Tuesday, July 6, 2021 Paul Coulter

Summer Grilling.  How would you like your steak cooked?

17-Across. Natural's ability: RAW TALENT.

24-Across. Cerium or yttrium: RARE EARTH METAL.

40-Across. Like prisons for not-the-worst criminals: MEDIUM SECURITY.

54-Across. Famous: WELL-KNOWN.

Across:

1. NYC theater award: OBIE.  The Obie is the Off-Broadway Theater Award.

5. Jackson 5 hairdo: AFRO.

9. Blue Ribbon brewer: PABST.  How Pabst got its Blue Ribbon.

14. Caleb's twin in "East of Eden": ARON.  East of Eden is my favorite John Steinbeck (Feb. 27, 1902 ~ Dec. 20, 1968) novel.

15. Bank claim: LIEN.  //  And 19-Across:  Bank offerings: LOANS.

16. Acquiesce: AGREE.

20. Willie Nelson album of pop standards: STARDUST.

21. Has coming: MERITS.

22. Banned bug spray: DDT.  DDT is the abbrevation of Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane.  It was first synthesized by an Austrian chemist named Othmar Zeilder (1850 ~ 1911) in 1874.  Rachel Carson (1907 ~ 1964) was the first crusader against the use of DDT due to its harmful impact on the environment.

23. Wrap for sandwiches: SARAN.

30. Acted alarmed, as a horse: SHIED.

31. Designer Saarinen: EERO.  We had a clue about Eero Saarinen (Aug. 20, 1910 ~ Sept. 1, 1961) just last Tuesday.   Eero Saarinen and his father, Elie Saarinen (Aug. 20, 1873 ~ July 1, 1950), were both well known architects from Finland.  Eero designed the Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.  As I noted last week, Eero appears quite frequently in the crossword puzzles.

32. Pretoria's home: Abbr.: RSA.  As in the Republic of South Africa.  Pretoria is just one of South Africa's capital cities.  The country has 3 capitals, but Pretoria is its administrative one.

33. Under-the-wing fuel containers: PODS.

34. Decrease: ABATE.

36. Like thick, green lawns: LUSH.

37. Suffix with meth-: -ANE.  The chemical structure of Methane:

38. Ex-Yankee with 696 career HRs: A-ROD.  Alexander Enmanuel Rodriguez (b. July 27, 1975) will celebrated his 46th birthday later this month.

39. French equivalent of the Oscar: CÉSAR.  It is a rather odd looking trophy.

44. Scandal-plagued energy giant: ENRON.

45. Musician Brian: ENO.  Brian Eno (né Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno; b. May 15, 1948) used to make frequent guest appearances in the puzzles, but we haven't seen him in a while.

Brian Eno ~ then and now

46. Composer Berlioz: HECTOR.  Louis-Hector Berlioz (Dec. 11, 1803 ~ Mar. 8, 1869) was quite a prolific composer.

48. Roads that avoid downtown: BY-PASSES.

53. Carrier that added "ways" to its name in 1997: US AIR.

55. ABBA's "__ Mia!": MAMMA.

56. Vowel-heavy baseball family name: ALOU.  The family baseball includes brothers and sons: Felipe Rojas Alou (b. May 12, 1935), Matty (né Mateo Rojas Alou; Dec. 22, 1938 ~ Nov. 3, 2011), Jesús (né Jesúu María Rojas Alou; b. Mar. 24, 1942), his sons Moisés (né Moisés Rojas Alou Beltre; b. July 3, 1966) and Luis (né Louis E. Rojas; b. Sept. 1, 1981).

57. Vowel-heavy end of a court game: ALAI.  Change the last 2 vowels from the above and you get the game of Jai Alai.fif

58. Holmes smoked them: PIPES.  Think of Sherlock Holmes.

59. Chimed: RANG.

60. Confined, with "up": PENT.

Down:

1. Dinghy movers: OARS.

2. Tough tyke to handle: BRAT.

3. "Field of Dreams" setting: IOWA.  Field of Dreams came out in 1989.

4. __'acte: intermission: ENTR.  Today's French lesson.

5. Hint at, with "to": ALLUDE.

6. Party with a piñata: FIESTA.  Also the name of a grocery store in Texas.

7. Cost of living?: RENT.

8. Toronto's prov.: ONT.  Hi, CanadianEh!

9. Sicilian seaport: PALERMO.  We visited Palermo in 2019.  We had to drive down a very, very narrow street to get to our hotel.  There was only about 6 inches leeway.  It was quite an experience.

