Saturday, June 9, 2018, Greg Johnson

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Greg Johnson

Today is National Donald Duck Day. Walt Disney was looking for a friend for Mickey and one with some negative characteristics to contrast with his famous rodent's more pleasant demeanor. It was then that short-tempered Donald was created in 1934 and he has appeared in more Disney movies than any other character and more comic books except for super heroes.

His defining feature of course was his distinctive speech that is very difficult to imitate. One of my grade school classmates could do it perfectly and we who couldn't were in awe of him when he said something in that hilarious voice. Can you do it? Go ahead, give it a shot!


I had a Greg Johnson puzzle the day before Mother's Day this year but this one today fell much faster although my first real toehold was in the SE corner which filled in a hurry with ADESTE, NO DEAR, PYRE, ERODE and MEAT. Sigh, any port in a storm.

Then like the Phoenix I rose and finished with SCARES, META, etc. The entire experience was very satisfying. 

Now eschewing Donald's "fowl" attitude, let's see what else Greg has for us:

Across:

1. Exercise activity: SWIM - If sinking counts as exercise, count me in

5. Foolish: DIPPY - In describing Major Burns' time in command, Hawkeye offers three adjectives and then Radar adds a fourth as an aside

10. Dance term literally meaning "thrown": JETE and a prime display of 16. Stylish energy: ELAN.

14. Officer's verb: CITE - I have been CITED for speeding three times by three different officer's

15. "That's so sweet!": OH YOU.

17. Exec's hire, perhaps: ASST - An advert by the British Lancashire County Council was looking for a "temporary part-time libraries North-West inter-library loan business unit administration ASSistanT."

18. Unlikely to become a decorator: COLOR BLIND - A test for red/green color blindness. And the number is...

20. ESPN.com post: RECAP.

22. Theoretical parallel world access: PORTAL - Mom is trying stop Carolyn from being drawn into a PORTAL in Poltergeist 

23. Trip approx.: ETA - Are we there yet?

24. Debt securities: LIENS.

26. Source of ancient wisdom: TORAH.

30. In order to: SO THAT.

32. Muffin topper: PAT

34. Full-body animal costume: APE.

35. Part of a gift that needs to be returned: CASSEROLE DISH - One way to remind people of the origin of a casserole

39. "I figured as much": WHAT A SURPRISE - Gee, Gary has a kitty picture below in his write-up! Sarcasm par excellence.

40. Skeptical words: THIS I GOTTA SEE.

41. It may look like a great deal: CON - You can't CON this kitty

42. It folds for easy storage: COT.

43. Textron Aviation brand: CESSNA = Kansas farm boy Clyde CESSNA started his company to build this cantilevered winged aircraft in 1927 that "could carry a half-ton load at 100 mph on a 110 hp engine"

46. __ touch: MAGIC - Any day is improved with the Platters

48. Bacon output: ESSAY - Aroma didn't cut it

51. User-created video game alteration: MOD - A mod (short for "modification") is an alteration that changes some aspects or one aspect of a video game, such as how it looks or behaves. Mods may range from small changes and tweaks to complete overhauls, and can extend the replay value and interest of the game. You're Welcome.

52. River rat: NUTRIA - A poor man's ermine

54. Take the edge off?: ERODE - Niagara has been ERODING this area for a long time

56. Kids may use them to make turkeys: HAND PRINTS.

60. Wad embellishers: ONES - The "Wad" inside could well be only ONES

61. Skin-healing aid: ALOE.

62. Get 'em all right: ACE IT - Some Nebraska honor students with the Governor 

63. Good source of protein: MEAT.

64. It followed a postwar boom: GEN-X 

65. Noticeably bored: YAWNY - I see lots of "teachers" in front of children that elicit this "gluey" response 

66. Ceremonial pile: PYRE - "And our love become a fun'ral PYRE, C'mon baby light my fire"


Down:

1. Halloween inevitabilities: SCARES - Noun not verb. why do we seek these out?

2. Not tricked by: WISE TO.

3. Comment about contagion: IT'S CATCHING - My siblings and I went through the mumps and measles as a unit!

4. Like a movie about filmmakers making a movie: META - Okay

5. Animated miner: DOC - Which shirt would best represent you?

6. Longing words: I HOPE.

7. Aviation guide: PYLON -  Racing markers or a structural component. The second PYLON might be 36. Things few understand: ESOTERICA. 

8. One unlikely to shake hands: POOR SPORT - This losing MLS soccer coach was upset about the other team's play and refused to shake hands

9. Nomadic shelter: YURT - Here are some YURTS in Ulan Bato

10. Kraft Foods trademark: JELLO.

11. Fan of the Bulldogs: ELI.

12. Summer vacation "souvenir": TAN

13. Extreme: END.

19. Dark background that makes a pitched baseball easier to see: BATTER'S EYE - This one in Wrigley field is made up of juniper bushes

21. Party holder: PLASTIC CUP - I once needed some ping pong balls for my physics lab and was so surprised to be told they were over by the PLASTIC CUPS!

