google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Mar 23, 2023

Thursday, March 23, 2023, Rebecca Goldstein & Rafael Musa

 Today's veteran constructors Rebecca Goldstein and Rafael Musa (19 & 4 LAT puzzles respectively including today's) present us with another scrambled word game.  Their theme appears at first to be a bit of a downer, so to clear that up right away, let's start with the reveal ...

 62A. "This doesn't feel right," and what can be said about some letters in the answers to the starred clues?: THE VIBES ARE OFF.   This phrase generally connotes that the speaker is sensing BAD VIBES, or an EDGY feeling of unease (e.g. see 69A).  Quite honestly when this reviewer realized this he panicked and started looking around for an antidote.  So to calm everyone down we'll start with some
GOOD VIBES ...
 
... from master vibraphonist Gary Barton leading
a quintet by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla


Now that we've relaxed a bit we can see that reveal doesn't really have anything to do with emotional turmoil. On the contrary it simply describes the parsing of four rather innocuous theme clues, each of which has an embedded acronym of the word VIBE spanning two words:

16A. *Players who cover wide receivers: DEFENSIVE BACKS.  The timing of this clue is not so good as Super Bowl LV was a month and half ago.  The big news that day was that Rhianna was the first pregnant woman to headline a half-time show.  Oh and ICYI the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38 to 35. . 

28A. *Film fanatic: MOVIE BUFF.  The news here is not quite as stale, as the Oscars were awarded March 12.  See 14A for more details.

39A. *Black Friday slogan: SAVE BIG.   Mark your calendars, the next Black Friday is Fri, Nov 24, 2023.  It's never too early to start getting in shape for that midnight mad dash ...

50A. *Couple in the honeymoon phase: LOVE BIRDS.  One of our nieces married just this past fall.  She's still in the honeymoon phase.  Our nephew, her brother, married about a year ago.  He's now in the parenting phase.

Here's the grid ...

 
Here's the rest ...

Across:


1. Acrobat format: PDF.

4. Mumford & Sons instrument: BANJOMumford & Sons is a British folk rock band formed in London in 2007.  Here's their Hopeless Wanderer (lyrics)

9.  ____ school: PREP.

13. Non opposite: OUI.  Today's French lesson.
 
14. Burmese or Lao: ASIANEverything Everywhere All at Once is a 2022 American absurdist comedy-drama film that follows Evelyn Wang, a Chinese-American immigrant who, while being audited by the IRS, discovers that she must connect with parallel universe versions of herself to prevent a powerful being from destroying the multiverse. Michelle Yeoh was the first ASIAN actress to win an OSCAR.

15. Trading floor order: SELL.

16A [Theme clue].

19. Part of a winesap or a wineglass: STEM.  Fruity clue.  STEM is also an acronym for "Science Technology Engineering and Math".  I would add an E to the end as Geeks should learn proper English.

20. Major headache: HASSLE.

21. Actress Shawkat: ALIAAlia Martine Shawkat (/ˈæliə ˈʃɔːkæt/ AL-ee-ə SHAW-kat; Arabic: عليا مارتين شوكت; born April 18, 1989) is an American actress. The big news about Alia is that she's not dating Brad Pitt.  OTOH she has been an actress for over 20 years.
Alia Shawkat
24. Pals: AMIGOS.  Today's Spanish lesson.

28A [Theme clue]

33. Uttered: SPOKE.

34. "... because you don't want to cross me": OR ELSE.

35. Burj Khalifa's fed.: UAE.  Here are the 7 federated emirates of  the United Arab Emirates, the largest being Abu Dhabi:  
The United Arab Republic
The Burj Khalifas is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is known for being the world's tallest building with a total height  of 829.8 m (2,722 ft, or just over half a mile).
Burj Khalifas
37. Frog's kid-lit friend: TOADFrog and Toad is a series of easy-reader children's books, written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel.  Each book contains five simple, often humorous, sometimes poignant, short stories chronicling the exploits of an anthropomorphic frog and toad, named Frog and Toad respectively.
38. "You're it!": TAG.

