: ORE.

64. Very French?: TRES. French for short hair -- instead of tress, tres.:)

65. Sometimes least, sometimes not: LAST. And now, last but not least...

66. Super __: NES. Ninetendo Entertainment System, complete with 16-bit operating system.

Down:

1. Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse NBAers: CAVS. Thank you, perps.

2. Level for 4-yr-olds: PRE-K. At least it's not the dreaded ELHI.

3. Local tournament: REGIONAL. That doesn't sound all that "local" to me.

4. Highland hillside: BRAE. Gimme for d-o. Before moving up to redneck land, we lived on BRAEwick Dr.

5. Early life stage: EMBRYO. Very early.

6. Cantina condiment: SAL. Lucina got this one immediately -- Spanish for salt.

7. Eight bits bill: ONE. I was thinking computers, not that there are eight bits to a dollar. For those of you under 60, a quarter is two bits. Remember "Shave and a haircut, two bits?"



8. Good argument: CASE. Good lawyers make their CASE, case you didn't get that reference.

9. Mil. branch: USCG. Let's see hands for those of you who tried USMC first.

10. Chest: THORAX. Technically, the part of the vertebrate body between the neck and the abdomen. Now isn't that esoteric?

11. Chill: SERENE. In this case, "Chill" is an adjective: She looked just like Joey Potter … Really young and super chill. — Emma Pearse

13. Enzo's eight: OTTO. Italian eight, and dw's grandfather, and an SO to moi.

15. Bed starters: SEEDS. Oh, that kind of bed.

17. Otherworldly: ETHEREAL.

20. Like many supplements: DIETARY.

23. Gretzky's original NHL team: EDM. I'm guessin' that means Edmonton. Stopped at the airport there many years ago on my way to Ft. McMurray.

24. Weary worker's sigh: TGIF. Why "weary?" Why not happy?

26. Lith., once: SSR. Lithuania was once a Soviet Socialist Republic.

27. It has a big heart: ACE. Suits me. No need to take a spade and club me over the head.



28. Self-serving intent: DESIGNS. Is that why the TV show was called Designing Women?

 

29. Distant prefix: TELE.Telegraph, telephone, telescope.

30. Gather: ASSEMBLE.

32. Candle holder: CAKE. Only on birthdays.

35. "I'll speak a prophecy __ go": "King Lear": ERE I. When there's nae Shakespeare quote there's nae crossword. The fool makes the prophecy in Act 3, Scene 2.

37. Basic particle: ELECTRON. Also proton and neutron -- beyond that they become even more basic.

38. Word with fly or go: LET.

39. NFL stats: YDS. Yards.

41. ABA member: ATT. Attorney of the American Bar Association. I've never seen the ATT abbreviation outside of cw's.

43. Wine holders: CASKS. The Limeliters: 

"Have some madeira, m'dear, 

I have a small cask of it here. 

And once it's been opened, 

well, you know it won't keep. 

Do finish it up. 

It will help you to sleep." [Evil chuckle]

 


44. Skip it: OPT OUT. Amy on TBBT as an OP Tout

45. Chief: LEADER.

46. Dreadlocks wearers: RASTAS. Can't be all bad. They believe that marijuana is a sacrament.

50. Quail gathering: BEVY.When does a covey become a bevy? Or is it the other way round?

52. Not threatening: TAME



53. Luau strings: UKES.In my ute I was shocked to learn that my MouseGetar was really a ukulele. 


55. Gothic romance novelist Victoria: HOLT. Just one of many literary aliases of Eleanor Alice Hibbert.

56. Word on Irish stamps: EIRE.

57. GPS recommendations: RTES.

59. Jazz pianist Evans: GIL.The second of our first names.

60. Due-in hr.: ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival.

I'm looking forward to hearing what you thought about this one.  Desper-otto out.

 



Jul 27, 2021

Tuesday, July 27, 2021 Winston Emmons

Shall We Dance?  The last word of each theme answer is a type of dance.

21-Across. *   Site of an annual ball drop: TIMES SQUARE.  Square Dance.  Hi, Yellowrocks!

38-Across. *   Comedic climax: GAG LINE.  Line Dance.

53-Across. *     Ray Kinsella in "Field of Dreams," e.g.: BASEBALL FAN.  Fan Dance.  Sally Rand (née Helen Gould Beck; Apr. 3, 1904 ~ Aug. 31, 1979) was a famous (infamous?) American fan dancer.

3-Down. *     Keg buy in a pub: BEER ON TAP.  Tap Dance.

