Tuesday, August 24, 2021, Freddie Cheng

Watch your Tongue!  The first word of each theme answer can by "tied" to the word tongue to give us a new concept.

17-Across. Sci-fi fleet leader: MOTHER SHIP.  Mother Tongue.

23-Across. Perceptive person: SHARP COOKIE.  Sharp Tongue.

38-Across. Indigenous U.S. people: NATIVE AMERICANS.  Native Tongue.

47-Across. Uncontrollable person: LOOSE CANNON.  Loose Tongue.

And the Unifier:

60-Across. At a loss for words, and what the starts of 17-, 23-, 38- and 47-Across can literally be?: TONGUE TIED.  Say this 3 times fast:

Across:

1. Bursting with testosterone: MACHO.

6. RPM gauge: TACH.  A Tachometer is the instrument that mesures the rotation speed of the wheel shaft.  It is usually measured in Revolutions Per Minute.

10. Border on: ABUT.

14. Aquafina competitor: EVIAN.  Expensive bottled mineral water from the Évian-les-Bains region of Southeastern France.

15. Beige hue: ECRU.  Shades of Beige.

16. Aussie pal: MATE.  Hi, Kazie!  I am currently reading Picnic at Hanging Rock, which is an Australian historical novel by Joan Lindsay.  I am finding it a bit challenging with all the Aussie terms that I am not familiar with.  

19. Vicinity: AREA.

20. New Age Irish singer: ENYA.  Enya (née Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin; b. May 17, 1961) was big in the 1990s, but I haven't heart much of her recently.

21. They're drawn in pubs: ALES.

22. Industry bigwigs: CZARS.

25. Displeased looks: SCOWLS.

29. Sweetie pie: HON.

30. "Star Trek" communications officer: UHURA.  Hi, Picard!

31. Skeleton component: BONE.

34. Old Testament twin: ESAU.  From the Biblical book of Genesis, we learn that Esau and Jacob were the twin sons of Isaac and Rebecca.  Esau was the older twin, but he sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of lentils.

41. Hershey's foil-wrapped chocolate treat: KISS.

42. Website unit: PAGE.

43. First color to move, in chess: WHITE.  Some chess sets have very elaborate pieces.

44. Prefix with pod: TRI-.  A three-legged stand.

46. Drove (around): TOOLED.

53. With room to spare: AMPLY.

54. Many a Dickens child: WAIF.

55. Wise, as advice: SAGE.

59. "Ciao!": TA TA!

62. Greenside shot: CHIP.

63. Burn soother: ALOE.  A crossword staple.

64. Backed, with "with": SIDED.

65. __ Christian Andersen: HANS.  Hans Christian Andersen (Apr. 2, 1805 ~ Aug. 4, 1875) is best known for his fairy tales.

66. KGB country: USSR.

67. See 55-Down: CRAZY.  //  And 55-Down. With 67-Across, like one who's been stuck at home for too long, slangily: STIR.  Stir Crazy is also the name of a 1980 movie starring Gene Wilder (né Jerome Silberman; June 11, 1933 ~ Aug. 29, 2016) and Richard Pryor (né Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor; Dec. 1, 1940 ~ Dec. 10, 2005).

Down:

1. Viral online item: MEME.

2. Door-to-door cosmetics seller: AVON.

3. Atlantic __, N.J.: CITY.

4. "LOL": HA HA!

5. Buck in a wallet: ONE.

6. Cybertruck maker: TESLA.  It is a cool design.

7. Complainer's "belly" ending: ACHER.  Don't Belly Ache about today's puzzle.

8. Like fresh chips: CRISP.

9. Drill sergeant's syllable: HUP.

10. Smart speaker brand: AMAZON ECHO.  Anyone have one of these?

11. Netanyahu's successor: BARAK.  Ehud Barak (b. Feb. 12, 1942) succeeded Benjamin Netanyahu (b. Oct. 21, 1949) as the Israeli Prime Minister after Netanyahu's first term.  Barak was Prime Minister from July 1999 until March 2001.

12. Wombs: UTERI.

13. Poke fun at: TEASE.

18. Stadium sounds: RAHs.  Cheering can also take place at the nearby bar.

22. Dove sound: COO.  Bird sounds.

23. Balkan native: SLAV.

24. Only singer to have a #1 single in six straight decades (1960s-2010s): CHER.  Cher (née Cherilyn Sarkisian; b. May 20, 1946) makes occasional guest appearances in the puzzles.