25. "We've got clearance": IT'S A GO - Var. - After the meteorologists gave him clearance on June 5, 1944 by saying the weather had broken, Ike said "OK,, Let's Go" for June 6

27. Holds a benefit, say: RAISES MONEY - On GoFundMe.com you can request money for your cause. I wonder how many thought this was a worthy cause.

28. Basilica recess: APSE.

29. Chuckle bit: HEH - HEH, HEH, HEH!

31. PGA Tour Champions golfer Jay: HAAS.

33. Wool source: ALPACA - Let's leave a little for cuteness. p.s. I thought ALPACA had two "C's"

37. Evidence of frequent travel: RUT.

38. Injection molding inventory: DIES - Can you even imagine how many DIES LEGO uses?

39. Stop on the trail: WHOA.

40. "Silent Sunday Nights" network: TCM - The director could shout at them all he wanted during shooting 

44. Affectionate turndown: NO DEAR.

45. Holiday hymn opener: ADESTE - ADESTE, fideles, Laeti triumphantes, Venite, venite in Bethlehem!

47. Organize, in a way: INDEX - Rapid "unindexing" and any librarian's nightmare

49. Strength: SINEW.

50. Prom gown material: SATIN - Some today are using much less material than they used to!

53. Lunch __: TRAY -  An alternate use

55. Easy win: ROMP.

56. Witch: HAG.

57. Maugham's "Cakes and __": ALE - Same book with two different publishers who had two different ideas about how to sell it. Title comes from a Shakespeare line in Twelfth Night.

58. Exclusion prefix: NON.

59. Place for a mud bath: STY.

Friday, June 8, 2018, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: JW is back on Friday and he is switching letters again!

Hey; in this case, he is replacing "S" before "H" with "TC" resulting in similar sounding, but witty fill, clued appropriately. Two grid-spanners in the classic 3 and 13 rows, with 12s in the 7/9 slots make for a classic look. There are 43 words which are 5 letters or longer which means if you get some things solved you get much help from the perps. As with all Friday puzzles, it was not easy, but it was doable and fun. It featured many sparkly 7 and 8 letter fill like BAHAMAS, ENEMIES, GOT SORE, SEEMS OK, AUTOSAVE,  BY NATURE, GAINED ON and STAMP TAX. So let us solve this puppy.

17A. Surveillance camera?: WATCHING MACHINE (15). WASHING machine.

31A. Interconnected irrigation channels?: DITCH NETWORK (12). DISH Network is one of the early satellite TV providers.  

39A. Member of Cassidy's baseball team?: BUTCH LEAGUER (12).  A BUSH leaguer is a player not of the highest quality or sophistication; second-rate.  This was the stretch for me. 

56A. Obsessively uniform French fries?: MATCHED POTATOES.(15). By far my favorite of the themers. I also like good MASHED potatoes. I like potatoes, which can be a challenge living with my rice addicted wife.

Across:

1. Trap: HEM IN. The first of the many sparkly multi-word fill that Jeffrey uses this week.

6. Leaps in tutus: JETES. Defines as jumps in which a dancer springs from one foot to land on the other with one leg extended outward from the body while in the air. They can be GRAND.

11. "Major Barbara" monogram: GBS. George Bernard Shaw wrote this PLAY in 1907.

14. Dress style: A-LINE. The term was first used by the French couture designer Christian Dior as the label for his collection of spring 1955 (wiki).

15. Think the world of: ADORE.

16. Roger's relative?: AYE. Yessir!

20. Set of pieces: KIT.

21. They're for members only: DUES. A nice Friday, tricky clue/fill.

22. When the break rm. gets busy, perhaps: TEN AM. Eleven where I am, but people eat lunch late at our office.


23. Opposite sides: ENEMIES. A bit strong.

26. Fine art and antiques, say: ASSETS.

27. Desires more from Us?: RENEWS.  The magazine subscription, notice the capital "U."

28. Slithery danger: ASP. A very popular crossword snake.

30. Holmes and Watson, e.g.: DUO. I have never thought of them as a duo since Watson was mostly comic relief.

35. Garage sale term: AS IS.

37. Actor Stephen: REA. Will he always be most famous for THE CRYING GAME?

38. Lose impact: WANE.

42. One-time connection: AT A.  I actually usually solve looking at across/ down clues together.

43. Put in: ADD.

44. Signal on the road: BEEP AT. In many states, Florida included,

48. Religious discourse: HOMILY. I will let you consider HOMILY VS SERMON but no religion.

51. Had it up to here: GOT SORE.

52. Org. offering puppy love?: ASPCA. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

53. Tenerife, por ejemplo: ISLA. Spanish- for example.

55. Nutritional fig.: RDA.  I think this is being swallowed up by the new term DRI.

60. Gardner on screen: AVA. It was not easy to be HER. She was quite striking.

61. Ahi et al.: TUNAS.

62. Take a little off: PRUNE. A tree or bush, not a diet.

63. "Think you I am no stronger than my __": Portia: SEX. It is good to see JW and his Shakespeare quote; this is from JULIUS CAESAR, Act II, Scene 1.

