Saturday, February, 2, 2019, C.C. Burnikel

Themeless Puzzle B C.C. Burnikel 

Duh, I know it's Ground Hog Day but since that is so obvious I'm going to mention the celebration of a different animal for February 2nd. Today we observe National Sled Dog Day that commemorates the February 2, 1925 arrival of the famous dogsled team on the last leg of the relay from Nenana, Alaska to Nome with serum to stop the diphtheria epidemic. Below at the left you see the dogs in Nome with the lead dog Balto. At the right you see the statue in NYC's Central Park of that lead dog who led the team through a blinding blizzard on that last leg and became a national hero.

Today we get a fun themeless puzzle from our resident den mother and ringmaster, C.C. When I took that left turn in Des Moines a few years ago to go north to Minneapolis, I was carrying precious cargo for her and here you see her wearing it. This shirt makes her a proud, if temporary, Cornhusker. I know it can be dangerous wearing it in Golden Gopher country or in this cold weather but nobody wears it better. 

I made it through her puzzle today in decent time and, as always, I had fun. For her to know so much about our language after arriving here from Guangzhou, China in 2001 is one thing but to know it at such an incredible level that she can make up fiendish clues blows my mind

Now let's see some of the gems she has for us today.

Across:

1. Green side: SALAD - I had to abandon my golf green idea for the adjunct to a meal

6. Fruit named for a horticulturist: BOSC - All I can find is that an M. BOSC was the director of the Paris Arboretum when this fruit was developed

10. Target Field athlete: TWIN - Jeffrey Wechsler had "6 Down Target field" recently and the fill was RETAIL

14. Smart timepiece: APPLE WATCH - Mine reminds me of an old Newspaper comic I used to read that some of you are probably too young to recognize 

16. "That can't be good": OH NO - The Cigarette Stamp Ring above had better be wary

17. Reason for a case: LEGAL ISSUE - A Florida man got a Quarter Pounder with cheese but didn't want the cheese. So instead of saying, "Quarter Pounder with no cheese" he sued McDonalds for $5M for adding extras he and others shouldn't have to pay for.

18. Neck and neck: TIED  - Usually a photo finish

19. Vet: EXAMINE - Some people have rued the day they didn't sufficiently vet people they hired and consequently 23. Refined: HONED that process

20. Chicken __: fast food nuggets: MCBITES.

22. Special nights: EVES - How many people did you have over last night for your Groundhog's Day EVE party? Me too.

24. Hot spot: HADES - One of many euphemisms for H, E, double hockey sticks

26. Ski carriers: GONDOLAS - Fancier than t-bars

29. Jordanian dough: DINAR - Maybe you should get in on the Ramadan Toyota lease specials in Jordan. 

30. Disney dog: LADY - C'mon, you thought of the spaghetti kiss with Tramp didn't you?


31. Unpaid assistant in many offices: SIRI - SIRI got me to C.C.'s house for free

32. Weather-sensitive stat, often: ETD - This SWA flight's Estimated Time of Departure should have been delayed because of the icy weather in Omaha two weeks ago that made the plane go off the runway

33. Get ugly with: SNIPE AT - Ain't our government leaders swell?

36. Da Vinci's "The Last Supper," for one: OIL - Leonardo painted the masterpiece on the wall of the refectory in Milan and the perspective makes it appear to be an extension of the room

37. Policy affecting returns: AS IS.

39. Scrapes (out): EKES - We EKED out a living on $112/wk when I started teaching

40. Beethoven's "Rage Over a Lost Penny," e.g.: RONDO - A RONDO keeps repeating a theme

42. Tears: RAMPAGES - Upset Saints fans wanted to go on a tear/RAMPAGE two weeks ago

44. Light wash: RINSE.

45. Han River city: SEOUL - The km. markers along and across the HAN River for a half marathon

46. Bits of thread: LINT - Cleaning our dryer's LINT filter is necessary now because laundry  can not be 53. Left out to dry: HUNG in our development

47. Resonated, in a way: CLANGED - This field goal kicker CLANGED this kick off an upright

49. Place to find the Silk Road: ASIA MAP - The end of the SILK Road on this map is in Chang'an, China which is now Xi'an, China where C.C. grew up

54. Film with dangerous jobs: CRIME DRAMA - Law And Order did this well on TV

56. Gallic gal pal: AMIE - Your French female friend 

57. Game whose heroine was played by Angelina Jolie in a 2001 film: TOMB RAIDER - This must be what a TOMB RAIDER 58. Goes (for): OPTS to wear to work

59. Beachgoers' specs: SPFS.

60. Biblical verb: DOEST  - Psalm 86 - For thou art great and DOEST wondrous things


Down:

1. Spring __: SALE - Nah, I've got all the springs I need

2. Pinnacle: APEX - Who will reach the APEX of pro football tomorrow?

3. Org. for women drivers: LPGA - Ladies Professional Golf Association

4. County where the Golden State Warriors play home games: ALAMEDA - Next season the Warriors will move across the Bay to the Chase Center in San Francisco City/County

