Saturday, September 8, 2018, Ryan McCarty

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Ryan McCarty

Today is a very special day for us at the corner as we recognize one of the true foundations of our activities at this site - Literacy. Today is International Literacy Day.

We denizens of this site greatly value literacy and contribute to each other's store of this virtue as we blog here. I lift my glass to all of you today to celebrate this noteworthy day.

Our constructor today is Princeton grad Ryan McCarty ’14. The Princeton Pride says of Ryan - "He started doing crossword puzzles at Princeton: “I have always had a penchant for word games, but I can’t say I was too great at crosswords at first,” he says. When he tried creating puzzles from scratch, the music major (with a certificate in applications of computing) found both his creative and analytical skills helpful. McCarty, now a technology consultant at the Securities and Exchange Commission, began submitting puzzles for publication only last year — since then, his work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Los Angeles Times."

My solving experience was typical for a Saturday as some of the long fill and  crossword staples proved to be very helpful.


Now let's see what else this Ivy Leaguer has for us today

Across:

1. Way to get up in Gotham: BAT ROPE -  How they filmed the BAT ROPE for the TV show (note Batman's cape) and then how it looked when played back including Sammy Davis Jr. providing one of the many cameos on this campy production.

8. Obeyed a laryngologist: SAID AH - Anyone else have a "gag reflex" issue?

14. Ones on the left: LIBERALS  - The 1789 French Assembly seated the conservatives who supported the King on the President's right and the liberals that opposed the monarch on his left

16. In a showy way: ARTILY - Any port in a literary storm

17. Aptly named barbell brand: IRON GRIP.

18. Furniture wood named for its color: RED ELM 19. "Hah!": TOLD YA red elm makes beautiful furniture 

20. Activewear shoe brand: AVIA.

22. Fig. targeted in some hacks: SSN - Mine starts with 50- like many around me. How 'bout yours?

23. Humble abodes: HUTS - Ginger or Mary Ann?

24. Knight clubs: MACES - Or perhaps one for a damsel 

26. "Oye Como Va" songwriter Puente: TITO  - "Hey? Hows it goin'" Santana's version

27. Superman and Supergirl: ET'S - Both hailed from Krypton

28. Crony of Captain Bildad, in "Moby-Dick": PELEG - These two owners of the Pequod are featured on cards in this game 

29. Jaguar spot?: CAR AD - Car name chicanery again. The number syllables in this car name depends on which side of the Atlantic you reside

30. 2014 title role for Mia Wasikowska: MADAME BOVARY - Flaubert's 1857 novel was immediately banned on sexual grounds 

32. Works that are up and down?: TRAGICOMEDIES - My nomination in this portmanteau category

34. Where some get sloshed at sea?: BOOZE CRUISES - I'd like to cruise but not on one of these 

35. Onetime members of the Winnebago Nation: OTOES - Nebraska has a city named Winnebago and a county named OTOE

36. Put to rest: INTER - Brando's turn as Marc Antony in his speech with the most famous use of the word INTERRED 

37. Put up: BET - I'd have to give 5pts if I BET on the Huskers today against Colorado

40. Pickup line?: RAMS  - Dodge pickups are now called RAM. Ryan went to the vehicle name well twice.

41. River critter: OTTER.

42. Pair of British puzzles?: ZEDS - Z is ZED in Britain and puzzles does indeed have two of them

43. Minolta Maxxum, e.g.: SLR - A ground breaking Single Lens Reflex Camera introduced in 1985

44. "Dragonwyck" novelist Seton: ANYA  - First published in 1944

45. Film with Manny the Mammoth: ICE AGE.

47. Escape __: CLAUSE - If our marriage license had one, Joann could/should have exercised it years ago

49. "Yeah, right": I DOUBT IT

51. Offers?: HIT MEN - They will "off" someone for a price 

52. They're free of charge: NEUTRONS - Ryan threw us science guys a bone

53. Disc golf starting point: TEE PAD - From the TEE PAD, through the woods, off a tree, off the ground and up into the "hole" (metal basket). Wow!

54. WikiLeaks editor: ASSANGE - A hero or villain ,depending on your point of view, who has asylum in Ecuador for now


Down:

1. Buoyant: BLITHE - In Noel Coward's BLITHE Spirit a medium conjures up long-dead Elvira by accident and her light heartedness is a big part of the play. I think you can surmise which character below plays Elvira who who can only be seen by former husband Charles in the middle back

a

2. Ventilate: AIR OUT  - Do politicians have to AIR OUT their clothing and their consciences after making decisions in a smoke-filled room

3. Hardware with crosspieces: T-BOLTS.

4. Rips: RENDS - _ E _ _ S gave me TEARS first. You?

5. Frenzied revelry: ORGY - Google at will

6. Accident scene arrival: PARAMEDIC- Our hometown PARAMEDICS saved my good friend's life

7. Drug company founder Lilly: ELI - He was a Civil War colonel who founded a pharmacy company that pioneered gelatin capsules and fruit flavoring

8. One-piece garments: SARIS - कैसे साड़ी है in Hindi

9. Bailiwick: AREA - From Middle English Bailiff meaning sheriff and wik meaning dwelling place. Today means "sphere of superior knowledge"

10. "__ better be good!": IT'D 

11. Second section of Verdi's "Requiem": DIES IRAE - (Day of Wrath) - Our multi-voweled crossword buddy 

12. League's best: ALL-STARS.

13. Sacred song collection: HYMNODY and 25. Eagerness: ALACRITY into each life a little learning must fall 

15. Tomorrowland attraction: SPACE MOUNTAIN - SPACE MOUNTAIN is lower and slower than most all other coasters but its dips and turns are COMPLETELY in the dark which makes it terrifying (shown here at the start)

21. Australian food spread: VEGEMITE  - Vegemite is a thick, black Australian food spread made from leftover brewers' yeast extract with various vegetable and spice additives. Yum?

