Double Your Fun! The word Double can be placed before each word in the theme
answer to give a new concept.
20-Across. City street spot you usually have to back into: PARKING SPACE. DoublePark and DoubleSpace. Double Space in typing means that there is a full space, the
equivalent to the full height of a line of the text, between rows of words
in a document. Most computer texting programs default to single
spacing.
This is just wrong!
33-Across. Unfavorable impression: NEGATIVE TAKE. DoubleNegative and DoubleTake.
Double Take
42-Across. Winter clock setting: STANDARD TIME. DoubleStandard and DoubleTime.
Double Standard.
And the unifier:
56-Across. In 2020's MLB season, each game of one was seven innings ... and
what each word of three long answers can have: DOUBLE HEADER. The Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on Major League Baseball this year.
Across:
1. Like new dollar bills: CRISP. //
And 19-Across. Singles: ONES.
6. Instruction unit: STEP.
10. Last year's frosh: SOPH. Last year's Freshman is this
year's Sophomore. According to Webster's, the word Frosh for a first year student may derive from the German word for
Frog, which is what a student is called before entering the university.
14. Mediterranean mayonnaise: AIOLI. This is becoming a
crossword staple.
15. Place for pews: NAVE. There has been much discussion on
the church nave recently.
16. Crosby, Stills & Nash, e.g.: TRIO. Crosby, Stills
& Nash were a folk rock group formed in 1968. A year later, Neil
Young joined the group and the band became known as Crosby, Stills, Nash &
Young.
17. Raced toward: RAN AT.
18. One cutting staff: AXER. Axer isn't in the Scrabble
dictionary, but if it was, it would be worth 11 points.
23. TSA __Check: PRE. Getting the Pre-Check on my airline ticket always makes me smile.
26. "Annabel Lee" poet: POE. Edgar Allen Poe (Jan. 19, 1809
~ Oct. 7, 1849) is known for his tales of mystery and poetry. I don't
think I had ever read Annabel Lee before.
27. Result of a coup, perhaps: OUSTER.
28. Sea surrounding Santorini: AEGEAN. Santorini seems to be
on the outer edge of the Aegean Sea,
30. Relate, as a story: TELL. William Tell had a Tale to
Tell.
32. Silly starter?: ESS. Silly Goose! It's the letter S.
36. HEATH Bar competitor: SKOR.
37. "Bel Canto" author Patchett: ANN. Ann Patchett (b. Dec.
2, 1963) has written several novels. Bel Canto is loosely
based on the Japanese embassy hostage crisis of 1996-1997, which occurred in
Lima, Peru. By coincidence, I took this book along with me to read while
I was traveling in Peru about 10 years ago. I highly recommend this
book.
38. Many an Omani: ARAB.
47. UFO operators: ETs. As in ExtraTerresterials.
50. Iowa college town: AMES. Iowa State University is
located in Ames, Iowa.
51. Egg-coloring holiday: EASTER. Tsars Alexander II and
Nicholas II had Fabergé jeweled eggs made for their wives as Easter gifts.
52. Useless: NO HELP.
54. Coll. entrance exam: SAT. The SAT exams were formerly
known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test.
55. Business card abbr.: EXT. Think of the telephone extension number.
60. James of jazz: ETTA. Etta James (née Jamesetta Hawkins;
Jan. 25, 1938 ~ Jan. 20, 2012) makes frequent guest appearances in the
crossword puzzles.
67. Poet Pound: EZRA. Ezra Pound (né Ezra Weston Loomis Pound; Oct. 30, 1885 ~ Nov. 1, 1972) was not
without a lot of controversy.
68. Vowel-rich farewell: ADIEU. Today's French lesson.
69. Surrealist Magritte: RENÉ. René Magritte (Nov. 21, 1898 ~ Aug. 15, 1967) was a Belgium artist who is known for
creating amusing images.
70. Burpee purchase: SEED. The Burpee Seed company was
founded by Washington Atlee Burpee (Apr. 5, 1858 ~ Nov. 26, 1915) in the
1870s. The company is still going strong today.
