Tuesday, December 8, 2020 Ed Sessa

The Third Rock from the Sun.  The rearrange the letters in the circles and you get the word EARTH.

 17-Across. Creator of unique gallery pieces: NICHE ARTIST.

24-Across. "Louder, please": I CAN'T HEAR YOU.

51-Across. Free on request: FOR THE ASKING.

63-Across. Motorcyclist's state-of-the-art gear: SMART HELMET.

And the Unifier:

39-Across. TV soap for 54 years ... and a hint to the puzzle circles: AS THE WORLD TURNS.

The unifier was my last fill.  I don't know soap operas.  My grandmother used to watch The Young and the Restless, so that is the only one I am familiar with.  I had heard of As The World Turns, however.  The circled letters spell the word HEART, so I was trying to come up with a soap opera that includes some reference to a heart.  I laughed when I realized that letters in the circles also spell EARTH.

Across:

1. Pete Seeger's instrument: BANJO.  Pete Seeger (May 3, 1919 ~ Jan. 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist.  You can learn to play the Banjo with Pete Seeger.

6. Biblical song: PSALM.  The biblical Book of Psalms is made up of religious verses and songs, many of which are attributed to the biblical King David.

11. Chocolate dog: LAB.  The Labrador Retriever, not the candy.

14. Hunter in the night sky: ORION.  When you connect the stars, it is easy to see the constellation.

15. Radio station, e.g.: AIRER.

16. Physicians' gp.: AMA.  As in the American Medical Association.

19. Jake Tapper's channel: CNN.  Jack Tapper (né Jacob Paul Tapper; b. Mar. 12, 1969) is the Chief Washington correspondent for CNN.  He is also the host of a weekly show on the channel.

20. Adam's first home: EDEN.

21. Neptune's domain: SEA.  In addition to being the name of a planet, Neptune was the Roman god of the sea.  The Greek counterpart was known as Poseidon.

22. "Amen": SO BE IT.

27. Cry out loud: SOB.

30. Make a choice: OPT.

31. Ctrl+Z, in Windows: UNDO.

32. Ruin's companion: WRACK.

34. Blonde or pale beverage: ALE.  Your guide to Beers and Ales and a CSO to Lemonade's son.

35. Slime: GOOP.  Also the name of a company founded by Gwyneth Paltrow.

43. Mug for a selfie: POSE.

44. Nile viper: ASP.  Legend has it that an ASP killed Cleopatra.

45. Race prelims: HEATS.  Ever wonder why the term Heat?

46. Behaves: ACTS.

48. One of two for a downhill run: SKI.  Because just 1 ski would be a snowboard.

50. Movie filming site: LOT.

56. Playground bully, e.g.: ABUSER.

57. Butter square: PAT.  How much is a Pat of Butter?

58. Waikiki Beach location: OAHU.  I would really like to be on the beach about now.

62. "Little Birds" author Anaïs: NIN.  Her full name was Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmel (Feb. 21, 1903 ~ Jan. 14, 1977).  She was a French-Cuban diarist and novelist.  She is best known for her short stories and erotica.  Little Birds falls into the latter category.  It is a collection of short stories.  Although the book was published in 1979, it was written in the 1940 when she was known for writing pornography.  She pops up in crosswords with some frequency.  In fact, she visited us just yesterday.

66. First day of spring, in Hanoi: TET.

67. Conical plains shelter: TEPEE.

68. Car alarm sound: BLARE.

69. Biblical beast of burden: ASS.

70. Scornful look: SNEER.

71. Modern storage units: BYTES.

Down:

1. Tibia or humerus: BONE.  One from the leg and the other in the arm.

2. Dry as a desert: ARID.  I love this photograph.  If you look closely, you will see that the "camels" are actually their shadows.  The photo is looking directly down on the camels.

3. Naughty's opposite, to Santa: NICE.  A NICE CSO to our dear Argyle.

4. First of 21 Popes: JOHN I.  Apparently, there is considerable confusion as to the actual number of Popes named John.  The number varies according to how one counts, and there were numbering errors in the middle ages.

5. Number that's its own square root: ONE.  When was the last time you needed to know the square root of a number?

6. Mother or grandmother, e.g.: PARENT.

7. Occupy, as a desk: SIT AT.

8. Phoenix MLB team, on scoreboards: ARI.  The team is known as the Diamond Backs.

9. Eased: LESSENED.

10. "The Wind in the Willows" amphibian: MR. TOAD.  The Wind in the Willows is a classic children's novel.  It was written in 1908 by Kennety Grahame (Mar. 8, 1859 ~ July 6, 1932).  The novel focuses on 4 anthropomorphised animals:  Mr. Toad, Rat, Mole and Mr. Badger.

