Wednesday, June 21, 2023 Rebecca Goldstein

Theme:  The SHELL, you say!  The unifier explains it perfectly

54 A. Corporations with little business activity, and what are formed by the circled letters: SHELL COMPANIES.    Corporations without active business operations or significant assets. These types of corporations are not all necessarily illegal, but they are sometimes used illegitimately, such as to disguise business ownership from law enforcement or the public.  

Here, the phrase is repurposed [or reused, per 28D] to indicate a bookends type theme for the puzzle, in which the names of prominent American corporations are split, providing the beginning and ending letters for the theme fill entries.

16 A. Fruity frozen treat: ORANGE POPSICLE.  A popsicle is a piece of flavored ice or ice cream on a stick.  In this case the flavor is ORANGE.  Rather specific fill for an other general clue.  Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation headquartered in Austin, Texas. In 2020, Oracle was the third-largest software company in the world by revenue and market capitalization.   Oracle also declined during 2022.  It started to recover in October and has recently passed its former high and gone hyperbolic.

25. Pursue additional education, e.g.: APPLY FOR COLLEGE.   To ask to be accepted as a student at colleges or universities by filling out and sending applications.   Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California. Apple is the world's largest technology company by revenue, with US$394.3 billion in 2022 revenue. As of March 2023, Apple is the world's biggest company by market capitalization. As of June 2022, Apple is the fourth-largest personal computer vendor by unit sales and the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world. It is often considered as one of the Big Five American information technology companies, alongside Alphabet (parent company of Google), Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft.  Apple stock had a choppy decline through 2022, bottoming early this year.  It has since soared to new highs.

35. Spanish "I like": ME GUSTA.  Literal.   Meta Platforms, Inc., formerly named Facebook, Inc., and TheFacebook, Inc., is an American multinational technology conglomerate based in Menlo Park, California. The company owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, among other products and services. Meta is one of the world's most valuable companies and among the ten largest publicly traded corporations in the United States. It is often considered one of the Big Five American information technology companies, alongside Alphabet (parent company of Google), Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft.  Meta stock price peaked in September, 2021, then lost over 75% of its value at the November, 2022 low.  It has since recovered, but is still far below its all time high.

42 A. Slips, bras, etc.: INTIMATE APPAREL.    Women's underwear and nightclothes. synonyms: lingerie. types: gown, night-robe, nightdress, nightgown, nightie; lingerie consisting of a loose dress designed to be worn in bed by women.  Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is one of the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 series of instruction sets found in most personal computers.  Its stock was badly battered last year, losing over 50% of its value.  It flattened out in October and is starting to make a comeback.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here to broker today's transactions.  All the theme entries are American multi-national corporations involved in various aspects of technology.   Let's see how we can push forward.

Across

1. Chaparral growth: SHRUB.  It is a shrubland plant community found primarily in California, in southern Oregon and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild wet winters and hot dry summers) and infrequent, high-intensity crown fires.

6. Place to soak some barking dogs: FOOT SPA.   A bowl for soaking the feet in warm water, especially one in which the feet are massaged by small jets of water.  For "dogs," not canines.

13. Indigenous New Zealanders: MAORIS.   Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages between roughly 1320 and 1350. 

15. Underhanded course of action: LOW ROAD.   A behavior or approach that is unscrupulous or immoral.

18. Precious stone: GEM.  A precious or semiprecious stone, especially when cut and polished or engraved.

19. Release, as an album: DROP.  The act of releasing it to the public.

20. Chats online, briefly: IMS.  Instant Messages.

21. Beach bucket: PAIL.  A bucket is usually an open-top container. In contrast, a pail can have a top or lid and is a shipping container. In common usage, the two terms are often used interchangeably.  In this context, a beach bucket is a toy for plying in the sand.

22. "Rumor has it ... ": I HEAR.  Through the grape vine, maybe.

31. Spring flower: IRIS.   A plant with sword-shaped leaves and showy flowers, typically purple, yellow, or white. Native to both Eurasia and North America, it is widely cultivated as an ornamental.

Wikipedia

32. Fish in a swarm: EELS.  Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes, which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage and are usually predators.  They do swarm in deep water

33. Ctrl-__-Del: ALT.  On a personal computer with the Microsoft Windows operating system, Control+Alt+Delete is the combination of the Ctrl key, the Alt key and Del key that a user can press at the same time to terminate an application task or to reboot the operating system.

34. Not 'neath: O'ER.   Over, aka above.

38. "Obvi": DUH.  Said of something that is readily apparent and not at all surprising.

