Joel Mackerry's
Los Angeles Times crossword today includes
Boasting, metaphorically: BLOWINGSMOKE
Accidental attack on allied forces: FRIENDLYFIRE
Former lovers: OLDFLAMES
"Seasonal visitor who'd appreciate being warned about the ends" of those phrases is SANTACLAUS. Folk legends in several European countries told of elves or fairies who would bring gifts by flying down chimneys. Saint Nicholas was originally depicted as an elf who would toss coins into homes, either through open windows or down the chimneys. Santa Claus, carrying a bag filled with gifts, now enters homes via the chimney.....but wouldn't the front door be much easier? And now, for your amazement and amusement, here is a cute video for the Sid Winkler Trio's
Santa Claus Got Stuck In My Chimney:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ryqzck2f184Jim Holland's
Daily News crossword includes three answers which begin with consecutive letters:
Carrier to Amsterdam: KLMAIRLINES
David Muir...or Peter Jennings, once: ABCANCHOR
Diplomatic contretemps during John Adams' administration: XYZAFFAIR
"Tic-tac-toe win," and a hint to the beginning of those phrases, is THREEINAROW.
The XYZ Affair was a 1797-98 conflict between the United States and France. President Adams sent three men to negotiate a peace treaty with France. Their failure resulted in an undeclared war. Adams released all the related correspondence but he replaced the names of three French diplomats with the initials X, Y and Z. In 1800, the Treaty of Montefortaine established peace between the two nations.
http://www.john-adams-heritage.com/the-xyz-affair/This crossword also includes ARLO, clued with "The good dinosaur in Pixar's
The Good Dinosaur." It's nice to have a clue for ARLO which doesn't refer to 1970s folk singer Arlo Guthrie.....but
The Good Dinosaur has been in theaters for three and a half weeks and still has not grossed $100,000,000. It will certainly be Pixar's lowest-grossing film. However, next summer's
Finding Dory might wind up being Pixar's
highest-grossing film. We shall see. "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming....."
http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/production-company/Pixar