Thanks for having me here at the L.A. Times Crossword Corner! Whenever I come to the site I’m struck by what a lively and funny community of bloggers and solvers you are.
I’m a music teacher in the Boston area and have been solving crosswords as quickly as possible for a couple of decades now. I began constructing in 2019, and have since developed a particular affinity for making cryptic crosswords as well.
I started building this grid around the central entry POP BUMPER. I love playing pinball, and it involves a lot of lively language that’s well-suited to puzzles. Many pinheads are also crossword solvers, so I’m excited to hear their reactions! The second anchoring point was THELONIOUS Monk. As a jazz pianist myself, I was shocked to find that one of the true greats hadn’t had his first name in a grid. From solving crosswords alone, you’d think Al HIRT and ELLA Fitzgerald had the scene cornered. Fellow constructors, let’s get some more of these legends into our grids!
In addition to adding his own fun clues to the puzzle, Rich made a lot of small tweaks that gave this one an extra layer of elegance. I enjoyed the subtle punning angles he found for POP BUMPER and TRANCE, and thought it was cool that he included George Takei in his clue for AKIRA.
I like a light touch in my grids and cluing and feel proud of the ones for IT’S A SECRET, [“No telling”] and SPELL [One often cast in fantasy movies]. [Iron-rich potluck staple] for SPINACH DIP also makes me chuckle, because it’s such an odd way to talk about party food.
Give us a downbeat, Steve!
I’m obliged that folks took the time to solve my puzzle today, and hope it was a fun part of the holiday weekend!
Let me know if you need anything else. I look forward to seeing how it comes out!
-Steve
Across:
1. Wild way to go: BANANAS.
8. Holds up: STYMIES - Until about 100 years ago this was a golf rule/strategy. If your ball was between the hole and your opponent's ball, he was obligated to putt around you or jump over your ball. Now the closer ball is lifted, the position marked and the player farthest away putts.
15. Suggestive comment to a nearby lover: I'M ALONE - Uh, what'd have in mind?
16. Overseas play area?: THEATRE - Here are two such "play areas" in Stratford Upon Avon
17. Bad mark: DEMERIT
18. Enters gingerly: EASES IN.
19. Wields: EXERTS - Congressional majority and minority leaders EXERT a lot of power
20. __ party: PITY.
21. "There's more, right?": AND.
22. Monk famed for his unorthodox piano playing: THELONIOUS - A jazz pianist like Steve.
25. Samantha Bee's network: TBS.
28. Go very slowly: SEEP.
29. Race on skis: SUPER-G - If the Giant Slalom isn't quite fast enough, you can put the gates farther apart, widen them and call it the SUPER-Giant Slalom. Speeds might reach 90 mph. Yikes!
32. Impressive six-pack: RIPPED ABS and 39. Wrestler John: CENA.
35. Reminder of a bad scrape: SCAR.
36. "The Simpsons" waiter first voiced by George Takei: AKIRA - Steve liked Rich's inclusion of George Takei in the cluing
37. Small seal: PUP - Awwww...
38. Aptly named subsidiary of American Eagle Outfitters: AERIE - Walk right on in from the American Eagle Outfitters store
40. Common sense approach to determining authenticity: SMELL TEST - SMELL TEST is usually a metaphor but here it is literal.
42. Blank state: TRANCE.
45. Walk with effort: PLOD.
46. Gossip, in modern parlance: TEA - I filled it in but had no idea why. I had a group of 16-yr-old girls in a study hall and asked if they knew what TEA meant in slang and everyone of them giggled and yelled out "gossip". They taught me some more slang (e.g. "Nice cut, G) and laughed really hard because "It sounds so funny when you say it, Mr Schlapfer." FWIW, they had never heard of "dish the dirt"! A thorough explanation of the phrase
