46. Run errands during a bad storm, say: BRAVE THE ELEMENTS.
52. Heart of an operation, and a hidden feature of 20-, 26-, and 46-Across: COMMAND CENTER.
These seemingly unrelated phrases contain a hidden canine command in the center. Such a tight theme that each hidden word is exactly in the middle of the phrase - same number of letters on either side. Too perfect to be a coincidence.
20 - (5) SIT (5)
26 - (6) DOWN (6)
46 - (6) HEEL(6)
Melissa here, good morning everyone. I confess it took some time to reason this one out. I knew we were looking for something in the center, but with no clue as to how they were related and no circles ... the aha moment came slowly.
Across:
1. Galaxy body: STAR. A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity.
5. Fellow: CHAP. Chum. Bloke. Mate.
9. Mezcal base: AGAVE. Wikipedia: Mezcal, sometimes spelled mescal, is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave. The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl mexcalli, which means "oven-cooked agave," from metl and ixcalli.
14. Sharpen: HONE.
15. Chicago airport: O'HARE.
16. Mortal danger: PERIL. What song from recently-departed folk singer included lyrics: "The captain wired in he had water comin' in, and the good ship and crew was in peril?"
17. Like Scotch: AGED.
18. Flat-bottomed ship: BARGE.
19. Third-stringers: C TEAM. Makes sense but not sure I've ever heard the term. Is it common?
23. "Monsters, __": INC. Disney movie.
24. Like most of Nunavut's population: INUIT.
34. Solitary: LONE.
35. Ill-advised action: NONO.
36. Terse summons: SEE ME. Sounds ominous.
37. Climbing greenery: IVY.
38. Economist and social reformer Webb who coined the term "collective bargaining": BEATRICE. Glad to learn about her.
41. Sushi spheres: ROE.
42. Bronze, e.g.: MEDAL. Don't normally see bronze used as a noun.
44. European capital west of Helsinki: OSLO.
45. Rain buckets: POUR. Verb, not noun.
50. "Ouch!": YOWIE.
51. "Arrested Development" narrator Howard: RON.
59. Take the top off: UNCAP. Flash?
62. Coast: SHORE.
63. Bryant of "Human Resources": AIDY. About 1:30 she talks about the show, with a clip.
64. Garden tool: SPADE.
65. Tiny bits: IOTAS.
66. Grand opening?: MEGA. Help me out here. If it means 'Mega grand,' is that a phrase? I know Mega Millions, as in the lottery. There's a Grand Mega resort (but wouldn't that be Mega opening?) Or am I over-thinking it?
27. Be overattentive, as a waiter: HOVER. Don't remember what store had a solution to that. Different color shopping carts or bags - one for 'I'm open to receiving help,' and another for 'Leave me alone.'
28. Sometime soon: ANY DAY. Looking at it that way, it's saying any is the same as soon, but it isn't really. Any day could literally be any day, even a year from now. Maybe I'm overthinking again ;).
29. Classic film noir about a man investigating his own murder: DOA.
54. Staff member?: NOTE. Nice clue. Musical notes. Wikipedia: In Western musical notation, the staff or stave is a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that each represent a different musical pitch or in the case of a percussion staff, different percussion instruments.
55. "Dagnabbit!": DRAT.
56. Like a game headed to overtime: TIED.
57. Rim: EDGE. Both words can be verb or noun.
58. Actor Gosling: RYAN.
59. Mex. neighbor: USA.
60. Video game figure not controlled by a human: Abbr.: NPC. A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player.
Theme - The opposite of hanging by a thread. To explain, let's start with the unifier.
10 D. Remain uncertain until the very end, and what the answers to the starred clues do?:GO DOWN TO THEWIRE. As explained by the clue, there's some question how things may turn out. This term comes from horseracing, where it was long the practice to stretch a wire across and above the track at the finish line. It was extended to figurative use about 1900. A wire is a flexible strand of metal. Let's see how that is relevant to the other clues. The theme entries are all vertical, so the use of "DOWN" in the unifier clue is key.
3 D. *"You should be ashamed!": THATS DESPICABLE. Said to someone who did something beyond the pale. Real life incidents of this sort are plentiful. There are different types of CABLES, but some types are wires used as electrical or communications connections. So we can see that the vertical fill does, indeed, go down to the WIRE. Pretty clever, eh!
5 D. *Ability to show restraint: SELF DISCIPLINE. This is the ability to regulate one's emotions, thoughts, and behavior in the face of temptations and impulses. As an executive function, it is a cognitive process that is necessary for regulating one's behavior in order to achieve specific goals. A LINE is a length of cord, rope, wire, or other material serving a particular purpose.
15 D. *Recent entry in Guinness, say: NEW WORLD RECORD. This is the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. A CORD is a thin, flexible string or rope made from several twisted strands.
Hi Gang - JazzBumpa here to unravel the skein. Each theme fill ends in a synonym or near synonym for a WIRE. This is an extremely clever hidden word them, and a nut I had to get some help to crack. So thanks to my fellow blogger for the assistance.
Let's get down to it and see what other paths we will be led down.
Across:
1. Address letters: HTTP. Hyper Text Transfer Protocol - The beginning of an Internet web address.
5. Skyrocket: SOAR. Here, "skyrocket" is a verb meaning to fly high.
9. Old-timey "OMG!": EGAD. This is a softened oath, dating from the late 1600's, probably derived from "Oh, GOD!"
13. "Fancy seeing you here!": OH - HI. One of my long ago work colleagues told the story of his brother who was walking through a shopping mall holding hands with his girl friend, when his wife came walking in the other direction. This is what he said.
