Saturday, December 8, 2018, C.C. Burnikel

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by C.C. Burnikel

December 8 is Be A Time Traveler Day. Most would first think of Back To The Future for a reference but for me, I think of a little movie called Peggy Sue Got Married. 

While Marty was delivered to his parents' high school days by Doc Brown's Delorean he was forbidden to do anything that might effect the "time-space continuum". However, Peggy Sue passed out at a class reunion and traveled back to her adolescence and wound up as an actual participant in her own high school days. 

That is the one time of my life I would like to have a "do over". Peggy Sue knew how the blowhards, science geeks, et al turned out and she got to interact with them with an adult perspective. Wouldn't you like another shot?

I could also have picked to be at Ford's Theater the night of April 14, 1865... 

Our blog mistress and puzzle master has provided us with a lovely weekend diversion. Her triple stacks of 11's in the NE and SW corner and layers of triple 8's in the NW and SE were wonderful.  She never fails to amaze but NE corner took me quite a lot of time.

Here she is at the Treasure Island Casino and Bowling Lanes where Boomer was in a tournament. I'm sure she was there to support Boomer's competitive bowling  just as she is now supporting him with his health issues.

Those flowers make me long for spring which is still quite a ways away. Sigh...

Now lets see what our maven from Minneapolis has for us today.

Across:

1. Top that turns: SCREW CAP - An eponymous John Mason Jar who pioneered the SCREW CAP jar in the 1850's

9. Fictional brother with a green hat: LUIGI - Mario's sibling. How does a girl from China know this stuff?

14. Like some snowsuits: ONE PIECE.

15. Lacks the wherewithal to: CAN NOT 

16. Vacant, as positions: UNFILLED - When substitute teaching jobs go UNFILLED, the staff has to take those classes during the times they are not scheduled with kids. 

17. Sets free: LOOSES - "He has LOOSED the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword"

18. General who's the subject of the 2012 biography "All In": PETRAEUS - An affair with his co-biographer Paula Broadwell led to a series of events that forced him to resign as the head of the CIA. Did he 24. State (verb) secrets: BLAB to her?

20. Org. whose employees may have to lift 70-lb. bags: TSA - Handling heavy baggage and surly customers all day is not my idea of a ideal job.

21. Country star at age 13: RIMES - LeAnn was the little girl with the big voice

25. "Va-va-__!": VOOM - A catchphrase for Ed Norton on The Honeymooners

26. "You got that right!": AMEN.

27. Puck, say: DISC  - How 'bout shooting that DISC for big money

46. 1983 Mr. T comedy: D.C. CAB - Is that Mr. T wearing the hockey jersey above with his name on the back? 

28. Bouquet __: GARNI - Literally garnished bouquet - "A bunch of herbs typically encased in a cheesecloth bag, used for flavoring a stew or soup"

29. Resting place: BED - Our Lily's perch, scratch pad, bird lookout and sometimes BED

30. Raymond James Stadium pro: BUC - Tampa Bay BUCaneers of the NFL

31. Some stingers: HORNETS - Their sting might necessitate using an 4. Camp nurse's item: EPIPEN (EPI nehprin PEN)

33. Took off, slangily: BAILED - BAILED out of a perfectly good airplane

35. Nice, for one: RESORT - I assume all 25 of these things are, uh, nice

36. Holy smoke: INCENSE - Fun clue! This smell seems acrid to me

38. Lines of thought?: Abbr.: EEG.

39. Long on-screen: NIA - Perhaps best known as Will's girlfriend in Fresh Prince

40. Feature: TRAIT - My kids hate it when they detect a TRAIT of my wife or me in their behavior

41. Hits hard: RAMS.

43. Bad thing to catch: FLAK - "Oh, getting too close to the truth!"

44. Mirror image: SELF.

45. Have trouble with chess?: LISP - We Big Bang fans immediately think of Kripke 

46. "There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact" author: DOYLE - Prepare for a 3 minute blizzard of deductive reasoning by DOYLE's Sherlock Holmes

47. Gain competitor: FAB - Laundry detergents

48. Frequent Robert De Niro co-star: JOE PESCI - Google the pen scene from Casino if you don't mind graphic violence

50. Bar supply: OLIVES.

52. Portrayer of Nero in "Star Trek" (2009): ERIC BANA - If you're interested

56. Skateboard moves: OLLIES  - No skateboard? No problem. Ollie on your friend  

57. Bright lipstick color: CORAL RED.

58. President who had 15 children: TYLER - Tyler men had children late in life. President Tyler fathered Lyon when he was 63 and Lyon had Lyon Jr. when he was 71 and Harrison when he was 75. As of 2017, both Lyon Jr. and Harrison survived over 200 years after  their grandfather President John was born.

