Happy first Monday in August, everyone! I'm elated to be sharing with you this puzzle from our blogmistress, Zhouqin Burnikel. The theme is:
These are the four themers:
17 Across. Future time: LATER DATE. 
26 Across. Tank often found near a furnace: WATER HEATER. 
40 Across. Like some raisins and truffles: CHOCOLATE COATED. Simply masterful! Not only was this one a grid-spanner but it is also mouthwatering!
51 Across. Chamber that sends laws to the governor: STATE SENATE.
 |
| Click to enlarge. |
And now for the perfect unifier:
64 Across. Dined with a bun in the oven, or what can be found in 17-, 26-, 40-, and 51-Across: ATE FOR TWO. "Bun in the oven" and "eating for two" are idioms that mean a person is pregnant. I like the parallel construction of using an idiom in the clue to match the answer.
Furthermore ... all of the themed answers have ATE TWO times. If you are going to choose letters that must appear at least nine time in a puzzle, A, T, and E are good ones to pick. They help to disguise the pattern before arriving at the reveal.
As today's moderater, I will now relate the remaining clues....
Across:
1. Delicate trim on a gown: LACE. and 62 Across. Flared dress shape: A-LINE.
5. "The __ have it": "Motion carries": AYES.
9. Worshipper of Tláloc and Xolotl: AZTEC. The letters in those names point us towards a S. American civilization.
14. Norwegian saint: OLAV.
15. Cardinal's home: NEST. and 13 Down. Apple gadget: CORER.
 |
| an A-LINE wedding gown with LACE |
5. "The __ have it": "Motion carries": AYES.
9. Worshipper of Tláloc and Xolotl: AZTEC. The letters in those names point us towards a S. American civilization.
14. Norwegian saint: OLAV.
 |
| Memory trick: OLAV is the Very serious saint OLAF is the Fun snowman |
Both of these clues take advantage of the capitalize-the-first-letter-of-the-clue convention to possibly mislead the solver towards interpreting the first word as a proper noun.
16. Grand Canyon donkey: BURRO. As it turns out, I am currently reading Kevin Fedarko's book about the Grand Canyon.
19. Lipstick mishap: SMEAR. 
20. Country club figure: PRO. This is what I found regarding the difference between a Club Pro and a Pro Golfer:
 |
| Did anyone else first think of the MLB team? |
16. Grand Canyon donkey: BURRO. As it turns out, I am currently reading Kevin Fedarko's book about the Grand Canyon.
20. Country club figure: PRO. This is what I found regarding the difference between a Club Pro and a Pro Golfer:
Club professionals are employed by a club for the purpose of running the operation, teaching, directing tournament operations, or any other duties the club requires. They are employees of the club and their primary duties include any of the above. Professional golfers, by comparison, are independent contractors whose sole concern is their game. The vast majority of their days are dedicated entirely to practicing and playing golf.
21. Goes out with: SEES.
23. High-pH substance: BASE. "Alkaline" and "basic" are virtually synonymous in chemistry.
24. Suffix for Gator or hater: -ADE. I was unfamiliar with haterade. It is slang so it has different definitions for different demographics; but, to my understanding, it is a dark version of "drinking the Kool-Aid". That is to say, it is a figurative beverage representing a modality of thought that is filled with hate.
29. One of three in a triangle: VERTEX.
31. Key left of F1: ESC.
32. Disney queen born on the winter solstice: ELSA. She is friends with Olaf.
33. Biblical paradise: EDEN.
37. Lost traction: SLID.
44. Aware of: IN ON.
45. Cry like a baby: BAWL.
46. Rock from side to side: SWAY. It's also a song:
21. Goes out with: SEES.
24. Suffix for Gator or hater: -ADE. I was unfamiliar with haterade. It is slang so it has different definitions for different demographics; but, to my understanding, it is a dark version of "drinking the Kool-Aid". That is to say, it is a figurative beverage representing a modality of thought that is filled with hate.
29. One of three in a triangle: VERTEX.
 |
| A VERTEX is the point where two line segments (sides) meet. Do you remember what the sum of the three interior angles is? |
31. Key left of F1: ESC.
32. Disney queen born on the winter solstice: ELSA. She is friends with Olaf.
33. Biblical paradise: EDEN.
37. Lost traction: SLID.
 |
| Whoohooooooooo! |
45. Cry like a baby: BAWL.
46. Rock from side to side: SWAY. It's also a song:
Dean Martin ~ Sway ~ 1954
47. Bill Nye's subj.: SCI. Subject is abbreviated and so is SCIence.
49. At a discount: ON SALE.
 |
| PRO tip: Try to get the top 50%. |
58. Wild feline also called a catamount: PUMA. Today I learned that the PUMA holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the mammal with the most names in English. We call them mountain lions where I live. They sometimes show up on Ring cams.
60. Most Grindr users: MEN. From their website: Since 2009, Grindr has grown into the world’s largest network for gay, bi, trans, and queer adults.
68. Comedian Kaling: MINDY.
 |
| You might recognize her as Kelly Kapoor from The Office (2005-2012). |
69. Mah-jongg piece: TILE. The standard Chinese set has 144 TILEs.
70. In the thick of: AMID.
71. Informal "What if ... ": S'POSE.
72. Slowest form of fencing: ÉPÉE. I looked up why ÉPÉE is "slowest". I learned that it is the only form of fencing which does not enforce the 'right of way'. In foil and saber only the 'aggressor' can score a point because they have the right of way. However, in ÉPÉE, if both fencers score a 'touch', they can both receive points. In other words, being the aggressor risks allowing the opponent to score. This leads to more hesitant attacks and slower action.
