Friday, October 12, 2018, Ed Sessa

Title: Sub-chapter C? No, we need an S Corporation to solve this.

One of the many very successful constructors who emerged since we moved to the LAT, Dr. Sessa, a pediatrician presents us with his 86th LAT to go along with 36 NYT publications, hitting for the cycle in both venues. My first time blogging him was the same day his INTERVIEW with C.C. was published in 2011. Today we have a very simple and getable theme, merely adding a cedilla. It is a mark ( ¸ ) written under the letter c, especially in French, to show that it is pronounced like an "s" rather than a "k" (e.g., façade ). Here we just change the C to S. As Ed said in his interview, he wants to amuse and to make the theme an aha moment. I saw the theme with BRISK LAYER which made the solve much easier. As a seasoned professional, he adds a variety of sparkly fill. ACTUALLY, BATH SOAP,  COROLLAS,  DIAMETER,  OVERLAPS, and SHIMMIES. The themers-

17A. Eggs-uberant hen?: BRISK LAYER (10). My Uncle Harold taught BRICK laying in trade school. The clue is funny to me.

24A. Loon, at times?: DUSK CALLER (10). The change from DUCK caller would not help unless you know Loons (the official bird of the Corner) was famous for its night CALLING.

36A. Do some '80s Sochi sunbathing?: BASK IN THE USSR (13). This 1968 Beatles song -BACK IN THE USSR - is repurposed with memories of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

49A. Hitchhiking and texting?: THUMB TASKS (10). Thumb TACKS and hitchhiking are not as popular as they used to be, but it is amazing how fast young people maneuver their thumbs while texting. 

59A. What young elephants do for fun?: NIP AND TUSK (10). The first known usage of 'nip and TUCK' comes from the Arkansas Times and Advocate, August 1838: "It will be a close race in this county - Tully and Cummins, nip and tuck; and I don't know which will have it." 

The rest-

Across:

1. "Ta-ta!": SEE YA. I like this expression.

6. Kaput: SHOT.

10. Musical ending: CODA. JzB can say more about this as the concluding passage of a piece or movement, typically forming an addition to the basic structure

14. Ready for the operation: UNDER. The anesthesia.

15. Dance that may involve a chair: HORA. This is back again! Let's dance. We had a great Simchat Torah party this year with lots of dancing. It is not often you get to dance with a 99-year-old wonder , I was the one with the cane.

16. "Amores" poet: OVID. Publius Ovidius Naso, was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the three canonical poets of Latin literature. LINK.

19. Like used books: READ. Well-read I hope.




20. __ Xtra: cherry soda brand: PIBB.
No longer Mr. Pibb. I wonder if Dr. Pepper is next.

21. Apple on a desk: IMAC.

22. Word with ring or book: WORM. Sounds like a puzzle theme.

23. Rights org.: ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union.

27. Butler on a plantation: RHETT. Not the one who opens the door but the one who doesn't give a damn.

29. Like Colbert's show: ON LATE.

30. Kiss: SMOOCH.

35. Summit: APEX. Or acme.

40. "The Well-Tempered Clavier" composer: BACH.

41. Taking medication: DOSING. Does he mean taking LSD? I know he is trained, medical man.

42. Final flight destinations?: ATTICS. Wonderful clue.

44. Kitchen shelf array: HERBS.

54. Tick repellent: DEET. N, N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide, also called DEET (/diːt/) or diethyltoluamide, is the most common active ingredient in insect repellents.

55. __ Club: SAMS.

56. When repeated, fish on a menu: MAHI.

57. "That being the case ... ": IF SO.

58. Letters after E?: COLI. Hard to parse.

61. The third Mrs. Roy Rogers: DALE. I had no idea the Leonard Slye had two prior marriages. LINK.

62. Airer of many NCAA games: ESPN.

63. Farm stray: DOGIE.

64. 1974 CIA spoof: S*P*Y*S. After the massive success of M*A*S*H, this movie which also starred Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland were marketed with the asterisks to make people think they had something in common.

65. Reasons: WHYS. Why not?

66. Cornered, in a way: TREED. Forced or chased up a tree: a treed raccoon.


Down:

1. Not up to snuff: SUBPAR.

2. Increase the value of: ENRICH.

3. Consumer-friendly?: EDIBLE. A stretch but it actually works.

4. Hedge opening: YES, BUT. Another tricky variation clue; well done.

5. Biblical traveler: ARK.

6. Former SeaWorld attraction: SHAMU.

7. Georgetown athletes: HOYAS.

8. Eponymous vacuum brand: ORECK. Founded by David Oreck in 1963, Oreck Corporation began as a manufacturer of upright vacuum cleaners for the U.S. hotel industry.

9. Roofer's supply: TAR.

10. Popular Toyotas: COROLLAS.

11. Has in common: OVERLAPS.

12. Line through the middle: DIAMETER.

13. Include: ADD.

18. Pot top: LID.

22. Lacking color: WAN.

25. Ben of Ben and Jerry's: COHEN. Ben & Jerry's was founded in May 1978, when Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened an ice cream shop in Burlington, Vermont. ... In 1977, they moved to Burlington, Vermont, and completed a five-dollar correspondence course in ice cream making from Pennsylvania State University. Encyclopedia.

26. "Toy Story" dinosaur: REX.

28. Scolder's cluck: TSK.

31. In the __ of: MIDST.

32. Creator of Iceland's Imagine Peace Tower: ONO.

33. Ties may be broken in them, briefly: OTS.

34. Only half-pretentious?: CHI.

36. Bar by the tub: BATH SOAP.

37. If truth be told: ACTUALLY.

38. Does a ragtime dance: SHIMMIES.

39. "That's disgusting!": UGH. Which describes...

