Wednesday, Oct 4th, 2023, Matt Forest

 THEME: RECYCLE~!

   This one had me stumped at first; I simply could not see a connection between the answers - and then I realized the answers had nothing in common - other than starting and ending with the same three letters.  ah-HA~!  The "clue" was not much help for me, TBH.  A very quick solve for me, felt like a Monday level puzzle - but it took two extra minutes for me to find out why I did not get the ta-DA~! at the end; 46d crossing 69a, Latin vs. Spanish, so I was a little disappointed.  And no Frawnche, either.  Here are the theme answers, as indicated with the "*" and referred to as the "starred" clues:

17. *Synthetic pump: ARTIFICIAL HEART - ART to ART

26. *Cheap shot: LOW BLOW - LOW to LOW

50. *Regional collective pronoun: ALL Y'ALL - ALL to ALL - quite popular this week

61. *"There really is a wolf now!": "I MEAN IT THIS TIME~!" - IME to IME

And the central reveal....

33. With 43-Across, "When one door closes, another door opens," and an apt description of the answers to the starred clues: THE END IS JUST

43. See 33-Across: THE BEGINNING

And Around We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Formula One event: RACE

5. Prep, as onions: CHOP - I took Husker G up on his "offer" Saturday, and made a tater tots casserole

 

Yummy~!

9. __ bean: PINTO

14. Machine that helps with 51-Down: CPAP  = Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, which I'd heard of, but never knew what it stood for; and; 51d. Sleeper's problem: APNEA

15. [Snicker]: HE-HE

16. Trapshooting: SKEET

20. General on American Chinese menus: TSO - my 'go-to' dish when I order

21. Asian country divided in 1945: KOREA

22. __-la-la: TRA

23. Meaning of an unlit "vacancy" sign: NO ROOM

28. Kept cold: ICED

29. Chicken __ king: A LA

32. Vega's constellation: LYRA

38. Cruelty-free lip balm brand: EOS

39. Secret spots?: ARMPITS - best. clue. ever.  Secret, the deodorant

40. That guy's: HIS

45. Bangers partner: MASH - not "head" Bangers - the old MTV metal hours late on Saturday nights, but the British dish

48. Foreign policy org. chaired by the president: NSC - National Safety Council - we had OSHA in the grid earlier this week, and I am required to finish their 30-hr course in order to work at the Washington National Cathedral - I am about 20 hours in

49. "Grand slam" awards acronym: EGOT - when I stopped blogging Saturdays five years ago, this was not a crossword fill at all; Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony awards; more here.

54. Decade following Y2K: AUGHTS - 00's

56. Regret: RUE - OR - a Frawnche Canadien street~!

57. Marshmallowy Easter treats: PEEPS - I am not a fan - sorry; my thing is the Cadbury eggs

60. Mouse site: PAD - cute.

66. Painful turning point?: ANKLE - clever, but my "ETA" at 62d messed me up - I do the DOWNS to start, so that the theme answers ( usually in the across ) are half-filled by the time I get to them

67. Primary: MAIN

68. Necessary __: EVIL

69. "__ mañana": HASTA - Spanish for "see you tomorrow" (?)

70. "SportsCenter" network: ESPN - I have Hulu with Disney and ESPN, and the price goes up in one week - and I am thinking it's time to ditch Disney - I have seen all the 4d I think I care to see - and I am a HUGE fan

71. Swabbing spot: DECK - Aye, matey


DOWN:

1. TV pioneer: RCA

2. Fourth mo.: APRil

3. Towers that may have scratching posts: CAT TREES - I knew what we were looking for, but didn't know they were called "TREES"; my brother has a cat named Ashes - guess what color....

4. "Star Wars" installment: EPISODE - Episode IV, A New Hope changed my life - I was six years old, and decided right then that I was going to make movies....didn't quite work out the way I had planned

5. Greek X: CHI - I WAGed this, and was correct

6. "What the __!?": HECK - The "censored" answer

7. Home state of the Reds and the Browns: OHIO - and the Bengals, I might add - but then again, their record in relation to their QB, the highest paid player in the history of the NFL....

