Tuesday, December 10, 2024 Zhouqin Burnikel

Punctuation Marks.  One word in each theme answer is another word for the punctuation mark that Stops sentence.  In the first theme answer, the POINT is at the beginning of the answer.  In the second theme answer, the DOT is found in the middle of the answer.  Finally, in the last theme answer, the PERIOD is at the end of the answer.

17-Across. Film scene from a character's perspective: POINT OF VIEW SHOT.

26-Across. Garment with patterned circles: POLKA DOT DRESS.

46-Across. Lasting mere moments: FOR A BRIEF PERIOD.

And the unifier:

62-Across. Break during a road trip, and what can be found in 17-, 26-, and 46-Across: STOP ALONG THE WAY.

Our Blog Hostess has also prepared a delicious mini-theme of Japanese foods.  You'll have to hunt for your dinner, though!

Across:

1. Insect that builds a paper nest: WASP.  Everything you wanted to know about Wasp nests, but didn't know to ask.

5. "Snowy" wading bird: EGRET.  They are beautiful birds.

10. Tiniest bit: IOTA.

14. Actress Fanning: ELLE.  Elle Fanning (née Mary Elle Fanning; b. Apr. 8, 1998) is the younger sister of actress Dakota Fanning (née Hannah Dakota Fanning; b. Feb. 23, 1994).

15. Little Haiti's city: MIAMI.  The Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami is known for its restaurants, colorful street murals and fruit stands.  It also has a flourishing art scene centered on small, indie galleries.

16. Flatbread full of bubbles: NAAN.  Yummers!  This bread makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.

20. Adagio or allegro: TEMPO.

21. Lunar festival in Saigon: TET.  Tết short for Tết Nguyên Đán, which means Festival of the First Day.   It is the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture.  Tết celebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese calendar.  It usually falls in January or February in the Gregorian calendar.  The festival is celebrated for several days.  The next Tet celebration will fall on January 29, 2025.

22. Sorority residence: HOUSE.

23. Pioneering ISP: AOL.  As in America On Line.

25. Deep fryer liquid: OIL.

33. Purring pets: CATS.

34. Broth often made with bonito flakes: DASHI.  I am not familiar with this Japanese soup.  Apparently it is easy to make and is the base for Miso soup and is made with only three ingredients: water, kombu (dried kelp), and bonito fish flakes.

35. Fly like an eagle: SOAR.

37. "Whadja say?": HUH.

38. Defeated, as a dragon: SLAIN.

39. Go green, perhaps?: DYE.

40. Choose by ballot: ELECT.

43. Stat indicated by tree rings: AGE.

44. Pebble's big cousin: STONE.  Everything you wanted to know about stones vs pebbles but didn't know to ask.

49. DOD intel arm: NSA.  As in the National Security Agency, which is a division of the Department of Defense.  

50. One day __ time: AT A.  One Day At A Time was a sit-com that ran from 1974 to 1984 that starred Bonnie Franklin (née Bonnie Gail Franklin; Jan. 6, 1944 ~ Mar. 1, 2013) as the mother and Mackenzie Phillips (née Laura Mackenzie Phillips; b. Nov. 10, 1959) and Valerie Bertinelli (née Valerie Anne Bertinelli; Apr. 23, 1960) as the daughters.

51. Temaki fish: TUNA.  Yummers!  More Japanese food.  Temaki is a type of sushi that's rolled into a cone shape and eaten by hand. The name "temaki" is Japanese for "hand roll".  //  And 53-Down. Temaki cone: NORI.

54. More slippery: ICIER.

58. Like muted colors: PALE.

Bright and muted colors explained.

65. Whittles (down): PARES.

66. Animal that loves mud: PIG.

67. Atmospheric layer with holes: OZONE.  The ozone layer sits in the stratosphere between 10 and 25 miles above the earth.  It shields living things from the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation.  Ozone layer depletion could have serious effects on human health and the environment.

68. __ kebab: SHISH.  More food.

