Tuesday, May 30, 2023 Amie Walker

It's the Small Things in Life that Count.

18-Across. One in a snuggly pair: LITTLE SPOON.

23-Across. Office fund for odds and ends: PETTY CASH.  I had a co-worker who complained that he caught his niece in an act of Petty theft.  It seems she had gotten up in the night and eaten a donut that was for breakfast.

53-Across. Insignificant weakness: MINOR FLAW.

59-Across. Without much warning, with "on": SHORT NOTICE.

And the Unifier:

34. With 36-Down and 38-Across, Blink-182 hit song, and a description of four long answers in this puzzle: ALL.  //  34-Down.  36. See 34-Down: THE.  38-Down. See 34-Down: SMALL THINGS.  Together we get the song:  ALL THE SMALL THINGS.  The first word of each theme answer describes something that can be small.

Across:

1. Fiat or Ferrari: CAR.  Both are Italian vehicles.  This article is 10 years old, but it explains a "weird" relationship between Fiat and Ferrari.

4. Greek letter after alpha: BETA.  The Greek alphabet often sneaks into the crossword puzzles.

8. Horrified: AGHAST.

14. "Should I take that as __?": A NO.

15. Lead off: OPEN.

16. Focus of a historic New Orleans museum: VOODOO.  The New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum is a small museum located in the French Quarter.

17. Cold War gp.: KGB.  As in the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti.  It officially ceased operations in December 1991.  //  63. Hush-hush org.: CIA.  As in the Central Intelligence Agency.

20. Marry in secret: ELOPE.

22. Arrive at: REACH.

25. Ties up at a pier: DOCKS.

30. Grammy-winning Grande: ARIANA.  Whenever I hear her name, I think of her donut-licking incident.  [Name # 1.]

31. Soccer great Long or basketball great Quigley: ALLIE.  Allie Long (née Alexandra Linsley Long; b. Aug. 13, 1987) plays as a midfielder for NJ/NY Gotham Football (soccer) Club. Allie Quigley (née Alexandria Quigley; b. June 20, 1986) plays for the Chicago Sky.  [Name # 2.]

Allie Long

Allie Quigley

32. Military advisory gp.: NSC.  As in the National Security Council.

33. Ultimate: LAST.

37. Duane __: NYC drugstore chain: READE.  I was not familiar with the Duane Reade drugstore chain, but then, I don't live in New York.  You can Read(e) [get it?] all about it here.

42. Sovereign: RULER.

44. Caustic cleaners: LYES.

45. Loan application ID: SSN.  As in Social Security Number.  A crossword staple.

48. Clog-busting brand: DRANO.

49. Sheepish "Good point": TOUCHÉ.

52. Picture book?: ALBUM.  Great clue.

56. Cobra pose, e.g.: ASANA.  Think yoga.  I practice yoga, but this pose is too much for me.

58. Area with trees: WOODS.

64. Game console with a Mii Parade: WII.  If you say so.

65. Culture of cuteness, in Japan: KAWAII.  Not a Tuesday word.

66. Bad to the bone: EVIL.

67. French word that indicates a name change: NÉE.  This French word has been making frequent appearances in puzzles recently.

68. Bug: INSECT.

69. Legit: REAL.

70. Prom gp.: SRS.  As in Seniors in High School.

Down:

1. Piece of bakeware: CAKE PAN.  They can come in all shapes and sizes.

2. Some folks who fish: ANGLERS.  Cute clue.

3. Place where engineers can do some machine learning?: ROBOTICS LAB.

4. Anne who was the mother of Elizabeth I: BOLEYN.  Everything you wanted to known about Anne Boleyn but didn't know to ask.  [Name # 3.]

5. Prefix with gram: EPI-.  As in Epigram.

6. Aquarium fish: TETRA.

7. Initial bets: ANTES.

8. "Sans" opposite: AVEC.  More of today's French lesson.

9. Dad-blasted: GOSH DARN.  Mild swears.

10. Move like a bunny: HOP.

11. Hubbub: ADO.

12. "Hamilton" Tony nominee Phillipa: SOO.  Phillipa Ann Soo (b. May 31, 1990) appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle.  She portrayed Eliza Hamilton in the musical Hamilton.  [Name # 4.]

13. Load: TON.

19. "Well, __-di-dah!": LAH.

21. Sch. group: PTA.  As in the Parent Teacher Association.  A crossword staple.

24. Summon: CALL.

26. Cassini of couture: OLEG.  Oleg Cassini (né Oleg Aleksandrovich Loiewski; Apr. 11, 1913 ~ Mar. 17, 2006) became well known as being Jackie Kennedy's favorite designer.  If I remember correctly, there was a connection between Cassini and our Lemonade.  [Name # 5.]

