Thursday, February 17, 2022, Bruce Venzke
hyPe with a Capital "P"
Believe it or not today's constructor Bruce Venzke got his start writing crossword puzzles in
the pool halls of Wisconsin. It's a very interesting story, but I'd
better let him tell it, as related in this
interview with C.C. back in February of 2011. His connections with the Corner run deep.
He joins us today to talk about marketing strategies, ways to
PUSH products and services to
customers. The first word in each of Bruce's themers, as well as the
reveal, begins with a capital P.
20A. Excel on the mound: PITCH A NO HITTER.
A no-hitter is a rare accomplishment for a pitcher or pitching
staff—only 314 have been thrown in MLB history since 1876, an
average of about two per year. Three stand outs in this
achievement are
Nolan Ryan
whose 7 no-hitters are the standing world record;
Don Larsen, who pitched a no-hitter for the Yankees in Game 5 of the 1956 World
Series; and
Roy Halladay, who pitched a no-hitter for the Phillies in Game 1 of the 2010 World
Series against the Cincinnati Reds.
25A. Increase the mobility of, as a checker:
PROMOTE TO KING. A game we
used to play a lot when we were children, but it seems to have dropped from
popularity in recent years. When a checker reaches the eighth row it
is PROMOTED or KINGED, after which it gains super
powers!
Here's how to play.
44A. Do a plumbing job:
PLUG UP THE LEAK. First a CSO
to all the handy men (and any women) who do their own plumbing.
I've done my share of it, but sometimes it pays to hire an expert.
Here's a Wiki article on
the work of a plumber
(check out "Other uses" for recent history for people who plug leaks). If you're looking
for well-paid, steady work.here are typical
licensing requirements.
It's not a job you can just walk into.
49A. Recommend, with
"for," and a hint to the start of 20-, 25- and 44-Across:
PUT IN A GOOD WORD. I think we
should put in a good word for Bruce for a fun puzzle.
Here's
the Grid:
Now let's PUSH on to the rest of the PUZZLE ...
Across:
1. Oktoberfest toast: PROST. A shortened form of PROSIT. The former is preferred in Germany.
6. "Atlas Shrugged" hero John: GALT.
Ayn Rand's Übermensch.
14. Object: DEMUR. Demur? Demure? What's the difference?
17. Patty Hearst alias: TANIA. The Nom de Guerre for
heiress
Patricia Hearst, who was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army in 1974, succumbed to
the Stockholm Syndrome (a medical condition apparently), robbed a bank and was later captured, tried for robbery, convicted, and
sentenced to 35 years in prison. Her sentence was commuted by
President Jimmy Carter, and she was later pardoned by President Bill
Clinton. I don't think the SLA ring leader, Donald DeFreeze, would
have seen eye-to-eye with John Galt.
18. Whammy: JINX. A CSO to our man in Norfolk!
19. Self-named 2000s sitcom set in Texas: REBA. Like Cher,
Adele, and Madonna, when someone mentions REBA you know
who they're talking about.
Reba Nell McEntire, (born March 28, 1955) is an American country music singer, actress and
businesswoman. She is often referred to as "the Queen of Country" (Dolly
fans might dispute that), having sold more than 75 million records
worldwide. Here's her You Lift Me Up to Heaven (lyrics):
23. Blow away: STUN. An alternative to the more frequently used verb
AWE.
24. Steam: IRE.
31. Reclusive sort: LONER.
32. Pin expert?: WRESTLER. Hands up if you thought this was a
BOWLER?
35. Cheerio morsel: OAT. The preferred food for the horses in
OATERS.
36. Court responses: PLEAS. A polite term for "Innocent, Guilty, or maybe Non Compos Mentis, your Honor". A CSO to Susan and Jason. See also 12D ROBE.
38. "Bravo!": OLE.
39. Not as well insulated: DRAFTIER.
42. Weasel cousin: SABLE. This link has NOT been approved by
P.E.T.A.
|
| Sable |
48. Dull-sounding beast: BOAR. A homophone to the noun BOOR: "a peasant or uncultured person; one who lacks in education, knowledge, refinement and social graces". Also to verb BORE, and related nouns and several similar sounding words as well. See also 36D.
56. Malevolent: EVIL. Yes Virginia, it does exist.
57. Equine control: REIN. A homophone for REIGN and RAIN.
58. "The Grapes of Wrath" migrants: OKIES. The Grapes of Wrath is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962.
60. Fool on the ice: DEKE. There was a recent attempt to fool us on the ice at the Winter Olympics, but it wasn't a DEKE:
62. Surge protector?: LEVEE. From the Online Dictionary of Etymology ...
64. "The __ the limit": SKY'S.
