Tuesday, December 17, 2024 Susan Gelfand

The Main Squeeze.  The answer to each theme clue is something that can be squeezed.

18-Across. Iced tea garnish: LEMON WEDGE.

23-Across. Art class staple with a bovine logo: ELMER'S GLUE.  So why the bovine logo?  Well, Elmer's Glue first came onto the scene in the late 1940s by the Bordon Company, which was dairy company.  Well, when you consider that the first formula of the glue was casein, a protein in milk, it makes sense that the dairy company developed and sold glue.

52-Across. Handheld tension reliever: STRESS BALL.

58-Across. Bathtime floater: RUBBER DUCK.

37-Across. Coerce, or what can be done to 18-, 23-, 52-, and 58-Across: PUT THE SQUEEZE ON.  

There is a juice bar near me called The Big Squeezy, a pun on The Big Easy, one of the nicknames of New Orleans.  I have never been there, so can't attest to their cold-pressed (squeezed) juices.

Across:

1. Mount Etna outflow: LAVA.  This volcano on Sicily frequently erupts.

5. Some Dropbox files, informally: DOCs.  As in Documents.

9. After-dinner coffee choice: DECAF.

14. Atop: UPON.  Once UPON a time ...  //  And 66-Across. "... and they all lived happily __ after": EVER.

15. Whack, as a fly: SWAT.

16. Express a view: OPINE.

17. Jell-O shaper: MOLD.

20. Book jacket summary: BLURB.

22. Classical form of poetry: EPODE.

26. Clean air org.: EPA.  As in the Environmental Protection Agency.  The EPA is the AQI monitor (See 5-Down in last Friday's puzzle).  The EPA was formally created 54 years ago this month.

29. Fish eggs: ROE.

30. Soccer match chant: OLÉ.  A crossword staple.

31. Trudged: PLODDED.  You can PLOD through the Presidents and learn lots of interesting facts about American presidents in this podcast.

34. Vodka brand, for short: STOLI.  It's formal name is Stolichnaya.

36. Bump in the night, e.g.: NOISE.

42. Japanese cartoon genre: ANIME.

43. Flair: STYLE.

44. "That's a lie!": NOT TRUE!

47. Once named: NEÉ.  Today's French lesson.  The French née is the feminine past participle of naitre, "to be born."  Né is the masculine version of the word.

48. Place to luxuriate: SPA.

51. That, in Toledo: ESO.  Toledo, Spain, not Toledo, Ohio.  Don Quixote began his travels in Toledo.

Picasso's interpretation of Don Quixote.

55. Magazine edition: ISSUE.  Many magazines have both print and on-line versions of their issues.

57. Leafy starter: SALAD.  We had many tasty SALADs featured in a puzzle last week.

63. Cry from a forgetful performer: LINE.

64. Shake hands (on): AGREE.

65. Actor Morales: ESAI.  Esai Manuel Morales Jr. (b. Oct. 1, 1962) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.

67. "__ for dinner?": WHAT'S.

68. Email button: SEND.

69. "Phooey!": RATS.

Down:

1. Wood planks: LUMBER.

2. Moon program of the 1960s and 1970s: APOLLO.

3. Remote control adjustment: VOLUME.

4. Braugher of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine": ANDRE.  Andre Braugher (né Andre Keith Braugher; July 1, 1962 ~ Dec. 11, 2023) also portrayed Detective Frank Pembleton on the Homicide: Life on the Street, which aired in the 1990.  That drama series was a far cry from his portrayal as Captain Raymond Holt in the  police comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine.  Sadly, Braugher died a year ago of lung cancer at age 61.

5. Broadband initials: DSL.  As in Digital Subscriber Line.

6. Run a tab: OWE.

7. Desert beast: CAMEL.

8. Clog: STOP UP.

9. Pulitzer-winning columnist Maureen: DOWD.  Maureen Dowd (née Maureen Brigid Dowd; b. Jan. 14, 1952) is an opinion columnist for the New York Times.

10. Fencing sword: ÉPÉE.  Another crossword staple.

11. Legendary Spanish knight El __: CID.  Everything you wanted to know about El Cid but never thought to ask.

12. Director Lee: ANG.  Ang Lee (b. Oct. 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker.  The 1994 film, Eat Drink Man Woman, was the first Ang Lee film I saw.

13. Broker's charge: FEE.

19. Christmas carol: NOEL.  'Tis the Season.

21. Epson competitor: BROTHER.  Both are companies that manufacture printers.

24. Plumlike fruit: SLOE.

25. Comes together well: GELS.

26. Actress Falco: EDIE.  Edie Falco (née Edith Falco; b. July 5, 1963) is probably best known for portraying Carmela Soprano on the Sopranos.

