Monday January 25, 2021 Craig Stowe

Theme: JUMPING BEAN (59. Tumbling seed, and a hint to each row of circled letters) - Four different beans are split up (jumping over other letters) in each theme entry.

18. Entirety of a manufacturer's goods: PRODUCT LINE. Pole bean.

23. U.S. Forest Service mascot since 1944: SMOKEY BEAR. Soya bean. Soybean in the US.

39. Indoor tanning aid: SUN LAMP. Snap bean.

53. Out-of-office investigator: FIELD AGENT. Flat bean.

HUMAN BEAN - Boomer. 

This puzzle is similar in approach to the PULLED PORK puzzle we had last week. Pretty tough for a Monday I would say.

RIP Hammerin' Hank Henry Aaron. I believe he started with Milwaukee in 1954. We Minnesotans adopted the Braves as our Major League team until The Twins moved to Minnesota in 1961. Below is a picture of 1955 Topps Double Header card of Hank. It is not mine, but I own the exact same card in my collection. It's in nice condition but has not been graded yet. Looks like this one got an 84.  Notice how the left margin is more narrow than the right. That will knock about 60% from the value. 

 Across:

1. Hesitant sounds: UMS.  University of Minnesota Singers?

4. Grand __ Auto: video game: THEFT.

9. A and B, for blood: TYPES.  Forgot O

14. Long of "Third Watch": NIA.

15. Gung-ho: EAGER.

16. Finnish bills: EUROS.  I purchased a bunch of EURO coins on Ebay when they first came out.  I'm not sure what I did with them.  Maybe I sold them at a flea market.

17. Method: WAY.  And more, much more. I did it "My Way". Frank Sinatra.

20. Sent out: ISSUED.  Tax return documents are ISSUED soon.

22. Inspiring Greek group of nine sisters: MUSES.

26. __ and found: LOST.  Oh My Darling Clementine.

29. Peace of mind: EASE.

30. Hightailed it: RAN.  If I RAN the zoo, said young Gerald McGrew I'd make a few changes and here's what I'd do.  Doctor Seuss.

31. Namesake of a new wing, often: DONOR.  I am not a DONOR, but I may be eligible for a new wing at the VA clinic some day.

32. Dolphin communication method: SONAR.

35. Oregon city south of Salem: EUGENE.  I had an Uncle Eugene, but we called him GUS.  His last name was Gustafson.

36. 4, in 2 + 2 = 4: SUM.  "What did you learn in school today, dear little boys of mine."  Tom Paxton.

41. Reuben bread: RYE.  Break out the corned beef and Swiss cheese.

42. Put-down: INSULT.

44. Inception: ONSET.

46. Lighter brand: ZIPPO.  I owned a couple of these. Don't need them any more.

47. Degree for a CFO: MBA.

48. [Purchase at your own risk]: AS IS.  Now they are selling plastic inserts for masks so you can talk and breathe better.

52. Floride, par exemple: ETAT.

56. Late-night host O'Brien: CONAN.  I miss Johnny Carson - Of course now I am asleep by late night if I'm lucky.

58. Whip (up), as grub: RUSTLE.

63. AAA service: TOW.

64. Author Asimov: ISAAC.  Author of a lot of those goofy quizzes in the newspaper.

65. Lawful: LICIT.

66. Night before: EVE.

67. Rock or pop: GENRE.  I'm afraid I never got out of the Sixties.

68. Traditional piano key wood: EBONY.

69. Like half a deck of cards: RED.  Also Pete Rose.

Down:

1. Not prudent: UNWISE.

2. Swamp gas: MIASMA.

3. Final approvals: SAY-SOS.  Or if your boat is sinking.

4. Conical home: TEPEE.  We have many of these in city parks in Minnesota.  Native Americans are hurting due to Covid.

5. "Jude the Obscure" author Thomas: HARDY.

6. Big head on the set: EGO.

7. Nourished: FED.  Did I mention taxes?

8. Writer Capote: TRUMAN. President when I was born.  Dewey did NOT win.

9. Lunar New Years: TETS.

10. Holiday fireplace blazer: YULE LOG.  We have a station that shows this on TV for 48 hours or so.  Not to me though - I spend my time with MSNBC, CNN, and the Game Show Channel.

11. "Orange Is the New Black" extra: PRISONER.

