Friday, May 17, 2019, Mike Peluso

A Chipper By Another Name Would Still Be a Chipper.  Wait, what?  In this puzzle each time we are given the clue "Chipper" we get an entirely different definition.  Look how the first and last answers span the grid.  The two middle theme answers are symmetrically placed in the grid.  Nice!

17-Across. Chipper: JONES OF BASEBALL.  As in Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones (b. Apr. 24, 1972).  He was a third baseman for the Atlanta Braves.

27-Across. Chipper: GREEN SIDE IRON.  A golfing reference.  I'll let the golf pros in this group provide you all details.

46-Across. Chipper: IN A JAUNTY MOOD.

56-Across. Chipper: MULCH MAKING TOOL.  This made me think of the wood-chipping scene from the 1996 movie Fargo.  Not for morning consumption, however.

Across:

1. VMI program: ROTC.  As in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps.  Such programs are found on at the Virginia Military Institute as well as many other university campuses.

5. '80s-'90s courtroom drama: LA LAW.  This television drama was on when I was in law school in the other LA.

10. On-call worker: TEMP.  As in a TEMPorary worker.

14. Assert as true: AVER.  A crossword staple.

15. Three-time A.L. batting champ Tony: OLIVA.  As in Tony Oliva (né Antonio Oliva Lopez Hernandes Javique; b. July 20, 1938).  He had a long career with the Minnesota Twins.

16. Pupil's place: UVEA.  As in parts of the eye.

20. Tetra- doubled: OCTA-.  4 doubled is 8.

21. Atonement: AMENDS.

22. Confuse: ADDLE.

25. Wrigley brand: ORBIT.  Chewing gum that comes in all different flavors.

31. Geological time span: EON.

32. Carpenter's joint element: TENON.  It's the projecting piece of wood made for insertion into a mortise of another piece of wood.

33. Hiccup cause: SPASM.

36. Genesis voyager: NOAH.

38. Protector with strings: APRON.  My favorite clue of the puzzle.

40. Mlle., across the Pyrenees: SRTA.  Today's French (Mlle.) and Spanish (Srta.) lesson.  Both are abbreviations for Miss in English.

41. God of Islam: ALLAH.

43. Called from the field: LOWED.  The sounds the cow makes.

45. Bordeaux vineyard: CRU.  More of today's French lesson.  A Cru is a vineyard or group of vineyards of high quality.

49. Rural wagons: DRAYS.

50. Response at the door: IT'S ME!  Sometimes the answer is: It is I, which has the same number of letters.

51. Fair-hiring problem: AGEISM.

54. "I don't like your __": TONE.

62. Tierra en el mar: ISLA.  More of today's Spanish lesson.  The Island (Isla) is a bit of land (tierra) in the sea (el mar).

63. Force to leave: EXILE.

64. Personification of victory: NIKE.  Nike was a Greek goddess.  Here is the winged victory wearing Adidas.

65. Dance basic: STEP.

66. Shemar's longtime "Criminal Minds" role: DEREK.  I have never watched Criminal Minds, however, Shemar Moore (né Shemar Franklin Moore; b. Apr. 20, 1970) played Malcolm Winters on The Young and the Restless for many years.

67. Plus: ALSO.

Down:

1. One of five characters on "The Big Bang Theory" to appear in every episode: RAJ.  Another show I have never watched.  Raj is played by Kunar Naayar (b. Apr. 30, 1981).

2. Ab __: from the start: OVO.

3. Cube root of 1,000: TEN.  Crossword math:  10 x 10 x 10 = 1,000.

4. Spicy cuisine: CREOLE.  Well, I rather suppose this depends upon one's definition of "spicy."    I don't consider Creole to be an especially spicy cuisine, but then, I am accustomed to this style.  The word "Creole" is derived from the word "criollo", which is Spanish or Portuguese for "born in the colony".  The word "Creole" initially referred to the first settlers of European descent in the French colonies, especially New Orleans.

The term "Creole", when referring to food, is a style of cooking that originated in Louisiana, that blends French, Spanish, Portuguese, West African, Native American, Caribbean, German and Italian influences.  Traditional Creole dishes include red beans and rice, jambalaya, gumbo and creole sauce dishes.

5. Plunder: LOOT.

6. Italian wheels, briefly: ALFA.  The Alfa Romero Automobile company was actually founded by Alexandre Darracq (1855 ~ 1931), who was French.

7. Ad-__: LIB.  An appreciation for ad libitum, which is a Latin phrase translated as "at one's pleasure".

8. Director DuVernay: AVA.  Ava DuVernay (b. Aug. 24, 1972) is probably best known for her 2018 film A Wrinkle in Time.

9. Horseradish relative: WASABI.  Wasabi is a plant of the family that includes horseradish.  Apparently, however, most of what American's think of as Wasabi really a mixture of horseradish, mustard and food coloring.

10. Casual summer garments: TUBE TOPS.

This tube top doesn't look very comfortable.