26. Smiley formerly of PBS: TAVIS - He is currently caught up in the "He, she said" swirl of the #METOO movement

28. House helpers: PAGES - Here are the House PAGES in the state capitol in Olympia, WA

29. One with app-titude?: CODER - Here is some AppCODE for the OSX platform

30. Confusing tourist attractions: MAZES - Cornfield MAZES are popular this time of year here on the Great Plains

31. "Don't kid around!": BE SERIOUS - or "You can't  BE SERIOUS" (:13)

33. Hotel door posting: ROOM RATE has to be posted but are always a 32. Real whopper: TOTAL LIE 

34. Soup often served with sour cream: BORSCHT. Борщ часто подается со сметаной (Borscht is often served with sour cream)

37. Pummel: BEAT ON - Most big time FB schools BEAT ON an inferior opponent to begin the season

38. Bed border: EDGING  - We use landscape bricks in our yard

39. Sub-Saharan menace: TSE TSE  - This mosquito is the most dangerous animal in Africa

41. Without stopping: ON END - Principals can talk ON END to staff who want to go do something useful

42. Eyeball-bending critter: ZEBRA.

44. Between ports: ASEA.

46. Stops shooting: CUTS  - "Frankly Scarlett, I don't give a damn!" CUT!

48. Masked worker, perhaps: UMP  - A foul ball caroms off one masked worker to another

50. Org. featured in TV's "Weeds": DEA.

I would invite the very literate members of our cadre to comment at will about Ryan's puzzle.

DA GRID

Friday, September 7, 2018, David Alfred Bywaters

Title: An empty theme (MT)

Another of our frequent Friday flyers is back with an effort that is all tongue-in-cheek and pretty damn funny. DAB uses a familiar letter replacement theme but focuses on devising very witty clues for the fill that emerged when the letter "M" is replaced with the letter "T." The highlight being the self-deprecatory reveal - Lame justification for the letter substitution in four puzzle answers?: EMPTY EXCUSE. (MT excuse). With the focus on the humor and 55 spaces in the theme, we have only a couple of longer fill  COLLAPSED,  ONIONSKIN. There is still difficulty lurking so let us go look it over.

17A. Skin tone achieved via pure will?: SELFMADE TAN (11). It would be easy to make this into a political comment, but this is just a self-made man.

24A. Ballet performance on skis?: SLAT DANCE (9). This is the most tortured fill, and slam dance the least common initial phrase, but it works.

37A. TV show destined for early cancellation?: BROADCAST TEDIUM (15). There are a number of tedious tv shows, aired in that broadcast medium. 

51A. Horse chatter?: STALL TALK (9). By far my favorite fill. The mental picture of the horses gossiping in the stalls is priceless. Of course, since horses and not tiny, it could never be small talk. 

62A. Lame justification for the letter substitution in four puzzle answers?: EMPTY EXCUSE (11).

On to the rest...

Across:

1. "__ Told Me (Not to Come)": 1970 #1 hit: MAMA. Once again, 1 Across was not a gimme, but I am terrible at song titles.  I do recognize this Randy Newman song as sung by Three Dog Night.

5. Folly: IDIOCY.

11. "Caught you!": OHO. Is this one word or two?

14. River to the Caspian: URAL. Regarded as a divider between Europe and Asia.

15. Spacecraft section: MODULE. This seems very timely coming so soon after our recent visit to Kennedy Space Center.










16. Apprehend: NAB.

19. "__ had enough!": I'VE. Well not yet anyway.

20. Its contents need attention: IN TRAY. It actually took me a moment to understand this fill as my mind thinks of INBOX and OUTBOX, which was never a box or a tray.

21. Mont Blanc, e.g.: ALP. Also a damn fine and expensive pen.

22. Romances: WOOS. I am afraid the word and the techniques are all out of date.

23. Storied engineer Jones: CASEY. An American FOLK HERO.

26. Extinct bird: DODO. A CSO to our own dearly departed one.

28. Forest: WOODS. Can you tell the forest from the trees?

29. List-ending abbr.: ETC.

32. __ sort: OF A. Is this a partial C.C.?

34. Tea variety: PEKOE. So not true, it is a TEA GRADING term.

42. Protuberance: BULGE. A famous battle, and a battle we all face with age.

43. "Glee" cheerleading coach: SUE. I never saw the show but I know the CHARACTER was played by the great Jane Lynch.

44. Small point: NIT. A very common word here.

45. Purple shade: LILAC. We had them growing in our yard as I grew up.

48. Copious quantities: SEAS. This is one of those Friday clue/fill combinations that slow us all down.

54. Kitchen light: PILOT. Especially if have a gas stove.

58. UPS Store supply: TAPE. Another clue/fill that is tough.

59. Mined find: ORE. Or these days bitcoin.

60. Road construction sight: DETOUR.

61. Six-pack components: ABS. The irony of six-packs keeping you from having six-packs.

64. Beluga yield: ROE. Our friend caviar.

65. Serious attacks: SIEGES. So many possibilities.

66. Bone: Pref.: OSTE.

67. Nursery layer: SOD. Not the one laying, but the top layer.

68. Marine group that's well-armed?: OCTOPI. An original very witty clue.

69. Disorder: MESS. Another dis- word.

Down:

1. Clara Schumann works, e.g.: MUSIC. A celebrated pianist and prolific composer. LINK.

2. Large performance venue: ARENA. Most piano concerts are not at arenas.

3. Fountain creations: MALTS.  To a blender, add two large scoops of vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, malted milk powder, and milk. Blend until creamy. Serve in a tall glass, garnished with crushed malted milk balls and whipped cream.