And the unifier:

34-Down. Wedding reception finale, and a feature of the answers to starred clues: LAST DANCE.


Across:
1. Eva of "Green Acres": GABOR.  Eva Gabor (née Éva Gábor; Feb. 11, 1919 ~ July 4, 1995) was the youngest of the Gabor sisters.  Eva was an actress and socialite, but was probably best known for her role as Lisa Douglas on Green Acres.


6. Smart guy?: ALEC.


10. Mosque leader: IMAM.

14. L.A.'s Staples Center, e.g.: ARENA.


15. "The lady __ protest too much, methinks": "Hamlet": DOTH.  Hamlet, Act III, Scene II.  Hi, OMK!

16. Zilch: NADA.

17. Frozen rain: SLEET.

18. "The African Queen" co-screenwriter James: AGEE.  James Agee (né James Rufus Agee; Nove. 27, 1909 ~ May 16, 1955) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  Sadly, he died of a heart attack at age 45.

19. Fairly brisk gait: TROT.

20. ESP neighbor, to the IOC: POR.  An appropriate, but obscure clue, since the Olympic Games are being played this week.  The IOC is the International Olymoics Committee and is based in Switzerland.  The official language of the IOC is French.  Therefore, ESP is the French abbreviation for Espagne (Spain) and it neighbor is POR (le Portugal).


24. Acrylic fiber: ORLON.

26. Bach composition: SUITE.  Bach's Cello Suite # 1 as played by Yo-Yo Ma (b. Oct. 7, 1995).


27. Was understood, finally: SANK IN.

If the Titanic sank today.

29. Halley observation: COMET.  The next time Halley's Comet will be seen is 40 years from tomorrow (July 28, 2061).  Sadly, I will probably not be around to see it.  Hubby saw the last time it passed by, which was a few months before we were married in 1986.

31. Bernie's songwriting partner: ELTON.  That's Sir Elton John (né Reginald Kenneth Dwight; b. Mar. 25, 1947) and Bernie Taupin (né Bernard John Taupin; b. May 22, 1950).


32. Hawaii state bird: NENE.  This used to be a crossword staple when I began doing the puzzles in the 1980s.

33. Poetry competition: SLAM.

37. Flight tracker info: ETA.  A crossword staple.  Estimated Time of Arrival.

41. In the style of: À LA.  Today's French lesson.

42. Unkempt dos: MOPS.  //  And 47-Across: Lock on one's head: TRESS.


44. Electrical unit: VOLT.

45. Polite refusal: NO SIR.

49. "To clarify ... ": THAT IS.

50. Less prevalent: RARER.

52. Oscar, for one: AWARD.  Anthony Hopkins won one for his role as Hannibal Lector.


56. Quarterback's asset: ARM.

Joe Burrow

59. Como una mujer con mucho dinero: RICA.  Hi, Lucina!  If I win the Louisiana vaccination lottery, I will be Rica.

60. Best ever, initially: GOAT.  The Jeopardy! GOAT.


61. Paddled boat: CANOE.  //  And 46-Down. Item for a dinghy: OAR.

63. Haphazard way to run: AMOK.



64. Salinger title girl who says, "I'm extremely interested in squalor": ESMÉ.  The full name of the book is For Esmé—with Love and Squalor.  It is actually a short story in the book that contains several other short stories by Salinger.


65. Florida theme park: EPCOT.  EPCOT: the Experimental Prototype Community OTomorrow.

66. Things of little consequence: NITS.

67. Kevin Costner in "Field of Dreams," e.g.: STAR.  This movie was released over 30 years ago!



68. Judges: DEEMS.

Down:
1. Shocked sound: GASP.

2. Folksy Guthrie: ARLO.  Arlo Davy Guthrie (b. July 10, 1947) is the son of folk singer, Woodie Guthrie (né Woodrow Wilson Guthrie; July 14, 1912 ~ Oct. 3, 1967).


4. Half a pair: ONE.


5. Not good under-the-hood sound: RATTLING.

6. Rhett's last words: A DAMN.  A reference to Gone with the Wind.



7. Theater tier: LOGE.  Everything you wanted to know about a Loge, but didn't know to ask.

8. Sorbonne summers: ÉTÉS.  More of today's French lesson.  The Sorbonne is a public research university in Paris, France.
 
