Thursday, June 13, 2024, Katie Hale & Sam Acker

 

 

I struggled to come up with that theme description, and usually when I struggle it means I'm missing something.  But I can always count on you folks to tell me what it is. 😀

There are five theme clues, no reveal, no asterisks, no circles -- just the 5 longest fills clued with this pattern: a sport playing area; a non-branded ("generic") person, place, or thing making the sport happen; and a (mostly) unnamed organization sponsoring the endeavor ...

17A. Racing venue with a generic speaker sponsorship?: SOUND TRACK.  A speaker produces SOUND and racing is conducted on a TRACK?  Here's a RACE TRACK SOUND TRACK ...

24A. Basketball arena with a generic pollster sponsorship?: DATA CENTER.  A pollster collects DATA and a CENTER is another name for a basketball court, or alternately it's the name of a position on the court?   This one is for all you hoopsters, sponsored by the NBA ...

35A. Cricket ground with a generic lift sponsorship?: ELEVATOR PITCH.  A "lift" is Brit for ELEVATOR and a Cricket PITCH is the central strip in the middle of the playing field.

50A. Baseball stadium with a generic zoo sponsorship?: SAFARI PARK.  Here's the ultimate baseball dream team at the SAFARI PARK ...

58A. Soccer venue with a generic military sponsorship?: FORCE FIELD.  Argentinian Lionel Messi is a one man soccer FORCE FIELD, now playing for Inter Miami CF ...

Here's the grid ...

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Rock classic with the lyric "Darling, won't you ease my worried mind": LAYLA. ... and "you've got me on my knees!"  A masterpiece by Eric Clapton CBE (born 30 March 1945), an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. He ranked second in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" ...

LEILA (pronounced the same as Clapton's crush) was the heroine of Bizet's opera The Pearl Fishers, and she had two men on their knees!


6. Cardi set piece: CAMI.  "Cardi" is short for "cardigan", a woman's top that buttons up the front and is sold with a matching camisole ...

Cardigan and camisole

10. Bloke: CHAP.  An English CHAP, e.g. this one ...

14. Far from narrow: BROAD.

15. Fanatical: AVID.  See 58D.

16. More than just edit: REDO.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Bumblers: OAFS.

20. Sticky pine products: RESINS.  E.g. those in the infamous Pine Tar incident.

21. Longtime Yankee manager Joe: TORRE.   From 1996 to 2007, Joe Torre was the manager of the New York Yankees, and guided the team to six American League (AL) pennants and four World Series championships. Like they say "Baseball is a game of numbers", and Joe's number was Four Thousand Two Hundred Seventy-Two ...

Joe Torre

22. Some pens: BICS.  Where did that name come from?

24. [Theme clue]

27. Olympian Katie Ledecky's country, for short: USA.  Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky (born March 17, 1997) is an American competitive swimmer. She has won seven Olympic gold medals and 21 world championship gold medals, the most in history for a female swimmer.

Katie Ledecky

28. Gym unit: REP.

29. Gravy, on menus: JUS.  Today's French lesson: Jus is a specific type of sauce, made from meat juice that has typically been derived from a roast.

30. "Definitely!": YES.

31. 2017 Emma Watson role: BELLE.  Beauty and the Beast.

33. Many a reggae artist: RASTA. Practitioners of an Abrahamic  religion called Rastafarianism. Here's reggae artist Bob Marley singing Stir it Up ...

35. [Theme clue]

40. Rot: DECAY.

41. Ice sheets: FLOES.  An ice floe is a large pack of floating ice often defined as a flat piece at least 20 m across at its widest point, and up to more than 10 km across.

Ice floes in the Hudson Strait

43. D'backs, in box scores: ARI.  The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) West Division.

46. Go on the __: LAM.

47. "Gangnam Style" rapper: PSY.  Crazy stuff ...

49. Teensy: WEE.  Today's Scottish lesson: LITTLE.

50. [Theme clue]

53. Ibiza, por ejemplo: ISLA.  Today's Spanish lesson: ISLAND, specifically this one.

54. __ owl: bird with white feathers: SNOWY.  The snowy owl, also known as the polar owl, the white owl and the Arctic owl, is a large, white owl of the true owl family. Snowy owls are native to the Arctic regions of both North America and the Palearctic, breeding mostly on the tundra.

Snowy Owl

55. Saudi Arabia's capital: RIYADH.  Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate.

Riyadh skyline

57. Sicilian volcano: ETNA.  This volcano shows up so often crosswords, I figured we ought to make it a permanent resident (remember Sicily is 7 hours ahead of Minnesota time) ...