71. Transplant to a new container: REPOT.
Down:
2. River inlet: RIA.
3. Na+ or Cl-: ION. Together, these ions form table salt.
4. Word with happy or dash: SLAP. As in Slap Happy or Slap
Dash.
5. Rain-on-the-roof sound: PIT-A-PAT.
6. Asp or adder: SNAKE.
7. Cab: TAXI.
8. Like every other integer: EVEN. 2, 4, 6, 8, ...
9. Vine-covered walkway: PERGOLA. A pergola can also be a
covered sitting area. We build a pergola in our back yard a couple of
years ago and I spent many hours there during this pandemic season. The
word Pergola comes from the Latin, meaning projected eave.
10. Dots on a transit map: STOPS.
11. Highly decorative: ORNATE. The mosaics at the Alhambra
Palace are very ornate.
12. Concert choices: PIECES.
13. Uncouth types, in Canadian slang: HOSERS. Hi,
CanadianEh!
21. Rice-A-__: RONI. It's the San Francisco treat and it
comes in many flavors.
22. Pout: SULK.
23. Thumbs-down reviews: PANS.
24. Really smell: REEK.
25. Thick & Fluffy waffle brand: EGGO. L'Eggo my Eggo!
They, too, come in several flavors.
29. All __: listening: EARS.
30. Takes care of: TENDS.
31. Sicilian smoker: ETNA. Since 2013, this volcano has been
periodically been showing some eruptive action.
34. Wind indicator: VANE. The word Vane comes from an old
English word, Fane, which means Flag.
35. Grub: EATS.
39. Baptism, for one: RITE.
40. Plastic choice, briefly: AMEX. Nice misdirection:
American Express.
41. Ernie's Muppet pal: BERT.
43. Like unlikely tales: TALL.
44. Current units: AMPERES. The Ampere is named after
André-Marie Ampère (Jan. 20, 1775 ~ June 10, 1836), French mathematician and
physicist, considered the father of electromagnetism.
45. Enjoy a novel: READ. I have read just under 50 books
this year, most of which were novels.
46. Baked treat that sounds like a place to meet: DATE BAR.
47. Make precious: ENDEAR.
48. Play the flute: TOOTLE. Flute playing in the year 2020.
49. Locked up: SHUT IN.
53. Online money-back offer: E-BATE.
54. Dinner course: SALAD. In Israel, Salads are a common
breakfast food.
57. Thin fog: HAZE.
58. The Emerald Isle: EIRE.
59. Impolite: RUDE.
63. Puppy's bite: NIP.
64. Head of the corp.: CEO. As in the Chief Executive Officer.
65. Shack: HUT.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
No matter what or how you celebrate the holidays, please respect everyone.
We are all fragile and we need to look out for the health and welfare
of all. Please wear your mask and social distance. We want to be
able to hug next holiday season.
26.
Play-calling gatherings: HUDDLES. Think fútbol, American
style.
Geaux Tigers!
29. Ballpark hooter: BOOER. Meh!
30. Iron mine
output: ORE. A crossword staple.
31. Bacon
go-with: EGGS.
35. Form W-2 org.: IRS. The infamous Internal Revenue Service.
40. Half of dos: UNO. Today's Italian lesson.
41.
Belle's counterpart: BEAU.
43. Fútbol
cheer: OLÉ. The game Americans call Soccer.
44. Clarifying words: I, MEAN.
50.
Bigwigs: TOP GUNS. Top Gun was a 1986 movie about students
at the United States Navy elite fighter weapons school competing to be the
best in their class.
53. "It __ stopped me yet!": HASN'T.
54. Past the pain
of a breakup, say: OVER IT.
55. Have something: AIL.
56. Stop-motion
medium: CLAY. Stop-motion is also known as Claymation.
59. Humans-on-the-moon org.: NASA. As in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Hi, Gary!
63. Wrinkle remover: IRON. Ironing in the age of
Zoom.
64. Hammer target: NAIL.
65. Simple question type: YES / NO.
66. Skin
concern: CYST.
67. Like a cloudy day: GRAY.
We have been having a lot of gloomy and gray days recently.
