Tuesday June 6, 2023 Bart Gold

Imagine Me and You ...  Each theme answer begins with U (You) and ends with ME with lots of letters in BETWEEN.

16-Across. Star-spangled garb for July 4th: UNCLE SAM COSTUME.

22-Across. "Catch you later": UNTIL NEXT TIME.

34-Across. Activity with Skip and Wild Draw Four cards: UNO GAME.

47-Across. Focus of many a murder podcast: UNSOLVED CRIME.

55-Across. Secret-teller's intro, and an apt title for this puzzle: BETWEEN YOU AND ME.  Just between you and me, I'll let you in on a secret:  Today is National Yo-Yo Day.

Across:

1. Sketch show with a musical guest, familiarly: SNL.  Saturday Night Live provides lots of fodder for the crossword puzzles.  The show made its debut on October 11, 1975 with George Carlin (May 12, 1937 ~ June 22, 2008) as the first host.  Don Pardo (Feb. 22, 1918 ~ 2014) was the first announcer.

4. Uncovers: BARES.

9. Dollop: BLOB.

13. Secure (to): TIE.

14. South Pacific island: TAHITI.  It looks like such a romantic location.

15. Bert who played the Cowardly Lion: LAHR.  Bert Lahr (né Irving Lahrheim; Aug. 13, 1895 ~ Dec. 4, 1967) began his acting career in vaudeville.  Although he was in other films, he is best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz.  [Name # 1.]

19. Relay race rods: BATONS.

20. Paint shade: HUE.

21. Not even half-baked: RAW.

26. Taxi prices: FARES.

28. Ref. work favoring "favour": OED.  //  And 33-Across. Last section of the 28-Across: ZED.  The last section of the Oxford English Dictionary are the words beginning with the letter "Z",  or as they say across the pond, the letter Zed.

29. Sneaker pattern: TREAD.

30. "Best. Day. __!": EVER.

31. Tax return fig.: AGI.  As in Adjusted Gross Income.

32. Pharmaceutical giant __ Lilly: ELI.  The name of the pharmaceutical company was named after its founder, Colonel Eli Lilly (July 8, 1838 ~ June 6, 1898).  He died 125 years ago today.  [Name # 2.]

36. Round vegetable: PEA.

39. Goal: END.  The word "Aim" also fit into the spaces provided.

40. Pres. after FDR: HST.  Harry S Truman (May 8, 1884 ~ Dec. 26, 1972) immediately followed Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Jan. 30, 1882 ~ Apr. 12, 1945) as President of the United States.  [Name # 3.]

41. Street: ROAD.

42. Wishing one hadn't: RUING.

45. Poor grade: DEE.

46. Observes Ramadan, say: FASTS.  Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar.  The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, which means that there is not a correction for seasons.  Instead of 364 days per year, as are in the Gregorian calendar, there are only 354 days per year.

50. Diagnostic scan, briefly: MRI.

51. Illegal turn, maybe: UIE.  Meh.  Not keen on this clue and answer.

52. Inexact lunch hour: ONEISH.

59. Cut with a beam: LASE.

60. "Night" author Elie: WIESEL.  I first read Night when I was in high school.  Night is the first book in a trilogy (the other books are Dawn and Day) and is an autobiographical account of Elie Wiesel's experience in Auschwitz during the Holocaust.  He describes his battle with G~d for a way to understand the horrors of what he experienced in the concentration camp.  I hope this book isn't banned.  Wiesel (né Eliezer Wiesel; Sept. 30, 1928 ~ July 2, 2016) was the recipient of the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize for his advocacy for victims of oppression around the world.  [Name # 4.]