14. Disgraced energy firm: ENRON. The corporation, founded in 1985, engaged in massive fraud, and got away with it for years. This house of cards came tumbling down from 2000 to 2001. You can read all about it here.
16. Zigzagged: WOVE. Moved in a side to side forward motion.
17. Ring loudly: PEAL. As a bell.
18. Do not disturb: LET BE. Leave it alone.
19. Barbara who played a TV genie: EDEN. Barbara Eden (born Barbara Jean Morehead; August 23, 1931) is an American actress best known for her starring role as Jeannie in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie (1965–1970). IIRC, Jeannie's belly button was always covered.
20. Trip, as an alarm: SET OFF. Actuate.
22. Cry of pain: YOWL. Owie!
24. Goblin kin: ORC. Tolkien monters. Here is more info, if you're that kind of nerd. [Full disclosure - I am.]
25. Simple earrings: STUDS. A stud earring features a gemstone or other ornament mounted on a narrow post that passes through a piercing in the ear or earlobe, and is held in place by a fixture on the other side.
31. Problems picky people pick: NITS. Little issues of little import.
33. Outstanding: OWING. As an unpaid debt.
35. Word after film and before cut: CREW. A film CREW is a group of people working off camera to make a motion picture, such as the producer, camera operators, stage managers, etc. A CREW cut is a type of haircut in which the upright hair on the top of the head is cut relatively short, graduated in length from the longest hair that forms a short pomp (pompadour) at the front hairline to the shortest at the back of the crown so that in side profile the outline of the top hair approaches the horizontal.
37. Energy option involving roof panels: SOLAR. Solar power works by converting energy from the sun into power. There are two forms of energy generated from the sun for our use – electricity and heat. Both are generated through the use of solar panels, which range in size from residential rooftops to 'solar farms' stretching over acres of rural land.
39. Branch out (from): STEM. To derive from some origin.
41. Steep-walled formation: MESA. Also known and table land. Mesa is the Spanish word for table.
42. Move at a snail's pace: CRAWL. Literally, move forward on the hands and knees or by dragging the body close to the ground. Figuratively, move forward or make progress very slowly.
43. Personal charisma: MOJO. Literally, a magic charm, talisman, or spell. Figuratively, a powerful personality.
44. "College GameDay" network: ESPN. Originally, in 1979, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, shortened to ESPN in 1985.
Alternatively
45. "That makes my blood boil!": I'M MAD. Expression of anger.
46. Word to opt out of a text subscription: STOP. Unless it's ignored.
47. Ab-crunching exercise: SIT UP. The last time this came up in a puzzle I blogged, I pointed out that it is a worthless, and potentially harmful exercise. I got some push back. I guess anything can be a controversy. Anyway, here it is again.
49. Many a retired racehorse: SIRE. Used to produce the next generation of horses from a valuable blood line.
51. Snicker syllable: HEE. Along with TEE. Comic book laughter.
52. PC panic key: ESC. On computer keyboards, the Esc key (named Escape key in the international standard series ISO/IEC 9995) is a key used to generate the escape character (which can be represented as ASCII code 27 in decimal, Unicode U+001B, or Ctrl+[). The escape character, when sent from the keyboard to a computer, often is interpreted by software as "stop"
53. Org. for Twins: MLB. The Minnesota Twins team of Major League Baseball.
55. Poke fun at: TEASE. Have fun at someone's expense. Often not nice.
57. "I knew it!": AHA. Syllable of recognition or enlightenment.
58. Spot to fish from: PIER. A platform supported on pillars or girders leading out from the shore into a body of water, used as a landing stage for boats.
60. Stands too close to: CROWDS. Violates one's personal space.
63. Cries noisily: SOBS. Nobody looks good doing it.
65. "Super cool!": NEATO. That's rad, man!
67. Quite urgent: DIRE. Extremely serious or urgent, possibly dangerous.
68. App with crowdsourced reviews: YELP. Yelp Inc. is an American company that develops the Yelp.com website and the Yelp mobile app, which publishes crowd-sourced reviews about businesses. It also operates Yelp Guest Manager, a table reservation service. It is headquartered in San Francisco,
69. Diamond flaw?: ERROR. Not a mar in a gemstone, but a misplay on a baseball field - usually misplaying a batted or thrown ball or throwing inaccurately.
70. Neck of the woods: AREA. Nearby region.
71. Cruising, say: ASEA. On a ship. Our oldest granddaughter is wrapping up her third gig entertaining on a Disney Cruise Ship. This time she got to dance on the main stage.
72. __ money: startup funds: SEED. Money allocated to initiate a project.
73. Stitched together: SEWN. Attached by using thread and needle.
Down:
1. Short flights: HOPS. Boing!
2. "Beautiful Mistakes" rapper Megan __ Stallion: THEE. Megan Jovon Ruth Pete [b. 1995] known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion, is an American rapper. Originally from Houston, Texas, she first garnered attention when videos of her freestyling became popular on social media platforms such as Instagram.
4. Flight school graduate: PILOT. One in control of an aircraft.
6. Undivided: ONE. Unified.
7. Pseudo-sophisticated: ARTY. Making a strong, affected, or pretentious display of being artistic or interested in the arts.