39. Comedian DeLaria: LEA.  Lea DeLaria is an American comedian, actress, and jazz singer. DeLaria is credited with being the first openly gay comic to appear on American television with her 1993 appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show. 

40. Notable times: ERAS.   A long and distinct period of history with a particular feature or characteristic.  Three of our granddaughters attended the Detroit performance of The Eras Tour, the ongoing sixth headlining concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Described by her as a journey through all of her "musical eras", the Eras Tour is a tribute to all of Swift's studio albums so far.  They loved it.

41. Ballet leap: JETE.   A jump in which a dancer springs from one foot to land on the other with one leg extended outward from the body while in the air.

47. Express big feelings, maybe: EMOTE.    Portray emotion in a theatrical manner.

48. Transit option to NYC's Roosevelt Island: TRAM.  A tram is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are called tramways   The Roosevelt Island Tramway provides the most modern aerial tramway in the world, running every 7-15 minutes from 59th Street and Second Avenue in Manhattan to Tramway Plaza on Roosevelt Island.  

49. Web access co.: ISP.   Internet Service Provider.

50. "Any minute now": SOON.  Immanent.

51. WNBA honor for A'ja Wilson in 2020 and 2022: MVP.    Most Valuable Player.

59. Item on a laundry list?: TIDE POD.   Water-soluble pouches containing highly concentrated laundry detergent, marketed by Proctor and Gamble under the Tide brand name.

60. Campfire treats: S'MORES.  Toasted marshmallows sandwiched between graham crackers with a chocolate segment.

61. Bounding main: OPEN SEA.   An expanse of sea away from land.

62. Prevent, as disaster: AVERT.  Prevent or ward off an undesirable occurrence

Down:

1. Dark cloud on the horizon?: SMOG.   Air pollution that reduces visibility. The term "smog" was first used in the early 1900s to describe a mix of smoke and fog. The smoke usually came from burning coal. Smog was common in industrial areas, and remains a familiar sight in some cities today.   I don't think this clue is accurate.  Smog occurs much closer than the horizon.

2. Largest lagomorph: HARE.  A lagomorph is a mammal of the order Lagomorpha; a hare, rabbit, or pika.

3. Cover a lot of ground: ROAM.  Move about or travel aimlessly or unsystematically, especially over a wide area.

4. Mantle piece: URN.   A tall, rounded vase with a base, and sometimes a stem, especially one used for storing the ashes of a cremated person.

Ashes to Ashes . . .

5. Circled square on a calendar, maybe: BIG DAY.   A very important or significant day.

6. First three community cards in Texas Hold 'em: FLOP.    The dealing of the first three face-up cards to the board, refers also to those three cards themselves. 

7. Alley-__: OOP.   Used to encourage or draw attention to the performance of some physical, especially acrobatic, feat.

8. Hurt sounds: OWS.  Expressions of pain.

9. Start to cycle?: TRI.  A vehicle similar to a bicycle, but having three wheels, two at the back and one at the front.   This kind of clue makes me gnash my teeth.

10. __ media: SOCIAL.   Websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.

11. Expert who relies on a show of hands: PALM READER.  Typically, this clue refers to a non-verbal method of voting by raising hands.  Here, the PALM READER is one who practices fortune-telling through the study of the palm. Also known as palm reading, chiromancy, chirology or cheirology, the practice is found all over the world, with numerous cultural variations. Clever clue.

12. Citrus drinks: -ADES.   I can't find a specific definition for this suffix on its own.  But these drinks  contain the juice of the fruit mixed with sweetened water.

14. Calligrapher's flourish: SERIF.   A slight projection finishing off a stroke of a letter in certain typefaces.

17. Casual top: POLO.   A casual short-sleeved cotton shirt with a collar and several buttons at the neck.

21. "Thx" counterpart: PLS.  Please and thanks, shortened.

22. Fruity frozen treats: ICES.  Very cold -ADES, maybe.

23. "NBC Nightly News" anchor Lester: HOLT.  Lester Don Holt Jr. (born March 8, 1959) is an American journalist and news anchor for the weekday edition of NBC Nightly News, NBC Nightly News Kids Edition, and Dateline NBC. On June 18, 2015, Holt was made the permanent anchor of NBC Nightly News following the demotion of Brian Williams.  Holt became the first African-American to solo anchor a weekday network nightly newscast.

24. Pataky of "Fast & Furious" films: ELSA.  Elsa Lafuente Medianu [b 1976] known professionally as Elsa Pataky, is a Spanish model and actress. Pataky is known for her role as Elena Neves in the Fast & Furious franchise. She has appeared in the films Snakes on a Plane, Giallo and Give 'Em Hell, Malone.

