Alex Eaton-Salners

Title: Crazy 8s.  The MEANING? Interestingly, today has meaning to some as well. LINK.

Alex is back with a visual rebus puzzle, like the old Concentration game. The number 8 can be presented in a few ways, with the most common being similar to a sideways infinity symbol. However, one can place a "o" on top another "o," and also create an eight. This puzzle has six down fill, including the reveal, where the word 'eight' is replaced with the visual. Since most puzzles have at least some across fill in the theme, it took a while to see the direction Alex had taken. Knowing my audience I expect a mixed bag of reviews, but I liked it when the light bulb came on. Like most visual puzzles, if you understand what is going on, the rest is easy. For me, seeing so many OO words made the theme and solve possible to suss. There are some uncommon fill, UP SOLD, CLOSEUP, SHUTOUT, AS I SEE IT, OVERRODE, RETROFIT and SAO PAULO.  So many almost religious fill....On with the show:


3D. '70s-'80s show about a big family : OO IS ENOUGH (10). Eight is Enough overcame the death of the actress playing the mother (John Travolta's girlfriend)  Diana Hyland in the first season.

7D. Obsolete audio technology : OO TRACK (7). The eight track player did not last long. HISTORY.

9D. Federal housing assistance program : SECTION OO (9). Section 8 was part of the Housing Act of 1937.

30D. Treasure chest coins represented graphically by two consecutive letters in six puzzle answers (including this one) : PIECES OF OO (10). Pieces of eight explained in the introductory link.

32A. 1875 Alcott novel : OO COUSINS (9). Never read it.

40D. Budget motel chain : SUPER OO (7). We have one NEARBY.  But I like this ONE better.


Across:

1. Short pants? : TROUsers. The only time I have ever seen or heard the abbreviation was in the phrase, "Drop trou."

5. "Gloria in Excelsis __" : DEO.

8. Where JFK, Nixon and Carter served : US NAVY. This was harder than it needed to be because 'where' obscured the answer/

14. Brazil's largest city : SAO PAULO. Sao is the Portuguese version of San in Spanish.

16. Military builder : SEABEE. More Navy as the nickname is a heterograph of the first initials "C.B." from the words Construction Battalion.

17. "In my opinion ... " : AS I SEE IT.

18. MLB single-season recordholder for most hits : ICHIRO. The ageless Japanese star is still playing, now for the Marlins.

19. Skier's destination : RESORT.

20. Musical set in Manhattan's East Village : RENT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLjFGwivFtU

22. Shooting marble : TAW. Like Tiddlywinks and the Monopoly iron, unknown to the youth.

23. "Xanadu" gp. : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra. THE SEVENTIES.

24. Youngest Simpson : MAGGIE.

26. O'er there : YOND(er?)- and now a word from our sponsors: "adverb & adjective archaic
yonder.

28. Somewhat, to Saint-Saëns : POCO. I am confused as S-S was a French composer and musician. 11D. Somewhat : A BIT.

29. Against: Abbr. : OPPosed.

31. Spanish pronoun : ESO.

32. Pen pal's greeting? : OINK. 555!

33. Removes, as a temporary hem : UNPINS.

36. No-hitter, usually : SHUTOUT. But not always.

38. Shot with more detail : CLOSEUP.

39. Hogwarts subjects : MAGICS. Time for Potter break?

40. Ford maverick? : SOLO. Han Solo - the lack of capital "M" made this easy.

41. Windy City transit initials : CTA. Chicago Transit Authority.

42. Blue Shield offering : HMO.

43. Energy field : AURA.

44. Hardy title teenager : TESS. Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented. 

45. Carpathian Mountains locale : EUROPE. The Carpathian Mountains form a 1,500km-long range in Central and Eastern Europe. They stretch west to east in an arc from the Czech Republic to Romania. Wiki.

47. Do diner work : BUS. All restaurants with servers.

48. Roadie's box : AMP.

51. Product made from fermented rice : SAKE.

52. Game typically with 81 squares : SUDOKU. A favorite of many solvers.

55. "Scram!" : BEAT IT. Who can resist this LINK. MORE.

57. Make less vulnerable to earthquakes, say : RETROFIT. Or what Rich does to the puzzles he receives.

59. Straying : ERRANT.

60. Countermanded : OVERRODE.

61. Wee : TEENSY.

62. Muesli bit : OAT.

63. Repairs with turf : SODS.

Down:

1. Russia had one in the 20th century : TSAR. One and only one: Nicholas II.

2. Level, in London : RASE.

4. Induced the purchase of add-ons, say : UPSOLD.

5. "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love," e.g. : DUET. Loved Roberta FLACK.

