Thursday, June 6, 2024, Paul Voge & Katie Hale

 

Beans, Beans ...

Johann Schmelzer
Sonata for the Day of the Bean Feast

If you listen carefully to the bassoon bursts in Schmelzer's sonata you'll hear that school boy humor was alive and well back in the Baroque Era. 😀

Like last week's puzzle, today's theme is all about food.   I wonder if Patti considered that the proteins provided in the  LEGUMES of our 4 theme clues today, complement the proteins in the BREAD GRAINS in last Thursday's puzzle, to provide the nearly complete protein  needed to sustain a vegetarian diet 😀.  For more on this topic see  Frances Moore Lappé's Diet for a Small Planet first published in 1971.

We'll start with the reveal ...

36A. With 40-Across, a punny title for this puzzle: HUMAN; and  40-Across See 36-Across: BEANS.

Thus the themers  are all HUMANS, whose  last names happen to be a type of BEAN ...

17A. Actor who voices the panda in the "Kung Fu Panda" films: JACK BLACK.

Jack Black

29A. Brazilian supermodel who's a face of Maybelline: ADRIANA LIMA.

Adrian Lima

45A. "Slumdog Millionaire" actress: FREIDA PINTO.

Freida Pinto

59A. "Family Guy" voice actor who co-created "Robot Chicken": SETH GREEN.

Seth Green

... the constructors really used their beans to come up with this theme 😀.  In fact I'm surprised that they didn't include a 5th themer, e.g. EINSTEIN'S BRAIN, a rather miraculous BEAN don't you think (as are yours and mine!)?

Einstein using his BEAN

And here's my favorite BEAN using his BEAN to take a math exam ...

Here's the grid ...
 

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Calibri, Arial, et al.: FONTS.  Blogger provides a default font for these reviews plus 7 others, but as I understand it, if I change the font, it reverts back to the default at publication time.A CSO to TTP to verify this.

6. Early show featuring Robin Roberts, for short: GMA.  Robin Roberts (born November 23, 1960) is an American television broadcaster. Roberts is the anchor of ABC's Good Morning America.

Robin Roberts

9. Jargon: LINGO.  ARGOT fit, but didn't perp.

14. Childish retort: ARE SO.

15. Sought office: RAN.  In most cases there are ALSO RANS.

16. Not just in one's head: ALOUD.  Hand up if you talk to yourself? ✋ (well no one else will talk to me! 😎)

17. [Theme clue]

19. Layered dessert: TORTE.  Last Thursday's TORTE was un-layered.  Here's the Skinny Chick's recipe for Layered Chocolate Cream Torte.

Chocolate Cream Torte

20. Addams cousin: ITT.  This guy ...

21. Visionary: IDEALIST.  One of the earliest IDEALISTS was Don Quixote, a character in the early 17th Century novel of the same name by Miguel de Cervantes.  Considered a founding work of Western literature, it is often labelled as the first modern novel and the greatest work ever written. Don Quixote is also one of the most-translated books in the world and one of the best-selling novels of all time.  It also spawned several adaptations, the most famous of which is the musical The Man of La Mancha, which gave us this song ...

23. Source of an oil with medicinal properties: TEA TREE.  Tea tree oil comes from steam distillation of the leaves of the tea tree. The tea tree grows on the swampy southeast coast of Australia.
The aboriginal people of Australia have traditionally used tea tree oil as an antiseptic (germ killer) and an herbal medicine.  Today, external use of tea tree oil is promoted for various conditions such as acne, athlete’s foot, lice, nail fungus, cuts, mite infection at the base of the eyelids, and insect bites.

Tea Tree

26. Ireland's "Amhrán na bhFiann," for one: ANTHEM.  Today's Gaelic lesson ...

29. [Theme clue]

32. Original Beatle Sutcliffe: STU.  Apparently there are 3 extant recordings of bassist Stu Sutcliffe with the early Beatles (I believe they may have still been called the Quarrymen).  From the Beatles' album Anthology 1, here is Sutcliffe on bass with the instrumental Cayenne (very hot!) ...

33. Carol contraction: TIS.

34. "Queen Sugar" creator DuVernay: AVA.  Queen Sugar is an American drama television series created and executive produced by Ava DuVernay, with Oprah Winfrey serving as an executive producer. DuVernay also directed the first two episodes. The series is based on the 2014 novel of the same name by American writer Natalie Baszile.

