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

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Jun 2, 2018

Saturday, June 2, 2018, Erik Agard

Themeless Saturday Puzzle on National Prairie Day


Today Erik Agard's challenge comes to us on the first Saturday in June which is National Prairie Day. Who better to discuss his puzzle on this day than someone who has lived his entire seventy-one years on the prairie of the Great Plains than Husker Gary. 

Shown here is a beautiful part of my state where an exclusive golf course has been carved into the prairie near Valentine, Nebraska. This combines the love of where I live with my favorite pastime.



 Here our constructor Erik is shown after winning an ACTP event. If you "blow up" the puzzle behind him, I think you will get an idea of the sense of those championship puzzles.

Here is a 2013 interview Erik did with C.C.



OXLIP
I last blogged an Eric Agard puzzle on Cinco de Mayo where he partnered with Sam Donaldson. 

Today's solo effort by Erik challenged and entertained me greatly especially where I definitely thought TOME was correct but whose O could not possibly be right to start TULIP for 

44. Yellow perennial: OXLIP where I already had firmly established _ _ L I P


Oh well, I left it in as you can see below in DA GRID and I'll accept my uncertainty as punishment. 




Let's see what else this wunderkind (19 yrs old in 2013) has for us here on the prairie and elsewhere in the U.S. of A.



Across:

1. Pitch sign: CLEF - Now if this had been a C.C. puzzle... 




5. Saturn, for one: GAS GIANT - We live on the third of the four inner "Rocky Planets" from the Sun. Beyond Mars there are four GAS GIANT planets that probably have no solid surface


13. Super-fancy: LUXE - Okay




14. Slightly more than a one-man show: TWO HANDER - A new term for me. A play for two actors as seen here



Linda Lavin and Sarah Paulson in Collected Stories

15. Most eligible for service: ONE-A - A classification that drove many Vietnam Era boys to college for at least a year


16. Pluralis majestatis: THE ROYAL WE - Below, you see a Queen Victoria statement after a comedian told an "off color" story in her presence at a large public gathering  




17. Bee's home: SACRAMENTO - Neither HONEYCOMB nor MAYBERRY NC worked where Sacramento's newspaper's was intended


19. Te __: iconic Chickasaw actress: ATA- An incredible Oklahoma Chickasaw woman who saw fame as an actress, story teller and politician. She performed for FDR and George VI in 1939 who was the aforementioned Queen Victoria's grandson




20. Layer of very large eggs: EMU.




21. Grilled, in Mexican fare: ASADA.


22. Jefferson, for one: DEIST.




24. Slangy "Absolutely!": TOTES - Short for Totally. Man, you must really be in a hurry if you use TOTES for  Totally as in "the scenery is TOTES amazing!"


26. Add: TOSS IN - "All right, we'll TOSS IN the undercoating on that car!" Yeah right!


28. Pixy __: candy: STIX - essentially artificially colored sugar

29. Modern navigation aid: URL

30. Some Spitzes, for short: POMS - Here's a POMERANIAN getting cooled off at a dog show




32. Rhetorical question to one who's too good to be true: HOW ARE YOU REAL? - A question I've had about the amazing Minneapolis (by way of Xi'an, China) woman who runs this blog and has given me a lovely new dimension to my life!


36. Scandinavian name akin to Nicholas: NILS - The "36. Guitarist Lofgren" must have been already checked out of the clue library


37. "Code Switch" airer: NPR.


38. "No more!": STOP 




40. Fired at the table?: FLAMBE.




42. Member of a Hindu trinity: SHIVA

Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord SHIVA
43. Ones with wide spines: TOMES - My first thought for a wide-spined TOME



46. Young partner: ERNST - ERNST and Young is a professional services company headquartered in London


48. Image quality word: RES  - Hi RESolution and Low RESolution 


49. Long Reach Dusting System brand: OXO.

50. Rainforest visitor: ECO TOURIST.

52. Act naturally: PLAY IT COOL - Ringo did get to sing Act Naturally 

55. Chaps competitor: IZOD - Some of my golf shirts are IZOD I bought on sale





56. Powerful slitherer: PINE SNAKE - Here's  one in its namesake milieu 



57. Red Lobster has one for kids: MENU  Lobster burger with crab fries?


58. Wolverines rivals: SPARTANS.


59. Meeting of two sides: EDGE.




Down:


1. Secrecy metaphors: CLOSETS - I think most everybody is out of most every CLOSET and for the most part that is great including the one labelled 8. LGBTQ part: GAY.


2. Green flitter: LUNA MOTH - That which FLITS can be called a FLITTER which I usually consider to be a verb. That which FLITTERS would then be called a FLITTERER I guess.




3. How it's done: EXECUTION - The EXECUTION of a sacrifice bunt in baseball is cool to watch. I know this will be scored a base hit but still... 



4. "The mind-killer," in Frank Herbert's "Dune": FEAR.



