Monday December 18, 2023 Jay Silverman

  

Hello Cornerites! 

sumdaze here. Since we are now only one week away from Christmas, today's title is a no-brainer:

Gingerbread House 

Note the WINDOW, DOOR, and ROOF.
Let's see how constructor Jay Silverman builds them into his three themers:

17 Across. Online customer service component: CHAT WINDOW.

It's on-line shopping season. If you have questions on a purchase, you might reach out via LiveChat:  

Warning: the Enter key acts like a Send key. If you press Enter and expect to go to another line, it will instead send your incomplete message. No worries though, just continue typing. It will be OK. I mess this up all the time and it still works out.

30 Across. Metaphorical feature of a poorly run company, perhaps: REVOLVING DOOR.  If you say that a situation is a REVOLVING DOOR, you mean that people (employees) or things are continuously coming and going -- usually not a good thing for a business.

Will Ferrell in Elf (2003)
More holiday cheer!

46 Across. Does a celebratory dance by pushing up one's palms: RAISES THE ROOF.  

Michael & Dwight (Steve Carell & Rainn Wilson) in The Office
They are basically miming pushing the roof upwards.
Warning: This gesture is considered dated. 

And the reveal:

61 Across. Welcome words from a bartender, and where to find the ends of 17-, 30-, and 46-Across?: ON THE HOUSE.

The "ends of 17-, 30-, and 46-Across" are WINDOW, DOOR, and ROOF. All can be found on a house.

"Welcome words", in this case, does not equate to "greetings". Instead, "welcome" means "good news to the listener." If a bartender says, "It's ON THE HOUSE," the listener is happy to hear that the drinks/snacks are free. Woohoo!!

Let's check out the rest of the neighborhood:

Across:
1. Curl up with a good book: READ.  Great start! This is one of my favorite things to do. I wonder if we have more book readers or tablet readers on The Corner.

5. Objects of worship: IDOLS.  

FYI:  Patty Berg

10. Furry "Return of the Jedi" creature: EWOK.  

These little guys live on the planet Endor. (See 12-D on 12/4/23.)

14. Off-roaders, for short: ATVS.  An all-terrain vehicle is a motorized off-highway vehicle.

15. "The Jungle Book" bear: BALOO.   

I always mix this one up with Sally's nickname for Linus.
(Wrong holiday but you get the idea.)

16. Abundant (with): RIFE.

19. Not 100% solid: IFFY.  IF I were to guess, I would triple all of the numbers on this ice thickness recommendations chart from The Old Farmer's Almanac. Eight inches seems very IFFY to me.  

20. Have lunch: EAT.

21. Thor's father: ODIN.  

Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Anthony Hopkins as ODIN
in Thor: Ragnarock (2017)
It is just a coincidence that I have pics of Chris Hemsworth two weeks in a row...really!

22. White Monopoly bills: ONES.  

23. [Don't touch my bone!]: SNARL.   and   18 Down. Wild canines: WOLVES.  

25. Raring to go: EAGER.  From Grammarist, "This idiom originated in the early 19th century as a term meaning to be at the ready or impatient to be off. Rare is likely a variant of the word rear, meaning to rise up or stand on one's hind legs. The word is used to describe a horse rising up in impatience or anxiety before plunging forward."

Similarly, champing at the bit means one is ready but must wait, as a horse for its rider.

28. Nevertheless, briefly: THO.  "Briefly" here means a shorter version of though.

33. One __ customer: PER.

34. Since Jan. 1: YTD.  Year To Date.  Accountants use this acronym a lot.

35. Woodwind instrument: OBOE.  

'Tis the season for Silver Bells -- a violin and OBOE duet

36. Books for those feeling lost?: ATLASES.  I like the misdirection that one might find these books in the self-help section.

40. Stanzas of six lines: SESTETS.  My last fix was to change SExTETS and xMOOCH to SESTETS and SMOOCH. In my defense, an XO can mean "kiss & hug".  

