Tuesday, May 25, 2021 Agnes Davidson and C.C. Burnikel

Clam Up.

16-Across. *   Historic lifetime golf or tennis achievement: CAREER GRAND SLAM.  You can get a breakfast Grand Slam at Denny's.

19-Across. *   Cushioned Adidas running shoes: CLOUD FOAM.

21-Down. *   Social status hierarchy: CLASS SYSTEM.

And the Unifier:

23. Seafood appetizer, and what each answer to a starred clue literally is?: STUFFED CLAM.  The word Clam forms the border of each starred answer and the rest of the answer is "stuffed" into the Clam.

I had never heard of Stuffed Clams before and I grew up in New England.  According to this recipe, they are generally made of quahogs (remember that quahogs appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle!).

Across:

1. Aquatic barker: SEAL.  Do seals really bark?

5. "Notorious" justice, initially: RBG.   I had the opportunity to meet with the Notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2006 when I was sworn in to the United States Supreme Court.  She met with a small group of 10 of us after the swearing in ceremony. 

8. Frozen rock in a bar?: CUBE.  Hi, Tinbini!  I hope you are well.  We haven't "seen" you in a while.

12. Lake that drains via the Niagara River: ERIE.  Seein Erie appear in the puzzle brings back memories of our friend Abejo.

13. City on the Nile: CAIRO.  Cairo, Illinois is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.

15. Daunting exam: ORAL.

20. TV censoring device: V-CHIP.

22. Do canine care?: FLOSS.

25. Long-bodied fish: EEL.

26. Dose amt.: TSP.

28. Super Bowl org.: NFL.  As in the National Football League.

29. Bronze component: TIN.  Hi, Tinbini!  We do miss you!  Bronze is an alloy consisting mostly of copper and tin, with a handful of other elements.

31. Hang loosely: DRAPE.

33. Tigger's best friend: ROO.  A reference to Winnie the Pooh and his many friends.

35. Clear sky hue: AZURE.

37. Long-eared equines: ASSES.

38. Need to pay: OWE.

39. More secure: SAFER.

40. Extreme clutter: MESS.

41. Oscar-winning actress Berry: HALLE.  Halle Marie Berry (b. Aug. 14, 1966) won the Best Actress Oscar for her role as Leticia Musgrove in the 2001 movie Monster's Ball.  The movie was largely filmed in New Orleans.

43. "Should that happen ... ": IF SO.

44. Power source for Watt: STEAM.  Think of the Watt steam engine, named after James Watt (1736 ~ 1819).

46. Sleeping sound: SNORE.

48. City hall leaders: MAYORS.  Thomas Willett (1605 ~ 1674) was the first and third mayor of New York City.

50. Guiding principles: CREDOS.

53. Driver's licenses, e.g.: IDs.  In Louisiana, it is now possible to have one's driver's license on one's iPhone.

54. Donnybrook: RHUBARB.  I am not familiar with this definition of Rhubarb.  My mother made the best Rhubarb and Strawberry pie.

58. "Crazy Rich Asians" director Jon M. __: CHU. Jon M. Chu (né Jonathan Murray Chu; b. Nov. 2, 1979), adapted Kevin Kwan's novel of the same name into the 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians.

59. A or B, but not O: NOTE.  I am assuming that the A and B refer to musical notes.  If all three letters have something in common, it would be blood type.

61. "30 Rock" actor __ Morgan: TRACY.  Tracy Jamal Morgan (b. Nov. 10, 1968) was very seriously injured in a car accident in 2014.  Fortunately, after a long recovery period, he seems to be fine now.

62. Pleased: GLAD.

63. Follow orders: OBEY.

64. Product pitcher: AD REP.  Hand up if you first entered Ad Man.

65. "Mary Magdalene" star Rooney __: MARA.  Mara Rooney (née Patricia Rooney Mara; b. Apr. 17, 1985) also starred in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

66. Capital on the Tiber: ROME.

67. Party attendee: GUEST.

68. Portent: OMEN.

Down:

1. "Be there in a __!": SEC.