47. Adoption site: CAT SHELTER - This is the night Lily adopted us at the Capital Humane Society in Lincoln
50. Work the aisles, slangily: USH(er) - More slang
52. Swizzle: STIR.
53. Least common hit: TRIPLE.
57. Orange liqueur cocktail: SIDECAR.
59. Show the door: LEAD OUT.
60. Qatar, for one: EMIRATE - Qatar is an EMIRATE but not a member of the UAE
61. Fantasy beasts: DRAGONS - The one I know "lived by the sea in a land called Honah Lee.
62. No longer green, perhaps: RIPENED.
63. Working well with others: SYNERGY.
Down:
1. Wait for: BIDE - Oh Danny Boy: "You must go and I must BIDE."
2. Charging option: AMEX.
3. Reputation: NAME - Words attributed to our cwd friend Iago
4. Heads-up: ALERT.
5. View from The Hague: NORTH SEA.
6. Palate cleanser at Indian restaurants: ANISEED.
7. A concert may feature one or more: SET - A two SET list written on the back of a postcard by Paul McCartney for an April 2, 1963 concert in Sheffield, England
8. Hofbräuhaus vessel: STEIN - Ja, bier!
9. To wit: THAT IS - Legalese
10. Finger-pointing words: YES YOU - Moi?
11. Whitman who voices Tinker Bell in the Disney Fairies franchise: MAE.
12. "No telling": IT'S A SECRET - "Don't spill the TEA!"
13. Multi-instrumentalist McKeown: ERIN.
14. Mail: SEND.
20. Pinball component that keeps the ball moving: POP BUMPER.
23. Vaults: LEAPS.
24. Knock over: UPSET.
25. Development site: TRACT - Levittown in postwar NY
26. Hog lover: BIKER.
27. Iron-rich potluck staple: SPINACH DIP.
30. Up: RAISE - Up as a verb - My Omaha newspaper has decided to RAISE/up my subscription price
34. One often cast in fantasy movies: SPELL - I agree with you, Steve, this is fun cluing.
38. Leia's home planet: ALDERAAN.
41. Hard-to-win game: LOTTERY - 1 in 175,711,536 chance of winning
43. ER procedure: CT SCAN - It can inadvertently test for claustrophobia
44. Type of sale frequented by antiquers: ESTATE.
48. Brought on board: HIRED - "We Are HIRING" signs are ubiquitous these days
49. Chip feature, maybe: RIDGE.
50. App buyer: USER.
51. California's __ Valley: SIMI - An hour from LA (if traffic is moving!)
54. Shoddy: POOR.
55. Breather: LUNG - Polio treatment used the negative air pressure from iron LUNGS in the early to mid 20th century. Today the positive air pressure from respirators is used for LUNG issues
Theme: "If if's and but's were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas"
Happy Black Friday everyone. How are we all feeling after yesterday's big Thanksgiving Dinner? Ready to tackle the malls today now that we have less than 30 shopping days 'til Christmas?
Don't know about y'all but I am a bit hung over from turkey, vino, and football. If the weather cooperates I will likely go for a hike. But go shopping? Nope. Not today. I'd rather comment with all of you nice folks about Jennifer Lee and Victor Galson's clever use of play-on-word phrases that omit three conditional words that all parents have uttered once or more: (59-Across as clued: "I won't hear any excuses!" ... also, a clue to the three other longest Across answers) NO IFS ANDS OR BUTS. How did these two collaborators get there you ask?
17-Across. Odds that the pub is open?: CHANCE OF ALE TIME. LOL! Makes me think of this guy:
Add the word "IF" to this phrase - put it between the L and E of the word ALE - et voila! No "if" makes "Chance of a lifetime" become CHANCE OF ALE TIME
26-Across. Well-liked blue-state pol?: POPULAR DEM. Very, very clever P-O-W. If only the Crossword Corner would allow some mention of politics I could have a field day with this. In keeping with today's theme, though, let's look and see where the word "AND" could fit. How about after "DEM"? Ever heard of the phrase (by) POPULAR DEMAND?
46-Across. Where the Goddess of Pop resides?: CHER'S BLOCK. At first, I was thinking that this referred to one of the three actors who is playing CHER in the new Broadway Musical, "The CHER Show". Stephanie J. BLOCK.
But maybe it has the literal meaning of where she actually resides. On a street BLOCK. Either way, this one didn't tickle my punny bone as much as the other two, yet the addition of the word "BUT" to this yields the phrase: "BUTcher's Block".
And upon further review, the first deletion - IF - fits in the center of LE to make LIFE; AND fits at the end of DEM to make DEMAND; and BUT fits at the beginning of CHER'S to make BUTCHER'S. Very cool. Is that how you saw it? On to the fill . . .
Across:
1. __ choy: BOK.