5. 1950 Pulitzer winner for the poetry collection "Annie Allen": GWENDOLYN BROOKS - For this book she became the first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize. I truly enjoyed learning about this poet



6. Heart lines: AORTAS.

7. Order to go: SHOO - cute clue


9. "Barefoot Contessa" host Garten: INA - Speaking of female authors 

10. Dwight's opponent: ADLAI - Combined, Adlai got 162 Electoral votes in 1952 & 1956 while Ike got 899

11. Older efts: NEWTS Eft/Newt Life Cycle if you're interested. None of these became The Speaker Of The House as far as I know


12. Minister to: TREAT.


14. __ arts: THEATRE - I missed the British spelling by a centimetre 



16. Symbols after many brand names: TMS - Many of these TradeMark symbols are followed by a   or  ®


18. Remote fillers: AA'S - Papa, how did you change channels before there were remotes?


22. Christian on a runway: DIOR - Hey ladies, it's Ready To Wear 




23. Interlace: ENMESH - FITGURL uses the name in its product




25. Liz, to Richard, twice: EX-WIFE


27. Incite: SPUR.


29. Minor in astronomy?: URSA - The Little Dipper is part of the Little Bear (URSA Minor) Constellation and is the one point in the northern sky that stays in essentially the same place every night




31. Sent up: SATIRIZED.

33. Shakespeare title starter: ALLS - I remember reading ALLS Well That Ends Well in HS but have no memory about the storyline or characters. However, I can calculate square roots with just a pencil and paper, so...


34. Like some summer shoes: OPEN TOE - Some TOES should be out of sight and out of mind


35. Many a Top-40 hit: LOVE SONG - "Our Song" was Can't Help Falling In Love With You


39. Outstanding and then some: PAST DUE - Funniest (probably the only) scene about PAST DUE books ever made!




41. Certain Saudi: MECCAN - One would live a mere 8 hr 3 min drive from Riyadh via Route 40



42. Stand-up comic Gilliam: STU - How rare were black faces on TV in 1968? This picture of STU and Frank Sinatra Jr. is listed as an historical photo.



is 

43. Company that developed Bazooka Joe: TOPPS - TOPPS got into the bubble gum business and had Hopalong Cassidy trading cards in packs included with the gum in 1950. Success came when they switched to baseball player cards in 1952. This TOPPS card is worth big money!




45. Chief Tui's daughter, in a Disney film: MOANA - We'd better learn this recent (2016) Disney heroine as it is bound to become a cwd favorite with all those lovely vowels

47. One day, in "The Martian": SOL - On SOL 71 (upper left hand corner), The (stranded) Martian  (Matt Damon) uttered this fabulous, if slightly profane, statement 



50. Peak in Catania: ETNA - Move over ETNA, MOANA is here 

51. Winter coat: RIME - A beautiful scene in China where apparently they also have winter! 😏




53. Ending with law: YER.


54. "Was __ das?": IST - Das ist das Ende von Erik's Hinweise und jetzt fühlen Sie sich frei, zu kommentieren! (This is the end of Erik's clues and now feel free to comment!)








Jun 1, 2018

Friday, June 1, 2018, John Lampkin

Title: Now where did I hide that body? White rabbit, white rabbit all, welcome to June and hurricane season.

John is back following up last week's insect infested puzzle with a challenging and very creative entry in the LA Times not quite a REBUS puzzle type. Rich Norris does not accept classic multi-letters in a single square in puzzles, but here the word BODY is actually crammed into a black square, so it is hidden. Even if you do not like that explanation, this was a very fun puzzle to solve and a wondrous bit of construction. The special twist that makes it shine is the BODY missing at the front of the theme is placed on the left and the BODY missing at the end is on the right. He then puts a big bow on the puzzle by alternating the left-right march. WOW. With 66 squares committed to the theme, John still features some nice fill such as EVEREST, LOCALES, RUBS RAW, SLEEP IN, SPATULA, STOP HIM, PUHLEASE and TRAVIATA. We are given the extra hint of the * so you all knew which were theme related, and if you did not catch on to the gimmick, the two-part reveal should have made the puzzle very doable.  I will begin with the very clever movie reference that inspired this effort. Considered one of the 50 best Sci-Fi movies of all time with Donald Sutherland and Leonard Nimoy


27A. With 44-Across, classic 1956 film ... and why the answers to starred clues aren't quite themselves?: INVASION OF THE (13). 44A. See 27-Across: BODY SNATCHERS.(13).

Now let us find those bodies.

1A. *Tattoos: ART (3) BODY  ART. I think this form of expression has been made most popular by the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issues. Is it NUDITY?

8A. *Hypothetical object that absorbs all incident electromagnetic radiation: BLACKBODY (5).
A blackbody (sometimes spelled "black body") is a theoretically ideal radiator and absorber of energy at all electromagnetic wavelength s. (various). This is an unknown term for me.

16A. *Nonverbal communication: BODY LANGUAGE (8). A key to understanding other people, this is very important in business but may be most important for a COUPLE.

22A. *Snoop: BUSY BODY (4). I think of Samantha Stevens' next-door neighbor, MRS.  KRAVITZ.

50A. *Bumper repair site: BODY SHOP (4). Automobiles are always vulnerable and you need a good mechanic and good body shop.

62A. *Star or nebula: HEAVENLY BODY(8). A CSO to our NASA rep HG. There are so many TYPES

67A. *Circadian rhythm: BODY CLOCK. (5). Steve could give us his interesting perspective on this BIOLOGICAL  phenomenon. Meanwhile, I have commented first like three times recently, what's that all about?

