Wednesday, March 18, 2020, Paul Coulter

Theme: SPIN DOCTOR

Melissa here. This would be nearly impossible to see without the circled letters. There are five word groupings (one in each corner plus one in the center) in which the circled letters, read from the top and SPINning around to the right, spell the name of a doctor.

NW Group: Dr. JEKYLL

1. __ d'art: OBJET.

14. Move furtively: SLINK.

17. Rite of Christian ordination: HOLY ORDERS.

NE Group: Dr. DOOM

 

10. Axlike tool: ADZE.

16. Cow conversation: MOOS.

19. Hip '60s Brits: MODS.

SW Group: Dr. PHIL

62. Mall directories: MAPS.

67. "Ick!": BLEH.

70. Director Kazan: ELIA.

SE Group: Dr. WATSON

63. 1850s Eurasian conflict: CRIMEAN WAR.

69. Salty expanse: OCEAN.

72. Celestial red giant: SSTAR.

And the reveal in the center  ...

71. With the circled word in the grid's center, what each circled word is?: SPIN.

Center Group : DOCTOR

 

35. Carries out: DOES.

38. Fabric ponytail holder: SCRUNCHIE.

43. Foldable beds: COTS.

Across:

6. It's sold in bars: SOAP. Nice clue - and timely, too, especially if it's disinfecting soap.

15. "In memoriam" bio: OBIT. Shortened word "bio" indicates shortened word for obituary.

20. Rodeo ropes: LASSOS.

21. Honeybunch: DEARIE.

23. Montréal mate: AMI. French for male friend. Amie for female friend.

25. Fights (for): VIES.

27. "Cold Mountain" hero played by Jude Law: INMAN.

28. Bolster: PROP UP.

31. Enhance, as an expense report: PAD.

33. Whiz: ACE.

34. Sticking points: TINES. Like on a fork.

37. ER personnel: RNS.

41. Chinese menu surname: TSO. From Wikipedia:
a sweet deep-fried chicken dish that is served in North American Chinese restaurants. The dish is named after Zuo Zongtang (also romanized Tso Tsung-t'ang), a Qing dynasty statesman and military leader, although there is no recorded connection to him nor is the dish known in Hunan, Zuo's home province.

44. Pet store enclosures: CAGES.

48. Dismissive syllable: FEH. Don't see this as much as meh, but seems to have the same meaning.

49. Hasty escape: LAM. Nice cluing. According to the Online Etymological Dictionary, lam means: "flight," as in on the lam, 1897, from a U.S. slang verb meaning "to run off" (1886), of uncertain origin, perhaps somehow from the first element of lambaste, which was used in British student slang for "beat" since 1590s.

50. Computer key: DELETE.

51. Bounded: LEAPT.

53. Quite: OH SO.

56. Leaves in the afternoon?: TEA.

57. Irritate by rubbing: ABRADE.

59. Supermarket walkways: AISLES. I haven't been to one in over a week - a little reluctant to go this week, even though I need to. What's it been like for you?

68. Spanish cat: GATO.

Down:

1. __Kosh B'gosh: OSH.

2. Rain-__ bubble gum: BLO.

3. Word whose meaning wouldn't change if it began with "z": JILLION. From vocabulary.com: Similar to words like zillion, tons, or oodles, jillion is perfect for talking about a huge but vague number. It's also hyperbolic — in other words, it's an exaggeration. The word is modeled on actual numbers like million and billion, so it almost sounds like a real quantity. But like zillion, jillion is imprecise.

4. One-named singer: ENYA. Not Cher.

5. Boxing decisions: TKOS. Technical Knock Outs. A TKO is declared when the referee decides during a round that a fighter cannot safely continue the match for any reason.

6. "Me too": SO DO I.

7. Corpulent: OBESE. Rarely used word, needed perps.

8. Ultrathin MacBook: AIR. Who has one? I shy away from anything that thin when it comes to a laptop.

9. War affliction, for short: PTSD. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A little suprised this passed the breakfast test - but we've probably seen it before, it's a great crossword entry.

10. Jordan's capital: AMMAN.

11. Entry-level job?: DOORMAN. Great clue.

12. Astrology diagrams: ZODIACS.

13. Ancient ascetic: ESSENE. A member of an ancient Jewish ascetic sect of the 2nd century BC–2nd century AD in Palestine, who lived in highly organized groups and held property in common. The Essenes are widely regarded as the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

18. Invite letters: RSVP. French - Répondez s'il vous plaît; please reply.

22. __ al-Fitr: end-of-Ramadan feast: EID. Eid al-Fitr, also called the "Festival of Breaking the Fast", is a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan.