5. Drops off: DELIVERS - Does your neighborhood have "porch pirates"?

6. Diamond foursome: BASES - Three of them are rectangles and one is a pentagon 

7. Some games end in them, for short: OTS - Both NFL Conference championships were settled in OverTIme this year

8. Ugly film: SCUM.

9. Republic in southwestern Russia: CHECHNYA - It's a red 48. Slight amount: DROP in the Russian bucket on this map

10. Pizza roll brand: TOTINOS 

11. Cats with light blond coats: WHITE LIONS - It is said there are about 300 left in the wild

12. What an extended thumb might indicate: I NEED A RIDE - Film buffs know Claudette Colbert's raised skirt worked better than Clark Gable's thumb

13. Silent signals: NODS - Be careful at auctions

15. Results of some press releases?: WINES - Famous wine pressing

21. Compact figure?: BOD - I wish my BOD were more compact

24. Makes out too much, say: HITS A SLUMP - Hmmm... C.C.

25. Words of reinforcement: AND I MEAN IT - An effective parental phrase if there is follow through 

26. Looks amazed: GAPES - OMG, he made that field goal!

27. Laudatory lines: ODES.

28. Farm structure: SILO - This SILO is all that is left of the famous Boys Town farms in West Omaha. The buildings were razed and the ground cleared for a $1.2B development 

29. Prized: DEAR.

30. What an extended thumb might indicate: LIKE 👍 for this puzzle

34. Slights: NEGLECTS 

35. Half a two-island country: TRINIDAD - Their football association emblem has an outline of their divided island as well

38. Dish cleaners: SPONGES.

41. London locale: ONTARIO - A 2-hr drive from Detroit, Michigan

43. Mo. named for an emperor: AUG - Caesar AUGustus in 8 B.C.

44. Choir elevator: RISER - In my ute I stood on them wearing black slacks and a white shirt

46. Gentle sorts: LAMBS.

47. First female Asian-American Cabinet member: CHAO - Here is Elaine CHAO, Secretary of Transportation with her husband you probably recognize 

50. Crafted: MADE.

51. Home of the Iowa State Daily: AMES - It reported on a riot on the Iowa State University campus during the annual spring VEISHA celebration. VEISHA has since ended.

52. Split up: PART.

55. Global financial org.: IMF - International Monetary Fund

Okay, we'll throw a bone to Punxsutawney, Phil too!

Friday, February 1, 2019, David Alfred Bywaters

Title:  Want a fun night? You can bet on Texas hold'em.

DAB is back for his first Friday of the New Year on the first one in February. White Rabbit White Rabbit. Today we are presented with the addition of the word/trigram "ALL" to some common phrases.  Once again symmetry and 1/4 with ALL added to the first part and 2/3 added to the second. Two are grid-spanners. We are also given a Friday gift of a reveal. With a passel of 3 and 4 letter fill, you had to expect some very challenging cluing which for me started with 1 Across. The entire North took me much more time and I needed some perps and some educated guesses to get going. The fill was not obscure, but the cluing was difficult to parse. He worked AGENDAS, DELIGHT, RANCHES, RIPENED, MELANGES, and TIDE POOL into the puzzle to give some sparkle. Lots of excuses to link music so enjoy.

17A. Up-tempo music lover's aversion?: BALLAD INFLUENCE (15). If you just read the black letters you see BAD INFLUENCE is the base phrase, with ALL added to create an amusing picture of someone changing the station on the radio when a ballad comes on. Cool.

30A. Large garlic relative?: BIG SHALLOT (10). The shallot is a type of onion with its close relatives - garlic, leek, chive, and Chinese onion. Nero Wolfe was a fictional BIG SHOT who used shallots with his chef Fritz Brenner.

48A. Classical dance minus the lifting, throwing, and such?: SAFE BALLET (10). This is pretty funny picturing old people doing ballet. It's a SAFE BET not many would watch. I wonder if the connection to the "ALL IN"  bet got this puzzle started?

62A. Genetic determinants of Southern linguistic variations?: Y'ALL CHROMOSOMES (15). This is also very cute - morphing Y CHROMOSOMES into a Southern accent.

and the reveal:

73A. Totally committed, and a hint to four puzzle answers: ALL IN (5).

On to the rest

Across:

1. They may be scraped off in bars: FOAMS. The one below promotes Guinness. I had to work my way back to get this.

6. Hamlet's "A little more than kin, and less than kind," e.g.: ASIDE. It is Friday so we must have Shakespeare. Today, it is not so much a quotation as it is a convention which Will used extensively where the characters speak directly to the audience.

11. Cut short: BOB. You have to first understand he is referencing HAIRSTYLES.


14. Atlas box: INSET. This also was not difficult except it hid from me for too long, as atlases all have those insets showing cities etc. I was looking for some device called an "atlas box."

15. Got a lode of: MINED. Notice the spelling - it is not "load" but "lode."

16. Half a pair: ONE. Reminiscent of Monday's Half and half: ONE

20. Tune: AIR. I had forgotten this meaning. Thank you blog mates for all your help. I guess it comes from an anglicization of ARIA.

