Theme: "Finish Lines" - Each theme entry has five R's.
27A. *Coral Sea structure: GREAT BARRIERREEF.
46A. *Place to chill on the train?: REFRIGERATOR CAR.
65A. *Long-running comic strip about the Patterson family: FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE.
85A. *Naval vessel known as a "flattop": AIRCRAFT CARRIER.
107A. *Dog breed that weighs no more than seven pounds: YORKSHIRE TERRIER.
14D. *Cause of some memory problems: READ/WRITE ERROR.
47D. *Need for a comprehensive background check?: REARVIEW MIRROR.
Reveal:
122. Fins, or when parsed differently, a feature of the answers to the starred clues: FIVERS.
I don't get the title "Finish Lines". How does it relate to the five R's?
I
like that 14D/47D & 65A intersections. I always try myself and love
when it happens. Interesting that Brian started the first theme entry
at Row 4 rather than 3.
Across:
1. "That's sorta funny": HEH.
4. Oscar-nominated biopic about a Supreme Court justice: RBG. Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
7. Pampered pet's destination: CAT SPA.
13. "If I Were __ Man": A RICH.
18. Good Grips brand: OXO. Their ginger grater.
19. In the way of: A LA.
20. Eyepieces: OCULARS.
22. Soprano Fleming: RENEE.
23. Choking hazard warning label: NOT A TOY.
25. Like some car engines: REBUILT.
26. Disciple of Haile Selassie, informally: RASTA. Their god is Jah.
30. Fawning parents?: DEER. 33. Shows of soft power?: NERF WARS. Great clues.
31. Roland Garros playing surface: CLAY. French Open. The King.
32. "Far out!": NEAT.
35. Battleship response: MISS.
36. Webpage standard: HTML. 92. Wrote 36-Across, say: CODED.
37. Delight: JOY.
40. Pushover: DOORMAT.
41. Quick __ wink: AS A.
42. Tribeca neighbor: SOHO.
43. Names on a fundraiser's call list: ALUMS.
45. Customizable Wii Sports avatar: MII.
50. Wander off: STRAY. I had a few 6-mile hikes at Elm Creek this year. Mostly because I wandered off and got lost.
54. Property transfer need: DEED.
55. Word on a whiskey bottle: MALT.
56. Stadium visitors: AWAY TEAMS.
58. DDE rival: AES.
60. __ Xtra: soda brand: PIBB.
63. Pan Am rival: TWA.
64. Track legend Zátopek: EMIL. Czech runner. Wikipedia says he popularized the interval training.
71. First name in game shows: MERV.
72. Old Prizm maker: GEO.
73. Actor Morales: ESAI.
74. South, south of the Rio Grande: SUR.
75. Liz of fashion: CLAIBORNE.
78. Vegetables in fried rice: PEAS. No peas in Xi'an style fried rice. Just green onions, eggs and rice.
81. Peal: TOLL.
84. Fifth cen. pope: ST LEO.
90. Org. with lots of "Raw" footage: WWE.
93. Threesome: TRIO.
94. Fannie or Sallie follower: MAE.
95. Salt spray: SEAMIST.
99. Gas additive brand: STP.
100. Luge, e.g.: SLED.
101. Ctrl+C action: COPY.
102. Belle & Sebastian genre: INDIE POP. Scottish indie pop.
104. Hearty bowlful: STEW.
105. Blue Pixar fish: DORY.
106. Red or Card: NL'ER. Gluey.
113. Iraq port city: BASRA.
115. "You had your chance!": TOO LATE.
116. Centrum alternative: ONE A DAY. I finally finished Boomer's remaining multivitamin last Friday.
117. One who plays a part: ACTOR.
118. To the extent that: SO FAR AS.
119. Adobe file format: PDF.
120. New __: cap brand: ERA.
121. Caterpillar rival: DEERE. Caterpillar has a big factory in Shanghai.
123. Retired boomer: SST.
124. 1040 fig.: SSN.
Down:
1. __ Kong: HONG. An hour away from Guangzhou via the speed train.
Welcome to a double dose of me. Chris (MOE) thought it would be fun if I deciphered another JW puzzle and the request really fit into my near future as I will be busy on the 22nd and 29th out of town. I was tasked with one of Mr. Wechsler's visual themes, which without the circles would have been a near impossible challenge, but we have them so here we go.
