Sunday, September 2, 2018 C.C. Burnikel

Note from C.C.:

I'm excited to let you know that Susan (Hahtoolah) has agreed to blog for us once a month. Hahtoolah has been with us since 2009. She always comes to the blog with observant crossword comments and great quotes related to some grid entries. Hahtoolah loves reading and traveling. She's been everywhere, including China. She officially retired in January this year.

Division of Labor

Oh, the dreaded circle puzzle! In today's puzzle, though the circles "divide" a particular job, or type of labor.  It's actually quite clever.  The jobs are all 6-letter. How cool is that?  So what jobs are divided here? Read the professions in the circles:

22-A. Picnic side with Parmesan dressing: CAESAR COLESLAW, and 24-A. Seuss' turtle king: YERTLE.  LAWYER.  My profession.

29-A. Monopoly maker: HASBRO, and 32-A. "Bein' Green" singer: KERMIT THE FROG.  BROKER.

57-A. Post production?: RAISIN BRAN, and 59-A. Logo modeled for five-month-old Ann Turner Cook [b. Nov. 20, 1926]: GERBER BABY.   RANGER.

Ann Turner Cook - Then and now:

80-A. Actress' first film: MOVIE DEBUT, and 83-A. Jim Croce title guy: LEROY BROWN.   BUTLER.

105-A. Successor to Canada's Stephen Harper: JUSTIN TRUDEAU, and 109-A. Bike trail hazards: THORNS.   AUTHOR.

115-A. Weather map line: ISOBAR, and 117-A. Tea-flavoring citrus fruit: BERGAMOT ORANGE.    BARBER.

Across:

1. Numbers on letters: ZIP CODE.  It stands for Zoning Improvement Plan

8. Pester constantly: BADGER.  I really wanted Bother.

14. Range: SCOPE.

19. Facetious local subject in many articles in "The Onion": AREA MAN.  I have never read The Onion.

20. Classified stat: AD RATE.

21. Got misty-eyed, with "up": TEARED.  What happens to you when you read The Onion, maybe.

25. Place to check for prints: ART SALE.

26. Heart charts, for short: ECGS. As in the ElectroCardioGrams, sometimes called EKGs. It's a diagnostic tool for assessing the electrical and muscular function of the heart.

28. Chick magnet?: HEN.

37. Jewish Community Center component gp.: YMHA. As in the Young Men's Hebrew Association, not the Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority.   Not all Jewish Community Centers, however, have a YMHA.

38. "Back in the __": USSR.   The Beatles!

40. Place for a stud: EAR.  I wasn't fooled by this clue. We've seen it in the puzzles before.

41. Lake near the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: ERIE.  Hi, Abejo!

42. Symbol of simplicity: PIE. This puzzle was As Easy As Pie.

43. Canonized Mlle.: STE. Today's French lesson, abbreviation for Saint.

44. Tehran-based carrier: IRAN AIR. I took a wild guess that the airline would include the name of the country.

47. ''Finished!'': THERE!

51. Long-necked wader: EGRET. Lots of EGRETS in my neighborhood.  I live near a lake.

53. Samurai lacking a master: RONIN. No idea, but apparently RONIN is also the name of a movie starring Robert DeNiro.

55. Actress Joanne: DRU. Joanne DRU (née Joan Letitia LaCock; Jan. 31, 1922 - Sept. 10, 1996) was the older sister of Peter Marshall, the gameshow host. I had heard of him, but not her.

56. Stratford's river: AVON. Ding-Dong!

62. Thread holder: SPOOL.

63. Bus. school test: GMAT. As in the Graduate Management Admission Test.

65. Brief street sign: SLO.

66. Org. in "Traffic": DEA. As in the Drug Enforcement Administration, a federal law enforcement agency housed within the United States Department of Justice.

67. Tent entrances: FLAPS.

69. It burns in December: YULE LOG.

72. Blew away: WOWED.

74. Oktoberfest drink: ALE.

75. "Ben-Hur" novelist Wallace: LEW. Lew Wallace (Apr. 10, 1827- Feb. 15, 1905) was a Union General in the American Civil War and author.  Ben Hur follows the life of Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince who was enslaved by the Romans at the beginning of the first century.  He later became a charioteer and converted to Christianity.

77. Alien-seeking gp.: SETI. As in Search for ExtraTerrestial Intelligence. I learned about SETI from its frequent appearances in the crossword puzzles.

78. First president with a Twitter account: OBAMA. No politics, although Trump is the same number of letters.

88. Get ready: PREP.

89. Berne's river: AAR.

90. Sch. health course: SEX ED. Is one Sexed in Sex Ed?

91. Schoolyard comeback: AM TOO!

92. Place to make waves: SALON. A good misdirection.

94. Like many family-owned companies: NEPOTIC.

96. RNs' workplaces: ERs.  Registered Nurses might work in Emergency Rooms.

98. Med. care provider: HMO. As in a Health Maintenance Organization.

99. Mazar of "Entourage": DEBI. I never saw Entourage, but have seen DEBI Mazar (b. Aug. 13, 1964) in other shows.

101. MLB's steroid __: ERA.  According to ESPN, apparently the Steroid ERA ran from the late 1980s through the 2000s.

102. __-da: pretentious: LA-DI.   Makes me think of Annie Hall.

