Saturday, May 14, 2022, Beth Rubin

 Saturday Themeless by Beth Rubin 

Last December I blogged a Saturday themeless that Beth constructed with Brad Wilber. Today our librarian from Los Angeles has her first solo entry. Here are her comments on this puzzle: 

 

Hi Gary, 

Of course I remember you! So glad to hear that you liked the puzzle. I rewrote/updated what I had written last time with additional comments about the puzzle. See below: 

 

Thanks for inviting me back to the L.A. Times Crossword Corner! Originally from New York, I am a librarian, crossword constructor, writer, and artist living in Los Angeles. My puzzles have been published by the New York Times, L.A. Times, Universal, Crosswords Club, Spyscape, and Daily POP Crosswords. 

 

I was fortunate to connect to Erik Agard and the Crossword Puzzle Collaboration Directory just a few weeks into learning how to construct a puzzle. The guidance and mentorship have been stellar. The crossword community’s generosity, humor, and creativity continue to inspire me. 

 

I’m a big fan of V Spehar’s TikTok UNDER THE DESK NEWS segment and built a 16x15 themeless puzzle around this seed entry. During their Thursday Night Good News Only Update, V wears a banana-printed shirt. I was happy to include the entry BANANA SEAT as a nod to good news. This puzzle also has a nod to my dad, who taught me my first CHESS OPENING moves, and my wife, who thank goodness, did not find me UNDATEABLE! 

 

A special thanks to Patti Varol for her superb editing, encouragement and support. 

 

Hope that you enjoy the puzzle! 

Beth

Across:

1. Improve one's class?: SKIP A GRADE - Funny start!

11. Quick: RAPID.

16. Alcopop kin: WINE COOLER.

17. Bring out: EDUCE - The clue did bring out EVOKE first

18. Single, but way too flawed: UNDATEABLE - Also a TV series it seems

19. Giant: TITAN.

20. Polish site: NAIL - PAW lish not POH lish

21. "Git!": SCAT.

22. Nucleotide triplet: CODON - All you'd like to know

23. Test for some srs.: GRE 56. "Can I have a bit more time?": TEN MINUTES? - I doubt the proctor would allow it.

24. Cena of "Peacemaker": JOHN.

25. Mariah Carey holiday hit: OH SANTA - Listen if you like

27. Resort town named for a native tree: ASPEN.

29. Mixed __: BLESSING - Living to a ripe old age can be a mixed BLESSING

30. Full of nervous energy: RESTLESS.

33. "The Rotters' Club" novelist Jonathan: COE - "Three teenage friends grow up in 1970s Britain watching their lives change as their world gets involved with IRA bombs, progressive and punk rock, girls and political strikes."

34. Current events TikTok segment that V Spehar broadcasts from their office floor: UNDER THE DESK NEWS.

39. Milne hopper: ROO - A cwd visitor from the 100-Acre-Wood

40. Famished: RAVENOUS - Check out 44 Across below!

41. Holiness: SANCTITY.

44. Étouffée option: PRAWN.

47. Arctic wear: ANORAKS.

48. 1856 Stowe novel: DRED - This was her second anti-slavery book whose title by coincidence presaged the DRED Scott decision of the next year.

50. Umbrella spoke: RIB.

52. Word in British placenames: SHIRE - Yes, John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins created what became known as WorcesterSHIRE (WUUS-tər-shər) sauce in WorcesteSHIRE, England in the early 18th century. It's said to be a good example of umami flavor.

53. Natural satellite: MOON.

54. "Have it your way": FINE.

55. Dong-hyuk who created "Squid Game": HWANG 

58. Make one: MERGE - Make one lane

59. Wheelie bike feature: BANANA SEAT.

60. Mascot whose weight is listed as "Top Heavy": MR. MET 

61. Challenges for a translator, perhaps: SLANG TERMS - 24 more

Down:

1. Chased a pitch: SWUNG - Baseball people know why hie did this 

2. Kwanzaa candelabra: KINARA.

3. West __: INDIES.

4. Toll: PEAL - After his historic ride, Paul Revere made many bells that tolled/PEALED throughout New England

5. Do one's part?: ACT - Nice cluing for either meaning

6. Walks out, say: GOES ON STRIKE 

7. Laurel and Hardy producer: ROACH - Hal made big money on this fabulous team but paid them very little

8. First British martyr: ALBAN - When Rome ruled Britain

9. Scapula neighbor, for short: DELT - Ella Dershowitz had DELTS and 22. Queen's gambit, for one: CHESS OPENING in last Saturday's puzzle

10. Long start, once: ERE - A famous George M. Cohan lyric, "Give my regards to Old Broadway
And say that I'll be there, 'ERE long!" and 28. Tense beginning?: PRE - PRETENSE

11. Throw again: RETOSS - There should have been one here

12. Brand whose website has a "3 Stripe Life" section: ADIDAS - Yup!

13. Table: PUT ON ICE.

14. "Maybe later": I CAN'T NOW.

