Lessons in Chemistry.
20-Across. Mug shot souvenir from an Old West tourist town: WANTED POSTER. Water.
29-Across. Spiritual serenity: INNER PEACE. Ice.
46-Across. Influencers in a grassroots marketing campaign: STREET TEAM. Steam.
And the unifier:
56-Across. Geographic neighbors, or what this puzzle's circled letters literally are: BORDER STATES. In today's puzzle, we learn about the three main states of matter: Solid (ICE), Liquid (WATER), and Vapor (STEAM). Solids, in this case ICE, have a definite shape and volume, liquids, in this case WATER, have a definite volume but take the shape of their container, and gases, in this case STEAM, have no definite shape or volume. You will also notice that each of these "States" form the "Border" of the answer to the clue.
Across:
1. Occupied a chair: SAT.
4. Memory aids for shoppers: LISTS.
9. Puff up, as pillows: PLUMP.
14. Chuckle syllable: HEH.
15. Fundamental skateboard jump: OLLIE. Everything you wanted to know about the Ollie but were afraid to ask.
16. Desert watering holes: OASES.
17. Metal-bearing material: ORE.
18. Nursery purchase: PLANT.
19. Martial art also known as kung fu: WUSHU. I was not familiar with this alternative name.
23. "So much chaos in there!": IT'S A ZOO.
24. Beginning: ORIGIN.
28. Half-moon tide: NEAP. A neap tide just after the first or third quarters of the moon when there is least difference between high and low water.
32. Legal pro: Abbr.: ATT. As in an Attorney. // And 43. Exam for a future 32-Across: LSAT. As in the Law School Admissions Test.
34. Common crumbled froyo topping: OREO. A fresh new clue for an old staple.
35. Hanks who played Mr. Rogers: TOM.
 |
| The real Mr. Rogers is on the right. |
36. Ordinary writing: PROSE.
39. Wacoal undergarment: BRA. The lingerie company.
40. __ pad: STENO.
42. Totally fine: A-OK.
45. "Told you!": SEE.
49. Labor Day mo.: SEPT. Labor Day originated in the late 19th century as the American labor movement sought recognition for workers' social and economic achievements. The first observance was in New York City on September 5, 1882, organized by the Central Labor Union and Knights of Labor. It became a federal holiday on June 28, 1894, when President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September a national day to honor American workers. Today it is mostly considered a day off of work.
53. Shrimp dish: SCAMPI. The term Scampi refers to the preparation of the dish.
54. British beer with a red triangle logo: BASS ALE.
59. Place to say "I do": ALTAR.
62. Coeur d'Alene locale: IDAHO. The name Coeur d'Alene originated with French-Canadian fur traders in the late 18th or early 19th century. The traders gave this name to the local Schitsu'umsh people, observing their shrewd and disciplined trading practices. It was meant as a compliment for their business acumen.
63. Muesli grain: OAT.
64. Push-button word: START.
65. Poet Nash: OGDEN. Frederic Ogden Nash (Aug. 19, 1902 ~ May 19, 1971) was an American poet well known for his light verse.
66. Put into service: USE.
67. Extra benefits: PERKS.
68. Demanding constant attention, perhaps: NEEDY.
69. "The Good Place" actor Danson: TED. Ted Danson (né Edward Bridge Danson, III; b. Dec. 29, 1947) began his career as a model for Aramis.
Down:
1. Do a butler's job: SHOW IN.
2. Make fizzy: AERATE.
3. Covert org.: THE NSA.
4. Pop idol Jennifer: LOPEZ. Is she or isn't she back with Ben Affleck?
5. "Leave this to me!": I'LL DO IT.
6. Apply sloppily: SLAP ON.
7. Former Yankee Martinez who won the Home Run Derby in 1997: TINO. Constantino "Tino" Martinez (b. Dec. 7.. 1967) is a former professional baseball player. He played for a number of teams, including the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
8. Tennis match units: SETS.
9. Confidence-boosting stance: POWER POSE.
10. "Lady Bird" Oscar nominee Metcalf: LAURIE. Lady Bird is a 2017 American coming-of-age comedy drama about a turbulent relationship between a high school senior, played by Saoirse Ronan (née Saoirse Una Ronan; b. Apr. 12, 1994) and her mother, played by Laurie Metcalf (née Laura Elizabeth Metcalf; b. June 16, 1955).
11. Frigate letters: USS. As in United States Ship.
12. "Doesn't excite me": MEH.
13. Nittany Lions sch.: PSU. As in Penn(sylvania) State University.
21. Spanish small bites: TAPAS. Yummers!
22. Went really fast: TORE.
25. Garden entrance: GATE.
26. Tappable image on a touchscreen: ICON.
27. "Finding __": Pixar film about a missing fish: NEMO.
30. Opposite of sur: NORTE. Spanish directions.
31. Timeline block: ERA.
33. Travels, sci-fi style: TELEPORTS.
36. __ muster: make the grade: PASS.
37. Campus cadet org.: ROTC. As in Reserve Officers' Training Corps.
38. Cajun pod: OKRA.
 |
| Yummers! Fried Okra. |
39. Club made by Louisville Slugger: BAT. Professional baseball player Pete Browning (né Louis Rogers Browning; June 17, 1861 ~ Sept. 10, 1905), was the original Louisville Slugger. He played for the Louisville team from 1882 until 1894. He had a .341 batting average.
41. Thompson of "Passing": TESSA. Passing is a 2021 film about two Black women, one of whom passes for white.
44. Recipe step: STIR.
45. In pieces: SMASHED.
47. Set out (on): EMBARK.
48. Grate against: ABRADE.
50. Choose not to cook, say: EAT OUT.
51. "I beg of you": PLEASE.