11. Former Indiana governor Bayh: EVAN.  Evan Bayh (né Birch Evans Bayh, III; b. Dec. 26, 1955),  is the son of Senator Birch Bayh, Jr.  Both father and son served as United States Senators from Indiana.

12. Amalgamate: MELD.

13. Chums: PALS.

18. Crime scene clue, maybe: SCENT.

19. Arab bigwigs: EMIRS.  This has become a crossword staple.

22. Gemini rocket stage: AGENA.

23. Eagerly anticipate, with "over": DROOL.

This baby is too cool to drool.

24. North America's highest peak: DENALI.  Mt. Denali is in Alaska.

25. Fragrant: ODOROUS.  I think of odorous as being more stinky than fragrant.

26. Fame: RENOWN.

28. Large expanse: SEA.  Yup.  It goes on and on.

29. Part of the picture: IN PLAY.

30. Busters: NARCOS.

34. Four-decades-plus first name in the Senate: STROM.  As in Strom Thurmond (né James Strom Thurmond; Dec. 5, 1902 ~ June 26, 2003).  He served as a United States Senator from South Carolineafor 48 years.  In 1948, he ran for President as the States Rights Democratic Party candidate.

35. Title role for Bea: MAUDE.  As in Bea Arthur (née Beatrice Frankel; May 13, 1922 ~ Apr. 25, 2009).  She would have celebrated her 97th birthday earlier this week.

37. Links equalizer: HANDICAP.

39. Take-home: NET.  The amount of money you have after taxes.

42. Tough to hear, as criticism: HARSH.

44. Like embers: DYING.

47. Stuck: JAMMED.

48. Medit. tourist attraction: MT. ETNA.  Italian volcano.

51. Author Martin: AMIS.  As in the British novelist Martin Louis Amis (b. 1949).  He wrote the novel Money, which I read, but didn't enjoy.  He is the son of novelist Kingsley William Amis (Apr. 16, 1922 ~ Oct. 22, 1995).

52. Unexpected blow: GUST.

53. Couture monthly: ELLE.

54. Roof piece: TILE.

55. Fraction of a meg: ONE K.  One Thousand (one K) is a fraction of a million (meg.).

57. Men's grooming brand: AXE.

58. Aperitif named for a former Dijon mayor: KIR.  The cocktail is made with crème de cassis topped up with white wine or champagne.  It was named after Félix Kir (Jan. 22, 1876 ~ Apr. 26, 1968), a Catholic priest, resistance fighter and politician.  He served as mayor of Dijon from 1945 until his death in 1968.

59. Good thing to strike: OIL.  The first oil well in Louisiana was drilled in late 1901-early 1902.

60. Signs off on: OKs.

61. Sign of summer: LEO.  Sign of the Zodiac.

Here's the grid:

I'll leave you with a QOD:  The trouble with words is that you never know whose mouth they’ve been in.  ~  Dennis Potter (May 17, 1935 ~ June 7, 1994), British screenwriter and journalist

Thursday, May 16th 2019 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: The Modern Prometheus - all the theme entries refer to the alternative title of this novel:

17A. Classic 1818 novel: FRANKENSTEIN. Here's the cover of the first edition:

20A. Unnamed character in 17-Across: THE MONSTER. "It" is known by number of names in the novel, none of them particularly flattering, including "It".

35A. Author of 17-Across: MARY SHELLEY. She wrote the novel when she was 18, she was 20 when it was published. Her, her husband Percy and Lord Byron had a competition to see who could come up with the best horror story.

47A. 1974 portrayer of 17-Across: GENE WILDER. Here's the classic moment from the movie when Wilder meets Marty Feldman's Igor for the first time.

53A. 1931 portrayer of 20-Across: BORIS KARLOFF. A little before my time, but surely everyone has seen Karloff's performance in this classic movie.

So, a nice challenge from Jeffrey, I didn't really get a toe-hold until the SW corner, then it was a question of working across and back up. The Karloff theme entry was my first, then it was just a question of fitting the pieces of the puzzle into place.

There's a lot of fresh fill in the puzzle too. SEED HEADS in the center of the downs was impressive as it crosses all five theme entries. Let's check out the rest.

Across:

1. Expert in Islamic law: MUFTI. A learning moment. I knew the word as a military term for civilian clothes but not the Islamic connection.

6. Classroom tools: RULERS

12. Nation partly in the Arctic Circle: FINLAND. Brrr. Not a whole lot of daylight in winter, either.

14. Left: GONE OUT

15. "I didn't lie!": IT WAS SO!

16. Select, as a jury: EMPANEL. I'm not sure I knew this. Crosses filled in a lot of it for me.

19. Otoscope target: EAR. I learned "oto-" from this photograph of David Niven in his book "The Moon's A Balloon". The caption read "Cupid developed otosis as a result" which sent me scurrying for the dictionary.

24. In a calculating way: SLYLY. Just pipped by "rhythm" as one of the longest words with no vowels.

27. Antipoverty agcy.: O.E.O. The Office of Economic Opportunity. Established by Lyndon Johnson to manage his War on Poverty programs. It was abolished in 1981.