58. [Theme clue]

62. Chitchat: TALK.  Or as the Brits would say a "Chin wag".

63. Lotion additive: ALOE.  Hahtoolah is on vacation, so I'm helping myself to one of her cartoons ...

64. "Star Wars" spin-off: ANDOR.  Andor, also known as Star Wars: Andor, is an American science fiction television series created by Tony Gilroy for the streaming service Disney+. It is part of the Star Wars franchise and a prequel to the film Rogue One (2016), which in turn is a prequel to the original Star Wars film (1977).

65. Eyelid inflammation: STYE.

66. Tidings: NEWS.

67. Hoarse: RASPY.

Down:

1. Wt. units: LBS.

2. One with a platonic partner, for short: ARO.  A ROmantic.

3. "I have no preference": YOUR CALL.

4. Parkway divisions: LANES.  This suggests another themer: "Bowling LANES with generic speed sponsorship".  A friend of ours upstairs was obviously praying for this guy ...!  It's interesting that he didn't get a Guinness for this feat (for all sorts of technicalities).  I guess he's just not stout enough. 😀

5. Has a summer job?: ADDS.  And he doesn't need a number in the dentist chair. 😀

6. Rest of the road?: CARNAP. Uh, I don't think I parsed this one correctly (I'm not kidding 😀) ...

More on Rudolph Carnap

7. Sailor's "Halt!": AVAST.

8. Bug, maybe: MIC.  A politician's worst enemy is a HOT MIC.

9. Brief "You got me": IDK.  Short for I DON'T KNOW, its opposite being I KNOW -- an infinitesimally small amount of WHAT THERE IS TO KNOW!

10. Serenade, maybe: CROON.  ... A daughter serenades her father ...

11. Like comfort food: HEARTY.

12. Like some subscriber-based apps: AD FREE.

13. Wannabes: POSERS.

18. Beach widener, at times: TIDE.

21. Take the stand: TESTIFY.

22. Rude address: BUB. The net seems divided on this ...

OTOH ...

23. "Understood": I SEE.  Every time I see this I'm reminded of Husker's motto - I hear and I forget.  I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

25. Not closed: AJAR.

26. Turning point: CUSP.  Another word with several meanings depending on the context.  All of these connote a turning point toward a different direction ...

OTOH it also has additional meanings in mathematics, science, astrology etc.

28. Merrymaking: REVELRY.  This suggests dancing and as Terpsichore was the muse of the dance,  here are some selections from a suite of dances dedicated to her, by Renaissance composer Michael Praetorius ...

32. Was in first: LED.

33. "The Natural" protagonist Hobbs: ROY.  An ode to baseball, The Natural is a 1984 American sports film based on Bernard Malamud's 1952 novel of the same name, directed by Barry Levinson, and starring Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley, and Barbara Hershey. The film recounts the experiences of Roy Hobbs, an individual with great "natural" baseball talent.  Here's the final home run ...

34. The "A" of "RHOA": Abbr.: ATL. The Real Housewives of Atlanta, abbreviated RHOA, is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on October 7, 2008. Developed as the third installment of The Real Housewives franchise, it has aired fifteen seasons and focuses on the personal and professional lives of several women residing in and around Atlanta, Georgia.  All peaches I'm sure ...

36. Beneficial berry: ACAI.  Rich in vowels and especially beneficial to constructors.😀

37. Pack (down): TAMP.

38. Dairy structures: COWSHEDS.  BARNS was too short.

39. "Come to my side, pup!": HEEL.  HEEL is Dog 101 for an Irish sheep dog.  We had a friend who used to raise them -- they are high spirited and have to be kept constantly busy.  Our friend used to enter them in various dog "obstacle races", but a better way to keep them busy is to have them herd sheep ...

42. __ shanty: SEA.  A sea shanty, shanty, chantey, or chanty (from Latin cantare ("to sing")) is a genre of traditional folk song that was once commonly sung as a work song to accompany rhythmical labor aboard large merchant sailing vessels. The term shanty most accurately refers to a specific style of work song belonging to this historical repertoire. Here is What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor, sung by the Irish Rovers ...

 43. Cash on hand, investments, etc.: ASSETS.

44. Give a piece of one's mind: RANT AT. 

45. "That'd be nice": IF ONLY.  A game people play -- in this case with themselves.  It will never happen, IF YOU don't make it happen.

