Puzzling thoughts:
First off, kudos to Nathan Hale - both our Nation's patriot and today's puzzle constructor - for their contributions. But since a Google search and a Crossword Corner search show nothing for "Nathan Hale Crossword Constructor", I must conclude that our Nation's patriot rose from the dead to generate this giggly grid. Or if indeed there IS a Crossword Constructor with the same name as one of our Nation's patriots, then perhaps this is his/their first published puzzle. If so, more kudos. A debut puzzle at LAT is one to be proud of!
Let's dig into this treat and see what kind of exchange Hale made ...
20-across. *Era known for Pegasus and other winged stallions?: WHEN HORSES FLY. Of course, the more common phrase is: "When PIGS fly" ...
33-across. *Tenderize steaks?: BEAT A DEAD COW. The more common phrase is "Beat a dead HORSE" - as this visual depicts
41-across. *Pet restriction set by the condo board?: DON'T HAVE A PIG. My favorite of the three punny clues. "Don't have a COW" is the more common phrase ... Gary Larson (the comic strip author, not the crossword constructor) says it best:
And the unifier: 56-across. Wall Street site, and what happened in order to form the answers to the starred clues?: STOCK EXCHANGE. Brilliant. Here is a STOCK "Exchange" that most investors would not welcome ...
Here is the grid:
Across:
1. Gives away: CEDES. An interesting read on the CESSION of Alaska by Russia
6. __ receipt: GIFT. A "must" nowadays for items purchased as GIFTs on Amazon, et al
10. Pros unlikely to use vacation time in April: CPAS. No rest for the weary ...
14. Cantina breakfast element: HUEVO. If we are truly giving a CSO to our Latin American cornerites, perhaps a video for them is in order?? Gawd I hope this means just what it says (Queremos Vacaciones = "We want vacations") ... sung by the famous trio "Tres HUEVOs" ... I know someone will find another version of "Tres HUEVOs" ...
15. Smell: ODOR. If we take this clue as a verb, could you then say: "I ODORed a rat?!"
16. Plus: ALSO.
17. Four pairs: OCTET. Couldn't it ALSO be two trios and one pair?
18. Machu Picchu's land: PERU. Home of the INCANs, too. Fun Fact #1: Did you know that Machu Picchu was where the INCANdescent light bulb was created?
19. Frog sound?: RASP. CROAK wouldn't fit; RASP as in a RASPy voice. Got a frog in your throat?
23. Goof: ERR.
24. Ambient musician Brian: ENO.
25. Like many hunter-gatherer societies: TRIBAL. [Vocabulary dot com] "TRIBAL SOCIETY: hunting and gathering society, hunting and gathering tribe group that supports itself by hunting and fishing and by gathering wild fruits and vegetables; usually nomadic
28. Want: DESIRE. Different than a NEED. Just ask my partner Margaret ... we had many "DESIRES" for our new house but focused on the NEEDS
30. __ Valley: Reagan Library site: SIMI. A little bit of info on the city of SIMI
32. Pub fare: ALE. I fancy a game of darts, myself
36. Either of the "Grey Gardens" women: EDIE. WAG. Short for EDITH
39. Actor Barinholtz: IKE. I guess "Presidential nickname" was too easy for a Friday
40. Greenlit: OK'ED. The term "Greenlight" has both a positive and negative connotation. It originated from the railroad industry as the "green light signal" meant it was OK to continue forward on the tracks. In slang, it means the OK to commit a crime or a "hit" [Dictionary dot com] [Wiktionary dot com]
46. State Dept. URL ender: GOV. Not to be confused with a State Dept. nickname: GUV
47. Famous __ cookies: AMOS. But if you didn't know the answer, how could you say he was "famous"??
48. Lackluster: ANEMIC. As in lacking luster
52. Contacts online: E-MAILS. Oh, the verb form. Not your contact "list"
54. Notable period: ERA. During the "dead ball ERA" in baseball, most pitchers had a very low ERA
55. Pleased sigh: AAH. What I didn't just sigh as I realized I still have nine more "across" clues, and all of the "down" clues left on which to comment ...
60. Rental car choice: AVIS. How about an SUV or SEDAN? Nope, neither fit here
62. "Rubyfruit Jungle" writer __ Mae Brown: RITA. If I were ever to have one of my crossword puzzles accepted by the LA Times, I know that I will have to bone up on my books, movies, plays, songs, et al, to make sure I have some robust clues! ;^)
63. Radical: ULTRA. ULTRA doesn't sound nearly as cool as "RADICAL"
64. "Whip It" rock band: DEVO. About time for another visual, Moe ...
65. Elemental unit: ATOM.
66. Sea-bound group: FLEET. Of course, Moe thought of a different definition for FLEET ... maybe it's my upcoming colonoscopy in early 2023 ... Fun Fact #2: Who created the FLEET Enema? Charles Brown Fleet, a young pharmacist who moved to Lynchburg, VA in 1869, invented and began selling his Fleet's Chap-Stick lip balm. In 1893, Fleet developed the formula for phospho-soda, the basic ingredient for the Fleet Enema" [Lynchburgvirginia dot gov]
67. Yoked team: OXEN. If you watch my video for 14-across, that would be Yolked team
68. Strong urges: YENS. Also, a weak currency
69. Directory items: FILES.
Down:
1. __ down: ate with relish: CHOWED. HOT DOG is what I eat with relish ...
