Sunday, April 14, 2024 ~ Tom Pepper & Zhouqin Burnikel

"Rock 'n' Roll"

Good morning! Today we are treated to a puzzle by two veteran constructors - one of which started our little haven on the internet.  Let's crank-up the tunes and see what Tom & C.C. really mean by the puzzle's title.

22. Place for a rock: SOLITAIRE RING. ROCKs and ice are slang for diamonds.

Solitaire Diamond

27. Place for a roll: CRAPS TABLE. ROLL the dice on craps.

Craps Table

34. Place for a rock: CURLING MATCH. Curling is a Winter Olympics sport where you push a stone, aka the ROCK (don't confuse that with Dwayne Johnson), to the goal.

Maybe someone can explain what he's doing

58. Place for a roll: SUSHI PLATTER.

Yummers!

84. Place for a rock: ROSHAMBO GAME. Aka ROCK, paper, scissors.

105. Place for a roll: BOWLING ALLEY. I doubt there's anything coincidental about this Shout-Out to Boomer. In bowling you ROLL a ball towards the pins.

112. Place for a Rock: COMEDY CLUB. Chris ROCK is a standup comedian. He's also had starring ROLes in Movies.

Chris Rock

123. Place for a roll: TAPE DISPENSER. A ROLL of Tape.

Across:
1. Bugs: NAGS AT.

Let's keep with the Theme

7. Flat-topped hills: MESAS.

12. Faux wood in a fireplace: GAS LOG.

18. Pass by: ELAPSE.

19. Harding biopic: I TONYA.

21. Chihuahua coin: CENTAVO. 1/100th of a currency.

One Centavo

22. [See: Theme]

24. 1984 Jeff Bridges film that begins with a UFO crash: STARMAN.

   
                                          David Bowie's 1972 Starman

25. Shorthand system: STENO.

26. Just: MERE.

27. [See: Theme]

29. Geometry calculation: AREA.

31. U.S. intel org.: NSA. National Security Agency.

33. "Trainwreck" director Judd: APATOW.

Judd Apatow IMDb

34. [See: Theme]

39. Carbon compound: ENOL.

40. Short evening wear?: PJS.  Pajamas.

43. Driver's assignment: Abbr.: RTE. Route.

44. Microsoft Office default typeface until 2007: ARIAL.
 

Arial Font

45. Ore-Ida side, familiarly: TOTS.

Napoleon Dynamite

47. Tech company with an exclamation point: YAHOO.

Yep, it's got an exclamation mark.

49. Envelope abbr.: ATTN. Attention.

51. Burden: ONUS.

52. Take a break: PAUSE.

55. Hulu alternative: ROKU.

56. Left high and dry: MAROONED.

58. [See: Theme]

61. __ as punch: PROUD. I'm aware of pleased as punch but not proud as punch.  I've heard of PROUD as a peacock and love PROUD Mary (I know this is CCR's song but...

Tina's version really ROCKS!)

62. Bring home: EARN.

64. Shopping cart count: ITEMS.

65. Choice words?: ORS.

66. Fit together, as some dolls: NEST.

Matryoshka HUMOR

69. Brobdingnagian: GIANT.

71. Barbecue fuel: COAL.

73. Kung __ chicken: PAO.

Recipe

76. Booze: SAUCE. Slang for alcohol.

78. Bit attachment: REIN.

80. Dave Barry genre: HUMOR.

From 2010

84. [See: Theme]

87. Natural ability: APTITUDE.

90. Mammal with more gray matter than a human: ORCA. I'm assuming brain cells and not gray hair.

91. Caesar __: SALAD.

92. Nabe in lower Manhattan: SOHO. South of HOuston [St.] is a neighborhood. There's also a Soho [South of Horton] in London which I learned from The Who.
 

Lyrics
I woke up in a SOHO doorway / A policeman knew my name
He said, "You can go sleep at home tonight / If you can get up and walk away"

93. Miami Heat coach Spoelstra: ERIK.

Eric Spoelstra

94. Buy time: STALL.

Panic! At the Disco - STALL Me.

96. Australia's national gemstone: OPAL.

98. In the midst of: AMONG.

100. Pub pintful: ALE.

101. Orecchiette shape: EAR.

102. Asgard god: ODIN.

105. [See: Theme]

108. Actress Jennifer in Capital One commercials: GARNER.

Jennifer Garner

110. Letters after nus: XIS. Greek to me.

111. "Othello" villain: IAGO.

