Friday, January 6, 2023, Geoff Brown

Well, AH no, SpongeBob, not exactly.  But you are close.  It's not AH and it's not A HAT.  What's missing is simply A.  A what?  Not A what.  Not A anything.  Just A.

Good morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a Friday puzzle from Geoff Brown.

Let's start with the reveal:

67 Across:  Not quite right, and an apt title for this puzzle?: AMISS.

In this case A (the letter) is MISSing.  It has been removed from a "normal" description in order to create a humorous answer to the (somewhat contrived, out of necessity) situation described in the clue.

Here are the five themed clues and answers:

18 Across:  Deep dive into the statistics of a NY slugger?: META ANALYSIS.  Meta Analysis is a statistical method to combine the results of different studies.  Drop the A and we end up with a reference to a member of the New York Mets baseball team.

23 Across:  Scotch drinker who complains about a small pour?: DRAMA CRITIC.  A Drama Critic reviews stage productions.  Drop the A and we have someone who comments on a shot of whisky (a dram is technically equal to about one eighth of a fluid ounce but most people use the term to refer to a shot of whisky).

"Give The Fiddler A Dram" - Doc Watson

37 Across:  So over meaty spaghetti sauce?: PASTA BOLOGNESE.  This one also works as "past a Bolognese".

50 Across:  One who stands in the way of a wager?: BETA BLOCKER.  Beta Blockers are a class of drugs used primarily to treat cardiovascular diseases.  Drop the A and you can no longer have fun on FanDuel or DraftKings.

58 Across:  Flushed condition?: FLORIDA STATE.   FLORIDA STATE University is, of course, a well-known university who's main campus is in Tallahassee, FLORIDA.  Drop the A and you'll turn red.

This is how it all appears in the grid (with the A deleted in each case):

. . . . and here is the rest of the story:

Across:

1. Peak in the Tour de France: ALP.  Peak as in mountain top not as in reaching the peak of one's level of performance.

4. Nickname for a Carolina team: CANES.  The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team.

9. Air fryer brand: OSTER.

14. Grief: WOE.

15. Leaves out: OMITS.  There are two types of people.  Those who can extrapolate OMITted data using existing data.

16. Fracking target: SHALE.

17. African viper: ASP.

20. Put on another coat: REPAINT.  Not layer up for the cold.

22. Word with square and cube: ROOT.

26. Briny cheese: FETA.  For those interested in the process:  How To Make Feta Cheese

29. "Patience __ virtue": IS A.  Wait a moment.  Haven't we eschewed A?

30. Final bio: OBIT.

32. Texting nicety: THX.  Thanks.

33. Civil War POTUS: ABE.  POTUS in the abbreviation for President of the United States.  ABE is the abbreviated version of Abraham Lincoln.  Often clued with reference to a five dollar bill.

35. Dismal turnout: NO ONE.  Dismal-est?

36. Afore: ERE.  Before.  Works well in palindromes.

41. British term for a vaccination: JAB.  I just realized that Boris Johnson looks a lot like Benny Hill.  It might explain quite a lot.

42. Quick and energetic: BRISK.

43. GPS display: RTE. RouTE

44. Frosty: ICY.  Aloof.  Distant.  ICY The Snowman?  

45. Take on: HIRE.  A bit of a stretch clue-wise, but it is Friday.

46. __-K: PRE.  Murray The would not fit the allotted space.

48. "The Book of Boba __": FETT.  A Star Wars reference.

55. Flow slowly: OOZE.

57. Jelly Roll Morton genre: RAGTIME.

Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers - 1926

62. Karate level: DAN.  BELT would not fit.  Thanks, perps.

63. Probably will, after "is": APT TO.  Not to be confused with Apt 2.

64. Puzzle: POSER.

65. Fizzle out: DIE.

66. Washed-out: ASHEN.  ASHEN-faced Joe Smith goes to see his doctor.  "Doc" he says, "I have a piece of lettuce coming out of my butt."  The doctor performs an examination and says  "Joe, I have some bad news.  Unfortunately, it's just the tip of the iceberg."

