The Main Squeeze. The answer to each theme clue is something that can be squeezed.
18-Across. Iced tea garnish: LEMON WEDGE.
23-Across. Art class staple with a bovine logo: ELMER'S GLUE. So why the bovine logo? Well, Elmer's Glue first came onto the scene in the late 1940s by the Bordon Company, which was dairy company. Well, when you consider that the first formula of the glue was casein, a protein in milk, it makes sense that the dairy company developed and sold glue.
52-Across. Handheld tension reliever: STRESS BALL.
58-Across. Bathtime floater: RUBBER DUCK.
37-Across. Coerce, or what can be done to 18-, 23-, 52-, and 58-Across: PUT THE SQUEEZE ON.
There is a juice bar near me called The Big Squeezy, a pun on The Big Easy, one of the nicknames of New Orleans. I have never been there, so can't attest to their cold-pressed (squeezed) juices.
Across:
1. Mount Etna outflow: LAVA. This volcano on Sicily frequently erupts.
5. Some Dropbox files, informally: DOCs. As in Documents.
9. After-dinner coffee choice: DECAF.
14. Atop: UPON. Once UPON a time ... // And 66-Across. "... and they all lived happily __ after": EVER.
15. Whack, as a fly: SWAT.
16. Express a view: OPINE.
17. Jell-O shaper: MOLD.
20. Book jacket summary: BLURB.
22. Classical form of poetry: EPODE.
26. Clean air org.: EPA. As in the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA is the AQI monitor (See 5-Down in last Friday's puzzle). The EPA was formally created 54 years ago this month.
29. Fish eggs: ROE.
30. Soccer match chant: OLÉ. A crossword staple.
31. Trudged: PLODDED. You can PLOD through the Presidents and learn lots of interesting facts about American presidents in this podcast.
34. Vodka brand, for short: STOLI. It's formal name is Stolichnaya.
36. Bump in the night, e.g.: NOISE.
42. Japanese cartoon genre: ANIME.
43. Flair: STYLE.
44. "That's a lie!": NOT TRUE!
47. Once named: NEÉ. Today's French lesson. The French née is the feminine past participle of naitre, "to be born." Né is the masculine version of the word.
48. Place to luxuriate: SPA.
51. That, in Toledo: ESO. Toledo, Spain, not Toledo, Ohio. Don Quixote began his travels in Toledo.
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| Picasso's interpretation of Don Quixote. |
55. Magazine edition: ISSUE. Many magazines have both print and on-line versions of their issues.
57. Leafy starter: SALAD. We had many tasty SALADs featured in a puzzle last week.
63. Cry from a forgetful performer: LINE.
64. Shake hands (on): AGREE.
65. Actor Morales: ESAI. Esai Manuel Morales Jr. (b. Oct. 1, 1962) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.
67. "__ for dinner?": WHAT'S.
68. Email button: SEND.
69. "Phooey!": RATS.
Down:
1. Wood planks: LUMBER.
2. Moon program of the 1960s and 1970s: APOLLO.
3. Remote control adjustment: VOLUME.
4. Braugher of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine": ANDRE. Andre Braugher (né Andre Keith Braugher; July 1, 1962 ~ Dec. 11, 2023) also portrayed Detective Frank Pembleton on the Homicide: Life on the Street, which aired in the 1990. That drama series was a far cry from his portrayal as Captain Raymond Holt in the police comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Sadly, Braugher died a year ago of lung cancer at age 61.
5. Broadband initials: DSL. As in Digital Subscriber Line.
6. Run a tab: OWE.
7. Desert beast: CAMEL.
8. Clog: STOP UP.
9. Pulitzer-winning columnist Maureen: DOWD. Maureen Dowd (née Maureen Brigid Dowd; b. Jan. 14, 1952) is an opinion columnist for the New York Times.
10. Fencing sword: ÉPÉE. Another crossword staple.
11. Legendary Spanish knight El __: CID. Everything you wanted to know about El Cid but never thought to ask.
12. Director Lee: ANG. Ang Lee (b. Oct. 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. The 1994 film, Eat Drink Man Woman, was the first Ang Lee film I saw.
13. Broker's charge: FEE.
19. Christmas carol: NOEL. 'Tis the Season.
21. Epson competitor: BROTHER. Both are companies that manufacture printers.
24. Plumlike fruit: SLOE.
25. Comes together well: GELS.
26. Actress Falco: EDIE. Edie Falco (née Edith Falco; b. July 5, 1963) is probably best known for portraying Carmela Soprano on the Sopranos.
27. Colombian currency: PESO. Did you know that there are 8 countries that use the Peso as their monetary unit? *
28. Yemen coastal city: ADEN. We visit this city often in the puzzles.
32. Almost as many: ONE LESS.
33. Catch some z's: DOZE.
34. Acct. summary: STMT. As in Statement. I am not sure I have ever seen this abbreviation before.
35. Brainpower nos.: IQs. As in Intelligence Quotient.
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| The sign on the door says "Pull to Open." |
37. Window section: PANE.
38. Deep-dish pizza chain, informally: UNO'S. Yummers! We ate at the original Uno's restaurant when we were in Chicago last summer.
39. Mambo legend Puente: TITO. His full name was Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (Apr. 20, 1923 ~ June 1, 2000). He was also known as “El Rey de los Timbales, ” or “The King of the Timbales."
40. Alternative magazine name: UTNE. Its issues (55-Across) are now all online.
41. Peepers: EYES.
45. Letters on outdated maps: USSR. In Russian, "USSR" is written as "СССР" which is an abbreviation for "Союз Советских Социалистических Республик" (Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik), meaning "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" in English.
46. Many Chopin piano pieces: ÉTUDES. More of today's French lesson.
48. Mouth moistener: SALIVA.
49. Mars or Mercury: PLANET. Alternatively, a candy and a car.
50. Birch family trees: ALDERS. Alders are trees and shrubs in the birch family and are native to the north temperate zone and some parts of Central America and the Andes. They are known for their distinctive woody fruiting bodies that look like small, brown pinecones.
53. Find a new purpose for: REUSE.
54. Hay bundle maker: BALER.
55. "Yeah, sure!": I BET.
56. Observes: SEES.
58. Uncooked: RAW.
59. "Yuck!": UGH.
60. Bali garment: BRA. Nice misdirection. Bali is a company that makes lingerie.
61. Soup holder: CAN.
62. Jest: KID.
Here's the Grid:
* The countries that use the Peso are: Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, the Philippines, and Uruguay.
חתולה
I will be taking a brief travel hiatus. Happy Chanukkah and Merry Christmas. This year the two holidays converge. I wish you all a Happy New Year and will "see" you in 2025.
