Tuesday, October 17, 2023 Henry Lin-David, Kate Luo

Things with Legs.

17-Across. Baton-passing race with co-ed teams: MIXED RELAY.

26-Across. German white wine with a high sugar content: SWEET RIESLING.  With respect to wine, "legs" refers to the droplets of wine that appear on the inside of the glass after the glass is swirled.  The sweeter the wine, the stronger the "legs."

43-Across. Start of something great: PROMISING IDEA.

And the unifier:

55-Across. Surprised shout when a spot on the wall starts moving, and what can be said about 17-, 26-, and 43-Across: IT'S GOT LEGS.

This will be a minimal commentary today.  It has been a difficult and harrowing week.   We have lost friends and I have spent much of the week on numerous Zoom calls.

Across:

1. Buckwheat noodle: SOBA.

5. "Blam!": KAPOW!

10. Wander: ROVE.

14. AFB no-show: AWOL.  AWOL = Absent WithOut Leave.

15. Sports venue: ARENA.

16. Profoundly bad: EVIL.

19. Time in office: TERM.

20. United: ONE.

21. Desire: WANT.

22. Second longest African river: CONGO.  The Congo River is also the deepest river in the world.

23. Go along with: AGREE TO.

25. Tennis star Osaka: NAOMI.  Naomi Osaka (b. Oct. 16, 1997) celebrated her 26th birthday just yesterday.  She is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, with two Australian Open and two US Open titles.  She is of Japanese and Haitian descent.  [Name # 1.]

30. Jimmy Kimmel's network: ABC.  Jimmy Kimmel (né James Christian Kimmel; b. Nov. 13, 1967) got his start on Win Ben Stein's Money.  [Name # 2.]

31. Yardstick unit: INCH.

32. Bruno, to Mirabel, in "Encanto": TIO.  Today's Spanish lesson. [Names # 3 and 4, fictional.]

33. Now and __: THEN.

36. Vision-correcting surgery: LASIK.

38. Not very much: A TAD.

39. Slump: SAG.

40. Iron-rich leafy vegetable: KALE.  Not a Yummers for us.

41. Disc golf number: PAR.

47. Helps a thief, maybe: ABETS.

48. Annual fact book: ALMANAC.  Probably the most famous is Poor Richard's, which was first published by Benjamin Franklin (1706 ~ 1790) in 1732.  Franklin added an additional "K" at the end of the word.

51. Bedroom noise: SNORE.

52. Wrinkly citrus fruit: UGLI.

53. Miracle-__: fertilizer brand: GRO.

54. Wide-eyed: AGOG.

58. Source of inspiration: MUSE.

59. Connective tissue: SINEW.

60. Inky stain: BLOT.

Hence the need for a nerdy pocket protector.

61. Full collections: SETS.

62. Coin flip call: HEADS.

63. __-serif: SANS.

Down:

1. Pago Pago's land: SAMOA.

2. In debt: OWING.

3. Stocky dogs: BOXERS.

4. Brewery order: ALE.

5. Lesson one might get a kick out of?: KARATE CLASS.

6. "We __ amused": ARE NOT.  Did Queen Victoria really say this?  Was Queen Elizabeth amused?

7. Attack with snowballs, say: PELT.

8. "I'm __ roll!": ON A.

9. Route: WAY.

10. Overhaul: RETOOL.

11. Kitchen glove: OVEN MITT.

12. Shenandoah Valley state: VIRGINIA.

13. Muppet who refers to himself in the third person: ELMO.  Last week Jinx informed us that how the toy company ensures that all Tickle Me Elmo dolls are male.  [Name # 5, fictional.]

18. Socially inept sort: DWEEB.

22. Yard sale payment: CASH.

24. Actor McGregor: EWAN.  Scottish actor Ewan Gordon McGregor (b. Mar. 31, 1971) has starred in a number of films.  He portrayed the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel.  [Name # 6.]

25. Aids for airplane napping: NECK PILLOWS.  A necessity for long international flights.

27. Like proofed dough: RISEN.

28. Suffix on pasta names: -INI.  Everything you wanted to know about pasta suffixes but didn't know to ask.

29. Supreme being: GOD.

33. Vanilla extract amt.: TSP.  As in a TeaSpoon.  The Teaspoon first appeared in London in 1686 as a measure for making the perfect cup of tea.

34. Rant: HARANGUE.

35. Confidence builder: EGO BOOST.

37. "Beef" actress Wong: ALI.  Ali Wong (née Alexandra Dawn Wong; b. Apr. 19, 1982) is probably best known for being a racy stand-up comedian.   [Name # 7.]