42. Unravel at the edge: FRAY.

43. Illuminated: LIT.  

Clark Griswold's house was LIT!
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

45. "The Walking Dead" network: AMC.

50. Like a famous Broadway couple: ODD.  Neil Simon's comedy, The Odd Couple, opened March 10, 1965 at the Plymouth Theater in NYC, starring Walter Matthau as Oscar Madison and Art Carney as Felix Unger.

51. Button on a game console: RESET.   and   4 Down. Mar.-to-Nov. hrs.: DST.

Most of us RESET our clocks in March for Daylight Savings Time.

52. Leaves out: OMITS.

55. Goes out, as the tide: EBBS.  The tides with the biggest difference between high and low water are called springs and those with the smallest are called neaps. Spring tides happen just after every full and new moon, when the sun, moon, and earth are in line.  Read more here.

57. Electrical adapter letters: AC/DC.  Here's a 2:45 min YouTube explanation:  

In case you were wondering, some Christmas lights use AC and some use DC.

59. Goopy hair stuff: GEL.  

60. Italian farewell: CIAO.

64. Early Peruvian: INCA.

65. "Doctor Who" actress Gillan: KAREN.  I know this Scottish actress from Doctor Who, Jumanji, and Guardians of the Galaxy but I thought Gillan was her first name so I was trying to think of a last name. I felt pretty silly when perps gave me KAREN.  

Karen Gillan as Amy Pond in Doctor Who
-- not to be confused with Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully in The X-Files

66. Commedia dell'__: ARTE.  Britannica article

67. Inquires: ASKS.  From Dictionary.com:  While inquire means "to seek information in a formal way," enquire means "to ask in a general way." They can be used interchangeably. Also, they both originate from the same Latin word, meaning "to seek".

68. Backyard storage sites: SHEDS.  My dog SHEDS in the backyard...and the front yard...and in the house...and in the car....

69. Take a breather: REST.  

Down:
1. Track events: RACES.  There is a possibility of misdirection if you thought "track" was being used as a verb. Instead, it is short for Track & Field.  

 Michael Johnson's running posture inspires me!

He was a world record holder in 2 events and a 4-time Olympic gold medalist.

2. "Training Day" actor Hawke: ETHAN.  I think he also hawks furniture with his brother, Allen. (ba-dum-tsh)

3. James Cameron franchise featuring the Na'vi: AVATAR.  This clue references the 2009 and 2022 films.

Last week Vidwan reminded us that AVATAR is borrowed from Sanskrit. Here are 17 more words that come from Sanskrit.

5. "How much am __?": auctioneer's question: I BID.  This one did not feel right but it turns out that it is an expression used by an auctioneer when starting a bidding process for an object to be sold. It is more hoity-toity than this 1956 song by Leroy Van Dyke:  

My Great-uncle A.V. was a livestock auctioneer. I used to love watching him work!

6. "Get Out" actor Kaluuya: DANIEL.  his IMDb page

7. Discount clothing chain owned by Gap: OLD NAVY.

8. Brit's washroom: LOO.  The LOO in the British OLD NAVY is called the head because it was at the front of the ship, which is the last place the wind hit. That way the odor did not carry across the ship.

9. Piglet's mother: SOW.  Hand up for seeing the capital "P" and thinking of Winnie-the-Pooh's friends. Bzzt. This one is just a random baby pig's mother.

10. "__ Brockovich": ERIN.  Julia Roberts won the Best Actress Oscar for her work in this 2000 thriller/documentary.

11. Bride: WIFE TO BE.  Fun fill!

12. Outgrowth: OFFSHOOT.  Def:  anything conceived of as springing or proceeding from a main stock.

13. Lock opener: KEY.  

22. Assn.: ORG.  Association and ORGanization

24. Settles a debt: REPAYS.  Think of "REPAY a favor" as opposed to paying money owed the first time.

26. Skedaddles: GITS.  Both are slang for getting the heck out of there.  

Git Along Little Dogies starring Gene Autry, The Singing Cowboy (1937)

I like how his horse, Champion, made it into the page 1 credits (@ 1 min.).

