Tuesday August 20, 2024, Zachary David Levy

Rope Bridges:  The Cambridge Dictionary defines a Rope Bridge as: a bridge made of long pieces of rope tied together with knots, and wooden boards for people to walk on".  In today's puzzle, the Rope spans and connects each two-word phrase.

Me crossing a Rope Bridge in the Peruvian Amazon.

17-Across. Garage button: DOOR OPENER.

25-Across. Jewelry that hangs just below a lobe: DROP EARRING.

37-Across. Coriander-based sauce: CILANTRO PESTO.  I make Basil Pesto.

49-Across. Promotional interest rate, perhaps: ZERO PERCENT.

And the unifier:

59-Across. Rudimentary span suspended over a river, or a span found in 17-, 25-, 37-, and 49-Across: ROPE BRIDGE.

While the video below is not a rope bridge, the bamboo bridge of Kampong Cham in Cambodia spans the Mekong River from the mainland to Koh Pen, an island in the river.  We walked across it a couple of years ago.  It is probably the most dangerous bridge I have ever crossed.  Hubby fell while trying to speed walk and still has the scars on his leg from being cut on the bamboo.

Across:

1. Postinjury support: CRUTCH.

7. Do one's darned best?: SEW.  Cute clue.

10. Puts together: ADDS.

14. Like a yes-no question: BINARY.  More than you would ever want to know about Binary Responses.

15. "But you can call me ... " letters: AKA.  Also Known As.

16. Take in, as crops: REAP.

19. Sandwich spread: MAYO.

20. Jacket wool: TWEED.  Everything you wanted to know about Tweed but didn't know to ask.

21. Emoticon eyes, often: COLON.

:-)

22. Ryder Cup org.: PGA.  As in the Professional Golfers' Association.  Everything you wanted to know about the Ryder Cup but didn't know to ask.

28. Cot settings: BUNKS.

30. Food label letters: RDA.  As in the Recommended Daily Allowances.

31. Born: NÉE.  Today's French lesson.  This word has become a crossword staple.

32. Leave gratified: SATE.

33. Brings down: SADDENS.

41. Take care of: PROTECT.

The tiny words at the bottom of the door read: "To Punish and Enslave"

42. Nothing, in Spanish: NADA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

44. Gallery piece: ART.

47. Slice of history: ERA.

48. Tie sometimes worn with an open collar: ASCOT.

54. Find to be mined: ORE.

55. "__ means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten": "Lilo & Stitch": OHANA.  Today's Hawaiian language lesson.

56. Like a cheering crowd: AROAR.  The dreaded A word.

58. Predetermines the outcome: RIGS.

64. Lake that feeds the Niagara River: ERIE.  This reminds me of our old friend Abejo.  [Name Adjacent.]

65. Actor's prompt: CUE.

66. Soccer star Messi: LIONEL.  Can you believe we made it all the way to clue 66 before encountering a name!  Lionel Andrés Messi (b. June 24, 1987) is an Argentine professional soccer player, or as they say in countries outside of the United States, a professional football player.   [Name # 1.]

67. Religious offshoot: SECT.  Last week the Quakers formed the SECT.  (See 64-Across from last week's puzzle.)

68. Broadcast: AIR.

69. State, in Mexico: ESTADO.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

Down:

1. Ingredient in some oils, briefly: CBD.  As in Cannabidiol, which is the chemical found in marijuana.  CBD is legal in many states, including Louisiana.

2. __ Grande: RIO.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

3. Mattel card game: UNO.

4. Tangy: TART.

5. Packs together: CROWDS.

6. Link prefix: HYPER.

7. Wall St. "500" index: S AND P.  Standard and Poor is more commonly denoted as S&P.  The S&P 500 is a stock market index tracking the stock performance of 500 of the largest companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States.  I hope you didn't try to parse this as SAND P.

8. Barely make (out): EKE.

9. Tug-of-__: WAR.

10. Knight's outer layer: ARMOR.

11. Give a hand?: DEAL IN.

12. Start of a new routine: DAY ONE.  School has already started here so many kids have already had their Day One of the new school year.

