Thursday, June 27, 2024, John Michael Currie

 

  Rarely do I find a splash screen that explicitly reveals the reveal (see if you can spot it) ...

Missed it?  Here it is ...

59. Rodentlike features, and a phonetic hint to a segment of 18-, 23-, 36-, and 50-Across: BEADY EYES. And without further ado, here are the 4 themers, provided to us by constructor John Michael Currie  ...

18A. Sea creature who lived across the Strait of Messina from Scylla: CHARYBDIS.  As described by Odysseus on his 10 year voyage home from the Trojan War (see also 46D).  The phrase "between the Scylla and the Charybdis" is also a metaphor sometimes used for "being caught between the horns of a dilemma".

Charybdis

23A. Objects for separating subjects: TAB DIVIDERS.  Adjectives?

36A. Seafood appetizer often seasoned with Old Bay: CRAB DIP. Teri's recipe for this popular Chesapeake Bay delight is posted on C.C.'s Ginger Roots Blog. 

50A. Land of giants in "Gulliver's Travels": BROBDINGNAG.  These creatures of Jonathan Swift's imagination are not only 60 feet tall, but they are also moral giants who have nothing to fear.

Still don't see it?  Patti made it a lot harder than the hat trick from last week -- and certain members of our community will love the fact that there are no circles, stars, question marks, or any other cruciverbalist crutches, so I guess we'll need the grid 😀...
 

... Now say BDI 4 times real fast!

Here are the rest of the clues ...

Across:

1. False earnestness: SMARM.

6. Sawbuck halves: ABES.  A sawbuck is a $10 bill and an ABE is a $5 bill.

10. "Pencils down": TIME.

14. World capital once called Thang Long: HANOI.  My brother-in-law is from a capital just South of there now called Ho Chi Minh City, once called SAIGON.  But that terrible time in history has passed, and he has returned to beautiful Viet Nam a few times to lecture on his cancer research.

Hanoi Travel Guide

15. Zoom: RACE.

16. Human rights lawyer Clooney: AMAL.  Amal Clooney (née Alamuddin; born in Beirut, Lebanon, on 3 February 1978). is a British international human rights lawyer. Notable clients of hers include former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed, Australian WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, and Iraqi human rights activist Nadia Murad. She is fluent in English, French, and Arabic and has held various appointments with the Government of the United Kingdom and the United Nations, and is also an adjunct law professor at Columbia Law School.

Amal Clooney

17. Bonus feature: ADD ON.

18. [Theme clue].

20. Like good things happening to good people: KARMIC.  The adjective form of the noun KARMA.

22. Not obviously true: ARGUABLE.  I suppose if something is actually TRUE and you argue against it, then you are WRONG! 😀

23. [Theme clue].

25. Staffer: AIDE.

26. Norman Lear's specialty: SITCOMS.  The most famous of which is probably All in the Family.  It had a really great laugh track ...

30. Establish anew, as authority: REASSERT.

34. Sandwich cookie: OREO.  EKTORP.

35. End of a professor's address: EDU.

36. [Theme clue]

40. Heat quickly: ZAP.

41. Mattress option: FIRM.

43. Some "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" characters: DEMIGODS.  After viewing clips for several video adaptations, I decided they were rated NFA (Not For Adults) and decided they were probably not the best way to teach kids Greek Mythology. I haven't read any of the novels, but  this should tell you all you need to know.

45. Onset of: START TO.

49. Isolated group of employees: SILO.  An information SILO, or a group of such silos, is an insular management system in which one information system or subsystem is incapable of reciprocal operation with others that are, or should be, related. Thus information is not adequately shared but rather remains sequestered within each system or subsystem, figuratively trapped within a container like grain is trapped within a silo, or a human actually trapped in an office cubicle.  It can be a frustrating experience ...

50. [Theme clue]

54. Person experiencing the bystander effect, perhaps: ONLOOKER.

57. Heroic sister of children's literature: GRETEL.  "Hansel and Gretel" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of Grimms' Fairy Tales.  There have been many adaptations of it over the years, including an opera by Engleburt Humperdink (no relation to the singer Arnold George Dorsey MBE) and a 1987 film starring Cloris Leachman ...

