Saturday, January 26, 2019, Andy Kravis and Erik Agard

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Andy Kravis and Erik Agard

Today's holiday takes me back to a candy treat we always had during Christmas at Grandma's house. She had a bowl of assorted nuts (plus a houseful of the same) and a plate of peanut brittle. 

It was much darker and thicker than this shown here but I remember it very fondly. Now that my teeth are much older and not likely to be replaced as they were when I was 10, I don't indulge any more but I fondly remember the taste!

Today's constructors have made a mark on TV gaming as well. Andy became a millionaire on Million Second Quiz with Ryan Seacrest. As you can see below, Erik was threatened with a pie by Alex Trebek because Alex, a dedicated crossword solver, was frustrated by this puzzle Erik created with Tracy Bennett and I blogged here. Did you do better than Mr. Trebek on that August 18th exercise? In our gmail exchange, Erik told me that he and Tracy started with the middle stack on that puzzle and worked out from there. Erik also told me he won on Jeopardy that day!

Andy Kravis                             Erik Agard 

Across:

1. Selection process including the Sky and the Sun: WNBA DRAFT  - I didn't look up who the Connecticut Sun drafted in the Women's National Basketball Association 2018 draft but here's who the Chicago Sky took

10. Anna of "The Emoji Movie": FARIS - She was the voice of Jailbreak

15. Lip-syncing accompaniment?: AIR GUITAR - Is Hugo Chavez also Lip-synching at the U.N.?

16. "Me too": AS AM I.

17. Bingo center square: FREE SPACE.

18. Hasbro game that requires twisting and pulling: BOP IT - If you're interested

19. Spacewalk initials: EVA - NASA's first Extra Vehicular Activity was a space walk in 1965 by Ed White. NASA's most famous EVA occurred on July 20, 1969

20. Ready for fumigation: TENTED - Tenting by Termite Terry

22. Metaphorical low area, with "the": PITS - Also very active place during the Indy 500 😏

23. Gathering tools: RAKES.

25. Film dialect that uses subject-object inversion: YODA SPEAK.

27. 1990s gaming release, initially: SNES - Super Nintendo Entertainment System


28. "LOTR" initials: JRR - Here 'ya go:

29. Visitor center: SHORT I - The center of the word Visitor is a SHORT I

30. Course with fruit, perhaps: ART CLASS - Heads we do fruit, tails we do nudes

33. Sure-footed critters: ASSES - 'Nuff said

34. Licorice, e.g.: ROOT - Here's a bunch of licorice herb roots

35. Increase: HIKE - A tax HIKE in gov't speak is a "revenue enhancement"

37. Commented on EweTube?: BAAED.

40. Ironically, designation for the fourth film release in a classic sequence: EPISODE I - George Lucas made the first Star Wars movie in 1977. He later labelled it IV so he could make assorted prequels and sequels.

44. Remove the zest from: UNPEEL - "Hey, don't throw that lemon peel away, I need zest for my martini!"

46. Record no.: RPM - David Seville recorded the Chipmunks at half the RPM's and then played them back at normal RPM's

47. Tablets brand ... or, cutely, what they treat: TUMS - Tums for your tummy

49. Saves for the future: SALTS AWAY

51. Hardly taciturn: VOCAL - "Where's my dinner?"

52. Whack: STAB - Every Saturday I take a whack/STAB at blogging 

53. Andalusian city on the Costa del Sol: MALAGA- MALAGA is a city in the province of MALAGA on Spain's Costa del Sol. 

55. One in a conflict, maybe: EGO - Conflicts involving EGO's can result in a 56. Utter: TOTAL disaster

58. 2017 hit comedy about a women's weekend getaway: GIRL'S TRIP -  Rated R (for crude and sexual content throughout, pervasive language, brief graphic nudity and drug material). Rotten Tomatoes assessment

60. QB's protection, in football lingo: O-LINE - Offensive LINE

61. Type of gland: ENDOCRINE All you want to know

62. Hangs: PENDS - Any decision in this house PENDS until there is a mutual decision 

63. Where I-35 and I-80 intersect: DES MOINES - The last time I was here, I turned left and met Boomer and C.C.

Down:

1. Symbols of thinness: WAFERS - WAFER THIN = Twiggy to me

2. End point of the Noble Eightfold Path: NIRVANA Here 'ya go

3. CBer's opening word: BREAKER - BREAKER 19 is a request to use channel 19 on a CB radio. The CB craze during the 55mph oil embargo days had many people talking like they were all "good ole boys". Play as much of this song that starts with BREAKER 19 and you will hear as much of the lingo anyone should want

4. Golden __: AGE - Many modern TV sitcoms seem to be rehashing I Love Lucy plots that were from what some say was TV's Golden AGE

5. Decisively outraces: DUSTS - Usain Bolt has DUSTED about everyone

6. Begging to be picked: RIPE 7. Nonetheless: AT ANY RATE - this is one person's opinion

8. Two and one, for two: FACTORS - Yes, 2 and 1 are the FACTORS of 2 because 2 x 1 = 2

9. Trapped, in a way: TREED.

10. Old-style dope?: FAB - Dope is current slang for "cool" 11. In contrast with: AS OPPOSED TO FAB which is so yesterday!

