Saturday, May 28, 2022, Karen Steinberg

 Saturday Themeless by Karen Steinberg

Karen and David
Steinberg

Hi Gary,

I'm the mom of crossword constructor and editor David Steinberg; I'm also a writer and psychologist, even though in high school math was my favorite subject and an occupational interest test told me I should become a computer programmer (!).  As a teenager I solved crosswords in magazines and logic puzzles in books but stopped when I got to college.  I didn't start up again until more than 35 years later, when David began constructing.

Though I use a Mac, I was familiar with Crossword Compiler from helping David with the Pre-Shortzian Puzzle Project, and in 2017 I decided to build a puzzle myself by placing theme entries into Crossword Compiler and having it suggest the grid design.  That puzzle ended up in the Orange County Register crossword, which David was editing; a second one I built using the same grid-design strategy was published as part of David's "Women's March" month of puzzles at Universal.  I realized, though, that if I really wanted to try constructing, I'd have to learn how to build my own grids, and I wanted to do that on the Mac, so David showed me how to work with CrossFire.

Back to the puzzle.  This one came about because I'd never been a real fan of themelesses—to me, they just weren't as interesting and seemed like anyone could construct one by sticking in a bunch of trendy phrases or words with Z's or X's.  I also thought they'd be really easy to construct, so after collecting a few interesting words, I decided to give it a try.

I don't remember what the original seed entry for the puzzle was, though it may have been BYE FELICIA, which is in my earliest screen captures of the grid (the way I keep track ot things!) but which, because of fill issues, didn't make it to the end.  Because I'm really a theme person, I immediately began envisioning the puzzle as depicting a sort of party-like environment on reality TV in which someone might do a quick VIBE CHECK, ask a potential partner  "ARE YOU GAME?", see if he or she had some CLAIM TO FAME, note all the TATTOOED body parts, eat some LAVA CAKE (accidentally BUTT DIALING a friend when seated), move on to a new person ("SEE YA LATER"), and hope for an eventual DREAM DATE.

Patti had a few really good changes she wanted me to try to make—in particular, improving the short fill in the corners and sides of the grid and getting rid of FAKIE.  I made the changes (including replacing FAKIE with CUTIE), and the puzzle was accepted.  I don't remember any particular area being tough to fill—I go into a sort of Zen-like state when I'm filling and will just sit there for hours, from first thing in the morning till last thing at night, looking at all the good options for each word and then seeing what effect each has on the rest of the fill.  I can easily sit there doing that for two days straight—I've always been the sort of person who works in an extremely focused way over a relatively short period of time rather than steadily plodding away at something off and on for months.

Karen, Paul and son David had the first
 "Family Puzzle" in the NYT on 5/22/22

Anyway, I came away from my "themeless experiment" with a newfound respect for the genre and its constructors.  Themelesses aren't any easier to construct—in fact, in some ways, they're harder, because you have to be more willing to let some really good entries that you'd planned to include fall by the wayside.  So, lesson learned!  

Across:

1. "How we all doing?," e.g.: VIBE CHECK - A standard audience greeting for a comedian

10. Waiter at a stand: CAB - Uber will come to you

13. "Wanna?": ARE YOU GAME.

15. Thurman of "Hysterical Blindness": UMA - A 20-yr-old movie

16. Forte: CLAIM TO FAME.

18. Pin in the back: TEN - It's easy to miss

19. Wii forerunner: NES - Nintendo Entertainment System

20. Attacking surfers, maybe: TROLLING - Delete and move on

22. Exasperated cry: AARGH 

25. Drew on?: TATTOOED - Fun clue

26. One of the "Black-ish" parents: DRE - On the right below. The role is played by Anthony Anderson who I best remember as a detective on Law And Order

27. Digital permission: E-CONSENT - Okay

29. Domingo, e.g.: DIA - DIA is "day" and Domingo is "Sunday" in Spanish 

30. Performs like Saweetie: RAPS - Google if you must. Her RAP lyrics and costumes are unprintable here.

31. Management level: TIER.

35. Curiosities: MARVELS - Yes, they could be

37. "Black Panther" setting: WAKANDA - WAKANDA is an imaginary East African country for this super hero movie. Some of the filming like this scene was done in a rock quarry in Stonebridge, Georgia. 

40. Queen of Arendelle: ELSA.

41. Louboutin item: SHOE - Hey, the shipping is free! C.C. told me that 

a) she was familiar with this brand

b) They are famous for the bottom of the shoe being red

c) she would never spend that much on a shoe.

42. Cacophony: DIN.

43. Dessert that can be microwaved in a mug: LAVA CAKE 

47. __ factor: ICK.

48. Something that can't miss: A SURE BET - Fugue For Tinhorns

50. Natl. Merit Scholarship hurdles: PSATS and 59. Coll. test: GRE - We get tested a lot here with GRE, SAT, PSAT, ACT, LSAT and MCAT

52. Go out briefly: TAKE A NAP - Oh, "out" as in asleep! 

53. LG rival: RCA - RCA TV's are now made by the Curtis International in Canada

54. Poke bowl option: AHI - Poke means to cut or slice in Hawaiian. Here is some AHI tuna on top of a poke bowl

55. Making a booty call?: BUTT DIALING - Fun clue

60. Sofa bed site: DEN.

61. "Peace": SEE YA LATER - The first Today host in the 50's, David Garroway, singed off at the end of the show by saying "Peace" with this gesture.

