Sunday February 26, 2023 Chandi Deitmer

Theme: "Brand Awareness" - Each product is rephrased as non-brand related.

21. Southwestern snapshot gallery?: ADOBE PHOTO SHOP.

30. Alerts to some party planners that their guests have arrived?: HOSTESS DINGDONGS.

44. One searching for a river crossing?: FORD EXPLORER.

56. Troves of getting-to-know-you questions?: ICEBREAKERS MINTS.

70. Flipped bar tables?: CONVERSE HIGH TOPS.

82. Veto a very large corsage?: AXE BODY SPRAY.

101. Entertainment at a tailgate party?: FENDER TELECASTER.

Reveal:

113A. Political movement against free enterprise, or a way of reading this puzzle's long answers?: ANTI-CAPITALISM.

Different products in different fields. Very consistent: company name & its product. And the name is a common noun/verb. So GOOGLE PIXEL will not work, but APPLE WATCH will.

I love the reveal. Just perfect.

Across:

1. Lawn game similar to pétanque: BOCCI. Not famliar with pétanque.

 

 

6. iPad download: APP. Also 76. Apple platform: IOS.

9. Tear: REND.

13. Old-Fashioned option: NEAT. Cocktail.

17. Post-surgery regimen: REHAB.

18. In close combat: TOE TO TOE.

20. Ton o': LOTTA.

23. Like Chartres Cathedral: GOTHIC. Wikipedia says it's "designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979".

24. Drummer Ringo: STARR.

25. Inert gas: NEON.

26. Diver's need: AIR TANK.

27. "Cool your jets": WAIT.

33. Red tide bloom: ALGA.

34. Drag show accessory: BOA.

35. Puts in: ADDS.

36. __ tie: BOLO.

37. Skating biopic starring Margot Robbie: I TONYA.

40. Ending for sub- or ex-: URB.

42. "Nailed It!" host Nicole: BYER. Bake-off show.

43. "Over the Rainbow" composer: ARLEN.

47. __ blues: genre that originated in Mississippi: DELTA.

49. Actor Mahershala: ALI. Two Oscars.

50. Yale grads: ELIS.

52. "Look on the bright side!": BE GLAD.

64. Audio giant: BOSE.

65. Passage cleared by a neti pot: SINUS.

66. PBS-funding org.: NEA.

67. Play-__: DOH.

68. Like lechón asado: CUBAN. Roast pork.

69. "No ifs, __, or buts": ANDS.

75. Private aye: YES SIR.

77. Daredevil Knievel: EVEL.

78. "Beach House" singer Carly __ Jepsen: RAE.

79. Fawned (over): COOED.

89. Some IRAs: ROTHS.

92. Vampire's curfew: DAWN.

94. Nursery cry: WAH.

95. French star: ETOILE. L'etoile du Nord ("Star of the North”) is our state motto.

96. Pointless event at the Olympics?: EPEE. Because the sword is blunted?

97. Napa product: WINE.

98. Small slitherer: ASP.

100. Last president to keep a White House cow: TAFT.

107. __ mitzvah: BNAI.

108. Guarantees: ENSURES.

109. Meat salad in Lao cuisine: LARB. Minced meat seasoned with fish sauce.

110. Pontificate: ORATE.

112. Lay into: RAIL ON.

118. Rummikub pieces: TILES.

119. Familiar turf: HOME SOIL.

120. Hyper: ULTRA.

121. Rich rocks: ORES.

122. Agape: AWED. You won't believe the amount of snow we got last week.

123. Many OCS grads: LTS.

124. Cicely who wrote the 2021 memoir "Just As I Am": TYSON.

Down:

1. Wireless support, maybe: BRA.

2. Ref. that could be considered hi-def.?: OED.

3. Comedian Margaret: CHO. Look at her tattoos.

4. Taxi waiting area: CAB STAND.

5. "Likely story": I BET.

6. Pulsating: ATHROB. Also 15. Excited: ATINGLE.

7. Wretch: POOR SOUL.

8. Veterinary patient: PET.

9. Thorny flowers: ROSES. Thanks for the sweet Valentine's Day card, Janice! Moved me to tears.

Janice and her daughter at an Indians Game Pre-COVID

10. Set of values: ETHOS.

11. When the sun is highest: NOONDAY.

12. Bank acct. addition: DEP.

13. "I'm normally more humble than this ... ": NOT TO BRAG BUT. And 84. "You're too kind!": OH STOP IT. 93. "Let's see ... ": WELL NOW. I love these spoken phrases.