104. Deck furniture wood: TEAK.

111. "Swell!": FAB.

112. Full of energy: GO GO.  Meh!

113. CVS rival: RITE AID. All the RITE AID stores in my area have been either closed or converted to Walgreens.

124. Lassie, for one: COLLIE.

125. Pass, as time: ELAPSE.

126. Formal address: ORATION.

127. Composer Bruckner: ANTON. I am not familiar with ANTON Bruckner (Sept. 4, 1824 - Oct. 11, 1896). Apparently he was an Austrian composer.  (Thanks, Jason!)

128. Fluctuated wildly: YO-YO'ED.

129. Handle holder: NAME TAG. Cute clue

Down:

1. Efron of "Baywatch" (2017): ZAC.  ZAC Efron (b. Oct. 18, 1987) was also the lead in the High School Musical, which I never saw but it certainly had a lot of publicity.

2. Tax-deferred acct.: IRA. As in Individual Retirement Account.

3. __ Wee Reese: PEE. PEE Wee Reese (né Harold Peter Henry Reese, July 23, 1918 - Aug. 14, 1999), was a professional baseball player. He played shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1940 to 1958.

4. Winter melon: CASABA. Yum.

5. Sydney of astrology: OMARR. No idea. Sydney OMARR (né Sidney Kimmelman, Aug. 5, 1926 - Jan. 2, 2003) was, apparently an astrologer to the rich and famous. Since I am neither rich nor famous, I guess that explains why I never heard of him.

6. Dash from hiding: DART OUT.

7. Env. add-ins: ENCS. As Enclosures to letters in Envelopes.

8. One really on her toes: BALLERINA.

9. "Doe, __ ... ": A DEER, a female deer ...

10. "House" figs.: DRs.  House was a television drama about doctors.  The patient always had some life-threatening disease, that only after lots of consultations, only Dr. House could properly diagnose.

11. Hoedown honey: GAL.

12. Uber approx.: ETA. As in Estimated Time of Arrival, I suppose.

13. Drop more Visine in, say: RE-WET. Visine is a brand of eye drops.

14. Deems appropriate: SEES FIT.

15. Jaguar, e.g.: CAR not to be confused with 103-D Jaguar, e.g.: AUTO.  Wait a minute! Both clues refer to motor vehicles.

16. Bug B Gon maker: ORTHO.

17. Pequod co-owner: PELEG. A reference to the book Moby Dick.

18. Home of the first family: EDEN. Cute clue.

21. "Burning bright" poem critter: TYGER. A poem by William Blake (Nov. 28, 1757 - Aug. 12, 1827), the first line of which reads as follows:

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,

In the forests of the night;

What immortal hand or eye,

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

23. State trees of six U.S. states: OAKs. I really wanted this to be Pine, but more than 6 states have their state tree as a variation of a pine tree.  The Bald Cypress is the state tree of Louisiana.  What is your state tree?

27. Rosy-cheeked angels: CHERUBS.

29. Overly energetic: HYPER.

30. Felipe's female friend: AMIGA. Today's Spanish lesson.

31. Sci-fi author __ S. Tepper: SHERI. Sci-fi is not my genre, so I am not familiar with the works of SHERI S. Tepper (née Shirley Stewart Douglas, July 16, 1929 - Oct. 22, 2016)

33. Vicious: MEAN.

34. Actor McKellen: IAN. That's Sir Ian (b. May 25, 1939) to you!

35. Exchange (a player) with: TRADE TO.

36. P.T. program: RE-HAB. As in Rehabilitation.

39. __-Croatian language: SERBO.

43. Paint with dots: STIPPLE. A learning moment.

45. Curly lock: RINGLET.

46. Discount tag abbr.: IRR. As in Irregular. No wonder this shirt is so cheap - there is only one arm hole.

48. Sidestep: EVADE. I initially tried Avoid.

49. Like trial judges: ROBED. Supreme Court Justices, too.

50. Singer from County Donegal: ENYA. Her given name is Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (b. May 17, 1961).  No wonder she goes by ENYA.

52. She, in Sicily: ESSA. Today's Italian lesson.

54. Air France hub: ORLY. The Charles DeGaulle is the primary international airport in France, but ORLY is a close second.

58. Word with hard or red: NOSED. As in Hard-Nosed or Rudolph the Red-Nosed.

59. Name on Pisa's airport: GALILEI.  Italy's airport named in honor of Galileo Galilei (Feb. 15, 1564 - Jan. 8, 1642).

60. Hall of Fame Bronco: ELWAY. As in quarterback John Albert Elway, Jr. (b. June 28, 1960).

61. Floor-cleaning robots: ROOMBAS. I was sure these things were called Zoombas, but I knew Gerbez Baby made no sense.

64. Shook hands with, perhaps: MET.

67. Regional plant life: FLORA. The regional animal life is the Fauna.

68. Be straight (with): LEVEL.

70. Power grabber: USURPER.

71. Horror film feature, often: GORE.

73. Friendly: WARM.

74. Concert array: AMPs. As in the Amplifiers.

76. Gradually withdrawing (from): WEANING.

79. Portended: BODED.

81. Devices with earbuds: iPODS. I love my iPod. I listen to all sorts of podcasts.

82. Main squeeze, slangily: BAE. I am not familiar with this term.  I have heard a main squeeze as being referred to a Boo, however.

