Saturday, July 4, 2020, Julian Lim

Themeless Saturday by Julian Lim

Another fine puzzle from our Singapore professor Julian Lim. As I look at his specialties at Duke University - University of Singapore I can find many traits of mine that could use remediation

Here is Professor Lim's tweet about a recent investigation of his: We did a non-inferiority analysis comparing group training via videoconferencing during the Covid-19 pandemic with similar content delivered in-person this year and last year. Abstract

After you digest that, here is an analysis of Julian's puzzle on the 244th birthday of our country.

Across:

1. Reward for giving, perhaps: TOTE BAG - How do I get this one?

8. Usually not eligible for tenure, as a professor: ADJUNCT - I was an ADJUNCT prof once and the dean came in to see why my adult students were laughing. He had never heard laughter from that room before

15. In sum: OVERALL.

16. Heedless of the consequences: BRASHLY.

17. Dug: WAS INTO

18. "The Meyerowitz Stories" co-star: SANDLER - I can easily recognize four of this group of five from the show. 

19. Xenomorphs, e.g.: ETS - Sigourney Weaver's antagonists in the Alien movies. Here under happier conditions.

20. Switch positions often: JOB HOP - Me? Not so much as I taught for 42 years and have subbed for 8.

22. Razor handle: ATRA - ATRA is the name, or handle, for this Gillette product  which has also has, uh, a handle and we see here often

23. Uses for snoozes: LIES ON - Lily LIES ON about anything in our house

25. Not lots: A FEW.

27. German article: EIN - This speech still gives me chills (irrespective of how some translate it)

28. Out of __: SORTS.

29. Range makeup: Abbr.: MTS - A range of MounTainS 

30. Make official: ENACT.

32. Tandoori bread: NAN - NAN bread being cooked in clay cylindrical oven called a tandoor 

33. "Looks to be the case": SO IT SEEMS

35. Safari, say: IPHONE APP - Safari is also the browser I use on my MacBook

37. Au naturel: UNCLOTHED - Reminiscent of yesterday's discussion about nudists and face masks

39. Racing Unsers: ALS - You'd have to blow up this image to see AL senior in the second generation and AL junior in the third generation 

42. Lectured: SPOKE.

43. Mate: PAL.

44. Flabbergast: FLOOR.

46. Sch. with a Phoenix campus: ASU - 13 minute drive between these the Phoenix and Tempe campuses 

47. "Ashes" (2018) singer: DION - The voice of an angel How old am I? The first DION singer for me is DION and the Belmonts

49. Shaky start?: SEISMO - The latest earthquakes in the USA as determined by SEISMOeters

50. Things to pick: NITS - We can have quite a crop here on certain days

52. Like some dramatic refueling: MIDAIR - Could you clean the windshield too?

54. Some tech sch. grads: EE'S - Electrical Engineers. Don't we have some Double E majors here?

55. Hip: CLUED IN.

57. 2010s TV series that explores hacktivism: MR. ROBOT.

59. More than vex: TORMENT.

60. Opposite of a scenic route: BEE LINE - From Orlando International, we took the BEE LINE west toward Disney or east toward KSC (corrected - hg)

61. Frames on a diamond: INNINGS.

62. Whole number: INTEGER.

Down:

1. Drying agents: TOWELS.

2. Standing acclaim, at times: OVATION - One that's hard to earn

3. Mosaic piece: TESSERA - An 800-yr-old Byzantine example of TESSERAS beautifully arranged despite wear

4. "__ tu": Verdi aria: ERI. "ERI tu che macchiavi quell'anima" (It was you who sullied that soul)

5. Pete Seeger wrote a book on how to play five-string ones: BANJOS.

6. Brown in the kitchen: ALTON - Not sauté it appears

7. Jell-O serving, say: GLOB - How many GLOBS in a cup?

8. Strong core components: ABS OF STEEL.

9. Fall loosely: DRAPE - An example on our deck

10. 1, at times: Abbr.: JANuary

11. Food and Nutrition Service org.: USDA - USDA inspectors who wear this badge have coveted jobs in this meatpacking town

12. Minnesota Wild, for one: NHL TEAM.

13. Mullahs or ministers: CLERICS.

14. Very tough boss: TYRANT - Who was worse than Ebenezer Scrooge?

21. Deferentially: HAT IN HAND - "Make your words sweet as you may have to eat them someday"

24. Dancer's boss, informally: ST NICK - Rudolph's too

26. Cry: WEEP 

29. Irrelevancies: MOOT POINTS - Your plane has already left, so why you missed the plane is a MOOT POINT.

31. Katmandu native: NEPALI.

33. "The Chi" airer, briefly: SHO - (the shy) chronicles life on the south side of Chicago

34. Blue: SAD.

36. Beseeched: PLED - A fun song from Godspell (hg)

37. 20th Greek letter: UPSILON - Can you name the two other 7-letter Greek letters?

38. Sign with a crossed-out horseshoe-shaped arrow: NO U TURN 

40. Take a licking: LOSE BIG.

41. "__ Like You": Adele hit: SOMEONE - Video in black and white

42. __ Spíritus: Cuban city meaning "Holy Spirit": SANCTI - This city of 465,00 is at least a four-hour drive from Havana

44. Polecat relative commonly kept as a pet: FERRET - I only had to let one kid bring his to class before I realize they have an unpleasant odor too.

