Saturday, June 25, 2022, Nova Qi and Matthew Stock

 Saturday Themeless by Nova Qi and Matthew Stock

Today I am happy to welcome two new constructors to my Saturday Puzzle Stand. I told Nova that she had one of the most amazing names I have ever heard and she shared this with us: 

Gary, So far I've only had one other publication (another collab with Matthew for Universal) so I'm really excited to debut in the LAT this weekend.

Happy to share a little more about myself- I'm originally from new jersey and I'm currently working on getting a PhD in neuroscience at Columbia in NYC. I've been slowly working on constructing puzzles for about a year now and have worked on a couple projects with Matthew, as well as a solo puzzle for the Inkubator later this summer.

Feel free to share any of this and reach out if you have any questions! Looking forward to making more puzzles in the future :)

Matthew had this to say: 

As for me, I currently live in St. Louis, though I’m moving to Gainesville, Florida soon with my partner, who is about to start her PhD at the University of Florida this fall. I’ll be teaching 8th grade math there (and continuing to make puzzles!). When I’m not doing either of those things, I enjoy ultimate frisbee, board games, and time outside.

I was pleased to tell Matthew that I started out as an 8th grade math teacher in 1968!

Today's puzzle presented a real challenge for me in the SW corner as I knew WII but had no idea on Switch or IRMA or the clever cluing of IDES. So I'll take two bad cells and try to get through the day!

Here is Scotch, the mascot of Matthew's website, which is where I made contact with Matthew after doing several of his fun puzzles.

                      

Across:

1. USWNT star __ Heath: TOBIN - US Women's Soccer Team. (Green Bay QB in 1950___ Rote:)

6. Shock: STUN.

10. CPR crew: EMS.

13. Backbend that counteracts the effects of prolonged sitting: BRIDGE POSE.

15. Alison of "GLOW": BRIE - No cheese here; instead this Glorious Lady Of Wrestling. 

16. Finishing school concern?: SENIORITIS - Seniors in the last month(s) of school

17. "The Best of Everything" author Jaffe: RONA.

18. __ stick: POGO.

19. [Blank stare]: I DON'T GET IT - I was looking at "Switch predecessor" for way too long

21. Comfort: SOLACE.

23. Greta with three Oscar nominations: GERWIG - Behind the camera

 

24. Digital greeting: E-CARD.

26. Tank top: GAS CAP.

28. Laser cut, perhaps: ETCH - A laser was used to ETCH/cut my SIL's design for the dome at Lincoln, NE's Sunken Gardens

30. Leaves out to dry: HANGS - These staples of my childhood are not allowed in our housing development 

32. "I __ Girl From Africa": Elizabeth Nyamayaro memoir: AM A - Pretty easy to suss this "new to me" author's title 

33. Doctor: EDIT - What Patti and Christina do for the LA Times puzzles

34. "～ndale!": VAMOS - Redundant? 

35. Made faces, perhaps: DREW.

36. NYC airport code: LGA - One of two that come to my mind

37. Has an in-tents experience?: CAMPS - Dad joke?

38. Some Twitter trolls: BOTS - How to spot BOTS and trolls 

39. World __ Health Day: MENTAL - October 10 this year

41. Former MLB commissioner honored with a statue in Milwaukee: SELIG - Turnabout is fair play for us sport's fans. I knew this one instantly but Elizabeth Nyamayaro, not so much

43. Gag reflexes?: LAUGHS - Gag as a joke not a tongue depressor in your mouth.

45. Hare kin: RABBIT.

48. Barely triumphed: WON BY A HAIR - I don't know the tortoise's margin of victory over the hare

50. Tres y cinco: OCHO - 3 + 5 = 8 in Español 

52. Thomas known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans": IRMA - I had no idea

53. Comfy attire: LOUNGE WEAR.

55. Mid day?: IDES - March 15, 44 BC was the IDES or the mid day of the month and it didn't work out so well for Julius Caesar. DEES seemed right at first. 

56. Staff addition: LEDGER LINE.

57. Oft-redacted no.: SSN.

58. Consignment caveat: AS IS.

59. "Ginger Pye" Newbery Medal winner Eleanor: ESTES.

Down:

1. Kitchen abbr.: TBSP.

2. Snacks filled with "stuf": OREOS - No, I did not realize the last "f" was omitted. Didn't we just have another commercial product where the last letter is omitted? 

3. Game in which players form lines: BINGO - It can also be played as a two-line game

4. Particular way with words: IDIOLECT - "A variety of language that is unique to a person, as manifested by the patterns of vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation that he or she uses" Example: My sister-in-law would say of Friday's puzzle, "We done it yesterday!"

Dialect applies to an entire group.

5. Private aid gp.: NGO - Non-Government Operation More...

6. Alter ego of Marvel's Peter Porker: SPIDER-HAM - It was fun to suss out this play on Peter Parker and Spider-Man

7. Dog who bit Miss Gulch: TOTO - I recently posted that TOTO's actual name was Terry (he was a Cairn Terrier)

8. Working with: USING.

9. Dollar stores?: NEST EGGS - It's where you're supposed to store your dollars

10. Off-color prints?: EROTIC ART - Google at will

11. Quick contests between turns in Mario Party: MINI GAMES - Okay

12. Ticket info: SEAT - It appears Mr. Reed had SEATS number 30 and 31 in the orchestra for that fateful night.

14. CNN journalist Hill: ERICA - Her bio

15. Cooks up: BREWS - I need to learn how to BREW iced coffee for this summer

20. French fat: GRAS.

22. Rhineland rats?: ACH - Along the Rhine, Charlie Brown would say ACH

25. Deadens, in acoustics: DAMPS.

27. Bear hand: PAW.

28. Forum posters who stir things up: EDGELORDS - "An EDGELORD is someone on an internet forum who deliberately talks about controversial, offensive, taboo, or nihilistic subjects in order to shock other users in an effort to appear cool, or edgy." You're welcome.