38. Painter's calculation: AREA.

40. Toy for a windy day: KITE.

42. Confess: ADMIT.

44. Joins the flow of traffic: MERGES.

45. Had trouble swallowing: GAGGED.

46. Bassett who plays Marvel's Queen Ramonda: ANGELA.  Angela Bassett (née Angela Evelyn Bassett; b. Aug. 16, 1958) portrayed Tina Turner (née Anna Mae Bullock; Nov. 26, 1939 ~ May 24, 2023) in the 1993 film What Love Got To Do With It.   Earlier this year, Time magazine named her as one of the 100 most influential women in the world.  37-Down is also on that list.  [Name # 8.]

Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda

49. Noble gas used in welding: ARGON.  Why Argon is used in welding.

50. Is priced at: COSTS.

51. __ Club: bulk-buying chain: SAM'S.  Sam's Club is named after Sam Walton (né Samuel Moore Walton; b. Mar. 29, 1918 ~ Apr. 5, 1992), also the founder of Walmart.  [Name # 9.]

52. Annapolis military sch.: USNA.  As in the United States Naval Academy.

55. "More or less" suffix: -ISH.

56. Knotted neckwear: TIE.

57. Scale units: Abbr.: LBS.  How did Pounds become to be abbreviated as Lbs?

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

I will leave today with a song of hope.

Monday October 16, 2023 Lynn K. Watson

  

Hello Cornerites!

Today's theme:         Do-able 'N' Delightful

I thoroughly enjoyed Lynn's puzzle and I hope you did, too! She gave us four themed answers (lengths 11, 13, 13, and 11); a 3-letter reveal perfectly centered in the grid; plus two, 10-letter vertical fills. Let's admire her work:  

Beginning with the reveal:

37. Role-playing game with a 20-sided die, familiarly, and a feature of this puzzle's four longest answers: DND.  Dungeons aNd Dragons is a fantasy, tabletop, role-playing game originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. It is commonly abbreviated as either D&D or DnD.

Do we have any players on The Corner? I have never played DND but I have a friend who used to play so I asked for his input. He recommends Critical Role, a YouTube series where a group of voiceover actor friends, led by Matthew Mercer, play the game.

The reveal tells us that the four, themed clues all look like this:  D___ AND D___ .

17 Across. Move with a mouse, say: DRAG AND DROP.  This one was my favorite!

27 Across. Farrelly brothers buddy comedy: DUMB AND DUMBER.  a 1994 movie starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels

43 Across. Small, irregular amounts: DRIBS AND DRABS.  I have heard this expression but it is not in my lexicon. You can read more about it here.

Thank you, Lynn, for the FBI intersection! Apparently the eggcorn "DRIpS AND DRABS" often pops up.

58 Across. Eat without paying the bill: DINE AND DASH. Not cool, dude!

Across:
1. Former Iranian rulers: SHAHS.

6. Muscle twitch: SPASM.

11. Midwest winter hrs.: CST.  "Hours" is abbreviated, so is "Central Standard Time".

14. Slather with grease: OIL UP.  OIL prices are going UP

15. "It's been said ... ": I HEAR...

16. Hosp. recovery area: ICU.  "Hospital" is abbreviated, so is Intensive Care Unit.

19. Neither's partner: NOR.  

20. Karaoke selection: SONG.  A cringe-worthy karaoke scene is a common movie trope. In My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Julia Roberts tries to make Cameron Diaz look bad in front of Dermot Mulroney but her plan backfires. (3:09 min.)  

21. Overhead trains: ELS.  In this scene from The Godfather (1972), director Francis Ford Coppola brilliantly uses the noise from the ELS (first in the bathroom, then in the dining room) to add to the viewing tension.

Warning:  blood & violence (It is The Godfather, after all.)

22. Like bibs and aprons, usually: TIED ON.

24. Lotion additive: ALOE.

26. Sign of spiders: COBWEBS.  Halloween is just 15 days away so we might want to know the Difference Between Cobwebs & Spiderwebs.  

31. Cockeyed: ATILT.  

32. Mine find: ORE.

33. Psychic powers: ESP.  

36. Uses an all-in-one printer feature: FAXES.

38. Pixar title robot: WALL•E.  This puzzle also features a very different Disney robot movie at 2D.

40. BTW part: THE.  By THE Way  

41. Shark feature: FIN.  You can watch for sevengill sharks, leopard sharks, spiny dogfish (sharks), and Pacific angel sharks on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Shark Web Cam.

