April 14, 2020 Debbie Ellerin

Men, Can't Live with Them, Can't Live without Them.  A type of Man is right smack dab in the Middle of each theme answer.  Most of the Men found in each clue are not Men you would want to be associate with.

17-Across. *   Longtime Nabisco cookie: FIG NEWTON.  As in a New Man, or as seen below, Newman.

21-Across. *   Badgers' school: WISCONSIN.  As in the Con Man, short for Confidence Man.  Here is a list of 20 infamous con men, some of which you may recognize, most probably will be unknown.

33-Across. *   Outback choice named for a bone: RIBEYE STEAK.  As in the Yes-Man.  A Yes Man is a subordinate who always agrees with his boss or political leader.

41-Across. *   One on a "Most Wanted" list: PUBLIC ENEMY.  Ice Man.  In days of old, before people had refrigerators, the Ice Man delivered ice to homes.  The Iceman Cometh, was a play be Eugene O'Neill, in which a man  *** Spoiler Alert*** murdered his wife.

51-Across. *  Pour on the criticism: DISH IT OUT.  As in the HitMan, which is a contract killer.  Here are some Infamous Hitmen, most of whom you probably never heard of.

And the Unifier:

60. Go-between ... and a hint to each set of circles: MIDDLE MAN.  Notice that the "man" in the middle of each theme answer is exactly in the middle of the word or phrase.

This puzzle was in interesting combination of the Asterik-clued puzzle, which is my favorite type of puzzle, and the dreaded Circle-clued puzzle, which I am not so keen on.

Across:

1. Do sum work: ADD.  Simple math.

4. What Santa's making and double-checking, in song: LIST.

8. Little nails: BRADS.

Or:

13. "__ out below!": LOOK.

15. Up the __: raise the stakes: ANTE.

16. Minty Derby drink: JULEP.  Just the drink for summer.

19. Wafer named for its flavor: 'NILLA.  Yummers!  I haven't had a 'Nilla wafer in years.

20. Totally lost: AT SEA.

23. MD you don't need an appointment to see: ER DOC.  As in the Emergency Doctor.

25. NYC's Park, e.g.: AVE.  As in Park Avenue.

26. Verdi opera based on a Shakespearean play: OTELLO.

29. Like pre-revolution Russia: TSARIST.

36. California's Big __: SUR.  The section along the California coast from Carmel to San Simeon.

37. Angry, with "off": TEED.  Where did the expression originate?

38. Anthem contraction: O'ER.

39. "Twittering Machine" artist Paul: KLEE.  Paul Klee (Dec. 18, 1879 ~ June 29, 1940) was a Swiss artist.

Twittering Machine

40. "Ben-__": HUR.  Before it was an epic 1959 movie, starring Charlton Heston, it was a novel written by Lew Wallace (Apr. 10, 1827- Feb. 15, 1905).  The book and the movie both follow the life of Ben-Hur was Judah Ben-Her, 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.

45. New car's bells and whistles, say: OPTIONS.

47. Overacts: EMOTES.

48. Hit the slopes: SKI.

49. Note above F: G FLAT.  Musical reference.

55. Pisa place: ITALY.

59. Speechify: ORATE.

62. Roman robes: TOGAS.

63. Britney Spears' "Oops!...__ It Again": I DID.

64. Flood barrier: DIKE.

65. Bullish sound?: SNORT.

66. Many a phone message nowadays: TEXT.

67. "__ who?": SEZ.

Down:

1. __ Romeo: sports car: ALFA.

2. "Stop stalling!": DO IT!

3. Boxers and pugs: DOGS.

4. Practice in USA's "Suits": LAW.  I never saw the show, but I understand that Meghan Markel (b. Aug. 4, 1981) was one of its stars.

5. Halved: IN TWO.

6. Unflappable: STOIC.

7. Bills with Hamilton: TENS.  His face on the $10 was saved by a Broadway musical.

8. Ryan Howard portrayer on "The Office": B.J. NOVAK.  B. J. Novak (né Benjamin Joseph Novak; b. July 31, 1979) is an American actor.  He was also one of the writers for the American version of The Office.

9. Spoiler: RUINER.

10. Start of a Shakespearean title: ALLS.  All's Well that Ends Well.

11. Knish seller: DELI.  How to make a Knish.

12. Bridge: SPAN.  The Lake Ponchartrain Causeway in Louisiana was, for many years, the longest bridge in the world.  It spans just under 24 miles and links New Orleans (technically Metairie, a NO suburb) to the northshore of Lake Ponchartrain.  According to Construction Review, it has now dropped to #7 in length.