6. Brother of Peyton : ELI. More Mannings on the way?

8. Employing : USING. Many employees would applaud this honesty.

10. "No thanks" : NAH.

12. Aloe __ : VERA.

13. "That smarts!" : YEOW.

15. Flight-related prefix : AERO.

21. I problem? : EGO.

24. Pyrénées peak : MONT.

25. Mike of "Next Friday" : EPPS.

26. Rural agreement : YES'M.

27. Org. that inspects workplaces : OSHA.

28. Any of 12 popes : PIUS.

33. Uma's role in "The Producers" : ULLA.

34. Squirrel's hoard : NUTS.

35. Escape destinations : SPAS.

37. Fourth dimension : TIME.

38. Essence : CORE.

43. Hunky-dory : A-OK. I believe this was coined by the astronauts.

44. Elizabeth I's line : TUDORS.

46. Shabby : RATTY.

47. "Hamilton" role : BURR. Two weeks in a row.

48. Help with a job? : ABET. Oh, that kind of job!

49. "A __ formality" : MERE. Sounds conflicted.

50. Shave : PARE.

52. Editor's mark : STET.

53. Captain hanged for piracy : KIDD.

54. Pac-12 team : UTES.

56. Salon offering : TAN.

58. Spacewalk initials : EVA. Extra-vehicular activity.

Alex Eaton-Salners,

Title: Look up! It's a bird, a plane - Superman!?! No, sorry, not this time.

Alex E-S makes a quick return to Friday with an imaginative "no clue" puzzle.  Each theme fill is a type of flying machine. Thus, each one becomes an Unidentified Flying Object  as they are flying objects not identified in a clue. This approach requires the solver to get the down fill to get at least one of the theme filled. Because of the difficulty of seeing the theme, the puzzle doe have lots of doable, short fill. He did squeeze in OOMPAHS, CARLS JR.,  BUTT PACK and  HER HONOR. The flying machines are diverse, but otherwise I see no other common element.

18A. No Clue : HELICOPTER (10).

23A. No Clue : GOODYEAR BLIMP (13).

38A. No Clue : BIPLANE (7).

53A. No Clue : HOT AIR BALLOON (13).

61A. No Clue : HANG GLIDER (10).

70A. Area 51 phenomena ... or what five puzzle answers are? : UFOS (4). In the purest sense and not relating to aliens. So how did we get the grid filled.....

Across:

1. Outdo : BEST. Hesitated with best/beat but guessed correctly.

5. So far : TO DATE.

11. "Happy Valley" airer : BBC. I never saw or heard of this SHOW which generated such wonderful reviews.

14. Joie de vivre : ELAN. Interesting as this positive sounding approach to life, can lead to one becoming...

15. Ethically indifferent : AMORAL.

16. Spat ending : ULA. Don't flip over this bizarre clue/fill. Spatula.

17. Dart : FLIT.

20. Friction reducer : OIL.

21. Benin neighbor : TOGO.

22. Most Rwandans : HUTUS. Some of the HISTORY.

27. Snowboard feature : STRAP. No idea; my Colorado son snowboards. I used to ski.

28. Brass band sounds : OOMPAHS. Tuba

31. Money in Miyazaki : YEN.

33. Free org. for law students : ABA. They figure if you join in law school, you stay and pay once you are out in the world.

34. Rob Roy, for one : SCOT. I was fixated on the DRINK for a while, then the book and MOVIE until I left it and came back. The LINK.

35. "Whatevs" : MEH. A regular Corner comment.

41. Poet inspired by the Battle of Baltimore : KEY. Francis Scott, and the Star Spangled Banner. When I saw poet, three letter fill and Baltimore my mind went to Mr. Poe. Or did it?

42. Trapezoid measure : AREA.

44. Brooklyn pro : NET. The current worst team in Basketball.

45. Droop : SAG.  No chance I will say anything here.

47. Home of the "All-Natural Burger" : CARL'S JR. This West Coast Hamburger CHAIN is famous for its raunchy  COMMERCIALS. 

49. Bobby who lost to Billie Jean in the Battle of the Sexes : RIGGS. Bobby was a star who defeated Margaret Court in the first battle of the Tennis Sexes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7vqSm4yIZc

57. Riksbank currency : KRONA. The currency of Sweden's central bank.

59. Flower from the Greek for "rainbow" : IRIS.

60. "Lenore" poet : POE.  And guess who appeared! Not a poem I know well.

64. When repeated, an "Animal House" chant : TOGA.

65. Latin trio word : AMO, amas amat.

66. Epoch when modern mammals emerged : EOCENE. LEARN.

67. Swindle : ROOK.

68. Its debut Apr. 1971 broadcast covered Senate hearings on the Vietnam War : NPR. Imagine, this started in our lifetime.