25. Doomed: SUNK.

26. Spiced tea: CHAI.

27. Double play pair: OUTS.

28. Mild reprimands: WRIST SLAPS.

31. Sheep bleat: BAA.

32. Texter's "Holy cow!": OMG.  This has become a crossword staple.

33. Once named: NÉE.  Today's French lesson.

35. Yacht propeller: SAIL.

36. Initial poker bet: ANTE.

37. Previously owned: USED.  Sometimes used books stores call themselves sellers of "pre-read" books.

39. "Outta this world!": EPIC.

40. Victor's shout: I WON!

45. "The Last Jedi" heroine: REY.  Rey Skywalker is a Jedi Master from the Star Wars series.  I never saw the movies after the first one or two, so I don't know how she fits into the series.  In the movie, she is played by the actress Daisy Ridley (b. Apr. 10, 1992).

46. Miso soup cube: TOFU.  Yummers!  I like a bowl of miso soup before my sushi.

47. Door fastener: LATCH.

48. Nebraska city: OMAHA.  Hi, Husker!

49. Agree to take part: OPT IN.

50. GI truants: AWOLs.  Absent WithOut Leave.

51. Old iPods: NANOs.  I still use my iPod Nano.

52. Nation bordering Libya: NIGER.  Niger touches just a small portion of the southern border of Libya.

56. Verdi classic: AIDA.  Elton John and Tim Rice gave the Verdi classic an update over 20 years ago.

57. "Oh, wow!": GEEZ.

58. Drain swirl: EDDY.  Not to be confused with Duane Eddy.

60. Sigma follower: TAU.

61. PC "oops" key: ESC.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday, August 23, 2021 Fred Piscop

 

Theme: DOWN IN FRONT (59A. Cry to one blocking your view at a concert ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues) - The first words are all synonyms of "sad".

17A. *Hitchhiked: BUMMED A RIDE.

11D. *Something kept to avoid attention: LOW PROFILE.

29D. *Dressing with Buffalo wings: BLUE CHEESE.

Boomer here.  

 

Good morning, Fred. Nice to see your name on a puzzle once more. I was not bummed or blue last week. I returned to my high school alma mater for the 55th reunion.  Actually it's been 56 years but last year was postponed since something of a virus was going around. The president (Principal) of the school was there and I made everyone jealous, because he did not know anyone there except the current assistant bowling coach. 

 

Across:

1. Periods of history: ERAS.  Twins pitchers ERAs are higher than a kite.

5. __ Pujols, fourth MLBer to reach 6,000 total bases: ALBERT.  Future Hall of Famer, we have sold a few of his cards on eBay.

11. Area for experiments: LAB.  A black dog.

14. __ Raton, Fla.: BOCA. Seems as though every city in FLA is running rampant with Covid.  SAD!.

15. Ballerina, at times: LEAPER.  Quite a few were running hurdles in Tokyo.

16. Bullfight "Bravo!": OLE.

19. Take the gold: WIN.  And a few took the Gold.

20. Took the wheel: STEERED.  My first couple of cars did not have power steering.  I don't know how I managed to drive!

21. Drained of energy: SAPPED.  I do feel this way sometimes after my Monday Golf game.  Not sure what it might be next week when bowling starts.

23. Firebug's crime: ARSON.  Fires are burning everywhere.  Dry weather is the firebug.

26. Changes direction: TURNS.  Yup, that's when I wished I had power steering.

27. Create a raised logo on, say: EMBOSS.

31. "My pleasure": LOVE TO.  Bowl and Golf.

33. Señor's squiggle: TILDE.

34. Said further: ADDED.

35. Put money in, as a parking meter: FED.  I visited St. Paul's downtown area a couple of years ago and I had to feed the parking meter with a credit card!