35. Flying Cloud and Royale 8: REOS.   Classic vehicles created by automotive engineer  Ransom E. Olds ...

Flying Cloud                     Royale 8                            Speedwagon

The REO Speedwagon was the inspiration for the eponymous rock band, which is still rolling and started with this hit ...

36. [Theme reveal]

39. Some amount: ANY.

40. [Theme reveal

41. North Carolina university: ELON.  I'm glad it was this ELON and not the other one! 😀

42. Org. that approves cosmetics: FDA.  Food and Drug Administration.

43. "U slay me!": LOL.  Not IRL of course.  That wouldn't be very funny.  😒

44. "I'll take that as __": ANO.

45. [Theme clue]

50. Vex: RANKLE.  Yep -- there it is ...

52. "Totally fine": ITS COOL.  Well, not if you LIKE IT HOT ...

53. "Give me one moment": WAIT A SEC.

56. Sat. antecedent: FRI. And FRI is the antecedent of THU, i.e. TODAY!

57. Wake-up call, for many: ALARM. 

59. [Theme clue]

62. Leads: HELMS.

63. Mature: AGE.

64. Meaningless: INANE.  Not always -- I've met our resident HIKER, and she is very meaningful!

65. Fine and dandy: A OKAY.  All systems go -- 10, 9, 8 7 ...!

66. Walk very quietly: PAD.  Or a hippy ABODE?

67. Pop-__: TARTS.

Down:

1. Sizzling serving: FAJITA.  -- Our introduction to Tex Mex food was in San Antonio.  Here's Robyn's recipe.

Steak Fajitas

2. Provided an address: ORATED.

3. Hummingbird's drink: NECTAR.  And they drink it beautifully ...

4. Sound of shame: TSK. 

5. Blubber: SOB.

6. Primo: GRADE A.

7. Spice related to nutmeg: MACE.  Wow -- this word really gets around! 

8. "Diana" singer Paul: ANKA.  The song that made 16 year old Canadian singer/songwriter Paul Anka a millionaire, and it's based on a true story.  And it's a CSO to CanadianEh!

9. Cuban woman, perhaps: LATINA.  Internationally, the most prominent Cuban woman these days is probably Ana Celia de Armas Caso (born 30 April 1988), aka Ana de Armas.  We first saw her in the role of nurse Marta Cabrera in Knives Out, but she has acted in many other roles in Cuba, Spain, and the United States.

Ana de Armas

10. "You beat me": I LOST.  Apparently a contest where the winner wasn't disputed.

11. Water between Antwerp and Aberdeen: NORTH SEA.   Kinda' sorta' -- the North Sea also lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France (not sure why Scotland and Belgium got the honors).  An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north. It is more than 970 kilometres (600 mi) long and 580 kilometres (360 mi) wide, covering 570,000 square kilometres (220,000 sq mi).

12. Belly: GUT.

13. Loving words: ODE. -- particularly loved by crossword constructors.

18. Property claims: LIENS.

22. Title in Tibet: LAMA.  We were visited by LAMAS just last week.

24. Nashville athlete: TITAN.  The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The Titans play their home games at Nissan Stadium and are building a new stadium in 2024. It will be completed in 2027.

25. Parade spoiler: RAIN.

27. Hugh Laurie's alma mater: ETON.  4 letter school for an English actor -- an EKTORP?  But then Hugh Laurie, CBE (born June 11, 1959, Oxford, England), despite being a British comic actor, is perhaps best known here for his role on the television series House (2004–12), where he used an American accent.  But he can do dramatic roles as well.  The only thing we've seen him in is The Night Manager, a thriller series where he plays a ruthless international arms dealer.  He was so terrifying that we had to stop watching it!

Hugh Laurie

28. Tousle: MUSS.

30. Hawaiian island: LANAI.  Lanai is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the smallest publicly accessible inhabited island in the chain.  It is colloquially known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple plantation.  A LANAI is also a name for a style of  front porch popular in Hawaii.

31. Dartmouth, for one: IVY.  Three letter, unabbreviated  college?  This one's definitely an EKTORP!

35. Artifact: RELIC.  My favorite relic is the Shroud of Turin.  While it is surely debatable whether it is the burial shroud of Christ or not, there are two things about it that are absolutely certain: (1) it is undoubtedly the most studied artifact in the world; and (2) no one has as yet discovered how it was made -- despite there being dozens of claims to the contrary.  Any one who can demonstrate how it was created can make an easy million bucks by contacting these folks (there is a catch however).  I've been studying this relic off and on since the 1970's, have actually seen it in Turin, and would love to have all of my questions about this enigmatic artifact answered one way or another.

