Wednesday October 9, 2019 Craig Stowe

The Gimme Game by Craig Stowe, play-by-play by desper-otto.

You'll see lots of "LHF" (I counted 32) as you scroll through the writeup. No, it doesn't stand for Left-Handed Fingering, CED, nor Latent Heat Flux, Jayce. If you haven't already sussed it, y'all'll find out later.

Across:

1. Washington's Sea-__ Airport: TAC. Seattle-Tacoma. Could also be half a candy or a third of a game. LHF 1

4. Bubble bath spot: TUB. In the winter I like a good long soak in a hot tub, reading my latest Kindle novel. LHF 2

7. Model S and Model X electric cars: TESLAS. "Electric" is the operative word.

13. "Snowy" bird: OWL. Egret was too long. LHF 3

14. "Movin' __": "The Jeffersons" theme: ON UP. Musical Interlude #1

16. World Cup chant: OLE OLE. Tried USA USA first.

17. Chinese chairman: MAO. The Chairman LHF 4

The Chairman

18. Henry VIII's sixth wife Catherine: PARR. Portrait of Catherine Parr.

Portrait of Catherine Parr

19. Like an ideal situation: WIN WIN. OLE OLE over WIN WIN makes a nice sandwich.

20. How some get across town: BY CAB. Also what a Bostonian takes for an upset tummy.

22. "I'm __ a robot": phrase with captcha tests: NOT. If you've gone blue, you can ignore the Recaptcha for your comments. LHF 5

24. Percussion pair: HIHAT. One of these thingies

25. Sack opening?: KNAP. I had one with the Boy Scout logo on it. Wow, was that special!

27. Leg bone: FIBULA.

29. Holly's "Raising Arizona" role: EDWINA. Holly Hunter.

Holly Hunter

31. Summer in Quebec: ÉTÉ. Also in Paris, France, but not in Paris, Texas. LHF 6

32. "Orinoco Flow" singer: ENYA. Musical Interlude #2

35. Good scents: AROMAS. Are they always good? In my ute, driving down the section roads where the fields were freshly manured and the ditches were over-flowing with whey, we'd comment on the aroma of the "good ole country air."

36. "The Giving Tree" author Silverstein: SHEL. Multi-talented guy. He wrote poems, songs, cartoons and children's books. I first ran into him in the pages of Playboy, which I read solely for the articles.

38. __ pal: GAL. Tried PEN first. CSO to Tinbeni.

39. Fire truck wail: SIREN. I read "wail" as "wall" and drew a blank. LHF 7

40. Toronto-to-D.C. dir.: SSE.

41. Handy: UTILE. I'm not sure "useful" and "handy" mean the same thing.

43. Lodge member: ELK. LHF 8

44. Guthrie at Woodstock: ARLO. Woody's boy. I think he's singing about the keys to the city, don't you?

46. Walk-in health facility: CLINIC. LHF 9

47. City on the Rhône: LYON. No "S"

49. Word with drum or trumpet: EAR. One of these days I may have to look into an ear trumpet, but that's probably the wrong way to use it.

50. Distorts, as data: FUDGES. Was thinking SKEWS. My high school math teacher used to say, "Figures don't lie, but liars do figure."

51. Do over: REVAMP.

53. Royal Norwegian name: OLAF. Will it be F or V? Wait on the perps.

54. Let up: ABATE. LHF 10

56. __-mo replay: SLO. LHF 11

58. "The Jetsons" son: . ELROY

61. Chanted phrase: MANTRA.

63. Word on U.S. coins: UNUM. E Pluribus Unum

 -- out of many, one.

65. Luau instrument: UKE. LHF 12

66. Consume: INGEST. That's what they say about poison.

67. Personnel note: MEMO. LHF 13

68. "Roth" savings plan: IRA. I've got both types. You? I recently dipped into my Roth to buy a new car. The withdrawal doesn't count as income. LHF 14

69. Political pundit Myers: DEEDEE. She spent a couple of years as press secretary in the early years of the Clinton presidency.

70. __ Antonio: SAN. The River Walk LHF 15

The River Walk

71. Street covering: TAR. Our little town is in the process of repaving our streets. I don't know when our street was last paved, but it was more than 20 years ago. The patches have been patched, and some of the potholes are epic. The recent heavy truck traffic has made matters worse. I'll be happy when the paving is complete and the heavy trucks leave. I'm getting sick of the smell of asphalt in the morning. LHF 16

Down:

1. Grant's __: NYC landmark: TOMB. Eighteenth prez U.S. and his wife are buried together there.

3. 1971 Kubrick film, with "A": CLOCKWORK ORANGE. Stanley Kubrick didn't have a specific genre, but he sure made a lot of classic movies.

