Retail sales and Eagles’ tales; Penny lopes across the globe; Devisers of ways to stargaze; Tough-love cross words beat sweet nothings; “Shine on harvest moon, new in the sky”

PUZZLERIA! SLICES: OVER 8!/20 SERVED

Schpuzzle Of The Week:
Devisers of ways to stargaze

Describe either “Galileo Galilei” or “Kepler” with the same two-word phrase. 
Switch the words in that phrase to name what sounds like magnification devices that are used indoors to view the stars. 
What are these devices?
What is the two-word phrase that describes “Galileo Galilei” or “Kepler”? 

Appetizer Menu

Cryptic Cupid FebFourteen Appetizer:
Tough-love cross words beat sweet nothings

Some people like to have sweet nothings whispered to them on St. Valentine’s Day. 
Puzzle people, however, prefer to have tough-love cross words shouted out to them. Shouted out to them, for example, in the form of this twelfth cryptic crossword puzzle created for Puzzleria! by Patrick J. Berry (screen name, “cranberry”). 
Think of it as Patrick’s loving Valentine’s Day card to us!
(Open this link if you wish to access Patrick’s eleventh cryptic crossword, and also to link to his ten previous crosswords.)
If you are unfamiliar with cryptic crossword puzzles, here are a few basic cryptic crossword puzzle instructions:
Regarding the Across and Down clues and their format...
The number in parentheses at the end of each clue tells how many letters are in the answer. Multiple numbers in parentheses indicate how letters are distributed in multiple-word answers.
For example, (6) indicates a six-letter answer like “jalopy,” (5,3) indicates a five-and-three-letter answer like “cargo van,” and (5-5) indicates a five-and-five-letter hyphenated answer like “Rolls-Royce.”
(For further insight about how to decipher these numbered cryptic clues, see Patrick’s “Cryptic Crossword Tutorial” in this link to his November 17, 2017 cryptic crossword. The Tutorial appears below the grid that contains the answers in that edition of Puzzleria!)
Now, let’s get to the heart of Patrick’s Valentine card:  

ACROSS
1. Top director – what he shot is in film(5,4)
6. Letter as it was written, a few notes stuck together(5)
9. Corrupt President’s rage getting old – a bad time in 2(5,10)
10. Mailman heading off, running from dog, for example(6)
11. Noticed spot in grass(8)
13. Could be accepted as NASA trainee?(5,5)
14. Country recording includes two cuts from Haggard(4)
16. Drink in sunshine, hippies!(4)
17. In my opinion, no time for sassy girl to carry on(10)
19. God – Dicky is on dope!(8)
20. Seal or swan, by the sound of it(6)
23. Promises no fails, supposedly having expertise?(15)
24. Or any manufactured fabric?(5)
25. Vulture in ghastly scene, with grave, cut short(9)
DOWN
1. Follow mother’s teachings(5)
2. Our past machinery sorta improved with start of industrialism(8,7)
3. Stack he prepared with love for breakfast(8)
4. Couple having sex upset me(4)
5. What a “stable genius” should have from the start, therefore, according to Rev. Spooner?(5,5)
6. Problem with a shrimp cocktail right off?(6)
7. Late night, curled up with Dickens – not having energy to make it?(5,3,7)
8. A pop singer goes outside for a drink(6,3)
12. Hear scores broadcast – they do go by fast!(10)
13. Sadly, Dapper Dan’s date never showed – it must be rough(9)
15. Prisoner holds it up close(8)
18. Singer has terrible opening – heart not in it(6) 
21. Watch headmaster in class(5)
22. Baseball player needs help reaching second base(4)

MENU

Nuts And Bolts Slice:
Retail sales and Eagles’ tales

Divide the name of a U.S.-based retail company into two equal parts. 
Spell the second part backward. The result is a two-word place the Eagles sang about. 
What is the name of this company?
Hint: It is a “nuts and bolts” industrial supply company. 

Riffing Off Shortz And Collins Slices:
Penny lopes across the globe

Will Shortz’s February 9th NPR Weekend Edition Sunday puzzle, created by Peter Collins of Ann Arbor, Michigan, reads:
My friend Penelope, who is from La Jolla, went on a world vacation. She stopped in Santa Rosa, Toronto and Casablanca. What European capital did she also visit?


Puzzleria!s Riffing Off Shortz And Collins Slices read:
ENTREE #1
A 1970’s supergroup from Los Angeles embarked on a world tour, making seven stops. Flying westward, they performed in Peking, Indochina, Dubravica, Barcelona, Georgia, Nantucket and... 
In what other eastern U.S. state did they perform?
ENTREE #2
Peter Collins’ friend Penelope, who is from La Jolla, went on a world vacation. 
She stopped in Santa Rosa, Toronto, Casablanca and Amsterdam. Penelope, La Jolla, Santa Rosa, Toronto, Casablanca and Amsterdam all end with the same two letters that they begin with, in the same order.
Find the following words that all end with the same three letters that they begin with, in the same order. 
You will be provided with a clue for each word, followed (in parentheses) with the interior letters that are flanked by the trios of letters at the beginning and end of the word.
A. Sycophantic, intended to curry favor; (ratiat)
B. Capable of being whitened, ideally without ruining the garment, or perhaps hair; (acha)
C. Word following “That’s” or preceding “Tonight”; (ertainm)
D. Harasser, heckler; (men)
E. Word following “Weather” or preceding “Railroad”; (ergro)
ENTREE #3
Find the following words that all end with the same four letters that they begin with, in the same order. You will be provided with a clue for each word, followed (in parentheses) with the interior letters that are flanked by the quartets of letters at the beginning and end of the word.
Note: Most, if not all, of these words are somewhat contrived. They cannot be found in many (and, in some cases, any) dictionaries. Word C includes a hyphen.
A. A pursuit plied by Machiavelli, Neville, Farley and Murdoch; (ma)
B. Like Lynette, who tried to kill a one-time King; (akye)
C. What many yacht club members can claim; 
(-owner)
D. Like unprepared teachers, perhaps; (on)
E. Quality possessed by a Scottish lake monster; (ie)

Dessert Menu

Shiny Happy Dessert:
“Shine on harvest moon, new in the sky”

Take an adverb one might use in a phrase describing a shiny new object. 
Remove from the middle a four-letter noun for one such shiny new object, leaving a four-letter synonym of a verb that appears on the object. 
What are this adverb, noun and two verbs?


Every Friday at Joseph Young’s Puzzleria! we publish a new menu of fresh word puzzles, number puzzles, logic puzzles, puzzles of all varieties and flavors. We cater to cravers of scrumptious puzzles!


Our master chef, Grecian gourmet puzzle-creator Lego Lambda, blends and bakes up mysterious (and sometimes questionable) toppings and spices (such as alphabet soup, Mobius bacon strips, diced snake eyes, cubed radishes, “hominym” grits, anagraham crackers, rhyme thyme and sage sprinklings.)

Please post your comments below. Feel free also to post clever and subtle hints that do not give the puzzle answers away. Please wait until after 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesdays to post your answers and explain your hints about the puzzles. We serve up at least one fresh puzzle every Friday.

We invite you to make it a habit to “Meet at Joe’s!” If you enjoy our weekly puzzle party, please tell your friends about Joseph Young’s Puzzleria! Thank you.