Theme: Good 'ole homonyms. The first word of all the punnily(?) clued answers substitutes a word with changed spelling. Good theme strength, the first words all end with OLE, and are all pronounced the same way as the words they replace.
17. Money for the Warsaw government?: POLE TAXES. Warsaw, Poland. A poll tax was used in the south to try to circumvent the 14th amendment and prevent civil rights. It took the 24th amendment to make it illegal.
25. Foot-tapping songs?: SOLE MUSIC. Soul music is sort of Gospel blended with rhythm & blues.
35. Songwriting, to Porter?: COLE FIELD. Coal fields. Night and Day, Cole Porter's field of expertise.
49. Actor's messages from an agent?: ROLE CALLS. I'll bet Dennis still remembers roll call.
58. Grain for bagels?: HOLE WHEAT. I only eat the holes in bagels and donuts.
Hi all, Al again. Working with a dodgy loaner PC. Mine is in for repairs and the space bar isn't working very well on this one. Ah, well, enough excuses. Onward to the rest. A bit of nostalgia in several music references today, I thought. The tough part was narrowing down all the choices there are for each song to be able to choose only one and not get distracted by all the other music links.
ACROSS:
1. Lee followers: REBS. The South shall rise again.
5. Works in the Uffizi Gallery: ARTE. Italian art : Florence, Italy museum location.
9. Gets ready: PREPS.
14. "__ Rhythm": I GOT. Lena Horne doing a Gershwin classic.
15. Role for Carrie: LEIA. Carrie Fischer, Star Wars.
16. Singer Gorme: EYDIE. As Long as he needs me. A torch song from "Oliver!".
19. Letter alternative: LEGAL. Paper sizes.
20. They may be precious: STONES. They might also be a double-entendre. (and still be precious)
21. Divulge: TELL. Divulge, to make common property. Related to "vulgar", common, ordinary.
23. Hydrocarbon suffix: ENE. As usual, need perps for generic chemical ending clues. Could have been made into something helpful by adding "double-bond" in front of hydrocarbon.
24. Fluorescent bulb filler: ARGON. Also contains excited mercury vapor, dispose of these carefully.
27. "1984" protagonist __ Smith: WINSTON. A double-plus good novel by George Orwell.
29. Cut it out: DESIST. Latin sistere, to come to a stand. Related to assist, to stand by.
30. Place to be pampered: SPA.
31. French mystic Simone: WEIL. Unknown to me.
34. Maundy Thursday period: LENT. Holy Thursday, commemorates the Last Supper.
38. G-note: THOU. Grand, thousand.
40. Increase in intensity, with "up": RAMP.
41. Previously: AGO.
44. Weather map features: FRONTS. Where air masses of different density meet.
46. Ardor: PASSION. Latin ardorem: to burn. Passion originally meant suffering (the passion of the Christ), then evolved to strong emotions and desire.
52. __ asada (Mexican meat dish): CARNE. Roasted meat, barbecue.
53. TV's Alf and others: ETS. Alf was a puppet alien that liked to eat cats.
54. Skin-soothing stuff: ALOE.
55. Bouquets: POSIES. "line of verse engraved on the inner surface of a ring," from poesy, recorded in this sense from early 15th century. The meaning "flower, bouquet" first recorded 1570s, from notion of the language of flowers.
56. Rob of "90210": ESTES. Nope, still don't know who he is.
60. Sport with clay pigeons: SKEET. A name chosen as "a very old form of our present word 'shoot.' " Perhaps Old Norse skotja "to shoot" was intended.
61. Auth. of many quotes?: ANON. Can you spell anonymous without looking it up? I have early access to internet file servers and FTP to thank for that skill.
62. Old Boston Bruin nickname: ESPO. Phil Esposito, hockey.
63. Newbies: TYROS. Latin tiro, young soldier, recruit.
64. Following: NEXT.
65. Remarriage prefix: STEP. Step-brother, sister, son, daughter, etc.
DOWN:
1. With-the-grain cutters: RIPSAWS.
2. Vacation for the vain?: EGO TRIP. Punny.
3. Smoked deli meat: BOLOGNA. I would think it would be hard to light and harder to keep it going. You'd need a big ashtray, too.
4. Dictators' aides: STENOS. Greek stenos "narrow", graphy "writing": shorthand.
5. Wistful word: ALAS. Originally a word of weariness, related: lassitude.
6. "Wonder Dog" of comics: REX. Selected as a test subject for a super-soldier serum. After receiving an injection of the serum, Rex found himself endowed with great strength, speed, stamina, and intelligence. Dr. Anabolus was killed by a Nazi spy soon after, and as Anabolus left no records, this led to Rex being the only dog of his kind. Hmmm, I think they may have"borrowed" this story line from Captain America...
7. Relate with: TIE TO.
8. Drawing support: EASEL. Just a noun for a picture holder, not "attracting a crowd of protesters", as seems to be all over in the news lately.. And 39D. It can facilitate drawing: HOLSTER.Drawing a weapon, not a picture.
9. Willy-nilly: PELL-MELL. They seem unrelated when you investigate their origins. Contraction of "will I, nill I", with or without the will of the person concerned. And "confusedly" from Old French pesle mesle, apparently a rhyme on the second word, which is from the stem of the verb mesler "to mix, mingle."
10. 3-Down might be on it: RYE. Deli bread.
