Monday June 15, 2020 Mark McClain

Theme: AFTERSHOCK (64. Earthquake echo, or where the last words of the answers to starred clues might go) - "Shock" can precede the last word of each theme answer.

17. *Price a discarded item might fetch: SCRAP VALUE. Shock value.

27. *Preliminary book copy for editing: PRINTER'S PROOF. Shockproof.

48. *Salon job often shortened to its first four letters: PERMANENT WAVE. Shock wave.

Boomer here.

The Dow Jones average was not SHOCKPROOF last Thursday. We have a new garage door coming Wednesday.  Actually our existing door works fine however we are in a townhome association and it seems most of our neighbors have upgraded their garage doors, so we need to keep up with the Joneses.

Across:

1. The "M" in STEM, briefly: MATH.  One of my best subjects. I was always the one to keep the bowling scores.  Yup, I am so old we used to have to write the scores on a paper sheet.

5. Bistro offerings: MEALS.  Still shy of Bistros and the like.  C.C. and I like to visit a buffet once in a while, but not while the Covid-19 is still a threat. I think that's why the stock market crashed.  Some places have opened but the customers are staying home.)

10. Darkened for emphasis, as text: BOLD.

14. New York canal: ERIE.  Also a Great Lake.

15. Quiver projectile: ARROW.  Also a vintage Pierce automobile. Told you I was old.

16. "Buy It Now" site: EBAY.  I used to sell baseball cards and coin proof sets on EBAY.  Not so much anymore.

19. Zonk out: DOZE.

20. Snail's protection: SHELL. Also a gasoline company.  Are they still around?  I don't see Shell stations in Minnesota anymore.

21. Directs: OVERSEES.

23. "__ on Down the Road": "The Wiz" song: EASE.

26. Bus sked info: ETA.  When will I get there?  Last time I rode a bus was when my '81 Ford pickup decided to quit running on Lake Street.  The same Lake Street that is now boarded up.

33. Corp. money exec: CFO.

35. Medical pros: DOCS.  "What's Up??" - Bugs Bunny.

36. Take great pleasure in: SAVOR.  My favorite is pizza.

37. Ship frame: HULL.  The "Golden Jet" Bobby of the Chicago Black Hawks.

39. "__ one is better?": WHICH.  "Which Witch is a good Witch, Dorothy ??"

42. Great Pyramid site: GIZA.

43. Physicist Newton: ISAAC.

45. Surrey slammer: GAOL.

47. Butterfly catcher: NET.  Also a puck catcher.  Ask the Golden Jet.

52. RVer's stopover: KOA.  Nice campgrounds for travelers.

53. Interstate hauler: SEMI.

54. Glam or punk, to rock: SUBGENRE.

59. Cinderella's sweepings: ASHES.  Tobacco Store at Knollwood mall.

63. Horror film assistant: IGOR.

67. Sunscreen additive: ALOE.

68. Stale-smelling: MUSTY.

69. Grape soda brand: NEHI.  I think this was a favorite of Radar O'Reilly.

70. "Well, I'll be darned!": MY MY.

71. "Family Ties" mother: ELYSE.

72. Asian wheat noodle: UDON.

Down:

1. Total disorder: MESS.  Minneapolis and other cities witnessed this for several weeks.

2. Word with enemy or rival: ARCH.  The Golden ones sell hamburgers.

3. Grow weary: TIRE.  I have 30,000 miles on mine.  They might be growing weary soon.

4. Shaman, for one: HEALER.  I certainly hope Abejo finds the right one.

5. Dallas NBAer: MAV.  Not to be confused with Bret, played by James Garner.  I told you I was old.

6. Important period: ERA.  Important Stat for MLB pitchers.

7. Woody's singing son: ARLO.  "You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant.

8. Shutter with slanted slats: LOUVER.

9. Sugary goodies: SWEETS.

10. Places to sleep: BEDS.  Places for flowers. We added to the front of our home last week.

11. Flute's orchestral neighbor: OBOE.

12. Lounge (around): LAZE.

13. Hair salon colors: DYES.  Hair salons are not doing too well during the virus.

18. Flannel shirt pattern: PLAID.  I see a bit of this in Scottish bands in parades.

22. Knocks loudly: RAPS.

24. Winter forecast: SNOW.  "Oh the weather outside is frightful, your smile is so delightful."

25. Mark permanently: ETCH.  We had an ETCH A SKETCH when I was a kid,

27. Kind of ice cap: POLAR.  There are ads on TV, which the virus has me watching too much. You can adopt a POLAR bear for only $8.00 per month.  Good grief!