14. Gas additive: ETHANOL.

16. Includes: TACKS ON.

19. Color quality: TONE.

20. Epithet for Shiva: LORD.

22. Oom-__: PAH.

23. Tour stops: GIGS.

26. Tennis great Agassi: ANDRE.

27. Oliver Twist, for one: WAIF.

28. Palo __, California: ALTO.

29. Assistant with a hunch?: IGOR. Hunch-backed.

31. __ chips: TARO. Never had this. Taro is a staple in our fridge though.

32. Picked out of a lineup, briefly: ID'ED.

38. Quite a spell: YEARS.

39. Wheel shaft: AXLE.

41. Male title derived from "brother": BR'ER.

42. Hat edge: BRIM.

43. Supped: ATE.

45. Steinway instrument: PIANO.

46. Above-the-street trains: ELS.

48. Scale divs.: LBS.

51. Pro or con: SIDE.

53. Basketball commentator Rebecca: LOBO.

54. w/o delay: ASAP.

55. Cozy spots: DENS.

56. "Mercy me!": I SAY.

57. French film: CINE.

58. Winds down: ENDS.

59. Plans to go public?: BUS SCHEDULES. OK, public transit.

60. Actor Watanabe: KEN. He's in "The Last Samurai". We also have 62. Japanese drama: NOH.

61. Roof overhang: EAVE.

63. __ party: THIRD.

68. Storage box: CHEST.

70. __-Magnon: CRO.

71. Tony-winning musical "Dear __ Hansen": EVAN.

72. Nero Wolfe creator Stout: REX.

73. Oodles: SLEW.

74. "Mercy Mercy Me" singer: GAYE.

80. Takes care of a draft: EDITS.

81. Great __: DANE.

83. Sheep trills: BAAS.

85. Rotund stove: POTBELLY.

86. "Glass Onion" filmmaker Johnson: RIAN. He also directed "Knives Out".

87. __ Romeo: sports car: ALFA. Hi there, Tony!

88. Hairy legend: YETI.

89. Cite: REFER TO.

90. Like many summer concerts: OPEN AIR.

91. __ strength: measure of tolerance: TENSILE.

97. Noisy bird in a dome-shaped nest: WREN.

99. Hazards: PERILS.

102. Bow-toting deity: EROS.

103. Tempting words in Wonderland: EAT ME.

104. Bawled: CRIED.

105. School basics: ABCS.

106. Lab rodent: RAT.

111. Stretched thin: TAUT.

113. Cry of discovery: AHA.

114. IM pioneer: AOL.

115. "__ Raining Them": Mila Jam remake celebrating the gender spectrum: IT'S.

 

116. Sign for a crowded house: SRO.

117. Guy: MAN.

C.C.

Saturday, February 25, 2023, Lance Emfinger, Richard D. Allen

 Themeless Saturday by Lance Emfinger and Richard D. Allen

Like most Saturday puzzles, this one 19. " ... kinda": IT IS AND IT ISN'T and 55. " ... kinda": MORE OR LESS all that hard once you get some good starting fill. And, like most of them this one was fun too.

Across:

1. To boot: ALSO - The real cost or a car is not what price you get quoted or what they say your trade is worth. It's what the dealer wants you to pay "to boot" for getting the vehicle.

5. Clobber: WHOMP.

10. Hailee's "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" voice role: GWEN - Hailee Steinfeld who played Spiderwoman GWEN Stacy and voiced her in the animate version as well

14. Greeters: DOOR PEOPLE.

16. Meander: ROVE.

17. Like, crazy old: SO LAST YEAR - No kid has come to school with a "fidget spinner" in years

18. Surface __: AREA - The actual surface AREA of Greenland is 14x less than Africa but doesn't seem so when it is on a flat map (Mercator Projection). Below you see it placed on a map of Africa.

21. Mean relatives?: MODES - The MODE is the most frequent response(s) and can be different from the MEAN (average value)

23. Names in the news: BYLINES - Here's two famous ones

24. Lab reports?: ARFS - Four-legged Labs

25. Wharton grad, often: MBA - The Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania

27. Blocking stat: SPF.

28. Grande opening?: RIO - The openings on the RIO Grande are a contentious subject these days

29. Biking selections: GEARS.

31. Game whose name comes from the Swahili for "to build": JENGA - How 'bout Giant JENGA?

35. "Oh, my sides!": GOOD ONE - Nobody does it better...