61. Group's adjective: OUR.

62. North Carolina university town: ELON.  Not to be confused with Elon Musk (b. June 28, 1971).  [Name # 5.]

63. Attach, as a patch: SEW ON.  Because Iron-On didn't fit in the spaces provided.

64. Greenpeace, for one: NGO.  As in a Non-Governmental Organization.

Down:

1. Short pencil: STUB.

2. Singer Simone: NINA.  Nina Simone (née Eunice Kathleen Waymon; Feb. 21, 1933 ~ Apr. 21, 2003) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  [Name # 6.]

3. Gave a good talking-to: LECTURED.

4. Low choir voices: BASSI.  Here's an example of a singular Basso voice.

5. "With you now": AHA!

6. Outer edge: RIM.

7. Engraved with acid: ETCHED.

8. __ City, Iowa: SIOUX.

9. Sandwich known by its initials: BLT.  Ask in a Bacon Lettuce and Tomato sandwich.

10. Avant-garde violinist and artist Anderson: LAURIE.  About 40 years ago, I went to a 2-day Laurie Anderson (née Laurel Philips Anderson; b. June 5, 1947) concert in Brooklyn, New York.  It was such a fabulous concert.  She was married to fellow musician, Lou Reed (né Lewis Allan Reed; Mar. 2, 1942 ~ Oct. 27, 2013).   [Name # 7.]

11. "Yowza": OH, MAMA!

12. Prepared, as coffee: BREWED.

14. Outdoor wedding shelters: TENTS.

17. "Table for one" type: LONER.

18. Put down roots: SETTLE.

23. Company emblem: LOGO.

24. Tried to speak horse: NEIGHED.  Whyever would I want to speak horse?  I can, however, speak hoarse.

25. __-state area: TRI.

26. Brimless hat: FEZ.  This clue and answer made me thing of our friend Abejo.  He had mentioned more than once that he belonged to an organization that wore fez hats.

27. "__ Maria": AVE.

31. Plus: AND.

32. Pro in an ambulance: EMT.  As in an Emergency Medical Technician.  A crossword staple.

34. Use Goo Gone, e.g.: UNGLUE.  I am not familiar with this company.  Apparently there are many iterations of this product.

35. "Hang on __!": A SEC.

36. Greek god of the sea: POSEIDON.  Poseidon is also the god of earthquakes.  [Name # 8.]

37. Consume: EAT.

38. Targeted social media posts: ADs.

39. Brian of Roxy Music: ENO.  Brian Eno (né Brian Peter George Eno; b. May 15, 1948) used to make very frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  We haven't seen him for a while.  [Name # 9.

Then and Now

41. Instant noodles option: RAMEN.  Standard fare for poor college students.

42. Sound of distant thunder: RUMBLE.

43. Preposterous: UNREAL.

44. Rather formal "Can this be true?": IS IT SO?

45. Judy Blume novel about a girl with scoliosis: DEENIE.  Judy Blume (née Judith Susan; b. Feb. 12, 1938) is best known for her young adult novels.  Deenie was first published in 1973, and the title character is diagnosed with scoliosis, which is curvature of the spine.  In the book, Deenie must wear a back brace to correct the curvature.  Treatments for scoliosis have advanced considerably in the 50 years since the book was published.  Princess Eugenie (b. Mar. 23, 1990) has scoliosis and had surgery.  [Name # 10.]

46. "And that's __": FINAL.

48. Opinions: VIEWS.

49. Cathedral city on the Seine: ROUEN.  The cathedral was made famous by Claude Monet (né Oscar-Claude Monet; Nov. 14, 1840 ~ Dec. 5, 1926).

53. Self-satisfied: SMUG.

54. Medal recipient: HERO.

56. "The Mandalorian" actress Ming-Na __: WEN.  I am not familiar with either the movie nor the actress.  [Name # 11.]

Ming-Na Wen (b. Nov. 20, 1963)

57. Evergreen tree with pliable wood: YEW.

58. Spanish bear: OSO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

Here's the Grid.

חתולה

Monday June 5, 2023 Susan Gelfand

  

Hello Cornerites!

Today's theme:        Please wait to be seated.  