12. Narrow-bladed swords: RAPIERS - A guide to foils, epees swords and RAPIERS

13. Do in a bit: IMITATE - Will Jordan had a famous "comedy bit" where he "did" Ed Sullivan

14. Winter Paralympians' equipment: SIT SKIS that can negotiate the 48. Inclines: SLOPES.

21. Legal pros: DAS - District AttorneyS

24. Jersey Shore rockers since the '70s: E STREET BAND - Bruce Springsteen's backup band

26. Visored military cap: SHAKO - A French-made Shako for those who 50. Engaged in: WAGED war in the American Civil War

28. Companion of A-Rod: J-LO - A portmanteau of Jennifer Lopez

31. Works on programs: CODES - I don't think I could sit all day and produce CODES

32. Where some subs are fixed: SHIP YARDS - Hitler fixed his subs in his nearly impregnable submarine pens. I tried to get my subs fixed in a Deli here at first

36. Belief: ISM.

37. No-parking area: BUS STOP.

38. Literary France: ANATOLE - ANATOLE - A Nobel-winning Frenchman of letters

39. Lang. test for top students: AP LATIN - Advanced Placement LATIN. Good Luck with this sample question: 

41. Cajun confection: PRALINE - Billboards used to tell you to get one here

42. Skincare brand from the Greek for "beautiful wax": EUCERIN.

43. Envision: IMAGINE 

45. Fast flight: LAM - In this TV series of my ute, David Janssen as Dr. Richard Kimble was on the LAM every week

51. Explorer da Gama: VASCO - VASCO's voyage can be compared to America's moonshot. The spice trade he started made Portugal a very wealthy nation. Who knew 54. Latch (onto): GLOMming onto black pepper, etc. could be so profitable?

57. Arles article: LES - LES blogueurs ici sont très intelligents! (The bloggers here are very smart)

59. Piece of TNT?: TRI - TRI Nitro Toluene - BOOM!

A very nice and hardly brittle puzzle by our TV stars today. Comment away:

Friday, January 25, 2019, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Google photos are dandy, but Flikr is quicker.A quick update; my son just sent me this picture of my grandson who is growing so fast


Jeffrey returns with a combination of two of his specialties - add a letter and fun puns.  "F" is the letter, which is added to a word beginning with "L." However, he really goes out there to get his sound-alike puns. Every one of the sound words is changed when the "F is added but retain the same sound. Consistent as is all of his work, the F is added to the last word in themers 1/4 and the first word in 2/3. 58 squares of theme fill, aided by four cheater squares, still left room for CULPRIT, HAPLESS, STACK UP, SYNDICS, ANOTHER'S and PURE EVIL. To solve one needs to open one's mind and close one's eyes to "hear" what he is saying. I loved FLORAL AND HARDY and BAGELS AND FLOCKS. YMMV. Let's see what he created.

16A. Feature of frequently sheared sheep?: SHORT TERM FLEECE (15). Animals really do not care about a short term LEASE.

23A. Like aromatic, weather-resistant plants?: FLORAL AND HARDY (14). I used to love watching LAUREL and Hardy. LINK.

42A. Skills acquired manufacturing linens?: FLAX EXPERIENCE (14). The conundrum of needing some experience to get a job, but how do you start when one LACKS experience.

56A. Shepherds' view during breakfast?: BAGELS AND FLOCKS (15). More sheep, but not haggis for the meal, the choice is smoked salmon, known as LOX.

Across:

1. Court player: JESTER. So nice to see a J word to begin even if it made me think of basketball and tennis.

7. Accident-prone: HAPLESS. To me, they are not the same.

14. Fuel calculation: OCTANE. An octane rating, or octane number, is a standard measure of the performance of an engine or aviation fuel. The higher the octane number, the more compression the fuel can withstand before detonating (igniting).

15. Satanic attribute: PURE EVIL. I am not sure that is true, but that would be talking religion. Verboten.

18. "__ everything?": HOW'S.

19. Orioles' div.: AL EAST. Baseball.

20. Chill in the air: NIP. The Cambridge Dictionary says a nip in the air is a feeling of cold.

21. Miss equivalent, in some cases: MILE. A miss is as good as mile probably comes from the 17th century this piece from William Camden's Remaines of a Greater Worke Concerning Britaine, 1614: An ynche in a misse is as good as an ell. An ell is a now obsolete English measure of length, equalling about 45 inches.

22. Player under Auerbach, familiarly: CELT. Nobody quite like RED AUERBACH 

30. Namely: TO WIT. That is to say.

31. Turn heads during the audition: SHINE. Anyone else watching AGOT the Champions?

32. Whodunit revelation: CULPRIT. I love this word. Of course, I read 3 or 4 whodunits ever week.

35. Compare to, with "against": STACK UP.

39. Fathers: SIRES. Verb.

41. Twill fabric: CHINO. It is defined as a tough, twilled cotton cloth used for uniforms, sports clothes, etc. Usually chinos, trousers made of this material.

46. Pennywhistle sound: TOOT.  They can be expensive.

47. Take __ empty stomach: ON AN.
Part of your doctor's orders.




48. Coffee hour vessel: URN.
Do they earn when they hang at the urn?

49. Prohibit: ENJOIN. It stems from an injunction; English is so hard.

52. It might be used before sandpapering: RASP.

59. "__ Arms": Coldplay song: ANOTHER'S.

60. Brother of Isis: OSIRIS.              LINK.

61. Business representatives: SYNDICS. One appointed to represent a corporation, university, or other organization in business transactions; a business agent. A Friday word?

62. Least courteous: RUDEST.


Down:

1. Kid: JOSH. The etymology "to make fun of, to banter," 1845 (intransitive), 1852 (transitive), American English; according to "Dictionary of American Slang," the earliest example is capitalized, hence it is probably from the familiar version of the proper name Joshua. Perhaps it was taken as a typical name of an old farmer

2. Repeat: ECHO.

3. Put away: STOW.

4. Works on a route: TARS. Not a paperboy but a worker on a roadway.

5. Rhinitis-treating MD: ENT. Ear Nose and Throat.

6. Target field: RETAIL.

7. "__ few bars and I'll play it for you": HUM A.

8. Pound sounds: ARFS.

9. Bearskin rug, e.g.: PELT.

10. "Fever" singer Peggy: LEE.

