Wednesday January 27, 2021 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Bidding you adieu [or, actually, several.]  As we shall see, the theme entries are all spelt differently, but still rhyme. Isn't English phun? 

17 A. Later than late: LONG OVERDUE.  Said of something that should have happened a long time ago.

27 A. Gleeful Bedrock shout: YABBA DABBA DOO


 

44 A. Busywork: SOMETHING TO DO.   A task with little intrinsic value.

60 A. Moonshine: MOUNTAIN DEW.  Slang terms for high-proof distilled spirits that were and continue to be produced illicitly, without government authorization.  MOUNTAIN DEW is also the name of a carbonated, caffeinated citrus flavored soft drink marketed by the Pepsi-Cola Co.

Hi gang, Jazzbumpa here, hoping this isn't to, too, two much for a Wednesday.  Ready to go?  Let's DUE, DOO, DO, DEW it!

Across:

1. Make fun of: MIMIC.  Disrespectful Apery.

6. Consecrate: BLESS.  To consecrate is to formally dedicate something to a religious purpose.  To Bless is to confer or invoke divine favor upon.  These are not equivalent terms.

11. Like sashimi: RAW.  Uncooked victuals

14. Kind of acid in proteins: AMINO.  A molecule having both acid an amine functionality.  It is able to combine with itself, or other amino acids, to produce large complex molecules.

15. Paddled transport: CANOE.  When you are up a creek in one, it's good to have a paddle.

16. Investment acronym: IRA.  Individual Retirement Account.

19. Formal apparel: TUX.  I have one from my years of orchestra playing.

20. Ultimate goal: END-ALL.  The final outcome.

21. Welcome word in real estate: SOLD.  The house across the street from mine sold in less than two days.  They had over a dozen bids.

22. Prez on a fiver: ABE.  Mr. Lincoln.

23. Word with sky or spy: CAM.  Types of cameras.

25. "Gypsy" star, 1959: MERMAN.  Ethyl [1908 - 1984]  was an American actress, artist, and singer. Known primarily for her distinctive, powerful voice and leading roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage".

33. Happening, to Holmes: AFOOT.  Something is going on, and we need to get moving.   The first use of 'the game is afoot' is found in Shakespeare's King Henry IV Part I, 1597: "Before the game is afoot, thou still let'st slip.'

34. Campus leader: DEAN.  The head of a college or university faculty or department.

35. "Main" road: DRAG.   The biggest or most important thoroughfare of a town or city. “Drag” came from a term for a wagon or carriage that a horse would pull or drag. By extension the road on which the vehicle was dragged became a slang word for “street”—think of drag racing.

38. Discontinued iPods: NANOS.  It was produced from 2005 to 2017.

39. [There's another doc]: ENC.  A written abbreviation for enclosed or enclosure: used in a business letter to say that one or more documents are included with a letter.

40. Tearful: WEEPY.  [Sob]

41. Food on the trail: GRUB.  Sounds appetizing.

42. Ailing: SICK. 

43. __ strength: INNER. Stable traits, an enduring source of well-being, wise and effective action, and contributions to others.

47. Caterpillar casing: COCOON.  A silky case spun by the larvae of many insects for protection in the pupal stage.

49. Bug: NAG. Annoy or irritate (a person) with persistent fault-finding or continuous urging.

50. Word of good cheer?: RAH.  Hooray!

51. Layered mineral: MICA.   A shiny silicate mineral with a layered structure, found as minute scales in granite and other rocks, or as crystals. It is used as a thermal or electrical insulator.

54. Flannel patterns: PLAIDS.  Checkered or tartan twilled cloth, typically made of wool.

Read more here

59. Salem-to-Boise dir.: ESE.  East-south-east.

62. [Not my mistake]: SIC.  It is used in brackets after a copied or quoted word that appears odd or erroneous to show that the word is quoted exactly as it stands in the original,

63. Adler of Sherlock Holmes fame: IRENE.   Irene Norton, née Adler, is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. She was featured in the short story "A Scandal in Bohemia", published in July 1891. She is one of the most notable female characters in the Sherlock Holmes series, despite appearing in only one story.

64. Stealthy warrior: NINJA.  In historical Japan, a person trained in ancient Japanese martial arts and employed especially for espionage and assassinations.  More recently, certain teenaged superhero anthropomorphic mutant turtles.