In recognition of the theme, I have made a TABLE to organize the themed clues.  

Clue #	Clue	Answer	“End” word + TABLE
17 A.	Fleet of government vehicles:	MOTOR POOL	POOL TABLE
25 A.	Payment method that may have a chip:	CREDIT CARD	CARD TABLE
40 A.	Media briefing:	PRESS CONFERENCE	CONFERENCE TABLE
50 A.	Summertime java order:	ICED COFFEE	COFFEE TABLE

The reveal is at 64 Across.  Living-room lamp holders, and what the answers to the starred clues all have?: END TABLES.  

This END TABLE sits at the END of the couch.

Simply put, all of the themed clues END in a word which is also a type of TABLE.

Let's TABLE our theme discussion and move on to New Business; that is, the other clues:

Across:
1. Sticky pine product: RESIN.  I was curious about the difference between RESIN and what is in a baseball pitcher's RoSIN bag. It turns out that asking Google this question will send you to a lot of marijuana dispensary sites. 🙃 Eventually I learned that RoSIN powder is a combination of RESIN and magnesium carbonate powder that absorbs perspiration and enables pitchers to keep their throwing hands free of sweat.

6. First word of a rhyming cocktail name: MAI. as in MAI Tai  

Those 2 islands in the background are The Mokes on Oahu's windward side.

9. Family name in Kafka's "The Metamorphosis": SAMSA.  The opening line to this book reads, "As Gregor SAMSA awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect."

Hahtoolah gave us the comic on the left last week.

14. Scotch-Brite sponge: OCELO.  

15. Like this clue's number: ODD.  Even I knew this one.

16. Change, as text: AMEND.

19. Flustered (by): FAZED.  He went through a phase where he was FAZED by all things disconcerting.

20. Red Cross supply: PLASMA.  This article talks about 100 years of medical advances regarding blood PLASMA.

21. Philosopher Descartes: RENÉ.  This 1 min. 16 sec. video does a fantastic job of explaining one of Descartes' greatest contributions to mathematics.

23. Alphabet finale: ZEE.  Sorry, CanadianEh!, "ZEd" would have made 4 D's in a row for 13D.

24. Venue: SITE.

28. Pro vote on the House floor: YEA.

29. Blue ink cartridge for a color printer: CYAN.  

30. Storm-tracking device: RADAR.

34. "ER" actor Wyle: NOAH.  As it turns out, he celebrated his 52nd birthday yesterday. Happy belated birthday, NOAH!

NOAH also plays Harry Wilson, a Louisiana lawyer, on the show Leverage:  Redemption
(available on Amazon and Freevee).

37. Barbed __: WIRE.  

43. Part of a "Scream" costume: MASK.  This is the MASK worn by the killer in the movie Scream ... and its 5 sequels.

44. Not in favor of: ANTI.

45. Impeccable: IDEAL.  

46. Foot soldier: PEON.

48. Pi follower in the Greek alphabet: RHO.  

54. Engrave deeply: ETCH.

58. Neither's partner: NOR.  an oldie but a goodie

59. Port or scope prefix: TELE-.  It comes to us from a Greek word meaning "far off".

60. Attraction: ALLURE.

62. Dodge: EVADE.  This time it's a verb, not a vehicle.

66. Like un enfant: PETIT.  Cognates & perps make this one decipherable -- even if you do not speak French.

67. Pitching superstar: ACE.

68. "__ are red ... ": ROSES.  Violets are blue. I cannot help but love, this crossword clue.

69. Deuce toppers: TREYS.  Does anyone play Pedro? Nothing tops the deuce but it also tops nothing. It makes itself.

70. Fix a hem, say: SEW.

71. Not ignoring the alarm: AWAKE.  At first I had AWArE but then I thought of an alarm clock for waking up in the morning.

Down:
1. Frolics: ROMPS.  fun word!  

This is my dog ROMPing in the snow with me.