28. Actor Stephen: REA. I had him as RAE first which slowed things down a tad.

29. Prefix with plus: SUR. Surplus.

31. Reduce in status: DRAG DOWN

37. Slapstick reaction: SPIT TAKE. Never heard of this term before either. One of these:

39. Borrow, but not really: BUM. "Not really" because you'e not going to give it back, as in "bum a smoke".

40. "__ you serious?": ARE

41. Talk and talk: YAP

43. Namely: TO WIT

52. "__ scale of 1 to 10 ... ": ON A. Fill it in and move on.

56. King in 1 Kings: SOLOMON

59. Shoulder piece: EPAULET

60. Like some rural bridges: ONE LANE

61. July 4, 1776, notables: SIGNERS. I tried FATHERS first, knowing it was probably wrong. I proved myself right (wrong) eventually.

62. Green field?: BOTANY. Field of study.

63. Campus figures: DEANS

Down:

1. Kind of heart valve: MITRAL

2. Easily led astray: UNWARY

3. Rich dessert: FLAN

4. Something to do: TASK

5. Map box: INSET. Took me a while to figure this out, even though the clue is familiar enough.

6. "Did my heart love till now?" speaker: ROMEO. Yay! I actually knew this.

7. Detach, as a dress pattern: UNPIN. My mom used to make her own dresses, I witnessed lots of unpinning of patterns as a kid.

8. Isn't straight: LEANS

9. Big stretch: EON

10. Deeply regret: RUE

11. Mo. town: STL St. Louis.

12. High winds: FIFES. Nice clue. A fife is a high-pitched flute.

13. Honolulu-born singer: DON HO

14. Go back for a second helping: GET MORE

18. A dandelion's are called blowballs: SEED HEADS. We used to drive my dad nuts blowing the seed heads; as fast as he was trying to get the pissenlit out of the lawn we were just compounding the problem.

21. Fox NFL analyst Aikman: TROY. He's actually pretty good as an analyst; the Cowboys did something right, Tony Romo is a quite excellent announcer.

22. "Ick!": EEW!

23. Fled: RAN

25. Future JD's exam: LSAT

26. Mongolian tent: YURT. Now available as expensive "glamping" accomodations in Big Sur, among other places.

30. Shaggy rug from 12-Across: RYA. Remembered from crosswords past.

32. Kosovo neighbor: Abbr.: ALB. Albania, on the Balkan Peninsula.

33. Surfeit: GLUT

34. How-to presentation: DEMO. I've demoed a lot of software in my time. One of the more enjoyable parts of my work day.

35. Bearing: MIEN

36. Prominent New York City feature: SKYLINE. The most impressive skyline I've seen is Hong Kong island overlooking the harbor, especially at night when all the buildings are lit up in neon.

37. Give a little: SAG

38. Not post-: PRE-

42. Short dogs, for short: PEKES

44. Like some scarves: WOOLEN. This gave me pause for quite some time. I've always spelled it with two "L"s.

45. Works out: INFERS

46. Last family to keep a White House cow: TAFTS. Two cows actually, Wooly Mooly and Pauline Wayne. There's that single "L" again in "Wooly".

48. Dangerous virus: EBOLA

49. Lennon love song: WOMAN. Written for Yoko, as 57D cross-references.

50. Twist: IRONY

51. Fleet: RAPID

54. Heated state: RAGE

55. Large green moth: LUNA. Quite impressive-looking things. I don't think I've ever seen one.

56. One may be choked back: SOB

57. Dedicatee of 49-Down: ONO

58. __ alone: not to mention: LET

And with that, I'm on my way. Have a great day!

Steve

Wednesday, May 15, 2019, Chuck Deodene

Title: BE OUR GUEST.

Lemonade here pinch-hitting for Melissa with whom I shared Wednesdays when I first started blogging here. So this is full-circle for me. I described Mr. Deodene's history here and at the NYT in my most recent write-up of a Friday he built last year, so today I will provide this LINK to some of Chuck's life with words. Today is a hidden word puzzle. I have previously written about doing the London Times Cryptic Crossword with my mother when they began running in NEW YORK magazine. Here is a wonderful ARTICLE which was written by composer STEPHEN SONDHEIM. Remember, this was written in 1968; the modern crossword has incorporated much of the fun of cryptics.  I know some have expressed interest in Cryptics and this is a good primer. Getting back to our puzzle, we have the "hidden" version. Here there are four themers and a grid-spanning reveal. The word GUEST is hidden in the clue in between the words. The first two and the fourth have the split gue/st, the third gues/t. The reveal is fair, but I had the theme long before then.

For a Wednesday, we also have lots of sparkle like DESKSET,  GAS HEAT,  REDOUBT, ECSTATIC,  IT'S A SNAP, PANCREAS, and the odd SCAT SING. Time to move to the next phase...

17A. Sports page table: LEAGUE STANDINGS (14). Most only think of "standing", but each league has its own.