84. Cried out: EXCLAIMED.

85. Significant person?: OTHER.

86. Many a NOW co-founder: WOMAN.  As in the National Organization for Women.

87. Secluded places: NOOKS.

90. Dutch burg: STAD. Today's Dutch lesson.

93. Margin at the bottom: NET GAIN.

95. Tulsa sch. with a Prayer Tower: ORU. As in Oral Roberts University, a Christian liberal arts school.

97. "R.I.P." singer: RITA ORA. I am not familiar with either the song or the singer.  RITA ORA (née Rita Sahatçiu Ora, b. Nov. 26, 1990).

100. Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser brand: BIORE.

104. Until now: TO DATE.

105. Alexander of "Seinfeld": JASON.  Jason Alexander (né Jay Scott Greenspan, b. Sept. 23, 1959) was great as George in Seinfeld.

106. Letter-shaped fastener: U-BOLT.

107. Actor Maguire: TOBEY.  TOBEY Maguire (né Tobias Vincent Maguire, June 27, 1975) was in The Cider House Rules.

108. Remove all traces of: ERASE.

110. Walker on a bottle: HIRAM. My first thought was Johnnie, but that is too many letters.  Hiram Walker (July 4, 1816 - Jan. 12, 1899) founded Canadian Club whisky.

111. Pay stub abbr.: FICA. As in the Federal Insurance Contributions Act.

114. Eddie Redmayne's alma mater: ETON.  Eddie Redmayne (b. Jan. 6, 1982) and Prince William (b. June 21, 1982) were classmates at ETON.

116. Rain-__ bubble gum: BLO.

118. "Strange Magic" band: ELO. As in the Electric Light Orchestra.

119. Beam of light: RAY.

120. Mailing ctr.: GPO.

121. Minor gripe: NIT.

122. __ long way: GO A.

123. Coll. major: ENG. As in English. Would you like Fries with That?

I hope you enjoyed my initial foray into being a blog WRIT  ER.

I will leave you with today's QOD:  I can’t take a well-tanned person seriously.  ~  Cleveland Amory (Sept. 2, 1917 ~ Oct. 14, 1998)

Saturday, September 1, 2018, Greg Johnson

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Greg Johnson

Today literally kicks off a big time of year for my Huskers as it is the first football game with a new coach, Scott Frost, who is a Nebraska native and was the QB for the last Husker National Champion team.
This first Saturday in September also marks National Tailgating Day across the country as college football finally gets going. As you can see in this picture in Lincoln, tailgating has progressed mightily from setting refreshments on the tailgate of a pickup to tents and motor homes lining the streets outside memorial stadium and across the country with full buffets.

Husker fans are famous for spotting opposition fans and inviting them in to have a bite. Today, some Akron Zip supporters will dine alfresco with Nebraska Cornhusker fans who make the stadium the third largest city in the state for that day and where games have been complete sellouts for well over 50 years.

GO BIG RED!

Constructing for us today is Greg Johnson and this is my third Saturday puzzle of his I have blogged. I used my search and destroy method of solving and had one bad cell. For some reason, I knew SHASTI was a perfectly fine Hindu word and ON GO made some sense but it turns out SHAKTI/OK GO was the correct path. Now you can do your Don Adams rendition of Maxwell Smart saying his famous catch phrase.

Let's see what else Greg has for us today:

Across:

1. Reality show whose Dutch version was called "Now or Neverland": FEAR FACTOR - No pictures here as many of their stunts involved snakes, spiders and other fauna in some very close encounters

11. Conceal: MASK - Some meds just MASK the pain

15. "Now, look ... ": LISTEN HERE.

16. "Hairspray" mom: EDNA  - A conversion that took five hours every day of filming

17. Ballpark figure: ATTENDANCE - Teams list number of tickets sold, not how many seats actually had occupants

18. Film noir crime fighters: T-MEN - Treasury officers

19. Calendar abbr.: THU.

20. "__: Cyber": CSI - A CBS spinoff series that was cancelled in 2016

21. Fluctuates: VARIES.

23. Marsh growth: SEDGE - European Meadow Sedge used in a landscape

European Meadow SEDGE

25. Dinette piece with cupboards: CREDENZA - I've always associated CREDENZAS with formal dining room sets but I don't get out much

27. City on the Oka: OREL.

28. Org. in "This Film Is Not Yet Rated": MPAA - A documentary about how ratings are determined

30. Starts to slip and slide?: ESSES - Slip and Slide

31. Collection area: DONATION BOX - Some churches have a POOR BOX near the exit that try to tap into your aura of holiness as you leave

34. Chrysler Building style: ART DECO - This beautiful building was the world's tallest for a year

35. Source of suds: BREW PUB - BREW PUBS feature beers made on-site such as this one in Toronto

40. Label on some foreign goods: MADE IN CHINA - Hmmm...

42. Colorful almanac pg.: US MAP - I wonder if this map we had for our kids was MADE IN CHINA

46. For calorie counters: LITE.

47. Enjoying the Smithsonian, briefly: IN DC - We had breakfast with our friend and U.S. Senator Ben Sasse when we were IN D.C.