2. Bacteria in undercooked meat: E. COLI.

3. Adjusted to, as a thermostat: SET AT.

4. "No medals for me this time": I LOSE.

5. Social standard: NORM.  

Cheers  --  NORM greeting --  Wait for it....

6. __ shu pork: MOO.

7. Idolize: ADORE.

8. Sat at a light, say: IDLED.  States began adopting Right-On-Red rules during the gas crisis of the 1970s to reduce the number of cars IDLing at traffic lights .

9. The "S" of OSHA: SAFETY.  Occupational Safety Health Administration

10. Doc's gp.: AMA.  "Group" is abbreviated, so it "American Medical Association".

11. Theater seating section: MEZZANINE.  Nice fill!  

A MEZZANINE is an intermediate floor, usually between the ground and 1st floors.
In this photo, MEZZANINE seating is between the Orchestra level and the Balcony level.

12. Disdainful lip curl: SNEER.  

Fans swooned over Elvis' swivel & his SNEER.

13. Tacked on: ADDED.  This article compares the ADDED fees of nine airlines in 2023.

18. Walk and walk: PACE.  and  26 Down. Talked and talked: RAN ON.

At first I was thinking of noun & verb meanings but then I realized the definition of PACE is to walk over & over along the same short route nervously or anxiously. So, when people PACE, they walk and walk and when people talk and talk, they run on...and on...and on....

22. Not mainstream: NICHE.

Merriam-Webster lists 3 pronunciations:  nich, neesh, and nish.

(No SNEERing allowed for pronunciations perceived as uncouth!)

27. Sounded like a crow: CAWED.  They also rattle.

28. Four-digit DOB nos.: YRS.  Date Of Birth = MM/DD/YYYY

30. Tach stat: RPM.  Revolutions Per Minute

Generally a good cadence on a bicycle is 80 - 100 RPM. Professional cyclists average 110 - 120 RPM during time trials.

31. Parseghian of Notre Dame football fame: ARA.  Since he often visits grids, we should be on a first-name basis.

32. Willing to take extreme measures: DESPERATE.  DESPERATE people do DESPERATE things.

33. Queried: ASKED.

35. Ottawa's prov.: ONT.  Ontario

It is about 567 mi. (912 km.) from Ottawa to D.C.

36. Blazing: AFIRE.  

Afire Love is a 2014 song about Ed Sheeran's grandfather who suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

38. Small-screen pioneer: RCA.  Have you seen the movie The Fabelman's (2022)? It is based on Steven Spielberg's life. In the movie (and in real life) his father worked for RCA in the early 1950s.

39. Snaky fish: EEL.

41. Lakeside boat rental: CANOE.  

I took this phot last summer of a red CANOE on Moraine Lake, Alberta, Canada.
(2,187 mi.(3,520 km) from Ottawa)

42. Kia subcompact: RIO.

47. Groups of eight: OCTETS.

49. Miami hoopsters: HEAT.  Their logo is a basketball AFIRE.

50. Likely to err: INEPT.

51. __ charge: entry fee: COVER.

52. Pests that may prompt a visit to the vet: FLEAS.  The migration of America's pets from the backyard to owners' beds can be credited to the new anti-FLEA medications.

53. Yard sticks?: FENCE. I liked this clue!  

Tim and Wilson on Home Improvement

54. Armrest occupier: ELBOW.  

These rules seem fair.
(Click to enlarge.)

55. Oklahoma's second-largest city: TULSA.

56. Small stream: CREEK.  In Virginia, locals called a small stream a "run".

57. "Siddhartha" novelist Hermann: HESSE.  This 1922 novel relates a man's spiritual journey of self-discovery during the time of the Gautama Buddha. It was originally written in German.

61. Croft played by Angelina Jolie: LARA.

63. Craft kit letters: DIY.  Do It Yourself  

65. Morning moisture: DEW.  You do not have to DEW It Yourself because Mother Nature will DEW it for you.

Here's today's grid:

This is the END of my TABLE tale. Have a good day, everyone!