38. Board game with nine rooms: CLUE.  I think it was done by Professor Plum, with a Knife, in the Kitchen.

39. Picture within a picture: INSET.

40. Heap, as of wood: PILE.  Not Gomer's last name.  For that you need a "Y".

41. Weeding tool: HOE.

42. Judicial orders: WRITS.  "Order in the court, Here comes the Judge." Number 99 Aaron of the Yankees.  

43. Zesty dip for tortilla chips: SALSA.

44. Line in pressed pants: CREASE.  I don't have any pants like that anymore.  Funny how some things just fade away. 

46. Movie theater feature: SCREEN.

47. Throbbed: ACHED.  I have had one of these in my back recently.  Can I still BOWL ??

49. CNN journalist Hill: ERICA.

51. Doctoral candidate's project: THESIS.  Interesting, I have a bowling buddy Named Don Theis,  We call him DOC because he was a gas passer at the UofM Hospital.

53. Beers served with lime: CORONAS.

58. Tell a tall tale: LIE.  I never said that.  I only tell short tales.

62. Classifieds, e.g.: ADS.  We just don't see a lot of classified ADS in our paper anymore.  Most people are using the internet to buy, sell, or trade. 

63. Apple device featuring Siri: IPHONE.  Hey Siri!

64. Italian wine region: ASTI.

65. Go out with: SEE.

66. Skimpy swimsuits: THONGS.

67. Wanton look: LEER.

Down:

1. Recedes, like the tide: EBBS.

2. Sports blowout: ROUT.  Happened to the Vikings a week ago.  They should have asked Siri how to get to the end zone.

3. Wile E. Coyote's supplier: ACME.  Beep Beep, and fast bird or Plymouth.

4. "The __": "What she's having": SAME.  Not me.  C.C. and I seldom have the same food.  That's why we go to buffets.

5. Trees with catkins: ALDERS.

6. Takes charge: LEADS.

7. Granola __: BAR.  Do they serve beer there?

8. Prefix with dermis: EPI.

9. Wine list heading: REDS.  Cincinnati baseball team, formerly known as Redlegs.  They should have worn long pants at the beach.

10. Picked up the check: TREATED.  I'll get it, you leave the tip.

12. Sci-fi visitor: ALIEN.

13. Gives a little: BENDS.  What my Putts usually do.  I wish the greens were level.

18. Clear of data, e.g.: ERASE.  Maybe I should just ERASE my scorecard.

22. Erect, with "up": PUT.  Add a "T".  Do not count more than two on any hole.

24. Golden-ager: OLDSTER.  Never been called that, I'll settle for Senior Citizen.

25. Network junctions: NODES.

27. Mark with acid: ETCH.  Remember the ETCH - A - Sketch ??  You only need to turn it over and shake it to erase,

28. Venus de __: MILO.

30. Tribute in verse: ODE.  I remember the one to Billy Joe. On the 3rd of June.

32. Dog doc: VET.

34. Biscotti flavoring: ANISE.  Tastes like licorice to me.

36. "If all __ fails ... ": ELSE.  If all ELSE fails, kick your ball out of the rough with your foot.

37. Faculty head: DEAN.  Our District Congressman from Minnesota, DEAN Phillips. Made his money selling Vodka.  Dear Abby's Grandson.

 

39. Nest egg acronym: IRA.  Everyone my age should have one.

40. Four, for most golf holes: PAR. SIX! My score on most golf holes.

42. "Way to go, team!": WE DID IT.  Twins did not care much for Yankee Stadium last weekend.

43. Winter neck warmer: SCARF.

45. Hi-__ audio: RES.  What??  I cannot hear you over the noise.

46. Biscuits at teas: SCONES.  I've had ice cream cones.  Never had an S CONE.

47. Book with maps: ATLAS.  No one needs these any longer. Just a cellphone.

48. Reprimand: CHIDE.

50. Cake topping: ICING.  Now that you have completed Fred's puzzle, this blog is for ICING on the cake.

52. Many a jayvee player: SOPH.

54. Taken by mouth: ORAL.  My breakfast, lunch and dinner are all ORAL.

55. Carrot, on a snowman: NOSE.  Sometimes the winning margin in the Kentucky Derby.

56. Start the kitty: ANTE.  It was always a nickel when I played.

57. Mix, as a liquid: STIR.

60. Abbott and Costello's first baseman: WHO.  What ?? Where??  I don't know who the shortstop was.

61. Oui's opposite: NON.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

Happy birthday to Tinbeni, who's been with this blog for about 12 years. Cheers, Tin!

