Thursday, December 16, 2021 Chris Sablich

 

Good morning, cruciverbalists.  This marine mammal is still up in the mountains so today's recap will, again, be a bit on the brief side.  A fortnight ago the recap was almost exclusively verbiage. Today, however, we'll lean more heavily on the adage that "a single picture is worth a thousand words." 

Today's puzzle setter is Chris Sablich (who previously had puzzles recapped by yours truly on 09 September and 26 August of this year).  This morning he and Daffy are not leaving much to our imagination.  Let's start with the reveal:

62 Across: 1996 Demi Moore film ... and a hint to how four puzzle answers were created: STRIPTEASE.

At four places within the grid Chris has dropped the letter T from a two-word expression and thereby morphed it into a different two-word expression with a different meaning.  Stripped Tees.

17 Across:  Polished orator?: ABLE TALKER.  Formerly, Table Talker.  Table talk is defined as casual conversation around, you guessed it, a table.

22 Across:  Indication that the coffee is ready?: URN SIGNAL.  Formerly, Turn Signal

38 Across:  Regret the choice of wall paint color?: RUE BLUE.  Formerly, True Blue

50 Across: Carol Burnett, at the end of an episode?: EAR JERKER.  Formerly, Tear Jerker.  Carol Burnett tugged her ear at the end of each show as a message to her grandmother that Carol was doing well and that she loved her grandmother.

. . . and now for the rest of the story . . .

Across:

1. First name in old horror films: BELA.

5. They're earned at U's: DEGS.  DEGreeS.  When the topic was raised last time about constructors taking the first three letters of any word to use for an answer it was not meant to be a road map.

9. Serious wound: GASH.  Let's skip this graphic.

13. Suit, so to speak: EXEC.  A Suit, in this case is a slang, and somewhat derogatory, term for a business EXECutive.

14. Artist Matisse: HENRI.

15. Start to freeze?: ANTI.

16. __ fail: EPIC.  A modern bit of slang.

19. Like C's, in some cases: SO SO.  Are we grading on the curve?

20. One way to go to a party: STAG.

The Dave Clark Five - 1965 - Over and Over

21. Steak __: DIANE  A preparation usually involving Cognac and mushrooms.

25.  One in a large octet.  PLANET  Formerly a large nonet.

28. Southernmost of the Southeast's Sea Islands: AMELIA.

32. Main line: AORTA.

33. Palindromic title: MA'AM.

36. Skiff movers: OARS.  A skiff is a small, usually flat-bottomed, rowboat.

37. Corp. money manager: CFO.  Chief Financial Officer

41. Is, once: WAS.  The past tense of is is was.

42. "__ Shanter": Burns poem: TAM O.

44. Dance movement: STEP.

45. Bridge along the Arno: PONTE.  Italian for bridge.

47. Golf lesson topic: STANCE.

49. Becomes aware of: SENSES.

54. Like some online purchases: IN APP.

57. Small case: ETUI.  Crosswordese,

58. Field unit: ACRE.

64. Post: MAIL.  As in The Box Tops' "My baby posted me a letter."

65. Cry of success: I WIN.

66. Sign of early spring: ARIES.  Zodiac.

67. Senior __: PROM.  Moment would not fit.

68. Errors, say: STAT.  A baseball reference.  Short for Statistic.  R  H  E  Runs, Hits, Errors

69. PC connections: DSLS.  Digital Subscriber LineS.  

70. Gels: SETS.

Down:

1. Half a sex-ed metaphor, with "the": BEES.

2. Trade show: EXPO.

3. Floral necklaces: LEIS.

4. Explanation: ACCOUNT.

5. Financial statement items: DEBTS.  Usually, Assets and Liabilities of which Debts is a subset.

6. China's Zhou __: ENLAI.

7. System of shorthand: GREGG.

8. Warm the bench: SIT.  A sports reference.  Not in the game.

9. Probe that visited Jupiter: GALILEO.  Named for a famous Pisan (but not Fibonacci).

10. "She's a Lady" songwriter: ANKA.

11. British WWII gun: STEN.

12. Put on: HIRE.  You're putting me on, right?

14. "Who __?!": "Join the club!": HASN'T.

