Tuesday, June 20th, 2023 -

 Notes from C.C.:

Hahtoolah is in Texas to take care of a loved one. Today's post was written by Splynter, our Saturday guide from 2012 to 2018. Welcome back, Splynter!

 Guess who's back~?

 Back again~? 

I am back to blogging, just for today, and back in Connecticut after a week in Washington, D.C. to remove parts of the pipe organ at the National Cathedral - an impressive place, and really the first time I have truly stepped into a Gothic-style masterpiece of architecture.  For those who didn't know, I moved to CT from NY ( insert spiritual comment here ) and work for the "F.B.I.", a pipe organ restoration company.  

This would be my first "theme" puzzle, as I did only Saturdays for my time on the blog, so I am going with -

 THEME:

AIL-ing

 - just like my blog skills, as I thought this would go much smoother than it did - guess I have been out of the game a little too long...

 The theme entries are all "long A" rhyming words

 20. Rhyming term for a dead letter?: SNAIL MAIL FAIL.

 27. Rhyming description of "Moby-Dick"?: PALE WHALE TALE.

 45. Rhyming discount for week-old leafy greens?: STALE KALE SALE.

 54. Rhyming hazard for cyclists on shared-use track?: RAIL TRAIL NAIL.

 

 And Another Thing~!

Across:

 
1. Words before a start date: AS OF.

5. "The Sopranos" chef Bucco: ARTIE. - Never watched it; I have only begun streaming TV since I bought my house in CT last March....I have gotten thru two seasons of "The Mandalorian"

10. Pen tips: NIBS.

14. Eric of "Munich": BANA.

15. Florida city with a Little Havana neighborhood: MIAMI.

16. "The Simpsons" bus driver: OTTO.

17. Glamping shelter, maybe: YURT.

Me thinks it misses the point of being out in nature....

18. Bass staff symbol: F CLEF.

19. Pull: HAUL. - We hauled the pipes and chests in a 26ft truck all the way back to CT

23. Rat Pack member __ Davis Jr.: SAMMY.

24. Canine checker: DENTIST.

31. Director Kazan: ELIA.

32. Salami choice: GENOA.

33. Storyteller __ Christian Andersen: HANS.

37. Metric weights: KILOS.

40. Spreadsheet lines: ROWS. Rows and rows and rows of pipes....

Something like 10,650 in all

41. Kept __: held off: AT BAY.

43. Fluttered down to a perch, say: ALIT.

50. Took up the challenge: HAD AT IT. - watch that parsing....

51. "__ luck!": LOTSA. - Reminds me of Pulp Fiction, but I'll refrain from the link

58. Mosque prayer leader: IMAM.

60. Traffic jam: TIE UP. - We had to take the "long way around" because of the collapse of I-95 in Philadelphia en route to Washington D.C.

61. Baby-voiced red Muppet: ELMO.

62. Sidewalk eatery: CAFE.

63. Supreme Court justice Kagan: ELENA.

64. Detroit NFL player: LION.

65. Founded, as a co.: EST'D.

66. White-water transports: RAFTS.

67. Yin and __: YANG.

Down:

 
1. Deep gulf: ABYSS.

2. Steamy setting at a spa: SAUNA.

3. Freeway entrance: ON-RAMP.

4. Shrine site in Portugal: FATIMA.

5. Radio band toggle: AM/FM.

6. Costa __: Nicaragua neighbor: RICA. - The daughter of the VP of my Pipe Organ company got married in Costa Rica at the end of March

7. Anklebones: TALI. - Plural of Talus

8. "Vera Drake" Oscar nominee Staunton: IMELDA.

9. Paris tower engineer: EIFFEL.

10. Pitcher's dream game: NO HITTER.

11. Lingua di Roma: ITALIANO.

12. HVAC meas.: BTU. British Thermal Units

13. Pine-__: cleaning brand: SOL.

21. Country singer Lovett: LYLE.

22. Rare blood type, informally: A NEG.  - I am "B(e) Positive", which I try for every day....

25. "__ and steady wins the race": SLOW. - This is my ring tone - ROCK Bagpipes....

