Tuesday, January 9th, 2024, Freddie Cheng

 EEK~!

 OR

 - where to find a common rodent -

Today's puzzle consists of three theme fills of two 12- and one 13-letter spanners, with a 'broken' reveal of 9-letters across the bottom line.  Two 10-letter DOWN answers as well.  Not so many names today, but lots of abbreviations.  Some "meh" answers, IMHO, and an unusually longer than normal Tuesday solve time for me, but we FIR, so....

19. Home of Cinderella Castle: MAGIC KINGDOM - here's the "home" of a certain M. Mouse

Ominous

36. Unpretentious business: HOLE IN THE WALL - like a local bar, say

Thanks Hahtoolah~!

54. Pizza/arcade chain founded by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell: CHUCK E. CHEESE - HuskerG showed us how "Chuck" used to be a RAT; now he's a MOUSE~?

65. With 67-Across, desktop accessories, and a description of 19-, 36-, and 54-Across?: MOUSE
67. See 65-Across: PADS - PADS in the colloquial sense of home, crib, abode, castle, etc. - here's my blogging spot and desktop mouse pad....

And Away We Go~! ( see 39D.)

ACROSS:

1. Swimmer's exercise: LAPS - C.C. and I have a friendly challenge to push each other by Easter to an accomplishment - I would like to lose 10+lbs, and she would like to do a butterfly LAP in the pool without the aid of flippers - I hope we both succeed~!

5. __ shift: DAY

8. Venomous African snake: MAMBA

13. "Just doing my best": "I TRY"

14. Rough cut: DEMO - meh.  I suppose a raw recording of one's music~? And a  semi-abbr.

15. Is in neutral: IDLES

16. Eye lubricant: TEAR

17. Diamond dynasty: ALOU - baseball diamond....knew this from doing crosswords

18. Earns: MAKES

22. Standard: USUAL

23. Matches, in fashion: GOES - as in "that bag GOES well with that dress"

the shoes, too

24. __ green: PEA - I painted my "home office" in a shade of green called "Aquamarine" - what I really wanted was the official name/formula for the shade of green that the NY Bridge & Tunnel Authority paints their spans, e.g., the Throgs Neck Bridge, which the internet calls "grey green"; I wrote to them, and was told that they are "not allowed" to disclose that information....Really~?  I asked some friends who work for NY DOT, and one suggested finding the contractor who does the painting, and my brother said to go through FOIL - it's not that important  :7))

Two mile span between Long Island and the Bronx

27. "Get it?": SEE - so I suppose this paint color hassle could be called "GREEN TAPE"  - Get it~?

28. Gambling initials: OTB - Off-Track Betting - abbr. #1

31. Dollhouse dishes: TEA SETS - oh, those doll house dishes....uh, never mind....

33. Captivated: ENRAPT - yeah, Spellcheck is not happy about this, either....

35. Top out: PEAK - think hit songs; this one PEAKed at #1 the year I was born

 

Jeremiah was a bullfrog~!

40. Veal __: Italian entree, briefly: PARMesan - abbr. #2

41. "The way things stand ... ": "AS IT IS..."

42. From Moscow: RUSSIAN - I blogged the Nov 1st, 2023 puzzle with Moscow, IDAHO - not Russian

45. Did not get up: SAT - meh.  Stayed Seated, maybe

46. Orchestra home: PIT

49. "Can't Get It Out of My Head" gp.: ELO - Electric Light Orchestra - abbr. #3

50. Wharton degs.: MBAs - Master of Business Administration - abbr. #4

52. Computer problem: CRASH - meh - I think a problem could cause a crash...

57. Arctic dome: IGLOO - I once did a presentation for an architect with this massive build-up of the 'greatest piece of building engineering since the dawn of man, using local building materials to reduce its carbon footprint', then revealed a picture of an igloo - his partner praised me for my clever deception

60. Lie low: HIDE

61. One of 14 in a pro's golf bag: CLUB - oops, I had IRON - can you imagine the pitch on a 14-iron~?

These go to "eleven" ( 12, actually )

62. __ buddy: BOSOM -  TV show with Tom Hanks, way back in 1980

63. Passport fig.: ID No. - meh. - abbr. #5

64. Sheltered at sea: ALEE - crossword staple

66. Ad Council ad: PSA - Public Service Announcement - abbr. #6


DOWN:

1. Acid or base indicator: LITMUS - Dah~!  I tried Ph TEST first

2. "Relax, soldier": AT EASE

3. European capital with a medieval astronomical clock: PRAGUE - I knew this, but hesitated to fill in; I worked on a TV movie set back in 1997, and we used shots the director got of the ornate clock for some dramatic interludes