12. Geological period: EON.

13. Toronto-to-D.C. dir.: SSE.  You need to have a Covid test and a mask to make that trip now.

19. Mangy dog: CUR.

21. Hawaiian strings: UKES.  Famous golf  tourneys in Hawaii now.  No strings attached. 

24. __ flakes: cereal: BRAN.  I prefer Chex and Grape Nuts.

25. Body part thoughtfully tugged on: EARLOBE.  OUCH!  Not mine Please.

27. PlayStation maker: SONY.

28. Sloth's hangout: TREE.  We only have squirrels in our trees here.

31. Fool: DUPE.  Be careful on April 1.

33. Norsk Folkemuseum city: OSLO.

34. Macadamia __: NUT.  I don't think I've ever had one.  I like cashews.

35. Pair of madmen?: EMS.

36. Evaluate, with "up": SIZE.

37. Army outfit: UNIT.  Before Hardheim, Germany - I was in the 606th Medical Company (Ambulance) - Fort Campbell, KY.

38. Female '80s arcade sensation: MS PAC-MAN.  Never played her much.  I was an original Pac-Man player.  I think I mentioned that I drew a crowd about 30 years ago at Great America, Illinois with a score of 208,000.

40. Like neat freaks: ANAL.

43. As good as expected: UP TO PAR.  Golf season is on hold here now.  Too hard to find the white balls.

45. Graffiti signatures: TAGS.

47. Mix at a party: MINGLE.

49. Irish pooch: SETTER.

50. Smitten: IN LOVE.  If you go OUT here you'll need MITTENS.

51. Slow-boiled, as prunes: STEWED.

53. Convection oven need: FAN.

54. Water escape route: DRAIN.  I don't think water will escape from our driveway for a few months.  We need some 40 degrees please.

55. Unc's spouse: AUNTY.  That looks like a constructor's way to spell AUNTIE.  Ain't that right MAME?

57. "Good one!": NICE.

59. "The __ is up!": JIG.

60. Employ: USE.

61. Tot's mealtime protector: BIB.

62. Prefix with friendly: ECO.

 Boomer

Sunday, January 24, 2021 Dylan Schiff

Theme:  "Metamorphosis" - Five different shapes are anangramed inside each theme entry.

23A. Quadrennial victory determinant: ELECTORAL VOTE. Oval.

39A. Solar panel components: PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS. Circle.

57A. Source of narrowly focused thinking: SINGLETRACK MIND. Triangle. More familiar with one-track mind.

83A. Virgil's optimistic sentiment: LOVE CONQUERS ALL. Square.

98A. Wrap up: BRING TO A CONCLUSION. Octagon.

Reveal:

120A. Sci-fi creatures who arranged each set of circled letters?: SHAPE-SHIFTERS.

Looks like this the Sunday debut of  Dylan Schiff , who co-constructed this puzzle Chairman Moe blogged a few weeks ago. Congrats, Dylan!

The key to this type of theme is span those key letters in two or more words. It's not easy when the shape words are long or have unfriendly letter combos.

Across:

1. Frozen snack: ICE POP. Cold opening.

7. Ford failure: EDSEL.

12. Promising Hold 'em holding: TOP PAIR.

19. Painting, e.g.: FINE ART.

21. Slip: LAPSE.

22. '30s-'40s period: WWII ERA. I love 50s and 60s in American history, esp those vintage bobble heads.

25. Tinkered with like a tailor: ALTERED.

26. Prepares to fire: AIMS.

27. Mario Bros. console: NES.

28. Mexican month: ENERO.  Also 48. Calendar pgs.: MOS. Months.

30. Indian wrap: SARI. Indian brides often wear red sari. Chinese brides wear red too. Must be an Asian thing.

31. Biopic about Charles: RAY.

32. Hidden stockpile: STASH.

34. Up for __: GRABS.

36. Champs-Élysées feature: CAFE.

43. Dance studio fixture: BARRE.

46. Smart: CHIC.

47. Light bulb generator?: IDEA.

49. Casual "Same here": I FEEL YA. I'm fond of colloquial phrases.

52. Ingenuous: NAIVE.

55. Capital NE of Buffalo: OTTAWA. And 115. Alberta speed meas.: KPH.

61. Slightly drunk: TIPSY.

62. Nabisco offering: OREO. Boomer likes these sugar-free wafers.

63. Earth: SOIL.

64. Tokyo, long ago: EDO.  Pre-1868, Japan's capital city was Kyoto. Moved in Edo in 1869, then changed the name to Tokyo, which means "east of the capital", since it's east of Kyoto.

