Tuesday, January 19, 2021 Andrea Carla Michael & Kevin Christian

Vowel Progress with the letter "B".

17-Across. Where Alcatraz sits: SAN FRANCISCO BAY.

23-Across. Disc sport popular on college campuses: ULTIMATE FRISBEE.

38-Across. Give-it-a-test-run advice: TRY BEFORE YOU BUY.  "I" sound with a "U" vowel.

48-Across. Storied pot-of-gold spot: END OF THE RAINBOW.

59-Across. Hiding-your-eyes parent-baby game: PLAYING PEEK-A-BOO.   "U" sound with an "O" vowel

Across:

1. Prepared, as a bed: MADE.

5. Scuttlebutt: RUMOR.

10. Col. Sanders's chain: KFC.  Formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken.  KFC seems to be very popular in Egypt.  We saw many KFC restaurants in Egypt, but chose not to eat there, opting for local fare instead.

13. Soft palate feature that translates to "little grape": UVULA.  Today's Latin lesson.  This "little grape" has become a crossword staple.  It's function is to seal off the nasal cavity from the throat during swallowing.  It works well, except when you are barfing.

15. Battery terminal: ANODE.

16. Right-angle shape: ELL.

20. Towel embroidery word: HIS.

21. Like many meds: ORAL.

22. "A __ Day's Night": Beatles song: HARD.

28. Shakespearean fairy queen: MAB.  Queen Mab is referenced in Mercutio's speech in Act I, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliette.

29. Jay of late-night TV: LENO.  Jay Leno (né James Douglas Muir Leno; b. Apr. 28, 1950) was the host of the Late Show with Jay Leno in the '90s and aughts.  I though his humor had a mean streak.

30. Lady's man: LORD.

33. "A Room of One's Own" author: WOOLF.  Virginia Woolf (née Adeline Virginia Steven; Jan. 25, 1882 ~ Mar. 28, 1941) is considered one of the most important modernist 20th century authors.  Sadly, she also suffered from depression and died by suicide at age 59.

35. Admirer: FAN.

42. Kiki, Sandra or Ruby: DEE.  Kiki Dee (née Pauline Matthews; b. Mar. 6, 1947) is a British singer; Sandra Dee (née Alexandra Zuck; Apr. 23, 1942 ~ Feb. 20, 2005) and Ruby Dee (née Ruby Ann Wallace; Oct. 27, 1922 ~ June 11, 2014) were both American actresses.

43. Brainiacs, maybe: NERDS.  Also the name of a candy.

44. Mass __: an I-90 nickname: PIKE.  The Massachusetts Turnpike is a toll road.

45. Fair: JUST.

46. "Dude!": BRO.

56. Achy: SORE.

57. What a slob makes: MESS.

58. Nitrogen-based dye: AZO.

64. Veer off course: YAW.

65. Vegan and Paleo regimens: DIETS.

66. Roadside hot dog seller: STAND.  The famous Lucky Dogs.

67. NBC staple for 45 years: SNL.  Saturday Night Live is also a crossword staple.

68. Daisy variety: OX-EYE.

69. Three in a deck: TREY.

Down:

1. __ pork: Chinese menu item: MU SHU.  Food! as our friend Steve would say.

2. To no __: in vain: AVAIL.

3. Kirsten of Spider-Man films: DUNST.  Kirsten Caroline Dunst (b. Apr. 30, 1982) also stars in On Becoming a God in Central Florida.

4. Toymaker for Santa: ELF.  Fortunately, they wore their masks this past year.

5. Charged: RAN AT.

6. Mom's brother: UNCLE.  My mom had no brothers.

7. "Surely you don't mean me?!": MOI.

8. Has too much, briefly: ODs.  As in Over Doses.

9. __ center: REC.  As in a Recreation Center.

10. Skewered dish: KEBAB.  Yummers!

11. Bell-bottom bottom: FLARE.

12. Only non-rhyming Pac-Man ghost: CLYDE.

14. Roastery draw: AROMA.

18. Many a Mideast native: ARAB.

19. Very, very: OH, SO.

24. Website for film buffs: IMDb.  As in the Internet Movie Database.

25. Polar bear hangouts: FLOES.

26. Bank (on): RELY.

27. Inside scoop: INFO.

30. Inc., in England: LTD.

31. Underground find: ORE.  A crossword staple.

32. Pastrami holder: RYE.

33. Value: WORTH.

34. Chicago airport code: ORD.  The airport code is ORD because it was originally known as Orchard Depot Airport.  The airport was renamed to O'Hare in 1949 in honor of Edward O'Hare (Mar. 13, 1914 ~ Nov. 26, 1943), a navy aviator who was shot down in World War II.

