Dropping Your Change. The circles, when read from bottom to top, a spell out a foreign coin
that is "flipped".
3-Down. Fix for distressed genes?: DNA REPAIR. Rand. The Rand is the currency of South Africa. As of
this week, 1 Rand = $0.054 Dollars / $1.00 = 18.68 Rands.
7-Down. Carrier that makes short hops: REGIONAL AIRLINE. Rial. The Rial is the currency of Iran. As of
this week, 1 Rial = $0.000024 / $1.00 = 42,040.00 Rials.
9-Down. Source of information for vacation planners: TRAVEL BUREAU. Ruble. The Ruble is the currency of Russia. As of this
week, 1 Ruble = $0.011 / $1.00 = 90.95 Rubles.
21-Down. Reaction to a chill or a fright, to Brits: GOOSE PIMPLES. On this side of the pond, the expression would be Goose Bumps.
Peso. Several countries use the Peso as currency, including, but
not limited to, Argentina, Columbia, Cuba, and Mexico. For comparison,
I will use our closest neighbor, Mexico: As of this week, 1 Mexican
Peso = $0.060 / $1.00 = 16.80 Pesos.
35-Down. Decide by calling heads or tails, and an apt title for this
puzzle: FLIP A COIN.
Across:
1. Spots for pillow talk: BEDS. // And 55-Across.
"Sweet dreams!": SLEEP WELL.
5. 43,560 square feet: ACRE.
9. British streetcars: TRAMS.
14. Forearm bone: ULNA.
15. Agonize (over): FRET.
16. Morocco's capital: RABAT.
17. Din: ROAR.
18. Like takeout food: TO GO.
19. Love, in Italian: AMORE. Today's Italian lesson
20. Bit of rosemary: SPRIG.
22. Temperature-controlled storage for bottles: WINE VAULT.
24. Shirt that may have a V-neck: TEE.
25. Nabisco brand: OREO. A crossword staple. //
And 30-Across. Nabisco brand: NILLA.
27. Caused: LED TO.
28. Cunning scheme: PLOY.
32. Sentence part with a subject and a predicate: CLAUSE.
Did you have to diagram sentences when you were in high school?
34. Many an Omani: ARAB. The Sultanate of Oman is a country
on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.
35. Vaccine-approving org.: FDA. As in the Food and Drug Administration.
38. Trusting to a fault: NAIVE.
39. Sort: ILK.
40. Like some monuments at night: UPLIT.
42. Listener-supported news source: NPR. National Public Radio.
43. Dad: PAPA. We saw Ain't Too Proud recently, which is a musical about The Temptations.
Papa Was a Rollin' Stone.
45. Confident poker declaration: I RAISE.
46. Red Sea peninsula: SINAI.
47. Fill-in worker: TEMP.
48. "__ and Punishment": CRIME. Did you know that Crime and Punishment, an 1866 novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky (November 11, 1821 ~ Feb. 9, 1881)
was initially published in a Russian literary journal in 12 monthly
installments? I read this book in high school.
50. Alabama-born activist Parks: ROSA. When she died, Rosa
Parks (née Rosa Louise McCauley; Feb. 4, 1913 ~ Oct. 24, 2005) lay in honor in
the Rotunda of the Capitol. She was the first woman and second
African-American to receive that honor. A bronze sculpture depicting the
Rosa Park can be found in the United States Capitol's National Statuary
Hall.
52. Kerfuffle: ADO.
57. Open, as toothpaste: UNCAP.
59. Gem from an oyster: PEARL.
60. Kristen of "Bridesmaids": WIIG. Kristen Carroll Wiig (b.
Aug. 22, 1973) was on Saturday Night Live for many years.
62. Move like sap: OOZE.
63. Close-knit group: CADRE.
64. Jealous feeling: ENVY.
65. Neck and neck: TIED.
66. Districts: AREAS.
67. "We __ to be at an impasse": SEEM.
68. Puts the kibosh on: ENDS.
Down:
1. Fly into pieces: BURST.
2. Get hitched in a hurry: ELOPE.
4. Draped garment in Hindi films: SARI.
5. Toward the rudder: AFT.
6. "Jerry Maguire" director Cameron: CROWE. "You had me at
Hello." This Cameron Crowe (né Cameron Bruce Crowe; b. July 13, 1957)
movie was first released in 1996. Cameron Crowe's first film was the
1982 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High when he was still in
his 20s.
