Sunday March 17, 2024 Doug Peterson

Theme: "County Fair" - Each common phrase contains an Irish county.

23. Subway request: HOLD THE MAYO.

33. Light verse best not shared with kids: DIRTY LIMERICK.

53. Actress who plays Anita Hill in the HBO film "Confirmation": KERRY WASHINGTON.

67. New Year's Eve popper: CHAMPAGNE CORK.

91. "C'mon, live a little": LET YOUR HAIR DOWN.

102. Italian saint who founded a Franciscan religious order: CLARE OF ASSISI.

120. Matinee idol of the 1930s and 1940s: TYRONE POWER.

A perfect puzzle for our Irish Miss and Steve Marron. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'm not familiar with County Down or County Tyrone, but any puzzle by Doug Peterson is a treat. His grids, including Saturdays, are always super clean and smooth. Doug is also a super solver. This pic is from ACPT 2008.

Doug Peterson & Will Shortz

Across:

1. Ancient fabulist: AESOP. Also a pricey soap brand.

6. Pesky insects: GNATS.

11. Shelter org.: SPCA.

15. __ capsule: TIME.

19. Set of beliefs: CREDO.

20. Betray, in a way: RAT ON. I know OMERTA.

21. Chalky powder: TALC.

22. Make muddy: ROIL.

25. Bibliography abbr.: ET AL.

26. Roadside retreats: INNS.

27. Club music genre, familiarly: EDM. Electronic Dance Music.

28. "We can seat you now" buzzer: PAGER. Pagers were very popular when I was in college. We only had one phone in school building.

29. "Funny, right?": GET IT.

30. Travel document: VISA.

31. Beach town atmosphere: SEA AIR.

37. Geek (out): NERD.

39. Unit of resistance: OHM.

40. Travelers' gp. with annual dues: AAA.

41. Vehicle in many a Jack London story: SLED.

44. Filling station number: OCTANE.

47. Unbelievably impressive: SCARY GOOD. Great fill.

56. "I Can't Drive 55" singer Hagar: SAMMY.

57. "Until we meet again, chérie": ADIEU.

58. Drought relief: RAIN.

59. Elizabeth's role in Marvel movies: WANDA. Elizabeth Olsen. Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch.

61. Leonine feature: MANE.

62. Like a small vineyard, perhaps: TEN-ACRE.

64. Clothing pioneer Strauss: LEVI.

65. Sign-on need: USER ID.

72. Like a live fumble: IN PLAY.

76. "What __ is new?": ELSE.

77. Hind site?: TAIL END. So many fun clues in this puzzle:  113. Kick starters?: FEET. 112. Santa Fe foursome: TIRES. 121. Passing remark?: YEA.

82. Editor's "Lose this": DELE.

83. "Open wide!": SAY AH.

85. Shopper's reference: LIST.

88. Revved up: EAGER.

89. Pixel pattern: IMAGE.

94. Stagnate: GO NOWHERE.

96. Refuse to be associated with: DISOWN. 109. Refuse to yield: INSIST.

97. "Which __ say ... ": IS TO.

98. Bud visitor: BEE.

99. Dowel: PEG.

100. Hand sanitizer ingredient: ALOE.

114. __ apso: LHASA.

115. Browning spots: OVENS.

117. Non opposite: OUI.

118. Driver of many trailers: ADAM. Adam Drive the actor.

119. Recover from a run: PANT. Oh guys, my 25-meter freestyle record is now 30 seconds. It was 35 seconds last December. Butterfly is still a mess. I'm in the stage between butterwhy and buttercry.

123. Arizona landform: MESA.

124. "Laugh-In" comedian Johnson: ARTE.

125. Tackle again: RE-TRY.

126. Sidestep: EVADE.

127. Elysian locale: EDEN.

128. Cherished: DEAR.

129. Cinch of a course: EASY A.

130. December candy shapes: CANES.

Down:

1. Is tender: ACHES.

2. Slowly cut into: ERODE.

3. One of Marge Simpson's sisters: SELMA.

4. Somewhat strange: ODD.

5. Course with a crust: POTPIE.

6. Hall of Fame pitcher Maddux: GREG. We used to have a ton of his cards.

7. Known as: NAMED.

8. Gaming trailblazer: ATARI.

9. 75-Down, e.g.: TOY. 75. Figure included in the Gotham City Cycle Chase set: LEGO BATMAN.