112. [See: Theme]

116. Matching: SAME.

118. Put in more chips, say: RAISE.

122. Stretch with no landmarks: OPEN SEA.

123. [See: Theme]

126. Firsthand accounts: MEMOIRS. Here's one I recently read.

Number One is Walking

127. Fast and furious: HECTIC.

128. Sharp kitchen tool: PEELER.

129. Tons: OCEANS.

130. Knobs on a pipe organ: STOPS.

131. Respected ones: ELDERS. Pop taught us to respect our elders. Now I am (usually) one.

Down:
1. Loch in hoax photos: NESS.

2. Tons: ALOT.

3. Strong wind: GALE.

4. Word with column or cord: SPINAL.
 

Given the theme, this fill just screams for the Trailer.

5. Oregon's oldest city: ASTORIA.

6. Cha, chai, or matcha: TEA.

7. Bog down: MIRE.

8. 2021 Marvel movie directed by Chlo Zhao: ETERNALS.

9. Most tender: SOREST.

10. "32 Flavors" singer DiFranco: ANI.

From NPR's Tiny Desk Concert

11. Bring into alignment: SYNC.

12. Arrives at: GETSTO.

13. Chess legend Karpov: ANATOLY.

World Chess HoF Inductee

14. Milkshake insert: STRAW.

15. Meat common in Greek cuisine: LAMB.

16. Shape of sesame seeds: OVAL.

17. No longer there: GONE.

20. Indian city with a mausoleum: AGRA.

21. House channel: CSPAN.

23. "Just think ... ": IMAGINE.

John Lennon

28. Hairy Halloween costume: APE SUIT. I kept wanting to fill Itt.

Wednesday and Itt

30. Disgraced energy company: ENRON. I know many folks that lost their job in the tower next to One Allen. Chevron owns ENRON's old building now.

The "Crooked E" should have been a clue.

32. Make a scene?: ACT.

34. Swimmer's woe: CRAMP.

35. __ Pradesh: Indian state: UTTAR.

There it is!

36. Fashionably dated: RETRO.

Groovy, eh?

37. "All in the Family" spinoff: MAUDE. Spin-off in the '70's starring Bea Arthur.

10:32 of fun.

38. Short trips: HOPS.

40. Part of a magazine spread: PHOTO.
 

Def Leppard - PHOTOgraph

41. Class clown: JOKER.

42. Some whiskey drinks: SOURS.

46. Largest island in French Polynesia: TAHITI.

There it is!

48. Wall flowers, perhaps: ART.

50. Wall or flower: NOUN. Cute.

53. Architect's detail, briefly: SPEC. Specification on a blueprint.

54. Muppet who never says "I": ELMO. He always refers to himself by Elmo.

57. Port city south of Kyiv: ODESA. Two 'S' ODESSA is an oil-town in West Texas.

58. __ Lankan rupee: SRI.

59. Take heat from?: UNARM. Cute.
 

Smashing Pumpkins - Disarm

60. Japan's largest beermaker: ASAHI.

63. Factor in sibling rivalry, often: AGE GAP.

67. Costco rival, familiarly: SAMS.

68. Bulky brass instrument: TUBA.
 

Bohemian Rhapsody on Euphonium, TUBA, Piano & Drums

70. Bridal bio word: NEE.

72. Instrument for a troubadour: LUTE.

73. Counterpart of poetry: PROSE.

74. Place for a stent: AORTA.

75. Prized statuette: OSCAR.

77. Sanders, for one: COLONEL.

79. "No Logo" author Klein: NAOMI.  A Canadian author. I didn't know of this book but I know of her The Shock Doctrine.

Naomi Klein

81. Big picture?: MURAL.

82. Black swan of ballet: ODILE. Odile is the black swan maiden and the secondary antagonist in Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

83. Type in again: REKEY. Reenter the data.

85. Rogue computer of sci-fi: HAL. It did tell Dave it was sorry.

2001 A Space Odyssey's HAL.

86. Small amount: A DAB.

88. Hypocritical sorts: PHONIES.

89. Polynesian kingdom with more than 170 islands: TONGA.

There it is!

