Thursday, February 25, 2021, Susan Gelfand

 

Good morning, cruciverbalists.  Long time no sea.  Just squidding.  Malodorous Manatee here hoping that things are going swimmingly for all of you.

You can tell from the reactions of my friends, above, that today's puzzle from Susan Gelfand provided them with some serious guffaws.  Although some solvers might believe that Ms. Gelfand should be made to walk the plankton for her groan-worthy homonyms, I suspect that most of us got through it without having to be brain sturgeons.

SOMETHING FISHY'S GOING ON HERE

At four spots within the grid, Susan Gelfand has paired an everyday item, expression, or name with an adjective and turned it into a mirthful homonym.  A PERCH, a SOLE, a RAY and a SKATE are each a type of fish.  But not here.  Not today.

17 Across.  Noble fish?:  LOFTY PERCH.  LOFTY PERCH has several meanings in everyday use.   Things  fish-related are not among them.

58 Across.  Elastic fish?:  RUBBER SOLE  RUBBER SOUL is an album released by the Beatles in 1965.  The Beetles likely would have enjoyed the pun. 

Rub Her Sole

11 Down.   Massive fish?:  COSMIC RAYS  It was a bit, but not too much, of a stretch to get from Massive to COSMIC.  Some Rays very much enjoy word play.

You Can Call Me Ray or You Can Call Me . . .

30 Down.  Stingy fish?: CHEAP SKATE

Jack Benny - World Renown Cheapskate

That wraps up the fish jokes - at least the ones furnished by the constructor.  At the end of the recap I have "thoughtfully" supplied a link to a song in which other fish jokes, homonyms, and puns are presented.  There are also quite a few (non-fish) homonyms and homophones that Susan (intentionally?) seems to have teed up in the clues/answers along the way and, with your kind indulgence, we might have some fun with those - even if it is, with apologies to my friends, like shooting fish in a barrel.  

Let minnow if you have any suggestions.  Make up your own fish puns.  Don't leave it to salmon else . . . there is no need to be koi about it.

And now . . . .

. . . on to the rest of the puzzle:

ACROSS:

1. Distressed cry: YOWL.   Not to be confused with Howl which, by definition, is a different sound . . . and a poem by Allen Ginsberg.

5. Capture, in Westerns: LASSO.

Wonder Woman With Her Lasso of Truth

10. Pond film: SCUM.

14. Singer Brickell: EDIE.

Bob Dole, E.D. Spokesperson

15. Rap sheet entry: ALIAS.  Fat Albert's super villain ALIAS is Fatal Bert.

16. __ Linda, Calif.: LOMA.  Famous for its medical center.

19. Arthur Ashe Courage Award, e.g.: ESPY.

I Know, I Know

20. Radio tuning shortcut: PRESET.  A good way to remember your plaice.

21. Longtime "American Top 40" host: KASEM.  The children of Casey KASEM, from a previous marriage, charged in a lawsuit that his widow had mistreated, neglected and abused him.  More lawsuits followed from both sides.  All were eventually settled.

23. They're sold in bars: SOAPS.  Not, in this case, shots.

They're Sold In Bars

26. Force out: EVICT.  What do you call a snail who has been EVICTed?  A slug.

29. Goes along with: ACCEPTS.

32. Come again?: REECHO.

33. Oldest Musketeer: ATHOS.  Neither Porthos nor Aramis nor D'Artagnan would fit.

Actually, Larry Larsen Was The Oldest

34. Keyboard goofs: TYPOS.

36. Campaigned: RAN.

37. Flute feature: STEM.  As clued, a champagne glass reference.

38. Management opening: MICRO.

Your Crow?

39. Protest, in a way: FAST.  FAST has so many different meanings it is difficult to even begin to play with the word.  Here it is used as a verb.  If you are curious, the link, below, will take you to Merriam Webster:

Definitions of FAST

40. Argentine aunt: TIA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

41. Caffè __: chocolate-flavored drink: MOCHA.

42. Reach via jet: FLY TO.

One Fly Too Many

43. Oliver Twist, for one: ORPHAN.  Did he get a hit . . .

. . . Or Fan?