62. Spots: ADS.

63. Romantic ideal: DREAM DATE - Before he was famous, Steve Martin was picked as a DREAM DATE on The Dating Game

Down:

1. Short sucker?: VAC - Oh, VAC is short for vacuum! 

2. Not over Zoom, say: Abbr.: IRL - In Real Life. 

3. Arthur who appeared on "All in the Family": BEA - Before she was famous, BEA was a marine during WWII

4. Considering: EYING.

5. Attractive words?: COME HERE - Depending on inflection these words can be attractive or demanding

6. Humble abodes: HUTS - Alan Turing worked on deciphering Enigma in HUT 8 at Bletchley Park during WWII

7. Nwodim of "SNL": EGO 

8. Loose garments: CAFTANS - Morrocan 

9. Disappearing discount stores: K-MARTS

10. Pie type?: CUTIE.

11. Modify: AMEND 

12. [Just like that!]: BANG - I do the puzzle, blog it and BANG, I'm done!

14. Fake feelings: EMOTE - A range...

17. University with a law school at Greensboro: ELON - North Carolina's favorite University cwd fill

21. Host of, casually: LOTTA - Emcee seemed right for a while

22. Online request: ADD ME - I've asked several constructors to ADD ME as a FaceBook friend and they all have

23. Basic font: ARIAL - ARIAL

24. Parents: REARS - Verb

25. Tanks, e.g.: TOPS - Most golf courses do not allow tank TOPS to be worn

28. Berkeley, to sports fans: CAL - The ending of the 1982 Cal Berkley/Stanford game was perhaps the most unusual finish in the history of college football.

32. Birthplace of novelist Rohinton Mistry: INDIA - A Canadian man born in India

33. Order: EDICT.

34. Orders: RANKS - Theme parks in RANK Order

36. "Antiques Roadshow" determination: VALUE.

37. Unfriendly way to answer the phone: WHAT - I was doing the puzzle on the swing next to my DW. I said out loud said, "Unfriendly way to answer the phone" and she said, "WHAT?" I repeated the clue and she said, "What" again. I laughed out loud when I realized we had a "Who's on first?" routine going. 

38. "No problemo!": A-OK.

39. "Just relax": KEEP CALM.

41. Regal rod: SCEPTER - QEII with hers and her orb 69 years ago 

44. Part of UAE: ARAB.

45. "__ of the Louvre": Emma Lazarus poem: VENUS - Here ya go

46. Let up: ABATED.

48. Followed a doctor's order?: AAHED 

49. Frontier trader's goods: SKINS - Museum Of The Fur Trade in Chadron, NE

51. Leaves for lunch: SALAD - Oh, these leaves

52. "Did it!": TADA.

53. Anti-piracy org.: RIAA.

56. Go dark?: DYE.

57. "Make __ double": IT A - Some days after 8 hours with 7th graders...

58. Barclays Center player: NET - Home of the Brooklyn NETS

BONUS: Karen added this for great insight!!

As for clues that were changed, I've highlighted them in your list below and added the original clue in brackets:

Across:
 
1. "How we all doing?," e.g.: VIBE CHECK [Room read, say]

10. Waiter at a stand: CAB. [Waving might or might not make it stop]

13. "Wanna?": ARE YOU GAME.

15. Thurman of "Hysterical Blindness": UMA
 
16. Forte: CLAIM TO FAME -  [Reason for noteworthiness]

18. Pin in the back: TEN - [Percenter preceder]

19. Wii forerunner: NES - [Classic console inits.]

20. Attacking surfers, maybe: TROLLING [Deliberately provocative online activity]

22. Exasperated cry: AARGH [Anguished cry]

25. Drew on?: TATTOOED. [Like the bodies of many "Bachelor" contestants]

26. One of the "Black-ish" parents: DRE. [Dr. whose last "name" is one more letter than his first]

27. Digital permission: ECONSENT.

29. Domingo, e.g.: DIA.

30. Performs like Saweetie: RAPS. [26-Across's songs]

31. Management level: TIER. [College selectivity descriptor]

35. Curiosities: MARVELS. [2022 superhero film based on comics (with "The")]

37. "Black Panther" setting: WAKANDA. [Black Panther's fictional home]

40. Queen of Arendelle: ELSA. [Kenyan lioness]

41. Louboutin item: SHOE. [One might be worn with its rearranged letters]

42. Cacophony: DIN. [Brouhaha]

43. Dessert that can be microwaved in a mug: LAVACAKE. [Dessert that's molten in the middle]

47. __ factor: ICK. [":o=!!!"]

48. Something that can't miss: ASUREBET. [It might be too good to be true]

50. Natl. Merit Scholarship hurdles: PSATS.

52. Go out briefly: TAKEANAP. [Conk out in the afternoon]

53. LG rival: RCA. [Classic brand with a dog and phonograph logo]

54. Poke bowl option: AHI. [In Hawaii, tuna that refers to two species]

55. Making a booty call?: BUTTDIALING.

60. Sofa bed site: DEN. [Sofabed site]

61. "Peace": SEEYALATER. ["I'm out!']

62. Spots: ADS. [Many pop-ups]

63. Romantic ideal: DREAMDATE. [Perfect romantic encounter]

Down:
1. Short sucker?: VAC.

2. Not over Zoom, say: Abbr.: IRL. [How a texter might want to meet a Tinder match]

3. Arthur who appeared on "All in the Family": BEA. ["All in the Family" guest star Arthur]

4. Considering: EYING.

5. Attractive words?: COMEHERE. [Possible meaning of a wave]

6. Humble abodes: HUTS.

7. Nwodim of "SNL": EGO. [A humble person has a small one]

8. Loose garments: CAFTANS. [Middle Eastern robes]

9. Disappearing discount stores: KMARTS. [Big box stores that have declined from 2,486 to less than 20]

10. Pie type?: CUTIE.

11. Modify: AMEND. [Change by formal procedure]

12. [Just like that!]: BANG. [Big one?]