65. Clickable image: ICON.

67. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, __ Bouvier: NEE.

68. Dennis, e.g.: MENACE. Not MARINE.

70. Like vision dimmed from fatigue: BLEARY.

72. Total: SUM.

75. The Arno runs through it: PISA. Oh, our Pisa guy.

76. Kitchenware brand: OXO. D-Otto's brand.

78. Man, for example: ISLE.

79. "Hmm ... doubt it": UH NO.

80. Baffled: STUCK.

87. One placed near a gutter: TEN PIN. The bowling centers here are opened again. Hopefully Boomer can get vaccine soon.

89. Surrendered: CEDED.

90. Made one's case: PLEADED.

91. Surfer's destination?: URL. Good, old clue.

92. Small salamander: NEWT.

94. Troubles: AILS.

97. Ways to lose: DIETS.

104. Sushi go-with: SAKE. Pairs better with sashimi. 

105. Scents: ODORS.

106. Coagulates: CLOTS.

107. Lucrative, contractually: FAT.

110. Help badly?: ABET.

113. Dealt with: SAW TO.

116. Mötley __: CRUE.

117. Yolk's counterpart: ALBUMEN. Wow, have not seen this entry for a long time.

123. Litter, say: POLLUTE.

124. Spud: TATER.



126. Over the moon, so to speak: PLEASED. So glad to see you back, PK! I'm also so happy to see Kelly Clark on our blog again. Kelly is a very accomplished crossword constructor.

127. Shorthand pro: STENO.

128. Emmy-winning "Lou Grant" actress Linda: KELSEY.

Down:

1. "What concerns me is ... ": I FEAR. And 103. Start of a view: I THINK.

2. Eyelashes: CILIA.

3. Hamilton, to Burr: ENEMY.

4. Muscle Beach display: PECS.

5. Feedbag morsel: OAT.

6. "Now!": PRONTO.

7. Building extension: ELL.

8. Humor columnist Barry: DAVE. Quite a few fans on our blog.

9. Boston cream pie component: SPONGECAKE.

10. Non-acidic vitamin brand: ESTER-C. I'm using One-A-Day multivitamin.

11. Eye lustfully: LEER AT. And 125. Show disdain for: SNORT AT.

12. Pan Am rival: TWA.

13. Rowling's Hedwig and Lewis' Glimfeather: OWLS.

14. Hummus go-with: PITA.

15. He played James in the four films before Daniel: PIERCE. Brosnan. I really like Daniel Craig.

16. Satellite imaging product: AERIAL MAP.

17. Wrath: IRE.

18. "Tubular!": RAD.

20. Pay for: TREAT.

24. NBA part: Abbr.: ASSOC.

29. "Nineteen Eighty-Four" foe of Winston and Julia: O'BRIEN. Learning moment for me.

32. Seashore souvenir: SHELL.

33. Bit of a "Beavis and Butt-Head" chuckle: HEH.

35. Grauman of Chinese Theatre fame: SID.  Wiki says he created both the Chinese Theatre and the Egyptian Theatre.

37. Proceeds smoothly: FLOWS.

38. Many an op-ed piece: ESSAY.

39. Ragú rival: PREGO.

40. "The Mod Squad" role: LINC.

41. Co. bigwig: CEO.

42. Ball of yarn, perhaps: CAT TOY. CrossEyedDave had a cat named PK. I forgot what it stood for.

43. Yellowstone sight: BISON.

44. Burning: AFIRE.

45. "Chicago" actress Zellweger: RENEE.

50. Votes for: YESES.

51. Without a key: ATONAL.

53. Website with film profiles: IMDB.

54. "The Four Seasons" solo instrument: VIOLIN.

56. What pewter is, mostly: TIN.

58. Narrow inlet: RIA.

59. Breakfast area: ALCOVE.

60. Broadband predecessor: DIAL-UP. Good old days.

66. Angler's basket: CREEL.

68. Providing amplification for, as a speaker: MIKING.

69. Crossed (out): EX'ED.

71. Attorney's letters: ESQ.

72. "Thrown" criticism: SHADE.

