Friday, June 28, 2024, Zachary David Levy

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists, Malodorous Manatee here with a recap of today's puzzle by oft-time puzzle setter Zachary David Levy.  After substituting for Ch. Moe last Friday yours truly is back in his usual time slot.

Last Friday we were asked to add Oh! to get the themed answers.  Today,  at five (not the more common four) places in the grid Zachary has commanded us to get rid of you.  Or ewe.  In its stead we are further bade to substitute ooo as in moo goes the cow.  Except for one place where we swap "you" for "oh" (perhaps it was left over from last week).  I am still scratching my head about this anomaly.

Let's start with the unifier . . .

67 Across:  Pointless, or a phonetic hint to five of this puzzle's long answers: NO USE.  But pronounced as in to use your common sense.  No yous.  No ewes.

. . . and then see how it is applied in order to produce answers to the themed clues. . .

17. Remark from a revolutionary?: THAT'S MY COUP.  From That's My Cue.  My K-YOU becomes My K-OOO.  Revolutionaries stage COUP de Etats.

25. Feature of a broken remote?: MOOT BUTTON.  From Mute Button.  M-YOU-T becomes M-OOO-T.  If the remote is broken then, I guess, this button is MOOT.

35. One gold doubloon?: A THING OF BOOTY.  From A Thing Of Beauty.  B-YOU-TEE becomes B-OOO-TEE.  Pirates' BOOTY.

49. Asset in bartending school?: POUR GENIUS.  From Pure Genius.  P-YOU-R becomes P-OH-R.  Being smart about what/how to POUR.   The one that does not quite match the others phonetically.  Perhaps P-OOO-F could have been employed somehow?

56. Nitwits from the past?: FOSSIL FOOLS.  From Fossil Fuels.  F-YOU-LS  becomes F-OOO-LS.  Old FOOLS from out of the past.

The rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. "One-Punch Man" genre: ANIME.

6. Diving acronym: SCUBA.  From Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

11. Pampering retreat: SPA.

14. Wheel of Fortune setting: TAROT.  Hand up for trying to make something related to the TV show work out.

15. Goes the distance: LASTS.

16. Isn't missing: HAS.

19. PC "oops" key: ESC.

20. Serengeti pack animal: HYENA.  I was once attacked by a laughing hyena.  It's not as funny as it sounds.

21. "I feel seen!": SAME.  A bit of I-don't-know-what-kind-of-speak.  Seems to mean "You agree with me!"

22. Calligraphy array: INKS.  Hand up for PENS.

29. Karate belt level: DAN.

30. Alternative to seed: SOD.  Hand up for SOW (not the pig).

31. Didn't strike out, say: GOT A HIT.  A baseball reference.

32. Scare off: SPOOK.

34. Wales who co-founded Wikipedia: JIMMY.  Here is his Wikipedia page: Jimmy Wales

40. Book that may hold personal records: DIARY.  Odd use of the word records.  Unless you were setting them.  TMI.

41. Move furtively: SNEAK.  Why is leather armor the best armor to sneak around in?  It's made of hide.

43. Home of the world's busiest airport: ATLANTA.

46. "__ of course": BUT.  But of course.

48. Brew in a 42-Down: ALE.  ALE in a KEG.

51. Remnant: DREG.  Often used in conjunction with wine.  Sometimes, society.

52. Cold, hard cash: COIN.  A coin (as opposed to a piece of paper money).  Apple Pay would be an appropriate answer but it was too long.

53. Overwhelmingly: BY FAR.

55. Greedy figure: HOG.  Colloquialism.

62. 39-Down alum: ELI.

63. Many a seventh grader: TWEEN.    An age-related reference.

64. Match, in grammar: AGREE.

65. Some ER figures: MDS.  Abbreviated clue -  Emergency Rooms.  Abbreviated answer - Medical DoctorS.  One of many abbreviations in today's clues and answers.

66. Metallic sound: CLANG.  Hand up for CLINK.

Down:

1. Parent company of Cricket Wireless: ATT.

2. "Pass": NAH.

3. 403(b) alternative: IRA.  Often clued with 401 (k).

4. Some lepidopterans: MOTHS.

5. "Keep Commerce Human" company: ETSY.

6. Surreptitious assent: SLY NOD.

7. Crème de __: CACAO.  MENTHE and CASSIS were both six letters.

8. Service gp.: USO.  United Service Organizations is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed Forces and their families.

