Saturday, April 6, 2019, Brian E. Paquin

Themeless Saturday by Brian E. Paquin

Today we celebrate National Birding Day. If you ever have an opportunity to be in my part of the country this time of year, you should make an effort to see the annual migration of Sandhill Cranes as they rest in the Platte River on their way north. This picture on the front page of the Omaha World Herald last Saturday shows over 600,000 cranes as they roosted last week in central Nebraska. I personally dislike the overuse of the word awesome, but I will tell you the incredible sight and deafening sound of these majestic birds is awesome and will make a lasting impression on you.

Brian Paquin

Today's constructor is Brian E. Paquin. I have blogged three of his previous Saturday themeless puzzles and always find them to be challenge. 


Let's take wing and see what Brian has for us today.

Across:

1. Risk evaluation: ODDS - So don't risk too many $$ on that Mega Millions  Jackpot

5. High points on a European itinerary: ALPS.

9. Tennis stroke: LOB - A beautiful LOB against an aggressive opponent 

12. The Platters' genre: DOO WOP - Their best?

15. "Don't tell anyone!": NOT A SOUL 

17. Creator of the language Newspeak: ORWELL - Don't say taxes, say revenue enhancements

18. Act sycophantically with: KISS UP TO - On the first episode of Grey's Anatomy, Dr. Bailey said, "Don't bother sucking up to me, I hate you already!"

19. Psychological attempts at one-upmanship: MIND GAMES.

21. Chicago critic: EBERT - He called The Da Vinci Code book preposterous and the movie preposterously entertaining. 

22. Sailor's bit of obedience: AYE AYE - Do Hispanic sailors say this?

23. JFK but not LAX: PRES - This airport became JFK International 15 years later

24. Internet initialism: IMO - "Reporters" often omit that this is In My Opinion

26. Head of Britain?: LOO - Can't fool a cwd veteran

28. Part of a flooring metaphor: PEDAL TO THE METAL - CB lingo also includes "Put the hammer down"


37. Good way to wrap things up: ON A POSITIVE NOTE - For our just past winter

38. Reasons for Word getting around?: SOFTWARE PIRATES - Microsoft Word has seen more pirates than the Barbary Coast or Penzance 

39. Belief system: ISM.

40. Sch. paper: RPT - Reading/grading 8th grade RePorTs can be agonizing

41. Naval post: MAST - I had to get off the HELM first

44. Stands for meetings: EASELS - Many have been replaced by screens that display Power Point Presentations. Pirated versions of PPT?

49. Opposite of mouthed: ALOUD.


51. "Six Feet Under" occupation: MORTICIAN - An HBO series

54. #80 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes: YO ADRIAN

56. Make possible: ENABLE -

57. With a #2, say: IN PENCIL - Last Saturday was National Pencil Day!

58. "Feel So High" R&B artist: DES'REE - Here 'ya go

59. Classic two-seated roadsters: MGS.

60. "That's a surprise!": OH MY - His famous catch phrase

61. Dost own: HAST - Thou shalt not, but if thou already HAST, we forgiveth you


Down:

1. Tony winner Leslie __ Jr.: ODOM - Here 'ya go

2. Andrea __: ill-fated vessel: DORIA.

3. Snuggle competitor: DOWNY.

4. Nobel, for one: SWEDE 

5. Huber of tennis: ANKE  - Here 'ya go

6. Perry's ambitious reporter: LOIS - Even I'm too young to remember these 1948 Superman movie serials featuring Perry White, Clark Kent/Superman, LOIS Lane and Jimmy Olson. Noel Neil who played LOIS here would reprise that role on the TV Superman series

7. Scoring nos.: PTS- Wilt Chamberlain is the only NBA player to score 100 PTS in one game

8. Mailer in a mailer, briefly: SASE - You can facilitate an RSVP by enclosing an SASE

9. Graceful runner: LOPER - The University Of Nebraska at Kearney shortened its Antelope mascot to get this

10. Eccentric: OUTRE.

11. Record spoilers: BLOTS - A single BLOT on their record can doom a politician 

13. Contemporary of Nadia: OLGA - Nadi Comăneci's contemporary OLGA (Korbut) invented the OLGA Flip and it has been outlawed because it is so dangerous

14. Start of #28 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes: PLAY IT SAM - Our cwd friend Ilsa did say, "PLAY IT ONCE, SAM" but nobody said AGAIN in this phrase

