Saturday, July 7, 2018, Kyle Dolan

Themeless Saturday by Kyle Dolan

Today celebrates a dessert favorite of my wife of 51 years - The Strawberry Sundae. I think my lovely bride should buy stock in The Driscoll Strawberry Company of Watsonville, California as their products are in our fridge in perpetuity. 

The worst job I ever had in my misspent youth was one my dad got for me without asking - picking strawberries in the hot sun for a dime a pint.

I last had one of Dr. Dolan's themeless wonders in May and this one was just as challenging and fun as that one. Doing puzzles on the computer early in order to get a blog ready lends itself to small errors and I had to correct a cell that would have been okay if I had been using paper and pencil. 

Now let's see what innovative fill Kyle has for us that reflects his job description above.

Across:

1. Shiloh's parents, familiarly: BRANGELINA - Shiloh Pitt-Jolie is the eldest biological child of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie whose portmanteau is BRANGELINA; which ranks right up there with ELHI for me

11. With 15-Across, kind of vehicle: OFF and 15. See 11-Across: ROAD - Hmmm, there's a reason to stay ON ROAD!

14. Regional charm: LOCAL COLOR - We attended a wedding in a vineyard near Venice, Italy where we got a lot of LOCAL COLOR and plenty of a clear liquor that resembled ouzo. 

17. 2005 Cusack/Thornton thriller/comedy, with "The": ICE HARVEST - Rotten Tomatoes says, "Meh"

18. Caramel-filled candy: ROLO

19. Puckish group?: Abbr.: NHL - A wonderful puckish story

20. The Righteous Brothers' "Ebb Tide" wasn't one: DUET - Bobby Hatfield blew the doors off that song alone! It's worth a YouTube visit and so is 34. "Smooth Operator" singer: SADE - Sha DAY and so is 8. Ellington's "__ Song Go Out of My Heart": I LET A.

23. Demise: DEATH - The actual quote and 21. "Really?": IS IT SO? Uh, no, IT was not SO.

25. English house symbolized by a red rose: LANCASTER and 50. Any of the 25-Across kings: HENRY - they ruled for 60 years with Henry IV, V and VI

27. Julia of film: RAUL - RAUL is his first name. He took a turn as Gomez Addams in The Addams Family movie

29. The Jungfrau, e.g.: ALP.

30. Cocktail salt site: RIM - Hey a soldier can just make so many sacrifices 

31. Not abundant: SCANT - Civility in today's political discourse on both sides

33. Put away: ATE - If you ATE one of these 28" pepperoni pizzas in less than an hour, you won $100 and a $100 gift certificate to LW Pizza in Long Beach, CA. Oh yeah, the big pizza would also be free.

35. Great reception: STANDING OVATION 

38. Besmirches: TARS 

39. Asian language: LAO - ສະ​ບາຍ​ດີ​, ເຈົ້າ​ສະ​ບາຍ​ດີ​ບໍ່​ sa bai di chao sa bai di bo (Hello, how are you?)

40. As a whole: IN ALL.

41. Type of port: USB - Reading left to right on my MacBook Pro you have a charging port, two thunderbolt ports, a USB port and a port for headphones

42. Thrust producer: FIN - Here's a good caudal fin

43. Some code taps: DITS - Go to this Morse Code Translator site, type in your name in the input section, hit the play button to the right of the Translate box. You'll get visual and audio version of your name in DITS and DOTS!

44. Shell-shaped dessert brand: CHOCO TACO and 48. Ice cream alternative, familiarly: FROYO both look good this time of year

47. A bit less than a quart: FIFTH 

51. Stoolie: CANARY - Not all of them are feathered but can still "sing like a CANARY"

52. Ancient Cuzco resident: INCA.

54. Sushi topper: ROE.

55. Shel Silverstein poem "Hug __": O'WAR - A lovely sentiment 

56. Ball attire: DINNER GOWN.

59. Bob Dylan's musical tribute to his wife: SARA - Okay

60. Company with Wienermobiles: OSCAR MAYER 

62. Chilling account: GHOST STORY- The prefect atmosphere 

Down:

1. Obligatory poker bet: BLIND  - In "flop style" poker, the obligatory BLINDS move around the table with The Button from hand to hand

2. Tamiflu manufacturer: ROCHE.

3. Boston-D.C. service: ACELA  - High speed rail

4. "Sorry": NAH - Sorry is in quotes indicating sarcasm 

5. Feigned enthusiastic greeting: GLAD HAND  - Also called "pressing the flesh" or "working the rope line"

6. Brown family shade: ECRU.

7. Apollo 13 astronaut: LOVELL - In the final scene of the movie Apollo 13, Tom Hanks plays Jim LOVELL and Jim LOVELL as seen here is playing the part of an admiral welcoming the astronauts aboard the U.S.S. Iwo Jima

Jim Lovell and Tom Hanks in Apollo XIII

9. Crossword clue features: Abbr.: NOS - This one is NO. 9 Down

10. Constitution's ratification section: ARTICLE VII.

11. Root in perfumery: ORRIS  - Into each puzzle, a little learning must fall. This root is used in some perfumes, incense and gin

12. Track through the woods: FOOT TRAIL - This FOOT TRAIL in Yosemite includes this bridge over Kings River

13. Its worship is often forbidden: FALSE IDOL - A FALSE IDOL is in the zealotry of the worshipper

16. Uniformed greeters: DOORMEN - I don't know if you should be proud or ashamed that you remember the TV series that featured Carlton the DOORMAN

22. Easy mark: SAP.

24. Prefix with gender: TRANS.

26. 29-member org.: NATO.

