Monday, May 5 - Stella Daily and Bruce Venzke

Stella Daily and Bruce Venzke team up again for today's puzzle. Unless they had one during my short-lived sabbatical, their last joint venture was the soap puzzle a few months ago.

Today's theme answers all end with words that rhyme:

20A: Tourism bureau's offering (welcome packet).

28A: It's swung at Wimbledon (tennis racket).

48A: Pesky wasp (yellow jacket).

58A: It helps determine how much tax you owe the I.R.S. (income bracket).

In addition to theme answers, there were a couple of good long ones...11D: Become acquainted with (get to know) and 34D: Noted performing arts school (Juilliard). In a recent post, Harris at water and waves mentioned a book called "The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music" by Steve Lopez. It's a story about a former Juilliard student who ends up homeless because of mental illness...definitely at the top of my must-read-soon list.

Other favorites:

1A: Meat featured in a Monty Python musical title (SPAM).

9: Popeye's creator E. C. __ (Segar).

16A: Singer Cara (Irene).

17A: Difficult burden (onus).

36A: 1983 Barbra Streisand title role (Yentl)...it's appearing often enough that it should be a gimme for most.

37A: Notes in a poker pot (IOUs).

54A: Clears an Etch A Sketch, e.g. (erases)...had shakes at first.

64A: Venus de __ (Milo).

66A: Airs, in Latin (aurae).

1D: Vermont ski town (Stowe).

4D: Yale's bulldog, e.g. (mascot).

5D: Small amount of cash saved for an emergency (mad money). My mad money stash is only used for emergencies...you know, when I'm badly in need of a pedicure or other pampering.

9D: Time off from work with pay (sick day). I hope I don't have to take one tomorrow. I've spent the day in bed, sleeping on the couch, and reading in the big chair...I don't feel as achy but I'm still coughing.

27D: Canonized fifth-century pope (St. Leo). If we're looking at a canonized pope, it has to start with ST...and I don't know of any other three-letter popes.

41D: Become established (take root).

44D: Targets of Raid (roaches). Not a favorite word at all...I don't know why I feel compelled to include it. Definitely not an answer that gets a picture. Ick.

51D: Bit of strategy (tactic).

55D: Smidgen (skosh)...I've always liked both words.

61D: Unidentifiable mass (blob)...brings to memory the old Steve McQueen film of the same name. Now that was some good acting.

I just read through some down clues that I completely missed. 22D: Mercury or Saturn, but not Venus (car), 30D: Classic toothpaste brand (Ipana), 38D: "My gal" of song (Sal) and 60D: Country whose name is an anagram of 10-Down (Eire / Erie).

That's it for today. Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Tuesday, January 15 - Stella Daily and Bruce Venzke

Stella Daily and Bruce Venzke pair up for another puzzle. This time, though, they skipped the puns that made many of us groan on Sunday.

The theme is revealed at 71A: This puzzle's theme (soaps). The theme answers are multiword answers...the first word of each is the name of a brand of soap.

17A: Joie de vivre (Zest for life). I don't speak French, except for that lovely expression. It looks beautiful, and it sounds beautiful...even when I say it.

63A: Speaking manner (Tone of voice).

11D: Lofty place for an academic (Ivory tower).

29D: Its academy is in New London, Conn. (Coast Guard).

I remember something about each of these brands...either how they looked or how they smelled, with one exception. I remember everything about Ivory, the soap I grew up using...99 and 44/100% pure. The truth is, it's a pretty caustic soap, and I wouldn't use it today. Tone, on the other hand, was made with cocoa butter...I remember using that during my teen years.

All of the theme phrases were good and haven't appeared in the puzzle on a regular basis...if they have at all. Other interesting fill:

14A: Singer Davis with the 1998 hit "32 Flavors" (Alana). I'm not familiar with the song. I don't recall her, either, but her name came to mind for some reason.

20A: Accomplish (achieve)...always good to have a V in the grid.

21A: Star-related (astral). I'm glad to see it referring to a real star as opposed to a celebrity...or a celebrity who's fallen. Nice tie-in with 54D: Super stars (novas).

23A: Prank player (rascal). I especially love its cross with 9D: "Our Gang" kid (Alfalfa)...that Little Rascal.

26A: "South Park" kid (Kyle). I've never seen the show...only got his name from crosses. The only other South Park kid I know is Kenny, and that's from a puzzle several months ago.

31A: Speed-happy driver (leadfoot). That would not be me.

33A: Book in which the first Passover occurred (Exodus).

