Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Dan Schoenholtz

Theme BATTER UP! Not at the ball diamond this time.  Instead, we find ourselves at the kitchen counter with eggs, oil and today's theme.  Let's check it out

17 A. It may be hard to turn down: NICE OFFER.  Not to be confused with an OFFER that you can't refuse.  The circled letters, here shown in red, can be rearranged to spell COFFEE.  Decaf for me, please - no cream or sugar.

26 A. Stockpiled: LOADED UP ON.  Acquired, collected, and kept; amassed. The red letters can be used to spell POUND.  Is this puzzle going to the dogs?  Probably not.

41 A. Sitting in an assigned seat, e.g.: TAKING ONE'S PLACE.  "Everyone take your places," is an in the language phrase.  So, have a seat.  Perhaps your cushion is a cushy SPONGE rubber.

51 A. Corporate annual report focus: FISCAL YEAR.  A 12 month period used for accounting and tax purposes that might not line up with a calendar year.  The red letters can spell LAYER - a ply of something in a built-up construction.  So what are we to make of all this?  Let's consult the reveal.

64 A. Baking conveniences, and a hint to this puzzle's circles: CAKE MIXES.  Aha!  Each of the words is also a type of CAKE, MIXED into the clue fill.  And a CAKE MIX is a store-bought combination of ingredients you can use to make a tasty sweet treat. Are you hungry?  I think CAKE is OK, any time of day or night.  Though, to be honest, I prefer cookies.

Across:

1. They may be exchanged in anger: WORDS.  Description of an argument.

6. Jet stream locale?: SPA.  SPA in this case being a whirlpool bath, with jets that stream water onto your aching body.

9. Ziti, e.g.: PASTA.  Per wikipedia, Ziti is an extruded tubular pasta that is smaller than rigatoni, but larger than mezzani.  Pasta is pasta.  Why it comes in so many shapes and sizes is a mystery to me.

14. Scrub, as a launch: ABORT.  From the mission control vocabulary of NASA.  A decision to stop a planned launch after the pre-launch sequence of activities has begun.

15. Short film?: PIC.  An abrv. of [moving] PICTURE

16. Pronouncement platform: ALTAR.  "I now pronounce you man and wife," is one of the kinds of pronouncements that can be issued there.

19. Lumps: GLOBS.  Solid or semi-sold masses of no particular size and shape.

20. Small flightless bird: KIWI.

To be perfectly clear

21. "Oye Como Va" songwriter Puente: TITO.  Hey, how is it going?

23. Barnyard noise: MOO. Cow talk.

24. Low-risk investments: Abbr.: CDs.  Certificates of Deposit.

29. Stooped (over): HUNCHED.

32. Beer container: CAN.  E pluribus unum.

33. "It matters to me": I CARE.  Back in the 60's we said, "Give a damn!"

34. "The Green Hornet" co-writer/star Rogen: SETH. [b 1982] Canadian-American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and director.

37. Scorch: CHAR.  Burn the surface of something with heat or a direct flame.

44. Editor's retraction: STET.  "Let it stand."  (used as an instruction on a printed proof to indicate that a correction or alteration should be ignored).

45. Picnic pests: ANTS.  Six-legged invaders.

46. Blows off steam: VENTS.  Pssssst.

47. Feverish, say: ILL. Exhibiting symptoms of sickness.

49. Doesn't continue, as an argument: LET'S DIE.  It's hard to know when to let up.  Sometimes continuing is futile.  I was arguing about socialism with some guy on FaceBook.  He wouldn't accept the dictionary definition.  I finally gave up and told him to have a nice day.

56. "Irreverence is easy--what's hard is __": Tom Lehrer: WIT.  Keen mental sharpness and inventiveness.

57. Lime ending: -ADE.  The juice of the lime ends up in a fruity drink.  In my house, it's far more likely to end up in a spicy guacamole.

58. 12-1 MLB victory, e.g.: ROUT.  A lop-sided victory.  Or, from the Tigers' perspective, a lop-sided defeat.

59. Davenport setting: IOWA.  Or my late mom-s living room.  A city and an item of furniture [if you want to couch it in those terms], respectively.

62. Like spinach, say: LEAFY.  As rose bushes are thorny, and trees are barky.

68. Tanning site: SALON.

69. Spy org. called "The Company": CIA.  Central Intelligence Agency.  We learn this vocabulary from a 2003 semi-factual novel by Robert Littell.