11. Tied: EVENED.

12. Mediterranean island: SICILY. Sicily (Italian: Sicilia [siˈtʃiːlja]; Sicilian: Sicilia) is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 20 regions of Italy. It is one of the five Italian autonomous regions, in Southern Italy along with surrounding minor islands, officially referred to as Regione Siciliana.

13. Was out all night, maybe: SLEPT. Love the misdirection. Where were you? I was out all night!

15. Works on one's image, in a way: PREENS.

17. "First Lady of Song": ELLA. Ms. Fitzgerald.

21. 1999 Best Visual Effects Oscar winner, with "The": MATRIX.

22. December display: CRÈCHE. No religion but a model or tableau representing the scene of Jesus Christ's birth, displayed in homes or public places at Christmas.

23. Fraud watchdog org.: FTC. Federal Trade Commission.

24. Comedic Costello: LOU. Louis Francis Cristillo, professionally known as Lou Costello was an American actor, best known for his film comedy double act with straight man Bud Abbott. Costello had started as an athlete, before working in burlesque on Broadway, where he stood-in for Abbott’s partner who had failed to show up. Fun to see Lou along with Laurel and Hardy.

25. Big-eyed flier: OWL.

26. Excitedly tries to open, as a gift: RIPS AT.

27. Cabinet agcy. founded under Bush 43: DHS. Department of Homeland Security.

28. Broadway success: HIT.

29. Pain relief brand: ANACIN.

33. North Atl. country: IRE.

34. "Oedipus __" : P.D.Q. Bach western-themed parody: TEX. The long VERSION?

36. Many bar mitzvah guests: KIN.

37. Chapel Hill sch.: UNC. The University of North Carolina.

38. "MS. Found in a Bottle" author: POE. “MS. Found in a Bottle” The manuscript initially appeared in the October 19, 1833 edition of a Baltimore newspaper, the Saturday Visiter, as the winner of a literary contest for the best short tale. Edgar Allan Poe submitted six stories.

40. Jug band percussionist's tools: SPOONS. Couldn't find a link with spoons.

42. To fit every possible: FOR ANY. Shouldn't it be "possibility?"

43. Well-supplied with: LONG ON.

44. Oklahoma city: ENID.

45. Tried to be elected: RAN FOR.

46. Marching band section: TUBAS. Tuba or not tuba...

49. K-12: ELHI. Ooh, JW, we know it is glue.

50. Very short time pd.: NSEC.  Pd? Full stop (or period, in American English), used in coded military communications.

51. Unsettles: JARS. Jarring I know.

52. Source of rage, briefly: ROID. Roid rage is a term given to people who act in a very aggressive or hostile manner after taking large doses, usually on a regular basis, of anabolic steroids, sometimes nicknamed as roids.

53. Farm unit: ACRE.

54. Downhill runners: SKIS.

55. Restrained "Hey!": PSST.

57. LAX stat: ETD.

58. SEC school: LSU. We finish with a CSO shout to all of our Louisiana cornerites.

I once again finish a month blogging a Wechsler masterpiece. I found it quite fun, and I hope you all did. I look forward to seeing your thoughts. Lemonade out.

Thursday, January 24th 2019 Roger & Kathy Wienberg

Theme:

62A. Clothing accessory, perhaps ... or what you can see in each of four groups of circles?: BELT BUCKLE

No getting around this one - you need the circles to see the theme. We have four belts - conveyor belt, Orion's belt, money belt and asteroid belt, all of which are "buckled" down, across and then back up in the grid.

I take my hat off to constructors who pull off this kind of puzzle - it's not just a question of fitting your theme entries into the grid and then filling around them, it's a whole step up in the craft. Roger & Kathy nailed it today.

Orion's Belt:

After Orion, and this week's blood super wolf moon, let's go hunt down to what else we've got:

Across:

1. It can cause a bad trip: LSD

4. Renders speechless: AWES

8. Late-night host with an orange-blimp running gag: CONAN. In the "industry" news this week for announcing a 30-minute slot of his show, rather than the full hour.

13. Show of hands: VOTE

14. Some Pequod crewmen: HARPOONERS. What a great word to find early on the journey today.

16. Tapped pic: ICON. Only if you've got a touchscreen of some kind.

17. Many Bach compositions: ORGAN MUSIC. Quick! Think of a J.S.Bach fugue! I betcha a dollar to a donut it was this one here

18. Sources of "Family Feud" answers: SURVEYS. "And the survey said ......"

20. Soccer officials: REFS. Much-maligned around the world. Not as maligned as the NFL official who didn't throw the flag for pass in the Rams - Saints game on Sunday. I don't think he should plan a trip to New Orleans for a while.

21. Till this moment: AS YET

22. Utah lily: SEGO

23. Hush-hush org.: NSA. There's a few "orgs" today. Shout 'em out as you see 'em.

26. Rebuffed, with "off": BRUSHED

29. Mob scenes: RIOTS

31. In bygone days: AGO

33. Retailer with blue-and-yellow megastores: IKEA

34. Does penance (for): ATONES

35. Clothing line: SEAM

37. Go-aheads: YESES. Could be YESSES, but two esses won out here over three.

39. Eye layer: UVEA

40. Say: FOR ONE. Might be hard to see this - when you're explaining something - "Take that crossword, say - it's a good theme" - "Take that crossword, for one, it's a good theme". I found it harder to explain than to solve. I probably made a complete mess of it.

42. Hops hot spot: OAST

44. "Things Are Fine in Mount __": Charley Weaver book: IDY. My last fill. Thank you, stab-in-the-dark gods.

