Happy Monday, everybirdie! sumdaze here.
Theme: 
We will begin with the starred clues:
17 Across. *Defiantly petty retaliation: TIT FOR TAT.
21 Across. *Purchase when planning a train tour: RAIL PASS.
26 Across. *Figure used for counting: CARDINAL NUMBER.
These are the Whole Numbers but not zero.
47 Across. *Wrecking ball swingers on a construction site: CRANE OPERATORS.
52 Across. *Ride the waves using wind power: KITE SURF.
And the reveal:
63 Across. Morning person, or a feature of the answer to each starred clue?: EARLY BIRD.
Each answer begins with a type of BIRD. In other words, the BIRD is EARLY in the answer.
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| Grand TIT, Ridgeway's RAIL, Cardinal Sandhill CRANE, and Swallow-tailed KITE |
Kudos to constructor Emet Ozar for packing this grid full with six themed answers. I also liked how he used all of the bird names in a non-bird way.
Here is today's grid: 
Coincidentally, last night I started reading Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan (author & illustrator).
Across:
51. Post-dubbing title: SIR. One definition of dub, as a verb, means to confer knighthood on. After you are dubbed a knight, people call you SIR.
57. Evening party: SOIREE.
62. "Know what __?": I MEAN. ...jellybean.
65. Rodeo rope: LASSO.
66. Highest sudoku digit: NINE. Sudoku is a puzzle in which missing numbers are to be filled into a 9 by 9 grid of squares which are subdivided into 3 by 3 boxes so that every row, every column, and every box contains the numbers 1 through 9.
8. Involve: ENTAIL. and 48 Down. Mom or pop: PARENT.
12. Many Thanksgiving desserts: PIES. This article reveals the results of a 2024 survey asking for America's favorite Thanksgiving pie. I like the line, "The correct answer is having half slices of three different kinds." 😝
13. Former geopolitical states: Abbr.: SSRs. My guess is that USSR stands for the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. So, without the U we have individual (not united) geopolitical states. Alone, each is a Soviet Socialist Republic. The final s makes the abbreviation plural to match states in the clue. Your thoughts?
18. Signed off on: OKED. Last month Grammar Girl did a podcast on OK. She said that OK and okay are both OK. The Associated Press style guide emphatically recommends the two-letter spelling. The New Yorker writes it as two letters with a period after each: "O.K."
22. Quaint hotels: INNS. The news reported on a hotel scandal. They outed the INNS. (ba-dum-tss)
26. "Close, but no __!": CIGAR. This idiom is used to say that a guess was almost correct or an effort was almost sufficient.
27. Jung's inner self: ANIMA. related article
28. Rambled for a while: RAN ON.
29. "You continue to __ me!": AMAZE. This is what I say to C.C.
30. Cha-cha kin: MAMBO. Both are dances.
31. Selma of "Legally Blonde": BLAIR. She played Vivian Kensington, Warner's other love interest who ended up becoming friends with Elle.
32. Capital of Italy?: EUROS. Clue writers love to trick us with the various definitions of capital.
33. Tachometer stats: RPMs.
34. Powdery mineral: TALC.
38. "So much for that": GUESS NOT.
40. Taverns: BARS.
43. Big name in media streaming: ROKU. Roku is a streaming device that enables you to watch shows on your TV. It can search major streaming services so you do not have to go to each service. It will make finding shows on, for example, Netflix easier but you still have to pay for Netflix separately.
45. Tie pattern: PAISLEY. 
49. City on the Hudson in upstate New York: TROY. CSO to some Cornerites!
52. Metric weight: KILO. One KILOgram is about 2.2 pounds.
53. Apple desktop: IMAC.
54. Exam: TEST.
55. Relax, as restrictions: EASE. let up on
56. Mediocre: FAIR.
58. "Yeah, right": I BET. showing doubt
60. Celtic language: ERSE.
61. Utopia: EDEN. I laughed at the caption on this one:
64. Genetic messenger: RNA.
1. Bank lobby conveniences: ATMs. 
5. Hot under the collar: SORE. and 24 Down. Tantrum: SNIT. and 59 Down. Work (up): RILE.
9. Gets ready, briefly: PREPS.
14. Swat (away): SHOO.
15. "__ further reflection ... ": UPON.