"Lyrics" @1:17

26. Assam, Darjeeling, etc.: TEAS. - I found a cinnamon tea I like

28. Large deer: ELK.

29. Nintendo game console: Wii.

30. Islamic equivalent of kosher: HALAL.

33. Corned beef concoction: HASH.

34. "__ girl!": ATTA.

35. Selection process for Bucks and Bulls: NBA DRAFT.

36. Greeted with a respectful bow: SALAAMED.

38. World Cup cry: OLÉ.

39. Girl of the fam: SIS.

42. Cooler brand named for a mythical creature: YETI.

44. Like most basketball players: TALL.

46. Off-__: askew: KILTER.

47. Leader of the Huns: ATTILA. - Also Billy Joel's first band 

48. Needing company: LONELY. - Makes me think of this 80's hit

 

The Motels

49. List-shortening Latin term: ET ALIA.

52. Reality TV judge Cowell: SIMON.

53. __ for the ride: ALONG.

55. Coral habitat: REEF.

56. Mom's sister: AUNT. - I am close with my AUNT Judy, but we lost Uncle Kurt in March this year

57. High-ABV beers, typically: IPAS.

58. Freezer cubes: ICE.

59. Some graduate degrees, for short: MAS. - Master of Applied Science, according to Google

 

Well, I'm back, 

da-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na

 Fix your bent antenna tune it in and then I'm gonna

Enter in, endin' up under your skin like a....

 

Splynter

( a little Slim Shady/Eminem reference )

Saturday, Dec 2nd, 2017, D. Scott Nichols + C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Argyle SoC.C.ks~!

Words: 70 (missing F,J,Q,X)

Blocks: 31

A Saturday collaboration between our Monday/Tuesday blogger and the host of the show, C.C.  Lots of multi-word answers today, and a few vague proper names, I caved in to red-letters to help me get the NE corner finished.  Staircase pattern grid, with a pair of 9x6 corners, and nothing longer than those;

15. [Yawn] : I NEED A NAP

12. Singer? : DIRTY RAT - the canary stoolie kind of singer.  I wondered if it was singe-er, as in one who singes

62. Big brother, often : ROLE MODEL

36. Legendary court figure : LANCELOT

 Monty Python~! - well I got "a" note~! @ 3:30

ONWARD forever~!

ACROSS:

 1. Stay in the big house : SERVE TIME - I've done mine - time for someone else

10. Beach pretender : HODAD - I had no idea - I tried POSER to start -  tho I probably have seen this in crosswords before - filled via perps, but I had to Google to check it out

16. Many a Studio Ghibli film : ANIME - red letters told me INDIE was wrong - but only 60% wrong

17. Fund for incidentals : PETTY CASH

18. Character who dances on the beach at Stavros : ZORBA - the only Stavros I could think of was Stavro Mueller and his Beta nightclub - the scene of the climactic end to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 5-book trilogy

So long, and thanks for all the fish

19. Supporting : PRO - I waited to see if it would be "FOR" or "PRO"

20. Evil skill : SORCERY - I tried spelling it so"U"rcery for some reason

22. Talbot Jr. or Sr. on "Rectify" : TED - Googled; never even heard of the show

23. Obstacles on the set : EGOS

25. Confident response to "Your opponent is ready" : "SO AM I~!"

26. Funeral rite heap : PYRE

27. Poet Thomas : DYLAN - filled via perps

29. "Baby Blues" baby : WREN - filled via perps; I looked it up, realized it was the comic strip, which I read and like, but it did not register during the solve

30. Maranjab Desert country : IRAN - a WAG off the "I" - either this one or iraQ

31. Empty out badly? : ROB - ah, theft empty out

33. Repertoire : ARSENAL

35. Skeleton's place? : CLOSET

38. Do maintenance on, as a putting green : AERATE - I had "RE-" in the opening position, which stopped me from seeing this answer, better than "reRAKE" - but it works with sand traps....