11. Enters carefully: EDGES IN.
12. Rachmaninoff, e.g.: PIANIST. Sort of like calling Woody Allen an actor.
13. Prime: SELECT. Choice. I think we had a meaty discussion about these words before.
18. Certain caterpillar's creation: TENT. Not a pleasant sight. Can do a lot of damage to a tree.
22. Was in front: LED.
25. Look from Snidely Whiplash: SNEER. Dudley Do-Right (cartoon) villain, always kidnapping Nell.
26. Broken in: USED.
28. Rice University mascot: OWL.
32. "__ picture paints ...": song lyric: IF A. Bread, soft rock from the 70's. The song "IF" was covered by such diverse artists as Petula Clark, Cleo Laine, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Jack Jones, Shirley Bassey, and ... Telly Savalas (yes, Kojak) who took it to the top of the UK singles chart for two weeks in 1975, the shortest song title to ever do so.
33. Walks with a cane, perhaps: LIMPS.
35. Road marker: CONE.
36. Shunned ones: OUTCASTS.
37. Clean air org.: EPA. Environmental Protection Agency
38. October Revolution leader: TROTSKY. This was a bunch of Bolsheviks.
41. With the most open windows: AIRIEST.
42. Flipped: GONE APE. This will be me if this*%$& spacebar doesn't start working correctly pretty soon.
43. Convenient, shoppingwise: ONE STOP. Plus a fitness workout to boot, from all the walking around in some of these "big box" retailers.
44. Least constrained: FREEST.
45. Erie Canal mule: SAL. Susanne Vega cover.
47. Flat-bottomed boat: SCOW. From Du. schouw "a ferry boat, punt," related to Old English. scaldan, "to push (a boat) from shore."
48. Ornamental bands: SASHES. No OBI clue?
50. Lindsay of "Labor Pains": LOHAN. The latest self-destructing Disney dropout. Lilo. More to follow by the look of it.
51. Sierra __: LEONE. Today's geography lesson.
55. Cooped (up): PENT. Variant of "penned" up.
57. Fair-hiring abbr.: EEO. Equal Employment Opportunity. Also seen as EOE.
59. Bagel topping: LOX. Smoked salmon.
Answer Grid
Al
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Thursday, Feb 17, 2011 Elizabeth A. Long
Theme: 71, 72, and 73 across: What this puzzle does literally at six different intersections: MAKES ENDS MEET. The word "END" is contained within, and connected to both an across and a down answer, and the placement of all the connections are symmetrical in the grid.
20A. Fancy greens dish: ENDIVE SALAD. Also called Chicory. Grown in the dark to prevent greening, which would make it bitter.
32A. #1 tennis player for much of the '80s: IVAN LENDL.
38A. In reverse position: END FOR END.
50A. Feminist's concern: GENDER GAP.
58A. Bit of modern folklore: URBAN LEGEND. See Snopes.com whenever you hear something that always seems to happen to a friend's friend from work has a relative that heard this story was true. Except it almost never is. Not to be confused with the Darwin Awards, which almost always are true.
1D. Supplementary items: ADDENDA. Added to the END.
26D. Binge: BENDER. Ah, lots of arm curls. College was for far more than just studying.
31D. Corrects, as text: EMENDS. Latin emendare "to free from fault," from ex- "out" + mendum "fault, blemish"
49D. Hanging: PENDENT. As in a cloth banner. Might have been pending as in waiting.
Hi all, Al here.
This is certainly an interesting construction today, but hard to put clearly into words, so a picture may help. Counting the last three across reveals at the END, there are 12 answers that contribute to the theme today. There's nothing that really unifies them other than that in the END, they are merely containers. But you know what they say: the END justifies the means. Unless I counted wrong, there are 63 out of 159 lites, or roughly 40% of the puzzle is theme-related. Solving seemed more like a Tuesday level to me, but that's not to say it wasn't enjoyable.
1. __ effort: A FOR. I have to believe that this puzzle did take a lot of effort.
5. Without restraint: AMOK. This word has origins in Malay, meaning attacking furiously. Portuguese amuco for "a frenzied Malay".
9. "__ luego": HASTA. Spanish lit. "until soon".
14. Merrill in movies: DINA. Daughter of E.F. Hutton, the founder of Wallstreet. You wouldn't think she'd need to get a job acting...
15. Microwave: NUKE.
16. "__ Smith and Jones": 1970s TV Western: ALIAS. Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry, two of the most wanted outlaws in the history of the West, are popular "with everyone except the railroads and the banks", since "in all the trains and banks they robbed, they never shot anyone". They are offered an amnesty on condition that they stay out of trouble for a year and that they don't tell anyone about it. Naturally, the show was about them being coerced into doing certain tasks that were for the greater good, but would land them back in jail if they were caught.
17. List maker: DEAN. The Dean's list is one you should want to be on.
18. Swank's "Amelia" co-star: GERE. Hillary and Richard. Movie about Amelia Earhart.
19. Stealthy Easterner: NINJA.
23. Storm hdg.: NNE.
24. Out of sorts: ILL.
25. Cloud in Orion: NEBULA. Sheer artistry.
30. Spay or neuter: DE-SEX.
35. "I can help": ASK ME.
36. 2012 Ryder Cup captain Davis Love __: III.
37. News organ?: NOSE. Having a nose for news, perhaps sticking it where it doesn't belong.
42. Cross over: SPAN.
45. Be less than healthy: AIL.
46. Greek with lessons: AESOP. Fabulous.
53. __ myrtle: tree or shrub in the loosestrife family: CRAPE. Also pretty. But purple loosestrife itself is a non-indigenous weed and will choke out a wetlands area with overgrowth, and should be pulled out and burned if found.
54. Skirmish: TUSSLE. Related to tousle, as with unruly hair.
55. Where Eth. is: AFR. Ethiopia, Africa.
57. Chess pieces: MEN. I'll bet the queen doesn't like being called that.
62. Howled: BAYED.
66. Upscale hotel chain: OMNI. New to me. I've not seen any of these in any of: Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Michigan.