42. Luminous: AGLOW.  Speaking of spectacular marine life, here is a pic of a bioluminescent jellyfish.   

48. Wandering from place to place: NOMADIC.  This word helped me decide if 37D. DISC ended in a C or a K.

50. Lighten (up): EASE.  Speaking of amazing bioluminescent fish, How do they "light up"?

51. Assuming that: EVEN IF.  This one was one of my FAVs today.

52. Common TV set-top box: DVR.  I think Lynn knows that it would be difficult to place anything on top of today's flat-screen TVs. Her clue connects an old-style TV set to an old-style piece of equipment. Nicely done!

53. Bigger than big: EPIC.  

Today on The Corner 

57. Unite: WED.

61. One more than bi-: TRI-.

62. Trojan War saga: ILIAD.

63. Not merely decorative: UTILE.  

I once toured Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey House in Virginia.
He sought to design UTILitarian homes that were also artistic and decorative.

64. RR stop: STA.  "Railroad" is abbreviated, so is "STAtion".

65. Two more than bi-: TETRA-.  Two more than two is four. That is why the game Tetris uses shapes made of four squares.  

66. Doomed one: GONER.  Speaking of sharks...  

Down:
1. Lays down the lawn: SODS.  I kept reading this as "Lays down the law." I think that might have been Lynn's sneaky plan all along.

2. "Big Hero 6" hero: HIRO.  Below is the trailer for the movie. It came out in 2014. I have not seen the movie nor did I watch Big Hero 6: The Series (2017 - 2021); however I did watch Baymax!, a six-episode mini-series released on Disney+ in 2022. It took me a bit to get it, but I ended up loving Baymax! He is an inflatable healthcare robot ("balloon man" in the trailer). If you like heartwarming stories, I recommend you give Baymax! a try.

BTW, HIRO is the youth filing the police report in the trailer.

Notice the setting is San Fransokyo. 😀

3. Actor Alda: ALAN.

4. Inviting cuddles: HUGGABLE.  Baymax from 2D is HUGGABLE.

5. Pampering spot at a four-star hotel: SPA.

6. Moved like a crab: SIDLED.  

Why do crabs walk sideways? (1:39 min.)

7. Advanced degs.: PHDS.

8. Gassy prefix: AER-.  This prefix, along with aero-, is used to indicate atmosphere, air, gas, and aviation.

9. __ and Príncipe: island country in the Gulf of Guinea: SÃO TOMÉ.  8 Interesting Facts

  

#7 from the above link (8 Interesting Facts) is Tchiloli. The image to the right is a 1:31 min. video of the celebration.

10. Onetime Dr Pepper rival: MR. PIBB.  The Coca-Cola Company introduced Peppo in 1972 to compete with Dr Pepper. They reintroduced it as MR. PIBB in 1974 after being sued for trademark infringement. MR. PIBB was discontinued in 2001 and Pibb Xtra filled its spot on store shelves. Drama drama drama.

11. Glass slipper wearer in a fairy tale: CINDERELLA.  What a fun 10-letter fill, along with its symmetrical partner at 29D!

12. Shaggy's pal, to Shaggy: SCOOB.  

13. Chances to play: TURNS.  TURNS out, having a TURN is more fun than waiting for your TURN.

18. Bright light in the big city: NEON.

23. Lamb nurser: EWE.  

25. Back muscles, for short: LATS.

26. Morsel Miss Muffet ate with whey: CURD.  "Morsel" gave us a single CURD.

27. Electronic music duo __ Punk: DAFT.  They split up in 2021 but will be forever WED on XWD puzzles.

28. Home of the Mighty Five national parks: UTAH.  and  46 Down. 28-Down's western neighbor: NEVADA.  

29. Hybrid art technique: MIXED MEDIA.  a term used to describe artworks composed from a combination of different media or materials  

Pablo Picasso's Bottle of Vieux Marc, Glass, Guitar and Newspaper (1913)

30. Fashion designer Karan: DONNA.  

Richie Valens sings about a different Donna (1958).

He said the song was a tribute to his high school sweetheart.

34. Neatnik's opposite: SLOB.  

The Odd Couple (1968) (1 min.)

35. Chapel benches: PEWS.

37. Part of CD: DISC.  CD stands for "Compact DISC". It is easily confused with DISk.

38. Bunches of bucks: WADS.  

not a herd of deer

39. Shook hands on: AGREED TO.

41. Record that may be accessed in the electronic FOIA Library: FBI FILE.  "FOIA" is the "Freedom Of Information Act". Oh, that makes sense.

44. Tried to win an election: RAN.

45. "Yay, me!": I DID IT.

47. "Shoot!": DARN.