15. Cozy spot: DEN.

24. Raspberry: JEER.

25. Elizabeth who plays Scarlet Witch in the MCU: OLSEN - No chance for me to get this Marvel Comic Universe character

26. Improves, maybe: AGES - I seem to be doing a lot more AGING than improving

29. Eliot title hero: BEDE - The four English teachers I asked about this clue  in lunch gave me a collective shrug about this Mary Ann Evans novel written under her pseudonym.

31. "__ how I roll": THAT'S - Blog Saturday puzzles? THAT'S how I roll!

32. Tax: LEVY.

34. Bear up?: URSA.

35. "It went straight to voice mail": NO ANSWER.

36. 2014 memoir subtitled "Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery": DO NO HARM - Another interesting book our librarian/constructor has for us today

37. Western Asia native: KURD -  My first west Asian native for _ U R _ was a TURK not a KURD

38. Govt. cybersecurity monitor: NSA.

42. [I'm so uncomfortable right now]: CRINGE.

43. Retailer with a RedCard credit card: TARGET - Headquartered in C.C.'s Minneapolis

45. Bell hooks, for one: WRITER - Why Gloria Jean Watkins changed her name to uncapitalized bell hooks

46. Time slot with talk shows: NINE A.M.

48. Part of DKNY: DONNA - DONNA Karan of New York

49. "Succession" sibling: ROMAN - A character in this series

51. Tops: BESTS - These two girls from the small school where I sub hope to TOP/BEST much bigger schools to win a state track championship next week.

53. Happy __: MEAL.

54. Make one: FUSE - This shows glass FUSE art before and after being put in a kiln

55. "Let me think ... ": HMM.

56. "Full Frontal" network: TBS - Political satire.

57. D.C. player: NAT - The Washington NATionalS were 2019 World Series Championships 

Friday, May 13, 2022, Stefan Fastis

Theme: "A 'Bridged' Too Far"?

Puzzling thoughts: FIW

I know, that's hard for me to do, for as bloggers we get the answers ahead of time, and our blogging "software" allows us to reveal the answers whenever we want to

But my "promise" when I was asked to recap every-other-Friday puzzle, was to solve the puzzle without hints; just as you do. I don't open the email attachment with the answers until I've solved the puzzle

Today, I had to open the attachment early and often

In fairness to Stefan, I'd like to dissect this puzzle as I had both success and failure. Let's go!

Today's puzzle has four "themers", each 14 letters in length for a total of 56 "spaces". There are 42 "blocks" (black spaces), so that means that almost 44% of the puzzle = themers + blocks. That's a lot. Stefan managed to keep the number of 3-letter words to a minimum, but had 35 4-letter word entries, if I counted correctly. That's a ton

The theme entries share a common "question" in their clues: " ..., abridged?" So of course, I knew this probably meant book, movie, or play titles

Confession: I may be the least well-read person here. This wasn't going to go well for me ...

I approached the grid from several spots, and solved the first of the themers: 20-Across. Play about the shortcomings of capitalism, abridged?: SALESMAN'S DEATH. The familiar title - and one I DID know - is "DEATH of a SALESMAN" by Arthur Miller. It seems logical, then, that the other themers are missing the words "of a", and are thus, "abridged"

Next entry: 25-across. YA (abbr for Young Adult perhaps?) series about an insecure preadolescent, abridged?: WIMPY KID'S DIARY. This is one screen event that I did NOT know about. The main Wimpy I know was the character from the Popeye comics who enjoyed hamburgers. And for those of you who lived or visited Pittsburgh, you may be familiar with this hamburger chain. Wimpy's Burgers used to have a very iconic ad on radio and television touting all of the places where you could enjoy their fare, though they made a point of saying that "There's no Wimpy's in Wilmerding", but I digress ... after watching this short trailer, I may try to find Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and watch a few episodes

The penultimate entry: 42-across. Film about a crime in a small town, abridged?: MURDER'S ANATOMY. Per Wikipedia: "Anatomy of a Murder is a 1959 American courtroom drama and crime film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Wendell Mayes was based on the 1958 novel of the same name written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker under the pen name of Robert Traver. Voelker based the novel on a 1952 murder case in which he was the defense attorney. It has a star-studded cast and includes an appearance by Duke Ellington, who also wrote the musical score