11. Cagney's TV partner: LACEY.  Mary Beth Lacey and Chris Cagney were NYPD officers in a detective serise that ran in the 1980s.  Lacey was played by Tyne Daly (née Ellen Tyne Daly; b. Feb. 21, 1946).  Cagney was actually played by several actresses, but for most of the series, was portrayed by Sharon Gless (née Sharon Marguerite Gless; b. May 31, 1943).

12. OB/GYN procedure: AMNIO.  As in an amniocentesis, which is a medical procedure used to diagnose chromosomal abnormalities, fetal infections and sex determination.

13. African language group: BANTU.

18. "Instantly!" letters: ASAP.

23. Irish accent: BROGUE.  You, too, can learn to speak with an Irish Brogue.

25. Pepsi rival: COKE.  I don't drink much soda, but I would go with Coke.

26. Main body of the Constitution?: HULL.  My favorite clue of the puzzle.  The USS Constitution, also known as Old Iron Sides

, is sitting in Boston Harbor.

27. Give and take: SWAP.

28. Thereabouts: OR SO.

29. Ones hanging out in caves: BATS.

33. Ignores the rules: CHEATS.

34. Dada co-founder: ARP.  Our old friend Jean Arp (né Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp; Sept. 16, 1886 ~ June 7, 1966) is back.  We haven't seen him in quite a while.

36. Like some traditions: ORAL.

37. Not fooled by: ON TO.  I am not fooled by this clue and answer.

38. Hissed "Over here!": PSST!

40. Guys in the fishing business, e.g.: WATERMEN.  Waterman is the name of a company that makes fine writing instruments.

41. Mount of Greek myth: OSSA.

42. Pizza crust order: THIN.  Yummers!

47. Places for ribs: CHESTS.

48. One doing axels: SKATER.

49. Kin's partner: KITH.  Kith and Kin is becoming a crossword staple.

51. Fruity soda brand: FANTA.  Lots of fruit flavors.

52. Village Voice awards: OBIES.  The Obies are the Off-Broadway Theater Awards.

53. Littlest littermates: RUNTS.

54. "Shop 'til you drop" affair: SPREE.

55. "Wowie!": GOLLY.

59. Amo, amas, __: AMAT.  Today's Latin lesson.

60. "Take it!": HERE.

61. Tribe with a state named for it: UTES.  Can you guess the State?

64. Impersonate: APE.

65. Tidal flow: EBB.

Here's the Grid:

Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate!

But please, do not light your cat's whisker's on fire!

Notes from C.C.:

Happy birthday to Jazzbumpa (Ron), who's been entertaining us with his wit and wisdom for many years. Ron spends enormous time on his each write-up, explaining each theme in details and trying to extract every bit of wordplay. He's also quietly endured many blog glitches over the years. Just a few weeks ago, he lost his whole write-up due to a Copy/Paste glitch and had to start all over again. Thanks for all you do for us, Ron.

Monday December 7, 2020 Matt McKinley

Theme: WOODY ALLEN FILMS. (37. What the answers to starred clues are (their creator turned 85 this month):

17. *The City, to New Yorkers (1979): MANHATTAN.

21. *Surprise hit (1973): SLEEPER.

50. *Cream pie fruit (1971): BANANAS.

58. *Concerns of some decorators (1978): INTERIORS.

Boomer here.

I only know of one other whose name is Woody.  His last name is Woodpecker. I proposed similar themes to C.C. before, she rejected them as "too listy".

Across: 

1. __-ran: loser: ALSO.

5. Hop-jump connection: SKIP. Minnesota's favorite son SKIP Humphrey was a son of Hubert and Muriel and served as Minnesota's Attorney General years ago. 

9. Crossing the keel: ABEAM.

14. Casual greetings: HEYS.  Never liked it, sounds like Hay.

15. Give the job to: HIRE.  It seems the Detroit Lions will be looking to HIRE a coach.

16. Full of sediment: SILTY.

19. Unisex designer fragrance: CK ONE.  Calvin Klein stuff - too expensive for me.

20. Fugitive: ESCAPEE.  "The Fugitive" a great movie - made Harrison Ford a few dollars.

23. On __ way: sent: ITS.      

24. 52-Acrosses, often: INSETS.  I used to put my baseball cards IN SETS.

