I have had the pleasure of introducing the cruciverb world to so many first
time publications. One day, I should count them. In any event, Will Tobias is
the next in line. His puzzle is a repurposing of common phrases used during a
baseball broadcast by cluing them with descriptive and amusing images. He even
includes, what I see as an unnecessary reveal. As we are working our way
slowly toward a World Series, the timing is good. As a Friday there is some
challenge- 39. "Strega __": Tomie dePaola Caldecott winner whose
title means "Grandma Witch": NONA and 58. Goiânia greeting:
OLA come to mind. He also squeezes in some sparkle with HIGHBALL,
PONTIFFS, NOR'EASTER, and PIRATICAL (an odd but easily inferrable word. So it
is time to begin.
20A. *Where to hang a lei on a rhino?: AROUND THE HORN (13).
A double play initiated by the third baseman who throws to second who throws
to first.
32A. *Bits of dialogue censored on network television?: FOUL LINES (9). Pretty funny. The ball is in play between the white lines.
40A. *Dracula after a hearty meal?: FULL COUNT (9). We will
not ask what Vlad has eaten, but this too is funny.
51A. *Crime of someone who wants folks to get lost?: STEALING SIGNS (13). This is not so funny as it is the basis of a major league scandal
in major league baseball causing teams to forfeit World Series wins.
The reveal: 59D. Org. in which you'd hear the answers to starred
clues: MLB. Major League Baseball.
On to the rest...
Across:
1. Travel pillow spot: NAPE. Not as controversial as
NABE.
5. "Nothing but net": SWISH. That special sound in
basketball as the ball slides down without hitting the rim.
10. One
often looking down: SNOB. One's nose often; counterintuitively it
is said to have arisen from the custom of writing “s. nob.”, that is, 'sine nobilitate,' after the names of children of untitled parents in certain English
schools.
14. Handmade blade: SHIV. I know some
fun shiv stories.
15. George who co-wrote the graphic memoir "They Called Us
Enemy": TAKEI.
16. Do the honors: POUR. A
CSO to our resident Sommelier and our friend TIN.
17.
Blaze: FIRE. Look, there is a blaze; meh.
18. Circular
gasket: O-RING. Very important in the machinery of all kinds.
19.
"__ boy!": ATTA. ATTA Girl.
23.
Acquire: GET.
25. Whitney and Washington:
Abbr.: MTS. In California- the highest peak in 48 contiguous
states and in New Hampshire with the highest winds.
26. Counted
(on): BANKED. On banking on entertaining you, but so far it is a
struggle.
27. Unstable time: CRISIS. No politics.
29.
Bygone Russian title: TSAR. Not bygone from the puzzle
world.
31. Lawful: LICIT. Hence, illicit.
37. And
others, in Lat.: ET AL. Alia or Alii.
38. Group of
experts: PANEL.
39. "Strega __": Tomie dePaola
Caldecott winner whose title means "Grandma Witch": NONA. If you
speak Italian it is a very literal answer.
42.
Doughnut-shaped: TORIC. We have had this shape many times.
43. Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Donovan: ANNE. Anne Donovan.
44. Musical inability: TIN EAR. More Tin.
45.
Dark igneous rock: BASALT. Basalt is a dark-colored,
fine-grained, igneous rock composed mainly of plagioclase and pyroxene
minerals.
49. Suffix with bass: OON. Suffix with Sw?
Please.
50. High card: ACE.
55. "The
Sopranos" actor Robert: ILER. AJ, has left the building.
4. At any time: EVER. We get into the filling
fill.
5. Dark drafts: STOUTS. Rex?
6.
Cautions: WARNS.
7. "Joke, joke": I KID.
8. Email status: SENT.
9. Tall
drink: HIGHBALL. Another baseball possibility but not included in
the theme. This drink recipe is one that every aspiring bartender should
know and it is, quite simply, whiskey and ginger ale.
10.
Pitcher Warren with the most lifetime wins for a
southpaw: SPAHN.
11. Far from acceptable: NOT OK.
12. Quite unusual: OUTRE.
13. __
awareness: BRAND.
21. Drop: OMIT.
22.
Rank between marquess and viscount: EARL. Did you all watch the
movie?