28. Dalmatian, say, to a Brit: UTILITY DOG - Here is a Dalmatian serving a UTILITARIAN role in a famous venue

31. Store safely: STASH AWAY  - I did STASH AWAY my 1950's baseball cards but when mom and dad moved... 

32. Rich pasta dish: CARBONARA - How 'bout some shrimp CARBONARA? 61. "Woo-hoo!": YAY.

33. Long __: AGO.

34. GDR spy group: STASI - The former headquarters of this brutal and repressive organization is now a museum in Berlin

35. Applies plaster to: STUCCOS.

36. Darling pooch: NANA - A picture of NANA the dog with the Darling children in an illustration by an unknown artist for Scottish author J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan

37. Formicaria: ANT FARMS  - ...and the learning just keeps on happening

42. Supporting: FOR.

43. Prima __: DONNAS - (Prima Doggies)

45. Longtime name in baseball broadcasting: CARAY  - A truly iconic, if not always accurate (or some say sober), broadcaster who was famous for this musical interlude

46. Half of diez: CINCO - La mitad de las diez es CINCO (1/2 of ten is five)

49. Lookout position: TOWER - Testing what can be seen from the guard towers

53. Dead __: very likely thing, to a Brit: CERT - Couldn't find it in here:

57. Sorta relative: ISH.

58. Noir weapon: GAT - Pistol also Rod, Roscoe or Heater

Make a  comment and then get out the ice cream, strawberries, whipped cream (Cool Whip at our house) and a cherry 


DA GRID:

Friday, July 6, 2018, Susan Gelfand

Title: Dress your automobile for success.

Susan returns for her second 2018 puzzle, 6th LAT, and first Friday. She found four standard automobile components with the second word being a type of apparel. Then she clued them to reflect the clothing, not the part. Her definition of TIMING BELT is pretty funny and the others witty. She then packages it all in a pinwheel grid loaded with some nice 7/8 letter fill - ANALYST, HOKIEST, LOSES TO, PIGS OUT, STRIPES,  ZIPPERS, ARBITRATE and  SNEEZED AT. Oddly, neither ZIPPERS nor RUBBED has ever appeared in a LAT puzzle. On the other hand, there was a slew of very obscure clue/fill combinations which made this work.

17A. *Footwear that slows you down?: BRAKE SHOES (10). We start with a part that gets 70,900,000  HITS.

38A. *Satchels with vents?: AIR BAGS (4). Can you believe 771,000,000 hits for THESE?

60A. *Headwear with a power supply?: BATTERY CAP (10). There were 170 million hits for THIS.

11D. *Leg covering with a warmer?: HEATER HOSE (10) There were 42 million hits for this part. LINK.

29D. *Trouser support with rhythm?: TIMING BELT (10). 81,700,000 hits HERE.

And the reveal which seemed unnecessary:

57D. What the answers to starred clues are part of: CARS.(4)

Across:

1. Kid: JOSH. Not your nephew Josh, but "to make fun of, to banter," 1845 (intransitive), 1852 (transitive), American English; according to "Dictionary of American Slang.

5. Affected: ARTSY. It is interesting how culturally an appreciation for the fine arts has some negative connotation.

10. Layered hairstyle: SHAG. Speaking of connotations, Austin Powers, where are you? LINK.

14. Germany's von Bismarck: OTTO. This man was the most important figure in 19th century Europe.

15. Capital on the Aar: BERNE.  An Old CITY.

16. Relate: TELL. Okay, this is easy.

19. Pro __: RATA.

20. Fancy pillow material: SATIN. Pillowcases? LINK.

21. Takes a gander at: EYES. Always will remind me of Splynter and legs.

LINK

22. Urban extensions?: ITES.

23. Dutch export: EDAM. A repeat from last Friday. Cheesy!

25. Backpack features: ZIPPERS. Why backpacks?

27. Prepare: GET SET. On your mark...

30. Clipped to a greater extent: TERSER. This first-time clue was very hard to parse

31. Ramp sign: EXIT.

32. Glorify: LAUD. Praise (a person or their achievements) highly, especially in a public context.

34. Virtually can't be beaten: IS HOT. Erm.

37. Flee: LAM. Not used to this as a verb: 3rd person present: lams; past tense: lammed; past participle: lammed; gerund or present participle: lamming

40. Big Ten sch. with eight national football championships: OSU. This the other one JzB mentioned on Wednesday- the Ohio State University.

41. Request before a shot: SMILE. Photoshoot.

43. Diminish: BATE. This also was slow, as I did not think of the definition to reduce the force or intensity of - e.g. waited with bated breath

44. "In your dreams!": AS IF. YEAH RIGHT! Made popular by the movie CLUELESS staring Alicia Silverstone.

45. "Walker, Texas Ranger" star: NORRIS. Chuck, not our editor Rich.

47. Name on the cover of "Death in the Afternoon": ERNEST. Hemingway by the way.

49. Goes overboard, in a way: PIGS OUT. Not o'ded.

51. Furniture giant: IKEA. You recall the acronym?

52. Jewelry location: LOBE. Ear, ear...

53. Muffin choice: BRAN. Not so much

55. "But I don't want to go among mad people" speaker: ALICE.
“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
                                 "How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
                                 "You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”

59. Singles: ONES. Money, honey.

62. What flowers may do: WILT.

63. Kitchen additions?: ETTES. We have a nice Italian restaurant called Kitchenetta in town. And, 38D. Space beginning: AERO.

64. LPGA golfer __ Pak: SE RI. The single most influential golfer in the history of women's golf, who paved the way for all the Korean stars who took up Athe game. LINK.
AA
65. 1974 Peace Nobelist from Japan: SATO. His STORY.

