Tuesday, September 5, 2023 Susan Gelfland

It's September so Back to School:  The last word of each two-word theme answer pertains to education.  The first word correlates with a word or phrase in the clue.

17-Across. Instruction in public relations?: SPIN CLASS.

26-Across. Instruction in horticulture?: NURSERY SCHOOL.

48-Across. Instruction in an early computer language?: BASIC TRAINING.

63-Across. Instruction in residential real estate?: HOME STUDY.

What else can we learn today?

Across:

1. Barely detectable amount: TRACE.

6. Secret agent: SPY.

9. Tiffs: SPATS.

14. Moving-day containers: BOXES.

15. Tot's piggy: TOE.

16. Well-mannered: CIVIL.

19. Slowly break down: ERODE.

20. Annoyance: PEST.

21. Likely (to): APT.

22. Rather underwhelmed: UNAWED.

23. Theater walkway: AISLE.

25. Map marker: PIN.

31. Capital city near the Nile Delta: CAIRO.

33. Four-time WNBA champion Bird: SUE.  The only Bird I could think of who played basketball was Larry Bird, but he didn't play in the Women's National Basketball Association.  Sue Bird (née Suzanne Brigit Bird; b. Oct. 16, 1980) played with the Seattle Storm for her entire career.  She played from 2002 until she retired just a year ago in September 2022.  [Name # 1.]

34. Jason's ship, in Greek mythology: ARGO.  [Name # 2.]  Jason is an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts.  He led the quest for the Golden Fleece.  It's all Greek to me.  A CSO to our old friend Lemonade.  We miss you.

35. Do the last part of a triathlon, e.g.: RUN.

36. Catch a few winks: NAP.

39. Los Angeles commuter org.: MTA.  MTA = Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

41. The NHL's __ Ross Trophy: ART.  Arthur Ross (né Arthur Howe Ross; January 13, 1885 ~ August 5, 1964) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player.  He was regarded as one of the best players of his time.  He is know for being one of the first to skate with the puck up the ice rather than pass it to a forward.  He was the first coach for the Boston Bruins.  The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League player who leads the league in points at the end of the regular season.  [Name # 3.]

42. Length x width, for a rectangle: AREA.

44. Novelist Deighton: LEN.  Although Len Deighton (né Leonard Cyril Deighton; b. Feb. 18, 1929) is best known for his spy and espionage novels, he also writes cookbooks and books on military history.  [Name # 4.]

46. Mystical old letters: RUNES.

52. Letter after pi: RHO.

53. Whitlock Jr. of "Cocaine Bear": ISIAH.  Although I didn't recognize the name, I recognized the face.  Isiah Whitlock, Jr. (b. Sept. 13, 1954) portrayed Clay Davis, the corrupt politician on The Wire.  [Name # 5.]

54. Faces with courage: BRAVES.

57. Hogwash: ROT.

58. Words said with an eye roll: I BET.

62. "Mental Illness" Grammy winner Mann: AIMEE.  Aimee Elizabeth Mann (b. Sept. 8, 1960) will celebrate her 63rd birthday later this week.  She studied music at the Berklee School of Music in Boston.  [Name # 6.]

65. Perfect places: EDENS.  A Crossword staple.

66. Prez on a fiver: ABE.  We all are familiar with Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12, 1809 ~ Apr. 15, 1965), the 16th President of the United States.  [Name # 7.]

67. Junkyard stuff: SCRAP.

68. Full of spice: ZESTY.

69. Knight's title: SIR.

70. Herbes de Provence herb: THYME.

Down:

1. Cookbook meas.: TBSP.

2. Rock climber's line: ROPE.

3. Graph line: AXIS.   Math class.

4. Mythological man-horse: CENTAUR.

5. Top-left PC key: ESC.  Also on the top left of my MacBook keyboard.  //  And 61-Down. Use a keyboard: TYPE.

 

6. Paper fastener: STAPLE.

7. Movie advertisements: POSTERS.

8. "That's correct": YES.

9. Like most of the Pacific Coast Highway: SCENIC.

10. Omnivorous fish: PIRANHA.  Piranha are surprisingly small fish, but they do have sharp teeth.

11. Declare without shame: AVOW.

12. Sea level shift: TIDE.

13. Snow coaster: SLED.

Sled alternatives

18. Young woman: LASS.

22. Bent out of shape: UPSET.

24. Steam-emitting laundry appliance: IRON.

26. Dressed to the __: NINES.  The possible origin story of this phrase.

27. "Tasty": YUM.

28. Chimp kin: ORANG.

29. Beast in "Puss in Boots": OGRE.   Puss in Boots is a European fairy tale about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand in marriage of a princess for his penniless and low-born master.