18. NBA commissioner Silver: ADAM.

23. Bring up: REAR.  Not "bring up the rear".

24. First killer whale to perform with a human: NAMU.

25. Accords: PACTS.

26. For dieters, in ads: LO FAT.  Ad-speak for Low Fat.

27. Coffee asset: AROMA.

29. They may be manicured: LAWNS.

30. Steaming: IRATE.

31. Beasts of burden: ASSES.

33. Ran into: MET.

34. Half a sawbuck: ABE.  A sawbuck is a ten-dollar bill.

35. Zugspitze, e.g.: ALP.  Germany's highest point.

39. Manipulative sort: USER.

40. Olympics fencing event: EPEE.

43. Ice cream purchase: ONE PINT.

46. Parts of cloverleafs: ON RAMPS.

48. Yokum cartoonist: CAPP.

49. Irving Berlin's "Blue __": SKIES.

51. Signs of crowd displeasure: JEERS.

52. Online biz: ETAIL.  An E word, again.

53. Deceptions: RUSES.

54. Goddess usually depicted holding an ankh: ISIS.

55. Food package amt.: NT WT.  NeT WeighT

56. Bizet's "Habanera," e.g.: ARIA.

The Royal Opera

59. Diligence: CARE.

60. Comedy club hit: RIOT.

61. Stately trees: ELMS.

63. Bit: TAD.

And now, with a special "Thank you" to Shaun The Sheep for his appearances today . . . .

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Thursday, September 9, 2021, Chris Sablich

 

Good morning, cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with today's recap.

History seems to be repeating itself or, as Yogi Berra once said, "It's like deja vu all over again."  The puzzle that I recapped two weeks ago was constructed by Chris Sablich and so is today's puzzle.  He, like the Labrador Retriever above, seems to be on a roll.

ONE TWO BUCKLE MY SHOE, THREE FOUR KNOCK AT THE DOOR, FIVE SIX . . .

With that lead-in what can we do except to start with the unifier (drum roll, please):

54 Across.  Game requiring fine motor skills ... and what people do before playing 19-, 26- and a 49-Across?: PICK UP STICKS.  At three places in the grid Chris has inserted activities that require humans to pick up and use sticks of one kind or another

Here are the identified theme answers:

19 Across.  Game in which Willie Mosconi holds the competitive record run of 526 points: STRAIGHT POOL.  A POOL cue.  It would have been nice if this was called a "pool stick".

26 Across.  National summer sport of Canada: LACROSSE.  A LACROSSE stick, or CROSSE.

49 Across.  Rock concert highlight: DRUM SOLO.  A DRUM stick (but not a piece of fried chicken).

. . . and here is how this all looks in the grid:

Across:

1. Horse known for its endurance: ARAB.

5. Fitzgerald specialty: SCAT.

                                                        Ella and The Duke

9. Block: CLOG.  Blockage would have been a bit clearer but it is Thursday.

13. Lingerie brand: BALI.

14. Sport with mallets: POLO.  It could have been clued as another garment brand.

15. Now, in Nogales: AHORA.  Today's Spanish lesson (also 9 Down and 28 Down).

16. Big drink of water: SWIG.  Water?

17. Mathematician Turing: ALAN.  Sometimes referred to as "the father of modern computer science".

18. Actionable words: LIBEL.

22. Guarantee: ASSURE.  Looks a lot like 43 Down.

25. London district: SOHO.

29. Gambler: BETTOR.  A local casino is offering marijuana-infused beef to their best BETTORs.  Them's pretty high steaks.

33. "So that's it!": OHO.  Hand's up for filling in the H and then checking the perps to see if it is going to be OHO or AHA.

34. Spills: TELLS.  As is "to spill the beans."

36. Coeur d'__: ALENE.  A city in Idaho

37. Blemish: MARK.  "You're a blemish, Bob."  "I'm a wart?"

39. Fastening hardware: TACKS.  Not usually referred to as "hardware".

41. __ Timor: EAST.

42. Concert site: ARENA.  ARENA Rock has almost, but not quite, run its course.  Hey, it's preferable to Yacht Rock.

44. Local life: BIOTA.

46. Something to shoot for: PAR.  PAR for the course.

47. Salad veggie: RADISH.  Why couldn't the RADISH finish the race?  He was just a little beet.

51. Forensic detectives, for short: CSIS.  Crime Scene InvestigatorS

53. Easier to swallow, as pills: COATED.

59. "The King and I" group: HAREM.  I used a "King and I" clip in the last recap to illustrate ETC.  Chris, or Rich, might have watched it.

60. __ Tuesday: TACO.  The first use of the phrase is attributed to the August 20, 1973 edition of the Rapid City Journal.