13. Light cake type: SPONGE.  A brief history of the Sponge Cake.

18. Fair-hiring initials: EEO.  As in Equal Employment Opportunity.

21. Leggy wader: CRANE.  What's the difference between a crane and an egret?

22. "Cosmos" network: PBS.  As in Public Broadcasting Service.  Cosmos was a television series that aired in 1980-1981 that covered many scientific subjects on the origin of life and our place in the universe.  It was written and narrated by Carl Sagan (Nov. 9, 1934 ~ 1996).

23. Nacho dip, briefly: GUAC.  As in Guacamole.  Yummers!

24. Not supporting: ANTI.

26. One performing CPR, perhaps: ER DOC.  As in Emergency Room Doctor.

27. Highly skilled (at): ADEPT.

29. Seaweed superfood: KELP.

33. Saw logs: SNORE.

34. Oil used in some perfume: ATTAR.  This makes occasional appearances in the crossword puzzles.  Everything you wanted to know about Attar but didn't know to ask.

35. Beats by __: headphones brand: DRE.  The Dre in Beats by Dre refers to music producer Dr. Dre (né Andre Romell Young; b. Feb. 18, 1965), who founded the company, Beats Electronics, in 2006.  [Name # 2.]

36. IDs on 1040 forms: SSNs.  As in Social Security Numbers.

38. Stuffed cornmeal snack: AREPA.  I have probably eaten Arepa, but didn't know that was what they were called.

39. Stuffed tortilla snack: TACO.  Yummers!  More food.

40. Olfactory stimulus: ODOR.

43. Feasted: ATE.

44. Island chain northwest of Morocco: AZORES.  I will be traveling to the Azores with my sister next spring.  The Azores are a chain of 9.

45. Sign on again: RE-HIRE.

46. Very unfortunate: TRAGIC.

48. Early video game consoles: ATARIS.  [Name adjacent.]

50. Commencement: ONSET.

51. Prank: CAPER.

52. Before, poetically: ERE.

53. Having a dignified air: NOBLE.

57. Good-for-a-laugh type: RIOT.

59. Sony Music subsidiary: RCA.

60. French affirmative: OUI.  Today's French lesson.

61. Genetic code carrier: DNA.

62. HS diploma alternative: GED.  As in General Education Development or General Education Diploma.

63. "Mr. Blue Sky" gp.: ELO.  As in the Electric Light Orchestra.  [Name adjacent]

Here's the grid:

Did you notice how few names were in today's puzzle!

חתולה

Monday August 19, 2024 Catherine Cetta

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. 

Theme:  

We'll start things off with some appropriate background music and a funny dancing dog. Enjoy!  

The Tokens  ~  The Lion Sleeps Tonight  ~  1961

Constructor Catherine Cetta gives us these four themed clues:

18 Across. Virtual thumbs-up: LIKE BUTTON.  

23 Across. "You can't please everyone," for one: LIFE LESSON.  

38 Across. Tastes brownie batter before baking, perhaps: LICKS THE SPOON.  

50 Across. Attend while muted, as a virtual company meeting: LISTEN IN ON.  

Click to enlarge.

And the reveal:

57 Across. Feline user of a pet door, and a feature of 18-, 23-, 38-, and 50-Across?: OUTSIDE CAT.  

A LION is a member of the cat family. Also, the letters LI and ON are on the "outsides" of the answers to the themed clues. I noticed all of the LIs while solving; but, strangely, not the ONs.

Next, the lion's share of the grid:

Across:

1. Onesie fastener: SNAP.  "Onesies" and "any confusing similar terms" was trademarked by Gerber Childrenswear LLC in 2013.  

5. Fourth-down option: PUNT.  Seeing SNAP then PUNT makes me think we need an "oof!" video.  

9. OshKosh __: B'GOSH.  They make clothes for babies and young children. The OshKosh B'gosh brand is owned by Carter's. It looks like OshKosh calls their onesies (See 1-Across.) "Baby Short-Sleeve Bodysuits".

14. "All done!": TA-DA.  

15. Puccini's "Nessun dorma," e.g.: ARIA.  Here Luciano Pavarotti sings it (with subtitles!).  

16. Bank offerings: LOANS.  Here are some interesting statistics on the average American's debt.

17. Forgets to add an attachment, say: ERRS.  

Click to enlarge.

20. "West Side Story" role for Ariana and Rita: ANITA.  Here is Rita Moreno (blue skirt) as Anita singing "A Boy Like That" (1961).  

