Wednesday, Sep 25th, 2024, Kyle Dolan

  C-3PO

I AM a Brass-colored Robot~!

A refreshing departure from the Wednesday puzzles of late - no circles, a handful of well-known proper names, and an author I have not blogged before; Kyle has had five other puzzles published for the LA Times this year.  A metal-as-adjective theme culminating in a 21st century bane - the Captcha verification.  The Corner has this unfortunate feature - it's a very aggravating security check, especially when it doesn't work properly.  The two ferrous and one copper/zinc alloy themers; 

16. Margaret Thatcher biopic: THE IRON LADY - held office while this band was most popular in the United Kingdom - and the world.  The song's intro is most appropriate, considering the theme. . . .

IRON Maiden, The Prisoner - "I am not a number~!"

27. Nickname in Metropolis: MAN OF STEEL - AKA Superman; I grew up with the Christopher Reeve version, who played the title role in the movie from 1978; its main theme composed by John Williams 

Superman The Movie trailer

42. Admirals, colloquially: NAVAL BRASS - The highest rank in the Navy is CNO, Chief of Naval Operations ( the Wiki ), currently held by Admiral Lisa Francetti; the highest active rank, Fleet Admiral, was last held by William "Bull" Halsey - I mention him because as I was researching the clue/answer, I read that Bull was born in NJ ( so was I ), died on Long Island ( I think I would have ) and was lying in state at the Washington National Cathedral - where I am currently renovating the Pipe Organ~!

56. Captcha confirmation well-suited to the people in 16-, 27-, and 42-Across?: I'M NOT A ROBOT

I'm not a robot, I'm an Ewok deity~!

And Away We Go~!


ACROSS:

1. Tunneling pests: ANTS - household pests, too, but they're not so bad in my home

5. T-shirt style: V-NECK

10. Hesitant sound: ERM.... - there was a lot of this in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

13. Bake or grill: COOK - generic food preparation verbs

14. Event that may begin at sunset: SOIRÉE

15. Highest number on an old clock: XII - Twelve, in Roman numerals, but not necessarily an "old" clock, technically

18. "60 Minutes" network: CBS - typically delayed due to an overrun of the Sunday NFL game. . . .

19. Had dinner: SUPPED - a "alternative" way to DINE

20. Many profile pics: SELFIES - I'll add a gratuitous one. . . .

The WNC façade pipes are along the wall in back

22. Fra __: spicy Italian sauce: DIAVOLO - I've not heard of this; filled via perps

Shrimp Fra Diavolo - looks yummy; the recipe

25. Course not requiring much effort: EASY A

26. Carded at a bar, informally: ID'ED

30. Affectionate treatment, for short: TLC - Tender Loving Care

31. Actress Tomei: MARISA - I always recall her "biological clock" ticking scene - name #1 I know

"My Cousin Vinnie"

32. Like the sound of a double bass: DEEP - and 32ft Wood Bourdon Pipes, too

34. Provide food for: CATER

35. Misplaced: LOST

39. Greenery symbolizing victory: LAUREL - cannot see this word and not think of. . . . 

Most of the scenes from Blazing Saddles are NSFW these days

41. Fox foot: PAW

46. Crumbly, briny cheese: FETA

Oooh, on pizza, great idea~!

47. Benefit: AVAIL

48. Carolina __: superhot peppers: REAPERS

50. Casual eateries: BISTROS

53. Obscure for security reasons, perhaps: REDACT

No such thing as UFOs

55. Degs. for English majors: BAs - Bachelor of Arts

59. Google Maps fig.: ETA

60. Opened for the doctor: SAID "AH"

61. One of the Gilmore girls: RORY - she was the daughter - played by Alexis Bledel; name #2 I know

I did watch for a while - back in 2000

62. Rehoboth Beach's st.: DELaware - I knew this because my buddy Mike P lived near Dover, and we all went down to visit the "Hamptons" of the state

We did the boardwalk thing - I recall buying handcrafted chocolate

63. PC key: ENTER - yes, it's nowhere to be found on a MAC

64. Skating jump with a forward take-off: AXEL - skating jump + blah blah blah = Ektorp


DOWN:

1. Play segments: ACTS

2. Football tactic for fast-paced offense: NO-HUDDLE - Football is here~! Summer is gone~! The Jets are 2-1~!

3. Ski binding part: TOE PIECE

I'd like to go skiing again

4. Bypass button in some apps: SKIP AD - this option cannot show up fast enough, IMO

5. Fashion designer Diane __ Furstenberg: VON - All perps - amazingly, of all designers, sumdaze began her Monday blog with a dress from her - go figure~!; her Wiki

6. Soccer zero: NIL - A gripping soccer "football" match is typically ONE - NIL; my dad was a hard-core English FOOTBALL fan, and could watch hours on end, but the pace bores me - I prefer hockey

7. Historic times: ERAS

8. Turn over: CEDE - ah, not 'ROLL'

9. Like some ignition systems: KEYLESS - My 2020 Subaru Crosstrek was the only KEYLESS ignition auto that I have owned - and I sold it back to Carmax at a profit, despite it having problems, because the dealerships were desperate for hybrids

I loved the car, hated the problems

10. __ tax: EXCISE - DAH~! Not INCOME, which messed up my NE corner

11. Marbled beef cut: RIBEYE

12. Book in a pew: MISSAL - Double Dah~!  I had HYMNAL

14. Biblical city: SODOM - Not Babel; I may need to brush up on my church readings. . . .

17. Go "vroom vroom": REV - I am a huge fan of the ABS Show "Castle" - vroom vroom made me think of this scene from Season 1

Pa-na-na-na-na~!

  21. __ flaw: FATAL

23. Hedy of Hollywood: LAMARR - name #3 I know

Pioneer of Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth - and not too hard on the eyes, as well

24. Red-hot: ON A TEAR

26. "__ be my pleasure": "IT'D"

28. Part of a vague threat: OR ELSE~! - or else, what~?

29. Many a Christmas tree: FIR

33. Hair braid: PLAIT

That's a LOT of hair

34. Grizzly baby: CUB

36. Spot for Statler and Waldorf on "The Muppet Show": OPERA BOX - name(s) #4 & 5 I know

37. Fig. submitted with many a college application: SAT SCORE - Standard Aptitude Test

38. Pan Am rival: TWA - both defunct airlines

40. Courtroom cry: "ALL RISE"

42. Snagged: NABBED - a mere two letters difference, clue-to-answer

43. Take flight: AVIATE

44. Liege's tenant: VASSAL - Feudalism - the Wiki

45. Jazz singer Vaughan: SARAH - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Name #6, and I like HuskerG's "shrug" emoji from Saturday, so I am running with it; I had this Sarah confused with MacLachlan Sarah

46. Hat for Indiana Jones: FEDORA - another John Williams composed theme

Mr. Chicken, in a fedora

49. According to: PER

51. Arabian Peninsula country: OMAN - sumdaze had a similar map on Monday as well. . . .

52. Fit of pique: SNIT - I had to wait and see if it was SNIT, SPAT, HUFF, TIFF. . . .

54. "bfn" reply: TTYL - Bye For Now = Talk To You Later

57. Tribute in verse: ODE

58. Hull sealant: TAR - Brett Hull SEALS the 1999 Stanley Cup final with a controversial 3OT goal

Rule 78(b)

Splynter