Tuesday, August 16, 2022 Gary Cee

Words within words.  This was a very clever theme, but I am not clever enough to come up with a good title, so here's your challenge:  Name this Puzzle!  And the winner is TTP for is entry of:

Indifferently Different

17-Across. Playful but egocentric?: SELFISHLY ELFISH.

27-Across. Hopeful but insubstantial?: MEAGERLY EAGER.

44-Across. Terrible but legal?: LAWFULLY AWFUL.

58-Across. Impolite but uptight?: PRUDISHLY RUDISH.

Across:

1. Barton who wrote "A Story of the Red Cross": CLARA.  Clara Barton (née Clarissa Harlowe Barton; Dec. 25, 1821 ~ Apr. 12, 1912) led a remarkable life.  [Name # 1.]

6. TMI part, briefly: INFO.  Textspeak for Too Much Info.

10. Tibetan priest: LAMA.  As Ogden Nash has informed us: 

        The one-l lama,

        He's a priest.

        The two-l llama,

        He's a beast.

        And I'll bet

        A silk pajama

        There isn't any

        Three-l lllama.

14. Refueling ship: OILER.

15. Juice extractor extraction: PULP.

16. Actor Bana: ERIC.  Eric Bana (né Eric Banadinović; b. Aug. 9, 1968) just celebrated his 54th birthday.  [Name # 2.]

20. Egyptian boy king: TUT.  The tomb of King Tut (né Tutankhamun) was discovered 100 years ago.  [Name # 3.]

21. "hehe": LOL.  More textspeak.  Laughing Out Loud.

22. Jot down: NOTATE.

23. Blue cheese from England: STILTON.  Everything you wanted to know about Stilton Cheese, but didn't know to ask.

26. Diagnostic test for epilepsy, for short: EEG.  As in the ElectroEncephaloGraphy.  Everything you wanted to know about the EEG but didn't know to ask.

33. Words in the title of some tribute poems: ODE TO.

35. "__ your head!": "Think!": USE.  //  Change one vowel, and you get 57-Across. Can. neighbor: USA.  

36. Start all over: REDO.

37. Horseback game with a namesake shirt: POLO.

38. Like pet birds, typically: CAGED.

40. __ Millions lottery: MEGA.

41. Starting on: AS OF.

42. Heavenly sphere: ORB.

Celestial Spheres

43. Cheat: COZEN.  Definitely not a Tuesday word.

48. Mucky stuff: GOO.  //  And 62-Across. Exude, as confidence: OOZE.

49. Spot for a pingpong table: REC ROOM.

52. Pampers all the time: SPOILS.

56. Links org.: PGA.  As in the Professional Golfers Association.

63. Human rights lawyer Clooney: AMAL.  Amal Clooney (née Amal Alamuddin; b. Feb. 3, 1978) married George Clooney in 2014.  She was born in Beirut, Lebanon.  Her speciality is international law and human rights.  [Name # 4.]

64. Jeff's wife on "Curb Your Enthusiasm": SUSIE.  Susie Essman (née Susan Essman; b. May 31, 1955)  plays Susie Greene on Curb Your Enthusiasm.   [Name # 5.] 

65. "Terrible" time for tots (and their parents): TWOS.

66. Solitary: LONE.

67. Joyful shout: CHEER.

Down:

1. Is priced at: COSTS.

2. Fire dept. rank: LIEUT.  As in Lieutenant.  The fire pole is a traditional feature in the fire station, but it also presents a safety risk to the firemen.

3. Coldest temperature on record, e.g.: ALL TIME LOW.  What is the coldest recorded temperature in your state?

4. NWSL official: REF.  Hand up if you knew that NWSL stood for National Women's Soccer League.  Referees are needed for the soccer games.

5. Melber of MSNBC: ARI.  Ari Melber (né Ari Naftali Melber; b. Mar. 31, 1980) hosts The Beat with Ari Melber, which airs on MSNBC.  [Name # 6.]  

6. Apple device featuring Siri: iPHONE.

7. __ and void: NULL.