45. Augment: ADD TO

46. Unborn: IN UTERO

48. Scale members: RE'S. Yuck, sorry. Do's, Re's, Me's, Sol's .... Nope. Not having it.

49. Preserves, in a way: CANS

51. Baton-passing event: RELAY, Baton-dropping, most embarassingly.

54. Switch partner: BAIT. and Switch.

55. Makes moist: DAMPENS

57. Electrical generator: ALTERNATOR

61. "The Matrix" actress Carrie-__ Moss: ANNE. Anyone called Carrie Anne cannot match up to my criush - Carrie Anne Inaba

63. Cupcake decorator: ICER

64. Andean shrubs: COCAS

65. Little piggies: TOES

66. Nero Wolfe creator Stout: REX. Who? What?

Down:

1. Center of power: LOCUS

2. Panels illustrating film scripts: STORY BOARDS. I loved the long downs. This was a cracker to start.

3. High capital: DENVER. A mile, plus or minus, high. I stayed in a hotel there (shame on me, the name escapes me) who had the one-mile marker next to the elevators on the ground floor.

4. "Hey, sailor!": AHOY

5. General concerns?: WARS

6. Unit of work: ERG

7. Let off: SPARED

8. Solace: COMFORT

9. Responsibility: ONUS

10. Wii forerunner, briefly: NES

11. Onassis nickname: ARI. stotle.

12. Foreign policy advisory gp.: NSC

13. Plastic choice: VISA. Mastercard,, Discover and Amex could have fit, but only AMEX might have snuck in there.

15. 100 sawbucks: ONE G. One Grand = 100 tens.

19. Place for pins and needles: ETUI

22. Salts, say: SEASONS

23. King's philosophy: NON-VIOLENCE

24. Jousting mount: STEED. Poor buggers. They already weigh two tons and then there's armor plate and a knight who matches them for mass on top. A long day for a horse at the jousting. Footnote - the terms of my 99-year leasehold flat in London explicitly forbade me from organizing jousting tournaments. I also was not allowed to keep coal in the bath. I was on the second floor. What the coal restriction was about, I have no idea. The Duchess of Camden was the freehold owner, bless her.

25. Test for purity: ASSAY

27. Scottish isle: SKYE. 

Sail, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing, 

"Onward" the sailors cry. 

Carry the man who's born to be king, 

over the sea to Skye"

28. Half a giggle: HEE

30. Letters for short people?: IOU

31. Equidistant: AS FAR. I was back and forth on this one. Quite aptly, I suppose - I was back one way, forth the other way, as far from the middle each trip

32. Sparkly stone: GEODE. I remember this thinking of a battery shorting out in a shower of sparks - Anode, Cathode .... yay Geode!!!!

34. Boss' backup: Abbr.: ASST. 

36. Witty remark: MOT. Can it be witty just being a mot? I think bon mot.

38. __ de toilette: EAU

41. Strict diet restriction: NO CARBS

43. __ paper: TERM

46. Whole: INTACT

47. Get to work again: REPAIR

50. Japanese aborigine: AINU. Or Did I say I got my DNA results last week? 77% Irish, 19% English/Welsh and 2% each French and Norwegian. My friend was 100% 蝦夷.

52. Subsidiary structure: ANNEX. Attached to the ell? We should be told.

53. Belgian river: YSER

54. Phi __ Kappa: BETA

55. Dish (out): DOLE

56. Son of Zeus and Hera: ARES

57. TV network with much Shondaland programming: ABC. Shondaland is the production company that co-produces shows such as Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.

58. Summer sign: LEO. I'm either a Virgo or a Libra, depending on which version of my birth certificate you believe.

59. Solace for a sad BFF: TLC. This was weird. TLC was a lot earlier than BFF-speak. 60's - two-thousand-teens mash-up. I liked it.

60. Ref's ruling: TKO. Technically, a Technical Knock-Out.

Power to the People!

Steve

Wednesday, January 23, 2019 Roland Huget

Theme: Every Snowflake Is Different!  What I love about this claim is that it is not testable.  In today's puzzle, the claim is that for each multi-word theme entry, every letter is different.  This is testable, so let's get our deerstalker hats and magnifying glasses and have a go at it.

20 A. 2011 Steve Carell romcom: CRAZY STUPID LOVE.  Careful inspection confirms that each letter is, indeed, unique.  I am not a fan of the genre.  The presence of Jennifer Aniston in a movie's cast is enough to make me say, "No, thanks," no matter how cute she is.  But this movie has Julianne Moore supported by an all-star cast.  I'm actually rather fond of this flick.

34 A. Rickety abode: TUMBLE DOWN SHACK.  Not a phrase you're likely to encounter in daily conversation, but the meaning is clear enough. Reminds me of my mom's humble beginning in rural south-east Ohio. Searching through all the rooms - and even the outhouse - I was unable to find even one duplicated letter.  So far, so good,

41 A. "Stop whining!": DON'T BE SUCH A WIMP.  Do WIMPS duplicate letters?  Not here they don't! Not on my watch! Does this phrase foster toxic masculinity? I'll just leave that as food for thought.

53 A. Neither 20-, 34- nor 41-Across has any: REPEATED LETTERS.  Is it my hyper-active sense of irony that notes the repeated Rs, Es and Ts in the unifier?  Well - be that as it may, we do have a clever and unique theme, aptly described, with four grid-spanning entries, and that is only a J and a Q away from being a pangram. Yes, I also love run-on sentences.

Hi, Gang.  Inspector JazzBumpa here looking under cushions and dusting for prints.  Let's see what we can find.

Across:

1. Soft ball: NERF.  A toy brand created by Parker Brothers and now owned by Hasbro.  The product line is mostly foam-based items, like balls and weaponry.  Mostly harmless, I suppose.

5. Berkshire Hathaway headquarters city: OMAHA.  A multi-national conglomerate run by Warren Buffet.  Note the repeated A.

10. Greenish-yellow pear: BOSC.  A European cultivar that originated in France, now grown in many locations in Europe and North America.