59. Subarus named for a NYC area: TRIBECAS - TRIangle BElow CAnal St. in NYC and yet another look-alike car of today


Down:

1. Measly amount: SOU - French coins of little value when minted

2. Jake Tapper's channel: CNN.

3. Court official: REF - This show-boating REF is emphatically calling blocking  

5. Cunning: WILES - 28. Maddux in Cooperstown: GREG was a Hall Of Fame pitcher who survived on his WILES, not his fastball that was 10 mph slower than the one that most have today.

6. Gael or Breton: CELT.

7. Tart: ACERBIC

8. Piano trio: PEDALS - What the PEDALS do

9. The elephant is its national animal: LAOS - Seems right

10. Game with a colorful deck: UNO.

11. Marketing limitation: IN-STORE ONLY  - One way to get 'em off the computer and into your brick and mortar facility 

12. Faces a jury: GOES ON TRIAL 

13. Alleged perp's denial: IT'S A MISTAKE - The San Quentin Theme Song

15. Driver, e.g.: CLUB - Even in this 100-yr-old hickory set, the driver is the biggest CLUB

19. Pricing word: EACH - "Oh my word! I thought that was per dozen!"

21. Furry talisman: RABBIT'S FOOT.

22. "Seriously?!": I MEAN REALLY, did you think I'd fall for that?

23. Insurance may cover one: MEDICAL BILL - BC/BS Medicare has me covered!

25. Handymen's transports: VANS  - Ya gotta love this one!

27. Lemons: DUDS.

30. Like paper clips: BENT.

32. Valuable rocks: ORES and 37. Lake in four states and Canada: ERIE - Two cwd stalwarts

34. First name in early exploring: LEIF - Christopher who?

38. Chinese ruler until 1912: EMPEROR - China's last EMPEROR was Pyui who was overthrown and Sun Yet-sen was installed as the provisional president of the new Republic Of China 

42. Facet: ASPECT.

43. Minor flaw: FOIBLE - All mine seem to be fairly major

45. Perfect season spoiler: LOSS - The New England Patriots went 18 - 1 in the 2007 season and their only loss was in the Super Bowl by this highly improbable finish!

48. Raspberry: JEER.

49. Multilingual assistant: SIRI - She demands precise language

51. Compete: VIE.

53. Parabolic path: ARC - The ARC of a home run Mickey Mantle hit in 1960 over the right field roof in Detroit. The landing spot was found and measured to be 643' and is listed by Guinness as the longest homer in MLB regular season history.

54. "Read Across America" org.: NEA - I see the next day for this National Education Association event  is Saturday, March 2, 2019 and I will mention that on my blog that day (If C.C. let's me keep blogging!)

55. Showstoppers?: ADS - For $9/month I get an incredible selection of options and no TV ADS with Netflix!

Now let's look to the future, not the past and carry on a conversation about C.C.'s offering today:

Note from C.C.:

Happy birthday to dear Jazzbumpa (Ron), our cool Wednesday guide. Ron never fails to entertain us with his humor and wits. He and I worked a few puzzles in the past, and I know how much time and attention he gave to each clue, always trying to amuse and tickle.

Friday, December 7, 2018, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: I C said the blind man. 'I see said the blind man' is an old expression, often with "to his deaf wife." My favorite ending is, "... as he peed into the wind. It's all coming back to me now!"

I would reference I.C.E. since the IC replaces E, but that would end up being political. I think I may have exhausted the topic of blindness, but Jeffrey never seems to exhaust his library of wit. In another letter replacement version, he packs in 65 spaces of theme with a central grid-spanner. He uses cheater squares for the 14s, but the rest is just a nice puzzle. Such skill to include IS IT SO, CIERAS, RARE COIN, I'VE GOT TO, TENON SAW all of which are uncommon or brand new for the LAT and the fun word FLAMENCO. The cluing which apparently is too much for CED was fun throughout, so...