14. Prepared to propose: KNEELED.

18. Ahead of schedule: EARLY.

22. Hombre's house: CASA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

24. Forest female: DOE.

26. Big name in garden products: ORTHO.

27. Bottleneck consequence: TIE UP.

28. Roger who wrote "Your Movie Sucks": EBERT.  Robert Joseph Ebert (June 18, 1942 ~ Apr. 4, 2013) was the film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times.  He and Gene Siskel (né Eugene Kal Siskel; Jan. 26, 1946 ~ Feb. 20, 1999), who was the film critic for the rival newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, got together and co-hosted Sneak Previews on PBS.  Sadly, both men are gone now.

29. Actress Hatcher: TERI.  Teri Lynn Hatcher (b. Dec. 8, 1964) appeared in several Seinfeld episodes.

30. Archipelago part: ISLET.  Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Dec. 11, 1918 ~ Aug. 2, 2008) wrote The Gulag Archipelago about live in a Communist Soviet labor camp.  It had nothing to do with islands.

31. "So I was wrong!": SUE ME!

32. Long shots, in hoops lingo: TREYS.  As in 3-pointers, I suppose.

34. Sheds many tears: SOBS.

35. __ Aviv: TEL.  Tel Aviv was founded in 1909.  It is a city filled with wonderful buildings and architecture as well as beaches.  It is a fun city to visit.

39. Secured with a bowline, say: KNOTTED.

41. Least speedy: POKIEST.  The Pokie Little Puppy was one of my favorite books when I was a kid.  I recently sent a copy of the book to my 1-year old niece.

42. Textbook section: UNIT.

43. Animation frame: CEL.

44. Phishing line?: E-MAIL.

46. Beatty/Hoffman flop: ISHTAR.

49. Museum escort: GUIDE.

50. N.J. army base: FT. DIX.  The Base has an interesting history.

51. Trio in Fiji?: DOTS.  Look at the dots over the letters "i" and "j".

52. Monopoly token replaced by a cat: IRON.  I rather liked the Iron.

53. Palm starch: SAGO.

54. Cut out: OMIT.

56. French friends: AMIS.  Today's French lesson.

57. Erie or Huron: LAKE.

58. Santa __ Valley: Cal. wine region: YNEZ.

61. Banned pesticide: DDT.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  One thing a person cannot do, no matter how rigorous his analysis or heroic his imagination, is to draw up a list of things that would never occur to him.  ~  Thomas Schelling (né Thomas Crombie Schelling; Apr. 14, 1921 ~ Dec. 13, 2016), American economist and recipient of the 2005 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science

Monday April 13, 2020 Kurt Krauss

Theme: Colorful Songs

17. Colorful Top 10 Beatles hit: YELLOW SUBMARINE.

21. Colorful Top 10 Prince hit: PURPLE RAIN.

37. Colorful Top 10 Lemon Pipers hit: GREEN TAMBOURINE.

46. Colorful Top 10 Rolling Stones hit: BROWN SUGAR.

54. Colorful Top 10 Santana hit: BLACK MAGIC WOMAN.

Boomer here.  

Looks like a rainbow of colors in the puzzle.  "Why are there so many songs about rainbows, and what's on the other side?"  (Kermit).

Across:

1. Time gone by: PAST.  While traffic is lighter than normal, Many cars are flying PAST, driving recklessly and we had over 12 fatal accident in Minnesota last week. Almost as many Covid-19 deaths.

5. Wedding VIPs with playlists: DJS.  DJS DJS, why not just invite me to sing.

8. Shot of liquor: JIGGER. I thought a Jigger was 1-1/2 shot.  But I gave up liquor in favor of chemo pills.

14. Do recon at, as an enemy camp: SCOUT OUT.

16. Collection of beehives: APIARY.

19. Apple mobile platform: IOS.

20. "When is a door not a door?," e.g.: RIDDLE.  Duh, when it's ajar.

26. GPS suggestions: RTES.  These days people just ask Siri on their phone.

27. Bad picnic omen: ANT. It still amazes me how they build their houses in the middle of our driveway.

28. Treasure container: CHEST.  Mine contains my rib cage.

33. Vienna's land: Abbr.: AUS. Austria.

34. Delhi dress: SARI.  Sounds like the voice in the phone.

36. Hamm's "Mad Men" role: DRAPER.  I am confused.  Hamm's is a St. Paul beer.  They sponsored a very famous bowling team in Minneapolis. The team won a national all events title in 1965, and two 5 man team ABC championships in 1970 and 1972.  The last surviving member of that team and a good friend of mine, Bob Hanson passed away last month.  He was 93.