29. Beijing monument whose name translates to "gate of heavenly peace": TIANANMEN - This monument is the gate that leads to TIANANMEN Square where a very famous confrontation took place.

The TIANANMEN

31. Accessories for many Hindu brides: NOSE RINGS.

33. One with longtime standing on Capitol Hill: ELM - The D.C. Liberty ELM was planted decades ago

34. Installment of "Assassin's Creed" featuring Vikings: VALHALLA - I'm not a gamer but the Viking reference was a tipoff 

35. Dishes that may be adorned with bones: DOG BOWLS.

37. Hard to pin down: CAGY.

38. Catcher behind a plate?: BIB - or bowl

40. Big brass: TUBAS.

42. Soda size: LARGE.

44. Zappos buy: SHOES - They will let you buy one SHOE at a time

46. Seal the deal: ICE IT - If the kicker makes this field goal he will ICE IT for Cincinnati. BTW, he made it.

47. Macbeth title: THANE.

48. Switch predecessors: WIIS - The WII system preceded the Switch system

49. European import: AUDI.

51. Some deposits: ORES.

54. Afore: ERE.

Friday, June 24, 2022, Rebecca Goldstein

Theme: "Today's blog, literally?"

Puzzling thoughts:

Do you see what I did there with the "theme" image? No? Well, then perhaps you didn't "get" the gist of today's puzzle

So, Moe, what IS the gist of today's puzzle? Good question! First off, did your puzzle come with circles? If not, good luck solving. But please allow me to "reveal" for you what each entry means:

17-across. Something heard around Chicago, literally?: WEACCENTST. The word "ACCENT" is in the "MIDdle" of the word "WEST". So in this example, the literal something heard around Chicago is a Midwest Accent. This, maybe? Hope some of our Chicagoans will confirm or deny ...

26-across. Hurdle before spring break, literally?: TEEXAMRM. Midterm exam

40-across. Passport or Pilot, e.g., literally?: SISUVZE. Honda's entries in the Midsize SUV market

51-across. Frog that carries fertilized eggs on its back, literally?: WITOADFE. Total unknown for Moe. Had to Google. Midwife Toad

64-across. Reason to buy a sports car, for some, literally?: LICRISISFE. Midlife crisis. Moe had his midlife crisis in 2008 when he bought his Audi A5 which sort of qualifies as a sports car

So back to the original image and Moe's question, "Today's blog, literally?" = Midyear review. Well, it's not quite midyear, but close. The "actual" midyear occurs the first week of July. Let's examine the rest of the clues and fill

The finished grid:

Across:
1. Taper or fade: COIF. d-otto, did this one slow down your solving of today's puzzle? It did mine. I never once thought of the words "taper" or "fade" to refer to a hair style/haircut, or COIF. Meh

5. Many: A LOT. Could have been clued: "what a real-estate developer offers for sale"

9. Charcuterie board selection: EDAM. I had MEAT for the longest time. EDAM is a cheese selection that certainly could appear on a charcuterie board. Meh

13. Invocation syllables: ABRA. As in ABRA CadABRA?? I would use the word "incantation" instead of "invocation", but that might be picking nits. I think it's time for a song:

14. Tropical evergreen: CACAO; 16. Chanel scent: COCO. Kind of cool to see these side-by-side. CACAO is the raw, unprocessed version of COCOA. And COCO is a homophone of COCOA. And a scent created by COCO Chanel. I wonder if it smells like chocolate?

19. Like AOL software, originally: ON CD. AOL is a throwback internet service provider; computer software used to be only available ON CD (or floppy discs, if you go back further). Nowadays software for computers is generally downloaded as a file

20. EDM instrument: SYNTH. At first glance, I thought this was a CSO to CanadianEh!, as I thought EDM was somehow an abbreviation for EDMonton. But as I solved it (via perps) and googled for today's write-up, I found this

21. Bug: GET TO. I am trying really hard not to let clues/answers such as 20-across GET TO me

23. Digital thermometer?: TOE. Clever clue. Dip your big TOE into a bathtub, e.g., to see if the water temperature is OK

24. Acorn producer: OAK.

28. Baby __: ASPIRIN. I take one of these each evening; I'd suspect several other of our regulars do, too

32. Inflexible: RIGID.

33. One of 28 Monopoly cards: DEED. This came to me immediately; inDEED!

34. Dermatologist's concern: WART. Hmm, what other four letter words relating to the SKIN could've fit here? Oh, SKIN! That fits. Or zits? Cyst? Feel free to add any others that may have come to mind in the comment section below

37. Overalls material: DENIM.

39. Brooding sort: HEN. Hah!

42. Scooby-__: DOO. Debuting on CBS in 1969, the cartoon character Scooby-DOO has quite a following. As a senior in HS, I wasn't that much of a fan at the time, but I did watch it

43. Locked account?: DIARY. Clever clue. Did this film about a DIARY come to mind?

45. Snowballs or paintballs: AMMO.

Noteworthy blogger
Was armed, and ready to fight.
He said, "I AMMO"

46. "Yeah, try again": UM, NO. As a newbie constructor, I often ask myself (about a potential word entry) "WWMRD?" Not sure that this entry would've been in his lexicon, but I could be wrong ...