45. Team listing: ROSTER - 1961 Yankee ROSTER. 

48. Using WhatsApp, say: IMING - My Apple IMING (Instant Messaging) works fine

49. Fire engine feature: SIREN - My hometown used a SIREN to summon volunteer firemen and also tell us when it was 7, 12 and 6 o'clock

51. Highway behemoth: SEMI.

53. Both ways at the start?: AMBI - Zach Galifianakas as an AMBIdextrous flute player on SNL

56. Man cave, for some: DEN.

58. World Cup "Way to go!": OLE.

Comments for Julian?

Friday, July 3, 2020, David Alfred Bywaters

Title: This puzzle is similar to an animal I used to know.

David debuted here in 2016 and has more than 20 LAT publications. His first 10 were all Fridays and all written up by yours truly. Since then I have cut back and missed many Friday DABs though I did blog one about the time of his third anniversary last December. This time he uses animal species and repurposes them by using some common phrases that made them sound classier. The "-ine" suffix works for more than animals but boy there are many animals. A sampling: accipitrine – hawk, eagle; aedine or anopheline – mosquito; alcelaphine or antilopine – antelopes; anatine – ducks, geese, swans; anguine or elapine – snake; anserine – geese; aquiline – eagle; assinine – donkey; avine – birds; bovine – cattle; cancrine – crab; canine – dog; cervine – deer; cetacine – whales; columbine – doves, pigeons; corvine – crow; delphinine or delphine – dolphins; equine – horse; elaphine – deer; elaphantine – elephant; ermine – weasel; feline – cat; hippotigrine – zebras; hircine – goat; hominine – human; lacertine – lizards; leonine – lion; leporine – rabbit, hare; leopardine – leopards; lupine – wolf; lutrine – otters; lyncine – lynxes; macropine – kangaroos; meline – badgers; murine – rodent; noctilionine or pteropine – bats; ovine – sheep; pavonine – peacock; phocine – seals; piscine – fish; porcine – pig; rusine – deer; sciurine – squirrel; serpentine – snake; ursine – bear; vulpine – fox.

The theme:

17A. Horse sense?: EQUINE AWARENESS (15). Literal.

23A. Cattle call?: BOVINE SUMMONS (13). Literal.

39A. Cat's paw?: FELINE EXTREMITY (15). Literal.

49A. Fox hole?: VULPINE CAVITY (13). Literal.

61A. Hog wash?: PORCINE ABLUTION (15). Literal.

He presented them with three grid-spanners and two 13s. Also, he snuck in MELANIN, REUTERS, BLUEBELLS, and DIRTY MIND as fun fill. Both in blue are new to the LAT. So on to the grid.

Across:

1. Abate: EBB. And flow.

4. Brit. detective's rank: INSPector. They are often the foils for the unofficial detectives such as LESTRADE from Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and JAPP from Christie's Poirot. A perhaps little known fact,  DAVID SUCHET the iconic Poirot got his acting introduction to Agatha Christie playing Japp opposite the dreadful Peter Ustinov portrayal of Poirot.

8. Gastropod associated with traditional mail: SNAIL. Rhyme time.

13. It may result in an RBI: DBL. Double.

14. Staircase post: NEWEL. My first mother-in-law (may she rest in peace) was born with Newell as her maiden name.

16. Lead-in for jet or Tax: TURBO.

20. Tiny fraction of a min.: N-SEC.

21. Gas pump choice: DIESEL. Counterintuitive? Is diesel gas? Doesn't come out of a different pump?

22. Witness: SEE. With cell phones, we see so much.
26. Act part: SCENE. This is from the mid 16th century (denoting a subdivision of a play, or (a piece of) stage scenery): from Latin scena, from Greek skēnē ‘tent, stage’.

28. Piper's son of rhyme: TOM.
TOM, TOM, THE PIPER’S SON
Tom, Tom, the piper’s son,
Stole a pig, and away he run,
The pig was eat,
And Tom was beat,
And Tom ran crying down the street.

29. Afflicted: ILL.

30. Force oneself (on): IMPOSE. Very controversial words.

35. Gds.: MDSE. Goods equal merchandise, with these days is merch.

42. Lob: TOSS. I assume it started in tennis, which was interesting because I had a Professor of English, a former Davis Cup player from New Zealand, named JOHN LOBB. I often babysat for his daughter Hannah. When we played tennis, I seldom returned a serve.

43. Least strict: LAXEST. Nothing to do with the airport.

44. Bread grain: RYE. But it can make ergot, he said wryly.

45. Actress Thurman: UMA. She appears considerably more often in puzzles than in movies.

47. "¿Cómo está __?": USTED. Good morning Lucy.

56. Lincoln, familiarly: ABE. No politics.

57. Inventor Tesla: NIKOLA. Didn't I just discuss the rivalry with Edison?

58. Austen's aspiring matchmaker: EMMA.

64. Online financial services pioneer: E-LOAN.

65. "Nature's soft nurse," to Shakespeare: SLEEP. Henry IV
"O gentle sleep,
Nature’s soft nurse,
how have I frighted thee..."

66. "You're __ me": NOT. Good thing for both of us.