10. __-Cat: winter vehicle: SNO.

11. Girder alloy: STEEL.

12. Soul icon LaBelle: PATTI.

13. Insurance filing: CLAIM.

14. Knee injury common among athletes: ACL TEAR. And 15. Pub entertainment with a host: TRIVIA GAME. Doug is terrific themeless constructor.

16. Like some bonds: IONIC.

17. Belarus capital: MINSK.

18. Disney character loosely inspired by "The Snow Queen": ELSA.

24. Soil-loosening implement: HARROW.

29. Athletic center: GYM.

32. Tenor Bocelli: ANDREA.

34. Samurai without a lord: RONIN.  浪人. Literally "wanderer".  Same in Chinese.

35. In those days: THEN.

36. Sunshine, slangily: RAYS.

38. Region with many Commanders fans, briefly: DC AREA.

41. Card game in which 10s score higher than kings and queens: SKAT.

42. News article intro: LEDE.

43. "__ go bragh!": ERIN.

45. Airport security org.: TSA.

46. Sushi tuna: AHI.

47. Barrel strip: STAVE.

48. Like some water cooler cups: CONIC.

49. Plus: AND.

50. Ilhan of Congress: OMAR. The 5th district. I live in the 3rd district.

51. Luxury hotel chain headquartered in Dallas: OMNI.

52. Recolored: DYED.

54. Desert plant in the asparagus family: YUCCA.

55. "The Sweet Escape" singer Stefani: GWEN.

60. Paranormal vibe: AURA.

63. "House of the Dragon" actor Ifans: RHYS.

64. Shirt size abbr.: LGE.

66. Slalom competitor: SKIER.

68. __ lemon: citrus hybrid: MEYER.

69. Dish: PLATE.

70. Pallid: ASHY.

71. Capital west of Montreal: OTTAWA.

72. "Yeah, man": I DIG.

73. Pixar clownfish: NEMO.

74. Course of action: PLAN.

78. Part of LPGA: LADIES.

79. Swelled heads: EGOS.

80. Semiaquatic salamander: NEWT.

81. 007's first film foe: DR NO.

84. Flagon beer: ALE.

85. Video game brother: LUIGI. The Mario Brothers.

86. Org. with auditors: IRS.

87. "Dexter: New Blood" airer, for short: SHO.

90. Still-life jug: EWER.

92. "To a ... " poems: ODES.

93. Waiting to buy tickets, say: IN LINE. Boomer and I used to stand in line for over 4 hours to get those Twins bobbleheads. He loved those activities. He could talk up a storm with anyone.

95. Shoe insert: HEEL PAD.

99. Educational ad: PSA.

101. Unsolicited, as a manuscript: ON SPEC.

102. Relinquished: CEDED.

103. Charter: LEASE.

104. Chicago airport: O'HARE.

105. Soda with a Piña Colada flavor: FANTA.

106. Autumn blossom: ASTER.

107. Classifies: SORTS.

108. Off-white shade: IVORY.

110. Sioux City resident: IOWAN.

111. Upholstery choice: SUEDE.

113. Struggling actor's dream: FAME.

116. Singer born in County Donegal: ENYA. One more county reference.

120. Uno + due: TRE.

122. Reproductive cells: OVA.

C.C.

Monday January 29, 2024 Doug Peterson

  

Theme:                

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. Grab your rod and reel. Ace constructor Doug Peterson hid five fish in today's grid. Let's see what we can catch.

16 Across. *Glide around a rink: ICE SKATE.

24 Across. *Angel who's a three-time AL MVP: MIKE TROUT.  

30 Across. *Toll road: TURNPIKE.

44 Across. *Radioactive decay emission: GAMMA RAY.

50 Across. *Ace at a poker table: CARD SHARK.

There was some discussion on this one last month. "Cardsharp" refers to someone who cheats at cards and can also be skilled. It is spelled as one word. On the other hand, a CARD SHARK is someone who is skilled at cards (an ace, perhaps) but not a cheater. It is spelled as two words. Some people think that CARD SHARK is an eggcorn but the two terms have different etymologies.

And the unifier:

63. Swerve back and forth, as a car's rear end, or a feature of the answer to each starred clue: FISHTAIL.  

SKATE, TROUT, PIKE, RAY and SHARK are all FISH that appear at the TAIL end of the starred clues.