23. Staff symbol: G CLEF. The treble clef
is also called the "G clef" because the symbol at the beginning of the staff
(a stylized letter "G") encircles the second line of the staff, indicating
that line to be G4 (or g above middle C).
24. Verdi baritone
aria: ERITU. Just in time for some opera.
28. Window
ledge: SILL. What you not know and do not care about the
WINDOW SILL.
29. 1,000 kilograms: TONNE. A metric ton.
30.
Bird feeder cake: SUET. Hard to think of suet as "cake."
32.
Woodland spirit: FAUN.
33. Privy to: IN ON.
34. Stahm that may affect Bahston: NOR'EASTER.
35.
Early computer: ENIAC.
36. "__
bleu!": SACRE.
38. Popes: PONTIFFS.
41.
Ring up: CALL.
42. Sound of a tiny
bell: TING.
44. __ water: TOILET.
45.
It may be a sleeper hit: B-SIDE.
46. Shingle
words: AT-LAW.
47. "Toodles!": SEE YA.
48. Judge on a diamond: AARON. Yankee star who is
being overshadowed by Luke Volt and Gianncarlo Stanton in the playoffs. NY is
down 2-1 to Tampa Bay, but Tinbeni can't lose.
49. Japanese
financial hub: OSAKA. Also the US Tennis Open women's champion
this year.
52. River delta where the Rosetta Stone was
found: NILE.
53. Winged pest: GNAT.
We get more midges in Florida.
54. Mission Control
org.: NASA.
58. Goiânia greeting: Olá. Goiânia
is a city in Western Brazil. When you see Olá rather than ¡Hola! it is a clue
you are looking for a Portuguese place, not Spanish.
I am under the weather, so I leave it you all to make our newest constructor
Will T. (Will Shortz, nor Will Shakespeare) feel at how here at the corner and
ready to come to visit and talk with us. Lemonade out.
Chairman Moe, here, filling in for my partner in "crhyme", MalMan. This
is an interesting "work" from Paul Coulter. I completed it in my usual
time for a Thursday puzzle, and had a minimal number of mistakes. I certainly
used ESP (every single perp) to solve a number of these, as I will elucidate,
later on. I had a really tough time figuring out the theme, and eventually it
was explained to me. Thanks, C.C. and HG
Paul took the "unifier", (61-Across. Colleague ... and, when preceded by
"the," what the end of 16-, 24-, 37- or 50-Across is:) WORK MATE, and
combined it with the second word in each of the numbered clues, to form a
common phrase.
Example #1: (16-Across. Figurative setting for many deals:)
BACK ROOM. The "BACK ROOM" is where many deals get made,
although I had a few sales "close" whilst at a bar. I remember getting a
purchase order, written on a cocktail napkin, from a client!
Take the word "WORK", add the word "the" and then add the last
word, and you get: "WORK THE ROOM". This puzzle literally was so
obscure to me, at first, that I think THIS obscure clip speaks volumes!
Example #2: (24-Across. Alpha Centauri, for one:)
STAR SYSTEM. Alpha Centauri is the next closest identified
STAR (and planetary) SYSTEM to the Earth. But at some 4+ light
years away, it is not weekend destination.
"WORK THE SYSTEM": doing what is needed to get around certain "rules",
or using the rules to your advantage. Due to our "no politics" rule here at
the Corner, I won't expound on how politicos may use this
Example #3:
(37-Across. Terra firma:) DRY LAND. This 1975 tune from Joan
Armatrading has
a deep meaning.
"WORK THE LAND" per Husker Gary, is a Nebraska specialty!
And what better item to WORK THE LAND than: (63. Groundbreaking
invention:) TILLER. Rotary tillers were introduced to the US in the
1930's from Germany. They were known there as “boden frasen” or earth grinder.
Spitzboov, stimmst du mir zu?
"WORK THE PROBLEM": From Apollo 13, Gene Kranz @0:17
I'm not certain that as a blogger here I have any more insight to the puzzle
than those who solve it on the published date. I usually do my puzzle solves
with pen and paper, though on the days I blog they're done electronically due to
expediency. And honest to God I couldn't see the forest for the trees in today's puzzle. A couple
of my fellow bloggers bailed me out so I could write something more lucid. Whew!
I never thought of this (blogging) as HARD WORK!
