Monday, June 3, 2019 Danny Reichert

Theme: Big Plus - Last word is a person who adds things up. And a Plus Sign is featured in the middle of the grid.

17A. One who shuns alcohol: TEETOTALER.

59A. Venomous European viper: BLACK ADDER.

11D. Club sandwich pickup spot: DELI COUNTER.

 

25D. "The Queen of Disco": DONNA SUMMER.

Boomer here.

FORE!  We are finally getting SUMMER temps here in the frozen tundra!  Years ago I used to be a bogey golfer.  Then ADDER stepped into my age and I needed a stroke COUNTER to figure my score.  But I am still at it, however the TOTALER is producing three digit numbers in the final figure.

Across:

1. Medium's board: OUIJA. I remember as a kid we thought this was spelled WEEGEE.

6. Diner side dish with cabbage: SLAW.  C.C, and my favorite.  We buy the bags already prepared with green and purple cabbage and chopped carrots.

10. Wood-shaping tool: ADZE.

14. "Bolero" composer Maurice: RAVEL.

15. Like takeout food: TO GO.  Not a favorite here.  I cannot remember any take out meals.

16. Flowery Hawaiian greetings: LEIS.  Tiny bubbles, in the wine.

19. European peaks: ALPS. Do people really ski down these ??

20. Resembling a classic sheriff's badge: STARLIKE.  Did sheriff Andy Taylor give one to Barney Fife?

22. Hoppy pub order, for short: IPA.

23. Stroll in the shallows: WADE.  The Vikings had a quarterback, Wade Wilson.  Sadly he left us in February at the age of 60.

26. Rent collector: LESSOR.  Funny name for a landlord.

27. Playfully shy: COY.  A real Mc.

28. "It's just __ manic Monday": the Bangles: ANOTHER. Pleasant Valley Monday, Here in status symbol land!

30. __Tax: tax prep software: TURBO.

32. Days __: hotel chain: INN. Kinda like Motel 6.  Clean, neat, and inexpensive.  That's the way I like it.

33. Navy vessel letters: USS.  How sad that the USS John McCain became an issue. 

34. Make it to midnight on New Year's Eve, say: STAY UP.  Not me anymore.  I am usually in the sack by 10:00 PM.

36. Melodies: TUNES.  "Should old acquaintance be forgot …"

38. Religious principle: TENET.

40. Hanukkah pancakes: LATKES.  I have never seen or tasted these.  However, since we are talking about golf, years ago I was a caddy at an exclusively Jewish Country Club, and those wonderful gentlemen generously paid for my services, some of which I used for tuition at my Catholic high school. Now as an assistant bowling coach there, I am occasionally invited to share in a religious service with a Priest, a Rabbi, and a Christian Minister. 

43. Pixar specialty, for short: CGI.

45. Golf ball perch: TEE.  I would not call it a perch. I have the kind that always tee up at the same height.  The problem is that sometimes my driver is not at that height at the bottom of the swing.

46. Canonized one: SAINT.  My high school honors Saint Benildus, a Christian brother and teacher.  He was not yet a Saint when I attended but was canonized in 1967.  My Benilde High School was joined by St. Margaret's Academy and is now attended by young men and women.  Several of each who are on the bowling team. 

47. Bow-and-arrow pros: ARCHERS.  I am reminded of pro golfer George Archer who won the Masters in 1969.  (Remember?  This was when the final four holes of Augusta were on CBS for maybe 2 hours of a Sunday in April.)

49. Beast with a beard: GNU.

51. Empower: ENABLE.

53. Formerly, old-style: ERST. I am thinking this is half a word WHILE I am working on this.

54. Drummer's __ shot: RIM. I hate it when NBA 7 footers hang on it after a dunk.

55. 17-Across' condition, always: SOBRIETY. Me too. I am told that Zytiga and alcohol don't like each other.

57. Peak: ACME.  Remember when the coyote, chaser of Road Runner, many times ordered something from ACME.  I think he got it from Amazon.

63. Sigh of relief: PHEW.  You use this when you hit the Titleist way right or left, and discover that it hit a tree and ended up in the fairway.

64. Kid's building block: LEGO.  I see this frequently in puzzles.  We did not have them when I was a kid, but I seldom see "Tinkertoys" in a puzzle.  There is a huge LEGO display and store in the amusement park area at Mall of America. 

65. Egypt's capital: CAIRO.

66. Response during attendance-taking: HERE. "Making each day of the year …. Here, There, and Everywhere !"

67. Physics work units: ERGS.

68. Used a keyboard: TYPED.  We had a "Royal" when I was a kid.  I learned on a "Smith Corona".  However I am nowhere near as quick as C.C.  I think she could do 100 WPM.  Now there's a three-letter acronym with all consonants.

Down:

1. Scrap of food: ORT.  I had an ort of watermelon this weekend.

2. Dubai's fed.: UAE.  Nice place to visit but I cannot afford to live there.

3. "__ been had!": I'VE.  I've had it with three letter words.

