Happy Monday, everyone!
Theme: Letter B
The antennas are a nice touch. After all, they are beetles.
It is not often we see 1-Across acting as a themer in a grid. Let's check it out now:
1 Across. The Dynamic Duo's underwater craft: BAT-SUB.
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| Notice that there are no extraneous B's. |
1 Across. The Dynamic Duo's underwater craft: BAT-SUB.
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| Batman & Robin are the Dynamic Duo. |
21 Across. Navigational aid for Hansel and Gretel: BREAD CRUMB.
The plan was to follow the BREAD CRUMBs back home but birds ate their navigational aids.
37 Across. Many a union position: BLUE COLLAR JOB.
53 Across. Firefox or Safari subwindow: BROWSER TAB.
Firefox and Safari are BROWSERS, as are Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.
The unifier can be found expertly tucked into the bottom, right corner:
68 Across. Some surprise hit songs, and what 1-, 21-, 37-, and 53-Across all have?: B-SIDES.
When we were kids, my brothers and I would ride our Schwinn bikes down to the local music store and buy 45s (45-rpm records). These records were vinyl, 7-inches in diameter, packaged in a plain white paper sleeve, required a special adapter in the center, and had two songs: an A-Side, which was the song playing on the radio, and a B-SIDE, which was another song by the same artist but mostly unknown. Occasionally the B-SIDE became more popular than the A-Side, but that was rare. Today music is released differently but some artists still release what they call B-SIDE music. The term has morphed, much like icebox and hang up the phone. This article talks about the new and old meaning of B-SIDES.
Getting back to the puzzle, the reveal points out that each of the themers begins and ends with the letter B. They have Bs on each SIDE. 
Across:
7. The Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, et al.: ALPS.
11. Org. issuing broadcasting licenses: FCC. and 19 Across. Spy org.: CIA.
7. The Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, et al.: ALPS.
11. Org. issuing broadcasting licenses: FCC. and 19 Across. Spy org.: CIA.
Organization is abbreviated, so is Federal Communications Commission and Central Intelligence Agency.
14. West Texas city: ODESSA. Yesterday this was the answer to 72-Down Permian Basin city.
15. Command to a dog: HEEL.
16. NHL great Bobby: ORR. Bobby skates through many XWD puzzles.
17. Blab on and on: NATTER. Def. (verb) (informal) talk casually, especially about unimportant matters; chatter.
18. Like a "fun size" candy bar: MINI.
20. Word before trip or surf: EGO. EGOsurfing is when one does an internet search for one's own name.
24. Like a small orchard, perhaps: TEN ACRE. A 10-acre plot is room for about 840 apple trees which would yield 80 - 100 tons of apples.
14. West Texas city: ODESSA. Yesterday this was the answer to 72-Down Permian Basin city.
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| Odessa is said to have been named after Odesa, a coastal city in Southern Ukraine. |
15. Command to a dog: HEEL.
16. NHL great Bobby: ORR. Bobby skates through many XWD puzzles.
17. Blab on and on: NATTER. Def. (verb) (informal) talk casually, especially about unimportant matters; chatter.
18. Like a "fun size" candy bar: MINI.
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| Mars was the first to call its candy fun size and at one time had a Trademark on the word "fun". Time magazine article on Halloween and "Fun Size" candy |
20. Word before trip or surf: EGO. EGOsurfing is when one does an internet search for one's own name.
24. Like a small orchard, perhaps: TEN ACRE. A 10-acre plot is room for about 840 apple trees which would yield 80 - 100 tons of apples.
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| Winnie-The-Pooh lived in The Hundred Acre Wood. |
27. Art studio stand: EASEL.
28. Lobster kin common in Cajun cuisine: CRAWDAD. According to Grammarly, "Crawfish, crayfish, and crawdads are the same animal. Which term you use may depend much on where you live. Louisianans most often say crawfish, whereas Northerners are more likely to say crayfish. People from the West Coast or Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas often use the term crawdad." Perhaps some locals will chime in.
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| crawfish étouffée |
32. The Aswan High Dam's river: NILE. 
33. Ginger __: ALE.
34. Museum artifact: RELIC.
36. Pester incessantly: NAG.
40. "__ Hot to Handle": Netflix dating show: TOO. I am unfamiliar with this show but it was an easy guess.
41. Woodworking tool: LATHE.
42. Somerhalder of "Lost": IAN. IMDb page
43. Story that may be debunked on Snopes: MYTH. Snopes.com is where to go if you want to fact-check something on the internet. It has a trustworthy reputation for outing the untrustworthy.
45. Set on the scales: WEIGHED.
47. Western film: OATER.
49. Antique diamond shape: ROSE CUT. As its name implies, this cut was inspired by the shape of a ROSE bud. This article was a lot more interesting than I was expecting -- especially the part about candlelight.