21. Pond fish: KOI. Koi (鯉, English: /ˈkɔɪ/, Japanese: [koꜜi]) or more specifically Nishikigoi (錦鯉, [ɲiɕi̥kiꜜɡoi], literally "brocaded carp"), are colored varieties of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens

22. Sticks in: ADDS. Your two cents?

23. Meeting organizers: AGENDAS. Not the people but the program.

27. Belg. neighbor: GER.

29. Oil-yielding Asian tree: TUNG. Tung oil, also known as China Wood Oil, Lumbang oil, Noix d'abrasin (fr.) or simply wood oil, is made from the seed kernels of the Tung tree (Aleurites fordii and Aleurites montana, family Euphorbiaceae). (woodwork details). FRIDAY HARD.

36. Striped animal: TIGER.

38. South side?: GRITS. A very cute Friday misdirection. I recall my first breakfast in Gainesville.

39. Time to mark: ERA.

40. Employed: IN USE.

41. Negative prefix: NON. Essential?

42. Amazon business: E-TAIL.

44. Disney Store collectible: CEL. It is back with no clue controversy.

45. Weakling's lack: BRAWN.

47. Performed well enough: DID OK. An odd string of letters at first glance.

51. Sign of elimination: DELE.

52. Wise __: MEN.

53. Matured: RIPENED.

55. Siamese, nowadays: THAI. A CSO to my sweet bride. I also have had only one cat and it was a Siamese.

58. One seen on most 46-Down: COW. 46A. 58-Across homes: RANCHES. Not on the farms.

61. Bar valve: TAP.

68. Vietnamese soup: PHO. Phở or pho (UK: /fɜː/, US: /fʌ, foʊ/, Canada: /fɒ/; Vietnamese: [fəː˧˩˧] (listen)) is a Vietnamese soup consisting of broth, rice noodles called bánh phở, a few herbs, and meat, primarily made with either beef (phở bò) or chicken (phở gà). Chicken is GAI in Thai.

69. Irritant: PEEVE. Often kept as a pet.

70. Drudges: TOILS.

71. Polish off: EAT.

72. Good thing to have: ASSET.



Down:

1. It's petty but misleading: FIB.

2. Brahms' "Variations __ Theme of Paganini": ON A. Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 35, is a work for piano composed in 1863 by Johannes Brahms, based on the Caprice No. 24 in A minor by Niccolò Paganini. wiki.

3. Comm. system with hand motions: ASL. American Sign Language.

4. Mixtures: MELANGES. I know that definition, but I also know that Melange, often referred to as simply "the spice", is the name of the fictional drug central to the Dune series of science fiction novels by Frank Herbert, and derivative works. In the series, the most essential and valuable commodity in the universe is melange, a drug that gives the user a longer life span, greater vitality, and heightened awareness;

5. Serious: STAID.

6. "Moi?": AMI. Again, while they are both French words (Me and Male Friend) I cannot say I understand.

7. Set, as the sun: SINK. A personal CSO to our Gulf of Mexico Cornerites.

8. Collection of spies?: INFO. They collect it.

9. Make happy: DELIGHT.

10. Email suffix: EDU.

11. Investor's alternative: BOND. Stocks or...

12. Like most '80s-'90s commercial music: ON CD.

13. Winged collectors: BEES. They collect pollen.

18. Uninteresting: DRAB.

19. Countess' spouse, perhaps: EARL. The wife of a substantive peer is legally entitled to the privileges of peerage: she is said to have a "life estate" in her husband's dignity. Thus a Duke's wife is titled a "Duchess", a marquess's wife a "marchioness", an earl's wife a "countess", a Viscount's wife a "Viscountess" and a Baron's wife a "Baroness." England does not have Counts.

23. Storage areas: ATTICS.

24. Old U.K. coin worth 21 shillings: GUINEA. Learn about British CURRENCY.

25. Swallow up: ENGULF.

26. Lighthouse output: SIGNAL. We have some nice ones in Florida including one we toured. LINK.

28. Facilitated: EASED.

31. Unhappy utterance: GROWL.

32. Everyone, to some believers: SINNER.

33. Oppressively heavy: LEADEN.


34. Colorful songbird: ORIOLE. I always looked forward to seeing these beauties return in the spring.

35. Rapped: TALKED.

37. Hasidic teacher: REBBE. This is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word rabbi, which means "master, teacher, or mentor". Like the title "rabbi" it refers to teachers of Torah or leaders of Jewry.

43. Quahog's quarters: TIDEPOOL. A quahog is a clam but a clam isn’t necessarily a quahog. Steamers are clams but they aren’t always steamed, in fact, fried clam strips can be made from steamers. Cherrystones are bigger than little necks but smaller than quahogs and they are all clams.

49. Oscar winner Jannings: EMIL. He won the first Oscar in 1929. LINK.

50. Puente of mambo fame: TITO. This PERFORMER.

54. Noodles: PASTA.

55. Class: TYPE.

56. "Yeah, that's funny": HA HA.

57. Tons: A LOT.

59. Tram loads: ORES. That is how they transport the ores from the mine.

60. Masterminded, as a complex plan: WOVE. "What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."  Sir Walter Scott.

63. Many an IRS employee: CPA.

64. Made the acquaintance of: MET.

65. Thickness measure: MIL. This is one-thousandth of an inch.

66. __ Gold, Alan Cumming's "The Good Wife" role: ELI.

