Tuesday, February 6, 2024 Madeline Kaplan

A Whole Lotta Shaking.  The word Whole can be added to the last word of each theme answer to give a new concept.  

200Across. *  Customer support line, typically: TOLL FREE NUMBER.  Whole Number.  A whole number is simply any positive number that does not include a fractional or decimal part.

25-Across. * Male minister: MAN OF THE CLOTH.  Whole Cloth.  The term "whole cloth" is something that is entirely fictional or utterly false; completely fabricated and not based on reality at all.  The term is a reference to tailors who would falsely advertise garments being made "out of whole cloth," when, in reality, they were pieced together from different cuts.

45-Across. *  Rolled meaty entree that may be served "wet": BEEF ENCHILADA.  Whole Enchilada.  According to Webster's, the Whole Enchilada means "the entire thing : everything".

And the Unifier:

50-Across. "Too complicated to explain," and a way to describe the end of the answer to each starred clue?: IT'S A WHOLE THING.

Across:

1. Tree covering: BARK.

5. Put up, as wallpaper: HANG.

9. Tabloid couple: ITEM. 

Rumor has it that these two are an item.

13. Margarine: OLEO. 

14. Emotionally distant: ALOOF.

16. Weigh station rig: SEMI.

17. Four Corners state: UTAH.

18. Ancient Greek region: IONIA.

19. Settled on a perch: ALIT.

23. Barbecue chef's spice concoction: RUB.

24. "Barton Fink" director Joel: COEN.  The Coen Brothers, Joel (né Joel Daniel Coen; b. Nov. 29, 1954) and Ethan (né Ethan Jesse Coen; b. Sept. 21, 1957) have made numerous films together.  [Name # 1.]

Ethan (Left) and Joel (Right) Coen

31. Step before a "big kid bed": CRIB.

33. December decor: WREATH.

34. Compete: VIE.

35. "Morning Edition" medium: RADIO.

37. Raggedy __ and Andy dolls: ANN.  The backstory.  [Names # 2 and 3, fictional.]

38. Venue for a major 1-Down: ARENA.  //  And 1-Down:  1. Boxing match: BOUT.

40. __ de Triomphe: ARC.  It's been in Paris, France since the 1830s

41. Mottled horses: PINTOs.

44. Airline that doesn't fly on Shabbat: EL AL.  A crossword staple.

48. "You've Got Mail" director Ephron: NORA.  Nora Ephron (May 19, 1941 ~ June 26, 2012) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles. [Name # 4.]

49. Short albums, for short: EPs.  As in Extended Plays.

57. Big birds of Australia: EMUs.  We often see Emus in the crossword puzzles.

58. Greek fable writer: AESOP.  You can find a list of his fables at the Library of Congress.  [Name # 5.]

59. Mental flash: IDEA.

60. Apple Watch assistant: SIRI.  [Name adjacent.]

61. Email option since 1997: YAHOO!

62. Harvest: REAP.

63. Brief "Chat soon": TTYL.  Textspeak for Talk To You Later.

64. "__ Yankees": DAMN.  The only thing I know about this 1950s era film is in the video below. 

65. Sugar amts.: TSPs.  As in Teaspoons.  Why the measurement is called a Teaspoon.

Down:

2. Voice range higher than tenor: ALTO.

3. Tangible: REAL.

4. Vegetable also called a German turnip: KOHLRABI.

5. Blue accessory for Maggie Simpson: HAIRBOW.  And her mother, Marge, has blue hair.  [Name # 5, fictional.]

6. __ vera gel: ALOE.  A crossword staple, as is this cartoon.

7. Sold-out amount: NONE.  Cute clue.

8. Enter: GO IN.

9. "The House of the Spirits" novelist Allende: ISABEL.  Isabel Allende (née Isabel Angélica Allende Llona; b. Aug. 2, 1942) is a Chilean novelist who makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.   [Name # 6.]

10. Latin American soap: TELENOVELA.  As in a soap opera, not a bar of soap.

11. Gulf States ruler: EMIR.

12. Research univ. near Harvard: MIT.  As in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

15. Tap: FAUCET.

21. Enjoyable: FUN.

22. Chocolaty coffee drink: MOCHA.  Yummers!

25. Era associated with modern furniture: MID-CENTURY.  Everything you wanted to know about Mid-Century furniture but didn't know to ask.

