Saturday, August 6, 2022, C.C. Burnikel

Saturday Themeless by C.C. Burnikel 

My favorite honorary
Cornhusker.

Today our wonderful ringmistress steps forward with a lovely Saturday Themeless puzzle. Here are her comments:

This puzzle has quite a bit of clue changes. I'm rusty at making themeless, especially the cluing part. As for the fill, I remember coming up with the upper right stack quickly, then struggling with the connecting Downs to the lower stack.

                  

Across:

1. Includes, briefly: CCS - C'mon, starting a puzzle with your own initials is pretty cool!

4. Bell hooks work whose title comes from a line often attributed to Sojourner Truth: AIN'T I A WOMAN - Info on this very interesting woman (including why she uses no capital letters with her name) and 11. Sojourner Truth forte: ORATION.

 

15. Prune: LOP.

16. Pink flower with a yellow center: PRAIRIE ROSE - The N.D. state flower

17. "Oklahoma!" Tony winner Stroker: ALI - The first wheelchair user to win a Tony. In her speech she dedicated the award to all people who think a disability has to hold you back.

 

18. Mayonnaise-based condiment: TARTAR SAUCE.

19. Jedi on Dagobah: YODA - Oh yeah, there's another Star Wars character that had four letters and ends in an "A"

21. Taskbar lineup: ICONS - Here's the one we bloggers use for our postings

22. Walked: TROD.

23. Negligent: REMISS.

25. Aim: POINT.

27. "Born a __": Trevor Noah memoir: CRIME - The story of his childhood in the twilight of apartheid in South Africa

28. __ pool: STENO.

30. Elements of Byzantine architecture: DOMES - The epitome of this architecture is said to be the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (Constantinople when it was built in the 6th century).

31. Last-minute participant: LATE ENTRY - The owner of this year's Kentucky Derby Rich Strike  found out 30 seconds before the deadline that his horse would be allowed to run. This filly won with 80-1 odds against her.

Notice Rich Strike is wearing #21
in the 20 horse race.

35. Journalist Tarbell: IDA - This muckraker got Standard Oil declared a monopoly that had to be broken up.

 

36. Award with a Journalistic Integrity category: PEABODY - Judy Woodruff was the 2021 winner

38. Quebec street: RUE - There is a McDonalds is at 760 RUE Bouvier, Québec, QC G2J 1A3, Canada

39. Equal-pay issue: GENDER GAP - Our pay scale was the same for all when I was teaching.

41. Whirlpool subsidiary: AMANA.

43. Strike force?: UNION.

44. Jellyfish's lack: BRAIN - Here ya go!

45. Medicare Advantage program: PART C

47. Hawk: PEDDLE.

48. Self-referential: META - META crossword clues refer to the clue itself such as recent 42. Head for Vegas?: LAS.

49. Best possible: IDEAL.

52. Forgets to charge the phone, say: ERRS.

54. "Okay, you got me": I DON'T DENY IT.

57. NPR host Shapiro: ARI - All things considered and...

58. Mail with a North Pole return address: SANTA LETTER.

59. __-de-sac: CUL - 18th century Fr. for "bottom of the sack". Today: dead end street.

60. Multipurpose piece: SLEEPER SOFA - How 'bout sofa/bunk beds

61. Problem that often grows with fame: EGO.

Down:

1. Tandoor material: CLAY - CLAY ovens seen in India and Pakistan

2. System with shades of meaning: COLOR CODE - Here are some colors and the HTML CODE

3. Character who debuted in the 1962 comic book "Amazing Fantasy": SPIDERMAN.

4. Germane: APT.

5. Game challenge: I RAISE - Poker

6. Busters: NARCS.

7. Nickname of vodka-maker Beveridge: TITO - A shortening of founder Bertito Beveridge's name

8. Home country of Oscar-winning filmmaker Asghar Farhadi: IRAN - His IMDB

9. Flight number: AIR SPEED.

10. Director Anderson: WES.

12. Grieve: MOURN.

13. Broad tie: ASCOT.

14. Sine qua non: NEED.

20. Brest friend: AMIE - Brest is a city in the far west of France

24. "That did me in": I'M SPENT.

