Thursday, November 18, 2021, August Miller

 

Ahoy, cruciverbalists!  Today's puzzle setter is August Miller who has been seen here quite often lately.  I recapped one on his puzzles on June 17th of this year.  That effort was followed with puzzles on September 3rd, September 29th, October 13th and, just a bit more than two weeks ago, on November 3rd.  Apologies if I missed any.

The theme of today's puzzle made all marine creatures feel right at home.  At six places within the grid, the names of six SEAS are placed, as anagrams, within circles.  If your publication chose not to print the circles then you may have found yourself in a bit over your head, underwater, or, at least, up to your neck. . . theme-wise.

The explanation is found at 33 Down:  Dramatic shift . . . or what's literally found in each set of circles?: SEA CHANGE.  The vocabularic ancestor of Paradigm Shift.

PAINSCA -  CASPIAN

EAGANE -  AEGEAN

YLOWEL -  YELLOW

LITBAC -  BALTIC

INGERB -  BERING

ICRADIAT -  ADRIATIC

The phrase The Seven Seas" is a merely a figurative term so having six is okay.  Seas differ from oceans in that they are found on the margins of oceans and are usually located where the land and ocean meet.

Because there are no themed answers, per se, let's dive right in:

Across:

1. Apply softly: DAB.  Also, a small amount . . . and a flatfish.  Oh, and a puzzle constructor.

4. Indy 500 leader: PACE CAR.  Only on at the start of the race.

11. About 40 gallons of it usually makes a gallon of syrup: SAP.

14. GPS calculation: ETA.  Estimated Time of  Arrival

15. Mollusk with a nacreous shell: ABALONE.  We often saw NACRE as a crossword puzzle answer back in the day.

16. Gp. for moms and dads: PTA.  Parent Teacher Association.  Abbreviated clue with GP for group.

17. Particles from far, far away: COSMIC RADIATION.  High energy charged particles , x-rays, and gamma rays produced in space.

20. Burger topping: ONION.  Relish wouldn't fit.  See 23 Across.

21. 23andMe subject: DNA.  23andMe is a company that offers genetic testing.  See 28 Across.

22. Lena Dunham TV show: GIRLS.  One of several actor/actress references, today.

23. Dog topping: RELISH.  Onion wouldn't fit.  See 20 Across.

25. To wit: NAMELY.

26. Wind-driven clouds: SCUD.  Also the name of a missile.

SCUD Clouds

28. Hereditary unit: GENE.  See 21 Across.  Might have been clued as  _____ Simmons or Autry.

29. Riddle end, maybe: WHAT AM I.  You can see me once in a year, twice in a week, but never in a day.  What am I?  The letter e.

32. 2001 NBA MVP Allen: IVERSON.  A basketball reference.

36. Goal: AIM.  Alternatively:  We ___ to please.  You ___, too, please.

37. Student, ideally: LEARNER.

39. Runner Down Under: EMU.  Down Under being slang for Australia.  EMUs are flightless.

40. Zoom alternative: SKYPE.  A bit of present-day technology.  Fixed focal length lens was not going to fit.

42. Race part: LEG.  Sometimes, a racer's part, too.

43. Over: AGAIN.

45. Brazilian soccer great: PELE.  Ne Edson Narantes do Nascimento.

46. Responds to a phone solicitation, perhaps: GIVES.  I first thought of YELLS, RANTS, RAVES.  Neither HANGS UP nor CURSES would fit.

48. Improvs, e.g.: ACTS.  I guess IMPROV is now an "official" word.

49. Eye-bending genre: OP ART.  An example:

51. Fiennes of "The Grand Budapest Hotel": RALPH.  Another of several actor/actress references, today.

53. Drops off before midday?: DEW.  Clever.  The drops of dew come off the grass before noon.  We were, I suppose, meant to think of something sleep-related,

55. Easy throw: LOB.

56. "Later": BYE.  As in "See you later."

57. Words With Friends, for one: APP.

60. Post-teaching title for some: EMERITA.  Female equivalent of EMERITUS.

62. Latvia neighbor: ESTONIA.

64. Fluorescent element?: SILENT C.  We have seen this type of c/a before.  It "gets me" less often than it used to.

65. Like many a wedding planner: ENGAGED.  For those who plan their own weddings.

66. "It's just a flesh wound": ILL BE OK.  A staple of OATERS.  

67. Repair crew with tiles: ROOFERS.  TILERS was too short and FLOORERS was too long.

Down:

1. Interior designer's specialty: DECOR.

2. Make reparations: ATONE.  Afterwards, one can be at one with their conscience.

3. Margherita pizza herb: BASIL.

4. It tops out at ten in a doctor's office: PAIN SCALE.  It has been argued that the PAIN SCALE was used to inappropriately market opioids.  Pain Scales And The Opioid Crisis

5. "Mixed-ish" airer: ABC.  Another TV show.

6. Calling or playing follower: CARD.  Pick a CARD, ANY CARD.

7. Stylish vigor: ELAN.

8. Musical symbol resembling a set of crosshairs: CODA.

9. Young Darth: ANI.  Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader  are characters in the Star Wars series of films.