47. Tag lines?: PRICES.

48. Actress Ione: SKYE.  Ione Skye Lee (/aɪˈoʊni/; née Ione Skye Leitch; born September 4, 1970)[a] is a British-American actress and the daughter of singer Donovan. She made her film debut in the thriller River's Edge (1986) before gaining mainstream exposure for her starring role in Cameron Crowe's Say Anything... (1989). She continued to appear in films throughout the 1990s, with notable roles in Gas Food Lodging (1992), Wayne's World (1992) and One Night Stand (1997).

Iona Skye

51. Wide __: AWAKE.

52. Bow projectile: ARROW.

53. Tony winner Menzel: IDINA.  Idina Kim Menzel (née Mentzel; born May 30, 1971) is an American actress and singer. Particularly recognized for her work in musicals on Broadway, she has been nicknamed the "Queen of Broadway" for her commanding stage presence, powerful mezzo-soprano, and reputation as one of the most influential stage actors of her generation.  Here she performs the song that won her the Tony: Defying Gravity from the Broadway musical Wicked ...

56. Not close: AFAR.
 
58. Swiftie, to Swift: FAN.  I'm not a FAN, but I have a theory about music -- if lots of people like a musician, they're probably hearing something I'm not.  But when it came to picking this next selection I found that Swift has had so many hits and all of her FANS seem to like different ones -- so I just threw a dart and hit All Too Well ...

59. Joyful cry at a fútbol match: OLE.
60. Cut back: LOP.

61. Needing a humidifier: DRY.


Cheers,
Bill

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

waseeley

Wednesday, Jun 12th, Rebecca Goldstein

 TOFU~!?!?

Or maybe Liver~?

Another Wednesday, another Rebecca Goldstein puzzle, another 16x15 grid; I need more FLAVOR~!

That about sums up today's crossword, with four theme answers and one reveal; four "places" preceded by four, uh, flavors~?  Am I missing something~?  Sure, (sour) apple-flavored Jolly Ranchers are the best, sesame chicken I recognize ( I even throw in some seeds on my General Tso's ) and there are several waffle flavors I did not know about, but I would definitely pass on anything that was "olive-flavored'.  Here are the spanners;

18. Workplace for some Geniuses: APPLE STORE - I am PC.  Period.

26. Breakfast chain with a museum in Decatur, Georgia: WAFFLE HOUSE - I have said before that my favorite "greasy spoon" is the Waffle House

38. Home to Big Bird and Mr. Snuffleupagus: SESAME STREET - Yup-yupyupyup; I was just talking with my supervisor about these guys - and it's hysterical to watch them for the first time in like, 45 years

Brrrrr-ring.....Brrrrr-ing

53. Restaurant with a Never-Ending Pasta Pass: OLIVE GARDEN

63. Tasty location associated with Guy Fieri, and where to find 18-, 26-, 38-, and 53-Across?: FLAVOR TOWN

I don't watch any Food shows, so. . . .

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Warmup in gym class, maybe: LAPS - I preferred to warm up on the rowing machine

5. Dish with a shell: TACO - I make my own tacos at least once a week, and if I choose to eat fast food, it's Taco Bell

I can't wait to try one of these new menu items

9. Unexpressed: TACIT

14. Be a sore winner: GLOAT - nyah-nyah-nyah-NA-nyah-nyah

16. Country on the Arabian Sea: OMAN

17. Clay colour: OCHRE - Meh. I always thought the color was called, uh, "CLAY". . . .

20. Second stringers: B-TEAM

21. Tax Day arrival, astrologically: ARIES - Meh, and questionable; there's a trend to add new signs to the Zodiac, but I could not find one link that had Aries ON 15Apr.  My father was born on 20Apr, which is the "cusp" of the OLD astrological signs; therefore, without a specific birth 'time', he was both Aries and Taurus.  If I were to accept the NEW, then I am no longer an Aquarius, but a Capricorn....

22. Assistant: AIDE

24. Fabric tear: RIP

25. Picture formatted for the small screen?: ICON

30. Walked worriedly: PACED

32. "Sorry, laddie": NAE - and - 43A. Scottish gal: LASS

Oh, Aye, laddie, that's a bonnie lass~!

33. Slammed with customers: MOBBED - I did my time in retail

34. Make a request: ASK

35. Grand in scale: EPIC

37. Gymnast Lee: SUNI - via perps, and yet I am sure I have seen this name before

42. Three-time WNBA MVP Leslie: LISA - via perps; her Wiki

44. Resistance unit: OHM

47. "Cupcake Wars" competitors: BAKERS

50. Frying liquid: OIL

51. Spanish small bites: TAPAS - had this two puzzles in a row

56. Nu metal band since 1993: KORN - I love metal, but this whole generation/genre was just noise, as far as I was concerned; I picked the one song from the decade that I would let play if it came on. . . .