Doesn't look furious

25. Garlicky dip: AIOLI.   A cold sauce consisting of an emulsion of garlic and olive oil; it is found in the cuisines of the northwest Mediterranean, from Andalusia to Calabria. 

26. Take a long look in the mirror?: PREEN.   Devote effort to making oneself look attractive and then admire one's appearance.

27. Vessel that may fly the Jolly Roger: PIRATE SHIP.   A sailing vessel used by a person who commits robbery on the seas.  Jolly Roger is a pirate's flag with a white skull and crossbones on a black background.

But is he really happy?

28. Waste reduction strategy: REUSE.   Reuse is the action or practice of using an item, whether for its original purpose or to fulfill a different function. It should be distinguished from recycling, which is the breaking down of used items to make raw materials for the manufacture of new products.

29. Muscle used in a squat, informally: GLUTE.  A muscle of the buttock.

Glutes

30. Broadway icon Merman: ETHEL.   Ethel Merman [1908 - 1984] was an American actress and singer. Known for her distinctive, powerful voice, as well as her leading roles in musical theater, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." She performed on Broadway in Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy, and Hello, Dolly! 

35. "Someone didn't get the __": MEMO.  To not know something that everyone else knows: Everybody seems to be wearing green today - I guess I didn't get the memo.

36. Part of Q.E.D.: ERAT.  Latin abbreviation for quod erat demonstrandum: "Which was to be demonstrated." Q.E.D. may appear at the conclusion of a text to signify that the author's overall argument has just been proven.

37. Scandal suffix: GATE.  This originated with Nixon's Watergate scandal, the burglary of the DNC headquarters in the Watergate Office Building.  Now the suffix is recklessly added to any distinctive word associated with a political scandal.

41. Printer problem: JAM.   Paper getting stuck in the printer mechanism.

43. Hold up: IMPEDE.   Deter, delay, obstruct, hinder.

44. Bonding partner: ATOM.  ATOMS are the smallest particles of a chemical element that retain the properties of that element.  Molecules are made up of atoms bonded together.

45. Play things?: PROPS.   Prop is short for 'property' and is any object used in a performance that isn't part of the set or worn by an actor. Props can be anything, from small to large items – a notebook to a fountain.   This is a clever clue.

46. Country that connects the Americas: PANAMA.  Panama is a country on the isthmus linking Central and South America. 

49. Analogy phrase: IS TO.  A is to B as alpha is to beta.   Comparative connector, I suppose.  In a cursory search I'm unable to discover anything else about this usage.

50. Word with bread or cracker: SODA.  These items are made with sodium bicarbonate in the recipe rather than yeast as a leavening agent.

51. Slimy mud: MIRE.  Swampy or boggy ground.

52. Swerve: VEER.   Change direction suddenly.

53. "Over here!" in a library voice: PSST.  A non-vocalized whisper.

55. Ballroom dancer Goodman: LEN.  Leonard Gordon Goodman [1944 - 2023] was an English professional ballroom dancer, dance teacher, and dance competition adjudicator.

56. Vinyl records, briefly: LPS.  Long Playing records.

57. Cedar Rapids campus: COE.   Coe College is a private liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was founded in 1851 and is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. The college is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities.

58. Native American Heritage mo.: NOV.   November.   On August 3, 1990, President of the United States George H. W. Bush declared the month of November as National American Indian Heritage Month, thereafter commonly referred to as Native American Heritage Month. The bill read in part that "The President has authorized and requested to call upon Federal, State and local Governments, groups and organizations and the people of the United States to observe such month with appropriate programs, ceremonies and activities". This landmark bill honoring America's tribal people represented a major step in the establishment of this celebration which began in 1976 when a Cherokee/Osage Indian named Jerry C. Elliott-High Eagle authored Native American Awareness Week legislation the first historical week of recognition in the nation for native peoples. This led to 1986 with then President Ronald Reagan proclaiming November 23–30, 1986, as "American Indian Week"

On that happy note we wrap up today's midweek transactions.  Thanks for keeping me company. Hope you found it to be profitable.

Cool regards!

JzB

Thursday, May 18, 2023, Adam Wagner & Rebecca Goldstein

Today's constructors are veterans Adam Wagner and Rebecca Goldstein who challenge us with 4 themers embedded with

EMULSIFIED WORDS

While some of you will be delighted that these words aren't enclosed in little round things, the rest of us may need a little help finding them.  So to assist you, here's a brief tutorial on emulsification, its uses and techniques ...

... which should now make it quite easy to separate them from the fill ...