67. Wasp's assault: STING. No comment; too political.

68. Collections: SETS. Also Tennis divisions.

69. MASH staff: DRS. Doctors, such vital people in these difficult times.

Down:

1. Paradise: EDEN. I recently met a lovely young lady named Eden, I wondered if she had eaten an apple.

2. Backyard parties, briefly: BBQs. With no open restaurants, they are very popular here. They often need charcoal 53D. Briquettes: COALS.
3. Flowers named for their color: BLUEBELLS. Also PROTECTED in Britain.

4. Place to stay: INN. But not OUTT.

5. "Then live, Macduff; what __ fear of thee?": Macbeth: NEED I.
A double dose of Will S. JW must be proud.

6. Suffix with boat or cox: SWAIN.

7. Small bird with a small-sounding name: PEWEE. He has a very self-confident look. Cutie.

8. Sailor's guardian: ST ELMO. Fire sale?

9. Cloistered female: NUN.

10. Riposte to "Am not!": ARE SO.



11. "A Doll's House" dramatist: IBSEN. All you need to KNOW.

12. Doesn't prevail: LOSES.

15. Highlands miss: LASS. With all due respect to Owen and Moe

An indolent cleric frae May
His roses allowed to decay.
His wife, more alert,
Bought a powerful squirt
And said to her spouse : "Let us spray".

18. Wikipedia's globe, say: ICON.

19. News service since 1851: REUTERS.

24. Blood carrier: VEIN.

25. Campbell jingle letters: MMMM. Good!

26. Go (through) carefully: SIFT.

27. Egyptian queen, familiarly: CLEOpatra. I seriously doubt she was ever called that, though it sounds like a good name for a psychic.

31. Skin pigment: MELANIN. Melanin is a complex polymer derived from the amino acid tyrosine. Melanin is responsible for determining skin and hair color.

32. Spherical legume: PEA. Princess and a...

33. Tic-tac-toe loser: OXX.

34. Jeanne d'Arc, e.g.: Abbr.: STE. French abbreviation for a female saint. Joan of Arc.

36. Lascivious mental state: DIRTY MIND. Too un-pc.

37. Ophthalmologist's concern: STYE. Weird next to...

38. Looked at carefully: EYED.

40. Has arisen: IS UP. Too religious.

41. Needle case: ETUI. Not "et ui."

46. One of the 3M Company's M's, originally: MINING. Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing. CSO to Boomer and C.C.

48. Editorial reconsideration word: STET.

49. Absorbs nicotine smokelessly: VAPES. Uggh.

50. Letter-shaped fastener: UBOLT.

51. "Vive __!": LE ROI. Long live the King!

52. Manages to attain, with "out": EKES.

54. Edward who wrote, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?": ALBEE.

55. Parking lot employee: VALET. I always get so embarrassed dressing in the parking lot.

59. Secure in a harbor: MOOR. Poor Othello.

60. Hill-building insects: ANTS. Are they talking Capitol Hill? No, too political.

62. Soup holder: CAN. Cannot.

63. Increases: UPS. The ante. and the number of the final down clue is also the number of theme squares in this 15x15. 63 is impressive. Have a very safe 4th of July; Thank you DAB and C.C.  forever.

Thursday, July 2nd 2020 Paul Coulter

Theme: The Cruciverbalist's Lament.

16A. "No idea": HOW SHOULD I KNOW?

26A. "No idea": I'M STUMPED. Interesting word, "stump". There are a ton of different meanings beyond the tree stump. You stump up for something when you pay, a politician stumps on the campaign trail. This batsman has just been stumped playing cricket:

38A. [No idea]: SHRUG. Note the brackets around the clue to indicate a gesture.

51A. "No idea": IT BEATS ME

60A. "No idea": I DON'T HAVE A CLUE

Paul sings us the song of the sad crossword solver today. Five theme entries indicated by the common clue, and together forming a tide of woeful ignorance.

The puzzle itself was pretty straightforward (for me, anyway). There's some good stuff in the fill and some nice long entries in the downs to keep things entertaining. Nice job from Mr. Coulter. Let's go for a wander:

Across:

1. Indian noblewoman: RANI

5. Pressure meas.: P.S.I. Pound force per Square Inch. There are many kinds of measurements of pressure - newtons, pascals, atmospheres, all kinds of goodies.

8. Little lies: FIBS

12. Like port, usually: AGED. Technically, a wine can only be called a port if it's made in Portugal's Doura region. There are a few very good California "port-style" wines. The Fairbanks brand is not amongst them, so steer well clear, the same goes for their "sherry". First law of wine - don't cook with something you wouldn't drink.

13. W. alliance since 1948: O.A.S. The Organization of American States, comprising all 35 independent states of the Americas, including the USA.

14. Southwestern grassy plain: LLANO. Here's one in Columbia:

19. Make a minister: ORDAIN

20. Soft drink nut: KOLA

22. Flings: CASTS

28. Cost of preventing deterioration: UPKEEP

30. Adhesive: PASTE

31. Protein-rich bean: SOYA

32. Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo __: EPSTEIN As GM of the Red Sox, he delivered the first World Series to Boston in 86 years, ending the "Curse of the Bambino" championship drought. What is less commonly-known is that the GM post was first offered to Billy Beane of "Moneyball" fame, who was tempted by the eye-watering salary offered by owner John Henry but elected to stay at Oakland.

