Thursday April 19 2018 Mark McClain

Theme: To Enlightenment - find the path.

17A. *Look for a specific passage in, as a book: PAGE THROUGH. Flip, flip, flip - there it is! I've done this a thousand times. I like the phrase.

26A. *About 22% of an average 18-hole golf course: PAR THREES. A "classic" par-72 18-hole golf course will have four par-threes, four par-fives and 10 par-fours. Of course (ha!), all is variable. Muirfield, one of the "classic" links courses in Scotland began with just 14 holes. St. Andrews began life with 22 holes. They met in the middle at 18.

37A. *Point where it starts to hurt: PAIN THRESHOLD. Ow!

51A. *Like baklava layers: PAPER-THIN. Food! You should be able to read a newspaper through the pastry when it's rolled out.

61A. Explorers ... and ones who can determine what the answers to starred clues have in common?: PATHFINDERS

Nice clean puzzle from Mark, the reveal is nicely-placed at the foot of the puzzle, and the hint is clear - look for "PATH" in the theme entries. Symmetry with the theme entries starting with "PA" and broken with the second part beginning with "TH". Pleasing, maybe just to me.

Let's go and look around:

Across: 

1. Space station wear: G-SUITS. Nice enough entry, but you don't wear a G-suit in the space station, where there's zero G's - you don't need one. Fighter pilots wear them.

7. "Walk Like __": Four Seasons hit: A MAN. The best version of this I ever heard was by a British a cappella group I saw performing in a pub in London in 1980. Sadly, no recording of that survives, but here's the single they recorded in 1983 that went to number 1. They were quite amazing. No special effects, just voices.

11. Sharp-tack link: A SA

14. Stage of intensity: DEGREE

15. Pitch a fit: RANT

16. Happened upon: MET

19. It's near the midpoint of the Miss. River: ST. L. St. Loius. No "on scoreboards" reference?

20. Rap sheet data: CRIMES

21. Place Sundance liked to see: ETTA. Very nice. Etta Place, mysterious associate of the Butch and Sundance "Wild Bunch".

22. "Gotcha!": PSYCH! I'd never heard this before - the "gotcha" moment after a teasing lie. "Hey - your car is getting towed! Psych!".

28. Every time: ALWAYS

30. Key: ISLET

31. Salt formula: NACL. Good old Sodium Chloride. Don't under-use it when you cook.

32. Sprain application: ICEBAG. I'd be more likely to use an ice pack, but that's just me.

42. Watch creepily: LEER AT

43. Corn syrup brand: KARO. My sister-in-law in England asked me to bring some over on my last trip. She's just starting a cake-decorating business, and apparently neither corn syrup nor marshmallow fluff exist across the pond. Who'd a thunk it?

45. Chimney plumes: SMOKE

49. Largest cat in the genus Leopardus: OCELOT. Pretty! They can hunt by low speed-stalking, or high-speed in-your-face full-on assault. They like to swim too. Don't be a small mammal or an iguana.

56. Change as needed: ADAPT

57. Musical meter maid: RITA. The Beatles "lovely" one.

58. Exposes, in a way: RATS ON

60. Gender-neutral possessive: ITS. No apostrophe. If you're not sure - "It's an apostrophe". Contraction of "it is".

66. Numeric prefix: TRI-

67. Tête output: IDEÉ. "Je pense, donc je suis"

68. Canadian dollar coin: LOONIE. I liked the story that a loonie was smuggled in and frozen in the rink at center ice in the hockey arena at the Salt Lake Olympics and Canada won the gold medal in the men's tournament for the first time in 50 years.

69. Buddhist school: ZEN

70. Give up: CEDE

71. Con target: STOOGE

Down: 

1. Macroeconomics abbr.: GDP. Gross Domestic Product. I studied Economics at school back when Adam Smith wrote "The Wealth of Nations" and no-one could agree how to measure GDP. I don't think it's changed.

2. Bering, for one: SEA. Thank you, Dutchman Vitus Bering for exploring it, so the rest of us didn't have to go up there and freeze our nadgers off.