8. Travel by air: FLY.  Flying is not fun anymore.

9. Carefully attentive: OPEN-EYED.

10. Skipped town: LEFT.

11. Opera solo: ARIA.  My favorite aria from Carmen.

12. Fine spray: MIST.

13. Dull pain: ACHE.

18. Uphill climb: SLOG.

19. Stadium section: LOGE.

Loge in the Budapest Opera House

24. Release, as steam: LET OFF.

25. Chinese philosophical principle: TAO.

26. "What __ is new?": ELSE.

28. Sport with scrums: RUGBY.  The perps gave me enough letters to let me guess Rugby.  I know nothing about this game.  Apparently scrums is short for scrummage.

29. Under __: sports apparel brand: ARMOUR.  I am not familiar with this sportswear, but I have seen the logo.

30. "Heavens to Betsy!": GEEZ, LOUISE!  Also the name of a clothing boutique in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

31. Advantage: EDGE.

32. Speckled horse: ROAN.  What exactly is a Roan horse?

33. Hot springs gemstone: OPAL.  How opals are formed.  Australia is a huge source of opals.  Hi, Kazie!

34. Lentil pancake in Indian cuisine: DOSA.  You, too, can learn how to make Dosa.

38. Mammoth: COLOSSAL.  The Colossal of Rhodes was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

39. Folk singer Guthrie: ARLO.  Arlo Davy Guthrie (b. July 10, 1947) is the son of folk singer Woody Guthrie.  Arlo is probably best known for Alice's Restaurant, but he also sang The City of New Orleans.  [Name # 7.]

43. Ozone-depleting chemical, for short: CFC.  Short for ChloroFloroCarbons.

45. Aptly named hybrid fruit: UGLI.  The Ugli is a hybrid of a tangerine or orange and a grapefruit.  

46. Diamond-shaped pattern: ARGYLE.  Also a reference to our dear Santa.

47. Have on: WEAR.

50. Davis of "Do the Right Thing": OSSIE.  Ossie Davis (né Raiford Chatman Davis; Dec. 18, 1917 ~ Feb. 4, 2005) was an actor and a civil rights activist.  He was also married to actress Ruby Dee.  I saw Do the Right Thing when I was living in France.  It didn't translate well.  [Name # 8.]

51. HBO's "Real Time With Bill __": MAHER.  Bill Maher (b. Jan. 20, 1956) is a comedian and political commentator, known for his satire.  [Name # 9.]

52. Catch sight of: SPOT.

53. Ship's front: PROW.

54. Liqueur with a licorice taste: OUZO.  Everything you wanted to know about Ouzo, but didn't know to ask.

55. Mid-month day: IDES.  Beware the Ides of March.

56. Course of action: PLAN.

59. Managed care gp.: HMO.  As in a Health Maintenance Organization.

60. The Trojans of the NCAA: USC.  As in the University of Southern California.

61. "I think we all know that!": DUH.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Sandwich, Massachusetts is the oldest town on Cape Cod.
The law enforcement officers there are the Sandwich Police.

Notes from C.C.:

Happy birthday to Joseph (MM), who has been wittily guiding us on Thursdays. Here's a picture of him in Chiang Rai. He said "On that trip we spent time in Langkawi, Penang, Bangkok, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Singapore."

 

Chiang Rai, 2017

 

Monday August 15, 2022 Carly Schuna

Theme: "Awesome!" - First word in each theme entry is a slang for "awesome".

20. Awesome event in military history?: BOSS BATTLE.

33. Awesome side at a barbecue?: SWEET CORN.

41. Awesome double Dutch accessory?: TIGHTROPE.

52. Awesome tennis racket?: FLYSWATTER. Read here.

Boomer here. 

Good Morning all. I completed my visit with oncology doctor a week ago and my blood draw work was good except the PSA. We'll wait for two more months to see if the new chemo is working on my cancer cells. Thanks to all for your good wishes and care regarding my PSA. The oncologist told us he has seen some as high as 10,000.

Across: 

1. __ the fat: CHEW. That's what we do on this website.

5. Fill, as a teddy bear: STUFF.  Or "fill, like my stomach."

10. Bonneville Salt Flats state: UTAH.  A Four Corners state.

14. Toy block brand with Creator 3-in-1 sets: LEGO. Happy Birthday to these great toy blocks,  just turned 90 years old. Very popular at Mall of America. 