40. Skeeter eater: BAT.

43. "60 Minutes" network: CBS.

45. One slightly changed this clue: EDITOR. Was it only slightly?

46. Storm shelter, say: REFUGE.

47. Blues great Smith: BESSIE.

48. Fired up: STOKED.

50. Sect in Pennsylvania's Lancaster County: AMISH. Today, there are over 25 different Amish, Mennonite, and Brethren church groups in Lancaster County, all holding to slightly different traditions and their own interpretations of the Bible.

51. Like maple trees and pigeons?: SAPPY. Pigeon as in the victim of a scam, a sap.

52. Ruling descendants of Genghis: KHANS. The FAMILY TREE.

53. Thing to confess: SIN.

58. DJ's inventory: CDS.

59. Strange (to): NEW.

60. "Silent Spring" subj.: DDT. The novel by Rachel Carson was published in 1962. I remember it as being very controversial at the time.

I really enjoyed this puzzle and writing up all the different things that it revealed. I also was very proud of Oo and honored at the Torah party. Thank you Dr. Seesa and thank you all.

Thursday October 11, 2018 Susan Gelfand

Theme:

17A *They're for the dogs: LEASH LAWS. Shale oil

39A. *Enter on the sly: SNEAK IN. Snake oil

11D. *Two-time women's soccer Olympic gold medalist: ABBY WAMBACH. Baby oil.

Abby is one of my sporting heroes, she took the world of soccer and shook it by the ears, was instrumental in helping build a winning national team and twice carried off Olympic gold medals. My goodness, she was a factor in so many great moments. She has one of the "Greatest Goal" headers in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final game against Brazil to tie the game at 2-2 at the death in overtime and send the tie to penalty kicks which the USA won 5-3. Carli Lloyd's feed to Megan Rapinoe and her 45-yard cross was instrumental in the strike. What a great team that was.

Enjoy it here

25D. *Gravlax: CURED SALMON.Crude oil. Food! Dill, salt, sugar, pepper and bury it in the ground :)

and the unifier, and the start of the sleuthing:

60A. Jiffy Lube service, and a hint to the start of the answers to starred clues: OIL CHANGE

Wow. I was an email second away to ask for help from my fellow bloggers to figure out what on earth this them was all about, then I decided to look at the short entries first. ABBY:BABY. Oh, wait - anagrams - then CURED:CRUDE. That's another. SNEAK:SNAKE and finally .... LEASH:SHALE. In all the years I've been doing this I've never been even close to crying UNCLE finding the theme, but this one just about had me waving the white flag. The solve was straightforward, but back-tracking to find the theme - not so much.

I'd call this a meta - a puzzle solvable on its own, but you can have fun looking back to try to figure out the theme. If that was the intent, then well done, but if that is not the intent, that's a problem. The puzzle should stand up on its own as a themeless, and this doesn't really hit the mark.

There's some high spots though, let's go look for those.

Across:

1. Moment of remorse: PANG

5. Portrayer of a big scaredy-cat: LAHR. Lion, of the cowardly sort.

9. One thing on top of another: STACK

14. Saucony rival: AVIA. Running shoes. The clue is interesting. In the "obscure running shoes" category.

15. Resort town near Santa Barbara: OJAI. Up in the hills not too far from me. There's a spa/hotel which has a good reputation.

16. Buffalo hockey player: SABRE. "ER" or "RE"? Figure it out and move on.

19. French clerics: ABBÉS

20. Make rough: COARSEN

22. __ tick: disease carrier: LYME

23. Open, as toothpaste: UNCAP. "Oh, just let me uncap this toothpaste" - said nobody, ever.

26. By any means: SOME WAY

28. It may be proper: NOUN

29. Start to mature?: PRE-

32. Poll gathering: DATA

33. Lancelot and Mix-a-Lot: SIRS

34. "La Cage __ Folles": AUX. You might as well just print this in the grid as a freebie.

35. Bleak: DISMAL

38. Linguistic suffix: -ESE

41. Word before and after "oh": BOY. Boy-oh? Really? I know the Welsh affectionate "boyo", not sure about this one.

42. Freshwater minnow: RED FIN. Not a lot of meat on a red fin. Now a bluefin, you're talking sushi.

44. Chaps: MEN

45. 2002-'03 viral outbreak, briefly: SARS. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Makers of white surgical face masks have never been so happy to extend their market to the general population.

46. Together, so to speak: SANE

47. Droop: SAG

48. Plasm prefix: ECTO-

49. Followers of shots: CHASERS

52. Taj __: MAHAL. Oh, I thought it might have been Taj Smith, the famous (?) American football player, or Taj Forer, the photographer. Shame on me for overlooking the obvious.

53. Put the brakes on: HALT

54. Phantom: SPECTER

58. "Mental Illness" Grammy winner Mann: AIMEE. Thank you, crosses.

64. Engagement ring centerpiece: STONE

65. Lackluster: DRAB

66. Like some U.S. mail: CERT. Ach. Please. "I'm sending this U.S. Mail, Cert." said nobody, ever.

67. Belarus capital: MINSK

68. Start of a decision-making rhyme: EENY-

69. Actor Miller of "Justice League": EZRA. Thank you crosses. Ezra, meet Aimee.

Down:

1. Bud: PAL

2. Park in NYC, e.g.: AVE. This one made me think, and I walk up and down Park at least once a month; two of my clients have their head offices on the street. The Helmsley Building built over the top of the street at Grand Central never fails to make me smile.

