Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Today’s Theme: Blue, Blue, My World is Blue.  Each of the theme clues contains a different shade of the color blue, which is emphasized by the unifying clue found at 70-Across.  The is a song entitled Blue, Blue, My World is Blue.   Bette Midler also has a song entitled “Am I Blue.”

20. 1978 Movie Set in a Turkish Prison = MIDNIGHT EXPRESS. The was based on a true story of a young American who was sent to prison for trying to smuggle hashish out of Turkey. I never saw the movie, but read an excerpt of the book in Cosmopolitan. Midnight Blue is a dark shade of blue.

35. Volatile Situation = POWDER KEG. A powder keg contains gun powder and may explode at any moment. Powder blue is a very light shade of blue.

46. White Legumes = NAVY BEANS. How ironic that Navy Beans are white, since Navy Blue is a dark shade of blue.

57. Big Name in Dutch Porcelain = ROYAL COPENHAGEN. Royal Copenhagen makes beautiful place settings. Royal Blue is a very bright shade of blue.

70. Shades of It Begin This Puzzle’s Four Longest Answers = BLUE.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Today's Theme: Palindromes. We derive today’s theme through 36-Across, which states: Three Pairs of Them End the Answers to Starred Clues. I really had to look for the palindromes.

17. * Dense Fabrics = DOUBLE KNITS, which pairs with:

60. * More than Just Grumble = RAISE A STINK.

20. * Ready to Blow” = OVER STRESSED, which pairs with:

54. * “Top Chef” Spin-Off Involving Competitive Baking = JUST DESSERTS.

27. * It’ll Keep Your Hat On = CHIN STRAP, which pairs with:

44. * Carquest Stock = AUTO PARTS.

Across:

1. Yankee’s Div = Al East. The New York Yankees play in the American League East division in baseball.

7. Deal = COPE. You thought it was a card-playing reference, didn’t you?

11. Jenny or Jack = ASS.

14. Alter, as Boundaries = REDRAW.

15. Slain Shepherd = ABEL. A Biblical reference. Cain slew Abel. // 49-Across: 15-Across’s Dad = ADAM. Adam and Eve were Cain and Abel’s parents.

16. “Fer Sher” = YEP.

19. Prior, to Prior = ERE.

22. Fettuccine Follower = ALFREDO. Fettuccine Alfredo is a pasta dish.

25. Aborigines of Hokkaido = AINU. These are the indigenous people of Japan.

26. Compress, in a Way = BALE. This is the time of year that the farmers are baling their hay.

28. Cat Tail Motion = SWITCH. My cat often switches her tail when I hold her and she wants to escape.

35. Specialty = AREA.

40. Lots = A TON.

41. Area 51 Location = NEVADA. It is a secret military area.

50. Bingo Call = B-TEN. This is the weakest clue in the puzzle.

51. Kettle Pair = MA AND PA. From the old TV show.

59. www Address = URL. Stands for Uniform Resource Locator / And 3-Down: 59-Across Ending = EDU. A common ending for university and other educational institution’s electronic addresses.

64. Messenger Letters? = RNA. Stands for Ribonucleic Acids. Great clue!

65. Ain’t Right? = ISN’T.

66. Have Suspicions About = BE ON TO.

67. One Hairpin Turn After Another = ESS.

68. Cribbage Markers = PEGS. My grandfather taught me how to play cribbage.

69. Quixote’s Squire ______ Panza = SANCHO.

Down:

1. Not Easy, to a Cockney? = ‘ARD. The “H” sound is often dropped in the Cockney accent.

2. MGM Mascot = LEO.

4. Botanical Gardens = ARBORETA. What a great word!

5. Soother = SALVE.

6. Rough Wool Cloth = TWEED.

7. Six-Pack Units = CANS // And 22-Down: Six-Pack Units = ABS. You will lose your six-pack abs by drinking too much beer from the six-pack cans!

