Theme: Sometimes You Fell Like A Nut
Happy Monday, everyone! Well, I sure felt like a NUT looking for hidden nuts in the themed clues. It turns out NUTS were there -- just not almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.
Let's take a closer look:
16 Across. Elements of a PG-rated outburst: MILD EXPLETIVES. An example would be yelling out, "Aww NUTS" after stubbing your toe.
22 Across. Groups of groupies: FAN CLUBS. These college football FANs look NUTty to me.
35 Across. Dessert served in a goblet: ICE CREAM SUNDAE. Here is a SUNDAE in a goblet (drinking glass with a foot & a stem) with peaNUTS on top. 
43 Across. Common accessory at a construction site: TOOL BELT. I am skeptical that one would have NUTS & bolts on a TOOL BELT but the "hardware" connection is close enough for me. Let's just go with it and smile while we try to spot any on this favorite construction worker's TOOL BELT.
Village People YMCA (1978)
Here is the reveal:
52 Across. Allergy warning, and a description of 16-, 22-, 35-, and 43-Across?: MAY CONTAIN NUTS.
MILD EXPLICITIVES, FAN CLUBS, an ICE CREAM SUNDAE, and a TOOL BELT may contain different types of nuts. 
Constructors Aidan Brand and David Karp opted for a 14X15 grid to accommodate their three 14-letter fills. Let's see what else they might have stashed away for us to find....
Across:
1. Reduce to a paste: MASH. This one made me think of making guacamole with a mortar & pestle.
5. Self-confident and then some: SMUG.
9. City in "Aeneid" and "Iliad": TROY. The ancient city of Troy was located along the NW coast of Asia Minor, in what is now Turkey.
1. Reduce to a paste: MASH. This one made me think of making guacamole with a mortar & pestle.
5. Self-confident and then some: SMUG.
9. City in "Aeneid" and "Iliad": TROY. The ancient city of Troy was located along the NW coast of Asia Minor, in what is now Turkey.
CSO to our two Cornerite TROY inhabitants!
13. Field of expertise: AREA.
14. __ Grey tea: EARL. DH drinks this but I stay away from caffeine.
15. Philosopher Descartes: RENÉ. (b. Mar. 31, 1596 in France; d. Feb. 11, 1650 in Sweden)
13. Field of expertise: AREA.
14. __ Grey tea: EARL. DH drinks this but I stay away from caffeine.
15. Philosopher Descartes: RENÉ. (b. Mar. 31, 1596 in France; d. Feb. 11, 1650 in Sweden)
19. Computer capacity: MEMORY.
21. Yoga pose: ASANA.
29. Still contending: IN IT. ...to win it!
30. Vehicle for a large family, perhaps: VAN.
33. Jazz legend Fitzgerald: ELLA. I'm always happy to see ELLA in a grid. I need the footholds.
34. __-toity: HOITY. haughty or snobbish
38. Former Iranian rulers: SHAHS.
39. Ferris wheel locale: FAIR. county FAIRs
40. NBA tiebreakers, for short: OTS. Overtimes
41. Speck: IOTA. an extremely small amount or, later in the week, the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet
42. Covers for outdoor wedding receptions: TENTS. Who does covers at a wedding reception? The obvious go-to is Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer (1998). 45. Larceny: THEFT.
50. Charged particle: ION.
51. Baby's foot warmer: BOOTIE.
 |
| BOOTIEs for future MLB players in Pittsburgh??? |
57. Color associated with the L.A. Dodgers: BLUE. This is an L.A. Times puzzle, after all.
 |
| Shohei Ohtani got some serious green when he donned the Dodgers' BLUE. |
58. "Checkmate!": I WIN. The terminology of modern chess has Persian etymological roots: the Persian word rukh ("rook") means chariot; the term shah mat ("checkmate") means, literally, "the king is frozen".
59. Adjust for space limitations, say: EDIT.
60. Long-term goals: AIMS.
61. Addendum to a real estate sign: SOLD. I like this clue. An addendum is something added. The SOLD part is added after the sale.
62. Strong urges: YENS. strong desires or propensities
Down:
1. "__ Mia!": Meryl Streep film with ABBA music: MAMMA.
59. Adjust for space limitations, say: EDIT.
60. Long-term goals: AIMS.
61. Addendum to a real estate sign: SOLD. I like this clue. An addendum is something added. The SOLD part is added after the sale.
62. Strong urges: YENS. strong desires or propensities
Down:
1. "__ Mia!": Meryl Streep film with ABBA music: MAMMA.
Here's Meryl with Mama Mia (Here I Go Again) (2008).