70. Hapless: INEPT.  Everybody, get yourself some hap, so you can be EPT.

71. North Sea county: ESSEX.  Located North and East of London, England.

72. __-country music: ALT.  ALTernate.  A loosely defined sub-genre of county/rock music.  Styles can be significantly different in style from mainstream or pop country.

73. "Get it done!": TODAY.  Stat! [Not stet]

Down:

1. Lacking color: WAN. Pale and weak looking.

2. Tokyo sash: OBI.

This white one is an OBI WAN

3. Large python: ROCK SNAKE.  A large, non-venemous, but extraordinarily vicious and dangerous snake living in sub-saharan Africa.

4. German trio: DREI.  The number three.

5. Put away: STOW.

6. Sunscreen letters: SPF.  Sun Protection Factor.  Understand it here.

7. Michelangelo masterpiece: PIETA.

Things to know about it [please skip number 9]

8. Sharp: ACRID.  Having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant taste or smell.

9. Taoist temple: PAGODA.

All because of the Shunbashira

10. Every one of: ALL. Don't leave me out.

11. Defeat soundly: STOMP.  In other words, a ROUT.

12. Off-limits: TABOO.  Forbidden.

13. Fiery crime: ARSON.  The crime of deliberately setting fire to property.

18. Computer menu heading: FILE. You can save and print, among other options.

22. Computer fixers: TECHS.

24. Vouchers: CHITS.  IOUs

25. Old European coin: DUCAT. Any of various gold and silver coins.

27. Eats too much of, as junk food: ODs ON.  Over-Dose, trivializing the real meaning.

28. Family tree figures: UNCLES.  What I am to my niece and nephew.

30. Blogger, at times: CRITIC. Or, in my case, almost always.

31. Farm clucker: HEN.  And egg layer.

35. Sinusitis-treating doc: ENT.  Ear, Nose and Throat specialist.

36. Edison contemporary: TESLA.  Nikola Tesla [1956-1943] was a Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, and futurist who is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current electricity supply system. [Wikipedia]

38. Manually spiffed up at the carwash: HAND WAXED.  Manual labor.

39. When the duel occurs in "Hamilton": ACT II.

40. Start over: RESET.

42. Big name in California viticulture: GALLO.  Brothers Ernst and Julio.

43. Entry-level GI: PVT. Private.

48. Voice box: LARYNX.  the hollow muscular organ forming an air passage to the lungs and holding the vocal cords in humans and other mammals;

50. Scary-sounding lake: ERIE.  Toledo's lake.

51. Like many a rumor: FALSE.  Fake news?

52. Creative output: IDEAS.  Brain storms.

53. Makes airtight: SEALS.  Closes up.

54. Desert plant with sword-shaped leaves: YUCCA.

New Mexico State Flower

55. Source of net profits?: ETAIL.  Electronic - i.e. on-line - retail.

60. Exclude: OMIT. Leave out, elide.

61. Sot: WINO.  Alcoholic.

63. Enemy: FOE.  Not a friend

65. Dennings of "2 Broke Girls": KAT.

But those green eyes  .  .  .

66. AQI monitor: EPA.  The Air Quality index is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency, established in 1970.

67. Muddy pen: STY. Home for swine.

One more in a long line of Wednesday puzzles, but this one takes the cake.   Hope you were able to slice through it without getting frosted.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, June 25, 2019, Roland Huget

Why did it have to be Snakes?  There is a triple "S" hissing sound in each of the theme answers.  Note that the first word of each phrase ends in a double S, and the first word begins with an S to give us the HISS.

17-Across. Contents of a landscaper's spreader: GRASS SEED.

25-Across. Hollywood or Vine, vis-à-vis the other: CROSS STREET.

38-Across. Formal attire: DRESS SUIT.

53-Across. Social hierarchy: CLASS SYSTEM.

64-Across. Leaky tire noise found in five puzzle answers including this one: HISS SOUND.

Across:
1. Scottish Celt: GAEL.

5. Brake component: DISC.

Anatomy of a Break

9. Confronts with cockiness: FACES

14. Road runner: AUTO.

15. Marc with a clothing brand: ECKŌ.  //  And 62-Down:  Novelist Umberto: ECO.  The surnames sound alike.  Marc Eckō (né Marc Louis Milecofsky; b. Aug. 29, 1972) is an American fashion designer and founder of Eckō Limited.  It's not a company I am familiar with, but it apparently is known for its graffiti-style tee shirts and hoodies.