4. "Great" ninth-century English monarch: ALFRED. The ultimate in self-referential Shout Out. I love it! Of course, the fact that this KING was such an outstanding figure must be a source of name pride for David.

5. "Perhaps": I MAY. And I may not.

6. Pentagon org.: DOD. Department of Defense.

7. Perfect: IDEAL.

8. Criminal: OUTLAW.

9. Keep time with manually: CLAP TO. A thought out clue as manually means using your hands.

10. Urge: YEN.

11. Paper named for a vegetable: ONIONSKIN. We used to type certain documents on Onionskin which is a thin, light-weight, strong, often translucent paper. Though not made from onions, it superficially resembles their thin, papery skins. wiki.

12. Chaos: HAVOC. I had some trouble putting this together, but the perps brought it home.

13. More than rotund: OBESE.

18. BLT basic: MAYO. A common add-on.

22. Cooled one's heels?: WADED. This is quite clever as the common answer is: WAITED, which you know is wrong because of the next clue.

24. Waiting room piece: SOFA.

25. Figure (out): DOPE. An odd phrase which may come from 'dope' meaning the inside scoop.

27. Medico: DOC. And the related 36D. Health care worker, briefly: EMT. Emergency Medical Technician.

29. Wane: EBB.

30. Commercial prefix suggestive of accuracy: TRU. We take off one letter to make a prefix, or avoid a lawsuit?

31. Broke down: COLLAPSED.

33. Balaam's mount: ASS. A prophet who appears in the Torah as well as the Christian Bible and the Qur'an. Pretty much impossible to discuss.

35. Paris agreement: OUI. Not one of the many treaties signed there, but the French word for yes.

38. Deft: AGILE.

39. Farmer's habitat?: DELL.
The farmer in the dell
The farmer in the dell
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The farmer in the dell

40. Elephant tooth: TUSK.

41. Souvenir from a concert: TEE. Tee-shirt sales were a big part of the income for touring bands back in the day.

46. __ power: ATOMIC.

47. One may be magic: CARPET. Not only in the stories of Thousand and One Nights, but stories recounted concerning King Solomon who built the temple in Jerusalem.

49. Peak: APEX. Or acme, you need to wait.

50. "2 Broke Girls," for one: SITCOM. So many to choose from, why this one, which often seems sleazy?

51. Garbo and Gable, e.g.: STARS. The old-fashioned Hollywood ones.

52. Like certain subjects in certain company: TABOO. Defined as a social or religious custom prohibiting or forbidding discussion of a particular practice or forbidding association with a particular person, place, or thing.

53. Free: LET GO.

55. Cad: LOUSE. You would hope that the girl

56. Boots: OUSTS. him from her life.

57. Sources of shade: TREES. Or these days, people. The expressions "throw shade, "throwing shade", or simply "shade", are slang terms used to describe insults. Merriam-Webster defines "shade" as "subtle, sneering expression of contempt for or disgust with someone—sometimes verbal, and sometimes not".

60. He played Ricky in early TV: DESI.

62. Spanish pronoun: ESO. My granddaughter is in a kindergarten that is taught in both English and Spanish.

63. "Sure 'nuff": YEP.

And, sure 'nuff another puzzle is dissected and discussed and now the stage belongs to each of you who read and chose to comment. Thank you, David, and until next time, Lemonade out.

Thursday, September 6th 2018 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme:

The reveal tells you what to look for...

35A. Impediment to creativity ... and each set of puzzle circles: WRITER'S BLOCK

... and we find, clockwise in each circled block, beginning in the NW: Bradbury, Lawrence, Chandler, Voltaire, Gordimer and Morrison. That's Ray, D.H. (or T.E.), Raymond, no first name, Nadine and Toni to give them all their full monikers. The latter two I have not read, the others I have.

Tough to pick a favorite, but I did find T.E. Lawrence's "The Mint" fascinating. If you have ten minutes to spare today, please enjoy this excerpt from the book. Glorious writing. If your heart isn't beating furiously reading about the race with the airplane, better check your emotional pulse!

Back to the crossword, I'm looking for a connection between the six authors but nothing jumps out unless there's some fiendish meta that I'm missing (quite likely, actually!)

This grid extends the recent sixteen-squares-on-one-side (SSOOS?) Thursday trend, and also features a very clever theme in the "block" shape of each author. Jeffrey's a master at themes, this one is no exception. Let's see what the fill held in store:

Across:

1. Seething: ABOIL

6. Jaguar weapons: CLAWS. My Jaguars had weapons - break down at every opportunity. One to drive, one in the shop.

11. Half a dance: CHA. Cha. (Cha?)

14. Stinger ingredient: BRANDY. Classically made with cognac and white crème de menthe. Cheers!

15. Superman player Cavill: HENRY

16. "The Last Jedi" villain Kylo: REN. Thank you, crosses. No Stimpy clue today? Nice for a change.

17. Alpine airs: YODELS

18. Broken out, in a way: ACNED

19. Days gone by, in days gone by: ELD

Once adown the dewy way a youthful cavalier spurred with a maiden mounted behind him, swiftly passing out of sight, recalling to the imagination some romance of eld, when the damosel fled with her lover.

1891 - Mary Noailles Murfree, In the "Stranger People's" Country

20. Capital on the Volga: RUBLE. Capital as in "money" for anyone new to this game.

21. Suppress, as a story: SIT ON

22. Punching tools: AWLS

23. Suffix with fruct-: OSE

24. Hall of Fame manager Stengel: CASEY. He managed both the Yankees and the Mets. I think the HOF nomination came more from his exploits with the former rather than the latter.