28. Endorse digitally: E SIGN.

29. Cleaner's cloth: RAG.

30. Like sheep: OVINE.  But I don't think you can adopt a sheep.  BAAAH.

31. Move like molasses: OOZE.

32. Greek campus group: FRAT.  I don't think those guys in "Animal House" were Greeks.

33. Short golf shot: CHIP.  Putts are usually shorter.  CHIP was one of  "My Three Sons".

34. Firecracker-lighting cord: FUSE.  Bussmann makes them, Graybar sells them.

38. Perp's escape: LAM.

40. Webber musical based on Eliot poems: CATS.

41. Sewing machine inventor Elias: HOWE.  NHL Hockey great - Gordie.

44. Wedding reception centerpiece: CAKE.  Some of these are really fantastic.  I never know how they build them so high.  I think many folks have the top layer in their freezer, waiting for their 50th Anniversary.

46. Buddhist teachers: LAMAS.

49. Generic: NO NAME.

50. Probably more than you wanted to hear: EARFUL. I was just thinking that this could be an adjective for my blog expo.

51. Hindu deity: VISHNU.

54. Thailand, once: SIAM.  Are you wearing pants??  Yes SIAM.

55. Like eyesores: UGLY.

56. Explosive sound: BOOM.  That would be me.  Born in the Truman administration.

57. Western writer Zane __: GREY.

58. Crafter's website: ETSY.  I wonder if they have ever seen my Boondoggle.

60. Worked the soil: HOED.  C.C. and I did a little while planting our tomatoes, beans and radishes.

61. Cavern phenomenon: ECHO.

62. Largest human organ: SKIN.  I wonder if that includes the skin of my teeth.

65. Sci-fi series extras: ETS.

66. Whiskey grain: RYE.  I like RYE bread.  Doc says no whiskey for me though.

Boomer

Sunday June 14, 2020 Yaakov Bendavid & Yoni Glatt

Theme: "Exchangeable Parts" - Familiar A THE B phrases are changed into B THE A.

23A. Fault a rearrangement of infielders?: BLAME THE SHIFT. Shift the blame.

35A. Gives surf ratings?: RANKS THE SWELLS. Swells the ranks. New phrase to me.

55A. Arranges for party chefs?: BOOKS THE COOKS. Cooks the books.

78A. Masters yoga?: RULES THE BENDS. Bends the rules.

97A. Ask, "You sure this is diet?"?: QUESTION THE POP. Pop the question.

114A. Emulate a Jedi?: ISSUE THE FORCE. Force the issue.

22D. What a nervous director may do?: PACE THE SET. Set the pace.

66D. Block an access road between hills?: BAR THE PASS. Pass the par.

Great to see Yaakov Bendavid back. Our blog shows that this is Yoni Glatt's debut. Amazon shows that he's "the former editor of the Jerusalem Post crossword and was a writer of The Movie Channel Trivia Game."

Plenty of A THE B phrases to choose from, but both A and B have to be a verb and a noun.  

Across:

1. Brings from novel to screen: ADAPTS.

7. Like some captioning: CLOSED.

13. Energy bill letters: KWH.

16. See 117-Across: RUG. And 117. With 16-Across, elaborately designed decoration: PERSIAN.

19. Victim of Perseus: MEDUSA.Versace's logo.

20. MLB call-up, often: ROOKIE.

21. "With any luck": I HOPE SO.

25. "Mean Girls" writer and co-star: TINA FEY.

26. McCann of country: LILA.

27. Sahara respites: OASES.

28. Mixer knob: FADER.

30. Michael who played Juno's love interest in "Juno": CERA.

31. Priest who reared Samuel: ELI.

32. Swear: CUSS.

33. Like the Sisters in "Macbeth": WEIRD.

34. "__ cryin' out loud!": FER.

39. Way to one's heart?: ARTERY.

42. "Lucas" co-star: SHEEN (Charlie)

43. Former Arthur Ashe Stadium neighbor: SHEA.

44. Ready, as a range: PREHEAT.

45. Uber alternative: LYFT.

48. Collection of maps: ATLAS.

51. Withdrew: RECEDED.

52. Have trouble with Sisyphus?: LISP.

58. Friend of Genie in "Aladdin": ABU. The monkey.

59. Dobrev of "The Vampire Diaries": NINA. Wiki says "She was born in Bulgaria but immigrated with her family to Canada at age two and grew up in Toronto".

60. Chaos: HAVOC.

61. "__ in!": LET ME.