69. UFO passengers: ETs.  As in ExtraTerrestrials.

70. Fuses with heat: WELDS.

Down:

1. Broke down in tears: WEPT.

2. Healing succulent: ALOE.

No, Splynter, it never gets old.

3. Unlikely, as a chance: SLIM.

4. Letter-exchanging friends: PEN PALS.

5. Panic! at the Disco genre: EMO.  Apparently, Panic! at the Disco was an American pop rock band.  It was active from 2004 until just last year, although the band members changed throughout the year.

6. Natural talent: GIFT.

7. Party with electronic music: RAVE.

8. Radiate: EMIT.

9. Cause for overtime: TIE.

10. Shoe cushions: INSOLES.  Catherine, Princess of Wales wears Alice Bow insoles.

11. Island northwest of Molokai: OAHU.  One of the Hawaiian Islands.

12. New Mexico town in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains: TAOS.

13. Poker stake: ANTE.

18. Confiscated: TOOK.

19. Propeller noise: WHIR.

24. Young fellows: LADS.

25. All-father of Norse myth: ODIN.  Odin is the Norse god of war and death.

26. São __, Brazil: PAULO.  São Paulo, Brazil’s financial center.  It is the most populous city in Brazil.

27. "None of the above" choice: OTHER.

28. __ Lama: DALAI.

29. Missouri River tributary: OSAGE.  The Osage people appeared in last Thursday's puzzle.  They were the subject of David Grann's book, Killers of the Flower Moon, which was later adapted into a film as Waseeley explained.

30. Crook: THIEF.

31. "Same here!": SO DO I.  This clue and answer also appeared in 14-Across in last Thursday's puzzle.  

32. Pass on an offer: SAY NO.

33. Many a cookbook author: CHEF.

36. Basketry plant: REED.

41. Cocktail hour appetizers: CANAPÉS.

 

42. "Impractical Jokers" network: TBS.

44. Ready to proceed: SET.

45. Bar for circus acrobats: TRAPEZE.  The song, The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze was a tribute to Jules Léotard (Aug. 1, 1838 ~ Aug. 16, 1870).  In addition to his daring trapeze performances, he invented a one-piece knitted garment streamlined to suit the safety and agility concerns of trapeze performance, hence, the modern Leotard worn by ballerinas and gymnasts.  Although Jules Léotard died young, it was not due to a trapeze stunt, but rather by an infectious disease.

47. Public transit option: RAIL.

48. Hair line?: PART.  Cute clue.

51. Fish sauce amts.: TSPS.  As in Teaspoons.

52. Arches National Park state: UTAH.  The Park has over 2,000 natural stone arches, hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive rock fins, and giant balanced rocks, hence its name.

55. Get by: COPE.

56. Still competing: IN IT.

57. Ingredients that are cracked to make khai jiao: EGGS.  Yummer!  More food, this time with a Thai theme.  Khai Jiao is the name for Thai-style omelet.

59. USAF truant: AWOL.  As in Absent WithOut Leave.

60. Hit the runway: LAND.

61. Organs with lids: EYES.

63. Barbecue residue: ASH.

64. "__ did you do that?": HOW.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Thank you all for the birthday wishes yesterday.  That brightened my day.

Monday December 9, 2024 Renee Thomason

  

Happy Monday, everyone. Today we have a puzzle by...well...I constructed this one. 

Title:                    There was a time...

I always like it when, on British detective shows, the boss asks how the case is going and the reply is, "Nothing yet, sir, but it's still EARLY DAYS". I was thinking about that and wondered if it might have puzzle possibilities. Next I made a list of words that could come before DAYS. When I realized HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE had 15 letters, I knew I had to make it work because HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE across the middle was just so fun.

There are four themed clues:

16 Across. Disney princess with a jealous stepmother: SNOW WHITE.

24 Across. Truly exhausted: DOG TIRED.

38 Across. First line of a nursery rhyme about the cow that jumped over the moon: HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE.

47 Across. Competitive countenance: GAME FACE.

(Note:  I liked this clue much more than the one I submitted. Mine was too connected to a specific game. It is better to have more separation between the clue meaning and the reveal meaning. This clue does a better job of that.)

