Tuesday January 2, 2024 Robin Stears

Happy New Year, my dear crossword friends.  I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2024.

Double Cross.  The word Cross can be placed before each word in the theme answer to give a new concept.

17-Across. *  Hurdles for would-be attorneys: BAR EXAMINATIONS.  Cross Bar and Cross Examinations.

25-Across. *  Rural byway: COUNTRY ROAD.  Cross Country and Cross Road.

"Well isn't this a nice quiet country road! Not another car in sight!"

41-Across. *  Clarinet, bassoon, etc., in an orchestra: WIND SECTION.  Cross Wind and Cross Section.

54-Across. Things to "see" in a dictionary, and what both parts of the answers to the starred clues are?: CROSS REFERENCES.

Across:

1. Starfleet Academy student: CADET.  Starfleet Academy is the fictional academy is where recruits to Starfleet's officer corps are trained in Star Trek.  Apparently it was established in the year 2161 in San Francisco.  That's good news for San Francisco since it means that a major earthquake will not be destroying the city for at least another 140+ years.

6. "Ain't gonna happen": NOPE.

10. Mattress support piece: SLAT.

14. Fruit on a cocktail toothpick: OLIVE.  Why Olives are in martinis.

15. Lyft rival: UBER.

16. Opera house level: LOGE.

At the Hungarian State Opera House

20. "Take a load off": SIT.

21. Toothpaste dispensers: TUBES.

22. Group of eight: OCTET.

23. Break bread: DINE.

24. More formal than business casual: DRESSY.

29. Beyoncé's "Best __ I Never Had": THING.  [Name # 1.]

30. Made for __ other: EACH.

31. Pampering place: SPA.

34. Make mad: RILE.

35. TGIF part: THANK.

37. Growth on an old loaf: MOLD.

38. "Woo-hoo!": YAY.

39. Cold feet: FEAR.  Probably some of the early European settlers got cold feet when they sailed near Cape Fear in North Carolina.

40. Light supper: SALAD.  It could be a Big Salad.

44. Arcade coins: TOKENS.

47. Backyard storage for hoes and hoses: SHED.

48. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kofi: ANNAN.  Kofi Annan (né Kofi Atta Annan; Apr. 8, 1938 ~ Aug. 18, 2018) served as the Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1997 through December 2006.  He and the UN were co-recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001.   [Name # 2.]

49. Spud, informally: TATER.  It's a bit un-PC, but very funny and if you listen to the end, you will see why it's relevant here.

51. __ Dhabi: ABU.  Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates.  The name means Father of Gazelle.  It is so named because of the abundance of gazelles in the area.

57. "Bloodline" actor Chandler: KYLE.  Kyle Chandler (né Kyle Martin Chandler; b. Sept. 17, 1965) has starred in a number of television shows, including Friday Night Lights and Early Edition in addition to Bloodline.  [Name # 3.]

58. Part of a plot: ACRE.  My initial thought upon reading this clue was that plot referred to a story line in a novel.

59. Windy City airport: O'HARE.  The three letter airport abbreviation for O'Hare International Airport in Chicago is ORD.  That is because the airport was originally called Orchard Airport.  In 1949, the airport was renamed O'Hare in honor of Edward O'Hare (Mar. 26, 1914 ~ Nov. 26, 1943), a World War II flying ace and war hero.  [Name adjacent.]

60. Fly off the shelves: SELL.

61. "To __ It May Concern": WHOM.

62. Narrow openings: SLITS.

Down:

1. Corn discards: COBS.

2. Jai __: Basque game: ALAI.  A crossword staple.  A brief history below:

3. Earth: DIRT.

4. December 24 or 31: EVE.  We've experiences both in the past 2 weeks.

5. Tapping out messages: TEXTING.  Do not text while driving.

6. Digit: NUMBER.

7. Award similar to a Tony: OBIE.  The Off-Broadway theater award.

8. Farm structures: PENS.

9. Timeline segment: ERA.

10. Like cold cuts: SLICED.

11. Ransacks: LOOTS.

12. Youngest "Despicable Me" daughter: AGNES.  I didn't remember the names of the children in this movie.  [Name # 4, fictional.]  Hi, Irish Miss (not fictional.)

13. Peevish: TESTY.

18. Grandma's daughter: AUNT.  Could also be clued as Mother's sister, Father's sister, Grandpa's daughter ...

19. Bar mitzvah scroll: TORAH.  Below are the Torah Scrolls at the synagogue in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.

