Monday May 6, 2019 Brock Wilson

Theme: Vowel Movement - Each theme entry start with P? LL.

17. Coffin carrier: PALLBEARER.

31. College student's federal subsidy: PELL GRANT.

38. Prescription meds scheduling aid: PILL ORGANIZER.

43. One sampling opinions: POLL TAKER.

60. One whose batted balls rarely go to the opposite field, in baseball lingo: PULL HITTER.

 

Boomer here.

Well, I thought I had picked the winner of the Kentucky Derby but luckily I was too cheap to bet.  The Derby is billed as the most exciting two minutes in sports. I always thought that was Justin Morneau hitting a triple. Speaking of winners, how about James Holzhauer, who has pocketed over 1.6 million $$ on Jeopardy. I cannot believe how much he knows.  I'll bet he could finish a Saturday crossword in less than 5 minutes.

Across:

1. Meh: BLAH.  I did the Simon and Garfunkel thing from "Bookends" last week

5. Crude, as behavior: CRASS. Clumsy riding donkey ??

10. Journey: TRIP.  The light fantastic

14. "I wish __ told me": YOU'D.  "I told you SO".

15. Trash bag brand: HEFTY.

16. Oxen connector: YOKE.  These things come in eggs too.

19. Writer of verse: POET. He's a poet but he don't know it, but his feet show it. They're Longfellows.

20. Words before time or clip: AT A. 

21. MIT Chapel designer Saarinen: EERO.

22. Sewn dress edge: HEM. and Haw.

23. Chinese toy dog: SHIH TZU.  I know a lady who has one.  Be careful how you pronounce it.

25. Blood-typing letters: ABO.

27. Sales team member: REP.

30. Alien-seeking gp.: SETI.

34. Carry with effort: LUG.  These are nuts that hold tires in place. I am not sure how they got the name but you need a lug wrench to remove them.

37. Stirs up trouble: AGITATES.  Trouble in River City.  But professor Harold Hill's on hand and River City's going to have a boys band, and that band's gonna be in uniform.

41. Column base: PEDESTAL.

42. Prefix with graphic or centric: GEO.  Geo was a relatively unpopular car made by General Motors about 30 years ago.  No, I never had one.  I don't think three bowling balls and a set of golf clubs would have fit in it.

45. Early color TVs: RCAS.  When they hit the market my family could not afford one. I did not mind though, because I had a few friends who had one in their home, and the picture was terribly fuzzy.

49. Cold-sounding product prefix: SNO.  Add a "W" and you have six months of Minnesota weather.  Add an "A" between the S and N and you have a third baseman in the Twins minor league system who they think is getting ready for the "Show".  (That's what Crash Davis calls it.)

Miguel Sanó

50. Summer in Paris: ETE.

51. Veteran sailor: OLD SALT.

54. TiVo predecessor: VCR.  Video Cassette Recorder.  I still have many cassettes, but no player any more.

56. Baseball family name: ALOU.  Felipe, Matty, and Jesus.  Skip to Alou.

57. Progressive insurance spokeswoman: FLO.  Has now become a maid.

58. "Piano Man" Billy: JOEL. "What else could I do ?  I'm so inspired by you, That hasn't happened for the longest time."

63. Opposite of baja: ALTA.  We have three businesses in Minneapolis with the name Alta.  Planning and Design, Tube fabrication, and Technologies.

64. Where to find Delhi sandwiches: INDIA.  I get it -- Ha Ha.

65. Pay to a worker: WAGE.  Some words are interesting.  You earn wages, countries WAGE war      or you might go to Churchill Downs and place a wager.

66. Dog : woof :: cat : __: MEOW.

67. State sch. near Hartford: UCONN.  Famous for Women's Basketball.

68. Singles: ONES.

Down:

1. Road that avoids town traffic: BYPASS.  Minnesota claims they are working on the roads.  But maybe it's just a rumor so they can increase gasoline tax.

2. Hate: LOATHE.

3. Literally, "with milk," as café: AU LAIT.  I think they sing this on a British golf course but I don't think they spell it this way.

4. Good cholesterol, briefly: HDL.

5. __ Whiz: processed spread: CHEEZ.  A Kraft product.  I like Cheese but I do not like this stuff.

6. Rise defensively on two legs, as a horse: REAR UP.  I did not see any of this at Churchill Downs on Saturday. No, I was not there, just watched TV for about three hours waiting for "My Old Kentucky Home".  (Makes me think of Fort Campbell, KY.)