14. Mine, in MontrÈal: AMOI. They speak French there.  I visited the city once, back in the early 80's.  It was wonderful.

15. Chicano rock band Los __: LOBOS.  It means The Wolves.

16. "Enchanted" girl in a 2004 film: ELLA.  Not your typical RomCom.

17. Hors d'oeuvre cracker: RITZ.  Nabisco product introduced in 1934, the depth of the depression, to offer their customers "a bite of the good life."

18. Lose tautness: DROOP.  Sag, limply hang down.

19. Logician's error, maybe: LEAP.  One step should lead logically to the next.

23. Slangy affirmative: YEH. Unhuh.

24. Light beam: RAY.  Heavy beams are used in construction.

25. Poseidon's realm: SEA.  In Greek mythology, the god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.  Horses?  How did they get in there?  Anyway, He was one of the most ill-tempered, moody and greedy Olympians.

28. Lav, in Bath: LOO.  Comfort station, to be delicate.

30. Zero in: AIM.  Focus attention on something.

31. Federal bldgs. with mailboxes: POS.  Post Offices.  Though I imagine other Fed bldgs. might also have mailboxes.

38. Diva's time to shine: ARIA.  Solo vocal feature in a longer musical work such as an opera or oratorio.

39. Savings plan inits.: IRA.  Individual Retirement Account.

40. Fair-haired sci-fi race: ELOI.  One of two post-human races of the far distant future in The Time Machine, from 1895 by H. G. Wells

46. Chinese menu surname: TSO.  Generally speaking.

47. Put away: EAT.  Consume at the dinner table.

48. Pine-__: cleaning brand: SOL.  A registered trade mark of Clorox.  From its inception in 1929 until 2016 it contained pine oil.  Then the product was cheapened to increase profitability.

49. Old Nintendo game console: Abbr.: NES.  The classic Nintendo Entertainment System was released in 1985.

50. UFO pilots, supposedly: ETS.  Extra-Terrestrials.  I suspect they took one look at us, shook their hairless, crenellated heads, and just kept on going.

51. Nintendo game console: Wii.  The letters don't stand for anything.  Instead, the two lower case is are intended to represent gamers together, reinforcing the "we" pronunciation of the item's name

62. Similar in nature: AKIN.  Derived from the word "kin" meaning related by blood.

63. Online biz: E-TAIL.  Electronicized retail.  Is this a portmanteau?

64. Compete for the America's Cup: SAIL.  This Cup is the prize awarded to the winer of a race between yachts, so named because the original winner in 1851 was the schooner America.  Any qualifying yacht club can challenge the current cup holder, at a place and time determined by mutual agreement.  The winner retains the cup until defeated.

65. Fish catchers: NETS.

66. Art class subjects: NUDES.   Unclothed models.

67. Stubborn sort: MULE.  A sterile beast of burden, bred from a male donkey and a female horse.  By extension, a person who acts as stubborn as one.

68. Aussie greeting: G-DAY.  Short mouth for "good day."

69. Part of LED: DIODE.  An electrical component that only allows current flow in one direction.

70. Marked for deletion: EXED. X marks the spot - and not in a good way.

Down:

1. DEA operative: NARC. The Drug Enforcement Agency employs NARCotic agents to enforce the relevant laws.

2. House of Saud bigwig: EMIR.  A title for various rulers of Arabic Muslim countries.

3. Duty roster: ROTA.  Derived from the Latin word for wheel.  I imagine this might indicate that the jobs rotate.  But I'm just guessing.

4. Like soda pop: FIZZY.  Bubbly, due to carbonation.

5. Part of a comfort simile: OLD SHOE.  I found a proverb I wasn't familiar with: "Old shoes are easy, old friends are best."  So, an OLD SHOE is something or someone you are unquestionably at ease with.

6. Mad Magazine cartoonist Drucker: MORT.  He was born in 1929, started with Mad Mag in 1956 and continued with them for 55 years.  I loved Mad when I was a kid, and his satirical drawings of pop culture icons was a part of it.

7. Leigh Hunt's "__ Ben Adhem": ABOU.  A poem with a sweet message, that you can read here.

8. Earring style: HOOP.  A round dangling ornament.

Too much of a good thing?

9. "Take two __ and call me ... ": ASPIRIN.  Cliched expression representing being shrugged off by an uninterested doctor.

10. Kind of dancer: BELLY.

A brief how-to video

11. Breakfast spread: OLEO.  An ersatz butter substitute made from vegetable oil, also called margarine.

Also a jazz standard written by Sonny Rollins in 1954, to the same chord progression as the Gershwin classic tune I've Got Rhythm.

12. Balkan native: SLAV.   Members of an Indo-European ethnolinguistic group.  There are three geographic sub-groups, Eastern, Western and Southern.  Balkan natives are in the Southern sub-group.

13. Superman accessory: CAPE.  Dracula, too - but not always a good idea.

21. Holler: YELL.  Produce a loud vocalization.

22. Beaver creations: DAMS.

25. Town, in Germany: STADT.  Literal.

26. Irish banknotes: EUROS.  Unaffected by Brexit, Ireland remains in the E. U.

27. Protein-building acid: AMINO.  An organic compound containing both amine and carboxylic acid functionality. These are active groups that can react with each other, and therefore build long chain molecules.  Due to its alternating vowels and consonants, it is also a frequently useful building block for crosswords.

29. Poet with dedication?: ODIST.  One who writes an ode - a lyric poem, usually in an elevated style, in the form of an address to a particular subject.  I suppose some dedicatio is required to achieve this.

30. Military plane acronym: AWACS. Airborn Warning and Control System - designed to detect various kinds of vehicles at long distances and perform command and control functions in a battle engagement.