57. Donkey Kong, e.g.: APE. as it turns out, not a donkey
58. Ore-__ Tater Tots: IDA. crosses another highly processed food (37-Down)
59. Swerve: VEER.
60. Wrinkle-resistant, as a shirt: NO IRON.
63. French article: LES.
64. Bend at the barre: PLIE.
65. "Murder on the __ Express": ORIENT. This Agatha Christie book was originally published in 1934. It was made into a movie in 1974 and again in 2017.
66. Shrill shriek: EEK. I am not sure if this 35 sec. video qualifies as EEK or "sweet". Watch the cat bring his mouse friend to share from his food bowl.
67. Govt. IDs: SSNS. Social Security Numbers
Down:
33. Ginger __: ALE.
34. Museum artifact: RELIC.
40. "__ Hot to Handle": Netflix dating show: TOO. I am unfamiliar with this show but it was an easy guess.
41. Woodworking tool: LATHE.
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| You can use one to make things like furniture legs (as shown) and baseball bats. |
42. Somerhalder of "Lost": IAN. IMDb page
43. Story that may be debunked on Snopes: MYTH. Snopes.com is where to go if you want to fact-check something on the internet. It has a trustworthy reputation for outing the untrustworthy.
45. Set on the scales: WEIGHED.
47. Western film: OATER.
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| The use of the term OATER peaked around 1991. I wonder why. |
49. Antique diamond shape: ROSE CUT. As its name implies, this cut was inspired by the shape of a ROSE bud. This article was a lot more interesting than I was expecting -- especially the part about candlelight.
57. Donkey Kong, e.g.: APE. as it turns out, not a donkey
58. Ore-__ Tater Tots: IDA. crosses another highly processed food (37-Down)
59. Swerve: VEER.
60. Wrinkle-resistant, as a shirt: NO IRON.
63. French article: LES.
64. Bend at the barre: PLIE.
66. Shrill shriek: EEK. I am not sure if this 35 sec. video qualifies as EEK or "sweet". Watch the cat bring his mouse friend to share from his food bowl.
67. Govt. IDs: SSNS. Social Security Numbers
Down:
1. Lisa of "High Fidelity": BONET. You might remember Lisa from The Cosby Show (1984-1992). She turned 57-years old earlier this month.
2. Pithy bit of wisdom: ADAGE.
3. Wyoming's Grand __ National Park: TETON. Here is a lovely 1:41 min. video of the park's bison herd in the fall from the CBS Sunday Morning show. If you can, use headphones so you can hear all the nature sounds.
4. Retired fast jet, briefly: SST.
5. Press into service: USE.
6. Streisand who directed and starred in "The Prince of Tides": BARBRA. We had BARBRA last Monday for Yentl. Perhaps we will have The Way We Were next week.
7. Sighed words: AH, ME.
8. Luke's twin sister in the "Star Wars" saga: LEIA. Luke and LEIA discover they are twins in Return of the Jedi (1983).
9. Be up in the air: PEND. Will it fall back down? That depends....
10. Pie serving: SLICE. Here is a SLICE of pumpkin pie for this coming Thursday...
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| ... and a special Happy B-day message to Picard! |
11. Pay close attention to: FOCUS IN ON.
12. Forensic scientist's workplace: CRIME LAB. This grid had several nice vertical fills.
13. Seafood item that needs to be cracked: CRAB LEG.
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| a.k.a. a sea otter snack |
22. Started over with neater penmanship, say: REWROTE.
23. Scooted: RAN. Both are past tense for "move swiftly".
25. Rights advocacy gp.: ACLU.
26. Fishing basket: CREEL.
29. New __, India: DELHI.
30. Over-the-counter hay fever brand: ALLEGRA.
Also, a character in the movie Hitch (2005). I like the scene where Kevin James gets ALLEGRA's phone number. Will Smith is his dating coach. (2:35 min.)
31. Spanish day: DIA.
33. Really big favor: A LOT TO ASK.
35. Sheds tears: CRIES.
Roy Orbison ~ Crying
The song was released as a 45-rpm single by Monument Records in July 1961.
The B-SIDE was Candyman.
37. Beefaroni maker Chef __: BOYARDEE. He was a real person.
38. Crow call: CAW.
39. Green gemstone: JADE.
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| This hard pillow in the form of a crawling baby was designed to support the neck so one's hair would not be crushed. Imperial Summer Palace (1662-1722) Heber Bishop Collection |
40. Internet service with TV ads featuring Zach Braff and Donald Faison: T-MOBILE.
You might remember these guys as BFF MDs on the TV series Scrubs (2001-2010).
44. Take an axe to: HEW.
46. Schmooze (with): HOBNOB. Shakespeare gave us this word in his play Twelfth Night. For a while it meant "to drink alternately to each other". Since "drinking HOBNOB" was generally a social interaction, it took on the meaning in today's clue.