59. [Theme reveal]

61. Ticked off: IRATE.

62. Check status: VOID.

63. Cozy retreat: NEST.

64. Truly stuck: MIRED.

65. Home of Lucas Oil Stadium, familiarly: INDY.  The venue for the yearly Indianapolis 500 Race.  And if you're not into racing Taylor Swift will be there in November. 😀

66. SoCal school: SDSU.  San Diego State University.

67. Snail trail: SLIME. Or the  trail of an ethereal, supernatural presence ...

Down:
1. Literary citation abbr.: SHAK.  Not ibid, op. cit., et. alia, but this guy ...

William Shakespeare
1564-1616

2. Cross with: MAD AT.

3. "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" Oscar nominee Day: ANDRA. Andra Day plays Lady Day in this 2021 musical drama (some profanity) ...

4. iRobot products: ROOMBAS.  Not the dance.  The vacuum cleaners ...

A PSA by iRobot*

5. Bygone audio format: MINIDISC. MiniDisc (MD) is an erasable magneto-optical disc-based data storage format offering a capacity of 60, 74, and later, 80 minutes of digitized audio first distributed in November of 1992 and the last was sold in March of 2013.  It is highly likely though that operational versions of MiniDisc players are owned by the National Archives, as they are tasked with maintaining the capability to make available any US government records in any medium to duly authorized persons.

MiniDisc reader and disc

6. Character's beginning, middle, and end: ARC. Initially I thought this might be a meta-clue, as the letters A, R, and C appear in it.  But anyone who writes fiction is familiar with the the evolution of a character in the course of a story, especially the protagonist.  Here is an intro on How to Write a Captivating Character Arc, offered by the tutorial site MasterClass.

7. Faith founded in Persia: BAHAI. ISLAM didn't play very well with the perps and then I remembered that although it is practiced in what is modern day IRAN, Islam was actually founded in SAUDI ARABIA.  The BAHAI faith however was founded in the 19th century in what was then Persia.  The governing body of the Baháʼís is in modern day Haifa, Israel.

Seat of the Universal House of Justice

8. Paperless Post offerings: ECARDS. 

9. Pianist Rachmaninoff: SERGEI.  In addition to being a great pianist, he was a great Russian composer, my favorite actually. Here is a 3:30 min. excerpt from his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini featuring the titular theme.  The work premiered at the Lyric Theatre in Baltimore in 1934, with Rachmaninoff at the piano ...

If you want to hear the rest of the piece, the YouTuber who posted it has a link to the full-length version (23:33) in his comments.

10. Hot sauce from Louisiana: TABASCO.  A CSO to HOTOOLAH! 😀

11. Website with a STARmeter: IMDB.  Internet Movie DataBase.  IMHO this site is in need of a major  upgrade and I'd rate it ⭐⭐.  I find that the Wikipedia is a much more useful tool for researching entertainment sites.

12. Vote by __: MAIL.

13. Otherwise: ELSE.

19. Circular shelter: YURT.  A teepee on the Mongolian steppes ...

Yurts

21. Beer alternative: CIDER.  Cider is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. It is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, as well as the largest cider-producing companies. Ciders from the South West of England are generally higher in alcoholic content.   We've had it in France, where it is a local cottage industry. In the US it's generally referred to as hard cider, to distinguish it from the unfermented fruit juice. It is brewed to varying degrees of dryness.

24. Designer Wang: VERA.

27. Short-cut pasta: ORZO.

28. Beer alternative: MEAD.  The main ingredient of this beer is made by bees.  Mead is the first known alcoholic beverage consumed by mankind and is believed to predate wine by nearly three thousand years.  Everything you need to know about it.  Hand up if you've ever imbibed it? ✋

Mead

29. Soaks (up): SOPS.

30. Penalizing sorts, for short: REFS.  Da bums!

31. Trade unions for onions?: EDIT.  Just replace the U with an O!  Luv them meta clues. 😀

32. Vibe: AURA.

33. Brief "Not sure yet": TBD.

37. Comedian Lydic: DESI. Desi Lydic is an American comedian and actress who is a senior correspondent on The Daily Show. She got her start in the 2001 parody film Not Another Teen Movie. She's a little edgy, so it took me a while to come up with this clip, which includes her treading water in Iceland while she explores gender equality with some of the natives; plus more interviews on the same subject with Namibians and Spaniards.  All you guys out there might want to skip this ...