10. Ancient Greek meeting places: AGORAE.  Today's Greek lesson.

11. FDR advisory group: BRAIN TRUST.

12. Dispatched: SENT.

13. Melanie's "Working Girl" role: TESS.  Working Girl was a 1988 rom-com movie that starred Melanie Griffith (b. Aug. 9, 1957).

18. Said further: ADDED.

21. 1984 Olympic slalom champion: MAHRE.  Philip Ferdinand Mahre (b. May 10, 1957) and his twin brother, Steven Irving Mahre (b. May 10, 1957) both competed in the 1984 Olympics.  They are fraternal twins.

23. Editor's "Let it stand": STET.  A crossword staple.

24. French wine region: RHÔNE.

25. Military assistant: AIDE DE CAMP.

26. Dorm, briefly: RES.  As in a Residence.

27. Aptly named English novelist: READE.  Charles Reade (June 8, 1814 ~ Apr. 11, 1884) was a novelist and dramatist.  Rather obscure for a Tuesday, I'd say.

28. Test, as ore: ASSAY.

29. Cowardly Lion portrayer Bert: LAHR.  Although he was quite a prolific actor, Bert Lahr (né Irving Lahrheim; Aug. 13, 1895 ~ Dec. 4, 1967) is best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz.  Appropriate, I suppose, since he was a Leo.

30. Inbox annoyance: SPAM.

34. Knight's "suit": ARMOR.

35. Cap'n's mate: BOS'N.

36. Floral necklace: LEI.

38. Natural light shows: AURORAS.

39. Frog sound: CROAK.

41. Punctually: IN TIME.

42. Sri Lanka, once: CEYLON.  A brief history of Sri Lanka.

43. Disconnect from the socket: UNPLUG.

46. Camel feature: HUMP.  One hump or two?

47. Actor Morales: ESAI.  I learned of Esai Manuel Morales, Jr. (b. Oct. 1 1962) from his appearances in the crossword puzzles.

48. Composer Bartók: BÉLA.  Béla Bartók (Mar. 25, 1881 ~ Sept. 26, 1945) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

49. "Oh, __!": "Whoa!": SNAP.

50. Exclusive: SOLE.

51. Obi-Wan portrayer McGregor: EWAN.  Ewan McGregor (b. Mar. 31, 1971) portrayed a young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel.

52. Agitated state: SNIT.

54. High-card-wins game: WAR.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Note from C.C.:

Happy 74th birthday to dear 7-Across! So lucky you answered my email a while ago!

Hope I can make this embed work. If not, please click here.

Monday July 5th, 2021 Andy Wang & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: TIE BREAKER (63. Overtime round, e.g. ... and what a black square acts as for the circled words?) - Three different ties are broken up.

 17. Gibberish: MUMBO JUMBO. And 19. Passed-down stories: LORE. Bolo tie.

 28. "Just as I thought!": AHA. And  29. Tax evader's comeuppance: IRS AUDIT. Hair tie.

 47. One who scoffs at Bud, perhaps: BEER SNOB. 50. Dominate in competition: OWN. Bow tie.

Boomer here.

Andy is C.C.'s brother. He is a logistics supervisor for an electronic commerce company in Xi'an, China. Great job Andy!

Andy Wang

On the home front of course I am on the course on Monday mornings. But last Wednesday the league president had organized a picnic get-together for  the players and their wives.  C.C. and I were happy to attend and we found out that several of the other wives were crossword solvers and they were fascinated with C.C.'s work. Oh, and by the way everyone brought some food to share and I was happy to bring a sheet cake with "Happy Birthday, C.C." on the frosted area. The group sang the song in honor of C.C.'s birthday. A good time was had by all. And of course I am hoping you all enjoyed the July 4 holiday!! 

C.C., 6/30/2021

Across:

1. Light in a socket: BULB.  We have been using the LED bulbs for awhile.  They are high tech, use less energy and last longer.

5. Hunt for bargains: SHOP.  One of C.C.'s favorite activities.

9. Tick off: MIFF.

13. Enjoyed immensely: ATE UP.  Everyone ATE UP the aforementioned picnic.  However I brought home a few pieces of cake that I am continuing to work on.

Boomer, 6/30/2021

15. Smooth engine sound: PURR.  Not Meow.

16. Love, in Lima: AMOR.

20. Support for a side plank exercise: ARM.  I use the right one for bowling and both for golf.

21. Country singer McGraw: TIM.  The Tiny one tiptoed through the tulips.  There is another named Anderson who plays shortstop for the White Sox who handed the Twins their lunch last week.