Famous Chinese chef Started a new franchise. It's Called: BOK in a wok
4. Lines not meant for everyone: ASIDE. Not the meaning of the clue, but another way to use the word ASIDE:
13. "Bah!" in Bavaria: ACH. We all know the phrase, "ACH du lieber" - which means, "Oh, my dear". And most other phrases with the word "ACH" seem to infer that it's "oh" rather than "bah". Maybe someone else has a different take? Later in the grid, we saw this: (51-Across. "Heavens to Betsy!":) OH DEAR.
14. Jockey, e.g.: RIDER.
Kentucky Derby Horse was named after Doors song RIDER on the Storm
A SLY actor needs More makeup. Would that imply The rogue wore some rouge?
22. An abundance: OODLES. Here's an oldie:
23. "Su-u-ure": "I BET". Song by Ciara would've been a good clue. Enjoy!
25. Fla. resort: BOCA. A CSO to some of our SE FL Cornerites (unclefred and Lemonade714) who live nearby BOCA Raton
30. "Conan" airer: TBS. The clip is kinda long but it was his last show (June 24, 2021) and says it all:
33. Org. that launched "My MPG" in 2005: EPA. With the popularity of battery-powered cars, will a new metric be used that measures MPkW??
34. Phoenix origin?: ASHES. At first I thought this was a comment about how the city of Phoenix, AZ originated. Interestingly enough, there was a correlation
35. Milk dispensers: TEATS.
British company Launched new brand that includes milk. It's called Tetley TEATS
37. Variety for a truffle hunter?: LINDT. Did anyone else think about pigs? Nah; we all thought of this, didn't we? Made by LINDT
39. Even so: YET. Hitherto?
40. "Ditto": AS DO I. We had the word DITTO in my last recap
41. Alexander the Great, to Aristotle: TUTEE. World History dot com confirms this: "In 343 BCE Aristotle was summoned by King Philip II of Macedon to tutor his son Alexander the Great. He was hired by Philip II, King of Macedon (r. 359-336 BCE) as tutor for his son Alexander the Great". And now you know!
42. Casino group, often: TRIBE. The first Indian casino was built in Florida by the Seminole TRIBE, which opened a successful high-stakes bingo parlour in 1979. Other indigenous nations quickly followed suit, and by 2000 more than 150 tribes in 24 states had opened casino or bingo operations on their reservations
44. Word with bobby or bowling: PIN. The "bowling" reference is a CSO to Boomer
45. AOL competitor: MSN. One of my three email accounts is with "hotmail", a MicroSoft Network provider. And the majority of what appears in my inbox there is (48-Across. Annoying email:) SPAM
50. Sweet talk: COOS. Which brought to mind an oldie, but goodie:
A pigeon landed Upon a church steeple, and Uttered some high COOS
54. Lead in to la-la: OOH. "Hands up" for putting "TRA" in there first
56. Start of some famous last words: "ET TU". The phrase “ET TU, Brute?” is never at any point attributed to Julius Caesar in any surviving ancient text. These words, however, are entirely fictional; as they do not appear in the writings of any Greek or Roman historians. Interesting
62. Spaceship Earth site: EPCOT. Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Disney World
63. "The Tortoise and the Hare" author: AESOP. According to World History dot org, AESOP, a former Greek slave, in the late to mid-6th century BCE, Aesop's Fables are the world's best known collection of morality tales. The fables, numbering 725, were originally told from person-to-person as much for entertainment purposes but largely as a means for relaying or teaching a moral or lesson
64. Reuben requirement: RYE. Corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and Russian dressing are also requirements, IIRC. Do you prefer your RYE bread with, or without seeds?
65. Sonic the Hedgehog owner: SEGA. This guy from the popular SEGA video games:
66. Holy hymn: PSALM. PSALM means: "a sacred song or hymn, in particular any of those contained in the biblical Book of PSALMs and used in Christian and Jewish worship"
Down:
1. Here again: BACK. Sorry if this creeps you out . . .
2. Half of dieciséis: OCHO. Helps if you know Spanish. Dieciséis is sixteen. One half of sixteen is 8, or OCHO in Espanol.
3. Some casual wear: KHAKI PANTS. They say that the best commercials are the ones you remember whenever you hear a single word . . . like this, perhaps?