16. Order in the court: SUBPOENA -  A fun one

20. Work involving recall: MEMOIR 

25. Badger relative: OTTER.

26. Rose magically: LEVITATED - The secret to LEVITATED street performers 

27. Seven-week period in Judaism that begins during Passover: OMER - More

28. Terminal type: Abbr.: POS - When jump starting a car, the red cable is usually connected from the POSitive terminal of one battery to the POSitve terminal of the other

29. Antacid brand since the 1800s: ENO - New to me. 

30. Agency under the Secy. of Defense: DAF - Department of the Air Force

31. Talent: APTITUDE 

32. Tough times: LOWS - True love is sticking with each other during these

33. More with it: HIPPER - Dads can fail miserably at trying to be this

34. Deep-fried snack, familiarly: TOT 35. Polished off: ATE - No problem!

36. Argonne article: LES - LES filles sont belles (* translation at the bottom)

41. Actress __ Bialik of "The Big Bang Theory": MAYIM 42. During: ALONG - ALONG with playing a scientist she actually is one

47. Heavenly scales: LIBRA - Now abandoning science...

43. Serial guilty pleasures for many: SOAPS 

45. __ wave: SINE - For us math/science peeps

46. Bitcoin, e.g.: E-CASH - A 2-minute video 

48. Retail draws: SALES 

50. First in a long series of movies: DR NO - The producers cast relatively unknown Sean Connery as James Bond because Cary Grant would not commit to a series of these films

51. Severely injure: MAIM - MAIM and MYIAM in the same puzzle

52. __ child: ONLY

53. Former Nair competitor: NEET - Cwd coin flips 

55. I, in Erfurt: ICH - For some reason, this phrase has stuck with me since I learned it

Before you move on to comment on National Birding Day, I'd love it if you could tell me some way to get rid of grackles that clutter up our feeders from now until July 4th.

* Translation: The girls are beautiful (supplied by my granddaughter who is getting a double major, one of which is in French)

Friday, April 5, 2019, Robert & Marlea Ellis

Title: I EE? OH!

Well, here I am back in the Friday saddle rested and ready to take you on a new ride into the wonderful world of words. This is our third creation by this couple, with the first two Thursday efforts. I was in Thailand when they had their debut and Steve was off watching LA LA LAND. Today we have a punny sort of letter substitution theme, requiring some imagination. The start was the end and the end snuck up on me. I had many missteps but I got'er done so now it is your turn. First I must say there were many 3/4 fill which helped move this along, though there were also many 7 letter fill as well  - ARMOIRE, DEMERIT, FATHEAD, FUSSPOT, GET THIS,  MELISSA, RETIREE, SILICON and THIEVES put some real sparkle in the mix.

The theme was a challenge to grasp, so let us look at each one. Notice the consistency of the letter exchange being:  last word, first word, last word, first word.

18A. Make some cote residents angry?: STEAM SHEEP (10). First,  you have to know that the definition of a cote is a shelter, coop, or small shed for sheep, pigs, pigeons, etc. I know the term from pigeons, so this was slow starting, but when STEAM SH__. filled I go the idea that this was a pun for Steam SHIP.

26A. Calf roper's target?: FEET TO BE TIED (12). FIT to be tied. This is where the penny dropped on the I to EE change.

48A. Birdwatcher's journal entry?: CARDINAL SEEN (12).  In FLIGHT. Cardinal SIN. Also known as Deadly,  there are seven of them, but I do not believe it is mandatory for one to violate all of them to become a Cardinal.

63A. Borden, in the 1870s?: TEEN LIZZIE (10). TIN Lizzie. Speaking of deadly, Lizzie Borden took an ax And gave her mother forty whacks, When she saw what she had done, She gave her father forty-one. Tricky, as she was a teen in the 1870s, but the murder was in 1892. A wonderful article on the NAME of this car.

Across:

1. Triumphant exclamation: TADA. Reverse psychology beginning with the joy of the solve.

5. Illusion: FACADE. Not a direct synonym, but a typical Friday level clue/fill.

11. "The good is __ interred with their bones": "Julius Caesar": OFT. The speech posited by Shakespeare to be said by Marc Anthony is one of the most moving of Shakespeare's use of words. LINK.

14. Ostrich relatives: EMUS.

15. Payday lender, perhaps: USURER. So odd to see this after solving Peter Gordon's WSJ earlier this week. In Florida, there are special laws for these folks which allow them to collect what would otherwise be usurious interest. The latest litigation which I  am working on is a reply to a collection effort by someone who committed criminal usury (under Florida Law 687.071  ). Fun stuff.