64. Part of a caddie's burden: IRONS. Woods are not wooden, and irons are not iron, and golf is just a game.  I am not sure if HG and Big Easy agree.

65. Unwelcome company: PESTS. The reveal two weeks ago.

Down:

1. Bazaar figure: HAWKER. Defined as a person who travels around selling goods, typically advertising them by shouting. Clecho - 34D. Bazaar array: WARES.

2. "Primary Colors" screenwriter May: ELAINE. This talented writer-performer had much of her success partnered with Mike Nichols. BIOGRAPHY.

3. Bit of winter wear: MITTEN.

4. Business end?: INC. Cute and better than Ltd. reference.

5. Bk. after Ezra: NEHemiah. This person and BOOK are intertwined with the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. No religion.

6. Two-faced god: JANUS. He gave us January. No religion.

7. Verge: EDGE.

8. Barnyard males: TOMS. I can only think of two- turkey and cat - neither of which are in every barnyard. Also, 19D. 8-Down, for instance: HES.

9. Diamond stat: ERA. Baseball diamond, Earned Run Average.

10. Groups breaking away: SECTS. I said, NO RELIGION!

11. Began to overtake: GAINED ON. One of the two-word fill.

12. Inherently: BY NATURE. And another...

13. "Nothing wrong that I can find": SEEMS OK. and...

18. Clarifying words: ID EST. Now two Latin words, more commonly known as i.e. and Steve should be happy two days in a row.

24. "M*A*S*H" figure: MEDIC. A medic is an umbrella term for a person involved in medicine. The following fall under this term: a medical doctor, medical student and sometimes a medically-trained individual participating in an emergency such as a paramedic, army medic or an emergency medical responder. In M*A*S*H they were mostly surgeons.

25. "Would that it were true!": I WISH.

26. Dian Fossey subject: APE. Actually, she studied gorillas which are a subgroup of the family of great apes. Louis Leakey sent her along with Jane Goodall and Birute Galdikas to study great apes in their native habitat.

28. Down the road: AHEAD.

29. Complication: SNAG. There often are when you go down the road.

32. Street __: CREDibility.

33. Occasionally newsworthy comment: TWEET. No politics either.

35. Crash insurance?: AUTOSAVE. The interesting divergence of automatic from the Greek automatos of persons "acting of one's own will;" of things "self-moving, self-acting," Thus the fun play on words here as crash relates both to cars and computers.

36. Short-lived 1760s levy: STAMP TAX. The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament on March 22, 1765. The new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed. The Act was repealed on 18 March 1766.(various).

39. Commonwealth off Florida: BAHAMAS. The Bahamas comprises 700 islands and over 2,000 rocks and cays, sprinkled over 100,000 square miles of ocean. The archipelago is an ecological oasis, boasting the clearest water on the planet. Brochures.

40. Big name in chips: LAY. In 1932, salesman Herman Lay opened a snack food operation in Dorset, Ohio; and, in 1938, he purchased the Atlanta, Georgia, potato chip manufacturer "Barrett Food Company", renaming it "H.W. Lay Lingo and Company." Lay crisscrossed the southern United States, selling the product from the trunk of his car.

41. WWII peril: U-BOAT. U-boat, German U-boot - the abbreviation of Unterseeboot -  (“undersea boat”), a German submarine. LINK.

45. Like much sandstone: POROUS. I have a nephew who works as a geologist for the government, but I know almost nothing about these ROCKS.

46. Gung-ho: ARDENT.

47. Toys with: TEASES. Like CED's cats and their mouse playthings.

49. Global sports org. concerned with wickets: ICC. The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909.

50. "Chicago Hope" Emmy winner: LAHTI. Lahti, 67, writes about her infamous appearance at the Golden Globes in 1998 when she won best actress in a television drama for "Chicago Hope" but was in the bathroom when her name was announced.

51. Give short shrift to, with "over": GLOSS.

53. Access-providing fig.: ID NO.

54. Go across: SPAN. A bridge.

57. NATO HQ locale: EURope.

58. Handy program: APPlication.

59. Half of sei: TRE. We finish with a bit of division in Italian. 6/3.

I had a really fine time working on this puzzle, and welcoming JW back to Friday. Thanks, Jeffrey and all who read and all who write. Lemonade out.

Thursday, June 7th 2018 Mark McClain

Theme: Round in Circles - things that revolve are nattily revealed by an appropriate agent - the circles.