It is impressive to see five themers plus a reveal in a grid that still has room for  the pairs of 7- and 9-word fills in the NE and SW corners. Well done, Doug! So fin-tastic!

Let's admire Doug's grid:

Answer:  more clues!
Let's keep going.

Across:

1. Includes on an email: CCs.  Hi C.C.!

4. Quite often: A LOT.  A LOT of people spell this as one word. I wonder if one day in the future "alot" will be the correct spelling.  #LanguageEvolves

8. Regimen for injured athletes: REHAB.  a program for rehabilitating after an injury

13. Infield bounce: HOP.  

Just kidding!

A short infield HOP is a ball that bounces in front of the fielder, making it tricky for the defensive player to field accurately and quickly.

14. Burn slightly: SEAR.  Does anyone else like to SEAR their ravioli?

15. Walked proudly: STRODE.  

18. "If nothing changes ... ": AS IT IS.  with the situation that exists now  

19. Manicurist's application: POLISH.  

A race for a cure for nail psoriasis???

20. Delivery vehicle: VAN.  

Toy Story. Buzz & Woody sneak into a different delivery vehicle. (1:35 min.) YO!

22. Eucalyptus, for one: TREE.  We have several eucalyptus TREES in the area. They smell amazing when it rains.

23. Fries topping: SALT.

26. "Now You See Me" actress Fisher: ISLA.  

You might know Isla from the movie Wedding Crashers (2005)
or the TV show Wolf Like Me (2022-present).
She celebrates her 48th birthday this coming Saturday.
Happy Birthday, Isla!

29. Set of beliefs: CREED.  

Do you remember this CREED?

34. Filled with cargo: LADED.

37. Boxer Muhammad: ALI.  

Flashback to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Can you watch this without choking up? I cannot.

38. Part of a place setting: UTENSIL.

41. Blunder: ERR.

42. Threatening forecast: STORM.

46. Honking flock: GEESE.  

2:24 min. of GOOSE cuteness

49. December number: NOEL.  Good one! A NOEL (like all songs) is a musical number.

53. Idris of "The Suicide Squad": ELBA.  I heard him tell an interviewer that he was the DJ for Prince Harry & Meghan's wedding. Apparently his uncle was a DJ so teenager Idris spent a lot of time helping him. Eventually he became quite good. Here's a pic for Lucina.  

57. Thermometer type: ORAL.  If the following line amuses you, you might want to read Erma Bombeck's full essay here.

I remember the first time I gave my mother a pair of earrings wrapped in a rectal thermometer box. 

58. Feel regret: RUE.

59. Not moving: AT REST.  

61. "The World Is Not Enough" actress Richards: DENISE.  her IMDb page

65. "Coming up next ... ": AND NOW.  

66. Pennsylvania's Gem City: ERIE.  Another one of ERIE's nicknames is the Flagship City.

67. Pharmaceutical watchdog gp.: FDA.  Food and Drug Administration

68. Metal for construction beams: STEEL.  Speaking of Pennsylvania city nicknames, Pittsburg is the Steel City.

69. Copier paper pack: REAM.  There are 500 sheets of copy paper in a REAM. If you do not believe me, you can count them.

70. "Of course!": YES.  

Down:
1. Chocolate morsels: CHIPS.     pairs nicely with     2 Down. Chocolate drink: COCOA.

3. Bit of witchcraft: SPELL.  

4. Poses questions: ASKS.

5. "Nancy Drew" actress Lewis: LEAH.  LEAH was born December 9, 1996 in Shanghai, China. When she was eight months old a family in Florida adopted her. She played Nancy's friend George Fayne on Nancy Drew (2019-2023).

6. Cheerios grain: OAT.

7. Rome's __ Fountain: TREVI.  

Nicola Salvi designed this masterpiece.

8. ACLU concerns: RTS.  TBH, I'm still not comfortable with this abbreviation for RighTS.

9. Country north of Ethiopia: ERITREA.  

Biniam Girmay, an up and coming cyclist, was born in Asmara, ERITREA.

10. One with a souped-up ride: HOT RODDER.  Def.:  a person who drives a motor vehicle that has been specially modified to give it extra power or speed.

11. French farewell: ADIEU.  

12. Under siege: BESET.  Def.:  to surround or hem in.

This works if we use the passive voice. Merriam-Webster gives the example sentence, "He's been BESET by a lack of confidence."