68. Copa Mundial cheer: OLE.  A Spanish lesson for today.  Copa Mundial = World Cup.  The World Cup football (soccer) tournament was recently held in Qatar.

Down:

1. Oscar or Tony: AWARD.  We often see EGOT.

2. Sore __: LOSER.

3. Cartoon piglet with a British accent: PEPPA.

4. Many open mic performers: COMICS.  Other six-letter plurals were also possibilities (e.g. ACTORS, MIMICS, CLOWNS).

5. Egyptian deity: AMEN RA.  Also, AMUN RA.   The god of creation.

6. Tucci's "Road to Perdition" role: NITTI.  Frank NITTI.  Al Capone's first cousin.

7. GPS display: ETA.  GPS is abbreviated ergo so is the answer.  Estimated Time of Arrival

8. Fig. in identity theft: SSN.

9. European capital with more than 340 lakes: OSLO.  We visit the capital city of Norway quite often in our puzzles.

10. Not quite meeting: SHY OF.

11. Market research comparison: TASTE TEST.

12. Pharmaceutical giant __ Lilly: ELI.

13. Hi-__ graphics: RES.  High Resolution.

19. Following a curve: ARCING.

21. French friends: AMIES.  Female (avec le e) friends in this case.

24. Hammer home?: TOOL SET.  Not as in to hammer something home, the idiom for stressing a point of debate.  Literally, where one might keep their hammer.  Alternatively, Stanley Burrell's crib.

25. Old Mac laptop: I BOOK.  First released in 1999.

27. Preakness horse's age: THREE.  The Preakness Stakes comprises one-third of (American) horse racing's "Triple Crown" (with the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes).  Regardless of their actual date of birth, all Thoroughbred racing horses turn 0ne year old on January 1st of the year following their birth.

28. Log chopper: AXE.

31. "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the __ Rings": TEN.

33. Rapidly: APACE.

34. Item left for a certain fairy: BABY TOOTH.  Anyone else here grow up with Barnaby and Mr. O'Malley?

35. Bête __: NOIRE.  Plus de francais although the term has become part of the English lexicon.

38. "Frankly," in texts: TBH.  To Be Honest

39. Paid off: BRIBED.  I tried to offer my school's administrator a BRIBE but she was too principled.

40. Not in a slump?: ERECT.  Today's let's pass on the graphic moment.

41. Peanut butter brand: JIF.

46. Dishes: PLATES.

47. "The Gambler" singer: ROGERS.  Kenny Rogers.

49. Patisserie product: TORTE.  Made with lots of eggs and little flour.

51. Luca of "The Godfather": BRASI.

52. Affectionate nickname: KIDDO.

53. Send with a click: EMAIL.  In this case, used as a verb.

54. Soprano Fleming: RENEE.  A fairly easy proper noun to perp.

56. Williamson who was the 2019 #1 NBA draft pick: ZION.  A tougher proper noun to perp.

58. Tower authority: Abbr.: FAA.  As in aircraft control tower.

59. CD precursors: LPS.

60. Après-ski option: SPA.  I have never heard anyone say "Hey, let's hit the SPA" after a day on the slopes.  Anyone go, initially, with BAR?

61. Loki player Hiddleston: TOM.  A tough finish (except that TOM perp'd easily) if you're not into the latest Hollywood/Marvel efforts.

A belated Happy New Year, one and all!

______________________________________________

Thursday, January 5, 2023, Chandi Deitmer & Darby Ratliff

 

Is There an Echo In Here?

For all the Star Wars: The Bad Batch fans on the Corner.

Today's constructors are Chandi Deitmer  and Darby Ratliff.  Chandi is a licensed social worker who previously published here on November 16., 2022 and has also published in the NYT.  I believe her partner Darby is making her LA Times debut.  Darby is a Doctoral Candidate in American Studies at the Jesuit Saint Louis University, with a particular interest in the intersection of religion and American culture.  Here's a portion of her capsule BIO copied from her LinkedIn profile and a link to her personal blog.