And now that it all fell into
place, so to speak, I will let my inner Stooge guide me through the rest of the
clues!
Across:
1. "Above the __": 1994 basketball film: RIM. The trailer:
The movie was shot on location in NYC, and loosely deals with an aspiring HS
basketball player from "the 'hood'".
Of course here in Arizona when folks use the term "above the rim", most of us
here in the "valley" associate that with
this rim, not the ones at the Grand Canyon. The Mogollon Rim essentially separates,
or creates the "boundary" from high plateau (>8,000' elevation) from the
desert (less than 3,000' of elevation). The correct pronunciation for Mogollon
is: "mug-ee-on"
4. Influence: HEFT. I always thought that HEFT meant to lift something
(as a verb), or something heavy (as a noun). Turns out that one of its
definitions clearly points to having ability or influence; as in "intellectual
heft"
8. African capital on the Gulf of Guinea: ACCRA. Moe-ku #1:
Ghana cave dweller Likes to play on trampolines; It's an ACCRA
bat.
13. Tip jar bill: ONE.
A dollar ain't worth much anymore. Might want to throw in a "fin", or multiple
"ones". Of course, when I thought of ONE, this came to mind:
14. "Boo'd Up" Grammy winner __ Mai: ELLA. I just finished the NYT Sunday
puzzle from Sept 20, where the constructor, Sam Trabucco, said in his
bio: "one of my top priorities ... is to make my puzzles relatable to younger
solvers. I want this hobby to remain relevant forever!"
The use of ELLA with
Grammy Winner Mai
certainly falls into that category. I guess I am one that will always equate
ELLA with Fitzgerald ...
15. Fissile rocks: SHALES. "Fissile" is from the Latin root: findare,
which means to split. Shale readily splits into layers, hence the clue/solve.
One of my favorite wine varietals is Riesling. Those grapes grown along the
slopes of the Mosel River tend to be planted in slate-rich soil. One producer,
Dr Loosen, has wines from both Red and Blue Slate soil. Go
here to
learn more about the differences between the two.
Now of course, if the clue said "Fraggle rocks", we'd have thought of
this:
18. Locker hangers: PIN-UPS. What guys in HS back in the 40's, '50's,
'60's, and '70's might have hung in their lockers. Not sure that PIN-UPS are
allowed nowadays. Examples:
A Splynter PIN-UP.
A C Moe PIN-UP
19. Bring upon oneself: INCUR. I've INCURred a fair amount of debt in my
lifetime, but have always managed to pay it off
20. Samoan capital: APIA. It resides on the north shore of Upolu,
the second largest of the Samoan Islands, and has an urban population of just
under 40,000 residents. Looks inviting
22. Big name in razors: ATRA. Although no longer produced, it was, I
believe, the first of its generation, featuring multiple blades and a pivoting
head
23. Almost at hand: NEAR. Ooh, you almost had it! It was so NEAR ...
26. Fizzles out: DIES. Literally, "fizzle" means to break wind, without
making a noise. Some SBD's do seem/smell like something "DIED"!
28. Hams it up: EMOTES. Actors are known for showing EMOTION on stage,
but when they "ham it up" they've OVER-emoted.
29. 2008 Visa milestone, briefly: IPO. Its IPO raised over $17.8 billion;
largest in the history of the market
32. Weho or Soho, in slang: NABE. WEst HOllywood / SOuth of HOuston;
NEIGHBorhoods, or "NABE" in slang. Or how to clue an obscure word to
finish a noticeable hole in a puzzle ... ESP got this one for me. You?
34. Nostrils: NARES. Another ESP. Moe-Ku #2:
Hairy proboscis Was becoming a problem. Trimmed NARES with
Nair
36. Recyclable item: CAN. CSO to Tin, perhaps??!
40. Brian of ambient music: ENO. A crossword staple. Easy 3 letter
fill
41. In __: awaiting delivery: UTERO. Or, how about a 1993 album by
Nirvana?
43. Arctic sight: FLOE. Moe-Ku #3:
Displaced polar bear Was frustrated; His mate said, "Just go with
the FLOE"
44. Rehab hurdle: DTS. Delirium TremenS, or the
condition felt by many who are abstaining from alcohol, and in rehab, which is
short for rehabilitation
45. Colorful ring: AREOLA. Since this is a "family" blog, I will
refrain from inserting a picture here
48. Animal fat: LARD. As a kid, growing up in York, PA, one of my
favorite snack foods was Grandma Utz's potato chips. Cooked in LARD.