2. Zodiac ram: ARIES. March 21 - April 19. (Segue alert!) They are supposed to make a good match with Aquarius birthdays like today's birthday girl, Wendybird. Happy birthday, Wendybird!! 🎂
3. 2014 civil rights drama set in Alabama: SELMA.
4. Was dressed in: HAD ON.
5. Hot: SEXY. I'd give you a link but I already get plenty of weird adds based on the Googling I do to write this blog.
6. Weather report backdrop: MAP. When I lived in Japan, I always got a kick out of the big, foam ball pointers the weather reporters used to point at the map -- so wonky for a country with serious tech cred!
7. Cybersquatter's target, for short: URL. Cybersquatting is an internet-based crime where one seeks to profit off of someone else's name or trademark by registering an expired domain name. An example would be if C.C. stopped this blog then someone else took over the URL. Unsuspecting victims would come here and click on bad links because they trusted the site in the past. This happens more than you might think. Be careful out there!
8. Gathers bit by bit: GLEANS. Humans used to GLEAN grains that fell after the harvest. Now we GLEAN intel on the internet.
9. Enormous number: TRILLION. One TRILLION equals a thousand billions or a million millions. You can write it as a 1 followed by 12 zeros. A TRILLION seconds equals almost 32,000 years. Imagine!
10. Fire up, as an engine: REV. This clue did not go over so well last Tuesday.
11. Dollar bill: ONE. and 55 Down. Early afternoon: TWO.
12. "That's correct": YES.
Would you like to take a physics class from The Doctor? Yes. Correctamundo!
[David Tennant played the tenth incarnation of The Doctor
in the Doctor Who serries (2005-2010; 2013).]
17. Whiteboard wipers: ERASERS.
18. "90 Day Fiancé " channel: TLC. TV channel questions are always 1 perp and 2 WAGS for me.
22. Vegetarian pita filler: FALAFEL. I like to pick these up at my local Greek restaurant on Saturdays. Falafels are made from garbanzo beans ("chick peas" for you east-coasters) and various herbs and spices.
24. Reino __: England's country, in Spanish: UNIDO. I have not gotten this far yet in my Duolingo Spanish lessons.
26. Eyelid woes: STYES.
28. The NBA's Cavs, on scoreboards: CLE.
31. "Bless you!" trigger: ACHOO.
32. "Peachy keen!": NEATO.
34. "Their Eyes Were Watching God" author Zora Neale __: HURSTON. goodreads link
36. Goblets: CHALICES. Did you notice "goblet" was also in the clue for 35-Across?
37. Take a load off: SIT.
The Weight by The Band (1968)
"Take a load off, Fannie."
42. Sport played on a variety of surfaces: TENNIS. There are four main types of surfaces for tennis courts: grass, clay, hard, and artificial grass.
44. "Get off the stage!": BOO.
46. Mead need: HONEY. Mead is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey, water, and other flavors.
It turns out humans can be extremely resourceful when it comes to making alcohol. Some native tribes near the Artic Circle make alcohol from dead seagulls. Only look at this list of 5 weird alcoholic beverages if you have a strong stomach.
47. Many a Chopin piece: ETUDE. Def.: a short musical composition, typically for one instrument, designed as an exercise to improve the technique or demonstrate the skill of the player.
48. Feel at home: FIT IN. 
49. Class challenges: TESTS. not conflicts between social classes
51. Tie: BIND.
52. Deg. for a CFO or a CEO: MBA. Chief Financial Officers and Chief Executive Officers typically have a Master of Business Administration.
53. "Rumble in the Jungle" boxer: ALI. He coined this term to refer to his heavyweight boxing championship bout against George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire on October 30, 1974.
54. "Tastes great!": YUM. See 22-Down.
56. Feel poorly: AIL.
47. Many a Chopin piece: ETUDE. Def.: a short musical composition, typically for one instrument, designed as an exercise to improve the technique or demonstrate the skill of the player.
This one is Etude Op. 25 No. 6 in G# minor "Double Thirds".
49. Class challenges: TESTS. not conflicts between social classes
51. Tie: BIND.
52. Deg. for a CFO or a CEO: MBA. Chief Financial Officers and Chief Executive Officers typically have a Master of Business Administration.
53. "Rumble in the Jungle" boxer: ALI. He coined this term to refer to his heavyweight boxing championship bout against George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire on October 30, 1974.
54. "Tastes great!": YUM. See 22-Down.
56. Feel poorly: AIL.
Today's grid:
Have a great day, everyone! I'll cashew later!