47. Regional plant life: FLORA. They go together with FAUNA

49. Cup holder site: ARMREST. I can't imagine driving a car without a cup holder. I can imagine that some car shoppers may ultimately decide on which cars have the best cup holders before purchasing

54. NYC member of "The Squad" in Congress: AOC. The Crossword Corner Blog rules strictly prohibit me/us from discussing politics; so, with regards to AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez), I will just say "Thumper"

55. Frozen over: ICY. Not something that we folks who live in the desert SW are very familiar with

56. 48-Down song with the line "But when I call, you never seem to be home": HELLO. 48-down. 56-Across singer: ADELE. To be fair, having what I call "conditional clues", are fine. I might prefer them when the two clues are easily recognizable, but the words ultimately perped for me. I know who ADELE is, but the lyrics to her songs are not as familiar to me. Fast forward to 1:32 of this video to see the clued line in the lyrics

58. Shake __: SHACK. "HANDS" is what I entered at first. Shake SHACK restaurants aren't to be found in Arizona, which might explain why I am unfamiliar with them. Are they any good?

62. Snatches: NABS.

66. Grasp: GROK. Not sure why this cartoon came to mind when I saw the word "GROK"

67. Sign into law: ENACT.

68. Gas lighting?: NEON.

69. Hot: SEXY. I might have used this image before ...

70. Transcript stats: GPAS. Grade Point AverageS. Have I mentioned before that making an abbreviation plural is a pet peeve of mine?

71. Lip: SASS.

Down:

1. Crow's cacophony: CAWS. Shouldn't this have been clued "Crows' "?

2. Heed: OBEY.

3. Setting of the graphic novel "Persepolis": IRAN. Perps filled this in. Not familiar with this book

4. Bit of info: FACTOID.

5. The "A" of LGBTQIA+, for short: ACE. Asexuality, defined: "Sexual attraction, in basic terms, means you find a specific person sexually appealing and want to have sex with them. Asexual people, who might use the term “ACE” or “aces” for short, typically don't experience sexual attraction or want to pursue sexual relationships with other people" [Healthline dot com]

6. Scott who turns into Ant-Man: LANG.

7. Valence electrons, often: OCTET. "In chemistry and physics, a valence electron is an electron in the outer shell associated with an atom, and that can participate in the formation of a chemical bond if the outer shell is not closed; in a single covalent bond, both atoms in the bond contribute one valence electron in order to form a shared pair." [Wikipedia] Not sure I understand the OCTET answer

8. Have a trying experience?: TASTE. TASTE = to try

9. Green prefix: ECO.

10. "I'm not even here": DONT MIND ME. Last used in a major xword puzzle 6 years ago

11. Squeezeboxes: ACCORDIONS. As The Who says, "Mama's got a squeeze box ..."

12. Internet hookup: MODEM.

15. Mammal that uses kelp as a blanket: OTTER.

18. Crust: CHAR.

22. Rust: OXIDE.

25. Fuzzy fruit: KIWI.

27. Grow old: AGE.

28. Adult __: ADHD. [Mayo Clinic] "Adult ADHD symptoms may include:

Impulsiveness
Disorganization and problems prioritizing
Poor time management skills
Problems focusing on a task
Trouble multitasking
Excessive activity or restlessness
Poor planning
Low frustration tolerance

I might have a few of these traits ...

29. "Suit yourself!": SEE IF I CARE. What I might say with obscure clues!

30. Shark cage?: PENALTY BOX. Hah! San Jose Sharks NHL Hockey Team. But ... the PENALTY BOX is rarely - if ever - referred to as a "cage"

31. Ingenuity org.: NASA. Odd clue and answer; but ... it does fit

35. Coquito liquor: RUM. [Wikipedia] "Coquito meaning "Little Coconut" in Spanish is a traditional Christmas drink that originated in Puerto Rico. The coconut-based alcoholic beverage is similar to eggnog, and is sometimes referred to as Puerto Rican Eggnog." And, it contains "RUM"

36. Rating for "Euphoria," briefly: TV MA. Another TV show with which I am not familiar

38. No longer relevant: MOOT.

Mount McKinley was
Renamed Denali. It was
Then, just a MOOT point

40. Cab alternative: SYRAH. Cab, as in Cabernet. But SYRAH is an actual grape varietal, so this clue makes no sense. Cab is an abbreviation for either Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc; SYRAH is NOT an abbreviation. Meh

41. First name in the Harlem Renaissance: ZORA. "As a leader in the Harlem Renaissance ZORA Neale Hurston was a revolutionary in helping to protect the rights of African Americans. She was known during the Harlem Renaissance for her wit, irreverence, and folk writing style. Hurston was though most well know for her popular novels" [see link for source of the quote]

44. Piglet pal: ROO.

46. Tide pool sights: URCHINS. Just don't get stung by one

50. Zen garden growth: MOSS. And here, I only thought MOSS grew on the north side of trees

51. Boneless appetizer: WINGS. I like my WINGS with bones and in a "Buffalo" sauce. But these are definitely "boneless"

52. Hurl: FLING. VOMIT also fits! ;^)

53. Yosemite peak free-climbed by Emily Harrington, familiarly: EL CAP. Short for "EL CAPitan"

57. Black-and-white predator: ORCA.

59. Well offshore: ASEA.

60. Corp. bean counters: CFOS.

61. "Steak House" dressing brand: KEN'S. Originated at KEN'S Steakhouse in Framingham, MA. CSO to Wilbur Charles? I like their Vidalia Onion dressing

63. Chicago WNBA team: SKY.

65. "__ my pleasure!": IT'S. IT'S my pleasure to be your bi-weekly Friday blogger! And speaking of Friday, allow me to end with a Friday Moe-ku, and a CSO to all of our Sunshine State posters:

Floridians love
Fish Fry Fridays, 'cause they get
A grouper discount

Please offer YOUR thoughts below ...

