Friday, September 6, 2024, Zachary David Levy

 

 

I R Malodorous Manatee and I R here with a recap of this Friday morning's puzzle from puzzle setter Zachary David Levy.   In the puzzle, at 58 Across, he asks the question that David Spade is snidely posing, above:

58 Across:  Rude greeting, or an apt title for this puzzle?: AND YOU ARE ?  In this case, though, we are required to take the phrase literally as in adding (and) U R.  Zachary takes standard items and adds U R to the beginning to create appropriate answers to the clues.  Something AND U R.

This is the third puzzle in a row that I have recapped where "letter play" is at the core of the themed-answers.  Fortunately for our still-recovering-previously-scratched-up heads today's letter play is not as enigmatic as it was a couple of weeks ago.  Today, this gimmick is employed at four places.  I R ready to point them out if U R ready to take a look:

17 Across:  Cash in Eurasia?: URAL GREEN.  Al Green the singer morphs into money in the URAL region along the border between Europe and Asia.  Green being slang for money.  The expression "long green" has been around since the late 1880s, but it isn't as popular as some more recent slang terms for money, like moola (or moolah), dough, or even scratch.

24 Across:  Greetings from the bear's den?: URSINE WAVES.  A SINE WAVE is a periodic wave whose waveform is the trigonometric sine function.   Got that?  Here, it simply morphs into something a bear might do.

35 Across:  Like an address bar?: URL SHAPED.  A computer-ese reference.  The address bar is at the top of an open browser web page.  This solver is not sure at all what URL SHAPED means (perhaps a wide, not very high space) but it was derived, in this case, from L-shaped.  Perhaps 39 Down (below) will inspire someone to open a neighborhood Address Bar

49 Across:  Tunes for some pathetic Dickens characters?: URCHIN MUSIC.   Here, CHIN morphs into URCHIN.  In baseball, CHIN MUSIC refers to a pitch thrown at a batters head.  I am pretty sure that no batter said "Please, sir I want some more" ala Oliver Twist.

Here, now, the filled-in grid:

... and, as is customary, the other clues/answers:

Across:

1. "Doctor Who" genre: SCI FI.  SCIence FIction.

6. Air quality monitoring org.: FCC.  A bit of misdirection.  The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency first came to mind) but the clue was refering to the airwaves (radio and television).

9. Wrap brand: SARAN.  Having used The Fugs recording in an earlier write-up we'll go with this:

14. Capital city of Piedmont: TURIN.  Site of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games.

15. Sigma preceder: RHO.  I helps to have a working familiarity with the Greek alphabet if one is into solving crossword puzzles.

16. System of beliefs: CREDO.  "I believe".   Valerie has plates that read:

I Believe In Enternal Love

For The Orchiette With Turnip Greens For Example

19. Mars exploration vehicle: ROVER.  The more we learn about Mars the less strange, and therefore, in an odd way, the weirder, it becomes...at least to this observer.

20. Swede's neighbor: DANE.  A geographical proximtiy reference.

21. __ Lingus: AER.  A frequent crossword flier.

22. Many a dance track: REMIX.  I REMIXed a REMIX.  It's back to normal.

23. DOJ arm: FBI.

27. Pass: ELAPSE.  Not a football reference.  Not a mountain gap reference.  Not a pick-up line reference.  Not a school grade reference.  Not a dice game reference.

As Time Goes By

29. Not at all welcoming: ICY.

30. Friendly opening: ECO.  One of those types of clues.  ECOfriendly

31. "__ Meenie": 2010 pop single: EENIE.  Unknown to this solver.  I looked it up.  Justin Beiber recorded it.  I have heard of him but know very little about him or his music.

32. Storybook bear: PAPA.

34. Bone, in Italian: OSSO.  As in OSSO bucco.

38. Jul. 4 shindigs: BBQS.  Abbreviated clue . . .

41. From Los Angeles to San Bernadino: EAST.  Easy for this SoCal solver.  Likely not so easy for folks from other places.