36. Try, as a case: HEAR.  I HEAR there's a lot of them being heard these days.

37. Radius neighbor: ULNA.  All you need to know about both bones.

38. Excursion during a lunar landing: MOONWALK.  The very first MOONWALKS occurred from July 16–24, 1969, and inspired this video ...

39. Beverage suffix: ADE.
 
40. Good songs, casually: BOPS.  This calls for a good song.  Rolling Stone rated this one as number 26 in the 500 Best Songs of All Time.  IMHO Joni Mitchell is one of the greatest songwriters of all time -- certainly the equal of the great classical songwriters Schubert and Schumann -- but then they used other people's poetry for their songs, while she wrote her own lyrics ...

42. Worry: FRET.

43. Close securely: LATCH.

45. Floppy: FLIMSY.  Like the old 8" floppy disks.  I once overheard a conversation on a train platform about these disks, and other storage media.  One lady worked for the National Archives (much in the news these days), and she was telling another woman that an enormous number of historical documents are stored on tape, magnetic disks and other digital media and that the Archives has to maintain working versions of all of the corresponding peripheral devices for reading them.  They simply don't have the resources to offload the documents to paper in anticipation of such requests.

8-inch, 5¼-inch, and 3½-inch floppy disks

46. Intermittently fasted, perhaps: DIETED.  Intermittent fasting: what is it, and how it works.

47. Daredevil quality: NO FEAR.  The quintessential daredevil was Evel Knievel, who, contrary to what you might expect didn't die in an accident.

48. Sign in an apartment window: TO RENT.

49. QB protectors: O LINES.  Offensive linemen.  The eleven players of the offense can be separated into two main groups: the five offensive linemen (Left Tackle, Left Guard, Center , Right Guard  and Right Tackle), whose primary job is to block opponents and protect their quarterback, and the other six backs and receivers, whose primary job is to move the ball down the field by either running with it or passing it.

51. Factor in Hindu reincarnation: KARMA.  Here's an  explanation of KARMA by an Indian MD.

54. "Quickly!" letters: ASAP.

55. Video game giant: SEGA.  Sega Corporation is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. It produces several multi-million-selling game franchises for arcades and consoles, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Angry Birds, Puyo Puyo, and Super Monkey Ball.

Sega Headquarters
Tokyo, Japan

57. "Got it!": AHA.

58. Summer fire sign: LEO.  As I asked last week, has anyone seen LEO III?

60. "Scram!": GIT.

61. Molecule in some vaccines: RNA. Click on the embedded video in this link for an amazing animation on How mRNA Vaccines Work.
 
Cheers,
Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

A somber epilogue ...

Today marks the 80th anniversary of the World War II D-Day invasion.  Teri's family lost a dear uncle in that war, and we offer the following video commemoration of those who died that day and are buried in one of several American cemeteries in Northern France ...

Teri's Uncle Vincent is buried there, as he came ashore at Normandy, but not on D-Day.  A seasoned veteran at age 22, having served in North Africa and Sicily, the military saved him for the fighting further inland after the beaches had been taken.  He died on August 3rd, 1944 in the La Forêt de Saint-Sever in Brittany, France.

Last year on August 3rd Teri and her sister Rose raised Vincent's flag in a ceremony at the Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore ...

 

Wednesday Jun 5, 2024 Joe Deeney

Theme: WISECRACK (62. Snappy remark, and a feature of four long answers in this puzzle)

18. No matter the outcome: WIN OR LOSE.

25. Pairing at a cocktail party: WINE AND CHEESE.

38. Presidential warm-weather getaway: WINTER WHITE HOUSE.

49. Peripheral with a dongle: WIRELESS MOUSE.

C.C. here, filling in a blogging gap.

Today we have a 16x15 grid due to the central theme letter count (16). Patti allows bigger grids if the theme warrants it.

Consistently WI* *SE break. Pretty much a must for this type of book-ending theme. Either all different or all the same.