Apropos of nothing, other than the title above is in French:  Life is surreal for French speakers in Louisiana right now because phonetically, "chat GPT" sounds like "Chat, j'ai pété", which means "Cat, I farted" in English.  We hear  television news reporters say, with a perfectly straight face, "Cat, I farted."  such as: Is Cat, I Farted going to steal your job?  How are schools dealing with Cat, I farted?  Lawyers have been caught using cat, I farted to write their briefs.  It goes on, and on ...

30. Auction units: LOTS.

31. Fiddler __: creature with asymmetric claws: CRAB.  Everything you wanted to know about the Fiddler Crab but didn't know to ask.

32. Luminous glow: AURA.

37. Voices between sopranos and tenors: ALTOS.

38. For each: PER.

40. Operatic showstopper: ARIA.

43. Clothes dryer attachment: AIR VENT.  How to clean a dryer vent.

45. Kenyan city known as the Green City in the Sun: NAIROBI.

47. Disconnect, as a trailer: UNHITCH.

49. Corny: CHEESY.

50. Chemically similar compound: ISOMER.  Chemistry Class.  Isomers are compounds that have the same molecular formula, but are structurally different.

51. Evening, in ads: NITE.

54. Folk legend Joan: BAEZ.  Joan Baez (née Joan Chandos Baez; b. Jan. 9, 1941) is probably mostly associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, as her music in that period focused on protest and social justice.  [Name # 8.]

55. Take a bus: RIDE.

56. Iowa college town: AMES.  Ames, Iowa is the home of Iowa State University.  There is a town in Louisiana called Iowa, but it is pronounced pronounced with the long A sound at the end ("EYE-uh-way"), opposed to the pronunciation of the state of Iowa.

59. Hide well: BURY.

60. Gouda alternative: EDAM.  Yummers!  Do you know the difference between Gouda and Edam?

63. Owns: HAS.

64. Mach 1 breaker: SST.  SST = SuperSonic Transport.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday September 4, 2023 Marin Wells & Andrew Kingsley

  

Theme:        Is it chilly in here?  

Hello Cornerites!

Happy Labor Day! I did not have to work too hard to solve today's puzzle. It felt just right for a Monday.

Two ways to write "easier", Monday-level clues are (1.) use clues we have already seen 100 times and (2.) provide sensible descriptions. I put this puzzle in the latter category. Let's take a look:

We have four starred clues, each with the letters I - C - E broken up across the words, always in that order. Circles are used to highlight those letters. Notice that each of those letters is used only once in each answer.

17 Across. *Clue suspect dressed in red: MISS SCARLET.  This time "Clue" refers to the board game. Hasbro's new 2023 edition updated her look.  

25 Across. *The key to good locks?: HAIR CARE.  I like the pairing of "key" with "locks" in this clue. Legally Blonde fans will remember this scene. (You'll need to stop the video yourself at 3 min.)  

"The rules of HAIR CARE are simple and finite. Any Cosmo girl would have known."

Reese Witherspoon (2001)

40 Across. *"I confess! You got me!": GUILTY AS CHARGED. I love this grid-spanner!

50 Across. *Parakeet's home: BIRDCAGE.  Bird Paradise in Singapore is Asia's largest enclosed bird park. Below is a 2:13 min. news video covering its opening this past May. (Hi PK!)

The reveal is at

64 Across. Begin a conversation, and what the answers to the starred clues do to their circled letters?: BREAK THE ICE.  This idiom means to do or say something to relieve tension or get conversation going at the start of a party or when people meet for the first time. An example of an ice breaker question is, "What is your favorite holiday?" 193 more ice breaker questions

For our puzzle, it refers to the letters I - C - E being separated or "broken up", if you will, across the starred answers.

Neither Marin Wells nor Andrew Kinglsey showed up in my search of our blog's history; however, I did find that they each have published puzzles elsewhere. Congratulations to you both on your L.A. Times debuts!

Across:
1. Crown sparkler: JEWEL.

6. Like the Mandarin and Thai languages: TONAL.  In these languages, words with different TONAL inflections convey different meanings. For example, a single word could be said with four different tones, and each of those tones will change the meaning of the word.

11. Surgery ctrs.: ORS.  "Centers" is abbreviated and plural, so is "Operating RoomS".

14. Spanish birthplace of St. Teresa: ÀVILA.  link to a Univ. of Notre Dame website

15. Food flavoring: SPICE.  

Get it? He's dead. Haha!