Drowning Pool - Bodies

57. Sanctions: OKs

58. Sponge feature: PORE

59. Artisan association: GUILD

61. African snake: MAMBA

67. Decide (to): ELECT

68. East, in Spanish: ESTE

69. Spanish lakes: LAGOS

70. Ding-dong __: DITCH - I had no clue this was an alternate 'title' for "ring & run"; first learning moment

71. Shoulder muscle, briefly: DELToid

72. Out of __: SYNC

DOWN:

1. JFK alternative: LGA - airport codes - I grew up on Long Island, home to both fields - even though they are associated with New York City

2. Andean grazers: ALPACAS

3. Candy mixed with Coke in a chemistry experiment: POP ROCKS - I'm more familiar with the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment, but it was too short --

Growing up, the myth was if you swallowed Pop Rocks, your stomach would explode

4. Contact lens solution: SALINE

5. Tater bite: TOT

6. Spanish "I love": AMO

7. Large mimosa order: CARAFE - the one Champagne to have when you're having more than one~?

8. Racer Kitty known as "the fastest woman in the world": O'NEIL - she even got her own action figure - or is it "doll"~!? - more here

9. "Not gonna lie ... ": TO BE HONEST - these days, you don't get 10 letters, just "TBH" - and, TBH, I happen to like Olive Garden

10. Put on a show: ACT - meh.  STAGE is a better verb, IMHO, TBH

11. Angelic being: CHERUB - my personal favorite cherub image; and the best song on the album

Van Halen - 1984 - Drop Dead Legs

12. Confident words at the poker table: I RAISE

13. Filled in at the office: TEMPED

15. Golfing prop: TEE

19. U-turn from NNE: SSW

23. Objects gently: DEMURS

25. Hoppy pub initials: IPA

27. Jungian inner self: ANIMA

28. Stand up to: FACE

29. Off-Broadway award: OBIE - Off Broadway - literally "Oh Bee"

31. Shortcut created by foot traffic: DESIRE PATH - another new learning moment for me

36. Turn a certain corner in Monopoly: PASS GO - GO TO JAIL did not fit

A hotel on Boardwalk = what rent~? See below

37. Like bread for stuffing: STALE

39. -1,412 ft., for the Dead Sea: ELEVation - see 41D.

40. Lost traction: SLID

41. The lay of the land?: TOPOLOGY - I use a 3D software called Revit for modeling buildings, and it has a topography tool for making the structure "site" as accurate as possible; I can add points of 'elevation'

45. Earned with extreme effort: HARD WON

46. Bing portal: MSN

47. Thundered: BOOMED

48. Basic stuff?: ALKALI - as opposed to "acid" - clever

49. Destiny: KISMET

50. Words of warning: OR ELSE

52. Japanese dogs: AKITAS - learned by doing crosswords

54. Sounded like 52-Down: ARFED - Meh.

55. Habitat for Humanity, e.g., for short: NGO - I've had this before, and still put in NPO, for a Non-xxx-Organization, but not PROFIT; it's GOVERNMENTAL

60. Online address: URL - Uniform Resource Locators - a unique website "residence"

62. Loop in on the DL: BCC - second puzzle in a row, for me, again

64. Emory U.'s home: ATLanta - filled via perps

65. Dog doc: VET

66. Foreign policy gp.: NSC

Splynter

$2000~?  Dammit~!

Tuesday, Jun, 11, 2024 ~ Jay Silverman

Future Farmers of America?

No, today Jay offers four thememers each of which with four (4) Hs in the fill.

18. Like some boots: THIGH HIGH.

Stock Photo(?)

23. Jewish New Year: ROSH HASHANAH.

37. With 39-Across, considered carefully: THOUGHT.
39. See 37-Across: THROUGH.

48. "How do you tell them apart?": WHICH IS WHICH.

And the unifier:
57. Youth organization that 18-, 23-, 37-/39-, and 48-Across could be members of?: FOUR-H CLUB.

Across:
1. Highest point: ACME.

You can actually buy this book.

5. Sunup: DAWN.

9. App opener: USER.

13. "Arrested Development" actress Portia de __: ROSSI.