4. Big cheese: TOP BANANA

5. Article in El País: UNA. The "El" gives it away.

6. "Sick insult, dude!": BURN. I've never heard that. You?

7. With 2-Down, type of zone in which parking is restricted: TOW AWAY. LHF 17 Usually pricey to get your car back.

8. Nobelist Root: ELIHU Root. Former Secretary of State and Secretary of War back in the early 1900s. He showed me that USA USA was wrong as that futbal cheer.

9. Declining in old age: SENILE. Gettin' there.

10. Easy pickings, and a hint to the four other longest Down answers: LOW HANGING FRUIT. In addition to the four theme answers, Craig gave us lots of other LHF in this puzzle.

11. Et __: and others: ALIA. LHF 18

12. Dispatched: SENT. LHF 19

15. Clue character with a bow tie: PROFESSOR PLUM.

21. "Yu-Gi-Oh!" genre: ANIMÉ. Five perps, and I had it, as Abejo would say.

23. 10% donation: TITHE. LHF 20

26. Faux __: PAS. I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. There was major tongue-biting when my former boss came in one morning extolling the beauty of the faux pas wall finishes he'd seen in a house he'd visited. To correct him, or not to correct him? What a stupid question. LHF 21

28. Four-winged flier: BEE. Learning moment courtesy of Reference.com: "All castes and species of bee have four wings. The pair of wings that is closer to the head is always larger and folds over the rear pair when the bee is at rest. The rear pair is shorter and hooks into the forward pair when unfolded for flight." I'll bet John Lampkin knew that; I didn't.

29. Artistic stand: EASEL. LHF 22

30. Deadpan: DRILY.

33. New Haven student: YALIE. or ELI. LHF 23

34. Smart fellows?: ALECS. LHF 24

37. Yoga-inspired athletic brand: LULULEMON. Never heard of it. "It's all about the intangibles"

40. Closes forcibly: SLAMS. LHF 25

42. __ pool: TIDAL. GENE was too short. STENO didn't work.

45. Irish actor Stephen: REA. He's been in lots of movies, but is probably best known for The Crying Game. LHF 26

46. Fiscal VIP: CFO. Chief Financial Officer.

48. Brought home: NETTED.

52. Song section: VERSE.

54. In the thick of: AMID. LHF 27

55. Downfall: BANE.

57. Small bills: ONES. LHF 28

59. Gumbo ingredient: OKRA. It's slippery-slimy and some (most?) folks don't like it, but it thickens the gumbo. LHF 29

60. Junior or senior: YEAR. LHF 30

62. Had a burger, say: ATE. LHF 31
 

64. Actress Thurman: UMA. Uma Thurman LHF 32

Tuesday, October 8, 2019 Debra Hamel

But is it erasable?  The first word of each theme answer can proceed the word Pencil to give us a new concept.

17-Across. Ocular arch-shaping cosmetic: EYEBROW WAX.  Eyebrow Pencil.

26-Across. Robby the Robot, e.g.: MECHANICAL MAN.  Mechanical Pencil.

48-Across. Backyard cooker: CHARCOAL GRILL.  Charcoal Pencil.  Everything you wanted to know about the difference between a charcoal pencil vs. a graphite pencil but were afraid to ask.

And the Unifier:

65. Tentative "It's a date" ... or a hint to the starts of 17-, 26-, and 48-Across: PENCIL ME IN.  If you "pencil in" an appointment in your date book, you can always erase the date and cancel your plans if you get a better offer.

Across:

1. How headless chickens may run: AMOK.  Did you know a turtle can swim without a head?

5. Argo and Titanic: SHIPS.

10. Email asking for money, perhaps: SCAM.

14. Pedi partner: MANI.  As a Pedicure and Manicure.

15. "A Confederacy of Dunces" author John Kennedy __: TOOLE.  John Kennedy Toole (Dec. 17, 1937 ~ Mar. 26, 1969) was from New Orleans.  Sadly, he died by suicide at age 31.  His most well-known novel was A Confederacy of Dunces, which was published after his death.

16. Gyro bread: PITA.  Yummers!

19. Like Felix Unger, e.g.: ANAL.  Hmm ...

20. Forbidden regions: NO-GO AREAS.

21. Mom's brother: UNCLE.  My mother had no brothers, thus I have no maternal uncles.

22. __ Lanka: SRI.  The island country off the coast of India.  Between 1948 and 1972, the country was known as Ceylon.  The name Sri Lanka means "Resplendent Island" in Sanskrit.

