Friday, May 30, 2025, Joe Deeney

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with the recap of a Friday Puzzle by veteran LAT and NYT constructor Joe Deeney.

This solver will admit to being quite unsure about the nature of the theme after first completing the puzzle.  After a while, though, the cob webs cleared and the double entendre nature of the clever theme became clear.  There is no reveal to guide us down this path so let's jump right in with the themed answers, of which there are five, and see how they "hang together":

17 Across:  Designation for who or what, perhaps: LEADING QUESTION.  The "perhaps" is crucial here as it is also in the following four clues/answers.  Either of the two interrogatories in the clue might LEAD (start) a question.  In this case, though, there is also the "angle" that they might be deemed by some to be the best type of question.  LEADING, here, more or less equals favorite choice.

23 Across:  Designation for tri tip or flap steak, perhaps.  TOP SIRLOIN  This one was misleading because, per Wikipedia, tri tip is the bottom of the subprimal cut and flap steak is from the muscle of the bottom sirloin.  In this case, though, either might be your favorite, or TOP, choice (but not in the sense of USDA Choice).

37 Across:  Designation for "Unforgiven" or "Tombstone," perhaps: BEST WESTERN.  Both of the titles in the clue are, as we say in crossword-ese, oaters.  BEST WESTERN is a chain of motels but one of the aforementioned titles could also be somebody's best/favorite western movie.

49 Across:  Designation for mozzarella or cheddar, perhaps: GOAT CHEESE.  Hmm, both types of cheese are made from cow milk.  In this case, though, GOAT is used as in Greatest Of All Time and one of the cheeses in the clue might be someone's favorite.

57 Across:  Designation for Ticonderoga or Faber-Castell, perhaps: NUMBER ONE PENCIL.  A #1 pencil is softer than the ubiquitous #2 pencil.  In this instance, though, either the Ticonderoga or the Faber-Castell (both brand-named pencils) might be someone's favorite.

Now that we have completed our work with our favorites, here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Rash reaction?: ITCH.  Not rash as in impulsive or not well thought out.  Literally, a rash on your skin.

5. Pool float: RAFT.

9. Tune in: WATCH.  Tune in - not in the Timothy Leary sense.  As in to watch on TV.

14. Branch of Islam: SHIA.  SHIITE was too long.

15. Santa __: California winds: ANAS.

16. "Here for you": I CARE.

20. Couple of dollars?: ELS.  One of "that" type of clue,  like Head of state =  S.  The are a couple of L's in dollars.

21. Chapel vow: I DO.

22. Cosmetics brand with a So Fierce! collection: REVLON.  This solver is unfamiliar with So Fierce! but did know some cosmetics brand names so, after a few perps, the answer was sussed out.

27. Reel Big Fish genre: SKA.  Their music is often labeled "ska punk, a fusion genre that mixes ska music and punk rock music. 

28. Eye ailment: STYE.  We'll skip the photo.

29. Fitting: APT.  Indeed

30. "Not all heroes wear __": CAPES.  But Batman and Supergirl, among others, do.

32. Yellow __: LAB.  This solver, had he any input, would have suggested a way to work Labrador retrievers into the themed answers.

Rustler - RIP

35. Potential auction winner: HIGH BID.  Potential??

39. True to life: FACTUAL.  . . . but it may be cruel

Everybody Plays The Fool

40. "Big" and "Bang Bang" singer Rita: ORA.  A frequent visitor.

41. Minor tussle: SETTO.

42. Actress Zadora: PIA.  Haven't thought of her in years.

44. "Curses!": DRAT.  DARN or DANG or RATS would have fit the allowable space.

48. Furry foot: PAW.  Having previously used the "I'm looking for the man who shot my paw" pun we will go with this:  It is often a good thing to occasionally PAWs and reflect.