Bob and his son Gregg

40. Open, as a present: UNWRAP.

41. "Jeopardy!" first name: ALEX.  I watch two episodes nearly every day.  Remember I am stuck in the basement with a TV set and nowhere to go.  Alex is a bit boring, but I absolutely admire him for hanging in there with pancreatic cancer.

42. Moon lander, for short: LEM.  Short for Lunar Excursion Module.  I think Apollo 11 left it on the moon, but I cannot see it from here.

43. English county on the North Sea: ESSEX.

44. Absorbed, as a cost: ATE.  Or finished, like a hamburger.

45. A bit, in music: POCO.

49. __ of Liberty: STATUE.  It bothers me when the Statue appears in Liberty Mutual commercials.  ("Give me your tired, your poor.  Your huddled masses yearning to breath free.)

53. Granola kernel: OAT.  "Mares eat oats, and does eat oats, but little lambs eat ivy.  A kid'll eat ivy too, wouldn't you ?"

60. Portable HP, say: LAPTOP.  Where I put my bowling ball when I'm changing shoes.

61. All tangled up: IN A SNARL.

62. Dwell constantly (on): OBSESS.

63. Home of MLB's Cardinals: STL. Also home of a river we send them called the Mississippi.  There is a power plant dam on the Mississippi about a mile from our home.  C.C. and I have walked across it many times.  It's a little less than a mile across up here.  I've been to St. Louis and it's about 4 miles across there.  Must be even wider as it heads to Louisiana.

Boomer, August 2, 2019

64. A few: SOME.

Down:

1. College maj. for a future therapist: PSY.

2. Trick taker, usually: ACE.  ACE hardware stores were designated essential up here and are open during our stay at home order.  We did not need any hardware.

3. Note after fa: SOL.  "SOL a needle pulling thread, La, a note that follows SOL.  TI, a drink with jam and bread ! That will bring us back to DOE.  The hills are alive, with the Sound of Music.

4. Dutch floral export: TULIPS.  We are receiving temps in the 30s this week.  Too early to tiptoe through the TULIPS.  Tiny Tim.

5. Search for water: DOWSE.

6. Gravy, on menus: JUS.  I thought Au Jus was just juice before you add the flour.

7. Guy's name spelled with an alphabet sequence: STU. 

8. Pack very tightly: JAM IN. Anyone JAMMING IN for a party these days is asking to be a statistic.

9. Apple tablet: IPAD.

10. Encircle with a belt: GIRD.  I have a Copper Fit one,  But do not call it a girdle.

11. O'Grady of "NYPD Blue": GAIL.  I think I have seen every episode twice.  I think Gail hooked up with Greg Medavoy.  Andy Sipowitz called his medical problem "Prostrate Cancer".

12. Sea eagle: ERNE.

13. Corned beef on __: RYE.  Seems like forever since St. Patrick's Day when our governor locked us down.  No sauerkraut sandwich for me.

15. Home Depot purchase: TOOL.  I guess Home Depot and Lowe's are still open here.

18. Petrol pumper: BRIT.

21. Czech Republic capital: PRAGUE.  We have a "New PRAGUE" in Minnesota.  I suppose it may have been settled by Czech immigrants at one time.

22. About-faces: U-TURNS.  No U-Turns, but C.C. and I get out for a walk now and then when our thermometer hits 50, and we see a lot of traffic, and I don't think they are going to a grocery store, post office or bank.  Maybe they are going to Home Depot or Lowe's. 

23. Adjusts, as a hem: RESEWS.

24. __ avis: RARA. RA RA RA for SKY U MAH

25. Lively, in music: ANIMATO.

28. Central idea: CRUX.

29. Kramden laugh syllable: HAR.  HAR, HAR, HARDY HAR, HAR

30. Literary wrap-up: EPILOG.

31. Five Nations tribe: SENECA.  Settled near Lake Ontario.

32. Aftershock: TREMOR.  In 1968, I lived through one of these at Fort Campbell, KY.  The next day we learned that it was felt in a number of states.  Anybody remember this ?

34. Munchies, in adspeak: SNAX.

35. Novak Djokovic's org.: ATP.

36. Anonymous John: DOE. A deer, a female deer, Re a drop of golden sun, Mi, a name I call myself, Fa a long long way to run See 3 Down.

38. Before, old-style: ERE.

39. Huffed and puffed: BLEW.  Who's afraid of the big bad wolf ??

44. Length times width, for a rectangle: AREA.  More geometry for the weak.

45. Hoaxes: PUT-ONS.

46. Dirt road irregularities: BUMPS.  We have plenty of these in MN.  I guess they cannot fill the damage with tar until the weather warms up.