44A: Singer Pinza (Ezio). Another one I needed crosses to get.

46A: Popular setting for a wedding (gazebo). And how cool is it that Z appears in consecutive words in that row? There's also a noteworthy cross at 42D: First drug approved to treat AIDS (AZT)...short for azidothymidine.

47A: Fantastically wonderful (to die for). That's how Scar describes the surprise waiting for his nephew, Simba, in "The Lion King." Poor Mufasa dies trying to save Simba, but we all know that Scar gets his in the end.

51A: Daughter of Czar Nicholas I or II (Olga)...crosses again.

53A: Arctic bird (puffin). This is a sign that used to be posted in my office...back in the days when people could actually smoke in an office building.

57A: Diner sign filler (neon gas).

6D: Lombardy province or its capital (Varese). A tough word for a Tuesday puzzle, but the crosses made it gettable.

45D: 90210, for Beverly Hills (zip code).

49D: Significant (of note).

Several crossword favorites in this one...1A: Some charity fundraisers (galas), 11A: Org. with a code (IRS), 19A: Lab eggs (ova), 36A: Middle-earth meanie (orc), 66A: Go wrong (err), 69A: Newsman Koppel (Ted), 70A: Fix, as laces (reties), 8D: CBS forensic drama (CSI), 25D: Kerfuffles (ados), 28D: Highway toll unit (axle), 34D: Preowned (used), 37D: Singer McEntire (Reba), 51D: Four duos (octet) and 52D: Peter of "M" (Lorre).

55A: Newswoman Katie (Couric). I've always admired Katie Couric...for her strength during her husband's illness and her courage after his death (and her sister's). Here's a reason to just plain like her.

That's it for tonight. Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Sunday, January 13 - Stella Daily and Bruce Venzke

I can't imagine constructing a puzzle...but I really can't imagine constructing one with someone else. This is the third joint effort by Stella Daily and Bruce Venzke since I started this blog...the last one was in September.

I'm fairly easily entertained, and I love a good pun, but this puzzle...Baby Talk...had some that made ME groan. Once I caught on to the theme, though, it was somewhat easier to get most of the theme answers. One exception...more about that later.

The eleven theme answers are in-the-language phrases...but the L sound has been replaced with W...baby talk. The new phrases are then cleverly clued.

28A: The old frontier you and I don't remember? (west we forget). I don't know why, but I found this funny...and one of the top three clues/answers.

45A: Climate that's copy-protected by law? (patent weather). Hmm...this one, too.

65A: Merlin on an Imax screen? (giant wizard).

89A: Eyelid moistener at a museum? (Art Winkwetter). The very last one to fall, and the one that elicited the loudest groan. Must have been the double W.

107A: Rouse a beloved English queen? (Wake Victoria).

3D: Better half takes the stage? (wife goes on).

6D: Married in error? (wed astray)...one of the top three clues/answers.

16D: Tush made of shuttle thread? (weft behind). It helped to have a little knowledge about weaving...warp and weft are the two to remember.

69D: Stick one's foot in Chardonnay? (toe the wine).

75D: Development of amnesia? (memory wane)...the best theme clue/answer.

81D: Fabric that needs serious mending? (sick weave).

Some of my favorite clues...20A: Bean town? (Lima), 38A: Donkey Kong, for one (ape), 49A: Ralph Nader and Ross Perot (also-rans), 73A: Lose one's marbles (go mad), 96A: Asian school of thought (zen), 105A: Mover left or right (arrow key), 113A: Buggy drivers (Amish)...no S at the end of that one, 11D: Able to be followed (coherent), 25D: Grabbed surreptitiously (swiped), 34D: Not just ask (coerce), 47D: Didn't walk or go by subway, say (took a cab), 51D: Enjoy the theater (see a show) and 65D: 3.5, e.g.: Abbr. (GPA).

There were several things I didn't know and wouldn't have gotten without crosses.

7A: Kind of jacket (flak).

27A: Mark who won the Masters and British Open in 1998 (O'Meara).

35A: __ d'amore (oboe). Maybe someone can explain that.

60A: Like some grasses (awned). Here's a picture of awned canary grass.

82A: F.B.I. director appointed by Clinton (Freeh).

116A: National airline of Afghanistan (Ariana). That sounds vaguely familiar...like maybe I knew it at one time.

5D: "S.N.L." alum Cheri (Oteri)...must have been after I stopped watching it.

44D: Harriet Beecher Stowe novel (Dred). I only know "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

48D: __ Epstein, Red Sox G.M. starting in 2002 (Theo).