69A. *Coveted journalism award: PEABODY. (3). The George Foster Peabody Awards program, named for American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and now, online media. Some past WINNERS. (various)

Well, I am worn out already and we must move on to the rest of the puzzle...

Across:

4. They churn out dough: ATMS. I have not used an Automated Teller Machine for some time.

13. Sign of summer: LEO. That kind of sign.

14. Ecologically challenged Asian sea: ARAL.

15. Ovine output: BAA BAA. Black sheep, have you any wool. CONTROVERSY?  Also, we have 9D. Ewe's output: LAMB. No double BAA, but a shameless self SO by John.

18. Deepest, as feelings: INMOST.

19. Realm: AREA.

20. Op-ed takes: VIEWS.

23. Outdoor gear giant: REI. Recreational Equipment, Inc., commonly known as REI, is an American retail and outdoor recreation services corporation. It is organized as a consumers' co-operative. REI sells sporting goods, camping gear, travel equipment, and clothing. (wiki) I never heard of it.

25. Game that may involve bumpers: POOL. The second reference to bumpers, one for a car and this one.

33. Dose people?: DEM. I bet DIS clue/fill did not please some.

35. Elite prep school: ETON. We started the week with this institution.

36. Dominica native: CARIB. I went to school with two brothers from this small island, and now I work on various projects there.

37. Abrades painfully: RUBS RAW. Alliterative fill, followed by...

39. Flay's flipper: SPATULA. Alliterative clue. Professionals do not need ONE. My wife just uses her wrist.

41. Furious: IRATE.

42. "Better Call __": SAUL. Part of the BREAKING BAD franchise.

43. Foxy: SLY. Saul must be.
.
48. Chihuahua chow: TACO.  Cute JL, but ridiculous- they can't fold or hold them.

49. The SEC's Tigers: LSU. A CSO to our many Louisiana friends here at the Corner.

54. First course in German?: SUPPE. Soup, at a meal, not a school.

56. Thailand, once: SIAM. A  CSO to my sweet wife, thank you JL.

60. Watch a neighbor's pooch, say: PET SIT.

64. Café: EATERY.

65. Ingrid, in "Casablanca": ILSA. So classic.

66. Tell's apple support: SON.

68. Face: MEET.

Down:

1. Penne __ vodka: ALLA. One RECIPE.

2. Caboose: REAR.

3. Text alert, often: TONE.

4. Nonpro sports org.: AAU.

5. "Fallen woman," in a Verdi title: TRAVIATA. A translation,  this was an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La Dame aux Camélias (1852), a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. (wiki)

6. Star followers: MAGI.

7. Take advantage of a day off, maybe: SLEEP IN.

8. Bar: BAN.

10. "__ Ben Adhem": ABOU. Funny, I would not have known this poem unless YR had printed it when it was fill in a January BAG puzzle. Then again, it was already filled by the perps.

11. Mama with two Papas: CASS.

12. Pop's Perry: KATY. Did any of you watch the new AMERICAN IDOL?

15. Bearded bovine: BISON.

17. Jake __, first Congressman to fly in space: GARN. They named a SCALE after him.

21. Court: WOO.

24. Hillary's peak: EVEREST. An interesting MAN.

26. Neighborhoods: LOCALES.

27. "Don't mess with me": I'M BAD.  Are you LEROY?  I wonder if that is where they got Gibbs' name.

28. Spread: SOW. This would have been one of the harder three-letter fills ever but the perps were there.

29. Generous, as a contract: FAT.

30. Bind: TRUSS.

31. Jack and Jill's Waterloo?: HILL. Very cerebral clue.

32. AuctionWeb, since 1997: eBAY.

33. Little bit: DRIB. Not drab

34. French bread: EURO.

38. Pen with oink, not ink: STY. Cute.

39. Anatomical pouch: SAC. John, you trying my DF nature.

40. Eye-rolling word: PUH-LEASE. Exaggerated form of please, short for if you please, an intransitive, ergative form taken from if it pleases you, which replaced pray. (dictionary)

42. Cry after a holdup: STOP HIM. Stop thief probably jumps to mind

45. Awful: NASTY.

46. Pressure prefix: ACU. sharp-acute, acupuncture, accurate

47. Ploy: RUSE.

50. What a crossword is often constructed on: SPEC. 90% of them I imagine.

51. Mend: HEAL.

52. "Beetle Bailey" hound: OTTO.

53. One 60-trillionth of a min.: PSEC.

55. Brazilian hero: PELE. Soccer (football) legend.

57. Clouseau's rank: Abbr.: INSPector.

58. Bug bite soother: ALOE.  Okay, an insect but one that bit.

59. Feathered mimic: MYNA. How do I get this bird two weeks in a row?

61. Bug: IRK. Not really an insect reference.

63. Dye holder: VAT. A change from the normal beer or wine reference.

Always fun to be taken on a ride by John who often bedevils with his vast and varied knowledge on little critters and music but presented a very fun Friday. After two weeks of almost steady rain, today starts Hurricane season here. Yay. Be safe all, my Charlotte graduated preschool last night. See below. Have a  great month, Lemonade out.




