What's the Word, Hummingbird?
18-Across. * Celebration of Mexico's victory in the Battle of Puebla: CINCO DE MAYO. Yo! Not a word of Welcome that I would use. Contrary to popular belief in the United States, Cinco de Mayo is not the Mexican Independence Day. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army's victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla, which occurred on May 5, 1862. This year, the holiday will fall on a Tuesday, so I may be providing the commentary.
24-Across. * Only woman to serve as prime minister of India: INDIRA GANDHI. Hi!
39-Across. * Evaluates: SIZES UP. S'up? Another word I would not use. Slang for What's Up?
52-Across. * Punxsutawney Phil's big moment: GROUNDHOG DAY. G'Day. I heard this a lot when I was in Australia.
And the unifier:
61-Across. "So glad you've returned!," or a feature of the answer to each starred clue?: WELCOME BACK. Also the name of a television sit-com from the 197s. Another word of Welcome can be found at the Back of each theme answer.
Here's the Grid, so you can see the Welcomes.
Joyeaux Mardi Gras would be a better welcome for today.
 |
| What Happens on the Float, Stays on the Float. |
Across:
1. "God bless you, please, __ Robinson": MRS. Mrs. Robinson was a song by Simon and Garfunkel for the 1967 movie The Graduate.
4. Subterranean lava: MAGMA.
9. "Stop!," at sea: AVAST.
14. Feel queasy: AIL.
15. Rumored Roswell visitor: ALIEN.
16. Courage: VALOR.
17. Egg cells: OVA. A crossword staple.
20. Swab again, as a deck: REMOP.
22. Cold War rival of the KGB: CIA.
23. Jr.'s practice exam: PSAT. As in the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test.
28. Going solo: ALONE.
29. Sobbing: TEARFUL.
33. Refute: DENY.
35. Big bang letters: TNT.
37. Alabama civil rights march city: SELMA. Selma, Alabama was a pivotal city in the civil rights actions of the 1960s. The events were the subject of the 2014 movie, Selma.
38. UVA's athletic org.: ACC. The University of Virginia is in the Atlantic Coast Conference in NCAA collegiate sports.
42. Special __: OPS.
43. Litter member: WHELP.
45. Part of a semicolon: DOT.
46. One of a deadly septet: LUST. According to Christian theology, there are seven deadly sins. They are: Avarice, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Pride, Sloth, and Wrath.
47. "That's 100% true": NO DOUBT.
50. "__, Macduff": Shakespeare: LAY ON. This quote can be found in Act 5, scene 8 of Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth. We've seen a lot of Willie the Shakes in the puzzles recently.
56. Green curry cuisine: THAI. Yummers!
59. Maker of small kitchen gadgets: OXO. This company makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.
60. Witherspoon of "Legally Blonde": REESE. In addition to acting, Reese Witherspoon (née Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon; b. Mar. 22, 1976) is an avid reader. About 10 years ago, she started the Reese Witherspoon Reading Club. Many of the books she selects become bestsellers.
65. Male sheep: RAM.
66. Trojan War tale: ILIAD. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Trojan War.
67. City whose airport is named for 24-Across: DELHI.
 |
| Inside the Indira Gandhi International Airport |
68. Stockholm-to-Helsinki dir.: ENE. Traveling from Stockholm, Sweden to Helskini, Finland. The Baltic Sea is in-between the two cities.
69. Book identifier: TITLE.
70. Basic skateboard jump: OLLIE.
71. Aykroyd of "Ghostbusters": DAN. The original Ghostbusters movie came out over 40 years ago! Dan Aykroyd (né Daniel Edward Aykroyd; b. July 1, 1952) portrayed one of the scientists out to find ghosts.
Down:
1. Native New Zealander: MAORI. The Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. he Māori language is an official language of New Zealand, so signs are written in both English and Te Reo (the native language).
2. Torn asunder: RIVEN.
3. Joined a mosh pit: SLAM DANCED.
4. Apple on a teacher's desk, perhaps: MAC PRO. Not the edible kind of apple.
5. Boxer Muhammad: ALI. Muhammad Ali (né Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.; Jan. 17, 1942 ~ June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. He is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.
6. Gimlet liquor: GIN. A brief history of the origin of Gin.
7. Muslim pilgrim's destination: MECCA.
8. Name as a successor: ANOINT.
9. Michigan in Chicago, e.g.: Abbr.: AVE. A 13-stretch of Michigan Avenue in Chicago is known as the Magnificent Mile. This portion of the avenue was known for high-end shopping, dining and luxury hotels.
10. One who's long in the tooth?: VAMPIRE.
11. Pitiful interjection: ALAS.
12. High-protein bean: SOYA. A brief history of the soy bean.
13. Bouncy gait: TROT.
19. Miami-__ County: DADE. The CSI: Miami took place in Miami-Dade County.
21. Like an otter's fur: OILY.
25. Not on board with: ANTI-. Like Anti-Freeze? Not on board with Freezing!
26. Gp. after millennials: GEN-Z.
27. Door fastener: HASP.
30. Struggled to gain traction: FLOUNDERED.
31. Pros who cry "out" loud?: UMPS.
32. __-in first-out: LAST.