67. Without thinking, with "by": ROTE.
68. Tequila plant: AGAVE.
69. It often involves steady losses: DIET. When you lose, you win. I'm on to these kinds of clues now.
70. Privy to: IN ON. Also related to "private", what you do in the privy stays in the privy.
DOWN:
2. He plays Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter films: FIENNES. Sans makeup for the ladies.
3. Where the teacher might casually sit: ON A DESK. Brings back fond memories of typing class in high school. For an elective class, a lot of the boys sure signed up for that one.
4. Rajah's wife: RANI.
5. Guardian, maybe: ANGEL.
6. Vegan's morning meal: MUESLI. Dates, oats, fruit, milk.
7. Cajun staple: OKRA. I think this was photoshopped...
8. Stabilizing part: KEEL.
9. "Water Music" composer: HANDEL. The clip is only 1:21 long. That's about long enough to get the idea, I think.
10. Clay, today: ALI. It was a bigger deal back when Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammed Ali
11. Offense: SIN.
12. Atlantic City casino, with "The": TAJ.
13. "__ matter of fact ...": AS A.
21. Sly female: VIXEN. Sly as a fox.
22. Musical based on a comic strip: ANNIE.
27. A quarter of cuatro: UNO. More Spanish, four / 4 = one.
28. Mormons, initially: LDS. Latter Day Saints.
29. Bar option: ALE.
33. Instrument in Schubert's "Trout Quintet": VIOLA. Someone likes classical music today, I see.
34. __ conditioning: AIR.
39. Provocative sort: DARER.
40. __ leaf: FIG. The usual image of Adam and 65D. First lady?: EVE being modest.
41. Mother-of-pearl: NACRE.
42. Certain NCO: SGT. Non-commissioned officer, sergeant.
43. Little, in Lille: PEU. un peu de Francais.
44. "Jeopardy!" ques., really: ANS. Make sure your answer is in the form of a question. Gimmicky marketing genius, apparently.
47. Identical item: SAME ONE.
48. Summer shoe style: OPEN TOE.
51. Gets by: ELUDES.
52. Gave one star, say: PANNED. Bad movie or restaurant rating.
56. Moves like a moth: FLITS.
59. Portend: BODE.
60. Exiled African tyrant: AMIN.
61. Dreadful: GRIM.
62. Bit of Lagasse lingo: BAM. Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril on the Food Network.
63. Turkish title: AGA.
64. Asian ox: YAK.
-Al
Answer Grid
20A. Fancy greens dish: ENDIVE SALAD. Also called Chicory. Grown in the dark to prevent greening, which would make it bitter.
32A. #1 tennis player for much of the '80s: IVAN LENDL.
38A. In reverse position: END FOR END.
50A. Feminist's concern: GENDER GAP.
58A. Bit of modern folklore: URBAN LEGEND. See Snopes.com whenever you hear something that always seems to happen to a friend's friend from work has a relative that heard this story was true. Except it almost never is. Not to be confused with the Darwin Awards, which almost always are true.
1D. Supplementary items: ADDENDA. Added to the END.
26D. Binge: BENDER. Ah, lots of arm curls. College was for far more than just studying.
31D. Corrects, as text: EMENDS. Latin emendare "to free from fault," from ex- "out" + mendum "fault, blemish"
49D. Hanging: PENDENT. As in a cloth banner. Might have been pending as in waiting.
Hi all, Al here.
This is certainly an interesting construction today, but hard to put clearly into words, so a picture may help. Counting the last three across reveals at the END, there are 12 answers that contribute to the theme today. There's nothing that really unifies them other than that in the END, they are merely containers. But you know what they say: the END justifies the means. Unless I counted wrong, there are 63 out of 159 lites, or roughly 40% of the puzzle is theme-related. Solving seemed more like a Tuesday level to me, but that's not to say it wasn't enjoyable.
1. __ effort: A FOR. I have to believe that this puzzle did take a lot of effort.
5. Without restraint: AMOK. This word has origins in Malay, meaning attacking furiously. Portuguese amuco for "a frenzied Malay".
9. "__ luego": HASTA. Spanish lit. "until soon".
14. Merrill in movies: DINA. Daughter of E.F. Hutton, the founder of Wallstreet. You wouldn't think she'd need to get a job acting...
15. Microwave: NUKE.
16. "__ Smith and Jones": 1970s TV Western: ALIAS. Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry, two of the most wanted outlaws in the history of the West, are popular "with everyone except the railroads and the banks", since "in all the trains and banks they robbed, they never shot anyone". They are offered an amnesty on condition that they stay out of trouble for a year and that they don't tell anyone about it. Naturally, the show was about them being coerced into doing certain tasks that were for the greater good, but would land them back in jail if they were caught.
17. List maker: DEAN. The Dean's list is one you should want to be on.
18. Swank's "Amelia" co-star: GERE. Hillary and Richard. Movie about Amelia Earhart.
19. Stealthy Easterner: NINJA.
23. Storm hdg.: NNE.
24. Out of sorts: ILL.
25. Cloud in Orion: NEBULA. Sheer artistry.
30. Spay or neuter: DE-SEX.
35. "I can help": ASK ME.
36. 2012 Ryder Cup captain Davis Love __: III.
37. News organ?: NOSE. Having a nose for news, perhaps sticking it where it doesn't belong.
42. Cross over: SPAN.
45. Be less than healthy: AIL.
46. Greek with lessons: AESOP. Fabulous.
53. __ myrtle: tree or shrub in the loosestrife family: CRAPE. Also pretty. But purple loosestrife itself is a non-indigenous weed and will choke out a wetlands area with overgrowth, and should be pulled out and burned if found.
