Spy vs. Spy. During the Cold War, the concept of a saboteur changed from traditional physical destruction of factories and bridges to high-stakes espionage, covert operations, and behind-the-lines disruption carried out by elite military units and secret intelligence defectors.
19-Across. "Gravity's Rainbow" novelist: THOMAS PYNCHON. Spy. Gravity's Rainbow is a 1973 novel that takes place at the end of World War II. It's a long and intimidating novel that I have never felt the desire to read.
24-Across. Art technique also known as French embossing: GLASS ETCHING. Asset. An asset is a person who provides secret information or help to an intelligence organization. An asset is not a regular employee of the spy agency, but rather an outsider who is managed or paid to gather secrets.
38. "That's my intention": I PLAN TO.
45-Across. Act with chivalry: BE A GENTLEMAN. Agent.
And the Unifier:
53-Across. Psychological cause of personal failure, or a feature of 19-, 24-, 38-, and 45-Across: INNER SABOTEUR
Here's the Grid:
What other assets are found in today's puzzle?
Across:
1. Ginger cookie: SNAP. Yummers! According to the Museum of the American Revolution, Gingersnaps were named from the German or Middle Dutch word snappen, meaning "to seize quickly."
5. Cyan shade: AQUA. Hand up if you first tried Blue.
9. Oven setting: BAKE.
13. Document with an executor: WILL.
14. Coffee cups: MUGS.
15. Speaks foolishly: JIVES.
16. Drag Defense Fund org.: ACLU. As in the American Civil Liberties Union. It has been around for over 100 years.
17. Frying liquids: OILS.
18. Get down __ knee: ON ONE.
22. Tuned to, as a radio dial: SET AT.
23. Chapel Hill sch.: UNC. As in the University of North Carolina.
32. On the house: FREE.
35. Bert who played the Cowardly Lion: LAHR. Although it was in many movies, Bert Lahr (né Irving Lahrheim; Aug. 13, 1895 ~ Dec. 4, 1967) is best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz.
36. Everglades wading bird: HERON. Herons can be found all along the Gulf coast, not just the Florida Everglades.
37. Chuckle in a DM: LOL. Textspeak for Laughing Out Loud.
40. Egg cells: OVA. A crossword staple.
41. Photo book: ALBUM.
43. Et __: and others: ALIA. Today's Latin lesson. This phrase, which means And Others, is often abbreviated to Et Al. because the addition of the last 2 letters of alia is too much to write.
44. Med school subj.: ANAT. As in Anatomy.
48. Energizer size: AAA. A crossword staple.
49. Stuffed grape leaf: DOLMA. Yummers! Eastern Mediterranean food.
58. Pop icon Lauper: CYNDI. Cyndi Lauper (née Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper; b. June 22, 1953) was big in the 1980s. She is known for her flamboyant style, catchy songs, and four-octave vocal range!
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| Taylor and Cyndi |
60. Irish currency: EURO. The Irish Euro features the Celtic harp.
61. "Don't __ me, but ... ": HATE.
62. Diet food phrase: NO FAT.
63. MC or Visa alternative: AMEX.
64. Like the score at the start of overtime: EVEN.
65. Midday: NOON.
66. Little bouquet: POSY.
67. Take it easy: REST.
Down:
1. Slaps (at): SWATS.
2. Wall recess: NICHE.
3. Portion out: ALLOT.
4. Bird's feathers: PLUMAGE.
5. Singer-songwriter Tori: AMOS. Tori Amos (née Myra Ellen Amos; b. Aug. 22, 1963) is a classically trained musician. She was a child prodigy and entered the the Peabody Institute's preparatory division at five.
6. Witty remark: QUIP.
7. Not easy on the eyes: UGLY. The Jamaican tangelo is probably better known as the Ugli fruit.
8. Org.: ASSN. An Organization may also be an Association.
9. Juliette of "The English Patient": BINOCHE. Juliette Binoche (b. Mar. 9, 1964) is a French actress who has starred in many films. She was awarded an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for playing a nurse in 1996 film The English Patient.