37. Depart: HEAD OUT - Good guests know when to HEAD OUT

39. Wrapped: ENDED - The NFL season has finally wrapped. Now what?

40. Not as naīve: SLIER.

42. Computer language that works with HTML: CSS.

43. __-relief: BAS - This one was made in Lincoln's Yankee Hill Brick Mfg. facility and is on a wall in our capital city's Haymarket Area

45. Film director who shares a last name with 62-Across: ANG 62. Comic book legend who shares a last name with 45-Across: STAN - The Lees

46. Swag bag: TOTE.

47. Some reds: CLARETS.

50. "We're more than you think!" society: MENSA 😀

51. History that's more than colorful: CHECKERED PAST - Professor Harold Hill sang about such people

54. Company with a Magen David in its logo: ELAL - The Magen David is the Star of David or Shield of David on this airplane 

58. Get upset?: LOSE - In 1980, the Russians were the victims of one of the biggest upsets in sport history 

59. Amenities on some red-eyes: SLEEP MASKS.

60. "Sure, why not": LET'S.

61. Pre-makeover personality: OLD ME.

Down:

1. Podcast intros, often: ADS - We all pause our cursor over the Skip Ads tab

2. Place to go in England: LOO 😀

3. Something to chew on: SOLID FOOD.

4. Makes use of Speakers' Corner: ORATES - The original

5. Sprays down: WETS.

6. Georgetown athlete: HOYA - What's a HOYA?

7. Place for free spirits: OPEN BAR 😀

8. Quaint greeting: M'LADY.

9. Risks: PERILS - My first thought

10. Not put out to pasture?: GRAIN FED.

11. Less "Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes, e.g.: WORSE.  and 47. "Nomadland" Oscar winner Zhao: CHLOE - She won for best director and the Rotten Tomatoes Freshness rating was 95%

12. Makes true: EVENS.

13. In a glass by itself: NEAT.

15. Wave function symbols: PSIS - Good luck!

20. Bill collector?: TIP JAR - Some have been supplanted by electronic options

21. "The Simpsons" character who counsels, "You should listen to your heart, and not the voices in your head": MARGE.

22. Constellation known to the Ojibwa as Kabibona'kan, the Winter Maker: ORION.

25. Fellows: MEN.

26. Sweethearts: BAES - Slang for Baby which will never be used in this house

29. Quit social media, say: GO DARK - Quit it all!

30. Protected area in soccer: SHIN.

32. Court plea: NO CONTEST - In 1973, Spiro Agnew pleaded NO CONTEST to expedite the proceedings 

33. Short blasts: GUSTS.

34. Befuddled: AT SEA.

36. Epic fails: DEBACLES - The web has thousands of these

You had to see this coming!

38. Neurologist's order, briefly: EEG.

41. Caused some hair loss: LASERED.

44. Appear to be: SEEM SO.

46. EV station lineup, maybe: TESLAS.

48. Minimal: LEAST.

49. Fish, in a way: TROLL - Not all the TROLLS are fishing in a body of water and they might be after this 57. Phishing fig.: SSN.

50. Schoolteacher of old: MARM.

51. Monastic quarters: CELL.

52. Pronounce: DEEM.

53. Leader whose regalia includes a tiara: POPE - The papal tiara is actually a crown and it was last worn by Paul VI sixty years ago.

56. Music genre of Toots and the Maytals: SKA - I'd like to hear one of their tunes

Friday, February 24, 2023, Sally Hoelscher and Wendy L. Brandes

Theme: "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound?"

Puzzling thoughts: This appears to be a first-time collaboration (and Sally's LA Times debut) between two relative newcomers to crossword puzzle construction. Wendy has been featured here, both solo and in a collaboration, as well as soloing at USA Today. Sally is a crossword blogger of USA Today puzzles, so I suppose their collaboration came through that association. Regardless, their effort today was quite good and fun to solve

The puzzle uses circles within the entries (yes, I know that frustrates some of you folks!). Each of the circles spells out the name of a 3-letter tree (ASH, ELM, and OAK). But it isn't until the theme (62-across. Decorate for Christmas, in a way, and how to make sense of the answer to each starred clue?: TRIM THE TREE) is revealed that we know just why. In each case, when you "TRIM" the "TREE", the starred clues begin to make sense. Still confused? Let's chop some wood and see how:

17-across. *Pilot's reputation among airport agents?: GATE CRASHED. At first, I thought this could be "GATE CRASHER" - as a play-on-words for the clue - but when you snip the word ASH, "GATE CRED" certainly fits, as "CRED" is another term for reputation

Again, when 30-across (*Triage site's gooey alternative to sutures?: ELMERS GLUE) appeared, ELMER'S GLUE could be a punny definition for the clue. But after felling the ELM tree, we are left with "ER's GLUE" as the p-o-w

The final entry (46-across. *Practice for "The Voice" while in the shower?: SOAKING WET) becomes "SING WET" when the OAK tree is chain-sawed, and the stump removed!