23. Fitting: APT.

24. Hosp. scan: MRI. Magnetic resonance imaging.

26. MS format details: SPECS. One of the regulars can explain this better than I.

29. Mexican money: PESO.

30. L.A. school: USC. University of Southern California, in Los Angeles.

32. Tray filler: ASH.

35. Milano cathedral: DUOMO. Closed to tourists right now for the Coronavirus alert.

36. Prov. bordering four Great Lakes: ONT.

37. Authentic: REAL.

39. Early TV maker: RCA.

40. Freezer cubes: ICE.

41. Game for little hitters: TEE BALL.

42. Wrinkly dog: SHARPEI.

45. Jumps in the lake: GETS WET.

46. Summer in la ville: ETE.

47. Vast quantity: SEA.

48. Served like cherries jubilee: FLAMBE.

49. British co. letters: LTD.

50. A teaspoon, say: DOSE.

52. Ottoman title: PASHA. A higher rank in the Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitaries and others.

54. French-speaking Caribbean country: HAITI.

55. Colorful memory game: SIMON. Players take turns repeating a sequence of lights and sounds. Play in your browser here.

 

58. Heart tests, briefly: ECGS. An electrocardiogram — abbreviated as EKG or ECG — is a test that measures the electrical activity of the heartbeat. With each beat, an electrical impulse (or “wave”) travels through the heart. This wave causes the muscle to squeeze and pump blood from the heart.

60. Golden Triangle country: LAOS.

61. SASEs, e.g.: ENCS. SASE = Self-addressed stamped envelope. ENC = Enclosure. So a SASE is a type of enclosure.

64. Missy Elliott music genre: RAP.

65. Battery for small electronics: AAA.

66. GI's furlough: RNR. Hm. If you say so, but  I usually see R&R, which is military slang for rest and recuperation. RNR is how it's pronounced, so maybe that's why ..?

Tuesday, March 17, 2020 Winston Emmons

What's your game?  The word Game can go at the End the last word of each theme answer to give us a new concept.

1-Across. *  Ready to set sail, say: ON BOARD.  Board Game.  Professor Plum used a lead pipe in the dining room.

17-Across. *  1950s sitcom co-star: LUCILLE BALL.  Ballgame.

26-Across. *  Hester Prynne's mark of shame: SCARLET A.  A Game.  Working at one's highest level of performance.

49-Across. *  "Which side of the debate will you argue?": PRO OR CON.  Con Game.

60-Across. *  Culpable one: GUILTY PARTY.  Party Game.

And the Unifier: 69-Across. Chess match climax, and what the last word of each answer to a starred clue can have: ENDGAME.

Top o'the mornin' to you on this St. Patrick's Day.  Sadly, parades were cancelled this year due to COVID-19.  Now that bars, restaurants, gyms, museums, and other places where people gather have been closed, and we are under a self-imposed house arrest, may the spread of this virus be slowed down.  We all need to take this virus serious, if not for ourselves, then for those we love.  May all of us here stay healthy and virus-free.  "The life you save may be your own."(Flannery O'Connor).

Across:
8. Diplomatic rep.: AMB.  As in an Ambassador.

11. Machines with Windows, briefly: PCs.  As in Personal Computers.  Not to be confused with Politically Correct.

14. More tired: WEARIER.

15. Foe of Chiang: MAO.  As in Chiang Kai-shek (Oct. 31, 1887 ~ Apr. 5, 1975) and Mao Zedong (Dec. 26, 1893 ~ Sept. 9, 1976)

16. Swing, jazz or rock 'n' roll: ERA.

19. Early internet company: AOL.  Originally known as America OnLine.  //  And 43. 19-Across et al.: ISPs.  As in Internet Service Providers.

20. Investor's purchase: Abbr.: STK.  As in Stocks.

21. Amazement: AWE.

22. German cameras: LEICAS.  Leica, which also makes binoculars, microscopes and other items with lenses, was founded by Ernst Leitz (Apr. 26, 1843 ~ Sept. 12, 1920) in 1914.  The name of the company is derived from the first 3 letters of the founder's name, Leitz and the first 2 letters of the word Camera.

24. Bashful: SHY.  Also the name of 1 of the 7 dwarfs.

28. No-no: TABOO.

31. Continental coins: EUROS.  Each country in the Eurozone has its own design on one side of the euro coin, whereas the reverse side is the same for each country.

