February 18th, 2021 David Alfred Bywaters

 

Today we welcome back David Alfred Bywaters, for a tour around his KITCHEN. It's filled with simple things, nothing you wouldn't find in the Victorian Era (a love of David's):

The themers in this puzzle are MATCHING bookends consisting of things you might discover there, each pair bracketing one of the four long answers.  The reveal is a thing needed by anyone with an old-fashioned GAS STOVE (unless you have one with a fancy electric starter, like Dw's grill):

55. Pilot lighter, and a hint to the four other longest puzzle answers: KITCHEN MATCH. 
Shown are boxes of SAFETY MATCHES, which can only be lit by striking on the box, as opposed to PHOSPHORUS-TIPPED STRIKE ANYWHERE MATCHES.  The latter are considered a FIRE HAZARD.

Here are the utensils and such:

20. "Even dialogue wouldn't have saved that show," e.g.?: PANTOMIME PAN.  [Ouch!]

29. Alpo holder?: CANINE CAN.  Well, a toy CHIHUAHUA maybe.

36. Misleading gossip?: DISHONEST DISH.  Is there such a phrase as LEADING GOSSIP?

44. Face of a petty criminal?: MUGGER MUG.  The term MUG SHOT is thought to derive originally from MUGG, a Scandinavian word for a drinking vessel. In the 18th and 19th centuries, mugs produced in Staffordshire, England were often decorated with caricatures on the face of ceramic jugs. This may have led to the use of "mug" as a synonym for an ugly face.  Here is a typical 19th Century MUG, alias a TOBY JUG.  Looks SUSPICIOUS doesn't he?

But wait, there's more ...

Across:

1. "I __ out!": WANT.

5. Slavic title derived from "Caesar": CZAR.  The Russian version is TSAR. The first one was really TERRIBLE.  In the US the term is often used to denote "a person appointed by the government to advise on and coordinate policy in a particular area", e.g. "America's new drug czar".

9. President born in Hawaii: OBAMA.

14. Wrath, in a hymn title: IRAE.  This is an excerpt from GIUSEPPE VERDI's dramatic setting of the DIES IRAE from his REQUIEM, sometimes called his "GREATEST OPERA".  Like Rock and Roll, it's "MEANT TO BE PLAYED REAL LOUD", but you'd better turn DOWN volume the first time - it gets pretty IRATE.  Expand the screen if you want the translation (it's even scarier than the music!):

15. Syllables from Santa: HO HO.  Santa is always jolly, as you can tell from his girth, because he is frequently eating this homophonous delight:
 

16. Egret, for one: HERON.  Beautiful birds.  We have a lot of Great Blue HERONS in the Chesapeake Bay region. The Great White Heron (closely related to the Snowy Egret) is a truly spectacular bird.

17. Highway reading: SIGN.

18. __ of March: IDES.  That fateful 15th of March.

19. "Good Will Hunting" actor: DAMON.

23. Stir-fry ingredient: SNAP PEA.  Much meatier than the flatter SNOW PEA, which I believe this clue may actually be referring to.  SNAP PEAS, being thicker have to have the strings removed and are usually steamed:

24. Camden Yards player: ORIOLE.   My home town (well, down town) team.  The official name of their stadium is "Oriole Park at Camden Yards".  The stadium proper is adjacent to a massive office building that served CAMDEN YARD, the old B&O railroad station.  The offices are a little beyond the left field fence.  The team LOGO seems to flutter back and forth from ANATOMICALLY CORRECT (my favorite):

to current the one, which is ICONIC and is the favorite of my SIL, who lives next door and is a real FANatic.  She has the second BIRD on a sign in her driveway that says: PARKING RESERVED FOR FANS ONLY.  ALL OTHERS WILL BE TOWED!

