Theme: "Brrr!" - "Cold" can precede the first word in each theme entry.
23A. *Filled pastry : CREAM PUFF. Cold cream.
29A. *Protective sports gear : SHOULDER PADS. Cold shoulder.
41A. *Prop in an iconic "Psycho" scene : SHOWER CURTAIN. Cold shower.
66A. *Ragtime dance : TURKEY TROT. Cold turkey.
68A. *Flower named for a legendary beast : SNAPDRAGON. Cold snap.
89A. *Contents of an abandoned one may be sold at auction : STORAGE LOCKER. Cold storage.
104A. *What will fix misteaks? : SPELL CHECKER. Cold spell.
15D. *2017 Broadway musical based on the rivalry between Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein : WARPAINT. Cold war. Two of the Down 8's intersect two other Across entries. Those stacks of 8s in the upper and lower left are tough to pull off.
81D. *Lawyer's backlog : CASELOAD. Cold case.
Reveal:
111. It ushers in lower temperatures ... and what the answers to starred clues can have : COLD FRONT
Rich normally keeps this type of words-that-can-precede/follow for weekdays, unless the reveal entry really catches his interest.
This theme works the best when the key word change meanings. In this set, SHOWER, STORAGE and CASE remain the same.
Across:
1. Grand-scale poetry : EPOS. Also 38. Pope output : POEM. Alexander Pope.
5. Corrosive stuff : ACID. Also 6. Corrosive substances : CAUSTICS
9. Mariner org. : NASA. Unaware of the Mariner program.
13. Like an eddy : ASWIRL
19. An 80-footer is a long one : PUTT. I made a long one when I played my very first round. So excited.
20. Square to look through : PANE
21. Got on in years : AGED
22. Old propeller site : BEANIE. Never heard of propeller beanie.
25. Commend : CITE
26. "And God Created Woman" (1956) star : BARDOT
27. Done, for Donne : O'ER
28. Afterthought preceder : ALSO. BunnyM, I also love your posts. Always thoughtful and caring.
31. Had a sample : TRIED IT
33. Wickiup, e.g. : HUT. Wickiup is new to me. Primitive hut.
34. Name of 12 popes : PIUS. Also 57. Four Holy Roman emperors : OTTOs. Ours is a quiet saint.
35. Most common draw in Scrabble : AN E. Odd to have an article in front.
36. Hanukkah toy : DREIDEL
39. Intolerant type : BIGOT
45. Janvier, across the Pyrenees : ENERO
46. Old TV knob : HOR
47. Gather in bundles : SHEAVE
48. Quick-getaway auditorium seat site : LAST ROW
50. Bygone : OLDEN
53. Actor Cage, in tabloids : NIC
54. CBS golf analyst Baker-Finch : IAN. He's from Australia.
55. Recited confidently : REELED OFF
60. Earthquake prefix : SEISMO. Hi there Jayce! Why can't you have venison burgers?
62. Wise guy : SAGE
70. __ facto : IPSO
71. Military camps : ETAPES
73. Farthest from the action, as arena seats : NOSEBLEED
74. Hogwash : ROT
75. Photog's item : NEG
77. Henri's health : SANTE. "A votre sante!"
78. Dentist's find : ABSCESS. Got via crosses.
83. Fusion, for one : ECO-CAR
87. Rap music article : THA
88. Westernmost African capital : DAKAR. Senegal's capital. Have any of you tried West African-style peanut butter chicken?
93. Ukrainian port, to locals : ODESA
94. Bowser's brand : IAMS
96. Flash : INSTANT
97. Astound : AWE. Inanehiker (Nina) on our blog is a doctor, who quieted my unease with her read of my recent blood test.
98. Hammett hound : ASTA
99. Soaked : WET
100. DNA component : ADENINE
107. Cry to Silver : HI YO
108. Crime boss : DON
109. Commotion : UPROAR
110. Comparable : AKIN
113. Split : CLEAVE
114. Dispatch : SEND. Average person checks his/her email 15 times a day.
115. Bailiwick : AREA
116. Ray, for one : ALer. Gluey fill. Tampa Bay Rays.
117. Hopper and Gabler : HEDDAS. Gluey fill.
118. Nervous : EDGY
119. Not : NARY
120. Italian noble family : ESTE
Down:
1. Spaceship Earth site : EPCOT
2. More refined : PURER
3. Ferrell's "SNL" cheerleading partner : OTERI
4. Penn, e.g.: Abbr. : STA
5. User : APPLIER. Odd *ER word.
7. Dope : INFO
8. Hi-__ : DEF
9. Morgen's opposite : NACHT. Night.
10. Currency exchange fee : AGIO. Learned from doing crossword.
11. Attack : SET UPON
12. Ross Sea penguin : ADELIE. Happy feet.
13. French clerics : ABBES
14. Scorch : SEAR
16. At risk : IN DANGER
17. Former Spanish Sahara territory that is neither a river nor has any gold : RIO DE ORO. Helpful clue. Like our grape nuts.
18. Tennis calls : LETS
24. Sierra __ : MADRE. Not LEONE.
29. Ottoman bigwig : SULTAN
30. Doo-wop syllable : DUM. No idea.
32. Uncle of Prince Wm. : EDW. Both Wm and EDW look odd.
33. "Take it" : HERE
37. "Well, that's obvious" : DUH
38. Game equipment : PIECES. We saw a Kirby Puckett game-used jersey at a store for $10K. Crazy.
39. Wanna-__: poseurs : BEs
40. Pull : TOW
41. Hip sound? : SHORT I. The i in Hip.
42. Stay out of sight : HOLE UP
43. Waiters take them : ORDERS
44. "We Try Harder" company : AVIS. Which is your favorite rental car company? We're going back to Payless. Bad experience with Dollar.
48. Reading lights : LAMPS
49. Battery pole : ANODE
51. Nevada city on I-80 : ELKO
52. Born : NEE
54. Golfer Aoki : ISAO. He should come to 3M. Both Jack Nicklaus & Gary Player were here this year.
56. Salon specialists : DYERS
58. Campus house, maybe : FRAT
59. Clotheshorse : FOP
61. Quaint lodging : INN
62. Casa room : SALA
63. Tommy Lee Jones' "Men in Black" role : AGENT K
64. "Faust" author : GOETHE
65. Win the love of : ENDEAR
67. Beliefs : TENETS
69. NFL ball carriers : RBs. Running backs.
72. Spanish wine descriptor : SECO. Dry.
76. More unpleasant, as details : GORIER
78. Stink : ADO
79. Troublemaker : BAD APPLE. Great fill.
80. Like kebabs : SKEWERED. Xi'an style. Lots of red pepper.
82. Stat for Aroldis Chapman : ERA. Rich is a Yankee fan. Patti is a Met fan.
84. Tilt : CANT
85. Govt. prosecutors : AGs. Attorney Generals.
86. Mall tenant : RETAILER
89. Walloped : SMACKED
90. Singer Billie Holiday's nickname : LADY DAY. Unknown to me.
91. __ a kind : ONE OF
92. Moving supply: Abbr. : CTN (Carton)
94. Book end? : ISH. Bookish.
95. Military command : AT EASE
98. Plot makeup : ACRES
99. Playwright Wasserstein : WENDY. Also new to me.
101. Stars watched by many : IDOLS
102. Good-sized chamber group : NONET. Group of nine.
103. Between, in Brest : ENTRE. Alliteration.
104. Quite : SUCH
105. Spewed magma : LAVA
106. Double-decker game piece : KING. Googled afterwards. Never played Pinochle. (Checkers. Thanks, WikWak.)
107. Bar mitzvah dance : HORA
111. Fire : CAN
112. Actress Charlotte : RAE
C.C.