48. Pirates rival: PHILLIES - MLB

50. Fire starter: SPARK - If you teach/taught science, I'll bet you've done this

51. Drama set in '60s Manhattan: MAD MEN - A fabulous 4 min scene about MAD MEN and renaming Kodak's "Wheel." 22. 51-Across bigwig: AD EXEC Don Draper shows the art of advertising at its highest level.

52. Music genre: POP - MOP, BOP, RAP, nope

54. Spare a friend's feelings, maybe: FIB  - "Does this dress make me look fat?"

55. "Your turn": OK GO.

56. One level higher than: A STEP ABOVE - See preceding picture

60. British weapon acronym: STEN  - A submachine gun made by Reginald Sheperd and Harold Turpin at The Royal Small Arms Factory at ENfield

61. Source of shade: WOODED AREA.

62. Like apron strings: TIED

63. Temptation: ENTICEMENT.


Down:

1. Result of a gas shortage?: FLAT SODA - Dr. Wife's secret weapon

2. Must-choose situation: EITHER OR.

3. Top performer: A-STUDENT - Sam Cooke sang Now, I don't claim to be an A-STUDENT, But I'm trying to be. For maybe by being an A-STUDENT, baby, I can win your love for me. Name that tune! 

4. Cal.'s 101, e.g.: RTE - We took this Pacific Coast Highway tour a few years ago

5. Thrust and parry: FENCE - With your epee, perhaps

6. Words between partners?: ANDS - A partnership whose lyrics are quoted often here

7. Starbucks tea: CHAI - CHAI is the Hindi word for tea from cha the Chinese word for tea

8. Common base: TEN - An outgrowth of our number of fingers by most accounts

9. Mordor menace: ORC - For $70 this ORC costume, from Lord Of The Rings,  is yours for Halloween

10. "The Canterbury Tales" estate manager: REEVE  - Here it is a sample of how Chaucer wrote of OSEWOLD the REVE and how it is translated

11. Liverpool lengths: METRES.

12. Online forum VIPs: ADMINS - Ours head ADMIN. here is a lovely lady named C.C.

13. Eyes-closed event: SNEEZE

14. "The Wizard of Oz" setting: KANSAS.

24. Rags or bags lead-in: GLAD  - I'll bet you know the song that starts "Put your glad RAGS on and join me hon"

25. Fire: CAN - I've been lots of things but never FIRED/CANNED

26. Multiplication symbol?: RABBIT.

28. Mineral in thin sheets: MICA.

29. Smart dog: POODLE - I don't know if Greg was  going for something like this or being fashionable. Of course I chose the lowbrow option. 😬

32. Mayan structure: TEMPLE.

33. Landlocked Normandy department: ORNE - Departments (départements) in France are administrative levels below the national level. ORNE is Department #61 below in the southern Normandy area.

36. Light and fluffy dessert: WHIP  - We use Cool WHIP

37. Garment in a Gilbert and Sullivan title: PINAFORE - I don't know any show-stoppers from this comic opera

38. Like a car in storage: UNDRIVEN  - MIL drives her '92 Olds every two weeks or so and I bought a charger to "jump" her car when necessary

39. Syncopated rhythmic element: BACKBEAT - A quick tutorial on BACKBEATS in drumming and playing bass

41. Frozen Wasser: EIS - Unser Freund Andy mag EIS in seinen Getränken nicht (Our friend Andy does not like ice in his drinks)

42. Loftiest: UPMOST - synonym for UPPERMOST

43. Cosmic energy, in Hinduism: SHAKTI - Shakti – Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki (lit.: Strength of feeling of existence) is a Hindi Soap Opera

44. Tiny Tootsie Roll: MIDGEE.

45. __ butter: ALMOND.

49. Amazed: IN AWE  - Skeptical Simon was IN AWE of Susan Boyle after she started singing

50. One of four ... and of thirteen: SPADE - So simple now...

52. Service with painted nails: PEDI - PEDI? Maybe. Paint? Never!

53. Gp. with many barrels: OPEC - I think most of us remember the OPEC oil embargo of the 70's

58. Youngster: TOT.

59. Loud sound: BAM - Half the name of Barney and Betty's 57. Youngster's address: SON.

Go ahead and comment if you have finished watching your favorite college football game today. If my Huskers do not clobber the Akron Zips today, I am in for a long autumn!

DA GRID:

Friday, August 31, 2018, Ross Trudeau

Ttile?  Spellcheck anyone?

My first wrangle with Ross Trudeau and my first time dealing with a theme that is in the clues as well as in the fill. His initial LAT was the New Years Day puzzle. Ross is the son of the cartoonist Garry Trudeau, the Pulitzer-winning creator of "Doonesbury."  Ross is a digital media producer in Cambridge, Mass. He has had many NYT and the new Puzzle Society puzzle publications. Ross did stop by in January and revealed his full name is Richard Ross Trudeau (R Ross Trudeau) in his H Ross Perot puzzle. He has added a wonderful array of 7 and 8 letter fill. AVENUE C,  CONTENT,  DEROSSI,  DOG LIKE,  ETONIAN,  I-PHONES,  LEERERS,  LIVEN UP, MARIANO, RAT HOLE,  REACT TO,  CINNAMON,  ENSNARLS,  ENTREPOT, and INTEGERS. The solve was fun, and I enjoyed the double duty requiring both the auto-correct of the clue and the fixing of the automobile required in the fill. We also had an accent on words with accents.

