Monday December 11, 2023 Kevin Christian

  

Hello Cornerites!

sumdaze here. Veteran constructor Kevin Christian keeps us entertained with a fast & fun Monday solve. Our theme is:                       HOSERS

Bob and Doug McKenzie are a pair of fictional Canadian brothers who hosted Great White North on SCTV in the early 1980s. Bob is played by Rick Moranis (left) and Doug is played by Dave Thomas (right).
They introduced this impressionable Lower 48-er to the Canadian term "hoser" (an unsophisticated, rural person).

Now, for the actual puzzle.... We have 4 themers and a unifier:

17 Across. Baskin-Robbins option: WAFFLE CONE.  

25 Across. Lemon-lime soda brand discontinued in early 2023: SIERRA MIST.  

a PepsiCo product

37 Across. Wet postgame celebration: CHAMPAGNE SHOWER.  

Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, Wedding Crashers (2005)

47 Across. Wealthy executive's plane: PRIVATE JET.

This themer answered the, "Are we doing 'foods'?" question.

59 Across. Backyard item with settings found at the ends of 17-, 25-, 37-, and 47-Across: GARDEN HOSE.

Technically, we are talking about an attachment to a GARDEN HOSE. Close enough! Works for me!  

CONE, MIST, SHOWER, and JET are all settings on a spray nozzle for a GARDEN HOSE.
(They seem to be specifically designed to land on the lever when I set them down so either I or my dog gets sprayed.)

Across:

1. Sheets of paper: PAGES.  Hand up for first thinking "reams", but I waited for perps.

6. Indian prince: RAJA.

10. Walk back and forth anxiously: PACE.

14. Walled city near Madrid: AVILA.  

You can take a train from Madrid to Avila for about 15 Euros.

15. List-shortening abbr.: ET AL.

16. MC or Visa alternative: AMEX.  credit cards

19. Green gemstone: JADE.  

This past summer I was at an art fair where all the booths sold JADE. I saw some unpolished JADE and thought to myself, "Huh, I have a 6 lb. (2.7 kg.), bright green rock. I wonder if it is JADE?" I went home and did some research and found this video online. Prospector Dan shows three tests. I do not have the tools for Test #1 "Light Passing Through" (at 15 min.) or Test #2 "Hardness" (at 17 min.), so I decided to do Test #3 "Specific Gravity Test" (at 20:25 min.) When DH got home, I said, "We're going to do a Science experiment!" Our calculations equaled 3. My rock is JADE!

20. Minor complaint: NIT.  

knitters' NITs ???

21. North Carolina campus: ELON.  I learned this one from doing XWDs.

22. Dasani product: WATER.  Easter egg #1!  

pricier than water from your GARDEN HOSE

23. Piggy bank opening: SLOT.  

28. __ monitor: prenatal device: FETAL.  "FETAL" is an adjective which means "relating to a fetus."

30. Smidgen: IOTA.  

PSI'm sorry for the bad puns.

31. One over par, in golf: BOGEY.  

Are the top two real? I do not remember hearing of them.

33. "Back in Black" rock band: AC🗲DC.

34. Part of TNT: TRI.  Trinitrotoluene

41. Corn discard: COB.

42. "Yeah, right": I BET.

43. "Circle of Friends" novelist Binchy: MAEVE.  She was an Irish novelist and playwright. (1939-2012). 

44. Aspire laptop maker: ACER.

45. Big name in farm equipment: DEERE.

51. Put in the overhead bin: STOW.  

Hmm....Is Earl a hoser?

54. Within the rules: LEGAL.

55. Part of TLC: CARE.  Tender Loving CARE

Sending some TLC out to C.C. this week. 💜

57. Latvia, once: Abbr.: SSR.  In the past, Latvia was part of the Soviet Socialist Republic.

58. "Put a lid __!": ON IT.  This idiom means to stop something before it gets out of control.