66. Passes out cards: DEALS.

67. Hardy title teenager: TESS. d'Ubervilles.


Down:

1. Positions: JOBS.

2. Other, in Oviedo: OTRA. Just Spanish.

3. Stolen bases, e.g.: STATistic.

4. Most contrived: HOKIEST. Dictionary  (2) noticeably contrived. "a hokey country-western accent"

5. Hunk's pride: ABS.

6. Bring up again?: RE-HEM. More misdirection.

7. Horse victim?: TROY. Speaking of contrived...

8. Treated as unimportant: SNEEZED AT. My mother was big on using this phrase- " that $2.85 an hour is nothing to be sneezed at."

9. Polite affirmation: YES SIR.

10. Highway markings: STRIPES. So simple, yet elusive.

12. Make changes to: ALTER.

13. Wine __: GLASS. A toast-

18. Köln closing: ENDE. We call this city Cologne.

24. Hun king, in Norse legend: ATLI. Maybe you will want to read this VERSION.

26. Pitchfork-shaped letters: PSIS. ΨΨΨ

27. Some goop: GELS. Hair?

28. Knowledge determinant: EXAM. Not necessarily an accurate measure.

30. Big brass: TUBAS.

33. Resolve, in a way: ARBITRATE. Mediation and arbitration have replaced the need for so many trials, judges and juries.

35. Medical suffix: OSIS. E.G. denoting a pathological state.  "stenosis" "psychosis" or
"neurosis"

36. Clump: TUFT. The difference between clump and tuft is that clump is a cluster or lump; an unshaped piece or mass while tuft is a bunch of feathers, grass or hair, etc, held together at the base.

39. Computer whiz: GEEK. This site is proof this is not so any longer.

42. Finishes behind: LOSES TO.

44. Wall Street figure: ANALYST.

46. Massaged: RUBBED. Just do not do it the wrong way.

48. Tail: REAR.

49. Farm equipment: PLOWS.

50. Ancient Greek region: IONIA. More Greek rhymes with geek.

51. Debriefing info: INTEL.

54. "__ girl!": ATTA.

56. Cold drink brand: ICEE.

58. Christian denom.: EPIScopalian.

61. Curved shape: ESS.

I am not sure if my brain was scrambled by all the fireworks explosions this week, but this puzzle took me a long time and much second-guessing. That was after I got the theme early on. Made for a Friday challenge, which is what is supposed to happen. YMMV. Hope you all had a safe holiday, I am enjoying the renewed enthusiasm here with all your comments. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.: 

I've opened a thread for Jumble talk. Please mark this page. Just give a hint on the Corner blog that you need Jumble chat, then move the further discussions to that Comments section. 

Thanks for the understanding.

Thursday July 5th 2018 Agnes Davidson & C.C. Burnikel

Theme Stock Stuffers. Stuff with "stock" in them.

18A. Target, for one: BIG BOX STORE. Some people like to call the chain "Tar-jay" to make it sound posher.

24A. Dairy producer: CATTLE FARM. Now, I'm not sure I can let this one go. A dairy farm produces dairy. A feedlot, which might be called a cattle farm by some, turns cattle into beef. A cattle ranch produces more cattle. By the way, "cattle" is one of those great words that the more times you write it, the funnier it looks.

51A. Instant Pot function: SLOW COOKER. Strange really - the primary function of an Instant Pot is cook things quickly, not slowly. It's a pressure cooker, first and foremost.

60A. Typical annual meeting attendee ... or what 18-, 24- and 51-Across each can be, in a way: STOCKHOLDER

Corner stalwarts Agnes and C.C. teamed up on this one. Straightforward theme, some nice longer downs, my usual challenges with the TV show talent, but crosses took care of those. Let's see what pops:

Across: 

1. Cristal maker: BIC. This is my kind of Cristal - salut!

4. Challenging: HARD

8. English town worth its salt?: EPSOM. Magnesium sulphate, chemically. The salt has quite a range of uses, from lowering blood pressure to acting as a binding agent in tofu. Handy stuff to have around. Here's the original well in Epsom:

13. "Queen of the South" TV network: USA. A drama-thriller adapted from the telenovela which aired on Telemundo. Queen of the South are also a Scottish professional soccer team, playing in the company of other splendidly-named sides such as Hamilton Academical, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, and Heart of Midlothian.

14. Moon of Uranus: ARIEL

16. Goat sound?: LONG "O". Got me again, this long/short stuff is tough for me to parse.

17. Got together: MET

20. "Goodfellas" Oscar winner: PESCI

22. What a muff may protect: EAR

23. Has debts: OWES

28. "Cheers" spin-off: FRASIER

29. Hungers: YEARNS

33. Campus official: DEAN

34. Returning GI's diagnosis: PTSD. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

36. Crush a test: ACE IT

37. A bit off: ODD

38. Ad Council ad: PSA. Public Service Advertising.

39. 18-time MLB All-Star Carew: ROD

41. Crime scene letters: DNA

42. Bowen of "Modern Family": JULIE

44. Bunny slope lift: T-BAR. When I skied in the Alps back in the Stone Age, many of the longer lifts to take you up the mountain were t-bars. It took practice not to knock your fellow-rider off when you were doubled-up.

46. After that: THEN

47. Act that warms up the crowd: OPENER

49. Baby bodysuits: ONESIES

53. Player on three FIFA World Cup champion teams: PELE. The only player in World Cup history to do so. Cracking World Cup so far this time around. It's just a shame that the announcers, analysts and play-by-play folks on Fox demonstrate at least once a minute that they have little to no clue what they're talking about.

56. Ballet shoe part: TOE

57. "Molly's Game" actor Elba: IDRIS. This is Cader Idris, or "Chair of Idris" in the Welsh mountains, named for the giant of legend:

64. Words of assent: I DO

65. Nation: STATE

66. Cluster of small stars?: D-LIST

67. Fresh: NEW

68. Aster family member: TANSY. I read "Astor" first and went to look up Tansy Astor to see where she fit in the family. Silly me.