7. Picked hairdo: AFRO.  There is a pro bowler named Kyle Troup who has an outrageous Afro. (And quite a closet full of funny looking bowling outfits.  Like father - Guppy - like son)

8. Sault __ Marie: STE.

9. Damascus is its cap.: SYR.

10. Key in: TYPE.  When you "Key in" something into your computer, do they still call it typing??

11. Hotel cost per night: ROOM RATE.  Just say Bodda Book, Bodda Boom. (I still hate that commercial.

12. '50s White House nickname: IKE.  I was born during the Truman administration but Ike is the first prez that I remember.  I also remember a comedian in 1960 saying about the campaign that this was the first time in 8 years that we had a chance to vote for a president with hair.

13. Adopted cat, e.g.: PET.

18. Raise or call, say: BET.  Hope you did not put too much on Maximum Security.

22. Stymie, in a porcine way: HOGTIE.

24. Early Jewish scholar: HILLEL.

25. Pond organism: ALGA.  I have never seen a single algae.

26. Flashy jewelry: BLING.  Churchill Downs saw many flashy dresses and hats on the ladies.  I'll bet there was a bit of bling also.

28. U.S. dept. with a bolt on its seal: ENER.

29. TD's six: PTS.

32. Sharp-eyed bird: EAGLE.  Two under par on one hole!

33. Sideburns trimmers: RAZORS.  To look sharp, and feel sharp too.

35. Coat named for an Irish province: ULSTER.

36. Was able to reach: GOT AT.  High up on the apple tree, I couldn't hardly reach it.

38. Lowly worker: PEON.

39. "My pleasure!": I'D LOVE TO.

40. Tool with teeth: RAKE.  Time to get these out of the garage this week.

41. Second afterthought, in a ltr.: PPS.

44. Arrive, as fog: ROLLIN.  Reminded me of Rich Rollins, 3rd Baseman for the Twins, about 50 years ago.

46. Lounging robe: CAFTAN.

47. Assert sans proof: ALLEGE.

48. Target and Walmart: STORES.

52. Lindsay of "Freaky Friday": LOHAN.

53. MADD concern: DUI.  I never have done this because I cannot afford the penalty. I read outrageous stuff in the newspaper almost daily.  Last week it was a woman with her 10 and one year old kids in the car.

55. Curved hammer part: CLAW.

56. Designer Gucci: ALDO.

58. Fruity toast topper: JAM.  Too much sugar.

59. Fútbol cheer: OLE.  And British Golf.

60. More, musically: PIU.

61. Auntie's hubby: UNC.  A lot of three letter abbreviations in this puzzle, Don'tcha think? 24.

62. Not quite a crowd?: TWO.

Boomer

Sunday May 5th, 2019 David Alfred Bywaters

Theme: "Not!" (No-T). T is removed from the end of each common phrase.

22. Animated image of Santa repeatedly going down the chimney?: CHRISTMAS GIF. Christmas gift.

41. Fruity neckwear?: BANANA BOA. Banana boat.

43. Votes at a beer convention?: BREWER'S YEAS. Brewer's yeast.

67. First catch the fly, then eat the fly?: SPIDER PLAN. Spider plant.

71. Indication of growing impatience?: SECOND SIGH. Second sight.

96. Social newcomer who won't go away?: LONG-TERM DEB. Long-term debt.

99. Basic banking rule?: DON'T FORGE. Don't forget.

118. Subjecting to a basic haunting strategy?: GIVING THE BOO. Giving the boot.

It would be super tight if there were no other straying T's in the theme entries, but sometimes it's impossible.

David Alfred Bywaters specializes in letter addition/removal themes. I'm often in awe of the reveals in his Friday LAT. He's an incredible wordsmith.

Across:

1. Writers: PENS. Write-rs.

5. Bearlike marsupial: KOALA.

10. Super-impressed: AWED.

14. Numerical suffix for "about": ISH.

17. Fast Northeast train: ACELA. Wiki says "the branding team based the name "Acela" on the ideas of acceleration and excellence.".