4. Globetrotting group: JET SET.

5. Multitudes: A LOT.

6. Creepy watchers: STARERS.  Saw a few of these at the Golden Bear's Memorial Tournament.  Did you hear that he is auctioning his 18 major tournaments Rolex and the result will benefit the Children's health charity that Jack and his wife, Barbara founded. He is expecting around $18 Million!!

7. Lounges around: LOLLS.  Laughing out loud with a Lucky Strike.

8. Ones who discriminate against seniors: AGEISTS.  I have never heard of this but if I meet one I will kick him right in the knee.  (That's all the higher that my leg goes now.)

9. Exercise routine: WORKOUT.  Maybe if I do this I could kick higher ??

10. Chicken __ king: A LA.  I wonder if they sell this at the KFCs in Alabama

12. Nada: ZIPPO.  I used to have a Zippo lighter when I smoked.  So did every other smoker that I knew.  I think they are collector's items now.  (The plastic butane throw away ones made Zippo obsolete.)

13. A college applicant may have to write one: ESSAY. Yup, now that they caught rich people buying their kids way in.

18. Accounts: TALES.

21. Inconsistent: ERRATIC.  My golf swing.

23. Stand by: WAIT.  For my buddy to tee off.

24. Declare void: ANNUL.  Take a mulligan.

29. "Siberian" dogs: HUSKIES.  Nickname for Saint Cloud State College (MN) Sports.  Huskies sounds a little more fierce than Gophers

31. "Later": BYE.  "Bye Bye Love, Bye Bye Happiness"  Everly Brothers.

35. Equals on a jury: PEERS. I'll have to look into that.

37. Approx. landing hr.: ETA.  I was reading in "Money" Magazine the other day that SPIRIT Airlines has improved in reaching their ETA on time.  We used Sun Country in February and they were late both ways. 

39. Student's hurdle: TEST.

41. Dignify: ENNOBLE.

42. Less likely to tip over: STABLER.  Ken Stabler was Quarterback for the Oakland Raiders.  Ken Passed away in 2015.  The sports world lost Bart Starr (Green Bay) and Bill Buckner, (Cubs, Red Sox and others) last week.

43. Colorful cats: CALICOS.

44. Like the alphabet with alpha and beta: GREEK.  Jimmie the Greek was a famous Las Vegas Bookmaker.

48. Prime time?: HEYDAY.  "Say Hey" Willie Mays began his career in Minneapolis for the Millers in 1951.  I only saw him once in person in 1957 when the Giants came to town for an exhibition.  He hit a home run over the left field bleachers and into Met Stadium parking lot.  About 500 feet from home plate.

49. Visual aid in a statistics text: GRAPH.

50. Specialized market segment: NICHE.  I pronounce this NIKE.  They make inferior equipment.

52. Fort __, NC: BRAGG. Named after General Braxton Bragg.  Huge Army base.  I was never invited there.

56. Social skill: TACT.

58. Female sheep: EWE.  I think C.C. put some pickle relish on her watermelon.  How's that for EWE.?

60. Elegant dance floor move: DIP.  Ritz Crackers are pretty good into the French onion DIP.

61. Poetic "before": ERE.

62. Curtain holder: ROD.  We just installed one in our shower.

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

Happy birthday to our talented Owen, who turns 69 years old today, I think. May you stay forever young to entertainment us for years to come, Owen!

Sunday June 2, 2019 Gary Larson

Theme: "Getting Along" - A-long. Short A sound becomes long A sound, changing spellings as needed.

22A. Bash in a boxcar?: FREIGHT PARTY. Frat party.

24A. Capillary?: MINI VEIN. Minivan.

45A. Senior taking lessons?: GRAYED STUDENT. Grad student.

68A. Minor combat injuries?: BATTLE ACHES. Battle axes.

92A. Endure a Moscow heat wave?: BAKE IN THE USSR. Back in the USSR.

119A. Poorly executed karate move?: LAME CHOP. Lamb chop.

121A. Pretend a true story is made-up?: FEIGN FICTION. Fan fiction.

38D. Pancake cookbook photo session?: CREPE SHOOT. Crapshoot.

47D. Source of elegance?: GRACE ROOTS. Grassroots.

So consistent. All the key words change spellings. I'm always amazed at the creativity of constructors for this type of them with extra spelling change layer.

The six black squares at this grid were added later in the filling process. This grid started with 72 or even 68 black squires.

Across:

1. Observing Yom Kippur, say: ON A FAST. Never fasted. Takes discipline.

8. Gumbo pod: OKRA.

12. Location tools: RADARS.

18. Fiction genre: ROMANCE. And 2. 18-Across writer Roberts: NORA.

19. Complain: MOAN.

20. Radioactive element: URANIUM.

26. __ Mae: FANNIE.