45. Not farmed out: IN HOUSE.

Out House

47. Spruce up the lawn: RE SOD.  I RESOD in Southern California.  Where do you resod?

48. Jim of "Wide World of Sports": MCKAY.

The Classic Opening

49. Buddy: KIDDO.

51. Much more than a mere fan: ZEALOT.

56. Word of lament: ALAS.  There once was A LASs from Kilglass who had a magnificent ass.  Not rounded and pink, as you probably think, but was grey, had long ears and ate grass.

61. Singer with The Blackhearts: JETT.

Not Joan's

62. Typical: USUAL.

63. Caffeine-rich seed: KOLA.

A Koala

64. Graph lines: AXES.

Axes

65. Chaps: GENTS.  I hear that it is relatively easy to get ladies to refrain from eating Tide Pods but not so easy to deter GENTS.

66. Kind of folder: SPAM.

Monty Python

DOWN:

1. Online site whose reviews are reviewed: YELP.

Yelp

2. Fragrance: ODOR.  If a polite but unclean man was heavily into wordplay would he have a pun-gent odor?

3. Certain partner: WIFE.  What did the string theorist say when his WIFE caught him with another woman?  "Wait, I can explain everything!" 

4. Frees, with "out": LETS.

5. Common carry-on item: LAPTOP.  What do you call a LAPTOP that can sing?  A Dell.

6. Pub order: ALE.

7. What Marcie calls Peppermint Patty: SIR.

8. Fires: SACKS.

Sacks

9. Fed. workplace monitor: OSHA.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

10. Short item on many a tee: SLEEVE.

12. Diamond authority: UMP.  A baseball reference.

13. Possibly will: MAY.  Possibly, Elaine.

Elaine May What?

18. Many RSVP responses, hopefully: YESES.

22. Notices: SEES.

Sees Candy

24. Top story: ATTIC.

A Tick

25. Medium: PSYCHIC.  What shall we do today?

Pinky - A Famous Sidekick

27. Pure: CHASTE.

28. Scout rider: TONTO.  Scout, in the case of this clue, is the name of a horse.

Scout and Silver

29. What you have on: ATTIRE.

A Tire

31. Dot follower, at times: COM.

32. Piglet's pal: ROO.

Roux

33. Tycoon who is an Oregon city namesake: ASTOR.

Aster

35. Play a joke on: PRANK.  Usually seen as a noun.  Here used as a transitive verb.

(With Apologies to The Craw)

38. Day named for a satellite: Abbr.: MON.

Show Me The Moonday

39. Winter bug: FLU.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

41. Anti-DUI org.: MADD.

42. Entrance area: FOYER.  I was in the lobby of a hotel many years ago when I overheard Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky bragging about their prior victories.  They were chess nuts boasting in an open FOYER.

44. Raises: HOISTS.

46. Variable eye colors: HAZELS.

MM Granddaughter - Hazel's Lunch

48. Touchpad alternative: MOUSE.

50. Pharmacy item: DRUG.

52. Sets as a price: ASKS.

53. Circuit: LOOP.

Lupe Lu (Shindig Pilot Episode - 1964)

54. Earthenware pot: OLLA.  A crossword staple.  Ever wonder what one actually looks like?  There are several styles.  Here is one type:

Olla de Hierro

55. Bears or Lions: TEAM.  What, no Tigers?

56. 1977 Steely Dan album: AJA.

57. Latin law: LEX.

Lex Luthor

59. Dog holder: BUN.  One of the wurst references that we have seen here.

60. Diamond tool: BAT.  A flying mammal.  An eyelash movement.  A piece of insulation.  In this case, another baseball reference.