38. Chatting on Slack, for short: IMING. Internet Messaging.

39. Voyagers of 1620: PILGRIMS.

42. Victim in Clue: MR BODDY.  Mr. Mustard didn't cut it, but one of these perps did ...

44. Sister of Regan and Cordelia: GONERIL.  A 1D reference to the play King Lear and a CSO to our beloved Ol' Man Keith -- here's his Wiki.

46. "Iliad" city: TROY.  The city and the legend of the Trojan War.

The Trojan Horse

Spoiler alert -- according to Jeopardy maven Ken Jennings, most of what has been passed down to us about the Trojan Horse is found in Virgil's Aeneid.

47. Arcade currency: TOKENS.

48. Did as instructed: OBEYED.

51. Shift, for one: DRESS.  A shift dress is a dress in which the cloth falls straight from the shoulders and has darts around the bust. It frequently features a high scoop or boat neck (like I have any idea what they are 😀)

Shift Dress
Ann Taylor for $159.

52. Arcade pioneer: ATARI.

53. Phrase beginning a chase scene, maybe: GET EM.  ... and often ending with Book 'em Danno!

54. Slangy "Duh": OBVI.  Obviously!

55. Club light: NEON.

56. Put down: LAID.  "... The best LAID plans of mice and men ..." -- and an ODE to our theme creature by Robert Burns.

58. Journo's intro: LEDE. ALAS, embedded ads in online journalism have killed the inverted pyramid.

60. "The Simpsons" disco guy: STU. As Stu is pointing out, some of this commentary is by ChatGPT Pro.

Disco Stu

Cheers,
Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

*Copyright Isaac Asimov.  Some of the other videos I watched definitely violate at least two of Asimov's Laws of Robotics.  These devices can actually be modified to torment cats and shoot bullets!

Sunday April 7, 2024 John Michael Currie

 

Theme: "Amendment Needed" - The circled letters orderly spell out "THE FIFTH". And each circled letter is the 5th letter in the theme entry. 

25. *Accidentally scorch the appetizers?: CHART A COURSE.

31. *"You can't wrestle a chimney sweep and come out clean," e.g.?: SOOTH SAYING.

44. *Mission of the Blue Origin rockets carrying William Shatner and Michael Strahan?: STARES INTO SPACE.

56. *Finish a crossword with a spelling error?: GO OFF THE GRID.

82. *Say no to a date?: PASSION FRUIT.

92. *Run-ins with soft cheese?: BRIEF ENCOUNTERS.

108. *Exhale in a game of hide-and-seek?: SIGHT UNSEEN.

115. *Florists who specialize in purple bouquets?: IRISH SETTERS.

Reveal:

130. With this puzzle's circled letters, exercise a certain constitutional right, and how to answer each starred clue: TAKE.

Our blog tag shows this is John's first Sunday puzzle. Congrats, John!

After reading the reveal clue and strung together the message, I still did not get into the 5th letter aspect. Talk about layers. Amazing.

Across:

1. Oldest Simpson kid: BART.

5. Casino convenience: ATM.

8. Model plane wood: BALSA.

13. Motor City pro: PISTON. Detroit Pistons.

19. State with an astronaut on its quarter: OHIO. An early "Happy Birthday" to Jeff of Pepper Pike, Ohio!

20. Aunt, in Acapulco: TIA.

21. Lures: BAITS.

22. "Knock, knock!": I'M HERE.

23. Tactful one: DIPLOMAT. And 93. 23-Across's base: EMBASSY. My former boss James, now a diplomat. Do you like my hair then?

 

James & C.C.