25. Sal of "Exodus": MINEO

26. Waters down: WETS

28. Taiwanese PC brand: ACER

29. Rita awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom: MORENO. And ... cue the music!

30. Hankering: ITCH

32. Depilatory cream: NAIR. Tried NEET first, was wrong. Not sure where I came up with that one. Wiki has it as an acronym for "Not in Employment, Education or Training" referring to young people without a job.

34. Historic span: Abbr.: CEN. tury

38. Big letters in family-owned supermarkets: IGA. Founded as the Independent Grocer's Alliance.

40. Troubadour's strings: LUTE

41. Uncle __: BEN'S. A crime against humanity.

42. Codes of conduct: MORALS

44. Christian with style: DIOR

46. Venerated one: IDOL

50. Adorkable types: NERDS. I LOVE "adorkable". What a great language we have in English.

51. Lets off steam: VENTS

52. JFK posting: ETA. I haven't been to JFK for a while, United stopped flying into there a few years ago. All their NYC flights go through Newark now, with the exception of some regional services into La Guardia. What was the point of this story? I miss the ride into Manhattan past the World's Fair remnants.

53. "Psych" finale?: -OSIS

54. Is after: SEEKS

55. Field mice: VOLES. I didn't know voles were mice. Good to know for the next time I meet one.

57. Area 51 craft: UFO

58. Singer with Lawrence: GORMÉ. Wild, stab-in-the-dark guess for me. Husband and Wife duo.

59. Accept, with "for": SETTLE

60. Greek org.: SOR. Sorority. I drove up Hilgard Avenue by UCLA last week, it's also known as "Sorority Row" from all the sorority houses there.

61. Lyft passenger: RIDER

62. Difficult tasks: TRIALS

63. Hosp. parts: E.R.S

64. Mideast bigwigs: EMIRS

65. Will Rogers prop: LASSO

Down:

1. Work up: AROUSE

2. Risky proposition: BAD BET. Risky? Downright dumb if you ask me.

3. Turow biographical title: ONE L. Harvard Law School calls first year students "one l's"

4. Not working: IDLE

5. Fleur-de-__: Quebec flag image: LYS

6. Poolside chair: CHAISE

7. Debate equipment: LECTERNS

8. Get under one's skin: ANNOY

9. Small songbird: WREN

10. Letters on a Qantas baggage tag: SYD. Sydney airport. I've been there, I don't recall much about it though (the airport that is, not the city!). I recall the Qantas lounge was nice, I flew out of Sydney to Auckland en route back home to LA.

11. Like many tees: CREW NECK

12. Greek: HELLENE. I knew "hellenic", now I know "hellene" too.

13. "... et cetera": AND SO ON. These entries can be difficult to parse. There's a few good examples today, look at 38 and 54D too.

14. How some tickets may be sorted: BY ROW

21. Scented pouch: SACHET

22. Put on: AIR

24. Plant in many Road Runner cartoons: CACTUS

25. Dunderhead: MORON

27. What Marcie calls Peppermint Patty: SIR. I needed this to unlock "ITCH" - I couldn't get away from "ACHE".

29. Distance runners: MILERS

31. Cultivates: TILLS

33. Monastic figures: ABBOTS

35. Golden State team: WARRIORS

36. Christ the __: Rio landmark: REDEEMER. An iconic sight. I got a great view of it flying into Rio's Santos Dumont domestic airport from Sao Paulo the last time I was out there. SDU is right on the ocean and slap-dab next to Sugarloaf, so it's hard to beat the view out of the airplane window.

37. Crime show with several spin-offs: CSI. The purists might have wanted to try to avoid "crime" in the clue as "crime", albeit abbreviated, is part of the answer. Doesn't ruffle my feathers though.

38. "You obviously can't depend on me": I'M NO USE

39. Fetches: GOES FOR

43. Most junk mail: ADS

45. Comic book personnel: INKERS. They draw the outlines. Other folk color them in. With crayon, and their tongue sticking out of the side of their mouth. Just kidding, some of my best friends are in comics and animation.

47. Change symbols, in math: DELTAS. The difference between "this" and "that".

48. Opera with Desdemona: OTELLO. I had a brain futz and tried OFELIA first. What was that all about?

49. Alters with a light touch?: LASES. Laser shaping, reshaping or surgery.

51. 48-Down composer: VERDI

54. "__ told": "That's the rumor": SO I'M

55. Designer Wang: VERA

56. Name in boxy cars?: OTIS. Mr. Elevator. Nice clue.

58. Higher ed. test: G.R.E.

59. Cardinal's letters: STL. St. Louis, on scoreboards.

And, as the stoics would say, "grid and bear it", so here it is!

Steve

Wednesday, September 5, 2018 Gary Schlapfer and C. C. Burnikel

Theme: ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?  The NFL season kicks off [so to speak] tomorrow night with the defending Superbowl Champ Philly Eagles traveling to Atlanta to take on the Falcons. Do you have a raptor preference?

This is one of those rare puzzles where the theme is in the clues - not the fills, which are unrelated two-word common language phrases; brought to us by our own dear hostess, C. C. and Corner denizen Husker Gary.  C. C. and I worked a similar idea in a Sunday puzzle a couple years ago.  And by some weird cosmic coincidence, Gary blogged the puzzle that day, in quite spectacular fashion.

Today our theme clues are words familiar to football fans - and I'm pretty sure Gary is one.  C. C. is more into baseball.  Let's we what we have here.

18 A. BLOCK: CITY SQUARE.  Most cities have streets laid out in a rectilinear pattern.  A BLOCK is the area defined by four streets.  More specifically, a CITY [or town] SQUARE is an open public space near the heart of the town, used for community gatherings.  Here's a trombone's eye view from the bandstand at Kellogg Park, the town square in Plymouth, MI.

My peeps are out there somewhere

To BLOCK in football is to move a defensive player aside so a ball carrier can advance down the field.