4. Bend: ARC. Does anyone else get ARC and ARCH mixed up? I found this: "ARC" - a shape or structure resembling an arc. "ARCH" - a curved symmetrical structure spanning an opening and typically supporting the weight of a bridge, roof, or wall above it. So why say that I "arched" my back. Shouldn't it be ARCed my back, instead??
5. Afternoon rests: SIESTAS. More Spanish today, but one that is much more familiar. I will take an occasional SIESTA; actually look forward to them!!
6. Pop star: IDOL. I'll call this one "crossword-ese" for today
7. Go against: DEFY.
8. Jazz __: ERA. Another crossword favorite shows up again
9. 2000s teen drama set in SoCal: THE O.C.. As in Orange County. A Southern California district whose county seat is Santa Ana. About 3-1/4 million folks call this their home. Anaheim is here; so is Newport Beach, where THE O.C. show was based. It ran on Fox Network from 2003-2007
10. Much-anticipated appointments: HOT DATES. This image made me laugh!
11. Good fighter?: EVIL. Very clever clue for this. One of my favorite books and movies use both words in the title . . . enjoy the trailer . . .
12. Viral video, e.g.: MEME. Or a viral image. Here's one for today:
16. "__ Misérables": LES. A bit of Frawnch to go with the Spanish. And the Frawnch lesson du jour is when do you use the word LES to mean "THE"?
"With masculine singular nouns → use le. With feminine singular nouns → use la. With nouns starting with a vowel, most nouns beginning with h and the French word y → use l'. With plural nouns → use LES." And now you know . . .
18. Restaurant chain with a signature black cod dish: NOBU. As your bi-weekly erudite envoy I am sad to say that I had no idea nor clue about this. Apparently I just don't "get around much"! ;^) Or, NOBU is a bit out of my price range. I checked the menu @ the Newport Beach, CA location, and the signature black cod dish (with a side of Miso) is $42
24. Overjoy: ELATE. What do you call a person who's tardy for the Zoom meeting? E-LATE
25. Rouse to action: BESTIR. I needed a few nudges this week to BESTIR myself to write the blog!
26. Fur piece: PELT.
27. Poppy product: OPIUM. "Papaver somniferum, commonly known as the OPIUM poppy or breadseed poppy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. It is the species of plant from which both opium and poppy seeds are derived and is also a valuable ornamental plant, grown in gardens." Wikipedia
28. Blues partner: RHYTHM. One of my favorite tunes - one that's been covered many times. This version "happened" during my HS years:
29. Big name in lawn care: DEERE. "Nothing rides like a DEERE!"
31. Cause of back trouble, maybe: BAD POSTURE. Maybe because they ARC(h)ed it?
32. Not easily moved: STOIC. Kinda like pigeons on statue! Or these pigeons confirm:
35. Fitness system popular since the '90s: TAE BO. "TAE BO is a body fitness system that incorporates martial arts techniques, such as kicks and punches, which became popular in the 1990s. It was developed by American taekwondo practitioner Billy Blanks. Such programs use the motions of martial arts at a rapid pace designed to promote fitness." Wikipedia
36. Roll into the hole, as a putt: SINK. CSO to all of the Crossword Corner golfers, and this guy:
38. Visibility inhibitor: DENSE FOG. This cartoon's appropriate
43. Harvard has a renowned one, briefly: B-SCHOOL. Abbr. for Business School. Harvard's Business School is known as "Harvard Business School"! (had you going there for a second, didn't I?!). Oh, the cost of an MBA @ Harvard? Harvard charges $73,440 in MBA tuition fees for the academic year 2021-22. For the two-year, full-time MBA program at Harvard, you can expect to pay double that; $146,880 in tuition. Of course most Harvard MBA grads can earn the two-year cost of tuition in their first year of employment
46. Delevingne of "Carnival Row": CARA. Oops - we have a Proper Name alert! CARA Jocelyn Delevingne is an English model, actress, and singer. She signed with Storm Management after leaving school in 2009. Delevingne won Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2012 and 2014. Wikipedia "Carnival Row" is a fantasy made-for-TV show that airs on Amazon Prime+ video
49. Bucatini, for one: PASTA. A tubular variety: "Bucatini, also known as perciatelli, are a thick spaghetti-like PASTA with a hole running through the center. They are common throughout Lazio, particularly Rome. The similar ziti are long hollow rods which are also smooth in texture and have square-cut edges; "cut ziti" are ziti cut into shorter tubes." Wikipedia