35. "The X-Files" org.: FBI.  The X-Files ran from September 1993 until May 2002.

36. Arctic seabird: AUK.  It's name is derived from the Icelandic word álka.  They look a little like penguins, except they can fly and are found in the Northern hemisphere.

37. TV's "Science Guy": NYE.  Bill Nye (né Willima Sanford Nye; b. Nov. 27, 1955) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

39. Plenty, in texts: ENUF.

40. Gala: FEST.

41. "Once __ ... ": UPON.  Once Upon a time there was ... a piece of wood.  Do you know which children's story that is the opening line to?

45. Kangaroo kid: JOEY.

46. Diamond bag: BASE.

47. Daredevil dangers: RISKS.

48. TV sports awards: ESPYS.

49. Hall of Fame pitcher Ryan: NOLAN.  Nolan Ryan (né Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr.; b. Jan. 31, 1947), pitched for the New York Mets, the California Angels, the Houston Rockets Astros, and the Texas Rangers.  He was inducted into the Baseball of Fame in 1999.

50. Southern twang: DRAWL.

51. E, on a gauge: EMPTY.

52. Peanut Butter Cup creator: REESE.  Yummers!

53. Storybook elephant: BABAR.  Babar the Elephant first appeared to entertain children in 1931.  The books recount the story of a baby elephant orphaned by a hunter, who finds his way into the city.

54. Layer with a hole: OZONE.  Below is a graphic of how the Ozone layer is formed.

55. "Toy Story" cowboy: WOODY.  Voiced by Tom Hanks.

60. "Yes, indeed!": I DO!

61. Give a thumbs-down: NIX.  This informal word comes to us from the German nichts, which means nothing.

62. "__ whiz!": GEE.

63. Law firm fig.: ATT.  As in an Attorney.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday January 18, 2021 Bruce Venzke & Gail Grabowski

Theme:  PULLED PORK (63A. Shredded Southern barbecue dish that's depicted in this puzzle's circles) - Letters PORK are pulled apart.

17A. Energy-boosting munch: POWER SNACK.

23A. Explosive container for muzzle-loading guns: POWDER FLASK.

40A. Period or comma: PUNCTUATION MARK.

50A. Escape from jail: PRISON BREAK.

Boomer here. Another BAG (Bruce and Gail) treat. It's Bruce's theme idea, as his name is first in the byline.

Okay, pulled pork!  It's a very tasty military meal, served in mess halls throughout the country.  Maybe one of the reasons the hall is named mess.  Here in Minnesota, we received some wet snow followed by a few inches of lighter snow blown by 35 MPH winds.  C.C. and I will be staying home for a while.

A little news for our puzzlers.  Leah Remini (Formerly of "King of Queens" sit com) is scheduled to host a new show called "People Puzzlers" on the game show channel (my DTV 233) beginning Monday January 18 I believe at 5:00 PM - Central Time.  No, I am not being paid for this commercial.

Across:

1. "Field of Dreams" state: IOWA.  A great movie set in Dyersville, IA.  I visited there once but I was a little disappointed. Only the ball field and a small souvenir stand. 

 

 

5. Easing of govt. control: DEREG.

10. Snow glider: SLED.  I've heard of these.  We had a great hill to ride down from a baseball field to our backyard. But then someone built a house there.

14. Iranian ruler ousted in 1979: SHAH.

15. Teaser ad: PROMO.  We see these all the time.  Stores double the price then have a two for one sale.  I was not born yesterday.

16. Buzzing colony: HIVE.  A home for the fleas, a hive for the buzzin' bees.  A nest for birds, there ain't no words for the beauty and the splendor and the wonder of my HAIR.  The Cowsills.

19. "Be it __ so humble ... ": EVER.  There's no place like home.  Auntie Em and Uncle Henry.

20. Former SeaWorld attraction: SHAMU.

21. Meadowland: LEA.  Albert LEA in Southern Minnesota got some snow also.

22. Convenience store inconvenience: LINE.  I think the lines I have seen to get a vaccine are a bit longer.

27. Miss a birdie by one: MAKE PAR.  Back in the days when C.C. and I played regularly on a par 71 course, she made 11 birdies one summer.

31. Base runner's undoing: TAG.

32. Not fer: AGIN.

33. Qualifying race: HEAT.  Miami's NBA team.  I took a business trip to Florida back in the 1980s.  Visited Epcot, Disney World and Tampa but skipped Miami.