14. Fake feelings: EMOTE. [Many soap stars do it]

17. University with a law school at Greensboro: ELON. [Floki "Frunkpuppy" owner Musk]

21. Host of, casually: LOTTA. ["Whole ___ Love" (1969 Led Zeppelin hit)]

22. Online request: ADDME. [LinkedIn request]

23. Basic font: ARIAL. [Disney princess's favorite font]

24. Parents: REARS.

25. Tanks, e.g.: TOPS. [Tanks and tubes]

28. Berkeley, to sports fans: CAL. [Stanford nemesis, for short]

32. Birthplace of novelist Rohinton Mistry: INDIA. [Largest democracy in the world]

33. Order: EDICT. [Directive]

34. Orders: RANKS.

36. "Antiques Roadshow" determination: VALUE. [A comic book's might increase with age]

37. Unfriendly way to answer the phone: WHAT. [Information-gatherer's question]

38. "No problemo!": AOK.

39. "Just relax": KEEPCALM. [Emergency advice]

41. Regal rod: SCEPTER. [Queen's rod]

44. Part of UAE: ARAB. [Spring preceder]

45. "__ of the Louvre": Emma Lazarus poem: VENUS. [Out-of-this-world first name in tennis]

46. Let up: ABATED. [Decreased in intensity]

48. Followed a doctor's order?: AAHED. [Reacted to fireworks, maybe]

49. Frontier trader's goods: SKINS. [Cheesy potato parts]

51. Leaves for lunch: SALAD. [Caesar, for one]

52. "Did it!": TADA.

53. Anti-piracy org.: RIAA. [Music piracy org. whose initials anagrams to an opera highlight]

56. Go dark?: DYE. [Turn purple, perhaps]

57. "Make __ double": ITA. [Make ___ rule]

58. Barclays Center player: NET. [Ball blocker]

59. Coll. test: GRE. [Test that's some work another way]

Friday, May 27, 2022, Gary Larson and Amy Ensz

Theme: "What the 'EL??"

Puzzling thoughts:

This appears to be the second collaboration between Gary (not the comic strip artist/author) Larson and Amy Ensz. We saw their first one on Sunday, March 27, of this year. That puzzle used some familar Star Trek (CSO to Picard) terms and names, and the title was "The Final Frontier". Today's puzzle has a few familar phrases/names that were punned when the letters "EL" were omitted

As I alluded to on Monday, this puzzle was not as difficult; perhaps because most of Gary Larson's puzzles are "tight" and contain easy-to-suss entries. Let's see how the 'EL they came up with them!

17-across. *Genetically engineered retriever?: DESIGNER LAB. If you add the letters "EL" to "LAB", the phrase "DESIGNER LABEL" is one we all know and maybe own, despite their being grossly overpriced

24-across. *Colleague of an Idaho farmer?: POTATO PEER. Cute. Add the "EL" and you get "POTATO PEELER

36-across. *Advice to someone who doesn't want more kittens?: FIX THE CAT. Another brilliant play-on-words! The "EL" provides us with "FELIX THE CAT". Remember this cartoon movie?

52-across. *Teaches tricks to circus animals?: LION TRAINS. Tack on an "EL" to LION, and you get: "LIONEL TRAINS". I'm pretty sure I got a set of these back in my youth

And last, but not least: 57-across. *Food and water supplied during a marathon?: RACE RATIONS. Here, the "EL" goes after the second "R" and forms "RACE RELATIONS"

And of course the reveal: 67. Holiday song, and, phonetically, an apt description of the answers to the starred clues: NOEL. No "EL"

Maybe Gary and/or Amy will stop by and offer their comments as to how this one formed. On to the rest of the clues and fill!

Across:
1. __-relief: BAS. I always like it when I can begin filling in a crossword puzzle with 1-across. Given the three-letter entry, "BAS" immediately came to mind. What does it mean? [according to Pigmentti dot com] "Pronounced bah-relief, the term originally stems from the Italian phrase basso-relievo which directly translates to low relief. Artists create a bas-relief by sculpting onto a 2D plane to create and accentuate figures and objects, producing a 3D appearance which can be viewed from all angles with little distortion"

4. Sacks: BAGS. Which crossed with the singular, "4-down. Sack: BED.

8. Loose strands of hair: WISPS.

13. Tonsillectomy doc: ENT. Also, a treebeard in Lord of the Rings

14. Class struggle?: EXAM. TEST also fits

15. Point of contention: ISSUE.

16. Binary pronoun: HER. Along with its "clecho" in 34-down. Binary pronoun: SHE. Now that we have two female editors on the LA Times Crossword Puzzle staff I am guessing that we'll see more "HER's" and "SHE's".

Most people think of pronouns as they fall within the gender binary– with men using he/him/his and women using she/her/hers. However, gender neutral pronouns such as they, ze, xe, and others exist and are often used by non-binary people, who do not associate themselves with genders of man or woman

Of course, I couldn't pass this one without a haiku:

Do women in Penn-
Sylvania prefer drinking
At a HER-SHE bar?