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Sep 17, 2017
Sep 16, 2017
Saturday, Sep 16th, 2017, Erik Agard
Theme: None
Words: 68 (missing J,X)
Blocks: 38
OK,
that's better - after two rough weeks, this puzzle was almost a breeze
to finish - in about half my personal allotted time. Mr. Agard was on a
three-month roll, missed August, but he's back for September.
Hourglass grid with a triple 11-letter staggered stack in the center and a 15-letter climber;
31a. Event with a caller : SQUARE DANCE - oops; I put in "-AUCTION" at the end; Bzzzt
34a. Fruit on a veggie pizza : BLACK OLIVES
- ah. I buy the 'supreme' frozen pizzas, and always pull off the black
olives, but sprinkle on some bacon bits. I got me a Pizzazz pizza
wheel which fits nicely in my kitchenette
35a. Justin case? : BIEBER FEVER - har-har
7d. Standard procedure : A MATTER OF COURSE
2d.~!
ACROSS:
1. Directions home : MAP
4. Slow : DELAY
9. Key of Elgar's "Symphony No. 1" : A FLAT - filled in the "FLAT" part and waited
14. San Antonio Spurs' 1993-2002 home : ALAMO DOME
16. Employer of a lizard and a pig : GEICO - the gecko, and the hog who goes "wee~!"
17. Author of the 2011 memoir "My Father at 100" : RON REAGAN
18. Greek leader? : ALPHA - beta, gamma, etc.
19. "I __ it!" : KNEW - I tried WANT first
20. National League athlete : MET
- from the NY Met(ropolitan)s, to be precise - the irony here is that
this was one of my clues nixed by the editors for being too difficult
for a Wed. puzzle
21. Equilibrium : STASIS
22. Dale relative : GLEN - not CHIP - we had CHIP N' DALE last week - this is the the valley definition
24. Weapon in some supernatural movies : STAKE - Vampires~!
26. Thus far : YET
27. Ship mover : SAIL
29. Joseph of ice cream fame : EDY
30. One of the deadly sins : ENVY - LUST would have fit as well
36. Undesirable descriptor for makeup : CAKY
37. ___-A-Fella Records : ROC - cute. I thought it might be roK
38. Thus : ERGO
40. "Correct, cap'n" : "AYE."
41. Currently airing : ON NOW - I would recommend watching "Garage Rehab" because my good friend Russell is "the muscle" on the show
The "other" guy is Richard from Gas Monkey Garage
43. Hamilton notes : TENS - dollar bills
45. Fight like sticks figures? : RASSLE - Wrestle in the boondocks, the "sticks"
47. Sch. with a Providence campus : URI - dah~! I put in RIU to start
49. __ Vogue : TEEN
51. Thins, e.g. : OREOs
52. Three-book Newton work : PRINCIPIA - the Wiki
54. Paper for a letter? : LEASE - think let-ter, one who 'lets'
55. Shun : OSTRACIZE
56. Tried to contain : SAT ON
57. Zero out : RESET
58. 1980s gaming release : NES - Nintendo Entertainment System
DOWN:
1. Annotate : MARK
2. Onward : ALONG - a shout-out~!!
3. Symposium groups : PANELS
4. Big name in anonymity : DOE - John or Jane, not the local trolls
5. Cheese town : EDAM
6. Upscale tiers : LOGES
8. Japanese cabbage? : YEN
9. Quartz type : AGATE
10. Afrobeat star __ Kuti : FELA - filled via perps - never heard of him - his Wiki
11. Mouths : LIP SYNCS
12. Realize : ACHIEVE
13. Pleasantly warm : TOASTY
15. "Harry Potter" father figure : Mr. WEASLEY - the Harry Potter Wiki
With daughter Ginny, the future Mrs. Potter
21. Parachute : SKYDIVE
23. Arabian Peninsula veil : NIQAB
25. "Hello" singer : ADELE
28. City in central Switzerland : LUCERNE
30. Alive : ENERGETIC
32. LeBron's birth city : AKRON - basketball is not my thing. His Wiki; interesting how his first playoff run ended in a loss to the team at 14a.
33. Turn away : AVERT
34. Schwinn component : BIKE SEAT
35. Redwood City locale : BAY AREA
36. Door-to-door offerings : CAROLS - VACUUMS didn't fit
39. First to fall in most strikes : ONE PIN - nobody leaves the FIVE pin
41. Elizabeth who plays the Scarlet Witch in Marvel movies : OLSEN - filled via perps
42. Legal orders : WRITS
44. Wrest : SEIZE
46. "Meh" : SO SO - crosswordese
48. Concerning : IN RE
50. Turndowns from the tartan-clad : NAEs
52. Iberian land, to the IOC : PORtugal, according to the International Olympic Committee
53. Batter of balls? : CAT - sorry, C.C., no baseball here....
Sep 15, 2017
Friday, September 15, 2017, Mark McClain
Title: Am I coming or going?
After more than 7 years of blogging puzzles, I do not often need the reveal to understand the theme. Mark got me, even though I knew the likely theme fill made no sense, I did not get what they had in common until the reveal. Telling us to break 58A into three words gave me DRAW TO WARD, and after a slow brain moment the light bulb went on - DRAW backwards is WARD. GAB becomes BAG and the rest fell into place. To maintain consistency, Mark has the second word reverse in the first two themers and and the first word reverses in the next two. The grid with many three and four letter fill makes this a fair test for Friday even before you deduce the reversal. Also it features many witty clue/fill combinations. Ringing organ? : EAR; Taking something badly? : THEFT - come to mind. That did not leave much room for other sparkle, but Mark did include SAPPORO, SATISFY, DYSTOPIAN and RAISE CAIN.
18A. Chat at the supermarket checkout? : GROCERY GAB (10). Grocery Bag jumped out at me as soon as I had the reveal.
-
24A. Marsh bird with uncontrollable urges? : COMPULSIVE RAIL (14). Compulsive is a word most often seen with Liar and Gambler.
38A. Way into Wayne Manor? : BAT KEYS (7). Tab Keys are very important when typing. The shortest fill, BAT to TAB.
51A. Work of a major opera house villain? : EVIL FROM THE MET (14). I watched this SHOW when it aired Live starting in 1977 trying to appreciate opera.
58A. Attract ... or, as three words, sequence change with a hint about 18-, 24-, 38- and 51-Across : DRAW TOWARD (10). If you suss this as DRAW to WARD, you see that this is a word reversal puzzle.
The rest...
Across:
1. Alan of "Tower Heist" : ALDA. It is amazing how well he has played smarmy bad people in this and other projects. A Stiller connection.
5. Partridge family tree? : PEAR. Not sure which family this refers to, the TV series or the Christmas chant.
9. Eliot's Bede : ADAM. This was the first novel published by George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans). Silas Marner and Middlemarch were her best.
