Hit the Road, Jack! Last Tuesday, we were on the Road. This week we are still on the road, but obeying the signs along our travel.
20-Across. Plan for ending a relationship: EXIT STRATEGY.
28-Across. Have a meeting of the minds?: BUMP HEADS.
38-Across. "Can it!": STOP YOUR YAPPING.
46-Across. One who's not a fast-food fan?: SLOW EATER.
And the unifier:
53-Across. Nonverbal communication, or what can be found at the starts of 20-, 28-, 38-, and 46-Across: SIGN LANGUAGE.
Here's the grid with all the Signs.
This was a strange puzzle for me. I found it both very challenging, and yet I also had more answers filled in by the perps without having read the clue.
Across:
1. Signs of healing on scrapes and cuts: SCABS. I initially tried Scars because that word appears often in the puzzles. Scabs aren't as drastic as scars, though.
6. Dedicated poems: ODEs. A crossword staple.
10. "Omg same": IT ME. Meh!
14. Ancient Aegean region: IONIA.
15. Start of a Spanish cheer: VIVA.
16. Phobia: FEAR.
17. Like grapefruit juice: TANGY.
18. Sinister: EVIL.
19. Greek salad cheese: FETA. Feta is a Greek white brined cheese made from sheep's milk or a blend of sheep and goat's milk. The brine gives it the signature salty taste.
23. Boathouse blade: OAR.
24. World's second-tallest bird: EMU. Everything you ever wanted to know about the difference between an Emu and an Ostrich.
25. Hooting bird of prey: OWL.
33. Major fad: MANIA.
36. Deg. for a CFO or a CEO: MBA. The Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Executive Officer would likely hold a Master of Business Administration degree.
37. Feathery cleaner: DUSTER.
42. Protected place for boats: HARBOR. Anyone else try Marina? And: 30-Down. Secured in a 42-Across: MOORED.
43. Pirate's cry: YAR.
44. Fib: LIE.
45. Swedish home furnishing stores: IKEAs. This company is becoming a crossword staple. Did you know that Ikea has been around since the 1940s? The company was started by a 17-year-old who began selling small office supplies.
49. Actor Beatty: NED. Although Ned Thomas Beatty (July 6, 1937 ~ June 13, 2021) appeared in over 160 films, he his probably best remember for his role in Deliverance.
50. "Last Week Tonight" network: HBO.
52. Company abbr.: INC.
59. Pesky insect: GNAT.
62. From the top: ANEW.
63. Push: IMPEL.
64. Numerous: MANY.
65. __ Millions lottery: MEGA.
66. Republic in the Himalayas: NEPAL. Since August, a series of flash floods destroyed many parts of Nepal and Tibet. Hundreds of people died or are still missing.
67. Deep black: ONYX.
69. Diary passage: ENTRY.
Down:
1. Location: SITE.
2. Gently persuade: COAX.
3. Years in old Rome: ANNI. Today's Latin lesson.
4. Circus tent: BIG TOP.
5. Opens up at a checkup: SAYS AH.
6. Eggs __ easy: OVER.
7. Aria singer, maybe: DIVA.
8. Paperless party announcements: EVITES.
9. Capital of Oregon: SALEM. Ever wonder why Salem is the capital of Oregon? It is far more interesting than one would suspect.
10. Questionable: IFFY.
11. Golf peg: TEE.
12. Gym cushion: MAT.
13. Noteworthy period: ERA.
21. Vibration: TREMOR.
22. Clog, informally: GUM UP.
25. Betting unwisely, in poker slang: ON TILT. This term originated with the pinball machine. If a player shoved or shook the machine too hard out of anger, a sensor would trigger a "TILT" warning and freeze the flippers as a penalty. It was adopted by poker players who suffered big losses.
26. Frankfurter: WIENIE.
27. More roomy: LARGER.
28. Knock down violently, as a door: BASH IN.
29. Quick on the __: UPTAKE.
31. __ Dhabi: ABU. Abu Dhabi is famous for being the ultra-wealthy political capital of the United Arab Emirates, combining massive oil reserves with world-class cultural and architectural landmarks.
32. Hannah of "Splash": DARYL. Splash was released in 1984! Can you believe it was that long ago?
34. European viper: ASP.
37. Naturalist Charles with a theory of evolution: DARWIN. Charles Robert Darwin (Feb. 12, 1809 ~ Apr. 19, 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. In 1925, John Scopes (Apr. 3, 1900 ~ October. 21, 1970), a teacher from Tennessee, was convicted for teaching the theory of evolution to his biology class.