4. Aleppo's land: SYRIA - I nailed this one

5. Sandwich shop: DELI

6. "__ Us": multiplayer logic and deduction game: AMONG - 3/5ths perps, 2/5s WAG

7. Encouraging message: YOU GOT THIS

8. Brunch drink: MIMOSA

9. "House of Gucci" actor Driver: ADAM - he played Darth Vader's grandson, Kylo Ren

10. Civil rights monogram: MLK - abbr. #7

11. Spelling meet: BEE

12. Braying animal: ASS

14. Terr. that became two states: DAKota - abbr. #8

20. Replicant: CLONE - two blogging puzzles in a row with this word

21. Poor grade: DEE

24. Come off like old paint: PEEL - I had CHIP

25. Listing abbr.: ET. AL. - abbr. #9

26. "Go find out!": ASK

29. Tetra- minus one: TRI - four, less uni = three

30. Dried fruit in trail mix, perhaps: BANANA CHIP

32. Facial spots: SPAS - Dah~! I had ACNE; a clever clue

33. Targets of some bark beetles: ELMS - WAG; up here in CT, several of my ASH trees were killed by a beetle, and now I have a lot of firewood

my backyard on Sunday

34. FG's three: PTs - American Football, Field goal points - abbr. #10

He hits the post~!

36. Carry with effort: HAUL - TOTE, DRAG, HUMP, HEFT, etc.

37. Thereabouts: OR SO

38. Lyft status: ETA -abbr. #11

39. Glinda or Elphaba of "Wicked": WITCH  - the cartoon from which I get "And Away We Go"

40. Kin of ante-: PRE-

43. "Just got back from work!": "I'M HOME~!"

44. __ Dhabi: ABU

46. Rice dish from Valencia: PAELLA

47. Put into circulation: ISSUED

48. Ancient city whose ruins are in Luxor: THEBES

51. Overcomes friction: SKIDS - ah, in the negative sort of way....

53. Sum up: RECAP

54. Sounds like a dove: COOS

55. Poet __ St. Vincent Millay: EDNA

56. Org chart topper, typically: CEO - the Chief Executive Officer - abbr. #12

57. Watsonx's maker: IBM - technically, an abbr.

58. Sludge: GOO

59. Sch. with a Shreveport campus: LSU - Louisiana State University - abbr. #13

Splynter

Monday January 8, 2024 Paul Coulter

  

Theme:        The Progressive Write

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here on what would have been Elvis Presley's 89th birthday. Due to a twist brought about by today's theme, we instead have Elvis Costello & The Attractions with Everyday I Write the Book (1983).  

Constructor Paul Coulter submitted a textbook Monday grid. The first word of each of the four longest answers progresses from LINE to PAGE to CHAPTER to BOOK, as does the writing process. The gimmick is logical and cleanly presented. Paul earns extra points for the inclusion of nine multi-word fill answers (in addition to the four themers). 

16 Across. Activity at a country western bar: LINE DANCING.  

26 Across. Error message that results from clicking a broken link: PAGE NOT FOUND.  

Flashback from yesterday's puzzle, anyone? This one happens when your browser is asking a website to display something but the website cannot find the right page to display so it gives you an error message.  Example

47 Across. Fraternity building: CHAPTER HOUSE.  According to this Greek Life Glossary, this is a house on a college campus where members of the organization reside. Not all campuses have CHAPTER HOUSEs. Some have designated rooms given to each fraternity or sorority called Chapter Rooms, or a special residence hall where each group gets a floor.

If you were not sure of this one, sussing the theme provided an extra clue.  

62 Across. "Hawaii Five-O" catchphrase: BOOK 'EM DANNO.  This was a Steve McGarrett (played by Jack Lord) catchphrase in the original series (1968-1980), spoken to James MacArthur's character, Dan Williams. To the delight of viewers, the line was reprised in the 2010-2020 re-make.

And now for the rest of the story....
Across:
1. "SNL" alum McKinnon: KATE.  She is so funny! Here is KATE pretending to be an airport chauffer in The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018) with Mila Kunis. 

5. Made off with: STOLE.  

As the mastermind of the largest known Ponzi scheme in history, Bernie Madoff made off with tens of billions of dollars of investors' money.

10. Set the dog (on): SIC. as in "sic 'em"

13. Wildly out of control: AMOK. Today AMOK is synonymous with "unruly" but its etymology reveals a murderous meaning.

14. Don, as boots: PULL ON.  The straps on the sides of cowboy boots are called mule ears and are used to PULL ON the boots. Some styles are more pronounced than others. You can see how they got their name. 

