Saturday, April 3, 2021 Ryan McCarty

 Saturday Themeless by Ryan McCarty

Today I am happy to blog my third Saturday puzzle by 2014 Princeton grad, Ryan McCarty who is currently a senior federal consulting manager in D.C. He supplies us a real challenge with quad stacks that he references in his gracious note:

Hi Gary,

Thanks for reaching out! My write-up below 

Ryan

I was interested in making a grid design with quad stacks that were very connected to the rest of the grid, as often they are relegated to more closed-off corners.  I got the NE stack first, and then spent a very long time trying to find a corresponding SW stack that would work with it. I'm used to working with open middles, but I find open corners even harder because you have to find a matching pair for the other side.

After a lot of iterating I came up with the SW stack you see here, which I actually like better than my initial stack.  From there I filled in the SE and NW.  I'm happy to be able to feature some colorful entries despite the inherent challenges in the grid design, and thanks to the editing team for their work here. Hope you enjoy!

P.S. - I recently launched my indie puzzle blog McGrids if you are interested in seeing more of my puzzles

Across:

1. One may be planted on a cheek: PECK - A euphemism for my first entry of KISS

5. One who gets famous just for kicks?: SOCCER STAR - Lots of dekes below.

15. Volunteer's words: I CAN.

16. Use sound to get around: ECHO LOCATE.

17. Large volume: TOME.

18. Reaction that can be grateful or sarcastic: THANKS A LOT.

19. Call from a brooder: CHEEP - A staple of my grade school classroom once a year

21. Getting better: ON THE MEND

22. Arrive by car, say: ROLL UP - Can you spot "the crappy blue Chevy Nova" Axel Foley used to ROLL UP to "The Beverly Palms Hotel"? Bonus: Name that movie.

24. Perception: GRASP.

25. Make a typo ... or miss one: ERR - D-Otto always calls them misteaks.

26. Surprising sound: BOO.

28. Setting of van Gogh's "Café Terrace at Night" - ARLES - Here's the picture and the actual cafe today in ARLES, France.

30. Stop shooting: WRAP - Humphrey Bogart, "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Michael Curtiz (who 45. Directed: RAN Casablanca), "That's a WRAP."

32. Let the air out of: PUNCTURED.

35. Area where skateboarding likely originated, briefly: SO CAL - SOuthern CALifornia

37. Activity cube user: TOT.

38. One may get rubbed out: GENIE - Not the Barbra Eden Jeannie

40. Failed to uphold: RENEGED ON - Lenten promises?

43. Gorilla researcher Fossey: DIAN - Dian and the gang

44. Turning part: ROTOR - Part of car brakes

47. With 42-Down, unlikely racetrack pick: OLD 42. See 47-Across: NAG.

48. Milwaukee draft pick?: PABST.

50. One obsessed with guns?: GYM RAT - Oh, those guns.

52. Utensil in Valencian cooking: PAELLA PAN.

56. Isle off the Sorrento Peninsula: CAPRI - The ferry we took takes about 50 minutes between Sorrento and Capri and costs about $20 each way

57. Captured soundly?: AUDIO TAPED.

59. Hardly promising: GRIM - Husker FB prospects for this fall

60. Walk-in clinic focus: URGENT CARE - If you're in my town and need help...

61. Fashion: MODE.

62. Espies: LAYS EYES ON.

63. City on the Skunk: AMES - 1911

Down:

1. Retiring groups?: PIT CREWS - Cute re-tire clue!

2. Film genre for Shyamalan's "The Happening": ECO HORROR - Looks like it was a HORROR on an artistic level as well

3. Competitor who's over the hump?: CAMEL RACER - Humans riders have mostly been outlawed and now the jockeys are usually robots manipulated by remote control.

