Monday February 5, 2024 Aidan Brand and David Karp

  

Theme:                Sometimes You Fell Like A Nut  

Happy Monday, everyone! Well, I sure felt like a NUT looking for hidden nuts in the themed clues. It turns out NUTS were there -- just not almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.

Let's take a closer look:

16 Across. Elements of a PG-rated outburst: MILD EXPLETIVES.  An example would be yelling out, "Aww NUTS" after stubbing your toe.

22 Across. Groups of groupies: FAN CLUBS.  These college football FANs look NUTty to me.

35 Across. Dessert served in a goblet: ICE CREAM SUNDAE.  Here is a SUNDAE in a goblet (drinking glass with a foot & a stem) with peaNUTS on top.  

43 Across. Common accessory at a construction site: TOOL BELT.  I am skeptical that one would have NUTS & bolts on a TOOL BELT but the "hardware" connection is close enough for me. Let's just go with it and smile while we try to spot any on this favorite construction worker's TOOL BELT.  

Village People YMCA (1978)

Here is the reveal:

52 Across. Allergy warning, and a description of 16-, 22-, 35-, and 43-Across?: MAY CONTAIN NUTS.

MILD EXPLICITIVES, FAN CLUBS, an ICE CREAM SUNDAE, and a TOOL BELT may contain different types of nuts.  

Constructors Aidan Brand and David Karp opted for a 14X15 grid to accommodate their three 14-letter fills. Let's see what else they might have stashed away for us to find....

Across:
1. Reduce to a paste: MASH.  This one made me think of making guacamole with a mortar & pestle.

5. Self-confident and then some: SMUG.  

9. City in "Aeneid" and "Iliad": TROY.  The ancient city of Troy was located along the NW coast of Asia Minor, in what is now Turkey.

CSO to our two Cornerite TROY inhabitants!

13. Field of expertise: AREA.

14. __ Grey tea: EARL.  DH drinks this but I stay away from caffeine.

15. Philosopher Descartes: RENÉ.  (b. Mar. 31, 1596 in France; d. Feb. 11, 1650 in Sweden)

19. Computer capacity: MEMORY.  

20. __-purpose flour: ALL.  I buy the unbleached variety.

21. Yoga pose: ASANA.  

27. Oodles: SCADS.  

29. Still contending: IN IT. ...to win it!

30. Vehicle for a large family, perhaps: VAN.  

33. Jazz legend Fitzgerald: ELLA.  I'm always happy to see ELLA in a grid. I need the footholds.

34. __-toity: HOITY.  haughty or snobbish

38. Former Iranian rulers: SHAHS.

39. Ferris wheel locale: FAIR.  county FAIRs

40. NBA tiebreakers, for short: OTS.  Overtimes

41. Speck: IOTA.  an extremely small amount or, later in the week, the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet

42. Covers for outdoor wedding receptions: TENTS.  Who does covers at a wedding reception? The obvious go-to is Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer (1998).  

45. Larceny: THEFT.

50. Charged particle: ION.

51. Baby's foot warmer: BOOTIE.  

BOOTIEs for future MLB players in Pittsburgh???

57. Color associated with the L.A. Dodgers: BLUE.  This is an L.A. Times puzzle, after all.  

Shohei Ohtani got some serious green when he donned the Dodgers' BLUE.

58. "Checkmate!": I WIN.  The terminology of modern chess has Persian etymological roots: the Persian word rukh ("rook") means chariot; the term shah mat ("checkmate") means, literally, "the king is frozen".

59. Adjust for space limitations, say: EDIT.

60. Long-term goals: AIMS.

61. Addendum to a real estate sign: SOLD.  I like this clue. An addendum is something added. The SOLD part is added after the sale.

62. Strong urges: YENS.  strong desires or propensities  

Down:
1. "__ Mia!": Meryl Streep film with ABBA music: MAMMA.  

Here's Meryl with Mama Mia (Here I Go Again) (2008).