69. Scalawags: IMPS. What do you call a Milanese opera humorist? La Scala wag.

70. Pump output: GAS

Down:

1. Road warning sign: BUMP

2. "It's clear now": I SEE

3. String game: CAT'S CRADLE

4. Patterns that repeat: HABITS

5. "Entourage" agent Gold: ARI

6. Fix: RIG

7. "A diamond is forever" sloganeer: DE BEERS. Founded by Cecil Rhodes, he of "Rhodesia" fame, or infamy, depending on your viewpoint.

8. Golfer known as "The Big Easy": ELS. South African major championship winner. His "Els For Autism" foundation focuses on helping adult ASD sufferers transition to a more independent lifestyle. Great guy.

9. Foggy Bottom river: POTOMAC. DC neighborhood west of the White House and downtown. A diner near me used to serve the "Foggy Bottom Burger" which had peanut butter and jelly along with the patty. No-one ever knew why. The place is closed now, some might say one had something to do with the other.

10. Winter coat: SNOW

11. Tyrant: OGRE

12. Springfield hangout: MOE'S. Homer's hangout in "The Simpsons".

15. Sit around: LOAF

19. Body image, perhaps: X-RAY

21. Scott of "Hawaii Five-0": CAAN

25. What waiters wait for: TIPS

26. Set on: LET AT

27. Audition (for): READ

28. Out of patience: FED UP

30. Distracting literary device: RED HERRING

31. Best-dressed goal?: NINES. "Dressed to the nines".  A Scottish phrase, alluding to the nine muses. Robert Burns' "Poem on Pastoral Poetry" has:

Thou paints auld nature to the nines,

In thy sweet Caledonian lines.

I wonder if he was an Inverness Caledonian Thistle fan?

32. "American Dad!" dad: STAN. Thank you, crosses.

33. Karate studio: DOJO

35. Pipe cleaner: DRANO

38. Rind: PEEL

40. Nabisco nibble: OREO

43. About 80% of the world's species, according to the Smithsonian: INSECTS

45. Italian tenor Andrea: BOCELLI

46. Like games needing extra innings: TIED. A tie in Test Match cricket is one of the most exciting finishes to a five-day game. There are no extra innings, you all shake hands, toast each other with a cup o' tea and go home.

48. Type of IRA: ROTH

50. Goes around: SKIRTS

52. Mahogany or oak: WOOD

53. Covert "Over here!": PSST!

54. Vocalist James: ETTA

55. Balance sheet liability: LOAN. Depends if you make the loan or take the loan.

58. Creative thought: IDEA

59. Scatters, as seed: SOWS

61. Major: KEY. Let's indulge in a little Canon in D Major played from Pachelbel's original manuscript on instruments of the era. Rather lovely. I feel a little sorry for the cellist and the dude on the theorbo stage left, unless they're deliberately camera-shy!

62. Low-lit: DIM

63. Paranormal claim: ESP. Extra-Sensory Perception.

And the grid:

That's me done!

Steve

1) Note from Agnes and C.C.:

Sorry this theme sounds familiar to some of you. We first sent this puzzle to Rich in early 2017, but our revision query got lost for some time. Then Rich had to wait a bit as he had just published another puzzle with the same reveal.

2) Here is a note from our Wednesday constructor Jeffrey:

In reference to the comment from Anthony Gael Moral at 9:42 – It is reasonable that many people were expecting a Fourth of July theme today, and some seemed rather disappointed by the lack of it. However, this specific comment seemed to imply that the LA times unpatriotically shunned the Fourth and used an acting theme instead. As a constructor who has had a July 4th themed puzzle published in the LA Times, I think this notion is rather far-fetched. The LA Times puzzle editor has no control over what puzzles are submitted; it’s probably simply the case that there happened to be no July 4th-themed offerings this year. And by the way, about a month ago I thought of a July 4th related theme, but it was too close to the holiday to submit it in time. I will do so next year. Also, I am confident that whether the puzzle is accepted or not will depend solely on the professional consideration of the editor on the objective quality of the theme concept and the filled grid.

Wednesday, July 4, 2018 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Buried Treasures.  Highly desirable, indeed, coveted items are concealed in multi-word answers.  Let's look first at the unifier to see what kind of hidden words we should look for.

53 A. They're "presented" in 20-, 28- and 46-Across: ACTING AWARDS. They'll be identified in the theme entries below - "presented," yes, but in an obscure way.

20 A. "What a terrifying experience!": I WAS SO SCARED.  We've all had those moments.  You know what yours are.  Twenty-four OSCARs are presented each year by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science for acting and various other categories of artistic and technical excellence.

28 A. "Love to everyone!": GIVE THEM MY BEST.  Lots of affection to spread around.  The EMMY awards are presented at various times throughout the year for excellence in television by three different organizations -  the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

46. Leave the firm to work solo: GO OUT ON YOUR OWN. Do you have that entrepreneurial spirit?  The TONY awards recognize excellence in Broadway plays.  They are presented at an annual ceremony in New York by the American Theater Wing and the Broadway League.

Hi, Gang - JazzBumpa on center stage today, a bit surprised to not see an Independence Day theme.  But we do have a fine entry by Jeffrey.  So let's read this script down and see if we can act on it.

But first - come on, it's the 4th of July, so this is mandatory.

Who doesn't love the Muppets?

OK - back to business.

Across:

1. Error: SLIP.  Starting off with a mistake.  Did somebody miss a cue or forget their lines?

5. Place for a panel: DAIS.  A low platform for a lectern, seats of honor or a throne. STAGE also fits.

9. Chemistry lab fluids: ACIDS.  Solutions of pH less than 7, capable of neutralizing alkaline materials by donating a proton or accepting an electron pair.  Sorry for going all geeky on you.  Long ago I was a chemist.