Clockwise from the NE we have

WINDMILL

CAROUSEL

THE EARTH and

HULA HOOP (The P is missing its circle from the grid below, but not from the puzzle itself).

and the reveal:

40A. How the things in the circled letters go: AROUND AND AROUND. The wheels on the bus ....

Now I've got that ear worm stuck in your heads ... good effort from Mark. The eight-letter progressions all start at the same place in the "wheel", the fill is nice with some fresh entries: OLLIE and SICK BURN! are nods to the yutes ("What's a yute?" My Cousin Vinnie) and some trickery-pokery making a nice Thursday work-out.

Lets explore:

Across:

1. Disheveled: MUSSY. Many will have had MESSY. I like MUSSY, as in having your hair mussed.

6. __ 180: skateboarding trick: OLLIE. Of course, I do these every day. Not! I tried skateboarding way back when but I just didn't have the balance for it. I couldn't even stand still on one.

11. Piqued: IN A HUFF. The other meaning is "stimulated" as in "he piqued my interest".

14. Maximally moist: DEWIEST

16. Star name meaning "she-goat" in Latin: CAPELLA

17. Weather-changing currents: EL NIÑOS

18. Footless creature: APOD. Footless MP4 player: iPOD.

19. Snorkeling spots: ATOLLS

21. Letters after Sen. Schumer's name: D-NY Democrat -  New York, naturally. Nice bit of trickery this, as the answer could have been, but wasn't, DEM.

22. Eponymous brewer Bernhard: STROH. There's a quite significant memorial to the gentleman in Detroit. He and his German compatriots revolutionized the brewing industry in the US.

24. Adjust one's sights: RE-AIM

26. Assurance on certain menus: NO MSG. As the great food writer Jeffrey Steingarten asked: "If MSG is so bad for you, why doesn't everyone in Asia have a headache?".

29. Uzbek neighbor: TAJIK. These are the languages of the people (Uzbekis, Tajiks) in the countries Uzbekistan and Tajikstan.

33. Name prefix for "son of": MAC

36. Settled: REPAID

39. U.N. chief after Boutros: KOFI. Kofi Annan who held the post from 1997 to 2006. He told stories about being mistaken for Morgan Freeman.

43. Withdraw gradually: WEAN

44. Actor Estevez: EMILIO

45. Hot __: ROD

46. Numerical relationship: RATIO

48. Citrus cuttings: ZESTS

50. Red pool ball: THREE. I don't play a lot of pool, but I knew it had to be the three or the seven. I'm pretty sure everyone knows that the eight ball is black.

53. Bay of Naples isle: CAPRI

57. [Shrug]: MEH. Oh, those kids of today, making up words and all. It's like English is a living language. *grumble*

60. Beer mug with a hinged lid: SEIDEL. I don't think I knew this. Mr. Stroh would have known.

63. Believability, briefly: CRED. Almost always with his buddy "street".

64. Device that builds six-packs?: AB TONER. Tried AB ROLLER and ran out of space.

66. Admonish: REPROVE

68. Like some sports contract clauses: NO-TRADE. Usually at the request of the player, a clause is inserted in the contract stipulating that the player cannot be traded without his or her consent.

69. Jumps to conclusions: ASSUMES

70. "Hop __": Dr. Seuss book: ON POP

71. Young salmon: SMOLT

Down:

1. Flaky minerals: MICAS. Not TALCS then?

2. Not suitable: UNAPT

3. Quality that affects taste: SAPOR. You'd be tempted by "SAVOR" when you had most of the letters in place. I was. I resisted.

4. Sprinkle with hair, cat-style: SHED ON. "Sprinkle" doesn't seem quite accurate in describing the process, but it'll do.

5. Brynner of "The Ten Commandments": YUL. He came a long way, literally. He was born in Vladivostok.

6. Takes full responsibility: OWNS IT

7. Full deck in old Rome?: LII. Fifty-two cards in a full deck of cards. Roman ones were carved out of marble and were very heavy. You had to train with the Roman army for two years before you were strong enough to play bridge.

8. Allow to use: LEND

9. Airs: IS ON. It took me a while to parse this one out.

10. Crafter's website: ETSY

12. Southernmost of the 48 sts.: FLA. Not really, not any more. This gets the (archaic) qualifier in my book.

13. Butter or lard: FAT

14. Editorial mark: DELE. Indicating deletion.

15. First name in scat: ELLA

20. Put in order: ORGANIZED

23. It may be heard on the street: HORN. Definitely heard around these parts.

25. Powerful shark: MAKO

27. Ancient Persian: MEDE. Usually seen in the plural as in "The Medes".

28. Email folder: SPAM

30. Day in Dijon: JOUR

31. "__ One Will Listen": Kelly Clarkson song: IF NO I was going to link the song as I'd not found a musical interlude today, so I went to listen to it on YouTube. I spared you the link.