 Across:

1. Yoda trainee: JEDI.

5. Superhero accessory: CAPE.

9. Bar food?: SALAD. OK, salad bar. Do you like green papaya salad?

14. Got rid of: AXED.

15. Smell: ODOR. If you can't stand fish sauce, then you won't like the above salad or most Thai food.

16. Overacts: EMOTES.

20. San Francisco-to-Salt Lake City interstate: EIGHTY.

21. Pig's digs: STY.

22. Make yawn: BORE.

23. Fingers: IDS.

24. Actor Cariou: LEN.

28. Nevada whose mystery novels are set in national parks: BARR.

31. Udon alternative: SOBA. Often eaten cold. The sauce is the key.

32. Trivial objection: NIT.

33. Irrefutable statement: TRUISM.

36. Greens over: RE-SODS. Boomer's Asiatic lilies came alive again. Made me so happy.

43. Stew: SEETHE.

44. Chestnut horse: SORREL.

45. "And there you go!": BAM.

46. Photoreceptor cell: CONE.

48. Jeans line: SEAM.

54. Spanish "that": ESO. 56. "¿Qué __?": PASA.

55. Minecraft material: ORE.

57. One in a zillion?: ZEE. In the letter zillion.

60. Shape on a bingo card: SQUARE.

64. Toyota full-size pickup: TUNDRA. 67. Unsuccessful Ford: EDSEL.

65. Diva's time to shine: ARIA.

66. At some point in the past: ONCE.

68. Costner's "The Untouchables" role: NESS.

69. Went green?: DYED.  This looks cool.

Down:

1. Spielberg thriller set on Amity Island: JAWS.

2. Stage direction: EXIT.

3. Publicist's recommendation, perhaps: DENY.

4. Unmarried person's last words: I DO.

5. Subtitle intro: COLON.

6. Dig a lot: ADORE.

7. Pretend to be: POSE AS. 52. "__ directed": USE AS. Tiny dupe. Allowed.

8. Bardly before: ERE.

9. Some pods: SEEDCASES.

10. Sect that adheres to Ordnung: AMISH. I did not know the meaning of "ordnung", German for "order", according to Wikipedia.

11. Piece of firewood: LOG.

12. Style that includes designer yoga pants: ATHLEISURE. Lululemon style.

13. More than loathe: DETEST.

17. "Auld Lang __": SYNE.

19. Stat for a slugger: RBI.

23. "Seems highly likely": I'D BET. And 25. "Keep in touch!": WRITE ME.

26. Sushi wrapper: NORI. My grandma liked nori soup.

27. Back: ENDORSE.

28. "Speaking of which," briefly: BTW.

29. MSNBC host Melber: ARI.

30. Chases a toddler, say: RUNS AROUND.

34. "Catch my drift?": SEE.

35. Onetime breakfast option marketed by a 1980s TV icon: MR. T CEREAL. Never knew this.

37. "There it is!": OHO.

39. "__ side are you on?": WHOSE.

40. Farm layers: HENS.

41. Neptune's domain: SEA.

42. Tree with serrated leaves: ELM.

45. Langoustine soup: BISQUE.

47. Red Delicious kin: EMPIRE. So glad the peach/nectarine/watermelon season has started. Tired of apples.

49. Dominic of "The Crown": WEST.

50. "Casablanca" actor Peter: LORRE.

51. Spot for a much-needed drink, perhaps: OASIS.

53. Cul-de-__: SAC.

57. Amusingly unconventional: ZANY.

58. "Behold!" of old: ECCE.

59. __ out a living: EKED.

61. App annoyances: ADS.

62. Pallid: WAN.

63. Photoreceptor cell: ROD.

Jazzbumpa is taking sometime off the blog. Splynter will take over the Wednesdays in the next few weeks. Anon-T (Tony) will guide us on Tuesdays while Hahtoolah is on vacation. Thank you, my two sweet friends.

C.C.

Tuesday, June 4, 2024 ~ Taylor Johnson

Party On!

Aurora, IL Party Animals

It took me a second for the party-penny to drop but each creature is proceeded by a type of party.

17. Vegetable patch pest: GARDEN SNAIL. Garden Party.

25. Feline who lives indoors: HOUSE CAT. House Party.

37. Workplace companion: OFFICE DOG. Office Party.

52. New York City rodent that went viral in 2015: PIZZA RAT. Pizza Party.

In case you missed the viral video

62. Really fun person, or an apt descriptor of 17-, 25-, 37-, and 52-Across?: PARTY ANIMAL.

My kids loved this book.

Across:
1. Pool or polo: GAME. Pool as in billiards not swimming.