39. Card carrier : LANYARD - generic cord for holding ID cards, etc., that is

41. Convene : SIT - MET would not work with the tense of the verb

42. Chill (with) : HANG

43. Kate of "House of Cards" : MARA - filled via perps

45. Grouses : CARPS - wait til we get to the leg picture, and the grousing shall commence~!

49. Welding sparks : ARCS

50. Better : AMEND

52. Tar on the ocean : SALT - sailor nicknames

53. Compete : VIE

54. Like free-range chickens : UNCAGED

56. West of Tinseltown : MAE

57. Country album? : ATLAS - clever

59. History buff's artifacts : AMERICANA

61. Tearful queen : NIOBE

63. First chips : ANTEs - poker, and such

64. Chaotic places : SNAKE PITS

DOWN:

1. Nursed : SIPPED

2. Zip : ENERGY - the 'pep' definition, not the 'nothing' one

3. Overhaul the plant : RETOOL - I pondered REPOTS, but it's the other kind of plant

4. Old hand : VET

5. Dessert company founded in 1928 : EDY'S - only so many ways to clue this four-letter word

6. Shells from stands : TACOS - I was thinking tomatoes, as in shelling a bad stage actor

7. Sequentially : IN A ROW

8. It runs in the shower : MASCARA - I suppose it would

9. Short-lived things : EPHEMERA - the plural of ephemeron, Greek for short-lived insect, and subsequently anything designed to be short-lived

10. Indistinct : HAZY

11. Noted resident of The Dakota in Manhattan : ONO

13. Pale order : AMBER ALE

14. Tone down : DEADEN

21. Washes out : RINSES

24. South Seas cover-ups : SARONGS - a golden opportunity for some leg~!

 

26. They're beaten at parties : PIÑATAS

28. Intrusive : NOSY - it's those uppity trolls around here that give "anonymous" a bad name - now that's funny

32. Tough guy's exhortation : BE A MAN - for the men

34. Church of country : ERIC - his name, not the location

35. Allergy sufferer's choice : CLARITIN

37. Mine carriers : TRAMCARS - oh, that kind of mine - I have been watching The Viet Nam War series on PBS, and those were the mines I was thinking of

40. "As if!" : DREAM ON

42. Caribbean city with cocotaxis : HAVANA

44. German chancellor Merkel : ANGELA

46. City west of Baghdad : RAMADI

47. Mercury, e.g. : PLANET - not the sedan/auto this time

48. Bargains beyond belief : STEALS

51. Teammate of Mariano for 19 years : DEREK - couldn't be a C.C. puzzle without baseball, and even though I knew who Mr. Rivera was, I went with JETER before DEREK

54. Exploits : USES

55. Small change : DIME - the one that fit, but CENT was a possibility, too

58. #16, familiarly : ABE - President of the United States

60. Booking agent? : COP - tell 'em, Steve~!

"Aloha, Suckers~!"

Splynter

Saturday, Nov 25th, 2017, Greg Johnson

Theme: None

Words: 64 (missing Q,X)

Blocks: 37

Some nice cluing deception today, with about a half dozen of them fooling me.  We last heard from Mr. Johnson in July, and this is #5 for his LA Times Saturday constructions.  No Google, no red-letters, and I wrapped this one up in half of my personal allotted time.  Today's grid reminds me of a Christmas package bow, with two pairs of central 11-letter spanners and climbers, with a pinwheel of four 10-letter fills surrounding;
 

7. Engine part often connected to a flywheel : CRANKSHAFT - I was thinking the other end, as in CLUTCH PLATE, which didn't fit

38. Shaking one's head, maybe : FRUSTRATED - This is me; I was hoping to get a head start on saving for a house now that I make better money with the new job, and then my landlord tells me two weeks ago that he's selling the house; now I am under the gun to get a place to live.  I did find the perfect "fixer-upper", so say a prayer that I can find the money to afford it. 

27. Desk accessories : NAMEPLATES

29. Some partners' workplaces : LAW OFFICES - NEWS CHAIRS fit, but I didn't think that was right; still, most broadcasts featured two people bringing the nightly news; growing up, I remember Roger Grimsby and Bill Beutel on Ch. 7 

 Hoping your news is good news....

ChO7NeWsARD~!

ACROSS:

1. __ cord : SPINAL - extension and umbilical cord did not fit.  SPINAL Tap~!