65. Sound of disapproval: TSK.  Tongue clucking

66. County bordering London: ESSEX.  To the north.

67. Toot one's own horn: GLOAT.   Dwell on one's own success or another's misfortune with smugness or malignant pleasure.

Down:

1. Like blokes: MALE.  Just us guys

2. "My turn to sing!": I'M ON.  Or lip synch.

3. Be concerned with: MIND.  Care about.

4. "Young Frankenstein" role: INGA.

 

The lovely Teri Garr

 5. Hipsters: COOL CATS.  

6. Pre-A.D.: BCE. Before the Common Era.

7. Metallica drummer Ulrich: LARS. [b 1963]  A Danish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He gained worldwide fame as the drummer and co-founder of American heavy metal band Metallica.

8. Root canal procedure, briefly: ENDO. Short for endodontic treatment.

9. Classic 1967 Sam & Dave hit: SOULMAN.

 

 10. Like some rye: SEEDED.  Don't get carawayed away. 

11. EGOT-winning actress from "West Side Story": RITA MORENO.  Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano; December 11, 1931) is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer. Her career has spanned over 70 years; her notable acting work includes supporting roles in the musical films Singin' in the Rain (1952), The King and I (1956) and West Side Story (1961), 

12. Curaçao neighbor: ARUBA.  Islands off the coast of Venezuela, both controlled by the Netherlands.

13. Like candles: WAXEN.

18. Prince who inspired Dracula: VLAD.  [ca 1430-1477]  Read about him here.

24. Finally got there: MADE IT.

26. Rat or squirrel: RODENT.  Mammals of the order Rodentia, which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws.

27. Yin's partner: YANG.  In Ancient Chinese philosophy, yin and yang; Chinese: 陰陽 yīnyáng, lit. "dark-bright", "negative-positive") is a concept of dualism, describing how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another.

28. In the distance: AFAR.

29. Employee's end-of-year reward: BONUS CHECK.  Extra money.

30. Owie: BOO-BOO.  A child's minor minor injuury

31. Park seat: BENCH.

Who's old enough to get the reference?

32. Start to park, perhaps: BACK IN.  The first maneuver in parallel parking.

36. Acted like: APED.  Mimicked. [1. A echo]

37. Greek food truck offering: GYRO.   A lamb-based meatloaf sandwich on flatbread.

40. Moving, as one's toes: WIGGLING.

42. Many prom attendees: SENIORS.  High school seniors, not old men like me.

45. Christina Crawford's "__ Dearest": MOMMIE.  A memoir and exposé written by Christina Crawford, the adopted daughter of actress Joan Crawford. Published in 1978, it described the author's upbringing by an unbalanced alcoholic mother, whom she judged unfit to raise children. The book attracted much controversy regarding child abuse and child trafficking, with many family friends denouncing it as fiction. It was turned into a 1981 film of the same name starring Faye Dunaway.

46. Big wine valley: NAPA.  In California.

47. Pepsodent rival: CREST.  Tooth pastes.

48. Welcome desert sight: OASIS.  A fertile spot in a desert, where water is found.

52. Pool equipment: CUES.  Referring to the sticks used in games played on a billiard table,  not a place for swimming.

53. Hathaway married to Shakespeare: ANNE. Read about her here.

Nope!

55. Actor Kapoor of "Slumdog Millionaire": ANIL. [b1956]   He is an Indian actor and producer who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi-language films, as well as international films and television series. His career has spanned 40 years as an actor, and as a producer since 2005.

56. Online sign-in fig.: I.D. NO.  Personal Identification Number.

57. __ vu: DEJA.   The feeling that one has lived through the present situation before. This is a French phrase that translates literally as "already seen."

58. Law enforcement acronym: SWAT.  Special Weapons And Tactics - the militarization of police units.

61. Ranch nickname: TEX.  Presumably referring to somebody from Texas.

OK, Gang, now all our doing here is done.  Enjoy your Wednesday.

Cool regards!

JzB

Wednesday, January 13, 2021 Ed Sessa

Theme: SPEAKING UP.  Each theme entry illustrates vocal communication, at increasing volume levels.

