Wednesday, Sep. 25th, 2024, Kyle Dolan

  C-3PO

I AM a Brass-colored Robot~!

A refreshing departure from the Wednesday puzzles of late - no circles, a handful of well-known proper names, and an author I have not blogged before; I believe Kyle was last seen here at the LA Times in Nov 2019.  A metal-as-adjective theme culminating in a 21st century bane - the Captcha verification.  The Corner has this unfortunate feature - it's a very aggravating security check, especially when it doesn't work properly.  The two ferrous and one copper/zinc alloy themers; 

16. Margaret Thatcher biopic: THE IRON LADY - held office while this band was most popular in the United Kingdom - and the world.  The song's intro is most appropriate, considering the theme. . . .

IRON Maiden, The Prisoner - "I am not a number~!"

27. Nickname in Metropolis: MAN OF STEEL - AKA Superman; I grew up with the Christopher Reeve version, who played the title role in the movie from 1978; its main theme composed by John Williams 

Superman The Movie trailer

42. Admirals, colloquially: NAVAL BRASS - The highest rank in the Navy is CNO, Chief of Naval Operations ( the Wiki ), currently held by Admiral Lisa Francetti; the highest active rank, Fleet Admiral, was last held by William "Bull" Halsey - I mention him because as I was researching the clue/answer, I read that Bull was born in NJ ( so was I ), died on Long Island ( I think I would have ) and was lying in state at the Washington National Cathedral - where I am currently renovating the Pipe Organ~!

56. Captcha confirmation well-suited to the people in 16-, 27-, and 42-Across?: I'M NOT A ROBOT

I'm not a robot, I'm an Ewok deity~!

And Away We Go~!


ACROSS:

1. Tunneling pests: ANTS - household pests, too, but they're not so bad in my home

5. T-shirt style: V-NECK

10. Hesitant sound: ERM.... - there was a lot of this in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

13. Bake or grill: COOK - generic food preparation verbs

14. Event that may begin at sunset: SOIRÉE

15. Highest number on an old clock: XII - Twelve, in Roman numerals, but not necessarily an "old" clock, technically

18. "60 Minutes" network: CBS - typically delayed due to an overrun of the Sunday NFL game. . . .

19. Had dinner: SUPPED - a "alternative" way to DINE

20. Many profile pics: SELFIES - I'll add a gratuitous one. . . .

The WNC façade pipes are along the wall in back

22. Fra __: spicy Italian sauce: DIAVOLO - I've not heard of this; filled via perps

Shrimp Fra Diavolo - looks yummy; the recipe

25. Course not requiring much effort: EASY A

26. Carded at a bar, informally: ID'ED

30. Affectionate treatment, for short: TLC - Tender Loving Care

31. Actress Tomei: MARISA - I always recall her "biological clock" ticking scene - name #1 I know

"My Cousin Vinnie"

32. Like the sound of a double bass: DEEP - and 32ft Wood Bourdon Pipes, too

34. Provide food for: CATER

35. Misplaced: LOST

39. Greenery symbolizing victory: LAUREL - cannot see this word and not think of. . . . 

Most of the scenes from Blazing Saddles are NSFW these days

41. Fox foot: PAW

46. Crumbly, briny cheese: FETA

Oooh, on pizza, great idea~!

47. Benefit: AVAIL

48. Carolina __: superhot peppers: REAPERS

50. Casual eateries: BISTROS

53. Obscure for security reasons, perhaps: REDACT

No such thing as UFOs

55. Degs. for English majors: BAs - Bachelor of Arts

59. Google Maps fig.: ETA

60. Opened for the doctor: SAID "AH"

61. One of the Gilmore girls: RORY - she was the daughter - played by Alexis Bledel; name #2 I know

I did watch for a while - back in 2000

62. Rehoboth Beach's st.: DELaware - I knew this because my buddy Mike P lived near Dover, and we all went down to visit the "Hamptons" of the state

We did the boardwalk thing - I recall buying handcrafted chocolate

63. PC key: ENTER - yes, it's nowhere to be found on a MAC

64. Skating jump with a forward take-off: AXEL - skating jump + blah blah blah = Ektorp


DOWN:

1. Play segments: ACTS

2. Football tactic for fast-paced offense: NO-HUDDLE - Football is here~! Summer is gone~! The Jets are 2-1~!

3. Ski binding part: TOE PIECE

I'd like to go skiing again

4. Bypass button in some apps: SKIP AD - this option cannot show up fast enough, IMO

5. Fashion designer Diane __ Furstenberg: VON - All perps - amazingly, of all designers, sumdaze began her Monday blog with a dress from her - go figure~!; her Wiki

6. Soccer zero: NIL - A gripping soccer "football" match is typically ONE - NIL; my dad was a hard-core English FOOTBALL fan, and could watch hours on end, but the pace bores me - I prefer hockey

7. Historic times: ERAS

8. Turn over: CEDE - ah, not 'ROLL'

9. Like some ignition systems: KEYLESS - My 2020 Subaru Crosstrek was the only KEYLESS ignition auto that I have owned - and I sold it back to Carmax at a profit, despite it having problems, because the dealerships were desperate for hybrids

I loved the car, hated the problems

10. __ tax: EXCISE - DAH~! Not INCOME, which messed up my NE corner

11. Marbled beef cut: RIBEYE

12. Book in a pew: MISSAL - Double Dah~!  I had HYMNAL

14. Biblical city: SODOM - Not Babel; I may need to brush up on my church readings. . . .

17. Go "vroom vroom": REV - I am a huge fan of the ABS Show "Castle" - vroom vroom made me think of this scene from Season 1

Pa-na-na-na-na~!

  21. __ flaw: FATAL

23. Hedy of Hollywood: LAMARR - name #3 I know

Pioneer of Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth - and not too hard on the eyes, as well

24. Red-hot: ON A TEAR

26. "__ be my pleasure": "IT'D"

28. Part of a vague threat: OR ELSE~! - or else, what~?

29. Many a Christmas tree: FIR

33. Hair braid: PLAIT

That's a LOT of hair

34. Grizzly baby: CUB

36. Spot for Statler and Waldorf on "The Muppet Show": OPERA BOX - name(s) #4 & 5 I know

37. Fig. submitted with many a college application: SAT SCORE - Standard Aptitude Test

38. Pan Am rival: TWA - both defunct airlines

40. Courtroom cry: "ALL RISE"

42. Snagged: NABBED - a mere two letters difference, clue-to-answer

43. Take flight: AVIATE

44. Liege's tenant: VASSAL - Feudalism - the Wiki

45. Jazz singer Vaughan: SARAH - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Name #6, and I like HuskerG's "shrug" emoji from Saturday, so I am running with it; I had this Sarah confused with MacLachlan Sarah

46. Hat for Indiana Jones: FEDORA - another John Williams composed theme

Mr. Chicken, in a fedora

49. According to: PER

51. Arabian Peninsula country: OMAN - sumdaze had a similar map on Monday as well. . . .

52. Fit of pique: SNIT - I had to wait and see if it was SNIT, SPAT, HUFF, TIFF. . . .

54. "bfn" reply: TTYL - Bye For Now = Talk To You Later

57. Tribute in verse: ODE

58. Hull sealant: TAR - Brett Hull SEALS the 1999 Stanley Cup final with a controversial 3OT goal

Rule 78(b)

Splynter

Wednesday, September 11th, 2023, Taylor Johnson

 FOOT PRINT

It is 7D. "fitting" that I be the blogger for September 11th - I was in Long Island, a mere 65 miles from the Word Trade Center during the attacks in 2001.  Taylor Johnson, last seen here at the corner with two Saturday themeless grids, has given us a grid with left-right "mirror" symmetry only, and I wonder if it was intentional that there are two "towers" of  10-letter Down fills on each side of the theme reveal.  No circles, more four-letter words than TLWs, and a lot of proper names, again.  Careful when you put your FOOT down on the themers;

19. *Withings product: BATHROOM SCALE -  I did not know what "Withings" was, but the theme reveal helped with the fill - and one item you may NOT care to acknowledge when you "step on it"

Sadly, this is me

22. *Construction toy piece: LEGO BLOCK - I had plenty of Lego growing up - the other item you may NOT care to feel when you "step on it"

YEEEOW~!