65. Celtics star Walker: KEMBA. Learning moment for me.

67. Crafty site?: ETSY.

70. Vision starter: TELE. Prefix.

71. Lucy's sitcom pal: ETHEL.

72. Henry James, for much of his life: EX-PAT.

73. Inside job: DECOR. Nice clue.

75. Big ref. volumes: OEDS.

77. Link letters: URL.

82. Cruising: ASEA.

83. Freud's homeland: AUSTRIA. Misty was born here.

86. __ cords: VOCAL.

87. Brutal act of Brutus: STAB.

89. Equal share, maybe: ONE HALF. Our address is 84 1/2 Ave. North. Often problematic when filling in some on line forms.

90. Cupid counterpart: EROS.

92. "The __ Kid": 1950s TV Western: CISCO.

96. In need of companionship: LONELY.

102. Some H.S. classes: APS.

103. Sushi fillings: TUNAS.

104. "__ as good a time ... ": NOW'S.

105. Big name in Marvel Comics history: LEE.

106. "Toodles": TA TA.

108. Butler in literature: RHETT. "Gone With The Wind" was just removed from HBO.

109. Pursue: CHASE.

111. "Sick" insult: BURN. Sick burn.

112. Inability to smell: ANOSMIA. New word to me.

118. SoCal locale in a 1987 Cheech Marin title: EAST LA.

119. Harm's way: DANGER.

120. Sounds of disgust: EWS.

121. NBA's Cavs, on scoreboards: CLE.

122. Prepares (oneself), as for a crisis: STEELS.

123. Stable animals: STEEDS.

Down:

1. Unhurried bunch: AMBLERS.

2. Biblical betrayer: DELILAH. She betrayed Samson.

3. 2015 romantic fantasy role for Blake Lively: ADALINE. "The Age of Adaline".

4. Yellowstone predator: PUMA.

5. "Old Possum" monogram: TSE.

6. Took a pass: SAT OUT.

7. Pungent greens: CRESSES. Did not know it's plurable.

8. Give the slip to: LOSE.

9. Impressed crowd sounds: OOHS.

10. Emulate Olympians Miller and Vonn: SKI.

11. Statue of Liberty architect: EIFFEL.

12. Fine point: DETAIL.

13. Passed, as bad checks: KITED.

14. Machinery noise: WHIR.

15. Boo: HON.

16. Called the game: REFEREED.

17. App buyer: USER.

18. "Creations from la cocina" brand: GOYA. "Cocina" is kitchen. I buy Goya black-eyed peas from time to time. Just want to taste my childhood. My grandma made black-eyed pea soup often.

24. __ browns: HASH.

29. Many profs.: DRS.

32. "Woodstock" quartet, initially: CSNY.

33. Plentiful supply: WEALTH.

34. Rashida Jones facial feature: FRECKLES. See closer.

36. Iodine source: KELP.

37. Source of many dramatic quotes: Abbr.: SHAK.

38. Licks: WETS.

39. Mars: Pref.: AREO.

40. Issa of "Insecure": RAE.

41. Since Jan. 1, to CPAs: YTD.

44. Take from a sale: PROCEEDS.

46. "Criminal Minds" org.: FBI.

47. Tin-eared: TONE-DEAF.

49. At the drop of __: A HAT.

50. Golfer Ballesteros: SEVE. So good with his short game.

52. Canoeing venue: LAKE.

53. Curly-horned goat: IBEX.

54. Cesspool: SUMP.

56. Author with three 5-letter names: OATES. Joyce Carol Oates.

57. Dash alternative, perhaps: COLON.

59. Seven and eleven, in craps: NATURALS.

62. Like so: THUS.

63. Simply: MERE.

64. First name in jazz: ELLA.

68. "SNL"-like show that spawned many comedic careers: SCTV.

69. Start of a pirate chant: YO HO.

74. Intermission: RECESS.

76. Once-a-yr. reason for oversleeping?: DST. Ends on Nov 1.

79. __ pad: LILY.

80. Bane of Sideshow Bob: BART. "The Simpsons". Read more here.

81. Wells' fruit eaters: ELOI.  "The Time Machine".

82. Rose's Broadway beau: ABIE.

83. Verizon subsidiary: AOL.

84. Game with Skip cards: UNO.

85. Lawmaking century: SENATORS. Not the time period "century". Just "a hundred".

88. Frankfurter's exclamations: ACHS.

91. Beethoven's 32 for piano: SONATAS.

93. Spare no expense: SPLURGE.

94. Strong-armed: COERCED.

95. Some operate remotely: OPENERS.

97. Montreal's prov.: QUE.

98. Lets loose: UNTIES.

99. Patronizes, as a diner: EATS AT. And 100. Snack: NOSH.

101. Suit fabrics: TWEEDS.

103. Honorific for Macbeth: THANE.

106. Bygone recording medium: TAPE. D-Otto told me about this tape. Solved my problem with the dryer vent leak.

107. One way to start: ANEW.

108. Dough in Tehran: RIAL.

109. A step down from "Funny!": CUTE.

110. Setting of many a "Far Side" comic: HELL.

111. __-tired: BONE.

