Party People
Today's constructor Keico Deuser is making her debut on the Corner with a
simple, but clever play on two different meanings for the word
PARTY. Each of the theme clues are a type of party -- a celebration
or gathering of people. However the fill for each is a real or fictitious
person that might be present at the gathering ...
17. Christmas party: SANTA CLAUS. The party attending this party
has the modern nickname for
St. Nicholas of Myrna (March 15, 270 – December 6, 343 AD), the patron saint of children and a storied
gift giver, whose feast day is celebrated in Western churches on December
6th. Legend has it that he rescued three girls from being forced into
prostitution by dropping a sack of gold coins through the window of their house
each night for three nights so their father could pay a dowry for each of
them.
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| Santa Claus |
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Rip Van Winkle Hunter Mountain Ski Lodge Catskill Mountains |
44. Halloween party: MICHAEL MYERS. The party attending this party is a character from the slasher film series Halloween. He first appears in 1978 in John Carpenter's Halloween as a young boy who murders his elder sister, Judith Myers. Fifteen years later, he returns home to Haddonfield, Illinois, to murder more teenagers. He has been featured in twelve films, as well as novels, video games, and comic books. You wouldn't want to go trick or treating to his house💀.
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Tom Collins cocktail |
Here's the grid ...
Across:
1. Cop to: ADMIT. To confess guilt, perhaps to reduce a sentence -- "to cop a plea". See 50A.
6. Of this clue, approve he would: YODA. Yodaese.
10. Flows back: EBBS.
14. Previous: PRIOR. Prior (or prioress) is also an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first".
15. Brief analysis?: EVAL. Abbr. spelling of EVALUATION.
16. Blind strip: SLAT.
17. [Theme clue].
19. Unit of lipstick: TUBE.
20. Fuel made from corn: ETHANOL. Biofuels explained. In addition to fueling vehicles it is also used to fuel some parties -- see e.g. 60A. Here's the chemical formula for Ethanol ...
21. Beverage with tapioca pearls: BOBA TEA. AKA Boba tea (aka bubble tea, pearl milk tea, bubble milk tea, tapioca milk tea) is a tea-based drink that originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s and spread rapidly throughout Asia. Taiwanese immigrants brought it to the United States in the 1990s, initially in California, through regions including Los Angeles County.
23. Winter coat?: SNOW.
25. Many an island in the South Pacific: ATOLL.
26. [Theme clue].
32. Starting squad: A TEAM.
33. "Good Omens" co-writer Gaiman: NEIL. Good Omens is a fantasy comedy television series created by Neil Gaiman based on his and Terry Pratchett's 1990 novel. Michael Sheen and David Tennant lead a large ensemble cast that also includes Jon Hamm, Miranda Richardson, Michael McKean, Derek Jacobi, Brian Cox, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Frances McDormand as the voice of God, who narrates the series. Here's a trailer ...
37. Pasta filling, sometimes: MEAT.
38. Popped with a low blow: KNEED. Ouch!
40. Source of a low blow?: TUBA. This tune is usually played on a 4 letter instrument favored by crossword constructors, but here it is lowered by two octaves ...
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| Justin Trudeau |
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| Christopher Luxon |
42. Degs. for filmmakers: MFAS. Masters of Fine Arts. This article doesn't say whether they got MFAS, but here are 8 film makers who went to film school.
43. Call for pizza, say: ORDER.
44. [Theme clue].
47. Professionals who might bug people: SPIES.
50. Impassioned request: PLEA.
51. Seemingly unbeatable foe: NEMESIS. While we tend to think of a nemesis as the bad guy (e.g. Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes), in ancient Greek religion and myth, Nemesis was the goddess who personified divine justice and retribution for the sin of hubris; arrogance before the gods.
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Justice (Dike, on the left) and Divine Vengeance (Nemesis, right) pursuing a criminal murderer Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, 1808 |
59. Maroon 5 lead singer Levine: ADAM. Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Adam Levine, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine, drummer Matt Flynn, keyboardist PJ Morton and multi-instrumentalist and bassist Sam Farrar. Here's a little Sugar from their fifth album V ...
60. [Theme clue].
62. Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, say: GAGA. People are going gaga over the game of gaga these days. Here's one of my grandsons on the left getting ready to score the winning point in the gaga pit at Catholic Family Land in Ohio ...
63. Glutinous glob: CLOT.
64. D sharp equivalent: EFLAT. Here's the E FLAT key signature.
66. Border lines?: HEMS.
67. Black Sea resort: YALTA.
Down:
1. Choir section: APSE. Do Keico/Patti want us to think of ALTO? The term APSE
generally refers to a semi-circular section of a church, such as the
sanctuary in the front of the church, or smaller niches along the sides,
typically containing statues of saints. Below is a floor plan for a
cathedral, showing the sanctuary in grey. If the sanctuary is large
enough, there may be space for a choir, but the space most commonly
associated with choirs is the choir loft in the rear or one side of the church, where the organ is usually placed.
2. "Dang it!": DRAT.