1 Euro coin from Italy

32. "Inside the NBA" analyst Shaq: O'NEAL.  Shaquille O'Neal (b. Mar. 6, 1972), just celebrated his 48th birthday.  He graduated from LSU.  His son, Shareef, will be transferring to LSU to play basketball.

33. Returning GI's diagnosis: PTSD.  As in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

34. Capitol Hill helper: AIDE.

38. Musically monotonous: ONE NOTE.

40. Collection of sacred songs: PSALTER.

42. Geeky type: NERD.

45. Lazy __: revolving tray: SUSAN.  The origin of the Lazy Susan is not known, but here are some interesting theories.

46. December mall figure: SANTA.  And a tribute to our own dear Santa.

48. Foolish: INANE.

52. June honoree: DAD.

53. Really bothers: EATS AT.

54. Fair-hiring inits.: EEO.  As in Equal Employment Opportunity.

56. Wood for bats: ASH.  What type of wood makes the best Baseball Bats?

59. Home security co.: ADT.  In 1874, company was originally known as American District Telegraph.

64. Fairway position: LIE.

65. Bruins legend: ORR.  Bobby Orr (né Robert Gordon Orr; b. Mar. 20, 1948), makes frequent guest appearances in the crosswords.  He had a long career with the Boston Bruins.  He will turn 72 in just a few days.

66. Answered: REPLIED.

67. Title for Elton: SIR.  Sir Elton John (né Reginald Kenneth Dwight; b. Mar. 25, 1947) is another March Birthday Boy.

68. Once called: NÉE.

Down:
1. Hooting birds: OWLS.  They come in all shapes and sizes.

2. Not masc. or fem.: NEUT.  As in Masculine, Feminine or Gender Neutral.

3. Begin to parallel park, with "in": BACK.  When I lived in Boston, the only parking my appartment had was on the street.  Mandatory parallel parking.  One always "tapped" the car in front and in back when trying to get into the very tight spaces that were barely big enough for the car.

 

4. "... __ quit!": OR I.

5. Feel crummy: AIL.

6. Race with batons: RELAY.

7. Sketched: DREW.

8. Org. with a Health Care Advocacy web page: AMA.  As in the American Medical Association.

9. Ducks whose males have green heads: MALLARDS.

10. Slow-tempo Spanish dance: BOLERO.

 

11. Quiet partner: PEACE.  As Peace and Quiet.  Now that we are in self-quarantine, we should all be experiencing some Peace and Quiet from our usual hectic lives.

12. Zagreb native: CROAT.

13. Taco topper: SALSA.  Yummers!

18. Harass: BESET.

23. "Casablanca" heroine: ILSA LUND.  I never knew her last name.

Ilsa Lund, played by Ingrid Bergman (Aug. 29, 1915 ~ Aug. 29, 1982)

24. Stinkers: SO-AND-SOs.  Calling someone is Stinker is a very New England term.

25. Prefix with gram: HOLO-.  As in a Hologram.

27. Zodiac borders: CUSPS.

28. Bugs Bunny or Bullwinkle: 'TOON.

29. Lestat creator Rice: ANNE.  Anne Rice (b. Oct. 4, 1941) was the author of Interview with the Vampire.  Lestat de Lioncourt was the vampire of this novel.  Anne Rice is from New Orleans.

30. Bar pint contents: BEER.

33. Sauce with basil: PESTO.  Yummers!  I made a wonderful Pesto Chicken Pasta dish last week.

35. "__ miracle!": IT'S A.

36. College faculty head: DEAN.

37. Shore bird: ERNE.  A crossword staple.

39. __ of iodine: antiseptic: TINCTURE.

41. China's continent: ASIA.

44. Group of jurors: PANEL.

47. Ferdinand II's realm: ARAGON.  Ferdinand II, King of Aragon (Mar. 10, 1452 ~ Jan. 23, 1516) was the husband of Queen Isabella of Castile.  They are best known for their roles in the Spanish Inquisition and the issuance of the Alhambra Decree.

49. Rings, as a bell: PEALS. 50. Bike spokes, geometrically: RADII.

51. Furry aquatic mammal: OTTER.  They are such cute critters.  If you go to Ethel, Louisiana, you can even swim with the Otters.

52. Elder statesman: DOYEN.

55. To be, in Tours: ÊTRE.  Today's French lesson.  Conjugated in the present tense:

Je suis  //  Nous sommes

Tu es  //  Vous êtes

Ils / Elles est  //  Ils / Elles sont 

56. Puccini piece: ARIA. 57. Pipe part: STEM.  Anatomy of a pipe:

58. Stevenson's villainous Mr.: HYDE.  A reference to Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson (Nov. 13, 1850 ~ Dec. 3, 1894).