26. Senegal currency: FRANC.

27. First extra inning: TENTH.

28. Home of the Vietnam National Museum of History: HANOI.  There is also a memorial in Hanoi honoring John McCain.

29. "Proud Mary" singer Turner: TINA.  Time for a musical interlude with Tina Turner (née Anna Mae Bullock; b. Nov. 26, 1939 ~ May 24, 2023).   [Name # 7.]

30. Mend: HEAL.

31. Grump: CRAB.

32. Deeply un-well?: RARE.

36. Covent Garden performance: OPERA.

39. Keep out of college sports for a season: REDSHIRT.  Redshirt refers to a year in which a student-athlete sits out for a playing season, but still maintains his/her four-year eligibility.

42. " ... Kind of?": IN A WAY.

43. Consider overnight: SLEEP ON.

46. Paleontologist's discovery: FOSSIL.

47. Fitting: APT.

50. "You found the right person": I'M IT.

51. Leader: HEAD.

52. Workplace-focused workplace: Abbr.: OSHA.  As in Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

53. Weaving machine: LOOM.

54. __ of March: IDES.  Did you know that every month has an Ides?  Ides of March is famous / infamous because it is the day that Julius Caesar was supposedly assassinated.

55. Spring's opposite, in tides: NEAP.

56. Intervening spaces: GAPS.

57. Approximate fig.: EST.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday February 5, 2024 Aidan Brand and David Karp

  

Theme:                Sometimes You Fell Like A Nut  

Happy Monday, everyone! Well, I sure felt like a NUT looking for hidden nuts in the themed clues. It turns out NUTS were there -- just not almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.

Let's take a closer look:

16 Across. Elements of a PG-rated outburst: MILD EXPLETIVES.  An example would be yelling out, "Aww NUTS" after stubbing your toe.

22 Across. Groups of groupies: FAN CLUBS.  These college football FANs look NUTty to me.

35 Across. Dessert served in a goblet: ICE CREAM SUNDAE.  Here is a SUNDAE in a goblet (drinking glass with a foot & a stem) with peaNUTS on top.  

43 Across. Common accessory at a construction site: TOOL BELT.  I am skeptical that one would have NUTS & bolts on a TOOL BELT but the "hardware" connection is close enough for me. Let's just go with it and smile while we try to spot any on this favorite construction worker's TOOL BELT.  

Village People YMCA (1978)

Here is the reveal:

52 Across. Allergy warning, and a description of 16-, 22-, 35-, and 43-Across?: MAY CONTAIN NUTS.

MILD EXPLICITIVES, FAN CLUBS, an ICE CREAM SUNDAE, and a TOOL BELT may contain different types of nuts.  

Constructors Aidan Brand and David Karp opted for a 14X15 grid to accommodate their three 14-letter fills. Let's see what else they might have stashed away for us to find....

Across:
1. Reduce to a paste: MASH.  This one made me think of making guacamole with a mortar & pestle.

5. Self-confident and then some: SMUG.  

9. City in "Aeneid" and "Iliad": TROY.  The ancient city of Troy was located along the NW coast of Asia Minor, in what is now Turkey.

CSO to our two Cornerite TROY inhabitants!

13. Field of expertise: AREA.

14. __ Grey tea: EARL.  DH drinks this but I stay away from caffeine.

15. Philosopher Descartes: RENÉ.  (b. Mar. 31, 1596 in France; d. Feb. 11, 1650 in Sweden)

19. Computer capacity: MEMORY.  

20. __-purpose flour: ALL.  I buy the unbleached variety.

21. Yoga pose: ASANA.  

27. Oodles: SCADS.  

29. Still contending: IN IT. ...to win it!

30. Vehicle for a large family, perhaps: VAN.  

33. Jazz legend Fitzgerald: ELLA.  I'm always happy to see ELLA in a grid. I need the footholds.

34. __-toity: HOITY.  haughty or snobbish

38. Former Iranian rulers: SHAHS.

39. Ferris wheel locale: FAIR.  county FAIRs

40. NBA tiebreakers, for short: OTS.  Overtimes

41. Speck: IOTA.  an extremely small amount or, later in the week, the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet

42. Covers for outdoor wedding receptions: TENTS.  Who does covers at a wedding reception? The obvious go-to is Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer (1998).  

