Thursday, September 6th 2018 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme:

The reveal tells you what to look for...

35A. Impediment to creativity ... and each set of puzzle circles: WRITER'S BLOCK

... and we find, clockwise in each circled block, beginning in the NW: Bradbury, Lawrence, Chandler, Voltaire, Gordimer and Morrison. That's Ray, D.H. (or T.E.), Raymond, no first name, Nadine and Toni to give them all their full monikers. The latter two I have not read, the others I have.

Tough to pick a favorite, but I did find T.E. Lawrence's "The Mint" fascinating. If you have ten minutes to spare today, please enjoy this excerpt from the book. Glorious writing. If your heart isn't beating furiously reading about the race with the airplane, better check your emotional pulse!

Back to the crossword, I'm looking for a connection between the six authors but nothing jumps out unless there's some fiendish meta that I'm missing (quite likely, actually!)

This grid extends the recent sixteen-squares-on-one-side (SSOOS?) Thursday trend, and also features a very clever theme in the "block" shape of each author. Jeffrey's a master at themes, this one is no exception. Let's see what the fill held in store:

Across:

1. Seething: ABOIL

6. Jaguar weapons: CLAWS. My Jaguars had weapons - break down at every opportunity. One to drive, one in the shop.

11. Half a dance: CHA. Cha. (Cha?)

14. Stinger ingredient: BRANDY. Classically made with cognac and white crème de menthe. Cheers!

15. Superman player Cavill: HENRY

16. "The Last Jedi" villain Kylo: REN. Thank you, crosses. No Stimpy clue today? Nice for a change.

17. Alpine airs: YODELS

18. Broken out, in a way: ACNED

19. Days gone by, in days gone by: ELD

Once adown the dewy way a youthful cavalier spurred with a maiden mounted behind him, swiftly passing out of sight, recalling to the imagination some romance of eld, when the damosel fled with her lover.

1891 - Mary Noailles Murfree, In the "Stranger People's" Country

20. Capital on the Volga: RUBLE. Capital as in "money" for anyone new to this game.

21. Suppress, as a story: SIT ON

22. Punching tools: AWLS

23. Suffix with fruct-: OSE

24. Hall of Fame manager Stengel: CASEY. He managed both the Yankees and the Mets. I think the HOF nomination came more from his exploits with the former rather than the latter.

25. Sal of "Exodus": MINEO

26. Waters down: WETS

28. Taiwanese PC brand: ACER

29. Rita awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom: MORENO. And ... cue the music!

30. Hankering: ITCH

32. Depilatory cream: NAIR. Tried NEET first, was wrong. Not sure where I came up with that one. Wiki has it as an acronym for "Not in Employment, Education or Training" referring to young people without a job.

34. Historic span: Abbr.: CEN. tury

38. Big letters in family-owned supermarkets: IGA. Founded as the Independent Grocer's Alliance.

40. Troubadour's strings: LUTE

41. Uncle __: BEN'S. A crime against humanity.

42. Codes of conduct: MORALS

44. Christian with style: DIOR

46. Venerated one: IDOL

50. Adorkable types: NERDS. I LOVE "adorkable". What a great language we have in English.

51. Lets off steam: VENTS

52. JFK posting: ETA. I haven't been to JFK for a while, United stopped flying into there a few years ago. All their NYC flights go through Newark now, with the exception of some regional services into La Guardia. What was the point of this story? I miss the ride into Manhattan past the World's Fair remnants.

53. "Psych" finale?: -OSIS

54. Is after: SEEKS

55. Field mice: VOLES. I didn't know voles were mice. Good to know for the next time I meet one.

57. Area 51 craft: UFO

58. Singer with Lawrence: GORMÉ. Wild, stab-in-the-dark guess for me. Husband and Wife duo.

59. Accept, with "for": SETTLE

60. Greek org.: SOR. Sorority. I drove up Hilgard Avenue by UCLA last week, it's also known as "Sorority Row" from all the sorority houses there.

61. Lyft passenger: RIDER

62. Difficult tasks: TRIALS

63. Hosp. parts: E.R.S

64. Mideast bigwigs: EMIRS

65. Will Rogers prop: LASSO

Down:

1. Work up: AROUSE

2. Risky proposition: BAD BET. Risky? Downright dumb if you ask me.

3. Turow biographical title: ONE L. Harvard Law School calls first year students "one l's"

4. Not working: IDLE

5. Fleur-de-__: Quebec flag image: LYS

6. Poolside chair: CHAISE

7. Debate equipment: LECTERNS

8. Get under one's skin: ANNOY

9. Small songbird: WREN

10. Letters on a Qantas baggage tag: SYD. Sydney airport. I've been there, I don't recall much about it though (the airport that is, not the city!). I recall the Qantas lounge was nice, I flew out of Sydney to Auckland en route back home to LA.

11. Like many tees: CREW NECK

12. Greek: HELLENE. I knew "hellenic", now I know "hellene" too.

13. "... et cetera": AND SO ON. These entries can be difficult to parse. There's a few good examples today, look at 38 and 54D too.

14. How some tickets may be sorted: BY ROW

21. Scented pouch: SACHET

22. Put on: AIR

24. Plant in many Road Runner cartoons: CACTUS

25. Dunderhead: MORON

27. What Marcie calls Peppermint Patty: SIR. I needed this to unlock "ITCH" - I couldn't get away from "ACHE".

29. Distance runners: MILERS

31. Cultivates: TILLS

33. Monastic figures: ABBOTS

35. Golden State team: WARRIORS

36. Christ the __: Rio landmark: REDEEMER. An iconic sight. I got a great view of it flying into Rio's Santos Dumont domestic airport from Sao Paulo the last time I was out there. SDU is right on the ocean and slap-dab next to Sugarloaf, so it's hard to beat the view out of the airplane window.