13. He shared the AP Driver of the Century award with Andretti : FOYT. A. J. was a major STAR. when I was growing up.
14. Consumed : EATEN.
16. Con __: tempo marking : MOTO. The word has the same stem as motion but what does it mean in MUSIC?
17. Museum figure : BUST. Tempting...
20. Bigelow offering : TEA.
22. "Utopia" author : MORE. Is this the first fantasy novel? Was his Utopia appealing? What about 3 Down?
23. Request on "ER" : MRI.
28. Oldest Japanese beer brand : SAPPORO.
29. Discounted by : LESS.
30. Cut out : OMIT.
31. Trivial amount : SOU. Although the French sou as a coin disappeared more than two centuries ago, it is still used to mean of little value. (various).
33. __ science : EARTH. Needed perps.
37. Paella veggie : PEA. Not a dish I cook, but here is a RECIPE.
41. "Eureka!" : AHA. Another made up word, but I guess they all are.
42. Legendary first name in skating : SONJA. The second name was HENIE. A reminder to some of us of Clear Ayes. 48D. 42-Across' homeland : NORWAY.
44. Northwest Passage explorer : RAE. A true PIONEER.
45. Cinco times dos : DIEZ. Purists would prefer "cinco veces dos."
46. Noodle bar order : UDON.
49. Fulfill : SATISFY.
55. Animal house : DEN.
56. Pertaining to : IN RE.
57. SHO-owned cinematic channel : TMC. The Movie Channel, not TCM or AMC.
62. Not at all tough : EASY.
65. Skye, for one : ISLE.
66. Card worth a fortune? : TAROT.
67. Stir up : RILE.
68. Slender swimmers : EELS.
69. Sweet tubers : YAMS. Can you pass the QUIZ?
70. Winter coat : SNOW. Another nice one.
Down:
1. Laughlin in Tex., e.g. : AFB. Air Force Base.
2. He often batted after Babe : LOU. Gehrig.
3. Like "The Hunger Games" society : DYSTOPIAN. Should this be included when you have 22A?
4. Tackle : ATTEMPT.
5. Wood fastener : PEG.
6. Ringing organ? : EAR. I like this clue, not the phenomenon.
7. Physics class topic : ATOMS.
8. Cringe : RECOIL.
9. Youngest of the "Little Women" : AMY. Meg. Margaret is the oldest of the March sisters, Jo. Josephine is the second oldest March sister, Beth. Elizabeth is the third eldest sister, Amy. The youngest, Amy is the pet of the family.
10. Article of faith : DOGMA. I liked the movie.
11. Arcade giant : ATARI.
12. Exxon follower? : MOBIL.
15. Guts : NERVE.
19. Giant in little candy : REESES. Pieces. Phone home.
21. GI's address : APO.
24. Typical Hitchcock role : CAMEO. Stan Lee has taken over as king of the Cameos.
25. Celestial bear : URSA.
26. Take from a job : LOOT. Oh, that kind of job.
27. Johannesburg's land: Abbr. : RSA. Republic of South Africa, home to constructor and blogger Gareth Bain.
28. Finishes (up) the gravy : SOPS.
32. Former SSR : UKRaine.
34. Go ballistic : RAISE CAIN. A THEORY.
35. Taking something badly? : THEFT. Not new but still witty.
36. Unclear : HAZY.
38. Mismatch : BAD FIT.
39. __ Coast : EAST. WEST?
40. Repeated word in the Beatles' "She Loves You" : YEAH. yeah, yeah.
43. National Ice Cream mo. : JULy. Y abbreviate?
45. Aids for romantic evenings : DIMMERS.
47. Hedger's last words : OR NOT. This fill is absolutely correct, or not.
50. Vietnamese holiday : TET.
51. __ Bauer : EDDIE. The STORY.
52. Part of a song : VERSE.
53. Collectively : IN ALL.
54. Anne of comedy : MEARA. Wife of Jerry, mother of Ben; sadly she died in 2015.
59. Director Craven : WES. Unlike Hitchcock and Stan Lee, Craven (who also died in 2015) often played himself in movies.
60. Danube Delta country: Abbr. : ROMania.
61. Drying-out hurdle : DTS. Delirium Tremens. I had a math teacher, first period, my junior year in high school who brought his coffee to class in a cup and saucer and the sound of his shaking was unnerving before 8 AM.
63. __-mo replay : SLO.
64. Taxus shrub : YEW. They look like junipers but the yew berry has a poisonous seed instead of the base for gin.
I am always curious when we have a theme like this one, as some of our crowd wants only clues and fill and no theme, while others love creativity. Thank you Mark; hope all are well. Lemonade out.
After more than 7 years of blogging puzzles, I do not often need the reveal to understand the theme. Mark got me, even though I knew the likely theme fill made no sense, I did not get what they had in common until the reveal. Telling us to break 58A into three words gave me DRAW TO WARD, and after a slow brain moment the light bulb went on - DRAW backwards is WARD. GAB becomes BAG and the rest fell into place. To maintain consistency, Mark has the second word reverse in the first two themers and and the first word reverses in the next two. The grid with many three and four letter fill makes this a fair test for Friday even before you deduce the reversal. Also it features many witty clue/fill combinations. Ringing organ? : EAR; Taking something badly? : THEFT - come to mind. That did not leave much room for other sparkle, but Mark did include SAPPORO, SATISFY, DYSTOPIAN and RAISE CAIN.
18A. Chat at the supermarket checkout? : GROCERY GAB (10). Grocery Bag jumped out at me as soon as I had the reveal.
-
24A. Marsh bird with uncontrollable urges? : COMPULSIVE RAIL (14). Compulsive is a word most often seen with Liar and Gambler.
38A. Way into Wayne Manor? : BAT KEYS (7). Tab Keys are very important when typing. The shortest fill, BAT to TAB.
51A. Work of a major opera house villain? : EVIL FROM THE MET (14). I watched this SHOW when it aired Live starting in 1977 trying to appreciate opera.
58A. Attract ... or, as three words, sequence change with a hint about 18-, 24-, 38- and 51-Across : DRAW TOWARD (10). If you suss this as DRAW to WARD, you see that this is a word reversal puzzle.
The rest...
Across:
1. Alan of "Tower Heist" : ALDA. It is amazing how well he has played smarmy bad people in this and other projects. A Stiller connection.
5. Partridge family tree? : PEAR. Not sure which family this refers to, the TV series or the Christmas chant.
9. Eliot's Bede : ADAM. This was the first novel published by George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans). Silas Marner and Middlemarch were her best.
13. He shared the AP Driver of the Century award with Andretti : FOYT. A. J. was a major STAR. when I was growing up.
14. Consumed : EATEN.
16. Con __: tempo marking : MOTO. The word has the same stem as motion but what does it mean in MUSIC?
17. Museum figure : BUST. Tempting...
20. Bigelow offering : TEA.
22. "Utopia" author : MORE. Is this the first fantasy novel? Was his Utopia appealing? What about 3 Down?
23. Request on "ER" : MRI.
28. Oldest Japanese beer brand : SAPPORO.
29. Discounted by : LESS.
30. Cut out : OMIT.
31. Trivial amount : SOU. Although the French sou as a coin disappeared more than two centuries ago, it is still used to mean of little value. (various).