23. Two-part sci-fi epic starring Timothée Chalamet: DUNE.  Timothée Chalamet (b. Dec. 27, 1995) just celebrated his 28th birthday.  His father is French, thus Timothée holds dual French and United States citizenship.  [Name # 5.]

24. Charging station: DOCK.

25. Novelty "pet" that's really a plant: CHIA.

Hello, Kitty!

26. Greasy: OILY.

27. Quite a while: YEARS.  We have been enjoying C.C.'s blog for quite a while now.

28. Took off: RAN.

29. Give it a go: TRY.

31. Guitar Hero challenge: SOLO.

Han Solo

32. Architectural drawing: PLAN.

33. Throw in: ADD.

35. Change for a 50, maybe: TENS.

36. Possessed: HAD.

37. Rosie on "The Jetsons," for one: MAID.  [Name # 6, fictional.]

39. Helsinki inhabitants: FINNS.

40. Sound systems: STEREOS.

41. Ferret kin: WEASEL.  What's the difference between a Weasel and a Ferret?

42. Respect highly: ESTEEM.

43. "Believe" Grammy winner: CHER.  It's hard to believe that Cher (née Cherilyn Sarkisian; b. May 20, 1946) will be 78 this year.   [Name # 7.]

44. Bulletin board pins: TACKS.

45. BLT option: ON RYE.

46. Small hill: KNOLL.  I heard there is a grassy knoll in Dallas.

49. Film crew employee: TECH.

50. __-Cuban jazz: AFRO.

51. Blueberrylike berry: AÇAÍ.  These berries have become popular in foods and in the crossword puzzle.

52. Ernie's "Sesame Street" pal: BERT.  Muppet friends.  [Names # 8 and 9, fictional.]

53. Finds a purpose for: USES.

55. Uncooked: RAW.

Yummers!

56. Stanley Cup org.: NHL.  As in the National Hockey League.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Many thanks to Splynter for filling in for me during my absence.  

I was devastated to learn that Old Man Keith recently died.  I always looked forward to his witty and intelligent comments.  He was such a gentleman.

Monday, January 1, 2024 Jeff Stillman

  

Happy New Year, everyone!

Today's theme is:  

sumdaze here with the first blog in 2024. Woot!

Our constructor, Jeff Stillman, gives us three sets of circles, highlighting the fact that the letters Y, E, A, and R have been scrambled. Eventually, he puts them in order at ...

51 Across. Celebratory shout heard before "Auld Lang Syne" is played, and an apt title for this puzzle?: HAPPY NEW YEAR.  

I put up the Rolling in the New Year image because it sort of feels like the letters in the circles are rolling into their proper place. I really cannot say if that is what Jeff had in mind. Perhaps he is simply saying that 51-A was a "new" way to arrange the letters from the circles. If there is another layer, I missed it. Whoosh!  

Nonetheless, I am a fan of holiday-themed puzzles so I am giving Jeff's puzzle a thumbs up. 👍 Notice that his circles always span two words. Additionally, it is nice to see two 15-letter answers on a Monday puzzle.  Here's the grid:  

There are 4! = 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 24
ways to arrange the letters Y, E, A, and R.

Let's keep on rollin' with the other clues:

Across:
1. Underground areas explored by spelunkers: CAVES.  A spelunker is someone who makes a hobby of exploring CAVES.  

trailer for Ancient Caves, a 2020 IMAX documentary

6. Car-buying necessity, for many: LOAN.

10. Degs. for some entrepreneurs: MBAS.  Master of Business Administration degrees

14. Stuffy "Me too": AS AM I.  I started with AS do I, but perps told me that choice was an outlier.

15. Competent: ABLE.

16. Noble rank above viscount: EARL.

17. Stuck in the muck: MIRED.  

That poor duck had bad luck!

18. French champagne brand: MOET.  a nice fit for a New Year's grid

19. "Well, would you look at that!": MY MY.  

20. Make a polite visit: PAY RESPECT TO.  

23. "__ whiz!": GEE.

24. Runs easily with long strides: LOPES.  

Watch as British equestrian Ben Maher keeps his horse, Explosion W, in an smooth LOPE

between jumps to win a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

27. False start punishment, in football: FIVE YARD PENALTY.  False start is when an offensive player does it. Offsides is when a defensive player does it.  Do the players get fined?

34. County Clare's nat.: IRE.  I did not know this one but "County Clare" just sounds like it lies in the nation of IREland.  (Hi Irish Miss! ☘)

35. Internet letters: EMAILS.  This was my favorite clue because I fell for the "letters" misdirection and was trying to think of an initialism.