8. Notice with a Bio, Often = OBIT. How sad.

9. Czech Hockey Player Nedved = Petr.

10. Threat Ender = ELSE. As in the phrase: “… or else.”

11. Music to a Captain’s Ears = AYE, SIR.

12. Star Sometimes Seen Opposite Venus? = SERENA. Serena and Venus Williams sometimes play tennis opposite each other.

13. Stepped On It = SPED UP.

18. McDonald’s Founder = KROC. Ray Kroc.

21. Gathered Dust = SAT.

23. Postgraduate Study = LAW. My field.

24. Emma Peel’s Hair Style = FLIP. (LINK)

28. “I wish I _____ Seen That” = HADN”T.

29. Factory Outlet Tag Abbr. = IRR. Stands for Irregular.

30. Vegas Gas = NEON.

31. Identical = SAME.

33. Show Enjoyment at a Show = CLAP. Interesting echo of “show” in the clue.

34. ____ High Note = HIT A.

37. Where the Lofoten Isl. Are = NOR. The Lofoten Islands are in Norway. They look so pretty.

38. Northwestern University City = EVANSTON. It is in Illinois, just north of Chicago.

39. Teen Safety Org. = SADD. Stands for Students Against Drunk Driving.

42. Skip Over Water, as Stones = DAP. No idea.

43. Doc Bloc = AMA. Stands for American Medical Association.

44. Offically Retract = ABJURE.

45. One-Way Street No-No = U-TURNS.

46. Magnetic Measures = TESLAS. He appears yet again in our puzzles!

47. Hudson Bay Prov. = ONT. Ontario.

48. Hook’s Right Hand = SMEE. I will really have to read “Peter Pan” again.

52. Saudis, Usually = ARABS.

53. On the Aegean = AT Sea.

55. Water Waster = DRIP.

56. Slack Off = EASE.

57. Participate in Karaoke = SING.

58. Grounded Jets = SSTS.

61. Ltd. Relative = INC. The British use “Limited”, while the Americans use “Incorporated” for their companies.

62. Nonspecific Extreme = NTH. As in the nth degree.

63. “Koochie ___!” = KOO.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Today’s Theme: Changes in Attitude. The second word of each theme response is an action of change.

16. Some Den Boxes = CABLE CONVERTERS. People can convert from one religious belief to another. People are not, however, Cable Converters.

22. Hookups to Many Electronic Devices = POWER ADAPTORS. People can adapt to their environments. People are not, however, Power Adaptors.

35. Jacob Riis, et al. = SOCIAL REFORMERS. This clue actually refers to human action. Jacob Riis was a social reformer who tried to improve the conditions of the new immigrants to New York City in the 1800s. At first, I thought that perhaps Jacob Riis was a Dutch artist.

44. Currency Pros = MONEY CHANGERS. This clue also refers to human action.

55. Insurance Investigators = CLAIMS ADJUSTERS. There were a lot of Insurance Investigators and Claims Adjusters in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina.

Across:

1. “The Facts of Life” Actress Charlotte = RAE. I never watch this show, but Charlotte Rae often appears in crosswords.

4. Swiftly = APACE. Not the first word that popped into my head.

9. Just ____: Minimal amount = A DAB. I wanted A Tad, and hey, two of the letters worked!

13. Dual-Purpose Room Shape = ELL. Why a dual purpose room?

15. Academy Freshman = PLEBE. Comes from the Roman for Plebian, who were the commoners.

19. Mimi’s “Mine” = A MOI.

20. Clown for the Camera = MUG.

21. Pounce On = LEAP AT. Something my cats would do.

25. Solar Wind Particle = ION.

26. “Alley ___” = OOP. Alley Oop is a comic strip character.