92. Tortilla chip topper: SALSA DIP.

95. Adds, as paper to a copier: LOADS IN. 500 sheets (a ream) at a time.

97. Fish in some omelets: LOX.

99. Series of bad takes: GAG REEL. The bloopers.

103. Appliances with drums: DRYERS.

Anatomy of a Dryer

104. Ancient Cuzco dwellers: INCAS.

106. Not tricked by: WISE TO.

107. Gave for a short time: LOANED.

108. Italian city known for salami: GENOA.

109. Oldest of the Pointer Sisters: RUTH.

The Pointer Sisters - I'm So Excited

112. Lombardy lake: COMO.

113. Cartel founded in Baghdad: OPEC. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

114. Widely shared post: MEME.

A Maude Callback

115. Sweeties: BAES. #TeenSpeak

117. Karaoke gear: MICS. The first Karaoke machine was the Sparko Box invented by Shigeichi Negishi in 1967. Negishi passed last January at the age of 100. Here's CNN's report.

119. Castaway's home: ISLE. You could be MARRONed there.

120. One who's forward-looking: SEER.

121. Makes a misstep: ERRS.

124. Interest rate fig.: PCT. The percentage rate for your LOAN.

125. Safety gear for ER workers: PPE. Personal Protective Equipment.

Covid PPE

The Grid:

The Grid

WOs: Gust->GALE, here->GONE, apr->PCT
ESPs: COMO, ROSHAMBO, GARNER, ERIK
Fav: UNARM as clued.

I hope y'all found at least one song to ROCK out to.  And, if not, at least enjoyed the rest of the expo.

Cheers, -T

Sunday April 7, 2024 John Michael Currie

 

Theme: "Amendment Needed" - The circled letters orderly spell out "THE FIFTH". And each circled letter is the 5th letter in the theme entry. 

25. *Accidentally scorch the appetizers?: CHART A COURSE.

31. *"You can't wrestle a chimney sweep and come out clean," e.g.?: SOOTH SAYING.

44. *Mission of the Blue Origin rockets carrying William Shatner and Michael Strahan?: STARES INTO SPACE.

56. *Finish a crossword with a spelling error?: GO OFF THE GRID.

82. *Say no to a date?: PASSION FRUIT.

92. *Run-ins with soft cheese?: BRIEF ENCOUNTERS.

108. *Exhale in a game of hide-and-seek?: SIGHT UNSEEN.

115. *Florists who specialize in purple bouquets?: IRISH SETTERS.

Reveal:

130. With this puzzle's circled letters, exercise a certain constitutional right, and how to answer each starred clue: TAKE.

Our blog tag shows this is John's first Sunday puzzle. Congrats, John!

After reading the reveal clue and strung together the message, I still did not get into the 5th letter aspect. Talk about layers. Amazing.

Across:

1. Oldest Simpson kid: BART.

5. Casino convenience: ATM.

8. Model plane wood: BALSA.

13. Motor City pro: PISTON. Detroit Pistons.

19. State with an astronaut on its quarter: OHIO. An early "Happy Birthday" to Jeff of Pepper Pike, Ohio!

20. Aunt, in Acapulco: TIA.

21. Lures: BAITS.

22. "Knock, knock!": I'M HERE.

23. Tactful one: DIPLOMAT. And 93. 23-Across's base: EMBASSY. My former boss James, now a diplomat. Do you like my hair then?

 

James & C.C.

27. Basket maker, e.g.: SCORER.

29. Gibbs of "The Jeffersons": MARLA.

30. Stomped (on): TROD.

36. D.C. VIPs: POLS.

37. Typeface word: SANS.

38. Displace: UPROOT.

39. 3D ring shape: TORUS.

41. Amarillo-to-Austin dir.: SSE.

43. Very small: ITTY.

51. Unknown degree: NTH.

52. Burn soother: ALOE. Was trying to reach a bag of dried white fungi from the cupboard over our stove last week. The hot pot burned my belly button. Ouch. But the soup was good.

54. "Only Time" artist: ENYA.

55. Fervency: ARDOR.

61. "The Hangover" role for Ed Helms: STU.

63. "Eureka!" elicitor: IDEA.

64. Golden Fleece seeker: ARGONAUT.

65. Colleague: PEER.

66. Drawbacks: CONS.

67. Unlikely to be discussed: TABOO.

69. Classic Ford, familiarly: T-BIRD.

71. Takes turns?: SPINS.

73. Credit: CITE.

74. Airbnb alternative: VRBO. Vacation Rentals by Owner. 

77. Twice-monthly shoreline occurrence: NEAP TIDE.

80. Minnesota representative Ilhan: OMAR. 49. "True Grit" filmmakers: COENS. They grew up in
St. Louis Park, MN.

81. Aquaman's domain: SEA.

86. Arctic seal refuges: BERGS. Hello cutie.

88. __'acte: ENTR.

90. Lamb mamas: EWES.

91. Package opening?: PRE. Prepackage.

97. Watery defense: MOAT.

98. "Srsly!?": OMG.