69. Periods of growth : SPURTS. I am still waiting for mine.


Down:

1. Muddles : BEFOGS.

2. Family name in Jane Austen's "Persuasion" : ELLIOT. Her final Novel.

3. Hand : SAILOR.

4. Explosive stuff : TNT.

5. Lake straddling a Western border : TAHOE. One of the most beautiful places on earth.

6. Tag Heuer competitor : OMEGA. Watches.

7. Sorrow : DOLOR. Latin.

8. "Entourage" agent Gold : ARI. I did not hear much about the MOVIE.

9. Sea follower? : TAC. The airport, Sea-tac. - Seattle Tacoma.

10. Hebrew G-d : ELOHIM. Transliteration is so hard.

11. Infantry equipment carrier : BUTT PACK. LINK.

12. Color on le drapeau français : BLEU. The blue on the flag of France.

13. Animated film primarily set in Radiator Springs : CARS.

19. Some heels : PUMPS.

21. Laid-back : TYPE B.

24. V-J __ : DAY.

25. Taiwanese tea drink : BOBA. We are more used to it being called Bubble tea - Taiwanese tea-based drink invented in Taichung in the 1980s. Most bubble tea recipes contain a tea base mixed/shaken with fruit or milk, to which chewy tapioca balls and fruit jelly are often added. It has been embraced by most Asian restaurants.Various sources and personal experience.

26. Quicken product : LOANS. They started out with accounting software, but are major player in the mortgage field.

29. Plot device? : HOE. Getting it reading for planting.

30. Bachelor pad, perhaps : STY. Men tend to be messing when left alone.

32. Raphael or Leonardo, in fiction : NINJA.

33. __-rock music : ALTernative.

35. Cheese go-with : MAC.

36. Dead-ball __: early baseball period : ERA. Before Babe Ruth.

37. Judge's address : HER HONOR.I am sure this caught all the sexists.

39. Prefix with scope : PERI.

40. Sandwich and Salisbury VIPs : EARLS. Or Grantham.

43. As company : ALONG.

46. Jazz pianist Evans : GIL. The letters were easy, but I never knew of this somewhat TRAGIC man.

48. Play grounds? : STAGES. Very nice misdirection.

50. Disappear : GO POOF. Good thing he aded the F.

51. Bit of baby talk : GOO GOO. Ga Ga?

52. Tiptoes, say : SNEAKS.

54. Backseat driver, e.g. : RIDER. meh.

55. Spiner of "Star Trek: T.N.G." : BRENT. He played the android - DATA - and also appears in both Independence Day movies. ODD.

56. Buenos __ : AIRES.

57. Mongol sovereign : KHAN.

58. Increase, with "up" : RAMP.

62. Hack : LOP.

63. "ER" setting : ICU.

64. Play about Capote : TRU.

Alex Eaton-Salners

Title: What Shakespeare really meant

Today we have our third LAT puzzle from Alex who had his debut here in NOVEMBER and this month he had his NYT debut (2-2-17) and WSJ (2-4-17). I have read his constructor notes for the NYT, LINK, but he gave no personal information. He did show an incredible amount of work and attention to his creative process. My research suggests he is an attorney in California working as in house counsel.

For someone new to creating puzzles, he includes lots of fresh fill such as HALOGEN,  OCARINA, MAGELLAN,  EQUALING, SHOT CLOCK,  BERING SEA, NEAT AS A PIN and ATTENDANCE

The theme is deceptively straight forward as the clue continuity of each being a play by Shakespeare leaves the solver only needing to find a literal definition of the title.

18A. "As You Like It"? : ACCORDING TO TASTE (15). Or as Splynter would say, "chacun à son goût."

28A. "Hamlet"? : SMALL VILLAGE (12). I think of the Pied Piper.

47A. "Twelfth Night"? : JANUARY FIFTH (12). This is outlier, as this play deals with January 5 frivolity and the other fill has nothing to do with the play..

60A. "A Midsummer Night's Dream"? : AIR COOLING SYSTEM (15).This was the hardest for me but the perps got me in the right direction.


Across:

1. New : FRESH. A nice way to begin, making us all happy.

6. Word on a movie ticket : ADMIT.

11. Great white cousin : MAKO. You need to be up on your SHARKS.

15. Like a gymnast : LITHE. Hard to find anything that is not inappropriate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ss183duIfg

16. In perfect order : NEAT AS A PIN. An old timey phrase.

20. Thai currency : BAHT. Married to a Thai woman. this is a complete gimme. They are currently about 35 to a dollar.

21. "Night" author Wiesel : ELIE. A survivor and a man to admire. LINK. He died last year.

