Duh, I know it's Ground Hog Day but since that is so obvious I'm going to mention the celebration of a different animal for February 2nd. Today we observe National Sled Dog Day that commemorates the February 2, 1925 arrival of the famous dogsled team on the last leg of the relay from Nenana, Alaska to Nome with serum to stop the diphtheria epidemic. Below at the left you see the dogs in Nome with the lead dog Balto. At the right you see the statue in NYC's Central Parkof that lead dog who led the team through a blinding blizzard on that last leg and became a national hero.
Today we get a fun themeless puzzle from our resident den mother and ringmaster, C.C. When I took that left turn in Des Moines a few years ago to go north to Minneapolis, I was carrying precious cargo for her and here you see her wearing it. This shirt makes her a proud, if temporary, Cornhusker. I know it can be dangerous wearing it in Golden Gopher country or in this cold weather but nobody wears it better. I made it through her puzzle today in decent time and, as always, I had fun. For her to know so much about our language after arriving here from Guangzhou, China in 2001 is one thing but to know it at such an incredible level that she can make up fiendish clues blows my mind Now let's see some of the gems she has for us today. Across: 1. Green side: SALAD - I had to abandon my golf green idea for the adjunct to a meal 6. Fruit named for a horticulturist: BOSC - All I can find is that an M. BOSC was the director of the Paris Arboretum when this fruit was developed 10. Target Field athlete: TWIN - Jeffrey Wechsler had "6 Down Target field" recently and the fill was RETAIL 14. Smart timepiece: APPLE WATCH - Mine reminds me of an old Newspaper comic I used to read that some of you are probably too young to recognize
16. "That can't be good": OH NO - The Cigarette Stamp Ring above had better be wary 17. Reason for a case: LEGAL ISSUE - A Florida man got a Quarter Pounder with cheese but didn't want the cheese. So instead of saying, "Quarter Pounder with no cheese" he sued McDonalds for $5M for adding extras he and others shouldn't have to pay for.
18. Neck and neck: TIED - Usually a photo finish
19. Vet: EXAMINE - Some people have rued the day they didn't sufficiently vet people they hired and consequently 23. Refined: HONED that process 20. Chicken __: fast food nuggets: MCBITES. 22. Special nights: EVES - How many people did you have over last night for your Groundhog's Day EVE party? Me too. 24. Hot spot: HADES - One of many euphemisms for H, E, double hockey sticks 26. Ski carriers: GONDOLAS - Fancier than t-bars 29. Jordanian dough: DINAR - The cost of a Big Mac combo meal in Aman, Jordan is DINAR 4.894
30. Disney dog: LADY - C'mon, you thought of the spaghetti kiss with Tramp didn't you? 31. Unpaid assistant in many offices: SIRI - SIRI got me to C.C.'s house for free 32. Weather-sensitive stat, often: ETD - This SWA flight's Estimated Time of Departure should have been delayed because of the icy weather in Omaha two weeks ago that made the plane go off the runway
33. Get ugly with: SNIPE AT - Ain't our government leaders swell? 36. Da Vinci's "The Last Supper," for one: OIL - Leonardo painted the masterpiece on the wall of the refectory in Milan with perspective so it appears to be an extension of the room
37. Policy affecting returns: AS IS. 39. Scrapes (out): EKES - We EKED out a living on $112/wk when I started teaching 40. Beethoven's "Rage Over a Lost Penny," e.g.: RONDO - This RONDO keeps bringing back a theme 42. Tears: RAMPAGES - Upset Saints fans wanted to go on a tear/RAMPAGE two weeks ago 44. Light wash: RINSE. 45. Han River city: SEOUL - The km. markers along and across the HAN River for a half marathon
46. Bits of thread: LINT - Cleaning our dryer's LINT filter is necessary now because laundry can not be 53. Left out to dry: HUNG in our development 47. Resonated, in a way: CLANGED - This field goal kicker CLANGED this kick off an upright
49. Place to find the Silk Road: ASIA MAP - The end of the SILK Road on this map is in Chang'an, China which is now Xi'an, China where C.C. grew up
54. Film with dangerous jobs: CRIME DRAMA - Law And Order did this well on TV 56. Gallic gal pal: AMIE - Your French female friend 57. Game whose heroine was played by Angelina Jolie in a 2001 film: TOMB RAIDER - This must be what a TOMB RAIDER 58. Goes (for): OPTS to wear to work
59. Beachgoers' specs: SPFS. 60. Biblical verb: DOEST - Psalm 86 - For thou art great, and DOEST wondrous things Down: 1. Spring __: SALE - Nah, I've got all the springs I need 2. Pinnacle: APEX - Who will reach the APEX of pro football tomorrow? 3. Org. for women drivers: LPGA - Ladies Professional Golf Association 4. County where the Golden State Warriors play home games: ALAMEDA - Next season the Warriors will move across the Bay to the Chase Center in San Francisco City/County
5. Drops off: DELIVERS - Does your neighborhood have "porch pirates"? 6. Diamond foursome: BASES 7. Some games end in them, for short: OTS - Both NFL Conference championships were settled in OverTIme this year 8. Ugly film: SCUM. 9. Republic in southwestern Russia: CHECHNYA - It's a red 48. Slight amount: DROP in the Russian bucket on this map
10. Pizza roll brand: TOTINOS 11. Cats with light blond coats: WHITE LIONS - It is said there are about 300 left in the wild
12. What an extended thumb might indicate: I NEED A RIDE - Film buffs know Claudette Colbert's raised skirt worked better than Clark Gable's thumb 13. Silent signals: NODS - Be careful at auctions 15. Results of some press releases?: WINES - Famous wine pressing
21. Compact figure?: BOD - I wish my BOD were more compact 24. Makes out too much, say: HITS A SLUMP - A suggestive clue, C.C. 25. Words of reinforcement: AND I MEAN IT - Part of the parental lexicon 26. Looks amazed: GAPES - OMG, he made that field goal!
