Thursday, February 25, 2021, Susan Gelfand

 

Good morning, cruciverbalists.  Long time no sea.  Just squidding.  Malodorous Manatee here hoping that things are going swimmingly for all of you.

You can tell from the reactions of my friends, above, that today's puzzle from Susan Gelfand provided them with some serious guffaws.  Although some solvers might believe that Ms. Gelfand should be made to walk the plankton for her groan-worthy homonyms, I suspect that most of us got through it without having to be brain sturgeons.

SOMETHING FISHY'S GOING ON HERE

At four spots within the grid, Susan Gelfand has paired an everyday item, expression, or name with an adjective and turned it into a mirthful homonym.  A PERCH, a SOLE, a RAY and a SKATE are each a type of fish.  But not here.  Not today.

17 Across.  Noble fish?:  LOFTY PERCH.  LOFTY PERCH has several meanings in everyday use.   Things  fish-related are not among them.

58 Across.  Elastic fish?:  RUBBER SOLE  RUBBER SOUL is an album released by the Beatles in 1965.  The Beetles likely would have enjoyed the pun. 

Rub Her Sole

11 Down.   Massive fish?:  COSMIC RAYS  It was a bit, but not too much, of a stretch to get from Massive to COSMIC.  Some Rays very much enjoy word play.

You Can Call Me Ray or You Can Call Me . . .

30 Down.  Stingy fish?: CHEAP SKATE

Jack Benny - World Renown Cheapskate

That wraps up the fish jokes - at least the ones furnished by the constructor.  At the end of the recap I have "thoughtfully" supplied a link to a song in which other fish jokes, homonyms, and puns are presented.  There are also quite a few (non-fish) homonyms and homophones that Susan (intentionally?) seems to have teed up in the clues/answers along the way and, with your kind indulgence, we might have some fun with those - even if it is, with apologies to my friends, like shooting fish in a barrel.  

Let minnow if you have any suggestions.  Make up your own fish puns.  Don't leave it to salmon else . . . there is no need to be koi about it.

And now . . . .

. . . on to the rest of the puzzle:

ACROSS:

1. Distressed cry: YOWL.   Not to be confused with Howl which, by definition, is a different sound . . . and a poem by Allen Ginsberg.

5. Capture, in Westerns: LASSO.

Wonder Woman With Her Lasso of Truth

10. Pond film: SCUM.

14. Singer Brickell: EDIE.

Bob Dole, E.D. Spokesperson

15. Rap sheet entry: ALIAS.  Fat Albert's super villain ALIAS is Fatal Bert.

16. __ Linda, Calif.: LOMA.  Famous for its medical center.

19. Arthur Ashe Courage Award, e.g.: ESPY.

I Know.  I See It, Too. 

20. Radio tuning shortcut: PRESET.  A good way to remember your plaice.

21. Longtime "American Top 40" host: KASEM.  The children of Casey KASEM, from a previous marriage, charged in a lawsuit that his widow had mistreated, neglected and abused him.  More lawsuits followed from both sides.  All were eventually settled.

23. They're sold in bars: SOAPS.  Not, in this case, shots.

They're Sold In Bars

26. Force out: EVICT.  What do you call a snail who has been EVICTed?  A slug.

29. Goes along with: ACCEPTS.

32. Come again?: REECHO.

33. Oldest Musketeer: ATHOS.  Neither Porthos nor Aramis nor D'Artagnan would fit.

Actually, Larry Larsen Was The Oldest

34. Keyboard goofs: TYPOS.

36. Campaigned: RAN.

37. Flute feature: STEM.  As clued, a champagne glass reference.

38. Management opening: MICRO.

Your Crow?

39. Protest, in a way: FAST.  FAST has so many different meanings it is difficult to even begin to play with the word.  Here it is used as a verb.  If you are curious, the link, below, will take you to Merriam Webster:

Definitions of FAST

40. Argentine aunt: TIA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

41. Caffè __: chocolate-flavored drink: MOCHA.

42. Reach via jet: FLY TO.

One Fly Too Many

43. Oliver Twist, for one: ORPHAN.  Did he get a hit . . .

. . . Or Fan?