27. Make cherished: ENDEAR.

29. Loads from a lode: ORES.

            and

31. Ultimatum words: OR ELSE.

32. Google or Yahoo: DOT-COM.  a company that relies largely or exclusively on internet commerce

36. Curly hairstyle: AFRO.

37. Used vehicles, sometimes: TRADE-INS.  used articles accepted by the retailer as payment for another item

38. Giving chill vibes: LAID BACK.  

39. Doesn't play, say: SITS.  

41. Kiss: SMOOCH.  See 40-Across.

44. London's Old Vic, for one: THEATRE.  British locale = British spelling

This 1,000-seat THEATRE's history goes back to 1818.
A Christmas Carol is playing there now through January 6.

47. Hosp. areas: ERS.  Emergency Rooms in hospitals

48. Made a long-lasting impression?: ETCHED.

            and

49. Shape: FIGURE.  The sport of FIGURE skating got its name because skaters tried to ETCH perfect shapes (e.g., circles) in the ice. Compulsory figures used to account for 60% of a skater's score in competitions. The last Olympics to include compulsory figures in scoring was in 1988 (Calgary). Read all about the origins and evolution of figure skating here.  

Skating by Vince Guaraldi

53. Exams: TESTS.

54. Wintry mix: SLEET.  

56. Constricting snakes: BOAS.  Who would prevail between a BOA constrictor and a giant ice spider?

58. Man caves, e.g.: DENS.  

60. Chef-training sch. based in N.Y.: CIA.  The Culinary Institute of America's primary campus is in Hyde Park, New York.

61. Approves: OKS.

62. Slangy "Pass": NAH.  No, thank you.

63. Rower's blade: OAR.

The grid is in the basement:

Today's puzzle had an extra bite to it but I'd say Jay hit a home run with this one. What do you think?

Sunday December 17, 2023 Rebecca Goldstein & Rachel Fabi

Theme:  "Creatures of Habit" - Each common phrase, in the pattern of *ING + creature, is humorously rephrased.

22. Canine that thinks it's an old-timey news announcer?: CRYING WOLF.

32. Bird that thinks it's a television show host?: TALKING TURKEY.

48. Marsupial that thinks it's an actor?: PLAYING POSSUM.

67. Tabbies that think they're collies?: HERDING CATS.

86. Insects that think they're outfielders?: CATCHING FLIES.

99. Lambs that think they're census takers?: COUNTING SHEEP.

115. Bird that thinks it's a restaurant critic?: EATING CROW.

I wonder who came up with the title. So perfectly captures the theme/clue approach of this puzzle.

Here is a short bio of Rebecca. Here is Rachel's website. Both are amazing constructors.

Across:

1. Squirrel's cheekful: ACORN.

6. Whole bunch: SCAD.

10. "I did it!": TA DA.

14. Spumante specification: BRUT.

18. Faith with a shrine in the Hanging Gardens of Haifa: BAHAI. I bet Hahtoolah has been here.

19. Healing succulent: ALOE.

20. Silent stars?: MIMES. Lovely clue.

21. "The Chi" creator Waithe: LENA.

24. Bikini in the Pacific, e.g.: ATOLL.

25. Eager: AVID.

26. Any minute now: SOON.

27. Corvallis sch.: OSU. Oregon State University. The Beavers. Tom Pepper graduated from University of Oregon. The Ducks. This picture was taken on Nov 1, 2013. He likes that hat.