The list of 3-letter trees is somewhat finite: ASH, BAY, ELM, FIG, FIR, OAK, and YEW. Finding a way to remove those tree names from a common phrase and create a play-on-words was not easy. Another possible way of using a trimmed tree from this list to form a play-on-words could be: "Favorite after-shave of shrimp boilers?": OLD BAY SPICE. Another that came to mind: "What Adam does when his is dirty? TURN OVER A NEW FIG LEAF; but neither fits THIS theme.!! ;^)

Here is the grid, followed by the other clues:

Across:
1. Statistical concerns: BIASES. Not too many words fit here; EPOCHS maybe?

7. Daddy: PAPA.

11. Texting initials: SMS. SMS stands for Short Message Service and is commonly known as texting. It's a way to send text-only messages of up to 160 characters between phones. Twitter shortened this to 140 characters

14. "Won't be long now": I'M NEXT. I'M guessing that no one in this waiting room was hoping to be "NEXT"!! ;^)

15. Wilson of "The Internship": OWEN. A trailer:

16. Feel sick: AIL. Does anyone else here think when they feel sick that they have COVID?

19. Food Network host Garten: INA. aka, The Barefoot Contessa

20. Long-billed bird: SNIPE.

21. Hijab, for one: VEIL. Moe-ku #1:

Muslim gal who said
She won't wear a head cover
Just made a VEILed threat

22. Sharp set: HDTV. Ha Ha! Sharp is a brand of TV's

23. Longtime Farr co-star: ALDA.

25. Abate: LET UP.

27. Some K9 canines: LABS. And here I thought they were all either German Shepherds or Belgian Malanois

34. Q.E.D. part: ERAT. A CSO to all of our Cornerites who are/were lawyers: "Latin abbreviation for quod erat demonstrandum: "Which was to be demonstrated." Q.E.D. may appear at the conclusion of a text to signify that the author's overall argument has just been proven"

35. Mauna __: LOA. KEA fit ... until it didn't

36. Some rugged sandals: KEENS. Most of the images I saw for KEEN shoes looked like sneakers. [Bootworld dot com] says: "A Keen shoe has a wider toe box compared to most shoes because it ensures comfort and breathability. This extra wiggle room is essential if you are on your feet all day hiking and working. Many Keen shoes also feature adjustable elastic bungee lace closures to accommodate different foot styles and ensure a perfect fit"

37. HS equivalency test: GED. QED and GED in the same puzzle

38. Freebies at some crossword tournaments: PENCILS. Also, they're "freebies" at most golf courses but usually don't come with an eraser

41. __ text: accessibility feature: ALT. [from many websites] "Alternative (Alt) Text is meant to convey the “why” of the image as it relates to the content of a document or webpage. It is read aloud to users by screen reader software, and it is indexed by search engines. It also displays on the page if the image fails to load, as in this example of a missing image"

42. "Just Mercy" actor __ Jackson Jr.: O'SHEA. Trailer:

44. Doc's org.: AMA. Whew! Glad that today's clue didn't refer to Ask Me Anything!

45. Bali's continent: ASIA. My partner Margaret spend a couple years living in Bali a couple decades ago; she was involved with a scuba diving business there

49. Shepherds' docs?: VETS. Oh? THIS is where they reference the "other" K-9 pooch!!

50. Cooler brand: IGLOO. Appropriately named

51. Italian bubbly: ASTI. "Spumante" is a more accurate description of this clue, but was too long

53. Perseverance's home: MARS. All you need to know

55. Itinerary: PLAN.

57. Flags down: HAILS. How did the term "HAILs" a taxi come to be? Fun fact: [livexp dot com] "Hail is the action used to stop a taxi using your arm and hand. Yes, they mean the same thing. To "hail" a taxi is a bit less common in America. "Hail" is the action of calling a taxi, like raising your arm to get the attention of the taxi driver"

61. Having celebrated many birthdays: OLD. Now that I've reached my 7th decade, I guess I can admit that I am "OLD"

64. __-1099: govt.-issued tax form: SSA. Tax time is nigh; we have an appointment with a tax advisor next week

65. Cause an emotional reaction: MOVE. Multiple meanings here ... "MOVE" as in one of the verb forms: "provoke a strong feeling, especially of sorrow or sympathy, in". For example, "he was moved to tears by a get-well message from the president". But the noun form ALSO conveys this: Moe-ku #2:

Relocation is
Quite problematic. I was
Quite MOVEd by my MOVE

66. Good scents: AROMAS.

67. First car, for many?: TOY. Could've been clued: "First DOG, for many?"

68. Mountain goat: IBEX. Crossword "oldie"

69. Heavenly figure: SERAPH. "SERAPHim and Cherubim" is a Biblical term ...

Down:
1. Majors, in baseball slang: BIGS. "SHOW" fits, too ...