3. Footwear brand: UGG

4. Wrath: IRE

5. Easily peeved: TETCHY

6. Very, to Schumann: SEHR. Your German lesson for the day.

7. Candle emanation: AROMA. We had "SMOKE" earlier, so here's an alternative.

8. Catcher Joe with a trio of consecutive Gold Glove Awards (2008-10): MAUER. Thank you, crosses. C.C. would have known this without pause - he is the first baseman for the Minnesota Twins.

9. Fretful feeling: ANGST

10. Indefinite ordinal: NTH. It must have been tempting to clue this with reference to 14A.

11. Heineken brand: AMSTEL. They used to be competitors. The Amstel river flows through Amsterdam. Heineken bought them out in 1968. The best bargain in Amsterdam used to be the Heineken brewery tour before these things were common. The tour lasted about 30 minutes, then you could spend as long as you liked in the tasting room for the princely sum of about $2. Eventually word spread too wide, and like all good things, the tour came to an end.

12. Parlor piece: SETTEE

13. Finally: AT LAST

18. Material flaw: RIP

21. LPN workplaces: ER'S. Emergency Rooms where those amazing Licensed Practical Nurses ply their trade.

22. __ for gold: PAN

23. Open-handed hit: SLAP

24. Fem. advocacy group: YWCA. Young Women's Christian Association. I was a member of the London Central YMCA for quite a few years - they had the most amazingly affordable gym and swimming pool for many, many miles around and slap-dab in the center of London. I even made the swim team. I believe that year they were short of talent.

25. City WSW of Bogotá: CALI

27. Expensive: HIGH

29. Where it's at: SITE. I didn't see this until now, crosses filled it in for me.

33. 2008 biopic starring Benicio del Toro: CHE. The famous "Che Lives" poster from the 70's. My sister had one on her bedroom wall:

34. Blow it: ERR

35. Arthur with two Emmys and a Tony: BEA

36. Concerning: AS TO

38. Met or Nat: NL'ER. More baseball to keep C.C. happy!

39. Signed off on: OK'ED

40. Refrain syllables: LA LA.

41. Stop talking about: DROP

44. Legendary Giant: OTT. Mel. Baseball!

45. Quick squirt: SPRITZ

46. __ d'hôtel: MAÎTRE. The one you need to impress to get a table at a popular restaurant.

47. Decides to join: OPTS IN

48. Mauna __: KEA. or LOA. Wait for the crosses.

50. "All the Light We __ See": 2015 Pulitzer novel: CANNOT. This is really fantastic book that I read a couple of years ago. If you want to see a brilliant mind at work, read Anthonys Duerr's wonderful novel.

52. Woodworking, e.g.: TRADE

53. Despised: HATED

54. "With this ring, __ ... ": I THEE

55. Bad check letters: NSF. "Not Sufficient Funds". This can have rather unhappy consequences.

59. Lubricates: OILS

61. Photo: PIC

62. __-wop: DOO

63. Roxy Music co-founder: ENO. Brian, he of "Elevator Music". Roxy Music really were ground-breakers in pop - here's their first big hit from 1972. I remember watching Bryan Ferry and wondering which planet he came from! Brian Eno is the guy with the blond hair and psychedelic tie on the other side of the stage from Bryan Ferry. David Bowie and his "Ziggy Stardust" persona landed the same year. Good times.

64. Fix badly?: RIG. But if you rig it well, is it still fixed badly?

65. Observe: SEE.

That's about it from me - I've still got Roxy Music rocking in the background, so I'll sign off with the grid!

(with Roxy Music seguing into the Bob Dylan-penned song "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall")

Steve

Wednesday, April 18 2018, Agnes Davidson & C.C. Burnikel

Theme:

16. What constant stress does, healthwise: TAKES A TOLL.

24. Old West folklore cowboy: PECOS BILL.

49. Very expensive: BIG TICKET.

59. Taunts on the field: TALKS TRASH.

37. Things gathered by aficionados ... or what the ends of 16-, 24-, 49- and 59-Across can be?: COLLECTORS ITEMS.

Melissa here. Love this theme from our own duo. So fun and clever, and a sparkly grid-spanning reveal, right in the middle.

