Hello, Cornerites. Our constructor du jour last visited us on April 22 of this year, when my partner in "grime", Malodorous Manatee "delighted" us (50-Across uses "delight" in a different context) with his recap - also without a "reveal" - about "freeze" phrases. Today, Grant chose a different path to pleasure us by choosing five common words or phrases that were clued with a play-on-words "question". A la my choice of today's theme. Which could've been a sixth if there was room.
Still confused? Well let's explore:
17-Across. Expending?: ALREADY DONE. In this example, the word "pending" (as part of "ex"pending) means: about to happen. And since it was ALREADY DONE, it is no longer "pending". The "ex" refers to the opposite of
24-Across. Improved?: SPECULATED. In this example, the key word is "proved", which means that a fact has been reached. In the play-on-words, SPECULATED means that it's a hypothesis, which means: a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation. The prefix "im" means "not", so the answer fits perfectly!
38-Across. Unstable?: PUT OUT TO PASTURE. "Stable" is the key word - meaning an enclosure for farm animals - and when you "un" stable horses, e.g., you might PUT (them) OUT TO PASTURE. Brilliant!
50-Across. Delight?: EXTINGUISH. Unlike the word delight/delightful, this p-o-w focuses on how one might turn off a light (think of a match or bonfire), and of course EXTINGUISH definitely "holds water"
61-Across. Distress?: GET A HAIRCUT. "Tress" is another word for hair; "dis" - as in remove - would absolutely mean "GET A HAIRCUT". Something that C-Moe no longer needs to do, now that he is shaving his head, and looking a bit like this guy (minus the earring):
And do you now "get" my theme entry? Unplug? In this case, "plug" refers to a type of promotion (or in my case, "spam"), and when you "un"plug, you can (hopefully) REMOVE ADWARE!
Across:
1. Org. visited by zombie victims in season one of "The Walking Dead" (there was no cure): CDC. Center for Disease Control has been a popular acronym over the past 15 months or so, with the pandemic aka "COVID-19". This guy has not become a "zombie victim" yet, although he is "dead" or "alive" to many who followed his advice. YMMV
4. Looks after: TENDS TO. One of my "retread" haikus uses this term:
Biblical Shepherd
Started gardening. And TENDS
TO his phlox, by night
11. Place to relax: SPA. I wonder if this word could be spelled "SPAHH"?
14. Virgo preceder: LEO. "LEO" was recently an LA Times crossword puzzle "theme" word hidden in entries, when the reveal was "lionhearted"
15. Begin: START ON. I chose to START ON this recap a full week before it was due to publish
16. Not talking: MUM. Moe-ku #2:
The florist wants to
Promote a new arrangement.
I hear "MUM's the word . . .
19. Zoo draw: APE. This came to mind when I saw the word "draw", but I think it means "an animal that draws people in to view them!"
20. Only single-syllable surname in an immortal '60s quartet: STARR. Would this image be a zoo draw?
21. Drilling structure: RIG. The word "RIG" has several meanings, as our Thesaurussaurus knows:
22. Family nickname: GRAN. NANA also fits
23. Conceal, in a way: PALM. As in to "PALM" a card. How about a "back" PALM? This example:
27. He beat Connors at Wimbledon in 1975: ASHE. Arthur ASHE has had his surname used in crossword puzzle thousands of times
29. Note next to a D?: SEE ME. I could only find one next to an "F", but a "D" is also a failing grade
30. Signal for help: SOS. In Morse Code, “SOS” is a signal sequence of three dits, three dats, and another three dits spelling “S-O-S”. The expression “Save Our Ship” was probably coined by sailors to signal for help from a vessel in distress. I hope that Spitzboov never had to signal this
33. Party VIP: HOST. "HOST" also refers to the sacremental bread used in the Christian ritual of the Eucharist, but I doubt that if a party HOST served this, they'd be much of a VIP
35. Optimistic: SUNNY. Please don't ask me why this came to mind, but it did. My folks were big fans of this quartet
42. Word of distinction: FIRST. Charles Dryden coined this phrase back when the Washington Senators were the laughingstock of the Major Leagues: "“Washington: FIRST in war, FIRST in peace, and last in the American League.” No distinction, there
43. As it __: WERE. Second person singular past, plural past, and past subjunctive of the word "be". And foreigners wonder why the English language is so difficult . . .