23. 1/60 of an hr.: MIN.  There are 60 Minutes in an Hour.

25. "The cow is of the bovine __; / One end is moo, the other, milk": Ogden Nash: ILK.

32. Miss. neighbor: ALA.  Louisiana and Arkansas are also neighbors of Mississippi, but the answer today is Alabama.

33. High school stat: GPA.  As in the Grade Point Average.

34. Loewe's lyricist: LERNER.  Alan Jay Lerner (Aug. 31, 1918 ~ June 14, 1986) was an American lyricist and librettist who collaborated with Frederick Loewe (June 10, 1901 ~ Feb. 14, 1988), who was a composer.  Together they created many well known Broadway musicals, including My Fair Lady and Camelot.

Lerner is on the right.

37. Dog pack leader: ALPHA.

40. One or more: ANY.

42. Spanish "I love you": TE AMO.  Today's Spanish lesson, obviously.

43. Get by: MANAGE.

45. Article in Die Zeit: DER.  Today's German lesson.

47. Up to, briefly: 'TIL.  Short for Until.

52. N, E, S or W: DIR.  N(orth), E(ast), S(outh) or W(est) are all Directions.

54. Golf teacher: PRO.

55. Portuguese saint: SÃO.  Today's Portuguese lesson.

56. UPS driver's assignment: ROUTE.

58. Not one to pass up a porterhouse: MEAT LOVER.

64. King of Siam's Broadway dance partner: ANNA.  Anna and the King of Siam was a musical by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II.  It was loosely based on the true story of Anna Leonowens (Nov. 5, 1831 ~ Jan. 19, 1915), who was a tutor to the children of King Mongkut.  Russian-born Yul Brynner (July 11, 1920 ~ Oct. 10, 1985) played the role of the King.

66. The Stones' Jagger: MICK.

Sir Michael Philip Jagger (b. July 26, 1943).

67. One-eighty: U-TURN.

68. Distort, as rules: BEND.  Bending the law doesn't exactly break the law, but it could be considered inappropriate or unfair.

69. Throbbing pain: ACHE.

70. Pro bono promise: NO FEE.

71. Boats like Noah's: ARKS.  Not all Arks, however, would be laden with animals.

Down:

1. Last word before digging in?: AMEN.  Cute clue.  A reference to saying Grace before a meal.

2. BLT condiment: MAYO.  A Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich would have Mayonnaise in it as well.

3. 10 C-notes: ONE-G.  Ten C-notes *$100 bills) are worth One-Grand ($1,000).

4. Put the __ on: squelch: KIBOSH.

5. Attic function: STORING.  I initially tried Storage.

6. Sewing machine inventor Elias: HOWE.  Elias Howe (July 9, 1819 ~ Oct. 3, 1867) is credited with creating the modern sewing machine.  Isaac Merritt Singer (Oct. 27, 1811 ~ July 23, 1875), however, has his name associated with the machine.  Howe was a nice family man, but Singer was quite the cad.  Singer is believed to have fathered at least 24 children with various wives and mistresses.

Elias Howe and his Sewing Machine.

7. Corn Belt state: IOWA.

8. Outmoded TV type: PLASMA.

9. __ symbol: SEX.

10. Wing measurement: SPAN.  The Albatros has the largest wingspan of any living bird.

11. Where Reds play: CINCINNATI.  A baseball reference to the Cincinnati Reds.

12. In the least: AT ALL.

13. 2018 Best Actor Rami __: MALEK.  Rami Said Malek (b. May 12, 1981) plays Elliot Alderson on the television series Mr. Robot.  He won the 2018 Oscar for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody.

Malek is on the right.

18. Hard to find, to Caesar: RARA.  Today's Latin lesson.

21. Like some expectations: UNMET.

24. Feeling poorly: ILL.

26. Palindromic address: MA'AM.

27. "Enchanted" film title girl: ELLA.

28. Naval officer on a cereal box: CAP'N CRUNCH.  This cereal has been around since 1963.  We used to eat it as kids.

29. Beer initialism: IPA.  As in India Pale Ale.  Here's the history of India Pale Ale.

30. "I'm on it!": CAN DO!

31. "We __ Farmers": insurance slogan: ARE.

35. Pianist Gilels: EMIL.  I am not familiar with Emil Gilels (Oct. 19, 1916 ~ Oct. 14, 1985).  He was a Soviet musician.  It's a long piece, but worth listening to.