26. Minor gridiron gain: ONE YARD - Seattle needed ONE YARD to win a Super Bowl but stupidly decided to pass and the ball was intercepted and the Super Bowl was lost.

28. Nick who's coached four Heisman winners at Alabama: SABAN - My Class of '64 classmate was the pilot for Nick SABAN'S recruiting plane for years

29. Sporty car roof: T-TOP.

30. Unkind remark: DIG.

31. Vacaciones destination: LAGO.

Lago de Sant Maurici 

(Lleida, Catalonia, Spain)

32. Rugged contest: TRAIL RACE - Not a road race!

33. Hallway accent: RUNNER RUG.

34. House call?: YEA.

37. "Spamalot" co-creator: ERIC IDLE - A member of the Monty Python comedy troupe

40. Vaudeville great: DURANTE - Vaudeville, radio, movies and TV

42. Cooked: MADE.

44. Faith: BELIEF.

45. Use the elliptical: PEDAL.

46. Make reparations: ATONE.

47. Check words: PAY TO.

48. Major in transgender activism: MISS - I had/have no idea but C.C. assured me that this was her clue/fill

50. Bucks in a forest: DEER.

51. Treebeard and friends: ENTS - Frequent visitors here

53. Isolated work group: SILO.

55. Touch a touchscreen: TAP.

56. Part of a chorus line?: TRA - Followed by la la...

 

Friday, August 5, 2022, Jake Houston

TITLE: Time for bed Princess Winnifred the Woebegone; you must chose your bed. We wouldn't want you to pea in bed.

We are welcoming back Jake who first appeared in this themeless just over one year ago where HG presented Jake's background. He is also creating and promoting a musical based puzzle platform discussed HERE. Perhaps we will inspire him to come by and tell us more.

Today we have another version of a classic Friday theme, remove something from the fill but clue it so the solvers can find what is missing. Today we have a reveal accompanying the 4 bed sizes and they are located in ascending order of size and they descend the grid.

We also have some fun 7 and 10 letter fill to wrap around the 9 and 11 themers. ARTICLE, ATE INTO, THE FLEA, ADRENALINE, DIDGERIDOO, OPEN SESAME and  WAYNE MANOR. All distracting a bit from a simple theme.

20A. *Aircraft with dual turboprops: (TWIN) ENGINE PLANE  (11). Self-explantory.

38A. *Gutsy wager on "Jeopardy!": TRUE DAILY (9) (DOUBLE). I know many cornerites also love Jeopardy and the late Alex Trebek, but it was the professional gambler James Holzhauer who taught all-time champion Ken Jennings that strategy. 

44A. *Wildflower also known as wild carrot: (QUEEN) ANNE'S LACE (9). Queen Anne's lace the herb (Daucus carota) can reach heights of about 1 to 4 feet (31-120 cm.) high. I did not know this.

57A. *Tennyson poetry series set in Camelot: IDYLLS OF THE (11) (KING).  Our literati really praise this book but when I tried to read when I was 12 years old, I did not finish it. I have never gone back, though I love the Arthurian stories and legends. I really liked the BBC TV series MERLIN many of the books on this bigger than life man and even the silly movie A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. 

72A. With 73-Across, space-saving furniture, and what the answers to the starred clues each do: HIDE. 73A. See 72-Across: A BED. And if you hadn't sussed the theme before the reveal, you have it here. I am thinking about a Murphy bed but my wife does not like Mrs. Murphy. 

Across:

1. Pataky of the "Fast & Furious" films: ELSA. Do you like the double with 1D. "Anything __?": ELSE.

5. Pronoun on a coffee mug, maybe: HERS. These days we must be politically correct, right?

9. "What Unites Us" writer Rather: DAN. A collection of essays on patriotism by the long time CBS news man. 

A REVIEW.