8. High-tech worker: ROBOT. A machine that does a job formerly done by a person.
9. Farm female: EWE. Lady sheep.
11. Everyman: AVERAGE JOE. Typical guy, man on the street.
12. Judi who plays Queen Victoria in "Mrs Brown" and "Victoria & Abdul": DENCH. Dame Judith Olivia Dench [b. 1934] is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage. Inexplicably, she also wound up in this thing.
26. Seattle's WNBA team: STORM. The Seattle Storm is an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerley and her husband Barry ahead of the 2000 season.
29. Highest point: ACME. Apex.
30. Formal footwear: DRESS SHOES.
32. Shuts with a bang: SLAMS. A forceful exit, perhaps.
36. Have a yen for: WANT. Desire something. Alternatively - I thought about going to Japan, but didn't have the yen to travel.
38. Look for: AWAIT. Anticipate.
40. Have the blues: MOPE. Be blue or low.
48. Ballpark figure?: UMP. Not a statistic. Short for umpire - a person with no clear idea of where the strike zone is located.
50. Musician's gift: EAR. Melodic ability.
52. GPA booster: EASY A. A class that is not challenging.
54. Stout and porter: BEERS. Beer varieties.
56. Cola and ginger ale: SODAS. Carbonated soft drinks.
59. Red in the center: RARE. As cooked beef.
61. Did some doodling: DREW. Made random sketches.
62. Actor Gunn who plays Kraglin in the MCU: SEAN. Sean Gunn [b. 1974] is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Kirk Gleason on The WB series Gilmore Girls, and Kraglin Obfonteri in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
64. Hot tub: SPA. A large tub filled with hot aerated water used for recreation or physical therapy.
66. Stubbing victim: TOE. Any of the five digits at the end of the human foot. They exist to locate furniture in dark rooms.
A lot of puzzles have their ups and downs. This one was mostly down - in a good way. It didn't let us down, and I'm down with that.
This
one had me stumped at first; I simply could not see a connection
between the answers - and then I realized the answers had nothing in
common - other than starting and ending with the same
three letters. ah-HA~! The "clue" was not much help for me, TBH. A
very quick solve for me, felt like a Monday level puzzle - but it took
two extra minutes for me to find out why I did not get the ta-DA~! at
the end; 46d crossing 69a, Latin vs. Spanish, so I was a little
disappointed. And no Frawnche, either. Here are the theme answers, as
indicated with the "*" and referred to as the "starred" clues:
17. *Synthetic pump: ARTIFICIAL HEART - ART to ART 26. *Cheap shot: LOW BLOW - LOW to LOW
50. *Regional collective pronoun: ALL Y'ALL - ALL to ALL - quite popular this week 61. *"There really is a wolf now!": "I MEAN IT THIS TIME~!" - IME to IME And the central reveal.... 33. With 43-Across, "When one door closes, another door opens," and an apt description of the answers to the starred clues: THE END IS JUST
43. See 33-Across: THE BEGINNING
And Around We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Formula One event: RACE
5. Prep, as onions: CHOP - I took Husker G up on his "offer" Saturday, and made a tater tots casserole
Yummy~!
9. __ bean: PINTO
14. Machine that helps with 51-Down: CPAP= Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, which I'd heard of, but never knew what it stood for; and; 51d. Sleeper's problem: APNEA
15. [Snicker]: HE-HE
16. Trapshooting: SKEET
20. General on American Chinese menus: TSO - my 'go-to' dish when I order
45. Bangers partner: MASH - not "head" Bangers - the old MTV metal hours late on Saturday nights, but the British dish
48. Foreign policy org. chaired by the president: NSC - National Safety Council
- we had OSHA in the grid earlier this week, and I am required to finish their
30-hr course in order to work at the Washington National Cathedral - I
am about 20 hours in
49. "Grand slam" awards acronym: EGOT - when I stopped blogging Saturdays five years ago, this was not a crossword fill at all; Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony awards; more here.
54. Decade following Y2K: AUGHTS - 00's
56. Regret: RUE - OR - a Frawnche Canadien street~!
57. Marshmallowy Easter treats: PEEPS - I am not a fan - sorry; my thing is the Cadbury eggs
60. Mouse site: PAD - cute.
66. Painful turning point?: ANKLE
- clever, but my "ETA" at 62d messed me up - I do the DOWNS to start, so
that the theme answers ( usually in the across ) are half-filled by the
time I get to them
67. Primary: MAIN
68. Necessary __: EVIL
69. "__ mañana": HASTA - Spanish for "see you tomorrow" (?)
70. "SportsCenter" network: ESPN - I have Hulu with Disney and
ESPN, and the price goes up in one week - and I am thinking it's time to
ditch Disney - I have seen all the 4d I think I care to see - and I am a
HUGE fan
71. Swabbing spot: DECK - Aye, matey
DOWN:
1. TV pioneer: RCA
2. Fourth mo.: APRil
3. Towers that may have scratching posts: CAT TREES - I knew what
we were looking for, but didn't know they were called "TREES"; my
brother has a cat named Ashes - guess what color....
