Friday, Oct 23rd, 2026 ~ Winston Emmons

UNDERSTAND A BLEAT

🙄

This is Winston's LA Times puzzle #15, and the first one I've had to blog - Chairman Moe had ths last one, here, back in April 2024.  This one kinda fizzled on me; even owning up to a single cell mistake, I found the construction & theme to be bland - in fact, 30D. is not even a unique crossword answer.  The rest of the fill contained little to make me go "RAH~!"; YMMV, but again, I think the editor is more to blame on this one - and not the first time I felt that way this week.  Standard grid, no circles, no outlier letters, far too many proper nouns ( names ) & "foreign"clues, and the same count of 3LW to 5LWs.  The Across themers and Down reveal:

18. Gospel music?: PRAISE BEAT - "Praise Be" being the base phrase; the addition of the "A T" does not really result in a 'punny' or 'alternate' themer, IMHO

The Yellow & Black attack of

Christian rockers Stryper, "To Hell with 9A."

30. Really, really sticky situation?: HONEY COMBAT - Honeycomb, a better redefining themer

46. Brag obnoxiously after winning a swabbing contest?: MOP AND GLOAT - Mop & Glo, the floor cleaning product

That'll work . . .

59. Generous Volkswagen promotion?: FREE PASSAT - Free Pass - I have a "free" VW Jetta in my backyard if you'll give me $1500 to get rid of it . . . 😜

48. "Finally!," or what can be found in 18-, 30-, 46-, and 59-Across: AT LAST - The theme answers all end with the additional letters A & T, or "at, last".  I see Mr. Emmons was able to slide "ETTA" into the grid as well "@" 31D.

But@ Wait@ There's@ More@~!

ACROSS:

1. "Ring out the thousand __ of old": Tennyson: WARS - no clue, tough way to start a puzzle - the poem

5. Hat holders: PEGS

9. Figure in a Faustian bargain: SATAN - A.K.A. Lucifer, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles

14. Name on a former lake in Central Asia: ARAL - Geo name #1, even if it's a crossword staple

15. Sandwich title: EARL - the Earl of Sandwich, credited with the "invention" of the meat-between-bread fare that now bears his name . . . and name(ish)

Wiki backs it up

16. __ keyboard: EMOJI - I do the Downs first, had E - - - I, so I got it, but didn't really "get it"

All I can say is 😝 or maybe 😖

17. Hayworth of "The Strawberry Blonde": RITA - name #2

20. Slogans: MOTTOS - If Nike came out with crossword apparel, the slogan would be "Just Clue It" 🙄

22. Ring topper: STONE

23. Screening org.: TSA - Transportation Security Administration

24. Chart-topper: HIT

26. High cloud: CIRRUS - made my "TRES" at 28D. wrong

34. Fiver: ABE - seen this before in crosswords; money, not moniker, but still, name (ish)

Hey, that's not Abe . . .

35. Uncomfortably honest: TOO REAL

36. Pulitzer winner James: AGEE - Popular in crosswords, still name #3

37. African language family: BANTU - "foreign" fill, first of many . . .

40. __ Atleos: big name in ATMs: NCR - Dah~!  Didn't get my "ta-DA~!", could not find my mistake - I had ECR, yet I am familiar with this company, as they made cash registers, initially - in fact that's what "N C R" stands for - National Cash Register - the history

41. Oscar, but not Big Bird: AWARD - two Muppets, one trophy - very clever clue / answer

42. Vicinity: AREA

43. Tenor Pavarotti: LUCIANO - Italian, name #4

45. Molecule in some vaccines: RNA

50. Gymnast Olga with four Olympic gold medals: KORBUT - Belarusian, name #5

52. 128 oz.: GALLon

53. Colorado Plateau Native: UTE - Indigenous, name (ish)

54. Model/actress Kate: UPTON - American Michigander, name #6

That's hubby Justin Verlander, retired WS-winning baseball pitcher

57. Mortar's partner: PESTLE

63. Panache: ÉLAN - Frawnche

64. Mexican meat: CARNE - Español

65. Period after Shrove Tuesday: LENT - Christian 😉

66. Toy (with): MESS

67. Break the rules: CHEAT - not a themer, as in Che AT . . .🙄

68. Eight, in combinations: OCTO

69. Minuscule: ITTY - AND - 49D. Minuscule: TEENSY - straight clecho

DOWN:

1. Affection: WARMTH - another great single-syllable fill

2. Oratorio solo: ARIOSO - Italian, and a Sunday dupe

3. Material for some patio furniture: RATTAN - South Asian, another Sunday dupe

4. Board on some patio furniture: SLAT - Not a "sl AT" themer, either . . . 🙄

5. Gatorade owner: PEPSICO - Twice (25D.) this month that a "Pepsi" phrase has made the crossword

6. Orecchiette shape: EAR - Italian again, for "little ears" - nailed it, but knew it from doing crosswords

7. Foie __: GRAS - Frawnche again, heard of it, never actually knew it translates as "fatty liver"

The image's connected website

8. Buttonhole, e.g.: SLIT - SLAT & SLIT in the same grid

9. Veto on movie night: "SEEN IT."

10. Cautionary color: AMBER

11. Spot for a metti: TOE - South Asian Indian, learning moment - the Wiki

12. Two-time WNBA Finals MVP Wilson: A'JA - name #7, coulda been clued as a Steely Dan album

13. Picky criticism: NIT - I had a fair number of  name "nits" in this grid today

19. Golden St. region: SoCal - Southern California - I am East coast, so this did not come readily to mind, but this song did after it filled in - I'd heard it growing up, but would've never guessed the artist

Albert Hammond

21. "Silly goose!": "OH YOU~!" - Oh, Twurd~!

25. Distraught: TORN UP - Dah~!  I simply did not see the option of the past tense version of this phrase, and I blanked on the crossing ECR not being correct - I'll take the one-cell hit on this one . . .

27. Sitar piece: RAGA - Asian Indian - You don't want to go raga . . . 

28. Very, informally: ÜBER - German - Dah~!  I tried TRES

29. Pomegranate bit: SEED

31. "__ Is Betta Than Evvah!": 1976 album: ETTA - an Easter Egg.  Etta James, crossword staple, and the singer associated with the muscial number that my future ex-wife chose for our wedding herself.  It's certainly a "numb-er" for me - thus, I am not a fan of the "theme"; I wanted "Leather & Lace" which was 'dismissed', but my brother snuck it in during his best man speech.   Name #8

32. Home of the Kaaba: MECCA - Arabic, Kaaba = 'cube', geo name #9

33. Revealing to all: BARING

36. Missing GI: AWOL - Absent WithOut Leave

37. Flavorful part of a cinnamon tree: BARK

38. View from the Uffizi: ARNO - No clue this was an art gallery; Italian again, geo name #10

Bottom center

39. Proximate: NEAR

41. Measurement given in degrees: ANGLE

43. Led Zeppelin's "Whole __ Love": LOTTA - Whole lotta yes, please~!  

Here's a cool story from Rick Beato's YouTube channel

about the recording of the track

44. Fit in with: ADAPT TO - Yeah, but Meh~?

46. Sesame Street denizen: MUPPET - see 41A

47. Current source: OUTLET

51. Lake __ Vista, Florida: BUENA - Español again, geo name #11

55. Capital west of Stockholm: OSLO - attempted obscurity, still got it, still Scandinavian, geo name #12

56. Fraction of a min.: NSEC - SEC was too short, filled it in and waited on perps

58. Big rig: SEMI

59. TV monitor: FCC - I almost went with CRT, but this is the "overseer" kind of monitor

60. Cheer syllable: "RAH~!" - I'm going with "MEH."

61. Poetic preposition: ERE

62. Pantry pest: ANT - we had ANT MAN on Tuesday

Splynter

Grid Flow 32.7

Friday April 26, 2024, Winston Emmons

 Theme: Mumbo Jumbo Idiom Jumble

Puzzling thoughts:

Today's idiomatic/anagram puzzle is presented by none other than Winston Emmons, no stranger to the LA Times crossword puzzles.  Winston uses 5 "theme" entries.  Each answer to these entries is an unscrambled word/phrase that comes as a result of answering the second part of the clue (as well as the first part)