16. Conjunction that's the "B" in the FANBOYS mnemonic: BUT.  

I was unfamiliar with the mnemonic, BUT I could only think of one 3-letter conjunction beginning with the letter "B";
so, boy, am I a fan!

19. Commotion: ADO.

20. 4x4, briefly: UTE. a utility vehicle

21. Boston newspaper: HERALD. My local paper is also called The Herald. I have a digital subscription.

22. Foreboding sign: OMEN.  In other news, Season 2 of Amazon Prime's Good OMENs came out this summer. It stars David Tennant, Michael Sheen, and Jon Hamm. Here is the 2 min. trailer.  

23. Package: PARCEL.

27. Poems of praise: ODES.

29. Muscle twitch: TIC.

30. Regarding: AS TO.

33. Civil rights icon Parks: ROSA.

36. Tropical fruit: GUAVA.  I heard this cover of the GUAVA Jelly song on the radio just about every day when I lived in Hawaii. It was originally written and recorded by Bob Marley.

The Ka'au Crater Boys (1998)

43. Tennis star Naomi: OSAKA.  She became a mom this summer.

44. Silicon Valley's __ Alto: PALO.  city website for visitors

45. Pond plant: REED.

46. "__ be the judge of that": I'LL.  See 40A.

48. Temptation: URGE.

55. Elbows: NUDGES.  Two weeks ago, 1A was NUDGE so I blogged about NUDGE Theory in Behavioral Economics. A Cornerite posted a link to the classic Monty Python skit. Here we have a comic linking them together. #SomethingForEveryone

As you probably guessed, the UK's Behaviour Insights Team is nicknamed the Nudge Unit.

59. Some nest eggs, for short: IRAS.

60. Puts underground: BURIES.  and  7 Down. "Queen of All Media" Winfrey: OPRAH.

62. Baseball official: UMP.  I checked a couple of dictionaries. "UMP" was not listed as an abbreviation but a few labeled it as "slang" or "informal".

63. __ Quixote: DON.

66. Ted Lasso setting: Abbr.: ENG.  ENGland

hence the tea cup

67. Out of style: PASSÉ.

68. Painter's stand: EASEL.

69. Night anticipating the Ball Drop, informally: NYE.  New Year's Eve

70. Where most of "Moby-Dick" takes place: AT SEA.  Yesterday we had 5D Captain PELEG.

The Pequod's Journey by Alondra Gonzalez

71. Romance novelist Danielle: STEEL.  Danielle Fernandes Dominique Schuelein Steel was born on August 14, 1947 in New York City. One source said she has written over 200 books and 25 of them have been made into movies.

Down:
1. Become clogged, as a printer: JAM UP.  

2. "Buenos Aires" musical: EVITA.  I never tire of this stirring refrain.

Don't Cry For Me Argentina

performed by The Maestro Guido & The European Pop Orchestra

featuring Wendy Kokkelkoren at Kerkrade, the Netherlands

3. Knowing better now: WISER.

4. Golfer Ernie known as "The Big Easy": ELS.  Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer with more than 70 career wins. He was born on October 17, 1969 in Johannesburg.

5. __ out: reacted angrily: LASHED.

6. Russian autocrat: TSAR.  An autocrat is someone who has absolute power.

8. __ wafers: NILLA.

9. Nailed an exam: ACED IT.

10. Net judge's call: LET.  This is called when the ball hits the net but still lands in the service court, usually so close to the net that it cannot be returned. It is a do-over situation and the server is not faulted.

11. President who appointed two women to the Supreme Court: OBAMA.  and  50 Down. President who declared Juneteenth a federal holiday: BIDEN.

12. Less civil: RUDER.

13. Curling piece: STONE. Great clue! Perhaps a stretch but I'm calling it an Easter Egg. CanadianEh!, what do you think?

Norway won the gold in the Fancy Pants category that year.

18. Dip stick?: CELERY.  The L had me trying oiL??? for a while. Hand up for dipping my CELERY stick in a jar of peanut butter.

22. Happened: OCCURRED.  I could not remember if this word was spelled with two C's or two R's.

24. Popular group in school: COOL KIDS.  These KIDS (goats) are COOL!

26. Latvia's capital: RIGA.  I learned so much about RIGA while watching this 7 min., Rick Steves-style video.  48 hrs. in Riga

28. Sudsy bar: SOAP.

30. Earlier: AGO.

31. Dubious, slangily: SUS.  SUSpicious, perhaps???

32. Argentine aunt: TIA.

34. Nine-digit ID issuer: SSA.  The Social Security Board (SSB) was created on August 14, 1935 when President F.D. Roosevelt signed into law the Social Security Act. It was renamed the Social Security Administration on July 16,1946.

