Saturday, November 26, 2022, Bill Pipal

 Saturday Themeless by Bill Pipal 

Here's Bill carrying
Renny on a very hot day

From Bill: My very first puzzle was published right here in the LA Times 13 months ago, and I am thrilled to be back! Since that time I have had puzzles published in a few other outlets like Universal, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, but this is only my second themeless.

This picture shows Bill and Renny who is a rescue dog who Bill carried on a very hot day. Bill said: We were trying to pick out a name for her we liked Renny as it means "small, but mighty" in Gaelic. She was quite underweight when we rescued her (after being on the streets and then in an animal shelter), but we knew she had a lot of strength in her and that has proven to be very true!

I currently reside in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood with my wife. Proud double-Illini working as an in-house attorney for a tech start-up in Chicago. Like many, I started constructing crossword puzzles during the pandemic and was lucky to meet so many kind people in the crosswording community who helped me learn from mistakes and improve my construction skills.  A big thank you to the test solvers of this puzzle (and all of my puzzles).  Specifically, my sister-in law, Alie, and my father-in law, Tom.  Most importantly, while not a crossword enthsuiast herself, my wife was incredibly supportive of me in this time consuming hobby and encouraged me to keep trying even after some rejections started coming in on earlier puzzles.

I blogged that first themeless puzzle Bill submitted and I had a good time on it and this one too!

Across:

1. Berry from Brazilian palms: ACAI - Harvest time

5. Hides from animals: PELTS.

10. Sanctuary area: APSE.

14. Game time?: TURN - You could lose it 😀

15. "Dances With Wolves" distribution company: ORION.

 

16. Haunted house sound: MOAN.

17. Raccoon, facetiously: TRASH PANDA - 😀 Bill was very pleased to introduce this phrase to the crossword world.

19. Romance novelist Kennedy: ELLE.

20. Improvises: AD LIBS - The ten most famous film AD LIBS

21. Minimal-compliance hiring practice: TOKENISM.

23. Google __: DOCS - Google DOCS, Sheets and Slides are Google's version of Office.

25. Gel: SET.

26. Low island: CAY - Golding CAY in the Bahamas is for sale

27. Tanzanite and black opal: RARE GEMS -  A Trillion Cut Tanzanite & Blue Fire Opal Inlay Solid 925 Sterling Silver Pendant For Necklace - $55.25 $65.00

Original Price:

Price

31. Out: DATED - These items are OUT, DATED and OUTDATED

33. "Go me!": I'VE DONE IT - Upon reaching the summit of Everest, stoic Sir Edmund Hilary said his thought was, "I can't believe that Eddy Hilary made it up here!" His sherpa Norgay Tensing was much more emotional!

35. Turkish coins: LIRAS - A Big Mac Meal Deal is about 65₺ at this Ankara, Turkey  outlet mall

37. Country rock band co-founded by Jim Messina: POCO - I've enjoyed Jim in all of his iterations

38. Fictional Gantry: ELMER - Burt Lancaster as the spell binding ELMER is believable, but Shirley Jones as a revenge-seeking prostitute named Lulu was a little tougher. 

40. Sheet of glass: PANE.

41. Breadth: SCOPE.

43. Singular source of dissent: LONE VOICE - The day after the Pearl Harbor attack, the U.S. House voted 388 -  1 to declare was on Japan. JeanetteRankin of Montana was that lone no vote. She was harassed so severely she had to get to a phone booth to call for an escort out of the chamber. 47. "That explains everything": NO WONDER - She was not reelected. 

45. Geometry numbers: AREAS.

48. "How unexpected": ODD.

49. Includes, briefly: CCS - Speaking of OUTDATED, Carbon Copies are a prime example but their idea of getting copies to others lives on.

