Saturday, August 12, 2023, Rich Norris

Saturday Themeless by Rich Norris

 

Our former editor returns with a very doable Saturday exercise. He also gives a very nice shoutout to C.C.

Across:

1. Draft pick?: OXEN 😀 OXEN are draft animals

5. Bentley of "Yellowstone": WES - Second from left

8. __ Canarias: ISLAS - Canary Islands was obvious but I had to work to get ISLAS 

13. Backs: SIDES WITH 

16. Use, in a way, with "off": MOOCH and 37. Used, in a way, with "off": SPONGED.

17. Texas Revolution figure: SANTA ANNA.

18. Ask: PUT TO - I PUT TO you this question, does your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bedpost over night?

19. Hot: ON A STREAK.

20. Like some accents: ACUTE.    

21. Uniform item, often: CAP - At the Pentagon Mall store - $29. At a street kiosk by Ford's Theater - $9

22. Best Original Song Oscar winner for "No Time to Die": EILISH - Billie won with her brother Finneas for this Bond theme

24. March honoree, familiarly: ST. PAT.

27. 21st century explorer: DORA.

28. Job listing ltrs.: EEO.

30. Golf shot: CHIP - Tiger's on #16 at Augusta is probably the most famous

31. 2002 AFI Life Achievement Award honoree: HANKS - At 46, he was the youngest to get it

32. Pandora or Spotify: APP.

33. Demolish: RAZE - My childhood home finally got RAZED two years ago, twenty years later than it should have been.

 

34. Rest stop visitors: SEMIS.

35. Take the lead: STAR - Henry Winkler declined to STAR as Danny Zuko in Grease

36. Snack brand since 1921: UTZ - Not familiar in my town

37. Cocky gait: STRUT.

38. Olympian queen: HERA - A wife of Zeus

39. Org. honored with a commemorative stamp for its 50th anniversary in 1960: BSA.

40. Assistant's job, often: PREP.

41. Deserving of: WORTH.

42. "Criminal Minds" actress: AJ COOK.

44. Cut (off): LOP.

45. Runners at the corners, say: TWO ON - That means a baseball team has runners at 1st and 3rd base.

46. Request to be heard: INDULGE ME.

52. Garden hose gasket: O-RING - Of course this NASA guy immediately thought of the O-RING on the Space Shuttle Booster that failed on that cold January day and caused the Challenger to blow up.

53. TV series that teamed a conspiracy theorist with a doctor: THE X-FILES - Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) was the conspiracy theorist and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) was the doctor turned FBI agent.

54. Poet whose work helped establish modern Italian: DANTE.

The Inferno - Canto I 

The Dark Forest. The Hill of Difficulty. The Panther, the Lion, and the Wolf. Virgil. 

Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita mi ritrovai per una selva oscura, ché la diritta via era smarrita. Ahi quanto a dir qual era è cosa dura esta selva selvaggia e aspra e forte che nel pensier rinova la paura!

Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark, For the straightforward pathway had been lost. Ah me! how hard a thing it is to say What was this forest savage, rough, and stern, Which in the very thought renews the fear.

55. Critters with discs on their extremities: TREE FROGS.

56. Wasn't indecisive: OPTED.

57. Kennel sound: YAP.

58. "Fuller House" actress Ashley: LIAO - In the middle below

Down:

1. __ buco: OSSO - Italian for "bone with a hole"

2. Capital of Shaanxi Province: XIAN - This is the hometown of our gracious hostess, C.C.. Here is a beautiful picture of her in her old XIAN "hood" where her brother Andy still lives.

3. "The Incredibles" designer Mode: EDNA - It is commonly believed that multi Oscar-winner Edith Head was the inspiration for this cartoon character.

4. Loser to Explorer in the first browser war: NETSCAPE - This was my first browser and I remember how thrilled I was to use it via my dialup modem.

5. __ Country: WINE.