Then the reveal:

61 Across. Beginning stages, and what the starts of 16-, 24-, 38-, and 47-Across literally are?: EARLY DAYS.

According to Gobsmacked!: The British Invasion of American English by Ben Yagoda (2024), "(It's) early days" is an expression which describes an early stage in an event or process, often implying too early. Yagoda writes that Americans typically say "the early days of" but began using this Britishism around 1980. Yagoda has an "adoption scale" for each of the terms in his book. He places EARLY DAYS in the middle of his scale with the label "Taking Hold".  

<Click to enlarge.>

As for the gimmick, the words SNOW, DOG, HEY, and GAME can all come before (early) DAYS to create a new in-the-language phrase. We have:

SNOW DAYS  ~  Kids watch the scrolling list at the bottom of the news to see if school will be closed due to inclement weather.  

DOG DAYS    ~  These are the hot summer days when Sirius, known as the DOG star can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere.  

Sirius is sort of like the dog's tag around its neck.

HEYDAYS  ~  Def. (noun) the period of one's greatest popularity, vigor, or prosperity.  

Lonesome River Band  ~  Heyday  ~  2022

Can you work out who "I" is in this song?

GAME DAYS  ~  Simply put, GAME DAYS are the days on which a sports team plays a game. At my school, the players and cheer squads wore their jerseys to regular classes on GAME DAYS. Sometimes we had an alternate class schedule to make time for a pep rally.

It is not too late for the other clues....

Across:

1. Includes on a 51-Down: CCS.     and     51-Down. Paperless message: EMAIL.

4. DEA agent: NARC.

8. Rowing team: CREW.

12. Quaker __: big name in cereal: OATS.  

IMO, these OATS really are of a higher quality than the store brand.

14. Letter-shaped ski lift: T-BAR.

15. New Zealand native: MAORI.

18. "The Maltese Falcon" actress Mary: ASTOR.  (1906-1987)  Née Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke from Quincy, IL, Mary played Brigid O-Shaughnessy opposite Humphry Bogart's Sam Spade in this 1941 film.

19. Synagogue scroll: TORAH.

20. Actor Danson: TED.  This it the trailer for Ted Danson's new show, A Man on the Inside. Irish Miss was just recently telling us about it.

21. __ Island: The Ocean State: RHODE.  Though just 37 miles (60 km.) wide and 48 miles (77 km.) long, Rhode Island boasts 400 miles (644 km.) of shoreline.

22. Iron-deficient, perhaps: ANEMIC.  

They had me at "dark chocolate".

26. Elphaba's broom in "Wicked," for one: PROP.  Wicked (the musical) as been made into a motion picture. The movie version was released on Nov. 22 and grossed over $114 million the first weekend -- the biggest opening ever for a Broadway film adaptation. Here is the trailer: 

28. __-Manuel Miranda of "Hamilton": LIN.

29. Word before down or out: WORE.  WORE down and WORE out

32. 1980s president Ronald: REAGAN.  (1911-2004)

Before he was the 40th president of the United States,
he enlisted in the 322nd Calvary Regiment in Des Moines, IA in 1937.
He then transferred to a Los Angeles regiment where he served as a second lieutenant.

35. Nile snake: ASP.  While Cleopatra was out feeding her pet ass, she unfortunately missed the PSA about how some sap let an ASP loose in a pile of ash.

41. Silver deposit: ORE.  Silver is represented on the periodic table as Ag. Do you know which country is named for its silver deposits? (answer below)  

42. Like radiator pipes: COILED.  Here is an Industrial Products Video for anyone curious to know more:

43. Scent: ODOR.

44. Smitten Kitchen blogger Perelman: DEB.  website

45. Bingo kin: KENO.

52. Sweet denial: NO, DEAR.  

Hobbes is Calvin's stuffed tiger toy.
He becomes a real tiger when he and Calvin are alone.