John Henry should be feeling pretty good this week - he is also the majority owner of Liverpool F.C. in England, who just sealed their first championship win in the Premier League era, and their first title for 30 years dating back to the 1989/90 First Division championship. But I digress.

37. Blueprint detail, for short: SPEC.

39. Charity: ALMS

43. Wearing away gradually: ERODING

45. Greek earth goddess: GAIA. Thank you, crosswords past!

46. Autocrats of old Russia: TSARS. Is there a preferred spelling of TSAR vs CZAR? I'm not sure if one is closer to the Cyrillic original "царь" than the other.

49. 100 agorot, in Israel: SHEKEL. I'm sure if this clue was written the other way around not many people would know "agorot".

56. Dancer Castle: IRENE. Here she is modelling in 1917.

57. Strait-laced: PRIM

58. Storywriter known for irony: O. HENRY. The "O" doesn't really stand for anything, although when asked in an interview for a French newspaper, William Porter told them it was the inital for "Olivier" and it became a "fact" that the full name was "Oliver Henry".

66. Pasta often served alla vodka: PENNE. Food! Just a splash is needed to give the sauce a little bite.

67. Louis XIV, par exemple: ROI

68. Unnerve: FAZE

69. Hides the gray, maybe: DYES. Not me, I proudly sport my gray.

70. "Atlas Shrugged" writer Rand: AYN. OK, so this clue I thought was badly done - SHRUG is part of the theme, I'd have avoided reusing the root in an unrelated clue. "The Fountainhead" is an equally well-known Rand work, so I'd have used that instead. Minor nit.

71. Mattress spring: COIL

Down:

1. "Go team!": RAH!

2. Back in the day: AGO. Not my favorite. I don't associate "ago" with "back in the day".

3. Still in the package: NEW. Garage sale or eBay win - NOS - "New Old Stock", or BNIB - "Brand New In Box."

4. Fake __: ID'S

5. Not up to snuff: POOR

6. Mecca native: SAUDI

7. Religion of Mecca: ISLAM. Nice pairing of these two answers.

8. Low-tech fire starter: FLINT. In my youth, I lived in Winchester, a historic city in the south of England. The old city walls were made of flint cobbles, and we used to have fun striking sparks by bashing two pieces against each other. This is the Great Hall, flint-built; with the c1400 Round Table hanging on the wall. Not a bad wall decoration!

9. Breed: ILK. Breed? Not really, more fiefdom. I refer you to many "of that ilk" references. Instead of the belabored "Lord Clackmannan, of Clackmannan" which is a tad redundant, it was rendered "Lord Clackmannan, of that ilk". I bet you didn't expect to learn that when you woke up this morning?

10. Supervisor at a financial institution: BANK MANAGER. "Back in the day", you knew you were in trouble if you got a letter from the bank manager, usually "politely" pointing out that you had overdrawn your account.

11. Busybodies: SNOOPS. Bank Managers also.

15. Young hooter: OWLET

17. One may wind up on a fire truck: HOSE. Nice clue.

18. Bad-mouth: DIS

21. Beverage suffix: -ADE

22. Use bad words: CUSS

23. Informal pricing words: A POP

24. Largest of the Inner Hebrides: SKYE. Here's a little musical interlude - "Over the Sea to Skye". Quite a few different lyrics were set to this music. The Saltire looks grand against a blue sky.

25. Japanese ritual with an iron pot: TEA CEREMONY

27. Org. with an Odd News web page: U.P.I. United Press International, the Washington-based wire service.

29. Baja bread: PESO. Not tortilla? Nope, not enough room.

33. Scholar's deg.: PH.D

34. __ Lanka: SRI

35. Winery cask: TUN

36. French toast maker's need: EGGS

40. Victoria, for one: LAKE. The name should be reverted to the original Lake Nyanza, there's been way too many names lost to colonial flag-planters. Do you have a flag?

41. Appearance: MIEN

42. BOGO event: SALE. "Buy One, Get One". A cunning marketing ploy. Always hooks me, line and sinker, even though I hear the soundtrack in my head: "That's cunning! Stick a tail on it and call it a weasel!".

44. Cape Town's country: Abbr.: R.S.A. The Republic of South Africa. Probably another candidate for returning to pre-Colonial naming.

46. Pointed end: TIP

47. Narrow piece: STRIP

48. Tolerated: ABIDED

50. Breezy greeting: HIYA!

52. Big name in raingear: TOTES. Has the "totes adorbs" run been exhausted? Hard to keep up with the language sometimes.

53. "Use your inside voice": SHH!

54. Comedian featured in Jerry Stiller's "Married to Laughter": MEARA. Anne, Jerry's wife.

55. Official representative: ENVOY

59. Horse rider's strap: REIN

61. Shreveport-to-Little Rock dir.: N.N.E. Ah, back to the random-place-to-random-place chestnut. One moment of reprieve last week, but reverting to type with this one. Let's just agree to use the literal clue "Compass Point" from hereon. It's lame fill, and why pretend otherwise?

62. Ozone-depleting chemical: CFC. Also the initials of the soccer team I support in England, Chelsea F.C.

63. Language of Southeast Asia: LAO

64. Special forces weapon: UZI

65. Unagi, e.g.: EEL. A freshwater eel, in this case., which is what the "for example" bit is all about. All unagi are eel, but not all eel are unagi. ウナギ in Japanese.