[Theme clue]

42. Go green, say?: DYE.  As TOAD's companion might say "It's not easy bein' green ...".  Here's Van Morrison's cover of the KERMIT classic (lyrics) ...

43. Gay __: ICON.  My two favorite gay ICONS are the English mathematician Alan Turing and the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.   Sadly both of these men took their own lives.  In Turing's case this was doubly sad as he was driven to suicide by people who, due to the Official Secrets Act, were completely unaware of the critical role he played in the breaking of the coding scheme of the Enigma machine used by the Nazis for secure communications during WWII.  In 2021 Great Britain at least partially atoned for this grave injustice by issuing this iconic currency:
On the obverse side of the note is Queen Elizabeth II.

Tchaikovsky
is best known for his symphonies, ballets, and operas, but he also wrote songs.  One of his best known songs is based on a poem by the German polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe called None but the Lonely Heart (Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt, literally "Only he who knows longing") and expresses the poet's anguish at unrequited love.  As the song has been covered by many different singers, I'll spare you the German version:

  45. GQ or EW: MAGGentleman's Quarterly and Entertainment Weekly.  As GQ usually doesn't pass the breakfast test, here's what EW is covering as of press time on the Corner  (see also 28A).

46. Pampers product: DIAPER.  I'm sure my nephew has been changing a lot of these lately (see 50A).

48. Chimney ducts: FLUES.  [Usually] rectangular fire clay liners that protect the less heat resistant red brick of the chimney itself.  FLUES also have an additional function in fuel burning downdraft kilns.  They are usually equipped with dampers, which can be partially closed to temporarily reduce the amount of oxygen in the kiln, making possible the classic copper red(Sang de boeuf) and iron green celadon glazes developed by the Chinese over a 1000 years ago.
50. [Theme clue]

52. Plays matchmaker for: SETS UP.  If I recall correctly both sets of Love Birds in 50A above were SET UP.

54. Greek war god: ARES.  The antithesis of EROS, who was undoubtedly involved in the previous comment.

55. 18-Down units: TROOPS.  My grandsons' TROOP is No. 420.

58. Actor Neeson: LIAM. William John Neeson OBE (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed 7th on The Irish Times list of Ireland's 50 Greatest Film Actors. Neeson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2000.
Liam Neeson
62. [Reveal clue]

66. Intense anger: RAGE.

67. Birthplace of the violin: ITALYCremona, ITALY to be exact.  Antonio Stradivari's teacher, Andrea Amati is credited with inventing the modern violin and thus making this possible far in the future: Baltimorean Hilary Hahn performing the 1st movement cadenza to the Beethoven Violin Concerto:

68. Darjeeling, for one: TEA.

69. Neither calm nor collected: EDGY.  Someone whose VIBES ARE OFF.

70. Like some foggy nights: EERIE

71. Cribside chorus: AWS.  I think our new great nephew (see 50A above) has been getting a lot of these lately.

Down:

1. Vanilla units: PODSVanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (V. planifolia).  We use vanilla extract in baking, but you can also scrape the seeds from the pods:
Vanilla Pods
2. Piece for two: DUET.  The "Flower Duet" for soprano and mezzo-soprano in the first act of Léo Delibes' opera Lakmé is sung by the characters Lakmé, daughter of a Brahmin priest, and her servant Mallika, as they go to gather flowers by a river.  You'll probably recognize it:

3. Marching band pipe: FIFEFifers were non-combatant foot soldiers who originally played the FIFE during combat. When played in its upper register, the fife is loud and piercing, yet also extremely small and portable. According to some reports, a band of fifes and drums can be heard up to 3 miles (4.8 km) away over artillery fire. Because of these qualities, European armies from the Renaissance on found it useful for signaling on the battlefield ... (click Watch on YouTube below to get this started [I thought Google owned both Blogger and YouTube!?]).
4. Block: BAN.