27. Till fill: ONES.

28. Auditing pros: CPAS.

29. Back in the day, back in the day: ERST.

30. Some research aids: TOMES.

32. "My Way" lyricist: ANKA.

34. Tourist trap trinkets: KITSCH. Consonant-rich.

36. "I need a few __": SECS.

39. Continuously: EVER.

41. Entered carefully: EASED IN.

44. White wine apéritif: KIR.

47. Dubious "gift": GAB.

50. Goodnight woman of song: IRENE.

52. Marsh plant: CATTAIL.

53. California town whose name means "the river": EL RIO. Helpful clue. It's in Ventura County.

55. Stops: DEPOTS.

57. Field with many partners: LAW. Nice clue.

58. Golfer Trevino: LEE. He was in Minnesota every year for the 3M Championship (senior tour). Always in the same group as Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. Now it's called 3M Open. Regular PGA Tour stop.

59. Understands, as a radio message: READS.

60. Gas supplied in Canada by Imperial Oil: ESSO.

61. Provide money for: ENDOW.

64. Cat food source: TUNA CAN. Any of you allergic to canned tuna?

66. Bind with a line: LASH.

72. Hideouts: DENS.

73. Aboveboard: ETHICAL.

75. Fluff or flub: ERROR.

76. Dubai dignitary: EMIR.

78. Birch of "American Beauty": THORA. The girl on the left.

79. __ result: AS A.

82. Title for Robinson: MRS.

83. Heavy rain aftermath: RUNOFF.

86. Riots: HOOTS.

87. Some discriminators: SEXISTS.

90. Capri, locally: ISOLA.

91. N.C. winter hours: EST.

97. Browning result: TAN. What's your favorite sunscreen?  Here's mine. No white cast.

98. How some desserts are served: A LA MODE.

99. Gait between walk and canter: TROT.

100. Invites: ASKS.

101. Longtime Indian leader: GANDHI. Featured in their banknotes.

105. May honorees: MOMS.

107. Tailgating fare: BRATS.

109. Biblical birthright seller: ESAU.

110. Transcript stats: GPAS.

113. Plant for a pet?: CHIA. Cute.

115. __ d'hôtel: MAITRE.

123. Small sizes: PETITES.

124. First name in scat: ELLA. Fitzgerald.

125. Like the darkest night: INKIEST.

126. In order that one might: SO AS TO.

127. Wings you can't eat: ELLS.

128. Refuses: NAYSAYS.

Down:

1. "Carmina Burana" composer: ORFF (Carl)

3. "Absolutely!": AMEN.

4. Passes out: FAINTS.

5. Cardio procedure: ANGIO.

6. One creating plots: SCHEMER.

7. Asian holiday: TET. Traditional Tet food.

8. Land on its own gulf: OMAN.

9. Divided land: KOREA. Traditional Korean Lunar New Year food (same day as Tet).

10. Disorderly place: RAT'S NEST.

11. Vague number: ANY.

12. Beef cut: RUMP.

13. Song for a diva: ARIA.

14. Women's workout wear brand: DANSKIN. You can get them at Walmart.

15. Young Skywalker's nickname: ANI.

16. Fix firmly: RIVET.

17. Court figures: SUERS.

21. Catchall category: Abbr.: MISC.

23. "Best in Show" actress Parker __: POSEY.

25. Maximum: NTH.

28. Invitation notation: CASUAL.

31. Sister of Zsa Zsa: EVA.

33. William of "Carrie": KATT. Unknown figure to me.

35. Supervised hospital resident: INTERN.

36. Cause of a road mark: SKID.

37. The Auld Sod: EIRE.

40. Take back: RECANT.

42. Falco of "The Sopranos": EDIE.

43. Computer key: DELETE.

45. Comes down with: GETS.

46. Opposite of rush: DAWDLE.

48. Actor Quinn: AIDAN.

49. Petty officers, briefly: BOSNS.

51. First line of a three-line eatery sign: NO  SHIRT. "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service".

54. Introductions: LEAD-INS.

56. Japanese noodle: SOBA. Japanese for "buckwheat". Cold soba is very popular in Japan/Korea in summer months.

Soba noodles, Japanese style

Soba noodles, Korean Style

57. Tennis call: LET.

62. Done, to Donne: OER.

63. Hospitality: WARMTH.

65. Geek Squad client: USER.

66. Underworld river: LETHE. River of forgetfulness.

67. One of a Dumas trio: ATHOS.

69. Denali National Park state: ALASKA.

70. Victoria's Secret purchase: CORSET. Kim Kardashian wore one under her Met Gala gown. This is not a doctored picture, guys!

71. Store posting: Abbr.: HRS.

74. Algiers citadel: CASBAH.

77. "Our National Parks" author: MUIR (John)

80. Look: SEEM.

81. Geometry basics: AXIOMS.

84. Criticism: FLAK.

85. They're often for the home team: FANS.

88. __-European: INDO.

89. Recent medical research subject: STEM CELL. Great fill.

93. Sets down: ALIGHTS.

94. __ sprawl: URBAN.