Across:

1. __ Romeo: Italian car: ALFA.

5. Machu Picchu people: INCAS.

10. __ Plaines: DES.

13. Copier room quantity: REAM.

14. Spanish peak: MONTE. Monte is Spanish for mountain.

15. With 27-Down, Captain Picard: JEAN.

18. Disney woman loosely based on Andersen's Snow Queen: ELSA.

19. Draw out: ELICIT.

20. Flustered state: DITHER.

22. Bathroom fixture: BASIN.

26. FedEx alternative: U.S. MAIL.

28. Arsenal inventory: AMMO.

29. "What was __ was saying?": IT I.

30. Japanese rolls: SUSHI.

33. Dip __ in: test: A TOE.

41. Patella's place: KNEE.

42. Decorate: ADORN.

43. Video game letters: NES.

44. N.Y. Cosmos org.: NASL. North American Soccer League.

47. Wee bit: SMIDGE.

54. Indian __: OCEAN.

55. Enthusiastic reply to "Who knows the answer?": I DO I DO.

56. More lax: LOOSER.

58. Muscat money: RIAL. Muscat is the capitol of Oman.

63. Barracks beds: COTS.

64. Forest fixtures: TREES.

65. Citrus hybrid: UGLI. Grapefruit, orange, and tangerine.

66. Brooklyn __, N.Y.: HTS.

67. Medicinal plant: SENNA.

68. Techie, often: NERD.

Down:

1. Co-star of Jackie on "The Honeymooners": ART.

2. __ & Perrins steak sauce: LEA.

3. Happy face that's put on: FAKE SMILE.

4. Bedelia of kiddie lit: AMELIA.

5. Apple choice: iMAC. Sneaky.

6. "Reward" for poor service: NO TIP.

7. 20 fins: C NOTE. $100. Fin is French for five. Correction (thanks NB & YR): Per Wiki, "The $5 bill is sometimes nicknamed a "fin."

8. Braves, on sports news crawls: ATL.

9. Once in a long while: SELDOM.

10. Indian city on the Yamuna River: DELHI. Sad.

11. Studio support: EASEL.

12. Doghouse "Don't come any closer!": SNARL.

15. Water-propelled craft: JET BOAT.

17. "Truman" actor: SINISE.

21. Belief ending: ISM.

22. General Motors brand: BUICK.

23. __ Martin: British car: ASTON.

25. Tahrir Square city: CAIRO. Capitol city of Egypt.

27. See 15-Across: LUC.

31. Follow furtively: STALK.

32. Mason's tray: HOD.

34. Youngster's time of life: TENDER AGE.

35. Luxury timepiece: OMEGA.

36. City on the Ruhr: ESSEN.

38. Soup legumes: LENTILS.

39. Most Soc. Sec. recipients: SRS.

40. Secret to the max: INMOST. If you say so.

45. Give a leg up: AID.

46. Lawn care giant: SCOTTS.

48. Post-winter river thaw: ICE RUN. I was thinking a different kind of ICE RUN.

49. Canoe wood: BIRCH. Any John McPhee fans? 

50. Nincompoop: IDIOT. Love the clue.

51. Kids on a farm?: GOATS. Who knew this is a thing?

52. First name in daytime TV: ELLEN. Same number of letters as OPRAH.

53. Arcade coin: TOKEN.

57. Mount of Greek myth: OSSA. Wikipedia.

60. "__ You Lonesome Tonight?": ARE.

61. Camera type, for short: SLR. Single-Lens Reflex.

62. Put in a secret place: HID.

Tuesday April 17, 2018, Roland Huget

Americans love pets.   They bring us joy and make us laugh with their silly behaviors and antics.  Today Roland brings us the mixed breed.  They were pretty easy to spot. 

Let's call the theme Mutts and Moggies

17. Welcome wind on a hot day: MILD BREEZE.

42. "Best thing since" invention metaphor: SLICED BREAD.

36. Successful cryptographer: CODE BREAKER.

The reveal:
62. Pet without papers ... or what is literally found in the circled letters: MIXED BREED.