25. "Help me out, buddy": BE A PAL.  We got a thing from Pay PAL today offering some kind of credit card.  That's one of the last things I need.

29. Like paper clips: BENT.

31. Wedding site: ALTAR.

32. Roof edge: EAVE.  Holding on to the gutters.

33. Bridal party's platform: DAIS.  Been a long time for me.  Do they still play "Here comes the Bride"?

40. Gloss targets: LIPS.

41. Los Angeles NFLers: RAMS.  8 wins so far - Pretty good!

42. Knight's "shining" protection: ARMOR.

43. Depend (on): RELY.  RELY on - I think it's a Credit Union in Texas.

44. T-bones, e.g.: STEAKS.  I've been eating turkey for a week.  Looks like a ham for Christmas.

45. Mental sharpness: ACUMEN.

49. Speedometer abbr.: MPH.  This new Santa Fe we bought has a big round instrument in the dashboard panel.  Besides a traditional speedometer needle though, It just pops my speed up in big numbers.

52. Local traveler's aid: AREA MAP.  I am not sure if they are still around.  I think folks just use their phones.

57. Come up: ARISE.  "All RISE" Aaron Judge is coming to bat.  Back in the day, Harmon Killebrew's nick name was the Killer.  I think All Rise is one of the best nicknames in baseball.

60. One of two in "George": SOFT G.  One of three of Seinfeld's friends.

61. Costa __: RICA.

62. Spreadsheet contents: DATA.

63. "Family Ties" mother: ELYSE. Keaton - No relation to Buster.

64. How many TV shows air: IN HD.  I can never tell the difference.  Maybe my set is too old, like me.

65. Editor's "Leave it in": STET.

Down:

1. Sighed words: AH ME.  Win a door prize at a bowling banquet and it's AAHHH ME!!

2. Pastures: LEAS.

3. Match, as sound and video: SYNC.  A place to wash dishes. I never was too good at spelling.

4. Workplace standards org.: OSHA. "Occupational Safety and Health Act".  Made a big difference in Graybar warehouses nationwide.

5. "Fiddler on the Roof" village: SHTETL.

6. Windy day toys: KITES.  Yep, I had one or two every Spring.  We went up to the baseball field, away from KITE eating trees.  We never saw Charlie Brown there.

7. Nest egg letters: IRA.  Still waiting for it to hatch.

8. Ink holders: PENS.  Also pig holders

9. Journey up the mountain: ASCENT.  Elevator -"Going Up ?"

10. Workout equipment with pedals: BIKES.

11. Wed in Vegas, perhaps: ELOPE.  Never had time. Too busy at craps.  C.C. would not like a crappy wedding anyway.

12. Where many tennis winners are hit: AT NET.  I thought they had to go OVER the net.

13. Austin Powers portrayer Mike: MYERS.

18. Collection of beehives: APIARY.  Becoming scarce in Minnesota.  Bees do not like our weather.

22. Tablecloth material: LINEN.

25. Chastise, with "out": BAWL.  Change the A to an O and go out. 

26. "The Time Machine" post-humans: ELOI.

27. Perched on: ATOP.

28. Knee protectors: PADS.  I have a Copper Fit to wear when I bowl or play golf.  Not really a pad, more like a stiff brace. 

Boomer with his Copper Fit

29. Mild, as weather: BALMY.  I would not call it BALMY, but Minnesotans have been lucky this year. Most days are still above freezing.

30. Days before holidays: EVES.  Christmas and New Year's.  I did not hear of Veterans or Thanksgiving Eve.

32. Airline with an all-kosher menu: EL AL.

33. Desperate: DIRE.

34. __ mater: ALMA.

35. Assurance from one who's not hurt: I'M OK.  I'M OK to golf and bowl.  Doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt though.

36. Old pol. divisions: SSRS.  Super Seniors - That's me.

38. Big sports venue: ARENA.  We have a "Target Center" for the Wolves, and "Target Field" for the Twins.  I wonder how much Target paid to have their name there. Target is a spin off from retail Dayton's owned by the family of former Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton.  Dayton's was acquired by Macy's so now it's too expensive for us.  We still go to Target.