Portia w/ her wife Ellen

15. Vietnam's continent: ASIA.

16. Jewish wedding dance: HORA.

17. Conclude with: END ON.

18. [See: Theme]

20. Message on a rescue dog's kennel, perhaps: ADOPT ME.
 

Pop's rescue (Tinker) checking out the pizzelles

22. Continental coins: EUROS.

23. [See: Theme]

27. First __ kit: AID.

28. PDQ kin: ASAP. Pretty Damn Quick: As Soon As Possible.

29. Pekoe, e.g.: TEA.

32. Complete, as a PDF contract: ESIGN. Portable Document Format files can be eSign'd.

35. Large deer: ELKS.

36. Boys: LADS.

37. [See: Theme]

39. [See: Theme]

41. Word before crawl or cycle: NEWS.

Generic (#noPolitics) News Crawl at the bottom

42. Dismayed cry: OH NO.

44. Cosmetician Lauder: ESTEE.

45. Orthodontist's org.: ADA. American Dental Association.

46. Roasting rod: SPIT.

47. CT summer hrs.: EDT. Connecticut is on Eastern Daylight Time in the summer.

48. [See: Theme]

53. Skylit courtyards: ATRIA.

56. Focus of many a school fair: SCIENCE. Did I ever tell the story of when, in HS, I won 2nd-prize* for my work on Fibonacci numbers at the (LA) State Science Fair?

57. [See: Theme]

61. Lowest point: NADIR.

62. Went by car: RODE.

63. Teller's partner in magic: PENN.

I'm thinking about getting tix for their Rio show

 when I'm in Vegas for Blackhat|Defcon.

64. Pulverize, as peppercorns: GRIND.

65. Rubber-stamped: OKED.

66. x or y, on graphs: AXIS.

67. Clothing labels: TAGS.

Down:
1. Toward the back: AREAR.

2. Many a retirement unit: CONDO.

Weird Al

3. Windows predecessor: MS-DOS. Microsoft Disc Operating System.

4. Part of the digestive system: ESOPHAGUS. Learned this in Gulp.

Many of Mary Roach's books are
fun looks at "gross" things.

5. Calendar array: DATES. 

// Oy! This week the DATES are crazy. Youngest left yesterday for an internship in CHI. I leave Thurs for ORD and DW leaves two hours later for Japan. Eldest is set to land at MDW and we'll meet at CHI's Union Station for an Amtrak to SPI. Youngest will join us Sunday in SPI for Father's Day. Then we all disperse again the 17th (when the next blog is due [don't expect much folks :-)]).

6. Wood for many woodworking projects: ASH.

7. Nintendo game console: WII.

8. Remind constantly: NAG.

9. "Surely!": UH HUH.

10. French evening: SOIR. Root-word for a fancy soiree perhaps?

11. Logician's "In that case ... ": ERGO.

12. Stadium cheers: RAHS.

14. Latest trend: IN THING.

19. Jalopy: HEAP.

21. Furious: MAD.

24. Actor Holbrook: HAL. Mark Twain impressionist.

Some #Politics(?)

25. Invite for: ASK TO.

26. Two-time NBA MVP Steve: NASH.

29. Pulled tight: TAUT.

30. Border: EDGE.

31. Tennis icon Arthur: ASHE.

32. Active volcano on Sicily: ETNA.

33. Garden tool storage building: SHED.

34. Sioux City state: IOWA.

35. Code of conduct: ETHIC.

36. Gave up in despair: LOST HEART. Or LOSt THE ART. You decide parsing.

38. Pueblo people: HOPI.

40. Motor City NHL player: RED WING.

43. To the __ degree: NTH.

46. Former Iranian ruler: SHAH.

47. Key next to F1: ESC.

48. Jittery from too much caffeine: WIRED. Or, as we learned last week, a Conde Nast publication.
//Yes, I nerd, subscribe.

49. IDs on copyright pages: ISBNS. International Standard Book NumberS.

50. Mumbai's nation: INDIA.

51. Including on an email: CCING. Anachronistically, Carbon Copying someone on an email.

52. Roaming buffalo, e.g.: HERDS.

53. Natural hairstyle: AFRO.

54. Grabbed: TOOK.

55. Not at all polite: RUDE. Grabbing is RUDE.

58. Tax pro: CPA. Certified (Certifiable? ;-)) Public Accountant.

59. Luthor of "Smallville": LEX.

60. College, to an Aussie: UNI.

The Grid:

The Grid

The skinny:
WO: icon -> USER
ESPs: N/A
Fav: SCIENCE fair.
//I got that 2nd place at state in Louisiana's SciFair by deriving a formula that could tell if X was in the Fibonacci Sequence or not. The formula involved logarithms (which was apparently advanced for a HS kid :-))

Cheers, -T
*IIRC, the kid that won 1st hacked a dot-matrix printer to emboss Braille. 