20. Many a Riyadh resident: ARAB.

22. Family chart: TREE.

23. NYC airport near Citi Field: LGA. Citi Field is the home of the NY Mets; LGA is the airport code for LaGuardia

28. Care follower: BEAR. These plush toys

29. Relatively small upright: PIANINO. According to Merrium-Webster dot com: "Definition of pianino:

1 : a small upright piano especially : a 19th-century upright piano of limited range 2 : a coin-operated player piano

This:

30. Tammy of country: WYNETTE.

32. NFL stats: YDS.

33. Socket set: EYES. I initially thought of tools. You?

35. Let up: EASED.

39. Star in astronomy: SAGAN. As in "Carl" SAGAN: Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator

42. Of all time: EVER.

43. Hr. to go: ETD.

46. __ knot: WINDSOR. Does anyone still wear a tie anymore? I used to tie mine in a half WINDSOR, and made sure that the "dimple" was nice and straight! Here are the two WINDSOR knots, along with a four-in-hand:

And for those wanting a refresher course on how to tie them, a video:

49. Successful candidate: ELECTEE.

51. God with good aim: EROS. Cute clue

54. "Better Call Saul" network: AMC. I've not watched this but I hear it's quite good

55. Interminable time: AEON.

56. Nevada city: RENO.

62. Future louse: NIT.

63. Clip: SHEAR.

64. Draft category: ONE-A. I'm sure that a few of us guys who were of age back in the Vietnam War days had this category. I was ONE-A; then TWO-S; then ONE-H

65. New prefix: NEO.

66. Nonsensical: SILLY. I resemble this comment!

68. Start to sneeze?: ESS. The phonetic spelling of the letter "S"

Down:
1. "You should smile more": BE HAPPY. Or an erstwhile Bob Marley "hit" song; try to get THIS tune out of your head today!!

2. Barometer type: ANEROID. Dictionary dot com describes it as: "a device for measuring atmospheric pressure, often specially calibrated for use as an altimeter, consisting of a box or chamber partially exhausted of air, having an elastic top and a pointer to indicate the degree of compression of the top caused by the external air"

3. Soprano Teresa known for her recording of Berg's "Lulu": STRATAS. Another proper name with which I was unfamiliar; a CSO to CanadianEh! Here is a brief biography

5. Body spray brand: AXE. Popular among the younger crowd. I still have a bottle of the "original" Old Spice

6. Beetle juice?: GAS. Say it three times and the price per gallon will increase another thirty cents

7. Clobber, biblically: SMITE.

8. Port producer: WINERY. A CSO to Chairman Moe, I guess ... Port wine is made similar to "regular" wine, but goes through a shorter fermentation period to allow a greater amount of RS (residual sugar) to remain in the must. The wine is then "fortified" by adding distilled alcohol (usually brandy) to add more "proof" to the finished wine. This enables the wine to retain a sweeter flavor as well as to allow it to preserve longer. "Regular" wine is about 13.5% ABV (alcohol by volume), whereas Port is at or near 20%

9. "Amazing Grace" ending: I SEE. Copied from its lyrics:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind but now I SEE

10. Abbreviation on old maps: SSR.

11. Young hens: PULLETS. In my early days of crossword puzzle construction I tried coming up with a puzzle that had punned phrases about fowl. This was one of my entries: PULLET SURPRISE (clue:*what a young hen got when she won an award for literature). The puzzle was rejected ...

12. Data storage company: SEAGATE. Read all about them

18. Got bigger: GREW.

19. Exposed: BARED. One of my limericks from the past:

In the nudist camp's recent enclosure,
If you join there, requires exposure
Of your BARED naked bod.
That is not really odd.
They are just giving you full "dis-clothesure"

21. Shut out: BAN. Also a brand name of a body spray - or deodorant

25. Promotional links: TIE-INS. Do you think there's one for WINDSOR Castle, or knot??!

26. Chalcedony with black and white bands: ONYX. Hard to solve this if you didn't know what the word Chalcedony means

27. One who's well-versed: POET. A CSO to many here at the CC Blog

28. Exhausted: BEAT. What I sometimes am after creating my recaps

31. Not as far: NEARER. CLOSER also fit

36. In things: FADS. Hula Hoop was the first FAD that came to mind

37. Square: EVEN. "Are we square?"

38. Hibernian, e.g.: CELT. If a CELT sleeps for a long period of time, do they Hibernian-ate?

39. __ jar: SWEAR. In the Apple TV show "Ted Lasso", one of the main characters, Roy Kent, has a 6-year old niece Phoebe who maintains a SWEAR tracking notebook for her uncle. Each time her uncle SWEARs, it costs him one quid. At the end of Season 1, Roy's SWEAR "jar" had a value of £1,236 (expletive below)

40. Meteorological concern: AIR MASS. I am leaving this blank for Ray-O-Sunshine to quip!

41. Ristorante dumplings: GNOCCHI. If Anonymous_T is lurking, maybe he can further enlighten us on this Italian dumpling

43. __ Aigner: fashion house known for accessories: ETIENNE. A DESIGNER LABel, for sure

44. Sneaks on the court?: TENNIES. A British term I think - short for Tennis Shoes - and the clue "sneaks" is short for sneakers

45. Classic autos advertised with the Cole Porter song "It's De-Lovely": DESOTOS. I was just a little tot in 1956 so I don't remember this ad

47. Cow owner in a Rockwell painting: O'LEARY. O'LEARY and 19th Century Immigrants in Chicago. There's a common myth that pops up anytime the Chicago Fire of 1871 comes up in conversation: that a woman named Catherine O'Leary was milking her cow when the cow kicked over a lantern, igniting the barn and starting the fire that would destroy much of the city

48. Real hoot: RIOT. A more positive way of clueing this word

50. Caboose, e.g.: CAR. BUTT didn't fit

53. Salad topper: ONION. They'll take your (good) breath away

55. Shrinking Asian sea: ARAL. Crossword-ese

58. Caterpillar roll fish: EEL. Ingredients: What is Caterpillar sushi made of? Known for its unique insect like appearance, the common caterpillar roll contains rice, nori sheets (nori = seaweed), cucumber, EEL (Unagi), and avocado. The interior of the roll includes eel and cucumber and the exterior is rice with the layers of avocado

59. Peace activist Yoko: ONO.

60. Word that indicates a name change: NEE.

61. ESPN reporter Paolantonio: SAL. This guy

Here is the grid:

On a personal note, today marks the 2nd Birthday of my grandson, Elliot. Kinda fitting that the puzzle involves the letters "EL", though I don't think I will call him by that nickname (unless his mom and dad do). Here is a picture of him a week before his birthday. Your Gramps loves you, Elliot!

