Sunday June 26, 2022 Roland Huget

 

Theme: "Stretches Across" - Time units are orderly hidden inside each theme entry.

26. *Terms for tenants: LEASE CONDITIONS.

45. *Question in a famous balcony scene: WHEREFORE ART THOU ROMEO.

68. *Southeastern evergreen that sounds like a college: FLORIDA YEW.

73. *"Tennessee Waltz" composer: PEE WEE KING.

95. *"Leave this to me": I'M ON THE CASE.

112. *Financial report section: QUARTERLY EARNINGS.

Reveal:

91. Schedule component, and what the answers to the starred clues literally contain: TIME SLOT.

A rare Sunday with left/right symmetry. Notice how most of the theme entries are odd-numbered?

I made this puzzle for the Universal a while ago and I fully appreciate how difficult it was for Roland to come up with those hidden time units. And in second to year order. Just amazing!

Across:

1. Lake skimmer: JETSKI. Sparkly start.

7. Bitterly harsh: ACERBIC.

14. In flames: ABLAZE.

20. Free bakery treats?: AROMAS. Sometimes I open the fridge door at the Asian grocery store just to smell durian. Ah, the hot summer days in Guangzhou. Durian, lychee, fish in banana leaf.

21. "Orphan Black" star Maslany: TATIANA.

22. Prim partner: PROPER.

23. Uses a salamander, perhaps: BROILS. Not familiar with the salamander broiler.

24. Hand sanitizer ingredient: ETHANOL.

25. Glossy fabric: SATEEN.

29. "Great" detective of kid-lit: NATE.

32. QBs and DHs: ATHS. Athletes. Quarterbacks and Designated Hitters.

33. Winter coaster: SLED.

34. Kerfuffles: ADOS.

38. Prefix with tourism: ECO.

39. Back up: SAVE.

41. Refer to: CITE.

44. Stop dithering: OPT.

53. Emission from radioactive decay: BETA RAY.

54. Wrestling legend Ric: FLAIR.

55. NYC film festival locale: TRIBECA.

56. Actor Epps: OMAR.

57. Ocelot, e.g.: WILDCAT.

59. Harmon series: NCIS. Mark Harmon.

60. __-O-Honey candy: BIT.

62. Bud: PAL.

63. "Mudbound" director Rees: DEE. From Wikipedia: Her achievements include being the first Black woman nominated for an Oscar for adapted screenplay. We also have 94. "Queen Sugar" creator DuVernay: AVA.

65. Bag-screening org.: TSA.

77. Run-down theaters: FLEA PITS.

78. Be a little shy?: OWE. Gimme for regulars.

80. Admit defeat: SAY UNCLE.

81. Fury: RAGE.

82. Test run: TRIAL.

84. Fictional sleuth Wolfe: NERO.

85. Well-known: FAMED.

88. Device that may display awkward moments on the jumbotron: KISS CAM.

90. Abalone eater: OTTER.

99. Quick qualifier: IMO.

100. Court dividers: NETS.

102. Wear a long face: MOPE.

103. Not good at all: EVIL.

104. Radiate: EMIT.

105. Lugs around: SCHLEPS. Consonant-rich.

107. Sandwich letters: BLT.

110. Motorless aircraft: GLIDERS.

117. "The Night Watchman" Pulitzer winner Erdrich: LOUISE.

119. Marshmallow-filled treat: MOON PIE.

120. Bible book with 150 poems: PSALMS.

123. "__ Restaurant": classic Guthrie song: ALICE'S.

124. Quarterback who was MVP of Super Bowls XLII and XLVI: MANNING. Eli.

125. Pabst brand: STROH'.

126. Smartphone screen borders: BEZELS.

127. Supplemented: ADDED TO.

128. "For Your Eyes Only" singer Sheena: EASTON.

Down: 

1. Snarky remark: JAB.

2. Drop the ball: ERR.

3. Excessively: TOO.

4. Graphic novel by Raina Telgemeier about a girl with braces: SMILE. This clue is very Patti. Even if you don't know the novel, the clue is helpful and you learn something.

5. Iron-rich leafy vegetable: KALE.

6. Rae of "The Lovebirds": ISSA.

7. Unsteady, quaintly: ATEETER.

8. "Coming at you!": CATCH.

