You Can Ring My Bell.
18-Across. Debt security sold to raise funds for World War I: LIBERTY BOND. // Liberty Bell.
23-Across. Unexpected and undeserved fortune: DUMB LUCK. // Dumb Bell.
51-Across. Singer dubbed the "Mother of the Blues": MA RAINEY. / Ma Bell. Ma Bell was the name for the Bell System, a telecommunications monopoly led by AT&T. It provided telephone service in North America for about 100 years. It was the "mother" [Ma] company that provided all telephone services Alexander Graham Bell (Mar. 3, 1847 ~ Aug. 2, 1922) is credited with inventing the telephone, hence, the Bell. The monopoly was ultimately broken up by a federal court antitrust case in 1984.
A brief bio of Ma Rainey. She was an African-American from Georgia and has been called the Mother of the Blues. Sadly, she died at the young age of 53 of heart disease.
56-Across. Weekly promotion in some Tex-Mex restaurants: TACO TUESDAY. // Taco Bell.
And the Unifier:
36-Across. Start of the stock exchange trading day, or a feature of 18-, 23-, 51-, and 56-Across: OPENING BELL. Each theme answer Opens with a Bell.
Across:
1. Twosome: DUO.
4. Long-tailed parrot: MACAW. They are beautiful birds.
9. Pitch, as a tent: PUT UP.
14. Mork's planet: ORK. Mork and Mindy was a sit-com from the late 1970s-early 1980s. Mork, an alien from the planet Ork on a mission to Earth to study human behavior. He met up with Mindyr, travels to 1970s Boulder, Colo., where he meets up with Mindy, a young journalism graduate. Mork was portrayed by Robin Williams (July 21, 1951 ~ Aug. 11, 2014) and Mindy was played by Pam Dawber (b. Oct. 18, 1951).
15. "Yay for me!": I RULE!
16. "When the moon hits your eye" condition: AMORE. Today's Latin lesson.
17. Soda can opener: TAB. Also the name of a discontinued soda. Tab was introduced in 1963 and was the Coca-Cola's first diet drink. It was discontinued in 2020.
20. "Orinoco Flow" singer: ENYA. The given name of this Irish singer and composer is Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (b. May 17, 1961). No wonder she goes by Enya.
22. Glacier-forming periods: ICE AGES.
 |
| If you go to hockey games, you will understand this cartoon. |
26. Airport surface: TARMAC. The history of the word Tarmac.
29. Essential login info: USER ID.
30. Ray gun sound: ZAP.
31. iPad program: APP.
32. Perfect place: UTOPIA. Also the title of a 1516 book of fiction and political satire by Sir Thomas More (Feb. 17, 1478 ~ July 6, 1535). The book is a frame narrative primarily depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social and political customs. It was before my time.
35. Earnest entreaty: PLEA.
39. Abundant supply: GLUT.
41. Little house, in Spanish: CASITA. Today's Spanish Lesson
42. "I'd rather __": NOT.
43. Tiny ammo: BBs.
45. Apply a cipher to: ENCODE.
49. Unit of coffee: CUPFUL.
53. Greek goddess of the hunt: ARTEMIS. Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and the twin sister of Apollo. Because she is the huntress, she is often depicted with a bow and arrow, accompanied by hunting dogs. As a virgin goddess, she protects young unmarried women and is also associated with childbirth, forests, wild animals, and archery.
55. Bunco trio: DICE. I am not familiar with this game, but apparently it is played with 3 die.
60. Fla. NBA team: ORL. As in the Orlando Magic.
61. Any ABBA member: SWEDE.
62. Made off with: STOLE.
63. Previously named: NÉE. This French word is becoming a crossword staple.
64. Mexican bucks: PESOS. As of this writing, 1 Mexican Peso is worth 0.054 Dollars. Or another way, $1 is worth 18.47 Pesos.
65. From Nepal, e.g.: ASIAN.
66. The best is __ to come: YET.
Down:
1. End of a school email address: DOT EDU.
2. Planet between Saturn and Neptune: URANUS. William Herschel (né Frederick William Herschel; Nov. 15, 1738 ~ Aug. 25, 1822) discovered the planet in 1781, which he wanted to call Georgium Sidus, which means George's Star in honor of George III, King of England (June 4, 1738 ~ Jan. 29, 1820). Other astronomer, however, had other ideas and they won out. So how did Uranus get its name, which becomes name official in 1850.
3. "I'm fine with that": OK BY ME.
4. The Brewers, in box scores: MIL. As in the Milwaukee Brewers.
5. Former NPR host Shapiro: ARI. Ari Michael Shapiro (b. Sept. 20, 1978) is a radio journalist. He had been one of the hosts of All Things Considered. He left NPR in September of this year.
6. Three-dimensional: CUBIC.
7. Smart __: ALECK.
8. "Now __ talking!": WE'RE.
9. Wage inequality: PAY GAP. Yup, it's real.
10. Natural pigment darker than ocher: UMBER.
11. Like shoes that cause blisters, perhaps: TOO SMALL.
12. Ornate flowerpot: URN.
13. Thin sock worn to try on shoes: PED.
19. The "TT" of TTFN: TATA. Textspeak for TaTa For Now.
21. Sudden: ABRUPT.
24. Low-calorie, in ads: LITE.
25. Japanese soup noodle: UDON. These tasty noodles appear often in the puzzles.
27. Mimic: APE.
28. Tax prep pro: CPA. As in a Certified Public Accountant.
30. Zigs and __: ZAGS.
33. "__ or it didn't happen!": PICS. That used to be true, but now ...
34. Cookbook writer Garten: INA. Ina Rosenberg Garten (b. Feb. 2, 1948) is known as the Barefoot Contessa.
35. Serene: PLACID.
36. Runs faster than: OUTPACES.
37. Order in a German pub: BIER. Today's German lesson.
38. Active Sicilian volcano: ETNA. This Sicilian volcano makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzle.
39. Chain known for health products: GNC. Formerly known as General Nutrition Centers.
40. Bud's bud in comedy: LOU. Abbott and Costello were an American comedy team composed of comedians Bud Abbott (né William Alexander Abbott; Oct. 2, 1895 ~ Apr. 24, 1974) and Lou Costello (né Louis Francis Cristillo; Mar. 6, 1906 ~ Mar. 3, 1959).
43. Narrow flat-topped hills: BUTTES. // And 54-Down. Wide flat-topped hill: MESA.
44. "Sacré __!": BLEU. More of today's French lesson.
46. Like some pungent dips: ONIONY.
47. Official directive: DECREE.
48. Doily loop: EYELET.
50. Hobbit who travels to Mount Doom: FRODO.
51. Waters gently, as a houseplant: MISTS.
52. "Same here," formally: AS DO I.
56. Recipe amt.: TSP. As in a Teaspoon.
57. Feeling of wonder: AWE.
58. __ mode: À LA. More of today's French lesson.
59. Urge: YEN. Also Japanese currency.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!
Notes from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to Picard (Robert), who visited Splynter last June. Picard and his wife have also met with MM and his girlfriend Valerie a few years ago.
