Themeless Saturday by Christopher Bolduc and Matthew Sewell
We have constructors here who have occupations that reflect every walk of life. Today we add that of an opera singer, Christopher Bolduc who is now based in Germany. He has performed at the Met and here is a sample of Christopher's incredible voice from a crossword favorite: Cosí Fan Tutte.
Matt wrote of himself: I am a native of New York and a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the Purchase College Conservatory of Music.
I have blogged six of Matt's previous Saturday themeless puzzles. Matt said: You can describe my job as being a professor of film and literature at Mankato State University. I've been doing administrative stuff in the dean's office for the last few years, but I'm resuming teaching in the fall.Christopher said of Matt: Matt is a brilliant guy; always thinking outside the box. He's also patient and kind. It was a pleasure to work with him on this one!
1. Focus of a Stockholm museum whose slogan is "Walk In. Dance Out.": ABBA - One feature is to become the fifth member of the group and sing karaoke with ABBA images moving in the background.
5. Kindles: WHETS - Bakery aromas kindle a keen desire for goods to be 41. Taken in: EATEN.
10. Stock expert?: CHEF - 😀 Yes, a chef would prepare stock for a dish
14. Do the honors, so to speak: POUR - If you have an expensive vintage, it is probably an honor to POUR it
15. Luau performances: HULAS - It's always great to get a gimme.
16. It may wind up on a fire truck: HOSE - 😀 I love the "wind up" part of the clue
17. Porch pirate deterrent, hopefully: RING CAMERA.
19. Foot part: ARCH.
20. "So I'm out of the running?": IS THAT A NO?
23. Grammy: NANA.
24. Lose interest in: TIRE OF.
26. USN officer: CDR - The ENS and ADM stayed below deck
27. Phanerozoic __: EON - Yeah, I'm the only one who first put ERA.😏
28. R-V hookup?: STU - 😀 R S T U V
29. Question of motive: WHY EVEN BOTHER. 33. Iterative testing method: TRIAL AND ERROR.
34. Buy time?: SHOPPING SPREE 😀 A very fun use of the word "buy"
35. Egg layer: HEN.
36. Anatomical foot: PES.
37. "Succession" family name: ROY - The ROY family tree
38. Overwhelm: ENGULF.
40. Vibe: FEEL.
45. Impromptu screwdriver: DIME - Been there, used that
46. Summit result, maybe: PEACE PLAN - A very famous one in 1945
48. Best Picture of 2021: CODA - Reviews
49. Very loud, in music: FORTISSIMO - A nice long gimme for me
50. Gender-neutral possessive: ONE'S.
51. Wide-ly read works?: TOMES - 😀 Fun cluing for an old crossword standard
52. Tub: SCOW - I associate this vessel with NYC garbage transporters
53. Some read-athon fundraising gps.: PTAS.
54. Bellyache: WHINE.
Down:
1. New Beer's Eve month: APRIL - April 7th is designated as National Beer Day so... I had no idea but a five-letter month starting with an "A" was pretty obvious.
2. Snake River tributary: BOISE.
3. Some sacrifices: BUNTS - The bunter gives herself up as she is usually thrown out to move a runner to the next base
5. "Whew!": WHAT A RELIEF - Do you remember?
6. Like Peter Quill of the Guardians of the Galaxy, in part: HUMAN - He is said to be the progeny of a human and a "celestial" 🤔
7. Novelist Ferrante: ELENA - Elena uses a pseudonym for her novels and remains an anonymous Italian writer.
8. Oceanic staple: TARO - Mash these roots with steamed water and you have Hawaiian poi.
9. U.S. ID issuer: SSA - Grace D. Owen of Concord, NH got the first card from the SSA: 001-01-0001 in 1936.
10. Orchestra position: CHAIR - It's a coveted honor to be first CHAIR.
11. Classroom setup that facilitates group discussions: HORSESHOE.
12. Micromobility option: E-SCOOTER - In Lincoln, NE
13. Dismissive syllable: FEH - Not MEH it turns out
18. Red shade: CANDY APPLE - My dream car.
21. Spare parts?: MINOR ROLES - In honor of our dearly missed Boomer, I put MISSED PINS.
24. Exact words?: TO BE PRECISE - Well, what did you mean?
25. Faux __: FUR - Sure, I put PAS first
26. Unwanted crack in crackleware: CHIP - Ceramic ware with definite cracks in the glaze
27. Fades to black: ENDS - As the hero rides off into the sunset
29. Delusion: WRONG IDEA - Dr. Bailey had the WRONG IDEA about this crossword solve (a fun 2:21 video):
30. Triple Crown of Surfing sponsor: VANS.
31. Class that may be lit: ENG A list of possible books for this course
32. Small club, maybe: TREY.
33. "Fine, be lazy": THEN DON'T.
34. __ shed: SHE - Here's 26 examples
39. Sch. near Emily Dickinson's home: UMASS.
40. Physics Nobelist of 1938: FERMI - He and his team made the first self-sustaining atomic nuclear fission reaction which made the construction of the atomic bomb possible.
42. "The __ Network": Kate Quinn novel about women spies: ALICE.
43. Island nation whose flag features the Southern Cross: SAMOA - Bonus: The Southern Cross by CSN, a favorite of mine.
44. Is hip to: KNOWS.
46. Bear with a "Thotful Spot": POOH.
47. "C'mere!": PSST.
48. "Blue Bloods" extra: COP.
49. Celebratory initialism: FTW - If you knew the Alka Seltzer tag line, you probably know, "I'll take Barbara Eden FOR THE WIN."
