Showing posts with label Doug Peterson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Doug Peterson. Show all posts

Jan 30, 2019

Wednesday, January 30, Doug Peterson

Theme: Break Wind. The last word of each theme answer can precede "wind."

17. Blink of an eye: SPLIT SECOND. Second wind.

24. "The Life of Pablo" hip-hop artist: KANYE WEST. West wind.

38. Comb and scissors, to a stylist: TOOLS OF THE TRADE. Tradewind.

50. Tucked-in clothing part: SHIRT TAIL. Tailwind.

62. Musical ensemble ... or what the ends of 17-, 24-, 38- and 50-Across comprise: WIND QUARTET.

Melissa here.  Good morning, we made it to mid-week, greeted by another clever Doug Peterson puzzle.


1. Arrangement holder: VASE.

5. Pursues with bloodhounds: TRACKS.

11. Pampering, briefly: TLC. Tender loving care.

14. Mideast airline: ELAL.

15. Ace, in poker: BULLET. From Making a bet in poker is often called "firing a bullet." Firing two bullets (leading on the flop and turn) when bluffing is a move that successful players make, but it is something that should only be done occasionally.

16. That lady: HER.

19. Poison __: villain in Batman comics: IVY.

20. Tip of a wingtip: TOE CAP

 21. Oprah's channel: OWN.

22. Quick cut: SNIP.

23. Former Soviet orbiter: MIR.

26. Half-brush partner: DUSTPAN.

29. Old AT&T rival: GTE.

30. '60s pigskin org.: AFL.

31. Grows faint: DIMS.

34. Hank with 755 homers: AARON.

42. Sean of "Stranger Things": ASTIN.

43. In any way: EVER.

44. Bakery order: PIE.

45. Aunt, in Andalusia: TIA. Andalusia is in southern Spain.

47. Flat-lying volcanic flow: LAVA BED.

55. __ heartbeat: IN A.

56. Formally surrender: CEDE.

57. Did some laps: RAN.

58. Put into gear?: CLOTHE. All perps.

61. Liquid in a drum: OIL.

64. Lyrical tribute: ODE.

65. Periodic reviews: AUDITS.

66. "M*A*S*H" star: ALDA. Hawkeye, ordering a martini:

67. "Deck the Halls" contraction: TIS.

68. Inky goofs: SMEARS.

69. Set in a purse: KEYS. Sneaky.


1. Suit piece: VEST.

2. Gravy Cravers pet food brand: ALPO. I saw Gary Cravers and couldn't figure out who he was and why he had his own pet food brand.

3. Stephen King novel featuring vampires: SALEM'S LOT.

4. Draw forth: ELICIT.

5. Butter amt.: TBSP.

6. Kick oneself for: RUE.

7. Major maker of can material: ALCOA.

8. Rodeo __: CLOWN.

9. Saxophonist with 17 Grammy nominations: KENNY G.

10. Normal: Abbr.: STD. Standard.

11. Your, old-style: THINE.

12. Wranglers competitor: LEVIS.

13. Chamber in a vampire movie: CRYPT.

18. Pool protector: TARP.

22. Get bleeped, maybe: SWEAR.

24. Item in a kitchen block: KNIFE.

25. Coup d'__: ETAT. French origin, literally 'blow of state.'

26. Pollster's collection: DATA.

27. Aerial enigmas: UFOS.

28. Hurly-burly: ADO. Oscar Hammerstein's lyric for the song "Honey Bun" in South Pacific: "Her curls are hurly-burly." 

32. "Total Request Live" network: MTV.

33. Seaside souvenir: SHELL. It is increasingly common to see rules against collecting shells, due to "unintended environmental repercussions."