12. Profit (from): LEARN. Ideally we should learn from experience, individually and as a nation. No politics.

14. Musical narrated by Che: EVITA. Here it is starring Madonna.  

                               

16. Wedding vow: I DO. She did...often.

17. With 65-Across, seat of California's Orange County: SANTA.  65A. See 17-Across: ANA.
  

18. Illuminated: LIT UP. If I were Boomer, I might say the Marlin's bullpen keeps getting lit up.

19. Beats by __: DRE. Have I told the story of an early date with Oo where we ended up at Brands Mart to shop for a birthday present for her son back in Thailand. I learned one of my first words of Thai... แพง (pronounced

Phæng - pang) meaning expensive.

22. Stylist's option: GEL. Do you gel your hair? Ladies? Gentleman? Uncommitted?

23. Rom-__: COM. RomANTIC ComEDY.

24. "Dark Phoenix" superheroes: X-MEN. There have been 13 including the DEADPOOL ones. DARK PHOENIX starred Sophie Turner from the GAME OF THRONES.

26. AFB truant: AWOL. Air Force Base - Absent Without Leave.

29. Manual readers: USERS. Really? We are not a culture of manual readers.

34. Babysitter's handful: BRAT. Why do they need to eat while taking care of a child?

36. Get to the point?: TAPER. Like a candle? Or an anteater?

40. "See ya!": BYE. You can't get rid of me yet.

41. Eroded: ATE INTO. Like a drip of water on a rock.

43. Salsa, e.g.: DIP. I have watched many J Lo and  Shakira videos and the dips are exciting.

Oh you mean the food; never mind.

46. Curling piece: STONE. You women are tough if you use stones to curl your hair. 

Oh you mean the sport dominated by Canadiens: never mind.

48. Class struggle?: TEST. Ha Ha, not a Karl Marx struggle, just a learning class. Or is it?

49. Butt heads: CLASH. Who is Beavis then? 

51. Groundbreaking tools: HOES. No cheap off color humor from me. Any more.

52. Repast: MEAL. How can you re-past? Why does this mean to eat?

54. Wow: AWE. Shucks ma'am.

56. "Montero" singer Lil __ X: NAS. Of course...rated XXX.  LINK at your own risk.
                        
66. Farm song refrain: EI EI O. Rated e i e i o.

67. Jetson who attends Little Dipper School: ELROY. So cute. 

68. "Loki" actor Hiddleston: TOM. He has played Loki in many movies and a series. LINK.

69. "¿Cómo está __?": USTED. Hi Lucy.

70. French flower: SEINE. He even includes the flower/flower misdirection and some...

71. Mined find: ORE. Rhymed guide.

Down:

2. Pastrami spec: LEAN. There is much debate about lean and fatty, the Jack Sprat of the deli world.

3. Squealed: SANG. If you want to know why, ask.

4. Encyclopedia entry: ARTICLE. Lots of them.

5. Toolbar button with a question mark: HELP. I am not familiar with this,

6. Diabolical: EVIL. Diabolical is a characteristic of the Devil.

7. EGOT winner Moreno: RITA. The EGOT is back.

8. Wow: STUN. I know my sense of humor sometimes stuns.

9. Australian wind: DIDGERIDOO. The didgeridoo is a wind instrument, played with continuously vibrating lips. The didgeridoo was developed by Aboriginal peoples of northern Australia. Women are not supposed to play as they believe it may cause infertility.

10. Fight-or-flight hormone: ADRENALINE. Pleasure hormone melatonin, pain hormone...don't pay her.

11. Oasis guitarist Gallagher: NOEL. "Some day you may find your hero; some day you may lose your mind."

13. Technology prefix: NANO.

15. High point: APEX. ACME; pay your money, take your chances.

21. CGI bird in Liberty Mutual ads: EMU. It is hard to believe a non-existent computer image has become a very hated spokes creature.

25. CFO's degree: MBA. Master of Business Administration.

26. Ready to swing: AT BAT. I did not realize swingers had expressions to show they were ready. I guess visually...

27. Gothic estate in Gotham City: WAYNE MANOR. Bruce will you have tours when you rebuild?

28. Words that provide access: OPEN SESAME. The phrase first appears in Antoine Galland's French translation of One Thousand and One Nights (1704–1717) as Sésame, ouvre-toi (English, "Sesame, open yourself").

