Theme: TIME OUT FOR HOCKEY SEASON. And just in time, as the first of the regular season openers occur tonight, with the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Montreal Canadiens and the Calgary flames hosting the Vancouver Canucks. Seven more games follow on Thursday. My beloved Red Wings don't open until Friday, when they host the Maple Leafs [which I saw referred to as a dysfunctional organization with a psychotic fan base] now led by former Red Wings coach Mike Babcock.
Today's theme entries are all hockey infractions. Hockey is a rough, physical game, but there are limits, at least in theory. For a minor penalty, the offending player is given a 2 minute time out, and his team mates must play a man short, either for the duration, or until the other team scores. For a major penalty, the duration is 5 minutes and the team with the man advantage may score as many goals as they are able to. The team with the man advantage is said to be on the power play.
17 A. Sleeping in the great outdoors, e.g. : ROUGHING IT. AKA camping. Not a lot of fun in the rain. After camping with me one time, the LW made a strong case about the virtues of indoor plumbing. In my role of excellent husband, I take such things very seriously. The ROUGHING penalty involves excessive physical contact.
23 A. Making sense : HOLDING WATER. Indicates a sound concept, by analogy to a bucket that does not leak. The HOLDING penalty involves grabbing the opponent's body, equipment or clothing.
38 A. Fair odds : FIGHTING CHANCES. This indicates a possibility of success, given sufficient effort. The FIGHTING penalty is the only major on today's list. Often they cancel, since it generally takes two to tangle; but uneven numbers sometimes participate, and actual melees have been observed at times. With this kind of variability, it is possible for one or both teams to end up one or two men short while the penalties are served.
49 A. Airport agent's request : BOARDING PASS. This is what gets you onto the plane. The BOARDING penalty involves pushing an opponent violently into the wall surrounding the skating surface, while he is facing the wall. This is often a blind side hit.
And the unifier -- 60 A. Hockey punishment for the starts of the longest across answers : PENALTY BOX. This, also known as the sin bin, is where the time out is served.
There are many more ways to go wrong in a hockey game, and you can read about them here. And it can get a whole lot worse. The Shark's infamous repeat-offending goon Raffi Torres has now been suspended for half the season due to a brutal hit to the head of Anaheim Ducks player Jakob Silfverberg in a pre-season game. Torres received three penalty calls on the spot, and the longest suspension in hockey history after the league review.
Hi gang, JazzBumpa here to referee this match. Let's strap our skates on and get going.
Across:
Across:
1. Great Salt Lake component, to a chemist : NACL. NaCl outside the all caps world of puzzles, is the chemist's symbol for sodium chloride, common table salt. I know this 'cuz I are one.
5. Moved for a better view, in a way : SAT UP. More of a posture adjustment than a movement.
10. Lucy's partner : DESI. Lucille Ball and DESI Arnaz. He is known to have had many other partners [in a DF kind of way,] a serious drinking problem, and a tendency to smoke way too many Cuban cigars.
14. Fairy tale villain : OGRE.
16. Pair in a loaf : ENDS. I take it this is referring to the heels on a loaf of bread
19. Big East or Big South org. : National Collegiate Athletic Association
20. Generation : AGE. With baby boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, and millennials, this is the AGE of generations.
21. Org. recommending flossing : American Dental Association.
22. Like many stunts : RISKY. If they were safe, they wouldn't be stunts.
28. In the past : AGO.
29. Start of a spelling rule broken by deists? : I BEFORE E. The word "deists" cleverly illustrates the breaking of the given rule. I'm very cool toward self-referential clues, no matter how clever.
33. Flooded : AWASH. Inundated, and one of the dreaded a-words.
36. Bring __ a substitute : IN AS. Rather an awkward partial.
37. Co-star of Burt in "The Killers" : AVA. Ms. Gardner plays Kitty Collins opposite Mr. Lancaster's Ole "Swede" Anderson in this suspense thriller based on a story by Ernest Hemingway.
42. Prefix with fold : TRI-. Three panels and two folds, common in poster boards, pamphlets, and paper towels.
43. "I get the idea!" : OK, OK. Seems a bit impatient.
44. Skeptical : LEERY.
45. Guard : SENTINEL.
48. Korean automaker : KIA. The name more or less translates as "Coming out of Asia."
54. Adolescent sidekick : ROBIN. The Boy Wonder, associated with Bat Man.
57. Indifferent response : MEH.
58. "I did not need to know that" : Too Much Information.