 

36. Winning streak: ROLL.

38. "Yeah, right!": HAH!

39. With jaw dropped: AGAPE.

41. Affirmative vote: YEA.

44. Do something human?: ERR.

46. Stephen King's kid lit counterpart: R.L. STINE.  Today is the birthday of R.L. Stine (né Robert Lawrence Stine; Oct. 8, 1943).  He turns 76 today.  Happy Birthday!  He is best known for his Goosebumps series of horror fiction for children.

49. Awaken: COME TO.

50. Sometimes it's unmitigated: GALL.

51. Self-moving vacuum: ROOMBA.

52. Certain queen's bailiwick: DRAMA.  Cute clue.  We all know someone who is a big DRAMA QUEEN.

53. Greek column type: IONIC.  There were 3 major styles of columns in ancient Greek architecture: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian.  (If Debra Hamel, today's constructor, is who I think she is, then she is a historian specializing in Ancient Greece.)

57. Word before part or heart: TAKE.  As in the phrases Take Part and Take Heart.

59. Sufficient, in texts: ENUF.  Meh!

60. "Back forty" unit: ACRE.  The most remote area of the farm.

61. Swerve: VEER.

62. Kindle technology: E-INK.  I don't have a Kindle.  I do have a Nook, but I really prefer to read an actual book with pages that I can flip back and forth.

63. Gps. of drinks: RNDS.  As in Rounds.  "I'll get the next Round!"

65. "The lowest form of humor ~ when  you don't think of it first": Oscar Levant:  PUN.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  Read.  Read.  Read.  Just don’t read one type of book.  Read different books by various authors so that you develop different styles.  ~ R.L. Stine (né Robert Lawrence Stine; b. Oct. 8, 1943).  See 46-Down.
    

Notes from C.C.:

Happy 78 birthday to dear Jayce, who's been with our blog for over a decade. Thanks for understanding so deeply my 🥣安 and other problems, Jayce. So glad you found us. Here's his wedding picture again. Young and Beautiful.

Monday October 7, 2019 Jeff Stillman

Theme: Letter Openers - The first word in each person is also a letter spelled out.

20. Diane Keaton's role in "The Godfather" films: KAY CORLEONE.

33. "Maude" star: BEA ARTHUR.

39. Fitzgerald's "Great" title character: JAY GATSBY.

50. "Maleficent" actress: ELLE FANNING.

Boomer here.  OH GEE, I hope YOU ARE able to figure it out and have a cup of TEA. 

Up here in the Northland, we continue to set records for annual rainfall.  Sooo you know where it goes.. to a bunch of Minnesota streams and tributary rivers to the Mississippi. So If you are near Davenport Iowa or St. Louis Missouri and points further south.  Get ready, high water may be coming your way.  Worse than 1993.

Across:

1. Only president who was also chief justice: TAFT.  He was also the largest president, tipping the scales at over 330 lbs.

5. Storage structure for 30-Across: SHED. 30. Lawn cutters: MOWERS.  My family had no money for a shed.  We kept the mower in our garage.  Now our homeowners association hires a lawn service to cut the grass.  I am sure this year they are tired of the deluge of rain we have had all summer.  As for me, I can hardly get a dry day to play golf.  P.S. My golf clubs are in the garage.  We don't have a shed.

9. Hindu social division: CASTE.

14. Go back, on a PC: UNDO.  This must be a trick.  I don't see an UNDO key on our PC.

15. Arizona tribe: HOPI.

16. A, in Greece: ALPHA.

17. Match audio and video: SYNC.  If you do this in your bathroom, is it a bathroom sync?

18. Frat Pack actor Wilson: OWEN.

19. Fish stories: TALES.  Fish have tails.

23. Embitterment: IRE.

24. Raid targets: ANTS. Ants are interesting. I have never seen them in our home, but it is unbelievable how they can work right through our asphalt driveway and make a hill.

25. Gave speeches: ORATED.  We'll be hearing a lot of this up until November 2020.

27. Desert plant: CACTUS.

32. Southwestern crocks: OLLAS.

36. Boston Celtics' org.: NBA.  Notice the clue does not say "Timberwolves' org."  We have a lowly bunch of underperformers here in the Midwest.

37. Harness racing vehicle: SULKY.  We do have harness racing here after the regular season closes.  I never have been to one however.