3. Long of "NCIS: Los Angeles": NIA. Thank you, crosses. Nia, meet Aimee and Ezra.

4. Garage containers: GAS CANS

5. "Copacabana" showgirl: LOLA. Let's go with the other Lola, who "walked like a woman and talked like a man".

6. Open a bit: AJAR

7. Verbal hesitations: HAWS

8. Reacts to yeast: RISES

9. ID issuer: SSA. I didn't punctuate the SSA because ID is now a word, and not just a Latin one.

10. Laptop alternatives: TABLETS

12. Espresso foam: CREMA

13. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" novelist: KESEY

18. Short trip: HOP

21. Dropping (off): NODDING

23. Indy racing family name: UNSER

24. Din: NOISE

27. Key: MAIN

29. They go for the gold: PANNERS. Yep, I'm in a picky mood today. "He was a panner in the '49 California gold rush" - said nobody, ever.

30. Feel remorse for: RUE

31. Finals, say: EXAMS

36. Major artery: AORTA

37. Germ-killing brand: LYSOL

39. Triangle ratio: SINE. What was the aide-memoire we learned back then - soh-cah-toa? Sine = Opposite over Hypotenuse .... Mathematics exams redux.

40. Hawaii's Mauna __: KEA. Loa or Kea. Not Koa which was my first try. I have a koa wood ring and bracelet from Maui, so I excuse myself.

43. Buckles, as a seat belt: FASTENS

45. Yachting event, e.g.: SEA RACE

49. Great divide: CHASM

50. French-speaking Western Hemisphere country: HAITI. Not France then? Now this is oddly cunning - the Western Hemisphere is divided at the zero meridian and the 180 line at the antimeridian. France straddles the zero mark, and as such is disqualified from being a candidate answer, notwithstanding having too many letters. The only other possibility in literal terms would be Canada, but than you're talking about a minority population in Quebec, plus too many letters. A+ for educational.

51. Fine English china: SPODE. Wedgwood 1, Spode 0 in the Five Towns derby, sadly. Wedgwood cornered the marked in pale blue brooches and ornamental pottery, but Spode produced some wonderful hand-painted gold-banded white china plates. I'm with Spode - you can eat off their plates, you'd never think of serving food on a Wedgwood dish. Those bands really are painted by hand.

52. "So-so": MEH

55. Kerry locale: EIRE

56. Extended family: CLAN

57. Frozen dessert chain: TCBY. Their website has them as "The Country's Best Yogurt". Praise the Lord for correct apostrophe usage.

59. "Yikes!": EEK

61. Pince-__ glasses: NEZ

62. Watchdog's warning: GRR

63. ORD posting: ETA. Take a three-letter airport code and attach it to ETA, and voila! A crossword clue. See also ARR, and LGW, LHR, SYD, LGA, JFK, LAX, SFO, ORD, IAH, oh - who did I miss? Of course - BUR, PHX, DEN, MIA, SEA, CDG, FRA. And another hundred or three. I think I've made my point.

And .....here's the ETA for the CWD GRD! Right on time! And a genuinely-square 15x15, things are returning to normal in LAT XWD VIL

STV

Wednesday, October 10, 2018 C. C. Burnikel

Theme: Fast times down in the paddy.  Otherwise unrelated theme answers contain the letters of the word RICE, but WILDLY out of order. In each case, the letters span two words, which is always a nice touch.  Hope you got the circles.  This would be awfully opaque without them

16 A. Vice squad operations: POLICE RAIDS. Unannounced visits by law enforcement, using the element of surprise to aid in making arrests, so things don't get too WILD.

28 A. Fictional feline that could disappear at will: CHESHIRE CAT.  Best known for its mischievous grin, and most generally associated with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by creepy 19th century British minister Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, rather than T. S. Eliot.  Its presence in folk lore pre-dates this 1865 novel, and is of uncertain origin.  As it fades away, the last thing visible is its ionic grin.

45 A. "Talladega Nights" actor: JOHN C REILLY.  Here he is in CHICAGO.

62 A. It eases tension in some serious tales: COMIC RELIEF. A light or humorous episode in an other wise serious dramatic work.

3 D. Social class prominent in "The Great Gatsby": IDLE RICH.  People of substantial inherited wealth who have no need to work for a living.  And a shout out to anyone named ERIC.

And the unifier -- 39 D. Whole-grain food, and a description of each set of circles: WILD RICE.  This is a separate species from white rice.  Though it is now cultivated, it is still also harvested from shallow lakes in its natural habitat in North America.  The word WILD indicates that the letters of RICE have been rearranged in the theme entries.

The byline indicates that this puzzle was constructed by our gracious and prolific hostess, whose published puzzles now must number in the hundreds.  Note the clever and original grid, with theme fill that is both horizontal and vertical, but not in a pinwheel array.

Hi, Gang - JazzBumpa here.  Let's all have a WILD time together.

Across:

1. Vice president after Hubert: SPIRO.  T. Agnew [1918-1996] V.P. under Richard Nixon.  He resigned as a result of a corruption scandal involving kick-backs and tax evasion dating from his time as county executive in MD, and continuing into his vice presidency.  He escaped prosecution in a plea bargain.

6. Harry Potter's lightning bolt, e.g.: SCAR.  On his forehead, resulting from an unpleasant incident when he was in infant, involving Tom Riddle

10. Cauldron stirrer: HAG.  They seem nice.

13. Intense passion: ARDOR.  Fervor, zeal, vehemence.

14. Big strings: CELLI.  Here is a sample.

15. "We're on __ way": OUR.  Be right with you  .  .  .

18. Prefix with angle or athlete: TRI.  Indicating something in threes - a TRIangle is a three sided figure. A TRIathlete competes in a three-part combined event, usually involving running, bicycling and swimming.