22. Film critic Roger: EBERT.

26. Hawaiian dance: HULA.

30. Did not stand: SAT.

31. Just a number, some say: AGE.

32. Postcardworthy: SCENIC.     and     41 Across. 32-Across view: VISTA.

Big Sur, CA

34. Realm reached by the rainbow bridge Bifröst: ASGARD.  At first I thought this might be a clue for IKEA. 😄  Marvel Comics Universe Fandom explanation

37. South American range: ANDES.  The Earth's longest mountain chain is the ANDES.

42. Wringing wet: SOAKED.  

43. Baseball unit: INNING.

45. Grassy tract: LEA.

46. "Vous êtes __": Paris map line: ICI.  This is a clever play on the word "line". In this case, it is not a line drawn to represent a street. It is a "horizontal row of written characters" as in "the last line on the page".

Translation:  You Are Here (ICI)
and:  Your shoelace is untied.

49. Security camera letters: CCTV.  Closed-Circuit TeleVision, a.k.a. "video surveillance"

54. British Columbia border state: IDAHO.  Their border is only 45 mi. (72 k.) long.

56. Parts of Groucho Marx disguises: NOSES.  

62. Actress Garr: TERI. 

63. Stews (over): FRETS.

64. Weary sigh: AH,ME.

65. Parentheses shapes: ARCS.  (  )  

66. "Jumpin' Jack __": Rolling Stones hit: FLASH.  At first I drew a blank but it's all right now. ♪ 

The Rolling Stones  ~  Jumpin' Jack Flash  ~  (1968)

trippy lyrics video

67. Ready to eat: RIPE.  Oh, the food is ready to eat -- not the human.

68. Editor's "never mind": STET.  Never mind always makes me think of Gilda Radner. Anyone else?  

Saturday Night Live (1:21 min.)

Down:

1. Takes an extra base: STEALS.  baseball

2. "The Chronicles of __": C.S. Lewis series: NARNIA.

3. Floating aimlessly: ADRIFT.

4. Crafting adhesive: PASTE.

5. Good buddy: PAL.

6. Sch. in the smallest U.S. state: URI.  The University of Rhode Island is a school.

7. Sneakers with swooshes: NIKES.  Did you notice an abundance of track & field athletes sporting orange shoes during the Olympics? I did and I wanted to know why. 

Source: Pretty Purple Track Proves Popular in Paris  "Sportswear brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Puma have also prepared for purple, producing shoes in lurid orange and yellow hues to clash with the track."

Mens' 10K Final
(Yeah, I know. The track looks blue in this pic.)

8. Billy Blanks fitness regimen: TAE BO.  This is a group exercise class that incorporates some martial arts movements.

9. Make fuzzy: BLUR.

10. Received permission to proceed: GOT THE NOD.  

Paul Newman  ~  The Sting  ~  1973

11. Granola morsel: OAT.

12. Nestlé's __-Caps: SNO.  

13. Cable channel with daily deals: HSN.  Home Shopping Network

19. C-notes: BENS.  C is the Roman numeral for 100 and BEN is short for Benjamin Franklin. His picture is on the $100 bill. Is this drug dealer lingo?

21. Nome resident: ALASKAN.  Today in Nome the sun will rise at 7:05 a.m. and set at 11:02 p.m., making the day almost 16 hours long.

Hi inanehiker!

24. Omelet ingredients: EGGS.  

25. Boarding pass assignments: SEATS.

27. Cancel, in a document: UNDO.  

28. Property claim: LIEN.

29. Bldg. coolers: A/CS.  Air Conditioners cool buildings. The houses in my neighborhood do not have A/C because we get a cool breeze from the ocean.

33. Peninsula northeast of Boston: CAPE ANN.  Hand up for first having CAPE COD.  

34. Protesters, often: ACTIVISTS.

35. P-like Greek letter: RHO.  not to be confused with the Vietnamese soup, pho  

36. Distributed, as cards: DEALT.

38. Partner of Julie and Pete on "The Mod Squad": LINC.  

I love the tagline:  Justice never goes out of style.

39. "It just __ fair!": ISN'T.  another LIFE LESSON

40. __-Ball: arcade game: SKEE.  

41. Singer Damone: VIC.  (1928 - 2018)

44. Happy: GLAD.  "Happy/Glad" made me think of my favorite song from The Addams Family musical. Gomez (Nathan Lane) sings Happy/Sad to describe the complex emotions he feels watching his daughter grow up. 