25A. Dissociative condition: FUGUE STATE (10). Dissociative fugue (formerly called psychogenic fugue, or fugue state) is a psychological state in which a person loses awareness of their identity or other important autobiographical information and also engages in some form of unexpected travel. Psychological amnesia.

37A. Makes a case for, with "of": ARGUES THE MERITS (14). For which the topic of oral pierces could be argued.

49A. Intraoral piercing: TONGUE STUD (10). I received a hole in my tongue playing touch football but never consider putting jewelry in my mouth.

57A. Talk show drop-by ... and a literal feature of 17-, 25-, 37- and 49-Across: GUEST APPEARANCE (15). 

Across:

1. Passport stamps: VISAS. Yes but LINK.

6. Improvised knife: SHIV. From "a razor," 1915, variant of chive, thieves' word for "knife" (the1670s) from Romany language.

10. MRI output: SCAN. Actually, it is an image.

14. Capital of Ghana: ACCRA. LINK.


15. "Say Anything..." actress Skye: IONE. Her vowel-rich name is more famous than she is here in crossword land.

16. "__ and Abel": Jeffrey Archer novel: KANE. I really enjoyed his works,

20. Plaza payment: TOLL.

21. Feel remorse over: RUE. I would remove the "over."

22. Winter hrs. in St. Louis: CST. Central Standard Time.

23. Blog entry: POST. Please keep them coming.

29. "Who __ to complain?": AM I.

30. Woman college basketball coach Summitt with an NCAA record 1,098 career wins: PAT. This legendary COACH died in 2016 from complications from Alzheimer's.  Coach K has eclipsed her victory total and Gino Auriemma is catching up.

31. Nairobi's country: KENYA. More Africa. See map above.

32. Insulin-producing gland: PANCREAS. The key to diabetes.

36. Left or right ending: IST. There are so many other choices.

42. Knot-tying vow: I DO. I did.

43. Like big lottery winners, presumably: ECSTATIC. Such a mixed blessing, historically. STORIES.

44. __ pad: STENO. I still use them.

47. Old Mideast org.: UAR. The United Arab Republic.

48. Reggae precursor: SKA. Ska is still around.

52. Carnival: FAIR.

53. Brightness nos.: IQS.

54. 6-Down's sib: BRO.

55. River swimmers: EELS. Not if C.C. gets them. They become a...

63. Repast: MEAL.

64. Char on a grill: SEAR. I'm not sure how many ways she cooks them.

65. Popular Google service: GMAIL.

66. About: AS TO.

67. Singer from County Donegal: ENYA. Eithne Ní Bhraonáin was born on May 17, 1961, in Gweedore, Donegal, Ireland, almost her birthday.

68. Leaf under a petal: SEPAL. I think I just had that botanical discussion,

Down:

1. Actor Kilmer: VAL. A bad Simon Templar and a bad Bruce Wayne.

2. Floe makeup: ICE. Tin are you okay?

3. Perform like Ella: SCAT SING. Is this a Yoda answer?

4. Insider lingo: ARGOT.

5. TV lawyer Goodman: SAUL. The spin-off from BREAKING BAD.

6. 54-Across' sib: SIS.

7. Trending: HOT.

8. Going nowhere, career-wise: IN A RUT.

9. Playhouse, say: VENUE. For a show Mickey Rooney!

10. Navigate slopes: SKI.

11. High-kicking dance: CAN CAN. So many links.

12. Showing insecurity: ANGSTY. A word from the 60s.

13. Snapple rival: NESTEA. This was very hard for me and only the perps did it. I was looking for a more esoteric company.

18. Wee toymaker: ELF. Not Wii.

19. Matching office accessories: DESKSET.

23. Dad: PAPA. I get that from many of my sons' friends.

24. Shortstop Vizquel with 11 Gold Glove Awards: OMAR.  bit obscure but talented fielder.

26. __ the crack of dawn: UP AT.

27. House-warming option: GAS HEAT.

28. Aquarium beauty: TETRA.

33. Stage prompting: CUING.

34. Stronghold: REDOUBT. From Bunker Hill to Yorktown, a feature of military actions during the American Revolution was the redoubt. Of course, redoubts were a fixture in worldwide military operations long before, and long after, that war, but those fortifications built of earth, sod and timber were usually more complex than their simple materials suggest. Journal of the American Revolution.

35. That, in Toledo: ESO. Our Lucina CSO.

36. Online chats, briefly: IMS.

38. Subdued hue: ECRU. The definition is having the color of raw silk or unbleached linen," from French écru "raw, unbleached.

39. "Simple as can be": ITS A SNAP. A very short period of time (figuratively, the time taken to snap one's fingers), or a task that can be accomplished in such a period. Etymology.

40. __ torch: luau light: TIKI.

41. What a tattoo may cover: SCAR. Why? I know many tattoos but none covering a scar.

44. Mark of shame: STIGMA.

45. Kitchen toppers: TOQUES. This hat has become a regular.

46. Put into power: ENSEAT. Ugh. The only good thing about this word is that it could be part of an anagram puzzle.

47. 2019 Pebble Beach event: US OPEN. Golf. SITE.