19. Make very happy: ELATE.

20. "__ Go": cellphone game: POKEMON.  A game centered on fictional creatures which humans can train and battle each other for sport. I'll stop here, because this is already more than i know about it, lest I --

22. Mess up: ERR.  Goof.

24. PC core: CPU.   Central Processing Unit.  It perfprms the basic computational, logic and control functions.

26. Sorvino of "Mimic": MIRA.  I had her last time.

She's rather tall.

27. Hawaiian garland: LEI.   Flower garland necklace.

Blossoms

32. Ultra-masculine: MACHO.  Overtly, aggressively and pridefully male.  Short of toxic masculinity, one would hope

34. Underwater detector: SONAR.  From SOund Navigation And Ranging, a system that uses sound waves to navigate and detect objects, usually under water

35. Sister of Laertes: OPHELIA.  In Shakespeare's play, daughter of Polonius, and the potential wife of Hamlet.

38. Major turf battle: GANG WAR.  Battle for control of a neighborhood or area between rival gangs.

42. They may be pumped or bumped: FISTS.  Or used for fighting.

44. Neutral shade: BEIGE. A pale, sandy yellowish brown color.

50. Meadow: LEA. An open grassy area.

51. Sheriff Andy Taylor's boy: OPIE.  From the Andy Griffith show.

Early Ron Howard

52. Ewe call: BAA.  She said, sheepishly.

53. ISP option: DSL. Digital Subscriber Line.  Distinct from dial-up, but using a telephone line.

54. "Oh, puh-leeze!": SPARE ME.  Get real.

58. African country whose name begins another African country: NIGER. and Nigeria.  Adjacent countries in west Africa.

Niger is in orange

61. Wee one: TOT.  A small child.  I once was one.

66. Baton Rouge sch.: LSU.  Louisiana State University, home of Mike the Tiger.

67. Occupied, as a restroom: IN USE.  Come back later.

68. Award for "Moonlight" or "Spotlight": OSCAR.  An award presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for excellence in the creation and production of movies.

69. Some Caltech grads: EES.  Electrical Engineers.  People who really do live in the realm of imaginary numbers.

70. "Gee whiz!": GOSH.   Golly.

71. Cautious (of): LEERY. Wary, due to realistic suspicions

Down:

1. Liquid from a trunk: SAP.   Sticky stuff from a tree trunk.

2. Golf instructor: PRO.  Or tennis.

4. Churn up: ROIL.  Cf. 10 A.

5. White-bellied ocean predator: ORCA.  The killer whale.

6. __ salt: SEA.  Other wise known as .  .  . salt.

7. Movie excerpt: CLIP.   Cf 10 A, 45 A, 70 A.

8. Big name in footwear: ALDO.  I like Clarks.

But how would I look in these?

9. Put in peril: RISK.

10. One may pick up an embarrassing remark: HOT MIC.  Conversations can be captured when the speakers think the microphone is off.  Ooops!

11. Goddess of the dawn: AURORA.  From Roman mythology.

12. Be amused by: GRIN AT.   Smile!

14. Dessert pancake: CREPE.  A thin pancake, usually rolled and filled with something.

17. Draw with acid: ETCH.  Coat the substrate with a protective substance such as wax, draw on it with a needle to expose the surface, then flow acid over it.  This will attack the exposed surface and create the desired image.

21. Come into view: EMERGE.  Unfold, transpire, become apparent.

22. Sailor's patron: ELMO.  AKA St Erasmus of Formia [d 303 AD.]   The account of his various tortures and imprisonments is disturbing.  You have been warned.

23. Use a scythe: REAP.  For harvesting a crop.  No reason to be grim about it.

25. Navy vessel letters: USS. United States Ship, applied only while it is in commission.

28. Infant's ailment: COLIC.  Abdominal pain caused by gas or obstruction.  Unpleasant for baby, parents, and anyone else near by.

29. Gluttonous sort: HOG.  Greedy one who wants it all.

30. Once __ while: IN A.  Occasionally.

31. Asked for an opinion on, as an idea: RAN BY.

33. Playboy founder: HEFNER.  Hugh [1926 - 1917]

Judge him by the company he kept

36. Mideast nation: Abbr.: ISRael.

37. Had breakfast: ATE. Typically raisin bran for me.

40. Quite a while: AGES.  Non-specific long time duration.

41. Bona fide: REAL.  From the Latin, meaning "with good faith."

43. Family vacay participant: SIB.  Sibling, joining the fam for a vacation.

45. Push rudely: JOSTLE.  To elbow or push against someone, typically in a crowd.  From late Middle English, derived from jousting [Cf. 48 D.] The original meaning was "to have sex with."  Current, more pedestrian, meaning is from the mid 16th century.

46. Vote against: OPPOSE.  Nay, nay, I say.

47. Continuity break: HIATUS.  A pause or gap in a sequence, series or process.

48. Renaissance Faire weapon: LANCE.   For jousting.  You can find many examples on Youtube.  I chose not to link.

49. Dragon's den: LAIR.  Brings to mind a poem I wrote long ago.

  
IN PRAYER SHE CONTEMPLATES

Far from her home, sequestered in a cave

In dampness, gloom and foul lizard's filth

With golden chains that mock a kingdom's wealth,

She waits the coming of the knight or knave --

The fool who'd face the flame and fang to save 

A royal maiden from this monstrous death.

The fool arrives.  To scale and scalding breath

He shouts his dare.  Could one so wild and brave

Be any but a lout?  No doubt he'd clench

A princess as he would some low-born wench. 

Is lance of knight or fang of worm to be

The one to test her vain virginity?