67. U.S. ID: SSN. Social Security Number.

February 1, 1945, was the day my parents married - here they are on their 25th anniversary. Love them.

February is here and we have 5 Fridays done and David has joined the ranks of the 2019 entertainers. There was some serious difficulty in the solve, but it all came out in the end. Thank you, DAB and all who read.

Thursday, January 31st 2019 Ed Sessa

Theme: Snow Day - the theme comes from the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening":

19A. With 63-Across, ending lines of a poem by 72-Across: AND MILES TO GO

63A. See 19-Across: BEFORE I SLEEP

and the unifier:

72A. Poet who used the starts of 24-, 41- and 55-Across to describe the woods: FROST. Robert Frost, of course. The anniversary of his death was on Tuesday, I wonder if that had anything to do with the puzzle appearing this week?

This then kicks off a new set of theme answers:

24A. Alice Sebold novel, with "The": LOVELY BONES

41A. Harmful spells, in the Potterverse: DARK ARTS

55A. Really cool place?: DEEP FREEZER

Slick puzzle from Mr. Sessa. I was impressed with how the reveal of the author's name sent you back to look at the three seemingly-unrelated entries.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   

But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep.

You might also have noticed that the grid is stretched to 16x15 to accommodate the 12-letter theme entries at 19A & 63A.

There's a couple of nice long downs to tie this all together. I enjoyed the solve today; I couldn't recall the final lines of the poem and so had to unpick those entries letter-by-letter. Let's see what else we can find:

Across:

1. Word that appears four times in a 1963 film title: MAD. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. If I listed the stars credited, I'd be here until Christmas. There's a lot.

4. Roof tiles: SLATES

10. Deadens, as a piano string: DAMPS

15. Media agcy.: U.P.I. United Press International, UNIPRESS in the days of reporting news via telegram.

16. Roadster in the Henry Ford Museum: MODEL A. The museum is wonderful, I had the opportunity to visit a few years ago when I was doing some business with Ford in Dearborn. My rental car on that trip was a fire-engine red VW Jetta. I was actually embarrassed when I drove onto the parking lot - my highly-visible car was the only non-Ford or Lincoln to be seen for miles.

17. How sardines are packed: IN OIL I prefer them packed in brine, the fish is oily enough already.

18. Mythical bird: ROC

21. Hydrocarbon group: ALKYL. The "Y" almost had me stumped, I could not for the life of me remember the crossing "YEGG". I stared it down in the end with an alphabet run.

23. 1995-2006 New York governor George: PATAKI

27. The W in kWh: WATT. Kilowatt Hours.

31. Athlete's peak performance: A GAME

32. Wines and dines: REGALES. I didn't associate this at all. I'd use "regale" to describe telling an entertaining story. I didn't know the alternative definition.

34. Thrill: BANG

36. Credits list: CAST

39. Place for spectacles: ARENA

40. __ Navy: discount retailer: OLD

44. Gen-__: X'ER. Roughly speaking, born from the mid-60's thru the 70's between the boomers and the millennials.

45. Like universal blood donors: O TYPE. Shouldn't it be TYPE O? You don't have an "A Model" Ford or a "Type E" Jaguar. Just sayin'

47. Nantes notion: IDÉE. French.

48. Drill parts: BITS

49. Symbolized: TOKENED. This is my clunker of the day.

52. Roof features: EAVES

54. WWI battle river: YSER

60. "Indubitably!": IT IS SO!

62. Hot pot spot: STOVE

68. __ Van Winkle: RIP

69. Tolkien ringbearer: FRODO. All Sam Gamgee seemed to say in the movies was "Mr. Frodo! Mr. Frodo!" It got a little wearisome.

70. Tell: RELATE

71. Sheep's call: BAA

73. Old-Timers' Day VIP: EX STAR. Hmmm. Not convinced by this one either.

74. Unspecified amount: ANY

Down:

1. Diego Rivera creation: MURAL. According to Wikipedia, his full name is Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez. Not sure quite how accurate that is, but I'm repeating what I read. Amazing artist.

2. Speed skater Ohno: APOLO

3. "Mary Poppins" and "Mary Poppins Returns" actor: DICK VAN DYKE. I wonder if his cockney accent has improved in the new movie? It was pretty shocking in the original.

4. Component of the "at" sign: SMALL "A"

5. Chaney of horror: LON

6. Toss in: ADD

7. Beat: TEMPO

8. Cuban boy in 2000 headlines: ELIAN

9. One curing meat: SALTER. When I've got my salting boots on, I use Prague Powder #1, aka "pink salt". Pastrami and Irish bacon. Yum!

10. Saucer, e.g.: DISK. I went for DISH at first, which made a very odd-looking NYC mayor at 23-across.

11. Like many '60s-'70s protests: ANTI-WAR

12. __ juice: MOO. Cow's milk.

13. Trough guy: PIG. Very nice clue

14. Road sign caution: SLO. SLO - MISSING "W" AHEAD.

20. Move gently: EASE

22. Safecracker: YEGG. With the Y cross in ALKYL, came close to foxing me.

25. Initial disco hit?: Y.M.C.A.

26. Smokey, for one: BEAR

28. 1964 Anthony Quinn role: ALEXIS ZORBA. Here's a nice rendition of the famous dance, unsuccessfully attempted by Greek taverna-tourists ever since. It seems to be a law in tourist towns in Greece that the taverna plays this at least twice a night.

