Steal My Heart.
16-Across. Replace a player on the basepath: PINCH RUN.
20-Across. Comedian who co-created the Netflix animated series "Big Mouth": NICK KROLL.
32-Across. Ski resort pass: LIFT TICKET.
43-Across. "RuPaul's Drag Race" segment featuring celebrity impressions: SNATCH GAME.
57-Across. Reject, on a dating app: SWIPE LEFT.
63-Across. Go on a break, or what the starts of 16-, 20-, 32-, 43-, and 57-Across can be called: TAKE FIVE. Five examples of stealing.
Across:
1. Scrabble piece: TILE.
5. Come to a close: END.
8. Small fruit pie: TART.
12. Beyoncé, to the Beyhive: IDOL. Before she went out on her own, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (b. Sept. 4, 1981), she was the lead singer of Destiny's Child. Her ardent fans are known as the Beyhive.
13. Caviar: ROE.
14. "Makes sense now": AH, I SEE!
18. Sibling's daughters: NIECES. // Lots of family relationships in today's puzzle. We also saw 24-Across. Unlike 18-Across: MALE. // And we have 40-Across. Mama's hermana: TIA.
19. Critical time: D-DAY.
22. October birthstone: OPAL. Many opals are found in Australia. Hi, Kazie!
25. Bag-checking org.: TSA. As in the Transportation Security Administration.
26. Dana Bash's channel: CNN. Dana Ruth Bash (b. 1971) is an American journalist, news anchor, host of Inside Politics and co-anchor of State of the Union on CNN.
28. Loose-leaf beverage: TEA. // And 3-Down. Drink made with Earl Grey tea and steamed milk: LONDON FOG. I thought London Fog was a clothing manufacturer.
30. Fly or fish, for example: VERB. // And 6-Down. Fly or fish, for example: NOUN.
35. Top poker cards: ACES.
39. Houseplant that seldom needs watering: ALOE.
41. Iditarod town: NOME. A brief history of the Iditarod sled race.
42. Prefix with watts: MEGA.- So fraught with meaning ...
46. Bread served with biryani: ROTI. Let's travel to India for today's meal. Roti is a simple, unleavened flatbread and biryani is an elaborate, aromatic mixed rice dish. Yummers!
48. Body of water: SEA.
49. Glum: SAD.
50. Orbiting facility: Abbr.: ISS. As in the International Space Station.
53. __ de gallo: PICO. Now let's travel to Mexico for our next meal. Pico de gallo is a Mexican salsa. Yummers!
55. Dethrone: OUST.
60. Informed: TOLD.
62. Bemoan: LAMENT.
66. Add a raised design to: EMBOSS.
67. Younger "ManningCast" host: ELI. Eli Manning (né Elisha Nelson Manning; b. Jan. 3, 1981) is the son of Archie (né Elisha Archibald Manning, III; b. May 19, 1949) and the younger brother of Cooper (né Cooper Archibald Manning) and Peyton (né Peyton Williams Manning; b. Mar. 24, 1976). The sons were all born in New Orleans. Cooper's dreams of following the family into a football career were dashed when he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis. His son, Arch (Archibald Charles Manning; b. Apr. 27, 2004) plays college football.
68. Reverse: UNDO.
69. Stretch across: SPAN. Bridge building is an engineering feat.
70. Earn after taxes: NET.
71. Loch with a legend: NESS.
Down:
1. Helpful pointer: TIP.
2. Terse confession: I DID.
4. Yosemite Valley landmark, for short: EL CAP. It's formal name is El Capitan and it is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park. Sadly, just last week a young climber, Balin Miller (Jan. 12, 2002 ~ October 1, 2025), fell to his death attempting a climb up the face of this rock formation.
5. Use bleach on a load of colored laundry, say: ERR.
7. Jeans fabric: DENIM. A brief history of Denim.
8. Cake layer: TIER.
9. Posh neckwear: ASCOT.
10. Film spools: REELS.
11. Unit of magnetic flux density: TESLA.
14. Belly dancer's jewelry: ANKLET.
15. Someone to trail behind?: HIKER.
17. Luxury hotel chain: HYATT.
21. Warnings: CAVEATS.
23. "Lilo & Stitch" costume accessory: LEI.
26. Chowder morsel: CLAM. New England or Manhattan?
27. Cairo's river: NILE.
29. "Smile and be on your best behavior!": ACT NICE!