18A. *Pronoun for a spokesperson: EDITORIAL WE. 

23A. *Decorative touch made with a small paintbrush, e.g.: DETAIL WORK.

36A. *What "we are living in," per a Madonna hit song: MATERIAL WORLD.

51A. *Wraps at a spa: HAIR TOWELS.

Hair Towel

... still don't see them?   Luckily there's a reveal ...

57A. Substances that never mix, except in the answers to the starred clues?: OIL AND WATER. 

Not so fast!  There is another place where OIL and WATER mix: inside our bodies' cells!   Oils (aka lipids), water, and other substances such as proteins, sugars, and ions mix as a part of the exquisitely controlled metabolism of biological cells (e.g. 62A OVA).  Their entrance into, and exit from, cells is carefully regulated by the cell membrane, consisting primarily of a lipid bilayer. As the term implies, each layer has two parts consisting of a lipophylic end ("fat loving") and a hydrophilic end ("water loving").  This bilayer enables the cell to interact with both fatty and aqueous components ...  

... emulsion on the fly, you might say.

Here's the grid ...

Across:

1. Possesses: HAS.

4. Participate in the gig economy, say: TEMP.

8. Hornet's defense: STING.  The best STING defense is romance.  But you may have to deal with THORNS ...

13. Moody genre: EMO.  Or this Moody genre ...

Justin Haywood was just 19 when he wrote that song.


14. Added to the staff: HIRED.

16. Youngest Kardashian sister: KHLOE.  Khloé Alexandra Kardashian born June 27, 1984) is an American media personality and socialite. Since 2007, she has starred with her family in the reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Its success has led to the creation of spin-offs, including Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami (2009–2013) and Kourtney and Khloé Take The Hamptons (2014–2015).

Khloé Kardashian

17. Legged it: RAN.

18. [Theme clue]

20. Missouri's __ Mountains: OZARK.  The rock band OZARK Mountain Daredevils are from Missouri, but I don't think they're especially skeptical.  Here's their If You Wanna Get to Heaven (lyrics)

22. Land by the sea: COAST.

23. [Theme clue]

26. Text incessantly: SPAM.

30. Mexico's national flower: DAHLIA.  One of my sisters' favorite flowers.  Here are some DAHLIA's in bloom at the Ladew Topiary Gardens in Jarrettsville, MD.

31. Upscale cosmetics chain: SEPHORA.

33. Boyos: LADS.

35. Time capsule object: RELIC.

36. [Theme clue]

41. Head-scratcher: POSER.  We get a lot of these every morning.  And some real toughies on Saturdays.

42. Polite title: MAAM.

43. "You free?": GOT A SEC.

46. Universal basic __: INCOME.   Pros and Cons of Universal Basic Income (UBI).

50. Symbol on the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant cooling towers: ATOM.  Not the one in Springfield, IL, but the one where Homer Simpson works in sector 7G ...

Springfield Nuclear Power Plant

51. [Theme clue]

54. Skin and bones: GAUNT.

56. Not satisfied: UNMET.

57. [Theme reveal]

62. Egg cells: OVA. 

63. Word with number or time: PRIME.  PRIME time is becoming an anachronism, as more people watch shows on demand via streaming.  A PRIME number is defined as a whole number greater than 1 that cannot be exactly divided by any whole number other than itself and 1 (e.g. 2, 3, 5, 7, 11).  Primes have applications in information technology, such as public-key cryptography, which relies on the difficulty of factoring large numbers into their prime factors.  A CSO to -T, who is in his PRIME.

64. "Cats" poet: ELIOT.  In 1939, T. S. ELIOT published Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, book of light verse which served as the basis of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats.  Here is the song Memory (lyrics).
 

65. Cartoonist Sorensen who was the first woman to win the Herblock Prize:JEN.  JEN Sorensen (born September 28, 1974, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania) is an American cartoonist and illustrator who authors a weekly comic strip that often focuses on current events.  In 2014 she became the first woman to win the Herblock Prize, and in 2017 she was named a Pulitzer Finalist in Editorial Cartooning.  Here's a selection of her cartoons.

Jen Sorensen

66. "Nothing gets past me": I KNEW.

67. Cravings: YENS.

68. Stuff in a pen: INK.

Down:

1. Judean king: HEROD.  Despite the negative evaluation of Herod in traditional Jewish sources, archaeological evidence seems to suggest that, with some notable exceptions, Herod saw himself as tied to the Jewish religion and tried, to a certain extent, to uphold its laws, even in his own lifestyle.