4. "Star Wars" installment: EPISODE - Episode IV, A New Hope
changed my life - I was six years old, and decided right then that I was
going to make movies....didn't quite work out the way I had planned
5. Greek X: CHI - I WAGed this, and was correct
6. "What the __!?": HECK - The "censored" answer
7. Home state of the Reds and the Browns: OHIO - and the Bengals,
I might add - but then again, their record in relation to their QB, the
highest paid player in the history of the NFL....
8. Gem from a mollusk: PEARL
9. "Balderdash!": "PSHAW~!"
10. Barinholtz of "The Mindy Project": IKE - no idea; filled via perps
11. In a tidy way: NEATLY
12. Paralyzing fear: TERROR - I tried PHOBIA first
13. Home of Canada's Parliament Hill: OTTAWA - nailed it; hockey starts soon~!
18. __ Fighters: Dave Grohl's band: FOO - I liked Nirvana - Dave's first band; the Foo, not so much
19. Astrological cat: LEO
23. Nick at __: NITE - Nickelodeon TV channel after 9pm
24. Dos y seis: OCHO - more Spanish, two and six = eight
25. Spanish parent: MADRE - and yet more Spanish
27. Classic sammie: BLT - sammie being an abbreviation of sandwich ( my word is "sa'mich" ), we get the Bacon Lettuce & Tomato short answer
30. Support for a tire swing: LIMB
31. Colorado ski town: ASPEN
34. Casual rejection: NAH....
35. Joyful dances: JIGS
36. Erie Canal city: UTICA - I could not answer this one; it just means I have moved that much further away from New York, and I am not looking back.
37. Tax ID: SSN
40. Compete in a dramatic event at the World Aquatics Championships: HIGH DIVE
41. Playing to break a tie, briefly: IN OT
42. Some NCOs: SGTs
43. Quaker pronoun: THY
44. Canceled out: NEGATED
45. Singer Carey: MARIAH
46. College grad: ALUMNA - I had ALUMNI, which is the plural form
47. Makes glossy, as hair: SLEEKS
52. Floral wreath: LEI
53. "I can do that": "LET ME"
55. FedEx rival: UPS - ah, me, back in the day....
58. School gps.: PTAs
59. Use 55-Down, say: SHIP
62. Flying fig.: ALTitude - not "ETA"
63. Quaint lodging: INN
64. Need for playing Rock Band, for short: MIC - Rock Band is the "expanded" version of Guitar Hero, adding in drums and vocals
65. Great Plains grazer: ELK - Giraffe didn't fit - har har har har . . . .
Theme: A puzzle in MODE mode. The second word of two-word in-the-language phrases represent various types of MODES.
17 A. *Ray Winstone/Ben Kingsley crime drama: SEXY BEAST. A SEXY BEAST is someone who exudes sexuality and is difficult to resist. BEAST MODE refers to the aggressive, animalistic persona that one might assume when in competition or combat in order to overpower an opponent.
22 A *Period of anxiety that may be brought on by facing one's mortality: MIDLIFECRISIS. This is an emotional crisis of identity and self-confidence that can occur in early middle age. CRISIS MODE is a hyper reactive condition where everything catches you off guard, increases your stress levels and you feel panicky.
49. *Folded missile in a classroom: PAPERAIRPLANE. Here are detailed instructions for how to make one.
AIRPLANE MODE is a setting on a smartphone or tablet for use on board an aircraft, in which the device does not receive or transmit wireless signals and so does not interfere with the aircraft's communication systems.
58. *Spot to store valuables when traveling: HOTEL SAFE. A SAFE is a strong metal cupboard with special locks, in which you keep money, jewelry, or other valuable things. There might be on in your HOTEL room. SAFE MODE is a diagnostic mode of a computer operating system. It can also refer to a mode of operation by application software. Safe mode is intended to help fix most, if not all, problems within an operating system. It is also widely used for removing rogue security software.
38. Fashionable, or an apt description of the ends of the answers to the starred clues: A LA MODE. This refers to something fashionable and stylish. Or, alternatively, a mode of serving pie, along with a scoop of ice cream.
Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here, in puzzle analysis MODE. {We will definitely not be getting into analyzing musical or mathematical MODES!}. Generally, a MODE is manner in which something occurs or is experienced, expressed, or done. Let's get into action MODE.
Across:
1. Flowerbox place: SILL. A widow shelf.
5. Hubbub: STIR. Ado
9. Use a 26-Down: SHAVE. Scrape whiskers off the face, for example.
14. Nabisco cookie: OREO. A pair of chocolate wafers with a sugary cream filling. The crossword world's favorite desert.
15. Gallant one: HERO. Doer of courageous deeds, or a large sandwich. Chose wisely.
16. Wonder Woman's rope: LASSO. A rope with a loop or noose at one end, suitable for capturing villains, perhaps.
19. "Touch of Evil" director Welles: ORSON. This 1958 movie involves the investigation into drug trafficking after a car bomb explodes near the Mexican border. George Orson Welles [1915-1985] was an American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time.
20. Some remote batteries: AAAs. Small cylindrical batteries.
21. Bacon pieces: STRIPS. One strip = one rasher.
27. Apartment, say: UNIT. A single living quarter in a larger structure.
28. "You __ to be there": HAD. Explaining that being a direct witness is sometimes important for understanding or believing.
29. Put away: STOW. Pack neatly in a particular place.
32. Some DVD players: SONYS. Products of the Sony Group Corporation, a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
34. Assessed, with "up": SIZED. Examined and evaluated something or someone.
36. Actor Vigoda: ABE. Abraham Charles Vigoda [1921 - 2016] was an American actor known for his portrayals of Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather and Phil Fish in both Barney Miller and Fish TV shows.