2. Zodiac ram: ARIES.  March 21 - April 19.  (Segue alert!) They are supposed to make a good match with Aquarius birthdays like today's birthday girl, Wendybird. Happy birthday, Wendybird!! 🎂

3. 2014 civil rights drama set in Alabama: SELMA.

4. Was dressed in: HAD ON.

5. Hot: SEXY.  I'd give you a link but I already get plenty of weird adds based on the Googling I do to write this blog.

6. Weather report backdrop: MAP.  When I lived in Japan, I always got a kick out of the big, foam ball pointers the weather reporters used to point at the map -- so wonky for a country with serious tech cred!

7. Cybersquatter's target, for short: URL.  Cybersquatting is an internet-based crime where one seeks to profit off of someone else's name or trademark by registering an expired domain name. An example would be if C.C. stopped this blog then someone else took over the URL. Unsuspecting victims would come here and click on bad links because they trusted the site in the past. This happens more than you might think. Be careful out there!

8. Gathers bit by bit: GLEANS.  Humans used to GLEAN grains that fell after the harvest. Now we GLEAN intel on the internet.

9. Enormous number: TRILLION.  One TRILLION equals a thousand billions or a million millions. You can write it as a 1 followed by 12 zeros. A TRILLION seconds equals almost 32,000 years. Imagine!

10. Fire up, as an engine: REV.  This clue did not go over so well last Tuesday.

11. Dollar bill: ONE.     and     55 Down. Early afternoon: TWO.

12. "That's correct": YES.  

Would you like to take a physics class from The Doctor?  Yes. Correctamundo!

[David Tennant played the tenth incarnation of The Doctor

in the Doctor Who serries (2005-2010; 2013).]

17. Whiteboard wipers: ERASERS.

18. "90 Day Fiancé " channel: TLC.  TV channel questions are always 1 perp and 2 WAGS for me.

22. Vegetarian pita filler: FALAFEL.  I like to pick these up at my local Greek restaurant on Saturdays. Falafels are made from garbanzo beans ("chick peas" for you east-coasters) and various herbs and spices.

23. Insistent: ADAMANT.

24. Reino __: England's country, in Spanish: UNIDO.  I have not gotten this far yet in my Duolingo Spanish lessons.

25. Tried to chomp on: BIT AT.

26. Eyelid woes: STYES.

28. The NBA's Cavs, on scoreboards: CLE.  

30. Sojourn: VISIT.

31. "Bless you!" trigger: ACHOO.

32. "Peachy keen!": NEATO.

34. "Their Eyes Were Watching God" author Zora Neale __: HURSTON.  goodreads link

36. Goblets: CHALICES.  Did you notice "goblet" was also in the clue for 35-Across?

37. Take a load off: SIT.  

The Weight by The Band (1968)

"Take a load off, Fannie."

42. Sport played on a variety of surfaces: TENNIS.  There are four main types of surfaces for tennis courts:  grass, clay, hard, and artificial grass.

44. "Get off the stage!": BOO.

46. Mead need: HONEY.  Mead is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey, water, and other flavors.

It turns out humans can be extremely resourceful when it comes to making alcohol. Some native tribes near the Artic Circle make alcohol from dead seagulls.  Only look at this list of 5 weird alcoholic beverages if you have a strong stomach.

47. Many a Chopin piece: ETUDE.  Def.:  a short musical composition, typically for one instrument, designed as an exercise to improve the technique or demonstrate the skill of the player.  

This one is Etude Op. 25 No. 6 in G# minor "Double Thirds".

48. Feel at home: FIT IN.  

49. Class challenges: TESTS.  not conflicts between social classes

51. Tie: BIND.  

52. Deg. for a CFO or a CEO: MBA.  Chief Financial Officers and Chief Executive Officers typically have a Master of Business Administration.