Umberto Eco (Jan. 5, 1932 ~ Feb. 19, 2016) was an Italian novelist, best known for his 1980 historical novel, Name of the Rose.

16. Higher in rank than: ABOVE.  See 53-Across.

19. Jeans material: DENIM.  You, too, can have this pair of Muddy DENIM Jeans for only $425.

20. Bring up, as kids: RAISE.

21. Very small: WEE.

23. MDX ÷ X: CLI.  Roman Math.  1510 ÷ 10 = 151.

24. Building wing: ELL.

30. Voted in: ELECTED.  Voters in our last election got this beautiful sticker after leaving the voting booth.

32. T-shirt coloring method: TIE-DYE.

33. Harp constellation: LYRA.  Obvious, right?

34. Mexican girl: NIÑA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

37. Tots may be bounced on them: KNEES.

41. Bud in a cantina: AMIGO.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

44. Diplomat's forte: TACT.

45. Part of UAE: ARAB.  As in the United Arab Emirates.

49. Most inexperienced, as a recruit: RAWEST.

51. Allowing cars in a single direction at a time, as a bridge: ONE LANE.

56. School support gp.: PTA.  As in the Parent Teacher Association.  This is a crossword staple.

57. Grain bristle: AWN.

58. Acorn producer: OAK.  What did the little Acorn say when he grew up?  Geometry!

59. Unmitigated: UTTER.

Oh, wait.  That's an Otter.

61. Not exactly new: DATED.

67. "Fear of Flying" author Jong: ERICA.  Erica Jong (née Erica Mann; b. Mar. 26, 1942) is probably best known for her 1973 novel, Fear of Flying, which isn't about flying at all, but rather sexual fantasies.

68. Leave out: OMIT.

69. "Rule, Britannia" composer Thomas: ARNE.  I learned about Thomas Arne (né Thomas Augustine Arne; Mar. 12, 1710 ~ Mar. 5, 1778) from doing the crossword puzzles.  He makes occasional guest appearances.

70. Determined to do: SET ON.  As in the sentence:  He's SET ON finishing this puzzle before the end of the day.

71. Nashville venue: OPRY.

72. "The Walking __": zombie show: DEAD.

Down:

1. DVD blooper collection: GAG REEL.

2. By ear: AURALLY.

3. Online merchant: E-TAILER.

4. Red ink: LOSS.

5. __ Moines: DES.  A city in Iowa.

6. Rink surface: ICE.

7. Depicts unfairly, as data: SKEWS.

8. Secret languages: CODES.  The Rosetta Stone helped to de-code ancient languages.

9. Short-lived obsession: FAD.  Anyone remember this short-lived FAD?  I read recently that it's coming back.

10. Civil War prez: ABE.

11. Admit defeat: CONCEDE.

12. Hex-dispensing stare: EVIL EYE.  This Hamsa will protect you from the Evil Eye.

13. Some Middle East natives: SEMITES.  Webster's defines Semite as "(1) a member of any of a number of peoples of ancient southwestern Asia including the Akkadians, Phoenicians, Hebrews, and Arabs; and (2) descendants of these peoples."  The word "Semite"  comes from "Shem", which literally means "name" in Hebrew, and was also the name of the Noah's oldest son.  Thus, in ancient mythology, the Semites were all descendants of Shem.

18. Splinter group: SECT. 22. Ballpark fig.: EST.  As in Estimate.  I initially tried ERA, thinking we were looking for Earned Run Average.  But we weren't actually in the baseball park here.

26. Artist Magritte: RENÉ.  As in René Margritte (né René François Ghislain Magritte; Nov. 21, 1898 Aug. 15, 1967), a Belgium surrealist artist.

27. Writer of exalted verse: ODIST.  As in one who composes Odes.  John Keats (Oct. 31, 1795 ~ Feb. 23, 1821) is probably the best known Odist, having written Ode on a Grecian Urn.

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

You, too, can get your own Tiki Bar from Amazon.

29. U-Haul truck, e.g.: RENTAL.  When I moved to Boston, I rented a U-Haul to transport all my stuff.  When I went out to return the truck the next day, it was gone.  It had been stolen during the night.  I reported it, and U-Haul never flinched an eye about the loss.

31. Mooches: CADGES.  An interesting new word for me.  It apparently means to ask for or obtain something to which one is not really entitled to.