29. Religious belief: TENET

30. Dynasts of old Russia: TSARS. TS or CZ? Wait for a cross.

33. What H, O or N may represent: GAS. Hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.

34. Pirate riches: BOOTY

35. Choir group: ALTOS

37. __ lift: SKI

38. Tiny bit: TAD

41. Lair: DEN

42. Great Barrier __: REEF. You might as well print the letters with the grid for this one. The same might be said for SKI LIFT too.

43. Hot streak: TEAR

46. Stretches: PERIODS

48. Sweet root: BEET. Sweet? I'd call them more peppery than sweet.

50. Actress Falco: EDIE

51. Itch: DESIRE

53. Evening star: VESPER. The planet Venus when it appears in the evening sky. The Romans named the morning incarnation of Venus as "Lucifer" even though they recognized it was the same celestial body. The Vesper is also the cocktail that James Bond orders "shaken, not stirred". Gin, vodka and Kina Lillet.

56. Southend-on-Sea's county: ESSEX. Easy for me, probably not for the majority of you. Dick Van Dyke's cockney character would call it "Sarf-end"

57. Focus group surveys: POLLS

58. Water brand: EVIAN

59. Give back: REPAY

61. Harness race pace: TROT

63. Fave pal: BFF. Bestie or"Best Friend Forever".

64. Be in the wrong: ERR

65. Egg __ yung: FOO. Foo! I mean Food!

66. "Mangia!": EAT!

67. Zeta follower: ETA. The initial reaction is that zeta is the last letter in the Greek alphabet, but it's not by a long way - a long way from omega.

With that, stick a fork in me, I'm done. Here's the grid:

Steve

Wednesday, January 30, Doug Peterson

Theme: Break Wind. The last word of each theme answer can precede "wind."

17. Blink of an eye: SPLIT SECOND. Second wind.

24. "The Life of Pablo" hip-hop artist: KANYE WEST. West wind.

38. Comb and scissors, to a stylist: TOOLS OF THE TRADE. Tradewind.

50. Tucked-in clothing part: SHIRT TAIL. Tailwind.

62. Musical ensemble ... or what the ends of 17-, 24-, 38- and 50-Across comprise: WIND QUARTET.

Melissa here.  Good morning, we made it to mid-week, greeted by another clever Doug Peterson puzzle.

Across:

1. Arrangement holder: VASE.

5. Pursues with bloodhounds: TRACKS.

11. Pampering, briefly: TLC. Tender loving care.

14. Mideast airline: ELAL.

15. Ace, in poker: BULLET. From www.poker-vibe.com: Making a bet in poker is often called "firing a bullet." Firing two bullets (leading on the flop and turn) when bluffing is a move that successful players make, but it is something that should only be done occasionally.

16. That lady: HER.

19. Poison __: villain in Batman comics: IVY.

20. Tip of a wingtip: TOE CAP. 

 21. Oprah's channel: OWN.

22. Quick cut: SNIP.

23. Former Soviet orbiter: MIR.

26. Half-brush partner: DUSTPAN.

29. Old AT&T rival: GTE.

30. '60s pigskin org.: AFL.

31. Grows faint: DIMS.

34. Hank with 755 homers: AARON.

42. Sean of "Stranger Things": ASTIN.

43. In any way: EVER.

44. Bakery order: PIE.

45. Aunt, in Andalusia: TIA. Andalusia is in southern Spain.

47. Flat-lying volcanic flow: LAVA BED.

55. __ heartbeat: IN A.

56. Formally surrender: CEDE.

57. Did some laps: RAN.

58. Put into gear?: CLOTHE. All perps.

61. Liquid in a drum: OIL.

64. Lyrical tribute: ODE.

65. Periodic reviews: AUDITS.

66. "M*A*S*H" star: ALDA. Hawkeye, ordering a martini:

67. "Deck the Halls" contraction: TIS.

68. Inky goofs: SMEARS.

69. Set in a purse: KEYS. Sneaky.

Down:

1. Suit piece: VEST.

2. Gravy Cravers pet food brand: ALPO. I saw Gary Cravers and couldn't figure out who he was and why he had his own pet food brand.

3. Stephen King novel featuring vampires: SALEM'S LOT.

4. Draw forth: ELICIT.

5. Butter amt.: TBSP.

6. Kick oneself for: RUE.

7. Major maker of can material: ALCOA.

8. Rodeo __: CLOWN.

9. Saxophonist with 17 Grammy nominations: KENNY G.

10. Normal: Abbr.: STD. Standard.

11. Your, old-style: THINE.

12. Wranglers competitor: LEVIS.

13. Chamber in a vampire movie: CRYPT.

18. Pool protector: TARP.

22. Get bleeped, maybe: SWEAR.

24. Item in a kitchen block: KNIFE.

25. Coup d'__: ETAT. French origin, literally 'blow of state.'

26. Pollster's collection: DATA.

27. Aerial enigmas: UFOS.

28. Hurly-burly: ADO. Oscar Hammerstein's lyric for the song "Honey Bun" in South Pacific: "Her curls are hurly-burly." 

32. "Total Request Live" network: MTV.