10. Cosmetics giant that started as the California Perfume Company: AVON. Ding Dong! The Avon Company got its start in 1886.
11. "Jazz" documentarian Burns: KEN. Jazz is a deep-dive documentary look into the origins of this music genre. Ken Burns (né Kenneth Lauren Burns; b. July 29, 1953) has created numerous historical documentaries and television series that generally chronicle US history and culture.
12. WNW's opposite: ESE.
15. Sulu player in recent "Star Trek" films: JOHN CHO. John Cho (né John Yo-han Cho; b. June 16, 1952) was born in Seoul, Korea.
20. Hartsfield-Jackson airport code: ATL. This airport in Atlanta, Georgia is a hub for Delta. It is one of the busiest airports in the world. Whenever I fly, I usually end up going through Atlanta.
21. Use scissors on: CUT.
25. Swiss peak: ALP.
26. Ritual prayer of Islam: SALAT.
27. "We __ Overcome": SHALL.
28. "Ghostbusters" actor Hudson: ERNIE. Although he has been in a number of films, Ernie Hudson (né Earnest Lee Hudson; b. Dec. 17, 1945) is best known for his role as Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbusters.
29. Word after curling or waffle: IRON.
30. __ Scotia, Canada: NOVA. Nova Scotia is one of the maritime provinces.
31. Pest in a cloud: GNAT.
32. Extra fat: FLAB.
33. Actor's part to play: ROLE.
34. Actor Idris: ELBA. It's Sir Elba to you. Idris Elba (né Idrissa Akuna Elba; b. Sept. 6, 1972) played Stringer in the TV series The Wire.
38. "No fooling": I MEAN IT!
39. Scottish cap: TAM.
42. Kampala native: UGANDAN.
44. One more: ANOTHER.
46. "Sorry, laddie": NAE. Today's Scottish lesson/
47. Stir: ADO.
50. Depart: LEAVE.
51. Silences, as on Zoom: MUTES.
52. "__ you clever!": AREN'T.
53. The 411: INFO.
54. Gather: REAP.
55. Japanese wrestling: SUMO.
56. Greek war god: ARES.
57. Like the Honda Element: BOXY.
58. "The Source With Kaitlan Collins" network: CNN. Kaitlan Collins (b. Apr. 7, 1992) is an American journalist and news anchor.
59. "__-hoo! Over here!": YOO.
חתולה
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| This describes my stray cat. He gets breakfast from the neighbor, then comes to me for more food. |
Not the easiest puzzle
ReplyDeleteespecially for a Tuesday, but for what I didn’t know, the perps were (mostly) helpful.
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
FIR. Oh my, circles. Why must we have circles. This isn't a Jumble! Circles don't belong in crosswords, period.
ReplyDeleteAnd the amount of proper names was ridiculous. There were even three of them crossing, Binoche, John Cho, and Pynchon. And there were even more beyond those.
Add to that a tricky theme and this becomes a Friday presentation for certain.
Overall NOT an enjoyable puzzle.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteCircles don't bother me. I seldom notice them -- same with themes.
My hand is up for BLUE.
We hired a plumber named LAHR. I asked if he was related to Bert, "Never heard of him."
SALAT was a learning moment. I thought it was a meal course.
ERNIE Hudson is current appears as an elderly pastor in Boston Blue -- a spinoff of Blue Bloods.
Enjoyed your offering, Kevin, and your expo, Hahtoolah. (We have a "Mr. Jones" who shows up every morning for a handout. He waits until the raucous raccoons have headed back to the woods.)
I enjoyed the puzzle with its circles and theme, though I think my inner saboteurs are not hidden. Loved the cartoons and expo; thanks Hahtoolah. The remark about the abbreviation of et al. made me wonder why such a short word is abbreviated. Back when people knew Latin , it eliminated having to put the correct ending -i, -ae, or -a depending on whether the list was masc., fem. Or neutral.
ReplyDelete