google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Feb 17, 2022

Thursday, February 17, 2022, Bruce Venzke

 

 


hyPe with a Capital "P"  

Believe it or not today's constructor Bruce Venzke got his start writing crossword puzzles in the pool halls of Wisconsin.  It's a very interesting story, but I'd better let him tell it, as related in this interview with C.C. back in February of 2011.  His connections with the Corner run deep.

He joins us today to talk about marketing strategies,  ways to PUSH products and services to customers.  The first word in each of Bruce's themers, as well as the reveal, begins with a capital P.

20A. Excel on the mound: PITCH A NO HITTER. A no-hitter is a rare accomplishment for a pitcher or pitching staff—only 314 have been thrown in MLB history since 1876, an average of about two per year.  Three stand outs in this achievement are Nolan Ryan whose 7 no-hitters are the standing world record;  Don Larsen, who pitched a no-hitter for the Yankees in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series; and Roy Halladay, who pitched a no-hitter for the Phillies in Game 1 of the 2010 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.

25A. Increase the mobility of, as a checker: PROMOTE TO KING.  A game we used to play a lot when we were children, but it seems to have dropped from popularity in recent years.  When a checker reaches the eighth row it is PROMOTED or KINGED, after which it gains super powers!  Here's how to play.

44A. Do a plumbing job: PLUG UP THE LEAK.  First a CSO to all the handy men (and any women) who do their own plumbing.  I've done my share of it, but sometimes it pays to hire an expert. Here's a Wiki article on the work of a plumber (check out "Other uses" for recent history for people who plug leaks).  If you're looking for well-paid, steady work.here are typical licensing requirements. It's not a job you can just walk into.

49A. Recommend, with "for," and a hint to the start of 20-, 25- and 44-Across: PUT IN A GOOD WORD.  I think we should put in a good word for Bruce for a fun puzzle.

Here's the Grid:


Now let's PUSH on to the rest of the PUZZLE ...

Across:

1. Oktoberfest toast: PROST.  A shortened form of PROSIT.  The former is preferred in Germany.

6. "Atlas Shrugged" hero John: GALTAyn Rand's Übermensch.
 

10. Split: PART.

14. Object: DEMUR.  Demur? Demure?  What's the difference?
15. Store with Småland play areas: IKEA.  The word Småland, Swedish for "Small Lands", is actually a pun on the region that IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad was born in.  This company really knows how to PITCH furniture to parents of small children.   A CSO to SwenglishMom.  Stop by and say hi!
16. Wind in the reeds: OBOE.  It's back!  Here's the OBOE solo from Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake:


17. Patty Hearst alias: TANIA.  The Nom de Guerre for heiress Patricia Hearst, who was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army in 1974, succumbed to the Stockholm Syndrome (a medical condition apparently), robbed a bank and was later captured, tried for robbery, convicted, and sentenced to 35 years in prison.  Her sentence was commuted by President Jimmy Carter, and she was later pardoned by President Bill Clinton.  I don't think the SLA ring leader, Donald DeFreeze, would have seen eye-to-eye with John Galt.

18. Whammy: JINX.  A CSO to our man in Norfolk!

19. Self-named 2000s sitcom set in Texas: REBA. Like Cher, Adele, and Madonna, when someone mentions REBA you know who they're talking about.  Reba Nell McEntire, (born March 28, 1955) is an American country music singer, actress and businesswoman. She is often referred to as "the Queen of Country" (Dolly fans might dispute that), having sold more than 75 million records worldwide.  Here's her You Lift Me Up to Heaven (lyrics):

23. Blow away: STUN. An alternative to the more frequently used verb AWE.

24. Steam: IRE.

31. Reclusive sort: LONER.

32. Pin expert?: WRESTLER.  Hands up if you thought this was a BOWLER?

35. Cheerio morsel: OAT.  The preferred food for the horses in OATERS.

36. Court responses: PLEAS. A polite term for "Innocent, Guilty, or maybe Non Compos Mentis, your Honor".   A CSO to Susan and Jason.  See also 12D ROBE.

38. "Bravo!": OLE.

39. Not as well insulated: DRAFTIER.

42. Weasel cousin: SABLE.  This link has NOT been approved by P.E.T.A.

Sable
47. Boxer's remark?: ARF

48. Dull-sounding beast: BOAR.  A homophone to the noun BOOR:  "a peasant or uncultured person; one who lacks in education, knowledge, refinement and social graces".  Also to verb BORE, and related nouns and several similar sounding words as well.  See also 36D.

56. Malevolent: EVIL.  Yes Virginia, it does exist.

57. Equine control: REIN.  A homophone for REIGN and RAIN.

58. "The Grapes of Wrath" migrants: OKIESThe Grapes of Wrath is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962.

60. Fool on the ice: DEKE.  There was a recent attempt to fool us on the ice at the Winter Olympics, but it wasn't a DEKE:
61. Canasta play: MELD.  Hand up from any Canasta players?  Here are the rules for all the rest of us.

62. Surge protector?: LEVEE.  From the Online Dictionary of Etymology ...
63. Verb in much written dialogue: SAID.  "He SAID", She SAID".
 
64. "The __ the limit": SKY'S

65. Bowling unit: FRAME.  One of my granddaughters likes to bowl and we often take her bowling on her day out.  Nowadays most bowling establishments have an interactive computer screen at each lane to help you keep score.  But if you ever go to an old fashioned establishment and have forgotten how to score, you can access this wikiHow through your cell phone.

