Tuesday November 16, 2021 Sam Acker

Ready for Prime Time?  The number in each of the theme answers is a Prime Number.  To take you back to math class, a Prime Number a whole number above 1 that cannot be made by multiplying other whole numbers.  The actors in the clip below were not considered ready for Prime Time.

18-Across. Automatic time-out near the end of each NFL half: TWO MINUTE WARNING.

29-Across. Guided sightseeing event in the "Gilligan's Island" theme: THREE HOUR TOUR.

37-Across. Food-dropped-on-the-floor "policy": FIVE SECOND RULE.

47-Across 1955 Marilyn Monroe film, with "The": SEVEN YEAR ITCH.

And the unifier:

62. Large-audience schedule item ... and what the four other longest answers comprise?: PRIME TIME LISTING.

Across:
1. Outer border: EDGE.

5. Soft "Hey, you!": PSST!

9. Type of bagel: SESAME.  I prefer the Everything Bagel, myself.

15. "Wuthering Heights" setting: MOOR.  Wuthering Heights is a 1847 novel by Emily Brontë (July 30, 1818 ~ Dec. 19, 1848).  It's the novel with Heathcliff and it takes place in the English moors.  That is my entire knowledge of the novel.

16. "I have a bad feeling about this": UH, OH!

17. Removed, as a pencil mark: ERASED.

21. Pay a call on: VISIT.

22. Auction offer: BID.

23. Medium-sized apple: GALA.  Everything you wanted to know about the Gala apples, but didn't know to ask.

24. Parts of an act: SCENES.  Hi, Keith!

26. Dance named for a horse's gait: GALOP.  Hand up if you knew this dance.

28. Here-there in-between: NOR.  Neither here NOR there ...

32. Biotech room: LAB.

33. Paleozoic __: ERA.  The Paleozoic area is estimated to have occurred from 541 to 251 million years ago.

34. Knocks firmly: RAPS.

43. Pulitzer author Jennifer: EGAN.  I am not familiar with Jennifer Egan (b. Sept. 7, 1962), but I had heard of her book, A Visit from the Goon Squad, which is what won her the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

44. Reuben bread: RYE.

45. LGBT History Mo.: OCT.  October is LGBT month.

53. __-rock: music: ALT.  Everything you wanted to know about Alternative Rock music, but didn't know to ask.

56. Pricey watch: ROLEX.  They do look nice, though.

57. Pooch's plaything: DOG TOY.

58. Nagano noodle: SOBA.  Soba noodles are Japanese noodles.  They can be eaten in hot or cold dishes.

60. Worksheet line: ROW.

61. Noodle shape: ELBOW.  I uses Elbow Macaroni noodles for my Mac and Cheese.

67. Anger to the max: ENRAGE.

68. Baker's appliance: OVEN.

69. Golfer Aoki: ISAO.  Isao Aoki (b. Aug. 31, 1942) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzle.  He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004.

70. Fenway team: RED SOX.  Years ago, I lived just a couple of blocks from Fenway Park.  That was back in the day when the bleacher seats were only $3, so I could even afford to go to the games.

71. Viral internet item: MEME.

72. "bye 4 now": TTYL.  Textspeak for Talk To You Later.

Down:

1. Defib expert: EMT.  As in an Emergency Medical Technician.

2. The "D" in DJIA: DOW.  As in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

3. Succeed impressively: GO OVER BIG.  I first looked at this answer and though it was Goover Big.

4. Ferret's cousin: ERMINE.  Everything you wanted to know about Ferrets, Stoats, Weasels, and Ermines, but didn't know to ask.

5. Grounds for bad behavior, say: PUNISHES.  A bit of an oddly worded clue and answer, in my opinion.

6. Close: SHUT.

7. Drunkard: SOT.

8. Law exam, familiarly: THE BAR.  The Bar Exam in Louisiana is the longest bar exam in the United States.  It is 21 hours long and takes place over 3 days.  There are nine sections of the exam and topics cover both common law and Civil Law.  By the end of the 3rd day, your brain is essentially mush. 

9. Jet Ski rival: SEA DOO.

10. Drop a fly, e.g.: ERR.  A baseball reference.

11. Did a number: SANG.

12. Lai or Thai: ASIAN.

13. __ Park: Edison lab site: MENLO.  Thomas Edison's lab was in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

14. Mystery writers' award: EDGAR.  The Edgar award appeared in a recent crossword that I commented on.

19. "That makes sense": I SEE!