28. Golden __: AGER.  I think this means A LOT (note correct spelling) of US, Cornerites!

32. Needlefish: GAR.

34. Guys: MEN.

35. Abbr. after Shaker or Brooklyn: HTS.  Located in OHIO and in NEW YORK CITY respectively.

41. Richard Wright's "Native __": SON.  Richard Nathaniel Wright (September 4, 1908 – November 28, 1960) was an American author of novels, short stories, poems, and non-fiction. Much of his literature concerns racial themes, especially related to the plight of African Americans during the late 19th to mid-20th centuries.
 

42. __ Center: L.A. skyscraper: AON.  The first word that came to mind when I saw this picture was "EARTHQUAKE".  The only words on that topic in this Wikipedia article on the AON were "remarkably slender for a skyscraper in a seismically active area ...:
 

Turns out that was the least of its problems.  When it was completed in 1973 it had no sprinkler system, an oversight that was remedied only after 1988 when this occurred:
 

Five stories were destroyed and had to be repaired, 40 people were injured and one person died.

43. Urge: YEN.  Or Japanese currency with $0.0095 DOLLARS per YEN.

48. Egyptian goddess: ISIS.  She was known as the goddess of the moon. As goddess of life and magic, ISIS protected women and children, and healed the sick. ...
 

51. Anatomical ring: AREOLA.  Not shown in 48A above.

52. Dead Sea Scrolls sect: ESSENES.  They were an obscure Jewish sect during the Second Temple period that flourished from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE. So obscure that some scholars even doubted their existence.  But in 1946 a discovery  near  their  QUMRAN community by the DEAD SEA literally put them on the map (about 45 KM east of Jerusalem).  In a series of 12 caves some Bedouin shepherds, and then later archaeologists, found a collection of lidded clay jars containing many well-preserved scrolls originally from ESSENE libraries.  The collection contains some of the oldest and most complete versions of several books from the Hebrew Bible, especially The Isaiah Scroll.

58. Goes after: HAS AT.

61. Do nothing: LAZE.  My idea of  good time!

62. Hot under the collar: SORE.  See 14A above.

63. On top of things: AWARE.  As in IN THE KNOW.

64. Pentagon measure: AREA.  Floor space = 28.7 acres (116,000 m²) to be exact.  Add 5.1 acres for the central courtyard.
  
65. Lacking depth and width: ONE D.  Geometrically it describes a LINE, which has only one dimension, a LENGTH.  Also a metaphor for shallowness, e.g. one dimensional thinking.

66. Phone messages: TEXTS.  There are also GRAPHIC versions called SEXTS.  Like 51A, there will be no picture with this one.

67. Exec's benefit: PERK.  Aside from the Corner office (hey WE'VE got one of those!) they get free COFFEE too.  And they don't even have to PERK it.

68. Lepidopterists' tools: NETS.  And they use them to catch these:
 

Down:
1. Tiny tufts: WISPS. 

2. "God Is a Woman" singer Grande: ARIANA.  Don't know this song.  Heard of ARIANA, but have never heard her.

3. "Stop badgering me!": NAG NAG.  Stop HORSING around!

4. Camper's supply: TENT PEGS.

5. Wind instrument?: CHIME.  A respite from OBOE.  A clecho to 60D.

6. Belt with 12 parts: ZODIAC.  A band in the the sky 8 degrees on either side of the ECLIPTIC with 12 constellations (Skyway SIGNS) spaced 30 degrees apart (12 x 30 = 360 degrees).  Just think of it as an imaginary LION running across the sky.

7. "I'm standing right here": AHEM.  Well sitting at the moment.

8. Flower with hips: ROSE.  High in Vitamin C.  You can make a tea with them:

 
9. "Phooey!": OH DARN.  Common expression among KNITTERS when they drop a stitch.

10. Brimless cap: BEANIE.

11. Limb with biceps and triceps: ARM.  The biceps and triceps muscles work together to allow you to bend and straighten your elbow. ... To bend the elbow, the biceps contract and the triceps relax. To straighten the elbow, the triceps contract and the biceps relax.  Try not to think about this too much - you might get muscle bound.