37. Crime show with several spin-offs: CSI. The purists might have wanted to try to avoid "crime" in the clue as "crime", albeit abbreviated, is part of the answer. Doesn't ruffle my feathers though.

38. "You obviously can't depend on me": I'M NO USE

39. Fetches: GOES FOR

43. Most junk mail: ADS

45. Comic book personnel: INKERS. They draw the outlines. Other folk color them in. With crayon, and their tongue sticking out of the side of their mouth. Just kidding, some of my best friends are in comics and animation.

47. Change symbols, in math: DELTAS. The difference between "this" and "that".

48. Opera with Desdemona: OTELLO. I had a brain futz and tried OFELIA first. What was that all about?

49. Alters with a light touch?: LASES. Laser shaping, reshaping or surgery.

51. 48-Down composer: VERDI

54. "__ told": "That's the rumor": SO I'M

55. Designer Wang: VERA

56. Name in boxy cars?: OTIS. Mr. Elevator. Nice clue.

58. Higher ed. test: G.R.E.

59. Cardinal's letters: STL. St. Louis, on scoreboards.

And, as the stoics would say, "grid and bear it", so here it is!

Steve

Wednesday, September 5, 2018 Gary Schlapfer and C. C. Burnikel

Theme: ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?  The NFL season kicks off [so to speak] tomorrow night with the defending Superbowl Champ Philly Eagles traveling to Atlanta to take on the Falcons. Do you have a raptor preference?

This is one of those rare puzzles where the theme is in the clues - not the fills, which are unrelated two-word common language phrases; brought to us by our own dear hostess, C. C. and Corner denizen Husker Gary.  C. C. and I worked a similar idea in a Sunday puzzle a couple years ago.  And by some weird cosmic coincidence, Gary blogged the puzzle that day, in quite spectacular fashion.

Today our theme clues are words familiar to football fans - and I'm pretty sure Gary is one.  C. C. is more into baseball.  Let's we what we have here.

18 A. BLOCK: CITY SQUARE.  Most cities have streets laid out in a rectilinear pattern.  A BLOCK is the area defined by four streets.  More specifically, a CITY [or town] SQUARE is an open public space near the heart of the town, used for community gatherings.  Here's a trombone's eye view from the bandstand at Kellogg Park, the town square in Plymouth, MI.

My peeps are out there somewhere

To BLOCK in football is to move a defensive player aside so a ball carrier can advance down the field.

23 A. CATCH: HIDDEN SNAG.  I'm imagining an underwater obstruction that a small boat could get hung up on.  Figuratively, it could be any unanticipated difficulty, perhaps as a result of poor planning.  In football, a CATCH is a reception of a PASS [vide infra], viz. a ball thrown to an eligible receiver to advance the team's position on the playing field.

37 A. KICK: CHAMPAGNE EFFECT.  Well, that depends on who you ask.

In football, there are three kinds of KICKS.  The KICK OFF happens at the beginning of each half, and after one team scores, to deliver the ball to their foe. The extra point is a KICK after a touch down is scored.  Success, attained by sending the ball through the uprights, is called a conversion, good for one point. The field goal is a similar kind of KICK, attempted when the offense stalls somewhere on the field.  If successful it nets 3 points.

49 A. PASS: FREE TICKET.  A no-charge permit that authorizes entry and access to a venue or event.  In football, a PASS is ball launched by hand to an intended receiver [vide supra.]

58A. RUN: HOSE MISHAP.  A tear or hole in sheer silk or nylon stockings.  A disaster.

Might be preventable

In football, a RUN is an attempt to advance the ball by carrying it around or through the defenders.  Of course, a RUN is a score in baseball, as well.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here to coach this game.  The theme cluing is pretty straight-forward, and the fills are sparkly in this thematically rich puzzle. And we have some extra bits of elegance.  Each theme clue can be functionally either an action verb, or the name of the action that is so indicated.  And there is a nice element of symmetry.  The first and last Theme entries are a complimentary pair, as are the second and fourth.  That must have taken some extra effort.  And the central theme entry is a grid spanner. So from my view on the side-line, this is a win.  Yay, team!

Across:

1. Tot's drink, to the tot: WAWA.  Water, when you are just figuring out how to form syllables.  Fun times.  Also a chain of convenience stores and gas stations located in the eastern U.S.  None in our area, but we always fill the tank and grab coffee and donuts when we leave step-son Tom's for the long drive home.

5. Side-by-side truck tires: DUALS.  They provide more even weight distribution, and thus greater safety and stability

10. Fifth Avenue landmark: SAKS.  An American luxury department store owned by the Hudson's Bay Company, the oldest commercial corporation in North America.

14. Help with a heist: ABET.  Provide assistance to a crime or other offense.

15. Play direction: ENTER.  Tells the actor to go onto the stage.

16. Lint collector: TRAP.  Belly button doesn't fit.

17. Sci-fi princess with a twin brother: LEIA.  Stars Wars, of course.  The brother is Luke Skywalker.

20. Abs exercise: LEG RAISE.  Get a leg up with proper form.

22. Take out of the packaging: UNBOX.  Open it up.

26. Picnic crasher: ANT.  Six-legged interloper.

28. Harrison of "My Fair Lady": REX.

29. Help: AID.  Assistance.

30. Tiny Lab, e.g.: PUP.  Young dog.

33. "But seriously folks ... " is one: SEGUE.   In music, a move from one song to the next without interruption.  Here, a little more loosely, a transition in a monologue.