30. Great deal: STEAL. I do not think we should be encouraging crime. 

31. CNN correspondent Hill: ERICA. I have never seen her either on CBS or CNN but learned today she is from Clinton Connecticut, about an hour SW of where I grew up and next to where my uncle who was a doctor would rent a house for a month every summer in Beach Park. I also learned Beach Park does not exist anymore.

32. Ancient characters: RUNES. Not all the old crazies but their alphabet. The one from the Vikings is the most well known, I think.
                        
33. All ready: SET. Go!

35. Sorts: TYPES. It seems like I have been sorting this write-up for hours.

37. Dorm figs.: RAS. Resident advisers, who as far as my experience with two sons who stayed in campus facilities, they mostly advised about the good party spots. We are in Florida after all.

39. __ Equis beer: DOS. The most interesting beer? They fired the guy. Then they hired him back when sales plummeted. EVERY TV AD

42. "CrazySexyCool" singers: TLC. The STORY.

45. Unreliable stat from the fashionably late: ETA. 

47. John Donne poem featuring an insect: THE FLEA. The LINK. Is this a sex poem?

50. Owns: HAS.

53. In __ of: LIEU.

55. Burdens: WOES.

56. Org. with an alphabet: NATO. The Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, commonly known as the NATO phonetic alphabet, is the most widely used set of clear code words for communicating the letters of the English alphabet, technically a radiotelephonic spelling alphabet.  Wiki.

58. Menu item: DISH. I prefer food.

59. Creature in Tibetan myth: YETI. These mythical creatures have been written about for millennia.  Alexander the Great demanded to see a Yeti when he conquered the Indus Valley in 326 B.C. But, according to National Geographic, local people told him they were unable to present one because the creatures could not survive at that low an altitude.

60. Wasn't truthful: LIED. They were not under oath...

61. Mined find: LODE. I told you there would be another rhyme at some time,

62. Windy City paper, with "the": TRIB. The HISTORY. 

63. Polish: HONE. When I was young I was confused why a local softball team would call themselves the Polish Citizens. 

64. Sized up: EYED. I see this as a creepy way to end an otherwise fun puzzle. but that is just me. 

I must be too self-conscious. I had fun with this one as we went all over to get to the end. I did feel like a tour bus conductor taking you all for a ride. Not that kind of ride. Have a wonderful August, Lemonade out and be good to yourselves, your loved ones and all the rest. It is free.

Thursday, August 4, 2022 David Tuffs

 

 

Double or Nothing

Courtesy of The Swiss
a duet devoted to electronic dance music

One of the silver linings in the otherwise dark clouds of the global pandemic is a new generation of constructors who, locked down with time on their hands, have produced some wonderfully clever crossword puzzles.  Such is the outing of  today's constructor David Tuffs, who is making his debut appearance with the LA Times, but who has had at least three puzzles published in the NY Times   I personally hope his outing here is the first of many more.  David is fourth-year linguistics student at the UC Santa Cruz, and he certainly brings the right tools to the table. 

Today's theme was one I found helpful.  It was obvious by the second clue that the letters in circles were all double letters, but it was not until the reveal that I understood there was an extra layer to the theme:

40A. High-stakes gamble, and how the answers with circles can be read: DOUBLE OR NOTHING.

By dropping the DOUBLED letters, we are left with NOTHING but a synonymous or alternate answer to the theme clue.  Since it's hard to insert circled letters in free text, I'll just highlight the double letters in RED:
 

15. Part of the stock market cycle: BOTTOM.  If we drop the double Ts, we find another part of the stock market cycle, a BOOM.  Everything you want to know about BOOMS and BUSTS.

16A. What lovers have: FEELINGS.  If we drop the double Es, we find something else lovers have: FLINGS.  Teri's and my fling has been going on for over 53 years!

24A. Artifacts in ancient tombs: COFFINS.  If we drop the double Fs, we find something else often discovered in ancient tombs: COINS.

51A. Come into flower: BLOSSOM.  If we drop the double Ss, we find a synonym for our fill, i.e. a BLOOM.

66A. Gave a dirty look: POLLUTED.  Pollution certainly gives the landscape a "dirty look",  but if we drop the double Ls we see someone who has given us an up close and personal dirty look (or maybe a dissatisfied one): i.e. has POUTED.