 

 

 

Notes from C.C.:

 

Irish Miss (Agnes) and I made today's USA Today puzzle. Click here to solve. Congrats on your USA debut, Agnes!

 

Monday, June 10, 2024, Noelle Griskey

(Note from C.C.: I'm excited to tell you that NaomiZ has joined our blog. Welcome on board, Naomi!)

Theme: Swell!  Groovy!  Boss!  Chill! 

Today's dandy offering from Noelle Griskey is so far out, it's lit! 

As revealed at 60 Across, the STARTs of 17-, 26-, and 44-Across are synonyms for fabulous and trendy. 

17A. Low-slung jeans: HIP HUGGERS.  THEME CLUE #1.  HIP as in groovy.  I thought these pants were so cool in high school. 

26A. 1993 film about the Olympic bobsled team from Jamaica: COOL RUNNINGS.  THEME CLUE #2.  COOL as in groovy, but also as in icy. 

44A. Magazine with tips and techniques for anglers: FLY FISHERMAN.  THEME CLUE #3.  FLY as in groovy.  My father was a FLY FISHERMAN; he made lures from feathers and cast them with a hollow line to fool trout into thinking they were flies on the water.  In old age, he removed the barbs from his hooks to release the fish more easily.  In older age, he preferred to watch the fish rather than to hook them. 

60A. New beginning, and a feature of 17-, 26-, and 44-Across: FRESH START.  THEME CLUE #4. FRESH as in groovy, START as in the the first word of each answer to a theme clue. 

Across:

1. Taj Mahal city: AGRA.

The Taj Mahal

5. Hors d'oeuvres spread: PATE.

9. Type of ski lift: TBAR.

13. Greet the day: ARISE.

15. Clever thought: IDEA.

16. Cogito __ sum: ERGO.  "I think, therefore I am."  A clever thought from René Descartes. 

19. Semimonthly tide: NEAP.

20. Hit the gas: SPEED UP.

21. Term of endearment: PET NAME.

23. Mega Stuf cookie: OREO.  I talk myself out of these every trip to the supermarket. 

25. Helped out: AIDED.

32. "Just Mercy" actor __ Jackson Jr.: OSHEA.  Wikipedia says, "He is the oldest son of Ice Cube and, in his feature film debut, portrayed his father in the 2015 biopic Straight Outta Compton."  DNK!

33. __ leches cake: TRES.  I believe blog etiquette requires me to say, "Yummers!" 

34. Quiet "Quiet!": SHH.

37. Landed on a perch: ALIT.  Often said of my avian friends. 

38. "The Road Not Taken" poet Robert: FROST.  "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood."  DH and I went leaf peeping on the Robert Frost Interpretive Trail in Vermont. 

40. Clever tactic: PLOY.

41. Brit's washroom: LOO.

42. Get ready, for short: PREP.  This is what I do when DH cooks. I also wash the boards and bowls as he goes along. 

43. Within the __ of possibility: REALM.

47. "I feel the same": ME TOO.

50. Some 30-Down employees: Abbr.: CPAS.

51. Like some sandals: OPEN TOE.

54. Up for discussion: AT ISSUE.

59. N, on a French map: NORD.  On our honeymoon, DH and I took the "Chunnel" train from London to Paris, arriving at the Gare du Nord.  I was surprised when a French woman offered to help us with directions at the station.  Everyone was so kind to us!  It was shortly after 9/11. 

62. Beige hue: ECRU.

63. Mattress specification: FIRM.

64. Dramatic ballroom dance: TANGO.

65. Quaker's "you": THEE.

66. Sail the seven __: SEAS.

67. Adolescent: TEEN.

Down:

1. Spa sounds: AAHS.

2. Subject of a basic golf lesson: GRIP.

3. Like a fragrant melon: RIPE.

4. Wimbledon winner Arthur: ASHE.

5. "Peanuts" character in a cloud of dirt: PIG PEN.

6. Suffix with lemon and Gator: ADE.

7. Maryland athlete, for short: TERP.  Wikipedia says, "The Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition."  Strangely, I was familiar with this team. 

8. Reduce, as anxiety: EASE.

9. Sport for 4-Down: TENNIS.

10. Sourdough or rye: BREAD.

11. Best competitive effort, informally: A GAME.

12. Cordoned (off): ROPED.

14. Pulitzer-winning novelist Welty: EUDORA.

18. Hindu spiritual mentor: GURU.

22. Identifies on social media: TAGS.

24. Pertinent to the discussion: ON TOPIC.

26. Mined fuel: COAL.

27. Norway home of the Munch Museum: OSLO.  Easy guess. 

28. Cleveland's state: OHIO.

29. Allow: LET.

30. Tax-collecting org.: IRS.

31. After expenses: NET.  After the IRS! 

34. Bang shut: SLAM.

35. "Hi, amiga!": HOLA.