2. Gobsmacked: AMAZED.

3. Handel bars?: SONATA.  Here's the 3rd movement ("Passacaille") from Handel's Trio Sonata in G Major Op. 5 No.4 with the great Trevor Pinnock at the harpsichord.

4. "Mr. Brightside" band: THE KILLERS.  Thumper.

5. Holiday on which it's forbidden to fast, familiarly: EID.  Today's Arabic lesson #1. EID al-Fitr is an Islamic festival that marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk each day. It is the first time Muslims can eat during daylight hours after fasting during Ramadan. The translation of “Eid al-Fitr” from Arabic sums up the holiday as it means “festival of breaking the fast.”

6. Picture of health?: MRI.  Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI is a type of diagnostic test that can create detailed images of nearly every structure and organ inside the body.   MRI uses magnets and radio waves to produce images on a computer.  MRI does not use any radiation.  Images produced by an MRI scan can show organs, bones, muscles and blood vessels.
 
7. Place to buy fish: PETCO.  Not a place to buy sushi.  Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. is an American pet retailer with corporate offices in San Diego and San Antonio. Petco sells pet food, products, and services, as well as certain types of live small animals.

8. Gear for Mikaela Shiffrin: SKIS.

9. "She's the one!": THAT'S HER.  E.g. Clara Bow, the original IT girl from 1927.
 

10. Not well: ILL.

11. "And make it snappy": NOW.

12. "Huh!": GEE.

15. Some portals: DOORS.  E.g. The DOORS of Perception, the 1954 autobiography by Aldous Huxley, which borrows it's title from a line in poet William Blake's 1793 book The Marriage of Heaven and Hell.  Huxley's book is the namesake for the 60's psychedelic band The Doors, here with their Crystal Ship (lyrics) ...

Shortly before his death from laryngeal cancer, Huxley requested that his wife Laura inject him with LSD, as related in her book This Timeless Moment.    Approximately 6 hours later he died at the age of 69 on  November 22, 1963.  Two other famous people died that day.

19. Lawn tool: RAKE.

21. Cheer syllable: RAH.

24. "I don't believe you!": LIAR.

25. Silicon __: Israel's counterpart to California's Silicon Valley: WADI.  Arabic lesson #2.  The term Silicon WADI is a pun on the similarly named high-tech center of technology in the US. The word "wadi" derives from the Arabic "واد", meaning 'valley'.

27. Opinion survey: POLL.

28. Parched: ARID.

29. Cheese partner: MAC.

32. Where teens are treated like royalty?: PROM COURTS.

34. Richardson of "The Afterparty": SAM.  The Afterparty is an American murder mystery comedy television series created by Christopher Miller that premiered on Apple TV+ on January 28, 2022. In March 2022 the series was renewed for a second season, which is set to premiere on July 12, 2023.  SAM plays the role of Aniq ...

Sam Richardson

36. Academic: MOOT.  See definition number 2.

37. Concerning: AS TO.

38. Bughouse chess, but not classic chess: TEAM GAME.  DNK this game.  Bughouse chess is a popular chess variant played on two chessboards by four players in teams of two. Normal chess rules apply, except that captured pieces on one board are passed on to the teammate on the other board, who then has the option of putting these pieces on their board.

Bughouse Chess

39. Hibernation spot: LAIR.

40. Crave: WANT.

41. Org. with carts and drivers: PGA.

44. Barak of Israel: EHUD.  EHUD Barak (Hebrew: אֵהוּד בָּרָק‎, born Ehud Brog; 12 February 1942) is an Israeli general and politician who served as the tenth prime minister from 1999 to 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011. He previously held the posts of defense minister and deputy prime minister under Ehud Olmert and then in Benjamin Netanyahu's second government from 2007 to 2013.

Ehud Barak

45. "Let us!": CAN WE.

47. __ goal: bit of self-sabotage: OWN.  (in soccer) when a goal is scored inadvertently when the ball is struck into the goal by a player on the defensive team.  Not an EMPTY NET goal, just an ERROR.  Must be embarrassing.

48. iOS personal avatar: MEMOJI.  A portmanteau of ME and EMOJI?

49. Gridiron number: ELEVEN.  The number of people on a football team.

52. European boot?: ITALY.  Così ...

53. Wasn't fresh, in a way: STANK.

55. Fresh: ANEW.

57. Nail polish brand: OPI.

58. Bug: IRK.

59. "We Don't Talk About Bruno" songwriter __-Manuel Miranda: LIN.  It's a catchy tune ...

This song is part of the sound track for the 2021 Disney movie Encanto about the adventures of the Madrigal family who live in Columbia, SA ...