16. Fertile desert spot: OASIS.
19. Big name in blenders: OSTER. "Vitamix" did not fit.
20. Amount of food consumed: INTAKE. For example, a sea otter's food INTAKE is 25% to 30% of their body weight each day. They do not have a blubber layer like seals do so they need the calories to stay warm.
23. Pros with strong opinions on style: EDS. Professionals and EDitorS
5. Hot under the collar: SORE. and 24 Down. Tantrum: SNIT. and 59 Down. Work (up): RILE.
14. Swat (away): SHOO.
15. "__ further reflection ... ": UPON.
 |
| Get it? He could not see the vampire's reflection in his rearview mirror. |
19. Big name in blenders: OSTER. "Vitamix" did not fit.
20. Amount of food consumed: INTAKE. For example, a sea otter's food INTAKE is 25% to 30% of their body weight each day. They do not have a blubber layer like seals do so they need the calories to stay warm.
 |
| After eating, they spend a lot of time cleaning their "tables". |
23. Pros with strong opinions on style: EDS. Professionals and EDitorS
Style might refer to an author's distinctive way of writing or perhaps it is referring to a style guide such as The Chicago Manual of Style.
25. Company abbr.: INC. INCorporated
34. Writer/actress Fey: TINA. [b. Elizabeth Stamatina Fey on May 18, 1970] Tina's IMDb page
25. Company abbr.: INC. INCorporated
34. Writer/actress Fey: TINA. [b. Elizabeth Stamatina Fey on May 18, 1970] Tina's IMDb page
Tina Fey created the TV series 30 Rock (2006-2013).
She also starred in it, playing head writer Liz Lemon.
In this scene she dresses up as XWD favorite Princess Leah to get out of jury duty
then later marries Criss Chros (James Marsden) in the same outfit. (2:25 min.)
35. __ sum: bite-sized Chinese fare: DIM. 
36. Close tightly: SEAL UP. I started with SEcure.
37. Getting on in years: AGING.
39. Indent key: TAB. Today I learned that TAB is short for tabulator or tabular. It advances the curser to the next stop. Most style guides require a paragraph indent to be 1/2".
41. Insincere compliments: SMARM. obsequious flattery
37. Getting on in years: AGING.
 |
| Click to enlarge. |
41. Insincere compliments: SMARM. obsequious flattery
When a roomful of people all shout out insincere compliments it can become a swarm of smarm.
42. Dorothy who was in many Hope/Crosby "Road" films: LAMOUR. [1914-1996]
44. Heat in the microwave: ZAP.
46. Personal blurbs: BIOS.
50. Reggae kin: SKA. Here's a fun SKA music video:
42. Dorothy who was in many Hope/Crosby "Road" films: LAMOUR. [1914-1996]
44. Heat in the microwave: ZAP.
46. Personal blurbs: BIOS.
50. Reggae kin: SKA. Here's a fun SKA music video:
Real Big Fish ~ Sell Out ~ 1996
51. Post-dubbing title: SIR. One definition of dub, as a verb, means to confer knighthood on. After you are dubbed a knight, people call you SIR.
57. Evening party: SOIREE.
62. "Know what __?": I MEAN. ...jellybean.
65. Rodeo rope: LASSO.
66. Highest sudoku digit: NINE. Sudoku is a puzzle in which missing numbers are to be filled into a 9 by 9 grid of squares which are subdivided into 3 by 3 boxes so that every row, every column, and every box contains the numbers 1 through 9.
Do we have any daily sudoku solvers on The Corner?
67. "If all __ fails ... ": ELSE.
68. Group of eight: OCTET. Periodic Table fans will like this 3:41 min. video about the OCTET Rule.
69. Cafeteria carrier: TRAY. A 70-A uses one to carry a slice of pepperoni pizza, chicken nuggets, and carton of chocolate milk from the kitchen to the dining area. #DormFood
70. Adolescent: TEEN.
Down:
67. "If all __ fails ... ": ELSE.
69. Cafeteria carrier: TRAY. A 70-A uses one to carry a slice of pepperoni pizza, chicken nuggets, and carton of chocolate milk from the kitchen to the dining area. #DormFood
70. Adolescent: TEEN.
Down:
1. Italian region known for wine: ASTI. Its area is about 581 sq. miles (1,504.5 sq. kilometers). That is roughly the same size as American Samoa.