27. Basket maker, e.g.: SCORER.

29. Gibbs of "The Jeffersons": MARLA.

30. Stomped (on): TROD.

36. D.C. VIPs: POLS.

37. Typeface word: SANS.

38. Displace: UPROOT.

39. 3D ring shape: TORUS.

41. Amarillo-to-Austin dir.: SSE.

43. Very small: ITTY.

51. Unknown degree: NTH.

52. Burn soother: ALOE. Was trying to reach a bag of dried white fungi from the cupboard over our stove last week. The hot pot burned my belly button. Ouch. But the soup was good.

54. "Only Time" artist: ENYA.

55. Fervency: ARDOR.

61. "The Hangover" role for Ed Helms: STU.

63. "Eureka!" elicitor: IDEA.

64. Golden Fleece seeker: ARGONAUT.

65. Colleague: PEER.

66. Drawbacks: CONS.

67. Unlikely to be discussed: TABOO.

69. Classic Ford, familiarly: T-BIRD.

71. Takes turns?: SPINS.

73. Credit: CITE.

74. Airbnb alternative: VRBO. Vacation Rentals by Owner. 

77. Twice-monthly shoreline occurrence: NEAP TIDE.

80. Minnesota representative Ilhan: OMAR. 49. "True Grit" filmmakers: COENS. They grew up in
St. Louis Park, MN.

81. Aquaman's domain: SEA.

86. Arctic seal refuges: BERGS. Hello cutie.

88. __'acte: ENTR.

90. Lamb mamas: EWES.

91. Package opening?: PRE. Prepackage.

97. Watery defense: MOAT.

98. "Srsly!?": OMG.

99. Corp. hierarchy modification: RE-ORG.

100. Like: AKIN TO.

102. Fitbit unit: STEP.

106. Darlin': BABE.

111. Posh: LUXE.

112. Not just once: AGAIN.

114. Pan-fries: SAUTES.

119. Took control of, as a competition: BLEW OPEN.

123. Olympic projectile: DISCUS.

124. Sarnia's lake: HURON.

125. Simu of "Barbie": LIU. He was born in Harbin, China.

126. Hostile: UGLY.

127. Tangible thing: ENTITY.

128. Sewing kit item: SPOOL.

129. Mo. before May: APR.

Down:

1. Figure, casually: BOD.

2. Pacific tuna: AHI. Want some?

3. Paper problem: RIP.

4. "War and Peace" novelist: TOLSTOY.

5. Tops: AT MOST.

6. Pageant crown: TIARA.

7. Chum on a boat?: MATEY.

8. Telly channel: BBC.

9. Apt rhyme for spa: AAH.

10. Youngest Hemsworth brother: LIAM. Liam, Chris and Luke.

11. Gets ready for a ride: STRAPS IN.

12. Space City pro: ASTRO. Tony's team.

13. Cubism pioneer: PICASSO.

14. Texter's qualifier: IMO.

15. Closes: SHUTS.

16. Earth, in some sci-fi: TERRA.

17. Director Welles: ORSON.

18. Cries out for: NEEDS.

24. Calle __: street in Miami's Little Havana: OCHO. Learning moment for me.

26. "You're in good hands" sloganeer: ALLSTATE.

28. EGOT winner Moreno: RITA.

31. Taking to court: SUING.

32. Decide one will: OPT TO.

33. Gardening brand: ORTHO.

34. Neither companion: NOR.

35. Ph.D. seeker's test: GRE.

40. Cheaper, perhaps: USED.

42. Hockey great Tikkanen: ESA. Finnish hockey player.

 

44. West End district: SOHO.

45. Many a YA hero: TEEN.

46. Where Ferrari is RACE: NYSE. Very cool.

47. Like business vis-à-vis coach: PRICIER.

48. Extra option: ADD ON.

50. Historical chapters: ERAS.

52. Prefix with futurism: AFRO.

53. Newsom and Hochul, once: Abbr.: LT GOVS. Kathy Hochul, the New York governor.

57. Jeweler to the Romanovs: FABERGE. 96. Many pieces by 57-Down: EGGS.

58. Spanish cat: GATO.

59. Spice mixture: RUB.

60. Turner memoir: I TINA.

62. Bearlike: URSINE.

65. Smartphone precursors, for short: PDAS.

67. Proctor's tool: TIMER.

68. Nintendo rival: ATARI.

70. Hi-__ audio: RES.

72. Many e-forms: PDFS.

73. __ salad: COBB. Do you guys like microgreens?