This link can help clarify the meaning of We Don't Talk About Bruno (who can foretell the future)  but I think to understand him and the film completely, you'll have to see it yourself.

60. Connection: TIE.

61. Geological span: EON.


Cheers,
Bill

As always, thanks to Teri for proof reading, for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

Thursday, March 23, 2023, Rebecca Goldstein & Rafael Musa

 Today's veteran constructors Rebecca Goldstein and Rafael Musa (19 & 4 LAT puzzles respectively including today's) present us with another scrambled word game.  Their theme appears at first to be a bit of a downer, so to clear that up right away, let's start with the reveal ...

 62A. "This doesn't feel right," and what can be said about some letters in the answers to the starred clues?: THE VIBES ARE OFF.   This phrase generally connotes that the speaker is sensing BAD VIBES, or an EDGY feeling of unease (e.g. see 69A).  Quite honestly when this reviewer realized this he panicked and started looking around for an antidote.  So to calm everyone down we'll start with some

GOOD VIBES ...

 

... from master vibraphonist Gary Barton leading
a quintet by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla. 

Now that we've relaxed a bit we can see that reveal doesn't really have anything to do with emotional turmoil. On the contrary it simply describes the parsing of four rather innocuous theme clues, each of which has an embedded acronym of the word VIBE spanning two words:

16A. *Players who cover wide receivers: DEFENSIVE BACKS.  The timing of this clue is not so good as Super Bowl LV was a month and half ago.  The big news that day was that Rhianna was the first pregnant woman to headline a half-time show.  Oh and ICYI the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38 to 35. . 

28A. *Film fanatic: MOVIE BUFF.  The news here is not quite as stale, as the Oscars were awarded March 12.  See 14A for more details.

39A. *Black Friday slogan: SAVE BIG.   Mark your calendars, the next Black Friday is Fri, Nov 24, 2023.  It's never too early to start getting in shape for that midnight mad dash ...

50A. *Couple in the honeymoon phase: LOVE BIRDS.  One of our nieces married just this past fall.  She's still in the honeymoon phase.  Our nephew, her brother, married about a year ago.  He's now in the parenting phase.

Here's the grid ...

 

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Acrobat format: PDF.

4. Mumford & Sons instrument: BANJO.  Mumford & Sons is a British folk rock band formed in London in 2007.  Here's their Hopeless Wanderer (lyrics)

9.  ____ school: PREP.

13. Non opposite: OUI.  Today's French lesson.
 
14. Burmese or Lao: ASIAN.  Everything Everywhere All at Once is a 2022 American absurdist comedy-drama film that follows Evelyn Wang, a Chinese-American immigrant who, while being audited by the IRS, discovers that she must connect with parallel universe versions of herself to prevent a powerful being from destroying the multiverse. Michelle Yeoh was the first ASIAN actress to win an OSCAR.

15. Trading floor order: SELL.

16A [Theme clue].

19. Part of a winesap or a wineglass: STEM.  Fruity clue.  STEM is also an acronym for "Science Technology Engineering and Math".  I would add an E to the end as Geeks should learn proper English.

20. Major headache: HASSLE.

21. Actress Shawkat: ALIA.  Alia Martine Shawkat (/ˈæliə ˈʃɔːkæt/ AL-ee-ə SHAW-kat; Arabic: عليا مارتين شوكت; born April 18, 1989) is an American actress. The big news about Alia is that she's not dating Brad Pitt.  OTOH she has been an actress for over 20 years.

Alia Shawkat

24. Pals: AMIGOS.  Today's Spanish lesson.

28A [Theme clue]

33. Uttered: SPOKE.

34. "... because you don't want to cross me": OR ELSE.

35. Burj Khalifa's fed.: UAE.  Here are the 7 federated emirates of  the United Arab Emirates, the largest being Abu Dhabi:  

The United Arab Republic

The Burj Khalifas is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is known for being the world's tallest building with a total height  of 829.8 m (2,722 ft, or just over half a mile).

Burj Khalifas

37. Frog's kid-lit friend: TOAD.  Frog and Toad is a series of easy-reader children's books, written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel.  Each book contains five simple, often humorous, sometimes poignant, short stories chronicling the exploits of an anthropomorphic frog and toad, named Frog and Toad respectively.

38. "You're it!": TAG.

[Theme clue]

42. Go green, say?: DYE.  As TOAD's companion might say "It's not easy bein' green ...".  Here's Van Morrison's cover of the KERMIT classic (lyrics) ...