15. More reasonable: SANER.

17. Protest without marchers: SIT-IN.

21. Dog breeders' org.: AKC.  American Kennel Club  

Comet, a Shih Tzu, won the AKC National Championship Best in Show award in 2023.

24. "Let's __ a Deal": MAKE.

25. "I'm all ears!": TELL ME.

27. Froths: SPUMES.

28. Held a match to: LIT.

30. Univ. aides: TAs.

31. Last: Abbr.: ULT.  ULTimate???

32. Waterway that translates to "big river": RIO GRANDE.  

Cole Porter (1891-1964) wrote I'm an Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande).

This is Asleep at the Wheel's cover (2006).

33. Shakespeare's lang.: ENG.

The language in which Shakespeare wrote is referred to as Early Modern English, a linguistic period that lasted from approximately 1500 to 1750. The language spoken during this period is often referred to as Elizabethan English or Shakespearian English.  source

35. Notable time period: ERA.

36. Towel off: DRY.

39. Pocketed, as a billiard ball: SANK.  You would think people would avoid using the word SANK when referring to (a) pool.

40. Brief "As I see it": IMO.  In My Opinion

43. Tachometer marking: RED LINE.  

45. On the ball: ALERT.

47. Molelike mammal: SHREW.  

short-eared elephant SHREW

48. __ de cologne: EAU.  

50. Musical conclusions: CODAS.

51. "There __ enough hours in the day!": AREN'T.

52. Send for a second opinion: REFER.  like a medical opinion

54. Like kale: LEAFY.

55. Back of a 45: B-SIDE.  The 7-inch 45 RPM record was introduced by RCA Victor in 1949.

Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers was the B-SIDE to Hung On You (1965).  

56. Volume of maps: ATLAS.

59. Home to seven countries whose names end in "-stan": ASIA.  The suffix -stan is Persian and Urdu for place of or where one stands.

60. Not us: THEM.  so divisive

62. Fa follower: SOL. 

64. Hot reaction: IRE.  anger.

It's oh-fish-ial, that's all for today. Let minnow what you thought of today's puzzle in the Comments section. Sea you later!

Saturday, November 4, 2023, Daniel Okulitch & Doug Peterson

  Saturday Themeless by Daniel Okulitch and Doug Peterson

Doug Peterson

On Saturday, June 23 I blogged a Saturday themeless puzzle made by veteran constructor Matt Sewell and opera singer Christopher Bolduc. Today is a repeat of that type of combination with veteran Doug Peterson in tandem with Canadian baritone opera singer Daniel Okultich. 

I had great fun doing this puzzle and finished in good order. The bottom third had some red herring options but I did manage to winnow out the chaff (How's that for a mixed metaphor?) while enjoying the cleverness.    

Across:

1. Wolf: SCARF - Interesting opening with wolf and scarf as verbs

6. Magical country introduced in a 1900 children's novel: LAND OF OZ - OZ was my first thought but the rest took a while. It is now a modern day amusement park too.

14. Paying guest: ROOMER - Of course gossip about this guest would be a...

15. Steak source: ALBACORE - Not the first thought of this guy from the Beef State

Two ALBACORE tuna steaks

16. Adrenaline, e.g.: HORMONE.

17. Enterprise vehicle?: STAR TREK - A LEGO version

18. Result of an acid test?: ALTERED STATE 😀 Oh, that acid!

20. Navigator's dir.: SSE.

21. General from Alderaan: LEIA - Seen here with Han Solo

22. Released: OUT and 66. Getting away: ESCAPING - Andy definitely got OUT but he had to do it by ESCAPING. 

23. "Ars longa, __ brevis": VITA - Art can far outlive its creators 

A drawing of a pig that is at least 45,000 yrs old

25. Tswana for "fly": TSETSE - Pretty logical from the clue

28. School of tomorrow: ROE 😀 I really enjoyed this once it dawned on me. These ROE will never form a school of salmon.

30. Vegetable pod in some callaloo recipes: OKRA - Callaloo is widely known throughout the Caribbean and has a distinctively Caribbean origin, utilising indigenous (Xanthosoma) plants and modified with African influences, such as OKRA. You're welcome.