15. Pitch-fixing pro: TUNER.

16. Indian flatbread: ROTI.

17. Hankering: URGE.  Generally I have an URGE for breakfast before checking this site.

18. Submit taxes online: E FILE.  We do this with Turbotax.

19. Severely overcook: BURN.  The first four letters of my last name.

22. Desertlike: ARID.  We have had a pretty HOT summer in this land of 10,000 lakes this year.

23. Signs off on: OKS.  Not yet - OKAY ?

24. Tree in a tray: BONSAI.

26. Penne and pappardelle: PASTAS.  I just like really thin spaghetti.

30. Minor mistake: SLIP. We all make a few while solving.

32. Scrub energetically: SCOUR.

38. Comic __: casual typeface: SANS. 

39. Warty jumpers: TOADS.  We used to catch them when we were kids.

40. "That is a fact": TRUE.  TRUE or FALSE test ?

43. Judy Blume's "Tales of a Fourth __ Nothing": GRADE.  Easy high GRADE

44. Softball scores: RUNS.  I was the slow pitch pitcher on the Graybar team.

45. Telephoned: CALLED.

46. Hypothetical scenario: WHAT IF.

50. Hotmail alternative: AOL.  America On Line.

51. A pop: EACH. A bottle of Pepsi did not fit.

59. Digging: INTO.

60. Spaghetti Western director Sergio: LEONE.  Yeah, but why is it called "spaghetti"?

61. Roof overhang: EAVE.  Keeps rain from dripping.

62. Splits: GOES. "A nasty bowling leave" had too many letters.

63. Superexcited: EAGER.  I am EAGER to see Orthopedics at the end of this month to see if I get my left arm back.

64. Marvel Comics mutants: X MEN.

65. __-and-seek: HIDE.  Great game for kids!

66. Trades blows: SPARS.

67. Structure with stakes: TENT.  I spent quite a few nights in one.

Down:

1. Sandwich type: CLUB.  Thirteen cards within a deck.

2. Sandwich type: HERO.  We also have a plumber in Minnesota that uses that name.

3. Spaghetti carbonara ingredients: EGGS.  I like scrambled.

4. Misfortunes: WOES.

5. Swordfish servings: STEAKS. I prefer tenderloins.

6. Clumps of fur: TUFTS.

7. Scoville __: chili pepper heat measurement: UNIT.

8. Succumbed to gravity: FELL.  That's why I am now waiting for my shoulder to heal.

9. Giveaways for sampling, e.g.: FREEBIES.  When the senior PGA played the 3M tourney in Minn. We received many free 3M products, just for showing up.

10. "Blue Ain't Your Color" country singer Keith: URBAN.

11. Travels with the band: TOURS.  Our favorite was a tour of Myrtle Beach.

12. Open courtyards: ATRIA.

13. Asian language related to Urdu: HINDI.

21. Wild pig: BOAR.  I'll bet those pork chops are tougher.

25. Choose (to): OPT.

26. Hissed "Hey!": PSST.  Do you want to know a secret?

27. Smoothie bowl berry: ACAI.

28. Spotify selection: SONG.  I can do Simon and Garfunkel.

29. Booty: TUSH.  Sit in it!

30. Scoreless Scrabble turns: SWAPS.  I SWAPPED many baseball cards in my lifetime.

31. News story opening, in journalism jargon: LEDE.

33. Shortly: SOON.  Almost done.

34. __-Alt-Del: CTRL.  It takes long fingers to hit this.

35. Spoken, not written: ORAL.

36. Disrespectful: RUDE.  Not me - Not nice.

37. "__ a lift?": NEED.

39. Artisan chocolate treats: TRUFFLES.  Delicious.

42. Uni- + bi-: TRI.

43. Huge bash: GALA.  Our Minnesota State Fair is a huge bash.  I cannot make it this year.

45. Quakes in fear: COWERS.

46. Put on a scale: WEIGH.  My weight is down about thirty lbs.  Unbelievable!

47. Vietnam's capital: HANOI.

48. Played a role: ACTED.  I played Noah (spelled Noye ?)

49. "The ones I'm pointing at": THOSE.

