59. Misinterpret, or what is hidden in each of the answers to the starred clues?: TAKE THE WRONG WAY.
TAKE straddles two words, and is scrambled ('the wrong way') four different ways.
Melissa here. Besides the clever theme, lots of fun stuff today - lets get on with it.
Across:
1. Manicurist's tool: FILE.
5. Windex target: PANE.
9. Blackjack stack: CHIPS.
14. Black Card co.: AMEX. American Express.
15. "Hey, sailor!": AHOY.
16. Largest city on the Red River: HANOI. Capital of Vietnam.
20. Some pore minimizers: TONERS. Skin care product applied after cleansing to remove residue, close up pores, and prime the skin for moisturizer.
21. Chowder head?: CLAM. Haha.
22. "Outlander" cable network: STARZ.
28. Sit for a portrait: POSE.
30. More iffy: DODGIER. Funny word.
31. Pool toy: RAFT.
34. Orecchiette shape: EAR. Pasta. Good for trapping thick sauces.
36. Henrik whose last play was "When We Dead Awaken": IBSEN.
37. Tetris shape: ELL. A "falling block puzzle" video game. Ell is one of the block shapes - I bet you didn't know that they have personalities. Play free online.
41. Mormons, initially: LDS. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
42. Prom queen topper: TIARA. Sometimes clued as "crownlet," or small crown.
58. Stuff one's face: PIG OUT. I was just in Portland, Oregon, and saw a bbq place by that name.
64. String quartet instrument: VIOLA. String quartet: A chamber music ensemble consisting of first and second violins, viola, and cello. Here's an unconventional one.
65. Get just right: NAIL. I've never seen this show but it looks entertaining.
66. Old Italian bread?: LIRE.
67. Poetry fests: SLAMS.
68. General __ chicken: TSO'S.
69. Pulls the plug on: ENDS. Sometimes you have to know when to call it quits.
Down:
1. Trivia quiz fodder: FACTS.
2. "Can we turn on the ceiling fan?": I'M HOT. That's me, every day.
3. "Glassheart" singer Lewis: LEONA. Title track from her third studio album.
31. Adjust a paragraph setting: RETAB. Remember these?
32. Defensive line?: ALIBI. I like it.
33. Lab container: FLASK. Wikipedia lists five distinct kinds of lab flasks.
35. Iron-pumping unit: REP.
38. Some Bach creations: CANTATAS. From Italian cantare, “to sing,” originally, a musical composition intended to be sung, as opposed to a sonata, a composition played instrumentally; now, loosely, any work for voices and instruments.
39. Puts a glove on, in a way: TAGS. Baseball. For a legitimate tag, the fielder must have the ball held securely in either the hand or the glove. Nowhere else. With the ball held securely in hand or glove, the fielder can, in a force situation, touch (tag) a base with any portion of his body, including his gloved hand, foot, non-glove hand, and so forth.
40. Wrath: IRE.
43. Food writer Drummond: REE. She lives on a working ranch outside of Pawhuska, Oklahoma with her husband.
45. Squirm: WRIGGLE.
47. "Ring of Fire" singer: CASH. I never knew all this about the song.
Theme: The Heat is on. Each theme clue has a HOTanswer. Sewn together, they make an article of clothing.
24 A. *1977 Rod Stewart hit: HOT LEGS.
They had way too much fun making this.
26 A. *Difficult spot:HOT SEAT. The position of someone who is in trouble or is being asked many difficult or embarrassing questions. Many examples there days, but we won't go there
45. *Microwaveable turnovers: HOTPOCKETS. Thinking a lot about nutrition these days. These are probably not the best.
71. Sexy '70s fad ... and where the answers to starred clues might be found?: HOTPANTS. Here is a brief view.
Hi, Gang - Jazzbumpa here to set the fashion trend for today's adventure. This theme brings back fond memories of long ago. Before we dive into the rest of the puzzle, let's take note of some of the unusual features of today's grid. First, the longest fill is not a part of the theme. You almost never see that. Rows 9 and 10 have long strings of dark blocks. The symmetry is only bilateral around a vertical center line. Grids often have rotational symmetry as well.
