Wednesday March 4, 2020 Kevin Salat

Theme - SCRATCH THAT.  The theme answers start with an anagram of the word SCRATCH, kinda, sorta, almost.

18 A. Collision simulation aids: CRASH TEST DUMMIES.  Full scale anthropomorphic structures that approximate the size, shape and modes of motion of humans.

33 A. Extraordinary little one, in folklore: STAR CHILD.  News to me, but here you go.

50 A. Place with drawing rooms: ART SCHOOL.  A studio with art supplies, not a room in a house where guests are entertained.

43 A. Junk collector: TRASH CAN.  It only collects trash if you put it in there.  Not to be confused with Oscar.

And the unifier:  66 A. Begin all over again ... and what 18-, 33-, 43- and 50-Across all do (almost), as indicated by the circled letters: START FROM SCRATCH.

Here is a theme that by it's own admission does not quite work. The theme fill entries all lack the second letter C that would be necessary to complete the word SCRATCH.  Unless I'm missing something, this is a pretty serious flaw.  High marks for honesty, though.  Let's move on.

Across:

1. Foreboding: OMINOUS.  Giving a feeling that something bad is about to happen.

8. Optimistic: ROSY.  Having a feeling that something good is about to happen.

12. Pump product: GAS.  Fuel for your auto.

15. "Give me an example": NAME  ONE.  Any one will do

16. "The real story is ... ": ACTUALLY.  In fact  .  .  .

20. Scapula neighbor, for short: DELT.  Shoulder blade bone and DELTOID, a triangular shaped muscle to the outside of the shoulder

21. Big name in nail polish: OPI.   Pick your color.

22. "Yeah, sure": I BET.  Sarcastic expression of disbelief.

23. Partnership letters: LLC. Limited Liability Company.

25. Cleaning conveniences: SPONGES.  Soft, porous material, either natural or synthetic.

30. "Scary Movie" reaction: SCREAM.  As in last weeks Psycho.

37. Poke tuna: AHI.  Poke [pronounced poh-kay] is a salad of raw fish marinated in sesame or soy.

38. Chocolate dog: LAB.

Dogs named for their color

40. Nabisco cookie: OREO.  Also chocolate on the outside.

41. Neither's partner: NOR.  Negating both one thing and the other.

42. Part of a relay: LEG.

45. Overly: TOO.  As in TOO much.

46. "So-so": MEH.  As per Homer.

47. Mark for good: ETCH.  Make a permanent mark.

48. Spanish bear: OSO.  Literal

49. Hong Kong lang.: ENGlish.

53. Womb occupant: EMBRYO. In humans, the pre-fetal stage between the 2nd and 8th week after conception.

55. Apparition: PHANTOM. Ghost or figment of the imagination.

57. Kobe cash: YEN.  Japanese money.

58. About: AS TO.  Referring to something

61. Duracell size: AAA.  Small battery.

63. Salty waters: SEAS.  Oceans

72. Ready for sleep: TUCKED IN.  Secure in the bed.

73. Lady Gaga's debut album: THE FAME.

74. Squid's defense: INK.  Obscures its location.

75. Therefore: ERGO. Literal

76. Left formally: SECEDED.  Formally withdrew from a federal union, alliance or organization.

Down:

1. How music can be stored: ON CD.  Is it obsolete yet?

2. Farm female: MARE.  Lady horse.

3. "Don't worry about me": IM ALL RIGHT.  Whatever it was, I survived.

4. Settle snugly: NESTLE.  Tucked in, frex.

5. Awed reaction: OOH.  Impressive!

6. Golden rule preposition: UNTO.  Others. It's always about the others.

7. Trickles (through): SEEPS.  Description of a very slow leek, usually of a liquid through what ought to be a solid surface.

8. Tell (on): RAT.  Tattle.

9. Med. condition with repetitive behavior: OCD.  Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior.  Characterized by uncontrollable thoughts and behaviors that a person needs to repeat, repeatedly.

10. Man's name that sounds like a slow-cooked dish: STU.

11. "Delicious!": YUM.  Please sir, may I have some more?

