Breaking Up is Hard to Do
Today's constructors are Owen Bergstein and Shannon Rapp. Shannon is a veteran and Owen is taking his opening bow on the Corner. Their theme was a little unusual today as it is ROW based rather than CLUE based. To make that a little clearer I'll start with the reveal ...
62A. Tune that can soothe an aching heart, and a feature of rows 3, 5, 8, and 11 in this puzzle: BREAKUP SONG. To try to make that a bit clearer I've snipped the aforementioned 4 rows out of the grid to make them easier to annotate (don't worry I'll put them back in a bit). Also I've left the original clues and fill in their original locations below.
Here's ROW 3:
The first thing we observe is that our constructors' "break up songs" are not necessarily sad songs (a la maestro Neil Sedaka in our opening number). They are merely "broken up" by a BLACK space. The second thing is that they are genres of songs, not specific songs. This is the a cappella group Pentatonix with a Christmas CAROL ...
Here's ROW 5:
Our genre is the DIRGE, a lament often sung at funerals. Here's Buffy Sainte-Marie's rendition of the haunting Lyke Wake Dirge ...
Here's ROW 8:
An ANTHEM is a rousing or uplifting song identified with a particular group, body, or cause. Here is a famous one by Canadian Leonard Cohen called simply Anthem. He is one of my favorite poet/songwriters, but as he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, here is a cover of the song by fellow Canadian singer Eleuthera (and a CSO to CanadianEh!) ... Here's ROW 11:
Our final genre is one of the oldest musical forms, the BALLAD, a song that tells a story. Here's a modern one by Bobbie Gentry -- her 1967 hit Ode to Billy Joe MacAllister ...
Here's the grid ...
Here's the rest ...
Across:
1. Volleyball official: REF.
4. Nirvana genre: GRUNGE. And right out of the gate we have an Easter Egg. Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture which emerged during the mid-1980s in the U.S. state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of punk rock and heavy metal. While Nirvana was the most commercially successful grunge group, there were many others, including several all female bands, e.g. L7. Here's their Pretend We're Dead ...
10. Style alternative to MLA: APA. -- Modern Language Association vs American Psychological Association -- what's the difference?
13. "It's __ good": ALL.
14. Service provider based in Tehran: IRAN AIR. Iran Air, officially known as The Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the flag carrier of Iran, which is headquartered at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran. As of 2024, it operates scheduled services to 72 destinations in Asia and Europe. No service to the US as yet.
15. Gentle touch: PAT.
16. Transportation for those who are plugged in?: ELECTRIC CAR. [Half of a clue song]
18. World Cup cheer: OLE. [The other half]
19. Former union members?: EXES. All of George Strait's EXES live in Texas ...
20. Fix, as a sock: DARN. Hand up if you still DARN socks?
21. Earnest request: PLEA.
22. Low point: NADIR. [Half of a clue song] The opposite of ZENITH.
24. "Take it elsewhere, lovebirds!": GET A ROOM. [The other half]
26. Sequenced sequence: GENOME. A GENOME consists of the sequence of all of the GENES in the DNA of a species, determined by a process called DNA sequencing. A massive 13 year multi-disciplinary project to sequence the entire human genome began in 1990 and gave rise to a new science -- GENOMICS. Here is a brief overview of the project ...28. __/her pronouns: SHE.
29. GLAAD, for one: NGO. GLAAD is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization. Originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals in the media and entertainment industries, it has since expanded to queer, bisexual, and transgender people.
31. Lends a hand: AIDS.
33. Actress Tracee __ Ross: ELLIS. Tracee Joy Silberstein (born October 29, 1972), known professionally as Tracee Ellis Ross, is an American actress. She is known for her lead roles in the television series Girlfriends (2000–2008) and Black-ish (2014–2022) receiving nominations for five Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the latter. Ross is a daughter of actress and Motown recording artist Diana Ross and Robert Ellis Silberstein.
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| Tracee Ellis Ross |
 |
| Wedding cake covered and decorated with fondant |
40. Toxic plant in the carrot family: HEMLOCK. [The other half] Conium maculatum, known as poison hemlock is a highly poisonous flowering plant in the carrot family Apiaceae, native to Europe and North Africa. It is herbaceous without woody parts and has a biennial lifecycle. It is a hardy plant capable of living in a variety of environments. It is purported to have been used as the method for the execution for the philosopher Socrates, who was accused of the corruption of youth.