25A. With 38-Across, what the highlighted squares suggest: AROUND THE(9). 38A See 25-Across: WORLD(5).
47A. With 49-Across, author of the novel suggested by this puzzle's theme; the movie debuted 10/17/1956: JULES (5). 49A. See 47-Across: VERNE (5). 80 days anyone?
Oh and the circled squares (doesn't that remind you of HOLLYWOOD SQUARES?
Back to the puzzle...the circles spell the magic magellan word CIRCUMNAVIGATION! Nifty!
Of course now you have to solve the entire grid to fill in the circles so that leaves work to do and a grid to examine. This one is chockful of longer words AFFIRMS, CURE ALL, NAILS IT (a C.C. favorite) RUNAWAY, SNIDELY, SONATAS (for Waseely and JzB) SWOLLEN, TAURINE (we all need vitamins and supplements) ADHERENTS, and MISJUDGED which has appeared only once before in puzzledom. HEREin one of Splynter's first blogs. Also, DREFTmaking its LAT debut though we have seen it in reader comments HEREwhich includes one of Boomer's first blogs. We continue our trend of non-traditional Fridays, and I look forward to reading your thoughts.
Off to the races.
Across:
1. "More matter, with __ art": "Hamlet": LESS. This is obvious unless it isn't. Not one of Will's more famous quotations which some may find IRING at 1 Across.
5. Early music label: RCA. Radio Corporation of America.
8. Indulgent places: SPAS.
12. Playwright Chekhov: ANTON. He only lived to be 44 but he also was a well respected short story writer.
14. See 15-Across: OUT. I do not favor these reverse referentials.
15. With 14-Across, deal-breaking words: I WANT. Take your cup and clang it on the bars, works everytime.
16. Combined: IN ONE.
17. Play area: SET. Play as in production, not where you children go.
18. Partially, informally: SORTA.
19. Take off: RUN AWAY. A human would run away, and an airplane would just use the RUNWAY.
21. Gets an A+, say: NAILS IT. Yes, that is doing pretty well.
23. Cut back, in a way: DIETED. So much talk about diets... what did people do before influencers.
24. Spite: MALICE.
29. Added things: SUMS. A really simple clue/fill.
32. Brief alarm: SOS. Save Our Ship.
33. Parents can relax during them: NAPS. Anyone can.
37. "Enough!": TMI. Too Much Information.
40. Joanne of film: DRU. She was another Howard Hughes discovery.
41. Daytona Beach-based sports org.: NASCAR. National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.
44. Bacon serving: RASHER. Oxford defines it as “a thin slice or strip of bacon, or (less commonly) of other meat,” either cooked or intended to be cooked “by grilling, broiling, or frying.”
50. Bullish?: TAURINE. We all know TAURUS the bull, so...
52. Validates: AFFIRMS. A favorite word for lawyers.
55. Quaint store sign word: OLDE.
56. Tapir feature: SNOUT.
58. Campus figure: DEAN. John was very big when I was in college.
59. Try to expose: DIG AT. Another Watergate reference?
61. Sick: ILL. I am a bit under the weather.
62. Prefix with meter: PENTA. PENTAMETER. Iambic OKL or Moe?
63. Dagger-shapedsymbols: OBELI.
64. Bran type: OAT.
65. Vary: ALTER.
66. Sneak, maybe: SIDLE.
67. Natl. park sights: RVS.
68. Disinfectant brand: LYSOL. Kills Covid, but please do not drink.
Down:
1. Scottish estate holder: LAIRD. Macbeth was such a Lord.
2. Been-there-done-that feeling: ENNUI. I like this definition.
3. Pit: STONE. Peach ayone.
4. Brahms piano trio: SONATAS. This is more for Bill and Ron.
5. Optimistic: ROSY.
6. Prompt: CUE.
7. Routing abbr.: ATTN.
8. In danger of flooding, as a river: SWOLLEN. Be careful all cornerites.
9. Indian follower of Zoroastrianism: PARSI. A very old Religion which some consider the precursor of Judaism.
10. Bit of silliness: ANTIC. This word goes all the way back to 1520s.
11. City-__: STATE. Not as common as in history but we still have three - Singapore, Monaco, and the Vatican - the modern independent city-states.