68. Went out, as a bulb: DIMMED.  If we drop the double Ms from our fill, we could say the bulb has gone completely out, that is DIED.  Which brings to mind this famous poem by Dylan Thomas.

Do I hear you grumbling AnonymousDNLC?  This could have probably been accomplished without the circles, but hey, it's getting late in the week we need all the help we can get!

Here's the grid:
 

Across:

1. Rigid marching style: LOCKSTEP.  In the United States, lockstep marching or simply lockstep is marching in a very close single file in such a way that the leg of each person in the file moves in the same way and at the same time as the corresponding leg of the person immediately in front of him, so that their legs stay very close all the time.  It has an interesting history.

9. WNBA great Taurasi with five Olympic gold medals: DIANA.  In 2021 Diana became one of two WNBA players to win this honor.
 

Diana Taurasi

14. Scrapbook contents: EPHEMERA.  We have drawers full of EPHEMERA from our various travels.  Perhaps some day we'll put them all in a scrapbook.

17. Thrift shop transaction: RESALE.

18. Protective lymphocyte: T CELL.  A type of white blood cell. T cells are part of the immune system and develop from stem cells in the bone marrow. They help protect the body from infection and may help fight cancer. Also called T lymphocyte and thymocyte

19. __ buco: OSSO.  I'm pretty sure we've served this dish before on the Corner, but in case you've lost the recipe.

21. Sought office: RAN.   But most are ALSO RANS.

22. Some whiskeys: RYES.  The proper way to make a Manhattan.

27. Actor Daniel __ Kim: DAE.  Daniel Dae Kim (born Kim Dae-hyun (Korean: 김대현); August 4, 1968)^[1] is a South Korean-American actor and producer. He is known for his roles as Jin-Soo Kwon in Lost, Chin Ho Kelly in Hawaii Five-0, Gavin Park in Angel, and Johnny Gat in the Saints Row video game series:

Daniel Dae Kim

29. Pitiful: SAD.

31. Store with Småland play areas: IKEA.  A CSO to Swenglish Mom.

32. Fashion designer Gucci: ALDO.   His first name has been appropriated to mean "fancy, very fashionable"; "good, fine"; "great, excellent."

34. Shop clamp: VISE.   A good, heavy duty vise, mounted on a sturdy bench is an essential piece of shop equipment:

36. Peony support: STAKE.  What to do about floppy peonies.

43. Photo app filter shade: SEPIA.  This effect used to be produced chemically during the development of photographic prints, but now it's done digitally.

44. Loaded: RICH.  A CSO to our previous Editor.

45. Pentagon measure: AREA.

46. Forum robe: TOGA.

48. Old Rom. ruler: EMP.  Emperor.  They wore TOGAS.

50. Night sch. student's goal: GED.  General Educational Development, a way to complete your high school diploma.

54. Genesis twin: ESAU.  Esau is the elder son of Isaac in the Hebrew Bible (and the twin of Jacob). He is mentioned in the Book of Genesis and by the prophets Obadiah and Malachi. The New Testament alludes to him in the Epistle to the Romans and in the Epistle to the Hebrews.  However he is most famous for having been a very hairy man:

56. Court stat: REB.  Basketball REBOUND.

Ignacio de Miguel Villa
catching a rebound

 

  57. Court setting: BAIL.  Something the court does, not where it does it.   What it is and how it's done around the world.

60. "Mi casa es su casa" speaker: AMIGO.  "My house is your house".  Today's Spanish lesson.

