Themeless Puzzle by Matthew Stock and Christina Iverson
This challenging puzzle was a collaboration with our new Florida 8th grade math teacher Matthew Stock and Patti's assistant puzzle editor from Ames, Iowa, Christina Iverson. Names and modern slang might have made this a "37. Tough going: SLOG" for some.
1. Sign of shock: GASP.
5. __ shop: MALT - Sandy, Danny and the crew at one
9. Pottery and printmaking: ARTS.
13. World Golf Hall of Famer Lorena: OCHOA.
15. Jelly that may be added to boba tea: ALOE - What does ALOE jelly taste like?
16. Device with threads: LOOM.
17. Skirt: SHIRK - Liza Doolittle's dad Alfie's philosophy in My Fair Lady
18. Dark days or long days: SOLSTICES - The day is the same length on the Winter and Summer SOLSTICES but the amount of daylight is the least around December 21 and the most around June 21 for those of us north of the equator.
20. Woman whose immortalized cell line was used in developing the polio vaccine: HENRIETTA LACKS - The amazing story of her HeLa cells
22. "I feel seen": IT ME - Recent slang for "It's me".
23. "RuPaul's Drag Race Live!" regular O'Hara: ASIA - Here ya go
24. Taxing time?: MID APRIL.
28. __ bar: TAPAS - Last Saturday we had 54. Patatas bravas, por ejemplo: TAPA - "Spicy Potatoes" in a TAPA bar
31. Big finish: BANG - You certainly know the classical musical piece that uses these for its big finish
32. Go for the win, in Clue: ACCUSE - Matthew and Christina at their desks with a computer
34. "__ Luna": Allende novel: EVA - A Chilean author
36. Inseparable: THICK - THICK as thieves
38. "Awkward Black Girl" creator: RAE.
39. Insolent: CHEEKY - Add to the list
40. French dip?: PLIE.
41. Traditional Islamic garment: BURQA.
45. Trick: DUPE.
47. __ noodle: POOL.
48. "That's what you're bragging about? You do you ... ": WEIRD FLEX BUT OK - Weird (or odd) flex but OK is a snarky, mocking internet slang response to when someone brags about something deemed unusual, bizarre, baffling, or questionable.
55. Japanese mushroom: ENOKI - In many crossword dishes
56. Smudge: BLOT.
57. Emily Oster's subj.: ECON - This professor of ECONOMICS also writes books on this topic
58. Court apparel: SKORT - A portmanteau of SKirt and shORTs
59. Bonus rooms: DENS - Sometimes a byproduct of "empty nest syndrome"
60. Disallow: DENY.
61. Shutter part: SLAT.
Down:
1. "Goodness me": GOSH.
2. Heating pad target: ACHE - I prefer ice on my back ACHE
3. One guarded on a soccer pitch: SHIN - They're usually worn as a pair
4. Fabled food that's bear-ly eaten?: PORRIDGE - Fun
5. Competition series that features Mystery Box and Pressure Test challenges: MASTER CHEF - You've got 45 minutes to make a dish out of what's in this box. Go!
7. "Mozart in the Jungle" star Kirke: LOLA - Based on a true story of an oboe player trying to get into the NY Philharmonic.
8. Electric company?: TESLA.
9. Keys on a piano: ALICIA.
10. "She put the Miss in misdemeanor when she stole the beans from Lima" singers: ROCKAPELLA - Another portmanteau - ROCK and A CAPELLA
11. Low digits: TOES.
12. Texting inits.: SMS - We set up Joann's mother's 100th birthday via texting (Short Messaging Service). It makes for a lot less phone tag.
14. Breed from Honshu: AKITA.
19. Work with one's buds?: TASTE - Fun cluing
21. Mantis of "Guardians of the Galaxy," for one: EMPATH - More
24. Gambling mecca near Hong Kong: MACAU.
26. More aloof: ICIER.
27. Change of fortune?: LUCKY PENNY - Find a penny, pick it up...
29. Skirt: AVOID.
30. Mint family herb: SAGE - So is catnip
33. Stadium suite: SKYBOX - One from which you can watch the Dallas Cowboys
37. Goes underground: SPELUNKS - No Way!
39. Three-time Best Director of the 1930s: CAPRA - Frank also got three other nominations
42. Mollifies: QUIETS - HUMORS and QUELLS at _ U _ _ _ S? Nah.
44. Court apparel: ROBES.
46. Having clear boundaries: EDGED - Sidewalk/lawn grooming
48. Soyinka who was the first Literature Nobelist from sub-Saharan Africa: WOLE.
49. Head space?: FACE.
50. Sword-wielding animal on Sri Lanka's flag: LION - Your assignment: Find it in this group of 20 Asian flags (answer at bottom of write-up)
52. Cajun staple: OKRA.
53. Catwoman player: KITT - Here are the players
54. Oil in some pet treats, for short: CBD - Cannabidiol (CBD) is an active ingredient in cannabis that is derived from the hemp plant, but it does not cause a high and is not addictive.
I'm sure you saw the Sri Lankan flag is second from the left on the bottom row.