May 31, 2018

Thursday, May 31 2018 Bruce Haight

Theme: Thievery - Five synonyms, five plural nouns, five common phrases clued punningly.

19A. Steal items on parking lot windshields?: LIFT TICKETS. I got a ticket recently when I forgot that it was Saturday, not Sunday, when I went to get breakfast at the deli on Ventura Boulevard - the meters are free on Sundays. Then I forgot to pay the darn thing until it was a day too late and the charge doubled. That was one expensive plate of pastrami & eggs.


24A. Steal kitchen tools?: POCKET KNIVES. You'd make a mess of your pockets if you tried to make off with mine. They're sharp.

40A. Steal plastic?: SWIPE CREDIT CARDS. Will "swipe" cease to be a thing when all cards have chips and all readers have a slot in which to insert the card?

53A. Steal wishing well money?: PINCH PENNIES. Or redistribution of wealth, depending on how you look at it.

64A Steal watch components?: PALM SPRINGS. LCD's, batteries and solid-state movements don't work so well.

I sprinted through the top half, then waded through treacle for the bottom half of this one. The theme is solid and the grid is stretched to accommodate the 16-letter grid spanner across the center, so there's a slightly-unusual 16x15 layout today.

Across:

1. Tax time VIPs: CPA'S

5. GE competitor: AMANA. Kitchen appliance showdown.

10. "Stranger Things" actress: RYDER. The first actress/actor of the day I've never heard of.

15. A studio may be in one: LOFT

16. Doughnut-shaped: TORIC

17. Line from the heart: AORTA

18. Folksy Guthrie: ARLO

21. Bottleneck problem: SNARL

23. Neatened a bit: TIDIED UP

28. Fashion icon London: STACY. "What Not To Wear" personality.


29. Adjective for fighter Joe Frazier: SMOKIN'

34. Drivel: ROT

37. Hold responsible: BLAME

39. Western casino city: RENO

45. Trattoria bar order: VINO. Rosso or bianco. Or rosato.

46. Island east of Java: TIMOR. The sovereign state of East Timor is on the eastern part of the island (!) and Indonesia occupies the west.

47. Reuben bread: RYE. I had rye bread with my aforementioned expensive breakfast.

48. Lassie, for one: PET DOG

51. Sushi bar array: TUNAS. Back to the fish plural debate. I say "tuna" for both one and many.

59. Have an average day on the links?: SHOOT PAR. In my dreams. My average day looks a LOT different from that.

63. Buddy: KIDDO

68. "Voilà!": TADA! Beloved of online crossword solvers everywhere.

69. __ planner: EVENT

70. French film award: CÉSAR

71. Crispy snack: CHIP. CHEX, my first thought, didn't work too well.

72. Synthesizer brand: CASIO

73. Intense exams: ORALS

74. Breaks up a plot: HOES. Nice clue.

Down:

1. Necklace part: CLASP

2. X-rated stuff: PORNO. Not the first time in the LAT, but this is one of those entries that I'm surprised that Rich lets go.

3. Company whose mascot uses fowl language: AFLAC

4. Wading birds: STORKS

5. Only city from which two NHL hockey teams relocated (both went to Canada): ATL. I didn't think twice about this and I'm not even a particularly keen hockey fan. The Atlanta Flames went to Calgary (now I think about it, the name makes sense, I thought it was something to do with oilfield fires.) The Thrashers went to Winnipeg and became the second incarnation of the Jets.

6. "You can't mean me!": MOI

7. 48-Across sound: ARF

8. Capone henchman: NITTI. I knee-jerked GOTTI first before I had to unpick part of it.

9. When the "Macbeth" witches add "eye of newt": ACT IV. With the V in place, nothing else could work.

10. Subject of the film "42": RACISM

11. Farm link: YOKE. Ox-to-ox link, making yoked oxen.

12. 1857 litigant Scott: DRED

13. Caesar's last gasp: ET TU. Nice connection with the neighboring 20D

14. Rough file: RASP

20. Caesar's last day: IDES

22. Don't bother: LET BE. LET GO at first. Didn't work.

25. Powder source: TALC

26. 1980s Chrysler offering: K-CAR. Look at those sleek, elegant lines and the subtle color palette:


27. Citi Field MLBer: NY MET

30. "... boy __ girl?": OR A

31. Actress Deborah: KERR

32. 500 nickname: INDY

33. Wine quality: NOSE

34. Short answer?: RSVP. "Answer" in the sense of the instruction. Yes, No or Maybe are the answers.

35. Boo-boo: OWIE

36. Shade: TINT

38. Gloria's mom in '70s TV: EDITH. Bunker. Of course I knew this. (I didn't).

41. Okra unit: POD

42. Morning mumble: I'M UP. Alright, already.

43. Shade: TONE. 36D clecho.

44. Model T feature: CRANK. My Dad's first car had a starting handle as backup for when the battery went flat, a not-unusual occurrence.