Today they invite us to locate an ECHO in each of the three starred themers:

18A. *Person destined for greatness: THE CHOSEN ONE.    This was by far the most difficult clue for me to illustrate, and in the end I very arbitrarily CHOSE THREE greats, two of whom died this past year:

Nelson Mandela

 

Pelé

Queen Elizabeth II

27A. *Nocturnal bird known for its cry: SCREECH OWL.  Keeping with our acoustic theme (you might want to turn the volume down):

39A. *Cocoa butter confection: WHITE CHOCOLATE.  One of my DIL.'s favorite food groups:
 

54A. *Board-breaking move: KARATE CHOP.  Look Ma,  no hands!

Here's the straightforward reveal, but you probably weren't listening for the ECHOS until you read it:

64A. Nature's sonar, and what varies in the answers to the starred clues?: ECHOLOCATION.  This one drove me BATS (well not a drive actually, maybe a short putt). Here's bit about bat echolocation.  All the videos were too creepy, so I settled on this:

Bat Echolocation

The grid:

The rest:

Across:

1. Fall into bed: CRASH.  Whoops!  Off to a bad START.

6. Turn on: START.

11. 23andMe stuff: DNA. It's back again!  "23" is the number of chromosomes in human cells.  "Me"?  It's one of the things I'm made of.  You too.

Chromosomes

14. Santorini's sea: AEGEAN.  Santorini was the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history: the Minoan eruption (sometimes called the Thera eruption), which occurred about 3,600 years ago at the height of the Minoan civilization. The eruption left a large caldera surrounded by volcanic ash deposits hundreds of metres deep.  It does look like a beautiful place to visit today.

Santorini*

16. Holy scroll: TORAH.

17. Ref. work that added "influencer" in 2022: OED.  The very first edit I had to do upon loading the clue list was to add "influencer" to Google's dictionary.

[Theme clue]

20. Early afternoon: TWO.

21. Fizz liquor: GIN.  I prefer my GIN in MARTINIS, shaken, not stirred.  But if you insist, here's a recipe.

Gin Fizz

22. Polished: SHINY. 

23. Goes (for): OPTS.

25. Pseudocultural: ARTY.

[Theme clue]

31. Tea variety: PEKOE.  The PEKOE varieties are Indian black teas, often called ORANGE PEKOE, but that's not a description of their color.

33. Brass instrument: HORN.  A CSO to JzB, as the Trombone is one of the "Brass instruments".  Here are the HORNS proper, specifically the French Horns:

French Horn Section

34. Arizona Wildcats coach Barnes: ADIA.   Since returning to her alma mater as head coach in April of 2016, Adia Barnes has built Arizona Women’s Basketball into a fixture on the national stage of college basketball while developing her own legacy as one of the top coaches in the sport.

Adia Barnes

35. Chew the fat: GAB.

37. Prefix with day or night: MID.

38. Irish golfer McIlroy: RORY.  Rory Daniel McIlroy MBE (born 4 May 1989) is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who is a member of both the European and PGA Tours.  He is the current world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking, and has spent over 100 weeks in that position during his career.

Rory McIlroy

[Theme clue]

44. Melville captain: AHAB.  The Great American Novel.  Captain AHAB was the obsessive whaler who spent his life in pursuit of MOBY DICK, the great white whale who had bitten off one of his legs years before.  In 2010, composer Jake Heggie turned it into the Great American Opera, using a steeply raked stage to suggest the inside and rigging of a whaling ship and digital projections onto the stage to simulate a fleet of harpooners.  We've seen this stunning production at the Kennedy Center and later on PBS Great Performances.  This was the preview for the LA Opera's presentation:

45. Melber of MSNBC: ARI.  Ari Naftali Melber (born March 31, 1980) is an American attorney and journalist who is the chief legal correspondent for MSNBC and host of The Beat with Ari Melber.