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| Poison Hemlock |
43. TikTok mashup, e.g.: EDIT. TikTok allows users to create short videos, from 15 seconds up to a minute and which often feature music in the background and can be sped up, slowed down, or edited with a filter. They can also add their own sound on top of the background music. To create a music video with the app, users can choose background music from a wide variety of music genres, edit with a filter and record a 15-second video with speed adjustments before uploading it to share with others on TikTok or other social platforms.
46. Short time out?: NAP. I try to get a "short time out" every day.
48. Focused while working: ON TASK.
51. Game also known as table soccer: FOOSBALL. [Half of a clue song] Today's German lesson: "table soccer" = "tischfußball" The funny letter than looks like a B is actually a double S in German and so it was transliterated to English as Foosball, a tabletop game loosely based on football (soccer on the other side of the Pond). Its object is to move the ball into the opponent's goal by manipulating rods which have figures attached resembling football players of two opposing teams. Although its rules often vary by country and region when the game is played casually, competitive-level table football is played according to a unified code. Here's a brief clip from a competition ...
55. Pueblo material: ADOBE. [The other half] Adobe is a building material made from earth and organic materials. Adobe is Spanish for mudbrick. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of earthen construction, or various architectural styles like Pueblo Revival or Territorial Revival. We tend to associate adobe with the American Southwest, but similar construction techniques are used throughout the world, e.g. in the Citadel of Bam in Kerman Province, Iran: the world's largest adobe structure, dating to at least 500 BC ...
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| Citadel of Bam, Iran |
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| Grenadilla wood cross section |
60. Laundry pile emanation: ODOR.
61. Track unit: LAP.
62. [Theme reveal]
65. Private online convos: DMS. Direct Messages -- A DM is a private mode of communication between social media users.
66. Lawn sign phrase: FOR RENT.
67. Korean automaker: KIA. Kia Corporation was founded in May 1944 and is Korea’s oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles.
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| Kia Headquarters Seoul, South Korea |
69. Thomas of the WNBA or Thompson of the NWSL: ALYSSA. Alyssa Thomas of the Women's National Basketball Association ...
.jpg) |
| Alyssa Thomas |
 |
| Alyssa Thompson |
70. Equinox mo.: SEP.
Down:
1. Issa of "Insecure": RAE.
2. Actress Pompeo: ELLEN. Ellen Kathleen Pompeo (born November 10, 1969) is an American actress. One of the world's highest-paid actors since 2017, she has made multiple appearances on Forbes' year-end lists. Her accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe Award nomination. She is best known for starring as the title character Dr. Meredith Grey in the long running ABC medical drama series Grey's Anatomy.
Down:
1. Issa of "Insecure": RAE.
2. Actress Pompeo: ELLEN. Ellen Kathleen Pompeo (born November 10, 1969) is an American actress. One of the world's highest-paid actors since 2017, she has made multiple appearances on Forbes' year-end lists. Her accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe Award nomination. She is best known for starring as the title character Dr. Meredith Grey in the long running ABC medical drama series Grey's Anatomy.
 |
| Ellen Pompeo |
3. Geometric paper toys: FLEXAGONS. In geometry, flexagons are flat models discovered by the British mathematician Arthur H. Stone in 1939 and were made popular by mathematician Martin Gardner in his Scientific American articles on mathematical games. Flexagons are usually constructed by folding strips of paper, that can be flexed or folded in certain ways to reveal faces besides the two that were originally on the back and front. They are usually square or rectangular (tetraflexagons) or hexagonal (hexaflexagons).
The geometry of flexagons can be extended to the folding of 3 dimensional surfaces studied in a branch of mathematics called knot theory. The simplest example of such a fold is the trefoil knot ...
4. [I'm mad!]: GRR.
5. Brand with anti-ant products: RAID.
6. Free: UNCAGED.
7. Shiny shell material: NACRE. Also known as mother-of-pearl -- this is how it gives birth.
8. Titans: GIANTS.
9. Make a blunder: ERR.
10. Olympian Ohno: APOLO. Apolo Anton Ohno (born May 22, 1982) is an American retired short track speed skating competitor and an eight-time medalist (two gold, two silver, four bronze) in the Winter Olympics. Ohno is the most decorated American at the Winter Olympics and was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2017 and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2019. Here he wins 1,500-Meter Gold In 2002 ...
11. Diet inspired by hunter-gatherers: PALEO. What is it and why is it so popular? I'm sorry, but as writing hadn't been invented yet, I can't give you any recipes. 😀
12. Starters: A TEAM.
14. "Score!": ITS IN.