27. Colombian currency: PESO.  Did you know that there are 8 countries that use the Peso as their monetary unit?  *

28. Yemen coastal city: ADEN.  We visit this city often in the puzzles.

32. Almost as many: ONE LESS.

33. Catch some z's: DOZE.

34. Acct. summary: STMT.  As in Statement.  I am not sure I have ever seen this abbreviation before.

35. Brainpower nos.: IQs.  As in Intelligence Quotient.

The sign on the door says "Pull to Open."

37. Window section: PANE.

38. Deep-dish pizza chain, informally: UNO'S.  Yummers!  We ate at the original Uno's restaurant when we were in Chicago last summer.

39. Mambo legend Puente: TITO.  His full name was Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (Apr. 20, 1923 ~ June 1, 2000).  He was also known as “El Rey de los Timbales, ” or “The King of the Timbales."

40. Alternative magazine name: UTNE.  Its issues (55-Across) are now all online.

41. Peepers: EYES.

45. Letters on outdated maps: USSR.  In Russian, "USSR" is written as "СССР" which is an abbreviation for "Союз Советских Социалистических Республик" (Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik), meaning "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" in English.

46. Many Chopin piano pieces: ÉTUDES.  More of today's French lesson.

48. Mouth moistener: SALIVA.

49. Mars or Mercury: PLANET.  Alternatively,  a candy and a car.

50. Birch family trees: ALDERS.  Alders are trees and shrubs in the birch family and are native to the north temperate zone and some parts of Central America and the Andes. They are known for their distinctive woody fruiting bodies that look like small, brown pinecones.

53. Find a new purpose for: REUSE.

54. Hay bundle maker: BALER.

55. "Yeah, sure!": I BET.

56. Observes: SEES.

58. Uncooked: RAW.

59. "Yuck!": UGH.

60. Bali garment: BRA.  Nice misdirection.  Bali is a company that makes lingerie.

61. Soup holder: CAN.

62. Jest: KID.

Here's the Grid:

* The countries that use the Peso are: Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, the Philippines, and Uruguay.

חתולה

I will be taking a brief travel hiatus.  Happy Chanukkah and Merry Christmas.  This year the two holidays converge.  I wish you all a Happy New Year and will "see" you in 2025.

Monday December 16, 2024 Janice Luttrell

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. I am happy to say that Janice Luttrell is back with another one of her Monday delights.

Theme:  

The themed questions are:

20 Across. Above-the-street rumblers: ELEVATED TRAINS.  

36 Across. Possibly unattainable entry on a bucket list: LOFTY GOAL.  

46 Across. Really big ask: TALL ORDER.  

And the reveal:

56 Across. Like most televisions, and what can be found at the start of 20-, 36-, or 46-Across: HIGH DEFINITION.

HDTVs became ubiquitous on June 12, 2009 when the FCC required all high-power analog U.S. television stations to turn off their signals and move to a digital-only transmission. This Nielson article has the data on American viewers at that time.

Today's themed answers are all two-word phrases such that the first word is a synonym for the word "high". But what about the DEFINITION part? Well, as adjectives, ELEVATED, LOFTY, and TALL further DEFINE their respective nouns (TRAINS, GOAL, and ORDER). For example, it is not just any ORDER. It is a TALL ORDER.

Works for me!

It's high time we looked at the other clues....

Across:

1. Words to a bride and groom: TOAST.  Here's one Hugh Grant gave in the 1994 film, Four Weddings and a Funeral (3 min.).  

6. Actress Ferris: PAM.  her IMDb page

9. "All I Want for Christmas Is You" singer Mariah: CAREY.  How fun to have a holiday tune this time of year!  

14. Mole sauce chile: ANCHO.  Blogger says chile is misspelled so I looked it up. One source said that chile is the Spanish spelling and that chili used to be the preferred English spelling but now people tend to write chile so as to avoid confusion with the spicy stew chili. Fair enough.

15. Short "As I see it": IMO.  Writing "IMO" is shorter than writing "In My Opinion".

16. Urgent: ACUTE.  This made me think of ACUTE care in the medical world.

17. Ross who ran for president twice: PEROT.  (1930-2019) He ran as an Independent in 1992, losing to Bill Clinton. Perot again lost to Clinton in 1996 but this time as the leader of the Reform Party.

18. Petty peeve: NIT.  I liked the cute play on pet peeve.

19. Downton Abbey staffers: MAIDS.  

I saw every episode of this show.