52. Principal dancer in a ballet company: ETOILE.  French for STAR.

55. Hundred Acre Wood hopper: ROO.  A Winnie The Pooh reference.  Roo is Kanga's child.

56. Beach bottle no.: SPF.  On sunscreen.  Sun Protection Factor

61. Tire out: DRAIN.

62. Stand up: RISE.  Business at the bakery is on the RISE.

63. Second-most-traded currency in the world: EURO.  That the answer was four letters helped.

64. Asks (for): SENDS.  As in "Send for the midwife!"

65. Basic sammies: BLTS.  with mayo

66. Frosh, probably: TEEN.  Frosh = Freshman

Down:

1. Bits of green in blue: ISLETS.  A stumper for a while but it does make sense.  Islands in the ocean.

2. Whole kit and caboodle: THE LOT.  Slangy clue.  Slangy answer.

3. U.S. operative: CIA SPY.  One of those answers where you go back over the grid you find yourself asking "What's a ciaspy?"

4. Possessed: HAD.  My ex-wife got really mad at me when I told her that she HAD no sense of direction.  She packed upon her bags and right.

5. Shore leave, informally: R AND R.  Rest and Recreation.

6. Second-largest Portuguese-speaking country: ANGOLA.  40% as a native language.  60% total.

7. Page to check before contacting customer service: FAQ.  Frequently Asked Questions.

8. Historically Black school in Houston, briefly: TSU.

9. Sensible: WISE.

10. When Miranda says, "O, brave new world / That has such people in 't!": ACT V.  Even if one had not idea about the play being referenced, one could guess that the first part of the answer was ACT and then it was only a question of which Roman Numeral it would be.  See also 18 Down.

11. Severe decline: TAILSPIN.

12. Not on the up-and-up: CROOKED.

13. Dyes used for some body art: HENNAS.  Not often seen as a plural noun.

18. XXX divided by X: III.  Roman numerals.  Easy math  30 / 10 = 3

19. Directional suffix: ERN.  As in westERN.

24. Choose: SELECT.  Used as the verb.  But as an adjective:  What philosopher appealed to only a Select group of people?  Frederick Niche.

25. One of the two women in "Hamlet": OPHELIA.  One would have to be at least somewhat familiar with the play to know this one.

26. Terse assurance: IT IS.  It is.

30. "Strong Enough" diva: CHER.  This official video is pretty weird.

31. Rub the wrong way?: ABRADE.

33. Regarding: AS TO.

34. AC meas.: BTU.  British Thermal Unit

36. Classic Pontiac: GTO.  Ronny And The Daytonas were from Nashville!  Who knew.

37. Alter ego of DC's Kate Kane: BATWOMAN.

38. D.C. daily: WAPO.

39. Spotlight: FEATURE.  As in to shine the spotlight on someone or something.

41. Forks out: SPENDS.  Idiomatic clue.

43. Immobile: AT REST.  This solver has always thought of immobile as could not move.

45. Shelter adoptee: RESCUE.  A pet shelter reference.

46. Set lofty goals: ASPIRE.  What do you call a chicken that ASPIRES to become food?  A consommé  professional.

47. Nonstick coating: TEFLON.

49. Cologne's land: Abbr.: GER.  GERmany

50. Gets by: COPES.  What did the carpenter say about his broken saw?  I can't COPE with this.

51. Groundbreaking tool: HOE.

53. As above, in a footnote: Abbr.: IBID.  Ibid is a short way of saying "in the same place", which is helpful when citing.

54. Perspective, metaphorically: LENS.

58. Planet, e.g.: ORB.

59. Love of another sport?: NIL.  In soccer scoring NIL is zero and in Tennis scoring LOVE is zero.

60. Basket part: NET.  A basketball reference.

Have a great weekend.  Do some of your favorite things!

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Thursday, 24 March 2022, Joe Deeney

Good Morning to all of you Cool Cat Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here from the town of Mt. Crested Butte, Colorado at an elevation of 9,375 feet above sea level.  That's quite a change from two weeks ago when my review was assembled and posted at sea level.  Literally on the beach (with apologies to Nevil Shute).  Temperatures have dropped from the 80's two weeks ago to highs in the twenties and thirties with lows (at times) below zero.  What has not changed from the prior set of circumstances, however, is that the day's puzzle constructor is Joe Deeney.