14. "Gray's Anatomy," for one: TOME.  A large, heavy or scholarly BOOK [which also fits, BTW,] not the like-named TV drama.

15. Austen novel: EMMA. A comedy of manners set in Regency England.  The eponym considers herself to be a match-maker, and misadventures ensue.

16. Four-page sheet: FOLIO.  This is one of three page-related meanings indicated by this word.

17. Wilson of "Father Figures": OWEN. Actor, producer and screen-writer who received an OSCAR nomination for best screen play for co-writing The Royal Tannenbaums with Wes Anderson

18. Ground corn, e.g.: MEAL.  The edible portion of ground grain.

19. "Poems are made by fools like me" poem: TREES.  By Joyce Kilmer.

I think that I shall never see 

A poem lovely as a tree. 

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest 

Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast; 

A tree that looks at God all day, 

And lifts her leafy arms to pray; 

A tree that may in Summer wear 

A nest of robins in her hair; 

Upon whose bosom snow has lain; 

Who intimately lives with rain. 

Poems are made by fools like me, 

But only God can make a tree.

23. __ Major: constellation: CANIS.  Had the sky bears last week, along with Orion the Hunter.  Today, it's going to the dogs.  This is the big one, Orion's hunting dog, Laelaps.

Arf

24. Fitting: APROPOS. Apropriate, apt, timely.  From French, meaning "on that subject."

32. Summer on the Seine: ETE.  A French season that is not tarragon.

33. Sch. term: SEM.  Short or long, a school term is a semester.

34. Author Joyce Carol __: OATES. [b. 1938] Author of over 40 novels, and many plays, short stories, novellas and poems.

35. Arctic deer: CARIBOU.  Also known as reindeer, they are native to all sorts of arctic and sub arctic terrain in Europe, Siberia and North America.

38. Org. providing creature comfort?: ASPCA.  American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.  Be kind to your hunting dog.  Or caribou.

42. Sue Grafton's "__ for Lawless": L IS.  Her alphabet mystery series started with A is for Alibi.  I lost interest around D.

43. "Cats" monogram: T S E.  Thomas Sterns Elliot.  Jellicle Cat comes from his infant niece's attempts to say "calico cat," or perhaps it was "dear little cat."  Some things are uncertain.

50. Run: OPERATE.  Be in control of.

51. "There is __ in the affairs of men": Brutus: A TIDE. "  .  .  .  Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune."  Sounds like an opportunist to me.

57. Sprint, e.g.: TELCO.  Telecommunications Company.

60. Bearded critter: GOAT.  I wanted a GNU, the the news is - that didn't fit.

61. Picket fence piece: SLAT.  Aka -- picket.  If you are keenly interested, this vid might be fascinating.  Otherwise, it might cure insomnia.

62. First-stringers: A-TEAM.  The best ones we have.

Soldiers of Fortune

63. Quasimodo creator: HUGO.  Victor [1802 - 1885] One of the best known French novelists.  Q is The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  His other famous work is Les Miserables.  Two of my grandsons were in a youth production of the musical a few years AGO.  Watching them die at the barricade was wrenching.

64. Head, in Le Havre: TETE.  French.  I have no head for French.

65. Muckety-muck: NABOB.  A person of conspicuous wealth or high status.  Sometimes used ironically about one who overestimates himself.

66. Lose one's cool: SNAP.  Throw a fit.

67. River of central Germany: EDER.  A 177 Km long tributary of the Fulda, a 220 KM long tributary of the Weser, a 281 Km long river which flows through Bremen and empties into the North Sea at Bremerhaven.  From this port my Hungarian grandmother came to America, lo, these many years past.

Down:

1. Unlikely to become overwrought: STOIC.  One who does not show emotion, named for the 3rd century B.C. Greek school of philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium.  This was a philosophy of personal ethics based on logic and an unwillingness to give in to the passions of the moment, with a view towards fairness and justice.

2. Like a McJob, typically: LOW WAGE.  Also with few prospects, for which the worker is typically over-qualified.

3. "This is serious!": I MEAN IT.  Not joking, this time.

4. Thoughtful: PENSIVE.  Long ago I saw a movie that had a snippet of dialog that went something like this --

He: You look pensive.
She: No.  I was just thinking  .  .  .

Don't remember what movie it was.

5. Sales rep's aid: DEMO.  A working model or example, used to demonstrate the product

6. Iowa college city: AMES.  Iowa State U. is in AMES, which is about 30 miles north of Des Moines.

7. All-in-one Apple desktop: I-MAC.  Computer.

8. Arabic for "peace": SALAAM.

9. Door holder's words: AFTER YOU. 

10. Andalusian city: CORDOBA.  In southern Spain, this area has been occupied since Neaderthal times. The city originated as a Roman settlement, then was a center of Muslim culture from the 8th century until it was recaptured by Christian forces in 1236.  It is the hottest city in Europe with an average high temperature of 37 C [99 F] in July and August.

11. Martinique, par exemple: ILE.  An island in the Lesser Antilles.

12. Quit working: DIE.  Said of batteries and machinery.  I quit working almost a decade ago, and am still alive.

13. Coast Guard pickup: SOS.  An international code signal indicating great distress and an urgent need for help, used especially by ships at sea.

21. Chicago-to-Chattanooga dir.: SSE. South-southeast.  Maybe even add in another south.

Screenshot from Google Maps

22. LP's 33 1/3: RPM.  Spin [or should I say "swirl"] rate of Long Playing phonograph records, in Revolutions Per Minute.

25. Adoptee from the 38-Across, perhaps: PET.  An animal taken into a person's home to live.

26. Sugar suffix: -OSE.  Glucose, dextrose, fructose, etc.  I wasn't able to track down the origin with only minimal effort, so we can all wonder why.