33. __ science : EARTH. Needed perps.
37. Paella veggie : PEA. Not a dish I cook, but here is a RECIPE.
41. "Eureka!" : AHA. Another made up word, but I guess they all are.
42. Legendary first name in skating : SONJA. The second name was HENIE. A reminder to some of us of Clear Ayes. 48D. 42-Across' homeland : NORWAY.
44. Northwest Passage explorer : RAE. A true PIONEER.
45. Cinco times dos : DIEZ. Purists would prefer "cinco veces dos."
46. Noodle bar order : UDON.
49. Fulfill : SATISFY.
55. Animal house : DEN.
56. Pertaining to : IN RE.
57. SHO-owned cinematic channel : TMC. The Movie Channel, not TCM or AMC.
62. Not at all tough : EASY.
65. Skye, for one : ISLE.
66. Card worth a fortune? : TAROT.
67. Stir up : RILE.
68. Slender swimmers : EELS.
69. Sweet tubers : YAMS. Can you pass the QUIZ?
70. Winter coat : SNOW. Another nice one.
Down:
1. Laughlin in Tex., e.g. : AFB. Air Force Base.
2. He often batted after Babe : LOU. Gehrig.
3. Like "The Hunger Games" society : DYSTOPIAN. Should this be included when you have 22A?
4. Tackle : ATTEMPT.
5. Wood fastener : PEG.
6. Ringing organ? : EAR. I like this clue, not the phenomenon.
7. Physics class topic : ATOMS.
8. Cringe : RECOIL.
9. Youngest of the "Little Women" : AMY. Meg. Margaret is the oldest of the March sisters, Jo. Josephine is the second oldest March sister, Beth. Elizabeth is the third eldest sister, Amy. The youngest, Amy is the pet of the family.
10. Article of faith : DOGMA. I liked the movie.
11. Arcade giant : ATARI.
12. Exxon follower? : MOBIL.
15. Guts : NERVE.
19. Giant in little candy : REESES. Pieces. Phone home.
21. GI's address : APO.
24. Typical Hitchcock role : CAMEO. Stan Lee has taken over as king of the Cameos.
25. Celestial bear : URSA.
26. Take from a job : LOOT. Oh, that kind of job.
27. Johannesburg's land: Abbr. : RSA. Republic of South Africa, home to constructor and blogger Gareth Bain.
28. Finishes (up) the gravy : SOPS.
32. Former SSR : UKRaine.
34. Go ballistic : RAISE CAIN. A THEORY.
35. Taking something badly? : THEFT. Not new but still witty.
36. Unclear : HAZY.
38. Mismatch : BAD FIT.
39. __ Coast : EAST. WEST?
40. Repeated word in the Beatles' "She Loves You" : YEAH. yeah, yeah.
43. National Ice Cream mo. : JULy. Y abbreviate?
45. Aids for romantic evenings : DIMMERS.
47. Hedger's last words : OR NOT. This fill is absolutely correct, or not.
50. Vietnamese holiday : TET.
51. __ Bauer : EDDIE. The STORY.
52. Part of a song : VERSE.
53. Collectively : IN ALL.
54. Anne of comedy : MEARA. Wife of Jerry, mother of Ben; sadly she died in 2015.
59. Director Craven : WES. Unlike Hitchcock and Stan Lee, Craven (who also died in 2015) often played himself in movies.
60. Danube Delta country: Abbr. : ROMania.
61. Drying-out hurdle : DTS. Delirium Tremens. I had a math teacher, first period, my junior year in high school who brought his coffee to class in a cup and saucer and the sound of his shaking was unnerving before 8 AM.
63. __-mo replay : SLO.
64. Taxus shrub : YEW. They look like junipers but the yew berry has a poisonous seed instead of the base for gin.
I am always curious when we have a theme like this one, as some of our crowd wants only clues and fill and no theme, while others love creativity. Thank you Mark; hope all are well. Lemonade out.
Note from C.C.:
Lemonade is safe and sound. His power was finally back last night. He also has a new grandson, who was born on Wednesday Sept 13, 2017. So sweet! You can click here to see more pictures of his beautiful grandkids.
Sep 14, 2017
Thursday September 14th 2017 Clive Probert
Theme: "T" Times - punning clues to a phrase with an added "T".
20A. Place to mingle on the slopes? : SINGLES T-BAR. There's an aprés-ski joint in Val d'Isère called "Dick's T-Bar." I had many a post-piste pick-me-up there back in the 80's. The bar has outlasted the T-bar style lifts. Those things were tricky.
34A. Misplace a casual top? : LOSE YOUR T-SHIRT. Two theme entries in one T-shirt:
39A. Take Rover to Ruth's Chris? : GIVE A DOG A T-BONE. Funny how many people want to call this steakhouse chain "Ruth Chris's".
53A. Dinosaur family drama? : OEDIPUS T-REX My ex and I named our daughter "Jocasta". Then I read the play. Hmmm. Rated "R" for family unpleasantness (the play, not my daughter). She didn't hold a grudge.
Clever by Clive not just to add a "T" to a phrase, but to find four "T-hyphen" in front of the final word of the phrase. This kind of consistency is really difficult to strive for - you can start out with a seed entry that sets you on your way, and then find yourself compromising when you can't find much else that fits the plan.
Fresh fill, including GIRLRIEND, LOW VOLTAGE, SNARFS and TROUGHS. A lot to like. Let's see what else we've got to talk about:
Across:
1. Superhero attire : CAPE
5. Six-footers at parties : SUBS
9. Parakeet quarters : CAGES
14. "You can say that again!" : AMEN!
15. St. Paul's architect : WREN. The City of London's cathedral. Wren lived across the river in Southwark so that he could monitor progress. This is Herbert Mason's iconic photograph taken during the Blitz in WW2:
16. Important fruit in the Mediterranean diet : OLIVE
17. Novelist Morrison : TONI. One of America's literary greats.
18. Zaragoza's river : EBRO. Zaragoza in Spain, not Mexico.
19. Harder to come by : RARER
23. Legal deg. : LLB
24. Big hand measurement: Abbr. : MIN.
25. Gobble (up) : SNARF. Great word. Almost onomatopoeic.
27. Octet since 2006 : PLANETS. Poor Pluto.
31. Shakespearean call to arms : ALARUM. "To Arms!". The stage direction "Alarums and Excursions" indicates that the assembled throng of extras need to start running around grabbing spears and what-not and calling "To War!" and the like.
36. "I saw the opening __ of hell": "Moby-Dick" : MAW
37. "Straight Outta Compton" role, familiarly : DRE. The good Dr. I met Andre when we were pitching software to his Beats Music brand. Smart guy.
38. Word with head or roll : EGG
46. Dull : STODGY. Hopefully, not your egg rolls.
47. Run things? : ERRANDS
48. Doone of fiction : LORNA. Based in the West of England. A good read!
50. NBA tiebreakers : OT'S. Basketball overtimes.
51. Balderdash : ROT
59. Major mess : SNAFU. I like the "Major=Military" connection in the clue. People will have you believe that the "F" means "fouled". Don't fall for it. Situation Normal, All [insert preferred word here] Up.