8. Elite British boarding school: ETON. Prince William (b.
June 21, 1982) and Eddy Redmayne (né Edward John David Redmayne; b. Jan. 6,
1982) were classmates at Eton.
10. Best Western rival: RAMADA. Both are hotel chains.
11. Approximately: ABOUT.
12. "The Wire" drug lord Stanfield: MARLO. Marlo Stanfield
is a fictional character, portrayed by Jamie Hector (b. Oct. 7, 1975) on the
HBO series The Wire.
13. Editor's "Actually, don't cut that": STET.
23. Fitzgerald of jazz: ELLA. We haven't seen Ella
Fitzgerald (née Ella Jane Fitzgerald; Apr. 25, 1917 ~ June 15, 1996) on a
Tuesday in quite some time. She is a frequent guest in the puzzles.
26. Pastrami on __: RYE.
29. Hon: LUV.
31. Nettle: IRK. A crossword staple
32. "Erin Burnett OutFront" channel: CNN.
33. Friendly cat's spot: LAP.
36. Bad-mouth: DIS.
37. Devoured: ATE.
39. Hoppy brew, briefly: IPA. India Pale Ale. Everything you wanted to know about India Pale Ale but didn't know to ask.
41. Cooking spray brand: PAM. It comes in lots of flavors.
44. Again: ANEW.
45. "__ Always Sunny in Philadelphia": IT'S. It's Always
Sunny in Philadelphia is a comedy series that follows a group of misfit,
narcissistic sociopaths, referred to as "The Gang", who runs a meager,
unsuccessful Irish bar called Paddy's Pub in the neighborhood of South
Philadelphia.
46. Word before Leone or Madre: SIERRA.
48. "Understood?": CLEAR.
49. Duane __: New York drugstore chain: READE. I learned
about the Duane Reade drugstore chain from doing the crossword puzzles.
51. Mediterranean oil source: OLIVE.
53. In a mental fog: DAZED.
54. Newspaper pundit pieces: OP-EDs. The term Op-Ed means
Opposite the Editorial Page.
55. Pet adoption org.: SPCA. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Vowel Progression. Each theme answer is a two word name or phrase with the first
letter is anF, the third letter is anNand the vowel in-between runs fromAtoU.
17-Across. Oscar-nominated writer of "Fried Green Tomatoes": FANNIE FLAGG. Fannie Flagg (née Patricia Neal; b. Sept. 21, 1944) wrote the
novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe in 1987.
She later adapted the book in to the 1991 movie. [Name # 1]
24-Across. Herbal brew with a licorice flavor: FENNEL TEA. Fennel Tea really is a thing.
37-Across. Physical therapy that targets hand pain: FINGER EXERCISES.
51-Across. Container with melted cheese: FONDUE POT. Yummers!
62-Across. Button needed in some macros: FUNCTION KEY.
What other FUN is in store today?
Across:
1. Nail polish layer: COAT.
If you've ever tried glitter nail polish, you can
relate.
5. Bicycle for two: TANDEM.
11. Texter's "I think": IMO. Textspeak for In My Opinion.
14. "Yeah, doubtful": UH, NO!
15. "Act your age!": GROW UP!
16. Go on the __: skip town: LAM.
19. Perjure oneself: LIE.
20. Thrifty: FRUGAL.
21. Actor Sheridan: TYE. I am not familiar with this actor,
but apparently he was in the X-Men series of films.
[Name # 2.]
Tye Kayle Sheridan (b. Nov. 11, 1996)
22. Fireworks show sound: BANG!
23. Nostalgic sch. visitor, perhaps: ALUM. Alumni is the
plural; Alumnus is the masculine singular and Alumna is the feminine singular.
If there are only a group of women former students, then the plural is
Alumnae.
26. Spanish "this": ESTA. Today's Spanish lesson.
28. Stranger than strange: EERIE.
29. D'backs, in box scores: ARI. The Arizona Diamondbacks
play professional baseball and are based in Phoenix, Arizona.
32. Pseudonym letters: AKA. Also Known As.
34. Totally silly: INANE.
42. Puzzle genre: LOGIC.
43. __ de cologne: EAU. // Which intersects with
33-Down: Body spray brand: AXE.
44. Female sheep: EWE.
45. Some British peers: EARLS.
48. Cause of a bad air day: SMOG. Cute and punny clue.
54. "Well, fudge": RATS.
57. Diva's solo: ARIA.
58. Card game cry: GIN. More than you ever wanted to know
about Gin.