54. Skirmish: TUSSLE. Related to tousle, as with unruly hair.
55. Where Eth. is: AFR. Ethiopia, Africa.
57. Chess pieces: MEN. I'll bet the queen doesn't like being called that.
62. Howled: BAYED.
66. Upscale hotel chain: OMNI. New to me. I've not seen any of these in any of: Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Michigan.
67. Without thinking, with "by": ROTE.
68. Tequila plant: AGAVE.
69. It often involves steady losses: DIET. When you lose, you win. I'm on to these kinds of clues now.
70. Privy to: IN ON. Also related to "private", what you do in the privy stays in the privy.
DOWN:
2. He plays Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter films: FIENNES. Sans makeup for the ladies.
3. Where the teacher might casually sit: ON A DESK. Brings back fond memories of typing class in high school. For an elective class, a lot of the boys sure signed up for that one.
4. Rajah's wife: RANI.
5. Guardian, maybe: ANGEL.
6. Vegan's morning meal: MUESLI. Dates, oats, fruit, milk.
7. Cajun staple: OKRA. I think this was photoshopped...
8. Stabilizing part: KEEL.
9. "Water Music" composer: HANDEL. The clip is only 1:21 long. That's about long enough to get the idea, I think.
10. Clay, today: ALI. It was a bigger deal back when Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammed Ali
11. Offense: SIN.
12. Atlantic City casino, with "The": TAJ.
13. "__ matter of fact ...": AS A.
21. Sly female: VIXEN. Sly as a fox.
22. Musical based on a comic strip: ANNIE.
27. A quarter of cuatro: UNO. More Spanish, four / 4 = one.
28. Mormons, initially: LDS. Latter Day Saints.
29. Bar option: ALE.
33. Instrument in Schubert's "Trout Quintet": VIOLA. Someone likes classical music today, I see.
34. __ conditioning: AIR.
39. Provocative sort: DARER.
40. __ leaf: FIG. The usual image of Adam and 65D. First lady?: EVE being modest.
41. Mother-of-pearl: NACRE.
42. Certain NCO: SGT. Non-commissioned officer, sergeant.
43. Little, in Lille: PEU. un peu de Francais.
44. "Jeopardy!" ques., really: ANS. Make sure your answer is in the form of a question. Gimmicky marketing genius, apparently.
47. Identical item: SAME ONE.
48. Summer shoe style: OPEN TOE.
51. Gets by: ELUDES.
52. Gave one star, say: PANNED. Bad movie or restaurant rating.
56. Moves like a moth: FLITS.
59. Portend: BODE.
60. Exiled African tyrant: AMIN.
61. Dreadful: GRIM.
62. Bit of Lagasse lingo: BAM. Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril on the Food Network.
63. Turkish title: AGA.
64. Asian ox: YAK.
-Al
Answer Grid
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011 Don Gagliardo
Theme: Shaken, not stirred, the reveal is found in 57 Across: Its components are hidden at the ends of 17-, 20-, 35- and 53-Across: DRY MARTINI.
17. Delta location: RIVER MOUTH. An "aromatized" wine, flavored with herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, chamomile, marjoram, cardamom. The inventor was inspired by a wine which in German was called Wermuth (flavored with wormwood, a component of absinthe).
20. Source of showroom shock?: STICKER PRICE.
35. Standing by for an on-air appearance: ABOUT TO GO LIVE. The word "oil" in several languages is derived from words for olive and olive tree. Originally, oil only meant "olive oil"
53. Risk calculation: SAFETY MARGIN. Shortening of geneva, altered by influence of the similarity of the name of the Swiss city, with which it has no other connection. from Dutch genever "juniper" because the alcohol was flavored with its berries.
Hi all, Al here again on a Thursday. Today's theme answers were both helpful and yet not helpful for me. Recognizable phrases, so they filled in missing letters, but the endings were disguised as part or parts of words, so that had me scratching my head how the full words could be related. See Don's note at the bottom of the write-up.
ACROSS:
1. Get used to it: ADAPT.
6. PBS moderator Ifill: GWEN. A new name for me..
10. Go for: COST. A yooper scooper for handling large amounts of snow? How much does that go for?
14. Martinez with three Cy Young Awards: PEDRO. Baseball pitching award.
15. By __: from memory: ROTE. Bi rote "by heart," of uncertain origin. I thought for sure this would have a Latin root, but I guess not...
16. Sale modifier: ONLY. And you can have it for ONLY 19.95 per month, and your first born child.
19. Actor Sitka who appeared in numerous Three Stooges films: EMIL. Apparently called "the fourth stooge". Another unknown name for me.
22. Healthy routine: HYGIENE. From Hygiea, daughter of the god of medicine, Asclepius. His other daughters were Iaso ("Medicine"), Aceso ("Healing"), Aglæa/Ægle ("Healthy Glow"), and Panacea ("Universal Remedy")
25. "Catcher in the Wry" author: UECKER. Bob. Named "Mr. Baseball" by Johnny Carson.
26. Make __ dash for: A MAD.
27. Hershiser with a Cy Young Award: OREL. And some more baseball pitching excellence.
30. Wind instrument vibrator: REED.
31. Send: THRILL. Sam Cooke: You send me.
33. Battle gp.: REGT. Armed Forces group, Regiment.
40. Bauble: GAUD. A large ornamental bead in a Rosary.
41. Citi Field org.: NY METS. And baseball again. I'm catching on to this sub-theme, you don't have to hit me over the head with a bat...
43. Central Chinese city: XIAN. Today's geography lesson.
46. Jazzman Stan: GETZ. I get misty.
48. Some are named for music genres: ERAS.
49. Carrying limit: ARMFUL.
51. Fit for consumption: EATABLE. This seems odd, I hear "edible" more often, but it's been around since the 15th century.