61. Universal donor's type, briefly : O-NEG
62. Support person : AIDE
63. One with a strict diet : VEGAN. I'm on a strict diet too - I call it the Food! diet. You won't catch me eating anything else.
64. Boring : BLAH
65. Pass the bouncer : GO IN. BYPASS the bouncer would be "sneak in".
66. Respond to a charge : PLEAD. Pleading ignorance was a loophole that was closed many moons ago.
67. Hearing things : EARS. Fun clue.
68. Singer James : ETTA. Could also be "RICK". So steady on there, Turbo, wait for the crosses.
Down:
1. Subjects of many viral online videos : CATS. This might not fall strictly into the genre, but it's still a treat - a UK commercial for milk. I love it.
2. Mine, in Marseille : A MOI
3. The Quakers of the Ivy League : PENN. Penn State are the Nittany Lions. They sound more fun.
4. Conundrums : ENIGMAS. "It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma". Winston Churchill's assessment of Russian foreign policy in 1939. Also - here's "Nimrod", one of Elgar's "Enigma Variations". Quite beautiful.
5. "American Gods" leprechaun Mad __ : SWEENEY. Thank you, crosses. Neither novel, author nor character have never even come close to knocking at the door of my wheelhouse.
6. Metro areas : URBS. Subs and Exes. Sounds like an adult novel.
7. Muppet with a unibrow : BERT
8. Elitists : SNOBS
9. Western pens : CORRALS
10. In the style of : A LA. Mode. King. Food!
11. Sweetheart : GIRLFRIEND
12. Robbie's daredevil father : EVEL
13. Many a Montenegro resident : SERB
21. One-fifth of a limerick : LINE. Take it away, Owen KL
22. Art school subj. : ANAT. omy
26. Cheering sound : RAH!
27. Hair piece : PLAIT
28. Relatively safe, as electricity : LOW VOLTAGE. Wasn't the Van de Graaf generator that I stuck my hand on in high school which set my hair on end generating 50,000 volts? At a micro-amp, I seem to remember. Or something. Anyway, it didn't kill me. Stick your tongue on a 12V car battery and it's a different story.
29. Flap : TO DO
30. Tidal peril during a storm : SURGE and the anagram hot on the heels ....
32. More than asks : URGES
33. Board rm. session : MTG. Often "bored room". Too many meetings, too much decision paralysis.
35. Bring up : REAR
36. British racing cars : MG'S. Originally an abbreviation of "Morris Garages", now long lost to history. One of these chaps is either over-cautious or terribly rash, vis-Ã -vis headgear:
40. Old name of Tokyo : EDO
41. Bad way to run a ship : AGROUND. Usually leaves a mark not easily buffed out.
42. Unit of force : DYNE
43. Low-pressure systems : TROUGHS
44. Cricket clubs : BATS.
45. Performing : ON STAGE
49. Southwestern brick : ADOBE
51. Invitation letters : RSVP
52. Scott Turow memoir : ONE L. Harvard Law School freshman year. Published in 1977, apparently many first-year law school students still read it as part of their prep.
54. Getting pictures of the Hollywood sign, say : IN L.A. My local landmark. I still want to get up close, but the arrest/fine/night in jail isn't worth it.
55. Nectar flavor : PEAR
56. Sidesplitter : RIOT
57. Menu including Cut and Paste : EDIT
58. "Hercules" character who got her own show : XENA. She was the honorary starter at a charity golf tournament sponsored by Universal that I played in at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena a few years ago. There were more mulligans taken on that tee than I've seen before or since.
60. Drone regulator: Abbr. : F.A.A
A belated and heartfelt thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes on Tuesday - I've been up to my ass in alligators at work this last couple of weeks so I didn't have time to stop by on the 12th. My friend Jill took me to my favorite Indian restaurant, and a hot, spicy and merry time was had by both of us.
That leaves the grid - so here it is!
Steve
20A. Place to mingle on the slopes? : SINGLES T-BAR. There's an aprés-ski joint in Val d'Isère called "Dick's T-Bar." I had many a post-piste pick-me-up there back in the 80's. The bar has outlasted the T-bar style lifts. Those things were tricky.
34A. Misplace a casual top? : LOSE YOUR T-SHIRT. Two theme entries in one T-shirt:
39A. Take Rover to Ruth's Chris? : GIVE A DOG A T-BONE. Funny how many people want to call this steakhouse chain "Ruth Chris's".
53A. Dinosaur family drama? : OEDIPUS T-REX My ex and I named our daughter "Jocasta". Then I read the play. Hmmm. Rated "R" for family unpleasantness (the play, not my daughter). She didn't hold a grudge.
Clever by Clive not just to add a "T" to a phrase, but to find four "T-hyphen" in front of the final word of the phrase. This kind of consistency is really difficult to strive for - you can start out with a seed entry that sets you on your way, and then find yourself compromising when you can't find much else that fits the plan.
Fresh fill, including GIRLRIEND, LOW VOLTAGE, SNARFS and TROUGHS. A lot to like. Let's see what else we've got to talk about:
Across:
1. Superhero attire : CAPE
5. Six-footers at parties : SUBS
9. Parakeet quarters : CAGES
14. "You can say that again!" : AMEN!
15. St. Paul's architect : WREN. The City of London's cathedral. Wren lived across the river in Southwark so that he could monitor progress. This is Herbert Mason's iconic photograph taken during the Blitz in WW2:
16. Important fruit in the Mediterranean diet : OLIVE
17. Novelist Morrison : TONI. One of America's literary greats.
18. Zaragoza's river : EBRO. Zaragoza in Spain, not Mexico.
19. Harder to come by : RARER
23. Legal deg. : LLB
24. Big hand measurement: Abbr. : MIN.
25. Gobble (up) : SNARF. Great word. Almost onomatopoeic.
27. Octet since 2006 : PLANETS. Poor Pluto.
31. Shakespearean call to arms : ALARUM. "To Arms!". The stage direction "Alarums and Excursions" indicates that the assembled throng of extras need to start running around grabbing spears and what-not and calling "To War!" and the like.
36. "I saw the opening __ of hell": "Moby-Dick" : MAW
37. "Straight Outta Compton" role, familiarly : DRE. The good Dr. I met Andre when we were pitching software to his Beats Music brand. Smart guy.
38. Word with head or roll : EGG
46. Dull : STODGY. Hopefully, not your egg rolls.
47. Run things? : ERRANDS
48. Doone of fiction : LORNA. Based in the West of England. A good read!
50. NBA tiebreakers : OT'S. Basketball overtimes.
51. Balderdash : ROT
59. Major mess : SNAFU. I like the "Major=Military" connection in the clue. People will have you believe that the "F" means "fouled". Don't fall for it. Situation Normal, All [insert preferred word here] Up.
61. Universal donor's type, briefly : O-NEG
62. Support person : AIDE
63. One with a strict diet : VEGAN. I'm on a strict diet too - I call it the Food! diet. You won't catch me eating anything else.
64. Boring : BLAH
65. Pass the bouncer : GO IN. BYPASS the bouncer would be "sneak in".
66. Respond to a charge : PLEAD. Pleading ignorance was a loophole that was closed many moons ago.
67. Hearing things : EARS. Fun clue.
68. Singer James : ETTA. Could also be "RICK". So steady on there, Turbo, wait for the crosses.
Down:
1. Subjects of many viral online videos : CATS. This might not fall strictly into the genre, but it's still a treat - a UK commercial for milk. I love it.