62. Sandals brand owned by Deckers: TEVA.  Deckers was founded in Santa Barbara (Hi Picard!) in 1973.  It acquired the UGG brand in 1995, TEVA in 2002, and Hoka (a running shoe brand) in 2012.

TEVAs are great for water activities!

63. Figure skating leap: AXEL.

64. "Coming along?": YOU IN?

65. Fortuneteller: SEER.

66. Like grass at dawn: DEWY.  

Huey, Dewey, & Louie on DEWY grass???

67. Adds to the poker pot: ANTES.

Down:
1. Chess pieces that are often moved first: PAWNS.  

2. To no __: in vain: AVAIL.

3. Ability to speak persuasively: GIFT OF GAB.  One source traces the origin of this idiom to the Middle English word 'gob', which means mouth, and 'gabbe' which means idle talk.

4. Santa's helper: ELF.  With Christmas just 2 weeks away, I need some ELF help!

5. Black Friday event: SALE.  Black Friday Around the World

6. Shrink back in fear: RECOIL.  Easter egg #2!  (sort of)

After you finish watering, it is good to RE-COIL your GARDEN HOSE.
(OK...it's just "coil" -- but this is more fun!)

7. Make amends: ATONE.

8. Middle Brady girl: JAN.  

Being the middle child, JAN sometimes got tired of her older sister, Marcia, getting all the attention.

9. Pub brew: ALE.

10. __ party: sleepover: PAJAMA.  I started filling in S-L-U-M-B-E then ran out of boxes.

11. Valuable violin: AMATI.  AMATI is the last name of a family of Italian violin makers who lived from about 1538 to 1740. In May 2013, an auction record $654,588 was paid for an AMATI violin.

12. Gives over (to): CEDES.

13. Apply, as pressure: EXERT.  I was thinking "massages"....

18. Actress Pataky: ELSA.  She was born in Madrid on July 18, 1976 and is mostly known for being in the Fast & Furious movies.

sexy Elsa with her hunky husband Chris Hemsworth (Thor)

22. "Don't think I won't!": WATCH ME.  Fun clue & fill!

24. Overflow (with): TEEM.

26. Grain grown in a paddy: RICE.  

I took this picture of a farmer harvesting his RICE in Japan.

27. Towel holders: RODS.

29. Usual: TYPICAL.

31. Include on an email surreptitiously: BCC.

32. "Caught you!": OHO.  an exclamation used to show pleased surprise or recognition

33. Picnic invader: ANT.  They frequently invade XWD puzzles as well.

34. Announces on X: TWEETS OUT.  Now that Twitter has been renamed X, I guess it would not sound right to say "Xes OUT".

35. Gun, as an engine: REV.  Vroom! Vroom!

36. Wrath: IRE.

38. Help in wrongdoing: ABET.

39. Richard of "Sommersby": GERE.  his IMBd page

40. Rowboat set: OARS.

44. Gamer's virtual persona: AVATAR.  An AVATAR is a personalized graphical illustration that represents a computer user. Sometimes it is a character or alter ego that represents that user.  

Here is an excellent example ... and choice!

45. Lethal: DEADLY.  

46. "To be," in French: ETRE.

47. Parcels of land: PLOTS.

48. Actress Zellweger: RENÉE.  her IMBd page

49. "Uncle!": I GIVE.  

50. Preppy clothing brand: J.CREW.  This company turned 40 this year. It filed for bankruptcy in 2020 but it is still selling its Cape Cod look.

52. "Grumpy Old Men" actor Davis: OSSIE.  (1917 - 2005)  He led a distinguished life.  

Ossie Davis played Chuck in Grumpy Old Men (1993).

53. Small chirpy birds: WRENS.  

Wren ten tin ???

56. Irish New Age singer: ENYA.  IIRC, RosE also likes ENYA's music. Since it is December, I am choosing Christmas Secrets (2006).  