Across:

1. Not at all good: EVIL.  Bad to the bone.

5. Piece-of-cake shape: WEDGE.  I wanted slice.  Both wedge and slice are also golf terms.  If you routinely slice your wedge, it's time to see your local PGA teaching professional.  He or she may correct your grip and swing plane.  That should get you back on track, easy as 1-2-3, piece-of-cake. 

10. Tick off: MIFF.  Peeve.

14. Use a surgical beam: LASE.

15. Toward the back: AREAR.  Aftward on a ship.

16. "What I Am" singer Brickell: EDIE.  Trivia fact: Married to Paul Simon.


19. First-rate: A-ONE. Alternatively written as A1.  We see that as the Audi model or the Kraft Steak Sauce and many Other Uses.

Driving fast on the A1.   There's also the A1 autobahn in Germany.  This driver makes the 90 minute drive from Bremen to Hamburg in 42 minutes.  He's driving a BMW 730d, and after the first 11 minutes or so, he pushes it up to and sustains almost 250 klicks per hour.  That's over 150 MPH ! Watch starting at 11:10 after he gets out of the speed-limit zone.    If you really want to see the scenery fly by, change the video playback options to run at 2X speed.    

20. Grab greedily: SNATCH.

21. Brought back to mind: RECALLED.

23. Migratory flying formations: VEEs.

25. Dance move: STEP.

26. Carrots' partners: PEAS. Some things just go together.  Bacon and eggs.  Hugs and kisses.  Tea and biscuits.  Love and marriage. Spaghetti and meatballs. The moon and the stars.  Turkey and dressing.  Fred and Ginger.  Peanut butter and jelly.  Wine and cheese.  Burger and fries.  Rodgers and Hammerstein.   Your turn. 

29. Dangerous tide: RIP.

31. Airing in the wee hours: ON LATE.  Like that pillow guy. 

35. Dr.'s orders: Rxs.  Prescriptions. 

38. Diner: EATER.

40. Cup handle: EAR.

41. Not reactive, as gases: INERT.

45. Untruth: LIE.

46. Walked with purpose: STRODE.

47. Typical John Grisham subject: LAW.

48. Back talk: SASS.

49. Nervous twitches: TICS.

51. Retail center: MART. 

Managed by Apu

53. Cigarette stimulant: NICOTINE.

57. Staggered: REELED.

61. Neutral shade: ECRU.

64. Drop of sorrow: TEAR.

65. Oscar-winning "Skyfall" singer: ADELE.


66. Family babysitter: NANA.

67. Attaches a patch, say: SEWS.

68. Massenet opera about a Spanish legend: LE CID.    Opera lovers like Hahtoolah probably nailed this.

In the early 1600s, French playwright Pierre Corneille wrote the play Le Cid based on the legend of Spanish medieval hero El Cid.  The play was wildly popular, but Corneille took a lot of flak and created quite the stir because he initially wrote the play as both a tragedy and a comedy. That was a big no-no at the time, at least as far as the French cultural authorities were concerned.

In the late 1800s, French composer Jules Massenet turned the play into an opera: Massenet's Le Cid - Synopsis.  Here's audio of Enrico Caruso singing the aria "O souverain, o juge, o père" from Massenet's Le Cid.

Good thing the perps gave me LE, because I would have had EL.

69. Absolut rival: SKYY.   Vodka brands.   Tinbeni gets options ! 

 

Gentleman's Gazette - The Vodka Guide  

Down:

1. O'Neill's "Desire Under the __": ELMS.

2. Fruitless: VAIN.

3. Cuba, por ejemplo: ISLA.  Spanish in the clue, Spanish in the answer.  Or, if you so prefer, the same in Portuguese.

4. Some HD sets: LED TVs.

5. Medal recipient: WAR HERO. 

6. Poetic preposition before "now" or "long": ERE.

7. Animal on XING signs: DEER.   

8. Long looks: GAZES.

9. __ set: building toy: ERECTOR. Inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in 1988.  Salem, Oregon born inventor, athlete, magician, toy-maker and businessman Alfred Carlton Gilbert is best known as the inventor of the Erector Set.  He also invented the pole vault box.  As an athlete, he set a world record for consecutive chin ups, and then set a world record in pole vault in 1906 while a student at Yale.  He then won a Gold Medal in pole vault at the 1908 Olympics.   He was dubbed by the press as "The Man Who Saved Christmas" after arguing successfully against a ban on toy production in 1918 during World War I.  Source: Wikipedia and acgilbert.org.