23 A. CATCH: HIDDEN SNAG.  I'm imagining an underwater obstruction that a small boat could get hung up on.  Figuratively, it could be any unanticipated difficulty, perhaps as a result of poor planning.  In football, a CATCH is a reception of a PASS [vide infra], viz. a ball thrown to an eligible receiver to advance the team's position on the playing field.

37 A. KICK: CHAMPAGNE EFFECT.  Well, that depends on who you ask.

In football, there are three kinds of KICKS.  The KICK OFF happens at the beginning of each half, and after one team scores, to deliver the ball to their foe. The extra point is a KICK after a touch down is scored.  Success, attained by sending the ball through the uprights, is called a conversion, good for one point. The field goal is a similar kind of KICK, attempted when the offense stalls somewhere on the field.  If successful it nets 3 points.

49 A. PASS: FREE TICKET.  A no-charge permit that authorizes entry and access to a venue or event.  In football, a PASS is ball launched by hand to an intended receiver [vide supra.]

58A. RUN: HOSE MISHAP.  A tear or hole in sheer silk or nylon stockings.  A disaster.

Might be preventable

In football, a RUN is an attempt to advance the ball by carrying it around or through the defenders.  Of course, a RUN is a score in baseball, as well.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here to coach this game.  The theme cluing is pretty straight-forward, and the fills are sparkly in this thematically rich puzzle. And we have some extra bits of elegance.  Each theme clue can be functionally either an action verb, or the name of the action that is so indicated.  And there is a nice element of symmetry.  The first and last Theme entries are a complimentary pair, as are the second and fourth.  That must have taken some extra effort.  And the central theme entry is a grid spanner. So from my view on the side-line, this is a win.  Yay, team!

Across:

1. Tot's drink, to the tot: WAWA.  Water, when you are just figuring out how to form syllables.  Fun times.  Also a chain of convenience stores and gas stations located in the eastern U.S.  None in our area, but we always fill the tank and grab coffee and donuts when we leave step-son Tom's for the long drive home.

5. Side-by-side truck tires: DUALS.  They provide more even weight distribution, and thus greater safety and stability

10. Fifth Avenue landmark: SAKS.  An American luxury department store owned by the Hudson's Bay Company, the oldest commercial corporation in North America.

14. Help with a heist: ABET.  Provide assistance to a crime or other offense.

15. Play direction: ENTER.  Tells the actor to go onto the stage.

16. Lint collector: TRAP.  Belly button doesn't fit.

17. Sci-fi princess with a twin brother: LEIA.  Stars Wars, of course.  The brother is Luke Skywalker.

20. Abs exercise: LEG RAISE.  Get a leg up with proper form.

22. Take out of the packaging: UNBOX.  Open it up.

26. Picnic crasher: ANT.  Six-legged interloper.

28. Harrison of "My Fair Lady": REX.

29. Help: AID.  Assistance.

30. Tiny Lab, e.g.: PUP.  Young dog.

33. "But seriously folks ... " is one: SEGUE.   In music, a move from one song to the next without interruption.  Here, a little more loosely, a transition in a monologue.

35. Forest ranger?: ELK.  Per Wikipedia, these large members of the deer family "range in forest and forest-edge habitat, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves, and bark."  So - yep.

36. Selfish shout: MINE.  I get to use this again.

via GIPHY

41. "What __!": "I've been had!": A RIP.  As in RIP off - a fraud or swindle, often based on something being over-priced

42. Little chap: LAD.  A boy.  From Middle English, of unknown origin.  The word was much more popular a century ago, but has had a recent resurgence.

43. Big dipper: LADLE.  Kitchen utensil, not something written in the stars.

44. Many a dad joke: PUN.  Strained puns that are anodyne and therefore OK to tell in mixed, but non-critical company.

Did you hear about the restaurant on the moon? Great food, no atmosphere.
What do you call a fake noodle? An Impasta.
Want to hear a joke about paper? Nevermind it's tearable.
I just watched a program about beavers. It was the best dam program I've ever seen.
Why did the coffee file a police report? It got mugged.
How does a penguin build it's house? Igloos it together.

You get the picture.

45. Transparent art surface: CEL.  Speaking of pictures, CEL is short for celluloid, a transparent sheet where objects are drawn for traditional cartoon animation.  It is an artifact of obsolete animation technology.  Now, some cels are special editions of animation artwork, not intended for production.  Mine is from Mickey's Philharmagic at Walt Disney World.

46. MADD message, e.g.: PSA. A Public Service Announcement from Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

48. __ Lingus: AER.  The flag carrier air line of Ireland, now owned by IAG, the parent company of British Airways and Iberia.

52. Legend automaker: ACURA.  The luxury vehicle arm of Honda.

55. Alternative medicine staple: ALOE VERA.  Extract from the eponymous evergreen perennial succulent.

61. Its oxide makes Mars red: IRON.  Rust, an IRON-oxygen compound.

62. Retired tennis pro Kournikova: ANNA.  She was born in 1981 and retired from competitive play at age 21 due to spinal problems.

Back in the day

63. Bartlett entry: QUOTE.  An American reference book, first published in 1855, now in its 18th edition.

64. Gunk: CRUD.  An unpleasantly dirty and messy substance.

65. Woodpecker's tool: BEAK. Used for digging under the bark of trees to get insects, and for communication by drumming on hard surfaces.

66. Go over the limit: SPEED.  Driving in excess of the posted limit, which nobody does, ever.

67. Ball elevators: TEES.  In golf, the first stroke on any hole is hit with the ball slightly elevated from the ground on a wooden peg, called a TEE.  After that, one must play it where it lies.