6. Volcano where Zeus trapped Typhon, in some myths: ETNA - Zeus, volcano, c'mon...

7. Agree: SHAKE ON IT.

8. Chevys retired in 2020: IMPALAS - I didn't know that

9. Sans __: carefree: SOUCI - French: Sans (without) SOUCI (worry)

10. Odyssey dreamer: LOTUS EATER - Speaking of sans souci...

11. Behave as required: ACT THE PART.

12. Brake __: SHOE.

14. Occupied, in a way: SAT AT - The famous 1960 lunch counter SIT IN in at a Woolworth's Lunch Counter in Greensboro, N.C.

15. Distort: WARP - Did'ja ever...

23. Bugs: IRKS.

24. Really clean: SCRUB - My idea of "clean the deck" is using a garden hose for ten minutes. Joann's is two hours with a power washer attached to a 2,700psi compressor.

25. Closing words: THAT'S A WRAP - In some movies, "THAT'S A WRAP" is heard after the first scene is filmed way out of sequence.

26. Pie seller, casually: PIZZA JOINT - This is a one where we got a great pie on top of the Island of Capri which is called Anacapri.

27. Block: DAM UP.

29. Media mogul born in Mississippi: OPRAH.

In Kosciusko, MS

31. Summons whose last word is often repeated: HERE KITTY - Repetition does not seem to help with our kitty.

34. Minute Maid Park player, to fans: STRO.

35. Meg Ryan's screen name in "You've Got Mail": SHOPGIRL.

41. Mezzo-soprano Beverly: WOLFF - Two famous Beverly sopranos with five-letter last names.

SILLS.            WOLFF

43. Italian noble title below marchese: CONTE.

Nobility

• Imperatore (Emperor) / Imperatrice (Empress)
• Re (King) / Regina (Queen)
• Principe (Prince) / Principessa (Princess)
• Duca (Duke) / Duchessa (Duchess)
• Marchese (Marquis) / Marchesa (Marchioness)
• Conte (Count or Earl) / Contessa (Countess)
• Visconte (Viscount) / Viscontessa (Viscountess)

44. Opulent: LUXE.

luxe

adjective

ˈlu̇ks  ˈləks  ˈlüks 

Synonyms of luxe

: LUXURIOUS, SUMPTUOUS

45. Well attachment?: TO DO - Well TO DO peeps demand LUXE accommodations 

47. Drag org.: NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

48. Word with freeze or fry: DEEP - McDonald's great fries are DEEP frozen before they are DEEP fried

49. H.G. Wells race: ELOI - Rod Taylor greets the passive ELOI in the 1965 iteration of The Time Machine 

50. Colossal: MEGA.

51. Petrol brand: ESSO - This Ontario station was charging 116.5 cents/liter

 

Friday, August 11, 2023, Landon Horton

Theme: "DELete "DLE"

Puzzling thoughts: So, after a two-month absence from blogging, my initial thought about today's crossword was what our constructor (Mr. Horton) offered at 41-across: ("Give me your best shot!":) BRING IT! And "bring it" he did, as this took me about 20 minutes to solve using my Across Lite software. As I alluded to a couple weeks ago, my solving skills may have atrophied a bit while I was hiatusing; but I have never been speedy when solving puzzles on-line. My typing skills are much worse than my solving skills, which slows me down considerably. Anyway, I finally got 'er done ...

This appears to be Landon's DEBUT at LAT; when I googled his name with a "crossword" reference, this is what came up. Congratulations Landon on your published puzzle(s); I'm sure we'll be seeing more from you in the future ...

So, if my "theme title" didn't give this away, the basic tie-in to all four entries is the addition of the letters "DLE" to common items. This added syllable gave the items a clever and punny twist. For example:

20-across. Table-tennis implement that lacks a partner?: BACHELOR PADDLE. I had a BACHELOR PAD for several years but don't miss it. Although, if it looked like this one ...