61. Wrath: IRE.

62. Scoreboard abbr. for a rainout: PPD.  As in Postponed.  It also refers to the current pandemic.  I had to PPD my father's 90th birthday party, which was scheduled in April.

63. High school subj.: ALG.  As in Algebra.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  When you want to know how things really work, study them when they’re coming apart.  ~  William Gibson (né William Ford Gibson; b. Mar. 17, 1948), American writer

Monday March 16, 2020 Ed Sessa

Theme: CANDY WRAPPERS (59. Halloween discards, and what the three sets of circles represent?)  - Three different candies bookend each theme answer.

20. Winding, hilly thoroughfares: MOUNTAIN ROADS. Mounds.

28. Not kid around: PLAY FOR KEEPS. Peeps.

49. Traitorous spies: DOUBLE AGENTS. Dots.

Boomer here.  

Yes, I remember Halloween. We would go all around the neighborhood and collect candy.  We especially loved a 5 cent Hershey bar or Butterfinger.  That's in my rear view mirror now but diabetes (type 2) is not too bad.  Lots of sugar substitute in our cupboard. 

Now I wish EVERYONE safety in these days of Covid 19.  Our grocery stores were crowded this week, and I have to admit that C.C. and I visited several. My golf school was postponed but I can live with that.  Believe it or not, I received two emails from local golf courses letting me know that they are open on March 14!!  They must be crazy, this is Minnesota and I think that our high temperature over the weekend was 45 degrees. (F not C).  My clubs are in the garage, I can wait.

Across:

1. Potentially insensitive, briefly: UN PC.

5. Police: COPS.  This was short for Copper, the metal of the badge.  My friend Mike did not like the term COP.

9. ABBA's "__ Mia!": MAMMA.  Remember the dolls you could buy that said MAMMA when you squeezed them?

14. Vidal's Breckinridge: MYRA.

15. Pequod captain: AHAB.  The ARAB?

16. Native Nebraskans: OTOES.  This tribe is also native to Missouri and Iowa, I think.

17. Plenty: A LOT.  When you go to a store, where do you park?  A LOT.  I heard that Costco customers had to wait for a parking spot before getting in line to enter the store!!

18. Islamic branch: SHIA.

19. Transports by truck: HAULS. Sounds like airlines and cruise ships will not be making too many hauls in the near future.

23. Gandhi's land: INDIA.  Interesting, when Columbus hit our shores, he thought he made it to INDIA.  The capital of Ohio was named after Ol'Chris, and Cleveland named their baseball team ... Oh never mind.

24. Like oysters on the half shell: RAW.  No thanks.  The only think I eat RAW is celery.

25. French water: EAU.  Add CLAIRE and you have a fine city in Wisconsin.  I used to bowl in a big tournament there every year.

33. IV amounts: CCS.  Or look in our Fridge.  Some of the food is mine, and some is C.C.'s

36. List-shortening abbr.: ET AL.  I prefer ETC.

37. Italics feature: SLANT.

38. Walter White shaved his off: HAIR. "Breaking Bad" guy. "Gimme a head with Hair, Long beautiful Hair.  Shinin' Gleamin" Streamin' Flaxen Waxin'."  (The Cowsills.)

40. In contention (for): VYING.  As far as I know, our Monday bowling league is on.  We will be VYING for the championship.  (PS.  I had 236-232-216 - 684 last week.  Best in two years.)

43. On the house: FREE.  Don't fall for buy one get one FREE. They just double the price on the first one.

44. Aimée of "La Dolce Vita": ANOUK.

46. Dmitri's dissent: NYET.

48. In low spirits: SAD.  I used to love the Sad Sack comics.  He was never sad, just looked that way.

53. Driver's license info: SEX.  Both C.C. and I purchased "Enhanced" Driver's licenses in MN a few years ago.  They never asked for "SEX" but we had to prove a bunch of other stuff.  However now and beginning October 1, we can board domestic flights in the US.  Assuming that there will be any airlines still in business.

54. Wayside stop: INN.  I have mentioned this before, my favorite is the C'MON INN in Billings Montana.

55. One-up: OUTDO.  See Bowling goal above.

64. "Dallas" surname: EWING.  I never got into that show, I still do not know who shot J.R.  But I remember Patrick of the Knicks.  I think he's coaching Georgetown now.

