Sunday February 6, 2022 Peter Koetters

 

Theme: "Mondegreens" - Song titles are funnily misinterpreted.

 23. Song in which Pat Benatar challenges the owner of an aquarium? (1980): HIT ME WITH YOUR PET SHARK. "Hit Me with Your Best Shot".

 30. Song in which The Beatles say goodbye to a girl on a big bird? (1965): CHICKEN TO RIDE. "Ticket to Ride"

 43. Song in which Johnny Rivers unmasks a Far East spy? (1966): SECRET ASIAN MAN.
"Secret Agent Man".

 60. Song in which Peter Gabriel bakes a simian-shaped dessert? (1982): CHOCOLATE MONKEY. "Shock The Monkey".

 69. Song in which the Plastic Ono Band promotes legumes? (1969): GIVE PEAS A CHANCE. "Give Peace a Chance." Homophone.

 86. Song in which Culture Club dons lizard costumes to teach punctuation? (1983): COMMA CHAMELEON. "Karma Chameleon".

 99. Song in which The Clash knocks over a wedding reception? (1982): ROB THE CASH BAR. "Rock the Casbah".

 107. Song in which AC/DC plays nasty tricks on livestock? (1976): DIRTY DEEDS DONE TO SHEEP. "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap".

Here is the Wikipedia article on Mondegreen. I bet D-Otto enjoyed this puzzle.

I don't recall a theme with more theme material. Peter's grid has 126 squares dedicated to the gimmick, including two grid spanners.

Across:

1. Heat in "The Heat": NARCS.

6. Pickle piece: SPEAR. I was intrigued by the fried pickles at our state fair. But they wanted $9 for a pickle.

11. Eschew: SHUN.

15. On its way: SENT.

19. Scouting party?: TROOP.  Oh boy/girl scout troop.

20. 2018 CVS Health acquisition: AETNA.

21. Prepare to be shot?: POSE. By a photographer.

22. x, y and z, in math: AXES.

27. Trapped by a winter storm: ICED IN.

28. It's not an option: NEED.

29. Split in two: HALVE.

35. Zipped: DARTED.

36. IRS exam: AUD. Audit.

37. Tokyo, once: EDO. Before 1868.

38. Peruvian pronoun: ESO.

39. Gibbons on TV: LEEZA. She won "The Celebrity Apprentice".

41. Answered an invite: RSVP'D.

49. Puritan pronoun: THEE.

50. Judge's seat: BANC.

52. Release money: RANSOM. Have you seen Jennifer Aniston's "Derailed". Such a disturbing movie.

53. Big pitcher: ACE.

54. Like some office jobs: CLERICAL.

58. Checkout task: SCAN.

59. Bit of sediment: DREG.

64. Volkswagen model: JETTA.

65. Veracruz neighbor: OAXACA. South of Veracruz.

66. Ending with calc and sod: IUM. Gluey. Needed for a Sunday grid.

67. "Amen": SO BE IT.

68. Drag racer's fuel, briefly: NITRO.

75. Good card for lowball: TREY.

76. Explorer Hernando de __: SOTO.

77. Former renter: EX-TENANT. Well, if this is OK, then we can have ex-employee, ex-college, ex-boss, etc.

78. Oral health org.: ADA.

79. Tool in a wheeled bucket: WET MOP.

81. Polite address: MA'AM.

82. Biblical twin: ESAU.

90. Nickname for Chicago's Ernie Banks: MR CUB. "Let's Play Two!"

91. Pretentious: ARTSY.

92. Ewe wish?: RAM. Ha.

93. Apt name for a chef?: STU.

95. "We __ the World": ARE.

96. Mid-calf pants: CAPRIS.

103. Ninja Turtles' ally April __: O'NEIL. We had her before.

104. Pension __: PLAN.

106. Pablo's "precise": EXACTO.

114. Actress Watson: EMMA.

115. Nabisco cookie: OREO. These are sweet snacks in Guangzhou during Spring Festival. Yau gok, filled with sweetened ground peanuts and toasted sesame seeds.