5. Groups of troops: ARMIES.

11. Understood, as a joke: GOT.

14. Persian Gulf country that borders Armenia: IRAN.

15. Noggin: NOODLE. Brain.

16. NPR host Shapiro: ARI. He also plays with Pink Martini.

17. [See: Theme]

19. "Mm-hmm": YEP.

20. Lawyer's org.: ABA. American Bar Association (the antithesis of AA ;-))

21. Unwilling (to): LOATH.

22. Band bookings: GIGS.

23. Native Costa Ricans, informally: TICOS.

25. [See: Theme]

28. Anthem heard in Nova Scotia: O CANADA. (Hi C, Eh!)

31. Olympic gymnast Biles: SIMONE. She grew up in Spring, TX.

And is Amazing!

32. Vanity Fair publisher Condé __: NAST. Publisher of The New Yorker, GQ, Wired, [see: clue], Vogue, etc.

33. Tooth's outer layer: ENAMEL.

36. Neither's partner: NOR.

37. [See: Theme]

40. Cable network with many reruns: TBS. Turner Broadcasting System.

43. "Good enough": IT'LL DO.

44. Job inspection org.: OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

48. Baltimore ballplayer: ORIOLE.

You know #8

50. Walked stealthily: SNEAKED.

52. [See: Theme]

55. Mixes: STIRS.

56. School support orgs.: PTAS.

57. Coral producer: POLYP.

60. Combat sport, briefly: MMA. Mixed Martial Arts.

61. Ad-__: improvise: LIB.

Two of the best at Ad-libbing.

62. [See: Theme]

65. Subj. for some new immigrants: ESL. English as a Second Language.

66. Zoo section with birds: AVIARY.

67. Actress Russo: RENE.

68. __/her pronouns: SHE.

69. Prime-time soap opera set in Texas: DALLAS.

70. Commotions: ADOS.

Down:
1. Unit of explosive force: GIGATON. ~50 megatons is biggest nuclear bomb tested; a gigaton is on the order of a mile-wide asteroid's impact.

2. Coffee bean variety: ARABICA. Arabica beans are grown in high-altitudes and have a smoother, sweeter, and more complex flavor than other coffees.

3. Seed-filled percussion pair: MARACAS.

I read these are not found in Spain but in
Mexico / S.A. because of the African slave trade.

4. Stop: END.

5. __ Domini: ANNO.

6. Civil rights activist Parks: ROSA.

7. Calendar viewing option: MONTH.

8. Washington neighbor: IDAHO.

9. Former quarterback Manning: ELI.

10. Salt, in French: SEL.

11. Judy Garland or Cher: GAY ICON.

12. Herb in Italian seasoning: OREGANO.

13. Bettor's adviser: TIPSTER.

18. Anna's sister in "Frozen": ELSA.

22. Precious stone: GEM.

24. Not fooled by: ONTO.

26. Applied to: USED ON.

27. Storage tower: SILO.

29. More adroit: DEFTER. ? I'd say more deft.

30. Deep blue dye: ANIL.

34. Oft-torn knee pt.: ACL. Austin City Limits, er... anterior cruciate ligament.

35. Rx items: MEDS.

38. Seoul-based athleisure brand: FILA.

39. Billy __: GOAT.

40. Brings down: TOPPLES.

41. "The Great __ Baking Show": BRITISH.

42. Quite large: SIZABLE.

45. Read quickly: SKIMMED. Cute - past tense.

46. Spanish brother: HERMANO. Just learned this on Duolingo.

47. Revenue source for magazines: AD SALES.

49. Parts of lbs.: OZS. Pounds / Ounces.

51. "SportsCenter" network: ESPN.

53. Earth Day time: APRIL.

54. Add up to: TOTAL.

58. Harp-shaped constellation: LYRA.

If you say that's a harp, um, OK.

59. Celebratory shouts: YAYS.

62. Cushion: PAD.

63. Filmmaker DuVernay: AVA.

64. Nest egg letters: IRA.

The Grid

The Grid

The WOs, ESPs, etc. will have to wait; I left my original grid at the office.

Cheers, -T

Monday, June 3rd, 2024, Renee Thomason & Zhouqin Burnikel

 DUCK TEST~?  Bzzzt~!