53. "Rumble in the Jungle" boxer: ALI.  He coined this term to refer to his heavyweight boxing championship bout against George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire on October 30, 1974.

54. "Tastes great!": YUM.  See 22-Down.

56. Feel poorly: AIL.

Today's grid:

Have a great day, everyone! I'll cashew later!

Monday January 29, 2024 Doug Peterson

  

Theme:                

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. Grab your rod and reel. Ace constructor Doug Peterson hid five fish in today's grid. Let's see what we can catch.

16 Across. *Glide around a rink: ICE SKATE.

24 Across. *Angel who's a three-time AL MVP: MIKE TROUT.  

30 Across. *Toll road: TURNPIKE.

44 Across. *Radioactive decay emission: GAMMA RAY.

50 Across. *Ace at a poker table: CARD SHARK.

There was some discussion on this one last month. "Cardsharp" refers to someone who cheats at cards and can also be skilled. It is spelled as one word. On the other hand, a CARD SHARK is someone who is skilled at cards (an ace, perhaps) but not a cheater. It is spelled as two words. Some people think that CARD SHARK is an eggcorn but the two terms have different etymologies.

And the unifier:

63. Swerve back and forth, as a car's rear end, or a feature of the answer to each starred clue: FISHTAIL.  

SKATE, TROUT, PIKE, RAY and SHARK are all FISH that appear at the TAIL end of the starred clues.

It is impressive to see five themers plus a reveal in a grid that still has room for  the pairs of 7- and 9-word fills in the NE and SW corners. Well done, Doug! So fin-tastic!

Let's admire Doug's grid:

Answer:  more clues!
Let's keep going.

Across:

1. Includes on an email: CCs.  Hi C.C.!

4. Quite often: A LOT.  A LOT of people spell this as one word. I wonder if one day in the future "alot" will be the correct spelling.  #LanguageEvolves

8. Regimen for injured athletes: REHAB.  a program for rehabilitating after an injury

13. Infield bounce: HOP.  

Just kidding!

A short infield HOP is a ball that bounces in front of the fielder, making it tricky for the defensive player to field accurately and quickly.

14. Burn slightly: SEAR.  Does anyone else like to SEAR their ravioli?

15. Walked proudly: STRODE.  

18. "If nothing changes ... ": AS IT IS.  with the situation that exists now  

19. Manicurist's application: POLISH.  

A race for a cure for nail psoriasis???

20. Delivery vehicle: VAN.  

Toy Story. Buzz & Woody sneak into a different delivery vehicle. (1:35 min.) YO!

22. Eucalyptus, for one: TREE.  We have several eucalyptus TREES in the area. They smell amazing when it rains.

23. Fries topping: SALT.

26. "Now You See Me" actress Fisher: ISLA.  

You might know Isla from the movie Wedding Crashers (2005)
or the TV show Wolf Like Me (2022-present).
She celebrates her 48th birthday this coming Saturday.
Happy Birthday, Isla!

29. Set of beliefs: CREED.  

Do you remember this CREED?

34. Filled with cargo: LADED.

37. Boxer Muhammad: ALI.  

Flashback to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Can you watch this without choking up? I cannot.

38. Part of a place setting: UTENSIL.

41. Blunder: ERR.

42. Threatening forecast: STORM.

46. Honking flock: GEESE.  

2:24 min. of GOOSE cuteness

49. December number: NOEL.  Good one! A NOEL (like all songs) is a musical number.

53. Idris of "The Suicide Squad": ELBA.  I heard him tell an interviewer that he was the DJ for Prince Harry & Meghan's wedding. Apparently his uncle was a DJ so teenager Idris spent a lot of time helping him. Eventually he became quite good. Here's a pic for Lucina.  

57. Thermometer type: ORAL.  If the following line amuses you, you might want to read Erma Bombeck's full essay here.

I remember the first time I gave my mother a pair of earrings wrapped in a rectal thermometer box. 