Sunday June 4, 2023 Gary Larson & Amy Ensz

Theme: "Shh!" - S is changed into SH sound, changing spelling as needed.

23A. Startling revelation for a couch potato?: TUBE SHOCK. Tube sock.

25A. Menu of family-sized KFC options?: BUCKET SHEET. Bucket seat.

50A. Full-time employee at a corn processing plant?: ALL-DAY SHUCKER. All-day sucker.

82A. Did too much heavy lifting?: OVER- SCHLEPPED. Overslept.

107A. Really, really cheap liquor?: DOLLAR SHINE. Dollar sign.

111A. Ruse for crashing family reunions?: UNCLE SHAM. Uncle Sam.

36D. Food Network production featuring a chef's work surface?: COUNTER SHOOT. Counter-suit.

41D. Sweeping segment of a prop comic's act?: BROOM SCHTICK. Broom stick.

Somehow I thought this puzzle was by our own Jeffrey. Very much his style. 

In case you're not aware,  Gary Larson & Amy Ensz are husband and wife. Here's the Cruciverb interview of Gary. He's so good at wordplay.

 Across:

1. Fairy tale brute: OGRE.

5. Bamako's country: MALI. Bamako is on the Niger River.

9. Lethargy: TORPOR.

15. Bygone Swedish car company: SAAB.

19. Maggie Smith's "Good Bones," e.g.: POEM. Not famliar with Maggie Smith the poet.

20. Agenda: PLAN.

21. Oat Milk Blend shampoo maker: AVEENO.

22. Combustible pile: PYRE.

27. Just-in-case item: SPARE.

28. "Let Me Love You" R&B singer: NE-YO. He also wrote "Let Me Love You" for Mario.

30. Like many a safari cat: LEONINE.

31. Water cooler sound: GLUG.

33. Had to have: NEEDED.

35. Apex predators of the ocean: ORCAS.

39. Rowan Atkinson character: MR BEAN. Feels like forever ago.

42. Butters up, perhaps: GREASES.

44. Religious residence: PRIORY.

45. Not theirs: OURS.

46. More oozy: GOOIER.

48. Makes jigsaw puzzles, perhaps: DIE-CUTS. Did not know this can be a verb.

49. Brief "If you ask me": IMO.

54. Tiny criticism: NIT.

55. Kanga's kid: ROO.

56. Credit __: Zurich bank: SUISSE.

57. Director Reitman and tennis great Lendl: IVANS.

58. Golf bag item: TEE.

59. Fred of "Schmigadoon!": ARMISEN. He was also in "Portlandia".

61. __ now and then: EVERY.

62. Heat unit: THERM.

64. Sp. titles: SRAS.

65. 12-Down and 50-Down, maybe: HOT TEAS. 12. Aromatic Sri Lankan exports: PEKOES & 50. Aromatic Indian export: ASSAM. Black tea.

68. Pride sound: ROAR. Lion.

69. Command to a guard dog: SIC 'EM.

71. Bits: IOTAS.

72. Feels like: WANTS TO.

75. "I hate it": UGH.

76. Chat with online: EMAIL. And 71D. Chatted with online, for short: IM'ED.

77. Fine: CHOICE.

80. Hornswoggled: HAD.

81. "On the other hand ... ": BUT.

84. Med. condition with repetitive behavior: OCD.

85. Bistro VIP: MAITRE'D.

87. Paged: BEEPED.

88. Garden center bagful: SOIL.

89. Ruler divisions: INCHES.

90. Mexican market: MERCADO. Wikipedia says it's both Portuguese and Spanish word for "market".

93. Like an overtired child, maybe: BRATTY.

95. Co-star of Nimoy and Shatner: TAKEI.

96. Type of canoe: DUGOUT.

97. Russian refusal: NYET.

98. Derek's ex-wife on "Grey's Anatomy": ADDISON. Played by Kate Walsh.

100. Sushi bar drink: SAKE.

103. Wall recess: NICHE.

113. Genre for some Tokyo-based bands: J POP. Here's "The Queen of Japanese Pop" Namie Amuro.

114. Does the job perfectly: ACES IT.

115. Costa __: RICA.

116. Blob's lack: FORM.

117. Small tastes: SIPS.

118. __ out of: slyly avoided: WORMED.

