What?! RustyBrain is now pinch-hitting for
Hahtoolah? When will the madness end?!
If Susan
Gelfand's first born puzzle had gone to class, it would be graduating
from high school right about now. This one flowed nicely and was Tuesday
appropriate. She obviously aced her lessons!
I had to dig deep in my record collection for this one. If it had been "Five Easy Pieces," well, then we'd be sitting with Jack Nicholson in a diner trying to order toast.
17. "Easy!": PIECE OF CAKE. Finally, an answer that's a real phase, not something convoluted.
28. "Easy!": LIKE CHILD'S PLAY. And another one!
46. "Easy!": A WALK IN THE PARK. Three in a row!
60. "Easy!": NOTHING TO IT. And this makes it a home run.
Nice job, Susan, you've restored my faith in constructors. Not much else to say about these except they're all common phrases that work well with the theme. I like these kind of puzzles where a singular clue leads to multiple answers. And unlike some other crosswords I've reviewed lately, each one is something you'd actually say. Easy does it!
Across:
1. Brother of Chico, Harpo, and Groucho: ZEPPO. It was either ZEPPO or Gummo. In the early Marx Brothers movies, ZEPPO played the straight man while Chico played the piano.
6. 1965 Alabama march site: SELMA.
11. Draft animal: ASS. I worked at the Williamsburg Busch Gardens, and occasionally had to bring bales of hay to the Budweiser Clydesdales. Up close, they were huge "draft" animals with shoes the size of dinner plates.
14. Earth Day month: APRIL. "There is no PLANet B."
15. Starting 11 in soccer, e.g.: A TEAM. Although Premier League matches traditionally start at 3pm, not 11.
16. Org. for Sharks and Ducks: NHL. Organization is abbrev. so the National Hockey League is also.
17. [theme]
19. "__ willikers!": GEE. "Looks like someone's been a bat boy."
20. Obama daughter: SASHA.
21. Shirt with a button-down collar: OXFORD. An OXFORD is a casual shirt that is typically made from heavier fabric than a dress shirt. Oddly, they're rarely worn with Oxfords.
23. Scoreboard figs.: PTS. Scoreboard figures: POINTS. Scoreboard figs: SPONSOR.
25. Gold, in Mexico: ORO. So I don't confuse this with OSO (Spanish for bear) I think that ORO looks like ORE, which gold is.
27. Makes a wrong choice: ERRS. Dang, I wrote OSO instead of ORO.
28. [theme]
34. Jungian inner self: ANIMA. I should know this, but I needed an assist from perps.
35. Set up for solitaire: DEALT. My mom said I was a card and needed to be DEALT with.
36. Quick learner: NATURAL.
39. Pan-frying hazard: SPATTER.
43. Doesn't make the podium: LOSES.
45. Around about: CIRCA. "Roundabout" CIRCA 1972. Hit single from YES off their Fragile album.
46. [theme]
50. Sulky mood: SNIT.
51. London lavatory: LOO.
52. Right on __: CUE. The opposite of wrong on queue.
56. Seize by force: WREST. WREST and wrestle are related and derive from the same root meaning "to twist."
59. Museum collection: ART. Because donations wouldn't fit in the slot.
60. [theme]
65. Happy hour haunt: BAR.
66. Cedar Rapids resident: IOWAN.
67. Movie legend Greta: GARBO. Greta Garbo was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's silent and early golden eras.
68. Rainbow's backdrop: SKY. Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow - his band after Deep Purple.
69. Flip-flop: THONG. I was relaxing on Haulover Beach in Miami when a woman near me slipped out of her thong! I was surprised to say the least, until she kicked the other one off as well. That's when I noticed a lot of people were going around bare foot.
70. Inception: ONSET.
Down:
1. Thaw in the microwave: ZAP.
2. Prefix for a lifesaving "Pen": EPI.
3. Promotional packet released to the media: PRESS KIT. Here's a home version.
4. Printing measure: PICA. Back before word processors with their plethora of fonts, typewriters basically had two: PICA (wide) and Elite (narrow). Nowadays, printers measure how much toner is left so they can sell you more.
5. Cheers at the Bienal de Flamenco: OLES. The Flamenco Biennial (in English) is a major international flamenco festival that takes place in Seville, Spain, every two years.
6. Serengeti adventure: SAFARI.
7. "The list goes on," briefly: ETC.
8. __ & Perrins steak sauce: LEA.