59. Letter-shaped building part : I-BAR. Metal beam with an I-shaped cross section. Not this guy.
64. Narrated : TOLD.
66. Clanton foe : EARP. As I reported here, back on May 13th, The EARP brothers, Virgil, Morgan and Wyatt along with Doc Holliday were on one side against Billy Claiborn, Ike and Billy Clanton and Tom and Frank McLaury. The combatants were only a few feet apart, and the incident was over in a matter of seconds. It took place at a narrow vacant lot next to a photographer's shop, not at or adjacent to the eponymous corral. Probably the most famous gunfight in the history of the old west, but it was not well known to the American people until 50 years later.
67. Jazz finale? : ZEES. A call out to me? I suspect not, since it is a self-referential description of the last two letters of the word.
68. Schmoes : DOPES. Stupid or obnoxious people.
69. Leaf support : STEM. Plant life details.
Down
1. Ravi's musical daughter : NORAH.
2. Disco era suffix : A GOGO. Term borrowed from the French, originally meaning something like "in abundance," later indicating a suggestive style of dancing.
3. Mean : CRUEL.
4. Wing alternative : LEG. Chicken or turkey parts.
5. Flatly denied it : SAID NO.
6. Hit __: experience delays : A SNAG. Anything holding up progress.
7. Put out on the infield : TAG.
8. One at the front? : UNI-. At the front = prefix.
9. Butter serving : PAT.
10. "Meet the Parents" actor : DE NIRO.
11. Contents of some envs. : ENCS. Enclosures enclosed in envelopes. So much redundancy; so few words.
12. Neb. neighbor : SDAK. South DAKota.
13. "Do as __ ..." : I SAY. I hear this in my dad's voice.
18. __-Ashbury: San Francisco section : HAIGHT. Hippy hang out, back in the day.
22. Court official : REFeree.
24. Smidgen of spice : DASH. Ask the Mrs.
25. Take the top medal : WIN GOLD. Olympically speaking
26. By surprise : ABACK. Unexpected way to be taken.
27. New Age musician John : TESH. John. I'm not linking.
30. Compete in a heat : RACE. Heats are the preliminary rounds. What were you thinking?
31. At any time : EVER.
32. "Nothing to it!" : EASY.
33. Siesta hrs. : AFTS. Afternoons.
34. Charging cable, e.g. : WIRE.
35. Not fer : AGIN. Down-homish vernacular for pro and con.
36. Graphic novel artist : INKER. Not an adult getting paid to color, as you might expect. The INKER interprets and embellishes the original pencil drawing. The colorist applies color.
39. Isle of Mull neighbor : IONA. Inner Hebrides islands. Iona is a small island just west of Mull, home to about 200 people. It is known for it's tranquility and natural beauty, and serves as a location for religious retreats and tourism.
40. Land : ALIGHT.
41. Tide type : NEAP. The tide just after the first and third quarters of the moon, when there is the least difference between high and low levels.
47. Accelerator particle : ION. Used in high energy physics.
48. Mournful tolls : KNELLS. The ringing of bells, as at a funeral.
50. Physical likeness : IMAGE. A picture or sculpture.
51. Chance to swing : AT BAT. Baseball, not Hockey's FIGHTING penalty. Every time a player completes a turn batting, that is considered a plate appearance. There are several events in which a plate appearance happens, but not an AT BAT These include a base on balls, hit by pitch, sacrifice bunt or fly, and some other rare occurrences. Most batting stats are based on AT BATs.
52. Three-ingredient treat : S'MORE. Graham cracker, chocolate and toasted marshmallow. A treat best enjoyed around a camp fire while ROUGHING IT
53. Common dinner hr. : SIX PM.
54. Nabisco cracker : RITZ.
55. Concert reed : OBOE. Most common X-word music maker. The orchestra tunes to it.
56. About 500 pounds of cotton : BALE. Heavy.
60. Scholar's deg. : PHD. Doctor of Philosophy in some specialized field.
61. Want-ad abbr. : EEO. Equal Employment Opportunity. Refers to laws prohibiting discrimination.
62. Quick drink : NIP. Or a sip. Take your pick
63. Aye or hai : YES. That's agreeable, in both Scotland and Japan.
Do you say aye or hai to this puzzle? I have my nits, but won't call any major penalties. Here's hoping your team wins all its games - unless they're playing my team, of course. Now it's time for me to skate off into the sunset.
But first an aside, re: the Oxford comma. In my usage, it occurs when I'm demarcating a list of multi-word phrases, as in the DESI comment at 10 A, but not when I'm demarcating a list of single word items.
Cool [on ice] regards!