27. GPS lines: STS.  Streets.

29. Safety org. with "Travel Tips" blog posts: TSA.  Transportation Security Administration.

30. Part of HMS: HER. The other parts are "Majesty's" and "Ship," because the Queen owns the navy.

31. First name in American poetry: EMILY.  Dickenson [1830 - 1886]

Ample Make This Bed

Ample make this bed.

Make this bed with awe;

In it wait till judgment break

Excellent and fair.

Be its mattress straight,

Be its pillow round;

Let no sunrise' yellow noise

Interrupt this ground.

- Emily Dickenson

35. Ancient underground tunnel: CATACOMB.  Originally, a subterranean cemetery, with recesses for tombs, as constructed by the Romans. Less strictly, any similar underground construction.

36. Sci. course: BIOlogy.

37. Stillwater sch.: OSU.  Oklahoma State University, not THE O. S. U.

38. In the past: AGO.  Derived from an obsolete Middle English verb used to indicate the passage of time.

39. Absorb, with "up": SOP.  As a sponge, or slice of bread.

40. "The Tell-Tale Heart" author: POE. Edgar Alan [1809-1849.]  The story of a murder, committed for no known reason, as told by the murderer, who wants us to think he is sane.

41. Mai tai liqueur: CURACAO.  It is flavored with the dried peel of the laraha, a bitter orange native to the Lesser Antilles island for which the drink is named.

43. How food may be salted: TO TASTE.  A lot or a little - your choice.

44. Moved like a dust devil: SWIRLED.  A dust devil is a well-formed, generally harmless whirl-wind a few meters wide with an upward thrust. It is formed when a pocket of warm surface air rises through cooler air above it.

45. Last chance to catch a live show: END DATE.  The date on which something comes to a close.

47. Baseball legend Mel: OTT. [1909 - 1958] Right fielder for the New York Giants from 1926 to 1947; 6-time National League home run leader; All-Star for 11 consecutive seasons; inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1952.

48. Paddock sounds: NEIGHS.  Horses, not whispering.

49. Like fish in ceviche: RAW.  This dish is popular in the Pacific coastal regions of Latin America.  The fresh fish is cured in citrus juices and spiced with peppers, and other seasonings such as onions and cilantro.  It must be prepared and eaten fresh, since it is not cooked.

52. Fragrant compound: ESTER. Formed by the reaction of an alcohol with a carboxylic acid.  Low molecular weight ESTERS are usually pleasantly fragrant.  They commonly occur in the essential oils of plants, and are responsible for the aromas of fruits.

54. Soup or salad: NOUN.  Maybe it's just me, but I find this type of reflexive clue to be profoundly annoying.

55. Wildly enthusiastic (over): GAGA.  Are you enthusiastic?

They have way too much fun

56. Surmounting: ATOP.  On top of.

57. Khaki kin: TAN.  Colors, not fabrics.

58. Landing hr. calculation: ETA.  Estimated Time of Arrival.

59. Isr. neighbor: LEBanon.  To the north.

Well, not surprisingly, I had my nit, but this was still a fine and fun outing from Jeffrey.

I'll close with some musical selections from last Thursday's concert when your humble trombonist performed with the Plymouth Community Band at Kellogg Park.  This program is traditional for the last performance before the 4th of July, and draws, by far, the largest audience of the Summer.  Videos courtesy of my Lovely Wife.

Cool regards - and have a happy and blessed holiday.

Liberty Fanfare and the National Anthem

America the Beautiful, Olympic Fanfare and Armed Forces Salute

And - to counter-balance that bit of foolishness at the top --

The Best Sousa march EVAH!

Tuesday, July 3, 2018 Jeff Stillman

"Fee-fi-fo-fum"

21. In good spirits: FEELING FINE.

31. Natural source of paper or rope: FIBER PLANT.

42. Center of attention: FOCAL POINT.

54. Gridiron goof: FUMBLED BALL.

67. N.Y. or S.F. athlete known for the beginnings of 21-, 31-, 42-, and 54-Across?: GIANT.

"Behold food, good to eat, sufficient for my hunger!"

Across:

1. Harry Potter's forte: MAGIC.  Did Harry have some magic beans ?

6. USAF officer: MAJ.

9. Some spouses: WIVES.

14. Susan's "All My Children" role: ERICA.  Susan Lucci played the role of Erica Kane for 41 years on the daytime soap.  

15. Memorable time: AGE.

16. Has __ up one's sleeve: AN ACE.

17. Antisocial type: LONER.

18. Term start?: MID.

19. Swamp snapper: GATOR.

20. Mantra syllables: OMS.

24. Cause one's stomach to turn: NAUSEATE.

26. Monthly util. bill: ELEC.

27. Goof up: ERR.

28. Off the straight and narrow: WAYWARD.  Like Jack, who stole from the Giant.  The band is from Topeka.


36. Actress Vardalos: NIA.  Winnipeg born Nia in an interview with Katie Couric in 2002.

37. Not hurting for space: ROOMY.

38. Heavenly body: ORB.

39. Less extroverted: SHIER.  My sister had a horse that shied away from me.

Wouldn't the comparative "more shy" be shyer, and the superlative form be shyest ?

"Both versions are acceptable in today's standard English. In the 2002 CGEL page 1581: Monosyllabic dry and shy are optionally exceptions to the y-replacement rule, allowing either y or i before the suffix: dry ~ dryer/drier ~ dryest/driest and shy ~ shyer/shier ~ shyest/shiest." English StackExchange.  CGEL

41. QB's stat: ATT. Quarterbacks / Attempts.  We often have TDS (Touchdowns) as an answer for QB's stat.

44. Japanese straw mats: TATAMIS.  13 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Tatami.  I only knew two.

47. One-eighty on the road: UEY.

48. Patron saint of Norway: OLAF.

49. Read a clock: TELL TIME.

57. Bedevil: VEX.  "Make (someone) feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried, especially with trivial matters." - Oxford English Dictionaries.  I like "especially with trivial matters" in the definition.  To me, vex is a slightly milder reaction than irk.  Ire is toward the anger end.  Don't like seeing ire and irk clued as if they were synonymous.