And last but not least: 49-across. Novel about a Japanese entertainer, abridged?: GEISHA'S MEMOIRS. IMDb describes "Memoirs of a Geisha" as: "In the 1920s, 9-year-old Chiyo (Suzuka Ohgo) gets sold to a geisha house. There, she is forced into servitude, receiving nothing in return until the house's ruling hierarchy determines if she is of high enough quality to service the clientele -- men who visit and pay for conversation, dance and song. After rigorous years of training, Chiyo becomes Sayuri (Ziyi Zhang), a geisha of incredible beauty and influence. Life is good for Sayuri, but World War II is about to disrupt the peace"

According to Merrium Webster, the term "of a" is described as an idiom, and is used to indicate that someone or something is a particular type of person or thing; as in the expression "son of a gun". In today's puzzle, Stefan is abridging "of a" in its possessive form; all of the titles have been shortened to the object (SALESMAN, KID, MURDER, and GEISHA) having an apostrophe. Pretty clever. My stumbling block was not knowing three of the four entries by their more common title. And throughout the puzzle a number of clues had me guessing incorrectly as well

Since my opening statement was quite long, I am going to "abridge" the remainder. As always, comments are welcome and appreciated!

Here is the grid:

Across:
1. Steinbeck surname: JOAD. "Grapes of Wrath" - I knew this one

5. Russian assembly: DUMA.

9. Overdoes the fandom, in slang: STANS. Not familiar with this definition

14. Liqueur that water turns cloudy: OUZO. I know OUZO but did not know it made water cloudy. I usually drink mine with three coffee beans floating on the surface. Does anyone know why this is?

15. NASDAQ newbies: IPOS. Initial public offering, plural. Not to be confused with: 48-across. Apple gadget: IPOD

16. Convent outfit: HABIT. Nuns wear them

17. Inadequate Wikipedia entry: STUB. Not familiar with this definition

18. "Cool it!": STOP. "Cool it" sounds less severe than "stop". Kinda like "be quiet" is not as harsh as "shut up!"

19. Things: ITEMS.

23. Capital of Iran: RIAL.

24. Stately tree: ELM.

32. Nutrition bar marketed to women: LUNA.

33. Acorn trees: OAKS.

34. University of Pennsylvania swimmer Thomas: LIA. Made the news recently

35. "Love __ Open Door": "Frozen" duet: IS AN. Never saw "Frozen". Here is the duet:

46-down. With 36-Across, "Big" star: TOM. (36-Across, See 46-Down:) HANKS. We recently had "TOM" when the clue was Forrest portrayer

38. Savor the sun: BASK.

39. Poke tuna: AHI.

40. Garment worn with a choli: SARI. Choli was an unknown to me, but the word SARI made sense. Here is a choli; the SARI is the wrap I'm guessing

41. Annoys: IRKS.

47. Sci-fi aviators: ETS. Extra-terrestrials

56. Nursery supply: MULCH. Good entry and clue

57. SALT weapon: ICBM.

58. Bubbly name: MOET. CSO to Chairman Moe. Anyone surprised that it's his favorite bubbly??!!

59. Hunter-gatherer diet: PALEO.

60. Hill partner: DALE. "Chip" partner would be another way to clue this

61. Craftsy etailer: ETSY.

62. "Hacks" Emmy winner Jean: SMART. Jean Smart (born September 13, 1951) is an American film, television, and stage actress. She is known for her comedic roles, one of the best known being her role as Charlene Frazier Stillfield on the CBS sitcom Designing Women. She later gained critical acclaim for dramatic work, with her portrayal of Martha Logan on 24. I watched neither of these shows, so this was an unknown to me

63. "Preach!": AMEN.

64. Gratify: SATE.

Down:
1. "You Had Me" singer Stone: JOSS. I whiffed on this. Again, not someone with whom I am familiar

2. "I'm __ here!": OUTA. I am more familiar with and would use OUTTA

3. Un color primario: AZUL. Blue in Espanol

4. El Diablo of "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," e.g.: DOBERMAN. Again, a film I never saw. DOBERMAN didn't easily perp as I didn't know STUB, WIMPY, or IS AN

5. Consternation: DISMAY. I don't think this defined the puzzle for me today; more like "frustration"

6. Rise in pitch that can make a statement sound like a question: UP TALK. Inhersight dot com describes UP TALK: "What is uptalk and why is it unprofessional?" Uptalk, also called upspeak, is a linguistic term usually associated with how women speak. Many professionals advise women to eliminate the style of speaking entirely in order to be taken seriously in and out of the workplace, but this ill-advised guidance stems from patriarchal, sexist beliefs

7. Apollo theater?: MOON. I'm guessing - now that I've had several days to think about it - that this clue refers to the Apollo NASA missions that traveled to the MOON. Meh

8. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" snakes: ASPS.