16. Extract with effort: PRY.

17. Suffers: AILS. See 5A.

20. Singer Etheridge: MELISSA. CSO to our own.

22. One no longer working: RETIREE. Not me, I still work, just don't make big money anymore. 47A. Savings plan IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

23. Enjoy at a leisurely pace: SIP.

24. Pikelike fish: GAR. Gars are members of the Lepisosteiformes, an ancient holosteian order of ray-finned fish (easy for them to say). LINK.

25. Nihilistic art movement: DADA. If you want to know more, you can read this INFORMATION.

31. Put away: EAT.

32. Young one: TOT.

33. Storm components?: TWEETS. It takes constructor cojones to put this fill next to 37. Ranking suit: TRUMP.

40. Giant Mel: OTT. It sounds cute, but he is part of true crosswordese history. 45A. 40-Acr. is in it: HOF. Hall of Fame.

42. Fund: ENDOW.

43. 2019 Grammy Awards host Keys: ALICIA. And an off and on judge on the VOICE.

52. "Frozen" sister: ELSA.

55. "Live __": Taco Bell slogan: MAS. At the core of Taco Bell's DNA is a slogan introduced in 2012, Live Mas (“Live More”), which animates its brand and encapsulates the company's philosophy of enriching the lives of its customers and employees in everything it does. Forbes. I bet Roberto Duran is glad they chose this.

56. Prop for Palmer: TEE. Arnold who now plays in heaven.

57. Valley element?: SILICON. A nice clue/fill combo based on the REGION which has become the basis of a popular TV SERIES.

59. Embezzlers, e.g.: THIEVES.

65. Cloud of gloom: PALL. A pall was originally a coffin's cloak. Now pall usually means that an event or situation is — literally or figuratively — covered in gloom, like disappointing news that casts a pall on your day. The noun pall comes from the Latin word, pallium, “covering or cloak.”

66. Golden __: AGE. There have been so many, so far.

67. Singer Grande: ARIANA. Some modern wholesome music. LINK.

68. Biblical twin: ESAU.

69. Risk: BET.

70. Identified: PEGGED. A sideways CSO to my ex.

71. Editor's notation: DELE.

Down:

1. Group of playmates: TEAM. So sweet.

2. Parisian love: AMIE.

3. Hardly inspiring: DULL.

4. Good Samaritan's offer: ASSIST.

5. Persnickety one: FUSSPOT. Here is some RESEARCH.

6. "The Thin Man" canine: ASTA.

7. Help in the theater: CUE.

8. Biblical mount: ARARAT.

9. Unfavorable mark: DEMERIT. Not a word I see used these days.

10. In the past, in the past: ERST.

11. Adams' "Nixon in China," e.g.: OPERA. The HISTORY of the music.

12. Let go: FREED.

13. Far from laid-back: TYPE-A.

19. Out of sight: HIDDEN.

21. Work for parents: SIT. They all get mad when you actually sit on your them.

24. Juicy tidbit lead-in: GET THIS. A generally conspiratorial phrase.

26. Greek salad topper: FETA. The cheese, a brined curd white cheese made in Greece from sheep's milk or from a mixture of sheep and goat's milk. It is a crumbly aged cheese is protected by EU legislation and only those cheeses manufactured in Macedonia, Thrace, Thessaly, Central Mainland Greece, the Peloponnese, and Lesvos can be called ‘feta’.

27. Bowling great __ Anthony: EARL. I think Boomer met this left-handed marvel who entertained me on the TV for many years.

28. Sewing case: ETUI.

29. "I can't get no satisfaction!": BOO. I guess booing is what you do when you can't get what you want, maybe?

30. Farm mom: EWE. A little rhyme time?

34. First name in the cast of "The Sopranos": EDIE. Referring to any first name of a cast member. This one plopped in immediately although there were other choices; AIDA Turturro; DREA de Matteo; and, TONY Sirico. Name the characters?

35. Sped: TORE.

36. Christmas song swimmer: SWAN. Did you know the Christmas Carol had religious  MEANING?

38. 2008 presidential candidate: MCCAIN. May he rest in peace.

39. Actress Zadora: PIA. One of the earliest media darlings with no talent but a rich husband. She has not been around in a while.