20. Become limp: WILT.

24. Mo. metropolis: ST. L.  St. Louis is a metropolis in Missouri.

25. Rub the wrong way: CHAFE.

26. Chip dip, casually: GUAC.  As in Guacamole.  Yummers!

27. Run smoothly, as an engine: PURR.

30. Tram load: ORE.

31. India-born author Santha Rama __: RAU.  Santha Rama Ran (Jan. 24, 1923 ~ Apr. 21, 2009) was an Indian-born American is probably best known for her screenplays.  She adapted E.M. Foster's novel, A Passage to India, for the theater.  She is not a household name, and rather tricky for a Tuesday.

35. Story line surprise: PLOT TWIST.

36. Italian for "dry": SECCO.  Today's Italian lesson.

38. Mil. hospitals: VAs.  As in Veteran Administration hospitals.  Hi, Boomer!  Hope you are doing well.

39. Part of DOE: Abbr.: ENER.  As in the Department of Energy. 

40. African antelope: ORYX.

41. "Bill __ the Science Guy": '90s TV show: NYE.  Bill Nye (né William Sanford Nye; b. Nov. 27, 1955) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.

42. When the story is due: DEADLINE.  I am also under a deadline to get this blog written!

46. " ... hallowed be __ name": THY.  A phrase from the Lord's Prayer.

48. Whirlpool: VORTEX.

49. "The Time Machine" race: ELOI.  These creatures make frequent crossword appearances.

50. One raising her first child: NEW MOM.

51. Takes badly?: ROBS.

52. "Eureka!": I GOT IT!

53. In accordance with: AS PER.

54. Michaels of "SNL": LORNE.  Lorne Michaels (né Lorne David Lipowitz; b. Nov. 17, 1944) turns 77 tomorrow.  He introduced us to the Not Ready For Prime Time players back in 1975.

Lorne Michaels is holding the star.

55. "Thelma & Louise" car: T-BIRD.  Thelma & Louise came out in 1991.  I can't believe it has been 30 years!

59. Amo, __, amat ...: AMAS.  Today's Latin lesson.

61. S, Am, Ac, K or Er: ELEM.  These are all Elements on the periodic table: S = Sulfur; Am = Americium; Ac = Actinium; K = Potassium; and Er = Erbium.

63. It may be inflated: EGO.

64. Ill-fated fruit eater: EVE.  Fresh new clue for Eve.

65. Vote of opposition: NAY.

66. Score in fútbol: GOL.  Today's Spanish lesson.

Here's the grid:

חתולה

Monday November 15, 2021 Catherine Cetta

 

Theme: Split Wood - Three kinds of wood are split up.

17. "Sorry to say ... ": ALAS. With 18. Tubelike pasta: PENNE. Aspen.

28. Maternal "Holy moly!": OH MAMA. With 30. "By all means!": PLEASE DO. Maple.

 

47. Duplicitous: TWO-FACED. With 51. Response to "Am not!": ARE TOO. Cedar.

 

Reveal:

 

63. With 65-Across, chore on a winter to-do list ... and what appears in each set of circles: SPLIT.

 

65. See 63-Across: WOOD.

 

Boomer here.  

 

It was one of my chores to condition wood for a fireplace we have down the basement.  It was warm and relaxing in the winter months however it was a nasty chore to clean up when the ashes piled up.  

 

Not only that, but Tiger Woods was not one of my favorite golfers and I think Upper Deck published cards of him and they sold about as well Joe Shlabotnik.  I still have a bunch in the basement. Maybe I could burn them? Now, on to the puzzle.

 

Across:

 

1. Coarse file: RASP.  Hey, Hey, to Moscow chicks he was a lovely dear.  Ra Ra RASPutin.

5. Separated: APART.  "We might as well be APART.  It hardly matters, we sleep separately.  And drop a smile passing in the hall.  But there's no laughs left cuz we laughed them all."  (Simon and Garfunkel)

10. Places to relax: SPAS.

14. Prefix for an eight-armed creature: OCTO.  Prefix for my birthday month.

15. One who prefers their own company: LONER.  There are no bowlers that are LONERS,

16. Causes of some head scratching: LICE.  Also some of those 9- letter words?

19. Fairy tale beginning: ONCE.  Upon a time.

20. Wacky: NUTTY.  Buddy.

22. "Ciao" cousin: TA TA.

23. Ring ref's decisions: TKOS.  Technical Knockouts.  It's amazing how some of these guys are still standing on their own when the ref steps in.

24. "Good grief!": EGADS.