 

Note from C.C.:

Chair Moe (Chris) made today's Newsday crossword. Click here to solve and give him your feedback.

Thursday, June 23, 2022, Emma Oxford

 

 
 

Higgs Boson
Large Hadron Collider
Geneva Switzerland

Emma Oxford, our constructor today,  is  a graduate student in particle physics and I thought the above splash screen  might make a nice welcome mat.  And it's even tangentially related to one of the themers. This is her second outing with the LAT,   her first was on Thursday March 25, 2021, reviewed by my partner in crime Malodorous Manatee.  Emma has long been solving crosswords, but only began constructing them about a year ago.  During this brief time she has also had puzzles published by Universal, WSJ, and Inkubator, as well as mini and "meta" puzzles on the constructor site CrossHare, under the username damefox

Outside of crosswords and physics, Emma is a fan of baking, running, jigsaw puzzles, reading, keeping her cat away from the houseplants, and as we'll soon see, she has very eclectic tastes in music.  Check out The Inkubator site where I found Emma's bio - it has some other names I'm sure you'll recognize. 

For today's outing she presents us with a classic theme: taking a common phrase, dropping a letter from the last word, and cluing the rump with a punny riff.  So that I can discuss both shades of meaning together, I'll start with the reveal:

63A. Decisive defeat, and a two-word hint to the answers to the starred clues: ROUT (my italics). To make sense of the fill, you have to parse this R OUT. 

Here are the themers with the removed R restored:

16A. *Frying pans anyone can use?: PUBLIC WORKS.  The Chinese WOK provides an ingenious way of controlling heat when heating vegetables, sea foods, and meats that cook at different rates.  This link will school you on its history and usage.

Some examples of PUBLIC WORKS projects are, but are not limited to: Parks and recreational facilities; Public education facilities (elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, universities and community colleges, etc.); Health care institutions (hospitals, community health care facilities, etc.). 

22A. *Group that attends Mass together every week?: SUNDAY BRUNCH.  My BIL and SIL attend Mass with a Sunday BUNCH, who follow the service with a pot luck Sunday BRUNCH in the under croft of the Church.

36A. *Discussion about what fruit to bake for dessert?: PIE CHART.  Make mine CHERRY (topped with home made whipped cream).

46A. *Fitting motto for Pisa's tower keeper?: LIVE AND LEARN.  Galileo Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) whom many consider to be the first experimental scientist, lived in Pisa and legend has it that he used the Leaning Tower to conduct a series of revolutionary experiments  on gravity and acceleration.  Here's the picture worth a thousand words.

Galileo's Experiment

Galileo's findings at the LEANing Tower were the very beginning of experimental physics, and eventually led to the state of the art stuff that Emma is LEARNING.

55A. *Devil on one's shoulder?: CLOSE FRIEND.  We've all heard the first one whispering in our ear, "You can't do that, you're not good enough".  Add the R back and you'll hear the second one saying, "I know you can do it.  I'm pulling for you!"

Here's the grid:
 

And here's all the 'est:

Across:

1. "You Shook Me All Night Long" band: ACDC.  As I'm not a particular fan of Heavy Metal, I originally intended to use this clue to focus on the dispute between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison over the best way to transmit electricity over long distances.  I suppose, had Edison won this one, the band might have been called DCAC.  They've popped up on my watch twice now, and both times I've used the Muppets to cover for them.  This time I've decided to let the band sing for themselves.  As comedian Garrison Keillor used to say, "they're not bad", although I'm not sure he'd have said that  about ACDC.  But they are pretty naughty, so there will be no lyrics with this clip.   Not a problem unless you read lips:

5. Apiphobe's phobia: BEES.  Fear of bees, technically known as melissophobia (from Ancient Greek: μέλισσα, melissa, "honey bee" + , Ancient Greek: φόβος, phobos, "fear") and also known as apiphobia (from Latin: apis for "honey bee" + Ancient Greek: φόβος, phobos, "fear"), is one of the common fears among people and is a kind of specific phobia. Not a CSO to our Melissa Bee.

9. "I __ confused": AM SO.  On the theme for this puzzle, not so much.  Unlike the last two.

13. Wintry mess: SLUSH.

14. Sole: ONLY.  Also a flat fish.

15. Mountain cat: PUMA.  Puma is a genus in the family Felidae whose only extant species is the cougar (also known as the puma, mountain lion, and panther).  The only large cat that purrs.  Not a sound you'd like to hear on a mountain path.

Cougar

18. "Oh, please!": AS IF.

19. Revealing session on Reddit, for short: AMA.  Ask Me Anything.
 

AMA Subreddit Logo

20. Christmas song: NOEL.

21. Shrimp and __: GRITS.  Here's Bobby Flay's recipe.

25. Treeless plain: STEPPE.  Sounds pretty bleak, but if you look closely enough steppes abound with life.  Chemist and composer Alexander Borodin (12 November 1833 – 27 February 1887) painted  a beautiful sound portrait of that life in his Steppes of Central Asia, here conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy (7:07 min.)