8. Gem from a mollusk: PEARL

9. "Balderdash!": "PSHAW~!"

10. Barinholtz of "The Mindy Project": IKE - no idea; filled via perps

11. In a tidy way: NEATLY

12. Paralyzing fear: TERROR - I tried PHOBIA first

13. Home of Canada's Parliament Hill: OTTAWA - nailed it; hockey starts soon~!

18. __ Fighters: Dave Grohl's band: FOO - I liked Nirvana - Dave's first band; the Foo, not so much

19. Astrological cat: LEO

23. Nick at __: NITE - Nickelodeon TV channel after 9pm

24. Dos y seis: OCHO - more Spanish, two and six = eight

25. Spanish parent: MADRE - and yet more Spanish

27. Classic sammie: BLT - sammie being an abbreviation of sandwich ( my word is "sa'mich" ), we get the Bacon Lettuce & Tomato short answer

30. Support for a tire swing: LIMB

31. Colorado ski town: ASPEN

34. Casual rejection: NAH....

35. Joyful dances: JIGS

36. Erie Canal city: UTICA - I could not answer this one; it just means I have moved that much further away from New York, and I am not looking back.

37. Tax ID: SSN

40. Compete in a dramatic event at the World Aquatics Championships: HIGH DIVE

41. Playing to break a tie, briefly: IN OT

42. Some NCOs: SGTs

43. Quaker pronoun: THY

44. Canceled out: NEGATED

45. Singer Carey: MARIAH

46. College grad: ALUMNA - I had ALUMNI, which is the plural form

47. Makes glossy, as hair: SLEEKS

52. Floral wreath: LEI

53. "I can do that": "LET ME"

55. FedEx rival: UPS - ah, me, back in the day....

58. School gps.: PTAs

59. Use 55-Down, say: SHIP

62. Flying fig.: ALTitude - not "ETA"

63. Quaint lodging: INN

64. Need for playing Rock Band, for short: MIC - Rock Band is the "expanded" version of Guitar Hero, adding in drums and vocals

65. Great Plains grazer: ELK - Giraffe didn't fit - har har har har . . . .

Splynter

 

 

Sunday, August 20th, 2023, Amie Walker

"I'm out"

This is my first time blogging a Sunday, and thank you to C.C. for the opportunity.  A clever puzzle idea, not that we haven't seen this "bending" part of the answer before, though I don't recall circles.  Circles on a Sunday, no less.  I got the theme quick because I do the DOWN fill first, and noticed TONS (97D.) of MIC fill.  The MIC part "drops" down from the Across fill.  I like the fact that the theme answers spread the M, I, and C in various ways.  The only one I see missing is "M [space] IC".  Overall I enjoyed the challenge, but there were just too many names ( I stopped counting at 20 ), and some clue/answers that I *questioned*....

22. *Wide-angle lens output: PANORAM - - VIEW - panoraMIC view

24. *Deep-fried burrito: CHIM - - HANGA - chiMIChanga

46. *Woman who was the first Black model to appear on the cover of Time: NAOM - - AMPBELL - naoMI Campbell

59. *"Why won't anyone notice me!?": "WHAT AM - - HOPPED LIVER~?" what aM I Choppped liver

79. *Paper birds in the Japanese tradition of senbazuru: ORIGAM - - RANES - origaMI Cranes

102. *Pedicure tool: PUM - - ESTONE - puMICe stone ( I used pumice to clean the soot off my fireplace stone - worked like magic )

104. Dramatically ends a performance, and what the answer to each starred clue does?: DROPS THE MIC


               

Physics is fun~!

And DOWN We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. 2026 Winter Olympics range: ALPS - The next Olympics is in Milano-Cortina of Italy

5. "Love your work!": I'M A FAN

11. Currency featuring activist Viola Desmond on one of its notes: Abbr.: CAD - CAnadian Dollar.  The puzzle doesn't really have any "weak" fill, but it felt like too many clues-to-answers were a bit much of a stretch, like this one - I will refer to them as *cringe*

14. Peddle: SELL - One CAD = .74 US$

18. Average: MEAN

19. Widen, as a pupil: DILATE

20. "Total lies!": "SO NOT TRUE~!"