50. Wipe: ERASE. Computer hard drives.

51. "Weeds" law org.: DEA. Drug Enforcement Agency.

52. Moth attractor: FLAME.

56. Units of energy: ERGS.


58. __ Poke: retro candy: SLO. Never heard of it. The original Slo Poke Caramel Pop was first introduced in 1926 by the Holloway Candy Company.

59. Settle: PAY. The bill.

60. Time to remember: ERA.

61. "Homeland" org.: CIA. I have never watched the show.

62. Turn in the plumbing: ELL. A cute twist to end our tour.

Thank you Chuck; c'mon back mb and thank you all.

Tuesday May 14, 2019 Craig Stowe

Theme: AFTER PARTY (56. Oscar night celebration ... and where to find the ends of the answers to starred clues)

 17. *Ingratiate oneself (with): CURRY FAVOR. Party favor.

 24. *Hardly cutting-edge: OLD SCHOOL. Party school.

 36. *Last stage of a chess match: END GAME. Party game.

 46. *Joke payoff: PUNCH LINE. Party line.

This compliments the "PARTY ON" a few years ago where both words can precede "party". 

C.C. here. After more than a year of dedicated weekly blogging, TTP wants to cut back a bit and blogs every other week. He'll be back next Tuesday. 

As I mentioned before, it's fun to blog once or twice. Doing it week after week can be exhausting. It's no coincidence that TTP always has the perfect images and apt shout-outs on his write-ups. It's hours of hard work. Finding the right words to describe the theme clearly. Finding the suitable images and video clips to go with some entries. Formatting. Googling various crossword websites and our own blog for past references, etc. This all takes time, often 3 or more hours. I feel so lucky to have such a dedicated team! 

Across:

1. Car cam spot: DASH.

5. Sacred Judaic scroll: TORAH.  Hebrew for "law".

10. Wild guess: STAB.

14. Reverberate: ECHO.

15. Of __: helpful for: USE TO.

16. Pop in a bottle: COLA. Pepsi in our house.

19. Similar: AKIN.

20. Childish comeback: ARE NOT.

21. Needing cleaning, as tabletops: DUSTY. Also the name of Misty's sorely-missed dog.

23. Doctored in a bad way: FAKED.

28. Latin American dances: TANGOS.

30. Spooky: EERIE.

31. Surprised sounds: OHS.

33. "__ light is not daylight": Juliet: YON.

34. Shoe pad: INSOLE. Found your perfect shoes last week, Agnes?

35. Good name for a cook: STU.

38. Sun. speech: SER.

39. That is: NAMELY.

41. Early TV maker: RCA.

42. Pricing word: PER.

43. Armenian's neighbor: IRANI. Often Iranian.

44. Coo: MURMUR.

48. Type of pie popular in Southern cuisine: PECAN.

52. Lecherous sorts: ROUES.

53. Concerns of teachers and ophthalmologists: PUPILS. Cute clue.

54. Drop of sweat: BEAD.

59. Turn toward: FACE.

60. Brahms played it: PIANO.

61. Element with the symbol "Fe": IRON. I know iron deficiency, but can you get too much iron in your body?

62. Mister Rogers: FRED.

63. Deign (to): STOOP.

64. Part of DVD: DISC.

Down:

1. Brew for an early night: DECAF.

2. High-end Honda: ACURA.

3. Princess Fiona's love: SHREK.

4. Charlotte NBA team: HORNETS. Owned by Michael Jordan.

5. Hair clump: TUFT.

6. Mama bear, in Madrid: OSA.

7. Gun, as an engine: REV.

8. In conflict: AT ODDS.

9. Falcon-headed son of Osiris: HORUS.

10. Verbally tears apart: SCATHES. I've only used "scathing".

11. Name in Japanese WWII propaganda: TOKYO ROSE. And 32. Group often threatened in dystopian fiction: HUMAN RACE. Nice pair of 10's.

12. Boxer Laila: ALI.

13. Outlaw: BAN.

18. "Size matters not" Jedi master: YODA.

22. Play part: SCENE.

24. Prayer opener: O GOD.

25. Extended period of time: LONG RUN. Great 7 also.

26. Refueling ship: OILER.

27. Rude look: LEER.

29. Part of a Park Ave. address: NY NY.

31. Japanese seaport: OTARU. Northern Japan. Kazie just visited Japan last month.

34. Quran reader: IMAM.

35. Salon sound: SNIP.

36. Peace Nobelist Root: ELIHU.

37. 43,560 square feet: ACRE.

40. Made cryptic: ENCODED.

42. Like most phone cards: PRE-PAID.

44. Fish out of water: MISFIT.

45. "__ and away!": UP UP.

47. Springs: LEAPS.

49. Wispy clouds: CIRRI.

50. Choir section: ALTOS.

51. "This I Promise You" band: NSYNC.

53. Shore (up): PROP.

54. IM VIP: BFF.

55. Musical talent: EAR.

57. Lao Tzu's "way": TAO. Here is the Tao Vegas billboard. "Always a Happy Ending." I think of Steve every time I see it.