10. When the Cold War ended: REAGAN ERA.

11. Pinnacle of religion?: SPIRE.  A nice play on words.

12. Coral island: ATOLL.  I always forget if it's two tees and one ell or vice versa.

13. Violet hybrid: PANSY.  Violet could refer to a color, a flower, or her:

18. Like eyes starting to tear up: MOIST.

19. Dingy kitchen item?: TIMER.  Dingy means dirty or unclean.  A dinghy is a small watercraft.  In this case, though, the puzzler maker (or editor) wants us to think of something that makes the sound "ding".  Ding-y, if you will.

24. "A Treatise of Human Nature" author: HUME.

25. Campbell of "Scream" films: NEVE.  Another of several actor/actress references, today.

27. Ease up: DIAL IT BACK.  Idiomatic expression defined in the clue.

28. Spiced brew: GINGER BEER.  Hands up for first thinking of some kind of tea.

29. Paper-nest builder: WASP.  Did wasps invent paper?

30. Backpack, e.g.: HIKE.  Noun or verb?  Verb.

31. 1926 Pulitzer-winning poet: AMY LOWELL.

34. Neglect to mention: OMIT.

35. Sisters in the 2017 film "The Little Hours": NUNS.

38. Excite, with "up": REV.  The first of three three-letter answers in sequence.

41. Exuberance: PEP.  The second.

44. Gender __: GAP.  The third.

46. Underground recess: GROTTO.

Grotta Azzurra

47. Declines: SAYS NO.  PASSES would have fit the space and two of the letters would have worked out.

50. Flared dress style: ALINE.  One can see whence the name was derived.

52. Released: LET GO.

53. Arnaz of early TV: DESI.  Another of several actor/actress references, today.

Babalu

54. Painter Nolde: EMIL.  One of the early Expressionists.

58. Place to drop a line: PIER.  Another play on words.  "Drop a line" is idiomatic for writing.  In this case, though, fishing.

59. Paw parts: PADS.

61. 1860s gray: REB.  A Civil War reference.  The soldiers of the Confederacy wore gray uniforms and re referred to as REBs (rebels).

63. Klutz: OAF.  So, this shark swims into a bar . . . "Arrrgg", he yelled.  I'm such a klutz!

. . . and with that, the completed grid:

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Thursday, November 4, 2021, Nancy Stark, Will Nediger

 

Good morning, curciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here wishing everyone a slightly belated wonderful start to November.  It is difficult, indeed, to realize that Halloween has once again come and gone.  Thanksgiving is around the proverbial corner and with that the "Holiday Season" will have officially begun.  Of course, my local Costco had Halloween merchandise on display starting in mid-August so, perhaps, I am a bit out-of-date in my perception of how all of this is supposed to work.

Today's puzzle was constructed by Nancy Stark & Will Nediger who seem to have last visited us in July, 2020.

Our simian friend, above, strongly suggests that we start with the reveal:

58 Across.  Reason to wear a hat ... or what 17-, 27- or 43-Across may describe: BAD HAIR DAY.

At three places within the grid the puzzle setters have placed answers that (with a bit of a stretch) COULD describe hair styles that have gone bad.

17. Garnish at the bar: LEMON TWIST.  I have heard LEMON used to describe a used car but never to describe a poor quality hair styling job.

Havana Twist

27. Tough gymnastics maneuver: BACKWARD FLIP.  I am not sure how one might get a FLIP BACKWARD.  Turned under, perhaps.  That might tickle.

The "Classic" 60's Flip

43. Heavy surf feature: CRASHING WAVE.

Finger Wave

Here is how it looks in the grid . . .

 . . . and here is how we get there:

Across:

1. "And was Jerusalem builded here / Among these dark Satanic __?": Blake: MILLS.  Right off the bat, a c/a to which I had not a clue.  Perps to the rescue.

6. Fortune's partner: FAME.  FAME and Fortune.

10. Old home theater setups: VCRS.  Video Cassette RecorderS

14. Something to bid: ADIEU.

15. Plant not actually in the lily genus: ARUM.  ARUM lily, aka Calla Lilly.  There are approximately 391,000 species of plants.  Only approximately 90 of these are classified as being in the lily genus but the "not actually" tips us off to something along the lines of a misnomer.  Still, perps to the rescue.

16. Sound from a roller coaster: WHEE.

19. Essence: GIST.

20. Key under a tilde: TAB.

21. Actress __ Gurira who plays Okoye in recent Marvel films: DANAI.  Once again, my lack of familiarity with current pop culture was exposed.  Perps to the rescue.  Again.

22. Locks with a bar: BOLTS.  Both locks and BOLTS are polysemous.  As clued, it could have been a type of hair style.

23. Attack with vigor: ASSAIL.

25. Is able to: COULD.

32. Laid-back: CHILL.  Slang, in this instance.  Used as an adjective it would seem.

35. Van Gogh setting: ARLES.

The Courtyard of the Hospital in Arles - 1889

36. Texter's intro to a take: IMO. In My Opinion.

37. Name meaning "born again": RENE.  We have seen this cluing before. Né is French for born.

38. Tie for cooking: TRUSS.  It's not to early to begin thinking about this.

39. Related: AKIN.  A friend of mine had an idea for a subscription box that came with everything you needed to make something AKIN to pita bread but softer and made with yogurt.  I had to tell him that it was a naan-starter.

