Sunday January 22, 2023 lan Massengill & Doug Peterson

Theme:  "Play It Again" - Each song is rephrased as if it's remake.

23. Lizzo "remake" of the Beatles' "I Feel Fine"?: GOOD AS HELL.

25. Dua Lipa "remake" of Katrina and the Waves' "Walking on Sunshine"?: LEVITATING.

35. Taylor Swift "remake" of the Eagles' "Take It Easy"?: YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN.

 61. Marvin Gaye "remake" of Glenn Miller's "In the Mood"?: LET'S GET IT ON.

70. Steve Miller Band "remake" of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You"?: ABRACADABRA.

91. Jay-Z/Alicia Keys "remake" of Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York"?: EMPIRE STATE OF MIND.

111. Ed Sheeran "remake" of the Rays' "Silhouettes"?: SHAPE OF YOU.

113. Lady Gaga "remake" of the J. Geils Band's "Love Stinks"?: BAD ROMANCE.

lan Massengill's debut. Congrats, Ian! You have a fantastic collaborator.

All these songs are very well-known. Even if you don't know the song, the "remake of ..." parts will provide you with enough clues.

Across: 

1. Pesters online, in a way: SPAMS.

6. Dorothy Gale's dog: TOTO.

10. Wore: HAD ON.

15. Three-time WNBA MVP Leslie: LISA. First one to dunk in WNBA history

19. Divvy up: ALLOT.

20. Husband of Psyche: EROS.

21. "Just tell me": I GIVE.

22. Iraq neighbor: IRAN.

27. Snookums: SWEETIE. Qin ai de, in Chinese.

28. Defiant admission of dishonesty: SO I LIED.

30. Thirsts (for): LUSTS.

31. Least refined: RUDEST.

33. Early console letters: NES.

34. Accessory for Mr. Monopoly: TOP HAT.

41. "__ have to do": IT'LL.

42. "Creed" director Coogler: RYAN. He also directed "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever".

43. Wimbledon surface: RYEGRASS.

48. Petting zoo horse: PONY.

49. LAX regulator: FAA.

51. Find repugnant: DESPISE.

54. Folder's loss: ANTE.

55. Doo-wop syllable: SHA.

56. To no avail: VAINLY.

58. Get-up-and-go: PEP. Have some ginseng chicken soup. Very nourishing.

59. Descendant: SCION.

60. "Will you let me?": COULD I.

64. Direct means of access: HOTLINE.

67. Slow-cooked courses: STEWS. I like oden.

69. Anthem played at Blue Jays games: O CANADA.

72. Conditional release: PAROLE.

74. "Rumble in the Jungle" locale: ZAIRE.

75. Trifling amount: SOU.

76. Cowhand's seat: SADDLE.

77. Media-regulating gp.: FCC.

80. One-named supermodel: EMME. Her real name is Melissa Miller.

81. Most efficient: LEANEST.

84. __ socket: EYE.

85. Corn holder: SILO.

86. Final request: LAST WISH. "I've had enough ..." That's what Boomer said. Then I gave him the morphine. Saddest night of my life.

88. Pet food brand: IAMS.

90. Allowing a draft: AJAR.

97. Dicey: UNSAFE.  

101. Connections: INS.

102. Paste-up pieces: REPROS.

103. Cola originally named Brad's Drink: PEPSI.

104. Dips for Easter: EGG DYES.

107. Keeps adding to, as mashed potatoes: HEAPS ON.

115. Actor Stonestreet: ERIC.

116. Yankee manager before Girardi: TORRE (Joe). Assistant to Rob Manfred now.

117. Big name in footwear: ALDO.

118. Resolves a tense problem, say: EDITS. Grammar-wise.

119. Ahi, for one: TUNA.

120. Irritable: CROSS.

121. Knitter's ball: YARN.

122. Station: DEPOT.

Down:

1. Hangs loosely: SAGS.

2. Snowbank creator: PLOW. We've got 52 inches of snow this season. I totally wowed David with some of my snow pictures/clips. He lives in York, England. He has never seen so much snow.

3. Banana Boat After Sun Gel ingredient: ALOE.

4. Using contemporary styles: MODERNLY.

5. Work in a park, perhaps: STATUE.

6. Snickered: TEHEED.

7. Vein contents: ORE.

8. "Anna Karenina" novelist: TOLSTOY. So complicated.

9. Scandinavian capital: OSLO.

10. Jewish campus group: HILLEL. Named after Hillel the Elder.

11. AARP concern: AGEISM.

12. Plunge: DIVE.

13. "Metamorphoses" poet: OVID.

14. __ worth: NET.