2. Game that introduced the joker into modern playing cards: EUCHRE. Here is a link
3. Dissuades: DETERS.
4. Square: EVEN. JAKE fits, too
5. "Take that!": SO THERE. Lots of these type clues use the term "playground retort", but these sound so much more "adult" ... ;^)
6. Brand of helmet cams: GO PRO. Visual time:
7. __ of March: IDES. 15TH fits, too
8. Warning from a driver?: FORE.
9. "Would I lie to you?": TRUST ME. As an aside, I spent the better part of 45 years in Sales and Marketing ... please go back and re-read Fun Fact #1 to see if you "TRUST ME" ... ;^)
10. Soccer great Lloyd who wrote the memoir "When Nobody Was Watching": CARLI.
11. Listen to, as a recording: PLAY BACK. My fellow Stooges were these kind of "BACKS" - watch the first 10 seconds or the whole 3:42 of Curly, Larry, and Moe
12. Donkey: ASS. How many of you spell this word "A$$" when referring to a different definition?
13. Soak (up): SOP. Fun Fact #3: SOP is an acronym for: Standard Operating Procedure. It's a SOP to SOP up gravy with a roll or piece of bread
21. Window seat at the front of an airplane, often: ONE A. If the clue read "Aisle seat at the front ...", the answer could've been several choices depending on the aircraft's configuration. But the left window seat on ALL commercial aircraft is designated with the letter "A"
22. Cold, in Córdoba: FRIA. Una vez más, un video en español
26. Spiky succulent: ALOE. These "guys". We have an arboretum nearby that has a plethora of these. Here's one in bloom
27. More than off-color: LEWD. Moe-ku/haiku #1:
Former Bush VP
Took Methaqualone, then cursed.
New name? Dan QuaaLEWD
29. "Suuuuure": I BET. What skeptics might say about one or more of my "FUN FACTS"
30. "Land __ alive!": SAKES. We go from LEWD in 27-down to one of the milder oaths out there. I think this expression dates back to the '30's and '40's. Speaking for those my age and older, bless your heart to whomever came up with this clue! ;^)
31. Notion: IDEA. By this time, I've plum run out of IDEAs to make this blog more silly. Good thing, eh?!
34. Early DVR brand: TIVO. Fun Fact #4: TIVO is an acronym for Television Input Video Output
35. Old Venetian magistrate: DOGE. This clue - as the clue in 30-down - plays to an older crowd. Had the constructor or editor wanted to play to a younger crowd, the clue might've been: "Cryptocurrency starter"
36. Leg up: EDGE. Does that mean that a male dog has an EDGE over a female dog when doing their business?? Oops, the silliness just re-appeared ...
37. Unhappy ending: DOOM. Kinda like the character's name in the Spider-Man comics and Marvel movies
38. Like kudzu: INVASIVE. Fun Fact #5: Kudzu was intentionally introduced to North America by the Soil Erosion Service and Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s for the purpose of controlling soil erosion in the American Southeast
42. Saintly glow: HALO. Does this guy have one??
43. "Take a hike!": AM-SCRAY. In a puzzle where LIVESTOCK is featured, what better time to use a phrase that is in PIG Latin
">
44. Pique-nique setting: PARC. Frawnch. Picnic in a PARk
45. Piqued: IN A HUFF. Wait a second ... didn't we just have pique in the clue above? Multiple meanings for Frawnch words spelled the same?? Do they think they're English???!!! ;^) [Dictionary dot com] says about the word origin: "mid 16th century (denoting animosity between two or more people): from French piquer (pique) ‘prick, irritate’
49. "Wolf Hall" novelist Hilary: MANTEL. [Wikipedia dot com] "Dame Hilary Mary Mantel DBE FRSL was a British writer whose work includes historical fiction, personal memoirs and short stories. Her first published novel, Every Day Is Mother's Day, was released in 1985
Moe-ku/haiku #2:
A former slugger's
Fireplace shelf's built from bats.
It's Mickey's MANTEL
50. "No argument here": I AGREE.
51. Flouts the rules: CHEATS. [Collins Dictionary dot com] says: "What does flouts stand for?
To treat with disdain, scorn, or contempt; scoff at; mock. To flout the rules of propriety." Is CHEATS, then, a bit of a stretch???
53. "Here we go!": IT'S ON. A trailer from the movie "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"
54. Physicals: EXAMS. More of a dialog now, with your doctor/PCP/PA/Nurse Practitioner than an EXAM. About the only "physical" thing they do is to listen to your heart and lungs through a stethoscope
57. Sky box?: KITE. Ha Ha
58. Historic British school: ETON.
59. "__ Want for Christmas Is You": ALL I.
60. Hubbub: ADO.
61. Aggravate: VEX. Hope I haven't VEXed you with today's blog!
Comment to your heart's content below ... as an aside, yours truly had a published puzzle yesterday at Newsday. Click on this link if you'd care to take a stab at it. The puzzle is called "Young 'Uns" on November 3. Have fun! Thanks to MalMan who noticed it!!