16A. Art class model, say?: STATIC EMPLOYEE (14). The STATE employee gets to stand still while being sketched. Some say the DMV employees stand still while waiting on you.

25A. Homeowner's extreme reaction to a hailstorm?: WINDOW PANIC (11). Here we all have hurricane-proof window PANES or shutters.

34A. Ancient Roman's suggestion to a sweat-drenched pal?: CHANGE YOUR TUNIC (15). I wonder if finding this grid spanner made JW change his TUNE?

46A. Where sick con victims seek help?: PATSY CLINIC (11). But do they play her hits over the loudspeaker?

59A. Stand-up invited to a holiday meal?: COMIC FOR DINNER (14). Look who is COMING for dinner? I understand most professionals do not like 'performing' for relatives. I am glad I am not a professional.

A really nice set of themers

Across:

1. City in which much of "Moonlight" is set: MIAMI. Academy Award winner; oops. LINK.

6. Lively display of stamps?: FLAMENCO.

14. Long range: ANDES. One of those clues CED spoke of, not far but an extended mountain range.

15. Valuable collectible: RARE COIN. This fill has been in the LAT twice before, introduced to us by Paul Coulter on a Friday I blogged HERE. That puzzle write-ups has two very interesting aspects; pictures of Lucina added by C.C. and the TONSURE of Buddhist monks which I participated in this trip.

18. Singer Jones: TOM.

19. Ashes not caused by fire: TREES. Another deceptive one, where we wanted fire and needed Fraxinus, English name ash, a genus of flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae.

20. Notable times: ERAS.

22. Genesis twin: ESAU. When your name is 4 letters and has three vowels, you will live on in xwords.

23. Volcanic rock: BASALT. This is a dark, fine-grained volcanic rock that sometimes displays a columnar structure. It is typically composed largely of plagioclase with pyroxene and olivine. The dictionary makes that so clear, right?

30. Calculating: SLY.

31. Lot unit: ACRE.

32. Sucker of sorts: LEECH. Not the victim, but THIS.

41. Wise guys, maybe: SAGES. Using 'guys' to lead you to mobsters, not smart people. If you notice it is clued as two words, and not as wiseguys, you will not fall in his trap.

42. Hotel worker: MAID.

43. Asian holiday: TET. As the celebration of the lunar new year, Tet is the most important holiday on the Vietnamese calendar.

50. Went from 50 to 40: SLOWED. Because lying about his/her age would not fit.

52. "Put __ on it!": A LID.

53. Bust size?: KILO. Stop looking for boobie, all we have here is a drug bust. Why do we use pounds/ounces for most things but 'keys' for heroin and cocaine?

54. Flynn of film: ERROL. He is back; no buckling a swash today.

56. Attorney's org.: ABA.  American Bar Association. A CSO to Susan and others.

63. "It's my duty": I'VE GOT TO. If you must, you must.

64. Really irk: EAT AT.

65. Cutting tool for making joints: TENON SAW. This full name appeared only once, in 2005, in the LAT. It has never been used in an NYT.

66. Works on a batter: STIRS. No baseball, but cooking. Sorry CED.

Down:

1. It's often rigged: MAST. Another fun clue, right CED?

2. Fascinated by: IN TO.

3. Biblical exile: ADAM. It is so easy to put in CAIN and be wrong. JW! And a mini-clecho 22D. Delightful places: EDENS.

4. Came across: MET.

5. "Can this be true?": IS IT SO? A challenging parse.

6. Clear, as a schedule slot: FREE UP.

7. Fabric with a glint: LAMÉ. You do not get the accent in the clue making it hard to see this fabric with interwoven gold or silver threads.

8. Some dadaist works: ARPS.

9. Brooks with lines: MEL. Not bubbling streams but a shout out to this awesome PUZZLE.

10. Green prefix: ECO.

11. British poet Alfred: NOYES.

12. '80s-'90s Olds models: CIERAS.

13. Score early in the set, maybe: ONE ALL. Tennis anyone?

17. Bird crop: CRAW. Anything about this puzzle stick in your...?

21. Muddy enclosure: STY.

23. Stuttgart suds: BIER. Beer by any other name...German 1.

24. Bank holding: Abbr.: ACCT. Cking or sving?

25. WWII female: WAC. Women's Army Corps was the women's branch of the United States Army. The WAC was disbanded in 1978, and all units were integrated with male units.