19. Severe distress: SORROW. And 67D. Weep: SOB.

20. Greater: MORE.

21. Usually well-compensated leader: CEO. CFO too.

24. Adorn: ORNAMENT.

26. Owie spot, maybe: TOOTSIE.

27. Burdens: ONUSES.

29. Windshield sticker: DECAL.

30. Cashew family shrubs: SUMACS. Never saw sumac shrubs in person. Dried sumac is used in some Middle East spice mix.

33. Garage service: LUBE.

34. Extract with a solvent: ELUTE. Not a word I use.

35. Crew member: TAR.

38. Robert who sang the role of Figaro 46 times at the Met: MERRILL. Stranger to me.

45. Smaller: LESS.

46. Socially challenged one, often: NERD.

47. Rural skyline standouts: SILOS.

48. Hereditary: INNATE.

50. Japanese pond fish: KOI.

52. Beach volleyball team: PAIR.

53. Woman's name that means "pleasure" in Hebrew: EDNA. Did not know this.

55. Country sound: TWANG.

58. Sam or Wiggily: UNCLE. I googled and learned that Uncle Wiggily is a rabbit.

62. Cruller coating: GLAZE. These are Chinese crullers that Jayce likes.

64. Words before a view: AS I SEE IT. Nice fill.

66. Muffin grain: OAT.

73. Valentine card hugs: OOO.

74. Popular school cafeteria item: TATER TOT. Boomer loves Tater Tots.

76. Immerse (in), as maple syrup: DROWN.

77. Togo neighbor: BENIN.

79. Sharpening tool: STROP.

80. Fare-well link: THEE.

82. Maker of Aspire laptops: ACER. It bought Gateway in 2007.

85. "Sorry, lad": NAE.

87. How Sitka, Alaska, ranks as the largest U.S. city: IN AREA.

89. Wedding party: BRIDE.

90. Trojan War god: ARES.

93. Small-time British crook: SPIV. Never heard of it. Looks like a knife.

101. Plague: SCOURGE.

102. USCG officer: ENS.

103. Courage: VALOR.

104. __ even footing: ON AN.

106. __ network: NEURAL.

108. Meaningless: INANE.

109. BP, pulse, etc.: VITALS. When I visited my dentist last month, they used a wrist blood pressure machine like this.

112. Causes of traffic jams ... or ways to avoid them: DETOURS.

116. The "there" in "Don't go there": SORE SPOT. Another great fill.

121. Heart test letters: EKG.

122. Hunger remedy wrongly attributed to Marie Antoinette: CAKE. Oh I thought she did say "Let them eat cake".

123. Means: AVENUE.

124. Hard work: SWEAT.

125. Poor grade: DEE.

126. Is indebted to: OWES.

127. Principle: TENET.

128. Goes off: ERRS.

Down:

1. Treaty: PACT.

2. Repetitive sound: ECHO.

3. Emperor adopted by Claudius: NERO. Claudius was his great-uncle.

4. Buttonholes, e.g.: SLITS.

5. Ukulele wood: KOA. I forgot. We had this clue before. Here's a felled koa tree.

6. MD workplaces: ORS.

7. Ship protected by Hera: ARGO.

8. Cut of meat: LOIN.

9. Really bad: AWFUL.

10. Tiny shape-shifters: AMOEBAE.

11. Goes downhill: WORSENS.

12. North end?: ERN. Northern.

13. Numb: DEADEN.

14. Rock at the bar?: ICE CUBE.

15. Cato the Elder or Cato the Younger: SENATOR.

16. Cop's case-breaking tip, perhaps: HOT LEAD. Did any of you follow this Minneapolis case?

18. Supposes: ASSUMES.

19. Campaign nastiness: SMEARS.

23. Kitchen convenience: TIMER.

25. Skin pigment: MELANIN.

28. Renter's rental: SUBLEASE.

31. 1993 Aerosmith hit that begins "There was a time / When I was so broken-hearted": CRYIN'.

32. Tuscany city: SIENA.

35. Recipe meas.: TBSP.  Any of you tried X.O. sauce? Umami-rich. It has dried shrimp, dried scallop, hot chili peppers, etc.

36. Tenor's moment: ARIA.

37. Faith: RELIGION.

39. PC-to-PC system: LAN.

40. Future attys.' exams: LSATS.

42. Set as a price: ASK. Guess how much Beckett charges for authenticating a Mickey Mantle autographed photo? $100. Crazy.

44. __ Cup: WORLD.

49. Unexpected story ending: TWIST.

51. Improve upon: OUTDO.

53. __-Nehemiah: Hebrew Bible book: EZRA.

54. Coll. units: DEPTS.

56. Japanese tech company: NEC.

57. Sparkling rock: GEODE. And 75. Iridescent gems: OPALS.

59. Happen at the same time: COINCIDE. Seollal (Korean New Year), Tet and Chinese Spring Festival are all celebrated in the same day. Here are a few Korean kids kneeling down to pay respect to their elders.