61. Sound partner: SAFE.  As in SAFE and sound.

65. Love abroad: AMORE.  That's what Dino told us.  Today's Italian lesson.

66. Sailor's direction: ALEE.

67. Blue-pencil: EDIT.  A blue pencil is traditionally used by a copy editor because the color will not show in some lithographic and photographic reproduction processes.

68. Recipe amts.: TSPS.  TeaSPoonS  Abbreviations, both in clue and answer.

69. Foxx whose real last name was Sanford: REDD.  I had suspected that REDD Foxx was only a stage name but I did not know that his real last name was Sanford.

70. Lavish affection (on): DOTE.  When I get sad, my dad's sister really knows how to cheer me up.  She's the perfect auntie-dote.

Down:

1. Six-pack makeup: ABS.   An ABdominal muscleS reference.

2. Not even rare: RAW.  A cooking reference.

3. Frazier foe: ALI.

4. California coastal destination: BIG SUR.

                                           A Lesser-known Beach Boys Tune

5. Extra keys, say: SPARE SET.  Now, where did I put those?

6. Soda order: COLA.  Coke also starts with C O.

7. Kyrgyzstan range: ALAI.  Not the best-known range.  Often clued with Jai.

8. Drinks table accessory: TONGS.  Swizzle stick would not fit but it would have been fun given the theme.

9. Qdoba competitor: CHIPOTLE.  Both are Mexican-style eateries.

10. Gray wolf: LOBO.

11. Nabisco brand: OREO.  Needs no comment - but I will anyway.  I have sometimes wondered if it would be possible to construct a puzzle using only the word OREO clued seventy different ways,

12. Chutzpah: GALL.   Chutzpah is Yiddish.  From the Aramaic ḥu ṣpā via the Hebrew hutspah.

15. Tennis Hall of Famer Gibson: ALTHEA.

July 6, 1957

20. Variable pace: TROT.  Pace was helpful but I'm not at all certain about the use of "variable" to clue this answer.

21. Fireplace food-warming shelf: HOB.  A flat metal shelf at the back of a fireplace.  Manatees are unfamiliar with this.

22. 12-time MLB All-Star Roberto: ALOMAR.

23. About 30% of Africa: SAHARA.

24. Made a point: SCORED.  In sports and in debate.  Other uses for the word, too.  Stick that in your pipe.

27. Big piece: SLAB.  Or, in motorcycle jargon an Interstate Highway.

28. Castilian hero: EL CID.  You no doubt remember LE CID from Chris's last puzzle.

30. Tempest site?: TEAPOT.

31. Reduced: ON SALE.

32. Went over again: RETROD.  Never have I ever used this word.  Retread?  Yes.

35. HEATH Bar rival: SKOR.

38. Fashion trademark of old-time golfer Gene Sarazen: KNICKERS.

40. Covered with plaster: STUCCOED.   I just watched a movie about a woman having her broken leg set.  What a great cast.

43. Presuppose: ASSUME.  Looks a lot like 22 Across.  My girlfriend constantly complains that I don't listen to her.  Or, at least I ASSUME she does.

45. One way to run: AMOK.  Clever cluing.

48. With it: HIP.  Not the body part.

50. Talked back to: SASSED.  This type of behavior is often exhibited in x-word puzzles.  That must be because of all the vowels and esses.

52. Cool red giant: S-STAR.  An astronomy reference.  An S-type STAR is a cool giant with approximately equal amounts of oxygen and carbon in its atmosphere.

54. Cool, in dated slang: PHAT.

55. Dog food brand: IAMS.

56. Corn, e.g.: CROP.  Very ambiguous cluing.  It could be a type of humor . . or liquor.  It could be something on your foot.  There must be hundreds of types of CROPs that are grown.

57. "Cautionary" account: TALE.  A Cautionary TALE is a story told in folklore to warn its listeners of a danger.

58. __ tea: ICED.  CHAI?  PUER?  DARK?

62. Big fuss: ADO.  Misspelled?

63. Tailor's concern: FIT.

64. Summer in France: ETE.  A French lesson.  It is often ETE time in our puzzles.  Et la vie est easy . . .

By the time you have read the above, Valerie and I will have left on a road trip to Oregon for a gathering with my motorcycle riding friends of many years.  On the slab but not on a motorcycle.  The excuse for this gathering?  A Reuben Sandwich.

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