35. Competition where rhymes are exchanged: RAP BATTLE.

36. Garfield housemate: ODIE.

37. Have to have: NEED.

39. Petrol purchase: LITRE.

40. Tizzy: SNIT.

41. Cy Young Award winner's stat: ERA.

46. Naturally lit courtyard: ATRIUM.

48. Home improvement guru Bob: VILA.

49. Fur-lined jacket: ANORAK. Also, according to Wikipedia, "British slang which refers to a person who has a very strong interest, perhaps obsessive, in niche subjects."

50. Hurry along: SCOOT.

51. "America's Got Talent" judge Klum: HEIDI.

52. Lazes around: IDLES.

53. "Storage Wars" network: A AND E.

54. "The Jungle Book" setting: INDIA.

58. Get bleeped, maybe: CUSS.

59. Actress Lamarr: HEDY.

60. Flight sked info: ETAS.

62. "That __ close!": WAS.

63. NFL period: QTR. Quarter.

Aug 25, 2018

Saturday, August 25, 2018, Patti Varol and Doug Peterson

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Patty Varol and Doug Peterson

What could be a better followup to yesterday's ICE CREAM puzzle by Jeffrey Wechsler than a day that celebrates one of the true delights made with it? 

Latrobe, PA is famous for being the home of golfing legend Arnold Palmer but in 1904 an apprentice pharmacist in Latrobe, David Strickland, invented a banana triple ice cream sundae that sold for a dime which was twice the price of other sundaes and it was a huge hit. Strickler bought the drug store and although his invention endures, the building was torn down years ago.

Latrobe is celebrating The Great American Banana Split Festival yesterday, today and tomorrow with many events. I wonder if anyone washes down a banana split with an Arnold Palmer? 

On this day celebrating this legendary sweet treat, Patty Varol and Doug Peterson have concocted this lovely puzzle that entertained me greatly but took 23 minutes before I could put the cherry on top! Patty is our esteemed editor Rich's very able assistant as well as being a constructor herself and I have received some great feedback from her and some "thanks, but no thanks" notes as well. I blogged a puzzle Doug constructed with Neville Fogarty this past February.
Patty Varol                    Doug Peterson
Let's see what else Patty and Doug have for us today as this (soda) jerk tries to make sense of it:


1. Knot remover: NECK RUB 

8. Not pointless?: ON TOPIC - Politicians always steer debate back to their talking points rather than staying ON TOPIC

15. Took too many courses?: OVER ATE - We had Thanksgiving FOOD COMA recently which could include the portmanteau 21. Hybrid roast: TURDUCKEN (a deboned chicken stuffed into a deboned duck stuffed into a turkey)

16. "Marvelous": HOW NICE.

17. Sent along: RELAYED - Norman Rockwell captures Americana as well as anyone

18. One pulling his weight around Christmas: BLITZEN  - But neither he nor his friends would let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games

19. Caper: ANTIC.

20. Stuff on the deck: STAIN - After 15 years we have given up on STAINING and a 37. House coat: PAINT JOB and so we are installing a synthetic deck this week

22. Proactiv target: ZIT.

23. European underground nickname: THE TUBE.

25. Forbids: BANS.

26. Flood insurance, once upon a time: ARK - Professor Paul Esperante and others believe this could be the remains of Noah's ARK in Eastern Turkey near Mt. Ararat

29. Copycat's talent: APERY - I suppose... 

30. Alley goop: TAR - I like the play on Alley Oop! 

31. Toasting candidate: RYE BREAD

33. Grizabella the Glamour Cat's solo: MEMORY - It is the show stopper from Andrew Lloyd Weber's Cats

36. Single from Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks": TANGLED UP IN BLUE - Has never crossed my turntable, CD player or MP3 device