23. Younger "ManningCast" brother: ELI.  ELI and his older brother Peyton were both successful NFL quarterbacks.

24. Team's adjective: OUR.  Remember, there is no "I" in "team".  

25. Govt. ID issuer: SSA. Government...identification...It is clear we need an abbreviation here. Social Security Administration

28. Stool supports: LEGS.  

31. Surf shop array: BOARDS.  

39. Gooey campfire treat: S'MORE.  It is short for "I want some more."

40. Crafts partner: ARTS.  

41. Draped garments in Hindi films: SARIS.  Sorry, I do not know which film this is.  

43. Boo-boo: OWIE.  

44. Stand in good __: STEAD.  Merriam-Webster says this is an idiom that means to be useful or helpful to someone or something. The entry has this example sentence:  His language skills will stand him in good stead when he is traveling.

48. Vice president Kamala: HARRIS.  Vice Presidents since Walter Mondale have lived with their families on the grounds of the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.  

50. Horse's foot: HOOF.

51. Golf hole meas.: YDS.  Golfers may correct me but I think this means that they measure the distance from their ball to the holes in yards.

52. "Cheers" bartender: SAM.   ...not to be confused with a 3-letter word for the actor who played a bartender on Cheers -- Ted.

54. Nonprofit org. with a Directors Series: AFI.  The American Film Institute was not on my radar so my last box was a mental alphabet run for something that might work for the crossing of this answer and 42-Down. SLOAN seemed like my best option.

64. Greek fable writer: AESOP.  

65. Party bowlful: DIP.

66. See 68-Across: CARTE.     and     68-Across. With 66-Across, like some menus: À LA.

À LA CARTE menus list the prices for each item separately. For example, if a salad does not come with your entrée, you can order one separately or À LA CARTE.

67. Airline based in Atlanta: DELTA.  In 1941, DELTA's headquarters moved to Atlanta from Monroe, LA where the company started as a crop dusting business over - you guessed it - the Mississippi River Delta region.  Delta Airlines history

69. Fill with joy: ELATE.  On the other hand, if you fill with helium, you infLATE.  

70. Classic theater name: ODEON.  Def. (noun):  a building used for musical performances (especially in ancient Greece or Rome).

Note:  If you are new to solving crossword puzzles, this one, 72-Across, 2-Down, and 10-Down are good to memorize for future solves. (I'll highlight them, for your convenience.)

71. Young chap: LAD.  "Chap" tips us off that a British expression will be spot on.

72. Church council: SYNOD.  A SYNOD can be the governing group (as in this clue). It can also refer to the district governed by a SYNOD.

Down:

1. Scotch __: TAPE.  This 1:37 min. video shows how to wrap a present without tape!  

(This seems like something CED might like.)

2. Law school newbie: ONE-L.

3. Land measure: ACRE.  

'Tis the season!

4. Push rudely: SHOVE.

5. In all respects: TOTALLY.  

This is Crush, the sea turtle in Finding Nemo (2003).

6. Cone-bearing tree: PINE.  I come bearing a guide to the most popular Christmas trees of 2024.

7. Bundled in with: AMID.

8. Inspirational slogan: MOTTO.  

from Ripley's Believe It or Not!

9. Chevy muscle cars: CAMAROS.  The first generation of the Chevy Camaro hit the showrooms in 1966 as a 1967 model. Here is the 1969 model:

10. Berry in some purple smoothies: ACAI.

11. Wreckage: RUIN.

12. Takeoff guesses: Abbr.: ETDS.  An airplane pilot can provide Estimated Time of Departures.

13. "Absolutely!": YES.

21. Supermodel Cheryl: TIEGS.  Cheryl was born on September 25, 1947 in Breckenridge, MN. Some say she was America's first supermodel. It feel like that term is used a lot more loosely nowadays.

22. Barbecue chef's spice blend: RUB.  There are a lot of opinions on this topic. Here is an article that seemed informative.

25. Reduce, as prices: SLASH.  

26. "More or less": SORTA.  I kinda got this one. 😜

27. Photo caption following a makeover: AFTER.  Makeovers usually have before and AFTER photos so we can appreciate the changes.

29. Farm animal with horns: GOAT.  Speaking of farm animals with horns....  

(Yes, I realize that a Venn diagram showing the population of readers
who like both math and cattle will have a slim overlap.)

30. Comedian Silverman: SARAH.  (b. December 1, 1970) You have probably seen SARAH on various late-night comedy shows. Here are 30 seconds of her act that do not include swear words.  