59. Wander (about): GAD.  Def:  (verb) go around from one place to another, in the pursuit of pleasure or entertainment.

While GADding about the internet, I accidentally came across this history video entitled The Sunken Town of Gad, West Virginia (17:46 min.) Some of you might find it interesting. The town was lost to the Summersville Dam in 1966. I especially liked the interviews with the former residents. (Watch for the water skiers in the background at 5:34 min.!)

60. Logger's tool: AXE.  The other day I watched firefighters loading up their truck after a false alarm. One carried a large AXE.  #NotJustAStereotype

61. Sweetie: HON.  Bs make HON.

That's all for today. I look forward to reading your comments. Have a great week, everyone!

Oops! I just realized I forgot to add the grid. Better late than never....

Sunday December 10, 2023 Amie Walker & Hoang-Kim Vu

Theme: "Gains" - Five different muscles are inserted in to each common phrase.

24. Nearly fails Poseidon's shop class?: BARELY MAKES A TRIDENT. Barely makes a dent.

36. Karaoke outing that won't allow Aretha's classic song?: RESPECTLESS NIGHT. Restless night.

57. Time in the Peace Corps?: SERVICE ABROAD. Service road.

63. The x- or y-axis, perhaps?: END OF QUADRANT. End of rant.

83. Request to an ophthalmologist on a busy afternoon?: DILATE ANOTHER DAY. Die Another Day.

101. "Use all your strength!," or an alternate title for this puzzle?: PUT SOME MUSCLE IN TO IT.

TRI is used. I wonder why BI is not used. Then the reveal could be the title. We'd have a more muscly puzzle.

Across:

1. "Couldn't agree more!": AMEN.

5. Tapenade, e.g.: DIP.

8. Pride __: FLAG.

12. Chicago daily, familiarly: TRIB. We have Star Trib here.

16. Forum robe: TOGA.

17. Bread with falafel: PITA.

18. Princess Tiana costume topper: TIARA.

19. Taiga or tundra: BIOME.

20. Collage of fabric swatches, paint chips, etc.: MOOD BOARD. 

22. Birch kin: ALDER.

23. Send payment: REMIT.

27. Considerate of others: POLITE.

28. Iowa State town: AMES.

29. Activity in a humidified room: HOT YOGA. So many nice fill in this grid.

30. Corp. leader: CEO.

31. Monopoly pair: DICE.

33. Desertlike: ARID.

35. "What's the __?": USE.

41. Twirl: SPIN.

45. Some saxes: ALTOS.

46. __ Eisley: spaceport in the "Star Wars" universe: MOS.

 

47. Take to court: SUE.

48. __ Island: RHODE.

49. Harris, e.g., informally: VEEP.

50. Shout at the slots: I WON.

52. Best Original Song, e.g.: OSCAR. 116. 52-Across honoree for "Fight for You": HER.

54. Gretzky, once: OILER. Boomer used to have his rookie cards. And Mantle's. He had lots of stories of "I wish I kept his cards."

55. Blunder: ERR.

56. Nursing __: BRA.

60. Close securely: SEAL.

61. High card, often: ACE.

62. Skeptical expression: IS IT.

69. Fizz liquor: GIN.

70. Weeding tool: HOE.

73. Native New Zealander: MAORI.

74. Numbered clubs: IRONS.

75. Pound sound: WOOF.

77. "The Powerpuff Girls" voice actress Strong: TARA. She voiced Bubbles.

78. With 79-Across, entry in the periodic table's last column: INERT. 79. See 78-Across: GAS.

80. Auction action: BID.

81. Gets, as a job: LANDS.

82. Flushed: ROSY.

88. Curling surface: ICE.

90. "I Will Wait" band Mumford & __: SONS.

