Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here, struggling to keep up with Mathew Stock's clever clues. Is it just me and too much time off or was this one tricky for a Monday? Well, at least the theme was easy an easy order:
The unifier spells it out:
54 Across. Combo meal component, and what the answers to the starred clues have: SIDE OF FRIES. All the themed answers have a type of French fries at the right SIDE of the answer. We have:
16 Across. *Breakfast chain founded in metro Atlanta: WAFFLE HOUSE. I went to one once to see what it was all about. Not really my thing.
This is the WAFFLE HOUSE scene from the 2010 movie Due Date,
starring Zach Galifianakis and Robert Downey Jr. (4:18 min.)
Truthfully, I find this genre of movies too uncomfortable to watch.
18 Across. *Harlem Globetrotters legend known for his shaved head: CURLY NEAL. I loved the Globetrotters as a kid so I remembered CURLY but guessed "bEAL" for his last name as I was unfamiliar with 13-Down and thought it could have been an initialism.
Here is #22 in action.
I like the last clip where he does a bounce pass though his opponent's legs to himself.
1:12 min. (It's worth the click just to hear their theme song again!)
34 Across. *Dramatic snag in the outfield: SHOESTRING CATCH. I was unfamiliar with this term but clocking the theme helped (as it should). It is when a baseball player catches a ball close to his feet, meaning very close to the ground.
This video is just 12 seconds.
51 Across. *Feature of some blocky footwear: WEDGE HEEL. Women's footwear -- finally something I can relate to! 
Here they all are:
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| (l. to r.) WAFFLE, CURLY, SHOESTRING, and WEDGE FRIES We're going to need more ketchup! |
Next, we'll dip into the remaining clues:
Across:
21. Make it to: ATTEND. Ah, as in, "Did you ATTEND the fundraiser?" / "Did you make it to the fundraiser?"
31. Jazz horn: SAX.
32. Baseball apparel company: NEW ERA. Gracious! I did not know this one either!
37. "Pick up the pace!": PRONTO.
38. Female 11-Down: DOE. and 11-Down. Buck or 38-Across: DEER.
39. "Go team!": RAH.
40. Guffaw: YUK. A guffaw is a loud or boisterous burst of laughter.
41. __ and aahed: OOHED.
43. Theater chain initials: AMC. AMC originally stood for American Multi-Cinema.
44. Research on a rival, briefly: OPPO. OPPOsition Research more from the Political Dictionary
45. Tennis legend Gibson: ALTHEA. Althea Neale Gibson [1927-2003] was an American tennis player and golfer. In 1956 she became the first Black player to win a Grand Slam event. more achievements
48. Cupcake topper: ICING. Here are some fun ones for Halloween:
56. Bard's before: ERE. "Bard's" hints at Old English.
57. More than one can count: A TON.
58. Some UNESCO World Heritage Sites: RUINS. "UNESCO" stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Its website says, "We strengthen ties between people to build peace." An example of an UNESCO RUINS site is the Ruins of Leon Viejo in Nicaragua.
59. Quoter's "I'm aware of the error": [SIC].
60. Join using heat: WELD.
61. Singles: ONES. Think "dollar bills".
62. Shriek of fear: EEK.
Down:
4. Elastigirl, to Mr. Incredible: WIFE.
5. __ Romeo: ALFA. CSO to -T!
6. Enjoy a mudhole: WALLOW. When my dog was 3 years old, we went to a group picnic in the hills and she found a smelly, wild pig mudhole. She thought it was glorious! I cannot remember how many baths it took to get rid of the smell.
8. Pirate riches: BOOTY. and 9-Down. Sit beside: ABUT. <snicker, snicker>
10. Won by a __: NOSE. This idiom means to defeat an opponent by a very small margin. It is believed to have originated in horse racing.
13. __ Back: movement focused on ancestral sovereignty: LAND. Learning moment for me. Of course it makes sense now that I see the answer....
16. MGM Grand rival: WYNN. I did not know this one either but I knew that the MGM Grand was a casino so a homophone for "win" seemed plausible.