4. Prepare to talk to a tyke, maybe: KNEEL.

5. Prepared: SET.

6. Figure eight, in tango parlance: OCHO - How do you do that, Gary?

7. Harry Potter love interest Cho __: CHANG - If you're going for a partial, how 'bout P.F.___

8. Independent __: CONTRACTOR 

9. South Bend suburb: ELKHART - Just upstream on the St. Joseph River as it flows to Lake Michigan.

10. Larva that attacks Valentine's Day plants: ROSE SLUG - Cause and effect

11. Ran playfully: SCAMPERED.

12. Fabulist's work: TALE.

13. Buckets or barrels: A TON.

14. Out of a job, perhaps?: Abbr.: RETD - Me - B.S., M.S., RETD.

20. Trivia site: PUB - Playing Trivia at Clancy's PUB in Omaha

23. __ fly: POP - Oops!

27. Arena for the stars: OUTER SPACE.

29. Annual coronation event: SENIOR PROM - Our hometown is having one this year no matter what. Okay, it's going to be outside but still...

31. Impressive displays: PANOPLIES - Historically a PANOPLY is a complete set of armor but now can refer to any collection or display

33. Rest for a bit: NOD.

34. Transport service for the disabled: DIAL-A-RIDE.

36. Much less: LET ALONE 

39. Armageddons: END TIMES.

41. Lose it: GO BATTY.

46. Site of the HQ of five major sports: NYC - The NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and WNBA

49. Croquetas or caracoles: TAPAS - This clue from editor Rich generated a nice conversation between me, Kathy (YR), Lucina and Ryan. Croquetas can be made with snails as Croqueta de Caracole or as stand alone TAPAS like you see below.

51. It forms igneous rock: MAGMA - Once that MAGMA emerges onto the surface it becomes lava and forms igneous rocks upon cooling where brave/stupid tourists can walk

52. Microsoft co-founder Allen: PAUL - Bill Gates' regrets about PAUL Allen

53. Intangible quality: AURA.

54. Norm-challenging: EDGY - You know you've aged when you hear the EDGY music of your ute playing on the elevator.

55. Role in the Monteverdi opera "The Coronation of Poppaea": NERO - Talk about yer Saturday cluing for NERO! Poppaea Sabina was NERO's second wife and she led an intrigue-filled life

Can you make out her name?

58. Big-screen TV site: DEN.

Friday, April 2, 2021, Jeffrey Wechsler

  Title: Bite the bullet, it's over

Today we have a strong moralistic puzzle from Jeffrey that uses his writing mentor, Will Shakespeare, as the inspiration for this self-contained sermon. After Macbeth kills King Duncan for his wife, she tries to soothe him with, "Things without all remedy Should be without regard: what's done, is done." This is never as easy to do as to say, but JW comes up with a theme that fell into place (I would guess) when he realized that -what's done is done- is exactly 15 letters long. That has occurred to a few other constructors, but none used Jeffrey's approach. Where we get to appreciate his unique style is gridding this as a 15x16 puzzle, a tall order by any measure. You may not notice at first but look again. This choice allows him to insert 4 great fill BLOW A FUSE, HEARTACHE, MANIFESTO, and ON HIS BACK. To me, it elevates the whole experience.

The themers:

17A. "Take my advice: no use crying over spilled milk ... ": WHAT'S DONE IS DONE (15). Especially if you have a cat or dog that will happily lap it up.

34A. With 36-Across, "There's no going back ... ": YOU CANT (7). 36A. See 34-Across: CHANGE THE PAST (13). The eternal question of the space-time continuum.

48A. "Put everything behind you ... ": FORGET ABOUT IT (13). Said with an accent and feeling, an anthem for mobsters.

61A. "And look ahead.": IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON (15). Which thoughtfully is the perfect segue to discussing the rest of the puzzle. Let us repair to the minutia.

Across:

1. Honshu drama: NOH. Kan'ami and his son Zeami started this ART FORM in the 14th century.

4. Words before a recap: AS I SAID. Very often by bosses, teachers, and parents to those they control.

11. Audi rival: BMW. We have many cars lately.

14. Boise-to-Billings dir.: ENE. Standard-fill for a puzzle, but who really cares.

15. "Raging Bull" boxer: LAMOTTA. He was a brawler who fought the best and won half of the time.