22. Summertime treats : ICEES.

23. Berkeley sch. : CAL. An abbreviation clue begets an abbreviation fill. I beleive this is Alex's Law School Alma Mater..

25. Moby-Dick, e.g. : ALBINO. The white whale! Sharks and whales-cool.

32. Bing provider : MSN. Part of the Microsoft family.

35. Fluorine or chlorine : HALOGEN. The dictionary tells us any of the elements fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine, occupying group VIIA (17) of the periodic table.

36. Santa __ : ANA.

37. State tie of New Mexico : BOLO.

38. Name on the cover of "Fear of Flying" : ERICA.  The BOOK. It is the Fifty Shades of Gray of my generation.

39. __ shui : FENG. Also popularized in he 70s.

41. Fix, as a road : RE-TAR.

42. Bill : BEAK. Bird.

43. Web help source : FAQ.

44. Simple wind : OCARINA.



46. Animal in some fables : ASS.

49. What a round increases : BAR TAB. Fun clue, very Friday.

50. Vied (for) : RAN.

51. Diarist Nin : ANAIS. Her name assures her crossword immortality.

54. Island festivity : LUAU.

56. Great Sphinx site : GIZA.

64. It's taken in schools : ATTENDANCE. More good clue/fill.

65. Take care of : SEE TO. It always reminds me of Jean Luc.

66. Go slowly : SEEP.

67. Some expirations : SIGHS. A $20.00 word as the clue.

68. High priests : LAMAS.


Down:

1. Lipo target : FLAB.

2. Costa __ : RICA.

3. Drawing toy in "Toy Story" : ETCH.

4. One keeping track of court proceedings? : SHOT CLOCK. Excellent deception, I was listening to a basketball game on the TV in the other room, otherwise this might have been too hard.

5. 2013 Spike Jonze movie : HER. I enjoyed the film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzV6mXIOVl4

And the parody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQi-5IAKm2A

6. Deep blue : ANIL.

7. Stage of grief : DENIAL.

8. Explorer who named the Pacific Ocean : MAGELLAN. Read all about it. LINK.

9. Tech sch. that filed for bankruptcy in 2016 : ITT. ITT Technical Institute was a for-profit technical institute with approximately 130 campuses in 38 states of the United States. All ITT Tech campuses were closed as of September 6, 2016, and on September 16, 2016, ITT Tech filed for bankruptcy. Wikipedia. Is there more to the STORY?

10. Eastern way : TAO. Last week Yao.

11. Collision repair franchise : MAACO.

12. Alcove near the chancel : APSE.

13. Tool in a legendary electricity experiment : KITE. An interesting Ben Franklin reference.

14. Singles : ONES.

17. "Goosebumps" series author : STINE. R.L., he had a cameo in the movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPAM5f-evIA

19. Dig : DELVE.

24. Simple marine plant : ALGA.

26. City on the Penobscot River : BANGOR. A CSO to Hahtoolah our quotation queen.

27. Food chain letters : IGA. Very popular in rural Alabama and Georgia this was  founded in the United States as the Independent Grocers Alliance.

28. Biblical queendom : SHEBA. All perps and much confusion. .

29. Chincoteague females : MARES.

30. Jennifer Garner spy series : ALIAS.

31. Swaddled one : INFANT.

32. Theme : MOTIF.

33. Pitch : SLANT.

34. Singer Jones : NORAH.

37. Pribilof Islands locale : BERING SEA.

40. Totaling : EQUALING.

41. Tennis nickname : RAFA.  Nadal lost to Federer in the Australian final. It has been an awesome rivalry. LINK.

43. Remote : FAR.

45. Montana player : CYRUS. Hannah - Miley.  I get as fill her often.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt9q8E50jCA

47. Fleece finder : JASON.Well hello Alex- a full fledged major CSO!

48. Lots : A BUNCH.

49. __ curls : BICEP.

51. Some batteries : AAAS.

52. When to call, in ads : NITE. Really? NOW, now now!

53. Commedia dell'___ : ARTE.

55. A long time : AGES.

57. Newsworthy couple : ITEM.

58. Sixth in a series : ZETA.

59. Israeli author Oz : AMOS.

61. Takes too much, briefly : ODS.

62. "Love Story" composer Francis :LAI.  This COMPOSER.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvdJ9cPiJZU

63. Fashionable initials : YSL. We  leave on a fashion note. Please stop by and chat Alex and thank you for your work. YVES was an interesting man.

He embraced his work and succeeded even after he as fired by the House of Dior,

Alex also embraces the challenge of creating a crossword; hope you enjoyed the ride/

Lemonade out.