37. Vampire vaporizer: SUN. According to legend, these evil creatures cannot abide direct sunlight.
40. Not gross: NET. After all charges and deductions.
41. Examine critically: EYE. Size up, visually.
42. Waffle: WAVER. Vacillate due to uncertainty.
43. First few pages of many books: INTRO. Short for introduction - a preliminary and explanatory section at the beginning of a book, report, or speech..
45. Feudal laborer: SERF. An agricultural laborer bound under the feudal system to work on their lord's estate.
47. Neither's partner: NOR. Used to exclude pairs of things or concepts.
48. Japanese noodle: UDON. Wheat pasta made in thick strips.
54. Parking spots: SPACES. Areas demarcated within a larger region for placing individual vehicles.
56. "Agreed!": DEAL. An agreement entered into by two or more parties for their mutual benefit, especially in a business or political context.
57. Eagle's perch: AERIE. A large nest in a high place.
63. Pertaining to birth: NATAL. As defined.
64. Disney snowman: OLAF. From the movie FROZEN.
65. "__ go bragh!": ERIN. Ireland forever!
66. Do up, as hair: STYLE. A particular arrangement of one's hair.
67. Guitar tuners: PEGS. Short wooden or metal sticks with flat, rounded ends that are turned to make the strings on a musical instrument tighter or looser.
68. Lean (toward): TEND. Have a natural inclination to do or be drawn toward some object of action.
Down:
1. "Help!" letters: SOS. A Morse code distress signal used internationally, originally established for maritime use. In formal notation SOS is written with an overscore line, to indicate that the Morse code equivalents for the individual letters of "SOS" are transmitted as an unbroken sequence of three dots / three dashes / three dots, with no spaces between the letters.
2. Anger: IRE. Negative emotional reaction to words or an event. Hopefully, it is not forever.
3. Supervillain Luthor who co-founded the Injustice League: LEX. Originated in Superman comics.
4. Faithfulness: LOYALTY. A strong, reliable feeling of support or allegiance.
5. Bundle of harvested grain: SHEAF. A bundle of grain stalks laid lengthwise and tied together after reaping.
6. Poke fun at: TEASE. Merriment at the expense of a usually unwilling victim.
7. Org. with many auditors: IRS. Internal Revenue Service - the Federal tax collecting agency.
8. Spoil: ROT. Deteriorate over time, as produce.
9. Casino machines: SLOTS. Coin-operated gaming machines that generate random combinations of symbols on a dial, certain combinations winning varying amounts of money for the player.
10. Vice president Kamala: HARRIS. Kamala Devi Harris [b. 1964] is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th and current vice president of the United States. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well as the first African-American and first Asian-American vice president.
11. Prosecutor's deputy, for short: ASSISTANT D.A. The Assistant District Attorney is responsible for assisting the District Attorney with administering the ongoing activities of the District Attorney's Office and assists in developing and implementing departmental goals and objectives within general policy guidelines.
12. Initials on a brandy bottle: VSOP. Very Superior Old Pale. For a cognac to be classified as a VSOP, the minimum age of the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend must be at least 4 years old.
13. Ages upon ages: EONS. Long periods of unspecified duration.
18. "Wow at first sip" brand: BAI. A brand of cocoanut water.
21. Allied (with): SIDED. Joined together for some purpose, generally against organized opposition.
22. Dishevels, as hair: MUSSES. Runs fingers through someone's hair in a random way to mess it up.
23. Senator for whom Honolulu's airport is named: INOUYE. Daniel Ken Inouye [1924 - 2012] was an American attorney, soldier, and politician who served as a United States senator from Hawaii from 1963 until his death in 2012. Beginning in 1959, he was the first U.S. Representative for the State of Hawaii, and a Medal of Honor recipient.
24. Occasion to use the good china: DINNER PARTY. A social occasion at which guests eat dinner together.
25. Fire-breathing Greek monster: CHIMERA. In Greek mytholog, a fire-breathing female monster with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.
26. Stubble remover: RAZOR. An instrument with a sharp blade or combination of blades, used to remove unwanted hair from the face or body.
30. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" king: OBERON. A king of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream, in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania, Queen of the Fairies. Also, Oberon is a wheat ale that embodies everything we love about summer. Brewed with just wheat malt, hops, water and Bells Brewery's signature house ale yeast.
31. Slobbery kiss: WET ONE. Moist smooch.
33. Watched: SAW. Observed or eyed.
34. Really relish: SAVOR. Enjoy the flavor of.
35. "Agnus __": DEI. Agnus Dei is the Latin name under which the "Lamb of God" is honoured within Christian liturgies descending from the historic Latin liturgical tradition, including those of Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism and Anglicanism.
39. Features of a bowling alley: LANES. Wooden or urethane decks that are 62'10-3/4" long and 42 inches wide with ten pins spaced one foot apart 60 feet from the foul line.
44. Mathematical void symbolized by { }: NULL SET. In mathematical sets, the null set is a set that does not contain any values or elements. It is expressed as { } and denoted using the Greek letter ∅ (phi). Now we exit math mode.
46. Treatment that may involve a peel: FACIAL. A beauty treatment for the face.
50. "Nope" writer/director Jordan: PEELE. Jordan Haworth Peele [b. 1978] is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker, known for his film and television work in the comedy and horror genres. I don't believe he is known for his facial treatments.