13. More of a surprise: NEWER. A completely original clue for a common fill that does not make sense to me, nor sound like JW.
15. NBA legend Thomas: ISIAH. Do not be confused.
20. Disturbance: ADO. It is, or forget it.
22. Receipt fig.: AMT.
26. It offered soldiers Hope: Abbr.: USO. The capital H tells us it means Bob's TOURS
28. Web transmission technology: abr.: DSL. Digital Subscriber Line.
29. An express might skip yours: Abbr.: STN. Different abbreviations for abbreviation.
30. Thurman on screen: UMA. Constructors love her letters, movie goers love her...
31. Didn't read right: MISJUDGED.
34. Followers: ADHERENTS. They stick to their guns.
35. Face front?: PRE. PREFACE.
36. Face front?: SUR. SURFACE. Nice misdirection for a clecho.
38. Small songbirds: WRENS.
39. P&G detergent brand: DREFT. It is interesting as we have had two references to this old-timey detergent recently but it never appeared as fill before.
42. Snake oil, purportedly: CURE ALL. Also an old-timey product that was marketed as a panacea. When I was very little I wondered where they found the "cea" to put in the pan.
43. __ Ewoldt, first Asian-American to play Christine in Broadway's "Phantom": ALI. Not Muhammed nor his daughter.
45. Boxer's speech?: ARF. Three letters, it can't be woof. 54D. Cur's warning: SNARL.
46. Dudley's toon foe: SNIDELY. Mr. Whiplash.
48. __ moment: SENIOR. When I was young, I would...ah...anyway.
49. Events for Biles: VAULTS.
50. Chore list items: TO DOS. Or they can be honey dos.
51. Criminal defense: ALIBI. I was in Boston having lunch with the Bishop.
53. San __, Northern California city: MATEO. We have one in Florida. LINK
57. Name of five Norwegian kings: OLAV. Olav is the modern equivalent in Norwegian, formerly often spelt Olaf. His name in Icelandic is Ólafur, in Faroese Ólavur, in Danish Olav, in Swedish Olof, in Finnish Olavi. Olave was the traditional spelling in England, preserved in the name of medieval churches dedicated to him.
60. Secure (to): TIE. 62. Sidekick: PAL. Nobody I kicked in the side ever became my pal.
Fun puzzle to write-up with a variety of topics and a task to keep even the best solvers by collecting the letters to find the theme. Since many do not care about finding one, this should be a bit of a walk in the park. Enjoy Moe and his ebullient write-ups and I will see you in November.
Nickelodean remake starring an emotionally unstable songbird and
his dimwitted cat?
Wren and Stimpy
Hello Cornerites! It's Chairman Moe here recapping his second straight
Bruce Haight Friday Crossword Puzzle. And this one was quite a doozy!
While it didn't make me sick to my stomach, I did feel like a
Wretch midway through ...
So, if you hadn't figured it out by now, Bruce looked at using a silent "W" in his four puzzle answers to offer a pun of a familiar phrase. Not an easy task, as there are precious few words that begin "WR" where the "R" word is an actual word. How do I know this? Well, as I began blogging I found this list of words beginning with wr where the w is silent. Not a lot of choices, and aside from MY punny addition, Bruce chose all of the others.
Well, maybe not ... I wonder if this one ever made the short list?
A Moe-ku:
Couple with COVID Had to ink their vows. It was The "Write" of Marriage
17-Across. Kitty Hawk?: WRIGHT PLACE. This one didn't strike for me immediately, although I did eventually think of the Wright Brothers. Kitty Hawk, NC was the PLACE where the brothers trialed their first airplane flight. Their Memorial there is shown below:
22-Across. Englishman Charles' ripped-up early essay attempts?: WRACK OF LAMB. Charles Lamb, aka "Elia" (a favorite crossword puzzle word) was not the first "Charles" to come to mind. Prince Charles wouldn't fit. So I "wracked" my brain trying to figure this one out, but how did Bruce know that the Chairman's most favorite meat dish is this:
38-Across. Good insurance risk?: WRECKLESS DRIVER. Very clever! I wonder if this was the "seed entry"? Regardless, it was by far MY favorite pun among the four.