 
28. Districts: AREAS.

29. Like some dental floss: WAXY.

30. Shortcomings: VICES.  I guess that depends on how short.

32. "The Last O.G." network: TBS.  The Last O.G. is an American comedy television series, starring Tracy Morgan.  It was created by Jordan Peele and John Carcieri and premiered on March 31, 2018. The series follows ex-convict Tray (the O.G. or "original gangster") who is released from prison after serving fifteen years, and returns to Brooklyn to find that his old neighborhood has changed and that his ex-girlfriend is raising their children with another man. The co-stars are Tiffany Haddish, Allen Maldonado, Ryan Gaul, Taylor Christian Mosby, Dante Hoagland, and Cedric the Entertainer.

Tracy Morgan 2009

 35. Bother: ADO.

38. In the style of: ALA.

39. Spoil: MAR.

40. Man of many words?: ROGET.  I tried all the online thesauri and none would cough up a synonym for ROGET.  But here's a link about Peter Mark Roget (1779–1869), British physician, natural theologian and lexicographer.

41. Wild beasts also called wildebeests: GNUS.  Also a recursive ("self-referential") pun on AT&T's old Unix operating system: GNU is NOT UNIX.  GNU is an extensive collection of free software (383 packages as of January 2022), which can be used as a stand alone operating system, or parts of it can be used in other operating systems.  The use of the completed GNU tools led to the family of operating systems popularly known as Linux.  Here's their logo:

GNU is NOT UNIX

42. Water filter brand: BRITA.

44. Some surprise hits: B SIDES.  The best place to look for B sides that made it big are Beatles songs.  There are so many to chose from, but here's one of my favorites, the B-Side for the 1969 single Get Back (lyrics):

49. Big name in applesauce: MOTTS.

50. Tirade: RANT.

51. Bath mother: MUM.  My Mum was a Stoke-on-Trent mother, but we just called her Mom.  I had the opportunity years back to do some consulting in Bath, a fascinating town that goes back to the Romans and was later the home of Jane Austen for several years.

Jane Austen Center
Bath, England.

54. Way off: AFAR.

58. "What __ say?": CAN I.

59. Catholic leader: POPE.  The POPE (Latin: papa) is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome.  He is believed by Catholics to be a successor to the Apostle Peter, the closest of Jesus Christ's disciples.  Interestingly enough, his diocesan church is not St. Peter's Basilica, but rather the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran.  Pope Francis is the current bishop of Rome.  He is the first Pope to take that name:
 

Pope Francis

60. Old Dodges: OMNIS.  The Dodge Omni (also marketed as the Plymouth Horizon) is a subcompact car that was produced by Chrysler Corporation from the 1978 to 1990 model years. The first Chrysler model line produced with front-wheel drive, the Omni and Horizon were also the first front-wheel drive economy cars assembled in the United States.

1990 Dodge Omni

61. URL starter: HTTP.  URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator, the symbolic Internet address for an object such as a file or webpage.  HTTP stands for HyperText Transport Protocol, the rules that govern the transfer of copies of Hypermedia (e.g. web pages) across the Internet.   Note that HTTP is not the only URL "starter".  See 3D for a clecho.

62. Spy-fi country: USSR.  All that "spy-fi stuff" came to an end on December 26, 1991, the day the Soviet Union fell.  And if you believe that, perhaps I can interest you in a bridge I own in New York.

Down:

1. Grad: ALUM.
 
2. Gloria Estefan's birthplace: CUBA.  Gloria Estefan (Spanish: [ˈɡloɾja esˈtefan]; born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García; 1 September 1957) is a Cuban and American singer, actress, and businesswoman. She has been married to Emilio Estefan Gómez since 1978.  A contralto (hand up if you can name a pop music soprano?), Gloria started her career as the lead singer in the group Miami Latin Boys, which later became known as Miami Sound Machine.  Here's her breakout song "Conga" (lyrics):

3. ISP option: DSL.  Pet peeve: as used in crossword puzzles, the term ISP (Internet Service Provider) is very ambiguous. Today it was filled with DSL, tomorrow it could be AOL.  The two are very different however. The latter is a service that the customer actually "sees", whereas the former provides its services "under the covers".  As it turns out, it takes 7 different types of hierarchically layered services to move information from point A to point B on the Internet. These services are commonly described by the OSI Model defined by the International Standards Organization.  Here's the big picture:

ISO/OSI Model

Roughly speaking DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)  is a service of OSI Layer 2 near the bottom and AOL (America OnLine) is a service of Layers 5-7 at the top.  If you're a real techno-masochist, watch this for more info (6 min).

4. "Things'll turn around, you'll see": CHIN UP.  Or as my Mom would say "Stiff upper lip!"

