Happy Monday-funday, everyone! sumdaze here with a super-duper puzzle. We have met our constructor once before. You might also recognize Hannah's name from other publications, although the "-Einertson" seems new. Perhaps congratulations are in order???
Theme: Reduplication Nation
Each of the themed answers is a rhyming compound reduplication.
Was that explanation too wishy-washy? No hanky-panky intended nor hoity-toity airs here. We are simply enjoying an easy-peasy hodgepodge of clues to start the week.
Here are the four themers:
17 Across. Haphazard, haphazardly: WILLY-NILLY.
27 Across. Casual, casually: LOOSEY-GOOSEY.
44 Across. Nonsensical, nonsensically: PHONY-BALONEY.
57 Across. Mushy, mushily: LOVEY-DOVEY.
This type of puzzle is always amusing and makes for good Monday fare because of the auto-fill boxes. No reveal was necessary. I clocked the theme with 17-A but that did not spoil the fun. Doubling up the clue words with an adverb version was icing on the cake. WAY TO GO, Hannah!
And now for the nitty-gritty:
Across:
38. Like an etiquette coach, perhaps: PRIM.
39. Turn from yellow to brown, as a banana: ROT. and 47 Across. Turn from green to yellow, as a banana: RIPEN.
26. "We're not providing alcohol," initially: BYOB. Bring Your Own Booze
28. Slack alternative: EMAIL. Slack is a cloud-based team communication platform. It was released to the public in 2014. I read that it is an acronym for Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge.
29. Emanate: EMIT.
30. Orange root vegetables: YAMS. Carrots did not fit.
31. Logo on a pint of Guinness: HARP.
32. "Shoot": UH-OH.
33. Road trip stops: MOTOR INNS.
37. Custardy dessert: FLAN.
38. Intimidate with mind games: PSYCH OUT. I first thought GASLIGHT.
40. Go on about: HYPE.
41. Ohio college whose mascot is an albino squirrel: OBERLIN.
42. Bring together: UNIFY. UNIte changed to UNIFY when I needed the Y for 57-A, LOVEY.
43. Each: PER.
45. Most upscale: NICEST.
46. Eight-member ensembles: OCTETS.
49. Wife of Augustus: LIVIA.
50. Choose to lead: ELECT. Think of the clue this way: Choose someone else to lead.
51. Eye sores: STYES.
52. "Do not proceed!": STOP.
53. Highs and __: LOWS. Speaking of the boardwalk...
54. Swear: AVOW.
58. Denominator of a whole number: ONE. A denominator is the bottom number in a fraction so the clue tells us we need to think about fractions. A fraction is essentially a division problem read top to bottom. Any number divided by 1 equals that number. In this example, 4 divided by 1 equals 4. This is the Identity Property of Mathematics for Division.
59. FM radio hosts: DJs. CSO to D-Otto!
1. Flies high: SOARS. Watch this 3 min. video to see what it is like to SOAR in a glider plane over Lake Tahoe.
6. Prepare for cooking, perhaps: THAW. This made me think of the Thanksgiving TV sitcom trope where they forget to thaw the turkey so they try to put it in the microwave but it will not fit.
10. Scrabble piece: TILE. There are 100 in a standard English set -- 98 letters + 2 blanks.
14. Ration out: ALLOT. Let's check out our handy-dandy synonym list:
15. Mexican greeting: HOLA. and 36 Across. Bosun's greeting: AHOY. bosun definition
16. Another name for the Roman god Cupid: AMOR. Eros is the Greek god of love.
19. Mascara smudger, maybe: TEAR.
20. "I Can't Let Go" singer Sands: EVIE. (b. July 18, 1946) This song was co-written by Al Gorgoni and Chip Taylor, who also wrote Wild Thing. Evie recorded it in 1965. The Hollies released their version in 1966. Then Linda Ronstadt released her version in 1980. I listened to all three and gave the edge to Linda's version. See what you think:
6. Prepare for cooking, perhaps: THAW. This made me think of the Thanksgiving TV sitcom trope where they forget to thaw the turkey so they try to put it in the microwave but it will not fit.