116. Home on the range: RANCH.

117. Calculus pioneer: EULER. Swiss mathematician (April 15, 1707- Sept 18, 1783)

118. Negotiation ender: DEAL.

119. Ballroom basic: TURN.

120. Remove: ERASE.

121. Brontë sister: EMILY.

Down:

1. Ultimate degree: NTH.

2. Singer Grande's debut fragrance: ARI. Quite popular among the YouTube crowd.

3. Hogwash: ROT.

4. Larry the Cable Guy, for one: COMIC.

5. Dotted (with): SPECKED.

6. Declined: SAID NO.

7. Small, at the Sorbonne: PETIT.

8. Culture: Pref.: ETHNO.

9. Even one: ANY.

10. '90s Indian prime minister: RAO. Learned from doing crosswords.

11. Jag: SPREE.

12. Crossed-fingers sentiment: HOPE. We hope Bloomer's radiation works.

13. Yard sale adjective: USED.

14. Hoops hanger: NET.

15. Very hot and dry: SAHARAN.

16. Glorify: EXALT.

17. Chutzpah: NERVE.

18. Expressed disdain for: TSKED.

24. Neaten the garden, perhaps: WEED.

25. Scandal, to a politician, perhaps: UNDOER. Or to a news media CEO.

26. Captain Marvel's magic word: SHAZAM. Also the app that can help you identify the song. Amazing.

30. E-commerce icon: CART.

31. "Quiet!": HUSH.

32. "If only __ known ... ": I'D'VE.

33. Tape deck button: REC.

34. Leb. neighbor: ISR.

35. __ Sanders, only athlete to play in both the Super Bowl and World Series: DEION. Gimme for our regulars.

39. Jousting weapon: LANCE.

40. Homework assignment: ESSAY.

42. South American pig relative: PECCARY. Learning moment for me. Look at their stiff hair.

43. Vexed state: SNIT.

44. "__ homo": ECCE.

45. Job: TASK.

46. Mink cousin: MARTEN.

47. Acid type found in vinegar: ACETIC. What vinegar do you normally use? I like Mizkan rice vinegar. Very mild.

48. Cancel out: NEGATE.

50. Composer Bartók: BELA.

51. Altar in the sky: ARA.

55. In __ parentis: LOCO.

56. French friend: AMIE.

57. Jeweler's tool: LOUPE. Boomer has a big magnifier for his baseball cards.

59. Con, half the time: DEBATER.

60. Cold relief brand: CONTAC.

61. High style, maybe: HAIRDO.

62. It can take a yoke: OX TEAM.

63. Truth or Consequences st.: N MEX.

64. Father of Julian Lennon: JOHN. And 73. Half-brother of Julian Lennon: SEAN. From left to right: Sean Lennon, Yoko Ono, Cynthia Lennon & Julian Lennon.

67. Con job: SCAM.

69. Some black-clad teens: GOTHS.

70. "Possibly": IT MAY.

71. "Va-va-__!": VOOM.

72. Prefix with sphere: ATMO.

74. Santa __ winds: ANA.

76. Splinter groups: SECTS.

79. With suspicion: WARILY.

80. Argentine icons: PERONS. Eva and Juan.

83. Worker during a walkout: SCAB.

84. Ambiance: AURA.

85. Ride provider: UBER.

87. Kind of vows: MARITAL.

88. Chocolate __: LAB.

89. First responder: Abbr.: EMT.

90. Rave review word: MUST SEE.

93. Rake over the coals: SCATHE. I only know "scathing".

94. Sinaloa street snack: TACO. We need more taco mixes. Otherwise, I don't know how to make tacos for Boomer.

96. Like apps: CODED.

97. Cartoon genre: ANIME.

98. Prefix with frost: PERMA.

99. Odorless basement hazard: RADON.

100. Temporary tattoo dye: HENNA.

101. C-suite VIPs: EXECS. CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, etc.

102. "Meh": HO HUM.