49. Decides one will: OPTS TO

50. Reagan role in a Notre Dame football movie: GIPP. "Rock ..."

52. Teller?: SNITCH

54. DEA cop: NARCO

55. Old news source: CRIER. Oyez! Oyez!

56. State bordering six others and the Canadian mainland: IDAHO. Didn't we see this self-same clue a few weeks ago?

57. Redmayne of "The Theory of Everything": EDDIE. Thank you, crosses.

58. Some daytime TV: SOAPS

59. Building guideline: SPEC

60. "__ Nagila": HAVA

61. World Cup cheers: OLES

62. Potent start?: OMNI

65. Govt. code crackers: N.S.A. I recently hired a new analyst who previously worked for the N.S.A - her office was in a bunker on Oahu. Nice place to live, but you're still working in a bunker.

66. Square dance dancer: GAL

67. H.S. yearbook section: SR'S Seniors. Adios!

I picked up a potential new client from one of the recent Vegas expos. They're based in Australia. I smell some long-haul air travel in my tea leaves.

With that, here's the grid and g'day mates!

Steve



May 30, 2018

Wednesday, May 30, 2018, C. C. Burnikel


Theme: SHORT WEIGHT LIST.  Three entries have circled letters at their beginnings and endings that spell out units of weight measurement.  Might be tough to spot if you didn't get the circles.

16 A. Latter Day Saints' sacred text : THE BOOK OF MORMON.   Also an irreverent Broadway musical that mocks Mormon beliefs and practices.

26 A. Occupy oneself with trivial tasks : PUTTER AROUND.   The story of my retirement.

45 A. Like a budget with more expenses than income : OUT OF BALANCE.  Deficit spending.  

And the unifier -- 59 A. Radical solutions ... and what this puzzle's circles literally represent : EXTREME MEASURES.   Exceeding what is usual or reasonable to achieve some end. Here, the names of English System weights are divided and the chunks placed at the extremes, so to speak, of the theme entries, presented in descending order.

Hi Gang, Jazzbumpa here, sadly having hit a several-month-long plateau in the personal weight loss program.  Maybe this theme, with a couple of grid-spanners, will inspire me to greater effort.  Meanwhile, let's see if this puzzle, presented by a Lady we all know, is heavy or light weight.

Across

1. Young chaps : LADS.  This word, going back to Middle English is of unknown origin.

5. Stitchless? : NUDE.  Absence of threads.  I get it, but it's kind of a stretch.  So, possibly double-knit?

9. Right-leaning print: Abbr. : ITAL. Italics.  Are they prim and proper? No politics!

13. Tan shade : ECRU.  From French "écru," meaning "unbleached," describing the light tan color of unbleached linen. 

14. One picking a rock : MINER.   You can select the rock to have at with your pick.

15. It may fly by : TIME.  If you're having fun.

19. Pirate's milieu : SEA.  The setting, background or environment for a pirate is on the briney.

20. Mop & __: floor cleaner : GLO.  Multi-purpose cleaner that also helps shine and protect vinyl flooring.

21. The bubbles in bubble tea, usually : TAPIOCALearning moment.

22. Youngest ever Nobel Prize laureate __ Yousafzai : MALALA.


25. Architect Saarinen : EERO.  [1910-1961] Finnish-American architect and industrial designer.  One of his most notable creations is the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Mo.

30. Butter substitute : OLEO.  Aka Margarine.  But not in this tasty Sonny Rollins tune.



31. How, to José : COMO.   Spanish translation.

32. Retirement place : BED.  When I retire for the night.  Not to be confused with my other retirement from the daily rat race.

35. Beverage with a "Real Facts" Web page : SNAPPLE.  A brand of tea and fruit drinks.

39. Curious box opener : PANDORA.  From Greek mythology.  She was the first woman created by the gods. She opened a jar that released all the evils of humanity.  Echoes of mother Eve.

41. Meat in a typical Denver omelet : HAM.  Diced small.

42. Succotash bean : LIMA.  Mixed with corn.  The name is derived from a Narragansett word meaning "broken corn kernels."  The combination of corn with a legume provides complete protein.  it was poplar during the great depression because the ingredients were readily available and relatively inexpensive.

44. Sportscaster Andrews : ERIN. [b. 1978]


49. Jockey strap : REIN. A narrow strap attached to each end of a hoerse's bit, used to guide the horse while riding.

51. Bright blue shade : COBALT.  Made from a pigment containing the element COBALT.  Think of the color of Phillip's Milk of Magnesia bottles.  Or this.

52. Bygone heating fuel : COAL GAS.  A gas mixture containing hydrogen, methane and carbon monoxide, made from the desturctive distillation of coal.

55. Wall St. maneuver : LBOLeveraged Buy Out.   An acquisition method in which the assets of the purchased company are used as collateral for a large loan, so the transaction can be completed with minimal capital expenditure.

56. Select, with "for" : OPT.  Make a choice, via French from the Latin optare, chose.

62. "In __ of flowers ... " : LIEU.  Instead of.  From Middle English, via French again, back to the Latin, locus, place.

63. Mideast dignitaries : EMIRS. Indicating various high positions, such as military commender, local chieftain, or head of state.

64. Disk slapped by Ducks : PUCK.  The Anaheim Ducks are a team in the National Hockey League.  This year they finished 2nd in the Pacific Division and got swept out in the first round of the playoffs by the San Jose Sharks.

65. Croat neighbor : SERB. Citizens of Eastern European countries Serbia and Croatia.

66. Boy, in Bilbao : NINO. LAD, in Spanish.

67. Tattoo parlor supplies : INKS.  For body decoration.



Down

1. "Why don't we?!" : LET'S.  As one vegetarian said to another, "Let us eat lettuce.