33-across. Combo deal of frankfurters, ketchup, mustard, relish, etc.?: HOT DOG BUNDLE. More truth than fiction in this entry ... remove the ketchup, make sure the mustard is either dark or spicy, make sure the relish is "dill", add some chopped red onions and sauerkraut, and you have the Chairman's perfect HOT DOG BUNDLE. The ones at Costco are pretty tasty, and contain some of the condiments that Moe likes

40-across. Sketch of a crime-fighting canine?: SCOOBY DOODLE. Probably my favorite of the four

And last, but not least ... 54-across. Gift for someone who loves the smell of potato chips?: PRINGLES CANDLE. It looks like someone else had this idea:

This kind of wordplay is right up the Chairman's alley ... and prompted me to come up with a Moe-ku. Perhaps Landon had this as a backup entry for today's puzzle?? Clue and answer in haiku format:

Recipient of
Deceased man's e-book reader?
His NEXT OF KINDLE

{groan}

Here is the grid:

Across:
1. Treat with supreme care: BABY. Desper-otto: did you get this one straight away? I didn't

5. Not messy: NEAT. Or how I like my Whisky/Whiskey pours ... sorry, Irish Miss! A CSO to a former Crossword Corner regular, Tinbeni

9. Piracy, e.g.: THEFT.

14. Prefix with futurism: AFRO. Friday clue

15. Wile E. Coyote's preferred supplier: ACME. Landon appears - from his LinkedIn account photo - to be a Gen X'er, so he was probably familiar with this from watching cartoons as a lad. Goes with 17-across. (Warner __:) BROS. The studio that produced this cartoon

35-across. (Tuscan waterway:) ARNO. Goes with 16-across. (35-Across, for one:) RIVER. We've had this one before

18. Couple: ITEM. PAIR also fit and that was what I inserted first

19. Cohesion: UNITY.

23. Impediments to inbox zero: E-MAILS. Once I got the perps, this filled in itself

24. Former NFLer Michael portrayed in "The Blind Side": OHER. Goes with 45-across. (Actress Bullock:) SANDRA, who played Michael's adopted mom; as well as 17-across (it's a Warner BROS production). Great story; decent film

25. "__ Misérables": LES.

26. Seder, e.g.: MEAL. I had "RITE" as my first guess; was I correct in saying that the SEDER is a RITE?

29. Once-common glove box item: AAA MAP. Not just any MAP ... a AAA map. They (AAA) always included one or two mistakes on their maps to ensure that no one infringed on their copyright(s)

38. "The Last of Us" cable network: HBO. WAG filled by perps

39. Hair __: CLIP. Moe is pretty much "sans" hair ... CLIP was not my first thought

46. Nimble: SPRY.

47. Tax org.: IRS.

50. Annex: WING.

52. Childish denial: ARE NOT. AM TOO was too short

58. Singapore __: SLING. Wow! Hadn't heard of this cocktail in a long, long time. Here is the recipe

59. Honolulu's island: OAHU.

60. Level: TIER.

61. Rapper Minaj: NICKI. Moe-ku 2:

When rapper NICKI
Hooked up with roommates, it's called:
A Minaj à trois

62. Like some coffee tables: OVAL. Ours is rectangular

63. Harold's "Ghostbusters" role: EGON. Who you gonna call??

64. Bare minimum: LEAST.

65. Jumbo: MEGA.

66. Blush wine: ROSE. Believe it or not, most rosé wine is not sweet. The wine is derived primarily from red grape varietals, and very little skin contact is seen during the crushing of the grapes and/or the fermentation process. Great for summer meals; we drink it all year long in Arizona

Down:
1. Duolingo alternative: BABBEL. 1-across and 1-down almost made this puzzle unsolvable for me. Quite obviously, I didn't know what Duolingo was (I do recall hearing the word, though), and I sure didn't know any familiar six-letter words that ended in BEL. I perped and WAG'd my way through this NW corner; it was my last section to fill

2. Triangular abode: A FRAME. TEEPEE was my first guess

3. __ area: brain region linked to speech: BROCAS. After guessing this word, I looked it up to confirm

4. Super Mario World dinosaur: YOSHI. Another WAG that seemed correct when I placed it into this space. I thought at first that SOSHI was its name, but once BABY was perped ...