Down:

1. L.A. is on it in summer: PDTPacific Daylight Time.  Programming applications sensitive to TIME ZONES in multi-state networks can be tricky.  We used to just call a library routine that had all the rules built-in.

2. Do a farm job: REAP.

3. High-end hotel chain: OMNI.

4. "I'm okay with it": SUITS ME.

5. Caterpillar, say: TRACTOR.  If you're in the market for one, they've got 'em.

6. Demi Moore military movie: GI JANEG.I. Jane is a 1997 American war drama film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Demi Moore, Viggo Mortensen, and Anne Bancroft. The film tells the fictional story of the first woman to undergo special operations training similar to the U.S. Navy SEALs.  The film did not do well.
7. Related: AKIN.

8. TV host with more than 300 vehicles: LENO.  Jay's vehicles include about 150 cars, most of the rest being motorcycles.  Here are some of his most interesting rides.

9. Unpopular raises: TAX HIKES.

10. Sign: PORTENT.  Dark clouds often portend stormy weather. "Information on past performance, where given, is not necessarily a guide to future performance".
11. What an accessory may do: ABET.

12. Judicial garb: ROBE.  There are apparently lots of variations of "judicial garb" around the globe, with most taking their cues from the British tradition.

13. Go like the dickens: TEAR.

21. Castaway's shelter: HUT

22. Eye part: IRIS.  And a song by the Goo Goo Dolls (lyrics).  See 50D for more.


25. Walk tediously: PLOD.

26. Sign of crowd approval: ROAR.  Or the sound of a crowd: AROAR.

27. Ready to draw: ON TAP.  My DIL's brother made a small fortune designing and installing TAP systems for bars.  This is one of his competitors.

28. Nobody: TWERP.

29. __ pro nobis: ORA.  Latin for "Pray for Us".  The congregation's response in litanies of intercessory prayers.

30. Golden __: GLOBE.  The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the 105 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television.
Golden Globe Award
 
33. "Boo'd Up" Grammy winner __ Mai: ELLA.    A bit of bio about Ella Mai and here's her Grammy winner (lyrics):


34. Strongly suggest, with "of": REEK.  See next clue.

36. Animal husbandry facilities: PIG FARMS.  You are likely to find lots of 48As there.

37. Moldova currency: LEU.  The Romanian leu is the currency of Romania. It is subdivided into 100 bani, singular: ban, a word that means "money" in Romanian.  These 20 lei coins are likely to be worth much more than their nominal value:

20 lei gold coin from 1870
(21mm diameter, 6.43g weight)
40. Thrashed (about): FLAILED.

41. __ loose: free: TURN.

42. Navy nuclear sub class: SEAWOLF.  The Seawolf class is a category of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines in service with the United States Navy.
Seawolf Class Submarine

43. "Today" weatherman: AL ROKERAlbert Lincoln Roker Jr. (born August 20, 1954) is an American weather presenter, journalist, television personality, actor, author, and producer. He is the current weather anchor on NBC's Today.

45. Some gov't issues: T BONDSTreasury bonds (T-bonds) are government debt securities issued by the U.S. Federal government that have maturities greater than 20 years. T-bonds earn periodic interest until maturity, at which point the owner is also paid a par amount equal to the principal.

46. Mason's carrier: HOD.  The art of bricklaying can be found in every city across America. From homes to large buildings, bricklayers have made a difference to almost every skyline. The key to building such art is the teamwork that comes from the Bricklayers and their Hod Carriers

49. Crosswalk users, briefly: PEDS.

50. Iris layer: UVEAThe uvea (Lat. uva, "grape"), is the pigmented middle of the three concentric layers (Choroid, Ciliary Body, and Iris) that make up an eye.  I find the structure of the eye and its integration with the visual cortex via the brain of the optic nerve to be nothing short of miraculous:

51. __ bar: Polynesian-themed spot: TIKI.

52. Many a techie: GEEK. A CSO to all the present and former GEEKS on the Corner.

53. Like many a mechanic's rag: OILY.

54. 1972 Derby winner __ Ridge: RIVA.   Not only did he win the 1972 Derby, but owner Penny Chenery credits him with saving Meadow Stables and paving the way for Secretariat to win the 1973 Triple Crown:
Riva Ridge
1972 Kentucky Derby


55. Think: DEEM.

59. Call in poker: SEE.  I SEE that we've come to the end of this review.

waseeley

Thanks as always to Teri for proofreading and constructive suggestions.

Cheers,
Bill


Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy 56th anniversary to our incomparable Husker Gary and his wife Joann. Here's a picture of them with their grandson Hawkin two years ago.

 

2) Happy birthday to Chairman Moe (Chris), our fun and witty Friday guide! So lucky that I asked you to blog, Chris!

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh377mtWLV0RdnZz9HazB0N0otfeNUpfzwUXzH75T0q1jQ05wS4iIRSZR__TW1BmPU9kxbKwSmgGtJtLEAabeF3ktwh9wk2JiMik2_-ATWcpLsw40PsiwsmcFpNW7JZ_Mhp16gyiVzjy5k8/s1544/Chris+and+Margaret.jpg
Chris and his love Margaret