16. Infamous Vietnam War site, My __: LAI. If you can bear the ignominy, the horror, and the pictures. The LINK.

20. Compact part: MIRROR. It was the key to the Guardian solving a mystery on the LIBRARIANS.

 

21. Greet warmly: SHOW IN. I guess this depends on how effusively you greet your guest.

22. Spumante source: ASTI. The bubbly faux champagne region in Italy. Moe can provide much more information.

23. PC core: CPU. 

26. Spot to get a bite on the street: CAFE. Especially if there are many mosquitoes around.

27. Rockets' org.: NBA.

28. Low cloud: STRATUS. Didn't I do clouds last week?

32. Two-__: half-price opportunity: FER. Here we do the BOGO.

33. Pouch: SAC.  Very important in the insect world,

35. Ship letters: USS. United States Ship (abbreviated as USS or U.S.S.) is a ship prefix used to identify a commissioned ship of the United States Navy and applies to a ship only while it is in commission.

39. Brewery vessel: KEG. Not to be confused with vestal. 

40. Celestial feline: LEO. We have one of our own, welcome.

41. Snoots put them on: AIRS. Nice clue/fill- to give oneself airs: to assume an unnatural or affected manner, esp. an unjustified air of superiority. 1701 T. Baker Humour of Age ii. 29 

45. Other, in Oaxaca: OTRO. Or otra?

53. Sigma follower: TAU. Learn the alphabet for Greek? You need many alphabets and more to communicate. LINK.

54. Shorebirds related to stilts: AVOCETS. 

55. Crux: NUB. 

57. Cards: WITS.

59. Up on the latest: AWARE.

60. Sax type: ALTO.

64. Force featured on "Bosch," for short: THE LAPD. Los Angeles Police Department is home to many shows. I am not sure if this is JW's clue but with all the programs over the years featuring the LAPD, for me, this would be the most obscure.

65. "So close!": NICE TRY.

66. Oodles: TONS.

67. They often take turns: CARS. This is such a blatantly clever and misleading clue that it has to be Jeffrey's. IMO it is so good, that I can't think of anything to say in response. So the challenge is readers: discuss the clue/fill using comparable wit and brevity.

Down:

1. __ Own Organics: NEWMAN'S. Paul, may he rest in peace.

2. Where "The Man With the Hoe" carried the world, in an Edwin Markham poem: ON HIS BACK.  Never heard of the Poem or the Poet but the "ON" was enough for me to fill in.

                               

                                                      The Man With the Hoe

3. Great sadness: HEARTACHE.  I don't do dinosaurs... heartache; agony, bitterness, despair, grief, heartbreak, misery, pang. sadness, suffering, torment, affliction, dejection, depression, despondency, distress, dolor, hurting, remorse, torture, etc. I do rely on 28D. Roget entry: Abbr.: SYNonym.

4. Plus: ALSO.

5. Iraq's __ City: SADR. Some recent HISTORY.

6. Brief "I think": IMO. In My Opinion

7. Oceanus, to Gaia: SON. So many myths, so many THEORIES.

8. Snacked: ATE.

9. "How sweet __!": IT IS. 

10. Sprint: DASH.

11. Lose it: BLOW A FUSE. The expression blow a fuse came into use in the early twentieth century and is related to the use of electricity in the average home. A fuse protects an electrical item from a sudden surge of electricity that may start a fire.

12. Public policy declaration: MANIFESTO. This is a statement of policy and aims, usually in writing, especially one issued before an election by a political party or candidate.

13. Cookout fare: WIENERS. Oddly this nickname for sausages in a bun came from the image of dachshunds.

18. One less than tetra-: TRI. 4 to 3.

19. OB or ENT: DOC. Obstetrician and Ear Nose and Throat.

23. Rock's Mötley __: CRUE. A very successful 80's band that AXE toured with during the 80s before one of the band's guitarists got killed in a car accident.