35. Forest ranger?: ELK.  Per Wikipedia, these large members of the deer family "range in forest and forest-edge habitat, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves, and bark."  So - yep.

36. Selfish shout: MINE.  I get to use this again.

via GIPHY

41. "What __!": "I've been had!": A RIP.  As in RIP off - a fraud or swindle, often based on something being over-priced

42. Little chap: LAD.  A boy.  From Middle English, of unknown origin.  The word was much more popular a century ago, but has had a recent resurgence.

43. Big dipper: LADLE.  Kitchen utensil, not something written in the stars.

44. Many a dad joke: PUN.  Strained puns that are anodyne and therefore OK to tell in mixed, but non-critical company.

Did you hear about the restaurant on the moon? Great food, no atmosphere.
What do you call a fake noodle? An Impasta.
Want to hear a joke about paper? Nevermind it's tearable.
I just watched a program about beavers. It was the best dam program I've ever seen.
Why did the coffee file a police report? It got mugged.
How does a penguin build it's house? Igloos it together.

You get the picture.

45. Transparent art surface: CEL.  Speaking of pictures, CEL is short for celluloid, a transparent sheet where objects are drawn for traditional cartoon animation.  It is an artifact of obsolete animation technology.  Now, some cels are special editions of animation artwork, not intended for production.  Mine is from Mickey's Philharmagic at Walt Disney World.

46. MADD message, e.g.: PSA. A Public Service Announcement from Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

48. __ Lingus: AER.  The flag carrier air line of Ireland, now owned by IAG, the parent company of British Airways and Iberia.

52. Legend automaker: ACURA.  The luxury vehicle arm of Honda.

55. Alternative medicine staple: ALOE VERA.  Extract from the eponymous evergreen perennial succulent.

61. Its oxide makes Mars red: IRON.  Rust, an IRON-oxygen compound.

62. Retired tennis pro Kournikova: ANNA.  She was born in 1981 and retired from competitive play at age 21 due to spinal problems.

Back in the day

63. Bartlett entry: QUOTE.  An American reference book, first published in 1855, now in its 18th edition.

64. Gunk: CRUD.  An unpleasantly dirty and messy substance.

65. Woodpecker's tool: BEAK. Used for digging under the bark of trees to get insects, and for communication by drumming on hard surfaces.

66. Go over the limit: SPEED.  Driving in excess of the posted limit, which nobody does, ever.

67. Ball elevators: TEES.  In golf, the first stroke on any hole is hit with the ball slightly elevated from the ground on a wooden peg, called a TEE.  After that, one must play it where it lies.

Down:

1. Outlet site: WALL.  A srtucture designed to keep a door upright.

2. Busy as __: A BEE.  Oh, honey  .  .  .

3. Reason to purchase a new belt: WEIGHT GAIN.  I don't want to talk about it.

4. Pong maker: ATARI.  Speaking of back in the day.  You can tell your grandchildren that this was once a ground-breaking new video game.

5. Get off the fence: DECIDE.  Well  .  .  . ? [fingers drumming]

6. Like the name Pat: UNISEX.  Non-gender-specific.  My sister's full name is Patricia, which removes all doubt.  But her initials spelt the short form of her name.

7. When some local news airs: AT TEN.  In the evening.

8. Emmy-winning ESPN reporter Bob: LEY.  The network's longest tenured on-air employee.

9. Soon-to-be alumni: Abbr.: SRS.  Senior class members, hoping to graduate.

10. Smarted: STUNG.  If it hurt, how smart could it be?

11. Riyadh resident: ARAB.  Riyadh is the capital and most populous city of Saudi Arabia.

12. Pecan pie syrup: KARO.  A sweetener made from corn starch, containing varying amounts of maltose and higher oligosaccharides [sugar polymers of 3 to 10 units.]  High fructose corn syrup is made by further processing that converts much of its glucose into fructose, which tastes sweeter.

13. Glasses, informally: SPEX.  Or SPECS, short for spectacles.  Speaking of dad jokes - did you hear about the optometrist who fell into the lens grinding machine?  He made a spectacle of himself.

19. College courtyard: QUAD.  A square or rectangular space, mainly, or partly enclosed on all four sides by buildings.  Like a CITY SQUARE, but different.

21. Campaign pro?: AD REP.  A person responsible for an advertising effort intended to sell a product or service, not one involved in a political or military campaign.

24. Counter offer?: SALE.  Things are offered for SALE on or behind the counter of a store.  Clever mis-direction.

25. Goddess of victory: NIKE.  Her Roman equivalent is Victoria.

26. Music rights gp.: ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Plagiarists  Publishers.

27. '60s jacket style: NEHRU. A hip length tailored coat with mandarine collar.

The eponym

30. Apartment used for overnight trips to the city: PIED A TERRE.  Literally, foot to the ground, going back to 18th century France, used to indicate any temporary lodging.  Now meaning a secondary residence [but not a vacation home] that is used occasionally during part of the year or part of the work week.

31. "I give up!": UNCLE.  North American usage, origin unknown.

32. Saint at a gate: PETER. An image in popular culture indicating St. Peter as the gate keeper of heaven.

Details

34. Official behind a catcher: UMP.  Baseball umpire.

35. Word with tight or split: END.  Another football term, relating to the placement of a potential pass receiver.  Split ends could also be part of a bad hair day.