73. Not rented: UNLET.

74. Chocolatier's array: MOLDS.

75. Angel dust, initially: PCP.

77. New England nickname: OCEAN STATE.

79. Bolt on the track: USAIN.

80. Hard pencils to sharpen: STUBS.

81. __ firma: TERRA.

82. Far from charming: UNLIKABLE.

84. White and black pawns, e.g.: OCTADS.

85. Lyrical: ODIC. Gluey.

86. Second chances: RE-DOS.

88. Trawler's tool: NET.

93. Court: WOO.

95. Inc. cousin: LLC.

96. Grouchy moods: SULKS.

99. Crab in space: NEBULA.

100. Progresses with ease: COASTS.

101. "And if I don't?": OR WHAT.

102. Last year's frosh: SOPHS.

107. Bars on necks: FRETS.

108. Saintly glows: AURAE.

109. Short-tempered: TESTY.

111. Outback runners: EMUS.

112. French crown?: TETE. "Head" in French.

114. Welcoming sign: OPEN.

116. Key used in combinations: CTRL.

117. Instagram, e.g.: APP.

118. Online outburst: LOL.

119. Homer's TV neighbor: NED.

121. Ranch extension?: ERO. Ranchero.

122. The Red Baron, to Snoopy: FOE.

It broke my hear to read Bill G's post. It brought back the dark time when Bill lost his son to a car accident a few years ago. But we're all here for you, Bill, just like you've been here for us all these years, comforting those who lost loved ones and entertaining those who love math problems or other trivia.  

C.C.

Saturday, January 23, 2020, Stella Zawistowski

 Themeless Saturday by Stella Zawistowski

Our self-proclaimed "brawny brain" is back with another fun Saturday entry. Stella is a Brooklyn-based copywriter at a pharmaceutical advertising agency. This picture is of Stella and a fellow alto who sings with her in the Oratorio Society of New York.

Here is what Stella had to say about this puzzle: If you guessed that STRUGGLE BUS was one of my seed entries, you're right. I do hope when people are solving my themelesses that they have to ride the struggle bus just enough for a satisfying solve, and not so much that they decide the grid is better used as a dartboard. My other seed was ORNITHOLOGY, and I'm pleased that Rich left my clue in place tying the word to Charlie Parker. I am not a bird fancier, but I have been getting a midlife education in jazz. I enjoy celebrating these classic but new-to-me albums in puzzles, as I did with my 6/20/20 NYT themeless: https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=6/20/2020&g=33&d=A 

(What I also love about both ORNITHOLOGY (hg - my grandson was named Parker by his professional musician father in honor of The Bird Man) and SKETCHES OF SPAIN is that they can be clued in ways that allow the solver to go "yep, that's right" after getting the crossings even if she has never heard of the albums.)

I boarded the STRUGGLE BUS (fun learning for me) quite a few times but even the Chinese pianist and the president of Ghana seemed very fair in the end.

Perhaps you'd like to let 52. Self-described "non-musician" Brian: ENO's ambient/airport music play while you read

Across:

1. Epithet: LABEL - An EPITHET is a nickname or descriptive term that's added to someone's name that becomes part of common usage

6. Econ. indicators: GNPS - Gross National ProductS

10. Sp. title: SRTA.

14. Loud item in a closet: ALOHA SHIRT - Decisions, decisions 

16. Easily manipulated type: TOOL - Yeah, I'm the only one who put FOOL first

17. Study buddies, often: CLASSMATES.

18. Natl. law group whose "M" is largely obsolete: RCMP - Women have been serving as members of the Royal Canadian (Mounted) Police for over 40 years

19. Picnic serving: EAR.

20. Prandial pokers: TINES - It would appear an explanation of the clue is in order

21. Cool veggies?: CUKES - Cool as a...

22. Café de __: Mexican drink brewed in a pot: OLLA - Mexican ground coffee, cinnamon, and raw dark sugar in our favorite Mexican cwd pot

23. Arduous tasks: SLOGS - What Stella's puzzles are for me but in a good way!

25. Like some premium services: AD FREE - I'm a NETFLIX fan 

28. Scrapped: WRANGLED - I WRANGLED WRESTLED out of the way

31. On the offensive, legally: SUING.

32. It's not a side road: TRUNK LINE  Railroad TRUNK LINES enter and leave the Bailey Yards in North Platte, NE. Cars can then be put on side tracks