Sorry, I had to include this as well ... aren't the laughs of little kids contagious??!!

Thursday, May 26, 2022, Blake Slonecker

 

 

Armed and Quite Punny

There is a first time for everything, and just like one of my fellow bloggers admitted a week or so back, this is the first time I was stumped by two clues.  But upon loading the HTML listing all the clues and fill, I did a head slap for missing a clever pun on a pluralized cephalopod (see 8D below).  Had I sussed it, I would have simply learned that the crossing natick was a new bit of slang for the "fuzz".

Our constructor today Blake Slonecker, is an LA Times veteran, having debuted on Christmas Day, 2019.  He has also had puzzles published in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Universal Crossword.  In this puzzle he presents us with a visual theme with the payloads for the 8 themers in carefully arranged triplets of  circles stacked in two rows.  Given the obscurity of the reveal clue (which I did happen to know), I think the theme would be well-nigh impossible to guess without the circles (apologies of course to AnonymousDNLC).  As the reveal for the puzzle is the trickiest one I've ever seen, I think it's best to start with the grid, followed by the theme clue explanations, and then the reveal explanation (which non-geeks might want to skip!)

Here are the themers, which I've arranged a bit out of order to correspond to the visual arrangement of the circled payloads shown above:

17A. Round bakeware:   TUBE PANS.  Used to make bundt cakes.
20A Only unanimous Baseball Hall of Fame electee:  RIVERA.  Mariano RIVERA.  Here he is at the top of the list.

19A. One score:  TWENTY.  As in "Four score and 7 years ago ...".  Let us never forget.
21A. Ride the waves:  BODY SURF.  "Oh fun!"

54A. Impishness: MISCHIEF.  Here's the theme music for Til Eulenspiegel (40 sec), classical music's favorite imp.
58A. Sign up: ENLIST.  I've decided to stop volunteering for things.
 
57A. Use a pinch runner for, e.g.:    SUB OUT.  The rules on pinch runners.
59A. Club that may get heckled when they take the field: AWAY TEAM.  Boston flies so many fans into Camden Yards in Baltimore that the Orioles can even get heckled when they play at home.

Here's the reveal, which I'll try to explain as simply as possible.  If your eyes glazed over when you read it, you may want to go directly to the Across clues.

34A. Digital ledger that stores non-fungible tokens, and what can be found in each set of shaded squares: BLOCKCHAIN.  That is each themer circle sextet is a franchised eatery: PANERA, WENDYS, CHILIS, and SUBWAY, i.e. a "BLOCKED CHAIN".

In a nutshell a digital ledger distributes accounting books (electronic "blocks" of records) across a network, instead of storing them in a central location such as a bank.  This revolutionary technology provides a high level of redundancy, makes the current record values simultaneously visible to all interested parties, and virtually impervious to tampering. My thanks to Teri for finding this relatively simple, "top-down" explanation for the term blockchain. 

The esoteric term non-fungible tokens is a rather obscure example of something that can be stored in a blockchain, the digital currency Bitcoin being a much more familiar one.  Last Friday a single  Bitcoin was valued at 29,178.50 USD (dropping about $1K while I was writing this review).  Here's what it's worth today.

For those of you who are interested, a non-fungible token (NFT) is IMHO something bordering on P.T. Barnum's dream. NFTs are used primarily for selling digital art, e.g. something as simple as an easily copied JPEG or video.  But an "original" version of the artwork can be declared, registered, and even traded via digital ledgers.  While this sounds like a fool's game, some NFTs are selling for literally millions of dollars.  They seem in someways analogous to Zuckerberg's virtual reality Metaverse:  both seem to derive their value from the fact that people value them.

Crossword puzzles are blockchains too and we still have lots more blocks to fill:

Across:

1. Spanish pronoun: ESO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

4. "Ohio" quartet, briefly: CSNY.  Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.  Ohio was an anthem of the 60s: "Four dead in Ohio"; and today: Ten dead in Buffalo (video rated PG):

8. "Sounds like a hoot": OH FUN. E.g. body surfing?

13. Plastic fig.?: APR.  Annual Percentage Rate on a credit card.

14. "Salt Fat __ Heat": Samin Nosrat cookbook: ACID.  This book gets rave reviews on Amazon, but before you buy it read some of the one and two star reviews.  As a hypertensive trying to lose weight this book already has two strikes against it for me. 

15. Pen: CORRAL.  Thought it might be a verb at first, e.g. to AUTHOR.  But it's an enclosure for large animals.

23. Main line: ARTERY.  E.g. the AORTA, the I10, or the I95.

24. Coppers: PO-PO.  Did not know this slang for the police.  Hyphenation per the Oxford Languages Dictionary.

25. Coastal inlet: RIA.  The Chesapeake Bay is one big RIA of RIAS.

26. __ review: PEER.  The process academics use for vetting journal articles.