75. Come back to the table: RE-ENGAGE.

76. Judge's seat: BANC.

78. Fishing spot: PIER.

79. Helps to water-ski: TOWS.

82. Leith of "The Great British Baking Show": PRUE.

83. Barely leading: UP ONE.

84. Seeing red: IRATE.

85. "Grand" peak: TETON.

87. Airport near San Jose, Calif.: SFO.

89. Did exceedingly well: TORE IT UP. Great fill.

94. Many stats: NOS.

95. TNT start: TRI.

97. Skip an epic party, say: MISS OUT.

100. Filmmaker with a distinctive style: AUTEUR.

101. Was sure: KNEW.

102. Playground feature: SLIDE.

103. Italy's first capital: TURIN.

104. Be: EXIST.

105. Joe of "Bupkis": PESCI.

107. Jacuzzis, e.g.: BATHS.

109. "Se __ español": HABLA.

110. Spring bloom: TULIP. So pretty.

113. Fictional sleuth Wolfe: NERO.

116. Modest digs: HUT.

117. Down Under hopper: ROO.

118. NBC skit show, for short: SNL.

120. Tour gp.: PGA.

121. Large deer: ELK.

122. Bill for education?: NYE. Bill Nye.

Some of you might still remember the friendly challenge Splynter and I had back in January. He'd like to lose 10lbs by Easter and I wanted to swim fly for a lap sans fins.

I was able to swim only a length last month and I have not even tried once since then.

Splynter has lost 6lbs so far, He actually lost 8, but gained 2 more back. The most important thing is that he joined CrossFit and he now goes there regularly. So proud of your achievement, Splynter!

Splynter

Monday, November 6, 2023 ~ John Michael Currie

What a Card.

Happy Monday folks! Today John gives us a cute reveal with the double-meaning of POST -- "mail" and "after." See, both parts of each themer can follow (be after) CARD.
I'll be honest, it took me a minute to figure out the theme - i.e. themer words POST (after) CARD...

12. Place in a house where one might find a cue or Clue: GAME ROOM. A Card Game may be played in the Card Room.

20. Many a corporate decision-maker: BOARD MEMBER. Cardboard. Card Member (Got Amex?).

34. Investor who has shares in a company: STOCK HOLDER. Cardstock. Card Holder (for business cards or a Mastercard user? We should be told.).

51. Seating chart designation: TABLE NUMBER. Card Table (aka the kid's table at Thanksgiving). Card Number (from one's Visa?).

60. Mail that doesn't need an envelope, and where both words of 12-, 20-, 34-, and 51-Across can be found?: POST CARD.

Fun, huh? Alright, let's take a look at the rest of the fill.

Across:
1. Opera highlight: ARIA.

5. Spanish Mrs.: SRA.

8. Yin and __: YANG.

Taoist Balance

12. [See: Theme].

14. Sherlock's sister, per two Netflix films: ENOLA.

Sherlock & Enola

16. Caffè Americano base: ESPRESSO.

Weird Al tells us there's no X in Espresso

17. Hale and hearty: STRONG.

19. Mil. category: NCO. Non Commissioned Officer. i.e. Sgts.

20. [See: Theme].

22. "Finding Nemo" kid who scares the fish: DARLA.

Dentist Scene

24. "My thought is ... ": I ASSUME.

25. Choir voice below soprano: ALTO.

26. Knightley's "Pirates of the Caribbean" role: SWANN. Keira Knightley played Elizabeth Swann.

Keira Knightley

29. "On my way!" text, maybe: LIE. It's a lie 'cuz you haven't left yet, have you?

30. Black-and-white cookies: OREOS.

32. Keyboard sound: CLACK.

34. [See: Theme].