58. Treat like a pariah: AVOID.  Shunned ?

59. Maris, to "the Mick": ROG. Nicknames.  New York Yankee baseball stars Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle.

60. Afghan's neighbor: IRANI.

62. Attend the homecoming game, say: REUNE.  Intransitive verb.  Back formation from reunion according to Merriam Webster and others. 

63. Inseparable: ONE.

64. Things to shun: NO-NOS.  Deserts are to be shunned if you want to lose weight.  They are no-nos.  Taboos for children are often called no-nos.  In baseball slang, a no-hitter is called a no-no.   Even Meghan Markle has a list of no-nos now that she's a Royal Duchess.  Also see 40D Hoyt.

65. Use at the table: EAT ON.

66. Pricing word: PER.

Down:

1. Honeydew or cantaloupe: MELON.

2. Pleasant smell: AROMA.

3. Infomercial knife: GINSU.


4. Sign in a hotel hallway: ICE.

5. Regular Martha's Vineyard arrival: CAR FERRY.

6. "Glengarry Glen Ross" playwright David: MAMET.

7. Nimble: AGILE.

8. Obi-Wan, for one: JEDI.

9. Like a happy dog's tail: WAGGLY.  Google site search tells me this is a debut for WAGGLY here at the Corner.

Making new friends.

10. Shortly, informally: IN A FEW.

11. 1960s ecumenical council of the Catholic Church: VATICAN II.

12. MBA subject: ECON.

13. Dry as a desert: SERE.

22. Wyatt of the Old West: EARP.   "It was dry as a desert in Tombstone on that fateful day. Wyatt, Virgil, Morgan and Doc strode purposefully to the OK Corral.  Johnny Ringo and Ike Clanton saw the Earps and Holliday coming."    Wait, let me start over.  "It was a dark and stormy night..."

23. Tidy: NEAT.

25. "I __ to recall ... ": SEEM.

28. Connecticut Sun's org.: WNBA.  One of twelve professional basketball team in the Women's National Basketball Association.  

29. Nothing, in Nice: RIEN.

 

Nice is just up the coast from Cannes, and SW down the coast from Genoa, Italy.


30. Tavern missile: DART.

31. Greek campus group: FRAT.

32. Itty bit: IOTA.

33. Reach the lowest level: BOTTOM OUT.

34. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" novelist Anita: LOOS.

 "... an extraordinary, barbed genius of the silent era, Hollywood and Broadway"

35. Eyebrow shape: ARC.

39. Grade school subject: SPELLING.

40. Axton of country: HOYT.   Wrote the "No No Song" popularized by Ringo Starr.  Also wrote "Joy To The World"  and  "Never Been to Spain", popularized by Three Dog Night.

42. Marching band wind: FIFE.

43. Slow period: LULL.

45. White mouse, e.g.: ALBINO.

46. "On the Waterfront" co-star Karl: MALDEN.   w/ Michael Douglas during The Streets of San Francisco days.

49. Steakhouse order: T-BONE.   Tenderloin on one side of the bone, and strip steak on the other side.  The porterhouse is really just a T-Bone steak cut from the rear of the sirloin, so it has a larger tenderloin section. 

50. Itching to go: EAGER.

51. The first Mrs. Trump: IVANA.

52. Runners occupying bases: MEN ON.  Ducks on the pond.  The Cubs had three ducks on the pond (bases loaded) with nobody out in the bottom of the third against the Twins on Saturday.  They plated all three to tie the game.

53. Have life: EXIST.  Are.

54. Cab cost: FARE.

55. Optic layer including the iris: UVEA.

56. Go down: DROP.

61. Louis XIV, par exemple: ROI.  His dad was XIII.  Became the King of France at the ripe old age of four years and eight months when his dad died in 1643.  Reigned for 72 years.  Then his grandson XV took the reign.  XV arranged the marriage of his grandson XVI to Marie Antoinette.  XVI took over in 1774, and was to become the last ROI of France.

XIV established absolute monarchical rule in France, appeased the nobles, consolidated powers, started a lot of wars, signed a lot of treaties, increased France's turf in Europe,  and improved France's standing in the world power rankings.  He had his architects and builders rehab his dad's hunting lodge and turned it into the Palace of Versailles.  

France seemed to get a pretty good R.O.I. on XIV as ROI.   But over the course of about 150 years of absolute monarchical rule, things weren't going so well for the people of France, perhaps especially under the rule of his successors.    It all culminated in the French Revolution, the ending of the monarchy, the beheading of XVI and Marie in 1793, and the rise to power of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Enough of that.  On to the grid !

Monday July 2, 2018 Roland Huget

Theme: PRICE BREAKS (60. Good retail deals ... and what the three other longest answers literally exhibit). PRICE bookends each theme entry.

17A. Public relations arm: PRESS OFFICE.

11D. Steamed breakfast cereal: PUFFED RICE.

28D. Nectar that's high in fiber: PRUNE JUICE.

 

Boomer here.

You caught me last week.  I suggested that a gallon of gasoline in Minnesota was $1.75.  Of course my fat fingers hit the one instead of the two and it should have been $2.75.  However we do have a HyVee grocery in our area and they offer discounts on gas if you buy certain promotional items or spend a lot of money on food. A few weeks ago I bought gas there for $1.56 per gallon.  They also have a friendly convenience store near the gas pumps where you can buy snacks and lottery tickets.  AND if you want, they have the New York Times for sale for about the same price as a gallon of gas, in case you need to see the latest offering by Mr. Shortz.