113. Karaoke aid: MIC.

115. Leeds-to-London dir.: SSE.

116. "__ chance!": FAT.

Please continue keeping Abejo in your thoughts and prayers. He's going through some serious health issues and has a very important doctor visit tomorrow. 


C.C.

Abejo and His Tuba

Saturday, June 13, 2020, Michael Wiesenberg

Saturday Themeless by Michael Wiesenberg

Another fine themeless puzzle from our professional gambler/author and crossword constructor from Calgary.

Here is the Amazon link to buy Michael's latest book which you see below. I think it might be a Father's Day request!

Michael was very generous in sharing his construction techniques and I have included it at the end of the write-up above the grid. It is very informative and fascinating! 

Everybody ante-up as Michael has dealt us all a winning hand:

Across:

1. Top of the slopes: SKI HAT 

7. Recuperation area: POST-OP.

13. Pokémon species with lightning bolt-shaped tails: PIKACHU crossing 3. Ford subcompact: IKON seemed strange and ICON more logical but the K of PIKACHU stuck with me. This IKON is sold in Mexico and is  made in India where it is called the Ford Figo.

Ford Ikon

15. Jane Eyre, for one: HEROINE - 49. What "T" may mean: TRUE - 5 TRUE/False Jane Eyre Questions

16. Like many store-bought juices: FROM CONCENTRATE - Reduces shipping weight and promotes shelf life

18. They might result from omission: SINS.

19. Muscat money: RIAL - I assume this is after Ramadan is over

20. Badly damaged Asian sea: ARAL.

21. Like BOS and ATL: INTL - Airports

22. Golf bag features: STRAPS - Tiger Woods caddying for his son Charlie

24. Big name in Argentine politics: PERON.

28. Extensive, themed tattoo: SLEEVE - Howard and Raj show their SLEEVE tattoos were fake (2:21)

30. Filmmaker's __ light: KLIEG - Or for TV game shows

31. Digitizes, in a way: SCANS.

32. Bit of physics: ION.

35. Placement question: WHERE DOES THIS GO? 

38. Yang partner: YIN - Here 'ya go

39. "A Gallery of Children" author: MILNE - Here's a used first edition for $200 which predates his Winnie The Pooh series

40. Yellowish color: OCHRE.

41. Personally give: HAND TO.

42. Fifth __: WHEEL - An unwanted person or a  luxurious road home

43. Really fancy: DESIRE - "Do you fancy a game of golf?" is more likely to be heard in Britain

46. Reasons for repeating courses: EFFS 

48. Bakery finisher: ICER.

50. Bedazzles: AWES.

54. Insomniacs have them: SLEEPLESS NIGHTS - People my age Tossin' and Turnin' with Bobby Lewis!

58. Bundt, e.g.: CAKE TIN.

59. Squeak by: EDGE OUT.

60. "That's a shame": IT'S SAD.

61. Legendary Manhattan eatery: SARDIS - Also famous for its wall of caricatures. Can you guess the names of the three below? *Answer at the bottom of the write-up

Down:

1. Tanning nos.: SPFS - Sun Protection Factor and 50. Too much sun, they say: AGER 

2. Te Kanawa of opera: KIRI - New Zealander Dame KIRI Te Kanawa portrayed Australian Dame Nellie Melba on a Downton Abbey episode set in 1920's

4. Challenges for directors: HAMS.

5. Notre Dame is in it, oddly: Abbr.: ACC - The Irish are no where near the Atlantic Coast 

6. Side issue?: THORN - Frank Lary was a "good old boy" from Alabama and a THORN in the side of the N.Y. Yankees from 1955 - 1961. He was 27 - 10 against them in the years they won six World Series. I wonder if Boomer and C.C. have this card.

7. Fenced-in area: PEN.

8. Food scrap: ORT - A cwd staple

9. Title words after "ours is a love," in a Jimmy Dorsey classic: SO RARE - A favorite of my mom's

10. Queen topper: TIARA 

11. At hand: ON TAP - This seems like a lot

12. Skins: PEELS - The act or the results

14. Restocking criterion: UNITS SOLD - Six ways to increase sales of slow-moving stock

15. Daughter of Loki: HEL - She, uh, got around! No judgement here!

17. Where many orders are taken: CALL CENTERS 

21. 1959-'60 heavyweight champ Johansson: INGEMAR - 19-year-old Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) was in Miami and asked to spar with INGEMAR in 1959. The Swede got angry when he couldn't lay a glove on him.