9. Knights or rooks: CHESS MEN.


10. Somehow knows: INTUITS.

11. French Revolution radical: MARAT.  Jean-Paul Marat (May 24, 1743 ~ July 13, 1793) was a French political theorist, physician and scientist.  He had a skin disease, so spent much time soaking in his bath.  While in the bath, he would often allow colleagues and other to come to speak with him.  Thus, in July 1793, Charlotte Corday (née Marie-Anne Charlotte de Corday d'Armont; July 27, 1768 ~ July 17, 1793) entered the bath and stabbed him to death.  She was beheaded 3 days later.  Marat is probably best known today because of Jacques-Louis David's painting, The Death of Marat.


12. Love to pieces: ADORE.

13. Deckhand: MATE.


22. Charged particle: ION.  A crossword staple.



23. Montreal's prov.: QUE.  Hi, CanadianEh!


25. Old MGM rival: RKO.


27. Apparently are: SEEM.

28. Kind of sax: ALTO.  The come in all sizes.  The saxaphone is a relatively new instrument.  It was invented in the 1840s.


29. Phones in pockets or purses: CELLS.


30. Working the case: ON IT.

32. Oxfam and CARE, for two: NGOs.  As in Non-Governmental Organizations.

35. Et __: and others: ALII.  Today's Latin lesson.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

36. Damages: MARS.


39. Batting stats: AVERAGES.

40. Improved in value: ENHANCED.

43. Barely runs?: STREAKS.  Clever clue!

48. Civil War soldier: REB.  As in a Rebel.

49. Pan Am rival: TWA.  My first plane flight was on a TWA plane.  I was just a kid and at the time the airlines gave out wings and other trinkets to children.  I still have the little TWA bag.  I think it was filled with candy.


50. "Spider-Man" trilogy director Sam: RAIMI.  I haven't seen any of the Spider-Man movies.

Samuel M. Raimi (b. Oct. 23, 1959)

51. Fancy neckwear: ASCOT.


52. Subsequent to: AFTER.

53. Source of fiber: BRAN.



54. 121-episode TV drama set on a mysterious island: LOST.


55. Tibetan honorific: LAMA.

The current and 14th Dalai Lama


57. Space: ROOM.

58. Citi Field team: METS.


62. Bonobo, for one: APE.


Here's the Grid:



חתולה






May 31, 2021

Monday May 31, 2021 Winston Emmons

Theme: HRS (58. Personnel depts., and what the personnel in 20-, 31-, 40- and 50-Across have in common) - Each theme answer is a person with a HR initial.

20. "The Carpetbaggers" author: HAROLD ROBBINS.

31. Auto industry partner of Charles Rolls: HENRY ROYCE.

40. "I Am Woman" singer: HELEN REDDY.

50. She married Bill in 1975 but didn't start using his last name until his 1982 Arkansas gubernatorial campaign: HILLARY RODHAM.

Boomer here again. Happy to wish everyone a safe and pleasant Memorial Day as we remember those who are no longer with us.

I hope you all hit a HOME RUN and solved this puzzle.  This past week C.C. and I met up with with two famous constructors, Andrea Carla Michaels and Tom Pepper. We took a HARRIET ROUTE around Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. I think it is about a three mile trek.  I got about one mile around and Tom was gracious enough to accompany me back to the starting point since I am an old man that doesn't move too well.  C.C. and Andrea finished the loop around the lake.  A great way to spend a sunny Wednesday in Minnesota.    

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwHqEKNsIEFpjSEHiD295uVxJbApPPKUeORvsG3Mw3lsCeudIk37Rrof9UbDIZEo2f4wljMW3gM0BzSGcWtbJDmwAYAmr7CARfRALcphjfXCB0vIQ_qRPXc7yp3QyHpbEH4A12IpwLy0/s640/IMG_9760.jpg
Boomer, C.C., Tom and Andrea, 5/26/2021

 Across:

1. Shock: STUN.  I do not own a STUN gun but I think it's now called a Taser. 

5. Eyelid hair: LASH.

9. Run through a reader, as a debit card: SWIPE.  An improvement to the old days when you needed to present the card and the merchant ran it through a machine with a triple sheet receipt.

14. Mama's mate: PAPA.

15. Tooth trouble: ACHE.  I don't have that trouble anymore.  Just take my teeth out at night.

16. Printer powder: TONER.

17. Tiny picnic invaders: ANTS.  No problem, they won't eat much.



18. Drink in a stein: BEER.  "Beer, Beer, Beer said the privates, happy men are we.  There's none so fair as can compare with the fighting infantry. "

19. Side-by-side fridge pioneer: AMANA.  A small town east of Des Moines, famous for refrigerators.

23. Ending for hero or serpent: INE. Heroine. Serpentine.

25. 60 minuti: ORA.

26. "If looks could kill" look: GLARE. "Stop talking about my Mother!"