61D: Painter Mondrian (Piet). This is one of more subtle pieces I found.

63D: Former Israeli president Weizman (Ezer).

79D: Illustrator for Charles Dickens (Phiz)...knew that once but forgot.

Some of my favorites:

23A: Like some titmice (tufted)...because I love birds. I thoroughly enjoyed my day at home and spent at least two hours just watching birds at the feeders and playing in the snow.

30A: Is covered in dew, perhaps (glistens).

53A: Sound from a fan (whirr). In the past, that clue has referred to fans in a crowd at a sporting event...like cheer.

57A: Richness (opulence). It's just a beautiful word.

78A: What to follow in the forest (foot path).

117A: Coca-Cola trademark (Fanta).

120A: Boasts of (vaunts)...not a word I hear often, but I knew it. And liked it.

124A: Tangle up (in) (enmesh).

4D: Christmas on Capri (Natale).

12D: Bath scrubber (loofa)...I usually see it with an H at the end, but either one works.

76D: In __ (stunned) (in a daze).

84D: Bequests (legacies).

91D: Tricks (knavery). KN words are among some of the best ever.

I can't believe I fell for 46D: Elite (A-list). I thought I was past that...and it came along again and tripped me.

I didn't know 83A: Jimmy of DC Comics...but guessed Olsen. I remember him from Superman on TV in my younger days, but I didn't know he had his own comic book...little Jimmy Olsen.

I've scrapped the idea of picking up the car tomorrow. Things only got uglier, and I'm not up for more conflict. I wish that this had never happened. It's a bad situation...seriously bad.

I'm beat and ready to call it a night. Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

September 19 - Stella Daily and Bruce Venzke

Before I go any further, I want to wish my younger brother, Tom, a very happy birthday. You might think that I just did that two weeks ago...but that was Michael, the older of the two. Growing up, I thought it was funny that they were one year and two weeks apart. Now I just feel sorry for my poor mother. Tom is spending his birthday in Las Vegas. He's one of the few successful gamblers I know. Happy birthday, Tom.

And now...on to the puzzle.

This isn't the first time that Stella Daily and Bruce Venzke have paired up to construct a puzzle, although it's been a few months since we've seen one. Until just this minute, I thought this was a themeless puzzle...but the theme just jumped out at me.

Baby animals.

18A: "Pretty Woman" and "Waiting to Exhale" (chick flicks).

28A: Actor who got his start on TV's "Gimme a Break!" (Joey Lawrence). This was the one that confused me. I totally spaced that a joey is a baby kangaroo.

48A: Shooter of westerns (Colt revolver).

62A: They're exercised when cycling (calf muscles).

The theme answers were relatively easy, but some of the non-theme answers had me stumped. I absolutely did not know 12D: Clinton adviser Harold (Ickes). I don't know why I thought Frisky was a dog...maybe because ours have been frisky with the recent cooler weather. Anyway, I had catnap for 8A: It makes Frisky frisky, rather than the correct catnip. They guy could have easily been Harold Ackes. In fact, that sounds like a much better name to me.

Other stumbling areas were remedied by crosses. I wasn't familiar with 45A: Hit Sega title character (Sonic), 55A: Gladly (leif), 67A: Opera's __ Te Kanawa (Kiri), 68A: Useful insect secretion (lac)...that's icky (57D: Totally gross)..., 21D: Old Turkish title (Bey), 25D: Fashion designer Elie (Saab), or 29D: Land on the end of a peninsula (oman).

Tripped over 47A: Gene material (RNA). Had DNA originally, which was making it near impossible to get an answer for 35D: With shaking hands, perhaps (nervously).

There were some excellent clues and answers in this one. My favorites include 26A: Like harp seals (earless), 40A: Archie Bunker, famously (bigot), 59A: Part of a metropolitan area (exurb)...I only got this because we just had it..., 70A: It's hard to believe (yarn), 3D: It's embarrassing to eat (humble pie), 10D: Those who don't behave seriously (triflers), 11D: Mother-of-pearl (nacre), and 39D: Automatic-drip machine maker (Mr. Coffee).

I just realized I'm doing the head-bob as I sit here, so I guess that means it's time to wrap it up and head for bed.

Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

Thursday, August 30 - Victor Fleming and Bruce Venzke

I recognize the names of both of these constructors, but I don't recall seeing a joint effort between the two of them.

Their questions for us today are...who, what, where and when? In that order:

61A: End of a line about "friends" (...who needs enemies).