104. Major quinoa producer: PERU. Tasty quinoa salad.

105. Creepy look: LEER.

108. Web address component: DOT.

109. Hip-hop Dr.: DRE.

110. Propeller with just one blade: OAR.

111. Philanthropist Broad: ELI. Just passed away last year.

112. Fish that may be jellied: EEL.

113. Meddle: PRY.

We enjoyed our VA-free week. Boomer visited his bowling buddies last Monday and we had our 42-year-old furnace replaced last Thursday. Now the basement is warm for Boomer to lounge around.

We're going to VA Spinal Cord Injury center tomorrow morning for a PT session, then a blood draw, then a meeting at the oncology about the new chemo. Boomer was told to stop taking the oral chemo when he was hospitalized. We'll have an OT session on Tuesday. Wish the VA could arrange the  PT and OT in the same day, as it's a long drive for us, but they can't. We'll go to VA hospital every Monday and Tuesday for the next few weeks. So happy that it's not below zero any more.

C.C.

Saturday, February 5, 2022, Stella Zawistowski

  Themeless Saturday by Stella Zawistowski

Our "renaissance woman " is back with another fun Saturday entry. This picture is of Stella and a fellow alto who both sing in the Oratorio Society of New York. You can see she has an abiding interest in the arts and you might remember that I posted a video of her and the Oratorio Society singing The Messiah in a beautiful rural setting. Here's Stella's input:

Thanks for the kind words! I'm drowning in puzzle- and trivia-related work at the moment so I can't give an extended commentary, but you can say this:

I seeded this puzzle around CINCINNATI CHILI. I'm not from Ohio, but my husband is, and upon trying CINCINNATI CHILI for the first time, my reaction was "where have you been all my life?" If you would like to make it at home, I'm partial to this recipe from Melissa Joulwan. I serve mine over standard-issue spaghetti, not spiralized zucchini noodles as she suggests.

My only bad cell was DAN_ON/SA_IE where instead of guessing an incorrect vowel, I chose a wrong consonant. I always enjoy Stella's puzzles and her unique perspective!

Across

1. Possible cause of price cuts: GLUT - When there is a GLUT of oil, gas prices are cut

5. Sensitivity symptom: ITCH.

9. Bucks' gp.: NBA.

12. Overdo, perhaps: POUR ON - Some coaches POUR it ON even when their team is way ahead

14. Greeting or parting word: CIAO - CIAO : Italy :: Aloha : Hawaii

15. Larter of "Heroes": ALI.

16. One might be involved in a gag: TONGUE DEPRESSOR - Clever cluing and so true for me

19. Finish in a winery: AFTER TASTE -  The TASTE that lingers in the mouth or which is left on the palate AFTER a wine is tasted or spit. Its synonym is Finish.

20. Gossamer: LACY - "It was just one of those nights, Just one of those fabulous flights, A trip to the moon, On gossamer wings, Just one of those things." Ya gotta love Cole Porter!

21. Talk with one's hands: SIGN - American Sign Language

22. Conductor Klemperer: OTTO - Here ya go. We lowbrows know Werner Klemperer who played Colonel Klink in Hogan's Heroes

24. Again and again, in verse: OFT 

27. Composer of "furniture music": SATIE - Furniture music, or in French musique d’ameublement, is background music originally played by live performers. The term was coined by Erik Satie in 1917

29. Decision-making board with no members: OUIJA.

33. Haydn oratorio, with "The": CREATION - I wonder if Stella's group has performed this piece

35. Bull elk, at times: BUGLER.

36. Sauce named for a city: CINCINNATI CHILI - Stella's seed entry

Cincinnati chili is a Mediterranean-spiced meat sauce used as a topping for spaghetti or hot dogs; both dishes were developed by immigrant restaurateurs in the 1920s. In 2013, Smithsonian named it one of the "20 Most Iconic Foods in America"

