Tuesday, December 21, 2021

QOD:  Talk to a man about himself and he will listen for hours.  ~  Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (Dec. 21, 1804 ~ Apr. 19, 1881), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

How much is that Doggy in the Window?

1-Across. *     With 4-Across, researcher's wear: LAB.  //  And 4-Acorss. *     See 1-Across: COAT.  Together we get a LAB COAT.

20-Across. *     Briefs alternative: BOXER SHORTS.

36-Across. *     Jewel-encrusted film noir title bird: MALTESE FALCON.  The Maltese Falcon was a 1930 detective novel by Dashiell Hammett (né Samuel Dashiell Hammett; May 27, 1894 ~ Jan. 10, 1961).  The book was later adapted into film noir, which starred Humphry Bogart (né Humphrey DeForest Bogart; Dec. 25, 1899 ~ Jan. 14, 1957).

56-Across. *     Sock hop attire: POODLE SKIRT.

And the Unifier:

68. With 69-Across, Iditarod front-runner ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues: LEAD.  //  And 69-Across. See 68-Across: DOG.  Together we get LEAD DOG.  Each of the theme answers Leads with a Dog breed.  Interesting, too, that the second word of 3 of the theme answers are articles of clothing.  I don't think a Falcon is something one would wear.

The Iditarod Race this winter will begin on March 22, 2022.

I liked the symmetry of this puzzle.  The first theme answer and the Unifier were in the first and last positions and each were in two separate entries.

And, another thematic clue:

44-Across. Pound sound: ARF.

Across:

8. Nested newborns' noises: CHEEPS.

14. Be off: ERR.

15. Major employer?: ARMY.  Cute clue.

16. Like some quaint lamps: OIL LIT.

17. "Get it?": SEE.

18. Back: REAR.

19. Old-fashioned type: STODGE.

23. Soccer cheer: ¡OLÉ!  Hi, Lucina!

24. Lena of "Riviera": OLIN.  We haven't seen Lena Olin (b. Mar. 22, 1966) for quite a while.  She used to make very frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  Lena Maria Jonna Olin is a Swedish actress and has been in numerous movies and television shows.  Riviera was apparently a television series that ran from 2017 to 2020.

25. Feast with poi: LUAU.

26. 50 Cent piece, e.g.: RAP.

27. Send-ups: SATIRES.

31. Sixth sense: Abbr.: ESP.  As in ExtraSensory Perception.

32. 2021 World Series champs: Abbr.: ATL.  The Atlanta Braves bested the Houston Astros in the 2021 Baseball World Series.

33. Relish: SAVOR.

35. "Garfield" dog: ODIE.  I think Odie appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle.

41. Curly cabbage: KALE.  A trendy food.

42. Vocally twangy: NASAL.

43. Nothing: NIL.

47. Buffet with guacamole and salsa: TACO BAR.

51. Chekov's early "Star Trek" rank: Abbr.: ENS.  As in Ensign.  Hi, Picard!

52. Give (out) sparingly: DOLE.  Bob Dole (né Robert Joseph Dole; July 22, 1923 ~ Dec. 5, 2021) died earlier this month at age 98.

54. Musical finale: CODA.  Everything you wanted to know about Codas, but didn't know to ask.

55. CPR expert: EMT.  Hopefully, the Emergency Medical Technician is well versed in CardioPulmonary Resuscitation.

60. Seize, as an opportunity: LEAP AT.

62. __ proprietor: SOLE.

63. Poe's "Annabel __": LEE.  You can read the poem here.

64. Infuriate: ENRAGE.

65. Latin 101 verb: ESSE.  Today's Latin Lesson.

66. Finish: END.

67. Checked for prints: DUSTED.

Down:

1. Sappho's island home: LESBOS.

2. Anatomical ring: AREOLA.

3. Secession approved in a 2016 U.K. referendum: BREXIT.

4. Three-time Grammy-winning singer Vikki: CARR.  Vikki Carr (née Florencia Bisenta de Casillas-Martínez Cardona; b. July 19, 1941) has a career that spans 60 years.

5. Valuable minerals: ORES.

6. Asian nurse: AMAH.

7. Alpine region in Italy and Austria: TYROL.  Everything you wanted to know about Tyrol, but didn't know to ask.

8. Sportscaster Bob with 29 Emmys: COSTAS.  Bob Costas (né Robert Quinlan Costa; b. Mar. 22, 1952) was with NBC Sports for nearly 30 years.

9. Asks (for), as a loan: HITS UP.  I think of this as hitting up dad for a loan, rather than a bank.

10. "Evil Woman" rock gp.: ELO.  Apropos to have the Electric Light Orchestra be followed by 11-Down because that Eldorado is the title of the band's 4th studio album.