47. Diet-friendly: NO-CAL.  I am stuck on Diet Pepsi.

48. Carpentry tools: SAWS.

49. Concrete section: SLAB.

50. Lights-out music: TAPS.  This was traditional on an army base.  Stop what you are doing, face a flag and salute.

51. Part of un drame: ACTE.

52. Bout enders, briefly: TKOS.  Back in the days of Clay and Foreman, there were some vicious TKOs.

54. Rain-__ gum: BLO.  Never heard of this.  We had Fleer and Double Bubble, but we preferred Topps baseball card gum.  This was in the 60s and 70s.  I don't think Fleer printed cards until the 80s.  except they printed a small set in 1963, but no one cared much. 

55. PX patrons: GIS.  We had a huge one at Fort Campbell. When I got to Hardheim Germany, the PX was just a small room where you could buy cigarettes and aspirin.

56. Bad result for a QB: INT.

57. Cultural Revolution chairman: MAO.

58. Branch: ARM.  I have two.  I never knew they were called branches.

59. Phillies' div.: NLE.  I wonder if there will be a season this year.  A Major League baseball stadium is not a place where spectators can hover six feet apart with a mask on.

Boomer

Sunday April 12, 2020 Fred Piscop

Theme: "UR Out!" - UR is deleted from each familiar phrase.
 
23. Where a displaced ex-hubby may sleep?: DIVORCE COT. Divorce court.

25. Determination as to which twin is born first?: NATAL ORDER. Natural order.

44. Poem about the letter nu?: ODE ON A GRECIAN N. Ode on a Grecian Urn.

63. Progressive Insurance icon's layoff?: SACK OF FLO. Sack of flour.

69. Dried, pulverized onions?: CRY POWDER. Curry power.

89. Three movies about skeletons?: THE BONE TRILOGY. The Bourne Trilogy.

111. Extension of an embargo?: BAN RENEWAL. Urban renewal.

114. Della's notable facial feature?: STREET CHIN. Street urchin.

Notice there are no straying UR combo in the grid at all?

Fred Piscop is a master of course. He's never one to chase after a pangram or low-word account. Smooth and clean fill is always his priority. I was very lucky to work with Fred when he was the editor for the USA Today.

Across:

1. Identifies in a Facebook photo: TAGS.

5. __ basin: TIDAL.

10. Chitchats: GABS. WeChat with my friend Carmen every day. She said most of the businesses in Guangzhou have reopened. She's still too nervous to visit the hair salon. This is a very good article about situations in China.

14. Prep for surgery: SCRUB.

19. Mil or mile: UNIT.

20. Kipling's "Lone Wolf": AKELA.

21. Release, as an odor: EMIT.

22. Reason to march: CAUSE.

27. Brunch dish: OMELET.

28. 2000 NBA MVP: O'NEAL. 100. 28-Across, for eight seasons: LAKER. The glorious days.

30. Clay-pigeon launcher: TRAP.

31. Guinness Book suffix: EST.

32. Back-to-zero button: RESET.

33. Delightful places: EDENS.

34. Closed (in): ZEROED.

36. Concerning: IN RE.

38. North Pole explorer: PEARY. Not SCOTT. Wiki says Robert Peary was buried Arlington Cemetery

40. Restaurant with skating carhops: SONIC.

50. Myriad: MANY.

51. Violinist's effect: VIBRATO. Here is Fred Piscop at the keyboard.

52. "Didn't mean it": SORRY.

53. Confession hearers: PRIESTS.

56. Lendl of tennis: IVAN.

57. Alloy containing carbon: STEEL.

58. "Any day now": SOON.

59. Body __: ART.

60. Elsinore natives: DANES.

62. Ex-White House Press Secretary Spicer: SEAN. Seems like ages ago.

66. Warning to a sinner: REPENT.

68. "__ Madness": old anti-drug movie: REEFER. Unfamiliar to me.

72. "The Swedish Nightingale" Jenny: LIND.

73. Littlest littermates: RUNTS.

77. Greek X: CHI.

78. Primatologists' subjects: APES.

79. Commonly abbreviated bit of Latin: ID EST.

81. Part of a hat trick: GOAL.

82. Hard bargain driver: HAGGLER. And 110. Flea market deal: RESALE. Guess our local flea market won't be open this year.

84. "CSI" part: SCENE.

85. African grassland: SAVANNA.

88. "Uh-huh": I SEE.