National RADIO Day is still five months away but let's ignore that detail for now, turn up our radios, and get right to it.  Turn on, tune in, unscramble.  At four places in the grid, within answers to starred clues, we find adjacent, but scrambled, letters that spell out the word RADIO:

17 Across:  *Be silly: KID  AROUND.

24 Across:  *Loosen up: LET ONES HAIR DOWN.  Walk right in.  Sit right down.

38 Across:  *Grand Canyon traveler: COLORADO  RIVER.  There were other ways to clue this but Joe and Rich likely wanted something appropriate for  a Thursday.  Therefore the somewhat awkward, IMHO, "traveler".

52 Across:  *Nyctophobic: AFRAID OF THE DARK.  Thanks perps.

The reveal comes at 62 Across:  Shortened version of a pop song ... and a hint to what's hidden in the answers to starred clues: RADIO EDIT.  I was not previously familiar with the term but now, fifty-five years later, I know what to call that shortened (AM RADIO) version of The Doors song "Light My Fire".

Here is how this all looks in the grid . . . .

. . . . and here is the rest of the story:

Across:

1. Tug: YANK.  Not a boat.  Pull.

Big Toot and Little Toot

5. Grinding away: AT IT.  This might have been clued in a more mammalian manner.

9. Have because of: OWE TO.

14. English horn cousin: OBOE.

An English Horn

15. Hill by a loch: BRAE.  Loch tells us that we're visiting Scotland for this clue/answer.

16. Spacecraft docked at the ISS: SOYUZ.  International Space Station.  Hey, I have  great idea.  Let's outsource our space launch system lifting capabilities to the Russians.

19. Joints often replaced: KNEES.

20. Mag staff: EDS.  EDitorS

21. 12/31, e.g.: EVE.  In this case, Christmas EVE.

22. Exams for aspiring judges, briefly: LSATS.  Law School Admisions TestS

29. Sponge (up): SOP.

30. Student's hurdle: TEST.  EXAM would have fit the space.

31. Universal donor's type, briefly: O NEG.  A blood reference.

32. Recipe word: ADD.  MIX would have fit.

35. "Like, yesterday!": ASAP.

37. "Hunan Report" author: MAO.  Report on an Investigation of the peasant movement in Hunan.  1927.

42. Dallas hoopster: MAV.  Hoopster is slang for a basketball player so we have MAV for the answer.

43. Sub: HERO.  The deli sandwich not the underwater war ship.

44. Broadcast from NBC's Studio 8H: SNL.  Saturday Night Live

45. Score symbol: CLEF.  A musical  reference.

Treble and Bass Clefs

47. Tuner toggle: AM FM.  Sometimes constructors enjoy messing with us by referring to a Clock RADIO -  the answer then can turn out to be either AM FM or AM PM.

49. Previously: AGO.

57. __ Challenge: soft drink promotion: PEPSI.

58. Hound: NAG.  Not a dog, a verb.

59. Affirmative vote: YEA.  Sometimes AYE.

60. Catherine of "A Mighty Wind": O'HARA.  A entertaining mockumentary.

65. Clear: LUCID.

66. First name in stunts: EVEL.

Winter X Games 3 - 1998

Evel Knievel

67. Put on board: LADE.

68. Feints on the ice: DEKES.  An ice hockey reference

69. Mends, in a way: SEWS.

70. Wear: FRAY.  Like a rug or a pants cuff.

Down:

1. Rustic type: YOKEL.

2. Withstands: ABIDES.

3. Silently acknowledges: NODS TO.

4. Mauna __: KEA.  We had this fill-in-the-blank clue / answer two weeks ago, also.

Muana Kea     13, 803 feet

Mount Crested Butte   12,162 feet

5. Higher than: ABOVE.

6. Most faithful: TRUEST.

7. Novelist McEwan: IAN.

8. 2021 Emmy winner for Outstanding Comedy Series: TED LASSO.  A comedy-drama TV show.

9. Liam's "Schindler's List" role: OSKAR.

10. Is unacceptable: WON'T DO.

11. "Full attention here": EYES ON ME.