32. Captain hanged for piracy: KIDD

33. Bryn __ College: MAWR

34. Vicinity: AREA

35. Nail polish layer: COAT

37. Not engaged: IDLE

38. Stand during a lecture: DAIS

41. Army outfit: UNIT

42. Campus mil. group: ROTC

47. "Sick burn!": OH SNAP! I've never heard anyone say "sick burn!" in my life. This is what Google came up with - I still don't understand it. I'm getting too old for this stuff :)

49. Bone at the base of the spine: SACRUM

51. Pond plant: REED

52. Cork locale: EIRE. Oh, begorrah, the Emerald Isle. It's green because it rains. A lot. Just so you know.

54. Teaser: PROMO

55. Glory (in): REVEL

56. Often-abbreviated Latin phrase: ID EST i.e. that is. I enjoyed writing that!

57. When repeated including "a," fighting term: MANO-a-mano

58. Black, in verse: EBON

59. URL intro: HTTP. All together now: "Hyper Text Transfer Protocol".

61. Notable time: ERA

62. Paris article: LES. Not the article you drop in the street.

65. Top medalla: ORO. Gold medal in Spain. I think they now give out medals in the World Cup, the quadrennial 2018 tournament is starting shortly in Russia. I watched every game in the last World Cup. If my blogs are short and littered with soccer references for the next month, please forgive me.

67. Ltr. addenda: P.S.'S. Postscripts. I had no idea how to punctuate this, so I guessed. I find it funny when I get an email with a PS - wouldn't it be easier to put in where it belongs in the text?

I think I'm done - I'll just check my internal temperature with my meat thermometer. I'm looking for medium-rare.

Steve

Wednesday, June 6 2018, C.C. Burnikel

Theme:

17. Good thing to bring to the table: HEALTHY APPETITE. Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

23. Tailless Atlas Mountains monkey: BARBARY APE. This one looks like he's 65D HAHing.

52. Sugary snack on a stick: CANDY APPLE.

63. 1995 Woody Allen film: MIGHTY APHRODITE.

And the reveal ...

40. Past due salary ... and what's literally hidden in 17-, 23-, 52- and 63-Across: BACKPAY.

Melissa here. Yet another stellar offering from our prolific C.C. All four theme clues, two of which are grid-spanners, are two words, the first ending with Y, and the second beginning with AP - perfectly consistent, spelling PAY backwards. Also consistent with C.C. puzzles, it is sprinkled with sporting clues.

Across:

1. Feature of distressed jeans: RIP. Kate Beckinsale, sporting this fashion, below. Remember when we used to patch them?

4. Condé __: Vanity Fair publisher: NAST.

8. It may be set on a smartphone: ALARM.

13. Qualified: ABLE.

15. Dead set against: ANTI.

16. Show with skits: REVUE.

20. Strunk and White topic: STYLE.

21. Colour suffix: ISE. The U in colour indicates the UK spelling, so ISE follows, as opposed to the U.S. spelling colorize.

22. False front: MASK.

27. Hog heaven: STY. Snort.

29. Close friend: PAL.

30. Hang around: LOITER.

34. Hockey trophy: CUP.

35. Arizona's third-largest city: MESA.

38. Sound from one with 37-Down, perhaps: SNORE.

39. SunTrust Park MLB team: ATL.

42. Big Band __: ERA.

43. Apartment agreement: LEASE.

45. Deadly septet: SINS. Inspired a decent bottle of wine, among other things ...

46. Polo or tee: TOP.

47. Mescaline-yielding cactus: PEYOTE.

49. Evian water: EAU.

51. Day divs.: HRS.

56. "No harm done": I'M OK.

59. Livy's lucky number?: VII. This is a cute clue, but I'm not sure of the reference. Could it be Elizabeth of York who married Henry VII, and gave birth to seven children, including Henry VIII? Anyone?

60. Sub shops: DELIS.

67. Hospital prep area: PRE-OP.

68. Orderly: NEAT.

69. From square one: ANEW.

70. Trickles (through): SEEPS.

71. Namesake of the sports-oriented Courage Award: ASHE. Arthur.

72. Ambulance letters: EMS. Emergency Medical Services.

Down:

1. Shouts from the stands: RAHS. Noun, not verb.

2. "Fat chance!": I BET.

3. Detailed sports commentary: PLAY BY PLAY.

4. "No can do": NAH.

5. At all: ANY.

6. Part of an angled case: STAIR. Nice clue.

7. Buzzed: TIPSY.

8. "Odds __ ... ": ARE. Most know Johnny Mathis's Chances Are, not as many know Bob Marley's tune by the same name.

9. Admission demand: LET ME IN.

10. Nike competitor: AVIA.

11. Dirt road features: RUTS.

12. Timid: MEEK.

14. "Enchanted" fantasy film girl: ELLA.