5. Showed respect, in a way: BOWED.

6. Sherlock's sister, per a 2020 Netflix film: ENOLA.  Enola Holmes is a 2020 mystery film based on the first book in the young adult fiction series of the same name, The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer.  I've not seen the film, as we're still waiting for the flick's revenues to fall and for Netflix to DROP it on Prime.  Here's the trailer:

7. Caribou kin: ELK.  If it has an S on the end then it's a bunch of old guys sitting around drinking beer in a lodge.

8. Pt. of GPS: SYS.  Global Positioning System.  Hand up if you travel without one of these?

9. "Just Putting It Out There" comedian Nancherla: APARNA.  Aparna Nancherla (born August 22, 1982) is an American comedian and actress of Indian descent. She has appeared on Inside Amy Schumer and has written for Late Night with Seth Meyers, and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell.  Here is "(Some of) The Best of Aparna Nancherla" (8:34 min):

10. Score keeper?: MUSIC STAND.  Cute.

11. Patti known as the "Godmother of Punk": SMITH.   Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and poet who became an influential member of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses.  One of her best known songs, Because the Night, was co-written with Bruce Springsteen, and released on her album Easter: (lyrics):

12. Clods: OAFS.

13. Place for pampering: SPA.

17. Ice cream holder: CONE.

21. Word in many Wi-Fi network names: GUEST.  E.g. if you're staying in a hotel.  Wi-Fi provides internet services at OSI Layers 1-2 (see 3D)

22. Intel collector: SPY.

23. Luxury vessel: YACHT. 

24. La __ Tar Pits: BREA.  More Spanish.  La Brea Tar Pits and Museum is an active paleontological research site in urban Los Angeles. Hancock Park was formed around a group of tar pits where natural asphalt (also called asphaltum, bitumen, pitch, or tar; brea in Spanish) has seeped up from the ground for tens of thousands of years. Over many centuries, the tar preserved the bones of trapped animals. The George C. Page Museum is dedicated to researching the tar pits and displaying specimens from the animals that died there. La Brea Tar Pits is a registered National Natural Landmark.  Below a Saber-tooth cat is attacking a Dire Wolf trapped in the mire.  The tiger will probably be caught in the pit too before it's all over.
 

Saber-tooth tiger
Dire Wolf

25. Did the breaststroke, e.g.: SWAM.  Diner, "What's this fly doing in my soup?".  Waiter, "Looks like the breaststroke sir."

26. "Voilà!": TADA.

27. Outrageous, as a price: EXORBITANT.  For example, the price of a gallon of gasoline these days.

30. Like the Beyond Burger: VEGAN.  Well McDonald's is selling them and Kim Kardashian is their Chief Taste Consultant, so they must be good!

31. Curling surface: ICE.  Everything you want to know about this slippery sport.  It sounds confusing.

33. Sad: BLUE.

34. Back talk: SASS.  You can do this in the Comments: section below.

36. Noses around: PRIES.  Looking for intel no doubt.

37. Wee bit: IOTA.

41. Negroni need: GIN.  A Negroni is an Italian cocktail, made of one part gin, one part vermouth rosso and one part Campari, garnished with orange peel. It is considered an aperitivo. A traditionally made Negroni is stirred, not shaken; it is built over ice in an old-fashioned or rocks glass and garnished with a slice of orange.

Negroni

43. Family vacay, perhaps: RV TRIP.

44. "Molto __!": BENE.  Very good!  Today's Italian lesson.

45. Had done, as a portrait: SAT FOR.

46. Diet-friendly: LO FAT.

47. Comes out, as an album: DROPS.  We use this to describe the arrival of a new streaming series or episode.  DNK this usage originated with albums.

48. __ tag: LASER.

49. Namesake of a speed ratio: MACH.  Ernst Mach (/mɑːx/ MAHKH; 18 February 1838 – 19 February 1916) was a Moravian-born Austrian physicist and philosopher, who contributed to the physics of shock waves. The ratio of one's speed to that of sound is named the Mach number in his honour.

Ernst Mach

51. List that may be accessed by scanning a QR code: MENU.  The usage of these has increased as a result of the pandemic.  If you live in the vicinity of Rockaway, NY and have a yen for Irish food, try the QR code in this link (above the  SCAN ME  bar).  Just scan it with Google Lens or iPhone Live Text and see what you get.

52. One of a kind: UNIT. 

53. Rx writers: MDS.  Let's C?  CSO's to inanehiker and Ray - O.  Anyone else?

55. PC core: CPU. Central Processing Unit, the component of a computer that actually processes the machine instructions in a program or app.

56. Grammy winners __ Lonely Boys: LOS.  Los Lonely Boys are an American musical group from San Angelo, Texas, who had their first hit nearly twenty years ago.  They play a style of music they call "Texican Rock n' Roll," combining elements of rock and roll, Texas blues, brown-eyed soul, country, and Tejano.  Here's their song Heaven (lyrics)

 

Guitarist Henry Garza wrote the lyrics and in his own words he states,“Losing a son, when I was 18 years old. That’s where the music comes from, deep inside. What God has entrusted us with is to make the music".

57. "As I see it" shorthand: IMO or sometimes IMHO.  As I see it, I've certainly got a lot to be humble about.

waseeley

And thanks as always to Teri for proof reading and constructive suggestions.

Cheers,
Bill

Emma, you are invited to post anything you'd like to share about this puzzle, its evolution, the theme, or whatever in the Comments section.  We'd love to hear from you.  Perhaps you could even share a bit about the Higgs Boson.

Wednesday, June 22, 2022 Dave Taber and Laura Moll

 Theme: Bon Apétit and Welcome Home!   This is - apparently - about as straight forward a theme as you'll ever see, with each entry providing part of a dinner.  Until you check the circles, which give it a whole new level of meaning.  If you didn't get the circles, this will be a revelation.

Let's start with the unifier, to make things clear.

63 A. Sequence of dishes such as 18-, 25-, 38-, and 55-Across, in more ways than one: HOME MADE MEAL.  The surface meaning is a MEAL you cook for yourself in your own kitchen.  But the circled letters spell the HOME of some critter.  