2. Stat for Clayton Kershaw: ERA.  As in Earned Run Average.  Clayton Kershaw (b. Mar. 19, 1988) is a professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

3. Breathing necessity: AIR.

4. Bloodsucker: LEECH.  Leeches used to be a common "medical" procedure.  Are they making a come-back?

5. Pasta sauce brand: RAGU.

6. Eagle or lark: BIRD.

7. Steffi in the Tennis Hall of Fame: GRAF.  Steffi Graf (née Stefanie Maria Graf; b. June 14, 1969) was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.

8. Pink cocktail, familiarly: COSMO.  A Cosmo is made of vodka, cranberry, Cointreau and a bit of lime juice.  Yum!

9. Digital address letters: URL.  A crossword staple.

10. Sheep sound: BAA.

11. Common name for a tree-lined street: ELM.  Also a street where you might experience a nightmare.

13. Corn, wheat, etc.: CROPS.

14. Switch type: ON/OFF.

17. Privileged groups: ELITES.

18. Cowboys' home: DALLAS.  The football team.

20. Chapter companion: VERSE.

24. Foals' fathers: SIRES.

25. Wax-coated cheese: EDAM.  Yummers!  This has become a crossword staple.

27. Links tournament with two-person teams: PRO AM.

28. Yuletide carols: NOELS.

30. Roman fiddler: NERO.

32. Basil-based sauce: PESTO.  Yummers!  I am growing some basil so I can make my own pesto.

34. "Wise" flier: OWL.  Owls are such beautiful birds.

36. The Congo, formerly: ZAIRE.  As I am writing this, a volcano is erupting from Mount Nyiragongo.  The volcano is on the northeastern part of the country near the Rwanda border.  The official name of the country is the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  It was known as Zaire from 1971 until 1997.

41. Word or phrase preceded by "#": HASHTAG.

42. Put into code: ENCRYPT.

45. Goof up: ERR.

47. Uranus or Neptune: ORB.

48. Key that may sound sad or angry: MINOR.

49. Marinade in Philippine cooking: ADOBO.  I am not familiar with Adobo, but you it sounds interesting.

51. Windy City hub: O'HARE.  The airport in Chicago is named in honor of Butch O'Hare (né Edward Henry O'Hare; Mar. 13, 1914 ~ Nov. 26, 1943), an American navy aviator.  He was shot down in action during World War II.

52. Khartoum's nation: SUDAN.  We're spending a lot of time in Africa in today's puzzle.

55. Language of Pakistan: URDU.

56. Like Hubbard's cupboard: BARE.

57. Nails, as a test: ACES.

60. Lens location: EYE.

62. Controversial food letters: GMO.  As in a Genetically Modified Organism.

Here's the Grid:

Today's puzzle is brought to you by our very own Irish Miss and C.C., our blog mistress!

חתולה

Monday May 24, 2021 Gail Grabowski & Bruce Venzke

Theme: BACKSPACE (36. PC key with a left-pointing arrow ... and hint to the last words of the answers to starred clues) - The last word can precede "space".

18. *Major tennis tournament played on clay: FRENCH OPEN. Open space.

23. *Vegas vacation valuables holder: HOTEL SAFE. Safe space.

 52. *TV headline ticker: NEWS CRAWL. Crawl space.

 58. *99-year-old Emmy-winning actress with eight-plus decades in show business: BETTY WHITE. White space.

Boomer here again, blogging one more master grid from the two masters in crossword construction. 

Gail and Bruce

Most times I am not able to follow up on news from this blog.  I just want to wish heartfelt condolences to Jayce on the loss of his daughter-in-law.

Confidential to TTP.  I have been trying to follow the bowling playoffs which air inconsistency on FS1.  I'm afraid I missed the Sam Couley vs. Kyle Troup match.  Maybe Kyle got his pick comb caught in his eyebrow.

Across:

1. Winans of gospel: CECE.  When one of my cousins from Wisconsin sends a card, it may be addressed to "Doug and Cece."

5. Nebula Award genre: SCI-FI. The Twilight Zone.

10. Like deserts: ARID.

14. Oohs and __: AAHS.  Miguel Sano hit a grand slam last Thursday.  Maybe I'll stop picking on him for awhile.

15. Like wine barrels: OAKEN.  Do they still make barrels out of wood?

16. "Suits" actress Torres: GINA.

17. Catch in a web: TRAP.  "Sand"ones are called Bunkers' 

20. Letter after phi: CHI.  I only know the first five Greek letters. This looks like a box score heading for the White Sox or Cubs.