OK, let's get going. Wear you summer clothes - things are going to get HOT.
18. Feature that 4-Down lacks: SERIF. A slight projection finishing off a stroke of a letter in certain typefaces.
19. Prefix with type: LINO. LINOTYPE is a composing machine producing lines of words as single strips of metal, used chiefly for newspapers. It is now rarely used.
20. Some pastries: TARTS. Small filled pastries without top crusts.
21. Measure used by navigators: NAUTICAL MILE. Nautical miles are used to measure the distance traveled through the water. A nautical mile is slightly longer than a mile on land, equaling 1.1508 land-measured (or statute) miles. The nautical mile is based on the Earth's longitude and latitude coordinates, with one nautical mile equaling one minute of latitude. Also, this puzzle's longest fill
29. NYSE debut: IPO. Initial Public Offering.
30. Versed in creative writing: LITERATE.That's one definition. Another is simply able to read and write.
33. Turkish title: AGA. A military commander or official.
34. Semester: TERM. A fixed time period.
36. Usually dramatic symphony ending: FINALE. The last part of a piece of music, a performance, or a public event, especially when particularly dramatic or exciting.
37. "Miracle on 34th Street" hero Kringle: KRIS. Aka, Santa Claus.
38. More than unkind: CRUEL. Evil, mean and wicked, bad and nasty.
40. Part of Batman's outfit: COWL. His head covering.
41. Owner's document: TITLE. This is probably more that you care to know.
42. Horse-drawn cab: HANSOM. A kind of horse-drawn carriage designed and patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, an architect from York.
44. Cuts needing stitches: GASHES. Long, deep cuts or wounds.
50. Not out: SAFE. Able to reach a base in baseball.
53. Minor, as a sin: VENIAL. A relatively slight sin that that does not entail damnation of the soul.
61. Army leader sometimes seen in a bunker?: ARNIE. Golfer Arnold Palmer. His fans were called Arnie's Army.
62. Crest box abbr.: ADA. American Dental Association.
63. Sat atop: RESTED ON.
66. Bother: VEX. Annoy
67. Wheel edge: RIM.
68. Petitioner: CLAIMANT. A person making a claim, especially in a lawsuit or for a government-sponsored benefit.
69. Food store letters: IGA. Independent Grocers Alliance. Where we get groceries on vacation.
70. Tip of a wing tip: TOE. Front end of a shoe.
72. "__ MisÈrables": LES. a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. Also adapted into movies and a long running musical drama
Down:
1. Humanities degs.: BAs. Batchelors of Arts.
2. Fruit drink suffix: -ADE.
3. 1975 Springsteen hit: BORN TO RUN.
4. No-frills typeface: ARIAL. Looks like this.
5. Fill 'er up ... again: REFUEL.
6. Like mind-and-body medicine: HOLISTIC. Characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of a disease.
7. __ the Red: ERIC. Erik Thorvaldsson, known as Erik the Red, was a Norse explorer, described in medieval and Icelandic saga sources as having founded the first settlement in Greenland. This happened while he was in the midst of a 3 year exile as a result of disputes involving murder and mayhem.
8. Horne of jazz: LENA. Not a saxophone.
9. Shark's hangout: POOL HALL. A pool shark is one whose goal is to con money out of others by using a combination of deception, talent, and straight coercion, combined with the game of billiards, to take advantage of susceptible players.
10. Diminutive: PETITE. Also, PETITE clothing is specifically designed for women whose frames are 5'4” and under, and the clothing has been cut proportionally to fit and flatter the petite women's frame.
11. Postgrad tests: ORALS. A test involving spoken questions and answers.
12. Promethium's element class: RARE EARTH. These are chemically similar metallic elements comprising the lanthanide series and (usually) scandium and yttrium. They are not especially rare, but they tend to occur together in nature and are difficult to separate from one another.