36. Juilliard deg.: MFA.  Master of Fine Arts.

38. Away from the wind: ALEE. Nautical term, gong back to Middle English.

39. Beaufort scale word: GALE. A measure of wind speed.

40. Cereal bit: FLAKE.   Grains are crushed, ground, and then cooked for several hours, possibly with added vitamins and flavorings.  The resulting slurry is then pressed between rollers that flatten the grains.  They are then transferred to a heated drum for drying.  Additional additives may be sprayed on at this point.

45. Study a lot in a short time: CRAM.  To stuff something full - as one's brain with subject matter.

46. Pontius __: PILATE. The 5th prelate of the Roman provence of Judea, serving from A.D 26 to 37.

47. Checked (out): SCOPED.  Visually examined.

49. Come unglued, with "out": FREAK.  Lose it, go berserk, go ballistic.

50. Lake near California's Squaw Valley: TAHOE.  A large lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains, straddling the California - Nevada border, famous for its beaches and near-by ski resorts.

51. Throw out: EVICT.  A legal process to remove a tenant.

52. Queequeg's captain: AHAB. From Moby Dick.

53. Scoop perch: CONE.  Ice cream holder.

54. Military sch. whose mascot is Bill the Goat: USNA.  United States Naval Academy, located in Annapolis, MD.

56. Casanova: ROUE.  French term for one broken on a wheel, indicating the tortuous punishment such a debauchee allegedly deserves.

57. Common conjunctions: ANDS.  Sometimes associated with IFS and BUTS.

59. Brightness figs. not measured in watts: IQS.  Intelligence Quotient, indicating mental brightness.

60. "What's goin' on?": 'SUP.  Que pasa? 

That all, folks. C. C. and Gary gave us a sporting chance.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, September 4, 2018 Paul Coulter

Baked Goods - Idioms

16. With 58-Across, "sweet" expression about consequences: YOU CAN'T HAVE YOUR.
58. See 16-Across: CAKE AND EAT IT TOO.  You have to pick one.  Either or. 

22. With 48-Across, "sweet" expression about consequences: THAT'S THE WAY THE.
48. See 22-Across: COOKIE CRUMBLES.  Sometimes bad things happen, and there's nothing you could have done that would have have prevented it. 

36. Experiencing some "sweet" consequences: EATING HUMBLE PIE.  Having to admit that you were wrong, or that you couldn't back up your boasts.

Paul takes the cake today in providing us with an easy as pie early week puzzle that has three grid spanners, proving again that he's one smart cookie !   Nothing half baked here; the proof is in the pudding.

Across:

1. Sail supports: MASTs.

6. Forearm bone: ULNA.

10. Balls and strikes caller: UMP.

13. Off-the-cuff: AD LIB. 

14. What insomniacs count: SHEEP.  Never worked for me.

15. Slithery squeezer: BOA.

19. Courses for coll. credit: APs.  Advanced Placement courses. 

20. __ de cologne: EAU.

21. Defensive trenches: MOATs.

27. Forest floor growth: MOSS.

28. Funnyman Jay: LENO.

29. Supercharged engine, for short: TURBO.

32. Bit of gel: DAB.

33. Flock female: EWE.

41. Gym shirt: TEE.

42. Car nut: LUG.  Not an automobile aficionado, but these:

The link to Lug Nut on Wikipedia

43. Be of use to: AVAIL.

44. Kind of butter used in moisturizers: SHEA.

46. Half up front?: HEMI.  Hemi won out over semi due to HULAS at 46D.  Saved my bacon.

54. Photographer Adams: ANSEL.

55. Yale student: ELI.

56. Soak (up), as sauce: SOP. 

63. Acapulco aunt: TIA.

64. Enjoys a novel: READS.

65. Songs for two: DUETs.

66. Bargain bin abbr.: IRR.  Irregular.

67. Thanksgiving side dish: YAMs.  I like them candied, as long as they are not cloyingly sweet.

68. Daisy variety: OXEYE.  Fine in your gardens,  but invasive in your pastures.

Down:

1. Poet Angelou: MAYA.

2. Take home from an animal shelter: ADOPT.

3. Partly melted snow: SLUSH.  Also, a type of fund in some circles.

4. Idiosyncrasy: TIC.

5. Entrepreneur-helping org.: SBA. Small Business Administration

6. "Yeah": UH-HUH.  No it isn't.  Yes it is.  Uh-uh.  Uh-huh. 

7. Pasture: LEA.   Paul, you got in EWE, SHEEP and LAMB and now Pasture/LEA.   Are you a part time shepherd or sheepherder ?   Or is this just a "sweet" consequence of coincidence in your fill today ?

8. Ariz. neighbor: NEV.

9. Theoretical primate: APEMAN.

10. WWII sea attacker: U-BOAT.  Unterseeboat - German for submarine, abbreviated and hyphenated to U-boat.

11. River delta area: MOUTH.

12. Break down grammatically: PARSE.

14. Sports figures: STATs. Statistics, not people.  Stats make it easy to compare player and team performance, but organizations are increasingly using analytics to get more meaningful information to aid in their decision making processes.

17. Loch with a legend: NESS. 

18. Up-and-down toy: YOYO.  My sister had a loving cat named Tinkerbell that had a Jacks ball that was her "Up-and-down toy."   In the early AM hours, Tinker would carry the ball up the stairs, and then push it down.  Then rumble down after it.  Then hide it when my dad got out of bed.  This went on multiple times until someone finally found the ball.   