51. Capital __: ONE. What's in your wallet? (do you think Moe watches the TV ads??!)
52. Source of bitter flavor in beer: HOPS.
Beer and malt drinker Has a pet bunny rabbit He calls it "HOPScotch"
53. More than chop: DICE. It chops, slices, and it DICES . . . remember?
54. Poems of admiration: ODES. Rarely see this crossword "staple" pluralized; would the French call this "LES ODES"??
55. Greek peak: OSSA.
57. "G2G": TTYL. Text-speak: Got to Go (G2G) = Talk To You Later
58. Employs: USES. I USES many pictures and videos and haikus and on and on and on . . .
60. Wet __: NAP. So, in Spanish would this be "mojada SIESTA"??
61. Tach readout: RPM. Revolutions Per Minute
And with that, we are at a close. Comments are always welcome! Hope you survived both Thanksgiving AND Black Friday! Here's the grid:
Today we have another visit from relatively new constructor David P.
Williams, who believe it or not came out of the starting gate with a
Saturday themeless puzzle on May 15, 2021.
Here's Husker's review. David followed that up pretty quickly with a puzzle on Sunday, June
20, 2021.
Here's C.C.'s review. As near as I can tell this puzzle is his third with the LA
Times.
David invites us out on the dance floor to get down and
boogie with a genre that may seem new to many Cornerites. It will be
easier to see what's going on if we start with the reveal:
60A. Acrobatic street moves ... or a hint to parts of the answers to starred
clues:
BREAK DANCES. The clues are paired, and the "parts" are the
ENDof the first clue and the
BEGINNING of the second clue,
"broken" by a single BLACK square in the 2nd clue. Here are the
themers with the dance parts highlighted in
RED below. When put back
together these parts spell a familiar, popular dance:
Rejoining these parts gives us
the
TANGO, the national dance of Argentina, which
originated in the late 19th Century. At the time it was considered very risqué, because the dancers, ya know ... actually touched! Composer
Astor Piazzolla helped make the TANGO acceptable in "polite
society":
23A. *Key to more issues: RENEWAL. If you don't renew you'll get reminders until they decide to send
it to you for free because they need the ad revenue. 29A. *Greek yogurt
sauce: TZATZIKI. I'll bet it
took David a while to find the secret sauce for this one.
Rejoining
these parts gives us the
WALTZ, the national dance of Austria. Like the TANGO the
WALTZwas considered scandalous when it first appeared. Now imagine that you're at a New Year's Eve party at the
Schönbrunn Palace outside of Vienna, and everyone is dancing
The Blue Danube Waltz. A CSO to Yellowrocks (just
think of Waltzes as round Square Dances!):
47A. *Swindle: FLIMFLAM. A lot of these swindles take place over the phone nowadays.
53A. *Bands may leave the stage on either side of them:
ENCORES. In this case "either
side" isn't positional, but rather temporal, i.e. BEFORE or
AFTER the encore.
Rejoining these parts gives us the
FLAMENCO, a form of song, dance, and instrumental music (mostly guitar and castanets)
commonly associated with the Andalusian
Roma
(Gypsies) of southern Spain. As it is usually a solo dance, there were
never any serious efforts to ban it. Here is dancer
Melina Najjar accompanied by Flamenco guitarist
Yazan Ibrahim:
"Break dancing" is not really new,
having originated in the streets in the 1970's. And now for our dance FINALE --
these b-boys will show you how it's really done!
HANG ON TO YOUR SEATS!
I found explaining the theme difficult to do. Perhaps I should
have just started with this:
Now let's see what other moves we can make:
Across:
1. Name from the Arabic for "desert": SAHARA. The
SAHARA SAHARA? Say that fast 3 times!
7. Siamese warning: HISS. Such adorable pets (I should know, we
used to be owned by one named Ming). HISS? I'll say!
11. Child support org.: PTA.
14. Stir: PRISON. Brit slang.
15. "My bad": OOPS. What ever happened to "Please excuse me"?
16. Um cousins: ERS.
19. Argonne article: LES. And in Paris too, as in
LES MISERABLES:
20. Stashed: HID.
21. King who banished Cordelia: LEAR. A CSO to
Ol' Man Keith.