51. Memorization technique: ROTE.

52. Snarky remarks: POTSHOTS - He made a good living at it.

55. Polymer products: RESINS - Epoxy RESIN poured onto a countertop. 

59. Legendary: EPIC.

60. Footwear for a private eye?: TRACK SHOES - 😀 Let's see, a private eye can TRACK people and wears SHOES so...

62. Home to the oldest university in the Americas: LIMA - Chartered in 1551 by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

63. Proportional gift: TITHE - 10%

64. Soon, quaintly: ANON.

65. Education acronym: STEM.

66. Base stealer's asset: SPEED.

67. Sits in the sun: TANS.

Down:

1. Flour that's stone ground in a chakki: ATTA - We had just recently. ATTA no longer gets clued as ___ girl!

2. Poutine morsel: CURD - CURDS on French fries? Really? 

3. Kazakh/Uzbek border name: ARAL.

4. Skinny, so to speak: INSIDE DOPE.

5. Milieu of Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish: POP SCENE - Okay

6. Detergent brand: ERA.

7. Fuzz: LINT.

8. Chore list items: TO DOS.

9. Unclogged, as a pipe: SNAKED.

10. "Indeed": AMEN.

11. Bust: POLICE RAID.

12. Cuban movement?: SALSA DANCE.

13. Adversary: ENEMY.

18. Phased-out streaming service: HBO GO 

22. "There are others" abbr.: ET AL - John Hancock, et al.

24. Get a whiff of: SMELL.

27. Tears (up): RIPS.

28. Seed germinated on toothpicks in some science projects: AVOCADO PIT.

29. Goal for some Olympians: RECORD TIME - The 4-minute mile was a goal until 1954. The current record is held by a Moroccan at 3:43.13

30. "Lost in Yonkers" playwright: SIMON - A playbill signed by the original Broadway cast. Neil SIMON is definitely not an obscure name.

32. Be respectful, in a way: TIP ONE'S HAT - Golfers don't usually TIP the entire HAT until the end of the round but they often touch the bill to acknowledge applause during the round

34. General sense: TENOR.

36. One who looks to the future?: SEER.

39. Edited: REWORKED - When making a presentation multiple times in a day, I REWORKED  it constantly  

42. Per: EACH.

44. Primary concern: VOTES - They're all cast, the signs are down and the phone calls have quit

46. Turf Builder brand: SCOTTS.

48. German wheels: OPELS - OPEL plans to launch this electric model in 2028

50. Lose one's shirt?: STRIP.

53. Trick: SCAM.

54. Fill and then some: SATE - Two days ago?

56. New Rochelle school designated a university in 2022: IONA - Appropriate for constructor whose puppy has a dog with a Gaelic name.

57. Adjective associated with some 1980s fashion: NEON.

58. IDs since 1936: SSNS.

61. Sara Ramirez's "And Just Like That ... " role: CHE - Sara plays CHE in this HBO Max show but she is better known to me as Dr. Calliope Torres in Grey's Anatomy.

Happy Birthday Dad.

On a personal note, today would have been my dad's 100th birthday. I wish I could have had more time (taken more time) to get to know him.

Friday, November 25, 2022, Emma Oxford

 

Good morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with today's state-of-the-puzzle recap.  That is, I am here for those of you who have come out of any food-induced stupors that may have been caused by yesterday's feasting.  If you have not yet recovered then you have probably yet to solve the puzzle and are probably also not reading this so . . . never mind.

Today's puzzle setter is Emma Oxford.  I have previously recapped Emma's puzzles and they are always a pleasure.  The clues are often very clever.  Her themes are always creative and today's is no exception.  To grasp what she has accomplished today it helps if you, first of all, know the nicknames for various (in this case six) constituent states of these United States.  Second, it helped to know the postal abbreviations for those states.  Third, you need to like to play with words - in this case by breaking them apart at out-of-the ordinary places.  Here are the six themed clues and answers:

16 Across:  Flower of the Hoosier State?: IN CARNATION.  The Hoosier State is the nickname for Indiana and its postal abbreviation is IN.  INCARNATION becomes Indiana Carnation.