33. Skin lotion brand: KERI - Their ad tagline stays with me

34. Stopping at a KOA, say: RVING - RVING in the Tetons

35. Fall place: EDEN - Some believe that is why God now 36. Doubts: MISTRUSTS us all

38. Some shared rides: UBERS.

39. Excites: ENTHUSES.

40. Fictitious 18th-century autobiographer: CRUSOE - First editions of all three of DeFoe's tales of Robinson Crusoe, who many mistakenly thought was the author, for sale

41. Mighty Dump Truck maker: TONKA - A rare 1960's version

42. Hold-up group?: BRAS - On January 2nd, Toronto constructor Craig Stowe chose less, uh, intimate cluing 27. Hood accessory: BRA

43. Like some milk, alas: SPILT.

45. Watch with a webcam, perhaps: SPY ON - Our webcam caught an image of a backyard visitor at 3am

47. Impromptu speech fillers: UHS.

50. Italy's Lake __: COMO - It is about a 4hr drive from Lake COMO to Lake Constance where my grandfather was born

51. "How many licks does it take ... ?" treat: TOOTSIE POP  - The answer, sort of

53. Jackie's designer: OLEG - Cassini. Here Jackie is wearing a Chez Ninon gown at Buckingham Palace in 1961

54. Overwhelms: SNOWS UNDER.

55. Lean and muscular: WIRY.

56. Capital on a fjord: OSLO - On 1/9/21 we learned OSLO has over 325 lakes from the puzzle by two Assistant Attorneys General of Iowa

57. Up one day, down the next: MOODY.

Down:

1. Spike: LACE - Street drugs can be LACED with most anything

2. Ragù __ Bolognese: ALLA - Recipe - Over 20 ingredients!

3. Leaner alternative to pork: BOAR - Leaner than domestic pork. A leaner alternative to beef is bison (NOT BUFFALO!)

4. "What?" utterances: EHS.

5. Anchor's responsibility: LAST LEG.

6. Akufo-Addo's land: GHANA - I wondered if it was a city, a dish or a man. Turns out it is the President of GHANA.

7. Marquee evening: NITE.

8. Continuous newsroom operations: PRESS RUNS - Lindberg landed!

9. Familiar gp. of 50: STS - States. STS also stood for Shuttle Transport System. STS-51-L was the Challenger Mission

10. Facetious metaphor for a difficult situation: STRUGGLE BUS - This campus bus driver has a great sense of humor

11. Mountain dangers: ROCK SLIDES.

12. Big volume: TOME.

13. They didn't stop Hannibal: ALPS.

15. Alfred E. Neuman feature: SMILE - A childhood companion

21. Bop on the bean: CONK.

22. Aptly named jazz work co-written by Charlie "Bird" Parker: ORNITHOLOGY.

24. When repeated, acclaimed Chinese pianist: LANG.

25. "I'm here to help": ASK ME.

26. Expected: DUE IN.

27. Inexperienced one: FIRST TIMER.

28. Legal orders: WRITS - Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution states, “The privilege of the WRIT of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.” The Great Emancipator suspended it in 1861 just weeks after Fort Sumter citing the last part of the text.

29. Two before marzo: ENERO - In Mexico January comes two months before March

30. Fog word: DENSE.

32. Pilots start them: TV SEASONS - In the pilot for M*A*S*H, Hawkeye raffles off a date with a nurse and Fr. Mulcahy wins the rigged drawing 

34. Twice-baked bread: RUSK - RUSK is a hard, dry biscuit or a twice-baked bread    

37. Squirt: RUNT.

38. Metal named for a planet: URANIUM - Also Mercury, Plutonium and Neptunium 

40. Not pleased: CROSS.

42. In half: BY TWO - Divide BY TWO

43. Shallows craft: SCOW - They don't just haul garbage

44. Social science course, briefly: POLI - POLI Sci

46. Gene __: POOL.

47. Prom style, often: UPDO - Audrey did it as well as anyone. I wonder how Audrey wore her hair to her prom. The picture on the right is of her at 16 yrs old in Belgium

 

48. Turned some ground: HOED.

49. Active: SPRY.

51. Ontario-based music gp.: TSO - Appropriate for a member of the Oratorio Society of New York 

By the way, if you are wondering why this talented, brilliant woman refers to herself as a "brawny brain", here is a picture of her setting her personal record of 325 pounds in the dead lift.