Theme: Words of Support.
17 Across. Words of support from an abacus?: YOU CAN COUNT ON ME.
29 Across. Words of support from a rideshare driver?: I'M HERE FOR YOU.
45 Across. Words of support from a crossbody bag?: I'M ON YOUR SIDE.
No!
Yes!
57 Across. Words of support from a broken elevator?: I WON'T LET YOU DOWN.
How the elevator got broken...
CE:D here, filling in. I don't know why all my cartoons seem so down in this fun, uplifting puzzle. Maybe because it's Monday... Hurry back NaomiZ! We need you to cheer us up!
Onward!
1. Game, __, match: SET.
4. Piece of cake: CINCH. Or, easy as pie! Use Granny Smiths!
9. Granny Smith, for one: APPLE.
14. The "A" of ETA: Abbr.: ARR. (Estimated Time of Arrival.)
15. Spanish form of Paul: PABLO.
16. "Get out of town!": NO WAY.
17. [Theme.]
20. Brainstorming outputs: IDEAS.
21. Epitome of slowness: SNAIL. Not Sloth?
22. Six years for a U.S. Senator, e.g.: TERM.
23. __ Arabia: SAUDI.
25. Pre-K basics: ABCS.
29. [Theme.]
32. Santa __, California: ANA.
35. Used a pair of sculls, say: OARED. More info here...
36. Chutzpah: NERVE.
37. Out that gets a runner home, for short: SAC FLY. Sacrifice Fly Ball.
39. Like some evening gowns: BEADED.
$991.00???
40. Invoice amount: TOTAL. (See above...)41. Rebuff: SPURN.
44. Sault __ Marie: STE. Oldest city in Michigan. Home of the Soo locks. More info here.
45. [Theme.]
48. Orange skin: RIND. (I wanted peel...)
49. Madrid museum: PRADO.
50. Quick inhalation: GASP.
54. Not united: APART.
56. Prefix with -lithic: PALEO.
57. [Theme.]
62. Around, in dates: CIRCA.
63. Phone notification: ALERT.
64. Tasseled hat that shares a name with a Moroccan city: FEZ.
Quite honestly, as a style choice, I just don't think it looks good on anybody.
(Unless your a Stoat.)
65. Leg joints: KNEES.66. Smallest possible: LEAST.
67. Swim-bike-run race, informally: TRI. As such a long grueling race, why such a short name?
Down:
1. "Tell me already!": SAY IT.
2. Slowly wear away: ERODE.
3. More accurate: TRUER.
4. Pros who are busy in Apr.: CPAS. Certified Public Accountants.
5. Actor McKellen: IAN.
The one and only...
6. "SNL" TV network: NBC. Saturday Night Live/National Broadcasting Company.
Would you believe? A young Gandalf?
7. Sense of finality that may be needed after a breakup: CLOSURE. Hmm, after every breakup, I needed stitches...
8. Pursued doggedly: HOUNDED.
Musical interlude...
Would you believe, after all these years, the paper today said Frank Sinatra was disgusted by Elvis' dance moves... Jeez man, let it go...
9. Against: ANTI.10. Location that may have "No running" and "No diving" signs: POOL AREA. Hmm, Monday clueing. I guess Wednesday would be no glass bottle area, and Friday would be "place to get a cue..."
11. Dominate, in gaming slang: PWN. (Pawn.) very grey area, could go on and on, (don't ask about teabagging...)
12. Go on the __: get out of town: LAM.
13. Organ with a retina: EYE.
18. Top that's useful in layering, for short: CAMI.
This is what happens when you spend too many hours doing crossword reviews...
19. Innocent one: NAIF. (Nope, I'm guilty..)
23. Mitchell of "Pretty Little Liars": SHAY.
24. __ Lingus: Irish carrier: AER.
26. "Turn! Turn! Turn!" band, with "The": BYRDS.
27. Desire: COVET.
28. Fuzzy fabric: SUEDE. When Michael Caine became famous, he was approached by John Wayne with some advice, I'll let Michael explain it...
When you're a star, don't wear suede shoes!
30. "Pretty in Pink" star Ringwald: MOLLY.
31. Sticking straight up, as hair: ON END.
32. Up and about: ASTIR. An A word! Tell me, when did you last use this word!
33. Two-time Australian Open winner Osaka: NAOMI.
34. Follow, as a hunch: ACT ON.
38. Burlesque performance: FAN DANCE.
Due to complaints about pics degrading Women,
We are forced to downgrade the fan dance video...
39. Spirit: BRIO. It helps to know Italian...
41. Inexplicably weird: SURREAL.
42. Natter (on): PRATTLE.
43. Amer. capital: USD. U.S. Dollar.
46. Iridescent gem: OPAL.
47. "Good lord!": EGAD.