36. "The Banana Boat Song" opener: DAY-O.  as in "It's New Year's DAY-O"  

This one never gets old.

Harry Belafonte released Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) in 1956.

37. Trails behind: LAGS.  To LAG behind is to fail to keep pace with one's peers.

39. Color TV pioneer: RCA.  I think of Misty when I see RCA in a puzzle because she has such fond memories of her father. I can feel her smile through the internet.

40. "Barbie" actor Liu: SIMU.  He is a Canadian actor born in Harbin, China on April 19, 1989. Last week CanadianEh! reminded us  about his book, We Were Dreamers:  An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story. It's on my library queue.

Simu Liu rocks the Ken hair.

41. La __: Real Madrid's division: LIGA.  European fútbol

42. Frank on the grill: WEENIE.  

the Oscar Mayer wienermobile

45. Naught: NIL.  Those on Santa's naughty list get NIL for Christmas.

46. Incredibly hard to hold: SLIPPERY AS AN EEL.  

Wow, this one took me on a trip down memory lane to Bozo Under the Sea, a 78 RPM record I used to listen to at my grandmother's house while reading its accompanying book. I remember this picture of him touching an electric EEL.   

49. Photo app filter shade: SEPIA.  Last Friday, ZDL's puzzle had a good clue for this word -- Retro tone.

50. Time period often named for a monarch: ERA.

58. Crèche trio: MAGI.  Most western Christian churches celebrate Three Kings' Day on January 6.

Click to expand.

61. Moisturizer brand: OLAY.

62. Missouri River tributary: OSAGE.  

63. Minnesota representative Ilhan: OMAR.  Minnesota has eight congressional districts. Rep. Ilhan Omar's district is #5 (Minneapolis).  

64. Junction point: NODE.  I knowed this one. Did you knowed it, too?

65. Spoke wildly: RAVED.  I was trying to make ranted fit.

66. Sheepherding pig in a 1995 film: BABE.  

67. Smack: SWAT.

68. Austin Powers player Mike: MYERS.  Canadian-American actor Mike Myers made three Austin Powers movies. They were released in 1997, 1999, and 2002. Here's the trailer from the first one, Austin Powers:  International Man of Mystery.  

Down:
1. Training __: NFL preseason practice time: CAMP.  This link goes to the 2023 training CAMP details for every NFL team. Scroll through it to get a feel for the whens & wheres.

2. Tibet's continent: ASIA.  This 3:22 min. video lists four reasons to visit Tibet. You might also find these 2024 Tibet travel restrictions interesting.

3. "Your mileage may __": VARY.  In other words, you might have a different experience in a particular situation.  

The Proclaimers  I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) (1988)

Yes, they're twins.

But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles
To fall down at your door

4. Come to light: EMERGE.

5. Judgmental glance: SIDE-EYE.  The term is about a physical act that communicates any number of things (e.g., suspicion, scorn, annoyance, jealousy, and veiled curiosity).

Here is some serious 17th century SIDE-EYE.

Detail from The Fortune Teller
French artist Georges de La Tour (circa 1630)

6. Bedside light: LAMP.

7. Double-reed woodwind: OBOE.

8. Actor Guinness: ALEC.  (1914-2000)  his IMDb page

9. Invasive plants with stinging hairs: NETTLES.  description & uses

10. Note-worthy purchases?: MEMO PADS.  "Note-worthy". Good one!

11. Green __, Wisconsin: BAY.  IIRC, unclefred is a Packers fan.

12. Escort's offering: ARM.  

13. Devious: SLY.

21. Tailor's line of stitches: SEAM.

22. Freight weight: TON.

25. "Seinfeld" character who worked for Pendant Publishing: ELAINE.     and     53 Down. When tripled, phrase spoken by 25-Down: YADA.

This is the clip (1 min.):  

"No, I mentioned the bisque."

26. Really frustrate: STYMIE.  Def.:  (verb) to prevent or hinder the progress of.

27. Jam-packs: FILLS.  This reminded me of the well-known story about the jar with rocks. Here is a 2 min. version:  

28. Vowel-shaped track segments: I-RAILS.  

Is this an I-RAIL? The cross section of the rail resembles a letter "I".

29. Carrot or celery, informally: VEGGIE.  

30. Not so common: RARER.

31. Hazardous: DICEY.

32. Initial strategy: PLAN A.

33. "__ be sorry!": YOU'LL.

38. Blue gem: SAPPHIRE.  Note to self:  2P's

42. Some cards in the board game Clue: WEAPONS.  Can you name all six? (*answers below)

43. "Now it's clear!": I SEE.