35. LGBTQ+ advocacy org.: ACLU.  American Civil Liberties Union

37. Dating app info: AGE.  

38. "Peace" shape: VEE.  

39. Go on to say: ADD.

41. Barber's powder: TALC.

42. Stinging insect: HORNET.  But they can be beneficial, too.

47. Rodent in a maze: LAB RAT.

49. Raves (about): GUSHES.

51. "The Twilight Zone" specialty: IRONY.  So true! In many episodes, a twist at the end turned the tables on the less-than-honorable character(s). "Situational IRONY" occurs when an expected outcome is subverted. A literary example is O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi.

52. "Home on the __": RANGE.  Where the deer and the antelope play.  𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮

53. Speculate: GUESS.

54. Wipe clean: ERASE.  

56. False front: GUISE.  

57. Quiz-show host: EMCEE.

58. Say "C-H-E-E-S-E"?: SPELL.  This clue was one of my favorites. The hyphens indicate that we are to say each letter, not the whole word. We are SPELLing the word "cheese" -- not posing for a picture.

61. Self-assembly furniture giant: IKEA.  "IKEA" is Swedish for "couples quarrelling". 😜😜

64. Chemical in some plastics, briefly: BPA.  Bisphenol A is an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins since the 1950s. Retailers began replacing water bottles and baby bottles with BPA free containers around 2008. More from the Mayo Clinic 

65. "Dig in!": EAT.  

Here's the grid:  

Now that the ICE has been broken and hot dogs have been eaten, it's time to chill with a Labor Day refreshment. Have a great day everyone!  

Sunday September 3, 2023 Jill Rafaloff & Michelle Sontarp

Theme: "Do the Math" - Each common phrase is rephrased as if it's math-related.

23. Button on a quartermaster's calculator?: MILITARY OPERATION.

30. One?: OPENING NUMBER.

50. Birds + Bees = Bundle of Joy?: BABY FORMULA.

63. Staunch advocates of quotients?: DIVISION CHAMPIONS.

80. Average thoroughfares?: MEAN STREETS.

96. Knack for reciting multiplication tables?: PRODUCT RECALL.

106. Fails to complete a subtraction problem?: MAKES NO DIFFERENCE.

Second Sunday collaboration from Jill and Michelle. We had them last December with this "Hesitations" theme.

I really like the 50A clue. So inspired. I would need to shoot an email to Fremont, Nebraska.

Across:

1. Mature: AGE.

4. "Things Fall __": Chinua Achebe novel: APART. Nigerian novelist.

9. Exam for jrs.: PSAT.

13. Lack compatibility, as colors: CLASH.

18. Clickable address: URL.

19. One of 17 properties on a Monopoly board: AVENUE.

20. Supply company in Road Runner cartoons: ACME. Regulars know that ACME = Andrea Carla Michaels. Boomer was in pain then, but walked quite a bit that day.

Boomer, C.C., Tom Pepper & Andrea, 5/26/2021

21. Must: HAS TO.

22. Simon and Garfunkel, e.g.: DUO.

26. Little rascal: IMP.

27. Term of endearment: BAE. Bao Bei in Chinese (Baby).

28. Burden: ONUS.

29. Amount consumed: INTAKE.

35. Burdened: LADENED.

36. "For sure!": YES.

37. Archer of myth: EROS.

38. Builds to a crescendo: SWELLS.

40. Colorado site of the Winter X Games: ASPEN. 41. 40-Across forecast: SNOW.

43. Thick & Fluffy waffle brand: EGGO. Never had this. Never tried some things you guys eat.

44. Detest: HATE.  And 48. Bad mood: SNIT.

45. Ceiling: CAP.

49. "__ McCartney": 2016 compilation album: PURE. Unknown to me.

54. Jump over: HOP.

55. Judean king: HEROD.

56. Stockpile: AMASS. My stockpiled frozen durians are all gone. Can't wait for the next durian season.

57. Valuable minerals: ORES.

58. Female sheep: EWE.

59. Laundry appliance: IRON.

60. Self-checkout action: SCAN.

61. Australian sextet: STATES. And 72. Down Under bird: EMU.

68. Category on Disney+: MARVEL.

70. Cries from Homer: DOHs.

71. Cogito __ sum: ERGO.

75. Neighborhood: AREA. Just learned that two units in our quad have guns. Kind of surreal to see guys doing drugs in my driveway at 4:00am. 

76. Vowel sequence: AEIOU.

78. Move furtively: SLINK.

79. Shrill bark: YAP.

83. Silent assents: NODS.

84. Actor Mostel: ZERO. Number too.

85. School of thought: ISM.

86. Tattle: TELL.

87. Dull: FADE.

88. Expand: WIDEN.

89. "Gunsmoke" star: ARNESS. James.