38. Some navels: INNIES.

39. Puerto Rico's __ de Morro: CASTILLO - CASTILLO (San Felipe) de Morro 

40. Hosp. sections: ERS where they are prepared to 58. Do an inside job?: OPERATE if need be

41. Warehouse supplies: SKIDS.

42. Darn things: SEW.

43. Vince with 18 CMA Awards: GILL - Not familiar with any of Vince's work that got him those Country Music Awards

45. Lacking versatility: ONE NOTE - Can you decipher this equivalent phrase? (* answer below grid at end of blog)

47. Raised eyebrow, e.g.: ARC.

48. Nine Inch Nails founder Reznor: TRENT - Okay

49. Stomach: ABIDE - Do you, like me, no longer ABIDE things you did years ago?

53. Brewery sugar: MALTOSE.

55. Where old records may be kept: JUKEBOX - Five plays for a quarter in my 6. Sporty truck, briefly: UTE (Yeah, I know it's a Utility Vehicle but I couldn't resist)

57. Congo line?: EQUATOR - Here are people in the Democratic Republic Of Congo (formerly Zaire and Belgian Congo) standing on said line

59. Fair rewards: RIBBONS - Granddaughter got many purples at the Lancaster County Fair this year

60. Small restaurants: BISTROS.


1. "Brothers & Sisters" matriarch: NORA - NORA is played by...

2. Square: EVEN - Game sevens are played when the series is EVEN at three games apiece 

3. Gael, for one: CELT

4. Nocturnal Asian snake: KRAIT - India's deadliest, 10X more poisonous than a cobra

5. Singer ranked #10 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time: RAY CHARLES - Too many hits to pick a favorite but this one always moves me

7. Framework for retiring: BED STEAD - No IRA here

8. "Yowza!": OH BABY - Sounds like a Ray Charles lyric to me

9. "Honestly!": NO LIE - Truman won??

10. Matching: TWIN - The TWINS and their mother - Joyce, Martha and my bride  Joann

11. Toronto's prov.: ONT - Would you do The Edge Walk from the 1800' foot tall Toronto, ONTARIO CN tower?

12. Party bites from the toaster oven: PIZZA ROLLS - A fav around here

13. Maroon at a chalet, maybe: ICE IN - A meteorological event not a color scheme 

14. Coppers: CENTS  - A man in England was not allowed to pay a £800 debt using 166 kg (365 lbs) of these 1 cent coppers

24. Olympic gear: EPEES.

25. Film fawn: BAMBI - Disney refused to let the National Forest Service use BAMBI in their anti-fire PDA's after one year and so Smokey the Bear was invented in 1944

26. Basic studio class: ART I - My college class so-named was boring beyond belief because all we did was take notes

27. "Deadpool" actor Reynolds: RYAN Deadpool is the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time

28. Group concerned with good breeding: KENNEL CLUB - Looking like your owner is not necessary 

30. Camper's anchors: TENT STAKES - Not quite enough here. Definitely a 33. Bungle: MISDO.

32. Speakeasy circulator: B-GIRL - Father Mulcahy, "Why Hawkeye, I earned my way through divinity school as a B-GIRL in San Francisco!"

34. Word with home or slide: RULE - I might as well show my math students a buggy whip as much as a slide RULE. 

35. Stinging response: YEOW.

41. Ugly looks: SNEERS.

43. Xbox devotee: GAMER - How many hours/day is too many?

44. Kirkuk native: IRAQI - McDonalds is not allowed in Northern Iraq so... 

45. Name on "The Magnificent Ambersons" theater poster: ORSON - Mercury Players ORSON Wells, Agnes Morehead, Joseph Cotten, et al moved on to this project after Citizen Kane.

46. Pulitzer-winning film critic: EBERT - Of the above movie, EBERT wrote, "The Magnificent Ambersons" (1942, a masterpiece with its ending hacked to pieces by the studio...)