39. Sire: FATHER.

43. Go back (on): RENEGE.

44. Butter or jam: SPREAD.  Or Peanut Butter on Ritz crackers.

45. Put down nastily: ABASE. Or slid into nastily by Jackie Robinson and others.

46. Song sung house-to-house: CAROL.  "It came upon a midnight clear, that glorious song of old."

47. Bring together: UNIFY.  Those old time Christmas Carols bring many families together. 

48. Crow's nest holders: MASTS.

49. Fire starter: MATCH.

51. Rival of Alexa?: SIRI.  Hey SIRI - Where can I get a vaccine?

53. Lends a hand: AIDS.

54. Castle trench: MOAT.

55. Works in un museo: ARTE.  Mr. Johnson on Laugh-in. Loved Goldie Hawn.

56. 10th-grader's exam, for short: PSAT.

59. Diarist Anaïs: NIN.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

Chairman Moe (Chris) and I made today's WSJ puzzle. You can click here to solve. Congrats on your WSJ debut, Chris!

Sunday December 6, 2020 Paul Coulter

Theme:  "Cel Mates" - The first word in each theme entry is a Disney character.

22. Disney dog serving in Congress?: LADY OF THE HOUSE. Lady and the Tramp.

34. Dale's brother, away from their home turf?: CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK. Chip and Dale.

49. One of Snow White's pals acting shellfish-ly?:  HAPPY AS A CLAM.  Seven Dwarfs.

68. Franchises owned by Donald's girlfriend?: DAISY CHAINS.  Donald Duck and Daisy Duck.

88. Kitchen cooker belonging to 22-Across' beau?: TRAMP STEAMER. Lady and the Tramp.

97. Plans made by Bambi's skunk buddy?: FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS. The skunk Flower in "Bambi".

120. Hoggett's pig strolling on a forest path?: BABE IN THE WOODS. Hoggett is the farmer in "Babe".

I chuckled at the puzzle title. Paul might be inspired to make this puzzle while taking care of his grandkids.

I noticed that Paul does not seem to mind going over 78 for his total black square count. Has any editor ever objected to your 82 black squares, Paul? Maybe I should do the same. In a few of my previous puzzles, 80 or 82 would have give me smoother fill.

Across:

1. Nicaraguan president Daniel: ORTEGA. Here with Fidel Castro. Long political life.

 

7. Elaborate dos: COIFS.

12. Complicated situations: MESSES.

18. Brit's editorial: LEADER. Did not know this.

19. Formally disciplined: WROTE UP.

21. Clothing: ATTIRE.

24. Nova __: SCOTIA.

25. "Ah, me!": ALAS.

26. Spring zodiac sign: ARIES. Can't wait for the next spring. I want to linger in stores and touch things.

27. Mil. decorations: DSCS. DSC = Distinguished Service Cross.

29. Put up: ERECT.

30. Dorm, briefly: RES.

31. Part of FNMA?: MAE.

32. Assumed the role of: ACTED AS.

42. Name near the top of a "Citizen Kane" movie poster: ORSON.

43. Bed-and-breakfast, maybe: INN.

44. Lord's Prayer start: OUR.

45. "If all __ fails ... ": ELSE.

54. Surveillance tactic: STAKE OUT.

56. Photo __: OPS.

57. City near Provo: OREM.

58. Arch type: OGEE. Like this shape.

60. O, The __ Magazine: OPRAH.

61. Fernando's fire: FUEGO.

62. URL intro: HTTP.

64. Suffice: SERVE.

65. Trendy berry: ACAI. You can get the unsweetened açaí puree packets at Trader Joe's.

73. Line holder: REEL.

74. Gets thinner: BALDS.

76. Big name in pet food: IAMS.

77. Sweatshirt options: HOODS.

79. Bear: ABIDE.

80. Egyptian Christian: COPT.

82. Sign of cooking: ODOR. Odor can be good or bad. AROMA is always good.

83. Well put: APT.

86. Games category: TABLETOP.

93. "Night" author Wiesel: ELIE.

94. Baseball card stat.: RBI.

95. Trick taker, often: ACE. Card game, right?

96. "Rolling in the Deep" singer: ADELE.

104. Subject of 2001's "Blow": COCAINE.

107. "Bravo!": OLE.

108. Tide competitor: ERA.

109. Battery part: ANODE.

110. Chowder order: BOWL. Ah, I can't take cream. I love this type of bowlful in Guangzhou. That deep red thing is date. Cantonese like to put a few dates or figs in their soup. A few Goji berries. A few slices of ginger. No blending or mixing. You can clearly see what you're eating. Food integrity!