33. Start of the day: DAWN.
34. Sound return: ECHO.
36. Actor Danson: TED. Ted Danson (né Edward Bridge Danson, III; b. Dec. 29, 1947) became a house hold name when he portrayed Sam Malone on Cheers.
39. Stimulus: SPUR.
40. Marketed: SOLD.
41. Snowbird ski resort state: UTAH.
44. Coherent: LOGICAL.
46. Premier seating area: LOGE.
48. Rapid growth period: BOOM.
49. Union suit?: TUXEDO. Not sure I understand the connection here.
51. Little terrier: YORKIE. Cute pun. The Yorkshire Terrier is known as a Yorkie. They are adorable little dogs.
53. Prestigious prize with six categories: NOBEL. Originally, there were only five categories for the Nobel Prize: Chemistry, Literature, Medicine, Peace and Physics. The sixth category, which was added in 1968, is the officially the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
54. Lotus pose, for one: ASANA.
55. Southernmost nation on the Arabian Peninsula: YEMEN.
56. Ninny: TWIT.
57. Prefix with pad: HELI-.
58. Settled on a perch: ALIT. A crossword staple.
62. Poem of homage: ODE. Another crossword staple.
63. Bailiff's first word: ALL.
64. Greek letter X: CHI.
חתולה
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Notes from C.C.:
1) Today we celebrate the 73rd birthday of our witty Chairman Moe (Chris). Here is a picture of Chris, his girlfriend Margaret,
MM and MM's girlfriend Valerie. They met in August, 2023. Chris
travels quite a bit every summer. Hope he can meet more of our blog
regulars in the future.
 |
| Margaret, Chris, Joseph and Valerie |
2) Happy 59th anniversary to the most loving couple: Husker Gary and his wife
Joann. Here's a picture of us from 2014 when Gary attended a wedding here in Minnesota.
 |
| Left to Right: Boomer, Gary, C.C. & Joann |
23 comments:
After staring at the
reveal for, like, five minutes, the “V-8 can” hit and I finally understood what they were talking about. Whew! I hadn’t wanted to admit that I “didn’t get it” again but, fortunately now I do.
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
S’up, y’all?
We continue the trend of Tuesday puzzles being easier than the Monday. No obscure or trendy words today and a very gettable theme. Susan’s comments made
The day fun. I think the TUXEDO clue was about what a groom wears to his wedding to get joined. The word ending dupe of GHANDI and DELHI stood out to me.
Fat Tuesday to all. Thanks Katherine
Good morning!
Lemonade beat me to the TUXEDO explanation. RIVEN is one of those terms that no one has uttered ever. This was a pleasant romp for a Tuesday, even if d-o forgot to look for the theme. Again. Thanx, Katherine and Hahtoolah. (Loved the Oreo 51 and Echo cartoons.)
ENE: Our inspection team spent a pleasant week in Sweden back in the '80s. While in Stockholm we visited the Vasa, a 17th century warship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. The wreck was being slowly dried and was not yet in a museum setting. Most wooden ships of the period would've been worm-eaten, but the anaerobic conditions of Stockholm harbor preserved Vasa.
Thanks, Lemonade for the Tuxedo explanation. It totally went over my head.
D-O: We, too, visited the Vasa Museum several years ago. It was amazing to see this ship which sank, as you noted, on its maiden voyage.
FIR. I had no trouble with today's puzzle, but I too stared at the reveal not seeing the theme at all. I had to come here to have it explained to me.
Yet overall this was an enjoyable puzzle.
Good puzzle, I knew Gandhi and Delhi had a silent h but never remember where. FIR though
Ed, there's a small town in NE Louisiana by the name of Delhi, prounced 'Del-HI' instead of the abbr. for delicatessen-"deli'.
Good Morning:
Initially, I was stumped trying to see the theme but, finally, the lightbulb came on and got a sigh of relief and an Aha simultaneously. The only unknown was Lay On, but perps solved that in a hurry. While some of the “greetings” are not in my vocabulary, they are all familiar and solid, recognizable phrases. The solve was enjoyable and smooth, i.e., a typical Tuesday.
Thanks, Katherine, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the informative and cheery commentary. Favorite comic was the Tuxedo Cat, with runners-up, the Bailiff Baker and The Guide to Contagious Diseases. The adorable Yorkie was frosting on the cake!
HappyBirthday, Moe, hope it’s a special day. 🎂🎊🎉🎈🎁
Happy Anniversary, Gary and Joann, hope you celebrate in style!
Have a great day.
FIR without erasure. I don't pay much attention to themes, and missed this one until I came here.
LIFO - When we were taught circuit selection in telephony classes, they used cafeteria trays as an example. When you pick up your tray, it was the one most recently put onto the stack by the dishwasher, AKA "last in."