26. Top often with a slogan: T-SHIRT.  I have a Spare T-SHIRT.  A gift from C.C. to help me with those darn ten pins.

32. Cappuccino feature: FOAM.  I like coffee, but I am too cheap or conservative to spend dollars at Starbucks or Caribou.

33. Interwoven strands of hair: BRAIDS.  There once was a little girl whose mother tied her BRIDES so tight that when she cried, the tears ran down her back.  We called her Backteria. 

35. Conical abode: TEPEE.  We see many of these in some of the parks in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area. The Native Americans are poor, and Minnesota winters are tough on them.

37. Unreturnable serve: ACE.

38. Enjoy the rink: SKATE.  I did this a lot as a kid.  We had a public rink and warming house in the neighborhood.  I never got into hockey though.

43. Put away money for the future: SAVE UP. Little by little.  Then we took a birthday trip to a Wisconsin casino.  I am so tight,  or the machines were so tight. I probably spent more money on gasoline to get there than I left behind in the casino.

46. Clapton who sang "Layla": ERIC.

53. Intrepid: HEROIC.

54. Leaky faucet sounds: DRIPS.  We have pretty good faucets in our home.  No Runs, DRIPS, or Errors.

55. GPS suggestions: RTES.  We did not use GPS to find the Casino. We mapped out before we left the house.

56. One with a password: USER.  I have a few.  I am too old to remember more than a few.

59. Gas grill place: PATIO.  We have a deck but we got rid of the grill.  Too much of a hassle.

62. Sacred bird of ancient Egypt: IBIS.

66. Run out of steam: FADE.  My tee shots generally FADE to the right.  They ran out of  steam years ago.

67. Lets up: EASES.  If I EASE up on the bowling shot it usually hooks to the left. Also out of steam.

68. Pisa's river: ARNO.

69. Cafeteria carrier: TRAY.  We are long past cafeterias.  Can you say "BUFFET?"  

70. __ naked: STARK.

71. Wine bottle number: YEAR.  I never drank wine, nor did I wonder why the year was important.   Is it like Albert Pujols' or Mike Trout's Rookie year card ??

Down:

1. Horse coat color: ROAN.  I did not know that horses have coats.

 

2. Rights org. since 1920: ACLU.

3. Many a U.S. atlas page: STATE MAP.  Mine are all in a drawer. 

4. Like much sports analysis: POST-GAME.  Everyone has an opinion.  Mostly I turn off the post game.

5. Swiss peak: ALP.

6. Dickinson and Keats: POETS.  They are POETS and don't know it, but their feet show it, They're Longfellows.

7. Tolstoy's Karenina: ANNA.

8. Monopoly payment: RENT.  Take a ride on the Reading.  If you pass "GO", collect $200.

9. Took to dinner, say: TREATED.  Restaurant business is starting to pick up even though that doggone COVID is still hanging over our heads.

10. "Three-toed" critters: SLOTHS.

11. Little finger: PINKIE.  He went wee wee wee all the way home.

12. Honda sedan: ACCORD.  Too small for me.  Plus I try not to buy anything made by a country that bombed Pearl Harbor.

13. Takes care of: SEES TO.

21. Thanksgiving tuber: YAM.  Ten days away.  Much to be thankful for, but not YAMS.  We have pumpkin pie fixins in the cupboard.  Probably look for a turkey next week.

25. Tiny bit, as of cream: DAB.  "Brylcream, a little DAB will do ya."

27. Impudence: SASS.

28. Bard's "frequently": OFT.

29. Garden tool: HOE.  In spite of our relatively cold weather, (temps in the low 30s in the morning,) we still have a few flowers surviving in our garden.

30. Walked back and forth: PACED.  I used to take short walks outdoors, but my health has my legs a bit weak, and like I said previously, our temps are ranging in the 30s.

31. In __ of: replacing: LIEU.  Pumpkin pie will be in LIEU of yams.

34. Enthusiastic review: RAVE.

36. Actor Morales: ESAI.  I used to watch NYPD Blue all the time.  It seems to be gone from TV these days.

39. Another name for Monkey in the Middle: KEEP AWAY.

40. Paint seller: ART STORE.  George Costanza is still looking for a Jerk Store.

41. Spanish uncle: TIO.

42. Green prefix: ECO.

44. Points a finger at: ACCUSES.

45. Birdie plus one: PAR.  I was watching a quiz show recently and they said that a hole-in-one on a PAR 5!! was called a Condor.  It could be the next feat of Bryson.  I have never heard of a hole in one on a par 5. I have come within several inches on a par 3 hole but never in.  I don't need a hole in one because I have 20 - 300 games.

