At this point, MM is wondering if he should return early and stop RustyBrain's madness...but it's too late. Mwahaha!
This appears to be Luke Nagel's debut. Congrats! I hope it's not ONE AND DONE. Lets start with the revealer:
57. Like some NBA prospects, or like the answers to the starred clues: ONE AND DONE. This refers to the National Basketball Association's rule that requires players to be one year removed from high school to be eligible for the draft. Usually that means at least a year of college, but sometimes players opt to join foreign or minor leagues. For our purposes here, the phrase means that once you reach the letters "O-N-E," the answer is DONE and the remaining letter is deleted. I think. I tried to spell out the missing letters (T, D, S, S) to no avail. Let me know if you came up with something deeper.
17. *Camper's canopy: MOSQUITO NE. MOSQUITO NET.
24. *Whiskey cocktail: OLD FASHIONE. OLD FASHIONED.
36. *"Hackney Diamonds" rock band: THE ROLLING STONE. THE ROLLING STONES.
47. *Ford explorer?: INDIANA JONE. INDIANA JONES.
All the answers are straight forward, except for missing the final letter. Unfortunately, that mostly leaves us with nonsense words which I don't really like. If the last letters had spelled out a word like "DONE," it would have elevated this puzzle. It's Friday, so fun (tricky) clues abounded. Note my one caution square at the intersection of AMMAN and AIDAN - pick a vowel.
As players say in the NBA, "Show me the mone_."
Across:
1. Goes for a slice?: GOLFS. Or DUFFS - either way, a bad shot. Trickily, the clue suggests going to a pizzeria.
6. Body wrap venue: SPA. Mrs. RightBrain tried out an new Egyptian SPA. I told her to go there again in two weeks before our Halloween party.
9. Honor roll figs.: GPAS. Grade Point Averages. I was an underwater student. All my grades were below C level.
13. WWII subs: U-BOATS. In World War II, German Unterseeboots (literally Under-sea Boats) were submarines that posed a significant threat to Allied ships.
15. Top: CAP. Baseball or bottle? You decide.
16. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" writer/illustrator Carle: ERIC. Classic.children's picture book.
17. [theme]
19. Pestered persistently: RODE. Especially by a mother-in-law on the road.
20. Nectar collectors: BEES.
21. Dict. offering: DEF. The Definition of a Dictionary is a reference book that lists the words of a language (typically in alphabetical order) and gives their meaning. You can look it up.
22. Mideast capital once named Philadelphia: AMMAN. AMMAN, Jordan is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Evidence of human habitation dates back to the Neolithic period of around 10,050 B.C. My, how time flies!
23. CIA predecessor: OSS. Office of Strategic Services.
24. [theme]
27. Party mix ingredient: CHEX. The CHEX Mix recipe first appeared on boxes in 1954 with the intent of selling more cereal. It's timing was fortuitous because as television usage grew, so did snacking in front of the small screen. It required a new snack that “could be eaten with your hands, offered a variety of flavors and textures, and was easy to put together.” Corn Chex, introduced in 1958, was later added to the mix.
28. Elmo, for one: SAINT. A Muppet, for another.
29. Some parents: MAMAS.
32. Blame (on): PIN. Blame the Tail on the Donkey!
36. [theme]
40. Brine abundance: SALT. Actually, it's mostly water.
41. Take in: EAT.
42. Group that hosts an annual Mind Games board game competition: MENSA. I have the home edition:
43. "You've got to be kidding": OH MAN.
45. Quit working: DIED. "Mac DIED this morning." "WHAT!?" "I mean he quit working to go to a doctor's appointment."
47. [theme]
50. Small shot: BBS. Big shot: BMOC.
53. Sweaters?: PORES. Where sweat pours out from.
54. Cy Young stat: ERA. Earned Run Average. A year after his death in 1955, the Cy Young Award was created to honor the best pitcher in Major League Baseball.
55. Spoken: ORAL.
56. Norwegian royal name: OLAV. Famous for his smooth skin, his heirs later marketed his beauty secret: Oil of Olav.
57. [theme]
60. Stopping point?: DIME. Nowadays, I only stop for paper money.
61. Chop (off): LOP.
62. Brought out: EVOKED.
63. Swell places?: SEAS. Fun clue.
64. Pro-__: some tourneys: AMS. Where Professionals and Amateurs.team up and compete together.
65. Get into gear?: DRESS. Another fun clue.
Down:
1. Okra dish: GUMBO.
2. Orchestral group: OBOES.
3. Comes up short: LOSES.
4. Online help pgs.: FAQS. A web page that answers Frequently Asked Questions, such as, "What does FAQ stand for?"
5. Fox Sports soccer analyst Holden: STU. Like many former players, he now sits in the booth as a color commentator providing expert analysis and insights.
6. Jeer: SCOFF.
7. Wok, e.g.: PAN.
8. Tailless simian: APE. AKA a Sans Simian.
9. Sprouted: GERMINATED. That gives me an idea...
10. Bump up: PROMOTION. I thought this clue should be "A bump up."
11. Gillen of "Mayor of Kingstown": AIDAN. I know him better as Lord Baelish, the conniving "Littlefinger" on Game of Thrones.
12. Cry from a high chair?: SCENE. "OUT!" Because it's higher that a director's chair! But the clue misdirect was for baby talk.
14. Crab-walk: SIDLE.
18. Local lecture series: TEDX. Part of the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference series.
22. Steak choice: AHI. For those days when you don't feel like wagyu.
24. Quite: OH SO. Sounds OH SO British.
25. Clarifying phrase: AS IN. I like word games, AS IN crosswords.
26. Crooned: SANG.
27. Many "Gone in 60 Seconds" characters: CAR THIEVES. Some would argue that the cars were the stars, like "Eleanor" here, which recently sold for $852,000.
29. Chain pts.: MTS. Chain Points? Parts? It's MOUNTAINS, but I initially thought of island chains.
30. __ moment: AHA. Much better than an OHO moment.
31. Soap ingredient: MELODRAMA. Cute clue. It means that borax is out.
32. Avocado discard: PIT.
34. Hosp. workers: RNS. Registered Nurses work in Hospitals, but some are better than others.
35. "About __ big": YEA.
37. Unlike Wagyu: LEAN. Wagyu is special due to its intense marbling, which gives it a unique tenderness, buttery texture, and rich flavor. Basically, that means expensive.
38. "Henry, Come On" singer Del Rey: LANA. This clue is ultra-current as her country hit was only released in April.
39. Hook hand?: SMEE. Ha ha! It's his right hand man. It's not you, it's SMEE!
44. More, in Spanish: MAS.
45. 21st century explorer: DORA. She knew the answer to the last clue.
46. Foolish: INANE. Hey! Why are you looking at me?
47. Bygone Apple gadgets: IPODS. I've never heard of these! (I'm so young, you see...)
48. "Honest!": NO LIE. I swear! I don't know what IPODS are.
49. Gladiators, e.g.: JEEPS. He doesn't look so tough.
50. In need of change?: BROKE. Another good clue.
51. Curses: BANES.
52. Uses a coaster, perhaps: SLEDS. Uses a coaster, perhaps: PLEASES MY MOM. I wasn't born in a barn, you know, although she sometimes disputed this.
55. Scent: ODOR.
57. São Paulo greeting: OLA. Brazilian greeting in Portuguese.
58. Oscar nod, briefly: NOM. Nomination. Oscar nods to Cookie Monster for sharing with him.
59. __ player: DVD. Another device that was waaaay before my time.
OK, I'm DONE.