5. Donkey: ASS.

6. Hawaiian island whose population was 84 in the 2020 census: NIIHAUNiʻihau (you get extra points if you included the apostrophe), anglicized as Niihau (/ˈniː(i)haʊ/ NEE-(ee-)how), is the westernmost main and seventh largest inhabited island in Hawaii.
7. Cup of joe: JAVA.  Here's why some people call coffee a "cup of Joe";  here's why it's also called JAVA;  and here's why the programming language is called JAVA.
8. Snack machine inserts: ONES.

9. Old Testament collection: PSALMS.  In the Christian Old Testament and Hebrew Bible the PSALMS are a collection of 150 sacred songs and poems meant to be sung or recited.  Tradition has it that many of them were written by King David, who was reputed to be a harpist and quite a dancer in his day.  They are used extensively in the liturgies of both Christians and Jews.  They are also the primary prayers in the 4 week Psalter of Catholic Divine Office, which is prayed by priests, religious, and laity around the world throughout each day.
King David Playing the Harp
by Gerard van Honthorst

10. Lengthy register printout from CVS: RECEIPT.

11. Mammals also known as wapiti: ELK.  The ELK (Cervus canadensis), or wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia.
Bull Elk
in Alberta, Canada
12. Letters from a polite texter: PLS.  And the polite response is THX.

17. Message in Outlook: EMAIL.  Hand up if you still use this?

18. Org. with sashes and badges: BSABoy Scouts of America.  If you (or more likely your Mom) sew enough badges on those sashes you become an Eagle Scout.  *Hand up if you are an Eagle Scout?  I never reached the rank, but two of my grandsons have.  This medal is actually pinned to the uniform, not the sash ...
22. On sale, say: LESS.

23. Pronoun-shaped girder: I BEAM.  Now even girders have pronouns.  What's next?

25. Favorable optics, for short: GOOD PR.  Or even poor optic if your PR person is a good enough spinner.

26. Approved: OKAYED.

27. Passover rituals: SEDERS.  Passover will be here soon.  What is it and how is it celebrated?

28. Recurring themes: MOTIFS.

29. Soothsayer: ORACLEPythia (/ˈpɪθiə/; Ancient Greek: Πυθία [pyːˈtʰíaː]) was the name of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.  She specifically served as its oracle and was known as the Oracle of Delphi.  Also a company owned by Larry Ellison who also owns Lanai, the seventh largest Hawaiian island (see also 6D):
30. Ride the couch: VEG OUT.

31. Fire, in Spanish: FUEGO.   A lot of us know this Spanish word from our high school geography, as the Southern tip of Argentina was called Tierra del Fuego (the "Land of Fire"), by the explorer Ferdinand Magellan, due to the bonfires kept lit on the shore by the indigenous people.  Since he was actually Portuguese, I wonder why he didn't call it  Terra de Fogo.

32. British Invasion adjective: FAB.  As in the FAB FOUR.

36. Arctic Circle duck: EIDEREiders are large sea ducks in the genus Somateria. The three extant species all breed in the cooler latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The down feathers of eider ducks, and some other ducks and geese, are used to fill pillows and quilts—they have given the name to the type of quilt known as an eiderdown.
Eider Duck
40. 2021 documentary about actor Kilmer: VALVal Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer found fame after appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! (1984) and Real Genius (1985), as well as the military action film Top Gun (1986),  The Doors (1991) and the fantasy film Batman Forever (1995). Here's a clip from his bio-pic ...

41. Taunt: GIBE.

44. Funds for a rainy day: NEST EGGIRA was too short.  The ducks in 36A produce NEST EGGS about once a year, regardless of the weather.

47. Market section: AISLE.

49. Introductory course: SURVEY.

51. Jane Fonda's alma mater: VASSARVassar College (/ˈvæsər/ VASS-ər) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely following Elmira College. It became coeducational in 1969 and now has a gender ratio at the national average. The college is one of the historic Seven Sisters, the first elite women's colleges in the U.S., and has a historic relationship with Yale University, which suggested a merger before they both became coeducational.
53. Starchy luau dish: POI.