45. Larceny: THEFT.

50. Charged particle: ION.

51. Baby's foot warmer: BOOTIE.  

BOOTIEs for future MLB players in Pittsburgh???

57. Color associated with the L.A. Dodgers: BLUE.  This is an L.A. Times puzzle, after all.  

Shohei Ohtani got some serious green when he donned the Dodgers' BLUE.

58. "Checkmate!": I WIN.  The terminology of modern chess has Persian etymological roots: the Persian word rukh ("rook") means chariot; the term shah mat ("checkmate") means, literally, "the king is frozen".

59. Adjust for space limitations, say: EDIT.

60. Long-term goals: AIMS.

61. Addendum to a real estate sign: SOLD.  I like this clue. An addendum is something added. The SOLD part is added after the sale.

62. Strong urges: YENS.  strong desires or propensities  

Down:
1. "__ Mia!": Meryl Streep film with ABBA music: MAMMA.  

Here's Meryl with Mama Mia (Here I Go Again) (2008).

2. Zodiac ram: ARIES.  March 21 - April 19.  (Segue alert!) They are supposed to make a good match with Aquarius birthdays like today's birthday girl, Wendybird. Happy birthday, Wendybird!! 🎂

3. 2014 civil rights drama set in Alabama: SELMA.

4. Was dressed in: HAD ON.

5. Hot: SEXY.  I'd give you a link but I already get plenty of weird adds based on the Googling I do to write this blog.

6. Weather report backdrop: MAP.  When I lived in Japan, I always got a kick out of the big, foam ball pointers the weather reporters used to point at the map -- so wonky for a country with serious tech cred!

7. Cybersquatter's target, for short: URL.  Cybersquatting is an internet-based crime where one seeks to profit off of someone else's name or trademark by registering an expired domain name. An example would be if C.C. stopped this blog then someone else took over the URL. Unsuspecting victims would come here and click on bad links because they trusted the site in the past. This happens more than you might think. Be careful out there!

8. Gathers bit by bit: GLEANS.  Humans used to GLEAN grains that fell after the harvest. Now we GLEAN intel on the internet.

9. Enormous number: TRILLION.  One TRILLION equals a thousand billions or a million millions. You can write it as a 1 followed by 12 zeros. A TRILLION seconds equals almost 32,000 years. Imagine!

10. Fire up, as an engine: REV.  This clue did not go over so well last Tuesday.

11. Dollar bill: ONE.     and     55 Down. Early afternoon: TWO.

12. "That's correct": YES.  

Would you like to take a physics class from The Doctor?  Yes. Correctamundo!

[David Tennant played the tenth incarnation of The Doctor

in the Doctor Who serries (2005-2010; 2013).]

17. Whiteboard wipers: ERASERS.

18. "90 Day Fiancé " channel: TLC.  TV channel questions are always 1 perp and 2 WAGS for me.

22. Vegetarian pita filler: FALAFEL.  I like to pick these up at my local Greek restaurant on Saturdays. Falafels are made from garbanzo beans ("chick peas" for you east-coasters) and various herbs and spices.

23. Insistent: ADAMANT.

24. Reino __: England's country, in Spanish: UNIDO.  I have not gotten this far yet in my Duolingo Spanish lessons.

25. Tried to chomp on: BIT AT.

26. Eyelid woes: STYES.

28. The NBA's Cavs, on scoreboards: CLE.  

30. Sojourn: VISIT.

31. "Bless you!" trigger: ACHOO.

32. "Peachy keen!": NEATO.

34. "Their Eyes Were Watching God" author Zora Neale __: HURSTON.  goodreads link

36. Goblets: CHALICES.  Did you notice "goblet" was also in the clue for 35-Across?

37. Take a load off: SIT.  

The Weight by The Band (1968)

"Take a load off, Fannie."

42. Sport played on a variety of surfaces: TENNIS.  There are four main types of surfaces for tennis courts:  grass, clay, hard, and artificial grass.

44. "Get off the stage!": BOO.

46. Mead need: HONEY.  Mead is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey, water, and other flavors.

It turns out humans can be extremely resourceful when it comes to making alcohol. Some native tribes near the Artic Circle make alcohol from dead seagulls.  Only look at this list of 5 weird alcoholic beverages if you have a strong stomach.

47. Many a Chopin piece: ETUDE.  Def.:  a short musical composition, typically for one instrument, designed as an exercise to improve the technique or demonstrate the skill of the player.  