37. Finish, as cupcakes: FROST. Didn't he write The Cupcake Not Taken?

39. Precise: EXACT.

40. NFL official: REF.

41. Fill in, as a lawn bare spot: RESOD.

43. Caustic remark: BARB.

47. Heartburn remedy: ANTACID.

50. Thigh bone: FEMUR.

51. [See: Theme].

55. Lagunitas Brewing Co. specialty: IPA.

Beer Advocate rates it a 93

56. "You're killing me, __!": line from "The Sandlot": SMALLS.

S'Mores?

57. Pet dander, for one: ALLERGEN.

59. Top-notch: ELITE.

60. [See: Theme].

61. Reduced by: LESS.

62. Sault __ Marie: STE.

63. Regarding: AS TO.

Down:
1. Guide that can become the outline for a meeting's minutes: AGENDA.

This Tracks

2. Imp: RASCAL. HG quizzed us Saturday.

My guess: Buckwheat, ?, DARLA, Spanky, Alfalfa, ?

3. Commodity from abroad: IMPORT.

4. __ Lingus: Irish carrier: AER.

5. Fair to middling: SO-SO.

6. Civil rights icon Parks whose actions inspired a bus boycott: ROSA.

7. Another name for the Roman god Cupid: AMOR.

8. Overly agreeable guy: YES-MAN.

9. Starts a poker pot: ANTES.

10. Social standards: NORMS.

11. Spherical: GLOBULAR.

13. Singer McEntire: REBA.

15. Lacking vigor: ANEMIC.

18. One from Athens: GREEK.

21. Ruckus: DIN.

23. Plunders: LOOTS.

26. Brief moment: SEC.

27. Round-bottomed cookware: WOK.

Mmm... Fried Rice

28. Fireplace leftovers: ASHES.

31. Wither away: ROT.

32. Public health agcy.: CDC. Center for Disease Control

33. Leave alone: LET BE.

The Fab Four

34. Jocelyn Alo's sport: SOFTBALL.

35. Good Grips gadget brand: OXO. I have a few of their kitchen tools -- Good Grips indeed.

36. Little guy: LAD.

37. Counterparts of sororities, for short: FRATS. Fraternities.

38. Menu option in a file manager: RENAME. In Windows, you can also just CLACK F2 and change the name in place.

41. Runs water over: RINSES.

42. School URL part: EDU. .edu is the top-level domain (TLD) for universities and colleges. The original TLDs were .edu, .com (commercial), .mil (military), .org (organization), .net (network related), .gov (government), & .int (international). I've had all but .int.

44. Compañeras: AMIGAS.

45. Stewie's teddy bear on "Family Guy": RUPERT. Family Guy is a cartoon for (im)mature audiences.

46. Marlon of "On the Waterfront": BRANDO.

He Coulda Been a Contender

48. "Kate & __": 1980s sitcom: ALLIE. The WikiP

Susan Saint James & Jane Curtin

49. Britons and Gaels: CELTS.

50. Agonize (over): FRET.

52. GPS app on iPhones: MAPS.

53. Printer smudge: BLOT.

54. "If all __ fails ... ": ELSE.

58. Early TV brand: RCA. Hi Misty!

The Grid:

The Grid

The skinny:
WOs: CLiCK -> CLACK ("Hello, you're on Car Talk.")
ESPs: DARLA, LIE, SWANN, RUPERT
Fav: A good buddy of mine (ex-Navy) would say "You're killin' me SMALLS" anytime someone around him didn't "get it."

Cheers, -T

Monday June 26, 2023 John Michael Currie

  

Hello Cornerites!

Theme:          Get in shape!  

sumdaze here. Today is shaping up to be another good day thanks to constructor John Michael Currie and his delightful puzzle!

There are four starred clues:

6 Down. *West Wing workplace: OVAL OFFICE.  The OVAL OFFICE is located in the West Wing of the White House.  

14 Down. *Multilevel investment swindle: PYRAMID SCHEME.  Investopedia explanation

24. *Pet's post-surgery device, facetiously: CONE OF SHAME.  