36. Church choir song: HYMN.

38. Cook in a wok: FRY.

39. NFL official: REF.

40. Part of mph: PER.

42. Parcel of land: PLOT.

43. Fight against: RESIST.

44. Dish with melted cheese or chocolate: FONDUE.

45. Muscle cramps, e.g.: SPASMS.

46. Owns, biblically: HATH.

47. Impressionist painter Claude: MONET.  Here are DH and I in Claude MONET's garden.

48. Noteworthy time period: EPOCH.

49. Pied-à-__: secondary residence: TERRE.  One residence is trouble enough for me, but I wouldn't really mind a pied-à-terre in Paris. 

52. Trade-__: concessions: OFFS.

53. Cleveland's lake: ERIE.

55. Sports page datum, for short: STAT.

56. Of sound mind: SANE.

57. Encourage: URGE.

58. School near Windsor Castle: ETON.

61. Noteworthy time period: ERA.

Here's the grid:

I am thrilled to contribute my first blog entry anywhere to the best little Corner on the internet. 

NaomiZ

Sunday June 9, 2024 Amanda Cook & Kelly Richardson

Theme: "DJ Remix" - D and J are swapped in each common phrase.

22. College administrators who never skip gym class?: RIPPED DEANS. Ripped jeans.

28. Mistake a bluebird for a blue bird?: CALL IT A JAY. Call it a day.

41. Finally breaking up with that no-good, pool hall hustler?: DUMPING THE SHARK. Jumping the shark.

64. Tiny bells added to an ugly Christmas sweater?: JANGLING MODIFIERS. Dangling modifers.

85. Honorific for San Francisco's top athlete?: THE JOCK OF THE BAY. The Dock of the Bay.

103. Beaver construction party?: DAM SESSION. Jam session.

111. "Good news! The animals living under the deck aren't skunks!"?: JUST BUNNIES. Dust bunnies.

Ah, I grokked the theme immediately. I bet many regulars did also.

I suck at this type of letter change themes and I always admire how others clue their wacky theme entries.

Love the fill today. So smooth and clean.

Across:

1. Center: HEART.

 6. Visibly nervous: SHAKY.

11. BCBS offering: HMO. Blue Cross Blue Shield.

14. Beaker's sound: MEEP. OK, Beaker the Muppet.

18. Wabbit hunter Fudd: ELMER.

19. Like a foggy graveyard: EERIE.

20. Brim (with): TEEM.

21. Minnesota representative Ilhan: OMAR. Most famous Minnesotan in crossword world.

24. Panache: ELAN.

25. Score symbol: NOTE.

26. Mattel product: DOLL.

27. Whoops: YELLS.

30. Harder to hike: STEEPER. Nothing beats the thrill of climbing Huashan, world's deadliest hiking route. My hometown.

32. "Big yikes": HOO BOY.

34. Court orders: WRITS.

35. __ Talks: TED.

36. Shinbone: TIBIA.

37. Podcast equipment: MIC.

38. Iverson in the Basketball Hall of Fame: ALLEN.

48. Nintendo Switch precursor: WII.

49. Carolyn Bertozzi, notably: CHEMIST. Did not know her. She received the Nobel in 2022.

51. One with niblings: AUNT. Google shows that "Nibling is a gender-neutral term used to refer to a child of one's sibling as a replacement for "niece" or "nephew". Learning moment for me also.
 
52. Regret: RUE.

53. Massachusetts state tree: ELM.

54. "__ Nagila": Hebrew folk song: HAVA. And 6. Occasion to read the Haggadah: SEDER.

55. Made brownies, say: BAKED.

57. Crafty platform: ETSY.

58. Gwen of No Doubt: STEFANI.

60. Penalty shot defender: GOALIE.

63. Queues up: WAITS.

68. Still-life subject, often: FRUIT.

70. Man cave locale, maybe: GARAGE. Not in MN. Too cold in winter.

71. In the spotlight for bad behavior: ON BLAST.

74. Freight option: RAIL.

75. Nick of "Cape Fear": NOLTE.

77. Purple bloom: IRIS.

78. Once called: NEE.

79. "Exit full screen" button: ESC.

80. "Toodles": CIAO.