2. Mine, in Marseille : A MOI
3. The Quakers of the Ivy League : PENN. Penn State are the Nittany Lions. They sound more fun.
4. Conundrums : ENIGMAS. "It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma". Winston Churchill's assessment of Russian foreign policy in 1939. Also - here's "Nimrod", one of Elgar's "Enigma Variations". Quite beautiful.
5. "American Gods" leprechaun Mad __ : SWEENEY. Thank you, crosses. Neither novel, author nor character have never even come close to knocking at the door of my wheelhouse.
6. Metro areas : URBS. Subs and Exes. Sounds like an adult novel.
7. Muppet with a unibrow : BERT
8. Elitists : SNOBS
9. Western pens : CORRALS
10. In the style of : A LA. Mode. King. Food!
11. Sweetheart : GIRLFRIEND
12. Robbie's daredevil father : EVEL
13. Many a Montenegro resident : SERB
21. One-fifth of a limerick : LINE. Take it away, Owen KL
22. Art school subj. : ANAT. omy
26. Cheering sound : RAH!
27. Hair piece : PLAIT
28. Relatively safe, as electricity : LOW VOLTAGE. Wasn't the Van de Graaf generator that I stuck my hand on in high school which set my hair on end generating 50,000 volts? At a micro-amp, I seem to remember. Or something. Anyway, it didn't kill me. Stick your tongue on a 12V car battery and it's a different story.
29. Flap : TO DO
30. Tidal peril during a storm : SURGE and the anagram hot on the heels ....
32. More than asks : URGES
33. Board rm. session : MTG. Often "bored room". Too many meetings, too much decision paralysis.
35. Bring up : REAR
36. British racing cars : MG'S. Originally an abbreviation of "Morris Garages", now long lost to history. One of these chaps is either over-cautious or terribly rash, vis-Ã -vis headgear:
40. Old name of Tokyo : EDO
41. Bad way to run a ship : AGROUND. Usually leaves a mark not easily buffed out.
42. Unit of force : DYNE
43. Low-pressure systems : TROUGHS
44. Cricket clubs : BATS.
45. Performing : ON STAGE
49. Southwestern brick : ADOBE
51. Invitation letters : RSVP
52. Scott Turow memoir : ONE L. Harvard Law School freshman year. Published in 1977, apparently many first-year law school students still read it as part of their prep.
54. Getting pictures of the Hollywood sign, say : IN L.A. My local landmark. I still want to get up close, but the arrest/fine/night in jail isn't worth it.
55. Nectar flavor : PEAR
56. Sidesplitter : RIOT
57. Menu including Cut and Paste : EDIT
58. "Hercules" character who got her own show : XENA. She was the honorary starter at a charity golf tournament sponsored by Universal that I played in at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena a few years ago. There were more mulligans taken on that tee than I've seen before or since.
60. Drone regulator: Abbr. : F.A.A
A belated and heartfelt thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes on Tuesday - I've been up to my ass in alligators at work this last couple of weeks so I didn't have time to stop by on the 12th. My friend Jill took me to my favorite Indian restaurant, and a hot, spicy and merry time was had by both of us.
That leaves the grid - so here it is!
Steve
Sep 13, 2017
Wednesday, September 13, 2017 - Adam T. Cobb
Theme -- Hey, what's in this drink? Here we have a complex theme: circled letters [and good luck if you didn't get the circles, since the letters are scattered] within the theme entries are anagrams of hidden words. And better yet, the hidden words are liquid assets [so to speak] of the things in which they are hidden.
17. Name on a two-liter bottle (and what's inside) : ROYAL CROWN. ROYAL CROWN, is, of course, a brand name and COLA is the generic name for the product variety.
23. Independently owned suds producer (and the suds in question) : MICROBREWERY. MICROBREWERIES are independently owned and operated purveyors of craft BEERs and ales. The quaffs that they offer typically have more flavor and character that what you find in mass produced products from the big, international BREWing companies. I'm a fan of Bell's Two-Hearted Ale.
38. Where Starbucks began (and a product it popularized) : SEATTLE. LATTE's are not unique to Starbucks, but you certainly can get one there. Our wildly over-achieving oldest granddaughter is, among other things, a certified barista and trainer at Starbucks. A LATTE is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk.
49. Pepperidge Farm treat (and its ideal companion) : MILANO COOKIE. This is a sandwich COOKIE with a dark chocolate inner layer between two flat biscuits. It's marketed to adults, but even they can enjoy a nice cold glass of MILK with it.
And the unifier -- 59. What's clued in parentheses for each of four answers, and found in corresponding sets of puzzle circles : MIXED DRINK. This is an in-the-language phrase indicating a libation made with alcoholic spirits and some sort of mixer, such as some flavor of soda. Here, the word MIXED is a hint that the letters of the respective DRINKS have been scrambled.
Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, your host for today's adventure in a glass. Let's pop a few lids and see how this tastes.
Across
1. Green Angry Birds animals : PIGS. I dunno. Never played the game.
17. Name on a two-liter bottle (and what's inside) : ROYAL CROWN. ROYAL CROWN, is, of course, a brand name and COLA is the generic name for the product variety.
23. Independently owned suds producer (and the suds in question) : MICROBREWERY. MICROBREWERIES are independently owned and operated purveyors of craft BEERs and ales. The quaffs that they offer typically have more flavor and character that what you find in mass produced products from the big, international BREWing companies. I'm a fan of Bell's Two-Hearted Ale.
38. Where Starbucks began (and a product it popularized) : SEATTLE. LATTE's are not unique to Starbucks, but you certainly can get one there. Our wildly over-achieving oldest granddaughter is, among other things, a certified barista and trainer at Starbucks. A LATTE is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk.
49. Pepperidge Farm treat (and its ideal companion) : MILANO COOKIE. This is a sandwich COOKIE with a dark chocolate inner layer between two flat biscuits. It's marketed to adults, but even they can enjoy a nice cold glass of MILK with it.
And the unifier -- 59. What's clued in parentheses for each of four answers, and found in corresponding sets of puzzle circles : MIXED DRINK. This is an in-the-language phrase indicating a libation made with alcoholic spirits and some sort of mixer, such as some flavor of soda. Here, the word MIXED is a hint that the letters of the respective DRINKS have been scrambled.
Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, your host for today's adventure in a glass. Let's pop a few lids and see how this tastes.
Across
1. Green Angry Birds animals : PIGS. I dunno. Never played the game.
5. Salon style : PERM. Short for PERManent wave.
9. "Jabberwocky" opener : 'TWAS. This poem by Lewis Carroll is included in Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, from 1871,
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
13. Les __-Unis : ETATS. United States in French.
15. Eye layer : UVEA. This includes the iris, which displays eye color. Brown-eyed people like me have irises pigmented with melanin. Blue eyed people have no little or no pigment in their irises. They appear blue due to Rayleigh scattering - the same optical phenomenon that makes the sky appear blue. Other colors are due to combination effects from various levels of melanin and collagen, which causes Mie scattering.