47-Across. Pre-Christmas affair?: WRAP SESSION. The word "affair" threw me off. Dictionary dot com defines "Rap Session" as: a usually informal or unstructured group discussion, attended especially by people with shared interests, concerns, or problems. The pun is clever but I didn't think of how this made sense, given the clue. As far as a WRAP SESSION, I usually left the Christmas present "wrapping" to my kids or the wrapping department found at most major Department Stores . . . Maybe this couple were having a mini-wrap session. Love the sweaters!
And of course the unifier: 59-Across. Winning, in sports slang ... and what each of four puzzle answers is doing?: GETTING THE "W". And while this all makes sense NOW, my first impression of the W and R came from this erstwhile "hare hunter" (shown below), although his was replacing the R for a W, and that form of speech impediment is known as rhotacism.
On to the "Wrest" . . .
Across:
1. 3.0 and 4.0, briefly: GPAS. As in Grade Point AverageS. I think I finally graduated with a GPA slightly higher than 3.0, but not by much. Never an "A" student, I, but this song came to mind:
5. "The Fall" guy?: CAMUS. Perps filled this one for me. You? Never connected the clue to a book and its author.
10. AOL rival: MSN. I had this in, then erased it, and finally put it back in once the perps fell into place
13. James' evil golfing opponent, in a 1964 film: AURIC. I got this one straight away. And similar to the last Haight puzzle, GOLF is at the fore! AURIC Goldfinger was JAMES Bond's foil in the eponymous movie based on Ian Fleming's book. Here is a scene worth watching all the way through:
15. Up to one's neck: AWASH. Also, a 500 mile long river in Ethiopia . . . who knew? Picard maybe?
16. Subj. of a "delayed" notice: ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival or ETA: the 6th letter of the Greek Alphabet
19. Monk's title: DOM. Here is MY favorite DOM:
20. Asset for a musician: KEEN EAR. Moe-ku:
Famed actor starred in A musical, and was then Billed, as Greg KEEN EAR
21. One with all the answers?: SIRI. She may have all the answers, but don't try getting too friendly with her. Just ask Raj on TBBT:
27. Tight gp.: BFFS. Texting talk; Best FriendSForever (BFSF) might be more grammatically correct though
31. Some voting machine parts: LEVERS. LEVERS seem so old-fashioned re voting machines, and now that many folks are voting via snail mail maybe the lever shown below is the new "retro" LEVER . . .
32. Arcade plumber: MARIO. Pac Man reference
34. 2010s White House name: MALIA. Wait a darn minute! Didn't we see her yesterday? MALIA Ann Obama, born July 4, 1998. As waseeley said, she's of legal age now. Do we feel old or what?!
35. 1860s White House name: ABE. CLecho . . . and do you "get" why I emboldened the "CL"?
41. "Didn't I tell you?": SEE. Didn't I tell you?" It will be all right!! Sing it, sister!!
42. U.S. laundry soap since 1918: RINSO. DREFT also fit, but it wasn't introduced until 1933. PUREX, too, but that was in 1923. RINSO, OTOH, was the first mass-marketed laundry detergent, so this "fit the bill"
43. Mound stats: SAVES. Mariano Rivera - whose STATUE (see 44-across) is shown below - is the Major League Baseball pitcher who has the most total SAVES in a career, and was a first ballot unanimous inductee in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
According to mlb dot com, this is what constitutes getting a SAVE: A relief pitcher recording a save must preserve his team's lead while doing one of the following: Enter the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitch at least one inning. Enter the game with the tying run in the on-deck circle, at the plate or on the bases. Pitch at least three innings.
44. It might be a bust: STATUE. I hope I won't be censored here, but does this STATUE contain two busts? Or is it three?
46. Where Ford gets an F: NYSE. "F" is the New York Stock Exchange symbol for The Ford Motor Company
52. Forgets the lyrics, maybe: HUMS. And when my belly "HUMS", sometimes I take:
53. Evil laugh: MWA HA HA. Used twice, previously, in the LA Times Crossword Puzzles; May 7, 2018 and Aug. 16, 2014
58. "59-Down" need: AMP. Well, if you "got" 59-Down. Part of a band tour: GIG, then you could've gotten 58-Across. Mine took a few perps to fill
63. Bit of online mirth: LOL. More texting talk; Laugh(ing) Out Loud may be considered a bit of "mirth"
64. Bury: INURN. Literally, when a dead person's ashes (cremation) are placed IN an URN. When this vessel is placed into a burial plot (aka "crypt" or "mausoleum") it is INURNed
65. Gooey goody: S'MORE. Moe-L'ick. This is an archived one that I don't think I posted here before. It was a limerick "smack-down" in which I answered another's (Kirk Miller). Follow along . . . mine is the second one:
There's a marshmallow salesman named Mel Who's successful. The way to excel Is to use a technique That is rather unique For his job. You should learn the soft sell.