24. Formal agreement: PACT.

25. Four Corners state: UTAH. Naturally, there are FOUR of them

29. Dress, with "up": TOG.

30. Le Monde article: UNE. Just French.

31. Auto additive with a red oval logo: STP. Andy Granatelli and Mario Andretti

37. Seaweed product: AGAR. The SCIENCE.

38. Quite often: A LOT.

42. Supermarket chain with a red oval logo: IGA. It did not start out that way. 1960 version...

43. Overhauls: REVAMPS.

44. Put away: STOWED.

45. Titania's husband: OBERON. A tiny bit of Will Shakespeare.

46. Serving as a symbol: TOTEMIC. Totem is a fun word, making it an adjective is...creative?

47. Fin. neighbor: RUS. Finland and Russia.

48. Loyalty: FAITH. 

49. Start: OUTSET.

50. "Human beings ... may hide their feelings, but __ does not": Hemingway: A CAT. This is such a wonderful quotation and so apt here where we have our coterie of cat connoisseurs like HG. I can visualize Lily agreeing.

51. Fjords, e.g.: INLETS. Back to Scandanavia.

52. Teach privately: TUTOR.

53. Foolish sort: TWIT.

56. Superskinny: BONY.  My choice...

58. Battle of Normandy town: STLO. This has appeared hundreds of times in the major puzzles since it was first used in 1953, including last Friday.

60. Claim: AVER. Law word, silly.

62. Actor McKellen: IAN. A wonderful actor and best friends with another...

63. Andean root vegetable: OCA. Don't you want to learn to GROW THEM?

I keep thinking I can see an image here, but then I can't see much. If you have a thought share it, please. Thank you, Jeffrey, and all who have been on this road that C.C. built. Your words are the paving that made this last. Thank you, Moe for letting me be the caddy again this week for our number one (?) setter.

Thursday, April 1, 2021 Joseph A. Gangi

 

Today's performance is by Joseph Gangi, who last entertained us on November 23, 2020 with themes played by STRING TRIOs.  Today he asks US to do the work and INTROSPECT on our mixed-up I's spread among 5 themers:

19. *Like some pages in used books: DOG EARED.  Just for the record, I'm a bookmark person, but in the interest of fairness, here are some rants, er, testimonies, from dog earers.

33. *"Mean" Pro Football Hall of Fame lineman: JOE GREENE.  I immediately thought of his name when I saw this clue, but it turns out that this was not a very kind moniker for this likable, outstanding professional.  Per the Wikipedia: 'Although it stuck with him throughout his professional career due to his playing style, Greene himself was not fond of the nickname, insisting it did not reflect his true character. "I just want people to remember me as being a good player and not really mean," he said. "I want to be remembered for playing 13 years and contributing to four championship teams. I would like to be remembered for maybe setting a standard for others to achieve.'   This article reveals various theories as to how he got the nickname.

38. *Arcade staple: VIDEO GAME.  PONG, for two players, developed by Atari  was the very first commercially successful video game.  In fact it was the first (and only) video game I ever played, back in my ute at one of the College Park delis when I was at U. of Md.  I recall the version I played being a lot slower than this:

 
4. *Metaphor suggesting suspense: EDGE OF ONES SEAT.  DW and I are frequently on the edge of our seats in the evenings, as we watch a lot of British mysteries ...

15. *Is a fifty-fifty proposition: CAN GO EITHER WAY.  ... however in most British mysteries it's the cops who usually win and the perps who usually lose.

 And the REVEAL that UNMASKS us ...

53. Secondary persona, or what's hidden in the answers to starred clues: ALTER EGO.

 Here's the grid.  A particularly nice touch is the intersection of the themers 19A and 38A with 4D and 33A and the reveal at 53A with 15D:
 

This is then followed up with a COMPLEX of blogger bling-worthy clues ...

Across:

1. Anger: BILE. Before this perped into place I tried FURY and RAGE  Here's what Webster has to say.

5. List member: ITEM.  Or a famous couple name-dropped into the National Enquirer.

9. Reheat, in a way: ZAP.

12. "That's on me": I DID.  I couldn't get "My treat" to fit.

13. Service station sections: BAYS.

14. Crime site: SCENE.

16. One may symbolize friendship: RING.  However in the Lord of the Rings,  ONE RING symbolizes the exact opposite.

17. Gets with difficulty, with "out": EKES.  Also a homophone of  the word often used when one is cornered by a mouse:

18. Ctrl+V, commonly: PASTE.  A text editing shortcut - think "moVe".  Others include Ctrl-C (Copy) and Ctrl+X (Delete), both precursors to Ctr+V.