27. Some attention-seeking students: CLASS CLOWNS.

28. Tease: KID.

29. "Understand?": SEE.

35. Farm pen: STY.

39. List of options: MENU.

40. Fragrant: AROMATIC.

41. Analogy words: IS TO.  I erroneously filled this in as As To, which gave me the theme song as All the Small Thangs, which could make sense.

42. Suggested intake, on some labels: RDA.  As in Recommended Daily Allowance.  More that you ever wanted to know about Dietary guidelines and are sorry you asked.

43. Clickable link: URL.  As in the Uniform Resource Locator.  A crossword staple.

46. Less reputable: SHADIER.

47. Musical with the songs "Carrying the Banner" and "The World Will Know": NEWSIES.  Newsies is a musical that is based on the true story of the 1899 Newsboys Strike in New York City.

50. "Animal Farm" writer George: ORWELL.  His given name was Eric Arthur Blair (June 25, 1903 ~ Jan. 21, 1950).  Much of his work can be categorized is being social criticism, opposition to totalitarianism, and support of democratic socialism.  We all probably had to read Animal Farm and 1984 when we were in high school.  I wonder if these books are now on the banned list.  [Name # 6.]

51. Blurry craft in tabloid pics: UFO.

53. Eponym of a Chinese tunic suit: MAO.  Andy Warhol depicted Mao in many renditions.  [Name # 7.]

54. Bury: INTER.

55. Easily duped: NAÏVE.

57. Sour mood: SNIT.

59. Winter runner: SKI.

60. __ Solo of "The Force Awakens": HAN.  [Name # 8.]

61. Cries of pain: OWS!

62. Singer Carly __ Jepsen: RAE.  [Name # 9.]

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

In memory of Tina Turner (Nov. 26, 1939 ~ May 24, 2023), I'll leave you with this video.

Monday May 29, 2023 Mike Peluso

 

Hello Cornerites and Happy Memorial Day!  

On Memorial Day we remember and honor the men and women
who died while serving in the U.S. military.
It is a day of both celebration and grief.

Today's theme:          A Cool Water Puzzle!

The Sons of the Pioneers recorded Cool Water in 1941.

(Dan is his burro.)

Constructor Mike Peluso gives us four 2-word phrases, each ending with a word that can also be found in FRONT of the word WATER for a different type of WATER.

The 4 themers are:

18 Across. Blended condiment: GARLIC SALT.  SALT WATER

23 Across. Fictional band that uses an umlaut on the "n" in its name: SPINAL TAP.  TAP WATER

We recently saw this Christopher Guest mockumentary in last Tuesday's puzzle. The joke is that umlauts over consonants are rare, but the bandmembers are not bright enough to match their own artistic airs. Here is a fun article on the American fad for gratuitous umlauts.

49 Across. Like recently harvested produce: FARM FRESH.  FRESH WATER

57 Across. Leavening agent that's also a cleaning product: BAKING SODA.  SODA WATER

The unifier is a grid-spanner on row 8:

39 Across. Oscar-winning Marlon Brando film, or where the last words of 18-, 23-, 49-, and 57-Across can literally be found: ON THE WATERFRONT.  

 "I coulda been a contender".

Rod Steiger and Marlon Brando in On The Waterfront (1954).

The film received 12 Academy Award nominations and won 8, including Best Actor.

If you missed the theme, there is no need to turn on the waterworks. This puzzle has plenty of delightful fill. Let's dive in.

Across:
1. Meghan Trainor's "All About That __": BASS.  

Stand-up BASS player, Esperanza Spalding has won 5 Grammy Awards.

Here, she performs Overjoyed in 2009.

5. Catholic service: MASS.

9. Tossed: THREW.  I hope you did not TITT!

14. West Coast gas brand with ampm convenience stores: ARCO.  Not every ARCO has an ampm, but over 1,100 do. You can find them in CA, OR, WA, NV, AZ, OH, IL, GA, and FL.

The first ampm location opened in Southern California in 1978.
I wonder if that is the station where, one Sunday afternoon, I learned my bank put a hold on my credit card because I was using it while driving from Colorado to California and I had not notified them to expect travel. #LessonsLearned

15. Fatherly nickname: PAPA.

16. Grocery section: AISLE.  

17. Fibber: LIAR.  

This one is for my fellow math geeks.