119. Particle accelerator particle: ATOM.

120. Jedi Council leader: YODA.

Down:

1. Backs (out): OPTS.

2. Ascend: GO UP.

3. "For My Broken Heart" singer McEntire: REBA. She'll replace Blake Shelton on "The Voice".

4. Surfaces: EMERGES.

5. Radar gun reading: Abbr.: MPH.

6. Parallel to: ALONG.

7. Shoestring: LACE.

8. Blue Pac-Man ghost: INKY.

9. Can opener: TAB.

10. Small eggs: OVULES.

11. Flow back: RECEDE.

13. Upturned, as a box: ON END.

14. Naan alternative: ROTI. Derived from Sanskrit for "bread".

15. Ball-shaped: SPHERIC.

16. Sailor's affirmative: AYE.

17. Equal: ARE.

18. Exacta or trifecta: BET.

24. Actress Ward: SELA.

26. Dormitory annoyance: SNORER.

29. Cyclops feature: ONE EYE. I don't want to link it.

32. Separates, in a way: UNGLUES.

34. Mouse hat feature: EARS.

37. More chichi: ARTIER.

38. Modus operandi: SYSTEM.

39. Catherine's "Schitt's Creek" role: MOIRA. Catherine O'Hara.

40. Buzz: RUMOR.

42. Mercury and Mars: GODS.

43. River inlets: RIAS.

44. Pizzeria output: PIES.

47. Actor/director Ken: OLIN. He's in "thirtysomething"

48. Fashion letters: DKNY.

51. Busy place: HIVE.

52. Iris layer: UVEA.

53. Roller coaster parts: CARS.

60. Wrath: IRE.

61. Some Spielberg movie collectibles: ETS. Ah, OK, figurines.

62. In shape: TONED.

63. Sombrero, e.g.: HAT.

65. Icy coating: HOAR.

66. Elevator name: OTIS.

67. Soft mineral: TALC.

68. Zoomed past: RACED BY.

69. Turn in: SUBMIT.

70. Large lizard with dewlaps: IGUANA.

72. Moist towelette: WIPE.

73. Implied: TACIT.

74. "Strange to say ... ": ODDLY.

76. Nights before: EVES.

77. Some athletic shoes: CLEATS.

78. Listen to: HEED.

79. Research on a political rival, briefly: OPPO. Opposition research.

82. Frozen fries maker: ORE-IDA.

83. Howard or Alcorn, for short: HBCU. Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

86. Tour de France mountains: THE ALPS.

88. Hit the spot: SATISFY.

90. Iditarod driver: MUSHER.

91. Narcissist's problem: EGOISM.

92. "Be My Baby" memoirist Spector: RONNIE.

94. Actress Russo: RENE.

96. Hustle genre: DISCO.

97. Maker of sweet wafers: NECCO.

99. Sketch: DRAW.

101. Preternatural glow: AURA.

102. Make a scarf, say: KNIT.

104. Jimmy __: fashion brand known for expensive shoes: CHOO.

105. Difficult: HARD.

106. Actress Thompson: EMMA.

107. Pros using mixers, for short: DJS.

108. Nail polish brand: OPI.

109. Cut (off): LOP.

110. Takeoff approx.: ETD.

112. Hasty escape: LAM. Also a popular Cantonese surname, as in singer George Lam or fashion designer Derek Lam. 

So happy that my book is now available on Amazon. Thanks for the review, acesaround, thanks for supporting me whenever you can!

C.C.