For those who have, by this point, had more than their fill of homonyms and terrible puns (fishy, and otherwise) you may go now and enjoy the rest of your day.  For those who might prefer to dive a bit deeper into the subject, this marine mammal humbly offers the following ditty first heard on the Doctor Demento Show:

Kip Addotta - Wet Dream

________________________________

 

____________________________________

__________________________________

MM Out !

Carp-e diem!

Thursday, February 11, 2021, Chuck Deodene

Good Morning!  Malodorous Manatee, here.   Another Thursday has dawned, cruciverbalists, and today we get to catch a glimpse of the world through the eyes of five well-known artists.  The glimpse comes via the efforts of constructor Chuck Deodene.  Chuck is a veteran constructor who has had many puzzles previously published in both The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.  Chuck is also a contributor to the Reading For The Oxford English Dictionary Programme.  As such, his task is "to read books (and other texts) and note down potentially interesting instances of word use."

Today's theme:  But Is It Artists?

Let's start at 60 Across: Self-taught creators, in modern lingo, and a hint to each set of circles: OUTSIDER ARTISTS.

This is the reveal and, to this writer, it certainly was an interesting instance of word use in that I had never before come across the term.  It does, however, do a good job of describing the placement of the theme answers.  At five places within the grid, the names of the ARTISTS can be formed by combining the OUTSIDE letters of the answers.

17 Across:  Security perimeter feature: POLICE ROAD BLOCK.  Jackson POLLOCK (1912 - 1956) was an American painter who was a major figure in the Abstract Expressionist Movement.  Loosely translated, this means that our parents thought that we, as children, could create works of art very similar to his.

Blue Poles By Jackson Pollock

26 Across:  Formally begins, as a meeting: CALLS TO ORDER.  Alexander CALDER (1898 - 1976) was an American sculptor best known for his kinetic sculptures powered by air currents or motors.

Alexander Caldwell - Opening Scene "American Masters"

35 Across:  Successfully lured: ROPED IN.  Auguste RODIN (1840 - 19170) was a French sculptor perhaps most famous for his works "The Thinker" and "The Kiss".   It is fascinating to note the change in style between RODIN and CALDER (above) and between RODIN and ARP (below) who were each born less than sixty years later.

The Burghers of Calais By Auguste Rodin

38 Across:  High-intensity light source: ARC LAMP.  Jean ARP (1886 -1966) was a German-French sculptor, painter and poet.

The Forest  By Jean Arp

45 Across:  Navy Cross recipient, for one: MILITARY HERO.  Joan MIRO (1893 - 1983) was a Spanish painter and sculptor.  He is associated with the Surrealist and Dada movements.

Plate 2 By Joan Miro

Here is how the five OUTSIDER ARTISTS appear in the finished puzzle:

These artists looked at the world differently than most mere mortals.  Certainly, quite differently than many marine mammals.  Now, let's take a look at the rest of the puzzle and see if we are able to spot some potentially interesting instances of word use.

Across:

1. Appreciate: VALUE.  Interesting.  Here Appreciate is not used as in to increase in value but, rather, as in to appreciate something and find it to be of value.

6. Goat of the Alps: IBEX.

10. Fine cotton: PIMA.  PIMA cotton is an extra-long staple cotton grown primarily in the United States.

14. Turing and Cumming: ALANS.  It probably says something about those of us who know who ALAN Turing is but have no idea who Alan Cumming is.

15. Resentful: SORE.  Interesting.  As in "to be SORE (mad) at" someone or something.

16. Screen image: ICON.  Interesting.  We could have seen a clue such as Screen Icon for an answer of STAR.   Name...Image...Icon...Star.  Something like this might make for a good word ladder puzzle.

20. Extraction by rescue copter, e.g.: EVAC.  EVACuation.  Alternatively, and still quite consistent with the clue:

Dad Uses Helicopter to Pull Out Son's Tooth

21. Contented sighs: AAHS.  Onomatopoeia.

Aaaahhhh !