18 A. Healthy starter: GARDEN GREENS.  This describes the leafy vegetables of a salad, which might get your meal off to a good start. But it also contains a DEN - a place where a wild animal, such as a fox orbear might live. Or, perhaps, a non-thematic hang-out for thieves. You decide.

25 A. Baked side: POTATO WITH CHIVES.  I'd be tempted to add some butter and sour cream to this high-carb delight.  However - what you don't want in your POTATO, is a HIVE - the abode of insects, such as ants or wasps.

38 A. Meaty entrée: T-BONE STEAK. This is a steak of beef cut from the short loin, including a "T"-shaped lumbar vertebra with sections of abdominal internal oblique muscle on each side. Yum! The NEST is a home for any kind of bird. And, yes, this gives me an eyrie feeling. Maybe it's the Hitchcock influence.

55 A. Filled dessert: CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS.  These are oblong pastries made with choux dough filled with a cream and topped with a flavored icing - chocolate in this case. Here it is also filled with a LAIR - another wild animal home; typically that of a fierce or dangerous one, such as a lion or a dragon.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here as the maitre'd for today's culinary delight.  Let's see what other tasty morsels we can discover.  But first, though Dave and Laura have both appeared here before, it looks like this is their first time as a collaboration - so, congrats!

 Across:

1. Praised: LAUDED.   Highly praised or admired.

 7. Stalagmite creator: DRIP.  A stalagmite is a mound or tapering column rising from the floor of a cave, formed of calcium salts deposited by dripping water and often uniting with a stalactite.

11. Spam holder: CAN.  Slight misdirection here as you might expect a file folder rather than a metal container for a sort-of meat product.  As I understand it, SPAM is very popular in Hawaii, and a genuine Hawaiian pizza is made with SPAM, not ham.  To each his own.

14. Periodic Pacific current: EL NIÑO.  And weather patters associated with that current.  During El Niño, trade winds weaken. Warm water is pushed back east, toward the west coast of the Americas.  El Niño can affect our weather significantly. The warmer waters cause the Pacific jet stream to move south of its neutral position. With this shift, areas in the northern U.S. and Canada are dryer and warmer than usual. But in the U.S. Gulf Coast and Southeast, these periods are wetter than usual and have increased flooding.

15. American Eagle Outfitters lingerie brand: AERIE.  Check it out here.

17. Whiz: ACE.  one highly skilled at something.

20. Zodiac animal with horns: RAM.  His name is Aries, not to be confused with 15A.

21. Thurman of "The War With Grandpa": UMA.  Uma Karuna Thurman [b 1070] is an American actress, producer and fashion model. Prolific in film and television productions encompassing a variety of genres.

 

 22. Actress Goldie: HAWN.  Goldie Jeanne Hawn b 1945] is an American actress, dancer, producer, and singer. She rose to fame on the NBC sketch comedy program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, before going on to receive the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Cactus Flower.   

23. Vocation: TRADE.    An occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained, or qualified.

30. Floor model: DEMO.  A unit of a product displayed to show its capabilities.

31. Genuflect: KNEEL.  Knee bending gesture of respect or devotion.

32. Pool or polo: GAME.   A form of play or sport, especially a competitive one played according to rules and decided by skill, strength, or luck.

33. Red-wrapped cheeses: EDAMS.   A semi-hard cheese that originated in the Netherlands, and is named after the town of Edam in the province of North Holland. Edam is traditionally sold in flat-ended spheres with a pale yellow interior and a coat, or rind, of red paraffin wax.

35. Julia of "The Addams Family": RAUL.   Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá Arcelay [1940 - 1994]was a Puerto Rican actor. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he took an interest in acting while still in school and pursued the career upon completion of his studies.

37. Area represented by Sen. Gillibrand: NYS.  New York State.  Kirsten Elizabeth Gillibrand [b 1966] is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from New York since 2009. 

42. Prez on a fiver: ABE.  Abraham Lincoln [1809 - 1865] was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865.  His likeness is found of the 5 dollar bill.

45. Whole lot: SCAD.  A large number or amount.

46. Muscle twitch: SPASM.   A sudden involuntary muscular contraction or convulsive movement.

49. Tank top kin, briefly: CAMI.  A woman's loose-fitting undergarment for the upper body, typically held up by shoulder straps and having decorative trimming.  An example here.

51. Créme de la créme: A-LIST.   The best person or thing of a particular kind.    the A-LIST is a group of individuals of the highest level of society, excellence, or eminence.

54. Writer Bombeck: ERMA.  Erma Louise Bombeck [1927 - 1996] was an American humorist who achieved great popularity for her newspaper humor column describing suburban home life, syndicated from 1965 to 1996. She also published 15 books, most of which became bestsellers.

59. "Taxi" mechanic: LATKA.  Portrayed by Andy Kaufman [1949 - 1984]

60. __ mortals: MERE.  Ordinary people.

61. Place for a "snake bite" piercing: LIP.  Two lower lip piercings.  Not at all common among trombone players

62. "What __, chopped liver?": AM I.   The earliest use of this phrase in its derogatory sense -- that is, ''something trivial; something to be scoffed at'' -- in the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang is by Jimmy Durante on his 1954 CBS-TV show: ''Now that ain't chopped liver. ''

68. Actor McKellen: IAN. Sir Ian Murray McKellen [b 1939] CH CBE is an English actor. His career spans seven decades, having performed in genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction.