95. Frat. counterpart: SOR.

96. Marathoner's need: STAMINA. Here is the amazing Iceman Wim Hof. He ran a marathon barefoot on ice and snow.

100. If nothing changes: AS IT IS.

101. Salon supply: GEL.

102. Stat relative: ASAP.

103. Directory entries: NAMES.

104. Because of: DUE TO.

106. Con man's partner: SHILL.

108. Tasteless: TACKY.

111. "Every great architect is ... a great __": Wright: POET.

112. Lhasa __: APSO. Lhasa  is Tibetan for "place of gods", Apso is "bearded".

114. Some groceries: IGAS.

116. "__ yellow ribbon ... ": TIE A.

117. Promising: ROSY.

118. Tolkien creatures: ENTS.

120. "Argo" spy gp.: CIA.

121. Doctor's charge: FEE.

122. Omen in "Jaws" (besides the music): FIN.

C.C.

Saturday, June 1, 2019, Michael Wiesenberg

Themeless Saturday by Michael Wiesenberg

Today is National Flip A Coin Day. For those of us who work crosswords this can be a decision making aid. For instance - AVER/AVOW, AYE/YEA, DNA/RNA, etc.  This is what crossing answers and erasers are for.

Today's constructor is our former professional poker player from Calgary, Michael Wiesenberg. I suspect that at Michael's skill level, he did not have to resort to many coin flips to decide his strategy on a particular hand.



Michael's great puzzle today has four vertical and horizontal stacks of ten that yields only 28 blocks with 99 open squares

Sit in for a hand as we explore what Michael has dealt us today:

Across:

1. Luxurious ease: BED OF ROSES - Did anyone else also think of a Kevin Spacey movie?

11. Slangily admit, with "to": COP - Some will COP to a lesser crime rather than go to trial

14. See 3-Down: YOU WOULDN'T and 3. With 14-Across, "Bro, no!": DUDE - DUDE, YOU WOULDN'T... 

15. What you see hear?: TYPO - "What you see hear (here)" has a TYPO

16. Plays the nice guy?: ENDS UP LAST - Leo's motto and book title

17. Fins: ABES - $5 bill slang

18. Mariner's hdg.: SSE - Mariners on the Edmund Fitzgerald had a SSE heading on its final leg toward Whitefish Point on that fateful day in 1975 when  it sank in a horrible storm

19. Security issue: LEAK.

20. Eponymous diplomat Lord St __, friend of explorer George Vancouver: HELENS - His eponymous mountain blew its top in 1980

22. Peters out: DIES - DIES/EBBS was a "Flip A Coin" moment

23. Treading water, so to speak: NO WORSE - Not getting "aheader or behinder"

24. Quakers in forests?: ASPENS - Cottonwoods on the plains also make that sound



27. Harlequin output: ROMANCES.

28. '90s Rather co-anchor: CHUNG - They lasted three years together 

29. Caribbean native: CUBAN.

30. Univ. mentors: RA'S - Another coin flip with TA'S

31. Chloé fragrance maker: COTY.

32. Angel in Venezuela?: FALLS.

33. Soup made with stock called dashi: MISO - Making MISO soup with dashi stock

34. Pollution monitoring gp.: EPA.



35. Blender button: PUREE - One of many verb options on this old Oster

36. Thing that's spread: RUMOR.

37. Dressed for the beach, perhaps: SANDALED - and 36. Least prudent: RASHEST. Any port in a word storm

39. Symbols seen in pairs, briefly: PARENS  

40. How condemnation is expressed: SHARPLY - Even when tempered, "I respectfully submit that my friend from across the aisle is lying through his teeth!"

41. __ job: DESK - Technically, teaching is a DESK job but I rarely used mine

42. Set upon: COME AT - Google Mike Tyson

43. Jive: JOSH.

44. Show with a Miami spin-off: CSI - CSI, CSI Miami, CSI New York and CSI Cyber. 792 episodes of this franchise have aired. 

47. Designer Cassini: OLEG.

48. Response to a con: I'VE BEEN HAD - I almost said that in a CraigsList 11. Phishing, e.g.: CYBER CRIME last month. 

51. Morse sounds: DITS - My name in Morse Code is --. .- .-. -.-- or in PARENS - (dah dah DIT, DIT dah, DIT dah DIT, dah DIT dah dah)

52. Choose not to continue: LET IT SLIDE - I know Uncle Bob wants to debate politics but...  

53. Prefix with conscious: ECO.

54. Close talks: TETE A TETES - Furniture so-named for those "head to head" talks

Down:

1. Passes at a tournament: BYES - Washington got a BYE because it had a better record 

2. Long, long time: EONS - EONS/AGES coin flip

4. Cries of pain: OWS.

5. It may result in free throws: FOULING - In a past, rougher era, the Detroit Pistons got away with a lot of FOULING

6. Nepalese money: RUPEES - An ad for the KFC in Kathmandu, Nepal with prices in RUPEES

7. Widemouthed stewpots: OLLAS - Spanish, from Latin olla, aulla pot; akin to Sanskrit ukhā pot and probably to Goth auhns oven