35. Govt. code-breaking org.: NSA.  As in the National Security Agency.

36. Fancy tie: ASCOT.  Fun to have this answer as the Royal Ascot just ended last Saturday ~ the event where everyone must dress up and women wear outrageous hats.

39. Flag maker Betsy: ROSS.  Betsy Ross (née Elizabeth Griscom; Jan. 1, 1752 ~ Jan. 30, 1836) is credited with having made the first American flag.  Fact or Fiction?

40. __ Reader: eclectic digest: UTNE.  This magazine appears fairly often in the crossword puzzles.  I once got a copy in the mail, totally unsolicited.  I don't remember whether or not I read the issue, but I did not subscribe to the journal.

41. Gaming centers: ARCADES.

42. Invasive computer software: MALWARE.

43. "Give me that!": I WANT IT!  Didn't your mother teach you manners?  Maybe you will CADGE off someone to get what you want.

46. Ecstasy: RAPTURE.

47. Insect's feeler: ANTENNA.

48. Like Abe Lincoln and Santa Claus, facially: BEARDED.

50. Chinese menu general: TSO.  According to an article in the Smithsonian, General Tso Chicken, was invented by a chef from Hunan province in the 1950s in Taiwan.  It is a sweet deep-fried chicken dish.

52. Outback birds: EMUs.

54. Gleeful shout: YAHOO!

55. Pinch pennies: SKIMP.

60. "The Wind in the Willows" amphibious Mr.: TOAD.  The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame (Mar. 8, 1859 ~ July 6, 1932) was first published in 1908.  Although classified as a children's book, it is really about the leisured class of British gentlemen.  The characters are all animals ~ rats, moles, toads, and badgers, who sit around and drink and smoke.

63. "Forrest Gump" lieutenant: DAN.  I didn't remember this character in the movie.  He was played Gary Sinise (b. Mar. 17, 1955) in the movie.

65. Dame's counterpart: SIR.

66. Messy place: STY.

Here's the Grid:

I'll leave you with a QOD:  I think being nice is more important than being clever.  ~  Ricky Gervais (b. June 25, 1961)

Monday June 24, 2019 Gail Grabowski & Bruce Venzke

Theme: B AND E. (38A. Burglary, for short ... and a hint to this puzzle's four longest answers) - Each theme entry is in the pattern of B* E*:

 

 17A. Medical licensing test: BOARD EXAM.

 59A. Online mass marketing message: BULK EMAIL.

 10D. Wearing away of a riverside slope: BANK EROSION.

 23D. Torso-twisting "spin" that has no effect on the ball: BODY ENGLISH.

Boomer here.

"BE - All that you can -BE". I remember that BEing a commercial to join the Army.  It didn't work for me.  I could not find a bowling center or a golf course in Hardheim, Germany. Spring Bowling League ends tonight.  I will try to keep my golf clubs busy until Labor Day.

Across:

1. Esau's twin: JACOB.  Some of these old biblical stories live on and on.

6. Wee bit: TAD.

9. Cause to blush: ABASH.  Also a big hit by Albert Pujols.

14. Love, in Milan: AMORE.  "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie !"

15. Hoopla: ADO.  What is the next note on the scale after a Ti ?

16. 1945 "Big Three" summit site: YALTA.  The "Big Three" were Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin. They agreed to demand that Germany surrender and end WWII, probably because Germany had no golf courses or bowling centers. 

20. "Pull up a chair": SIT.

21. "Ghostbusters" goo: SLIME. "Who ya gonna call ??

22. Sport with rifles and disks: SKEET.  I don't know about rifles. We used to shoot skeet with shotguns.

23. Tot's mealtime chest protector: BIB.  I sometime eat meals in a reclining chair.  I could use a bib.

24. Cardin of design: PIERRE.  The capital city of South Dakota.  C.C. and I visited there once.

25. Translates, as a cipher: DECODES.  Got the sniffles ? Dayquil may DECODE you.

29. Deborah of "The King and I": KERR.

30. Get away from: EVADE.  In Pac-Man you may need to EVADE Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde.

31. Rain really hard: POUR. When it rains, it pours.  A slogan for Morton Salt.  Maybe, but when humidity gums it up in its box, sometimes it does NOT pour.

33. Smell: ODOR.  Would you like a picture of Rougned?  Or will you be happy this time to fill in an easy answer to an easy clue.

