Puzzling thoughts: As a CSO to our resident story-teller Misty, I'd like to spin a yarn about today's puzzle ...
As I climbed into the front seat of my SUBARU I noticed a slight MAR in the fabric. I recently bought this car new, from a DEALER, so it was there I now SPED to get their response.
During the purchase negotiations, I had to SPAR several times with the sales rep. Despite his trying to get me to EMOTE about the deal, I remained MUM. I wasn't about to GIVE in to him, as I knew this guy was an ACE.
So today (having just flown from LISBON to Phoenix, and suffering severe JETLAG) the last thing I wanted to do was revisit them.
"AHOY!", I cried. "Is Mr. BADER-EISNER here?" "No", was their response. He was apparently AWOL. I couldn't VET any of the other sales employees, so I asked for a Service PRO instead.
Shortly, HERB appeared. I knew that was his name; it was embossed on his ID TAGS. He looked like he had just come to work from a FRAT party.
He had an ICE pack taped to his head, and was drinking a CHAI tea latte, made from ASSAM. I EYED him up one side and down the other, but it was what he wore in the FRONT that looked pretty HIP. He sported a tie-DYEd HALTER, and his socks had a Doctor SEUSS character embroidered on them. He looked quite the HUN!
We walked out to my car which was parked under the building's EAVE, just next to the IONIC columns. As he opened my car door and saw the tear in the driver's seat, he said, "OH, THAT?" "AT MOST, I'D BET, it's probably a slight flaw in the ALPACA leather. You see, they sometimes use their TUSK to scratch their hide, and it leaves a permanent mark; there's really nothing we can do about it".
I could see that he was doing a bit of IMPROV to get me to buy his story. I asked him, "Is that your final EDICT?"
"Actually, yes; but I have an IDEE [that's French for "idea", BTW], even though it STRAINS me to do this. Go inside and see ANNE, our Promotions Manager. Tell her that SAL, my boss, approves our giving you box seat tickets to the Diamondbacks vs METS game next week. Will that work??" TBD ...
Here is the grid, and then off to the clues and entries ...
Across:
1. Comment accompanying a dismissive hand wave: OH THAT.
7. Tucked in: ABED. This time of year I usually sleep on top of the sheets; it's too hot for being tucked in
11. Hotel hallway sign: ICE. This threw me off, as EXIT was too many characters
14. Automaker with a six-star logo: SUBARU. unclefred this is what we actually did purchase a few weeks ago. The "Ascent" model
15. Serving aid: TRAY. "Seat-backs and TRAY tables in their upright and locked position"
16. Not talking: MUM.
17. *Game delay prevented by a chess clock?: ENDLESS MOVE. First of the themers. A popular song title is: "ENDLESS LOVE". Anyone up for a little Diana Ross/Lionel Richie duet?
19. WNBA player, e.g.: PRO.
20. Message near a candy bowl: TAKE ONE. Last Halloween we had way more candy than kids trick-or-treating; by evening's end we were telling them to "TAKE as many as you like"!
21. Campus group: FRAT.
22. Cartoon supplier of giant anvils: ACME.
25. Pac-12 school in L.A.: USC. In a couple of years they will be switching to the B1G conference
26. Dull repetition: ROTE.
27. *"Has anyone found our pigeon?": WHERE IS THE DOVE. A popular song title is: "WHERE IS THE LOVE"; a duet featuring Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
32. Aveeno grain: OAT.
33. IPO launchers: COS. Abbr. for COmpanies
34. Norse god of war: ODIN.
35. European capital: LISBON. Portugal is on both my and Margaret's "bucket list"
37. Pet collar attachments: ID TAGS.
41. Boxers Laila and Muhammad: ALIS. Which sorta goes with (52-across. Face off in the ring:) SPAR.
43. Robot attachment?: ICS. RobotICS
44. With it: HIP.
45. *Completely hooked on swearing by a Roman god?: ADDICTED TO JOVE. First off, [according to worldwidewords dot org] "Why is Zeus called Jove? Jove is the older name the Romans had for the god Jupiter (which derives from an alteration of Jovis pater, father Jove). Jupiter was the Roman god of the sky, the sovereign deity who had powers over both gods and men (he was later identified with the Greek Zeus)."
OK, now that we have that cleared up for any of you who didn't know that, let's listen to Robert Palmer's rendition of "ADDICTED TO LOVE." I couldn't find a duet version of this song, BTW
49. Out of the wind: ALEE.Moe-ku:
Muhammad and Laila
Sailed into a sheltered cove;
ALIS were ALEE
50. Celery stalk: RIB. Not sure that I ever heard Howard Cosell say, during a Muhammad Ali boxing match, "Don't let the crowd noise fool you; nobody got hit in the celery stalks!"
51. Scrutinized: EYED.
53. Single, for one: BASE HIT. Do teenagers nowadays use the terms "First BASE", et al, to describe how their romantic relations are going?