33. Seaside souvenir: SHELL. It is increasingly common to see rules against collecting shells, due to "unintended environmental repercussions."

35. Competition where rhymes are exchanged: RAP BATTLE.

36. Garfield housemate: ODIE.

37. Have to have: NEED.

39. Petrol purchase: LITRE.

40. Tizzy: SNIT.

41. Cy Young Award winner's stat: ERA.

46. Naturally lit courtyard: ATRIUM.

48. Home improvement guru Bob: VILA.

49. Fur-lined jacket: ANORAK. Also, according to Wikipedia, "British slang which refers to a person who has a very strong interest, perhaps obsessive, in niche subjects."

50. Hurry along: SCOOT.

51. "America's Got Talent" judge Klum: HEIDI.

52. Lazes around: IDLES.

53. "Storage Wars" network: A AND E.

54. "The Jungle Book" setting: INDIA.

58. Get bleeped, maybe: CUSS.

59. Actress Lamarr: HEDY.

60. Flight sked info: ETAS.

62. "That __ close!": WAS.

63. NFL period: QTR. Quarter.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019 Frank Virzi

"Paper Cutter"

16. *Killjoy: PARTY POOPER.  A wet blanket.

20. *Face consequences for poor decisions: PAY THE PIPER.  More on that in the review.

34. *Furniture restorer's chemical: PAINT STRIPPER.   I've stripped more furniture than Carter has pills. 

50. *Airborne unit member: PARATROOPER.   All U.S. military paratroopers go to "Jump School" at Ft. Benning, GA. 

55. Stationery supply with a blade ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues: PAPER CUTTER.

BTW,  Frank created one of my favorite puzzles.  It's one that every Chicago Cubs fan should solve and frame for their man cave or diva den. 


Let's slice up today's puzzle and see what we got.

Across:

1. Tricky road curves: ESSES.

6. Too hasty: RASH.   The upshot of making a rash decision might be paying the piper, possibly leading to the following self criticism:
10. "Boy, am I dumb!": DUH.

13. Bowl over: SHOCK.  Technically, pins are inanimate objects, but Boomer shocks them and sends "ten in the pit" quite frequently.

14. Valpolicella wine brand: BOLLA.   Where's Chairman Moe when you need him ?   Selling wine of course.   I'll leave descriptions to the oenophiles.   Please chime in if you've tried this wine.

 A classic Italian Red Wine

15. Suffix with project or percent: ILE.

18. Metro stop: Abbr.: STA.   There are 242 stations served by Metra in the Chicagoland area.

19. State south of Wash.: ORE.   I read the history of the Tucker Sno-Cat.   It is made in Medford,  Oregon.

22. Like Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial: SEATED.

24. Yom Kippur observers: ATONERS.

25. Italian wine hub: ASTI.   Another Italian wine reference from Frank.

26. South African golfer Ernie: ELS.   Nicknamed "The Big Easy" due to his physical size and fluid golf swing.   CSO to our own Big Easy here at the Corner who also loves golf.

28. Make a wool cap, say: KNIT.   Hello Madame !  Here's a link to William Safire's  The Fumbelrules of Grammar.    I had to look it up the other day after you mentioned it.

29. MLB exec Joe who was the Yankees' manager for 12 seasons: TORRE.   Joe Torre bio at MLB.com

32. Wrangler's ropes: LASSOS.

37. Wild cards, maybe: DEUCES.

38. Arrive at: GET TO.

39. "At Last" singer James: ETTA.

40. Charged particle: ION.

41. Recipe amts.: TSPS.  Teaspoons. 

45. Polar expedition vehicles: SNO-CATS.

 "... Sir Vivian Fuchs’s 2,158-mile 1958 Trans-Antarctic expedition, a journey that constituted the first land crossing of Antarctica..."

48. '70s-'80s FBI sting: ABSCAM.   One U.S. Senator, five U.S. House Representatives, and five other state and local politicians paid the piper for accepting bribes in the undercover operation. 

53. Tijuana gold: ORO.

54. "__ little teapot ... ": I'M A.  short and stout.

57. Min. part: SEC.  Minute (short i, stress on the first syllable) or minute (long i, stress on the second syllable) is an example of a heteronym.  ie, same spelling, different pronunciation and meaning.    I think Rich employs heteronyms for misdirection and to amp up the difficulty of clues when editing, especially later in the week.   Do you recall the "Flower in la Seine" clue in C.C.s Sunday puzzle ?    Here's a RECKord of heteronyms to diLIBerATE. 

58. Companionless: ALONE.  Again, naturally.   Remember Biz Markie from the other day ?   The judgement that changed the hip hop recording industry. 

59. Quai d'Orsay's river: SEINE.  Whoa !   Thank you perps.    I learned that it's an area on the left bank of the Seine.   There's a street there with the same name that houses many French government offices.  Consequently,  the French use Quai d'Orsay to refer to the French government, similar to the English referring to Downing Street for English government.    