27. Laudatory lines: ODES. 28. Farm structure: SILO. 29. Prized: DEAR. 30. What an extended thumb might indicate: LIKE 👍 34. Slights: NEGLECTS 35. Half a two-island country: TRINIDAD - Their football association emblem has an outline of their divided island as well
38. Dish cleaners: SPONGES. 41. London locale: ONTARIO - A 2-hr drive from Detroit, Michigan
43. Mo. named for an emperor: AUG - Caesar AUGustus in 8 B.C. 44. Choir elevator: RISER - Did you have to stand on them to sing in your ute? 46. Gentle sorts: LAMBS. 47. First female Asian-American Cabinet member: CHAO - Here is Elaine CHAO, Secretary of Transportation with her husband you probably recognize
50. Crafted: MADE. 51. Home of the Iowa State Daily: AMES - They reported on a riot on the Iowa State University campus during the annual spring VEISHA celebration
52. Split up: PART. 55. Global financial org.: IMF - International Monetary Fund Okay, we'll throw a bone to Punxsutawney, Phil too!
Themeless Saturday by Frederick J. Healy Today on this first day of December, we celebrate National Christmas Lights Day. Depending on your taste, this house is either a wonderful, festive expression of holiday spirit or a prime example of going overboard worthy of Clark Griswold from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. At our little outpost here on the Great Plains, outside lights are illuminated on the day after Thanksgiving although some of our neighbors have had their lights on for over a week which does not seem right to my lovely bride. Some households wait until the first Sunday of advent and take them down after epiphany. Your preference?
Soon after inventing the incandescent bulb, Edison's good friend and partner Edward Johnson strung 80 miniature bulbs together and hung them around the lab at Menlo Park. President Grover Cleveland had strings of these light installed on the White House Christmas Tree in 1895. This ad here shows how the Edison Decorative and Miniature Lamp Department sold their electric product as a safer alternative to using candles on Christmas trees. Today's constructor is Fredrick J. Healy and I have found out that he has had several themeless Saturday puzzles published here in the past few years. Across: 1. Early Greek lyric poet: SAPPHO - SAPPHO of Lesbos was a poet of antiquity whose work is mostly lost. In some circles she has become a symbol of modern feminism 7. Roll by: ELAPSE - Somehow, 50 years have ELAPSED since I started teaching 13. Strong desire: CRAVING. 15. Respectful bow: SALAAM - Cultural coin-flip?
16. Friendly greeting: HEY THERE - A wonderful song from The Pajama Game sung by George Clooney's Aunt Rosemary
18. Eastern religion: SHINTO - The state religion of Japan until 1945 19. Novak Djokovic's org.: ATP - Association of Tennis Professionals 20. Place to gas up for free?: OPEN BAR - that may be accompanied by a 22. Beer __: NUT or two or fifty or...
23. Memorable Gregory Peck role: AHAB - As I recently blogged, Peck said at one time he was embarrassed by his portrayal 25. How work may be done near a deadline: MADLY - I waited until Dec. 23 to bury $100 (in baggies) in Jello for the kids Christmas presents and had to work MADLY to get done. It was great fun to see them eat their way to cash.