99. Corp. hierarchy modification: RE-ORG.

100. Like: AKIN TO.

102. Fitbit unit: STEP.

106. Darlin': BABE.

111. Posh: LUXE.

112. Not just once: AGAIN.

114. Pan-fries: SAUTES.

119. Took control of, as a competition: BLEW OPEN.

123. Olympic projectile: DISCUS.

124. Sarnia's lake: HURON.

125. Simu of "Barbie": LIU. He was born in Harbin, China.

126. Hostile: UGLY.

127. Tangible thing: ENTITY.

128. Sewing kit item: SPOOL.

129. Mo. before May: APR.

Down:

1. Figure, casually: BOD.

2. Pacific tuna: AHI. Want some?

3. Paper problem: RIP.

4. "War and Peace" novelist: TOLSTOY.

5. Tops: AT MOST.

6. Pageant crown: TIARA.

7. Chum on a boat?: MATEY.

8. Telly channel: BBC.

9. Apt rhyme for spa: AAH.

10. Youngest Hemsworth brother: LIAM. Liam, Chris and Luke.

11. Gets ready for a ride: STRAPS IN.

12. Space City pro: ASTRO. Tony's team.

13. Cubism pioneer: PICASSO.

14. Texter's qualifier: IMO.

15. Closes: SHUTS.

16. Earth, in some sci-fi: TERRA.

17. Director Welles: ORSON.

18. Cries out for: NEEDS.

24. Calle __: street in Miami's Little Havana: OCHO. Learning moment for me.

26. "You're in good hands" sloganeer: ALLSTATE.

28. EGOT winner Moreno: RITA.

31. Taking to court: SUING.

32. Decide one will: OPT TO.

33. Gardening brand: ORTHO.

34. Neither companion: NOR.

35. Ph.D. seeker's test: GRE.

40. Cheaper, perhaps: USED.

42. Hockey great Tikkanen: ESA. Finnish hockey player.

 

44. West End district: SOHO.

45. Many a YA hero: TEEN.

46. Where Ferrari is RACE: NYSE. Very cool.

47. Like business vis-à-vis coach: PRICIER.

48. Extra option: ADD ON.

50. Historical chapters: ERAS.

52. Prefix with futurism: AFRO.

53. Newsom and Hochul, once: Abbr.: LT GOVS. Kathy Hochul, the New York governor.

57. Jeweler to the Romanovs: FABERGE. 96. Many pieces by 57-Down: EGGS.

58. Spanish cat: GATO.

59. Spice mixture: RUB.

60. Turner memoir: I TINA.

62. Bearlike: URSINE.

65. Smartphone precursors, for short: PDAS.

67. Proctor's tool: TIMER.

68. Nintendo rival: ATARI.

70. Hi-__ audio: RES.

72. Many e-forms: PDFS.

73. __ salad: COBB. Do you guys like microgreens?

75. Come back to the table: RE-ENGAGE.

76. Judge's seat: BANC.

78. Fishing spot: PIER.

79. Helps to water-ski: TOWS.

82. Leith of "The Great British Baking Show": PRUE.

83. Barely leading: UP ONE.

84. Seeing red: IRATE.

85. "Grand" peak: TETON.

87. Airport near San Jose, Calif.: SFO.

89. Did exceedingly well: TORE IT UP. Great fill.

94. Many stats: NOS.

95. TNT start: TRI.

97. Skip an epic party, say: MISS OUT.

100. Filmmaker with a distinctive style: AUTEUR.

101. Was sure: KNEW.

102. Playground feature: SLIDE.

103. Italy's first capital: TURIN.

104. Be: EXIST.

105. Joe of "Bupkis": PESCI.

107. Jacuzzis, e.g.: BATHS.

109. "Se __ español": HABLA.

110. Spring bloom: TULIP. So pretty.

113. Fictional sleuth Wolfe: NERO.

116. Modest digs: HUT.

117. Down Under hopper: ROO.

118. NBC skit show, for short: SNL.

120. Tour gp.: PGA.

121. Large deer: ELK.

122. Bill for education?: NYE. Bill Nye.

Some of you might still remember the friendly challenge Splynter and I had back in January. He'd like to lose 10lbs by Easter and I wanted to swim fly for a lap sans fins.

I was able to swim only a length last month and I have not even tried once since then.

Splynter has lost 6lbs so far, He actually lost 8, but gained 2 more back. The most important thing is that he joined CrossFit and he now goes there regularly. So proud of your achievement, Splynter!

Splynter