12D: "Huh?!" (What in tarnation!). That's not something I would say, but I can picture a cartoon character saying it. I was able to figure it out anyway, so I must have heard someone say it.

17A: 1961 Connie Francis hit (Where the Boys Are). Sometimes it just pays to be this old. A 15-letter gimme is a nice way to start a Thursday puzzle. It wasn't just a song...it was also a movie about spring break in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, very close to where I lived.

3D: 1952 Doris Day hit that was an even bigger hit for the Lettermen in 1961 (When I Fall in Love). Okay, I'm not old enough to remember it by Doris Day, but I do remember the Lettermen. According to Wikipedia, it was recorded by almost everyone. Another long gimme.

Some of the fill is nothing short of terrific.

15A: Dig up (exhume). That's not a word you see in puzzles every day. It crosses with 2D: Thrill (exhilarate), another good word.

16A: Vicious sorts (piranhas). Whenever I hear the word, I think of the scene in Tarzan...the little elephant who worries that there are piranhas in their watering hole.

19A: Up to no good (sinister). Could have been clued, "like Snidely Whiplash."

37A: Eponymous rink jump (Salchow). I never remember how to spell it. The jump was named for its inventor, Ulrich Salchow.

44A: __ Beach, Fla. (Delray). It could have been confusing for some that Florida was abbreviated. For those of us who lived near there, it was simply called Delray...Beach was redundant.

4D: __ Acid (old name for hydrochloric acid) (muriatic). Why would they have to change the name of an acid? Here's everything you wanted to know about it but were afraid to ask.

I'll have to brush up on my Jewish months. I would never have gotten 25D: Passover month (Nisan) but for the crosses.

Pretty clever clues to pep up some of the 3-letter answers: 24A: Madras title (Sri); 36A: Gore follower (tex); 50A: Long on screen (Nia).

55A: Children's author/photographer Alda (Arlene). Many years ago, I read that Alan Alda had surprised his wife, Arlene, with a trip to...somewhere like Paris. He'd arranged with her assistant to clear her calendar, had all her clothes packed...he'd taken care of everything. Fast forward more than twenty years. I remembered her name and guessed that she was a children's author and photographer.

Did not know 40D: One of the men waiting in "Waiting for Godot" (Vladimir). Once I had the VL in place, though, it was pretty easy to guess what should follow.

There were plenty of multiple word answers in the puzzle.

7A: En route (on the way). Good guess that panned out, although I missed the cross at 7D: Be in charge of (operate). I had oversee until it just wouldn't work.

32A: Hold 'em challenge (I raise). I know zero about the game, but I figured there were bets involved.

58A: "Here, I can help you" (permit me). That sounds like pretty fancy talk. I'd just say, "Here, I can help you."

63A: Not be honest about oneself (live a lie). I'm sure I've seen this phrase in a puzzle in the past, clued pretty much the same. But it works.

65A: Derides (sneers at). One of those where you initially might have put an S at the end. I know I did.

66A: Become, as mush (turn to). That's what my banana did in my tote bag the other day. Great cluing there.

I can hardly keep my eyes open another minute, so I'll call it a night.

Here's the grid. For the third night in a row, it's 100% correct.



See you tomorrow.

Linda G

Wednesday, May 23 - Bruce Venzke/Stella Daily

Wednesday's puzzle features a four-part theme answer, beginning with 21A: Start of a quip from a hunter.

I tried to buy/a camouflage suit/but I couldn't find/one anywhere

I generally struggle with quips, but this one was fairly easy to work out. No extremely difficult fill, either.

I definitely didn't know 24A: Composer Rimsky-Korsakov (Nikolai), but once I had a few letters in place, it was easy to infer the rest.

3D: Neil who wrote "Stupid Cupid" (Sedaka). My mother and I both liked Neil Sedaka back in the day, so that one was a gimme.

5D: Delta follower (Epsilon). For some reason, that's one of my favorite Greek letters.

9D: Slave's state (bondage). I would have preferred to see it clued in relation to this.

Enjoyed seeing 43D: "Geez Louise!" (Holy Cow). I typically use juicier words, but that struck me funny.

49D: Kind of statement, to a programmer (if then). That one was superb.

60A: Word repeated in a Doris Day song (sera). What will be, will be.

Amy is in the puzzle again, clued as "Little Women" sister (29D), as is Rex. Well, maybe his alter ego -- at 23D: Fearsome dino (TRex).

On that note, I'm wrapping this one up. For additoinal commentary, click on the above links, or check out Donald's commentary.

Linda G