63. Woman of mystery: AGATHA.  AGATHA Christie is one of the world's best selling authors of fiction, and her works have seen literally hundreds of adaptations to stage and screen.   Miss MARPLE, one of her most memorable women of mystery, would also have fit this clue.  Here, played by Julia Mckensie, she takes vacation from sleuthing and finds herself embroiled in a Caribbean Mystery:

69. Water, facetiously: ADAMS ALE.  The preferred (and probably only) drink of the first inhabitants of paradise.  Like the Germans say "Im Himmel, es gibts kein Bier" ("In heaven there is no beer.  So we'd better drink it here!"):

70. Way up or way down: STAIR.

71. Patisserie array: DESSERTS. 

Down:

1. Vacated: LEFT.

2. Well-financed gp.?: OPEC.  I.e. they pump their wealth out of oil WELLS".

3. Helped out of a funk: CHEERED UP.

4. Singer Clarkson: KELLY.  Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first ever season of American Idol in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debut single, "A Moment Like This", topped the US Billboard Hot 100, and became the country's best selling single of 2002.  Here's how it all started (lyrics):

5. Close parentheses, at times: SMILES.  The fossilized remains the original emojis. :-).

6. Top score on some reviews: TEN.  Sorry, no trailer for this movie.

7. Hence, in logic: ERGO.  THEREFORE.  Today's Latin lesson.

8. "Not interested": PASS.  Or NO BID in card games.

9. Female koala: DOE.  Their hubbies are called BUCKS.  8 cuddly facts about Koalas.

Koala Bear
Unknown gender, probably CIS.

10. Site of many errant apostrophes: ITS. ITS is possessive and IT'S not a contraction.  IT'S is a contraction and IT'S not a possessive.  Now say that TEN times real fast.

11. Pitfall! platform: ATARI.   Hand up if you've played this?:
 

12. Director of a Batman film trilogy: NOLAN.  Christopher Jonathan James Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American director, producer and screenwriter. He often works with his brother, author Jonathan Nolan. Christopher rose to prominence for directing the psychological thriller Memento, and for reviving the Batman movie franchise as the director of The Dark Knight Trilogy. Each of them are Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012).
 

Christopher Nolan

13. Chorus of agreement: AMENS.

15. Stream: BROOK.  As BROOK is English for BACH,  I couldn't resist streaming this beautiful piece, performed by Mr. Crosswordese himself  (4 vowels, depending on how you define a vowel) - 3:16 min.

 
20. "The poetry of reality," per Richard Dawkins: SCIENCE.   How one views this statement depends on how one defines "reality", and there are as many opinions on what that term means as there are meta-physicists, i.e. philosophers who study reality.  I suppose Dawkins' statement could be a poetic metaphor for Mathematics, the core language used to describe the "hard" SCIENCES such as physics, chemistry, and astronomy; as opposed to the subsidiary role it plays in "softer" sciences such as biology, psychology, etc., which tend to rely more on descriptive language.  "Real" poetry on the other hand is the core language of religion - see e.g. 49D.  BTW, this clue has been used at least once before, e.g. in The New York Times - Dec. 6, 2014. 

23. Menu option: SAVE.

25. End of Oktober?: FEST.  The Oktoberfest is the world's largest Volksfest, featuring a beer festival and a traveling funfair. It is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is a 16- to 18-day folk festival running from mid- or late-September to around the first Sunday in October, with more than six million international and national visitors attending the event.     See also 69A.

26. Jazz great Earl "__" Hines: FATHA.  Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, "one of a small number of pianists whose playing shaped the history of jazz".  For your convenience here's just his discography.  Here's the FATHA riffing on some St. Louis Blues:

27. Root beer brand since 1937: DADS.  They make cream soda too:
 

28. Sunscreen additive: ALOE.

30. Shoebox project: DIORAMA.  Those little tableaux we used create in elementary school for "Show and Tell".

33. Memorial bios: OBITS.

35. __ Lanka: SRI.  Much in the news these days, and it's not good news.

37. Instrument that never needs tuning?: AIR GUITAR.  Sort of like guitar KARAOKE.  Here's a clip from the 2018 World Championships.  I wouldn't bother watching the performance, but some of the comments are a hoot:

38. Jeans patch site: KNEE.

39. Quaint cry: EGAD.  An interjection used as a mild oath, per the Merriam-Websters Dictionary.

41. Thailand neighbor: LAOS.   Laos officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a socialist state and the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. At the heart of the Indochinese Peninsula, Laos is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and southwest.  Its capital and largest city is Vientiane.