You know, Mel sells his treats, door-to-door; Which of course, many people, abhor. If they’re unwilling to budge, He’ll add Graham crackers and fudge, And of course, then they all want S'MORE.
66. Poetic conjunction: ERE. Crossword-ese
67. Shoot for the stars: GO BIG. Yesterday's Arizona Republic newspaper had a headline on the Nation's News page (AP article by Lisa Mascaro and Josh Boak) entitled: "Biden urges House to 'go big' on aid".
But when I first saw the answer, my thoughts were, "GO BIG, or go home!"
68. Corrosive chemicals: LYES. I'll tee this one up for Ray-O-Sunshine. Don't let me down, buddy!
Down:
1. Rubberneck: GAWK. What is it about driving past an accident that makes us all want to rubberneck/GAWK?
2. Sheer: PURE. There it is! First synonym listed!
3. R&B's India.__: ARIE. According to Wikipedia: India Arie Simpson (born October 3, 1975), also known as India. Arie (sometimes styled as india.arie), is an American singer and songwriter. She has sold over 3.3 million records in the US and 10 million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 23 nominations, including Best Rhythm and Blues Album.
4. Take the offer: SIGN. "Get them to SIGN on the line which is dotted . . . . . "
5. Three-time Best Director of the 1930s: CAPRA. Frank Russell CAPRA was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who was best known for these two films (for which he won an Oscar) in the 1930's (It Happened One Night (1934), and You Can't Take It with You (1938)); he was also the Director for "It's a Wonderful Life" which has become a classic film shown during the Christmas Holidays
6. Spiked punch?: AWL. Cartoonist Leo Cullum had this "punny" version of the word "AWL". See below:
7. Kid's cry: MAA. But I am sure that some of you parents, when your kid cried "MAA", knew it was DAD's turn to find out what was wrong . . .
8. Neil Armstrong alma mater: USC. Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) from Wapakoneta, OH, earned is BS from Purdue University and his MS from the University of Southern California; who's iconic marching band tune played often at their football games. "Fight On"!
9. __-crab soup: SHE. SHE-Crab Soup, also called She Crab Bisque, is made with female crabs. Makes sense. In addition, the roe of the female crab is added to the recipe. Unless you live in an area where crabs are regularly harvested, you will probably have a more difficult time finding “female” crabs. Click on this link for the recipe
10. Smart regarding marketing: MEDIA SAVVY. Defined as having a good understanding of the influence of the internet, newspapers, television, etc. and how to use it effectively. These people are media-savvy and they are not going to say anything on camera that makes them look stupid.
The Blog's "no politics" rule kept me from saying more!
11. Picnic spoiler: STORM. Well, ANTS didn't fit!
12. Desert along Africa's southwest coast: NAMIB. In Namibia. One picture = lot of Moe's words:
14. Mull (over): CHEW. Thesaurus +
18. Sailing moniker: TAR. CSO to Spitzboov?
21. Shooting option, briefly: SLR. Single Lens Reflex. This explains it better than can I
23. School meetings: CLASSES. I couldn't get anything with the letters "PTA" to fit. I guess in the broadest sense of the clue, school meetings could mean CLASSES. Does this clue make it fit just for a Friday puzzle?
24. "That '70s Show" role: KELSO. Ashton Kutcher as Michael KELSO was the dumb pretty boy of the group, who hopes to coast through life on his good looks. The show ran from 1998 to 2006 on Fox Network. I never watched it. Kutcher later starred in Two and a Half Men after Charlie Sheen was written out of the show
25. The "Tristia" poet: OVID. Publius Ovidius Naso known as OVID in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. One of his works was "The Metamorphoses"
26. Quake causes: FEARS. I didn't quite get this clue and answer, but I found this clip on The Weather Channel
27. Autobahn autos: BMWS. The BMW - short for Bavarian Motor Works - is one of several German Autos that can be found driving on the Autobahn. I put in AUDI first, as I drove that brand for over 17 years, and actually drove my A5 on several Autobahns, as I took the "European Delivery Option" when I bought it
28. One may be taken for a ride: FARE. Clever clue! Taxicab drivers still accept a FARE from passengers, while Uber and Lyft drivers get their $ after the passenger's "FARE" is collected by the APP. Tips are optional ...