28. *Two, to four, e.g.: SQUARE ROOT.  The SQUARE ROOT of a number x is a number that, when multiplied by itself, equals the number x. So, in this clue, 2 is a SQUARE ROOT of 4 because 2 x 2=4. Likewise, 3 is a SQUARE ROOT of 9 because 3 x 3=9.  

The unifier sketches it out for us:

10 Down. Exceptional physical health, and a feature of the answer to each of this puzzle's starred clues: TIP TOP SHAPE.  

Each of these answers is written vertically, making the SHAPE (OVAL, PYRAMID, CONE, SQUARE) appear at the TIP TOP of the answer. I also noticed that two of the shapes are 2-dimensional (oval & square) and the other two shapes are 3-dimensional (pyramid & cone). No outliers. Well done, JMC!

Let's see what else we can round up.

Across:
1. 1997 crime drama "Donnie __": BRASCO.  "Osmond" also fit.

This mob-themed movie starred Al Pacino and Johnny Depp. Here is the trailer:

7. Demo stuff: TNT.  "Demo" is short for "demolition" and TNT is short for TriNitroToluene.  

Poor Wile E.! His ideas always 'backfire' on him!

10. Egyptian boy king: TUT.  I heard he was involved in a PYRAMID SCHEME.

13. Boxing film co-starring Sage Stallone: ROCKY V.  "Stallone" told me it would be one of the Rocky films. I was not surprised to learn that Sage is Sylvester's son.

14. Experts: PROS.

15. German pronoun: ICH.  

16. Light-sensitive eye layer: RETINA.

17. Mixed breed lapdog: YORKIPOO.  They are a cross between a Yorkshire Terrier and a Toy Poodle. They typically weigh 5-15 pounds.

19. Role in a Thanksgiving pageant: PILGRIM.  

21. The Rockies, e.g.: Abbr.: MTNS.  MounTaiNS

22. Some soft drinks: COCA-COLAS.

25. Hearty steak: T-BONE.

26. Parka part: HOOD. 

Artic gear, such as the fur-lined PARKA (to the left), is being tested by personnel
at the Natick Army Labs, Boston, MA, 1940's.
The Complete History of the Parka

27. Sibs, 'rents, etc.: FAM. Siblings and parents are FAMily.

28. Dish eaten with a spoon: SOUP.  Didn't the dish run away with a spoon?

29. Large coffee dispensers: URNS.

30. Thur. follower: FRI.  days of the week 

This cat looks like it might eat a Yorkipoo for brekky.

31. Knightly missions: QUESTS.  They say the knight who was only allowed to be on the edge of the round table was Sir Cumference.

34. "Feel Good" creator/star Martin: MAE.  ESP for this Netflix-less blogger.  more info.

35. Went extinct: DIED OUT.  

37. Beret, e.g.: HAT.

38. Irrationally afraid: PHOBIC.  

In this clip from A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965),

Lucy tries to help Charlie Brown identify his fears. (1 min.)

40. Doo-wop syllable: SHA.  In 1957, The Silhouettes released the song Get a Job. It began:

Yip-yip-yip-yip-yip-yip, bmm

Sha-na-na-na, sha-na-na-na-na-, ahh-do  (repeat 3 more times)

Twelve years later, a group of Columbia University students who shared a passion for 1950's Doo-wop formed a group and called themselves Sha Na Na.

41. Frilly fabric: LACE.

42. __ and fortune: FAME.

43. Automobile: CAR.

44. Knowledgeable about: UP ON.

45. Track legend Owens: JESSE.  

From @Olympics:  At the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, JESSE Owens won gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m, and Long Jump -- all in front of the watching Adolf Hitler.

As an African-American athlete, Owens set three world records, shattering Hitler's theories of Aryan superiority.

47. Most cunning: SHREWDEST.

49. Tylenol target: ACHE.

50. Picked up with a toothpick: SPEARED.  

51. Honey-glazed entree: ROAST HAM.

53. "Booksmart" director Wilde: OLIVIA.  Booksmart is a 2019 teen comedy movie. Looking at the cast list just now, I noticed that an actress named Beanie played a character named Molly and an actress named Molly played a character named Annabelle.