3. Ho Chi __ City: MINH. Formerly known as SAIGON, the capital of then South Viet Nam, it is the most populous city in today's Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
4. Crumb: IOTA.
5. Classic Pontiac: TRANS AM. Here's a 1978 Trans Am for sale for only $89,999 ...
6. Like many a school bus: YELLOW. Some of them are magic ...
8. Mark on a bingo card: DAUB. I ran this by the triceratops and the pigeons and they weren't buying it, so I Googled "bingo" and found this Wiki, which led me to the following YouTube by Ms. Delta Bingo. It turns out that when you're playing a high stakes game like bingo, every second counts ...
9. "On top of which ... ": ALSO.
10. Lot of wealth?: ESTATE. A very big lot. 😀
11. Popeye's rival: BLUTO. What a difference an apostrophe makes. Last week Popeyes' rival was KFC (see also 38D). This week Popeye's rival is Bluto ...
12. Genesis locale: BABEL. The construction of the Tower of Babel is described in Genesis 11:1–9. God interpreted this project as a sin of pride, as the people were attempting to reach heaven without His assistance. To prevent this he confounded their speech, such that they could no longer understand each other, with the result that they scattered to the ends of the Earth. Among other meanings this story explains the origin of languages.
13. Terrific bargain: STEAL.
18. Nutmegger's st.: CONN. Nutmegger is a nickname for people from the US state of Connecticut. The official nickname for Connecticut is "The Constitution State", as voted in 1958 by the Connecticut state legislature; however, "The Nutmeg State" is an unofficial nickname for the state, hence the nickname "Nutmegger". The exact reason for this is shrouded in history, but here are some theories.
22. Word with hard or soft: BALL.
24. Apple often used to make cider: WINESAP. Winesap apples are a cultivar of unknown origin, dating at least to American colonial times. Its apples are sweet with a tangy finish. They are used for eating, cooking, and are especially prized for making cider.
26. X Games launch point: RAMP. This one is a little subtle and I got it on perps. The X Games are a series of action sports events founded by ESPN Inc. and owned by MSP Sports Capital, Inc since 2022. The X Games have been held all over the world and typically include sports such as skateboarding, BMX, freestyle motocross, skiing and snowboarding. Apparently the launch points for several of these sports are called RAMPS.
28. Pair in a pod: PEAS.
29. Factory tub: VAT.
30. Word that indicates a name change: NEE.
31. "Diary of a Wimpy __": KID. Diary of a Wimpy Kid is an American children's book series and media franchise created by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. The series follows Greg Heffley, a middle-schooler who illustrates his daily life in a diary (although he insists that it is a journal). Here are the first four books in the series ...
34. "Seriously, man!?": DUDE.
35. Superlative prefix: UBER. Today's German lesson: ABOVE.
36. Couple in a boat: OARS.
38. Company whose X account only follows some Spice Girls and seven guys named Herb: KFC. Here's story of the viral legend who cracked KFC’s hilarious code.
39. "Don't bother": NAH.
40. Tackle: TRY.
42. Fail to notice: MISS.
43. Walter who moved the Dodgers to Los Angeles: O'MALLEY. Walter Francis O'Malley (October 9, 1903 – August 9, 1979) was an American sports executive who owned the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers team in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1979. In 1958, as owner of the Dodgers, he brought major league baseball to the West Coast, moving the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles despite the Dodgers being the second most profitable team in baseball from 1946 to 1956. In 2008, O'Malley was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame for his contributions to and influence on the game of baseball.
44. Granny, to some: MEEMAW. "Meemaw", like "Mamaw", "Mimah" and various other Southern US expressions for grandmother or mother, ultimately derives from Acadian (Cajun) or Louisiana French, in which the French maman ('mother') is pronounced more or less as "m'maw". This is what Sheldon calls his grandmother on TBBT ...
45. Puts in a seat: ELECTS.
46. Host before Fallon: LENO. James Douglas Muir Leno (born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, writer and comedian. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's The Tonight Show from 1992 until 2009 and, due to some scheduling conflicts at NBC, again from 2010 to 2014. That year, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. Here he is in 1987 being interviewed by the host before him ...
47. Bumps in the road: SNAGS.
48. One of two on a tricycle: PEDAL.
49. Instagram upload: IMAGE.
52. Urge: ITCH.
53. Worn-down part of a shoe: SOLE. Or a flat fish ...
55. __ Romeo: ALFA. CSO to -T. I'll bet
that's how he swept DW off her feet!
56. Streamlet: RILL.
Also a verb: "to flow in a small stream; to trickle".
57. Tiny pest: GNAT.
58. "¿Cómo __?": ESTA. Today's Spanish lesson: "HOW YA DOIN'?"