56. Beard-preventing brand: ATRA.
61. Forest denizens: DEER.
62. Capri, e.g.: ISLE.
63. Quilt filler: EIDER. Duck down harvested from nests after the young leave.
64. Used too much: ODED.
65. USNA part: Abbr.: ACAD. United States Naval Academy.
66. Puts in a hold: STOWS. Sometimes you have to wrestle it down the stairs...
DOWN:
1. Mortgage no.: APR. Annual Percentage Rate.
2. "De Civitate __": "The City of God," St. Augustine work: DEI.
3. -ly word, usually: Abbr.: ADV. Get your Adverbs here.
4. Spanish fort: PRESIDIO. From Latin præsidium, from præsidere "to sit before, protect". Related word, preside.
5. Rich dessert: TORTE.
6. Food merchant: GROCER. One who buys and sells in gross quantities.
7. "The Caine Mutiny" novelist: WOUK. Herman.
8. Cigar tip?: ETTE. A suffix clue: cigarette.
9. Early Indian leader: NEHRU. Jawaharlal. Prime minister having the longest time of service to date, 1947-64
10. Strong-arm: COERCE.
11. Wired for sound: ON MIKE.
12. Did a deli job: SLICED.
13. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" singer Bonnie: TYLER. Obligatory link.
18. Camera company that merged with Konica: MINOLTA. I hope they didn't mind.
21. With some sauce: PERTLY. Saucy, variant: sassy, giving off a little heat, using spicy language.
22. One of many jobs, in metaphor: HAT.
23. Jewish social org.: YMHA. Young Men's Hebrew Association.
24. Things to wear: GARB. "Elegance, stylishness," from M.Fr. garbe "graceful outline", from It. garbo "grace, elegance,"
28. Wear away: ERODE. Originally a gnawing-away at, as of rodents.
29. Relay runner's assignment: LEG.
32. Wheel securer: LUG NUT.
34. Spokane university: GONZAGA. The bulldogs. It all started on Thanksgiving Day, 1892. A new sport – then often referred to as American rugby – was played for the first time on the Gonzaga campus in front of 500 fans. The sport soon became known as football and Gonzaga was able to compete until 1942, when there were not enough male students to field a team due to their service in World War II.
36. Play with a dog toy, maybe: TUG.
37. Response to "You were kidding, right?": I MEANT IT.
38. Word of action: VERB.
39. And friends, facetiously: ET AL.
42. Capt.'s heading: SSE.
43. Like DVDs in a restricted room: X-RATED.
44. "We can talk now": I'M FREE.
45. Terrified, to the bard: AFEARD.
47. Designated: TERMED.
49. South American grilled meat dish: ASADO. A barbecue.
50. Croesus' kingdom: LYDIA. Now Anatolia (Asia Minor)
52. Exhausts: TIRES.
54. "Happy Days" mom, to the Fonz: MRS. C. Marion Cunningham, played by Marion Ross.
55. Auel heroine: AYLA. Jean Auel, The Clan of the Cave Bear. Played by Daryl Hanna.
58. Altar promise: I DO.
59. Fresh: NEW.
60. Letters seen in many forms: IRS. Sigh.Yes, it's that time of year again.
-Al
Answer Grid
A note from Don about today's theme:
"As a solver, I really like puzzles where words just pop out of nowhere to form new words. I wanted to hide something at the end of phrases where, when all was solved, one could take those items and put them together to make something. A mixed drink sounded like a good possibility. ICE and GIN came to mind, and I thought this would be easy. OLIVE? The phrase “About to go live” popped out of my head as something that I have heard a million times on TV. But how do you clue it? Rich and I struggled with that one. I don’t know yet how it ended up. I was afraid VERMOUTH from RIVER MOUTH was going to be too obvious and tip the whole puzzle theme from the getgo. We’ll see!"
P.S., Thanks to C.C. for getting me the puz file last night after Cruciverb made some changes again.
17. Delta location: RIVER MOUTH. An "aromatized" wine, flavored with herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, chamomile, marjoram, cardamom. The inventor was inspired by a wine which in German was called Wermuth (flavored with wormwood, a component of absinthe).
20. Source of showroom shock?: STICKER PRICE.
35. Standing by for an on-air appearance: ABOUT TO GO LIVE. The word "oil" in several languages is derived from words for olive and olive tree. Originally, oil only meant "olive oil"
53. Risk calculation: SAFETY MARGIN. Shortening of geneva, altered by influence of the similarity of the name of the Swiss city, with which it has no other connection. from Dutch genever "juniper" because the alcohol was flavored with its berries.
Hi all, Al here again on a Thursday. Today's theme answers were both helpful and yet not helpful for me. Recognizable phrases, so they filled in missing letters, but the endings were disguised as part or parts of words, so that had me scratching my head how the full words could be related. See Don's note at the bottom of the write-up.
ACROSS:
1. Get used to it: ADAPT.
6. PBS moderator Ifill: GWEN. A new name for me..
10. Go for: COST. A yooper scooper for handling large amounts of snow? How much does that go for?
14. Martinez with three Cy Young Awards: PEDRO. Baseball pitching award.
15. By __: from memory: ROTE. Bi rote "by heart," of uncertain origin. I thought for sure this would have a Latin root, but I guess not...
16. Sale modifier: ONLY. And you can have it for ONLY 19.95 per month, and your first born child.
19. Actor Sitka who appeared in numerous Three Stooges films: EMIL. Apparently called "the fourth stooge". Another unknown name for me.