47. Careful cash management: THRIFT.

48. Home mixologist's dream: WET BAR.  Fix the roof!

49. Tater Tots maker: ORE-IDA.  Lots of Tater growers in Oregon and Idaho.  I had an uncle in Idaho that grew potatoes.

50. Primate studier Dian: FOSSEY.

52. Fabric fault: RIP.  Maybe Mr. Van Winkle had torn pants ??

54. More arid: DRIER.

57. Tiff: SPAT.

58. "Frozen" queen: ELSA.

60. College named for a Scottish island: IONA.  Catholic College in New York.

61. Scent: ODOR.  This word shows up a lot in Monday puzzles.  I think it stinks.

64. "You shouldn't do that": TSK.  I think you have to "TSK" three times.

Boomer

Sunday November 14, 2021 Gary Larson

Theme: "Creature Features" - Each phrase with animal in the first part is punnily rephrased, fitting each fictional creature in the clue. 

23A. Playlist for Bullwinkle?: MOOSE TRACKS.

25A. Pot for Sebastian of "The Little Mermaid"?: CRABGRASS. Sebastian is crab in ""The Little Mermaid".

47A. Soul mate for Jiminy?: CRICKET MATCH.

92A. Emotional triggers for Mickey?: MOUSE BUTTONS.

116A. Topping Daffy created?: DUCK SAUCE.

118A. Online news source for Henny Penny?: CHICKEN FEED.

31D. Healthy snack for Yogi?: BEAR FRUIT.

33D. Old joke told by Quick Draw McGraw?: HORSE CHESTNUT. Quick Draw McGraw is a white horse. Learning moment for me.

60D. Ping-Pong gear for Goofy?: DOG PADDLE.

Cute theme. Quite a tight set. Gary is fond of this kind of punny rephrasing theme type.

Across:

1. Folksy greeting: HOW DO. Not HOWDY.

6. "Skip to __": 1840s partner-stealing dance: MY LOU.

11. Tree on the Lebanese flag: CEDAR.

16. At all: ANY.

19. Square: UNHIP. Super unhip to wear skinny jeans these days. But I've been wearing them since high school.

20. Long periods: AEONS.

21. One of the ABC islands: ARUBA. ABC islands consists of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao.

22. Bambi's cousin Faline, for one: DOE.

27. Prevents from draining: CLOGS UP.

28. Really good thing to live: THE DREAM.

29. Little bit: DAB.

32. Have-__: disadvantaged ones: NOTS.

33. Made haste, old-style: HIED.

34. Vaccine pioneer: SALK. Jonas Salk. And Albert Sabin.  Neither patented and profited from their vaccines.

37. Restless: UNEASY.

40. "Everything's fine": IT'S OK. And  42. "I need this ASAP!": DO IT NOW.

45. Abnormally tense: IN A STATE.

50. Somewhat, informally: SORTA.

51. Gray ones are hard to resolve: AREAS.

53. Defunct Houston hockey team: AEROS. Now called Iowa Wild, affiliate Minnesota Wild.

54. Online message board: FORUM.

56. Shin armor that's a homophone for a synonym of "mourn": GREAVE. Grieve. New to me.

58. Obstacle: HURDLE.

63. Preserve, in a way, as beef: CORN.

65. Soybean paste: MISO. I've been loving this brand lately.

67. Goatee site: CHIN.

68. Johnny's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" role: RAOUL.

69. Name on a "Little Women" book jacket: LOUISA. May Alcott.

71. "The Elements of Style" co-author: E B WHITE.

73. The Indian Ocean's Bay of __: BENGAL.

74. Sambuca flavoring: ANISE. Liquor.

75. Model position: POSE. I think Imaan Hammam is super pretty.

76. Wild about: INTO.

78. PC "brains": CPUS.

79. Hot dog entrepreneur Handwerker: NATHAN. I know Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, not the founder's name.

81. Muss: TOUSLE.

83. Obama daughter: SASHA.

85. Puts out there: BARES.

87. Edison rival: TESLA.

89. Deceived: LED ON.

97. Annual 103-Across-planting event: ARBOR DAY. 103. Peach or beech: TREE.

99. Least considered: RASHEST.

100. __ space: OUTER.