And with the final clue making me Food! happy, here's the grid!

Steve

Note from C.C.:

Evan Birnholz, constructor for the Washington Post, just released below information:

"I am very proud to announce the release of "Grids for Good"! This is a collection of 42 crosswords and variety puzzles by 44 different constructors to raise money for coronavirus relief and as well as organizations fighting against institutional racism."

 

I'm one of the constructors. Go to "Grids for Good" for those great puzzles and support charitable causes. The puzzles are available in PDF and puz formats.

Wednesday, July 1, 2020 Bill Zagozewski

Theme: I can't do any better than the unifier, so let's drive on over there and stop safely.

65. Intersection with flashing lights and bells, for short, and a hint to this puzzle's circles: RRXING.



We have two sets of crossing theme entries, with one across and one down in each, of course. These two-word entries all have the initial R for both words, and the entries cross at the 2nd R.  If you got the two circles in your puzzle, these are the locations.

30 A. Extreme reaction to traffic: ROAD RAGE.  "Any unsafe driving maneuver performed deliberately and with ill intention or disregard for safety."
~Crossing~
10 D. Volunteer with Teddy Roosevelt: ROUGH RIDER.  A member of the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, which, ironically, would up fighting on foot.

45 A. "Standing" entrée: RIB ROAST.  A prime rib cut of beef, generally roasted "standing" on the rib bones, such that the meat does not touch the pan.
~Crossing~
29 D. "And away go troubles down the drain" company: ROTO ROOTER.  An American company founded in 1935, using a patented auger machine to clean tree roots and other debris from sewer lines. It also provides plumbing repair, sewer and drain services, and water damage cleanup services to residential and commercial customers.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here.  Rabbit, rabbit.  Now, note that the circled crossings are located symmetrically in the grid, with a 180 degree rotation.  Nice elegant touch.  Having safely encountered the RR CROSSINGS, let us now continue our journey.

Across:

1. Lion controllers: TAMERS.  Those who train lions or other big cats for use in protection or entertainment, according to Wikipedia.

7. From the U.S.: AMERican.

11. Pained cries: OWS.   I use more colorful language.

14. Spotted wildcat: OCELOT.  A medium sized cat weighing from 8 to 15 kg, native to the American southwest, Mexico, Central America and South America.  It is characterized by solid black spots and streaks on its coat, round ears, and white neck and undersides.

15. Brussels-based gp.: NATO. North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

16. Chapel bench: PEW. A long bench with a back to provide seating for the congregation.

17. Sorbetto alternative: GELATO.  Italian frozen deserts that are similar but not identical to sherbet and ice cream.

18. Hall of Fame guest of honor: INDUCTEE.   A person newly added.

20. House speaker after Ryan: PELOSI.  Nancy [b 1940] née D'Alesandro, was speaker from 2007 to 2011, and again currently, starting in January, 2019.  She represents California's 12th congressional district.

22. Coffee machine setting: GRIND.  Reduces the beans to a useful size for brewing.

23. "I'm at my __ end!": WIT'S.  Out of patience, with no more cares to give.

26. Like many flights to LAX: INTL.  International - i.e from foreign countries into Los Angeles. Travel through LAX was off by 95% in mid April.  Can't quickly find how it is doing now.

27. Skating legend Sonja: HENIE. [1912 - 1969] She was a multiple award winner in the Olympics, and European and World Championships, and movie star in the late '30's.  She died of leukemia.

28. More aloof: ICIER.  Cold.  Very, very cold.

32. '50s prez: IKE.  Dwight David Eisenhower.  [1890-1969]

33. Place to use a mitt: OVEN.  For heat protection.

35. Grafton's "__ for Evidence": E IS. From her Alphabet mystery series.

36. Went around in circles: GYRATED. Quickly spun or moved in a spiral.

38. Confound: BEDEVIL.  Confusticate and bebother, as Bilbo would have it.

42. Decompose: ROT. Come undone.

43. Suffix with gazillion: -AIRE.  One who has all that money and stuff.

44. Brian of rock: ENO. [b 1948] A self-described non-musician with several solo albums and collaborations with many others who are known as musicians.  He has also produced albums for several of them.

48. Strict precision: RIGOR.   The quality of being extremely thorough, exhaustive, or accurate, derived from the Latin word for stiffness.

50. Simply not done: TABOO.  Forbidden.

51. All-purpose vehicles, for short: UTES.  Sport utilities.

53. Sugar source: CANE.  In Michigan it's beets.

54. In __: unborn: UTERO.  In the uterus.

55. Dress down: BERATE. Angrily scold and criticize.

57. New in theaters: FIRST RUN.

59. Jalopy: BEATER.  Beaten up old vehicle

63. Vous, less formally: TOI. You, in French; and you, in French.

64. Pair on a Disney World hat: EARS.

Costumes available here

66. Federal retirement org.: SSA.  Social Security Administration.

67. Actress Russo: RENE. [b 1954] American actress, producer and model.  She was in many movies through the 90's, and more recently appeared as Thor's mother in a series of superhero movies..

68. Corrects, as text: EMENDS.

Down:

1. Dress (up): TOG.  I've heard of TOGS as fancy clothing, but not of its use as a verb.

2. Opening day pitcher, typically: ACE.  The best starting pitcher on the staff.  Opening day seems to be something we might not experience this year.