51. In midair: ALOFT.
52. Underground waste line: SEWER.
53. __ scheme: PONZI.
55. School support orgs.: PTAS. (If I need to explain PTA's, you need to go back to school...)
56. Golf stroke near the hole: PUTT.
57. "How nasty": ICK.
58. Take first prize: WIN.
59. Mine lode: ORE.
60. Pro vote: YEA.
61. Surgery ctrs.: ORS. Operating Rooms.
The Grid.
*Just an Easter Egg for The Big Bang theory fans. Note: that when Leonard runs out with the smoking rocket fuel, Sheldon takes time to turn the refrigerator magnet upside down. It is explained in an earlier episode that Sheldon is obsessed with Flags. So much so that he created a Flag for the Apartment. A yellow lion on a field of blue. He turns the flag upside down as a sign that the apartment is in distress...Oh! I almost forgot!
How the show ended 8 years later....
26d birds b/4 byrds, can't remember if it was a fat fingered typo, or a brain fart...
32d up and about, awake before astir. Yes it was a rude awakening for a Monday...
44a soo b/4 ste, not quite awake yet, and old crosswords were seeping into my memory...
48a peel b/4 rind, reminds me why I gave up oranges for breakfast before having coffee...
60d pro vote, yes b/4 yea (it was my 66a least of my problems...)
And finally, since The Devil Wears Prada 2 recently came out, I put an A at the crossing of Prado and Brio... (there are more Naticks in Europe than in Connecticut...)
Anywho, please leave some uplifting words in the comments. We all need them on a Monday...
CE:D out...
₍^ >⩊< ^₎Ⳋ
It felt like a typical
ReplyDeleteMonday-easy puzzle to me. So I don’t have much to say about it, except
FIR, so I’m happy.
FIR, but pool deck->POOL AREA.
ReplyDeleteOARED will forever seem awkward to me.
Because my RV is in a forested area I can't get DirecTV's signal. And my over-the-air antenna on top of the RV is on the fritz. I bought an indoor antenna that isn't good enough to get the local NBC affiliate, but it pulls in CBS just fine. Because of that I was unable to watch the historic comeback by the American golf team as they defeated the rest of the world (except Britian) in the President's Cup. But I was able to watch as my Cowboys bungled their way to a last-second loss to the Ravens in Rio de Janeiro. Phooey.
Thanks to Vu for the fun, easy Monday exercise. And thanks to CED for ably filling in.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Jinx when it comes to OARED. Naomi missed her own SO today. I'd forgotten that the BYRDS spelled it with a Y. I wonder if that was the inspiration for Lynyrd Skynyrd. Simple them, easy puzzle, but hey, it's Monday. Thanx, VU. Great subbing job, CE:D. (Methinks people say ASTIR much more often than they say COVET -- except maybe Texas school kids who have to see it every day on the classroom wall.)
Hello Desper-otto / I didn't understand what you meant about the Texas school kids - could you please explain?
DeleteThank you
LACW Addict, the great state of Texas, in its infinite wisdom, has legislated that all public schools must prominently display the ten commandments in all classrooms.
DeleteJinx in Norfolk, If you have cell service with the hot spot feature and a smart TV, you can stream the game.
ReplyDeleteThanks, but I'm using my phone's hotspot feature, and my allowance is 50 gb per month. Sounds like a lot, but every ad now seems to include a video and that eats up the allowance quickly. That's why I'm not doing my usual music linking and refraining from clicking on most of our bloggers' links. I'll get a better solution when I become "Jinx in Ocala" in a couple of weeks. (Just checked - I'm 50% through the billing month and have used 43% of my data without watching entertainment video.)
DeleteMonday manageable for the puzzle; Saturday super for the review. Loved the Michael Caine and BBT videos, cartoons, et al. Thx CE:D.
ReplyDeleteTook 3:46 today to befriend this one.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know the Actress of the Shay, and I found the gaming slang (pwn) to be "ick".
FIR. I really disliked pwn at 11D. I've never heard of the phrase, or whatever it is, and I believe many would agree.
ReplyDeleteBut beyond that this was an easy Monday presentation. Everything was pretty straightforward.
I liked the theme and thought it somewhat appropriate for a Monday.
Overall an enjoyable puzzle.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI liked the theme very much and thought it was well-executed. I thought some of the cluing and fill was above Monday level but perps were generous, so no problems. It was a pleasant start to the week.
Thanks, HKV, and thanks, CED, for a great review and commentary. The Elvis clip, the Michael Caine interview, and TBBT highlights were all enjoyable. Your comics brought some smiles, too, especially the Fez kitty! Nicely done, Dave, Naomi would be proud!
Have a great day.