42. Crew: POSSE.  Modern slang.  No U.S. Marshall in a TV western ever said "Round up a crew".

46. Driveway stuff: TAR.  What in TARnation!?

47. Kilmer of "Real Genius": VAL.  I would have referenced "Top Secret" (1984)

48. Concern for a software engineer: PIRACY.  A music or movie reference would have been easier to suss out.

53. Tavern owner who stocks Duff beer: MOE.  MOE Syzslak.  A "Simpsons" TV show reference.

54. Covers: COATS.

55. Allow: LET.

56. Shellacking: ROUT.  Slang for decisive victory/defeat.

57. When repeated, "et cetera": YADDA.

60. As good as it gets: IDEAL.

61. Not keep up: LAG.

62. Sonar sounds: PINGS.  As in The Hunt For Red October.

63. Where chickens come home to roost: NESTS.  A clue meant to be taken literally.

64. Bile: IRE.

65. Map feature: INSET.

Down:

1. Payment to a breeder: STUD FEE.  I suspect that the horse would work for free.

2. Having a decent prognosis: CURABLE.

3. Like many songs or movies in Farsi: IRANIAN.

4. Spicy herb seasoning in gumbo: FILE.  As in FILÉ gumbo.  

Hank Williams

5. End to end?: ING.  Another one of those types of clues.  EndING

6. Unshackles: FREES.

7. French endearment: CHERI.

8. Big gathering of fans, casually: CON.

9. Disconcertingly odd: SCREWY.

10. Fragrance: AROMA.

11. Brings back to life: REVIVES.

12. Campaign pros: AD EXECS.  As in ADvertising campaigns.

13. Negating word: NOR.

18. Not in circulation, perhaps: RARE.

22. Episode lead-in, sometimes: RECAP.  Of what previously happened.

24. Friendly opening: USER.   Another one of those types of clues.  USER friendly,  Sometimes we get ECO friendly.

25. Bite gently: NIP AT.

26. "Hamilton" Tony nominee Phillipa: SOO.

28. Name of 12 popes: PIUS.  History suggests that not all of them were completely so.

32. Mass reading: PSALM.  Something to be read during the service.

33. "Open wide" sounds: AHS.  As at the doctor's office.

34. Fragrance: ODOR.  I once met a wine waiter with a really bad body ODOR.  Sort of like a dead skunk only sommelier.

36. Shows bias: LEANS.

37. Out of this world: EPIC.  An idiomatic clue and an idiomatic answer.  Far out, man!

38. AC meas.: BTU.  Air Conditioning.  British Thermal Unit.

39. Spot for beer and video games: BARCADE.  New to this solver.  A portmanteau of BAR and ARCADE.

40. Scannable squares: QR CODES.

43. Some Pacific Islanders: SAMOANS.

44. Nemesis: SCOURGE.

45. Exam for pupils: EYE TEST.  Not pupils as in students.

47. Set taken by a doctor: VITALS.

48. Feel sorry for: PITY.

50. Charged: HAD AT.   Hand up for first thinking RAN AT.

51. Of an arm nerve: ULNAR.

52. Tufted marsh plant: SEDGE.

56. Destroy: RUIN.

57. Dark portion of a Chinese circle: YIN.

58. Arab name that means "high": ALI.

59. Brand celebrating Hello Kitty's 50th Mani-versary in 2024: OPI.  A nail polish reference.  Crosword puzzles sure are broadening.

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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

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Friday, December 29, 2023, Zachary David Levy

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with today's puzzle recap.  As you read this I am in Utah helping to celebrate a very good friend's 70th birthday.  After that, it is on to Colorado, wind and weather permitting.  Many small towns in Colorado have become "Zoom Towns" over the past few years so, if the internet "pipeline" is not overtaxed, I should be able to work on my next couple of blogs remotely.

Today's constructor is frequent-visitor Zachary David Levy who presented us with quite a bit to ponder, theme-wise.  In the electronic version from which I was working, there was no "reveal".  There were no asterisks.  There were no circles.  There was, seemingly, no common thread.  There were questions marks but those we all know can serve various purposes.  This solver will admit to rereading what were pretty obviously the five themed answers several times without finding that elusive common thread.