9. Cultural values: ETHOS.

10. "Knives Out" writer/director Johnson: RIAN. Friendly letter combo. Just remember him.

11. Rock groups: BANDS.

12. How sun-dried tomatoes may be packed: IN OIL.

13. Pasadena engineering sch.: CAL TECH.

14. Lhasa __: APSO.

15. Breakfast cereal fiber: BRAN.

16. Much, informally: LOTSA.

17. Big monkey: APE.

18. Snooze symbol: ZEE.

19. East end?: ERN. Eastern.

27. London luxury hotel that opened in 1889: SAVOY.

28. __-proof: IDIOT.

29. Rookie, casually: NEWB.

30. Tooth trouble: ACHE.

31. Duking it out: TOE TO TOE.

35. Not imported: DOMESTIC.

36. Gp. with reserves: OPEC.

37. Ancient portico: STOA. Like this.

39. "Buona __": Italian greeting: SERA.

40. Over yonder: AFAR.

42. Go bad: TURN.

43. "Heart & Soul" country singer Church: ERIC.

46. Male sheep: RAM.

47. IRS convenience: E-FILE. Thank God for D-Otto.

48. The works: ALL.

49. "Gnarly, dude!": RAD.

50. __-tac-toe: TIC.

51. Swap: TRADE.

52. Kimono sash: OBI. Stunning.

57. Styles: WAYS.

58. Concert mementos: TEES.

60. Fave bud: BFF.

61. "__ be darned!": I'LL.

62. Hors d'oeuvres spread: PATE.

64. "Fargo" actor McGregor: EWAN. Scottish actor.

66. Weekly NBC show with a musical guest: SNL.

67. Go gray, maybe: AGE. I've been having white hairs in my eyebrows the past two years. I plucked them, but they grow back white again.

69. Burger order: RARE.

70. Apple TV+ device: IPAD.

71. "Comprende?": DIG.

72. Razzie Award adjective: WORST.

73. Nobel category: PEACE.

74. Needle hole: EYE.

75. Tip of the Alps?: EURO. Nice clue.

76. Macramé unit: KNOT.

79. Coin-in-a-fountain thought: WISH.

82. Sticking point: TINE. Fork.

83. Frilly trim: LACE.

85. Autograph hounds: FANS. Gary's son-in-law Brendon is an avid baseball fan.

86. "Sans" opposite: AVEC.

87. Test for solvers: MATH QUIZ.

88. Keystone figure: KOP.

89. Big D hoopster: MAV. The Dallas Mavericks.

92. Abu Dhabi ruler: EMIR.

93. Goes bad: ROTS.

95. Wow: IMPRESS.

96. Part of MVP: MOST.

97. Talk with one's hands: SIGN.

98. Orbital circuit shape: ELLIPSE.

101. Water channel: SLUICE.

104. Literary awards named for a Baltimore writer: EDGARS.

106. "The Joy of Painting" prop: EASEL.

107. Fair, in a way: BLOND.

108. Jeff of the Traveling Wilburys: LYNNE.

109. Lukewarm: TEPID.

111. Prefix with gram or cart: INSTA.

113. "Room" novelist Donoghue: EMMA. Wikipedia says "Room" is a finalist for the Man Booker Prize. Brie Larson won an Oscar for her "Room" role.

 

114. Map line: ROAD.

115. "It __ over till it's over": AIN'T.

116. __ Park: Queens area: REGO. Learned from doing crosswords.

117. Forensic facility: LAB.

118. World Cup chant: OLE.

121. Old conductance unit: MHO. Ohm spelled backwards.

122. ID with two hyphens: SSN.

Boomer had a full-body bone scan at the North Memorial on Friday. The result is not promising. Bad cells are widely scattered. 

Tomorrow morning we start our 5 sessions of daily radiation on his left shoulder at the VA hospital in Minneapolis. Then we have one more CT scan on Wednesday afternoon. We meet with his oncologist again on Friday and Boomer receives his bone strengthener infusion afterwards.

The good news is that Boomer's left shoulder gets better. He started to type with his left hand again, though not for long, but it's a start. His PT lady is really good. We'll see an OT next Thursday.

C.C.

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.