17. Source of damaging rumors: WHISPER CAMPAIGN.   A systematic circulation of a rumor, typically in order to damage someone's reputation.  To WHISPER is to speak softly with little or no vibration of the vocal cords especially to avoid being overheard.

26. Buzz among local gossips: TALK OF THE TOWN.  A person or event that many local people are interested in or excited by.  To TALK is to express or exchange ideas by means of spoken words -- presumably at a conversational level of volume.

 

43. Nickname of two Six Flags roller coasters: SCREAM MACHINE.  To SCREAM is to speak with intense or hysterical emotion.  Other than the mentioned thrill ride, this phrase seems not to be commonly in-the-language.  But it is the title of a jazz piece written for the U. S. Army Band by composer Mark Taylor [one of my favorites.]  Impressive and under 2 1/2 minutes.  Give it a listen.

57. Question asked with a raised voice, as demonstrated in three long puzzle answers: CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW.  Reasonable question at times - and made famous in an ad campaign a few years ago.

Hi, Gang. JazzBumpa here to give you a good talking-to.  Now, pay attention and don't make me raise my voice.  

Across:

1. Hang out in alleys: BOWL.  A game in which balls are rolled on a green or down an alley at an object or group of objects.

5. Sporty sunroofs: T TOPS.

1988 Dodge Shelby

10. Job jar item: TASK.  A piece of work to be done or undertaken.

14. Cuatro y cuatro: OCHO.  4+4 = 8, in Spanish speaking countries.

15. Sprightly movement: RONDO.  A musical form in which a main theme is alternated with contrasting sections.

16. Lamb pen name: ELIA.  Charles Lamb wrote a series of popular essays that first appeared in THE LONDON MAGAZINE between 1820 and 1825.   Lamb borrowed the surname of an Italian co-worker from several years earlier. 

20. Vietnam holiday: TET.  The Vietnamese lunar new year.

21. "What the Constitution Means to Me" award: OBIE. Annual off-Broadway theater award. The on Broadway award is the Tony.

22. Like Boo Boo and Baloo: URSINE.  They are bears.

23. Lead source: ORE.   Natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit. 

24. Novelist Deighton: LEN. [b 1929]  A British author. His publications have included cookery books, history and military history, but he is best known for his spy novels.

25. Wile E. Coyote's supplier: ACME.

 

It never ends well

32. Takes short cuts?: SNIPS.  As with scissors. 

34. Part of S&L: LOAN.  An organization from which money is borrowed.

35. FDR 34-Across org.: NHA. National Housing Administration, authorized by law in 1934.  The purpose of the law was to “encourage improvement in housing standards and conditions, to provide a system of mutual mortgage insurance, and for other purposes.” The law created the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation (FSLIC.)

 
36. One of 1,225 in the first published edition of "War and Peace": PAGE.  One side of a sheet of paper in a collection of sheets bound together, especially as a book, magazine, or newspaper.

37. They have their pride: LIONS.  The collective noun for a group of lions is a "pride."

39. Put a halt to: STOP.  End.

40. Is for a few: ARE.  Plural, present tense form of the verb "to be."

41. Carson forerunner: PAAR.  Jack [1918 - 2004] was an American author, movie actor, radio and television comedian, and talk show host. He is best known for his stint as the second host of The Tonight Show from 1957 to 1962.

42. Hostess snack cakes: HOHOS.  Small, cylindrical, frosted, cream-filled chocolate snack cakes with a pinwheel design based on the Swiss roll. 

Santa's favorite?

47. Tavern orders: ALES.  Suds.

48. Apollo vehicle, briefly: LEM. Lunar Excursion Module
  
49. Many miles: FAR.  Some distance.

52. Entertained: AMUSED.  

55. Vegas rival: RENO.  Nevada cities with gambling casinos.

56. Hot Dijon season: ETE.  Summer in France, not mustard spice.

60. Verdi opera: AIDA.

61. Pants style: CAPRI.  Close-fitting calf-length tapered trousers, usually worn by women and girls.

Fashion and function

62. Retin-A target: ACNE.  Inflamed or infected sebaceous glands in the skin; in particular, a condition characterized by red pimples on the face, prevalent chiefly among teenagers.