60. WNW opposite: ESE.

61. Swiss watch brand: RADO.  Nice looking watches.   I'm not a watch wearer and have no idea where they rank.

62. Trial rounds: HEATS.

Down:

1. Señor's wife: ESPOSA.

2. Stock market purchases: SHARES.

3. Furious with: SORE AT.

4. Outer: Pref.: ECT.

5. Video conferencing choice: SKYPE.

6. Carrot or turnip: ROOT. 

7. Dominant dogs: ALPHAS.

8. Wintry pellets: SLEET.

9. Marx brother with a horn: HARPO.


10. Mete out, as PEZ candy: DISPENSE.


11. Hidden, as motives: ULTERIOR.

12. Publishing family: HEARSTS.

14. __ Wonder: Robin: BOY.   The Dynamic Duo superheros Batman (Bruce Wayne) and the Boy Wonder Robin (Dick Grayson) thwart evil villains in Gotham.  

17. Note-taking aid: PAD.

21. Classic '30s-'50s vocal quartet, with "the": INK SPOTS. I don't think I'm familiar with any of their songs. This one was apparently one of the famous ones:


While listening to it, I scanned the comments and came across this remark,    "I remember the first time I heard this song: I was sippin' an egg cream with some doll at some greasy-spoon diner in the Bowery.  Some mug came in and served me more lip than his face could handle.  After a little chin music, I paid my nickel, grabbed the dame and took it on the lam."    Sounds like lines out of a film noir.

23. Lake on the border of Bolivia and Peru: TITICACA.  10 Interesting Facts About Lake Titicaca

26. Critical-care ctrs.: ERs.

27. Release: LET GO.

30. Queen's "Another __ Bites the Dust": ONE.


31. Shares again on Twitter, briefly: RTS.

32. Set a match to: LIT.

33. Befitting: APT.

34. Love handles?: PET NAMES.

35. Grand Prix, e.g.: AUTO RACE.

36. Han and Leia's son Kylo __: REN.   Star Wars stuff.

37. Loathe: DESPISE.

40. 14-legged crustacean: ISOPOD.

42. Nova __: SCOTIA.     One of the Canadian provinces.  Halifax is the capital and the timezone is AST.   Crosswords reinforce some bits of knowledge.

43. Mother or father: PARENT.

44. Gooey campfire treats: SMORES.  The Girl Scouts are selling cookies now.   I don't understand why they sell them in January.   I bought Thin Mints and whatever they call the peanut butter cookies.  Not the S'mores though.    

46. For face value: AT PAR.   Typically used in accounting and finance.  The face (stated) value of  a stock, bond or financial instrument.

47. Song syllables: TRA LA.

48. NRC forerunner: AEC.  Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Atomic Energy Commission.  The AEC was responsible for both promotion and regulation of nuclear energy.   Both critics and supporters of nuclear energy agreed that the regulatory function should be separated.  In 1974, the NRC was created with the passage of the Energy Reorganization Act.  - Paraphrased from NRC.gov-about-history.     

49. Hair salon staple: BRUSH.

51. Winery prefix: OENO.   A wine sub theme today.

52. Opposite of post-: PRE.

56. Shirt with a V-neck, perhaps: TEE.

Monday January 28, 2019 Susan Gelfand

Theme: COOL CAT (38. Hipster, and based on their initials, what each of 16-, 22-, 52- and 61-Across is?) - Each well-known person has a AC initial.

16. "360°" CNN anchor: ANDERSON COOPER.

 22. "Uncle Vanya" playwright: ANTON CHEKHOV.

 

52. "Appalachian Spring" composer: AARON COPLAND.

61. 19th-century steel industry philanthropist who built an eponymous concert hall: ANDREW CARNEGIE.

Boomer here.  

Excuse me, I am an electric guy. When I see "A C" I think of alternating current. Good morning and enjoy the weekend off with no meaningful football. Bowling has been a little tough this past week.  I will keep you all informed.

Across:

1. Take it easy: LAZE.  That was a pretty easy clue.

5. Cabo's peninsula: BAJA.

9. Sheepish smile: GRIN.  I really never saw a sheep show its teeth.

13. Cabinet dept. with an oil derrick on its seal: ENER.

14. Immortal racehorse Man __: O WAR.  Man O'War lived to the ripe old age of 30, which I suppose is about 150 in people years. The horse was a legend when I was young, however he was superseded by Secretariat in the early to mid seventies. The interesting thing is the gambling. I wonder how many fans would show up at the Kentucky Derby if no wagering was allowed.

15. What kneaded dough should do: RISE.  Aaron Judge "All Rise"

19. Bud: BRO.  I thought Bud was a beer.

20. "How disgusting!": ICK.

21. Gave medicine to: DOSED.  So THAT'S what it's called. I am getting dosed several times every day. Sometimes when I have DOZED I have to get DOSED.

27. Yoga posture: ASANA.

28. Krypton or xenon: RARE GAS.  The real rare gas is the stuff under $2.00 per gallon.

32. Semester: TERM.

34. Pea surrounder: POD.  I remember Ollie telling Stan that they were like two peas in a pod uh.

35. One of about 268,600 in Tex.: SQ MI.  Republican did not fit.

36. You, to Yves: TOI.

41. Blender setting: MIX.  I just have 1 through 9 on my blender.  But I have heard of Tom, a silent movie Western star.  He's buried at Forest Lawn.