56. Rare Italian violin: AMATI.

57. Med. plan option: HMO.  "Medical" is abbreviated, so is "Health Maintenance Organization".

59. Taco topping: SALSA.  I like this one from Trader Joe's.  

60. Skeleton pieces: BONES.  

63. Noon nourishment: LUNCH.

64. Small, medium, or large: SIZE.

65. Pedometer unit: STEP.

66. The "E" of QED: ERAT.  QED is a Latin abbreviation for quod ERAT demonstrandum or "Which was demonstrated".  We wrote it at the end of our math proofs. My teacher used to joke that it means Quite Easily Done.

67. Arduous journey: SLOG.  Def. (noun) a long, exhausting march or hike.

68. Some CGI beings: ETS.  Computer-generated Imagery and Extraterrestrials  

Down:

1. __ Rica: COSTA.  Costa Rica is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire circle and has over 200 volcanic formations traced back over 65 million years. Of these formations, around 100 of them show signs of activity but only five are classified as active.

2. Source material for fan fiction: CANON.  When fans talk about works of fiction or when they write spin-off stories, CANON is another way of saying the original source material. For example, CANON says that Superman came from the planet Krypton. If someone wanted to write a story about Superman, the story should not alter that fact.

3. Big-box __: STORE.  

4. Utmost degree: NTH.  Here on The Corner we love and value Hahtoolah to the NTH degree and therefore wish her the happiest of birthdays today!  

5. "Isn't this all just __ much?": A BIT.  not at ALL

6. Like books on Goodreads: RATED.  The book that inspired 26-Across was RATED 3.54 stars on Goodreads.

7. Guiding principle: CREDO.  

8. Redeem for money: CASH IN.

9. Piece in a model helicopter kit: ROTOR.  DH is a helicopter pilot but I have never ridden in one.

10. Go away gradually: ERODE.

11. Full of energy: WIRED.  Think of a classroom full of seven-year-olds on a windy November 1st.

13. Up to one's eyeballs: SWAMPED.  

15. "Shaken, not stirred" cocktail: MARTINI.  Apparently someone counted all the drinks James Bond ordered in Ian Fleming's novels. It turns out that the book version of 007 prefers bourbon.

a compilation of shaken, not stirred Bond scenes

17. Fan noise: WHIR.  "Applause" does not fit.

23. Spanish city with Moorish architecture: CORDOBA.  I love reading about the series of occupations that influenced the culture and architecture of SE Spain. Here is a 2:08 min. travel video:  

25. Make happy: GLADDEN.     and     53-Down. Make really happy: ELATE.  😁

27. Mani counterpart: PEDI.

29. One of a journalist's five W's: WHO.  

30. Above, in verse: O'ER.

31. Pumpernickel flour: RYE.  As a general rule, the RYE flour in my pumpernickel bread is 40% or less of the total flour. More than that, it is difficult to get a good rise. I also add 1/2 cup of corn meal to my pumpernickel bread.

33. 100%: ALL.  

34. Many a techie or Trekkie: GEEK.

35. Do some sums: ADD.

36. __-mo replay: SLO.  Be forewarned, someday I hope to construct a later-in-the-week grid where I clue SLO as "Cal Poly State Univ.'s town" as a CSO to my big bro who graduated  from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California.

37. For each: PER.  

2 for $5 or $2.50 PER each

39. Use a rod and reel on a frozen lake: ICE FISH.  

40. Thingamajigs: DOODADS.   

I'm not familiar with that last one.

44. Pick up on: DETECT.  Dogs are excellent at this. DETECTion dogs are trained to DETECT and alert to the presence of certain scents for which they have been trained to recognize. Examples include medical conditions, endangered plants, explosives, narcotics, live humans, human remains, and weapons. Here's a 2:30 min. video about testing for the qualities that make a dog a good candidate to be a DETECTion dog:  

Don't you just love to watch a dog enjoying his work?

46. Like a busybody: NOSY.  

47. Clark of classic Hollywood: GABLE.  (1901-1960)

48. Love, in French: AMOUR.

49. Heaven-sent food: MANNA.

50. "The Queen's Gambit" activity: CHESS.  The Queen's Gambit was a 2020 TV miniseries based on Walter Tevis' 1983 novel of the same name. The title refers to a classic CHESS opening series of moves.