Reposed in prayer she contemplates her sins,

Then spies her knight, and prays the dragon wins.

 © JazzBumpa

55. Vaper's smoke, briefly: E-CIG.  Prompts a question about technology: just because we can, does that mean we should?

56. Stereo preceder: MONO.  In monaural sound, a single channel is used, and all speakers will project the same copy of the signal.  In stereophonic sound, there are typically two channels, and each one projects a different portion of the total sound package.  This gives the effects of directionality and space.

57. Fast Aussie birds: EMUS.  Australian native Dromaius novaehollandiae is the second largest living bird, after the ostrich, which is native to Africa.  Both are fast runners, but neither can fly.

59. Earth sci.: GEOLogy  is an earth science.  As the saying goes, GEOLOGY rocks, but Geography is where it's at.

60. "What __ can I do?": ELSE.  An offer of further assistance, or an expression of exasperation.  You decide.

63. "Kinda" suffix: -ISH.

64. Piece of corn: EAR. Something to listen for when you stalk the grain.

65. Cook, as spring rolls: FRY.  Cook with hot oil in a shallow pan.  MAybe have some WILD RICE as a side.

That wraps up another Wednesday.  Hope you found this nit-free puzzle to be delicious, nutritious and just crunchy enough.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, Oct 9, 2018 Bruce Haight

"Needlework"


17. How something precarious may hang: BY A THREAD.


29. How a good comedian leaves the audience?: IN STITCHES.  A ham sandwich walks into a bar and orders a beer.  The bartender says, "Sorry, we don't serve food in here."

47. Difficult time: ROUGH PATCH.   "Just don't unpack and live there."

64. Care: GIVE A DARN.

53. Clinched, and a hint to the four longest Across answers: SEWN UP. 

Hope you didn't get a pinprick - or worse - solving Bruce's offering.   If you did, put a band-aid on it or let be.  Whatever you want.   Suture self. 

Across:

1. "Big Board" that lists GM and GE: NYSE. General Motors, General Electric, and New York Stock Exchange, respectively.

5. Strauss of jeans: LEVI.

9. Scam using spam, say: PHISH.  An excellent primer from IT professionals:  Make smarter decisions to avoid being scammed  I'm impressed.  Well worth the time.  

14. Fireworks cries: OOHS  and aahs.

15. Eye layer that includes the iris: UVEA.

16. Roman robes: TOGAE. Latin plural for toga.  Fashion in ancient Rome

19. Love, to Casanova: AMORE.

20. Soft toss: LOB.

21. "Out with it!": TELL ME.

23. List-ending abbr.: ET AL. 

24. Diplomatic office: EMBASSY.

26. "No more for me, thanks": I'M SET.

28. Simon __: SAYS.   A child's game and a bubblegum pop hit from 1967


33. Farm layer: HEN.

35. Lamp-to-plug line: WIRE. Linecord or simply cord in many circles.

36. Little mischief-maker: IMP.

37. Marisa of "My Cousin Vinny": TOMEI.


40. Asian New Year: TET.

41. Very unpleasant: NASTY.

43. "It's __-win situation": A NO.

44. Clinton's veep: GORE.

46. Fifth scale note: SOL.  Solmization

50. Queries: ASKS. 

54. Schlepped: TOTED.

55. Eats a little: HAS SOME.

57. "Verrrry funny": HA HA.  Ha Ha Clinton-Dix plays free safety for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League.  His first name is really Ha'Sean.  His grandmother gave him the nickname when he was an infant.  "Verrry funny, grandma !"   Truth be told, he likes his nickname. 

59. Stem (from): DERIVE.  Clinton-Dix's nickname stems from the fact that family friends and some family members couldn't properly pronounce his birth name.

61. Opposite of "yep": NAW.  Not nope today.

62. Overplay the part: EMOTE.

66. Career employee: LIFER.  I first learned this definition in the Army to describe a career soldier.

67. New __: modern spiritualist: AGER.

68. Rebuke from Caesar: ETTU.

69. Put off: DEFER.

70. Gridiron throw: PASS.  American and Canadian rules football.  A throw on the football field.  Most often by a quarterback, but occasionally by another player, such as on this trick play Sunday:



Updated Oct 9 at 7:20 AM, to provide a video of Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints throwing the 62 yard pass to set the NFL record for Most Career Passing Yards



71. Stinging insect: WASP.   I've been stung by wasps, bees and fire ants.   And an almost by a scorpion. 

Down:

1. Aristocrats: NOBLES.  They play polo and love guns, horses and hounds.

2. Grammy-winning cellist: YOYO MA.

3. "Not too __!": "Good work!": SHABBY.

4. "To the max" suffix: EST. The superlative suffix.

5. Slyly attracts: LURES IN.  Entices.  Baits.  On the internet, it's called clickbait when a title or image entices you to satisfy your curiosity gap.   Especially nefarious with clickbait that promises one thing and the accompanying link delivers something else, like malware.    I also find it annoying on this blog when a troll makes inflammatory or specious comments trying to lure regulars into a war of words.   Please don't feed the trolls.

6. "Brideshead Revisited" novelist Waugh: EVELYN.  Never read the book saw the movie, but learned that Evelyn Waugh was a man, and that his first wife was also named Evelyn. 

7. Wiener schnitzel meat: VEAL.

8. Words of confession: I ADMIT IT.

9. School fundraising gp.: PTA. "Founded in 1897 as the National Congress of Mothers by Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst, National PTA is a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education."

10. Household skills class, for short: HOME EC. 

11. "Let me handle it": I GOT THIS.

12. __ Lee desserts: SARA.