50. Ed of "Up": ASNER.  Liked him in the Mary Tyler Moore show.

53. Jeté, e.g.: LEAP.

54. Lotus pose discipline: YOGA.  Not Mr. Berra.

55. Smartphone message: TEXT.  I have never done this.  I guess I am not a smart person.

56. Subdue, as wild hair: TAME.

57. Neck and neck: EVEN.  "And down the stretch they come "

58. Tenant's monthly payment: RENT.  We own but have a questionable neighbor who RENTS.

Boomer

 

Sunday August 14, 2022 MaryEllen Uthlaut

Theme: "Begging the Question" - Each theme entry is a question raised by the clue.

23A. York, Jersey, Mexico, etc.?: SO WHAT ELSE IS NEW?.

46A. R?: IS THAT RIGHT?.

70A. None, few, many, most, __?: WILL THAT BE ALL?.

96A. Ralph Emerson?: WHERE'S WALDO?.

122A. "Mice guys finish last"?: WOULDN'T IT BE NICE?.

16D. Sesa Street?: DID YOU MISS ME?. Same clue angle as 122A. Misspellings.

64D. Guess __?: WHO GOES THERE?.

I don't remember seeing a theme like this before. Fun and fresh. Varied clue angles.

Here's a short bio about MaryEllen. Noticed the second constructor Kelly Clark? That's the Kelly that comments on our blog frequently.

Across:

1. Sticky situation: BIND. In a bind.

5. Feeling no pain: NUMB.

9. Hard exterior: CRUST. I like the hard part.

14. Rock projection: LEDGE.

19. Field of study: AREA.

20. On a cruise: ASEA.

21. Adele chart-topper that won three Grammys: HELLO. I must have heard of this song a thousand times.

22. __ skeleton: AXIAL.

26. TV, radio, newspapers, etc.: MEDIA.

27. Minnesota twins?: ENS. The two letters in Minnesota.

28. Like modern farmhouse decor: RUSTIC.

29. Small chess piece: PAWN.
 
30. "Breaking Bad" star Cranston: BRYAN. He played Walter White.

31. More slippery: ICIER.

33. Legless reptile: SNAKE.

35. Muse of poetry: ERATO.

37. Swiped, in a way: SCANNED.

39. Doctrinal breakaways: SECTS.

42. "__ a virtue, if you have it not": Hamlet: ASSUME.

45. Vermicelli, e.g.: PASTA. This is sweet potato noodles. Very popular in China and Korea.

50. Dallas NBAer: MAV.

51. Midrange voice: ALTO.

52. Greek letter that seems like it should be last: ZETA.

53. Unaccompanied: SOLO.

54. Beethoven honoree: ELISE.

56. Neckwear pins: TIE TACKS.

60. Fasten, as buttons: DO UP. I've only used "button up".

62. NCAA pt.: ASSN.

63. Get dizzy with delight: SWOON.

65. Sierra __, Africa: LEONE. Without the "Africa", you might want MADRE.

67. Firmly decided: DEAD SET. Against.

69. "Amazing!": OOH.

74. Juilliard subj.: MUS.

75. Type of court concerned with wills: PROBATE.

77. Like a cold-weather jacket: LINED.

78. Western show: OATER.

80. Logician's "hence": ERGO.

81. Soccer period: HALF.

84. Generosity: LARGESSE. Super grid-friendly letter combo.

86. Barrels of laughs: RIOTS.

88. 1973 Toni Morrison novel: SULA.

90. Aptly named cooler brand: YETI.

91. Nick at __: NITE.

95. Smithwick's beer: ALE. Not a familiar brand to me.

100. Like corned beef: CURED.

101. Orderly method: SYSTEM.

103. Art studio stand: EASEL.

104. Impulse-conducting cells: NEURONS. Guess how many neurons are in your brain?

106. Lock of hair: TRESS.

108. Soul singer Baker: ANITA.

111. "__ you clever!": AREN'T.