65. Bowling unit: FRAME. One of my granddaughters likes to bowl and we often take her bowling on her day out. Nowadays most bowling establishments have an interactive computer screen at each lane to help you keep score. But if you ever go to an old fashioned establishment and have forgotten how to score, you can access this wikiHow through your cell phone.
Down:
1. L.A. is on it in summer: PDT. Pacific Daylight Time. Programming applications sensitive to TIME ZONES in multi-state networks can be tricky. We used to just call a library routine that had all the rules built-in.
2. Do a farm job: REAP.
3. High-end hotel chain: OMNI.
4. "I'm okay with it": SUITS ME.
5. Caterpillar, say: TRACTOR. If you're in the market for one, they've got 'em.
6. Demi Moore military movie: GI JANE. G.I. Jane is a 1997 American war drama film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Demi Moore, Viggo Mortensen, and Anne Bancroft. The film tells the fictional story of the first woman to undergo special operations training similar to the U.S. Navy SEALs. The film did not do well.
8. TV host with more than 300 vehicles: LENO. Jay's vehicles include about 150 cars, most of the rest being motorcycles. Here are some of his most interesting rides.
9. Unpopular raises: TAX HIKES.
10. Sign: PORTENT. Dark clouds often portend stormy weather. "Information on past performance, where given, is not necessarily a guide to future performance".
12. Judicial garb: ROBE. There are apparently lots of variations of "judicial garb" around the globe, with most taking their cues from the British tradition.
13. Go like the dickens: TEAR.
21. Castaway's shelter: HUT
22. Eye part: IRIS. And a song by the Goo Goo Dolls (lyrics). See 50D for more.
25. Walk tediously: PLOD.
26. Sign of crowd approval: ROAR. Or the sound of a crowd: AROAR.
27. Ready to draw: ON TAP. My DIL's brother made a small fortune designing and installing TAP systems for bars. This is one of his competitors.
28. Nobody: TWERP.
29. __ pro nobis: ORA. Latin for "Pray for Us". The congregation's response in litanies of intercessory prayers.
30. Golden __: GLOBE. The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the 105 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television.
 |
| Golden Globe Award |
33. "Boo'd Up" Grammy winner __ Mai: ELLA. A bit of bio about Ella Mai and here's her Grammy winner (lyrics):
34. Strongly suggest, with "of": REEK. See next clue.
36. Animal husbandry facilities: PIG FARMS. You are likely to find lots of 48As there.
37. Moldova currency: LEU. The Romanian leu is the currency of Romania. It is subdivided into 100 bani, singular: ban, a word that means "money" in Romanian. These 20 lei coins are likely to be worth much more than their nominal value:
 |
| 20 lei gold coin from 1870 (21mm diameter, 6.43g weight) |
41. __ loose: free: TURN.
42. Navy nuclear sub class: SEAWOLF. The Seawolf class is a category of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines in service with the United States Navy.
 |
| Seawolf Class Submarine |
43. "Today" weatherman: AL ROKER. Albert Lincoln Roker Jr. (born August 20, 1954) is an American weather presenter, journalist, television personality, actor, author, and producer. He is the current weather anchor on NBC's Today.
45. Some gov't issues: T BONDS. Treasury bonds (T-bonds) are government debt securities issued by the U.S. Federal government that have maturities greater than 20 years. T-bonds earn periodic interest until maturity, at which point the owner is also paid a par amount equal to the principal.
46. Mason's carrier: HOD. The art of bricklaying can be found in every city across America. From homes to large buildings, bricklayers have made a difference to almost every skyline. The key to building such art is the teamwork that comes from the Bricklayers and their Hod Carriers
49. Crosswalk users, briefly: PEDS.
50. Iris layer: UVEA. The uvea (Lat. uva, "grape"), is the pigmented middle of the three concentric layers (Choroid, Ciliary Body, and Iris) that make up an eye. I find the structure of the eye and its integration with the visual cortex via the brain of the optic nerve to be nothing short of miraculous:
51. __ bar: Polynesian-themed spot: TIKI.
52. Many a techie: GEEK. A CSO to all the present and former GEEKS on the Corner.
53. Like many a mechanic's rag: OILY.
54. 1972 Derby winner __ Ridge: RIVA. Not only did he win the 1972 Derby, but owner Penny Chenery credits him with saving Meadow Stables and paving the way for Secretariat to win the 1973 Triple Crown:
 |
| Riva Ridge 1972 Kentucky Derby |
55. Think: DEEM.
59. Call in poker: SEE. I SEE that we've come to the end of this review.
waseeley
Thanks as always to Teri for proofreading and constructive suggestions.
Cheers,
Bill
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