Sunday August 22, 2021 Roland Huget

Theme: "Musical Keys" - Each song contains a keyboard key.

23. Slogan from a cola jingle first aired in 1969: IT'S THE REAL THING.

36. Broadway revue featuring pop standards that won a 1997 Grammy: SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE.

48. Classic novelty song involving wing-flapping imitations, as it's commonly called: THE CHICKEN DANCE.

70. Song played at Blues home games: MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS.

83. 2000 Grammy-winning hit featuring Eminem: FORGOT ABOUT DRE.

98. French folk tune used in basic instrument lessons: AU CLAIR DE LA LUNE. This is new to me. Listen here.

We've had key hidden gimmick before. But Roland elevated this theme by narrowing down theme entries to songs or musicals. This is the extra layer I talk with with Agnes from time to time. Perfect title, Husker Gary-esque.

I have Alt, Esc, End, Tab on my keyboard. No Ins or Del, just Insert and Delete. How about your keyboard?

Across:

1. 2020 Anya Taylor-Joy title role: EMMA. The Jane Austin character. Anya Taylor-Joy also plays the lead character in "The Queen's Gambit".

 

 

5. They're dragged and dropped: ICONS.

10. Apple desktop: IMAC.

14. Oldies players: HI-FIS.

19. Forest jumpers: DEER.

20. G.I. Joe nemesis: COBRA. Wiki says he's a terrorist and the "nemesis of the G.I. Joe Team in the Hasbro action figure toyline G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and G.I. Joe: Sigma 6..." Well, at last he's  wearing a mask.

21. Fleeting prefix, timewise: NANO.

22. Heaps: A PILE.

26. Amber, for one: RESIN.

27. Pekoe holder: TEA CADDY. Lots of great fill in this 140-worder. Roland is a terrific themeless constructor.

28. Origami staple: CRANE.

29. Moved slowly: INCHED. Toward.

30. River inlets: RIAS.

31. Con's decoy: SHILL.

32. Silvery freshwater fish: BREAM. Never had bream. Tasty?

33. Professional spinners: PR FIRM.

40. Laugh-a-minute types: RIOTS.

41. Baby party: SHOWER.

42. Reception dispensers: URNS.

3. CD-__: ROM. We also have 81. Obsolescent laptop feature: CD DRIVE. These two are the same, right, D-8?

44. Cultural opening?: AGRI. Agricultural. We won't attend the Minnesota State Fair this year. I really like their grain art.

45. Fly like an eagle: SOAR.

46. __ wave: SINE.

47. Kitchenware brand: EKCO. I bought the Oxo garlic press, which works great. But the smell is just too much for me. I'm back to green onions again.

 

53. Fold: PLEAT.

54. UFO pilots: ETS.

55. Coupling device: YOKE.

56. Start of a counting rhyme: EENIE.

57. Get cozy: NESTLE.

58. 67, for Beethoven's Fifth: OPUS.

59. Take responsibility: OWN IT.

60. Support, with "for": VOTE. We had a special election for mayor. One candidate  received 3,415 votes. The other received 3,414 votes. Then they had a recount. Now the lady's lead doubled to 2. The total population for Brooklyn Park is 80,068.

61. Burt's Bees parent: CLOROX. You probably have a Burt's Bees lip balm lying your house somewhere.

64. Insurance case: CLAIM.

65. Antitoxins: SERA.

66. "Today" rival, briefly: GMA. Good Morning America.

69. Central parts: CORES.

73. Fords of the past: LTDS.

74. Hawaii County seat: HILO.

75. This and that: BOTH. So who do you think should be the next "Jeopardy!" host?

76. __ Cong: VIET.

77. Nice summer: ETE.

78. "Bro!": DUDE.