17. Give up: CEDE.
21. Green shampoo brand: PRELL.
23. Speckled horse: ROAN. There are many breeds of ROAN horses. This one is an Appaloosa ...
25. "Beg pardon": AHEM.
27. Plant pest: MITE. Of the many species of mites spider mites are the ones who are most damaging to plants. They are members of the family Tetranychidae, which includes about 1,200 species. Spider mites generally live on the undersides of leaves of plants, where they may spin protective silk webs, and can cause damage by puncturing the plant cells as they feed. Spider mites are known to feed on several hundred species of plants. They look like this close up ...
29. Gp. with Lions and Bears: NFL. National Football League.
30. Gunk: GOO.
32. __ guard: SHIN.
34. Compilations for fashion influencers: LOOK BOOKS. In the over 50 men that Elaine Benes dated in the Seinfeld series, one of the most fashionable was J. Peterson, purveyor of his own eponymous LOOK BOOK ...
35. Critical hosp. area: ICU. Intensive Care Unit -- the hospital destination for those with life threatening injuries transferred from the ER, or those recovering from serious surgeries.
36. Enjoy the slopes: SKI.
38. Thick: DENSE.
39. Many an Egyptian: ARAB.
41. Jazz legend James: ETTA. Here her Somethings Got a Hold On Me ...
 |
| Hexaflexagon |
5. Brand with anti-ant products: RAID.
6. Free: UNCAGED.
7. Shiny shell material: NACRE. Also known as mother-of-pearl -- this is how it gives birth.
9. Make a blunder: ERR.
10. Olympian Ohno: APOLO. Apolo Anton Ohno (born May 22, 1982) is an American retired short track speed skating competitor and an eight-time medalist (two gold, two silver, four bronze) in the Winter Olympics. Ohno is the most decorated American at the Winter Olympics and was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2017 and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2019. Here he wins 1,500-Meter Gold In 2002 ...
11. Diet inspired by hunter-gatherers: PALEO. What is it and why is it so popular? I'm sorry, but as writing hadn't been invented yet, I can't give you any recipes. 😀
12. Starters: A TEAM.
14. "Score!": ITS IN.
17. Give up: CEDE.
21. Green shampoo brand: PRELL.
23. Speckled horse: ROAN. There are many breeds of ROAN horses. This one is an Appaloosa ...
 |
| Appaloosa horse |
27. Plant pest: MITE. Of the many species of mites spider mites are the ones who are most damaging to plants. They are members of the family Tetranychidae, which includes about 1,200 species. Spider mites generally live on the undersides of leaves of plants, where they may spin protective silk webs, and can cause damage by puncturing the plant cells as they feed. Spider mites are known to feed on several hundred species of plants. They look like this close up ...
 |
| Spider mite |
30. Gunk: GOO.
32. __ guard: SHIN.
34. Compilations for fashion influencers: LOOK BOOKS. In the over 50 men that Elaine Benes dated in the Seinfeld series, one of the most fashionable was J. Peterson, purveyor of his own eponymous LOOK BOOK ...
35. Critical hosp. area: ICU. Intensive Care Unit -- the hospital destination for those with life threatening injuries transferred from the ER, or those recovering from serious surgeries.
36. Enjoy the slopes: SKI.
38. Thick: DENSE.
39. Many an Egyptian: ARAB.
41. Jazz legend James: ETTA. Here her Somethings Got a Hold On Me ...
44. Hong Kong currency: DOLLARS. Here's how many Hong Kong Dollars you can get for one US Dollar.
47. Keep the beat?: PATROL. A policeman making the rounds of the neighborhood -- from the idiom "pounding the beat".
49. Add to the family: ADOPT.
50. Rolls up to the front door?: SODS. Up to the front porch, maybe. 😀 Also insulting British slang ...
52. "The Light We Carry" writer Michelle: OBAMA. The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times is a nonfiction book written by Michelle Obama and published on November 15, 2022. According to the Associated Press, the author "shares the contents of her 'personal toolbox' - the habits and practices, attitudes and beliefs, and even physical objects that she uses to overcome her feelings of fear, helplessness and self-doubt."
54. Untrusting: LEERY.
56. Bert's buddy: ERNIE. Ernie gets Bert to exercise ...
59. __ out a living: EKES.
62. Deg. for creatives: BFA. Bachelor of Fine Arts.
63. Spanish article: UNA. Today's Spanish lesson: "One".
64. Space: GAP.
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