15. Brightened: LIT UP.

16. Like Oscar Wilde: IRISH.

17. With 45-Down, West Coast racing venue: SANTA. 45. See 17-Down: ANITA.

18. Teen sensation, perhaps: ANGST.

24. Fries, e.g.: SIDE.

26. As a companion: ALONG.

29. Harebrained: INANE.

32. Maroon: STRAND.

34. Affectedly dainty: TWEE. Not a word I use.

35. Litter cries: YIPS.

36. Brief "Then again ... ": OTOH.

37. Wing support: ULNA.

38. Suffragist Elizabeth __ Stanton: CADY. Learned from doing crosswords.

39. Faucet problems: DRIPS.

40. Cries of dismay: OYS.

44. Wisconsin city between Milwaukee and Chicago: RACINE.

46. Tolerated: STOOD.

47. Medicinal shrub: SENNA.

49. Flora partner: FAUNA.

50. Had a bug: AILED.

52. Gush forth: SPEW.

53. Place for a pawdicure: PET SPA.

56. Word with mail or box: VOICE.

57. Iberian capital: LISBON.

59. No longer novel: STALE.

60. Dry red wine: CLARET.

61. Actress Thompson: LEA. She's from Rochester, Minnesota.

62. Motown Records founder Berry: GORDY.

63. Maître's milieu: ECOLE.

64. Brownish green: HAZEL.

65. First president with a Twitter account: OBAMA.

66. Pares: TRIMS.

68. Accurate: TRUE.

71. Tokyo-based brewery: ASAHI. Meaning "morning sun" in Japanese. The other day I was explaining to Tom Pepper what Ninja really means and how expressive the Nin part is, with a heart under a blade. Then I realized that he has no idea what a blade or heart looks like in Chinese characters or kanji, or where the character starts and ends. Jayce would know it immediately.

Ninja Kanji

73. "__ Fideles": ADESTE.

76. ESPN datum: STAT.

77. Vanuatu neighbor: FIJI.

78. Family circle: CLAN.

79. Twine: CORD.

81. Guacamole ingredient: LIME.

82. Predict-ability?: ESP. Nice clue.

83. Spacek of "Bloodline": SISSY.

85. 1941 Bogart role: SAM SPADE.

87. Group pic: WEFIE. Still call it selfie. The most famous one.

89. Italian dessert wine: MARSALA.

92. Struggles: RIGORS.

93. Provides (with): ENDUES.

94. "Julie & Julia" writer/director: EPHRON (Nora). The author of "Julie & Julia" just passed away at the age 49.

95. Froyo topping: OREO.

96. Made bubbles: FOAMED.

97. In a huff: UPSET.

98. 1960s jacket style: NEHRU.

99. Nadal's birthplace: SPAIN.

100. Pet adoption org.: ASPCA.

104. __ effort: E FOR.

105. Sandwich with tzatziki sauce: GYRO.  This is the sandwich from my hometown Xi'an. Rou jia mo.

106. Site for a bidding war: EBAY.

108. Salon sound: SNIP.

109. Bi- quadrupled: OCTO.

110. Place for a clutch: NEST.

112. Non-Rx: OTC.

114. Musical arcade game, for short: DDR. Dance Dance Revolution.

 

 

A few extra notes:

1) Belated "Happy Birthday" to our sunny sumdaze (Reenee), who has brought so much joy to our blog. Thanks for being our Monday sherpa, Renee! Thanks for your sweet cards to me also.

2) I made a puzzle for the USA Today to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit. It's edited by Erik Agard. Click here to solve. 

 

3) Here are a few more pictures from Guangzhou. Lesley took the first two in front of a shopping center. The 3rd one is the law firm she works for. The 4th one is Carmen's home.

Happy Year of the Rabbit!

 

  

 

Saturday, January 21, 2023, Rich Norris

Saturday Themeless by Rich Norris 

Our former editor, Rich Norris, returns under his real name and not any of the clever aliases he has used in the past:

I followed my usual pattern of toe holds on my way to conquer his crossword wall. It all felt very comfortable and doable. 

Across:

1. Hairpin: SHARP TURN.

10. Antiquated: MOLDY - In blue cheese the penicillium mold is okay to eat

15. Flier to Sharjah: AIR ARABIA - If you flew AIR ARABIA from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Doha, Qatar for the World Cup, it's about a little over an hour flight.