45. Not farmed out: IN HOUSE.

Out House

47. Spruce up the lawn: RE SOD.  I RESOD in Southern California.  Where do you resod?

48. Jim of "Wide World of Sports": MCKAY.

The Classic Opening

49. Buddy: KIDDO.

51. Much more than a mere fan: ZEALOT.

56. Word of lament: ALAS.  There once was A LASs from Kilglass who had a magnificent ass.  Not rounded and pink, as you probably think, but was grey, had long ears and ate grass.

61. Singer with The Blackhearts: JETT.

Not Joan's

62. Typical: USUAL.

63. Caffeine-rich seed: KOLA.

A Koala

64. Graph lines: AXES.

Axes

65. Chaps: GENTS.  I hear that it is relatively easy to get ladies to refrain from eating Tide Pods but not so easy to deter GENTS.

66. Kind of folder: SPAM.

Monty Python

DOWN:

1. Online site whose reviews are reviewed: YELP.

Yelp

2. Fragrance: ODOR.  If a polite but unclean man was heavily into wordplay would he have a pun-gent odor?

3. Certain partner: WIFE.  What did the string theorist say when his WIFE caught him with another woman?  "Wait, I can explain everything!" 

4. Frees, with "out": LETS.

5. Common carry-on item: LAPTOP.  What do you call a LAPTOP that can sing?  A Dell.

6. Pub order: ALE.

7. What Marcie calls Peppermint Patty: SIR.

8. Fires: SACKS.

Sacks

9. Fed. workplace monitor: OSHA.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

10. Short item on many a tee: SLEEVE.

12. Diamond authority: UMP.  A baseball reference.

13. Possibly will: MAY.  Possibly, Elaine.

Elaine May What?

18. Many RSVP responses, hopefully: YESES.

22. Notices: SEES.

Sees Candy

24. Top story: ATTIC.

A Tick

25. Medium: PSYCHIC.  What shall we do today?

Pinky - A Famous Sidekick

27. Pure: CHASTE.

28. Scout rider: TONTO.  Scout, in the case of this clue, is the name of a horse.

Scout and Silver

29. What you have on: ATTIRE.

A Tire

31. Dot follower, at times: COM.

32. Piglet's pal: ROO.

Roux

33. Tycoon who is an Oregon city namesake: ASTOR.

Aster

35. Play a joke on: PRANK.  Usually seen as a noun.  Here used as a transitive verb.

(With Apologies to The Craw)

38. Day named for a satellite: Abbr.: MON.

Show Me The Moonday

39. Winter bug: FLU.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

41. Anti-DUI org.: MADD.

42. Entrance area: FOYER.  I was in the lobby of a hotel many years ago when I overheard Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky bragging about their prior victories.  They were chess nuts boasting in an open FOYER.

44. Raises: HOISTS.

46. Variable eye colors: HAZELS.

MM Granddaughter - Hazel's Lunch

48. Touchpad alternative: MOUSE.

50. Pharmacy item: DRUG.

52. Sets as a price: ASKS.

53. Circuit: LOOP.

Lupe Lu (Shindig Pilot Episode - 1964)

54. Earthenware pot: OLLA.  A crossword staple.  Ever wonder what one actually looks like?  There are several styles.  Here is one type:

Olla de Hierro

55. Bears or Lions: TEAM.  What, no Tigers?

56. 1977 Steely Dan album: AJA.

57. Latin law: LEX.

Lex Luthor

59. Dog holder: BUN.  One of the wurst references that we have seen here.

60. Diamond tool: BAT.  A flying mammal as we saw yesterday.  An eyelash movement.  A piece of insulation.  A caped crusader.  In this case, another baseball reference.

For those who have, by this point, had more than their fill of homonyms and terrible puns (fishy, and otherwise) you may go now and enjoy the rest of your day.  For those who might prefer to dive a bit deeper into the subject, this marine mammal humbly offers the following ditty first heard on the Doctor Demento Show:

Kip Addotta - Wet Dream

________________________________

 

____________________________________

__________________________________

MM Out !

Carp-e diem!

Wednesday February 24, 2021 Bryant White

 Theme: LET'S HANG OUT.  Here is today's theme song from my first trombone idol.  It's only 1 minute 38 seconds.

All the theme elements except the unifier are vertical, and that means something, as we shall soon see.