60. Fall behind: LAG.

61. Addis Ababa's land: Abbr.: ETH.

63. Company named for a volcano: AETNA.

64. Playwright Chekhov: ANTON.

65. About, on memos: IN RE.

68. "The Purloined Letter" writer: POE.

69. Allow: LET.

70. Reach: ARRIVE AT.

72. Bee team: SWARM.

78. How some things are set: IN STONE.

80. Mortise joiner: TENON.

81. Dutch city, with "The": HAGUE.

83. Eve's first home: EDEN.

84. Civil War fighters: REBS.

86. Paul Anka's "__ Beso": ESO.

88. Mythical elephant carrier: ROC. Also a popular skincare brand.

89. Inspiring acts?: BREATHS. Nice clue.

90. Counseled: ADVISED.

91. Lost Colony's island: ROANOKE. See here for more information.

92. Blow up: ENLARGE.

94. Incite: PROVOKE.

95. Sets a match to: IGNITES.

97. Plod: TRUDGE.

98. White-plumed wader: EGRET.

100. Painting on wet plaster: FRESCO.

105. Annoy constantly: NAG AT.

107. "Almost Like Being in Love" composer Frederick: LOEWE.  "My Fair Lady" too.

110. Happening right now: LIVE.

111. Pet reindeer in "Frozen": SVEN.

113. Lyft competitor: UBER.

114. Lion's warning: ROAR.

115. They're often smashed: SOTS. Drunk.

117. Friendly dog's offering: PAW.

119. Like Bach's French Suite No. 6: IN E.

120. Superfan: NUT.

C.C.

Saturday, May 4, 2019, Pawel Fludzinski

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Pawel Fludzinski

This first Saturday in May marks the 145th Run For The Roses in Louisville, Kentucky. Not only is it a showcase for beautiful 3 year-old thoroughbreds competing to don the famous wreath of roses, it also a opportunity to imbibe mint juleps and display charming millinery. The favorite Omaha Beach has been withdrawn from the race and so I am rooting for the new favorite Game Winner who is owned by an Omaha couple. The Derby proclaims itself to be "The most exciting two minutes in sports".

The constructor today is our retired organic chemist, now living in New Mexico - Pawel Fludzinski. Here you see him with his lovely 12 year-old daughter in Hawaii last Christmas. 

I asked Pawel for some inside info on this challenging puzzle and he was very generous in his response: In constructing a themeless, I always start with 2 or 3 seed entries.  In this case, I very much wanted to use PERFECT CRIME and FARM TO TABLE.  I had those "in pocket" for a while, and were in several puzzles attempts that were rejected - not because of the seeds, but the rest of the fill. I then found 2 other 11-letter entries that would work in the puzzle, and then spent a great deal of time working on creating 9-stacks that are interesting.  I thought HEDGE FUND and WOLVERINE were interesting enough to justify ANTIVENIN (not a first choice), and HERBARIA was the only thing that would work as I was getting close to the end in the fill.  Not an obvious answer, but perhaps a good challenge for a Saturday.

He added: PS - I always look forward to seeing which of my clues survive - especially for the seed entries and longer entries (i.e. 9-stacks).  I never see the final clues until the puzzle is published.

Now let's get in the starting gate (flamboyant headware optional) for our run for linguistic roses:

Across:

1. One of the X-Men: WOLVERINE - Front and center

10. Prior's superior: ABBOT - ABBOT Michael is on the right. Prior Delisi is on the left in this Georgia monastery 

15. Essential supply for an ophiologist: ANTIVENIN - Alternate name for ANTIVENOM which I first wrote in and which Pawel said was not his first choice 55. Less-common spelling: Abbr.: VAR - ANTIVENIN for ANTIVENOM?