17. HS course that taught practical skills: HOME EC. I am wondering why this clue is in the past tense. Do they no longer teach HOME EConomics in High Schools?
19. Tough to move: LEADEN. Trying to make LoADEd work added to my difficulties with 21-Across.
23. Dating app "designed to be deleted": HINGE. This one was out of my wheelhouse as well. Apparently HINGE is a dating app geared more towards finding a serious relationship. "Designed to be deleted" probably means that you will find your true love in the first go-round and then no longer need the app so you will delete it from your phone.
25. Card game that requires no skill: WAR. WAR is the Candy Land of card games. There is no mechanism for players to impact the results.
26. Iron __: rust: OXIDE. CSO to RustyBrain!
1. Prefix with gender: CIS-.
4. East Coast gas station chain with a goose logo: WAWA. I used to live near one when I lived in Virginia back in the aughts. DH loved their coffee. I've never been a coffee drinker so....
8. Play group?: BAND. The question mark indicates word play. Think "musicians".
4. East Coast gas station chain with a goose logo: WAWA. I used to live near one when I lived in Virginia back in the aughts. DH loved their coffee. I've never been a coffee drinker so....
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| Do you see the yellow goose? |
8. Play group?: BAND. The question mark indicates word play. Think "musicians".
I was trying to decide which BAND to link, then it hit me -- The BAND!
12. Little troublemaker: IMP. CSO to our Cornerite IMP!
13. Purple flower: LILAC. My old neighborhood in Colorado had several old LILAC bushes. I was told they were planted back when people had outhouses. Their fragrance helped mask the odor when things began to thaw in the spring.
14. Wind instrument that typically has 23 tone holes: OBOE.
15. Hopping pal of Pooh: ROO.
20. Florida freshwater springs mammal: OTTER.
The Band ~ Up On Cripple Creek ~ 1969
Note: Some of you might be disappointed I did not use The Weight.
I've used it in the past so I went with something different. You can hear that song here.
12. Little troublemaker: IMP. CSO to our Cornerite IMP!
13. Purple flower: LILAC. My old neighborhood in Colorado had several old LILAC bushes. I was told they were planted back when people had outhouses. Their fragrance helped mask the odor when things began to thaw in the spring.
14. Wind instrument that typically has 23 tone holes: OBOE.
15. Hopping pal of Pooh: ROO.
20. Florida freshwater springs mammal: OTTER.
This is a 2:32 min. video about freshwater OTTERs in Montana.
(It is shorter plus it has better information than the Florida ones I viewed.)
21. Make it to: ATTEND. Ah, as in, "Did you ATTEND the fundraiser?" / "Did you make it to the fundraiser?"
Trying to make ATTain work tied me up in the NW.
22. "Gracious!": OH, MY. and 25-Across. "Gracious!": WOWIE.
24. __ Diego Padres: SAN.
27. Ceiling spinner: FAN.
30. Brief "We'll figure it out later": TBD. To Be Determined
22. "Gracious!": OH, MY. and 25-Across. "Gracious!": WOWIE.
24. __ Diego Padres: SAN.
27. Ceiling spinner: FAN.
30. Brief "We'll figure it out later": TBD. To Be Determined
31. Jazz horn: SAX.
Charlie Parker [1920-1955] ~ All the Things You Are
32. Baseball apparel company: NEW ERA. Gracious! I did not know this one either!
37. "Pick up the pace!": PRONTO.
38. Female 11-Down: DOE. and 11-Down. Buck or 38-Across: DEER.
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| Here's a pic from my recent trip. This wild buck let me hand-feed it an apple. He and his buddies hang out in the orchard, waiting for humans to pick the apples they cannot reach. Yes, I was a bit nervous of those antlers! |
40. Guffaw: YUK. A guffaw is a loud or boisterous burst of laughter.
41. __ and aahed: OOHED.