9. Fastest known shark: MAKO. The "something new" I always learn from crosswords.
10. Discover or MC alternative: AMEX. A MasterCard alternative is American Express. For your convenience, I accept all of them. Send your money to me @ Crossword Corner, especially if you have an unlimited Black Card. Thanks in advance.
11. Soft sweater wool: ANGORA.
12. Fortified wine from Andalusia: SHERRY.
13. Winter coasters: SLEDS. Winter coasters: SNOWFLAKES.
18. "I got it! I got it!": OH OH. I know this one!
-
22. Soft pen type: FELT TIP.
23. Details shared before a night out: PLAN.
24. Rock legend Turner: TINA.She's timeless.
26. "I was today years __ when ... ": OLD. The “I was today years OLD” meme began on Twitter in 2015, when users posted the phrase to express surprise or humor upon learning something new or realizing it for the first time.
29. Try to equal: EMULATE.
30. "O Holy Night," for one: CAROL. As played by Carole:
31. __ Plaines, Illinois: DES.
32. Sticky stuff on a tree: SAP. It takes about 40 gallons of maple SAP to produce 1 gallon of maple syrup. I guess that's what it all boils down to.
33. Finish second in a horse race: PLACE. Win, PLACE and Show = 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.
37. Inquire: ASK.
38. Hula dancer's garland: LEI.
40. Farm vehicles: TRACTORS. I have cousins who are third-generation dairy farmers in Upstate New York. They collect vintage TRACTORS. Or maybe they don't junk the old ones...
41. Light beige: ECRU.
42. Leaf gatherer: RAKE.
44. Skit show with musical guests, briefly: SNL. The show was originally known simply as NBC's Saturday Night because ABC was broadcasting a program titled Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. The opening announcer still says "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"
46. Outerwear suitable for cold, frosty, and snowy conditions: ANORAK.
47. Cold, frosty, and snowy: WINTRY. I like when two clues share common words, almost like today's theme!
48. AAA service: TOWING.
49. Car instrument: HORN. I never played the HORN, but I did play the radio.
50. Uninformed guesses: STABS.
54. Group of troops: UNIT.
55. Eeyore's pal: POOH. Whenever I see "Eeyore", my mind sees eyesore.
57. Frozen waffle brand: EGGO. EGGO experienced a resurgence in sales after the Netflix series Stranger Things became a hit. The lead character, a girl named Eleven with psychic abilities, is obsessed with them.
58. Baseball Hall of Famer Musial: STAN. "STAN the Man" is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most consistent hitters in baseball history.
61. Number needed to tango: TWO.
62. "To All the Boys" series creator Jenny: HAN. One of many bestsellers that I haven't read, but I'm sure it's good. Her novels have been adapted into movies and TV series.
63. "May __ excused?": I BE.
64. Youngster: TOT. Young spuds are tater TOTs.
May I be excused now?
4 comments:
Not only was one of the
themers in this puzzle a CSO to yours truly, but the whole puzzle was, once again,
a WITP. I had a good laugh at that! Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Started off with a Wite-Out moment at 1A -- forgot ZEPPO, inked in GUMMO. (Have I ever mentioned....?) The rest of the puzzle zippoed right along. I retired my expired-in-2007 EPIpen in favor of a Neffy nasal spray this year. Hope I don't need it. OH, OH made immediately evoked Horshack for me, too. Thanx for the outing, Susan, and for a sterling sub-job, Rusty Brain. (Chuckled at the "bat boy.")
How'd that "made" get in there?
FIR without erasure.
I was today years OLD when I learned that it's SPATTER, not splatter. In any case, it's a real hazard if you cook while wearing no more than a THONG.
I remember when IBM typewriters ("Selectric" or "Executive," can't remember which) came with changeable font balls containing a single font. I nearly remember a joke from that era about a secretary applying for a job. In the "special skills" part of the application, she stated "Familiar with IBM Executives."
Thanks to Ha2la for the delightful puzzle. And thanks to the Rusty substitute Ha2la for what may be your best review yet. BTW, I've been to several Yes concerts, all of which were great. I've also been to Haulover Beach, probably to no one's surprise. But only once - they were rebuilding the main drag (US-1? US-A1A?) and the traffic was horrendous. Also, your cousins may be harboring a gold mine in those old TRACTORS- the manufactures are making the new ones impossible for owners or third-party mechanics to repair. This is not only costly, but the delay in getting factory techs out to the farm can easily destroy a crop. There's a trend to find the old, simple versions and rebuild them.
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