11. Legendary city of gold: EL DORADO.  If parsed as Eldorado, it's a Cadillac model.

12. Jargon with words ending in -ay: PIG LATIN.  Un-fay Uzzle-pay.

13. Church feature: STEEPLE.

21. Strand at sea: ENISLE.  Not a Tuesday word.  Webster's defines enisle as: (1) to place apart; isolate; or (2) to make an island of.  I read this clue and thought of someone being literally floating in the ocean, not left on an island.

22. Poe's __ Morgue: RUE.  The Murders in the Rue Morgue is often described as the first modern detective story.  It was a short story that was first published in April 1841.

28. Backstabber: RAT.

29. Christmas __: EVE.  Coming up this Friday night.

30. Aptly palindromic ABBA hit: SOS.

34. "The Last Jedi" villain Kylo: REN.  A reference to the Star Wars franchise.

35. The end of time?: O'CLOCK.  Did you know that O'Clock is an abbreviation for "Of the Clock"?

36. Top-level computer list: MAIN MENU.

37. Elite athletes: ALL STARS.

38. Lucrative, as a contract: FAT.

39. Smart-whip link: AS A.

40. Europe's __ de Genève: LAC.  In English, it would be written as Lake Geneva.  It is a deep lake located in the Alps on the border between Switzerland and France.

41. Prepared for a proposal: KNEELED.

44. Common Sunday newspaper insert: AD PAGE.

45. Supported from the bleachers, with "for": ROOTED.

46. Progressive spokeswoman: FLO.  Flo from the Progressive ads is portrayed by actress Stephanie Courtney (b. Feb. 8, 1970).

48. Heated to bubbling: BOILED.

49. Glandular prefix: ADRENO-.  Relating to the kidney.

50. Like family-friendly films: RATED G.

53. '50s Ford failure: EDSEL.  Why the Edsel was a failure.

57. "You snooze, you __": LOSE.

58. "Frozen II" sister: ELSA.

59. Gardener's purchase: SEED.

61. Tom Brady, before he became a Buc: PAT.  Tom Brady (né Thomas Edward Patrick Brady, Jr.; b. Aug. 3, 1977) was with the New England Patriots before he became a Buccaneer with Tampa Bay.  Hi, Tinbini!

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

QOD:  When people keep telling you that you can’t do a thing, you kind of like to try it.  ~  Margaret Chase Smith (née Margaret Madeline Chase; Dec. 14, 1897 ~ May 29, 1995), American politician and former Senator from Maine

You can say that again!

17-Across. Tray with egg rolls, fried wontons, etc.: PU PU PLATTER.  Everything you wanted to know about the Pu Pu Platter, but didn't know to ask.  Apparently, the term comes from the Hawaiian word: pū-pū, which means a small bite.

23-Across. Amorous looks: GOO GOO EYES.

33-Across. Yoga-inspired athletic brand: LULULEMON.  A store that sells expensive yoga clothes.  There is a Lululemon store near me, but I get my yoga clothes elsewhere.

48-Across. Yogi's cartoon buddy: BOO-BOO BEAR.  Cute that Yogi follows Yoga.  Boo-Boo Bear is Yogi Bear's friend who tries to keep Yogi out of trouble.

53-Across. Colorful Hawaiian garment: MUUMUU DRESS.

 

Any other double-speak in today's puzzle?  Nothing dystopian in today's puzzle.

Across:

1. Fruity drink suffix: -ADE.  Hi, Lemonade!

4. Hwy. with tolls: TPKE.  As in Turnpike.  I took the Massachusetts Turnpike on my drive back from New Hampshire to Louisiana this past September.

8. Starring roles: LEADS.

13. One in a pod: PEA.

14. Hip bones: ILIA.  Plural of Ilium.

15. Traditional Easter wear: BONNET.  //  And 43-Down. Easter time: Abbr.: SPR.  Easter falls in the Spring.

16. Series-ending letters: ETC.

19. Butler at Tara: RHETT.

21. Bygone Ford: LTD.  The Ford LTD was manufactured from 1965 to 1986.  //  And 23-Down. Classic sports cars: GTs.  The meaning of GT designation.

1971 model

22. "... thus wide I'll __ my arms": "Hamlet": OPE.  Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 5.

26. Bygone blade: SNEE.  This has become a crossword staple.

27. Slight bit, as of color: TINGE.

28. Cloak-and-dagger org.: CIA.  As in the Central Intelligence Agency.  Ever wonder where the term Cloak-and-Dagger originated?

29. Tour of duty: STINT.

30. Big first for a baby: STEP.

31. "__ we having fun yet?": ARE.  I am.  I hope you are having fun, too.