24 Across:  Basement access in the Palmetto State?: SC AREA WAY.  The Palmetto State is the nickname for South Carolina and its postal abbreviation is SC.  SCARE AWAY becomes South Carolina Area Way.

30 Across:  Clothing in the Sunshine State?: FL ATTIRE.  The Sunshine State is the nickname for Florida and its postal abbreviation is FL.  FLAT TIRE becomes Florida Attire.

44 Across:  Girls from the Show-Me State?: MO LASSES.  The Show Me State is the nickname for Missouri and its postal abbreviation is MO.  MOLASSES becomes Missouri Lasses.

50 Across:   Psychedelics from the Evergreen State?: WA SHROOMS.  The Evergreen State is the nickname for Washington and its postal abbreviation is WA.  WASHROOMS becomes Washington Shrooms (slang for mushrooms of the psychoactive type).

62 Across:  Fortified wines from the Ocean State?: RI VERMOUTHS.  The Ocean State is the nickname for Rhode Island and its postal abbreviation is RI.  RIVER MOUTHS becomes Rhode Island Vermouths.

Here is how this looks in the grid:

. . . and here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Spanish home: CASA.  La lección de español de hoy

5. Yelped about?: RATED.  Clever.  Nothing to do with a dog complaining.  Having used the food review app, Yelp.

10. Fix: JAM.  Hand up for thinking this had something to do with repair work.  Then thinking it might be pet related.  Nope, Fix is used, here, as in to be in a fix or predicament.  That's probably better than being in a pickle.

13. Actress Taylor-Joy: ANYA.  A web search reveals that she has both a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.  I wouldn't know her from Eve.

14. Take from commercial to residential, maybe: REZONE.

15. PC core: CPU.  Central Processing Unit

18. Some triage pros: RNS. and 65. Some triage pros: DRS.  Professionals is abbreviated to PROS in both clues.  Registered NurseS and DoctoRS.  See also 59 Down.

19. Opposite of paleo-: NEO.

20. Stand for a presentation: EASEL.  Again, it is not as if we are at a performance of Handel's "Messiah" and getting out of our seats in a show of respect.  Literally, a stand on which you might place your presentation.

21. Clog fillers: FEET.  Not the hairs in your sink.  The shoes.

22. Boot: EXPEL.  Not the shoe.  Used, here, as a verb.  Oust.

27. Three-line verse: HAIKU.

        Our own Chairman Moe

        Often writes HAIKU verses

        For our enjoyment

29. Screen __: TEST.  Hand up for first writing in SHOT (well, the second T worked).

33. Rise to the occasion: STEP UP.

37. Refrigerator drawer: BIN.

38. Word before toast or after peach: MELBA.  Created as a surname by opera diva Nellie Melba (born Helen Mitchell) after her hometown of Melbourne Australia.  Such was her fame that several food dishes were named after her.

40. Comm. system in the film "CODA": ASL.  Comm as in communications.

41. Entirely: IN TOTO.  Also, where a dog treat might be located in Kansas.

47. Without: SANS.  From the Old French via Middle English.

49. Sore spots: WELTS.  When Gandhi was on his first hunger strike people would routinely bring him locally-made bread in an attempt to get him to eat.  What people don't understand, though, is that Gandhi was actually a very temperamental man and, prone to anger, he would hurl the bread at his friends sometimes leaving bruises and WELTS.  He justified this behavior by saying that it was all part of his philosophy of naan-violence.

54. Banks known as "Mr. Cub": ERNIE.

57. Think piece?: IDEA.  The result of cogitating, perhaps.

58. Social outcast, metaphorically: LEPER.

60. Portuguese greeting: OLA.  Lição de hoje de Portougese.

61. __ sequitur: NON.

66. Clinches the deal: ICES IT.  Idiomatic.  Sometimes we get SEWS UP.

67. Veal or venison: MEAT.

68. "Happy now?": SEE.  Ah, the things people say in crossword puzzles.