13. Chicago hrs.: CST. Central Standard Time.
14. Bulls and bucks: HEs. Male of any species.
22. "Yay, the weekend!": TGIF. Thank God It's Friday. Oops - it's only Wednesday. Lo siento.
23. Tiny bit of dust: MOTE. A single particle
24. Snag: HITCH. What could possibly go wrong?
25. Soap __: OPERA. A television or radio drama series dealing typically with daily events in the lives of the same group of characters. So called because the sponsors were often commercial cleaning products.
27. Nimble: AGILE. Spry
28. Shocks, in a way: TASES. In a bad way.
31. Brian of ambient music: ENO. Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno RDI [Royal Designer for Industry; b 1948] is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his pioneering work in ambient music and contributions to rock, pop and electronica
32. Cold and rainy: RAW. Stormy weather.
35. Interacts well: MESHES. Fits nicely
37. One fond of smooching: KISSER. Well - yeah.
39. Place to go in Gloucester: LOO. Lavatory.
41. Bit of arm art: TAT. Body ink. My friend lets his wife color in his tats whenever she's upset. She just needs a shoulder to crayon.
43. 1981 cable debut: MTV. An American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks, a division of ViacomCBS.
44. Pompadour need: GEL. Hair glop.
46. Cared for a cat, say: PET SAT.
47. How stock may be bought: ON A TIP. Usually not the best decision.
48. Movie house: CINEMA.
49. "The Big Chill" director: KASDAN. Lawrence Edward Kasdan [b1949] is an American filmmaker. He is the co-writer of the Star Wars films The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens, and Solo: A Star Wars Story.
55. Blacksmith's block: ANVIL. An anvil is a metalworking tool consisting of a large block of metal, with a flattened top surface, upon which another object is struck. Anvils are as massive as is practical, because the higher their inertia, the more efficiently they cause the energy of striking tools to be transferred to the work piece. It appears at ca. 1:05 and 2:18.
56. Lengthy assault: SIEGE.
57. Where to find Katy and Austin: TEXAS. Katy is just west of Houston. Austin is about 2 1/2 hours northwest of Katy via US 290.
59. Part of a foot: ARCH. The foot has three arches: two longitudinal (medial and lateral) arches and one anterior transverse arch. These arches are formed by the tarsal and metatarsal bones and are supported by the ligaments and tendons in the foot.
Today's puzzle is from Pete Collins who told us this about himself on 8/8/20:
I'm still a high school math teacher in Ann Arbor, about to start my 41st year (albeit virtually). I also still teach at the University of Michigan in the summer. I'm still married with four daughters, but now we have two grandsons as well. We're fortunate that everyone is still local, so we get to see the family a lot.
Here is what he had to say about this puzzle:
Hi Gary,
It was good to hear from you! Yeah, Michigan football has been a disappointment for years (Same for Husker FB - hg), but our basketball team is doing well.
I'm still teaching, but it's all virtual. The struggle is real...
As for the puzzle, the seeds were STAY IN YOUR LANE and FIVE SECOND RULE - a couple of 14-letter entries. Other than IER, the fill isn't too ugly, methinks. I think Rich kept about half my clues. I'm glad he kept my clue for FIVE SECOND RULE, but he nixed my clue for ANNUM [MIX, for one] Bummer! (hg - Maybe you get this, but I had to contact Pete to get an explanation for this clue/fill and I posted his reply at the bottom of this write-up*)
6. First Negro League electee to Cooperstown: PAIGE - In 1965 Satchel pitched three scoreless innings for the KC Athletics at age 59 to become the oldest man to pitch in an MLB game. What a pity he had to wait that long.
26. Going up: SCALING 20. Out: ASLEEP - This climber is ASLEEP on on a cliff face she is SCALING
29. Tender: OFFER.
32. Warning to a meddler: STAY IN YOUR LANE - My mother used to say, "Tend to your own knitting"
34. Cote sounds: COOS - Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint visit his cote on the roof in On The Waterfront
35. Pilot's place: CABIN - Behind the pilot's CABIN in the new Boeing 787 the crew now has Crew Rest Compartments
36. 442 or 88, e.g.: OLDS.