23. Prefix with dextrous: AMBI.

24. Warner Bros. creation: TOON.

25. Jack of "Rio Lobo": ELAM.

26. Jack of "Dragnet": WEBB.  Played Sgt. Joe Friday.  Loved that show.  The opening, with dum-de-dum-dum sounds, was,  ''This is the city.  Los Angeles, California. I work here. I carry a badge. My name's Friday.  The story you are about to see is true; the names have been changed to protect the innocent."  Snopes fact checked and indicated that he never actually said, "Just the facts, ma'am." 

29. Vietnamese New Year: TET.

30. Abu Dhabi's federation: Abbr.: UAE.  United Arab Emirates.   "The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Dhabi, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah." -  The World Factbook.

31. GPS suggestion: RTE. Route

32. Found really groovy: DUG.  Feeling groovy.


33. Antipollution org.: EPA. Environmental Protection Agency

34. Nintendo game console since 2006: WII.

35. Slithery swimmer: EEL.

37. Pure joy: GLEE.

38. '50s Red Scare gp.: HUAC.  House Un-American Activities Committee.

39. Souvlaki meat: LAMB.  Souvlaki is an ancient Greek word meaning skewer.  I think of kebabs.

40. Bad to the bone: EVIL.

44. __-Ball: midway game: SKEE.

45. Two-time Oscar winner Swank: HILARY.

46. Luau dances: HULAs.

47. Discharge: EMIT.

48. Spiny desert bloomers: CACTI.

49. "We're live!" studio sign: ON AIR.

50. Liam's "Schindler's List" role: OSKAR.

51. Marshy grasses: REEDs.

52. Cosmetician Lauder: ESTEE.

53. Like a chimney sweep: SOOTY.

57. Sit for a picture: POSE.   I wonder if she was part of the family ?  Or just happened to be sitting there ?

59. Cultural funding org.: NEA. National Endowment for the Arts. 

60. Beaver's output: DAM. "Gee, Wally..."

61. Altar vow: I DO. Thought I DOs were "Words between partners" in Greg Johnson's Saturday stumper. Nope, it was ANDS. 

62. Prom rental: TUX. Tennessee Tuxedo didn't need to rent a tux.  Here shown with his friend Chumley, who went on to stardom on Pawn Stars.

The grid:

Monday September 3, 2018 Victor Barocas

Theme: CHANGE HANDS (61. Be sold, as property ... and a hint to each set of circled letters) - HANDS is scrambled in each theme entry.

17. Not in need of drying or ironing: WASH AND WEAR.

25. Gets settled: FINDS A HOME.

40. "I do not like them with a fox" Seuss poem: GREEN EGGS AND HAM.

50. "... What a Feeling" movie: FLASH DANCE.

Boomer here. Wishing all of you a safe and restful holiday. I never understood why they called it Labor Day and then 80% of our friends and neighbors get the day off work. A sad week saying farewell to Senator McCain. I was most impressed by the rendition of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" performed by the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club.  "His truth is marching on".

Across:

1. Laughing sounds: HAHAS.

6. Charged, bull-style: RAN AT.

11. Diagram of streets, highways, etc.: MAP.  Most people have one on their Smartphone.  I still have to go on the internet to see where I'm going.

14. Egg-shaped: OVATE.  Okay, if this is the shape of an egg, What is it called if you cheer for somebody?

15. Football venue: ARENA.  I am pretty sure a football venue is a Stadium.

16. In the style of: ALA.  Crimson Tide.

19. Unit of sunlight: RAY.  We have a Sun Ray Shopping Center with Sun Ray Bowling Center in the same area of Saint Paul.

20. Scottish monster, familiarly: NESSIE. I have heard of the Loch Ness monster, but I think he hates to be called Nessie.

21. Former name of the Congo: ZAIRE.  When I was a kid, I believe it was called the Belgian Congo. Then it was changed to Zaire and I think it hosted a Foreman Ali fight,  Now they have changed the name back.

23. "Let's do it!": C'MON.  When I bowled a tournament in Billings Montana, we stayed at the C'mon Inn.

28. Salary increase: RAISE.

30. Philosopher Descartes: RENE.

31. Put two and two together: ADD.

32. Turkish hospice: IMARET.  In this case, a hospice is like a hotel.

36. Org. with a "Speak Freely" blog: ACLU.  American Civil Liberties Union

43. Walrus cousin: SEAL. We were in San Francisco once near "Seal Rocks" and I bet we saw 100 or more seals relaxing near the shore of the Pacific.  Did not see a Walrus though.

44. Throws gently: TOSSES.  I am old so I roll my bowling ball gently.  But I don't toss it. (Because I am old).

45. Lawyer's gp.: ABA.

46. Cupcake finisher: ICER.  My first thought of an ICER is a Zamboni.

48. Productive city for van Gogh: ARLES.  "I could have told you, Vincent, this world was never made for one as beautiful as you."  "Starry Night" - Don McClean

56. 90-degree pipes: ELLS.  Not to be confused with Golfer Ernie.

57. French farewell: ADIEU.  I took two quarters of French in college.  Then I bid it Adieu.

58. Where most Russians live: EUROPE.

60. Cruise on-screen: TOM.  Can he handle the truth??

66. Large primate: APE.  And his name is Harry.

67. Divided Asian peninsula: KOREA.  Lots going on there recently.  Not too much of it any good.

68. Landlocked African country: NIGER.

69. Young fellow: LAD. Los Angeles Dodgers on the scoreboard.

70. Brewery supply: YEAST. An interesting product. I used it frequently when preparing pizza dough.  Not sure what it does for beer.  I am not a beer drinker.