91. APR-reducing loan: RE-FI.

92. Author: PEN.

93. Sleeping spots for tabbies: CAT BEDS.

102. City west of Flint, Michigan: OWOSSO. Never heard of it. Famous for what?

103. Hydrox rival: OREO.

104. Lend a hand: AID.

105. Poseidon's realm: SEA.

111. Toque, e.g.: HAT.

112. Cara of "Fame" fame: IRENE.

113. Learning by repetition: ROTE.

114. In tatters: RAGGED.

115. Time for last-minute gift wrapping: EVE.

116. Pennies: CENTS.

117. Title for a fictional fox: BRER.

118. Rose: STOOD.

119. Simone de Beauvoir's "The Second __": SEX.  And 53. Sound of pain or pleasure: MOAN.

Down:

1. Video counterpart: AUDIO.

2. Curmudgeon: GRUMP.

3. Act unceremoniously?: ELOPE.

4. Birds: AVIANS.

5. Ship owner who described Ahab as "ungodly, god-like": PELEG.

6. "Both Hands" singer DiFranco: ANI.

7. Road groove: RUT.

8. Dim sum drink: TEA. From my friend Lesley. Her favorite dim sum items. She's also a tea connoisseur. Wish you guys could meet her. Sweetest Cantonese girl.

9. Liam of One Direction: PAYNE.

10. Uses steel wool, maybe: SCOURS.

11. Increases, with "up": AMPS.

12. "Fore!" site: TEE.

13. Friend on "Friends": CHANDLER. Bing.

14. Foamy hot beverages: LATTES.

15. From the Philippines, e.g.: ASIAN.

16. Stir up: STOKE.

17. Sharpened: HONED.

19. Insomnia option: AMBIEN.

24. Rips off: ROBS.

25. Oldest bridge spanning Venice's Grand Canal: RIALTO.

31. Duma veto: NYET.

32. Campari cocktail: NEGRONI.

33. Goaded: URGED.

34. Farm sound: MOO.

35. Flips (through): LEAFS.

39. Reasons: WHYS.

40. Arthur in the International Tennis Hall of Fame: ASHE.

42. Wildly improbable goal: PIPE DREAM. Great fill.

43. Portuguese bread?: EUROS.

45. Greeted a queen, perhaps: CURTSEYED. I spell it as CURTSY.

46. Away from the wind, nautically: ALEE.

47. "Hard no": PASS.

49. Hazard: PERIL.

50. Greek god of wine: BACCHUS.

51. Indian nurses: AMAHS. Lots of Filipino amahs in Hong Kong. They're the largest ethnic minority there.

52. "Munich" star Eric: BANA.

55. Bee hub: HIVE.

60. Supercilious sort: SNOOT.

61. Inks: SIGNS.

62. __ one's time: TOOK.

64. Lendl in the International Tennis Hall of Fame: IVAN.

65. Garfield's goofy housemate: ODIE.

66. Like a hummable tune: MELODIC.

67. June celebration: PRIDE.

68. Spanish term of affection: MAMI. Our Mommy.

69. Son of Zeus: ARES.

73. Female zebra: MARE.

74. Over: UPON.

76. City in Provence: ARLES. The cover of my compact mirror. Got it at Musée d'Orsay 23 years ago.

77. Snaky fish: EELS. And 87. Made dinner for: FED. I want to be fed grilled eels.

78. Big blunder: SNAFU.

81. Emphasizes: STRESSES.

82. Muscle-bone connector: TENDON.

84. Metal in pennies: ZINC.

88. Tidied the garden: WEEDED. My #1 goal is to keep our Asiatic lilies alive. Boomer loved them so much.

89. Away: ABSENT.

90. Pixie: SPRITE.

91. Ski rack spot: ROOF.

92. __ to sell: PRICED.

93. Open mic performer, often: COMIC.

94. Plugged in: AWARE.

95. Arcade coin: TOKEN.

97. Send (to): REFER.

98. Letter between Sierra and Uniform: TANGO.

99. Clambake leftovers: ASHES.

100. Split: LEAVE.

101. Paint choice: LATEX.

103. Stench: ODOR. The intense, relentless odor from my neighbor's week-long weed parties (so so many guys and girls came for the orgies)! The day Splynter blogged for me, I was on the trails early in the morning for fresh air, then again in the hot afternoon, for a total 6 hours. Crazy.

107. Globe: ORB.

108. Hosp. areas: ERS.

109. "I smell a __!": RAT.

110. Psyche component: EGO.

C.C.