8. Badlands Natl. Park's state: S DAK - It's about the only interesting thing between Rapid City and Sioux Falls.

9. Navy lt.'s subordinate: ENS - Did you think of ENSIGN Pulver too?

10. Charlotte Amalie's island: ST THOMAS - Charlotte Amalie (named in 1691 for wife of Danish King Christian V) is on ST THOMAS and is the capital of The American Virgin Islands

12. Time to hunt: OPEN SEASON 

13. Owners: POSSESSORS.

15. Hawk's claw: TALON.

21. Obi-Wan portrayer: EWAN - Coin flip - My first fill of ALEC (Guinness) played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars. EWAN McGregor played a younger version of him in the prequels

22. Repudiate: DENY.

23. __ gas: NOBLE - NOBLE/Inert coin flip


24. It'll get you in: ACCESS CODE - We find it very convenient to have one on this doorknob

25. Mall portmanteau: SHOPAHOLIC.

26. Label, as feelings: PUT A NAME TO - It's hard PUT A NAME TO the feeling I have when a former student says something very nice about me (or something bad too)

27. Dominated: RULED.

29. 1990 Best New Artist Grammy winner: CAREY - Mariah's IMDB

32. At high speed: FULL TILT - Great running backs get to FULL TILT quickly

33. Gloom: MURK 

35. __ John's Pizza: PAPA - Last year Peyton Manning sold his interest in 31 PAPA John's franchises just days before PAPA John withdrew as the NFL's official pizza

38. Settled matter: DREGS - Part of a lovely, poignant Sinatra lyric that has more meaning as birthdays pile up

39. Former Spanish coin: PESETA - Now on the Euro

41. Guard dog originally bred in Germany, familiarly: DOBIE - DOBERMANS were named for dog breeder Ludwig DOBERMAN in 1890 who was a tax collector and took this dog on his route for protection

43. Singer with The Blackhearts: JETT - My favorite 

44. Gambler's marker: CHIT.

45. Marquis de __: SADE - When the word SADISTIC is derived from your last name... 

46. June 13, e.g.: IDES -  In the ancient Roman calendar, the fifteenth day of March, May, July, or October, and the thirteenth day of the other months.

49. Migration flight pattern: VEE.

50. Marlins' MLB div.: NLE - You'll find the National League East Marlins at the bottom of this attendance list

No need to flip a coin, we'd love to hear your comments.

Friday, May 31, 2019, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Boris: “Do you agree?” Natasha: “ДА!”

My regular doubles partner here at the Corner, Jeffrey Wechsler is back on a Friday with one of his classics - an add letters puzzles to create funny fill. Today DA is added and I hope it did not addle your brain. DA is the yes in Russian, an abbreviation for DAD in Britain (I think-Steve?) and a common shortcut for District Attorney. He also sneaks in the amusing non-themer DADAIST, along with many other sparklies like ANALYST,  DOGGIES, I'M ALONE, MASCARA, ON A DATE, PORGIES, STENCIL, ALARMING, MACARENA, MIRRORED, and SEDATION. We also have many apostrophes and the usual trickery in some cluing. On with the fun.

17A. Short-order bear?: FRYING PANDA (11). If you can have a Kung-fu Panda why not one in the kitchen making your lunch, using a FRYING PAN.

24A. News item from Hoda Kotb?: TODAY STORY (10). The 4th-hour anchor is away with her new adopted BABY. It is too soon to watch TOY STORY.

34A. Skeptical response to "Here's the drink I owe you"?: SAY IT ISN'T SODA (13). Obviously not the response of a teetotaller.

46A. Element of avant-garde music?: DARING TONE (10). I think the tonality or lack thereof of Arnold Schoenberg was more daring. I have a cousin who married a Schoenberg.

55A. Prosecutor ... or what four long puzzle answers have received?: ASSISTANT DA (11). So maybe this is the one he had in mind. I hope he doesn't mind my subversive write-up, but I just must have fun. On with the show. 

Across:

1. Just right: APT. Not an easy start, but it is Friday.

4. Some pets, in totspeak: DOGGIES. Totspeak is a term I think was developed solely for crossword fill like OWIE, WAWA and oh yeah DADA!

11. Ronda Rousey's sport, initially: MMA. Mixed Martial Arts.

14. Supporting: FOR. Not a beam but a person.

15. Tempting text to a lover: I'M ALONE. Sounds like some kind of illicit rendezvous.

16. McShane of "Deadwood": IAN. Ian has been one of my favorites, I think Steve also, since his days as LOVEJOY. However, in the John Wick 3 movie, he is not a nice man, and that is not a nice movie. Halle Berry continues to look nice, though.