44. Overly catchy song: EARWORM.  Here is an aptly named EARWORM:  

Kylie Minogue Can't Get You Out of My Head (2001)

La-la-la, la-la-la-la-la

47. Actress Zadora: PIA.

48. Come out against: NAYSAY.  

52. Furrow former: PLOW.

54. No, in Russian: NYET.

55. Icicle site: EAVE.

56. Ripening agent: AGER.  When used on some apples, the result is a Golden AGER. 😜

57. Cincinnati MLB team: REDS.  The team name originated from the high red socks or stockings the team wore with its knee-length pants.  

58. Unruly crowd: MOB.

59. GP's gp.: AMA.  General Practitioner and American Medical Association

60. Chitchat: GAB.  

my friend Julie & me at lunch yesterday 😀

*The six CLUE weapons are:  wrench, lead pipe, rope, knife, revolver, and candlestick.

That's all for today. Wishing everyone health & happiness in the new year!

Sunday December 31, 2023 Matthew Stock & Miranda Carson

Theme: "Squad Goals" - The end of each theme entry is a WNBA team.

23. *Symptom of isolation, perhaps: CABIN FEVER. Indiana Fever.

28. *Leave the nest: SPREAD ONE'S WINGS. Dallas Wings.

48. *No. 1 Katy Perry album featuring the No. 1 song "Firework": TEENAGE DREAM. Atlanta Dream.

56. *Oscar-winning role for Rami Malek: FREDDIE MERCURY. Phoenix Mercury.

82. *One of Sheriff Woody's catchphrases in "Toy Story": REACH FOR THE SKY. Chicago Sky.

91. *Concurrence of many negative possibilities: PERFECT STORM. Seattle Storm.

114. *Lorraine Hansberry play whose title comes from a Langston Hughes poem: A RAISIN IN THE SUN.  Connecticut Sun.

 121. Championship series where fans hope to find the ends of the answers to the starred clues?: WNBA FINALS. 

And something extra: 38. Group seen seven times in this puzzle: TEAM.

Total 12 teams in the WNBA. Missing are the Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Las Vegas Aces & Washington Mystics. 

Liked this puzzle. Reminds me of the "Single Ladies" for the Universal a while ago. I had a set of teams with singular nouns.

Congrats on your LAT debut, Miranda! You found a brilliant collaborator.

Across:

1. Flub: FUMBLE.

7. Tell (on): RAT.

10. Barbershop service: SHAVE.

15. Santa __: home of the Charles M. Schulz Museum: ROSA.

19. Without principles: AMORAL.

20. Word with devil or dog: SLY. Also 22. Extremely bad: EVIL.

21. Patio stone: PAVER.

25. Oahu's __ Stadium: ALOHA.

26. Actress Rowlands: GENA. "The Notebook" is so moving.

27. French novelist Zola: EMILE.

31. Cash collector: TILL.

32. Yearbook superlative: MOST.

33. Distillery tub: VAT.

34. "What was I __ to do?": MEANT.

35. Looking for, in ads: ISO. In Search Of.

37. Jackal cousin: COYOTE.

39. Bring up: RAISE.

42. Contrail makeup: VAPOR.

44. Shape of the three-point line: ARC.

45. Illustrator's tools: PENS.

47. Recipient of a classic shout-out: MOM.

52. Fender bender: ACCIDENT.

55. Itty-bitty kitties: RUNTS.

58. Cup holder spot, perhaps: ARM. This refers to armrest, right?

59. Demeanor: MIEN.

61. Prov. that borders all but one of the Great Lakes: ONT.

62. Scrutinize: EYE.

63. No longer consequential: MOOT.

65. Yearbook gp.: FROSH.

68. Busch Gardens city: TAMPA.

71. Brief quarrel: TIFF.

75. "Let's __!": EAT. Went to my sister-in-law Connie's place on Christmas eve. She made poached salmon (unpictured: tzatziki sauce), wild rice salad and roasted Brussels sprouts. That piece of seeded bread is from a local bakery that stone-mills its own flour. So lucky to have such a great sister-in-law!

77. Gomez's hairy cousin: ITT.

79. Soothing YouTube genre, for short: ASMR. Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.

81. "You think I did that!?": MOI.

88. Accompanist?: USHER. Quite a few nice clues in this grid.

90. Mark on a garage floor: OIL STAIN.

93. Rd. with a no.: RTE.

94. Very, in Biarritz: TRES. French city on the Bay of Biscay.

96. "__-hoo!": WOO.

97. Try to swat: HIT AT.

98. Supports on Kickstarter, say: BACKS.

101. Taco truck dips: SALSAS.

103. "Gangnam Style" rapper: PSY.