43. Gay __: ICON.  My two favorite gay ICONS are the English mathematician Alan Turing and the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.   Sadly both of these men took their own lives.  In Turing's case this was doubly sad as he was driven to suicide by people who, due to the Official Secrets Act, were completely unaware of the critical role he played in the breaking of the coding scheme of the Enigma machine used by the Nazis for secure communications during WWII.  In 2021 Great Britain at least partially atoned for this grave injustice by issuing this iconic currency:

On the obverse side of the note is Queen Elizabeth II.

Tchaikovsky is best known for his symphonies, ballets, and operas, but he also wrote songs.  One of his best known songs is based on a poem by the German polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe called None but the Lonely Heart (Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt, literally "Only he who knows longing") and expresses the poet's anguish at unrequited love.  As the song has been covered by many different singers, I'll spare you the German version:

  45. GQ or EW: MAG.  Gentleman's Quarterly and Entertainment Weekly.  As GQ usually doesn't pass the breakfast test, here's what EW is covering as of press time on the Corner  (see also 28A).

46. Pampers product: DIAPER.  I'm sure my nephew has been changing a lot of these lately (see 50A).

48. Chimney ducts: FLUES.  [Usually] rectangular fire clay liners that protect the less heat resistant red brick of the chimney itself.  FLUES also have an additional function in fuel burning downdraft kilns.  They are usually equipped with dampers, which can be partially closed to temporarily reduce the amount of oxygen in the kiln, making possible the classic copper red(Sang de boeuf) and iron green celadon glazes developed by the Chinese over a 1000 years ago.

50. [Theme clue]

52. Plays matchmaker for: SETS UP.  If I recall correctly both sets of Love Birds in 50A above were SET UP.

54. Greek war god: ARES.  The antithesis of EROS, who was undoubtedly involved in the previous comment.

55. 18-Down units: TROOPS.  My grandsons' TROOP is No. 420.

58. Actor Neeson: LIAM. William John Neeson OBE (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed 7th on The Irish Times list of Ireland's 50 Greatest Film Actors. Neeson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2000.

Liam Neeson

62. [Reveal clue]

66. Intense anger: RAGE.

67. Birthplace of the violin: ITALY.  Cremona, ITALY to be exact.  Antonio Stradivari's teacher, Andrea Amati is credited with inventing the modern violin and thus making this possible far in the future: Baltimorean Hilary Hahn performing the 1st movement cadenza to the Beethoven Violin Concerto:

68. Darjeeling, for one: TEA.

69. Neither calm nor collected: EDGY.  Someone whose VIBES ARE OFF.

70. Like some foggy nights: EERIE. 

71. Cribside chorus: AWS.  I think our new great nephew (see 50A above) has been getting a lot of these lately.

Down:

1. Vanilla units: PODS.  Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (V. planifolia).  We use vanilla extract in baking, but you can also scrape the seeds from the pods:

Vanilla Pods

2. Piece for two: DUET.  The "Flower Duet" for soprano and mezzo-soprano in the first act of Léo Delibes' opera Lakmé is sung by the characters Lakmé, daughter of a Brahmin priest, and her servant Mallika, as they go to gather flowers by a river.  You'll probably recognize it:

3. Marching band pipe: FIFE.  Fifers were non-combatant foot soldiers who originally played the FIFE during combat. When played in its upper register, the fife is loud and piercing, yet also extremely small and portable. According to some reports, a band of fifes and drums can be heard up to 3 miles (4.8 km) away over artillery fire. Because of these qualities, European armies from the Renaissance on found it useful for signaling on the battlefield ... (click Watch on YouTube below to get this started [I thought Google owned both Blogger and YouTube!?]).

4. Block: BAN.

5. Donkey: ASS.

6. Hawaiian island whose population was 84 in the 2020 census: NIIHAU.  Niʻihau (you get extra points if you included the apostrophe), anglicized as Niihau (/ˈniː(i)haʊ/ NEE-(ee-)how), is the westernmost main and seventh largest inhabited island in Hawaii.

7. Cup of joe: JAVA.  Here's why some people call coffee a "cup of Joe";  here's why it's also called JAVA;  and here's why the programming language is called JAVA.

8. Snack machine inserts: ONES.

9. Old Testament collection: PSALMS.  In the Christian Old Testament and Hebrew Bible the PSALMS are a collection of 150 sacred songs and poems meant to be sung or recited.  Tradition has it that many of them were written by King David, who was reputed to be a harpist and quite a dancer in his day.  They are used extensively in the liturgies of both Christians and Jews.  They are also the primary prayers in the 4 week Psalter of Catholic Divine Office, which is prayed by priests, religious, and laity around the world throughout each day.