Splynter, stepping in for sumdaze, as she ascends to the headline of today's puzzle as constructor, along with our well-published blog creator/host C.C.  Way to go~!  Such an honor to be asked to do the summary, so I will do my best to engage & entertain.  A smooth, satisfying solve for yours truly (moi~?), within my typical time limit, at what felt like an "olden days" Monday-level difficulty.  No personal names, yet several geographic ones, and no reveal for our theme in a standard 15x15 grid - hey, that's been unusual for me lately.  Two eleven- and two twelve-letter spanners, each ending with one word and its secondary, three-dimensional definition.  Easy as 1-2-3, or maybe 6Across~?  Here is the "shape of things";

18. What sounds like a disk, but isn't a disk?: FACT CHECKER

28. What sounds like a cube, but isn't a cube?: WRITER'S BLOCK

49. What sounds like a circle, but isn't a circle?: FAMILIAR RING

63. What sounds like a sphere, but isn't a sphere?: CHARITY BALL

That's NO Sphere Moon, It's A...Oh Wait....

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. __ and flow: EBB

4. Gathers from the field: REAPS

A breakdown of the Blue Öyster Cult classic "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"

9. Braid: PLAIT

14. Language of Southeast Asia's only landlocked country: LAO - Geographic #1

15. HS class for aspiring premeds, perhaps: AP BIO - Advanced Placement

16. Stranger, slangily: RANDO - 21st century language - but we've seen it in crosswords

17. Bing's web portal: MSN - I use Mozilla's Firefox

20. Cabinet part: SHELF

22. Backed (away from): SHIED

23. Frito-__ snacks: LAY - which is your favorite~?

I'd go Doritos or Cheetos

24. Lean a bit: TILT

26. Gets up: ARISES - I put in AWAKES first, did not quite jibe, but 50% correct~!

32. Rowboat blade: OAR

33. Like limes: SOUR - and - 7D. White part of citrus fruit: PITH - I did not know this

34. Squads: TEAMS - MY two teams are out of the Stanley Cup playoffs - but go Panthers~!

38. Squeaked (by): EKED

40. Spanish "I love you": "TE AMO"

43. England's largest all-boys boarding school: ETON - Geographic~?

44. Passover meal: SEDER - learned by doing crosswords

46. Uterus: WOMB

48. Barnyard baby sound: MAA - that's the calf, not the lamb, correct~?

53. Unhelpful RSVPs: MAYBES

55. Flatbread served with chana masala: NAAN - Ektorp~?

56. Louisville Slugger product: BAT - wouldn't be a C.C. puzzle without some baseball

57. Real gem: BEAUT

60. "All good on my end": "I'M SET."

66. Wedding words: I DO - whether you DO or you DON'T ....

Georgia Satellites - Keep Your Hands to Yourself

this is my "warm-up" karaoke song

67. Diamond unit: CARAT - "no hug-gee no kiss-see...until I get a wedding RING" - the other def.

68. Republic in the Himalayas: NEPAL - Geo #2

69. Duck sauce for egg rolls, e.g.: DIP - if it looks, swims and quacks like a duck sauce. . . .

70. Minor mistakes: SLIPS

71. Speechify: ORATE

72. UFO pilots: ETs


DOWN:

1. Shade trees on the National Mall: ELMS - I'm scheduled to transport some of the pipe organ pipes back from the Washington National Cathedral at the end of the month

Tapered Wood Pipes - about 32ft long - look closely; they're mitered, too.  Phew~!

2. Big party: BASH - GALA, FETE, had to wait

3. Exhausted to the core: BONE TIRED

4. Fundraisers with tickets: RAFFLES - Charity Ball~!

5. Clean energy org.: EPA - Environmental Protection Agency

6. Pre-K song subject: ABCs - NOT the Jackson 5 version

8. __ butterfly: one with a busy calendar: SOCIAL - I dream of being a social butterfly, but today I am merely anti-social

9. Give a weather report, essentially: PREDICT - I had a good friend from High School go on to be the TV weatherman in Richmond, VA.

10. Fond du __, Wisconsin: LAC - Geo #3

11. Lower leg joint: ANKLE

12. Mental flashes: IDEAS

13. Parliament conservative: TORY - British politics - some info here

19. Big sandwich: HERO

21. Not dark: LIT - or NOT sober, too

25. Relaxed gait: TROT

27. Trademark in an arcade game name: SKEE

28. Trials and tribulations: WOES

29. Leaf-gathering tool: RAKE - we had LEAF__ on Saturday - all I could think of was "RAKING"

30. Take to court: SUE - what if you were on a date~?  Would that be "courting Sue"~?

31. Barroom fight: BRAWL

35. Welcome sign at a cash-only market: ATM INSIDE - nice to see more than just " A-T-M "

36. Complain: MOAN

37. Minor holdup: SNAG

But a major tragedy

39. Refuse to obey: DEFY

41. "Who, me?": "MOI~?" - Frawnche

42. Saudi Arabia neighbor: OMAN - Geo #4

45. Cottontails: RABBITS

47. Alphabet read with the fingers: BRAILLE - Also Frawnche - the Wiki

50. Come together: MEET

51. "Thumbs down from me": "I SAY NO."

