Theme: Let's Make A Deal!
42D. "Agreed!" ... and what can be said about the start of the answers to starred clues: "IT'S A DEAL!"
17A. *Boot camp newbie: RAW RECRUIT. Raw deal.
66A. *Defensible alibi: GOOD EXCUSE. Good deal.
11D. *Grand scheme of things: BIG PICTURE. Big deal.
29D. *It may be rational, in math: REAL NUMBER. Real deal.
Argyle here, dealing from the top of the deck. Roland makes a rare trip to the start of the week. It is a pinwheel but then again, it sort of looks like a Q.
Across:
1. Carpet thickness: PILE
5. Crowbar, basically: LEVER
10. Vanishing ski lift: T-BAR. More accurate than yesterday's clue.
14. Preemptive rescue op: EVAC. (Evacuation) Is the hurricane season over?
15. Wear down: ERODE
16. MasterCard rival: VISA
19. Not fer: AGIN. For and against.
20. Slap in the face: INSULT
21. Play the hand you were dealt: STAND PAT. 36-A. Starts the kitty: ANTEs
23. Smooth engine sound: [HUM]
25. __-Locka, Florida: OPA. Opa-tisha-wocka-locka (Seminole)
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| Historic City Hall. |
26. Aetna's bus.: INS. (insurance)
27. Michelin product: CAR TIRE
31. Ancient vase in a museum, say: RELIC
33. Fuel-efficient Chevy: AVEO
34. Physics work unit: ERG. The erg is a unit of energy and work equal to 10−7 joules.
39. Truth stretcher: LIAR directly above 44-A. Untrue: FALSE
40. Nebula Award genre: SCI-FI. Awarded for the best science fiction or fantasy works of the previous calendar year.
43. Undiluted: PURE
46. Acquired: GOT
47. __ Minor: Little Bear: URSA
48. Chinese menu promise: NO MSG. (MonoSodium Glutamate)
51. Company co-founded by J.P. Morgan: US STEEL. Founded: 1901 by Andrew Carnegie, J. P. Morgan, Charles M. Schwab, Elbert Henry Gary.
53. "The Simpsons" disco guy: STU
55. Sport-__: 4 x 4: UTE. A utility vehicle.
56. 90 deg. at the North Pole, e.g.: LAT. (latitude)
57. Overly long and generally unproductive activity: TIME SINK. Related to "fun sponge"?
60. One of Santa's reindeer: DASHER. Time to start getting them back into shape.
65. "SOS" pop group: ABBA
68. Baked desserts: PIEs
69. Latest craze: MANIA
70. Ointment additive: ALOE
71. Tortoise racer: HARE
72. Spiritual guardian: ANGEL
73. Identity hider: MASK
Down:
1. Prefix with scope: PERI
2. Hall of Fame catcher Rodriguez: IVAN. Iván Rodríguez, "Pudge". In his career, he played for the Texas Rangers, Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Washington Nationals. Wikipedia
3. Newton's motion trio: LAWS
4. Color of raw silk: ECRU
5. Professors' talks: LECTURES
6. Boot the ball: ERR
7. "Parlez-__ français?": VOUS. "Do you speak French?"
8. Manuscript fixer: EDITOR
9. Make another recording of: RETAPE. This is as dated as the T-bar.
10. Promo on the tube: TV AD
12. From China, say: ASIAN
13. Tirades: RANTS
18. Pre-college, briefly: ELHI. Grades 1 to 12. (ELementary and HIgh-school)
22. Simba's playmate: NALA. I'm not lion.
24. Defunct Ford division, for short: MERC. (Mercury)
27. Baby whale: CALF
28. Sports shoe brand: AVIA
30. Sculptor's subject: TORSO
32. Data to be processed: INPUT
35. Band tour booking: GIG
37. Highland tongue: ERSE
38. Close tightly: SEAL
41. Basketball transgression: FOUL
45. Grounded Aussie birds: EMUs
49. Mark of disgrace: STIGMA
50. Columbus, by birth: GENOAN
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The Biosphere and the Porto Vecchio in Genoa.
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52. Lay's chips-in-a-can brand: STAX. Pringles competition.
53. Dangerous bacterium: STAPH
54. Knee-to-ankle bone: TIBIA
58. Lessen, as pain: EASE
59. Skull Island ape: KONG. (King)
61. Rip-off: SCAM
62. Island dance: HULA
63. Those, in Mexico: ESOS
64. Cause serious nose-wrinkling: REEK
67. Stop working, as an engine: DIE
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
Today dear Santa Argyle wrote his 800th blog post. Day after day, he's here for us. Thank you, Santa.
Today dear Santa Argyle wrote his 800th blog post. Day after day, he's here for us. Thank you, Santa.