44. Print maker: PAW. Cute clue. PAW prints. These:
45. Beethoven's "Ah! perfido" and others: ARIAS.
48. Vineyard measure: ACRE. Your resident Sommelier, C-Moe, HAD to get this one! Many wineries specify how many "tons" of grapes they harvest, per ACRE of vineyards, as a measurement of its perceived quality. The fewer the tons/ACRE the more robust. And that's achieved through pruning during the growing season
53. Stout-bodied rodent: VOLE. This cute little bugger. My image compares its difference to a MOLE
57. Bric-a-__: BRAC. Bric-à-BRAC or bric-a-BRAC, first used in the Victorian era, refers to lesser objets d'art forming collections of curios, such as elaborately decorated teacups and small vases, compositions of feathers. Wikipedia. And another Moe-ku:
Commissioned mason
Formed a wall that looked like cups.
Called it "Brick-a BRAC"
58. Pacific __: RIM. Both a geographical and political term which refers to the Asian countries that border the Pacific Ocean
59. Sweet potato casserole topper: PECAN. Also a component of pralines, which I prefer to sweet potatoes
60. Personal holder of tricks?: BAG. Did anyone else think of this?
64. Look at: EYE.
65. Looking closely: PEERING. I had PEEKING/PEERING. A W-O for the Chairman
66. "You __ here": ARE. Akin to "WERE", but this is: second person singular present and first, second, third person plural present of the word "be". As I said earlier, English is a complicated language
67. Mil. honor: DSM. Distinguished Service Medal. The Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Wikipedia
68. Court stat: ASSISTS. Court, as in basketball. An ASSIST in basketball is when a player passes to another, or sets that player up for a made shot. The all-time ASSISTS leader in the NBA is none other than this guy, with 15,806 total for his 19 year career. He averaged 10.5 per game:
69. Scratch, e.g.: MAR. Glad that Grant didn't use an abbr. for the third month of the year for this clue
Down:
1. Hold tight: CLASP. Are these still being worn? Ties, or the CLASPS, aka clips or bars? This image will show you where to wear it
2. Fraternity letter: DELTA. Fun fact: DELTA Kappa Epsilon (ΔΚΕ), commonly known as DKE - or - Deke is one of the oldest fraternities in the United States, currently with fifty-six active chapters across North America. Founded at Yale University in June of 1844. Just celebrated its 177th birthday
3. Snorkeler's sight, perhaps: CORAL. Pretty
4. Old Eurasian ruler: TSAR. Another crossword staple
5. Gate info: ETD. Estimated Time of Departure. These aren't going anywhere soon
6. Voice vote option: NAY. I'll leave this open for RAY-O-Sunshine to pun
7. Death Row Records co-founder: DR DRE. Interesting label. DR DRE - aka Andre Romelle Young - is an American rapper who co-founded Death Row Records in 1992! Man, don't you feel old knowing that "rap" has been around that long? By Source, Fair use
8. Imperturbable sorts: STOICS. It's not in this image, but STOIC basically means all that. It's Friday folks; clues get tougher!
9. Shoe part: TONGUE. Moe-ku:
Penny Loafer struck
Man on his butt. "Really hurts!"
He said, TONGUE in cheek . . .
10. Only Fibonacci number that appears twice in the sequence: ONE. Helps to know what the Fibonacci System is! Well, here it is: The Fibonacci sequence is ONE of the most famous formulas in mathematics. Each number in the sequence is the sum of the two numbers that precede it. So, the sequence goes: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and so on. See? It's ONE! Friday, Friday, Friday
11. Make spiffy: SMARTEN UP. 3rd definition at Merrium Webster: SMARTEN UP: to make (someone or something) neat and attractive. Spiffy
12. Larvae precede them: PUPAE. Did this one bug you as much as it bugged me?
13. Update for the better: AMEND. The US Constitution has 27 AMENDments
18. Writer Bombeck: ERMA. Another crossword staple
22. Spectrum: GAMUT. Moe-ku:
Sometimes these puzzles'
Clues, really pisses me off.