21. Field with cases and briefs: LAW.  There is usually a "Law & Order" rerun somewhere on a cable channel.  I am pretty sure I have seen them all, but I pass on "SVU" and "Criminal Intent".

22. Boring tools: AUGERS.  Now our fishing season is open in Minnesota.  You need not bring your ice AUGER.

27. Lone Ranger's pal: TONTO.  The Lone Ranger's horse was "SILVER'".  How many remember "SCOUT".

28. Justice Kagan: ELENA.

29. ER pictures: X-RAYS.  I've had a few X-RAYS in the past.  Now it seems I only need those scans where you have to drink something and then roll into a machine that costs more than my house. 

31. A, in German: EIN.  I think that's the first word I learned when I rolled into a camp in Hardheim.

32. Software help file: READ ME.

34. Dublin's land: Abbr.: IRE.

35. Govt. Rx watchdog: FDA.  Lots of food and drugs in our house.  No dog watching them.

39. Shed tears: CRY.

41. Lang. of the Torah: HEB. Hebrew.

42. Fuselage fasteners: RIVETS.

46. Group of two: DUO.

47. Skin openings: PORES.

49. Swab again: RE-MOP.  Sometimes we were ordered to do the barracks several times.

50. Canadian skater Brian: ORSER.

54. Early Web forum: USENET.

56. Didn't fast: ATE.  Something missing in the Puzz because seven ATE nine.

57. Land in the Seine: ILE.  The Seine, The Seine, when will I again, meet her there, Greet her there, on the moonlit banks of the Seine. 

61. Romance novelist Hilderbrand: ELIN.

62. Any of four British art galleries: TATE.  I remember Sharon TATE.  I do not remember here roles but I remember she was killed by Charles Manson.

63. Music rights org.: ASCAP.

64. What libraries do: LEND.  I've heard that banks and credit cards also do this.

65. Have the lead (in): STAR.

66. Undoes a dele: STETS.

67. Think tank tidbit: IDEA.

Down:

1. Mask wearer at home: CATCHER.  We only wear ours when we go out.  Minnesota governor has relaxed the mandate, and we both have the two shots but we have yet to trust others.  Minnesota is now around 60% vaccinated.

Boomer, Twins

2. Football helmet opening: EAR HOLE.  What??  Could you repeat that?

3. Indian spiced drink: CHAI TEA.  There is always TEA in our home.  I drink coffee.

4. Debatable ability, briefly: ESP.  Start of the Sports Network.

5. Sectionals and sleepers: SOFAS.  We have a couple, but they do not pull out.

6. Auto body coat: CAR WAX.  I don't use this.  Does it really help?

7. Clanton gang leader: IKE.  Also the nickname of our 34th President.  Speaking of nicknames President Eisenhower changed the name of the presidential retreat to Camp David after his Grandson.  A trivia question that is frequently missed on trivia game shows.

8. Boggy lowland: FEN.

9. Ancient Peruvian: INCA.  "Inca Dinka Do".  Jimmy Durante.

10. Galore, in disco lingo: A GOGO.

11. Matured on the vine: RIPENED.  Best to pick ripe grapes.

12. Subject of Newton's first law: INERTIA.

13. Ted of "Cheers": DANSON.  Also of many boring commercials on TV.

19. Makeshift shelters: HUTS.

21. Andean wool source: LLAMA.

24. Be over no later than: END BY. 9:00 PM, No extra innings please.

25. Flying Wham-O toy: FRISBEE.  I am sure most of us remember our first Wham-O toy.

26. O.K. Corral lawman: EARP.  Of course I do not remember Wyatt, he passed away in 1929.  I do remember Hugh O'Brien who played Wyatt in the TV show.

30. Common subscription period: YEAR.

33. Rebounding sound: ECHO.  HELLO, hello hello 

35. Above-normal body temperature: FEVER.

37. "Show Boat" composer Jerome: KERN.