37. Guideline when something is dropped from one's diet?: FIVE SECOND RULE - Very clever, Pete! Uh, no, it isn't valid
40. Eclair filling: CREME.
41. Stylish filmmakers: AUTEURS - Their fingerprints are on every aspect of their movies
42. Shepherd's pie bits: PEAS.
44. Poet's rhyme for "home": ROAM - "Oh, give me a home..."
45. Important artery: MAIN ROAD 48. Construction equipment: DOZERS - Even the DOZERS had trouble making the MAIN ROAD for the Alcan Highway
53. Coldly devious: REPTILIAN.
55. Vaudeville production: REVUE.
56. Preceding, poetically: ERE.
57. Name in 1976 Olympic news: NADIA - The scoreboard maker for the 1976 Olympics was assured there would be no scores higher than 9.99. So when NADIA got a perfect 10/10 the display only showed 1.00
58. Totally remove: ERASE.
59. Palindromic song from a palindromic band: SOS - I never miss a chance to post an ABBA video!
60. Funding source: GRANT.
61. Prohibition details: DONT'S.
Down:
1. Most populous U.S. city that isn't a county seat: MESA - MESA has a population of 528,000 and is in Maricopa County with Phoenix
2. Fine things?: ARTS - Fine ARTS
3. Tuner, sometimes: DIAL - "Papa, you had to turn the DIAL on the radio?"
4. One of Yellowstone's two million-plus: ACRE.
5. Be opportunistic, metaphorically: MAKE HAY - Apropos here in farm country
6. Dance step: PAS.
7. "A Cook's Tour" host: ANTHONY BOURDAIN.
8. Cross letters: INRI - Latin - IESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDÆORVM (Mocking sign for "Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews") J and I were not distinguished in Latin until the 17th century
9. Forklift truck friend of Luigi in "Cars" films: GUIDO.
10. Largest penguin: EMPEROR.
11. Seat of South Dakota's Minnehaha County: SIOUX FALLS - It would be about a 2.5 hr drive for both C.C. and me to meet in Sioux Falls (pop. 183,000)
12. Bailed: LEFT.
19. Alternative baking staple: SOY FLOUR - This is from Korea
21. Regulate: POLICE.
24. Breath spray brand: BINACA.
26. Lincoln wore them: STOVE PIPES - The Welsh hat is also called a STOVE PIPE hat. It first appeared in the 1830's in Wales
27. Window with a crank, often: CASEMENT - Part of Lily's domain
28. Pursue: GO INTO - I decided to GO INTO teaching when I was 12.
30. Köln closing: ENDE - Dies ist das ENDE der Straße. (This is the end of the road)
31. Lo-__: RES.
32. Yvette's evening: SOIR - Paris est très beau le SOIR (I'm betting you can translate on your own)
33. Foes of Buffy: UNDEAD.
34. Phased-out propellant: CFC - Chlorofluorocarbons were thought to be ozone depleters
38. Intense, as pain: SEARING.
39. Spread by moving dirt?: RUMORED - Dish the dirt
43. __ energy: SOLAR - Toyota is building a car that recharges itself with its own SOLAR panels and is 46. Dynamic start?: AEROdynamic
45. Field food, briefly: MRES - Just add water and you've got a hot meal in a big hurry
47. John/Rice musical: AIDA.
49. Celsius freezing point: ZERO.
51. Sign of age, maybe: RUST - The melancholy song The City Of New Orleans tells of riding by "graveyards of the RUSTED automobiles" A cwd friend singing it
52. Dates: SEES - Facilitated by online dating services
54. N.L. East player: NATionals
* MIX cluing for ANNUM explanation from Pete - "ANNUM is Latin for year. MIX would be the year 1009. Maybe it's a bit of a reach. That's probably why Rich nixed it. Yeah, I thought having it be a real word added to the misdirection. I figured the all caps might be a subtle clue."