26. Gigi : je :: Greta : __: ICH. German 2.

27. Org. with frequent firings: NRA. National Rifle Association. Too political.

28. See 57-Down: A LOSS. 57D. With 28-Down, persevere despite hardship: BEAR.  Did you write an essay in school about the cross-eyed bear?

29. Fresh, to Franz: NEU. German 3.

33. Like a rainforest: HUMID.

35. Show awe: GAPE.

36. Quaint "Yikes!": EGAD.

37. Equivalent of OTOH: YET. In didactic discourse, perhaps.

38. Photographer Goldin: NAN. Nancy "Nan" Goldin is an American photographer. Her work often explores LGBT bodies, moments of intimacy, the HIV crisis, and the opioid epidemic. I had to post her photograph she titled "Lemons Never Forget"

39. Sundial marking: III. Another use of Roman numerals to fill difficult places.

40. Health org. with HQ in Atlanta: CDC. What happened to the "P"; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

43. "Naughty!": TSK. Generally in pairs.

44. Draw out: ELICIT.

45. Queen's "Somebody __": TO LOVE.

47. Peter of Peter, Paul and Mary: YARROW. Yarrow co-wrote one of the group's greatest hits, "Puff, the Magic Dragon"

48. Lump of earth: CLOD. Or some of the people I knew in high school.

49. Easter display: LILIES. Lilium longiflorum, often called the Easter lily, is a plant endemic to both Taiwan and Ryukyu Islands.

51. Many suffragists: WOMEN. Hmm, yes women led the movement for women to vote.

54. Young newts: EFTS.

55. "The Godfather" composer Nino: ROTA. He wrote 171 MOVIE THEMES, including Godfather I and Godfather II which won him an Academy Awards each time for Best Original Score. He worked mostly on foreign films, and many for Fellini. These included Fellini's Romeo and Juliet where this Shakespeare quote came from. 60D. "Can __ forward when my heart is here?": Romeo: I GO. Act 2, Scene 1
ROMEO:
Can I go forward when my heart is here?
Turn back, dull earth, and find thy center out.

56. Opposition member: ANTI.

58. Liberal follower?: ARTS. JW will go to any degree to confound and amuse.

61. Fool: CON.

62. D.C. ballplayer: NAT. Will Bryce Harper remain a Washington National?

Another Friday, another great creation from Jeffrey and kinds of things to speak about; I await your comments, critiques and comedy. Be good and see you next week GWATCDR, Lemonade out.

Thursday December 6th 2018 Ed Sessa

Theme: The In and Out Club - the four theme entries club together as follows:

17A. Heist that really puts a burglar on the map?: BREAKOUT BREAK IN

25A. Retro renege?: BACK IN BACK OUT

42A Unexpected visit from a hippie?: DROPOUT DROP IN

56A. Scene-stealing understudy?: STAND-IN STANDOUT

Very nice theme from Mr. Sessa. I like the variations in the one-word, two-word or hyphenated entries; it's not something you'll notice if you just fill in the grid, but when you write the solution out it adds another element.

I think my favorite was the stand-in standout, but they're all pretty cool. Nice job!

My theme title comes from the home of the Naval and Military Club on London's Piccadilly which acquired the nickname "The In and Out Club" for reasons which are obvious when you see the gateposts:

Let's see what else we've got to tickle one's fancy:

Across:

1. Free-speech inhibitor: GAG LAW

7. Rep.'s opponent: DEM. Dem democrats vs. dem Republicans.

10. Southwest art colony: TAOS. A pretty little town in New Mexico.

14. From the beginning: AFRESH

15. Blood type letters: ABO. Not a blood type itself, but the classification system.

16. Palindromic French pronoun: ELLE

20. Seeded: SOWN

21. Corrida cheer: OLÉ!

22. Cable network that airs vintage sitcoms: TV LAND

23. Place for rest and exercise: SPA

24. AFL partner: CIO. AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Nations.

32. "Me too": SO DO I. Tried "AS AM I" first, and was punished for my impatience.