46. Magazine extra: INSERT.  

47. Force: COERCE.

48. Refuse to take "no" for an answer: INSIST.

51. "Everybody's saying ... ": I HEAR ....

52. 2014 Winter Olympics city: SOCHI.  

scene from the Opening Ceremonies

53. Itty-bitty bits: IOTAS.

55. Platter: DISH.

57. Amiss: OFF.

58. Latimes.com, for one: URL.  Uniform Resource Locator  

59. Herbal brew: TEA.

60. Rock concert need: AMP.

61. Casual top: TEE.  

another LIFE LESSON

Here's the grid:  

Please lion up to add your comments below.

Sunday August 18, 2024 Rebecca Goldstein

Theme: "Toss and Turn" - Synonyms of "throw" are placed directly under BUS.

22. "The Biggest Small Town in America": COLUMBUS.

26. Seem legit: PASS THE SMELL TEST.

49. Way of the samurai: BUSHIDO CODE.

54. Chat with an investor who gets in on the ground floor?: ELEVATOR PITCH.

77. Three-martini meal depicted in "Mad Men": BUSINESS LUNCH.

83. Hot romance?: SUMMER FLING.

97. Ghost follower: BUSTER.

Reveal:

102. Betray for personal advantage, and what's depicted five times in this puzzle: THROW UNDER THE BUS.

113. Stuff in a skillet: CAST IRON.

 

Stunning construction!

For stacking gimmick, we often see a short upper or lower entry, but in this puzzle, all the theme entries are at least 8-letter long except BUSTER. Also, except the I in FLING, every other "throw" letter under the B is a consonant. This makes the B? slot hard. 

Across:

1. Duolingo awards: BADGES.

7. Blow one's stack at the poker table?: LOSE BIG. Nice fill and clue.

14. Peach center: PIT. I love white peaches.

17. Not sustain, in a way: OVERRULE.

20. Lovingly, on a score: AMOROSO.

21. Breakfasted: ATE. Do you all use breakfast as a verb?

23. "Ask E. Jean" columnist: CARROLL.

24. Early operating system: UNIX.

25. Toss a chip into the pot: ANTE.

29. Real beaut: LULU.

31. Icy coat: HOAR.

32. Aches (for): YEARNS.

33. Streamer's device, briefly: CAM.

36. Hold: POSSESS.

38. Letter after upsilon: PHI.

41. All __ jazz: THAT.

42. In the thick of: AMIDST.

44. Chuckle noise: HEE.

45. "__ noches": BUENAS. Chinese for "good night" is very short: "wan an".

47. Gem surface: FACET.

48. Celebrity chef Tila: JET. Unknown to me. Wikipedia says he was born to Thai Chinese parents.

57. DNA depiction: GENE MAP.

58. Points of pride?: GAY BARS. Another great fill and clue.

59. Skulk member: FOX. A group of foxes is a skulk.

60. Copenhagener, e.g.: DANE.

61. More artful: DEFTER.

65. GPS heading: ENE.

66. Friendly reminder, for short: PSA.

68. Come to the surface: EMERGE.

70. "My word": I SAY.

71. Permanent body art: TAT.

73. Author Sendak: MAURICE. "Where the Wild Things Are" was made into a movie.

75. Parade official: MARSHAL.

85. Scroogian outburst: BAH.

86. Accustom: INURE.

87. Long-eared hound: BEAGLE.

88. Gov. lawyers: DAS.

89. Shoe holder at an airport, for short: TSA BIN.
 
90. Munich pub order: BIER. Plural is "Biere".

93. Tapas seasoning: SAL.

94. Pollutes: LITTERS.

96. GPS displays: STS.

99. Epic party: BASH.

100. Frosh residence, often: QUAD.

107. German Film Award: LOLA. The statuette is called Lola.

111. Abba of the Knesset: EBAN.

112. Modern genre with dark elements: NEO NOIR.

115. Vote for: AYE.

116. Maslany of "Orphan Black": TATIANA. Canadian actress.

117. Neat and trim: CLEAN CUT.

118. Letters on an Australia trip itinerary: MEL. Melbourne.

119. Iditarod entrant: SLED DOG.

120. In no way looks forward to: DREADS.

Down:

1. Mouth of the Orinoco?: BOCA. Boca means "Mouth" in Spanish.

2. Maker of Anew skin care products: AVON. Just filed bankruptcy.

3. Shoulder press target, briefly: DELT.

4. Unappealing grub: GRUEL.

5. "Uh" equivalent: ERM.