7. Considered, with "on" : CHEWED - oops, not STewed

13. Leader of the track : PACE CAR - my mind was on foot race to start

15. "To the end of the block! C'mon!" : "RACE ME~!"

16. Immediate slap shot after receiving a pass, in hockey : ONE-TIMER - this one was right in my wheelhouse, and a great play to see in any hockey game

Alex Ovechkin may be the best at this

18. Biology notebook doodle : AMOEBA - good WAG, but then again, most doodles look like amoebae

19. __ Mahal : TAJ

20. Parsons School sketches : DESIGNS - "parson" made me think "deacon", and it fit - I even tried to find a "sketch" of a "deacon"

22. __ Kan: Alpo rival : KAL

23. "A Jug of Wine ... " poet : OMAR - filled via perps

25. Brought along : TOOK

26. Plural contraction : WE'RE - not gonna take it~?

30. Blue ghost in Pac-Man : INKY - the others were Blinky, Pinky and Clyde

31. Recycling center debris : GLASS SHARDS - Sssss - and the new job contributes mightily towards this

33. Opposite of hastens : SLOWS - had it, took it out, put it back in

34. Gets under control : TAMES

35. "This doesn't concern you" : STAY OUT OF IT

37. Order of encyclopedias : A TO Z - oh, well, duh - So easy, it was hard for me to see

42. Cook seen on TV specials : DANE - ah, not a 'cook', but Dane Cook, the comedian

43. Cut down : FELL - not HEWN

44. Cover on the street : PAVE - another deception; I was thinking news team, again

45. GI grub : MRE - Meals, Ready-to-Eat

46. Like the most substantial sum : TIDIEST - I didn't think LARGEST was going to stay, but maybe the "-EST" would

49. Social post : PICture

50. Leaning to the right, in a way : ITALIC - ah, nothing political, just political

52. Cheese from the Italian for "sheep" : PECORINO - Italian 'sheep' is pecora; I thought it might be something "ovine"; Bzzzt

54. Entertain lavishly : REGALE

55. Strength : POTENCY

56. Puts up : ERECTS - curious that potency should be followed by erects....

57. Golfer's short irons : WEDGES - OK, I tried EIGHTS

DOWN:

1. 100% correct : SPOT ON - only if it's 100% 100% correct, right D-otto~?

2. Southernmost location in continental North America : PANAMA - ah, NORTH America, not US America; I tried to figure out what is the last place you can visit in Florida before you hit the Keys - and isn't Panama in central America~?  Meso-America~?  Doesn't matter, here's Van Halen~!!!

Panama

3. It may delay river traffic : ICE JAM - LOG was not going to work with my hockey one-timer

4. Realize : NET - dah~! not GET

5. Sour : ACID

6. "That's so weak!" : LAME - I find "Sour" for "Acid" a bit lame

8. Stage embarrassments : HAMS

9. Prefix with tourist : ECO

10. Time off for many : WEEKENDS

11. Boards a ship : EMBARKS

12. Dallas plaza in 1963 headlines : DEALEY - I did not know this; the website

14. Lead-in to a promise : REST ASSURED

17. Gets out of control : RIOTS

21. Calls it a night : GOES TO SLEEP

24. Do some window maintenance : REGLAZE

26. Evidence-gathering device : WIRETAP

28. Tactic : PLOY

32. "The Kite Runner" boy : AMIR - filled via perps

33. Pre-metalworking period : STONE AGE

35. First course : STARTER

36. Spring festival focus : TULIP - couldn't see this with HEWN in the way

37. Esteem : ADMIRE
 

- held in high esteem, and admirable 

39. Recording : TAPING - I still refer to my DVR shows as ones that I "taped"

40. Show clearly : EVINCE

41. Red herrings, perhaps : DECOYS

46. Arcade game ender : TILT - pinball, not Pac-Man

47. Harbor hauler : SCOW - made me change my golf club; from an 8-iron to a wedge

48. Handy bag : TOTE

51. "Hotel du __": Anita Brookner novel : LAC

53. Light color : RED - traffic light, clever; not the 'tone' or intensity of the color

Splynter