This one is Etude Op. 25 No. 6 in G# minor "Double Thirds".

48. Feel at home: FIT IN.  

49. Class challenges: TESTS.  not conflicts between social classes

51. Tie: BIND.  

52. Deg. for a CFO or a CEO: MBA.  Chief Financial Officers and Chief Executive Officers typically have a Master of Business Administration.

53. "Rumble in the Jungle" boxer: ALI.  He coined this term to refer to his heavyweight boxing championship bout against George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire on October 30, 1974.

54. "Tastes great!": YUM.  See 22-Down.

56. Feel poorly: AIL.

Today's grid:

Have a great day, everyone! I'll cashew later!

Sunday February 4, 2024 Zhouqin Burnikel

Title:  "Signs of the Time" - The first part of each theme entry is a Vietnam Zodiac animal. 

23. *Canaries: RAT FINKS.

24. *Bar food served with blue cheese and vegetable sticks: BUFFALO WINGS.

 36. *Orange flowers that represent wealth in some Asian traditions: TIGER LILIES.

43. *"Peace Train" singer: CAT STEVENS.

49. *Atlanta event for sci-fi fans: DRAGONCON.

65. *Sacred Hopi ritual: SNAKE DANCE.

71. *Western, slangily: HORSE OPERA.

 90. *Absurdly chaotic situation: GOAT RODEO.

92. *Playground fixture: MONKEY BARS.

98. *Spray behind a speedboat: ROOSTER TAIL.

113. *Sheet with a folded corner: DOG-EARED PAGE.

116. *Ashtray for trash, e.g.: PIG LATIN.

Reveal:

126. Vietnamese New Year, which is represented by the Zodiac animals at the starts of the answers to the starred clues: TET.

I originally submitted RAT RACES, Patti thought the plural form was awkward and suggested RAT FINKS instead. She also redid the section between CAT STEVENS & HORSE OPERA. Can you guess why? I think I know the problem.

 

Ten of the Vietnamese zodiac animals are the same as the Chinese ones, but they have buffalo and cat instead of rabbit and ox.

Across:

1. Muscles toned by planks: ABS.

4. Does, e.g.: SHES.

8. Goes out swinging?: GOLFS. I like Ben Hogan's swing.

13. Longest reptile in the world: PYTHON.

19. "Gosh, that was a long time ago": I FEEL OLD.

21. Buck in the Baseball Hall of Fame: O'NEIL. Looks who's behind O'Neil.

22. Bring back on board: RE-HIRE.

26. Gets slippery: ICES UP.

28. Patronize, as a hotel: STAY AT. 42. Really bothered: ATE AT. Dupes.

29. Hush-hush docs: NDAS.

30. Bundle of hay: BALE.

32. Caustic cleaners: LYES.

34. Enter stealthily: SNEAK IN.

40. __ Domani: Italian wine brand: ECCO.

41. Promising letters?: IOU.

52. Actress Shawkat: ALIA.

53. Museum item: RELIC.

54. "Thumbs up" answers: YESES.

55. Smashing success: HIT.

56. Provided at no cost: COMPED.

59. Wealthy: RICH.

60. "r u coming soon?": ETA.

62. Call to the on-deck circle: BATTER UP. 106. Some ballpark figs.: ERAS.

64. Beads on blades: DEW.

73. "One Mississippi" star Notaro: TIG.

74. Dulse and nori seaweeds, e.g.: RED ALGAE.

76. __-mo video: SLO.

77. Coup target: ETAT.

79. "You can't do that!": NO FAIR.

80. Aggravate: IRK.

83. Top-tier celebs: A LIST.

87. Basic font: ARIAL.

89. Window shade: TINT.

95. Russian crepes: BLINI.

96. Short "Stop!": TMI. Patti's clue.

97. Vinaigrette acronym: EVOO. Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

101. Act omnipotent: PLAY GOD.

104. Burkina __: FASO.

105. Assns.: ORGS.

107. Total accord: UNISON.

109. Mogadishu resident: SOMALI.

120. "Let me rephrase that ... ": I MEANT.

121. Appointed: NAMED.

122. Soul mate: TRUE LOVE.

123. Sandwiches made with bolillos: TORTAS.

124. Secret rendezvous: TRYST.

125. Black bit inside a papaya: SEED. Ripe papaya of course. The inside of a green papaya is like this. And you all know I love green papaya salad. Mild. No peppers please.