15. __-la-la: singer's syllables: TRA.

18. Crew team's blade: OAR.

19. __ foo yung: EGG.  

This 5-star recipe is very adaptable to whatever is on hand.
The foodie writes, "It is believed to have originally been created by Chinese chefs in America
as a way to use up leftovers, so it’s not strictly authentic though there are similar dishes in China."

20. Wrap up: END.  

21. Nervous system cells: NEURONS.  NEURONS in the news

23. Longtime Dodgers manager Tommy: LASORDA.  (1927-2021)

This is a great fit for an LA Times puzzle! He managed the LA Dodgers from 1976-1996, winning two World Series plus two more National League pennants.  National Baseball Hall of Fame page

25. Snow vehicle pulled by huskies: SLED.  

31. "Are you really making me do this?": MUST I.  

34. Director DuVernay: AVA.     crosses     28 Down. Reproductive cells: OVA.

35. Practice in the ring: SPAR.  boxing

36. Absorbed, as a cost: ATE.  To "eat the cost" is to agree to bear the cost of something, usually monetarily and often begrudgingly.

37. Skill on the verge of extinction: LOST ART.  Hand up for trying to think of a specific skill as opposed to a synonym. 

41. Greek T: TAU.

42. "Darn it all!": RATS.  

44. Wrestler Flair nicknamed the "Nature Boy": RIC.  

Ric, flaunting his flair

45. Beside: ALONG.

51. Snowblower brand: TORO.  In the summer, this word is clued as "Lawnmower brand".

52. New York's Waldorf __ hotel: ASTORIA.  

The original Waldorf Hotel was built at 33rd Street and Fifth Avenue in 1893 by William Waldorf Astor. Four years later, John Jacob Astor IV, William’s cousin and familial rival, built an even taller hotel next door in an act of one-upmanship. The cousins finally agreed to a truce and the two buildings were connected through a 300-foot marble corridor known as Peacock Alley. The Waldorf-Astoria was born.  more history

56. Shield from harm: PROTECT.

59. Simple top: TEE.

60. Early ISP: AOL.  Internet Service Provider and America Online

61. __ and reel: ROD.

65. Throw in: ADD.

66. Whole: ENTIRE.

67. End-of-the-week letters: TGIF.  not the Monday end

68. "You got it": YES.  Also, a rock band from London that released this song in 1971.  

I've Seen All Good People:  Your Move

69. Wails with grief: KEENS.  Learning moment. KEENS is the 3rd person present form of the verb keen, as defined in the clue. Example:  She KEENS over her lover's lifeless body.

In a similar vein, KEENS are Irish funeral songs accompanied by wailing.

70. Ham or lamb: MEAT.

Down:
1. Superman's birth name: KALEL.  

Five for Fighting. Superman (It's Not Easy) (2001) 

2. Latina friend: AMIGA.  Latina is feminine so we did not have to wait for perps to see if it was amigo or amiga.

3. Kitchen picker-uppers: TONGS.

4. __ out a living: just get by: EKE.

5. Dairy Queen order: SUNDAE.  

My friend calls these "Texas stop signs".

6. Special attention, for short: TLC.

7. Lena of "Chocolat": OLIN.

8. Symbol on the Texas flag: LONE STAR.  Speaking of Texas...

9. Overwhelm: ENGULF.  Are there any other David Sedaris fans on The Corner?

When You are Engulfed in Flames (2008)

10. Didn't back down from: STOOD UP TO.  

I Won't Back Down was the lead single on Tom Petty's first solo album, Moon Fever.

Look for George Harrison and Jeff Lynne (co-founder of XWD favorite ELO) on guitar.

That's Ringo Starr in the video but he was not the drummer for the recording.

11. Shiraz's country: IRAN.  Along with being a city in IRAN, Shiraz is a red wine historically produced in that area. I think it is the same grape as an Australian Syrah. Perhaps C-Moe, our wine guy on The Corner, can elaborate.

12. Autos: CARS.     and     22 Down. Early 20th century autos: REOS.  

14. Ivory soap company, informally: P AND G.  Procter AND Gamble  

17. Upset, as a plan: DERAIL.

24. Decide to leave, with "out": OPT.

27. Slangy "Of course!": NATCH.  NATCH-urally

29. Bread baked in a tandoor: NAAN.  This man makes NAAN every Tuesday at my local Farmer's Market. He told me that the dough sticks to the sides of the oven because it (the dough) is a little bit wet.