27. Bouquet __: GARNI.  A bundle of herbs used to flavor a soup or stew.

29. Small bit: SPECK.  Or a MOTE.

31. Small swirl: EDDY.

32. Mine lode: ORE. Today's geology lesson.

33. Genève's land: SUISSE.  Lake Geneva in Switzerland.

38. On the same side: ALLIED.  After a long time of going their separate ways, the members of NATO seem to be once again ALLIED on the same side.

41. "That sounds painful": OOF.

42. "Mare of Easttown" Emmy winner Peters: EVAN.  Mare of Easttown is an American crime drama limited series created by Brad Ingelsby for HBO.  It stars Kate Winslet as the title character, a detective investigating a murder in a small town near Philadelphia.  Evan Peters received the Emmy for TV Film or Miniseries Supporting Actor of the Year 2021.

46. Fare plans: DIETS.  My fare plan includes no salt.  As all body fluids (animal and vegetable) naturally contain 0.9% Na Cl that's enough for me.

47. __ all'Arrabbiata: PENNE.  Here's a recipe.

49. Mustard family member: KALE.  Best when fresh.  And it's good for you.

50. Up-in-the-air fig.?: ALT.  As in Altitude, as measured with an altimeter, invented by Paul Kollsman in 1928.

51. Part: ROLE.  'All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players' (Shakespeare As You Like it Act 2, Scene 7).'  And here it's riffed on by Rush in the song "In the End" from their album "All the World's a Stage" (lyrics) (video rated PG).  A CSO to -T:

52. River from the Himalayas: GANGES.  Aside from providing drinking water and irrigating fields, the Ganges River is extremely important to India's Hindu population for religious reasons as well. The Ganges River is considered their most sacred river, and it is worshiped as the goddess Ganga Ma or "Mother Ganges." 

61. More tart: SOURER.

62. Pixar film set in Radiator Springs: CARS.  Here's the trailer (rated G):

63. Place for "me time": SPA.

64. Itty-bitty: TEENY. WEENY, yellow polka dot, dot, dot

65. Wraps up: ENDS.

66. Chef's meas.: TSP.

Down:

1. Alt-rock's Jimmy __ World: EAT.  Here's the story of their first big hit "The Middle".  Here's the video with lyrics.  I didn't think the official video would get past the censors, but it's out there.

2. Urged (on): SPURRED.

3. Went around in circles?: ORBITED.  Something MOONS do around ORBS.

4. Culinary bud: CAPER.  Everything you ever wanted to know about a CAPER.  Unless of course you're planning to pull off a bank heist.

5. Next-level awesome: SCARY GOOD.  Some urban definitions for SCARY GOOD.

6. NPR legal affairs correspondent Totenberg: NINA.  Nina Totenberg is a correspondent for National Public Radio focusing primarily on the activities and politics of the Supreme Court of the United States. Her reports air regularly on NPR's news magazines All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition.

Nina Totenberg

7. Skein units: Abbr.: YDS.  Yards of wool.

8. Army swimmers?: OCTOPI.  Cleverest clue.  Cleverer than me anyway.  Also a clever clue for a very clever animal.

9. Folksy greeting: HOW DO.

10. Glenn of the Eagles: FREY.  This is for our West Coast folks.  Lyrics by  Glen Frey, lead vocals by Don Henley, with Don Felder and Joe Walsh on guitars:

11. Banquet coffeepots: URNS.

12. Essences: NATURES.

16. Liner notes component: LYRICS.  Pet peeve:  recordings (LP, CD, or online) without lyrics.  They are only 50% of the song.

18. All: EVERY BIT.

21. __ vivant: BON.  Bon vivant is literally French for “good living.” The term bon vivant is typically associated with the kind of sociable person who's good at entertaining and can keep the party going with a good story.

22. Imitation: FAKE.  Watch out for the deepfakes.  What are they and how can you spot them?

23. Mimic: APE.  Not so deepfakes.

24. Sch. for tots: PRE K.  As School is abbreviated, so is Kindergarten.

28. Halo piece: ARC.

29. __ generis: SUI.  One of a kind; absolutely unique.  I think you could describe every denizen of the Corner as SUI GENERIS.

30. Woodworker's inconvenience: PINE KNOT.  My father was a woodworker and he used carefully selected "knotty pine" boards to sheath the upper halves of the walls in our living room and downstairs den.  It was inexpensive and he liked the look of the grain and the knots.  With several coats of varnish it took on a golden glow that deepened with age.

33. Protect: SAFEGUARD.

35. French article: LES.  French plural definite article.  LE and LA are the respective masculine and feminine articles, but LES is used for both masculine and feminine nouns.

36. Scoop holder: CONE.  Refers not to something you hang the scoop from (e.g. in a kitchen), but rather what you scoop it into, e.g. ice cream.

37. Snookums: HON.

38. "Whataya Want From Me" singer Lambert: ADAM.   Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide.  Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical training with modern and classic genres.  Here's the clue song:

39. Easter blooms: LILIES.

40. "We should pass": LET'S NOT.  And say we did.

43. Least clear: VAGUEST.

44. Brewpub fixtures: ALE TAPS.  These systems can get pretty complicated.  I suggest that you don't sample the merchandise until everything is installed and tested.

45. Old console letters: NES.  Nintendo Entertainment System.

47. "__ Is Not a Luxury": essay by Audre Lorde: POETRY.  Audrey Geraldine Lorde; February 18, 1934 – November 17, 1992) was an American writer, feminist, womanist, librarian, and civil rights activist.   She was a passionate, courageous poet, who fought racial injustice all of her life.