29. Shopper's lure: FREE SAMPLE. Another great clue and fill. FREE SAMPLE? Of course! But you'll not find one at this merchant now that we are in a pandemic . . . at least not here in Arizona . . .
30. Quote qualifier: SIC. SIC is a Latin term meaning “thus.” It is used to indicate that something incorrectly written is intentionally being left as it was in the original, thus the quote qualifier. SIC is usually italicized and always surrounded by brackets to indicate that it was not part of the original. Place [sic] right after the errer [sic]
33. Gumbo pods: OKRAS. I would've bet that the plural for OKRA was OKRA (as in Deer/Deer). Word Hippo agrees, sort of, but OKRAS is/are acceptable
34. Screen lists: MENUS. Simply stated, MENUS are a set of options presented to the user of a computer application to help the user find information or execute a program function.
For my appetizer, I will have "File"/Save As
For my main course I will have "Edit"/Undo
And for dessert, "Help"/About
36. Fliers with combs: BEES. Ouch! This one hurt! If it weren't for the perps, this might have stayed in its hive. Not even sure what I considered at first . . . but this flier might need a comb (Note: Meant ONLY in good humor and spirits!)
37. Source of "clan" and "slogan": ERSE. Word origins. Clan and slogan are words that originate from Gaelic (also known as "ERSE"). All words come from somewhere, no? ERSE is also a very popular crossword answer. We probably had it earlier this week ...
39. Miller option: LITE. OK, I will admit to being a "beer snob" as I find most all LITE beers, including Miller's, to be quite watery and unappealing. But clearly I am in the minority as Miller's iconic brand sells somewhere north of 100 million cases annually
45. Pranks, in a way, informally: TP'S. This one is a stretch for me, but back on June 6, 2018, the LA Times allowed it with this clue: "Pulls a Charmin shenanigan, briefly". I posted a cartoon before, regarding this. Check 46-Across
47. More than a high roller, in casino lingo: WHALE. One of two words that C Moe had to look up in order to solve the puzzle. The other was NAMIB. Interesting that the two words I "missed" were in the exact opposite corner location from each other. Critical corners though, as the other words in those corners didn't fall for me straight away.
I've been to many casinos in my lifetime but can't honestly say I've heard the term "WHALE" before. But then, I usually played Blackjack at a $5 or $10 table ... I was a minnow! Click on this link to read 5 crazy tales of Las Vegas WHALEs
48. Buzz: RUMOR.
49. Cyberchatting: I'MING. Abbr. for Instant MessagING
50. Have mastery over: OWN. Would our cat owners here agree?
51. Badgers: NAGS.
Think of an upper midwest team in the NCAA . . .
Moe-ku:
Madison athletes Who are pesterers are called The Wisconsin NAGS
54. Webmaster's code: HTML. HyperText Markup Language. Our blog is done this way. Had HTTP yesterday
55. Call from a bridge: AHOY. Spitz, do you have any knowledge of this; its origin perhaps? Was the phrase actually used aboard ship?
56. "__ goes!": HERE. Possibly the phrase I uttered when posting my first blog
57. Floors: AWES. Another Friday clue, perhaps. "Stuns" is a word I would use to describe AWES, but "floors" is perfectly acceptable. "To cause an unpleasant surprise for"
60. "The Realistic Joneses" playwright Will: ENO. Will ENO is an American playwright based in Brooklyn, New York. His play, Thom Pain was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 2005. Total unknown to me
61. Slow boat: TUB. Rub-a-dub-dub, three men in a . . .
62. TNT component?: TRI. TRI Nitro Toluene. Invented by Alfred Nobel of the Nobel Peace Prize fame. Go figure!
And with that, POOF! We're done! Here is the grid. I highlighted the "W's"; "AWL" seven of them. Did anyone else "get the Win?" Please add any thoughts and comments below . . .