12. Smooth-talking: GLIB.  Fluent, bu insincere.

13. Out of the wind: ALEE.  Protected by some barrier or structure.

14. Part of CBS: Abbr.: SYSTem.

17. Barn-raising sect: AMISH.  A group of traditionalist Christians known for simple living, plain dress and resistance to modern technology.

19. Drinks a bit at a time: SIPS.

24. Pasadena institute: CAL TECH.  California Institute of Technology.

26. Texter's "Then again ... ": OTOH. On The Other Hand.

27. Bust maker: NARCO.  Drug bust, not a sculpted statue.

28. "Summer Nights" musical: GREASE.

29. Political bragging point, when it's thriving: ECONOMY.  And when it's not  .  .  .

30. Actress Hayek: SALMA.  Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez ( b1966) is a Mexican and American film actress and producer.

31. Joyful shout: CHEER.  Yay, hooray!

32. First first lady: MARTHA.  Mr, Washington, nee Dandridge.

34. Online promo: INTERNET AD.  Pop-ups and other annoying features.

35. Senseless: LOONY.  Inane

36. Khal __, Daenerys' husband in HBO's "Game of Thrones": DROGO.

Dream sequence

39. Strips for breakfast: BACON.  You can eat these strips for breakfast or you can strip for breakfast, but frying them in the nude is not recommended.

44. Opportunity: SHOT.  Take a SHOT at something.

51. Hybrid picnic utensil: SPORK.  Portmanteau of spoon and fork, not functioning very well as either.

52. Fertile soil: LOAM.  Composed of sand, silt and clay.

54. "Take care of yourself": BE SAFE.  Yes, all - please do this.

56. Mariner's supports: MASTS.  For sails.

58. Sparkling Italian wine: ASTI.  Named for it's region of origin.

59. Knock for a loop: STUN.

60. Wall map marker: TACK.  Push pin used to mark a spot or attach papers.

62. Feel sore: ACHE.  No pain, no gain.

64. Apex: ACME.  High point.

65. Spot for a mower: SHED.  Small out-building used for storage.

67. Begin a hole, with "up": TEE.  Golfing.

68. Four-term prez: FDR. Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

69. Oil field sight: RIG.  A drilling setup or operating well.

70. Musician Yoko: ONO. [b 1933] In addition to being a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter and peace activist, she is also the widow of he late John Lennon.

71. __ center: REC.  A community building used for meetings, sports and other activities.

Thus ends another Wednesday's recreation.  Hope you got through it UNSCRATCHED.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, March 3, 2020 Gail Grabowski & Bruce Venzke

I'm Ok, You're Ok!



16-Across. Steinway parts: PIANO KEYS.

29-Across. Hobbyist's blade: X-ACTO KNIFE.

35-Across. "Are you serious?": NO KIDDING.

46-Across. Cartoon character who is five apples tall: HELLO KITTY.

And the Unifier:
60-Across. Receives a go-ahead ... and a hint to what's hidden in 16-, 29-, 35- and 46-Across: GETS THE OK.

Across:

1. Not very spicy: MILD.

5. Time and again, to a bard: OFT.

8. Stage surprise: AD LIB.  Today's Latin lesson.  Ad libitum (Ad lib., for short) is Latin for "at one's pleasure."

13. More reasonable: SANER.

14. Give in to jet lag: NAP.

15. Far from posh: SEEDY.

18. Whack, biblically: SMITE.

19. Space-saving abbr.: ETC.  More of today's Latin lesson.  Et cetera (abbreviated as Etc.) roughly translates in English as "and other similar things".  Literally, it means "and the rest".

20. Mayberry kid: OPIE.  Played by Ron Howard (b. Mar. 1, 1954).  Be sure to wish him a belated Happy Birthday.   He just turned 66.

 Ron Howard then.

Ron Howard today-ish.

21. Bk. before Philippians: EPH.  A reference to books of the New Testament.  The letter from Paul to the Ephesians is before his letter to the Philippians.

22. Cajun crustacean: CRAWDAD.  NOOOOO!  This is so wrong!!!!!  It is CRAWFISH!!!

24. Lowlifes: SLEAZES.

28. Bell-shaped lily: SEGO.  The Sego Lily is the state flower of Utah.

31. Laura of "Marriage Story": DERN.  Laura Dern (née Laura Elizabeth Dern; b. Feb. 10, 1967) is from an acting family.  Her parents are Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd.  I have heard of Marriage Story, but haven't seen this Netflix movie.