33. Word with goal or detail: ORIENTED

35. Remote power sources: AAA'S. Clever. Batteries for remote controls.

36. Bucks: MOOLA

38. Top of le corps: TÊTE. Some more French for a diversion. The top of your body is your head. Is "haut" too unknown for the entire clue to be in French?

39. Purplish reds: CRIMSONS

41. Oil __: BARON. I had to wait a little while for some crosses before this one became apparent.

45. Two for dinner?: ENS. Two letter "n"s in DINNER.

46. Made a getaway: RAN

47. Performer with a record 21 Oscar nominations: STREEP. She won Best Actress for Sophie's Choice and Iron Lady, and Best Supporting Actress for Kramer vs. Kramer. I find the last one a little odd, wasn't she the lead in the movie with Dustin Hoffman? I guess not.

51. ESPN broadcaster Shriver: PAM. Tennis great and a good broadcaster to boot.

52. Energy units: ERGS

59. Sushi seaweed: NORI. I know it well. I buy in packs of 200 sheets, I use quite a lot of it!

60. Trauma ctrs.: ER'S

61. Delicate: DAINTY

62. Did 90, say: SPED

63. Took a load off: SAT

64. Relaxed: AT EASE

Down:

1. Speaks freely: GABS

2. Spherical hairdo: AFRO. I guess it is spherical, never really thought of it like that.

3. Went up a size: GREW

4. Low-fat: LEAN

5. Say "pretty please," say: ASK

6. Actress Goldberg: WHOOPI

7. Oasis fruit: DATE

8. Weaken: EBB

9. Wednesday's mom: MORTICIA. Characters from The Addams Family

10. Blue-green hue: TEAL

11. __-Seltzer: ALKA

12. Lena of "Alias": OLIN. She was a successful theater actress in her native Sweden before launching her film career.

13. Really excite: SEND

18. __ Bator: ULAN. A friend of mine from school joined the British intelligence service; she quit when she found out that her first posting was going to be to Ulan Bator. Mongolia didn't match her aspirations.

19. Call to mind: EVOKE

23. Master moguls: SKI. I never mastered the bumps, but I did ski. I lost count of the number of times I smacked myself in the chin with my knee skiing moguls.

24. Fenway great Yastrzemski: CARL

25. Corporate body: BOARD

26. Red who put out fires: ADAIR. Along with his partner "Boots" Hansen, he became known to me in 1977 when his team were brought in to deal with an oil rig blowout in the North Sea oilfields which had been spewing oil for seven straight days.

27. Jerry's neighbor: COSMO

28. Help for a child at a parade: BOOST

29. Like some bar offerings: ON TAP

30. Development sites: UTERI

31. Grand __ National Park: TETON

32. __ bunt: productive MLB out: SAC

34. Mink lair: DEN

36. Marshmallow-filled treats: MOON PIES

37. Burden: ONUS

40. Clip: SPEED

41. "__ appétit!": BON

43. "Shoot!": DRAT

44. Wyndham-owned chain: RAMADA. It's amazing the consolidation of hotel chains now. Hilton and Starwood seem to have most of the hotel world covered.

47. Taxpayer IDs: SSN'S

48. Firebird roof option: T-TOP. They don't make 'em anymore. The feathered paint job amused me when I first moved here.

49. More than pink: RARE. Food! I went to a restaurant in Manhattan recently which serves only one entrée - Steak Frites. There's only one cut of steak, and you can have it rare, medium, medium-well or well. You can't get medium rare. I went for medium, it was excellent.

50. City near Vance Air Force Base: ENID

51. Hissed attention-getter: PSST!

52. Pop singer Brickell: EDIE

53. "Mazes and Monsters" novelist Jaffe: RONA. Crosses filled this in for me. I didn't even notice the entry until now.

54. Inner workings: GUTS

55. Lid problem: STYE

57. FDR agency: NRA. The National Recovery Administration.

58. __ King Cole: NAT. A little late for a music link, so I'll save it for next time.

With that, here's the grid!

Steve

Note from C.C.:

Happy 81st birthday to dear Lucina, who's been with our blog since Feb 2010.  Lucina travels to CA once a year. Not sure if she met with our Californian Coven there this year.

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

June 3, 2015 

Wednesday, December 5, 2018, Mark McClain

There’ll be a hot time in the old town tonight!

One word in each of the theme answers is Hot! Hot! Hot!

17-Across. Get increasingly steamed: DO A SLOW BURN.