25. Tower topper: SPIRE

26. Prudent ending?: IAL - PrudentIAL

27. With 81-Across, fruity liqueur: SLOE - and; 81. See 27-Across: GIN

29. Van Gogh vaseful: IRISES

30. Comedian Wyatt: CENAC - name.  Never heard of him - more here

32. Snuggle, in a way: SPOON

33. Onetime Altoids rival: CERTS - with retsyn~! 

34. Javier of "The Little Mermaid": BARDEM - name.  also the "bad guy" in  "Skyfall", which I believe may be the best Bond film; tied with "88 Across" Royale

36. Kelly Ripa, e.g.: TV HOST

38. Partisanship: BIAS

39. Fuel efficiency mode: ECO - My Prius C has three modes; normal, ECO, and "EV" - which shuts down at 25MPH

40. Treatment that may include a mask: FACIAL

42. Embrace: HOLD

43. Fuel efficiency stat: MPG - and even when I drive like a pig, I still get 40+ MPG in my Prius

49. Double Dutch implement: ROPE - Shouldn't it be ropeS~? 

50. Get closer: NEAR

51. Hesitant: TIMID

52. Big Board initials: NYSE - New York Stock Exchange

53. Soup aisle stacks: CANS

54. Adorable one: CUTIE

55. Saskatchewan people: CREE

57. "For all I __ ... ": CARE

58. Nowadays: LATELY - now this one is the opposite of *cringe*

64. Doesn't sink: FLOATS

66. Smidgen: IOTA

67. Villainous: EVIL

68. New Orleans structure: LEVEE - A musical interlude

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks

69. Pre-TiVo devices: VCRs - I still have one, and it still works

70. Actor Kinnear: GREG - name.

73. Classic skirt silhouette: A-LINE

77. Figure skating feat: AXEL

78. Actress Sorvino: MIRA - name.

82. Paul of "The Fabelmans": DANO - Ugh.  name.  Crossing a 'foreign' word, too

83. Coastal city in Italia: NAPOLI - the opposite of the ALPS

84. Message in a bottle, maybe: S.O.S.

85. Scary St. Bernard of fiction: CUJO - Read the book, did not see the movie; see below

86. Sound effects: NOISES - *cringe*

88. Monaco attraction: CASINO - Gratuitous Daniel Craig for C.C.

91. Give a fright: SCARE

93. Golf shirts: POLOS

94. Like an angry dog's teeth: BARED

Might be a little too gratuitous for a St. Bernard

95. Common allergens: SPORES

96. Genesis locale: EDEN 

97. Air marshal's org.: TSA

99. "Barbie" director Gerwig: GRETA - name.

107. Gaps: OMISSIONS - Saturday clue/answer

108. Inherent: INNATE - *cringe* - I don't like to see an IN- clue for an IN- answer

109. Kid-lit boy detective __ the Great: NATE - name.  The Wiki

110. Noir sleuths: TECS - I am just plowing my way through Rex Stout's "Nero Wolfe" detective books, they're so good - I love the Archie character

111. "Evita" narrator: CHE - narrator~? *cringe*  and name.

112. Preserved in a scrapbook, say: PASTED

113. Mireille of "Hanna": ENOS - name.

DOWN:

1. Cranks (up): AMPS - "These go to eleven."

2. Big jump: LEAP

3. 2002 Jodie Foster film about a robbery: PANIC ROOM - Good movie - saw it when it came out

4. Suffered from 41-Down, perhaps: SNORED - 41. Sleep disorder: APNEA

5. Snake River Canyon st.: IDA - meh.  Don't like three-letter state abbrs

6. Copy: MIMIC - the MIC part of 22A

7. Thomas __ Edison: ALVA - name. Have not seen this fill in a while; if a Tesla is "stolen", is it then called an "Edison"~?