10. College student's dining choice: MEAL PLAN. How Not to Blow Your College Meal Plan

11. Singing competition that returned in 2018, familiarly: IDOL.  American Idol.

12. "Okay by me": FINE.  I can usually gauge the mood of my wife based on tone. 

13. Nourish: FEED.

18. Letters in old dates: BCE.   Wikipedia: "...Before the Common or Current Era (BCE)...   In the later 20th century, the use of CE and BCE was popularized in academic and scientific publications, and more generally by authors and publishers wishing to emphasize secularism or sensitivity to non-Christians, by not explicitly referencing Jesus as "Christ" and Dominus ("Lord") through use of the abbreviation "AD"..."

22. Virgil epic: AENEID. Oh man.  Not my cuppa.  Here goes:  Epic poem of myth and legend written by the ancient Roman poet Virgil.  Lots of supernatural meddling and involvement.  The hero is Aeneas.  Leads other Trojans as they sail to Italy, escaping Troy after the Greeks attacked.  Spartans and Trojans didn't get along at the time.  Perils along the way.  They make it.  Build a city that generations later becomes Rome. Wins battles.  Gets hindered and helped by the gods at many turns.  Sounds like George Lucas and Star Wars to me, but I've never seen that movie either.  How did I do Misty ?  I'll take the D+ and move on.

24. Flip of a 45 record: SIDE B.

26. Defensive basketball tactic: PRESS. Short for pressure.  The team without the ball (the defense) tries to pressure the offense into making a mistake and causing the offense to lose possession of the ball.  The change of (ball) possession is known as a turnover, and is the primary goal of the press. 

27. Praise highly: EXALT.

28. Up and about: ASTIR.

30. Oyster jewel: PEARL.

32. Cub Scout leader: AKELA.  The leader and guide for Cub Scouts on the advancement trail. Borrowed from Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book as a symbol of wisdom, authority and leadership.  scouting.org, cubscouts.org, wikipedia.

33. Hatcher and Garr: TERIs.

34. Some Deco prints: ERTEs.   Russian-born  Romain de Tirtoff was known by the pseudonym "Erté",  from the French pronunciation of his initials.

36. College transcript unit: CREDIT.

37. Silvery freshwater fish: BREAM.

39. Nature excursions: ECOTOURS. Ecological tourism. 

43. Dot between dollars and cents: DECIMAL.

44. Given, as a medal: AWARDED.

48. Rudder locales: STERNS. Aft-most.  Spitzboov would know all these terms, and more !

50. Snarky: SNIDE.

52. Yank's war foe: REB. Yankees and Rebels in the U.S. Civil War.  Generally, northerners and southerners.  How much southern blood does your speech show ?  Take this test.

53. Earns after taxes: NETS.

54. Slushy drink brand: ICEE.  Apu sells a similar product called Squishee at Kwik-E-Mart.

55. Avian crop: CRAW.  Merriam-Webster definitions:

• Avian: of, relating to, or derived from birds
• Crop: a pouched enlargement of the esophagus of many birds that serves as a receptacle for food and for its preliminary maceration; also : an enlargement of the digestive tract of another animal (such as an insect)
• Craw: The crop of a bird or insect.

56. Boardroom VIP: EXEC.

58. Security breach: LEAK.

59. Counting rhyme word: EENY.

60. June 6, 1944: D-DAY.

63. Collegian who roots for the Bulldogs: ELI.

A Yale University student is often called an Eli or a Yalie. The athletic teams of Yale are the Bulldogs.

Handsome Dan is the name of the actual bulldog that  serves as the mascot.
Iteration Number 18 is now serving.

Good boy.



Here's the grid:

See all y'all later n'at !