C-Moe (and yes, this emoji is pretty accurate . . .)
Theme: Witty Words from Jack, who is 82 years old.
20A. Quip, part 1 : ONCE WRITING ON A
37A. Quip, part 2 : WALL WAS GRAFFITI
51A. End of the quip : NOW IT'S FACEBOOK
Hello Everyone,
Boomer here with another edition from puzzle land. Before we start though, a couple of riddling questions: First - How many months in the calendar have 30 days? Too easy, okay then - How many jelly beans can you fit in an empty one quart Ziploc bag?
On to the puzzle - fairly challenging due to a few questionable clues.
Across:
1. Folder projections : TABS - I took a STAB at this one
5. Come-on comeuppance : SLAP - If you didn't get it, you must do LAPS.
9. Enterprise doctor : MCCOY - He's the Law & Order DA. I thought the Enterprise doctor was Spock.
14. First name at Woodstock : ARLO - You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant. Preserve your 8 X 10 color glossy photographs. Sadly, now, all photos seem to be on a cell phone or a Facebook Wall.
15. Freezer cooler : CUBE - The cube doesn't cool the freezer, the freezer cools the cube.
16. Popped up : AROSE - by any other name still smells the same
17. Market pessimist : BEAR - I wonder if they sold Facebook short.
18. Like Death Valley : ARID - Yup, and the rest of the US this year.
19. All-night bar? : ROOST - We don't have all night bars where I live. "Parrot's perch" would be an easier clue. But we don't have parrots where I live either. We have crackers though if your name is Polly and you want one.
23. Bourbon barrel wood : OAK - This clue is A-OK!
24. Zamboni milieu : ICE - We're familiar with this monster in Minnesota. Last year we had a guy get a DUI on a Zamboni at a high school game between the second and third period. Go figure.
25. Thumbs-up : A-OK - How about that! An anagram of 23A. Now where is that Campground?
26. 2010 Olympic skiing gold medalist Miller : BODE - Interesting name. I have also heard about a young man named Bode from Seattle. He is less than one year old and his father took him to exactly two Major League baseball games this year. The first was Phil Humber's perfect game against the Mariners. Then he was at King Felix's perfecto just a few weeks ago. What are the odds?
28. Highly skilled : DEFT - I seem to remember a laundry detergent named Dreft. Where do they come up with these names?
30. Coppertone letters : SPF - I got this. Didn't like it. They call them CrossWORD puzzles.
33. Dictation whiz : STENO - short for stenographer. With all the word processing equipment available now, I think maybe all stenos are now in all night bars or driving Zambonis.
35. With precision : TO A T - Add an "S" and you have Toast, which is what you should do with this clue and so called word.
36. Missing in the mil. : AWOL - Absent without leave, as most of you know. What you don't know is that I was a company clerk and I really hated the paperwork involved when a soldier went AWOL.
40. Aesthetic to a fault : ARTY - "Way up at a Broadway party, I met a lady who was very ARTY, she took me home to see her studio. She held me close and whispered to me, she said that she wanted to do me, some of that paint will never come off I know." (Chad Mitchell Trio).
41. Milking container : PAIL - Not many are used anymore. They just hook up a tube and the milk never sees the light of day, but it stays Grade A.
42. Dadaism pioneer Max : ERNST
43. Cooking choice : GAS - Okay, but Broil, Boil, Bake, Grill, Saute, Fry, all came to my mind first.
44. Wonderland tea party attendee : HARE - Lewis Carroll's legend lives on!
45. Environmental concern : SMOG
46. Crew member : OAR - Wait a minute. I just watched rowing in the Olympics. The OAR was not a crew member. This clue is up a creek without a paddle.
47. See 45-Down : MOM - I guess we have Soccer Moms in Minnesota, but for about 11 months out of the year they are also Hockey Moms. The difference is that Hockey Moms need an SUV to carry all the skates, sticks, pads, helmets, gloves, and then they have to watch out for drunk Zamboni drivers.
48. VCR format : VHS - Movies that used to rent for five bucks a night are now available at garage sales for 50 cents or less. Sigh.