66. Solid precipitation: HAIL.  "Hail Mary"!  Our local Archbishop made Mass optional yesterday.

67. Backside in a fall?: PRAT. Pratfall.

68. Long-shot rags-to-riches enabler: LOTTO.  Long shot is right.  We play the Minnesota Lottery once in a while and I don't think we ever won more than five bucks.

69. Ices, mob-style: OFFS.  MLB, PGA, NCAA, NBA, all are OFFS.  Talk about March Madness!!

70. Girl in a Salinger story: ESME.

71. Enter on a laptop: KEY IN.  C.C. has a laptop.  I KEY IN on a new Microsoft 5050 keyboard.

72. Italian eight: OTTO.  Reminds me of OTTO Graham, HOF quarterback back when the Cleveland Browns were good.

73. Sweetheart: DEAR.

Down:

1. Savory taste first identified in Tokyo: UMAMI.

2. Carpet synthetic: NYLON.  My Mom used to have stockings called NYLONS.

3. __ as a peacock: PROUD.

4. Tabby stimulant: CATNIP.  Why not slip a shot of Chivas Regal into its kitty dish ?

5. José's house: CASA.

6. "Fancy meeting you here!": OH HI.

7. "No __, no gain": PAIN.  "Drop and give me 20"  (My Drill Sergeant) .

8. Mall pizza chain: SBARRO.  I know of no mall where you can buy a decent pizza.

9. Goth hairstyles: MOHAWKS.  I had one of these once when I was a kid,  I think it was a Davy Crockett thing.

10. Opposite of 17-Across: A TAD.

11. Headpiece for kids in Mickey's TV club: MOUSE EARS.  "Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me ?"  Annette was every guy's favorite.

12. Filmmaker Brooks: MEL.  Hanging in there at 93 years of age.  Who can forget "Blazing Saddles" ?

13. Biblical beast of burden: ASS.  Prefix for Kicking.

21. Yarn: TALE.

22. Boating blade: OAR.  Years ago I rowed and rowed all over North Star Lake near Marcell, MN.  Then my dad purchased a 5 horse Johnson.

26. Sleep concern: APNEA.  Sometimes I get neuropathy which is worse.

27. "¿Cómo está __?": USTED.

29. Dune buggy, briefly: ATV.  All Terrain Vehicle.  I never owned one and never will.

30. "We did it!": YAY.  There won't be Too Many YAYs in the near future.

31. Throw wildly: FLING.  Although I do not throw my golf ball, I have a feeling that some are FLINGs.

32. North Pole toymaker: ELF.

33. "Hanging" problems in the 2000 election: CHADS.  I hope Florida has fixed it.

34. Algonquin transport: CANOE.  A five horse Johnson won't fit on the back.  You will need paddles.

35. Iowa port on the Lewis and Clark Trail: SIOUX CITY.  Just a bit South of Minnesota on the Iowa Western Border.  Very interesting city.

39. Coax (out), as a genie: RUB.  A dub dub dub, three men in a tub.

41. "Science Guy" Bill: NYE.

42. Title for DDE: GEN.  A Great man.  I am not old enough to remember the Normandy invasion which was a final spike in the end of WWII. However, I am old enough to remember President IKE, and he visited Minneapolis in the late fifties.  I also remember 1960 which was the first time in eight years that Americans had an opportunity to vote for a president with hair.

45. Fictional language spoken by Sheldon and Leonard on "The Big Bang Theory": KLINGON.

47. Sporty car roof: T TOP.  Chevy Corvette Sting Ray.  I cannot afford but it's okay, I would not be able to get into one anyway.

50. Wind up: END.  Not yet, there are more clues.

51. Slangy "Movin' right along ... ": ANYHOO.

52. Had a late meal: SUPPED.

56. Not long-winded: TERSE.  Shut Up !!!

57. Daytime soap, e.g.: DRAMA.

58. Big name in blenders: OSTER.  Graybar used to sell these when I worked there.  I think Target and Walmart ended up buying them direct from Oster so we gave up the small appliance business.  It was a very good move for Graybar.  We made about a dollar on a blender and about 25% came back after Christmas.

60. Opposed to: ANTI.

61. Float like a feather in the breeze: WAFT.  Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.  (Cassius Clay).

62. Breakup: RIFT.

63. "Let me add ... ": ALSO.  65 (down an inch)

64. Yellowstone grazers: ELK.

65. Misery: WOE.  Is me if I miss a spare or catch a virus.  I am 72 with diabetes and cancer.  CNN and MSNBC both tell me I am in danger, yet I cannot find a test and Minnesota has about 35 cases out there. so I'll be careful. My bowling team bumps elbows after strikes and good shots. Don't worry about me.

Boomer