56. Award related to a Tony: OBIE. A made up homophone for the letters OB, short for Off Broadway musicals. Here are the winners for the 66th Annual OBIE Awards held on February 13, 2023.  Years back we saw The Fantasticks, which holds the record for the longest running Off Broadway show.  You'll probably remember this song ...
57. Slugger Alonso nicknamed "Polar Bear": PETE.  Plays 1st Base for the NY Mets.  A right handed batter he made his MLB debut during the 2019 season and broke the major league record for the most home runs by a rookie with 53.  He's age 28, 6'3" and weighs 245 pounds.  Here are his stats.
Pete Alonso

59. Whit: IOTA.
60. Not many: A FEW.

61. Degs. for ballerinas: MFASMaster of Fine ArtsYou can get one here.  Many operas have ballet scenes (they're required in French operas).  We've seen only one full-length ballet and decided that they're too expensive and too addictive.

62. Uno e uno e uno: TRE.  Today's Italian lesson: THREE.  Sorry, no OPERA today.

63. "I've been __!": HAD.

64. "Moonlight" Oscar winner Mahershala: ALIMoonlight is a 2016 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Barry Jenkins, based on Tarell Alvin McCraney's unpublished semi-autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. The film stars Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome, Naomie Harris, and Mahershala Ali.  Here's the trailer:

65. Manhattan liquor: RYE.

*"Once an Eagle Scout, always an Eagle Scout!"

Cheers,
Bill

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

 
waseeley





Mar 22, 2023

Wednesday March 22, 2023 Alexander Liebeskind

Theme:  I get a CHARGE from this puzzle.  How about you?

Each theme entry includes a CHARGER of a different sort.  Let's see how many we can find.

18 A. Animal that may be on the verge of an attack: RAGING BULL.  Boxing fans and movie mavens might be thinking about Jake La Motta.  But this is more literal - an infuriated bovine, intent on wreaking havoc.  Here, the CHARGE is physical action with intent to do bodily harm.

 24 A. Laptop accessory: POWER CORD.  This is an electrical cable that temporarily connects an appliance to the main electricity supply via a wall socket or extension cord.   It will keep your lap top operating, and provide a CHARGE to its internal battery.

52 A. Body that investigates potential criminal conduct: GRAND JURY.    A group that examines accusations against persons charged with crime and, if the evidence warrants, makes formal CHARGES on which the accused persons are later tried.  This type of CHARGE is a formal accusation that a crime has been committed.

59. Person who likely has a high credit card balance: BIG SPENDER.  This assumes s/he is not using cash, but rather using an account to pay later for a good or service provided today, thus CHARGING that item. 


And, at last, here is the unifier:   36. Los Angeles NFL team, and an apt name for 18-, 24-, 52-, and 59-Across, collectively?: THE CHARGERS.  They were 10-7 last season, finished in 2nd place in the AFC, behind the 14-3 Chiefs.   In the Wild Card round, despite amassing a 27–0 lead during the second quarter, the Chargers collapsed in the second-half of the game, losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars 30–31 on a last-second field goal. Sad.

This sense of CHARGER most closely matches that of the  RAGING BULL, but is a bit more abstract.  Usually I put the unifier first to clarify the concept, but that didn't seem necessary today.  Also, it's rare to have two [or more] word theme entries that use the whole phrase rather than a chosen word.  So this theme stands out in a couple ways.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here, all het up to lead the CHARGE through today's puzzle.  Let's get to it.

Across:

1. Wall Street inits.: NYSE.  New York Stock Exchange, one of the world’s largest marketplaces for securities and other exchange-traded investments. .

5. Spring time: MARCH.  A month that is a time in which Spring begins - this year it was on Monday, the 20th.

10. Nadal of tennis, familiarly: RAFA.  Rafael Nadal Parera [b. 1986] is a Spanish professional tennis player. He is currently ranked world No. 9 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals. He has been ranked world No. 1 for 209 weeks, and has finished as the year-end No. 1 five times.

14. Tries to win over: WOOS.  Seeks the favor, affection, or love of someone.

15. "Welcome to Maui!": ALOHA.   Hawaiian greeting.