9. Claressa who is the only American boxer to win consecutive Olympic gold medals: SHIELDS. I wouldn't want to mess with her!

10. Woven floor mat: TATAMI.

11. Lie for, say: ABET.

12. "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of __": NIMH. Another book title with which the Chairman was unfamiliar

13. D and C in D.C.: STS. We had this recently identifying STreetS in NYC

21. Sample: SIP.

22. Newsroom bureaus: DESKS.

25. Chinese martial art: WUSHU. A very seldom used entry; just once before at LA Times, and thrice at NY Times

26. "... bombs bursting __": IN AIR.

27. Ancient Greek region: IONIA.

28. Black Hills terr.: DAK. How about a clue for us sports fans? For example, "Dallas Cowboys QB, Prescott"

29. Chili rating unit: ALARM. I knew this, because I have participated in a few chili cook-offs. The "ALARM" is measured in the "heat" - or spiciness - of the chili dish. One = mild; five = you'll need a fire fighter to assist extinguishing the flames in your mouth

30. Like junk bonds: RISKY.

31. Shaggy Himalayan locals: YAKS.

32. Payne of One Direction: LIAM. Not a band I listen to. Liam Payne is a vocalist

36. "Don't __ my mellow!": HARSH. ????

37. Rolling Rock openers?: ARS. It's what pirates drink - ARRR

38. Closed ecosystems: BIODOMES. Used once before in crossword puzzles

40. Basket made without weaving?: SET SHOT. FINALLY! A clue for us sports fans!! I got this right away. More people would recognize the term "jump shot". So, what's the difference between a SET SHOT and a JUMP SHOT?

43. Severe cold remedy?: DE-ICER. Ha!

44. Agile: NIMBLE. As in Jack when he jumped over the candlestick

45. Zaius, Thade, et al.: APE MEN. From the movies in the series "Planets of the Apes"

49. Island in Micronesia: GUAM.

50. Fashion designer Emhoff: ELLA. Ella Rose Emhoff is an American model, artist, and fashion designer. As the daughter of U.S. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and stepdaughter of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, she is a member of the Second Family of the United States. Another "learning" moment for Moe

51. Turturro of "The Sopranos": AIDA. She played Janice - Tony Soprano's sister - on the drama series "The Sopranos"

52. Con job: SCAM.

53. Whit: IOTA. If the "thesaurus-saurus" agrees, then it is so!

54. Take ten: REST. If someone tells you to take five or to take ten, they are telling you to have a five or ten minute break (REST) from what you are doing

55. Ocular malady: STYE. Eye problem

56. U.K. lawmakers: MPS. Members of Parliament, abbreviated and pluraled

Thursday, May 12, 2022, Lynn Lempel

 

 

Today's constructor is veteran Lynn Lempel, who is known in the trade as the "Queen of Monday crosswords" (i.e "easy puzzles".).  By my count she has appeared in 3 Monday LA Times puzzles, the first in October of 2021 and two earlier this year, all reviewed by Boomer of course.  However she got in the game long before her debut here, appearing first in the Sunday New York Times(!!!) in December of 1979.  Also Lynn and our very own C.C. Burnikel are two of the women constructors featured in a collection of puzzles called Women of Letters, edited by our very own Patti Varol.  Here's how you can obtain a copy of those puzzles.

Today Lynn ups her LA Times game a bit by moving to a Thursday, with the cluing and fill being  harder than the average Monday puzzle and, for me at least, an even harder theme.  I'll start with the reveal:

59A. Evasive maneuvering, and what can literally be found in the answers to the starred clues: RUN AROUND.

As neither Lynn nor Patti provided any training wheels (AnonymousDNLC will love this one)., it took a while to grok the meaning of 59A.  After staring at the fill for quite a while I saw that embedded within it were 4 synonyms for evading pursuers:

17A. *Native American ritual: RAIN DANCE.  RACE  Desperate times call for desperate measures.  This video contains actual footage from SIOUX Indian rain dances at the very beginning of the film era.  It's long, but worth a peak  (8 min):

25A. *Cut from the short loin: STRIP STEAK.  STREAK.  This form of evasion may be a bit too revealing for a family blog, so I'm skipping a video.