13. Canine command: HEEL.


18. Elevs.: HTS.  Elevations / Heights

22. Mideast chieftain: EMIR.

25. Arthur of tennis: ASHE.

27. Dictation pro: STENO. Professional / Stenographer.  How Much Do Stenographers Make?

30. Like dessert wines: SWEET.

31. Ambulance pro: EMT.  Emergency Medical Technician

32. 007, e.g.: SPY. In Ian Flemming's novels, an MI6 agent granted the 00 designation has a "license to kill".   James Bond is the 7th agent that received the 00 designation, thus he is code-named 007.

34. Figure skating figure: EIGHT.

37. Sticky subject?: TAR.   Should be sealing the cracks in my asphalt driveway before Old Man Winter wreaks havoc with his freeze thaw cycles.  Got a quote of over $400 to have ~ 200' ft. hot-sealed.   I'll spend a few hours and fill them myself. 

38. Musical Yoko: ONO.

39. Get sassy with someone: MOUTH OFF.

40. Import-export imbalance: TRADE GAP.

42. "Sadly ... ": ALAS.

45. Newspaper opinion page: OP ED.

46. Norelco products: SHAVERS. One of these might be useful to perfect the look of your...

48. Pointed beard: GOATEE.

49. Baked potato topping paired with sour cream: CHIVES. They're still doing well in our garden.  Time to snip and freeze them before Mother Nature does.

51. Piano piece: SONATA. 8 hours of Mozart linked for your listening pleasure:


52. Some big box stores: KMARTS.  "Attention Kmart shoppers" and "Blue Light Specials" are blasts from the past that you may recall.  .

56. "... and two if by __": SEA.  Events of April 18, 1775

57. __ up: robbed: HELD.

58. Parisian gal pal: AMIE.

60. Latvian capital: RIGA.

63. Blow it: ERR.

65. "Do the __": soft-drink slogan: DEW.   "Do the DEW is more than just an advertising slogan for Mountain Dew – it represents the attitude of a community that really seeks to live life authentically," said Simon Lowden, Chief Marketing Officer, Pepsi Beverages North America.   The commercials are primarily aimed at millennials and "are designed to thrive in the mobile environment".  They're onto something.  Mountain Dew is a billion dollar brand for Pepsi Co.

Monday Oct 8, 2018 Gail Grabowski & Bruce Venzke

Theme: Momentarily

20. Soon: IN SHORT ORDER.

41. Soon: BEFORE YOU KNOW IT.

58. Soon: ANY MINUTE NOW.

Boomer here.

Football season is in full swing and I like the NFL as well as college games.  Of course I focus on the Big 10, (Which has become the bigger 14).  I wonder how some of these border battle trophies originated.  Minnesota battles Michigan for the Little Brown Jug, and takes on Wisconsin for Paul Bunyan's Axe.  This week was a battle with Iowa for "Floyd of Rosedale".  Floyd is a 98 pound statue of a bronze pig.  It is back in Iowa this year, but wait 'til next year.  You never know. 

Across:

1. Stand watch for, say: ABET. Put a few dollars on the Pass Line

5. Oompah instrument: TUBA.  What do two sheep say?

9. Think-on-your-feet tests: ORALS.

14. Greiner of "Shark Tank": LORI.  I have watched a couple of episodes of "Shark Tank".  That was enough.

15. Sister of Osiris: ISIS.

16. Fabled wish granter: GENIE.  Sometimes she appears in your dream, with light brown hair.   Barbara Eden will do,

17. Time-consuming: LONG.

18. With "of" and 71-Across, Steinbeck classic: EAST. 71. See 18-Across: EDEN.

19. Swim cap material: LATEX.  George Costanza is their salesman.

23. Hulu service: NET TV.  Basketball station ??

24. __ about: roughly: ON OR.

25. Eyelid bump: STYE.  Floyd of Rosedale's home?

29. Onetime Leno announcer Hall: EDD.

31. Prefix with mount or charge: SUR.  A big beach in California

33. Head-butting beast: RAM.  LA football player

34. Scoop in a cone: ICE CREAM.  I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ice cream.

39. Katmandu native: NEPALI.

43. Make an error: SLIP UP.

44. Pedals on antique sewing machines: TREADLES.   We had an old Singer when I was young.  I never knew what that pedal was called.

45. Right-angled piece: ELL.

46. Gp. with Vikings: NFC. And Packers and Lions and Bears, Oh My!

48. Bearded beast: GNU.

49. Fraction of a min.: NSEC. Nanosecond.

51. Hindu princess: RANI.

53. Andean pack animal: LLAMA.  If you bought a toy one, would it be called a "Dolly Llama" ?

61. Pentagon, for one: SHAPE.  Five-sided where all the military honchos hang out.

64. Med. readouts: EKGS.

65. Molecule part: ATOM. If not a Dick or Harry, is he a Tom ?

66. Usual bus. address for sending in payments: PO BOX.

67. Cheer (for): ROOT. "If they don't win it's a shame."

68. Vaccine fluids: SERA.

69. Hollywood go-between: AGENT.

70. Actress Gunn of "Breaking Bad": ANNA.

Down:

1. Dead tired: ALL IN.  See 1-Across.  Make a bet all in.

2. Trailblazer Daniel: BOONE. Incredible!  This guy lived to be 85 when the average lifespan was less than 40.

3. Surrealist Max: ERNST.  Another 85 year old !

4. Tied snugly: TIGHT.  Once there was a little girl, whose mother tied her braids so TIGHT that when she cried, the tears ran down her back.  They called her Bacteria.