There is no other chip that meets that flavor, IMHO
52. They may be wild: OATS. Moe-Ku #4:
A vegan was cold. Refused to use wool; instead, He sewed his wild
OATS
Into a sweater, I presume ...
56. Grimace: MOUE. Pronounced, "moo". Is that why cows always look so
annoyed?
57. San Joaquin Valley haze: SMOG. A portmanteau. From "smoke and
fog"
58. "Blue Ain't Your Color" country singer Keith: URBAN. Singer,
songwriter, and producer from Whangārei, New Zealand, whose "urban" population
went down when he left
59. Ill-judged, as a plan: INSANE. Moe-Ku #5:
The ill-judged Frenchman Went for a swim, at the Louvre. Was he
just INSANE?
64. Art Deco artist: ERTE. Another crossword staple; I described this
in my last blog
65. "Comprende?": SEE. Or, "do you understand?", en Espanol
66. Final word: SAY SO. There are at least two of my friends / relatives who need to have the final SAY SO whenever we text to each other. I'm sure you all know someone like that
67. Turns to gold, perhaps: DYES. As in dyeing ones hair, perhaps? Actually, there was no Sister Golden Hair, but it's a catchy tune from the mid-'70's
68. Zig when one should have zagged, say: ERR. From the C Moe book of fake facts: Noted author and motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar, had a twin brother, Zag
Down:
1. Givens of "Riverdale": ROBIN. Best known as the sidekick for "shock jock" Howard Stern. Oops! That was Robin QUIVERS!! My bad! Here is Robin Givens' biography.
2. Absurd: INANE. INSANE without the "S"?
3. Muslim holy city: MECCA. The Holy City in Saudi Arabia
4. Berlin address: HERR. German for "mister". A CSO to Spitzboov.
Yesterday's puzzle had "FRAU"; HERR's "Gattin". Ich glaube, dass Die Hausfrau, ist politisch korrekt nicht, ja?
5. Jeff Lynne rock gp.: ELO. Electric Light Orchestra. Co-founder of the group, vocalist, and guitarist
6. Passes on a lazy river: FLOATS BY. Looks peaceful, until you get to the rapids ...
7. Florida host of the Outback Bowl: TAMPA. CSO to Wilbur Charles; the creator of the term "Moe-Ku". The Outback Bowl was originally called the Hall of Fame Bowl and is played on New Year's Day at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and University of South Florida football teams. Usually features teams from the SEC vs Big Ten
9. Game with melds: CANASTA. One game I learned whilst in college was pinochle. A game played with a deck of 48 cards, having 2 each of the 9-10-J-Q-K-A in each of the four suits. It had meld as well. Jack of Diamonds and Queen of Spades was called a "Pinochle" and was = 4 points of meld; having both pairs of these cards = 30 points.
Canasta? Never learned it nor played it ... same with backgammon
10. Like an untidy desk: CLUTTERED. Both my significant other and I share the same "filing" method: horizontal! Glad we both have separate desks and that they're both rather large, in the horizontal dimension ...
11. Stand for: REPRESENT. Not sure what, these days, our REPRESENTatives in Congress are standing for. Certainly not unity ... sorry for the political bent ...
12. Indian silk region: ASSAM. Fascinating info on Wikipedia. I'd link it, but I have momentarily run out of blue ink ... but I do have a picture of the silkworms, if that's OK?
15. Jerk: SPASM. Moe-Ku #6:
Cracker lover shows Uncontrolled SPASMS. Could he Have "To Ritz" syndrome?
17. Western Asia native: KURD. The KURDish people are an ethnic group found in portions of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria. I had another Moe-Ku in mind, but I may have already reached my limit for one blog. Maybe one of our other punsters can bail me out ...