22. Finished, as a deck: STAINED.  I think ours is just painted.  It was redone last summer.

24. David Muir and Lester Holt: NEWSMEN.

27. "Thor" actor Idris: ELBA.

33. Very beginning: GET-GO.  I believe that this is the first tee.

36. Like strung guitar strings: TAUT.

37. "If u ask me ... ": IMO.  In My Opinion this was a pretty good puzzle by a veteran and a rookie.

38. Sought-after celeb: A-LISTER.

40. Springsteen's __ Band: E STREET.

43. Edge of a glass: RIM.  You may need to put a tire on one.

44. "I claim that!": DIBS.  Great word!  I have not used it since I was a kid.  

46. Perform better than: OUTDO.  This morning I am trying to OUTDO others on the course, but we all have a good time and nobody really wins or loses.  We all just try to beat the course. 

51. Dough for spanakopita: FILO.

52. Attacks: COMES AT.  If your shot COMES AT someone, don't forget to holler "FORE"

56. Kind of salad named for a NYC hotel: WALDORF.  I've never been to New York, but I remember this salad has fruit and nuts in it.

59. Make a dent in: MAR.  Between FEB and APR.

60. Mister, in Mumbai: SRI. 

62. Grammy winner India.__: ARIE.

66. Crystal ball gazer: SEER.  I am pretty sure that the Crystal Ball is not related to Lucille.

67. Landfill emanation: ODOR.

68. Coffee or tea: DRINK.  "Drink, Drink, Drink, said the privates, happy men are we.  There's none so fair that can compare to the fighting infantry."

69. "No thanks": PASS.

70. Nada: NONE.  My teachers in grade school were known as NUNS but I don't know why.

71. Draws to a close: ENDS.  This is the END of across.  Now we go DOWN.

Down:

1. Ole Miss rival: BAMA.  Home of the Crimson Tide.

2. 180-degree reversal: U TURN.  Please don't do this on the highway.

3. ''I wanna try!'': LEMME.

4. Fella: BUB.  The sergeant on "In the Heat of the Night" is BUBBA Skinner.  He played football for the Crimson Tide.

5. Ocean froth: SPUME.  In "God Bless America" it's called foam.

6. Smooth engine sound: HUM.  Once in awhile I will see one of those HUMMERs, but I don't hear them HUM.

7. Planets, in poems: ORBS.

8. Formal objections: PROTESTS.  Minneapolis is full of them.  There is always somebody PROTESTing about something.  The George Floyd story is still living on.

9. Ritzy California beach city: MALIBU.  Also a Chevrolet that I once owned. 1965. 

10. "No dessert for me today": I'M ON A DIET.  I am never on a diet.  I just try to avoid sugar and keep the blood glucose low.

11. Warning after a slice: FORE.  I use to have a slice but I fixed that.  Now we wait until the group ahead is off the green.  If I need a slice, I order a pizza. 

12. Mister Rogers: FRED.

14. Random criticism: POTSHOT.

18. Iwo __: JIMA.  A terrible battle in World War II.  I think my Dad was there but he never talked about it much.  He was a medic.

23. Fashioned after: A LA.  Crimson Tide again

25. Friendly dog greetings: WAGS.

26. Actress Vardalos: NIA.

30. Regrets: RUES.  I suppose you will all RUE the day at the end of the week.  The puzzles are a bit tougher.

31. Used WhatsApp, say: IM'ED.

32. Dog in Oz: TOTO.  "I'll get you my pretty, And your little dog too."

33. Clothing: GARB.

34. Fashion designer Saab: ELIE.

35. "The years just zip by!": TIME FLIES.  "When you're having fun"!

36. The Chicks or ZZ Top: TRIO.  Or the Chad Mitchell guys.

39. Ralph Kramden's pal: ED NORTON.  "Oh, How sweet it is "

41. Dwarfed, with "over": TOWERED.

42. Ski resort trails: RUNS.  The Minnesota Twins are producing a serious shortage of these.

45. "Killing Eve" channel: BBC.

48. Lyft patrons: RIDERS.  Then the RIDERS become SKIERS.

49. __-mo videos: SLO.

50. Actor Epps: OMAR.  Minnesota has a 5th District Congress Rep named OMAR.  She occasionally says the wrong thing at the wrong time.   

53. Blending of one hue to the next, from the French for "shaded": OMBRE.

54. Invite to enter: ASK IN.  "Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin !"

55. Get big on Twitter: TREND.  I have never used Twitter.  I do not know how and Facebook is enough for me.

56. Stinging insect: WASP.  "Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee"  Cassius Clay.

57. Farmland measure: AREA.  Golf courses seem to be measured in Yards.

58. Classic dog name: FIDO.

61. Ticks off: IRKS.

64. Very long stretch: EON.  Okay, If it took you an EON to solve this puzzle, hop on the comments section and tell us what you think.