22. Emitted, with "out": SENT.

23. "L.A. Law" and "Law & Order": TV SHOWS - The latter show was much "grittier"

24. Garden State, e.g.: Abbr.: PKWY - It'll cost you $8.25 to go from the southern tip of N.J. to the N.Y. state line on this longest highway in N.J.

25. Pre-coll. catchall: ELHI - This 50-yr. educator has never heard this word except here

26. French nada: RIEN - Even I can translate this song title sung by our frequent cwd chanteuse (How 'bout dat word?). In German it would be: Nein, [37. German pronoun:] ICH bereue nichts
27. "... __ a perfum'd sea": Poe's "To Helen": OER - Poe's tribute to the woman whose "Face launched a thousand ships"

29. App tester's concern: EASE OF USE - I didn't write apps, but I wrote lab instructions for 13-yr-olds for over 40 years
32. "__ kidding?": IS HE 

33. Fiona, for one: OGRE - A curse turns her into an OGRE at night

34. Caroling unit: NOEL.

36. Patronize, with "at": DINE - We did DINE out the other night and I left a huge tip

41. Holiday season additions: HIREES - Santas and Easter Bunnies e.g.

43. First of a box set: DISC I.

44. __ de rire: burst of laughter: ECLAT - More Française

45. Personals verb: SEEKS - I know our literary types here could write a fictional personal ad for Jane Eyer

47. Provides (for oneself): FENDS 

49. Common face card value: TEN - Working tools for our constructor Michael

51. "__ you think it was?": WHO'D.

52. Sewing shop buy: ETUI - Another cwd staple, er, word

53. Bygone boomers: SST'S - America's SST never flew despiser JFK's efforts

55. School support gp.: PTA.

56. Metaphor for a cover-up: LID - Every mall seems to have this store

57. Whole Foods Market competitor: IGA - A vintage ad from an IGA store in Auckland, N.Z.

Now, as promised, is a fascinating look at Michael's constructing process and his publications: 

For themeless puzzles I start with a grid that will present some  challenges. In this case that was three 15-letter entries crossed by  three vertical entries, two of each of these crossing two of the long entries. First, I put entries in at 14D, 17D, and 26D. I then found 
three 15-letter entries to fit.

I have a word list that consists of "good" words and expressions that  I have been collecting for years. Many of these entries have never appeared in published crossword puzzles and I try to fit in as many of these as I can. (For example, FROM CONCENTRATE has not appeared anywhere -- till now.) Meanwhile, my main word list contains over a million entries, graded such that the best (in my estimation) entries have higher scores and I use those (that fit!) with the highest scores. When constructing a puzzle, after I have the "bare bones" entries in place, I isolate sections and fill each separately. For example, I first worked on the NE corner (7D to 22A). When I had what looked like a good fill, I did a screen capture of the grid, deleted the words I had just added, and started again. I did several fills in that section. I chose the best one of those, and saved the grid. I then went through the process again, this time the NW corner. 

Meanwhile, the NE corner was still in place. If the fill I choose for any section doesn't allow for good fills in the rest of the puzzle, I can always go back and insert one of the saved screen captures. By the time I'm done, my screen capture file might have as many as 50 
partial fills, any of which I can return to. By saving these partial fills as I go I don't have to start from scratch any time I come to a dead end.

When I have what looks like a good complete grid, I then check the puzzle stats for duplicates. I try not to use the same three-letter combination more than once. For example, having FROM CONCENTRATE dictates not having any other FROM (like WHEREFROM). Also, having POSTOP, I couldn't also have PREOP. I keep weeding what many call 
crosswordese from my word lists. (For example, I have eliminated virtually all Roman numerals. I don't consider MMLXV to be a "word.")

I constructed this puzzle in August, 2019. It was accepted six months later, and scheduled for publication four months after that.

My area (Alberta) is beginning to open up. Until this week I had not been out of the house for over two months. The downtime provided a good opportunity to work on my next book, the second collection of Canadian Crossword Puzzles. (The first is at 
https://www.amazon.com/Canadian-Crosswords/dp/1985099799 and 
https://www.amazon.ca/Canadian-Crosswords/dp/1985099799.) The new 
book will have more puzzles (125) than the first and be priced lower. 


I also constructed a collection of poker-themed crosswords 
(https://www.amazon.com/PokerXwds/dp/B086PLV4WK). I have written several books on gambling in general, poker in specific, and computers, all of which are available on Amazon.

*Sardis' caricatures are Barry Manilow, Tom Hanks and Ed Asner