41. Heavy weight: TON. More trickery, as the difference between heavyweight and heavy weight is subtle.

44. Bedroom piece: ARMOIRE.

46. Dimwit: FATHEAD.

49. Polish seaport, in Germany: DANZIG. Another tricky clue, as the historic port city of  GDAŃSK.

50. Welcoming gift: LEI. Too many easy DF comments.

51. Leaked slowly: SEEPED. This is a creepy sounding word for me.

52. Founded: Abbr.: ESTAB. This actually slowed me down the most as I had ESTBD.

53. Feudal subject: LIEGE. This is very difficult, as the LIEGE is the Lord to whom the subjects are subordinate.

54. Reason for closed schools, perhaps: SLEET. Neither rain nor snow nor sleet.

58. Show appreciation: CLAP. Did you ever wonder where it started? LINK. I love Mozart's comment.

59. Stabber: TINE. This is a stretch, as befits Friday. We all know a tine is a prong or a sharp point, such as that on a fork or antler, but thinking of stabbing in relation to a French Fry...

60. Still-life standard: VASE. You all know this Van Gogh? Sold for $38,600,000.00 in 1987.

61. Airline known for tight security: EL AL.

62. Turn on an axis: SLUE.

64. Half a slalom segment: ZAG. A zig, a zag. The ZIG-ZAG of my youth.

I guess I remembered what to do; hope you enjoyed this ride. Thank you, M/M Marlea and all who read.

Notes from C.C.:

1)  Here are a few sweet pictures from Chez Lemonade. Owen is now a big boy. You can click here for more.

 

 

2) Happy 78th birthday to Irish Miss, the life of our little corner. Agnes cares deeply about all our blog regulars. Whenever someone is missing, she'll notice and ask on the blog. She sent a card to Argyle every week during his last few months. And her last card arrived to us when Boomer was struggling with his Zometa infusion. It brought tears and comfort to Boomer. Thanks for being an angel, dear Agnes! Please keep her sister Anne in your thoughts and prayers.

L-R: Anne, Agnes, Eileen, Mary, and Peggy.

St Patrick's Day, 2019

3) Happy Birthday also to Abejo (Bradley), who's always volunteering somewhere. He's also a certified master gardener, I think. Abejo is Persian for "beer". Bradley worked in Iran for a few years.

Thursday, April 4th 2019 Kevin Salat

Theme: Job Description - as the reveal tells us, all the jobs comprise nine letters, followed by five.

To wit:

20A. One reviewing challenges: APPELLATE JUDGE. There are a minimum of three of them in an appellate court.

24A. One who's got you covered: INSURANCE AGENT. I'm going to see my AAA agent on Friday, I think I can save almost $200 a month on my auto and homeowners if I bundle with them. Awesome!

41. One seen in a Hanes catalog: UNDERWEAR MODEL. Mark Wahlberg, in his "Marky Mark" days, famously modeled for Calvin Klein.

46. Predictable work ... and, in a way, what the other three longest answers are?: NINE TO FIVE JOBS. When I had a desk job in the US it was always nine to six. Where did I go wrong?

According to the blog history, this is Kevin's LAT debut, so congratulations for that. I liked this theme, it's a little unusual that the reveal calls out the letter count of the theme entries and ties the long entries together, so it's very elegant. None of the theme entries have appeared before in any of the major puzzles which is quite an achievement in itself.

The fill has some nice fresh entries too, so there's a lot to like about this puzzle. Let's go for a tour and see what pops out.

By the way, I Googled Kevin, and if this is the same gentleman, he blogs on "The Jeopardy! Fan" and he appeared on the show on March 14th this year. I know a  lot of our regulars follow the show, so I think that's very cool.

Across:

1. "High" places?: SEAS

5. Flag down: HAIL

9. Caller ID?: IT'S ME

14. El __, Texas: PASO. Founded as El Paso del Norte - the northern pass. Paso Robles, in California, was founded as El Paso de Robles - the pass of the oaks.

15. Actor Idris who plays Heimdall in "Thor" films: ELBA. British actor, best known I think for playing a drug trafficker in the HBO series "The Wire". Also spent a year training as a kickboxer for a documentary and won his first bout in 2016.

16. Mozart wrote a lot of them: NOTES. Do you write a musical note? I suppose you do, it never crossed my mind before. Or do you write a manuscript? Would you say that Shakespeare wrote a lot of letters? Discuss.

17. Dungeness delicacies: CRAB CAKES. Food! The best crab cakes have very little filler. Maryland-style crab cakes combine egg, Old Bay seasoning, mayo, mustard and seasoning.