32. Concert pianos: GRANDs.  The pandemic prevented Michael Gurt from traveling, so he gave solo performances on his Grand Piano from his home.

36. Order to relax: AT EASE.

39. Two-outs-in-a-single-AB stats: DPs.  As in a Double Play in baseball.

40. Mil. awards: DSCS.  As in the Distinguished Service Cross.

44. Ending with wind or air meaning "transmitted by": BORNE.

45. Early Beatle Sutcliffe: STU.  Stu Sutcliffe (né Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe; June 23, 1940 ~ Apr. 10, 1962) was the original bass guitarist for the nascent Beatles.  He is sometimes referred to as the Fifth Beatle, because the group initially was a 5-member band.  He left the band to pursue a career in painting.  Sadly, he died at age 21 of a brain hemorrhage.

46. Camera setting: F-STOP.  Everything you wanted to know about the F-Stop, but didn't know to ask.

47. "Phooey!": DRAT.

50. NBA tiebreakers: OTS.  As in OverTimes.

51. Muppet chimp __ Minella: SAL.  His name is a word play on the word Salmonella, which is a bacterium that can cause gastrointestinal discomfort.

52. To this point: AS YET.

57. "__ Abner": L'IL.  Famous enough to earn a postage stamp, back when stamps were affordable.

59. Gofer's job: ERRAND.

60. Drooling comics canine: ODIE.  Garfield's side-kick.

61. Having four sharps: IN E.  As in the Key of E in music compositions.

62. They're not options: NEEDS.

63. Like retailers during holiday season: BUSY.

64. Self-esteem: EGO.

Down:

1. Tarzan raiser: APE.

2. Home of Lions and Tigers, but not Bears: DETROIT.  Oh, My!

3. Every last person: EACH ONE.

4. Move sneakily: TIP-TOE.

5. Verb meaning "demote" coined in 2006: PLUTO.  I was so sad to learn that Pluto had been demoted.  I remember as a grade school student reading The Search for Planet X, by Tony Simon.  The book really made an impression on me.  I really liked learning about Pluto and Clyde Tombaugh (Feb. 4, 1906 ~ Jan. 17, 1997), its discoverer.

6. Nap, to a Brit: KIP.  Here are 10 words that are used in England that are head-scratchers here.

7. Water in la mer: EAU.  Today's French lesson.

8. Truckful: LOAD.

9. Rhinitis-treating MD: ENT.  As in an Ears, Nose and Throat doctor.

10. Former justice Scalia: ANTONIN.  Antonin Gregory Scalia (Mar. 11, 1936 ~ Feb. 13, 2016) served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from September 1986 until his death nearly 30 years later.  He died in his sleep while on a quail hunting trip in Texas.

11. Diving board site: DEEP END.

12. City map lines: STREETS.  

A Judgmental Map of Houston

15. Initial diner orders?: BLTs.  As in a Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwich

18. Response to a judge: PLEA.

20. Parmigiana choice: EGGPLANT.  Yummers.  This is a favorite dish of mine.

24. Beige hue: ECRU.

Pantone's designation: Ecru is the 3rd color down.

25. Not argue with: YIELD TO.

26. Waits for further instructions: STANDS BY.

29. "No seats" sign: SRO.  As in Standing Room Only.

31. Pint at a bar: ALE.

32. Baseball VIPs: GMs.  As in General Managers.

34. "__ as directed": USE.

35. File format for digital books: E-PUB.  As in Electronic Publishing.

36. Stomach: ABDOMEN.

37. Long wait, to some: TORTURE.

38. Solver's smudge: ERASURE.

41. Metal marble: STEELIE.

42. Just enough snow to cover the ground: COATING.  As I write this, it's 19F outside and there was a light dusting of snow on the ground.  Not enough to be considered a coating of snow, however.

45. Auction cry: SOLD.

46. "Gorillas in the Mist" author Dian: FOSSEY.  Diann Fossey (Jan.  16, 1932 ~ Dec. 26, 1985) studied  mountain primates in Rwanda.  Sadly, she was murdered in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda when she was only 53.

48. Data transfer unit: BAUD.  Webster's defines Baud as: a variable unit of data transmission speed (such as one bit per second).

49. Desert refuge: OASIS.

51. Catches some rays: SUNS.

54. "Spy vs. Spy" magazine: MAD.

55. Filmmaker Reiner: ROB.  Rob Reiner (né Robert Norman Reiner; b. Mar. 6, 1947) is probably best known for his role as Mike Stivic on All in the Family.  He is the son of actor and comedian Carl Reiner (1922 ~ 2020).

56. UCLA URL ending: EDU.

58. Sign before Virgo: LEO.  Hi, Leo III!

Here's the Grid:

חתולה