10. Scrabble piece: TILE. There are 100 in a standard English set -- 98 letters + 2 blanks.
14. Ration out: ALLOT. Let's check out our handy-dandy synonym list:
15. Mexican greeting: HOLA. and 36 Across. Bosun's greeting: AHOY. bosun definition
16. Another name for the Roman god Cupid: AMOR. Eros is the Greek god of love.
19. Mascara smudger, maybe: TEAR.
20. "I Can't Let Go" singer Sands: EVIE. (b. July 18, 1946) This song was co-written by Al Gorgoni and Chip Taylor, who also wrote Wild Thing. Evie recorded it in 1965. The Hollies released their version in 1966. Then Linda Ronstadt released her version in 1980. I listened to all three and gave the edge to Linda's version. See what you think:
Linda's version
21. Mined resource: ORE. You know, things like silver or gold....
22. Olympians' predecessors: TITANS. Did you remember them?
24. Far side of a zero-entry pool: DEEP END. Zero-entry is a style of swimming pool characterized by a sloping entrance as opposed to steps or ladders.
26. B in chemistry class?: BORON. This was my favorite clue today!
31. Homo sapiens: HUMANS.
34. Earth orbiter: MOON. The title of this 3 min. video is Does The Moon Really Orbit The Earth?.
35. Actress Thurman in a Fall Out Boy hit: UMA. You had this at "Actress Thurman". Nevertheless, I will add that Fall Out Boy is an American rock band that formed in a Chicago suburb in 2001. Here is the 2015 song. You might recall it because it borrows that FAB riff from the theme song to The Munsters.
21. Mined resource: ORE. You know, things like silver or gold....
22. Olympians' predecessors: TITANS. Did you remember them?
24. Far side of a zero-entry pool: DEEP END. Zero-entry is a style of swimming pool characterized by a sloping entrance as opposed to steps or ladders.
26. B in chemistry class?: BORON. This was my favorite clue today!
31. Homo sapiens: HUMANS.
34. Earth orbiter: MOON. The title of this 3 min. video is Does The Moon Really Orbit The Earth?.
35. Actress Thurman in a Fall Out Boy hit: UMA. You had this at "Actress Thurman". Nevertheless, I will add that Fall Out Boy is an American rock band that formed in a Chicago suburb in 2001. Here is the 2015 song. You might recall it because it borrows that FAB riff from the theme song to The Munsters.
She wants to dance like Uma Thurmn. 𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮
37. "Dope!": FAB.
38. Like an etiquette coach, perhaps: PRIM.
39. Turn from yellow to brown, as a banana: ROT. and 47 Across. Turn from green to yellow, as a banana: RIPEN.
40. Springtime Hindu festival: HOLI.
42. Irks: UPSETS.
48. Round figures: CIRCLES. This is a fun play on the round figures that are numbers rounded off to the nearest __.
52. Meat counter tool: SLICER.
54. DOJ branch: ATF. U.S. Department of Justice and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
55. Nonsharp part of a sword: HILT.
56. Shade: TONE. In this case, TONE means "a tint or shade of color".
60. Possesses: OWNS.
61. When ties are broken, briefly: IN OT. Tie scores and Overtime in sports
62. Lemonade ingredient: JUICE.
63. Start of a quiet sentence: PSST.
64. "Have I got __ for you!": NEWS.
65. Spotify Wrapped figures: STATS. Spotify is a digital music, podcast, and video streaming service. Spotify Wrapped is data on your listening/viewing habits from the previous year. Basically, it is the STATisticS on how you used their platform.
Down:
42. Irks: UPSETS.
48. Round figures: CIRCLES. This is a fun play on the round figures that are numbers rounded off to the nearest __.
52. Meat counter tool: SLICER.
54. DOJ branch: ATF. U.S. Department of Justice and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
55. Nonsharp part of a sword: HILT.
56. Shade: TONE. In this case, TONE means "a tint or shade of color".
60. Possesses: OWNS.
61. When ties are broken, briefly: IN OT. Tie scores and Overtime in sports
62. Lemonade ingredient: JUICE.
63. Start of a quiet sentence: PSST.
64. "Have I got __ for you!": NEWS.