38. Greek sorceress: CIRCE.

39. Attack with profanity: CURSE AT.  Yes, I have been there, mostly at the ten pin.

40. British Museum's __ Stone: ROSETTA.

43. Clicked "send": EMAILED.  I've been there too.

44. Rope for a tugboat: TOW LINE.

45. Low-calorie sweetener: SPLENDA.  I buy big bags of fake sugar at Aldi.  Tastes like real sugar!

46. Uncertainties: DOUBTS.

47. Hunter's quarry: PREY.  Hunting season is over in MN.  Now those large walleye are in the hunt. 

48. Try to hit, as a fly: SWAT AT.  Flies are tough to hit.  Mosquitos are easier.

51. Go into: ENTER.

53. Fitbit units: STEPS.  We have had a few of these walk counters but they don't work very well.

55. "__ the night before ... ": 'TWAS.

59. DDE's predecessor: HST.  Of course the President when I was born

60. Highway hazard: ICE.  Especially in Minnesota but it will not be hazardous again until about November.

61. Yale student: ELI.  I think he invented the cotton gin.  I did not know you could make GIN out of cotton.

Boomer

Sunday May 23, 2021 Gary Larson

Theme:  "Food for Thought" - Food with country name in is punnily clued as if it's not a food item.

23A. Easy-to-hit pitch in Stockholm?: SWEDISH MEATBALL.

45A. Minor matter in Manchester?: ENGLISH TRIFLE.

96A. Argument in Ulaanbaatar?: MONGOLIAN BEEF.

123A. Rent money in Mumbai?: INDIAN FLATBREAD.

17D. Medal recipient in Milan?: ITALIAN HERO.

33D. Worried state in Dublin?: IRISH STEW.

60D. Dance move in Dijon?: FRENCH DIP.

71D Inferior items in Zurich?: SWISS CHEESE.

We've seen similar puzzles before, though most with straightforward clue approach. Playing with fun clues is Gary Larson's forte.

Don G and I made one for the MN crossword tournament a few years ago. We used the language approach. For example, our SWEDISH MEATBALL is clued "Köttbullar?" FRENCH BREAD is clued as "Pain?"

Across:

1. Sitcom character originally called Kessler in the pilot episode: KRAMER. Cosmo Kramer on "Seinfeld". I did not know this trivia.

 

7. Impounds, maybe: TOWS AWAY.

15. Very silly: APISH. Is this a word you actually use?

20. Charge: IONIZE.

21. Asthma sufferers' aids: INHALERS.

22. Not a sparkling finish: MATTE.

25. Apple tablets: IPADS.

26. Home and nickname of The University of the South: SEWANEE. Unfamiliar with Sewanee: The University of the South. It's in Sewanee, Tennessee.

27. Pet __: PEEVE.

28. Touch: FEEL.

29. Anna __, 18th-/19th-century poet called the Swan of Lichfield: SEWARD. Also unknown to me.

32. 1973 Judy Blume novel: DEENIE. Another unknown.

34. Swell: RISE.

37. Johannesburg's land: Abbr.: RSA. Republic of South Africa

40. Precisely: TO A T.

42. Classical and Romantic: ERAS.

44. Grass bristle: AWN.

52. Steamed state: IRE.

53. "Just kidding!": NOT.

54. Shakespearean title city: VERONA.

55. Caulking materials: SEALANTS. I hear annoying noise in our bedroom. It think it comes from our floor register. It sounds like a drop of water falling on an empty bucket. Happens every few minutes. I don't know what caused it. Has this happened to you before? Maybe we should call those Clean Sweep guys and have all the vents cleaned. Sometimes I also hear the same noise in our bathroom wall. Nothing is leaking though. Just annoying noise.

57. More than dislike: ABHOR.

59. London classic, with "The": SEA-WOLF. Jack London.

61. Gung-ho: RAH RAH.

62. "Big Little Lies" co-star with Nicole, Shailene, Laura and Zoë: REESE. Here they're.

63. How dividends might be paid: PRO RATA.

66. Dustin's "Midnight Cowboy" role: RATSO.

68. Toledo's lake: ERIE.

69. __ facto: IPSO.

72. PC storage stats: MEGS.

73. Colombian cat: GATO.

74. Agile deer: ROES.

75. Fuzzy fruit: KIWI.

76. Online memo: E NOTE.

78. Flips, in a way: RESELLS.

80. __ Isle: Ireland nickname: ERIN'S.