In spite of not knowing SACFLY, SHAY, and PWN, this CW was a CINCH. I also enjoyed the theme, so an uplifting Monday morning.
ReplyDeleteAlthough we miss Naomi, you’re doing great CED. I enjoyed your cartoons and The Big Bang Theory videos. I miss those characters.
Yea, I was debating whether to delve into PWN, it's not for the crossword crowd. It's really something gamers do. Short for "pawn", it is to own another player...
ReplyDeleteThat's why I made the "teabagging" comment.
it's not something you really want to learn about...
Reminds me of years ago, I posted something that said "dont click on it," as a joke, and this one lady did, she she came on the Blog and yelled at me. Terribly upset she vowed never to return... so whatever you do, don't be tempted to look up "teabagging..."
I just watched the Michael Caine video. Loved it. Thanks CED.
ReplyDeleteNice easy Monday gem, great theme, mostly good cluing, except PWN. FIR in 8. 13 names, but only 1 DNK.
ReplyDeleteI also object to "OARED". It's rowed, out "oared". The link CE:D furnished never called it "OARED", always ROWED. My on-line dictionary defines "oared " as "Furnished with oars."
Overall, though, a very good CW, lots of fun. Thanx H-KV.
Terrific write-up, too, CE:D. That pic at the stop sign is hilarious! I also really liked that picture of the beaded evening gown. Beautiful gown, beautiful woman. Nice. Funny elevator video, too.
Jinx @ 4:59, if you're a Cowboys fan, I can see how you hated that last second field goal. But you gotta grudgingly give credit to the Ravens for going down field AND executing a FG when they only had 7 seconds to do it. I bet your Cowboys are gonna have a better season than my Packers, who are 1 and 2 so far, and that one win was in OT with a FG, so they barely pulled that one off.
I hate to pick a nit, but it was ONE second. Cowboys allowed the completion in (long) field goal distance, assuming that time would expire. It would have, but for the alertness of the Baltimore QB who managed to call time with the measley 1 second remaining. I give the Ravens credit - they outcoached the Cowboys.
DeleteI've been boating my entire life. Never have I called a pair of oars "sculls" or ever heard them called that. When using oars, we call it rowing... Otherwise this was an enjoyable Monday morning diversion while wait for the dew to evaporate. The grass here in our area of Wisconsin today is very dewy. Our poor puppy got soaked while walking earlier. John in Fond du Lac
ReplyDeleteMarvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Hoang-Kim and CE:D.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed in good time and saw the Supportive theme.
One inkblot to change my piece of cake from a Slice to a CINCH.
SHAY perped nicely.
I WAGged the W in PWN.
Tortoise did not arrive in time and SNAIL filled the spot.
Perps decided beteeen Yes, aye, yeh, YEA.
I smiled at the clecho “get out of town” LAM and NO WAY.
Sault (Soo) STE Marie Ontario is on the Canadian side of the river and locks.
Speaking of baseball (SAC FLY), yesterday’s final Blue Jays game for 2026 gave Toronto fans a reason to cheer after a disappointing season. George Springer received a standing O in possibly his last game, as did Max Scherzer, who pitched into 8 innings of what may be the final game of his amazing career.
Wishing you all a great day.
https://www.mlb.com/news/max-scherzer-strikes-out-seven-reds-in-season-finale
DeleteFun theme with long clue answers, one wall-to-wall, likely a difficult construct.
ReplyDeleteThe Midwest gave me 🐾🐾. I changed I’M by YOUR SIDE to at but didn’t fit with the “burlesque dance” (I even considered up but that would have perped as LAP DANCE ! Whoa!!😳). Finally parsed ACTON for ON YOUR SIDE. Inkover: crave/COVET
Last time I used ASTIR? Yesterday evening I gave my gin and tonic A STIR before taking a sip. More lime!🍋🟩
Frau Blücher; “Yes SAY IT!”.
PWN?
Michael Jackson 1982 song about a gown he was thinking of wearing “_____ !” BEADED
Digital highway: ERODE
Knighted beef: Sir Loin, knighted fish SURREAL
Enjoy the week 🍁
Musings
ReplyDelete-Rainy days and Mondays always get me down, but two days without rain and a fun puzzle were welcome.
-Sao Paulo led me to a different Paul
CED: Thanks for the review. But PWN has nothing to do with "pawn". It is a deliberate misspelling of "OWN". Interesting about the tea bagging.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know you also put PRADA/BRIA. Are you and I the only ones?
Never heard of GET OUT OF TOWN to mean NO WAY.
Elaine used the shortened Get Out to mean NO WAY.
DeleteThank you, interesting. I always thought it was a chess reference, meaning using other players like pawns and sacrificial pieces...
DeleteDid anyone else think of something else for ORANGE SKIN?
ReplyDelete