39. Org. for tenpins players: PBA. As in the Professional Bowlers Association.
40. Mario Kart and Mario Party dinosaur: YOSHI.
41. Basketball Hall of Famer Ming: YAO. Yao Ming (Sept. 12, 1980) is a Chinese former professional player. He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association, and then spent his entire nine-year National Basketball Association career with the Houston Rockets.
46. 14-line poem: SONNET.
47. "Purring" car part: ENGINE.
48. Shrewdness: ACUMEN.
51. So-so effort: B-GAME.
53. Mythical river of the underworld: STYX.
54. Bench supports: LEGS.
55. Not home: AWAY.
56. Date with a doc: APPT. As in an Appointment.
57. Clockwork part: GEAR.
58. Shortstop De La Cruz who led the majors in stolen bases in 2024: ELLY. Elly Antonio De La Cruz (b. Jan. 11, 2002) is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds.
59. Bioengineering letters: GMO. As in Genetically Modified Organism.
60. Brit's grandma: NAN.
61. "__ volunteers?": ANY.
חתולה
I can’t complain too
ReplyDeletemuch about this puzzle. Like most early in the week puzzles, it was pretty easy.
FIR, so I’m happy.
FIW, missing my WAG @ YeO x YeR. Also, shove->IMPEL, and anos->ANNI.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Tennessee for the mostly-easy Tuesday puzzle, although ITME and the YAOxYAR pairing should have had an EXIT STRATEGY. And thanks to Ha2La for another fine review.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteZipped right through this one while missing both the theme and the reveal.
In the navy we had an FPO. I spent several weeks in the Naval Hospital on Guam. I didn't have any postage stamps, and the nurse said I should just write "Free" where the stamp would go. I wasn't wounded, but the hospital had been declared part of the Vietnam War Zone, eligible for free postage for mililtary personnel.
When I visited ABU Dhabi back in the '80s there were no impressive skyscrapers. There was a lot of sand.
Every year I look forward to the DARWIN awards for people who foolishly removed themselves from the gene pool.
Thanx, Tennessee and Hahtoolah. (Hand up for MARINA. The "English major" cartoon was my favorite.)
FIR in 13, then congratulated myself on a completing a Wednesday CW in 13, beating my usual 15 for a Wednesday. Then I realized is is only Tuesday. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteLike Hahtoolah, SCARS/SCABS, and ITME stinks up this otherwise nice CW.
14 names, DNK 4; 28A or 5D = the best clue. Last cell to fill was the "Y" at DARYL/YAR, the "Y" was a WAG but seemed the best guess. YAR also a kinda stinky fill. Overall though, a nice CW, fun to solve, thanx TG.
Thanx too to Hahtoolah for the terrific write-up, and all the really great (and appropriate) cartoons. I liked all the 'toons, but if I had to pick one, I'd pick the skunk warning sign.
It seemed to me that there was an unusual abundance of the letter "Y" in this CW. Is it my imagination, or did anyone else notice that?
There is a really vicious virus going around here in SOFLO. I got it and have been sick for a week. Lots of chest and nasal congestion. I suspect my viral infection has become a bacterial infection, and am gonna try to see a doc today. I did not sleep one minute last night: every time I lay down my lungs filled and I started coughing up the stuff clogging them up.
Is this virus everywhere, or just here in SOFLO? It's really bad, be careful out there!
Uncle Fred, I hope your doc can help you feel better. Nothing like that going around here, so far.
DeleteI hope you are feeling better, Uncle Fred. Sorry to hear the creeping crud has taken over SoFlo..
DeleteSounds like dengue fever, reported in your area...
DeleteSo sorry that you are unwell. Hope that your doctor is able to diagnose and treat effectively. Nothing like that in New Mexico right now. Take care!
DeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteI needed the reveal to see the well-hidden theme. The solve was easy and quick, typical for a Tuesday and, with the exception of the foolish It Me, was enjoyable. Yoshi was unknown, as was Elly, but both perped easily. Overall, a Tuesday treat.
Thanks, Tennessee, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the fun and facts. The comics were terrific, as usual, with the favorite being the Snails and their speed bumps! 😂
Have a great day.
Above post is mine.
ReplyDeleteFIR. There were a few clues I wasn't fond of, like 10A. That really seemed to be a desperate fill.
ReplyDeleteI needed the reveal to get the theme. Bump seemed almost a stretch to me, but I do get it.
Overall an OK puzzle.
Yep, nice and easy this morning. The theme was cute, the number of names low, I didn’t know YOSHI and ELLY, and no Naticks. HBO was a WAG.
ReplyDeleteI’m a SLOW EATER, however you interpret the phrase. IT ME just seems really weird. I assume it’s used only in text communication.