21. It arrives just before Christmas, for many: WINTER.  Just before the arrival of the Winter Solstice on 12/21, we celebrate DIL's BD (12/16), next to youngest GS's BD (12/17), 2nd oldest GD's BD (1219), not to mention the little matter of Christmas .  There is a lot to celebrate in this season!

22. Substituted (for): STOOD IN.

23. Send an IM to: PING.  Not to be confused with 38A.  This was my last fill, as I was perhaps too close to it.  I'd don't do a lot of  IM'ing, but I used to spend a lot of time PINGing.  It was originally a submariner's term for an acoustic echo used to track enemy ships, reefs, and other hazards.  The term was picked up by early network engineers as a simple test for remote devices on a network and as a rough measure of connection speed.  As all things IT are comprised of acronyms, they gleefully nicknamed the command "Packet INternet Groper".  

Here's an iconic scene with the first type of ping in "The Hunt for Red October" with the great Scottish actor Sean Connery, who we lost this past year.  The "One Ping Only" is about 28 seconds in (you might need to turn up the volume, as submariners tend to talk very quietly):
 

24. Public health org.: FDA.    As in the Food and Drug Administration, much in the news these days.
 

25. Card game cry: GIN.  As in GIN RUMMY.  Also slang for an enGINe,  à la Eli Whitney's cotton gin - "a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation. The fibers are then processed into various cotton goods, while any undamaged cotton is used largely for textiles like clothing. The separated seeds may be used to grow more cotton or to produce cottonseed oil":
 

26. Like some exams: ORAL.  These come in two varieties: PhD and DENTAL.

30. MLB's Angels, in sportscasts: HALOS.  The result of a Westward ho expansion, the Angels were founded in 1961.  Apparently they derived their name from their original location, Los Angeles, but latter moved to Anaheim, resulting in much controversy and much confusion (to me at least!).  A CSO to any sports fans who can 'splain it to us.

35. Before, in Brest: AVANT.  Both in time and space. Often used in artistic and fashion statements, as in AVANT-GARDE (i.e. at the FOREFRONT):
 

36. List-ending abbr.: ETC.

37. Helpers: AIDES.

40. Puts away: STOWS.  E.g. freight, food, 36A.

41. Pre-event periods: EVES. 

42. Chemical suffix: ANE. Organic compounds, consisting of saturated hydrocarbons, i.e. chains of one or more CARBON atoms (valence 4) with connections to the maximum possible number of HYDROGEN atoms (valence 1).  Here is a PROPANE molecule:
 

Propane

43. Fire remains: ASH.  Also makes appearances in Xwds clued as the wood used for baseball bats.

44. Calls in poker: SEES.  These are synonyms, although CALL seems to be preferred.

46. Criminal: ILLEGAL.

50. Tell when one shouldn't: SQUEAL.  Except for a WHISTLE BLOWER reporting criminal activity, who really SHOULD.  "If you see something, say something!"

54. Distinctive characters: AURAS.  E.g. sported by the Angels.

55. Verdi solo: ARIA.  Italian for "air".  Also an OPUS (Latin for a single WORK) in a dramatic or comic musical sequence known as an OPERA (Latin plural for WORKS).  Often clued with VERDI, but PUCCINI, ROSSINI, BIZET, et. al. wrote a lot of ARIAS too.

56. Paintball souvenir?: WELT.  Ouch!

57. With 7-Down, teary: MISTY.  A CSO to our Misty.  Hope you're not teary today though!

58. Tolerate: BEAR.  A clecho to 52D.

59. Not worth __: A SOU.  An expression for "worthless".  The word has its origin in the SOLIDUS, a Roman coin dating back to the Emperor Constantine.  If you had one of these I don't think it would be worthless:

60. LAX info: ETA.  When I use to travel a lot for work, the E definitely stood for ESTIMATED!

61. Rogues: CADS.

62. Trees used to make bows: YEWS.  A very strong, yet flexible wood.

Down:

1. Fowl: BIRDS.  Also British slang for WOMEN.

2. Facetious target of a series of guides: IDIOT.  As I resemble that remark, I refuse to buy one of these.

3. Talk of the town?: LINGO.  I tend to think of this as a synonym for specialized ARGOT or JARGON.  The talk of the Corner perhaps?