61. May celebrant: MOM.
Cheers,
Bill
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| APSE |
3. Ho Chi __ City: MINH. Formerly known as SAIGON, the capital of then South Viet Nam, it is the most populous city in today's Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
4. Crumb: IOTA.
5. Classic Pontiac: TRANS AM. Here's a 1978 Trans Am for sale for only $89,999 ...
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| 1978 Pontiac Trans Am |
6. Like many a school bus: YELLOW. Some of them are magic ...
The Magic School Bus
7. Egg cells: OVA. Today's Latin lesson.8. Mark on a bingo card: DAUB. I ran this by the triceratops and the pigeons and they weren't buying it, so I Googled "bingo" and found this Wiki, which led me to the following YouTube by Ms. Delta Bingo. It turns out that when you're playing a high stakes game like bingo, every second counts ...
9. "On top of which ... ": ALSO.
10. Lot of wealth?: ESTATE. A very big lot. 😀
11. Popeye's rival: BLUTO. What a difference an apostrophe makes. Last week Popeyes' rival was KFC (see also 38D). This week Popeye's rival is Bluto ...
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| Mr. Bluto |
12. Genesis locale: BABEL. The construction of the Tower of Babel is described in Genesis 11:1–9. God interpreted this project as a sin of pride, as the people were attempting to reach heaven without His assistance. To prevent this he confounded their speech, such that they could no longer understand each other, with the result that they scattered to the ends of the Earth. Among other meanings this story explains the origin of languages.
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The Tower of Babel Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1563 |
18. Nutmegger's st.: CONN. Nutmegger is a nickname for people from the US state of Connecticut. The official nickname for Connecticut is "The Constitution State", as voted in 1958 by the Connecticut state legislature; however, "The Nutmeg State" is an unofficial nickname for the state, hence the nickname "Nutmegger". The exact reason for this is shrouded in history, but here are some theories.
22. Word with hard or soft: BALL.
24. Apple often used to make cider: WINESAP. Winesap apples are a cultivar of unknown origin, dating at least to American colonial times. Its apples are sweet with a tangy finish. They are used for eating, cooking, and are especially prized for making cider.
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| Winesap Apple |
26. X Games launch point: RAMP. This one is a little subtle and I got it on perps. The X Games are a series of action sports events founded by ESPN Inc. and owned by MSP Sports Capital, Inc since 2022. The X Games have been held all over the world and typically include sports such as skateboarding, BMX, freestyle motocross, skiing and snowboarding. Apparently the launch points for several of these sports are called RAMPS.
27. "Unexpected __ in bagging area": ITEM. You may hear this
phrase if you are using self-service check-out in a grocery store. If
the system detects an increase in the weight in one of the bags in the
bagging area, without a preceding ITEM having been scanned for
payment, a friendly voice will pop-up to remind you. During our recent
visit to Cleveland we were buying some groceries and heard the exact same
voice during check-out., presumably originating from the same point-of-sale
software we use back in Baltimore.
28. Pair in a pod: PEAS.
29. Factory tub: VAT.
30. Word that indicates a name change: NEE.
31. "Diary of a Wimpy __": KID. Diary of a Wimpy Kid is an American children's book series and media franchise created by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. The series follows Greg Heffley, a middle-schooler who illustrates his daily life in a diary (although he insists that it is a journal). Here are the first four books in the series ...
35. Superlative prefix: UBER. Today's German lesson: ABOVE.
36. Couple in a boat: OARS.
38. Company whose X account only follows some Spice Girls and seven guys named Herb: KFC. Here's story of the viral legend who cracked KFC’s hilarious code.
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| @edgette22 on the Kentucky Colonel's back |
39. "Don't bother": NAH.
40. Tackle: TRY.
42. Fail to notice: MISS.
43. Walter who moved the Dodgers to Los Angeles: O'MALLEY. Walter Francis O'Malley (October 9, 1903 – August 9, 1979) was an American sports executive who owned the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers team in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1979. In 1958, as owner of the Dodgers, he brought major league baseball to the West Coast, moving the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles despite the Dodgers being the second most profitable team in baseball from 1946 to 1956. In 2008, O'Malley was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame for his contributions to and influence on the game of baseball.
44. Granny, to some: MEEMAW. "Meemaw", like "Mamaw", "Mimah" and various other Southern US expressions for grandmother or mother, ultimately derives from Acadian (Cajun) or Louisiana French, in which the French maman ('mother') is pronounced more or less as "m'maw". This is what Sheldon calls his grandmother on TBBT ...
45. Puts in a seat: ELECTS.
46. Host before Fallon: LENO. James Douglas Muir Leno (born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, writer and comedian. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's The Tonight Show from 1992 until 2009 and, due to some scheduling conflicts at NBC, again from 2010 to 2014. That year, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. Here he is in 1987 being interviewed by the host before him ...
47. Bumps in the road: SNAGS.
48. One of two on a tricycle: PEDAL.
49. Instagram upload: IMAGE.
52. Urge: ITCH.
53. Worn-down part of a shoe: SOLE. Or a flat fish ...
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| Dover Sole |
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1990 Alfa Romeo Spider $23,990 - 51,440 miles |
57. Tiny pest: GNAT.
58. "¿Cómo __?": ESTA. Today's Spanish lesson: "HOW YA DOIN'?"
61. May celebrant: MOM.
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