Down:

1. Cause of inflation: AIR.

2. Graphic designer's deg.: BFA.

3. Part of a match: SET.

4. Deli apparatus: SLICER.

5. Fine-tune: HONE.

6. Community group with a deer logo: ELKS.

7. SoCal campus with Mission Revival architecture: SDSU.  San Diego State University.

8. Lump of goo: GOB.

9. Heavy loads: ONUSES.

10. Some boxing punches: LEFTS.

11. World Cup overseer: Abbr.: FIFA.

12. Leaves in stitches: SLAYS.

13. Safeguard: PROTECT.

14. Tree with flexible wood: YEW.

15. Weigh, in a way: THINK OVER. 

16. Main language of India: HINDI.

17. Heart, but not soul: ORGAN.

18. Legendary loch: NESS.

20. Use TurboTax, perhaps: E-FILE. Have not bought the 2023 version yet.

25. Pool divisions: LANES. What's the temp in your local pool, Glenn/Renee/Wendy? Ours is 79F (I used to think it's 80F). And it was 76.5 on Friday. They were replacing the pump.

27. Easily influenced: PLIANT.

30. "Free your pores" brand: BIORE.

31. __ frescas: fruity Mexican drinks: AGUAS.

33. So far: YET.

35. Maker of eco-friendly Vero computers: ACER.

36. Neat and clean: TIDY.

37. PC hookup: LAN.

38. Rash symptom: ITCH.

39. Sainted pope called "the Great": LEO I.

43. Put into gear?: CLOTHE.

44. Have the intention of: AIM TO.

45. Thin candle: TAPER.

46. Drop in pronunciation: ELIDE.

47. More pleasant: NICER.

48. Phonetic symbol: SCHWA.

50. __ Squad: Best Buy tech support team: GEEK.

51. KitchenAid rival: OSTER.

52. Covered California statute, for short: ACA.

57. Critical-care ctrs.: ERS.

58. Club fees: DUES.

61. Major Yemen port: ADEN.

62. Starts: BEGINS.

63. Quite cold: POLAR. Not cold here. Been an incredibly mild winter.

65. Cook dim sum, say: STEAM. The three squares on the top left are taro cakes, traditional Spring Festival food in Guangzhou. I'm going to make them next Saturday.

66. Part of TNT: NITRO.

67. "Encore!": AGAIN.

68. Big deal: ADO.

69. Trade pact from 1994 to 2020: NAFTA.

70. Debussy's "__ de lune": CLAIR.

72. Casual collared shirt: POLO.

75. Sketchy subject?: ART.

78. Waiting room directive: TAKE A SEAT. Not many snazzy fill in the grid. 12 theme entries & a short reveal in the exact order is demanding.

80. Digs in the snow: IGLOOS.

81. Versailles residents: ROIS.

82. Philosopher Immanuel: KANT.

84. Pet pendant: ID TAG.

85. Tractor-trailers: SEMIS.

86. Plug away (at): TOIL.

88. Impose, as a tax: LEVY.

91. Hair __: TIE.

93. Cultured products?: YOGURTS.

94. Bret with four Gold Gloves: BOONE. Sorry for another name. Bret Boone was at his height when I arrived in the US. I was following Ichiro then.

95. Red Sox, on scoreboards: BOS.

98. Hot spots: RANGES.

99. Got going: ROLLED.

100. "Judge Judy" event: TRIAL.

101. Product pitch: PROMO.

102. Light brew: LAGER.

103. Failed to: DIDN'T.

104. Like bubble baths: FOAMY.

106. Make a long story short?: EDIT.

108. Trade jabs: SPAR.

110. Makes a choice: OPTS.

111. Bog down: MIRE.

112. Shivering fit: AGUE. Patti's least favorite entry in the grid.

114. "Blonde" star de Armas: ANA.

115. Summer hrs. in Philly: EDT.

117. Kiddo: TOT.

118. "Or so __ heard": I'VE.

119. Pickleball need: NET.

Belated "Happy Birthday" to Bill G. How's everything, Bill? How's Jordan?

Here is a picture of Barbara, Bill and their three grandkids. This picture was taken a while ago when Bill still went out daily for his bike ride and coffee.

 

My friend Lesley sent me these few pictures from the festive Guangzhou. The second one is a winter plum tree.