(Left to Right: George Barany, David Liben-Nowell, Matt Ginsberg, C.C. & Tom Pepper)

28. Ridiculous: INANE.

29. Flanged fasteners: T NUTS. Also 74. Minor in Hollywood: D LIST. 81. Cable network that's a nonprofit: C SPAN.

30. Willingness to support: BUY IN.

36. Contacted privately, in a way: DM'ED.

38. Craps cube: DIE.

39. Egyptian peninsula: SINAI.

40. Ingredient in some vegan marshmallows: AGAR.

42. "The curl experts" hair care brand: OUIDAD. Unfamiliar to me. What does the word mean?

45. Tourney favorite: TOP SEED.

51. Agcy. that oversees PubMed: NIH.

52. Snare: NET.

54. Cambridgeshire cathedral city: ELY.

55. Brewery shipments: CASES.

56. Cheer syllable: RAH.

58. Snapple rival: NESTEA.

60. "Homeland" org.: CIA.

61. Opposite of 33-Down: HOLA. 33. Opposite of 61-Across: ADIOS.

62. Sets to zero, as a scale: TARES. Learned from doing crosswords.

64. Runs very slowly: SEEPS.

65. Alight: LAND.

71. Pound sounds: ARFS.

72. Pot payments: ANTES.

75. Inflict upon: DO TO.

77. Italian three: TRE.

78. Big name in financial services: SCHWAB. They bought TD Ameritrade last year.

80. Fashion monogram: YSL.

82. Trouble: AIL.

83. Observe: SEE.

84. Cozy room: DEN.

 90. Teensy bit: SMIDGEN.

93. Wool type: MERINO.

94. Olympic swimmers Crocker and Thorpe: IANS. Ian Thorpe is known for his powerful 6-beat kicks. We also have 104. Swim events: MEETS.

95. "Groovy": NEATO.

96. Picture of Pluto?: CEL. Pluto the dog.

97. "Star __": WARS.

107. Takes a victory lap, maybe: TROTS.

108. Reads (over): PORES.

109. Frozen solid?: ICE.

111. Caramel candy sold in a tube: ROLO.

113. Word after "Lavender" and "Purple," in song titles: HAZE.

114. Red Monopoly piece: HOTEL.

118. Finished: OVER.

119. __ City: Pittsburgh: STEEL.

120. "__ did I just watch?": WHAT.

121. Don: PUT ON.

122. Try again: REDO.

123. Little helper?: ASST. Little hints at Abbr.

124. Simplicity: EASE.

125. Pedometer units: STEPS.

Down:

1. Basics: ABCS.

2. Pod used as a chocolate substitute: CAROB.

3. "Such a flirt!": OH YOU.

4. Occasion to carry an umbrella: RAINY DAY. Cloudy, rainy here, but not cold.

5. Diarist Anaïs: NIN.

6. Carpentry tools: SAWS.

7. Social capital: CLOUT.

8. Pioneering ISP: AOL.

9. Pt. of HDTV: DEF.

10. Phoebe or Cronus: TITAN.

11. Surrounded by: AMONGST.

12. Mutation that removes a DNA sequence: DELETION. Might be Rachel's clue.

13. Interpretation first provided for a SOTU address in 2021: ASL.

14. Comfort item for some tots: BLANKIE.

15. Light show?: REVUE.

16. Principle celebrated on the first night of Kwanzaa: UNITY.

17. Iotas: TADS.

20. __-pedi: MANI. Someone asked about my hand cream last week. This saved me.

23. Used up: GONE.

28. Stores with Småland play areas: IKEAS.

29. Gives a zero-star review, say: TRASHES.

31. Cry from a Mega Millions winner: I'M RICH.

34. Ball caps or bottle caps: LIDS.

35. Remove from the top of an inbox, say: UNPIN.

37. Musher's conveyance: DOGSLED.

40. Partnerships: ALLIANCES.

41. Jam at a Pride Parade: GAY ANTHEM.

43. Awake before the alarm: UP EARLY.

44. Headwear sported by Rihanna on the cover of British Vogue: DURAG. Preferred over DORAG

46. Consider, as an idea: ENTERTAIN.

47. Prepares at a state fair, perhaps: DEEP-FRIES. Come here and try our fried pickles.

48. Gym: PE CLASS.

49. Lye, in a lab: NAOH.

50. Syst. between Baltimore and D.C.: MARC. OK, Maryland Area Rail Commuter. Unknown to me.

53. Fez danglers: TASSELS.

57. Enters: HEADS IN.

59. __ cucumber: SEA.

