Round 2 of RustyBrain's Tour de Lundi's in lieu of sumdaze.
Robert "Everyone Loves" Morris is no stranger to the square dance here at the Corner. In this puzzle, he shows off his fancy footwork.
58A. Jukebox musical featuring Gloria Estefan songs, or where to find the ends of 17-Across and 10-, 24-, and 33-Down: ON YOUR FEET.
The end of each themer is also a part of one's foot. Simple and effective -
except I didn't know a jukebox musical was a show that uses preexisting
songs to tell a story.
17A. Architectural component of many a stained glass window: GOTHIC ARCH. The tall, pointed GOTHIC ARCH was an improvement over the round Roman ones because the steeper sides directed forces down more vertically. So, rather than having massive columns as in the Romanesque churches, the new columns could be more slender.
10D. Pencil game that often has no winner: TIC-TAC-TOE. Known as "Noughts and Crosses" in Britain, TIC-TAC-TOE's origins can be traced back to ancient Egypt where the game has been found on roofing tiles. Therefore, workers have been screwing around on the job for millennia before I came along and turned it into an art form.
24D. Billiards game: SIX-BALL. In pocket billiards (pool), SIX-BALL is a shortened form of nine-ball. But, for some oddball reason, eight-ball is a longer version of both.
33D. Flatfish native to the northern Atlantic: DOVER SOLE. DOVER SOLE is a highly-valued, sweet and mild-flavored flatfish from European waters. And eating fish is good for your soul.
I found too many proper names, including an insurance company mascot, but my only real QUIBBLE was a few wayward abbreviations (see 43A & 4D).
And now, the game is afoot:
Across:
1. Animation pioneer Disney: WALT. If WALT had lived long enough, he might have created a CGI emu.
5. CGI emu who wears sunglasses in insurance ads: LIMU. Newest Disney character: Lester LIMU.
9. Chichén __: Mayan ruins: ITZA. ITZA site to see!
13. Word of woe: ALAS.
14. Ain't right?: AREN'T. Yes it is.
16. "Carpe __!": "Seize the day!": DIEM.
17. [theme]
19. Ranch division: ACRE. The smallest division is the single-serving size.
20. Lures: ENTICES.
21. 2,240 pounds: LONG TON. The LONG TON is also known as an imperial ton, a displacement ton, or a British ton, but there's not a ton of difference between them.
23. Big name in tractors: DEERE. This old piece of farm equipment is manure spreader. Nowadays, we call it a politician.
24. Lady of Spain: SENORA.
25. Shape-fitting video game: TETRIS. I have very good spatial sense and amaze my friends with how much I can pack into a small moving van. I think of it as 3-D TETRIS.
28. Computer pros: TECHS. Computer cons: BUGS
31. Puts in: ADDS. "You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out..." I'm also available for weddings!
34. Bit of black magic: HEX.
35. Cape __ Island, Nova Scotia: BRETON.
36. Summer zodiac sign: LEO. It's LEO again. We've seen this constellation all summer long.
37. Nitpick: QUIBBLE. QUIBBLE is just like Scrabble. Well, maybe a little different...
39. Lisbon greeting: OLA. The Portuguese version of "hola," which is the Spanish version of "hallo," which is the German version of "hello," which is...
40. Scarf down: DEVOUR.
42. One seeking platonic love, informally: ARO. AROmantic is becoming a crossword staple due to its common letters.
43. Slugger Matt who led the NL in homers in 2011: KEMP. Since National League is abbreviated, so is Kempinski. Just kidding! I don't know why the clue uses NL (Matt is technically abbreviated as well).
44. Puccini work: OPERA.
45. Pester continually: PLAGUE.
47. Scamp: RASCAL.
49. Mookie of the Dodgers: BETTS. The only BETTS I know is Dickey, founding member and former guitarist for the Allman Brothers Band.
53. Stronghold: BASTION.
55. Get ready: PREPARE.
57. French for "mine": A MOI.
58. [theme]
60. Approximately 2.2 lbs.: KILO. Kilogram.
61. Marshmallow treats: PEEPS. They're not just for Easter anymore!
62. Words often said sarcastically: I BET.
63. Genesis garden: EDEN.
64. Small amount: DASH.
65. __ list: TO DO. My wife, RightBrain, calls them "honey do" lists. I sure hope she gets around to them soon.
Down:
1. Fought, as a war: WAGED.
2. Unaccompanied: ALONE.
3. Starbucks order: LATTE. Cafe LATTE is an espresso-based coffee drink from Italy. "Scusi, but why is my order taking so long?"
5. Lingerie trim: LACE.
6. Golden yrs. funds: IRAS. Individual Retirement Accounts.
7. Crème de la __: luxury skin care product made with kelp: MER. MER is French for "sea." I should try it because I need all the kelp I can get.
8. Parents' brothers: UNCLES.
9. "Can't argue with that": I'D AGREE. No complaints from me.
10. [theme]
11. Goose egg: ZERO. Because a ZERO looks like an egg, the tennis term for "no score" is love - from the French word for egg, l'oeuf.
12. Prayer ending: AMEN.
15. Suffix for a lengthy fundraising event: THON. As in teleTHON.
18. Slushy drink: ICEE.
22. __ Dame: South Bend school: NOTRE. The Fighting Irish.
24. [theme]
26. Calendar abbr.: THUR. This clue is kinda week.
27. L.L.Bean rival: REI. Recreational Equipment, Inc. In clothing, however, Bean's rival is Lands' End.
29. Ian of "The Hobbit": HOLM. He played Bilbo Baggins, Middle Earth's ringleader.
30. Break sharply: SNAP.
31. Gucci of fashion: ALDO.
32. "Take a __ breath": DEEP.
33. [theme]
35. Internet journal: BLOG. Just like the one you're reading now!
37. Somewhat: QUASI. That seems about right.
38. Lingerie item: BRA.
41. Formal speech: ORATION.
43. Stay in shape: KEEP FIT. Bent out of shape: THROW A FIT.
45. Reviewed harshly: PANNED. The term "being roasted" was a historical slang term for severe criticism (similar to today). That morphed into expressions like "on the pan."
46. Lyft rival: UBER.
48. Member-owned grocery: CO-OP. IGA (Independent Grocers Alliance) supermarkets are an example of a Retailers' Cooperative. Collectively, CO-OPs give local store owners the buying power to compete with the big chains. We stopped at this one on the way to the Cascade Mountains this summer. Neat as a pin with perfect pyramids of produce and super friendly folks. Buy local!
50. 1990s fitness fad: TAE BO. The opposite of this fashion fad:
51. Trapped on a branch, as a cat: TREED. Tripped on a branch: FLOORED.
52. Minor scuffle: SET TO.
53. Make a cake, say: BAKE.A rhyming clue and answer!
54. Within: AMID.
55. Unwelcome sounds for a balloon artist: POPS. These are very prickly to make:
56. Work with haste: RUSH. Work with waste: FLUSH. More silly rhymes.
59. Affirmative vote: YEA.
Did you keep instep as we moved along?
2 comments:
In spite of the
intersection of “Holm” and “Kemp,” and a foreign term or two, I think this puzzle still deserves the accolade of “a walk in the park.” Perhaps others will disagree; we’ll see. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Yay, d-o stumbled on to victory. QUArrel and SIXrAiL really slowed things down in flyover country. We visited Chichén ITZA for my 50th -- one was still allowed to climb the pyramid in those days. Even further back in time d-o lost an altercation with a manure spreader (not a DEERE) when playing bicycle tag. I flew right over the blades and into the bed of the box, which fortunately was still filled with some spreadable material. My bicycle was history, though.
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