5. Spain and Portugal, mostly: IBERIA.
 

The Iberian Peninsula

IBERIA is also a suite for piano by Isaac ALBÉNIZ.  As this article describes it, "
It is considered one of the most challenging works for the piano: "There is really nothing in Isaac Albeniz's Iberia that a good three-handed pianist could not master, given unlimited years of practice and permission to play at half tempo. But there are few pianists thus endowed."  Here is pianist
Luis Fernando Pérez, who is definitely up to the task:

6. Unavailable: TAKEN.

7. See 57-Across: EYED.  As in Black EYED Susans, the yearly prize for winning the PREAKNESS.  Something only a Baltimoron will admit: as Black Eyed Susans, the Maryland State Flower, aren't in season when the Preakness Stakes is run, they use Oxeye daisies with the centers painted BLACK.  Here is Secretariat in 1973 in the winner's circle after winning the second leg of the Triple Crown (this year's races run Fri, May 14, 2021 – Sun, May 16, 2021, limited bleachers seating):

8. Ed.'s stack: MSS.  Manuscripts.

9. Word with lemon or orange: ZEST.  Every thing you need to know about zesting lemons.  And much much more!

10. Pot starter: ANTE.  My Auntie Ev wouldn't go near a deck of cards!

11. Jury member: PEER.  Selected by a process called VOIR DIRE.  It looks like French to me: "To see.  To say", but the dictionaries say it's Latin.  A CSO to Lemonade on this for an official ruling.  I've shown up for jury duty many times, but the lawyers take one look at me and the defense signals a thumbs down.  I think they don't like my hat.

14. English: SPIN.  Pool talk.  A CSO to any pool sharks on the Corner - this looks like a good place to buy "bespoke" (i.e. expensive) pool cues.  Also a word coined by Erwin Schrödinger to describe an indescribable property of quantum objects.  Still curious?  You were warned!  A CSO to Dash T to 'splain this one in simple  14D.

20. Extends, as a building: ADDS TO.  See 21D.

21. Building extension: WING.  See 20D.  Is there an ECHO in here?

23. Jigsaw bit: PIECE.  In the Corner case a WORD.

25. "No clue": GOT ME.   Well if it's not a CLUE, then what is it? 

27. Start over: REDO. See 28D.

28. Over: ANEW.  See 27D.

29. No __: surprisingly: LESS.

30. Possess: HAVE.  Quick - what's something of value that you can give away, but still keep (see answer at the end *)

31. Tel __: AVIV.  Formerly the capital of Israel.

32. Fill with freight: LADE, i.e. to LOAD.  Also a regional synonym (Scottish) for a MILL RACE that channels river water to a water powered wheel.  Here's DW beside the old Oakland Mill on the Liberty Reservoir near Eldersburg, MD.  The mill race is beyond the stone wall behind her:
 

33. Casual pants: JEANS.

34. React to fightin' words, maybe: RASSLE.

39. Hebrides native: GAEL.  The Hebrides is an archipelago off the West coast of Scotland, perhaps best known for FINGAL'S CAVE, a mammoth opening in a basalt-columned cliff on the Isle of Staffa:

On a tour of Scotland in 1829 composer Felix Mendelssohn, seasick below deck on an excursion over to this site, was coaxed above by a companion when they arrived.  His seasickness disappeared, he grabbed a pen and paper and immediately begin composing his famous HEBRIDES (a.k.a. FINGAL'S CAVE) OVERTURE:
 

43. Wedding destinations, often: ALTARS.  As in ...
 

45. Like 55-Down: EASY.

46. Inspiration for the 2004 film "Troy": ILIAD.   The latter is a cornerstone of Western literature, which I mentioned to get through in UNI.  Roger Ebert gave the film two stars, so I didn't bother.  Although the Trojan War lasted 10 years, the actual events of the epic take place in a matter of  a few weeks, just before the fall of the city (which actually occurs in the ODYSSEY).  The story is concerned with the "wrath of Achilles" and his vengeance for the death of his beloved friend Patroclus.  The backstory of how it all started is recounted in tales remembered during the battles. 