62. Blast letters: TNT.

63. "This is your last warning!": STOP NOW.

66. Droplets on a cobweb: DEW.

68. LP or EP, e.g.: DISC.

69. Official religion of Djibouti: ISLAM.

70. Deer sir: STAG.

73. Turns blue?: SADDENS.

76. Burning: ON FIRE.

79. Sired: BEGAT.

81. Easter Island's country: CHILE.

85. Nasal irrigation vessels: NETI POTS. Looks uncomfortable.

87. Backstage crew: TECHS.

88. First Nations people: CREE.

89. Like some intricate designs: LASER CUT.

91. Before birth: IN UTERO.

92. "I love everything you've done here": NO NOTES.  Just perfect.

98. "I'll drink to that": AMEN.

99. Hunger for: CRAVE.

100. Ran very slowly: OOZED.

101. Receive: GREET. I mentioned last time that I bumped into Boomer's old colleague Steve at the pool last month. He kindly invited me as his guest to the annual Graybar Retiree Luncheon. The couple in the second picture told me about their granddaughter, who received the very last Debra Burnikel Scholarship.

C.C. & Steve Bauer, 12/14/2023

 

Joan, Allen Silver & C.C.

102. Put on the market: SELL.

103. Breads with pockets: PITAS.

105. Rich cake: TORTE. Graybar had this and carrot cake on their menu.

106. Single-masted sailboat: SLOOP.

107. Mjölnir wielder: THOR.

110. Give credit to: CITE.

112. Possesses: OWNS.

114. Employee benefit option, for short: HSA. Health Savings Account.

115. Manchego source: EWE.

116. Cry of recognition: AHA.

117. Path finder in a Pathfinder, briefly: GPS.

C.C.

Saturday, December 16, 2023, Ryan Patrick Smith

Saturday Themeless by Ryan Patrick Smith

 

Ryan Patrick Smith lives in Austin, TX and is a writer, editor, gamer and frequent moviegoer who has been constructing word puzzles for over a decade. He says he is pleased to be making his LAT debut today.  His work has previously appeared in the NYT and other venues. He and I have been visiting via FaceBook messaging and he is a very nice guy.

The northeast corner was a real struggle for me as you can see above which occupied my screen for a long time although I had HANS and ALOE tentatively. After nice explanations from Ryan and some research, I acquired some learning and relief from my completion anxiety! As I've said before, I am smart enough to know how little I know.

Across:

1. Like some windows: ONE WAY - Windows on your house can become these as well.

7. Notes app?: SHAZAM - I have SHAZAM on my phone and have used it many times but took "Notes app." to be an app for note taking! 😑 Any time I hear music I don't know, I run it thorough Shazam and after a few notes, it gives me the song, the artist, the lyrics and a chance to play the whole thing.

13. Sotomayor alma mater: YALE LAW.

15. Gap: LACUNA - Ryan told me that as a film nerd, he wanted to use LACUNA because it was a NYC firm in the movie Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind that creates gaps in memories. I had no idea but my brilliant solver/constructor friend from Lincoln knew it immediately but had never seen or heard of the movie.