43. Theater chain initials: AMC. AMC originally stood for American Multi-Cinema.
44. Research on a rival, briefly: OPPO. OPPOsition Research more from the Political Dictionary
45. Tennis legend Gibson: ALTHEA. Althea Neale Gibson [1927-2003] was an American tennis player and golfer. In 1956 she became the first Black player to win a Grand Slam event. more achievements
48. Cupcake topper: ICING. Here are some fun ones for Halloween:
56. Bard's before: ERE. "Bard's" hints at Old English.
57. More than one can count: A TON.
58. Some UNESCO World Heritage Sites: RUINS. "UNESCO" stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Its website says, "We strengthen ties between people to build peace." An example of an UNESCO RUINS site is the Ruins of Leon Viejo in Nicaragua.
59. Quoter's "I'm aware of the error": [SIC].
60. Join using heat: WELD.
Welding for Beginners (4:14 min.)
61. Singles: ONES. Think "dollar bills".
62. Shriek of fear: EEK.
1. Historian's word of approximation: CIRCA. CIRCA is a preposition which means "at approximately". It is used especially with dates. It comes from the Latin circum, meaning around. In a roundabout way, it is related to circumference.
2. "Later": I'M OUT.
3. Gambling venue that may offer Super Bowl parlays: SPORTSBOOK. A SPORTSBOOK is a place -- either a website or a building -- that accepts bets on sporting events, especially college and professional events. more from Investopedia Thanks, perps!
2. "Later": I'M OUT.
3. Gambling venue that may offer Super Bowl parlays: SPORTSBOOK. A SPORTSBOOK is a place -- either a website or a building -- that accepts bets on sporting events, especially college and professional events. more from Investopedia Thanks, perps!
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| Coincidentally, Wiki sported this pic & caption. (See 16-Down.) |
4. Elastigirl, to Mr. Incredible: WIFE.
6. Enjoy a mudhole: WALLOW. When my dog was 3 years old, we went to a group picnic in the hills and she found a smelly, wild pig mudhole. She thought it was glorious! I cannot remember how many baths it took to get rid of the smell.
7. Blackjack card: ACE.
8. Pirate riches: BOOTY. and 9-Down. Sit beside: ABUT. <snicker, snicker>
13. __ Back: movement focused on ancestral sovereignty: LAND. Learning moment for me. Of course it makes sense now that I see the answer....
16. MGM Grand rival: WYNN. I did not know this one either but I knew that the MGM Grand was a casino so a homophone for "win" seemed plausible.
(See photo for 3-Down.)
17. HS course that taught practical skills: HOME EC. I am wondering why this clue is in the past tense. Do they no longer teach HOME EConomics in High Schools?
19. Tough to move: LEADEN. Trying to make LoADEd work added to my difficulties with 21-Across.
23. Dating app "designed to be deleted": HINGE. This one was out of my wheelhouse as well. Apparently HINGE is a dating app geared more towards finding a serious relationship. "Designed to be deleted" probably means that you will find your true love in the first go-round and then no longer need the app so you will delete it from your phone.
25. Card game that requires no skill: WAR. WAR is the Candy Land of card games. There is no mechanism for players to impact the results.
26. Iron __: rust: OXIDE. CSO to RustyBrain!
Here's a brief engineering science lesson: Iron is a metal and metals have a crystalline molecular structure. The crystalline structure of iron oxide is less dense than that of iron so it flakes off in what we call "rust", exposing additional iron to even further rust. Contrast this with another metal, aluminum. Aluminum oxide has a more dense crystalline structure than aluminum. This means you get a denser surface but do not get the flaking. As a result, you will not have additional aluminum exposed to further oxidation. Now, think about why we use aluminum cans to store food.
27. Greek salad topper: FETA CHEESE. It originates from Greece and is made from sheep's milk or a mixture of sheep's and goats' milk.
27. Greek salad topper: FETA CHEESE. It originates from Greece and is made from sheep's milk or a mixture of sheep's and goats' milk.
How to make FETA CHEESE at home
28. St. Louis landmark: ARCH. The Gateway Arch is a 630-foot-tall monument in St. Louis, Missouri. Clad in stainless steel and built in the form of a weighted catenary arch, it is the world's tallest arch and Missouri's tallest accessible structure. website
29. "Pass": NAH.