19. Label for some Usher releases: RCA. Do people care about record labels anymore?

20. Words from a bell ringer: IT'S ME. Not in the tower, but at your front door. Obviously not an academic visitor.

21. Pen part: NIB. All you ever wanted to know about PENS.

22. Continental border river: URAL. This divides Europe and Asia.

23. Coolidge who wasn't president: RITA. This mostly Cherokee and mostly forgotten SINGER was married to Kris Kristofferson as well as having hits like...

27. L'Oréal's Voluminous Carbon Black, e.g.: MASCARA. I love having this in the puzzle with 12D. Popular '90s  dance:  MACARENA.

29. Longtime preceder of Johnny?: HERE'S. Both Ed McMahon and Jack Nicholson made this famous.

30. Maurice Sendak/Carole King musical "Really __": ROSIE. A hard Friday fill but a wonderful collaboration between the creator of Where the Wild Things Are and the very talented Ms. King,  subject of the Broadway hit Beautiful.

33. "__ you clever!": AREN'T. Yes, he is.

38. Apollo's birth island: DELOS. This Greek god has great BACKSTORY.

39. Nautical pole: SPRIT. I will leave the words to our sailors.

40. Saw: ADAGE. Nope, just letters here.

41. At the movies, maybe: ON A DATE. Here too.

50. Bird's biological class: AVES. I like this followed by...

51. Bill distributors: ATMS. Since birds have bills.

52. Detroit labor gp.: UAW. United Auto Workers.

53. Research support: GRANT.

54. Sundial marking: III.

58. Luke, to Anakin: SON.

59. Sign maker's aid: STENCIL. Do they need them any longer?

60. Court fig.: ATTorney. Not an abbreviation popular in the profession.

61. "Star Trek" spin-off, briefly: TNG. The Next Generation.

62. Fish also called sea breams: PORGIES. This little FISH is one the many considered as a kosher fish. Catfish are not.

63. Future 62-Across: ROE. JW just egging you on.

Down:

1. Validate: AFFIRM.

2. "The quality of mercy is not strain'd" speaker: PORTIA. "It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven." Merchant of Venice Act IV, Scene I. Jeffrey and I both love our Friday Shakespeare.

3. Secret meetings: TRYSTS.

4. Order the Beef Wellington, say: DINE.

5. Bit of texting shock: OMG.

6. Space: GAP.

7. Endocrine __: GLAND.

8. Ancient region of present-day Turkey: IONIA. I always thought it was in Greece.

9. Not continue past: END BY. Also Use By.

10. Ahab's milieu: SEA.

11. Did the same as: MIRRORED.

13. Pro with a couch: ANALYST. Psycho-

18. Apple product: IMAC.

22. Unborn, after "in": UTERO. Literal Latin.

24. Unhurried pace: TROT.

25. Refreshing place: OASIS. Or maybe you want to visit...

26. Siskiyou County peak: SHASTA. I am sure this was a gimme for our West Coast contingent.

28. Gotten up: ARISEN.

31. Many a cable co.: ISP. Internet Service Provider. Not related to 55D. Cleopatra's "poor venomous fool": ASP. A double dose of Will from Act V, Scene 2.
"Poor venomous fool
Be angry and dispatch. Oh, couldst thou speak,
That I might hear thee call great Caesar ass."

32. 2001 scandal subject: ENRON.

34. It puts people out: SEDATION. A very nice clue for a Friday deception.

35. Frightful: ALARMING.

36. Ones using asanas: YOGIS. And so many of your neighbors. 12 FAVORITES.

37. Pitchfork part: TINE. Actually any fork.

38. Arp, for one: DADAIST.

42. "Phooey!": DARN. Probably the tame version of what JW is thinking about my silliness.

43. Video game figure: AVATAR.

44. Take care of: TEND TO.

45. Wayne Manor and environs, e.g.: ESTATE. An odd Batman reference?

47. Relish: GUSTO.

48. Law enforcement tool: TASER.

49. In arrears: OWING.

53. Hoedown misses: GALS. Not misses, but misses. Not related to Hoda Kotb.

56. Chem. or phys.: SCI.

57. Bun package closer: TIE. If you keep your legs tied together you will not get a bun in the oven.

We have made it through another Friday challenge from Jeffrey. It always feels good to solve and then discuss one of his creations. I hope you had fun and I will leave you with the grid and another picture of a classic DA. Lemonade out.

Thursday, May 30th 2019 Ross Trudeau

Theme: Anagrams - the reveal explains what we're looking for - three "diapers" anagrams in the theme entries:

52A. New father's task, maybe ... and what the three other longest puzzle answers have in common?: CHANGING DIAPERS

And so we find:

17A. Dreamed of a career in politics: ASPIRED TO OFFICE. The alternative spelling of the past tense of "dream" is "dreamt", which occupies a singular place in the English language. Anyone know what's unique about the word?

26A. Took part in a revival: PRAISED THE LORD. And passed the ammunition, if you were Chaplain Forgy on the U.S.S New Orleans during the Pearl Harbor attacks in 1942.