2. Supermodel whose signature fragrance is "Love Memoir": IMAN. [wikipedia dot com] "Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid is a Somali supermodel, actress, and entrepreneur. A muse of the designers Gianni Versace, Thierry Mugler, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, and Yves Saint Laurent, she is also noted for her philanthropic work. She was married to the rock musician David Bowie from 1992 until his death in 2016"

3. __-lock brakes: ANTI. Fun Fact: These now "standard features" on automobiles were originally created for use on trains and aircraft

4. Overlook: SEE PAST. [dictionary.cambridge.org] "SEE PAST: to not be influenced or have your opinion changed by something : He has been able to see past stereotypes and photographed the Cherokee as a dynamic presence in today's world. The diversity of the gathering helped people see beyond their own viewpoints"

5. Perform beyond expectations: EXCEL. Maybe what these two constructors (and hopefully, your blogger du jour) did today?!

6. Philharmonic sect.: STR. Abbr for STRings

7. Put forward: POSE. Another "Friday" clue

8. For some time: AWHILE.

9. Kitchen gadget: PEELER. RICER, DICER, SHREDDER, et al, did not fit

10. Plus: AND.

11. Asked nicely: SAID, "PLEASE". Believe it or not, this entry has been used just twice before in crossword publications

12. Julep herb: MINT. We also use it in an acai cereal bowl (breakfast treat); but a Mint Julep is usually consumed by us whilst watching The Kentucky Derby

13. Croat or Pole: SLAV.

18. Island where Excalibur was forged: AVALON. Learning moment: [wikipedia dot com] "Avalon, literally meaning "the isle of fruit [or apple] trees"; also written Avallon or Avilion among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appeared in Geoffrey of Monmouth's influential 1136 Historia Regum Britanniae as a place of magic where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was made and later where Arthur was taken to recover from being gravely wounded at the Battle of Camlann. Since then, the island has become a symbol of Arthurian mythology, similar to Arthur's castle of Camelot"

22. Enormous: HUGE.

24. Proofer's mark: DELE. Another crossword "oldie"

26. Tuts: TSKS.

27. Bricks that are painful to step on: LEGOS. Indeed!!

28. Childish retort: ARE SO. AM TOO fits

29. Trouble with locks?: BAD HAIR DAY. Cute clue

31. Colorful parrot: MACAW.

32. Like new matches: UNLIT. Or candles

33. "¿Cómo __?": ESTAS. Have I ever had a Friday blog where there wasn't a Spanish phrase, followed with a CSO to Lucinda???!!!

38. Bucket: PAIL. Moe-l'ick:

You remember the nursery rhyme drill
When two kids took a PAIL up a hill?
Are you taken aback
That you didn't know Jack
Never really had fallen for Jill?

39. Clarifying phrase: I MEANT.

40. Cable row targets, for short: LATS. Learning moment: [masterclass dot com] "A seated cable row is a compound exercise that utilizes a weighted horizontal cable row machine to work muscle groups in your back and arms. Cable machines include a bench for comfortable seating and foot plates to brace yourself against as you pull the weighted cable." Your "LATS": [according to healthline dot com] "The latissimus dorsi muscles, known as the LATS, are the large V-shaped muscles that connect your arms to your vertebral column. They help protect and stabilize your spine while providing shoulder and back strength. Your lats also help with shoulder and arm movement and support good posture." Here is a pic:

43. Med. readouts: EKGS. Unlike cable row exercises, this is something that C-Moe is more apt to have done

45. Earhart, for one: AVIATOR.

47. "S'okay": NO PROB. I actually found myself saying this once or twice ...

48. Start streaming: GO LIVE.

52. "Voilà!": THERE. Usually what I say when the blog is done!

53. More than half: MOST.

54. In addition: ALSO.

56. MC alternative: AMEX. I think the catch phrase was "Don't leave home without it"

58. "__ Vep": HBO miniseries about a remake of the silent film "Les Vampires": IRMA. I am usually stumped whenever a clue involves the initials "HBO". I haven't been a subscriber to that service in decades

59. Vault: LEAP. So, every four years we celebrate "Vault year"?

60. Meeting, informally: SESH. This phrase, unlike 47-across, is one I never use

62. "Oof, didn't need to know that": TMI.

63. Possesses: HAS.

VOILA!! Please add YOUR "puzzling thoughts" below. See you in a couple weeks ...