Ari Melber

46. Court: WOO.

47. Drought-damaged: SERE.

48. Fireplace stack: LOGS.

50. He-Man's twin: SHE-RA.  DNK SHE-RA.  She-Ra, real name Adora, is a fictional super heroine in the 1985 Filmation series She-Ra: Princess of Power and its 2018 reboot She-Ra and the Princesses of Power:

She-Ra

54A [Theme clue]

57. Mario Paint console, initially: SNES.  Super Nintendo Entertainment System.  Two parts of Mario Paint are meant to familiarize the user with the SNES mouse: the title screen, where users can click on each of the logo text for "surprise[s]" to occur and a fly-swatting mini-game named Gnat Attack, where the player swats 100 insects before fighting a boss named King Watinga.  It sounds exciting:

58. Black Power leader Kwame __: TURE.  Perhaps better known to older folks as Stokely Carmichael (born June 29, 1941, Port of Spain, Trinidad—died November 15, 1998, Conakry, Guinea), West-Indian-born civil rights activist, leader of Black nationalism in the United States in the 1960s and originator of its rallying slogan, “Black power.  I recall that he was well known in Maryland where he led several protest marches.  His death in 1998 was due to prostate cancer.

Kwame Ture

59. Chinese greeting: NI HAO.  "Hello".  Today's Mandarin lesson.  Just about the only words I remember from 15 years ago when my Son and I traveled to Harbin, China to adopt my second oldest grandson.  He recently achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.

62. Chemical in some plastics, briefly: BPA.  Better living through chemistry.  BPA stands for bisphenol A, an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins since the 1950s. 

63. Goal: AIM.

[Theme clue]

68. Slangy assent: YEP.

69. Unoriginal: TRITE.

70. Least extroverted: SHIEST.

71. "Give or take" ending: ISH.

72. Talked up: HYPED.

73. "Ugh, I'll never be able to __ that!": UN SEE.  What many of the investigators said who were Inside the Bitcoin Bust That Took Down the Web’s Biggest Child Abuse Site (Wired Mag Apr 7, 2022).  In order to prove their charges they had to examine thousands of pictures of child pornography and many of the investigators were completely devastated by the experience. I'd previously read the 60 page article about the years long investigation and found it emotionally draining.

Down:

1. Period with a noticeable lack of feline fossils: CAT GAP.  When I first perped this clue I thought it was a joke.  But it wasn't.

2. Employ again: REHIRE.

3. "Men in Black" role: AGENT K.  Men in Black (stylized as MIB: Men in Black) is a 1997 American science fiction action comedy film. Loosely based on the Marvel comic book series of a similar name created by Lowell Cunningham and Sandy Carruthers.  The film stars Tommy Lee Jones (Agent K) and Will Smith (Agent J) as two agents of a secret organization called the Men in Black:

4. Wall Street regulatory org.: SEC.  Securities and Exchange Commission.  Here's what they do.

5. Chortles: HAHS.

6. Skunk aftermath: STENCH.  An olfactory disaster.

7. Four-time Pro Bowl quarterback who never made it to the Super Bowl: TONY ROMO.

8. Affectional orientation abbr.: ARO.  AROMANTIC, i.e. someone who doesn't form romantic attachments. 

9. Bolted: RAN.

10. 2000s teen drama that introduced "Chrismukkah": THE OC.  A portmanteau of Christmas and Hanukkah.  The O.C. is an American teen drama television series created by Josh Schwartz that originally aired on the Fox network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, running a total of four seasons. "O.C." is an initialism of Orange County, the location in Southern California in which the series is set:

11. Pencil puzzle: DOT TO DOT.

12. Story line?: NEWS WIRE.

13. Big fuss: ADO.

15. Japanese drama: NOH.  Noh (能, Nō, derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent") is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century.

Noh Performer

19. Certain sib: SIS.

24. Ancient kings who wore nemes headdresses: PHARAOHS.  Nemes were pieces of striped head cloth worn by pharaohs in ancient Egypt.  Here's one created by a marvelous modern fashion designer:
 

Nemes Headdress

26. Jellystone resident: YOGI BEAR.

28. Actor Bana: ERIC.  Eric Banadinović, AM (born 9 August 1968), known professionally as Eric Bana, is an Australian actor and comedian. He began his career in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining notice in the comedy drama The Castle (1997). He achieved further critical recognition for starring in the biographical crime film Chopper (2000.