19. Omni rival: HYATT

22. Fish eggs: ROE

23. Brooding genre: EMO. Here's a great example of the genre from Green Day.

32. Pig's sniffer: SNOUT

33. Weep for: MOURN

34. See 27-Down: RAE. I prefer cross-referenced entries to come in order in the cluing, but this looks fine in the grid.

35. Sch. near the U.S.-Mexico border: U.T.E.P. Second reference to El Paso today - University of Texas at El Paso.

36. Law school subject: TORTS

37. Put on the cloud, say: SAVE. Data backups and the like to the cloud. I've got three cloud storage accounts, iCloud, OneDrive and Google Cloud. My phone automagically backs up my Photo Stream to iCloud, it's rather nice. Google Cloud gets involved in photo backups too, I'm not quite sure how.

38. Writer Deighton: LEN

39. "It Wasn't All Velvet" memoirist: TORMÉ. Mel.

40. Asks: POSES

44. Aromatic necklace: LEI. Typically plumeria, but can also be made from other flowers. Ginger flowers make one of the prettiest and most aromatic leis.

45. "How We Do (Party)" British singer Rita __: ORA. Crosses all the way, I've never heard of her. The official video on YouTube has more than 56 million views, so obviously some people have.

54. Implied: TACIT

55. Chain used by many contractors: HOME DEPOT

56. Courtroom pro: STENO

57. Take testimony from: HEAR. Our theme Appellate Judge would take testimony.

58. Depend: RELY

59. "The Ant and the Grasshopper" storyteller: AESOP. Not one of his most famous fables, but easy enough to deduce.

60. Philosophies: -ISMS

61. Fort SSW of Louisville: KNOX. Site of the James Bond "Goldfinger" attempted heist featuring the staggeringly-named Pussy Galore.

Down:

1. Shelter gp.: S.P.C.A. There's an R in front of it in the UK organization, it has a Royal warrant.

2. Big name in Tombstone: EARP

3. "By yesterday!": ASAP!

4. Sleeps it off: SOBERS UP

5. Physician, ideally: HEALER. Ideally indeed. I wouldn't trust a physician who wasn't a healer.

6. Commercial word with Seltzer: ALKA

7. "Oh, suuure": I BET

8. Cut with a beam: LASE

9. Cruel: INHUMAN

10. Papillon, e.g.: TOY DOG. New one on me, I've never heard of the breed. Cute little fella though.

11. Deer sir: STAG. Nice clue.

12. Dole (out): METE

13. Ballpark fig.: EST. Estimated attendance figure. The "official" attendance tends to be inflated, as they count tickets sold, not "butts in seats." Season-ticket no-shows count as attendees.

18. Influence: CLOUT

21. Ballpark opinions, at times: JEERS. The jeers from the "phantom". attendees are rather muted.

24. One-__ chance: IN TEN

25. Incessantly: NO END

26. "When the moon hits your eye" feeling: AMORE

27. With 34-Across, Sally Field film: NORMA

28. More adorable: CUTER

29. Make blank: ERASE

30. Piercing site, perhaps: NAVEL. Gazing site too.

31. Scottish center?: TEES. The two T's in the middle.

32. Sci-fi navigator: SULU

36. Specifically: TO WIT

37. Float fixer: SODA JERK. Not because you get insulted when you order your soda.

39. Place with a bird's-eye view: TREETOP

40. Went carefully (over): PORED

42. Nickname of golfer Sergio García, who turned pro at age 19: EL NIÑO. I've always enjoyed watching Sergio play. I was happy for him when he finally won his first major at the 2017 Masters. He's a passionate Ryder Cup competitor.

43. Shakers' relatives?: MOVERS

46. "Mom" actor Corddry: NATE. Another unknown, thank you crosses. I don't recognize him at all.

47. Treats, as a sprain: ICES. Ouch.

48. Surprised greeting: OH, HI!

49. They're not on the same page: FOES. Peculiar clue. If two foes dislike each other equally, aren't they on the same page as far as that's concerned?

50. Religious scholar: IMAM

51. Premiere: OPEN

52. Simple tie: BOLO

53. Where Achilles was dipped for invincibility: STYX. Missed that pesky heel though, causing his downfall when he was shot in the heel with a poisoned arrow by Paris.

54. Org. operating full-body scanners: T.S.A.

I think that about wraps it up for today. I hope Kevin stops by to confirm or deny his appearance on Jeopardy!