47. Parts of some V's: GEESE.  Why DO geese fly in a V?   Actually the Canada Geese (second photo in link) in Maryland live here year round.  But every Fall they take to the skies and fly around the country side in V formations just to stay in practice.

48. Lit up: AGLOW.

49. Kind of position used for meditation: LOTUS.  The basic pose is fairly easy, but this one takes a lot of practice:
 

50. "Ditto": SAME.  See for example 27D and 28D.

51. Pack it in: QUIT.

52. __ Major: URSA.  Latin for GREAT BEAR,  a.k.a. the BIG DIPPER.  The two left-most stars in the "ladle" are called the "pointer stars" as they point to Polaris, the NORTHERN STAR.

53. Triangle calculation: AREA. 

55. See 45-Down: ABC.  

That's a wrap!

* Information

 

Cheers,
Bill

waseeley

Wednesday, March 31, 2021 Joe Deeney

Theme: FIRST THINGS FIRST (61. "Start at the beginning," and a hint to the four other longest Across answers)  - First can precede the first word of each theme entry.

18. 2010s sci-fi crime drama starring Michael Emerson: PERSON OF INTEREST. First person.

24. Completed in haste: DOWN AND DIRTY. First down.

39. Equine sprinter: QUARTER HORSE. First quarter.

53. Pull-and-peel food item: STRING CHEESE. First string.

Boomer here again, filling in another blogging gap, blogging another 16x15 grid. 

I lived in Hopkins Minnesota from 1952 to 1997.  Although I went to a Catholic High School in a neighboring suburb, my three sisters all went to Hopkins High.  The reason I mention this is because a recent graduate named Paige Bueckers graduated from Hopkins last year after tearing up the Lake Conference and is now shooting hoops for UConn in the NCAA Tournament.   I am not a huge Basketball fan but I am waiting for Major League Baseball starting the end of this week.  Go  Twins!

Across:

1. Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations __ Ujiri: MASAI.  I suspect Toronto fans are waiting for the Blue Jays to take the field also eh.

 

6. "Ditto!": SO AM I.  Yup!

11. Qatar's capital: DOHA.

15. Largest members of the dolphin family: ORCAS.  They are huge fish.  I do not think any are swimming around in the pool at Tampa Bay's Stadium.

16. B's equivalent: C FLAT.

17. Iridescent gem: OPAL.

21. Two after epsilon: ETA.  I was never any good at the Greek alphabet.  But I know Alpha and Beta.

22. Full Sail offering: ALE.  Canada Dry zero sugar Ginger ALE is one of my favorites.

23. "Rats!": DANG.  I sometimes use a different word when I miss a ten pin.

30. Bill collection?: WAD.  Nice to think about, but only if they are Benjamins.

32. Diva's numbers: SOLOS.

33. Stalls: BUYS TIME.  Talk about BUYING TIME?  I was watching the match play golf on TV last weekend and it took those guys forever to play.

35. NBA official: REF.  They have a rough time in the NCAA Tournament.

37. "I'll skip it": PASS.  The REF has to make a quick decision about whether a PASS was okay.

38. Noodle output?: IDEA.

42. Leave speechless: STUN.

44. "Silly me!": OOPS.  DANG, I missed another Ten Pin.

45. Discouraging words: NOS.

46. NBC drama with two pronouns in its title: THIS IS US.

48. Brass in parades: TUBAS.  I don't remember seeing TUBAS in parades.  They are big and heavy and not comfortable to walk down a street two miles or more while wearing a band uniform on a hot summer day.

52. Name that's also a Roman numeral: LIV.  Super Bowl LIV was a year or two ago.  Liv Tyler is the daughter of Steve Tyler.

57. Dresden denial: NEIN.  I was in Germany once and learned this word first.

59. Castle queenside, in chess notation: OOO.

60. "Atonement" author McEwan: IAN.