102. Horseshoe-shaped fasteners: U-BOLTS.

104. Absorbed: RAPT.

106. Gritty film genre: NOIR.

108. Private __: EYE. Part of the Pinkerton logo.

109. Technical drawings: DIAGRAMS.

113. Didn't do well at all: STUNK AT.

122. Tony winner Hagen: UTA.

123. Foreign: ALIEN.

124. Valium maker: ROCHE.  Swiss pharmaceutical company. Basel-based.

125. Score: TALLY.

126. Possessive pronoun: HER. Also the name of this singer.

127. Remains unsettled: PENDS.

128. Like some jackets: TWEED.

129. Snail trail: SLIME.

Down:

1. Run smoothly: HUM.

2. Plastic __ Band: ONO.

3. "Horton Hears a __!": WHO.

4. Computer insert: DISC.

5. Hesse-based automaker: OPEL.

6. Harshman of "Even Stevens": MARGO. Not familiar to me.

 

7. More frothy: YEASTIER. Not beer related. Any of you like Bolillo rolls. So soft inside.

8. Plague bug: LOCUST.

9. Doing mess work: ON KP.

10. Seagoing letters: USS.

11. Store: CACHE.

12. Transposed letters, say: ERRED.

13. Pair: DUAD.

14. Briefly, briefly: ABBR. 

 15. Steamed state: RAGE.

16. Unyielding: ADAMANT.

17. Refusals: NOS.

18. "Owner of a Lonely Heart" band: YES.

24. Skater Harding: TONYA.

26. Many a Marley fan: RASTA. They follow Jah.

 

28. __ torch: party light: TIKI.

29. MADD concerns: DUIs.

30. Year in Tuscany: ANNO.

35. Rapper Tone-__: LOC.

36. Elec. bill unit: KWH.

38. Floor: ASTONISH.

39. Target of a wish?: STAR. Wish upon a star.

41. Emotional injury: SCAR.

42. German article: DER.

43. However, in texts: OTOH. On the other hand.

44. "Yeah, right": I'M SURE.

46. "Ashes to Ashes" author Hoag: TAMI  Wikipedia summery. Set in Minneapolis. Sounds terrifying.

48. Hollows: CAVITIES.

49. A Wayans brother: KEENEN. Keenen Ivory Wayans. MARLON has 6-letter also.

52. Bit of encouragement: EGO BOOST.

55. Actress Thurman: UMA.

57. Sushi serving: AHI. Tuna.

59. Southwestern farm owner: RANCHERO.

61. Hilo feast: LUAU.

62. Some additions: ELLS.

63. Close-knit group: CLAN.

64. O'Neill's daughter: OONA. Chaplin. Here's her granddaughter with the same name.

66. Deadly sins, e.g.: SEPTET.

70. Naval builder: SEABEE.

72. Cougars of the Pac-12: WSU. Washington State Cougars.

73. Feathery wrap: BOA.

77. Old Russian ruler: TSAR.

80. Snatches: NABS.

82. "__ we forget": LEST.

84. Untidy sort: SLOB.

86. Boring routine: RUT.

88. '70s-'80s NHLer Pierre: LAROUCHE. No idea. Canadian.

90. Like Cheerios: OATY.

91. Nasdaq rival: NYSE.

92. "The A-Team" actor: MR T.

93. Dinghy mover: OAR.

94. It may be a lemon: USED CAR. The newspaper said that used cars are 10-15% higher than a year ago. New cars are also more expensive. We were lucky to get our Santa Fe in 2020.

95. Mideast chief: SHEIK.

96. Klutz's cry: OOPS.

98. Delta of "Designing Women": BURKE.

101. Inveigle: ENTICE.

104. Vied for the America's Cup: RACED.

105. Cries from flocks: AMENS. I started to attend Church a month ago. When the priest gives you a wafer, you're supposed to say "Amen!", not "Thank you!" as I thought.

107. Signed: INKED.

110. Rush job letters: ASAP. You should also eat the wafer ASAP. You can't hold it in your hands. It's also very bland.

111. Serious blow: GALE.

112. Wreckage: RUIN.

113. Vegas draw: SHOW.

114. Sugar bowl marchers?: ANTS. Cute.

115. Nonstick cookware brand: T FAL. My saute pan brand.

116. "Obviously!": DUH.

117. Beehive State native: UTE.

118. Old PC component: CRT.

119. Peyton's brother: ELI.

120. Shade tree: ELM.

121. Coloring medium: DYE.

Dave has mentioned Carol many times in our blog. Here's a recent picture of them. It's taken on Thursday Sept 11, 2021. 

Carol and David 11/11/2021