26. Back-combs: TEASES.
28. Log-in credential: USER ID.
31. It's a liquid, paradoxically: GAS. I'm afraid I have to
part company with David on this one (or Rich?) . The clue should have
read: "It's a fluid" with no need for "paradoxically". Both
GASES and LIQUIDS are FLUIDS, but GASES are not
LIQUIDS.
NASA can explain it much better than I can.
Please see Wilbur Charles @4:53 AM for the correct interpretation of GAS!
32. "Dream on": NO CHANCE.
34. Work (out): SUSS. I hope everyone SUSSED today's
puzzle. We get this word, like much crosswordese from police jargon,
e.g. PERP, AKA, APB, ABET:
46. Subject for Warhol: MAO. In 1972 U.S. President Richard Nixon
traveled to China to meet
Chairman Mao Zedong, ending years of diplomatic isolation between the two nations. This historic
event captured the imagination of Warhol, who, between 1972 and 1973, created
199 silkscreen paintings of Mao in five scales.
Mao Zedong Dec 26,
1893 – Sept 9, 1976)
50. Edmonton NHL team: OILERS. A CSO to Canadian
Eh! Here's their current standings in the Pacific Division (circa
11/18/2021):
Just to be on the safe side I
also checked for some other clues for this fill:
52. They don't skip stops: LOCALS.
54. One of the Baldwins: ALEC. He has been having a rough time
of late.
55. Look at rudely: OGLE.
58. Half a cocktail: TAI. The other half of course being
MAI.
59. Karaoke aid: MIC.
64. Two after epsilon: ETA. Or a swag at when a plane might get
to the airport.
65. It might be pulled by a superior: RANK. It does have its
privileges.
66. Crack squads: A TEAMS.
67. Sticky stuff: SAP. MalMan had this a week ago today.
68. Post counterpart: ANTE. As in
ANTEBELLUM. We'll let the pigeons peck this one out
...
69. First name in the 2016 campaign: BERNIE. As in Sanders.
Down:
1. Pedi place: SPA.
2. Lab sound: ARF. We were owned by a pair of them for about 15
years, Jupiter and Neptune: Perpetual two year olds:
3. Royal __: HIGHNESS. His ROYAL HIGHNESS is
above left.
4. More pallid: ASHIER.
5. Visitors' victory: ROAD WIN.
6. Curry, for one: ANN.
Ann Curry
(born November 19, 1956) is an American journalist and photojournalist, who
has been a reporter for more than 30 years, focused on human suffering in war
zones and natural disasters.
Ann Curry
7. Coiled gardening item: HOSE. Keeping them COILED
is another matter.
8. Capital of Ionia?: IOTA. A meta clue, the Greek letter for
"I". IONIA is an administrative area of Greece, and thus
the capital could be its currency the EURO, or the capital of the area,
CORFU, which wouldn't fit. BTW, if you haven't seen it you owe
it to yourself to stream
The Durrells in Corfu, the true story of a family of 1930's British ex-pats, forced by
their circumstances to find a cheaper place to live. Much real hilarity,
drama, and suspense ensue.
10. One can't start with 666: Abbr.: SSN. While I was able to
locate several official SSA documents that explicitly confirm this policy,
none of them state the basis for it. Nor could I find any unofficial
documents stating why the SSA excluded approximately 1 million potential
SSNs. A brief search regarding the significance of the number itself
suggests SSA policy may derive from purported religious beliefs,
history, and numerology inherent in Greek and Hebrew scriptures, areas outside
my wheelhouse.
11. House speaker after Ryan: PELOSI. As in
Nancy Pelosi, the daughter of Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., a Baltimore politician. She
is currently serving her 18th term in congress.
Nancy Pelosi
12. He had all the answers: TREBEK. I was surprised when Google
responded to my search with "Did you mean:WHO IS Alex Trebek?" I guess you'd call that a meta-answer.
Alex Trebek July 22, 1940 – November 8, 2020
13. St. Clare's town: ASSISI.
St. Clare (16 July 1194 – 11 August 1253)
lived in ASSISI, a small town in the hill country of Tuscany, also the
home of her friend St. Francis, the founder of the
Franciscan Order. She is among other things the patron saint of
television. Go figure. Or read the Wiki article. Her feast
day is August 11.
18. Out of work, maybe: ILL. These days you shouldn't show up at work
coughing and with a fever.
22. Looked intently: GAZED.
23. Floor plans?: RUGS. Rugs? Any rug specialists out there
who can 'splain this one?