65. Spotify Wrapped figures: STATS. Spotify is a digital music, podcast, and video streaming service. Spotify Wrapped is data on your listening/viewing habits from the previous year. Basically, it is the STATisticS on how you used their platform.
Down:
1. Used a toothed blade on lumber, say: SAWED. Tom was a famous saw-yer.
2. __ branch: peace symbol: OLIVE.
3. "Kate & __": 1980s sitcom: ALLIE.
4. Participate in a D&D campaign: ROLEPLAY. Dungeons & Dragons is a ROLEPLAYing game. It was first published in 1974.
5. Pigpen: STY.
6. Some musical intervals: THIRDS. Here is a 1-minute less:
7. One of 18, in golf: HOLE.
8. Reply __: ALL.
9. "You did great!": WAY TO GO.
10. Permanent art: TATTOO.
11. "Not thrilled, but that's fine": I MEAN SURE. This one came up in my search as a first-y.
12. Give temporarily: LOAN.
13. __ on the side of caution: ERRS.
18. Things to avoid: NO-NOS. Easter egg adjacent
23. Nutrient in spinach: IRON.
2. __ branch: peace symbol: OLIVE.
4. Participate in a D&D campaign: ROLEPLAY. Dungeons & Dragons is a ROLEPLAYing game. It was first published in 1974.
5. Pigpen: STY.
6. Some musical intervals: THIRDS. Here is a 1-minute less:
7. One of 18, in golf: HOLE.
8. Reply __: ALL.
9. "You did great!": WAY TO GO.
10. Permanent art: TATTOO.
11. "Not thrilled, but that's fine": I MEAN SURE. This one came up in my search as a first-y.
12. Give temporarily: LOAN.
13. __ on the side of caution: ERRS.
18. Things to avoid: NO-NOS. Easter egg adjacent
23. Nutrient in spinach: IRON.
 |
| It worked for Popeye |
25. Ages and ages: EON. I like how the plural words in the clue did not result in a plural answer this time.
26. "We're not providing alcohol," initially: BYOB. Bring Your Own Booze
28. Slack alternative: EMAIL. Slack is a cloud-based team communication platform. It was released to the public in 2014. I read that it is an acronym for Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge.
29. Emanate: EMIT.
30. Orange root vegetables: YAMS. Carrots did not fit.
31. Logo on a pint of Guinness: HARP.
 |
| not sure if I ever noticed that before |
33. Road trip stops: MOTOR INNS.
37. Custardy dessert: FLAN.
38. Intimidate with mind games: PSYCH OUT. I first thought GASLIGHT.
40. Go on about: HYPE.
41. Ohio college whose mascot is an albino squirrel: OBERLIN.
 |
| If you say so.... |
42. Bring together: UNIFY. UNIte changed to UNIFY when I needed the Y for 57-A, LOVEY.
43. Each: PER.
45. Most upscale: NICEST.
46. Eight-member ensembles: OCTETS.
49. Wife of Augustus: LIVIA.
 |
| detail of a relief in the National Archaeological Museum in Ravenna, Italy of Augustus and (probably) his wife Livia |
51. Eye sores: STYES.
52. "Do not proceed!": STOP.
 |
| When I was in school, 7th graders could sign up to be crossing guards. At the end of the year, we were rewarded with a trip to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. |
53. Highs and __: LOWS. Speaking of the boardwalk...
58. Denominator of a whole number: ONE. A denominator is the bottom number in a fraction so the clue tells us we need to think about fractions. A fraction is essentially a division problem read top to bottom. Any number divided by 1 equals that number. In this example, 4 divided by 1 equals 4. This is the Identity Property of Mathematics for Division.
For example, here is Howard Hesseman as Dr. Johnny Fever from WKRP Cincinnati (1978-1982). (1:24 min.)
Bye-bye!
And now the grid:
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| Jeepers creepers! We had some fun math & science today with a dash of sparkle. |