20. Pinochle plays: MELDS.  MELDS are combinations of cards that add up to different point values. How to Play Pinochle

22. Snowball pile, say: AMMO.  

26. "Rats": DRAT.

30. Portuguese lady: DONA.  

DONA Maria 1, Queen of Portugal
18th century oil, artist unknown
She was the first queen of Portugal, married her uncle, and eventually went mad.
a brief history

31. Honker in a gaggle: GOOSE.  We have many new goslings in our area now. DH took this pic last week at the reflecting pool.

#SwimmingLesson

32. Local source of 49-Across produce, for short: CSA.  Community Supported Agriculture

It is unusual to see self-referential clues pointing at one of the themed clues.

35. Twin of Romulus: REMUS.  The legend of Romulus and REMUS was the inspiration for this (IMHO disturbing) sculpture.  

This Capitoline Wolf replica is in Rome.

38. Tiny bits: IOTAS.

42. Word before pointer or printer: LASER.  I like clues like this one!  

43. Letter embellishment, in typography: SERIF.  

44. Comedian Romano: RAY.  Parade did a cover story on him last month.

45. Neighborhoods: AREAS.

46. Airborne mysteries: UFOS.  

48. Open-handed hit: SLAP.  If you watched How I Met Your Mother, you know about the SLAP bet.

54. Unremarkable: SO SO.  Teen slang:  mid

55. Trial versions of software, e.g.: DEMOS.

In 1979, Weird Al Yankovic recorded his DEMO of My Bologna in a bathroom across the hall from the Cal Poly radio station because he liked the acoustics...and it was free. It was his first official hit.  

This is the teaser trailer for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022).

Yep, that's Daniel Radcliffe from Harry Potter.

63. Locale: SITE.

64. Regional flora and fauna: BIOTA.  the animal and plant life of a particular region, habitat, or geological period (rhymes with the root of 38A)

65. Give off: EMIT.

66. Smart __: ALEC.  The term came to us from police slang for a criminal who was too smart for his own good, or whose cockiness led to his arrest.

67. Refreshingly cool: CRISP.  Anyone else suddenly craving lettuce?

68. Actress Daly: TYNE.  IMDb page

69. Result of a sting, maybe: WELT.  a ridge or lump raised on the body (as by a blow or allergic reaction)

Down:
1. Salve: BALM.  You can make one out of aloe to put on a welt.

2. Zodiac sign also called the Ram: ARIES.  birthdates Mar. 21 - Apr. 19

3. Spot for implants: SCALP.  Oh, that type of implants!

4. Filthy: SORDID.  SOileD also fit...for a while.

5. Car sticker stat: MPG.  Miles Per Gallon

6. Roadside aid org.: AAA.  

7. Jack who could eat no fat: SPRAT.  

8. "Frida" star Hayek Pinault: SALMA.  

Frida (2002) Official Trailer

9. Food truck snack: TACO.

10. That dude's: HIS.  

11. Cape Town's country: Abbr.: RSA.

12. Right-angled bracket shape: ELL.  

L-Bracket

13. Damp: WET.  an Easter egg???

someone who is not enjoying the bathWATER

19. Little pest: IMP.

21. Noisy sleepers: SNORERS.

24. Once again: ANEW.

25. Tibetan spiritual leaders: LAMAS.

26. Cuckoo clock part: DOOR.  Also, I learned from Good Job, Brain! that a book written in 1930 by American writer Mary Roberts Reinhart called The DOOR is generally credited with introducing the trope, “The butler did it.”

27. Windmill part: ROTOR.

28. Yoga pose: ASANA.  Poses are but one of the 8 Limbs of Ashtanga Yoga.  

29. Short-tempered: TESTY.  Perhaps practicing yoga will help.

31. Kathie Lee of morning talk: GIFFORD.

32. Some soft drinks: COLAS.

33. Entangle: SNARL.  to cause to become knotted and intertwined; to make excessively complicated

I took this photo in Ayutthaya, Thailand.
The head of a stone Buddha has become embraced by a SNARL of a bodhi tree's roots.

34. On a cruise: AT SEA.

36. Sport-__: off-road vehicle: UTE.   UTility vehicle

37. Skin rejuvenator: SERUM. If the bottle is small, you know it must be worth the high price.

40. Messy mound: HEAP.  

41. Repeated jazz phrase: RIFF.

for example, Wes Montgomery's Road Song (1968)

47. Two-person playground fixture: SEE-SAW.    The name might have come to us from the French ci-ça, meaning literally, this-that; seemingly attributable to the back-and-forth motion for which a see-saw is known.