Laos

42. Sighed words: OH ME.

47. Spoil: GO BAD.

49. Biblical book partly by King David: PSALMS.  The Book of Psalms is a part of the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) Wisdom literature and consists of a set of 150 hymns, meant to be accompanied by music.  As they are included in every Catholic Mass, the daily Liturgy of the Hours, and many Jewish rites, it is safe to say that they are the most commonly recited prayers in the Western world.  Undoubtedly the  most popular Psalm describes David's life tending his father Jesse's sheep, long before he became a king. 

51. Little nails: BRADS.

52. Not shady: LEGIT.

53. Only U.S. president born in Hawaii: OBAMA.  This fact was disputed during the 2008 election and is still sometimes disputed to this day.

55. Entertain: AMUSE.

58. FaceTime tablet: IPAD.  FaceTime is a proprietary videotelephony product developed by Apple Inc. FaceTime is available on supported iOS mobile devices running iOS 4 and later and Mac computers that run Mac OS X 10.6.6 and later.
 

59. Ore deposit: LODE.

61. Hanukkah moolah: GELT.

62. Many Sharon Olds poems: ODES.   Who knew?  There is someone else besides John Keats who has written ODES!  Sharon Olds is one of contemporary poetry’s leading voices, a winner of several prestigious awards, including the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award, and is known for writing intensely personal, emotionally scathing poetry which graphically depicts family life as well as global political events.  Unfortunately it sounds as if most of the poems in her 2016 Odes probably wouldn't pass the Sunday morning breakfast test; but I did find her Ode to My Sister to be quite beautiful, and somewhat sad, like a eulogy.

Sharon Olds

64. Informal "You're oversharing": TMI.  Okay, okay, I'm almost done.

65. "That girl?": HER.

67. "Viva __ Vegas": LAS.  Viva Las Vegas is a 1964 American musical film directed by George Sidney and starring Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret. The film is regarded by fans and film critics as one of Presley's best films, and it is noted for the on-screen chemistry between Presley and Ann-Margret.  Sixties, but definitely pre-British Invasion.  Rated PG:

waseeley

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

Cheers,

Bill

David Tuffs, you are invited to post anything you'd like to share about this puzzle, its evolution, the theme, or whatever, in the Comments section below.  We'd love to hear from you.

Wednesday August 3, 2022 Susan Gelfand

Theme: LITTLE WOMEN (59. Louisa May Alcott classic whose main characters are hidden in the answers to the starred clues)

17. *"We'll never understand": IT'S A MYSTERY.

25. *Color named for a fruit: LIME GREEN.

34. *Large bovine of American folklore: BABE THE BLUE OX.

 50. *Political satirist who wrote "Holidays in Hell": P. J. O'ROURKE.

 

Boomer here again, filling in another Wednesday slot.

Interesting - I have a sister named Amy and a cousin named Jo.  Not sure if I am ready for a Wednesday.  I have heard her child is full of woe.

Across:

1. Maxims: SAWS.

5. Indian dignitaries: RAJAHS.  Interesting how native Americans acquired the tag of Indians.  Columbus had no idea where he landed.

11. Pizzeria order: PIE. So bye, bye, Miss American PIE.

14. Make bootees, say: KNIT.  I never picked up this skill.

15. Childish response: ARE TOO.  AM NOT!

16. Lenient: LAX.  Also a busy Airport.

19. Sports rep: AGT.

20. Familia members: TIAS.

21. __ Palmas: Canary Islands port: LAS.  Tra LA LA LA 

22. Ranch unit: ACRE.  A bad tooth.

23. Not just a few: EVERY.  EVERY day of the week comes another puzzle.

27. Public face: PERSONA.  In line ahead of PERSON B

29. Not yet firm: UNSET.

30. D'backs, in box scores: ARI.  ARIZONA, Take off your rainbow shades.

31. Residue in a charcoal grill: ASH.  Louisville Slugger bats.

33. Pt. of many long weekends: FRI.  Tough puzzle day.

40. Slithery swimmer: EEL. Yuck!

41. Loaf that may contain caraway seeds: RYE.  Seinfeld stole it from a lady

42. Rival: FOE.

44. Like a designated driver: SOBER.  I am this.  My meds do not agree with the stuff in that other bottle.

47. Weepy: TEARFUL.  It does not make me cry.  I never liked the hard stuff much.

54. "Phooey!": NERTS.