26-Across. Provocative social media tactic: FLAME TROLLING.  I am not familiar with this expression, but it makes sense.  Fortunately, we don't get much this on this blog.

44-Across. Battlefield order: FIRE WHEN READY!

59-Across. Striking white stripe between a horse's eyes: FACIAL BLAZE.

Across:

1. Insurance submission: CLAIM.  I had to file a claim when my 150+ year-old live oak tree decided it didn't want to be a live oak tree anymore.  The tree fell on my carport, which, fortunately, was strong enough so that my cars weren't crushed.

6. Spars on the briny: MASTS.

11. Spanish I verb: AMO.  Today's Spanish grammar lesson.

14. Vital body vessel: AORTA.

15. Choristers who are usually women: ALTOS.

16. Young bloke: LAD.

19. "Diary of a Wimpy __": Jeff Kinney book series: KID.  The book was first published in 2007, so it was too late for my childhood reading.

20. Home of the NHL's Blues: ST. L.  St. Louis is the home of the Blues hockey team.

21. Scrape off: ABRADE.

22. Radio hobbyists: HAMS.

23. Rickie Fowler's org.: PGA.  Apparently Rick Fowler (b. Dec. 13, 1988) is a golfer.

24. One way to travel: RAIL.  Because Train wouldn't fit in the spaces provided.

32. Old Italian bread?: LIRE.  Currency of Italy before the Euro.

34. Jai __: ALAI.  A crossword staple.

35. Forearm-related: ULNAR.

36. Wee hr.: ONE A.M.  Also the name of a 1916 Charlie Chaplin film.

38. Approves: OKs.

39. Disciple's query: IS IT I?  One of the disciple's asked Jesus this question.

40. "Am not!" retort: ARE SO!  Am too! also fits, but the word "am" is already used in the clue.

41. Spa treatment: PEEL.  I wanted a Pedi(cure).

43. Bullet __: list highlight: ITEM.

47. __ Mode, designer voiced by Brad Bird in "Incredibles 2": EDNA.  I never saw this movie.  I had seem this image, however.

48. Strive: VIE.  Could also be clued as Fights (for), which we saw in yesterday's puzzle.

49. Skinny: INFO.  I initially tried Thin.

51. Sleeping bag closer: ZIPPER.  Camping is not my thing.  We did a lot of camping in my childhood, however.

55. Getting stuff done, initially: TCB.  As in the phrase: Taking Care of Business.

58. "Who, me?": MOI?  Today's French lesson.

61. From A to Z: ALL.

62. Venue with skyboxes: ARENA.

63. Expected: USUAL.

64. Animation frame: CEL.

65. Venomous snake: ADDER.  Also known as a viper.

66. Hindu spiritual writing: SUTRA.

Down:

1. Despicable dudes: CADS.

2. Ransack: LOOT.

3. Depleted sea: ARAL.  The ARAL Sea is becoming a crossword staple.  It is considered an endorheic lake, meaning that it has no outlet to the oceans.  It also used to be the 4th largest lake in the world.

4. "__ Quiet Uptown": "Hamilton" song: IT'S.  I have tickets to see Hamilton in March 2019.

5. Spanish dessert wine: MALAGA.

6. Bryn __ College: MAWR. This college is still an all-female institution of higher education.

7. Goya's "Duchess of __": ALBA.

The last Duchess of Alba was quite a character.  She held over 40 hereditary titles and was very wealthy.  She was widowed twice.  Her third husband t'was 24 years her junior.  She died in 2014 at age 88. Goya's Duchess of Alba was probably a character, too.

Oh, you wanted these more famous Goya portraits of the Duchess:

8. It may be ear-piercing: STUD.  Think of an earring.

9. Bullfight figure: TORERO.  More of today's Spanish lesson.  The Torero is on the left.

10. ID gradually being omitted from Medicare cards: SSN.  As in the Social Security Number.

11. Water's capability to neutralize acid: ALKALINITY.

12. Injure badly: MAIM.

13. Track ratios: ODDS.

18. President who appointed two women to the Supreme Court: OBAMA.  President Obama (b. 1961) nominated Sonia Sotomayor (b. 1954) to replace Associate Justice David Souter (b. 1939); and and Elena Kagan (b. 1960) to replace retiring Associate Justice John Paul Stevens (b. 1920).