51. Great American Ball Park team: REDS - and this makes sense in Cincinnati's ball park

38. Fancifies: ADORNS.

39. Transaction involving the repurchase of securities recently unloaded: WASH SALE - Here ya go

40. "... a __ sorrows and acquainted with grief": "Messiah": MAN OF - Stella certainly has sung this lyric from Handel's Messiah

41. Pound parts: PENCE.

42. Bobs and weaves: DOS - HairDOS

43. Lean meat source: BOAR.

45. Shows interest ... or a lack of it: NODS.

47. __ Minor: ASIA - Not Ursa this time

50. Certain cookie vendor's reward: MERIT BADGE.

55. Symphonist's work: INSTRUMENTATION - Determines what instruments should be used in a piece and how. Gershwin's use of the clarinet in Rhapsody In Blue leapt to my mind.

57. Semana seventh: DIA - Semana is week and DIA is day in Spanish and so 1/7 of a week is a day. Talk about Saturday cluing!

58. Pre-owned: USED.

59. Digs: IS INTO - It's pretty obvious Stella IS INTO music!

60. Stock thriller character: SPY.

61. Queens, e.g.: BEDS.

62. Within: Pref.: ENTO.

Down:

1. Slip: GOOF.

2. Broadway theatre dedicatee Alfred: LUNT - Here ya go

3. Drives: URGES.

4. Travelers' aids, briefly: TOURIST INFO - Want some on my town?

5. Lays on, as buttercream: ICES.

6. Sneak, in a way: TIPTOE.

7. Insert indicator: CARET - There are several places below where FDR inserted text into his "Day Of Infamy" speech using the ^ CARET

8. Plot device?: HOE.

9. Org. in 2018's "First Man": NASA.

10. Like-minded group: BLOC - Party line votes?

11. Like a screened-in porch, say: AIRY.

12. Car-wash-sponsoring org., maybe: PTA.

13. Black numbers?: NET GAINS - as opposed to red numbers of debt

17. Prominent figure in the Reign of Terror: DANTON - I'd heard of the other two

18. Loses, with "off": SLOUGHS - Rhymes with bluffs 

23. Connected (with): TOUCHED BASE - Before I took my first group of kids to KSC, I had to TOUCH BASE with my department head, the activity director, the principal and then the school board. Nobody said no!

24. Certain razor namesake: OCCAM.

25. 2002 title role for Salma: FRIDA.

26. Carpenter's joint component: TENON.

28. Open-mouthed: IN AWE.

30. Tale in which Hector and Achilles duel: ILIAD - Hector was the runner-up. 

31. __ shot: JELLO - I had  _ _ L _O. Wanna guess what this child of the 50's put?

32. Horned zodiac animal: ARIES.

34. Agile performer: ACROBAT.

35. Twice-baked cookies: BISCOTTI.

37. Astringent in red wine: TANNIN.

41. Like some bio majors: PRE-MED - PRE-MED Timeline

44. Get to chuckle: AMUSE.

46. Observed, maybe: SAT IN - The superintendent SAT IN on one of my NASA presentations this week

47. Some are visual: AIDS - At the bottom of all the emails I send is 

48. Short cut?: SNIP.

49. Words from Dr. Watson: I SAY - What other detective has an "associate" who uses the same phrase? (*Answers below)

52. Effort: DINT.

53. Command in BASIC: GO TO - Bare bones idea:

10 Clear the screen

20 Enter your answer, N

30 If N = 100, GOTO 50

40 If N <> 100, GOTO 10

50 You are correct!

54. Musician whose name is a number in reverse: ENO - What fresh cluing for our old friend 

56. Pitmaster's application: RUB.

*That is Captain Arthur Hastings who is an assistant to Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie mysteries