32. Love, in Spanish: AMOR.

33. Loud and disorderly: ROWDY.  This brought to mind Roderick George Toombs, better known as the Canadian wrestler and actor, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (1954-2015).  

Rowdy (left) with Hulk Hogan

34. Toweled (off): DRIED.  To towel off is to dry oneself (or something) with a towel.  

35. Clairvoyants: SEERS.

37. Former Russian ruler: TSAR.

38. Stitch's pal: LILO.  

This movie came out in 2002.

42. Memorial __ Kettering: SLOAN.  This is a cancer center with multiple locations. It is named for Alfred P. Sloan and Charles F. Kettering. They were two former General Motors executives who donated large sums towards cancer research and treatment.

45. Portable washing receptacle: DISHPAN.  In the '70s, Madge taught us that DISHPAN hands were a fate worse than death. There were multiple versions of this scenario:  

Even as a kid I thought, "How do they not know that

their hands are in dish soap? Haven't they seen her other commercials?"

47. Workplaces: OFFICES.

49. Bummed out: SAD.  😞

53. Olympian's prize: MEDAL.  

The Making of the Paris 2024 medals explained (1:45 min.)

55. Country shaped like a boot: ITALY.  

56. Pay attention to: HEED.  Think "HEED the warning signs".

57. Cruise stop: ISLE.  Cruise ships sometimes stop at islands.

58. Attend, as a party: GO TO.

59. Sportswear brand: FILA.  Fila became primarily associated with tennis after it signed an endorsement deal with Björn Borg in 1975.  

60. Apple tablet: iPAD.

61. Tehran's country: IRAN.  

62. __ the Orange: Syracuse mascot: OTTO.  A bit of a squeeze, but perps left little room for error on this one.

63. "__ I go on?": NEED.  Just one more, if you don't mind.

64. Hubbub: ADO.  Without further ADO, I present the grid:

Sunday December 15, 2024 Mark MacLachlan & John MacLachlan

Theme: "Musical Interlude" - Each common phrase is humorously reinterpreted fitting the musician in the clue.

23. The celebrity triangle player __: HAD A FAMILIAR RING.
 
32. The organized drummer __: DIDN'T MISS A BEAT.

47. The jovial maraca player __: SHOOK WITH LAUGHTER.

66. The irresponsible trumpet player __: BLEW IT BIG TIME.

81. The influential harpist __: PULLED SOME STRINGS.

101. The careless trombone player __: LET THINGS SLIDE.

111. The thoughtful guitar player __: HIT THE RIGHT CHORD.

Over the years we've seen a few job rephrasing gimmicks, but none with such tightness. All musicians. The clues all follow "The + adjective + musician" pattern. Very consistent.  

This is our construct Mark, a chemistry professor at the University of British Columbia.

Across:

1. Tiny amount (of): A DAB.

5. Pie __: CHART.

10. Celtic Sea country: WALES. Where this popular salt comes from.

15. Harbor service vessel: SCOW.

19. Hawk: SELL.

20. Temperament: HUMOR.

21. Trilling event, often: OPERA.

22. "Say Anything ... " star Skye: IONE. With John Cusack.

26. Not very exciting: DRAB.

27. Future residents?: PRE-MEDS. A few more creative clues: 75. Teller's offering?: TRICK. (Penn & Teller, thanks, D-Otto.). 87. Made the shot?: DOSED. 120. Future growth opportunity?: SEED. 15. Hit back?: SIDE B.

28. Puts (down): LAYS.

29. Touches up a text: EMENDS.

31. Put on: AIRED.

36. Loch with a legend: NESS.

37. Country Music Hall of Famer Buck: OWENS. We also have 57. "The Christmas Song" composer Mel: TORME.

39. "Downton Abbey" daughter: EDITH.

40. Short way?: RTE. Short for Abbr.

41. Goes soft: THAWS.

43. "Hey, that's enough!": CAN IT.

45. Surgical beam: LASER.

52. Move like a mouse: SCURRY.

53. Consoles with Nunchuks: WIIS.

54. Wipe out: ERASE.

58. Field: REALM.

60. Tennis icon Arthur: ASHE.

63. "If This Is a Man" author Primo: LEVI. Unfamiliar with the book or the author.