71. Cookies commonly in cookies and cream ice cream: OREOS.  Cookie watch.  This is the 4,688th time that Oreo has appeared in a crossword.

Down:

1. Addendum to the five W's: HOW.  Who, What, Where, and Why is this the answer ?

2. "A Wrinkle in Time" director DuVernay: AVA. Gardner would be my first clue choice.

3. Is completely stumped: HAS NO IDEA.

4. Parthenon city: ATHENS.  It's Greek to me.

5. Wet septet: SEAS.  All seven of them are near Italy.

6. Wheel spokes, geometrically: RADII.

7. Aragorn's love, in Tolkien: ARWEN.  Played by Liv Tyler.

8. Formerly, in bridal bios: NEE.  The season is upon us!! Do not take a nee in an NFL game.

9. NHL's Ducks, on ESPN crawls: ANA.  Hockey in Southern California is questionable, but I can't believe the NHL put a team in Las Vegas.  A pretty good one too.  They almost took home the Stanley Cup.

10. Hero in a loincloth: TARZAN.  Jane's boyfriend

11. Video game plumber: MARIO.  I hate to admit how many hours I spent guiding Mario through mazes.  Now I just waste time on Candy Crush.

12. Antitheft device: ALARM.  This could be an American League pitcher.

13. Check recipient: PAYEE.

18. Bad check letters: NSF.

22. Trailing no one: AHEAD. Or maybe a coin flip.  Remember when Bill Cosby used a coin flip to describe the upcoming battle between Sitting Bull and Custer?

23. Rock outcroppings: CRAGS.

24. Niña's mother: MADRE.

26. Prom gown, e.g.: DRESS.

27. Bristles, to a biologist: SETAE.

29. A, in German class: EIN.  Actually, I think it's "One".  If you go to the gasthaus and order "Ein Bier" they will know what you want.

33. Doled (out): METED.  One for you, two for me.

34. Plato's marketplace: AGORA.  Greece's answer to the "Mall of America".

35. Some QB protectors: RGS.  These are Right Guards.  In retail they are "Returned Goods".

37. Dare: CHALLENGE.

38. Clotheshorse's concern: LABEL.  In baseball we used to call the "Louisville Slugger" trademark the label.  Keep it facing up or you might break the bat.

39. Amherst sch.: UMASS. Interesting how these abbreviations develop.  The University of Minnesota is frequently referred to as the "U of M" not UMINN.

41. Beethoven's "Für __": ELISE.

42. Org. chronicled in "The Puzzle Palace": NSA.

47. Killer doll in "Child's Play": CHUCKY.  This guy spoiled the lives of a lot of guys named Charles.

49. Fix: REPAIR.

50. Lethal: FATAL. Michael Douglas' Attraction

51. Parkinson's drug: L-DOPA.

52. Zeroed in: AIMED.

53. Barcelona babies: NENES.

54. Bandleader Xavier: CUGAT.  This guy lived to 90 years old and had 5 different wives. (Not all at the same time),  The most famous was Charo.

55. Prior to, poetically: ERE.

59. "Yikes!": OH NO.  Apolo OHNO was an Olympic skater.

62. Flat-bladed garden tool: HOE.

63. Coach Parseghian: ARA. Very famous Notre Dame Football Coach.  He won two national championships.

64. __ volente: God willing: DEO.  Yes I had four years of Latin, and DEO is God in Latin.  Et Cum Spiritu tuo is not the Pope's phone number.

65. Oldest H.S. students: SRS. Some are on their fourth year of Latin!

Boomer

Sunday, September 2, 2018 C.C. Burnikel

Note from C.C.:

I'm excited to let you know that Susan (Hahtoolah) has agreed to blog for us once a month. Hahtoolah has been with us since 2009. She always comes to the blog with observant crossword comments and great quotes related to some grid entries. Hahtoolah loves reading and traveling. She's been everywhere, including China. She officially retired in January this year.

Division of Labor

Oh, the dreaded circle puzzle! In today's puzzle, though the circles "divide" a particular job, or type of labor.  It's actually quite clever.  The jobs are all 6-letter. How cool is that?  So what jobs are divided here? Read the professions in the circles:

22-A. Picnic side with Parmesan dressing: CAESAR COLESLAW, and 24-A. Seuss' turtle king: YERTLE.  LAWYER.  My profession.

29-A. Monopoly maker: HASBRO, and 32-A. "Bein' Green" singer: KERMIT THE FROG.  BROKER.

57-A. Post production?: RAISIN BRAN, and 59-A. Logo modeled for five-month-old Ann Turner Cook [b. Nov. 20, 1926]: GERBER BABY.   RANGER.

Ann Turner Cook - Then and now:

80-A. Actress' first film: MOVIE DEBUT, and 83-A. Jim Croce title guy: LEROY BROWN.   BUTLER.

105-A. Successor to Canada's Stephen Harper: JUSTIN TRUDEAU, and 109-A. Bike trail hazards: THORNS.   AUTHOR.

115-A. Weather map line: ISOBAR, and 117-A. Tea-flavoring citrus fruit: BERGAMOT ORANGE.    BARBER.