2. Tylenol target : ACHE.  Pain killer.

3. Superstar lineup : DREAM TEAM.  A collection of the best athletes.

4. Pinch hitter, say : SUB. One who substitutes for another.

5. Electricity pioneer Tesla : NIKOLA. [1856-1943] Serbian-American Engineer and inventor who made contributions to the design of electricity delivery systems

6. Kid-friendly card game : UNO.  And frequent X-word entry.

7. Nimble : DEFT.  Agile.

8. "At Wit's End" columnist Bombeck : ERMA. [1927 - 1996]   Wrote humorously about daily life.

9. "Did my best" : I TRIED.  But probably didn't succeed.

10. Divided island north of Australia : TIMOR.  East Timor is a sovereign nation.  The western part of the island belongs to Indonesia.

11. BP merger partner : AMOCO.  Big oil gets bigger.

12. Actress Olin : LENA.  In THE NINTH GATE


14. Canine neighbor : MOLAR.  Teeth, not pets.

17. Eye wolfishly : OGLE.   



18. Premiere, datewise : OPEN ON.   This seems kind of clumsy, but it works.

23. At the pinnacle of : ATOP.  

24. Semicircle, e.g. : ARC.    Any portion of a circle.

26. Like five-star hotels : POSH.   High class and expensive.

27. Radius neighbor : ULNA.   Bones of the forearm.

28. "Alley __" : OOP.   Erstwhile cartoon caveman.



29. Thurman of "Kill Bill" : UMA.



32. Springsteen's first Top 40 hit : BORN TO RUN.


33. Red explorer? : ERIC.  Eiríkr Þorvaldsson; [950 – c. 1003]  Following the family tradition, Eric was exiled for killing a man.  His explorations then took him to Greenland, but he was probably not the first European to land there.  [Wikipedia]

34. Victor Borge, by birth : DANE.   Pianist and comic.


36. Fall precipitously : PLUNGE. Plummet.

37. Short stories? : LIT.  Literature, abbreviated.

38. Broody rock genre : EMO.  Emotional punk rock, for emotional punks.

40. "Sold!" : DEAL.  Artful agreement.

43. Pro Bowl team, briefly : AFC.   America Football Conference.

45. Massage option : OIL RUB.  All of my massage therapists have used essential oils.

46. Ravel classic used in the film "10" : BOLERO.



47. Palestinian leader Mahmoud : ABBAS. [b 1935]  Palesinian president since 2005.

48. Thailand neighbor : LAOS. East of Thailand, West of Viet Nam.

49. "Chicago" showgirl : ROXIE.



50. Diner patron : EATER.  Literal consumer.

52. Roger Rabbit frames : CELSPick one.

53. "I totally agree!" : AMEN.  "So be it."

54. Rig on the road : SEMI. A tractor-trailer rig.

57. Quick kiss : PECK.  Usually on the cheek.

58. Disapproving sounds : TSKS.  Tongue clucks.

60. 60 secs. : MIN.  One minute

61. AP competitor : UPIUnited Press International

That wraps it up.  C. C. took us around the world and provided a lot of musical options, with no major nits.   Pretty good Wednesday, IMHO.

Cool regards!

JzB




May 29, 2018

Tuesday, May 29, 2018, Ed Sessa


Holding Hands

20. Basic cocktail with Dewar's: SCOTCH AND SODA.

24. Live frugally: PINCH AND SCRAPE.

42. Political entities subject to Constitutional separation: CHURCH AND STATE.

48. Exhortation to come together ... and a hint to 20-, 24- and 42-Across: LET'S JOIN HANDS.

Each phrase holds (contains) the word hands. 

Across:

1. Learn to fit in: ADAPT.

6. "Sí," on the Seine: OUI

9. Nasser of Egypt: GAMAL.

14. Oscar winner Marisa: TOMEI.   1993 Oscars, Best Supporting Actress award,  as Mona Lisa Vito in My Cousin Vinny

15. "What was __ expect?": I TO.

16. Martini garnish: OLIVE.

17. "The Sixth Sense" writer/director M. Night __: SHYAMALAN.  Perps made it easy.  Otherwise, no clue. 

19. "Mack the Knife" singer Bobby: DARIN.

22. Spanish "other": OTRA.

23. Acorn producer: OAK.

31. What truants "play": HOOKY.   I thought of Senior Skip Day.

32. 2010 Apple release: IPAD.

33. Application file suffix: EXE.  File suffix being file type.  Short for executable.

35. Pests in a pantry: ANTS.

36. Like very serious errors: FATAL.   "Error 1603: A fatal error occurred during installation" is a catchall when your application's executable doesn't install correctly. 

38. Octopus octet: ARMS.

39. Muscle spasm: TIC.

40. Chore: TASK.

41. Most of Wile E. Coyote's gadgets, brand-wise: ACMES.

46. Forget-me-__: NOT.  

Your birth flower if you were born in September.

The Alaska state flower.