Then I recalled the words of Lisa Simpson.  Lisa has/had been known to hang out with Will Shortz and Merl Reagle (RIP) so it pays to check in with her now and then.  As a result of her inspiration, it dawned on me that the last two words (and in one case, three words, when you count the A) of each clue were anagrams of the answers (or, if you prefer, vice versa):

17 Across:  The worst description of poor purses?:  PROSPEROUS.  PORO yields POOR, RSPEUS yields PURSES.  Prosperous being an antonym of poor.

25 Across:  Completely unlike a docile man?:  DEMONIACAL.  A yields A, DEOICL yields DOCILE, and MNA yields MAN.  A demoniacal man is not likely to be docile.

36 Across:  The furthest thing from tidier rooms?: DORMITORIES.  DITRIE yields TIDIER, and ORMOS yields ROOMS.  Dormitories are, stereo-typically, messy.

50 Across:  The opposite of one who is not against?:  ANTAGONIST.   ONT yields NOT, and ANTAGIS yields AGAINST.  Double negative.  Triple?

59 Across:  Treated with a decided lack of due respect?:  PERSECUTED.  EUD yields DUE, and PRSECTE yields RESPECT.

 

After that DAMNED clever (if a bit MADDENing) start, let's have a look at the rest of the clues and the answers:

Across:

1. Sponge (off): MOOCH.  Clued as a verb.

6. Degs. for CFOs: MBAS.  Some Chief Financial Officers hold Master of Business Administration degreeS.  Most MBAs are not CFOs.

10. 1040 ID figs.: SSNS.  A reference to the IRS Form 1040.  Social Security NumberS

14. Place to perform: VENUE.  Some hold more people than do others.

Grateful Dead at Giants Stadium - 1978

15. Additionally: ALSO.  MORE, STILL, PLUS ?

16. Shiny sticker?: EPEE.  Not a sticker that you would put on e.g. a notebook.  Not a reflector sticker.  You can stick someone with a sword.

19. __ chips: PITA.  What did the PITA chip say to the hummus when she was ill?  I falafel.

20. Breading choice: PANKO.

21. Has quite a kick: ZINGS.  This one seemed a bit off to me having never heard anyone say "this zings."  I mean,  the hot sauce or the whiskey might have a quite a kick but it ZINGS?  Still it made a great song in the 1930's (without that S):

22. Rx writer: DOC.  Abbreviated clue, abbreviated answer:  DOCtor.  Zachary/Patti could have gone with the rabbit.

28. Investment firm figure: ANALYST.

Only Buy Me Stocks That Go Up

31. Agent, informally: REP.  Not a secret agent.  A business agent.  REPresentative.

32. Simu of "Kim's Convenience": LIU.  Unknown to this solver.  Thanks, again, perps.

33. Italian birthplace of Paganini: GENOA.  Anche, Cristoforo Colombo.

34. Element in some smoky whiskies: PEAT.  Ah, this one is near and dear.  Distilleries use hot smoke from burning PEAT to stop the germination of barley at a certain point resulting in malted barley that is then used to make whisky.  The PEAT smoke imparts a distinctive, if polarizing, flavor.

A Peat-Burning Oven.  Island of Islay.  Scotland

35. Filmmaker Lee: ANG.  Spike would not fit.

40. Call (out): CRY.

42. Swimmer Torres who won 12 Olympic medals: DARA.

43. Literary form: ESSAY.  Hand up for first thinking PROSE.

46. Consists of: HAS.  This puzzle HAS 225 squares,

47. Letters before a pen name: AKA.  Also Known As

48. Spartan: AUSTERE.  Not a reference to MSU.

53. Patch, perhaps: SEW.  I tried to think of something witty to say here but I ran out of material.

54. Size for fries: LARGE.  Supersize me.

55. Cut a rug: DANCE.  Idiomatic from an earlier era.

Nick Rivers (Val Kilmer) In "Top Secret"

58. Gloating cry: I WIN.  Sometimes it's I WON.

64. Promontory: CAPE.  A geographical reference.  Often clued with references to comic book superheros.

65. Pennsylvania city across from Presque Isle State Park: ERIE.  Four letters.  Three vowels.  An often-used constructor's friend.