3 D. Blood-drinking mammal: VAMPIRE BAT.  They are pretty nasty looking, and I couldn't find a suitable pic of one hanging, but it is what they do, so use your imagination.

5 D. High light: CHANDELIER.  A ceiling- mounted light fixture that light hangs, shedding its light from above.

7. D Spelunking sight: STALACTITE. A hanging formation formed by the solidification of a dripping liquid.  I limestone caves these are mineral formations resulting from the drip of dissolved material from the ceiling.  Icicles are also stalactites, though rather more short-lived

9 D. Support for Tarzan: JUNGLE VINE.  Or, for George, though not without its mishaps.  Anyway something for a swinger to hang onto.

51. Loitering ... or how 3-, 5-, 7- and 9-Down might be seen?: HANGING AROUND.  Loitering is a less literal version of hanging.  More literally, It's the only thing these danglers have in common.  

Hi, gang, JazzBumpa here to hang out with you for a while.  There's a puzzle waiting so let's get down to it.

Across:

1. It may break and crash: WAVE.  The ocean variety

5. It has an eye on TV: CBS.  Network logo for the Columbia Broadcasting System.

8. Slightly open: AJAR.

12. Sea that's a victim of irrigation projects: ARAL.  It keeps shrinking.

13. Water park feature: CHUTE.  SLIDE also fits.  Either way, you travel down in or on it.

15. Heavyweight fight?: SUMO.  Japanese wrestlers

16. Capital founded by Pizarro: LIMA.  Peru.

17. They may draft briefs: PARAS.  PARA-legal, I assume.

18. Saloon door's lack: KNOB.  Swings both ways.

 

 19. Civil War topper: KEPI. A cap with a flat top and visor of French origin, typically associated with a military organization.  Read more here.

20. Tattoo joint?: ANKLE.  Flexing body part, not a tattoo parlor.  I guess ankles probably get more tattoos than knees.

It is written

21. Folklore monster: OGRE.

 

 22. Move furtively: SLINK.or SKULK

24. "Breaking Bad" org.: DEA.  The Drug Enforcement Administration is tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S.

25. Verne who created Nemo: JULES.  In the novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. 

26. Dodger rival of shortstop Rizzuto: REESE.    Harold Peter Henry "Pee Wee" Reese (1918 - 1999) played for the Dodgers in Brooklyn and then L.A. from 1940 to 1958.  He was a 10-time all-star and inducted into the Hall of fame in 1984.  Philip Francis Rizzuto (1917 – 2007) played for the Yankees from 1941 t0 1956.  He entered the Hall of Fame in 1994

28. Bucket of bolts: CRATE. Derisive terms for a decrepit automobile.

30. "Evita" narrator: CHE.  Ernesto "Che" Guevara [1928-1967] was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. A major figure of the Cuban Revolution, his stylized visage has become a ubiquitous countercultural symbol of rebellion and global insignia in popular culture.

32. Gummy bear ingredient: GELATIN.  Of course.

34. YouTube clip, for short: VID.  Video for long.

37. Prefix with call: ROBO-.  An automated telephone call which delivers a recorded message, typically on behalf of a political party or telemarketing company.  And the reason why I let all call from unrecognized callers go to the answering machine.  They rarely leave a message.

39. Meek: TIMID.  Showing a lack of courage or confidence.

40. Tubes on the table: ZITI.  Extruded pasta tubes, usually with square cut ends.

41. Sonicare rival: ORAL-B.  Makers of electric tooth-brushes.. They are especially useful if you have electric teeth.

43. Get into a stew?: EAT.  Here indicating something you can chow down on.  Odd though, since the stew actually gets into you.

44. One who digs hard rock: MINER.  Ore retriever who might or might not also be a head banger.

45. Wedding reception hiree: CATERER.  One who supplies food and the necessary accessories.

47. Pressing: EXIGENT. Demanding and immediate.  I had to look it up.

49. Catch a bug, say: AIL.  Have an illness.  I have a vaccine appointment on Saturday.

50. Energy unit: ERG.  A tiny unit.  One of my professors defined this as the amount of energy it takes for one fly to do one push-up

58. Magic prop: WAND.  A long, thin stick, or rod.

59. Tech company that became a verb: XEROX.  A brand name for copying machines that morphed into a verb for making copies.