21. Anger: IRE. IRE can also be clued as the abbr. for a Celtic nation. Are the Irish IREd?
24. Scorch: SEAR. The seer SEARed the sere leaves. I wonder if he was thinking about lighting a cigar??
25. Over there: YONDER. Here is an earworm for you to carry with the rest of the day. "Off we go, into the wild blue YONDER". Just hit the "play" button; no lyrics, though ... (BTW, Thanks to all military personnel and veterans who protect/protected our liberties)
27. Weatherproof, as a swimming pool: INDOOR. Hmm. Interesting clue for this answer. My first thought was FLEX-SEAL, but that was too many letters
29. Post-op area: ICU. When former Alpine Skier, Street, had surgery, her folks wanted to know where the hospital staff took her. The head nurse said, "Picabo? ICU"
30. Barren region in southern South America: PATAGONIA. Barren to some, but in barren lands grow grapes! And as your resident Sommelier (yes, I actually AM a Somm) my first thought was to educate us all on PATAGONIAN wines
31. In a burdensome way: ONEROUSLY. ONEROUSLY, I think this is a terrible word and clue ... or did I mean HONESTLY? Neither, actually. I believe that perhaps Lemonade714 could verify, but I have never run across (or down, for that matter!) the word ONEROUSLY in a crossword puzzle before
33. Tolkien figure: ELF. ELF, ENT, or ORC; take your pick
35. "Help!" on the briny: SOS. Help in the kitchen?
38. Story with symbolism: ALLEGORY. Or what the Vice President for #42 might have been referred to, if he'd been stabbed in Paris
39. First name in linguistics: NOAM. I had NOAH at first (thinking Webster) but ESP gave me NOAM, as in Chomsky
42. Takes off the books: REPEALS. Mostly referring to laws, and/or congressional acts. Damn, you, Paul Coulter! Stop making us think about politics here!! LOL!!
46. Sore __: LOSER. Why do they always use "sore" to describe a LOSER? One theory: in the sports world, two famous quotes: First, by Leo Durocher (former baseball player and manager): "Show me a good LOSER and I'll show you an idiot." Second, by Vince Lombardi (former football coach of the Green Bay Packers): “Show me a good LOSER and I'll show you a loser”.
Today, just look for the symbol "L" as formed by your thumb and forefinger
47. SDI weapon: ABM. Strategic Defense Initiative weapon = AntiBallistic Missile ... and now, you know!
49. Quad building: DORM. Nice use of the abbr. for "Quadrangle" to result in the abbr. for "DORMitory"
50. Gives forth: EMITS. EMITS/OMITS one giveth, and one taketh away
51. Mooed: LOWED. Another earworm, perhaps?
53. Belittle: ABASE. Another clue/solve that steered me toward politics ... but again, I'll refrain
54. Russet, informally: TATER. I never ate these as a kid, but my kids did
55. Curled-lip look: SNEER. I worked for a boss once whose last name was SNEER ... we didn't get along too well!!
58. Hawaiian strings: UKES. Again, I wish Paul or Rich would've clued this as an abbr. But don't fret! I am inserting a video that'll teach you how to play the UKULELE!!
60. "The Matrix" hero: NEO. ESP, once again, for me. Never saw any of the 3 "Matrixes".
62. GPS suggestion: RTE. Back in the day, before cellphones, the most convenient method, maybe? Whatever happened to these?
The Grid:
Postscript: I know that politics are not allowed here, but I couldn't resist ... and for anyone who watched last night's VP debate, I HAD to pen this additional Moe-Ku:
I give Pence credit. He displayed, once and for all, That black flies matter
OK, Knuckleheads! Leave your comments, below!!
Notes from C.C.:
Happy
79th birthday to dear Jayce, who often astonishes me with his
understanding of Chinese language. I've had guilao colleagues who speak
Chinese, but none has Jayce's deep grasp of the language quirks. Such a comfort to have you here on the blog, Jayce!
63. Making a killing in Vegas ... or what happens in 17-, 28- and
47-Across: BREAKING THE BANK. Winning a bigger pot than the
house can pay. Alternatively, buying things beyond your ability to pay
for them. Here in the puzzle, it's a book end theme, where the
letters of the word BANK begin and and the theme answers.
17 A. Substantial return: BANG FOR ONE'S BUCK. Getting a substantial return for your investment in time, money or
other resources.