17A. Blub needing replacement: BROKEN TAILLIGHT (15).

24A. Dashbaord warning: CHECK ENGINE (11).

36A. Prolbems caused by nails, maybe: FLAT TIRES (9).

48A. Resutl of lengthy nonuse, maybe: DEAD BATTERY (11).

The reveal:

57A. Suggestions in a text message ... and what 17-, 24-, 36-, and 48-Across may require, literally and figuratively?: AUTO CORRECTIONS.

The bonus fill:

12D. They might offer 57-Across:   i-PHONES.

Across:

1. Summer refreshers: ADES. Even though it is not a real word, I love starting with a CSO to me.

5. Hot tub features: JETS. The water jets.

9. Welcomed to one's home: HAD IN. As opposed to 'ate out'.

14. Anti-fur-farming org.: PETA. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

15. Taking care of business: ON IT.

16. Split to get together?: ELOPE. Really cute thoughtful clue/fill.

20. GM navigation system: ONSTAR. The LINK.

21. Maiden name indicator: NÉE. From the French.

22. Parcel of land: LOT. Part of the US/Canadian SYSTEM.

23. Chi follower: PSI. You want to LEARN.

27. Father of the Edomites: ESAU. This is close to RELIGION.

29. Not well done: POOR. Rare? Nope.

30. Scratched (out): EKED.

31. Eggnog spice: CINNAMON. Combine milk, cloves, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and cinnamon in a saucepan, and heat over lowest setting for 5 minutes. Slowly bring milk mixture to a boil.
In a large bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar. Whisk together until fluffy. ...
Stir in rum, cream, 2 teaspoon vanilla, and nutmeg.

34. __ Park, Colo.: ESTES.  The HISTORY.

38. Cheering loudly: AROAR. Meh.

40. Tangles: ENSNARLS.

44. First name in stunt cycling: EVEL.

45. No longer exists: ISN'T.

47. "I Am __": Jenner reality show: CAIT. Sorry, I missed this, or is it still on?

52. "Appropriate for all children" rating: TV-Y. For programs designed to be appropriate for all children.

53. The Vitamin Shoppe alternative: GNC. General Nutrition Centers.

54. Santa __ winds: ANA.

55. "Faust" dramatist: GOETHE. This author's appearance was foreshadowed this week.

61. Evoking the past: RETRO. I think I may be the personification of this trend.

62. Popped stopper: CORK.

63. Fingerprint, perhaps: CLUE. Often used by Edgar awarded writers.

64. Disdain: SCORN.

65. Pard's ride: HOSS.

66. Didn't go bad: KEPT. Food, not a juvenile delinquent.

Down:

1. Msg. for a squad car: APB. All Points Bulletin.

2. Portia of "Arrested Development": DEROSSI. She married Ellen.

3. James Bond or George Orwell: ETONIAN. Famous GRADUATES of Eton.

4. Nordstrom competitor: SAKS.

5. Whale of a guy?: JONAH. A very cute biblical clue.

6. Import/export port: ENTREPÔT. I did not know this word which means a port, city, or another center to which goods are brought for import and export, and for collection and distribution.


7. Aunt in Madrid: TIA. And in my extended family.

8. Smashed: STINKO.

9. Launcher of many ships?: HELEN. For all the newbies (less than two years reading the blog) we coined the standard for admiring female pulchritude - the milihelen. 1000 is a more complete review than one to ten.

10. Foreman rival: ALI.

11. Resembling a dingo: DOGLIKE. Be careful around these WILD DOGS.

13. Earned: NETTED.

18. And so on: Abbr.: ETC. Yadda, yadda.

19. Ogling ones: LEERERS. My favorites are Tom and Norman.

23. Bench press muscle: PECtoral.

25. Tweets, snaps, pics, etc.: CONTENT.

26. Passes with mediocrity: GETS A C. Hmm, 38D. Street in Manhattan's Alphabet City: AVENUE C.  HISTORY.

28. Prepare to fly, as a flag: UNFOLD.

32. Like: À LA. JzB gets his accent grave..

33. Legendary Yankees closer, familiarly: MARIANO. Rivera, the all-time baseball saves leader. LINK.

35. Kamala Harris, e.g.: Abbr.: SEN. No politics, but a rising Democrat STAR.

37. 5 and 10, e.g.: INTEGERS. A whole number.