Eric Bana

29. Fund: ENDOW.

30. Set down: LAY.

32. End a fast: EAT.

36. "If __ Street Could Talk": BEALE.  If Beale Street Could Talk is a 2018 American romantic drama film written and directed by Barry Jenkins and based on James Baldwin's 1974 novel of the same name.  The film follows a young woman who, with her family's support, seeks to clear the name of her wrongly charged lover and prove his innocence before the birth of their child.

39. Cereal with collectible boxes: WHEATIES.  You can buy this one on eBay for just $3500 ...

40. Gruff protest: HARRUMPH.

41. Lightweight clog: CROC.

42. Singer's challenge: HIGH NOTE.  Here's a clip of Diana Damrau's HIGH NOTES in the role of the evil Queen of the Night, berating her daughter to kill her enemy Sarastro in Mozart's The Magic Flute.  They don't get much higher than this:

43. Spanish article: LOS. Los Angeles, "THE City of Angels".  Today's Spanish lesson.

44. Request: ASK.

49. Besmirched: SOILED.

51. Some gender-fluid people: ENBIES. A homophone for NBs, an acronym for "Non-Binaries".

52. Tranquility: REPOSE.

53. Swahili for "thank you": ASANTE.  And HAKUNA SHIDA is "No Problem".  Today's Swahili lesson.

55. Pearly whites: TEETH.

56. Soup sometimes served with banh mi: PHO.  My Sister Mary's recipe is still available on C.C.'s Ginger Roots blog.

60. Cooling systs.: ACS.

61. Island near Kauai: OAHU. Thus OAHU is an island near KAUAI ...

        KAUAI                                                            OAHU

63. Ghanaian writer __ Kwei Armah: AYI.  Ayi Kwei Armah (born 28 October 1939) is a Ghanaian writer best known for his novels including The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born (1968), Two Thousand Seasons (1973) and The Healers (1978). He is also an essayist, as well as having written poetry, short stories, and books for children.

Ayi Kwei Armah

65. Get weepy: CRY.

66. With it: HIP.

67. Sardine can: TIN.

Cheers,
Bill

As always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism. 

waseeley

Chandi Deitmer and Darby Ratliff,  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. 

* Oh and thanks to sumdaze for teaching me a new use for a tool I've been using for years.  I've just used it to "snip", but never to "sketch".

Wednesday, January 4, 2023, Hoang-Kim Vu & Jessica Zetzman

Theme: The Fabulous T-Birds said it best ...

 

18. *Overnight delivery, maybe: NEWBORN BABY. Nice clue.

29. *Injury treated with ice and elevation: SPRAINED ANKLE. Once you have a bad one, it never quite goes away.

50. *Secret Santa item: CHRISTMAS GIFT. Anyone give or receive one last week?

62. *Meatless meal in a tortilla: BEAN BURRITO. I just watched a video with a woman who said burritos (at least the way they are made here in the states) are not really Mexican. To be fair, their example was Taco Bell - so duh. The first episode of Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi (on Hulu) was filmed in El Paso (which was once part of Mexico), and is called Burritos at the Border. They looked pretty authentic to me (and made me hungry).

60. With 61-Down, "Get a move on!" and an instruction for the answers to the starred clues: WRAP.

61. See 60-Down: IT UP.

Four things to wrap up: a baby, an ankle, a gift, and a burrito. Did you see it?

Across:

1. Election night graphic: MAP.

4. __ vu: DEJA.

8. Noon: MIDDAY.

14. Past: AGO.

15. Stunt legend Knievel: EVEL.

16. Padre de tu padre: ABUELO. The father of your father is your grandfather.

17. Baker's unit: CUP. Tried to fool us into writing tsp, or egg.

20. Has wings, say: EATS. So sneaky.

22. "How groovy": NEATO. 

23. __ Speedwagon: REO. The band was named after the flatbed truck. Same original five band members still touring.

24. National Poetry Month: APRIL. I always think of Clear Ayes.

26. First-years: ROOKIES.

32. Part of some uniforms: HAT.

33. "Ella Enchanted" beast: OGRE.

34. Compass pt.: SSE.

35. "Frozen" sister: ELSA. Disney movie.

