Theme: Elementary, my dear Puzzle Solver. One word of each them fill is a chemical element from the periodic table.
17 A. There's an element of doubt to it?: WAFFLE IRON. This is a kitchen device for pressing batter into a shape with dimpled surfaces. IRON is a metallic element with the atomic number 26 and symbol Fe. By mass, it is the most common element on earth.
23 A. There's an element of romance to it?: CARBON DATING. This is the determination of the age or date of organic matter from the relative proportions of the CARBON [symbol C] isotopes carbon-12 and carbon-14 that it contains. The ratio between them changes as radioactive carbon-14 decays. DATING is activity with someone - often, but not always, of the other gender - in pursuit of a romantic relationship.
53 A. There's an element of mystery to it?: SILVER SCREEN. Literally, the screen n which a motion picture is projected; by analogy, movies collectively, or the movie industry. SILVER, beside being the Lone Ranger's horse, is a soft, white, lustrous transition metal with atomic number 47 and symbol Ag. It has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal. Movies can be, among other things, mysteries, or dramas, or like 64 A. I think this clue is a bit of a stretch. But, then, silver is malleable.
64 A. There's an element of humor to it?: COMEDY GOLD. This is common phrase describing something that is very funny. GOLD is a yellow metallic element with atomic number 79 and symbol Au, used especially in jewelry and decoration and to guarantee the value of currencies.
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Hi, Gang - JazzBumpa here to analyze this elementary puzzle. As someone with two long defunct chemistry degrees, I absolutely love this theme.
Looks like this is the premier appearance for Huang-Kim Vu, so congratulations, and welcome!
Now, let's see what other riches we can discover.
Across:
1. Where to hear cutting remarks?: SALON. A place where a stylist can do your do. Nicely clued.6. Tiff: SPAT. Quarrel.
10. "The one over there": THAT. Indication of. specific thing.
14. "Gotta run!": I'M OFF. Alternatively, "There's something wrong with me."
15. Sharpen: HONE. As a knife edge or set of skins.
16. Corned beef __: HASH. A mixture of chopped corned beef and potatoes.
19. Crazy about: INTO. Relating to something you are involved with or enjoy. Crazy about might be overstating it.
20. Prosecco kin: ASTI. A pair od sparkling iotalian wines.
21. Start to matter?: ANTI-. Anti-matter is a substance composed of subatomic particles that have the mass, electric charge, and magnetic moment of the electrons, protons, and neutrons of ordinary matter but for which the electric charge and magnetic moment are opposite in sign. Matter can mean stuff, as a noun, or be of some importance, as a verb. Despite the clever word play, this type of cutesy affix clue has long outlived it usefulness and amusement value.
22. Sing smoothly: CROON.
26. Increased: ADDED TO. Amped up.
29. Carving of a Polynesian god: TIKI. In Polynesian mythology, tiki often represents the first human being on Earth created by the atua (deity) Tane, who, together with Hine-ahu-one, is considered humankind's progenitors. In areas of Polynesia, carved tiki figures were often thought to be a repository for a certain god's mana (prestige).
29. Carving of a Polynesian god: TIKI. In Polynesian mythology, tiki often represents the first human being on Earth created by the atua (deity) Tane, who, together with Hine-ahu-one, is considered humankind's progenitors. In areas of Polynesia, carved tiki figures were often thought to be a repository for a certain god's mana (prestige).
30. "Hips Don't __": Shakira hit: LIE. Fairly sure this is not crooning.
There is no deceit in these body parts
31. "Yikes!": OH NO. Exclamation of dismay.
33. Nana alternative: MEEMAW. A grandmother's title, as bestowed by an infant. This is what my son's kids called Gloria when they were learning to talk. In contract, I remember, her son's oldest, Amanda, asking: "Do I have to call you that?" We said she didn't.
37. __ pressure: PEER. Influence from members of one's peer group. Can be good or bad.
39. Keebler baker: ELF.
33. Nana alternative: MEEMAW. A grandmother's title, as bestowed by an infant. This is what my son's kids called Gloria when they were learning to talk. In contract, I remember, her son's oldest, Amanda, asking: "Do I have to call you that?" We said she didn't.
37. __ pressure: PEER. Influence from members of one's peer group. Can be good or bad.
39. Keebler baker: ELF.
41. Gazpacho, por ejemplo: SOPA. An example of soup - specifically, a cold soup made of raw, blended vegetables, of Spanish origin.
42. Fla. coastal city: ST. PETE. More formally, St. Petersburg, on the Gulf coast, known as the sunshine city.
45. "The Daily Show" correspondent Lydic: DESI. An American comedian and actress [b 1981] who is a correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. From 2011 to 2016, she starred as guidance counselor Valerie Marks on the MTV comedy-drama series Awkward.
42. Fla. coastal city: ST. PETE. More formally, St. Petersburg, on the Gulf coast, known as the sunshine city.
45. "The Daily Show" correspondent Lydic: DESI. An American comedian and actress [b 1981] who is a correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. From 2011 to 2016, she starred as guidance counselor Valerie Marks on the MTV comedy-drama series Awkward.
48. Fellows: MEN. Guys.
49. __ Bradley bags: VERA. This is an American luggage and handbag design company, founded by Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller in 1982.
51. If nothing else: AT LEAST. What you might have to settle for.
57. Leg joints: KNEES. The joints between the thighs and the lower legs in humans.
58. Target on a putting green: HOLE. Where you sink you putts. And no gimmies!
59. "Got it": I SEE. Understood.