82. Lindsay's Broadway writing partner: CROUSE. One more stranger: Russel Crouse. Howard Lindsay.

84. Brothers of old Hollywood: WARNERS. The Warner Brothers.

88. Stitch temporarily: BASTE.

89. Being a nuisance to: HARRYING.

92. Research: LOOK UP.

93. @@@@: ATS.

94. Fish often fried: COD.

98. IBM competitor: NEC.

99. Chicago daily, familiarly: TRIB.

101. Nair rival, once: NEET.

102. Radical '60s org.: SDS. Students for a Democratic Society.

103. Tennis immortal: ASHE. Arthur Ashe. Boomer has this in his stamp books.

105. Times to remember: EPOCHS.

109. Pioneer 35mm cameras: LEICAS.

113. Outback birds: EMUS.

115. Realizes: REAPS.

117. 121-Across maker: NABISCO. 121. Sandwich cookies: OREOS.

126. Tomato __: PASTE.

127. Devotions: FEALTIES. Spell check does not like the plural form.

128. Honduras hundred: CIENTO.

129. Rough suit fabric: TWEED.

130. In a bind?: CORSETED.

131. Dave of "Storage Wars": HESTER. Also a stranger.

Down:

1. Contact between two billiard balls: KISS.

2. Investment firm T. __ Price: ROWE.

3. From square one: ANEW.

4. King with a gilt complex?: MIDAS.

5. Web mag: E-ZINE.

6. Alter, in a way: RESEW.

7. "Mystic River" Oscar winner Robbins: TIM.

8. Indivisible: ONE.

9. Sound of a hit: WHAP.

10. Totally full: SATED.

11. "Tiny Alice" playwright: ALBEE (Edward)

12. Emulate Silas Marner: WEAVE.

13. Garfield's gal pal: ARLENE.

14. Fashion initials: YSL.

15. Gallic girlfriend: AMIE.

16. Staples supply: PAPER.

18. Typical: Abbr.: STD.

19. Fellows: HES.

24. "The Return of the Native" setting: HEATH.

28. Sweat: FEAR.

30. Goes bad: ROTS.

31. Challenge: DARE.

35. Two-time Tony winner Kurtz: SWOOSIE.

36. Menu heading: ENTREES.

37. Guns: REVS.

38. Old-time knife: SNEE.

39. Uttar Pradesh tourist city: AGRA.

41. Princess topper: TIARA.

43. Scorch: SEAR.

46. Starting place for a comeback: LOW POINT.

47. "Are we going __ not?": IN OR.

48. Strauss opera: SALOME.

49. Where St. Pete is: FLA.

50. First actor who sang "If I Were King of the Forest": LAHR (Bert) . The Cowardly Lion.

51. Tick off: ENRAGE.

56. Byes: TATAS.

58. Brewpub bragger, often: BEER SNOB.

64. Greek marketplace: AGORA.

65. Weather forecast shorthand: T STORM.

67. "Fan-cee!": OO LA LA.

69. Japanese floral art: IKEBANA. Love this fill.

70. Hook and Silver: PIRATES.

77. German capital: EURO.

78. Have the throne: REIGN.

79. Scientology founder Hubbard: L RON.

81. Religious offshoot: SECT.

83. Prefix with fuel: SYN.

85. Squeezes (out): EKES.

86. Wished undone: RUED.

87. Sunscreen nos.: SPFS.

90. Caroling standard: NOEL.

91. __ club: GLEE.

95. Metal-yielding minerals: ORES.

97. Book that spawned the film "What's Love Got to Do With It": I TINA. Now a Swiss. She had to give up her US citizenship.

100. Island administered by three countries: BORNEO.

104. Play too broadly: EMOTE.

106. Moth-repellent wood: CEDAR.

107. Flags down: HAILS.

108. Sudden outpouring: SPATE.

110. Trick: CATCH.

111. Yippie Hoffman: ABBIE.

112. Stud farm residents: SIRES.

114. Likely to be discounted: USED.

116. Foul mood: SNIT.

118. Posted: SENT.

119. Blanchett of "Elizabeth": CATE. Such a talented actress.

120. You may get a whiff of one: ODOR.

121. Select: OPT.

122. __ bar: RAW.

123. "Portlandia" network: IFC.

124. Tax prep charge: FEE.

125. Trippy '60s drug: LSD.