22. Healthy routine: HYGIENE. From Hygiea, daughter of the god of medicine, Asclepius. His other daughters were Iaso ("Medicine"), Aceso ("Healing"), Aglæa/Ægle ("Healthy Glow"), and Panacea ("Universal Remedy")
25. "Catcher in the Wry" author: UECKER. Bob. Named "Mr. Baseball" by Johnny Carson.
26. Make __ dash for: A MAD.
27. Hershiser with a Cy Young Award: OREL. And some more baseball pitching excellence.
30. Wind instrument vibrator: REED.
31. Send: THRILL. Sam Cooke: You send me.
33. Battle gp.: REGT. Armed Forces group, Regiment.
40. Bauble: GAUD. A large ornamental bead in a Rosary.
41. Citi Field org.: NY METS. And baseball again. I'm catching on to this sub-theme, you don't have to hit me over the head with a bat...
43. Central Chinese city: XIAN. Today's geography lesson.
46. Jazzman Stan: GETZ. I get misty.
48. Some are named for music genres: ERAS.
49. Carrying limit: ARMFUL.
51. Fit for consumption: EATABLE. This seems odd, I hear "edible" more often, but it's been around since the 15th century.
56. Beard-preventing brand: ATRA.
61. Forest denizens: DEER.
62. Capri, e.g.: ISLE.
63. Quilt filler: EIDER. Duck down harvested from nests after the young leave.
64. Used too much: ODED.
65. USNA part: Abbr.: ACAD. United States Naval Academy.
66. Puts in a hold: STOWS. Sometimes you have to wrestle it down the stairs...
DOWN:
1. Mortgage no.: APR. Annual Percentage Rate.
2. "De Civitate __": "The City of God," St. Augustine work: DEI.
3. -ly word, usually: Abbr.: ADV. Get your Adverbs here.
4. Spanish fort: PRESIDIO. From Latin præsidium, from præsidere "to sit before, protect". Related word, preside.
5. Rich dessert: TORTE.
6. Food merchant: GROCER. One who buys and sells in gross quantities.
7. "The Caine Mutiny" novelist: WOUK. Herman.
8. Cigar tip?: ETTE. A suffix clue: cigarette.
9. Early Indian leader: NEHRU. Jawaharlal. Prime minister having the longest time of service to date, 1947-64
10. Strong-arm: COERCE.
11. Wired for sound: ON MIKE.
12. Did a deli job: SLICED.
13. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" singer Bonnie: TYLER. Obligatory link.
18. Camera company that merged with Konica: MINOLTA. I hope they didn't mind.
21. With some sauce: PERTLY. Saucy, variant: sassy, giving off a little heat, using spicy language.
22. One of many jobs, in metaphor: HAT.
23. Jewish social org.: YMHA. Young Men's Hebrew Association.
24. Things to wear: GARB. "Elegance, stylishness," from M.Fr. garbe "graceful outline", from It. garbo "grace, elegance,"
28. Wear away: ERODE. Originally a gnawing-away at, as of rodents.
29. Relay runner's assignment: LEG.
32. Wheel securer: LUG NUT.
34. Spokane university: GONZAGA. The bulldogs. It all started on Thanksgiving Day, 1892. A new sport – then often referred to as American rugby – was played for the first time on the Gonzaga campus in front of 500 fans. The sport soon became known as football and Gonzaga was able to compete until 1942, when there were not enough male students to field a team due to their service in World War II.
36. Play with a dog toy, maybe: TUG.
37. Response to "You were kidding, right?": I MEANT IT.
38. Word of action: VERB.
39. And friends, facetiously: ET AL.
42. Capt.'s heading: SSE.
43. Like DVDs in a restricted room: X-RATED.
44. "We can talk now": I'M FREE.
45. Terrified, to the bard: AFEARD.
47. Designated: TERMED.
49. South American grilled meat dish: ASADO. A barbecue.
50. Croesus' kingdom: LYDIA. Now Anatolia (Asia Minor)
52. Exhausts: TIRES.
54. "Happy Days" mom, to the Fonz: MRS. C. Marion Cunningham, played by Marion Ross.
55. Auel heroine: AYLA. Jean Auel, The Clan of the Cave Bear. Played by Daryl Hanna.
58. Altar promise: I DO.
59. Fresh: NEW.
60. Letters seen in many forms: IRS. Sigh.Yes, it's that time of year again.
-Al
Answer Grid
A note from Don about today's theme:
"As a solver, I really like puzzles where words just pop out of nowhere to form new words. I wanted to hide something at the end of phrases where, when all was solved, one could take those items and put them together to make something. A mixed drink sounded like a good possibility. ICE and GIN came to mind, and I thought this would be easy. OLIVE? The phrase “About to go live” popped out of my head as something that I have heard a million times on TV. But how do you clue it? Rich and I struggled with that one. I don’t know yet how it ended up. I was afraid VERMOUTH from RIVER MOUTH was going to be too obvious and tip the whole puzzle theme from the getgo. We’ll see!"
P.S., Thanks to C.C. for getting me the puz file last night after Cruciverb made some changes again.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Thursday, Feb 3, 2011, Annemarie Brethauer
Theme: A cold war challenge: 63. With the ends of 18-, 32-, 38- and 49-Across, an historic demand: MR GORBACHEV.
18A. Normal damage: WEAR AND TEAR.
32A. End zone dance preceder: TOUCHDOWN.
38A. "Pay attention!": WATCH THIS.
49A. Extensive Asian landmark: GREAT WALL.
54D. Born 2/6/1911, speaker of the demand: REAGAN.
Hi all, Al here.
ACROSS:
1. One not standing after a strike: PIN. This clue bowled me over.
4. "Così fan tutte" composer: MOZART. Roughly translates to "women are like that". A short excerpt with a prop malfunction. Two soldiers attempt to prove through deception each others' fiancée (sisters) is fickle. There is a wager involved.