81. Indian flatbread: CHAPATI.

84. Some undergrad degs.: AAS.

89. Churchyard peals: TOLLS.

91. Scrape (by): EKE.

92. Opera solos: ARIAS.

93. Muscle mag muscle: PEC.

94. Space Invaders console: ATARI.

97. Marzipan nut: ALMOND. Never had Marzipan.

99. Abandons: DESERTS.

105. Concert platform: RISER.

108. Heavenly glow: AURA.

109. NYC drama award: OBIE.

110. Vegan pho protein: TOFU. This is my favorite Tofu brand at the moment.

113. Bridesmaid's handful: POSY.

114. Tinnitus docs: ENTS.

115. Balance sheet entry: ASSET.

116. Sty sounds: OINKS.

117. Lob: TOSS.

118. Director Anderson: WES. Prolific. "Asteroid City" is his latest hit.

119. Big bangs: WHAMS.

120. Like a windbag: GASSY.

Down:

1. Ranch groups: HERDS.

2. "Daniel Deronda" novelist: ELIOT (George)

3. Bountiful: AMPLE.

4. Brimming (with): REPLETE.

5. Three, in Trieste: TRE. Port city in Italy.

7. Tap location: HEEL.

8. North __ Sea: Central Asian lake: ARAL.

9. Bonds between friends: KINSHIPS.

10. "Absolutely!": YES.

11. "Are you even listening?": HELLO.

12. Like overripe apples: MEALY.

13. Hyatt competitor: OMNI.

14. Orange-and-black butterfly: MONARCH.

15. Fire in a text?: EMOJI. Fire emoji.

16. Patronize, as a bistro: EAT AT.

17. Hunts, with "on": PREYS.

20. Rooibos pouch: TEA BAG.

23. Made an egg into an Easter egg: DYED.

28. Invent, as a word: COIN.

29. Chocolate-and-vanilla soft serve: TWIST.

31. Inclination: PENCHANT.

33. Memorial piece: OBIT.

36. "Ew, stop talking!": TMI.

37. Resew, maybe: MEND.

38. Dazzles: AWES. 

39. Jaunty tune: LILT.

40. Ceviche marinade: LIME JUICE.  Looks yummy.

41. Crafty sort: DEVIL.

42. Hindu goddess also known as Parvati: UMA. Another learning moment.

43. Activist known for his time aboard the Enterprise: TAKEI.

44. Tinge: HUE.

45. Small-batch: ARTISANAL.

46. Used car concern: RUST.

47. Florida __: KEYS.

50. Get together: HANG.

55. Online journal: BLOG. And 63. Squarespace creations: WEBSITES.

56. Assistant: AIDE.

57. Former Chief Justice Warren: EARL.

59. Word in many a YouTube title: FAIL. Like makeup fails.

60. Little pest: GNAT.

61. D&D monster: OGRE.

62. "I'm an open book" Reddit sesh: AMA. Ask Me Anything.

65. Heavy-duty cooler brand: IGLOO.

66. Venture: FORAY.

67. "What's __ for you?": IN IT.

68. Sitar ridge: FRET.

69. Hasty: RASH.

72. Wax closure: SEAL.

73. Harper of "No Country for Old Men": TESS.

75. French Riviera city: NICE.

76. Iowa state tree: OAK.

77. Many a Lagunitas brew, briefly: IPA.

80. Roberts who was one of NPR's "Founding Mothers": COKIE.

81. Helmet clip spot: CHIN.

82. Result of standing up too fast: HEADRUSH. Low blood pressure.

83. Six-packs, sometimes: ABS.

86. Game day tops: JERSEYS.

87. Nathan's __ hot dogs: FAMOUS.

88. Jumbo suffix: TRON.

90. Papua New Guinea region: OCEANIA. Guess how many languages in this island nation?

93. Cuzco's country: PERU. 100. Cuzco attraction: RUINS.

94. Rescue, as a pet: ADOPT.

95. Don't: TABOO.

96. Off: AMISS.

97. In concert: AS ONE.

98. Rides: LIFTS.

99. Balance sheet entries: DEBTS.

101. Does the Tour du Mont Blanc, say: TREKS.

102. Bold: SASSY.

 104. Crockpot recipe: STEW.

106. "The Lovebirds" actress Rae: ISSA.

 107. Derive (from): STEM.

 111. Chatter: JAW.

 112. Holiday party serving: NOG.

 

Here are two great pictures from Lemonade, our faithful Friday Sherpa for many years. That's his sweet wife Oo taking the selfie. The other two are his granddaughters Charlotte and Harper. The little boy in the second picture is his cute grandson Owen. You can click here to see more pictures.  

C.C.