42. Hubbubs: ADOS.  Not to be confused with Adieus which mean good by - see you later.

44. Like Letterman's humor: WRY. Sorry, I liked Johnny Carson better.  Cast your vote in the Comments section.

45. "See ya later": TA TA.  Adieu sounds much better.

47. Dugout seats: BENCHES.  Yup, and in Cincinnati, one of them belonged to Johnny. 

49. Put together, as equipment: RIG UP.

56. Lustrous bit of wisdom: PEARL.  Has anyone ever found one of these in an oyster?

59. Tokyo's former name: EDO.

60. When repeated, a Gabor: ZSA.  Don't confuse her with Eva of Green Acres.

66. Nod off: DOZE.  Careful if someone tries to DOSE you.

67. Prefix with correct: AUTO.  They are selling these on Carvana now. The next McDonald's of car dealerships.

68. Dunham of "Girls": LENA.  I know her, Ole's wife.  I have plenty of stories about them.

69. Snow transport: SLED.  I had an American Flyer.  Friends and I would fly down the hill below the ball field at Burnes Park, Hopkins, MN.

70. H.S. math subject: GEOM.

71. Clog fillers: FEET.

Down:

1. Becomes aware of: LEARNS.

2. Explanatory comment written in the margin, say: ANNOTATION.  Don't scribble on my homework.

3. British alphabet ender: ZED.  Here's a story for Canadian Eh.  I have relatives in Saskatoon. Their surname is Grayczyk.  My cousins visited one time many years ago, and there came a time when the guy my age was asked to spell his name. When he got to "Z" I had no idea what he was talking about.

4. Bard's "before": ERE.

5. Title cop played by Titus Welliver: BOSCH.

6. Came to: AWOKE.  In China, after you AWOKE you make breakfast in A WOK.

7. First mo.: JAN.  Pretty easy. I was thinking of one of the three stooges.

8. Rainbow shape: ARC. Somewhere over it, Birds fly. Why oh why can't I.

9. Slots cut with a chisel: GROOVES.  Lookin' for fun and feeling groovy. (I like Simon and Garfunkel, almost as much as the Chad Mitchell Trio.)

10. Fabric flaws: RIPS.

11. "Got it": I SEE. "I See" said the blind man, but he really didn't.

12. Bookish type: NERD. I don't think we had "Nerds" when I was young. Were they invented in  "Animal House" ??

17. Rock's Ocasek: RIC.

18. Dumpster emanation: ODOR.  We have had this before.  I always think of Rougned of the Texas Rangers.

19. Sheep bleat: BAA.

23. Half and half: ONE. That's interesting.  I was trying to think how I could get Coffee lightener into three letters. 

24. Agent on a bust: NARC.

25. McDonald's founder Ray: KROC.  This is debatable.  There were actually six fast food places franchised by the McDonald brothers in California in the forties.  Ray Kroc got involved around 1954 and opened McDonald's restaurants everywhere.  I guess it's not there anymore, but the golden arches in Des Plaines, Illinois is questionably the first McDonald's. Kroc owned the San Diego Padres for about ten years, until his death in 1984.  He was rumored to have 600 million dollars at the time of his death.    

26. Dove into vigorously, as work: HAD AT.

29. Stylish men's monthly: GQ MAGAZINE.

30. Parisian pal: AMI.

31. Common dinner hour: SIX.  Mine is FOUR. I get hungry early.

33. Grass cutter: MOWER. I am so old that when I grew up I mowed the lawn with a push mower.  You know, the kind with two wheels and a long handle, and you never had to put gas in it.

34. Two-__ tissue: PLY.  Have you ever tried to pull apart a Kleenex ?

36. Restaurant bill: TAB.  Coca Cola's first shot at a sugar free soda.  The diet drinks of today taste a little better.

37. Poem of praise: ODE.  "It was the 3rd of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day."  For Billie Joe.

39. Approximately: OR SO.

40. Baseball rain delay cover: TARP.  Sometimes used at Target Field for a snow delay.

43. Like Capone's face: SCARRED.

46. Up to, informally: TIL.

48. Partner of hearty: HALE. Revolutionary War hero Nathan, or Golfer Mr. Irwin.

50. Vote out of office: UNSEAT.  Lots of legislators are concerned about 2020. 

51. Kiss in a busy store, for short: PDA. Public Displays of Affection.

53. "Sweet!": NEATO.  I haven't heard this since Haight-Ashbury was a busy intersection.

54. PC drive insert: CD-ROM.

55. Buff suffix: OON.  I was thinking of that rich guy in Omaha (ETT) because the places where I love to eat only have one "ET"

56. Footballer's shoulder protection: PADS.

57. Hydroxyl compound: ENOL.  This stuff and the ADZE sound like something you need to "Ask your doctor if they are right for you".

58. Axe relative: ADZE. See above.

62. Happy tail movement: WAG.

63. Billiards stick: CUE.

64. Legendary seasonal helper: ELF.  only 331 days until Christmas.

65. "Holy cow": GEE.  That's a WHIZ of  CLUE 

Boomer