33. Faithful practice: MONOGAMY.

36. Elevated for driving: TEED 😀 Fore!

37. Sense strengthened by playing peek-a-boo: OBJECT PERMANENCE - understanding that items and people still exist even when you can't see or hear them. 

41. Check mate?: STUB 😀 

42. Motown trio in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: SUPREMES - I immediately filled in this wonderful group and it turned out to be right. 60's rock and roll always makes for a nice interlude

43. Spy-fi side, often: USSR and 46. Part of 43-Across: SOVIET - Them dern Ruskies always make for good villains

44. Sanskrit honorific: SRI.

45. __ daisy: SHASTA - Lovely blooms in our flower beds

49. Jettison: TOSS - The Solid Rocket Boosters of the Space Shuttle were jettisoned at a height of about 30 miles above Earth.

52. Subj. of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Medicine: IVF.

54. "The Handmaid's Tale" Emmy winner Ann: DOWD.

55. Sports __: BRA.

57. Relatively far?: TWICE REMOVED.

61. Some deli slices: PASTRAMI 

63. Obsolete piano pieces?: IVORIES - Also...

64. "SNL" character who sang in "Italian": OPERA MAN.

65. Sand dollar habitat: SEA BED

67. Surrealist Max: ERNST.

Down:

1. Company outing?: SORTIE.

2. "Bring it on!": COME AT ME BRO.

3. Don Juan's love: AMOR. 

4. French comic book writer/editor Goscinny: RENE - That's about as obscure of a RENE we could get. RENE included himself in the bottom right. Granddaughter says the sense of this is that the chef is offering to prepare parrot in cream if they get hungry. The parrot is, uh, declining.

5. Middle Corleone brother: FREDO - A warning from his younger brother Michael.

6. Ultimate dinner guest?: LAST TO ARRIVE - As opposed to being the penultimate arriver 

7. Utah ski resort: ALTA.

8. Outlet with court coverage: NBA-TV.

9. "Is it too risky?": DARE I.

10. Fall Classic mo.: OCT - World Series games of my yute were day games with the long shadows of OCTOBER on b/w TV.

11. Left behind: FORSAKEN.

12. Rush discoveries: ORES.

13. Quarterback Bratkowski in the Packers Hall of Fame: ZEKE - Any NFL fan will know that ZEKE (#12) was a vital backup for oft-injured Bart Starr in the Packer glory years.

14. Bacon bits?: ROLES - 😀 Uh, not Sir Francis Bacon but Kevin Bacon. Kevin's 10 best ROLES. Yeah, I'm partial to him as Jack Swigart in Apollo 13.

16. Stop: HALT.

19. Revenue management strategy: SURGE PRICING - occurs when a company raises the price of its product or service if there is an increase in demand. Uber fares going up when there are more potential fares than cars is an example.

24. So dang cute: TOTES ADORBS - Slang for totally adorable. Way too "cutesy" for me.

26. Humanities maj.: SOC.

27. Battle of Isengard fighters: ENTS - Some who did know of Zeke Bratkowski might be more acquainted with the Lord Of The Rings.

29. One-named supermodel: EMME.

31. TV remote button that's usually red: REC.

32. Stand buy: ADE 😀 - You have to have some miles on your tires to know who is pictured in this LEMONADE stand. I know the names of four of the characters. 

34. Cataloged work: OPUS - Beethoven's very familiar Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor is "OPUS 27, No. 2", 

35. Southern roots: YAMS.

37. Buckeye State sch.: OSU.

38. "Butter" K-pop band: BTS.

39. "Be right there!": JUST A SEC.

40. Book before Esth.: NEH.

47. Fabric associated with the Isle of Harris in the Hebrides: TWEED.

48. Contributes: ADDS.

50. Narrow band: STRAP.

51. Hindu sage: SWAMI - Hmmm...

53. Bichon __: FRISE - Translates to curly haired small dog. From Agnes (Irish Miss): "This is an almost replica of my beloved Bichon Frisé, Fluffy, still missed after over 20 years." Husker: I was as pleased as I could be to post the picture from our good friend. 

55. Fraternal org.: BPOE - Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks

The Grand Lodge In Chicago

56. Many Drake songs: RAPS - Drake is a Canadian rapper

58. "The Marvels" star Vellani: IMAN.

59. At any point: EVER.

60. Gripe: MOAN.

62. Bit in a chorus line: TRA 😀