65. "What __ you looking at?": ARE.

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

In case you missed it, here's a picture of Tony (Anon-T) and Leo. Great to "see" you guys.

Tony & Leo, 7/3/2021

 

Sunday July 4, 2021 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme: - "Surprise Package"- Box can follow both words in each theme entry.

22A. *Editorial comment: TEXT SUGGESTION. Text box. Suggestion box.

35A. *Solid piece of security hardware: STRONG LOCK. Strong box. Lock box.

39A. *Part of a school kid's allowance: LUNCH MONEY. Lunchbox. Money box.

70A. *Online dating coup: TINDER MATCH. Tinderbox. Matchbox.

101A. *Tough talk tension easer: ICE BREAKER. Icebox. Breaker box.

104A. *Offenbach output: OPERA MUSIC. Opera box. Music box.

121A. *Fast talk from the on-deck circle: BATTER'S CHATTER. Batter's box. Chatterbox.

14D. *Traveler's aid: PACKING LIST. Packing box. List box.

69D. *Bank transaction: CASH DEPOSIT. Cash box. Deposit box.

Reveal:

130. Shipping supply that links the answers to starred clues: BOX.

This is a very impressive set. For this type of both words that can follow/precede theme, it's easy to find a set of 3 or 4 solid in-the-language phrases, but not 9. Amazing.

Two of the Down theme entries intersect two Across ones. I love when this happens. It does not always make filling easier though, as I've learned myself. Sometimes it creates unexpected knotty spots.

Across:

1. Seuss critter in socks: FOX.

4. Singer with a Best Actress Oscar: CHER. For "Moonstruck".

8. Best-of-seven MLB semifinal: ALCS. American League Championship Series. We also have 52. AL West team, in crawl lines: LAA.

12. Put one over on: DUPED.

17. Cupid counterpart: EROS.

19. Olympics event since 1964: LUGE.

20. Poi source: TARO. Cantonese use taro paste as filling for buns. Or even mooncakes. Yes, Gary, Chinese eat mooncakes during Mid-Autumn Festival. This year it's Sept 21, 2021.

21. Aquafina alternative: DASANI.

25. Builds: ERECTS.

26. Rainforest rodent: AGOUTI.

27. Channel with a gate: SLUICE. This shows up on Google Images.

28. Onboard assent: AYE.

29. Family tree fill: KIN.

30. Last word in a popular drinking game: PONG. Beer pong.

32. Completely wraps: ENCASES.

34. "Well done!": NICE. Thanks for the NFT and blockchain explanation last Wednesday, Bill!

42. London driver's unit: LITRE. Of petroleum.

43. She's no pro: ANTI.

44. Making a case for: STATING.

45. Woman on the Sistine Chapel ceiling: EVE.

46. Snowballs in a fight, e.g.: AMMO.

48. '60s protest gp.: SDS. Students for a Democratic Society.

51. Dashboard nos.: RPMS.

55. Doctor's order: DOSAGE. Glad all went smoothly, Picard!

57. Belgian lager, familiarly: STELLA. Stella Artois.

59. Bethlehem university: LEHIGH. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

61. Jet Ski rival: SEA-DOO. Looks fun.

64. Kaley who played Penny on "The Big Bang Theory": CUOCO.

66. One with dreads: RASTA.

67. Church branch: SECT.

73. Govt. accident investigator: NTSB. National Transportation Safety Board. The police is investigating the death of our neighbor. Pretty scary. Did you know that a hazmat team is needed to clean up the crime scene?

74. Shrinking retailer: KMART.

76. All together: AS ONE.

77. Mississippi River explorer: DE SOTO.

79. "That was a brutal workout!": I'M SORE.

81. Solution measures: TITERS. chemical solution. Wiki says "Titer has the same origin as the word "title", from the French word titre, meaning "title" but referring to the documented purity of a substance, often gold or silver. "

83. Paper-saving party announcements: E-VITES.

87. "I guess not": NAH.

88. Space race initials: USSR.

90. Pocatello-to-Provo dir.: SSE.

91. One in a bust: NARC. Drug bust.

93. Raisman with three Olympic gold medals: ALY. Two of our Minnesota girls made the US Olympic gym team this year.

94. Advice from a loser?: DIET TIP.

97. Local bond, briefly: MUNI.

99. "__ Burr, Sir": song in "Hamilton": AARON.