91. Io or Europa, for Jupiter: MOON.

92. NCAA champion swimmer Thomas: LIA. First openly transgender athlete to win the title.

93. Clipped: SHEARED.

97. Hurt feelings?: PAIN.

99. Pot sticker kin: WONTON. I like plain wonton.

105. Problems for pipes or PR firms: LEAKS.

106. Insertion mark: CARET.

107. Carrot, so to speak: INCENTIVE.

110. Penn pals?: IVIES. 111. Locale for llamas: ANDES. 2. Low in the field: MOO. And 5. Talk of the town?: DIALECT. All nice clues.

112. Alum: GRAD.

113. Library offering: LOAN.

114. Relayed: TOLD.

115. Long-standing rivalry: FEUD.

117. Fangorn Forest beings: ENTS.

Down:

1. Note dispenser: ATM.

3. Bit of self-promotion?: EGO BOOSTER. Great fill/clue as well.

4. Federer rival: NADAL.

6. "Nice job!" reply: I TRY.

7. Lakshmi who wrote the children's book "Tomatoes for Neela": PADMA. She used to host "Top Chef".

8. Enters one by one: FILES IN.

9. Chaps: LADS.

10. Zone: AREA.

11. Brooks of country music: GARTH.

12. Colorful garment that might feature a peace sign: TIEDYE SHIRT.

13. Shakespeare character in the lyrics of Taylor Swift's "Love Story": ROMEO.

14. Chatting online, for short: IMING. Question: "What would you like for Christmas?" Me: "Ventilator". I meant "snorkel" but I forgot how to say it in English.

15. Bright aquarium fish: BETTA.

17. Wax finish?: POETIC. Wax poetic.

18. "Any __?": "Who's in?": TAKERS.

19. Brolly carriers: BRITS.

21. "Say Yes to the Dress" figures: BRIDES.

25. Stockpile: AMASS.

26. Sound defeat: ROUT.

27. Mixology tool: PEELER.

30. Desire: CRAVE. Had a sore throat for a few days. Sure wish I had some frozen durian. My mouth is watering just looking at this picture.

32. Pal of Big Bird and Julia: ELMO.

34. Decathlon equipment: DISCI.

37. Fizzy drink: POP.

38. Ages and ages: EONS.

39. Avocado dish, for short: GUAC.

40. "Wish me luck!": HERE I GO.

42. Casual top: POLO.

43. Brainchild: IDEA.

44. Geeky type: NERD.

48. Batman's boy friend: ROBIN.

50. Modern location of Nineveh: IRAQ.

51. Evil doppelgänger in the Mario games: WALUIGI.

52. Some apex predators: ORCAS.

53. Reindeer pal of Olaf the snowman: SVEN.

56. Suit well: BEFIT.

58. Pocket: EARN.

59. Skeptical expression: AS IF.

60. "Didn't mean to open that can of worms": SORRY I ASKED. Another great fill.

63. Mideast title: EMIR.

64. Prefix between micro and pico: NANO.

65. "Easy __ it": DOES.

66. __ Sea: former endorheic lake: ARAL.

67. Rice pancakes served with sambar and chutney: DOSAS. Looks tasty.

68. Bed size: TWIN.

70. L'Occitane product: HAND LOTION. I've tried them all.

71. Appoint, as a rabbi: ORDAIN.

72. Undemanding class: EASY A.

76. Leslie __ Jr. of "Glass Onion": ODOM.

77. Roof goo: TAR.

80. Pho garnish: BASIL.

81. "Imagine" singer: LENNON.

83. View as: DEEM.

84. Heavy favorite: TOP SEED.

85. Passes, as legislation: ENACTS.

86. Longtime luxury sedan: TOWN CAR.

87. Partner of hollered: HOOTED.

89. Irritable: CROSS.

93. Share, as an appetizer: SPLIT.

94. Parte de un platillo "ranchero": HUEVO.

95. Online business: ETAIL.

96. Coffee choice: DECAF.

98. Whinny: NEIGH.

100. Proof of ownership: TITLE.

102. Thick tresses: MANE.

103. Lahore language: URDU.

104. Memo opener: IN RE.

108. Chocolate factory tub: VAT.

109. Nine Inch Nails quartet?: ENS. The letters in Nine Inch Nails. 

Been a long, surreal year since I lost Boomer. Tears still fall when I'm vacuuming his man cave, or walking on his favorite trails, or in the pool. I sob at odd moments, for odd reasons. I'll forever miss him.