58. Feel regret: RUE.

59. Not moving: AT REST.  

61. "The World Is Not Enough" actress Richards: DENISE.  her IMDb page

65. "Coming up next ... ": AND NOW.  

66. Pennsylvania's Gem City: ERIE.  Another one of ERIE's nicknames is the Flagship City.

67. Pharmaceutical watchdog gp.: FDA.  Food and Drug Administration

68. Metal for construction beams: STEEL.  Speaking of Pennsylvania city nicknames, Pittsburg is the Steel City.

69. Copier paper pack: REAM.  There are 500 sheets of copy paper in a REAM. If you do not believe me, you can count them.

70. "Of course!": YES.  

Down:
1. Chocolate morsels: CHIPS.     pairs nicely with     2 Down. Chocolate drink: COCOA.

3. Bit of witchcraft: SPELL.  

4. Poses questions: ASKS.

5. "Nancy Drew" actress Lewis: LEAH.  LEAH was born December 9, 1996 in Shanghai, China. When she was eight months old a family in Florida adopted her. She played Nancy's friend George Fayne on Nancy Drew (2019-2023).

6. Cheerios grain: OAT.

7. Rome's __ Fountain: TREVI.  

Nicola Salvi designed this masterpiece.

8. ACLU concerns: RTS.  TBH, I'm still not comfortable with this abbreviation for RighTS.

9. Country north of Ethiopia: ERITREA.  

Biniam Girmay, an up and coming cyclist, was born in Asmara, ERITREA.

10. One with a souped-up ride: HOT RODDER.  Def.:  a person who drives a motor vehicle that has been specially modified to give it extra power or speed.

11. French farewell: ADIEU.  

12. Under siege: BESET.  Def.:  to surround or hem in.

This works if we use the passive voice. Merriam-Webster gives the example sentence, "He's been BESET by a lack of confidence."

15. More reasonable: SANER.

17. Protest without marchers: SIT-IN.

21. Dog breeders' org.: AKC.  American Kennel Club  

Comet, a Shih Tzu, won the AKC National Championship Best in Show award in 2023.

24. "Let's __ a Deal": MAKE.

25. "I'm all ears!": TELL ME.

27. Froths: SPUMES.

28. Held a match to: LIT.

30. Univ. aides: TAs.

31. Last: Abbr.: ULT.  ULTimate???

32. Waterway that translates to "big river": RIO GRANDE.  

Cole Porter (1891-1964) wrote I'm an Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande).

This is Asleep at the Wheel's cover (2006).

33. Shakespeare's lang.: ENG.

The language in which Shakespeare wrote is referred to as Early Modern English, a linguistic period that lasted from approximately 1500 to 1750. The language spoken during this period is often referred to as Elizabethan English or Shakespearian English.  source

35. Notable time period: ERA.

36. Towel off: DRY.

39. Pocketed, as a billiard ball: SANK.  You would think people would avoid using the word SANK when referring to (a) pool.

40. Brief "As I see it": IMO.  In My Opinion

43. Tachometer marking: RED LINE.  

45. On the ball: ALERT.

47. Molelike mammal: SHREW.  

short-eared elephant SHREW

48. __ de cologne: EAU.  

50. Musical conclusions: CODAS.

51. "There __ enough hours in the day!": AREN'T.

52. Send for a second opinion: REFER.  like a medical opinion

54. Like kale: LEAFY.

55. Back of a 45: B-SIDE.  The 7-inch 45 RPM record was introduced by RCA Victor in 1949.

Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers was the B-SIDE to Hung On You (1965).  

56. Volume of maps: ATLAS.

59. Home to seven countries whose names end in "-stan": ASIA.  The suffix -stan is Persian and Urdu for place of or where one stands.

60. Not us: THEM.  so divisive

62. Fa follower: SOL. 

64. Hot reaction: IRE.  anger.

It's oh-fish-ial, that's all for today. Let minnow what you thought of today's puzzle in the Comments section. Sea you later!