48. Small salamanders: NEWTS.  Their favorite food is worms, they can regrow lost or damaged limbs, and their top speed is 30 mph (48 kph).  more interesting facts

49. Not hidden: OVERT.

52. Much loved: DEAR.

54. Big hassle: PAIN.

55. Capri, for one: ISLE.  

neither a kids' beverage NOR a pant hem length

56. Pop diva who was the 2017 Billboard Icon Award honoree: CHER.  Here's a video I hope Lucina likes.  😀  

The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) 

You might recognize the two young girls under their wigs as Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci.

59. Tiny criticism: NIT.  It can be the egg of a louse (or other parasitic insect) or a minor shortcoming. Neither seems complimentary.

60. Broke ground: DUG.  

I'll let you know if this digger finds anything. Meanwhile, have an EPIC week, everyone!

Notes from C.C.

1) Happy birthday to CrossEyedDave, who bakes the best birthday cake in the world! 

CrossEyedDave

2) Happy birthday also to Blue Hen, who makes the best cheater risotto in the world! 

3) I made today's "Monster Mashup" (Halloween theme) for Atlas Obscura. Click here to solve.  It's edited by Samir Patel, the editor-in-chief of AO. I'm glad that a few regulars on our blog (Hahtoolah, Tante Nique, etc) like that site, which now features a new puzzle every Monday, about NYT Tuesday or Wednesday level difficulty. Some big name constructors: Brendan Emmett Quigley, Stella Zawistowski, Laura Braunstein, Natan Last and Brooke Husic.

Sunday October 15, 2023 Gary Larson

Theme: "Hollywood Endings" - Each common phrase is rephrased as if the last word is a movie starred by the actor in the clue.

23. Editing scenes from a Wesley Snipes vampire film?: CUTTING BLADE.

28. Putting the final touches on an Ed Asner Pixar film?: WRAPPING UP.

47. Going on a promotional tour for a Sigourney Weaver family film?: PLUGGING HOLES.

64. Showing the final cut of a Jennifer Lawrence sci-fi film?: SCREENING PASSENGERS.

89. Hiring actors for a Shailene Woodley survival-at-sea film?: CASTING ADRIFT.

103. Composing the music for a Tom Hanks fantasy film?: SCORING BIG.

112. Acquiring the rights for a Sandra Bullock action film?: LANDING SPEED.

Very consistent set. The last words are all movies, most are well-known ones by big stars. Adrift is new to me. 

This is Gary Larson's favorite theme type, rephrasing common phrases. He's a wordsmith.

 Across:

1. Native Nebraskans: OTOES.

6. Relishes: SAVORS.

12. Speck: DOT.

15. First word for some babies: MAMA. Universal. Mama. Papa is "Ba Ba" in Chinese.

19. Spare place: TRUNK.

20. Footnote notation: IBIDEM.

21. French article: UNE.

22. Grows old: AGES.

25. Sleep stage: REM. Feels amazing waking up to normal air. The weedy smell really drove me nuts.

26. New Rochelle school with an award-winning pipe band: IONA.

27. Nth, for one: ORDINAL.

31. Least risky: SAFEST.

33. "Fire away": ASK.

36. Dump: UNLOAD.

37. Big letters in home security: ADT. I finally had Simplisafe installed.

38. On top of everything: TOO.

41. Four score and ten: NINETY.

43. Fireplace piece: GRATE.

51. Faced: BRAVED.

52. Wedding dress option: SAREE. Pretty.

53. Chocolaty cereal brand: OREO O'S.

54. Like some conclusions: FOREGONE.

56. Withdrawing: IN RETREAT.

58. Colorful tee: TIE DYE.

60. Came out on top: WON. Who do you think will win the World Series 2023?

61. Hearth residue: ASH.

62. Welcomes: LETS IN. Windhover might visit me next year. Splynter also. Who else will come to Minnesota for a gathering if both of them come?

63. Hungers: YENS.

71. Winter coaster: SLED.

72. Deodorant brand: MENNEN.

73. Hosp. areas: ERS.

74. No-goodnik: CAD.

75. Chuck who broke the sound barrier: YEAGER.

76. Many a night owl: LATE RISER. Not me.

82. Gilbert and Sullivan work: OPERETTA.

84. Envelope: MAILER.

86. Skin care brand: NIVEA.

88. Tribal emblems: TOTEMS.

91. Govt. security: T NOTE.

92. Singer/actress Kazan: LAINIE. She was in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding".

94. Word in the names of two MLB teams: SOX.

95. Island chain?: LEI.

96. Dig: INSULT.

98. College major that may involve many museum trips: ART.

100. Bring in: IMPORT.

107. Radioactive element named for a planet: URANIUM.

110. Facility: EASE.

111. Santa __ winds: ANA.

117. Adroit: ABLE.

118. Jump the __: GUN.

119. Costello partner: ABBOTT. "Hu's on first?"

120. Outback canine: DINGO.

121. Herd noises: MOOS.

122. Place with a trough: STY.

123. Dictate: DECREE.

124. Kaitlin of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia": OLSON.

Down:

1. Like aspirin, briefly: OTC.

2. __TV: reality show channel: TRU.