36A. *Finish loads of work?: DO THE WASH.  DASH.  A distance bound maneuver, e.g. who reaches the 50 yard line first.

50A. *Rust-Oleum product: SPRAY PAINT.  SPRINT.  A time bound maneuver, e.g. who runs the farthest in 50 seconds.

Here's the grid:
 

Here are the rest of Lynn's puzzle maneuvers:

Across:

1. Pea sheller's discard: POD.  This sheller has a tendency to eat these green sweets before they ever make it to the kitchen.

4. Infatuate: BESOT. 

9. Stands up to: FACES.

14. "To say they __ I dare not be so bold": Shakespeare: ERR.  Shakespeare is obviously BESOTTED by the "Dark Lady" praised in Sonnet 131; this line implies that he cares not for the opinion of those who don't find her as beautiful as he.

15. Notable time period: EPOCH.

16. Chew noisily: CHOMP.

19. Bit part: CAMEO.   Also a tiny pendant or brooch with a bas-relief carved from a multi-layered stone with contrasting colors.  Perhaps the the allusion from films derives from the diminutive size of the cameo.

Cameo Brooch
Late 19th Century French

20. Drinks with steep prices?: TEAS.  The Brits don't steep their teas overly long, lest they become stewed.

21. Most populous NATO country: USA.

23. Major-leaguer: PRO.  A particular sport generalized to a superlative.

24. Longish skirt: MIDI.

29. Light baked dish: SOUFFLE. Soufflé is French for "breath", and many cooks are afraid that if you breathe too heavily around one it will fall.  This article has surefire instructions on preventing this from happening.

31. With resolve: STOUTLY.

32. Econ. measure: GNP.   Gross National Product vs. Gross Domestic Product.  What's the difference?

33. Peignoir trim: LACE.  I think the principal purpose of the Peignoir is to BESOT the male of the species.  I suspect that Shakespeare's "Dark Lady" might have worn one.

35. Secondhand: USED.

39. W/o delay: ASAP.  As Soon as Possible, as opposed to STAT, which in medicalese means NOW!

41. Brain section: LOBE.  Here they are:
 

And here's what they do.

42. Lack of continuity: GAP.

45. Starts to come out of one's shell: OPENS UP.

48. Vacation spots: RESORTS.

52. Restraining order: HALT.

53. Cleveland NBAer: CAV.  The Cleveland Cavaliers.
 

54. Org. that accepts returns: IRS.

55. Opera set in Egypt that debuted in Cairo: AIDA. The titular heroine, Aida, is among the Ethiopian slaves brought to Egypt, after her country was conquered by the Egyptians.  Here is Aida, played by Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska, remembering better days in her fatherland in the aria "Oh Patria Mia":

56. Come to light: ARISE.

63. Take it easy: RELAX.

64. Laura Linney Netflix series: OZARK.  Ozark is an American crime drama series created by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams for Netflix. The series stars Jason Bateman and Laura Linney as Marty and Wendy Byrde, a married couple who move their family to the Lake of the Ozarks for money laundering.  Things do not go well.  Here's Wendy Byrde (and a CSO to our Wendy Bird):
 

Laura Linney

65. Feasted on: ATE.

66. Caught some z's: SLEPT.

67. Old TV parts: TUBES.  The TV tubes that I recall seem to predate the Google era.  All of the hits I found were about Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs), which were ostensibly the most important components of old TVs.   But CRTs, today replaced by solid state flat screens, were a special type of what were generically referred to as vacuum tubes (or "valves), and there were many other types that comprised the circuitry that controlled the old analog TVs. You could usually buy them in drug stores, which also had testers for determining which was the culprit among the several that you suspected might have failed.   You can still find them on eBay.  And if you still have any, might be able to make a few bucks.

68. __ of averages: LAW.  The Law of Averages is more a "rule of thumb" than a law, and may or may not be true in particular circumstances.  It is often confused with the Law of Large Numbers.

Down:

1. "As __ my last email ... ": PER.

2. Formal discourse: ORATION.  Here is one you might remember.  Let's hope we all remember it.

3. Shriveled: DRIED UP.

4. Some twins: BEDS.

5. AQI monitor: EPA.  Air Quality Index.  Give this site your location and it will tell you its AQI.  The site is  run by the Environmental Protection Agency and partners.
 

6. Sir Carter, to Beyoncé: SON. Sir Carter is the SON of  Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter and rapper Jay-Z, né Shawn Corey Carter.  Sir has a twin sister named Rumi.  The twins are about 4 years old and I haven't included any pictures.