73. Drop in the mail: SEND.
Down:
 |
| When People Used the Postal Service to 'Mail' Their Children |
1. "U r 2 funny!": LOL. Texting in the clue hints at a textspeak answer.
2. Boeuf __ mode: French dish of wine-braised beef: À LA.
2. Boeuf __ mode: French dish of wine-braised beef: À LA.
3. Parent of a fur baby, perhaps: CAT PERSON.
5. "Your point being?": AND?.
6. Ingredient in challah: YEAST. Challah is a special bread in Jewish cuisine.
8. Guide: STEER. A bum STEER is an idiom which means to provide information, intentionally or unintentionally that is incorrect, was unhelpful, or caused one to be led astray. I would be giving you a bum STEER if I told you this idiom was cattle-related.
9. Muscles worked while planking: ABS. I cannot recall anyone saying planking when referring to holding a plank pose. Perhaps I am blanking on that. 😕
10. Dance-based fitness session: ZUMBA CLASS. Nice fill!
11. Reward for a pet: TREAT.
12. Backspace over: ERASE.
18. "Dirty Jobs" host Mike: ROWE. Michael Gregory Rowe was born March 18, 1962 in Maryland. Both of his parents were teachers. Now that's a tough job!
22. __/her pronouns: SHE.
24. French "with": AVEC.
 |
| Oui! Oui! |
25. New __, India: DELHI. At 33.8 million people, it is the most populous city in India.
27. Figure skating leap: AXEL.
 |
| Memory trick: AXEL has the vowels twisted around the X. Axle has the vowels outside the L, sort of like tires on an axle. |
28. Petro-Canada rival: ESSO.
30. Places to go for al pastor: TACO STANDS. Al pastor is a traditional Mexican meat dish that may be served in TACOs.
34. Dollop: DAB.
35. Due-in hr.: ETA. hour and Estimated Time of Arrival
36. Never-before-seen: NEW.
38. "I'm not to blame": IT WASN'T ME.
39. Handed out cards: DEALT. Clues and answers must be consistent when it comes to tense. Since handed is past tense, we needed the past tense of deal.
30. Places to go for al pastor: TACO STANDS. Al pastor is a traditional Mexican meat dish that may be served in TACOs.
34. Dollop: DAB.
35. Due-in hr.: ETA. hour and Estimated Time of Arrival
36. Never-before-seen: NEW.
38. "I'm not to blame": IT WASN'T ME.
39. Handed out cards: DEALT. Clues and answers must be consistent when it comes to tense. Since handed is past tense, we needed the past tense of deal.
41. Some time ago: ONCE. Some time ago, 18 years to be more precise, many of us fell in love with the film Once. You might be interested to know that Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová, and The Swell Season put out new music this past March.
This song is entitled People We Used to Be :
42. Form a clump: CLOT.
43. Turns blue, say: DYES.
48. AOL or MSN: ISP. Internet Service Provider
50. Lost fish found by Dory: NEMO. Finding Nemo was a 2003 Pixar film. They later came out with Finding Dory in 2016.
51. Pesters with junk messages: SPAMS. So annoying!
52. Flower from a bulb: TULIP. I took this photo this morning. They are not tulips but they are bulbs. Pink ladies, aka naked ladies, are bulbs in the amaryllis family. They grow foliage in early Spring. After that dies off they use the energy stored in the bulb to send up long, bare stalks with big, pink flowers. (The green leaves around their stems in this photo are different plants.)
53. __ acid: AMINO. I like how this article uses a letters in the alphabet analogy to explain AMINO acids.
54. More than just tickle: ELATE. half of an Easter egg???
55. Option on a coffeehouse payment screen: NO TIP.
56. "Someone Like You" singer: ADELE. It feels like we get a lot of Adele on Mondays. I'm OK with that. This video was filmed in Paris.
61. Divisions in time: ERAS.
63. Calm center of a cyclone: EYE. A tropical cyclone is a generic term used by meteorologists to describe a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has closed, low-level circulation. The weakest tropical cyclones are called tropical depressions.
65. Extra charge: FEE. Wouldn't it be nice if every ONCE in a while it said FREE?
66. Come out on top: WIN.
67. Like a quirky "duck": ODD.
43. Turns blue, say: DYES.
48. AOL or MSN: ISP. Internet Service Provider
50. Lost fish found by Dory: NEMO. Finding Nemo was a 2003 Pixar film. They later came out with Finding Dory in 2016.
 |
| Memory trick: Dory has Yellow fins. Dora is an Adventurous explorer. |
52. Flower from a bulb: TULIP. I took this photo this morning. They are not tulips but they are bulbs. Pink ladies, aka naked ladies, are bulbs in the amaryllis family. They grow foliage in early Spring. After that dies off they use the energy stored in the bulb to send up long, bare stalks with big, pink flowers. (The green leaves around their stems in this photo are different plants.)
53. __ acid: AMINO. I like how this article uses a letters in the alphabet analogy to explain AMINO acids.
54. More than just tickle: ELATE. half of an Easter egg???
55. Option on a coffeehouse payment screen: NO TIP.
56. "Someone Like You" singer: ADELE. It feels like we get a lot of Adele on Mondays. I'm OK with that. This video was filmed in Paris.
61. Divisions in time: ERAS.
63. Calm center of a cyclone: EYE. A tropical cyclone is a generic term used by meteorologists to describe a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has closed, low-level circulation. The weakest tropical cyclones are called tropical depressions.
 |
| Click to enlarge. |
66. Come out on top: WIN.
67. Like a quirky "duck": ODD.
The grid: 
"Farewell matey", said the pirate!