22. Helpful: OF USE.

23. Like the lawn at dawn: DEWY.  Not this Dewey:

Huey, Dewey and Louie

24. Camping gear retailer with an #OptOutside campaign: REI.  Recreational Equipment, Inc. was formed as a Co-op in Seattle in 1938.  Each of the five founding members paid One U.S. Dollar to join.  I purchased my first down sleeping bag from REI in 1971.

25. "Seasons in the Sun" songwriter: BREL.  Jacques BREL wrote this song in 1961 with the title "Le Moribond" - "The Dying Man".   Later it was translated by Rod McKuen.  It has been recorded by The Kingston Trio, The Beach Boys and Terry Jacks, among others.

The Kingston Trio

31. Clutch: HOLD.  Interesting.  At first we might have thought of an automobile part, a type of purse or a critical situation in a sporting event.

Shindig 1964 The Miracles (Live)

You Really Got A Hold On Me

33. Light keeper's view: SEA.  . . .  and often a great view, at that.

34. Afore: ERE.  Interesting.  Two rarely used prepositions.

41. "Much __ About Nothing": "The Simpsons" episode: APU.  Interesting.  Not, as we usually see, "Much Ado About Nothing".  In Episode 23 of Season 7 of The Simpsons TV show, APU Nahasapeemapetilon is caught up in the turmoil when an initiative is placed on the ballot that would require the deportation of all illegal immigrants living in the town of Springfield.

42. Have a good cry: SOB.  Interesting.  It could have been clued as a general term of contempt. 

44. Pocket bread: PITA.  Interesting.  It could have been clued as an annoying or tedious person or thing.

50. "Buy It Now" site: EBAY.

Weird Al Yankocvic's Parody of "I Want It That Way"

51. Best-liked, online: FAV.  Texting slang for FAVorite.

52. Nearly here: NIGH.  Interesting.  Another rarely used word.

56. "That's enough!": CAN IT.

58. Peruse, with "over": PORE.  I always forget if it is PORE over or Pour over in this context.  There is an estate planning device called a Pour-Over will.  The heirs can, hopefully much later, PORE over it.

59. __-deep: very involved: KNEE.  That's how it all begun.  We were knee deep in the Big Muddy but the big fool said to push on.

63. Mystery writer Gardner: ERLE.  Interesting.  We almost always see the full name: ERLE Stanley Gardner.  He created the Perry Mason detective stories.

64. "The Hobbit" soldiers: ORCS.  In "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and in  "The Hobbit" an ORC was a fictional humanoid monster akin to a goblin.

65. Starts a pot: ANTES.  A poker reference.  If we each had a Dime for every time we have seen some form of ANTE in a puzzle . . . . .

66. __ Inn: DAYS.  The hotel chain.

67. Pool strikers: CUES.

Buster Keaton Busts A Pool Cue

68. So-so effort, in sports: B GAME.   One's A-Game is the best.  One almost never hears B-GAME although it's existence is clearly implicit if there is an A-Game.  How far down the grading curve does this go?

Down:

1. Used Juul pods: VAPED.  Juul is a brand name of E-Cigarettes of VAPEs.  Juul claims that its "mission is to improve the lives of the world's one billion adult smokers."  Even if true, there has been, demonstrably, significant collateral damage.  "Hey, kids, check this out.  Sweet!"

2. "__ Supreme": classic Coltrane album: A LOVE.  Recorded in 1964, it is said that the album was a spiritual declaration by Coltrane that his "musical devotion was now intertwined with his love for God."

3. Old NBC legal drama: L.A. LAW.  We often see Susan Dey in our puzzles and she is usually clued with reference to L. A. LAW.

4. Street performer's vehicle: UNICYCLE.

5. PC key: ESC.  The key generates the ESCape Character - ASCII Code 27 in decimal.  

6. Holy Land nation: ISRAEL.

7. ["You need new glasses, ump!"]: BOO HISS.

Finn The Bat Dog

8. Low nos. for aces: ERAS.  Earned Run AverageS.  The aces in this case are baseball pitchers and "nos." tells us that the answer will be an abbreviation.

