Wednesday, March 24, 2021 Jerry Edelstein

Theme:  I've pondered this but cannot come up with something clever, so here is the unifier --

65. Marine Corps motto, briefly, and a hint to the answers to starred clues: SEMPER FI.  This is short for SEMPER FIDELIS, meaning 'always faithful" in Latin.  In our puzzle, the theme fill are two words, both beginning with the letter combination "FI."  So - always FI.

20 A. *Matches with known outcomes: FIXED FIGHTS.  Boxing matches in which one competitor loses on purpose, dishonestly, for reasons related to betting.

56 A. *Music group's lead violinist, casually: FIRST FIDDLE.  I've heard of playing 2nd fiddle, meaning to always play a supporting or inferior role.  By extension, FIRST FIDDLE means to play a commanding role.  I wish it had been clued this way, since it's not really a musical term in common use.

3 D. *Fast-food alternatives to burgers: FISH FILETS.  Popular on Friday's, especially in Lent.

30 D. *Like half a chance: FIFTY FIFTY.  An even bet.  Not sure what half a chance means.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, faithful, as always.  Let's charge into this puzzle and see what we can find.

Across:

1. Concerning: AS FOR.  With regard to  .  .  .

6. Letters replacing a list: ETC. And so on, and so forth.

 

 9. Afternoon snooze: NAP.   Zzzzzz  .  .  .

12. Nighttime party: SOIREE.  From the French soir, meaning evening.

14. Soccer tiebreaker, perhaps: SHOOT OUT.  Selected players from both teams take turns attempting to score on the other side's goal keeper.  Same in hockey.  Since nobody can win the regular game, they decide to have a one on one skills contest.  Meh!

17. County on the English Channel: SUSSEX.  South Saxony located on the island's southern coast.  The battle of Hastings was fought near its modern eastern border.

18. Canyon namesake of dry California winds: SANTA ANA.  They sweep westward from the mountains to the coast.

19. Tree with elastic wood: ASH.  Hence its popularity as baseball bats.

22. Hi-__ TV: DEF.  High definition - a high degree of clarity and detail in the images.

23. What "X" may mean: TEN.  Roman numeral.

24. Music center?: ESS.  The middle letter of the word.  Lame clue, lame fill.

25. Dennis the Menace, for one: IMP.  A mischievous child.

28. Beloved: DEAR.  Held in affection

30. Monk's title: FRA.  Derived from frater, the Latin word for brother.

33. Cultural setting: MILIEU.  Environment or setting, from the French, meaning "middle place."

36. Black and blue?: BERRIES.  Also straw and rasp.

39. H or O, in H2O: ELEMENT.  Hydrogen and oxygen, each a fundamental substance consisting of only one kind of atom.  They combine to form water.

41. Contrasting ornaments: SET-OFFS.  Items with differing appearances to achieve a visual effect.

42. Roald Dahl title heroine: MATILDA. A precocious 5 1/2 year old IMP.

43. Submitted, as a manuscript: SENT IN.  By post, or possibly electronically.

44. Kvetching sounds: OYS.  Exclamations of anger or dismay.

45. Weakens: EBBS.  By reference to a receding tide.

48. Give voice to: SAY.

49. __ Lingus: AER.  Airline of Ireland.

51. Partner in a 2020 peace agreement with Isr.: United Arab Emerates, located at the eastern end of the Arabian peninsula, and home to almost 10 million people. 

53. Quite a ways away: FAR.  

61. Anger: IRE.

62. Imagining: IDEATING.

63. Photo taken backwards?: SELFIE.  With a phone camera pointed at the user.

  66. Thrills: ELATES.  To thrill is to give a sudden feeling of excitement or pleasure. To elate is to make someone very happy.  Equivalent?  You decide.

67. General on a menu: TSO.  A Chinese chicken dish.

68. Fair-hiring letters: EOE. Equal Opportunity Employer.

69. Flair: STYLE. Elan.

Down:

1. Syrian leader: ASSAD.  Bashar Hafez al-Assad [b 1965] is a Syrian politician who has been the 19th president of Syria since 17 July 2000.

2. W.C. Fields persona: SOUSE. A habitually excessive drinker, from the verb "souse," meaning to drench with liquid.

4. RN workplaces: ORS.   Registered Nurses in Operating Rooms.

5. Sailing danger: REEF.  A ridge of jagged rock, coral or sand near the surface of the sea.

6. Ancient mystic: ESSENE.  Members of a Jewish sect, ca 200 BCE to 200 CE who lived in community practicing voluntary poverty and asceticism.

7. Jazz trumpeter Jones: THAD.  Thaddeus Joseph Jones [ 1923 - 1986]  was also a composer, arranger, and one of my jazz heroes.   He was born into a musical family, in near-by Pontiac, MI.


 

 8. Meeting group: CONFEREES.  

9. Biblical boater: NOAH.   Hosted a variety of animals during a flood.

10. Bee, to Opie: AUNT.  From the Andy Griffith Show.

11. School orgs.: PTAS.  Parent- Teacher-Organizations.

13. Leave: EXIT. Depart

15. Name seen on one's way to the penthouse?: OTIS.  Brand name for elevators.

16. License plates: TAGS.  So your car can be on the road legally.

21. Marked on a ballot: X-ED.   We get bubbles to fill in.

26. "La BohËme" role: MIMI.  In my mind, she was FIFI.  That disappointed me.