31. McCain's running mate: PALIN.  'Nuff said.

32. "__, all ye faithful ... ": O COME.  Opening of a famous Christmas carol.

33. Decides not to attend: SKIPS. As a school class or social event.

35. Baseball club: BAT.  The smooth, tapered wooden club used to strike the ball.  An ambiguous clue, since an organized team is also called a club.

36. Tulsa sch. named for an evangelist: ORU.  Oral Roberts University, an interdenominational Christian university founded in 1963, and named for its founder.

37. Use an axe on: HEW.  Chop.

42. Test version: BETA. A software version with a limited distribution for testing, prior to public release.

43. London area that includes Canary Wharf: EAST END.  You can read about it here.

44. "Is there another way?": HOW ELSE.  Searching for alternatives.

45. Landed: ALIT.  Descended from above.

50. Itty: EENSY.  Teeny tiny.

52. Answer at the door: IT'S ME.  Truthful, no matter who says it.

53. Pealed: RANG.  Loudly, as in a bell in a bell tower.

54. Scratched (out): EKED.  Got by with difficulty.

55. Pocket bread: PITA.  From the Greek word for a pastry.  In this context, a flat, hollow, unleavened bread that can be split open and filled.

56. Small decorative case: ETUI.  From an Old French word meaning: something shut up, as a prison; then by the 17th century, a small container.

57. Carpentry groove: DADO.  A flat, parallel-sided groove cut into a board so that it may be attached to the edge of another board.

58. Wasn't honest: LIED.  Made an intentionally false and misleading statement.

59. French waters: EAUX. Literal.

60. Stir up: RILE.  Early 19th century variant on ROIL, meaning to aggravate, bother, annoy, or make water muddy by disturbing the sediment.

61. Malamute's burden: SLED.  The malamute is a large domestic dog bred for strength and endurance to haul heavy loads, and therefore dog SLEDS.  It is closely related to the Siberian Husky and the Alaskan Husky, but not the Canadian Eskimo dog nor the Greenland dog.

That wraps up another Wednesday.  And true to the theme, every answer was unique.

Cool Regards,
JzB

Tuesday, January 22, 2019 Paul Coulter

"Punctuation Matters"

17. Mortgage check, say: PERIODIC PAYMENT. 

23. Brit's sausage-with-potatoes dish: BANGERS AND MASH.  The only one of the three that might need an explanation.   Bang is another word for the exclamation point in the lexicon of print terminology.   Also know as a screamer  to some printers.  My BIL was one.

49. 42-7, say, in an NFL game: COMMANDING LEAD.  At this point, let's give pause before moving on to the reveal.

58. What ends many a line, and what begins each of the puzzle's three other long answers: PUNCTUATION MARK.

Across:

1. Senegal's capital: DAKAR.  On the west coast of Africa. 

6. Website for techies: CNET.   "CNET tracks all the latest consumer technology breakthroughs and shows you what's new, what matters and how technology can enrich your life. "

10. Talk show runner: HOST.  Run as in manage.  Johnny Carson kept things moving along but frequently had to reschedule guests that were to appear at the end of the program.

14. 2018 romaine lettuce concern: E. coli.  Last time it was a Yuma, Arizona grower.  This time it was linked to a grower in Santa Barbara County, California.   As of January 9, 2019, the FDA continues to investigate, while the CDC reports that the current outbreak appears to be over.

It's not just you: There are more food recalls these days.

15. Drinking glass edges: RIMS.  As shown in this double walled tumbler:

No Coaster Needed

Hey, that gives Tinbeni an idea !  Sans ice, of course.

16. "What's gotten __ you?": INTO.  You have a burr in your britches ?

20. Italian three: TRE.  Uno, due, tre, quattro, cinque, sei, setto, otto (desper-), nove, dieci.

21. Classified ad abbr.: EEO.  The Commission stresses that Equal Employment Opportunity is the law in the U.S.    The law provides for protection from certain discriminations.

22. "How exciting!": OOH. 

30. Benelux locale: Abbr.: EUR.  Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg location: Europe.

31. Furniture chain also known for Swedish meatballs: IKEA.

32. Wash. Nats' div.: NLE. The Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball are in the National League East division.

33. "Encore!": AGAIN.

36. Barbara of TV's "Mission: Impossible": BAIN.

37. Patriarch from Eden: ADAM.

38. Calls on for help: TURNS TO.  Relies on.   Sometimes a family member or trusted friend, sometimes an advisor or subject matter expert.  

40. Stash out of sight: SECRETE.

42. Highland caps: TAMS.  The traditional cap worn by Scottish men.

43. Blockheads: OAFS.

45. "I don't mind eels / Except as meals" poet Nash: OGDEN.

46. __ nutshell: briefly: IN A.  Brief and to the point.  Some are allergic to this concept.  To further elaborate, I can provide a comprehensive and thoroughly detailed explanation that extensively expands on this notion of brevity, from a to z or from top to bottom,  upon request.

47. Had on: WORE.

48. Évian water: EAU.  A natural mineral water drink.

54. Consume: EAT. 

55. Eggy drink: NOG.  I only know it as eggnog. 

56. Key lime __: PIE.  

64. Citizenship recitation: OATH.

65. Bad day for Caesar: IDES.

66. Intrude rudely, with "in": BARGE.  A barge is a somewhat awkward vessel.  Hard to steer and prone to bumping into things.   Like that unyielding fellow that interrupts an exchange of pleasantries to lecture on the "real" reasons for the current weather conditions.   

67. Cancún cash: PESO.

68. Whirling current: EDDY. 

69. Pretended to be: ACTED. 

Down:

1. Cabinet div.: DEPT.   A structure of U.S. government.    "The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments — the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Attorney General." - Whitehouse.gov 

2. Biting: ACERB.  Is Key Lime pie acerbic ?  I've never had it.  Oh wait, the sarcastic and stinging kind of acerbic.  Never mind.