12. Day planner abbr.: TUE.  Meh.  Could have been any day of the week and many other things, too.

13. Birth units: Abbr.: OZS.  Ounces

18. Driver's role in "Star Wars" sequels: REN.

Adam Driver as Kylo Ren

23. Bollywood strings: SITARS.  Bollywood is a portmanteau derived from Bombay (Mumbai) and Hollywood.

25. Iridescent gem: OPAL.

26. Block at a pass?: HEAD OFF.  Not a football reference.  An oater cliche.

27. Put on: WEAR.

28. Gps. like Partners In Health: NGO.  Non-Governmental Organization.

33. "How silly of me!": DOH.

34. Can't stand the idea of: DREADS.

36. Safety __: PIN.  Fill in the blank

38. Whale newborn: CALF.

39. Have trouble closing the suitcase, maybe: OVER PACK.

40. Fancy dressers: ARMOIRES.  Furniture, not people.

41. Prince who inspired Dracula: VLAD.

Vlad The Impaler 1431 - 1476 (?)

42. Old Elton label: MCA.  Elton John

46. Spenser's "The __ Queene": FAERIE.

48. 57-Across sister brand, on labels: MTN DEW.

The First Mtn Dew Soda Commercial

50. Orientation "sensor": GAYDAR.  GAY raDAR

51. Bagel Bites brand: OREIDA.  Oregon Idaho

53. Modern checkout devices: I PADS.

54. Comes down hard?: HAILS.  Not the idiom (to come down hard on someone).  Precipitation.

55. It may be massaged: EGO.

56. "Sons of Anarchy" actress Sagal: KATEY.

60. Corny, maybe: OLD.

61. Colorist's concern: HUE.

63. Hail, in a hymn: AVE.  Not precipitation.

64. Tolkien's Legolas, for one: ELF.  A Lord of the Rings reference.

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Turn It Up

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I apologize in advance for being unable to respond, in a timely manner, to any comments that you might have,  When you are reading this I will be somewhere on the road making the fifteen-hour drive from Colorado back to SoCal.  I will try to catch up on the comments on Friday after trading my snow shovel for a paper shovel.

Thursday, March 10, 2022, Joe Deeney

 

Good Morning. Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee, here, with today's puzzle recap.

Today's puzzle setter is frequent-contributor Joe Deeney.  Our friend above is engaging in a bit of overkill as we don't actually need an abacus to figure out today's offering.  At four places within the grid, Joe has broken up the word EVEN.  A straightforward theme and a bit of a help in that, once we grasp the theme, we know that each long answer in going to start with E, and end with N.  We also know that other two letters (V and E) will be in sequence and will fall adjacent to the beginning and/or ending letters.  Here is the reveal:

54 Across:  Neither lose nor gain... and a hint to four long answers: BREAK EVEN

Here are the long answers to which the reveal refers:

15 Across:  "Snow White" antagonist: EVIL QUEEN  She wanted to get rid of Show White and so remain the fairest of them all.  Pretty unfair.

22 Across:  Relatable female character: EVERYWOMAN.  In High School lit classes the teacher often said that a character represented Everyman.  I always thought that the term included all humans but these days we clarify a bit further.

33 Across:  Toy sold with cake mix packets: EASY BAKE OVEN   If I recall correctly, the heat source was a 100 watt lightbulb.

45 Across:  Title teen in a 2015 musical: EVAN HANSEN

Here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Conventioneer's freebie: SWAG BAG.  We often see TOTE or TOTE BAG.

8. Slightly: A BIT.  Sometimes A TAD.

12. Energy snacks whose flavors include Carrot Cake and Cherry Pie: LARABARS.

14. Complete: DONE.

17. Shot, perhaps: DOSE.  Not a firearms reference.  Not an attempt.  Not a photograph.

18. Galileo's birthplace: PISA.

19. Words said with a shrug: BEATS ME.

21. Holiday when one might eat bánh chung: TET.  The first possibly obscure food reference.  A traditional Vietnamese Tet food item.

25. Nearly four octaves, for Freddie Mercury: RANGE.

Live Aid - 1985

27. Traditional springerle spice: ANISE.  Centuries-old German cookies. . . and the second possibly somewhat obscure food reference.