Wait just a darn second, Moe.  That doesn't make any sense!  Well, you're right; it doesn't.  But if you carefully rearrange the letters in the theme answers, you can achieve both halves of the clue's meaning

Please look again at the cartoon above.  The carolers are singing "Listen Thing", which is an anagram for "Silent Night" (re-arrange the letters).  And while there is no clue associated with the cartoon, all we need to do is use that bit of logic to understand what's going on in each clue and answer:

15-across. Cleanliness is next to ... a minimalist approach?: DOING LESS.  

The obvious answer to the first part of the clue is "GODLINESS".  It was so obvious to me that I typed it into the white squares.  The phrase: "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" is a proverb that implies that practicing cleanliness is akin to worshipping or performing religious obligations

The obvious answer to the second part of the clue, "a minimalist approach", is DOING LESS.  I never thought of "doing less" as being a form of "Godliness", but when you rearrange the letters in doing less you can spell the word Godliness, and now we have answered both parts of the clue correctly

19-across. Going to hell in a ... damaged armored vehicle?: BASHED TANK.  

The phrase "Going to hell in a "HAND BASKET" is well-known idiomatic phrase that means "to be rapidly deteriorating - on course for disaster;" 

a BASHED TANK is indeed a damaged armored vehicle, but the phrase "bashed tank" is not one we often use ... but rearranging bashed tank also gives us handbasket

34-across. Don't throw the baby out with the ... decorative Halloween ring?: BAT WREATH.  

"Don't throw the baby out with the "BATHWATER" is an idiomatic expression for an avoidable error in which something good or of value is eliminated when trying to get rid of something unwanted. A slightly different explanation suggests this flexible catchphrase has to do with discarding the essential while retaining the superfluous because of excessive zeal."[wikipedia] 

Not this, I hope ...

 

 A BAT WREATH is not the most popular Halloween "ring", but I did find an image:

And as you might suspect by now, a quick rearrangement of bat wreath = bath water

50-across. The only thing we have to fear is ... feeling better quickly?: FAST RELIEF.  

The first half of the clue cites FDR's speech (featured below) with the iconic idiomatic phrase: "The only thing we have to fear is FEAR ITSELF."  

The second half of the clue (feeling better quickly) yields FAST RELIEF.  And if you really want "fast relief" you might want to take Brioschi 

Once again, the rearranging of fast relief = fear itself

And last, but not least, we have: 56-across. Famous ... weapon that would dissolve in water?: SALT SWORD.  

Unscramble SALT SWORD and you get (famous ...) "LAST WORDS".  

This is the only thing I could find for Salt Sword.  I am guessing it is a reference to Salt and Sanctuary (unfamiliar, to me), but I suppose that, literally, a salt sword could dissolve in water.  But it's a stretch, and of course, YMMV

Certainly, this was a very interesting puzzle and theme.  As always, your comments below will let us know how you liked or disliked this puzzle.  I floundered with it for over 20 minutes, but once I "got it" it made sense

BTW, this is a puzzle that is **admiral toe** for those who enjoy solving the daily Jumble™.  If only Old Man Keith was still alive he would have been smiling **area rote** 😁, as he was extremely fond of finding the diagonal anagrams of the daily puzzle

Here is the grid, and then "To depart ... or what might come with a bundle of shingles? **ROOF FACT SHEET** (let's see how many of you get this - as well as the other two anagrams I used in the intro!!)

 

Across:
1. Ointment amount: DAB. How many of you recall this old jingle?

4. PIN point: ATM.  Sometimes clues can get too cutesy.  But I get it ... an ATM is a "point" for where a PIN is entered ... meh

7. Prone to micromanage, perhaps: BOSSY.  Don't have a "cow" over this one!

 

12. Napping racer of fable: HARE.  The tortoise and the HARE

13. "Vive le __!": ROI.  "Long live the king!" [Frawnche]

14. Gas brand with a torch logo: AMOCO.  Shouldn't the clue have been: "Erstwhile gas brand with a torch logo?"  Didn't BP take over AMOCO?