67. Smoothie berry: ACAI.

68. Traffic cop?: NARCO. Drug traffic. 31. Anti-traffic org.: DEA.

69. More loyal: TRUER.  TRUER words were never spoken.

70. Ping-Pong supplies: NETS. The Puzzlemaster Will Shortz is an avid player.

71. Kids: TYKES.  I never got a chance to coach high school bowling this year.  They are kids but I think they might have to be younger to be called TYKES.

72. Showing one's claws, so to speak: CATTY.

Down:

1. Fuel-efficient bikes: MOPEDS.  I remember these.  When I was a TYKE, we could rent a 50cc scooter for fun.  I think they were Suzukis.

2. Playground rebuttal: ARE TOO.  YES I AM!

3. Prescription, to a layperson?: SCRAWL.  Hmmm.  I don't think mine are SCRAWLED.  They just show up in my mailbox on time, and C.C. keeps track.

4. Remote batteries: AAS.  Very popular and necessary.  We have a drawer full of them.

5. Prefix with metric: ISO.

6. Take to task: SCOLD. 

7. Did in: OFFED.

8. Whom Clay became: ALI. Cassius Clay.

9. Fellow: MAN.

10. Wednesday kin: ITT.  Proud member of the Addams Family but I cannot remember if  ITT was a girl or a boy ??

11. TV explorer with a monkey named Boots: DORA.

12. Hygienist's request: OPEN WIDE.  Wife's request - SHUT UP !

13. Can really play: HAS GAME.  We'll see how many Major Leaguers HAVE GAME next week.

14. Ctrl-__-Del: ALT.  I would stay away from the sequence.

19. Photographer Goldin: NAN.

20. Freezer aisle brand: EDYS.  I've been eating Breyer's for dessert.  They have no sugar added.

25. Shutout feature: NO RUNS.  How many Pitchers will HAVE GAME ??

26. Crossing the pond, say: ASEA.  He joined the Navy, to see the world but he only saw the SEA.

27. Pronoun-shaped girders: I BARS.

28. Hurry:  RUSH.  Speaking of RUSH.  We lost Mr. Limbaugh a few weeks ago. 

29. Emmy winner Cicely: TYSON.

34. Crying need: TISSUE.  Okay if I just call it a Kleenex?

36. Cold coat: FROST.  It looks like we Minnesotans might have to wait until November to see our breath outside again.

37. __ Challenge: soft drink promotion: PEPSI.  That's my other soft drink, Diet Pepsi next to the zero sugar Ginger Ale. 

39. Shake in fear over: QUIVER AT.

40. Series of dates: TOUR.

41. With 66-Down, nest egg option: ROTH. 66. See 41-Down: IRA.  I have a regular IRA.  I never understood the Roth kind.  It seemed to have a lot of ifs, ands and buts. 

42. Cardinal letters: STL.  Home of the Arch.  If you want to take a ride to the top, it takes 45 minutes.  I did not go.  Instead I visited the Bowling Hall of Fame.  I was not in it and I heard that it has been moved to Texas.

43. Metaphor for a treacherous situation: THIN ICE.  It's not a metaphor here.  We have laws to take ice fishing houses off the lakes by earlier this month.  

47. Ain't right?: ISN'T.

49. Lebanon's capital: BEIRUT.  Didn't he hit 714 Home Runs for the Yankees?

50. How flatware is usually sold: AS A SET.  I always called it silverware, even though it was some other kind of metal.

51. Guard at the gate: SENTRY.

54. Time being: NONCE.

55. "We Got the Beat" group: GO GOS.  You cannot fool me.  This goes back to the 1970s.  Are they still around?

56. Trig. ratio: COS.

58. Goddess with cow's horns: ISIS.

61. Ceiling fixture: FAN.  We have one of these but we seldom use it.  It can keep you awake.

62. Big bang letters?: TNT.  Turner Network Television.  It has some classic old movies sometimes.  I never knew that Ronnie Howard was in "The Music Man" until I saw it on TNT.

63. Mare's meal: HAY.  Mare's eat oats and Does eat oats, and Little Lambs eat Ivy.

64. Really bug: IRK.

65. Consumer protection org.: FTC.

Boomer