28. Shook on it: AGREED.

32. Floors: KOS.  Knocks out.  Shouldn't it be KSO

37. Ctrl-__-Del: ALT.  A computer reference.

38. Salt's savior: ST ELMO.  AKA Saint Erasmus.

39. Query rendered moot by laughter: GET IT.  Get it?  If they "got it" then they're laughing.

42. Doesn't hold back: VENTS.

49. Go bad: ROT.  Why can't Bugs Bunny drive anymore?  Because he has Car ROT.

51. Level: ECHELON.

52. Winter festival: YULE.

53. Huber of tennis: ANKE.

Anke Huber

57. Ratings unit: STAR.

58. Adjusted one's schedule (for): MADE TIME.

59. Villainous literary alter ego: HYDE.

60. Atypical: DEVIANT.  See Above.

Down:

1. Nodded off: SLEPT.

2. Not as straight, as hair: WAVIER.  The word looks as if is should be WAIVER.

3. Milli Vanilli label: ARISTA.  Milli Vanilli was an unmitigaed, lip-syncing fraud.  For this ARISTA answer my sea mammalian friends tell me that they would have gone with a clue along these lines:

4. Bash: GALA.

5. Common beach party, briefly: BBQ.  Often clued with reference to patio.

6. Non-pro sports org.: AAU.  Amateur Athletic Union

7. Diving bird: GREBE.  A possibly obscure avian reference.

Great Crested Grebe

8. Expands, with "to": ADDS ON.

9. Audio setup involving a horizontal pole: BOOM MIKE.

10. Like farmers' market produce: IN SEASON.  We will leave the animal husbandry lessons alone for now.

11. Kickoff aid: TEE.  A football reference frequently found in our puzzles.

13. Fortuneteller: SEER.

16. Old-style uh-uh: NAY.  Often clued with reference to a parliamentary vote.

20. Former flier: TWA.  Was Joe trying to sucker us into going with SST?

22. Like custard: EGGY.  What do you call a custard when it goes bad?  Off-pudding.

23. Rank and file, e.g.: VERBS.  NOUNS would have fit both the clue and the allotted space.

24. Mario Bros. console: NES.  Nintendo Entertainment System.

26. "Too Many Rappers" rapper: NAS.  Being somewhat weak on my rap music knowledge I have to rely on remembering previous rap-related crossword answers.  Interesting juxtaposition with NES.

29. Chow down: EAT.

A Chow Down

30. Manage, with "out": EKE.  Interesting juxtaposition with EAT.

31. Conduct exhaustive research (into): DELVE.

33. "I am __-one today!": Bilbo Baggins, a year after his 110th birthday: ELEVENTY.  A LOTR reference.

34. Smear campaign tactic: ATTACK AD.


1964 - LBJ's "Daisy" Ad

35. Comet, to some: OMEN.  Or, a kitchen cleanser.

36. Super Bowl 50 MVP __ Miller: VON.  A Super Bowl L winner with the Denver Broncos and, more recently, a Super Bowl LVI winner with the Los Angeles Rams.

Von B'Vsean Miller, Jr.

37. Spend time in a cellar, maybe: AGE.  Wine or cheese?  Both, please. . . and some May's Gone Crackers cracker.

40. "Psst" follower: IN HERE

 

PSST

41. Not just any: THE.  Specific.

43. Splenda alternative: TRUVIA.  "Artificial" sweeteners

44. Sincere, as an oath: SOLEMN.

46. Edmonton's prov.: ALB.  ALBerta is one of the provinces of Canada

47. Benchmark: NORM.

48. Golfer nicknamed "The Slammer": SNEAD.  It's too soon to reuse the Sheikh Snead joke.

50. Article of faith: TENET.

52. Apt cooler brand: YETI.  Named after the Himalayan version of the Abominable Snowman.

53. Incomplete combustion product: ASH.

55. Fruity cooler: ADE.  A drink frequently quaffed in our puzzles..  LimeADE.  Lemon ADE.

56. Fred Savage's "The Wonder Years" role, informally: KEV.  KEVin Arnold.

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