27. Banana covering: PEEL.   Technically, a banana is a berry.  Blackberries and raspberries are not

29. Hunk's pride: ABS.  Hard, flat abdominal muscles on a well toned fellow.

Here's how

31. APR-reducing loan: REFI.  Refinancing a loan to get a better interest rate.

32. Pt. of AAA: ASSN.  American Automobile Association.

33. Office notice: MEMO.  A written message, usually in a business context.

34. "Now __ me down to sleep ... ": I LAY.   Beginning of a night time prayer.

35. Being severely criticized: UNDER FIRE.  The subject of an attack.

37. Numbered rds.: RTES.  Routes.

38. Novelist Jaffe: RONA.  [1931-2005]  She also wrote for Cosmopolitan in the '60's.

40. Diner check: TAB.  Record of accumulated charges.

46. Aussie parrot, briefly: BUDGIE.  Read all about them.

47. Mournful: SAD.   Feeling sadness, regret or grief.

49. 33-Down demand, perhaps: ASAP. As Soon As Possible.

50. Luncheon end?: ETTE.  Suffix denoting small size.

52. "... or __!": ELSE.  Overt threat.

54. Cartoon mermaid: ARIEL.

From Disney to you

55. Actress Witherspoon: REESE.  Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (b.1976) is an American actress, producer, and entrepreneur.   She has won an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award.

Woman on a mission

56. Punch deliverer: FIST.  

Pow

57. March time: IDES.  (In the ancient Roman calendar) a day falling roughly in the middle of each month (the 15th day of March, May, July, and October, and the 13th of other months) from which other dates were calculated.

58. San __: Italian resort: REMO.  A city in extreme western Italy on the
 Mediterranean coat. 

59. Recon target: INFO. Reconnaissance to gather information.

60. Sniggler's catch: EELS.

64. Map line: Abbr.: LATitude.  Position on a line north of south of and parallel to the equator.

OK, gang we are FInally FInished for this Wednesday.  Hope you enjoyed it.

Cool regards!

JzB

Wednesday, March 10, 2021 Roland Huget

Theme:  Once again, the unifier sums it up perfectly.

60. Skirt, as an issue ... or a hint to the puzzle's circles: DANCE AROUND.  To make an evasive move.  Here the letters spelling a particular kind of dance book-end the theme fill.  It's easy to see if you got the circles.  Otherwise, not so much.

17. "ABC" group, with "The": JACKSON FIVE.   A pop singing group founded in 1965 with the brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael.


 

JIVE dance originated in the early 1930's.  Not sure how closely modern competitive jive dancing matches the original, but here we go.

26. Part-plant DC Comics superhero: SWAMP THING.  A humanoid/plant elemental creature with environmentalist tendencies.  It has been featured in comics, movies, animation and a TV series.

SWING dance is from the 1940's big band era.

36. Pioneer's wagon with an upward-curved floor: CONESTOGA.  The curve was to prevent cargo from tipping or shifting.  You can read about it here.  

The CONGA is a dance that likely originated in Africa and came to the U.S. via Cuba, in the 1930's.  It's a line dance, never mind that these dancers aren't in a line.

50. Weight loss guru:  JENNY CRAIG.  Genevieve Guidroz (b. 1932) from Louisiana, married Sindney Crain in 1979.  In 1983, they created a nutrition, fitness, and weight loss program in Australia and began offering the program in the United States in 1985.

The JIG is a dance form in 6/8 or 9/8 time with rapid footwork.  It is derived from British isles folk dancing of the 16th century.

Hi, Gang.  JazzBumpa here to lead you through today's adventure.  There's dancing to be done, so let's step to it.

Across:

1. Is sporting: HAS ON.  Wears

6. Bobby who lost to Billie Jean King in tennis' "Battle of the Sexes": RIGGS.

11. Place to unwind: SPA.  Relaxation site

14. Grenoble's river: ISERE.  It's 178 mile course runs from its source in the Alps near the Italian border to where it joins the Rhone.

15. Sign up, in Sussex: ENROL.  British spelling, I assume

16. Reliever's asset: ARM.  Baseball pitcher who replaces the starter.

19. USN clerk: YEO.  Shouldn't this be YOEMAN?

20. Hot state: IRE.  Anger

21. Heat unit: THERM.  A unit equivalent to 100,000 BTU's.

22. Ruhr Valley city: ESSEN.  Famous for its coal mining and steel production.

24. Art class subject: NUDE.   A form of visual art focussed on the unclothed human form.  It's history goes back to the ancient Greeks.

28. Compulsive thief, for short: KLEPTO-.  One experiencing a certain kind of impulse-control disorder.

30. Thoughts spoken onstage: ASIDES.  Words spoken by a character directly to the audience, not to other characters.

31. Prefix with comic: SERIO-.  Some combination of the comic and the serious.

32. "Not for me": PASS.  I'll sit this one out.