69. Leading in a tight game: UP ONE.  Leading by a single point.

70. Barcelona's naciún: ESPAÑA.  Spain, in Spain.  

71. Flavor enhancer, for short: MSG.  MonoSodium Glutamate; the sodium salt of glutamic acid. MSG is found naturally in some foods including tomatoes and cheese in this glutamic acid form.

72. Buttonlike earring: STUD.

73. Squeaky ball, e.g.: DOG TOY.   Fun for your pup

Down:

1. Slight advantage: LEG UP.  Resulting from some assistance.

2. Apple pie order: ALA MODE.   Literally, fashionable or stylish.  On pie, it means topped with ice cream.

3. Starless?: UNRATED.  Of a movie, by critics.

4. "You __ your best": DID.  Sometimes it's not good enough.

5. Chicago-to-Toronto dir.: ENE. East, north-east.

6. Honolulu-born jet pilot who became a pop singer: DON HO.   Donald Tai Loy Ho [1930 - 2007] was an American traditional pop musician, singer and entertainer. He is best known for the song "Tiny Bubbles" from the album of the same name.

7. Galapagos Islands researcher: DARWIN.   Charles Robert Darwin [1809 - 1882] FRS FRGS FLS FZS was an English naturalist, geologist and biologist, best known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended from a common ancestor is now widely accepted and considered a fundamental concept in science.

8. Confirms, as a password: RE-ENTERS.   Enter and enter again.

9. Isl. with four provinces: IRE.   The four provinces of Ireland are Leinster, Ulster, Munster and Connaught.  Six of Ulster's 9 counties constitute Northern Ireland.

10. See 36-Down: PIN.

36. With 10-Down, politician's flag, often: LAPEL.  A lapel pin, also known as an enamel pin, is a small pin worn on clothing, often on the lapel of a jacket, attached to a bag, or displayed on a piece of fabric. Lapel pins can be ornamental or can indicate the wearer's affiliation with an organization or cause.

11. Traveling band: CARAVAN.   A group of people traveling together.  Originally, this referred to traders or pilgrims traveling across a desert in Asia or North Africa.

12. Private school: ACADEMY.   A place of higher education in a special field.

13. Foes that seem impossible to beat: NEMESES.   The inescapable agent of someone's or something's downfall.

16. Bk. read at Purim: ESTH.  ESTHER.  The book relates the story of a Hebrew woman in Persia, born as Hadassah but known as Esther, who becomes queen of Persia and thwarts a genocide of her people. The story forms the core of the Jewish festival of Purim, during which it is read aloud twice: once in the evening and again the following morning. 

19. Rubberneck: GAWK.  Stare openly and stupidly vs turn one's head to stare at something in a foolish manner.   Near equivalents, but not quite.

24. Tractor-trailer: RIG.   Big truck.

26. Amo, amas, __: AMAT. Conjugation of the the Latin verb meaning "to love."

27. Crypts: TOMBS.  Burial vaults, usually underground. 

28. "But it's a dry __": HEAT.  Presumably less uncomfortable due to low humidity.

29. Hints: CLUES.

34. Home of many L.A. Times readers: SO CAL.  Southern California.

39. "The Lion King" lion: NALA.    A fictional character in Disney's The Lion King film franchise. Introduced in the animated film The Lion King, Nala subsequently appears as a less prominent character in the film's sequels 

40. Word processor feature: EDIT MENU.  Where you can select text to copy or delete.

41. Melissa Benoist's role on "Supergirl": KARA.   Kara Danvers, also known as Kara Zor-El on her homeworld, is a fictional character in the Arrowverse franchise, mainly the television series Supergirl.

42. Accolades: ACCLAIM.  Enthusiastic and public praise.

43. Islands northeast of Cuba: BAHAMAS.   The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is a country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the archipelago's population.

44. Chewing the scenery: EMOTING.  Over-acting.

47. Welcome warmly: SMILE AT.

48. Rivera who holds the MLB record for career saves: MARIANO.   Mariano Rivera is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. Nicknamed "Mo" and "Sandman", he spent most of his career as a relief pitcher and served as the Yankees' closer for 17 seasons.  He recorded 652 saves.

50. "Blech!": ICK.    Expressions of disgust or distaste.

52. Apparently was: SEEMED.  So it appeared.

53. Mega- squared: TERA.  Prefixes indicating large and even larger numbers or quantities.  Mega = 1 million, Tera = 1 trillion.

56. Hanauma Bay's island: OAHU.  Where Spam is popular, maybe.

57. Gave up: CEDED.   Relinquish control of possession of something, such as a territory, often unwillingly or because forced to do so:  

58. Fan out: SPLAY.  As fingers or limbs.

64. Photo __: OPS.   A photo op, short for photograph opportunity, is an arranged opportunity to take a photograph of a politician, a celebrity, or a notable event. The term was coined by the administration of US President Richard Nixon. William Safire credited its coinage to Bruce Whelihan, an aide to Nixon Press Secretary Ron Ziegler.

65. Clever remark: MOT.   Short for bon mot - a pithy or witty remark. 

66. Paul Anka's "__ Beso": ESO.  That kiss, from 1962.

 

 67. High hybrid stat: MPG.  A hybrid is a vehicle powered by both a gasoline engine and an electric motor.  It should achieve a high number of Miles Per Gallon of gasoline.

Thus ends our Wednesday repast.  Hope you didn't get indigestion.  I found it quite satisfying.

Cool regards, 

JzB