Thursday, December 9, 2021, Dan Margolis

 

 Stuck in the Middle

The lyrics

Today is the 6th  appearance of constructor Dan Margolis on the Corner, and here's a bit of bio from a review of his first four puzzles for that "other newspaper". 

As this is a Thursday, this puzzle should have a theme, but Dan seems to have hidden it well.  There are no clearly identifiable themers, no stars, no circles, no reveal, and no real pattern discernible in the cluing.  However the usual suspects, the 4 longest fills, seem to contain what statisticians might call a "measure of central tendency", in this case the MEDIAN, which is the value separating the HIGHER half from the LOWER half of a data set, e.g. the count of clues in this puzzle.

20A. Often euphemistic words for lacking employment: IN BETWEEN JOBS. The good news is that the number of people in this situation continues to go down (at least on the day this review was written).

27A. Manhattan attraction: CENTRAL PARK.  The park first opened for public use in the winter of 1859 .  It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed the Sudbrook Park neighborhood about 4 blocks from my home.  Central Park has hosted many events over the years, including this one (here are the lyrics):

44A. Rounding third base after starting at second, say: HALFWAY HOME  For Rush there was just no goin' back (here are the lyrics):

53A. Just plain folks: MIDDLE AMERICA.  I used this 2 weeks ago and it feels just right for this clue:
 

American Gothic
Grant Wood 1930

Just in case you were holding your breaths, the median value for the total clue counts in this puzzle is 37.5.  The total number of clues was 74, thus 37 are below the median and 37 are above it.  Where the below and above values are equivalent, the MEDIAN is the average of the two.

Now on to some useful information:

Across:

1. Guttural interruption: AHEM.

5. Hook or Kirk: Abbr.: CAPT.  The dastardly pirate and one of PICARD's predecessors.

9. Logician's "E": ERAT.  As in Quod Erat Demonstrandum - Latin for "which was to be demonstrated."  The Legal Information Institute defines this as "Often abbreviated as 'Q.E.D'., the statement may appear at the conclusion of a text to signify that the author's overall argument has just been proven" (emphasis added).  Don't believe that for a moment!  In the words of a former President, "Trust, but verify".

13. Rope fiber: SISAL.  One of three common fibers for making rope, the others being HEMP and JUTE.  SISAL is the strongest of the three.  HEMP can be pretty strong too, but not as a fiber.

15. Confidently say: AVER.

16. Earned: MADE.

17. Vintage hue on a photo app: SEPIA.

18. Digital media brand: ROKU.  Pretty much all we watch these days.  ROKU carries all of the major content providers (a.g. ACORN, BRITBOX, HBO, NETFLIX,  etc.) and charges a nominal monthly fee to get them to you.  There may also be a monthly fee for some of the content providers 

19. Plains people: OTOS.  Also spelled OTOES, also called OTOE MISSOURIA, North American Indian people of the Chiwere branch of the Siouan linguistic family, which also includes the languages of the closely related Missouri and Iowa tribes

23. __-pitch softball: SLO.

25. I-5 state: ORE.  The fill for this was not in vein.

26. Liberia neighbor: GUINEA.  Guinea is a country in West Africa, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. It's known for the Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve, in the southeast. The reserve protects a forested mountain range rich in native plants and animals, including chimpanzees and the viviparous toad. On the coast, the capital city, Conakry, is home to the modern Grand Mosque and the National Museum, with its regional artifacts.

31. Petri dish gels: AGARS.  Derived from red algae, AGAR is used not just for microbiological cultures, but in Asia as an ingredient in desserts,  as a laxative, an appetite suppressant, as a substitute for gelatin, a thickener for soups, etc.

32. Former Romanian president: ILIESCU.  Ion Iliescu (Romanian pronunciation: [iˈon iliˈesku] (listen); born 3 March 1930) is a Romanian politician and engineer who served as President of Romania from 1989 to 1996 and from 2000 until 2004.

Ion Iliescu
Looks like a Positive guy

36. Buster Brown's dog: TIGE.  Hand up if you remember the cartoon, which first appeared in 1902.  TIGE, was an American Pit Bull Terrier, thought to be the first talking pet to appear in the comics, and, like that of many of his successors (e.g. HOBBES), his speech goes unnoticed by adults.  Here's Buster Brown and Tige (Tige's the one on the right):

I recall only the Buster Brown who appeared in the early TV show Andy's Gang.  My meme from that one was  "Plunk your magic twanger, Froggy!"   

37. Flat sign: TO LET.  The Brit equivalent of "Apartment to Rent".

39. Alternatively: ELSE.

41. Mosaic piece: TESSERA.  A TESSERA is an individual MOSAIC piece.  This art form dates back at least to 3500 BC.  Perhaps mosaics began as a way of recycling broken glazed pottery.  By cutting the shards into regular shaped pieces, they could be re-assembled as images on walls.  Some of the most beautiful mosaics in the world are made from "micro-tesserae", e.g. the images on the walls of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, which are virtually indistinguishable from oil paintings.  Here is "The Altar of the Navicella", which derives its name from the Gospel narrative of Jesus walking on the water.  Peter is on the left, sinking in the waves as his faith fails him.  This mosaic was copied from a painting by Giovanni Lanfranco (1582-1647):
 

The Altar of the Navicella

43. Pricing word that rhymes with its opposite: STEEP rhymes with CHEAP.

47. Axis foes: ALLIES.  Lest we ever forget.

51. Guffaw sound: HAR.

52. Cue preceder?: PEE.  PEE and CUE are homophones for the letters P and Q.

57. Cream additive: ALOE.  A frequent crossword additive, with three creamy vowels.

58. It may be wild: RICE.  Buying, cooking, and recipes.

59. Union station?: ALTAR.  The number of ways that constructors can hitch this fill into a crossword is amazing.

62. Midday refreshers: NAPS.

63. Inland Asian sea: ARAL.  The depletion of this lake began in 1960 due to the diversion for agricultural use of the two main rivers feeding it.