Across:

1. Ancient Mexican: AZTEC.  Caused me to remember the Pontiac SUV.  A bit big and ugly but I liked its look.

6. Spirited horses: ARABS.

11. __-per-view: PAY.

14. Ballerina Shearer: MOIRA.

15. '80s-'90s TV legal drama: LA LAW.  I preferred NY "Law & Order".

16. Mod or nod suffix: ULE.

19. Hector, to Achilles: FOE.  I believe Hector kicked Achilles in his heel in the Trojan war and Achilles walked with a limp from then on.

20. First lady before Abigail: MARTHA. Washington.

21. Send-ups: TAKEOFFS. I expect in the movie "Airplane" Captain Over (Peter Graves) may have left in a "sendoff".

23. Grandmaster's game: CHESS.  A legendary game that requires great skill that I do not have.

25. Pearly whites: TEETH.  My teeth are like stars, they come out at night.  Years ago, I used to think Fixodent was an auto body repair shop.

26. Abundant: COPIOUS.

30. Booby or loon: BIRD. "Ahwella everybody's heard, about the bird."  The Minneapolis Trashmen gave us the "Surfin' Bird."

31. One-way marker: ARROW.

32. Smooth transition in conversation: SEGUE.  I always thought this was spelled Segway.

35. Video replay user: REF.  Just a way to allow more commercials in basketball games on TV.

38. Acht und eins: NEUN.  I spent time in Germany in the Army.  I could count to ten but never knew how to spell it.

39. Bricklayer: MASON. Lawyer, Perry.

40. The Emerald Isle: EIRE. So many ways to spell Ireland.

41. L-o-o-n-g time: EON. How long a ref takes looking at a replay.

42. Authority: SAY SO.

43. Foil giant: ALCOA. I don't see this name on foil, but over the years, sold tons of Alcoa Aluminum cable.

44. Building additions: ELLS.

46. Least becoming: UGLIEST.

48. Common movie theater name meaning "jewel": BIJOU.  There's a name out of the past.  Not too many Bijou theatres any more.  Most are now Multiplex.  So what is a "plex" anyhow?

50. Test versions: BETAS.

52. Home for pet fish: AQUARIUM.

54. Arrive in a car: ROLL UP. "Roll up for the mystery tour.  The Magical mystery tour is waiting to take you away."

59. Him, in Le Havre: LUI.

62. [not my mistake]: SIC.

63. Conger catcher: EELER. Odd word. Reminded me of Gopher/Vikings Hall of Fame "Purple People Eater" Defensive end Carl Eller.

64. Venezuela-to-Chile range: ANDES.

65. Tucked away: ATE.  I never heard any one say they tucked away a pizza.  Nor did I heard them say they tucked away some cash and then ate it.

66. Skin care name: ESTEE.  Ms. three E's appears in quite a number of puzzles.

67. Explosive tryout, briefly: NTEST.  A Minneapolis Company.  I think they deal with fiber cables.

Down:

1. Alarm clock toggle: AM PM.  And it plays "I got you Babe" repeatedly.

2. Author __ Neale Hurston: ZORA.

3. Wedding cake section: TIER.  I found it hard to believe that the Supreme Court was called to settle a Wedding cake dispute.

4. Once, quaintly: ERST.

5. Good moneymaker: CASH COW.  I have a cousin-in-law who is a dairy farmer.  I believe he may have a few of these cows.

6. Furry sitcom ET: ALF.  I wonder if Spanky ever called his friend by this nickname.

7. River transports: RAFTS.

8. Nom de plume: ALIAS. "Smith and Jones".  Sort of a sitcom western that lasted about 2 years on TV.

9. Give support to: BACK.

10. Honeybunch: SWEETIE.

12. Up in the air: ALOFT. Result of a "Sendup".

13. "What a pain!": YEESH.  I wish crossword puzzles would display real words.

18. Honolulu's island: OAHU.

22. Anthem contraction: OER. the land of the free and the home of the brave.

24. Long exam answer: ESSAY.

26. Sugar crop: CANE.  Ain't no more cane on the Brazos my boy, they all ground it all in molasses, Oh, Oh, OH.

27. Sandwich cookie: OREO.  A most famous crossword cookie. You seldom see Hydrox or Dagwood's daughter in the squares now.

29. Charged particle: ION.

30. Hot dog holder: BUN.  Remember a fifties" hairdo ?

33. Slalom shape: ESS. Also the direction some of my putts go.

34. Do dinner and a movie, say: GO OUT.

36. Cupid counterpart: EROS.

37. Notable achievement: FEAT.

39. Pas' partners: MAS.

40. New Haven Ivy Leaguer: ELI.  I thought this might be Eli Manning but he played college ball in Mississippi, and now with the Giants.  Nowhere near New Haven.

42. 7-Eleven frozen treat: SLURPEE. Southland pulled out of Minnesota years ago, but I never enjoyed a Slurpee while they were here.  Ice slush gave me a headache.

43. Loser: ALSO-RAN.

45. Mauna __: LOA.

47. Apparel: GARB.

48. Modeling wood: BALSA.  We used to fly airplanes made of balsa wood.

49. Terse resignation: I QUIT.  No! Not yet!  your almost done.

50. Put together from the ground up: BUILT.

51. Roast host: EMCEE. Loved the Dean Martin Roasts! (Except Don Rickles),

53. Riles up: IRES.  Sometimes a crossword clue ires you.

55. Pre-Easter fast: LENT.  Forty days and forty nights.  Not so much fasting anymore.

56. Put in a hold: LADE.

57. Luau strings: UKES. Tiptoe through the tulips with Tiny Tim.

58. Library attention-getter: PSST.

61. Now or long lead-in: ERE.

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

Click here for a few pretty flower pictures from TTP's garden. His beautiful wife Katie is an avid gardener.