10. Fuel used in smokeless briquettes: PEAT.
14. United: ONE.
15. Tater Tots maker: ORE-IDA. Portmanteau word of the Oregon/Idaho border area where the company started.
16. Humerus neighbor: ULNA. Your "funny" bone is actually the Ulnar nerve at the distal end of the humerus.
17. School gp.: PTA. Parent Teacher Associations are state or even nation wide, so dues go out and some funding is provided back in. A Parent Teacher Organization is local and does not pay dues to a wider association.
20. Object held by some Monet subjects: PARASOL.
22. "Born to Fly" singer Evans: SARA. Country appeal.
23. __ out: barely makes: EKES. To increase or lengthen. You can eke out your salary with a second job, but you can't eke out your existence.
24. Bribes: SOPS. Bread soaked in liquid. The meaning "something given to appease" is an allusion to the sop given by the Sibyl to Cerberus in Virgil's "Aeneid."
27. Exodus landmark: SINAI.
30. Cubicle items: DESKS.
34. Way to get up: STEPS.
36. Party drink: TEA.
37. Like Mars: RED.
42. Nimitz letters: USS. Nuclear-powered supercarrier.
45. "Livin' Thing" rock gp.: ELO.
46. Horde member: NOMAD.
53. Worker with rattan: CANER.
55. Jockey rival: HANES.
56. Israeli prime minister, 1969-'74: MEIR. Golda
58. Diet brand word: LITE.
59. Logician's "E," perhaps: ERAT. Q.E.D. Latin: quod erat demonstrandum "which was to be demonstrated."
61. Thames neighborhood: CHELSEA.
67. Where Dover is: Abbr.: ENG.land. Also one in DELaware, just to confuse you.
68. Jezebel's husband: AHAB. Ahab was king of north Israel, Jezebel was a power behind the throne. After Ahab died, his son was overthrown and killed by Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat. Jehu went on to confront Jezebel and incite her court officials to throw her out a window (defenestration) where she was left to be eaten by dogs. In some interpretations, she dressed in finery and put on makeup before her execution which led to the association of use of cosmetics with "painted women" or prostitutes.
69. City WNW of Boca: ST. PETE. Direction and St. Petersburg abbrevs.
70. LAX listing: ETA.
71. Jobless benefit: DOLE. Shortened from Old English gedal "portion," later "charitable portion" Related to dæl "deal", to dole out.
72. Assembly sites: PLANTS.
73. Man cave, maybe: DEN.
DOWN:
1. Visited unannounced, with "in": POPPED.
2. See 7-Down: INTAKES. 7D. With 2-Down, engine conduits: AIR.
3. Most convenient: NEAREST.
4. Does some yardwork: MOWS.
5. Droxies used to compete with them: OREOS. Hydrox cookies, bought by Keebler then renamed. Oreo just out-advertised them. Plus, name changes will lose sales from brand-loyalty customers. I don't remember ever seeing either name.
6. Extremist: ZEALOT. From Late Latin Zelotes "Member of a militant 1st century Jewish sect which fiercely resisted the Romans in Palestine"
8. Nutritional amt.: RDA. Recommended Daily Allowance. Sufficient to prevent deficiency diseases. Not necessarily the optimum amount.
9. Darkens in the sun: TANS. The color of leather, also to make leather.
10. Foul-smelling: PUTRID. From several Latin words, putridus, from putrere "to rot," from putris "rotten, crumbling," related to putere "to stink". Anyone have breakfast yet?
11. Aquitaine duchess: ELEANOR.
12. Women's tennis star Ivanovic: ANA. Photogenic.
13. Sailor: TAR.
19. Track event: DASH. Also Race, jump, heat.
21. Out of line: ASKEW.
25. Road hazard: POTHOLE.
26. Plum pudding ingredient: SUET. I've never had this. Beef fat, who knew? To hold it together, I suppose?
28. Blow away: AWE. From Old Norse "agi": fear,fright.
29. Pacers' home: Abbr.: IND. Basketball, Indiana.
31. Balneotherapy venue: SPA. Treatment of disease by bathing. New word for me.
33. "Come Fly With Me" lyricist: CAHN. Sammy.
35. Burgoo, e.g.: STEW.
39. Bit of dough: CLAM. Both are terms for money.
40. Org. with an interlocking rings logo: IOC. International Olympic Committee.
41. Trivial: SMALL.
42. "That's disgusting!": UGH.
43. E. Perón's title: SRA. Evita, Senora abbrevs.
44. It nearly surrounds Gambia: SENEGAL. Today's geography lesson.
47. Liqueur flavoring: ANISEED.
48. Cold War thaw: DETENTE. A borrowing of French détente "loosening, slackening" (used in the Middle Ages for the catch of a crossbow).
50. Oxygen-loving organism: AEROBE. One which oxidizes sugars or fats to produce energy.
51. Peter the Great, for one: TSAR. Derived from Latin Caesar.
52. Fungus-alga union: LICHEN.
57. Butler at Tara: RHETT.
60. 1/2 fl. oz.: TBSP.
62. Halloween et al.: EVES.
63. Moonstruck: MAD.
64. 17th Greek letter: RHO.
65. Falcons, on scoreboards: ATL. Football, Atlanta.
66. Yr.-end adviser: CPA. Certified Public Accountant.
Answer Grid
18A. Normal damage: WEAR AND TEAR.
32A. End zone dance preceder: TOUCHDOWN.
38A. "Pay attention!": WATCH THIS.
49A. Extensive Asian landmark: GREAT WALL.