16. Can't get enough of: ADORE.

17. Putter, in golf lingo: FLAT STICK - It's easy to find in the set below

18. Area bordering the Colorado Desert, for short: SO CAL - SOuthern CALifornia 

19. Sign in many a tree-lined nabe: ELM ST.

20. Ruby of "A Raisin in the Sun": DEE - We all know the name of the man in this scene with her

21. Fishing boat net: TRAWL - Emptying a TRAWL net

22. Team's pronoun: OUR.

24. Fixates (on): DWELLS - I heard you the fourth time!

26. Winter wardrobe component: FLANNELS - Shirts, pj's, etc.

31. Straight up: ERECT.

32. Bled: RAN - Oh, so that's why you separate the whites and colors

33. White Cloud Temple worshipper: TAOIST - White Cloud Temple in Beijing 

35. Hardly pleased: SORE.

37. Best Picture winner based on the memoir "The Master of Disguise": ARGO - A great movie I saw on Netflix. 

39. High-def screen: LCD TV.

40. Old-style challenge: SLAP.

41. Chinese border river: YALU - Chinese troops flocked over the border when U.S. troops got near the YALU.

42. Blackmail tactic: THREAT - Send those sexts at your own risk

44. Need to satisfy: OWE.

45. __ voce: SOTTO - Not me, I had to close the door when I taught.

47. Prep for future coll. students: AP COURSE - Some students now graduate high school with many college credits

49. Bit of forecast shorthand: T-STORM.

51. Patronizing term of address, perhaps: SON.

52. Bygone rulers: SHAHS - If you had _ _ A _ S you might have chosen a different bygone ruler

53. Orange tuber: YAM.

56. Dock: TIE UP.

60. Spells: HEXES.

61. "Don't blame yourself": THAT'S ON ME.

63. Subject of una serenata: AMORE.

64. Memorable drive?: HOLE IN ONE - This was my first one - 110 yds with a nice easy 9-iron

65. Parental units?: GENES.

66. Training in the mountains, say: SKI LESSON.

Down:

1. Call at home, maybe: SAFE - If you argue too much you might get 46. Discards: TOSSES- Tossed out of the game

2. Rise: HILL.

3. Saroyan's "My Name Is __": ARAM - A first edition you can get for $550

4. Sells out: RATS ON - In this movie, the late Ray Lotta (far left) played Henry Hill who RATS ON the mob in real life.

5. Carlsberg's "Probably not the best beer in the world" campaign, for one: PR STUNT - Like...

6. Half an even exchange: TAT - We all know the other part

7. Former auction website: U-BID.

8. Hall of Famer who holds the record for most career touchdown receptions: RICE - Jerry Rice caught 67 TD passes from Joe Montana and 92 more from Steve Young.

9. Undisguised: NAKED.

10. Perfect: MASTER - To MASTER a skill you would need to perfect your technique

11. Like helium: ODORLESS - colorless, ODORLESS, tasteless, non-toxic and inert `

12. Regional attribute: LOCAL COLOR - Lucy wanted to soak up LOCAL COLOR in this famous episode and did so in more ways than one

13. Determine an unlucky winner?: DRAW STRAWS - 😀

14. Cry: YELL.

23. Person with lots to offer: REALTOR - Around us, REALTORS want lots for lots

25. Solutions for spills: WET VACS.

26. Fight: FRAY.

27. Movie music that inspired the Connie Francis hit "Somewhere, My Love": LARA'S THEME - Here's the song with lyrics and lovely scenes from Dr. Zhivago 

28. Old English: ANGLO SAXON.

29. Highlands water: LOCH - LOCH Ness has the most water of all of them plus a mythical inhabitant.

30. "Seinfeld" woman who said, "They're real, and they're spectacular!": SIDRA - Played by Teri Hatcher

34. Instructions part: STEP - Could you go over that again? 😐

36. Foil cousin: EPEE.

38. Nonconformist: OUT THERE - Dennis Rodman is the poster child!

43. __ Roll: TOOTSIE.

48. Strike callers: UNIONS - In 1979, baseball's strike callers went, uh, on strike

50. Folklore: MYTHS - "We didn't really land on the Moon" 58. "Sorry, you're wrong": UM NO.

52. Messy do: SHAG - Laugh In's Sock It To Me girl, Judy Carne, popularized this haircut in the late 60's.

54. "Sure, I get it": AH OK.

55. Senegal neighbor: MALI - It's a 39-hour drive from Dakar, Senegal to Timbuktu, MALI

57. Mireille of "The Killing": ENOS - First time I've seen ENOS as a surname

59. Hammer part: PEEN - I'm guessing you all know which hammer has a claw and which one has a PEEN

62. Contacts list no.: TEL.

 

 

 

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy 75th birthday to our sweet Madame DeFarge (Janice), who's always been so kind and caring to regulars on our blog. 

 

2) Happy 15th birthday to our blog! Thank you so much for visiting and commenting.