25. *Entryway rug: WELCOME MAT - I want this one for my front door 

Dare you 'step on it' ~?

28. *One of three under a baby grand: PIANO PEDAL - What the three pedals effect when played

she can walk all over me

37. "Go, go, go!," or an instruction one *may or may not* want to follow for

    the answers to the starred clues: STEP ON IT


And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Swear words: OATH  - my favorite is "d#f^j*k$@l&pf%ht"

5. Post-WWII alliance: OAS - Organization of American States - their website

8. Q-tip, e.g.: SWAB

12. Spanish : señora :: German : __: FRAU - When "Frau" appears in a puzzle, I must add this link

Blucher~!

13. Fold animals: SHEEP - not origami-related, had the "P" already, so a WAG on the animal "group"

more animal group names found here

15. Ponytail place: NAPE

16. Small amounts: TADS

17. Concur: AGREE

18. "Who __?": "ELSE~?"

23. Beach bag item: TOWEL - Douglas Adam's explanation on Towels

I have this towel

26. Susan of "The Partridge Family": DEY - name #1

27. Fatty acid, e.g.: LIPID

31. Made to resemble soft leather: SUEDED - check out my latest leather furniture addition

I now own a rocking/swivel/heat & massage RECLINER - It's official: I am "old"

33. "Make kind choices": "BE NICE."

34. Southern city where Cartoon Network has its HQ: ATLanta - name(ish)

35. Go from site to site, say: NET-SURF  - web browsing

39. Small batteries: AAs

40. Arena concert genre: ROCK - see 53A.

42. The first "M" of MGM: METRO - Goldwyn - Mayer; name(ish)

43. Latin years: ANNI - plural of anno

44. Fencing blade: FOIL - not ÉPÉE this time

46. Hoops stat: REBound

47. Scent: ODOR

48. "Hand it over!": "GIMME~!"

49. Tavern initials: IPA

50. Construction __: PAPER - used for origami~?

52. Keats piece: ODE - name(ish)

53. Musket attachment: BAYONET - Iron Maiden, arena rockers still going at 50yrs

The Trooper - You'll fire your musket / but I'll run you through

56. Quarterback Manning: ELI - name #2

57. Missing clownfish in a Pixar film: NEMO - name #3

59. Charged toward: RAN AT - see 53A.

60. Some handheld organizers, briefly: PDAs - Public Display of Assistant~?

Bell and WATSON~!

61. Bread served with saag paneer: NAAN

62. "Seven Samurai" and "Rashomon" director Kurosawa: AKIRA - George Lucas drew inspiration for Star Wars from him; his Wiki; name #4

63. Give five stars, say: RATE

64. Referencing: AS TO

65. Fly catchers?: MITTS - baseball reference, fly balls and gloves

66. Fútbol cheers: OLÉs


DOWN:

1. Much more than ne'er: OFT - more often than never

2. Many a Yemeni: ARAB - name(ish)

3. "Voilà!": "ta-DA~!"

4. Picked up the pace: HUSTLED

5. "What a relief!": "OH GOOD~!"

6. Oxygen-dependent organism: AEROBE - ah. a generic organism; good fill

7. Fitting: SEEMLY

8. Attend a movie without a ticket, say: SNEAK IN

9. Fenway's Green Monster, for one: WALL - I drove past the Green Monster last week on my way to doing field work; had to cut a new hatch into a chamber floor for a new set of pipes - here's the organ façade, seen from below

Trinity Church, Boston

10. Basilica area: APSE - speaking of churches....

11. Drone, e.g.: BEE - think "rank"

13. Puppeteer Tony: SARG - Never heard of him, name #5 - his Wiki

14. Mexican money: PESO

20. Hunt of "Twister": HELEN - name #6; I liked her in Mad About You and Cast Away, too

21. Symbol seen on viola sheet music: C CLEF

23. Old Russian leader: TSAR

24. Lacking inspiration: OUT OF IDEAS

29. "Same for me": "I CAN RELATE."