Down:

1. Outlet site: WALL.  A srtucture designed to keep a door upright.

2. Busy as __: A BEE.  Oh, honey  .  .  .

3. Reason to purchase a new belt: WEIGHT GAIN.  I don't want to talk about it.

4. Pong maker: ATARI.  Speaking of back in the day.  You can tell your grandchildren that this was once a ground-breaking new video game.

5. Get off the fence: DECIDE.  Well  .  .  . ? [fingers drumming]

6. Like the name Pat: UNISEX.  Non-gender-specific.  My sister's full name is Patricia, which removes all doubt.  But her initials spelt the short form of her name.

7. When some local news airs: AT TEN.  In the evening.

8. Emmy-winning ESPN reporter Bob: LEY.  The network's longest tenured on-air employee.

9. Soon-to-be alumni: Abbr.: SRS.  Senior class members, hoping to graduate.

10. Smarted: STUNG.  If it hurt, how smart could it be?

11. Riyadh resident: ARAB.  Riyadh is the capital and most populous city of Saudi Arabia.

12. Pecan pie syrup: KARO.  A sweetener made from corn starch, containing varying amounts of maltose and higher oligosaccharides [sugar polymers of 3 to 10 units.]  High fructose corn syrup is made by further processing that converts much of its glucose into fructose, which tastes sweeter.

13. Glasses, informally: SPEX.  Or SPECS, short for spectacles.  Speaking of dad jokes - did you hear about the optometrist who fell into the lens grinding machine?  He made a spectacle of himself.

19. College courtyard: QUAD.  A square or rectangular space, mainly, or partly enclosed on all four sides by buildings.  Like a CITY SQUARE, but different.

21. Campaign pro?: AD REP.  A person responsible for an advertising effort intended to sell a product or service, not one involved in a political or military campaign.

24. Counter offer?: SALE.  Things are offered for SALE on or behind the counter of a store.  Clever mis-direction.

25. Goddess of victory: NIKE.  Her Roman equivalent is Victoria.

26. Music rights gp.: ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Plagiarists  Publishers.

27. '60s jacket style: NEHRU. A hip length tailored coat with mandarine collar.

The eponym

30. Apartment used for overnight trips to the city: PIED A TERRE.  Literally, foot to the ground, going back to 18th century France, used to indicate any temporary lodging.  Now meaning a secondary residence [but not a vacation home] that is used occasionally during part of the year or part of the work week.

31. "I give up!": UNCLE.  North American usage, origin unknown.

32. Saint at a gate: PETER. An image in popular culture indicating St. Peter as the gate keeper of heaven.

Details

34. Official behind a catcher: UMP.  Baseball umpire.

35. Word with tight or split: END.  Another football term, relating to the placement of a potential pass receiver.  Split ends could also be part of a bad hair day.

36. Juilliard deg.: MFA.  Master of Fine Arts.

38. Away from the wind: ALEE. Nautical term, gong back to Middle English.

39. Beaufort scale word: GALE. A measure of wind speed.

40. Cereal bit: FLAKE.   Grains are crushed, ground, and then cooked for several hours, possibly with added vitamins and flavorings.  The resulting slurry is then pressed between rollers that flatten the grains.  They are then transferred to a heated drum for drying.  Additional additives may be sprayed on at this point.

45. Study a lot in a short time: CRAM.  To stuff something full - as one's brain with subject matter.

46. Pontius __: PILATE. The 5th prelate of the Roman provence of Judea, serving from A.D 26 to 37.

47. Checked (out): SCOPED.  Visually examined.

49. Come unglued, with "out": FREAK.  Lose it, go berserk, go ballistic.

50. Lake near California's Squaw Valley: TAHOE.  A large lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains, straddling the California - Nevada border, famous for its beaches and near-by ski resorts.

51. Throw out: EVICT.  A legal process to remove a tenant.

52. Queequeg's captain: AHAB. From Moby Dick.

53. Scoop perch: CONE.  Ice cream holder.

54. Military sch. whose mascot is Bill the Goat: USNA.  United States Naval Academy, located in Annapolis, MD.

56. Casanova: ROUE.  French term for one broken on a wheel, indicating the tortuous punishment such a debauchee allegedly deserves.

57. Common conjunctions: ANDS.  Sometimes associated with IFS and BUTS.

59. Brightness figs. not measured in watts: IQS.  Intelligence Quotient, indicating mental brightness.

60. "What's goin' on?": 'SUP.  Que pasa? 

That all, folks. C. C. and Gary gave us a sporting chance.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, September 4, 2018 Paul Coulter

Baked Goods - Idioms

16. With 58-Across, "sweet" expression about consequences: YOU CAN'T HAVE YOUR.
58. See 16-Across: CAKE AND EAT IT TOO.  You have to pick one.  Either or. 

22. With 48-Across, "sweet" expression about consequences: THAT'S THE WAY THE.
48. See 22-Across: COOKIE CRUMBLES.  Sometimes bad things happen, and there's nothing you could have done that would have have prevented it. 

36. Experiencing some "sweet" consequences: EATING HUMBLE PIE.  Having to admit that you were wrong, or that you couldn't back up your boasts.

Paul takes the cake today in providing us with an easy as pie early week puzzle that has three grid spanners, proving again that he's one smart cookie !   Nothing half baked here; the proof is in the pudding.

Across:

1. Sail supports: MASTs.

6. Forearm bone: ULNA.

10. Balls and strikes caller: UMP.

13. Off-the-cuff: AD LIB. 

14. What insomniacs count: SHEEP.  Never worked for me.

15. Slithery squeezer: BOA.

19. Courses for coll. credit: APs.  Advanced Placement courses. 

20. __ de cologne: EAU.