5. Tool tapped by a hammer: NAILSET. This word hasn't appeared in a major crossword puzzle in awhile

6. Opposite of endo-: ECTO.

7. USA part: Abbr.: AMER.

8. Pace: TEMPO.

9. Canadian prime minister: TRUDEAU. CSO to CanadianEh!, but the recent big news about Pierre is that he and his wife of 18 years are getting a divorce ... any more "dirt" you can spread on this, C-Eh!?

10. Obstacle: HINDRANCE. Another lesser used crossword

11. Pernicious: EVIL. Friday clue

12. Swanky party: FETE.

13. Give it a whirl: TRY. Hmmm ... I recently submitted a puzzle that had "GIVE IT A WHIRL" as the reveal ... the puzzle wasn't accepted ... but now this clue shows up ... coincidence?

21. Red Muppet who visits Grouchland: ELMO. You had me at "Red Muppet"

22. Literary captain whose last words are "Thus, I give up the spear!": AHAB. Easily filled

27. Ritalin target, for short: ADHD.

28. Chicano rock band Los __: LOBOS. Most know this group for their song "La Bamba". Here is one that also popped up in a Google search

30. 16th century date: MDL. For as clever as this puzzle was, I'm OK with this; most editor's frown on using roman numerals unless absolutely necessary

31. Oscar winner Mahershala: ALI. Total WAG/perp; hadn't seen his movies or TV programs ... it happens!

32. Gusto: PEP. This word makes me think of the PEP Boys ... Manny, Moe, and Jack

33. Bamboozles: HOODWINKS. Moe-ku 3:

Clever bamboozler
Fashioned a new sweatshirt by
Adding some HOOD WINKS

34. "The __ Lab": Netflix docuseries hosted by Gwyneth Paltrow: GOOP. GOOP has become an oft-used word recently in x-word puzzles; probably because of this docuseries' popularity

35. Donkey: ASS.

36. Classic TV brand: RCA.

37. __ sequitur: NON.

42. Andrew who founded the Forward Party in 2021: YANG. Rumors are that he might run for Prez in 2024

43. Bram Stoker horror novel: DRACULA.

44. "His Dark Materials" heroine: LYRA. Margaret was familiar with her; not I

47. Rainbow hue: INDIGO. ROY G BIV (acronym for remembering): RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, INDIGO, and VIOLET. The seven colors of the rainbow

48. Birling contests: ROLEOS. This crossword entry hasn't been used in quite awhile, either. Having perped the "L" I knew it wasn't RODEOS

49. "Tristram Shandy" author: STERNE. Has someone been keeping track of the proper names today? In case anyone wondered: [according to Wikipedia] "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, also known as Tristram Shandy, is a novel by Laurence STERNE, inspired by Don Quixote. It was published in nine volumes, the first two appearing in 1759, and seven others following over the next seven years (vols. 3 and 4, 1761; vols. 5 and 6, 1762"

51. Low spirits: GLOOM. Interpreting this clue a different way ... the "low spirits" in my liquor cabinet include vodka, gin and rum - are mostly the ones used for mixers ... the top spirits (top shelf) are closer at hand! ;^)

53. Input: ENTER.

54. Ballet bend: PLIE.

55. Costa __: RICA.

56. Spot for Christmas lights: EAVE. Although TREE works, too

57. Carpet choice: SHAG. This almost fits with one of the theme entries (SCOOBY DOODLE) as SHAGgy was one of the human characters in the cartoon series

58. Weekly NBC show, for short: SNL.

Well, here we are at the conclusion of today's recap. I hope you'll offer YOUR comments below. In keeping with my new puzzle rating score (MOES scale), this one came in at a solid 5 point 6 ... See y'uns in a couple weeks ...