9. Window unit meas.: BTU.  As in widow-mounted air conditioner.  British Thermal Unit.

10. Egyptian snake: ASP.   A frequent slitherer.

11. Form-fitting dress: SHEATH.

12. Dijon denial: PAS MOI.  Not I, en francais.

13. Way up: ASCENT.

18. Office posting: MEMO.  The posting bit threw me off a bit.  

21. Decide not to retire: STAY ON.

22. Licenses, e.g.: IDS.  Used, here, as a noun.  Can I say used in this recap?

23. County east of Sonoma: NAPA.

24. Tangled clump: KNOT.

26. Cry at the end of the week: TGIF.

27. Get no laughs, say: BOMB.  Colloquialism for failure.

28. Maximal: UTMOST.

30. Activity where newcomers practice "pizza" and "french fries": SKIING.  This one the Manatee knew immediately.  In reality "wedge" and "parallel" but the kids prefer to call it Pizza and French Fries (from the shape the skis make).  For the uninitiated:

33. "Phooey": OH DARN.  It took a while to see if it would be OH DANG

34. Elation: JOY.

36. "Great" detective of kid-lit: NATE.

37. Nickname for Mom's mom: GRAN.

38. Salty drop: TEAR.  Not as in to TEAR a piece of paper.

39. New Haven school: YALE.

42. See 48-Across: KEG.  ALE in a KEG.

43. Tough HS science class: AP CHEM.  

44. Past a certain cutoff: TOO OLD.  Too close to home.

45. "__ Mansion": Nintendo series: LUIGIS.  A video game reference.

46. Believing, so to speak: BUYING.  Are you buying what Patti and Zachary are selling"?

47. Sports org. revived in 2022 after a 37-year hiatus: USFL.

50. Playwright Henrik: IBSEN.  A proper noun that this solver actually knew.

51. Jason Momoa's "Game of Thrones" role: DROGO.  A proper noun that this solver did not know.  Thanks, perps.

54. Sign-off from an admier: A FAN.

56. Org. concerned with price-fixing: FTC.

57. Rice University athlete: OWL.

58. __ salt: SEA.

59. Tulsa sch.: ORU.  Hand up for first trying OSU.

60. French article: LES.  LES DES CES  MES.   The perp will tell us.

61. Catch: SEE.  Last Friday it was Catches = Spots

Thanks for catching the recap.  See you in a couple of weeks

__________________________________________________________

Friday, June 21, 2024, Robin Stears

Oh!  Oh!

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a puzzle by Gunther Toody.  Oh! Oh!  Wait a minute.  That's wrong on a couple of counts.  First, isn't today scheduled to be Chairman Moe's day?  Well, yes but we've traded days to accommodate some scheduling issues and Moe will be back in a couple of weeks.  Second, our friend from "Car 54 Where Are You?", Joe E. Ross, did not construct today's puzzle.  That was done by Robin Stears.  To quote Chairman Moe (October 7, 2022):

"Robin is no stranger to either this blog or blogger; (see my Jan 1, 2021 recap) at last count she must have at least ___ puzzles (fill-in-the-blank, someone!) published at the LAT, and perhaps 1,000+ puzzles published in total. Maybe she will stop by today and help me with my math!"

At four places in the grid Robin has added the letter O to common words and phrases in order to create clever answers to the clues.   Three of the four are riffs on entertainment staples.  The fourth is a bit of an odd duck and/or,  perhaps given the clue,  a rubber ducky.

Here are the spots when the gimmick has been employed:

17 Across:  Excellent rendition of a Belafonte hit?: ONE FINE DAY O.  Harry Belfonte's "Banana Boat Song" was a big hit in the early 1950's.  The "hook"  was "Day O, Day-ay-ay O, Daylight come and me wan' go home."  The clue also gives a nod to the song by Carole King and Gerry Goffin (recorded by the Chiffons).  Here is ONE FINE DAY O :

27 Across:  Help a former first lady feel better?: NURSE JACKIE O.  "Nurse Jackie", as we have come to know her more recently, is the main character of a Showtime dramedy series.  The clever reference is Jackie Kennedy Onassis who, in this case, is being nursed back to health.  Here, she gives a tour of the White House.

44 Across:  Gala for the cops?: PARTY OF FIVE O.  A reference to the TV show "Party of Five" is morphed  into a reference to the TV show "Hawaii Five-0".  Book 'em, Danno.

59 Across:  Give a cool cat a thorough bath?: SCRUB DADDY O.  Scrub Daddy is a brand of sponges.  Are you a cool cat?  Can you dig it, DADDY-O ?

Here, for all of you hep cats and dollies, is how the completed grid looks:

Here are the rest of the ginchiest clues and answers:

Across:

1. Insect-preserving resin: AMBER.  We all learned about this from "Jurassic Park".

6. Kick in or kick off: START.   Are we waiting for the drugs to kick in?  Is the election season  about to kick off?

11. Crunch targets: ABS.  Not as in 48 Across.  A workout reference.

14. Coupe de __: classic Cadillac: VILLE.  Ah, tail fins.

1959 Coupe de Ville

15. Airport structure: TOWER.  Control TOWER.

16. Shot chaser?: PUT.  One of these type of clues.  PUT follows shot in track and field.

The Shot Put

19. Time for the history books: ERA.  Sometimes clued with a baseball pitching statistical reference.

20. Oyster bed?: ICE.  Hand up for first thinking SEA or someplace where oysters breed.  This location comes later.

21. Shabby: SEEDY.  In the 1970's a SEEDY joint was something else.

22. Novelist Louise who created the fictional police inspector Armand Gamache: PENNY.  Thanks, perps.

24. Removed from power: DEPOSED.  Also, a legal term.

26. Bearing: MIEN.  I before E except after C.

32. Red-hatted figure in Travelocity ads: GNOME.

35. Group before millennials: XERS.

36. Catch: NAB.

37. More than fancy: LOVE.  Fancy, in this case is not ornate but, rather to want to do something or to like something.

38. Push (for): LOBBY.  As in K Street.

40. In this case: HERE.  A bit obtuse but, hey, it's Friday so HERE it makes sense.

41. "Bravo, mi amigo!": OLE.  A review Spanish lesson.

42. Squabble: TIFF.

43.  Always ready to order?: BOSSY.  Hand up for heading down the ON TAP road.  Ready to BOSS around / give orders.

48. Crunch's rank: CAPN.

49. Some UPS Store customers: SENDERS.  SHIPPERS fits the clue better but does not fit the allotted space.

53. Japanese room divider: SHOJI.  Thanks, perps.

55. As a soloist: ALONE.

57. Cut (off): LOP.  Did you hear about the guy that had his ears LOPped off?  He didn't either.

58. Pursue romantically: WOO.  You know, owls never go on a date if it's raining.  It's too wet to woo.

62. Beseech: ASK.  If you are offended by my dad jokes, please don’t get mad and ask me to go to the artificial excavation filled with water.  I mean well.

63. Small crown: TIARA.  Often worn in crosswords.

64. Foot the bill: TREAT.

65. "You got it": YES.

66. Weapon in a scabbard: SABER.

67. Chucks: HURLS.  As in to throw or to toss.  Not to be confused with upchucks which could also be HURLS.

Down:

1. Dance around: AVOID.

2. __ words: MINCE.  Colloquialism.  All You Want To Know

3. Censor: BLEEP.  Bleeping a curse word is usually funnier than the word itself.  Itself just isn't a very funny word.

4. Rivendell resident: ELF.  A Lord Of The Rings reference.

5. Second edition: REISSUE.

6. Knight mares: STEEDS.  Cute homophone.  Not bad dreams.  Knights' horses.

7. Figure skating great Eldredge: TODD.  Three-time Olympian.  1996 World Champion.  Six-time U.S. Champion.

8. On the road: AWAY.  Let's see.  Willie Nelson or Canned Heat?  Hmmm.  Flip a coin.

9. Lightsaber-wielding heroine: REY.  A "Stars Wars" reference.

10. Torrid Zone region: TROPICS.

11. Italian mountain range: APENNINES.

12. Waste: BURN.  As in BURNing through money, I suppose.

13. "Don't leave!": STAY.

18. Poetic contraction: NE'ER.  NEvER

23. Cry from one atop a chair: EEK.  As opposed to EKE.

EEK A Mouse !

25. "That's a new one __": ON ME.  Not to be confused with 64 Across.

26. "The Pink Sash" painter Cassatt: MARY.

28. Split personality?: EXBFF.  Because you have split (cut ties with) your best friend.  Meh.

29. Laura Bush's brother-in-law: JEB.

30. Glasses holders: EARS.  Hand up for RIMS.  

31. Follow: OBEY.

32. Mushy bowlful: GLOP.  GLOP GOOP SLOP GUNK

33. French Quarter city, familiarly: NOLA.  The French Quarter is a section of New Orleans, LouisianA

34. Stays on the range too long: OVERCOOKS.  Not an oater reference.  

38. Sphinx, mostly: LION.

39. Clocked out: OFF.

40. Piece of academic regalia: HOOD.  

42. Keyboard pros: TYPISTS.  When we all took typing in junior high little did we know how the skills would come to be applied.

43. Outranked by: BENEATH.  True, but a bit of a stretch.

45. __ Mahal: TAJ.  A place frequently visited in our puzzles.

46. Weather map line: ISOBAR.  Where meteorologists go for a drink.

47. Peddle: VEND.

50. Church leader: ELDER.  

51. __ flush: ROYAL.

52. Catches: SPOTS.  Again, a bit of a stretch.  

53. Influence: SWAY.

54. Kiddie pool filler: HOSE.  Water?  No.  Urine?  Not likely in a puzzle.  The means with which to fill the pool.

55. Many an Emirati: ARAB.

56. Tackle box gadget: LURE.

60. Org. whose HQ is home to the unsolved puzzle sculpture Kryptos: CIA.  Abbreviated clue/answer.  The Central Intelligence Agency is headquartered in Langley, VA.

61. Gru's long-lost twin brother in "Despicable Me 3": DRU.

Thru

__________________________________________