21. Defensive trenches: MOATs.

27. Forest floor growth: MOSS.

28. Funnyman Jay: LENO.

29. Supercharged engine, for short: TURBO.

32. Bit of gel: DAB.

33. Flock female: EWE.

41. Gym shirt: TEE.

42. Car nut: LUG.  Not an automobile aficionado, but these:

The link to Lug Nut on Wikipedia

43. Be of use to: AVAIL.

44. Kind of butter used in moisturizers: SHEA.

46. Half up front?: HEMI.  Hemi won out over semi due to HULAS at 46D.  Saved my bacon.

54. Photographer Adams: ANSEL.

55. Yale student: ELI.

56. Soak (up), as sauce: SOP. 

63. Acapulco aunt: TIA.

64. Enjoys a novel: READS.

65. Songs for two: DUETs.

66. Bargain bin abbr.: IRR.  Irregular.

67. Thanksgiving side dish: YAMs.  I like them candied, as long as they are not cloyingly sweet.

68. Daisy variety: OXEYE.  Fine in your gardens,  but invasive in your pastures.

Down:

1. Poet Angelou: MAYA.

2. Take home from an animal shelter: ADOPT.

3. Partly melted snow: SLUSH.  Also, a type of fund in some circles.

4. Idiosyncrasy: TIC.

5. Entrepreneur-helping org.: SBA. Small Business Administration

6. "Yeah": UH-HUH.  No it isn't.  Yes it is.  Uh-uh.  Uh-huh. 

7. Pasture: LEA.   Paul, you got in EWE, SHEEP and LAMB and now Pasture/LEA.   Are you a part time shepherd or sheepherder ?   Or is this just a "sweet" consequence of coincidence in your fill today ?

8. Ariz. neighbor: NEV.

9. Theoretical primate: APEMAN.

10. WWII sea attacker: U-BOAT.  Unterseeboat - German for submarine, abbreviated and hyphenated to U-boat.

11. River delta area: MOUTH.

12. Break down grammatically: PARSE.

14. Sports figures: STATs. Statistics, not people.  Stats make it easy to compare player and team performance, but organizations are increasingly using analytics to get more meaningful information to aid in their decision making processes.

17. Loch with a legend: NESS. 

18. Up-and-down toy: YOYO.  My sister had a loving cat named Tinkerbell that had a Jacks ball that was her "Up-and-down toy."   In the early AM hours, Tinker would carry the ball up the stairs, and then push it down.  Then rumble down after it.  Then hide it when my dad got out of bed.  This went on multiple times until someone finally found the ball.   

23. Prefix with dextrous: AMBI.

24. Warner Bros. creation: TOON.

25. Jack of "Rio Lobo": ELAM.

26. Jack of "Dragnet": WEBB.  Played Sgt. Joe Friday.  Loved that show.  The opening, with dum-de-dum-dum sounds, was,  ''This is the city.  Los Angeles, California. I work here. I carry a badge. My name's Friday.  The story you are about to see is true; the names have been changed to protect the innocent."  Snopes fact checked and indicated that he never actually said, "Just the facts, ma'am." 

29. Vietnamese New Year: TET.

30. Abu Dhabi's federation: Abbr.: UAE.  United Arab Emirates.   "The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Dhabi, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah." -  The World Factbook.

31. GPS suggestion: RTE. Route

32. Found really groovy: DUG.  Feeling groovy.


33. Antipollution org.: EPA. Environmental Protection Agency

34. Nintendo game console since 2006: WII.

35. Slithery swimmer: EEL.

37. Pure joy: GLEE.

38. '50s Red Scare gp.: HUAC.  House Un-American Activities Committee.

39. Souvlaki meat: LAMB.  Souvlaki is an ancient Greek word meaning skewer.  I think of kebabs.

40. Bad to the bone: EVIL.

44. __-Ball: midway game: SKEE.

45. Two-time Oscar winner Swank: HILARY.

46. Luau dances: HULAs.

47. Discharge: EMIT.

48. Spiny desert bloomers: CACTI.

49. "We're live!" studio sign: ON AIR.

50. Liam's "Schindler's List" role: OSKAR.

51. Marshy grasses: REEDs.

52. Cosmetician Lauder: ESTEE.

53. Like a chimney sweep: SOOTY.

57. Sit for a picture: POSE.   I wonder if she was part of the family ?  Or just happened to be sitting there ?

59. Cultural funding org.: NEA. National Endowment for the Arts. 

60. Beaver's output: DAM. "Gee, Wally..."

61. Altar vow: I DO. Thought I DOs were "Words between partners" in Greg Johnson's Saturday stumper. Nope, it was ANDS. 

62. Prom rental: TUX. Tennessee Tuxedo didn't need to rent a tux.  Here shown with his friend Chumley, who went on to stardom on Pawn Stars.

The grid:

Monday September 3, 2018 Victor Barocas

Theme: CHANGE HANDS (61. Be sold, as property ... and a hint to each set of circled letters) - HANDS is scrambled in each theme entry.

17. Not in need of drying or ironing: WASH AND WEAR.

25. Gets settled: FINDS A HOME.

40. "I do not like them with a fox" Seuss poem: GREEN EGGS AND HAM.

50. "... What a Feeling" movie: FLASH DANCE.

Boomer here. Wishing all of you a safe and restful holiday. I never understood why they called it Labor Day and then 80% of our friends and neighbors get the day off work. A sad week saying farewell to Senator McCain. I was most impressed by the rendition of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" performed by the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club.  "His truth is marching on".

Across:

1. Laughing sounds: HAHAS.

6. Charged, bull-style: RAN AT.

11. Diagram of streets, highways, etc.: MAP.  Most people have one on their Smartphone.  I still have to go on the internet to see where I'm going.