51. Luggage label: I.D. TAG. Item to identify the ownership of an item of luggage.
52. Hangouts for some schools?: REEFS. A ridge of jagged rock, coral, or sand just above or below the surface of the sea. The school here is of the fishy variety.
53. Friend: PAL. Buddy amigo.
54. Without: SANS. In French. I relish a puzzle sans French.
55. Organic fuel: PEAT. Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs.
58. Short jump: HOP. I HOP means I make a short jump. IHOP is where I'm taking Gloria later this week for pumpkin pancakes.
60. What "will be" will be: ARE. Forms of the verb "to be." This is a playful little excursion into tenses, where the future of the past becomes the present.
61. Sign of a shark: FIN. The shark's dorsal fin can sometimes be seen above the water line. Not a good sign.
62. Goal: END. The aim or purpose of an activity. Also the END of this puzzle. Well placed.
OK, Gang - that wraps up another Wednesday, and a fine ride it was. I am now in sign-off mode.
16. Injury sustained while making guacamole: AVOCADO HAND. Never heard of this but a quick Google says it's like bagel-hand -- you slice the *explicate* out of your hand while cutting your food.
29. Person aggressively opposed to progress: MOSSBACK. Another never heard of. I kept trying to fit Luddite but perps said no. Google says: MOSSBACK - An old-fashioned or extremely conservative person.
34. First track on Fleetwood Mac's "Mystery to Me" album: EMERALD EYES. Yet another I didn't know.
40. Nitwit: PEA-BRAIN. I've heard of this one - usually directed at me.
54. Marvel Comics supervillain, or a creature made up of 16-, 29-, 34-, and 40-Across?: GREEN GOBLIN. Finally, my mispent youth pays off!
There you have it - different shades of green for different body parts of the
The Green Goblin
Across:
1. Poaching targets: EGGS. Is this a Dr. Seuss bonus themer?
5. Afghanistan's capital: KABUL. My little (Army) Bro spent a tour there.
9. Some Best Buy buys, briefly: LED TVS. My old TV (that was in my study (it was the living room TV until it got funky)) died. I found two TVs we gave to the Girls when they were little. One was so old it couldn't decode over the air HD signals. The other has a HD tuner and is the only DVD player in the house.
10. "Absolutely not": HARD PASS. I kept thinking "HARD NO."
Theme: ALL DOLLED UP. Theme answers have a final syllable that is a homophone for DOLL
But first, today's theme song.
Sammy Nestico's arrangement of Satin Doll, played by the
Dearborn Big Band at the Plymouth, MI Fall Festival - 9/10/23
17 A. Primatologist who wrote "The Chimpanzees of Gombe": JANE GOODALL. Dame Jane Morris Goodall DBE; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall; (3 April 1934) formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. She is considered the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, after 60 years studying the social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees.
She is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and the Roots & Shoots programme, and she has worked extensively on conservation and animal welfare issues. As of 2022, she is on the board of the Nonhuman Rights Project.[6] In April 2002, she was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace. Goodall is an honorary member of the World Future Council.
27 A. Plaything made from a clothespin, perhaps: WOODENDOLL. No homophone this time - instead the real thing. [If you consider a DOLL to be a real thing.]
49 A. Actress/entrepreneur whose son is Lorenzo Lamas: ARLENEDAHL. Arlene Carol Dahl (August 11, 1925 – November 29, 2021) was an American actress active in films from the late 1940s. She was one of the last surviving stars from the Classical Hollywood cinema era.
She was also an author and entrepreneur. She founded two companies, Arlene Dahl Enterprises and Dahlia, a fragrance company.
In her personal life, Dahl had six husbands, including actors Lex Barker and Fernando Lamas, and was the mother to three children the eldest of whom is actor Lorenzo Lamas.
63 A. Lentil dish from western India: GUJARATI DAL. Sweet, spicy and tangy, Gujarati Dal is comfort food at its best! This thin consistency dal is tempered with lots of spices like cinnamon, cloves, cumin, mustard and flavored with ginger, jaggery, lime juice. Best enjoyed with plain rice. Recipe here. Gujarat is a state in western India. Dal can refer to several kinds of legume.
Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here. A theme like this requires a different spelling for each homophone, or it would lack elegance. And here that requirement is nicely achieved. Not the theme I expected at first look, but it works well. Let's see what else we can discover.
5. Officers-to-be: CADETS. Trainees in uniformed organizations.
11. In the past: AGO. Lone upon a time.
14. Aspire laptop maker: ACER. A Taiwanese multinational hardware and electronics corporation specializing in advanced electronics technology, headquartered in Xizhi, New Taipei City.
15. Firenze locale: ITALIA. we cal it Florence, Italy. But what do we know? It is the capital of Italy’s Tuscany region, and home to many masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture. One of its most iconic sights is the Duomo, a cathedral with a terracotta-tiled dome engineered by Brunelleschi and a bell tower by Giotto. The Galleria dell'Accademia displays Michelangelo’s “David” sculpture. The Uffizi Gallery exhibits Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” and da Vinci’s “Annunciation.”
16. Break in continuity: GAP. I something missing?
19. Draw upon: USE. Take, hold, or deploy (something) as a means of accomplishing a purpose or achieving a result; employ.