5. Wedding cake layer: TIER.  Do people still take the top tier and freeze it, then thaw to eat on anniversary #1 ??

6. Gannett's flagship newspaper: USA TODAY.

7. Badlands bovine: BISON.  North Dakota State football team.

8. Texas team that won the 2017 World Series: ASTROS.  Now fighting Cleveland to see if they will have a chance to repeat.  Verlander is amazing!

9. Look like a wolf?: OGLE.

10. Brings up, as kids: REARS.  Rearing kids includes occasional bops to the rear.

11. Industrious insect: ANT.

12. Tell it like it isn't: LIE.  The Washington Post keeps track.

13. "__ sells": ad biz mantra: SEX

21. Exceed, as a budget: OVERRUN.

22. Like an intoxicated spree: DRUNKEN. Supreme Court welcoming party ?

26. Fish with a net: TRAWL.  Minnesota has over 10,000 lakes and many more fisherman.  No way to fish with a net.  Give the floppers a fighting chance.

27. New Haven Ivy Leaguer: YALIE. See 22-Down.

28. Radiates: EMITS.

30. Cook, as onion rings: DEEP-FRY.  Makes my mouth water.

32. Le Car maker: RENAULT.

34. "Peer Gynt" playwright: IBSEN.

35. Honeycomb units: CELLS.  Homes for criminals. 

36. Paperless tax return option: E-FILE.  I am old school.  Fill out the 1040 and send it in.

37. "Blue Bloods" extra: COP.

38. Bon __: witticism: MOT.

40. Pea container: POD.

42. Encouraging: URGING ON.  College football fans

47. Picture taker: CAMERA.  Smile if you are on a Candid one.

50. Roasting bird: CAPON.  Ballplayers must have their Cap on when they take the field

52. 47-Down brand: NIKON.  "I've got a Nikon Camera, gonna take a photograph, Mama don't take my Kodachrome away".  Simon & Garfunkel

54. Tenant's contract: LEASE.

55. Tossed in a chip: ANTED.  I don't think this is a word.

56. Bond portrayer Roger: MOORE.  There were 7 James Bond.  I think Sean Connery was the best.  After he quit, I did not go to 007 movies any more.

57. "Seriously, bro!": AW MAN.

59. "I'm __!": "My turn!": NEXT.  Barber shop lingo.

60. Davis Cup org.: USTA. Tennis anyone ?

61. Place for a mud bath: SPA.

62. Biker's wheels: HOG.  I wonder if Harley Davidson minds that people call his bikes, hogs.  Maybe one could be a Minnesota/Iowa football game trophy.

63. Springfield presidential library nickname: ABE.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

Happy 77 birthday to dear Jayce, who's been with our blog since 2009. Often Jayce explains Chinese language quirks better than I do. He's just super observant. Here is Jayce with his beautiful bride, who speaks Cantonese.

Wedding Day

 

June 2013, Santa Barbara

Sunday, October 7, 2018 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "The Irreverent Grammarian"- Seven English grammar-related terms are punnily re-phrased.

22. Confident opinion piece?: DEFINITE ARTICLE. I skip "the" often. Chinese has no definite article.

34. Ammonia and water?: COMPOUND WORDS. Both are compounds.

49. Overlap in a photo lab?: DOUBLE NEGATIVE.

67. Adam?: FIRST PERSON.

81. Truce that's barely holding?: TENSE AGREEMENT.

96. Consecutive jail terms?: RUN-ON SENTENCE.

112. Will sections covering family members?: RELATIVE CLAUSES.

I like the title. Irreverent. That's our Jeffrey. Irreverent with humor, wits and fun.

Just look at the basic grid design. Normally you'll find the grid edges broken into four parts, like our last Sunday puzzle. Jeffrey chose the irreverent way. He broke the edges into three, which increases the word length and of course, filling difficulty. We don't see triple-stacked 7's often.

Across:

1. Repetitive geometric patterns: FRACTALS. Sparkly start.

9. Collinsworth with many Sports Emmys: CRIS. Football analyst.

13. Showed openly: BARED.

18. Ricky Martin's birthplace: PUERTO RICO.

20. Use a hammock: REST. Here is our CrossEyedDave relaxing in his hammock.

21. Other side: ENEMY.

24. Approach evening: LATEN. Not a word I use.

25. Eligibility factors: AGES.  Read this China Daily article. The retirement age in China is 50 for women. 60 for men. Mandatory. But Chinese president is 65 already.

26. Most in need of water: DRIEST.

27. Where Brazil took Olympic soccer gold: RIO.

29. Concert finale?: INA. Concertina.

30. Pitcher's problem: SORE ARM. Different "pitch" in 89. Adjust for pitch: TUNE.

37. Get more precipitous: STEEPEN.

39. Regret: RUE.

40. Track event: MEET.

41. Draw back: EBB.

44. Aveeno competitor: OLAY. Never a fan of Aveeno. Been into CeraVe the past few months.

45. Mark of shame: STIGMA.

48. Hot tub feature: EDDY.

53. Writer Deighton: LEN.

55. Remark that hurts: INSULT.

56. Track winnings: PURSE.

57. Ambulance gp.: EMS.

58. Org. with no "L" in its name, ironically: CTA.Chicago Transit Authority.

61. Brings down: FELLS.

62. Disney film starring Auli'i Cravalho: MOANA. Polynesian girl.

64. Cell pic: SNAPSHOT.

66. Author Dinesen: ISAK.

70. E-commerce icon: CART.

71. Officially rebukes: CENSURES.

73. Pride group: LIONS.

74. Focus of much TV drama: CRIME.

75. Saint-Tropez summer: ETE.

76. Title like Bugs Bunny's "Hare Trigger": PUN.

77. Harbor sights: PIERS.

79. Macbeth and Macduff: THANES.

80. Handheld amp?: MIC.

84. Olympic contact sport: JUDO. The do in Judo is the same as Chinese "tao". Way.

87. Ad rep's links: TIE-INS.

90. Souse's woe: DTS.

91. Single section: UNIT. And 92. Single: ONE.

93. White Castle offerings: SLIDERS.

101. "I can't eat all this!": IT'S A LOT. Boomer has lost quite a bit of weight. He used to love food.