52. Ewe's mate: RAM

53. Taj __: MAHAL - Geo #5 - I bought this sign for my dad's shed(s) - now it hangs in my garage

And I figured out how to do 'side-by-side' images~!

54. Pong Quest maker: ATARI - never heard of this; it's like Pong on steroids

56. Covertly includes on an email: BCCs - Blind Carbon Copies

58. Lyft rival: UBER

59. Spanish appetizer: TAPA - frequent crossword visitor, but today I did some research

 

See someone's comment below~!

61. Correct a verb tense, perhaps: EDIT

62. Dreidels, e.g.: TOPS

64. Knock sharply: RAP

65. Long. crosser: LATitude - Geographic bonus~!

And a comment from out debut constructor~!

Hi everyone! I'll be riding my bike and eating TAPAs in the Pyrenees when this puzzle comes out. I just wanted to thank C.C. and the LAT editors for making this happen! My favorite answer is WRITER'S BLOCK. That was C.C.'s idea – so brilliant! Thanks, also, to Splynter for today's blog! I look forward to reading it when I return.

~ sumdaze

Splynter

Sunday June 2, 2024 Sid Sivakumar

Theme: "Is There an Echo in Here?" - The last two words are homophones.

24. Gold, silver, or bronze?: OLYMPIC MEDAL METAL.

32. Candy heart, chocolate rose, or red velvet cupcake?: HONEYMOON SUITE SWEET.

61. Corn dog, blooming onion, or caramel apple?: COUNTY FAIR FARE.

68. Erratum, appendix, or reader testimonial?: SECOND EDITION ADDITION.

80. Crack, streak, or fingerprint?: WINDOW PANE PAIN.

106. Venmo balance, PayPal account, or Google Wallet funds?: ELECTRONIC CASH CACHE.

118. Crane, hard hat, or cement mixer?: BUILDING SITE SIGHT.

I pronounce "medal" and "metal" differently, how about you? The others are total homophones to me. Love the theme cluing style today.

So happy to see Sid's byline. This is only his second LAT, but he's a very accomplished constructor. He made the final puzzle for the ACPT this year. Here he is with the winner Paolo Pasco and Will Shortz.

Across:

1. Application fig.: GPA.

4. "Passing" actress Thompson: TESSA.

9. Hindi film star __ Rukh Khan: SHAH. Wikipedia shows he's huge in India.

13. Guitar clamps: CAPOS.

18. Rowboat propeller: OAR.

19. 2019 animated Christmas film: KLAUS.

20. Push to act: IMPEL.

22. Anti-inflammatory brand: ALEVE. 31. Under the weather: ILL.

23. "And whatnot" abbr.: ETC.

27. Snare: TRAP.

29. NBA great Curry: STEPH. Here with his brother Seth.

30. Viscous stuff: GOOP.

38. Tick away: ELAPSE.

39. Pledge in court: OATH.

40. White-water conveyances: RAFTS.

43. "Just in case" option: PLAN B.

46. Not street-smart: NAIVE.

49. Ermine in its summer coat: STOAT.

50. Philosopher Descartes: RENE.

53. Nobel-winning physicist Paul: DIRAC.

56. "River Spirit" author Aboulela: LEILA. Learning moment for me. She grew up in Sudan.

58. Address in a bar: URL.

59. At a distance: APART.

65. Thanks, in French: MERCI.

66. Bill of "Barry": HADER. He's dating Ali Wong. They're super cute together.

67. Middle-earth monster: ORC.

77. __ Speedwagon: REO.

78. Eucalyptus dweller: KOALA.

79. College softball airer: ESPNU.

86. Charmin rival: SCOTT.

87. Lass: GAL.

88. Kelly of "3 Body Problem": MARLO. Another learning moment.

89. Serpent: SNAKE.

91. Hullabaloos: ADOS.

92. Stayed still: IDLED.

95. "I aspire to that" hashtag: GOALS.