7. Happen: OCCUR.

8. Project that must be defended: THESIS.  E.g. a Masters Thesis.  A Doctoral DISSERTATION, must also be defended, but it's much longer.  By exactly twice as many letters. 

9. Net-neutrality regulatory org.: FCC.  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC).  Net neutrality is the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) must treat all Internet communications equally, and not charge users different rates based on content, website, platform, application, type of equipment, source address, destination address, or method of communication.  This is not an easy task and is not in the interest of all Internet's stakeholders; and is thus fraught with complexity, controversy, and litigiousness. 

10. Cry with a finger snap: AHA.  Heard often around the Corner early in the morning.

11. Vie: COMPETE.

12. "Promising Young Woman" writer/director Fennell: EMERALD.  Promising Young Woman is a 2020 American thriller film written, co-produced, and directed by Emerald Fennell in her feature directorial debut. It stars Carey Mulligan as a young woman haunted by a traumatic past as she navigates balancing forgiveness and vengeance.  I have not seen this film, but it has gotten rave reviews. It sounds pretty heavy to me.  Hand up if you've seen it.

13. Eerie: SPOOKY.  I think 12D may be in this category.

18. Innocent: NAIF.

22. Well-chosen: APT.

24. Sprinkle that adds umami, for short: MSG. Mono-Sodium Glutamate.  Substantiated by the theory that taste buds were formulated to detect a specific taste, it has been widely understood, until recently, that sweet, salty, sour, and bitter constituted the four distinguishable, and therefore, "official tastes".  However, in the early 1900s a Japanese scientist isolated a new flavor he called "umami". In 1990 the latter was "officially" recognized as the “fifth taste.”  This flavor was associated with an amino acid called glutamate and could be used to flavor foods by the addition of MSG.  Note however this mild dissent from the Mayo Clinic.  Now that we've added a fifth taste, might we be ready for a sixth sense?  

25. Louver part: SLAT.

26. __ support: TECH.

27. Makes soaking wet: SOUSES.  Additional usages of SOUSE are "to make drunk" and "to pickle", e.g. pork, fish, or shellfish.  The adjective "pickled" then comes back around as "drunk".

28. Derriere: TUSH.  Another JPEG I won't be sharing.

30. Potter character: FLOPSY.  At first I thought this was a J.K. Rowling's character, but it turned out to be a Beatrice POTTER character, the creator of the lovable Peter Rabbit series.  Miss Potter (28 July 1866 – 22 December 1943) probably earned as much during her lifetime as Ms. Rowling has in hers.  Here's a trailer for Miss Potter, the remarkable story of this very charming woman.

34. Slithery fish: EEL.

36. Gillian's role on "The X-Files": DANA.  The X-Files is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The series revolves around FBI special agents Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena.

Gillian Anderson

37. Shabby: WORN.

38. Provide job support?: ABET.  Providing support for a heist perhaps?

39. Clothes: APPAREL. 

40. Overly submissive: SERVILE. 

42. Not done all at once: GRADUAL.

43. Donald Glover series set in the South: ATLANTA.  Atlanta is an American comedy-drama television series created by Donald Glover that premiered on September 6, 2016, on FX.  The series centers on college dropout and music manager Earnest "Earn" Marks (Glover) and rapper Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry) as they navigate a strange, seemingly otherworldly version of the Atlanta rap scene.
43. Donald Glover series set in the South: ATLANTA.  Atlanta is an American comedy-drama television series created by Donald Glover that premiered on September 6, 2016, on FX.  The series centers on college dropout and music manager Earnest "Earn" Marks (Glover) and rapper Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry) as they navigate a strange, seemingly otherworldly version of the Atlanta rap scene.

Donald Glover

44. L.A. winter hrs.: PST.  I don't understand why they want to keep a secret.

45. Awards for Hunt and Hunter: OSCARS. Holly Hunter received her OSCAR for Best Actress for portraying Ada McGrath in the 1993 film The Piano.

Linda Hunt received her OSCAR for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of Billy Kwan in the 1982 Australian Film The Year of Living Dangerously.
 

Both actresses also won "Best of " awards from numerous other cinematic awards organizations.

46. Global news agcy.: UPI.  United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th century. At its peak, it had more than 6,000 media subscribers. Since the first of several sales and staff cutbacks in 1982, and the 1999 sale of its broadcast client list to its main U.S. rival, the Associated Press, UPI has concentrated on smaller information-market niches.