Steve

Wednesday, April 3, 2019, Kevin Christian & Jules Markey

Theme: MIND BENDING

17. When the dot-com bubble began: MID-NINETIES.

23. Form of the game of tag: BLIND MAN'S BLUFF.

39. Small Apple tablet: iPAD MINI.

 51. Ad boast for a relaunched product: NEW AND IMPROVED.

63. Trait for an evil genius ... and a hint to what can literally be found in 17-, 23-, 39- and 51-Across: TWISTED MIND.

Melissa here. These mixed up letter themes can be hard to spot, especially when the word is short. I didn't see all the MINDs until the reveal was filled in.

Across:

1. Specially formed: AD HOC.

6. Suffix with Jumbo: TRON.

10. Outback: BUSH. Australia.

14. Avian crops: CRAWS. Learning moment for me. A craw is an area in a bird's throat in which food can be kept, also called a crop. Thus the phrase, "stick in one's craw."

15. Disney film set in Polynesia: MOANA. With a two-year old granddaughter and another on the way, I am trying to learn all my Disney princesses.

16. "Fancy meeting you here!": OH HI.

19. Prompted on stage: CUED.

20. Energy Star co-mgr.: EPA.

21. Backless slippers: MULES.

22. Country's Haggard: MERLE. After a troubled childhood he was incarcerated a few times in his youth - notably in San Quentin. He joined the prison band after being inspired by a 1958 New Year's Day performance there by Johnny Cash, and went on to write a handful of hit songs about prison. Haggard died in 2016.

27. River formations: DELTAS.

29. Kiwi-shaped: OVAL.

30. Eye-opener?: ALARM.

31. Aplomb: POISE.

34. Hieroglyphics bird: IBIS.

38. Court figs.: DAS. District Attorneys.

42. D-Day vessel: LST. News to me: Landing Ship, Tank (LST), or tank landing ship, is the naval designation for ships first developed during World War II (1939-1945) to support amphibious operations by carrying tanks, vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto shore with no docks or piers.

43. Uninvited picnic arrivals: ANTS.

45. Short or tall thing (and neither refers to height): ORDER. I was thinking coffee or espresso.

46. Zany: LOONY. Fun to see this so close to 50A.

48. Soupçon: HINT. New word for me. French. From Wictionary: "A very small amount; a hint; a trace, slight idea; an inkling. No one is so depraved that a soupçon of goodness cannot be found in them."

50. Acme's best customer?: COYOTE. In production is Coyote vs. Acme, the first Looney Tunes film to be in 3D, RealD, 3D and IMAX 3D. From IMDB: "A story set in the ACME warehouse, the manufacturer of anything and everything used by the Looney Tunes characters."

57. Hoover rival: ORECK.

58. Patterned fabric: TOILE. More French. "A fabric, from the French word meaning 'linen cloth' or 'canvas,' particularly cloth or canvas for painting on."

59. Fuel for the fire: LOG.

62. Almond __: MILK.

 66. Censorship-fighting org.: ACLU.

67. __ Hawkins Day: SADIE. From Wikipedia: "An American folk event and pseudo-holiday originated by Al Capp's classic hillbilly comic strip Li'l Abner (1934–1978). This inspired real-world Sadie Hawkins events, the premise of which is that women ask men for a date or dancing."

68. Ancient Greek region: IONIA.

69. Abrasive tool: RASP.

70. Proof word: ERAT.

71. Itsy-bitsy: TEENY.

Down:

1. Pinnacle: ACME. Again with Wile E. Coyote!

2. Water waster: DRIP.

3. Whooped it up: HAD A BLAST.

4. Dominate: OWN.

5. Forensic TV spin-off: CSI MIAMI.

6. Carved emblem: TOTEM.

7. Mrs. Gorbachev: RAISA.

8. Number of gods worshipped in Zoroastrianism: ONE. Hope to see Bohemian Rhapsody movie soon - I did not know this about Freddie Mercury.

9. "Stillmatic" rapper: NAS.

10. Italian tenor Andrea: BOCELLI.

11. Swahili for "freedom": UHURU.

12. Walmart stock holder?: SHELF. Love this clue.

13. HDTV part, for short: HI DEF.

15. Mix together: MELD.

18. Many "Call the Midwife" characters: NUNS.

22. CFO's degree: MBA. Master of Business Administration.

24. USPS unit: LTR. Letter. My nonprofit receives up to 1,000 units every month.

25. Private reply?: NO SIR. Second favorite clue.

26. "Frozen" reindeer: SVEN.