37. Group of quail: BEVY.  Quail is common, but I played golf lst week on a hole with a BEVY of ducks.

39. Pen name that sounds like a drink: SAKI. Never heard of these pens.

40. Maple or sycamore: TREE.

41. 1998 film with talking bugz?: ANTZ.

42. Longed (for): PINED.  Add an "N" in the middle and you've added a tail to a donkey.

43. State between Mont. and Minn.: N DAK.  Been there many times.  You may have seen us at Teddy Roosevelt's state park last week.

45. Transfers from computer to cloud, say: UPLOADS.

47. Theater platforms: STAGES.

50. Actor McKellen: IAN.

51. Instruments for Yo-Yo Ma: CELLI.  If that's the plural for cello, I'll take your word for it.

52. Flinch or blink: REACT.

55. "Hulk" director Lee: ANG.

58. Thing of the past: RELIC.  Many churches named after saints may have a relic of that saint somewhere.

61. Won by __: squeaked out the victory: A NOSE.  I'll bet Jimmy Durante won a lot.

62. Wrath: IRE.

63. Artery in an angiogram: AORTA. This is very special, you cannot live without it.

64. Unverified stories: MYTHS.

65. Mariner's "Help!": SOS.  I heard that when Samuel Morse built his code, he made the "S" and "O" short clicks so that a danger could be clicked conveniently and quickly.

66. Called the game: UMPED.  I know many people who have Umpired games. 

Down:

1. Short punches: JABS.

2. Mine, in Metz: A MOI. - Where is METZ? And do they have land mines there ?

3. Paint layer: COAT.

4. Hockey immortal: ORR.  Bruin Bobby.  Defenseman scored more goals than Miguel Sano strikeouts.

5. Place for reading a nighttime story to a tot: BEDSIDE.

6. Ride with a meter: TAXI.  Great sitcom, where Judd Hirsch and Danny DeVito became famous. 

7. Actor Sandler: ADAM. He was great in "The Longest Yard" but of course my favorite was "Happy Gilmore".

8. Rotunda topper: DOME.  Also a stadium topper in Minneapolis from 1982 - to about 2010.

9. Sailor's assent: AYE SIR. I think there are two AYEs in that

11. Change: ALTER.

12. Rodeo bovine: STEER.  I have a wheel coming out of dashboard for this.

13. Poker Flat chronicler Bret: HARTE.

18. North Sea feeder: ELBE. This river runs through Germany Northwest to Southeast. Quite a bit east of Hardheim.

24. Dijon dad: PERE.

25. Credit report item: DEBT. FICO score should be good enough.  It rhymes with  GEICO. Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike -- What day is it ???  Whatever happened to the cavemen anyway??

26. At any time: EVER.  "If you're ever in a jam, here I am".

27. Home to Alley Oop: CAVE.  The man in the funny papers we all know?  Not in our paper.

28. Hit on the tush: SPANK.  And Darla's forget me not "ALFAL"

29. Invasive Asian vine: KUDZU.

32. Toronto's prov.: ONT.  I am  little more familiar with Manitoba just North of MN.  They play hockey there too.

34. Delany of "Desperate Housewives": DANA.

35. Approved: OKED. Stuck in a panhandle.

36. Frees (of): RIDS.

38. Sounds at shearings: BAAS.  Sounds at a Brewers Cubs game - BOOS

42. Kin of a mesa: PLATEAU.

44. Gets the frost off, as plane wings: DEICES.  Yeah, were two hours late in Feb on a flight MSP to LAS.  

46. Prospector's tool: PICK.  I use one to get little bits of food out of my teeth.

47. "Get lost!": SCRAM.

48. So, so small: TEENY. Weeny itsy bitsy yellow polka dot bikini.

49. Portion out: ALLOT. When I portion out my dinner, I always go with A LOT.

52. Sluggers' stats: RBIS.  Sometimes you need to be lucky to have teammates on base when you get your hits.

53. Milan money: EURO.

54. Taproom orders: ALES.  I expect it may normally be BEER.

55. Strong lobby for seniors: AARP.  Not me.  I canceled  membership after one year.  All I got was a lot of junk mail disguised as good deals if I spent my money. 

56. Late time, in ads: NITE.

57. Delighted: GLAD.  Plastic bag or wrap.  Do not throw it in the ocean!

60. Judy, to Liza: MOM.  We used to have a boss named Marvin O. Mechelke.  When you got a memo signed MOM, you knew who it came from.

Boomer