79. Showy parrots: MACAWS. Such bright colors.

82. Symphony orchestra members: CELLI.

86. Many a binoculars toter: BIRDER.

87. Counterfeit: BOGUS.

88. Geeky-sounding candy: NERDS.

89. Contented rumble: PURR.

90. Tech class sites: PC LABS.

92. Race of Norse gods: AESIR. They lived in Asgard.

93. Mythical hero who captured Cerberus: HERCULES. The 12th labor.

97. Enrapture: ELATE.

100. Like highways: LANED.

101. Small decorative case: ETUI. Used to see this fill often.

102. Sporty Chevy: VETTE.

103. Art Deco artist: ERTE.

104. Small fry: TYKES.

105. Boosts: COPS.

106. Like chalet roofs: EAVED. Also 5. Winter cause of a roof leak, maybe: ICE DAM.

107. Rolltop, for one: DESK.

Down:

1. Polish language: EDIT.

2. Give (out): METE.

3. Road Runner cartoons landscape feature: MESA.

4. Mobile judge, perhaps: ART CRITIC. Mobile art.

6. Parachute lines: CORDS.

7. Toe the line: OBEY.

8. Heston was its pres. from 1998 to 2003: NRA. Charlton Heston.

9. Leap named for a Swedish skater: SALCHOW. New term to me.

10. Asthmatic's device: INHALER.

11. For the most part: MAINLY.

12. Dudek of "Mad Men": ANNE.

13. Bit player: COG.

14. Equestrian gear: HARNESS.

15. Former poisoning treatment: IPECAC.

16. Sole source: FISH MARKET. Great clue.

17. Rival of Bjorn: ILIE.

18. Dispatch: SEND.

24. Split __: HAIRS.

25. Tot's wheels: TRIKE.

29. Bedard who voiced Pocahontas in the 1995 Disney film: IRENE. She's a Native Indian.

31. Campfire treat: S'MORE.

32. Carried: BORNE.

33. Jabber: PRATE.

34. Privilege: RIGHT.

35. Course warnings: FORES.

36. Burger go-with: SHAKE. Boomer's comfort food.

37. Power source: JUICE.

38. __ point: FOCAL.

39. Put on quite an act: EMOTE.

41. Anklets, e.g.: SOCKS. These are almost in the no-show category.

45. Sitting Bull's people: SIOUX.

46. Grumpy mood: SNIT.

47. "Anything __ we can do?": ELSE.

49. Sources of shots: HYPOS.

50. Not familiar with: NEW AT.

51. Casual material: DENIM.

52. "Yu-Gi-Oh!" genre: ANIME. "Yu-Gi-Oh" is written like below three characters, literally "Games King".

53. Part of a flower: PETAL.

57. Start of two U.S. state names: NORTH.

58. They're found in veins: ORES.

59. Muffin topping: OLEO. Boomer likes Aldi's fake butter. It's not called Oleo.

60. Three-piece pieces: VESTS.

61. Symbol seen in viola music: C CLEF.

62. Numbers game: LOTTO.

63. Sales rep's form: ORDER BLANK.

64. Paparazzi quarry: CELEB.

65. Former Maine senator Olympia: SNOWE.

66. Artisan group: GUILD.

67. High-end German appliance brand: MIELE. New to me. "Miele" means "honey" in Italian.  "Miel" in French.

68. Up and about: ASTIR.

70. King with a magic touch: MIDAS.

71. Letter-shaped girders: I BARS.

72. Judge's response: OVERRULED.

74. Most Rwandans: HUTUS.

78. Greyhound crash sites?: DOG BEDS. Another great clue.

79. Cold oatmeal cereals: MUESLIS.

80. Heart chambers: ATRIA.

82. Approximately: CIRCA.

84. Colonel Sanders trademark: GOATEE.

85. Small coffee maker output: ONE CUP.

86. Like a deformed tree trunk: BURLED. Learning moment for me. Poor tree.

89. Golfer Calvin: PEETE. Most successful African-American golfer before Tiger.

90. Bombard, as with snowballs: PELT.

91. Ali, once: CLAY. Did you know his grandson Nico Ali Walsh is a boxer also?

92. Start to correct?: AUTO. Auto-correct.

93. Samsung product: HD TV.

94. Fishing decoy: LURE.

95. Laryngitis docs: ENTS. Guangzhou has not had any new COVID cases for a few months. Still,  you must have a negative COVID test result before you see your ENT. Poor Carmen had to have 2 COVID tests to see 2 different doctors, since each test result is only valid for 3 days.

96. Try to find: SEEK.

98. Post-Manhattan Project org.: AEC. Atomic Energy Commission.

99. "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" singer Chris: REA.

C.C.