3. "Coca Cola Cowboy" singer Tillis: MEL.



4. Slip by, as time: ELAPSE.

5. Repetitive learning: ROTE.  Memorization.

6. Vodka with Razberi and Ohranj flavors: STOLI.  Short for Stolichnaya.

7. Jennifer of "The Good Girl": ANISTON. [b 1969] She is am American actress, producer and business woman who reached fame and success playing Rachel in the TV series FRIENDS.  She then went on to make a series of romantic comedy movies that I never saw.

8. Capital on Luzon: MANILA.  In the Philippines.

9. Boarding pass info: ETD.  Estimated Time of Departure.

11. Going (for): OPTING.  Making a choice among options

12. Frank on the grill: WEENIE.   AKA the hot dog.

13. Stockholm native: SWEDE.

19. Pressed-pants feature: CREASE.

21. When rights are sometimes permitted: ON RED.  A right turn at an intersection, in this regard treating the red light as a stop sign.

23. "The Martian" actress Kristen: WIIG. [b1973] She is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer who has appeared in several movies over the past decade..

24. Eww-inspiring: ICKY.  Nasty and disgusting.

25. Concert level: TIER.  Rows of seating at some elevation.

31. Antelope playmates: DEER.  On the range, where the buffalo roam.

34. Reject, presidentially: VETO.  The president's or governor's right to reject a proposed law passed by the legislature.

37. Shady alcoves: ARBORS.  A shady sitting place or pergola usually in a park or garden, surrounded by climbing shrubs, vines or other vegetation. A grove of trees.

38. Dog to avoid: BITER.  Seems like good advice

39. 1970s Chevy subcompact: VEGA.  I wanted NOVA.

40. A party to: IN ON.  Knowledgable about.

41. Passed-down history: LORE.  Knowledge and traditions passed down through the generations.

43. Equally strained: AS TENSE.

45. Proportions: RATIOS.  The quantitative relationship between two amounts.

46. Spain and Portugal comprise most of it: IBERIA. A peninsula in south-western Europe.

47. The Tigers of the SEC: AUBURN.  Teams associated with the University.

49. Climber's tool: ICE AXE.

50. Clumps of hair: TUFTS.

52. Buffalo NHLer: SABRE.  Player on the profess


ional hockey team

56. Time in office: TERM.  With specified beginning and end dates.

58. "Norma __": RAE.  A movie about southern textile mill workers.

60. Bronze component: TIN. Mostly copper with about 12% tin and sometimes smaller amounts of other metals.  Brass, more dear to me, is copper and zinc.

61. Terminate: END.  Finish

62. Some NFL blockers: RGS.  Right guards.  Those in the first position to the right of the center in the offensive line of an American football team.

That's all folks.  Hope all you well trained solvers were able to stay on track.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Steve Mossberg

The Can Can.



The first word in each theme answer can be placed before, or "open", the word Can to give us a common item often found in a kitchen.

17-Across. Open-air alehouse: BEER GARDEN.  Beer Can.

21-Across. Taunting banter between players: TRASH TALK.  Trash Can.

35-Across. Topper for a conspiracy theorist: TIN FOIL HAT.  Tin Can.

42-Across. Faux bronzing technique: SPRAY-ON TAN.  Spray Can.

56-Across. Traditional St. Patrick's Day slice: SODA BREAD.  Soda Can.  Here's a recipe for Irish Soda Bread.

And the unifier:

62-Across. Kitchen gadgets, and what the starts 17-, 21-, 35-, 42- and 56-Across are: CAN OPENERS.

Across:

1. Grating sound: RASP.

5. Self-restrained: STAID.

10. Partner of ebb: FLOW.

14. Twice tetra-: OCTA-.  Remember the Octomom, the woman who gave birth to 8 children?  Her octuplets are now 11 years old.

15. Black-and-white bamboo lover: PANDA.  China leases its Pandas to American zoos.

16. Saxophonist Coltrane named for sitarist Shankar: RAVI.  I am not familiar with Ravi Coltrane (b. Aug. 6, 1965).  He is the son of saxophonist John Coltrane (Sept. 23, 1926 ~ July 17, 1967).

19. Emergency op for choppers: EVAC.

20. Make euphoric: ELATE.

23. Green eggs lover: SAM-I-AM.  A reference to Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss.  His editor, Bennett Cerf, bet Seuss that he couldn't write a book using 50 or fewer distinct words.  The editor lost.  Green Eggs and Ham uses only 50 words.  "I do not like them, Sam-I-Am, I do not like green eggs and ham."

25. Request from: ASK OF.

26. Swing and Jazz: ERAs.  As in Swing Era or the Jazz Era.

28. Slap shot disks: PUCKS.

32. Reheats in a microwave: ZAPS.

39. "Mr. Blue Sky" rock gp.: ELO.   Also known as the Electric Light Orchestra.

40. Flimsy: TENUOUS.

41. Before, quaintly: ERE.

44. Test: EXAM.

45. Add, as a column of numbers: TOT UP.  This phrase has recently generated a lot of discussion in the puzzles.

46. TV screen types: LCDs.  As in a Liquid Crystal Display screen.

48. King's domain: REALM.

52. Cal. home of the Latino Walk of Fame: EAST L.A.

60. Showed again: RE-RAN.

61. Graven image: IDOL.

64. Screwdriver, e.g.: TOOL.  Also a drink made with Vodka and Orange Juice.  Between my junior and senior year in high school, I was admitted into a college summer program.  My roommate and I would go to the weekly concerts put on by the music department, not because we were interested in the music, but for the screwdrives that were served after the concerts.