69. Bathroom fixture: BIDET.  More French.  Today's let's-skip-the-visual-aid moment.

70. IDs on tax forms: SSNS.  Social Security NumberS

Down:

1. Michael who plays Alfred in "The Dark Knight" trilogy: CAINE.  See also 30 Down.  Michael CAINE was in that movie too.

2. Building addition: ANNEX.  Putin is griping about all of the land he is trying so hard to ANNEX.  Oh, Crimea river, Vladimir.

3. Lackey: SYCOPHANT.

4. Level just below the majors: AAA.  A baseball reference.  The Triple A teams are comprised (with a few exceptions) of the best players in the minor leagues.  Below AAA is AA, A, and other tiers.  Altogether there are 209 minor league teams in 19 leagues spread across 44 states and 4 provinces.

5. Instill confidence in: REASSURE.  People keep telling me that alcohol isn't a solution but I've asked my chemist friends and they all REASSURE me that it is.

6. Xipe Totec worshipper: AZTEC.  Hand up for no idea what Xipe Totec was except that it sounded Mesoamerican.  The Z from REZONE was the hint that led quickly to AZTEC.

7. Labor over: TOIL AT.

8. Eclectic musician Brian: ENO.  Among other accomplishments, frequent visitor Brian ENO is known as the creator of "ambient" music.

9. Lair: DEN.

10. Banana Republic alternative: J CREW.  Hand up for first thinking of types of governments.

11. Sleep clinic study: APNEA.

12. Dank and damp: MUSTY.

14. Messenger __: RNA.  Pigeon would not fit.

17. On again: RELIT.  Like a light bulb or a candle.

21. Destiny: FATE.  "Man does not control his own fate.  The women in his life do that for him."    - Groucho Marx

23. Nosh on: EAT.  From the Yiddish nashn.

25. Flea market transaction: RESALE.

26. Educated guess, basically: Abbr.: EST.  ESTimate

28. Traditional garment for Japan's Coming of Age Day: KIMONO.  Despite not being familiar with Coming of Age Day this one filled quickly.

30. Org. in "Miss Congeniality": FBI.   A 2000 film featuring Sandra Bullock as an undercover FBI agent.

31. Three-time Tony winner __-Manuel Miranda: LIN.

32. West __: upscale furniture store: ELM.

34. Misbehave in class, in a way: PASS NOTES.

35. Purpose: USE.

36. "Thx" counterpart: PLS.  PLeaSe and Thanks.

39. Spar above a ship's figurehead: BOWSPRIT.

42. Job safety org.: OSHA.

43. Pitch: TAR.  Neither a baseball reference nor a sales spiel reference.  Pitch is the black viscous substance obtained as a residue through the distillation of organic substances.

45. Last new Olds: ALERO.  Oldsmobile.  A new olds.  Cute.

46. Orch. section: STR. and 50. Orchestra section: WINDS.  In the first of these two, almost identical, clues ORCHestra is abbreviated so STRings is also.

48. Cracked, as a mystery: SOLVED.

51. Love to bits: ADORE.

52. First word in a Jane Austen title: SENSE.

53. Attorney general under Reagan: MEESE.  Edwin MEESE.  A polarizing figure in his day.

55. Minnesota representative Omar: ILHAN.  A well-publicized figure due the the fact that she has also been seen as polarizing.

56. Bridge positions: EASTS.  We need one of the first two letters to see if it will be EASTS or WESTS.

59. Triage pro: EMT.  Emergency Medical Technician.  See also 18 and 65 Across.  Is the use of the same clue three separate times a new record?

62. Saguaro segment: RIB.  Saguaro is a ribbed cactus that looks like this:

63. Here, on Métro maps: ICI.  C'est francais n'est ce pas?  ICI is the French equivalent of here.

64. Verbal hesitations: UMS.  Hmm, a bit of a punt to wrap up a very, very entertaining puzzle.

Thanks for the wonderful grid, Emma.   Please feel free to stop by The Crossword Corner and share anything you'd like about the puzzle.

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