Across:

1. Numbers on letters: ZIP CODE.  It stands for Zoning Improvement Plan

8. Pester constantly: BADGER.  I really wanted Bother.

14. Range: SCOPE.

19. Facetious local subject in many articles in "The Onion": AREA MAN.  I have never read The Onion.

20. Classified stat: AD RATE.

21. Got misty-eyed, with "up": TEARED.  What happens to you when you read The Onion, maybe.

25. Place to check for prints: ART SALE.

26. Heart charts, for short: ECGS. As in the ElectroCardioGrams, sometimes called EKGs. It's a diagnostic tool for assessing the electrical and muscular function of the heart.

28. Chick magnet?: HEN.

37. Jewish Community Center component gp.: YMHA. As in the Young Men's Hebrew Association, not the Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority.   Not all Jewish Community Centers, however, have a YMHA.

38. "Back in the __": USSR.   The Beatles!

40. Place for a stud: EAR.  I wasn't fooled by this clue. We've seen it in the puzzles before.

41. Lake near the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: ERIE.  Hi, Abejo!

42. Symbol of simplicity: PIE. This puzzle was As Easy As Pie.

43. Canonized Mlle.: STE. Today's French lesson, abbreviation for Saint.

44. Tehran-based carrier: IRAN AIR. I took a wild guess that the airline would include the name of the country.

47. ''Finished!'': THERE!

51. Long-necked wader: EGRET. Lots of EGRETS in my neighborhood.  I live near a lake.

53. Samurai lacking a master: RONIN. No idea, but apparently RONIN is also the name of a movie starring Robert DeNiro.

55. Actress Joanne: DRU. Joanne DRU (née Joan Letitia LaCock; Jan. 31, 1922 - Sept. 10, 1996) was the older sister of Peter Marshall, the gameshow host. I had heard of him, but not her.

56. Stratford's river: AVON. Ding-Dong!

62. Thread holder: SPOOL.

63. Bus. school test: GMAT. As in the Graduate Management Admission Test.

65. Brief street sign: SLO.

66. Org. in "Traffic": DEA. As in the Drug Enforcement Administration, a federal law enforcement agency housed within the United States Department of Justice.

67. Tent entrances: FLAPS.

69. It burns in December: YULE LOG.

72. Blew away: WOWED.

74. Oktoberfest drink: ALE.

75. "Ben-Hur" novelist Wallace: LEW. Lew Wallace (Apr. 10, 1827- Feb. 15, 1905) was a Union General in the American Civil War and author.  Ben Hur follows the life of Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince who was enslaved by the Romans at the beginning of the first century.  He later became a charioteer and converted to Christianity.

77. Alien-seeking gp.: SETI. As in Search for ExtraTerrestial Intelligence. I learned about SETI from its frequent appearances in the crossword puzzles.

78. First president with a Twitter account: OBAMA. No politics, although Trump is the same number of letters.

88. Get ready: PREP.

89. Berne's river: AAR.

90. Sch. health course: SEX ED. Is one Sexed in Sex Ed?

91. Schoolyard comeback: AM TOO!

92. Place to make waves: SALON. A good misdirection.

94. Like many family-owned companies: NEPOTIC.

96. RNs' workplaces: ERs.  Registered Nurses might work in Emergency Rooms.

98. Med. care provider: HMO. As in a Health Maintenance Organization.

99. Mazar of "Entourage": DEBI. I never saw Entourage, but have seen DEBI Mazar (b. Aug. 13, 1964) in other shows.

101. MLB's steroid __: ERA.  According to ESPN, apparently the Steroid ERA ran from the late 1980s through the 2000s.

102. __-da: pretentious: LA-DI.   Makes me think of Annie Hall.

104. Deck furniture wood: TEAK.

111. "Swell!": FAB.

112. Full of energy: GO GO.  Meh!

113. CVS rival: RITE AID. All the RITE AID stores in my area have been either closed or converted to Walgreens.

124. Lassie, for one: COLLIE.

125. Pass, as time: ELAPSE.

126. Formal address: ORATION.

127. Composer Bruckner: ANTON. I am not familiar with ANTON Bruckner (Sept. 4, 1824 - Oct. 11, 1896). Apparently he was an Austrian composer.  (Thanks, Jason!)

128. Fluctuated wildly: YO-YO'ED.

129. Handle holder: NAME TAG. Cute clue

Down:

1. Efron of "Baywatch" (2017): ZAC.  ZAC Efron (b. Oct. 18, 1987) was also the lead in the High School Musical, which I never saw but it certainly had a lot of publicity.

2. Tax-deferred acct.: IRA. As in Individual Retirement Account.

3. __ Wee Reese: PEE. PEE Wee Reese (né Harold Peter Henry Reese, July 23, 1918 - Aug. 14, 1999), was a professional baseball player. He played shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1940 to 1958.

4. Winter melon: CASABA. Yum.

5. Sydney of astrology: OMARR. No idea. Sydney OMARR (né Sidney Kimmelman, Aug. 5, 1926 - Jan. 2, 2003) was, apparently an astrologer to the rich and famous. Since I am neither rich nor famous, I guess that explains why I never heard of him.

6. Dash from hiding: DART OUT.

7. Env. add-ins: ENCS. As Enclosures to letters in Envelopes.

8. One really on her toes: BALLERINA.

9. "Doe, __ ... ": A DEER, a female deer ...

10. "House" figs.: DRs.  House was a television drama about doctors.  The patient always had some life-threatening disease, that only after lots of consultations, only Dr. House could properly diagnose.