65. Compound with a fruity aroma: ESTER.

66. Give in: CAVE.  Amazing drawings can be found in the Lascaux Cave in France.  I first visited the Lascaux Caves about 30 years ago.  We had been living in France, so were comfortable with the language, however, a tour was being offered for English speakers.  We opted for that tour.  It turned out English was the languge of all the people on the tour, but the tour guide still spoke French.  We ended up being the translator for the group.

67. Award for "Fleabag": EMMY.  I have heard of Fleabag, but never watched any episodes.

68. Sweetie pie: DEARY.

69. Series-ending abbr.: ET AL.

Down:

1. Sauna options: ROBES.  Robe or towel?

2. High-speed Northeast train: ACELA.  I learned of this train from doing the crossword puzzles.  It makes appearances from time to time.

3. Cook, as clams: STEAM.

4. Political groups: PARTIES.

5. Baden-Baden, e.g.: SPA.

6. Fruit dessert with shortcrust: TART.  Yummers!

7. "Rise Up" vocalist Day: ANDRA.  I am not familiar with Andra Day (b. Dec. 30, 1984), either.

8. Brainstorming output: IDEAS.

9. Local language, in Denmark: DANSK.  Also the name of a company that makes cookware and dinner ware.

10. Uneasy: FRETFUL.

11. Eruption content: LAVA.  //  Not to be confused with 54-Down. Cocoon dweller: LARVA.

12. Track shape: OVAL.

13. Fibrous candle feature: WICK.

18. Drive or reverse: GEAR.

22. Kachina carvers: HOPIs.  A Kachina is a spirit being in the religious beliefs of Native American cultures, including the Hopis.

24. San __: San Francisco Bay city: MATEO.

27. __ Féin: SINN.  Sinn Féin is a political party in Ireland.  The phrase Sinn Féin is Irish for We Ourselves.

29. Square cereal: CHEX.  Apparently it comes in all kinds of weird flavors now.

30. Noted Silicon Valley journalist Swisher: KARA.

31. Modern education acronym: STEM.  STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.  STEM has come under fire in recent days.

32. Citrus peel: ZEST.

33. Nestlé pet food brand: ALPO.  The name is derived from from its original manufacturer, the Allen Products Company.

34. Fortified wine from the Douro Valley: PORT.

36. It may be cracked or roasted: NUT.

37. Stable youngster: FOAL.

38. Pound part: OUNCE.

40. Easygoing, personality-wise: TYPE B.  Type A vs. Type B personalities.

43. By ear: AURALLY.

44. Heart, soul, or heart and soul: ESSENCE.

47. Truth alternative, in a game: DARE.

49. Curving: ARCED.

50. Tenant's contract: LEASE.

51. Nandi of the Georgia Aquarium, e.g.: MANTA.  Here's the story of Nandi the Manta.

53. Grab the check: TREAT.

55. Adams in galleries: ANSEL.  Ansel Easton Adams (Feb. 20, 1902 ~ Apr. 22, 1984) is best known for his beautiful black and white landscape photography.

56. Googling target: SITE.

57. Leslie __ Jr., portrayer of Burr in "Hamilton": ODOM.  Leslie Odom, Jr. (b. Aug. 6, 1981) portrayed Aaron Burr in the original Broadway production.  If you haven't seen Hamilton, I highly recommend it.  It is a great show.

58. Unhappy fate: DOOM.

59. Not just a thinker: DOER.

63. Get nosy: PRY.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  Did you know you have the right to remain silent even when you're not being arrested?  ~  Anonymous

Monday June 29, 2020 Gail Grabowski & Bruce Venzke

Theme: KEEPS AN EYE ON (55. Looks after, as suggested by the last word of 20-, 29- and 46-Across) - Synonym theme.

20. Protection for extremities during slicing and dicing: FINGER GUARDS.

29. Old-style timepieces attached to vests: POCKET WATCHES.

46. 15-season CBS drama about the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit: CRIMINAL MINDS.

Boomer here.  

I have a pocket WATCH which I never use.  I do have a wristwatch but I only wear it in Las Vegas so I can make sure when it's time to take C.C. to the buffet.  It GUARDS against losing too much $$ or my MIND. 

Across:

1. Evidence of fire: SMOKE.  My last one was a menthol, sometime around 2001.

6. Phone call enders: BYES.  "Bye, bye Miss American Pie"  (Don McClean).

10. Recedes to the sea: EBBS.  Flows the wrong way.

14. Piglike rhino relative: TAPIR.

15. Move like The Blob: OOZE.

16. Strong wind: GALE.  As in Gale Storm??

17. "__ you clever!": AREN'T.  I try to be clever, I Ain't sure.

18. Folklore meanie: OGRE.

19. Stan on the sax: GETZ.  Well known but a little before my time.

23. Long-standing dispute: FEUD.  I used to watch "Family Feud".  I liked Richard Dawson and John O'Hurley, but I am not a big fan of Steve Harvey.