GAMUT all to hell!
24. Camera operator's concern: SHOT. Another W-O. I had "STOP", as in F-STOP
25. Nuisance: PEST. 2nd definition: PEST - an annoying person or thing; a nuisance
26. Minor: LESSER. How come we don't say: "The minor of two evils?"
28. Recluse: SHUT IN. This could also mean someone who is rehabbing from an illness, I think
30. UV-blocking letters: SPF. I use SPF 30. You?
31. Jacque's okay: OUI. If Splynter were blogging, he'd say "Frawnch"
32. Scheme to gain an end: STRATAGEM. STRATEGEM: a plan or scheme, especially one used to outwit an opponent or achieve an end. Wow! A straightforward clue, for a change!
34. Drag along: TOW.
36. Org. once led by Charlton Heston: NRA. National Rifle Association. A less polarizing clue, perhaps, might've used this acronym defintion instead: The National Recovery Administration (NRA) was a prime agency established by U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) in 1933. The goal of the administration was to eliminate "cut throat competition" by bringing industry, labor, and government together to create codes of "fair practices" and set prices. Wikipedia. But the right to bear arms is outlined in the 2nd AMENDment
37. Tree in the genus Taxus: YEW. ELM fit. But the "genus" Taxus refers to a conifer, so now YEW know
39. "Hamlet" courtier: OSRIC. W-O for C-Moe. I put YORIC in, not "K"nowing that it ended with a "K"
40. Garden __: PEAS. This was a stretch! I had "no clue". Garden PEAS? Really? Another Moe-ku:
Garden PEAS went viral.
They decided the best way
Was via podcast
41. Aqueduct feature: ARCH. My first thought was about horse racing venues, but I couldn't fit "Daily Double" into four squares
46. Signs, with "to": AGREES. Another Friday clue. When someone "signs" a document, it's a verification that they AGREEs TO the contents
47. Hotel options: SUITES. Great movie!
49. Even once: EVER. But of course!
50. Pulled back: EBBED. EBB: intransitive verb. 1 : to recede from the flood. 2 : to fall from a higher to a lower level or from a better to a worse state his popularity EBBED
51. Discovery honored with the inaugural Nobel Prize in Physics: X-RAYS. The Nobel Prize in Physics 1901 was awarded to Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen "in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by the discovery of the remarkable rays subsequently named after him. But who calls it "Röntgen RAYS"?
52. Japanese porcelain: IMARI. This:
54. Name associated with a razor: OCCAM. The term "OCCAM's Razor" comes from a misspelling of the name William of Ockham. Ockham was a brilliant theologian, philosopher, and logician in the medieval period. ... The idea is always to cut out extra unnecessary bits, hence the name "razor." Examples of Occam's razor:
“You have a headache?”, “Oh no… you might have the Black Death!” Sure, it's true that one of the symptoms of the Black Death is a headache but, using Occam's razor, it's obviously much more likely that you're dehydrated or suffering from a common cold. Google
55. "Family Matters" daughter: LAURA. Kellie Shanygne Williams-Jackson (née Williams; born March 22, 1976) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as LAURA Lee Winslow, the middle-born child of Carl and Harriette Winslow on the ABC/CBS television series Family Matters which ran from 1989–1998
56. Oft-used key: ENTER.
59. Orwell's Napoleon and Snowball: PIGS. Napoleon is a fictional character and the main antagonist of George Orwell's 1945 novel Animal Farm. He is described as "a large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar" who is "not much of a talker" and has "a reputation for getting his own way". Snowball is also a character in Animal Farm, and is largely based on Leon Trotsky, who led the opposition against Joseph Stalin. He is shown as a white PIG on the movie posters for both the 1954 and 1999 film versions of Animal Farm. Wikipedia
61. School stat: GPA. Grade Point Average. Look here for more info
62. Relaxed greetings: HI'S. "HI" is a relaxed/informal greeting meaning "hello"
63. Certain farm worker: ANT. Friday clue
Here's the grid:
Comments welcomed!