30. Medication: DRUG.

31. Painter Chagall: MARC.  (1887 Belarus - 1985 France)

In this self-portrait (1912-1913), he has seven fingers on his left hand,
possibly because he was born 7/7/1887.

32. Provo's state: UTAH.

33. Caused a disagreement between, say: SET AT ODDS.

38. Cookie-flavored ice cream holder: OREO CONE.  

Will wonders never cease?

39. Round Table title: SIR.

40. Had a bite of: TASTED.

43. "You missed a __": SPOT.  So annoying!

46. Zodiac sign before Virgo: LEO.  also the only 3-letter sign

48. Alex whose job was in "Jeopardy!" for many years: TREBEK.  

After hosting 11 previous game shows, he started his Jeopardy! gig on September 10, 1984.
I am not sure but I think this pic is from that first show.

49. Horse operas: OATERS.  a.k.a. westerns

50. "I'm at your disposal": USE ME.

53. Driving __: golfer's practice site: RANGE.  

Free Range Golfers

54. Ancient Aegean region: IONIA.  I worked this one out by remembering the three types of Greek columns:  Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian then later looked it up. IONIA was a territory in western Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). Twelve cities formed the Ionian League but it was not a political nor a military alliance. One of those cities was Miletus, as in the Greek philosopher, Thales of Miletus (624 BC - 527 BC).

55. High up: ALOFT.

56. Seek divine guidance: PRAY.

57. Went in a biker's sidecar, say: RODE.  This clip is from the Marx Brothers:

58. Handy bag: TOTE.  

NPR knows we like them!

63. Extended family: KIN.

64. Spot for fast cash: ATM.  

The epilogue:

That's all for today. I look forward to reading your comments!

Sunday Janaury 7, 2024 Jordan Hildebrandt

Theme: "Following Protocol" - Each HTTP error is re-phrased as knight-related:

22. HTTP 504: Knight fails to return to castle before portcullis closes for curfew: GATEWAY TIME OUT.

 35. HTTP 403: Knight not approved to embark on second search for the Holy Grail: FORBIDDEN REQUEST.

49. HTTP 419: Knight's squire's apprenticeship no longer in force: PAGE EXPIRED.

80. HTTP 500: Knight fails to tip waitstaff at banquet: SERVER ERROR.

96. HTTP 405: Knight illegally aims for opponent's head during joust: METHOD NOT ALLOWED.

Reveal:

113. Medieval protocol for knights, or an alternate title for this puzzle?: CODE OF CHIVALRY.

I bet D-Otto and Anon-T enjoyed this puzzle. They know all the errors. Thankfully you don't need to know those error messages to solve this grid. 

Don't recall seeing such a theme anywhere before. Love the freshness and originality.

Across:

1. Totally wiped: BEAT.

5. College Board exam for jrs.: PSAT.

9. Fondant colorer: DYE. I did not know the meaning of "fondant", cake icing.

12. Dream big: ASPIRE.

18. Roman aqueduct section: ARCH.

19. Active volcano on Sicily: ETNA.

20. Timely benefit: BOON.

21. Bedouin, e.g.: ROAMER. Brave souls, those who live in the Sahara.

25. Soft cotton fabric: MUSLIN.

26. Literary comparisons: SIMILES.

27. Organs that affect balance: EARS. 39. Swab for 27-Across: Q-TIP.

28. Boutonniere counterpart: CORSAGE.

29. Bed cover: DUVET.

30. "Turn up the heat!": BRR. Bill & Margret's new co-op place is toasty. And I feel so safe and loved.  Margaret painted these.

 

31. Fade, say: WEAR.

33. Triangles on a map, typically: Abbr.: MTNS.

34. Flower in some O'Keeffe paintings: IRIS.

40. Snap veggies: PEAS.

41. Sign into law: ENACT.

42. Push notifications: E-ALERTS. Not a word I use. All my notifications are off. I check when I want to check.

43. DOJ staffers: ATTYS.

45. Ryan of "Star Trek: Picard": JERI.

46. Puglia lang.: ITAL. Not familiar with Puglia.

53. Gets fit: SHAPES UP.

57. Routine material: JOKES. Stand-up routine.

58. Store securely: STOW.

59. Blues label based in Memphis: STAX.

60. Icy layer: RIME.

61. "Pressure" singer Lennox: ARI.

62. Tennis unit: SET.

65. Some fossils: TEETH.

67. Citi player: MET. Patti is long-time Mets fan.

69. 16th POTUS: ABE.

70. Baby carrier: WOMB.

72. Spindly: BONY.

74. Villain's hideaway: LAIR.

76. "The Sparks Brothers" director Wright: EDGAR. He often collaborates with Simon Pegg.