65. Pt. of NATO: ATL.

70. Take the gold: WIN.

71. One up, e.g.: TIED.

73. Biblical paradise: EDEN.

74. Helpful: UTILE.

77. First island in The Beach Boys' "Kokomo": ARUBA.

79. German auto pioneer Adam: OPEL.

80. Bully's arsenal: TAUNTS.

90. Salty expanse: OCEAN.

91. Pipework fastener: U BOLT.

92. Food Network's "Be My Guest With __ Garten": INA.

93. Bath depleter: DRAIN.

95. A bit pickled: TIPSY.

97. Person named in a will: HEIR.

105. Chicken run border: FENCE.

106. Early mainframe: UNIVAC. Universal Automatic Computer.

107. "Buona sera!": CIAO.

108. Former name of a 3D X-ray technique: CAT SCAN.

110. Frog kin: TOAD.

116. Piedmont blues guitarist Baker: ETTA. Died at age 93.

117. Bring to mind: EVOKE.

118. Come clean about: ADMIT.

119. Comic strip canine: ODIE.

121. Bishops' gathering: SYNOD.

122. In need of a rinse: SOAPY.

123. Sign of age: WEAR.

Down:

 

1. Fireplace receptacle: ASH PAN.

2. Darling: DEARIE.

3. Trees in the birch family: ALDERS.

4. Discussion to assign culpability: BLAMESTORM.

5. N'Djamena's country: CHAD. N'Djamena is the capital.

6. Runs smoothly: HUMS.

7. Pal in Poitiers: AMI.

8. Arrive at last: ROLL IN.

9. Sheet music threesomes: TRIADS.

10. Best opposite: WORST.

11. Distracted Driving Awareness Mo.: APR.

12. Aromatic necklace: LEI. It's indeed fragrant.

13. Seaside flyer: ERN.

14. Most wise: SAGEST.

16. Least gooey brownie pieces: CORNERS. I never had one.

17. Out to dinner, maybe: ON A DATE.

18. Lexicographer credited with standardizing American English spelling: WEBSTER.

24. Nourished: FED.

25. Author Rand: AYN.

30. Composer Gustav: MAHLER.

32. Lydic of "The Daily Show": DESI.

33. Restaurant guide: MENU.

34. Hep "Roger that": I DIG.

35. "Star Wars" order: SITH.

37. Like many a Chardonnay: OAKY.

38. Site opening?: WWW.

42. Exodus mount: HOREB. Have not seen this entry for a while.

43. Get into, as a bunk bed: CLIMB UP ON.

44. Some Energizer products: AAS.

46. Central Asia's North __ Sea: ARAL.

47. Nova __: SCOTIA.

48. Bullpen member: HURLER.

49. Clemens handle: TWAIN. And 50. Knight's handle: HILT.

51. Swarm (with): TEEM.

52. "Quickly!": STAT.

55. Upholsterer's task: SEWING.

56. Forces out: EVICTS. I can't wait for the 5501 renters to get evicted.

58. One of two colors on Poland's flag: RED.

59. "Baa-ram-__": "Babe" chant: EWE.

60. Quick on one's feet: AGILE.

61. The Blues of the NHL, for short: STL.

62. Zoom off, quaintly: HIE.

64. Stamp pad refills: INKS.

67. Sharon of "Dreamgirls": LEAL.

68. Collector's __: ITEM.

69. Cyberbusiness: E-TAIL.

72. Fool: DUPE.

76. Lead: RUN THE SHOW.

78. Subject of a 233-foot statue in Leshan, China: BUDDHA. Leshan is in Sichuan Province.

79. Female bear, in Spanish: OSA.

80. Priam's kingdom: TROY.

82. Source of extra dough: LOAN.

83. Vaping product: E-CIG.

84. Cub Scout groups: DENS.

85. Apartment honcho, familiarly: SUPE.

86. Network with some MLB postseason games: TBS.

87. Makes juice from concentrate, say: DILUTES.

88. Monotonous: ONE NOTE.

89. Fill to excess: SATIATE.

94. Fortune: RICHES.

95. Princess toppers: TIARAS.

96. Enthusiastic reply to "Who wants ice cream?": I DO I DO. "Who wants to swim?"

98. Privatize?: ENCODE. Oh so the message becomes private.

99. Aegean island: ICARIA.

100. Melt down, as fat: RENDER.

102. Jack Pearson of "This Is Us," e.g.: TV DAD.

103. Asst.'s responsibility, often: SCHED.

104. Tell a whopper: LIE.

105. Consumer protection agcy.: FTC.

108. Crockery defect: CHIP.

109. Paralegal employer, for short: ATTY.

112. "The Holly and the __": traditional British carol: IVY.

113. Slew: TON.

114. Bout ruling, briefly: TKO.

115. Early ABC program, for short: GMA. Early in the day.

C.C.