35. Left on a liner: PORT.  Right is starboard.

39. Popular side: SLAW.  Chopped cabbage in a vinaigrette or mayonaise dressing.

42. Sore: ACHY.  In pain.

43. Makeshift knives: SHIVS.  Home-made sharp edged weapons.

47. More minute: TINIER.  Smaller

49. Without a musical key: ATONAL. Sure.  But can you dance to it?



54. New Haven Ivy: YALE.  Founded in 1701.

55. Stream of insults, say: ABUSE.  Cruel or harsh treatment.

56. "It's __ to you": ALL UP.  Do your part.

58. Given a meal: FED.  

59. Printemps month: MAI.  In France.

63. Outer: Prefix: ECT-. As in ectoderm.

64. Slices in a pie, often: OCTAD.  Any grouping of 8 items.

65. Gold unit: OUNCE.  This is the Troy ounce, equal to 31.1034768 grams. 

66. Blue shade: SKY.

67. Designer fragrance: C K ONE.  A Calvin Klein product

68. Prepared for a TV interview: MIKED.  Equipped with a microphone.

Down:

1. Mischief: HI-JINKS.  Boisterous or rambunctious carryings-on : carefree antics or horseplay. Mischief is causing annoyance, trouble or minor injury.

2. Ordinarily: AS A RULE. Typically, what you can expect.

3. Any of 11 1860s states: SECEDER.  The confederacy.  And, yes, it was all about slavery.  The Articles of Secession of each confederate state make this abundantly clear.

4. Sitcom planet: ORK.  From the the TV show Mork and Mindy.

5. Outdoor home: NEST.   Where birds dwell.

6. Agree to more issues: RENEW.  Ambiguous clue.  To continue a subscription to a publication.

7. Start to structure: INFRA-.  Refers to the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g. buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.  I dislike this kind of clue for a prefix.

8. Big name in fairy tales: GRIMM.   The Brothers Grimm, Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm and Wilhelm Carl Grimm, were German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers and authors who together collected and published folklore during the 19th century. 

9. Federal URL ending: GOV.  The last portion of the internet address.

10. Makes things slippery, in a way: SLEETS.  Sleet is a mixture or rain and ice pellets. 

11. Closes the marital deal: SAYS I DO.  You may now kiss the bride.

12. Peacock, e.g.: PREENER.  It straightens its feathers with its beak.

13. Surrounded by: AMONGST.  In the midst of.

18. Extremely: OH SO.  Very, very.

23. Shout from the main mast: SHIP AHOY. A call to greet or get attention.

25. Momentous victories: EPIC WINS.  

27. Part of UTEP: PASO.  University of Texas at El . . . 

29. Excessively: TOO.  As too much, too often, too far, etc.

32. Bench press target, for short: PEC.  Pectorals, for long -- each of the four large paired muscles that cover the front of the rib cage and serve to draw the forelimbs toward the chest.

33. Bat wood: ASH.  What Bat Man hits with.

34. Metaphor for a mess: STY.  Where pigs live.

37. "Breaking Bad" agent: NARC.   The word narc is slang shorthand for "narcotics agent," a federal agent or police officer who specializes in laws dealing with illegal drugs.

38. Prime meridian std.: GST.  Presumably Greenwich Standard Time.  I don't mean to be mean, but I don't think this is legit.  Everything I can find refers to Greenwich Mean Time

39. Place near the Pennsylvania Railroad: ST JAMES.  Properties on the Monopoly game board.

40. Relax: LIE BACK.  Recline

41. Retirement income source: ANNUITY.  A form of insurance or investment entitling the investor to a series of annual sums.

44. Down: IN A FUNK.  Depressed.

45. Chemical bonding number: VALENCE.  The number of chemical bonds between an atom and the other atoms it is bonded to in a molecule.

46. Tobogganed: SLEDDED.  Slid down a snowy hill.

48. Ophthalmologist, for short: EYE DOC.   An ophthalmologist diagnoses and treats all eye diseases, performs eye surgery and prescribes and fits eyeglasses and contact lenses to correct vision problems. 

49. Lago filler: AGUA.  Spanish lake with Spanish water.

51. Wound up costing: RAN TO.  Total of all purchased items.

52. Highway through Whitehorse: ALCAN.  The Alaska Highway (French: Route de l'Alaska; also known as the Alaskan Highway, Alaska-Canadian Highway, or ALCAN Highway) was constructed during World War II to connect the contiguous United States to Alaska across Canada. It begins at the junction with several Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon. When it was completed in 1942, it was about 2,700 kilometres (1,700 mi) long. [Wikipedia]

53. __-France: ILE DE.   A region in north-central France. It surrounds the nation’s famed capital, Paris, an international center for culture and cuisine with chic cafes and formal gardens. 

57. Senior's highlight: PROM. A formal dance, often with a theme [but not part of this puzzle's theme] held near the end of the academic year.

61. Comic strip cry: ACK.  Of pain or dismay.

62. Non opposite: OUI.  No and Yes in the Ile de France, ne c'est pas?

So ends our dance sessions.  Hope you avoided any potential faux pas.

Cool regards!

JzB