I Spy with My Little Eye. Each theme answer is a two-word phrase and each word begins or Opens with the letter "I", hence each phrase is an "EYE" Opener.
17-Across. * Scoop: INSIDE INFO.
23-Across. * One in a chain west of mainland Greece: IONIAN ISLAND.
35-Across. * "I like the way you think": INTERESTING IDEA.
50-Across. * Medium for a junior coder: INVISIBLE INK.
And the unifier:
59-Acrpss. Startling revelations, or what the answers to the starred clues have, phonetically: EYE OPENERS.
Across:
1. Pop star Lady __: GAGA. Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (b. Mar. 28, 1986), is said to have taken her stage name, Lady Gaga, from the Queen song Radio Ga Ga. [Name # 1.]
5. Picture puzzle: REBUS. A rebus is a puzzle device that combines the use of illustrated pictures with individual letters to depict words or phrases.
10. Ooze: SEEP.
14. Travel without a destination: ROAM.
15. Ivy in Philly: U PENN. A brief history of the University of Pennsylvania.
16. 24/7 cash devices: ATMs.
19. Perlman who played Barbie's creator in 2023: RHEA. Rhea Jo Perlman (b. Mar. 31, 1948) is probably best known for playing Carla Tortelli on the sit-com Cheers. [Name # 2.]
20. "Loving" actress Ruth: NEGGA. Ruth Negga (b. May 4, 1981) is an Irish-Ethiopian actress best known for her portrayal of Mildred Loving in the 2016 movie, Loving. The movie was based on the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, who were the plaintiffs in the Supreme Court Case of Loving v. Virginia. They had been criminally charged with an interracial marriage, which was illegal in Virginia. Their surname was so appropriate for such a suit. [Name # 3.]
21. Argentine aunt: TIA. Today's Spanish lesson.
22. Meager: SCANT.
26. Alias indicator: AKA. Also Known As.
28. Concert device: AMP.
29. Upcycles, say: REUSES. Merriam-Webster defines Upcycles as: "to recycle (something) in such a way that the resulting product is of a higher value than the original item : to create an object of greater value from (a discarded object of lesser value)".
30. Gentle suggestion: HINT.
32. __ Beta Kappa: PHI. The Phi Beta Kappa Society is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded at the College of William & Mary in Virginia, in December 1776.
34. Tonsils-checking doc: ENT. Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor.
41. Sonny: LAD.
42. My Chemical Romance genre: EMO. My Chemical Romance is a rock band.
43. Actor Weathers: CARL. Carl Weathers (Jan. 14, 1948 ~ Feb. 2, 2024) is probably best known for his role as Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise. He died earlier this year. [Name # 4.]
44. Transferred, as property: DEEDED.
47. Ga. capital: ATL. Atlanta is the capital of Georgia.
49. Sewer scurrier: RAT.
53. Cookout spot: PATIO.
54. Third key in a reboot sequence: DEL. // And 40-Down. Second key in a reboot sequence: ALT. When the combination of Ctrl+Alt+Del are pressed together, it is a computer keyboard command. The function of the key combination generally interrupts or facilitates interrupting a function. The choice of the three keys was deliberate, so it is not something that one would do accidentally.
55. Not exactly, casually: KINDA.
58. Yale students: ELIs. This is becoming a crossword staple.
61. Zipped along: TORE.
62. Large water lily: LOTUS.
63. Morales of "NYPD Blue": ESAI. Esai Manuel Morales (b. Oct. 1, 1962) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles. Today is his 62nd birthday. [Name # 5.]
64. Got wiser, hopefully: AGED.
65. Stubbornly old-fashioned: FUSTY. And an Old-Fashioned word and one I will probably never use.
66. Retired fast fliers: Abbr.: SSTs. As in SuperSonic Transport airliner.
Down:
1. Smile: GRIN.
2. First-class: A-ONE.
3. Planet largely composed of helium and hydrogen: GAS GIANT. There four gas giants in our solar system: Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, and Jupiter.
4. Chum: AMIGO. More of today's Spanish lesson.
5. Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders in the __ Morgue": RUE. The Murders in the Rue Morgue is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe (Jan. 19, 1809 ~ Oct. 7, 1849) and was first published in 1841. The story is widely considered to be the first modern detective story. The story takes place in Paris, France and is about C. Auguste Dupin who solves the mystery of the brutal murder of two women.
6. Finish lines?: EPITAPHS. Cute clue. Some famous or infamous last words.
7. Country formally known as Dahomey: BENIN. Hand up if you recognized either of these country names. Benin is a French-speaking in West Africa. It is said to be the birthplace of the voodoo religion. It was known as the Dahomey Kingdom from 1600–1900.
8. Biased: UNFAIR.
9. __-cone: SNO.
10. Cutting, as some remarks: SARCASTIC.
11. Odorless gas: ETHANE. Ethane is structurally the simplest hydrocarbon that contains a single carbon–carbon bond.
12. Corrects: EMENDS.
13. Prep exam with a high score of 1520: PSAT. A crossword staple. Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test.
18. "SNL" alum Carvey: DANA. Dana Thomas Carvey (b. June 2, 1955) was on Saturday Night Live from 1968 to 1993. He created The Church Lady. [Name # 6.]
22. Hurled: SLUNG.
24. Blocks: IMPEDES.
25. [More details below]: SEE NOTE.
26. Yellowfin tuna: AHI. Yummers!
27. Kith and __: KIN. This expression dates from the 1300s and originally meant “countrymen” ( kith meant “one's native land”) and “family members.”
31. On the air: TELEVISED.
33. Suburban suffix: -ITE. As in a Suburbanite, a person who lives in a city.
36. Music source in a car: RADIO.
37. "Just sold my last one": I'M ALL OUT!
38. Lack of light: DARKNESS.
39. Time period: ERA.
44. __ box: interactive window: DIALOG.
45. Complete: ENTIRE.
46. Skeptical question, perhaps: DID YOU?
48. Show appreciation, on Facebook: LIKE.
51. Borscht need: BEETS. Borscht is a soup made with red beetroots as one of the main ingredients. It's actually quite delicious.
52. Dressed to the __: NINES. What is the origin of this expression?
53. Activist org. with a rabbit in its logo: PETA. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
56. "Curses!": DRAT.
57. eBay caveat: AS IS.
59. Will Ferrell holiday film: ELF. [Name # 7.]
60. Therapist's maj.: PSY. As in Psychology. Not to be confused with the singer Psy who appeared in the puzzle a couple of weeks ago.
Here's the Grid:
I hope that any of you who were impacted by Hurricane Helene are safe and didn't suffer a lot of damage. That storm was much more damaging than originally anticipated.