3. South __, 2018 Olympics site: KOREA.

4. Boxing legend: ALI.   "The Greatest" was full of bravado.

5. 2016 Olympics city: RIO.   Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.   The Kia Rio is a model of a car, as some of us learned in Susan Gelfand's crossword last Wednesday. 

6. Colonial news source: CRIER.   The employment outlook for town criers waned as literacy rates improved.  Now pretty much ceremonial. 

7. Capital of Cyprus: NICOSIA.    Thank you perps. 

8. Old Rom. ruler: EMP eror.

9. Airport screening org.: TSA.   Transportation Security Agency.  Created after the Sept 11 attacks. First placed in the Department of Transportation, but moved to the (then) newly created department of Homeland Security in 2003. 

10. Greeting mouthed to a stadium cam: HI MOM.

11. Like home-run-robbing catches: ONE HANDED. Mike Trout demonstrates.

Pitchers and catchers report in about a month.

12. RR stop: STN.

13. Typical Nick Jr. watcher: TOT.  Programs like these:

18. Venison source: DEER.

19. "Patience you must have" Jedi master: YODA.

24. Bundestag nos: NEINS.  The German Bundestag is the equivalent to the U.S. House of Representatives. 

25. Tries hard (for): GUNS.

26. Part of SWAK: A KISS. Sealed With A Kiss.   This song reminds me of a 53. Mournful song: DIRGE.


27. Endangered Hawaiian goose: NENE.

28. Bluish gray: SLATE.

29. Studly dudes: HE MEN. and: 50. Like 29-Down: MACHO.

 He-Man and Battle Cat 

33. Heirloom storage spot: ATTIC.  If your attic exhaust fan is running in the winter in northern climates, it's probably the humidity sensor turning the fan on.  Heat escaping into the attic causes condensate against the cold roof.  Mold ensues.  The fan should turn on at 45 to 50 % relative humidity to exhaust the moist air.   The fix is to eliminate the heat escapes and to better insulate.

If your HVAC fan is running constantly, change the fan switch on the thermostat from the On to the Auto position.     

34. Organic fertilizer: GUANO.

35. Arsenal contents: ARMAMENTS.   The Rock Island Arsenal Museum has an extensive collection of armament.  It's open to citizens of the U.S. with free admission but you must secure a pass at the Moline gate as it is located on an active military installation.  The Rock Island Arsenal is the second oldest military museum in the U.S.


Can you name the five Quad Cities ?

36. Lumber unit: BOARD.

37. Bicker: ARGUE.

39. SpongeBob, e.g.: TOON.

41. What Frosty's eyes are made of: COAL.   His base may be a surprise...



44. Made a misleading move: FEINTED.

47. "W" on a light bulb: WATT.   Ex Wisconsin Badger and current Houston Texan JJ Watt saying "Hi Mom"

48. Thick & Fluffy waffle brand: EGGO. 

51. Clamorous: NOISY.

52. In different places: APART.

57. Barely managed, with "out": EKED.

58. Drop by, with "in": POP.

59. Federation in OPEC: UAE.   Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries : United Arab Emirates.

60. One-eighty: UIE.   How do you spell U-Turn ?  How do you spell food on a skewer K-B-BS ?

61. Do simple math: ADD.

62. Org. with Nets ... and nets: NBA.    Great clue with the "...and nets" added in.   The Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association.

63. Dude: MAC.  We'd barely parked the car, and the eager young salesman was rushing out the door to greet us.  Within minutes, he was guiding us to a round table just off the showroom floor.   I think he wanted to skip the part about showing showing us any vehicles and answering any questions, and  jump right into a purchase agreement.   Urged to "grab a seat" I declined because of my back;   standing sometimes helps.   "Whatever you want dude !" came the response.   My wife still chuckles when I say that phrase. 

Note from C.C.:

Happy 73nd Birthday to our constructor and friend John Lampkin, who always delights us with his superb crosswords and amazing nature photos. Thank you for the joy you've brought to us all these years, John!

Lemonade and John

Monday January 21, 2019 Kurt Krauss

Theme: Company Slogans

17. "Am I coming in loud and clear?" (Verizon): CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

 

28. "Waiter, isn't my steak ready yet?" (Wendy's): WHERE'S THE BEEF.

47. "Don't settle when it comes to personal potential" (U.S. Army): BE ALL YOU CAN BE.

63. "No fakes here" (Coca-Cola): IT'S THE REAL THING.

Boomer here.

Last year, the Superb Owl came to Minnesota and if you read the news, it cost the city and state around 55 million dollars (however I believe hotels, restaurants, cabbies, Uber, and MSP Airport did just fine.) This year, Minneapolis' U.S. Bank stadium is hosting the NCAA Basketball Final Four, and rumor has it that we are spending 110 Million bucks on security, traffic control and various protections. I cannot afford a ticket but it's nice to know that my tax money is paying for something worthwhile.   

Congratulations to our L.A. Times own Rams for their victory in overtime and a trip to Superb Owl number LIII.  (If you are not Roman that's 53.)  Good Luck!!!

Across:

1. Broadway auntie: MAME. "You charm the husk right off of the corn."

5. Sean Connery, for one: SCOT.  The original 007.  I think I saw every 007 movie when I was a kid.

9. Strong winds: GALES.  Reminds me of Dorothy Gale who was blown to Oz by a strong wind.  Then there was Gale Storm - "My Little Margie".  Interesting weather related name, but I doubt it was real. 

14. Words while calling a bet: I' M IN.

15. Any volume of Hume's "The History of England," e.g.: TOME.

16. Banded marble: AGATE.  We had steelies, peeries, and agates. Kid fun was great before computers and smart phones.

20. Boutros-Ghali's successor: ANNAN.  Served in the U.N. Kofi just passed away last fall. 

21. Happen as a result: ENSUE.

22. USCG officer: ENS.  Whenever I see this answer, I think of Ensign Parker in McHale's Navy. 

23. __ Tomé and Príncipe: SAO.