48. Terry's role in the original "Wizard of Oz": TOTO - Terry/TOTO's memorial at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery (dog picture for our Irish Miss)

50. Structural beam: I-BAR - A baby I-BEAM?

51. Inflict on: DO TO - "What did you DO TO your hair?"

52. They're split: EXES - George Strait sings that all his EXES live in Texas while he hangs his hat in Tennessee. 

54. Check for drinks: TAB = Jay Z's bar TAB that included an $11,000 tip. I've never heard of Ace Of Spades Champagne. 

56. Org. with an "Odd News" web page: UPI - They recently led with a Calgary Museum that says it now has the world's largest working Rubik's Cube

If you can't get away to Latrobe, PA for the festivities today, why not leave a comment:


*45 Across deciphered is "One Trick Pony"

Feb 24, 2018

Saturday, February 24, 2018, Neville Fogarty and Doug Peterson


Husker Gary reporting on today's fun puzzle that comes to us from Neville Fogarty and Doug Peterson. Two triple stacks of tens is always impressive! Two of the long fills ,which are usually so helpful, were unbeknownst to this solver out on the Great Plains. Also, some of the clever cluing left welts from my forehead slaps! "Will run you" led the list!

Here is C.C.'s interview with Neville  where it is revealed he was an 11-year-old Jeopardy! "Back to School Week" (October 3, 2000) contestant with a pet fish named Bob Saget. He also lists Doug as one of his inspirational constructors. 

 In the interest of equal time, here is C.C.'s interview with Doug Peterson where it is revealed "I listen to loud heavy metal music when I’m constructing my puzzles. (Not loud enough to wake the neighbors.) Believe it or not, it helps me concentrate."

Now let's explore the themeless puzzle this talented duo produced for us today. As is my wont, I will start with the long fills. As I mentioned before, two of them were not all that helpful to moi (marked in red)!

1. Arcing "American Ninja Warrior" obstacle : WARPED WALL  2. __ moment : AHA - that's what they are called!

15. "This is news to me" : I HAD NO IDEA - Ya gotta love the cerebral, deadpan humor of Rita Rudner 

17. Noting : TAKING DOWN - Here's how they do it in this venue and 22. "Guilty as charged" : I DID IT - What the stenographer in the OJ trial never had to TAKE DOWN

58. Producer Rhimes' TV production company : SHONDALAND - Shonda Rhimes' company logo and its first hit show and now I've now seen a buncha episodes

63. Sci-fi franchise since 1984 : TERMINATOR - TERMINATOR 2 - 3D was a favorite attraction for my kids 

at Universal Studios Orlando. It is now shut down as these parks must change with the times.

65. Weekend night events, usually : SLEEPOVERS - Been there, hosted those! 😲

Here's the rest of Neville and Doug's fill:


11. Cut on a Jackson 5 album? : AFRO - Oh, hairCUT!

16. Used miles, perhaps : FLEW - If you've got the frequent flyer miles...

18. Romney's 2012 running mate : RYAN - He's now Speaker Of The House

19. Letters of address for Washington and Lee? : EDU -It is https://www.wlu.EDU for Washington and Lee Unversity

20. Great in scope : EPIC

21. Extended narratives : ARCS - Can you see the ARC with the movie Titanic?

25. "Whispers of Immortality" poet : T.S. ELIOT - 32 lines - half about death and half about eroticism (so I read)

27. Norman or Eugene : CITY - Oklahoma U and Oregon U cities were chosen as red herrings for a simple clue

28. Kentucky Bourbon Barrel __ : ALE 

30. Includes in the mix : ADDS

31. Former Radiohead label : EMI - They did okay with these lads

32. Lemons may be among them : USED CARS - There's a 🍋 among our bloggers too 

35. Letter's needs : TENANTS - If you've got apartments to let, you will need TENNANTS

37. Continuous : ONGOING - Congress's many ONGOING investigations of themselves never seem to end

41. Links with : TIES INTO - It turns out the Star Wars TIE IN with this lollipop was not, uh, well thought out. No one seems to want to put their mouth into Jar Jar's mouth. Duh!

43. __ Today: magazine for teachers : NEA - Our state passed a law that to join the local and state education associations and you also HAD to join the NEA whether you liked their politics or not.