30. From South Asia, perhaps: DESI - I had to look this up - a new definition for me

32. Many a blue state sen.: DEMocrat

33. "Dude!": BRO~!

36. Glaze made with soy sauce and mirin: TERIYAKI -soy I know, and I have bought rice wine to make my General Tso's, did not know it was called "mirin"

38. Murals, park statues, etc.: URBAN ART - I tried ARTWORKS first

41. First name of bassists Gordon and Deal: KIM - Cool clue; Gordon from Sonic Youth, and Deal from the Pixies/Breeder; two other female bass players - Tal Wilkenfeld and Sean Yseult - name(s) #7

43. Poet laureate Limón: ADA - name #8

45. Syr. neighbor: LEBanon - name(ish)

47. Choose: OPT

48. Plannin' to: GONNA

51. Elevates: RISES - meh.  rAises sounds better

54. Composer Khachaturian: ARAM - no clue - more here; name #8

55. Car service predictions, for short: ETAs

58. Singer Yoko: ONO - name #9

60. For: PRO

Splynter

Wednesday, Sep 4th, 2024, Prasanna Keshava

 BACK WORDS

 Another Wednesday, another crossword with circles, another ton of proper names ( I lost count ) again.  Today's puzzle has 21 TLWs, and 20 four-letter ones.  I am not familiar with author Prasanna Keshava, last seen here in March 2023.  We do get two unique crossword fills, at 22 & 35A.  Found inside the circles are the words ORATE, CHAT, UTTER and SAY, "reversed", to define our theme reveal at 56A.  The theme answers; 

18. Recommendation called to lovebirds: "GET A ROOM~!"

Captain Picard says that's an order

22. Fast spotted kitties: CHEETAH CUBS

Smithsonian National Zoo - their site

35. Routes taken in some great escapes: SECRET TUNNELS

The Great Escape - the history, not the perfume

51. Super simple: AS EASY AS PIE

 yeah, simply add 3.14159265358~lbs of cherries....

56. Sass, and what can be found in this puzzle's circled letters?: BACK TALK - TALK synonyms, spelled BACKwards

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Canada's capital city: OTTAWA - Name #1; I know this from watching NHL hockey - the Senators, CanadianEh~!

7. "History of the World, Part II" writer/producer/narrator Brooks: MEL - Name #2; I loved the 1981 movie HotW part ONE, but I am chagrinned to say, I have not watched the new series - tsk tsk tsk.  

10. Utah ski resort: ALTA - Name #3; learned by doing crosswords

14. Driver's lic. with added security: REAL ID - I was issued a Real ID by default when I "converted" to CT from NY

15. "__ Maria": AVE - Name(ish) #4; more crosswordese

16. Phobia: FEAR - I am claustrophobic & agoraphobic; some others fears I don't suffer from include dromophobia, triskaidekaphobia, and gephyrophobia - see the end of the blog for these fears defined *

17. Not on the dot: BEHIND - meh. "LATE" sounds better

20. Perform penance: ATONE

21. Muse's bestowal, casually: INSPO - 21st century-speak for "inspiration"

25. Word with pocket or socket: HIP - hip pocket, hip socket - it's Hip to be 8D.

Huey Lewis & The News

28. Fellows: HEs - not a fan of these clues/answers

29. Ergonomic kitchen gadget brand: OXO - learned by doing crosswords

30. Petulant: PEEVISH

32. Tutu fabric: TULLE

34. Baby-voiced red Muppet: ELMO - Name #5

40. Green one, in slang: NEWB - short for newbie, someone just starting out, but willing to learn; NOOB means you're a 'hacker' who doesn't care to improve

If you don't REVIT, you don't "get it"

41. Brownstone porch: STOOP - strangely, there are TWO front doors on my house; the one I rarely use has a "stoop", while the other, on the sunroom, has a "porch" - and when my brother visits, he always uses the "wrong" one....

42. Car part that helps prevent rollovers: SWAY BAR

Pick-up lines to "Sway" you at a "Bar"~?