112. Informal name for Google Talk: G CHAT. Now just Chat.

114. Old Dodge subcompact: OMNI.

117. Hopeless cases: GONERS. Like my eyebrows.

119. Hang loosely: SAG.

121. Naproxen brand: ALEVE.

125. Stuff to sell: WARES.

126. Respected figure: ELDER. Asian tradition: always respect your elders.

127. Seesaw sitter of classic tongue twisters: ESAU.

128. Not engaged: IDLE.

129. Lowered oneself?: KNELT. Some of you might find this incredible.

130. Like the sound of bagpipes: REEDY.

131. Mix together: MELD.

132. Scallion kin: LEEK.

Down:

1. Private home?: BASE. Military base.

2. Humorously twisted: IRONICAL.

3. Anchor venue: NEWSCAST.

4. "Lah-di-__!": DAH.

5. The great outdoors: NATURE. Beautiful weather here in Minnesota!

6. Puts to work: USES.

7. Softens: MELTS.

8. Washbowl: BASIN.

9. City with two MLB teams: CHI. Cubs and White Sox.

10. Has high regard for: RESPECTS.

11. Forearm bone: ULNA.

12. Whole bunch: SLEW.

13. "Chinatown" screenwriter Robert: TOWNE. I never watched "Chinatown".  Was it good?

14. Scold harshly: LAMBASTE.

15. Applies, as pressure: EXERTS.

17. Greek earth goddess: GAIA.

18. Lively spirit: ELAN.

24. Ice Capades setting: ARENA.

25. Cybercurrency: E CASH.

32. All things considered: IN TOTO.

34. Hawaii's Mauna __: KEA. or LOA.

36. Cheer-full message: RAH.

37. Health resort: SPA. 43. 37-Down staffer: MASSEUR.

38. Food regimen: DIET.

40. Stepped heavily: TROD.

41. Missile housing: SILO.

44. Goings-on: EVENTS.

47. Play for time: STALL.

48. "Be silent," in music: TACET.

49. Mild Dutch cheese: GOUDA.

52. Apex: ZENITH.

55. A.E. Housman's "A Shropshire __": LAD. Learning moment for me.

57. Sioux City state: IOWA.

58. Former German Chancellor Helmut: KOHL.

59. Algae-eating aquarium critter: SNAIL.

61. House speaker Nancy: PELOSI.

63. In a regretful manner: SORRILY.

66. Italian peak also known as Mongibello: ETNA.

68. "Such a pity!": ALAS.

69. Some musical works by Kaija Saariaho: OPERAS. She's a Finnish composer.

71. Rental document: LEASE. The people who live next door to us are renters. Quite a few houses in our HOA have changed hands during COVID and become rental units.

72. Emerald, for one: BERYL.

73. Nosed (out): EDGED.

76. CAPTCHA prey: BOT. I'm not a robot. I'm a Ninja.

79. Academic status: TENURE.

82. Entice: LURE.

83. Pet collar target: FLEA.

85. British school attended by many prime ministers: ETON.

87. Most saccharine: SWEETEST.

89. Attacked: ASSAILED.

92. Raymond Burr crime series: IRONSIDE.

93. Sci-fi monster's appendage: TENTACLE.

94. Mag managers: EDS.

97. "__ Pinafore": HMS.

98. Former Chinese Premier __ Jiabao: WEN (2003-2013). Succeeded by Li Keqiang.

99. Adjust, as car wheels: ALIGN.

100. Hex: CURSE.

102. Visit faraway places: TRAVEL.

105. Tiny headphone: EARBUD.

107. Seed scatterer: SOWER.

109. Sacred emblem: TOTEM.

110. Fennellike herb: ANISE. I've only used star anise.

112. Goggle: GAWK.

113. Extended family: CLAN.

115. Burrowing insectivore: MOLE.

116. Needing extra sunscreen?: NUDE. Ha.

118. Etc. kin: ET AL.

120. __ Squad: Best Buy tech support: GEEK.

123. Like unbuttered toast: DRY.

124. Zero, in soccer: NIL.

Boomer's PSA jumped to 742. It was 525 on 7/11/2022. So the oral chemo Olaparib  has not worked its magic yet. We'll continue for two more months hoping the number might drop as it has done so for a few other patients.

C.C.