48. Gets back to a host: RSVPS.
50. Gave a hoot: CARED.
51. Ahead by a hair: UP ONE. I like the word play here: a-head by a hair.
52. Camping shelters: TENTS.
54. Slippery swimmers: EELS. The collective noun for EELS is a swarm.
55. Bridle strap: REIN.
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| We say this horse is "in the two-REIN" because the rider is still using the hackamore while the horse is getting used to the bit. |
56. "__ bien!": TRÈS. very good / very well / alright / excellent / super
61. Surgery ctrs.: ORS. "Centers" is abbreviated, so is operating rooms.
62. Junior's junior: III. Joe's son is Joe Jr. (or Joe II). Then Joe Jr.'s son would be Joe Jr.'s junior (or Joe III).
That was the last one and I have other things to attend to ... but that is BESIDE the point. 😀
Notes from C.C.:
As sumdaze pointed out in 10D, today is Picard's birthday. Happy Birthday, Robert!
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| Left to Right: Valerie, MM, Merlie & Picard 9/14/2021 |
12 comments:
Is the bottom left area the southwest? That’s the area I had some trouble getting through. So I’m not going to say this puzzle was “a walk in the park,” at least, not for me this time. Nevertheless, FIR, so I’m happy.
And Happy Birthday, Picard! I always enjoy the fascinating events and stories you share!
Good morning!
Zipped right through this one without noticing the bracketed Bs and without reading the full reveal clue. Enjoyed it. Is this a debut for Sean? Thanx for the tour, sumdaze. (You must be quite the equestrian.)
B-SIDE: We received complimentary 45's for airplay at the radio station. They often included the A-side on both sides. We preferred to get three copies. Two for airplay (one would wear out midway through the song's popularity). The third was the library copy to be occasionally resurrected as an oldie.
Happy b-day, Picard. I enjoy the photos and videos you post.
Welcome to the LAT Sean. He has published 2 NYTs - 2/15/2023 and 12/4/2023 as well as a USA Today on 8/7/2024. He encouraged communication from readers so have at him. Perhaps he will stop by.
I thought puzzle was well done and did know about B-sides from my representation of rock and roll bands. I also never heard of TOO HOT TO HANDLE on Netflix but that was my only unknown. Speaking of SCRUBS I recently watched a Netflix with SARAH CHALKE in a Netflix series FIREFLY LANE . It wasn't bad. Happy birthday Robert. Thank you Sumdaze.
FIR, but erased rewrite for REWROTE. One of these days maybe I'll learn to pay attention to the tense in the clue.
Didn't know BATSUB, BONET, IAN, Braff or Faison.
In my working life I was never much of a union man, but I always considered myself to be a BLUE COLLAR Man.
Bryan Adams knows all about someone who is TOO Hot to Handle.
Happy birthday to Picard!
Thanks to Sean for the fun Monday outing, and to sumdaze for summing it up for us.
Wasn't intending to reply to D-O's remarks. Still learning the new interface, I guess.
FIR. Went through this puzzle so fast I didn't even notice the second "B" at the end of the themers. The first one was enough for me to make sense of the reveal.
The only total mystery to me was the two actors in the T-Mobile ads.
But overall a fun puzzle and quite enjoyable.
Then there's UFO's TOO Hot to Handle.
Took 6 minutes flat today, but I won't BlaB.
Toughest Monday puzzle in a while, which is fine with me.
"French article" reared its ugly head again, and I didn't like the intersection of "plie" and "tres". But, I knew today's actress (Barbra).
Grand Teton National Park is beautiful, and there is plenty to see and do there. It's also very close to Yellowstone N.P., so you can often see two gems in one trip.
Fast and easy solve today, but it took a tad more thought and perps than usual.
Nattering always reminds me of Spiro Agnew.
"While “nattering nabobs of negativism” is generally attributed to Agnew, it was actually written by White House speechwriter William Safire."
We called crawdads crayfish and caught them by hand in our creek in the 40's in PA. It was catch and release. They were too small to use as food.
One of my favorite movies is "Where the Crawdads sing." Great story, amazing scenery. The movie's ending was a tad ambiguous. My friends disagreed on its meaning. Then I read the excellent book which had a more explicit. denouement.
I remember the 45's with their insert to fit the record player spindle. They were small and light. We had little carrying cases to store them. We enjoyed the B sides, as well as the A sides.
Happy birthday, Picard. I enjoy your pictures and adventures.
Good Morning! Well, I finished thanks to perps and inspiration, but I can’t say I liked it. Seems we are back to obscure (for me) names and things.
WO: CRAWDAD went to 28A from where I tried it at 13D as CRAB LEG filled.
I never paused to see the theme until sumdaze cleverly pointed it out. Thanks, sumdaze, for that and your cheerful recap.
Happy Birthday to Picard. 🥳🎂🎈.
Easy Monday, in fact I forgot to look for the theme until that last answer then looked for the Bs. Cute theme.
There’s BARBRA again.
Here in Louisiana we say crawfish and CRAWDAD, never crayfish.
Thanks sumdaze for that beautiful video of bisons and mountains.
Happy birthday Picard 🎊🎉🎂
We called them "crawdaddys."
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