22. Sledding spot: HILLSIDE.

23. "Yes, fine by me": PLEASE DO!

25. Pierre's "his": A LUI.  More of today's French lesson

26. Second cup at a diner, e.g.: FREE REFILL.

27. Unite on the sly: ELOPE.  Fresh new clue for tying the knot without all the fanfare.

28. Spoken for: TAKEN.

29. Stairway element: RISER.

30. Statistician Silver: NATE.  Nathaniel Read Silver (b. 1978) is the founder of the FiveThirtyEight blog, which gives statistics on a number of subjects including politics and sports.

31. Dire: GRIM.

32. Bakery unit: LOAF.

33. Cross inscription: INRI.  Today's Latin lesson.  This is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase: Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum, which is translated as Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.

37. Like harvested hay: MOWN.  I wanted something that would evoke the smell of freshly harvested hay.

42. Video game stage: LEVEL.

45. Black ice, e.g.: HAZARD.  It can, indeed, be very dangerous.

46. Boeing rival: AIRBUS.  Apparently the two companies have a rivalry going on.

49. All-in-one Apple: iMAC.

50. Florida State player, familiarly: 'NOLE.  As in the Florida State Seminoles.

52. Secured, as a win: ICED.  Sorry, Tin!

53. Source of cones: PINE.

54. Early late-night TV host: PAAR.  As in Jack Harold Paar (May 1, 1918 ~ Jan. 27, 2004).

55. Lacking slack: TAUT.

56. Business magnate: CZAR.

57. Olympics coach Karolyi: BÉLA.  Béla Károlyi (b. 1942) is best known for being the coach to gymnast Nadia Comăneci (b. 1961) and Mary Lou Retton (b. 1968).

59. Tower authority: Abbr.: FAA.  As in the Federal Aviation Administration, which has jurisdiction over the airport towers.

60. The SEC's Tigers: LSU.  As in Louisiana State University.  Whenever LSU plays Auburn, another SEC team, the Tigers are guaranteed to win.*  LSU is the only collage university in the United States to have a live tiger living on campus.  You may be able observe Mike the Tiger on the University's TigerCam.  The cam isn't always functioning, though.

I hope none of you got "burned" on this puzzle!

 * Both LSU and Auburn have Tigers as their mascot.

Tuesday, December 4, 2018 Agnes Davidson & C.C. Burnikel

Humerus Homophones

16. Hesitation from Sylvester?: CAT'S PAUSE. Sylvester the cat.  "Sufferin' succotash!"  Cats Paws.

20. Accomplishment by Porky?: PIG'S FEAT. Porky Pig.  Pigs Feet.

37. Affirmative from Tony?: TIGER'S AYE.  Tony the Tiger. “They're grrrrrreat!”   Tiger's Eye.

59. Story from Remy?: RAT'S TALE.  Remy the rat.  Rats Tail.   Remy was the star of the Disney Pixar animated film Ratatouille.

63. Water source for Simba?: LION'S MAIN. Simba the lion.  Lion's Mane.


    If my count is correct, this is the  18th  LA Times crossword puzzle by this duo !     “They're grrrrrreat!”



Across:

1. Fights (for): VIES.

5. "Whip It" rock band: DEVO.  "When a problem comes along, you must whip it."

9. __-slapper: funny joke: KNEE.    A guy saves a frog from a forest fire. The frog turns out to be a magical frog, and is very grateful to the man for having saved its life. So the frog offers to grant him three wishes. The man says, “Great. So I want: 1. Lifelong access to any cinema, 2. I want to be 10 years younger and 3. I want a highway that goes straight from here to Hawaii. “I’m happy to help you but the third wish is really difficult. You'll have to wish for something else instead of that third wish,” says the frog. “OK,” agrees the man reluctantly, “in that case I’d like to finally understand women.” - The frog looks at him for a while: “And should the highway be a three-lane or a four-lane one?”!