33. BMW competitor: AUDI.

34. Merged comm. giant: GTE.

39. Awareness-raising TV ad: PSA.  As in a Public Service Announcement.  We see these often in the crossword puzzles.

42. Lose stamina: TIRE.

43. A whole lot: GOBS.

50. Chase scene maneuvers, slangily: UEYS.  Awkward!

52. Some bottled waters: DASANIs.  Dasani is a brand of bottled water created by the Coca-Cola company.  It's basically filterered and bottled tap water.

53. Most tidy: NEATEST.

55. Arcing shot: LOB.

56. Fleshy facial feature: JOWL.

57. Student advocacy org.: PTA.  As in the Parent Teacher Association.

58. Off-the-cushion pool shot: CAROM.

62. Render weaponless: UNARM.

63. Maiden name lead-in: NÉE.  Today's French lesson.

64. Country rocker Steve: EARLE.  I am not familiar with the work of Steve Earle (né Stephen Fain Earle; b. Jan. 17, 1955).

65. Jam-packed: DENSE.

66. FedEx rival: UPS.

67. React to yeast: RISE.

Down:

1. Restaurant host: MAÎTRE D'.  More of today's French lesson.  The Maître d' (short for maître d’hôtel), is the head supervisor of wait staff and welcome guests in a formal restaurant.

2. Like most pet birds: IN A CAGE.

3. Writer Deighton: LEN.  Len Deighton (né Leonard Cyril Deighton; b. Feb. 18, 1929), is best known for his  spy and espionage novels.  He just celebrated his 91st birthday.

4. Dickens' "The Mystery of Edwin __": DROOD.  Charles Dickens died before he finished writing The Mystery of Edwin Drood.  It was to have been published in 12 installments, but only 6 had been written when Dickens' died, thus, the true ending is the real mystery.

5. Upstate New York lake: ONEIDA.  My flatware is made by Oneida.

6. Actress Dunaway: FAYE.  Faye Dunaway (née Dorothy Faye Dunaway; b. Jan. 14, 1941) is probably best known for her role as Bonnie Parker in the 1967 movie Bonnie and Clyde.

7. Playfully pranks, for short: TPs.  Toilet Papering someone's house and yard is a big prank for some high school kids.

8. Stubborn equine: ASS.

9. Cut down to size: DEMEAN.

10. German city where Wagner was born: LEIPZIG.

11. Crime after a data breach, perhaps: ID THEFT.

12. "See ya": BYE.

13. Architectural details: SPECS.

17. Title planet in a 2001 sci-fi film: K-PAX.  I never saw this movie, which starred Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges.

23. In need of patching: WORN.

24. __ finder: carpenter's tool: STUD.

25. Wine city near Sacramento: LODI.  I learned of this California city from doing the crossword puzzles.

26. Just managing, with "out": EKING.

27. Witness: SEE.

30. Coast Guard Academy student: CADET.

32. "__ your life!": NOT ON.

36. Dee who sang with Elton: KIKI.

37. Spring flower: IRIS.

38. Joint ailment: GOUT.

39. Prof.'s degree: Ph.D.  As in the Doctor of Philosophy.

40. Maritime route: SEA LANE.  Check out this this interactive map of sea lanes.

41. Concession speech deliverer: ALSO RAN.

44. Paging gadgets: BEEPERS.  These were high tech 20 years ago.

45. Ventricular contraction: SYSTOLE.  The heart beat has two phases: the systole and the diastole.  The Systole occurs when the heart contracts and the blood is pumped out.  The diastole occurs when the heart muscle relaxes after the contraction and the blood pours into the heart chambers.