18. U. of Maryland athlete: TERP. From Wikipedia: The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition. The school's football coach and later the school's president, Harry C. "Curley" Byrd, thought "Terrapins" was a good nickname choice because of the diamondback terrapins endemic to the Chesapeake Bay region.

19. Big ring: PEAL.

24. "Roll Tide" school: BAMA. The rallying cry for the Alabama Crimson Tide athletic teams.

25. Smart ones?: ALECS.

26. Bride's throwaway: POSY.

27. Massage target: SCALP.

28. Daniel LaRusso, to Mr. Miyagi: TUTEE.

31. Follow orders: TOE THE LINE.

32. Muffed grounder, e.g.: ERROR.

33. Harvests: REAPS.

36. Take part in a biathlon: SKI. Winter sport that combines cross country-skiing and rifle shooting.

37. Sleep clinic focus: APNEA.

40. __ carotene: BETA.

41. Often-barked letters: ASAP.

44. Dance in a gym: SOCK HOP.

48. Reason to go green?: ENVY. Nice.

50. Bun, e.g.: UPDO.

53. __ Prince, Wonder Woman's alias: DIANA.

54. "Holy cow!": YIPES. Not yikes.

55. Helen of Troy's mother: LEDA.

56. Little tricksters: IMPS.

57. Boggy area: MIRE.

58. Double-curved arch: OGEE.

61. Tabloid twosome: ITEM.

62. Tends to tears: SEWS. Tricky clue.

64. Pulls a Charmin shenanigan, briefly: TPS. Wouldn't want to clean that up.

65. "That's a laugh!": HAH.

66. GPS output: RTE.

Tuesday June 5th, 2018 Samuel A. Donaldson

"LOSS LEADERS"

17. Gym bar addition: WEIGHT PLATE. WEIGHT LOSS

24. Fairness principle for bandwidth providers: NET NEUTRALITY.  NET LOSS

36. Judicial fact finder: HEARING EXAMINER. HEARING LOSS

48. What a crossword clue typically starts with: CAPITAL LETTER. CAPITAL LOSS

58. Retail come-ons ... and what the starts of the longest Across answers can be?: LOSS LEADERS.

Across:

1. Plunk down in front of, as a counter: SIT AT. 

6. 1-BR listings: APTs. Abbr # 1 Apartments

10. Ph.D. wannabe's obstacle: GRE. #2 Graduate Readiness Exam

13. Heart chambers: ATRIA.

14. Blue Ribbon beer: PABST.  Johnny Russell had a Hot Country Single in 1973 with Rednecks, White Socks, and Blue Ribbon Beer

He also wrote Act Naturally that Husker Gary linked last Saturday, as sung by Ringo and Buck Owens.  He was co-writer on George Strait's 1984 #1 Hot Country single Let's Fall to Pieces Together

16. Short flight: HOP.

19. In days of yore: AGO.

20. Opposite of SSW: NNE. #3 North, Northeast

21. Seat of Allen County, Kansas: IOLA.


22. Pricey watch: ROLEX.

28. Dodos: NINNIES.

30. Lumber: WOOD.  Pittsburgh's "Lumber Company" of the '70s  "They give you a round bat and they throw you a round ball and I try to hit it square,” Stargell said.

31. "__ Baby": "Hair" song: ABIE.

32. Genie's offering: WISH.

33. Hoppy beer, for short: IPA. # 4 India Pale Ale

41. Mo. port on the Miss.: STL. # 5 St. Louis

42. Mark Harmon TV series: NCIS. # 6 Naval Criminal Investigative Service

43. "Now!" in the ER: STAT. #7 Statim (Latin immediately)

44. Ruler until 1917: TSAR.  Nicholas II

45. iPad and Kindle Fire: TABLETS.

52. "I didn't expect to see you here": OH HEY.


53. Out of the wind: ALEE.

Leeward and Windward

54. Itinerary word: VIA.

57. Habitat of many schools: SEA.  "In biology, any group of fish that stay together for social reasons are said to be shoaling, and if, in addition, the group is swimming in the same direction in a coordinated manner, they are said to be schooling."  Wikipedia

62. "Live __": Taco Bell slogan: MAS.

63. Take off the TiVo: ERASE.

64. Lustrous furs: MINKS.   Free shipping and no tax.

Style Details

65. Poetic tribute: ODE.

66. Mannerless one: BOOR.

67. Behold, of old: SEEST.

Down:

1. Like lumber: SAWN.

2. Southern coast-to-coast hwy.: I-TEN. #8  Interstate 10

3. Occurring every third year: TRIENNIAL.

4. 2008 bailout co.: AIG. # 9 American International Group

5. South Pacific getaway: TAHITI.

Sheltered Blue Lagoons

6. Orchard fruit: APPLES.

7. Micronesian setting for the 10th season of "Survivor": PALAU.

Welcome to Palau

8. Letters in an incomplete schedule: TBA. # 11 To Be Announced

9. Retired flier, briefly: SST. #12 Super Sonic Transport

10. Ex-U.N. head Boutros-__: GHALI.   We always heard, "Boutros Boutros-Ghali" on the TV.

11. Thesaurus compiler: ROGET.

12. Hobbyist's glue: EPOXY.

15. Resistance unit equal to one trillion of the basic units: TERAOHM.  Why would anyone need these extreme values?  My Fluke meter won't measure to a trillion ohms of resistance.   Jayce ?