28 A. Color named for a dancer: BALLERINA PINK. Not a particular dancer, but a category of dancer.
47. Bleeping: BLANKETY BLANK. In broadcasting, profanity and colorful language is often covered over with
a bleep sound. People sometimes substitute BLANKETY BLANK for similar wording n daily conversation. Either way, the meaning and
intent are usually pretty clear.
The first two split
BANK down the middle, and the last one
after the B. It would have been more elegant to split them all the same,
all different, or put the odd one in the middle; but sometimes life ain't
easy.
Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, hoping today's puzzle isn't to costly. Let's
see what we can afford.
Across:
1. Something to pay: DEBT. An old song has it: "I owe, I owe, so
off to work I go."
5. "Nothing's broken": I'M OK. Words sometimes spoken after a
fall.
21. Zagreb native: CROAT. Zagreb is the capital and the largest
city of Croatia.
22. Salon creations: DOS. Something done to hair.
23. NCR product: ATM. Automatic Teller Machine, a device for
making deposits and withdrawals. Not likely to break the bank. Or
this.
24. "You betcha": YAH. For sure!
26. Mohel's rite: BRIS. The Jewish circumcision ceremony
performed on a male child on the 8th day after birth.
34. Dodger who befriended Jackie Robinson: REESE. Harold Peter
Henry Reese, aka Peewee [1918-1999] played shortstop for the Brooklyn and L.A.
Dodgers from 1940 to 1958. He was a 10 time all star, and helped his
team win 7 National League championships. As a double play combination
with Robinson at 2nd base,
they became fast friends and remained so for the rest of their lives.
35. Peter of "The Maltese Falcon": LORRE. László
Löwenstein [1904 – 1964) was a Hungarian-American actor of Jewish
descent. He left Germany when Hitler came to power, and went on to a
long career in the movies. He was given a star in the Hollywood Walk of
Fame in 1960
36. Word of regret: ALAS. It traces back to the Latin word
lassus, meaning weary, coming into Middle
English via old French.
39. Sudden burst: SALVO. A sudden aggressive act, or a
simultaneous discharge of weaponry in battle.
42. 9/11 Commission chair Tom: KEAN. Thomas Howard Kean Sr. [b 1935]
was the 48th governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990. After that he was
president of Drew University until retiring in 2005. He is most famous
for chairing the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the
United States in 2002.
43. Star transports: LIMOS. Fancy wheels for celebrities of all
types, as well as some prom attendees.
45. Emulated Van Winkle, after 20 years: AWOKE. I had no idea I
emulated this fictional character every morning. The things you
learn!
51. Toni Morrison novel: SULA. Her second novel, published in
1973.
52. Reluctantly absorb, as a loss: EAT. Causes indigestion.
53. Little bite: NIP.
56. Admiral's rear: AFT. Back end of a ship.
59. Toon duck triplet: LOUIE. Huebert, Deuteronomy and Louis Duck
are Donald's triplet nephews. Packaged together, they are a box of
quackers.
61. "Fame" singer Cara: IRENE. [b 1962] is an American singer, song
writer and actress.
66. Do the Thanksgiving honors: CARVE. Turkey work, if you're a
cut up
67. Start to scope: TELE. Affix I'd like to tele to stop.
68. __ fixe: IDEE. An idea or desire that dominates the mind - an
obsession.
69. Pulled a fast one on: DUPED. Deceived or tricked.
70. Beef bourguignonne, for one: STEW. STEW for one?
Usually there are more diners.
71. Old geopolitical states: Abbr.: SSRS. Parts of the
Soviet Union.
Down:
1. Flintstone word: DABBA. Part of an expression of
happiness or excitement.
2. Hold in awe: EXALT. From Latin, meaning to raise
high.
3. Anesthetize: BENUMB. More generally to deprive of physical or
emotional feeling.
4. Air Force NCO: TSGT. Technical Sergeant is the sixth enlisted
rank (pay grade E-6) in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, just above
staff sergeant and below master sergeant.
5. __ Jima: IWO. An island 750 miles south of Tokyo with 2
strategic airfields. A major battle, eventually won by U.S. marine and
naval forces, was fought there from Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945.
6. Italian noblewoman: MARCHESA.
7. Dump feature: ODOR. You can smell it before you see it.
8. Jedi Master Obi-Wan __: KENOBI. Mentor and friend to Aniken
Skywalker [later Darth Vader] and as an older Jedi, mentor to Luke
Skywalker.