16. "For __ jolly ... " : HE'S A. Good fellow, and I can't deny it.
19. Double-crossers : RATS. Figuratively speaking
20. Like microwavable meals : PRE-MADE.
21. Valued caches : TROVES. Have you ever seen the word TROVE not associated with some sort of treasure?
26. Parthenon goddess : ATHENA. From Greek mythology, the goddess of wisdom, craft and war..
29. "How cool!" : NEATO.
30. Length of most TV dramas : HOUR.
31. WWI battleship Graf __ : SPEE. Read about it here.
33. Kin by marriage : IN-LAW.
37. CIO partner : AFL. The American Federation of Labor merged with the Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1955. The organization is made up of 56 national and international labor unions.
40. __ snail's pace : A TA. Moving slowly.
41. Note above A : B FLAT. It's enharmonic equivalent, A Sharp is rare, but I have encountered it already this week.
43. Snoop (around) : NOSE. Because that is what gets poked into a place, whether it belongs there or not.
44. Blockage : CLOG.
45. Slangy "It's cool" : NO BIG. I guess the "DEAL" is implied. Anyway it's not a problem.
47. Currently combusting : ABLAZE. On fire, right now.
53. Novelist Waugh : EVELYN. Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh [1903 - 1966] was a prolific English journalist, and author of novels, biographies and travelogues.
54. Scolds harshly : BERATES. You could be BERATED if your behavior were less than A-rated.
58. Jones with a locker : DAVY. The origins of the phrase are unclear. DAVY Jones' locker is the bottom of the sea, where the remains of drowned sailors and sunken ships find their final resting place.
62. Don Juan's mother : INEZ. I only know this from crosswords.
63. Just : ONLY. Only this article can do it JUSTice,
64. __ protector : SURGE. A device to shield your electronic items from potentially damaging power fluctuations.
65. Give a darn : CARE. Be concerned. There is a lot to CARE about these days.
66. Horseshoes turn : TOSS. Having your turn at the game of tossing horse shoes.
67. Dijon dad : PERE. More French.
Down
1. Cop's quarry : PERP. The PERPetrator of a crime. Or, in Corner lingo, a word in a puzzle that is PERPendicular to a given word.
2. "Like __ lump ... " : IT OR. Take it or leave it.
3. Marvin of Motown : GAYE. [1939-1984] He was a singer, song writer and producer who helped create the Mo-Town sound. Sadly, he was killed by his own father who shot him when he tried to intervene in an argument between his parents.
4. Speech therapist's challenge : STAMMER. Speech with involuntary pauses and repeated initial consonant sounds.
5. More virtuous : PURER. Like even whiter snow.
6. President Morales of Bolivia : EVO. Juan Evo Morales Ayma [b 1959] has been president since 2006.
7. DVR "back up" button : REWind.
8. Chanted word : MANTRA. A word or sound repeated as an aid in achieving a meditative state.
9. Add, as a shrimp to the barbie : THROW ON. Aim carefully when adding a shrimp to the grill.
10. Go this way and that : WEAVE. Zig-zag.
11. Autumn bloom : ASTER. The name is derived from the Greek word for star, due to the shape of the bloom.
12. Flip : SASSY. Said of disrespectful back-talk.
14. "'And hast thou __ the Jabberwock?'" : SLAIN. A bonus mini-theme.
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
18. Music box? : CD CASE. Protective box for music medium storage.
22. Deal with, as loose laces : RETIE. Which is why I prefer slip-ons.
24. "Almost there!" : ONE TO GO. I associate this phrase with American football, in a situation when one one yard is needed for a first down.
25. Borscht veggies : BEETS. I think it was on a long-ago Rocky and Bullwinkle episode when one of the characters said, "When it comes to borscht, you can't beat soup!"
26. Quaker captain of literature : AHAB. Pursuer of the great white whale, Moby Dick. I didn't recall him being a Quaker.
27. Fashionable Brit : TOFF. A derogatory stereotype for an aristocratic Brit is what I found. Perhaps Steve can explain.
28. Ship frame : HULL.
32. Freak out : PANIC.
34. 2016 Best Picture nominee "__ Land" : LA LA. 2016 movie, 2017 Oscar nominee.
35. All-inclusive : A TO Z. Everything from A cups to Zebras.
36. Salary : WAGE. Not exactly. Wages are based on actual hours worked, while a salary is a fixed amount per week or month, irrespective of actual time on the job.
38. Like a path that's cobbled together? : STONY. My favorite way of thinking about a cobblestone path.
39. Allowed to get out : LEAKED. As information, not caged animals.
42. Examine in detail : ANALYZE.
44. Go from cloudy to fair : CLEAR UP. Better weather.
46. Wisecrack : BON MOT.
48. Tweeters : BIRDS. Not stereo speakers.
49. Physician at the front : MEDIC. In the military.
50. The first Mrs. Trump : IVANA.
51. Prying tool : LEVER. A beam or rod pivoted on a fulcrum.
52. Acts like a good dog : OBEYS. Sits, begs, and rolls over.
55. Lose steam : TIRE. Get used up.
56. Elec. or mech. expert : ENGR. Engineers.
57. __-Ball: arcade game : SKEE. The game is played by rolling balls up an incline and scoring points by having the balls fall into holes with different values.
60. Suffix with concert : -INO. A concertino is either a composition that is a smaller version of a concerto, or a subsection of an orchestra that is featured in a composition.
61. Big tee sizes : XLS. Extra Larges.
That wraps another Wednesday. With the libation of your choice, a toast to all. It's always 5:00 somewhere.
Cool regards!
JzB
Sep 12, 2017
Tuesday, September 12 2017, Jeffrey Wechsler
Theme: There's No Telling
17. With 61-Across, dubious tabloid image : UNIDENTIFIED
61. See 17-Across : FLYING OBJECT
25. Call to a police hotline, possibly : ANONYMOUS TIP
36. 1972 chart-topper for the band America : A HORSE WITH NO NAME
51. Emmy-winning travel and cuisine show hosted by Anthony Bourdain : PARTS UNKNOWN
Melissa here.
Interesting that there is no reference to the theme in the clues - no starred clues, and no reveal. Which is fitting because the theme answers are all about keeping mum.
This may have been the fastest Tuesday solve ever.
Across
1. Attack vigorously : ASSAIL
7. Insurance company's concern : RISK
11. "Now I get it!" : AHA
14. Dry-eyes solution : SALINE
15. __ Picchu : MACHU
16. Female GI in WWII : WAC. Women's Army Corp.
19. Curved line : ARC
20. '50s president, initially : DDE. Dwight D. Eisenhower
21. 20-Across nickname : IKE
22. The Congo, formerly : ZAIRE
24. Tycoon Onassis : ARI
29. Hits the tarmac : LANDS
31. Very long time : EON
32. Attention-getting whisper : PSST
33. Elect to office : VOTE IN
35. Spouse : MATE
43. Storyteller __ Christian Andersen : HANS
44. Key of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony : D-MINOR
45. Relaxing venues : SPAS
49. Train cos. : RRS
50. Likely will, after "is" : APT TO
56. Canon SLR camera : EOS. Everyone I know just uses their phone for taking pictures now.
57. Get the better of : OUTDO
58. "If you ask me," briefly : IMO. In My Opinion.