31. Sharp noise: BANG.
33. Origami slipup: TEAR.
34. Korean automaker: KIA.
36. Boundary between land and water: COASTLINE.
37. Actress Thompson: EMMA.
 |
| Emma Thompson, b. Apr. 15, 1959 |
38. Bird feeder filler: SEED.
43. Tall circus performer's pair: STILTS.
44. Corp. leader: CEO. As in the Chief Executive Officer.
45. High in the Alps?: HAUTE. Today's French lesson. A portion of the Alps are in France.
47. Works the first shift at a café, say: OPENS.
50. Cruise stopovers: ISLES.
51. Shrek's home: SWAMP.
52. Lion hoisted skyward during "Circle of Life": SIMBA. A reference to The Lion King.
54. Not infrequently: OFTEN.
56. "Whee!": SO FUN!
58. Laborer: PEON.
59. Story: TALE.
61. Box set units: DVDs.
64. Baby fox: KIT.
65. Lip balm brand: EOS. Although EOS is the name of the Greek Goddess of Dawn, in the realm of lip balm, it refers to the Evolution Of Smoothness.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
Except for that female
ReplyDeletecomedian with the unusual name, this puzzle was a piece of cake. And the theme was evident pretty much from the get go. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteOH I SEE at 14a made ANKLET slow to appear. NICK KROLL, too. (He's not female, Sub.) It's definitely gotta be New England CLAM chowder, not Manhattan. Thanx Matthew, Mark, and Hahtoolah. ("Juveniles" was cute.)
Oh, I see my mistake, D-O, thanks for pointing that out.
ReplyDeleteSubG
FIR, but oh i see->AH I SEE, in on->TOLD, and el cid->EL CAP (I blame decaf.)
ReplyDeleteFor my money, the G.O.A.T. jazz instrumental has to be TAKE FIVE. Thanks for the link.
Thanks to Matthew and Mark for the fun, easy Tuesday special. I guess Luke and John were busy with other endeavors. And thanks to Ha2la for another fine review. That "aloe" gag will never get old.
Jinx: I agree that Brubeck's Take Five is the best. We played it at my father's funeral.
DeleteQOD: If you want peace, don’t talk to your friends. Talk to your enemies. ~ Desmond Tutu (né Desmond Mpilo Tutu; Oct. 7, 1931 ~ Dec. 26, 2021), South African cleric and recipient of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize
FIR. I had no idea who the comedian was, and don't know anything about drag queens. That made this puzzle all about perps for me.
ReplyDeleteThe reveal finally made sense of the theme which was certainly not obvious. But it helped with solving nick in 20A and snatch at 43A.
Overall not at all an enjoyable puzzle.
A Monday-level walk in the park. Straightforward cluing, some clever fill, and an absence of obscurities made for a very enjoyable puzzle.
ReplyDeleteTerrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Matthew and Mark, and Hahtoolah.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed in good time, and saw the TAKE FIVE theme (although originally I was looking at a GAME theme with the ends of the themers (RUN, ROLL before I had the K, TICKET).
We had a secondary Water theme with NILE, SEA, SWAMP, NESS, COASTLINE, ISLES.
Hand up for OH before AH I SEE.
Unknown-to-me names (NICK KROLL, CNN with Dana Bush) perped.
CSOs to our late OMK with ASCOT, and Picard with STILTS.
AnonT- you may have already seen the big announcement of the Rush Tour in 2026 (with new drummer, Anika Nilles). There are a couple of concerts in Fort Worth. https://www.rush.com/rush-fifty-something-tour/
Wishing you all a great day.
I forgot to vote - I’ll opt for New England Clam Chowder since Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder is not on the ballot.
DeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteEven though the first few theme answers gave away the gimmick, the reveal was a fun and fitting surprise. I was bewildered about the Five part until Hahtoolah enlightened me. No real stumbling blocks but London Fog and Snatch Game were unknowns. This was a pleasant solve with a Tuesday level theme and above average fill, IMO.
Thanks, Matthew and Mark, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the informative review and commentary. The Origami comic was my favorite and the baby fox was adorable. I enjoyed all of the food photos, too. New England Clam Chowder is my favorite, by far, and I make it using a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen.
Have a great day.
Took 5:05 today for me to steal away (my apologies to Robbie Dupree).
ReplyDeleteNever heard of "snactch game" before. I knew the Actress of the Day (Emma), but not the French lesson (haute). Thankfully, today's foods were friendly today (pico and roti, and I guess clams and roe too).
Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park is absolutely breathtaking, and I felt content to look at El Cap from the safety of the ground.