24. Round Table title: SIR. But how do you thank someone who has taken you from crayons to perfume? It isn't easy, but I'll try.  It was a Lulu of a hit song.

26. Bluesy James: ETTA.

34. The Vols' sch.: U TENN.

35. Astronomical red giant: S STAR.  I have never heard of this, so I Googled it,  Now I still don't know what it is.

36. "The Wizard __": comic strip: OF ID.  Not the Wizard that Dorothy Gale visited.

39. Gawk: STARE.  I suppose this is an "E" Star.  Sort of like an "S" Star but part of one of those stupid constellations that everyone talks about.

42. Like Cheerios: OATY.  I like GM cereals, but I have to admit, I buy the off brand copies. I bowl with a guy who retired from General Mills.  I think I will ask him if they make the Wheat, Rice, and Corn Chex, and package them in a different box for Aldi and other grocery stores. They sure look and taste the same. 

43. Sonata movement: RONDO.

45. Flu symptom: FEVER.  Peggy Lee - "Fever in the morning, Fever all through the night".

51. Cylindrical cheese: EDAM.  I love cheese, but I never buy round chunks.

52. Genetic "messenger" initials: RNA.

53. "Morning Edition" airer: NPR. One of C.C.'s favorite news channels

56. Letter before omega: PSI.  Omega is the final letter. Graybar retirees (like me) belong to "Older More Energetic Graybar  Associates" Aka OMEGA.

59. Largest Greek island: CRETE.

61. Drink served with marshmallows: COCOA. I have to drink my cocoa straight up.  Marshmallows have too much sugar.

66. Shire of "Rocky": TALIA.

67. London art gallery: TATE.

68. A single time: ONCE. Upon  time there were three bears, Mama, Papa, and baby,  Oh, never mind, you have all  heard that story.

69. Precipitous: STEEP.  I think we make tea this way.

70. Flock's "Absolutely!": AMEN. So be it!

71. Garden scrapers: HOES. Garden waterer - HOSE

Down:

1. Layered minerals: MICAS.

2. Appliance brand: AMANA.  Famous manufacturer in Amana, Iowa.

3. Bait fish: MINNOW. I bowl with a Minnow.  His real name is Marlowe, but everyone calls him "Minnow".

4. One-named New Age singer: ENYA.

5. Consecutive alphabet trio that spells a name: STU.  A big husky guy may be called Beef Stu.

6. Easy to understand: COHERENT.

7. Black cat, to some: OMEN. A strange movie about a weird young boy.

8. It includes cups, a pot and a sugar bowl: TEA SET.  Don't forget the Barbie Doll.

9. Reproductive cells: GAMETES.

10. 242, for the USA: AGE.  71 for me. (A baby boomer),  Happy I am old enough to remember and enjoyed all the hoopla surrounding 1976.

11. Narrow street: LANE.  "On Penny Lane there is a barber sharing photographs"

12. Berkshire school: ETON.

13. Puts in stitches: SEWS.

18. Initial stage, as of the flu: ONSET.

19. Baseball's Babe: RUTH.  The "Bambino" among other nicknames.  It is scary to think how good he might have been if he stayed in shape and laid off the brew. 

25. More than annoys: IRES.

27. Soak up: ABSORB.

29. Gathering around the quarterback: HUDDLE.  In the old days, the guy with the single digit number called the plays.  Now I think they have speakers in their helmets and call what the coaches tell them to do.

30. Big mess: SNAFU.  In high school we had a goofy guy named Anthony who we nicknamed Snafu.  I suppose every high school had a snafu.

31. In-flight approx.: ETA. Maybe a little early if with the wind.

32. "Dig in!": EAT.  Please pass the chicken.

33. Cook in oil: FRY.  I mean, please pass the FRIED chicken.

36. Heavenly body: ORB.

37. Them, vis-à-vis us: FOE. 

38. Once-lifetime link: IN A. Once in a lifetime.

40. Make over: RECREATE.  The fried chicken plate is empty.  Please recreate more. 

41. "Dear __ Hansen": 2017 Best Musical: EVAN.

44. British buddy: OLD CHAP.

46. Legislate: ENACT.

48. Easily maneuvered, at sea: YARE.  Umpire talk - "YARE OUT"

49. Mafioso code of honor: OMERTA.

50. Affluent Los Angeles district: ENCINO.  I don't know much about the logistics of Los Angeles.  I hope the teachers can get back on the job and schools become more to their liking.   

54. Explorer __ de León: PONCE.

55. Fits of anger: RAGES.  Argue with an ump and he may call "YARE OUT" (of the game.) 

56. Indy service areas: PITS. I wonder if they allow "SPIT" in the PITS.

57. MD's "Now!": STAT.  This comes from Latin "Statum"  which means right now.  For some reason medical professionals needed to know Latin. I think they used to write prescriptions Quaque die.

58. "Cast Away" setting: ISLE.  With Gilligan, the Skipper too, the millionaire and his wife.  The movie star, the professor and Mary Ann here on Gilligan's Isle.

60. Angels or Saints: TEAM.  We know about Albert Pujols' Angels.  St. Paul, MN has a low level minor league team called the Saints.  Apologies to Drew Brees.

62. "Oops!": OH OH.

64. Game with no winner: TIE.  I have a few neck ties that are winners.

65. Actor Cariou: LEN.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy 71st birthday to our young Madame DeFarge (Janice)! So glad you bumped into Abjeo.

2) Happy 11th birthday to our blog!  Thanks for being here for me all these years. I can't imagine what my life would be without you guys.