Thank you Hahtoolah for the fun and informative review. I liked the EMU/ostrich comparison.
Testing Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Tennessee and Hahtoolah.
ReplyDeleteOfficially a FIW, since I had a blank square at the cross of ON TILT and MANIA. I had issues with spelling WIENIE (WeiNer to WeeNIE) which left me scratching my head over MA __NeA.
But I did get the SIGN LANGUAGE theme, although my first thought was “body” LANGUAGE.
Only one inkblot to change LoosER to LARGER.
And I did WAG YAR.
I THOUGHT OF “quick on the draw” before UPTAKE.
This Canadian has finally learned APO, but I still held my nose to enter HARBOR.
I don’t know all the state capitals, but with a few perps I got SALEM.
I agree that IT ME was a meh!
Favourite was the clue for SAYS AH.
Wishing you all a great day.
IT ME needs to join YEET and OBVI in the trash bin.
ReplyDeleteAlong with BAE.
Delete“No YOU turn”
ReplyDeleteStr8forward puzzle and theme.
Inkover: wiener/IE
Shoulda remembered DARYL right off. That story of SALEM leaves out that Indigenous peoples in the Salem, Oregon area—primarily the Kalapuya tribe—faced forced displacement, stealing of land by settlers, disease, and government assimilation policies during the 19th and 20th centuries.
100 years later and teaching DARWIN evolution theory still prohibited/discouraged even in some public schools.
Why is “Italy” on map of Greece?
ITME? ONTILT? Non of my pirate friends ever say “YAR”. Didn’t know ELLY (Google says: Elly Antonio De La Cruz)….(Like the toon) Phyllis Diller said she hated housework. “I report my house was robbed and have the police come in and dust for prints”
Master to slave reminder: IONIA
Biblical loaves and fishes (and Greek cheese?) _____ a large crowd…FETA
Afro: BIGTOP
H2LH: Thanks for the great toons 😊
A fresh and fun Tuesday offering. I liked it.
ReplyDeleteYoshi was an auto fill for me because my own kids spent hours playing Mario Kart.
The theme was clever and well hidden.
Itme was a nose wrinkler.
Thanks Hahtoolah for recap. You always include the funniest cartoons.
Took 4:41 today to yield.
ReplyDeleteI knew the Actress of the Day (Daryl), but not the ancient Aegean region (Ionia) or the Spanish cheer (viva). I strongly resisted and dislike "itme" and "yar."
My kids also played a lot of Mario Kart, sometimes with me. I also agree that the map looks odd, especially Italy. Otherwise, it was a smooth solve and a vintage Hahtoolah review.
My solving experience:
ReplyDeleteThought I was on wavelength, happily on way to solve everything just doing the crosses.
Should have realized with it me/omg same, that things would get harder...
I mean , engine/ purr, on wavelength. "Yar?" Not so much, ontilt? Whoa! Im an avid pinball player and that was a learning experience...
Ok, I FIR, but not without headscratches! (Which is why I do these puzzles in the first place,)
Thanks for the suss fest!
And then there was the write up...
Dang it girl! Where do you get all these great pics! (Im jealous...)
I can't compete with this!
Rats! I'm going to have to try harder...
(I hate that...)
I enjoyed this puzzle with a nice Tuesday level theme.
ReplyDeleteWith all of the hype around the Odyssey movie this summer, I recently read the poem (in translation!) for the first time. So I’ve been looking at maps of Ancient Greece lately and knew IONIA. Decided to skip the movie as the story was so gory.
Hahtoolah, your review was, as always, a delight! You find the most wonderful and apt cartoons. The one with the dogs was wrong, though. Our neighbors growing up always had dachshunds - and weiners ARE winners!
Thanks to Tennessee & Hahtoolah for a nice start to the day.
Hola! What a nice Tuesday treat from Tennessee Grimes. Thank you! And thank you, Hahtoolah, for the lovely review and great toon fest! Like others, I dislike IT ME and believe it should be abolished!
ReplyDeleteCount me in for having MARINA before HARBOR. BASH IN set me straight.
I have a friend who always gives me rings for my birthday and one of them has an ONYX setting.
Uncle Fred, I'm sorry you are so ill and I hope it doesn't last long. Here in Arizona, I have not heard of that virus.
It's frightening to see the images of all those landslides from NEPAL and Tibet when some of that snow has been there for decades, maybe centuries!
No snow here, only warm sunshine. Have a lovely day, everyone!
We burn fossil fuels and NEPAL suffers destruction half a world away.
ReplyDeleteSo true!
DeleteCoincidentally the USA Today puzzle has the same theme today, called “give me a sign”.
ReplyDelete