57. Shade tree: ELM.

58. "9-1-1: Lone Star" star Rob: LOWE.  This TV show originally aired on FOX in January 2020. Last month they announced that the show has been renewed for a 5th season.

59. Sea creatures with multiple arms: OCTOPI.  This link goes to the Giant Pacific Octopus cam at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. (Note:  depending on the hour you visit the site, you might need to scroll down a bit and click the play arrow.)

60. Lousy grade: DEE.

61. Chili __ carne: CON.  translates to "with" in English

62. Political nomination, informally: THE NOD.

Down:
1. [Shiver]: BRR.  

Get it? He's a stick figure. Haha!

2. Caviar: ROE.

3. Step into character: ACT.

4. Click past promos: SKIP ADS.  This might be a debut answer. I did not find it on the one sight where I know to look. Perhaps someone can double-check that and let us know.

5. Skeptical sort: CYNIC.  

Oh, wait, I think I accidentally Googled "scenic photos".

7. Un et deux: TROIS.  French  

8. Name shouted on "Cheers": NORM.  Three weeks ago I included a "NORM" clip from the 1982-1993 TV show Cheers. Let me see if I can find a different one....  

9. Sound of disapproval: TSK.

11. The Huskies of the NCAA's Big East: UCONN.

12. This and that: THOSE.

18. Fill (with): IMBUE.  From M-W dictionary:  Like its synonym infuse, imbue implies the introduction of one thing into another so as to affect it throughout. Someone's voice can be imbued with pride, for example, or a photograph might be imbued with a sense of melancholy. 

20. Cause of squinting: GLARE.  No worries! Put on a pair of cool sunnies! 😎

22. __ change: CHUMP.  a small or insignificant amount of money

23. Marine Corps battle cry: OORAH.  CSO to Wilbur Charles and DH!

25. Promote aggressively: TOUT.

32. Food truck snacks: TACOS.  

While on my bike ride yesterday, I stopped at The Choke Coach to eat artichoke TACOS.

33. Surgical tube: STENT.

35. Thin coin: DIME.  See 22D.

36. Catherine of "Best in Show": O'HARA.  This movie is my fav of Christopher Guest's mocumentaries. Catherine O'HARA & Eugene Levy play a married couple, Cookie & Gerry Fleck. Here is the 2000 trailer (2 min.)  You will likely recognize many of the cast members.

39. Fenway Park corners: BASES.  Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, MA. The Red Sox have been playing there since it opened in 1912. It is the oldest park currently in use by a MLB team. BTW, Fenway Park is 21.4 miles away from Natick, MA.

41. Technology shunner: LUDDITE.  NPR's Planet Money did an interesting podcast on LUDDITEs. If you are curious, and have some time later today, try this link. It will take you to that episode where you can click the "20-minute listen" icon.

45. "Guns, Germs, and Steel" writer Diamond: JARED.  Goodreads link

46. French school: ÉCOLE.  I am currently reading The Sympathizer (I think some of you recommended it recently because the author's name was in a puzzle). The word lycée appears often in that book so I patted myself on the back for knowing that one. Bzzzt! Eventually perps recued me. After researching this today, I learned that ÉCOLE is used for all the school years and lycée is more like "high school".

47. Breed, as salmon: SPAWN.  "Breed" is a verb here.

48. Big name in grape products: WELCH.  

Well, the font used for the name does look bigger....

50. "Get lost!": SHOO.

52. Extra-special attn.: TLC.  "Attention" is abbreviated, so is Tender Loving Care.

54. The __ Trapps: "The Sound of Music" family: VON.

55. Wall St. investment opportunity: IPO.  "Street" is abbreviated, so is Initial Public Offering.

56. Help: AID.  In case you were wondering, many GoFundMe donations are not tax deductible. Only charitable donations given to a 501(c)(3) organization are tax deductible. Likewise, political campaign contributions are not tax deductible.

Here's the grid:

That's all for today. Catch you again next week. Be there or be SQUARE!