9. Brutish: BESTIAL. Nasty.
10. Uranus, for one: ORB. A planet, or, more generally, any
sphere.
11. Scummy deposit: CRUD. A dirty unpleasant substance.
12. Gabrielle Chanel, familiarly: COCO. [1883 - 1971] A French
fashion designer and business woman who founded the Chanel brand.
13. Fraternal order: ELKS. The Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks is an American fraternal order founded in 1868 originally as a social
club in New York City. The original purpose was to evade N.Y.
restricting the hours for public taverns. They now run various
charitable activities, including programs for youth and veterans.
18. British detective played by Michael Kitchen: FOYLE.
19. Deserve: EARN. Merit via achievment.
25. Lager alternatives: ALES. It's all beer to me.
27. Like many addresses: SPOKEN. Not a street address unless you
are speaking in the middle of the road.
30. Race for four, commonly: RELAY. One runner at a time.
31. Dander: IRE. Foul temper.
32. Gun lobby org.: NRA. National Rifle Association.
33. "Jeopardy!" whiz Jennings: KEN.
36. Priest's white garment: ALB. A full-length white linen
ecclesiastical vestment with long sleeves that is gathered at the waist with a
cincture. From the Latin album, meaning white.
37. Unlike Abner, really: LI'L. He was big
38. Geriatrician's gp.: AMA.
American Medical Association.
40. Bug on the road?: VW BEETLE. The "people's car" was made from
1838 to 2003. The New Beetle was introduced in 1997. Production of
another version continued until last year.
41. Dancing girl in "Return of the Jedi": OOLA.
She never looks happy
44. Moved stealthily: SKULKED. Kept out of sight, typically with
a sinister or cowardly motive. From Scandinavian language into Middle
English, similar to lurk.
46. Journalist Couric: KATIE. Katherine Anne Couric[b. 1957] is
an American television and online journalist, presenter, producer, and author.
She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production
company.
48. Wells' sci-fi race: ELOI. In the year 802701 A.D. they are a
happy, simple people preyed up by the troglodyte-like Morlocks.
49. Bully's array: TAUNTS. Remarks made in order to anger, wound,
or provoke someone.
50. Works with dough: KNEADS. Mixes the ingredients by hand.
54. Word with tube or circle: INNER.
55. Some toys, briefly: PEKES. Miniature dogs are referred to as
toys. This breed originated in China as a lap dog for royalty.
56. It's sung to the same tune as "Twinkle, twinkle": ABCD. A
alphabet song.
57. Lady of the Haus: FRAU. Woman or wife in German
58. Md. athlete: TERP. The University of Maryland was founded in
1856. It's sport teams are called the Terrapins, or TERPS for short.
Leaf Peeping. In New England people like to travel in the countryside to see and
enjoy the colorful fall foliage before the leaves begin to fall.
In today's puzzle the first word of each theme answer r is a type of
leaf. Because the answers are all in the down position, the leaves are
all "Falling".
5-Down. Sherlock Holmes portrayer in 15 movies: BASIL RATHBONE. Basil Rathbone (né Philip St. John Basil Rathbone; June 13, 1892 ~ July 21, 1967) was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He got his start as a
Shakespearean actor, before moving on to swashbuckler films and his
portrayals of Sherlock Homes.
24-Down. Silicon Valley region: BAY AREA. This one was the final leaf I found because I didn't see Bay Area as being a particularly long answer.
28-Down. Interpreter of lines: PALM READER.
Here's the unifier:
19-Down. Autumn occurrence, and a hint to the start of the other four longest Down answers: FALLING LEAVES.
Fall Colors in Northern New Hampshire
Across:
1. Meat on a skewer: KABOB.
6. Better mtge. deal: RE-FI. As in Refinance.
10. Subtle "Look this way": PSST!
14. Gulf of __: Red Sea inlet: AQABA.
15. Horror movie helper: IGOR.
16. Healthy: HALE.
17. Albacore and yellowfin: TUNAs.
18. "Darn it!": SON OF A GUN.