2. __ Mints: Girl Scout Cookies choice: THIN. Contrary to wishful thinking, eating them will not make you THIN.
3. Big name in applesauce: MOTT. The answer would be MOTT'S if the clue was "Big brand name in applesauce."
4. Spot for a catnap: SOFA.
5. Casual response to "You handled it?": SURE DID.
6. Choose (to): OPT.
7. Lion's sound: ROAR. Would you rather be able to purr or ROAR? Big cats like lions and tigers can ROAR but they cannot purr. The hyoid bone in smaller cats vibrate against their larynx to created a purring noise. Big cats do not have a hyoid bone. Instead, they have a fleshy length of muscle and cartilage which is used for ROARing.
3. Big name in applesauce: MOTT. The answer would be MOTT'S if the clue was "Big brand name in applesauce."
 |
| H-Gary's cat, Lily, demonstrates |
5. Casual response to "You handled it?": SURE DID.
6. Choose (to): OPT.
7. Lion's sound: ROAR. Would you rather be able to purr or ROAR? Big cats like lions and tigers can ROAR but they cannot purr. The hyoid bone in smaller cats vibrate against their larynx to created a purring noise. Big cats do not have a hyoid bone. Instead, they have a fleshy length of muscle and cartilage which is used for ROARing.
8. Involve: ENTAIL. and 48 Down. Mom or pop: PARENT.
Notice that both of these words cross three themers. Very challenging to construct! Locking in these two fill words likely dictated choices for other not-exactly-amazing fill. (I'm looking at you 5-D.)
9. Game sticks that are treated with chalk: POOL CUES.
10. Quality of a scratchy voice: RASP.
11. "Cómo __ usted?": ESTÁ. Spanish speakers use this version of "How are you?" when they want to show respect for the listener.
9. Game sticks that are treated with chalk: POOL CUES.
10. Quality of a scratchy voice: RASP.
11. "Cómo __ usted?": ESTÁ. Spanish speakers use this version of "How are you?" when they want to show respect for the listener.
12. Many Thanksgiving desserts: PIES. This article reveals the results of a 2024 survey asking for America's favorite Thanksgiving pie. I like the line, "The correct answer is having half slices of three different kinds." 😝
13. Former geopolitical states: Abbr.: SSRs. My guess is that USSR stands for the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. So, without the U we have individual (not united) geopolitical states. Alone, each is a Soviet Socialist Republic. The final s makes the abbreviation plural to match states in the clue. Your thoughts?
18. Signed off on: OKED. Last month Grammar Girl did a podcast on OK. She said that OK and okay are both OK. The Associated Press style guide emphatically recommends the two-letter spelling. The New Yorker writes it as two letters with a period after each: "O.K."
22. Quaint hotels: INNS. The news reported on a hotel scandal. They outed the INNS. (ba-dum-tss)
26. "Close, but no __!": CIGAR. This idiom is used to say that a guess was almost correct or an effort was almost sufficient.
27. Jung's inner self: ANIMA. related article
28. Rambled for a while: RAN ON.
29. "You continue to __ me!": AMAZE. This is what I say to C.C.
30. Cha-cha kin: MAMBO. Both are dances.
31. Selma of "Legally Blonde": BLAIR. She played Vivian Kensington, Warner's other love interest who ended up becoming friends with Elle.
32. Capital of Italy?: EUROS. Clue writers love to trick us with the various definitions of capital.
34. Powdery mineral: TALC.
38. "So much for that": GUESS NOT.
40. Taverns: BARS.
43. Big name in media streaming: ROKU. Roku is a streaming device that enables you to watch shows on your TV. It can search major streaming services so you do not have to go to each service. It will make finding shows on, for example, Netflix easier but you still have to pay for Netflix separately.
49. City on the Hudson in upstate New York: TROY. CSO to some Cornerites!
52. Metric weight: KILO. One KILOgram is about 2.2 pounds.
53. Apple desktop: IMAC.
54. Exam: TEST.
55. Relax, as restrictions: EASE. let up on
56. Mediocre: FAIR.
58. "Yeah, right": I BET. showing doubt
60. Celtic language: ERSE.
61. Utopia: EDEN. I laughed at the caption on this one:
That's all. Time sure flew by today. I bird you farewell!