37. __ bunt: SAC. Those of us who don't follow baseball have seen this a few times. In baseball, a sacrifice bunt is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball, before there are two outs, in a manner that allows a baserunner to advance to another base.

39. Send out: EMIT.

43. Part of some uniforms: CAP. Deja vu.

46. Desktop light: LAMP.

49. Reddit Q&A session: AMA. Ask me anything.

53. French cake: GALETTE. Like a pie, but freeform.

55. The Carpenters' "We've Only Just __": BEGUN.

56. Mined material: ORE.

57. Chicago team: BEARS.

59. Fuzzy fruit or fuzzy bird: KIWI.

66. Gere title role: DR T. 2000 movie.

67. Nation with a Star of David on its flag: ISRAEL.

68. E-commerce icon: CART.

69. 2-Down, in French: EAU. Water. Some solvers won't like these clues - but we get both of these words often enough, they're both gettable.

70. Grammy category: GOSPEL.

71. Hoity-toity type: SNOB.

72. Tablet download: APP.

Down:

1. Spice cookie ingredient: MACE. A yellowish-brown spice that is derived from the dried lacy coating of the nutmeg seed. A Guide to Mace.

2. 69-Across, in Spanish: AGUA.

3. Toaster pastry brand: POP-TARTS. Any Gilmore Girls fans here? IYKYK.

 4. Family room: DEN.

5. Remains of the day?: EVENING. Like the clue.

6. Experts with rings, hoops, and loupes: JEWELERS.

7. Jessica of "L.A.'s Finest": ALBA. "American action comedy crime television series." Lasted two seasons.

8. Leaves high and dry: MAROONS. I like the clue.

9. Arabic for "son of": IBN.  Abu, Ibn, and Bin, Oh My!

10. Confer knighthood on: DUB.

11. Honey: DEARIE. The "ie" at the end made it a little tricky.

12. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" playwright: ALBEE. Edward Franklin Albee III.

13. Goes back and forth: YOYOS.

19. __ vez: another time, in Spanish: OTRA. More Spanish.

21. Self-care getaway option: SPA.

25. __ de Janeiro: RIO. The iconic Christ the Redeemer statue can be seen from just about anywhere in Rio de Janeiro. Located on top of Corcovado Mountain, the 38-meter-tall sculpture reigns as the world’s largest Art Deco statue. It’s worth getting up early to hike up to the summit before it gets too hot or crowded. If you don’t feel up to the hike, you can take a train all the way to the top, or a cab to the parking lot and take a shuttle bus from there. 14 Best Things to Do in Rio de Janeiro.

 27. Blesses: OKS.

28. Bauhaus artist Paul: KLEE.

29. __/her pronouns: SHE.

30. Chum: PAL.

31. Gave a hand?: DEALT. Great clue. Playing cards.

36. Blue-Emu target: ACHE.

 38. Geological period with a noted "explosion": CAMBRIAN.

40. Gist: MAIN IDEA.

41. Global finance org.: IMF. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) works to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity for all of its 190 member countries.

42. Skin pic: TAT. Tattoo.

44. Works in a gallery: ART. Ahhh, noun not verb.

45. Champion on "Parks and Rec," for one: PIT BULL. In the episode "The Comeback Kid" April and Andy adopt a three-legged dog named "Champion."  But Champion actually isn't a "he" at all; Champion is played by Lucy, who was adopted from a pit bull rescue in Los Angeles in 2004. She's actually a very prolific actress; she's been in commercials and was also an extra in "Hotel for Dogs." 

 47. Baton holder: MAESTRO.

48. Messi's team, familiarly: PSG. From Wikipedia: Lionel Andrés Messi, also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team.

50. Resets, as one's browser history: CLEARS.

51. Crystal ball gazer: SEER.

52. Soup, in Koreatown: GUK. The native Korean word for soup.

53. Shoot for the stars: GO BIG.

54. "You __ right!": ARE SO.

58. Circle segments: ARCS.

63. Snooze: NAP.

64. Buzzworthy creature?: BEE.

65. Wagering site, initially: OTB. Off-track betting. Legal gambling on horse racing outside of the race track.