I'll Take Critters the might say "I Hop" for $1000, Alex.
19-Across. Venue where a fair trial is impossible: KANGAROO COURT. When I was a kid, I used to watch Captain Kangaroo hold Court with Mr. Greenjeans.
30-Across. Destinations for some bargain hunters: FLEA MARKETS.
40. Like a half-baked scheme: HARE BRAINED.
50-Across. Fried egg-and-bread breakfast dish: TOAD-IN-THE-HOLE. Toad-in-the-hole is a traditional British dish of sausages baked in Yorkshire pudding batter and typically served with onion gravy. The American version is an egg cooked into a cut-out in bread.
And the unifier:
64-Across. Breakfast chain known for flapjacks, or what the first part of 19-, 30-, 40-, or 50-Across might say?: IHOP. Also known as the International House of Pancakes.
Across:
1. Gyro bread: PITA.
5. Letters that start some URLs: HTTP. As in HyperText Transfer Protocol.
9. Sunny window spot for a cat: SILL.
13. Japanese noodle: UDON.
14. Toledo's lake: ERIE.
15. What "two" meant to Paul Revere: BY SEA. The British are coming! The British are coming! It's all about the ride of Paul Revere (Jan 1, 1735 ~ May 10, 1818).
 |
| Paul Revere was a silversmith by trade. |
16. Barnes & Noble purchase: BOOK.
17. Levi's alternatives: LEEs. Levi Strauss (Feb. 26, 1829 ~ Sept. 26, 1902) revolutionized work pants in 1873. Henry David Lee (Dec. 9, 1949 ~ Mar. 15, 1928) established the HD Lee Mercantile Company in 1889. The company later went on to manufacture work clothing.
18. Map detail: INSET.
22. Mex. neighbor: USA.
24. Feedbag morsel: OAT.
25. Overnight flight: RED EYE.
26. Polite denial: NO, SIR.
28. Exchanges: SWAPS.
33. Fan setting: LOW.
36. "Ghostbusters" director Reitman: IVAN. Ivan Reitman (Oct. 27, 1946 ~ Feb. 12, 2022) was a Canadian film director, but he was born in Komárno, Czechoslovakia, now known as Slovakia. He also directed such movies as Kindergarten Cop, Dave and Twins.
37. 1990s fitness fad: TAE BO.
38. Peru's "City of Kings": LIMA. // and 60-Across. Highlander of ancient Peru: INCA.
39. Vietnamese New Year: TET. Tết, short for Tết Nguyên Đán. It is the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture. Tết celebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese calendar, which will fall on January 29, 2025 in the Gregorian calendar.
42. French cap: BERET.
43. Precipice: LEDGE.
44. "Star Trek" character whose first name is Hikaru: MR. SULU. The original Mr. Hikaru Sulu was portrayed by George Takei (b. Apr. 20, 1937).
47. Isn't without: HAS. Cute clue!
49. Not great: BAD.
54. "Give me the car keys": I'LL GO.
55. Ancient alphabetic character: RUNE.
56. Killer whale: ORCA.
59. Showers love (on): DOTES.
61. Private nonprofits: Abbr.: NGOs. As in Non-Governmental Organizations.
62. Admin. aide: ASS'T. As in an Assistant.
63. Gave the thumbs-up: OK'ED.
Down:
1. Trivia night venue: PUB.
2. Wedding promise: I DO.
3. Couldn't stand it anymore?: TOOK A SEAT. Another cute clue.
4. Crooner Paul: ANKA. Paul Anka (b. July 30, 1941) is another Canadian. He was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
5. Hägar the Horrible's wife: HELGA.
6. Special reward: TREAT.
7. Wedding cake layer: TIER.
8. Mexican money: PESO. Did you know that there are currently eight countries that use the peso, as its monetary unit? With the exception of the Philippines, the other countries are in the Americas: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Uruguay
9. Religious councils: SYNODS. The word comes from the Ancient Greek σύνοδος, which means assembly or meeting.
10. Time of the week?: ISSUE. Time is now a bi-weekly magazine. It published weekly until 2020, when it began to publish every other week.
11. Suspicious (of): LEERY.
12. Hot drink with foam art: LATTE.
15. Muscles shown off by muscle tees: BICEPS.
20. Standard: NORM.
21. Memorable speaker: ORATOR.
22. Ill-suited: UNFIT.
23. Find a solution for: SOLVE. Could you find a solution for all the clues in today's puzzle?
27. "The Vampire Diaries" actor Somerhalder: IAN. The Vampire Diaries was a supernatural teen drama television series that aired from 2009 until 2017. Ian Somerhalder (b. Dec. 8, 1978) portrayed one of the supernatural teens on the series even though he was in his 30 when the show ran. He was born in Covington, Louisiana.