55. Umbrella spokes: RIBS.  Great dinner as well.

56. __ chi: martial art: TAI.

57. Ten, for openers: DECA. But I thought December was the 12th month.

58. Recede: EBB.  The  tide goes out unless it's laundry soap.

63. Wonderment: AWE.

64. Lipton drink: ICE TEA. Great stuff in Minnesota's hot hot summer.

65. High coif: UPDO.

66. Teller of corny jokes, stereotypically: DAD. Yeah, that's me.

67. Not strict with: EASY ON.

68. Discreet summons: PSST.  Do you want to know a secret ?

Down:

1. Compete in the Super G, e.g.: SKI.  We have some great ski slopes in Minnesota.  But I never had a pair of skis.

2. Colony critter: ANT.  I have had ants, but not in the house, only driveway.

3. Climbing vine with purple flowers: WISTERIA.  Sounds like something our Vikings may grow.

4. Connecting flights: STAIRS.  Three in our home.  Difficult for me with bad legs and shoulder.

5. Tampa Bay baseballers: RAYS.  Do they still have a pool beyond the outfield fence with a devil ray in it?

6. Horace's "__ Poetica": ARS.

7. "Fist of Legend" action star: JET LI.

8. Starting squad: A TEAM.  Twins are now an F team.  Pitching coach quit and went to LSU.

9. Neigh-sayer: HORSE.  A horse is a horse of course.  Mr. Ed.

10. __ latte: dairy-free order: SOY.

11. Director's call: PLACES.  Came in second at Churchhill Downs.

12. "So true!": I AGREE.

13. Magnitude: EXTENT.

18. Cinco de __: MAYO. 

22. Golfer Palmer, informally: ARNIE.  Had an Army of fans.

Boomer, Arnie's Army, 3M Championship 2018

23. Org. with a Climate Change section on its website: EPA.

24. Sink or swim: VERB.  Kitchen SINK is a noun.

25. Mascara target: LASH.  I keep my LASH mascara-free.

26. Hindu spiritual adviser: GURU.  Does he give stock tips?

28. The older of baseball's two leagues: Abbr.: NATL.  I am not old enough to remember when there was only one league.

32. Possessive pronoun: HER.

33. Vamoose: FLEE.  I'm outta here soon!

35. Pub round: BEERS.  "Beer, beer, beer said the privates - happy men are we, There's none so fair as can compare with the sighting infantry' 

36. Architect Saarinen: EERO.

37. Data unit: BYTE.  Take a BYTE of the Apple Eve.

38. Freeway exits: OFF RAMPS.  Slow down. 

39. Cross off: X OUT.

43. Overhead trains: ELS.  Golfer Ernie.

44. Cream cheese, e.g.: SPREAD.  Not my favorite.

45. Algonquian language: OJIBWA.

46. Rose and fell on the waves: BOBBED.  If it goes under, you caught a fish!!

48. Over again: ANEW.

49. Get back: RECOUP.  Investors got some of their dough back in July.

51. City near Syracuse: UTICA.  Not a small town.  Everything's big in NY.

52. Hotel postings: RATES.  Going up all the time.

53. Poker pot: KITTY.

57. Leader with an .edu address: DEAN.  Dean Phillips is our congressman from Minnesota.  Last week he suggested that Biden should not run again.  Makes sense. Joe B is four years older than me and I am not running. 

59. Fabrication: LIE.

60. Name of 13 popes: LEO.  I don't remember any of them.  I think there were 23 Johns.

61. Masthead VIPs: EDS.

62. "__ too shabby!": NOT.  Thank you!

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

Happy birthday to our beautiful Melissa, the longest blogger on our team after me. Melissa and her mom Barbara B were avid crossword solvers and commenters back in 2008. After her world was turned upside down, she founded Adopt an Inmate project and has successfully facilitated thousands of adoptions.Event though she's extremely busy with her job, she continues to find time to blog for us. Thank you so much, Melissa!

 

Melissa