105. British verb suffix: ISE.

106. Always, poetically: EER.

107. Biblical voyage terminus: ARARAT.

109. Bierce's definition of it starts, "A temporary insanity curable by marriage": LOVE.

110. Buddhist spiritual text: SUTRA.

117. Spud: TATER.

118. Sturdy trees: OAKS.

119. Not giving up: PERSISTENT.

120. Iditarod array: SLEDS.

121. Scheme: RUSE.

122. Bar for adults and children: SNICKERS. Great clue/answer. I first saw Snickers at my then boss's home. Tons of Snickers and cigarettes.

Down:

1. Felipe's fire: FUEGO.

2. Point (to): REFER.

3. Comes up: ARISES.

4. Many an Amazon dely.: CTN.

5. Nome : yours :: Nice : à __: TOI.

6. Collages and such: ART.

7. Wasn't true: LIED.

8. Not often seen: SCARCE.

9. Autumn adjective: CRISP. Sweater and leather jacket weather here in Minnesota.

10. Page one, generally: RECTO.

11. Part of 77-Down: Abbr.: ISL. 77. Smallest Canadian prov.: PEI.

12. Chest protector: STERNUM.

13. Not on deck: BELOW.

14. Carrier with HQ in Tokyo: ANA. All Nippon Airways.

15. No longer playing: RETIRED.

16. Corrected: EMENDED.

17. Zhou or Qin: DYNASTY. This makes me so happy. Most of you know Zhouqin is my Mandarin name. I was born in Xi'an, capital city of four Chinese dynasties: Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang. Xie xie, Jeffrey!

18. Palm gadgets, briefly: PDAS.

19. Neighbor of Taurus: ORION.

23. Pro __: TEM.

28. Mr. Right, presumably: IDEAL MAN. 102. 28-Down's opposite: LOSER.

31. Much of Micronesia's makeup: ATOLLS.

32. Get a new tenant for: RE-LET.

33. Indicate: MEAN.

35. Strong desire: URGE.

36. Sign that may make you nervous: OMEN.

38. Joe-__ weed: herbal remedy: PYE. This is new to me. Looks so pretty.

41. Building: EDIFICE.

42. Supposedly medicinal herb that sounds relevant to chiropractors: BONESET. This is also new to me.

43. Restricted road part: BUS LANE.

45. Like some elegant gowns: STRAPLESS.

46. "Whether __ nobler ... ": Hamlet: TIS.

47. "__ been there": I'VE.

50. Adds muscle mass, with "up": BULKS.

51. Honor roll stats: GPAS.

52. Family member: AUNT.

54. "The Green Mile" subj.: ESP. Unfamiliar with "The Green Mile"

57. Slaughter of old baseball: ENOS.

58. Confined, in a way: CHAINED.

59. Badger: TORMENT.

60. Bears witness (to): ATTESTS.

62. Personal bearing: MIEN.

63. Hosp. areas: ORS. So many nice volunteers at the VA hospital in Minneapolis.

64. Common ID: SSN.

65. "Hit the road!": SCRAM.

67. Sugar in much corn syrup: FRUCTOSE.

68. Celt's land: EIRE.

69. Actress Salazar of "Maze Runner" movies: ROSA. Not familiar to me. I bet D-Otto's old sweater has less holes than hers.

72. Venerable letters in global news: UPI.

74. Glass-aloft salutation: CHEERS.

78. Place to stay: INN.

79. Belief: TENET.

80. Con __: tempo marking: MOTO. Learning moment for me.

81. Many a freshman: TEEN.

82. Sporty VW: GTI.

83. Designer Gernreich: RUDI. Monokini.

84. Gavel wielders: JURISTS.

85. Extraordinary: UNUSUAL.

86. Unlikely banquet setting: DINETTE.

88. Wrong: IN ERROR.

93. Legal tender substitute: SCRIP.

94. Target of suburban cleanups: LEAVES. I like the clue.

95. Respectful gesture: SALUTE.

97. Approaches: NEARS.

98. Negotiations: TALKS.

99. Expunge: ERASE.

100. D.C. athlete: NAT.

103. Kitchen equipment: OVENS.

104. Proficiency determiner: TEST.

108. Shore bird: TERN.

111. Like two-thirds of Austria's flag: RED.

113. Dominique's thirst quencher: EAU.

114. 15-season show whose final episode was "Immortality": CSI.

115. Driving need: Abbr.: LIC. License.

116. Propose, in a way: ASK.

Boomer update:

The biopsy showed that Boomer's bone cancer originated from the prostate. He just started taking  Bicalutamide (50mg) yesterday. After two weeks, he'll get a get a hormone shot which lasts for six months. The shot will be repeated, according to Dr Levi Downs. Hopefully we'll know more when we see Dr Downs in two weeks.

We're going to have one more CT scan next Tuesday and bone scan on Oct 16th. In the meantime, Boomer is taking Ibuprofen (800mg) and Oxycodone for pain control.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with me, esp you, Jerry S, I've read your email so many times. It always calms me down. Also want to say "Thank you" to our caring Dr. Nina (Inanehiker) for her medical advice.

Thank you for the warm wishes and suggestions, everyone. They all comfort me.

C.C.