Audre Lorde

48. Sprite: ELF.

51. Up: RISEN.

53. Deep space: ABYSS.  If you thought of this, you were looking in the wrong direction.  Blake at least meant this 19,714 feet deep canyon.  And if that's not deep enough for you, then you have go under water.  The first and only time humans descended the 36,201 feet to the bottom of the Mariana Trench was more than 50 years ago. In 1960, Jacques Piccard and Navy Lt. Don Walsh reached this goal in a U.S. Navy submersible, a bathyscaphe called the Trieste.

55. Board game with rooms: CLUE.

56. Sign on: HIRE.

57. Cygnet: SWAN.  While Finnish composer Jan Sibelius was writing his 5th Symphony he relates that he went for a walk one morning and saw 16 SWANS flying over his head.  Their trumpeting inspired the majestic theme that he used in the finale (1 min.):

 59. Royal flush card: ACE.

60. Trailhead display: MAP.

As always I thank Teri for proofreading and offering constructive suggestions.

waseeley

Cheers,

Bill

Wednesday, May 25, 2022 Lynn Lempel

Theme: What's in a name?  The first name of a well known person is repurposed as the second word of an unrelated in-the-language phrase, and humor ensues.  

17 A. Make Todd stay home after a "Meet the Press" blooper?: GROUND CHUCK.  Literally, this is GROUND up meat from the front part of the cow, with a high fat content.  CHUCK Todd is the regular host of "Meet the press" an hour-long Sunday Morning public affairs program. Being grounded is a stay-at-home punishment for bad behavior.  Does he deserve it?  You decide.

25. Refuse to let Wood exhibit "American Gothic"?: BLOCK GRANT.  A BLOCK GRANT is money from central government which a local authority can allocate to a wide range of services.  GRANT Wood pointed the famous picture cited in the clue.

38. Make Garfunkel pay for breaking a recording contract?: FINE ART.  ARThur Ira Garfunkel is an American singer, poet, and actor. He is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel.  A FINE is a punishment for malfeasance.  FINE ART is creative art, especially visual art whose products are to be appreciated primarily or solely for their imaginative, aesthetic, or intellectual content.

49. Donate twice as much as Gates?: DOUBLE BILL. A DOUBLE BILL a program of entertainment with two main items or personalities.  To DOUBLE somebody is to do twice as well or twice as much in some endeavor.  William Henry [BILL] Gates III is an American business magnate, software developer, investor, author, and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen.

60. Maneuver Phillips into telling how he got the "Dateline NBC" job?: CORNER STONE.  This is the STONE that forms the base of a corner of a building, joining two walls.  Presumable the most important item in the base of the structure.  STONE Stockton Phillips is an American television reporter and correspondent. He is best known as the former co-anchor of Dateline NBC, a news magazine TV series.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here to anchor today's episode.  I truly love this theme.   Less enamored with the rest of the puzzle, though, which is rather over-endowed in the proper name department.  Let's see what else we can report on.

Across:
1. Andre with eight Grand Slam wins: AGASSI.  Andre Kirk Agassi [b 1970] is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He is an eight-time major champion and an Olympic gold medalist, as well as a runner-up in seven other majors. 

7. Russell of "The Americans": KERI.  Keri Lynn Russell is an American actress. She portrayed the titular character on the drama series Felicity, which won her a Golden Globe Award, and Elizabeth Jennings on the FX spy thriller series The Americans, which earned her nominations for several Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe Awards.

An American

11. Indian state in the Western Ghats: GOA.  Goa is a state in western India with coastlines stretching along the Arabian Sea. Its long history as a Portuguese colony prior to 1961 is evident in its preserved 17th-century churches and the area’s tropical spice plantations. 

14. Lanai furniture material: RATTAN.   a type of material that is used in wicker weaves. Rattan is a naturally growing vine like species that is native to tropical regions of Australia, Asia, and Africa. For production use, the skin is peeled away and utilized for weaving purposes.

15. "You said it!": AMEN.

16. Furthermore: AND.  Not only that, but. .  .  .

19. Untruth: LIE.  Mendacity.

20. Large planter: URN.  A tall, rounded vase with a base.

21. Barnacle spot: KEEL.  A barnacle ia a marine crustacean with an external shell, which attaches itself permanently to a variety of surfaces. Barnacles feed by filtering particles from the water using their modified feathery legs.  In shipbuilding, the KEEL is the main structural member and backbone of a ship or boat, running longitudinally along the centre of the bottom of the hull from stem to stern. 

22. Hoofbeat sound: CLOP.

23. "Breath, __, Memory": Edwidge Danticat novel: EYES.   The novel deals with questions of racial, linguistic and gender identity in interconnected ways. 

29. LEGO buys: KITS.   A set of parts to be put together to make a finished object

31. Long-necked waders: HERONS.  Any of various long-necked and long-legged wading birds (family Ardeidae) with a long tapering bill, large wings, and soft plumage.   I was lucky to get this picture of one.

32. Iberian peninsula country: SPAIN.   Along with Portugal, Andorra, Gibraltar, and a sliver of France.

35. Bigelow or DuVernay: DIRECTOR.  Film makers

37. "__ we meet again": 'TIL.  Short for "until."

41. Regret: RUE.

42. Hands over: ENTRUSTS.

44. Luxor's country: EGYPT.

46. Folklore monsters: TROLLS.  Large creatures from Scandinavian mythology, typically living in caves or mountains.   They are cruel and hostile to humans and other living things. 