27. Bit of baby talk: DADA.

28. Pizazz: ELAN.

31. Start of a series: PART I.

32. A little bit off: ODD.

33. "__ Mine": Beatles song: I ME.

35. Sequence of direct ancestors: BLOODLINE. Family tree didn't fit.

36. "Freedom __ free": salute to military sacrifice: ISN'T.

37. Ocular malady: STYE.

40. Spot for a koi or a decoy: POND.

41. "That was awesome!": I LOVED IT.

44. Move in together: SHACK UP.

47. "Listen up," to Luis: OYE.

49. Pen filler: INK.

50. King with a pipe: COLE. Nat King Cole. (*Correction - thanks D-otto, Canadianeh! and Lucina, this was surely a reference to "Old King Cole" of nursery rhyme fame. Ironically enough though, Nat King Cole did collect pipes, and died of lung cancer.)

51. SportsNet LA analyst Garciaparra: NOMAR. Usually rely on perps for sports clues. Retired baseball player who played All-Star shortstop with Boston Red Sox, third base and first base for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Oakland Athletics.

52. Writer Jong: ERICA.

53. Water sources: WELLS.

54. Crete peak: Abbr.: MT IDA. Had no idea. Wikipedia.

55. Put forth: POSIT.

56. Solemn ceremony: RITE.

60. "Come __!": ON IN.

61. Outback greeting: G'DAY.

63. Mao __-tung: TSE.

64. "__Games": 1983 Matthew Broderick film: WAR.

65. Curly associate: MOE.

Tuesday, April 2, 2019 Craig Stowe

"UPPER CASE"

3. *Tough period in life: HARD TIMES.  Hard Case - A tough person, such as someone that is hard to deal with.   Or, a type of protective container, such as hard case luggage.

9. *Grade school presentation: SHOW AND TELL.  Showcase - A glass container used to display merchandise.  Or, in music and the arts, an exhibition of talent and creations.

24. *Slim-fitting Dior creation: PENCIL SKIRT.  Pencil Case - A container used to hold pens, pencils, erasers and the like. 

26. *Nuclear treaty subject: TEST BAN.  Test Case - In law, a legal action  brought to test the validity of a law, and perhaps set a precedent for deciding similar cases in the future.

35. Caps, and a hint to the answers to starred clues: UPPERCASE.   Case can be added to the upper word of each starred answer. 

Across:

1. "I'm clever" chuckle: HEH.

4. Take a broom to: SWEEP. 

9. Rapscallion: SCAMP.

14. Pretty __ picture: AS A.

15. Main artery: AORTA.  The great artery of the heart.

16. __ roll: student's achievement: HONOR.  Learning isn't hard.  Paying attention to something you have no interest in is.

17. Hawk, in the military sense: WARMONGER.  Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun were the notable war hawks leading up to the War of !812.

19. Get the best of: OUTDO.  Out as a prefix, meaning more than or better than.

20. In the buff: NUDE.  Naked as a jaybird.  In the altogether.  Buck (or butt) naked.  I'm sure there are other idioms.

21. Local residents, to local college students: TOWNIES.  Matt and Ben were townies in the film, Good Will Hunting.


23. Draw sap from, as a maple: TAP.   In bowling, leaving a "stone 8" (for right handers) is known as a True Tap.


25. "I haven't the foggiest": IT BEATS ME.

27. Grooming process: TOILETTE.  Wiktionary says:

toilette (plural toilettes)

1. (archaic) A dressing table, typically covered to the floor with cloth (originally, toile) and lace, on which stood a mirror, which might also be draped in lace.
2. (archaic) Personal grooming, in other words washing, dressing, etc.

30. Formula __: auto racing class: ONE.

"F1 cars are at the cutting edge of motorsport technology and push the boundaries of technological design. Each team designs its own chassis and interprets the rules to best suit the ultimate design. Budgets are huge, and no stone is left unturned in the pursuit of development.

Indy cars, on the other hand, are much less developed. Each team has the use of the same Dallara chassis, which does not carry the same sort of funding as F1 operations. That in itself places greater emphasis on the job of the team and the driver, while one of F1's greatest criticisms is that it is so dependent on the performance of the car."  -  Bleacher Report Article

31. Casino convenience: ATM, and 42. "Casino" co-star Joe: PESCI.

32. Cacophonous: NOISY. 

34. Prescription items: DRUGS. 

38. Canapé garnish: ROE.

 The How-To

39. Competition: CONTEST.

41. Snap or split veggie: PEA.

44. Ease up: ABATE.

45. Toy with, cat-style: PAW.

46. Microbrewery product: ALE.

48. Studios for artists: ATELIERS.  Their workshops.

50. Materials for babies' rugs: LAMBSKINS.

54. Paper size: Abbr.: LTR. 

55. Consumed amounts: INTAKES.

56. Reverb in a chamber: ECHO.

59. Centipede game company: ATARI.  The game was recently announced as a finalist for the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2019.