27. Form a close bond (with): LIAISE.

29. Insertion mark: CARET.


33. Operated: RAN.

36. Drama divisions: ACTS. I was in all of the ACTS of Noye's Fludde.

37. TiVo ancestor: VCR.  Video Cassette Recorder.  Almost as obsolete as me.

38. Latin god: DEUS.  Eight plus four years of Catholic school, I remember this.

39. Originally named: NEE.

43. Fern-to-be: SPORE.

45. Smoothly take one's place: EASE IN.  After my vaccination shots, my bowling team allowed me to EASE IN to the line up.

46. Chicago Eight defendant Bobby: SEALE.

48. "__ making a list ... ": HE'S.  "Checking it twice"

49. Series-ending abbr.: ETC.  This is an abbreviation of some of that Latin I learned.

54. In the end, in the Louvre: EN FIN. Not sure about the Louvre.  I only know Fin Is "Ice T".


55. Lunch or dinner: MEAL.

56. Second Hebrew letter: BETH.

59. "Down East" state: MAINE.  Silly me, I always thought MAINE was "Up East".

60. Give a darn: CARE.

61. "It's really cold!": BRRR.  Very famous consonant word in Minnesota.  For example, last Friday our temperature started around 40 F and maybe got to a high of 52 F.  Plus it rained all day but weather forecasters hinted that we might see snow?! 

62. Longed (for): PINED.

63. Tacks on: ADDS.

64. Garage sale caveat: AS IS.  We try to have a garage sale every year.  I unload baseball cards and we also try to peddle some things that we bought at other garage sales a few years ago.  But we never sell our garage.

Down:

1. Hot tub with a whirlpool: SPA.

2. Beige relative: TAN.  I've heard of Sunburn and Suntan.  Never heard of a Sunbeige.

3. Put more at stake: UP THE ANTE.  I like Craps at Las Vegas.  There is no ANTE.  Just bet what you can afford to lose.

4. Hubble-operating org.: NASA.

5. Unskilled worker: LABORER.  A LABORER Yes, A Crossword Blogger, Yes too.

6. Amtrak express: ACELA.

7. Place for a mower: SHED.  If you have one.  When I had a mower, I always kept it in the garage.

8. Frau's partner: HERR.  Retired 2nd Baseman of the St. Louis Cardinals.  By the way, have you seen the blue sign on the outfield fence of Busch Stadium.  About 20 feet left of center.



9. Horse home: STABLE.

10. Burrowing marsupial: WOMBAT.



11. "... bombs bursting __": IN AIR.  "Gave truth through the night, that our flag was still there".

12. Pasta tubes: PENNE.

13. Hurlers' stats: ERAS.  Earned Run Average.  Our Twins staff 's ERAs are pretty high this year.

21. Upbeat type of outlook: ROSY.  "Things look swell, Things look great, Gonna have the whole world on a plate."

22. Folklore fiend: OGRE.

23. Congresswoman __ Omar: ILHAN.  She is from Minnesota's 5th District.  C.C. and I live in the 3rd.  Congresswoman ILHAN was a bit controversial over the last four years.

24. Nephew's sister: NIECE.

28. Form 1099 agcy.: IRS.  Yeah, we did our thing in February.  How many waited until the revised date of May 15?  You may have lucked out because the IRS was overwhelmed.

29. Use the bike lane: CYCLE. 57. 29-Down prefix: TRI.  Lake Harriet has a bike lane and a path for walking so we did not get run over.

30. Land measure: ACRE.

32. Done: OVER.  Not quite yet.  Hang on.

33. Coupon users, e.g.: REDEEMERS.  We use coupons occasionally, but only from the stores that we already frequent.

34. Books review: AUDIT.

35. "Bye Bye Bye" band: NSYNC.



38. __ Moines: DES.  I visited the Graybar there as part of my job before I retired.

40. Garden worker: HOER.  Careful how you pronounce this.

41. Pine droppings: NEEDLES.  NEEDLES and Pins (UH), Smokie.

42. Impulsive: RASH.  Of course I have to mention PBA Player Sean RASH who bowled 2 of his 30 300 games on television.


43. Hospital solution: SALINE.

44. Smoothed wood: PLANED.  Is PLANE travel safe again ??

46. Mount in Exodus: SINAI.

47. Like Santa's helpers: ELFIN.

48. Cache: HOARD.  Yes, I have a HOARD of Baseball Cards.

50. Rope fiber: HEMP.

51. Village People megahit: YMCA.   I never caught on to the body contortions.

52. Enjoy one's Kindle: READ.

53. "Waterloo" group: ABBA.