58. Brian of ambient music: ENO.

C.C.

Monday May 13, 2019 Dan Margolis

Theme: This is Us - Each theme entry is in the pattern of U* S*:

  

19. *Anonymous Arlington honoree: UNKNOWN SOLDIER.

31. *Evil Cinderella sibling: UGLY STEPSISTER.

38. *Possibly the perp: UNDER SUSPICION

51. *Entryway conveniences for rain deflectors: UMBRELLA STANDS.

Reveal:

63. With 64-Across, NBC drama ... or, in four parts, a hint to the answers to starred clues: THIS. 64. See 63-Across: IS US

Boomer here.

Greetings from Minnesota where the fishing opener occurred Saturday. I only fish for golf balls these days.  I was able to play my first round of the year Friday. However, we have had so much rain (and snow) that the course would not allow carts on the fairways.  My front nine was pretty good (for me) however all that walking from the cart to the ball created incredible fatigue so the back nine was not so good. The energy that is sapped by my drugs had a hand in that also.

I'll try again this week, weather permitting. And as far as the rainfall goes, I am sure the courses in Houston are not even putting out the carts and the golfers need to use boats.  I hope my good friend desper-otto is doing okay.  Houston had to deal with a hurricane in recent past, and now this.  

   

Across:

1. After-bath powder: TALC.  I think there is a health warning out about this stuff.

5. Crunchy potato snack: CHIP.  One of "My Three Sons".

9. Stew (over): FRET.  I never learned guitar but I know it has several

13. Cookie in some Breyers Cookies & Cream: OREO.  I like these cookies although diabetes prevents me from eating more than two per year.  But they show up in crosswords more than twice per year and I have run out of comments.

14. Vintner's prefix: OENO.

15. Still in the running: ALIVE. And well and living in Minnesota.  Along with millions of fish that were not caught.

16. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" tree: PEAR.  With a partridge hidden in it. Traditional jigsaw puzzle at the Burnikel household.
 

17. Crooner Crosby: BING.  His best rendition was "White Christmas" I believe.

18. Entitled: NAMED.

22. Be worthwhile: PAY.  OR if you are worthwhile you may get paid.

23. Dispenser candy: PEZ.  I had these when I was a kid.  It was a plain dispenser.  Now some of them are collector's items.

24. Boot the ball: ERR.  Baseball slang.  I always call them errors.

25. Wall St. specialist: ARB.  Wall Street had a roller coaster ride last week.  I hope you all survived!

26. Fill to the gills: SATE.

28. __-Wan Kenobi: OBI.  A couple of Saturdays ago.  May the Fourth be with you. 

35. History Muse: CLIO.

36. Sean Lennon's mom Yoko: ONO. "Un Huh OH NO don't let the rain come down."

37. School orgs.: PTAS.  Remember Mrs. Johnson of Harper Valley..

43. Singer Carly __ Jepsen: RAE.

44. Where Cork is: EIRE.  I spell it Ireland but that did not fit

45. Bottom line: NET.  Nothing but …

46. Rowing implement: OAR.  Many were used in Minnesota this past weekend, but most fisherman have a motor.

47. Criticize harshly, as a film: PAN.

48. Freelancer's enc.: SAE.

56. Best man's best friend, often: GROOM.

57. MacFarlane of "Family Guy": SETH.

58. Lane at the Daily Planet: LOIS.  Look!  Up in the sky!  It's a Bird, It's a Plane, NO It's Lois's Boss, Clark.

59. Makes eyes at: OGLES.

60. Part of un opéra: ACTE.

61. "The African Queen" screenwriter James: AGEE.  Centerfielder Tommie of the 1969 Miracle Mets!!

62. Dogs, to dog owners: PETS.  Add CAN and you have a procedure that detects everything but the kitchen sink.

Down:

1. Refresh, as a cup of coffee: TOP UP.  I do this at least five times every morning, but the coffee is never as hot as the first cup.

2. Sports venue: ARENA.

3. Hardly watertight: LEAKY.   We had a leaky shower that damaged our garage ceiling. We had it fixed and it only cost an arm and a leg,

4. Succotash kernel: CORN. This is Minnesota's second largest crop but it may surpass soybeans this year

5. Attic accumulation: COBWEBS.

6. "57 Varieties" brand: HEINZ.  "Our soup costs no more than other kinds, and you know it's good because it is Heinz !"  I cannot name all of the 57 varieties -- Can you??

7. Overnight places: INNS.  My favorite is the C'mon Inn in Billings, Montana.

8. Possum in comics: POGO. 

9. Natural aptitude: FLAIR.  Reminds me of Ric Flair, pro wrestler in the WWE.  Now I have heard of Charlotte Flair.  I do not know if they are related.

10. Icy winter coating: RIME.  Funny way to spell SNOW.

11. In any way: EVER.  If you're EVER in a jam, here I am. 

12. Media mogul Turner: TED.  He owns a TV network AND a major league baseball team.  I only have a pile of Atlanta Braves baseball cards.

