In-the-language terms are transformed into renovation tips from people in the field.
20. Ballplayer's home renovation advice about the bare hallway floor? : PUT A RUNNER OUT.
27. Tech's home renovation advice about a dark basement? : INSTALL WINDOWS.
44. Housekeeper's home renovation advice about a cheap fourposter offer? : TURN DOWN THE BED.
54. Bartender's home renovation advice about the tiny kitchen sink? : MAKE IT A DOUBLE.
My favorite entry. A double drink becomes a double sink!
This was by far the easiest Thursday puzzle I can remember. I think I finished it in under 10 minutes.
Across
1. Email for the spam folder, probably : SCAM. I can't help thinking of this clip every time I hear the word "spam." 3:19
5. Comparable : AKIN.
9. Indy participant : RACER. I had to check perps to be sure we were not looking for a specific one, like "Unser."
14. __ socks : TUBE. Had to leave this one for a couple perps, too. All I could come up with at first was "Argyle."
15. Fiddling emperor : NERO. The violin wasn't invented until 1500 years after Nero.
16. Drop names, maybe? : ERASE.
17. Flightless flock : EMUS.
18. Swarm member : GNAT.
19. Nodding off at a meeting, say : BORED.
23. Caution to drivers : SLO.
24. Flamenco cheer : OLE.
25. "... but I could be wrong" : OR NOT.
32. Bygone TV control : HOR.izontal. I wonder if NERO used to fiddle with this knob?
33. Reef denizen : EEL.
34. Small drink : NIP.
35. Autumn bloom : ASTER.
38. Nursery rhyme fiddler : CAT. CATs can't really fiddle - they don't have opposable thumbs.
39. Pleasing to the palate : TASTY. Yumm!
41. Luau bowlful : POI. Yuck!
42. Wheels : CAR.
43. Limit : CAP.
50. Joyous hymn : PAEAN.
51. Lee follower : REB. General Robert E. Lee, and his REBel army.
52. Cold War jet : MiG. Named after the two inventors Mikoyan and Gurevich. The "i" is small because it is the Russian word for "and."
58. Capital on the 30th parallel : CAIRO.
60. Mill site : POND. I would venture to say that the mill was usually sited on a stream. Ponds don't move water wheels very well.
61. Sticky stuff : GLUE.
62. Day one : ONSET.
63. Aquatic predator : ORCA.
64. Catches : GETS. "Catch my drift?" "Get it?"
65. Mild cheese : GOUDA.
66. Bucks, perhaps : DEER.
67. Hook's right hand : SMEE.
Down
1. Mother May I? movements : STEPS. Did any of you play this game as children?
2. Fluffy clouds : CUMULI.
3. Lie alongside : ABUT ON. OK, Grammar Nazis. Is it proper to say ABUT ON, or just "abut?"
4. Monument Valley sight : MESA.
5. Sharp-cornered : ANGULAR.
6. Boxer's hotel : KENNEL. I had "dog spa" at first, which gave me fits with the first theme entry.
7. Caspian Sea land : IRAN.
8. Sticky writing? : NOTE. We just had "Yellow sticky, often" for NOTE TO SELF last Saturday, so this was a gimme.
9. Energized anew : REBORN.
10. In the vicinity : AROUND.
11. They may be political : CARTOONS. I've linked Daumier before, so this time I'll go with Nast.
12. Chicago-to-D.C. dir. : ESE.
13. Former Riverfront Stadium player : RED. Home of the Cincinnati Reds (baseball), it was later renamed "Cinergy Field" until it was demolished in 2001.
21. Chopper topper : ROTOR. I was off on a whole different tangent...
22. Provoke : ROIL.
26. Flibbertigibbet : TWIT. Love the word "flibbertigibbet," but I would have had a tough time coming up with the correct spelling. Now I know!
28. Ewe or doe : SHE.
29. Pay attention in class : LEARN.
30. Drizzly : WET.
31. Many a character in TV's "The Americans" : SPY. Never saw the show.
35. Quick on the uptake : APT. As in, "He was an apt student."
36. Opposite of nuts? : SOUP.
37. Italian dessert : TIRAMISU.
38. Raucous call : CAW.
39. Popular exercise regimen : TAE BO. TAE BO is a portmanteau of tae kwon do and boxing. Total body fitness, really intense. I will stick to t'ai chi, thank you very much.
40. LAPD alert : APB. All points bulletin. It may also be a BOLO: "Be On the Lookout." Or an ATL: "Attempt to locate."
42. Cold Stone Creamery purchase : CONE. Last week we had A&P, which is a local chain in the Northeast, and now we have Cold Stone Creamery, which only has locations in MA, CT and RI. I guess Häagen-Dazs would be too easy for a Thursday? [Update: Cold Stone Creamery is nationwide.]
43. It may be extra sharp : CHEDDAR. "That's the way (uh-huh, uh-huh) I like it!"
45. Came closer to : NEARED.
46. Territory divided in 1889 : DAKOTA.
47. Spell : TRANCE.
48. Infiniti's infinity symbol, e.g. : EMBLEM. Oh, so that's what it's supposed to be! I always thought it was an Alp...
49. Weaken : DILUTE. Scotch and soda, anyone?
53. Formation fliers : GEESE.
55. Apple product : iPOD.
56. Zoomed : TORE.
57. Fleece-lined boot brand : UGGS. So named because of their ugliness.
58. Gear tooth : COG.
59. Mayo to mayo : ANO. Spanish May to May, and year.
Hasta la próxima semana!
Marti
Note from C.C.:
1) Happy 20th wedding anniversary to our sweet Misty and her husband Rowland! What's the special planning today, Misty? (Sorry I goofed, Irish Miss.)
 |
| Misty & Rowland 2009 (15th Anniversary Party) |
2) Happy Birthday to dear TTP (Took The Plunge), the unsung hero of our blog. TTP patiently guided me through each trouble this blog faced the past few years and is always there when I'm in need. He's one of the very few regulars that I've talked on the phone. Don't know if he hooks or slices on the golf course, but he used to be a good bowler until he hurt his back. He served Uncle Sam as well.