54D. Born 2/6/1911, speaker of the demand: REAGAN.
Hi all, Al here.
ACROSS:
1. One not standing after a strike: PIN. This clue bowled me over.
4. "Così fan tutte" composer: MOZART. Roughly translates to "women are like that". A short excerpt with a prop malfunction. Two soldiers attempt to prove through deception each others' fiancée (sisters) is fickle. There is a wager involved.
10. Fuel used in smokeless briquettes: PEAT.
14. United: ONE.
15. Tater Tots maker: ORE-IDA. Portmanteau word of the Oregon/Idaho border area where the company started.
16. Humerus neighbor: ULNA. Your "funny" bone is actually the Ulnar nerve at the distal end of the humerus.
17. School gp.: PTA. Parent Teacher Associations are state or even nation wide, so dues go out and some funding is provided back in. A Parent Teacher Organization is local and does not pay dues to a wider association.
20. Object held by some Monet subjects: PARASOL.
22. "Born to Fly" singer Evans: SARA. Country appeal.
23. __ out: barely makes: EKES. To increase or lengthen. You can eke out your salary with a second job, but you can't eke out your existence.
24. Bribes: SOPS. Bread soaked in liquid. The meaning "something given to appease" is an allusion to the sop given by the Sibyl to Cerberus in Virgil's "Aeneid."
27. Exodus landmark: SINAI.
30. Cubicle items: DESKS.
34. Way to get up: STEPS.
36. Party drink: TEA.
37. Like Mars: RED.
42. Nimitz letters: USS. Nuclear-powered supercarrier.
45. "Livin' Thing" rock gp.: ELO.
46. Horde member: NOMAD.
53. Worker with rattan: CANER.
55. Jockey rival: HANES.
56. Israeli prime minister, 1969-'74: MEIR. Golda
58. Diet brand word: LITE.
59. Logician's "E," perhaps: ERAT. Q.E.D. Latin: quod erat demonstrandum "which was to be demonstrated."
61. Thames neighborhood: CHELSEA.
67. Where Dover is: Abbr.: ENG.land. Also one in DELaware, just to confuse you.
68. Jezebel's husband: AHAB. Ahab was king of north Israel, Jezebel was a power behind the throne. After Ahab died, his son was overthrown and killed by Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat. Jehu went on to confront Jezebel and incite her court officials to throw her out a window (defenestration) where she was left to be eaten by dogs. In some interpretations, she dressed in finery and put on makeup before her execution which led to the association of use of cosmetics with "painted women" or prostitutes.
69. City WNW of Boca: ST. PETE. Direction and St. Petersburg abbrevs.
70. LAX listing: ETA.
71. Jobless benefit: DOLE. Shortened from Old English gedal "portion," later "charitable portion" Related to dæl "deal", to dole out.
72. Assembly sites: PLANTS.
73. Man cave, maybe: DEN.
DOWN:
1. Visited unannounced, with "in": POPPED.
2. See 7-Down: INTAKES. 7D. With 2-Down, engine conduits: AIR.
3. Most convenient: NEAREST.
4. Does some yardwork: MOWS.
5. Droxies used to compete with them: OREOS. Hydrox cookies, bought by Keebler then renamed. Oreo just out-advertised them. Plus, name changes will lose sales from brand-loyalty customers. I don't remember ever seeing either name.
6. Extremist: ZEALOT. From Late Latin Zelotes "Member of a militant 1st century Jewish sect which fiercely resisted the Romans in Palestine"
8. Nutritional amt.: RDA. Recommended Daily Allowance. Sufficient to prevent deficiency diseases. Not necessarily the optimum amount.
9. Darkens in the sun: TANS. The color of leather, also to make leather.
10. Foul-smelling: PUTRID. From several Latin words, putridus, from putrere "to rot," from putris "rotten, crumbling," related to putere "to stink". Anyone have breakfast yet?
11. Aquitaine duchess: ELEANOR.
12. Women's tennis star Ivanovic: ANA. Photogenic.
13. Sailor: TAR.
19. Track event: DASH. Also Race, jump, heat.
21. Out of line: ASKEW.
25. Road hazard: POTHOLE.
26. Plum pudding ingredient: SUET. I've never had this. Beef fat, who knew? To hold it together, I suppose?
28. Blow away: AWE. From Old Norse "agi": fear,fright.
29. Pacers' home: Abbr.: IND. Basketball, Indiana.
31. Balneotherapy venue: SPA. Treatment of disease by bathing. New word for me.
33. "Come Fly With Me" lyricist: CAHN. Sammy.
35. Burgoo, e.g.: STEW.
39. Bit of dough: CLAM. Both are terms for money.
40. Org. with an interlocking rings logo: IOC. International Olympic Committee.
41. Trivial: SMALL.
42. "That's disgusting!": UGH.
43. E. Perón's title: SRA. Evita, Senora abbrevs.
44. It nearly surrounds Gambia: SENEGAL. Today's geography lesson.
47. Liqueur flavoring: ANISEED.
48. Cold War thaw: DETENTE. A borrowing of French détente "loosening, slackening" (used in the Middle Ages for the catch of a crossbow).
50. Oxygen-loving organism: AEROBE. One which oxidizes sugars or fats to produce energy.
51. Peter the Great, for one: TSAR. Derived from Latin Caesar.
52. Fungus-alga union: LICHEN.
57. Butler at Tara: RHETT.
60. 1/2 fl. oz.: TBSP.
62. Halloween et al.: EVES.
63. Moonstruck: MAD.
64. 17th Greek letter: RHO.
65. Falcons, on scoreboards: ATL. Football, Atlanta.
66. Yr.-end adviser: CPA. Certified Public Accountant.
Answer Grid
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