18. Musical quality: TONE.

23. Yellowstone's __ Faithful: OLD

Webcams - Pick the Upper Geyser Basin

25. Cabinet dept. concerned with nukes: ENER. #13 Energy

26. Candy from Mars: TWIX.  Cute clue.

27. Rights icon Parks: ROSA.

28. Casual denials: NAHs.

29. "Su-r-r-r-re": I BET.

32. "Rushmore" director Anderson: WES.  "This cult favorite is a quirky coming of age story, with fine, off-kilter performances from Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray." - Rotten Tomatoes.    Wes Anderson: American film director, film producer, screenwriter, and actor.  Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom. 

33. Play peacemaker: INTERVENE.  People who have contributed to peace.

34. Bog fuel: PEAT.

35. "Fine" studies: ARTS.

37. Current, as fashion: IN STYLE.  Had in vogue. I guess vogue is outta style.

38. Frozen Four org.: NCAA. # 14 National Collegiate Athletic Association.    Frozen Four is the branding for the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship.  Minnesota Duluth is the most recent champion.

39. Lass: GIRL.

40. 5-Down or 7-Down: ISLE.

44. Deadlock: TIE.

45. Penn's silent partner: TELLER.

Magicians and Entertainers

46. Perfectly, with "to": A TEE.

47. Backup squads: B TEAMS.

48. Pink drink, for short: COSMO. #15 Cosmopolitan


49. On the horizon: AHEAD.

50. Temporary stage: PHASE.

51. Catcher at a rodeo: LASSO.


55. Really gets to: IRKS.

56. Certain prof.'s designation: ASST. #16  Assistant

59. Poetic planet: ORB.

60. __ Paulo, Brazil: SAO.  The most populous city in the Americas (NY 4th, LA 8th, CHI 14th), and the most populous metropolitan area of the Americas (NY 3rd, LA 5th, CHI 8th).   Sao Paulo -Wikipedia

61. Yahtzee cube: DIE.

 

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear TTP (Tom), our Tuesday Sherpa since March 20, 2018, though he's been always there helping me solve various blog and life glitches. 

Madame DeFarge, I sure hope you can make the Chicago Corner Gathering happen. You've met Abejo, who met TTP for beer a few years ago. We need to "see" TTP.

Monday Jun 4, 2018 Roland Huget

Theme: MIXMASTER (60. Sunbeam brand ... and a literal hint to the circled letters:) - MASTER is anagrammed in each theme answer.

17A. Wind current that affects weather patterns: JET STREAM.

27A. Pet rodent's exercise gadget: HAMSTER WHEEL.

45A. Good survival skills: STREET SMARTS.

Boomer here.  

Yes the Mixmaster from Sunbeam!  And we had a beaming sun here in Minnesota this week.  I will never be able to understand how the mercury can hit triple digits a mere 6 weeks after we shoveled 18 inches of the white stuff out of our way.

Across:

1. __-as-you-are party: COME.

5. Wedge or pump: SHOE. Wedge, pump or golf.  I'll be wearing mine tomorrow and possibly using a wedge. 

9. Apple's Touch and Nano: IPODS.

14. Help with a robbery, say: ABET. Or -- visit a track and place a bet on Justify.

15. Phone in a purse: CELL.

16. "I kid you not": NO LIE.

19. Barton of the Red Cross: CLARA.  There is a name from the past.  A nurse in our  Civil War, Ms. Barton not only was of the Red Cross, She created it.

20. Purpose: USE.

21. First rainbow color: RED.  Mr. Skelton. aka Clem Kadiddlehopper

22. First Peace Corps director Sargent __: SHRIVER. Now we are in my era.  Mr. Shriver was not a Sergeant, his middle name was Sargent.  He was President Kennedy's brother-in-law, and I believe the President gave him the job of overseeing the newly created Peace Corps.

24. Lipton rival: NESTEA. N-E-S-T-L-E-S - Nestles makes the very best ... Chocolate.

26. Apple mobile platform: IOS. I know it doesn't matter in a crossword, but Apple displays this as iOS.  I think it stands for i Overcharge Society.