15. Peace Nobelist Sakharov: ANDREI.

20. Grand Ole __: OPRY.  Fort Campbell was only about 60 miles from Nashville.  I never went to the Opry, but we listened on the radio most Saturdays.

21. "Shall we?" response: LETS.

25. Burn soother: ALOE.  When Alexander Graham Bell inventor of the telephone suggested folks answer with AHOY, I think Elisha Gray (founder of Graybar) wanted his phone answered ALOE.

26. Sight or smell: SENSE.

27. Per unit: A POP.

28. Director Preminger: OTTO.  Young Otto Warmbier was sent home from North Korea a few days before his death.  Then Kim sent us a bill for 2 million dollars.  What is this world coming to?

29. Noggin: BEAN.  Orson was a frequent guest of Johnny Carson.

31. Bone parallel to the radius: ULNA.

32. "The Immoralist" author André: GIDE.

33. Sightseeing outing: TOUR.

34. Roasting rod: SPIT.  Back in the days of the HHH Metrodome in Minneapolis, players were not allowed to spit on the Astroturf.  (Tobacco stains).

35. Mangy mutt: CUR.

39. Provides with more weapons: REARMS.

40. Beget: SIRE.  This would be the father of Maximum Security, turning his nose up at the Preakness.  I don't blame him.

41. Reduced to rubble, as by a fire: IN ASHES.

42. Penny: CENT.  "If you haven't got a penny, a half penny will do, If you haven't got a half penny, then God bless you!'

46. Instruments among the reeds: OBOES.

47. Singer LaBelle: PATTI.  I remember Patti Page and see her occasionally on those half hour ad shows that try to sell you CDs of old time hits.

48. Canoodles, in Britain: SNOGS.

49. French bye word: ADIEU. "Adieu, Adieu my friends adieu.  I can no longer stay with you" - Then something about drinking wine.

50. Letters after ars: ESSES.

51. Advocate: URGE.

52. Shed skin: MOLT.

53. Future atty.'s hurdle: LSAT.

54. Solidarity leader Walesa: LECH.  Highly controversial, but I think he represented poor workers very well in Poland and improved their status.  Holler at me if I am wrong.

55. Jai __: ALAI.

56. Republican org.: GOP.  Grand Old Party.  Interesting nickname.

Boomer

Sunday May 12, 2019 Gail Grabowski

Theme: "Youth Group" - LAD spans across each theme entry.

23. Warning during a snowstorm: TRAVEL ADVISORY.

32. Octane booster: FUEL ADDITIVE.

46. High naval rank: FULL ADMIRAL.

67. One who can't put down the phone?: DIGITAL ADDICT.

86. Founding Father found in a bar?: SAMUEL ADAMS.

102. Common login component: EMAIL ADDRESS.

113. Shelter mission: ANIMAL ADOPTION.

Reveal:

116. Youth found in this puzzle's seven longest answers: LAD.

Very consistent *L AD* span. Simple but never-done theme. This is Gail's hallmark.

Gail is also careful with her fill also. You won't find a plethora of names in her grids. Or odd abbreviations. She never wants to stump solvers.


Across:

1. Informal demand for propriety: ACT NICE. Great 7-letter start.

8. Choice bit: MORSEL.

14. Group with similar interests: CIRCLE.

20. "I always lie," e.g.: PARADOX.

21. Illinois city west of Chicago: AURORA. Gail lives in Peru, Illinois.

22. Filled, folded fare: OMELET.

25. Wyndham-owned chain: RAMADA. Not familiar with Wyndham, you? Wiki says "It has locations in China".  Ramada does have many hotels in China.

26. Seashore raptor: ERNE.

27. Watch readout abbr.: LCD.

28. Discontinuation phrase: NO LONGER.

30. Quote qualifier: SIC.

31. Last stroke, usually: PUTT. Also 36. Disc golf starting points: TEE PADS.

38. German title: HERR.

39. Geological stretch: EON.

40. Goose egg: NIL.

41. Wild way to go: APE.

42. NYC tourist attraction: MOMA. Oh, Starry, Starry Night, Paint your palette blue and green...

43. Slim predatory swimmer: CONGER EEL.

50. Doesn't need: HAS.

51. Jazz singer Jones: ETTA.

52. Physicist's study: ATOM.

53. "Chopped" utensil: PAN. We also have 54D. Celebrity chef Bobby: FLAY. I like Jamie Oliver. Who's your favorite?

54. On-call volunteer, perhaps: FIREMAN.

57. Reported story: NEWS ITEM.

60. See 17-Down: BELL. And 17D. Instrument with a flared 60-Across: CLARINET.

62. Source of a draft: ALE TAP.

66. A third of nove: TRE. Nove is 9.

71. Vichy vacation time: ETE.

72. Studio apartment accommodation: AIRBED.

74. Crafts website: ETSY.

75. Indian brew: ASSAM TEA. Black tea.

77. "The Blues Brothers" fashion accessories: RAYBANS.

