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.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteGuess who didn't read the full reveal clue? Yup. Same guy who never saw (looked for) the theme. Zipped through it, though. Wasn't aware there was an H in LOOFAH. NFT looked right, but I couldn't remember what it represented. Thanx, Brian and CE:D.
Off to the eye doc again this morning. It seems like the only entries on our wall calendar are medical appts. Wednesday it'll be the oral surgeon.
DO, our calendars have a lot in common!
DeleteFIR. This was easy as befits a Monday.
ReplyDeleteI picked up on the theme when Seminole showed up. The reveal merely confirmed it.
Overall a very enjoyable puzzle.
Well, that was easy. Since I was going lickety split through this CW, I didn’t notice the cute theme until the reveal.
ReplyDeleteI’ve read just about every novel and short story written by HEMINGWAY.
Thank you C-E D for a fine review. What a cute little creature with the fancy ANTENNAE. .
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was an easy, breezy Monday offering with a cute, well-hidden theme, at least to this solver. The fill was a nice mixture of current (Venmo) and past (Detente) references. I liked the clecho of Pie and Tart. A very nice start to the week.
Thanks, Brian, and thanks, CED, for the detailed review and asides. Thanks, also, for pinch hitting for Naomi.
Have a great day.