16. Rapper born Tracy Marrow: ICE-T.   Tracy Lauren Marrow (b. 1958), better known by his stage name Ice-T, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and producer. He began his career as an underground rapper in the 1980s and was signed to Sire Records in 1987, when he released his debut album Rhyme Pays. The following year, he founded the record label Rhyme $yndicate Records (named after his collective of fellow hip-hop artists called the "Rhyme $yndicate") and released another album, Power, which would go platinum. He also released several other albums that went gold.

17. Rolaids rival: TUMS.  These medications, taken orally, are used to treat symptoms caused by too much stomach acid such as heartburn, upset stomach, or indigestion. They work by lowering the amount of acid in the stomach.

20. German camera brand: LEICA.  a German company that manufactures cameras, optical lenses, photographic lenses, binoculars, rifle scopes and microscopes. The company was founded by Ernst Leitz in 1869, in Wetzlar, Germany.  In 1986, the Leitz company changed its name to Leica, due to the fame of the Leica trade-name. The name Leica is derived from the first three letters of the founder's surname (Leitz) and the first two of the word camera

22. Disney princess voiced by Idina Menzel: ELSA.

She's actually the Queen

23. Coastal inlet: RIA.   A coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea.

26. Depends (on): LEANS.   Derive support from someone or something, either literally or figuratively.

28. Incinerator residue: ASH.   The powdery residue left after the burning of a substance.

29. Tuber in the Nigerian dish asaro: YAM.  The edible starchy tuber of a climbing plant that is widely grown in tropical and subtropical countries.

30. Complete collection, perhaps: BOX SET.   A set of related items, typically books or recordings, packaged together in a box and sold as a unit.

31. Spring: LEAP.   Move or jump suddenly or rapidly upward or forward.   Fortunately, the extra day in. leap year occurs before Spring, or it would be too confusing.

33. 2007 Nobel Peace Prize co-recipient: AL GORE.   Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (b.1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic nominee for the 2000 presidential election, losing to George W. Bush in a very close race after a Florida recount.    His work in climate change activism earned him (jointly with the IPCC) the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. 

40. Like someone with a hit single?: ON BASE.  Nice misdirection.  Not a pop music reference, but a successful at bat in a baseball game.

41. StarKist product: TUNA.  




44. Angles: SLANTS.  Leans, in. a different sense of the word.

47. Luggage-screening gp.: TSA.   Transportation Security Administration

50. Ballerina's hairdo: BUN.  Buns are made to keep hair out of your face. In a performance, it would be distracting for an audience member to constantly see a dancer tossing hair out of their face. It's also a problem for the dancer.  


51. National animal of Malaysia: TIGER.   A tiger from a specific population of the Panthera tigris tigris subspecies that is native to Peninsular Malaysia. This population inhabits the southern and central parts of the Malay Peninsula and has been classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2015. As of April 2014, the population was estimated at 80 to 120 mature individuals with a continuous declining trend.

55. Many a craft beer: ALE.    Fermented malt beverage, full-bodied and somewhat bitter, with strong flavor and aroma of hops. 

56. Region: AREA.  The extent of space or surface having some common definable characteristic and flexible boundaries.

58. Baking soda targets: ODORS.   Most unpleasant smells have an acidic nature.  Baking soda is basic, and will react with the odor causing molecules, thus neutralizing them.  Chemistry, peeps!

62. Long-billed wader: IBIS.    A group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word for this group of birds. 

64. Roof problem: LEAK.  A hole or crack that allows unintended water to enter a structure.

65. Like a paddling surfer: PRONE.   A body position in which the person lies flat with the chest down and the back up.

66. Muse count: NINE.    In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts.   their functions are as follows: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Euterpe (flutes and music), Thalia (comedy and pastoral poetry), Melpomene (tragedy)
Terpsichore (dance), Erato (love poetry and lyric poetry), Polyhymnia (hymns and sacred poetry), Urania (astronomy)

67. Award for very good plays?: ESPY.   Another clever clue, relating not to theater productions, but to excellence in sporting contests.  The ESPY Awards, the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly, is an event honoring the top athletes and sport performances of the year.