112. Informal byes: CIAOS.

114. Heave-ho: BOOT.

118. Enigma: RIDDLE.

123. Feral feline: OCELOT.

124. Developing: IN UTERO.

125. Perfect spot: UTOPIA. Thought of Tibet. Probably because I always associate Tibet with Shangri-la. 

126. Moistens overnight, maybe: BEDEWS.

127. Backgammon piece: STONE.

128. Quarterback, at times: PASSER.

Down:

1. Cantina cooker: OLLA.

2. Authentic: REAL.

3. "Et voilà!": TA DA.

4. Big name in ice cream: EDY'S.

5. Old Metro maker: GEO.

6. Sounds from a kennel: ARF ARF.

7. Manitoba tribe: CREE.

8. Fireworks reactions: OOHS. Stunning, Anon-T!

9. "Who am __ judge?": I TO.

10. Like some laws or lords: FEUDAL.

11. Figured (out): SUSSED. When in doubt, "Hi, Tom!".

12. More, in Madrid: MAS.

13. "And so on and so forth," for short: ETC ETC.

14. Shop owners: STOREKEEPERS.

15. Located: SITED.

16. "Fear of Flying" author Jong: ERICA. Wiki says she has been married four times. Her second husband is Allan Jong, a Chinese American psychiatrist. Jong and Chung (as in Connie Chung) is the same character.

17. Capacity count: SEATS.

19. Bridge ancestor: WHIST.

20. Ab neighbor: PEC.

23. Not kosher: TREF. Jewish law. For Muslims, not Halal is HARAM.

28. Manual gesture of respect: SALUTE.

31. "__ Lisa": MONA.

33. "Cooking From the Hip" chef Cat __: CORA.

34. Silver salmon: COHO.

35. '60s civil rights activist __ Brown: H RAP. Learning moment for me. H stands for his given name Hubert.

36. Xfinity and MSN: ISPS.

37. Suddenly appear, with "up": POP.

38. "This round's __": ON YOU.

39. Minute Maid brand: HI C. Never had it.

40. Blowup: Abbr.: ENL.

41. Audio giant: BOSE.

46. "Casablanca" actor Peter: LORRE.

47. Urbane: SUAVE.

48. Singing Merman: ETHEL.

50. Cézanne's "Boy in __ Vest": A RED.

51. Dreamcast maker: SEGA.

52. Mine, in Metz: A MOI.

53. Closet pests: MOTHS.

55. Ali's 37: KOS.

59. 3.0, e.g.: Abbr.: GPA.

61. Nonsense: FIDDLE FADDLE. Is this a common saying? Never heard of it.

62. Marriott rival: HYATT.

63. Channel showing many old MGM and RKO films: TCM.

65. Let up: ABATE.

66. Plotting ring: CABAL.

67. One can help you get off: ALIBI.

69. Bit of a draft: SIP.

70. Its four-word name was reduced to four letters in 1973: IHOP. Good to know. Always thought it's just called IHOP.

71. Okays: NODS.

72. Sweep's target: SOOT.

75. "Comprende?": SEE.

78. King's iconic vision: DREAM.

80. All-natural flytrap: COBWEB. All-natural, ha!

81. Five-year-old Ron Howard first played him in 1960: OPIE.

83. "Absolutely!": AMEN.

84. Bombard: PELT.

85. Chic modifier: TRES. The French It girl Jeanne Damas.

87. 1982 Disney sci-fi film: TRON.

89. Red inside: RARE.

90. Unlike this ans.: ACR. Across.

91. __ culpa: MEA.

92. Citrus drink suffix: ADE.

98. Hide: LIE LOW.

99. Mountain ash trees: ROWANS. Also new to me. Pretty.

100. Nearly entirely: ALL BUT.

101. "Cool!": NEATO.

102. David who played Rhoda's husband Joe: GROH.  Also stranger to me.

103. Relax: EASE UP.

104. Chocolate substitute: CAROB.

105. Chilled: ON ICE.

106. In need of deciphering: CODED.

111. Kimono sash: OBI.

112. Diez squared: CIEN. 100.

113. About, on a memo: IN RE.

114. Barrage from bleacher "birds": BOOS.

115. "Uh-oh!": OOPS.

116. Yellow comics dog: ODIE.

117. Bygone despot: TSAR.

119. UFO crew: ETS.

121. DDE's WWII domain: ETO.

122. Org. for the Williams sisters: WTA.

Happy 83rd birthday to dear Lucina, who's been with our blog for over 10 years. I met with Lucina and her sisters 8 years ago in Mall of America. You can see more pictures here. Lucina is very tight with her sisters.