24. Biblical twin: ESAU. ESAU was the older of the twins
and founded
Edom (the
region, not the cheese).JACOB was younger one and founded
Israel,
which is an extant nation. Jacob's name was later changed to Israel, but
that's a different story.
25. Hoopla: ADO.
27. "Yada, yada, yada" letters: ETC. Can also be a useful euphemism
...
29. Pluck, as a harp: THRUM. New to me:
30. Turns suddenly: ZAGS.
33. Drama-free state in many a daytime drama: COMA.
AMNESIA wouldn't fit.
35. "Poison" plant: SUMAC.
Poison SUMAC, IVY, and OAK, all pictured below, contain an oil called urushiol that can cause
severe skin rashes.
These plants don't all occur in the same region, so the first key is to know which one grows in your area and memorize
exactly what it looks like. Secondly, if you think you've been exposed
to it, take a shower as soon as you get home and launder you clothes.
48. Title role for Sue Lyon and Dominique Swain: LOLITA. The role
is in movies based on the novel by
Vladimir Nabokov.
Suellyn Lyon
(July 10, 1946 – December 26, 2019) starred in the 1962 film directed by
Stanley Kubrick.
Dominique Ariane Swain
(born August 12, 1980) starred in the 1997 film directed by Adrian Lyne.
Here they are as adults:
53. Reggae's __-A-Mouse: EEK.
Eek-A-Mouse (born Ripton Joseph Hylton, 19 November 1957)
is a Jamaican reggae musician. Eek-A-Mouse is well known for pioneering
his own style of scatting in the 80s, different from the other reggae artists
at the timme. Here's his Long Time Ago:
56. Refined chap: GENT.
57. Many a camp is on one: LAKE. This one's a CSO to our favorite
camper on Lake Easka in the Adirondack Mts.
60. Support wear: BRA.
61. Blot: DAB. A CSO to our favorite Victorian.
62. Old U.K. record label: EMI.
EMI Records Ltd.
is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. The original
EMI Records was founded by the music company of the same name in 1972 as its
flagship label, and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia
and Parlophone record labels.
63. Eau Claire-to-Peoria dir.: SSE. If you lived in
Eau Claire
and wanted to
PLAY
in
Peoria, this is how you'd get there:
A Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving everyone!
Freedom from Want Norman Rockwell, 1943
And a special thanksgiving to Teri for her proof reading and
constructive criticism.
Cheers, Bill
Notes from C.C.:
1) Happy Thanksgiving, Teri, Bill and everyone!
2) Thanks for visiting Spitzboov, Ray! Thanks for updating us. You're in our thoughts and prayers, Spitzboov!
3) Agnes (Irish Miss) and I made today's Universal, click here to solve.
3) Happy birthday to Valerie, love of MM (Joseph)! Hope MM makes it extra special for you this year.
4) Happy birthday to Picard also! Where have you been?
Left to Right: Valerie, MM, Merlie & Picard 9/14/2021
64. Watcher ... and homophone of a letter that appears exactly once in every clue and all but two answers: EYE.
It's rare to see something new in a puzzle and/or theme - but here's one I haven't seen before. The only two answers without an I are 40A CYCLOPS and the reveal at 64D EYE. See?
Melissa here. A total of 39 I's in the grid. And one I in every clue, too - wow! This appears to be a debut for the team of Dave Tabor and Laura Moll. Ironic that neither of their names contain an I. There are also a handful of multi-word answers which are fun and an added challenge. I hope we see more from Dave and Laura.
Across:
1. Little __ Muffet: MISS.
5. Roger Bannister, famously: MILER. Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister was an English
middle-distance athlete and neurologist who ran the first sub-4-minute
mile.
At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Bannister set a British record in the
1500 metres and finished in fourth place. "The Bannister Effect" is the phenomenon of one person showing others that it can be done and, thus, prompting others to believe and achieve.
10. Speaker in Cooperstown: TRIS. Tris Speaker (1888-1958) hit a Major League record 792 doubles; he also
had 3,514 hits and holds the record for outfielders in assists &
double plays.
14. Elvis or Coca-Cola: ICON. That was pretty tricky.
15. "The L Word" co-creator Chaiken: ILENE. Showtime series.