47. Polly-syllabic pet?: PARROT.  Polly wants more than a cracker.  She wants to learn things.

49. One of Pittsburgh's three rivers: OHIO.  A CSO to Vidwan I think?

51. Automaker named for a Japanese river: ISUZU.  Behind the Badge: secrets of the Isuzu name and logo.

55. Sacred chests: ARKS.  Constructed during the Israelites' wanderings in the desert and used until the destruction of the First Temple, the Ark was the most important symbol of the Jewish faith, and served as the only physical manifestation of God on earth. The legends associated with this object - and the harsh penalties ascribed for anyone who misuses it - confirm the Ark's centrality to the Jewish faith of that period; the fact that Jews and non-Jews alike continue to study and imitate it confirms its centrality even today.  Some also consider Noah's Ark as a prefiguring (or "type") of the Ark of the Covenant, sheltering the remnant of God's chosen people (i.e. Noah's family) and the biosphere they they would need to survive and prosper after the great flood.

57. Drain: SAP. A verb.  The noun usually refers to Maple sap.  It takes about 40 gallons of Maple sap to produce one gallon of Maple syrup. Actually this figure can vary from 20 to 60 gallons or more depending primarily on sap sugar content.  It also requires a lot of seasoned wood, which must be chopped, split, and burned.  Maple sugaring is not an especially green practice, but if you have a stand of Maples and time on your hands in  late winter, here's how you do it.

58. Office contact no.: EXT.

60. Arrest: NAB.

61. "__ you quite through?": ARE.   Just one more clue ...

62. Drops on the grass: DEW.  Like this puzzle, usually appearing in the early morning.

And as always, thanks to Teri for proofreading and for her constructive suggestions.

waseeley

Cheers,
Bill

Wednesday, May 11, 2022 Robin Stears

Theme: A Quip in three parts.

17 A. First part of a quip about climate change: A MIND CONTROLLED.

27 A. Second part of the quip: AIR DEODORIZER.

45. Third part of the quip: MAKES SCENTS IF.

60. Last part of the quip: YOU THINK ABOUT IT.

Hi, Gang.  JazzBumpa here.  It's not clear what this has to do with climate change, but oh, well.  I hold this type of theme in very low regard.  Let's move on.

Across:

1. Works in a park, perhaps: STATUES.  Works of art, not labors

8. Chooses: SELECTS.  Opts for

15. City of ancient Greece: CORINTH.  It is located in south-central Greece.   Some guy named Paul wrote letters to his fellow congregants there.

16. Steelmaking raw material: IRON ORE.  It is often found in sedimentary rocks.  The most important 
such minerals are hematite [Fe₂O₃] and magnetite [Fe₃O₄]. 

19. "Cool beans!": NEATO.  Like, a-wow, man!

20. Cookware purchase: POT. Or PAN.  needed perps.

21. Streaming delay: LAG.  Be patient.  it's buffering.

22. Finale: END.  All done.

24. Cornish game __: HEN.  It's just a chicken

26. Abhor: HATE.  Can't stand.

32. "This Is Just My Face: __ Not to Stare": memoir by Gabourey Sidibe: TRY.  Reflections of an unlikely movie star.

33. Green, in a way: NEW.  Raw, too, I suppose.

34. Hearing organ: EAR.  Eh?

35. 2020 N.L. MVP Freddie: FREEMAN.  My grandson Nate is a Dodgers fan and was delighted that they signed him to a six year deal after he spent 12 seasons in Atlanta.  He set a team record in the first game of a double header on Saturday, hitting 3 doubles in 4 plate appearances. in the second game he added a single and a walk as the Dodgers swept the Cubs

38. Beverage similar to hard seltzer: ALCOPOP.  An alcopop is any of certain flavored alcoholic beverages with relatively low alcohol content (e.g., 3–7% alcohol by volume), including: Malt beverages to which various fruit juices or other flavorings have been added.

42. Short lunch?: BLT.  An abbreviated bacon-lettuce and tomato sandwich.

43. Form 1099 agcy.: IRS.  The infernal Revenue Service.

44. Future flower: BUD.  if it doesn't get nipped.

49. Time for action: D-DAY. June 6, 1944 in World War II on which Allied forces invaded northern France by means of beach landings in Normandy.   By analogy then, any day on which an important operation is to begin or a change to take effect.

51. With 58-Down, 2018 Best New Artist Grammy winner: DUA.  Due Lipa b 1995] is an English singer and songwriter. Possessing a mezzo-soprano vocal range, she is known for her signature disco-pop and R&B sound.  Sorry.  Never heard of her.

At the 2020 Granmy Ceremony

52. Land north of Den.: NOR.  Denmark and Norway.  our Granddaughter Alexa will be studying this summer in Copenhagen and Stockholm [Sweden.] 