42A. "We can't win!" and "It's useless!": CRIES OF DESPAIR. Accompanied by wailing and gnashing of teeth. Which brings me to the question of the day - what does a teeth-gnashing look like? The expression is so familiar that I never stopped to think about it before.

Fun puzzle from Ross today, it was a pretty straightforward solve even though there were quite a few unknowns for me, the crosses were all solid. By the time I'd worked my way down to the reveal, the theme entries were all complete, so it was just a case of admiring the elegant anagrams.

None of the theme entries have appeared in the major puzzles before, which is neat. There's one other "unique" word in the puzzle, we'll get to that later. Let's see what's what in the fill:

Across:

1. Hairy swinger: APE

4. Blue semiprecious stone: AZURITE. New to me. Pretty color:

11. Vainglory: EGO

14. "Blue Bloods" actor Selleck: TOM

15. Joint Chiefs member: GENERAL. There are six generals and an admiral on the current Joint Chiefs of Staff.

16. Bubbly title: DOM. Dom Pérignon, produced by the champagne house Moët & Chandon and named for a Benedictine monk who introduced a number of wine-making techniques and methods in the 1600's.

20. Mythical hunter: DIANA

21. Considerable stretches: EONS

22. Thames academy: ETON. Posh school across the river from Windsor Castle. You'd think the Queen would have sent her boys there as it's about five minutes walk from the castle, but she and Phil the Greek packed them off to a school in the north of Scotland.

23. Old Opry network: TNN. The Nashville Network, later The National Network.

24. Nice picnic spot?: PARC. The city of Nice, France.

25. Burn soothers: ALOES

29. Hit one out, in baseball parlance: GO DEEP

30. Atomic number of nitrogen: SEVEN

31. TV commentator Navarro: ANA

32. Fort Collins sch.: C.S.U. Colorado State U.

34. Cone producer: FIR

35. "Amscray!": GIT!

38. Singer Lopez: TRINI. I thought this person had passed me by thus far, but when I went look her up, I discovered firstly it's a man, and secondly he recorded "If I Had a Hammer" which I know from when I was a kid.

40. Name on a "Little Women" book jacket: LOUISA. M. Alcott.

45. "Something to Talk About" singer: RAITT. Quite a few proper names in the puzzle today.

46. Low-quality: POOR

47. Mining supply: TNT

48. Subject of the documentary "Blackfish": ORCA. The film deals critically with the treatment of orcas at SeaWorld.

49. __-g: ZERO. Took a while for the penny to drop on this one.

50. Terra __: COTTA. Resisted the temptation to fill in "FIRMA".

55. Luv: HON

56. Candy bowl holder's rule on Halloween: ONE EACH

57. __ generis: SUI

58. Short albums, for short: EP'S. Extended play 45's. Usually two songs on each side. Officially, an EP has a running time of less than 25 minutes and no more than four tracks.

59. "Afterwards ... ": AND THEN

60. Word before cow, dog or lion: SEA

Down:

1. Somewhat: A TAD

2. Physics particle: POSITRON. An electron and a positron go into a bar. The positron says "It's your round". The electron asks "Are you sure"? "I'm positive" comes the reply.

3. Spanish stuffed pastry: EMPANADA. Yum!

4. Taj Mahal city: AGRA

5. Zombiepocalypse start?: ZEE. What a great word!

6. Like a zombie: UNDEAD

7. Snappy comebacks: RETORTS

8. Japanese show set in a kitchen: IRON CHEF. I loved the show. It thought it was funny when the English voice-over translator would include the "mmmm" sounds the judges were making and add the laughs "ha ha ha" too.

9. New Mexico resort: TAOS

10. Pixie: ELF

11. Publishing house hiree: EDITOR

12. Start admitting both men and women: GO CO-ED

13. Fodder for soothsayers: OMENS

18. Navel variety: INNIE. Wait for the crosses.

19. Pen denizen: FELON

24. Soft drink choices: PEPSIS

25. Last Olds models: ALEROS

26. Dustin Johnson's org.: P.G.A. Need to be careful here - DJ belongs to the PGA TOUR. The Professional Golfer's Association of America is for club professionals.

27. Confidential: SECRET

28. More wicked: EVILER

33. Still wrapped: UNOPENED

35. Garganta of "Femforce" comics, e.g.: GIANTESS. Crosses all the way.

36. "No kidding?": IS IT TRUE?

37. Road gunk: TAR

38. Saturn's largest moon: TITAN

39. "It's not coming to me": I FORGET

41. "High five!": UP TOP!

42. Drive-in server: CAR HOP. My local Bob's Big Boy in Toluca Lake still features car hops on weekend nights. The Friday night has a classic and custom car show in the parking lot; Jay Leno often turns up with one of his prized collection.