39. Laugh at, say: REACT TO. nearby 42D. Add zip to: LIVEN UP.

41. Filthy dwelling: RATHOLE. Unpc for the poor rats.

43. Filthy dwelling: STY. An odd clecho.

44. Mystery awards: EDGARS. Named for the acclaimed first mystery writer, Edgar Allan Poe.

46. Symbol of stiffness: STARCH.

49. Brunch sizzler: BACON.

50. Ice in a pub: ROCKS.

51. Thus far: YET.

56. Clock sound: TICK. Tock.

58. NHL legend Bobby: ORR. Don't you love this next to?

59. Outback hopper: ROO.

60. Game-match link: SET. Game-set-match and such is the end of my game today as well.


Well, that was fun; welcome to Friday Ross and we have finished off another month. I thank you all for your birthday wishes and for solving and writing here. Lemonade over and out.

Thursday, August 29th 2018 Lewis Rothlein

Theme: Cloth Ears. My mother used to tell me I had "cloth ears" if I misheard something. Here we have four potential "oh, I thought you said ...."

17A. Fabricated "Murphy Brown" star?: CANVAS BERGEN. Actress Candice.

23A. Fabricated "Help!" star?: JOHN LINEN. Beatle Lennon.

Here are the Fab Four, with Lennon in a linen suit, narrowly avoiding death by a Number 39 bus (en route from Willesden to Waterloo) on their return journey across the Abbey Road zebra crossing. Paul might already have been dead, if you believe the stories. If you squint your eyes and look to the right of the bus you can see the road that I used to live on. I used to walk across Abbey Road to get to the pub where I had an evening job pulling pints of Guinness and serving up shots of Bushmill's whiskey.

50A. Fabricated "Girls" star?: LENA DENIM. Actress Durham.

56A. Fabricated "La La Land" star?: RAYON GOSLING. Actor Ryan.

and the unifier across the middle:

33A. Clergy ... and four answers in this puzzle?: PEOPLE OF THE CLOTH

Another odd-shaped puzzle Thursday, perhaps Rich has a new trend going? That's three in a row this month. The unifier here is 16 letters, so if you want to keep that as a grid-spanner, then something has to give, and that something is the traditional 15-wide constraint.

This looks to be Lewis's LAT debut, he's been in the NYT before, once with this moniker and twice with a middle "E" initial.

Full disclosure, I'm not a fan of "sounds like" themes; the kinda-sorta-homophone thing is way too subjective for me. There's a world of difference between LINEN/LENNON (close)  and DENIM/DURHAM (miles apart) but that's just me. I do like the "Fabricated ..." cluing though, that's very neat.

The fill is full (!) of nice stuff. Let's go look:

Across:

1. Sickly complexion: PALLOR

7. Eugene of "American Pie" movies: LEVY

11. Grand Canyon hrs.: MST. Mountain time. Funny that a canyon is on Mountain time, no?

14. Current unit: AMPERE. Amp for short and convenient.

15. Finnish telecom giant: NOKIA. Bumps in the road for these folk. Anyone have a Nokia phone?

16. Something to slip on?: ICE. The question mark is a little odd, it's not exactly misdirection. I get "slip on" in the "lingerie" sense, but I think it's a reach for a checho with 35D.

19. Omega-3 source: ROE

20. Ongoing: ACTIVE

21. It can get you down: SKI RUN

26. Scents: ODORS

27. Coalition creators: UNITERS. No, flat out no. Never been used in common parlance. Oh! You Uniters! You creators of coalitions! Nope.

28. Olympians using boards: DIVERS. Fun clue. Lugers, snowboarders, skeleton folks ... no, no and nope again. Oh! Summer Olympics!

30. Often-injured knee ligament, for short: MCL. I went with ACL first, didn't we all? Anterior, Median, and no doubt posterior ligaments. The ACL seems to get the worst of sports injuries. I love it when people say they ruptured their "crucial" ligament. Most of them are. The knee ligaments are "cruciate" ones. They cross over.

31. Illinois River city: PEORIA

41. Fragrant blooms: LILACS

42. MLB scoreboard letters: RHE, or more accurately, R    H    E. Not a word. Runs, Hits and Errors. Would you accept PINR in your crossword?

43. Metallic sounds: CLANKS.

45. Like some relations: SPATIAL

49. Language student's challenge: SLANG

52. Knocks their socks off: WOWS 'EM

54. Soccer star Messi: LIONEL Vote now: Messi, Maradona, Pele,  Best, Ronaldo, Puskas, Buffon, Cryuff. GOAT. Write-in votes welcome.

55. Whichever: ANY

61. Urban center?: BEE. The letter "B". It's in the middle of "urban".

62. "Your game": I LOSE

63. Paradise: UTOPIA

64. Old union member: Abbr.: SSR. A soviet socialist republic, no longer a member of the "U" in USSR.

65. Sicilian volcano: ETNA

66. Studio dweller: TENANT. Can't I own a studio? Weird clue.

Down:

1. __-Man: PAC

2. Q&A session on Reddit: AMA. Ask Me Anything, apparently. Good to know.

3. Clinic worker: Abbr.: LPN. Licensed Practical Nurse. Where do the theoretical ones go to get certified?

4. Eastern Mediterranean region: LEVANT. With "The", usually. Egypt to Turkey and eastwards to a loosely-defined area of Saudi Arabia and Iraq. It's that "loosely" that usually starts arguments.

5. Expert in futures?: ORACLE. The Oracle at Delphi. The jury is out on the accuracy of Pythia. She might have been taking the ....

