Saturday Themeless by Greg Johnson
Here we are five days prior to Valentine's Day and we celebrate my wife's favorite food group - Chocolate. Therefore I got a jump on St. Valentine and combined my lovely wife's favorite confection with a sentiment I have maintained through 52 years of marriage.
Our constructor, Greg Johnson may have had some premonition about this as he had this clue today:
9. Flavor that pairs well with chocolate: MINT - I remember when these wonderful treats were 2 cents at the pay station in a restaurant or were free in an upscale eatery.
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Greg Johnson
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44. Unchallenging: EASY - Today's puzzle, unlike most Saturdays, gave up the ghost in a hurry. Now let's see what else Greg, with his wistful expression, has for us today:
Across:
1. In honor of: AFTER - The VFW in my hometown is now named AFTER my friend who died in Vietnam and not the heroic WWI man who no one could remember
6. Site with a Pill Identification Tool: WEB MD - I wonder what this thing is...
11. Tried hard: STROVE.
12. More substantial: MEATIER.
14. Sea of Azov peninsula: CRIMEA - A war described as "notoriously incompetent international butchery"
15. When many photos are taken: AT SUNSET
17. Some therapeutic applications: OILS - A graphic Web Md warning
18. Didn't get in the way of: LET BE
20. Brand with an orange-and-yellow bull's-eye trademark: TIDE
21. Conversation on the go: WALK AND TALK - One of many TV and movie 51. Metaphors, e.g.: TROPES - commonly used TV/movie devices
24. X or Z preceder: GEN.
25. Stella Artois product: LAGER - Their Super Bowl ad got good reviews. Sara Jessica Parker pronounced it "Stella Artwah" and Jeff Bridges said "Stella Artoes"
26. Waiters stand in them: LINES - We waited in line for Ubers not taxis
28. Product of sugar and heat: CARAMEL - People sometimes disregard the middle A like the middle T in dentist
31. Real go-getter: DYNAMO - The motor below is really a electricity generating DYNAMO and could keep my laptop 36. Energized: AMPED up in a storm
32. Retrieved at an airport carousel: CLAIMED - I put a big pink strap around my black bag
33. Pet holdable in one hand: HAMSTER.
34. Critical sounds: HISSES - Appropriate melodrama response when villain appears
35. Took turns: ROTATED - Super Bowl sites are rotated among NFL cities. Next: Miami, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles
37. Cleanser compound: BORAX - Here's a pre-presidential pitchman
38. Saint, in Brazil: SAO.
39. What you'd better have if you miss work: A GOOD EXCUSE
45. Highest Italian peak south of the Alps: ETNA - This map shows it as a lone white dot on Sicily
47. Like yummy desserts, sooner or later: EATEN.
48. Fit to serve: ONE-A - I don't know if the Babe was ever ONE-A but he did register in 1917
49. Separate: DISCRETE
53. Homicide official: CORONER - 85-yr-old David McCallum still plays the CORONER on NCIS
54. Event associated with a blue moon: RARITY.
55. Concrete-reinforcing rod: REBAR - REROD works too
56. Kind of question: YES/NO - Yeah, I sent one as a 13-yr-old. She marked Yes!!
Down:
1. Heart chambers: ATRIA - The educated peeps here can find them below
2. Nonessential decoration: FRILL - Lipstick on a pig?
3. Siberian industrial center: TOMSK.
4. Big event lead-in: EVE
5. What John Wayne and Cary Grant weren't: REAL NAMES - Birthplace of Marion Morrison in Winterset, Iowa
6. Dinner party amenity: WET BAR - I'd prefer a taco BAR
7. Painter's aid: EASEL.
8. A/C letters: BTU - Our old HVAC cwd friend
10. Appoint: DESIGNATE - C.C. has DESIGNATED some great daily bloggers and me
11. Harbor hauler: SCOW - A garbage SCOW in NYC Harbor
12. Brand on Barbie boxes: MATTEL.
13. Cashed in: REDEEMED - Like Green Stamps
16. Stretching muscle: TENSOR - The TENSOR of the fascia lata in red
19. Trimmed, in a way: EDGED.
22. Bay Area city: ALAMEDA - The San Francisco Warriors play in the Oracle or Oakland/ALAMEDA Arena which is the oldest NBA venue.
23. Female R&B group with the '80s hit "I Miss You": KLYMAXX.
27. MIT part: Abbr.: INST- Hmmm... MASS or INST or TECH
28. Of concern to the Weather Channel: CLIMATIC - Our recent departure from CLIMATIC norms has been dramatic
29. Twelve-step helper: AA SPONSOR.
30. Start the day: RISE.
31. Requirement for statistical analysis: DATA ENTRY - Not my dream job
32. Tried to catch: CHASED - She was CHASED but remained chaste
33. Massive group: HORDE.
35. Fan: ROOTER - This fan must have felt horrible when Bama got routed in the National Championship Game this year
37. Flat-topped straw hat: BOATER - Nobody wore one better than this guy
40. Davis with a recurring role on "Grey's Anatomy": GEENA - She was really hard-nosed in that role but GEENA and baseball, gotta love it!
41. Denver's __ Field: COORS - Playing at an elevation of 5,280 ft. can have it issues
42. Remove from the bulletin board: UNPIN
43. Take care of: SEE TO
46. A football field is about 32% larger than one: ACRE.
50. Not take well: ROB - An oft-seen fun fill for larceny
52. Female name that's a body part backwards: RAE - Here's both in this picture
Now put down that Snickers and comment away:
Themeless Puzzle B C.C. Burnikel
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 Park of 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!