60. Source: ROOT.  That from which something comes.

62. Harper's Bazaar designer: ERTE.  Roman Petrovich Tyrtov [1892-1990] had an illustrious career that included designing costumes and stage sets.  Between 1915 and 1937, Erté designed over 200 covers for Harper's Bazaar, and his illustrations would also appear in such publications as Illustrated London News, Cosmopolitan, Ladies' Home Journal, and Vogue.

63. Absurd: INANE.  Silly

64. Swear to be true: AVOW.  

65. Tap serving: BEER.  Or ALES.  Good either way 

66. California's Point __ National Seashore: REYES.  A peninsula north-west of the Golden Gate with a vast expanse of protected coastline in Northern California’s Marin County with both beaches and a rocky headland.

67. Cook Islands export: TARO.  Colocasia esculenta is a tropical plant grown primarily for its edible corms.

Down:

1. Constitutional events: WALKS.  Going out for a walk, especially to get fresh air and exercise, often referred to the activity as "taking a constitutional walk." The word "constitutional" refers to one's constitution or physical makeup, so a constitutional walk was considered beneficial to one's overall wellbeing. (Or, as some would prefer to call it, "wellness.") The phrase is more common in British literature than in American letters. Source.

 2. Disney mermaid: ARIEL.  

 

 4. "Seinfeld" regular: ELAINE.

 

 6. Delta of "Designing Women": BURKE.

8. Try to date: ASK OUT.

10. Love, to Luigi: AMORE.  Literal, in Italian.

11. Judicial attire: ROBES.  Makes them look judicial, I suppose.

13. One working on bks.: CPA.  A Certified Public Accountant works on financial records.

14. Linguistic suffix: -ESE.  

23. It may be tapped: KEG.   For BEER or ale.

25. Fifth of 12, alphabetically: Abbr.: JAN.  When arranged this way, April,  August, December and February precede January.  Not sure why anyone would do this.

27. Place for shooting stars?: SET.  With movie cameras.

29. Free (of): RID.  out, out, damned spot.

30. Shoe that's full of holes: CROC. Confuse them with gaiters at your peril.

31. Dance that may involve a chair: HORA.  Though not always, it seems.

 

 

33. Reddit Q&A session: AMA.  Ask Me Anything.

35. Cal.-to-Fla. highway: I-TEN.  It spans 2460 miles from Santa Monica, CA to Jacksonville, FL

36. Gossip: DIRT.  I can dig it.

38. Poisonous flowering shrub: OLEANDER.

40. Terraced structure of ancient Mesopotamia: ZIGGURAT.  A terraced structure of successively receding levels,

42. Naval lockup: BRIG.  Shipboard jail.

44. Surrealist Joan: MIRO.   Joan Miró Ferra [1893 - 1983]  was a Spanish painter, sculptor, and ceramicist.

 

46. Magical potion: ELIXIR.

 

 48. Persian king: XERXES.  [c. 518 – August 465 BCE,] commonly known as Xerxes the Great, was the fourth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, ruling from 486 to 465 BC. 

51. "__ Trigger": Bugs Bunny cartoon: HARE.  Not sure why I can't come up with the full cartoon. Here are the beginning and end.

 

 52. Stud fee, maybe: ANTE.  Stud poker, not what you're thinking.

53. Hawaiian goose: NENE.   Found only in Hawaii and crosswords.

From Wikipedia

54. Anatomy book author Henry: GRAY.  Gray's Anatomy is a textbook of human anatomy written by Gray and illustrated by Henry Vandyke Carter.  It was first published in 1858.

55. Five-star: A-ONE.  First rate.

56. Smoked salmon: NOVA.  The name for this salmon comes from its origin, in Nova Scotia, Canada, where salmon is cured and then cold smoked. The color is a much deeper pink, almost a burnt orange, compared to other cured salmon. The fish flavor is also a bit more intense than lox or gravlax.

57. Cuckoo clock feature: DOOR.  Whence commeth the bird.

58. Baseball glove part: WEB.

61. Vegas snake eyes: TWO.  A pair of one-spot dice.

Thanks for hanging out today, friends.  Hope you enjoyed it.

Cool regards!

JzB