52. Pushed to the limit: TESTED.
55. Poker-faced: STONY.
57. Pop idol Celine: DION.
 |
| Céline Marie Claudette Dion; b. Mar. 20, 1968 |
58. Advantage: EDGE.
59. "Antony and Cleopatra" snake: ASP.
60. Mobile network letters: LTE. As in Long Term Evolution.
61. Driveway goo: TAR.
חתולה
13 comments:
Easy, for the most part,
although I’ve never heard of a
“street team.” Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
At first I tried to FLUFF my pillow, but now I'm a KUSHU warrior, standing here doing my POKER POSE. Bzzzzzt. I hate the taste of defeat on a Tuesday morning. Thanx, Prasanna and Hahtoolah. (So that's what LTE means. Learning moment.)
FIR, getting my SWAG @ WUSHU x LAURIE. Also, nuts->OREO, and lilly->STENO. (I considered the equally-wrong "mouse.")
I only know OLLIE as a skating move from crosswords. I am familiar with the OLLIE'S distressed merchandise retail chain.
I wonder if I've ever removed a Wacoal and not known it. "Hey Jinx - be careful with that thing! It cost me an arm and a, er, leg!"
PERKS in this sense is an abbreviated form of perquisites, but you knew that.
I think I've mentioned before that LTE means "we meet some of the technical requirements of 4G, but our network won't support it all yet." 4G is better than 4G LTE. I haven't noticed a 5G LTE, probably because 5G requires a brand-new network for it to work at all.
Thanks to Prasanna for the fun Tuesday puzzle, which I found pretty easy except for the New England area. And thanks to NaomiZ for another funny review. Favorite was "please don't eat the people."
The review was Hahtoolah, its only Tuesday.
I wanted my pillows Fluffed, too!
QOD: Right is right, even if everyone else is against it; and wrong is wrong, even if everyone else is for it. ~ William Penn (Oct. 14, 1644 ~ July 30, 1718), British-born Quaker leader
FIR. As usual I ignored the circles. They weren't needed for the solve. Why do we bother to have them at all?
I got off on the wrong foot in the NE when I threw down fluff. I couldn't make heads or tails of that section, and then power pose appeared and plump replaced fluff. From there on it was smooth sailing.
So overall an enjoyable puzzle.
Good Morning:
This was a pretty straightforward solve, with an uncomplicated theme and reveal. Wushu and Street Team were unknowns, as was Wacoal, but the perps were super helpful, so no complaints. Tom Hanks and Ogden Nash are always welcome, in my book.
Thanks, Prasanna, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the fun and facts, and for the chuckles. Favorite comics were the Mixed Doubles Tennis, the Frog, legs and all, and the Zoo Signs.
Have a great day.
PLeased to say I finished in 5:30 today, but I wish I had more chariSMA.
I knew the Actresses of the Day (Laurie and Tessa), but not "wushu," "Wacoal," or "street team."
Oh joy, circles!
My apologies to Ha2la. Nice review, as always.
That pesky NE again defeated me. I kept POkER POSE and couldn’t come up with the U for LAURIE, even though I saw the movie and really liked it.
Anyway, the rest went quite smoothly in spite of not knowing STREET TEAM or wacoal. The theme was easy and neat.
Do people use STENO pads today or know what STENO is short for?
Thank you Hahtoolah for your usual fine review.
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Prasanna and Hahtoolah (I loved your “put into service” cartoon with the connection to ATT and LSAT).
I thought I FIRed, and came here to confirm my WAG of a U (university) instead of I (institute), since this Canadian had no idea about the Nittany Lions.
But I discovered that in my deliberation between tEe and HEe, I did not notice that the resultant cross of TeENSA made little sense (but then THE NSA is not top of my Canadian memory base).
But I did see the “changing states of water” early in the game. It took a minute for BORDER to make sense. With that reveal, the circles might not have been needed later in the week.
This Canadian’s brain goes to French before Spanish, but “sous” was too short. Ah, we are moving from South to North, not Over to Under.
Wacoal BRAs are a great quality, but I thought that clue might slow down solvers. They are expensive and never go on sale, but last for years.
Blue Jays’ BATs were nearly silent this weekend against the Mariners. Fans are hoping for a comeback.
Wishing you all a great day.
Musings
-As a crossword solver and physics teacher who taught changes in state a gazillion times this was a fun exercise!
-Of course, WATER is actually not a state of matter but is matter that can be in three states but…
-I thought POSER POSE was okay and so I had a bad cell where it crossed impossible WUSHU. The sun’ll come up tomorrow
-Our neighbor two doors down is an ATT who took the LSAT and charged us $150 for a half hour where he told us our wills and financial situation are adequate and forming a trust is not necessary.
-I correctly guessed that the three-letter Wacoal garment was not an OBI or BOA.
-START: The hardest part of any project, even more than STIR! :-)
-PERKS: I’m trying to recall any I’ve received as an educator
-Rumors are flying that now that PSU has fired its FB coach they will try to hire Nebraska’s coach Matt Rhule who is an alum.
-Magicians use twins to perform the fun illusion of TELEPORTING
-Like the kids, I am locked out of FaceBook by the Wi-Fi at school and so I have to turn it off and use LTE.
WEES. 15 names, DNK 4. W/O: STOIC:STONY. Other than that, straightforward Tuesday level, FIR in 11. Thanx for the fun, PK. Thanx too for the great write-up, Hahtoolah.
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