16. Home of Bosch's "The Garden of Earthly Delights": PRADO - Madrid, Spain's famous art museum

17. Vehicle in the 2012 film "Arbitrage": HEDGE FUND - Rotten Tomatoes opinion

18. New Mexico school athletes: LOBOS - In his last puzzle Pawel referenced Alamogordo, N.M. and today he uses the mascot of his now home state, The University of New Mexico

19. Italy's equivalent of the BBC: RAI - Radio Audizioni Italiane is the national public broadcasting company of Italy

20. Some necklaces: CHOKERS - Also athletes who fail at the end of a game

22. Its solution refutes its existence: PERFECT CRIME - The man on the bed (and his girlfriend in the background) thought they had committed the PERFECT CRIME. The man tried to cover up the murder by shooting himself, but Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov to the left) saw right through them in Death On The Nile

27. Not on edge: AT EASE.

28. Collections of plant specimens: HERBARIA and 31. Canonized Archbishop of Canterbury: ANSELM were my downfall as I chose an "E" at their confluence

32. Flow __: CHART.

33. Fill a hold: LADE.

34. Ireland's __ Féin: SINN - English: "Ourselves" or "We Ourselves") is a political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (Wikipedia) 

35. Follower of the old school?: MARM - Here's a School MARM and her charges on the treeless prairie near Dundy, NE

36. Favor, slangily: SOLID - "Hey buddy, would you do me a SOLID (favor)?"

37. Jokers: WAGS.

38. "Everybody Loves __": Johnny Cash novelty song: A NUT - Here sung with 3/4 of the Monkees

39. Pound, e.g.: POET - Ezra. UNIT felt the fury of my delete key! Do you think Pawel did that on purpose? 😏

40. Brawl: MELEE.

41. One with a family practice?: NEPOTIST - An interesting take on the word

43. Gap-related: HIATAL.

44. Becomes an overnight sensation in: TAKES BY STORM - Yeah, I'd say they did!

46. Department store staple: APPAREL.

49. Names: IDS.

50. "Grand Hotel" star (1932): GARBO - Yes, Rotten Tomatoes reviews older movies too

51. Like 24/7 news channels: ITERATIVE - Over and over and over...

57. Listing: ATILT - Leaning like a boat

58. Erin Brockovich, for one: PARALEGAL - real and reel versions 

59. Classic battlers: SEXES.

60. Reacts to a blow: SEES STARS - A comic book staple

And down the stretch we come... 

Down:

1. Nursery noise: WAH.

2. White Monopoly bill: ONE.

3. Inc., in Ipswich: LTD.

4. Bookie's cut: VIG - Wazzat?

5. High point of Hillary's career: EVEREST - Sir Edmund and his sherpa Tenzig Norgay 

6. Put a new front on, as a building: REFACE - Voila!

7. Nunavut native: INUIT.

8. "Under a Glass Bell" author: NIN.

9. Where a gaffer or grip is recognized: END CREDIT - From the funniest movie ever made - Airplane.  Who is that worst boy?

10. Equanimity: APLOMB.

11. Started to perspire: BROKE A SWEAT - 

12. Diamond immortal, with "The": BABE - Last Saturday it was Babe Ruth Day

13. Fridge-cleaning motivation: ODOR - This milk smell bad to you?

14. Not sleep well: TOSS - Let Bobby Lewis tell the melodic tale

21. Took on: HIRED.

22. Iconic dot-eater: PACMAN - Trapped!

23. Flammable gas: ETHANE.

24. Rise on hind legs: REAR UP - Hi Yo Silver!

25. "Knowing where your food comes from" movement: FARM TO TABLE - Info

26. Aspen abodes: CHALETS - Not A-FRAMES as it turns out

29. Grand Canal span: RIALTO - Our gondolier took us under the famous RIALTO Bridge in Venice 

30. Ready to roll: IN GEAR.

33. Part of a blabbing metaphor: LOOSE LIPS - "LOOSE LIPS might sink ships" from WWII

36. Abrupt increase: SPIKE - Have you bought gas lately?

40. Prayer books: MISSALS - Our paper MISSALettes are now both in English and Spanish 

42. Occult decks: TAROTS.

43. Hard-to-overcome evils: HYDRAS 

45. Brew in Brest: BIERE - How BEER is spelled in this French city that is 400 miles west of Paris

46. Ottoman officers: AGAS - Prince Shah Karim Al Hussaini became the Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims or Aga Khan IV in 1957. Here he is shown in the celebration of his 60th yr in that capacity 

47. Crown: PATE.

48. Grand __: PRIX.

52. Inventor's monogram: TAE - The Wizard Of Menlo Park

53. Hanoi holiday: TET 

54. Franchise-based supermarket chain: IGA - Here is an Independent Grocery Association store in Nyah West, Victoria, Australia (pop. 552)

56. Local boundaries?: ELS - Yup, LocaL starts with an "L" and ends with an "L". No Ernie Els for our friend Pawel! (Jeffrey had 62. Divided trio?: DEES yesterday)

Now it's time to comment and have a mint julep!