97. Theater array: SEATS.

99. High-speed internet connection: FIBER.

100. Berenstain Bear in a blue dress: MAMA.

102. Small handbag: CLUTCH.

113. U.K. mil. branch: RAF. David was with the Royal Air Force. Here he is with his grandma.

115. Home of the Himalayas: ASIA.

116. Poppycock: TRIPE.

117. Princess raised on Alderaan: LEIA.

124. Psychedelics study subj.: LSD.

125. Bellybutton type: INNIE.

126. Lasagna layer: SAUCE.

127. Activist's focus: CAUSE.

128. Novelist Harper: LEE.

129. Animal evoked by a chess knight: STEED.

130. Viewed: SEEN.

131. Without stopping: ON END.

132. Nikon choice, briefly: SLR.

Down:

1. "Faust" playwright: GOETHE.

2. See 69-Down: PATROL. 69. With 2-Down, DC Comics superhero team: DOOM.

3. Esoteric knowledge: ARCANA.

4. MMA ref's call: TKO.

5. Logical conclusion?: ELL.

6. Final word: SAY SO.

7. Reach, as a total: SUM TO.

8. Tree native to the Rockies: ASPEN.

9. Spicy Chinese cuisine: SICHUAN. Also 28. Berry in a mill: PEPPERCORN. Xi'an cuisine is spicy too. We're neighboring Sichuan.

10. [strokes beard]: HMM.

11. Tailless primate: APE.

12. Maze border, maybe: HEDGE.

13. People spending the night out?: CAMPERS.

14. Pub quaff: ALE.

15. Bite-size cake: PETIT FOUR.

16. Cameo shape: OVAL.

17. Promote: SELL.

21. Thailand neighbor: LAOS.

25. __ facto: IPSO.

26. Like a bass: LOW.

33. CC or LV competitor: YSL.

34. Viking drink: MEAD.

35. Birthplace of espresso: ITALY.

36. One taking things badly?: THIEF. And 37. Put away leftovers?: EAT. 50. Butters on a farm?: RAMS. 63. One side of a diner?: FRIES. Quite a few fun clues in this grid.

41. Scale button: TARE.

42. WashU's city: STL. Washington University in St. Louis. Sid's studying here.

44. Not wide-ranging: NICHE.

45. Wide-ranging: BROAD.

47. With a layover in: VIA.

48. Yale student: ELI.

51. Electric fencing equipment?: EPEE.

52. Snitch (on): NARC.

54. Automaker whose name means "listen" in Latin: AUDI.

55. Site to consult before buying new tech: CNET.

57. Former Yankee slugger, familiarly: A-ROD.

60. Like a fork: TINED.

62. Preschooler's wheels: TRIKE.

64. Plays it cool: ACTS CASUAL. And 81. "Don't worry about me": I'LL BE FINE. Love these two Downs.

70. "My b!": OOPS.

71. Flatbread made with maida: NAAN. Did not know the meaning of maida, super-refined wheat flour.

72. Username, perhaps: ALIAS.

73. Thanks, in German: DANKE.

74. Old earbuds hookup: IPOD.

75. Not deceived by: ONTO.

76. Bar bowlful: NUTS.

80. Desert valley: WADI.

82. Tail motion: WAG.

83. __ rata: PRO.

84. San Antonio landmark: ALAMO.

85. "Interstellar" director: NOLAN.

87. Emoji alternative: GIF.

90. "To __ their own": EACH.

93. Fish in baam machli ka salan: EEL. Not famliar with this dish. Not into curries.

94. Had a bad feeling about: DREADED.

96. Struck by Cupid's arrow: SMITTEN.

98. Extra special attention, for short: TLC.

101. Lot of farmland, maybe: ACRE.

103. Immune system constituents: T CELLS.

104. Sculptor's tool: CHISEL.

105. Soccer shot not taken with the feet: HEADER.

107. CBS forensic franchise: CSI.

108. Mint containers: TINS.

109. Much sitar music: RAGAS.

110. Tech giant whose logo depicts the Golden Gate Bridge: CISCO. Wow.  Never knew this.

111. All abuzz?: APIAN.

112. Transition: SEGUE.

113. Box score stat: RBIS.

114. Dad's sister: AUNT.

119. "Today's Wordle word is TRUE," e.g.: LIE.

120. Bring a suit: SUE.

121. Granita bits: ICE. Watermelon granita.

122. QVC sister channel: HSN.

123. AFC Richmond coach Lasso: TED.

C.C.