28. Shooting sport with clay pigeons: SKEET.
29. NASA telescope launched in 2021: WEBB. The James Webb Space Telescope is a space telescope designed to conduct infrared astronomy. As the largest telescope in space, it is equipped with high-resolution and high-sensitivity instruments, allowing it to view objects too old, distant, or faint for the Hubble Space Telescope. James Webb (né James Edwin Webb; Oct 7, 1906 ~ Mar. 27, 1992) was the Undersecretary of State during the Truman administration. In February 1961, he became the second Administrator of NASA.
31. Galloping: AT A RUN.
32. Like a steak with a very red center: RARE.
33. "Gift From the Sea" writer Anne Morrow: LINDBERGH. Anne Spencer Morrow Lindbergh (June 22, 1906 ~ Feb. 7, 2001) was an aviatrix in her own right. She was also the wife of Charles Lindbergh.
34. Counterpart to alpha: OMEGA. First and last letters of the Greek alphabet.
35. Sauntered through the surf: WADED.
38. Tell it like it isn't: LIE. Another fun clue.
40. Greek god of the sun: HELIOS.
41. As well: ALSO.
42. Part of a financial plan: BUDGET.
44. Crete peak: Abbr.: MT. IDA.
45. Caramel-filled treats: ROLOs. These candies have been making frequent appearances in the puzzles.
46. Seasons, as pasta water: SALTS.
47. Therefore: HENCE.
48. Winning: AHEAD.
51. Group of three: TRIO.
52. Big piece: HUNK.
53. Actress Anderson: LONI. Loni Anderson (b. Aug 5, 1945) is best known for her role as Jennifer Marlowe on the sit-conn WKRP in Cincinnati.
57. Murmur: COO.
58. Nile reptile: ASP.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
It's Election Day:
FIR without erasure. Filled TOAD IN THE HOLE without a perp, as it is a big part of my DW's family lore.
ReplyDeleteI really like wandering through the FLEA MARKET of Marion, just south of Ocala. You can get your hair cut or your scissors sharpened, and used books are $2 for paperbacks and $3 for hard bound. The No Dogs Allowed signs are widely ignored and are unenforced.
IVAN Reitman also produced Howard Stern's Private Parts, a surprisingly good movie - kind of a tribute to his then-wife Allison. Lots of well-known showbiz sorts appeared in the movie.
George Takei used to be a regular on Howard Stern's radio show, and often expressed his dislike for Bill Shatner.
FLN - CED, thanks for the Gilda link. She was one in a million. And thanks to Bayou Tony for the apparent joke.
Thanks to Michael for the fun, easy election day special. And thanks to Ha2la for another fine review.
Yeah, the above is Jinx in Norfolk. Still getting my computer family settled in.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to an ‘easy’ puzzle like this one, I try to figure out the reveal before I get there. However, I didn’t this time. The reveal was a pleasant surprise. Other than that, I don’t have too much to say about this puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteReveal? There was a reveal? Drat, missed it again. I did notice the leapin' critters at the beginning of each of the themers. Does that count? Not familiar with TOAD IN THE HOLE. TET -- there was a memorable one in '68. TIME -- wasn't aware that it had gone bi-weekly. It used to be a powerful political force; today, not so much. Thanx, Michael and Hahtoolah. (We voted a couple of weeks ago. Check.)
Took 4:59 today for me to hop through this one.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know toad in the hole, Ian, or that today's writer clue was actually a clue ("'Gift from the Sea' writer Anne Morrow'" - um, true?).
Have a great Election Day, to those of us in the USA.
FIR. Easy puzzle, but it is Tuesday after all. When I got to the reveal I grinned and realized what a clever theme it was.
ReplyDeleteMy only nit was the crossing of two proper names, Ian and Ivan. This is very bad form for a crossword.
But overall, it was a very enjoyable puzzle.
Tough start to the write-up with “Critters the might” rather than “that might” and Mr. Lee of jeans fame who lived in reverse starting his company 60 years before he was born. Otherwise a fun puzzle and explication.
ReplyDeleteThank you
I also noticed that but there's no need to call attention to somebody else's petty mistake.
DeleteShould I HOP to it? This puzzle as very easy to SOLVE, with just a few unknowns. TOAD IN THE HOLE-no way I would have ever filled it without the easy perps.
ReplyDeleteAT A RUN took perps from the way it was clued
LINDGERGH- knew Charles, but not his wife. Perps for that.
I'll HOP outta here.