104. "The Secret History" writer Donna: TARTT.

106. Smallish batteries: AAS.

107. Degrees for corp. execs: MBAS.

110. Cake layer: TIER.

118. Food processor's output: PUREE.

119. Burgles: ROBS.

120. Papa: DADDY. Ba ba, in Chinese.

123. Fit: ABLE.

124. Fireplace hazard: EMBER.

125. Flow back: EBB.

126. Early online forum: USENET.

127. Brewed beverage: BEER. And 64. Brewed beverages: TEAS.

128. Prophets: SEERS.

129. Early broadcasting co.: RCA.

130. Low points: NADIRS.

Down:

1. Diamond side: FACET. 4. Diamond cut: BRILLIANT.

2. Parmesan quality: UMAMI. Connie is cheese connoisseur. She lived in Italy for a few years. She  still visits Italy and France regularly.

3. Gas giant?: MOBIL. 90. Round figure?: ORB. I like both clues.

5. Track assignment: LANE.

6. Beauty brand whose name stands for three body parts: ELF. Eyes Lips Face.

7. Sends regrets, perhaps: RSVPS.

8. Heads-up: ALERT.

9. Spare in a boot: TYRE.

10. "Me time" option: SPA DAY.

11. Low-calorie ice cream brand: HALO TOP. Boomer liked Breyers No Sugar Added.

12. Maker of Skin So Soft products: AVON.

13. Fervor: VEHEMENCE.

14. Delete: ERASE.

15. "Fidelity" pop artist Spektor: REGINA. Born in Moscow.

16. Kitchen beeper: OVEN TIMER.

17. Snitch: SING.

18. Woeful sigh: ALAS.

24. Spanish "that": ESO.

29. Green smoothie ingredient, perhaps: AVOCADO.

30. Simple card game: WAR.

32. Synthesizer pioneer: MOOG.

36. Involuntary jerk: SPASM.

37. Rep: CRED.

40. JumboTron maker: SONY.

41. First responder, briefly: EMT. And 43. Send to a specialist: REFER.

42. Cash app: VENMO.

44. "Blessed __ ... ": ARE.

46. Say "aaahh!": SCREAM.

48. Disneyland ride: TRAM.

49. Malta money: EURO.

50. James Bond's first movie foe: DR NO.

51. Pristine, as a baseball card: MINT. So easy to get Boomer Christmas gifts. He loved baseball cards.

53. Like some roads in January: ICY. We finally got some snow last night. Odd not to have snow on ground for Christmas.

54. Pair's performance: DUET.

57. "on ur way?": ETA.

60. "Or perhaps less": IF THAT.

66. Chivalrous title: SIR.

67. URL starter: HTTP. More HTTPS these days.

69. Fashion: MAKE.

70. "Kidding!": PSYCH.

72. "Turn on the AC!": I'M HOT.

73. Author Jonathan Safran __: FOER. His founder Joshua Foer co-founded Atlas Obscura.

74. Like some mattresses: FIRM.

76. Fake it: ACT.

78. Dirty laundry destination: THE WASH. And 95. Dirt, so to speak: SLANDER.

80. Oxidizes: RUSTS.

82. Pop singer Ora: RITA.

83. Fit for a seat?: ELECTABLE. Government seat.

84. Birth certificate entry: FIRST NAME.

85. Top classification: ONE A.

86. Bow-wielding god: EROS.

87. Hub near Marin Co.: SFO.

89. "Don't touch that dial": STAY TUNED.

92. Gratuities: TIPS.

99. Crusty roll: KAISER.

100. Yearbook gp.: SRS.

102. Mythical forest flutists: SATYRS.

105. Surfer's concerns: TIDES.

107. "Morning Joe" network: MSNBC. 109. 107-Down anchor Cabrera: ANA.

108. NASCAR racer Wallace: BUBBA.

111. Afghani neighbor: IRANI. More often Iranian.

112. Conger hunter: EELER.

113. Musical breaks: RESTS.

114. Like many North Africans: ARAB.

115. Judicial garb: ROBE.

116. "__ happy to!": I'D BE.

117. Spout sporter: EWER.

118. City with an iconic tower: PISA.

122. Lots of laughs: FUN.

Jaelyn and Harper now have a baby sister. Melissa's third granddaughter was born on December 1, 2023. She sent me these few precious pictures. Melissa will take an extended break from blogging due to personal matters. We'll be thinking of you and looking forward to your return, Melissa!

 

 

Jaelyn and Harper