66. Sports news: TRADE.  Some have lead to curses.

67. Seers?: EYES.  Not SEERS as in tellers of the future.  What we see with.

68. Over and done with: PAST.  The PAST, the present and the future walked into a bar.  Things got a little tense.

69. Madonna hit that begins, "Strike a pose": VOGUE.  Not the Madonna celebrated earlier this week.

Down:

1. 2023 World Series honor for Corey Seager: MVP.  Most Valuable Player.  It would have been nice if the Dodgers had re-signed Corey.

2. Poetic contraction: O'ER. As in "O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."

3. "Double Fantasy" singer: ONO.  Many ways to clue Yoko Ono.  Some would go with breakerupperofthebeatles.

4. Astrological delineation: CUSP.  Is your moon in Fresno?

5. __ filter: HEPA.  HEPA stands for high-efficiency particulate air, and a HEPA filter is a specially designed air filter that excels at capturing tiny particles in the air.

6. Word with fish or meat: MARKET.  Or with stock (but that would have been more of a giveaway).

7. Sign of spring: BLOOM.

8. Tempe sch.: ASU.

9. Scouring brand: SOS.

10. Retro tone: SEPIA.  For photographs.

11. SoulCycle offering: SPIN CLASSES.  This solver was not familiar with SoulCycle but the "cycle" part was helpful and the perps made it clear.

12. Bottom line: NET GAIN.

13. Shell-less gastropod: SEA SLUG.  Some are far more visually intriguing than the land varieties.

18. Comes to a halt: ENDS.  What starts with W and ENDS with T.  Really, it does.

21. Some plastic fasteners: ZIP TIES.  Very useful for oh so many applications.

22. Peace Nobelist Hammarskjöld: DAG.  Secretary General of the United Nations (1953 - 1961).

23. Single: ONE.

24. Peppermint pattern: CANDY STRIPE.

26. Ice cream cookie: OREO.  Clue-able in oh so many ways.

27. In the ballpark: NEAR.  Idiomatic.

29. Liverpool lav: LOO.  In London, if you pay money to live in a bathroom you can tell your friends that you are a LOO tenant.

30. Gridiron stat: YARDAGE.  A football reference.  Inspired by the lines on the football field.  Gridiron derives from griddle and grid.  It was also a medieval instrument of torture.

34. Educational org.: PTA.

37. Shortfin shark: MAKO.  The K from 47 across was a big help with this one.

38. Turkey neighbor: IRAN.  YAMS would have fit.

39. NYC hrs.: EST.  Eastern Standard Time

40. Ceremonial goblet: CHALICE. The film, "The Court Jester" with Danny Kay taught me this one at an early age.

41. Bolted: RAN AWAY.  Not a hardware reference.

44. Equal: ARE.  As in two and two ARE four.

45. Evergreen shrub: YEW.  Often clued with a reference to archery.

48. How cutlery is typically sold: AS A SET.

49. Alternative magazine name: UTNE.  The "UTNE Reader" is oft cited in crossword puzzles.

51. Hong Kong politician and social activist Chow: AGNES.

52. "Luther" star Elba: IDRIS.  This solver did not know "Luther" but IDRIS Elba has been a frequent visitor the past few years.

56. Video surveillance letters: CCTV.  Closed Circuit TeleVision

57. Irish capital: EURO.  Not the capital city.  Money.

59. Oomph: PEP.

60. Bullpen fig.: ERA.  A baseball reference.  Relief pitchers, a subset of whom are called "closers" warm up in the "bullpen".  Earner Run Average.  Roughly, how many runs, on average, the pitcher gives up for every nine innings he pitches (ERA excludes runs the pitcher would not have allowed had somebody not messed up).

61. __ sale: TAG.  AKA Yard Sale or Garage Sale.

62. Georgetown closer: EDU.  Not a baseball reference.  The ending of an email address.

63. Barely passing mark: DEE.  A  B   C   D   F   Aren't we grading on the curve here?

Here is the completed grid:

That will warp things up for today.  Thanks, again, Lisa (and friends).

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