14. Egg-shaped: OVATE.  Okay, if this is the shape of an egg, What is it called if you cheer for somebody?

15. Football venue: ARENA.  I am pretty sure a football venue is a Stadium.

16. In the style of: ALA.  Crimson Tide.

19. Unit of sunlight: RAY.  We have a Sun Ray Shopping Center with Sun Ray Bowling Center in the same area of Saint Paul.

20. Scottish monster, familiarly: NESSIE. I have heard of the Loch Ness monster, but I think he hates to be called Nessie.

21. Former name of the Congo: ZAIRE.  When I was a kid, I believe it was called the Belgian Congo. Then it was changed to Zaire and I think it hosted a Foreman Ali fight,  Now they have changed the name back.

23. "Let's do it!": C'MON.  When I bowled a tournament in Billings Montana, we stayed at the C'mon Inn.

28. Salary increase: RAISE.

30. Philosopher Descartes: RENE.

31. Put two and two together: ADD.

32. Turkish hospice: IMARET.  In this case, a hospice is like a hotel.

36. Org. with a "Speak Freely" blog: ACLU.  American Civil Liberties Union

43. Walrus cousin: SEAL. We were in San Francisco once near "Seal Rocks" and I bet we saw 100 or more seals relaxing near the shore of the Pacific.  Did not see a Walrus though.

44. Throws gently: TOSSES.  I am old so I roll my bowling ball gently.  But I don't toss it. (Because I am old).

45. Lawyer's gp.: ABA.

46. Cupcake finisher: ICER.  My first thought of an ICER is a Zamboni.

48. Productive city for van Gogh: ARLES.  "I could have told you, Vincent, this world was never made for one as beautiful as you."  "Starry Night" - Don McClean

56. 90-degree pipes: ELLS.  Not to be confused with Golfer Ernie.

57. French farewell: ADIEU.  I took two quarters of French in college.  Then I bid it Adieu.

58. Where most Russians live: EUROPE.

60. Cruise on-screen: TOM.  Can he handle the truth??

66. Large primate: APE.  And his name is Harry.

67. Divided Asian peninsula: KOREA.  Lots going on there recently.  Not too much of it any good.

68. Landlocked African country: NIGER.

69. Young fellow: LAD. Los Angeles Dodgers on the scoreboard.

70. Brewery supply: YEAST. An interesting product. I used it frequently when preparing pizza dough.  Not sure what it does for beer.  I am not a beer drinker.

71. Cookies commonly in cookies and cream ice cream: OREOS.  Cookie watch.  This is the 4,688th time that Oreo has appeared in a crossword.

Down:

1. Addendum to the five W's: HOW.  Who, What, Where, and Why is this the answer ?

2. "A Wrinkle in Time" director DuVernay: AVA. Gardner would be my first clue choice.

3. Is completely stumped: HAS NO IDEA.

4. Parthenon city: ATHENS.  It's Greek to me.

5. Wet septet: SEAS.  All seven of them are near Italy.

6. Wheel spokes, geometrically: RADII.

7. Aragorn's love, in Tolkien: ARWEN.  Played by Liv Tyler.

8. Formerly, in bridal bios: NEE.  The season is upon us!! Do not take a nee in an NFL game.

9. NHL's Ducks, on ESPN crawls: ANA.  Hockey in Southern California is questionable, but I can't believe the NHL put a team in Las Vegas.  A pretty good one too.  They almost took home the Stanley Cup.

10. Hero in a loincloth: TARZAN.  Jane's boyfriend

11. Video game plumber: MARIO.  I hate to admit how many hours I spent guiding Mario through mazes.  Now I just waste time on Candy Crush.

12. Antitheft device: ALARM.  This could be an American League pitcher.

13. Check recipient: PAYEE.

18. Bad check letters: NSF.

22. Trailing no one: AHEAD. Or maybe a coin flip.  Remember when Bill Cosby used a coin flip to describe the upcoming battle between Sitting Bull and Custer?

23. Rock outcroppings: CRAGS.

24. Niña's mother: MADRE.

26. Prom gown, e.g.: DRESS.

27. Bristles, to a biologist: SETAE.

29. A, in German class: EIN.  Actually, I think it's "One".  If you go to the gasthaus and order "Ein Bier" they will know what you want.

33. Doled (out): METED.  One for you, two for me.

34. Plato's marketplace: AGORA.  Greece's answer to the "Mall of America".

35. Some QB protectors: RGS.  These are Right Guards.  In retail they are "Returned Goods".

37. Dare: CHALLENGE.

38. Clotheshorse's concern: LABEL.  In baseball we used to call the "Louisville Slugger" trademark the label.  Keep it facing up or you might break the bat.

39. Amherst sch.: UMASS. Interesting how these abbreviations develop.  The University of Minnesota is frequently referred to as the "U of M" not UMINN.

41. Beethoven's "Für __": ELISE.

42. Org. chronicled in "The Puzzle Palace": NSA.

47. Killer doll in "Child's Play": CHUCKY.  This guy spoiled the lives of a lot of guys named Charles.

49. Fix: REPAIR.

50. Lethal: FATAL. Michael Douglas' Attraction

51. Parkinson's drug: L-DOPA.

52. Zeroed in: AIMED.

53. Barcelona babies: NENES.

54. Bandleader Xavier: CUGAT.  This guy lived to 90 years old and had 5 different wives. (Not all at the same time),  The most famous was Charo.

55. Prior to, poetically: ERE.

59. "Yikes!": OH NO.  Apolo OHNO was an Olympic skater.

62. Flat-bladed garden tool: HOE.

63. Coach Parseghian: ARA. Very famous Notre Dame Football Coach.  He won two national championships.

64. __ volente: God willing: DEO.  Yes I had four years of Latin, and DEO is God in Latin.  Et Cum Spiritu tuo is not the Pope's phone number.

65. Oldest H.S. students: SRS. Some are on their fourth year of Latin!

Boomer