54. So far: AS YET.

55. Speaks hoarsely: RASPS.

58. Pasta that can be used to make risotto: ORZO.  

It looks like grains of rice.

62. __ of lamb: LEG.

Here's the grid:  

*Answer to 41-Across question:  Argentina's name is derived from the Latin word for silver, argentum. 

Thank you for doing my early-in-the-week EARLY DAYS puzzle!

Thank you, also, to the LAT editors for all of their work!

Notes from C.C.:

1) How cool is this, Renee!

2) Happy Birthday to dear Susan (Hahtoolah), our incomparable Tuesday Sherpa. Her posts and pics always brighten our day. Her caring emails and letters sustain me in the most difficult times.

Sunday December 8, 2024 Ed Sessa

Theme: "Gee Whiz!" - Gee sound is added to the start of the first word, changing spellings as needed.

22A. IQ test?: GAUGE OF REASON. Age of Reason.

35A. Schlemiels on wheels?: GOOBER DRIVERS. Uber drivers.

53A. Million-dollar smile?: GLAM CHOPS. Lamb chops.

74A. Fully understand and appreciate a night at the Met?: GROK OPERA. Rock opera.

90A. Set where Geico commercials are shot?: GECKO LOCATION. Echolocation.

109A. Took on divine roles?: PLAYED THE GODS. Play the odds. (Error earlier)

16D. "Hollywood Squares"?: GAME FOR THE STARS. Aim for the stars.

42D. French connection?: GAUL IN THE FAMILY. All in the family. 

So happy to see Ed's byline. He's so original and innovative. 

All the words have spelling changes. This really needs creative thinking.

Across:

1. Tiny tot: MOPPET.

7. Snakes with hoods: COBRAS.

13. __ Empire: Genghis Khan's realm: MONGOL. "The Legend of the Condor" is my favorite TV series. The main character Guo Jing grows up in Mongolia under the care of the Genghis Khan. 

19. Get out of a bind?: UNLASH. Not a word I use.

20. Child's coveralls?: APRONS. Julia Child. 

21. Laments: BEMOANS. 

24. Fearing the worst: ALARMED.

25. __ Valley: Reagan Library site: SIMI.

26. Mara of "Women Talking": ROONEY.

27. Compadres: CRONIES.

28. Rock musical set in New York's East Village: RENT.

30. 74-Down suggestion: Abbr.: RTE. 74. Navigation tech: GPS.

31. Los Angeles mayor Bass: KAREN.

33. Shark's appendage: FIN. When I lived in Guangzhou, shark fin soup was often featured in our annual New Year's company dinner. 

39. Goo: OOZE.

40. Droop under pressure: SAG.

43. Lena of "Chocolat": OLIN.

44. Abated: WANED.

45. Like pastrami: CURED.

46. "I Will Never Let You Down" singer Rita: ORA.

47. Intro, in journalism jargon: LEDE.

48. Rowing machine, familiarly: ERG. Short for "ergometer".

49. Unstated: TACIT.

51. Gets more life out of: RE-USES.

56. Lid: HAT.

59. Bona fide: VALID.

60. __ du jour: bistro special: PLAT.

62. Give the slip: ELUDE.

63. None: ZERO.

64. "Let's do this!": I'M IN.

65. Spoken: ORAL.

66. "Such a pity!": ALAS.

67. Former name of Exxon: ESSO.

68. Prefix with gram or second: NANO.

69. Lena Dunham TV series: GIRLS.

71. Horse-pulled cart: DRAY.

72. Expedia search results: RATES.

73. Elect (to): OPT.

76. The "D" of FDR: DELANO.

77. Really wound up: HYPER.

79. Fertility clinic cells: OVA.

80. Balkan native: SLAV.

82. Copacabana setting: RIO.

83. Sets loose: FREES.

85. Sean of "The Lord of the Rings": ASTIN. Sam.

87. Towering: TALL. Here's a picture me and my brother Andy, who's 4 years younger than me. Taken in 2002, the last time I saw him.