78. Commuters' region: SUBURBIA.

83. Meh: SO SO.

84. Lump of soil: CLOD.

86. Finnish tech giant: NOKIA.

87. Lowered a lot, as prices: SLASHED.

90. New cadet: PLEBE.

92. Rowdy crowds: MOBS.

100. French friend: AMIE.

101. Fairy tale meanie: OGRE.

102. White peg in Battleship: MISS.

103. Car port?: AUX. Connection port. 

104. Waterfall on a doughnut production line: GLAZE.

105. Fuel mining site: COAL PIT.

107. Angry speech: RANT.

109. Toyota sedan: COROLLA.

112. Suggest: HINT AT.

116. Rise: ASCENT.

117. "Sadly ... ": ALAS.

118. Spark interest?: LEND. Great clue.

119. For a __ pittance: MERE.

120. Hi-fi system: STEREO.

121. Civil rights initialism: BLM. Black Lives Matters.

122. Brouhahas: ADOS.

123. 115-Down votes: AYES. 115. Affirmative: YES.

Down:

1. Sack: BAG.

2. Error remnant: ERASURE.

3. Probiotic yogurt brand: ACTIVIA.

4. Rap anthem by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five: THE MESSAGE. 1982. Another learning moment for me.

5. Ring out: PEAL.

6. Warm compress target, maybe: STYE.

7. Termite eaters: ANTS.

8. Mai __: cocktail: TAI.

9. "Monsters, Inc." factory product: DOOR.

10. "Pinkie promise?": YOU SWEAR. Also 14. Make the grade: PASS MUSTER. 71. Place for a pick-me-up?: BUS SHELTER. 85. "Time to blow this popsicle stand": LET'S ROLL. Excellent entries.

11. Isengard attacker: ENT.

12. Weapons expert: ARMORER.

13. Sweet and __: SOUR.

15. "Better get a move on!": I'M LATE.

16. Royal tenures: REIGNS.

17. "Ready Player One" author Cline: ERNEST.

20. Santa costume need: BEARD.

23. Sharp quality: WIT.

24. Warrant: MERIT.

28. Attention: CARE.

29. Swing dance move: DIP.

30. "The Graham Norton Show" airer: BBC.

32. Recruit: ENLIST.

35. Big bash: FETE.

36. Agate kin: ONYX.

37. Speaks with a sore throat: RASPS.

38. "No good __ goes unpunished": DEED.

44. Model/activist Holliday: TESS.

45. Like tiaras: JEWELED.

47. Parmesan substitute: ASIAGO.

48. __ support: LUMBAR.

49. Like a sponge: POROUS.

50. With hands on hips: AKIMBO.

51. Teensy: ITTY.

52. Fishy topping: ROE.

54. Goofy sort: HAM.

55. Splitting tool: AXE.

56. Coeval: PEER. Is "coeval" a common word?

57. Spielberg shark thriller: JAWS.

59. Sister on "Succession": SHIV. Unknown to me. Happy for the new clue angle.

63. Flow partner: EBB.

64. You, in Montréal: TOI.

66. Driveway-patching gunk: TAR.

68. Actress Hatcher: TERI.

73. Cheesy layered snack: NACHOS.

75. Keep up on the issues?: RENEW.

77. One prone to histrionics, informally: DRAMA LLAMA. Learned from doing crosswords.

79. Hershey caramel candy: ROLO.

80. Faygo or Fanta: SODA. Wikipedia says Faygo is "a soft drink company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan."

81. Get-up on Sunday morning?: ROBE. Sweet clue also.

82. __ out a living: EKED.

88. Come clean about: ADMIT TO.

89. Sulky mood: SNIT.

90. Ninth planet, until 2006: PLUTO.

91. Fishy topping: LOX.

93. Ill-fated "Grey's Anatomy" resident George: O'MALLEY.

94. Nutty: BIZARRE.

95. Match at the poker table: SEE.

96. Coffee-and-chocolate concoctions: MOCHAS.

97. Narcissist: EGOIST.

98. Hypnotic state: TRANCE.

99. Areas of expertise: LANES. Splynter's lane is wide.

104. Sen.'s domain: GOV.

106. Greenhouse unit: PANE.

108. Genesis figure: ADAM.

109. Included in an email thread: CC'ED.

110. "How terrible!": OH NO.

111. Divests (of): RIDS.

113. Uber or Lyft alternative: CAB.

114. Tampa's st.: FLA.

C.C.

I was very sad to learn that Old Man Keith passed away. He was an active member of our blog for so many years. Always a gentleman. You can learn more his life here.