17. More vast: WIDER.  A little contemporary music to soothe and relax the soul ... 

18. Muppet who had a meltdown over a rock named Rocco: ELMO.  

Elmo vs Rocco

21. Nabisco wafer cookies: NILLA'S.  Good old Vanilla Wafer cookies ... 

Here is a recipe for NILLA's in banana pudding

23. Like some receptions: ICY.

Speaking of an ICY reception ...

24. Architect who designed air traffic control towers for the FAA in the 1960s: PEI.  The only three-letter architect that I know of

25. Squalid: SEEDY.  

Might you call this, squalid squash?

26. As much as: UP TO.  

What Merrium-Webster says

28. Angry: SORE.

29. Make a typo, say: ERR.

30. Genesis twin: ESAU.

32. Like an old mattress, maybe: LUMPY.  Or maybe like this character from Leave it to Beaver:

36. Bart in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: STARR. 

38. Mongolian desert: GOBI.  [Brittanica dot com]:

• The Gobi Desert is a great desert and semidesert region of Central Asia that stretches across large parts of Mongolia and China.
• Much of the Gobi is not sandy desert but bare rock.
• The Gobi is the 5th largest desert in the world, covering over half a million square miles.
• The Gobi’s fauna is varied and includes camels, kulan, and dzeren.
• The Gobi’s Yol Valley houses an ice field, even during summer.
• Ancient tales in Mongolia speak of lost cities buried beneath Gobi’s sands.
• The Gobi’s Taklamakan area is often called the “Place of No Return” due to its harsh conditions.
• The Gobi is surrounded by the Altai Mountains and the grasslands of Mongolia.
• The Himalayas block weather and starves the desert of rainfall from the South.

39. Altar constellation: ARA.  I know of the erstwhile Notre Dame football coach (ARA Parseghian) but not the constellation.  And further down the grid we had a similar sounding clue with a much different meaning (59-across. Alter __): EGO.

42. Arts and crafts bit: BEAD.  

Was Manhattan really sold for $24 worth of BEADs and trinkets?

43. Not covered: OPEN.  

Covered vs "OPEN"

45. Solitary sort: LONER.

47. Urgent care ctrs.: ERS.

48. MIT's domain: EDU.  [Oxford English Dictionary 3rd definition of domain]: 

• computing
  a distinct subset of the internet with addresses sharing a common suffix or under the control of a particular organization or individual

49. Grammatical gender: NEUTER.  As someone who studied German in HS and briefly in college, I became all to familiar with the grammatical "genders" ... In der deutschen Grammatik ist das Wort für Neutrum "das"

54. Pad __: THAI. Moe-ku:

Bangkok's Apple Stores
Pair street food with Tablets. Serve
Pad THAI with i-Pads

55. Monteverdi work: OPERA. [Britannica dot com lists these] "Notable Works: “L’Arianna”, “La favola d’Orfeo”, “Licoris Who Feigned Madness”, “Madrigals of War and Love”, “Movete al mio bel suon”, and “The Combat of Tancredi and Clorinda”

58. Some Redfin transactions: RELO'S.  

Find your RELO for sale here:

60. Ont. neighbor: MINN.  Four-letter state abbreviations went by the wayside when the USPS decided to further abbreviate them to two-letter ones ... MINN became MN because MICH laid claim to MI

61. L'Oréal polish brand: ESSIE.  Thank you, perps.  Maybe our resident mani-pediites can chime in on this not-so-famous-to-me brand ...

62. Icarus, to Daedalus: SON.  

63. Muddy pen: STY.

Down:
1. German auto pioneer: DAIMLER. 

DAIMLER story

2. "Baked the Right Way" bread brand: ARNOLD.  Also, the name of the pig on "Green Acres":

3. Beseech: BEG.  Applying this loftier clue word to an old phrase I came to know all too well:

"Tis better to beseech for forgiveness than to ask for permission ..."

4. Turf: AREA.  

Slang definition for "turf"

5. Throw: TOSS.  There is a certain skill involved in this relatively new game:

6. Out-of-bounds golf shot, e.g.: MISHIT.  TTP, HG, and any other golfers ... care to share one of your MISHITs that might have turned out to be positive?  