47. Lavish party: GALA.

51. Family nickname: PAPA.  Bumpa doesn't fit.

55. MLB stat: RBIS.  Runs Batted In.

56. Retain: KEEP. Hold as one's own.

58. Filing aid: TAB.  A small flap or strip of material attached to or projecting from something, used to hold or manipulate it, or for identification and information.

59. "You got it": YES.  Agreement

64. "Mangia!": EAT.  Italian.

65. "Motor Trend" topic: AUTO.  A motor car.

66. Pad of paper: TABLET.  A writing pad.

67. Med. caregivers: RNS. Registered Nurses.

68. Cook up: BREW.  Devise a clever or devious story, excuse, or plan.

69. Uses delaying tactics: STALLS.

Down:

1. Quarrel: ARGUE.  Make a fuss

2. "Lincoln at Gettysburg" Pulitzer winner Wills: GARRY.  Garry Wills [b 1934] is an American author, journalist, and historian, specializing in American history, politics, and religion, especially the history of the Catholic Church. He won a Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1993.

3. Square things: ATONE.  Make amends.  Here, "square" is a verb, not the adjective you might have expected.

4. Disco __ of "The Simpsons": STU.  Stuart Discothèque, usually known as Disco Stu, is the owner of Stu's Disco. He is a disco aficionado and is usually featured wearing a rhinestone-encrusted leisure suit from the 70's and sports an Afro. The son of Doo-Wop Steve and Public Domain Debbie.

Simpson's Wiki

5. Went to the bottom: SANK.  [Glub]

6. Behind, so to speak: IN DEBT.  Failing to make payments, as due.

7. "The Two Fridas" painter: KAHLO.  Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón [1907 - 1954] was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico.   The painting is a double self-portrait.

8. Bird that won't fly away: EMU.   The second-largest living bird by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius.

9. __ room: REC.  A place dedicated to fun and games.

10. HP product: INK.  Stuff you can print with.

11. Valor: GALLANTRY.  Courageous behavior, especially in battle.

12. Bowlful often topped with melted GruyËre: ONION SOUP.

13. Skilled (at): ADEPT.

18. Animator's sheets: CELS.  Transparent sheets of celluloid or similar film material, which can be drawn on and used in the production of cartoons.

22. Gator kin: CROC.  Large aquatic reptiles in the Crocodilia order.  They have mostly different habitats.

I give you now Professor Twist,

A conscientious scientist,

Trustees exclaimed, "He never bungles!"

And sent him off to distant jungles.

Camped on a tropic riverside,

One day he missed his loving bride.

She had, the guide informed him later,

Been eaten by an alligator.

Professor Twist could not but smile.

"You mean," he said, "a crocodile."

-- Ogden Nash

24. Need a lift, maybe: SKI.   The lift gets you to the top of the hill so you can SKI back down.

26. __ seed pudding: CHIA.  A custard like desert made from chia seeds and some type of milk, with optional flavorings and toppings.

27. Golden State Warriors coach Steve: KERR.  Stephen Douglas Kerr [b 1965] is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association. He is an eight-time NBA champion, having won five titles as a player as well as three with the Warriors as a head coach.

28. Storybook sister: GRETEL. Sibling of Hansel.  The two children are abandoned in the forest where they are captured by a witch who intends to fatten them up and eat them.  Gretel outwits the witch and kills her, and the children escape with her treasure.  Arya Stark doesn't fit.

30. Completely: IN FULL.  With nothing omitted.

32. Sault __ Marie: STE.   Sault Ste. Marie is the only city in, and county seat of, Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 14,144 at the 2010 census, it is the second-most populated city in the Upper Peninsula after Marquette.

33. Speckled legume: PINTO BEAN.    A variety of common bean. In Spanish they are called judías pintas, literally "speckled bean". It is the most popular bean by crop production in Northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States, and is most often eaten whole, or mashed and then refried.

34. Humanitarians: ALTRUISTS.   Those who are concerned with or seeking to promote human welfare.

35. __ Plaines, Illinois: DES.   A city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 60,675. The city is a suburb of Chicago and is located just north of O'Hare International Airport. 

36. Jobless, in a way: Abbr.: RETired.  Having left the work force to to age or infirmity.

39. Archipelago part: ISLE.  An individual island in a chain.

40. Govt. crash investigator: NTSB.  National Transportation Safety Board.

43. Steals from: ROBS.  Unlawfully taking property from a person or place by force or threat of force.

45. Opening: GAP.

47. High spirits: GLEE.   High spirited joy.  In Old English this was the specific joy resulting from song.   Possibly related to the group of Germanic words in gl- with senses of "shining; smooth; radiant; joyful" 

48. Phone notifications: ALERTS.  Messages sent to help you see information that could potentially save either your life or someone else's. 

49. Laundry appliance: DRYER.  For your laundry.

50. "No need to remind me": I KNOW.

52. Ring-shaped reef: ATOLL.  A coral island consisting of a reef surrounding a lagoon. 

53. Group of jurors: PANEL.  A small group of people chosen to give advice, make a decision, or publicly discuss their opinions.

54. Helps in a heist: ABETS.   Encourages or assists (someone) to do something wrong, in particular, to commit a crime or other offense.

57. Jr. challenge: PSAT.   The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is a standardised test administered by the College Board and cosponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation in the United States. 

60. Pinot alternative: CAB.  Short for Cabernet Sauvignon, a red wine made from a variety of black wine grape of the same name from the Bordeaux area of France, now grown throughout the world.

61. Sharing word: OUR.  Yours and mine.

62. GPS display: RTE.  Route - a way to get from here to there.

63. Scheduling abbr.: TBA.  To Be Announced.

So concludes another Wednesday.  Have a happy middle of the week.

Cool regards!

JzB