20. Jungian inner self: ANIMA. Jung described the animus as the unconscious masculine side of a woman, and the anima as the unconscious feminine side of a man, each transcending the personal psyche. Jung's theory states that the anima and animus are the two primary anthropomorphic archetypes of the unconscious mind, as opposed to the theriomorphic and inferior function of the shadow archetypes. He believed they are the abstract symbol sets that formulate the archetype of the Self. And no, I don't understand it either. But I. am trying to get in touch with my female side. Maybe that is being animated.
21. Photographer Goldin: NAN. Nancy Goldin (born September 12, 1953) is an American photographer and activist. Her work often explores LGBT subcultures, moments of intimacy, the HIV/AIDS crisis, and the opioid epidemic. Her most notable work is The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (1986). The monograph documents the post-Stonewall, gay subculture and includes Goldin's family and friends. She is a founding member of the advocacy group P.A.I.N. (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now). She lives and works in New York City.
22. Provo resident: UTAHN. People from Utah.
24. Cream ingredient: ALOE. Aloe vera] is a succulent plant species of the genus Aloe. It is widely distributed, and is considered an invasive species in many world regions.
An evergreen perennial, it originates from the Arabian Peninsula, but grows wild in tropical, semi-tropical, and arid climates around the world. It is cultivated for commercial products, mainly as a topical treatment used over centuries. The species is attractive for decorative purposes, and succeeds indoors as a potted plant.
The leaves of Aloe vera contain significant amounts of the polysaccharide gel acemannan which can be used for a wide range of medical purposes. The skin contains aloin which is toxic. Products made from Aloe vera usually only use the gel. I certainly hope so.
26. Double __ Oreos: STUF. Oreo is a sandwich cookie with a sugary filling between two cocoa wafers. I am not a fan. The double stud variety has a thicker layer of sugary STUF. No, thank you.
32. Liberated: FREE. Showing freedom from social conventions or traditional ideas, especially with regard to sexual roles.
35. Fictional gentleman thief Lupin: ARSENE. Arsène Lupin is a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise created in 1905 by French writer Maurice Leblanc. The character was first introduced in a series of short stories serialized in the magazine Je sais tout. The first story, "The Arrest of Arsène Lupin", was published on 15 July 1905.
36. Brazilian port: RIO. Rio de Janeiro is a huge seaside city in Brazil, famed for its Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, 38m Christ the Redeemer statue atop Mount Corcovado and for Sugarloaf Mountain, a granite peak with cable cars to its summit. The city is also known for its sprawling favelas (shanty towns). Its raucous Carnaval festival, featuring parade floats, flamboyant costumes and samba dancers, is considered the world’s largest.
Mandatory
37. Locally organized lecture series: TEDX. TEDx are independent events similar to TED in presentation. They can be organized by anyone who obtains a free license from TED, and agrees to follow certain principles. TEDx events are required to be non-profit, but organizers may use an admission fee or commercial sponsorship to cover costs. Speakers are not paid and must also relinquish the copyrights to their materials, which TED may edit and distribute under a Creative Commons license. TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading"
38. Minor issue: NIT. A more or less trivial annoyance.
39. Accomplish: ACHIEVE. Get 'er done!
42. Gather dust: SIT. Be idle, as of machinery or a work force.
43. Cartoon girl whose best friend is Boots: DORA.
45. Director Ang: LEE. Ang Lee OBS [b 1954] is a Taiwanese filmmaker. Born in Pingtung County of southern Taiwan, Lee was educated in Taiwan and later in the United States. As a filmmaker Lee's work is known for its emotional charge and exploration of repressed, hidden emotions.
46. Spanish "precise": EXACTO. As translated.
48. Sweater spoiler: SNAG. A small fabric defect caused by threads getting caught on an object.
51. Study feverishly: CRAM. Study intensively over a short period of time just before an examination.
53. Fish sought by Marlin and Dory: NEMO.
54. Like udon, ramen, and pho: ASIAN. In various types of Asia cuisine, these are two noodles and a soup.
56. Play a part: ACT. portray a character in a movie or play.
58. Goads: PRODS. Provoke or annoys someone)so as to stimulate some action or reaction.
62. Moroccan cap: FEZ. The fez, also called tarboosh/tarboush, is a felt headdress in the shape of a short cylindrical, truncated hat, usually red, typically with a black tassel attached to the top. The name "fez" refers to the Moroccan city of Fez, where the dye to color the hat was extracted from crimson berries.
66. Issa of "Barbie": RAE. Jo-Issa Rae Diop [b 1985] credited professionally as Issa Rae, is an American actress, writer, and producer. Rae first garnered attention for her work on the YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl.
67. Trapped: SNARED. Caught, literally or figuratively.
68. Short letter: NOTE. A short informal letter or written message.
69. Meditation sounds: OMS. A mystic syllable, considered the most sacred mantra in Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism. It appears at the beginning and end of most Sanskrit recitations, prayers, and texts. Not to be confused with the Great God Om from Terry Pratchett's brilliant novel "Small Gods."
70. High-calorie cakes: TORTES. Rich, usually multilayered, cakes that are filled with whipped cream, buttercreams, mousses, jams, or fruit. Ordinarily, the cooled torte is glazed and garnished. Tortes are commonly baked in a springform pan.
71. Alum: GRAD. Alumni are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women. The word is Latin and means "one who is being nourished". The term is not synonymous with "graduate"; one can be an alumnus without graduating. Have I discovered a nit?