6. Mix again: RE-STIR. Take verb. Add "RE". Done and done.

7. Frequent Mastroianni co-star: LOREN. Sophia. Marcello co-starred in many of her movies.

8. Ticker tape, briefly?: EKG. Nice.

9. Goes (for): VIES

10. Grammy-winning satirical artist Al: YANKOVIC

11. Magnet for a narcissist: MIRROR

12. Searches high and low: SCOURS

13. Winter temp range: TEENS. Terrible clue. It depends where you are. You don't write directional clues relative to where you are, you don't write time-based clues depending on what year you are in, you certainly don't write this clue.

15. Campbell of "House of Cards": NEVE.

18. Storage spots: BINS

22. Noble objective: IDEAL

23. Checkers move: JUMP

24. Whenever: ONCE. "Whenever upon a time". "Whenever, I met the president". "It happened whenever that I ....". Really?

25. City whose state's postal code is half its name: HILO. Thumper.

28. "Shoulda thought of that!": DOH!

29. Slight reaction?: IRE

31. One-striper: Abbr.: PFC

32. "The X-Files" subjects: ETS

34. Thinks ahead: PLANS

35. Something to slip on: LINGERIE. See 16A grump.

36. Large deer: ELK

37. Allied gp. since 1948: OAS. Organisation of American States. Tip of my tongue.

38. "Are you out __?": OR IN. I'd say "IN" first before "OUT". There's a few fills here which stretch the "in the language" rule, this is one. You can't just swap stuff around. "Feast or famine" doesn't really work as "Famine or feast". 

39. Drunken noodles cuisine: THAI

40. Nautical wheel: HELM

43. Duplicates: CLONES

44. Billy McBride on "Goliath," e.g.: LAWYER

45. Smooch in a lift: SNOG. Lift = elevator in the UK; Smooch = snog. Fair. When I was a yoot, smooching was slow-dancing, snogging frowned upon.

46. Prove successful: PAN OUT

47. Carol beginning: ADESTE. Fidelis. Oh come, all ye faithful.

48. Rat out: TELL ON

49. Clinic supply: SWABS

50. Writer Mario Vargas __: LLOSA

51. A, to Merkel: EINE. Angela Merkel. She might have said that "A" was her vorname initial.

53. __ liquor: MALT

57. "Round __ virgin ... ": YON. A Christmas mini-theme in August! How nice.

58. Pub initials: IPA. India Pale Ale. We've been over this before.

59. Diarist Anaïs: NIN

60. Noir pistol: GAT. Quite what makes it "noir" - I'm open to suggestions. Is it always black? Always used in French movies? Is there a super-villain named "Noir" who uses a "gat"? I need to know, if only for next time.

And that .... is that. Well, it would be if I posted the grid, so here it is::

Steve

Wednesday, August 29, 2018 Craig Stowe

Theme: SHORT CUTS.  The word SHORT is cut up and shuffled into the theme answers. They locations of these letters are - or should be - indicated with circles.

17. Follow-up vaccination: BOOSTER SHOT.  Re-exposure to an immunizing antigen to increase or restore immunity.  I thought it was a snort of alcohol for a devotee of college athletics.

26. Bit of equine trickery: GIFT HORSE.  Unhappy memory for Trojans, but, somehow otherwise, not to be looked in the mouth.

36. Tall tale: FISH STORY.  An improbable, boastful tail.

52. Part of Ursa Minor: NORTH STAR.  Polaris, a trinary star system with a yellow super-giant and two small companions.

61. Cheat at checkout ... and a hint to the circled letters: SHORT CHANGE.  Literally, not give back sufficient CHANGE for a large bill.  Figuratively, to treat unfairly by withholding something of value.  In the theme fill, the word SHORT is CHANGED by re-ordering its letters.  This would be tough to spot if you didn't get the circles

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here to check out this puzzle and see to it we don't get cheated out of anything. Let's start at aisle 1.

Across:

1. Script deviations: AD LIBS. Spontaneous, not formally prepared speech.

7. Shallot, e.g.: BULB.  A type of onion, with a milder flavor.

11. "Wicked!": RAD.  Slang words for "good."

14. Knitted shoe: BOOTEE.  Infant's foor wear.

15. "The African Queen" screenwriter James: AGEE.

16. Bird on Australian coins: EMU.  A large flightless bird that is one of the cultural icons of Australia.  Here it is on a postage stamp.  Inexplicably, this is not the mascot of Eastern Michigan University.

Issued in 1942

19. Cul-de-__: SAC. Literally, the bottom of a sack, but generally used to indicate a dead-end street.

20. Birth announcement abbr.: OZS.  Along with Lbs.

21. MontrÈal mates: AMIS.  French speaking friends from our neighbor to the north..

22. Defeat soundly: CRUSH.  Stomp, bash, trounce.

24. Clip-on accessories, perhaps: TIES.

29. Fax forerunners: TELEXES.  Per Wikipedia, they comprised a public switched network of teleprinters similar to a telephone network, for the purposes of sending text-based messages.

32. Florida produce: ORANGES.  Citrus fruit.

33. Turkey neighbor: SYRIA.  South of Turkey, north-west of Iraq.

34. "__ news?": ANY.  Update, anyone?