34. Concerning: ABOUT. Fight between Muhammad Ali and George Frazier.

37. Held the deed to: OWNED.

38. Mai __: cocktail: TAI. Pronounced My Tie and used to Tie one on.

39. Guns, as an engine: REVS.  In my neighborhood this is done in a 30 year old Chevy with little or no muffler.

40. Nest of chicks: BROOD.

41. Turkey meat preference: DARK.

42. Top worn with jeans: TEE. C'mon.  Everyone knows this is a piece of wood to hold a golf ball before Dustin Johnson whacks it 320 yards.

43. Birth-related: NATAL.  If you natal day happens to be February 29, how old are you.  Gilbert and Sullivan claimed that if you were born 20 years ago you would be "A little boy of five" and that was a paradox.

44. Numbered supermarket section: AISLE.

48. Brit's bathroom: LOO.  I wonder if the composer of "Skip to My Loo" had to go ?

49. Filmdom awards: OSCARS. I know this stands for the Academy Awards but the name actually came from some lady at the Academy who thought the statue looked like her Uncle Oscar.  It reminds me of half of the "Odd Couple" Oscar Madison played by Jack Klugman.  I think Walter Matthau played Oscar in the movie, Neil Simon was nominated for the Oscar for writing the "Odd Couple" but he did not win.

53. Longtime TV fitness guru Jack: LALANNE.  What a guy, lived to a ripe old age of 96.  Famous for the Power Juicer.  You could toss a handful of carrots into the thing and drink them in 2 minutes.

57. Job ad letters: EOE.

58. "The Matrix" hero: NEO.

59. Sumatran ape: ORANG.

63. Miata automaker: MAZDA. The fancy sports car has sneaked its way into the $25K range.

64. Jai __: ALAI. a fancy game like playing tennis against a wall.

65. Latin being: ESSE.

66. Sanctify: BLESS.

67. Clue or Risk: GAME. I think it was done by Cosmo Kramer and Neumann in Seinfeld's living room.

68. Peepers: EYES. Jeepers Creepers, where'd you get that clue?

Down:

1. Bayou cuisine: CAJUN.

2. More than plump: OBESE. - I was watching Lance Lynn pitch for the Twins on Saturday.  If He and Miguel Sano are first in line at the aftergame buffet, I wonder if anyone else gets to eat.

3. Doles (out): METES.

4. UFO pilots, presumably: ETS.

5. Riot, in the funny way: SCREAM. Wasn't this a movie back in the 90s ?

6. Take to heart: HEED.

7. Rio greeting: OLA.  I have a friend from Chile, and when he emails me its Hola. Can Brazilians not pronounce "H"s. ?

8. Shade trees: ELMS.

9. Narrow, exclusive group: IN CROWD. Not too exclusive. I believe there are 400 million Americans who think they are in it.

10. Refined manner: POLISH. or buff your golf shoes.

11. Norwegian royal name: OLAV. Ya Sure.

12. Desperate, as straits: DIRE.

13. Char on a grill: SEAR. Add an S and you have a retail chain that's losing money.

18. Halloween trick alternative: TREAT.

23. Put on the payroll: HIRED. Drank a root beer.

25. In this way: THUS.

28. Alphabetizes, say: SORTS.

29. Time for semiannual clock changes: Abbr.: TWO AM. Our computer and clock radio does it by itself.  We don't get up at 2 am to finish the job.  Next morning works.

30. __ Gay: WWII bomber: ENOLA. A B-29 named after the pilot's mom.  I was born after WWII. However my parents and history teachers taught me enough. I cannot applaud what our government ordered on that day in 1945. 

31. Vowels after zetas: ETAS.

32. British nobleman: EARL. Duke outranks Earl.

33. Facebook thumbs-up: LIKE.

34. Part of MFA: ARTS.

35. Borscht basic: BEET. I like beets, but they can add to your blood sugar.

36. Partner of "done with": OVER. Reminds me of Peter Graves in "Airplane".  The opening scene was filmed at MSP Airport.

40. Relay stick: BATON. Olympics are two short years away!

41. Brake rotor: DISC.

43. Nightlife sign's light source: NEON GAS.

44. On the briny: ATSEA.

46. African antelopes: ELANDS.

47. Dorm pal: ROOMIE.

50. Unable to sit still: ANTSY. Named after the New York Football team the GI ANTS.

51. Baseball Hall of Famer Pee Wee: REESE. And a great broadcaster "Holy Cow"!  Who said this first?  Pee Wee or Harry with the glasses. We had a Halsey here that copied them.

52. Tender spots: SORES.

53. Bausch's partner: LOMB.

54. Asia's vastly diminished __ Sea: ARAL. The Aral Sea is not really a sea but more like a lake.  In fact our own Lake Superior is larger than lake Aral.

55. Lie idly (around): LAZE.

56. Periodical with a URL: E-MAG.  I never saw an E-MAG and I never hope to read one.  But I can tell you anyhow, I'd rather see than be one.

57. Reason to study: EXAM.

61. Dockworkers' org.: ILA.

62. Match, as a bet: SEE. That would be in poker, instead of a raise.

Boomer