20. Ingredient in some Tibetan cheese: YAK MILK.
22. Genealogy aid: DNA TEST.
23. Pie-mode link: À LA. I am not keen on ice cream. I prefer a solitary pie.
24. Cut out early: BAIL.
25. "Heavenly!": AHH!
26. Mont Blanc, e.g.: ALP. Also the brand of a very expensive writing instrument.
29. Beatles' meter maid: RITA.
31. Hunk of dirt: CLOD.
33. Lea plea: MAA.
34. Fast-food chain named for its founders, the Raffel Brothers: ARBY'S. How the Raffel Brothers built Arby's. The name is the sound of the initials of Raffel Brothers (RB).
36. Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Michael: IRVIN. Michael Irvin (b. Mar. 5, 1966) played college ball for the University of Miami. In 1988, he was selected in the NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys.
39. Splendor: ÉCLAT.
41. Maple extract: SAP.
42. Born yesterday, so to speak: NAÏVE.
43. Female folklore deity: NYMPH.
44. Part of a plug: PRONG.
46. Word with pool or park: CAR. As in a Car Pool or a Car Park, more commonly referred to as a parking lot.
47. First name in country: REBA. As in Reba McEntire (b. Mar. 28, 1955).
49. List-ending abbr.: ET AL. A crossword staple.
50. Finish: END.
51. Crayon shade: HUE.
53. Legendary Greek mount: OSSA.
55. Drink with scones: TEA.
57. Ideal way to work, teamwise: AS A UNIT.
59. "No idea": BEATS ME.
63. Living labyrinth: HEDGE MAZE.
65. Time off, informally: VACAY. Short for Vacation.
66. "The Clan of the Cave Bear" author Jean: AUEL. Jean Marie Auel (b. Feb. 18, 1936) wrote a series of novels set in prehistoric Europe. The Clan of the Cave Bear was the first book in the series.
67. Kitchen cooker: OVEN.
68. Clear the board: ERASE.
69. Nimble: SPRY.
70. Let off steam: VENT.
71. Drops below the horizon: SINKS.
Down:
1. Pop singer Perry: KATY. Katy Perry (née Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson; b. Oct. 25, 1984) was once married to Russell Brand.
2. Water color: AQUA.
3. River border: BANK.
4. Hawaiian-born president: OBAMA. Barack Obamas (b. Aug. 4, 1961) was the 44th President of the United States.
6. Gamble: RISK.
7. __ trip: EGO.
8. "On Golden Pond" actor or actress: FONDA. Both Henry Fonda (May 16, 1905 ~ Aug. 12, 1982) and his daughter, Jane (b. Dec. 21, 1937) were in this 1981 film.
9. Dramatically twisty: IRONIC.
10. Awesome, in '90s slang: PHAT.
12. Blizzard remains: SLUSH.
13. Grade for a soph: TENTH.
21. Bandit's hideout: LAIR.
26. "You got that right!": AMEN.
27. Like many doilies: LACY. Do people still used doilies?
30. Recipe amt.: TBSP. As in a tablespoon.
32. "... boy __ girl?": OR A.
35. Predicament: SPOT.
37. Lendl of tennis: IVAN.
Ivan Lendl (b. Mar. 7, 1960).
38. Uncool one: NERD.
40. Copy: APE. A crossword staple.
45. Kid-lit's __ the Great: NATE. The first Nate the Great book was published in the early 1970s. Nate the Great a series of over 24 children's detective novels.
48. "I, Robot" author: ASIMOV. Isaac Asimov (Jan. 2, 1920 ~ Apr. 6, 1992) was born in Russia. He was actually born sometime between October 1919 and Jan 1920, but celebrated his birthday on January 2. His family moved to the United States when he was about 3 years old.
51. Comedy club sounds: HA HAs!
52. Exhaust: USE UP.
54. Ward (off): STAVE.
56. Gaming giant: ATARI.
58. Hideous: UGLY.
This is an Ugly Ugli.
59. Like knees during a squat: BENT.
60. MRI image: SCAN.
61. Face concealer: MASK. This word has a whole new meaning on today's world. Masks were also worn during the 1918 pandemic. Almost exactly a century ago, world was also suffering form a viral pandemic. The Great Influenza, by John M. Berry is a fascinating history of that pandemic. I was struck by how little has changed in the past 100 years. The events of this book are so similar to the events of today.
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