35. Supreme leader?: ESS.  First letter of the word.  The type of self-referential clue that diminishes the quality of a puzzle.

40. Airline to Oslo: SAS.  Scandinavian Airlines.

43. Shoot the breeze: YAK.  Chew the fat.

44. Watts of "Twin Peaks" (2017): NAOMI.

Janey-E Jones

47. Kind of illusion: OPTICAL.  See some here.

50. Drive back, as attackers: FEND OFF.  Repel hostile adversaries.

54. Mine, in MontrÈal: AMOI.

via GIPHY

55. Justice Samuel: ALITO.  Appointed by George W. Bush and on the bench since January, 2006.

56. Organic fuel: PEAT.  Boggy ground consisting of partly decomposed vegetable matter.  Not the only organic fuel.

59. Directional suffix: -ERN.   All's quiet on the -ERN front.

60. Tank or tee: TOP.  Article of informal clothing worn on the torso.

65. Birthday card number: AGE.  These numbers keep increasing.

66. Currency for 19 countries: EURO.  It was introduced on January 1, 1999.

67. Apartment dweller, typically: RENTER.

68. Barrett of Pink Floyd: SYD.

69. Gas in a sign: NEON.  A noble gas [chemically inert] with atomic number 10 and atomic weight of 20.1797, having a density about .9 * that of air.

70. Like the smell of a brewery: YEASTY.  Brewers' yeast transforms carbohydrates to alcohol under low oxygen conditions.

Down:

1. Costello's cohort: ABBOTT.  Comedy partners

2. Humdingers: DOOZIES.  Things that are remarkable or outstanding.  "Humdinger" is a word of uncertain origin that arose in the U. S. in the late 19th century.  It might simply be a mash-up of hummer and dinger, older words of similar meaning.  DOOZIE is of unknown origin.  It is definitely not derived from the name of the Duesenberg motor car, as is sometimes suggested.  The use of the word predates the 1920 introduction of the automobile by more than 20 years.

3. How some scripts are adapted from novels: LOOSELY.  ASoIaF mavens take note.

4. "__ go time!": IT'S.  A challenge to fight some one; or a realization that the moment for decisive action has arrived.  Also, this year's advertising slogan for the Detroit Visitor's Bureau.

5. Software prototype: BETA. A test version of the package, prior to its commercial release.

6. Appear to be: SEEM. Give the impression or sensation of having a particualar quality.

7. Operatic voices: BASSI.  Italian plural of BASSO.

8. "Gross!": UGH.  Eeew!

9. Zodiac sign: LEO.  July 23 to August 22.  We are now in Virgo.

10. "You __!": "Bingo!": BETCHA.  Of course.

11. Make a comeback: RESURGE.  To regain popularity or strength after a decline.

12. Stockpiles: AMASSES.  Accumulates.

13. New title for Meghan Markle: DUCHESS. Of Sussex, having married Prince Harry on May 19th of this year.

18. Semis: RIGS.  North American term for large trucks.  More generally, a RIG is an apparatus or device designed for a specific purpose.

23. "This Is Us" Emmy nominee __ Cephas Jones: RON.  No idea.

25. Feudal laborer: SERF.  Laborers who were bound to a particular piece of property.

27. Word processing choice: FONT.  Letter character style.

28. "Have a sample": TRY ONE.  A tiny morsel.

30. A dozen ova?: XII.  OK.  Ova is latin for eggs; eggs are generally sold by the dozen; and XII is the Roman numeral for 12.  Still  .  .  .

31. Helpful courses for underachievers: EASY As.  A class where a high grade can be achieved with minimal effort.

34. Inquire: ASK.

37. "Don't move!": HALT.  Stay put.

38. Campaigned: RAN.  As for public office.

39. Diminutive Jedi master: YODA.

40. Mozart works: SONATAS.  Musical selections for solo instruments.  Here is a well known example.

41. Expression of regret: APOLOGY.  I'm sorry!

42. Like Ronald McDonald's sleeves: STRIPED.  Advertising mascot in a clown outfit.

45. They may be precious: MOMENTS.  Sweet memories, or overly cutsie ceramic miniatures, if you're in to that sort of kitsch..

46. "My memory fails me": I FORGET.  What was i saying  .  .  .  ?

48. Cousin of Gomez Addams: ITT.  From the Addams Family TV show.

49. Selected: CHOSEN.

50. Lose sleep (over): FRET.  Worry.

51. Sunday best: FINERY.  One's best clothing.

53. It may say "World's Okayest Cook": APRON.  A protective and/or decorative garment worn over the front of one's clothing, and tied in the back.

57. __ for help: A CRY.  S.O.S. perhaps.

58. Quaker pronoun: THEE.  Obsolete singular objective case version of "you."  A relic of the English language's Germanic roots.

62. Shade: HUE.  An attribute of color determined by its wavelength distribution, independent of brightness or intensity,

63. Conquistador's treasure: ORO.  Spanish gold.

64. Actress Ortiz of "Ugly Betty": ANA.

Betty's more fashionable sister

Well, that wraps up another Wednesday. Make sure you have all your nickels and dimes - and marbles, too, just to be on the safe side.
Cool regards!
JzB