47. Hercules' 12 challenges: LABORS.

48. Low-risk govt. securities: T-NOTES.  As in Treasury Notes.  These appear often in the crossword puzzles.

49. Evergreens used for archery bows: YEWS.  The tree also has red berries.

51. Buffy's weapon of choice: STAKE.

54. Make changes to: ALTER.

56. Wrangler maker: JEEP.

58. Bovine chew: CUD.  Everything you wanted to know about Cattle Chewing and more.

59. French Mrs.: MME.  More of today's French lesson.

60. Oxlike antelope: GNU.  What's Gnu with You?

61. Yokohama yes: HAI.  Today's Japanese lesson.

Here's the Grid:

QOD: Happiness is a reward that comes to those that have not looked for it.  ~  Émile-Auguste Cartier (Mar. 3, 1868 ~ June 2, 1951), French philosopher and journalist

Monday March 2, 2020 Paul Coulter

Theme: PIZZA ( 69. Popular pie, and what the ends of 17-, 30-, 45- and 61-Across have in common)

17. Crème de la crème: UPPER CRUST. Pizza crust.

30. Spar without a partner: SHADOW BOX. Pizza box.

45. Extremely lame, in modern slang: WEAK SAUCE. Pizza sauce.

61. Business manager skilled at reducing expenses: COST CUTTER. Pizza cutter.

Boomer here.  WWWWW - Wow, What A Wild Week on Wall Street!  I felt like I was on a bicycle with no brakes coasting down Lombard Street in San Francisco. However, we have seen this before around 2008 and we survived. I hope all will stay safe from the coronavirus and I hope if you were hurt in this correction, that those nasty numbers last week will start bouncing back today.

I made thousands of pizzas as a chef for a pizza restaurant in Hopkins, MN.  I've also eaten quite a few but I cut them out of the diet for now.  Not healthy enough.

Across:

1. Photographer Adams: ANSEL.  Always outdoor scenes.  We found one at a garage sale once.

6. "Happy Motoring" company: ESSO.  Fill 'er up in Canada eh?

10. Cuba, por ejemplo: ISLA.

14. 2000s first lady Bush: LAURA.

15. Matty of baseball: ALOU.  Also Jesus and Felipe.

16. Twice-monthly tide: NEAP.  Depends on full or new moon.  It amazes me that the moon can have an effect on the ocean.

19. Kvetch like a fish?: CARP.  In Minnesota, if you happen to catch one of these mud-eating fish, it is against DNR rules to toss them back in the lake.

20. West of "My Little Chickadee": MAE.  "When I'm good I am very good, but when I'm bad, I'm better."  Mae West.

21. Mr. Peanut prop: CANE.  "Ain't no more CANE on the Brazos my boy, Oh, Oh, Oh.  Well we done ground it all to molasses. Oh, Oh, Oh.  (Chad Mitchell Trio).

22. Dental hygienist's gizmo: SCALER.  In Minnesota, we use these to clean fish.

24. Essen's river: RUHR.  Quite a distance Northeast from my temporary home in Hardheim. (1969)

26. Russian space station for 15 years: MIR.

27. Hurry-scurry: ADO.  Much ado about nothing.

28. "__ Yankees": DAMN.  You can say that again! I am a Twins fan.

33. Rascal: SCAMP.

35. "Honor Thy Father" author Gay: TALESE.  What about thy Mother??

36. Hawaiian porch: LANAI.

37. Ab __: from day one: OVO.

38. Uses a sieve: SIFTS.  We used to use an aluminum with a squeeze handle.  I never knew why my Mom sifted flour.  It always seemed pretty sifted to me out of the bag.

42. Apply, as a brake: STEP ON.  We had to do that quickly Saturday morning.  Some car was stalled in the middle of our lane.  C.C, saved us because I was watching the rear view mirror at some idiot tailgating us.

44. Flynn of "Captain Blood": ERROL.  From Australia, he led three lives with three different wives.

48. Hunky-__: fine: DORY.  I don't think I have heard this since Ike was President.

49. Toronto's prov.: ONT.  Home of the Blue Jays.  That team has a whole country rooting for them since the Expos moved to Washington.

50. Dada co-founder: ARP.

51. Either H in H2O: ATOM. 

53. Home of the NHL's Senators: OTTAWA.  A lot more Canadian cities have a hockey team.

55. A head: EACH.

57. "Aladdin" monkey: ABU.