68. Transmits: SENDS.  Causes something to pass on from one place or person to another.

69. Epic story: SAGA.   A long story of heroic achievement, especially a medieval prose narrative in Old Norse or Old Icelandic.

Down:

1. Region above Sask.: NWT.   NorthWest Territory.   The Northwest Territories of Canada include the regions of Dehcho, North Slave, Sahtu, South Slave and Inuvik. Their remote landscape encompasses forest, mountains, Arctic tundra and islands in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. 



2. "Checkmate!": YOU LOSE.   A winning move in chess, and, by extension, any dramatic winning maneuver.

3. A bit: SOMEWHAT.  Diminishing modifier.

4. Nail polish brand: ESSIE.  They offer over 300 colors.

5. Shaken percussion item: MARACA.  




6. Chicken __ king: ALA.    A dish consisting of diced chicken in a cream sauce, often with sherry, mushrooms, and vegetables, generally served over rice, noodles, or bread. 

7. "Copy that": ROGER.   I Heard and Understood the Message.

8. "The French Chef" host Julia: CHILD.   Julia Carolyn Child (née McWilliams (1912 –  2004) was an American cooking teacher, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which premiered in 1963.

9. Film score composer Zimmer with four Grammys: HANS.   Hans Florian Zimmer [b. 1957] is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Oscars and four Grammys, and has been nominated for two Emmys and a Tony. Zimmer was also named on the list of Top 100 Living Geniuses, published by The Daily Telegraph.

10. Part of a cage: RIB.   One of the series of curved bones of the chest of most vertebrates that are joined to the spinal column in pairs and help to support the body wall and protect the organs inside.  Sneaky clue.   BAR also fits.

11. High-end Hondas: ACURAS.   Acura  is the luxury and performance division of Japanese automaker Honda, based primarily in North America.  The brand was launched in the United States on March 27, 1986,

12. Catlike: FELINE.   Appearing or behaving like a cat:

13. Finally: AT LAST.   Said of something has happened after you have been hoping for it for a long time. 

19. In abundance: GALORE.  A veritable plethora.

21. Shout: CRY.  Shout or scream, typically to express fear, pain, or grief.

24. Bud: PAL.  A friend.

25. Home of Creighton University: OMAHA.  Omaha is a city in the U.S. state of Nebraska, on the Missouri River close to the Iowa border. A stop on the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, it's known for its pioneer history, museums and cultural centers. 

27. Wield, as influence: EXERT.   Apply or bring to bear a force, influence, or quality.

30. Marsh: BOG.  Wet muddy ground too soft to support a heavy body.

32. Conversation piece?: PHONE.  Another mis-directing clue.  A device used for conversation [or posting feline pics], not the expected object whose unusual quality makes it a topic of conversation.

34. Part of UNLV: LAS.  University of Nevada at LAS Vegas.

35. Environmental activist Thunberg: GRETA.   Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg FRSGS is a Swedish environmental activist who is known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation. Thunberg's activism began when she persuaded her parents to adopt lifestyle choices that reduced their own carbon footprint.    FRSGS indicates a Fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.

37. Snare: ENTRAP.   Catch (someone or something) in or as in a trap.

38. Network with an eye logo: CBS.   Columbia Broadcasting System

39. "WandaVision" backdrop: SUBURBIA.   an American television miniseries created by Jac Schaeffer for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision. It is the first television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) produced by Marvel Studios, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise, and is set after the events of the film Avengers: Endgame (2019). 

42. Healthcare major: NURSING.   A profession within the healthcare sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. 

43. "__ takers?": ANY.   Questing for someone who would accept or buy some object to condition.

44. Straw-strewn shelter: STABLE.   A building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. 

45. Funnel-shaped flowers: LILIES.   A genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. Most species are native to the northern hemisphere and their range is temperate climates and extends into the subtropics.

46. One year, for Venus and Serena Williams: AGE GAP.   Th difference in ages between two people.  This term is not generally used pertaining to siblings.  More typically it refers to the age difference between romantic partners.

48. Naps noisily: SNORES.   Produces a hoarse or harsh sound from nose or mouth that occurs when breathing is partially obstructed while sleeping.