16. Wyo. has one: STATE REP - Each state has one U.S. REP for every approximate 700,000 population 

18. GM system: ON STAR - I have it in my new car for "free" for three years but I do everything on my iPhone anyway

19. Pub fixture: TAP.

20. Motion-sensing Xbox peripherals: KINECTS.

22. Tender robot?: ATM 😀 and 42. 22-Across figs.: AMTS.

23. Disney heroine whose sister is beguiled by 8-Down: ELSA and 8. See 23-Across: HANS - From Frozen

25. Texas MLBers: STROS.

26. Smoothie option: ALOE - I did not know our cwd favorite ALOE was edible!

27. Instagram feature since 2020: REELS - More

29. Pedant's preoccupation: NIT 😀

30. Small garden party?: GNOME 😀  

31. Subject with strange attractors: CHAOS THEORY - I got it but here is the complicated explanation. I would have gotten "Idea posited by Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park."

34. "Speak of the devil": LOOK WHO IT IS.

35. Contribute to: HAVE A HAND IN - What I do here every Saturday for this wonderful blog

36. Gambits: RUSES.

37. Wane: EBB.

38. Features of some classic coupes: T-TOPS.

43. French multimedia artist who refers to her work as "carnal art": ORLAN - Perps took care of this name

45. Put out: SORE - I warned Ryan that some solvers might be "put out" by his puzzle.

46. Voyage opener: BON 😀

47. Hazardous 55-Across maneuver: WHEELIE and 55. Moped kin: SCOOTER.

49. Actress Tyler: LIV - I really enjoyed her in the That Thing You Do that Tom Hanks wrote, directed and starred in.

50. Muscular: BRAWNY.

52. Trip down a hill: SLED RIDE.

54. Repetitive Black Eyed Peas hit: IMMA BE - I got the idea in the first ten seconds and then shut it down! It's the first and last time I'll listen to it.

56. Taken for: SEEN AS - I might be SEEN AS not liking the song above. Ya think?

57. War reporters, often: EMBEDS.

Down:

1. Peacemaker po'boy morsel: OYSTER - I've never had/seen one. You?

2. Celebrazione religiosa a dicembre: NATALE -Translation from Italian: Religious celebration in December - Christmas

3. Pass: ELAPSE -  I am going to let my newspaper subscription ELAPSE.

4. Not yet set: WET - The man is standing on cement that has already set to work with cement that is not set and is still WET

5. Model Wek who was appointed a goodwill ambassador for UNHCR in 2013: ALEK.

6. Longtime Toyota subcompact: YARIS.

7. Mirage enticement: SLOTS - OASIS left quickly and I caught onto the Mirage hotel/casino in Las Vegas

9. Cooling systs.: ACS.

10. "SacrÈ bleu!": ZUT ALORS - No chance for me! I knew of Sacre Bleu but my French-major granddaughter, who lived in Grenoble for a while, said ZUT ALORS is a cruder form of "Oh My" and is not often heard in America. Marcel Duchamp is an avant-garde artist and some his works include bicycle parts as you see below.

 

11. Gray area?: ANATOMY - My favorite clue! The TV show is Grey's Anatomy 

12. Role for Laura in 2019's "Little Women": MARMEE - I had no idea about Alcott's characters

14. Never got off the ground: WENT NO WHERE.

17. Things that may take a turn for the worse: PERISHABLES.

21. Medicine cabinet supply: COTTON BALLS.

24. Mosques' mihrabs, e.g.: ALCOVES.

26. Rubs the rite way?: ANOINTS 😀

28. Low pair?: SHOES 😀

30. Question after a moment of silence: GET IT?

32. Dossier letters: AKA.

33. Screened: HID.

34. Uniform feature, often: LAST NAME.

35. "I know, but please try": HUMOR ME - I suppose someone said that to Justin Bieber

36. Some wedding parties: RABBIS 😀

39. Rock whose name means "egg stone": OOLITE.

40. __ oneself on: PRIDED.

41. Cuts off: SEVERS.

43. "And how!": OH YES.

44. One who might have a grand opening?: NIECE - We have several grandNIECES 

47. A'ja Wilson's org.: WNBA.

48. Ancient Dead Sea kingdom: EDOM.

51. Ashy: WAN.

53. Take badly?: ROB 😀