I wore tails at my last union. TUXEDO didn't bring much luck, so I thought I'd change things up. Must have worked - 34 1/2 wonderful years, til death did us part.
My sisters and my mom were CHI Omega sorority members. I remember their songs ended with "X and a horseshoe, CHI O."
The NOBEL Committee revealed that they were just another political organization in 2009, when they awarded the Peace Prize for lofty rhetoric.
Thanks to Kat for the fun Mardi Gras treat, and to Ha2La for another fun review.
Yorkies are sweet as sweet can be, but they sure are mouthy. I don't have any data to support it, but it seems to me that they are the most common breed for motorhome owners.
Wasn't it Rocky who really made YO popular? Or people answering roll call?
Remember the little Toyota pick up trucks that had TOYOTA in big letters on the tailgate? People would have all the letters painted over except YO.
The puzzle was easy, as Tuesdays usually are but I think editors are requiring constructors to think up more and more gimmicks. As if anybody would notice the ends of slang greetings. I never noticed (or looked for) any theme because WELCOME BACK was already filled by perps.
ACC- how far are Stanford, UC Berkley, and SMU from the 'Atlantic' coast? Not very close. Neither is ALI's hometown, Louisvile.
LAY ON- I don't remember Act 5, scene 8 form Macbeth.
17 names but no DNKs among them. FIR in 12. Last cell to fill was the "Y" at the crossing of LAyON and yORKIE. Could not think of YORKIE for a while for some reason, and my Shakespeare is pretty rusty.
"Book identifier" "TITLE" came immediately to mind making me think, "Nah, too easy, it must be something else." Finally "ALIT" gave me the "T" and I knew it was, yes, that easy.
OXO makes a fine hand-cranked can opener that cuts the can along the edge of the lid, instead of the top, giving you a lid you can put back on, and also no sharp edges.
That bridge in Selma Alabama, the "Edmund Pettus" bridge: hard to believe they still have a bridge named after the Grand Dragon of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan.
"Union suit" = cleverest clue.
That video of the "Ollie" looks like a great way to visit the hospital and the orthopedic surgeon.
HBD C.Moe! Happy Anniversary to HG and his DW!
My only change today was from GHANDI to GANDHI.
New weird Blogger failure - Somehow my post posted twice. Don't think it was my fat fingers - Blogger is supposed to remove the text from the composing area when the "PUBLISH" button is selected.
Musings
-My OCD compelled me to figure out the fun gimmick. Turns out I was missing the forest for the trees, and then Bingo!
-Joe Dimaggio was not happy he was included in Mrs. Robinson’s lyric “Where have you gone Joe Dimaggio?”. He took it to mean he was not relevant any more rather than he represented past heroes.
-Yeah, I ain't a fan of them dern silent “H’s”
-90% of home heating in Iceland is provided by MAGMA (geothermal heating)
-The one-eyed pirate with a patch generated a chuckle when it finally hit me!
-My MACbookPRO is foreign where I teach as it is all PC
-A house two blocks from us has not SOLD in five months. Haunted? :-)
-Oh No, C.C. just reminded me it’s our anniversary. Joann and I talked for a few mintues this morning and neither of us mentioned it. However, Irish, yesterday we did make nice plans to celebrate it tonight.
-According to the MAORI sign, this is my PUTANGA ANAKE
You may be right about 2009, but at least the Nobel Committee got it right in 2025.
Addendum
I just showed the anniversary greeting from C.C.on the blog to Joann and my lovely bride of 59 years responded, "Oh bless her! C.C. is so sweet!"
Just realized I forgot to say thanx to Hahtoolah for the terrific write-up, great 'toons, and cluing me in as to the theme, which I, as usual, forgot to look for. Oy!
Very enjoyable puzzle and review today. Thanks, Katherine and Hahtoolah! I was looking for greetings written backwards when I stumbled on YO, HI, S'UP and G'DAY. To continue with short greetings, happy bday to CMoe, and happy anniversary to HG.
Fast and easy, fun puzzle to start the day. WHELP slowed me down a bit, as I was fixated on the verb instead of the noun. In my yute, a UNION SUIT meant one-piece longjohns, not tuxedo! The theme flew right on over my head until Ha2la 'sprained it. Not words for WELCOME in my vocabulary, either!
Delhi (Del high) NY in the Catskill Mts.
Happy birthday, Moe.
Happy birthday, Joann and Gary
My favorite clue was union suit/tuxedo. I remember the old fashioned union suit combing an undershirt and drawers, often with a buttoned flap on the behind. So different from the elegant tuxedo. LOL I pictured a wedding with the underwear suit.
Riven is used quite a bit today, but not in a physical tearing. "While "rive" itself is often considered literary or archaic, "riven" is commonly used in modern English in the passive voice to describe something split, divided, or distressed (e.g., "a nation riven by conflict"). "
I didn't decipher the theme until Hahloolah explained it. Thanks for a great blog, Susan.
Post a Comment