60. Old phone feature: DIAL.  Absolutely old.  We went through several in my life, and Graybar sold millions of them.

64. Shortest-named Great Lake: ERIE.  4th largest great lake

65. Sci-fi's Jabba the __: HUTT.  Aaron Rodgers "3-19, 3-19, HUTT HUTT !

66. Mars has two: MOONS.  Amazing.  There are only three moons between Mercury and Jupiter.  Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus all have dozens.  I am surprised they don't run into each other.

67. Aloha State bird: NENE.

68. Jazz and Disco periods: ERAS.  Pitching statistics too.

Down:

1. Grad: ALUM.  Short for alumnus, not aluminum.

2. Auto parts giant: NAPA.

3. Clark Kent, really: SUPERMAN.  "Look, up in the sky!  It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's a bird (wiping your eye).

4. "... __ he drove out of sight": Moore: ERE.  "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night"

5. Tree that rhymes with a month: LARCH.

6. Deserve: EARN.  I guess it's deserved.  Lend some of your money to a bank and you will earn interest.  Just not as high as the poor guy who borrows it.

7. Pivot around: SLUE.

8. "Help!"-ful soap pad brand: SOS.  ...---... or a Competitor of Brillo.

9. Not in the house: OUTSIDE.  "Ball one", says the umpire.

10. Ancient Andean: INCA.  Inka Dinka Do - Jimmy Durante

11. Aquanaut's base: SEA LAB.

12. Texas city in a cowboy song: LAREDO.  Johnny Cash did the song.  But Laredo is unique with a bridge across the Rio Grande.

13. Estimated: Abbr.: APPROX.

18. Wheels, so to speak: CAR.  I call my wheels a van.

23. Game stick with a netted pocket: CROSSE.  Never played it.  Add "LA" and you have a great city in Wisconsin.  Close to Minnesota just on the east side of the Mississippi.

25. Expose: UNMASK.  We would do this on Halloween when our face got sweaty.

26. Sam who owned Cheers: MALONE.  "Where everybody knows your name."

28. ISP alternative: DSL.

29. Fed. law known as Obamacare: ACA.  It's "Affordable Care".  However some people still cannot afford it.  But I don't think the U.S can afford an alternative.

30. Clog: STOP UP.

31. "Wreaked" state: HAVOC.

32. Creepy sort: WEIRDO.

34. Tool for two lumberjacks: PIT SAW. I don't see many any more.  It takes two persons to use it and I think power saws have taken over.

39. Completely, alphabetically speaking: FROM A TO Z.

40. A.L.'s Blue Jays: TOR.  Mentioned them before.

41. Scheming: SLY.  And the Family Stone.  "Everyday People."

43. Pain in a canal: EARACHE.

45. Made of oak, say: WOODEN.  Coach John Wooden - famous coach of UCLA.  His teams won something like 10 NCAA national championships.  I remember Lew Alcindor (AKA) Kareem and Bill Walton helping.

46. Complete: ENTIRE.  There once was a girl from St. Paul, who went to a newspaper ball.  Her dress caught on fire, and burned her ENTIRE front page, sports section and all.

47. Reach, as a goal: ATTAIN.  A whole bunch of major league teams are in Spring Training hoping to ATTAIN that fancy trophy for their stadium display case.

51. NC State's conf.: ACC.

52. Dull sound: THUMP.  Sounds like a ball going in the gutter.

54. On the safe side, at sea: ALEE.

55. Spanish "this": ESTA.

56. Lawyers: Abbr.: ATTS.  Most abbreviate ATTY(s)

58. Mercedes-__: BENZ.

59. Big Dipper bear: URSA.  Major.

62. Lord's Prayer start: OUR.  We say this in church.  So many stories.  I went to an all-boys Catholic School. I coach bowling there now and it is co-ed. When young ladies would come to our sock hop dances, they had to recite the Lord's prayer to get in.  If they said debts instead of trespasses they were not allowed.  If they got by that and ended with "For thine is the power etc." they were refused.  Now we say that at the end of the prayer.  I am wondering though, after the prayer we are asked to offer a sign of peace and everyone shakes hands. I wonder if that might be adjusted due to coronavirus.   

63. You, in French: TOI.

Boomer