Down:
1. Punjabi prince: RAJA. RAJA is the name for a monarch — a king or a princely ruler — in historic India. While there are still rajas today, they no longer hold any real power. Through the long history of India, there have been many rajas who ruled over small areas of the continent.
2. Virus check: SCAN. Look at all parts of (something) carefully in order to detect some feature.
3. "__, vidi, vici": VENI. "I came; I saw; I conquered" is a Latin phrase used to refer to a swift, conclusive victory. The phrase is popularly attributed to Julius Caesar who, according to Appian,] used the phrase in a letter to the Roman Senate around 47 BC after he had achieved a quick victory in his short war against Pharnaces II of Pontus at the Battle of Zela (modern-day Zile, Turkey).
4. Put together early: PRE-MADE. Made or assembled in advance.
5. Tech-focused exec: CIO. Chief Information Officer.
6. Paid for one's sins: ATONED. Made amends or reparation.
7. Absurdist art movement: DADA. DADA or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century. Developed in reaction to World War I, the Dada movement consisted of artists who rejected the logic, reason, and aestheticism of modern capitalist society, instead expressing nonsense, irrationality, and anti-bourgeois protest in their works.
8. Joie de vivre: ELAN. Energy, style, and enthusiasm.
9. "How Long __ Black Future Month?": N.K. Jemisin collection: TIL. Up to the point in time or the event mentioned; until.
10. Port __: creamy French cheese: SALUT. Port Salut is a semi-soft pasteurised cow's milk cheese from Pays de la Loire, France, with a distinctive orange rind and a mild flavour. The cheese is produced in wheels approximately 23 cm in diameter, weighing approximately 2 kg.
11. Taqueria drink with tamarindo and horchata varieties: AGUA FRESCA. (English: cool waters, lit. 'fresh waters') are light non-alcoholic beverages made from one or more fruits, cereals, flowers, or seeds blended with sugar and water. They are popular in Mexico and some other Latin American countries, as well as parts of the United States such as the Southwest.
12. Deep cut: GASH. A long deep slash, cut, or wound.
13. Vulnerable: OPEN. Allowing access, passage, or a view through an empty space; not closed or blocked up.
18. Lead-bearing ore: GALENA. The natural mineral form of lead sulfide. It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver. Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system often showing octahedral forms.
23. Feathery cluster: TUFT. A bunch or collection of threads, grass, hair, etc., held or growing together at the base.
25. Buck: ONE CLAM. A single U.S. dollar
26. Eastern European language: SLOVENE. Slovene or Slovenian is a Western member of South Slavic languages, which belong to the Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family. Most of its 2.5 million speakers are the inhabitants of Slovenia, majority of them ethnic Slovenes.
27. Mascara applicators: WANDS. In this usage, a slender staff used to apply a substance to a specific location.
28. Film production company named for a constellation: ORION. Orion Pictures (legal name Orion Releasing, LLC) is an American film production and distribution company currentlyowned by Amazon through its Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) subsidiary. It was formed in 1978 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and three former senior executives at United Artists. From its founding until its buyout by MGM in the late 1990s, Orion was considered one of the largest mini-major studios
29. Shuns: OSTRACIZES. Shuns or excludes from a society or group.
30. Cantilevered window: ORIEL. A form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground.
31. Stretch the truth: LIE. An assertion that is believed to be false, typically used with the purpose of deceiving or misleading someone.
33. "Downton Abbey" sister: EDITH.
34. Laud: EXTOL. Praise enthusiastically.
40. "How Stella Got __ Groove Back": HER. Used as the object of a verb or preposition to refer to a female person or animal previously mentioned or easily identified. The novel, told in Stella's own exuberant, dead-on, dead honest voice, How Stella Got Her Groove Back is full of Terry McMillan's signature humor, heart, and insight. More than a love story, it is ultimately a novel about how a woman saves her own life—and what she must risk to do it.
41. Not subject to taxes: EXEMPT. Free from an obligation or liability imposed on others.
44. Taj Mahal city: AGRA. A city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about 230 kilometres south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. The Taj Mahal, built by Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his favourite empress.
47. Loving lots: ADORING. Love and respect someone deeply.
50. Main course: ENTREE. The main course of a meal.
52. Fretful feeling: ANGST. A feeling of deep anxiety or dread, typically an unfocused one about the human condition or the state of the world in general.
54. Hairstyle for Diana Ross and Bob Ross: AFRO. A hairstyle, worn predominantly by Black people, in which naturally kinky or tightly curled hair is styled in a rounded shape.
55. Baseball gripping point: SEAM. A line along which two pieces of fabric are sewn together in a garment or other article.
59. Aroma: ODOR. Aroma sounds more attractive than smell.
60. Spreadsheet input: DATA. A collection of discrete or continuous values that convey information, describing the quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpreted formally.
61. Downhill racer: SLED. A land vehicle that slides across a surface, usually of ice or snow. It is built with either a smooth underside or a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners similar in principle to skis. This reduces the amount of friction, which helps to carry heavy loads.
64. __, dos, tres: UNO. Spanish is as easy ONE, two, three.
65. Some internet search results: ADS. Advertisements for products or services.
OK. For this Wednesday, that's all. Hope y'all had a ball, and didn't brawl, fall, crawl or hit a wall.
.jpg)