64. Hospital cry: NURSE.

65. "Time spent with __ is never wasted": Colette: A CAT.  Hello Hahtoolah!
 

66. P.D. ranks: DETS.  DETECTIVES, an abbreviation implied by the clue.

67. Thai money: BAHT. The Thai baht, like the pound, originated from a traditional unit of mass. Its currency value was originally expressed as that of silver of corresponding weight (now defined as 15 grams).

Down:

1. Jenny's offspring: ASS.  HINNY didn't fit.

2. Hustle, quaintly: HIE.

3. Threat to national security: ESPIONAGE.  More than we know, I suspect.

4. Water __: MAIN.

5. "Breaking Bad" bad guys: CARTEL.

6. Swear: AVOW.

7. Short dog, for short: PEKE. 10 Fun Facts about the Pekingese.  This puzzle is starting to go to the dogs.

8. 1969 film remade in 2010 with Jeff Bridges in John Wayne's role: TRUE GRIT.

9. Smiley face with hearts for eyes, e.g.: EMOJI. 😍

10. Betray: RAT ON.

11. Sun-dried brick: ADOBE.

12. Thompson of "Westworld": TESSA.  Rumor has it that "Westworld" is pretty racy.  As we don't subscribe to HBO, I've never seen it.

Tessa Thompson

14. Hercules' dozen: LABORS.  Commit these to memory.  One of them is bound to show up in a puzzle one day.

21. Historic time: ERA. 

22. Zap: NUKE.  I had a lot of nightmares about being NUKED when I was a child, but it wasn't by a microwave oven. 

23. Shoo relative: SCAT.  SCAT has a lot of other meanings, some musical, and some that don't smell so good.

24. Kosher: LEGIT.   This usage is slang for OK or legal.  The term from which it's derived implies "fit or proper as it relates to Jewish dietary law".

28. "__ chic!": TRÈS.  You can still get a FIR if you omit l'accent grave.

29. Dish from which paella evolved: PILAF.  Here's a recipe for RICE PILAF (you can even use 58A).  Here's one for PAELLA.  It's more involved, but makes a great  MAIN course for dinner guests:
 

30. Sierra Nevada, e.g.: ALE.  I prefer "60 min. Dogfish IPA" myself.  I'd take you to their website, but they discriminate against draft age Cornerites who are not yet old enough to drink alcohol.

33. Genesis son: SETH.  SETH was Adam and Eve's 3rd son, born after CAIN the eldest, who murdered his brother ABEL.  Things did not get off to a good start in Genesis.

34. The "her" in Shakespeare's "Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale / Her infinite variety": CLEOPATRA.  From Anthony and Cleopatra, quoting Enobarbus, a friend of Mark Antony, implying that Cleopatra is overwhelmingly attractive to men not so much because of her beauty as because of her fascinating unpredictability and range of moods. Richard Burton found that out the hard way.

35. "I can help": USE ME.  I'm not touching this one.

37. Buzz-creating promo: TEASER AD.  IMHO, all ads are TEASERS, some are just BUZZIER than others.

38. The NBA's Magic: ORL.  Orlando Magic. Circa 12/4/2021 it looks like they could use more Magic.

40. Duel tool: ÉPÉE.  Another piece of vowelful fill often inserted in crosswords, but you wouldn't want one inserted in you. You get extra credit if you fill les accent aigus.

42. Kid-lit poet Silverstein: SHEL.  Sheldon Allan Silverstein (September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American writer, poet, cartoonist, songwriter, and playwright. He was best known for his cartoons, songs, and children's books.
 

Shel Silverstein

43. Iraqi neighbor: SYRIAN.  The citizens may be neighbors, but I'm not so sure about the states.

45. Slangy alternative to walking: WHEELS.

46. Swiss river: AAR.  The AAR (or AARE) river is a tributary of the High Rhine and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland.

47. Range name: AMANA.  ANDES didn't perp. 

48. New Hampshire state flower: LILAC.

49. Parkinson's treatment: L DOPA.  Looks simple enough, but it's a very important player in he metabolism of the brain:

l-DOPA is an amino acid that is made and used as part of the normal biology of some plants and animals, including humans.  l-DOPA is the precursor to several neurotransmitters essential for brain health.  Synthetically manufactured L-DOPA can partially compensate for the failure of the body to produce adequate amounts of the natural substance, which leads to Parkinson's disease.

50. Latin "in other words": ID EST  i.e.,  "That is to say".

54. Suffix for the rich: AIRE. A MILLION here, a BILLION there, and pretty soon you're talking REAL MONEY.

55. Future doc's exam: MCAT.  The Medical College Admission Test® (MCAT®) is a standardized, multiple-choice examination designed to assess ones problem solving, critical thinking, and knowledge of natural, behavioral, and social science concepts and principles prerequisite to the study of medicine. 

56. Black card, maybe: CLUB.

60. Bat wood: ASH.

61. No longer working: Abbr.: RET.  Don't let anyone tell you that when you've retired you won't have anything to do!  My secret is to take a 62A every day.

Here's the grid:

There weren't very many opportunities for music in this puzzle, so I'm exercising my reviewer's license to finish with this Italian/English paean to happy endings (here's an all English translation).

And as always, special thanks to Teri for proof reading and constructive suggestions.

Cheers,
Bill