6. Second story?: SUB-PLOT. OK, secondary story.

7. Milk sugar: LACTOSE.

8. Indigenous Nebraskans: OMAHAS.

9. Knottier, maybe: SORER.

10. __ on the side of caution: ERRS.

11. Fireworks sound: BOOM. Fireworks are supposed to scare away evil spirit Nian. Chinese New Year is called "Xin Nian".

12. Speck in the sea: ISLE.

13. "Goodness me": GOLLY.

14. "You Pick Two" chain: PANERA.

15. "You might want to check again": IT ISN'T.

16. Chats on the phone: TEXTS.

18. Feasts with fire dancers: LUAUS.

19. Snaky shape: ESS.

24. Four Corners state: UTAH.

27. Roasting option: SHEET PAN.

28. Discloses: LETS ON.

30. Act better than, in a way: UPSTAGE.

33. Espresso shop: CAFE.

34. Activist Clooney: AMAL.

35. Little cupboard raiders: MICE.

37. Rainbow __: frozen dessert: SHERBET.

38. Hard work before a deadline: PUSH.

39. Chuckle noise: HEH.

40. Montoya who sought a six-fingered man: INIGO. In "The Princess Bride".

43. David Copperfield portrayer Patel: DEV.

45. Tampa Bay pro: BUC.

46. Pitching aces?: AD EXECS. Product-pitching.

48. Bliss: JOY.

49. K-pop boy band: BTS.

50. Surrender: CEDE.

51. Representative Ilhan: OMAR. She's in Connie's district.

52. "Aw shoot!": DANG.

53. Blade in a bout: EPEE.

55. Tuna tail?: TARTARE. Tuna tartare.

56. Outrage: IRE.

59. Region that includes Indonesia and Japan: FAR EAST.

61. Loses brightness: DIMS.

62. Hairy biblical twin: ESAU.

63. Produce produce: FARM. Look at this zucchini walnut bread Janice sent to me. So so good. Boomer's mouth would be watering.

64. Short message of appreciation: TYSM. Thank You So Much.

66. Father, in Portuguese: PAI. Learning moment for me. Now we can avoid the [__ gow poker] clue angle.

67. Catch some rays: SUNBATHE.

69. Songwriter Etheridge: MELISSA.

72. Italian racers, familiarly: ALFAS. Tony's Alfa Romeo.

73. Arena at Penn Sta.: MSG. Madison Square Garden. Penn Station.

74. "That's sorta right": ISH.

76. __ National: kosher brand: HEBREW. We also have 91. Setting for "Fauda" and "Shtisel": ISRAEL.

77. Legislative creation: BILL.

78. French article: UNE. And 79. Spanish article: UNA.

80. Apt rhyme for stubs: NUBS.

81. Lit __: CRIT.

82. Egg layers: HENS. Lay-ers.

84. Airport near Astoria: Abbr.: LGA.

88. Kitchen sink item: DISH RAG.

89. Tied up: TRUSSED.

90. "See ya!": BUH-BYE.

92. Posh British school: ETON.

94. Nicaragua native: LATINO.

95. Brand in blue packets: EQUAL.

97. Nonstarters: B TEAM. And 101. Spot for tackles in the NFL: D LINE.

98. Puny pups: RUNTS.

99. Inclusive: BROAD.

103. YouTube CEO Mohan: NEAL. Unknown to me also.

 

104. Love (on): DOTE.

105. Oklahoma city northwest of Oklahoma City: ENID.

106. Keep a guest list private, maybe: BCC.

108. Oceanic predator: ORCA.

109. Screaming, say: LOUD.

110. Insects with a pharaoh variety: ANTS.

114. La Brea __ Pits: TAR.

When you experience glitches in commenting, TTP suggested that you gather below:

1) Error messages or code

2) Your device (desktop, laptop tablet or phone)

3) Your OS (Windows 10 or 11, OS X, Chrome OS, IOS, Android, other)

4) Your browser (iPhone, Safari, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Samsung, Android, Opera, other)

Then use the Send Feedback option in the upper right corner of the Comments page. Your messages will go directly to the Blogger team.

For the time being, just shift to Chrome.

C.C.