7. Ribald: BAWDY. Moe-ku #2:

A spotted horse was
Quite BAWDY with the fillies.
A ribald piebald??

8. Skip over: OMIT.

9. Diner drink: SODA POP. ICE CREAM SODA wouldn't fit; nor COFFEE.  ICED TEA did.  Anyone try that first?

10. Tourist's diversion: SCENERY. Perhaps Picard can provide us with some SCENERY that caused a diversion for him?

11. Long-haired terrier, familiarly: YORKIE.  My first thought - after viewing a few images of a YORKIE - was, "is Toto (the dog from Wizard of Oz) a Yorkshire Terrier??  [hepper dot com says]

"Toto’s breed is never mentioned in the books, and many scholars insist that he was supposed to be a mutt. He’s described as having long, silky hair — just like a Yorkie. One other thing worth noting is the fact that the book’s illustrator, W.W. Denslow, was the proud owner of a Yorkshire Terrier"

So now you know

12. More sacred: HOLIER.

15. Thick: DENSE.

16. Birth announcement abbr.: LBS.  Is there any proof that babies who are born weighing 7 lbs 11 ozs turn out to be great craps players??

20. Clean water company: ECOLAB.  

ECOLAB

22. Per annum: A YEAR.  This word seemed a bit "forced" to me - nitpick 

26. Detroit labor org.: UAW.  

Tennessee VW plant's workers join UAW

27. Rid (of): PURGE.  Something I do every time I move (which happened over 7 times the last 14 years), and yet I still have a lot of "stuff".  And another similar clue: (48-down. Get rid of): ERASE.

28. Texter's "How disappointing": SMH. 🤦

31. Went boldly: STRODE.  

33. Practical: UTILE. Or, the clue could've been "Scrabble™ square worth 1 point": U-TILE

34. Base: BAD. It is better to show an antonym for "base" to know how this adjective can mean "BAD":

35. Proterozoic, e.g.: EON.  [Britannica dot com says]: "Proterozoic eon, the younger of the two divisions of precambrian time, the older being the archean eon. The proterozoic eon extended from 2.5 billion to 541 million years ago"

36. Colorful shawls: SERAPES.  As seen on ETSY:

37. Mortarboard attachments: TASSELS.  I somehow recall that a TASSEL on a mortarboard is in one position before graduation and another position afterward 

39. Ramos of "In the Heights": ANTHONY.  

He is just a kid ...

40. Gain again: RE-EARN.  As in someone's confidence, perhaps

41. Secret alternative: ARRID.  does TRYST also fit??! 😉 In this clue's case, it was referring to a woman's deodorant/anti-perspirant brand called "Secret".  But if you didn't get this one, don't sweat it ...

42. One side of a comparison ad: BEFORE.  Clever; the old before and after comparison ... the image below is of one that always seemed to be on the back cover of comic book magazines, back in the day:

My inspiration for getting a set of barbells

44. Signs of life: PULSES.  I just checked mine ... yep, still alive ... 69 bpm @ resting rate

46. Dupe: OUTWIT.  

One of the three basic strategies in this "game"


49. Asset on a blockchain, for short: NFT.  

It helps to know what a "blockchain" is

51. Starship Enterprise counselor: TROI.  Once again, I will defer to Picard to elaborate on Deanna TROI

52. Othello advisor: IAGO.  Another crossword staple proper name/fictional character.  Three vowels and one consonant 

53. Entrepreneur Musk: ELON. Another crossword staple proper name/actual person

57. Texting letters: SMS.  Short Message/Messaging Service abbreviation 

And we have come to the conclusion of today's blog.  Please add your thoughts below.  See you next month ... 

**For those who were unable to unscramble the words in my intro:**

admiral toe = tailor made

area rote = ear to ear

ROOF FACT SHEET = OFF TO THE RACES

Notes from C.C.:

Today we celebrate the 90th birthday of Parsan, who lives in the same area as Agnes. Happy birthday, Parsan!

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!

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.

 

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 Of Tomorrow.

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