Theme: Garden variety.
Surprise! NaomiZ here on a wonderful Wednesday. Constructor Emet Ozar enriches the crossword grid with circles to help us find various types of gardens hidden in the long entries.
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| My native plant garden is for the birds! This Northern Mockingbird enjoys eating elderberries. |
The theme clues and answers are:
16-Across. "The," grammatically: DEFINITE ARTICLE. Tea garden.
24-Across. Baseball overtime: EXTRA INNINGS. Rain garden.
41-Across. Heavy-duty material for cutting boards: BUTCHER BLOCK. Herb garden.
55-Across. Frances Hodgson Burnett novel set at a country estate, or an apt title for this puzzle: THE SECRET GARDEN.
Let's dig into the rest of the clues and answers.
Across:
1. Trash receptacle: CAN.
4. Stringed instrument: HARP.
8. Some med. scans: MRIs. Magnetic Resonance Imaging tests.
12. Just slightly: A TAD.
14. Large paper format: FOLIO. Today, folio often refers to 8.5" x 13.5" size paper for printing. Historically, it meant a large sheet of paper folded once to create two leaves, which make four pages. Folio books were large compared to quarto and octavo books where the paper was folded more to create smaller pages.
4. Stringed instrument: HARP.
8. Some med. scans: MRIs. Magnetic Resonance Imaging tests.
12. Just slightly: A TAD.
14. Large paper format: FOLIO. Today, folio often refers to 8.5" x 13.5" size paper for printing. Historically, it meant a large sheet of paper folded once to create two leaves, which make four pages. Folio books were large compared to quarto and octavo books where the paper was folded more to create smaller pages.
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| The hands give you an idea of the size of Shakespeare's first folio. |
15. Number two: AIDE. The boss is number one; his aide is number two.
16.[Theme clue]
19. "Let You Love Me" singer: RITA ORA. Everything I know about Rita Ora, I've learned in the Crossword Corner.
20. Pet restraint: TETHER.
21. Due-in hr.: ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival.
22. "Washington Black" novelist Edugyan: ESI. Esi Edugyan is a Canadian novelist. She has twice won the Giller Prize (a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English), for her novels Half-Blood Blues (2011) and Washington Black (2018).
23. __ Bradley bags: VERA. Vera Bradley Designs was incorporated in 1982 and became wildly popular for its colorful fabric tote bags and purses.
20. Pet restraint: TETHER.
21. Due-in hr.: ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival.
22. "Washington Black" novelist Edugyan: ESI. Esi Edugyan is a Canadian novelist. She has twice won the Giller Prize (a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English), for her novels Half-Blood Blues (2011) and Washington Black (2018).
23. __ Bradley bags: VERA. Vera Bradley Designs was incorporated in 1982 and became wildly popular for its colorful fabric tote bags and purses.
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| Vera Bradley bags |
24. [Theme clue]
29. Predatory insect: MANTIS.
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| Praying Mantis preying on a lizard. |
32. Pa: DAD.
33. Boxer Muhammad: ALI.
34. Vote into office: ELECT.
35. 100%: ALL.
36. Greek fabulist: AESOP. Fabulist: a person who composes or relates fables.
38. Cured fish often topped with capers and lemon: LOX.
39. Aaron Judge stat: RBI. Aaron Judge is a right fielder for the New York Yankees. He is a six-time MLB All-Star and two-time American League MVP Award winner. He holds the AL record for most home runs in a season.
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| Aaron Judge |
40. Reveries: DREAMS.
41. [Theme clue]
45. Pixar film about a young sea monster: LUCA.
46. 3-Down signatory: Abbr.: USA. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) established a free-trade zone in North America; it was signed in 1992 by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, and took effect on January 1, 1994. NAFTA immediately lifted tariffs on the majority of goods produced by the signatory nations. It was replaced by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on July 1, 2020.
47. Trans- opposite: CIS. Cisgender, often shortened to "cis," describes a person whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth. In other words, if a person was labeled male at birth and identifies as a man, or was labeled female at birth and identifies as a woman, they are considered cisgender. The term is the opposite of transgender, which refers to individuals whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth.