C.C.

Saturday, December 9, 2023, Enrique Henestorza Anquiano

 Themeless Saturday by Enrique Henestroza Anquiano

I’m a data scientist from Oakland, CA, with a background in computational linguistics. I fully dove into crosswords as a daily solver and then constructor in 2019, and I love that both sides have allowed me to continually engage with everything I love about language, wordplay, and even coding. I also appreciate the friends I’ve made so far through this great community. 

As a forever Simpson's fan, here's a photo of me noshing on "The Homer" from Voodoo donuts in Portland.

This is my third Saturday themeless puzzle of Enrique's I have blogged and I have been able to solve them in great time while being entertained. This one took some time for me to break loose but it all came together. The three horizontal and one vertical grid spanners were very helpful. 

Across:

1. All over the place: GLOBAL.

7. Period: TERM - When I got my BS, our TERM was 15 weeks (trimesters) and not 18.

11. Chilled: COOLED IT - (2:43)

13. Absorb: SOP UP and 15. Need after spilling the tea?: MOP - Crosswords recently taught me that "spilling the tea" can also be gossiping which might require other actions.

14. Features of "Step by Step" and "Sister, Sister": BLENDED FAMILIES - I don't have any idea why Enrique didn't use the Brady Bunch 🤔

 

16. Gets rid of: LOSES - This sense is conciously getting rid of something as opposed to misplacing it.

17. Chips away at: ERODES - Living with a seaside view is a two-edged sword

18. Fertility clinic cells: OVA.

19. Made shorter: SNIPPED OFF - Yeah, I thought of that too...

23. "Save it for the honeymoon!": GET A ROOM - Too much PDA for Rodney!

26. Vietnamese garment: AO DAI - The  ÁO DÀI dress.

27. Small bucks and does: RABBITS 😀

30. Play a proper noun in Scrabble, say: ERR - I'm pretty sure ASMRIST (from two weeks ago) won't work either.

31. Declaration after a trial?: FOR REAL THIS TIME - Do you suppose Mickey Rooney said that for all eight of his marriages? 

36. Honor for David Oyelowo: Abbr.: OBE - Order of the British Empire. He played MLK in the movie Selma.

37. Astonished cry: DEAR GOD.

38. "But to no __": AVAIL.

41. Does as ordered?: TENDS BAR 😀 Some of you will recognize this man who TENDS BAR and the iconic TV show where he appeared. (*answer at bottom)

45. Craft goods that might be barrel-aged: MICRO BREWS - The difference between Craft Beer and MICRO BREWS

48. Classified letters: OBO - Or Best Offer

49. Resident of Number One Observatory Circle since 2021: HARRIS - The traditional home of the Vice-President

50. Enviable trait: ASSET.

52. "You really don't want to go there": AVOID AT ALL COSTS - That can mean a location or a topic of discussion

56. No-goodnik: LOUSE.

57. Paper clips?: ARTICLES 😀

58. Precursor to a deal: ANTE - Pay to play

59. Like some pop-up clinics: TENTED - Here's one for Covid shots that was just outside Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo.

Down:

1. Tackles: GOES AT.

2. Single: LONE and 51. Single: SOLE.Was Oswald the LONE or SOLE shooter?

3. "Grey Girl" poet Sharon: OLDS - The text of Grey Girl. Crossword car guy Ransom Eli Olds gets Saturday off.

4. Bumbling sort?: BEE 😀

5. Sum things up: ADD.

6. Anti-mimetic position held by Oscar Wilde: LIFE IMITATES ART - Mimetic means miming behavior you see in others. Oscar Wilde was a famous iconoclast who definitely went his own way.