49. Solve KenKen, say: ADD.  Determine the total when two numbers are combined.  KenKen ia a trademarked name for a style of arithmetic and logic puzzle invented in 2004 by Japanese math teacher Tetsuya Miyamoto, who intended the puzzles to be an instruction-free method of training the brain. The name derives from the Japanese word for cleverness. 

52. Category: GENRE.  A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.

53. Home health hazard: RADON.   An odorless, invisible, radioactive gas naturally released from rocks, soil, and water. Radon can get into homes and buildings through small cracks or holes and build up in the air. Over time, breathing in high levels of radon can cause lung cancer.

54. Puts together: JOINS.  Combines.

57. Workout count: REPS.   Repetitions of a particular exercise or movement.

60. What's up?: SKY.  The phrase generally means, "what's happening?"  Here it is more literal, indicating the firmament.

61. Finale: END.   The last part of a piece of music, a performance, or a public event, especially when particularly dramatic or exciting.

63. Porthole view: SEA.  A ship's window looks out at the ocean.

That wraps up another Wednesday.  Hope you enjoyed it - as always, free of charge.

Cool regards!
JzB




Mar 21, 2023

Tuesday, March 21, 2023 Tom Pepper and C.C. Burnikel

Our Vowels are Politically Correct:  Each theme answer is a two word phrase where the first word begins with P and the second word begins with C.  Note, too, that we have a vowel progression in each of the two words as we work our way through this very PC puzzle.  How cool is that!?!

17-Across. Black-and-white cruisers: PATROL CARS.  Hand up if your first thought was Police Car instead of Patrol Car.  Also known as Panda Cars.

26-Across. Former name of Ball Arena: PEPSI CENTER.  The Ball Arena, formerly known as the Pepsi Center, is in Denver, Colorado.  It's home to the Denver Nuggets (basketball), the Colorado Avalanche (hockey), and the Colorado Mammoth (lacrosse).

39-Across. Public space in London's West End: PICCADILLY CIRCUS.  Although it's a wild and crazy round-about, the Circus in the name is derived from the Latin word meaning circle.

53-Across. Influential duo: POWER COUPLE.  Iconic Power Couples from 1954 to 2020.

64-Across. Snack Pack product: PUDDING CUP.

And the unifier:

63-Down. Some laptops, and a hint to five long answers in this puzzle: PCs.  Is my MacBook a Personal Computer?  What's the difference between a PC (Personal Computer) and an Apple laptop?

Across:
1. Defeated player's concession: I LOST.

6. Phone download: APP.


9. Cobra's warning: HISS.


13. "Yes to Fresh" candy: MENTOS.  I knew of the candy, but not its catch-phrase.


15. Bath bathroom: LOO.  Why do the Brits use the word Loo?  Apparently, it comes from the French phrase guardez l'eau, which means "watch out for the water".  This French phrase was actually used when emptying out the chamber pot from the bedroom window.

16. Snack (on): MUNCH.  Detective Munch, played by the late Richard Belzer (Aug. 4, 1944 ~ Feb. 19, 2023), first appeared in the television series Homicide: Life on the Streets, before moving on to a Law & Order spinoff.  I wonder what snack he Munched on.


19. "Aw, shucks!": OH, GEE!

20. Fit to eat, to Muslims: HALAL.  Halal is an Arabic word that means lawful, or permitted.

21. Bygone Russian royal: TSAR.  Did you know that the word Tsar is derived from the Latin title of Caesar?


23. First digit in a googol: ONE.  The One (1) in a Googol is followed by 100 Zeros.  It's a really, really big number.

24. Little cut: SNIP.

29. Cargo weight: TON.

30. Sunscreen nos.: SPFs.  As in Sun Protection Factor.


31. Indonesian island between Java and Lombok: BALI.  There are lots of things to see and do in Bali.


32. "So that's it!": OH, I SEE.

34. Knee injury initials: ACL.  As in Anterior Cruciate Ligament.  We see this knee injury occasionally in the puzzles.

36. "What a shame!": TSK.