Symbolism 



47. Ohio border lake: ERIE.


54. Hawaiian hi: ALOHA.

55. Embarrasses deeply: MORTIFIES.

58. Bourbon Street cuisine: CAJUN.

59. Boston skyscraper, with "the": PRU.

60. Nick of "Cape Fear": NOLTE.

61. Shoelace problems: KNOTS.

62. Stockholm airline: SAS.  SAS is an abbreviation of its former full name, Scandinavian Airlines System or legally Scandinavian Airlines System Denmark–Norway–Sweden.   The main hub is in Copenhagen, while the company headquarters is near Stockholm.   Wikipedia

63. Wear away: ERODE.


Down:

1. @ signs: ATs.   I first learned this symbol meant each at.   Internet Hall of Famer and inventor of email,  RPI & MIT grad Ray Tomlinson, used the @ symbol to distinguish host name from user name so that messages could be sent from one host to another on ARPANET, the precursor to the internet. 

2. "I am so stupid!": DOH. Popularized by Homer Simpson.    You're telling me Grumpy and Doc weren't in Sleeping Beauty ?  Oh, Snow White.  DOH !

3. Actress Poehler and singer Grant: AMYS. Actress and comedian Amy Poehler and contemporary Christian singer Amy Grant.

4. Birds with eyelike spots on their tails: PEACOCKS.

5. Youngest-ever Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Hutton: TIMOTHY. Won for "Ordinary People."   I confused him with his father Jim.


6. Lube shop container: OIL CAN. Red Sox fans like Wilbur would remember "Oil Can" Boyd, a starting pitcher for the Beantown nine.

7. D-Day beach: UTAH.

8. Hebrides isle: IONA.

9. NASA's __ Space Flight Center: GODDARD.

10. Where Nome is: ALASKA.


11. Surrealist painter Joan: MIRO.

12. Gung-ho: AVID.

13. "Girls" creator Dunham: LENA.

18. Gillette blade: ATRA.

21. Diet-friendly: NO-CAL.

24. Cool, in '90s slang: PHAT. Not an acronym, but a deliberate misspelling of fat, in the sense of rich, abundant, or desirable.  A couple of backronyms - phrases constructed after the fact - are Pretty Hot And Tempting and PHysically ATtractive.  Paraphrased from Snopes.com

25. Greek column type: IONIC.

26. V-shaped cut: NOTCH.

27. Football's "Iron Mike": DITKA.


28. Place for a waxing: SPA.

29. Prefix with frost: PERMA.

30. Ron Darling or Tom Seaver: EX MET. Starting pitchers for the NY Mets.

34. To be, to Livy: ESSE.   "Livy, Latin in full Titus Livius, (born 59/64 bc, Patavium, Venetia [now Padua, Italy]—died ad 17, Patavium), with Sallust and Tacitus, one of the three great Roman historians. His history of Rome became a classic in his own lifetime and exercised a profound influence on the style and philosophy of historical writing down to the 18th century."  - Britannica.com

36. De __: actual: FACTO. "In fact or in practice; in actual use or existence, regardless of official or legal status." Wiktionary.

37. Campfire remnant: ASH.

38. Represented: ACTED FOR.

40. Some "Iliad" warriors: TROJANS.

41. Utterly absurd: ASININE.

43. Left open, as a door: UNSHUT.

44. Indian political family: NEHRUS.

45. "Dagnabbit!": DRAT.

48. Absence: LACK.

49. Splashy style: ELAN.

50. Axis dictator who ordered the Pearl Harbor attack: TOJO.

51. Little rascals: IMPS.

52. "Julie & Julia" director Ephron: NORA.

53. Grain tower: SILO.

56. Flight board abbr.: ETD.

57. "Just like I said!": SEE.

May 28, 2018

Monday May 28, 2018 Roger & Kathy Wienberg

Theme: PH SCALE (39. Acidity measurement range ... and where you'll find 17-, 23-, 50- and 60-Across?) - Each theme entry starts with P and H.

17. Simon & Schuster, for example: PUBLISHING HOUSE.

23. Jimi Hendrix classic: PURPLE HAZE.

50. Sort in compartments: PIGEON HOLE.

60. One's cleanliness habits: PERSONAL HYGIENE.
 
Boomer here.  

Hello all of you Mamas and Papas. Monday, Monday Can't trust that day. Monday, Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way. There I go reliving my youth of the 60s. Speaking of the 60s, this puzzle reminded me of my Dad's employer in the 60s. Physicians and Hospital Supplies. Also known as P & H.  However in those days, the drug industry was acceptable with prescriptions mostly around $3.00, Not like it is today with "Ask your Doctor" ads and Big Pharma was a term that had not yet been coined.

Across:

1. Emulated Pinocchio: LIED. I enjoy it when the Washington Post awards Pinocchios.

5. Gas and oil: FUELS.  Where is it at where you live?  In Minnesota, we are at around 2.85 per gallon of regular.  I heard in Manhattan it's around $5.00

10. Puppy sound: YIP.

13. Charitable gift: ALMS.

14. "How awful!": OH DEAR. Something Edith Bunker used to say.

16. Artist Yoko: ONO. Then I think Archie would say OH NO

20. Sch. in Charlottesville: UVA.

21. Leave speechless: STUN.  Milwaukee police are facing questions regarding their use of a stun gun on Sterling Brown of the NBA.