50. Tribute at a memorial: EULOGY.
53. New Mexico's "The City Different": SANTA FE. Santa Fe combines a number of Southwestern cultures and has a lively art scene. It adopted "The City Different" moniker in the early 1900s.
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| The Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe was the seat of government for New Mexico from 1610 to 1901. |
55. [Theme clue]
58. Outstanding: A-ONE.
59. Flood-protection structure: LEVEE.
60. Affirmative votes: YEAS.
61. The one there: THAT.
62. "When will you __ learn?": EVER.
63. Italian three: TRE.
Down:
1. Core group: CADRE.
2. Bit the dust: ATE IT.
3. Commerce pact until 2020: NAFTA. See 46-Across for more information.
4. Bloviator's excess: HOT AIR. A bloviator is someone who talks at length in a pompous or boastful way, often saying very little of substance. The idiom "hot air" refers to empty, exaggerated, or pretentious talk that does not reflect real intentions.
5. Foamy fare: ALE.
6. Small inlet: RIA.
7. Foreshadow: PORTEND.
8. Island cocktail: MAI TAI. Composed of rum, orange curaçao, fresh lime juice, and orgeat (an almond syrup), the Mai Tai is one of the characteristic cocktails in Tiki culture.
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| Does anyone else remember Kelbo's tiki restaurant on Pico in West LA? My ex and I once enjoyed a big blue cocktail in a large bowl with two straws. |
9. Loaded with cream, say: RICH.
10. Taking it easy: IDLE.
11. Crystal ball consulter: SEER.
13. Domingo, for one: DÍA. Domingo is Spanish for Sunday. Día is Spanish for day.
14. Noteworthy events: FIRSTS.
17. Warning sign on a door: NO EXIT.
18. Coastal flyer: TERN. Terns are seabirds in the family Laridae, subfamily Sterninae, that have a worldwide distribution and are normally found near the sea, rivers, or wetlands.
%20Long-billed%20Tern.jpg) |
| I took this photo of Long-billed Terns in the Amazon River. |
23. Apothecary container: VIAL.
24. List-ending abbr.: ETC.
25. Speak off-the-cuff: AD LIB.
26. Moon landing org.: NASA. National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
27. Grab, with "on to": GLOM. "Glom onto" is an informal American English phrasal verb that means to take something for one's own use, become strongly attached to something, or become aware of something. It can also mean to grab hold of something or to latch onto an idea or person.
28. Dainty tastes: SIPS.
29. Singer also known as Scary Spice: MEL B. Melanie Brown, known as Mel B, is an English singer, actress, author, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, where she was nicknamed "Scary Spice" for her energetic stage presence.
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| Mel B in 2025 |
30. Baseball family name: ALOU.
31. Deli counter cry: NEXT.
35. Syllables in an incantation: ABRA. Abracadabra is a magical incantation whose origin is a matter of debate.
36. Tarot card group: ARCANA. Tarot cards are generally divided into two main groups: the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana.
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| Tarot cards |
37. Startled cry at the sight of a mouse: EEK.
39. Give new life to something old: RECYCLE.
40. Prescription measure: DOSAGE.
42. Bedroom storage space: CLOSET.
43. Gargantuan: HUGE.
44. Glossy finish: LUSTER.
47. West Point student: CADET.
48. Apprehensive beginning: I FEAR.
49. Perception: SENSE.
50. Coup d'__: ÉTAT. A coup d'état (from French for 'stroke of state') is an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to power through legal means, tries to stay in power through illegal means.
51. "This is not good": UH OH.
52. "The Chi" creator Waithe: LENA. Lena Waithe is an Emmy-winning actor, producer, and screenwriter from Chicago. She is the creative force behind the Showtime drama series The Chi, set in her hometown, and the BET comedy series Boomerang and Twenties.
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| Lena Waithe |
54. Push to the limit: TRY. As in, the barking dogs try my patience.
56. Put the pedal to the metal: REV.
57. Precursor to a big event: EVE.
Here's the grid:
Or was it A TAD TRYing for you?
NaomiZ
