All
rise. The court is now in session, the Questionable Judge RustyBrain
presiding - because sumdaze is in jail. Just kidding! She's actually out
on bail.
It's the trial of the century! Well, not quite,
but when our boss, C.C., and our own Irish Miss collude, it's big news.
In looking over the court documents, I see that that they have
conspired over two dozen times in the past. I find them guilty of being
habitual cruciverbalists!
The opening statement is the revealer:
37. Proceeding that may follow a subpoena, and what the ends of 16-, 23-, 46-, and 59-Across can make?: COURT APPEARANCE. Each of the following themers ends in a word that can be found in a courtroom.
16. Spot to paste a URL in a browser window: ADDRESS BAR. The BAR is the railing or barrier that separates the public area from the space reserved for judges, lawyers, and court officials.
23. Holds firm against opposition: TAKES A STAND. The witness STAND is the location in a courtroom where a witness gives testimony. A witness called to testify is said to "take the stand."
46. Hall of Fame catcher who won two World Series with the Cincinnati Reds: JOHNNY BENCH. The judge's raised platform when presiding over a court is called the BENCH.
59. Place for oils and watercolors: ART GALLERY. The GALLERY refers to the public area in a courtroom where onlookers, citizens, and the media can observe court proceedings.
So,
we have order in the court. All these answers are common phrases that
match their clues. I also appreciate that the name-calling was kept to a
minimum, or else I'd have to declare a mistrial.
Let's see how the case unfolded:
Across:
1. "That's tragic": SO SAD. Too bad, SO SAD.
6. Bridal gown material: LACE. Also available in leather.
10. City ride with a sign on top: CAB.
13. Ingredient in pepper pot soup: TRIPE. Campbell's discontinued Pepper Pot soup in 2010. Now it's hard to find a load of TRIPE.
15. Temporary calm: LULL. I've been in the eye of a hurricane. After an hour's LULL with clear blue sky directly overhead, it struck again, except blowing in the opposite direction. Trees that were bent one way snapped as the storm wrenched them back the other way.
16. [theme]
18. Et __: and others: ALIA.
19. Extra charges: FEES. I hate hidden FEES. Especially in the travel industry, with flights and hotels being the worst.
20. Épée handle: HILT. Finally an épée clue where it's not the answer!
21. Colorado ski town: ASPEN.
22. 48 hrs. before Sun.: FRI. Another cool way to clue a common answer.
23. [theme]
25. Lose traction: SKID.
27. Tree gunk: SAP. SAP from various trees has many uses: in foods, medicine and even sealants. Here's a cup Mrs. RightBrain gave me to use when collecting it:
28. "Challenge accepted!": IT'S ON.
30. Colombian city: CALI.
33. Told a whopper: LIED. In our courtroom today, it would be perjury.
37. [theme]
40. Leg joint: KNEE. I prefer wing joints - like this one in Pompano Beach, FL that I've been going to for 45 years.
41. Raised, as horses: BRED.
42. Cast member: ACTOR. Cast member: LEG JOINT.
43. Internet dial-up pioneer: AOL. America On-Line, I think. It's been forever.
45. Tech support caller: USER. TASS support caller: USSR.
52. Clumsy fellow: OAF. Someone who says, "Oof," a lot.
55. Cropped up: AROSE. Cropped out: ERASE
56. Kapoor of "Slumdog Millionaire": ANIL. I could picture his face, but not his name. So I phoned a friend.
57. Openly declare: AVER.
58. Hornet, for one: WASP. Both are of the genus vespa, hence the sign they put up while building a nest in my garage.
61. Blues singer James: ETTA. Finally squeezed in an album cover. Phew!
62. EverQuest monster: OGRE. EverQuest is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Your basic MMORPG.
63. Spine-chilling: EERIE.
64. __ Moines River: DES. From the French meaning "The Moines." Actually, I don't speak French. But the name probably doesn't mean "of the monks," and likely came from a Native American word, "Moingona," which referred to the local Illinois tribe and their path around the rapids.
65. Topple (over): KEEL. Usually a bad sign when the KEEL is over the topple.
66. Daisylike flower: ASTER.
Down:
1. Office crew: STAFF. Also available on office polos.
2. Cry from a judge: ORDER. Part of today's courtroom drama!
3. Tangential topic: SIDE ISSUE.
4. Car loan figs.: APRS. Annual Percentage Rate$
5. Poor grade: DEE.
6. Corrective eye surgery: LASIK.
7. Meander along: AMBLE.
8. Paint applications: COATS. And here's a COAT of paint:
9. Miss the mark, maybe: ERR. This is wrong.
10. Mea __: acknowledgment of fault: CULPA. OK, you got me. ERR is right?
11. Out of this world?: ALIEN.
12. Lacking seasoning: BLAND. Also a bad name for a new restaurant.
15. The cellar, in sports: LAST PLACE. Funny, this is the first place I'd go for sports.
17. Fish prized for its roe: SHAD.
21. Happy __ clam: AS A.
23. Add color to: TINT.
24. Angkor Wat's continent: ASIA. Angkor Wat is a Hindu-Buddhist temple complex in Cambodia that is famous for being the world's largest religious monument.
26. Pampering spot known as jjimjilbang: KOREAN SPA. Unknown but inferable.
28. "Gross!": ICK. This clue is yucky.
29. Huge amount: TON.
30. EMS skill: CPR. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are trained in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
31. Primate with no tail: APE. SO SAD that he had no tale to tell.
32. Took the reins: LED. Took the vows - this lucky mare has been LED by the reins to the altar! Good thing she bought a copy of Modern Bridal.
34. Social butterfly's opposite: INTROVERT.
35. __-conscious: green-minded: ECO. "Green-minded" used to mean jealous.
36. German article: DER. I read a German article once, and the only word I knew was "DER."
38. With skill: ABLY.
39. Poison ivy reaction: RASH.
44. Lowest roll on a die: ONE.
45. School near Sunset Blvd.: UCLA. The University of California, Los Angeles chose Bruins as the team mascot because "Golden Bear" was already taken by Cal Berkley.
46. Talked and talked: JAWED. ORATE?
47. Speak in public: ORATE. JAWED?
48. Party planners: HOSTS.
49. Flat-bottomed boat: BARGE. I hate when they BARGE in like this.
50. Between, in French: ENTRE. Not to be confused your main meal or with entrez-vous which is "come in" in French.
51. Hawthorne of "The Madness of King George": NIGEL. New to me but not to Brits. He was knighted in 1999.
53. Eagle's nest: AERIE.
54. Doughnut cooker: FRYER.
57. Hoppy brews: ALES. A hare of the dog?
59. Hunky-dory: AOK. The term "hunky dory" is widely believed to have originated from the Japanese phrase honcho dori ("main street"). When American sailors got disoriented (no pun intended) in town and found the main street that led back to port, they knew everything would be AOK.
60. Grassy expanse: LEA.
The court is adjourned. What's your verdict?