63. Walkman descendant: I-POD. A portable electronic device for playing and storing digital audio and video files.
66. Course catalog?: MENU. The courses of a meal. Another clever clue.
67. Father of Eros: ARES. Ares is the Greek god of courage and war. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. Eros is the Greek god of love and sex. Shakira reveals the truth about him.
68. Shoyu flavor: UMAMI. Umami, or savoriness, is one of the five basic tastes. It has been described as savory and is characteristic of broths and cooked meats. People taste umami through taste receptors that typically respond to glutamates and nucleotides, which are widely present in meat broths and fermented products.
69. Cold spell: SNAP. A weather event involving a cooling of the air, or the invasion of very cold air, over a large area. It is marked by a drop of average temperature well below the typical averages of a region.
70. Action at the track: BETS. Wagers.
71. Analyze grammatically: PARSE. Analyze a sentence into its parts and describe their syntactic roles.
Down:
1. Dancer/YouTube star JoJo __: SIWA. Joelle Joanie "JoJo" Siwa [b2003] is an American dancer, singer, and YouTuber. If interested, you can search her many videos on YouTube.
2. Reddit Q&A sessions: AMAs. Ask Me Anythings. [I might even answer.]
3. Ann Taylor __: LOFT. Loft, originally Ann Taylor Loft, was established in 1996 as an extension of the original Ann Taylor brand, offers more relaxed fashions for work and home, in the "moderate" priced category.
4. One end of some commutes: OFFICE. Work place for many.
5. Org. with Giants and Titans: NFL. National Football League.
6. Tibia: SHIN BONE. The tibia is the shinbone, the larger of the two bones in the lower leg. The top of the tibia connects to the knee joint and the bottom connects to the ankle joint. Although this bone carries the majority of the body's weight, it still needs the support of the fibula. If hips dlm't lie, do fibula fib?
7. Coastal city on the Iberian Peninsula: PORTO. Port in Spanish.
8. Choose, as a successor: ANOINT. Figurative. More literally, ceremonially confer divine or holy office upon (a priest or monarch) by smearing or rubbing with oil.
9. Uniform number for Sue Bird: TEN. Suzanne Brigit Bird [b 1980] is an American-Israeli professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association.
10. Decade that is less than a decade away: THIRTIES. We are now in the twenties. They are not roaring.
11. Location of Hoan Kiem Lake: HANOI. In Viet Nam
12. __ Martin: British car: ASTON. Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is an English manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers.
13. Flip-flop: THONG. A shoe that is held on by two straps that go next to the big toe.
18. Habitat for humanity: EARTH. Our home planet.
22. Celebratory slice: CAKE. For birthdays, weddings, graduations, etc.
24. Big fuss: ADO. A state of agitation or fuss, especially about something unimportant.
25. __ sum: bite-sized Chinese fare: DIM. It is a large range of small Chinese dishes that are traditionally enjoyed in restaurants for brunch.
26. Range for yodelers?: ALPS. Range can mean a number of things, depending on context. Here it refers to mountains, not vocal tessitura.
27. Nutrition regimen: DIET. Foodstuffs selected in a nutritional strategy.
28. Profound: DEEP.
32. Outdated: OLD.
34. NYC home of Frida Kahlo's "Self-Portrait With Cropped Hair": MOMA. Museum Of Modern Art, Frida came up the last time I blogged.
35. Chimps and gorillas: APES. Any large primate that lacks a tail, including the gorilla, chimpanzee, orangutan, and gibbon.
36. Desire: WANT.
38. Really got going: REVVED UP. Excited or enthused.
40. Like skeleton racers, seemingly: FEARLESS. Skeleton is a winter sliding sport in which a person rides a small sled, known as a skeleton bobsled, down a frozen track while lying face down and head-first.
43. Some concert merch: TEES. Simple shirts, possibly with complex art work.
44. Mistakenly hit reply all, e.g.: ERR. Make a mistake.
46. Trusty mount: STEED. Just so.
47. __ de la Cité: Paris landmark: ILE. An island in the river Seine in the center of Paris. In the 4th century, it was the site of the fortress of the Roman governor. In 508, Clovis I, the first King of the Franks, established his palace on the island.
50. On dry land: ASHORE.
52. Puzzle: ENIGMA. Something that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand.
53. Leafs (through): SKIMS. An act of reading something quickly or superficially.
54. How contracts are usually signed: IN PEN. For permanence. INK also fits.
55. "Bleeding Love" singer Lewis: LEONA. Leona Louise Lewis [b, 1985] is a British singer, songwriter, actress, model and activist.
Lips can lie
56. Cleaner sold in green canisters: COMET.
60. Rocket: SOAR. Fly high.
61. Shady bunch?: ELMS. Shade giving trees - they don't lie.
62. Singer Brickell: EDIE. Edie Arlisa Brickell [b 1966] is an American singer-songwriter widely known for 1988's Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, the debut album by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, which went to No. 4 on the Billboard albums chart. She is married to singer-songwriter Paul Simon.
61. Shady bunch?: ELMS. Shade giving trees - they don't lie.
62. Singer Brickell: EDIE. Edie Arlisa Brickell [b 1966] is an American singer-songwriter widely known for 1988's Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, the debut album by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, which went to No. 4 on the Billboard albums chart. She is married to singer-songwriter Paul Simon.
64. Taxi: CAB. A vehicle that carries paying passengers
65. "You betcha": YUP. Slangy agreement.
So ends another Wednesday's offering. Hope you reacted well to it.
Cool regards!
JzB