9. Crossed (out): XED.  Interesting.  The Thesuarus.Plus site does not mention XED (out).

10. Filch: PILFER.  Interesting.  Both the clue and answer are less-than-commonly-used words for steal.

11. Lukewarm "You hungry?" reply: I COULD EAT.  Interesting.  When used in the expression I COULD EAT a Horse, it is not at all lukewarm.

12. Comfy shoes: MOCS.  Short for MOCcasinS.

13. German tennis player Huber: ANKE.

Anke Huber

18. British peer: EARL.  The one was certainly teed up.  A swing and a . . . solid hit (A Number One Hit in 1962).

Gene Chandler - The Duke of Earl - 1962

19. NYC division: BORO.  Interesting because, although the word can also be spelled BOROugh.

25. Piglet's dad: BOAR.  A BOAR is a male swine.  No sows appeared in today's puzzle.

27. "Just __ water": ADD.   After hearing this line over and over and over again in commercial advertisements the phrase became a synonym for something that was easy to do.

28. Sun __: TEA.  Sun Tzu just could not be made to work.

29. Humorist Bombeck: ERMA.  I always forget if her name is ERMA or Irma.  Or, maybe, Emma.

30. One ab crunch, say: REP.  REPetition.  Working out at the gym.

31. Native Arizonans: HOPI.

Hopi Girls - Circa 1920

32. In a luxurious manner: OPULENTLY.  Interesting.  We rarely see this word in our puzzles.

35. Sheep's dad: RAM.  A RAM is a male sheep.  As with the swine, above, no female sheep appeared in today's puzzle - so one, or more, of each has been added:

Babe and Friends

36. Words of surprise: I SAY.  It is interesting to see this British colloquialism turn out to be the correct answer.

37. Easter lead-in?: NOR.  A bit of misdirection as this clue, despite the capitalization, does not refer to the Christian holiday.  A NOR'Easter "is a synoptic-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean."  The winds that one produces are typically from, you guessed it, the northeast.  The Northeast has been hit by a series of NOR'Easters recently.

39. EMT skill: CPR.  Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation

40. Pride Rock monarch: LION KING.  The TV show "The Critic" once presented a wonderful parody of the scene below employing a cockroach. 

Pride Rock

43. Using coercion: BY FORCE.  Interesting.  I thought the answer was going to be a gerund.

46. Hieroglyphics birds: IBISES.

47. Filmmaker Jacques: TATI.  A French filmmaker probably best known for Mon Oncle and Traffic.

48. Beset: HARASS.  Ah, "Much Ado About Nothing" (See 41 Across) doth sorta make an appearance after all!  Hero:  "Oh, god, defend me.  How I am BESET!  What kind of catechizing call you this?"  Translation from the English to the English:  Oh, God help me!  How I am being attacked!  What kind of game is this?

49. At any time: EVER.  Are we supposed to cover the square(s) if we have EVER done it or cover the square(s) if we have never done it?

A "Never Have I Ever" Bingo Game Card

53. App with pics: INSTA.  We have seen this abbreviated term for the  INSTAgram app before.  Never have I ever used Instagram.

54. Order to a Western posse: GET EM.  Interesting in that this use is exceedingly non-specific.  A posse could be given many other instructions and GET 'EM could be used in many other contexts.

55. "Siddhartha" author: HESSE.  Herman Hesse also wrote Steppenwolf and Demian.  In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in literature.

56. Like dorms for men and women: COED.  I suppose that COED dorms could be quite educational.

57. Radiance: AURA.  My house was once filled with a demonic AURA so I called the local exorcist.  When he entered the house I told him to "Get the hell out of here."

58. Lake Titicaca is partly in it: PERU. . . and it is partly in Bolivia.

61. MRI interpreter: DOC.  Punt!

62. Browser window feature: TAB.

That wraps things up for today's puzzle.  I think that Chuck did employ some potentially interesting word use.

________________________________________________

MM OUT