91. Clobbers with snowballs: PELTS.

93. Silents vamp Bara: THEDA.

94. Hammerhead cousin: MAKO.

95. Got ready to stop: SLOWED.

97. Needing a rinse: SOAPY. How I miss the days when Target had so many Method hand washes for me to choose.

105. "That's unfortunate": TSK.

108. Rebus animals: EWES.

109. Game akin to bingo: BEANO.

116. Poke around: SNOOP.

117. Artist who helped Hitchcock design a dream sequence for "Spellbound": DALI. Interesting trivia.

118. Colorful upholstery fabric: TOILE.

119. Gobs: A LOT.

120. Trivial: PETTY.

121. Manicure sound: SNIP.

122. Escargot: SNAIL.

123. Kitchen supplies: POTS.

Down:

1. House of Henry VIII: TUDOR.

2. "Speed Racer" genre: ANIME.

3. Helps the cause: GIVES.

4. Made off with: STOLE.

5. Negotiating asset: TACT.

6. Clanton gang leader: IKE. Ike Clanton.  O.K. Corral.

7. __ ring: encryption toy: DECODER.

8. One way to work: ALONE.

9. Grow dark: LATEN.

10. USAF VIP: GENL.

11. Org. with an oft-quoted journal: AMA.

12. Marsh bird: BITTERN.

13. Bright at night: STARRY.

14. Sharpshooters' aids: SCOPES.

15. Sleeping __: CAR. Very effective fill-in-the-blank clue, since there are a few three-letter candidates.

16. Far from polite: RUDE.

17. Doesn't waste: USES.

18. Muppet with a unibrow: BERT.

24. Eye part: RETINA.

26. Vientiane native: LAO. Their food is very similar to Thai food. Both love long-grained sticky rice. Short-grained sticky rice is more popular in China and Japan.

29. Set a high goal: ASPIRE.

33. Logician's word: ERGO.

34. Buffoon: ZANY.

35. Fuller's geodesic creation: DOME.

37. MLB Expo, since 2005: NAT. Who are you top three Montreal Expo players?

39. Counts' equals: EARLS.

41. __ spray: NASAL.

42. Toastmaster's opening: INTRO.

43. Dermatologist's concern: CYST.

44. "Amores" poet: OVID.

45. Operatic icon: DIVA.

46. Abba of Israel: EBAN.

47. Difficult: ORNERY. Great word.

48. Ritzy spread: ESTATE.

49. Either "Fargo" director: COEN. Pride of Minnesota.

53. Elbowed: POKED.

54. Urban sunbather's spot: ROOF.

55. Derive: INFER.

57. Orders to go: SENDS.

58. Potpourri quality: SCENT.

61. Bud protector: SEPAL. Saw buds in our neighborhood hedge yesterday.

62. Home of the Ninja Turtles: SEWER. No idea.

64. No longer in bed: ARISEN.

65. Thrifty: FRUGAL.

67. St. Peter's Square figure: POPE.

69. Climactic film scene: CHASE.

70. Bright Orion star: RIGEL.

71. Pressed through a sieve: RICED.

72. Celeb with a TV "Garage": LENO.

74. Pitcher's gem, in baseball lingo: NO NO. No hitters.

75. Brand associated with NASA missions: TANG. Also a big & prosperous Chinese dynasty.

76. Crack up: SLAY.

77. Casino disk: CHIP.

80. Lower in status: DEBASE.

83. Catches on to: GETS.

84. Slough off: SHED.

85. Stick around: STAY.

86. Torah holder: ARK.

87. Roy G. Biv hue: VIOLET.

89. Saint-Saëns work with a memorable cello solo: THE SWAN. Also unknown to me.

90. Big-box stores, e.g.: EMPORIA. Plural of "emporium".

92. Yawning, say: SLEEPY.

93. Coarse woolens: TWEEDS.

96. Part of BYOB: OWN.

98. Brewers' ovens: OASTS.

99. Playwright Chekhov: ANTON. "Three Sisters".

101. Tunesmiths' org.: ASCAP.

102. Hayek's "Frida" role: KAHLO. She nailed the role.

103. "Silas Marner" author: ELIOT.

104. Monopoly fees: RENTS.

105. 1/2 fl. oz.: TBSP.

106. Level-headed: SANE.

107. Half hitch, e.g.: KNOT.

109. Dot on a radar screen: BLIP.

110. "Riverdance" dance: REEL.

112. Hogwash: ROT.

113. Dethroner of Foreman: ALI.

115. Lilly of pharmaceuticals: ELI.

Last week I linked one of the YouTube videos by constructor Todd Gross. You can watch all of his work here. 

This 21*21  is particularly interesting. I can't imagine the amount of work that went into that grid. 

C.C.