56. Yard neatener : MOWER - Austin, Minnesota, home of Spam (the canned spiced ham, not the email) is in Mower County.
57. Stoltz of "Pulp Fiction" : ERIC
58. French 101 verb : ETRE - The first letter of "French" is the grade I received in my French class.
59. Flip over : UPEND
60. Longing look : GAZE - pretty easy. Getting to the bottom of the puzzle.
61. See after : TEND - At least this clue wasn't "What comes after NINE D?"
62. Plaster painting surface : GESSO - Sorry, my painting experience only includes my garage door, deck, and "Circle me Bert" sign.
63. Violin virtuoso Leopold : AUER - Never heard of this guy. I have heard of MAUER.
64. Belligerent god : ARES
Down:
1. Major no-no : TABOO
2. Field of play : ARENA - Most Fields are outdoors, arenas are usually indoors now. But I think the Christians used to fight the Lions in an arena field. The lions usually won.
3. Aikido masters : BLACK BELTS - Even spell check has never heard of Aikido. Why not just say Judo or Karate and take it easy on us poor sap green belt puzzle solvers.
4. Mad : SORE - yeah, I'm SORE at the Aikido clue
5. Like hen's teeth : SCARCE- Who needs teeth when your lips are as hard as clam shells.
7. Slightly : A BIT - Fisherman try to get A BIT of a bite using BAIT.
8. Mani-__: spa service : PEDI- Never heard of this, but it must have something to do with feet.
9. She played Lois in "Superman" films : MARGOT (Kidder)
10. Curved piece : CROOK - Nixon was not one.
11. Masked scavenger : COON
12. Greek peak : OSSA- Never heard of the mountain.
13. Still : YET
21. Golfer's nonplaying wife, facetiously : WIDOW - I have all heard the term. I play a little golf, but I think C.C. falls into the Bowling Widow class.
22. Three-nation '90s treaty : NAFTA - North American Free Trade Agreement. Everything is a clever acronym these days.
27. "I'm __ human" : ONLY
28. Motherless calf : DOGIE - Get along little dogie.
29. __ of Gloucester: "King Lear" character : EARL
30. Fiscally conservative Democrat, say : SWING VOTER - Conservative Democrat ???? You made that up.
31. "Iron Chef" supplies : POTS - If you watch the food network, you have more time on your hands than I.
32. Pass (by) quickly, as time : FLIT - Hmmm - more like flies, mosquitoes, or Usain Bolt.
33. Booty : SWAG - Once a jolly Swagman, sat beside a billabong.....
34. Ancient home of Irish kings : TARA - I never knew Ireland had Kings. LA and Sacramento have them.
35. Unseen "Fiddler on the Roof" tyrant : TSAR - If I were a rich man ..........
36. Picked locks? : AFRO - I think Oscar Gamble had the most notable one. Then along came Michael Jordan and changed the world. Hats fit again.
38. Separated : APART
39. Lyons lady : FEMME
44. Bob or beehive : HAIRDO - I think from the 60s. Now rest in lore with 8 track tapes, hula hoops. and 8 X 10 color glossy photographs.
45. With 47-Across, modern-day chauffeur : SOCCER
46. "Catch This!" autobiographer Terrell : OWENS - A wide receiver. Didn't know he wrote a book.
47. Early American crop : MAIZE - What an unbelievable crop - but in trouble this year due to desert-like temps as far north as Iowa, Nebraska, and Frostbite Falls! This vegetable may be eaten right from the cob, canned or frozen, dried for corn meal, feed for livestock, alcohol added to E85 gasoline, and coating for pronto pups at the Minnesota State Fair - through Labor Day.
49. "Stormy Weather" singer : HORNE - that would be Lena, but I don't think she was the only one.
50. RR postings : SKEDS - Another slang word. Sounds like a brand of running shoes to me.
51. "Dream on!" : NOPE
52. Carries a mortgage, say : OWES
53. Video game giant : SEGA
54. Herr's better half : FRAU - We are almost done.
55. Old 48-Across rival : BETA - Not as old as 8 tracks. Store them in your garage with those cassette tapes by Nat King Cole.
56. Coffee holder : MUG
So if you stayed with me this far - the answers to the riddles: Eleven months have 30 days. (Some even have 31). And you can fit one jelly bean in the empty Ziplok bag, because once it goes in, the bag is no longer empty. But if you are smart enough to solve crossword puzzles, I am sure you figured this out. Have a great holiday weekend!!
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