46. Probable fig.: ESTimate

47. Unmatched: ODD - like socks

50. Novelist Patchett: ANN - Name #6

54. Zodiac ram: ARIES- technically, a name, but there's only 12 ( or 13, if you believe in them )

55. Relay stick: BATON

59. Large juicy fruits: MELONS

60. "Didn't think you'd be here!": "OH, HI~!"

61. Precious stone: GEM

62. Not off-key: IN TUNE - I am learning how to tune pipe organs - it's way more difficult than you'd think; the first reason being, you have to be partnered, as the 'keyboard' can be hundreds of feet from the pipes

63. Make a profit: GAIN - think stock market

64. Poem of praise: ODE - ODD and ODE in one puzzle

65. Perfume sample: TESTER

To me, the most tantalizing scent - Calvin Klein's "Escape"
The science of perfume

DOWN:

1. Briscoe player on "Law & Order": ORBACH - Name #7; I am a huge L&O fan, so I knew this one; he was one of the most convincing TV characters ever; their best seasons ran when he was a cast member

2. Show signs of growth?: TEETHE - I do the DOWNs first, and I had no clue on this one - I had kids for all of two years, and not infants

3. Chevrolet SUVs: TAHOES - Name(ish)

4. Dress with flare?: A-LINE

It's definitely got "flare"

5. Sonoma Valley excursion: WINE TOUR - over the last 10+ years, WINE TOURs have become very popular on the North Fork of Long Island; there are so many wineries and farm stands that traffic on the three one-lane roads during autumn is insane

6. Insert: ADD - the verb, as to add one's opinion

7. Orlando NBA team: MAGIC - Name(ish); not a basketball fan - but football is here, and hockey in a month~!

8. Square: EVEN UP - meh.  this doesn't quite jibe for me, even in a "financial" sense

9. Doesn't disturb: LETS BE

10. Curly hairstyle: AFRO

11. Sign of summer: LEO - one of the "other" twelve names in the Zodiac

12. "__ Te Ching": philosophical text: TAO - Ektorp; the "text" was a hint

13. Radius locale: ARM - I filled in LEG for some ODD reason

19. Church nook: APSE - The comments last week about Pipe Organ lingo brought a smile to my face - It did not occur to me that I may sound obtuse

Click to Zoom

23. Bridge toll unit: AXLE - one's car is typically two axles; a semi, five

24. Victoria __: pen name in gothic romance: HOLT - Name #8, and no clue

25. Sledding spot: HILL - Back in the 80s, when we got snow, my father would take us sledding on the HILLs of St. Georges Country Club, across the way from SUNY Stony Brook on Long Island

26. Belief systems: ISMs - crosswordese

27. Soup eaten with a large spoon and chopsticks: PHO - no clue, filled via perps

31. Political satire starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus: VEEP - I did not know this; name(ish) 

32. 16 Handles rival: TCBY - I've not heard of 16 Handles - The Country's Best Yogurt  - that one I know; name(ish)

33. UFO riders: ETs

35. Stitched up: SEWN

36. Actor McGregor: EWAN - Name #9

37. Great Basin Natives: UTES - it's either OTO or UTE

38. Overly interested in someone's business: NOSY

39. Latin phrase that means "mark well": NOTA BENE

40. Intelligence org.: NSA - oops, not CIA

43. Fourth grader voiced by Nancy Cartwright: BART - Name #10; The Simpsons

44. Italian cheese: ASIAGO - Hah - I tried ROMANO, which did fit, and 33% correct

45. Whirled in confusion: REELED

47. Click "unsubscribe," say: OPT OUT

48. Warwick who sang "Do You Know the Way to San Jose": DIONNE - Name #11

49. More tightly packed: DENSER

52. "Shoot!": "ASK ME~!"

53. Seasons, as popcorn: SALTS

54. Related: AKIN

56. Soggy spot: BOG

57. "I see now!": "A-HA~!"

58. T'ai __ ch'uan: CHI - Oof.  On a Wednesday

59. Cambridge sch.: MIT - Ah.  Knew this, but I've not seen it in a crossword for a long time

Splynter

* crossing the street, the number 13, and bridges