8. Be unsuccessful: FAIL

9. Snacked: ATE

10. Survey by a media outlet, e.g.: NEWS POLL

11. "Hallelujah" songwriter Leonard: COHEN - name.

12. Young Skywalker's nickname: ANI - Short for Anakin, pre-Darth Vader.  and name.

13. Home: DOMICILE - the MIC part of 24A

14. Flight segments: STAIRS

15. Dadaist Max: ERNST - name.  if the clue were Blofeld, we'd be at James Bond again.

16. Olympic sleds: LUGES - see you in Italy

17. Grassy meadows: LEAS

20. "Move over!": "SCOOT~!"

21. Series of related emails: THREAD - *cringe* - a series of texts, maybe

23. Actress Russo: RENE - name.

28. The "L" of UCLA: LOS - University (of) California - - - Angeles

31. Radio letters: AM/FM

32. Layered rock: SHALE

34. Warped: BENT - like my mind

35. Berry from the Amazon: ACAI

36. Froyo franchise: TCBY - The Country's Best Yogurt; uh, well, the closest one to me is in Yonkers, in a different state - I guess you have to travel the country....

37. Competes (for): VIES

38. Great songs, slangily: BOPS - *cringe*

42. Fine-tuned: HONED - like my blogging skills....mic drop

43. Water usage measurer: METER

44. Sand bucket: PAIL

45. __ Goose vodka: GREY

47. NBA great Jordan: MICHAEL - the MIC part of 46A.  and name.

48. Commercial figure?: AD RATE

49. Chophouse specification: RARE

50. Chocolate-hazelnut spread: NUTELLA - oh so good

53. Spending limit: CAP - a perpetual problem for the NY Rangers

54. Cowboy __: bean salad: CAVIAR - never heard this

56. Non-earthlings, for short: ETs

57. Licensed tax pro: CPA

58. "The Leftovers" actress Tyler: LIV - name.

59. Like fruit of the loom?: WOVEN

60. Prefix with climate or greens: MICRO - the MIC part of 59A

61. Dance set to klezmer music: HORA - Ah, Hebrew; looked German to me

62. Extra NHL periods: OTs - oh, we are so close to the start of the hockey season

63. Paper size: LEGAL

64. Mark for attention: FLAG

65. LPGA golfer Thompson: LEXI - name.

69. Trattoria menu heading: VINO - The "N" was my last fill, a Natick crossing; BTW, I now live closer to the place we get the term from....

70. Sod: GRASS - Meh.  almost *cringe*

71. Like yellow bananas: RIPE

72. Targets of some trash talk: EGOS
 
74. 2006 Jodie Foster film about a robbery: INSIDE MAN - now this movie, I did not see

75. Sign gas: NEON

76. "Put a tiger in your tank" brand: ESSO - gas sign

78. Regal: MAJESTIC

79. Party bowlful: ONION DIP

80. Layered rock: MICA - the MIC part of 79A

82. Undue pressure: DURESS - Bzzzt; I had STRESS

85. Tender touch: CARESS

86. Points of connection: NODES

87. Flamenco shout: OLE

89. "So frustrating!": "ARGH~!"

90. At peace: SERENE - I like the Serenity Prayer

91. Ocean foam: SPUME - I had SPRAY

92. "Nancy" or "Cathy": COMIC - Strip, actually - and the MIC part of 102A

93. Pasta choice: PENNE

94. Butter up, in a way: BASTE - now this is clever clue misdirection

95. Leopard's mark: SPOT

97. Loads (of): TONS -  I can never tell if it's going to be TONS or ALOT

98. Minor dispute: SPAT

100. Mambo legend Puente: TITO - name.

101. Solitaire foundation cards: ACES

103. "How lovely!": "OOH~!"

105. Genetic messenger: RNA

106. Keanu title role: TED - Dah~!   I had NEO - but once I read the clue, I see it says "title".

        and name.

 

Splynter

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 )