Today's Theme:
60 Across. Game division, or what can be found in 16-, 26-, and 44-Across: FIRST HALF.
The First Half:
16 Across. Star of "Ghost" and "The Substance": DEMI MOORE.
The Second Half:
26 Across. "For Whom the Bell Tolls," for one: HEMINGWAY NOVEL.
The Third Half???
44 Across. Indigenous people of Oklahoma who originated in Florida: SEMINOLE NATION.
Demi, Hemi, and Semi are all prefixes meaning "half."
Onward!
Across:1. Highly skilled: ABLE.
5. Mop (up), as gravy: SOP.
8. Valuable item: ASSET.
13. Spring: LEAP.
14. Perlman of "Cheers": RHEA.
You remember Carla...
15. "Hello," in Mandarin: NIHAO. My first guess would be to pronounce this NiH"a"-o, but I would be wrong.
16. [Theme.]
18. Believe without questioning: TRUST. Belief without questioning would be faith...
19. Former: ONE TIME. ("At" one time seems more plausible to my ears...)
20. Chemical in oven cleaners: LYE. No Lie! Why would you trust your lungs to this stuff?
22. "New" prefix: NEO.
23. "I'm __ roll!": ON A. (I think it would have to be two N's to be considered one word...)
24. Informal lingo: SLANG. (See above 23A.)
26. [Theme.]
32. Supergirl accessory: CAPE.
No Capes!
33. Actor's prompt: CUE.
34. One-named singer whose studio albums have numerical titles: ADELE.
35. Braying pack animal: ASS.
36. Thawing of diplomatic tensions: DETENTE.
39. Digital collectible: Abbr.: NFT. More info here...
40. Tale: STORY.
42. Fruit-filled pastry: PIE. Tart wouldn't fit..
43. French friends: AMIS.
44. [Theme.]
48. Stately home in the country: MANOR.
49. Wheels: CAR. Curious that you need "wheels" (plural, 4 to be exact,) for this clue to work...
Pardon my dust...
50. No. 1 pal: BFF. Best Friend Forever.
53. Cow sound: MOO.
54. French island near Sardinia: CORSICA.
58. Perp's excuse: ALIBI.
60. [Theme Reveal.]
62. Ancient artifact: RELIC.
63. "Up, up, and __!": AWAY.
Obligatory pronunciation lesson...
65. Maroon vegetables: BEETS.
66. Pig heavier than 120 pounds: HOG.Some have been known to reach 1,400 lbs...
67. __ stick: POGO.
Down:
1. Gucci of fashion: ALDO.
2. "We've all __ there": BEEN.
3. Gold fabric: LAME.
4. Perfect example: EPITOME.
5. Jimmy Choo creation: SHOE.
6. Above, poetically: OER.
7. Spanish rice dish seasoned with saffron: PAELLA. During my recent trip to Spain (CE:D here...) I eagerly awaited tasting authentic Spanish Paella. However I was disappointed at every dinner in Barcelona and Girona. Too dark, brothy, and/or fishy. It was not until our cruise tour of Valencia that I was made aware that Paella originated here, and I sampled a delicious home made Paella of my dreams...
8. Insect feelers: ANTENNAE.
Some are more extravagant than others...
9. Knight's title: SIR.
10. Exclude: SHUN.
11. Smooth sailing: EASE.
12. Dog who visits Oz: TOTO.
14. Nora Roberts genre: ROMANCE.
17. Short skirt: MINI.
For Splynter...
For the Ladies...
24. Center defender in soccer: SWEEPER. Ack!again! We had this Wednesday!
25. Immortal being: GOD.
26. Speed: HASTE.
27. __ salts: bathwater additive: EPSOM. Would you bathe in it if it were called magnesium sulphate?
28. Belly: GUT.
29. Mobile payment app: VENMO.
30. Small and pointy-eared, perhaps: ELFIN. Large and pointy-eared, perhaps: Vulcan?
31. Tennis do-overs: LETS.
32. Elliot of the Mamas and the Papas: CASS.
Best video quality I could find, song starts at 1:20.
36. Branch of mechanics: DYNAMICS.
37. Diarist Anaïs: NIN. More info here.
38. Pot insulator, in England: TEA COSY.
41. Part of a basketball hoop: RIM.
43. Blimp, for one: AIRSHIP.
45. Peace activist Yoko: ONO.
46. Exfoliating scrubber: LOOFAH.
47. Fruit-filled pastry: TART. Oho! A 42 across Clecho!
50. Spike on a dragon's tail: BARB. I don't know why Mace came to mind...
51. Make a run for it: FLEE. If you see the above!
52. Nail salon tool: FILE.
54. Jagged rock: CRAG. More info here.
55. "Aladdin" parrot named for a Shakespeare villain: IAGO.
Not to be confused with Igor...
56. Plumbing problem: CLOG.
57. Natural hairstyle: AFRO.
59. Drill insert: BIT.
61. __ Jima: IWO.
And The Grid.
7 personal names, 13 three letter words, (more if you include God.) but easy enough for a Monday to breeze through. Brian Keller is an up and coming constructor we hope to see more of, his last puzzle Was reviewed here.
I feel I went on far too long, so I have saved Demi, Hemi, and Semi for discussion on The Blog. What were your experiences with Demi's, Hemi's, and Semi's? And/or have you ever met Demi, Hemingway, or a Seminole Indian? I would love to hear your stories!
Chris Gross (Chairman Moe on our blog) made today's Universal. Click here to solve.
CE:D out...
Hi there~!
ReplyDeleteWell done, CE:D~! I appreciate the shout-out~!
Splynter
Not too tough, in spite
ReplyDeleteof some fairly long answers. And the reveal was a pleasant surprise.
FIR, so I’m happy.