44. Start to bat? : ACRO - ACROBAT

46. Once called : NEE 

47. Court suspension : STAY

48. Pacific states? : TRANCES - Nothing to do with WA, OR or CA but a pacified state of mind

51. Onion offering : SATIRE

53. Meany in an Irving title : OWEN

54. Actress Miranda of "24: Legacy" : OTTO - I have never partaken but am sure she's just fine

56. Monk's title : DOM - This bottle of  1964 DOM 49. Will run you : COSTS about $2,000

57. __ swing : MOOD 

62. Brief plea : NOLO - NOLO (I do not wish) Contendre (to contend). I don't admit guilt but will take take the consequences with no chance of being retried. 

64. Footnote notation : IDEM - Ibid didn't cut it


1. Marx asset : WIT - A Marx TOY was always an asset at my house but so was the WIT of the Marx Brothers 

3. Win big : RAKE IT IN - It appears the house is RAKING IT IN here

4. Combs differently? : PDIDDY - Sean Combs -> Puff Daddy -> PDIDDY - 

5. Lassitude : ENNUI - The only popular song with ENNUI in the lyric that I know of. It's at 30 sec but I recommend the whole song

6. Pursue persistently : DOG - Deputy Samuel Gerard did DOG Richard Kimble in The Fugitive

7. Spacious : WIDE

8. Took in : ADOPTED - Nah, you've seen enough pix of our ADOPTED kitty

9. Corps of Discovery Expedition explorer : LEWIS - Sorry CLARK, you're out, LEWIS you're in. 

10. Cavalry weapon : LANCE - A modern Cavalryman and his weapon

11. "Yes, sad to say" : AFRAID SO

12. Casting choice : FLY ROD

13. Jerks, say : REACTS - Hey, he had it coming!

14. Dominates : OWNS - Frank Lary was a pitcher in the 50's/60's for a mediocre Detroit Tiger team but he OWNED the Yankees 

22. Rapper-turned-actor : ICE-T

23. It has a torch and two branches on its back : DIME - Here's the obverse and the reverse side with aforementioned items

24. Hint : TASTE 

26. Key __ : LARGO -  A lovely song by a one-hit-wonder. If you knew his name, you're a better man than I am Charlie Brown!

29. Minus : LESS

32. Pairing : UNION - Last Saturday Joann and I celebrated the 51st anniversary of our UNION. I bought her this cake because it has 1) Dairy Queen Ice Cream, 2) Ghirardelli Chocolate, 3) strawberries and 4) a 51 on top. And, oh yeah,  it  also covered Valentine's Day.

33. Parlor purchase : CONE

34. Payments for hands : ANTES - You have to pay to play

36. Unsystematically : AT RANDOM

38. Hint : INTIMATE - This is the long "a" version of this word

39. __ miss : NEAR - Burchard, Nebraska's Harold Lloyd certainly had one here!

40. "Got to Give It Up" singer : GAYE - I'd love to insert his wonderful version of I Heard It Through The Grapevine but two songs are plenty.

42. Coming up : IN STORE 

44. "Alias Grace" author : ATWOOD

45. Big Easy cuisine : CREOLE

47. Canonized Norw. king : ST OLAV - SLEEPOVERS eliminated ST OLAF

50. Waters with pipes? : ETHEL - She did indeed have a set of pipes! Hardest/cleverest clue of the puzzle for me.

52. Town in a 1945 Pulitzer-winning novel : ADANO - The John Hersey story of an Italian-American soldier replacing a church bell in this town in 1944 Sicily that the Fascists had destroyed

53. Prefix for all : OMNI

55. Big sport's words : ON ME - My cheap friend usually did that after most everyone had left the bar

59. Fall off : DIP

60. Conjunction that reverses to a man's name : NOR - NOR flips to RON.

61. Pepper and others : DRS - The others are many and inferior

Thanks Neville and Doug! Now what say you?