7. Largest Ohio city that doesn't start with "C": TOLEDO.

8. Film with a boy named Anakin, familiarly: EPISODE I 

9. "You'll __ the day!": RUE.

10. House of Commons reps: MPS - Members Of Parliament

11. Garam masala ingredient: CLOVE.

12. Grounds crew's roll: TARP and 34. Grounds crew's roll: SOD. 😀

13. Hit home?: SIDE A - This took a while to see SIDE A is the home of the hit side of a record as opposed to the SIDE B. Here's the Top 5 A-Side/B-Side hits of all time and highest ranking obtained:

  1.  DON'T BE CRUEL / HOUND DOG - Elvis Presley  (1956)  

        RCA Records 47-6604   (Peaks:  A-Side -  1 / B-Side -  1)

   2.  COME TOGETHER / SOMETHING - The Beatles  (1969)

         Apple Records 2654  (Peaks:  A-Side - 1 / B-Side - 2)

   3.  TRAVELIN' MAN / HELLO, MARY LOU - Rick Nelson  (1961)

         Imperial Records 5741  (Peaks:  A-Side - 1 / B-Side - 9)

   4.  DOWN ON THE CORNER / FORTUNATE SON - Creedence Clearwater Revival  (1969)

         Fantasy Records 634   (Peakes:  A-Side - 3 / B-Side - 6)

   5.  HEY JUDE / REVOLUTION - The Beatles  (1968)

         Apple Records 2276   (Peaks:  A-Side - 1 / B-Side - 11)

14. WordPress.com offering: BLOG - Not what we use here.

19. Just wretched: SO BAD.

20. To the manor born: NOBLE.

21. Amass goods repetitively, in video games: FARM - The process of going through the same set of tasks to accumulate some specific set of resources or wealth in a video game. You're welcome.

22. Dumpster __: FIRE - Also a euphemism for a hopeless person or situation. Husker football comes to mind.

24. Talk Like a Pirate Day sound: ARR.

25. "Hair Love" voice actress: RAE.

Issa RAE.         

28. Organized: THREW - The Royal family THREW an impressive coronation for King Charles

This is a slideshow

29. Traces: SIGNS - Parks don't want you to leave any

31. __ roller: FOAM.

32. Curt "Duh": OBVIously

33. Try to touch or get in touch: REACH OUT - Today one does not call or write, they REACH OUT to someone 

35. Reasons for WRs to dance: TDS or...

39. Aggressive response to a bluff: I RAISE.

40. "Solar Power" singer-songwriter: LORDE - From 11/28/23 puzzle: "14. Poet/activist Lorde: AUDRE."

42. Ordered: BOSSED.

43. Plans a nice getaway?: ABETS - 😀 That makes you as guilty as the perpetrators

44. Turns: ROTS.

46. Cosabella product: BRA - Google all the images you want

47. Moreno in two "West Side Story" films: RITA.

1961                         2021

50. No. on a bank statement: ACCT.

52. __ provençale: ALA - Of, relating to, or characteristic of Provence or the people of Provence or Provençale: cooked with garlic, onion, mushrooms, tomato, olive oil, and herbs.

53. Artist Dutch whose name became a fashion brand: VON.

54. Cell service letters: LTE - On my iPhone the four bars show the strength of my LTE (Long Term Evolution) signal. The next symbol shows I am using WiFI and not cell towers.

55. Former NBAer Jeremy: LIN - He was the first NBA player of Taiwanese descent, a Harvard grad and the hottest thing in basketball in 2012.

*That bartender was Sam Noonan (played by George Strange) who tended bar for Miss Kitty at the Long Branch Saloon on the show Gunsmoke 

 

Notes from C.C.:

Happy birthday to our caring and sharp-witted Tuesday Sherpa Hahtoolah (Susan), who's vacationing at the moment. Splynter will guide us for the next few weeks.