68. Pencil maze word: ENTER. Sometimes the
word Enter is just implied.
Down: 1. Minnelli of "Cabaret": LIZA. Liza
Minnelli (née Liza May Minnelli; b. Mar. 12, 1946) is the daughter of Judy
Garland.
2. Katelyn Nacon's role on "The Walking Dead": ENID. I
have never seen The Walking Dead, and am not familiar with Katelyn
Nacon (Katelyn May Nacon; b. June 11, 1999).
3. Horse with a spotted coat: APPALOOSA. Apparently they
come in all sorts of spotted patterns.
4. Decision that clinches the victory: KEY MOVE.
5. __-Caps: candy: SNO. Yummers!
6. Lose interest in: TIRE OF.
7. Scandinavian capital: OSLO. Alfred Nobel (Oct. 21, 1833
~ Dec. 10, 1896) was Swedish, so why is the Nobel Peace Prize awarded
in Oslo, Norway and not Stockholm, Sweden where all the other Nobel Prizes are given
out?
8. "The Blacklist" agcy.: FBI. As in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Blacklist is a television series
starring James Spader (b. Feb. 7, 1960) and Megan Boone (b. Apr. 29, 1983).
The show has been running since 2013.
9. Not cut back, as branches: UNPRUNED.
10. Edible coloring: FOOD DYE.
11. Nutrition info spot: LABEL. How to decipher the
Nutrition label.
12. Make restitution: ATONE. This is becoming a crossword
staple.
13. Arouses: WHETS.
18. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO. Words in the Golden Rule.
The major religions of the world have a version of the Golden Rule.
23. Emotional poem: ODE.
25. Choreographer Saarinen: TERO. The only Saarinens I am
familiar with are the father (Elie) and son (Eero) architects, who
often make guest appearances in the crossword puzzles. I don't believe
that Tero Saarinen (b. Sept. 7, 1964) is related to the architects.
26. "Hava Nagila" dance: HORA. Let us rejoice!
27. Passed-on stories: LORE.
28. Painter Claude: MONET. Claude Monet (né Oscar-Claude
Monet; Nov. 14, 1840 ~ Dec. 5, 1926) is sometimes referred to as the Father
of Impressionist Painting. He is probably best known for his series of
Water Lilies from his home in Giverny, France.
29. Highchair wear: BIB.
32. Party attendees lineup: GUEST LIST.
33. Irksome insect: GNAT. Here are a few different types
of Gnats.
34. Luke, to Anakin: SON. A reference to the Star Wars movies.
37. Relying (on): COUNTING.
38. Hooray antonym: ALAS.
39. Goes public
with: AIRS.
42. R.E. Lee foe: U.S. GRANT. As we have previously
noted, Ulysses S Grant's given name was Hiram Ulysses Grant (Apr. 27, 1822 ~ July 23, 1885).
45. Third-largest German city, to Germans: MÜNCHEN.
Today's German lesson. The city was founded by Benedictine
monks, hence, the name is derived from Old High German meaning "by the
monks' place."
47. Who, in Quebec: QUI. Today's French lesson.c
48.
How carpaccio is sliced: THINLY. Carpaccio is thinly sliced
meat or fish that is generally served raw. You, too, can make carpaccio.
49. Angelic aura: HALO.
50. Vodka mixer: TONIC.
51. Seed-bearing
organ: OVARY.
52. Cuban coins: PESOS.
55. Where Israel is: ASIA. Sometimes when you go to a
restaraunt in Israel, they will tell you they serve Asian food. What
you will get is what we consider middle-eastern food.
57. Diarist Frank: ANNE. Annelies Marie Frank (June 12, 1929
~ Feb. 1945) was a Holocaust victim.
58. "Son of Frankenstein" role: YGOR. Ygor was played by
Boris Lugosi in the 1939 movie.
61. Sailor: TAR. Sailors have been referred to as Tars since at least the 1660s. It may derive from the word Tarpaulin,
which was a cloth covered in tar to make it waterproof.
62.
Nautical rope: TYE. Hi, Spitzboov. I'll let you
explain this word.