59. Is worthy of: MERITS.
61. Prefix with diversity: BIO. As in Biodiversity, which is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a
measure of variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level.
64. Gymnast Mary __ Retton: LOU. Mary Lou Retton (b. Jan.
24, 1968) was the star of the 1984 Summer Olympics where she won a gold medal
in the individual all-around competition, as well as two silver medals and two
bronze medals. [Name # 3.]
65. Folded egg dish: OMELET.
66. Makes do, with "out": EKES.
67. USCG rank: ENS. One of the ranks of the United States Coast Guard is the Ensign.
68. Hold a grudge against: RESENT.
69. Paying close attention: RAPT.
Down:
1. Shirt sleeve's end: CUFF.
2. "A Mighty Wind" actress Catherine: O'HARA. // And
9-Down. "A Mighty Wind" actor Levy: EUGENE. A Mighty Wind was a 2003 mocudocumentary about three eclectic, never-quite-famous
folk bands that came together for the first time in decades following the
death of their manager to put on an reunion concert in his honor.
Catherine O'Hara (née Catherine Anne O'Hara; b. Mar. 4, 1954) and Eugene
Levy (b. Dec. 17, 1946) are hilarious in any film they are in together.
Catherine O'Hara celebrated her 70th birthday yesterday. [Names #
4 and 5.]
3. Render invalid: ANNUL.
4. __-in-cheek: TONGUE.
5. Anti-dandruff shampoo by Neutrogena: T-GEL.
6. Dog kennel sound: ARF.
7. Nick of "48 Hrs.": NOLTE. Nick Nolte (né Nicholas King
Nolte; b. Feb. 8, 1941) has starred in a number of films. 48 Hrs. was first released over 40 years ago! [Name # 6.]
8. Actor Johnson known as "The Rock": DWAYNE. His given name
is Dwayne Douglas Johnson (b May 2, 1972). He, too has starred in a
number of movies. [Name # 7.]
10. Fuel economy meas.: MPG. As in Miles Per Gallon.
11. Uncomfortable: ILL A TEASE.
12. Acadia National Park state: MAINE. My home state.
Thunder Hole at Acadia National Park
13. __-3 fatty acid: OMEGA.
18. Proactive Health dog food maker: IAMS. The company also
makes food for cats and other critters.
22. Russian pancakes: BLINI. Yummers! Everything you
wanted to know about Blinis but didn't know to ask.
24. Phony: FAKE.
25. "The Other Black Girl" actor McCormack: ERIC. Eric James
McCormick (b. Apr. 18, 1963) is a Canadian-American actor. He is
probably best recognized for his role in the television sit-com Will & Grace. [Name # 8.]
27. La Brea __ Pits: TAR.
29. CIO partner: AFL. The American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a federation of unions.
30. Brazilian city: RIO. The city's formal name is Rio de Janeiro. The name means River of January because it was "discovered" by the
Portuguese on January 1, 1502. Were they aware that the river was there
before they "found" it?
31. Cleverly inventive: INGENIOUS.
35. Just out of the box: NEW.
36. Linguistic suffix: -ESE. As in Portuguese, the language
spoken in 30-Down.
38. "Everyday Italian" cookbook writer De Laurentiis: GIADA.
I am not up on my cookbook writers. Giada Pamela De Benedetti (b.
Aug. 22, 1970) is an Italian American chef, television personality and
cookbook writer. She was born in Rome, Italy, but now lives in the US.
[Name # 9.]
39. Neutral hue: ECRU. The color comes in many shades.
40. West's opponent, in some All-Star games: EAST. Think
baseball games.
41. Mai tai liquor: RUM. Yummers! How to make
a Mai Tai.
46. Peanut or pea: LEGUME.
47. Cactus quills: SPINES.
49. Cute name for a black-and-white pet: OREO. I would never
name my pet Oreo, but this is a fresh new clue for a crossword staple.
50. "Ozark" Emmy winner Julia: GARNER. Ozark was
a Netflix crime series. Julia Gardner (Feb. 1, 1994). [Name # 10.]
51. Aesop tale: FABLE. You can read all the Aesop Fables here. [Name # 11.]
52. Celestial hunter: ORION. [Name adjacent.]
53. Dad's brother, in Paris: ONCLE. Today's French lesson.
55. Chicken __ masala: TIKKA. Chicken Tikka Masala is a dish
that originated in India. It is made of roasted marinated chicken in a
spicy yogurt sauce.