44. Oolong, e.g.: TEA.  Everything you wanted to know about Oolong Tea, but didn't know to ask.

45. Combat sport, briefly: MMA.  Short for Mixed Martial Arts.

46. "We did it!": HOORAY!

47. __ year: LEAP.  People born on February 29 are known as Leaplings.  My great-grandfather was a Leapling.

50. Blueprint detail, for short: SPEC.

52. Overhead trains: ELs.  Short for Elevated train.


57. Tuckered out: BEAT.

58. Spanish "that": ESO.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Hi, Lucina!

59. Short "And yet ... ": OTOH.  Textspeak for OThe Other Hand.

60. Hunter in the night sky: ORION.
62. Said yes to an invite, say: RSVP'D.  Today's French lesson.  The letters stand for répondez s'il vous plaît, which translates to Respond if you please.  A response, however, is really expected, whether you please or not.

68. Jigsaw puzzle part: PIECE.


69. Memorable period: ERA.


70. Cruise venues: OCEANS.


71. Beltway VIPs: SENs.  As in Senators

72. Add sound to: DUB.

73. Promotes aggressively: HYPES.

Down:
1. Little rascal: IMP.

2. Actress DeLaria: LEA.  Lea DeLaria (b. May 23, 1958) is best known for her portrayal of Carrie Black on Orange is the New Black.  [Name # 1.]


3. In a precarious position: ON THIN ICE.  Here's a fascinating video of someone who intentionally skates on thin ice.


4. Sandal fastener: STRAP.


5. Home Depot purchase: TOOL.

6. Fla. neighbor: ALA.  Alabama is Florida's neighbor.  Ever wonder why Alabama has such a small coastline?



7. Some dessert wines: PORTS.  Everything you wanted to know about Port Wines, but didn't know to ask.

8. "Could be": POSSIBLY.

9. "Come again?": HUH.

10. Gold bar: INGOT.  Everything you wanted to know about Gold Ingots, but didn't know to ask.


11. Play division: SCENE.

12. See-through: SHEER.  Before she was the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton (b. Jan. 9, 1982) took part in a fashion show while in college.


14. Hit with an open hand: SLAPPED.

16. Gourmet mushroom: MOREL.  These mushrooms used to be a crossword staple.


18. Score symbol: CLEF.


22. Obamacare, initially: ACA.  //  And 49-Down. The second "A" of 22-Down: ACT.  The actual name of Obamacare is the Affordable Care Act.

24. "Knock it off!": STOP.

25. Like nine games of the 2021 baseball season: NO HIT.  Read about all Nine No-Hit games.

27. Biblical song: PSALM.

28. Part of TNT: NITRO.  It's formal name is TriNitroToluene.

30. Dead __ Scrolls: SEA.  The Dead Sea Scrolls can be seen at the Israel Museum: Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem.


33. Weighing device: SCALE.

35. Bracelet fastener: CLASP.

37. Image in many a software tutorial: SCREENCAP.

38. __ Lumpur, Malaysia: KUALA.


40. "That was exhausting!": I'M POOPED.

41. "Toodle-oo!": CHEERIO!


42. Winter Games org.: IOC.  As in the International Olympic Committee.

43. Method: Abbr.: SYST.  As in System.

48. Slowly wear down: ERODE.

51. Trudge: PLOD.

53. Suspects, in police slang: PERPS.


54. Davis of "Do the Right Thing": OSSIE.  I saw Do the Right Thing when I was living in France.  It didn't translate well.  Ossie Davis (né Raiford Chatman Davis; Dec. 18, 1917 ~ Feb. 4, 2005) played a character named Da Mayor.  [Name # 2.]


55. Like wicker baskets: WOVEN.


56. Freedom, in Swahili: UHURU.  It is also the first name of the former president of Kenya, who served in that Office from April 2013 until September 2022.


Uğuru Kenyatta (b. Oct. 26, 1961)

57. One over par, in golf: BOGEY.

61. Ruler division: INCH.


65. Perfume amount: DAB.

66. French article: UNE.  More of today's French lesson.

67. Ltr. add-ons: PSs.  As in PostScripts.

Here's the Grid:


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