36. Waterproof fishing boot: WADER.  A lot of Minnesota fisherman use these.  Not me, I always used a boat.

43. With regret: SADLY.

44. __ Ration: old dog food brand: KENL.  Only served to old dogs?

45. Opera star Pinza: EZIO.

46. Covert __: secret missions: OPS.  Kevin Costner meets with "X" (Donald Sutherland) in JFK.

48. Lip applications: GLOSSES.

55. __ Emu: insurance ad bird: LIMU.  I really hate Liberty Mutual ads.  ALL of them.

56. Dublin's land: Abbr.: IRE.  On my way to Germany, our flight needed to refuel in Shannon Ireland.    We only could layover in the airport bar however. 

57. Lauder of makeup: ESTEE.

62. Seaweed gelatin: AGAR.

66. Buster Brown's dog: TIGE. "I'm Buster Brown, I live in a shoe.  That's my dog Tige, he lives there too."

67. Cybercommerce: E-TAIL.  A huge Christmas venture last year due to COVID.

68. Word after cutting or leading: EDGE.  Growing up, we had a car dealership named "Town's Edge Oldsmobile".  It was in the middle of town.

69. Poetic tributes: ODES.

70. Battle of the __: SEXES.  It looks like we may have one for Alex Trebek's job.

71. Stack under a tarp: WOOD.

Down:

1. Web access cos.: ISPS.

2. "I know! Call on me!": OH OH.

3. Toddler's drink: WAWA.  Later on in life, they learn how to say "PEPSI".

4. "Can I get a word in?": AHEM.

5. Two-outs-in-a-single-AB stats: DPS.  Double Plays. There are usually one or two in most baseball games.  In 1990 the Twins made two TRIPLE PLAYS in a nine inning game vs. Boston.

6. East end?: ERN. Eastern.

7. Author Dahl: ROALD.  "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" author.

8. Ceremony host: EMCEE.  I've never been a master of ceremonies.  But sometimes they call on me to tell jokes.

9. Low-riding, open-wheel racer: GO KART.

10. Sleight-of-hand scams: SHELL GAMES.

11. Wife of Augustus: LIVIA.

Livia and her son Tiberius

12. Odds opposite: EVENS.  Seems to me this was a coin flipping gamble waiting for the school bus.

13. Jeter elected to the Hall of Fame: DEREK.  I believe his "Rookie" card is 1993.

18. Kentucky's __ Arena: RUPP.  Named for a famous basketball coach of Kentucky, Adolph Rupp.

24. Island near Maui: OAHU.

25. Inflict, as havoc: WREAK.  Lots of NHL games WREAK of havoc.

26. Stag's daughter: FAWN.

27. Weather report visual aids: MAPS.  We still see them on TV, but drivers use SIRI or ALEXA or some other talking ghost.

28. Isla surrounder: AGUA.

29. "Be __: rewind": old video rental reminder: KIND.  I still have a few.  Maybe I can sell them to a museum someday.

30. Extras in an envelope: ENCLOSURES.  Many times it's a well printed invoice that you need to send back with your payment. 

34. Didn't fast: ATE.

35. Hint of color: TINGE.

37. Häagen-__: DAZS.  "I Scream, you Scream, we all SCREAM for ICE CREAM.

38. The "E" in the mnemonic HOMES: ERIE.

39. Bygone theaters: RKOS.  We had an RKO Orpheum theater in Minneapolis.  All theaters are struggling now.

41. Keying-in error: TYPO.  I get a red line under all mine.

42. Cantina crockery: OLLA.

47. "Blade" star Wesley: SNIPES.

49. Gave the nod to: OKED.

50. Student of Socrates: PLATO.  These older Greek guys are all famous.

51. Stiff as a board: RIGID.

52. Public persona: IMAGE.

53. "Et tu, __?": BRUTE.  "How many eggs did you have for breakfast Caesar??"

54. "No reason to get all upset!": RELAX.

58. Eject, as lava: SPEW.  Really have not heard about one since Mount St. Helens.

59. Chore list heading: TO DO.  Visit L.A. Times Crossword Corner; shovel front step, eat breakfast. 

60. Hence, in logic: ERGO.

61. Barely made it, with "by": EKED.

64. Tell it like it isn't: LIE.  Remember if you lie, everyone will know, and the Boogie man will get ya.

65. Golf's "Big Easy" Ernie: ELS.  On the Champion's Tour now but still shows up on the regular PGA tour now and then.

Boomer