59. Like this crossword ans. : ACR. Across.
60. Hole in __ : ONE
67. ATM maker : NCR
68. Poke fun at : TEASE
69. Thingamabob : DOODAD
70. Bashful : SHY
71. Sleep in a tent, say : CAMP
72. Dries out, with "up" : SOBERS
Down:
1. Sch. with a Tempe campus : ASU. Arizona State University.
2. She plays Dr. Cristina Yang in "Grey's Anatomy" : SANDRA OH
3. Stirred up a cloud of dust at, as a base : SLID INTO
4. Staff helper : AIDE
5. Suffix with hero : INE
6. Bolshevik leader : LENIN
7. Battle of Britain fliers: Abbr. : RAF. Royal Air Force. Always makes me think of Roald Dahl.
8. Here, to Henri : ICI. French.
9. Female pronoun : SHE
10. Invasive Japanese vine : KUDZU. I used to use Kudzu fragrance in my massage oil blend - the scent is lovely. Interesting Smithsonian article.
11. Anticipates : AWAITS
12. Poll founder Louis : HARRIS. So this is who the Harris Poll is named after.
13. Receive willingly : ACCEPT
15. Personal bearing : MIEN
18. Ring ref's decision : TKO. Technical Knock Out.
23. Snake that bit Cleopatra : ASP
24. Thomas __ Edison : ALVA
25. Tag sale words : AS IS
26. Irish poet : YEATS
27. Cloth-eating insect : MOTH
28. Upright : ON END
30. German article : DER
34. Jacket style named for an Indian leader : NEHRU
35. Capital of Belarus : MINSK
37. Say "Watch it" to : WARN
38. Arabian Sea nation : OMAN
39. Little bite : NIP
40. Go before : ANTECEDE
41. Auto, to a Brit : MOTOR CAR
42. Love god : EROS
45. Cereal utensils : SPOONS
46. Beer gut : PAUNCH
47. Blood carrier : ARTERY
48. Criterion: Abbr. : STD. Abbreviation, not an acronym. Standard.
52. The third letter of 13-Down (but not the second) : SOFT C. I should know this sneaky clue by now.
53. Work starting hour : NINE
54. Texter's "Crikey!" : OMG
55. Forest : WOODS
59. "This is __ for Superman!" : A JOB
62. Grassy expanse : LEA
63. Candied veggie : YAM.
64. Web access co. : ISP. Internet Service Provider.
65. Scarer's shout : BOO
66. NFL scores : TDS. Touchdowns.
1) I mentioned a few weeks ago that Melissa had a car accident. She was driving her brother's truck to take care of some business in California. Her brother Rick wrote this moving article about the truck and what really matters. I remember the day Melissa let me know the accident and how important the truck was to her and Rick. It makes me cry.
2) Happy 58th birthday to dear Steve, our incomparable foodie and our tireless Thursday Sherpa. Steve travels extensively for his work, so many of his blogs are written from airports or whatever city he's staying.
Steve and his friend Jill, June 12, 2016
Tea at The Queen Mary
Sep 11, 2017
Monday, September 11, 2017 ~ Gail Grabowski & Bruce Venzke
Theme: Florida - WATERLOGGED ... prescience?
17A. 24-hour broadcaster that keeps you up-to-date: NEWS CHANNEL
23A. Music from Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey et al.: BIG BAND SOUND
39A. Ship's area for medical assistance: SICK BAY
50A. Singer dubbed "King of Country": GEORGE STRAIT
62A. Saturated like the ends of 17-, 23-, 39- and 50-Across?: WATERLOGGED
Argyle here, high and dry. Wide-open grid. The reveal feels a little off for coastal features usually filled with water all the time anyway. No, I don't have a better idea.
Across:
1. Amount to: COST
5. Evening affair: SOIRÉE
11. Cavern critter: BAT
14. Clarinet cousin: OBOE
15. Many charity golf tournaments: PRO-AMs
16. Wall St. specialist: ARB. (arbitrager)
19. CBS police series with three spin-offs: CSI. (Crime Scene Investigation)
20. Moog, briefly: SYNTH. (synthesizer: electronic musical instrument)
21. Detroit NFLer: LION. Are you ready for some football?
22. Hershey's toffee bar: SKOR. Crossword favorite.
26. Chintzy: CHEAPO
29. Type of waste pump: SUMP. Waterlogged, I'm afraid.
30. Buyer's financing: LOAN
31. Army installation: BASE
35. Last Marx brother, alphabetically: ZEPPO. Herbert Manfred Marx, youngest of the Marx Brothers
38. Well-suited: APT
41. Spy novelist Deighton: LEN
42. Bette's "Divine" nickname: MISS 'M'. (Midler)
44. Bills at bars: TABS
45. Almanac tidbit: FACT
46. Long-running dispute: FEUD
48. Braggart's retort: "I CAN SO!"
55. Doctor Zhivago's love: LARA
56. Island band The __ Men: BAHA. Waterlogged Bahamian band?
57. Garlicky mayo: AIOLI. I like it.
61. Musician's suffix: IST
64. Lawn coating: DEW
65. Exercise pieces: ETUDEs
66. Russian range or river: URAL
67. Symphonic gp. inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017: ELO. (Electric Light Orchestra)
68. Head out: DEPART
69. Start of a choosing rhyme: EENY
Down:
1. Pen occupants: CONS. Incarcerated.
2. Do what's asked: OBEY
3. Scattered, as seeds: SOWN
4. Nuclear restraint topic: TEST BAN
5. Globe shape: Abbr.: SPH. (Sphere)
6. Dental care brand: ORAL-B
7. Ancient Aegean land: IONIA
8. Talked nonstop: RAN ON
9. Removes errors from: EMENDs
10. Bilingual subj.: ESL. (English as a Second Language)
11. "Just in case" strategy: BACK-UP PLAN
12. Fiery crime: ARSON
13. "Fun, Fun, Fun" car in a 1960s song: T-BIRD
18. Greenside golf shot: CHIP
22. "Win __, lose ... ": SOME
24. Mongolian desert: GOBI
25. Postwar supermodel Parker: SUZY
26. Mollusk in a red or white linguine sauce: CLAM
27. Arizona native: HOPI
28. Consumes enough to nourish mother and unborn child: EATS FOR TWO
32. Play a part: ACT
33. Calypso cousin: SKA
34. Recede, as the tide: EBB
36. Lats relatives: PECS. (Latissimi dorsi and pectoralis major muscles)
37. Not fooled by: ON TO
39. Highly self-satisfied: SMUG
40. Singapore's continent: ASIA
43. Blood bank supply: SERA
45. Exhaustion: FATIGUE
47. Candidates' face-off: DEBATE
49. "So long, Paulo!": "CIAO!"
50. Soar without effort: GLIDE
51. Painter's stand: EASEL
52. Stopped slouching: SAT UP
53. Silents star Bara: THEDA
54. Not as prevalent: RARER
58. Kid lit monster: OGRE
59. Low-fat: LEAN
60. In an aimless fashion: IDLY
62. Married: WED
63. WWII carrier: LST. (Landing Ship, Tank)
Argyle
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
Happy
Birthday to dear Husker Gary, from whom I learned what patience, compassion and creativity are. Thanks for being here for us, Gary!
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