80. Made a fast stop?: ATE. Great clue.

81. Like some folklore: ORAL.

82. "David Copperfield" girl: EM'LY. Little Em'ly.

85. Student leader?: ESS. Just the first letter in Student.

90. Debate focal point: MAIN ISSUE.

93. Senior's highlight: PROM.

94. Eligibility factor: AGE. I'm going to be eligible for senior discounts soon. Amazing.

95. Big bucks, briefly: MIL.

96. Aloha shirt go-with: LEI.

97. Truck maker with a bulldog logo: MACK.

98. Casual Friday adjective: TIELESS.

106. Eliot title hero: BEDE.

107. Disappoint, with "down": LET.

108. Arranged, as a deal: BROKERED.

109. Put the kibosh on: END.

110. Brad's role in "Inglourious Basterds": ALDO. No idea. But I like the new clue angle.

111. Hat of Ecuadorian origin, oddly: PANAMA.

118. She outwitted a witch: GRETEL.

119. Puget Sound city: TACOMA.

120. Like candy canes: TWO-TONE. And 123. Poor Yelp rating: ONE STAR.

121. Not easily ruffled: SERENE. D-Otto! Such a calm and reassuring presence in our life. We also have 68D. Far from relaxed: TENSE. 103D. Ready to explode: IRATE.

122. Angled: SLOPED.


Down:

1. Most fitting: APTEST.

2. King's first published novel: CARRIE.

3. Daze: TRANCE.

4. Cathedral section: NAVE.

5. Ending with fluor-: IDE.

6. Conspired: COLLUDED. No collusion.

7. Calls for: EXACTS.

8. Big D hoops pro: MAV.

9. Tokyo : hai :: Paris : __: OUI. I've mentioned a few times. "hai" is also Cantonese for "yes".

10. Commuting options: Abbr.: RRS.

11. With less delay: SOONER.

12. Weasley family owl: ERROL. "Harry Potter".

13. Clapton classic: LAYLA.

14. County fair fare: CORN DOG.

15. "Just think ... ": IMAGINE.

16. Held another session: RE-MET.

18. Headed up: LED.

19. Weather-sensitive hr.: ETA.

24. EPA-banned pesticide since 1972: DDT.

29. Danish seaport: ODENSE. Hans Christian Andersen's birthplace.

31. Bear with a too-hard bed: PAPA.

32. Storm relief org.: FEMA.

33. Region in the Eurasian Steppe: URAL.

34. Nam lead-in: VIET.

35. "Enchanted" film title girl: ELLA.

37. Coconut sources: PALMS. And 42. Coconut Grove setting: MIAMI.

38. Road warning: HORN.

43. Jack Reacher creator Lee __: CHILD.

44. Stroked tool: OAR.

45. Russo of "The Intern": RENE. She is Frigga in "Avengers: Endgame".

46. Fruity soda: FANTA.

47. Development areas: UTERI.

48. Farther down: LOWER.

49. Compressed video format: MPEG.

55. Apple.com array: MACS.

56. Resort near Snowbird: ALTA.

58. Planning session product: IDEA.

59. Fairly large, sumwise: TIDY.

60. Louisville Sluggers, e.g.: BATS. I think we still have a couple of mini bats in our garage.

61. Golf's "Big Easy" Ernie: ELS. Our Big Easy was close to him a few times. George volunteers for Zurich Classic every year.

63. Aquarium favorite: TETRA.

64. Subs aren't on it: A TEAM.

65. Sounds of thunder: PEALS.

69. Matter of fact: DATUM.

70. "So that's it!": I SEE.

73. __ Mawr College: BRYN. The only way to clue this entry.

76. Pose in fancy clothes, say: MODEL. This supermodel (fancy Dolce & Gabbana dress) is from my hometown. Her name is Xiao Wen Ju.

78. Abutting: BESIDE.

79. Sch. with a Phoenix campus: ASU.

80. Wild way to run: AMOK.

82. Former "Fashion Emergency" host: EMME.

83. Severely harm: MAIM.

84. 19-y'ar-old comics character: LIL ABNER.

86. Seaweed wrap purveyors: SPAS.

87. Hammer-throw trajectories: ARCS.

88. Gave up, as arms: LAID DOWN.

89. "A Death in the Family" author: AGEE. James.


91. It's a bad sign: ILL OMEN.

92. Broad-leafed maritime plant: SEA KALE.

97. Doc: MEDICO.

98. Look after: TEND TO.

99. 2009 Tony-winner "Billy __ the Musical": ELLIOT.

100. Site of Arizona's Red Rock State Park: SEDONA.

101. Type that can't stay off the grass?: STONER. Drug.

104. Mild oaths: DRATS.

105. Kidney-related: RENAL.

106. Co-star of Betty, Rue and Estelle: BEA.

110. Case workers: Abbr.: ATTS.

111. Some movie ratings: PGS.

112. "All bets __ off": ARE.

114. Swiffer product: MOP. Hope it's all dried up, D-Otto!

115. Soul, to Sartre: AME.

117. Author of macabre tales: POE.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms on our blog!

C.C