3. At the wrong time: OUT OF TURN.

4. Between, in French: ENTRE. Nous.

5. Loses control on the ice: SKIDS. So much snow last year.

6. Communicate with one's hands: SIGN.

7. "Fernando" singers: ABBA.

8. Country estate: VILLA.

9. "Ghost" psychic __ Mae Brown: ODA.

10. Primary color: RED.

11. Small duck: SMEW.

12. Two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin: DURANT. I thought he's retired already. Nope.

13. Like cheap toilet paper: ONE-PLY.

14. Beat: TEMPO.

15. Downtown street: MAIN DRAG.

16. Eager: AGOG.

17. Drop-down list: MENU.

18. PDQ: ASAP.

24. Capone cohort: NITTI (Frank). Chicago mob.

29. Wishes undone: RUES.

30. "Ditto": I AGREE.

31. Enervates: SAPS.

32. 1950s politico Stevenson: ADLAI. Haven't seen this name for a while.

34. Haughty one: SNOOT.

35. Drug bust unit: KILO.

39. __ about: circa: ON OR.

40. Brute: OGRE.

42. Drink brand with a green leaf logo: NESTEA.

44. Declarer: AVOWER. Who uses this word?

45. Mortise inserts: TENONS.

46. Paradises: EDENS.

48. Poet __ Manley Hopkins: GERARD. Unfamiliar to me. English poet and Jesuit priest.

49. Down source: GEESE.

50. "Isn't __ bit like you and me?": Beatles lyric: HE A.

51. Actor Yul: BRYNNER.

54. Come clean, with "up": FESS.

55. Cartoon canine: ODIE.

57. Queens team: THE METS. Patti's team.

59. "__ only money": IT'S.

62. ICU worker: LPN.

63. Formal agreement: YES SIR.

64. Apply haphazardly: SLAP ON. And 65. Officially give: CEDE TO.

66. In apple-pie order: NEAT.

67. Swenson of "Benson": INGA.

68. U-turn from SSW: NNE.

69. Liechtenstein's language: GERMAN.

70. Coffee machine setting: GRIND.

71. "Sicko Mode" rapper Travis __: SCOTT. With Kylie Jenner for a while.

75. Omani neighbor: YEMENI.

76. Carafe size: LITER.

77. Frazier opponent: ALI.

78. Canadian bank notes featuring civil rights activist Viola Desmond: TENS. From Wikipedia: Desmond was a "Canadian civil and women's rights activist and businesswoman of Black Nova Scotian descent. In 1946, she challenged racial segregation at a cinema in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, by refusing to leave a whites-only area of the Roseland Theatre. For this, she was convicted of a minor tax violation for the one-cent tax difference between the seat that she had paid for and the seat that she used, which was more expensive ..."

79. Thus: ERGO.

80. Dark signs: EVIL OMENS.

81. Allude (to): REFER.

83. Pension beneficiaries: RETIREES. My faithful Springbrook hiking friend Dan has just retired. He introduced Elk Creek to me, but we never hiked there together until last week. He's too fast for me. He runs a ton every day, rain or snow.

Dan the Engineer

85. Bhutan locale: ASIA.

87. In a quarrel: AT IT.

89. Big name in banking: CITI.

90. Chopping down: AXING. Dan's been chopping trees. Behind his shack, there's a huge lake. He swam yesterday when it was like 40F. Crazy, but normal for him. He polar-jumped at Antarctica last year.

92. Wheel securer: LUG NUT.

93. Hudson River capital: ALBANY.

97. Hose woes: SNAGS.

99. Architectural style: TUDOR.

101. Botch: MISDO.

102. Trainee: PUPIL.

103. Clothing line: SEAM.

104. Baja resort, familiarly: CABO.

105. Nobel Institute city: OSLO.

106. Elated: GLAD.

108. Solemn ceremony: RITE.

109. Poker stake: ANTE.

113. Simpsons grandfather: ABE.

114. Peacock network: NBC.

115. __ trip: EGO.

116. Get into: DON.

C.C.