38. Nest egg letters: IRA.  Yeah, I have an Individual Retirement Account.  But I never called it a nest egg.

 

42. Until now: SO FAR.

44. Jai alai ball: PELOTA.  It's a bit of a funny name, but I cannot talk.  Seems that bowling balls have funny names also.  I have a Virtual Gravity, an Asylum, a Combat Zone, A Lucid, and a Daredevil Trick.

45. Soft-hearted: GENTLE.  "Gentle On My Mind" (Glen Campbell)

46. Japanese religion: SHINTO.

48. Sheltered, at sea: ALEE.

49. Halloween headgear: WIG.  Speaking of odd names, I also have socks called WIGWAM.

56. On __: going wild: A TEAR.

58. Miniature image to click on: ICON.

59. Symphonic wind: OBOE.  "Oh Boy, Igor Stravinski, Oh Boy Bo Belinsky".  Allan Sherman.

60. Bond portrayer Roger: MOORE.  I liked Sean Connery.  The original is always the best.

61. Fitted with footwear: SHOD.  If you happen to be a horse. I don't think Thom McAn calls it that.

62. Final or midterm: TEST.

63. Private, as thoughts: INNER.

64. Stew cookers: POTS.  I don't use a pot.  I use one of those slow cookers. Works great.

65. Former spouses: EXES.  I suppose that this could be part of the theme, although it is plural.

Down:

1. Elephant tooth: TUSK.  Not sure if this is a tooth.  I thought that these were those things that protrude from the elephant's face and they are made of ivory.  It is illegal to harvest them.  They have to make piano keys out of plastic now. 

2. Author Seton: ANYA.

3. Gp. responding to Big Apple blazes: FDNY.  Many victims from 9/11.

4. Bach's "__ and Fugue in D Minor": TOCCATA.

5. 15-minute films, say: SHORTS.  What I wear to play golf.  Maybe not tomorrow though, forecast is pleasant, but a little chilly.  I am amazed that PGA players are NEVER allowed to wear shorts in tournaments.

6. Coyote cries: HOWLS.  I expect there might be some HOWLS at Target Field tonight.

7. Blunt sword: EPEE.

8. "The Flintstones" pet: DINO.  "Yabba Dabba Dooo".

9. Wedding hire: CATERER.

10. Pie-mode link: ALA.  Also sometimes it is in the path of a hurricane; or maybe not.

11. Workday with a longer-than-typical break: SPLIT SHIFT.

12. Over yonder: THERE.  Over there, Over there, Send the Word to Target Field Over there. That the Yanks are coming, The Yanks are coming !

13. Let up: EASED. " You fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness, EASE my troubles That's what you do."(Rod Stewart)

21. Heavy burden: ONUS.

22. "You gotta be kidding!": NO WAY.

26. Humanities major: ART.  Mr. Garfunkel

27. "Nor" or "or," in a dict.: CONJ. Conjunction.

28. "Sin City" actress Jessica: ALBA.

29. Trapshooter's target: CLAY PIGEON.  Interesting, these are round and I guess some are clay, but they look nothing like a pigeon.

30. Word before toast or after peach: MELBA.  I have heard of melba toast but never Peach Melba. Should I know her? Is she a folk singer?

31. Like wines aged in certain barrels: OAKY. From Muskogee.

33. Head-and-shoulders sculpture: BUST.  22 at the black jack table.

34. Eurasian border river: URAL.

35. Red in the middle, as steak: RARE.  21 at the black jack table.

37. Seat at the bar: STOOL.  I like these at bowling centers.  The last one I visited was a "Bowlero", the seating was about 18 inches from the floor.  Tough on an old guy but the kids didn't seem to mind.

40. Pentagon VIP: GEN.

41. Editor or tailor, e.g.: ALTERER.  I get it but I think it's a "Made up" word.

42. Perceived: SEEN.

43. Lacking variety, musically: ONE NOTE. "SKOL, SKOL".

45. Pituitary and thyroid: GLANDS.

46. Hindu guru: SWAMI.  This guy makes the Liberty Mutual commercial a candidate for worst ad of the decade.

47. Discover, as a solution: HIT ON.  Romeo to a pretty girl in a bar.

48. In progress, as Sherlock's "game": AFOOT.  12 inches.

51. Speech problem: LISP.

52. Repeat: ECHO.  A bit of a flop for Toyota, I don't think they have made them for 10 or more years.

53. Curly-horned goat: IBEX.

54. Sniffer: NOSE.  Your NOSE Knows.

55. Acquires: GETS.

57. "How __ you doing?": ARE.

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

Boomer finally got his Twins Homer Hanky yesterday. He said "No Hanky Panky here. Twins need to sweep the Hanky Yankees."