49. Weather condition common around the Golden Gate Bridge: FOG.  

San Francisco averages 108 foggy days per year. (I would have guessed more.)
Look for your city here.

50. Profit-and-loss figure: ASSET.  Hmmm... ASSETs generally go on the Balance Sheet but you might find small ASSETs on a P&L Statement.

51. Spacious: ROOMY.

52. Grin: SMILE.  OK  😀

53. Suite spot: HOTEL.  fun clue!

54. Round closer on an infant's onesie: SNAP.

56. Offshoot group: SECT.

57. "Doctor Who" TV network: BBC.  In looking for a pattern to the clueing of British shows and 3-letter fills, my guess is that if it says "airer", we go with PBS; but if it says "network", we go with BBC.

58. Beach ball filler: AIR.

59. Colorful carp: KOI.  Because they swim against the current and overcome great obstacles, KOI, in Japanese culture, symbolize strength, courage, and success through perseverance.

KOI flags are flown to celebrate Children's Day.

60. "__ about time!": IT'S.  Not quite. Two clues remain.

61. Clamor: DIN.

62. Downed: ATE.  as in, "He downed 4 hot dogs, 2 pretzels, and a beer."

Here is today's grid:  

Have a sparkling day, everyone. I look forward to reading your comments!  

Sunday May 28, 2023 Rose Sloan & Shannon Rapp

Theme: "Secret Ingredients" - Eight different spice are anagrammed and spanned across two words.

23. Pony car since 1964: FORD MUSTANG. Mustard.

34. Flavor with Oreos: COOKIES AND CREAM. Anise.

52. Association for former classmates: ALUMNI CLUB. Cumin.

58. Genre satirized in "Only Murders in the Building": TRUE CRIME. Turmeric.

72. "Back to the Future" vehicle: TIME MACHINE. Mace.

86. Rom-com mainstay: LOVE SCENE. cloves.

89. Bank job necessity: GETAWAY CAR. Caraway

110. Information often included in a bridal shower invitation: WEDDING REGISTRY. Ginger.

Reveal:

123. Mixes such as garam masala and ras el hanout, and what are found in this puzzle's circles?: SPICE BLENDS.

Not famliar with ras el hanout. Google shows that it's a Morocco spice with salt, cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, etc. It's used in tagines, soups, rice dishes, and vegetables.

 

Notice how consistent the theme entries are. All of the key letters span across two words. Some are inspiring finds.

Congrats on your LAT Sunday debut, Rose!

Across:

1. West African capital: ACCRA. Ghana.

6. Page with many views?: OP-ED.

10. Veg out: LOAF.

14. Grads-to-be: SRS.

17. Root beer treats: FLOATS.

19. Apple's counterpart of 3-Down: SIRI. And 3. Microsoft's counterpart of 19-Across: CORTANA. Who still uses Cortana?

20. Sportbacks, e.g.: AUDIS. Not famliar with Sportbacks.

22. Morita of "The Karate Kid": PAT.

25. Game option featuring cutscenes: STORY MODE. We had this fill a few months ago.

27. Jazz legend James: ETTA.

28. Kelly Clarkson's "Since U __ Gone": BEEN.

29. Pilot: STEER.

31. Cellphone giant: NOKIA. Hugely popular in Guangzhou in early 2000s.

32. Green sold in rainbow bunches: CHARD. How do you make it tasty?

37. Language class subject: TENSES.

39. Grabs a chair: SITS.

40. PreCheck org.: TSA.

41. Just: ONLY.

42. Govt. ID issuer: SSA.

43. Comice, e.g.: PEAR.  Wikipedia says it's a "French pear variety first cultivated in the 19th century." 

46. Word with care or aware: SELF.

48. D&D monster with a beak attack: ROC.

50. Some alfresco dates: PICNICS.

61. Get older: AGE.

62. Baggy: LOOSE.

63. Take turns: ROTATE.

64. __ science: DATA.

68. Guys: LADS.

70. Ranch grazer: COW.

71. Thanksgiving side dish: YAMS. Here's some purple yam cake.

76. Dad: PAPA.

77. Altar-ed words?: I DO. Ha.

78. Convoy rig: SEMI.

79. Squirrel's home: TREE.

80. Many a campaign ad: MAILER.

82. Some second-generation Americans: NISEI. Japanese. The first generation is ISSEI. Sei = Generation. Sansei is third. San = Three. Same in Chinese.

84. Egyptian viper: ASP.

92. Passes on, as knowledge: IMPARTS.

93. __ Minella: vest-wearing Muppet chimpanzee: SAL.