53. Decompose: ROT.  Return to dust.

54. __ and cheese: MAC.  First I entered HAM.  Either way, now I'm hungry.

56. Works very hard: TOILS.  Possibly in a park, maybe, could be

65. Neither here nor there: EN ROUTE.  On the way

66. Flute played by Zamfir: PAN PIPE.

67. Confirm, as a password: RE-ENTER.  Don;t miss-type uit.

68. Syrup source: TREE SAP.  Maple, I hope.

Down:

1. PC virus check: SCAN.

2. Hefty book: TOME.  A large, heavy scholarly one.

3. Opera solo: ARIA.  A long accompanied song for a solo voice, typically one in an opera or oratorio.

4. Like some windows: TINTED.  Colored to reduce heat load from the sun.

5. Brought to ruin: UNDONE.   Something has either not gone as planned, or has failed in some way. 

6. "The rest is obvious" abbr.: ETC.  And so on. .  .  .

7. Factory: SHOP.  Manufacturing facility.

8. Minor minder: SITTER.  Person who watches over the little ones.

9. "To __ is human ... ": ERR.  Oops -- my mistake.

10. British lav: LOO.   Necessary facility.

11. Picture that shows more detail: Abbr.: ENL.  Enlargement.

12. Tall decorative addition around some cakes: COLLAR.  If you say so.
  
13. Spring for lunch: TREAT.   To buy for your companion[s.]

14. Swamp plant: SEDGE.  A grasslike plant with triangular stems and inconspicuous flowers, growing typically in wet ground. 

18. "Ain't gonna happen": NO HOW.   Ain't no time, ain't no place, ain't no way.

23. Was philanthropic: DONATED.   Gave support to a worthy cause.

25. Leslie of "The Naked Gun" films: NIELSEN.  Leslie William Nielsen [1926.2010] OC was a Canadian-American actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. 

26. Long lunch?: HERO.  A stacked sandwich on a long bun.

27. DOJ branch: ATF.  Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is a branch of the Department of Justice.

28. Sale rack abbr.: IRRegular.

29. Pumpernickel grain: RYE.  For bread.

30. Animal house: DEN.  Or PEN.  Are they wild or domestic?

31. Actor Efron who voices Fred in "Scoob!": ZAC.  Zachary David Alexander Efron [b 1987] is an American actor and singer. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence in the late 2000s for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the High School Musical trilogy. During this time, he also starred in the musical film Hairspray and the comedy film 17 Again.

36. Site to do one's bidding: EBAY.  On line auction site.

37. "Letter From Birmingham Jail" initials: MLK.   the late Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. [1929 - 1968]

38. __ de Triomphe: ARC.  This monument in Paris honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.

39. TV network with pledge drives: PBS.  Public Broadcasting Service.

40. "Certainement!": OUI.  Yes, at the Arc de Triomphe

41. Adobe file format: PDF.  Portable Document Format.  It allows documents to be transferred across otherwise incompatible systems.

43. "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" singer Chris: ISAAK.  Christopher Joseph Isaak [b 1956] is an American musician and occasional actor. He is widely known for his hit "Wicked Game", as well as the songs "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" and "Somebody's Crying". He is known for his signature 1950s rock & roll style and crooner sound, as well as his falsetto and reverb-laden music.

45. Grown-up: MATURE.  Adult, presumably.

46. Sting's real last name: SUMNER.  Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner CBE [b 1951], known as Sting, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor. He was the frontman, songwriter and bassist for new wave rock band the Police from 1977 to 1984.

 

I had forgotten about this song.

 47. Zip, nada, zilch: NOT ONE.  NOT ANY also fits, unfortunately.

48. Group of traveling performers: TROUPE.

49. Appliance that seems to eat socks: DRYER.   Truth!

50. Lorna of literature: DOONE.  The eponym for a historical romance novel, in which a fictional story is set in the context of real historical events and figures.

55. Ship leader: Abbr.: CAPT.   This threw me, as I was exception CAP'N.  Either way it means captain.

57. "For sure!": IT IS.  Affirmative

58. See 51-Across: LIPA.  Still never heard of her.

59. Pedometer unit: STEP.  A pedometer is an instrument for estimating the distance traveled on foot by recording the number of steps taken.

61. Heavy weight: TON. Two thousand pounds.

62. Shack: HUT.  A small, simple, single-story house or shelter.

63. Mineral suffix: -ITE.  Cf 16A.

64. Watering hole: BAR.  Informal reference to a tavern.

So, we end this Wednesday adventure with the chance for a cold drink.

Cheers!

JzB