106. Slack-jawed look: GAPE. 107. They might be holy: TERRORS.

109. Removed: SHED.

110. Family card game: UNO.

111. URL addresses: IPS.

113. Subject of a 2021 packet shortage: CATSUP. Boomer only uses the bottled ketchup.
 
115. It's been shortening for over a century: CRISCO. 124. It's not butter: OLEO.

119. "Broken Arrow" co-star: ANSARA (Michael)

123. Marcus partner: NEIMAN.

125. Vannelli of pop: GINO.

126. NE syst. with 64 campuses: SUNY.

127. Bond's car starter?: ASTON. Martin.

128. Night sch. awards: GEDS.

129. Exxon, formerly: ESSO.

Down:

1. Greek salad topper: FETA.

2. Wash. neighbor: OREG.

3. Love letters?: XOXO.

4. Crossword constructor's job: CLUING. Hours & hours of googling, researching, checking and double-checking.

5. Group __: HUG.

6. They're beaten in kitchens: EGGS.

7. Put back in a seat: RE-ELECT.

8. Overhead storage: ATTIC. Do you have your heat exchanger installed there also?

9. Secular: LAICAL.

10. King known for his wealth: CROESUS. Hence "Rich as Croesus".

11. John David, to Denzel: SON. Washington.

12. Double-dog action?: DARE. I double-dog dare you.

13. Take advantage of: USE.

15. Lure: ENTICE.

16. Man with a World: DISNEY. Cute clue.

18. Fog: STUPOR.

21. "L.A. Law" actress: DEY.

23. Flintstones time: STONE AGE.

24. Orange soda brand: SUNKIST.

28. Songwriters' org.: ASCAP.

31. Glitzy genre: GLAM.

33. Break in the theater: ENTR'ACTE.

34. Nice turndown: NON. Nice, France. Also 102. French film festival site: CANNES.

35. Winter transport: SLED.

36. Pioneering DVR: TIVO.

37. Rd. map lines: RTES.

38. Plastic __ Band: ONO.

40. Webmaster's code: HTML. I don't know why the link button is not available in the Comments section. It's so much easier to make a link in our blog write-ups.

41. Unlikely GoFundMe donor: MISER.

47. Deli array: MEAT.

49. Orders: DECREES.

50. Run-down area: SLUM.

53. Movie industry reps: Abbr.: AGTS.

54. Queequeg's captain: AHAB.

56. Intro to physics?: ASTRO. Astrophysics.

57. "Likewise": SO DO I.

58. Laundry units: LOADS.

60. Capital NE of Vientiane: HANOI.

62. Part of una semana: DIA. Day/one week.

63. Picketing: ON STRIKE.

65. Mil. training site: OCS. Officer candidate school.

67. Tattoo canvas: SKIN.

68. Watson who played Hermione: EMMA.

71. Rhinitis docs: ENTS.

72. Weed killer: HOER. Our chives grow so quickly, and the squirrels never bother them. Squirrels (maybe rabbits) ruined our beautiful Asiatic lilies this year.

75. More faithful: TRUER.

78. Studio picture taker: TV CAMERA.

80. Uruguay's Punta del __: ESTE.

82. Guilty feeling: REMORSE.

84. Works on a route: TARS.

85. Wells race of the future: ELOI.

86. Match in a studio: SYNC.

89. Scoreboard figs.: STATS.

91. SSW's opposite: NNE.

92. Snobbish attitude: AIRS.

95. "When Will __ Loved?": 1975 hit: I BE.

96. Sheet material: PERCALE. Bed sheet.

98. Sudden spike: UPSURGE.

100. Reviews of books: AUDITS. Not the book you read.

101. Dora the Explorer's Isa, e.g.: IGUANA.

103. Not for kids, filmwise: R-RATED. Restricted.

105. Cold sound: AHCHOO.

108. Four Holy Roman emperors: OTTOS.

111. Caspian Sea land: IRAN.

112. Not a good review: PAN. Have any of you visited the Stonewall Kitchen store? We just got some fantastic sheet pans from them. And this fish spatula. Xie Xie, Agnes.

 

114. Trident-shaped frat letters: PSIS.

116. Concert memento: STUB.

117. Prefix with -zoic: CENO.

118. Serengeti antelope: ORYX.

120. Word in a Latin love poem: AMO.

121. Cranberry source: BOG.
 
122. Brain and spinal cord, initially: CNS. Central Nervous System.

Thank you for the birthday wishes! I'm surprised that I did not get a letter from the AARP. 

Boomer bought me a pretty cake. We shared it with his Monday golf buddies and their spouses at a picnic.

C.C.