King David Playing the Harp
by Gerard van Honthorst

10. Lengthy register printout from CVS: RECEIPT.

11. Mammals also known as wapiti: ELK.  The ELK (Cervus canadensis), or wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia.

Bull Elk
in Alberta, Canada

12. Letters from a polite texter: PLS.  And the polite response is THX.

17. Message in Outlook: EMAIL.  Hand up if you still use this?

18. Org. with sashes and badges: BSA.  Boy Scouts of America.  If you (or more likely your Mom) sew enough badges on those sashes you become an Eagle Scout.  *Hand up if you are an Eagle Scout?  I never reached the rank, but two of my grandsons have.  This medal is actually pinned to the uniform, not the sash ...

22. On sale, say: LESS.

23. Pronoun-shaped girder: I BEAM.  Now even girders have pronouns.  What's next?

25. Favorable optics, for short: GOOD PR.  Or even poor optic if your PR person is a good enough spinner.

26. Approved: OKAYED.

27. Passover rituals: SEDERS.  Passover will be here soon.  What is it and how is it celebrated?

28. Recurring themes: MOTIFS.

29. Soothsayer: ORACLE.  Pythia (/ˈpɪθiə/; Ancient Greek: Πυθία [pyːˈtʰíaː]) was the name of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.  She specifically served as its oracle and was known as the Oracle of Delphi.  Also a company owned by Larry Ellison who also owns Lanai, the seventh largest Hawaiian island (see also 6D):

30. Ride the couch: VEG OUT.

31. Fire, in Spanish: FUEGO.   A lot of us know this Spanish word from our high school geography, as the Southern tip of Argentina was called Tierra del Fuego (the "Land of Fire"), by the explorer Ferdinand Magellan, due to the bonfires kept lit on the shore by the indigenous people.  Since he was actually Portuguese, I wonder why he didn't call it  Terra de Fogo.

32. British Invasion adjective: FAB.  As in the FAB FOUR.

36. Arctic Circle duck: EIDER.  Eiders are large sea ducks in the genus Somateria. The three extant species all breed in the cooler latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The down feathers of eider ducks, and some other ducks and geese, are used to fill pillows and quilts—they have given the name to the type of quilt known as an eiderdown.

Eider Duck

40. 2021 documentary about actor Kilmer: VAL.  Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer found fame after appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! (1984) and Real Genius (1985), as well as the military action film Top Gun (1986),  The Doors (1991) and the fantasy film Batman Forever (1995). Here's a clip from his bio-pic ...

41. Taunt: GIBE.

44. Funds for a rainy day: NEST EGG.  IRA was too short.  The ducks in 36A produce NEST EGGS about once a year, regardless of the weather.

47. Market section: AISLE.

49. Introductory course: SURVEY.

51. Jane Fonda's alma mater: VASSAR.  Vassar College (/ˈvæsər/ VASS-ər) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely following Elmira College. It became coeducational in 1969 and now has a gender ratio at the national average. The college is one of the historic Seven Sisters, the first elite women's colleges in the U.S., and has a historic relationship with Yale University, which suggested a merger before they both became coeducational.

53. Starchy luau dish: POI.

56. Award related to a Tony: OBIE. A made up homophone for the letters OB, short for Off Broadway musicals. Here are the winners for the 66th Annual OBIE Awards held on February 13, 2023.  Years back we saw The Fantasticks, which holds the record for the longest running Off Broadway show.  You'll probably remember this song ...

57. Slugger Alonso nicknamed "Polar Bear": PETE.  Plays 1st Base for the NY Mets.  A right handed batter he made his MLB debut during the 2019 season and broke the major league record for the most home runs by a rookie with 53.  He's age 28, 6'3" and weighs 245 pounds.  Here are his stats.

Pete Alonso

59. Whit: IOTA.

60. Not many: A FEW.

61. Degs. for ballerinas: MFAS.  Master of Fine Arts.  You can get one here.  Many operas have ballet scenes (they're required in French operas).  We've seen only one full-length ballet and decided that they're too expensive and too addictive.

62. Uno e uno e uno: TRE.  Today's Italian lesson: THREE.  Sorry, no OPERA today.

63. "I've been __!": HAD.

64. "Moonlight" Oscar winner Mahershala: ALI.  Moonlight is a 2016 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Barry Jenkins, based on Tarell Alvin McCraney's unpublished semi-autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. The film stars Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome, Naomie Harris, and Mahershala Ali.  Here's the trailer:

65. Manhattan liquor: RYE.

*"Once an Eagle Scout, always an Eagle Scout!"

Cheers,
Bill

As always, thanks to Teri for proof reading, for her constructive criticism.

 

waseeley