94. Crochet need: YARN.

96. Mix: STIR.

97. Gp. for those who putter around a lot?: PGA. Oh I like this new clue.

100. Maumee River endpoint: ERIE.

103. Battery size: AAA.

106. Mama's mama: NANA.

108. Gets to the point?: TAPERS. 121. Long series of romances?: SOAP OPERA. Great clues.

115. Bowling sites: LANES.

116. Kodiak Island resident: ALEUT.

117. Rook kin: RAVEN. I did not know rook is a bird.

118. Soph, probably: TEEN.

120. __-pedi: MANI.

126. "¿Qué __?": Spanish "What's up?": TAL.

127. Mountain nymph: OREAD.

128. Norsk Folkemuseum city: OSLO.

129. Melodious: DULCET.

130. Ones making alterations, for short: EDS. Editors.

131. Sunrise dirección: ESTE.

132. Butter chicken bread: NAAN. Uyghur-style. Lots of Muslims in Xi'an.

133. Some Scots: GAELS.

Down:

1. Has an influence on: AFFECTS.

2. Outfit: CLOTHES.

4. Location tools: RADARS.

5. Bread box?: ATM.

6. Bone-related prefix: OSTEO.

7. Steinways, e.g.: PIANOS.

8. Directional suffix: ERN.

9. Paleontologist's workplace: DIG SITE. Paleontologists study fossils. Sounds old.

10. Permanently removes hair, perhaps: LASES.

11. Devour more than: OUT-EAT.

12. Decks out: ADORNS.

13. Christmas purchase kids know about before Santa comes: FIR.

14. Already claimed, with "for": SPOKEN.

15. Tire type: RADIAL.

16. Like a good romance novel: STEAMY. Her name is Chiung Yao, the most popular romance novelist in Chinese language.

18. Hero: SUB.

21. Lip-__: SYNC.

24. Dry designation: SEC.

26. African country nearest Spain: MOROCCO. Where the ras el hanout is widely used, as I learned today.

30. Inventor Nikola: TESLA.

33. Create an image of: DEPICT.

35. Peck: KISS.

36. "Aw, heck": DARN.

38. Work like a gland: SECRETE.

44. Singer DiFranco: ANI.

45. Canyon edge: RIM.

47. Miami's st.: FLA.

49. Many Monets: OILS.

50. Aloo mutter ingredients: PEAS.

51. Give up: CEDE.

53. Jamaican tangelo brand name: UGLI. Yesterday I brought some lychees for Tom Pepper and Connie. Tom said they "taste like grapes but a lot more work." He can't stand durians.

54. Have in mind: MEAN.

55. Setting: LOCALE.

56. Annual Queens sporting event: US OPEN. Alright: Nick Kyrgios and Iga Świątek.

57. "Watch out!": BEWARE.

58. Having a go: TRYING.

59. Band aide: ROADIE. Good old clue.

60. Of the __ importance: UTMOST.

65. Tsp., e.g.: AMT.

66. Pothole filler: TAR.

67. Star starter: ACE.

69. Flaw: DEMERIT.

73. "Perhaps": I MAY.

74. Catchall file abbr.: MISC.

75. Nautical wheel: HELM.

76. "__ or it didn't happen": PICS.

78. "Dance Moms" dancer JoJo: SIWA. Much older now. But I really like this pic.

81. Starlike: ASTRAL.

83. Softened: EASED UP.

85. Fork over: PAY.

87. Photo __: OPS.

88. Brewery container: VAT.

90. Actor Tudyk: ALAN. He plays Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle in "Resident Alien"

91. Mountain chain: RANGE.

92. Stops along the way: INNS.

95. Sours, as a parade: RAINS ON.

97. Act of contrition: PENANCE.

98. Beowulf foe: GRENDEL.

99. Stockton's NBA record 15,806: ASSISTS. John Stockton.

100. Discarded tech products: E WASTE.

101. Click a circular arrow, say: RE-LOAD.

102. Core values: IDEALS.

104. Thinks the same: AGREES.

105. Turkish mount consisting of two volcanic cones: ARARAT. Did not know this trivia.

107. __ the Hun: ATTILA.

109. Adlon of "Better Things": PAMELA.

111. "__, sing America": Hughes: I TOO.

112. Sidestep: EVADE.

113. Intel job: RECON.

114. "__-haw!": YEE.

119. "Don't worry abt it": NBD.

122. Ante-: PRE.

124. "The More You Know" spot, e.g.: PSA.

125. Tote (around): LUG.

C.C.