22. Path around the sun: ORBIT.  Also the path of an Aaron Judge home run.

27. Longtime senator Kennedy: TED.  Maybe could have been President except for that night in July, 1969.

28. Poetic "above": O'ER. - O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave, and the NFL.

29. Like stretchy waistbands: ELASTIC.

32. Spot on the tube: TV AD.  The number of ads I see for car insurance and prescription drugs, makes me think those two products might be over-priced?

35. Hitching post?: ALTAR. I get it, but it's a stretch.

37. Dove's call: COO.

38. Rolled-up bunch of money: WAD.

41. Sing with a closed mouth: HUM. That's not singing, that's humming.

42. Memorable boxer: ALI.  He put boxing on the map!  Everyone knew who the heavyweight champ was in the day.

43. Highways and byways: ROADS. Country Roads, take me home, to the place I belong.  West Virginia????

44. Stinging insect: WASP.

45. Solarium: SUN ROOM.

47. CIA relative: NSA.

49. Series-ending abbr.: ETC. Abbreviation for Latin et cetera."and so on".  Also a gift shop in Hudson, Wisconsin.

56. Mascara mishap: SMEAR.

58. Westernmost of the Aleutian Islands: ATTU.



59. Chicken __: POX. I thought of LEG and KFC.  I had chicken pox once and that was enough.  Odd name for an illness.  What did chickens ever do to deserve this ?

64. Young Skywalker's nickname: ANI.

65. Lighter filler: BUTANE. Yeah - these things are dangerous.  Glad I don't smoke.

66. Uncle Remus rabbit's title: BR'ER. Born and raised in the briar patch

67. "Delish!": YUM.

68. Ply with alcohol: BESOT.

69. Shopping place: MART. Always seems to indicate lower price.  K-Mart, Walmart etc.  Any more? 

Down:

1. Drink from a bowl: LAP UP. No, I just lift the bowl to my mouth and tip it.

2. Candy heart words: I LUV U.

3. Imprison: EMBAR.

4. ISP alternative: DSL.  The computer age has smothered us with three letter acronyms.

5. Kind of child or parent: FOSTER. Half a pair of sunglasses.

6. "Yup": UH HUH.

7. Twin Cities suburb: EDINA.  Edina is known to host the first indoor shopping center I believe in the US, circa 1957.  C.C. and I were there last week.  Southdale Mall has expanded and added and changed tenants, and it seems to want to compete with Mall of America.

8. Novelist Deighton: LEN.

9. Hollywood's __ Awards: SAG.

10. "Darn tootin'!": YOU BETCHA. - This phrase is tied to us Scandinavians Don'tcha know.

11. Treacherously sneaky: INSIDIOUS.

12. Frost or Browning: POET. He's a poet but don't know it, but his feet show it, They're Longfellows.

15. Pi follower: RHO. It's Greek to me.

18. Cruise stop: ISLE.

19. Disposal scraps: ORTS.

24. Sci-fi escape vehicle: POD. I would pick UFO.  Not even peas can escape from a pod.

25. Greek Zs: ZETAS.  Z is our last letter.  I think Zeta comes early in the Greek lineup.  Somewhere near Gamma Beta Epsilon.

26. Israeli airline: EL AL.

30. Exist: ARE.

31. Give a free pass: COMP.

32. First word in Moore's Christmas poem: 'TWAS.  Contraction for "It was". 

33. Eatery list including 99-cent items: VALUE MENU. Nothing anymore for less than a dollar.  McDonald's has a $1, $2, $3 and others have two for $6.

34. For now, in Latin: AD INTERIM. Technically translates "In the meantime" but I will okay it for now.

35. "Me too": AS AM I.

36. PC monitor type: LCD. I know this is an acronym for liquid crystal display, but I never understood it.  I know you get a clearer picture, but I'm not sure why.

39. Expert: PRO.  Short for professional, also means pretty darn good.  All of you are PRO crossword solvers.

40. Hula __: HOOP. The hoop went public in 1958 and I think everyone in the US had at least one.  I believe they were originally sold for .99 each.

44. Sob syllable: WAH.

46. Early color TVs: RCAS.  Before color TVs, RCA was a leading maker of "Victrola" sound equipment.  Remember The mascot dog "Nipper" ?


47. "Wait a bit longer": NOT YET.

48. Like a bug in a rug: SNUG.

51. Fancy parties: GALAS. Do you pronounce this GAY LA or GALLA ?

52. Prefix with centric: ETHNO. My puzzle's better than your puzzle

53. Rossini work: OPERA. Or a noontime soap.

54. No social butterfly: LONER.

55. Apply, as pressure: EXERT.

56. Fix at the vet: SPAY.

57. Knock over, as a bank: ROB.  I'm now thinking of Mary Tyler Moore's (Laura Petrie's) husband on the Dick Van Dyke show.

61. Pencil remnant: NUB.

62. Had lunch: ATE.

63. PC pioneer: IBM. I don't remember an IBM personal computer.  Most of IBM's computers were the size of a cruise ship.

Boomer


Note from C.C.:

Here is Boomer's 700 Club champion's plaque. The lights were knocked out due to the severe storm last Thursday night when they had the banquet, so all the bowlers enjoyed a candlelight dinner in hot hot weather.