16. Whisper: HINT.
17. Interstate hauler: SEMI.
18. Ad prizes: CLIOS.
19. Dramatic opener: ACT I. Nice clue.
20. Adagio and allegro: TEMPI. Plural of tempo. In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece.
22. Leave the city to evade arrest: SKIP TOWN. Another tricky clue.
24. Like some tanks: SEPTIC.
27. Where the old woman lived: IN A SHOE.
28. Permits to enter: LETS IN. So sneaky these clues! Permits is verb, not noun here.
30. Title of respect: SRI. Polite form of address in India. It is also commonly used as a title of respect within the yoga community.
31. Exec, slangily: SUIT.
33. Schoolmarmish: PRIM.
35. List to-dos: ITEMS. Even in this age of technology, I still tend to write to-do's on paper. Then I lose them.
39. Intense anger: IRE.
40. It has just one 64-Down: CYCLOPS. In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes are giant one-eyed creatures.
42. Shapiro of NPR: ARI.
43. Delivery, as of a baby: BIRTH.
45. Inter __: ALIA. Latin, meaning "among other things." Used in legal pleadings and writings to specify one example out of many possibilities. In general terms, the phrase is used to say that there are other things involved apart from those that are mentioned.
46. Recipe word: STIR.
47. Relieved (of): RID.
49. Comes to light: ARISES.
51. Secret fraternity member: SHRINER. Masonic society established in 1870 and headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
55. Party or wild follower: ANIMAL.
57. Bit of encouragement: KEEP AT IT. Don't give up!
59. Vinyl-covered, as a floor: TILED. Tough clue - I usually think of tile as ceramic.
61. Worldwide: Abbr.: INTL. International.
62. Absinthe flavor: ANISE.
65. Half a round on the links: NINE. Golf.
66. Ohio's lake: ERIE.
67. R&B family name:ISLEY. Ronald and younger brother Ernie Isley are the two remaining siblings of The Isley Brothers.
68. Budget sister company: AVIS. Avis is regarded as a higher-end car rental company, while Budget is cheaper. There are locations where the same mechanics services both.
21. Gomez's furry cousin: ITT. From TV show The Adams Family.
23. French capital: PARIS.
25. Road trip game: I SPY.
26. Approximately: CIRCA.
29. Nabisco brand name: NILLA.
31. Jem, to Scout Finch: SIB. From To Kill a Mockingbird. We have a cat name Scout, and another named Boo. Now all I need is a dog named Atticus.
32. Psychic Geller: URI. Israeli-British illusionist, magician, television personality,
and self-proclaimed psychic. He is known for his trademark television
performances of spoon bending and other illusions.
34. Ballerina Shearer: MOIRA. 1926-2006. Scottish ballet dancer and actress. She is best remembered for her
performances in Powell and Pressburger's The Red Shoes and Michael
Powell's Peeping Tom.
36. Completely dominates: EATS ALIVE. Again with the two-word answer!
37. Med. injury detector: MRI. Magnetic resonance imaging.
38. Title for two Beatles: SIR. in 1997 Paul McCartney was knighted for services to music; Ringo Starr received the same honor in 2018.
40. The good dishes: CHINA.
41. Discomfort cause: PAIN.
44. Makes four into twelve, say: TRIPLES.
46. Advanced course offering: SEMINAR.
48. Hold for questions: DETAIN.
50. Take care of a kitty: SIT.
51. Went down a slippery slope: SKIED. Nice.
52. Matisse of the art world: HENRI.
53. Knot again: RETIE. Haha.
54. Old-time laundry soap brand: RINSO. Laundry soap and detergent marketed by Unilever.
56. Red Square figure: LENIN. Red Square serves as the resting place of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin. His preserved body has been on public display there since shortly after his death in 1924, with rare exceptions in wartime.
58. Place for singles: TILL. Dollar bills.
60. He loved Lucille: DESI. Aw.
63. Cinque e uno: SEI. Italian: Five and one = six.
Melissa
Notes from C.C.:
Please send your thoughts and prayers
to dear Spitzboov (Al), who's been hospitalized due to breathing
problem, which could be the result of the weekly Retacrit injection for his rheumatoid arthritis. He called me last night and he sounded good. He might be out of the hospital soon.
I’m a music teacher in the Boston area and have been solving crosswords as quickly as possible for a couple of decades now. I began constructing in 2019, and have since developed a particular affinity for making cryptic crosswords as well.