30. Drive-__ window: THRU.
31. Hunch over: STOOP. SlOuch did not quite fit.
33. Campfire output: WARMTH. This one took a minute, probably because I have been conditioned to think of "ash"-related words when we see campfire in a clue.
34. Mission-driven individual?: SPY. Is this clue referring to the Mission Impossible films???
35. Slow-moving, as traffic: STOP GO. STOP-and-GO???
36. Silent "Go for it": NOD.
42. "Sounds like a blast!": HOW FUN.
43. Brewmaster brews: ALES.
44. Without stopping: ON END. For example, "The sun shone for days ON END."
45. Many moons: AGES. The Earth's moon's cycle repeats every 29.5 days.
46. Spooky: EERIE. and 52-Down. Lake between Toledo and Buffalo: ERIE.
47. Smart __: ALECK. I think I've always spelled this without the "K". Merriam-Webster says my spelling is a less common variant.
48. "That much was clear to me": I SAW.
49. Quote as a source: CITE.
50. Megastar: IDOL.
53. Commotions: DINS.
55. To's counterpart: FRO.
28. St. Louis landmark: ARCH. The Gateway Arch is a 630-foot-tall monument in St. Louis, Missouri. Clad in stainless steel and built in the form of a weighted catenary arch, it is the world's tallest arch and Missouri's tallest accessible structure. website
29. "Pass": NAH.
30. Drive-__ window: THRU.
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| Click to enlarge. |
31. Hunch over: STOOP. SlOuch did not quite fit.
33. Campfire output: WARMTH. This one took a minute, probably because I have been conditioned to think of "ash"-related words when we see campfire in a clue.
34. Mission-driven individual?: SPY. Is this clue referring to the Mission Impossible films???
35. Slow-moving, as traffic: STOP GO. STOP-and-GO???
42. "Sounds like a blast!": HOW FUN.
43. Brewmaster brews: ALES.
44. Without stopping: ON END. For example, "The sun shone for days ON END."
45. Many moons: AGES. The Earth's moon's cycle repeats every 29.5 days.
46. Spooky: EERIE. and 52-Down. Lake between Toledo and Buffalo: ERIE.
47. Smart __: ALECK. I think I've always spelled this without the "K". Merriam-Webster says my spelling is a less common variant.
48. "That much was clear to me": I SAW.
49. Quote as a source: CITE.
50. Megastar: IDOL.
53. Commotions: DINS.
55. To's counterpart: FRO.
Today's grid:
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| We do not usually see themed answers on consecutive rows. |
Many thanks to RustyBrain and Anonymous T for filling in these past five weeks! While I was away, I did two back-to-back bicycling trips. The first was centered around Bend, OR and the stunning Crater Lake. The second was a tent-camping trip through CA, NV, and UT. Here I am towing my dog, Meadow, in Goblin Valley State Park, UT. 
4 comments:
I’m am NOT giving this puzzle any “walk in the park “ labels. There were
just too many obscurities ; too many ways it was possible to go wrong.
Nevertheless, I avoided them all and got the win.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Let me try this again, without the bad grammar caused by the ever stupid autocorrect :
I am NOT giving this puzzle any “walk in the park “ labels. There were
just too many obscurities ; too many ways it was possible to go wrong.
Nevertheless, I avoided them all and got the win.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Sub, your revisions appear to be the difference between a duck -- one foot is both the same.
Whew. DNF avoided. CPL crossed by LOL had to yield to SPY/YUK, and I'M OFF to OUT. The only Harlem Globetrotter d-o would recognize is Goose Tatum, that might date me a bit. Saturday we drove to a neighboring town to ATTEND a protest. About 500 other like-minded individuals also showed up. The puzzle finally came down to two Ns, the ones in LAND and NEWERA. Thanx, Matthew for a tough Monday challenge. Welcome back, sumdaze. (That's quite a chariot that Meadow rides in. How many miles did you rack up on your trip?)
Look at the first two words, D-O.
“I’m am”
Like I said, bad grammar.
-SubG
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