88. Male offspring: SON.

89. Dexterous: DEFT.

94. Poet laureate Limón: ADA.

95. __ to go: fixin' for a fight: RARIN'.

96. Caustic chemical: LYE.

97. Gestures of recognition: NODS.

100. Dubai, for one: EMIRATE.

103. "... if you say so": I GUESS.

106. Part of a putter: GRIP.

108. Formed a union: SAID I DO.

112. Spilling salt, perhaps: ILL OMEN.

113. Salon creation: HAIRDO. 115. Worked in a salon: STYLED.

114. Dresses with a certain flare: A-LINES.

116. Partake of: DINE ON.

117. "You should believe me!": HONEST.

Down:

1. Clowns in front of a camera: MUGS.

2. "Don't interrupt!" studio sign: ON AIR.

3. Large feather: PLUME.

4. Summoning, in a way: PAGING.

5. Language suffix: ESE.

6. 2011 Marvel film directed by Kenneth Branagh: THOR.

7. Pumpkin pigment: CAROTENE. I tried Renee's stuffed acorn squash. So good.

 

 

8. Series starter: OPENER.

9. Highland hill: BRAE.

10. Flushed, as cheeks: ROSY.

11. "Yeah, that's __ from me": A NO.

12. ID with nine digits: SSN.

13. Fruit salad fruit: MELONS.

14. Muscat's country: OMAN.

15. Tuna roll seaweed: NORI.

17. Like adjustable hats and most scarves: ONE-SIZE.

18. Drug in Michael Pollan's "How to Change Your Mind": LSD.

21. Less covered: BARER.

23. Proscribe: FORBID.

27. Rep on the street: CRED.

29. Hand-__ leather: TOOLED.

31. Checkers demand: KING ME.

32. "__ Maria": AVE.

34. Actor Beatty: NED.

36. Estadio cheers: OLES.

37. Lived, to a Brit: DWELT.

38. __ avis: RARA.

39. "Sí," in Paree: OUI.

40. Mira of "Shining Vale": SORVINO. She speaks Chinese.

41. AAA offering: AREA MAP.

45. Includes in an email: CCS.

49. "No more putting this off!": TODAY.

50. Parrots: APES.

52. __-Tibetan languages: SINO. Prefix for China.

53. Big name in California viticulture: GALLO.

54. Santa __: Silicon Valley city: CLARA.

55. Luau performance: HULA.

57. Hall of TV fame: ARSENIO.

58. "Don't joke about that yet": TOO SOON.

60. Earlier: PRIOR.

61. Carefree adventure: LARK.

63. Ardor: ZEAL.

65. Shrek, for one: OGRE.

70. Absolutely correct: SPOT ON.

71. Pipe-clearing brand: DRANO.

72. Maker of ColorStay cosmetics: REVLON. Great foundation.

75. Bad to the bone: EVIL.

76. "Melting clocks" painter Salvador: DALI.

78. Nonetheless: YET.

80. Decided not to retire: STAYED ON.

81. Up-to-the-minute: LATEST. Poor Connie had her gallbladder removed last week. She also had pneumonia again. 

83. Rx overseer: FDA.

84. Corrected a distribution error: RE-DEALT.

85. Farm division: ACRE.

86. Master moguls: SKI. The ski bump "moguls".

90. Like students and sidewalks: GRADED.

91. Stationery brand: EATON.

92. British name for a murder mystery board game: CLUEDO.

93. Gourd: NOGGIN.

98. Source of some aerial photography: DRONE.

99. Fries, tots, slaw, etc.: SIDES.

101. Swift, to Swifties: IDOL.

102. Winter coat: RIME.

103. "Young Sheldon" actor Armitage: IAIN.

 

104. Circular current: GYRE. We had this fill before.

105. Former Iranian ruler: SHAH.

107. Attention-getting hiss: PSST.

108. Bro kin: SIS.

109. Prof's deg., often: PHD.

110. Poem of medieval France: LAI. Learning moment for me.

111. "Xanadu" rock gp.: ELO.

Happy 78th birthday to dear Jazzbumpa (Ron), who's been our Wednesday Sherpa since January 2011.