60. Drambuie and Scotch cocktail: RUSTY NAIL.  New to me, but the perps were solid.  I guess it was popular in the '60s.  Behind the Bar: The Rusty Nail

65. Closer to being harvested: RIPER.

66. Month before febrero: ENERO. 


Enero, febrero, marzo, abril, mayo, junio, julio, agosto, septiembre, octubre, noviembre, diciembre.
Estos son los doce meses del año.

67. Get it: SEE.

68. "Alien" director Ridley __: SCOTT.    Also,  Blade Runner,  Gladiator,  The Martian.

69. Eggs purchase: DOZEN. 

70. Juan's "that": ESO.   Juanita's "that": ESA. 

Down:

1. Goldie with a Golden Globe: HAWN.   Can you believe she's 73 ?  9 nominations, 1 win in the 1969 romcom Cactus Flower, her first major film.


2. Founder of Edom: ESAU.

4. Brazilian map word: SAO. As in Sao Paulo. 

5. Hit the jackpot: WON.  Someone won a big one in Wisconsin last week. 

6. Bit of energy: ERG.

7. Strasbourg summer: ETE.  Strasbourg, France.  Directly west across the Rhine river from the Black Forest in southwestern Germany.   In German, summer is Sommer. 

8. Second section: PART B.   Medicare Part B premiums have risen by an average of 7.7% per year.

10. Come back (with): COUNTER.  Rick Harrison on the History Channel's Pawn Stars program rarely buys anything at the asking price.   Mike Wolfe on the History Channel's American Pickers sometimes counters the original asking price with an amount that is higher than asked. 

11. Naysayers: ANTIS.

12. Web surfing tool: MODEM.  Modulator / Demodulator.

13. Narrative writing: PROSE.

18. Event with courses: MEAL.

22. War on Poverty org.: OEO.   Office of Economic Opportunity. 

25. Singer Turner's memoir: I TINA.   David Alfred Bywaters had the clue "Turner with numbers" in last Friday's puzzle that Hahtoolah reviewed.   I thought that was a great clue.

27. Camper's cover: TARP.  I started with tent, but the perps disagreed.

28. Plains native: OTOE.

29. Excessively: TOO.   The entree was fine, but the dessert was (excessively, extremely, or too) sweet.  Which adverb would you use ? 

33. Irish poet who wrote "Easter, 1916": YEATS.

36. Drive or reverse: GEAR.

37. Toothed tools: SAWS.

40. Fr. holy woman: STE.  Sainte.

43. Moulin Rouge, notably: CABARET.  Yes,  I know the setting for the movie was Berlin, but the answer afforded an opportunity to link Liza singing the song.


47. Squeeze (out): EKE. 

49. Cross-country southern hwy.: I TEN.  The southernmost of the cross-country interstate highways.

50. Some are compulsive: LIARS.

51. Shenanigan: ANTIC.  I think of CrossEyedDave. 

52. Philippines peak: Abbr.: MT APO.  The highest point in the Philippines. 

53. Looks flushed: IS RED. 

57. Hurries, old-style: HIES.

58. Bread spread: OLEO. The Oleo Wars weren't just in Wisconsin.  Vermont,  New Hampshire and South Dakota also had various laws against the product.  Wisconsin didn't allow yellow colored oleo until 1967, and still has laws about margarine for restaurants and schools.  Butter must be served to students unless a doctor provides a valid health reason for not using butter.

61. 2018 National Toy Hall of Fame inductee: UNO.  A synopsis of the Uno story.

62. "__ who?": SEZ.  It's the correct pronunciation for says, here and across the pond.

63. Antonio's three: TRE.  "Tutti a tavola a mangiare!" Ciao Antonio ! In Italian, numbers from zero to ten are specific words, namely zero [0], uno [1], due [2], tre [3], quattro [4], cinque [5], sei [6], sette [7], otto [8], nove [9], and dieci [10].  More here.

64. That, old-style: YON.   For example, "Beyond yon mountain."