56. Cantina condiment: SAL. Spanish for "salt", I think ...
THE BIG REVEAL FOR TODAY'S PUZZLE:
57. 1981 Top 10 hit for Soft Cell, and a feature of the answers to the starred clues?: TAINTED LOVE. Quite literally, the word "LOVE" was "TAINTED" three times by the use of an M, a D, and a J
61. Versatile blackjack card: ACE. One or eleven in count value. [grosvenor casinos dot com says] "It is best to hit an ACE (take another card) when holding a hand of 10 or 12-16, and stand on anything 17 and over. An ACE gives you a good chance of making 21 with a hit. When a dealer has a seven, eight or nine card showing it is impossible for them to make a blackjack, so your chances of winning increase." Your mileage may vary, of course ...
62. Carrie-__ Moss of "Jessica Jones": ANNE. I like ANNE as the Promotions Manager for the SUBARU DEALER better!!
63. Brought up: REARED. [dictionary dot com says] "The first records of the word REAR as a verb meaning “to take care of” come from before the year 900. It comes from the Old English rǣran, meaning “to raise.” When it comes to raising their kids, parents have different approaches to childrearing
64. Scratch, e.g.: MAR.
65. Space race initials: USSR.
66. Produces, as an heir: BEGETS. The Bible uses this word, often
Down:
1. Sugar suffix: OSE. SucrOSE; LactOSE; et al
2. Enemy in "Mulan": HUN. I'm sure it's true; "Google" it!
3. Agenda placeholder: TBD. To Be Determined
4. Bikini top option: HALTER. My "mental" image is of Goldie Hawn for some reason ... maybe I will find an image of her in one to confirm
5. Field of study: AREA.
6. Mastodon feature: TUSK.
7. Max: AT MOST.
8. Prefix with dilator or scope: BRONCHO. First ever use of this word by a major crossword puzzle, according to Crossword Tracker
9. Gutter spot: EAVE.
10. Turn red, say: DYE. Cute clue
11. "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" technique: IMPROV.
12. Parish figure: CURATE. [Wikipedia says]: "A CURATE is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense, curate means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term curate is commonly used to describe clergy who are assistants to the parish priest. The duties or office of a curate are called a curacy"
Anyone wanting to verify this further can go to an upscale Honda DEALER to check for ACURAcy
13. Put on quite an act: EMOTE.
18. Whoville creator: SEUSS.
21. "Down in __!": FRONT.
22. AFB truant: AWOL.
23. __ latte: CHAI.
24. Team whose first manager was Casey Stengel: METS.
28. Gut bacteria: ECOLI. I am kind of surprised that this word made the cut, as it is much more harmful than good
29. Column style: IONIC. [study dot com says]: "The IONIC order originated in the mid-sixth century on the island of Ionia and was characterized by tall, slender, proportioned, and detailed columns. Buildings including temples, theaters, and stadiums were popularly designed using the Ionic order. Ionic columns were unique and more detailed than previous Doric works". Which is kind of IRONIC, as I totally guessed DORIC here ...
30. Official order: EDICT.
31. Sassy retort: DID SO. Sassy = aka, "Playground" retort
36. The "B" of RBG: BADER.
38. Cry to a matey: AHOY.
39. Buckle: GIVE.
40. Went 60 in a 50, say: SPED.
42. Pushes to the limit: STRAINS.
43. "Sounds about right": I'D BET.
45. Llamalike mammal: ALPACA.
46. Card holder?: DEALER.
47. Former CEO profiled in the book "DisneyWar": EISNER.
48. Flight risk?: JET LAG.
49. Black tea variety: ASSAM.
53. Prohibitions: BANS. The "noun" form; the clue "prohibits" would be the "verb" form
54. Window box plant: HERB.
55. Produit de la tête: IDEE.
57. Letter between sigma and upsilon: TAU. Also, the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet
58. Valuable deposit: ORE.
59. Confirm the credentials of, say: VET.
60. Newsroom VIPs: EDS.
Final thought/comment: I believe this might be Francie Jones's first ever Crossword Puzzle; if so, congratulations! If you want to stop by and say "hello" please add to the comments below
As a footnote:
First, Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Second, for those who follow Thoroughbred Horseracing, tomorrow (May 6) is the first leg of the Triple Crown for three-year old colts. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Secretariat's Derby win, which propelled him to go on and win the Triple Crown (Preakness and Belmont Stakes). All three of his victories set records for the fastest times at those distances. These records still remain today.
For what it's worth, my choices (narrowing it down from the field of 20 horses set to run down to 5 horses I would wager a bet on) are: Tapit Twice, Two Phil's, Forte, Mage, and Angel of Empire
Good luck to all of the horses and their connections, and to those who are going to wager on this race!!
Secretariat (aka, "Big Red")