13. On the road: AWAY.

14. Biblical paradise: EDEN.

15. Dr. Hahn on "Grey's Anatomy": ERICA. Dr. Erica Hahn at FANDOM

18. Center of activity: LOCUS.
   Merriam-Webster Definition # 1
       a : the place where something is situated or occurs
       b : a center of activity, attention, or concentration

19. Fireplace receptacle: ASH CAN.

22. Former Fox TV series set in Newport Beach: THE O.C.    Originally aired 2003-2006.    "A slick hit about a troubled L.A. teen taken in by an idealistic lawyer and his family in affluent Orange County. The series filled the youth-soap hole left by the departed '90210,' but quickly proved itself far more gritty---and witty. In addition, early plots set up an appealing balance between the kids and grown-ups, who were portrayed as real people with real problems, instead of sounding boards for the unblemished Romeos and Juliets." - Rotten Tomatoes. 

23. Curly cabbage: KALE.

24. Minor flap: TO DO.   I started w/ Tiff

25. Ringing organ, at times: EAR.  Tinnitus - Understanding the Facts

26. Detergent brand: ERA. 

28. '60s hallucinogen: LSD.

 16 Interesting Facts About LSD

30. Pierre's negative: NON.

31. Near-failing mark: DEE.

33. Reach its destination, as a trip: END.

35. Slim candle: TAPER.

40. Royal crown: TIARA.

42. Slim fish: EEL.

43. Tech sch. near Albany, N.Y.: RPI.  Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.   The first civil engineering degrees in the United States were granted by the school in 1835.  CSO to Spitzboov and Irish Miss !

46. Win, place or show: BET.

47. Seasonal shelf sitter: ELF.   The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition

49. __ moment's notice: AT A.

51. Curved shape: ARC.

53. "Frozen" sister: ELSA.  And 68A. "Frozen" reindeer: SVEN.

55. Charged particles: IONS.

57. One of Crayola's hundreds: COLOR.  120 current colors.  50 have been retired through the years.

61. Greek goddess of wisdom: ATHENA. "She's just a girl, she's a bomb"



62. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" musical: EVITA.

65. Fainthearted: TIMID.

66. Fairy tale heavy: OGRE.

67. Out of the wind: ALEE.

69. "That was close!": WHEW.

70. Scottish monster's loch: NESS.

Down:

1. Obey an eviction notice: VACATE.

2. "He scammed me!": I WAS HAD.

3. Neon diner sign: EAT HERE.  OK, this is a billboard rather than a neon sign...

Buc-ee's Advertising

4. Food service giant: SYSCO.  Headquartered in Houston, Sysco is the global leader in distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare, and educational, and hospitality locations.

5. College faculty head: DEAN.

6. End of a professor's URL: EDU.

7. Italian scooter: VESPA.  Mike Wolfe of American Pickers tends to go gaga and to extremes when he finds one.


8. Playwright Eugene: O'NEILL.

9. Emmy winner Steve of "60 Minutes": KROFT.
      9-time Emmy Award winner including a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 2003
      3-time Peabody Award winner

10. "Good shot!": NICE ONE.

11. Quito's country: ECUADOR.  Quick !  What's their currency ?

12. Crayola Factory's Pennsylvania home: EASTON.  Now known as The Crayola Experience

Crayola.com

15. Trains over the street: ELS.   NYC's EL lines are alphabet coded.  Chicago's EL lines are color coded, and reflecting the difference, you might hear Chicago commuters riders singing NO L in December.

17. Running rate: PACE.

21. Unified whole, in psychology: GESTALT.  "...the whole of anything is greater than its parts."

23. Film title "Citizen": KANE.

27. Trappings of royalty: REGALIA.

29. One of a calendar septet: DAY.

32. Incoming flight info: ETA.

34. "The Chronic" rapper, familiarly: DRE.   Dr. Dre, formally.  DRE is short for Digital Rectal Examination.

36. Each: PER.

38. Rage: IRE.

39. Red and Yellow: SEAS.

40. Israeli port on the Mediterranean: TEL AVIV.

lonely planet - Tel Aviv

41. "The hour has arrived": IT'S TIME.

44. Brewpub draft: PALE ALE.

45. Unexpected turns of events: IRONIES.

46. Special Forces headgear: BERETS.

48. Abide by: FOLLOW.

50. Plays a part: ACTS.

52. Construction site sights: CRANES.


54. "The Lord of the Rings" actor Sean: ASTIN.

56. Horse's mouthful?: NEIGH.

58. "Not again!": OH MAN.

60. Smidgen: TAD.

61. From the top: ANEW.

64. Portland's st.: ORE.