26. Drain: TIRE - Didn't you TIRE of the political nonsense in the ads last month? Talk about your obloquy! 27. California's __ Verdes Peninsula: PALOS - Some modest housing on the peninsula
29. '70s radical gp.: SLA - The Symbionese Liberation Army famously kidnapped Patty Hearst where she may or may not have developed Stockholm Syndrome 30. Singer Stefani et al.: GWENS- The first name of the rookie teacher who ran in to tell me to turn on my TV on 9/11/01 during class 31. Reception for champions: THREE CHEERS - Hip, hip... 3X 34. Scrooge types: CHEAP SKATES - In the late 18th century a "skate" in America was a name for mean person. Cheap was later added to compound the felony 35. Fruity treat: BANANA SPLIT - To be eaten, not worn!
36. Jazz guitarist Herb: ELLIS - Remember Jeffrey Wechsler's recent TRELLIS ISLAND 37. Terre dans la mer: ILE - Literally "earth in the sea" (Island) 38. Wetland birds: TERNS. 42. Caffeine-rich seed: KOLA - No Pepsi after 12 noon for me 43. 1960 Random House acquisition: KNOPF 45. Wild way to run: RIOT - A headline about an embarrassing Australian loss to Scotland in Rugby 46. Web crawler, e.g.: BOT - A internet application that can perform repetitive tasks quickly for good or ill. Okay... 47. Hit the skids: GO TO POT - "Theideahereisofchoppingingredientsupintosmallpiecesbeforeputtingtheminthepotforcooking,andfromthiscomes thesense‘beruinedordestroyed'" You're welcome! 49. Pressure meas.: PSI. 50. Designer Pucci: EMILIO - Haute couture is not my cup 'o tea. 52. Traditional Dixie dessert: PECAN PIE - Please keep the pronunciation 54. Comment: REMARKscivil!
55. Reptile named for the warning sound it makes: RATTLER. 56. Stars: GREATS - Norma Desmond, "The Stars are ageless, aren't they?" 57. Death Star "super" weapons: LASERS - What else on Christmas Lights Day?
Down: 1. Award-winning ESPN writer/reporter Jeremy: SCHAAP - I much preferred his sports writer dad Dick Schaap 2. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's first female inductee: ARETHA - Powerful and soulful! 3. Check alternative: PAYPAL. 4. Many a GI: PVT. 5. Old Ritz rival: HI HO - Pitched by an Old TV Character
6. Afternoon hr.: ONE PM - One day at this time, I finally decided retirement was a great option 7. Lamb product: ESSAY - Charles Lamb wrote the ESSAYS but he used the pseudonym of Elia which was the last name of a fellow worker at South Sea House in London
8. Memorable lion suit wearer: LAHR - The lovable Cowardly Lion from Oz 9. 2001 biopic: ALI - Will Smith as The Greatest
10. Burro's baskets: PANNIERS - The Burros laden with PANNIERS The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre
11. Former GM cars: SATURNS - More GM cars will become "former" next year as GM retools for the future 12. Doesn't act well: EMOTES - THere's nothing worse than a ham EMOTING in a turkey 14. Stage makeup staple: GREASE PAINT - This gave us the haunting Who Can I Turn To?
17. Programmer's problem: ENDLESS LOOP - Sometimes you just have to shut the machine off and start over 21. McCormick offering: BLACK PEPPER - A staple in our cupboard for decades 24. Gulf of __: Baltic Sea arm: BOTHNIA - I knew this about as well as I did Gabon last Saturday 😏
26. Modern poster: TWEETER. 28. Trees whose fruit yields a moisturizing butter: SHEAS - More Africa geography: Here a woman is processing SHEA Tree nuts in Burkina Faso
30. Catch on: GET IT 32. Bolted: RAN. 33. Bryan's "Malcolm in the Middle" role: HAL - That's Bryan Cranston as Hal on the left and as Walter White in Breaking Bad seven years later
34. Use a certain two-handed signal: CALL TIME - Making the T with your two hands will indicate a TIME OUT 35. 19th-century women's rights advocate Amelia: BLOOMER- Amelia did not invent BLOOMERS but she wore them and advocated their use in her newspaper so women could dress in less restrictive clothing. Therefore, her name became associated with them.
36. "La Dolce Vita" actress: EKBERG - Ms. EKBERG eschewed Ms. BLOOMER'S apparel in this Trevi Fountain scene from La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life)
39. Flow in small waves: RIPPLE - Seen above 40. More inclined to pry: NOSIER. 41. "M*A*S*H" actor David Ogden __: STIERS - Major Charles Emerson Winchester 43. Screwballs: KOOKS. 44. Kind of point: FOCAL - Did Archimedes really start Roman ships on fire with polished shields reflecting sunlight to a FOCAL point in 212 B.C.?
47. Prepared (oneself) for action: GIRT - I have GIRDED my loins but never did I GIRT them as far as I know 😊 48. "Catch ya later": TATA. 51. A.L. West team, in crawl lines: LAA - The Los Angeles Angels have been referred to as HALOS in these puzzles 53. Some Windows systems: NTS - Sheldon on operating systems