24. Go public with: AIR.  I have been going a few yards AIRing out a Titleist.

25. Brewery kilns: OASTS.

33. GI chow: MRE.  Well, I used to have adjectives for GI food but MRE was not one of them.

34. Many a retired racehorse: SIRE.  I am still wondering if the Kentucky Derby will take place.

35. The "O" in OAS: Abbr.: ORG.

36. Least distant: CLOSEST.  A few holes in our golf league are marked with a prize for CLOSEST to the hole.  So far I have not cashed.

40. Coming into being: NASCENT.

42. Rude dude: CAD.  Kind of made me think of CADDIES.  I spent some time watching the Travelers tournament this past weekend.

43. Travel document: VISA.  Also a card that can get people in trouble.

45. Tropical "constrictor": BOA.  Bank Of America will issue the above mentioned cards.

50. Become frantic: PANIC.  Just push the PANIC button and all will settle down.

51. Meadowland: LEA.  "LEAn on me, when you're not strong"

52. Uses a shovel: DIGS.

59. "The Thin Man" dog: ASTA.  I don't have too say "I'm too young" very often but I never saw the movie.  I did see the TV episodes. I think Peter Lawford was "The Thin Man" in the late fifties and I remember ASTA.

62. Lacrosse targets: NETS.  Also hockey pucks and basketballs.

63. Specialized vocab: LINGO.

64. Null and __: VOID.  You may want to AVOID being VOID.

65. Like much testimony: ORAL.

66. Word with circle or city: INNER.  Don't forget tube.

67. Kibbles 'n Bits competitor: ALPO.  No dogs in our home.  No ALPO Either.

68. Agile: SPRY.

69. Colorful marble: AGATE.  Also had steelies, shooters, and peeries in the bag.

Down:

1. Employee group: STAFF.

2. Curie with two Nobels: MARIE.

3. Speak candidly: OPEN UP.  "Not by the hair on my Chinny Chinny Chin."

4. Regal realms: KINGDOMS.

5. Art Deco master: ERTE.

6. __-woogie: BOOGIE.  "He's the BOOGIE, Woogie bugle boy of company B"

7. Dannon products: YOGURTS.  I cannot remember if I ever tried it.

8. Pound who was a friend of T.S. Eliot: EZRA.  He's was a poet, but if you don't know it, maybe his feet show it.  They're Long Fellows.

9. Tea leaves reader: SEER. C.C. enjoys a cup of tea, but she never reads the leaves.  Too depressing.

10. Spider's hatching pouch: EGG SAC.

11. Main squeeze, in slang: BAE.

12. Lunch menu letters: BLT.  Very delicious and wholesome food.  Just fry the fat out of the bacon.

13. Utters, in slang: SEZ.

21. Earns lots of, as dough: RAKES IN.  I don't know about the dough. We just use the rake on garden weeds, and leaves in the fall.

22. Spoils, as a grandchild: DOTES ON.

26. Clog or loafer: SHOE.  Golf shoes are great.  They used to have metal spikes but now mine have plastic grippers on the soles.

27. Fork-tailed shorebird: TERN.

28. Army NCO: SSGT.  This is G.I. pay Grade E-6.  I only made it to E-5.  I think you need to serve longer than two years to get to E-6.

30. Narrow opening in a cliff: CREVICE.

31. Take the title: WIN.  The only current pro sport to watch now is golf.  Seems every week a different player WINs the title.

32. High-spirited horse: ARABIAN.

36. Sputnik letters: CCCP.  Speaking of  which, I have heard that the U.S. Air Force is detecting Russian planes near Alaska recently.

37. "__ Croft: Tomb Raider": LARA.

38. Top Norse god: ODIN.  If you are a SON of ODIN you probably have no problem with this puzzle.

39. Flight safety org.: TSA.  These guys (and ladies) are mostly standing around in the airport these days.  Last February, it took C.C. and I nearly an hour to get to the gate.

41. Toting clubs for a golfer: CADDYING.  This was my employment from age 14 to about 17.  It was a great job and I got to play a nice golf course every Monday.

44. MLB's Hank Aaron, e.g., in 21 seasons: ALL-STAR.  Hammerin' Hank was incredible!!

47. Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, with "The": MIKADO.  HMS Pinafore, Pirates on Penzance.  I used to be able to sing some of their stuff.

48. Pitifully small: MEASLY.

49. "Burnt" crayon color: SIENNA.  I am not sure if CRAYOLA makes this color anymore.

53. "__ it, Rover!": "Fetch!": GO GET.

54. Keep a mate awake, perhaps: SNORE.  I stayed awake all last night and I did not SNORE at all.

56. Grandson of Adam: ENOS.  A biblical name.  I am old enough to remember Enos "Country" Slaughter who played for several MLB teams.  I only remember the St. Louis Cardinals.

57. One in handcuffs, for short: PERP.

58. Kazan with an honorary Oscar: ELIA.

59. Actress Gardner: AVA.  She was one of Frank Sinatra's 30 wives.

60. Sun, in Sonora: SOL.

61. Bit of advice: TIP.  My advice is you may want to stay out of restaurants for awhile, but if you cannot resist, leave a TIP.

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

Big milestone for Barry G, who turns 50 years old today.  Barry used to be very active on our blog. Hope all's well with you and your family, Barry! Hope the in-laws are all safe and sound.

July 2, 2016