43. Puerto __: San Juan natives: RICANS

44. "Camptown Races" refrain syllables: DOO-DAH

45. Valium maker: ROCHE

49. "A People's History of the United States" writer Howard: ZINN. This is the other unique word in the puzzle, which I find surprising. I'd not heard of the author before, so thank you, crosses.

50. "High Hopes" lyricist: CAHN

51. China setting: ASIA

53. Small Indian state: GOA

54. Puck's place: ICE. Topical as the Stanley Cup Finals are underway.

If you're still wondering about "dreamt", it's the only word in the English language which ends "amt".

That should do it for me. Here's the grid!

Steve

Wednesday May 29, 2019 Roland Huget

Theme: ROUGHHOUSE (61. Rowdy play, and what's hidden in each answer to a starred clue) - Four different simple shelters are hidden in each theme entry.

17A. *Cocktail ingredient often made with a mallet: CRUSHED ICE.

40A. *Sleep: SHUT EYE.

 

11D. *Quarterback's underhand move: SHOVEL PASS.

29D *Restraint on a prisoner: LEG SHACKLE. Thought they're called "leg irons".

C.C. here, filling in another blogging gap.

Classic 5-themer grid with a 7 in the middle. You won't get sparkly 8 or 9 non-theme fill in this grid design, but the fill will be clean.  

I like the re-phrase of the reveal entry.  Nice wordplay. The shelter is consistently contained in one word.  

  

Across:

1. Was short: OWED.

5. Cut short, NASA-style: ABORT.

10. "Got it": I SEE.

14. "The Great" detective of kid-lit: NATE.

15. "Green Acres" co-star: GABOR. Eva. Youngest of the three Gabors.

16. Tobacco plug: CHAW.

19. Come up short: LOSE.

20. Hand-held allergy treatment: EPIPEN. D-Otto has one in his fridge.

21. Invite to one's home: ASK OVER.

23. Not from a bottle: ON TAP. 35. They may be 23-Across: ALES.

26. Swivel around: SLUE.

27. Seasoned sailors: SALTS. This is OK, but you guys don't like TARS, right?

30. Automated blog participant, for short: BOT.

32. Runs in neutral: IDLES.

36. Anne of Green Gables or Annie: ORPHAN.

38. Orchestra __: PIT.

39. Skit bit: GAG.

41. Ottoman bigwig: AGA. Or AGHA.

42. 911 response letters: EMS.

43. Stick a stake in, as a vampire: IMPALE.

44. Pale: ASHY.

45. Totally sexy: SO HOT. And 48. Strongly craves, with "after": LUSTS.

47. La-la lead-in: TRA.

49. "Sorry to say ... ": ALAS.

51. Blazer material: TWEED.

53. Performer's "Nailed it!" gesture: MIC DROP. Even Obama did it.

56. Followed: TAILED.

60. Rubs the wrong way: IRKS.

64. Cuba libre mixer: COLA. China has Future Cola.

65. First name in cosmetics: ESTEE.

66. Persia, now: IRAN. Hi there Abejo. Also, WikWak, hope you read all these birthday greetings from our blog regulars back in April.

67. From the top: ANEW.

68. Direct: STEER.

69. Brooding place: NEST.

Down:

1. Some time ago: ONCE.

2. What wet boards may do: WARP.

3. Special case: ETUI.

4. Cruel rulers: DESPOTS.

5. Contract negotiator: AGENT. Who's the most powerful sports agent right now? I only know Mark Steinberg. Oh also Jerry Maguire.

6. Naughty: BAD.

7. Kimono accessory: OBI.

8. Almond __: crunchy candy: ROCA.

9. Hair piece: TRESS.

10. Apple backup service: ICLOUD. We have Google Cloud.

12. Maneuver carefully: EASE.

13. Still-life subject: EWER.

18. Coop group: HENS.

22. Ryan's "French Kiss" co-star: KLINE.

24. Sudden: ABRUPT.

25. Toaster pastry: POP TART. I bet many of you have never had egg tarts. So good.

27. Learned advisors: SAGES.

28. Enterprise competitor: ALAMO.

31. Long-armed institution: THE LAW.

33. "Magic" ball digit: EIGHT.

34. Collar inserts: STAYS.

36. Unit of resistance: OHM.

37. Cry from a pro: AYE. One who's for.

40. Raga instrument: SITAR.

44. Port on some stereos: AUDIO IN.

46. Familiar saying: OLD SAW.

48. Sister of Rachel: LEAH. Here is the Leah on our blog. Chickie.

Left to Right: Chickie, JD, Garlic Gal and Lucina.

June 3, 2015

50. Aloe targets: SORES.

52. Former anesthetic: ETHER.

53. Layered rock: MICA.

54. Common club choice on a par-three hole: IRON. Short par-three.

55. Publish in an online forum: POST.

57. Tackle box item: LURE.

58. Those, in Tijuana: ESAS.

59. Minor progress: DENT.

62. 4 x 4, briefly: UTE.

63. "Hmm": GEE.

C.C.