63. Altar words: I DOs.  Weddings.

64. Stall for Time?: KIOSK.  Meaning I suppose, Time Magazine, since a KIOSK is a small open-fronted hut or cubicle from which newspapers, refreshments, tickets, etc., are sold.

65. Clarinet need: REED.

Down:

1. Greet formally, as at the start of a sumo match: BOW TO.

Pre-fight ritual

2. Earth tone: OCHER.  A brownish yellow pigment containing ferric oxide.

3. Mutant big cat: WHITE TIGER.  A variant of the Bengal Tiger with a genetic loss of pigmentation. Such a tiger has the black stripes typical of the Bengal tiger, but carries a white or near-white coat.

4. __ Gatos, California: LOS.  An incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United dtates. The population is 30,222.  The name mean "The Cats,"  in honor of the cougars and bobcats indigenous to the nearby foot hills   

5. Late game show host with seven Emmys: TREBEK.  Alex [1940-2020]  He was the host of the syndicated game show Jeopardy! for 37 seasons from its revival in 1984 until his death in 2020.

6. "Gran __": 2008 Eastwood film: TORINO.

 

 7. __ in a blue moon: ONCE.   Meaning rarely.  A blue moon is either the second full moon in a single month, or the third of four in a single season.  If interested, read more here. 

8. Kissing on the kiss cam, for short: PDA.  Public Display of Affection.

9. Even: SO MUCH AS.  

10. Her Majesty's service?: TEA SET. A TEA Service - pot, cups and sugar bowl.

One example

11. Others, in old Rome: ALII.  Latin, of course.

12. Put one's name on the line?: SIGN.  As, for example, a document.

13. Immortal "Citizen": KANE.   Main character of a 1941 American drama film by Orson Welles, its producer, co-screenwriter, director and star. 

 

 18. Opinion surveys: POLLS.

19. Image creators, for short: PR MEN.  Not artists, but experts in propaganda Public Relations.

25. Loads: A TON.  A non-specific large quantity.

27. Monkey relative: APE.  Monkeys have tails, APE's do not.

28. Biota growth: FLORA.  Vegetation.

29. Undecided: ON THE FENCE.  Uncertain which way one will fall.

30. Owl's call: WHOO.  They never wonder where or why.

31. Catches some z's: NAPS.  Snoring.

32. Places for hot waxes: SPAS.  Commercial establishments offering health and beauty treatment through such means as steam baths, exercise equipment, and massage.

33. One pulling in pushers: NARC.  Nicely worded.  A narcotics officer.

37. Outgoing officeholder: LAME DUCK.  One who's term is about to end.

38. Perfect Portions pet food brand: IAMS.

39. Abel, to Adam: SON.  It's all relative.

41. Throwback diet: PALEO.  Eat like a cave man?  I don't think so.

42. Handmade stadium sign: HI MOM.  Sometimes seen on TV.

44. Gut courses: EASY As.    a college or university course requiring little work or intellectual ability.

45. Becomes less overcast: CLEARS.  Clouds parting.

46. Playwright Ibsen: HENRIK. [1828 - 1906] This Norwegian playwright was a pioneer of realism, and his later works were considered scandalous.  After Shakespeare, he is the 2nd most performed dramatist.

50. Even things: ATONE.  Make amends or reparation.

51. Said 63-Across a second time: REWED.  I did this.

52. Antioxidant-rich berry: ACAI.  The açaí palm, Euterpe oleracea, is a species of palm tree cultivated for its fruit, hearts of palm, leaves, and trunk wood. Global demand for the fruit expanded rapidly in the 21st century and so the tree is cultivated for that purpose primarily.

53. Downton Abbey's Daisy, for one: MAID.  Later promoted to kitchen assistant.

Played by Sophie McShera

54. Go back, on a PC: UNDO.

55. Default result: REPO.   Repossession.

58. "Bali __": HAI.  A show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific. The name refers to a mystical island, visible on the horizon but not reachable, and was originally inspired by the sight of Ambae island from neighboring Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu, where author James Michener was stationed in World War II.

59. AirPod spot: EAR.  A small speaker phone worn inside the ear.

So ends our Wednesday conversation.  How you found it informative.  Stay safe, wear a mask, keep your distance, and remember to use your indoor voice.

Cool regards!

JzB