11. Hoedown honey: GAL.

12. Uber approx.: ETA. As in Estimated Time of Arrival, I suppose.

13. Drop more Visine in, say: RE-WET. Visine is a brand of eye drops.

14. Deems appropriate: SEES FIT.

15. Jaguar, e.g.: CAR not to be confused with 103-D Jaguar, e.g.: AUTO.  Wait a minute! Both clues refer to motor vehicles.

16. Bug B Gon maker: ORTHO.

17. Pequod co-owner: PELEG. A reference to the book Moby Dick.

18. Home of the first family: EDEN. Cute clue.

21. "Burning bright" poem critter: TYGER. A poem by William Blake (Nov. 28, 1757 - Aug. 12, 1827), the first line of which reads as follows:

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,

In the forests of the night;

What immortal hand or eye,

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

23. State trees of six U.S. states: OAKs. I really wanted this to be Pine, but more than 6 states have their state tree as a variation of a pine tree.  The Bald Cypress is the state tree of Louisiana.  What is your state tree?

27. Rosy-cheeked angels: CHERUBS.

29. Overly energetic: HYPER.

30. Felipe's female friend: AMIGA. Today's Spanish lesson.

31. Sci-fi author __ S. Tepper: SHERI. Sci-fi is not my genre, so I am not familiar with the works of SHERI S. Tepper (née Shirley Stewart Douglas, July 16, 1929 - Oct. 22, 2016)

33. Vicious: MEAN.

34. Actor McKellen: IAN. That's Sir Ian (b. May 25, 1939) to you!

35. Exchange (a player) with: TRADE TO.

36. P.T. program: RE-HAB. As in Rehabilitation.

39. __-Croatian language: SERBO.

43. Paint with dots: STIPPLE. A learning moment.

45. Curly lock: RINGLET.

46. Discount tag abbr.: IRR. As in Irregular. No wonder this shirt is so cheap - there is only one arm hole.

48. Sidestep: EVADE. I initially tried Avoid.

49. Like trial judges: ROBED. Supreme Court Justices, too.

50. Singer from County Donegal: ENYA. Her given name is Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (b. May 17, 1961).  No wonder she goes by ENYA.

52. She, in Sicily: ESSA. Today's Italian lesson.

54. Air France hub: ORLY. The Charles DeGaulle is the primary international airport in France, but ORLY is a close second.

58. Word with hard or red: NOSED. As in Hard-Nosed or Rudolph the Red-Nosed.

59. Name on Pisa's airport: GALILEI.  Italy's airport named in honor of Galileo Galilei (Feb. 15, 1564 - Jan. 8, 1642).

60. Hall of Fame Bronco: ELWAY. As in quarterback John Albert Elway, Jr. (b. June 28, 1960).

61. Floor-cleaning robots: ROOMBAS. I was sure these things were called Zoombas, but I knew Gerbez Baby made no sense.

64. Shook hands with, perhaps: MET.

67. Regional plant life: FLORA. The regional animal life is the Fauna.

68. Be straight (with): LEVEL.

70. Power grabber: USURPER.

71. Horror film feature, often: GORE.

73. Friendly: WARM.

74. Concert array: AMPs. As in the Amplifiers.

76. Gradually withdrawing (from): WEANING.

79. Portended: BODED.

81. Devices with earbuds: iPODS. I love my iPod. I listen to all sorts of podcasts.

82. Main squeeze, slangily: BAE. I am not familiar with this term.  I have heard a main squeeze as being referred to a Boo, however.

84. Cried out: EXCLAIMED.

85. Significant person?: OTHER.

86. Many a NOW co-founder: WOMAN.  As in the National Organization for Women.

87. Secluded places: NOOKS.

90. Dutch burg: STAD. Today's Dutch lesson.

93. Margin at the bottom: NET GAIN.

95. Tulsa sch. with a Prayer Tower: ORU. As in Oral Roberts University, a Christian liberal arts school.

97. "R.I.P." singer: RITA ORA. I am not familiar with either the song or the singer.  RITA ORA (née Rita Sahatçiu Ora, b. Nov. 26, 1990).

100. Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser brand: BIORE.

104. Until now: TO DATE.

105. Alexander of "Seinfeld": JASON.  Jason Alexander (né Jay Scott Greenspan, b. Sept. 23, 1959) was great as George in Seinfeld.

106. Letter-shaped fastener: U-BOLT.

107. Actor Maguire: TOBEY.  TOBEY Maguire (né Tobias Vincent Maguire, June 27, 1975) was in The Cider House Rules.

108. Remove all traces of: ERASE.

110. Walker on a bottle: HIRAM. My first thought was Johnnie, but that is too many letters.  Hiram Walker (July 4, 1816 - Jan. 12, 1899) founded Canadian Club whisky.

111. Pay stub abbr.: FICA. As in the Federal Insurance Contributions Act.

114. Eddie Redmayne's alma mater: ETON.  Eddie Redmayne (b. Jan. 6, 1982) and Prince William (b. June 21, 1982) were classmates at ETON.

116. Rain-__ bubble gum: BLO.

118. "Strange Magic" band: ELO. As in the Electric Light Orchestra.

119. Beam of light: RAY.

120. Mailing ctr.: GPO.

121. Minor gripe: NIT.

122. __ long way: GO A.

123. Coll. major: ENG. As in English. Would you like Fries with That?

I hope you enjoyed my initial foray into being a blog WRIT  ER.

I will leave you with today's QOD:  I can’t take a well-tanned person seriously.  ~  Cleveland Amory (Sept. 2, 1917 ~ Oct. 14, 1998)