27. Yale or Harvard = IVY.

30. Form 1040 IDs = SSNS. Stands for Social Security Numbers. They are required on the Federal 1040 Tax Forms.

32. Hammer-Wielding God = THOR. Norse god of myth.

34. Gave the Boot = AXED.

38. Fruity Pastry = TART.

39. Community Word = OURS.

40. “Powerful you have become, the dark side I sense in you” speaker = YODA. From the “Star Wars” series. (Link)

41. Go Downhill Fast? = SKI. Nailed it!

42. Course Taught Bilingually: Abbr. = ESL. Stands for English as a Second Language. This is a common crossword response.

43. Dorothy Gale’s State: Abbr. = KAN. Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz” was from Kansas.

51. Card Carrier = MEMBER.

53. Sound from a Wowed Crowd = OOH. This clue feels like a filler clue.

54. Do In = SLAY. Kill could fit also, but slay immediately popped into my head.

58. Shrewd = CAGEY.

59. Helmsley dubbed “Queen of Mean” = LEONA.

60. Specks in la mer = ILES. A foreign reference to islands in the sea.

62. Op-ed Piece, e.g. = ESSAY.

63. Timeline Divs. = YRS. Timelines are often divided into Years.

Down:

1. Postgame Summary = RECAP.

2. Crockett’s Last Stand = ALAMO. Davy Crockett fought at the Alamo.

3. Be Rude in a Crowd = ELBOW. This was my favorite clue.

4. Enjoyed a Blue Plate Special = ATE.

5. Pellet Gobbler of Old Games = PAC MAN.

6. For All to Hear = ALOUD.

7. Line Dance = CONGA.

8. Lt. Holder = ENV. Abbreviation for Envelope.

9. Rite Site = Altar. I liked this clue. Lots of religious rites, including marriages, occur at altars.

10. Threw Overboard = DEEP SIXED.

11. ____ Kadabra: Foe of the Flash = ABRA. I am not familiar with the comic strip character “The Flash” but the fill was an easy guess after reading the enemy’s surname.

12. Blue Ribbon-Worthy = BEST.

15. Before Surgery, Briefly = PRE-OP.

17. What to do After Making Your Metaphorical Bed = LIE IN IT.

18. Corrida Combatant = EL TORO.

23. Parks in ‘50s News = ROSA. When Rosa Parks died, she received a state funeral. She was a true heroine in the Civil Rights movement. She refused to give up her seat on a bus.

24. Vanishing Sounds = POOFS.

28. Designer Wang = VERA. I think of her as a designer of beautiful wedding gowns.

29. Gridiron Gains: Abbr. = YDS. Stands for Yards.

30. Overcharge, Slangily = SOAK.

31. Practice Grid Game = SCRIMMAGE.

32. With Sincerity = TRULY.

33. Part of H.R.H. – HER. Her Royal Highness. Queen Elizabeth of English would be referred to as HRH.

34. Surrounded By = AMONGST.

35. Oft-Numbered Rts. = STS. Stands for Streets. Who knew?

36. They Aren’t Champs = LOSERS. Like the kids in GLEE.

37. “You’ve Got Mail” Co-star = RYAN. The movie starred Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.

42. Bad Guy = ENEMY. I don’t really think of an enemy being necessarily a bad guy.

43. Island VIP = KAHUNA. Hawaiian term ~ the Big Kahuna.

45. Big Apple Awards = OBIES. These are the Off-Broadway theater awards.

46. Cryptographers’ Creations = CODES.

47. Orange-roofed Eateries, for Short = HOJOS. Short for Howard Johnson’s. Howard Johnson’s was both a restaurant and a hotel chain. It was famous for its fried clams and its wide variety of ice cream flavors.

48. Poem of Lament = ELEGY.

49. Not as Easy to Come By = RARER.

50. Handicappers’ Methods: Abbr. = SYSTS. Stands for Systems. This refers to gambling, which is illegal in Louisiana, so we call it “gaming.”

51. 13th Century Date = MCCI. Or, 1201 in a more common usage.

52. Airline to Tel Aviv = EL AL. A common crossword fill.

56. Pub Pint = ALE.

57. “Come to think of it …” = SAY. I got this through the perps.