12. Low in the field: MOO.  Or the start of a yummy chicken dish.

13. Martin who wrote many of the "Baby-Sitters Club" novels: ANN.

21. Winfrey of HBO's "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks": OPRAH.  Ms Winfrey played Henrietta Lacks. This is a page about her from Johns Hopkins Hospital's website.  I believe there has been some criticism of JHH, that they somehow took advantage of her.  OTOH JHH claims that the HeLA cell line, which was derived from a sample of her blood drawn for a test for ovarian cancer, has been used in research that has saved countless lives (see Frequently Ask Questions in the link).

22. Sharp: POINTY.  Like the BOSS in Dilbert (his HAIR, not his WIT):
 

25. Folk singer Phil: OCHS.  My apologies to anyone who listened to this the last time I got this clue.  His setting of Alfred Noyes' poem The Highwayman is so moving that I am compelled to repeat it, and this is for OwenKL who can still enjoy the verse:
 

26. Wood strip: LATH.  Add an E to the end and you've got a machine tool that can create LATHs from wood.

27. Minnesota twins?: ENS.  A common meta-clue, i.e. a clue contemplating its own nnavel.

30. "May I see __?": diner's query: A MENU.  A real one for once.  And you don't have to worry about drop-downs if you wear a bib.

31. 1980s-'90s game console: NES.  NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM. It's back!  For only $59.99 all you gamers on the Corner can relive your yoot.

33. Find incredibly funny: ROAR AT.  You'll be ROTFL.  Best to do it on a freshly washed floor though.

36. Stern: DOUR.

37. "Bus Stop" dramatist: INGE.  WILLIAM INGE.  I've always thought this guy was Irish, but the surname is Scandinavian actually, and he was from Kansas.  Very successful, winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1953 for his play "Picnic", but he died a tragic death.

38. __ de plume: NOM.  French for PEN NAME.  If you've had a MUG SHOT (see 44A) recently, you can also use it as an ALIAS.  Very posh.

39. Reason-based faith: DEISM. Not the only one though.

40. Available and fresh: IN SEASON.  A favorite of LOCAVORES.

41. Like a wee bairn: SMA.  A diminutive used by"L" averse SCOTS.
 
45. Small racer: GO KART.

46. Select groups: ELITES.  A much abused term, but good glue.

47. Eccentric type: GEEZER.  I thought it connoted an OLD eccentric type, like YT.

49. Pray aloud, perhaps: INTONE.   As hinted at by the second syllable these particular prayers would be CHANTED.

50. It's not for everyone: SECRET.  [Shh!  People are listening].

53. __ preview: SNEAK.

54. Tool storage sites: SHEDS.  Or a shelter from the rain.  This shed shelters our  GAS fired stoneware kiln, complete with PILOT LIGHTS on the propane burners.  The shed attached on the right does hold a tiller, mowers, and gardening tools:
 

56. Thunder sound: CLAP.  So what's the sound of one thunder clapping?

57. Rabbit-like animal: HARE. The perennial LOSER.

58. Bowler, for one: HAT.  The American Indians have a saying: "If your feet are cold, put on a HAT".

59. More than impress: AWE.

60. Jazz instrument: SAX.  A reed instrument (a.k.a. a woodwind) patented by Adolphe Sax in 1846.  He intended it as an instrument for classical orchestras, but for some reason it didn't catch on.  It was later taken up by jazz greats like as John Coltrane and Charlie Parker, who made it one of the most popular solo instruments in jazz combos. A few days before he died, a dear friend of mine, a sax player himself, introduced me to another great, baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan.  Here's his rendition of "The Shadow of Your Smile":
 

 Here's the grid:
 

Cheers,
Bill

p.s. C.C. has a link to David's very interesting website on the right column of this blog.  As I don't think people who are browsing via cellphone can see it, I've included a link here.

waseeley