40. Graceless sort: OAF.  From the Old Norse AUF meaning, among other things, elf.

41. Where to see lots of fans: ARENA.  Sports fans

42. Refine: AMEND.  Certainly, in a way.

46. Nickname used by Shaggy: SCOOB.

Shaggy and Scooby-Doo

47. Animosity: RANCOR.  A nourished bitterness, envy, hatred or malice.

51. "Whoa, didn't expect to see you here": OH HEY.

53. A thousand ccs: LITER.  I learned the metric system in chemistry class . . . and on streets of Berkeley and Amsterdam.

56. "Well, well, well!": OHO.  AHA!

57. Reason to wear a hat: RAIN.  Another reason in addition to BAD HAIR.

60. Record blemish: BLOT.  Why was the ink BLOT upset?  Because his father was in the pen and he didn't know how long the sentence would be.

61. Most applied-to U.S. sch. in the fall of 2021: UCLA.  Freshman year of undergrad, two years of grad school and two years of teaching there for this marine mammal.  It's a good thing that the campus is pretty close to the beach.

62. Singer featured on Missy Elliott's "Lose Control": CIARA.  Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera.  Sierra Nevada.

63. Jacob's dozen: SONS.

64. Distort: SKEW.

65. '50s bomb: EDSEL.  A-Bomb?  H-Bomb?  Nope, an automobile flop.

1958 Edsel Villager

Down:

1. Valletta's island: MALTA.  Valletta is the capital city of MALTA.

2. Creative output: IDEAS.  A hand up for first thinking of some of the creative arts.

3. Swing supports: LIMBS.  A tree swing, I suppose.

4. Sign before Virgo: LEO.  An astrological reference.  This marine mammal was born under this sign during what the Chinese say was the Year of the Tiger.

5. Old timer: SUNDIAL.  Not a grizzled veteran but, literally, an old timer.  No moving parts to break.

6. Be obsequious: FAWN.  FAWN is another polysemous word.

7. Showcase for pipes?: ARIA.  "Pipes" being slang for singing ability.

8. Cutting-edge instrument?: MUSICAL SAW.  Creative word play makes us smile.

9. Ambulance pro: EMT.  Emergency Medical Technicians hang out in our puzzles.

10. Car once marketed as the Rabbit: VW GOLF.

2019 Volkswagen Golf

11. Young at heart: CHILDLIKE.  While this c/a was pretty quickly resolved,  a lingering dissatisfaction remains as being "young at heart" has always seemed to signify so much, much more than CHILDLIKE.

Frank Sinatra

12. Take a breather: REST.  Let sleeping dogs lie.

13. Spreads, as sails: SETS.  Hoist up the John B's Sail.  See how mainsail SETS.

Al Jardine & Brian Wilson

18. Soft rock: TALC.

22. BFFs: BUDS.  I did know this bit of current pop culture.  Best Friends Forever S.  PALS would also have fit the allotted space.

24. Skilled: ABLE.

26. Metal sources: ORES.

28. "Trilogy of Terror" star: KAREN BLACK.

Karen Black as Julie

29. Squeezed (out): WRUNG.

30. "Let's do it!": I'M IN.

31. (The) Atlantic, to Brits: POND.  Often used in the phrase "across the pond".

32. "Zeeba" eater in the comic "Pearls Before Swine": CROC.

33. Pick up, in a way: HEAR.  HEARed on the street.

34. Trendy: IN FASHION.  Why do FASHION designers never have any good ideas?  Because they're too clothes minded.

38. Folk group, often: TRIO.  Chad Mitchell TRIO.  Kingston TRIO.  Peter, Paul & Mary. The Limeliters.  The Sandpipers.  Etc. Etc.  Do the Three Stooges count?

39. Congregation cry: AMEN.

41. Greeting at sea: AHOY.  AHOY,  mateys,  thar's fools gold in Cuba, Trinidad and Jamica.  Arrg, they be the Pyrites of the Caribbean.

42. Grasping nature: AVARICE.  Greed

44. Tracks of a sort: SCENTS.  To a bloodhound

45. __ 51: AREA.  AREA 51 is a highly classified USAF facility.  You can find it on the map (but you probably won't be granted access - although I suspect there are a few folks who hang out on The Corner who would be).

48. Score conclusions: CODAS.  A musical composition reference

49. Place to see some Chicago touchdowns?: OHARE.  Not Soldier Field (home of Da Bears) but, instead, the airport.

50. Word with family or flush: ROYAL.

51. "Windows to the soul": ORBS.  Poet-speak for eyes

52. Religious art image: HALO.  One of many.

54. Like frivolous chatter: IDLE.

55. Spring harbinger: THAW.

58. It picks people up: BUS.  Not, in this case, an antidepressant.

59. Done with, with "of": RID.  Well, we may be done with today's recap but we are certainly not RID of our cruciverbal habits.

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